DONALD Trump had to be talked out of a missile strike on Iran last week, according to new reports.
With just two months remaining of his presidency, Trump considered risking a massive new war in the Middle East with a dramatic targeted strike on Tehran's nuclear facilities.
The President held a meeting with top national security advisors, including Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about a potential strike on Iran just a day after international inspectors told the UN that Iran had "significantly increased" its nuclear material stockpile.
Trump's national security team eventually talked Trump out of the idea but the President is still considering ways to punish Iran as he enters his final weeks in power, according to both the New York Times and Reuters.
The news comes as President-Elect Joe Biden sensationally blamed jab fears on Donald Trump as he insists he wants to “set an example”.
The president elect said in a televised speech yesterday he would not "hesitate" to get vaccinated and said the only reason anyone would question the jab would be down to Trump.
Follow our US Election 2020 blog for the latest news and updates…
- Debbie White
NO EVIDENCE OF WIDESPREAD ELECTION FRAUD
There is no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election, writes the Associated Press.
The news agency adds: “In fact, election officials from both political parties have stated publicly that the election went well and international observers confirmed there were no serious irregularities.
“The issues Trump’s campaign and its allies have pointed to are typical in every election: problems with signatures, secrecy envelopes and postal marks on mail-in ballots, as well as the potential for a small number of ballots miscast or lost.
“With Biden leading Trump by wide margins in key battleground states, none of those issues would have any impact on the outcome of the election.”
Despite this, Donald Trump is still tweeting that he believes he won the presidential election.
- Debbie White
TRUMP CAMPAIGN LAWSUIT OVER PENNSYLVANIA HEADS TO COURT
A hearing on Donald Trump campaign’s federal lawsuit seeking to prevent Pennsylvania officials from certifying the vote results kicks off today.
A judge quickly denied the campaign’s new lawyer’s request for a delay to proceedings.
U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew Brann told lawyers for Donald J. Trump for President Inc. and the counties and state election official it has sued that they must show up and “be prepared for argument and questioning” at the Williamsport federal courthouse.
The Trump campaign wants to prevent certification of results that give President-elect Joe Biden the state’s 20 electoral votes, suing over election procedures that were not uniform across the state.
- Debbie White
EUROPE TO BE LESS RELIANT ON US
Europe needs to be strong enough to fight on its own, and rely less on help from the US, say officials.
“We aren't in the old status quo, where we can pretend that the Donald Trump presidency never existed and the world was the same as four years ago,” a French diplomat said.
An EU official said Joe Biden's victory was “a call to Europe to keep building a common EU defence, to be a useful and a strong ally, also for the NATO alliance.”
The bloc has been working since December 2017 to develop more firepower independently of America.
“The United States will only respect us as allies if we are serious about our own position, and if we have our own sovereignty regarding our defence,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a magazine interview on Sunday.
- Abe Hawken
'MORE PEOPLE MAY DIE'
Joe Biden slammed Donald Trump for “playing golf” as the Covid stimulus package stalls and said “more people may die if we don't coordinate” a transition.
Biden was asked by NBC's Geoff Bennett what the “biggest threat” of Trump refusing a “smooth transfer of power” would be.
“More people may die if we don't coordinate,” Biden told reporters.
However when the time for questions arose, reporters' attention turned to Trump's refusal to concede.
“It would make it a lot easier if the president would participate,” Biden said.
- Abe Hawken
'LIFE DEPENDS ON IT'
Trump supporters and fellow Republicans have been pressuring Georgia's Secretary of State to question the validity of legal ballots – sometimes even sending him death threats to overturn Trump's loss.
Brad Raffensperger said in an interview Monday he's been receiving death threats from the president's supporters urging him to reverse Trump's loss in Georgia by tossing out legally cast absentee ballots.
“You better not botch this recount. Your life depends on it,” read one death threat addressed to him and his wife Tricia. Raffensperger, a Republican, said it was just one of many he had received in the past week.
- Abe Hawken
NUCLEAR OPTION
Donald Trump was reportedly considering launching a catastrophic airstrike on a growing Iranian nuclear site last week – but was warned by senior advisers that doing so could spark war.
The president on Thursday asked whether he had any options to engage Iran after international inspectors found a significant increase in the nation's main nuclear site, according to a New York Times report on Monday.
