thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-07--Black People React To The Defeat Of Racist Donald Trump

Hannah Mckay / Reuters
News of president Donald Trump’s defeat at the hands of democratic candidate Joe Biden has been met with jubilation by Black communities on both sides of the Atlantic.
Biden’s victory came after more than three days of uncertainty as election officials sorted through a surge of postal votes that delayed the processing of some ballots.
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He crossed 270 electoral college votes with a win in Pennsylvania and will become the nation’s 46th president.
Many people, including CNN host Van Jones, are hailing Trump’s loss as a step forward in the movement towards anti-racism in light of his white supremacy.
Trump’s history of racism is well documented. During his campaign to become president in 2016, he repeatedly made racist and bigoted statements that included referring to Mexican immigrants as criminals to proposing a ban on Muslims entering the country.
During a debate with Biden last month, Trump refused to condemn white supremacy and told an extremist group – the Proud Boys – to “stand down and stand by”.
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He has repeatedly referred to Covid-19 as “the Chinese virus”, stoking up racial division which saw hate crimes against east Asian people soar during this pandemic, and pandered to white supremacists after they held a violent demonstration in Charlottesville.
The businessman’s anti-Black racism precedes his time in office spanning back to the 1970s when he would allegedly not rent apartments in one of his New York housing developments to Black people.
Black Lives Matter tweeted: “We congratulate Joe Biden on becoming President, and particularly Kamala Harris, on becoming the country’s first woman – a Black woman – to serve as Vice President. President Trump must concede. And that means dropping his bogus lawsuits to challenge the results.”
We congratulate Joe Biden on becoming President, and particularly Kamala Harris, on becoming the country’s first woman - a Black woman - to serve as Vice President.
President Trump must concede. And that means dropping his bogus lawsuits to challenge the results. — Black Lives Matter (@Blklivesmatter) November 7, 2020
Rev Al Sharpton told US channel MSNBC: “I feel vindicated because Joe Biden really connected with people. [...] You have the poetry of: here was a man who was the vice-president to the first Black man that was president, that is now bringing in the first Black woman to be vice-president.
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“He is the bridge to bring this country together because he has served the Black [people] and now has a Black woman that will serve with him – and this is the kind of healing we want.”
Joe Biden will become the 46th President of the United States, Kamala Harris will be the Vice President. I am sharing more of my thoughts on MSNBC. pic.twitter.com/9kUzlNrA8M — Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) November 7, 2020
One Black woman who lives in New York told HuffPost UK: “It’s a beautiful day, let me tell you. The sun is shining and people are just on a high. It’s crazy. Cars in my neighbourhood have been tooting their horns as they drive past; I heard that in nearby areas people have been banging on pots and pans and playing the song ‘Celebration’. This is incredible. People are going to be talking about this for a long, long time.”
CNN anchors showed footage of Black people doing the Electric Slide dance routine – which is typically performed at celebratory events such as weddings and family reunions – in response to Biden’s victory.
Reaction to Biden victory Screenshot
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Peter Herbert, the chair of the Society of Black Lawyers in the UK, tweeted: “What goes around comes around. The First Women Vice President of the USA is a black woman. Congratulations BLM. Jamaica & India in the White House.”
UK journalist and author Afua Hirsch wrote: “The British government is scrambling to appear less racist because suddenly that’s not such a good look any more. I see you #ByeByeTrump.”
Lord Simon Woolley, founder of Operation Black Vote, told HuffPost UK that “Black people around the world will sleep easier tonight.”
“I’ve never known an election that has been so important for the well being of global decency. If Trump would have won, the play book for political and indeed business success would be: ‘cheat, lie, sow hatred, particularly racial hatred. Do whatever you need to do to win’,” he said.
“Biden’s win will help us redraw the guidelines for respect and decency.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-07--Amazing Photos Of Celebrations As Joe Biden Defeats Donald Trump

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Celebrations around the country erupted as news spread that Vice President Joe Biden won the election against President Donald Trump.
Photos showed celebrations in Philadelphia, New York, Washington, and other cities.
See the latest photos below of people celebrating President-elect Joe Biden.
Above: People celebrate on Saturday in Philadelphia after news broke that Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become 46th president of the United States.
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ERIC BARADAT via Getty Images
People celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington, DC.
Yegor Aleyev via Getty Images
A woman touches her head as she reacts in McPherson Square in Philadelphia.
ALEX EDELMAN via Getty Images
People celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House.
DANIEL SLIM via Getty Images
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People wave flags and celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House.
ERIC BARADAT via Getty Images
A woman holds up a sign while celebrating across from the White House.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
People celebrate outside the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Alex Brandon/AP
Amanda Madden sprays champagne as people celebrate at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, DC.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Celebrations broke out in Philadelphia Saturday over Biden’s defeat of Trump.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
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People embrace outside Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania Convention Center.
Jeenah Moon / Reuters
Celebrations also break out in the New York City borough of Manhattan.
Alex Brandon/AP
People gather in Washington’s Black Lives Matter Plaza.
Andrew Kelly / Reuters
More hugs in Manhattan.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Spontaneous celebrations in Black Lives Matter Plaza.
Alex Brandon/AP
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Janice Jamison of Evans, Georgia, reacts in Washington’s McPherson Square to CNN’s news that Biden defeated Trump.
Joe Raedle via Getty Images


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-07--These Reactions To Joe Biden And Kamala Harris's Win Will Fill Your Heart With Joy

America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country.
The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a President for all Americans — whether you voted for me or not.
I will keep the faith that you have placed in me. pic.twitter.com/moA9qhmjn8


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-07--Nigel Farage Just Lost A £10,000 Bet Donald Trump Would Beat Joe Biden

Nigel Farage, ex-leader of the British UKIP party, speaks as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, listens, at Trump's campaign rally in Jackson, Miss., Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) ASSOCIATED PRESS
Joe Biden will be the next US president after he finally emerged victorious on Saturday night in his race against Donald Trump.
But the outgoing president was not the only loser.
Nigel Farage claimed to have placed a £10,000 bet on Trump hanging on to the White House for another four years – a gamble he has now lost.
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The Brexit Party leader has been across the pond campaigning for his pal Trump and tweeted he was “absolutely optimistic” when polls closed on Tuesday.
He appeared to be so confident he posted a picture of himself proudly holding a sign, saying: “Donald Trump to win US election, £10,000, @ 15/8.”
The first polls are closing and I am absolutely optimistic. pic.twitter.com/ryfTfmJctt — Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) November 3, 2020
Bookies Guesser later confirmed to reporters that he had placed the bet and stood to win £28,000 if Trump won.
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But after the crucial state of Pennsylvania plumped for Biden on Saturday, the Democrats’ candidate and Kamala Harris became president-elect and vice president-elect.
So the former Ukip leader looks to have lost £10,000.
Farage heaped praise on Trump at a rally in Arizona.
He described the outgoing president as “the single most resilient and bravest person I have ever met in my life”.
He said: “He beat the pollsters, he beat the media, he beat all the predictions, and here’s the worst bit, they’ve never forgiven him for it.”
Trump meanwhile described Farage as “the king of Europe,” and “one of the most powerful men in Europe”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-07--CNN Host Van Jones Breaks Down Live On Air As Joe Biden Wins Election

Biden will be joined by senator Kamala Harris as vice president – the first woman, and the first African American and Asian American person, ever to hold the position.
The decisive call came in Pennsylvania, which gave Biden the necessary electoral votes to clinch the presidency.
Jones declared the victory as “vindication for a lot of people who have really suffered”, visibly overcome with relief.
“It’s easier to be a parent this morning. It’s easier to be a dad. It’s easier to tell your kids character matters, telling the truth matters, being a good person matters. And it’s easier for a whole lot of people,” he said.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-07--The Scariest Days Of The Trump Presidency Could Be The Final 74

