Agency Reporter

United States President-elect Joe Biden pledged, Sunday morning, to rebuild “the backbone of this nation…and to unite us here at home.”

Biden, in a victory speech delivered before thousands of flag waving Americans in Wilmington, Delaware, hailed the  millions of Americans who  “voted for that vision.”

He also promised to be president for all Americans regardless of who they voted for.

He said: “The people of this nation have spoken. They delivered us a clear victory, a convincing victory, a victory for we the people.”

“I’m humbled by the trust and confidence you’ve placed in me. I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide, but unify. Who doesn’t see red states or blue states, only sees the United States.

“For all those of you who voted for President Trump, I understand the disappointment tonight. I’ve lost a couple times myself. But now, let’s give each other a chance.

“The Bible tells us that to everything there is a season — a time to build, a time to reap, a time to sow. And a time to heal. This is the time to heal in America.

Read Also: Joe Biden elected 46th US president

“It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric. To lower the temperature. To see each other again. To listen to each other again.

“On Monday I will name a group of leading scientists and experts as transition advisers … I will spare no effort, none, or any commitment to turn around this pandemic. Folks, I am a proud Democrat but I will govern as an American.

“We cannot repair the economy, restore our vitality, or relish life’s most precious moments — hugging a grandchild, birthdays, weddings, graduations, all the moments that matter most to us — until we get this virus under control.

“Our nation is shaped by the constant battle between our better angels and our darkest impulses.

“It’s time for our better angels to prevail…we will lead not only by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.

“With full hearts and steady hands, with faith in America and in each other, with a love of country — and a thirst for justice — let us be the nation that we know we can be.”

Speaking earlier, Vice President elect Kamala Harris commended Americans for “turning out in record numbers to make your voices heard,” and “Black women. Asian, white, Latina, American women, who throughout our nation’s history have paved the way for this night.”

She said they delivered a clear message,” chose hope, and unity, decency, science and yes – truth.”

She added: “When our very democracy was on the ballot in this election, with the very soul of America at stake… you ushered in a new day for America”

“Protecting our democracy takes struggle. It takes sacrifice. But there is joy in it and there is progress. Because we the people have the power to build a better future.

“America’s democracy is not guaranteed, it is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it.And when our very democracy was on the ballot in this election…you ushered in a new day for America.”

“You know, the sky is the limit. Just to be able to see a Black woman, an Indian American, a woman, hold the VP position — it’s been a long time coming.”

“You chose Joe Biden as the next president of the United States of America. And Joe is a healer, a uniter, a tested and steady hand. A person whose own experience of loss gives him a sense of purpose that will help us as a nation.”

“While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last. Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.”

Agency Reporter

US President Donald Trump has decided not to concede the 2020 US presidential elections to Democrat challenger Joe Biden.

Media outlets have called the presidential election in favour of Joe Biden and his vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris with the Democratic ticket scoring a paper-thin victory in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania on Saturday.

In a statement he released from his club in Virginia where he is currently golfing, Donald Trump said: “We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don’t want the truth to be exposed. The simple fact is this election is far from over.”

Reiterating unfounded allegations over Biden’s Electoral College gains, the statement from Donald Trump added: “Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor.”

Read Also: We did it, Harris tells Biden in phone conversation

“In Pennsylvania, for example, our legal observers were not permitted meaningful access to watch the counting process.

“Legal votes decide who is president, not the news media,” the statement said despite a court order allowing Trump campaign’s “poll-watchers” to observe the counting of ballots from a six-feet distance.”

He added: “Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated.

“The American People are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots. This is the only way to ensure the public has full confidence in our election.

“It remains shocking that the Biden campaign refuses to agree with this basic principle and wants ballots counted even if they are fraudulent, manufactured, or cast by ineligible or deceased voters.

“Only a party engaged in wrongdoing would unlawfully keep observers out of the count room – and then fight in court to block their access.

“So what is Biden hiding? I will not rest until the American People have the honest vote count they deserve and that Democracy demands.”

Newsnow

Agency Reporter

Former U.S. President Barack Obama is among prominent Americans who have reacted to Joe Biden’s projected victory in Tuesday’s presidential election.

