US President-elect Joe Biden has taken the first steps towards moving into the White House 73 days from now, as he delivered his first remarks on the Covid-19 pandemic in which he once again implored all American to wear a mask.
"We could save tens of thousands of lives if everyone would just wear a mask for the next few months. I implore you, wear a mask...A mask is not a political statement. But it is a good way to start pulling the country together," he said.
His announcement came as incumbent Donald Trump again refused to admit defeat and tried to sow doubt about the election results.
With congratulations pouring in from world leaders, Mr Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris launched a transition website, BuildBackBetter.com, and a Twitter feed, @Transition46.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump played golf at his course near Washington, the same place where he was on Saturday when the US television networks delivered the news that Mr Biden had secured enough Electoral College votes for victory.
"Since when does the Lamestream Media call who our next president will be?" Mr Trump complained in a tweet on Sunday.
Follow the latest updates below.
11:56 PM
DOJ to probe 'substantial allegations' of voting irregularities
Attorney General William Barr has reportedly authorised the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to probe "substantial allegations" of voting irregularities, despite there being little evidence to back up the claim, he wrote in a memo to prosecutors.
Mr Barr says serious allegations should be handled with "great care" but "far-fetched" allegations should not be the basis for initiating federal inquiries.
Trump and his team have regularly made claims of voter fraud and "corruption" in last Tuesday's presidential elections.
11:49 PM
Conservatives need answers to the issues raised by Trump
The President’s defeat is a good moment for the centre-Right to consider what it really stands for, writes William Hague.
While Donald Trump seeks consolation as the world acclaims Joe Biden this week, he can at least reflect on the fact that he got more voters to the polls than anyone before him. As counting continues, the current total of nearly 71 million votes cast for Trump is the second largest in US history – although unfortunately for him, well exceeded by the 75.5 million for Biden, the largest ever.
Donald Trump sacks defence secretary Mark Esper in the wake of election loss
In a major Washington shakeup today, Donald Trump fired his defence secretary by tweet last night, indicating he would seek to settle scores with his own officials over the next few months, writes Nick Allen.
The president wrote: "Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service."
He announced that former special forces officer Christopher Miller, currently head of the National Counterterrorism Center, would become acting defence secretary.
U.S. extends air restrictions over Wilmington for Biden through January 20
The U.S. government has extended temporary flight restrictions through late January over Wilmington, Delaware, where President-elect Joe Biden is holding meetings on the transition.
Restrictions in Wilmington were first put in place after Biden was declared the Democratic party nominee in August. The U.S. Secret Service and Federal Aviation Administration declined to comment Monday.
The restrictions extended bar most flights below 3,000 feet without government approval within the three nautical mile zone that includes the Chase Center, where Biden declared victory on Saturday and holds meetings.
They also bar all drones from flying below 3,000 feet (914 meters) within the zone.
The restrictions are currently set to last until January 20, the same day Biden is set to be inaugurated as president.
A separate one-nautical mile restricted flight zone over Biden's nearby home has been extended through Wednesday.
11:06 PM
Georgia secretary of state hits back at senator
Georgia's secretary of state is firing back at the state's two U.S. senators for calling on him to resign over the handling of the election, which has President-elect Joe Biden leading President Donald Trump in the state.
Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue took the extraordinary step of calling for Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to step down.
Mr Raffensperger responded, "Let me start by saying that is not going to happen. The voters of Georgia hired me, and the voters will be the one to fire me."
He says while he understands their frustration with the outcome of the election - which also saw Ms Loeffler and Mr Perdue forced into runoffs - the way the election was handled was a success.
Mr Raffensperger says, "As a Republican, I am concerned about Republicans keeping the U.S. Senate. I recommend that Senators Loeffler and Perdue start focusing on that."
10:55 PM
2024 Republican candidates to descend on Georgia to keep Senate
Candidates for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination are set to descend on the state of Georgia in the coming weeks ahead of two high-profile Senate runoffs, writes Nick Allen.
The pair of races will take on huge importance because, if Democrats can beat both sitting Republican senators, they would achieve a 50-50 tie in the Senate.
When the Senate is split the vice president casts the deciding vote, meaning Kamala Harris would give Democrats control.
Joe Biden transition stalled as Trump official has to sign paperwork
An administrator appointed by Donald Trump is coming under pressure from Joe Biden's team after not signing paperwork authorising the transfer of power, reports Nick Allen.
Emily Murphy, head of the General Services Administration, is tasked with formally recognising Mr Biden as president-elect, which officially begins the transition period.
But, as of late Monday, the process had not started and there was no indication when it would.
The Trump campaign last night announced in a White House press conference that they were filing a new lawsuit in Pennsylvania, the swing state which helped win the election for Mr Biden, reports Josie Ensor.
Matthew Morgan, the campaign’s general counsel, alleged irregularities in counting and claimed their poll watchers were too far from the election workers to monitor their work. "We believe that this lawsuit takes us one step closer to closing the gap in the vote differential in Pennsylvania," he said, adding it could also trigger a recount.
Fox News, once Mr Trump’s preferred TV network, pulled away from the press conference seconds after it started, with the host saying that unless they had evidence to back up the claims “I can't in good countenance continue to show you this."
The taskforce's advisory board will include 10 experts, from immunologists and epidemiologists to biodefence experts and leading public health officials, reports Josie Ensor.
They will be led by three co-chairs, among them Dr Vivek Murthy, 43, the former US Surgeon General and son of immigrants from Karnataka, India, who moved to Huddersfield, England, in the mid-1970s.
When he was three, the family relocated to Miami, Florida, where Dr Murthy's parents established their medical practice.
Dr Murthy went on to gain degrees from Harvard and Yale before founding the organisation Doctors For America.
President Trump has tweeted that he expects to win Georgia by a large margin, "as it was on election night."
The sitting president has also tweeted his thoughts on Pennsylvania, where he claims his supporters were prevented from observing the ballot counting process, something he claims is "unthinkable and illegal in this country."
Pennsylvania prevented us from watching much of the Ballot count. Unthinkable and illegal in this country.
Police chief resigns after urging violence against US Democrats
A police chief in the southern US state of Arkansas has resigned after taking to social media following Joe Biden's presidential win to urge violence against Democrats.
Lang Holland, the police chief in Marshall, a small city located about 100 miles north of the state's capital Little Rock, vented his anger at Biden's victory on Parler, a right-wing social media site.
"Never let them forget they are traitors and have no right to live in this Republic after what they have done," read a screenshot of one of his posts which are no longer visible.
"Death to all Marxist Democrats," another post said. "Take no prisoners, leave no survivors!!"
Another post showed a picture of Democrats, including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, wearing prison jumpsuits with a caption that read: "I pray all those in that picture hang in the gallows and are drawn and quartered!!!! Anything less is not acceptable."
