In the News: Pence's Latest Test of Loyalty to Trump
Audio 03:48
A Fulton County election officer places missing ballots in a scanner in front of election observers at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, January 5, 2021. REUTERS - ELIJAH NEWS
By: Véronique Rigolet Follow
8 min
Publicity
While a Democratic victory
now seems to be looming in Georgia
for control of the US Senate, "
Donald Trump is accelerating his desperate campaign to cling to power
", explains the
Financial Times
"
by putting pressure on his vice president Mike Pence to that he annuls the result of the presidential election during the meeting of the Congress
”.
Everything will be played out today during the joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate in Washington which must endorse the certification of electoral votes and therefore the victory of Joe Biden under the leadership of the vice-president, as desired. the Constitution.
And Donald Trump points out to the
New York Times
"
hopes that Mike Pence will take matters into his own hands to delay the counting of the votes or modify it in his favor by rejecting enough pro-Biden
votes", votes considered fraudulent by many Republicans .
"
This is Pence's final test of loyalty to Trump,
" says
New York Times
A complicated exercise for the vice-president explains for his part the
Washington Post
"
Pence tried to make Donald Trump understand that he does not have the power to reverse the results of the election while trying to calm him down to avoid a rupture that could torpedo his own chances of presenting himself in 2024 as Trump's loyal heir
”.
The
New York Times
predicts "
a long and confused day on Capitol Hill
", but does not doubt the certification of Joe Biden's victory "
the Republicans' challenges seem doomed to failure
" writes the New York daily which also quotes a famous Washington lawyer Alan Raoul for whom "
the prospect of the Vice President and members of Congress attempting to overthrow the will of the people rather than counting certified votes would be unconstitutional and calamitous
."
Coronavirus: China blocks entry of WHO team
"
The mission
had yet been planned for a long time and had required months of laborious negotiations,
" reports the
Financial Times
but, while the team of ten researchers set out, several of them were stranded in third countries in transit due to lack of Chinese visas.
A refusal of entry into China "
notified at the last minute
" by Beijing.
"
For several months, the World Health Organization has been trying to send a team to China
", also underlines the Guardian "
the expedition was to go to Wuhan to investigate the first cases of coronavirus.
She did not intend to investigate the allegations that the virus came from a Chinese laboratory, (allegations) which have been rejected by most scientists
.
Still, China seems more determined than ever to control the story of the origin of the virus which has already killed more than 1.8 million people around the world.
And this refusal “
certainly does not bode well for a forthcoming WTO investigation in China,
” analyzes a senior American health official quoted by the
Financial Times.
Beijing steps up its muscular takeover of Hong Kong
Many daily newspapers relate this new episode of Chinese repression in the former British colony.
"
The Hong Kong police arrested dozens of pro-democratic personalities early this morning at their homes
," writes the
Wall Street Journal,
"
largely targeting leaders of the opposition camp
, as part of the daily newspaper. American, "
the biggest sweep since the imposition of the national security law 6 months ago
."
The
Wall Street Journal
which also quotes this comment from a former elected representative of the Hong Kong Democratic Party which denounces "
a blatant attempt to intimidate pro-democracy activists and to warn people not to engage in politics
" .
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Donald trump
WTO
Hong Kong
China
Mike pence
Newspaper
Joe biden