Biden calls for healing in appeal to Trump voters: Live news
President-elect Joe Biden says it’s ‘time for our better angels to prevail’ in call for unity.
Published On 7 Nov 2020
- Former Vice President Joe Biden is the projected president-elect, the Associated Press (AP) news agency and other media outlets said on Saturday. He is set to become the 46th president of the United States.
- The AP called Pennsylvania and Nevada in Biden’s favour, giving him 290 electoral votes, passing the 270 threshold needed to win.
- Biden has said he is “honoured and humbled” by the projected victory.
- US President Donald Trump has repeated unfounded voting fraud claims and said Biden is “rushing to falsely pose as the winner”.
- Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Arizona – all won by Trump in 2016 – have been called for Biden by the AP.
Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the US elections. This is Joseph Stepansky taking over from Usaid Siddiqui and Shereena Qazi.
In Pictures: Indians celebrate Kamala Harris’s US election win
Waking up to the news that Kamala Harris had won the race to be the next US vice president, overjoyed people in her Indian grandfather’s home town set off firecrackers, offered prayers and carried placards.
Groups gathered at street corners of the tiny village of Thulasendrapuram, population 350, reading newspapers and chatting about the Democrats’ victory in the United States presidential election before moving to the Hindu temple.
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View gallery here.
Joe Biden ‘no saviour’ of the Palestinians
In October 1973, newly elected Delaware Senator Joe Biden visited Israel on his first official overseas trip and met Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir.
The 30-year-old was visibly moved as Meir explained what she said was Israel’s militarily dangerous situation surrounded by “enemy states”, but he cheered up when the Israeli leader revealed what she said was Israel’s secret weapon: The Israelis have nowhere else to go.
Read more here.
US is our closest and most important ally, says PM Johnson
The United States is our closest and most important ally, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, adding London and Washington could do something on trade despite Washington being a tough negotiator.
“But on the trade deal with the US, I’m a keen student of the United States’ trade policy and they’re tough negotiators,” he told reporters.
“And I’ve never believed that this was going to be something that was going to be a complete pushover under any US administration. I think there’s a good chance we’ll do something.”
How will a Biden presidency impact NATO and Brexit?
With Biden defeating Trump in the race for the US presidency, many leaders in Europe are hopeful that a shift in American foreign policy awaits.
Biden has pledged to immediately rejoin a number of initiatives that Trump dumped, including the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Iran nuclear deal, if Tehran also complies. He also vowed to reverse the US’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization.
Read more here.
‘No greater ally’: UK minister predicts close ties with Biden
Biden will have no closer ally or more dependable friend than the UK, foreign minister Dominic Raab said, expressing confidence the two countries’ “special relationship” would endure.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was once fondly dubbed “Britain Trump” by President Donald Trump, congratulated Biden on his victory on Saturday, saying he looked forward to “working closely together on our shared priorities”
How will a Biden presidency affect Turkey?
Just a couple of weeks before president-elect Joe Biden’s victory, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was giving a party rally of his own in southeast Turkey, delivering a defiant message to the United States.
“You don’t know who you’re dealing with,” said Erdogan to his NATO ally.
“Impose your sanctions already, whatever they may be,” he added, referring to US threats over Turkey’s purchase of a controversial Russian missile system.
The comments were perhaps also directed at Biden. As one senior Turkish government official told Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity: “People here are not overwhelmed with the prospect [of a Biden presidency]”.
Read more here.
Iran’s Rouhani says next US administration should make up for Trump’s mistakes
Iran’s president said the next US administration should use the opportunity to compensate for Trump’s mistakes, Iranian state TV reported.
Tensions have spiked between the US and Iran since 2018, when Trump exited a nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, and then reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy.
“Trump’s damaging policy has been opposed … by the American people. The next US administration should use the opportunity to make up for past mistakes,” President Hassan Rouhani was quoted as saying.
Palestinian president urges Biden to ‘strengthen’ Palestinian-US ties
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on Biden to “strengthen” relations between the Palestinians and Washington, which collapsed during President Donald Trump’s term in office.
In a statement congratulating Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris, Abbas urged the incoming administration “to strengthen the Palestinian-American relationship,” and to strive for the Middle East “peace, stability and security.”
Trump supporters continue protesting vote count in Arizona
Outside the Maricopa County Elections Department, hundreds of supporters of President Donald Trump rallied for a fourth consecutive day, insisting the Democratic Party had stolen the election.
The demonstrators took turns addressing the crowd and kneeling to pray for Trump. At times, they broke out in chants of “four more years” and “back the blue”.
Several protesters wore hats reading “Make America great again”, while others had flags or T-shirts that referenced QAnon – the widespread conspiracy theory that Trump is waging a secret war on child sex traffickers.
Read more here.
‘A new dawn for America’: world media react to Biden win
With headlines such as “God Bless America”, powerful media outlets around the world welcomed the defeat of Trump but warned Biden faced enormous challenges in healing the US.
The international press also focused on the feat of Kamala Harris.
“A new dawn for America”, read the headline of The Independent in the United Kingdom.
A new dawn for America. The front page of tomorrow’s Independent. pic.twitter.com/ily3ARbhPP
— Martyn McLaughlin (@MartynMcL) November 7, 2020
The Sunday Times went with a picture of a black woman draped in the US flag and the headline: “Sleepy Joe wakes up America”, taunting Trump by using the derogatory nickname he had used for Biden.
The Sunday People tabloid blared in capital letters: “GOD BLESS AMERICA”.
In Australia, the Daily Telegraph tabloid owned by Rupert Murdoch’s media empire also focused on Trump’s expected defiance and described him as a “hotball of fury”.
Thousands gather to hear Biden give victory speech in Wilmington
As US President-elect Joe Biden prepared to speak in Wilmington, thousands of people wearing masks walked to the Chase Centre and stood along a fence that blocked them from getting too close.
“Do you think we’ll hear him from here?” a young woman, Elizabeth, asked her boyfriend Emmett. They didn’t want to give their last names.