"The Marshall community does not in any way support or condone bullying or threats of violence to anyone of any political persuasion," the local mayor, Kevin Elliot, said in a statement. "We are a welcoming community that is humbly working to build a bright future for ALL our citizens."
09:40 PM
Bolsonaro will congratulate 'whomever is elected'
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a Donald Trump ally who has conspicuously refrained from acknowledging Joe Biden's victory in the US presidential race, will congratulate "whomever is elected" when "the time is right," his vice president said.
Bolsonaro, a far-right politician sometimes called the "Tropical Trump," is among the few world leaders not to congratulate Biden after he was declared the winner of last week's election - a fact that has drawn criticism from the Brazilian leader's opponents.
Referring to Trump's accusations that the vote was marred by widespread "fraud," Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao said Bolsonaro was waiting for those allegations to be resolved.
"I believe the president is waiting for the end of that whole mess, the argument over whether there were fake votes or not, before he comments," said Mr Mourao.
"Clearly, when the time is right, he will send Brazil's congratulations to whomever is elected," he added, without mentioning Biden by name.
09:30 PM
The US election in pictures
Our incredible pictures team have put together an amazing gallery of the past week, and the presidential race as a whole.
Mitch McConnell refuses to acknowledge Biden as President-elect
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday said President Donald Trump was completely within his rights to look into "irregularities" from last week's election.
In a speech on the Senate floor, the Republican leader did not acknowledge Democrat Joe Biden as president-elect or Kamala Harris as vice president-elect.
"President Trump is 100 percent within his rights to look into allegations of irregularities and weigh his legal options," McConnell said.
"A few legal inquiries from the president does not exactly spell the end of the Republic. This process will reach its resolution."
09:08 PM
Decoding Jill Biden's everywoman style
Before the election, Dr Jill Biden, a full-time English professor at Northern Virginia Community College, said she would “love to” continue teaching should husband Joe reach the White House, writes Emily Cronin.
Which would give her the distinction of being the only first lady ever to hold a paying job (not an appointment to a task force, but a j-o-b) during her spouse’s presidency.
Professor FLOTUS has a nice ring to it. It’s also an indication of just how differently Jill Biden will approach the role of first lady than her immediate predecessors. That’s just as true in terms of her approach to style as in all things professional.
What we’ve seen of Dr Biden’s style so far suggests that she’ll reshape the office of the first lady in a more upbeat, relatable direction. Instead of a former model/luxury shopper-in-chief (Melania Trump) or an astute political dresser (Michelle Obama), Jill promises to be an everywoman in the White House.
Arizona governor: US electoral system 'hard to cheat'
Arizona's Republican governor Doug Ducey has distanced himself from local party officials who have attacked and questioned the state's vote counting process, Laurence Dodds reports.
After days of silence, and mounting anger from Trumps-supporting protesters, Mr Ducey issued a statement expressing confidence in the election system and insisting that its rules were "hard to cheat".
But he implicitly sanctioned President Trump's campaign to overturn the results, without explicitly boosting debunked conspiracy theories about the process, as state GOP leaders have done.
The President, just like any other candidate, has the right to all available legal challenges and remedies, and we are confident they will be properly adjudicated. We will respect the election results. 3/3
Joe Biden's lead in Arizona has slowly narrowed over the past week, with about 70,000 votes left to count as of yesterday. Analysts say the remaining ballots are unlikely to be enough to push Mr Trump over the top.
08:45 PM
Congressman fires warning about US-UK trade deal
Brendan Boyle, Democratic congressman for Pennsylvania, last night said there would be no US-UK trade deal, "period”, if the UK government moves forward with the Internal Market Bill, reports Josie Ensor.
“This is a clear red line for us, from President-elect Biden and from Speaker (Nancy Pelosi)," said Mr Boyle, a prominent Irish-American on the Hill.
"If the UK decides to essentially rip up the withdrawal agreement that it negotiated and signed less than a year ago, then there will be no trade deal. Period," he told Channel 4.
The threat was the first from elected colleagues of Mr Biden's since he was declared winner of the election on Saturday.
08:34 PM
Trump: Nevada a 'cesspool of Fake Votes'
Donald Trump is showing no signs of giving up on his 'rigged election' narrative. He has taken to Twitter this evening to warn of "shocking" findings to be revealed by his team in Nevada.
"Nevada is turning out to be a cesspool of Fake Votes," he tweeted.
The White House's current occupant also discussed the Wisconsin recount in a separate tweet, stating that things are "looking very good."
Nevada is turning out to be a cesspool of Fake Votes. @mschlapp & @AdamLaxalt are finding things that, when released, will be absolutely shocking!
The lawyer charged with leading President Donald Trump's post-election legal challenges, David Bossie, has tested positive for Covid-19, a source familiar with the matter said.
Mr Bossie, a prominent conservative activist who leads advocacy group Citizens United, tested positive on Sunday, joining White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Housing Secretary Ben Carson as victims of the latest coronavirus outbreak to touch the White House.
David Bossie is a prominent figure in conservative legal circles, best know for leading Citizens United - Matt York/AP
Mr Bossie was picked to lead the legal challenges to Trump's election loss.
08:13 PM
Trudeau says he's hopeful Biden will keep up pressure on China
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he spoke to Joe Biden and discussed issues such as the coronavirus, climate change and the case of two Canadians detained in China.
"We've worked with each other before, and we're ready to pick up on that work and tackle the challenges and opportunities facing our two countries," Trudeau said in a tweet.
"I am extremely confident that the incoming American administration will continue to be a good partner to Canada and other nations around the world as we look to impress upon China the approach they are taking is simply not working ... (and) the importance of returning the two Canadians," he added.
Trudeau said earlier that he was confident Biden's administration would reinforce the message to China that its policy of arbitrarily detaining foreign citizens was not working.
"(China's) approach around coercive diplomacy is ineffective and extremely preoccupying for democratic nations around the world," the Canadian PM said in a news conference on Monday.
Other topics during the conversation with Biden included energy, trade, NATO and anti-Black racism.
We talked about those specific challenges today, as well as trade, energy, NATO, anti-Black racism, and China’s arbitrary detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. On these and other issues, President-elect @JoeBiden and I agreed to keep in touch and work closely together.
The White House is instructing federal agencies to fire political appointees of President Donald Trump who are looking for job opportunities after Trump's election defeat to President-elect Joe Biden.
A senior administration official says presidential personnel director John McEntee, the president's former personal aide, told White House liaisons at departments that they should terminate any political appointees seeking new work while Trump has refused to accept the electoral results.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
Trump's term ends at noon on January 20. Several thousand political appointees across the government will see their jobs end by that date.
