Joe Biden elected president

By Meg Wagner, Fernando Alfonso III, Melissa Macaya, Melissa Mahtani, Veronica Rocha and Amanda Wills, CNN

Updated 10:29 a.m. ET, November 8, 2020
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9:37 a.m. ET, November 8, 2020

Mitt Romney says America should get "behind the new president and wish him the very best"

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, speaks to reporters following a news conference Thursday, October 15, near Neffs Canyon in Salt Lake City.
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, speaks to reporters following a news conference Thursday, October 15, near Neffs Canyon in Salt Lake City. Rick Bowmer/AP

Sen. Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, wished President-elect Joe Biden "the very best" and urged Americans to support him.

"I think half the country thinks it's a great idea. I think the other half thinks it's not such a great idea, but the reality is given the fact that the statisticians have come to a conclusion at this stage, I think we get behind the new president, unless for some reason that is overturned," Romney told CNN Sunday morning. "We get behind the new president and wish him the very best and and I send our congratulations and will keep this president, like the last president, in our prayers."

Watch Sen. Mitt Romney's message to Biden:

9:10 a.m. ET, November 8, 2020

Bolivia's president-elect congratulates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris

From Enoa Gibson

President-elect Luis Arce smiles during his victory party after a final official vote count released yesterday declared him the winner of the presidential election, in El Alto, Bolivia, on Saturday, October 24.
President-elect Luis Arce smiles during his victory party after a final official vote count released yesterday declared him the winner of the presidential election, in El Alto, Bolivia, on Saturday, October 24. Juan Karita/AP

On Sunday, Bolivia’s President-elect Luis Arce congratulated Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on their victory in the US presidential election. 

“With a new government, we predict better relations that translate into the well-being of our peoples," Arce tweeted.

Some context: Arce, 57, will be inaugurated as president of Bolivia on Sunday after winning the national elections on Oct. 18.

9:05 a.m. ET, November 8, 2020

European Union "stands ready to intensify cooperation" with US, commission president says

From CNN’s Sarah Dean in London 

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen speaks to the press as she arrives prior to an EU summit in Brussels, on October 15.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen speaks to the press as she arrives prior to an EU summit in Brussels, on October 15. Oliver Hoslet/AFP/Getty Images

The European Union “stands ready to intensify cooperation” with the next administration of the United States, president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Sunday.

Von der Leyen's statement signals Brussels' hope for a rejuvenated transatlantic partnership after strains on the relationship over the past four years.    

“The European Union and the United States are friends and allies, our citizens share the deepest of links, the election of the President of the United States of America is therefore a moment of significance also on this side of the Atlantic,” von der Leyen said in a video statement. 

“We have all been following the electoral process closely and it is clear now that the 46th President-elect is Joe Biden. I congratulate him and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory,” she added. 

Von der Leyen said that the EU-US partnership has “underpinned the rules-based international order for decades and remains a pillar of stability, security and prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic."

“As the world continues to change and challenges and opportunities appear, our renewed global partnership will be critical. The European Union stands ready to intensify cooperation with the new administration and with the new US Congress,” she stated. "I look forward to driving this global agenda together with the next president of the United States, Joe Biden.”

  

8:40 a.m. ET, November 8, 2020

Biden team launches transition website and Twitter account

From CNN's Dan Merica 

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are moving ahead with plans for their forthcoming administration on Sunday and have launched a transition website.

Biden's website, BuildBackBetter.com now includes four "administration priorities" for the incoming presidency: Covid-19, economic recovery, racial equity and climate change.

The website lays out a seven-point plan to tackle the coronavirus, including "regular, reliable, and free testing" for all Americans and an "effective, equitable distribution of treatments and vaccines" once available. One point involves working with governors and mayors to implement a nationwide mask mandate.

"The American people deserve an urgent, robust, and professional response to the growing public health and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak," the website said.

There is also a Biden-Harris presidential transition Twitter account, named @Transition46.

8:13 a.m. ET, November 8, 2020

Biden and Harris delivered victory speeches Saturday night. Here's what you need to know.

From CNN's Stephen Collinson and Maeve Reston

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris holds hands with President-elect Joe Biden and her husband Doug Emhoff as they celebrate Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Wilmington, Del
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris holds hands with President-elect Joe Biden and her husband Doug Emhoff as they celebrate Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Wilmington, Del Andrew Harnik/AP

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris delivered speeches Saturday from Wilmington, Delaware, after winning the presidency, CNN projects.

If you're just reading in, here's what you need to know:

Biden makes an appeal for unity: He said he was humbled by the trust America had placed in him and reached out to those Americans who did not vote for him. "I understand the disappointment tonight. I've lost a couple of times myself. But now, let's give each other a chance," he said, adding later in his remarks, "This is the time to heal in America."

Biden paid homage to his deep faith: Citing Biblical verses and a popular hymn, Biden said, “And he will raise you up on eagle's wings, bear you on the breath of dawn, and make you just sigh like the sun and hold you in the palm of his hand. Now, together on eagle's wings we embark on the work that God and history have called upon us to do with full hearts and steady hands. With faith in America and each other. With love of country, a thirst for justice. Let us be the nation that we know we can be. A nation united. A nation strengthened. A nation healed. The United States of America, ladies and gentlemen. There's never, never been anything we've tried we've not been able to do."

Harris noted the significance of her place on the stage: Harris, a senator from California, who will make history as the first woman, the first Black person and the first person of South Asian descent to become vice president, said, "While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last, because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities." Harris also thanked Black women, saying they are "too often overlooked, but so often prove that they are the backbone of our democracy."

