Tag: win

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Business

Biden praises South Korean battery maker deal as win for U.S. electrical car push

Biden praises South Korean battery maker deal as win for U.S. electric vehicle push

President Joe Biden delivering an American employment plan address in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on April 7, 2021.

Demetrius Freeman | The Washington Post | Getty Images

President Joe Biden on Sunday declared the deal between two Korean battery manufacturers a victory for US efforts to build a strong electric vehicle supply chain to create clean energy jobs and mitigate climate change.

The settlement of a trade secret dispute between LG Energy Solution and SK Innovation Co. enables two Georgia plants to advance their plans to manufacture lithium-ion batteries for Ford and Volkswagen.

The companies agreed to cease litigation in the US and South Korea and not pursue any further lawsuits for a decade. SK Innovation is also paying LG Energy Solution $ 1.8 billion in cash and royalties.

The deal came ahead of the Biden government deadline on Sunday evening to reverse a decision by the U.S. International Trade Commission unless the battery makers reached an agreement.

The deal is a huge win for the Biden administration, which recently unveiled a comprehensive infrastructure plan that includes $ 174 billion in spending to boost the electric vehicle market and move away from gas-powered cars.

“We need a strong, diversified and resilient supply chain for electric vehicle batteries in the US so that we can meet the growing global demand for these vehicles and components – create well-paying jobs here at home and lay the foundations for the jobs of tomorrow.” “Said Biden in a statement.

The president’s proposal calls for the installation of at least 500,000 charging stations across the country by 2030, incentives for Americans to buy electric vehicles, and money to convert factories and improve domestic material supplies.

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Failure to resolve the dispute may have cost thousands of jobs in Georgia and threatened the country’s EV market, which accounts for around 2% of new car sales.

The ITC ruled in February that SK Innovation had stolen trade secrets related to EV batteries and ordered the US to stop the company from importing supplies to build batteries.

SK Innovation threatened to close its $ 2.6 billion Georgia facility, which is under construction and could employ 2,600 people unless the ITC decision is overridden. If no agreement was reached, the Biden administration may have had to override the ITC to allow SK Innovation to build the facility.

“Today’s agreement is a positive step in that direction that will bring welcome relief to workers in Georgia and new opportunities for workers across the country,” said Biden.

Jong Hyun Kim, CEO of LG Energy Solution and Jun Kim, CEO of SK Innovation, said in a joint statement that the companies “would compete amicably for the future of the US and South Korean electric vehicle battery industries.” “”

“We are determined to work together to support the Biden government’s climate change agenda and develop a resilient US supply chain,” they said.

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World News

Can France’s Far Proper Win Over the ‘Beavers’? One Mayor Reveals How

Can France’s Far Right Win Over the ‘Beavers’? One Mayor Shows How

Mas Llaro had always voted for mainstream law.

But disaffected and tired of the status quo, the Talaus, like many others, voted for the far-right party for the first time last year, attracted by Mr Aliot’s emphasis on cleanliness and crime, and said their apartment had been broken into twice.

Despite being pleased with the mayor’s performance, Mr Talau said he will still join the far-right dam in next year’s presidential contest and hold his nose to vote for Mr Macron. But Ms. Talau was now considering casting a ballot for Ms. Le Pen.

“She put water in her wine,” said Ms. Talau, adding that Mr. Macron was not “hard enough”.

Mr Aliot’s opponent in 2014 and 2020, a center-right politician named Jean-Marc Pujol, had pushed his way to the right in an unsuccessful move to fend off the far right. He increased the number of police officers and, according to the government, gave Perpignan the highest number per capita in any major city in France.

Even so, many of his key far-right supporters appeared to have more faith in crime and were still defected, while many left-wing beavers complained that they had been ignored and refused to participate in dam construction again, said Agnès Langevine, who represented them Greens and the Socialists in the 2020 mayoral elections.

“And they told us, ‘In 2022, when it’s between Macron and Le Pen, I won’t do it again,'” she added.

Mr Lebourg, the political scientist, said Mr Aliot had also won over higher-income conservative voters by adopting a general economic message – the same strategy that Mrs Le Pen followed.

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Entertainment

Who Will Win Report of the Yr on the Grammys? Let’s Talk about.

Who Will Win Record of the Year at the Grammys? Let’s Discuss.

