Joe Biden to encourage mask-wearing early in his term
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden says he’ll take the COVID vaccine and will ask Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days of his administration.
Georgia officials Monday said they planned to re-certify President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory in Georgia after a second recount reaffirmed – again – the Democrat won the state and its 16 electoral votes.
The latest recount found Biden defeated President Donald Trump in Georgia by 11,769 votes, a narrower margin than the 12,284-vote advantage Biden had going into the second recount. The state is waiting on recount results from one county before officially recertifying but is expected to do so Monday.
“We have now counted legally cast ballots three times and the results remain unchanged,” Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said at a news conference.
Raffensperger also said “disinformation regarding election administration should be condemned and rejected.”
“I know there are people who are convinced that the election was fraught with problems, but the evidence – the actual evidence, the facts – tell us a different story.”
Gov. Brian Kemp, who must sign off on the certification by state law, has resisted calls from Trump and his allies to call a special legislative session to overturn the election and submit a new slate of Trump electors for the Electoral College.
Kemp and Raffensperger, who are both Republicans, have faced intense scrutiny from Trump as the president, who has refused to concede his election loss, has leveled baseless claims of widespread voter fraud.
Biden’s win in Georgia is a major accomplishment for Democrats, who hadn’t had a presidential candidate carry Georgia since Bill Clinton in 1992.
The secretary of state’s office ordered an initial hand recount prior to the first certification of Biden’s victory that trimmed Biden’s lead from more than 14,000 votes to 12,284 after uncounted ballots were found in four counties.
The second recount, which was conducted by rescanning all paper ballots, was requested by the Trump campaign, which had the right to ask the recount because the margin of Biden’s victory was within .5%. Raffensperger last week said the second recount would show “no substantial changes.”
— Joey Garrison
A Michigan federal judge has ruled against a sweeping legal bid to overturn election results in the state, determining the lawsuit brought by an ally of President Donald Trump was riddled with “theories, conjecture and speculation” but little evidence of wrongdoing.
U.S. District Judge Linda V. Parker ruled against a request from Sidney Powell – an attorney disavowed by the Trump campaign who still champions its causes – to force the state to award its electoral votes to Trump despite President-elect Joe Biden winning Michigan by nearly 155,000 votes.
“In fact, this lawsuit seems to be less about achieving the relief Plaintiffs seek – as much of that relief is beyond the power of this Court – and more about the impact of their allegations on People’s faith in the democratic process and their trust in our government,” reads a portion of the 36-page opinion.
“Plaintiffs ask this Court to ignore the orderly statutory scheme established to challenge elections and to ignore the will of millions of voters. This the Court cannot, and will not, do. The people have spoken.”
This is the latest in a series of legal flops from the Trump campaign or supporters. Judges throughout Michigan and the U.S have rejected their claims, noting there is no evidence of widespread fraud.
– Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press
PHOENIX – The Arizona Legislature will close for a week “out of an abundance of caution” after Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, possibly exposed several Republican lawmakers to COVID-19.
The president announced Giuliani had tested positive for the virus Sunday afternoon, less than a week after the former New York City mayor visited Arizona as part of a multistate tour aimed at contesting 2020 election results. The 76-year-old was later admitted to Georgetown University Medical Center.
Giuliani had spent more than 10 hours discussing election concerns with Arizona Republicans — including two members of Congress and at least 13 current and future state lawmakers — at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix last Monday. He led the meeting maskless, flouting social distancing guidelines and posing for photos.
Giuliani also met privately with Republican lawmakers and legislative leadership the next day, according to lawmakers’ social media posts.
– Maria Polletta, Arizona Republic
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris announced the chair and co-chairs for their inaugural committee to help plan the Jan. 20 event.
Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C. will serve as the committee’s chairman; Reps. Cedric Richmond, D-La., and Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., will join Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as co-chairs, the committee said in a statement.
“Kamala and I are honored and grateful to these leaders for joining our inaugural committee as co-chairs and helping to organize a safe inauguration for all Americans,” Biden said. “These leaders reflect the strength, spirit, and diversity of America and have always held a steadfast commitment to restoring the soul of the nation, building back the middle class, and unifying the country.”
All were strong proponents of Biden during the campaign. Clyburn is widely credited with breathing life into what was a floundering primary campaign for the former vice president. Richmond has been named to serve as a senior White House adviser and director of the Office of Public Engagement in the incoming administration. Blunt Rochester, a longtime friend of the Biden family, served on the committee that helped choose Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to be the then-nominee’s running mate.
The inaugural committee works in coordination with Congress’ planning group on the arrangements for the Capitol ceremony, and organizes inaugural balls and other events surrounding the swearing-in. The format of those events is up in the air amid the global coronavirus pandemic, which has surged across the country.
Last week, Biden named Delaware State University president Tony Allen to serve as CEO of the inaugural committee and campaign chief operating officer Maju Varghese as the group’s executive director.