In a statement, Obama said Americans were lucky that Biden had what it took to be president and was already carrying himself that way.

“This is because when he walks into the White House in January, he will face extraordinary challenges no incoming president ever has:

“A raging pandemic, an unequal economy and justice system, a democracy at risk and a climate in peril.

“I know he will do the job with the best interest of every American at heart, whether or not he had their vote,” Obama said.

The former President, under whom Biden served as Vice, urged Americans to give him a chance and their support.

According to him, the election results at every level indicate the deep and bitter divisions in the country.

He noted that it would be up to all Americans, not just Biden and the Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris, to “lower the temperature” and unite the country.

Read Also: Obasanjo congratulates Biden, Harris on election

In a tweet, Harris said the election was “so much more than Biden and her.

“It’s about the soul of America and our willingness to fight for it. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Let’s get started,” she said.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ms Nancy Pelosi, issued a statement saying Americans have elected a president “ready on Day One to crush the coronavirus” to pave the way for economic recovery.

“In President-elect Biden, the American people delivered a mandate for lower health costs, a mandate for creating bigger paychecks by rebuilding America’s infrastructure, and a mandate for cleaner government that works for the public interest, not the special interests.

“And in President-elect Biden, they have elected a unifier who values faith, family and community, and who will work tirelessly to heal our nation.

“President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris won with a strong margin, and they will have a strong Democratic House Majority by their side.

“Working together, we have the opportunity to deliver extraordinary progress For The People,” Pelosi said.

Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, also reacted in separate tweets.

“America has spoken and democracy has won. Now we have a President-Elect and Vice President-Elect who will serve all of us and bring us all together.

“Congratulations to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on your momentous victory,” the former president said.

For her part, Hilary, who lost the presidential race to Trump in 2016, described the Biden-Harris ticket as “history-making”.

“The voters have spoken, and they have chosen @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris to be our next president and vice president.

“It’s a history-making ticket, a repudiation of Trump, and a new page for America.

“Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen. Onward, together,” she said.

(NAN)

Our Reporter

MR. Joe Biden of the Democratic Party closed in on victories in Nevada and Arizona on Friday while also overtaking Mr. Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.

But there will be a recount in Georgia where Biden was also the favourite.

Trump and his team remained defiant, insisting that the election was not over yet.

The Biden camp was optimistic of adding all of the 20 electoral votes in Pennsylvania.

The former vice president was billed to deliver a major speech at press time.

Last night, Biden was leading with 41,302 votes in Arizona,13,662 votes in Pennsylvania,1,553 votes in Georgia and 20,137 in Nevada.

Biden had 264 electoral college votes yesterday; six short of the 270 needed to win the race.

There were permutations that if he won Pennsylvania, he would have gained 20 votes and would no longer need either Arizona or Nevada.

But if he wins Arizona – which has 11 electoral college votes – and Nevada – which has 6 – he no longer needs Pennsylvania.

Trump, on the other hand, continued to talk tough even when the odds kept mounting against him.

He vowed to continue to “pursue this process through every aspect of the law to guarantee that the American people have confidence in our government.”

“I will never give up fighting for you and our nation,” he said.

Matt Morgan, his campaign general counsel, said: “This election is not over. The false projection of Joe Biden as the winner is based on results in four states that are far from final.

“Georgia is headed for a recount, where we are confident we will find ballots improperly harvested, and where President Trump will ultimately prevail.

“There were many irregularities in Pennsylvania, including having election officials prevent our volunteer legal observers from having meaningful access to vote counting locations.

“We prevailed in court on our challenge but were deprived of valuable time and denied the transparency we are entitled to under state law.

“In Nevada, there appear to be thousands of individuals who improperly cast mail ballots.

“Finally, the President is on course to win Arizona outright, despite the irresponsible and erroneous ‘calling’ of the state for Biden by Fox News and the Associated Press.

“Biden is relying on these states for his phony claim on the White House, but once the election is final, President Trump will be re-elected.”

Responding, Biden’s team said: “As we said on July 19th, the American people will decide this election.

