US Vice President Mike Pence has rejected invoking the 25th amendment to declare President Donald Trump incapable of executing his duties.

Breaking news: Pence says he will not invoke 25th amendment to remove Trump

US vice-president Mike Pence on Wednesday rejected calls to invoke the 25th Amendment process to remove President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-calls-second-impeachment-attempt-greatest-witch-hunt-in-history-356318">Trump</a>.

Watch:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-did-big-tech-do-the-right-thing-by-banning-trump-356333/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"With just eight days left in the President's term, you and the Democratic Caucus are demanding that the Cabinet and I invoke the 25th Amendment," Pence wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, adding, "I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our nation or consistent with our Constitution."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/days-after-capitol-riots-donald-trump-and-mike-pence-meet-in-oval-office-sources-356142">Pence</a> would have been installed as "acting president" if he had invoked the 25 Amendment declaring Trump unfit to perform his duties with just days left for his presidency as Joe Biden gets set to take the oath of office on January 20.

However, Democrats moved forward on the&nbsp;impeachment vote. The House passed a resolution formally calling on Pence to act with the final vote of 223-205 in favour.

Democrats are now set to follow the impeachment process in the House on Wednesday.

Trump said the impeachment process against him was a "witch hunt" while asserting that it is causing "tremendous anger".&nbsp;

However, Congresswoman Liz Cheney had announced earlier that she planned to vote to impeach Trump. "There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution," the Congresswoman said.

House Republican John Katko of New York had also committed to vote to impeach Trump, including Republican from Illinois Adam Kinzinger who is known to be a Trump critic.

During the December 2019 impeachment, no Republican House member had voted against Trump except Senator Mitt Romney. Reports said Senate majority leader, Senator Mitch McConnell has privately conceded that Trump did commit impeachable offences.

The Republican-controlled Senate is in recess until January 19 which means Trump will not be forced out of office early.

US vice-president Mike Pence on Wednesday rejected calls to invoke the 25th Amendment process to remove President Trump. Watch: "With just eight days left in the President's term, you and the Democratic Caucus are demanding that the Cabinet and I invoke the 25th Amendment," Pence wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, adding, "I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our nation or consistent with our Constitution.

US vice-president Mike Pence on Wednesday rejected calls to invoke the 25th Amendment process to remove President Trump. Watch: "With just eight days left in the President's term, you and the Democratic Caucus are demanding that the Cabinet and I invoke the 25th Amendment," Pence wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, adding, "I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our nation or consistent with our Constitution." Pence would have been installed as "acting president" if he had invoked the 25 Amendment declaring Trump unfit to perform his duties with just days left for his presidency as Joe Biden gets set to take the oath of office on January 20. However, Democrats moved forward on the impeachment vote. The House passed a resolution formally calling on Pence to act with the final vote of 223-205 in favour. Democrats are now set to follow the impeachment process in the House on Wednesday. Trump said the impeachment process against him was a "witch hunt" while asserting that it is causing "tremendous anger". However, Congresswoman Liz Cheney had announced earlier that she planned to vote to impeach Trump. "There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution," the Congresswoman said. House Republican John Katko of New York had also committed to vote to impeach Trump, including Republican from Illinois Adam Kinzinger who is known to be a Trump critic. During the December 2019 impeachment, no Republican House member had voted against Trump except Senator Mitt Romney. Reports said Senate majority leader, Senator Mitch McConnell has privately conceded that Trump did commit impeachable offences. The Republican-controlled Senate is in recess until January 19 which means Trump will not be forced out of office early.

Mike Pence rejects invoking 25th Amendment as Democrats move to impeach Trump

Since the day the supporters of the to-be-impeached&nbsp;US President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;marched into the Capitol building,&nbsp;it was being reported that Trump and the Vie President Mike Pence had not had even a single conversation.

However, things seem to have changed now as a senior official has told the local media that Trump and Pence met in the Oval Office on Monday and had a conversation amid rising pressure on Pence to get the President impeached. "The two had a good conversation," the official said.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/homeland-security-chief-chad-wolf-resigns-after-capitol-riots-concerns-over-security-in-washington-rise-356133" hreflang="en">Homeland Security chief, Chad Wolf, resigns after Capitol riots; concerns over security in Washington rise</a>

As per the official, Donald Trump, as expected, does not intend to resign before his term officially ends on January 20. The official also reported that Trump's deputy, Mike Pence, also has not hinted towards any plans&nbsp;invoking the 25th Amendment of the Constitution to remove Trump.

The Two Republicans "reiterated that those who broke the law and stormed the Capitol last week do not represent the America first movement backed by 75 million Americans," the official said. The also "pledged to continue the work on behalf of the country for the remainder of their term."

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-will-donald-trump-be-impeached-356125/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

It was also been calculated that Trump had, in a way, specifically shown the way to his supporters to attack the VP of the country as he knew Pence was present in the Capitol building on Wednesday when the rioters took control of the building. He was present there to confirm the win of the President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;against the Republican candidate and former reality TV star Donald Trump.&nbsp;

During one of his usual angry speeches that day, Trump had urged his supporters to march to the Capitol and demand Mike Pence to stop the process of certifying Joe Biden's win in the recently-concluded&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/us-election">US election</a>.

This had also led to chants of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/twitter-blocks-phrase-hang-mike-pence-as-trump-supporters-turn-against-him-355959">"Hang Mike Pence"</a> echoing in the halls of the Capitol, which had also then become a trending phrase on trump's favourite social media platform Twitter.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Video of the mob chanting “hang Mike Pence.” <a href="https://t.co/K4EcKK2rab">pic.twitter.com/K4EcKK2rab</a>
— American Times Film (@ExportedFromMI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ExportedFromMI/status/1347763885646827522?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"We blocked the phrase and other variations of it from trending," a Twitter spokesperson said. "We want trends to promote healthy discussions on Twitter. This means that at times, we may prevent certain content from trending. As per our Help Center, there are rules for trends — if we identify accounts that violate these rules, we’ll take enforcement action."

Since the day the supporters of the to-be-impeached US President Donald Trump marched into the Capitol building, it was being reported that Trump and the Vie President Mike Pence had not had even a single conversation.

Since the day the supporters of the to-be-impeached US President Donald Trump marched into the Capitol building, it was being reported that Trump and the Vie President Mike Pence had not had even a single conversation. However, things seem to have changed now as a senior official has told the local media that Trump and Pence met in the Oval Office on Monday and had a conversation amid rising pressure on Pence to get the President impeached. "The two had a good conversation," the official said. Also read| Homeland Security chief, Chad Wolf, resigns after Capitol riots; concerns over security in Washington rise As per the official, Donald Trump, as expected, does not intend to resign before his term officially ends on January 20. The official also reported that Trump's deputy, Mike Pence, also has not hinted towards any plans invoking the 25th Amendment of the Constitution to remove Trump. The Two Republicans "reiterated that those who broke the law and stormed the Capitol last week do not represent the America first movement backed by 75 million Americans," the official said. The also "pledged to continue the work on behalf of the country for the remainder of their term." It was also been calculated that Trump had, in a way, specifically shown the way to his supporters to attack the VP of the country as he knew Pence was present in the Capitol building on Wednesday when the rioters took control of the building. He was present there to confirm the win of the President-elect Joe Biden against the Republican candidate and former reality TV star Donald Trump. During one of his usual angry speeches that day, Trump had urged his supporters to march to the Capitol and demand Mike Pence to stop the process of certifying Joe Biden's win in the recently-concluded US election. This had also led to chants of "Hang Mike Pence" echoing in the halls of the Capitol, which had also then become a trending phrase on trump's favourite social media platform Twitter. Video of the mob chanting “hang Mike Pence.” pic.twitter.com/K4EcKK2rab — American Times Film (@ExportedFromMI) January 9, 2021 × "We blocked the phrase and other variations of it from trending," a Twitter spokesperson said. "We want trends to promote healthy discussions on Twitter. This means that at times, we may prevent certain content from trending. As per our Help Center, there are rules for trends — if we identify accounts that violate these rules, we’ll take enforcement action."

Days after Capitol riots, Donald Trump and Mike Pence meet in Oval Office: Sources

United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday pushes to begin the impeachment process of President Donald Trump. Pelosi made the announcement in a letter to colleagues, saying the House will first vote to push Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the powers of the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office

U.S. House speaker Nancy Pelosi says ready to start impeachment against Donald Trump

When the supporters of the to-be-impeached US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a> marched into the Capitol Building with the aim to destroy government property and the concept&nbsp;of democracy, many of them had also entered with the mindset of executing Vice President Mike Pence.

The outgoing VP was present in the Capitol building on Wednesday when the rioters took control of the building. He was present there to confirm the win of the President-elect <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> against the Republican candidate and former reality TV star Donald Trump.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-may-turn-to-rudy-giuliani-again-to-defend-him-in-case-he-is-impeached-355870">Trump may turn to Rudy Giuliani again to defend him in case he is impeached</a>

When the rioters started pouring in — with alleged help of the Capitol security — the VP was rushed to safety as chants of 'Hang Mike Pence' echoed in the halls of one of the safest buildings in the US.

As soon as the Capitol was secured, Mike Pence completed his task of officially certifying the victory of Joe Biden. Since the announcement, the Pro-Trump rioters — who were already turning against the VP — started demanding execution of Pence.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Video of the mob chanting “hang Mike Pence.” <a href="https://t.co/K4EcKK2rab">pic.twitter.com/K4EcKK2rab</a>
— American Times Film (@ExportedFromMI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ExportedFromMI/status/1347763885646827522?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

When the rioters could not find and fulfil their ill-formed dreams in the real life, they took to Twitter to express their wish to hang Mike Pence, and soon the phrase started trending on Twitter.

However, Twitter was quick to respond to the virtual death threats to the VP and the social media giant took conscious steps to block any such phrase from trending on their platform.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/republicans-confront-donald-trumps-effect-on-party-355890">WATCH|</a>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/republicans-confront-donald-trumps-effect-on-party-355890/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"We blocked the phrase and other variations of it from trending," a Twitter spokesperson said. "We want trends to promote healthy discussions on Twitter. This means that at times, we may prevent certain content from trending. As per our Help Center, there are rules for trends — if we identify accounts that violate these rules, we’ll take enforcement action."

Since then, the local media has also reported that there has been no communication between the President and the Vice President since Pence certified Biden's win in the recently-concluded <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/us-election">US election.</a>

Trump critics have also accused him of being a part of — and motivating — the series of death threats against Pence by inciting violence among the rioters and openly criticising Pence for carrying out his duty.

When the supporters of the to-be-impeached US President Donald Trump marched into the Capitol Building with the aim to destroy government property and the concept of democracy, many of them had also entered with the mindset of executing Vice President Mike Pence.

When the supporters of the to-be-impeached US President Donald Trump marched into the Capitol Building with the aim to destroy government property and the concept of democracy, many of them had also entered with the mindset of executing Vice President Mike Pence. The outgoing VP was present in the Capitol building on Wednesday when the rioters took control of the building. He was present there to confirm the win of the President-elect Joe Biden against the Republican candidate and former reality TV star Donald Trump. Also read| Trump may turn to Rudy Giuliani again to defend him in case he is impeached When the rioters started pouring in — with alleged help of the Capitol security — the VP was rushed to safety as chants of 'Hang Mike Pence' echoed in the halls of one of the safest buildings in the US. As soon as the Capitol was secured, Mike Pence completed his task of officially certifying the victory of Joe Biden. Since the announcement, the Pro-Trump rioters — who were already turning against the VP — started demanding execution of Pence. Video of the mob chanting “hang Mike Pence.” pic.twitter.com/K4EcKK2rab — American Times Film (@ExportedFromMI) January 9, 2021 × When the rioters could not find and fulfil their ill-formed dreams in the real life, they took to Twitter to express their wish to hang Mike Pence, and soon the phrase started trending on Twitter. However, Twitter was quick to respond to the virtual death threats to the VP and the social media giant took conscious steps to block any such phrase from trending on their platform. WATCH| × "We blocked the phrase and other variations of it from trending," a Twitter spokesperson said. "We want trends to promote healthy discussions on Twitter. This means that at times, we may prevent certain content from trending. As per our Help Center, there are rules for trends — if we identify accounts that violate these rules, we’ll take enforcement action." Since then, the local media has also reported that there has been no communication between the President and the Vice President since Pence certified Biden's win in the recently-concluded US election. Trump critics have also accused him of being a part of — and motivating — the series of death threats against Pence by inciting violence among the rioters and openly criticising Pence for carrying out his duty.

Twitter blocks phrase 'Hang Mike Pence' as Trump supporters turn against him

US Vice-President Mike Pence&nbsp;will attend the upcoming inauguration of Joe Biden, multiple media reports said Saturday.

It is now being implied&nbsp;that the vice-president has become the latest longtime loyalist to abandon an increasingly isolated President Donald Trump.

Relations between Trump and Pence -- previously one of the mercurial president's staunchest defenders -- have nosedived since Wednesday, when the vice president formally announced Biden's victory in November's election.

A mob of far-right demonstrators stormed the US Capitol the same day in a failed bid to stop Congress from certifying Biden's win, in a riot blamed on Trump that left five dead.

