NOVEMBER 10 (GMT) – NOVEMBER 11 (AEST), 2020 YOUR DAILY TOP 12 STORIES FROM FRANK NEWS FULL STORIES START ON PAGE 3 NORTH AMERICA UK AUSTRALIA Trump blocks co-operation Optimism over vaccine rollout MP quits Labor frontbench The Trump administration threw the A coronavirus vaccine could start being Labor right faction warrior Joel Fitzgibbon presidential transition into tumult, distributed by Christmas after a jab has urged his party to make a major with President Donald Trump blocking developed by pharmaceutical giant shift on the environment and blue-collar government officials from co-operating Pfizer cleared a “significant hurdle”. voters after quitting shadow cabinet. with President-elect Joe Biden’s team Prime Minister Boris Johnson said initial Western Sydney MP Ed Husic replaced and Attorney General William Barr results suggested the vaccine was 90 per Fitzgibbon as the opposition’s resources authorizing the Justice Department to cent effective at protecting people from and agriculture spokesman after the probe unsubstantiated allegations of COVID-19 but warned these were “very, stunning resignation. Fitzgibbon has voter fraud. Some Republicans, including very early days”. been increasingly outspoken in a bruising Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, battle over energy policy with senior rallied behind Trump’s efforts to fight the figures from Labor’s left flank. election results. NORTH AMERICA UK NEW ZEALAND Election probes given OK Redundancies hit record high Napier braces for heavy rain Attorney General William Barr has More people were made redundant Flood-hit Napier residents remain on authorized federal prosecutors across between July and September than at any alert as more heavy rain is falling on the US to pursue “substantial allegations” point on record, according to new official the city, with another day of rain still to of voting irregularities, if they exist, before statistics, as the pandemic laid waste come. Residents are on the edge of their the 2020 presidential election is certified, to large parts of the economy. Around seats waiting for the downfalls to clear, despite no evidence of widespread fraud. 314,000 redundancies were registered but MetService has forecast heavy rain Barr’s action comes days after Democrat during the three months, up by 181,000 for the area until 8pm Wednesday, with Joe Biden defeated President Donald from the quarter before, according to rainfall as intense as 75mm/h possible if Trump and raises the prospect that the Office for National Statistics. The data there are thunderstorms. About 250mm Trump will use the Justice Department to suggests that unemployment in the UK of rain hit the Hawke’s Bay city, causing try to challenge the outcome. reached 4.8 per cent in the three months slips, flooding low lying suburbs, and to September. rushing through properties. 1 NOVEMBER 10 (GMT) – NOVEMBER 11 (AEST), 2020 YOUR DAILY TOP 12 STORIES FROM FRANK NEWS FULL STORIES START ON PAGE 6 NORTH AMERICA UK AUSTRALIA Trump sacks Pentagon chief Europe faces virus shortages Morrison warns of virus risks President Donald Trump has fired In Italy lines of ambulances park outside Prime Minister Scott Morrison has Defense Secretary Mark Esper, a move hospitals awaiting beds, and in France warned against local complacency and on the heels of Trump’s failed reelection the government coronavirus tracking app international risks as Australia notched bid. Presidents who win reelection often prominently displays the intensive care a third straight day without coronavirus replace Cabinet members, including capacity taken up by COVID-19 patients: transmission. Victoria’s streak without the secretary of defense, but losing 92.5 per cent and rising. In the ICU in new infections extended to 11 days presidents have kept their Pentagon Barcelona, there is no end in sight for the as NSW posted a third day without chiefs in place until Inauguration Day to doctors and nurses who endured this community spread. Morrison said the preserve stability in the name of national once already. Intensive care is the last nation faced twofold threats, with the security. line of defence for severely ill coronavirus immediate risk being people taking things patients and Europe is running out of for granted as more restrictions lift. beds and the doctors to staff them. NORTH AMERICA UK NEW ZEALAND Biden to look for experience Peacekeepers to bolster truce National confirms new roles President-elect Joe Biden is looking A dozen planes filed with Russian Shane Reti has been elected deputy to build out his nascent White House peacekeepers is headed for Nagorno- leader of the National Party in a caucus staff with more traditional Washington Karabakh, hours after Armenia and meeting. He and Judith Collins have been insiders, a notable departure from Azerbaijan agreed to halt fighting over confirmed by the party as leader and four years in which President Donald the separatist region and amid signs deputy, respectively. They were selected Trump filled his team with outsiders and this cease-fire would hold where others unopposed. The caucus was meeting government antagonists. Ron Klain is an hadn’t. The truce came after significant at Parliament to decide who would slot early favorite to become Biden’s chief advances by Azerbaijani forces that the into the number two spot after Gerry of staff, according to multiple people Nagorno-Karabakh leader said made it Brownlee announced he would step familiar with planning who spoke on impossible for their side to carry on. aside late last week. condition of anonymity to speak freely about private discussions. 