“And the United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House.”

The Secret Service was reportedly sending additional agents to Biden’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware to increase protection of the former vice president as he inches closer to a potential victory.

Media reports said additional agents were being sent to Wilmington.

The Secret Service activated the group of additional agents after being notified by the Biden campaign that it planned to continue using a Wilmington convention centre for at least another day, with plans to make a major speech on Friday.

Man arrested in Philadelphia in plot to attack vote-counting centre

The police in Philadelphia said they arrested one man and seized a weapon as part of an investigation into a purported plot to attack the city’s Pennsylvania Convention Centre where votes were being counted.

A group of heavily-armed demonstrators drove to Philadelphia from Virginia in a Hummer to carry out the alleged attack on the convention centre.

Police did not identify the detained suspect or provide details about the threat. But video from ABC’s Philadelphia affiliate showed the suspect being taken away in handcuffs and police retrieving a large gun, later reported to be an AR-15 rifle.

The Hummer, emblazoned with stickers linked to the QAnon conspiracy movement, was seized by police.

McConnell: ‘Of course’ there will be a peaceful transfer of power

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said yesterday that there would be a peaceful transition of power should Trump lose reelection.

“We’ve had a peaceful transfer of power going back to 1792, every four years, we’ve moved on to a new administration,” he told reporters in Kentucky.

McConnell’s comments came as Trump claimed that the election was being stolen from him in states where Biden was pulling ahead.

The president’s rhetoric has sparked high-profile backlash from some Republicans, who have warned that he is undermining the country’s institutional underpinnings.

McConnell, in a tweet yesterday appeared to try to straddle a line on Trump’s rhetoric, saying that “every legal vote” should be counted and “all sides must get to observe the process.” His tweet did not directly mention Trump.

“Here’s how this must work in our great country: Every legal vote should be counted. Any illegally-submitted ballots must not. All sides must get to observe the process. And the courts are here to apply the laws & resolve disputes. That’s how Americans’ votes decide the result,” McConnell tweeted.

Some in GOP break with Trump over baseless vote-fraud claims

Some Republican lawmakers on Thursday criticised President Donald Trump’s unsupported claim that Democrats are trying to “steal” the election, saying Trump’s comments undermine the U.S. political process and the bedrock notion that all Americans should have their vote counted.

Trump, who has complained for weeks about mail-in ballots, escalated his allegations late Thursday, saying at the White House that the ballot-counting process is unfair and corrupt. Trump did not back up his claims with any details or evidence, and state and federal officials have not reported any instances of widespread voter fraud.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois, tweeted that the president’s claims of fraud are “getting insane.” If Trump has “legit” concerns about fraud, they need to be based on evidence and taken to court, Kinzinger said, adding, “STOP spreading debunked misinformation.”

Maryland GOP Gov. Larry Hogan, a potential 2024 presidential hopeful who has often criticised Trump, said unequivocally: “There is no defence for the President’s comments tonight undermining our democratic process. America is counting the votes, and we must respect the results as we always have before.

“No election or person is more important than our Democracy,” Hogan said on Twitter.

Other criticism, though less direct, came from members of Congress. Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican who spoke at a recent Trump campaign rally, said in a tweet that if any candidate believes “a state is violating election laws they have a right to challenge it in court & produce evidence in support of their claims.’’

Rubio said earlier: “Taking days to count legally cast votes is NOT fraud. And court challenges to votes cast after the legal voting deadline is NOT suppression.”

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah., the party’s presidential nominee in 2012, sought to provide a reassuring note. Counting votes is often “long” and “frustrating,” Romney said.

If any irregularities are alleged, “they will be investigated and ultimately resolved in the courts,3  Romney tweeted. “Have faith in democracy, our Constitution and the American people.”

