Nearly 80 per cent of Americans, including more than half of Republicans, recognise President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the election, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The Reuters/Ipsos national opinion survey, which ran from Saturday afternoon to Tuesday, found that 79 per cent of American adults believe Mr Biden won the White House. Another 13 per cent said the election has not yet been decided, while only 3 per cent said Mr Trump won. Almost a third of respondents did not believe their local election officials "do their job honestly".
The results were somewhat split along party lines: about six in 10 Republicans and almost every Democrat said Mr Biden won. The race was called for Mr Biden on Saturday but Mr Trump has failed to acknowledge defeat.
Follow the latest updates below.
06:40 AM
Biden pushes ahead with groundwork for presidency
President-elect Joe Biden plans further meetings today to lay the groundwork for his new administration while President Donald Trump pursues a flurry of lawsuits challenging the election results in an effort to cling to power.
Mr Trump's unsupported charges of election fraud have gained little traction so far. His campaign said on Tuesday it planned to file a lawsuit in Michigan to halt the state from certifying its results, a day after it brought a similar action in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
Judges so far have tossed lawsuits in Michigan and Georgia brought by Mr Trump's campaign, and legal experts say the litigation has little chance of changing the outcome of the Nov. 3 election.
Mr Biden plans to meet with advisors today who are helping him prepare to take office on January 20, 2021.
He has tapped finance, trade and banking regulation experts for his transition team that range from core Democrats to progressive activists, reflecting ongoing debate within the party about how to address climate change, wealth inequality and other issues.
Mr Biden is also tapping people who crafted tougher environmental rules while serving under President Barack Obama.
05:50 AM
Biden and Moon to speak on Thursday
South Korea's President Moon Jae-in's office said on Thursday it was arranging a phone call between Moon and U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday.
The South Korean president sent a congratulatory message on Sunday to Mr Biden and US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris through Twitter, expressing expectations for joint efforts to develop Seoul-Washington ties.
The call shows Mr Biden is pushing ahead with foreign policy during the transition despite Mr Trump's refusal to concede the election.
On Tuesday, Boris Johnson pulled off a major diplomatic coup by becoming the first European leader to speak to the President-elect since he won the US election.
04:55 AM
Pompeo under fire in Asia over Myanmar comments
Criticisms by Mike Pompeo, US secretary of state, of Myanmar’s election process, on the same day he promised “a smooth transition to a second Trump administration,” has not gone unnoticed in Asia, writes Nicola Smith.
On Tuesday, a statement by Mr Pompeo raised concerns about parliamentary seats reserved for the military, the disenfranchisement of the Rohingya minority, and the cancelling of voting in several states and regions.
“The United States will continue to closely monitor the electoral process. We call on all relevant authorities to ensure tabulation of votes and resolution of complaints is undertaken in a transparent and credible manner.”
While the international community has raised legitimate concerns about Myanmar’s polling process, some commentators on social media suggested that Mr Pompeo had undermined his position by supporting the Trump administration’s refusal to accept the US election results.
“Yesterday Pompeo criticised the Myanmar election, immediately making it appear more credible,” tweeted Hikosaemon, a Japanese vlogger, while analysts chimed in with their own hot takes.
“If only Pompeo had the same high standards for US democracy that he has for Myanmar's,” remarked Hunter Marston, a PhD candidate at ANU Bell School, a research centre on Asia and the Pacific.
Myanmar, dunno if y'all are awake right now, but Pompeo just handed you a golden opportunity for some diplomatic trolling https://t.co/W2U9oex6AW
Among them was a former Fox News commentator who failed to get through Senate confirmation because of offensive remarks he made, including about Islam.
The abrupt changes sent reverberations through the Pentagon as nervous civilian and military personnel waited for the next shoe to drop. And they fuelled worries of a wider effort to drum out anyone considered not loyal enough to Mr Trump.
The unease was palpable inside the building throughout the day over concerns about what the Trump administration may do in the months before President-elect Joe Biden takes office and whether there will be a greater effort to politicise the historically apolitical military.
On Tuesday evening, Donald Trump again took to social media to repeat claims of fraud and sent a tweet that was quickly flagged by Twitter for misinformation:
Mr Trump's claims have been echoed by members of his cabinet. Attorney General William Barr has authorised federal investigations of "substantial" allegations of voting irregularities.
Earlier on Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday said he foresees "a smooth transition to a second Trump administration":
02:40 AM
Trump sues to stop Michigan results
Donald Trump's campaign said on Tuesday it would file a lawsuit to stop the battleground state of Michigan from certifying its election results, as congressional Democrats said a witness who had raised accusations of ballot tampering in Pennsylvania recanted his allegations.
The Michigan lawsuit will request that election results in the state not be certified until it can be verified that votes were cast lawfully, Trump campaign lawyer Matt Morgan told reporters.
It was the latest in a string of lawsuits the Trump campaign has filed since Joe Biden won the presidency. Mr Biden's victory in the election was propelled by wins in Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Mr Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that there was widespread voting fraud.
Judges have already thrown out lawsuits in Michigan and Georgia brought by the campaign, and legal experts say Mr Trump's litigation has little chance of changing the outcome of the election.
Republicans held on to a seat in the US Senate on Tuesday after a close race in the state of North Carolina, dealing another blow to Joe Biden's Democrats in their bid to take control of the chamber.
Senator Thom Tillis was assured re-election after his Democratic opponent, Cal Cunningham, conceded the race.
Mr Cunningham said in a statement that he had called Mr Tillis to congratulate him even though complete results from the November 3 election have not yet been announced.
"The voters have spoken and I respect their decision," he said.
Republicans now hold 49 seats in the 100-seat Senate compared to the Democrats' 48.
Thom Tillis won a narrow majority in North Carolina - AP
12:50 AM
Supreme Court justices hint at survival for Obamacare
The US Supreme Court has signalled that the Affordable Care Act, an Obama-era health care law which guaranteed coverage to millions, will survive a challenge by Republican states and the Trump administration.
Two key conservative members of the court, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, hinted they were unwilling to strike down the entire law during a hearing on Tuesday, meaning the majority of the court appeared inclined to reject the Trump administration's challenge.
Republicans had argued that a key provision of the law, the individual mandate which required people to buy health insurance or pay a penalty, had been rendered unconstitutional by Congress' decision in 2017 to remove the penalty. They argued that as this key provision of the law was unconstitutional, the entire Affordable Care Act should be struck down.
However in oral arguments on Tuesday, Justice Roberts and Justice Kavanaugh indicated that the decision to remove the financial penalty did not indicate a desire to kill the entire law.
The Supreme Court is not likely to rule on the case for months - EPA
12:02 AM
Trump 'told advisers he might run for president again'
Donald Trump has told advisers that he is thinking about running for the US presidency again in 2024 if the election is certified for Joe Biden, US media outlets have reported.
First the news website Axios and then The New York Times reported that the US president has floated the idea of another run with advisers even as he contests this election result.
Individuals are barred from serving more than two terms as US president but the law does not stop them from serving one term, leaving office for four years, then serving another.
Mr Trump has also formed a so-called leadership political action committee, or PAC, which will allow him to continue to wield influence over the party in the coming years.
Donald Trump could have an influence over the Republican Party for a while yet - GETTY IMAGES
11:21 PM
80pc of Americans say Biden won
Nearly 80 per cent of Americans, including more than half of Republicans, recognise President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the election, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
While the race with Donald Trump remains undecided in three states, Mr Biden passed the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win.
The Reuters/Ipsos national opinion survey, which ran from Saturday afternoon to Tuesday, found that 79 per cent of American adults believe Mr Biden won the White House. Another 13 per cent said the election has not yet been decided, while only 3 per cent said Mr Trump won.
The results were somewhat split along party lines: about six in 10 Republicans and almost every Democrat said Mr Biden won.
Biden in Delaware on Tuesday where he was working on transition plans - GETTY IMAGES
10:59 PM
Downing Street blames 'technical error' for Joe Biden tweet blunder
Downing Street blamed a “technical error” for a diplomatic blunder which saw the Prime Minister send a congratulatory message to Joe Biden containing parts of a statement intended for Donald Trump, reports Amy Jones.
Number 10 said that the Government had prepared two different versions of the graphic because the US election was a close run. A glitch meant that parts of the alternative message were embedded in the background.
Social media users spotted the mistake after they adjusted the contrast and brightness levels of the image.
