Image source, EPA

We're pausing our live coverage of the US election aftermath, as Donald Trump continues to refuse to concede. Thanks for staying with us.

Here's a recap of the main developments in the past 24 hours:

• Georgia has announced a full recount by hand of the votes cast in the southern US state where Biden currently leads by about 14,000 votes
• President-elect Biden has announced the teams he will use to ensure a smooth transition in January. His team revealed on its website, external he names of some 500 appointees who will work with the various federal agencies to prepare for a Biden move into the White House on 20 January
• Donald Trump made his first public appearance since the election, taking part in a Veterans Day commemoration at Arlington military cemetery in Virginia
• The state of Alaska was projected for Trump, taking him to 217 electoral college votes
• Alaska is also projected to return a Republican senator - taking the party to 50 of the 100 seats on offer. All eyes now turn to the race for the remaining two seats in Georgia, which will be decided by run-off vote in January. If the Democrats win they will gain control of the Senate because Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris would then hold the tie-breaking vote

Wednesday's live page was brought to you by our teams in London and Washington - Gary Kitchener, Mal Siret, Ritu Prasad, Yaroslav Lukov, Patrick Jackson, Rebecca Seales and Thomas Spender.

Image source, Reuters

One of President-elect Joe Biden's coronavirus advisers has said a nationwide lockdown of four to six weeks would help bring the outbreak under control in the US.

Dr Michael Osterholm - director of the Center of Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota - cited how New Zealand, Australia and several Asian countries had brought the virus under control.

He told CNBC: “We could pay for a package right now to cover all of the wages, lost wages for individual workers for losses to small companies to medium-sized companies or city, state, county governments. We could do all of that."

“We could really watch ourselves cruising into the vaccine availability in the first and second quarter of next year while bringing back the economy long before that,” the adviser added.

Earlier this week Osterholm said the US was headed for "Covid hell".

A record number of Americans - more than 60,000 - are in hospital receiving treatment for Covid-19. The US has seen ten straight days when coronavirus cases exceeded 100,000.

In New York, the state at the centre of infections early in the pandemic, Governor Andrew Cuomo is ordering that bars and restaurants shut at 22:00 and banning gatherings of more than 10 people. Meanwhile, Texas has become the first state to surpass a million cases.

Donald Trump - who has made numerous allegations of voter fraud without providing evidence - has tweeted a video that media reports have already confirmed as showing officials collecting ballots according to their normal procedure.

Mr Trump tweeted the video, saying: "You are looking at BALLOTS! Is this what our Country has come to?"

The video began circulating on 4 November, the day after voting. It shows officials collecting ballots from a drop box. Some social media users claimed it showed evidence of fraud.

However on 6 November Reuters quoted a spokesman for the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk (RR/CC) as saying that the ballots in the videos “are valid ballots and will be processed and counted in our Official Election Canvass.”

They were being picked up by RR/CC staff, the spokesman said. “All vote by mail ballot drop boxes were closed and locked at 8 PM on Election Day. Ballots from all boxes throughout the County were picked up the following day,” he added.

The California Secretary of State's website says that mail ballots have to be delivered to a ballot drop-off location by the close of polls at 20:00 local time on the day of the election.

Former CIA head Leon Panetta has expressed concern over President Trump's decision to fire his defence secretary Mark Esper and replace him with Christopher Miller, head of the National Counterterrorism Center.

He told the BBC that Trump was "plunging the Pentagon into uncertainty".

He also said that, despite Trump's contesting of election results, there would be a peaceful transition of power to President-elect Joe Biden.

Read more about Esper's firing here

Image source, Reuters

Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg has criticised Donald Trump for his continuing refusal to concede the presidential race.

Without naming the US president, the 17-year-old: "It becomes clearer and clearer that it doesn’t seem to end with giving up on empathy, equality, facts and science. It appears after that follows diminishing or denying democracy itself. A global phenomenon - all for greed and power."

Last December, Trump suggested in a tweet that: "Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!", external

Thunberg waited nearly 11 months to respond - but took her chance after Trump demanded vote counting in the US election be stopped.

"So ridiculous. Donald must work on his Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Donald, Chill!", external was her riposte.

Four former Homeland Security chiefs have warned that the delay in transitioning powers to the Biden team is threatening US national security.

In a statement, Tom Ridge, Michael Chertoff, Janet Napolitano and Jeh Johnson - who together have formed the group Citizens for a Strong Democracy, external - said Mr Trump's legal claims "cannot and must not prevent the transition process from beginning".

"Our country is in the middle of twin crises: a global pandemic and a severe economic downturn. The pandemic will make any transition more complicated.

"At this period of heightened risk for our nation, we do not have a single day to spare to begin the transition. For the good of the nation, we must start now.”

Ridge and Chertoff served as secretaries of Homeland Security under Republican President George W Bush, while Napolitano and Johnson headed the agency under Barack Obama, a Democrat.

Chertoff oversaw the department's transition to Napolitano. Johnson oversaw its transition to the Trump administration.

Image source, Reuters

President Donald Trump has filed his latest legal challenge in his attempt to overturn the projected election victory of Joe Biden.