The comments by the Republican lawmakers and other GOP leaders were rare, public rebukes of Trump, who has demanded — and generally received — loyalty from fellow Republicans throughout his four-year term. Most in the GOP take pains to avoid directly criticizing Trump, even when they find his conduct unhelpful or offensive to their values and goals.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Trump ally who won reelection Tuesday in Kentucky, told reporters that “claiming you’ve won the election is different from finishing the counting.” His office declined to comment after Trump’s address Thursday.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, urged “everyone to be patient’’ as results come in. “It is critical that we give election officials time to complete their jobs, and that we ensure all lawfully cast ballots are allowed and counted,’’ she said in a statement.

Rep. Will Hurd, a Texas Republican who did not seek reelection, called Trump’s comments about corruption “dangerous” and “wrong.’’ Trump’s remarks undermine the U.S. political process and “the very foundation this nation was built upon,’’ Hurd said.

“Every American should have his or her vote counted,’’ he added.

Adeyinka Akintunde with agency reports

US President Donald Trump has demanded “full transparency” in the ongoing counting of votes.

“We believe the American people deserve to have full transparency into all vote counting and election certification, and that this is no longer about any single election. This is about the integrity of our entire election process,” Trump’s reelection campaign said.

“From the beginning we have said that all legal ballots must be counted and all illegal ballots should not be counted, yet we have met resistance to this basic principle by Democrats at every turn.

“We will pursue this process through every aspect of the law to guarantee that the American people have confidence in our government. I will never give up fighting for you and our nation.”

Our Reporter

Democrat Joe Biden nearly doubled his lead over President Donald Trump in Nevada as officials released more election results Friday.

Biden was leading by 626,211 votes to Trump’s 605,669 votes, growing his lead to 20,542.

A day earlier, Biden was leading by 11,438 votes.

Nevada has six Electoral College votes and could be decisive as Biden closes in on the 270 needed to win the White House. It’s too early to call the contest, with votes still being counted.

Results from about 30,000 mail ballots were released Friday.

No Republican presidential candidate has carried Nevada since 2004 but it has remained a battleground. Trump narrowly lost the state in 2016.

Clark County’s top election official has said the focus is on accuracy over speed and that the large number of mail-in ballots is new and making the counting process take longer than normal.

Read Also: Biden launches transition website

Registrar Joe Gloria told reporters Thursday that in addition to Friday’s results, officials still need to process about 63,000 mail-in ballots and about 60,000 provisional ballots, many of which were cast by people taking advantage of a new law allowing voters to register or update their registration at the polls.

Gloria said the bulk of the mail-in ballots should be counted by Saturday or Sunday.

The state mailed ballots to all active registered voters this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, a move that the Trump campaign previously challenged, claiming it would lead to fraud. Newsnow.uk

Biden, and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, are on the edge of being declared the winners of the 2020 presidential election.

President Donald Trump has virtually no hope of pulling out a win, and experts are predicting when all the ballots have been counted Biden will walk into the White House with a massive 306-232 Electoral College vote win.

Details shortly…

By Bola Olajuwon, Foreign Editor

A Judge in the State of Georgia has denied a Republican attempt to question vote-counting, in the first ruling from a flurry of lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign.

The case was filed on Wednesday in Chatham County, after a Republican witness said, without providing evidence, that he did not know whether a pile of 53 ballots were received on time.

A Pennsylvania appellate court also on Thursday ruled in favour of guaranteeing Republican observers the right to watch ballot counts from no more than six feet away.

Commonwealth Judge Christine Fizzano Cannon, a Democrat, said effective immediately “all candidates, watchers, or candidate representatives be permitted to be present for the canvassing process pursuant to 25 P.S. § 2650 and/or 25 P.S. § 3146.8 and be permitted to observe all aspects of the canvassing process within 6 feet, while adhering to all COVID-19 protocols, including, wearing masks and maintaining social distancing”

President Donald Trump had filed multiple lawsuits and requested a recount of votes in Wisconsin.

Legal experts said the flurry of lawsuits had little chance of changing the outcome, but might cast doubt on the process.

As Trump’s paths to victory narrowed, his campaign yesterday was ramping up legal challenges and filed its latest case in Nevada.

The President said his re-election campaign will challenge the vote in all states that were recently declared wins for former Vice President Joe Biden.

“All of the recent Biden claimed states will be legally challenged by us for Voter Fraud and State Election Fraud. Plenty of proof – just check out the media,” the president posted on Twitter yesterday.

