Election 2020 live updates: In reversal, canvassers in Michigan county certify election
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– Detroit Free Press
Colorado congressman Perlmutter tests positive for coronavirus
Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-CO, announced on Tuesday evening that he tested positive for the coronavirus.
“As of now, I am asymptomatic and I’m feeling good,” Perlmutter said in a written statement. “I am currently in Washington, D.C. and plan to isolate in my apartment while continuing to work and voting remotely.”
Perlmutter’s infection makes him the 24th member of the U.S. House of Representatives to test positive for the coronavirus. Several senators and members of the House have tested positive in the last week, indicating an increased rate of spread in the halls of Congress.
Perlmutter was last seen on Capitol Hill yesterday, according to C-SPAN.
“I’ve been taking precautions like so many Coloradans over the past eight months. … As we enter the holiday season, I encourage everyone to continue to heed the warnings of no personal gatherings, social distancing, and wearing a mask,” Perlmutter’s statement reads.
– Matthew Brown
Trump and first lady to celebrate Thanksgiving at White House
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will celebrate Thanksgiving at the White House this year, their first time celebrating the holiday in Washington, D.C. Stephanie Grisham, the first lady’s spokesperson, tweeted the family’s plans in a “Holiday Scheduling Update” on Twitter on Tuesday evening.
In 2019, Trump paid a surprise visit to American troops in Afghanistan, where he appeared at a Thanksgiving dinner. In the first two years of his term, Trump spent the holiday at the Trump Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump has made few public appearances since the Nov. 3 presidential election, holding one press briefing in recent days focused on the coronavirus pandemic and another shortly after Election Day during which he blamed his loss on unfounded claims of widespread fraud.
It is unclear how large or public the Thanksgiving celebration at the White House will be this year.
It is not unusual for presidents to celebrate Thanksgiving at the White House. Presidential traditions associated with the holiday include the annual turkey pardoning and preparing Thanksgiving meals for the homeless.
– Matthew Brown
Trump ousts DHS cyber chief who called election secure
The Department of Homeland Security’s cyber chief, who presided over an elaborate election security effort guarding against foreign interference and fraud, was ousted by President Donald Trump on Tuesday as part of a continuing post-election purge of top national security officials.
Trump announced the dismissal in a tweet Tuesday night.
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– Kevin Johnson and David Jackson
Republican canvassers vote against certifying election results in Michigan county
The two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers voted Tuesday against certifying the November election results for the county’s 43 jurisdictions, including Detroit, Michigan’s largest voting jurisdiction.
Monica Palmer, the Republican chair of the committee said: “I believe that we do not have complete and accurate information on those poll books,” referring to jurisdictions that recorded unexplained discrepancies between the number of absentee ballots recorded as cast and the number of absentee ballots counted. Jonathan Kinloch, the Democratic vice chair of the board, said: “Most of this is human error. … It’s not based on fraud.”
The board is comprised of four members, two Democrats and two Republicans.
– Detroit Free Press
Sen. Chuck Grassley tests positive for coronavirus
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, the oldest Republican currently serving in the Senate, has tested positive for the coronavirus, he announced Tuesday afternoon.
“I’ve tested positive for coronavirus. I’ll b following my doctors’ orders/CDC guidelines continue to quarantine. I’m feeling good + will keep up on my work for the ppl of Iowa from home. I appreciate everyone’s well wishes + prayers look fwd to resuming my normal schedule soon,” Grassley wrote on Twitter.
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– Des Moines Register
Republican colleagues congratulate Kamala Harris on Senate floor
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris was greeted by her Republican Senate colleagues with well wishes and compliments on the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon. The good tidings came as the Senate blocked President Donald Trump’s nomination of Judy Shelton to the Federal Reserve Board.
Republican Sens. James Lankford, Mike Rounds, Tim Scott and Ben Sasse were all seen greeting and congratulating Harris on her and President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential race. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham even gave Harris a fist bump.
“How is the food fight behind you in California?” Lankford asked Harris, according to CNN. The comment an apparent reference to the brewing fight among California Democrats to fill her soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat.
Control of the upper chamber will be determined by two Senate runoffs in Georgia on Jan. 5. If Democrats win both races, the Senate will have a 50-50 split of both parties, with Harris as the tiebreaker.
Such a scenario would mean that Harris would remain deeply involved in the Senate despite moving on from Congress. Harris is expected to be an especially influential voice in the White House regardless, as Biden said during the VP search he wanted a partner in the role he could trust.
Harris was elected as California’s junior senator in 2016 after serving as the state’s attorney general. She quickly gained a reputation on Capitol Hill as an incisive cross-examiner during Senate hearings. Her rhetorical skills made her a progressive icon in the Trump era, which propelled her to a presidential campaign and, soon, the vice presidency.
– Matthew Brown
Biden meets with national security experts
President-elect Joe Biden met virtually Tuesday with defense, intelligence and foreign affairs advisers as part of his preparation for taking office Jan. 20 in the absence of formal national security briefings that are traditionally provided.
