PoliticsYahoo NewsGiuliani tells Pennsylvania legislators they can override popular vote to appoint pro-Trump electors
Speaking to an occasionally raucous but mostly disgruntled panel of Pennsylvania Republicans, President Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and his campaign counsel Jenna Ellis on Wednesday floated the idea that the state Legislature could decide on its own to give Pennsylvania's 20 Electoral College votes to Trump, despite the state's certifying that Joe Biden won the Nov. 3 election in the state. It's the state Legislature that controls this process,” Giuliani told a panel of Republican legislators. It's your power.
PoliticsYahoo NewsDemocratic Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock bet big on 'record-shattering turnout' in Georgia
But Democrats say they've figured out how to win in Georgia, a state that had voted Republican in six straight presidential elections between 1996 and 2016 and hasn't sent a Democrat to the Senate in 20 years. And Republicans have won all but one of the statewide general election runoffs in Georgia since 1988. What we are focusing on when we go and talk to voters in these communities, something that we learned from Stacey Abrams, is we go and ask them what they need, and when they answer … we let them know Rev.
PoliticsUSA TODAYFact check: Joe Biden was never 'wanted' in Ukraine; prosecutors rejected a complaint
The claim: Joe Biden wanted in Ukraine on bribery charges As President-elect Joe Biden prepares to transition into the role of the president — and President Donald Trump's days in the White House dwindle — supporters of the current president have looked for ways to disqualify Biden from winning the White House. A number of Facebook pages and users have recently shared an article by Reformation Charlotte, a right-wing website, that claims Biden is wanted in Ukraine on felony bribery charges. It cites One America News Network, a right-wing media outlet, as the information's source.
WorldAssociated PressMine explodes, damaging oil tanker off Saudi Arabia
A mine in the Red Sea off Saudi Arabia's coast near Yemen exploded and damaged an oil tanker Wednesday, authorities said, the latest incident targeting the kingdom amid its long war against Yemen's Houthi rebels. The blast happened before dawn and struck the MT Agrari, a Maltese-flagged, Greek-managed oil tanker near Shuqaiq, Saudi Arabia. “Their vessel was attacked by an unknown source,” a statement from the Agrari's operator, TMS Tankers Ltd., said.
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Tigrayan forces 'destroy' Ethiopian army division
Forces in Tigray claim to have "completely destroyed" an Ethiopian army division, while the government says many Tigrayan soldiers are surrendering. It's a conflict where claims are difficult to verify, but what can be said is that tens of thousands of civilians have been forced to flee and global powers are increasingly expressing alarm. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's troops have made advances since the violence began three weeks ago but the local TPLF says they're keeping federal forces at bay.
WorldReutersNetanyahu promises Israel's ex-spy in U.S. a warm welcome home
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised Jonathan Pollard, an American who spent 30 years in U.S. prison for spying for Israel, a warm welcome and a comfortable life in Israel now that parole restrictions have ended. "We are waiting for you, even during the time of the coronavirus, with open arms, and you will receive the genuine embrace of the Israeli people," Netanyahu said in a video distributed by his office on Tuesday of part of a telephone call with Pollard and his wife Esther on Monday. A former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst, Pollard was arrested in 1985 outside the Israeli embassy in Washington - which turned him away as he sought refuge with law enforcement closing in.
PoliticsYahoo NewsJournalist who criticized FBI for handling of Russia probe says Trump's refusal to concede is 'dangerous BS'
A common defense of President Trump's refusal to concede the 2020 election is that he's simply taking revenge on his liberal opponents, in particular those who doubted the legitimacy of the 2016 election because of Russian interference. The media gave Russia Collusion 3.5 years. We can give Team Trump three and a half weeks,” tweeted Jenna Ellis, a member of the Trump campaign's legal team that has failed to provide any evidence in court of cheating in the 2020 election.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden says his team has spoken to Fauci: ‘He’s been very, very helpful’
Joe Biden's team has been in contact with Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, the president-elect said shortly after the Trump administration agreed to participate in the transition process. Mr Biden said he has not yet had a chance to meet with the expert himself, but praised Dr Fauci's efforts to tackle the coronavirus crisis in the US, which has seen more than 12 million cases and nearly 260,000 fatalities. “I haven't had a chance to speak to Dr Fauci,” he said, adding “he's been very, very helpful.”