How do you feel when you look at this record of the year category? “Sad.” “What the hell did you think?” “It feels like 50-year-olds think that pop music was.” “It feels like 2020 because it’s kind of unsatisfactory.” “The record of the year is the culture category. Where in the culture was this music in 2020? “” But it should be good. It should be the song that is good enough to represent the year, not just the song that was zeitgeist enough. “(SINGING) Motherland, Motherland, Motherland, Motherland is dripping on me.” Do you like this song? “I like this song.” “I like this song.” “It’s good.” “Actually, I really like Black Parade.” “It’s very structured and multilayered, and the more you hear it, the more interesting it gets.” “There is the flute. There is the African choir. There is the fact that she is very timely talking about protests against Black Lives Matter. “” Is it like the Beyonce bang that I want to hear every day? Not necessarily. “” And we’re talking about one of the Olympian gods of pop music. This is a mortal song. She’ll probably win. “” And I think it might have an inside trail because they keep berating Beyonce. “She’s the queen of nominations and then the non-queen of winning, especially in the major categories.” “But she’s even better at Savage.” We come to Savage. “(SINGING) With all my favorite colors.” What is this song called? “Every time it starts I think maybe this will be the time I think it’s deeper than it actually is. But it really isn’t. It’s very simple. “” It’s a song that exists for the Grammys. “” The Grammys appreciate that kind of musicality. “” There’s good guitar work on this song. The organ in this song is really strong. The voice is sing well) [INAUDIBLE] I am shaded by the trees. “” But what I’m missing is the punch or the drama. I mean, it’s for people at big Starbucks that withdrawal of participation is what it is. “One of the things that impressed me about this category is that a lot of them are guitar songs. Even the rap song is a guitar song. “Right. But they’re guitar songs, but they’re guitar songs. It’s funny because the next thing we’re going to talk about is DaBaby, which is definitely a guitar song.” [INAUDIBLE] Rock star. That’s not a guitar, bitch, it’s a glock. “” Of every song in this category, it’s the best writing. The guitar part is so pretty, I feel like you’re catching almost everything it says. ““ (SINGING) PTSD. I always wake up in a cold sweat like I have the flu. My daughter a G. She shows me how to kill a [INAUDIBLE] before the age of two. And I would kill another [INAUDIBLE] “I doubt it can win. Historically, the Grammys don’t do well with things like this.” “I don’t think they want to give two black men a Grammy either. They just don’t. Outkast was last time in a long time in the main categories. “” (SINGING) I would let you if I had known. Why don’t you say that? “Doja Cat, Say So, produced by a man named Tyson Trax. Have you ever heard of this guy, Tyson Trax? “Isn’t that a pseudonym for someone who might have a bad reputation?” “Oh wait, isn’t it Dr. Luke?” Yes. It’s Dr. Hatch. “He really used a pseudonym?” Yes. Tyson Trax. “Ew. That’s reprehensible. “” I have to imagine that the number of people in the nomination or voting process who know that this is a pseudonym for Dr. Luke is less than 1%. “Do you like Say So?” No. Not really. It’s a disco without luxury. Everything about disco and spinning around in furs under a disco ball. And this song sounds to me like a sad person dancing under a single lightbulb. “” It’s more like that, hey. ” Yes. It’s Uber Music. “Hi Guys.” It’s music for the Uber. “It’s Uber Music. That’s it. “” (SINGING) I got everything I wanted. “” That’s typical Grammy stuff. Hey that worked. Let’s do this again. ” Is it too early for Billie Eilish to win again? “Yes.” “(SINGING) Don’t show up. Don’t come out Don’t bother about me now. “Dua Lipa, don’t start now. “Yes.” “Is that the record of the year?” “Yes. Disco Strings, Base of the Year.” “(SINGING) Don’t show up. Don’t show up. Don’t …” “It’s a kiss for an ex trying to make a comeback. “” It’s the opposite of Robyn’s Dancing On My Own. “” (SINGING) I’ll be in the corner and watch you kiss her. “” Dua says don’t come and see me in the club with someone else I’m because I’m going out now and I’m over you. “” Don’t Start Now is a disco blast. “” It sounds like make-up. “” (SINGING) Run away, but we’re running in circles. ” “The idea that this person made White Iverson too.” “(SINGING) I got myself some braids and I got myself a couple of hoes.” “It’s fascinating to think that this is the same artist.” Isn’t this a rap song? “No.” “I don’t even know what this song is.” “You know what? This was Post Malone’s song that won me over. I thought, OK, you are a songwriter. This is a really good song. “” I don’t like it because it’s almost like it’s structurally impossible not to like it. ” But you wouldn’t vote for it either? “No, I wouldn’t.” “(SINGING) I’m a savage. OK Nobel, Bougie, Ratchet, OK Sassy – “Is just the record of the year? “Yes it is.” “A big streaming hit. A huge TikTok hit and dance trend before Beyoncé ever shows up. Beyoncé shows up because of it. But Megan Thee Stallion, she’s like a manager. ” Right. “She’s a great transaction rapper. It’s not just about capitalism. But it’s also about orgasm, pleasure and body fluids. “” Do you think this is a bigger TikTok song than WAP? ” That’s a good question. WAP could obviously fall into this category. Cardi B. reportedly didn’t put it in for nominations because she wants to save it for the next Grammys. But Beyoncé is Beyoncé. So, you know … “Yeah. Yes. “” Beyoncé in this song is the big steak the Flintstones get at the end of each episode that knocks the whole car over. Beyoncé is the steak. She can’t help it. And if you’re Megan Thee Stallion, what are you going to say ? ” Right. Is this the song to beat in this category? “Yes. I think it’s between this and Dua.” What will this category win? “I think Black Parade.” “I choose Black Parade.” “Savage or Billie Eilish.” “I’ll say Dua think she should win and I think she will win. “And who should win?” I’ll give it back to Beyoncé and Black Parade. “” The Dua Lipa song and Savage are my two favorite songs. “” My voice is a rock star. “And what are you missing in this category? What’s supposed to be here?” Watermelon Sugar. “” (SINGING) High. “” It’s a classic record of the year. I can’t believe it’s not here. And Blinding Lights is that Another song. “Right.” (SINGING) When I’m like this, you’re the one I trust. “” Taylor Swift cardigan isn’t there. “” (SINGING) You dressed me up and said I was your favorite. “” That’s a cozy, old-fashioned, subliminally catchy song. “” My heart will always be with this dua song because I think it’s crisp and is perfect. But if Beyoncé came to the awards and gave an acceptance speech and she would confront the Grammys so it would take this long to get properly honored, the potential of the Black Parade win is the most interesting. “(SINGING) Black Parade.” “That assumes I think the Grammys are valid.” For sure. “So let’s start with that. That is a dubious statement. Start there. “- – [VOCALIZING] “I just got the idea that it should ricochet.” “(SINGING) I have the horses in the back.” – – [VOCALIZING] “(SINGING) Man, what’s going on? Man i’m getting through It’s your girl Lizzo. “