07:50 PM
Trump supporters flock to 'free speech' social network Parler
Supporters of Donald Trump are flocking to a “free speech” network after a crackdown on comments made by the president and his allies on Twitter and Facebook, reports Margi Murphy.
Parler, which claims to be a censorship free alternative to mainstream social media, was the most downloaded free iPhone app as Twitter placed fact checking labels on all five of the tweets made by Donald Trump.
Its astronomical rise - climbing from the 1,023rd most downloaded app on Monday November 2 - could signal the beginning of a splitting of the internet into political corners.
Republican Susan Collins congratulates 'President-elect' Biden
Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins has congratulated President-elect Joe Biden on his "apparent victory" and urged a transition process that ensures he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are ready to govern on Jan. 20.
"He loves this country, and I wish him every success," Ms Collins said in a statement. "Presidential transitions are important, and the President-elect and the Vice-President-elect should be given every opportunity to ensure that they are ready to govern on January 20th."
She was one of just a few Republican senators to congratulate Democrat Biden after he won enough electoral votes on Saturday to clinch the U.S. presidency.
Ms Collins also acknowledged Republican President Donald Trump should have the opportunity to challenge results from Tuesday's election.
07:25 PM
The latest electoral college count
After Saturday's declaration of Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election, you could be forgiven for thinking that the race is over.
However, four states have yet to declare their results - Arizona, Alaska, Georgia and North Carolina.
In Arizona, Joe Biden currently leads by just 16,985 votes with 98 per cent of ballots counted. Fox News and AP have already called the state for the President-elect, but a final tally has not yet been announced.
In Alaska, only 56 per cent of the votes have been counted, due to the complicated logistics of collecting ballots in the vast state, and cross-referencing absentee ballots to ensure no one voted twice. Trump leads with 62.9 percent of the count so far. No Democrat has won in Alaska for decades.
In Georgia, Biden has a lead of 10,350 votes, with 98 per cent of ballots tabulated. however, local officials have already announced a recount, with the final tally expected on or before November 20.
President Trump still holds a lead in North Carolina of 75,000 votes with 98 per cent of ballots tallied, suggesting he will win the traditionally Republican state.
07:14 PM
Donald Trump urges supporters to hold rallies
Donald Trump will encourage his supporters to hold rallies around the country and will use the obituaries of dead people he claims voted to pursue his case that the election was "stolen" by Democrats, reports Nick Allen.
The White House backtracked from an apparent initial plan for Mr Trump to hold campaign-style rallies at which he would read out the obituaries. Officials suggested he would not appear in person but there would be events like the Trump boat parades that took place during the campaign.
Meanwhile, indications emanating from Mr Trump's legal team were that the court struggle could last a month as they exhaust all options in several states where the race was close. December 8 is the deadline for resolving election disputes at the state level, and all state recounts and court contests over presidential election results must be completed by that date.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has congratulated Joe Biden on winning the US presidency - and the American people for a "vibrant exercise of democracy."
"The Secretary-General congratulates the American people for a vibrant exercise of democracy in their country's elections last week," spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
"He congratulates the President-elect and Vice President-elect and reaffirms that the partnership between the United States and the United Nations is an essential pillar of the international cooperation needed to address the dramatic challenges facing the world today."
The statement, read by Mr Dujarric, did not explicitly mention Biden or his running mate Kamala Harris by name. Mr Dujarric did not explain why Mr Guterres waited two days to offer his congratulations.
06:49 PM
Mexico says US vote response not due to fraud suspicions
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says that his decision to wait for an official US election result before congratulating Joe Biden does not mean he believes there was fraud.
"Waiting doesn't mean that we're going to endorse (claims) that there was fraud. We don't know that," Mr Lopez Obrador said at his daily news conference. "We want to act prudently. Let's wait for the authorities to resolve it. Then we will speak out."
"In no case, with Joe Biden or with Donald Trump, will there be a bad relationship between Mexico and the United States," Mr Lopez Obrador added.
Mr Lopez Obrador said Saturday that he would wait for "all legal issues" in the US presidential election to be settled before offering any congratulations, even as such messages poured in from many other world leaders.
Trump has launched a slew of legal challenges, complained of vote fraud without offering evidence, and refused to concede after the major US television networks announced Biden's win.
Before coming to power in 2018, Lopez Obrador himself twice alleged he was the victim of vote fraud after losing the 2006 and 2012 presidential races.
06:36 PM
Boris predicts close U.S. ties under Biden
Speaking of Boris and Biden, the Prime Minister has said his government will have close ties with the United States under President-elect Joe Biden and they have a shared interest in tackling climate change.
The PM, who was once dubbed “Britain Trump” by President Donald Trump, again congratulated Biden on his victory.
"This country has had a good relationship with the White House over the last few years, but it has a good relationship with the White House for many, many years and I have no doubt we will continue to have a very, very strong, and very close relationship with our American friends," Johnson said at a media conference.
"One thing that is very exciting that you are already seeing from the incoming administration is their willingness to join the UK in the campaign to tackle climate change," Johnson said, declining to answer a question about whether it was time for Trump to throw in the towel.
06:25 PM
'Climate change' the best issue on which to build a Boris-Biden relationship
Climate change could prove the Government’s best in-road to the new Biden administration, and help dispel the incoming president’s impression that Boris Johnson is a Trump “clone”, writes Emma Gatten.
While the Government squares up for a clash on post-Brexit trade talks, there are already moves to start coordinating to tackle what both leaders see as one of the greatest challenges society faces.
Donald Trump may have sung the prime minister’s praises during his presidency, but on climate change in particular, the two have never seen eye-to-eye.
Mr Trump pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement which aims to keep global warming below 1.5C, vowed to protect fossil fuel industries and rolled back environmental protections.
Donald Trump has just announced on Twitter that Mark Esper has been "terminated."
"Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service," the 45th President wrote.
Trump has named Christopher C. Miller, the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, will take on the position of Acting Defence Secretary, effective immediately.
...Chris will do a GREAT job! Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service.
Turkey says it will congratulate U.S. election winner once result finalised
Turkey will congratulate the winner of the U.S. election after the result of the vote is finalised, a spokesman for President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party said, two day after Joe Biden clinched victory over President Donald Trump.
Ankara, which has been at odds with its NATO ally Washington over a host of issues, from differences in Syria policy to Turkey's purchase of Russian missile defence systems, said at the weekend it will continue working with the next U.S. administration.
Speaking at a news conference after an AK Party meeting chaired by Erdogan, Omer Celik said Ankara would congratulate and call the next U.S. president once the result is set, "out of respect for the United States and the American people".
05:49 PM
Joe Biden 'does not view Boris Johnson as Britain Trump'
Joe Biden does not regard Boris Johnson as "Britain Trump" and instead has vowed the special relationshp will endure, according to a close ally known as his "whisperer", writes Nick Allen.
