(NEW YORK) — Here are today’s In Crisis headlines:
Still no evidence of voter fraud as ballot counting continues
Despite repeated claims by President Trump and his surrogates, there has still been no evidence presented of voter fraud in last week’s general election. Even so, Trump has been working the phones with aides and allies demanding they save his presidency, multiple sources tell ABC News. Sources close to the president describe him as “calm,” and expressed some surprise that he was not more visibly angry with the result of the election, which he has still not publicly acknowledged. At the same time, sources tell ABC News the president wants every legal option exhausted, even though privately aides and members of the first family admit there is no path forward at this point.
The New York Times reports that they contacted election officials in all 50 states, none of whom said they had any evidence of voter fraud or any other irregularities that played a role in the election’s outcome in their state. Additionally, the Washington Post reports a Pennsylvania postal worker who claimed a postmaster in Erie ordered late-arriving ballots to be backdated has admitted to U.S. Postal Service inspectors that he fabricated those claims, and has recanted them. South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham cited the worker’s claims in a letter to the Justice Department calling for a federal investigation into the allegation. Attorney General William Barr subsequently authorized federal prosecutors to open probes into credible allegations of voting irregularities and fraud before results are certified, contrary to long-standing Justice Department policy to not get involved in election matters.
In Georgia, where President-elect Joe Biden continues to lead as ballots are counted, Rep. Doug Collins, who’s leading President Trump’s recount team there, and state Republican Party Chairman David Shafer sent a letter to Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Tuesday requesting that he order a hand recount of Georgia’s nearly five million ballots before certifying the results. Raffensperger said once again Tuesday that he’s seen no evidence of any widespread voter fraud in Georgia, and also told WSB Atlanta that he’s a supporter of not only President Trump but also the two Republican senators calling for him to resign. Raffensperger will hold a press conference this morning at the Georgia state capitol.
Speaking to reporters in Wilmington, Delaware, President-elect Biden, in his first comments on President Trump’s refusal to acknowledge the election, said Tuesday, “I just think it’s an embarrassment, quite frankly. How can I say this tactfully? I think it will not help the president’s legacy.”
COVID-19 numbers
Here’s the latest data on COVID-19 coronavirus infections and deaths.
Latest reported numbers globally per Johns Hopkins University
Global diagnosed cases: 51,599,927
Global deaths: 1,274,526. The United States has the most deaths of any single country, with 239,695.
Number of countries/regions: at least 191
Total patients recovered globally: 33,623,602
Latest reported numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
There are at least 10,260,282 reported cases in 50 states + the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. This is more than in any other country.
U.S. deaths: at least 239,695. New York State has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 33,707.
U.S. total patients recovered: 3,961,873
U.S. total people tested: 155,271,200
The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in Texas, with 1,010,364 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 29 million. This ranks fourth in the world after Maharashtra, India, which has 1,726,926 reported cases; Sao Paulo, Brazil, which has 1,125,936 reported cases; and England, which has 1,053,330 reported cases.
US nears 240,000 COVID-19 deaths; Texas first state to surpass one million cases
Just 12 days after the number of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. surpassed 230,000, that number now stands at 239,695, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, and is expected to top 240,000 later Wednesday. The U.S. continues to lead the world in the total number of deaths from the coronavirus, with just under 19% of global fatalities. The U.S. also has more reported cases of COVID-19, representing about 19.8% of the global total. Texas has now become the first state to report more than one million COVID-19 infections, with 1,010,364 as of Wednesday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University. Texas is also second only to New York State in the number of reported coronavirus deaths, with 19,337; New York has 33,707.
US COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations post new record as cases continue to surge nationwide
The number of people hospitalized in the U.S. with COVID-19 on Tuesday hit another record number for the second consecutive day. The Covid Tracking Project reports there were 61,964 Americans hospitalized Tuesday, an increase of 2,692 people over Monday’s reported numbers, which themselves were the highest total number since July 25. Tuesday’s numbers represent 40% more people hospitalized with COVID-19 than there were just two weeks ago. The Covid Tracking Project also reports that states reported a total of 130,989 new cases on Tuesday, a new single-day case record for the U.S.
The latest internal memo from the Department of Health and Human Services, obtained by ABC News, also illustrates the increasing pandemic spread, with 50 states and territories now in an upward trajectory of new cases, two jurisdictions at a plateau and just three declining. There were 767,645 new COVID-19 cases confirmed during the period of November 3-9, a 30.5% increase from the previous seven-day period, and 6,838 deaths recorded during that same period, marking a 17.7% increase in new deaths compared with the previous week. The national test-positivity rate increased to 9% from 7.4% in week-to-week comparisons, while 24% of hospitals across the country have more than 80% of their ICU beds filled. That number was 17-18% during the summertime peak.
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