“WE WILL WIN! America First!”, he said.

The campaign also filed lawsuits in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Michigan and Wisconsin were declared wins for Biden, who has amassed 264 of the 270 Electoral College votes needed to take the White House. Trump has 214 electoral votes.

Read Also: Much of the world sees chaos as America election hangs

Other states are still tabulating mail-in and absentee ballots received on or before Election Day.

However, a second day of growing demonstrations over the integrity of the election started early yesterday in Philadelphia and other cities as ballot counting dragged on in a handful of states that would decide the outcome.

Biden was continuing to cut into Trump’s leads in Pennsylvania and Georgia while holding on to slim margins in Nevada and Arizona.

Thursday morning, Judge James Bass dismissed the suit in a one-sentence ruling, without giving his reasoning.

“After listening to the evidence, I’m denying the request, dismissing the petition.

Thank you gentlemen,” he concluded at the end of the hour-long hearing in Savannah.

In their complaint, the Trump campaign argued: “Failing to ensure that absentee ballots received after the deadline are stored in a manner to ensure that such ballots are not inadvertently or intentionally counted, as required under Georgia law, harms the interests of the Trump Campaign and President Trump because it could lead to the dilution of legal votes cast in support of President Trump.”

He alleged, but provided no evidence of, impropriety.

Pumphrey said he saw 53 ballots placed on a table separate from ballots in bins ready to go out to be counted.

Ben Perkins, a lawyer representing Chatham County, asked Pumphrey if he had evidence that the ballots arrived after 7pm on Election Day, and Pumphrey said he did not know.

The board’s witness said the ballots were indeed, received on time, and Sabrina German, the director of Chatham County’s Voter Registration Office, backed up the board witness’s testimony.

Jeff Harris, from the Democratic Party of Georgia, said that both of the Republican witnesses conceded they had no idea about when those 53 ballots were received.

“They have been flatly incapable of proffering competent evidence to prove that point,” he said.

“Courts don’t resolve disputes about whether something may or may not be happening.”

Georgia is proving to be a fascinating, and surprising, a hot spot in the election.

The state had been reliably Republican since 1972, except when a southern Democrat was on the ticket – Georgians sided with native son Jimmy Carter in 1976 and 1980 and Bill Clinton in 1992.

In 2016, Trump won Georgia with 51 per cent of the vote. Hillary Clinton polled 46 per cent.

With 99 per cent counted, Trump’s early comfortable lead had vanished, and Biden was only 0.3 per cent behind him, as of noon yesterday, according to AP.

The latest move by Trump’s campaign was a lawsuit to be announced yesterday alleging voting fraud in Nevada, another of the crucial states where he narrowly trails Biden.

Some legal experts called the challenges a long shot unlikely to affect the eventual outcome of the election, one of the most unusual presidential races in modern U.S. history due to the coronavirus pandemic. Concern about the virus caused a huge jump in people voting by mail, delaying the results.

“The current legal manoeuvring is mainly a way for the Trump campaign to try to extend the ball game in the long-shot hope that some serious anomaly will emerge,” said Robert Yablon, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School.

“As of now, we haven’t seen any indication of systematic irregularities in the vote count,” he said.

Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said in a statement Wednesday the lawsuits were aimed at ensuring legal votes were counted.

“The lawsuits are meritless,” said Bob Bauer, who is part of Biden’s legal team. “They’re intended to give the Trump campaign the opportunity to argue the vote count should stop. It is not going to stop.”

Police in New York City, Denver, Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon, all reported they had arrested some protesters, often on charges of blocking traffic or similar misdemeanours.

Supporters of Biden have rallied around the slogan to “count every vote,” believing a complete tally would show the Democratic former vice president had beaten Republican President Donald Trump.

Ardent Trump backers have countered with cries to “protect the vote” in support of his campaign’s efforts to have some categories of ballots, including some votes submitted by mail, discarded.

Democrats and Republicans tied at 48 in the Senate election result. But, Democrats got 208 in House of Representatives against Republican’s 190.