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Politics

Democrats’ Huge Tent Helped Them Win. Now It Threatens Biden’s Agenda.

Democrats’ Big Tent Helped Them Win. Now It Threatens Biden’s Agenda.

Mr Sanders targeted the latest news that a moderate think tank, Third Way, was working on a project to put the Democrats at the center of the mid-term election. He said topics such as reducing student debt, raising the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour and tackling climate change were “political winners”.

The American working class today – white, black, Latin American – hurts. They want us to respond vigorously, ”he said. “If we do that, I think they will reward us in 2022. If we fail, Republicans can go around and say, ‘Hey, you gave these people the House, the Senate, and the White House and they didn’t do anything for you,’ We’re not going to do well in 2022. ‘

Still, the anchoring of moderate senators – and the current respect for the president – is a challenge for activists hoping to sway the administration. And while progressive elected officials are confident Mr Biden will end up on their side, a growing chorus of activists awaits him to act more immediately.

K Trainor, a student activist who has worked with progressive groups to convert students to Democrats, said Mr Biden’s response at City Hall was deeply disappointing. She said that if the government didn’t deliver for young voters, it would be more difficult to convince them to stand in future elections.

“I think a lot of people in my generation ask, ‘Where’s the guts?'” Said Ms. Trainor. “It feels like they’re backtracking and we’re not even 100 days in.”

Rev. William J. Barber II, a co-chair of the Campaign of the Poor who organized the West Virginia workers’ meeting with Mr. Manchin, said the debate reflected an ugly underbelly of democratic politics. While poor and low-income workers, especially those who are racial minorities or young people, form the core of the democratic base, the politics that matter most to them have often been sacrificed on the basis of political calculations.