Because of concerns about the spread of COVID-19, Biden’s inauguration is expected to be a scaled-down affair. Biden said Friday he expects it will primarily be a virtual event with a “more imaginative” format than in previous years.
“It is highly unlikely that there will be a million people on the mall,” Biden said. “My guess is that there will not be a gigantic inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue.”
– William Cummings
President-elect Joe Biden unveiled his team of top health officials Monday morning, a key announcement for an administration that will immediately have to wrestle with the COVID-19 pandemic that is infecting an average of more than 200,000 Americans every day.
Biden’s announcement confirmed Sunday’s reports that California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is his pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Becerra would be tasked with leading Biden’s fight to contain the virus, including the massive logistical operation that will be required to quickly distribute the coming vaccines to the U.S. population.
If confirmed by the Senate, Becerra, 62, would be the first Latino to head the Department of Health and Human Services, a $1-trillion-plus agency with 80,000 employees and a portfolio that includes drugs and vaccines, leading-edge medical research and health insurance programs covering more than 130 million Americans.
Anthony Fauci, who has served as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, will act as Biden’s chief medical adviser.
Biden’s pick to replace Robert Redfield as the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is Rochelle Walensky, the head infectious disease doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital and a Harvard Medical School professor.
Biden also tapped former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to return to the role he held for the last three years of the Obama administration.
Jeff Zients, who served as director of the National Economic Council during the Obama administration will act as White House counselor and COVID-19 response coordinator. Former White House adviser Natalie Quillian will serve as deputy coordinator. Marcella Nunez-Smith will chair Biden’s COVID-19 equity task force, which will work to address the disproportionate impact of the virus on minority communities.
– William Cummings
Rudy Giuliani tests positive for COVID-19
Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, has tested positive for COVID-19. Trump shared the news by tweet, writing “Get better soon Rudy, we will carry on!!!”
Since the presidential election, Giuliani, 76, has traveled the country challenging the election results and integrity of the electoral system itself. During much of his travels, Giuliani was seen not wearing a mask and flouting social distancing guidelines.
Along with a cadre of lawyers affiliated with the Trump campaign, Giuliani has held regular news conferences claiming, without evidence, various conspiracy theories and baseless allegations of mass voter fraud.
The former New York City mayor has had an eventful year. Prior to the election, Giuliani was central to a story alleging criminal intent on the part of President-elect Joe Biden’s son, Hunter. Giuliani was also briefly featured in the sequel to the movie “Borat” in a sordid scene he later called “a hit job.”
– Matthew Brown
Contributing: Meredith Newman, Delaware News Journal; The Associated Press
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says it’s “disgraceful and demeaning” that a Halifax-area school would request that service members not wear military uniforms to its Remembrance Day ceremony.
Houston’s comments were part of a chorus of criticism levelled at the school — Sackville Heights Elementary — whose administration decided to back away from the plan after the outcry.
A November newsletter from the school in Middle Sackville, N.S., invited Armed Forces members to attend its ceremony but asked that all attendees arrive in civilian attire to “maintain a welcoming environment for all.”
Houston, who is currently running for re-election, accused the school’s leaders of “disgracing themselves while demeaning the people who protect our country” in a post on the social media platform X Thursday night.
“If the people behind this decision had a shred of the courage that our veterans have, this cowardly and insulting idea would have been rejected immediately,” Houston’s post read. There were also several calls for resignations within the school’s administration attached to Houston’s post.
In an email to families Thursday night, the school’s principal, Rachael Webster, apologized and welcomed military family members to attend “in the attire that makes them most comfortable.”
“I recognize this request has caused harm and I am deeply sorry,” Webster’s email read, adding later that the school has the “utmost respect for what the uniform represents.”
Webster said the initial request was out of concern for some students who come from countries experiencing conflict and who she said expressed discomfort with images of war, including military uniforms.
Her email said any students who have concerns about seeing Armed Forces members in uniform can be accommodated in a way that makes them feel safe, but she provided no further details in the message.
Webster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At a news conference Friday, Houston said he’s glad the initial request was reversed but said he is still concerned.
“I can’t actually fathom how a decision like that was made,” Houston told reporters Friday, adding that he grew up moving between military bases around the country while his father was in the Armed Forces.
“My story of growing up in a military family is not unique in our province. The tradition of service is something so many of us share,” he said.
“Saying ‘lest we forget’ is a solemn promise to the fallen. It’s our commitment to those that continue to serve and our commitment that we will pass on our respects to the next generation.”
Liberal Leader Zach Churchill also said he’s happy with the school’s decision to allow uniformed Armed Forces members to attend the ceremony, but he said he didn’t think it was fair to question the intentions of those behind the original decision.