Among the advisers include Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, acting defense secretary Christopher C. Miller, and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark A. Milley.
They told the president – reeling after his election defeat to Joe Biden days earlier – that such an act could quickly escalate into a “broader conflict”, the Times reported.
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
BIDEN: ‘THE ONLY REASON ANYONE WOULD HESITATE ON VACCINE IS TRUMP’
Joe Biden has sensationally blamed jab fears on Donald Trump as he insists he wants to “set an example”.
The president elect said in a televised speech yesterday he would not “hesitate” to get vaccinated and said the only reason anyone would question the jab would be down to Trump.
He said: “”The only reason people question the vaccine now is because of Donald Trump.”
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
CUOMO THREATENS TO SUE OVER VACCINE ROLLOUTS
Andrew Cuomo has threatened to sue Donald Trump over coronavirus vaccine distribution to ensure it goes to “black and brown communities.”
The governor made the comments after Trump threatened to withhold the vaccine from the state of New York.
“I tell you today, if the Trump administration does not change this plan and does not provide an equitable vaccine process … we will bring legal action to protect New Yorkers,” Cuomo said from the pulpit during a service at Riverside Church in Morningside Heights in Manhattan on Sunday.
“I'm not going to allow New Yorkers to be bullied or abused,’” the governor said.
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
BIDEN & HARRIS MEETING WITH BUSINESS LEADERS ‘ENCOURAGING’
Biden says he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris had an “encouraging” virtual meeting with nine leaders of some of the country’s largest labor unions.
Biden says the leaders “all agree that means rallying the country behind a national strategy with robust public health measures.”
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
BIDEN’S SPEECH RECAP
Today Joe Biden gave a speech to the American people.
Biden told reporters during his televised speech he would not “hesitate” to get vaccinated, “but I also want to set an example.
“The only reason people question the vaccine now is because of Donald Trump,” he said.
Read our recap here.
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
TOP TRUMP AIDE SAYS HE LOST
Donald Trump's National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said that the president lost as he vowed a “very professional transition” to Joe Biden.
Speaking to the Global Security Forum on Monday, O'Brien several times mentioned the transition and referred to recent normalization deals that Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates struck with Israel as “a great legacy for the president to have as he leaves office.”
While caveating that Trump did have outstanding court challenges, O’Brien's comments signaled some of the firmest statements yet from a senior administration official acknowledging Biden’s win in the November 3 vote.
“If the Biden-Harris ticket is determined to be the winner — obviously things look that way now — we'll have a very professional transition from the National Security Council. There's no question about it,” O'Brien said.
“They're going to have very professional folks coming in to take these positions.”
He added: “We've passed the baton and had peaceful, successful transitions even in the most contentious periods.”
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
TRUMP CONTINUES TO DISPUTE BIDEN WIN
Donald Trump continues to fight the results with legal challenges and after he called the election the “greatest theft in the history of America”.
Trump appeared to have finally accepted that Biden was the victor when he used the words “he won” for the first time – albeit by then saying “because the Election” was rigged.
But it wasn't long before he backtracked and made it clear that he wasn't conceding anything and “we have a long way to go.”
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
BIDEN'S DON DIGS
Biden has started to use sharp critiques against the president as Trump's team refuse to formally begin preparations for the transition.
The president is refusing to admit defeat to the president-elect, claiming widespread voter fraud despite providing no evidence of his claims and accusations that doing so is undermining confidence in democracy.
The Democrat also complained on Monday that Trump is not doing anything to pass a coronavirus stimulus package.
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
BIDEN SLAMS TRUMP FOR PLAYING GOLF AS STIMULUS STALLS
Joe Biden slammed Donald Trump for “playing golf” as the Covid stimulus package stalls and said “more people may die if we don't coordinate” a transition.
Biden was asked by NBC's Geoff Bennett what the “biggest threat” of Trump refusing a “smooth transfer of power” would be.
“More people may die if we don't coordinate,” Biden told reporters.
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
'IRISH JOE'
Joe Biden has made no secret that he is very much in touch with his Irish heritage.
It's thought his presidency could mean Northern Ireland is paid extra attention during Brexit negotiations.
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
BIDEN IS A ‘DOUBLE LOCK’ ON BREXIT ISSUE
A Biden administration would be likely to lean in Ireland’s favor in its engagements with the European Union, especially since the departure of the United Kingdom.
