theguardian--2020-12-01--Wisconsin and Arizona certify Biden wins in yet another blow to Trump

Joe Biden ’ s victories in the US presidential election battlegrounds of Arizona and Wisconsin were officially recognised on Monday , handing Donald Trump six defeats out of six in his bid to stop states certifying their results .
The finalised vote counts took Biden a step closer to the White House and dealt yet another blow to Trump ’ s longshot efforts to undermine the outcome .
The certification in Wisconsin followed a partial recount that only added to Biden ’ s nearly 20,700-vote margin over Trump , who has promised to file a lawsuit seeking to undo the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my duty to certify the November 3rd election , ” Wisconsin ’ s governor , Tony Evers , said in a statement .
“ I want to thank our clerks , election administrators , and poll workers across our state for working tirelessly to ensure we had a safe , fair , and efficient election .
Thank you for all your good work.
” Trump is mounting a desperate campaign to overturn the results by disqualifying as many as 238,000 ballots in the state , and his attorneys have alleged without evidence that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump paid $ 3m for recounts in Dane and Milwaukee counties , the two largest Democratic counties in Wisconsin , but the recount ended up increasing Biden ’ s lead by 74 votes .
Wisconsin ’ s Democratic attorney general , Josh Kaul , said in a statement on Monday : “ There ’ s no basis at all for any assertion that there was widespread fraud that would have affected the results.
” Kaul noted that Trump ’ s recount targeted only the state ’ s two most populous counties , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I have every confidence that this disgraceful Jim Crow strategy for mass disenfranchisement of voters will fail .
An election isn ’ t a game of gotcha.
” And even if Trump were successful in Wisconsin , where he beat Hillary Clinton four years ago , the state ’ s 10 electoral college votes would not be enough to undo Biden ’ s overall victory , as states around the country certify results declaring him the winner .
Trump ’ s legal challenges have also failed in other battleground states , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pennsylvania .
States are required to certify their results before the electoral college meets on 14 December .
Earlier on Monday , Arizona officials certified Biden ’ s narrow victory in that state .
Biden won by about 11,000 votes , a slim margin , although a significant victory nonetheless as in past election cycles Arizona has trended reliably toward Republicans .
Arizona ’ s Democratic secretary of state , Katie Hobbs , and Republican governor , Doug Ducey , both vouched for the integrity of the election before signing off on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here in Arizona .
The system is strong , ” Ducey said .
Hobbs said Arizona voters should know that the election “ was conducted with transparency , accuracy and fairness in accordance with Arizona ’ s laws and election procedures , despite numerous unfounded claims to the contrary ” .
Biden is only the second Democrat in 70 years to win Arizona .
In the final tally , he beat Trump by 10,457 votes , or 0.3 % of the nearly 3.4m ballots cast .
Even as Hobbs , Ducey , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state supreme court certified the election results , Trump ’ s lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis met in a Phoenix hotel ballroom a few miles away to lay out claims of irregularities in the vote count in Arizona and elsewhere .
But they did not provide evidence of widespread fraud .
Trump phoned into the meeting and described the election the “ greatest scam ever perpetrated against our country ” .
When he mentioned Ducey ’ s name , the crowd booed .
He accused the governor of “ rushing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adding : “ Arizona won ’ t forget what Ducey just did.
” Trump also berated Ducey on Twitter , asking : “ Why is he rushing to put a Democrat in office , especially when so many horrible things concerning voter fraud are being revealed at the hearing going on right now.
” For his part , Ducey , who has previously said his phone ’ s ringtone for calls from the White House is “ Hail to the Chief ” , was seen in a viral video clip receiving a call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ answering .
Trump ’ s denials of political reality have left him increasingly isolated as a growing number of Republicans acknowledge the transition and Biden moves ahead with naming appointments to his administration .
There is no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election .
In fact , election officials from both political parties have stated publicly that the election went well and international observers confirmed there were no serious irregularities .
Chris Krebs , former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency , told CBS ’ s 60 Minutes programme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign power that is flipping votes .
There ’ s no domestic actor flipping votes .
I did it right .
We did it right .
This was a secure election .
”

Joe Biden’s victories in the US presidential election battlegrounds of Arizona and Wisconsin were officially recognised on Monday, handing Donald Trump six defeats out of six in his bid to stop states certifying their results.
The finalised vote counts took Biden a step closer to the White House and dealt yet another blow to Trump’s longshot efforts to undermine the outcome.
The certification in Wisconsin followed a partial recount that only added to Biden’s nearly 20,700-vote margin over Trump, who has promised to file a lawsuit seeking to undo the results.
“Today I carried out my duty to certify the November 3rd election,” Wisconsin’s governor, Tony Evers, said in a statement. “I want to thank our clerks, election administrators, and poll workers across our state for working tirelessly to ensure we had a safe, fair, and efficient election. Thank you for all your good work.”
Trump is mounting a desperate campaign to overturn the results by disqualifying as many as 238,000 ballots in the state, and his attorneys have alleged without evidence that there was widespread fraud and illegal activity.
Trump paid $3m for recounts in Dane and Milwaukee counties, the two largest Democratic counties in Wisconsin, but the recount ended up increasing Biden’s lead by 74 votes.
Wisconsin’s Democratic attorney general, Josh Kaul, said in a statement on Monday: “There’s no basis at all for any assertion that there was widespread fraud that would have affected the results.”
Kaul noted that Trump’s recount targeted only the state’s two most populous counties, where the majority of Black people live. “I have every confidence that this disgraceful Jim Crow strategy for mass disenfranchisement of voters will fail. An election isn’t a game of gotcha.”
And even if Trump were successful in Wisconsin, where he beat Hillary Clinton four years ago, the state’s 10 electoral college votes would not be enough to undo Biden’s overall victory, as states around the country certify results declaring him the winner.
Trump’s legal challenges have also failed in other battleground states, including Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania. States are required to certify their results before the electoral college meets on 14 December.
Earlier on Monday, Arizona officials certified Biden’s narrow victory in that state. Biden won by about 11,000 votes, a slim margin, although a significant victory nonetheless as in past election cycles Arizona has trended reliably toward Republicans.
The 2020 election is over again, with certifications today in Arizona and Wisconsin. After last week's certifications in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Nevada. all of the states where Trump has launched spurious claims against the outcome have now certified Biden's victory. — Susan Glasser (@sbg1) November 30, 2020
Arizona’s Democratic secretary of state, Katie Hobbs, and Republican governor, Doug Ducey, both vouched for the integrity of the election before signing off on the results.
“We do elections well here in Arizona. The system is strong,” Ducey said.
Hobbs said Arizona voters should know that the election “was conducted with transparency, accuracy and fairness in accordance with Arizona’s laws and election procedures, despite numerous unfounded claims to the contrary”.
Biden is only the second Democrat in 70 years to win Arizona. In the final tally, he beat Trump by 10,457 votes, or 0.3% of the nearly 3.4m ballots cast.
Even as Hobbs, Ducey, the state attorney general and chief justice of the state supreme court certified the election results, Trump’s lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis met in a Phoenix hotel ballroom a few miles away to lay out claims of irregularities in the vote count in Arizona and elsewhere. But they did not provide evidence of widespread fraud.
Trump phoned into the meeting and described the election the “greatest scam ever perpetrated against our country”. When he mentioned Ducey’s name, the crowd booed. He accused the governor of “rushing to sign” papers certifying Democratic wins, adding: “Arizona won’t forget what Ducey just did.”
Trump also berated Ducey on Twitter, asking: “Why is he rushing to put a Democrat in office, especially when so many horrible things concerning voter fraud are being revealed at the hearing going on right now.”
For his part, Ducey, who has previously said his phone’s ringtone for calls from the White House is “Hail to the Chief”, was seen in a viral video clip receiving a call with that ringtone but rejecting it without answering.
Trump’s denials of political reality have left him increasingly isolated as a growing number of Republicans acknowledge the transition and Biden moves ahead with naming appointments to his administration.
There is no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. In fact, election officials from both political parties have stated publicly that the election went well and international observers confirmed there were no serious irregularities.
Chris Krebs, former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told CBS’s 60 Minutes programme on Sunday: “There is no foreign power that is flipping votes. There’s no domestic actor flipping votes. I did it right. We did it right. This was a secure election.”


theguardian--2020-12-01--Arizona and Wisconsin certify Joe Biden's win as Trump continues to challenge results – as it happen

Arizona and Wisconsin certify Joe Biden's win as Trump continues to challenge results – as it happened

Scott Atlas , the rightwing radiologist who used his position as a special adviser to Donald Trump on the coronavirus pandemic to attack science-based public health measures , has resigned from his position , Fox News reported .
Atlas is a neuroradiologist and fellow at Stanford ’ s rightwing Hoover Institution , where he works on health care policy .
He has no expertise or experience in infectious diseases or epidemiology .
He was nevertheless selected by Trump to advise the president on the viral pandemic .
Atlas repeatedly downplayed the threat of the virus , which has killed more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health measures such as masks , stay-at-home orders and social distancing .
He called on residents of Michigan to “ rise up ” against restrictions put in place by governor Gretchen Whitmer , who had been the target of a kidnapping plot , leading to calls for his firing .
He also promoted the idea that the US should aim to achieve “ herd immunity ” , a so-called strategy that would likely result in millions of deaths .
He was repeatedly rebuked by public health and infectious disease experts , in addition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senate .

