Republican Mitch McConnell on Tuesday congratulated the Democratic president-elect, Joe Biden, and vice president-elect, Kamala Harris, on their election victories, ending his long silence on the outcome of the presidential race. In remarks on the Senate floor on Tuesday morning, the Senate majority leader acknowledged the Democrats' winning the White House following Monday's formal result issued by the electoral college
In addition to Trump mulling a self-pardon, he’s also considering family members and Rudy Giuliani – but Barr’s words may come back to haunt himOn Monday, Donald Trump announced the exit of William Barr from the justice department. Finally, the president had succeeded in imposing his will upon someone, anyone, after weeks of repeated failures. On the very day that marked the 300,000th American death to Covid-19 and the electoral college’s ratification of Joe Biden’s victory, Trump had again hounded his attorney general from office. Jeff Sessions is no longer a club of one.Yet Barr also won’t be there if and when the president delivers his final round of pardons, a likely relief to the president’s legal spear carrier but also a reason for Trump to fret: Barr knows a thing or two about eleventh-hour pardons. Mike Flynn is only the latest. Continue reading...
Daniel Uhlfelder sprung to fame earlier this year as he stalked Florida beaches in hood-and-scythe to warn about coronavirus“This is not about me,” the Grim Reaper said on Tuesday, about his decision to take Florida governor and “mini-Trump” Ron DeSantis to court over the state’s coronavirus response. “It’s about citizens having the right to challenge government when they’re not doing the right thing.”Related: Armed police raid home of Florida scientist fired over Covid-19 data Continue reading...
Area expected to be affected stretches from Virginia to Massachusetts, and forecast includes freezing rain and up to 2ft of snow in some placesAround 45 million Americans are on standby for deep snow and power outages, as a major winter storm leaves the Rocky mountains and heads for east coast states.In a short-range forecast issued early on Tuesday, the US National Weather Service said: “The start of astronomical winter is under a week away, but Mother Nature is getting off to a fast start with multiple areas of winter weather forecast to impact parts of the United States through Thursday.” Continue reading...
The US attorney general has quit weeks after contradicting Trump’s election fraud claims, as the US records 300,000 Covid deathsGood morning.The US attorney general and Trump ally, William Barr, has resigned, weeks after he contradicted the president over claims of voter fraud. Barr revealed that the justice department had not found any evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, and speculation that he might leave the White House began almost immediately afterwards. Barr is the latest senior official to leave the White House after challenging president’s alternate reality; the top US cybersecurity expert, Christopher Krebs, was “terminated” last month for vouching for the reliability of the 2020 election. Continue reading...
The book Born to Run brought attention to an indigenous Mexican’s people feats of long-distance running. A new documentary looks at what happened nextNext up in ESPN’s venerable 30 for 30 series is The Infinite Race, a documentary on a sports topic that hardly checks the biggest 30 for 30 box, in that the film does not involve a famous star athlete, sport or event. In fact, The Infinite Race kicks off with a simple story about an indigenous people’s joy of long-distance running.The documentary explores what happens to these people, the Tarahumara, who live deep in the mountains of Chihuahua, Mexico, when their love of running, or even their calling to run, spills out to the rest of the world because of a popular book about running and an American known as Caballo Blanco, or the White Horse. Continue reading...
by Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington on (#5BNRA)
Security expert claims Chinese surveillance may have affected tens of thousands of AmericansChina appears to have used mobile phone networks in the Caribbean to surveil US mobile phone subscribers as part of its espionage campaign against Americans, according to a mobile network security expert who has analysed sensitive signals data.The findings paint an alarming picture of how China has allegedly exploited decades-old vulnerabilities in the global telecommunications network to route “active” surveillance attacks through telecoms operators. Continue reading...
Billionaire Republicans on Wall Street have donated millions to protect David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler’s Senate seatsBillionaire Republicans on Wall Street have been opening their wallets to try and protect David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler’s Senate seats in January 5’s high-stakes runoff in Georgia against two Democrat challengers.Two super Pacs are planning to spend about $80m on ads and other efforts backing the Republicans. Continue reading...