Outgoing US President Donald Trump -- for the first time ever -- acknowledged Biden won, on Thursday, but said he would not attend the January 20 inauguration. He, however, pledged there would be an "orderly transition" to Biden's presidency.

"To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th," Trump wrote on Twitter on Friday.

Biden, to this end, welcomed Trump's announcement, calling it a "good thing."

"I was told on the way over here that he indicated he wasn't going to show up at the inauguration. One of the few things he and I have ever agreed on," Biden said, adding, "it's a good thing, him not showing up."

"He's been an embarrassment to the country," Biden said.

"He's not fit to serve," the president-elect added of Trump, who is facing the possibility of being impeached next week for inciting his supporters to storm the US Capitol.

"He exceeded even my worst notions about him," Biden said.&nbsp;

"He's one of the most incompetent presidents in the history of the United States of America."

Biden added Vice-President Mike Pence would be welcome at his inauguration.

Trump's bowing down to the results came shortly after his supporters rioted at the US Capitol on Wednesday night, drawing sharp criticism from across the world.

Biden said those who stormed the US Capitol were a bunch of thugs, white supremacists, domestic terrorists and they should be prosecuted.

(with inputs)

US Vice-President Mike Pence will attend the upcoming inauguration of Joe Biden, multiple media reports said Saturday. It is now being implied that the vice-president has become the latest longtime loyalist to abandon an increasingly isolated President Donald Trump.

US Vice-President Mike Pence will attend the upcoming inauguration of Joe Biden, multiple media reports said Saturday. It is now being implied that the vice-president has become the latest longtime loyalist to abandon an increasingly isolated President Donald Trump. Relations between Trump and Pence -- previously one of the mercurial president's staunchest defenders -- have nosedived since Wednesday, when the vice president formally announced Biden's victory in November's election. A mob of far-right demonstrators stormed the US Capitol the same day in a failed bid to stop Congress from certifying Biden's win, in a riot blamed on Trump that left five dead. Outgoing US President Donald Trump -- for the first time ever -- acknowledged Biden won, on Thursday, but said he would not attend the January 20 inauguration. He, however, pledged there would be an "orderly transition" to Biden's presidency. "To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th," Trump wrote on Twitter on Friday. Biden, to this end, welcomed Trump's announcement, calling it a "good thing." "I was told on the way over here that he indicated he wasn't going to show up at the inauguration. One of the few things he and I have ever agreed on," Biden said, adding, "it's a good thing, him not showing up." "He's been an embarrassment to the country," Biden said. "He's not fit to serve," the president-elect added of Trump, who is facing the possibility of being impeached next week for inciting his supporters to storm the US Capitol. "He exceeded even my worst notions about him," Biden said. "He's one of the most incompetent presidents in the history of the United States of America." Biden added Vice-President Mike Pence would be welcome at his inauguration. Trump's bowing down to the results came shortly after his supporters rioted at the US Capitol on Wednesday night, drawing sharp criticism from across the world. Biden said those who stormed the US Capitol were a bunch of thugs, white supremacists, domestic terrorists and they should be prosecuted. (with inputs)

Vice-President Mike Pence may attend Biden's inauguration on January 20

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: "I believe in the strength of US institutions and democracy. Peaceful transition of power is at the core.

'Joe Biden has a daunting task ahead of him', says EU chief Ursula von der Leyen over Capitol riots

The 25th Amendment says the vice-president and a majority of principal officers of the executive departments can provide a declaration to Congress that the president “is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.” This can remove the President of the United States and will appoint Vice President to the office.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls for Trump's removal through 25th Amendment after Capitol Ruckus

In what was a sign of his continued refusal to admit Joe Biden's election victory, current US President Donald Trump asked his deputy and US Vice President Mike Pence to not certify Biden's victory in US Congress. Due to his combative stance for past two months, many steps which are considered mere formality have been embroiled in contention.

"If Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election," Trump told cheering supporters outside the White House. "He has the absolute right to do it.

"Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us, and if he doesn't, that will be a sad day for our country."

Vice-President Mike Pence will preside over the US Congress session in which the members of the legislature will put their seal on Joe Biden's victory in the election.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-democrats-set-to-control-us-senate-354944</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Trump rebuked "weak" Republicans planning to go along with the certification, accusing them of having "turned a blind eye" and threatening them with primary challenges in future elections.&nbsp;

During his speech in front of his supporters, Trump repeated his claims of US Presidential elections being a fraud and as usual, did not offer any substantial proof to support his claim.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-cost-republican-party-the-house-and-now-the-senate-354941">Donald Trump cost Republican Party the House, and now the Senate</a>

"We will never give up, we will never concede," Trump said the rally at the Ellipse park area near the White House, claiming without evidence that "hundreds of thousands" of people were attending the event. "We will stop the steal."

(With agency inputs)

In what was a sign of his continued refusal to admit Joe Biden's election victory, current US President Donald Trump asked his deputy and US Vice President Mike Pence to not certify Biden's victory in US Congress.

In what was a sign of his continued refusal to admit Joe Biden's election victory, current US President Donald Trump asked his deputy and US Vice President Mike Pence to not certify Biden's victory in US Congress. Due to his combative stance for past two months, many steps which are considered mere formality have been embroiled in contention. "If Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election," Trump told cheering supporters outside the White House. "He has the absolute right to do it. "Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us, and if he doesn't, that will be a sad day for our country." Vice-President Mike Pence will preside over the US Congress session in which the members of the legislature will put their seal on Joe Biden's victory in the election. https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-democrats-set-to-control-us-senate-354944 × Trump rebuked "weak" Republicans planning to go along with the certification, accusing them of having "turned a blind eye" and threatening them with primary challenges in future elections. During his speech in front of his supporters, Trump repeated his claims of US Presidential elections being a fraud and as usual, did not offer any substantial proof to support his claim. Also Read | Donald Trump cost Republican Party the House, and now the Senate "We will never give up, we will never concede," Trump said the rally at the Ellipse park area near the White House, claiming without evidence that "hundreds of thousands" of people were attending the event. "We will stop the steal." (With agency inputs)

Donald Trump asks Vice-President Mike Pence to not certify Joe Biden victory in US Congress

The United States&nbsp;Senate on Wednesday rejected the&nbsp;first objection for&nbsp;certifying Joe Biden's presidential election victory&nbsp;after hundreds of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the US&nbsp;Capitol on Wednesday in a bid to overturn his election defeat.

The lawmakers voted 93 to 6 against the effort to reject Arizona's electoral count, overcoming the first of what may be multiple hurdles to the November presidential election's certification.

The House of Representatives will also vote on Arizona, and the effort is expected to fail there too, before Congress continues its process to certify the electoral votes of all 50 states.&nbsp;

Bringing the Senate into session Vice President Mike Pence said, "As we reconvene in this chamber, the world will again witness the resilience and strength of our democracy."

"To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today, you did not win. Violence never wins, freedom wins," Pence added. "And this is still the people's house."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-supporters-storm-us-capitol-building-during-joe-biden-certification-354950" hreflang="en">Donald Trump supporters storm US Capitol building during Biden certification</a>

Police evacuated lawmakers and struggled for more than three hours to clear the Capitol of Trump supporters, who surged through the halls and rummaged through offices in shocking scenes of chaos and mayhem.

One woman died after being shot during the mayhem, Washington police said. The FBI said it had disarmed two suspected explosive devices.

Police declared the Capitol building secure shortly after 5:30 p.m. (2230 GMT), and lawmakers reconvened shortly after 8 p.m. (0100 GMT on Thursday) to resume the election certification.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/capitol-hill-violence-president-trump-step-up-and-end-this-says-biden-354948">Capitol Hill violence: President Trump 'step up' and end this, says Biden</a>

"To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today - you did not win," Vice President Mike Pence said as the session resumed. "Let's get back to work," he said, drawing applause.

"We will certify the winner of the 2020 election," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell added, calling the assault by Trump supporters a "failed insurrection."

Lawmakers were debating a last-ditch effort by pro-Trump lawmakers to challenge the results, which was unlikely to succeed. But some who had planned to object said they would cut their effort short and perhaps only challenge the results in one state instead of multiple states.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered a citywide curfew starting at 6 p.m. (2300 GMT). National Guard troops, FBI agents and U.S. Secret Service were deployed to help overwhelmed Capitol police, and Guard troops and police pushed protesters away from the Capitol after the curfew took effect.

Former President Barack Obama blamed Donald Trump and Republicans for the attack on the US Congress Wednesday, calling it "a moment of great dishonor and shame for our nation."

"But we'd be kidding ourselves if we treated it as a total surprise," Obama said, adding that it was "incited" by Trump, "who has continued to baselessly lie about the outcome of a lawful election."

Obama also singled out the Republican party and its media supporters, whom he said have "too often been unwilling to tell their followers the truth" about Democrat Joe Biden's strong victory in the November 3 election.

"Now we're seeing the consequences, whipped up into a violent crescendo," he said in a statement.

Trump supporters broke windows and police deployed tear gas inside the building. Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee said members of the crowd used chemical irritants to attack police and several had been injured.

It was the most damaging attack on the iconic building since the British army burned it in 1814, according to the US&nbsp;Capitol Historical Society.

The chaotic scenes unfolded after Trump, who before the election refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he lost, addressed thousands of supporters near the White House, repeating unfounded claims that the election was stolen from him due to widespread fraud and irregularities.

Trump told the supporters they should march on the Capitol to express their anger at the voting process and pressure their elected officials to reject the results, urging them "to fight."

Biden, a Democrat who defeated the Republican president in the November&nbsp;3 election and is due to take office on January&nbsp;20, said the activity of the protesters "borders on sedition."

The chaos at the Capitol came a day after Biden enjoyed a new triumph, with his Democratic Party projected to win two Senate runoff seats, handing them full control of Congress.&nbsp;

Historians said it was the first time that the Capitol had been taken over since 1814 when the British burned it during the War of 1812.

For more than two centuries, the joint session of Congress has been a quiet, ceremonial event that formally certifies the election winner -- but Trump urged members of his Republican Party to reject the outcome.

The United States Senate on Wednesday rejected the first objection for certifying Joe Biden's presidential election victory after hundreds of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday in a bid to overturn his election defeat.

The United States Senate on Wednesday rejected the first objection for certifying Joe Biden's presidential election victory after hundreds of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday in a bid to overturn his election defeat. The lawmakers voted 93 to 6 against the effort to reject Arizona's electoral count, overcoming the first of what may be multiple hurdles to the November presidential election's certification. The House of Representatives will also vote on Arizona, and the effort is expected to fail there too, before Congress continues its process to certify the electoral votes of all 50 states. Bringing the Senate into session Vice President Mike Pence said, "As we reconvene in this chamber, the world will again witness the resilience and strength of our democracy." "To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today, you did not win. Violence never wins, freedom wins," Pence added. "And this is still the people's house." Also read: Donald Trump supporters storm US Capitol building during Biden certification Police evacuated lawmakers and struggled for more than three hours to clear the Capitol of Trump supporters, who surged through the halls and rummaged through offices in shocking scenes of chaos and mayhem. One woman died after being shot during the mayhem, Washington police said. The FBI said it had disarmed two suspected explosive devices. Police declared the Capitol building secure shortly after 5:30 p.m. (2230 GMT), and lawmakers reconvened shortly after 8 p.m. (0100 GMT on Thursday) to resume the election certification. Also read: Capitol Hill violence: President Trump 'step up' and end this, says Biden "To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today - you did not win," Vice President Mike Pence said as the session resumed. "Let's get back to work," he said, drawing applause. "We will certify the winner of the 2020 election," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell added, calling the assault by Trump supporters a "failed insurrection." Lawmakers were debating a last-ditch effort by pro-Trump lawmakers to challenge the results, which was unlikely to succeed. But some who had planned to object said they would cut their effort short and perhaps only challenge the results in one state instead of multiple states. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered a citywide curfew starting at 6 p.m. (2300 GMT). National Guard troops, FBI agents and U.S. Secret Service were deployed to help overwhelmed Capitol police, and Guard troops and police pushed protesters away from the Capitol after the curfew took effect. Former President Barack Obama blamed Donald Trump and Republicans for the attack on the US Congress Wednesday, calling it "a moment of great dishonor and shame for our nation." "But we'd be kidding ourselves if we treated it as a total surprise," Obama said, adding that it was "incited" by Trump, "who has continued to baselessly lie about the outcome of a lawful election." Obama also singled out the Republican party and its media supporters, whom he said have "too often been unwilling to tell their followers the truth" about Democrat Joe Biden's strong victory in the November 3 election. "Now we're seeing the consequences, whipped up into a violent crescendo," he said in a statement. Trump supporters broke windows and police deployed tear gas inside the building. Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee said members of the crowd used chemical irritants to attack police and several had been injured. It was the most damaging attack on the iconic building since the British army burned it in 1814, according to the US Capitol Historical Society. The chaotic scenes unfolded after Trump, who before the election refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he lost, addressed thousands of supporters near the White House, repeating unfounded claims that the election was stolen from him due to widespread fraud and irregularities. Trump told the supporters they should march on the Capitol to express their anger at the voting process and pressure their elected officials to reject the results, urging them "to fight." Biden, a Democrat who defeated the Republican president in the November 3 election and is due to take office on January 20, said the activity of the protesters "borders on sedition." The chaos at the Capitol came a day after Biden enjoyed a new triumph, with his Democratic Party projected to win two Senate runoff seats, handing them full control of Congress. Historians said it was the first time that the Capitol had been taken over since 1814 when the British burned it during the War of 1812. For more than two centuries, the joint session of Congress has been a quiet, ceremonial event that formally certifies the election winner -- but Trump urged members of his Republican Party to reject the outcome.