Trump blocking intelligence transition, says national intelligence director
The national intelligence director's office says it can't begin engaging with President-elect Joe Biden's team until a federal agency starts the process of transition, which the Trump administration is delaying.
The office, which oversees all U.S. intelligence agencies, said it must follow the Presidential Transition Act, which requires the General Services Administration to first ascertain the winner of the election Trump is contesting.
Intelligence agencies have given general intelligence briefings - minus information on covert operations and sources and methods - to presidential nominees since 1952. Biden started receiving them soon after he became the Democratic presidential nominee. It's unclear if he is still getting them.
Some presidents have allowed their successors to receive the President's Daily Brief, containing the nation's most sensitive intelligence information. President Donald Trump would have to authorize Biden to receive that brief.
A Biden transition spokesperson declined to comment on the briefings.
10:35 PM
Senator McConnell does not expect 'interrupted transition'
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has not acknowledged Joe Biden as president-elect, said he does not expect an interrupted transition from the administration of Republican President Donald Trump, who is challenging Biden's election victory in the courts.
"I don't think we're going to have an interrupted transition to whoever is the next administration," the Republican McConnell told reporters.
"I think we ought to quit all the hand-wringing and not act like this is extraordinary. We're going to get through this period and we'll swear in the winner on January 20th, 2021, just like we have every four years since 1793."
Senator McConnell also brushed off a question about whether he was indulging Trump by allowing the president to air charges of election fraud without offering evidence, saying he would let the presidential election go through "the various stages that it goes through under the Constitution."
"There will be, apparently, litigation. Those cases will be decided. And then the Electoral College will meet. And then we'll have the inauguration. But I am going to concentrate on what we are trying to do here in the remainder of this Congress," Senator McConnell said.
10:22 PM
Democrat concedes to incumbent Republican in North Carolina Senate race
Democrat Cal Cunningham conceded to incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Thom Tillis in North Carolina, saying "the voters have spoken" and it was clear Senator Tillis had won.
With Mr Cunningham's concession, all eyes turned to Georgia, where two U.S. Senate runoff races in January are likely to determine the balance of the upper chamber.
With votes still uncounted and the races in North Carolina and Alaska still too early to call, the Senate remained tied 48-48. Alaska GOP Senator Dan Sullivan is favored for another term against Al Gross, an independent running as a Democrat. If the Senate ended up tied 50-50, Democratic Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would wield the tiebreaking vote.
Georgia is closely divided, with Democrats making gains on Republicans, fueled by a surge of new voters. But no Democrat has been elected senator in 20 years.
In North Carolina, Senator Tillis led Mr Cunningham by more than 95,000 votes, or 1.76 percentage points.
Mr Cunningham lost despite outraising Tillis during what became the most expensive U.S. Senate race in U.S. history. All together, the two campaigns and outside groups spent $282 million on the general election, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
10:08 PM
Biden is yet to receive presidential daily briefing
Joe Biden has not been given access to classified briefings by Donald Trump as part of the transition process, with the Secretary of State on Tuesday insisting the only transition would be to a second term Trump presidency, writes Rozina Sabur.
The president-elect has yet to receive the presidential daily briefing, a compilation of the US government's most significant intelligence insights, according to the New York Times, leaving him in the dark about the most critical threats the US faces as he prepares to take office in January.
Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, controversially claimed there would be a "smooth transition to a second Trump administration".
Joe Biden has released a statement following his conversation with Boris Johnson saying he wants to "strengthen the special relationship."
"The President-elect offered his thanks to Prime Minister Johnson for his congratulations and expressed his desire to strengthen the special relationship and re-double cooperation on issues of mutual concern," the statement read.
The statement also laid out mutual foreign policy desires, including action on coronavirus, climate change and Ukraine. Biden also spoke of his commitment to the Good Friday Agreement, as he had earlier in the day in a call with Taoiseach Michael Martin.
09:44 PM
Biden calls Taoiseach Michael Martin
Irish prime minister Micheal Martin spoke to Joe Biden today, a government spokesman said, in a discussion focusing on the need for Brexit to protect a landmark peace deal on the island.
A government statement said "the President-elect reaffirmed his full support for the Good Friday Agreement" and both "discussed the importance of a Brexit outcome that respects the GFA and ensures no return of a border on the island of Ireland."
09:32 PM
'Second gentleman' to quit law job
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, will leave his job as a partner with a high-profile law firm to focus on his role in the new Biden administration.
A campaign spokeswoman said that Mr Emhoff will sever ties with DLA Piper by Inauguration Day. Mr Emhoff took a leave of absence from the firm in August, when Harris was named Joe Biden's running mate. Biden and Harris will be inaugurated Jan. 20.
While the 'second gentleman' to be is not a lobbyist, the firm has lobbied the federal government on behalf of a range of corporate clients. Ethics experts say that connection could have presented an appearance of conflicts of interest as the Biden administration tries to restore trust and ethics in government following President Donald Trump's norm-shattering presidency.
Mr Emhoff is working with the transition team to determine the issues he will take on as the vice presidential spouse. He is the first man to hold that role, as Harris is the nation's first female vice president.
09:20 PM
Biden stresses importance of Northern Irish peace deal in first call to Boris
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden stressed the importance of protecting Northern Ireland's peace deal in the Brexit process when he called UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, hinting at potential tensions over Britain's EU exit even as the pair emphasised common ground in other areas.
Mr Johnson's government is seeking a trade deal with the EU but says it is willing to leave without one, which could complicate the situation at the sensitive Northern Irish border with Ireland - the UK's only land border with the EU.
The 1998 Good Friday peace deal that effectively ended Northern Ireland's 30 years of sectarian violence created new institutions for cross-border cooperation on the island of Ireland.
But Mr Johnson has put forward legislation that would break the Northern Ireland protocol of the Brexit divorce treaty that seeks to avoid a physical customs border between the British province and EU-member Ireland.
That prompted a warning two months ago from Biden, who has talked about the importance of his Irish heritage, that the UK must honour the 1998 agreement as it withdraws from the bloc or there can be no separate U.S. trade deal.
"They talked about the importance of implementing Brexit in such a way that upholds the Good Friday Agreement," a British official said after Tuesday's Biden-Johnson call. "The PM assured the president-elect that would be the case."
09:07 PM
Joe Biden attacks Trump's bid to cut Obamacare
08:52 PM
US Attorney General allows prosecutors to probe 'substantial allegations' of vote irregularities
The US Attorney General has given government prosecutors blanket authorisation to open investigations into voting irregularities during the election, writes Nick Allen.
Bill Barr, a close ally of Donald Trump, launched the move by sending a letter to lawyers around the country.
However, he said it was not an indication that the Justice Department currently had evidence of genuine cases to pursue.
Voting fraud investigations are normally carried out by individual states.
President Donald Trump has created a new leadership PAC as he continues to refuse to concede the election to to President-elect Joe Biden.
Paperwork for the Save America political action committee was filed with the Federal Election Commission on Monday evening.
Campaign emails soliciting money for the president's "OFFICIAL ELECTION DEFENSE FUND!" now direct to a website that shows contributions will now be split among Save America, the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee.
And 60% of each contribution will go to Save America, up to $5,000.
The committee will allow Trump to maintain his political influence even after he leaves office by raising and distributing money for candidates, along with funding travel, polling and other campaign costs.
Trump has not ruled out running again in 2024 after losing his reelection bid.
08:21 PM
The transition in pictures
President-elect Joe Biden speaks about healthcare and the transition - Carolyn Kaster /AP President Elect Joe Biden and Vice President Elect Kamala Harris images alternate with an image of an American Flag on a Jumbotron in Times Square in New York City - John Lamparski /NurPhoto Rally for Affordable Care Act in Front of the Supreme Court - SGSAN/MEGA Supporters of Donald Trump, continue to demonstrate outside of where votes are still being counted in Pennsylvania, seven days after the general election - Mark Makela /Getty Images North America
08:09 PM
Angela Merkel speaks with Biden
German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke to U.S. President-elect Joe Biden by telephone and they agreed on the importance of the transatlantic partnership, her spokesman said.
"She congratulated him and Vice President-designate Kamala Harris on their election victory. The chancellor expressed the wish for close and trusting future cooperation," Merkel's spokesman said in a statement.
"The chancellor and the president-designate agreed that transatlantic cooperation is of great importance in view of the many global challenges," he added.