The president-elect repudiated Donald Trump and said his assault on the democratic process was ‘unconscionable’Joe Biden delivered a sharp repudiation of Donald Trump and declared that the “will of the people had prevailed” in a speech that came shortly after the electoral college officially confirmed his victory. Continue reading...
The attorney general, who acted as Trump’s enforcer with apparent relish, ultimately wouldn’t help him steal an electionIf Dick Cheney gained notoriety as George W Bush’s “Darth Vader”, William Barr, the US attorney general, appeared a worthy successor as Donald Trump’s Lord of the Sith. Continue reading...
US President-elect Joe Biden has delivered a forceful rebuke to President Donald Trump's attacks on the legitimacy of his victory, hours after winning the state-by-state electoral college vote that officially determines the US presidency. ’In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed,’ Biden said in a prime-time speech from his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. ‘The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago,' Biden said. ‘We now know that not even a pandemic or an abuse of power can extinguish that flame.’ Monday's vote, typically a formality, assumed outsized significance in light of Trump's extraordinary effort to subvert the process due to what he has falsely alleged was widespread voter fraud in the 3 November election. ’Now it's time to turn the page, as we've done throughout our history – to unite, to heal,’ Biden concluded.
by Lauren Gambino in Washington and Maanvi Singh in O on (#5BN1C)
Biden crossed 270-vote threshold with California’s electoral votes, effectively ending Trump’s long-shot attempt to overturn resultsJoe Biden was formally elected as the next president of the United States by members of the electoral college on Monday, all but ending Donald Trump’s unprecedented bid to subvert the will of millions of Americans and overturn the results of the presidential election. Continue reading...
Research scientist Tommy Thompson has for years refused to tell the location of 500 missing coins found in a historic shipwreckA former deep-sea treasure hunter is about to mark his fifth year in jail for refusing to disclose the whereabouts of 500 missing coins made from gold found in a historic shipwreck.Tommy Thompson, a research scientist, isn’t incarcerated for breaking the law. Instead, he’s being held in contempt of court for an unusually long stretch – well past the normal maximum limit of an 18-month internment in cases of witnesses refusing to cooperate. Continue reading...
Bill de Blasio warns of possibility of ‘full shutdown’ as Covid-19 cases and hospitalisation rates soarRestaurant owners and workers across New York City are fearing for their livelihoods after indoor dining was again banned across the city on Monday, as the mayor, Bill de Blasio, warned of the possibility of a “full shutdown”.In a significant setback for the city’s struggling restaurant industry, eating inside will be suspended for at least two weeks amid soaring Covid-19 cases and hospitalisation rates. Continue reading...
Hospitalizations have reached record highs as the state reported 33,000 new cases in the last 24 hoursIntensive care units filled to capacity across California this weekend, as Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations continued to rise at alarming rates. Continue reading...
Some of last week’s losses reversed after EU’s Michel Barnier says deal is possibleThe pound edged higher in value against the dollar and the euro on Monday as investors digested claims that a deal in the UK’s trade negotiations with the EU had taken a step closer.The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, said on Monday he believed a Brexit trade agreement was possible now the remaining disputes had been whittled down to only two. Continue reading...
An intensive care unit nurse is believed to have become the first person in the US to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine on Monday. Sandra Lindsay, who has treated some of the sickest coronavirus patients for months, was given the vaccine at Long Island Jewish medical centre in the New York City borough of Queens, an early centre of the country's outbreak, receiving applause on a livestream with the New York governor, Andrew Cuomo
The constitution demands that electors formally cast votes for president – but what is the electoral college?Yes, Joe Biden has won and all US states have certified their election results. But the constitution demands that the electoral college formally cast its vote for president. The constitution requires “electors” to cast those votes – 538 such electors make up the electoral college. Continue reading...
Small Business Administration’s Section 7(a) loan program is an excellent choice because loan requirements are less onerousAs if small firms haven’t had enough to deal with this year, now there’s something else: traditional bank loans are drying up.That’s according to the latest monthly report from financing firm Biz2Credit. The company’s sSmall business lending index, which analyzes the more than 1,000 loan requests each month from small business owners on its lending platform, found that the number of requests approved by banks have been significantly dropping. Continue reading...