US Senate rejects first objection to Biden certification after pro-Trump mob invades Capitol

Vice President Mike Pence condemned the violent supporters of President Donald Trump who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday (January 6) in an attempt to block certification of the presidential election results, as the U.S. Senate resumed its vote count after an hours-long delay.

US Congress reconvenes session to certify Joe Biden's victory

A woman who was shot inside of the US Capitol on Wednesday has died, the Washington DC Police has confirmed. This comes after pro-Trump protesters charged the building as Congress began counting the Electoral College votes.&nbsp; 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/woman-shot-during-riot-inside-the-us-capitol-building-has-died-police-354962">Also read | Donald Trump supporters storm US Capitol building during Joe Biden certification</a> 
 
The Metropolitan Police Department said it was taking the lead on the shooting investigation. Police did not immediately provide details about the circumstances of the shooting.

"Yes, the adult female that was shot inside of the Capitol was pronounced dead at an area hospital," said spokesperson Dustin Sternbeck with the Metropolitan Police Department. 
 
Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/capitol-hill-violence-president-trump-step-up-and-end-this-says-biden-354948">Capitol Hill violence: President Trump 'step up' and end this, says Biden</a>

The woman's name was not released. Video posted on social media showed a crowd inside the Capitol, a gunshot was heard and then the woman, wearing a Trump banner around her neck, lowered to the ground.&nbsp;

She could later be seen being loaded into an ambulance with blood around her upper body, according to Washington Post.

The chaotic and violent scene unfolded at the Capitol on Wednesday as supporters of President Donald Trump swarmed the building to protest the Electoral College vote, forcing a lockdown and various confrontations with police, reported The Hill.

Rioters overpowered police and broke into the Capitol to protest as a joint session of Congress convened to certify President-elect Joe Biden`s win.&nbsp;

Multiple officers were injured in the scuffle.

"I am appalled by the reckless behaviour of some political leaders since the election and by the lack of respect shown today for our institutions, our traditions, and our law enforcement," said former US President George W Bush.

Several lawmakers called on Trump to condemn the actions of his supporters.In a one-minute video on Twitter, Trump urged his supporters to `go home`, while reiterating his unproven allegations that the recently-concluded presidential election was fraudulent` and `stolen`.

"I know you are pained, I know you are hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. That was a landslide election and everyone knows it, especially the other side. But you have to go home now. We have to have peace. We’ve to have law and order. We don`t want anybody hurt," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

A woman who was shot inside of the US Capitol on Wednesday has died, the Washington DC Police has confirmed. This comes after pro-Trump protesters charged the building as Congress began counting the Electoral College votes.

A woman who was shot inside of the US Capitol on Wednesday has died, the Washington DC Police has confirmed. This comes after pro-Trump protesters charged the building as Congress began counting the Electoral College votes. Also read | Donald Trump supporters storm US Capitol building during Joe Biden certification The Metropolitan Police Department said it was taking the lead on the shooting investigation. Police did not immediately provide details about the circumstances of the shooting. "Yes, the adult female that was shot inside of the Capitol was pronounced dead at an area hospital," said spokesperson Dustin Sternbeck with the Metropolitan Police Department. Also read: Capitol Hill violence: President Trump 'step up' and end this, says Biden The woman's name was not released. Video posted on social media showed a crowd inside the Capitol, a gunshot was heard and then the woman, wearing a Trump banner around her neck, lowered to the ground. She could later be seen being loaded into an ambulance with blood around her upper body, according to Washington Post. The chaotic and violent scene unfolded at the Capitol on Wednesday as supporters of President Donald Trump swarmed the building to protest the Electoral College vote, forcing a lockdown and various confrontations with police, reported The Hill. Rioters overpowered police and broke into the Capitol to protest as a joint session of Congress convened to certify President-elect Joe Biden`s win. Multiple officers were injured in the scuffle. "I am appalled by the reckless behaviour of some political leaders since the election and by the lack of respect shown today for our institutions, our traditions, and our law enforcement," said former US President George W Bush. Several lawmakers called on Trump to condemn the actions of his supporters.In a one-minute video on Twitter, Trump urged his supporters to `go home`, while reiterating his unproven allegations that the recently-concluded presidential election was fraudulent` and `stolen`. "I know you are pained, I know you are hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. That was a landslide election and everyone knows it, especially the other side. But you have to go home now. We have to have peace. We’ve to have law and order. We don`t want anybody hurt," he said. (With inputs from agencies)

Woman shot during riot inside the US Capitol building has died: Police

Microblogging site Twitter has locked US president Trump’s account for 12 hours and threatened to permanently ban him from the platform for flouting its civic integrity rules, ordering him to remove three rule-breaking tweets.

Twitter said that it had required the removal of at least three of Trump's tweets that were posted earlier regarding the situation in Washington.

"As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, DC, we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy," Twitter said in a post.

"If the Tweets are not removed, the account will remain locked."

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, D.C., we have required the removal of three <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy. <a href="https://t.co/k6OkjNG3bM">https://t.co/k6OkjNG3bM</a>
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwitterSafety/status/1346970430062485505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The decision comes after Trump tweeted a video that Twitter said posed a “risk of violence.”

Twitter also said that it will continue to evaluate the situation, including examining activity on the ground and statements made off Twitter.

For the first time, Twitter officially removed three of Trump's tweets, where he spoke on the violent protests at the US Capitol, while another deleted tweet had him saying Vice President Mike Pence lacked the "courage" to do what was necessary.

The removal comes after Facebook and YouTube removed Trump's video to supporters, and amid calls by the Anti-Defamation League and the NAACP for Trump's social media accounts to be suspended outright, reported CNN.

In a tweet, Facebook's VP of integrity Guy Rosen called this 'an emergency situation', and said that the video contributes to the risk of ongoing violence.

"This is an emergency situation and we are taking appropriate emergency measures, including removing President Trump's video. We removed it because on balance we believe it contributes to rather than diminishes the risk of ongoing violence," tweeted Rosen.

In the one-minute video on Twitter, Trump said: "I know you are pained, I know you are hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. That was a landslide election and everyone knows it, especially the other side. But you have to go home now. We have to have peace. We've to have law and order. We don't want anybody hurt."

"This was a fraudulent election, but we can't play in the hands of these people. We have to have peace. So go home. We love you. You're very special. You've seen what happens. You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel. But go home and go home in peace," he added.

The tweet was immediately flagged by the microblogging site as the claim of election fraud was disputed. Twitter also restricted the post from being liked, retweeted or replied to, due to a risk of stoking violence.

This comes amid a violent and unprecedented situation in Washington where Trump supporters stormed in the Capitol building, seeking to overturn the Electoral vote count that certified President-elect Joe Biden's victory. The scuffle led to several people being injured, a lockdown of the Capitol building and evacuation of the Congressional buildings.

(With inputs from agencies)

Microblogging site Twitter has locked US president Trump’s account for 12 hours and threatened to permanently ban him from the platform for flouting its civic integrity rules, ordering him to remove three rule-breaking tweets.

Microblogging site Twitter has locked US president Trump’s account for 12 hours and threatened to permanently ban him from the platform for flouting its civic integrity rules, ordering him to remove three rule-breaking tweets. Twitter said that it had required the removal of at least three of Trump's tweets that were posted earlier regarding the situation in Washington. "As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, DC, we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy," Twitter said in a post. "If the Tweets are not removed, the account will remain locked." As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, D.C., we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy. https://t.co/k6OkjNG3bM — Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 7, 2021 × The decision comes after Trump tweeted a video that Twitter said posed a “risk of violence.” Twitter also said that it will continue to evaluate the situation, including examining activity on the ground and statements made off Twitter. For the first time, Twitter officially removed three of Trump's tweets, where he spoke on the violent protests at the US Capitol, while another deleted tweet had him saying Vice President Mike Pence lacked the "courage" to do what was necessary. The removal comes after Facebook and YouTube removed Trump's video to supporters, and amid calls by the Anti-Defamation League and the NAACP for Trump's social media accounts to be suspended outright, reported CNN. In a tweet, Facebook's VP of integrity Guy Rosen called this 'an emergency situation', and said that the video contributes to the risk of ongoing violence. "This is an emergency situation and we are taking appropriate emergency measures, including removing President Trump's video. We removed it because on balance we believe it contributes to rather than diminishes the risk of ongoing violence," tweeted Rosen. In the one-minute video on Twitter, Trump said: "I know you are pained, I know you are hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. That was a landslide election and everyone knows it, especially the other side. But you have to go home now. We have to have peace. We've to have law and order. We don't want anybody hurt." "This was a fraudulent election, but we can't play in the hands of these people. We have to have peace. So go home. We love you. You're very special. You've seen what happens. You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel. But go home and go home in peace," he added. The tweet was immediately flagged by the microblogging site as the claim of election fraud was disputed. Twitter also restricted the post from being liked, retweeted or replied to, due to a risk of stoking violence. This comes amid a violent and unprecedented situation in Washington where Trump supporters stormed in the Capitol building, seeking to overturn the Electoral vote count that certified President-elect Joe Biden's victory. The scuffle led to several people being injured, a lockdown of the Capitol building and evacuation of the Congressional buildings. (With inputs from agencies)

Twitter blocks Trump, threatens permanent ban over inciting violence

Despite growing pressure from President Donald Trump to help overturn his election loss, Vice President Mike Pence plans to stick to his ceremonial duties and not interfere with the election certification when presiding in Congress on Wednesday, advisers said.

Trump ramped up pressure on Pence on Tuesday to block Congress` certification of the November election results in an ongoing attempt to stay in power, after dozens of lawsuits by his campaign challenging election results failed in U.S. courts.

But the vice president, a loyal lieutenant during the four years of Trump`s often chaotic presidency, has no plans to attempt to do so, even as he seeks to show support for the Republican president`s quest.

Pence is set to preside over a joint session of Congress on Wednesday as it receives the results of the state-by-state Electoral College that determines the winner of presidential elections.

President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat, beat Trump 306-232 in the Electoral College and, in the popular vote, by more than 7 million ballots. Trump has declined to concede the election.

U.S. states have already certified the results, and Pence`s role on Wednesday as president of the Senate is to "open all the certificates," in the presence of the House of Representatives and the Senate, the U.S. Constitution says.

Trump has suggested Pence could do more than that.

"The Vice President has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors," Trump wrote in a tweet on Tuesday, his latest unfounded suggestion that the election was marred by widespread fraud.

Pence told Trump on Tuesday he did not believe he had the power to block the certification, according to a source familiar with the subject.

Trump`s tweet came after pointed remarks at a campaign rally for Republican U.S. Senate incumbents in Georgia on Monday night, in which he expressed hope that Pence would intervene.

"If he doesn`t come through, I won`t like him quite as much," Trump said.

About a dozen Republican senators, as well as dozens of Republicans in the House, plan to object to the certification of the Electoral College results in Congress on Wednesday. The move has virtually no chance of overturning Biden`s victory.

`WILL UPHOLD THE CONSTITUTION`

Current and former White House aides said the vice president planned to perform his ceremonial duties.

"He will be very supportive of the president, but again he`ll stick to the Constitution," one former White House official who has regular contact with Pence`s team told Reuters.

The vice president would make clear in his statements that he backs Trump, while sticking to the constraints of the role, the former official said.

"It is a ceremonial role. It is opening up envelopes and reading the contents of it," he said. "That`s it."

Pence`s chief of staff, Marc Short, told Reuters on Monday that the vice president "will uphold the Constitution and follow the statutory law."

On Friday, a Trump-appointed judge rejected a lawsuit brought by Republican members of Congress asking Pence to reject Electoral College results, saying they had no standing for such a suit.

One Trump adviser said the president had told others he would like Pence to fight harder for him.

The vice president has sought, so far, to express his support without repeating the president`s false claims about the election. On Monday, during his own trip to Georgia, Pence said that Republican objections to the election would be heard, but he did not commit to taking action on them.

"I share the concerns of millions of Americans about voting irregularities.&nbsp;And I promise you, come&nbsp;this Wednesday, we`ll have our day in Congress.&nbsp;We’ll hear the objections.&nbsp;We`ll hear the evidence," he said.

Following a pattern throughout their partnership, Pence has kept Trump informed about his thinking. The former adviser said Pence likely walked the president through the restrictions of his role, informed by a weekend meeting with a congressional parliamentarian.

Despite growing pressure from President Donald Trump to help overturn his election loss, Vice President Mike Pence plans to stick to his ceremonial duties and not interfere with the election certification when presiding in Congress on Wednesday, advisers said.