“I’ve lived in Wilmington, Delaware, all my life so it’s pretty cool to see someone from Delaware actually become president,” Elizabeth said.
Her boyfriend praised the historic win by Kamala Harris, the vice president-elect.
“For me, it’s a moment in history,” Emmett said. “To have a Delawarian president and the first Black female and South Asian vice president.”
Read more here.
No comment: Some world leaders silent on Biden win
As many world leaders rushed to send President-elect Joe Biden congratulations on his victory over Donald Trump, others were noticeable in their silence on Sunday.
Read more here.
Joe Biden acceptance speech: Full transcript
President-elect outlines his policies and vision after winning the US election over incumbent Donald Trump.
LIVE: President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris address the nation after winning US election. #Election2020 live blog: https://t.co/VdHZ1kUoYW https://t.co/LTPAc1xr66
— Al Jazeera News (@AJENews) November 8, 2020
Donald Trump’s statement in full after Joe Biden declared winner
Trump accused Biden of “rushing to falsely pose as the winner”. The Republican has made repeated claims of electoral fraud without providing evidence, and his campaign has pledged to challenge the result in some battleground states.
Here is Trump’s statement in full.
Biden vows immediate, science-based action on virus
Biden vowed immediate action to contain the coronavirus crisis, signalling science would dominate the national response once Donald Trump leaves the White House.
Biden’s pledge, in his first national address since defeating Trump, followed three days of record infections in the United States and came as the nation’s death toll surpassed 237,000
PM Netanyahu congratulates Biden and thanks Trump
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Biden on his election victory.
Netanyahu tweeted early Sunday and said he had shared a “warm relationship” with Biden for nearly 40 years and described him as a “great friend” of Israel.
“I look forward to working with both of you to further strengthen the special alliance between the US and Israel,” he wrote in the tweet, which was addressed to both Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
Thank you @realDonaldTrump for the friendship you have shown the state of Israel and me personally, for recognizing Jerusalem and the Golan, for standing up to Iran, for the historic peace accords and for bringing the American-Israeli alliance to unprecedented heights.
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) November 8, 2020
Netanyahu’s message came hours after many world leaders and some Israeli ministers had congratulated Democrat Biden.
Trump campaign files fresh lawsuit in Arizona
The Trump campaign and Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit Saturday in Arizona that seeks the manual inspection of potentially thousands of in-person Election Day ballots in metro Phoenix that they allege were mishandled by poll workers and resulted in some ballot selections being disregarded.
The legal challenge against Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs looks at instances where people are believed to have voted for more candidates than permitted.
When tabulators detect such an “overvote,” poll workers should give voters a choice to fix the problem. But the workers instead either asked or told voters to press a button on the machine to override the error, leaving the devices to disregard the problematic ballot selections, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed hours after the dismissal of another Arizona election lawsuit that contested the use of Sharpie markers in completing Election Day ballots in Maricopa County. Even though election officials have said voting with a Sharpie would not invalidate a ballot, many social media users in the controversy known as #Sharpiegate have falsely claimed their ballots had been invalidated because they were told to use the markers.
Hobbs’ spokeswoman Sophia Solis said the secretary of state’s office is still reviewing the lawsuit but added that the latest lawsuit “is seemingly a repackaged ‘Sharpiegate’ lawsuit”.
Mexico’s president won’t congratulate Biden until legal challenges resolved
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said it was too soon to congratulate Biden and he would wait for “all legal issues” in the US election to be resolved.
“We don’t want to be imprudent. We don’t want to act lightly and we want to respect people’s self-determination and rights,” Lopez Obrador, who has had good relations with Trump, told reporters.
Australia wishes Biden, Harris ‘every success’
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison wished Biden and Harris “every success” in a tweet.
“The Australia-US Alliance is deep and enduring and built on shared values. I look forward to working with you closely as we face the world’s many challenges together,” he said.
Taiwan’s president congratulates Biden
Tsai Ing-wen, the president of Taiwan, congratulated Biden and Harris on their win, saying in a Twitter post: “The values on which we have built our relationship could not be stronger.”
She added: “I look fwd to working together to further our friendship, & contributions to int’l society.”
Now it is my turn to extend congratulations to @JoeBiden & @KamalaHarris on being elected President & VP-elect. The values on which we have built our relationship could not be stronger. I look fwd to working together to further our friendship, & contributions to int’l society. https://t.co/xIvit7emjH
— 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) November 8, 2020
Harris’ ancestral village in India welcomes win
After rooting for Kamala Harris as US president-elect Joe Biden’s running mate, people in her small ancestral Indian village woke up on Sunday morning to the news of her making history.
“Congratulations Kamala Harris, pride of our village, Vanakkam (Greetings) America,” the women of Thulasendrapuram wrote in color powder outside her former residence.
Thulasendrapuram, located 350 kilometres (215 miles) from the southern coastal city of Chennai, planned to celebrate Harris’ success with singing, dancing and firecrackers at a temple later Sunday.
“Since November 3 we were waiting for her to win and we are very happy,” said Aulmozhi Sudhakar, a village councillor.
Speech ends with fireworks, drone display
Biden’s first address after news organisations projected him the winner of the presidential election has ended.
Biden gave a message of unity, and promised to lead for all Americans, regardless of who they voted for. He said the coronavirus would be his first priority and hailed his historic vice-president-elect Kamala Harris.
The evening ended with fireworks and drone display that spelt out Biden and 46 in the sky, as the song You make my dreams come true by Hall and Oates and The best by Tina Turner played.
Biden calls for faith and healing after the loss of lives to the pandemic
Biden recited words from Psalm 91, a verse in the Bible, that he said had special meaning for his deceased son Beau that “captures the faith that sustains me”.
He offered in the “hope that it can provide some comfort, solace to 230,000 Americans that lost a loved one to this terrible virus this year.”
“And he will raise you up on eagles’ wings, bear you on the breath of dawn, and make you shine like the sun and hold you in the palm of his hand,” Biden said reciting the verse “And now together, on eagles’ wings, we embark on the work that God and history have called upon us to do.”