07:58 PM
Biden: 'Mr President, look forward to speaking with you'
Joe Biden called Donald Trump's refusal to concede the election "an embarrassment" and said that he was looking forward to speaking with the President, at some point.
The President-elect also said that the Trump administration's attempts to prevent the transition are "not of much consequence".
Biden said that the transition can go ahead without federal funding, but daily intelligence briefings would be helpful.
07:55 PM
Biden: Transition is 'well underway'
President-elect Joe Biden says "nothing going to stop" his administration's moving forward despite President Donald Trump's refusal to concede the race.
Biden said in Wilmington, Delaware, on Tuesday that his transition is "well underway" and that he is reviewing potential Cabinet picks and other positions.
Biden said some Republicans' denial of his victory "is not at much consequence in our plan and what we're able to do between now and Jan. 20."
Asked by a reporter what he would say to Trump, Biden said, "Mr. President, looking forward to speaking with you."
Biden also told reporters that he has been speaking with various world leaders, and that his message to them was "America is back."
07:54 PM
Pompeo confident of smooth transition into second Trump term
07:48 PM
Biden: Healthcare 'not a partisan issue. It is a human issue'
Joe Biden attacked the Trump administration for attempting to tear down Obamacare in the Supreme Court, saying "Obamacare is a law every American should be proud of."
"This case represents the latest attempt by the far-right ideologues to do what they have repeatedly failed to do for a long time...to eliminate the entirety of the Affordable Care Act," he said. "This lawsuit is cruel and needlessly divisive."
"These ideologues are once again trying to strip healthcare away from millions of people. The goal of the outgoing administration is clear. It is, and I quote, 'the entire ACA must fall'," he added.
The President-elect also took steps to unify Americans on the divisive issue, saying: "This doesn't need to be a partisan issue. This is a human issue. It effects every single American family. We can't subvert the will of the people."
"The consequences of the Trump administrations argument are not academic or an abstraction. For many, they are a matter of life and death in a literal sense...pre-exisiting conditions could be used as an excuse to jack up prices or deny coverage altogether."
"Vice-president elect Harris and I will do everything we in our power to ease the healthcare burden on you and your families, I promise you that," he said.
07:37 PM
Harris: Obamacare case 'a blatant attempt to overrule the will of the people'
Vice-president elect Kamala Harris introduced Joe Biden today, saying that every vote for him was a vote to say healthcare "is a right, not a privilege".
Ms Harris said "Getting rid of the ACA will take us backwards. Back to a time when people could charge a woman more for her healthcare than they could charge a man simply becasue she is a woman. To a time where pregnancy is treated as a pre-existing condition."
"All this is happening in the middle of a pandemic that has claimed over 230,000 lives," she added. "If the ACA is struck down, it will particularly effect communities of colour...because they are at a greater risk of pre-exisiting conditions and are three times as likely to contract Covid-19 and twice as likely to die."
"Each and every vote from this election for Joe Biden was a vote sating healthcare is a right, not a privilege...these voters are calling on the Supreme Court to see this case for what it is. A blatant attempt to overrule the will of the people."
07:30 PM
Biden to speak about healthcare
Joe Biden's (delayed) remarks will be about healthcare, the President-elect has confirmed on Twitter.
A livestream of those remarks will be available on his Twitter.
Today, the Trump Administration is in court, attempting to eliminate the Affordable Care Act. Tune in as I discuss how my administration will expand access to quality, affordable health care. https://t.co/JB5uwBTKnd
U.S. Supreme Court justices signaled they are unlikely to strike down the entire Obamacare healthcare law in a legal challenge brought by Texas and other Republican-governed states and backed by President Donald Trump's administration.
The justices heard about two hours of arguments by teleconference in an appeal by a coalition of Democratic-governed states including California and New York and the Democratic-led House of Representatives to preserve the Affordable Care Act (ACA), as Obamacare is formally known.
Chief Justice John Roberts and fellow conservative Brett Kavanaugh both asked questions that suggested they were sceptical of Republican arguments that all of Obamacare must fall even if one key provision, known as the individual mandate, is found to be unconstitutional. That provision originally required people to obtain insurance or pay a financial penalty.
"It's hard for you to argue that Congress intended the entire Act to fall if the mandate was struck down," Chief Justice Roberts said, noting that Congress did not repeal the entire law in 2017 when it eliminated the mandate's financial penalty.
The case represents the latest Republican legal attack on the 2010 law, which was the signature domestic policy achievement of Democratic former President Barack Obama. The Supreme Court in 2012 and 2015 fended off previous Republican challenges to it. Republicans also have failed in numerous efforts to repeal Obamacare in Congress, though Trump's administration has taken steps to hobble the law.
If Justices Roberts and Kavanaugh in the court's eventual ruling, due by the end of June, join with the court's three liberal justices, it would be enough to keep the vast majority of the law intact.
Joe Biden is expected to speak at any moment and he is expected to discuss Obamacare, amongst other topics
07:08 PM
Boris Johnson 'was first European leader to talk to Biden'
While we wait for Joe Biden to speak, our US Editor Ben Riley-Smith has learned that Boris Johnson was the first European leader to talk to Joe Biden since he became the US president-elect on Saturday, according to a well-placed source.
The Prime Minister is understood to have talked to Mr Biden before Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, Emmanuel Macron, the French president, and Micheál Martin, the Irish Taoiseach.
Only one other world leader said in public they had a call with the president-elect before Mr Johnson. That was Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister.
In the world of diplomatic niceties this is a win for Britain, especially after Theresa May's lowly position on Donald Trump's initial world leader call list generated a slew of negative headlines.
The unorthodox and largely unplanned order in which Mr Trump took his calls from world leaders after his November 2016 election victory was an insight into how he would disregard diplomatic norms as president.
Mr Biden appears to be working down the world leader list in a way that reflects America's old alliances. He vowed to rebuild ties with allies during his election campaign.
06:59 PM
Biden due to speak shortly
Joe Biden is set to deliver remarks at 7pm GMT. We will bring you all the latest right here.
06:50 PM
Macron discusses climate, terrorism with Biden
French President Emmanuel Macron held his first telephone talks with Joe Biden since the Democrat was elected the next president of the United States, his Elysee Palace office said.
The talks between Biden and Macron, who sought to form a solid working relationship with outgoing President Donald Trump, focused on international cooperation on the main global issues, it added.
"The president congratulated Joe Biden and his vice president Kamala Harris and emphasised his desire to work together on the current issues - climate, health, the fight against terrorism and the defence of fundamental rights," the Elysee said.
Macron has never met Biden, who served as vice president under Barack Obama from 2008-2016 before Macron arrived at the Elysee in 2017.
In contrast to some other EU leaders, Macron sought from the outset to build a strong relationship with Trump, hosting him for a high profile visit to Paris in 2017 and then again for the 2019 G7 summit in Biarritz.
But analysts say that the French leader has little to show for the diplomacy, with vast differences between Paris and Washington on issues ranging from Iran to the taxation of digital giant
06:42 PM
Trump to make first public appearance tomorrow
U.S. President Donald Trump will visit Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, the White House said, in what would be the president's first public appearance since the U.S. presidential contest was called for his Democratic rival Joe Biden over the weekend.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump will visit the cemetery to mark Veterans Day, White House spokesman Judd Deere told Reuters.
06:31 PM
Mike Pompeo promises 'smooth transition to a second Trump administration'
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday promised to ensure a "smooth transition" but insisted that President Donald Trump would be inaugurated again despite Joe Biden's projected victory.
"There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration," Mr Pompeo said in a testy news conference, adding that there were still votes left to be counted.
Pompeo just now: “There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration."
Fox News cuts away from Kayleigh McEnany over election fraud claims
Fox News cut away from a news conference held by White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Monday, with the host explaining there was no evidence to back up her "explosive charge" about election fraud, writes Chris Graham.
In another sign of a growing split between US President Donald Trump and the broadcaster, anchor Neil Cavuto broke away from the video feed from the Republican National Committee headquarters after Ms McEnany claimed, without evidence, that Democrats were inviting fraud and illegal voting.
“There is only one party in America trying to keep observers out of the count room, and that party, my friends, is the Democrat Party,” she said, adding: “You don’t oppose an audit of the vote because you want an accurate count. … You take these positions because you are welcoming fraud and you are welcoming illegal voting.”