Despite growing pressure from President Donald Trump to help overturn his election loss, Vice President Mike Pence plans to stick to his ceremonial duties and not interfere with the election certification when presiding in Congress on Wednesday, advisers said. Trump ramped up pressure on Pence on Tuesday to block Congress` certification of the November election results in an ongoing attempt to stay in power, after dozens of lawsuits by his campaign challenging election results failed in U.S. courts. But the vice president, a loyal lieutenant during the four years of Trump`s often chaotic presidency, has no plans to attempt to do so, even as he seeks to show support for the Republican president`s quest. Pence is set to preside over a joint session of Congress on Wednesday as it receives the results of the state-by-state Electoral College that determines the winner of presidential elections. President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat, beat Trump 306-232 in the Electoral College and, in the popular vote, by more than 7 million ballots. Trump has declined to concede the election. U.S. states have already certified the results, and Pence`s role on Wednesday as president of the Senate is to "open all the certificates," in the presence of the House of Representatives and the Senate, the U.S. Constitution says. Trump has suggested Pence could do more than that. "The Vice President has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors," Trump wrote in a tweet on Tuesday, his latest unfounded suggestion that the election was marred by widespread fraud. Pence told Trump on Tuesday he did not believe he had the power to block the certification, according to a source familiar with the subject. Trump`s tweet came after pointed remarks at a campaign rally for Republican U.S. Senate incumbents in Georgia on Monday night, in which he expressed hope that Pence would intervene. "If he doesn`t come through, I won`t like him quite as much," Trump said. About a dozen Republican senators, as well as dozens of Republicans in the House, plan to object to the certification of the Electoral College results in Congress on Wednesday. The move has virtually no chance of overturning Biden`s victory. `WILL UPHOLD THE CONSTITUTION` Current and former White House aides said the vice president planned to perform his ceremonial duties. "He will be very supportive of the president, but again he`ll stick to the Constitution," one former White House official who has regular contact with Pence`s team told Reuters. The vice president would make clear in his statements that he backs Trump, while sticking to the constraints of the role, the former official said. "It is a ceremonial role. It is opening up envelopes and reading the contents of it," he said. "That`s it." Pence`s chief of staff, Marc Short, told Reuters on Monday that the vice president "will uphold the Constitution and follow the statutory law." On Friday, a Trump-appointed judge rejected a lawsuit brought by Republican members of Congress asking Pence to reject Electoral College results, saying they had no standing for such a suit. One Trump adviser said the president had told others he would like Pence to fight harder for him. The vice president has sought, so far, to express his support without repeating the president`s false claims about the election. On Monday, during his own trip to Georgia, Pence said that Republican objections to the election would be heard, but he did not commit to taking action on them. "I share the concerns of millions of Americans about voting irregularities. And I promise you, come this Wednesday, we`ll have our day in Congress. We’ll hear the objections. We`ll hear the evidence," he said. Following a pattern throughout their partnership, Pence has kept Trump informed about his thinking. The former adviser said Pence likely walked the president through the restrictions of his role, informed by a weekend meeting with a congressional parliamentarian.

Despite pressure from Trump, Pence will not interfere in election count

US Presidential election 2020 drama does not seem to be over as Republican Senators' efforts to scuttle Joe Biden's certification in US Senate has got support from US Vice President Mike Pence himself. 11 Republican senators and senator-elect led by Senator Ted Cruz have declared that they would not vote to endorse Joe Biden as the next US President. Pence's Chief of Staff Marc Short said that Pence 'welcomes' the effort of Senators.

Mr Pence "welcomes the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections and bring forward evidence before the Congress and the American people", Short was quoted as saying by BBC.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/growing-number-of-republicans-backing-donald-trump-354205/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

The latest move from Republicans is seen as yet another attempt to delay or even prevent Joe Biden from taking over as US President this month. The US Election has been called in favour of Biden who has amassed enough Electoral College votes to secure the Oval Office. But outgoing US President Donald Trump has continued allegations of widespread fraud in voting. He has not provided any evidence and he himself along with Republican Party has received setbacks in courts across USA including in US Supreme Court which refused to overturn the result.

Trump's claims of election fraud have continued even after all these setbacks.

Now Ted Cruz and others have targetted US courts.

Signed by Ted Cruz and six others, the statement accuses that all the court rulings which have concluded the elections were fair have been given a wrong decision and asserts that all "allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election exceed any in our lifetimes".

The lawmakers are planning to demand the creation of a special commission to carry an "emergency 10-day audit" of the results. They plan to protest the Pro-forma certification of Biden's victory o Wednesday when the Congress convenes in a joint session.

This can then later be revised for total votes by individual states by convening special legislative sessions.

US Presidential election 2020 drama does not seem to be over as Republican Senators' efforts to scuttle Joe Biden's certification in US Senate has got support from US Vice President Mike Pence himself.

US Presidential election 2020 drama does not seem to be over as Republican Senators' efforts to scuttle Joe Biden's certification in US Senate has got support from US Vice President Mike Pence himself. 11 Republican senators and senator-elect led by Senator Ted Cruz have declared that they would not vote to endorse Joe Biden as the next US President. Pence's Chief of Staff Marc Short said that Pence 'welcomes' the effort of Senators. Mr Pence "welcomes the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections and bring forward evidence before the Congress and the American people", Short was quoted as saying by BBC. × The latest move from Republicans is seen as yet another attempt to delay or even prevent Joe Biden from taking over as US President this month. The US Election has been called in favour of Biden who has amassed enough Electoral College votes to secure the Oval Office. But outgoing US President Donald Trump has continued allegations of widespread fraud in voting. He has not provided any evidence and he himself along with Republican Party has received setbacks in courts across USA including in US Supreme Court which refused to overturn the result. Trump's claims of election fraud have continued even after all these setbacks. Now Ted Cruz and others have targetted US courts. Signed by Ted Cruz and six others, the statement accuses that all the court rulings which have concluded the elections were fair have been given a wrong decision and asserts that all "allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election exceed any in our lifetimes". The lawmakers are planning to demand the creation of a special commission to carry an "emergency 10-day audit" of the results. They plan to protest the Pro-forma certification of Biden's victory o Wednesday when the Congress convenes in a joint session. This can then later be revised for total votes by individual states by convening special legislative sessions.

US VP Mike Pence 'welcomes' Senate Republican efforts to derail Joe Biden victory certification

A federal judge on Friday rejected a lawsuit from a Republican congressman that sought to allow Vice President Mike Pence to reject Electoral College votes for Joe Biden when Congress meets on Jan. 6 to certify his victory over President Donald Trump.

The latest long-shot attempt by Trump`s Republican allies to overturn the Nov. 3 election was dismissed by one of Trump`s own appointees to the federal bench, Jeremy Kernodle. He ruled that U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert of Texas and a slate of Republican electors from Arizona could not show they suffered any personal harm "fairly traceable" to Pence`s allegedly unlawful conduct and, therefore, lacked legal standing to bring the case.

The standing requirement "helps enforce the limited role of federal courts in our constitutional system. The problem for plaintiffs here is that they lack standing," Kernodle wrote.

A spokesman for Trump referred questions to Pence`s office. A spokesman for Pence declined to comment.

A spokeswoman for Gohmert did not immediately comment.

Trump has refused to concede defeat to Democrat Biden and has repeatedly falsely claimed the election was tainted by widespread fraud. He and his allies have lost dozens of court efforts seeking to reverse the election results.

Biden beat President Donald Trump by a 306-232 margin in the Electoral College and is set to be sworn in on Jan. 20.

Under the Electoral College system, "electoral votes" are allotted to states and the District of Columbia based on their congressional representation.

Gohmert`s suit argued that Pence had discretion to decide what votes should count. They also asked the judge to bar Pence from following the Electoral Count Act of 1887, which lays out how objections to votes are handled by Congress.

Some Republicans have said they plan to object to the count of presidential electors next week in Congress. Reuters reported this week the effort could trigger a lengthy debate in the Senate but has virtually no chance of overturning the results.

A Justice Department lawyer representing Pence on Thursday urged Kernodle to dismiss the lawsuit saying they had sued the wrong person as they raised "a host of weighty legal issues about the manner in which the electoral votes for president are to be counted."

"The Senate and the House, not the Vice President, have legal interests that are sufficiently adverse to plaintiffs to ground a case or controversy," Pence`s filing said.

A federal judge on Friday rejected a lawsuit from a Republican congressman that sought to allow Vice President Mike Pence to reject Electoral College votes for Joe Biden when Congress meets on Jan.

A federal judge on Friday rejected a lawsuit from a Republican congressman that sought to allow Vice President Mike Pence to reject Electoral College votes for Joe Biden when Congress meets on Jan. 6 to certify his victory over President Donald Trump. The latest long-shot attempt by Trump`s Republican allies to overturn the Nov. 3 election was dismissed by one of Trump`s own appointees to the federal bench, Jeremy Kernodle. He ruled that U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert of Texas and a slate of Republican electors from Arizona could not show they suffered any personal harm "fairly traceable" to Pence`s allegedly unlawful conduct and, therefore, lacked legal standing to bring the case. The standing requirement "helps enforce the limited role of federal courts in our constitutional system. The problem for plaintiffs here is that they lack standing," Kernodle wrote. A spokesman for Trump referred questions to Pence`s office. A spokesman for Pence declined to comment. A spokeswoman for Gohmert did not immediately comment. Trump has refused to concede defeat to Democrat Biden and has repeatedly falsely claimed the election was tainted by widespread fraud. He and his allies have lost dozens of court efforts seeking to reverse the election results. Biden beat President Donald Trump by a 306-232 margin in the Electoral College and is set to be sworn in on Jan. 20. Under the Electoral College system, "electoral votes" are allotted to states and the District of Columbia based on their congressional representation. Gohmert`s suit argued that Pence had discretion to decide what votes should count. They also asked the judge to bar Pence from following the Electoral Count Act of 1887, which lays out how objections to votes are handled by Congress. Some Republicans have said they plan to object to the count of presidential electors next week in Congress. Reuters reported this week the effort could trigger a lengthy debate in the Senate but has virtually no chance of overturning the results. A Justice Department lawyer representing Pence on Thursday urged Kernodle to dismiss the lawsuit saying they had sued the wrong person as they raised "a host of weighty legal issues about the manner in which the electoral votes for president are to be counted." "The Senate and the House, not the Vice President, have legal interests that are sufficiently adverse to plaintiffs to ground a case or controversy," Pence`s filing said.

US judge dismisses lawmaker lawsuit against Pence over electoral count

Leading by example: Political leaders who got vaccinated for Coronavirus

President-elect Joe Biden will get the coronavirus vaccine as soon as next week, transition officials said on Wednesday, as US authorities try to build public confidence in a measure that promises to stanch the deadly pandemic.

Vice President Mike Pence will get the vaccine on Friday, the White House said. Both men will receive the shot publicly in an effort to boost confidence in the safety of the vaccine, which will become widely available to the public next year.

“I don’t want to get ahead of the line but I want to make sure that we demonstrate to the American people that it is safe to take,” Biden said at an event earlier on Wednesday.

Biden, 78, is in a high-risk category for the coronavirus because of his age.

Biden has vowed to make the fight against the virus his top priority when he takes office on Jan. 20. President Donald Trump, who lost the Nov. 3 election to Biden, has frequently downplayed the severity of the pandemic, which has killed 304,187 Americans so far and feuded with his top public health officials.

Trump will get the vaccine himself as soon as his medical team determines it is best, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Tuesday. The president was hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19 this fall.

Initial doses of the vaccine, which became available in the United States this week, have been set aside for doctors, nurses and other frontline medical workers, along with residents and staff of nursing homes and some U.S. government officials.

U.S. officials aim to get 2.9 million doses of the vaccine, developed by Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech SE, by week’s end.

One health worker in Alaska had a severe allergic reaction after receiving the vaccine, officials said on Wednesday in what is believed to be the only adverse reaction so far in the United States.

A significant portion of the American public has shown disdain for basic public health recommendations, such as wearing a mask, and only 61% of respondents in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll said they were open to getting vaccinated.

Scientists believe that “herd immunity” against the virus could be achieved once about 70% of the population has been exposed to it, either through natural infection or a vaccine.

Some 16.7 million Americans have been infected so far, equal to roughly 5% of the population. Pence’s wife, Karen, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams also will get the vaccine on Friday, the White House said.

Biden’s transition team did not say when Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would get the vaccine.

‘US SHOULD LEAD THE WAY’

Biden is building his incoming administration as he prepares for his inauguration next month.

On Wednesday, he introduced former presidential rival Pete Buttigieg as his choice for U.S. transportation secretary to take the lead in upgrading America’s ageing infrastructure.

Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, would be the first openly gay Cabinet secretary confirmed by the Senate if he is approved.

“The Biden-Harris Cabinet will be a historic Cabinet - a Cabinet that looks like America, a Cabinet that taps into the best of America, a Cabinet that is opening doors and breaking down barriers and accessing the full range of talent ... in this nation,” Biden said as he puts forth what is shaping up to be the most diverse Cabinet in U.S. history.

Appearing with Buttigieg in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden said the 38-year-old would confront the task of restoring what he called “our crumbling roads, bridges and ports.” Biden has proposed a massive boost in infrastructure spending.

Buttigieg emerged from relative obscurity to mount a surprisingly robust campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination eventually won by Biden. A military veteran who served in Afghanistan, Buttigieg is in the vanguard of the next generation of Democratic politicians and is widely seen as a future presidential contender.

“Americans shouldn’t settle for less than our peers in the developed world when it comes to our roads and bridges, our railways and transit systems. The U.S. should lead the way, and I know that in this administration we will,” Buttigieg said.