Closing the speech, he said: “With full hearts and steady hands with faith in America and each other, with love of country a thirst of justice, let us be a nation that we know we can be. A nation united. A nation strengthened. A nation healed.”
Biden: ‘Time for our better angels to prevail’
“Our nation is shaped by the battle of our better angels and our darkest impulses,” said Biden.
“It’s time for our better angels to prevail. Tonight, the whole world is watching America. And I believe at our best America is a beacon for the globe. We will lead not only by the example of our power, but by the power of our example,” he said.
Biden lauds diversity of his winning coalition, calls for unity
Biden said he is proud of the diverse society that elected him and Kamala Harris the first woman vice president.
“I am proud of the coalition we put together, the broadest and most diverse coalition in history,” Biden said, singling out the support from Black voters who gave his campaign new momentum during the Democratic primaries.
“The African American community stood up for me. You’ve always had my back and I will always have yours,” Biden said.
Biden acknowledged the divisive campaign and the polarisation of American politics evident in the contest.
“It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again,” he said.“We have got to stop treating our opponents as enemies. They are not enemies. They are Americans.”
Biden: We begin with ‘getting COVID under control’
“Our work begins with getting COVID under control,” Biden said, adding that he will announce on Monday a task force and a plan to deal with the pandemic.
“That plan will be built on bedrock science,” he said. “I will spare no effort, none… to turn around this pandemic.”
Biden says voters delivered ‘convincing victory’
Biden is addressing the nation from Wilmington, Delaware.
“Folks the people of this nation have spoken. They delivered us a clear victory, a convincing victory, a victory for `We the People’,” Biden said, claiming a popular vote mandate.
“We’ve won with the most votes after cast for a presidential ticket in the history of the nation,” he said.
Harris says ‘democracy was on the ballot’, thanks voters
Vice president-elect Harris said that it was the supporters of Harris and president-elect Joe Biden who “when our very democracy was on the ballot … ushered in a new day for America.
“And to the American people who make up our beautiful country. Thank you for turning out in record numbers to make your voices,” the history-making vice president-elect said.
Harris says voters chose ‘hope’, calls Biden ‘healer’
“You chose hope and unity decency, science and yes, truth. You chose Joe Biden as the next president,” Harris said.
“Joe Biden is a healer. He is a tested and steady hand. A person whose own experience of loss gives him a sense of purpose that will help us as a nation reclaim our own sense of purpose and a man with a big heart, who loves with abandon,” she said.
VP-elect Kamala Harris addresses country
To cheers and honks, Harris addressed the crowd in Wilmington, Delaware.
“Congressman John Lewis, before his passing, wrote Democracy is not a state, it is an act, what he meant is American Democracy is not guaranteed, it is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it,” she said.
“To guard it, and never take it for granted and protecting our democracy takes struggle. It takes sacrifice. But there’s joy in it. And there is progress. Because we, the people, have the power to build a better future,” Harris said.
Pro-Trump protests continue in Maricopa County election centre as vote continues
Al Jazeera’s Patrick Strickland has sent this report from Tuscon, Arizona
Supporters of Trump continued protests for a third day outside an election centre in Arizona’s capital, while the state’s Maricopa County said there were around 90,000 ballots left to count.
Demonstrators claim that what they see as slow ballot counting is part of an effort to steal the election from Trump.
Trump himself has made similar claims on Twitter and during press briefings, saying without evidence that supposedly illegal votes had been cast and that the Democrats had rigged the election.
Some elections department employees had to be escorted out by security guards as the demonstrators rallied.
Protests first erupted outside the Maricopa County Election Center on Wednesday night, when around 150 pro-Trump demonstrators showed up, some of them armed. The following night, far-right personality Alex Jones, who runs the conspiracy theory website InfoWars, joined the demonstrators outside the election centre.
In a statement released on Friday night, Maricopa County’s Elections Department said that it still needed to process an estimated 72,000 early ballots, another 15,000 provisional ballots, and an additional 5,000 early ballots still needing verification.
“This is the highest number of ballots ever received by Maricopa County, and the Elections Department is on track to complete reporting faster than ever before,” the department said.
Biden set to address the nation
Revellers wait at a drive-in rally outside of the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware for Biden to address the country.
People stood outside of their cars, waving flags and dancing as they waited for Biden and Harris to arrive.
Mexico’s president won’t congratulate Biden until ‘legal proceedings’ conclude
Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has said that he can not congratulate a winner of the US presidential election until all legal proceedings are concluded, calling his decision “politically prudent”.
The Associated Press news agency and other news organisations have projected victory for Biden won the election on Saturday after a victory in the battleground state of Pennsylvania put him over the threshold of 270 Electoral College votes.
Trump has filed a raft of lawsuits to challenge the results but elections officials in states across the country say there has been no evidence of significant fraud and legal experts say Trump’s efforts are unlikely to succeed.
‘I ain’t buying it’: Trump voters protest US election call
Al Jazeera’s Hilary Beaumont has sent this report from Philadelphia Pennsylvania
As thousands of people are rallying across the United States to celebrate the projected victory of Democrat Joe Biden, some of President Donald Trump’s staunchest supporters are insisting that the presidential contest is not over yet.
Samuel Battle, 19, accused the Democratic Party of trying to steal the election, which has been one of the most divisive in recent memory and which drew record numbers of voters across the country despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I don’t think it’s over yet,” said Battle, who was among a small group of vocal Trump backers that had gathered in downtown Philadelphia opposite a much-larger, jubilant crowd celebrating Biden’s projected win.
Read more here.
Trump campaign files lawsuit over rejected vote claims in Arizona
The Trump campaign has said it has filed suit in Arizona, alleging the Southwestern state’s most populous county incorrectly rejected votes cast by some voters.
The lawsuit, filed in Superior Court in Maricopa County, said poll workers told some voters to press a button after a machine had detected an “overvote.” The campaign contended that decision disregarded voters’ choices in those races, saying new voting machines were used on Tuesday. The lawsuit suggested those votes could prove “determinative” in the state’s outcome.
