Networks call Georgia for Biden as security officials say vote was ‘secure’
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As Donald Trump continues to refuse conceding the 2020 presidential race to Joe Biden, the president-elect was said to have spoken with Senate Republicans who have begun to admit he should at least receive intelligence briefings that have so far been denied.
On Friday afternoon most networks called Georgia for Mr Biden and North Carolina for Mr Trump bringing their respective electoral college vote totals to 306 to 232.
US federal and state cybersecurity officials, meanwhile, have delivered a direct rebuke to Donald Trump, who continues to allege irregularities and widespread fraud without evidence.
Chris Krebs, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said the 3 November vote was “the most secure in history" in a report published Thursday, and added that Americans should trust the result. His agency had not find any evidence of ballots being lost, deleted or altered, he said.
YouTube videos that falsely claim Trump won election are allowed because they ‘discuss election results’, site says
While Twitter has done a sterling job of censoring the president’s bilious, misinformation-spewing tweets since election day, the same cannot be said for Silicon Valley counterparts Facebook and YouTube.
The former apparently has no problem with ex-Trump strategist Steven Bannon calling for Dr Anthony Fauci to be beheaded and now the latter says videos wrongly proclaiming a victory for the incumbent, rather than the crushing defeat he actually suffered in reality, are absolutely fine and just part of healthy political discourse.
Adam Smith has this report.
Videos that falsely claim Trump won election will stay on YouTube
'We're allowing these videos because discussion of election results and the process of counting votes is allowed’, YouTube said
Trade adviser insists administration preparing for ‘second Trump term’
The president’s loyal trade adviser Peter Navarro has been on Fox Business this morning echoing secretary of state Mike Pompeo’s talk of a “second Trump term”, which is simply not going to happen as the numbers below make crystal clear.
Biden deputy campaign manager says Trump ‘seflish’
Joe Biden’s deputy campaign manager, Rufus Gifford, says Donald Trump’s failure to concede is “a selfish decision”, with disputed legal challenges and vote recounts unlikely to change the outcome of last week’s vote.
Biden speaking to unnamed Republicans, amid Trump denial
While Donald Trump and most of the GOP continue their denial over Joe Biden’s election win, the president-elect’s newly appointed chief of staff has said the transition team have in fact been in touch with a number of unnamed Republicans.
Those that have publicly spoken-out against Mr Trump’s delay to the transition process - which includes recieving daily intelligence briefings - include several members of his Senate GOP caucus: Utah’s Mitt Romney, Maine’s Susan Collins, Nebraska’s Ben Sasse and Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski.
It comes as pressure mounts on the US president to concede defeat, and for GOP lawmakers to acknowledge the Democrat as president-elect.
The Independent’s John T. Bennett has the report:
Biden speaks to unnamed Republicans even as they stand by Trump’s refusal to concede election
Neither the outgoing or incoming commander in chief was slated to get the 'Presidential Daily Brief,' or PDB, on Friday
Repercussions of Trump’s refusal to concede
He may have lost the vote, but could Trump’s deligitimising of the electoral process act as an inspiration to others?
The Independent’s Borzou Daragahi reports:
Trump’s refusal to concede defeat sends shock waves around the world
He may have lost the vote, but could Trump’s deligitimizing of the electoral process act as an inspiration to others, reports Borzou Daragahi
Mary Trump predicts president will not attempt 2024 bid
Donald Trump’s niece has said her uncle will not run again in 2024, despite what he has reportedly been telling his allies.
In an interview with CNN on Thursday night, psychologist Mary Trump said that the talk of running again is just to massage his ego.
She told anchor Chris Cuomo: “He will never put himself in a position where he can lose like this again.”
The Independent’s Oliver O’Connell reports:
Trump’s niece says he’ll never run again because he’s too scared of losing for a second time
Donald Trump’s niece says that her uncle will not run again in 2024, despite what he has reportedly been telling his allies.
Geraldo Rivera has ‘heartfelt’ call with Trump, a ‘realist’ who will ‘do the right thing’
TV host Geraldo Rivera has revealed on Twitter that he has had a “heartfelt” phone call with his friend Donald Trump who told him that he is a “realist” who will do the “right thing”.
The president said that he wants to see “what states do in terms of certification” and Mr Rivera described him as sounding committed to fighting for every vote, and if he loses, talking more about what he’s accomplished.
Mr Trump is reportedly particularly aggrieved by the savage attacks on his presidency from the minute he was elected. He reserved special scorn for the phony Russia hoax and the Nancy Pelosi-driven “phony impeachment”, says Mr Rivera.
The president also asked the TV host what he knew about Dominion Voting Systems — which Mr Trump has baselessly claimed deleted millions of votes for him. Mr Rivera vowed to check it out.
“He seemed like a heavyweight champion who is behind in points leading into the final round, but determined to fight on, knowing all the refs have scored the fight for the other guy,” says Mr Rivera. “Still, he's going to answer the final bell, looking for the knockout he knows is a longshot.”
Earlier Mr Rivera has tweeted that the president is still in it to win it, but that he should give Joe Biden the briefings he needs to serve as president were his election to be certified.
Biden offered first public condolences to families of service personnel who died in Egypt
Per the Washington Post:
It was Biden who offered the first public condolences to the families of the service members who died in Egypt. “I join all Americans in honoring their sacrifice, as I keep their loved ones in my prayers,” he wrote on Twitter in the early afternoon Thursday.
By that time, Trump had issued nearly four dozen critical tweets and retweets about the election results and Fox News, including a baseless conspiracy theory from a far-right television network that alleged votes had been improperly tallied in Pennsylvania. He also found time to thank actor Scott Baio for posting a photo of a craft store’s candle display, which had been arranged to spell out, “Trump is still your president.”
“Thank you Scott, and stay tuned. You are terrific!” Trump wrote.
Trump campaign eliminates ‘voter fraud’ hotline
It’s been replaced with a website after campaign staff faced a barrage of prank calls. So now they’ll just have to deal with prank emails?
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