State health department warns that eating ‘tiger meat’ or ‘steak tartare’ risks illnesses from bacteria that thrive in raw meatWisconsinites turning to comforting family traditions during the holiday season have been warned by their state health department to avoid one in particular: cannibal sandwiches.The sandwiches – also known as “tiger meat” and, for the fancier-minded, “steak tartare” – consist of ground raw meat, typically beef, on a slice of bread, topped with raw onions. Continue reading...
Lindsey Boylan tweeted that Cuomo ‘sexually harassed me for years. Many saw it, and watched’A former aide to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo now running for Manhattan borough president accused him of sexual harassment in a series of tweets on Sunday, saying he made inappropriate comments about her appearance.The allegation comes as the 63-year-old Democrat is reported to be under consideration for attorney general under Joe Biden. Continue reading...
by Juliane Glüge, Martin Scheringer and Gretta Golde on (#5BMD1)
PFAS, which can be hazardous to our health, are found everywhere. We need to regulate them as a classThe thousands of chemicals known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are called “forever chemicals” because of their extreme resistance to degradation, called “persistence”. Each of us carries these chemicals in our bodies, and people will continue to be exposed for generations to come.Many PFAS can affect our health. Exposures have been linked to kidney and testicular cancer, elevated cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, liver damage, low birth weight, reduced immune responses and other negative impacts. Continue reading...
When we see athletes test positive and return to play a few weeks later, it is tempting to believe the virus is merely an inconvenience to sports starsWhen Keyontae Johnson collapsed on the basketball court on Saturday, college sports temporarily stood as still as his teammates. He was rushed to the hospital where he is currently in stable but critical condition. There are many possible causes for Johnson’s condition, but in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the fact that the 21-year-old and many of his team tested positive for the virus over the summer didn’t go unnoticed. While it may well turn out that Johnson’s collapse this weekend had nothing to do with Covid-19, there is growing evidence the virus can have serious effects on athletes, even when it appears they have made a full recovery.The Covid-19 pandemic has shown how a society’s desire to return to “normal” can clash with science. Earlier this year, US college sports’ governing body, the NCAA, initially cancelled all winter and spring men’s and women’s championships, including the March Madness basketball tournaments, due to coronavirus concerns. Most other leagues in North America soon followed suit. Since then, some sports have returned, with the NBA managing to successfully navigate a bubble to complete its season. The NFL, however, has been less successful with games postponed or cancelled with increasing frequency as Covid-19 surges across the US. Now, the spotlight is back on NCAA basketball. Continue reading...
Kelly Loeffler spokesman disavows photo of her posing with white supremacist Chester Doles at campaign eventThe campaign of the Georgia Republican senator Kelly Loeffler is disavowing a photo circulating on social media of her posing with a longtime white supremacist at a recent campaign event, with less than a month to go until the runoff elections that will determine the balance of the US Senate.Loeffler did not know who Chester Doles was when she took a picture with him, her campaign spokesman, Stephen Lawson, said on Sunday. The picture was taken on Friday at a campaign event in Dawsonville, Georgia. Continue reading...
The electoral college will vote today to formally make Biden the 46th president-in-waiting, but Trump is continuing to contest the result. Plus, the treasury has been hacked and fingers are pointing to Russia
In the state’s Central, Eastern Coachella and Imperial valleys, several challenges have compounded to create a tenor of uncertaintyPhotographs and story by Matt BlackNowhere are the effects of the multiple crises that hit California this year more visible than in the state’s agricultural valleys.The region faced a list of challenges almost too long to comprehend: record-breaking heat, smog and smoke from historic wildfires resulting in air quality too poor to be outside in. High rates of Covid-19 infections and the anxiety, isolation and job losses that go with it. Tensions around a divisive election. Fears and conflict over immigration policies. Continue reading...