President-elect Joe Biden will get the coronavirus vaccine as soon as next week, transition officials said on Wednesday, as US authorities try to build public confidence in a measure that promises to stanch the deadly pandemic.

President-elect Joe Biden will get the coronavirus vaccine as soon as next week, transition officials said on Wednesday, as US authorities try to build public confidence in a measure that promises to stanch the deadly pandemic. Vice President Mike Pence will get the vaccine on Friday, the White House said. Both men will receive the shot publicly in an effort to boost confidence in the safety of the vaccine, which will become widely available to the public next year. “I don’t want to get ahead of the line but I want to make sure that we demonstrate to the American people that it is safe to take,” Biden said at an event earlier on Wednesday. Biden, 78, is in a high-risk category for the coronavirus because of his age. Biden has vowed to make the fight against the virus his top priority when he takes office on Jan. 20. President Donald Trump, who lost the Nov. 3 election to Biden, has frequently downplayed the severity of the pandemic, which has killed 304,187 Americans so far and feuded with his top public health officials. Trump will get the vaccine himself as soon as his medical team determines it is best, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Tuesday. The president was hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19 this fall. Initial doses of the vaccine, which became available in the United States this week, have been set aside for doctors, nurses and other frontline medical workers, along with residents and staff of nursing homes and some U.S. government officials. U.S. officials aim to get 2.9 million doses of the vaccine, developed by Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech SE, by week’s end. One health worker in Alaska had a severe allergic reaction after receiving the vaccine, officials said on Wednesday in what is believed to be the only adverse reaction so far in the United States. A significant portion of the American public has shown disdain for basic public health recommendations, such as wearing a mask, and only 61% of respondents in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll said they were open to getting vaccinated. Scientists believe that “herd immunity” against the virus could be achieved once about 70% of the population has been exposed to it, either through natural infection or a vaccine. Some 16.7 million Americans have been infected so far, equal to roughly 5% of the population. Pence’s wife, Karen, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams also will get the vaccine on Friday, the White House said. Biden’s transition team did not say when Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would get the vaccine. ‘US SHOULD LEAD THE WAY’ Biden is building his incoming administration as he prepares for his inauguration next month. On Wednesday, he introduced former presidential rival Pete Buttigieg as his choice for U.S. transportation secretary to take the lead in upgrading America’s ageing infrastructure. Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, would be the first openly gay Cabinet secretary confirmed by the Senate if he is approved. “The Biden-Harris Cabinet will be a historic Cabinet - a Cabinet that looks like America, a Cabinet that taps into the best of America, a Cabinet that is opening doors and breaking down barriers and accessing the full range of talent ... in this nation,” Biden said as he puts forth what is shaping up to be the most diverse Cabinet in U.S. history. Appearing with Buttigieg in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden said the 38-year-old would confront the task of restoring what he called “our crumbling roads, bridges and ports.” Biden has proposed a massive boost in infrastructure spending. Buttigieg emerged from relative obscurity to mount a surprisingly robust campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination eventually won by Biden. A military veteran who served in Afghanistan, Buttigieg is in the vanguard of the next generation of Democratic politicians and is widely seen as a future presidential contender. “Americans shouldn’t settle for less than our peers in the developed world when it comes to our roads and bridges, our railways and transit systems. The U.S. should lead the way, and I know that in this administration we will,” Buttigieg said.

Joe Biden to get Covid-19 vaccine next week; Mike Pence to receive it on December 18

US Vice-President Mike Pence and his wife will get the Covid-19 vaccine Friday in a public display designed to boost national confidence.

Pence and his wife Karen Pence "will publicly receive a Covid-19 vaccine to promote the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and build confidence among the American people," the White House said in a statement late Wednesday.

The event, due to be held at the White House, comes in the first week of a mass vaccination program aimed at stopping the surging coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to them, the vaccine will be administered at the same time to Surgeon General Jerome Adams, the lead public health official in the country.

On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters that Trump is also "absolutely open to taking the vaccine."

However, since he recently recovered from a bout of Covid-19, he is thought to be currently immune.

"He will receive the vaccine as soon as his medical team determines it’s best. But his priority is frontline workers, those in long-term care facilities," McEnany said.

President-elect Joe Biden, who won election in November after a campaign heavily critical of Trump's leadership during the pandemic, says he intends to take the vaccine in public soon.

At 78, Biden is in a prime risk category for the disease.

The pandemic has so far killed more than 300,000 Americans.

(with inputs)

US Vice-President Mike Pence and his wife will get the Covid-19 vaccine Friday in a public display designed to boost national confidence. Pence and his wife Karen Pence "will publicly receive a Covid-19 vaccine to promote the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and build confidence among the American people," the White House said in a statement late Wednesday.

US Vice-President Mike Pence and his wife will get the Covid-19 vaccine Friday in a public display designed to boost national confidence. Pence and his wife Karen Pence "will publicly receive a Covid-19 vaccine to promote the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and build confidence among the American people," the White House said in a statement late Wednesday. The event, due to be held at the White House, comes in the first week of a mass vaccination program aimed at stopping the surging coronavirus pandemic. In addition to them, the vaccine will be administered at the same time to Surgeon General Jerome Adams, the lead public health official in the country. On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters that Trump is also "absolutely open to taking the vaccine." However, since he recently recovered from a bout of Covid-19, he is thought to be currently immune. "He will receive the vaccine as soon as his medical team determines it’s best. But his priority is frontline workers, those in long-term care facilities," McEnany said. President-elect Joe Biden, who won election in November after a campaign heavily critical of Trump's leadership during the pandemic, says he intends to take the vaccine in public soon. At 78, Biden is in a prime risk category for the disease. The pandemic has so far killed more than 300,000 Americans. (with inputs)

US Vice-President Mike Pence to get Covid vaccine Friday

For four years, Vice President Mike Pence has walked the Trump tight rope more successfully than anyone else in the president’s orbit, staying on his good side without having to echo his most incendiary rhetoric.

But in the final weeks of Pence’s term, his relationship with President Donald Trump is facing what may be the vice president’s toughest challenge yet.

Pence must now balance his loyalty to an enraged president making baseless claims of voter fraud against his own political future and reputation. He also has to deal with how Trump’s talk of running for president again in 2024 could leave him with no lane to run in. It also makes it difficult for Pence to even start raising money if the president is floating his own name.

So far, Pence appears to be handling the pressure much as he has over the past four years: appearing to be unflinchingly loyal while also steering clear of engaging in Trump’s pressure campaigns.

In the last few months of Pence’s time as vice president, his advisers want him focused on leading the coronavirus task force and helping the two Georgia Republicans facing runoffs that will determine whether the party maintains its Senate majority.

Those advisers said they would prefer that the vice president steer clear of the Trump campaign’s legal fights contesting the election results, and so far, Pence has been careful not to repeat Trump’s most baseless attacks on the electoral system while simultaneously remaining the good soldier.

In his brief remarks early Wednesday morning after election night — he kept them to 53 seconds — Pence tried to make what amounted to a non-endorsement of the president’s claim that the election was a “major fraud on our nation” into something that sounded like unquestioning support.

“As the votes continue to be counted, we’re going to remain vigilant, as the president said,” Pence told the crowd. “We’re going to protect the integrity of the vote.”

For almost a week afterward Pence was not seen or heard in public, though it was reported that he spent time with Trump in the Oval Office on Friday.

Then on Tuesday, he spoke to Republican senators at their weekly lunch, continuing his somewhat restrained tone while giving an update on where the campaign’s lawsuits stood and thanking senators for supporting Trump without making any demand that they fall in line, according to two people who attended the meeting.

Pence told the lawmakers he planned to travel to Georgia on Nov. 20 to campaign for Republican senators in the two runoff elections. He joked that he considered himself an honorary Iowan because of all the time he had spent campaigning for Sen. Joni Ernst, a seeming wink to his own presidential ambitions, which would most likely run through Iowa.

But in the same kind of nod to Trump’s claim for a second term that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the same day, he also told the lawmakers that he wanted to keep serving with them, as the president of the Senate, and that he thought he would.

In reality, Pence’s allies expect him to return to Indiana and make a living giving paid speeches and potentially writing a book. It will be the first time in a long time that Pence will live as a private citizen — he moved from the governor’s mansion in Indiana to temporary housing in Washington during the presidential transition four years ago to the Naval Observatory. He currently does not own a house.

But before he starts to think about what kind of house he will live in, and how to fill the years before the 2024 election cycle, he still has a role to play in the end of the 2020 election.

Pence has already faced an array of tests publicly and privately since Election Day, as he has had to calculate how far to go in supporting the president’s attempts to overturn the election.

In one of the most glaring examples, Corey Lewandowski, a Trump ally, pushed for Pence to travel to the Pennsylvania Convention Center last week to observe votes being counted, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The image of the vice president — who has strong support with the social-conservative wing of the Republican Party — descending on a counting center in a state where Trump’s campaign was making baseless claims of widespread fraud would have aided the president’s narrative that the election was being stolen. Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, vetoed the request, the person said.

The furthest he has gone, rhetorically, is lending his name to campaign fundraising emails that warn of “DEFENDING the Election from voter fraud.”

A campaign spokesman described his efforts on behalf of the president more effusively.

“Vice President Pence has been in constant contact with our team and extremely involved in the campaign’s legal efforts, doing everything we and the president have asked of him as well as leading efforts to raise money for the legal fund,” a Trump campaign spokeswoman, Ali Pardo, said in a statement.

But in his role as president of the Senate, Pence has a constitutionally designated role that could be a coda to Trump’s insistence that he won reelection — and awkward for the loyal vice president.

The Constitution calls on the vice president to oversee a joint session of Congress, to be held this time on Jan. 6, in which the votes from the Electoral College are officially counted. Typically, vice presidents simply read from a script and take no actions to interfere with the results.

In 2000, Vice President Al Gore had to certify the disputed election results after the Supreme Court effectively handed the presidential election to his opponent, George W. Bush.

“It was awkward and difficult for Vice President Al Gore in 2000, but that was his job,” recalled Michael Feldman, Gore’s former chief of staff. “The vice president has very few jobs as prescribed by the Constitution. Presiding over that process as president of the Senate is one of them.”

For Pence, the day he will have to announce Trump’s defeat is two months away. In the meantime, he has resumed more traditional duties of the job, appearing with the president on Wednesday at a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. And he postponed a family vacation to Florida, opting instead for a speaking engagement on Friday.

For four years, Vice President Mike Pence has walked the Trump tight rope more successfully than anyone else in the president’s orbit, staying on his good side without having to echo his most incendiary rhetoric.

For four years, Vice President Mike Pence has walked the Trump tight rope more successfully than anyone else in the president’s orbit, staying on his good side without having to echo his most incendiary rhetoric. But in the final weeks of Pence’s term, his relationship with President Donald Trump is facing what may be the vice president’s toughest challenge yet. Pence must now balance his loyalty to an enraged president making baseless claims of voter fraud against his own political future and reputation. He also has to deal with how Trump’s talk of running for president again in 2024 could leave him with no lane to run in. It also makes it difficult for Pence to even start raising money if the president is floating his own name. So far, Pence appears to be handling the pressure much as he has over the past four years: appearing to be unflinchingly loyal while also steering clear of engaging in Trump’s pressure campaigns. In the last few months of Pence’s time as vice president, his advisers want him focused on leading the coronavirus task force and helping the two Georgia Republicans facing runoffs that will determine whether the party maintains its Senate majority. Those advisers said they would prefer that the vice president steer clear of the Trump campaign’s legal fights contesting the election results, and so far, Pence has been careful not to repeat Trump’s most baseless attacks on the electoral system while simultaneously remaining the good soldier. In his brief remarks early Wednesday morning after election night — he kept them to 53 seconds — Pence tried to make what amounted to a non-endorsement of the president’s claim that the election was a “major fraud on our nation” into something that sounded like unquestioning support. “As the votes continue to be counted, we’re going to remain vigilant, as the president said,” Pence told the crowd. “We’re going to protect the integrity of the vote.” For almost a week afterward Pence was not seen or heard in public, though it was reported that he spent time with Trump in the Oval Office on Friday. Then on Tuesday, he spoke to Republican senators at their weekly lunch, continuing his somewhat restrained tone while giving an update on where the campaign’s lawsuits stood and thanking senators for supporting Trump without making any demand that they fall in line, according to two people who attended the meeting. Pence told the lawmakers he planned to travel to Georgia on Nov. 20 to campaign for Republican senators in the two runoff elections. He joked that he considered himself an honorary Iowan because of all the time he had spent campaigning for Sen. Joni Ernst, a seeming wink to his own presidential ambitions, which would most likely run through Iowa. But in the same kind of nod to Trump’s claim for a second term that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the same day, he also told the lawmakers that he wanted to keep serving with them, as the president of the Senate, and that he thought he would. In reality, Pence’s allies expect him to return to Indiana and make a living giving paid speeches and potentially writing a book. It will be the first time in a long time that Pence will live as a private citizen — he moved from the governor’s mansion in Indiana to temporary housing in Washington during the presidential transition four years ago to the Naval Observatory. He currently does not own a house. But before he starts to think about what kind of house he will live in, and how to fill the years before the 2024 election cycle, he still has a role to play in the end of the 2020 election. Pence has already faced an array of tests publicly and privately since Election Day, as he has had to calculate how far to go in supporting the president’s attempts to overturn the election. In one of the most glaring examples, Corey Lewandowski, a Trump ally, pushed for Pence to travel to the Pennsylvania Convention Center last week to observe votes being counted, according to a person familiar with the matter. The image of the vice president — who has strong support with the social-conservative wing of the Republican Party — descending on a counting center in a state where Trump’s campaign was making baseless claims of widespread fraud would have aided the president’s narrative that the election was being stolen. Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, vetoed the request, the person said. The furthest he has gone, rhetorically, is lending his name to campaign fundraising emails that warn of “DEFENDING the Election from voter fraud.” A campaign spokesman described his efforts on behalf of the president more effusively. “Vice President Pence has been in constant contact with our team and extremely involved in the campaign’s legal efforts, doing everything we and the president have asked of him as well as leading efforts to raise money for the legal fund,” a Trump campaign spokeswoman, Ali Pardo, said in a statement. But in his role as president of the Senate, Pence has a constitutionally designated role that could be a coda to Trump’s insistence that he won reelection — and awkward for the loyal vice president. The Constitution calls on the vice president to oversee a joint session of Congress, to be held this time on Jan. 6, in which the votes from the Electoral College are officially counted. Typically, vice presidents simply read from a script and take no actions to interfere with the results. In 2000, Vice President Al Gore had to certify the disputed election results after the Supreme Court effectively handed the presidential election to his opponent, George W. Bush. “It was awkward and difficult for Vice President Al Gore in 2000, but that was his job,” recalled Michael Feldman, Gore’s former chief of staff. “The vice president has very few jobs as prescribed by the Constitution. Presiding over that process as president of the Senate is one of them.” For Pence, the day he will have to announce Trump’s defeat is two months away. In the meantime, he has resumed more traditional duties of the job, appearing with the president on Wednesday at a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. And he postponed a family vacation to Florida, opting instead for a speaking engagement on Friday.