Chris Coons, who holds Mr Biden's former Senate seat and may become his secretary of state, praised the prime minister's intellect.
Asked if Donald Trump's description of Mr Johnson as "Britain Trump" was a view the Biden team shared, he said: "No it’s not."
Mr Coons said he had met the prime minister and found him "more agile, engaging, educated and forward looking than perhaps the caricature of him in the American press would have suggested."
Donald Trump gives fans thumbs up as pressure grows on him to concede
05:25 PM
Biden: 'A mask is not a political statement'
Joe Biden has just delivered remarks on the coronavirus pandemic, warning that America still faces a "very dark winter" despite today's promising news from Pfizer regarding a vaccine.
"We’re still facing a very dark winter," Biden said. "The challenge before us right now is still immense and growing."
"We could save tens of thousands of lives if everyone would just wear a mask for the next few months. I implore you, wear a mask...A mask is not a political statement. But it is a good way to start pulling the country together."
US President-elect Joe Biden delivers remarks on the coronavirus pandemic at The Queen in Wilmington - ANGELA WEISS /AFP
"The goal is to get back to normal as fast as possible, and masks are critical to doing that. We can get this virus under control, I promise you," he added.
He went on to warn that it will still be many months before a vaccine is widely available and that his top priority is putting together a new coronavirus task force to guide America through the first few months of his presidency.
"This group will advise on detailed plans built on a bedrock of science," the President-elect said.
05:16 PM
Ben Carson, Trump's Housing Secretary, tests positive for coronavirus
U.S. Housing Secretary Ben Carson has tested positive for Covid-19 , an ABC reporter said on Twitter, becoming the latest victim of a second outbreak affecting the White House and top advisers to President Donald Trump.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who has frequently appeared at public events without wearing a mask, was diagnosed last week, along with several other staffers.
NEWS: Sec. Ben Carson tested positive for COVID-19 this morning. His deputy chief of staff says he's "in good spirits & feels fortunate to have access to effective therapeutics which aid and markedly speed his recovery." Carson attended the election night party at the White House
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris speak with the Covid-19 Advisory Council during a briefing at The Queen theatre in Wilmington - ANGELA WEISS /AFP U.S. President-elect Joe Biden waves to reporters prior to meeting with members of his coronavirus disease "Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board" in Wilmington - JONATHAN ERNST /REUTERS U.S. President-elect Joe Biden takes notes as he meets with members of the coronavirus disease "Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board" - JONATHAN ERNST /REUTERS
04:57 PM
Have the dead voted from beyond the grave in Pennsylvania?
Donald Trump has spent much of the last week claiming there has been election fraud and one of his primary arguments is that dead people have been voting in this election.
But could there be another explanation for dead voters in Pennsylvania, asks David Millward.
Well, mail-in ballots were sent out in September.
Roughly 2,800 people die a week in the state and, according to the latest road fatality figures, about 80 people a month are killed in road accidents.
This raises the possibility that the dead voters were alive when the cast their ballots, but passed away since.
04:43 PM
Joe Biden to bring first rescue dog to White House
When Joe Biden moves into the White House in January, it won’t just be Kamala Harris breaking new ground, writes Daniel Capurro.
The president-elect will bring two new canine residents with him to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, including the building's first rescue dog.
Major and Champ, both German Shepherds, will be the first dogs in the White House since Barack Obama’s Portuguese Water Dogs Bo and Sunny moved out in January 2017. Mr Obama promised a puppy to his daughters, Malia and Sasha, during the 2008 election and chose the breed for its hypoallergenic fur. Malia Obama is allergic to dog dander.
The Bidens adopted Major from the Delaware Humane Association in 2018, ten years after Mr Biden and his wife Jill acquired Champ, and, according to NBC News, he will be the first rescue dog to live at the White House.
Major and Champ, the Biden's two German Shepherds, will be the first dogs to reside in the White House since Bo and Sunny left with Barack Obama in January 2017 - -/Twitter
Lord Kilclooney refers to Kamala Harris as 'the Indian'
Lord John Kilclooney, the former MP and MEP, has caused a stir on Twitter after appearing to make a racist reference to Kamala Harris by referring to her as "the Indian".
"What happens if Biden moves on and the Indian becomes President. Who then becomes Vice President?" he asked.
Lord Kilclooney then issued a retraction, stating that he "withdraws my reference to her as an Indian as it seems to have upset some people."
"I did not know her name and identified her with the term Indian. Most people understood.Racist NO," he added.
What happens if Biden moves on and the Indian becomes President. Who then becomes Vice President?
How Joe Biden will tackle America's biggest foreign policy issues
Joe Biden has a motto for describing how the United States will see its place on the world stage under his presidency, writes Colin Freeman.
In a victory speech in Delaware on Saturday, he declared: "We lead not by the example of our power, but by the power of our example."
True, the new American leader does not have the copyright on that pithy catchphrase: it was also used by one Bill Clinton in support of Barack Obama's campaign in 2008. That, though, perhaps underlines how Mr Biden plans to return the world to "normal" after the Trump years, re-establishing US international leadership – and hoping that others still show faith in it.
Mr Biden is an experienced foreign policy hand. Not only is he a former chair of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he served as Mr Obama's global fixer during his two terms as vice-president, tasked with the knottier, more thankless portfolios such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Ukraine after Russia's 2014 invasion.
Further to our post at 2.32pm, Donald Trump Jr has continued to tweet his thoughts on the election, insinuating their may have been nefarious forces at play.
He has just tweeted: "Ever notice the “glitches” only go one way?", seemingly a continuation of the idea that the election is somehow rigged against his father. No one on the Trump side has so far been able to provide any evidence to support their theories.
We've had our first public glimpse of President-elect Joe Biden. Mr Biden waved to reporters as he made his way to a coronavirus briefing in Wilmington, Delaware.
Joe Biden, wearing a mask, waves to journalists - Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
03:27 PM
The 2020 election in pictures
03:22 PM
'Kamala Harris will help black women like me look in the mirror'
Kamala Harris will be the first woman of colour to be America's vice-president. Bonnie Greer, the British-American writer, has penned an OpEd explaining what it means to her and women like her that Kamala Harris is in the White House.
Donald Trump set up a hotline for voters to report cases of alleged voting fraud, but it has become a target for prank calls. According to Jonathan Swan of Axios, those manning the phone lines are mostly dealing with "lefty teenagers" making prank calls.
Trump campaign aides manning the “voter fraud hotline” describe mostly fielding prank calls from lefty teenagers and dealing with some disturbing unsolicited adult images.
