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A28 u.s. news
Diamars 1 December 2020

Biden seeks unity as Trump stokes fading embers of campaign

Trump had been expected to Trump’s machinations and a advisory board of scientists,
appear in person in Gettys- delayed ascertainment by the doctors and public health ex-
burg, but did not after anoth- General Services Adminis- perts, and plans to establish
er member of his legal team tration that he had won the a COVID-19 coordinator in
tested positive for the coro- election. On Wednesday, he the White House to lead his
navirus. Few at the meeting addressed Trump’s raw tac- administration’s response.
wore masks. tics only in passing.
This week, however, Biden
Altogether, the forum heard “Our democracy was tested focused beyond the crisis
— and cheered — yet an- this year,” Biden said, “but stateside and unveiled his na-
other declaration from a U.S. the people of this nation are tional security team on Tues-
president seeking to reverse up to the task.” day, including his nominees
a democratic election and for secretary of state, director
the voters’ will because he “In America, we have full and of national intelligence and
wants to stay in power. The fair and free elections, and U.S. ambassador to the Unit-
setting was about a mile from then we honor the results,” ed Nations. Drawing implicit
(AP) — On a day of grace his election defeat. the scene of Pickett’s Charge, he said. “The people of this contrasts with Trump, Biden
and grievance, President- where Union troops repelled nation and the laws of the said the team “reflects the fact
elect Joe Biden summoned He sent his lawyer Rudy Gi- a desperate Confederate at- land won’t stand for anything that America is back, ready to
Americans to join in com- uliani and other members of tack in July 1863 and helped else.” lead the world, not retreat
mon purpose against the his legal team to meet Penn- turn the tide of the Civil War. from it.” He’s also expected
coronavirus pandemic sylvania Republican state And he offered an optimistic to name Janet Yellen as trea-
and their political divi- senators in Gettysburg. In- The president followed up vision, calling on Americans sury secretary in the coming
sions while the man he side a hotel near the hallowed by pardoning former national to “dream again” and predict- weeks.
will replace stoked the battlefields of civil war, they security adviser Michael Fly- ing that “the 21st century is
fading embers of his cam- again aired complaints about nn, the second Trump asso- going to be an American cen- In urging Americans to be
paign to “turn the election the election and repeated al- ciate convicted in the Russia tury.” vigilant in their Thanksgiving
over.” legations of Democratic mal- probe to be granted clemency plans, Biden said Wednesday
feasance that have already by Trump. Biden pledged more virus he was taking precautions of
Biden, in a Thanksgiving-eve disintegrated under examina- testing, more protective gear his own, eschewing his tra-
address to the nation, put the tion by courts. The pardon was part of a and clearer guidance for busi- ditional large family gather-
surging pandemic front and broader effort to undo the nesses and schools to reopen ing and spending the holiday
center, pledging to tap the “We have to turn the elec- results of an investigation when he becomes president. instead with just his wife,
“vast powers” of the federal tion over,” Trump said from that for years has shadowed Until vaccines are distribut- daughter and son-in-law.
government and to “change the Oval Office, where he Trump’s administration and ed, he said, masks, social dis-
the course of the disease” joined the meeting by speak- yielded criminal charges tancing and limits in the size He’s traveling with his wife,
once in office. But for that erphone. against a half dozen associ- of gatherings “are our most Jill, to Rehoboth Beach, the
to work, he said, Americans ates. The pardon voids the effective tools to combat the small Delaware beach town
must step up for their own “This was an election that we criminal case against Flynn virus.” where the two have a vaca-
safety and that of their fellow won easily,” he said. “We won just as a federal judge was tion home. That’s where
citizens. it by a lot.” In fact, the elec- deciding whether to grant a Biden’s remarks came as they’ll host their family for
“I know the country has tion gave Biden a clear man- Justice Department request COVID-19 cases are surging Thanksgiving dinner. Biden
grown weary of the fight,” date, and no systemic fraud to dismiss the prosecution nationwide. Hospitalizations, is expected to stay through
Biden said Wednesday. "We has been uncovered. Judge despite Flynn’s own guilty deaths and the testing posi- the weekend in Rehoboth
need to remember we're at after judge has dismissed plea to lying to the FBI about tivity rate were also up sharp- before returning to Wilming-
war with the virus, not with the Trump campaign’s ac- his Russia contacts. ly as the nation headed into ton for further work on the
one another. Not with each cusations as baseless, and the Thanksgiving, and public transition.
other.” transition to Biden’s presi- For his part, Biden has largely health experts have warned
dency is fully underway. projected serenity as the nec- that the large family gather- Trump will forgo his usual
President Donald Trump, essary elements of a presi- ings expected for the holiday plans to celebrate Thanksgiv-
who has scarcely mentioned Nevertheless, Trump repeat- dential transition — money, are likely to extend and exac- ing at his private club in Flor-
the pandemic in recent days ed: “This election has to be access to office space and erbate the surge. ida and will instead remain at
even as it has achieved record turned around.” more — were held at bay the White House.
heights, remained fixated on for nearly three weeks by He has formed a coronavirus

Biden to receive first intelligence briefing Monday

(AP) — President-elect approved the briefings for briefing is usually delivered part of the intelligence com- were trying to maintain.”
Joe Biden and Vice Presi- Biden last Tuesday, a day after in person by a career mem- munity, meant to avoid the
dent-elect Kamala Harris his administration approved ber of the intelligence com- kind of second-guessing that The PDB, as it is known, is
will begin receiving the the formal transition process munity, though Trump has had transpired after 9/11." just one component of the in-
nation's most sensitive se- to his successor. increasingly let that process He added that his wife, Mi- telligence briefings presented
crets Monday as they pre- lapse. chelle, called it “The Death, to an incoming administra-
pare to assume office on It was not immediately clear Destruction, and Horrible tion. Biden and Harris will
Jan 20. how Biden and Harris would “On a given day, I might read Things Book.” also be able to receive in-
receive the briefing, which about terrorist cells in Soma- depth subject matter brief-
The pair are to receive the is tailored to the needs and lia or unrest in Iraq or the Much of the information in ings from intelligence ex-
highly classified Presidential interests of its top recipient. fact that the Chinese or Rus- the PDB requires no imme- perts, as well as a run-down
Daily Brief, a summary of the For Trump, that has meant a sians were developing new diate response, Obama wrote, of extremely classified covert
most important information focus on visuals and a pref- weapons systems," Obama “The goal was to have a con- operations underway during
collected across the U.S. in- erence for paper. His prede- wrote in his memoir. "Nearly tinuously up-to-date sense the Trump administration,
telligence community that is cessor, Barack Obama, came always, there was mention of all that was roiling in the the latter necessary to deter-
prepared and delivered by the to embrace the briefing be- of potential terrorist plots, world, the large, small, and mine if they want to maintain
Office of the Director of Na- ing presented on a modified no matter how vague, thinly sometimes barely perceptible or modify those operations
tional Intelligence. Outgo- secure tablet. Given its sen- sourced, or unactionable—a shifts that threatened to up- once they assume office.
ing President Donald Trump sitivity, the leather-bound form of due diligence on the set whatever equilibrium we