His lawyers filed a lawsuit in Michigan to try to block certification of the result there. The state has been called for Joe Biden, with a current projected lead of 2.6% - close to 150,000 votes.

Jake Rollow, of the Michigan Department of State, said the lawsuit "does not change the truth: Michigan's elections were conducted fairly, securely, transparently and the results are an accurate reflection of the will of the people".

With Alaska becoming a projected Trump victory on Wednesday, only North Carolina, Georgia and Arizona are yet to be placed in either camp.

Mr Trump only leads in North Carolina and he needs all three, plus the overturning of at least one other state projected as a Biden win to have any chance.

Image source, EPA

The leader of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed political and military organisation based in Lebanon, has welcomed the "humiliating downfall" of President Trump.

Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised address that his allies should be on "high alert" for any US aggression in Mr Trump's remaining time in office.

But he also cautioned that the new administration would not change the pro-Israel and anti-Iran policy that has advanced under President Trump.

Israel and Hezbollah are bitter enemies who fought a month-long war in 2006.

Ritu Prasad
BBC News writer, Florida

We've been asking our readers for their most pressing questions about the US election. Now it's our turn to respond.

Colin, 78, from Keighley, UK, asks: Why are there more postal votes for Biden?

Let's take a look back at the months preceding Election Day. You may recall Trump early on disparaged the use of postal voting, alleging without evidence that there was widespread fraud.

Though the president's campaign, later on, told supporters voting by mail was OK, many chose instead to turn out to the polls.

This is why analysts correctly predicted we'd see an initial "red wave" on Election Day because many votes cast in person were from Republicans.

On the other hand, Biden supported postal voting in the pandemic from the start so, in turn, more Democrats opted for this method.

And as more of the postal votes sent in were counted (which is all legal), Biden saw his vote count rise.

Click here to learn more about this project - or submit a question of your own.

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Former National Security Adviser John Bolton - who in June published an explosive memoir about his time in the White House - has now penned an opinion piece for the Washington Post, accusing Republicans of "coddling" Donald Trump.

The president has the right to pursue legal action for a lawful vote count, he begins, but at some point, he must show "persuasive evidence".

"Trump’s time is running out, even as his rhetoric continues escalating," Bolton writes., external

"Here is the cold political reality: Trump is enhancing his own brand (in his mind) while harming the Republican brand."

Bolton - who was fired in September 2019 - also says Republicans bowing down to the president will make him believe he is "still in control" and makes it less likely that he will graciously concede and co-operate with Joe Biden for a smooth transition.

President Trump has been scathing of John Bolton since sacking him, calling him “incompetent" and “a disgruntled boring fool who only wanted to go to war".

Image source, EPA

We reported earlier that Georgia is moving towards a full manual recount amid a slim margin of 14,000 votes that put Biden ahead of Trump in the state. The state had already announced it would do a recount last week, given how tight the race has been.

The Trump campaign - who requested the hand recount - has called this an important "first step".

Republican Congressman Doug Collins, who is leading the campaign's effort in the state, told reporters it was a victory for “integrity” and “transparency.”

The campaign's legal counsel Stefan Passantino said that every ballot would be reviewed in this process. He said he expects the "intense" recount to wrap by 20 November - the state-imposed deadline.

Georgia election official Gabriel Sterling earlier said the recount would certainly find "double voters" or "people who did not have the qualifications of a registered voter".

"That will be found. Is it 10,353? Unlikely," he said, referring to the margin of Biden's lead earlier in the week.

There's another deadline to be mindful of as well: 8 December, which is when the electoral college rules say states must finalise who their electors are. Electors will vote on 14 December.

Image source, Getty Images

The hubbub over recounts has also added to criticisms of another aspect of US elections: projections.

Some Republicans have lashed out at news networks for projecting a winner in the states, claiming it's not their job to do so and results aren't certified.

What does all this mean?

As there's no single nationwide electoral body in the US, news organisations have long made their own projections during election day (or week, in this case).

They do this by analysing voter interviews, polling data and actual votes counted in precincts. Major networks have always projected winners when all this data shows a candidate has an unbeatable lead - some have described this as 99.5% certainty.

Remember: these are always predictions and not official results, which typically take several weeks as states canvass (or review) all their votes.

Once this review process is done, the states say the results are certified and their groups of electors - who are the people who actually vote for the president in the Electoral College - are put together.

This year, they have until 8 December to do so. Electors must cast their ballots on 14 December.

If you need a refresher on the electoral college system, check out our explainer here.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo heads off on what could be an awkward seven-nation trip on Friday - taking in countries that have already congratulated Joe Biden for his election victory.

This appears to run counter to his own view - on Tuesday he said at the State Department there would be a "smooth transition to a second Trump administration".

That apparently ruffled feathers at the department, with some officials suggesting he was contradicting efforts to promote fair elections overseas. Mr Pompeo said that was "ridiculous".

He will take in France, Turkey, Georgia, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, many of whom have forged good ties with Mr Trump but who have not exactly backed his claims of electoral fraud.

Mr Pompeo said he would be "reminding everyone that all the votes haven’t been counted".

Another White House official who attended the president's election night event has reportedly tested positive for coronavirus.