Julia Carrie Wong (now), Daniel Strauss and Martin Belam (earlier)

1 Dec 2020 01.02 GMT Evening summary That’s all from me today. Here’s a rundown of the day’s top stories: Joe Biden announced a slate of nominees for various economic positions in his administration , including Janet Yellen as treasury secretary and Neera Tanden as director of the Office of Management and Budget.
, including as treasury secretary and as director of the Office of Management and Budget. The supreme court heard arguments in an important dispute over whether undocumented immigrants should be included in the census tally that determines the apportionment of congressional seats. The court appeared skeptical of the Trump administration’s arguments in favor of exclusion.
over whether undocumented immigrants should be included in the census tally that determines the apportionment of congressional seats. The court appeared skeptical of the Trump administration’s arguments in favor of exclusion. Arizona and Wisconsin certified their election results . Biden won both states, despite baseless allegations of fraud by Trump.
. Biden won both states, despite baseless allegations of fraud by Trump. The justice department filed a motion to dismiss the case against former national adviser Michael Flynn as “moot”, following Trump’s pardon of Flynn on Wednesday. The court filing revealed the sweeping nature of Trump’s pardon, which covers both the crime that Flynn pleaded guilty to (lying to the FBI), and any other possible future charges that could arise from the Mueller investigation.
as “moot”, following Trump’s pardon of Flynn on Wednesday. The court filing revealed the sweeping nature of Trump’s pardon, which covers both the crime that Flynn pleaded guilty to (lying to the FBI), and any other possible future charges that could arise from the Mueller investigation. Trump coronavirus adviser Scott Atlas resigned. The Stanford radiologist had no expertise in infectious diseases or epidemiology and used his position to promote ideas that were both baseless and widely criticized by actual experts as dangerous to the public. You can keep up to date with our global coronavirus liveblog here: Coronavirus live news: US may begin vaccinations before Christmas; Vietnam sees first case in three months Read more
Updated at 01.05 GMT
1 Dec 2020 00.30 GMT Scott Atlas, the rightwing radiologist who used his position as a special adviser to Donald Trump on the coronavirus pandemic to attack science-based public health measures, has resigned from his position, Fox News reported. Atlas is a neuroradiologist and fellow at Stanford’s rightwing Hoover Institution, where he works on health care policy. He has no expertise or experience in infectious diseases or epidemiology. He was nevertheless selected by Trump to advise the president on the viral pandemic. Atlas repeatedly downplayed the threat of the virus, which has killed more than 250,000 Americans, and attacked public health measures such as masks, stay-at-home orders and social distancing. He called on residents of Michigan to “rise up” against restrictions put in place by governor Gretchen Whitmer, who had been the target of a kidnapping plot, leading to calls for his firing. He also promoted the idea that the US should aim to achieve “herd immunity”, a so-called strategy that would likely result in millions of deaths. He was repeatedly rebuked by public health and infectious disease experts, in addition to Stanford University and the Stanford faculty senate.
1 Dec 2020 00.01 GMT Trump campaign attorney Joseph diGenova, a former federal prosecutor, called for the execution of the fired election cybersecurity head, Chris Krebs, in a rant on Newsmax on Monday, the Bulwark reports. Krebs was the head of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency where he worked to prevent interference in the election. Trump fired Krebs on 18 November, after the well-respected figure refuted Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud. DiGenova is one of Trump’s “elite strike force team” of attorneys who have mounted overwhelmingly unsuccessful and increasingly incompetent legal challenges against Joe Biden’s decisive victory. “Anybody who thinks the election went well, like that idiot Krebs who used to be the head of cybersecurity [for Trump],” diGenova said on the Howie Carr show, according to the Bulwark. “That guy is a class-A moron. He should be drawn and quartered. Taken out at dawn and shot,” This is not the first time that a Trump associate has called for violence against a public servant in recent weeks. Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon called for the beheadings of Dr Anthony Fauci and FBI director Christopher Wray on his video podcast shortly after the election, leading to his permanent suspension from Twitter.
Updated at 01.10 GMT
30 Nov 2020 23.23 GMT The Justice Department has moved to dismiss as “moot” the case against disgraced former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and was pardoned by Donald Trump on 25 November. DOJ's motion to dismiss includes a copy of Flynn's pardon, exonerating him from lying to the FBI but also "any and all possible offenses" arising from the Mueller investigation. pic.twitter.com/NsXGBTZ5hD — Megan Mineiro (@MMineiro_CNS) November 30, 2020 While Trump announced the pardon on Twitter, the DOJ filing includes a copy of the official pardon paperwork, which reveals just how sweeping the pardon is. In addition to the charge to which Flynn pleaded guilty (“making false statements to Federal investigators”), the pardon also extends to “any and all possible offenses arising from” Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation. In the DOJ filing, the federal prosecutors note that this broad language will cover “any possible future perjury or contempt charge in connection with Flynn’s sworn statements and any other possible future charge that this court or the court-appointed amicus has suggested might somehow keep this criminal case alive over the government’s objections (eg, a charge under the Foreign Agents Registration Act...)” Prior to the pardon, the DOJ had made the unusual move of attempting to have a judge dismiss the case against Flynn, despite the fact that he had already pleaded guilty. In recent days, Flynn has become an enthusiastic proponent of baseless conspiracy theories casting doubt on the presidential election results. On Twitter, he has promoted the false conspiracy mongering of the former web admin for 8chan (and its successor site 8kun), the extremist message board that became the site of choice for white nationalist mass shooters publishing their manifestos, and which is home to the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory.
Updated at 23.36 GMT
30 Nov 2020 23.00 GMT Two indigenous lawmakers in South Dakota have written to the state’s governor Kristi Noem asking for a statewide mask mandate as the state has regained its position as the number one Covid hotspot in the country, Inforum reports. State representative Peri Pourier and state senator Red Dawn Foster pleaded with Noem for the mandate, writing: As indigenous women, we are writing from the earnest position of granddaughters, sisters, mothers, and the life-givers of our culture and people. It has been ingrained into us that our decisions must take into consideration the care and safety of our communities and our people above our individual selves. There really isn’t a need to battle over statistics and politics right now. This isn’t a political game of playing roulette with our communities or our families. It is an issue of public health that surpasses political parties and hits the core of our humanity. As Talli Nauman reported for the Guardian last week, South Dakota has been devastated by the coronavirus while the state’s Republican governor refuses to take action. The rural state tops the CDC’s ranking of average daily cases per 100,000 people over the last 7 days, as well as it’s ranking of per capita death rate over the last 7 days. The brunt of the pandemic is being borne by the state’s tribal communities, according to data collected by the Covid Tracking Project, which reports that Native Americans account for 14% of the state’s cases and deaths, despite being just 8% of the total population. In May, Noem threatened to sue the Cheyenne River Sioux and Oglala Sioux tribes after they established checkpoints in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus. South Dakota gripped by pandemic amid Kristi Noem's no-mask approach Read more
Updated at 23.10 GMT
30 Nov 2020 22.21 GMT Hi everyone, this is Julia Carrie Wong in Oakland, picking up the blog for the rest of the afternoon. In the annals of “why your vote matters”, the state of Iowa has just certified the election of a Republican congressional candidate by the razor thin margin of six votes. The State Canvassing Board has officially certified the results of the 2020 general election. We had record turnout of more than 1.7 million voters & 76% participation. The official result in #IA02 is @millermeeks 196,964 to @RitaHartIA 196,958. 6 vote difference. #BeAVoter pic.twitter.com/Rp4f6sHHTi — Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate (@IowaSOS) November 30, 2020 Mariannette Miller-Meeks lead Democratic candidate Rita Hart by 47 votes after the initial count, but her lead shrank to just six following a recount. The final tally was 196,964 to 196,958. Following Monday’s certification, Hart has two days to file a challenge, and she likely will, the AP reported.
30 Nov 2020 21.58 GMT Afternoon summary That’s it for me. I’ll hand the blogging baton over to my colleague Julia Carrie Wong. Here’s what’s happened today so far: Coronavirus cases are surging in California.
Top Republican officials in Georgia pushed back on criticism from Donald Trump.
Arizona and Wisconsin certified their election results today. Joe Biden won both states.
Trump has been losing followers on Twitter while Biden has been gaining them.
The supreme court indicated skepticism about the Trump administration’s play to exclude undocumented immigrants from its census tally.
Updated at 22.03 GMT
30 Nov 2020 21.49 GMT Add Wisconsin to the list of states certifying its election results with a victory for Joe Biden. MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Joe Biden confirmed as winner in Wisconsin ahead of promised lawsuit from President Donald Trump. — Mike Balsamo (@MikeBalsamo1) November 30, 2020 Earlier today Arizona certified its election results for Biden as well. Donald Trump has vowed to fight these results, arguing (without evidence) that he lost the presidential election only because of widespread fraud.
30 Nov 2020 21.28 GMT Iowa senator Chuck Grassley has returned to his Washington office after quarantining because he tested positive for Covid-19. Per a press release from Grassley’s office the senator said: “While I continued working from home during my quarantine, I’m glad to be back in the office working for Iowans. During my quarantine, I heard from so many Iowans and Americans across the country. I’m thankful for their prayers and well wishes. This disease affects people differently. I did not experience symptoms, but more than a thousand Americans are dying every day and many more are hospitalized. That means we all have to do our part to help protect our friends, family and fellow Americans. I will continue to wear a mask and practice social distancing. “Promising vaccine news means there is light at the end of the tunnel. That makes staying vigilant in the coming months all the more important. Congress must do its part and pass long overdue relief legislation to help families, businesses and communities get through this crisis. I hope my colleagues reach the same conclusion and a bipartisan bill can pass very soon.” Grassley is one of a still-growing number of lawmakers who have tested positive for coronavirus. In the Iowa senator’s case he was asymptotic and cleared to return to work. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, the highest ranking Republican in the Senate, welcomed Grassley back during remarks on the Senate floor: “First, as the Senate reconvenes this afternoon, I’m especially happy to welcome back our President Pro Tem. “Senator Grassley quarantined and worked from home following his positive COVID test two weeks ago. We all predicted that if any member of this body had the stamina and spirit to kick the virus to the curb, it would be him — and sure enough, our colleague reports that he experienced no symptoms. His doctors have cleared him to come back to work and we are sure glad to see him today. “Chairman Grassley had to put his epic streak of consecutive votes temporarily on hold for the sake of others. Of course, leadership and example-setting are nothing new for the senior Senator for Iowa. I am confident our colleague will pick up exactly where he left off, resuming both his perfect attendance record and the tireless work for Iowans that it represents. “We all benefit so much from his leadership.”
Updated at 21.54 GMT
30 Nov 2020 21.13 GMT Vivian Ho California’s coronavirus cases continued to surge after a week of holiday travel, hitting all-time highs unseen before even at the worst of the pandemic. The state was reporting a seven-day average of 14,657 cases a day, with 14,034 cases reported in the last 24 hours, Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, said at his Monday briefing. During the peak of the pandemic in California in July, the state reported a seven-day average of just 9,881 cases a day. Hospitalizations have increased by 89%, with 59% of all hospital beds in use within the state’s healthcare system, Newsom said. Public health officials project that without any intervention, hospitalizations could increase to 78% by Christmas Eve. This is the tipping point.
CA has worked hard to prepare for a surge—but we can’t sustain the record high cases we’re seeing.
Current projections show CA will run out of current ICU beds before Christmas Eve.
Please stay safe & stay home as much as you can for next few weeks. pic.twitter.com/5NJYzHokhE — Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) November 30, 2020
Currently, 51 of California’s 58 counties are once again living under the most severe coronavirus restrictions. That includes a 10pm curfew, a restriction that was not part of the original lockdown that took place in March. California has reported more than 1.21m coronavirus cases since the pandemic began. In ranking California by case rate, California comes in 39th in the country, with 34.5 cases per 100,000 residents. More than 19,000 people have died.
Updated at 22.35 GMT
30 Nov 2020 19.40 GMT Joining Georgia governor Brian Kemp in pushing back on Donald Trump, Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger weighed in on Monday as well, according to CNN. Here’s that report: “There are those who are exploiting the emotions of many Trump supporters with fantastic claims, half-truths, misinformation, and frankly, they are misleading the President as well, apparently,” he said. He also said that a post-election audit, along with the ongoing recount, prove that the election was fair. “Once this recount is complete, everyone in Georgia will be able to have even more confidence in the results of our elections,” he said, adding that the recount is on track to finish by a Wednesday night deadline. 01:25 False election claims 'misleading the president', says Georgia secretary of state – video
Updated at 22.29 GMT
30 Nov 2020 19.09 GMT More on Arizona certifying the election results. Here’s Arizona governor Doug Ducey, a Republican, tweeting about it. Today, we signed the canvass for the 2020 election in Arizona. I’m grateful to the voters, the county election offices, the county recorders’ offices, & the poll workers across the state for their dedication to the success of our election system. @SecretaryHobbs @GeneralBrnovich pic.twitter.com/vdjhuQosZd — Doug Ducey (@dougducey) November 30, 2020 And here’s Democratic lawyer Marc Elias taking a victory lap: Key states that have certified their election results:
✅Arizona
✅Georgia (ongoing recount)
✅Michigan
✅Nevada
✅Pennsylvania — Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) November 30, 2020
Updated at 19.10 GMT
30 Nov 2020 18.45 GMT Arizona certifies Biden win Arizona certified its election results on Monday, effectively putting to rest any doubt that Biden won the state in the 2020 presidential election. INBOX: Arizona has certified victories for Joe Biden and Mark Kelly in the state's November elections. — Laura Litvan (@LauraLitvan) November 30, 2020 Biden won the state by about 11,000 votes, a slim margin although in past election cycles Arizona has trended reliably toward Republicans. Biden’s victory there was essential to him passing the 270 electoral vote mark needed to beat Trump and win the presidency.
30 Nov 2020 18.34 GMT Continuing the back and forth between Georgia governor Brian Kemp, a Republican, and Donald Trump that I noted earlier, Kemp’s spokesperson shot back that Kemp has acted within the bounds of his job. According to The Washington Post: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) on Monday pushed back on exhortations by President Trump, suggesting that the president was asking him to interfere in the Nov. 3 election in a way prohibited by state law. Georgia law prohibits the Governor from interfering in elections,” Kemp spokesman Cody Hall said in a statement. “The Secretary of State, who is an elected Constitutional officer, has oversight over elections that cannot be overridden by executive order.” The Trump campaign on Monday made its fifth request for election officials in Georgia to audit signatures in the counting process. The press release announcing the request said: “Trump Campaign attorneys requested that the Georgia Secretary of State uphold his duty to preserve the legitimacy of his state’s elections, saying: “It is not possible for you to accurately certify the results in the presidential race from the November 3, 2020, election until and unless there is a thorough audit of the signatures, which we have now requested four times in writing prior to this request. You cannot in good faith conclude the ongoing statutory recount until you have instituted a signature matching audit,” said Ray S. Smith, III, Counsel to Donald J. Trump for President, Inc.”
30 Nov 2020 17.58 GMT Tom McCarthy It is not clear yet whether US democracy “survived” the 2020 presidential election unscathed. If Donald Trump’s playbook of seeking to undermine a legitimate election becomes standard Republican practice – refuse to concede, make false claims of fraud, fan the flames of conspiracy, sue everywhere and refuse to certify any win by the other side – then American democracy might already have sustained a fatal wound. But Trump has not succeeded in stealing the 2020 election, despite his historic attempt to do so, in what analysts call the most dangerous frontal assault on US democracy since the civil war era. The two states upon which Trump’s plot most hinged, Pennsylvania and Michigan, certified their results in Joe Biden’s favor earlier this week. The presidential transition is at last under way. Yet while the election exposed key areas where American democracy is failing, it also highlighted structural features that make national elections in the US hard to steal, no matter how determined the would-be despot or how complicit his party colleagues. Here is a select list of those features: Five factors that helped US democracy resist Trump's election onslaught Read more