The campaign has filed a swath of lawsuits challenging counts in several key states as they have baselessly alleged widespread fraud.
New York City buzzes with celebration, commiseration
Al Jazeera’s Radmilla Suleymanova sent this report from New York, New York
On an unusually warm November day, the shouts of celebration and honks of jubilation came around mid-morning.
On the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York people cheered and clapped and hugged in the streets at the news of Biden elected as the 46th President of the United States.
“It’s been a lot of stress for four years. On January 21, I can finally go to sleep and not worry about what the president will say on Twitter,” Jordan Weinstein, 37 told Al Jazeera. “I bought a nice bottle of whiskey a couple of days ago and I didn’t open it until a network called the election. I finally opened it today.”
Others, like Tonye-Dmitria Vickers, 36, who said he was former NAVY Seal, came out to support Trump.
“I’m a Trump supporter. Under him, the African American unemployment rate was its lowest in the US history,” said Vickers, who held a sign reading “F*** Biden – he cheated”.
“I don’t believe Trump is racist. I think he’s classist. He believes you have to get off your ass and work to achieve something in life,” he said.
No plans for Trump to speak tonight, but the president tweets grievance
President Donald Trump will not give a concession speech tonight, the White House communications office indicated, calling a news and photo “lid” for the day. The president did, however, tweet his grievances about the election.
“71,000,000 Legal Votes. The most EVER for a sitting President!” Trump said.
A second tweet claiming Republican observers were not allowed in count rooms was flagged by Twitter for making a disputed claim. In fact, observers were allowed in counting rooms.
THE OBSERVERS WERE NOT ALLOWED INTO THE COUNTING ROOMS. I WON THE ELECTION, GOT 71,000,000 LEGAL VOTES. BAD THINGS HAPPENED WHICH OUR OBSERVERS WERE NOT ALLOWED TO SEE. NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. MILLIONS OF MAIL-IN BALLOTS WERE SENT TO PEOPLE WHO NEVER ASKED FOR THEM!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2020
Philadelphia cheering crowds ‘on a mission to change country’
Al Jazeera’s Hilary Beaumont has sent this report from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Hundreds of people gathered in central Philadelphia to celebrate Biden’s win.
In the crowd, Raushanah Scurry felt excited that what she called “the reign of terror” was over. “I’m hoping the atmosphere of the country will change,” she said. “I’m hopeful that we’ll work together.
Biden will be able to bridge the gap and try to find solutions for police reform. I have a good feeling about him.”
Benjamin Blei joined the celebration with his wife and son. He also attended Black Lives Matter protests in Philadelphia for Walter Wallace Jr, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other African-American victims of police violence. He supported Elizabeth Warren in the Democratic primaries but voted for Biden in the general elections.
Blei said, however, that he plans to be critical of the Biden and Harris administration. “We’re on a mission to change this country, and that’s the important thing, but you have to start with removing Trump and the people who are running his cabinet,” he said.
Republican senator demands DOJ investigation of Pennsylvania ballots
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is asking the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate allegations that postal authorities were backdating mail-in ballots.
Graham said the Trump campaign had received information from a postal worker in Erie, Pennsylvania who says that supervisors hatched a plan to postmark ballots mailed after the election and make them look as if they had arrived beforehand.
“It’s imperative that all credible allegations of voting irregularities and misconduct be investigated to ensure the integrity of the 2020 election,” Graham said.
“I will be calling on the Department of Justice to investigate these claims. I’ll also be in contact with the Postmaster General, requesting he look into these allegations …” Graham said.
Pennsylvania law required ballots to be mailed by Election Day but allows them to be collected and counted for three days afterwards, which the Trump campaign is objecting to in federal and state courts.
US capital celebrates Biden victory
Al Jazeera’s Jihan Abdalla sent this dispatch from Washington, DC
Thousands honked their cars, banged on pots and cheered in Washington, DC to celebrate the announcement that Joe Biden won the election over Trump.
Music blared and a festive atmosphere set in at Black Lives Matter Plaza as Biden supporters gathered – most wearing face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. They danced and some drank champagne, straight from the bottle.
“I could dance and scream all day long,” Bernadette Etienne, a retired translator, told Al Jazeera. “There is so much misery to expel, so much hatred to get rid of … It’s been four horrible nightmarish years.”
Streets were closed to traffic as large waves of people kept arriving to the sound of honking car horns and cowbells. Some waved American and LGBTQ flags. Many wore Black Lives Matter T-shirts.
“I was getting ready for this day for a long time,” Andrew Hasson told Al Jazeera. “This week was super stressful just waiting for the results to come in, but this is a great feeling and DC feels alive again.”
Washington, DC is literally inaugurating Biden and Harris today. pic.twitter.com/VYRQr83S4U
— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) November 7, 2020
Al Jazeera’s diplomatic correspondent: Reaction from allies ‘pretty clear’
James Bays, Al Jazeera’s diplomatic correspondent, has said that with regards to the US’s traditional allies, “It’s pretty clear what the reaction is” to Biden’s projected win.
“They are not saying this publicly, but there is a massive sigh of relief now, and a feeling that perhaps things might return to how they were four years ago in terms of the transatlantic alliance,” he said. “Trump has described the European Union as a foe, whereas Biden has described it as an indispensable partner.”
Bays added that a senior EU official had described the past four years during Trump’s leadership “as the worst period in relations between Europe and the US since the world war.”
Bays said that on the other hand, some allies in the Middle East “will be calibrating their responses”, adding that “[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, for example, could not have wished for a better US president for his interests than Trump”.
Macron hopeful over projected Biden victory
Speaking from Paris, Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler said French President Emmanuel Macron is hopeful the “America first” approach to foreign policy will soon end.
“French President Emmanuel Macron has tweeted his congratulations to Biden and Harris saying that he looks forward to working with them on some of today’s challenges,” Butler said. “There is no doubt that Macron is more closely politically aligned to Biden than he was to Trump.”
