November 8, 2020 7:50 am
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Joe Biden used his first national address as president-elect to vow to heal a deeply divided nation, declaring it was time to “let this grim era of demonization in America begin to end” and reaching out to the millions of people who voted against him to say, “Let’s give each other a chance.” His calls for reconciliation at a Saturday evening victory celebration came even as President Donald Trump continued to argue that the election had been stolen from him, an indication that the divisive politics that have gripped the U.S. over the past four years are far from over. It also suggested that even as Biden seeks to build out a government during his transition to the presidency, the president has little interest in helping him do so. Biden heads into his first full day as president-elect on Sunday with key staffing decisions to make as the coronavirus rages. The always-frenzied 10-week transition period before Inauguration Day on Jan. 20 already has been shortened by the extra time it took to determine the winner of Tuesday’s election.
November 8, 2020 7:44 am
WAYNESBURG, Pa. (AP) — A man shot in the ankle by a western Pennsylvania police officer and later found with heroin and cocaine on his person 3 1/2 years ago has been sentenced to six years in prison. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that a federal judge imposed the sentence Friday on 35-year-old Julius Hurt, who pleaded guilty in February to violating federal gun and drug laws. Authorities said a Waynesburg officer responded to a report of an unruly man near the Greene County Courthouse in May 2017 and chased the suspect when he ran. Authorities alleged that Hurt pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it at the officer, who fired. Authorities said two loaded guns fell next to Hurt as he collapsed. As Hurt was being treated at a West Virginia hospital, a doctor told state police that two large plastic baggie containing white powder were found on the suspect.
November 7, 2020 12:26 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Joe Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump is a “mandate for action.” The Democratic leader said in a statement Saturday: “Today marks the dawning of a new day of hope for America.” Pelosi called Biden’s vote tally a “historic victory.” She says President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will have a strong Democratic House majority “by their side.” Biden clinched the White House with a victory in Pennsylvania, the state where he was born. He also won Nevada on Saturday.
November 7, 2020 12:23 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Democrat Joe Biden has defeated President Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States. Biden vanquished his Republican foe after a campaign as bitter and divisive as Trump’s own presidential term. Victories in “blue wall” northern industrial states propelled Biden to the White House, where he’ll confront America’s deep health, economic and social ills. A win in Pennsylvania sealed his victory after more than three tension-filled days of counting votes. Record numbers of Americans voted early and by mail, many out of concern about going to polling places during the coronavirus pandemic.
November 7, 2020 10:46 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Joe Biden says he is already preparing to assume the presidency even though he has not been declared the winner in his race against President Donald Trump. Biden says, “I want people to know we’re not waiting to get the work done.” He addressed the nation late Friday from Wilmington, Delaware. Biden says he and his running mate, Kamala Harris, have held briefings on the coronavirus and the economy this week as the U.S. records record daily cases. He is noting that nearly 240,000 people have died from the pandemic and says he wants those families to know they aren’t alone.
November 7, 2020 10:29 am
ATLANTA (AP) – The outcome in several contested states will determine whether Joe Biden defeats President Donald Trump. But if the Democratic challenger wins, the ambitions of a Biden presidency could well come down to Georgia. This newfound battleground, long a Republican stronghold, is poised for twin runoffs on Jan. 5 to settle which party will control the U.S. Senate. Democrat Jon Ossoff is set to challenge Republican Sen. David Perdue. Democrat Raphael Warnock will challenge Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler. The outcomes mean the difference between a Democratic majority at least giving a President Biden up-or-down votes on his top priorities or a Republican majority led by Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell confounding a Biden White House at every turn.
November 7, 2020 10:27 am
BOSTON (AP) – A texting company run by a top Trump campaign aide was used to send thousands of targeted, anonymous text messages that urged supporters to rally where votes were being counted in Philadelphia on Thursday. They falsely claimed the Democrats were trying to steal the presidential election. Two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition they not be further identified said the texts were sent using phone numbers leased to the text-messaging platform Opn Sesame. Its CEO is Gary Coby, the Trump campaign’s digital director. Coby declined to comment. A spokesperson for the Trump campaign said it did not send the texts.
November 7, 2020 10:25 am
The most turbulent and norm-breaking presidential election of a lifetime has led to an extraordinary spectacle over the past three days: armed protesters gathering nightly outside offices where local workers are counting the votes to decide who will be the next occupant of the White House. Some carry shotguns. Some have handguns. Most often, they carry black, military-style semiautomatic rifles. The protesters with weapons are a small minority of the demonstrators. There has been no violence, and the laws in Arizona and Michigan – where guns have been seen outside vote-tabulation centers — allow people to openly carry guns in public. But experts warn that the guns create a dangerous situation that could tip easily into violence.
November 7, 2020 10:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Facing the potential for narrow losses in multiple battlegrounds, President Donald Trump might have a tough time persuading the Supreme Court to take up his call to intervene and prevent Joe Biden from becoming president. Trump could need the court’s help in two or more states. That’s an unlikely scenario that is far different from what took place in 2000, the only time the court has effectively settled a presidential election. Twenty years ago, the entire fight was over Florida’s electoral votes and involved a recount as opposed to trying to halt the initial counting of ballots.
November 7, 2020 10:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows has been diagnosed with the coronavirus as the nation sets daily records for confirmed cases for the pandemic. Two senior administration officials confirmed Meadows tested positive for the virus, which has killed more than 236,000 Americans so far this year. Meadows traveled with Trump in the run-up to Election Day and last appeared in public early Wednesday morning without a mask as Trump falsely declared victory in the vote count. He had been one of the close aides around Trump when the president came down with the virus more than a month ago, but was tested daily and maintained his regular work schedule.