theguardian--2020-11-30--Joe Biden names diverse economic team with first female secretary of treasury

Joe Biden announced his economic team on Monday , a slate of advisers which could include the first female secretary of the treasury , as the president-elect looks to revive the coronavirus-hit US economy .
The official nominations to a diverse proposed cabinet came after Biden named an all-female communications team .
Republicans are likely to launch fierce opposition to at least one of the Democrat ’ s economic picks .
After a busy few days for Biden , who also managed to fracture his foot while playing with his dog , the former vice-president was finally allowed access to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump still refuses to concede the election , on Sunday using his first television interview since Biden won the vote more than three weeks ago to reiterate his baseless claims that the election was stolen .
Biden won 6m more votes than Trump , as he became the first presidential candidate ever to win the support of more than 80m Americans .
He won the electoral college 306-232 , the same score by which Trump beat Hillary Clinton four years ago .
On Monday , Biden ’ s wins in Arizona and Wisconsin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to lead the treasury , Janet Yellen , was chair of the Federal Reserve under Barack Obama and has been confirmed by the Senate before .
But Republicans are already gearing up to oppose Neera Tanden , Biden ’ s nominee for the Office of Management and Budget .
Tanden , the president of the liberal Center for American Progress thinktank , accused Senate Republicans of hypocrisy after they rushed the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to the supreme court , following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg .
Tanden has repeatedly criticized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tanden , who has an endless stream of disparaging comments about the Republican senators whose votes she ’ ll need , stands zero chance of being confirmed , ” a spokesman for the Texas senator John Cornyn tweeted .
On Monday , Biden received the presidential daily briefing , a classified document summarising high-level information on national security issues and prepared by the director of national intelligence , for the first time since he won the election .
In 2018 the Washington Post reported that Trump did not read the daily briefs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to study the written material .
He would have received it sooner , but for the Trump administration delaying the transition process .
Biden will be forced to consume the brief while nursing a broken foot , after slipping while playing with his german shepherd , Major .
The president-elect ’ s office said the 78-year-old fractured two bones in his right foot and “ will likely require a walking boot for several weeks ” .
There was better health news for the US as a whole on Monday , as the health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first two vaccines against the coronavirus could be administered to Americans “ before Christmas ” .
Two vaccines are waiting to be evaluated for emergency use .
If they are approved , Azar said it will be up to state governors to decide who will receive the first doses .
“ Be thinking people in nursing homes , the most vulnerable – be thinking healthcare workers who are on the frontlines of most interacting with suspected Covid cases , as the first tranches of people that we ’ ll try to get vaccinated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden moves forward with planning for the presidency , Trump has become an increasingly lonely voice in maintaining the election was fraudulent .
In an interview with Fox Business on Sunday , he continued to make baseless claims of election fraud , even though his legal team has lost case after case in its attempt to overturn the result .
“ My mind will not change in six months , ” Trump said .
“ There was tremendous cheating here.
” Trump also said he was “ going to use 125 % of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Shortly after the interview , Wisconsin completed a recount the president had requested .
Officials re-tallied the votes in the state ’ s largest two counties , Milwaukee and Dane , where more than 800,000 votes were cast .
They found little change in the results .
In fact , Biden ’ s lead grew by 87 votes .
In further bad news for Trump , it emerged on Monday that the president had lost Twitter followers in recent weeks – while Biden has grown his own following .
According to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accounts following Trump – who has complained of biased treatment by Twitter – dropped by 133,902 over 11 days , while Biden gained nearly 1.2 million .
Trump still has one of the most followed Twitter accounts in the world , with 88.8 million adherents .
But he is some way behind his White House predecessor , Barack Obama , who has 126.8 million .

