McConnell acknowledges that Biden is president-elect

WASHINGTON (AP) – The latest news about President-elect Joe Biden (always local):

10:45 am

Senate leader Mitch McConnell first acknowledged that Joe Biden has been elected president.

The Kentucky Republican broke his silence on the Democrat’s November victory after weeks in which he and other GOP leaders refused to contradict President Donald Trump’s fraudulent statements that he was the winner of an election marred by fraud.

McConnell made his remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday, a day after the Electoral College formally confirmed Biden’s victory. On Monday, several other Senate Republicans said it was time to admit Biden had won.

State and federal courts across the country have dismissed cases filed by Trump for alleged fraud. Trump has provided no evidence to support his claims, and state officials from both parties have said they had no merit.

Attorney General William Barr and election officials across the country have confirmed that there was no widespread election fraud.

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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE TRANSITION FROM PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN TO THE WHITE HOUSE:

The electoral college Joe Biden has firmly confirmed as the country’s next president. Biden strongly criticized President Donald Trump for threatening the core principles of democracy even when he told Americans that their form of self-government eventually “prevailed.”

Read more:

– For the first time, prominent Republicans call Biden president-elect

– Biden returns to Georgia as validator for Ossoff, Warnock

– Trump says Barr is resigning, leaves before Christmas

– Under Trump attack, settings bend but don’t break

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HERE’S WHAT’S DIFFERENT:

10:10 am

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is back in the mix for a job with the Biden government, including consideration for high-level diplomatic posts. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter and has spoken to The Associated Press.

The person says transition officials see an opportunity for a position in the government, even in the face of fierce opposition to an appointment of Emanuel by members of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party due to his experience as White House chief of staff during President’s administration. from Barack Obama. The person spoke on Tuesday on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.

Emanuel is a former three-term congressman and mayor of Chicago. He had lobbied for the future position of transportation secretary.

A second person familiar with the matter told the AP last week that Emanuel’s chances of getting a high cabinet position had become increasingly unlikely after he emerged as a source of controversy for President-elect Joe Biden, who identified Emanuel considered as a transport secretary.

Emanuel was criticized during his time as mayor on the police force in Chicago’s black neighborhoods.

Reverend Al Sharpton expressed concern about Emanuel during a meeting with Biden and other civil rights leaders. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York had publicly stated that she is against Emanuel’s role in a Biden government.

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By AP writer Aamer Madhani.

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9.40 am

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to meet his designated successor, Antony Blinken, this week in what could be the first face-to-face cabinet-level transitional contact between the outgoing Trump administration and President-elect Joe Biden’s new national security team. .

Two people familiar with the plans say Pompeo and Blinken are currently scheduled to meet at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. Neither person was authorized to publicly discuss the matter, and they spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity.

The message from the closed-door meeting comes just a day after the Electoral College confirmed Biden’s victory in the November election, even as President Donald Trump has still refused to accept the results.

Pompeo was one of the strongest defenders of Trump in the administration and was criticized for saying shortly after the November 3 vote that he was preparing for “a second Trump administration.” Pompeo’s decision to meet with Blinken reflects a growing acceptance among Republicans that Biden won the election and that Trump’s challenges to the outcome will fail.

Pompeo made a point when he was nominated to replace his fired predecessor, Rex Tillerson, to speak with and seek advice with all of his living predecessors, including Hillary Clinton and John Kerry.

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By AP diplomatic writer Matthew Lee.

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8:40 am

Two foreign leaders who did not congratulate President-elect Joe Biden have now done so. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Polish President Andrzej Duda congratulated Biden on Tuesday, a day after the electoral college confirmed Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump.

According to a statement from the Kremlin, Putin wishes Biden “the best of luck” and expresses his confidence that Russia and the US “can really contribute to solving many problems and challenges facing the world today, despite the differences.”

In a letter Duda Biden wishes “a very successful term”.

Unlike other Western leaders, Putin and Duda had withheld congratulations from Biden after his November election.

Duda is part of a conservative Polish leadership accused by the European Union of eroding democracy. He has been a strong ally of Trump and once suggested naming a military base ‘Fort Trump’. Duda got Trump’s approval in his own reelection campaign this year, with a last-minute invitation to the White House on the eve of the election.

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7:30 am

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the US, says President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris should be vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible.

Speaking to ABC’s “Good Morning America” ​​on Tuesday, Fauci said, “For safety reasons, I really believe we should get them vaccinated as soon as possible.” He adds that he would like to see Biden “fully protected when he becomes president in January.”

Fauci says that while President Donald Trump likely still has antibodies to the virus that will protect him for at least several months, he also needs to get the vaccine to be “doubly sure.” Trump was hospitalized with COVID-19 in early October.

Fauci says Vice President Mike Pence should also get vaccinated. He says, “You still want to protect people who are very important to our country right now.”

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