And, according to ABC News, the Trump campaign staff who are working on the hotline are fielding hundreds of calls a day but are being bombarded by calls from "people laughing or mocking them over Biden's win before hanging up".
02:51 PM
Will enough Americans want to take a vaccine?
The Pfizer news is huge news here in the US, but the question is how many Americans will actually take the vaccine when it becomes widely available, writes Josie Ensor in New York. Most recent surveys suggested fewer than half of Republican, and Democrat, voters will, as faith in the trial process eroded.
Even as Covid-19 cases continue to rise to record-breaking levels, only two in five (43 per cent) Democrats are now certain they will get vaccinated against the virus. In July, three in five (60 per cent) Democrats said they would, a number that plummeted in mid-September (53 per cent to 40 per cent) around the same time that President Donald Trump said that a vaccine would be arriving in October or November.
There are widespread public concerns about aspects of the vaccine development process. The Pew Research Center survey finds three-quarters of Americans think it’s very or somewhat likely a coronavirus vaccine will be approved in the US before its safety and effectiveness are fully understood. Many also felt the process had been politicised by a Trump administration desperate for a boost to their re-election bid.
02:36 PM
Boards comes down
Ahead of the vote, many cities feared violence from disgruntled supporters of whichever candidate lost. So far, those fears have proved unfounded. Below, workers remove boards from windows in Washington DC put up to protect businesses from possible rioting.
Workers remove boards from a shop frotn - Hannah McKay/Reuters
02:32 PM
Donald Trump Jnr hints at conspiracy
Donald Trump Jnr, the eldest son of President Trump, has tweeted in response to the news from Pfzer, reports Josie Ensor in New York. “The timing of this is pretty amazing. Nothing nefarious about the timing of this at all right?” he tweeted.
Donald Jnr seemed to be suggesting that Pfzer waited until after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the election to announce the development.
In doing so, he repeats a favourite talking point of his father’s that the media is exaggerating the pandemic as part of a plot against him.
The president has claimed in speeches at various rallies that he believed if Mr Biden was elected, the media, and the Democrats, would "suddenly" no longer focus on the threat of the virus.
As part of his re-election campaign, Mr Trump had promised a vaccine before November 3, however, as the timeline appeared to push beyond that he said it could be announced “soon after.”
Meanwhile, Mike Pence, head of the White house’s coronavirus taskforce, tried to take credit on behalf of the government: “HUGE NEWS: Thanks to the public-private partnership forged by President @realDonaldTrump, @pfizer announced its Coronavirus Vaccine trial is EFFECTIVE, preventing infection in 90% of its volunteers,” he tweeted.
Kathrin Jansen, a senior vice president and the head of vaccine research and development at Pfizer, responded with a clarification, saying: “We were never part of the Warp Speed. We have never taken any money from the US government, or from anyone.”
02:00 PM
The statement in full
Here's that statement from Joe Biden in full:
“I congratulate the brilliant women and men who helped produce this breakthrough and to give us such cause for hope.
At the same time, it is also important to understand that the end of the battle against COVID-19 is still months away. This news follows a previously announced timeline by industry officials that forecast vaccine approval by late November. Even if that is achieved, and some Americans are vaccinated later this year, it will be many more months before there is widespread vaccination in this country.
This is why the head of the CDC warned this fall that for the foreseeable future, a mask remains a more potent weapon against the virus than the vaccine. Today's news does not change this urgent reality. Americans will have to rely on masking, distancing, contact tracing, hand washing, and other measures to keep themselves safe well into next year. Today’s news is great news, but it doesn't change that fact.
America is still losing over 1,000 people a day from COVID-19, and that number is rising -- and will continue to get worse unless we make progress on masking and other immediate actions. That is the reality for now, and for the next few months. Today's announcement promises the chance to change that next year, but the tasks before us now remain the same.”
01:33 PM
Biden welcomes vaccine news
Following on from President Trump's tweeted reaction to the vaccine news from Pfizer, President-elect Joe Biden has released a statement welcoming the announcement.
However, Mr Biden, who said he was informed of the development last night, struck a cautious note and warned Americans that it will be "many more months before there is widespread vaccination in this country" and that they will still need to wear masks for "the foreseeable future".
Biden's statement on the news that Pfizer is getting closer to an effective coronavirus vaccine.
He starts off by saying he already knew the news last night.
US President Donald Trump hailed the "great news" Monday that a vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech was 90 percent effective in preventing Covid-19 infections.
"STOCK MARKET UP BIG, VACCINE COMING SOON. REPORT 90% EFFECTIVE. SUCH GREAT NEWS!" the President tweeted minutes after Pfizer announced the development.
Mr Trump's defeat was blamed, in part, on his administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic, with infections surging across the US in recent days.
Russia and China have yet to congratulate US president-elect Joe Biden on his election victory, in a foretaste of the tumultuous diplomatic wrangling likely to follow, report Sophia Yan in Beijing and Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow.
Incumbent President Donald Trump has yet to concede defeat and has sworn to unleash a wave of lawsuits to challenge the election result.
Speaking to reporters on a conference call, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Mr Putin will take his time before commenting.
“We think it’d be proper to wait for the official results,” Mr Peskov said.
He would not specify, however, what would be good enough for the Kremlin to call it official.
Asked why Mr Putin rushed to congratulate Mr Trump four years earlier and would not do the same for Mr Biden this time, Mr Peskov pointed to lawsuits by the Trump campaign as well as calls for a recount
The 2020 presidential election has officially hit the highest turnout in more than 50 years. The turnout rate in last week's presidential election eclipsed the 61.6 per cent of voting age Americans who voted in the 2008 election. It has the highest turnout rate since 1968 – 62 per cent as of Sunday. With more votes still to be tallied, that rate will continue to creep higher.
Turnout was boosted by millions of Americans voting early and by post. As the below graphic shows, some states exceeded their 2016 turnout from voting alone.
12:10 PM
Biden's Huddersfield-born Covid co-chief
Joe Biden has already appointed the co-chairs of his coronavirus working group, including Dr. Vivek Murthy, the Surgeon General under Barack Obama.
Dr Murthy, pictured below, was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, to Indian parents. He moved to Canada and then Miami, Florida at the age of three.
Dr Vivek Murthy - Pool/Getty Images North America
11:37 AM
Trump's diehards
Ardent Donald Trump supporters were still holding out for hope of a turn around yesterday. Below, a group of Trump supporters protest outside a vote count in Maricopa County, Arizona.
A man in military gear waves a Trump 2020 flag and shouts - Jim Urquhart/Reuters
11:23 AM
Germany relieved and Angela Merkel vindicated
Few countries are as relieved at Donald Trump’s defeat as Germany, writes Justin Huggler in Berlin, and Angela Merkel is not bothering to hide it. She already sent her congratulations to Joe Biden over the weekend, but this morning she held a special press conference to reiterate the message in front of the TV cameras.