Joe Biden announced his economic team on Monday, a slate of advisers which could include the first female secretary of the treasury, as the president-elect looks to revive the coronavirus-hit US economy.
The official nominations to a diverse proposed cabinet came after Biden named an all-female communications team. Republicans are likely to launch fierce opposition to at least one of the Democrat’s economic picks.
After a busy few days for Biden, who also managed to fracture his foot while playing with his dog, the former vice-president was finally allowed access to daily presidential briefings on Monday.
Donald Trump still refuses to concede the election, on Sunday using his first television interview since Biden won the vote more than three weeks ago to reiterate his baseless claims that the election was stolen.
Biden won 6m more votes than Trump, as he became the first presidential candidate ever to win the support of more than 80m Americans. He won the electoral college 306-232, the same score by which Trump beat Hillary Clinton four years ago.
On Monday, Biden’s wins in Arizona and Wisconsin were certified.
Biden’s nominee to lead the treasury, Janet Yellen, was chair of the Federal Reserve under Barack Obama and has been confirmed by the Senate before. But Republicans are already gearing up to oppose Neera Tanden, Biden’s nominee for the Office of Management and Budget.
Tanden, the president of the liberal Center for American Progress thinktank, accused Senate Republicans of hypocrisy after they rushed the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to the supreme court, following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Tanden has repeatedly criticized the right on Twitter.
“Neera Tanden, who has an endless stream of disparaging comments about the Republican senators whose votes she’ll need, stands zero chance of being confirmed,” a spokesman for the Texas senator John Cornyn tweeted.
On Monday, Biden received the presidential daily briefing, a classified document summarising high-level information on national security issues and prepared by the director of national intelligence, for the first time since he won the election.
In 2018 the Washington Post reported that Trump did not read the daily briefs, preferring oral presentations. Biden is expected to study the written material. He would have received it sooner, but for the Trump administration delaying the transition process.
Biden will be forced to consume the brief while nursing a broken foot, after slipping while playing with his german shepherd, Major. The president-elect’s office said the 78-year-old fractured two bones in his right foot and “will likely require a walking boot for several weeks”.
There was better health news for the US as a whole on Monday, as the health secretary, Alex Azar, said the first two vaccines against the coronavirus could be administered to Americans “before Christmas”.
Two vaccines are waiting to be evaluated for emergency use. If they are approved, Azar said it will be up to state governors to decide who will receive the first doses.
“Be thinking people in nursing homes, the most vulnerable – be thinking healthcare workers who are on the frontlines of most interacting with suspected Covid cases, as the first tranches of people that we’ll try to get vaccinated,” Azar told CBS.
As Biden moves forward with planning for the presidency, Trump has become an increasingly lonely voice in maintaining the election was fraudulent. In an interview with Fox Business on Sunday, he continued to make baseless claims of election fraud, even though his legal team has lost case after case in its attempt to overturn the result.
“My mind will not change in six months,” Trump said. “There was tremendous cheating here.”
Trump also said he was “going to use 125% of my energy” to fight the results.
Shortly after the interview, Wisconsin completed a recount the president had requested. Officials re-tallied the votes in the state’s largest two counties, Milwaukee and Dane, where more than 800,000 votes were cast. They found little change in the results. In fact, Biden’s lead grew by 87 votes.
In further bad news for Trump, it emerged on Monday that the president had lost Twitter followers in recent weeks – while Biden has grown his own following.
According to the tracking website Factbase, the number of accounts following Trump – who has complained of biased treatment by Twitter – dropped by 133,902 over 11 days, while Biden gained nearly 1.2 million.
Trump still has one of the most followed Twitter accounts in the world, with 88.8 million adherents. But he is some way behind his White House predecessor, Barack Obama, who has 126.8 million.


theguardian--2020-11-30--Congress races to avoid government shutdown amid pandemic as funding expires

The US Congress on Monday began a two-week sprint to rescue the federal government from a possible shutdown amid the coronavirus pandemic , the first major test since the election of whether Republicans and Democrats intend to cooperate .
Government funding for nearly all federal agencies expires on Saturday 11 December .
Congressional negotiators have made progress on how to divvy up around $ 1.4tn to be spent by 30 September 2021 , the end of the current fiscal year , according to a House of Representatives Democratic aide .
But more granular details are still unresolved and votes by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ huge funding bill may come close to bumping up against that 11 December deadline .
Still unclear is whether Donald Trump , who was defeated in the 3 November election , will cooperate with the effort .
If the post-election “ lame duck ” session of Congress fails to produce a budget deal , the new Congress convening in January would have to clean up the mess just weeks before the inauguration of Joe Biden .
Trump has already warned that he would veto a wide-ranging defense authorization bill Congress aims to pass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders ’ names from military bases .
Failure by the Democratic-controlled House and Republican-controlled Senate to pass a spending bill could have dire consequences .
Some healthcare operations could be short-staffed or otherwise interrupted at a time when Covid-19 cases in the US have been surging .
Nearly 267,000 people have died in the US as a result of the virus .
The spending bill could be the vehicle for providing billions of dollars to state and local governments to help them handle coronavirus vaccines on track to be available in coming weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if government funds were allowed to run out next month , airport operations could slow , national parks would close , some medical research would be put on hold and thousands of other programs would be jeopardized as government workers are furloughed , further hurting the struggling US economy .
Washington suffered record-long partial shutdowns between 22 December 2018 and 25 January 2019 , the result of a standoff between Democrats and Trump over funding the US-Mexico border wall that was a centerpiece of his presidency .
This time around , Republicans are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that most Democrats and some Republican lawmakers claim is an ineffective remedy to halting illegal immigration .
Negotiators also have been battling over the amount of money Republicans want for immigrant detention beds .
Disagreements over abortion and family planning , education and environment programs also have been simmering .
If they can not be resolved by 11 December , agency shutdowns could be avoided only by Congress passing a stopgap funding bill .
Also hovering over the budget debate will be warnings that emergency funds must be allocated in separate coronavirus aid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ most recent offer was a wide-ranging $ 2.2tn bill to help state and local governments deal with the health and economic crisis , expand Covid-19 testing and supplies , and renew federal direct payments to individuals and families during the pandemic .
Their goal is to provide a significant shot of stimulus to an economy that many experts fear could take a second dive in coming months if the pandemic shuts down more businesses .
Republicans have deemed that proposal exorbitant and have been sticking with calls for a scaled-down $ 500bn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been no signs of serious negotiations , leaving many to believe a stimulus bill will be the first order of business in Biden ’ s presidency , which begins on 20 January .

The US Congress on Monday began a two-week sprint to rescue the federal government from a possible shutdown amid the coronavirus pandemic, the first major test since the election of whether Republicans and Democrats intend to cooperate.
Government funding for nearly all federal agencies expires on Saturday 11 December.
Congressional negotiators have made progress on how to divvy up around $1.4tn to be spent by 30 September 2021, the end of the current fiscal year, according to a House of Representatives Democratic aide.
But more granular details are still unresolved and votes by the full House and Senate on a huge funding bill may come close to bumping up against that 11 December deadline.
Still unclear is whether Donald Trump, who was defeated in the 3 November election, will cooperate with the effort.
If the post-election “lame duck” session of Congress fails to produce a budget deal, the new Congress convening in January would have to clean up the mess just weeks before the inauguration of Joe Biden.
Trump has already warned that he would veto a wide-ranging defense authorization bill Congress aims to pass if a provision is included stripping Confederate leaders’ names from military bases.
Failure by the Democratic-controlled House and Republican-controlled Senate to pass a spending bill could have dire consequences. Some healthcare operations could be short-staffed or otherwise interrupted at a time when Covid-19 cases in the US have been surging. Nearly 267,000 people have died in the US as a result of the virus.
The spending bill could be the vehicle for providing billions of dollars to state and local governments to help them handle coronavirus vaccines on track to be available in coming weeks and months.
Beyond pandemic worries, if government funds were allowed to run out next month, airport operations could slow, national parks would close, some medical research would be put on hold and thousands of other programs would be jeopardized as government workers are furloughed, further hurting the struggling US economy.
Washington suffered record-long partial shutdowns between 22 December 2018 and 25 January 2019, the result of a standoff between Democrats and Trump over funding the US-Mexico border wall that was a centerpiece of his presidency.
This time around, Republicans are seeking $2bn for the southern barrier that most Democrats and some Republican lawmakers claim is an ineffective remedy to halting illegal immigration.
Negotiators also have been battling over the amount of money Republicans want for immigrant detention beds.
Disagreements over abortion and family planning, education and environment programs also have been simmering. If they cannot be resolved by 11 December, agency shutdowns could be avoided only by Congress passing a stopgap funding bill.
Also hovering over the budget debate will be warnings that emergency funds must be allocated in separate coronavirus aid legislation following months of deadlock.
Democrats’ most recent offer was a wide-ranging $2.2tn bill to help state and local governments deal with the health and economic crisis, expand Covid-19 testing and supplies, and renew federal direct payments to individuals and families during the pandemic.
Their goal is to provide a significant shot of stimulus to an economy that many experts fear could take a second dive in coming months if the pandemic shuts down more businesses.
Republicans have deemed that proposal exorbitant and have been sticking with calls for a scaled-down $500bn menu of initiatives.
So far there have been no signs of serious negotiations, leaving many to believe a stimulus bill will be the first order of business in Biden’s presidency, which begins on 20 January.