“What Macron will be hoping for now is that the US returns to a more multilateral approach when it comes to foreign policy after four years of Trump’s America-first policy: A return to the Paris climate deal, something that Trump pulled the US out of, and the JCPOA, the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump also pulled the US out of, much to the disappointment of Macron,” Butler said.
Former Ohio secretary of state: Celebrations premature
In an interview with Al Jazeera, former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell told Al Jazeera that celebrations were premature.
“What we have now are several states where the results are heading towards a spread that is so narrow that any hint of irregularities can in fact be prosecuted,” Blackwell, a Republican, said from Philadelphia, referencing Trump’s promise to challenge results in states across the country.
“There are close races that are still being contested. It is a bit rich that some folks, who never accepted Trump’s clear victory, are now celebrating off projections,” he said.
Trump returns to White House after golfing, Biden victory projected
Trump, wearing a white “Make America Great Again” hat, has returned to the White House after golfing in Virginia.
Since he left the White House in the morning, Biden was declared the projected winner of the election. A crowd of Biden supporters has since grown near the White House.
Biden to name coronavirus task force on Monday: Report
The president-elect plans to name a 12-member task force to combat and contain the spread of the coronavirus, news website Axios has reported.
The task force will be led by three co-chairs: former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler and Dr Marcella Nunez-Smith from Yale University, according to Axios.
The plan, which comes before Biden has appointed his cabinet or White House staff, is an apparent attempt to signal that the pandemic will be his top priority.
Analyst: Harris VP win is an ‘incredible glass ceiling moment for all women everywhere’
Claire Finkelstein, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, told Al Jazeera that Kamala Harris’s win is an “incredible glass ceiling moment for all women everywhere”.
“Especially as a lawyer to watch future VP Harris getting ready to step to a role that no woman in this country has ever held, especially as a woman of colour, is especially exciting and inspiring to all of us,” she said.
She added that Trump’s promise to challenge the state results in court “is in a way a sign of health in our democracy”.
“If Donald Trump is willing to accept the deliverances of our court system, then in effect, he is willing to play by the rules. As angry as he is and unwilling to accept the results as he has been, if the court rules and he is willing to accept it, then we are still roughly within the domain of the rule of law,” she said.
Muslim organisations hail Biden’s vow to end ‘Muslim ban’
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the No Muslim Ban Ever grassroots coalition have congratulated Biden, while urging him to follow through on his pledge to end the so-called Muslim ban.
“President-elect Biden has pledged to end the Muslim ban on his first day in office, include Muslims at every level of his administration and address issues of racial and religious discrimination,” said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.
“We plan to join other American Muslim leaders and organisations in ensuring that the Biden administration fulfils these promises. We also plan to continue holding our government accountable when it errs,” he said.
In 2018, the Supreme Court upheld a Trump policy that banned travellers from several Muslim-majority countries, saying it was allowed if done for national security. Trump’s initial 2017 order separated families and left travellers stranded around the world, and has been derided as Islamophobic.
‘You’re fired’ trends on Twitter
“You’re fired” – Trump’s catchphrase from his days on the reality show The Apprentice – trended on social media shortly after news organisations projected Biden’s victory on Saturday.
The phrase had been tweeted 384,000 times.
Read more here.
You’re fired !
— Leon Thomas (@leonthomas) November 7, 2020
World reacts to Biden projected victory
From Canada to Iran, world leaders have reacted to Trump’s victory.
In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted to Harris and Biden: “I’m really looking forward to working together and building on that with you both”.
In Iran, Hesameddin Ashena, an adviser to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, tweeted that Iranians “stood their ground bravely until that coward left” in an apparent reference to Trump.
Relations between Iran and the US have taken a turn for the worse since Trump in 2018 pulled Washington out of a significant nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled the Iranian economy.
Read how the world reacted here.
Congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris pic.twitter.com/xrpE99W4c4
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 7, 2020
PLO leader tweets ‘America Detrumped’
Palestine Liberation Organization member and leader Hanan Ashrawi tweeted “America Detrumped!” following the declaration.
“The world also needs to be able to breathe,” she added.
“Trumpism must be carefully scrutinized and remedied to restore the human, moral & legal equilibrium within and beyond the US”.
America Detrumped!
The world also needs to be able to breathe.
Trumpism must be carefully scrutinized & remedied to restore the human, moral & legal equilibrium within and beyond the US. Such phenomena do not emerge from a vacuum. Now is the time for holistic & bold therapeutics— Hanan Ashrawi (@DrHananAshrawi) November 7, 2020
Oman’s sultan congratulates Biden
Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said has congratulated Biden on winning the election, the state news agency reported on Saturday.
Haitham bin Tariq sent a letter to Biden expressing “his sincere congratulations for winning the confidence of the American people and for his election as President of the upcoming presidential term”, the state news agency added.
Crowd grows in US capital
A crowd has continued to grow in Washington, DC, with jubilant supporters taking to the streets to celebrate Biden’s projected victory.
Washington, DC. November 7th, 2020. pic.twitter.com/XBJ3d1dJpx
— Chris Sheridan (@ChrisSheridan34) November 7, 2020
Thr crowd outside the White House on Black Lives Matter Plaza with the church where the President staged his bible photo op pic.twitter.com/ySP27JFVuM
— Alan Fisher (@AlanFisher) November 7, 2020
Modi congratulates Biden, Indian-American Harris on ‘pathbreaking’ win
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Joe Biden on his White House victory and called his Indian-American running mate Kamala Harris a source of “immense pride”.
“Congratulations @JoeBiden on your spectacular victory!” Modi tweeted.
In a separate tweet to Harris, the prime minister wrote: “Your success is pathbreaking, and a matter of immense pride not just for your chittis, but also for all Indian-Americans.”
“Chitti” is a Tamil term of endearment for the younger sisters of one’s mother, which Harris used in her acceptance of the Democratic nomination for vice president. She is the first woman of colour elected to the US vice presidency.
Qatar Emir congratulates Biden on election win
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has congratulated Biden and Harris for winning the US election.
“Congratulations to President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris. My best wishes to the people of the United States and I look forward to working together to continue strengthening the friendship between our countries,” Qatar’s emir tweeted on Saturday.