As President Donald Trump starts the lame-duck era of his presidency, he still has immense power. AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Americans nervous about a president who wanted troops to shoot border crossers, and who suggested using nuclear weapons against hurricanes, could be facing the scariest days of Donald Trump’s presidency: the final ones.
As intemperate, foolhardy and reckless as many of Trump’s actions have been to date, critics warn that they all took place as Trump faced a referendum from voters. Now, that pending job review has passed.
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“He will create as much chaos as humanly possible,” said Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer who was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison for, in part, arranging illegal hush money payments to keep women from revealing affairs they had had with Trump just prior to the 2016 election.
“Donald Trump will take to the airwaves, to radio and print media whining about how the election was stolen from him due to fraud and foreign interference,” Cohen said. “He could never accept the fact that he lost because he is incompetent and arrogant.”
President-elect Joe Biden is set to assume the office at noon on Jan. 20, but Trump retains all of the powers of the presidency for the 74 remaining days until that moment, including his role as commander in chief of the United States armed forces and the country’s nuclear arsenal.
Trump has indicated that he is not inclined to cooperate in a transition because of the FBI’s investigation into the assistance Russia gave his campaign in 2016, something the president has characterised as “spying.”
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“What about the transition I had where you spied on my campaign and you tried to take down the president of the United States?” he complained at a Pennsylvania rally last week.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment about this story.
“Either fire Wray, Fauci and Haspel and act out. Or he will behave to get good will. Will be interesting to watch. And it’s 50-50.” - A longtime Trump adviser, on how he may spend the final days of his presidency
Trump offered some clues about his likely path in the three days of vote counting that followed the election. He relentlessly lied both on social media and in a 16-minute diatribe to reporters, where he accused Democrats of “stealing” the election from him and asserted – bizarrely – that he had already “claimed” certain states as his own. The president has had nothing on his public schedule since the election, beyond that briefing room appearance Thursday evening.
One former White House official said on condition of anonymity that worries like Cohen’s are overwrought. “I don’t think he will do anything out of the ordinary,” he said of Trump.
But a longtime adviser, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said he can easily see Trump firing infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, FBI Director Christopher Wray and CIA Director Gina Haspel for contradicting his various claims.
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“Either fire Wray, Fauci and Haspel and act out. Or he will behave to get good will,” the adviser said. “Will be interesting to watch. And it’s 50-50.”
George Conway, who supported Trump in 2016 but soon thereafter became one of his most strident critics, said a purge is almost certain.
“He’s going to fire anyone who’s ever looked at him crosswise,” said Conway, who is the husband of former top Trump aide Kellyanne Conway.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a historian and authoritarianism expert at New York University, agreed that Trump is likely to use his powers to “take revenge on those who are not loyal enough.”
Daniel Goldman, a former federal prosecutor who served as House Democrats’ lead lawyer during Trump’s impeachment hearings, said he predicts the president and his aides will have a busy 10 weeks or so.
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“Issue all sorts of executive orders rolling back additional Obama regulations, implement new regulations without proper notice and comment, kneecap and handcuff various agencies, use the levers of power to grease the wheels for his personal financial interests post-presidency,” Goldman said. “And, of course, pardons like you’ve never seen before.”
One of Trump’s possible pardons, of course, could be for himself, to remove the threat of federal prosecution for potential crimes he may have committed, both before taking office (bank and tax fraud) and during these past four years (obstruction of justice, for example). It’s unclear whether he is actually permitted to self-pardon, but Trump has shown he is willing to break guidelines and laws when useful for him.
“No one has tried it before, so no court has considered the issue,” said Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor. “It is an open question, but many people think he can’t, because the pardon clause implies that the person granting the pardon and the person receiving the pardon are different people.”
As for last-minute regulations, those can be blocked in the courts if they are improperly drafted or implemented. And any of Trump’s executive orders can be immediately rescinded by Biden after he takes office.
It’s not clear how much interest Trump will have in any of this, though, now that he has lost. Anthony Scaramucci, a longtime Trump friend and for a brief time a White House adviser, needed just two words to describe Trump’s likeliest lame-duck agenda: “Play golf.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-07--Trump Refuses To Concede Election Defeat As World Celebrates Biden's Victory

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President Donald Trump has refused to concede the US election to president-elect Joe Biden, promising unspecified legal challenges seeking to overturn the outcome of the race for the White House.
He said in a statement that “our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated”.
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Trump was at his Virginia golf course when the presidential race was called for Biden on Saturday.
He was seen leaving to play his favourite sport on Saturday afternoon “wearing white Maga cap, windbreaker, dark slacks, non-dress shirt, shoes that look appropriate for golfing”, the White House pool reporter wrote.
This came as the former president incorrectly tweeted “I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!” from his motorcade, prompting the following somewhat understated disclaimer to be added to the post by Twitter: “Official sources may not have called the race when this was Tweeted.”
Donald Trump departs the White House as votes continue to be counted following the 2020 US presidential election REUTERS
Biden clinched his victory with a win in Pennsylvania, the state where he was born, 48 years to the day after he won his first seat in the Senate.
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Meanwhile, a number of UK politicians have publicly congratulated Biden.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: “He ran a campaign on the values that we in the United Kingdom share – decency, integrity, compassion and strength.
“And I want to congratulate @KamalaHarris on being elected Vice-President, the first woman of colour to take that role.
“Their victory is one for hope and unity over dishonesty and division. Millions of Americans of all backgrounds and ages have come together to vote for a better, more optimistic future.”
Congratulations to @JoeBiden on his election as President of the United States of America.
He ran a campaign on the values that we in the United Kingdom share - decency, integrity, compassion and strength. — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) November 7, 2020
London mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted: “Congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris on your well-deserved win.
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“London looks forward to working with you — it’s time to get back to building bridges, not walls.”
Over in the US, people cheered and pumped their fists along the Wilmington, Delaware, waterfront as the news that the presidential race had been called for the state’s former senator arrived on their phones.
The waterfront is just steps from the outdoor stage that Democrat Joe Biden erected on election day to celebrate victory.
SIPA USA/PA Images
On the water late on Saturday morning, two men on a kayak yelled to a couple paddling by in the opposite direction, “Joe won! They called it!” as people on the shore whooped and shouted.
Meanwhile people are celebrating Biden’s victory in the streets of Brooklyn, New York.
President-elect Joe Biden said it’s time for America to “unite” and to “heal.”
“With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation,” he said in a statement.
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Vice president-elect Kamala Harris says she and Biden have a lot of work to do.
Harris tweeted: “This election is about so much more than Joe Biden or me. It’s about the soul of America and our willingness to fight for it. We have a lot of work ahead of us.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-07--Joe Seals The Deal

Joe Seals The Deal

Joe Seals The Deal
Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States after defeating Donald Trump at the ballot box.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-07--Kamala Harris Elected As First Black, Asian American US Vice President

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There are several villages that helped raise senator Kamala Harris, who is now the first Black woman, Asian American, daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants to be elected vice president of the United States.
Ahead of the election, Black women across the United States were pounding the pavement campaigning for Harris. People in Harris’ ancestral village of Thulasendrapuram, India, prayed for her and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s victory. Howard University (a historically Black institution) leaders also prayed for Harris and celebrated the historic moment at a special election day event.
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Though her name was second on the ballot to Biden’s, Harris’ role in the 2020 election – at the height of an economic downturn, a pandemic and extreme racial tension – is especially significant. Her win as vice president-elect matters so much, not only for America’s history, but for its future, too.
Minutes after news broke that the election had been called for Joe Biden, Harris tweeted: “This election is about so much more than @JoeBiden or me. It’s about the soul of America and our willingness to fight for it. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Let’s get started.”
Harris had the audacity to fight for a seat in the White House while proudly leaning in to her identities. In an interview with The Washington Post, Harris said that when she first ran for an office, she struggled with the fact that America’s election processes force candidates to define themselves into neat boxes. But now she doesn’t spend much time trying to categorise herself.
“I am who I am. I’m good with it. You might need to figure it out, but I’m fine with it.”
“Harris' win as vice president-elect matters so much, not only for America’s history, but for its future, too.”
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Harris, only the second Black woman in this country’s history to be elected a US senator, kicked off her journey to the White House with a presidential bid of her own, and was among the most diverse class of Democratic presidential candidates ever. Announcing her candidacy on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2019, she ran on a platform of providing undocumented children who arrived in the US as children a pathway to citizenship, abortion rights, and pay equity along racial and gender lines. She was one of the only candidates to dedicate room on her platform to the Black maternal mortality crisis. She suspended her campaign in December 2019, citing a lack of funding. But she got another chance to fight when Biden announced her as his running mate in August.
Harris’ line sisters – the women who pledged her sorority with her – celebrated the announcement, then immediately got to work supporting her. Lorri Saddler, who crossed AKA with Harris and 36 other women at Howard University in 1986, told HuffPost that she and her line sisters regularly host meetings and prayer calls; Harris supports them through their various ups and downs as they support her. Saddler, the dean of undergraduate admissions at Clark Atlanta University, said Harris’ rise puts the significance of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and the Divine Nine historically Black fraternities and sororities in the national spotlight.
“It speaks to the strength of the Divine Nine. She’s one of all of us, not just one of Alpha Kappa Alpha. She’s one of all of us,” Saddler said. “I think at the core of all of us is service. ... And we are hearing that call and we are proceeding accordingly.”
Kamala Harris addresses supporters at a drive-in rally in Philadelphia on Nov. 2, 2020. Carolyn Cole via Getty Images
Harris had a lot up against her on her road to the White House. Her record as a longtime California prosecutor was called into question early, especially because her cases often greatly affected Black communities. Her war on truancy led to the arrest of some parents. This criticism came even before the nationwide call to defund the police and reform the criminal justice system, causing Harris to defend her record in interviews and on the debate stage.
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But Glynda Carr, the national director at Higher Heights, a political action committee dedicated to electing more Black women at the federal and state levels, told HuffPost that as Harris takes office, she will continue to address this criticism and do the work to gain the trust of those communities.
“It is the job of candidates, like Kamala Harris, to be able to address that head-on. And I do believe that, throughout the campaign, she was able, frankly, to introduce herself,“ Carr said. “Our elected leaders continue to need to talk about who they are, and what their vision is, and their experience. And so that will be her work in the next 100 days as we move from campaigning to moving towards governing.”
Harris’ identity also became an issue, even in a country that claims it’s a “melting pot.” Trump, yet again, stoked the birtherism flame as he questioned whether she was born in the United States.
The senator – who was born in Oakland, California, and was a part of the second class of students to integrate the state’s public schools – is undoubtedly a Black, Asian American woman. None of her identities take away from her stake in one community or the other. They emphasise how these groups are not a monolith.
Yet throughout the campaign, she was still treated like a Black woman – stereotyped, disrespected and disregarded. And after the vice presidential debate, Trump referred to her as “a monster,” adding to the litany of nice-nasty micro-aggressions during her debate with vice president Mike Pence, who consistently tried to railroad Harris with interruptions and lies. Harris remained poised and gave America a glimpse of the firm conviction of a powerful Black woman. Carr said the debate, despite its racist undertones, was one of Harris’ most relatable performances during the campaign.
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“When she governs as the first and last person in the room with Joe Biden, she’s going to bring all of those identities with her into those rooms,” Carr told HuffPost. “But she also is a reminder of the fact that there are conscious and unconscious biases of women, and women of colour, and Black women. And so when she, during the debates, said, ‘I’m speaking. I’m speaking’ – every woman, regardless of race and ethnicity, has been in a position where they saw and felt that, and that was a coalescing point for her.”
Harris follows in the footsteps of the Black women who leveraged their political power for the betterment of themselves and their communities. Now, the shirts that align Harris with Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Jordan and Harriet Tubman are a bit premature – but the sentiment that she stands on the shoulders of these women is spot-on. Harris was able to break through because every Black woman, from Sojourner Truth to Stacey Abrams, risked their livelihoods to ensure that a new path was attainable for Harris and those coming after her. That includes the Black American women at the polls and in the streets who lead the country in political engagement.
“Black women hold the power in this election,” Harris wrote in Essence magazine. “That’s why generations of Black women marched and organised and fought to give us this right. Many never got to vote themselves. But they pressed on knowing that, one day, Black women would be a force in our democracy. That, when it mattered most, we would be the ones to mobilise our communities and vote for what’s right: honesty and integrity, decency and dignity, equality and justice.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-07--What Happens To Trump After Biden’s US Election Win?