White House political director Brian Jack is the latest addition to the list, according to the New York Times, external. He was said to have tested positive over the weekend.

So far, chief of staff Mark Meadows, housing secretary Ben Carson and post-election adviser David Bossie have been diagnosed with Covid-19 since attending the East Room event last week.

Hundreds were seen in the White House to watch the election results, and many were not wearing masks.

Ritu Prasad
BBC News writer, Florida

We've been asking our readers for their most pressing questions about the US election. Now it's our turn to respond.

Stéphane Longuet, 50, from London asks: Is it possible electors would designate another winner? Could some electors from Pennsylvania decide to vote for Donald Trump instead of Joe Biden or are they legally bound to follow the popular vote?

This is a great question - so let's dive into what the deal is with these "faithless electors".

The majority of states in the US, including this year's key battlegrounds of Arizona and Michigan, have laws that bind electors to vote for their state's majorities.

This year, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld those laws, saying electors have "no ground for reversing" the popular vote in their state, noting that in America, "We, the People rule".

Of course, this doesn't mean that we haven't seen faithless electors before, though it is rare.

In 2016, 10 electors reneged on their popular vote winner to vote for other candidates. And way back in 1796, one elector switched to vote for the opposing party.

But it's important to remember these faithless electors have never actually changed the outcome of a presidential election.

According to FairVote, an election reform nonprofit, across 58 presidential elections with more than 23,500 votes cast, only 90 electors have failed to honour the popular vote.

Now a quick look at Pennsylvania: the state doesn't require electors to vote in line with the popular result or penalise faithless electors. However, any swaps here are unlikely, as the party campaigns choose their electors in the state.

Click here to learn more about this project - or submit a question of your own.

Image source, Reuters

Amid all the focus on Georgia in light of the hand recount news, let's also take a look at the Democrat credited with helping flip the state: Stacey Abrams.

In 2018, Abrams made history as the first African-American woman to mount a bid for governor, though she lost her campaign. Since then, she's been an active organiser for Democrats in Georgia.

And now, her attention's on January's upcoming Senate run-off races, triggered as no candidate won a majority in the state. Democrats need to win both Georgia seats to get a majority in the upper chamber.

Abrams told Stephen Colbert on Monday night that she's moved right on to helping Democrats John Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in their battle against incumbent Republicans Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue.

"We’re gonna flip two seats at once,” she said. “We like to be efficient in the South."

Abrams described their goal for January as: "To raise all the money that we can, as fast as we can, from anywhere we can."

Our reporter Chelsea Bailey took a look at Stacey Abrams and how she helped deliver Biden's most surprising win here

Ritu Prasad
BBC News writer, Florida

We've been asking our readers for their most pressing questions about the US election. Now it's our turn to respond.

Teresa Lewis, 60, from Idaho asks: Can the president run again in 2024?

In a word: yes. In the US, presidents are allowed to serve two terms of four years each - and they don't have to be back to back.

As Trump now joins nine other US presidents who lost their re-election bids, he is within his rights to run again.

And he wouldn't be the first to do so.

America's 22nd president, Grover Cleveland, was first elected after the Civil War in 1885. He was defeated in his 1888 campaign after winning the popular vote but losing the electoral college.

But he moved back to the White House in 1892, serving out his second term after a four-year gap.

Our journalist Jessica Murphy took a look at what could be next for the business mogul here.

And click here to learn more about this project - or submit a question of your own.

Image source, Getty Images

US actor Jon Voight has posted a video saying the fight against a Joe Biden victory is the "greatest since the Civil War, the battle of righteousness versus Satan. Yes, Satan".

The 81-year-old Midnight Cowboy actor is a vehement supporter of President Donald Trump and the father of special envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Angelina Jolie, who is not.

In a staged event speaking to camera, Mr Voight talks of the "lie that Biden has been chosen", backing the president's claims of widespread election fraud, which have so far not been substantiated by any evidence.

He rails against "evil, corrupt" leftists who "want to tear down this nation". He appeared at Mr Trump's inauguration concert and this year's Republican National Convention and has made a number of pro-Trump videos.

Ms Jolie does not appear to have commented on this episode. But she has been a staunch advocate of gender equality and of tackling violence against women. In a Time piece last month, external she spoke of the lapsed Violence Against Women Act, saying: "Only Joe Biden has committed to the authorisation of VAWA in his first 100 days in office."

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he had a "great conversation" with US President-elect Joe Biden.

Johnson and Joe Biden spoke for 25 minutes on Tuesday.

Image source, Getty Images

As the election drama continues, so too does the coronavirus pandemic.

We heard from President-elect Biden this week after his first meeting with pandemic experts. He urged Americans to wear masks and pledged to "follow the science" to tackle Covid-19.

On Tuesday, the US reached another grim milestone: the highest number of hospital admissions yet.

The Covid Tracking Project reports 61,964 people are currently receiving hospital care for the virus.

There are over 10 million confirmed US cases and 239,732 deaths so far - and the death toll is rising to an average of over 900 a day amid the new spikes.

Experts warn hospitals across the country could soon be overwhelmed.

Read the full story here