Congratulations to President-Elect @JoeBiden and Vice President-Elect @KamalaHarris. My best wishes to the people of the United States and I look forward to working together to continue strengthening the friendship between our countries
— تميم بن حمد (@TamimBinHamad) November 7, 2020
Republican Romney congratulates Biden
Republican Senator Mitt Romney, one of the few Senate Republicans who has publicly criticised Trump, has congratulated Biden.
Romney was the only Republican to vote to convict Trump during a Senate trial after the president was impeached by the House.
“Ann and I extend our congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. We know both of them as people of good will and admirable character. We pray that God may bless them in the days and years ahead,” Romney wrote.
Ann and I extend our congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. We know both of them as people of good will and admirable character. We pray that God may bless them in the days and years ahead.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) November 7, 2020
EU chiefs congratulate Biden, urge closer US ties
European Union leaders Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen hailed Biden’s election as president of the US on Saturday and called for stronger transatlantic ties.
“I warmly congratulate Mr Joe Biden on his victory in the US presidential election and look forward to meeting him at the earliest possible opportunity,” European Commission President von der Leyen said. “The European Union and the United States are friends and allies, our citizens share the deepest of links.”
I warmly congratulate @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris for their victory in the U.S. Presidential elections.
The EU and the USA are friends and allies, our citizens share the deepest of links. I look forward to working with President-elect Biden.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) November 7, 2020
Celebration breaks out in Biden’s home town
Speaking from Wilmington, Delaware, where Biden is set to address the nation at 8pm ET (01:00 GMT) on Saturday, Al Jazeera’s Jamal Elshayyal said the scene was joyful and celebratory.
“People have begun to celebrate. It is still a small crowd, but it occasionally lets its voice be heard with celebrations … and cheers whenever more people join in,” he said.
“As much as this is a victory for Joe Biden and a defeat for Donald Trump, it is also a victory for Kamala Harris, a victory for the diversity and opportunity that the US has always prided itself in,” he added. “That being said, there are huge challenges that exist, there is discrimination that is endemic and institutionalised, as Biden himself has described it.”
Obama says election results show country ‘deeply and bitterly divided’
Former US President Barack Obama has tweeted his congratulations to Biden, noting that the election results show the country is “deeply and bitterly divided”.
Obama urged all citizens to give Biden a chance, adding: “It will be up to not just Joe and Kamala, but each of us, to do our part – to reach beyond our comfort zone, to listen to others, to lower the temperature and find some common ground from which to move forward”.
Congratulations to my friends, @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris — our next President and Vice President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/febgqxUi1y
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 7, 2020
Leaders of Germany, France congratulate Biden
The leaders of Germany and France have congratulated Biden on his projected victory. Both leaders have had tumultuous relationships with Trump, who has taken an adversarial approach to NATO, while pulling the US out of the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Iranian nuclear deal.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel tweeted: “I look forward to future cooperation with President Biden,” she said in a statement posted on Twitter. “Our transatlantic friendship is irreplaceable if we are to master the great challenges of our time.”
The Americans have chosen their President. Congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris! We have a lot to do to overcome today’s challenges. Let's work together!
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) November 7, 2020
Tweeted French President Emmanuel Macron: “The Americans have chosen their President. Congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris! We have a lot to do to overcome today’s challenges. Let’s work together!”
Sanders tweets congratulations
Influential progressive Senator Bernie Sanders, who was the last Democrat to drop out the presidential primary, has tweeted his congratulations to Biden and Harris.
I want to congratulate all those who worked so hard to make this historic day possible. Now, through our continued grassroots organizing, let us create a government that works for ALL and not the few. Let us create a nation built on justice, not greed and bigotry.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) November 7, 2020
Sanders endorsed Biden, and advocated for his progressive base to embrace the more centrist candidate.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, an influential progessive in the House of Representatives, also tweeted her congratulations:
Congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden & Vice President-elect Kamala Harris!
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 7, 2020
Congressional Democrats Pelosi, Warren, Omar react to Biden victory
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said Biden’s victory over Trump is a “mandate for action”.
The Democratic leader said in a statement Saturday: “Today marks the dawning of a new day of hope for America”.
President-Elect @JoeBiden and Vice President-Elect @KamalaHarris! That feels so good to say.
Americans chose Joe and Kamala to lead us forward with purpose and moral clarity.
We’ve got a lot to do. Let's get to work.
Read my full statement:https://t.co/annliUc40D
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) November 7, 2020
Meanwhile, progressive primary challenger Elizabeth Warren tweeted: “Americans chose Joe and Kamala to lead us forward with purpose and moral clarity.”
Progressive Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who represents Minnesota, tweeted: “We have not only voted out the most corrupt, dangerous president in modern history but have the opportunity to carry out the most progressive agenda our country has ever seen. Let’s get to work!”
Congratulations to @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris on your historic win!
We have not only voted out the most corrupt, dangerous president in modern history but have the opportunity to carry out the most progressive agenda our country has ever seen.
Let’s get to work!
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 7, 2020
Analysis: How Trump will react remains to be seen
Steve Clemons, host of Al Jazeera’s The Bottom Line
Speaking from Washington, DC, Steve Clemons, host of Al Jazeera English’s weekly discussion programme The Bottom Line, said it was yet to be seen how Trump will react to Biden’s win, but the circle of support around him will begin to shrink.
“The best way to look at what those people around him are saying, is if you go to Laura Ingraham, one of the top Fox News anchors, who regularly speaks to and overtly supports President Trump, she’s saying out loud, leave with dignity, take this moment, reflect on democracy. Don’t drag this out,” he said.
“He’s an impossible guy to predict. We will have to go through the motions of the next few days [to see what he will do],” Clemons said. “But the terrain that he controls is going to get smaller and smaller and smaller. You can already see it in the tweets from leading senators who never allowed any distance between themselves and Donald Trump before, but now they are clearly doing that.”
