Biden moves forward with transition as Trump continues to refuse to concede – live

Another 709,000 Americans submitted new claims for unemployment benefits last week, marking a decrease of about 48,000 claims from a week earlier.

The figure marks the lowest number of new claims since March, signaling the US job market may be slowly healing.

But economists warn that the number of new unemployment claims remains alarmingly high eight months into the coronavirus pandemic.

There are also concerns that the US economy will decline in the coming weeks, as coronavirus infections surge and Americans become more cautious about leaving their homes.

The US set another single-day record for new infections yesterday, confirming 144,133 cases. Another 1,893 Americans died of coronavirus yesterday as well.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, said he did not believe a national lockdown would be necessary because of the development of coronavirus vaccines.

Pfizer announced earlier this week that its vaccine was 90% effective, and Fauci said he expected a vaccine to be widely available to the American public by April or May.

When asked by ABC News’ Robin Roberts whether the country was headed toward a national lockdown, Fauci said he would like to “stay away from that” because “there is no appetite for locking down.”

Fauci added, “I believe that we can do it without a lockdown. I really do.”

Robins also asked Fauci, who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, what he would say to those suffering “Covid fatigue.”

Fauci replied, “Help is really on the way. … The cavalry is coming here. Vaccines are going to have a major positive impact.”

Fauci’s comments come as the country sets new records in coronavirus infections. According to Johns Hopkins University, the US confirmed 144,133 new cases yesterday, breaking the single-day record set the day before.

Kayleigh McEnany, the outgoing White House press secretary, raised many eyebrows this morning, when she tried to distance herself from her own job during a Fox News interview.

Although McEnany works for the White House, she has recently been speaking to the media in her “personal capacity” as an adviser to Donald Trump’s reelection campaign.

When Fox News asked her whether Joe Biden would soon receive access to intelligence briefings, McEnany replied, “That would be a question more for the White House.”

That answer is rather remarkable, considering McEnany is the top spokesperson for the White House. It should also be noted that McEnany has previously deflected questions at White House press briefings by referring them to the Trump campaign.

Political reporters immediately expressed outrage that McEnany, who makes a government salary of $183,000 a year, was refusing to speak for the White House, when that is the top requirement of her job.

Greetings from Washington, live blog readers.

It has been nine days since election day and five days since Joe Biden was declared the winner of the presidential race, but Donald Trump has still not conceded that he lost.

However, the president’s refusal to accept reality is not stopping the president-elect from moving forward with his transition to the White House.

Biden announced last night that he had chosen Ron Klain, a longtime adviser who served as the “Ebola tsar” under Barack Obama, as his chief of staff.

More staff announcements are expected in the days and weeks ahead, as Biden prepares for his inauguration on 20 January.

But Biden’s determination to treat this like a normal presidential transition is clashing with Trump’s strategy to cast doubt upon the integrity of the election by peddling baseless claims of fraud.

Trump’s advisers are privately acknowledging his lawsuits in battleground states are unlikely to go anywhere and that Trump will have to leave office in January.

But until the president accepts that reality, his refusal to concede will continue to be an international sideshow as the country tries to move forward.