Donald Trump leaves after speaking at the White House on Thursday. The Washington Post via Getty Images
After a turbulent four years in the White House, the end of Donald Trump’s presidency is nigh. So what next?
With his time as president being marked by persistently fanning tensions and widening divisions, he will not go peacefully. Before he leaves office, there will inevitably be legal battles and recounts. In any case, there is a 74-day transition period before president-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20. There will be plenty more angry tweets.
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But assuming all that comes to pass, Trump will join the other 44 members of the ex-presidents club. But what happens after his Oval Office exit is unlikely to have much in common with any of his predecessors.
Professor Natasha Lindstaedt, from the department of government at the University of Essex, says most US presidents get involved in humanitarian causes or set up centres for research. Their public profile is often limited to some public speaking engagements and they will attempt to lay low.
“Trump has the real threat of criminal prosecution, and also has financial issues.” - HuffPost's SV Date
Barack Obama’s foray into post-presidential life included book writing, giving speeches and kite surfing on the British Virgin Islands. This is unlikely to be the 74-year-old Trump’s chosen path.
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“Trump will be the only president that will cry sour grapes and will continue to spread a misinformation campaign that the election was rigged and stolen,” says Lindstaedt, whose main area of study is dictatorships.
“This is absolutely terrible for democracy since about 20% of those surveyed believe that Trump is currently winning the election. He may try to get militias to call to arms over this and be as disruptive as possible.”
Lindstaedt likens Trump to Saddam Hussein and Muammar al-Qaddafi, adding: “His behaviour thus far has been completely aligned with the prototypical personalist dictator. He is clinging to power until the very end, is not a graceful loser and is villainising his opponents and de-legitimising the result. He is desperate to remain relevant – something that is also similar. He will not go away quietly.”
There might be a simple explanation for Trump’s desperation to cling on to power: avoiding criminal prosecution and jail. While the concept of “presidential immunity” is questionable, Trump’s team, including the Attorney General, have tried to shield him from situations where he may be prosecuted. In recent years, Trump has paid hush money to a porn star, claimed a massive tax refund and obstructed an investigation into his campaign’s ties to Russia, all which could lead to court cases. Out of office, he could be vulnerable to criminal charges that he avoided as president.
Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump meeting at the 2017 G20 summit. Universal History Archive via Getty Images
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Commentators have also suggested he could also face charges of bribery for his commutation of aide Roger Stone’s prison sentence as well as extortion charges for his attempts to coerce Ukraine into smearing Biden.
Before the vote, Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer and “fixer” who was sentenced for, among other things, arranging illegal payments to keep women Trump had affairs with from speaking out before the 2016 election, said: “Winning this election for him is not an option. It’s a necessity.
“He knows that if his tax returns are revealed that he and his children – Don Jr, Ivanka, Eric – and others will be charged with a host of criminal tax issues, which will not only cost him his freedom but his entire business.”
A less bleak post-politics career could be a return to the media. Many have speculated about the prospect of the one-time The Apprentice star launching his own television channel. Some 88m Twitter followers and more than 70m people voting for him point to an audience.
Vibe in the President’s inner circle this morning is a bit of a stalemate. Many discussions of what to do next & they are splitting into two roads. (1) what legal challenges are possible (2) dusting off the plans for a “Trump TV” like network should this end w/ @KFaulders — John Santucci (@Santucci) November 6, 2020
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If not “Trump TV”, would the reputed billionaire invest in a network? The fawning One America News (OANN), which was founded by a wealthy Republican donor, is seen as a good match for Trump after falling out with Fox News. The unstable marriage between Trump and the Rupert Murdoch-owned outlet appeared close to divorce after Fox called key battleground states for Biden, reportedly leaving Trump furious.
Professor Lindstaedt thinks he can exploit a hardcore that “absolutely adore him, are transfixed by him and are willing to follow whatever he does”. She says: “He already has a personality cult around him and this will likely continue if he can avoid prison time.
“I think being just a pundit would not be enough for Trump. He would want his own show at least, and I think OANN would be a network he may try to buy or take ownership over. He really wants to remain relevant and give off the appearance that he is a powerful force in US politics.”
Would Trump run for president again?
Another option, of course, is to go again. Critics hoping to be shot of Trump should remember he would be eligible to run for the presidency again in 2024. Teddy Roosevelt unsuccessfully tried to run again for president. His offspring, most likely Donald Trump Jr, may choose to continue his succession in a nation so known for dynasties.
HuffPost’s senior political correspondent SV Date, who has written the book The Useful Idiot: How Donald Trump Killed the Republican Party with Racism and the Rest of Us with Coronavirus, thinks he may well flirt with politics for the time being – but not to have another tilt at the presidency.
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He says: “I’m not sure he actually runs again, but I’m confident he will start an official campaign. That let’s him raise and spend money, and, knowing him, he will try to divert some to use for himself.
“He also has the real threat of criminal prosecution, and also has financial issues. Big debts are due soon.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-07--US Election: Here's What Happens Now Joe Biden Has Won