theguardian--2020-11-30--The 'Freedom Force': Republican group takes on the Squad and 'evil' socialism

A group of incoming Republican congresspeople intends to counter the “ radical agenda ” of the Democratic party , with the self-professed goal of becoming the Republican party ’ s alternative to “ the Squad ” – a group of progressive congresswomen of color including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar .
Calling themselves the Freedom Force , the Republicans say they will combat the “ evil ” of socialism and Marxism .
“ We love our nation .
This group will be talking against and giving a contrast to the hard left .
We have the Freedom Force versus Squad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who believe in our country , believe in God , family , respect for women and authority , and another group who hates everything I just mentioned , ” the Utah congressman-elect Burgess Owens told the Fox News host Laura Ingraham , speaking as a representative of the Freedom Force .
Owens said the group would aim to protect small business owners and the middle class .
“ Business ownership is the foundation of our freedom , ” he said on Fox & Friends Weekend .
“ It ’ s where our middle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the middle class got its power from small businesses , while the left got its power “ from misery ” .
During the interview , Owens – a former Super Bowl champion – also railed against NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem and against the Green New Deal .
He pointed to the diversity within his new coalition .
“ South Korea , Cuba , Iran , Greece , I grew up in Tallahassee , Florida … We ’ ve all dealt with the harshness , the evil of socialism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talk from experience , ” he said .
As a final warning to Democrats , he added : “ You ’ re collateral damage if you run a business and you want to go to church and you want to put your kids in school ; you ’ re collateral damage – that ’ s the way the evil Marxists and socialists roll.
” The coalition of Republican lawmakers includes New York ’ s Nicole Malliotakis ; Michelle Steel of California ; Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma ; Victoria Spartz of Indiana ; and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Byron Donalds of Florida .

A group of incoming Republican congresspeople intends to counter the “radical agenda” of the Democratic party, with the self-professed goal of becoming the Republican party’s alternative to “the Squad” – a group of progressive congresswomen of color including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar.
Calling themselves the Freedom Force, the Republicans say they will combat the “evil” of socialism and Marxism.
“We love our nation. This group will be talking against and giving a contrast to the hard left. We have the Freedom Force versus Squad; we have a group of people who believe in our country, believe in God, family, respect for women and authority, and another group who hates everything I just mentioned,” the Utah congressman-elect Burgess Owens told the Fox News host Laura Ingraham, speaking as a representative of the Freedom Force.
Owens said the group would aim to protect small business owners and the middle class. “Business ownership is the foundation of our freedom,” he said on Fox & Friends Weekend. “It’s where our middle class comes from.” He added that the middle class got its power from small businesses, while the left got its power “from misery”.
During the interview, Owens – a former Super Bowl champion – also railed against NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem and against the Green New Deal.
He pointed to the diversity within his new coalition. “South Korea, Cuba, Iran, Greece, I grew up in Tallahassee, Florida … We’ve all dealt with the harshness, the evil of socialism and Marxism, and so we can talk from experience,” he said.
As a final warning to Democrats, he added: “You’re collateral damage if you run a business and you want to go to church and you want to put your kids in school; you’re collateral damage – that’s the way the evil Marxists and socialists roll.”
The coalition of Republican lawmakers includes New York’s Nicole Malliotakis; Michelle Steel of California; Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma; Victoria Spartz of Indiana; and Carlos Giménez, Maria Elvira Salazar and Byron Donalds of Florida.


theguardian--2020-12-01--Biden's outspoken nominee to run budget office deletes 1,000 tweets

Joe Biden ’ s nominee for a key economic post has deleted more than a thousand of her own tweets , some of which were critical of senators who now hold her fate in their hands .
The Daily Beast first reported the steps by Neera Tanden , the president of the Center for American Progress ( CAP ) thinktank who Biden has nominated to lead the federal Office of Management and Budget .
“ Can people on here please focus their ire on [ Senate majority leader Mitch ] McConnell and the GOP senators who are up [ for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Tanden wrote in June 2019 , in a tweet recovered by the Beast .
Tanden named those “ enablers ” as Cory Gardner , Susan Collins , Joni Ernst , John Cornyn , David Perdue , Thom Tillis “ and many more ” .
A tweet calling McConnell “ # MoscowMitch ” , a common nickname for the majority leader among liberals during the investigation of Donald Trump ’ s links to Russia , was also among those deleted .
Tanden ’ s fate may hinge on two runoff elections in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both seats – one held by Perdue – they will control the Senate via Kamala Harris ’ s casting vote as vice-president .
That would make Tanden ’ s confirmation achievable – if party discipline held .
But Tanden , a former policy aide to Hillary Clinton , has also been a fierce critic of senators from the Democratic side of the aisle , for example the progressive Vermont senator Bernie Sanders .
“ It ’ s an odd choice for Biden and his ‘ healing ’ presidency to bring someone in who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , being that we just ended a four-year Twitter presidency , ” Josh Fox , a climate activist and Sanders surrogate , told the Beast .
“ She causes ire unnecessarily.
” Fox also said CAP “ pretends to be aligned with progressive values , but Neera Tanden seems so cynical that she attacks progressive policies like a ban on fracking , the Green New Deal and Medicare for All ” .
The Massachusetts progressive Elizabeth Warren is among prominent Democratic senators who have backed Tanden .
Republicans have been quick to tell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their party can help it .
On Monday , Cornyn , from Texas , told reporters he thought Tanden was Biden ’ s “ worst nominee so far ” .
“ Her combative and insulting comments about many members of the Senate , mainly on our side of the aisle , [ create ] certainly , a problematic path , ” he said .
The Beast said Tanden had deleted at least one tweet in support of MJ Hegar , the Democrat Cornyn beat for re-election last month .
Jen Psaki , Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said Tanden was “ a brilliant policy expert and she knows how vital funding for [ government ] programs is .
As a child for a period her family relied on food stamps to eat , on Section 8 vouchers to pay the rent and on the social safety .
Her fresh perspective can help meet this moment.
” Tanden did not comment .
But she has changed her Twitter biography .
It now reads : “ Director of OMB nominee , liberal , Indian American , feminist , mom , wife @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expressed are most definitely my own .
”

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Joe Biden’s nominee for a key economic post has deleted more than a thousand of her own tweets, some of which were critical of senators who now hold her fate in their hands.
The Daily Beast first reported the steps by Neera Tanden, the president of the Center for American Progress (CAP) think tank who Biden has nominated to lead the federal Office of Management and Budget.
“Can people on here please focus their ire on [Senate majority leader Mitch] McConnell and the GOP senators who are up [for re-election] this cycle who enable him,” Tanden wrote in June 2019, in a tweet recovered by the Beast.
Tanden named those “enablers” as Cory Gardner, Susan Collins, Joni Ernst, John Cornyn, David Perdue, Thom Tillis “and many more”.
A tweet calling McConnell “#MoscowMitch”, a common nickname for the majority leader among liberals during the investigation of Donald Trump’s links to Russia, was also among those deleted.
Tanden’s fate may hinge on two runoff elections in Georgia in January. If Democrats win both seats – one held by Perdue – they will control the Senate via Kamala Harris’s casting vote as vice-president. That would make Tanden’s confirmation achievable – if party discipline held.
But Tanden, a former policy aide to Hillary Clinton, has also been a fierce critic of senators from the Democratic side of the aisle, for example the progressive Vermont senator Bernie Sanders.
“It’s an odd choice for Biden and his ‘healing’ presidency to bring someone in who is so combative, especially on Twitter, being that we just ended a four-year Twitter presidency,” Josh Fox, a climate activist and Sanders surrogate, told the Beast. “She causes ire unnecessarily.”
It’s a disqualification for someone to serve in the cabinet that engaged in her own opinion on Twitter? That’s dumb Claire McCaskill
Fox also said CAP “pretends to be aligned with progressive values, but Neera Tanden seems so cynical that she attacks progressive policies like a ban on fracking, the Green New Deal and Medicare for All”.
The Massachusetts progressive Elizabeth Warren is among prominent Democratic senators who have backed Tanden.
Republicans have been quick to tell reporters Tanden will not be confirmed if their party can help it. On Monday, Cornyn, from Texas, told reporters he thought Tanden was Biden’s “worst nominee so far”.
“Her combative and insulting comments about many members of the Senate, mainly on our side of the aisle, [create] certainly, a problematic path,” he said.
The Beast said Tanden had deleted at least one tweet in support of MJ Hegar, the Democrat Cornyn beat for re-election last month.
Speaking on MSNBC, Claire McCaskill, a former Democratic senator from Missouri, accused Republicans of displaying “a whole new level of hypocrisy”.
“The Republican senators are now all of a sudden worried about tweets that hurt their feelings,” she said. “This is just ridiculous.
“We’ve had a president who has used his Twitter account like a battering ram, going after not just his political opponents but Republican senators, unfairly, with incredibly brutal tweets. Now all of a sudden it’s a disqualification for someone to serve in the cabinet that engaged in her own opinion on Twitter? I think that’s dumb.”
In a statement emailed to the Guardian, a transition spokesperson said Biden would “choose the most-qualified, most experienced candidates capable of leading on day one” and “looks forward to working in good faith with both parties in Congress to install qualified, experienced leaders.
“The president-elect has been heartened to see a number of Republican senators express their desire to work together and indicate that they believe that presidents deserve latitude in building their team.”
Jen Psaki, Biden’s incoming White House press secretary, said Tanden was “a brilliant policy expert and she knows how vital funding for [government] programs is. As a child, for a period her family relied on food stamps to eat, on Section 8 vouchers to pay the rent and on the social safety. Her fresh perspective can help meet this moment.”
Tanden did not comment on the Daily Beast report. She tweeted: “After my parents were divorced when I was young, my mother relied on public food and housing programs to get by. Now, I’m being nominated to help ensure those programs are secure, and ensure families like mine can live with dignity. I am beyond honored.”
She has also changed her Twitter biography. It now reads: “Director of OMB nominee, liberal, Indian American, feminist, mom, wife. Not in that order. Views expressed are most definitely my own.”


