More than a week after Joe Biden was declared the winner in the U.S. presidential election, Mr. Trump continues to block his successor’s transition, withholding intelligence briefings and critical access to the coronavirus task force and other elements of the vast machinery of government that Mr. Biden will soon oversee. A tweet by the president on Sunday morning appeared to provide some recognition of Mr. Biden’s victory, but Mr. Trump quickly walked back his statement, asserting in a separate post that “WE WILL WIN!” He still maintains, without evidence, that the election was rigged. Biden looks ahead: With the presidential election essentially in the rearview, Mr. Biden and his team have begun choreographing the policy steps they could take in a government no longer under the direction of Mr. Trump. A divided nation: Democrats and Republicans face perhaps the most up-for-grabs electoral landscape in a generation, with both parties’ traditional strongholds increasingly under siege. The president versus the media: Echoing similar concerns to those voiced by Mr. Trump, President Emanuel Macron of France accused the English-language media of “legitimizing" violence and demonstrating a lack of shared values.

Source: International New York Times November 16, 2020 04:01 UTC