2 NOVEMBER 10 (GMT) – NOVEMBER 11 (AEST), 2020 President Donald Trump. - AP Attorney General William Barr. - AP NORTH AMERICA NORTH AMERICA Trump blocks moves to Barr gives election co-operate on transition integrity probes OK The Trump administration threw the presidential Attorney General William Barr has authorized federal transition into tumult, with President Donald Trump prosecutors across the US to pursue “substantial blocking government officials from co-operating with allegations” of voting irregularities, if they exist, before President-elect Joe Biden’s team and Attorney General the 2020 presidential election is certified, despite no William Barr authorizing the Justice Department to probe evidence of widespread fraud. unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud. Barr’s action comes days after Democrat Joe Biden defeated Some Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch President Donald Trump and raises the prospect that McConnell, rallied behind Trump’s efforts to fight the election Trump will use the Justice Department to try to challenge results. Few in the GOP acknowledged Biden’s victory or the outcome. It gives prosecutors the ability to go around condemned Trump’s other concerning move: his firing of longstanding Justice Department policy that normally would Defense Secretary Mark Esper. prohibit such overt actions before the election is certified. The developments cast doubt on whether the nation would Trump has not conceded the election and is instead claiming witness the same kind of smooth transition of power that has without evidence that there has been a widespread, multi-state long anchored its democracy. The Electoral College is slated conspiracy by Democrats to skew the vote tally in Biden’s favor. to formally confirm Biden’s victory on December 14 and the Biden holds a sizable lead in multiple battleground states Democrat will be sworn into office in late January. and there has been no indication of enough improperly On Monday, Barr authorized US attorneys to probe counted or illegally cast votes that would shift the outcome. In “substantial” allegations of voter irregularities and election fact, election officials from both political parties have publicly fraud, though no widespread instances of that type of trouble stated the election went well, though there have been minor in the 2020 election exist. In fact, election officials from both issues that are typical in elections, including voting machines political parties have publicly stated that voting went well and breaking and ballots that were miscast and lost. international observers also confirmed that there were no In a memo to US attorneys, obtained by The Associated serious irregularities. Press, Barr wrote that investigations “may be conducted Biden pressed forward with plans to build out his if there are clear and apparently-credible allegations of administration, assembling a team of experts to face the irregularities that, if true, could potentially impact the outcome surging pandemic. But the federal agency that needs to of a federal election in an individual State.” greenlight the beginnings of the transition of power held off on He said any allegations that would “clearly not impact the taking that step. And the White House moved to crack down outcome of a federal election” should be delayed until after on those not deemed sufficiently loyal as Trump continued to those elections are certified and prosecutors should likely refuse to concede the race. open so-called preliminary inquiries, which would allow Trump remained out of sight at the White House, with investigators and prosecutors to see if there is evidence that conversations ongoing about how the defeated president would allow them to take further investigative measures. would spend the coming days and weeks as he challenged the Barr does not identify any specific instances of purported people’s verdict. Trump is not expected to formally concede fraud in the memo. ■ but is likely to grudgingly vacate the White House at the end of his term, according to several people around him. ■ 3 NOVEMBER 10 (GMT) – NOVEMBER 11 (AEST), 2020 - PA - PA UK UK Optimism over virus Redundancies hit record vaccine distribution high amid job losses A coronavirus vaccine could start being distributed by More people were made redundant between July and Christmas after a jab developed by pharmaceutical giant September than at any point on record, according to new Pfizer cleared a “significant hurdle”.