You are the human cost of the big tent, he said.

“Democrats ran on it, they put it on their platform and they said this has to be done,” said Dr. Barber. “It would be the ultimate task and betrayal to come here and have the power to do it and then retire.”

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Business

McDonald’s goals to win chicken-sandwich wars with worth

McDonald's aims to win chicken-sandwich wars with value

McDonald’s Chicken Sandwich

Source: McDonald’s

McDonald’s will gain an edge in the chicken sandwich wars with lower prices, while Restaurant Brands International’s Burger King is still evaluating its options, a Credit Suisse report said.

Burger King’s sister chain Popeyes started the Chicken Sandwich Wars in August 2019 with the introduction of the version of the menu item. Social media users pitted it against Chick-fil-A’s, and Popeyes’ sandwich quickly became a hit, generating double-digit sales growth in the same store and adding around $ 400,000 in annual sales for each location.

“We expect competition to intensify in 2021 as brands in various segments expand their offerings to get a bite out of the chicken category and improve their competitive position,” Credit Suisse analyst Lauren Silberman said in one Notice on Friday.

McDonald’s is poised to launch its own version of the chicken sandwich on Feb.24, and Yum Brands’ KFC is launching a nationwide version by the end of the month. Burger King is still in the test phase.

McDonald’s new Crispy Chicken Sandwich undercuts its main competitors, Silberman said. The burger chain’s sandwich costs $ 3.49 to $ 3.69 in test markets, compared to the $ 3.75 sandwich from Chick-fil-A or the $ 3.99 version from Popeyes.

McDonald’s may have learned a lesson from its recent foray into chicken sandwiches. Introduced in 2015, the Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Sandwich was offered at a premium price.

Silberman estimates that restaurants in McDonald’s’ test markets sell an average of 125 to 150 crispy chicken sandwiches a day. The analyst added that the sandwich could increase the company’s sales in the same store by 4% if restaurants hit the high end of that range when it launches nationwide.

Burger King, on the other hand, seems to be working on its pricing strategy. Silberman said one of its test markets priced the new sandwich at $ 5.29, well above its competitors. Two other test markets rate the sandwich at a discount of $ 3.49 and $ 3.89, respectively. In markets where the new sandwich isn’t being tested, the burger chain usually charges more for the current chicken sandwich.

Burger King restaurants sell an average of 60 to 75 chicken sandwiches a day, according to Credit Suisse. The new sandwich could increase sales in the same store by up to 4% if it sells 75 sandwiches per restaurant when it launches nationwide.

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Business

Bumble IPO a win for feminine founders, enterprise capital funds nonetheless low

Bumble IPO a win for female founders, venture capital funds still low

Whitney Wolfe Herd speaks on stage during the Fortune Most Powerful Women Next Gen conference at Monarch Beach Resort on November 13, 2017 in Dana Point, California.

Joe Scarnici | Getty Images Entertainment

When 31-year-old Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd goes public this week, she will be known not only for her youth, but also as one of the few founders to have her company go public.

It’s a fitting achievement for the founder of a dating app that aims to put women in the driver’s seat. But it also hammers home the still unsuitable playing field for entrepreneurs.

Bumble, whose board of directors is 73% women, is slated to begin trading on the Nasdaq a few days before Valentine’s Day on Thursday. The company will sell its shares at $ 43 per share and raise $ 2.2 billion from investors. The offering initially valued the company at more than $ 7 billion.

The market reaction will serve as the litmus test of investing in women-owned businesses.

Today, women make up 7.4% of Fortune 500 CEOs – an all-time high, but still an astonishingly low number. Even fewer women founders of public limited companies. Nasdaq estimates that only 20 of the US public companies active today were led by their founder through the IPO.

Women’s funding falls as global deals rise

The problem is not a lack of women entrepreneurs, but a lack of support where it matters: funding.

In a 2018 study, the Boston Consulting Group found “a significant gender gap in new business financing.” According to the study, investments in businesses founded or co-founded by women averaged $ 935,000, less than half the average $ 2.1 million men receive.

Even so, startups founded by women and co-founded made 78 cents for every dollar invested, while startups founded by men made only 31 cents.

Covid-19 could be the greatest threat to female founders.

Matt Krentz

Managing Director and Senior Partner of the Boston Consulting Group

The pandemic has only widened this gap.