For Pence, the future is tied to Trump as much as the present is

Voting for US Presidential Elections is going on and everyone is eager to know the results. Millions of Americans have voted already. However, the election day has its own aura and excitement. Although we are eager to know the results, there is still time for that. The voting in various states closes at different time and different states have different rules as to the permissible time limit for postal votes to be accepted.

All of this can get very chaotic, so we are bringing you a timeline of what will happen next as per Indian Standard Time

<h2>November 4</h2>

3.30 am IST:&nbsp;Edison Research will release preliminary findings from its exit polls, which are based on in-person interviews with voters on Election Day, in-person interviews at early voting centers before Nov. 3, and telephone interviews with people who voted by mail.

The initial data will look at national and state voter sentiment and motivations, but not detailed percentage estimates. Results from ballot questions in individual states will be released after voting ends in the state.

Edison will refine and update its national and state exit poll results through the night, gathering more voter responses and adjusting the weightings to reflect turnout.

4:30-5:30 IST: Some polling stations begin to close in the Republican strongholds of Indiana and Kentucky, the first in the country to close.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-election-2020-who-is-leading-on-opinion-poll-charts-before-historic-day-340186/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

5:30 am IST: Voting ends in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Virginia and Vermont. 
Some polling stations begin to close in Florida, but many remain open until 8 p.m. (local time)

The initial results from Florida could favor Biden due to the high volume of early ballots that the state began to scan more than three weeks ago; opinion polls suggest more Democrats voted early, whereas more Republicans waited until Election Day. If there is a "blue mirage," it will fade as more in-person ballots from Tuesday are tallied.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/live-us-election-2020-donald-trump-joe-biden-more-than-98-million-voted-to-elect-the-next-president-340039">Click here for LIVE updates on US Election 2020</a>

6:00 am: Polls close in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia.

Like Florida, the initial results from North Carolina and Ohio could favor Biden because the states began to scan early ballots weeks before Election Day. A truer picture of the vote will emerge as more ballots are tabulated.

North Carolina counts ballots that arrive as late as Nov. 12 if they are postmarked by Nov. 3. Ohio accepts ballots 10 days after the election if they are postmarked by Nov. 2.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/why-paneer-tikka-was-trending-on-us-election-day-340135">Why Paneer Tikka was trending on US election day</a>

6:30 am IST: Voting ends in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Washington D.C.

Pennsylvania does not begin to process early votes until Election Day and the state will accept mail-in ballots up to three days after the election if they are postmarked by Nov. 3. As a result, the initial vote counts from Pennsylvania may show a "red mirage" favoring Trump until the absentee ballots are counted, experts say.

7 am IST: Reuters expects to publish updated national exit poll results from Edison Research, with percentage estimates of support for Biden vs Trump. 
Polling stations close in Arkansas.

7:30 am IST: Voting ends in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Like Pennsylvania, the early results from Michigan and Wisconsin are expected to favor Trump because ballots cannot be counted before Election Day. (Michigan does allow some ballots to be opened, but they cannot be counted.)

Arizona allows ballots to be scanned 14 days before the election.

8:30 AM IST: Polls close in Iowa, Montana, Nevada and Utah.

Iowa allows ballot envelopes to be opened on the Saturday before the election and tabulating to begin on Monday. Ballots postmarked by Nov. 2 can arrive as late as the Monday after the election.

Nevada allows ballot scanning to begin 14 days before the election, and accepts ballots up to seven days after the election if they are postmarked by Nov. 3.

9:30 am IST: Voting ends in California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

10:30 am IST: Polls close in Hawaii.

11:30 am IST: Voting ends in Alaska.

 
This was about closure of polls. Now let's see what is on cards in coming days. IST is ahead of timezones in the US by roughly 10-12 hours. The exact timing and day of the events in India described ahead will vary as per the time they are held in the US.

<h2>December 8</h2>

States have until this date, known as the "safe harbor" deadline under federal law, to resolve any disputes over their vote totals and certify the winner. If a state fails to finalize its vote count by then, Congress is no longer required to accept its results under the Electoral College system.

<h2>December 14</h2>

Members of the Electoral College cast their ballots for president. Under the U.S. system, the winner of each state`s popular vote earns that state`s electoral votes, which are apportioned by population. The candidate who receives a majority of the 538 electoral votes available, or 270, wins the presidency.

<h2>January 6, 2021</h2>

Congress meets at 1 p.m. in Washington to count the electoral votes and declare a winner.

<h2>January 20, 2021</h2>

Inauguration Day. The winner and his running mate are sworn in as president and vice president at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

(With Reuters inputs)

Voting for US Presidential Elections is going on and everyone is eager to know the results. Millions of Americans have voted already. However, the election day has its own aura and excitement.

Voting for US Presidential Elections is going on and everyone is eager to know the results. Millions of Americans have voted already. However, the election day has its own aura and excitement. Although we are eager to know the results, there is still time for that. The voting in various states closes at different time and different states have different rules as to the permissible time limit for postal votes to be accepted. All of this can get very chaotic, so we are bringing you a timeline of what will happen next as per Indian Standard Time November 4 3.30 am IST: Edison Research will release preliminary findings from its exit polls, which are based on in-person interviews with voters on Election Day, in-person interviews at early voting centers before Nov. 3, and telephone interviews with people who voted by mail. The initial data will look at national and state voter sentiment and motivations, but not detailed percentage estimates. Results from ballot questions in individual states will be released after voting ends in the state. Edison will refine and update its national and state exit poll results through the night, gathering more voter responses and adjusting the weightings to reflect turnout. 4:30-5:30 IST: Some polling stations begin to close in the Republican strongholds of Indiana and Kentucky, the first in the country to close. × 5:30 am IST: Voting ends in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Virginia and Vermont. Some polling stations begin to close in Florida, but many remain open until 8 p.m. (local time) The initial results from Florida could favor Biden due to the high volume of early ballots that the state began to scan more than three weeks ago; opinion polls suggest more Democrats voted early, whereas more Republicans waited until Election Day. If there is a "blue mirage," it will fade as more in-person ballots from Tuesday are tallied. Click here for LIVE updates on US Election 2020 6:00 am: Polls close in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia. Like Florida, the initial results from North Carolina and Ohio could favor Biden because the states began to scan early ballots weeks before Election Day. A truer picture of the vote will emerge as more ballots are tabulated. North Carolina counts ballots that arrive as late as Nov. 12 if they are postmarked by Nov. 3. Ohio accepts ballots 10 days after the election if they are postmarked by Nov. 2. Also Read | Why Paneer Tikka was trending on US election day 6:30 am IST: Voting ends in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Washington D.C. Pennsylvania does not begin to process early votes until Election Day and the state will accept mail-in ballots up to three days after the election if they are postmarked by Nov. 3. As a result, the initial vote counts from Pennsylvania may show a "red mirage" favoring Trump until the absentee ballots are counted, experts say. 7 am IST: Reuters expects to publish updated national exit poll results from Edison Research, with percentage estimates of support for Biden vs Trump. Polling stations close in Arkansas. 7:30 am IST: Voting ends in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Like Pennsylvania, the early results from Michigan and Wisconsin are expected to favor Trump because ballots cannot be counted before Election Day. (Michigan does allow some ballots to be opened, but they cannot be counted.) Arizona allows ballots to be scanned 14 days before the election. 8:30 AM IST: Polls close in Iowa, Montana, Nevada and Utah. Iowa allows ballot envelopes to be opened on the Saturday before the election and tabulating to begin on Monday. Ballots postmarked by Nov. 2 can arrive as late as the Monday after the election. Nevada allows ballot scanning to begin 14 days before the election, and accepts ballots up to seven days after the election if they are postmarked by Nov. 3. 9:30 am IST: Voting ends in California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. 10:30 am IST: Polls close in Hawaii. 11:30 am IST: Voting ends in Alaska. This was about closure of polls. Now let's see what is on cards in coming days. IST is ahead of timezones in the US by roughly 10-12 hours. The exact timing and day of the events in India described ahead will vary as per the time they are held in the US. December 8 States have until this date, known as the "safe harbor" deadline under federal law, to resolve any disputes over their vote totals and certify the winner. If a state fails to finalize its vote count by then, Congress is no longer required to accept its results under the Electoral College system. December 14 Members of the Electoral College cast their ballots for president. Under the U.S. system, the winner of each state`s popular vote earns that state`s electoral votes, which are apportioned by population. The candidate who receives a majority of the 538 electoral votes available, or 270, wins the presidency. January 6, 2021 Congress meets at 1 p.m. in Washington to count the electoral votes and declare a winner. January 20, 2021 Inauguration Day. The winner and his running mate are sworn in as president and vice president at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (With Reuters inputs)

US Election 2020: A timeline of what's next according to Indian Standard Time

No matter the land, food is synonymous with emotions. We throw parties when we are happy. Sometimes even eat something to make us feel better in bouts of sadness. But we are true to our salt, and quite proud of our respective culinary traditions. We are passionate about our food.

Pramila Jayapal, US Congresswoman of Indian heritage, got the taste of how strong sentiments around food are.

It started with just a tweet. Jayapal posted a photo of 'Paneer Tikka' and said that it was her comfort food.

"Compulsive, night-before-election activity: make comfort food. That’s paneer tikka tonight, in honor of electing #KamalaHarris Veep tomorrow since she just said on Instagram that her favorite North Indian food is any kind of tikka! Let’s go, people! VOTE! #BidenHarris2020" she tweeted

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Compulsive, night-before-election activity: make comfort food. That’s paneer tikka tonight, in honor of electing <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KamalaHarris?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KamalaHarris</a> Veep tomorrow since she just said on Instagram that her favorite North Indian food is any kind of tikka! Let’s go, people! VOTE! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BidenHarris2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BidenHarris2020</a> <a href="https://t.co/gqyT7BotgG">pic.twitter.com/gqyT7BotgG</a>
— Pramila Jayapal (@PramilaJayapal) <a href="https://twitter.com/PramilaJayapal/status/1323482279029583872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

But...and it's a major but! Many on Twitter disagreed with Jayapal who was saying the tasty looking dish in her tweet was 'Paneer Tikka'.

Paneer Tikka is a north Indian dish that is usually made with Indian cottage cheese along with veggies and is usually barbecued or lightly cooked and eaten from a skewer.

The dish Jayapal cooked appeared more like a curry

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PaneerTikka?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PaneerTikka</a> died a premature death in this curry <a href="https://t.co/7fOxVn3gfp">https://t.co/7fOxVn3gfp</a>
— टंकीBaba (@rkgeemail) <a href="https://twitter.com/rkgeemail/status/1323536371567398913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

Fans of the dish were so up in arms against Jayapal's tweet that Paneer Tikka started trending. The tweets were full of sarcasm sometimes.

A user posted a picture of a spicy soup, and invited Jayapal to have what he claimed was 'kheer' an Indian sweet dish, far cry from anything spicy.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
ये लो खीर खाओ <a href="https://t.co/yYvAx6Q0NI">pic.twitter.com/yYvAx6Q0NI</a>
— How Dare You Isolated Monk ? (@IsolatedMonk) <a href="https://twitter.com/IsolatedMonk/status/1323536175190011906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

Some users were rolling eyes

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
who's gonna tell her that's not paneer tikka... <a href="https://t.co/mejabynS4G">https://t.co/mejabynS4G</a>
— Saanvi is looking for sherlock moots •Zaira stan• (@daisysonofjohn) <a href="https://twitter.com/daisysonofjohn/status/1323528221061599232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

Jayapal made a follow-up tweet sharing the recipe and this time, she called the dish 'Paneer Tikka Masala' instead of just 'Paneer Tikka'.