theguardian--2020-12-01--Trump lawyer: ex-election security chief Krebs should be 'taken out and shot'

A former head of US election security who said Donald Trump ’ s defeat by Joe Biden was not subject to voter fraud should be “ taken out at dawn and shot ” , a Trump campaign lawyer said .
Condemnation of Joe DiGenova ’ s remark about Chris Krebs was swift , including calls for his disbarment and the charge that he was behaving like a “ mob attorney ” .
Krebs was fired as head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency ( Cisa ) on 17 November , not long after he said the election , contrary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was the most secure in American history ” .
Krebs also used Twitter to publicly debunk Trump ’ s conspiracy theories .
DiGenova defended the president in the Russia investigation and is now involved in attempts to overturn results in battleground states .
The Trump campaign has won one lawsuit – and lost 39 .
DiGenova made the remark about Krebs on The Howie Carr Show , a podcast shown on YouTube and the Trump-allied Newsmax TV , on Monday .
“ Anybody who thinks the election went well , ” he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used to be the head of cybersecurity , that guy is a class A moron .
He should be drawn and quartered .
Taken out at dawn and shot.
” Carr did not challenge the remark .
A day earlier , Krebs told CBS 60 Minutes Trump was trying to “ undermine democracy … to undermine confidence in the election , to confuse people , to scare people ” .
Trump called that interview “ ridiculous , one-sided [ and ] an international joke ” .
DiGenova is not the first close Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an official in the president ’ s disfavour .
In early November , former campaign chief and White House strategist Steve Bannon said FBI director Christopher Wray and public health expert Anthony Fauci should be beheaded .
He was banned from Twitter .
DiGenova said Trump ’ s legal team was “ talking to the jury , trying to influence the jury .
And that includes judges and state legislatures .
And the governors in these states are a bunch of losers , along with their secretaries of state .
I ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ being Republican ] .
“ You know , they ’ re going to have to be dealt with politically .
It ’ s the only way you deal with these people.
” Brad Raffensperger , the Republican secretary of state in Georgia who has resisted attempts to overturn Biden ’ s win there , has said he and his wife have received death threats from Trump supporters .
Condemnation of DiGenova ’ s remark about Krebs was swift .
Lois Clark , chief executive of the Government Accountability Project , said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trigger an avalanche of them .
They terrorise other whistleblowers into silence .
It ’ s behavior befitting a mob attorney.
” Frank Figliuzzi , a former FBI deputy director , said DiGenova had made “ a retaliatory threat involving Krebs ’ official duties , in violation of federal law Title 18 USC 351 ” .
Andrew Weissmann , a former federal prosecutor and senior aide to special counsel Robert Mueller in the Russia investigation , tweeted that the remark was “ shocking ” and DiGenova should “ face disbarment at least ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shown “ fearless integrity ” .

A former head of US election security who said Donald Trump’s defeat by Joe Biden was not subject to voter fraud should be “taken out at dawn and shot”, a Trump campaign lawyer said.
Condemnation of Joe DiGenova’s remark about Chris Krebs was swift, including calls for his disbarment and the charge that he was behaving like a “mob attorney”.
Krebs was fired as head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Cisa) on 17 November, not long after he said the election, contrary to Trump’s claims, “was the most secure in American history”.
Krebs also used Twitter to publicly debunk Trump’s conspiracy theories.
DiGenova defended the president in the Russia investigation and is now involved in attempts to overturn results in battleground states. The Trump campaign has won one lawsuit – and lost 39.
DiGenova made the remark about Krebs on The Howie Carr Show, a podcast shown on YouTube and the Trump-allied Newsmax TV, on Monday.
“Anybody who thinks the election went well,” he said, “like that idiot Krebs who used to be the head of cybersecurity, that guy is a class A moron. He should be drawn and quartered. Taken out at dawn and shot.”
Carr did not challenge the remark.
A day earlier, Krebs told CBS 60 Minutes Trump was trying to “undermine democracy … to undermine confidence in the election, to confuse people, to scare people”.
Trump called that interview “ridiculous, one-sided [and] an international joke”.
DiGenova is not the first close Trump aide to call for the death of an official in the president’s disfavour. In early November, former campaign chief and White House strategist Steve Bannon said FBI director Christopher Wray and public health expert Anthony Fauci should be beheaded. He was banned from Twitter.
DiGenova said Trump’s legal team was “talking to the jury, trying to influence the jury. And that includes judges and state legislatures. And the governors in these states are a bunch of losers, along with their secretaries of state. I’ve never seen such wimps wearing an R [being Republican].
“You know, they’re going to have to be dealt with politically. It’s the only way you deal with these people.”
Brad Raffensperger, the Republican secretary of state in Georgia who has resisted attempts to overturn Biden’s win there, has said he and his wife have received death threats from Trump supporters.
Condemnation of DiGenova’s remark about Krebs was swift.
Louis Clark, chief executive of the Government Accountability Project, said in a statement: “Threats like these trigger an avalanche of them. They terrorise other whistleblowers into silence. It’s behavior befitting a mob attorney.”
Frank Figliuzzi, a former FBI deputy director, said DiGenova had made “a retaliatory threat involving Krebs’ official duties, in violation of federal law Title 18 USC 351”.
Andrew Weissmann, a former federal prosecutor and senior aide to special counsel Robert Mueller in the Russia investigation, tweeted that the remark was “shocking” and DiGenova should “face disbarment at least”.
Krebs, he said, had shown “fearless integrity”.


theguardian--2020-12-01--US election results 2020: Joe Biden defeats Donald Trump to win presidency

Americans are also electing members to the two chambers of Congress , the main law-making body of the US .
@ @ @ @ @ and the House of Representatives .
Without support in the Senate and the House , @ @ @ @ @ enact key policies is severely limited .

Niko Kommenda, Antonio Voce, Frank Hulley-Jones, Anna Leach and Seán Clarke

Americans are also electing members to the two chambers of Congress, the main law-making body of the US. Those chambers are the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Without support in the Senate and the House, the president's ability to enact key policies is severely limited.


theguardian--2020-12-01--Trump’s legacy is the plague of extreme lies. Truth-based media is the vaccine | Richard Wolffe

Normal presidents start to think about their legacy long before the final weeks of their time inside the West Wing .
But if there ’ s anything we have learned from the lab rat experiment of the last four years , it ’ s that Donald Trump is entirely abnormal .
Whether he knows it or not – and all the evidence suggests he knows nothing worth knowing – Trump ’ s legacy is the toxic politics of lies : a permanent campaign of fabrications and falsehoods .
No matter that he clearly lost the 2020 election by landslide margins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote .
What matters is the never-ending sense of grievance that someone or something , somewhere – liberals , minorities , judges , reporters – have conspired to wrong Trump and oppress his long-suffering fans .
This is the narrative of the fascist story forever : you are not to blame for your suffering because it was contrived by others – immigrants and outsiders , wielding wealth and power in the shadows .
Trump did not invent this story and likely has no idea where it came from , other than his own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the notion that brazen lies can buy you a delusional base .
He wasn ’ t the first to put the bull in the bully pulpit of the presidency .
But he was the first to run a White House like a Joe McCarthy witch hunt , unleashing social media to cower an entire party into a posture of pure cowardice .
Trump ’ s Republicans will be with us long after the soon-to-be-ex-president succumbs to the overdue tax bills of the IRS , the calling-in of his massive property debts , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state ’ s prosecutors .
These Trumpist Republicans are his legacy , as much as a supreme court stacked against the popular vote , science and all good sense .
They are people like Elise Stefanik in upstate New York .
Stefanik is a Harvard graduate whose career began alongside Republican moderates such as Tim Pawlenty , the former Minnesota governor , and Josh Bolten , Bush ’ s second term chief of staff .
But now she ’ s a full Trumpista , mimicking his campaign style of insults and defending him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security to dig up dirt on Joe Biden .
They are people like Tom Cotton , the Arkansas senator and 2024 presidential hopeful .
Cotton is already campaigning against immigrants and says he ’ ll oppose Biden ’ s nominee for homeland security because he was part of a giant conspiracy of Democratic donors to sell green cards to the Chinese .
In fact the conspiracy involved just three cases , and is the same cash-for-citizenship program that triggered investigations into Trump ’ s son-in-law and confidant Jared Kushner .
But why spoil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ron DeSantis , the Florida governor , who spent most of the 2020 campaign sounding like a Trump clone but has now disappeared from public view , even as he continues to stop local officials from enforcing mask-wearing to slow the spread of the pandemic .
This political plague of extreme lies did not start four years ago .
George W Bush and Karl Rove won the 2004 election by suggesting that Democrats would open the nation ’ s doors to Islamist terrorists .
That was before the second term was demolished by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for immigration reform .
Those anti-immigrant forces found a natural home in the so-called Tea party that denied Barack Obama ’ s citizenship , and later populated Trump ’ s White House and justice department .
The good news is that we already have a vaccine .
It ’ s the best way to protect yourself from demagogues , deception and delusions .
It separates fact from fiction .
It recalls recent history to place the present in some kind of meaningful context .
It ’ s called the news media , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an informed citizen by reading established news media first , not your social feed or email .
You can share stories from the truth-tellers who have no problem calling out the liars .
You can even pay for the truth that journalists deliver every day , no matter how much sewage pours through social media feeds and email inboxes .
It doesn ’ t cost much when you think about how much we ’ ve paid during these last four years of chaos and corruption .
We can ’ t stop the Trumpistas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stop the rest of them from pretending like they were never big Trump fans in the first place .
But we can stop them running away from the facts or their record .
We can remind them how they failed to stop Trump ’ s corruption and this murderous pandemic .
We can stop them skewing the political spectrum so far that the Biden team tacks to center ground that is already six steps to the right .
We can hold the new White House to its promises at the same time as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used to be its principles .
But this work comes at a price .
Back in the late 19th century , the French writer Gustave Le Bon wrote that “ the crowd ” has never rewarded the truth .
“ They turn aside from evidence that is not to their taste , preferring to deify error , if error seduce them , ” he wrote .
“ Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master ; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim.
” You can reward the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s one of the best ways to demolish the legacy of the last four years .