Germany and the US “must stand together to confront the challenges of our time," she said, and spoke fondly of her “good conversations” with Mr Biden during his time as Barack Obama’s vice-president. She could be accused of laying it on a bit thick. But Germany, and Mrs Merkel personally, have been through the wringer during Mr Trump’s presidency. Germany has long been one of the US’ most valued allies, and under Mr Obama the two countries developed a special relationship that arguably supplanted that with Britain. But Mr Trump turned on Germany almost from the start. He accused it of not spending enough on defence and freeloading on the US, and this year he ordered the withdrawal of thousands of American troops from the country.
He sent Richard Grenell to Berlin as an “attack dog” ambassador who openly threatened German companies who did business with Iran or Russia. And his personal relations with Mrs Merkel were frosty, to say the least.
Germany is under no illusions that the Biden government will look to protect American interests, and the pressure to spend more on defence will continue. But it hopes for a return to a relationship where these issues are discussed between friends, and disputes kept behind closed doors.
Meanwhile Mrs Merkel will feel some personal vindication. It was widely that rumoured Mr Obama talked her into running for a fourth term as chancellor to shepherd the West through the Trump presidency.
Two years ago, that looked like a mistake. But now Mrs Merkel has seen Mr Trump off, and steered Germany to the safer waters of a Biden presidency.
Lack of clarity as Trump administrator holds up transition
President Donald Trump is facing pressure to cooperate with President-elect Joe Biden's team to ensure a smooth transfer of power when the new administration takes office in January, reports the Associated Press.
The General Services Administration is tasked with formally recognizing Biden as president-elect, which begins the transition. But the agency's Trump-appointed administrator, Emily Murphy, has not started the process and has given no guidance on when she will do so.
That lack of clarity is fueling questions about whether Trump, who has not publicly recognized Biden's victory and has falsely claimed the election was stolen, will impede Democrats as they try to establish a government.
There is little precedent in the modern era of a president erecting such hurdles for his successor. The stakes are especially high this year because Biden will take office amid a raging pandemic, which will require a comprehensive government response.
"America's national security and economic interests depend on the federal government signaling clearly and swiftly that the United States government will respect the will of the American people and engage in a smooth and peaceful transfer of power," Jen Psaki, a Biden transition aide, tweeted Sunday.
Biden, who was elected the 46th president on Saturday, is taking steps to build a government despite questions about whether Trump will offer the traditional assistance.
He is focusing first on the virus, which has already killed nearly 240,000 Americans. Biden will announce details on Monday of a task force that will create a blueprint to attempt to bring the pandemic under control that he plans to begin implementing after assuming the presidency on Jan. 20.
Biden has already named a former surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, and an ex-Food and Drug Administration commissioner, David Kessler, as co-chairs.
Biden was also launching agency review teams, groups of transition staffers that have access to key agencies in the current administration. They will collect and review information such as budgetary and staffing decisions, pending regulations and other work in progress from current Trump administration staff at the departments to help Biden's team prepare to transition.
But that process can't begin in full until the GSA recognizes Biden as president-elect. The definition of what constitutes a clear election winner for the GSA is legally murky, making next steps unclear, especially in the short term.
10:42 AM
UK reaction
A graffiti artist in Manchester has crafted this reaction to the US election
A mural of Nelson Munz from The SImpsons, laughing at a crumbling statue of Donald Trump - Peter Byrne/PA Wire
10:19 AM
Trade wars continue
One of the major issues that Joe Biden will inherit is the series of trade wars initiated by Donald Trump, which show few signs of easing.
Today, the European Union pressed ahead with plans to impose tariffs and other penalties on up to $4 billion worth of US goods and services over illegal American support for plane maker Boeing.
EU trade ministers were discussing the move in a video conference, after international arbitrators last month gave the world's biggest trade bloc the green light to do so.
It comes a year after the World Trade Organization authorized the United States to slap penalties on EU goods worth up to $7.5 billion – including Gouda cheese, single-malt whiskey and French wine – over European support for Boeing rival Airbus.
Brussels remains hopeful that the tough trade stance of President Trump will soften under Mr Biden.
10:13 AM
'To serve the American people and not special interests'
The conversation around Joe Biden is now dominated by questions of what he will prioritise during his transition and his first few months in office. Who he appoints to key posts will be the first clear sign of what direction he intends to take.
However, his transition team have already set out their principles on the Biden-Harris official campaign website . This is what they had to say on the matter:
"The transition — like the Biden-Harris administration to follow — will prioritize the following core values: diversity of ideology and background; talent to address society’s most complex challenges; integrity and the highest ethical standards to serve the American people and not special interests; and transparency to garner trust at every stage. These are principles that President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris have modeled throughout their entire careers, and they are the principles that will guide their work to restore the American people’s faith in our government.
09:31 AM
In Arizona the fight to get ballots counted goes on
While Donald Trump's lawyers go to court in Arizona over claims of dodgy voting machines, activists are working to reverse a more mundane form of disenfranchisement, reports Laurence Dodds.
Democrat volunteers went door to door in Latino neighbourhoods yesterday to find voters whose ballots had been rejected without their knowledge and help them verify their identity to election officials. Republicans in some states have sued to stop the practice, which is known as ballot curing.
A young woman in a mask with a Biden-Harris clipboard knocks on a door - Laurence Dodds
Cindy Cervantes Piña, a 22-year-old forensics student in the majority-Hispanic district of Maryvale, said that this the first election she had ever voted in, and that she would not otherwise have realised that her vote had not been counted.
"I grew up in this area, and I remember being scared, feeling like my vote didn't matter. So now being able to do this means the world to me," said Maria Hernandez, the volunteer who contacted Ms Cervantes Piña. Her childhood, she said, was marked by political battles over immigration and racial profiling.
The most common reason for a rejected ballot is that the signature accompanying a postal vote does not match the signature on a person's identity documents. But many voters do not realise that they need to use the same flourish in both.
"Oh no! I changed it," said one woman who opened the door to Ms Hernandez. "I wanted to experiment."
09:25 AM
Without control of the Senate, Biden could be hamstrung
While the Presidential election has been called, the final outcome of the 2020 elections is not yet certain. The Alaska and North Carolina Senate races have not been announced, while in Georgia, both Senate seats will go to run-off elections in early January.
Alaska and North Carolina are both expected to be won by the Republicans but, after a disappointing set of Senate results, the Democrats hold out hope that they can still win back control of the chamber by winning both Georgia elections.
Trump to impose 'new sanctions on Iran every week' until departure
The outgoing administration of US President Donald Trump is planning “a new set of sanctions on Iran every week” until Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, according to reports, writes Campbell MacDiarmid.