The addition of the word 'masala' took the preparation closer to resembling the one in the photo as 'Paneer Tikka Masala' is a curry dish.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
By popular demand, the recipe for Paneer Tikka Masala, slightly adapted from the fabulous <a href="https://twitter.com/twosleevers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@twosleevers</a>! You can either eat the tikka on its own, or add the masala (sauce) which is like a curry. Enjoy! <a href="https://t.co/0tNyEZOWN4">pic.twitter.com/0tNyEZOWN4</a>
— Pramila Jayapal (@PramilaJayapal) <a href="https://twitter.com/PramilaJayapal/status/1323506998625755138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

So what do you like? Paneer Tikka or Paneer Tikka Masala?

No matter the land, food is synonymous with emotions. We throw parties when we are happy. Sometimes even eat something to make us feel better in bouts of sadness.

No matter the land, food is synonymous with emotions. We throw parties when we are happy. Sometimes even eat something to make us feel better in bouts of sadness. But we are true to our salt, and quite proud of our respective culinary traditions. We are passionate about our food. Pramila Jayapal, US Congresswoman of Indian heritage, got the taste of how strong sentiments around food are. It started with just a tweet. Jayapal posted a photo of 'Paneer Tikka' and said that it was her comfort food. "Compulsive, night-before-election activity: make comfort food. That’s paneer tikka tonight, in honor of electing #KamalaHarris Veep tomorrow since she just said on Instagram that her favorite North Indian food is any kind of tikka! Let’s go, people! VOTE! #BidenHarris2020" she tweeted Compulsive, night-before-election activity: make comfort food. That’s paneer tikka tonight, in honor of electing #KamalaHarris Veep tomorrow since she just said on Instagram that her favorite North Indian food is any kind of tikka! Let’s go, people! VOTE! #BidenHarris2020 pic.twitter.com/gqyT7BotgG — Pramila Jayapal (@PramilaJayapal) November 3, 2020 × But...and it's a major but! Many on Twitter disagreed with Jayapal who was saying the tasty looking dish in her tweet was 'Paneer Tikka'. Paneer Tikka is a north Indian dish that is usually made with Indian cottage cheese along with veggies and is usually barbecued or lightly cooked and eaten from a skewer. The dish Jayapal cooked appeared more like a curry #PaneerTikka died a premature death in this curry https://t.co/7fOxVn3gfp — टंकीBaba (@rkgeemail) November 3, 2020 × Fans of the dish were so up in arms against Jayapal's tweet that Paneer Tikka started trending. The tweets were full of sarcasm sometimes. A user posted a picture of a spicy soup, and invited Jayapal to have what he claimed was 'kheer' an Indian sweet dish, far cry from anything spicy. ये लो खीर खाओ pic.twitter.com/yYvAx6Q0NI — How Dare You Isolated Monk ? (@IsolatedMonk) November 3, 2020 × Some users were rolling eyes who's gonna tell her that's not paneer tikka... https://t.co/mejabynS4G — Saanvi is looking for sherlock moots •Zaira stan• (@daisysonofjohn) November 3, 2020 × Jayapal made a follow-up tweet sharing the recipe and this time, she called the dish 'Paneer Tikka Masala' instead of just 'Paneer Tikka'. The addition of the word 'masala' took the preparation closer to resembling the one in the photo as 'Paneer Tikka Masala' is a curry dish. By popular demand, the recipe for Paneer Tikka Masala, slightly adapted from the fabulous @twosleevers! You can either eat the tikka on its own, or add the masala (sauce) which is like a curry. Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/0tNyEZOWN4 — Pramila Jayapal (@PramilaJayapal) November 3, 2020 × So what do you like? Paneer Tikka or Paneer Tikka Masala?

Why Paneer Tikka was trending on US election day

A report has claimed that Kamala Harris, Democratic Vice-President candidate is being attacked through online misinformation four times more than her Republican rival Mike Pence.&nbsp;

The fake news regarding the Indian American includes that she is ineligible to run for the election or she was lying about Black and Indian background.&nbsp;

Watch | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-us-election-2020-netizens-go-gaga-after-kamala-harris-dances-in-rain-in-florida-rally-337054">Netizens go gaga after Kamala Harris dances in rain in Florida rally</a>

After getting vice-president ticket, Harris has been at the centre of online misinformation campaigns far more often four times as much than the white men who campaigned for the same job, a report from media intelligence firm Zignal Labs said as reported by news agency The Associated Press.

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/kamala-harris-niece-slammed-for-tweeting-image-depicting-aunt-as-durga-336638">Kamala Harris' niece slammed for tweeting image depicting aunt as Durga</a>

Jennifer Granston, head of insights at Zignal Labs, said Harris has been attacked much more on her personal identity, particularly as a woman of colour.&nbsp;

The firm found over 1 millions mentions of Harris since June on Twitter with hashtags or terms used to spread misinformation related to her.&nbsp;

It said about 300,000 of these mentions questions Harris's eligibility to serve as US president.&nbsp;

Harris's birth certificate confirms she was on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, indicating she being eligible to serve as either vice president or president.

A report has claimed that Kamala Harris, Democratic Vice-President candidate is being attacked through online misinformation four times more than her Republican rival Mike Pence.

A report has claimed that Kamala Harris, Democratic Vice-President candidate is being attacked through online misinformation four times more than her Republican rival Mike Pence. The fake news regarding the Indian American includes that she is ineligible to run for the election or she was lying about Black and Indian background. Watch | Netizens go gaga after Kamala Harris dances in rain in Florida rally After getting vice-president ticket, Harris has been at the centre of online misinformation campaigns far more often four times as much than the white men who campaigned for the same job, a report from media intelligence firm Zignal Labs said as reported by news agency The Associated Press. Also read | Kamala Harris' niece slammed for tweeting image depicting aunt as Durga Jennifer Granston, head of insights at Zignal Labs, said Harris has been attacked much more on her personal identity, particularly as a woman of colour. The firm found over 1 millions mentions of Harris since June on Twitter with hashtags or terms used to spread misinformation related to her. It said about 300,000 of these mentions questions Harris's eligibility to serve as US president. Harris's birth certificate confirms she was on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, indicating she being eligible to serve as either vice president or president.

Kamala Harris attacked far more through online misinformation than Pence: Report

Vice President Mike Pence travelled to the battleground state of North Carolina on Sunday (October 25) where he urged supporters to "stay in the fight," a day after several members of his staff tested positive for coronavirus.

US Vice President Mike Pence hits campaign trail after staff test positive for COVID-19

The US Vice President Mike Pence planned to press ahead with campaigning on Sunday, visiting the battleground state of North Carolina after multiple aides tested positive for COVID-19, keeping the pandemic front and centre in the presidential race.

With nine days to go before the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election">November 3 election</a> in which Democrat Joe Biden is challenging Republican President Donald Trump, the White House cited Pence`s status as an "essential worker" as justification for his travel despite exposure to his chief of staff, Marc Short, who tested positive on Saturday.

Multiple other senior aides to Pence also tested positive for COVID-19, the White House chief of staff said, as new nationwide infections soared to record numbers in recent days amid a pandemic that has killed 225,000 Americans. 
It marked the latest coronavirus infections in the White House, which have included Trump, first lady Melania Trump, their son Barron and numerous aides and associates.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-vice-president-mike-pences-chief-of-staff-tests-positive-for-covid-19-337780">Also read|&nbsp;US Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff tests positive for COVID-19</a>

The new infections offered a reminder of the way Trump - who was hospitalised for three nights this month after contracting COVID-19 - and those around him have downplayed the advice of public health experts to wear masks and observe social distancing guidelines to stem COVID-19 transmission.

In addition to dominating the campaign policy debate - with Trump insisting the United States is "rounding the turn" on the crisis while Biden has blasted Trump`s disjointed response - the pandemic has changed Americans` voting habits, with 58.7 million ballots already cast.

The pandemic has upended campaign traditions and its effects still are being felt. Americans may find themselves waiting days or potentially weeks to know who won as election officials count tens of millions of mail-in votes.

Trump is due to campaign in the New England states of New Hampshire and Maine on Sunday. Biden has no campaign events scheduled for Sunday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-us-election-near-white-house-starts-preparations-for-presidential-inauguration-337863">Also read|&nbsp;As US election near, White House starts preparations for presidential inauguration</a>

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters that White House doctors have cleared Pence to travel after Short tested positive. Pence is scheduled to address rallies in Kinston, North Carolina, later on Sunday and in Hibbing, Minnesota, on Monday.

While Biden holds a wide lead in national opinion polls, polls show closer contests in those two key states.

Devin O`Malley, a spokesman for the vice president, said late on Saturday that Pence and his wife tested negative. 
Asked on CNN`s "State of the Union" why Pence was not following U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to quarantine for 14 days after such exposure, Meadows on Sunday cited the vice president`s status as "essential personnel."

Meadows said Pence would continue to campaign and speak at rallies.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-how-are-votes-counted-in-the-presidential-election-335422">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: How are votes counted in the presidential election?</a>

Meadows declined to say whether Pence, who has headed the White House coronavirus task force, would be tested daily going forward, but did say "we do test on a regular basis."

Biden`s running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, took four days off the campaign trail earlier this month after her communications director tested positive for COVID-19.

Speaking in Detroit as she campaigned in the battleground state of Michigan, Harris criticized Pence for continuing to travel, saying, "He should be following the guidelines."

Trump has mocked Biden for wearing a protective mask and has addressed packed rallies in which many of his supporters did not wearing masks.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-republicans-clash-with-california-officials-over-ballot-boxes-335425">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: Republicans clash with California officials over ballot boxes</a>

'A free society'

Asked why the Trump campaign is not requiring people attending rallies to wear masks, Meadows said the campaign offers masks to attendees but, "We live in a free society."

"We`re not going to control the pandemic. We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigation areas," Meadows added.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who himself caught COVID-19 and was hospitalized for a week after spending several days at the White House without wearing a mask, on Sunday said he was "surprised" Pence would continue campaigning.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-how-the-states-vote-for-the-presidential-elections-335430">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: How the States vote for the Presidential elections</a>

"Everybody`s gotta put the health of the people they`re going to be in touch with first," Christie told ABC`s "This Week" program.

Infectious diseases expert Dr. Sandra Nelson of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital said it appeared that Pence would be at high risk for becoming infected and transmitting infection.

"With multiple members of his office testing positive this would be considered a work-based cluster. Anytime there is a cluster like this I would advise that the entire office transition to remote work for 14 days," Nelson said.

Ahead of Trump`s arrival in the state, an influential newspaper in New Hampshire with a record of endorsing Republican presidential candidates endorsed Biden on Sunday.

"America faces many challenges and needs a president to build this country up. This appears to be outside of Mr. Trump`s skill set," the New Hampshire Union Leader said in an editorial.

The United States set a single-day record of more than 84,000 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, with the spike in infections hitting election swing states Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The US Vice President Mike Pence planned to press ahead with campaigning on Sunday, visiting the battleground state of North Carolina after multiple aides tested positive for COVID-19, keeping the pandemic front and centre in the presidential race.

