Summary

  • President-elect Joe Biden made his first appointments, naming a group of scientists and experts who will lead his administration's response to Covid-19

  • However, President Donald Trump is still planning legal challenges to the results in some key states

  • Biden says it will take time to develop a vaccine, and urges Americans to wear a mask to reduce Covid-19 transmissions

  • Biden and President Trump both welcome news that a vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech is 90% effective

  • Biden advisers are discussing who can fill key posts after the Democrat pledged the most diverse cabinet in history

  • Results from the states of Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina and Alaska are still outstanding

  1. Stammer no impediment for Biden speechpublished at 21:31 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    A 13-year-old who was helped with his stutter by Joe Biden when they met in New Hampshire earlier this year has some advice for the president-elect as he gets ready for his inauguration address.

    "If he gets a block, or if he has a little moment, then he just needs to do what he does best and go through it," Brayden Harrington told the BBC.

    Biden has spoken about his childhood stutter in the past.

    Media caption,

    US election 2020: 'Without Joe Biden, I wouldn't be talking to you'

  2. 'Those photos have been doctored,' paper tells Trump stafferpublished at 21:16 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    This morning Trump’s director of communications, Tim Murtaugh, posted a defiant tweet.

    “Greeting staff at @TeamTrump HQ this morning, a reminder that the media doesn’t select the President,” the tweet read, echoing Trump's refusal to accept the projected result.

    Attached to the tweet were pictures of what appeared to be a front page of the conservative Washington Times newspaper plastered across the walls of the Trump campaign’s HQ.

    The front page, dated 8 November 2000, read: “President Gore - Gore over the top with bare majority”.

    The headline refers to Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore, who ultimately lost to George W Bush in 2000 after a close result in Florida, which was contested in court.

    However, the Washington Times has taken to Twitter to say it never ran such a front-page story.

    A screen grab of the Washington Times's tweetsImage source, Twitter
    Image caption,

    The Washington Times responded to Murtaugh on Twitter

    “Those photos have been doctored. The Washington Times never ran a 'President Gore' headline,” the newspaper tweeted.

    “We also wish to add that Mr Murtaugh has been officially notified via email about this error.”

    Murtaugh’s tweet has since been deleted.

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  3. Saudis congratulate Bidenpublished at 20:57 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    President Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin SalmanImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    President Trump formed strong ties with Saudi Arabia's rulers

    Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saudand his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, are the latest world leaders to congratulate Biden and Harris on their election victory.

    Until now, Saudi Arabia had remained silent on the projected defeat of President Trump, while other Arab countries were quicker to put out statements.

    Prince Mohammed, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, was close to the Trump White House.

    Trump's first overseas visit after taking office was to Saudi Arabia, which gave him an extravagant welcome not shown to his predecessor, Barack Obama, whom they felt was soft on their rival, Iran.

    Trump took the US out of the international deal to curb Iran's nuclear programme and then backed Prince Mohammed amid international condemnation over the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the country's Turkish consulate in 2018.

    However, Saudi Arabia has so far not joined Trump's so-called Abraham Accords, which have seen three countries - the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan - normalise relations with Israel.

    A Biden White House appears to offer very different prospects for Riyadh. He has promised to reassess relations with Saudi Arabia, calling for more accountability over Khashoggi's murder and an end to the war in Yemen.

    He has also said he wants to return to the nuclear deal with Iran.

    You can see how other world leaders have reacted to the projected election result here.

    READ MORE: What Biden's victory means for rest of world

  4. Democrat splits re-emerge after Biden victorypublished at 20:29 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    Alexandra Ocasio-CortezImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    AOC gave a no-holds-barred interview to the New York Times right after Biden's victory

    You might remember that Joe Biden beat Bernie Sanders to become the Democratic Party's candidate in this election.

    Sanders comes from the progressive left-wing of the party, while Biden and Harris come from the more moderate wing.

    These wings disagree on plenty, but they managed to unite around their overwhelming desire to get Donald Trump out of office.

    But now, the splits are re-emerging. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, or AOC, a young congresswoman from New York seen as the face of the new progressive left, has wasted no time in speaking out after Joe Biden's victory was projected, calling for progressives to be placed in senior positions in the new administration.

    She told the New York Times, external that Democrats' much worse-than-expected peformance in House and Senate races had much more to do with the party's campaigning strategy than with progressives' endorsement of policies that invite Republican attacks on "socialism", as some moderates have suggested.