WorldAssociated PressAustralian leader thrilled at Iran's release of academic
Australia's prime minister said he's “thrilled and relieved” after Iran released in a prisoner swap a 33-year-old academic who was imprisoned for more than two years on spying charges, but added it would take time for Kylie Moore-Gilbert to process her “horrible” ordeal. Iran first announced on state television that it had freed the British-Australian scholar in exchange for three Iranians held abroad. The report was scant on detail, saying only that the Iranians had been imprisoned for trying to bypass sanctions on Iran.
WorldAssociated PressJapan, China agree on economic ties, split over islands
China's top diplomat told Japan's leader on Wednesday that Beijing wants the two Asian powers to have good relations and cooperate in fighting the coronavirus and reviving their pandemic-hit economies, but the two sides remained at odds over an island dispute. Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a message from Chinese President Xi Jinping expressing his hope of developing positive relations with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and "strengthen cooperation with Japan in pandemic measures and for the economic recovery," Wang told reporters after meeting with Suga. Wang told Suga that ties between the two countries have improved through high-level dialogue and mutual efforts and that China wants to cooperate further in a range of areas.
PoliticsYahoo NewsTrump campaign sued for attempting to disenfranchise Black voters
The Trump campaign has repeatedly attempted to use the judicial system to overturn the president's defeat to President-elect Joe Biden, filing more than two dozen unsuccessful lawsuits since Election Day. “It's not even about the success of President Trump and the Trump campaign's attempts to overturn the election,” Monique Lin-Luse, assistant counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, which filed the lawsuit, told Yahoo News. “The very attempt ... to overturn it by disenfranchising and de-legitimizing Black voters is what we believe is unlawful, and it's also dangerous and corrosive to our democracy.”
PoliticsThe IndependentAOC and Ilhan Omar sign petition calling on Biden not to give Bruce Reed administration role
Progressive lawmakers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar have signed a petition calling on president-elect Joe Biden not to appoint Bruce Reed to his administration. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, of New York, and Rep. Omar, of Minnesota, are supporting efforts to have Mr Reed, Mr Biden's former chief of staff, frozen out of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Reports emerged earlier this week suggesting that Mr Reed, who also served in the Obama administration, was top of the president-elect's list to head up the OMB.
WorldReutersAustralia opens up more borders in domestic travel boost, eyes vaccine
Australia will lift more internal state border restrictions in a boost for tourism as new coronavirus infections slow to a trickle, while the first vaccines could be available in March, a government minister said on Tuesday. Queensland state, a popular holiday destination, will allow visitors next week from the country's two most populous states, New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria, after closing its borders in August. NSW has since notched a month without any COVID-19 cases where the source is unknown and restrictions on arrivals from Sydney will be eased on Dec. 1, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.
WorldAssociated PressTrudeau: Canadians won't be among the first to get vaccine
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday Canada will have to wait for a vaccine because the very first ones that roll off assembly lines are likely to be given to citizens of the country they are made in. Trudeau noted Canada does not have vaccine-production facilities. Trudeau said it is understandable that an American pharmaceutical company will distribute first in the U.S. before they distribute internationally.
PoliticsReutersExplainer: Can Trump's lawyers be disciplined for making false claims?
Representative Bill Pascrell, a Democrat, on Friday called for Giuliani and other members of the legal team to be stripped of their law licenses for bringing "frivolous" lawsuits and allegedly attempting to help Republican Trump steal the Nov. 3 vote from President-elect Joe Biden. Here's why Trump's lawyers are very unlikely to face disbarment, suspension, or even lighter sanctions such as a fine.
TechnologyArchitectural DigestThe Top 6 Black Friday Deals for Vacuums
We have you covered with all the best vacuum deals that you need to know about Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldBusiness InsiderEuropean officials expect Biden to pressure Merkel into killing her prized key gas pipeline project from Russia
Three European officials told Insider that President-elect Joe Biden, when in office, could pressure Germany to drop its Nord Stream 2 pipeline project with Russia. Nord Stream 2, which would transport natural gas from Russia to Western Europe, cost 10 billion euros to build. It had almost been complete when the US imposed sanctions on the project's Russian partners last year, forcing construction to stop.