In 2020, global risk finance increased 13% year over year, while investments in women decreased 27%. In the meantime, the proportion of women founders who were only assigned to female founders has fallen from 2.8% to 2.3%, according to Crunchbase data. This is due to the fact that women, often primary caregivers, are said to be more affected by the pandemic overall.

“The convergence of crises – demands for racial justice, #MeToo, Black Lives Matter, Covid-19 and an economic downturn – makes this a crucial moment for business integration, justice and diversity,” said Matt Krentz, Managing Director and Senior Partner at BCG and The study co-authored, said CNBC. “Of all these problems, Covid-19 could be the greatest threat to female founders.”

Redirect investments where they are needed

The economic benefits of investing in women are well documented. By some estimates, equal business participation by men and women could add $ 5 trillion to the global economy.

And companies and institutions seem to be listening now. Many have made bold commitments to better support gender equality and female founders.

What female founders need is simple and equal access to financial investments.

Tanya Rolfe

managing partner, Her Capital

“Awareness of the funding gap and the impact of different leadership teams is better understood, and investors have begun to ask directly about the diversity of founders and leadership teams,” said Krentz.

Too often, however, these investments are poorly channeled, according to Tanya Rolfe, managing partner at Her Capital, a women-run venture capital company that focuses on female founders in Southeast Asia.

“Women seem to be at the center of a lot of additional mentoring, which only suggests that women are missing something,” said Rolfe. “What female founders need is simple and equal access to financial investments.”

Tanya Rolfe, managing partner of Singapore-based venture capital firm Her Capital.

Your capital

To achieve this, more diversity is needed at the fund manager level, Rolfe said.

According to All Raise, a nonprofit focused on accelerating the success of female founders and funders, women made up just 13% of all venture capitalists in 2020. An estimated 11% of fund managers were women, All Raise said.

“If we want to see diversity at the founder level, we need to invest in diversity at the capital allocator level – fund managers like me,” continued Rolfe. “It is almost more important to invest in venture capital funds with specific strategies for investing in different founders. This is where we will see the major changes.”

Revision of traditional investment figures

Nevertheless, various funds continue to face an uphill battle.

Since many are still in their infancy and have little success, they are usually outside the investment criteria of the institutes. As a result, managers often seek less lucrative and more time-consuming deals from private investors.

Pippa Lamb, a partner in early-stage mutual fund Sweet Capital, says such an approach needs to be revised.

The pricing of perceived risk based on a person’s race or gender is very out of date to me.

Pippa Lamb

Partner, Sweet Capital

“The pricing of perceived risk based on a person’s race or gender is very out of date to me,” said Lamb. “I would guess top-tier institutional investors are ready to do the job for full diligence managers no matter what they look like.”

“We need more diverse representation in all areas of the start-up ecosystem,” she said, citing female founders, female board members, female venture capitalists and female institutional investors. “When it comes to raising capital, the latter two are most critical, especially at the limited partner (LP) level: the investor’s investors.”

BCG’s Krentz hopes the tide will turn.

“Investors should understand that current market forces offer promising opportunities for women-owned companies,” he said. “The lack of funding means that there is less competition for women-supported companies and, on average, these companies perform better than companies with all male founders.”

But until this understanding grows, Rolfe and Lamb’s advice to female founders is simple: keep going.

“Women can do the same thing that male founders do to attract investors,” said Rolfe. “If you’re a great founder with a solid business plan and traction to prove your execution and thesis, that should be enough.”

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Business

Tremendous Bowl-winning MVP quarterback predicts Mahomes, Chiefs win

Super Bowl-winning MVP quarterback predicts Mahomes, Chiefs win

Super Bowl-winning MVP quarterback Joe Theismann predicted the Kansas City Chiefs will win Super Bowl LV against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this weekend as millions watch the showdown between quarterbacks Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes.

“I think Patrick’s legs give them an edge, and Tom’s going to have to be hotter than ever before, but I’ll pick Kansas City on this one,” the former Washington quarterback told CNBC’s The News with Shepard Smith. ”

Brady will make his tenth Super Bowl appearance against last year’s Super Bowl MVP Mahomes at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Brady was the last quarterback to win two Lombardi trophies in a row. Mahomes was in kindergarten when Tom Brady won his first Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2002.