President Donald Trump continues to challenge the results of the election in federal court, so the General Services Administration hasn’t initiated a formal transition for Biden. But the former vice president and 36-year senator from Delaware assembled his own group of outside experts and former government aides for an online meeting at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaware.
The meeting came the same day the Trump administration announced further U.S. troop reductions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Biden, who said he’s spoken to 13 heads of state, said he planned a foreign policy reflecting the country’s values and needs. He asked the experts to brief him on the biggest challenges facing the country and how to make sure diplomacy and the military meet those challenges.
“I just wanted to get your input on what you see ahead,” Biden said. “To state the obvious, there’s no presidential responsibility more important than protecting the American people, so I appreciate you taking your time and I am anxious to hear what you all have to say.”
Participants in Biden’s meeting included retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin of central command that oversees Iraq and Afghanistan; retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who led troops in Afghanistan; retired Navy Adm. William McRaven, who headed the special operations command; Tony Blinken, a former deputy secretary of State and deputy national security adviser; Avril Haines, former deputy national security adviser; Nicholas Burns, former undersecretary of State; and Samantha Power, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Several of those officials are reportedly under consideration for similar posts in Biden’s administration.
– Bart Jansen
Biden speaks to Netanyahu, offers ‘deep commitment’ to Israel
President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, continuing his series of congratulatory phone calls with world leaders after winning the election this month.
Biden also spoke to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Chile’s President Sebastián Piñera, bringing Biden’s post-election conversations with foreign nations to 13.
Netanyahu’s office described the talk as “a warm conversation” and said “the President-elect reiterated his deep commitment to the State of Israel and its security.”
Netanyahu told Biden “the special bond between Israel and the US is a fundamental component of Israel’s security and its policy,” the prime minister’s office said in a tweet. “The two agreed to meet soon in order to discuss the many issues on the agenda and reiterated the need to continue bolstering the steadfast alliance between the US and Israel.”
How two leaders reap political rewards from their cozy relationship
In Biden, Netanyahu has an old and trusted friend – someone who will be more predictable on foreign affairs, even if he is less tolerant of Netanyahu’s hardline policies. Biden also spoke to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.
Modi tweeted that he congratulated Biden, reiterated “our firm commitment to the Indo-US strategic partnership” and discussed “our shared priorities and concerns” such as addressing the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Region.
He said he also congratulated Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who is set to become the first woman, first African American and first Indian-American vice president.
named nine White House aides on Tuesday, largely rewarding campaign staffers with plum assignments in his administration.
Jen O’Malley Dillon, Biden’s campaign manager and only the second woman to steer a successful presidential campaign, will become deputy chief of staff.
Steve Ricchetti, a longtime Biden adviser and lobbyist, will become counselor to the president.
Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, who was national co-chairman of Biden’s campaign, will become senior adviser to the president and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.
Biden team:Joe Biden names 9 top White House appointees, including Rep. Cedric Richmond and campaign manager O’Malley Dillon
Biden fleshed out his White House staff despite President Donald Trump continuing to fight results of the election in court. The staffing announcements followed Biden’s naming of Ron Klain, another former aide, as his chief of staff.
“I am proud to announce additional members of my senior team who will help us build back better than before,” Biden said in a statement. “America faces great challenges, and they bring diverse perspectives and a shared commitment to tackling these challenges and emerging on the other side a stronger, more united nation.”
– Bart Jansen
is in quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19, he announced Tuesday.
“I learned today that I’ve been exposed to the coronavirus. I will follow my doctors’ orders and immediately quarantine as I await my test results. I’m feeling well and not currently experiencing any symptoms, but it’s important we all follow public health guidelines to keep each other healthy,” the senator said.
Grassley plans to continue working virtually from home, according to the statement.
The 87-year-old senator chairs the Senate Finance Committee and is the president pro tempore of the Senate, making him third in line for the presidency after the vice president and speaker of the house. He was first elected to the Senate in 1980.
– Sean Rossman and Stephen Gruber-Miller
intends to order the withdrawal of U.S. troops from war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to two administration sources.
The cuts would take effect by mid-January, according to the sources who were not authorized to speak publicly. Trump is scheduled to leave office on Jan. 20. President-elect Joe Biden would have the authority to reverse Trump’s order after he takes power.
There are about 4,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan and a few thousand in Iraq. Trump has vowed to end what he has referred to as “endless wars” in those countries. The United States has had troops in Afghanistan since 2001 after the 9/11 terror attacks, and in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.
Troop withdrawals:President Trump is expected to order troop withdrawals from Afghanistan and Iraq
Under the plan, which the sources said is being finalized, there would be about 2,500 U.S. troops total in each country once the drawdown is completed.
Trump has reduced troop levels in both countries since taking office. However, officials at the Pentagon have pushed back on precipitous withdrawals, arguing that reductions should be based on security conditions in each country.
– David Jackson and Tom Vanden Brook