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US election 2020: Biden takes Georgia to solidify victory

The BBC

US President-elect Joe Biden has won the state of Georgia, the BBC projects, the first Democratic candidate to do so since 1992.

The win solidifies Mr Biden's victory, giving him a total of 306 votes in the electoral college, the system the US uses to choose its president.

President Donald Trump is projected to win North Carolina, reaching 232 votes.

Mr Trump, who has not yet conceded, alluded for the first time to a possible new administration in January.

Looking subdued, the president stopped short of acknowledging his defeat during a briefing of his coronavirus task force at the White House. These were his first public comments on the election since his defeat was projected by US media.

As the country faces growing outbreaks of Covid-19, Mr Trump said he would not impose a lockdown to fight the virus, adding: "Whatever happens in the future, who knows which administration it will be. I guess time will tell."

The president, who did not mention Mr Biden by name, did not take questions from reporters. Pressure is growing on Mr Trump, a Republican, to acknowledge Mr Biden's victory and help prepare the transition from one administration to another.

The results in Georgia and North Carolina were the last to be projected in the race for the White House. Mr Biden's electoral votes equal the tally Mr Trump achieved in his victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016. At the time Mr Trump referred to it as "a landslide".

President Trump has launched a flurry of legal challenges in key states and levelled unsubstantiated allegations of widespread electoral fraud. But his efforts suffered three setbacks on Friday:

In Arizona, his team dropped a lawsuit seeking a review of ballots cast on Election Day after it became clear his rival's lead was unassailable. The challenge was based on a claim that some legal votes had been rejected.

In Michigan, a judge rejected a request by two Republican poll watchers - who had alleged fraud in Wayne County - to block the certification of election results in Detroit.

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Trump campaign's requests to invalidate several batches of mail-in ballots were rejected.

A manual recount is to be carried out in Georgia because of the narrow margin between the two candidates, but the Biden team said they did not expect it to change the results there.

Joe Biden did not have to win Georgia or Arizona to secure the White House. His recapturing of the "blue wall" northern industrial states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania by themselves assured his victory.

The former vice-president's success in these Sun Belt states - the first time a Democrat has won either in decades - suggests, however, that Democrats may be clearing a new path to presidential success in future elections.

It is not all good news for the Democrats, however. Donald Trump did win North Carolina - another southern swing state - even though it was carried by Barack Obama in 2008.

The electoral map is shifting, and the parties will have to adjust their strategies accordingly. In the meantime, Georgia - which has two January run-off elections that will decide control of the US Senate - will take centre stage in the months ahead. Joe Biden's narrow victory there all but assures it will be a hotly contested battle.

Task 1. Read the article. Comment on the title of the article.

Task 2. Translate the sentences where some words and phrases are given in bold. Write out those words paying attention to the pronunciation.

Task 3. Find the English equivalents of the following words and phrases.

1)  совещание

2) вспышка

3) тем временем

4) проведение пересчета голосов в ручную

5) ожесточенная битва

6) кандидат в президенты

7) укрепить чью-либо победу

8) коллегия выборщиков

9) избранный президент

10)  признавать

11) вводить локдаун

12) необоснованные обвинения

13) фальсификация результатов выборов/подтасовка

14) пересчет подданных бюллетеней

Task 4. Make up all types of questions to discuss the article with your group mates.

Task 5. Go through the link below to watch the video President Trump: "Who knows which administration it will be, I guess time will tell". Be ready to say how the video is related to the topic of the article. https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54939212

Task 6. Read the article a second time and be ready to discuss in the classroom:

-         what was the author’s intention to tell the general public about

-         what is the main idea/ problem raised.

Task 7. Write a rendering of the article. Mind the rules of a rendering writing. (second lesson)