The Trump administration’s envoy for Iran Elliott Abrams travelled to Israel on Sunday to discuss the plan with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat.
Sanctions will also be coordinated with a number of Gulf states, with Mr Abrams planning to travel to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to Axios, which first reported the plan.
“The goal is to slap as many sanctions as possible on Iran until January 20," an Israeli source told Axios.
The source said the sanctions were not connected to the Iran nuclear deal, from which Mr Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018 and which President-elect Biden plans to rejoin. But the outgoing administration hopes new sanctions will make it harder to restore the 2015 agreement with world powers.
Iran has struck a conciliatory tone following the announcement that Mr Biden won the presidential election, calling on regional powers to embrace dialogue as the only way to resolve their differences.
“Trump's gone in 70 days but we'll remain here forever. Betting on outsiders to provide security is never a good gamble,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted in English and Arabic early Monday.
“We extend our hands to our neighbours to co-operate in achieving the common interests of our peoples and countries," he continued.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is also expected to embark on a Middle East tour later this month in a last ditch bid to increase pressure on Iran.
07:53 AM
Highest turnout in more than 50 years
Votes are still being counted, but the US election has officially hit the highest turnout since 1968, according to data from the Associated Press and the United States Elections Project.
As of Sunday, the tallied votes accounted for 62 percent of the eligible voting-age population in the US.
A massive 148 million votes have been tallied, with Joe Biden winning more than 75 million - the highest number for a presidential candidate in history - and Trump receiving more than 70 million - the highest total for a losing candidate.
It's being seen as a testament to the impact of broadening the timeframe and ways in which people can vote.
An Associated Press analysis shows that some of the biggest turnout increases to date occurred in states that liberalized their mail-voting rules. In Montana and Vermont, turnout rose by more than 10 percentage points and more than 9 percentage points, respectively, over the previous presidential election.
Hawaii saw the biggest turnout increase, a more than 14 percentage point jump so far.
Texas, which did not expand mail voting but gave voters extra time to cast early ballots in person, saw a more than 9 percentage point increase in turnout, moving from 50 percent to 59 percent of its citizen voting-age population going to the polls.
06:59 AM
What will Donald Trump do now?
What next for Donald Trump? That is the question being mulled over in Washington DC now he has lost the election.
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. The most obvious pressing question is whether he will accept the result.
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.
US policy direction may not be clear until spring, says German minister
German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told broadcaster Deutschlandfunk on Monday that he was concerned uncertainty in the United States would continue for months and it would not be clear until spring what direction US policy would take.
President Donald Trump, who has spent months trying to undermine the election results with unproven allegations of fraud, pledged on Saturday to go forward with a legal strategy that he hopes will overturn state results that gave Democrat Joe Biden the win in Tuesday's presidential vote.
Asked if he thought trade wars would end under Mr Biden, Mr Altmaier said he thought there would be a return to stronger multilateralism. He also said Mr Biden's plan to return to the Paris climate agreement was key.
06:13 AM
Biden to inherit mangled economy
Joe Biden will inherit a mangled US economy - one that never fully healed from the coronavirus and could suffer again as new infections are climbing.
The once robust recovery has shown signs of gasping after federal aid lapsed. Ten million remain jobless and more layoffs are becoming permanent. The Federal Reserve says factory output dropped.
Parents cannot return to work as childcare centers have shuttered. Restaurants and local retailers are draining whatever cash reserves are left-with many owners wondering if the next week might be their last. One in six restaurants was already closed in September, according to an industry survey.
Mr Biden will also be facing an American public with decidedly different views about their own financial well-being, with higher income families weathering the pandemic reasonably well and those earning far less in increasing economic peril.
Joe Biden is preparing to deal with the coronavirus and other problems that will confront him as president of a divided America.
The former vice president and now president-elect will continue work on his coronavirus working group today, having named former Food and Drug Administration commissioner David Kessler and Huddersfield-born former surgeon general Dr Vivek Murthy as co-chairmen.
Joe Biden attends a coronavirus briefing in Wilmington, Delaware. Participants in the briefing included former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, Director for Science in the Public Interest Dr. David Kessler, New York University professor Dr. Celine Grounder, and Yale University professor of medicine Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith - Getty
Deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said he would launch a coronavirus task force today, led by Huddersfield-born former surgeon general Dr Vivek Murthy and former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler.
More than 237,000 Americans have died of Covid-19, and coronavirus cases have spiked to record numbers in recent days. Some 10 million Americans thrown out of work during coronavirus lockdowns remain idled and federal relief programmes have expired.
Bedingfield said Biden would "address a mandate to bring the country together - to unify, to lower the temperature, to set aside the harsh rhetoric of the campaign and get to the hard work of governing."
Biden and his advisers will also move forward with the work of choosing officials to serve in his administration.
Two former senior US intelligence officials - Michael Morell and Avril Haines - have emerged as leading contenders to serve as director of national intelligence or run the CIA under Biden, several current and former intelligence officials told Reuters.
05:13 AM
Trump's election night party under scrutiny
The Trump campaign's election night watch party in the White House East Room has come under scrutiny after the president's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, became the latest top White House official to contract the coronavirus, which has now killed more than 237,000 people in the U.S. alone.
The celebration - with few masks and no social distancing - has become another symbol of Mr Trump's cavalier attitude towards Covid-19, which is ripping across the nation and infecting more than 100,000 people a day.
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows looks on before President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally - AP
Polls suggest that attitude was a serious drag on the president's reelection bid as voters chose to deny Trump a second term in favor of his Democratic rival, now President-Elect Joe Biden.
The White House has repeatedly refused to say who else has tested positive, even as the virus continues to spread. The latest White House cluster, coming just a month after Trump's own diagnosis and hospitalisation, includes a top Trump campaign official as well as a handful of undisclosed White House staff, officials said.
The White House has been increasingly secretive about outbreaks. Many White House and campaign officials, as well as those who attended the election watch party, were kept in the dark about the diagnoses, unaware until they were disclosed by the press.
04:44 AM
Arizona's LGBT community celebrates
There were few wild public celebrations in the traditionally red state of Arizona this weekend. But its LGBT community was a notable exception, reports Laurence Dodds.
At Kobalt, a gay bar in the state capital of Phoenix, strong early results for the President on Tuesday soured the mood at a packed-out election night watch party, despite a politics-themed drag show. Mr Biden's victory speech on Saturday was a different matter.
"There were tears, there was laughter; it was amazing to see people’s reactions," said owner Jeff Perales, 48.
"It’s been an environment of perpetual shadow, a dark cloud that’s been hanging over all of us. So today was like the sun coming out again after four years."