Theismann told host Shepard Smith that Super Bowl LV is one of the most significant quarterback matchups in history due to the age difference between the two quarterbacks.

“It’s a great story between the grizzled veteran who is likely to go on for at least a few more years and the young child who looks like the obvious heir,” Theismann said.

Hall of Fame sports journalist Jerry Green has covered every Super Bowl since the first in 1967. Green told The News with Shepard Smith that although he admires Brady very much, he thinks Johnny Unitas is the best there has ever been.

It will be the first Super Bowl ever hosted by a home team, but Theismann doesn’t think this will give the Bucs an advantage.

“Kansas City basically stayed home, Tampa Bay is home, so both teams have had the opportunity to control the environment they are in in hopes that no one shows up late with Covid and Covid.” Suddenly something has to change, so I don’t really see it as a big advantage at the moment, “explained Theismann.

The NFL and players have had to adapt to play amid the coronavirus pandemic. For example, both the Bucs and Chiefs have been tested twice a day instead of once since winning their conference championship games. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell offered President Joe Biden all 30 league stadiums as bulk vaccination sites.

“The NFL and our 32 member clubs are committed to ensuring that vaccines are as widely available as possible in our communities,” Goodell wrote. “To this end, each NFL team will make their stadium available to the public for mass vaccination in coordination with local, state and federal health officials.”

Goodell added that seven NFL stadiums across the country are already being used as mega vaccination sites.

Despite this unprecedented nature of the season and the Super Bowl, Theismann said he wouldn’t be surprised to see 43-year-old Brady out on the field for a few more years.

“If you have the ability to throw the ball like Tom did and the protection it gets 45 is possible,” said Theismann. “He’s not going away quietly.”

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World News

Vaccine Rollout Provides U.Okay. a Uncommon Win within the Pandemic

Vaccine Rollout Gives U.K. a Rare Win in the Pandemic

“With the UK, we had an additional three months to fix any issues we encountered,” AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot told an Italian newspaper, la Repubblica, this week.

On Friday, the European Union drug regulators approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for all adults, following the precedent set by the UK regulator last month.

Britain could get another vaccine soon.

Novavax, a biotechnology company based in Gaithersburg, Md., Reported Friday that its vaccine was 89.3 percent effective in a large-scale study in the UK. The government has secured 60 million cans made at a facility in north east England. If the UK regulators approve, the vaccine will be dispensed in the second half of 2021.

In total, the UK government has spent at least £ 11.7 billion, or $ 16 billion, developing, manufacturing, buying and administering vaccines.

“The vaccination is the only thing we got right,” said Christina Pagel, professor of operational research at University College London.

That doesn’t mean that the rollout was free of tension. With hospital congestion and a contagious variant across the country, the UK has bet on giving more people partial protection from a single dose rather than quickly giving fewer people full protection from two doses.

Doctors whose booster vaccinations were delayed were upset with the approach, accusing the government of making them the subject of a risky new experiment that they fear will make vaccines less effective. Immunologists have raised concerns that a country full of people with only partial immunity could produce vaccine-resistant mutations, while Pfizer said the strategy is not supported by the data gathered in clinical trials.

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Politics

Congress is ready to substantiate Joe Biden’s win over Trump. Here is what to know

Congress is set to confirm Joe Biden's win over Trump. Here's what to know

The U.S. Capitol Building is reflected in a puddle in Washington, United States, on November 10, 2020.

Hannah McKay | Reuters

Congress on Wednesday will count and confirm the votes cast by the electoral college, a process that will virtually finalize President-elect Joe Biden’s victory despite recent plans by some Republicans to question the election results.

The joint session will begin at 1:00 p.m. CET in the House Chamber, and Vice President Mike Pence is expected to chair.

In previous presidential cycles, the event was viewed as more of a formality than another battle in the White House war. After all, it comes more than three weeks after state voters have cast their votes and almost a month after what is known as the safe harbor to settle disputes over the results.

Yet more than a dozen GOP senators and dozens more in the House of Representatives have vowed to raise an unprecedented number of objections to electoral votes in key states despite Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., And other Republicans abandoning the crusade . This could add hours or even days to the certification process, but experts say the final result will stay the same.

“The ultimate outcome, I think, is inevitable,” said Keith Whittington, policy professor at Princeton University, in an interview with CNBC. “It’s just a matter of how long it will be to get there and how many fireworks will be on the way.”