Interrupting the press secretary, Cavuto said: “Whoa, whoa, whoa. I just think we have to be very clear that she’s charging the other side as welcoming fraud and welcoming illegal voting. Unless she has more details to back that up, I can’t in good countenance continue showing you this.”
Ukraine 'hopes' to receive inauguration invitation
Ukraine hopes to receive an invitation to President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, a presidential adviser told Reuters, with Kiev betting its attempts to stay neutral in last year's U.S. impeachment saga will pay dividends.
Ukraine was sucked into U.S. politics last year when a whistleblower revealed that President Donald Trump had asked President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate Biden and his son Hunter, who had worked for a Ukrainian gas company. Ukraine's prosecutor general found no evidence of wrongdoing against Hunter Biden.
Trump was accused by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives of abusing his office and impeached, but acquitted in February this year by the Republican-held Senate.
Mr Zelenskiy tweeted his congratulations after Biden secured the more than the 270 votes in the Electoral College needed to win the presidency on Saturday.
"Undoubtedly, President Zelenskiy does not exclude the possibility of personally being present at the inauguration," presidential adviser Mikhail Podolyak said.
Biden "is deeply aware of our regional issues, and therefore it is obvious that we will get an extremely effective 'Ukrainian platform' right off the bat."
05:55 PM
Biden camp says Facebook is 'shredding the fabric of democracy'
Margi Murphy, Technology reporter, has this on Biden's campaign spokesman Bill Russo's lengthy tirade against Facebook.
Mark Zuckerberg might have hoped he was in for an easier ride when Donald Trump leaves the White House.
But if Mr Russo's Twitter bashing of the company is anything to go by, they could be facing tough questions under a new administration.
Mr Russo accused Facebook of failing to challenge calls for violence on its platform after the election in a series of critical tweets on Tuesday.
"If you thought disinformation on Facebook was a problem during our election, just wait until you see how it is shredding the fabric of our democracy in the days after," he wrote.
Mr Russo slammed Facebook for keeping online the "lies" made by Donald Trump about election fraud and election victory, which were widely shared across the network and for failing to act quickly enough to deescalate the "Stop The Steal" group that went viral as it became apparent that Biden had the lead.
He hinted that Mark Zuckerberg may be questioned over his actions under the new administration: "we pleaded with Facebook for over a year to be serious about these problems...we need answers".
05:37 PM
Germany sees Biden election as opportunity for 'new deal' in trans-Atlantic relations
The election of Joe Biden as the next U.S. president is an opportunity for a "new deal" in trans-Atlantic relations that would revive the close cooperation between America and Europe, but also see Europeans shoulder greater responsibility on the world stage, Germany's foreign minister has said.
"Joe Biden's election victory means one thing in particular: new opportunities for the trans-Atlantic partnership," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told The Associated Press.
"We need a kind of new deal in the trans-Atlantic partnership, the basis of which would consist of responding to international challenges with international solutions and not with a policy of 'America First' or 'Europe First,"' he said.
Mr Maas, who has been Germany's top diplomat since 2018, said relations with the United States over the past four years often were one-sided.
"Decisions were made by the administration or in the White House, and they were then put in front of us, and we had to deal with them," he said. "That's not the cooperation we wished for and still wish for."
Mr Maas said he hoped the Biden administration would bring the United States back as an "active player" on the world stage, joining other nations in tackling global challenges such as climate change, migration and the coronavirus pandemic.
05:32 PM
Boris and Biden talk
Further to our post at 5.09pm, a photo has been released by Downing Street of PM Boris Johnson speaking with President-elect Biden a little earlier this afternoon.
Boris Johnson speaks to President-elect of the United States Joe Biden from his office inside No10 Downing Street - Andrew Parsons / No10 Downing Street /No10 Downing Street
"They discussed the close and longstanding relationship between our countries and committed to building on this partnership in the years ahead, in areas such as trade and security – including through NATO," Johnson's office said in a statement after the first call between the two men since last week's presidential election.
"The Prime Minister invited the President-elect to attend the COP26 climate change summit that the UK is hosting in Glasgow next year. They also looked forward to seeing each other in person, including when the UK hosts the G7 Summit in 2021."
The two men discussed trade and security among other issues, according to a Downing Street spokesperson - Andrew Parsons / No10 Downing Street /No10 Downing Street
05:20 PM
Macron speaking with Biden
French President Emmanuel Macron will today hold his first telephone talks with Joe Biden since the Democrat was elected the next president of the United States, the Elysee said.
The talks between Biden and Macron, who sought to form a solid working relationship with outgoing President Donald Trump, was scheduled to take place around 4.30pm GMT, it added.
05:09 PM
Boris and Biden talk
Boris Johnson and Joe Biden have talked, making the Prime Minister among the first world leaders to have a discussion with the new president-elect, writes Ben Riley-Smith.
Mr Johnson’s call took place on Tuesday morning, Washington DC time. Mr Biden took the call in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.
Mr Johnson tweeted: "I just spoke to Joe Biden to congratulate him on his election. I look forward to strengthening the partnership between our countries and to working with him on our shared priorities – from tackling climate change, to promoting democracy and building back better from the pandemic."
The phrase "building back better" was one Mr Biden used during the campaign about his plans for rebuilding the economy.
I just spoke to @JoeBiden to congratulate him on his election. I look forward to strengthening the partnership between our countries and to working with him on our shared priorities – from tackling climate change, to promoting democracy and building back better from the pandemic.
The call has been seen as a critical first step in Mr Johnson establishing a working relationship with Mr Biden. The pair have never met.
Mr Johnson had formed a close working relationship with Donald Trump, who liked to call his British counterpart “Britain Trump” and often referred to him as a friend.
The conversation is also another signal that Britain has accepted Mr Biden has won the election, even as Mr Trump continues to claim victory and fight through the courts.
The flood of world leaders congratulating Mr Biden has undercut the current US president’s attempt to push the unsubstantiated claim that the election was “stolen” from him.
The exact position in which Mr Johnson’s call came in the list of world leaders who first talked to Mr Biden is unclear.
Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, talked to Mr Biden on Monday.
05:00 PM
The curious case of Trump's empty schedule
Ben Riley-Smith, US Editor, has this on two very different work weeks.
Donald Trump is the president. Joe Biden is the president-elect. At yet, looking at their schedules, you would be forgiven for thinking the reverse is true.
On Monday, Mr Biden - who is yet to get his hands on the levers of power - held a briefing with his newly created coronavirus taskforce about tackling the pandemic.
Today, Mr Biden will give a speech about the importance of former president Barack Obama’s flagship health care legislation, Obamacare, as the Supreme Court hears a challenge to it.
How about Mr Trump? On Monday, the president had no events on his public schedule. On Tuesday, the president had no events on his public schedule.
Mr Trump is yet to give a speech or hold an event before the cameras since Mr Biden had the race called for him by the broadcasters on Saturday morning.
04:47 PM
Cindy McCain: 'I believe Biden will heal the country'
Cindy McCain, the widow of John McCain, has told CNN that her late husband would be happy Joe Biden has won the presidency, and that she believes he is the right man to "heal" America.
"I think my husband would be very pleased," she said. "We were good friends with the Bidens. And I just know he is looking down and going, 'You did the right thing.'"
Ms McCain is part of the Biden transition team and publicly endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket at the Democratic Convention in August, despite her husband being a life-long Republican. John McCain was the senator for Arizona for 31 years and ran for president against Barack Obama in 2008.
Trump frequently attacked John McCain by name, including in 2015, when he said he didn't consider Mr McCain a war hero because he preferred service members who were not captured.
Ms McCain said one of the reasons she endorsed Joe Biden was his ability to work with those who hold differing views: "That is the difference in President-elect Biden with regards to this White House," she said. "I believe they can get things done and I also think that they're going to heal the country by working that way -- and that's of course what we all want."
Cindy McCain has joined the Biden transition team despite being a lifelong Republican. She and her late husband frequently clashed with Donald Trump - Ross D. Franklin /AP
04:33 PM
Trump: 'WATCH FOR MASSIVE BALLOT COUNTING ABUSE'
Donald Trump has taken to Twitter once again this morning to continue to peddle his unfounded belief that the election was rigged.
"WATCH FOR MASSIVE BALLOT COUNTING ABUSE," he has tweeted. "REMEMBER I TOLD YOU SO!"