Trump golfing when Biden projected victory announced: AP
Trump was playing a round of golf when Biden passed the 270 threshold, making him the projected president-elect, according to footage from the Associated Press.
Biden to give remarks on Saturday night
Projected President-elect Biden will address the US from Wilmington, Delaware at 8pm ET (01:00 GMT).
Trump support reacts to Biden’s victory
Hilary Beaumont filed this report from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
A Trump supporter who attended a news conference with Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, reacted to the news of Biden’s projected victory to Al Jazeera.
“It’s not done yet. Investigations are going to have to take place. There’s too many examples of tampering with the ballots, that kind of stuff,” Daren Sutter said. “In Philly especially. And Trump knew all this, Trump knew this was going to happen.”
Giuliani announces election lawsuits as Biden victory projected
Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani announced that lawsuits over mail-in ballots and the voting process are coming in Pennsylvania as soon as Monday.
He alleged, without offering evidence, that the voting, especially in Philadelphia, was rife with fraud. He also accused Democratic leaders of conspiring to not allow Republicans to monitor the vote-counting process in Philadelphia.
“I’m not attacking the people of Philadelphia. I’m attacking a decrepit Democratic machine,” Giuliani said at a news conference as Biden was projected winner in the contest by the Associated Press and other news organisations.
Giuliani ridicules Biden victory at news conference
When asked to react to projections of Joe Biden as president-elect, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani ridiculed the announcement.
“Who’s saying it?” Giuliani asked during a press conference with other Trump lawyers, who have vowed to challenge results in states across the country.
He was told that US television networks had made the calls.
“All the networks! All the networks!” Giuliani shouted. “Don’t be ridiculous, networks don’t get to decide elections. Courts do.”
The Trump campaign has alleged widespread fraud in the election, but has not offered any evidence to support its claims.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris tweets call with Biden
Harris, the projected vice president-elect, has tweeted a video of her calling Biden on Saturday.
“We did it. We did it, Joe. You’re going to be the next president of the United States,” Harris said.
We did it, @JoeBiden. pic.twitter.com/oCgeylsjB4
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 7, 2020
Revellers gather near White House
People celebrating the projected Biden victory have gathered in the Black Lives Matter Plaza, which was named earlier this year amid social justice protests, near the White House in Washington, DC.
Scene outside the White House:
Hundreds cheer, wave flags, blast music and celebrate after Joe Biden was projected to win the presidency
You can hear a chant of “na na na na hey hey hey, goodbye” pic.twitter.com/S6WvXzZHAE
— Ali Zaslav (@alizaslav) November 7, 2020
Biden passed the 270 electoral vote threshold needed to win the presidency on Saturday, when the Associated Press called Pennsylvania in his favour.
Hillary Clinton calls Biden win ‘repudiation of Trump’
Former Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton, who lost to Trump in 2016, called Biden’s projected win a “repudiation of Trump”.
“It’s a history-making ticket, a repudiation of Trump, and a new page of America,” she wrote on Twitter.
The voters have spoken, and they have chosen @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris to be our next president and vice president.
It's a history-making ticket, a repudiation of Trump, and a new page for America.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen. Onward, together. pic.twitter.com/YlDY9TJONs
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 7, 2020
Philadelphia residents celebrate Biden win
Residents of Philadelphia, a city in the closely-watched battleground of Pennsylvania, are celebrating the projected victory of Joe Biden.
Pennsylvania was the tipping-point state in this year’s election, according to the AP.
Celebrations in New York City
New Yorkers celebrated in the borough of Manhattan after the Associated Press and other news organisations projected Biden had won the presidential race.
Biden: I am ‘honored and humbled’
Biden has released his first statement since being projected the winner in the presidential election.
“I am honored and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice President-elect Harris,” Biden wrote. “In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America.”
“With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation. It’s time for America to unite. And to heal. We are the United States of America. And there’s nothing we can’t do, if we do it together,” Biden said.
America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country.
The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a President for all Americans — whether you voted for me or not.
I will keep the faith that you have placed in me. pic.twitter.com/moA9qhmjn8
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 7, 2020
Trump says Biden ‘rushing to falsely pose as the winner’
Trump has said Biden is “rushing to falsely pose as the winner” of the US election, moments after the Associated Press projected Biden had the electoral votes needed for victory.
“The simple fact is this election is far from over. Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor,” Trump said in a statement.
In US elections, it is common practice for news organisations, after determining that a candidate no longer has a path to victory, to project a winner in the race. The Trump campaign has said it will challenge the results in several states. Biden flipped battlegrounds Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Arizona – all states Trump won in 2016, according to the Associated Press.
“Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated,” Trump wrote. “The American People are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots.”
Read more here.
Harris becomes first Black woman, South Asian elected vice president: AP
Kamala Harris is projected to make history Saturday as the first Black woman and first South Asian woman elected as vice president of the US, according to the Associated Press.
The 56-year-old California senator, the daughter of an Indian-American mother and Jamaican-American father, is the highest-ranking woman ever elected in US government.
Biden projected to win 284 electoral votes, putting him over threshold for victory: AP
Biden has passed the 270 electoral vote threshold needed to win the presidency, according to the Associated Press. He is now set to be the 46th president of the US.
The news agency called Pennsylvania for Biden on Saturday, giving him a total of 284 electoral votes.
Read more here.
Biden projected winner in Pennsylvania: AP
The Associated Press news agency has projected Biden as the winner of Pennsylvania, putting him over the 270 electoral votes needed for victory.
Four Seasons hotel in Philadelphia tweets it is not hosting Trump press conference
The Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia has tweeted that it is not the location of a press conference set to be held by Trump lawyers at 11:30am ET (14:30 GMT).
Instead, the press conference will be held at a landscaping company in the city called Four Seasons Total Landscaping, according to the Trump campaign. The press conference comes as the Trump campaign continues to baselessly claim widespread fraud in the election.
To clarify, President Trump’s press conference will NOT be held at Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia.