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden jokingly thanks voters for Georgia confirming its victory three times as he camped on behalf of Georgia Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock during a January 5 runoff during a car campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia, Jan. 4, 2021.

Jonathan Ernst | Reuters

The objectors, some of whom are rumored to have presidential ambitions, reworded Wednesday’s joint session as a final opportunity to cast doubts on the electoral process and press for a 10-day review of the results in a number of battlefield states.

Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Was the first in the chamber to announce appeal plans and eleven others, led by Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, argued in a later statement that “unprecedented allegations of electoral fraud” and “deep “Suspicion” of the results requires investigation.

None of these senators’ statements made any mention of President Donald Trump, who has a broad and dedicated base of Republican support, had been relentlessly promoting unsubstantiated and exposed fraud conspiracies since the November 3 elections. The president and his allies have also filed dozens of lawsuits aimed at overturning the election results, including in the Supreme Court, but almost all of them have been denied.

Trump refuses to admit Biden, falsely claiming he won the race while pressuring state officials to change the results of their elections and attack Republicans who refused to participate.

The President’s unsubstantiated claim that his election was stolen from him and that many votes for Biden should be rejected poses a threat to Republicans. McConnell reportedly warned his caucus that following Trump’s wishes by objecting to the election count would force a vote that would likely split the party.

This could also cause discomfort to the Vice President, an unwavering loyalist to Trump who is expected to lead the session and ultimately declare Biden the winner. Experts say Pence’s role in the process is largely ceremonial, but Trump has appeared to have been hanging hopes for the past few days on the Vice President, who “comes through” for him on Wednesday.

“If he doesn’t get through, I won’t like him that much, of course,” Trump said Monday night at a rally in Georgia.

Political experts have also warned that Trump’s efforts to undermine confidence in elections could dampen GOP turnout in Georgia’s key runoff races on Tuesday, the results of which will determine Senate party control. On Saturday, Trump pressed the Georgian Foreign Minister Brad Raffensperger in a one-hour phone call To “find” enough votes to undo Biden’s victory there.

After a replay of the call was leaked, Senator Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., Said on the eve of her race against Democratic candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock that she, too, would appeal. David Perdue, who is running against Jon Ossoff and whose term as Senator in Georgia expired on Sunday, also called on Senate Republicans to raise objections.

Once Congress finishes counting, Biden’s final step is to take the oath of office on January 20th.

This is how the meeting in Congress on Wednesday is expected to go:

The electoral list

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) swears new members of Congress during the first session of the 117th Congress in the Chamber of the House in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, United States, on January 3, 2021.

Thassos Catopodis Reuters

The procedure is scheduled to begin in the house at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Pence receives the electoral lists of the states in alphabetical order. The Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Administration Committee and Senate Rules Committee will receive and count these votes.

Once a state’s record is released, Pence will ask if there are any objections. If at least one member of the Senate and one member of the House objects in writing, the two chambers will be divided for up to two hours of debate. You will then vote on the objections separately.

Traditionally, everything is “pretty superficial,” Whittington said. “It doesn’t take long to open all of the envelopes, record the votes, and then make an announcement.”

All objections are expected to be denied – but the possibility of separate debates over the highlights of several states could mean that the process will drag on far longer than in previous elections. For the past three cycles, certification took less than an hour total, according to NBC News.

Once the votes are counted and the objections resolved, Pence will announce the election results.

Pence in the spotlight

Vice President Mike Pence finishes a swearing in ceremony for senators in the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill on January 3, 2021 in Washington, DC. Both chambers hold rare Sunday events to open the new Congress on January 3rd, as the constitution dictates.

J. Scott Applewhite | Getty Images

Pence, believed to be weighing a 2024 presidential campaign, is likely eager to do whatever it takes to avoid a barrage of criticism from Trump. The president has repeatedly cracked down on other Republicans he previously supported, particularly Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, after they refused to sustain his election overthrow efforts.

Experts say Pence, in his narrow role at Wednesday’s joint session, can do little.

“He opens the ballot. That’s his job,” said Neil Kinkopf, law professor at Georgia State University.

In carefully worded remarks to Georgia voters on Monday, Pence telegraphed support for the president and suggested that he let the process go as expected.