"BALLOT COUNTING ABUSE!" read another post.
WATCH FOR MASSIVE BALLOT COUNTING ABUSE AND, JUST LIKE THE EARLY VACCINE, REMEMBER I TOLD YOU SO!
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has congratulated Joe Biden on his victory over Donald Trump in the US presidential election, urging closer ties between the two NATO allies.
"I congratulate you on your election success and convey my sincere wishes for the peace and welfare of the US people," Erdogan said in a statement published by his office, urging "strong cooperation" between the sides.
04:09 PM
Biden's first call with foreign leader is Canada's Justin Trudeau
Joe Biden's first phone call with a foreign leader was with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Rozina Sabur writes from Washington.
The pair are expected to work closely on combating climate change, an issue that both leaders highlighted in their readouts of the phone call.
Mr Trudeau called it a "welcome sign that the new President-elect has indicated that climate change is a top priority of his".
The two leaders also "committed to work together" on energy, migration and global security, and "agreed on the importance of addressing anti-Black racism," Mr Trudeau's office said.
Mr Trudeau was also careful to ensure he maintains his working relationship with Donald Trump, declining to comment on the president's refusal to concede defeat.
However he did express confidence on the US election system and took a moment to reflect on "the historic milestone" in the US electing Kamala Harris as vice president.
"Seeing a woman, a Black and South Asian-American woman elected as the next Vice President of the United States is an inspiration," he said.
03:57 PM
Has Trump delivered on his 2016 promises?
The Telegraph's Rosa Prince outlines how well Donald Trump fared in his time in the White House.
03:47 PM
Biden arrives to defend Obamacare
Joe Biden has arrived at the Queen Theater in Delaware, where later today he is scheduled to address the media about the Trump administration's lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act.
The conservative-majority Supreme Court began hearing arguments against Obamacare by Republican-governed states backed by President Donald Trump today.
President-elect Joe Biden arrives at the Queen Theater - Joe Raedle Joe Biden is scheduled to address the media about the Trump administration's lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act - Joe Raedle
If Obamacare were to be struck down, up to 20 million Americans could lose medical insurance and insurers could once again refuse to cover people with pre-existing medical conditions. Obamacare expanded public healthcare programs and created marketplaces for private insurance.
Mr Biden has criticised the efforts, especially as they come in the midst of the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
03:33 PM
Kamala Harris: how she will reshape the role of vice president
Now Kamala Harris has been elected as the Vice President, she is viewed as the most powerful politician in the role since Dick Cheney.
Read more on how Ms Harris will reshape the role of US vice president here.
03:19 PM
Afternoon summary
President Donald Trump will push ahead with longshot legal challenges to his loss in in last week's election, as Republican officials at the state and federal level lined up behind him. Here is everything you need to know so far:
The Trump administration is throwing the presidential transition into tumult. President Donald Trump has fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and blocked government officials from cooperating with Mr Biden's team.
Mr Trump started his morning by telling his Twitter followers he is making "big progress" on the election result, adding "we will win”, despite having no evidence to support his claims.
Attorney General William Barr authorised federal prosecutors across the country to pursue "substantial allegations" of voting irregularities, prompting a top official to resign.
A team of election observers invited by the Trump administration said there were no issues with the election, and criticised him for bringing them onboard.
Republican elected officials and the Trump administration are advancing their latest arguments to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, a long-held GOP goal, later today.
Mr Biden meanwhile is championing the Obama administration's signature health care law, while also laying out his vision for tackling the coronavirus pandemic when he takes office.
There were almost 59,000 Covid-19 patients in hospitals across the United States on Monday, the country's highest number ever of in-patients being treated for the disease.
Pfizer announced its coronavirus vaccine was effective, prompting Mr Trump to criticise the organisation for now making the announcement before the election.
Mr Biden’s team rejected comparisons between this presidential election and the one in 2000 which was contested and ended up in the Supreme Court, saying the voting margins are in no way comparable.
02:44 PM
Biden official: 2020 is not like 2000
Ben Riley-Smith, US Editor, has this from the Biden campaign:
Joe Biden’s team is rejecting comparisons between this presidential election and the one in 2000 which was contested and ended up in the Supreme Court.
In that race, between George W Bush and Al Gore, the candidates were separated by just one state, Florida, and the margin of victory was around 500 votes.
In this year’s election, Mr Biden was pushed over the 270 electoral votes line that guarantees victory by multiple states and a win margin of sometimes tens of thousands of votes.
The Biden official said: “This is not 2000 by any stretch. That involved one state that had a 500 vote-plus margin, that had a number of different lines of contention of ballots that would have altered the outcome of that election and therefore the entire Electoral College vote. This is a very different situation.”
02:27 PM
Ivana Trump: 'He’s going to fight and fight and fight'
Donald Trump's ex-wife and mother to Ivanka, Eric and Donald Jr has spoken out on the election storm currently captivating America.
Ivana Trump, who was married to Mr Trump between 1977 and 1992, said she expected the president to "fight and fight" against the election result.
"He’s not a good loser. He doesn’t like to lose, so he’s going to fight and fight and fight," the 71-year-old said in an interview with People magazine.
Ivana Trump and Donald Trump in 1985 at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City - Ron Galella Collection
Mr Trump has continuously insisted that he will not accept the election result, arguing the contest was "stolen" from him - despite lacking any evidence to back up his claims.
But Ivana said she thinks it is time the president accepts his loss as he has "plenty of money, places to go and live in and enjoy his life".
“I just want this whole thing to be over with, one way or the other,” Ivana added. “I really don’t care.”
"He’s going to go down to Palm Beach and play golf and live the normal life, I think. This is the best choice for what he can do."
02:14 PM
The five challenges Biden faces
While defeating the incumbent President Donald Trump at the polls was no mean feat, Joe Biden is now faced with the real challenge of a four-year term in the White House.
Mr Biden will be taking over a deeply divided United States in the middle of a pandemic. What's more, he might also face pressures from the more progressive strands of the Democratic Party.
02:00 PM
What happens if Trump refuses to concede?
Donald Trump still shows no sign of conceding defeat, repeating threats that he would go to court with "valid and legitimate legal challenges" over the election.
In a statement moments after TV networks declared Mr Biden the winner, Mr Trump vowed he "will not rest" until there was an "honest vote count".
The president's statement said: “We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him. They don’t want the truth to be exposed. The simple fact is this election is far from over. Legal votes decide who is president, not the news media."
Mr Trump is facing mounting pressure to cooperate with Mr Biden's team to ensure a smooth transfer of power when the new administration takes office in January.
But what would happen if Mr Trump refuses to concede the presidency and leave the White House?
Donald Trump is awake and, shockingly, is tweeting. The president started his morning by telling supporters he is making "big progress" on the election result, adding "we will win".
There is no evidence to support any claims from Mr Trump, or his administration and supporters, of election fraud or tampering.
WE ARE MAKING BIG PROGRESS. RESULTS START TO COME IN NEXT WEEK. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
'Technical error' leaves Trump in background of UK's Biden congratulatory tweet
A "technical error" led to parts of a message congratulating President Donald Trump being left visible in an official tweet congratulating Joe Biden from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a government spokesman said on Tuesday.
He said the government had prepared two different statements because the contest was so close, but that a technical error meant parts of the alternative message were embedded in the background of the graphic congratulating Mr Biden.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Guido Fawkes website published a picture of the tweet after it had adjusted the contrast and brightness levels of the image. It appeared to show Mr Trump's name, the words "second term" and "on the future of this" in the background of the tweet congratulating Mr Biden.
"As you'd expect, two statements were prepared in advance for the outcome of this closely contested election. A technical error meant that parts of the alternative message were embedded in the background of the graphic," a government spokesman said.
01:23 PM
Times Square congratulates Biden and Harris
President-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris were congratulated on their win on a Jumbotron in Times Square yesterday.
President Elect Joe Biden and Vice President Elect Kamala Harris - John Lamparski An image of president-elect Joe Biden on a screen in the Times Square - Michael Nagle The bill board is seen from a distance - Michael Nagle
01:09 PM
Trump administration strikes WHO again
The United States said on Tuesday that the terms under which a World Health Organization-led team of experts is to investigate the origins of coronavirus were not transparently negotiated or in line with the mandate agreed by member states.