It will be held at Four Seasons Total Landscaping— no relation with the hotel.— Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center (@FSPhiladelphia) November 7, 2020
Trump heads to his Virginia golf club as votes are counted
Trump left the White House on Saturday morning wearing golf shoes, a windbreaker and a white hat – and travelled to his Virginia golf club.
The White House has not immediately responded to questions about the president’s possible golfing partners.
There were a few people with Biden flag banners outside the club entrance when Trump arrived.
Biden’s lead in Pennsylvania grows as vote count continues
Al Jazeera’s Hilary Beaumont sent in this report from Philadelphia
Saturday morning, Biden’s lead over Trump grew to 28,877 votes in Pennsylvania, where counting continued in most counties.
The Associated Press news agency has not called the race because of the close margin and large number of outstanding votes. The votes left to count were mostly provisional ballots.
The count stretched on in Allegheny County, where Biden was up by 20 points Friday morning. County executives said they had about 20,000 to 23,000 mail ballots left to count.
Biden’s lead in the state comes from marginal increases over 2016 Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton in the suburbs and Trump country.
Clinton won Allegheny County, which includes the city of Pittsburgh, by 16.4 points four years ago.
Trump again falsely claims victory
Trump – who falsely claimed victory in the presidential race in an address on Wednesday, and on Friday urged Biden not to “wrongfully claim victory” – has again falsely claimed that he won the presidential election.
No winner has been projected by the Associated Press or other election-tracking organisations, but Biden maintains a widening lead in several key battleground states. Twitter quickly flagged Trump’s tweet with an alert that “official sources may not have called the race when this was Tweeted”.
Trump had previously falsely claimed victory in the key battlegrounds of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia, long before a victor had emerged in those states. Biden currently holds a lead in Pennsylvania and Georgia.
I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2020
Lawyer to hold press conference in Philadelphia: Trump
Trump has announced a press conference at a landscaping company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 11:30am ET (16:30 GMT) on Saturday, as vote counting continues in the state.
Big press conference today in Philadelphia at Four Seasons Total Landscaping — 11:30am!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2020
Trump says ‘tens of thousands’ of votes illegally received, tweet labelled ‘disputed’
Trump has alleged, without evidence, that tens of thousands of votes were received illegally, which could change the results in battleground states.
“Tens of thousands of votes were illegally received after 8 PM on Tuesday, Election Day, totally and easily changing the results in Pennsylvania and certain other razor thin states,” he tweeted.
Twitter labelled the tweet with a warning saying the claims “might be misleading” and “disputed”. To date, the Trump campaign has not provided any proof of widespread fraud. Several states, including key battlegrounds Pennsylvania and North Carolina accept ballots that are postmarked by Election Day even if they arrive in the days after the election, based on their individual election rules.
Tens of thousands of votes were illegally received after 8 P.M. on Tuesday, Election Day, totally and easily changing the results in Pennsylvania and certain other razor thin states. As a separate matter, hundreds of thousands of Votes were illegally not allowed to be OBSERVED…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2020
Australia, US relations ‘bigger than one individual’
Australian’s prime minister commented on the ongoing US election process on Saturday, calling the relationship between Australia and the US “bigger than any one individual”.
Speaking to local media in Hobart, Tasmania, Scott Morrison said the link between the two countries was Australia’s “most important relationship”.
“It secures Australia’s position in this part of the world. It provides for our economic opportunities as well,” he said.
Hello. This is Usaid Siddiqui in Toronto, Canada, taking over from my colleague Shereena Qazi.
Venezuela’s Maduro expresses confusion over US election
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro expressed “concern” about the uncertainty of the election results in the US.
In recent years, Trump has pursued a campaign of aggressive sanctions against the South American nation’s ruling United Socialist Party.
The sanctions against Maduro’s government have included asset freezes and travel bans for senior officials, and measures to curtail the OPEC nation’s oil exports and its fuel imports.
Maduro added that he wishes to have better bilateral relations with the US, “no matter who wins the presidential elections”.
Iran: Rouhani urges next US gov’t to ‘return to commitments’
President Hassan Rouhani has called on the next US administration to restart fulfilling commitments under the Iran nuclear deal.
In a televised speech, Rouhani said the Iranian people have faced “economic terrorism” for the past three years and have shown admirable resistance.
The president said he hopes those who sanctioned Iran will come to the conclusion their methods have been wrong and will bear no results.
Read more here
Guns seen outside vote-counting centres
The most turbulent and norm-breaking presidential election of a lifetime has led to an extraordinary spectacle in the US over the past three days: Armed protesters gathering nightly outside offices where local workers are counting the votes that will decide who wins the White House.
Experts warn weapons potentially create dangerous situations that could be seen as intimidation or tip easily into violence.
Read more here
Incendiary texts traced to outfit run by top Trump aide
A texting company run by one of Trump’s top campaign officials sent out thousands of targeted, anonymous text messages urging supporters to rally where votes were being counted in Philadelphia, falsely claiming Democrats were trying to steal the presidential election.
The messages directed Trump fans to converge at a downtown intersection where hundreds of protesters from the opposing candidates’ camps faced off Thursday afternoon.
“This kind of message is playing with fire, and we are very lucky that it does not seem to have driven more conflict,” said John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at the University of Toronto’s online watchdog Citizen Lab.
Trump Chief of Staff Meadows diagnosed with COVID-19
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who has frequently appeared at public events without wearing a mask, has been diagnosed with COVID-19, Two senior administration officials confirmed.
They offered no details on when the chief of staff came down with the virus or his current condition.
Read more here
Recounts: What are the rules in key contested states?
Trump to seek recounts in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Georgia, where apparent winner Biden is ahead by narrow margins.
Read the rules here in key states governing recounts and ballot challenges
Biden predicts victory as his lead over Trump grows
Biden says he is going to win the US presidency as his lead over Trump in battleground states grows, although television networks are holding off from declaring him the victor as officials continue to count votes.
“The numbers tell us … it’s a clear and convincing story: We’re going to win this race,” Biden said late on Friday, adding he and his running mate Kamala Harris were already meeting with experts as they prepare for the White House.
Read more here
Read our previous updates here.