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Biden to nominate retired army general Lloyd Austin as defense secretary

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10.37am GMT
We know that Trump and his team have been trying various methods to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory, and the Washington Post have this report of further shenanigans:
Trump called the speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives twice during the past week to make an extraordinary request for help reversing his loss in the state.
The calls, confirmed by House Speaker Bryan Cutler’s office, make Pennsylvania the third state where Trump has directly attempted to overturn a result. He previously reached out to Republicans in Michigan, and on Saturday he pressured Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in a call to try to replace that state’s electors.
10.23am GMT
Not everyone is terribly happy about the reported pick of Lloyd Austin. The New York Times are leading their opinion section this morning with a piece by Jim Golby, who has been a special adviser to vice presidents Joe Biden and Mike Pence. He writes:
General Austin is a capable and respected former commander of Central Command, but he retired only in 2016. That’s not long enough: A civilian — not a recently retired general — should lead the Pentagon.
It is only the third time a president has requested a waiver since Congress passed the National Security Act in 1947, which requires a prospective secretary to wait seven years after ending active duty as a commissioned officer. President Harry Truman appointed George Marshall in 1950, and Trump chose James Mattis. Continue reading...