U.S.The IndependentGhislaine Maxwell awakened every 15 minutes to check she is still alive, her lawyer says
Ghislaine Maxwell is awakened by flashlight every 15 minutes to check she is still alive, her lawyer has said. Prison guards interrupt Maxwell's sleep to make sure she is still breathing, despite her having no history of mental health issues or suicide attempts, the lawyer said. Maxwell, 58, is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where she is charged with facilitating Jefferey Epstein's sexual abuse of girls.
WorldAssociated PressThai protesters push on despite charges of royal defamation
Pro-democracy demonstrators in Thailand took to the streets of the capital again on Wednesday as the government escalated its legal battle against them, reviving the use of a harsh law against defaming the monarchy. Their rally was peaceful, but less than two hours after it was declared over and many in the crowd were lingering, a man was shot and wounded, according to initial reports of emergency service personnel and witnesses' accounts and photos posted on social media. Although it wasn't clear whether the attack involved a personal dispute or politics, it was a reminder that the threat of violence is attached to the passions involved in the protests.
PoliticsReutersLame-duck president pardons turkey; Trump breaks post-election isolation for tradition
President Donald Trump emerged from self-imposed isolation on Tuesday to show that at least one thing in Washington would run according to tradition: the pardoning of a Thanksgiving turkey. In the Rose Garden, Trump stuck to the script in pardoning a 42-pound turkey named Corn as part of an annual presidential ritual, the sparing of a turkey from American dinner tables on the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday. "Corn, I hereby grant you a full pardon,” Trump said, raising a hand over the white bird with long wattle.
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UK wants fines for telcos using firms like Huawei
British telecoms companies could soon face big fines if they deal with tech firms like China's Huawei. A new law put forward Tuesday (November 24) aims to fine British telcos 10% of turnover - or around $133,000 a day - if they break a ban on using equipment made by Huawei. The UK government said the new bill would raise security standards of the country's telco firms, and remove the threat of high-risk suppliers.
BusinessBusiness InsiderAlaska Airlines will acquire 13 more Boeing 737 Max planes despite misgivings from skeptical consumers about safety
Alaska Airlines is acquiring 13 additional Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft in a deal that will also see the sale of 10 Airbus A320 jets. The FAA ungrounded the Boeing 737 Max on November 18 following a 20-month evaluation that still has flyers saying they won't fly on it. Alaska will grow its 737 Max 9 fleet to 45 aircraft with the new order from Air Lease Corporation.
PoliticsAssociated PressPresidential race official recount gets underway in Georgia
County election workers across Georgia on Tuesday began a machine recount of the roughly 5 million votes cast in the presidential race in the state, just days after completing a hand tally that confirmed President-elect Joe Biden's lead. The recount was requested by President Donald Trump after certified results showed him losing the state to Democrat Joe Biden by 12,670 votes, or 0.25%. Under state law, the losing candidate can request a recount when the margin is less than 0.5%.
PoliticsReutersTrump pardons former adviser Flynn, who pleaded guilty in Russia probe
President Donald Trump on Wednesday pardoned his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who had twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Trump's pardon, which could be the first of several after he lost the 2020 presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden, drew condemnation from Democrats and other critics. A retired Army general, Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about interactions he had with Russia's ambassador to the United States in the weeks leading up to Trump's inauguration in January 2017.
TechnologyArchitectural DigestA Few of Our Favorite Small Businesses Running Early Black Friday Sales
You don't have to wait until #smallbusinesssaturday to shop small Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
“Donald Trump defeated Donald Trump.”
“The victory was a vindication of a style of American politics that many feared was gone forever.”
“Mr. Biden’s victory — and Mr. Trump’s defeat — is a testament to the resilience of American democracy.”
“Trump’s 2020 reelection bid was doomed by his boorish behavior. Time and again, he refused to act like a president.”
“Biden took the opportunity to unite the Democratic Party.”