With surging cases forcing drastic state measures, already struggling industries take yet another blowLaurie Thomas had high hopes that her restaurant, Terzo, would be able to stay open this holiday season. Her team had been serving its upscale Mediterranean fare from the restaurant’s San Francisco sidewalk after adjusting to outside-only dining requirements.But as California saw a dramatic surge in Covid cases in recent weeks, Governor Gavin Newsom issued stricter shutdown orders that again restricted businesses and put an end to outdoor dining. Continue reading...
by Oliver Laughland in Warner Robins, Georgia and Sam on (#5BM71)
Black voters helped propel Biden past Trump to flip the state and organizers who mobilized voters are optimistic they will turn out again and predict, in fact, that turnout will riseAs James Brown’s funk classic Say it loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud pulsed through the mobile sound system, Cliff Albright marched up a steep roadway, bellowing into a microphone trying to get people out of their doors.“Let’s go y’all,” he said. “Black voters matter every day, everywhere.” Continue reading...
The Chicago quarterback was selected before two of the best players of their generation. He has been struggling to prove himself ever sinceAt this point, every game the Chicago Bears play against either the Houston Texans or the Kansas City Chiefs provides another excuse to revisit the 2017 NFL draft. To be more specific, they are opportunities to mock the Bears for selecting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky with the second pick, something which allowed the Chiefs and Texans to select the vastly superior Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson at Nos 10 and 12 respectively. This Sunday, at least, Trubisky was the one laughing, putting together one of the finest performances of his Bears career at the expense of Watson and the Texans. Now the question is: will Trubisky’s impressive game be a sign of things to come or was it just a statistical blip?To say that nobody expects much from Trubisky is an understatement. The Bears finally gave up on Trubisky as their starter earlier this season, replacing him with Nick Foles. However, Foles injured his hip against the Minnesota Vikings, paving the way for Trubisky to lead a team that had already publicly lost confidence in him. The Bears haven’t exactly been world-beaters with either quarterback, as they were coming off a six-game losing streak heading into the game against Houston. Continue reading...
Gunman died in hospital after shooting at Cathedral Church of Saint John the DivineA man has been shot dead by police after opening fire from the steps of New York City’s Cathedral Church of St John the Divine just after an outdoor choir performance.New York police department spokesman, Sergeant Edward Riley, said the gunman had fired on police, but no officers or bystanders were believed to have been injured in the late-afternoon violence on Manhattan’s upper west side. Continue reading...
Jill Biden says writer of opinion article is ‘diminishing’ the achievements of women as presidential transition team demands apologyThe Wall Street Journal has come under a torrent of denunciation for publishing a “sexist” opinion article that calls Jill Biden, the first lady-in-waiting, “kiddo”, and questions her right to use “Dr” in front of her name.The article, written by a former adjunct professor at Northwestern University Joseph Epstein, purports to offer Biden “a bit of advice”. Opening on the provocative note of calling her “Madame (sic) First Lady – Mrs Biden – Jill – kiddo”, the author goes on to recommend that she drop the honorific of “Dr” before her name. Continue reading...
by Martin Chulov Middle East correspondent on (#5BKHY)
Exclusive: US policy, if enacted, would hinder deliveries of badly needed aid in war-torn countryThe Trump administration is facing mounting calls to abandon threats to sanction Houthi rebels in northern Yemen to avoid an imminent danger of extreme famine in the country, where almost two-thirds of the population are in need of food aid.US state department officials are considering designating the Houthis as a terrorist group before the 20 January inauguration of Joe Biden, a move that would complicate the delivery of essential aid in large parts of the country, senior UN officials and NGOs have said. Continue reading...
Trump and Kushner reportedly buying property as a potential base for soon to be ex-first daughter to launch political careerSpeculation about the post-White House career of Ivanka Trump is now centered on Florida, where the soon to be ex-first daughter and senior aide to her president father has reportedly bought an expensive plot of land for a house and may be considering a run for Senate.Ivanka Trump is frequently mentioned as desiring a political career of her own and during her time working for Donald Trump has sought to position herself as a more media-friendly version of her father. Continue reading...
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