She spoke about her mother and made a nod to suffragettes: She remembered her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who immigrated to the United States from India as a young woman. "When she came here when was 19, she could not have imagined this moment," Harris said. The Vice President-elect also wore a white suit, a nod to suffragettes 100 years after women's constitutional right to vote was guaranteed.

You can read Biden's speech here and Harris' speech here.

8:26 a.m. ET, November 8, 2020

Jared Kushner has approached President Trump about conceding the election

From CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Caroline Kelly, Betsy Klein and Keith Allen

Chris Kleponis/Polaris/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Chris Kleponis/Polaris/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, has approached the President about conceding the election, two sources tell CNN.

The move comes following Trump's assertion in a statement from his campaign -- moments after CNN projected that President-elect Joe Biden will become the 46th president of the United States -- that Biden is “rushing to falsely pose as the winner” and that the race is “far from over."

"I will not rest until the American People have the honest vote count they deserve and that Democracy demands," Trump said in the statement, which states that the campaign’s legal battle will begin Monday.

Biden-Harris deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said Saturday night, as CNN has reported, that there has been no communication between Biden and Trump, or between any representatives from either campaign, since the race was called earlier in the day.

CNN's Ryan Nobles reports:

10:45 p.m. ET, November 7, 2020

Gwinnett County continues ballot adjudication process

From CNN’s Jason Morris

Election personnel sort ballots at the Gwinnett County Board of Voter Registrations and Elections offices on November 7 in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Election personnel sort ballots at the Gwinnett County Board of Voter Registrations and Elections offices on November 7 in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

Election officials in Gwinnett County, Georgia, are continuing to work to make sure votes are tabulated. CNN received the following statement from Joe Sorenson, Gwinnett County public information officer, on Saturday night:

“A total of 535 absentee by mail ballots that required a signature cure and three military/overseas ballots were not able to be tabulated on Saturday because Dominion Voting Systems technicians were unable to make the system adjustments needed to complete a results upload.
Additionally, 965 provisional ballots will have to be reviewed by the Gwinnett County Board of Voter Registrations and Elections to determine their eligibility to be tabulated. Dominion technicians continue work to resolve the situation so that ballot adjudication can begin again Sunday morning.
The Board of Voter Registrations and Elections is scheduled to review the provisional ballots on the morning of Monday, November 9.”

Gwinnett County is home to the suburbs northeast of Atlanta.

10:49 p.m. ET, November 7, 2020

Kamala Harris' uncle in India: "I think she is going to be one of the most active VPs in US history"

From CNN's Vedika Sud and Caroline Kelly

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, the daughter of an Indian immigrant mother and a Jamaican American father, became America's first female, first Black and first South Asian vice president-elect on Saturday.

Her uncle, Gopalan Balachandran, lives in New Delhi. He spoke with CNN's Vedika Sud about his niece’s win:

The wait is finally over. Kamala Harris is now vice president-elect. Your reaction? 

I anticipated it. I told Kamala two days ago that they were going to win. We spoke for 10-15 minutes. The only difference this time was, there was tension involved … She will be an amazing VP. She has her values, she’ll stick to it.

Saturday was a historic day for Kamala Harris. Your thoughts. 

Let me be honest, I think she is going to be one of the most active VP’s in US history. Right now the problems are so many civil rights: Black Lives Matter, coronavirus, the economy and so many things … Biden is a very responsible man, so I think he will offload quite a lot of these on Kamala’s shoulders, and she’ll be happy to do it. I think she’s going to very busy in the coming months in Washington.

Will you be flying down for Harris’ oath-taking ceremony?

Oh yeah! I will be going to Washington for her swearing-in. I was there when she was sworn-in as a senator. The whole family was there. I met Vice President Biden then. This time I hope to meet President Biden.

How much of an influence was your sister (Harris' mother) Shyamala in Harris’ life?

Both Kamala and (her sister) Maya are like Shyamala, Kamala more so. She was a great influence, there is no doubt about it. She was the greatest influence.

10:33 p.m. ET, November 7, 2020

Georgia's Fulton County rescans more than 5,000 ballots

From CNN’s Devon Sayers and Jason Morris

Security envelopes for absentee ballots sit in boxes as Fulton county workers continue to count absentee ballots at State Farm Arena on November 6 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Security envelopes for absentee ballots sit in boxes as Fulton county workers continue to count absentee ballots at State Farm Arena on November 6 in Atlanta, Georgia. Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

Georgia's Fulton County uploaded 5,012 ballots early Saturday morning according to information obtained from the Fulton County elections website.  

The upload was a combination of cured provisional ballots and overseas and domestic military ballots that arrived by Friday’s close of business deadline. 

“Fulton County has discovered an issue involving reporting from their work on Friday. Officials are at State Farm Arena to rescan their work from Friday. The Secretary of State has a monitor onsite, has sent additional investigators, and dispatched the Deputy Secretary of State as well to oversee the process to make sure to thoroughly secure the vote and protect all legal votes. Observers from both political parties are there as well," the Georgia secretary of state’s office said of the ballots in a statement.

Gabriel Sterling, Georgia’s Voting Implementation Manager, was with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in the room at State Farm Arena observing the re-scanning process.    

A statement from Fulton County spokesperson Jessica Corbin says in part: “In reviewing last night’s reporting of provisional ballots, Fulton County Director of Registration & Elections Richard Barron directed his staff to review to ensure that all provisional ballots were reflected in the results. In doing so he learned that some ballots were not captured in last night’s results. He also learned of a smaller number that were not scanned. Those are now being prepared for scanning. Out of an abundance of caution, all provisional, military and UOCAVA ballots scanned on Friday, November 6 will be rescanned tonight. The upload made last night will be pulled and replaced with tonight’s rescanned file.”

Remember: CNN projected Joe Biden will win the presidency. CNN has not yet projected a winner in the state of Georgia.