Biden begins transition plans as Trump refuses to concede

By Meg Wagner and Melissa Macaya, CNN

Updated 0313 GMT (1113 HKT) November 10, 2020
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1:50 p.m. ET, November 9, 2020

President Trump fires Secretary of Defense Mark Esper

From CNN's Betsy Klein, Nicole Gaouette, Barbara Starr, Ryan Browne and Jake Tapper 

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper testifies during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on July 9 in Washington, DC.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper testifies during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on July 9 in Washington, DC. Greg Nash/Pool/Getty Images

President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Monday that he had fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, and that Christopher Miller would become acting secretary "effective immediately."

Esper's increasingly tense relationship with Trump led him to prepare a letter of resignation weeks ago, an attempt to fashion a graceful exit in the widely expected event that the President decided to fire him, several defense sources, including one senior defense official, told CNN.

Esper had been on shaky ground with the White House for months, a rift that deepened after he said in June that he did not support using active-duty troops to quell the large-scale protests across the United States triggered by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. He also said military forces should be used in a law enforcement role only as a last resort.

According to a senior administration official, John McEntee, director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, is spreading the word throughout the administration that if he hears of anyone looking for another job, they will be fired. The news is dismaying to many members of the Trump administration who worry especially about young staffers who will soon need other sources of income given the fact that Trump lost the election. 

The White House declined to comment on personnel matters. 

Here's the tweet: 

Read more here.

12:58 p.m. ET, November 9, 2020

Top business lobbying group calls for end to campaigning: "Now is the time for governing"

From CNN's Cristina Alesci

The biggest business lobbying group in the nation on Monday said the time for campaigning has come to an end.

“Now is the time for governing,” said the US Chamber of Commerce’s head of policy Neil Bradley in a call with reporters on Monday. “There are no shortage of issues that demand the attention of the incoming administration and Congress. It begins with confronting the coronavirus epidemic.”

Bradley then emphasized the need for more stimulus due to the so-called “K-shaped” recovery. 

In other words, the economic bounce-back is bifurcated, with the wealthiest Americans quickly rebounding while the middle- and lower-income set are not. Bradley said stimulus should focus on helping those “who will be the last to recover from this pandemic-induced recession.”

“We still have a long way to go,” Bradley said. “At the current pace of hiring, our calculations show it would take until February of 2022 to restore all of the jobs that have been lost since February of this year. That's obviously way too long.”

Bradley added that there’s no time to waste on a phase four package, and that US Chamber is bullish on a divided Congress coming together to get it done.

“We were very pleased to see Leader McConnell last week indicate his desire to complete a phase four bill before the end of the year,” Bradley said.

12:58 p.m. ET, November 9, 2020

Why Georgia's two Senate races are getting so much attention

From CNN's Chandelis Duster

Getty Images/AP
Getty Images/AP

The eyes of the political world are now turning to Georgia, where both US Senate races are primed for runoffs.

If Democrats win both Georgia seats, there would be a 50-50 tie in the Senate, and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris could serve as a tiebreaker.

Democrat Jon Ossoff, one of two Democrats who appears to be headed for a January runoff, is planning to make the response to the coronavirus pandemic a key part of his message and he welcomes an assist from President-elect Joe Biden.

"Now, we have two Senate runoffs in a single state. This is the moment to demonstrate that the people of this state and this country want a government that will respond properly in a focused, and coherent way to this pandemic," he told CNN's John Berman on "New Day" Monday.

CNN has not projected that the Senate race between Ossoff and Republican Sen. David Perdue will advance to a runoff, but both candidates are already campaigning to face each other on Jan. 5. Perdue is leading Ossoff by at least 90,000 votes, but has not received more than 50% of vote needed to prevent a runoff.

Ossoff told Berman "it's all about getting people out to the polls for this January 5th runoff," adding that again, the stakes against Perdue "are high."

"This isn't about partisan politics. This is about human lives and human livelihoods which are in the balance," he said. "If we cannot mount an effective response to this pandemic, more people will needlessly, more people will needlessly lose their homes, their jobs, and their businesses."

CNN projected last week a special election race between Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Raphael Warnock will advance to a runoff in January.

Biden, who defeated President Trump for the presidency after a win in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, is leading in the Georgia presidential race, though CNN has not projected a winner in the state. 

Read more here.

12:25 p.m. ET, November 9, 2020

Biden: "Please, I implore you, wear a mask"

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

President-elect Joe Biden speaks on November 9 at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaware.
President-elect Joe Biden speaks on November 9 at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaware. Carolyn Kaster/AP

President-elect Joe Biden implored Americans to wear a mask.

"Maybe we saved the life of a person who stocks the shelf at your local grocery store. Maybe saves the life of a member of your place of worship. Maybe it saves the lives of one of your children's teachers. Maybe it saves your life. So please, I implore you, wear a mask," he said Monday. "Do it for yourself. Do it for your neighbor."

