The president and other Republicans have filed a series of lawsuits in different states that several judges have already dismissed
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Since election day, Donald Trump and other Republicans have filed a smattering of lawsuits in battleground states that have provided cover for Trump and other Republicans to say that the election still remains unresolved.
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Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, has drafted “anti-mob” legislation that would expand the state’s Stand Your Ground Law that would allow citizens to shoot anyone they suspect is engaged in looting, the Miami Herald reports.
The legislation is a reaction to anti-police brutality, The Herald’s Ana Ceballos and David Ovalle report:
“It allows for vigilantes to justify their actions,” said Denise Georges, a former Miami-Dade County prosecutor who had handled Stand Your Ground cases. “It also allows for death to be the punishment for a property crime — and that is cruel and unusual punishment. We cannot live in a lawless society where taking a life is done so casually and recklessly.”
The draft legislation put specifics behind DeSantis’ pledge in September to crack down on “violent and disorderly assemblies” after he pointed to “reports of unrest” in other parts of the country after the high-profile death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by a white Minneapolis police officer.
Since election day, Donald Trump and other Republicans have filed a smattering of lawsuits in battleground states that have provided cover for Trump and other Republicans to say that the election still remains unresolved.
Legal experts have noted these suits are meritless, and even if they were successful, would not be enough to overturn the election results. Indeed, judges in several of these lawsuits have already dismissed them, noting the Trump campaign has failed to offer evidence to substantiate allegations of fraud.
Related: Trump's longshot election lawsuits: where do things stand?
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Barr tells prosecutors to pursue ‘clear’ fraud claims, without evidence – as it happened
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4.02am GMT
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Coronavirus live news: ‘We cannot give up’ warns WHO chief; protests flare in Italy
Protests against Covid restrictions turn violent in Milan and Turin; US deaths up 10%; Pope to celebrate Christmas without congregation. Follow the latest updates
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Tumbling numbers of pregnancies and marriages in Japan during the coronavirus pandemic are likely to intensify a demographic crisis in the rapidly ageing nation, Reuters reports.
Japan has the most aged society in the world, with more than 35% of its population expected to be 65 and over by 2050, a trend that poses risks for economic growth and straining government finances.
“I reckon the spread of the coronavirus is having many people worried about getting pregnant, giving births and rearing babies,” Tetsushi Sakamoto, minister in charge of responses to Japan’s declining birthrates, told a news conference on Friday.
Recently published official data showed the number of notified pregnancies in the three months to July fell 11.4% from a year earlier, while the number of marriages over the same period dropped 36.9%. The sharp decline in marriages matters because the majority of babies in Japan are born in wedlock.
The US Trump administration will this week announce a plan to cover out-of-pocket costs of Covid-19 vaccines for millions of Americans who receive Medicare or Medicaid, Politico reported late on Monday, citing four people with knowledge of the plan.
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According to the plans, Medicare and Medicaid will now cover vaccines that receive emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration. The changes are expected to be announced on Tuesday or Wednesday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the report added.
The planned rule will also address other Covid-19 related issues like expanding flexibility for Medicaid patients seeking care for the coronavirus, Politico reported.
CMS did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular working hours.
Democrats hold Senate floor overnight to protest Amy Coney Barrett confirmation – live
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The summer has been characterised by a series of extreme weather events on both coasts of the US, and that looks set to continue.
Hundreds of thousands of Californians lost power as utilities sought to prevent the chance of their equipment sparking wildfires and the fire-weary state braced for a new bout of dry, windy weather.
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy has just described himself as “sad and furious” on his way home from the Senate in the early hours of the morning having been part of the Democrats night long occupation of the Senate floor.
Just finished the 3-5am shift on the Senate floor in protest of the vote later today on radical Amy Coney Barrett.
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She will rule to invalidate Obamacare, causing 23M to lose insurance in the middle of a pandemic. Catastrophic.
Both sad and furious on my rainy drive home. pic.twitter.com/hVEw3AvibW
‘They won’t be able to do anything about this’: McConnell revels in Barrett supreme court vote
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“By tomorrow night,” Mitch McConnell told Senate Republicans on Sunday, after they voted to limit debate and advance the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, “we’ll have a new member of the United States supreme court.
Related: Party chair insists Republicans will hold Senate afte...
Trump told Republican donors holding Senate will be ‘tough’ – report
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Shortly after Donald Trump insisted to reporters in Ohio he expected a “red wave” on election day, 3 November, it was reported on Saturday that he told Republican donors this week it would be “tough” for the party to hold on to the Senate.
Related: US election polls tracker: who i...
Trump told Republican donors holding Senate will be ‘tough’ – report
- Washington Post reports remarks before Nashville debate
- President also said he ‘just can’t’ help some GOP senators
- How ending Obamacare would kill Fauci plan to conquer HIV
Shortly after Donald Trump insisted to reporters in Ohio he expected a “red wave” on election day, 3 November, it was reported on Saturday that he told Republican donors this week it would be “tough” for the party to hold on to the Senate.
Related: US election polls tracker: who i...
How Trump success in ending Obamacare will kill Fauci plan to conquer HIV
Conservatives see Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation as key in bringing down the Affordable Care Act. Doctors and scientists warn it will destroy a major effort to help vulnerable and poor Americans
In his State of the Union address in February 2019, Donald Trump vowed to end the HIV epidemic by 2030.
Related: 'Rick Scott had us on lockdown': how Florida said no to $70m for HIV crisis
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Snap polls give Joe Biden edge over Trump in final TV debate – US politics live
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- Five key takeaways
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2.22pm BST
Morning… Martin Pengelly here, taking over from Martin Belam. More on Mike Pence voting – not the most dynamic subject in the world, in fact sounds like a deadpan title for a surreal painting o...