Alana Wise

Updated at 2:38 p.m. ET

President-elect Joe Biden stressed a return to multilateralism Tuesday as he introduced key national security and foreign policy appointees and nominees for his incoming White House Cabinet, moving forward with the traditional transition process even though President Trump still hasn't formally admitted defeat.

Updated at 8:21 p.m. ET

The Michigan Board of State Canvassers voted Monday to certify the state's election results after weeks of attempts by President Trump, the outgoing Republican nominee, to overturn his opponent's victory. Three members voted in favor of certification, and one abstained.

Republican lawmakers from Michigan issued a statement Friday night in defense of their state's election process after a closely watched meeting with President Trump.

The meeting at the White House, just days away from Michigan's election certification deadline, was criticized as being an inappropriate attempt by the president to interfere while his campaign lawyers seek to overturn election results in the state.

The White House said Friday that there had been no external pressure from the Trump administration to slow the formalizing of the election's outcome by the General Services Administration, even as President Trump has continued his unsuccessful campaign to overturn the election results.

"The president's been very clear: He wants every legal vote to be counted and to make sure that no illegal votes are counted," White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in the first formal briefing she has held in several weeks, repeating false talking points about widespread fraud.

Updated at 9:34 p.m. ET

Christopher Krebs, the Department of Homeland Security director who had spearheaded a campaign to counter rumors about voter fraud, has been fired, President Trump tweeted on Tuesday.

Trump, in two misleading tweets about the security of the U.S. election, said Krebs' termination was "effective immediately."

In response, Krebs tweeted, "Honored to serve. We did it right. Defend Today, Secure [Tomorrow]."

Updated at 7:07 p.m. ET

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa has tested positive for the coronavirus, he confirmed in a Tuesday tweet, hours after the Republican lawmaker told the public he had been exposed to the virus.

The 87-year-old wrote on Twitter that he was "feeling good" and expected to continue his Senate duties from home while he isolated and recovered.

Narendra Modi and Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime ministers of India and Israel respectively, have spoken to President-elect Joe Biden to congratulate the Democrat on his White House victory.

Both allies of President Trump, who has yet to accept his defeat in the race, referred to Biden as the "president-elect."

In a Tuesday tweet, Prime Minister Modi wrote that he had spoken to Biden on the phone to congratulate him and to discuss how best to tackle international concerns like the coronavirus pandemic and global warming.

Updated at 4:05 p.m. ET

Georgia's secretary of state said Tuesday that some fellow Republicans have tried to pressure him into disqualifying legal ballots that may not have favored President Trump.

Brad Raffensperger, who was earlier endorsed by Trump, said in an interview with NPR's All Things Considered that he had been contacted by South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham's office in an effort to convince him to discard some legal absentee ballots.

Updated at 2:02 p.m. ET

President-elect Joe Biden is drawing on a number of senior operatives from his campaign to fill out key top positions in his White House.

Updated at 4:52 p.m. ET

President-elect Joe Biden on Monday outlined his plan for rehabilitating the U.S. economy, emphasizing the importance of getting control of the coronavirus pandemic.

As Biden spoke, the shadow of President Trump's refusal to concede was apparent, with the president-elect making clear that he was being kept from information that would be vital to taking over the presidency early next year.

"More people may die if we don't coordinate," Biden said on plans for vaccine distribution.

Updated at 8:56 p.m. ET

There is "no evidence" the Nov. 3 election was compromised, committees within the Department of Homeland Security that worked on protecting U.S. voting systems affirmed Thursday. In a statement, they also called the 2020 election the "most secure in American history."

Updated at 1:30 p.m. ET Thursday

President-elect Joe Biden has named his longtime aide Ron Klain to be White House chief of staff, the campaign announced Wednesday evening.

The chief of staff is one of the most significant White House appointments.

An alumnus of the Obama-Biden administration, Klain had previously been Biden's chief of staff when he was vice president.

Carlos Giménez, the Republican representative-elect for Florida's 26th district, said he supports President Trump's legal fight to contest the results of the White House race, days after it has been called for Democrat Joe Biden with a healthy lead in both the popular and electoral vote.

Speaking to NPR's All Things Considered, Giménez, who currently serves as the mayor of Miami-Dade County, Fla., said he thought the president had "every right" to contest the race's results and seek resolution through the courts. Asked if he thought Trump should concede, he answered no.

Updated at 10:59 p.m. ET

William Barr, the nation's attorney general and a Trump ally, on Monday wrote a memo authorizing federal prosecutors to pursue any "substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities." He specified that such reviews can be conducted only 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."

Four days after Americans cast the final ballots in the 2020 White House race, votes are still being counted but Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has maintained his lead in electoral votes.

"We're going to win this race with a clear majority," Biden said late Friday, speaking alongside his running mate, Kamala Harris, in his home state of Delaware.

"What's becoming clear each hour is that record number of Americans, of all races, faiths, religions, chose change over more of the same," he said.