The Trump administration has accused the UN agency of being "China-centric", which WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has repeatedly denied, and has accused China of having hidden the extent of its initial outbreak.
Garrett Grigsby, head of the global affairs office at the US Department of Health and Human Services, told the WHO's ministerial assembly that member states had been made aware of the investigation's terms of reference only a few days ago.
"The TOR (terms of reference) were not negotiated in a transparent way with all WHO member states. The TOR and the investigation itself appear to be inconsistent with the mandate provided by member states," he said, without elaborating.
WHO's top emergency expert Mike Ryan said on October 30 that the WHO-led team of scientists and their Chinese counterparts had held a first virtual meeting regarding joint investigations into the origin of the coronavirus that emerged in China late last year and would deploy on the ground in time.
12:50 PM
Four Seasons Total Landscaping goes viral
It was billed as a major press event at Philadelphia's Four Seasons, but a briefing by Donald Trump's lawyers was mercilessly mocked when it emerged the venue was not the plush hotel but a suburban garden center next to a sex shop.
After confusion between the Four Season's hotel and Four Seasons Total Landscaping, the "big press conference" was to be held at the latter, a family business between a crematorium and an adult book store on the outskirts of Pennsylvania's biggest city.
The event - in which the outgoing president's attorney Rudy Giuliani pressed Trump's baseless claims about voter fraud - has now gone viral on social media. Here are a few of the best reactions:
I could write jokes for 800 years and I'd never think of something funnier than Trump booking the Four Seasons for his big presser, and it turning out to be the Four Seasons Total Landscaping parking lot between a dildo store and a crematorium. pic.twitter.com/P45HV1daD9
Here are the top stories happening on Tuesday in Election 2020:
Biden's pitch: Joe Biden is championing the Obama administration's signature health care law as it goes before the Supreme Court in a case that could overturn it. Mr Biden will deliver an Affordable Care Act speech on Tuesday, reflecting the importance he is putting on health care as he prepares to take office in January amid the worst pandemic in more than a century.
'Obamacare' fight: Republican elected officials and the Trump administration are advancing their latest arguments to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, a long-held GOP goal that has repeatedly failed in Congress and the courts. Arguments are scheduled in the Supreme Court's third major case over the 10-year-old law.
Trump stalling: The Trump administration is throwing the presidential transition into tumult. President Donald Trump has fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and blocked government officials from cooperating with Mr Biden's team.
Not conceding: Losing presidential candidates have conceded to their opponents in private chats, telegrams, phone calls and nationally televised speeches. But Mr Trump is not expected to concede at all. There is no law that says Mr Trump has to concede, but if he does not, he will be the first presidential candidate in modern times to ignore the tradition.
Barr's move: Attorney General William Barr authorised federal prosecutors across the country to pursue "substantial allegations" of voting irregularities, if they exist, before the 2020 presidential election is certified. Mr Barr's actions raise the prospect that Mr Trump will use the Justice Department to try to challenge the outcome.
12:16 PM
What will Biden's first 100 days look like?
President-elect Joe Biden will launch "agency review teams" next week, charged with collecting and reviewing information on the Trump administration in order to smoothly shift federal departments toward Mr Biden's priorities when he takes office in January.
In addition, he is expected to try to roll the clock back as much as possible to January 2017, when he and Barack Obama left office.
That would involve using executive orders, as much as possible, to overturn orders introduced by Mr Trump, including those that loosened environmental regulations.
Another immediate priority will be to act to save Obamacare by withdrawing from a federal legal case, brought under the Trump administration, that aims to end it.
Read more about Mr Biden's priorities in his first 100 days here.
12:00 PM
US media reacts
As the Trump administration throws the presidential transition into tumult, all while Joe Biden steps up his coronavirus campaign, the US media reacts.
The New York Times The Washington Post The Boston Globe USA Today The Wall Street Journal
11:40 AM
What's at stake with Obamacare
Whether the Affordable Care Act stays, goes or is significantly changed will affect the way life is lived in the US. Here's a look at some of what's at stake if the opponents of the law prevail:
Coverage for more than 20 million: The ACA's two main programs for covering uninsured people would be wiped out if the law is overturned, leaving more than 20 million people uninsured unless a divided Congress can put a new safety net in place.
A new pre-existing condition: Before the ACA, insurers could turn a person down for an individual policy, or charge them more, based on their medical history. But if Obamacare is gone, Covid-19 could become America's newest pre-existing condition, for more than 10 million people who have tested positive so far.
Prevention: Most American women now pay nothing out of their own pockets for birth control under the ACA. Many other services, from colonoscopies to flu shots, are also free. If people again face copays for routine preventive care, that may discourage some to go for tests shown to detect diseases.
Longer runway shortened: One of the earliest benefits to take effect after the passage of "Obamacare" was a requirement that insurers allow young adults to stay on a parent's plan until they turned 26. That provided a longer economic runway for millions of young adults, who could be struggling because of the pandemic.
Return of a Medicare gap: Obamacare took the first major steps to close Medicare's unpopular "doughnut hole," a coverage gap that used to leave seniors on the hook for hundreds of dollars in prescriptions drug costs. Repealing would mean the return of the coverage gap, sure to infuriate older voters, many of whom say their medications still cost too much.
11:22 AM
How the election results unfolded
It was a tense four days for voters in America waiting to find out who would be their new president.
The Telegraph traces the contours of a historic week – from allegations of ballot fraud to a slow but steady victory from Joe Biden and his team.
11:04 AM
US coronavirus hospitalisations surge
As the election continues to be contested by Donald Trump, the coronavirus pandemic rages across the country.
There were almost 59,000 Covid-19 patients in hospitals across the United States on Monday, the country's highest number ever of in-patients being treated for the disease.
The number of people with the virus being hospitalised has surged around 73 per cent over the past 30 days to at least 58,982 - a record level that surpasses the previous high of 58,370 on July 22.
The US also recorded more than 100,000 cases for the sixth consecutive day on Monday, cementing its position as the nation worst affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
The country had recorded 238,000 deaths by Monday night and more than 10 million people have been infected.
The pandemic was one of the main issues in the battle for the White House between Mr Trump and former vice president Joe Biden.
10:49 AM
Biden welcomed Pence to White House four years ago today
Exactly four years ago today, Joe Biden was welcoming vice-president Mike Pence to the White House in an effort to facilitate a "smooth" transition.
A picture posted to Mr Biden's Twitter account on November 10, 2016 shows him place his hand reassuringly on Mr Pence's shoulder.
The pair discussed their "friendship dating back many years" while Mr Biden offered his "full support", according to a statement released after the meeting.
The former vice-president invited Mr Pence and his family for dinner, it added.
Posted just a week after Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the election, the Tweet offers a stark contrast to today's state of affairs.
As Mr Pence's exit from the White House looms, he is yet to offer the same to vice president-elect Kamala Harris.
10:36 AM
Biden plans speech defending Affordable Care Act
President-elect Joe Biden is planning to deliver a speech defending the Obama administration's signature health care law amid a case before the Supreme Court that could overturn it.
Mr Biden will speak on the Affordable Care Act from Wilmington, Delaware, on Tuesday. He campaigned for months on the law, arguing that President Donald Trump and top Republicans opposed it and therefore wanted to wipe out its mandated health insurance coverage for people with preexisting conditions even though they had no alternative to replace it.
A lawsuit challenging the law is being considered by the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority after Mr Trump's appointment of Amy Coney Barrett.
Mr Biden and other top Democrats tried to make last week's election a referendum on health care, which helped the party have a strong midterm election in 2018. But Democrats failed to win control of the Senate and lost House seats this cycle, despite Mr Biden's win.
10:20 AM
Trump accuses Pfizer of delaying vaccine announcement
Donald Trump has accused Pfizer and the US Food and Drug Administration of waiting until after the election to announce its positive vaccine news for political reasons.
The President's comments on Twitter came hours after his son, Donald Trump Jnr, also questioned the timing of multinational pharmaceutical corporation's announcement, which came two days after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the bitterly fought presidential election.
The @US_FDA and the Democrats didn’t want to have me get a Vaccine WIN, prior to the election, so instead it came out five days later – As I’ve said all along!
Despite cheering the news early on Monday, Mr Trump posted a series of tweets later attacking the timing of the announcement and also taking credit for the speed of its delivery.