    "The leadership and elements of the party - frankly, people in some of the most important decision-making positions in the party - are becoming so blinded to this anti-activist sentiment that they are blinding themselves to the very assets that they offer," she said.

    She also pointedly remarked that the transition period - when people are appointed to key positions - would indicate whether Biden's team was going to be "open and collaborative" with the left of the party or take an "icing-out approach".

    "These transition appointments, they send a signal. They tell a story of who the administration credits with this victory."

  5. Biden will take office 'when virus is peaking'published at 20:15 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    voting in mussouri, 30 OctImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    The pandemic saw extra measures at polling stations and led to a rise in postal voting

    President-elect Joe Biden is likely to take charge at a time when the coronavirus pandemic is at its peak, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, told CBS News on Sunday., external

    Joe Biden will take office on 20 January 2021. “By the time the president-elect takes office we’ll probably be at the apex of what we’re going through right now,” he said.

    He suggested that this means the curve will be starting to come down by January - "the only question is going to be how many people have died in the course of this and how many people have been infected,” Gottlieb explained:

    “I think 2021 will be much better than this year, but you still want to make sure you have adequate supplies as you come down that epidemic curve and head into autumn”.

    Biden has promised to take a much more aggressive stance than Donald Trump in tackling the pandemic. On Sunday he announced the first steps in his transition plan and his team said there would be more testing and Americans would be asked to wear masks.

  6. Social media row over articles about Kamala Harris's appearancepublished at 20:02 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    Kamala HarrisImage source, Getty Images

    It's long been known that women in political office face different scrutiny to men. Now a row on social media has broken out in the UK over allegations that some media are focusing too much on Harris's appearance, her clothes and her make-up.

    British political party the Women's Equality Party accused newspaper The Daily Telegraph of asking its beauty section to cover the news that Harris had won the election.

    It was quickly pointed out that the newspaper's story about Harris as a "beauty icon" was just one of many it published about her and that many media outlets write about female politicians as style icons.

    Following that, the Huffington Post published a comment piece, external suggesting that it was "sexist" to assume that women who like to read about beauty are not feminists.

    "There are multiple stories about her [Harris], one of which is about her make up. Which happens to be one of the biggest industries which employs women. Make up isn’t silly or flippant or unimportant," journalist Rebecca Reid wrote on Twitter.

    Read analysis about how the rules of policies are different for women.

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  7. Black Lives Matter wants agenda 'prioritised'published at 19:48 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    People dance on Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White HouseImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    People dance in Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House

    The Black Lives Matter movement has shared a letter it sent to Biden and Harris on Saturday requesting a meeting. Biden pledged in his victory speech to "root out systemic racism".

    The letter begins by saying that President Trump’s exit will not "ensure an end to the intolerable conditions faced by Black people in America".

    BLM takes credit for helping win the White House for the Democratic ticket, saying: "In short, Black people won this election."

    "We want to be heard and our agenda to be prioritized. We issue these expectations, not just because Black people are the most consistent and reliable voters for Democrats, but also because Black people are truly living in crisis in a nation that was built on our subjugation.

    “Up until this point, the United States has refused to directly reckon with the way it devalues Black people and devastates our lives. This cannot continue."

    The letter concludes that BLM looks forward to meeting the president-elect and vice-president-elect to "begin the immediate work of Black liberation".

    Biden said in Saturday's speech: "The African American community stood up again for me. They always have my back, and I’ll have yours."

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  8. President and first lady dispute outcomepublished at 19:34 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    The president and first lady have just tweeted minutes apart, disputing the election outcome.

    Trump, who has been at his Virginia golf club on Sunday, took a shot at media who declared his rival the winner.

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    And Melania Trump's account tweeted following an unconfirmed CNN report that she has been urging the president to concede the election.

    Her post seemed to echo her husband's unsubstantiated claims that "illegal" votes tipped the election in Biden's favour.

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    First lady Melania Trump waves next to US President Donald TrumpImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    The first couple at a campaign rally in Florida last month

  9. Claims of 'Covid hypocrisy' in Biden street partiespublished at 19:19 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    Biden street party in New York CityImage source, Getty Images

    Images of Democrats partying in large street celebrations across the US are being criticised as irresponsible and hypocritical.

    Some conservatives note many liberals condemned Trump rallies and White House gatherings as Covid-19 "superspreader events".