Following a fraught, drawn-out voting process, Joe Biden is projected to be the 46th president of the United States.
After four years of Republican rule under Donald Trump, Democrats are celebrating – with many hailing a return to political “normality” following a presidential term of chaos.
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But Trump has suggested for months that this would be no ordinary transfer of power, and even attempted to falsely declare his own victory on election night.
When that didn’t go to plan, thousands of his dedicated supporters demanded that polling stations stop counting votes and spread baseless conspiracy theories about electoral fraud – paving the way for legal battles over the results.
But now Biden looks to have won, here’s what we know about what happens next.
Could Trump still sue his way to the White House?
Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Pool via Getty Images
In short, it looks unlikely. To successfully sue, there needs to be proof of a wrongdoing.
While Trump (and his supporters) are trying their hardest to allege that legitimate harm has been done to their campaign by issues with the voting system, there’s not actually any proof that this is currently the case.
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Christopher Anderson, professor of politics and policy at the London School of Economics, told HuffPost UK: “The thing to remember here is that this is really 50 separate state-wide elections, and they happen to 50 different sets of legal rules which are set by 50 different state legislatures.
“He [Trump] would have to show that those rules are being violated in a very specific way that cause his campaign harm, and that’s a really high hurdle. There’s very, very little historical evidence of fraudulent activity in US elections.
“He’d have to go to state courts to redress that grievance, but the chances of that are really, really low. I don’t know what his claims would be – I know he’s started to make claims but I don’t know if they’d be successful as previously people have sued for similar things and have been denied.”
Trump can request recounts if he thinks that something is wrong with the way in which votes were tallied. Each state has a different threshold for doing this, but the campaign has to bear the cost for each recount.
When it comes to petitioning the Supreme Court, as Trump has previously indicated he could do, Anderson said it wasn’t clear that there were any fundamental constitutional issues with the electoral process that could allow him to do so.
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As state law presides over each state’s election, they would take the final decision on any legal battle brought by Trump’s team. The Supreme Court only deals with federal law, but there’s no evidence that any federal laws have been broken during the election, meaning a legitimate petition to the Supreme Court is extremely unlikely.
When does Biden become president?
Joe Biden and Barack Obama at Donald Trump's inauguration in January 2017. PAUL J. RICHARDS via Getty Images
Unlike in the UK, where a new parliament (and prime minister) settle in almost immediately, the US waits months before its newly-elected president takes office.
The inauguration date is set for Wednesday, January 20, and whatever happens, Anderson says, this won’t change.
“Inauguration can’t be delayed, it will happen. Someone will become president on January 20,” Anderson said.
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After votes have been counted, the secretary of state for each state certifies the election result. This can be disputed by a campaign who may, for example, ask for a recount, but these are usually carried out pretty quickly and in December the electoral college meet to technically vote on the new president.
Anderson explained that there could be a scenario where a Republican secretary of state refuses to certify an election result, which would mean the electoral college members from that state could not attend the December meeting – but that has never happened before.
“If you really want to get into shenanigans then there could be these sorts of avenues, but I just don’t think these really apply right now,” Anderson said.
He added: “Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, they’re all Democratic secretaries of state so I just don’t see that happening.
“What else could he do? Well he could start a war, that might shake things up a bit. He can try to put people into high positions that might be more difficult to dislodge.
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“There isn’t a whole lot he can do. He doesn’t have a whole lot of power, as it turns out.”
What could Trump do between now and January?
Trump could reallocate limited funds to build part of his long-promised wall along the Mexican border. But Biden could undo it. SAUL LOEB via Getty Images
With the prospect of a months-long gap between the election result and inauguration, it’s easy to see why people could fear Trump’s last few months as president.
Famously averse to being seen as a “loser”, concerns have cropped up that Trump could put in place destructive policies that would have serious ramifications for years to come.
In reality, however, Trump has little power to achieve anything at all during his last months in power. With the House of Representatives (the lower chamber of the national government) held by the Democrats, it’s extremely unlikely that any of his more drastic policies could actually be voted through.
He could impose a number of executive orders but, as Anderson explains, the scope of these tends to be limited, extremely technical in nature and, crucially, tied to legislation that has already been passed.
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For example, Trump could reallocate limited funds from the defence budget and instruct military engineers to build part of his long-promised wall along the Mexican border. This could, however, be immediately undone by Biden as soon as he takes office in January – long before any money could actually be spent on the wall.
Anderson said: “There’s really very little damage he could do now, and any orders he does make could be undone as soon as the new president comes into office.”
He could refuse to concede, Anderson said, “in a symbolic but also politically meaningful way” by not recognising the result of the election.
That won’t stop him from being legally ejected from office on January 20, but he could signal to his energised supporters that he has not accepted the result of the election.
“It’s real tinpot dictator stuff, but he might be tempted to do that,” Anderson said. “In part because it’s his brand, but it also depends on what his post-office ambitions are. It might make a really big statement for him to say he’ll vacate the premises but he doesn’t recognise the result of the election and it’s unlawful.
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“There’s a small but hardcore portion of supporters who would applaud him for that.”
What are Biden’s priorities?
Coronavirus
Set out as “Joe’s vision” on his official campaign website, Biden has an extensive list of campaigning issues he hopes to tackle as president.
They encompass a wide range of topics, with plans to “restore American leadership abroad”, “tackle the climate emergency”, “support our veterans” and “improve racial economic equity” all appearing on the site.
But, as could probably be expected at this time in world events, Covid-19 dominates his three top priorities.
The first is to beat the virus itself by “listening to the science” and restore trust in the government’s leadership (words that will sound familiar in the UK).
What that means practically is implementing a seven-point plan to tackle the virus, which has already killed more than 230,000 people in the US. The steps include fixing the country’s test and trace system (again, familiar), fixing PPE issues, creating clear and evidence-based guidelines for the country to follow, planning for the distribution of treatments and vaccines, protecting vulnerable citizens, rebuilding systems to cope with pandemic threats and implementing mask mandates.
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Economy
Biden’s second stated priority is rebuilding the economy “for working families” – not just undoing the damage of Covid-19 but withdrawing economic policies put in place by the Trump administration, which Biden’s team say “rewarded wealth over work and corporations over working families”.
Obamacare
Thirdly, Biden wants to return to what Obama started with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – often referred to as Obamacare – giving Americans greater access to healthcare and simplifying the nation’s notoriously complex and costly existing system.
This doesn’t mean the US switching to an NHS model overnight. But Biden says he wants every citizen to have access to affordable health insurance, including public options like Medicare, and increasing tax credits.
Can he actually achieve them with a Republican Senate?
Joe Biden addresses supporters. The Washington Post via Getty Images
A Democrat president is by no means a guarantee that progressive policies will suddenly start being pushed through the US political system.
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While Biden won the presidential victory, it is likely that the senate – the upper chamber of Congress – will remain Republican.
Any new legislation has to pass through the House of Representatives (currently a Democrat majority), and then the Senate before it becomes law, making radical changes to the status quo almost entirely out of reach.
With Covid-19 wreaking havoc across the US, Anderson explained that Biden’s first moves would be to address the virus and introduce policies that could help bring it under control. In these exceptional circumstances, it’s likely that senators would widely approve Covid-specific policies in order to tackle the virus head-on.
Beyond coronavirus, however, the picture looks less hopeful, with major changes to the healthcare system or environmental policy unlikely.
Anderson said: “It’s tough – these critical issues is where I think we’re going to get really stuck. The only way you’re going to get green legislation through a Republican senate is really serious incentives for businesses such as tax breaks for innovative companies, and so on.”
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But Biden does have experience on his side. He was the sixth-youngest senator ever to be elected at the age of 30 in 1973, and he remained in office for well over three decades until 2009, when he became Obama’s vice-president.
Because of his long career, Anderson explained, Biden has an in-depth knowledge of how the Senate operates politically, and has established relationships with senators on both sides.
While it’s extremely unlikely he’ll be able to push any truly radical policies through the Senate or, for that matter, approve anyone particularly radical to his cabinet, he may be able to sway some senators in his direction on more centrist policies or appointments.
He also has the power to undo Trump’s executive orders – reentering the Paris Agreement, for example – and rejoin global organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Whatever he does, however, it’s not going to dramatically overhaul the deep-set issues entrenched in society.
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Anderson said: “It’s a strange moment in American history. On the surface it will go back to a kind of normalcy in American politics, but beneath that none of this will resolve the deep tensions and fissures in American society.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-07--Joe Biden Wins The 2020 US Presidential Election

The decisive call came in Pennsylvania, which gave Biden the necessary electoral votes to clinch the presidency. The Associated Press called the state at 4.25pm GMT.
Biden could further pad his Electoral College victory in Arizona and Nevada, where he leads. Biden also overtook Trump in Georgia on Friday but votes in the state will be recounted due to the small number of ballots separating each candidate. North Carolina does not yet have a projected winner but Trump is expected to win the state.
The president-elect tweeted that he was “honoured” America had “chosen me to lead our great country”, adding: “The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a president for all Americans, whether you voted for me or not.”
He added in a statement moments later: “I am honoured and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in vice president-elect Harris. “In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America. “With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation. “It’s time for America to unite. And to heal. “We are the United States of America. And there’s nothing we can’t do, if we do it together.”
Biden had already flipped two other states that Trump won in 2016: Michigan and Wisconsin, reclaiming Democrats’ Rust Belt “blue wall.” The former vice president also decisively won the most total votes, besting Trump by about four million.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-07--Donald Trump Gets Taken On A Junkyard 'Tour Of Shame'

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Dutch artist Arjen van Lith protested against President Donald Trump in the final days of the 2020 election by taking a giant golden sculpture of Trump’s head on a “tour of shame” around the junkyards, dumpsters and car cemeteries in his current home city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“As a (legal) immigrant, I am not allowed to vote in the United States, but I can still make a political statement. Think of this as my yard sign,” van Lith told HuffPost via email on Friday.
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Teake Zuidema
Teake Zuidema
The 7-foot-tall artwork, titled Individual #1 took about a year to design and build from 3-millimeter-thick corrugated plastic, he said. It’s a nod to both the Confederate monuments toppled during the summer’s racial justice protests and the traditional statues of Russian dictators like Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin.
“It’s actually quite light. Only difficult to handle, since it’s the size of a small car,” van Lith explained. “I guess I’m one of the few people who has literally spent hours inside Trump’s head. I can assure you, there’s nothing there.”
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Teake Zuidema
Teake Zuidema
“With this sculpture I tried to show what Trump really is: a megalomaniacal, narcissistic, wannabe authoritarian,” van Lith said.
The artist said he was always careful to have it photographed on its side next to trash, making sure it looked “defeated.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-07--Donald Trump Haunted By His Past Rants In Jimmy Fallon Montage

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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-07--Covid-19 Has Killed 4,593 People In The US Since Election Day. Trump Hasn't Mentioned It Once

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More than 4,500 Covid-19 deaths have been recorded in the US since election day, but Donald Trump has failed to mention the virus once since.
The current president – who appears increasingly likely to lose the presidential race and be forced out of the White House by Joe Biden – has given two rambling speeches since polls closed on Tuesday, November 4.
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The words “coronavirus” or “Covid-19″ did not appear once, despite Trump finding ample time to spread baseless conspiracy theories about electoral fraud and threaten legal action over a legitimate election.
A total of 1,134 people were reported dead in the US on election day itself, 1,097 on Wednesday, 1,210 on Thursday and 1,152 on Friday, according to date kept by John Hopkins University.
In the same time frame almost 450,000 people have tested positive for the virus, with record numbers of cases recorded. The total number of confirmed cases has exceeded 100,000 each day since Wednesday.
Despite being known as a prolific Twitter user, tweeting dozens of times over the past few days about electoral fraud (with no evidence) and calling for the counting of legitimate votes to be stopped, Trump also has not referred to the deadly virus since the election via his account – apart from to share a handful of articles criticising Covid safety measures imposed during the vote and subsequent count.
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Trump has been criticised globally for his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. The US has so far seen more than 230,000 deaths – by far the highest total in the world – and within a few days is likely to surpass 10 million confirmed cases, with the current total standing at 9.7m.
It is a disaster which may have cost Trump the presidency. Though several key states are yet to declare, Joe Biden has chipped away at Trump’s lead and looks set to claim victory in what has been an extremely close election.
Fighting Covid-19 has formed the central element of Biden’s campaign, with promises to tackle the virus head-on and implement measures such as mandatory mask wearing to help limit the spread.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-08--Boris Johnson Tries To Woo Joe Biden Amid Democrat Backlash Over Obama Comments