He added that wearing a mask is not a political statement but "a good way to start pulling the country together."

"I won't be president until January 20th," he said Monday. "It doesn't matter who you voted for, where you stood before Election Day. It doesn't matter your party, your point of view. We can save tens of thousands of lives if everyone would just wear a mask for the next few months. Not Democrat or Republican lives, American lives."

He added that he wants to be clear that the goal of a mask is "not to make your life less comfortable or to take something away from you."

"It is to give something back to all of us — a normal life," he said. "And masks are critical doing that. It won't be forever. But that's how we get our nation back up to speed and economically. So we can go back to celebrating birthdays and holidays together, so we can attend sporting events together, get back to lives and connections we shared before the pandemic," he said. "We have to do this together."

He added:

"We can get the virus under control, I promise you. We can rebuild our economy back better than it was before. We can address race-based disparities that damage our country. It's in our power. So let's wear a mask."

See Biden's message on masks:

12:11 p.m. ET, November 9, 2020

Biden: Vaccine process must be "grounded in science and fully transparent"

President-elect Joe Biden said that "we just received positive news in this fight with announcement that there's been progress made toward a successful vaccine" — but added that the process must "be grounded in science and fully transparent."

He continued: "Soon the expectation is the FDA will run the process of rigorous reviews and approvals. And the process must also be grounded in science and fully transparent so the American people can have every confidence that any approved vaccine is safe and effective."

Biden added that even if a vaccine is approved it "will not be widely available for many months yet to come."

His remarks came during a speech from Wilmington, Delaware, after being briefed by his newly formed coronavirus advisory board.

More context: Earlier today, drug maker Pfizer said early analysis shows its Covid-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective.

Biden addresses Pfizer vaccine update:

12:04 p.m. ET, November 9, 2020

Biden speaking now after being briefed by Covid-19 advisory board

Pool
Pool

President-elect Joe Biden is speaking now from Wilmington, Delaware, after being briefed by his newly formed coronavirus advisory board.

"I am humbled by the trust and confidence the American people placed in me and Vice President-elect Harris. We are ready to get to work addressing the needs of the American people. Today, that work begins," Biden said.

"It starts with doing everything possible to get the Covid-19 under control so we can reopen businesses safely and sustainably, resume our lives, put this pandemic behind us," Biden added.  

11:57 a.m. ET, November 9, 2020

CNN Projection: Democrat flips Georgia House seat and Republican Issa will return to Congress

CNN projects that these candidates will win their House races:

  • Republican Darrell Issa wins California's 50th congressional district
  • Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux wins Georgia's 7th congressional district, flipping the seat
  • Democrat Susan Wild wins Pennsylvanias's 7th congressional district
  • Democrat Matt Cartwright wins Pennsylvanias's 8th congressional district
  • Democrat Conor Lamb wins Pennsylvanias's 17th congressional district
  • Democrat Abigail Spanberger wins Virginias's 7th congressional district
  • Democrat Susie Lee wins Nevada's 3rd congressional district

CNN projected Saturday that Democrats would keep control of the House.

11:51 a.m. ET, November 9, 2020

Ben Carson, who attended Trump election party, tests positive for coronavirus

From CNN's Jeremy Diamond

HUD Secretary Ben Carson speaks during the Republican National Convention in Washington, DC, on August 27.
HUD Secretary Ben Carson speaks during the Republican National Convention in Washington, DC, on August 27. Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

HUD Secretary Ben Carson tested positive for coronavirus Monday morning, his deputy chief of staff Coalter Baker confirmed to CNN.

Carson attended the election night party where White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and nearly every other attendee was not wearing a mask. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and four others in President Trump's orbit subsequently tested positive last week.

Carson was also spotted maskless at a Trump campaign rally in Waterford Township, Michigan on Oct. 30.

Carson's diagnosis was first reported by ABC News.

CNN's Betsy Klein contributed to this report

11:42 a.m. ET, November 9, 2020

IBM CEO sends letter to Biden with congratulations and policy priorities

From CNN Brian Fung 

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna sent a letter Monday to President-elect Joe Biden congratulating him and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their election victory. 

The letter called on Biden’s incoming administration to implement IBM’s policy proposals for the pandemic and economic recovery, including restoring DACA, using artificial intelligence to develop Covid-19 treatments and rejoining the Paris climate agreement. 

Krishna also highlighted a series of tech-specific items on IBM’s agenda, including calling for a national privacy law, requiring tech platforms to exercise “reasonable care” in moderating content under Section 230, and promoting an interoperable 5G equipment ecosystem that could reduce America’s reliance on companies such as Huawei, Nokia or Ericsson. 

"IBM is committed to working with your Administration to do its part,” the letter said. "We share your vision of using science to control the virus, widening economic opportunities, achieving racial justice and combatting the climate crisis.”