    Now, seeing crowds of Democratic supporters filling the streets, Trump's son Don Trump Jr tweeted: "I guess I can have all of my kids at Thanksgiving dinner after all?"

    Daily Wire podcast host Matt Walsh suggested the party-goers were acting recklessly after eight months of Americans enduring the social and economic effects of the pandemic.

    And Covid-sceptic journalist Alex Berenson also suggested Democrats were exercising a double standard.

    BBC correspondents at street parties in Washington DC in Saturday noted the majority of people wore masks, though many did not socially distance.

    On Saturday, the US recorded a further 128,396 infections, according to the Covid Tracking Project., external

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  10. The silence of Brazil's Bolsonaropublished at 18:53 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    Ricardo Senra
    BBC Brasil, Miami

    Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro with Donald Trump in Florida in March this yearImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro with Donald Trump in Florida in March of this year

    Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro is a big fan of Donald Trump. The far-right South American leader describes the Republican as an "idol" and said multiple times that Trump would be the winner of the 2020 US elections.

    Now, more than 24 hours after the announcement of Joe Biden's projected victory, the man who likes to be called the "Trump of the Tropics" remains silent.

    While more than a hundred world leaders from across the political spectrum - from Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro to Hungary's Viktor Orbán - have congratulated the president-elect, Bolsonaro appears to be waiting for a sign from the current White House occupant.

    Sources in the Brazilian government say that Bolsonaro will not comment on the results until Trump concedes the election.

    While Bolsonaro's government claims the US is the number one priority in Brazil's foreign relations, the future of this relationship is now unclear.

    In the first presidential debate, in September, Biden said Brazil should suffer “significant economic consequences” if deforestation and forest fires continue in the country (Bolsonaro has at times condoned environmental destruction in Brazil). The comment was described by Bolsonaro as a "cowardly threat".

  11. Boris Johnson vows to defend 'common values' with Bidenpublished at 18:37 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    Earlier we told you how the UK's foreign secretary said the government was "excited" to work with the US president-elect.

    Now there are more positive sounds coming from the UK government about Joe Biden's victory.

    Boris Johnson has told broadcasters there is "more that unites than divides" him and Biden as he pledged to work together to defend "common values and interests".

    The UK prime minister said he and Biden shared a belief in democracy, human rights, free speech and free trade.

    "The United States is our closest and most important ally, and that has been the case president after president, prime minister after prime minister - it won't change," he said.

    Johnson signalled that he hoped Biden's victory would mark a big shift in US policy on climate change - Donald Trump having taken the country out of the Paris Climate Accord.

    "I think now with President Biden in the White House in Washington we have the real prospect of American global leadership in tackling climate change," he said.

  12. US can be confident of 'fair election' - George W Bushpublished at 18:14 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    George W BushImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    George W Bush

    Republican George W Bush, who was US president from 2001-09, has released a statement congratulating Biden on his win and assuring Americans that their "vote counted".

    "President Trump has the right to request recounts and pursue legal challenges, and any unresolved issues will be properly adjudicated," he said, adding:

    "The American people can have confidence that this election was fundamentally fair, its integrity will be upheld, and its outcome is clear."

    He also said he had spoken by phone to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris to congratulate them. He called Joe Biden "a good man who has won the opportunity to lead and unify our country".

    Bush also congratulated Donald Trump on winning the support of more than 70 million Americans, and said their voices would be "heard through elected Republicans at every level of government".

    Just to remind you - George W Bush became president after a very tight race in Florida in 2000, which was the subject of bitter legal arguments between Bush and his opponent Al Gore. The votes in Florida went to a recount, which was ended a month after the election by a controversial Supreme Court decision in Bush's favour.

  13. Cuba hopes for 'constructive relationship'published at 18:01 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    Pascal Fletcher
    Latin American Specialist, BBC Monitoring

    A man wearing a top with a design of the US flag rides on his bicycle along a street of Havana, on November 3, 2020Image source, Getty Images

    In the first official reaction from Cuba's government to the US election outcome, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel expressed a cautious hope that the two long-estranged neighbours could have "​​a constructive bilateral relationship that is respectful of differences".

    "We recognise that, in their presidential elections, the people of USA have opted for a new direction," his Twitter account said, external.

    The brief message did not specifically mention the projected victory of Democrat Joe Biden in the US election, nor did it congratulate Biden.