According to the Irish Times, government sources in Dublin see a Biden White House as a “double-lock” on the Brexit issue.
- Joseph Gamp
TRUMP SLAMS GEORGIA RECOUNT AS 'MEANINGLESS' IN LATEST TWEET
- Joseph Gamp
WATCH: SHOCK MOMENT TRUMP SUPPORTERS HIT WITH FIREWORKS AT DC RESTAURANT
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
BIDEN ‘BROUGHT UP NI TWICE IN PM PHONECALL’
According to the Financial Times, in his recent phone call with Johnson, Biden brought up the issue of Northern Ireland twice.
A readout of the call from thee Biden transition team said he “reaffirmed his support for the Good Friday Agreement.”
Irish Sen John McGahon of the Fine Gael party told Business Insider that “the line Boris Johnson has been taking for the last six months went down fine with Donald Trump.”
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
BREXIT & BIDEN
It’s thought president-elect Biden visit could change the course on United Kingdom Prime Minister Johnson on his Brexit plan to modify parts of the UK and European Union’s withdrawal agreement pertaining to Northern Ireland.
Biden’s recent interventions in the Brexit negotiations have been greeted favorably in Ireland, his ancestral homeland.
Johnson has been urged to soften his position on the Northern Ireland border and strike a trade deal with the European Union.
If in fact, Johnson softens up his position on the border, then Biden’s intervention will be credited as a major factor and a further sign of the increased importance of Ireland as an ally to the US.
According to Business Insider, there is a belief among Irish politicians and campaigners that Biden’s victory will put greater pressure from the White House on Johnson to change his decision on Brexit.
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
BIDEN ‘SET TO MAKE IRELAND FIRST FOREIGN VISIT’
Joe Biden is “set to make Ireland his first foreign state visit” in a snub to Boris Johnson that could force hand on Brexit.
There is also a belief within Ireland that the Biden White House would be less instinctively friendly on Johnson’s government than Trump’s administration.
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
PROTESTS CLASH IN WASHINGTON
Trump supporters descended on DC to parrot Potus' claims of a rigged election after Joe Biden won the popular vote and received a whopping 290 electoral votes.
The race was called for Biden since November 7 but Trump has yet to concede though insiders said that he is aware that he lost, reports said.
But the situation escalated in Washington when pro and anti-Trump factions verbally attacked each other.
The all-black wearing Refuse Fascism group got into a shouting match with Trump supporters during the speeches and punches flew.
- Debbie White
TRUMP AIDE PROMISES PROFESSIONAL TRANSITION TO BIDEN
President Donald Trump's national security adviser promised a professional transition to President-elect Joe Biden's administration.
Speaking to the Global Security Forum hosted in part by Qatar, Robert O'Brien said: “We've passed the baton and had peaceful, successful transitions even in the most contentious periods.”
O'Brien also referred to recent normalisation deals that Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates struck with Israel as a great legacy for the president to have as he leaves office.
Acknowledging that Trump still has outstanding court challenges to sort out, O'Brien's comments signalled some of the firmest statements yet from a senior administration official acknowledging Biden's win in the November 3 vote.
“If the Biden-Harris ticket is determined to be the winner – obviously things look that way now – we'll have a very professional transition from the National Security Council. There's no question about it,” O'Brien said.
- Debbie White
OWENS HITS OUT AT HARRY STYLES' VOGUE COVER
Candace Owens has been slammed for her “bring back manly men” response to Harry Styles' new Vogue magazine cover.
With pics showing Styles wearing a selection of dresses and skirts, the outspoken Conservative started firing shots at the Watermelon Sugar singer over the weekend.
An unimpressed Owens tweeted: “There is no society that can survive without strong men. The East knows this. In the west, the steady feminization of our men at the same time that Marxism is being taught to our children is not a coincidence.
“It is an outright attack. Bring back manly men.”
- Debbie White
MODERNA JAB SUCCESS DOWN TO TRUMP?
US President Donald Trump has claimed his part in Moderna's experimental vaccine being 94.5% effective in preventing Covid-19.
He tweeted today: “Another vaccine just announced. This time by Moderna, 95% effective. For those great 'historians', please remember that these great discoveries, which will end the China Plague, all took place on my watch! [sic]”
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