Normal presidents start to think about their legacy long before the final weeks of their time inside the West Wing. But if there’s anything we have learned from the lab rat experiment of the last four years, it’s that Donald Trump is entirely abnormal.
Whether he knows it or not – and all the evidence suggests he knows nothing worth knowing – Trump’s legacy is the toxic politics of lies: a permanent campaign of fabrications and falsehoods.
No matter that he clearly lost the 2020 election by landslide margins in the electoral college and the popular vote. What matters is the never-ending sense of grievance that someone or something, somewhere – liberals, minorities, judges, reporters – have conspired to wrong Trump and oppress his long-suffering fans.
This is the narrative of the fascist story forever: you are not to blame for your suffering because it was contrived by others – immigrants and outsiders, wielding wealth and power in the shadows.
Trump did not invent this story and likely has no idea where it came from, other than his own obvious genius. He did not invent the notion that brazen lies can buy you a delusional base. He wasn’t the first to put the bull in the bully pulpit of the presidency.
But he was the first to run a White House like a Joe McCarthy witch hunt, unleashing social media to cower an entire party into a posture of pure cowardice.
Trump’s Republicans will be with us long after the soon-to-be-ex-president succumbs to the overdue tax bills of the IRS, the calling-in of his massive property debts, and the long-brewing fraud cases of New York state’s prosecutors.
These Trumpist Republicans are his legacy, as much as a supreme court stacked against the popular vote, science and all good sense.
They are people like Elise Stefanik in upstate New York. Stefanik is a Harvard graduate whose career began alongside Republican moderates such as Tim Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor, and Josh Bolten, Bush’s second term chief of staff. But now she’s a full Trumpista, mimicking his campaign style of insults and defending him through his impeachment for corruptly twisting national security to dig up dirt on Joe Biden.
They are people like Tom Cotton, the Arkansas senator and 2024 presidential hopeful. Cotton is already campaigning against immigrants and says he’ll oppose Biden’s nominee for homeland security because he was part of a giant conspiracy of Democratic donors to sell green cards to the Chinese. In fact the conspiracy involved just three cases, and is the same cash-for-citizenship program that triggered investigations into Trump’s son-in-law and confidant Jared Kushner. But why spoil the soundbite?
They are people like Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, who spent most of the 2020 campaign sounding like a Trump clone but has now disappeared from public view, even as he continues to stop local officials from enforcing mask-wearing to slow the spread of the pandemic.
Trump’s Republicans will be with us long after the soon-to-be-ex-president succumbs to the overdue tax bills, the massive property debts, and the long-brewing fraud cases
This political plague of extreme lies did not start four years ago.
George W Bush and Karl Rove won the 2004 election by suggesting that Democrats would open the nation’s doors to Islamist terrorists. That was before the second term was demolished by their own nativists who sank their plans for immigration reform. Those anti-immigrant forces found a natural home in the so-called Tea party that denied Barack Obama’s citizenship, and later populated Trump’s White House and justice department.
The good news is that we already have a vaccine. It’s the best way to protect yourself from demagogues, deception and delusions. It separates fact from fiction. It recalls recent history to place the present in some kind of meaningful context.
It’s called the news media, and you can help. You can be an informed citizen by reading established news media first, not your social feed or email. You can share stories from the truth-tellers who have no problem calling out the liars.
You can even pay for the truth that journalists deliver every day, no matter how much sewage pours through social media feeds and email inboxes. It doesn’t cost much when you think about how much we’ve paid during these last four years of chaos and corruption.
We can’t stop the Trumpistas from Trumping. We can’t stop the rest of them from pretending like they were never big Trump fans in the first place.
But we can stop them running away from the facts or their record. We can remind them how they failed to stop Trump’s corruption and this murderous pandemic.
We can stop them skewing the political spectrum so far that the Biden team tacks to center ground that is already six steps to the right.
We can hold the new White House to its promises at the same time as holding the old Republican party to what used to be its principles.
But this work comes at a price. Back in the late 19th century, the French writer Gustave Le Bon wrote that “the crowd” has never rewarded the truth.
“They turn aside from evidence that is not to their taste, preferring to deify error, if error seduce them,” he wrote. “Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim.”
You can reward the truth if you want to. It’s one of the best ways to demolish the legacy of the last four years.


theguardian--2020-12-02--UK and US lock in behind Australia in China row

The British government has vowed to stand with Australia to “ protect our key interests and values ” and push back at “ disinformation ” amid a deepening rift in Canberra ’ s relationship with Beijing .
The American ambassador to Australia also accused a Chinese foreign ministry official of spreading “ disinformation through fabricated images and disingenuous statements ” about Australia .
The United Kingdom and the United States are the latest countries to speak out in support of Australia , after France and New Zealand criticised China over an official tweeting a digitally-created image depicting an Australian soldier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Afghanistan .
China has accused Australia of overreacting to the tweet and hyping the issue for domestic political purposes .
When asked about the tweeted image , a spokesperson for the UK ’ s Foreign , Commonwealth and Development Office told the Guardian the foreign secretary , Dominic Raab , “ has made clear we will always stand shoulder to shoulder with Australia to make sure that we protect our key interests and values ” .
“ Disinformation is an issue we take extremely seriously and we will continue to coordinate closely with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our citizens are protected , ” the spokesperson said .
The Guardian understands the British government believes that China , as a leading member of the international community , should live up to the obligations that come with that .
It views the tweeted image as clearly fake and deeply concerning .
When asked in the House of Commons last month about China ’ s escalating trade actions against Australia , Raab indicated he had regular exchanges with the Australian foreign minister , Marise Payne , and expressed “ solidarity ” .
Raab @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Australia and the other Five Eyes partners – the US , Canada and New Zealand – on issues such as the crackdown on pro-democracy movements in Hong Kong .
The US ambassador to Australia , Arthur Culvahouse , responded to questions from the Guardian by saying the Australian government had “ responsibly investigated and disclosed allegations that its soldiers committed crimes in Afghanistan ” .
“ The world can only wish that the Chinese Communist party were to bring the same degree of transparency and accountability to credible reports of atrocities against the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was appointed by Donald Trump , said in an emailed statement on Wednesday .
The latest expression of support for Australia came as the prime minister , Scott Morrison , turned to the popular Chinese social media platform WeChat to reach out to the Chinese Australian community .
The Australian prime minister sought to make clear that the escalating tensions between the two governments – which led last week to the imposition of hefty tariffs on Australian wine – were not a reflection on Chinese Australians .
Morrison wrote that “ the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Australian soldier does not diminish our respect for and appreciation of our Chinese Australian community or indeed our friendship with the people of China ” .
“ Our Chinese Australian community will continue to play an important role in ensuring we remain a successful , multicultural nation , ” he wrote in a post late on Tuesday .
The prime minister said he was proud of all Australian defence force personnel , and the “ difficult issues ” that had arisen in the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force ’ s report into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Afghanistan were being dealt with in a “ transparent and honest way ” .
“ Where there are alleged events that have taken place that require action , well we have set up the honest and transparent processes for that to take place .
That is what a free , democratic , liberal country does.
” Earlier this week , when he demanded an apology from the Chinese government over the tweet by Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian , Morrison said the dispute was broader than just the two countries , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He argued at the time that the Chinese government ’ s actions were diminishing it in the eyes of the world .
Zhao ’ s tweet seized on the findings of a recent report from a four-year official investigation into the conduct of Australian special forces soldiers in Afghanistan .
A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy urged the Australian government to “ face up to the crux of the current setback of bilateral relationship and take constructive practical steps to help bring it back to the right track ” .
“ The rage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media is nothing but misreading of and overreaction to Mr Zhao ’ s tweet .
“ One [ purpose ] is to deflect public attention from the horrible atrocities by certain Australian soldiers .
The other is to blame China for the worsening of bilateral ties .
There may be another attempt to stoke domestic nationalism.
” The former senior Australian foreign affairs official Richard Maude told the Guardian on Tuesday there was no end in sight to the rift in the relationship with Beijing , and it was a “ pretty lonely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be in on its own ” .
“ What we really need is enough countries to be willing to publicly take a stand , ” said Maude , who helped oversee the development of the Australian government ’ s foreign policy white paper .
Australia and China have been at odds over a number of issues over the past few years , including the Turnbull government ’ s decision to exclude Chinese telcos Huawei and ZTE from Australia ’ s 5G network and its introduction of foreign interference laws that were seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But the relationship deteriorated sharply in April when the Morrison government issued an early call for an independent international inquiry into the origin and handling of Covid-19 and floated the idea of international weapons inspector-style powers for pandemic investigations .
It triggered a furious reaction from Beijing , which has subsequently taken trade actions against a range of Australian exports including barley , red meat and wine , citing technical grounds .