    Cuba's Communist Party government has long demanded that the US lift long-running economic sanctions against the island, which were tightened under President Donald Trump.

    In his election campaign, Biden had said he would return to the policies towards Cuba introduced by Trump's predecessor, Democratic President Barack Obama, who had initiated a 2015-16 diplomatic rapprochement and economic opening towards Havana, that had included full diplomatic relations and expanded flights and travel by Americans.

    Cuba's official news agency Prensa Latina reported on 7 November that Cubans were "celebrating" the defeat of Donald Trump in the US elections.

  14. Conservatives sceptical of Biden call for unitypublished at 17:48 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    Joe Biden called for unity in the US in his victory speech on SaturdayImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Joe Biden called for unity in the US in his victory speech on Saturday

    We've mentioned the reaction from Republican politicians to Biden's win, but Trump supporters and other conservatives have also been responding to the president-elect's victory.

    Ari Fleischer, the former White House press secretary to President George W Bush, suggested that the Democrat's call for unity in a speech on Saturday was disingenuous. He contrasted that appeal to Republicans with Democrats' fight against Donald Trump during his presidency.

    Right-wing commentator John Cardillo tweeted,, external "Two weeks ago, he [Biden] called Trump supporters 'chumps' and 'ugly'. He’s a nasty old man."

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    And former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly suggested Trump supporters had been "demonised" by Democrats and the media for four years, and that it was a hard ask to suggest they now "unify" with the country.

    In his victory speech in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, Biden said: "I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide, but to unify. Who doesn’t see red and blue states, but a United States."

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    And another conservative commentator, Mollie Hemingway, accused mainstream media of demeaning Trump voters, writing: "I’m struck right now by how coverage post-2016 focused relentlessly for years on Clinton supporters and their emotional trauma and Resistance efforts... compared to second-class and disdainful treatment of 71 million Trump voters."

  15. Biden visits church with familypublished at 17:18 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    Biden arrives with his family for a church service in Wilmington, DelawareImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Biden is a regular church-goer in Wilmington

    Biden has begun his first full day as president-elect by going to church.

    Accompanied by family members, Biden arrived at St Joseph's on the Brandywine, a Roman Catholic Church near his home in Wilmington, Delaware, on Sunday morning. His son, Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer in 2015, is buried in the cemetery there.

    A Secret Service agent stood outside the church during Sunday's visit by the president-elect.

    Biden, who is set to become only the second Catholic president since John F Kennedy, attended the same church on the morning of election day.

    The 77-year-old Democrat has often invoked his Catholic faith and is reportedly a regular attendee at Mass.

    Biden leaves after a church service in Wilmington, DelawareImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Biden attended church with his family

    On Monday, Biden will name members of a task force he's setting up to tackle the coronavirus pandemic - one of the biggest challenges he's facing.

    Meanwhile, President Trump has spent his Sunday morning on the golf course, as we reported earlier.

    As it stands, there’s still no sign of a concession from the president.

    A US Secret Service agent stands guard outside the churchImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    A member of the Secret Service stood guard

  16. Romney calls for party to 'get behind Joe Biden'published at 16:56 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    Trump supporters in NevadaImage source, Getty Images

    Senator Mitt Romney is one of the few Republicans who publicly congratulated Joe Biden on Saturday. Speaking on CNN's Sunday morning show, the long-term Trump critic said his party needed to get behind President-elect Biden.

    "I think we get behind the new president, unless for some reason that's overturned, we get behind the new president and wish him the very best," Romney (a senator in Utah), who was the party's 2012 presidential nominee, said.

    His message was echoed by fellow Republican Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who said he hoped "cooler heads prevail in the coming days". He added that he hadn't seen any evidence of fraud: "I don't think we will see anything that will overturn this election."

    Both Romney and Hogan have in the past vented rare dissent against the president from within his party.

    But other top Republicans are staying tight-lipped and some have cast doubt on the results. Senate leader Mitch McConnell has not spoken publicly since Biden's win was projected. On Saturday, party chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tweeted "the media doesn’t decide who wins elections, voters do", external.

    Trump allies Senators Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham made similar comments. "The media can project an election winner, but they don’t get to decide if claims of broken election laws & irregularities are true. That’s decided by the courts, and on the basis of clear evidence and the law," Rubio wrote.

    Graham, who is chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on Saturday that he would investigate “all credible allegations of voting irregularities and misconduct".

