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Election observer in Pennsylvania
Photo: Lindsey Shuey / AP
This article is continuously updated.
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Biden's lead in Arizona is shrinking
03.35 a.m.:
Not all ballot papers have been evaluated in the US state of Arizona.
With 98 percent of the votes counted so far, data provider Edison Research shrinks, according to Joe Biden's lead to 49.4 percent from 49.5 percent.
Donald Trump is still at 49.0 percent.
Member of the US electoral commission calls for cooperation with Biden
02.15 a.m.:
The refusal of the incumbent US administration to work with the elected President Joe Biden is now also meeting with criticism from the American electoral commission.
The Democratic Commissioner Ellen Weintraub demanded that Biden should - as usual for a future president - get access to government facilities and information.
Every hour of delay makes it more difficult for the future government to tackle complex problems such as the corona pandemic when it officially takes office in January.
President Donald Trump refuses to admit defeat to Biden and speaks of massive election fraud.
So far, he and the Republicans have not been able to prove anything of the kind, despite several lawsuits filed.
An elected president and his team usually have quick access to government infrastructure in order to prepare for the transfer of power.
The General Services Administration (GSA) gives permission for this.
Given Trump's stance, GSA boss Emily Murphy has so far refused to sign the necessary documents for the transition process.
Biden's legal advisers do not give actions against elections a chance
2.40 a.m.:
According to his legal advisers, the assumption of office of the elected US President Joe Biden cannot be prevented by legal means.
The Biden team is prepared for the fact that the Republican Party of incumbent Donald Trump will continue to try to "cause confusion" with lawsuits, said the head of Biden's legal team, Dana Remus.
"But at the end of the day they have no evidence and won't stand a chance."
Biden's aide, Bob Bauer, said Georgia, Montana and Pennsylvania had dismissed several lawsuits by Republicans against the vote count in last week's presidential election due to lack of substantive evidence.
In no case could the alleged electoral fraud or other irregularities have been proven.
Even the recounting of votes in individual states will not change Biden's election victory, said Bauer.
In all previous recounts since 2000, there have only been changes of a maximum of a few hundred votes.
The legal advances by the Republicans are hopeless maneuvers and "political theater," said Bauer, who also served as a lawyer for former President Barack Obama.
"Our evidence is the many people who voted for Biden - their evidence does not exist."
Trump files another lawsuit in Michigan
1:25 a.m.:
US President Donald Trump's campaign team announces a lawsuit for unlawful voting in the US state of Michigan.
The Michigan election results are unlikely to be confirmed until it has been verified that all votes were legitimately cast, it said.
During the count, Trump wanted to stop the counting of votes in the state, and a judge dismissed the lawsuit.
Biden calls Johnson to keep Northern Ireland safe
1:15 a.m.:
US President-elect Joe Biden has asked British Prime Minister Boris Johnson not to risk a resurgence of the Northern Ireland conflict in the wake of Brexit.
In a telephone conversation, the two politicians spoke about the fact that Brexit must be implemented in such a way that the Good Friday Agreement is upheld, said a British government representative after the conversation.
Johnson had assured Biden that "that will be the case".
The 1998 peace accord put an end to decades of violence in Northern Ireland.
However, it is feared that the conflict could break out again if the failure of the Brexit negotiations results in a hard border between Northern Ireland, which belongs to Great Britain, and the EU member Ireland.
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Boris Johnson
Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP
Johnson has openly threatened to end the Brexit negotiations if necessary without an agreement to regulate future relations between Great Britain and the European Union.
Biden Johnson warned of this during the election campaign.
The US Democrat has Irish roots.
He is considered a critic of Brexit.
Johnson, in turn, seeks a trade deal with the United States and is therefore dependent on good relations with the future president.
Biden: Abolishing "Obamacare" would be cruel
0.55 a.m.:
The elected US President Joe Biden has criticized the efforts of incumbent Donald Trump to abolish the "Obamacare" health reform as cruel.
This could mean that more than 20 million people could lose their access to health insurance amid a pandemic, Biden said.
Trump's Republican Party is making a fresh attempt to overturn President Barack Obama's healthcare reform in the Supreme Court.
In the hearing on Tuesday, however, a majority for the receipt of the law emerged.
Two conservative judges agreed with their three liberal colleagues that "Obamacare" could continue in its current form.
However, a judgment is not expected until next year.
cop / AFP / AP / dpa / sid / Reuters