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Boris Johnson has attempted to woo Joe Biden after a key ally of the US president-elect criticised the prime minister’s past comments about Barack Obama.
Johnson insisted there is “far more that unites than divides” him and Biden, despite suggestions that the Democrat’s team do not see the PM as a friend.
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Biden’s ally Chris Coons, who is tipped as the potential next US secretary of state, suggested on Sunday that Johnson may have to “reconsider” his controversial past allegations about Obama’s “part-Kenyan” ancestry making him hostile to Britain.
It came after Tommy Vietor, Obama’s former national security spokesperson, described Johnson as a “shapeshifting creep” and said senior Democrats would “never forget your racist comments” about the former US leader, who Biden served with as vice president.
The Sunday Times meanwhile reported hostility towards Johnson in the Democratic ranks.
This shapeshifting creep weighs in. We will never forget your racist comments about Obama and slavish devotion to Trump but neat Instagram graphic. https://t.co/aXga8j5Jpv — Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) November 7, 2020
Johnson was also responding to Biden calling him a “physical and emotional clone” of Trump and the president-elect’s opposition to Brexit.
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Speaking to broadcasters, Johnson said: “I think there is far more that unites the government of this country and governments in Washington at any time and any stage than divides us.
“We have common values, we have common interests, we have common global perspective.
“There is a huge amount of work we need to do together to protect those values – a belief in democracy, in free speech around the world, in human rights, in free trade, in the rules-based international order – all these things are currently under threat.
“You have the United States and Britain standing together as they have done in many times in the past to protect those values, so there is far more, I think, that unites us than divides us.”
But the PM insisted that he would push ahead with his law-breaking internal market bill, despite Biden’s concerns that it risks undermining peace in Northern Ireland.
“The parliamentary timetable goes ahead and the whole point of that Bill and indeed the Finance Bill is to protect and uphold the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process in Northern Ireland,” Johnson said.
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“That is one of the things that we’re united on with our friends in the White House.”
Johnson meanwhile acknowledged that talks on a post-Brexit trade deal with the US may be difficult with Biden in the White House.
“I am a keen student of the United States trade policy and they’re tough negotiators, and I’ve never believed this was going to be something that was going to be a complete pushover under any US administration,” he said.
“I think there is a good chance we’ll do something – (trade secretary) Liz Truss and her team’s made a huge amount of progress – and we’ll get on.”
The PM also suggested he would be looking to see Biden provide leadership on climate change, including with a pledge towards net zero carbon emissions.
“Already you’ve got country after country lining up to support the ambition of net zero by 2050,” he said.
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“So Japan came through, Korea came through, even China has come through with a plan to do it by 2060, which is absolutely fantastic for the world.
“I think now with president Biden in the White House in Washington we have the real prospect of American global leadership in tackling climate change.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-08--I'm A Celebrity Star Tests Positive For Covid-19 Ahead Of New Series, ITV Confirms

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ITV has confirmed that one of the stars taking part in this year’s series of I’m A Celebrity has tested positive for Covid-19.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, producers have made big changes to the show, not least moving it from its usual location in the Australian jungle to a castle in Wales.
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With a week to go until the new series launches, ITV has confirmed reports that one of the stars has contracted coronavirus.
They told Radio Times in a statement: “We can confirm that one member of the cast has received a positive Covid result and that individual is self isolating where we are giving them all the support that they need.”
“I’m A Celebrity has robust health and safety measures and protocols in place in order to operate safely within Covid-19 guidelines,” the spokesperson added.
Ant and Dec James Gourley/ITV/Shutterstock
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HuffPost UK has contacted ITV for further comment.
The cast for the new series is yet to be confirmed, but last month eight celebrities were spotted at what was believed to be a photo-shoot for the show.
Among them were former Strictly Come Dancing professional AJ Pritchard, broadcaster Victoria Derbyshire, TV presenter Vernon Kay and West End performer Ruthie Henshall.
Also at the supposed photo-shoot were Coronation Street legend Beverley Callard, opera singer Russell Watson, soap actor and singer Jessica Plummer and Paralympian Hollie Arnold.
Others tipped to be taking part include Sir Mo Farrah, Shane Richie and Giovanna Fletcher.
It was previously revealed that ITV was taking special measures to ensure that I’m A Celebrity’s crew remained safe while working on the show.
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Speaking at a recent Royal Television Society event, ITV Studios entertainment director Richard Cowles said: “Everyone’s got proximity monitors on them so basically they can’t come within two metres of each other without it buzzing and flashing and reminding them to step away.
“In terms of the technology, we’ve for example, with the castle itself, we’ve mapped that completely remotely so we can get all of our camera positions and everything done off-site without having to go there.
“We have basically created a whole virtual walk through of that castle, so all of the set can be built remotely back here and then transported up there.”
He continued: “All the camera positions, the lens length – all of that sort of stuff can be done. We’re even going to have our edits in London to try to reduce the number of people travelling to Wales and to reduce the number of people that could potentially spread Covid.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-08--Geri Horner Becomes Queen Elizabeth I To Launch New YouTube Series And... It's A Lot

Geri Horner has transformed herself into Queen Elizabeth I for the launch of her new YouTube series, Rainbow Woman.
And, suffice to say… it’s a lot.
The former Spice Girls star debuted the first instalment of Rainbow Woman on Sunday afternoon, which sees her delivering a speech in character as Elizabeth I, who she describes as a “Queen of girl power and a Rainbow Woman”.
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Geri has dusted off her acting skills to portray Queen Elizabeth I YouTube/Rainbow Woman
The four-minute clip also features Geri – in full Elizabethan attire – storming around Ashridge House, where the Tudor Queen lived in her youth, before being taken off in a horse-drawn carriage.
“Though she be but little, she is fierce,” Geri declares at the end of the video.
Announcing Rainbow Woman to her fans, Geri said: “Rainbow Woman is my love letter to you. It’s about sharing our spirit. I’m taking you on a girl power adventure of discovery.
“Together, we go up a mountain, down the river and back in time ... and with music I wrote, it’ll be a 360 experience, for you, for us, for everybody.”
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Yes, you read that correctly, we’re also being treated to brand new solo music from Geri as the series goes on.
Geri has hailed Elizabeth I as a "Queen of Girl Power" YouTube/Rainbow Woman
A press release explained that the weekly series “is a collection of vibrant vignettes following her on big and little adventures, each hued with humour and their own message of hope and positivity”.
“Thank you for being there for me,” Geri added. “I want to be here with you.. for all the rainbow people.”
Anyone as intrigued as us can watch the new trailer for Rainbow Woman below:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-08--Max George's Surreal Simpsons Routine Certainly Got Strictly Come Dancing Fans Talking

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Anyone who’s been watching Strictly Come Dancing for a long time will know that when the show puts on its themed special, the wardrobe department invariably goes all out.
And even after all these years, Strictly proved that it can still surprise us, with Saturday night’s Movie Week extravaganza delivering one of the most surreal moments in the show’s 16-year history.
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Yes, we are, of course, talking about Max George’s performance, which was inspired by The Simpsons.
For their Movie Week performance, Max and his professional partner Dianne Buswell channelled Homer and Marge Simpson (The Simpsons did have a film, let’s not forget, so we’ll allow it), in an eye-catching performance we’re definitely not going to forget in a hurry.
What’s more, this week was Max and Dianne’s Couple’s Choice routine, meaning they weren’t restricted by the usual rules of ballroom and Latin dancing when they took to the floor – as you can clearly see in the video below…
The performance sparked a lot of conversation online, with some loving seeing the pair’s unique take on The Simpsons while others… well… others were less enthusiastic:
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didn’t know i needed to see max george as homer on strictly until it happened — em🍓 (@emmcarterrrr) November 8, 2020
This was so unique. As an old Simpsons fan who knows the opening sequence by heart, that choreography and all the little nods to the original was amazing! #Strictly https://t.co/I7N0WXiNL0 — A (@inmytvfeelings) November 7, 2020
Love it or hate it. I loved Max and Diane’s routine! Performing to the Simpson’s theme tune actually really worked! That was so much fun too 😃😃 #Strictly #StrictlyMovieWeek #MovieWeek — Dan Baynham (@Dan_Baynham95) November 7, 2020
That was the most bonkers dance I’ve ever seen. Never thought I’d see the day where the Simpson theme song appeared on Strictly. Loved that. 😂 — Steph 🔮 (@stphsmn87) November 7, 2020
Max George as Homer Simpson is literally the funniest thing I’ve seen in 2020. Which wasn’t very difficult cause this year has been abysmal 😂 #Strictly pic.twitter.com/AF2zhK2CjH — CH (@OfficialCWH) November 7, 2020
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This may be the strangest thing I’ve ever seen but I can’t stop watching it https://t.co/K6zHHpddDY — Rachel 🌸 (@gallagh3rbr0s) November 7, 2020
Just a quick reminder that we can't ever go back to a universe where this didn't happen. #scd pic.twitter.com/mbtKizHUKk — Chris Rubery (@Chrisrubery) November 8, 2020
this feels like a fever dream https://t.co/m250ZBwzUL — merry kristen (@veIvetgoldmines) November 8, 2020
Don't know what to say about Max's dance. I applaud him really because that was a tough routine. It just looked weird. But weird is cool. Bizarre judging tonight. Hard to believe Shirley is into the Simpsons #Strictly — Anthony Morris (@exbedian1) November 7, 2020
This Simpsons routine is the most surreal thing I’ve seen this year and that’s saying something #Strictly — Emma Kelly (@TooManyEmmas) November 7, 2020
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It is no longer the day Joe Biden was elected president, it’s the day that Max George from The Wanted danced as Homer Simpson on national television #Strictly — Emma Kelly (@TooManyEmmas) November 7, 2020
my therapist: dianne buswell and max george as homer and marge simpson arent real, they can't hurt you
dianne buswell and max george as homer and marge simpson:#strictly pic.twitter.com/SinlFYI2BZ — amy is kewis wife (@iqrasahmed) November 7, 2020
Still can't get Max George as Homer Simpson out of my head. It has actually ruined me.#Strictly — Danny Denay 👫🏳🌈 (@DannyDenay) November 8, 2020
sweet lord i am trying to un-see max and dianne already how TERRIFYING omg #strictly — kiera 🍂 (@kiera_hardie) November 7, 2020
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This has blown my head off 🤯 who approved this 😂 https://t.co/dXo4KMwXNI — Owen Roberts (@Optrez) November 8, 2020
Stop paying the licence fee https://t.co/xlDOw2X2tv — Harry Harris (@CmonHarris) November 8, 2020
The Simpsons dance on Strictly. It’s so cursed but I can’t stop watching it??? — Todd (@ToddR_) November 8, 2020
I’m still thinking about that Simpson’s dance on Strictly last night. Can you even get PTSD from a dance? — Paul (@paulyearley_) November 8, 2020
Didn’t sleep well last night, kept having night terrors about the Strictly Simpsons sexy leg saxophone donut dance. — Em (@dizzlekickss) November 8, 2020
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Couldn't sleep last night, my sleep paralysis demons were The Simpsons from Strictly doing the tango around my room — Josh Evans (@JoshEvans_) November 8, 2020
For what it’s worth, the Strictly judges seemingly loved Max’s performance, awarding him 24 points of a possible 30.
This put Max in joint third place on the leaderboard, behind Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh and comedian Bill Bailey.
Max George playing Dianne Buswell's leg like a saxophone during their Simpsons performance BBC
Sadly, it was a rather different story for former NFL star Jason Bell, whose Star Wars-inspired Paso Doble put him at the bottom of the pile.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-08--More Bad News For Trump: Sacha Baron Cohen Rescinds Job Offer