“I know we all have our doubts about the last election. And I want to assure you that I share the concerns of millions of Americans about electoral irregularities,” he said. “And I promise you, come this Wednesday, we’ll have our day in Congress. We’ll hear the objections. We’ll hear the evidence.”

Even so, Trump and his allies have falsely claimed that Pence’s powers are far greater.

“The Vice President has the power to reject fraudulently elected voters,” Trump tweeted on Tuesday.

In late December, Texas Republican MP Louie Gohmert, along with a group of Arizona Republicans, urged a federal court to declare that Pence had a unilateral power to decide which votes to count.

The long-term offer, in which Pence himself was listed as a defendant, was severely pushed back by a Justice Department attorney who represented the vice president. The lawsuit was dismissed last week.

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Politics

Georgia election official disputes Trump claims about Biden win

Georgia election official disputes Trump claims about Biden win

Gabriel Sterling, manager for the implementation of the voting system in the Georgian Foreign Minister’s office, speaks at a press conference at the State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia on January 4, 2021.

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President Donald Trump made a number of “demonstrably false” claims during his controversial phone call to pressure the Georgian Foreign Secretary to reverse President-elect Joe Biden’s victory there, a senior election official said Monday.

Gabriel Sterling, Georgia’s implementation manager for the voting system, point by point rejected Trump’s claims at a press conference two days after Trump relied on Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger during an unprecedented hour-long phone call to “find” the president has enough votes to win Biden to beat.

During that call, recorded by officials in Raffensperger’s office, Trump made a series of allegations of alleged voting irregularities in the Georgian presidential election that resulted in Biden’s unjust victory.

The president and his allies elsewhere have made similar allegations relating to offenders, minors and dead people who allegedly cast ballots.

“The reason I have to be here today is because there are people in positions of authority and respect who have said their votes don’t count, and that’s not true,” Sterling said.

“And I’ll do it again, and I’ll go through all of this, ‘Anti-Disinformation Monday’.”

Standing next to a chart that read “Claim vs. Fact” with two lines under each of these words, Sterling said, “This is all easily and demonstrably wrong.”

“However, the president remains in place, undermining the confidence of Georgians in the electoral system, especially Georgian Republican in this case,” he said.

Sterling also said Trump campaign lawyers “deliberately misled” the public by claiming that a videotape showed fraudulent votes given to Biden during an election count.

Sterling suggested that Trump’s allegations could hurt Republican incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in their runoff elections Tuesday for Georgia’s Senate seats, where they face major challenges from Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, respectively.

There are concerns among GOP leaders that Trump’s allegations of widespread electoral fraud in Georgia and Perdue and Loeffler’s support for the president’s rhetoric could dampen turnout by Republican voters.

Sterling urged voters to register for Tuesday’s election race even if they had concerns about the integrity of the elections.

“I’m not admitting that there was massive electoral fraud because there wasn’t. But if you believe in your heart, the best you can do is to stand out and vote and make it harder to steal,” said he.

Sterling seemed upset as he quickly ran over claims made by Trump and his allies.

“I’ll admit after listening to the audio from [Trump’s] Phone call … I wanted to scream, well, I screamed at the computer and I screamed and talked about it in my car, on the radio, because this was exposed, “Sterling said.

Referring to the nearby chart and Trump’s claims, Sterling said, “Nobody changes parts or parts of Dominion voting machines.”

“That said, that’s – I don’t even know what that means. That’s not a real thing,” added Sterling.

“It’s not shredded. It’s not real.”

Trump’s call to Raffensperger sparked speculation that the president could face criminal prosecution for attempting to influence a state official to change the results of an election.

When asked whether the undersecretary, who did not appear at the press conference, considered asking Georgia’s attorney general or a local district attorney to investigate Trump over the call, Sterling said, “I don’t know.”

“I’m going to leave other people to make the decision,” Sterling said when asked if the call was an attack on democracy. “Personally, I found it to be something that was abnormal and out of place, and no one I know who would be president would do that to a secretary of state.”

“Trump probably had eight to 10 points [during the call]”Every one of his numbers was wrong,” Raffensperger said later Monday during a controversial interview with Fox News. “Our numbers will be confirmed in court.” Your numbers won’t be. “

Congress will meet on Wednesday to confirm Biden’s victory in the electoral college. A planned effort by a number of GOP senators and members of the House of Representatives to question the results of several battlefield states won by Biden is likely to fail.