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  17. Trump repeats fraud claims then goes to golf clubpublished at 16:53 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    President Trump has sent another flurry of tweets.

    He again sought to sow doubt about the integrity of the election, reiterating unsubstantiated allegations of widespread voter fraud and a "stolen election".

    In tweets that appeared to quote former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, external, Trump wrote that "we should look at these allegations" of "voter fraud".

    Trump is mounting legal challenges against election results in some states, but is yet to produce any credible evidence of large-scale voter fraud.

    For now, though, Trump appears to have taken a break from Twitter to go to his golf club in Sterling, Virginia, for a second day in a row. He was pictured hitting the fairway there on Saturday.

    President Donald TrumpImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Trump was seen in golf attire getting into his presidential motorcade

    White House reporters confirmed the president had arrived at his Trump National Golf Club, with one tweeting a picture of his motorcade pulling into the driveway.

    Trump was at the golf club on Saturday when media outlets, including the BBC, projected victory for Biden.

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  18. Will Biden take Taiwan leader's call?published at 16:42 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    Pratik Jakhar
    BBC Monitoring

    President Tsai of TaiwanImage source, Getty Images

    Donald Trump surprised many when he agreed to accept a phone call from Taiwan's leader Tsai Ing-wen to congratulate him on his election victory in 2016.

    That was the first time since 1979 that the leader of the self-ruled island - which China considers as part of its territory - and the US president or president-elect had communicated with each other.

    Analysts are now questioning if Joe Biden will answer if Tsai decides to make a congratulatory call. The answer is probably not.

    Biden is expected to be more restrained, and his administration might prioritise stable ties with China over openly supporting Taiwan.

    "Will the much-needed military sales to Taiwan continue at their current rate under Biden? Will the US continue to guarantee Taiwan's safety in the face of the growing threat of invasion from China?" an article, external in the Taiwan News notes.

    "It is much too early to say at this point, but let's just say it seems unlikely that Biden will be taking a call from President Tsai to congratulate him on his victory as Trump did four years ago," it adds.

    Trump enjoyed popular support in Taiwan and was considered by some as "the most pro-Taiwan president in US history".

    He helped raise Taiwan's international profile, approved $15bn in weapons sales, including F-16 fighter jets, and sent high-level US officials to visit the island in recent months.

    Taiwan will now be watching nervously to see how Biden's policy towards the island shapes up, particularly as tensions with China rise.

    In the meantime, President Tsai has tweeted her congratulations to the president-elect - replying to a tweet he sent her when she was re-elected in January:

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  19. How is the Middle East reacting?published at 16:33 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    Sebastian Usher
    BBC Arab Affairs Editor

    Netanyahu and TrumpImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has been very close to Trump

    Countries across the Middle East are coming to terms with Joe Biden's victory.

    Nowhere in the region has Donald Trump's administration had more effect than in Iran and Israel. His policy of maximum pressure on Iran started with the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and intensified from there, bringing the two countries to the brink of direct conflict.

    The Iran agreement was a key element of his predecessor Barack Obama's foreign policy - Joe Biden may bring the US back to it, if Iran in turn resumes observance of the conditions of the deal. That would antagonise Saudi Arabia, which both backed and fuelled Trump's anti-Iranian stance - the Kingdom's silence so far on Biden's victory is noticeable.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered his congratulations, though perhaps a little belatedly. He too has been extremely close to the Trump administration, which recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital and at one point appeared to accept Israeli plans for annexation of much of the West Bank.

    That further alienated the Palestinians - who rejected Trump's plan for the region and suspended co-operation. The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said he looks forward to working with the new administration - though Palestinians continue to look for now at US policy with a jaundiced eye.

  20. Biden and Harris launch transition websitepublished at 16:22 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2020

    Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' teams are wasting no time in getting started - they've launched a website, external and a Twitter account for their transition to the White House.

    The Twitter handle is @Transition46, external - Biden being the 46th president-elect.

    There are tweets up already about the transition - the period before Biden is inaugurated and officially becomes president in January - and the team's priorities:

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    Their "Build Back Better" website includes plans for "ensuring that the transfer of power between the current administration and the Biden-Harris administration is successful".

    It says they will have a team led by Biden and Harris, along with a "diverse advisory board, and respected leaders and staff from across sectors".

    See our earlier post for details on what they are expected to do right away.