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As if losing the presidential election wasn’t a big enough blow, Donald Trump was hit with more bad news on Saturday: Actor Sacha Baron Cohen withdrew his spoof job offer.
Sacha — who thoroughly embarrassed Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani in his latest film, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm — told the president in a tweet that his recent job offer was rescinded because of Trump’s “tragic and sad” job performance “this past week”.
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Donald—you’re out of work and I know I offered you a job.
But your performance this past week was tragic and sad.
Offer rescinded. — Sacha Baron Cohen (@SachaBaronCohen) November 7, 2020
There was no immediate response from the president.
Giuliani later insisted he was tucking in his shirt after removing a microphone following a fake interview with Maria Bakalova, who portrays Borat’s daughter in the movie.
Here's the Rudy Giuliani Borat scene so everyone can make up their minds pic.twitter.com/PChEkSQ2Kw — Dan Milano (@DanMilanoHere) October 23, 2020
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Trump later called Cohen a “creep” in an interview with reporters on Air Force One.
That’s when Cohen offered him a job.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-08--Strictly Come Dancing Star Jamie Laing's Hercules Performance Had A Less-Than-Heroic Ending

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Strictly Come Dancing star Jamie Laing bounced back from being in the first dance-off of the series last week with a heroic routine inspired by Disney’s Hercules.
Jamie and his professional partner Karen Hauer paid homage to the 90s animated classic during Movie Week with a Charleston routine set to the song Zero To Hero.
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However, the end of their performance came close to a Greek tragedy.
The pair closed their routine with a lift, but while Jamie had no problems raising his partner up, getting her down again proved to be a bit of an issue for them…
Jamie Laing and Karen Hauer's routine had a less-than-heroic ending BBC
Fortunately, Jamie and Karen shrugged off that minor blip, and managed to impress the judges all the same.
The duo won their highest score of the series by far for the Charleston, pulling in 23 of a possible 30 points.
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Last week, the Made In Chelsea star had to fight to hold onto his place in the competition, but was spared by the judges, while home secretary Jacqui Smith who was sent packing.
Movie Week saw Ranvir Singh topping the leaderboard for the first time, bagging the highest score of the series for any contestant with her Foxtrot to the Dreamgirls track Love You I Do.
Unfortunately, it was a rather different story for former NFL star Jason Bell, who picked up just 12 points for his Star Wars-inspired Paso Doble.
Other stand-outs from the night included Bill Bailey’s Paso Doble – which put him in second place with the judges’ scores – and Max George’s Simpsons transformation, which sparked a lot of conversation online.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-08--Biden Ally Suggests Boris Johnson Should ‘Reconsider’ Obama ‘Part-Kenyan’ Slur

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A key ally of US president-elect Joe Biden has suggested Boris Johnson should “reconsider” his comments about Barack Obama’s “part-Kenyan ancestry”.
Senator Chris Coons, who is tipped to be Biden’s secretary of state, said the prime minister’s comments about Obama during the Brexit referendum campaign were “not well received”.
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The Democrat politician also suggested Johnson may have “copied” Donald Trump’s style but stressed that he found the PM to be more “agile, engaging, educated and forward-looking” than his caricature in the US press.
In comments dubbed “foolish” by Labour on Sunday, Johnson suggested in April 2016 that Obama’s “part-Kenyan heritage” meant he had an “ancestral dislike of the British empire” that had led him to remove a bust of Winston Churchill from the White House’s Oval Office.
It came as Obama intervened in the Brexit referendum debate, during which Johnson led the Leave campaign, to urge the UK to “stick together” with the EU.
Coons said the Biden and Johnson administrations would “share a number of priorities” including tackling climate change, privacy issues and promoting democracy.
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But discussing Johnson’s potential relationship with Biden, who was vice president under Obama at the time of the part-Kenyan comments, Coons told BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show:
“The special relationship between the United states and the United Kingdom has endured over decades and I expect there will be opportunities promptly for there to be some visits and conversations and some reconsideration of whatever comments may have been made about the moment of Brexit.”
Asked directly about Johnson’s comments, Coons said: “That certainly wasn’t one that was well received on my part.
#Marr asks Democrat Senator and close friend of Joe Biden, Chris Coons, how the President-elect’s camp views PM Boris Johnson#Election2020 https://t.co/hNrSK2ckVq pic.twitter.com/Mgo7paRE7B — BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) November 8, 2020
“But frankly rather than relitigating or revisiting comments that may have been made days or years ago I think as we reimagine our engagement with our vital allies around the world, it’s important in a post-Trump era to have an open mind about how we can work together, especially with nations as important to the United States as the United Kingdom.”
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Coons also signalled Biden was willing to continue talks on a UK-US trade deal but warned that the Irish heritage president-elect had “significant concerns” about Brexit’s impact on the Good Friday Agreement for peace in Northern Ireland.
He said: “There are of course significant concerns here about how any departure arrangements or final status between the UK and EU might impact the border in Northern Ireland.
“There’s obviously agricultural concerns, I’m from a state known for its chicken exports.
“But with close allies, whether it’s Canada or Mexico, Germany or the UK, we always have points of pressure and tension with trade that need to be worked out in the way that friends do in an open-handed and fair-minded way.”
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab meanwhile dismissed concerns about Biden’s past criticism of Johnson while noting that the president’s elect’s “interest” in peace in Northern Ireland would not “in any way dim”.
He told Marr: ″We’re two years on from that and I thought it was very interesting hearing from Senator Coons that he’s not interested, and he doesn’t think that the administration are going to be interested in relitigating old issues, not least as we’ve left the EU, we leave the transition period by the time the inauguration happens.
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“What he’s looking for, what the Americans will be looking for, I’m sure, is the opportunities of the future.”
SIPA USA/PA Images
Shadow justice secretary David Lammy meanwhile highlighted the opposition's links with Biden, describing Labour and the Democrats as "sister parties" and highlighting his own friendship with Obama and conversations with senior senator Patrick Leahy.
Lammy also suggested Johnson's past conduct may cause difficulties for his relationship with Biden.
He told Marr: "It was foolish of Boris Johnson to put the Good Friday Agreement on t he table in t he way that he did when you know you've got an Irish-American who might become leader of his country and where the Democrats had longstanding concerns.
"It was foolish to insult Barack Obama, foolish to insult Hillary Clinton, all of those things I have reflected on and discussed with our Democratic colleagues."


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-08--Donald Trump Haunted By His Past Rants In Jimmy Fallon Montage


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-08--Strictly Come Dancing's Ranvir Singh Tops Leaderboard After Movie Week Performance

Good Morning Britain star Ranvir Singh found herself at the leaderboard as Strictly Come Dancing put on its annual Movie Week special.
Ranvir and partner Giovanni Pernice have been on an upward trajectory in the last few weeks, and gained the highest score of the night for their Foxtrot to the Dreamgirls number Love You I Do.
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Soaring above previous frontrunners HRVY and Maisie Smith, the pair managed to pull in 27 of a possible 30 points – the highest score of the series not just for Ranvir, but for any contestant.
The daytime star was clearly shocked to have performed so well, with Giovanni telling her: “You should be proud of yourself, you’re working very hard... this is all for you.”
Ranvir Singh and Giovanni Pernice BBC/Kieron McCarron
Sadly, not everyone fared so well with their Movie Week performance, though.
This week, it was former NFL star Jason Bell and his partner Luba Mushtuk who wound up at the bottom of the pile, earning just 12 points for their routine.
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Jason and Luba channelled John Boyega and Daisy Ridley for a Paso Doble to the Star Wars theme music, but they failed to impress the judges.
Craig Revel Horwood awarded the duo just three points, with Shirley Ballas and Motsi Mabuse giving them four and five, respectively.
Other stand-outs from the night included Bill Bailey’s Paso Doble – which put him in second place with the judges’ scores – and Max George’s Simpsons transformation, which sparked a lot of conversation online.
Find out which of the 11 remaining couples found themselves in the dreaded dance-off in Sunday’s Strictly results show, airing at 7.25pm on BBC One.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-08--Jim Carrey's Joe Biden Slams 'L-o-s-e-r' Trump As Saturday Night Live Audience Goes Wild

Jim Carrey’s Joe Biden channelled Ace Ventura to skewer Donald Trump with a drawn out looooser dig in a Saturday Night Live sketch that was largely a celebration of the US election result.
It was a strange confluence of events with “SNL” addressing a Joe Biden victory the same day he was announced as the victor in the 2020 election.
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Maya Rudolph’s Kamala Harris even managed to slip into a white suit similar to what the real Harris wore in her first vice presidential remarks just hours earlier.
The audience went wild as Rudoph’s Harris listed all her firsts: “First female, first Black, first Indian-American, first biracial vice president.”
Jim Carrey and Maya Rudolph on SNL Screen Shot/NBC/Saturday Night Live
“[If] any of that terrifies you, I don’t give a funt,” Maya was heard saying, in character as Kamala Harris. “Also my husband will be the first second gentleman, and he’s Jewish so, between us, we check more boxes than a disqualified ballot.”
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Alec Baldwin turned up in what could be his last ever SNL appearance as Trump, which Baldwin has repeatedly said can’t happen fast enough.
“I was re-elected president of the United States,” he announced. “But of course they are trying to steal the election away from me.”
Then Baldwin moved to a piano on stage, and accompanied himself as he sang quietly: “I’ve got to be a macho, macho man.”
He wrapped up: “I’m not going to say goodbye, America. I’m just going to say, ‘See you in court!’”
The piano moment recalled Kate McKinnon’s moving rendition of Hallelujah four years ago, after Hillary Clinton’s defeat.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-08--Our Favourite Celebrity Reactions To The US Election Result, From Lizzo To John Legend