The US Vice President Mike Pence planned to press ahead with campaigning on Sunday, visiting the battleground state of North Carolina after multiple aides tested positive for COVID-19, keeping the pandemic front and centre in the presidential race. With nine days to go before the November 3 election in which Democrat Joe Biden is challenging Republican President Donald Trump, the White House cited Pence`s status as an "essential worker" as justification for his travel despite exposure to his chief of staff, Marc Short, who tested positive on Saturday. Multiple other senior aides to Pence also tested positive for COVID-19, the White House chief of staff said, as new nationwide infections soared to record numbers in recent days amid a pandemic that has killed 225,000 Americans. It marked the latest coronavirus infections in the White House, which have included Trump, first lady Melania Trump, their son Barron and numerous aides and associates. Also read| US Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff tests positive for COVID-19 The new infections offered a reminder of the way Trump - who was hospitalised for three nights this month after contracting COVID-19 - and those around him have downplayed the advice of public health experts to wear masks and observe social distancing guidelines to stem COVID-19 transmission. In addition to dominating the campaign policy debate - with Trump insisting the United States is "rounding the turn" on the crisis while Biden has blasted Trump`s disjointed response - the pandemic has changed Americans` voting habits, with 58.7 million ballots already cast. The pandemic has upended campaign traditions and its effects still are being felt. Americans may find themselves waiting days or potentially weeks to know who won as election officials count tens of millions of mail-in votes. Trump is due to campaign in the New England states of New Hampshire and Maine on Sunday. Biden has no campaign events scheduled for Sunday. Also read| As US election near, White House starts preparations for presidential inauguration White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters that White House doctors have cleared Pence to travel after Short tested positive. Pence is scheduled to address rallies in Kinston, North Carolina, later on Sunday and in Hibbing, Minnesota, on Monday. While Biden holds a wide lead in national opinion polls, polls show closer contests in those two key states. Devin O`Malley, a spokesman for the vice president, said late on Saturday that Pence and his wife tested negative. Asked on CNN`s "State of the Union" why Pence was not following U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to quarantine for 14 days after such exposure, Meadows on Sunday cited the vice president`s status as "essential personnel." Meadows said Pence would continue to campaign and speak at rallies. Also read| US election 2020: How are votes counted in the presidential election? Meadows declined to say whether Pence, who has headed the White House coronavirus task force, would be tested daily going forward, but did say "we do test on a regular basis." Biden`s running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, took four days off the campaign trail earlier this month after her communications director tested positive for COVID-19. Speaking in Detroit as she campaigned in the battleground state of Michigan, Harris criticized Pence for continuing to travel, saying, "He should be following the guidelines." Trump has mocked Biden for wearing a protective mask and has addressed packed rallies in which many of his supporters did not wearing masks. Also read| US election 2020: Republicans clash with California officials over ballot boxes 'A free society' Asked why the Trump campaign is not requiring people attending rallies to wear masks, Meadows said the campaign offers masks to attendees but, "We live in a free society." "We`re not going to control the pandemic. We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigation areas," Meadows added. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who himself caught COVID-19 and was hospitalized for a week after spending several days at the White House without wearing a mask, on Sunday said he was "surprised" Pence would continue campaigning. Also read| US election 2020: How the States vote for the Presidential elections "Everybody`s gotta put the health of the people they`re going to be in touch with first," Christie told ABC`s "This Week" program. Infectious diseases expert Dr. Sandra Nelson of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital said it appeared that Pence would be at high risk for becoming infected and transmitting infection. "With multiple members of his office testing positive this would be considered a work-based cluster. Anytime there is a cluster like this I would advise that the entire office transition to remote work for 14 days," Nelson said. Ahead of Trump`s arrival in the state, an influential newspaper in New Hampshire with a record of endorsing Republican presidential candidates endorsed Biden on Sunday. "America faces many challenges and needs a president to build this country up. This appears to be outside of Mr. Trump`s skill set," the New Hampshire Union Leader said in an editorial. The United States set a single-day record of more than 84,000 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, with the spike in infections hitting election swing states Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Mike Pence to keep up US election campaigning after close aides test positive for COVID-19

US Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff Marc Short has tested positive for the coronavirus, shortly after it was reported that the vice president's political aide Marty Obst had tested positive.

Pence's spokesperson Devin O'Malley said on Saturday, as quoted by ABC News, that "in consultation with the White House Medical Unit, the Vice President will maintain his schedule in accordance with the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines for essential personnel."

O'Malley said that both Pence and his wife Karen Pence tested negative for COVID-19 on Saturday, while Marc Short and Marty Obst tested positive, according to ABC News. Since Short is a "close contact," Pence is now required, under CDC guidelines, to wear a facemask around people and to be closely monitored for any coronavirus symptoms.

Marty Obst tested positive for the coronavirus last week, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News on Saturday.

According to ABC, Obst is an outside adviser and not a government employee. He was last seen at a fundraiser event attended by both Pence and US President Donald Trump on October 15.

Trump was hospitalized with COVID-19 at the Walter Reed Military Medical Center on October 2, not long after announcing on Twitter that he and his wife Melania had tested positive for the coronavirus.

That same week, Pence and second lady Karen Pence tested negative for the coronavirus, according to Pence's spokesman Devin O'Malley.

White House Physician, Dr Sean Conley, announced on October 12 that Trump had tested negative for COVID-19 on consecutive days.

First Lady Melania Trump announced last week that the First Family's son Barron, 14, had contracted COVID-19 but exhibited no symptoms and subsequently tested negative.

US Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff Marc Short has tested positive for the coronavirus, shortly after it was reported that the vice president's political aide Marty Obst had tested positive.

US Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff Marc Short has tested positive for the coronavirus, shortly after it was reported that the vice president's political aide Marty Obst had tested positive. Pence's spokesperson Devin O'Malley said on Saturday, as quoted by ABC News, that "in consultation with the White House Medical Unit, the Vice President will maintain his schedule in accordance with the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines for essential personnel." O'Malley said that both Pence and his wife Karen Pence tested negative for COVID-19 on Saturday, while Marc Short and Marty Obst tested positive, according to ABC News. Since Short is a "close contact," Pence is now required, under CDC guidelines, to wear a facemask around people and to be closely monitored for any coronavirus symptoms. Marty Obst tested positive for the coronavirus last week, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News on Saturday. According to ABC, Obst is an outside adviser and not a government employee. He was last seen at a fundraiser event attended by both Pence and US President Donald Trump on October 15. Trump was hospitalized with COVID-19 at the Walter Reed Military Medical Center on October 2, not long after announcing on Twitter that he and his wife Melania had tested positive for the coronavirus. That same week, Pence and second lady Karen Pence tested negative for the coronavirus, according to Pence's spokesman Devin O'Malley. White House Physician, Dr Sean Conley, announced on October 12 that Trump had tested negative for COVID-19 on consecutive days. First Lady Melania Trump announced last week that the First Family's son Barron, 14, had contracted COVID-19 but exhibited no symptoms and subsequently tested negative.

US Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff tests positive for COVID-19

Octopuses Predictions &nbsp;- Everybody loves predictions.&nbsp;The fact that there ARE&nbsp;predictions in itself proves that an outcome about something is eagerly anticipated. It shows that we are curious to know what'll happen, and the event in itself has a far-reaching effect.

We've had humans like Nostradamus predicting things before. Then as humans conquered new frontiers of scientific and intellectual frontiers, we outsourced this work to parrots, octopuses and whatnot

But they haven't disappointed us.

<h2>US Election 2020 -&nbsp;Octopuses Predictions </h2>

Octopuses in particular have greatly occupied popular perception in this regard. Remember Paul the Octopus? The guy was super-famous during 2010 FIFA World Cup. People wanted to kill the poor creature when he predicted that Germany would drub Argentina but to Messi's horror, Paul prevailed! Germany won.

Octopuses have also got their tentacles in the realm or politics and elections.

At the time of 2016 US Presidential Elections, the battle was on between Democratic Party's Hillary Clinton and Republican Party's Donald Trump. At the time when all sorts of predictions were being made, along came Anglesey Octopus.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-fumes-as-facebook-twitter-limit-reach-of-smoking-gun-article-on-biden-and-his-son-335344">Trump fumes as Facebook, Twitter limit reach of 'smoking gun' article on Biden and his son</a>

All eyes were on Ollie the Octopus who swam happily in Anglesey Zoo in the UK. He knocked down the jar with Hillary Clinton's photo on it. Hillary lost the election.

Other animals were not too far behind

Felix the polar bear from a Russian zoo had correctly predicted that Donald Trump would win US Election 2016

A monkey in Hunan province of China had also given his verdict in favour of Trump in 2016.

Question is, where are all the fortune-tellers now? We are not asking directly for an Octopus, but a Panda would suffice too. As the election race between Joe Biden and Donald Trump enters last few weeks we are eager to know what the critters think.

<h2>US Election Octopuses Predictions ​​​​​​​</h2>

Where are they? Don't they want to predict? Or has the pandemic year become too unpredictable already? 
&nbsp;

Octopuses Predictions - Everybody loves predictions. The fact that there ARE predictions in itself proves that an outcome about something is eagerly anticipated.

Octopuses Predictions - Everybody loves predictions. The fact that there ARE predictions in itself proves that an outcome about something is eagerly anticipated. It shows that we are curious to know what'll happen, and the event in itself has a far-reaching effect. We've had humans like Nostradamus predicting things before. Then as humans conquered new frontiers of scientific and intellectual frontiers, we outsourced this work to parrots, octopuses and whatnot But they haven't disappointed us. US Election 2020 - Octopuses Predictions Octopuses in particular have greatly occupied popular perception in this regard. Remember Paul the Octopus? The guy was super-famous during 2010 FIFA World Cup. People wanted to kill the poor creature when he predicted that Germany would drub Argentina but to Messi's horror, Paul prevailed! Germany won. Octopuses have also got their tentacles in the realm or politics and elections. At the time of 2016 US Presidential Elections, the battle was on between Democratic Party's Hillary Clinton and Republican Party's Donald Trump. At the time when all sorts of predictions were being made, along came Anglesey Octopus. Also Read | Trump fumes as Facebook, Twitter limit reach of 'smoking gun' article on Biden and his son All eyes were on Ollie the Octopus who swam happily in Anglesey Zoo in the UK. He knocked down the jar with Hillary Clinton's photo on it. Hillary lost the election. Other animals were not too far behind Felix the polar bear from a Russian zoo had correctly predicted that Donald Trump would win US Election 2016 A monkey in Hunan province of China had also given his verdict in favour of Trump in 2016. Question is, where are all the fortune-tellers now? We are not asking directly for an Octopus, but a Panda would suffice too. As the election race between Joe Biden and Donald Trump enters last few weeks we are eager to know what the critters think. US Election Octopuses Predictions Where are they? Don't they want to predict? Or has the pandemic year become too unpredictable already?

US Elections 2020: Where are the Octopuses?

Kamala Harris is back on the campaign trail with & immediately goes viral for her light dance at the Florida rally. Vice President Mike Pence rallied in Maine. WION brings you the highlights of both campaigns.

Four more years of time for a change? U.S. Election 2020 New York Direct

US vice-presidential Debate&nbsp; 2020 - Live coverage of US vice-presidential Debate was blocked in China at the time when US Vice President Mike Pence was asked a question on the communist nation. The broadcast came back when Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris criticised Trump government for its approach to China. Harris said during the debate that Trump's approach to China resulted in 'loss of American lives, American jobs, and America's standing'.

The broadcast block affected a small number of viewers in China who had access to CNN. The channel is available in some hotels in China.

Fox News reported that a screen featuring colour bars with all-caps message 'NO SIGNAL PLEASE STAND BY' flashed as the broadcast was censored.

"The censorship offered a vivid example of Beijing`s willingness to excise information it cannot control, even when it involves potentially important insights into relations with the country`s largest trading partner," Fox News was quoted as saying by ANI.

"Censors in China are moving quickly to block criticism of the country`s leaders, discussion of historical events like the Tiananmen Square massacre or any conversation that could involve organizing resistance to the government," Fox News added.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/internet-goes-berserk-after-errant-housefly-on-pences-head-photobombs-vp-debate-333508">Internet goes berserk after errant housefly on Pence's head photobombs VP debate</a>

US vice-presidential Debate on Wednesday (local time) witnessed sharp exchange of words between Kamala Harris and Mike Pence.

Though the debate did not see exchanges as heated as those seen in the first Presidential Debate, some memorable moments included Kamala Harris asking Mike Pence to stop talking by saying "Mr Vice President, I'm (still) speaking".

Both debaters overshot the time limit several times during the debate but Mike Pence was observed to do this more than Kamala Harris. The moderator of the debate had to step in many times and had to remind Pence to conclude his argument.

(With ANI inputs)

US vice-presidential Debate 2020 - Live coverage of US vice-presidential Debate was blocked in China at the time when US Vice President Mike Pence was asked a question on the communist nation.

US vice-presidential Debate 2020 - Live coverage of US vice-presidential Debate was blocked in China at the time when US Vice President Mike Pence was asked a question on the communist nation. The broadcast came back when Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris criticised Trump government for its approach to China. Harris said during the debate that Trump's approach to China resulted in 'loss of American lives, American jobs, and America's standing'. The broadcast block affected a small number of viewers in China who had access to CNN. The channel is available in some hotels in China. Fox News reported that a screen featuring colour bars with all-caps message 'NO SIGNAL PLEASE STAND BY' flashed as the broadcast was censored. "The censorship offered a vivid example of Beijing`s willingness to excise information it cannot control, even when it involves potentially important insights into relations with the country`s largest trading partner," Fox News was quoted as saying by ANI. "Censors in China are moving quickly to block criticism of the country`s leaders, discussion of historical events like the Tiananmen Square massacre or any conversation that could involve organizing resistance to the government," Fox News added. Also Read | Internet goes berserk after errant housefly on Pence's head photobombs VP debate US vice-presidential Debate on Wednesday (local time) witnessed sharp exchange of words between Kamala Harris and Mike Pence. Though the debate did not see exchanges as heated as those seen in the first Presidential Debate, some memorable moments included Kamala Harris asking Mike Pence to stop talking by saying "Mr Vice President, I'm (still) speaking". Both debaters overshot the time limit several times during the debate but Mike Pence was observed to do this more than Kamala Harris. The moderator of the debate had to step in many times and had to remind Pence to conclude his argument. (With ANI inputs)

China censors US vice-presidential debate when Pence gets asked on the communist nation

Kamala Harris and Mike Pence are all set to face-off in the Vice-Presidential debate. What can you expect from it? WION's Palki Sharma brings you the latest from U.S. Presidential Elections.

Gravitas: Countdown to U.S. Vice Presidential debate

The fly that landed on US Vice President Mike Pence's head has become the star of the Vice-Presidential Debate. WION's Palki Sharma brings you the best reactions.

Gravitas: Fly on Mike Pence's head steals the show | US Election 2020

mike-pence

Mike Pence, News on Mike Pence, stories on Mike Pence, articles on Mike Pence, Mike Pence stories at Wion, Mike Pence news, Mike Pence latest news

mike pence