Updated at 11:19 p.m. ET

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden spoke on Friday evening to reaffirm his belief that he would eventually emerge victorious against President Trump, urging calm and patience as his lead against the Republican incumbent has widened in key swing states that are still counting votes.

"We're going to win this race with a clear majority," Biden said, speaking alongside his running mate, Kamala Harris, in his home state of Delaware.

Updated at 9:16 p.m. ET

President Trump on Thursday evening made his first public remarks since the late-night hours following Election Day, falsely claiming that he would win "easily," save for what he baselessly referred to as fraud by Democrats and the media.

"If you look at the legal votes, I win very easily," Trump told reporters from the White House briefing room.

"They're trying very obviously to commit fraud," he said, speaking particularly harshly about Philadelphia and Detroit.

Updated Nov. 4 at 3:20 a.m. ET

As polls have closed across the United States in this pivotal presidential election, one thing is clear: The conclusion will not be a swift one.

President Trump has secured the swing states of Ohio, Iowa, Texas and, crucially, Florida, according to The Associated Press.

Tallying the states that have been called so far, Biden holds 238 electoral votes, while Trump has 213, with 87 electoral votes yet to be called. A candidate needs 270 votes to secure the presidency.

Updated 4:43 p.m. ET

President Trump makes five stops in five different swing states Sunday, while his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, focuses on Pennsylvania just days before Election Day.

Trump's jam-packed schedule highlights the uphill battle he faces for reelection and the categorically dissimilar style of campaigning he has taken in contrast to Biden.

Updated at 3:50 p.m. ET

Republicans in Texas have asked the courts to toss out some 127,000 early ballots cast by voters in Harris County, arguing that the votes — delivered via drive-through in the heavily Democratic area — violate the U.S. Constitution and should be deemed invalid.

The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has sided with Minnesota Republicans in a dispute on mail-in ballots, deeming that absentee votes received by mail after 8 p.m. and in person after 3 p.m. should be separated from other ballots.

The move means that the fate of those later-received ballots will likely fall in the lap of another court, which could eventually declare the votes invalid.

This ruling reverses an extension by Secretary of State Steve Simon to accommodate voters who may have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Updated at 5:02 p.m. ET

When police fatally shot 27-year-old Walter Wallace in Philadelphia on Monday afternoon, the issue of police violence and how it disproportionately affects Black Americans was once again thrust into the spotlight.

Protests began nearly immediately after the news broke, with some instances of rioting as well as violence between demonstrators and the police.

Updated at 10:51 a.m. ET

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee moved Thursday to advance the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court, bringing President Trump's nominee within striking distance of confirmation and the court a step closer to a 6-3 conservative majority.

President Trump on Tuesday renewed his pitch to Pennsylvania voters, painting himself as the only candidate who can save the country from Washington corruption, the degradation of the American dream and a decimated economy.

Speaking to supporters in Erie, Pa., Trump described his Democratic rival Joe Biden as a "radical left" extremist who would destroy the state through harsh clean-energy policies and the introduction of low-income housing to suburban communities.

Updated at 9:50 p.m. ET

The Commission on Presidential Debates announced changes to the debate rules ahead of Thursday's final presidential debate.

Under the new rules, President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will each have two minutes of uninterrupted time to speak at the beginning of every 15-minute segment of the debate.

President Trump, who has for months been at loggerheads with public health experts on how best to contain the coronavirus pandemic, on Monday called Dr. Anthony Fauci a "disaster" and complained that Americans are tired of hearing from "these idiots," according to media reports of a call between Trump and campaign staff.

Updated at 11:27 p.m. ET

In a unique political split screen, President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden appeared in competing town halls at the same time on Thursday night.

Among their notable answers, Trump declined to denounce the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory, while Biden said he would offer a more concrete answer on "court packing" before Election Day.

Updated at 7:44 p.m. ET

The second presidential debate has been canceled, organizers confirmed, following a disagreement between the campaigns and the Commission on Presidential Debates regarding safety protocols for Thursday's event.

"On October 8, CPD announced that for the health and safety of all involved, the second presidential debate, scheduled for October 15 in Miami, would be conducted virtually," the commission said in a statement Friday.

Updated at 8:47 p.m. ET

President Trump plans to deliver remarks on Saturday at an outdoor event, his first public event since being hospitalized for the coronavirus, a White House official confirmed to NPR's Tamara Keith. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the plans.

The event, first reported by ABC News, is expected to take place on the South Lawn of the White House.

Updated at 7:43 p.m. ET

White House physician Sean Conley said in a memo Thursday that "I fully anticipate the president's safe return to public engagements" on Saturday, based on the date he tested positive for the coronavirus and his response to treatment.

Conley did not provide any information about whether Trump has or will be tested for the virus. He said Trump's physical example "has remained stable and devoid of any indications to suggest progression of illness."