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After days of waiting on tenterhooks, on Saturday evening it was confirmed that Biden had won enough votes to succeed Donald Trump as US leader.
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And to say that celebrities were excited at the prospect of Trump leaving the White House would be an understatement.
Here are just a few of our favourite celebrity reactions to the presidential election result…
John Legend and Chrissy Teigen
As celebrations broke out in the streets all over America, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen – who were both highly critical of Trump throughout his presidency – were caught on camera joining in the fun in California…
Felt the ❤ in WeHo https://t.co/0BieLnfqZW — John Legend (@johnlegend) November 7, 2020
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Lady Gaga
Gaga appeared at one of Joe Biden’s final rallies to show her endorsement for the Democratic candidate, and when he was announced as the winner, she pretty much brought her infamous “I can’t stop crying. We did it kids” tweet to life…
Lizzo
The Good As Hell singer had a very special message for Donald Trump, as she was seen celebrating Biden’s win while riding on a jet ski…
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Prior to that, Lizzo had posted a video of herself crying at the news, telling fans: “There are few times in this country, that I am hopeful… this time I was hopeful and I was scared, [but] I think this is the end of that four-year term that felt like a thousand years.”
Cardi B
Cardi B was one of Joe Biden’s biggest celebrity supporters, even interviewing him early in the race for Elle magazine.
She marked the news of his election victory with a candid-as-ever video posted on Instagram, beginning: “Yeah, yeah, yeah, Good motherf***ing morning yo.”
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Sam Smith
Although they are British, Sam Smith was one of the first celebrities to get in on the fun when Biden was first announced as the next president.
Posting a less-than-flattering picture of Trump on Twitter, they wrote: “Off ya pop you absolute snail #bidenharris2020 – so happy for all my friends in America tonight!! YOU. DID. THAT.”
Off ya pop you absolute snail #BidenHarris2020 - so happy for all my friends in America tonight. YOU. DID. THAT!!!! ❤ pic.twitter.com/I5Ls8bleJ8 — samsmith (@samsmith) November 7, 2020
Rihanna
Rihanna saw in the news posting a picture of the new president-elect and vice-president elect, describing them as “history makers, boundary breakers, and WINNERS”.
“CONGRATULATIONS to you both, and mostly to the American people!! So much work to do, so much hurt to undo! Let’s GO!” the singer and makeup mogul added.
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Miley Cyrus
As people celebrated Biden’s win all over America, Miley Cyrus’ hit Party In The USA quickly became a bit of an anthem, and she seemed pretty happy to see it, retweeting posts from all over the country:
“People have been driving by blasting Party In The USA." - ABC News Achor! pic.twitter.com/6GPjYEFP0G — Miley Updates (@MileyUpdates) November 7, 2020
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People in Times Square chant and sing @MileyCyrus' "Party In The USA" to celebrate #JoeBidenKamalaHarris2020 pic.twitter.com/lQGGmLAkie — Pop Tingz (@ThePopTingz) November 7, 2020
HUGE Crowd in D.C singing Party In The USA ❤💙 pic.twitter.com/F23NIbASnb — Miley Updates (@MileyUpdates) November 7, 2020
Jennifer Lawrence
Oscar-winning star Jennifer Lawrence also got in on the fun in Boston:
Had no choice but to throw a party for 1 #comeonbostonletsparty pic.twitter.com/qvSEVip0Mh — Jennifer Lawrence - Represent.Us (@JLawrence_RepUs) November 7, 2020
Mark Ruffalo
Another of Trump’s vocal celebrity critics, Mark Ruffalo had one gif to sum up his reaction to the news that Joe Biden was the new president-elect:
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He also posted a photo of himself and his daughter, Odette, beaming at the news:
Chris Evans
Fellow Marvel star Chris Evans also saw in the news with an Instagram post:
Keke Palmer
The Hustlers star was overjoyed at the news Kamala Harris was headed for the White House, tweeting: “Representation MATTERS! In America I have searched over and over again as a Black girl for people in positions of power that look like me!”
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THE VP IS A BLACK WOMAN pic.twitter.com/Z9o4c6ytfO — Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 7, 2020
MY VP IS A BLACK WOMAN ! pic.twitter.com/0EQLJRj3Um — Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 7, 2020
I’m so inspired and truly astonished to look and see a black woman in this position. I say BLACK because representation MATTERS! In America I have searched over and over again as a black girl for people in positions of power that look like me! — Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 7, 2020
This win means more than just who won but what direction AMERICA is ready 2 go in! For me @KamalaHarris’s win represents more acknowledgment 4 the marginalized, more validity & more value that we all knew had been there. Thank you for forcing the world to see by being a FORCE! https://t.co/sZ9rJVmCwh — Keke Palmer (@KekePalmer) November 7, 2020
Cher
Anyone who follows Cher on Twitter will know the music legend holds nothing back, especially when it comes to the topic of politics and Donald Trump.
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So how did she react to the news of Biden’s win?
With a whole lot of tweets, of course (after a quick jump on her bed, apparently):
OMG
HE DID IT,SHE DID IT,THEY DID IT🎉🌟💋❤
I JUMPED ON MY BED...‼
HAPPINESS IS JUST A THING
CALLED PRESIDENT JOE ....&
VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA‼
KAMALA THE FIRST WOMAN, A
BEAUTIFUL WOMAN OF COLOR❤
GOD BLESS OUR AMAZING
PRESIDENT ELECT🙏🏼,
OUR VICE PRES.ELECT🙌🏽
& GOD BLESS🇺🇸 — Cher (@cher) November 7, 2020
BETWEEN JUMPING ON MY BED & CRYING I COULDN’T
TWT‼I HAVE WANTED HIM TO BE PRESIDENT SINCE 2006🌟
MY DREAM HAS COME TRUE — Cher (@cher) November 7, 2020
OMG‼‼‼‼
FORGOT ABOUT THE🌏‼
THE 🌏IS JUMPING ON ITS
BED,BECAUSE JOES PRESIDENT 🎉🌟YEAH‼ — Cher (@cher) November 7, 2020
🇺🇸IS PART OF THE 🌏AGAIN🥳 — Cher (@cher) November 7, 2020
2ALL UNSUNG HEROES
I MET IN CHERIZONA🤗,
LAS VEGAS,& BY ZOOM ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES.
I ❤,THANK,& I’LL NEVER
4GET YOUR SPIRIT & ENDLESS ENTHUSIASM,EVEN WHEN U THOUGHT U COULD’NT MOVE.❤,& BLESS YOU ORGANIZERS, VOLUNTEERS,UNION FRNDS
& PHONE BANK FRNDS YOU ARE ALL WARRIORS — Cher (@cher) November 7, 2020
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I HAVE MISSED BEING PART
OF THE 🌏. — Cher (@cher) November 7, 2020
Kathy Griffin
After her own run-ins with Donald Trump during his presidency, Kathy Griffin was not even a little bit sad at the prospect of seeing him go:
CNN JUST CALLED IT
JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS ARE THE NEW PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!
Trump is nothing. Nothing at all. — Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) November 7, 2020
Love her. More like her, please.
Fellas, love you, but are you guys ok if the ladies have some real power to get to work?
These women are going to jet the job done. https://t.co/PYKbym7gwz — Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) November 7, 2020
Mindy Kaling
Comedian Mindy Kaling was moved by Kamala Harris’ rise to the vice presidency, writing: “Crying and holding my daughter, ‘look baby, she looks like us’.”
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Ed Balls
There were a good few takes on Donald Trump’s incorrect claim that he “WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!”. This one from Ed Balls is definitely worth shouting out, though:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-08--Covid Pandemic Has Made World War Three A Risk, Says UK Defence Chief

PA
The economic fallout during the coronavirus pandemic has made the prospect of World War Three “a risk”, the UK’s most senior military commander has said.
General Sir Nick Carter, the Chief of the Defence Staff, said Britain and the rest of the world would need to “learn” from history and the international missteps that led to the previous world wars in the last century given the uncertainties caused by Covid-19.
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Carter made the comments when asked by Sky News in the run up to Remembrance Sunday whether he feared the global economic crisis brought on by coronavirus could lead to war.
He told the Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme there was a worry that the increase in regional conflicts playing out across the world could ramp up into “a full-blown war”, mirroring the run-up to the two world wars in the 20th century when a series of alliances between countries led to years of bloodshed.
The senior official argued that, with the world being “a very uncertain and anxious place” during the pandemic, there was the possibility “you could see escalation lead to miscalculation”.
“We have to remember that history might not repeat itself but it has a rhythm and if you look back at the last century, before both world wars, I think it was unarguable that there was escalation which led to the miscalculation which ultimately led to war at a scale we would hopefully never see again,” said Carter.
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Asked whether he was saying there was a “real threat” of World War Three, he replied: “I’m saying it’s a risk and we need to be conscious of those risks.
“And that’s why Remembrance matters, because if you look back at history, hopefully you learn from their experience and you make sure that you’re very cautious about how you manage the sorts of regional conflicts that we see playing out in the world today.”
In a separate interview with Times Radio, Carter admitted to being uneasy about the prospect of the military being drafted in to police coronavirus lockdowns in the UK.
He said forcing “people to get off the streets” is “not what the military is for”.
Carter added: “I would be leery about getting involved in all of that.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-08--Marcus Rashford ‘Proud’ After Government U-turn On Free School Meals At Christmas