"As I have long said, @Pfizer and the others would only announce a Vaccine after the Election, because they didn’t have the courage to do it before. Likewise, the @US_FDA should have announced it earlier, not for political purposes, but for saving lives!," he said.
Read more from our US Correspondent Josie Ensor here.
10:04 AM
Two new cases of Covid-19 in the White House
Two more people close to US President Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus, media reports said Monday.
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson. 69, has contracted the virus, his deputy chief of staff Coalter Baker told NPR.
"He is in good spirits and feels fortunate to have access to effective therapeutics which aid and markedly speed his recovery," Mr Baker said in a statement.
According to ABC television, Mr Carson was briefly treated at Walter Reid military hospital outside Washington DC, where Mr Trump himself was treated for the virus.
Mr Carson had spent Tuesday evening at the White House watching the election results come in.
Another top aide to the president, David Bossie, was also at the White House event and tested positive on Sunday and has been self-isolating at home, NBC news said.
Mr Bossie, 55, was tapped a few days ago to lead the president's legal challenges to the election results.
On Friday, media reported that Mr Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows had tested positive for the disease after the election,. It was not clear when he contracted the virus.
09:47 AM
Election is ‘far from over’, says White House
The Trump re-election campaign is appealing for "patience" as it investigates reports of irregular votes.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who said she was speaking in her private capacity as an advisor to the Trump campaign, told reporters: "What we are asking here for is patience."
She cited more than 130 affidavits filed in Michigan alone, as an example of the irregularities. She also said there were reports of thousands of votes cast in Nevada from people who were not eligible.
09:37 AM
Supreme Court to hear attack on Obamacare
President Donald Trump's administration will make a last try in the US Supreme Court today to demolish the "Obamacare" health program, which could cancel the health insurance of millions in the middle of a pandemic.
The high court will hear arguments in the long-brewing case over the constitutionality of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, under which then-president Barack Obama's government sought to extend health insurance to people who could not afford it.
Since taking office in 2017, Mr Trump has tried to undermine the ACA, first eroding one key provision through legislation, and then seeking to cancel it altogether, backing a lawsuit by Texas and several other Republican-led states.
Obamacare will be replaced with a MUCH better, and FAR cheaper, alternative if it is terminated in the Supreme Court. Would be a big WIN for the USA!
After federal district and appeals courts sided with Texas, the case was appealed earlier this year to the nine justices of the Supreme Court by California and states which support the ACA.
Mr Trump's addition of three conservative justices to the court since 2017 could be enough to strike down ACA legislation.
As much as he has attacked the ACA, trying to cut related budgets and services, Mr Trump has not yet offered alternatives that would cover those losing insurance if the law is struck down.
"Obamacare will be replaced with a MUCH better, and FAR cheaper, alternative if it is terminated in the Supreme Court," Mr Trump claimed by tweet in September.
09:22 AM
White House to see return of 'first dogs'
Donald Trump was the first president since 1897 to arrive at the White House without a pet, but Joe Biden looks set to return to the tradition.
Mr Biden and Dr Jill Biden will bring their German Shepherds to the residency after inauguration in January.
Champ and Major will be used to the attention they will no doubt receive: they already have a huge social media following, with tens of thousands of followers on Twitter.
The pair settled in well at the vice-presidential residence during Barrack Obama's administration.
A post shared by Dr. Jill Biden (@drbiden) on Aug 26, 2020 at 4:04pm PDT
As Jill Biden prepared to leave One Observatory Circle in 2017, she said both dogs would miss their home.
“Champ has a built-in family here 24 hours a day with all the staff and security guards that keep little dog biscuits on hand for him," she told the Washington Post.
Champ has been a member of the Biden family since 2008, while Major was adopted from the Delaware Humane Association in 2018.
“Dogs remind you to live in the present,” Mr Biden said when asked why pets were important to him.
“They love unconditionally and they savor every moment with you. When I’m with Champ and Major, I get to live in the ‘now’ for a moment with them, enjoy the simple act of throwing a ball around or taking a walk.”
09:08 AM
What will Donald Trump do now?
What's next for Donald Trump? That is the question being mulled over in Washington DC now he has lost the election, reports US Editor Ben Riley-Smith.
So what path could the man who upended the norms of the Oval Office take in the months and years ahead? There are many possibilities.
First of all, we have the next two months. Mr Trump is president and will remain so until at least January 20, 2021 – inauguration day. So his hands, for now, stay on the levers of power.
The most obvious pressing question is whether he will accept the result. Unlike with every beaten US president in modern times, that remains unclear.
Let us assume that Mr Trump does not go down the dark path of calling his supporters out onto the streets and refusing to leave office at the inauguration. What comes next?
In pictures: Biden prepares for presidency as Trump administration contests result
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany discusses Trump campaign plans to pursue legal challenges - REUTERS Supporters of Donald Trump rally outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center - REUTERS President-elect Joe Biden waves to reporters after attending briefings with members of his "Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board" - REUTERS A man in a Biden mask dances in front of the White House - REUTERS US Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell poses with newly elected Republican Senators - AFP
08:30 AM
Justice lawyer quits in face of 'vote fraud' inquiries
A senior official in Attorney General William Barr’s department quit on Monday after Mr Barr allowed federal prosecutors to investigate voter fraud.
In a memo to staff, Mr Barr said prosecutors could look into “substantial allegations” of irregularities that could “potentially impact the outcome of a federal election in an individual State".
Richard Pilger, a prosecutor who would have overseen such investigations, quit the same day in response.
"Having familiarised myself with the new policy and its ramifications... I must regretfully resign from my role," he said in an email to colleagues.
The attorney general was issuing "an important new policy abrogating the forty-year-old Non-Interference Policy for ballot fraud investigations in the period prior to elections becoming certified and uncontested,” he added.
Mr Barr's actions raise the prospect of Donald Trump using the Justice Department to challenge the outcome of the election, which the president claims without evidence was fraudulent.
08:08 AM
Fox News cuts away from Trump's spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany
Fox News cut away from a news conference held by White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Monday, with the host explaining there was no evidence to back up her "explosive charge" about election fraud.
In another sign of a growing split between US President Donald Trump and the broadcaster, anchor Neil Cavuto broke away from the video feed from the Republican National Committee headquarters after Ms McEnany claimed, without evidence, that Democrats were inviting fraud and illegal voting.
07:49 AM
Recap: what you need to know
Good morning to those of you who are just joining us. Here is a summary of everything you need to know:
President-elect Joe Biden announced the formation of his coronavirus advisory board yesterday, as he told Americans: "Let's wear a mask. Let's get to work".
Donald Trump sent out a string of tweets attacking news organisations and polling companies for "tampering" with the election as he shows no sign of conceding.
Fox News cut away from a news conference held by White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Monday, with the host explaining there was no evidence to back up her "explosive charge" about election fraud.
The Senate's Republican leader Mitch McConnell hailed the party's results in the election and claimed that Mr Trump is right not to concede to Mr Biden.
Mark Esper, defense secretary, was fired by Mr Trump via Twitter. Mr Esper has clashed with Mr Trump a number of times over the last few months.
Richard Pilger, a Department of Justice official who oversees election fraud investigations, has stepped down, according to the New York Times. US stock markets jumped after
Pfizer announced its coronavirus vaccine was effective, prompting Mr Trump to criticise the organisation for now making the announcement before the election.
07:30 AM
Japan braced for 'leaderless era' as US influence declines
A prominent economic adviser to Japan's prime minister says Tokyo should prepare for a "leaderless era" as US global leadership gradually withers, and expand other strategic ties while bolstering its security alliance with Washington.
The prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, wasted little time in congratulating president-elect Joe Biden on last week's election win, despite the Donald Trump's refusal to concede, saying he wanted to strengthen the alliance and ensure peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
But concerns about America's inward turn have simmered in Japan for years, intensifying in the face of China's growing military and economic assertiveness and persisting during the Trump presidency.
For Suga adviser Takeshi Niinami, chief executive of drinks giant Suntory Holdings Ltd and a well-known regular on the international business circuit, Biden's promises to restore ties with international institutions and allies are welcome.
But Mr Niinami expects US influence to keep waning relative to China, as Mr Biden faces deep domestic divisions in America after the election, so Japan must widen its push for multiple partnerships.
"We have to put a footprint in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries and India," he said, while at the same time "we must explore further relations with the United States in the security space."
