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Election 2020 updates: Biden warns of 'dark winter,' pushes masks in COVID plan

The president-elect emphasized how he would handle the pandemic response.

Joe Biden is set to become the 46th president of the United States, capping a tumultuous and tension-filled campaign during a historic pandemic against President Donald Trump. ABC News characterized Joe Biden as the apparent winner of his home state of Pennsylvania, putting him over the 270 vote threshold needed to capture the presidency.

The hard-fought battle against the president was set against the backdrop of racial unrest and the coronavirus pandemic and bitter divisions among the electorate.

Trump had falsely declared on election night, when he held a lead in several key states, that he won the contest and alleged without evidence, after the count started to swing the other way, that the election was being stolen from him and that fraud had been committed.

Painting the election as a "battle for the soul of the nation," Biden won on a message of unity over division, compassion over anger, and reality over what he called Trump's "wishful thinking" as the coronavirus pandemic cast a heavy shadow over the campaign.

The 2020 election has shattered voting records with votes totaling 147 million and counting, surpassing the 138 million who voted in 2016.

Top headlines:

Here's how election week unfolded. All times Eastern.
Nov 09, 2020, 7:22 PM EST

Barr authorizes investigations of credible allegations of election irregularities

Attorney General William Barr sent a memo to U.S. attorneys Monday evening authorizing them to "pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities," despite little evidence surfacing thus far of any widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. 

In the memo Barr says that such inquiries "may be conducted if there are clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities that, if true, could potentially impact the outcome of a federal election in an individual State." 

But Barr emphasized in the letter that this should not be taken as the DOJ believing there was widespread fraud -- a baseless claim being made by attorneys for Trump and the RNC. Rather, he's doling authority out to U.S. attorneys in the event they might uncover any such credible evidence of a fraud conspiracy that might affect vote tabulations before election results are certified. 

A supporter of President Donald Trump holds a placard reading "This is a fraud" during a protest about the early results of the presidential election in the Westchester neighborhood in Miami, Nov. 5, 2020.
Marco Bello/Reuters

"Nothing here should be taken as any indication that the Department has concluded that voting irregularities have impacted the outcome of any election," Barr wrote. "Rather, I provide this authority and guidance to emphasize the need to timely and appropriately address allegations of voting irregularities so that all of the American people, regardless of their preferred candidate or party, can have full confidence in the results of our elections." 

"While it is imperative that credible allegations be addressed in a timely and effective manner, it is equally imperative that Department personnel exercise appropriate caution and maintain the Department's absolute commitment to fairness, neutrality and non-partisanship," Barr said in the memo. "While serious allegations should be handled with great care, specious, speculative, fanciful or far-fetched claims should not be a basis for initiating federal inquiries."

-ABC News' Alexander Mallin

Nov 09, 2020, 7:17 PM EST

Biden to talk about Obamacare, case being heard in Supreme Court

Biden is slated to give remarks focused on the Affordable Care Act and the Trump administration's lawsuit to overturn it. Biden will talk about his own plan "to expand access to quality, affordable health care."

The event in Wilmington, Delaware, is slated for 2 p.m.

A person climbs the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments at 10 a.m. in the case brought by Trump and 18 Republican-led states asking that the Affordable Care Act be eliminated in its entirety.

Nov 09, 2020, 6:22 PM EST

Ga. senators blast Republican secretary of state

Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are now attacking Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, also a Republican, for his "mismanagement and lack of transparency" with this election and have called on him to resign. 

"While blame certainly lies elsewhere as well, the buck ultimately stops with the Secretary of State. The mismanagement and lack of transparency from the Secretary of State is unacceptable," the senators said in a statement. "Honest elections are paramount to the foundation of our democracy. The Secretary of State has failed to deliver honest and transparent elections."

"He has failed the people of Georgia, and he should step down immediately," the statement continued

In response, Raffensperger said that he will not resign.

"I know emotions are running high. Politics are involved in everything right now. If I was Senator Perdue, I'd be irritated I was in a runoff. And both Senators and I are all unhappy with the potential outcome for our President," Raffensperger, the state's top elections official, said in a statement. "But I am the duly elected Secretary of State. One of my duties involves helping to run elections for all Georgia voters. I have taken that oath, and I will execute that duty and follow Georgia law."

-ABC News' Quinn Scanlan

Nov 09, 2020, 6:13 PM EST

Pence: 'it ain’t over til it’s over.. and this AIN’T over!'

The vice president is publicly standing by the president's side, tweeting from his personal account that he told his staff Monday: “it ain’t over til it’s over.. and this AIN’T over!” 

In addition to the vice president's tweet, a senior administration official said the vice president has been very involved in the ongoing legal fight, participating in a fundraising call for the campaign's legal fund on Friday, after meeting with advisers at both the White House and campaign headquarters last week.

"The vice president has been very actively engaged with senior staff both from the campaign and the White House in discussing strategy with regard to both the recount and legal efforts," the official said.

-ABC News' Jordyn Phelps

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