Mr Perales cited Mr Trump's attempt to strike down workplace equality laws and his alliance with evangelical Christians, saying that he reminded many gay people of the homophobic bullies they had endured while growing up.
Blayde Loving, 24, who was at Kobalt to celebrate, likewise said he was now less afraid that Mr Trump's nominees to the Supreme Court would be able to strip him of his rights following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Michael Howard, 30, who has lived in Arizona all his life, said the state had seen a sea change in LGBT acceptance, partly due to immigration from liberal states such as California and partly because social media has exposed conservative family members to issues of equality.
"My friends have been drinking champagne all day, It’s been wonderful."
04:19 AM
Trump to hold post-election rallies
The president will hold a series of rallies to build support for the legal fights challenging the outcome, campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh confirmed on Sunday.
Mr Trump also announced teams to pursue recounts in several states and will seek to back up his unfounded accusations of voting fraud by highlighting obituaries of dead people the campaign said voted in the election.
Murtaugh did not say when the rallies, a signature of Trump's campaign, would resume.
State election officials say there were no significant irregularities in the vote, and Trump's campaign has yet to produce any evidence of illegal activity.
President Donald Trump walks with first lady Melania Trump after a campaign rally outside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa - AP
03:34 AM
Can Trump's team hinder the transition?
Yes. In the wake of the election being decided, the administrator of the General Services Administration needs to sign documents that hand millions of dollars, as well as office space, to the transition teams of the winner.
But in this case, GSA Administrator Emily Murphy, a Trump administration appointee, has not yet signed any paperwork allowing the formal process to be begin, according to the Washington Post.
“No agency head is going to get out in front of the president on transition issues right now,” one senior administration official told the paper.
03:00 AM
Biden's election tells us nothing about British politics
It was always inevitable, as Joe Biden was confirmed 46th President of the United States, that politicians and campaigners in Britain would seek to turn the US election result into a narrative about our own politics, writes Nick Timothy.
“The mainstream is back,” gushed George Osborne, hoping for a return to the liberal and technocratic policies that made him a much-loved national treasure. “It is now up to the UK public,” declared David Lammy, who sees Donald Trump and Boris Johnson as one and the same, “to make sure both Trumps are consigned to the political scrapheap.”
The rush to set a British narrative about the election is as nonsensical as it is self-serving. There is, after all, little agreement about what the results mean in America itself. Yes, Trump is out and Biden is in. In the end, the presidential election was not especially close, yet it was not the overwhelming repudiation of the Trump presidency many Democrats had wanted.
Australia says US return to Paris Agreement, WHO under Biden welcome
Australia would welcome President-elect Joe Biden restoring the United States to the Paris climate accord, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday, speaking as he faced renewed pressure himself to boost efforts to cut Australia's carbon emissions.
"We would be welcoming the United States back into the Paris Agreement, somewhere we've always been," Mr Morrison told reporters, saying a US return to other global organisations like the World Health Organisation would also be welcome.
The US formally withdrew from the Paris climate agreement last week, but Mr Biden has promised to rejoin the Paris pact, and also commit to net zero emissions by 2050.
Although Australia state and territory governments have adopted the same 2050 target for net zero emissions, Mr Morrison's federal government has yet to do so.
Mark Levin's show on Fox News comes to an end, without the expected appearance of Mr Trump. The host never mentioned the appearance, which had been trailed by Mr Trump on Twitter.
01:39 AM
Boris Johnson to risk rift with Biden
Boris Johnson will risk a rift with Joe Biden by pushing ahead with a Brexit law the US president-elect has said he fears will jeopardise peace in Northern Ireland, writes Christopher Hope.
The Prime Minister insisted that he would push on with an unamended Internal Markets Bill, despite peers being expected on Monday or Tuesday to reject half a dozen clauses which breach the withdrawal agreement hammered out with the European Union last year.
In September, Mr Biden warned that the unamended Bill could jeopardise the peace process in Northern Ireland by imposing a hard border on the island of Ireland. That came after the UK Government admitted that the legislation breaks international law in a "specific and limited way".
Watch: Find out what Biden's win means for UK and Brexit
01:25 AM
Will Trump be speaking?
Donald Trump has yet to speak on Fox News. He tweeted earlier that he would appear on Mark Levin's show at 8pm ET (1am UK time), but the host is currently interviewing Ken Starr, a former U.S. circuit judge and who has been part of Trump's legal teams. Levin has yet to confirm on the show that Mr Trump will be appearing.
01:02 AM
Maduro hopes for 'decent, sincere' political dialogue with US
Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has said he will work to resume "decent, sincere" political dialogue with the United States, a country with which his government maintains tense relations, once Joe Biden assumes the presidency.
In a televised speech, the leftist leader said:
"In time,... we will work, hopefully, to resume decent, sincere, direct channels of dialogue between the future government of Joe Biden" and Venezuela.
The target of US sanctions aiming to force him from power, Maduro broke off diplomatic relations with Washington in January 2019, after President Donald Trump's administration - along with around 60 other countries - recognised Guaido as Venezuela's president.
"Donald Trump left a minefield between the government of the United States and Venezuela... he left a swamp. I know, we know."
Maduro added he hoped Biden's administration would end US "interventionism" in Latin America.
12:50 AM
Trump to give first media interview since election called
Trump is set to give his first interview since losing the election.
It's highly unlikely the President will use the appearance to concede to Biden. Announcing the appearance on Twitter, the President said:
Watch @marklevinshow at 8:00 P.M. Will discuss the Mail-In Ballot Hoax!
Welcome to another day following the aftermath of the US election, with Joe Biden launching a transition website and Mr Trump set to speak again on what he calls the "Mail-In Ballot Hoax!"
Biden is wasting no time in kicking off the transition process - even as Trump refuses to admit he has lost.
Biden's transition website lists four priorities: Covid-19, economic recovery, racial equity and climate change.
"The team being assembled will meet these challenges on Day One," it said in a reference to January 20, 2021, when Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States.
Biden, who turns 78 on November 20, is the oldest person ever elected to the White House. Harris, 56, a senator from California, is the first woman, first Black person and first South Asian person to be elected vice president.
Biden plans to name a task force on Monday to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, which has left more than 237,000 people dead in the United States and is surging across the country.
He has also announced plans to rejoin the Paris climate accord and will reportedly issue an executive order on his first day in office reversing Trump's travel ban on mostly Muslim countries.
Marvin Harrison Jr., Fanatics said, “rejected or ignored every request” from the company while refusing to fulfill obligations of their contract that was signed last May.
All five of these hitters were drafted highly in fantasy baseball leagues. So far, they have not lived up to their ADPs — and that's an understatement. Scott Pianowski analyzes.
When Hayes arrives this week, although she'll have plenty of familiarizing to do, her core — the players, the most important part of any national team — will largely already be in place.