The British government has vowed to stand with Australia to “protect our key interests and values” and push back at “disinformation” amid a deepening rift in Canberra’s relationship with Beijing.
The American ambassador to Australia also accused a Chinese foreign ministry official of spreading “disinformation through fabricated images and disingenuous statements” about Australia.
The United Kingdom and the United States are the latest countries to speak out in support of Australia, after France and New Zealand criticised China over an official tweeting a digitally-created image depicting an Australian soldier cutting the throat of a child in Afghanistan.
China has accused Australia of overreacting to the tweet and hyping the issue for domestic political purposes.
When asked about the tweeted image, a spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told the Guardian the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, “has made clear we will always stand shoulder to shoulder with Australia to make sure that we protect our key interests and values”.
“Disinformation is an issue we take extremely seriously and we will continue to coordinate closely with Australia and other international partners to ensure our citizens are protected,” the spokesperson said.
The Guardian understands the British government believes that China, as a leading member of the international community, should live up to the obligations that come with that. It views the tweeted image as clearly fake and deeply concerning.
When asked in the House of Commons last month about China’s escalating trade actions against Australia, Raab indicated he had regular exchanges with the Australian foreign minister, Marise Payne, and expressed “solidarity”.
Raab said the UK was also working alongside Australia and the other Five Eyes partners – the US, Canada and New Zealand – on issues such as the crackdown on pro-democracy movements in Hong Kong.
The US ambassador to Australia, Arthur Culvahouse, responded to questions from the Guardian by saying the Australian government had “responsibly investigated and disclosed allegations that its soldiers committed crimes in Afghanistan”.
“The world can only wish that the Chinese Communist party were to bring the same degree of transparency and accountability to credible reports of atrocities against the Uighurs in Xinjiang,” Culvahouse, who was appointed by Donald Trump, said in an emailed statement on Wednesday.
Those sentiments were backed by the US State Department’s deputy spokesperson, Cale Brown, who described the Afghanistan tweet as “a new low, even for the Chinese Communist party”.
The CCP’s latest attack on Australia is another example of its unchecked use of disinformation and coercive diplomacy. Its hypocrisy is obvious to all. While it doctors images on @Twitter to attack other nations, the CCP prevents its own citizens from reading their posts. — Cale Brown (@StateDeputySPOX) December 2, 2020
The Florida senator Marco Rubio wrote to the chief executive of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, to ask why the tweet had not been taken down. A Twitter spokesperson has previously said the image contained within the tweet had been “marked as sensitive media”, meaning it is hidden behind a warning message by default.
On Tuesday, Scott Morrison turned to the popular Chinese social media platform WeChat to reach out to the Chinese Australian community.
The prime minister sought to make clear that the escalating tensions between the two governments – which led last week to the imposition of hefty tariffs on Australian wine – were not a reflection on Chinese Australians.
Morrison wrote that “the post of a false image of an Australian soldier does not diminish our respect for and appreciation of our Chinese Australian community or indeed our friendship with the people of China”.
The prime minister said the “difficult issues” that had arisen in the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force’s report into alleged war crimes by special forces soldiers in Afghanistan were being dealt with in a “transparent and honest way”.
Earlier this week, when he demanded an apology from the Chinese government over the tweet by Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, Morrison said the dispute was broader than just the two countries, and that other nations were watching.
Zhao’s tweet seized on the findings of a recent report from a four-year official investigation into the conduct of Australian special forces soldiers in Afghanistan, known as the Brereton report.
Another Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, held up the front page of the Brereton report at Tuesday’s regular press briefing in Beijing as she declared that the “computer-generated graphic” was not a case of disinformation.
“The Australian side … is under immense criticism and condemnation from the international community for the ruthless killing of Afghan innocents by some of its soldiers, but the Australian side wants to turn that into a tough-on-China position,” Hua said.
The Chinese embassy in Canberra urged the Australian government to “face up to the crux of the current setback of bilateral relationship and take constructive practical steps to help bring it back to the right track”.
“The rage and roar of some Australian politicians and media is nothing but misreading of and overreaction to Mr Zhao’s tweet,” an embassy spokesperson said.
The former senior Australian foreign affairs official Richard Maude told the Guardian on Tuesday there was no end in sight to the rift in the relationship with Beijing, and it was a “pretty lonely and tough battle for a middle power to be in on its own”.
“What we really need is enough countries to be willing to publicly take a stand,” Maude said.
Australia and China have been at odds over a number of issues over the past few years, including the Turnbull government’s decision to exclude Chinese telcos Huawei and ZTE from Australia’s 5G network and its introduction of foreign interference laws that were seen as targeting China’s activities.
But the relationship deteriorated sharply in April when the Morrison government issued an early call for an independent international inquiry into the origin and handling of Covid-19 and floated the idea of international weapons inspector-style powers for pandemic investigations.
It triggered a furious reaction from Beijing, which has subsequently taken trade actions against a range of Australian exports including barley, red meat and wine, citing technical grounds.


theguardian--2020-12-02--Georgia Republican warns Trump is inciting violence over election: 'Someone will get hurt'

One of Georgia ’ s top election officials has made an impassioned plea to Donald Trump to tone down his rhetoric disputing the election results , saying the president is “ inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence ” .
Gabriel Sterling , a Republican who oversaw the implementation of the state ’ s new voting system , also issued the stark warning that if Trump does not rein in his supporters then “ someone is going to get hurt ” .
“ Mr President , it looks like you likely lost the state of Georgia , ” Sterling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , during which he became visibly angry .
“ We ’ re investigating , there ’ s always a possibility , I get it .
You have the rights to go to the courts .
What you don ’ t have the ability to do – and you need to step up and say this – is stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence .
Someone is going to get hurt , someone is going to get shot , someone is going to get killed , and it ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Sterling , the voting systems manager for the Georgia secretary of state ’ s office , said last week that he had police protection around his home because of threats he received after election results were announced .
Trump lost Georgia to Biden by around 13,000 votes .
Sterling also said that the wife of Georgia ’ s secretary of state , Brad Raffensperger , had received “ sexualized threats ” .
Raffensperger has been the target of constant attacks from the president over his defeat in Georgia , and he recently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threats .
Last week , Trump had called Raffensperger an “ enemy of the people ” , Sterling noted , adding : “ That helped open the floodgates to this kind of crap.
” Sterling said his anger boiled over when he learned that a contractor helping with the state ’ s recount received death threats after someone shot video of him transferring a report to a county computer and falsely said the young man was manipulating election data .
Sterling ’ s plea came as another top Georgia Republican , the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out against baseless claims of election fraud .
In an interview with CNN , Geoff Duncan called the amount of election misinformation “ alarming ” .
“ It ’ s certainly disheartening to watch folks willing to kind of put their character and their morals out there just so they can spread a half truth or a lie in the efforts to maybe to flip an election , ” he said .
“ That ’ s not what democracy is all about .
“ Long term I think we hurt the brand of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bigger than one person , ” he added .
Tensions are high in Georgia , where two runoff elections in January will determine the shape of the US Congress , either by cementing a Republican Senate in opposition to Joe Biden ’ s presidency or giving the Democratic party a hold on the White House , the House and the Senate .
To underline the importance of the battle , Trump , who has made hardly any public appearances since his 3 November election defeat , will be rallying in the state on @ @

One of Georgia’s top election officials has made an impassioned plea to Donald Trump to tone down his rhetoric disputing the election results, saying the president is “inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence”.
Gabriel Sterling, a Republican who oversaw the implementation of the state’s new voting system, also issued the stark warning that if Trump does not rein in his supporters then “someone is going to get hurt”.
“Mr President, it looks like you likely lost the state of Georgia,” Sterling said at a press conference on Tuesday, during which he became visibly angry. “We’re investigating, there’s always a possibility, I get it. You have the rights to go to the courts. What you don’t have the ability to do – and you need to step up and say this – is stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence. Someone is going to get hurt, someone is going to get shot, someone is going to get killed, and it’s not right. It’s not right.”
Sterling, the voting systems manager for the Georgia secretary of state’s office, said last week that he had police protection around his home because of threats he received after election results were announced. Trump lost Georgia to Biden by around 13,000 votes.
Sterling also said that the wife of Georgia’s secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, had received “sexualized threats”.
Raffensperger has been the target of constant attacks from the president over his defeat in Georgia, and he recently told the Guardian he had received death threats. Last week, Trump had called Raffensperger an “enemy of the people”, Sterling noted, adding: “That helped open the floodgates to this kind of crap.”
Sterling said his anger boiled over when he learned that a contractor helping with the state’s recount received death threats after someone shot video of him transferring a report to a county computer and falsely said the young man was manipulating election data.
Trump responded to Sterling’s plea by tweeting making baseless claims about the election Georgia and criticising the state’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp. Twitter flagged his tweet.
Sterling’s plea came as another top Georgia Republican, the state’s lieutenant governor, also spoke out against baseless claims of election fraud.
In an interview with CNN, Geoff Duncan called the amount of election misinformation “alarming”.
“It’s certainly disheartening to watch folks willing to kind of put their character and their morals out there just so they can spread a half truth or a lie in the efforts to maybe to flip an election,” he said. “That’s not what democracy is all about.
“Long term I think we hurt the brand of the Republican party, which is certainly bigger than one person,” he added.
Tensions are high in Georgia, where two runoff elections in January will determine the shape of the US Congress, either by cementing a Republican Senate in opposition to Joe Biden’s presidency or giving the Democratic party a hold on the White House, the House and the Senate.
To underline the importance of the battle, Trump, who has made hardly any public appearances since his 3 November election defeat, will be rallying in the state on Saturday.