In a separate statement issued soon after Mr Biden's election victory, Niinami said, "I believe it is inevitable that US global leadership will wither in the long term.
"Japan must continue deepening the U.S.-Japan alliance but at the same time establish its relationship with the world in order to ready itself for a leaderless era."
07:12 AM
Biden: 'A mask is not a political statement'
President-elect Joe Biden has pleaded his fellow Americans to wear a face mask regardless of who they voted for, to help curb the spread of coronavirus.
In one of his first speeches as President-elect, Mr Biden told the US that even though he will not take office until January, he is already starting work to fight the virus.
The speech was an attempt to divide the wounds of divisions that marked the 2020 presidential race, and unite the country under the goal of keeping coronavirus at bay while a vaccine is being developed.
06:39 AM
Who will be next after Esper's firing?
The sacking of Defence Secretary Mark Esper has prompted speculation that other officials will also be axed in the final days of Trump's presidency.
According to multiple reports, he is also believed to be considering dismissing FBI Director Chris Wray and CIA Director Gina Haspel, angered that they did not support his battle for reelection.
The Washington Post reported that Mr Trump had already removed the official in charge of the programme that produces the government's climate change reports, a move that would allow him to be replaced by someone with views closer to Mr Trump's scepticism about global warming.
Mr Esper's firing drew warnings from senior politicians and former officials to not further destabilise the government.
Senator Mark Warner, the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he was "deeply troubled" by Esper's removal.
"The last thing that our country needs is additional upheaval in the institutions designed to protect our national security. President Trump must not invite further volatility by removing any Senate-confirmed intelligence or national security officials during his time left in office."
Retired admiral James Stavridis, the former Nato supreme allied commander, said that Mr Trump is "playing with fire with our nation's security."
If Trump moves on to fire the head of the CIA and the head of the FBI, both true professionals and patriots, we are going to be in uncharted waters for the next 90 days. It all has terrible “burn it down” on the way out feeling. It is playing with fire with our nations security
Barr's order 'will fuel fanciful or far-fetched claims'
Biden campaign lawyer Bob Bauer has said Barr's memorandum authorising investigations into allegations of voting irregularities "will only fuel the 'specious, speculative, fanciful or far-fetched claims' he professes to guard against."
The president was given cover on Monday to keep fighting by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, seen by many in the GOP as the one who may eventually need to nudge Trump to the exit.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer countered that the Republicans' refusal to accept the election results was "extremely dangerous, extremely poisonous to our democracy."
Mr Trump was angered when Mr Esper resisted pressure to deploy troops to quash civil unrest in the wake of the death of George Floyd. He was also annoyed by the slow pace of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.
Mr Esper also disagreed with the president's attitude toward the Nato alliance, and his position on renaming US military bases after Confederate generals. He had reportedly drafted a resignation letter weeks ago in anticipation of being terminated.
In an interview with the Military Times last week, which was published on Monday, Mr Esper rejected his critics' claims that he was a "yes man" to the president.
“My frustration is I sit here and say, ‘Hm, 18 Cabinet members. Who’s pushed back more than anybody?’ Name another Cabinet secretary that’s pushed back. Have you seen me on a stage saying, ‘Under the exceptional leadership of blah-blah-blah, we have blah-blah-blah-blah?’ "
04:05 AM
One Trump lawsuit affects only 180 ballots
Trump campaign officials behind a lawsuit which claims that election workers in Arizona discarded votes will make their case to a county judge next week – despite the alleged wrongdoing involving fewer than 200 ballots.
Lawyers for Mr Trump claim that poll workers "incorrectly rejected" in-person votes cast on Election Day in Maricopa County.
But despite Mr Trump's claim of widespread fraud across the US, a lawyer for the county told The Arizona Republic that fewer than 180 ballots are the subject of the lawsuit. Mr Biden beat Mr Trump in Maricopa County by nearly 40,000 votes.
In any case, election officials in Maricopa County said there is no evidence of electoral fraud or illegal voting.
03:47 AM
Fox News cuts away from Trump spokeswoman over fraud claims
Fox News cut away from a news conference held by White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Monday, with the host explaining there was no evidence to back up her "explosive charge" about election fraud.
It is another sign of a growing split between Donald Trump and the broadcaster.
Anchor Neil Cavuto broke away from the video feed from the Republican National Committee headquarters after Ms McEnany claimed, without evidence, that Democrats were inviting fraud and illegal voting.
Interrupting the press secretary, Cavuto said: “Whoa, whoa, whoa. I just think we have to be very clear that she’s charging the other side as welcoming fraud and welcoming illegal voting.
"Unless she has more details to back that up, I can’t in good countenance continue showing you this.”
The Senate's Republican leader has hailed the party's results in last week's election and claimed that Donald Trump is right not to concede to Joe Biden.
Mitch McConnell is the most senior Republican to throw his weight behind the US President's unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.
He said on Monday that Mr Trump did not have to concede because results have not been finalised.
"President Trump is 100 per cent within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options," the Kentucky senator said.
Mitch McConnell accused the Democrats of hypocrisy - BLOOMBERG
"Suffice it to say, a few legal inquiries from the president do not exactly spell the end of the republic."
Mr McConnell also followed the president's lead in attacking media organisations for calling the results of the election, saying the US Constitution "gives no role in this process to wealthy media corporations".
He told the Democrats: “Let's not have any lectures about how the president should immediately, cheerfully accept preliminary election results from the same characters who just spent four years refusing to accept the validity of the last election."
01:02 AM
Trump launches Twitter tirade
Donald Trump has sent out a string of tweets attacking news organisations and polling companies for "tampering" with the election as he shows no sign of conceding to Joe Biden.
...ABC/WaPo had me down 17 points in Wisconsin, the day before the election, and I WON! In Iowa, the polls had us 4 points down, and I won by 8.2%! Fox News and Quinnipiac were wrong on everything...
As I have long said, @Pfizer and the others would only announce a Vaccine after the Election, because they didn’t have the courage to do it before. Likewise, the @US_FDA should have announced it earlier, not for political purposes, but for saving lives!
...ABC/WaPo had me down 17 points in Wisconsin, the day before the election, and I WON! In Iowa, the polls had us 4 points down, and I won by 8.2%! Fox News and Quinnipiac were wrong on everything...
Donald Trump's campaign called another press conference on Monday evening to rehash allegations of voter fraud.
Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, repeated the claims but offered no new evidence of wrongdoing.
When asked by a reporter if the campaign actually knew of cases of fraudulent votes, she said: "What we are asking for here is patience."
She told journalists at the Republican National Committee headquarters that the "election is not over – far from it".
Ms McEnany went on to claim that Joe Biden's team were defrauding the American people.
"There is only one party in America trying to keep observers out of the count room," she said. "And that party, my friends, is the Democrat party."
She then appeared to accuse journalists of being complicit in the cover-up: "You take these positions because you are welcoming fraud and you are welcoming illegal voting."
Ronna McDaniel, the chair of the Republican National Committee, also repeated a false claim that a whistleblower in Detroit reported that ballots had been fraudulently backdated.
But Fox News, the rightwing news network that has been supportive of Mr Trump throughout his presidency, cut away from the broadcast, with host Neil Cavuto telling viewers: "Unless she has more details to back that up, I can’t in good countenance continue showing this."
Fallout rages on after last week's US election. Moments ago, the US Attorney-General authorised prosecutors from the Department of Justice to examine allegations of voter fraud.
The Trump administration, which claims with very little evidence that the election was "stolen" by the Democrats, is refusing to acknowledge Joe Biden's victory.
Here are the top US stories:
Donald Trump fired his defence secretary by tweet on Monday night, indicating he would seek to settle scores with his own officials over the next few months
Mr Biden on Monday unveiled his coronavirus task force, which includes a British-born former US Surgeon General, as he told Americans: "Let's wear a mask. Let's get to work"
Donald Trump Jnr has questioned the timing of Pfizer’s vaccine study announcement on Monday, two days after Mr Biden was declared the winner of the bitterly fought presidential election – describing it as “nefarious”
Former NBA guard Darius Morris has died at the age of 33. He played for five teams during his four NBA seasons. Morris played college basketball at Michigan.
Jason Fitz and Frank Schwab join forces to recap the draft in the best way they know how: letter grades! Fitz and Frank discuss all 32 teams division by division as they give a snapshot of how fans should be feeling heading into the 2024 season. The duo have key debates on the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders and more.
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