“We need to have them (uniforms) on display at Remembrance Day,” he said. “Not only are we celebrating (veterans) … we’re also commemorating our dead who gave the greatest sacrifice for our country and for the freedoms we have.”
NDP Leader Claudia Chender said that while Remembrance Day is an important occasion to honour veterans and current service members’ sacrifices, she said she hopes Houston wasn’t taking advantage of the decision to “play politics with this solemn occasion for his own political gain.”
“I hope Tim Houston reached out to the principal of the school before making a public statement,” she said in a statement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
REGINA – Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck says she wants to prove to residents her party is the government in waiting as she heads into the incoming legislative session.
Beck held her first caucus meeting with 27 members, nearly double than what she had before the Oct. 28 election but short of the 31 required to form a majority in the 61-seat legislature.
She says her priorities will be health care and cost-of-living issues.
Beck says people need affordability help right now and will press Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government to cut the gas tax and the provincial sales tax on children’s clothing and some grocery items.
Beck’s NDP is Saskatchewan’s largest Opposition in nearly two decades after sweeping Regina and winning all but one seat in Saskatoon.
The Saskatchewan Party won 34 seats, retaining its hold on all of the rural ridings and smaller cities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia‘s growing population was the subject of debate on Day 12 of the provincial election campaign, with Liberal Leader Zach Churchill arguing immigration levels must be reduced until the province can provide enough housing and health-care services.
Churchill said Thursday a plan by the incumbent Progressive Conservatives to double the province’s population to two million people by the year 2060 is unrealistic and unsustainable.
“That’s a big leap and it’s making life harder for people who live here, (including ) young people looking for a place to live and seniors looking to downsize,” he told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.
Anticipating that his call for less immigration might provoke protests from the immigrant community, Churchill was careful to note that he is among the third generation of a family that moved to Nova Scotia from Lebanon.
“I know the value of immigration, the importance of it to our province. We have been built on the backs of an immigrant population. But we just need to do it in a responsible way.”
The Liberal leader said Tim Houston’s Tories, who are seeking a second term in office, have made a mistake by exceeding immigration targets set by the province’s Department of Labour and Immigration. Churchill said a Liberal government would abide by the department’s targets.
In the most recent fiscal year, the government welcomed almost 12,000 immigrants through its nominee program, exceeding the department’s limit by more than 4,000, he said. The numbers aren’t huge, but the increase won’t help ease the province’s shortages in housing and doctors, and the increased strain on its infrastructure, including roads, schools and cellphone networks, Churchill said.
“(The Immigration Department) has done the hard work on this,” he said. “They know where the labour gaps are, and they know what growth is sustainable.”
In response, Houston said his commitment to double the population was a “stretch goal.” And he said the province had long struggled with a declining population before that trend was recently reversed.
“The only immigration that can come into this province at this time is if they are a skilled trade worker or a health-care worker,” Houston said. “The population has grown by two per cent a year, actually quite similar growth to what we experienced under the Liberal government before us.”
Still, Houston said he’s heard Nova Scotians’ concerns about population growth, and he then pivoted to criticize Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for trying to send 6,000 asylum seekers to Nova Scotia, an assertion the federal government has denied.
Churchill said Houston’s claim about asylum seekers was shameful.
“It’s smoke and mirrors,” the Liberal leader said. “He is overshooting his own department’s numbers for sustainable population growth and yet he is trying to blame this on asylum seekers … who aren’t even here.”
In September, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said there is no plan to send any asylum seekers to the province without compensation or the consent of the premier. He said the 6,000 number was an “aspirational” figure based on models that reflect each province’s population.
In Halifax, NDP Leader Claudia Chender said it’s clear Nova Scotia needs more doctors, nurses and skilled trades people.
“Immigration has been and always will be a part of the Nova Scotia story, but we need to build as we grow,” Chender said. “This is why we have been pushing the Houston government to build more affordable housing.”
Chender was in a Halifax cafe on Thursday when she promised her party would remove the province’s portion of the harmonized sales tax from all grocery, cellphone and internet bills if elected to govern on Nov. 26. The tax would also be removed from the sale and installation of heat pumps.
“Our focus is on helping people to afford their lives,” Chender told reporters. “We know there are certain things that you can’t live without: food, internet and a phone …. So we know this will have the single biggest impact.”
The party estimates the measure would save the average Nova Scotia family about $1,300 a year.
“That’s a lot more than a one or two per cent HST cut,” Chender said, referring to the Progressive Conservative pledge to reduce the tax by one percentage point and the Liberal promise to trim it by two percentage points.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail, Houston announced that a Progressive Conservative government would make parking free at all Nova Scotia hospitals and health-care centres. The promise was also made by the Liberals in their election platform released Monday.
“Free parking may not seem like a big deal to some, but … the parking, especially for people working at the facilities, can add up to hundreds of dollars,” the premier told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