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England footballer Marcus Rashford and child poverty campaigners are celebrating after the government u-turned over providing free meals to disadvantaged children during the Christmas holidays.
The prime minister personally phoned the Manchester United star after he played in his team’s Premier League clash against Everton on Saturday to alert him to the decision to lay on £170 million of extra funding for the measure.
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The money will pay for the Covid Winter Grant Scheme to support families over the season while the Holiday Activities and Food programme will be extended to cover the Easter, summer and Christmas breaks in 2021, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced.
As part of the package, Healthy Start payments, which help expectant mothers and those with young children on low incomes and in receipt of benefits to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, are set to rise from £3.10 to £4.25 a week from April 2021.
Making the announcement, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey said: “We want to make sure vulnerable people feel cared for throughout this difficult time and, above all, no one should go hungry or be unable to pay their bills this winter.”
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This comes after charities and unions also demanded that Gavin Williamson fund free school meals over Christmas, HuffPost UK revealed on Thursday.
Rashford said he was “so proud” of those who had united behind his campaign and that he was “overwhelmed by the outpouring of empathy and understanding”, promising his supporters to “fight for the rest of my life” to end child hunger in the UK.
In a statement, he said: “Following the game today, I had a good conversation with the prime minister to better understand the proposed plan, and I very much welcome the steps that have been taken to combat child food poverty in the UK.
“There is still so much more to do, and my immediate concern is the approximate 1.7 million children who miss out on free school meals, holiday provision and Healthy Start vouchers because their family income isn’t quite low enough, but the intent the government have shown today is nothing but positive and they should be recognised for that.
“The steps made today will improve the lives of near 1.7 million children in the UK over the next 12 months, and that can only be celebrated.”
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
The u-turn comes after the government last month whipped Conservative MPs to vote against a Labour motion in the House of Commons calling for the extension of free school meal provision following Rashford’s campaign.
Businesses and councils across the country stepped into the breach following the result, announcing they would fund meals during the October half-term for those who needed them.
The striker’s petition for pupils in disadvantaged families to have their meals paid for during the holidays went on to attract more than one million signatures – mass backing which piled pressure on Downing Street to commit to more support.
Labour’s shadow education secretary Kate Green accused the government of “incompetence and intransigence” in waiting until after the autumn half-term to make the announcement, and said ministers had “created needless and avoidable hardship for families across the country”.
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The DWP confirmed the £170 million worth of winter grants would be administered by councils in England rather than schools.
The funding will be ring-fenced, with at least 80% earmarked to support with food and bills, and will cover until the end of March.
Local authorities will receive the funding at the beginning of December.
England’s children’s commissioner Anne Longfield welcomed the announcement but called on ministers to “go further” with its Universal Credit support – a move backed by the Child Poverty Action Group.
“Families are facing hard times financially and these measures will help,” she said.
Protestors hang up paper plates carrying slogans calling for the government to extend free school meals provision, outside the Department for Education, in Westminster, London. Local councils and businesses are continuing to pledge free food for children in need during this week's half term break after the Government defeated a Labour motion to extend free school meals provision in England over the holidays. PA
“But I would like the government to go further and commit to retaining the £20 increase in Universal Credit which is helping many struggling families during this pandemic.
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“Hunger does not take a holiday when schools close and a long term solution to the growing number of children in poverty is urgently required.”
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, was among those heralding the fresh investment but said his organisation was “at a loss” as to why it could not have been ready in time for the October half-term holiday, which has recently finished.
He added: “Nevertheless, the commitment over the next few months is a positive step forward and should help to address the fact that the financial circumstances of many struggling families will have worsened as a result of the Covid emergency.”
Javed Khan, chief executive of children’s charity Barnardo’s, said: “This new scheme is a lifeline for vulnerable families who are struggling to feed their families and heat their homes this winter. It will also help prevent ‘holiday hunger’ throughout 2021.”
Councillor Richard Watts, chairman of the Local Government Association’s resources board, said winter grant money would allow councils to put plans in place to “ensure children will not go hungry in the Christmas holidays and February half-term”.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-08--After Trump’s Defeat, His Supporters Held A Heavily Armed Pity Party

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After news networks declared President Donald Trump the loser of the 2020 election on Saturday, about 2,000 of his supporters gathered in the capital of Pennsylvania — a must-win state the president lost — for a heavily armed pity party.
The rally outside the state Capitol was in stark contrast to the joyous celebrations seen across the globe, including in the president’s hometown of New York City, where residents took over the streets to sing, dance and drink Champagne.
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Hundreds of people — some armed — gathered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Saturday to show their anger that Joe Biden had been declared the winner of the 2020 election. Spencer Platt via Getty Images
In Harrisburg, a ghoulish and cruel coalition of gun-toting MAGA extremists — who have enjoyed four years of being emboldened and condoned by the president ― gathered for hours to participate in the shared delusion that their guy hadn’t really lost the White House.
They arrived around noon, immediately attempting to disrupt a permitted protest organised by pro-democracy progressives who had just heard the news that their preferred candidate, democrat Joe Biden, had won Pennsylvania and was therefore the new president-elect.
They’re dancing on the PA capitol steps in Harrisburg pic.twitter.com/nQZH4a5y8o — Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) November 7, 2020
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As the Biden supporters danced on the steps, the MAGA crowd yelled “Stop the steal!” — a common chant at right-wing rallies across the country this week, part of a coordinated campaign to falsely allege Biden was winning because of widespread voter fraud.
As I approached the dueling demonstrations, I was immediately accosted by Jonathan Lee Riches, a notorious troll. He wore a red MAGA hat and a T-shirt emblazoned with symbols of the Proud Boys, a violent neo-fascist street gang. He repeated the white nationalist slogan “It’s OK to be white” as he started to film me, demanding that I denounce “antifa.”
Police eventually told the MAGA crowd that it needed to move its demonstration to the other side of the building. The protesters obliged, waving their MAGA flags and Thin Blue Line flags along the way.
Once assembled there, Rep. Jim Mueser (R-Pa.), a Trump fan widely believed to be eyeing a run for governor, took hold of a megaphone and spoke to the crowd about how the results of the election were illegitimate.
He was surrounded by fascists. To his left, a man waved a flag for the anti-Semitic white nationalist movement known as America First. To his right, a man clad in black held a sign that read “Standing Back And Standing By For Our President” — a reference to when Trump, asked at a debate to condemn the Proud Boys, instead told them to “stand back and stand by.”
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GOP Rep. Jim Mueser is talking to the MAGA crowd in Harrisburg while a guy waves a white nationalist America First flag to his left, and a guy on his right holds a “Standing Back and Standing By For My President” sign, a Proud Boys reference pic.twitter.com/FT6SpmQIUh — Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) November 7, 2020
Far-right extremists have been a fixture of Trump rallies over the last four years, but it’s still hard to overstate how many were in Harrisburg on Saturday. The place was crawling with them.
A man in sunglasses, who had a collared shirt tucked into his khakis, stood silently watching the MAGA rally. He held a mug in his right hand with the logo of America First, the white nationalist group whose founder marched in the deadly 2017 “Unite The Right” fascist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
When I asked him about the mug, and to identify himself, he looked back at me silently.
Another man took hold of the megaphone before telling the crowd that it was time to “free Kyle” — a reference to the 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, a Trump supporter charged with shooting and killing two people at an anti-racism protest in Wisconsin in August.
Armed militias were also in the city. They carried long guns and wore bulletproof vests. Some were members of a Pennsylvania chapter of the Three Percenters; others were followers of the militia-world influencer Daryl Stevens, aka “Angry Viking.”
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Stevens did an interview with Fox News, and told various people in the crowd that the Supreme Court would eventually deliver the presidency back to Trump and that “antifa and Black Lives Matter are both terrorist organisations.”
The militiamen weren’t the only ones with guns. Multiple Trump supporters could be spotted carrying sidearms throughout the day.
An armed man at a protest in Harrisburg on Saturday. About 2,000 people gathered in the Pennsylvania state capital to show support for President Donald Trump after it was announced that he had lost the 2020 presidential election. Spencer Platt via Getty Images
Also in the crowd were believers in QAnon, a pro-Trump conspiracy movement based on online posts by an anonymous person known as “Q” who claims to be a senior government official with access to information about a globalist cabal of pedophiles waging war against the president.
Many people wore QAnon pins or hats or T-shirts, and the crowd often broke into chants of “Joe Biden is a paedophile!” — a baseless accusation popular among the QAnon faithful.
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Despite many massive worldwide celebrations of Trump’s defeat Saturday, the demonstration in Harrisburg — along with similar pro-Trump rallies in Michigan and Minnesota and Oregon — offered sobering evidence that the fascist political movement the president has cultivated during his sole term in the White House is still hopelessly devoted to him, and that America will be dealing with the MAGAverse and all its delusions long after Biden is inaugurated in 74 days.
Trump supporters, QAnon believers and members of far-right militia groups gathered outside the Pennsylvania state Capitol, falsely claiming that Biden had won the election due to widespread voter fraud. Spencer Platt via Getty Images
After the sun set in Harrisburg, and as people began to leave the Capitol building, a man on Third Street sat in an RV papered over with some of the MAGA merchandise he sells at Trump rallies across the country: posters reading “Fire The Lockdown Liberal” or featuring an illustration of Trump standing atop a tank holding a machine gun.
The man, who refused to identify himself, told me that without Trump, America would fall into the hands of globalists who would turn it into a “third-world country.”
When I asked him if he was worried about losing business if Biden took over in the White House, he gave a one-word answer: “Nope.”