Arizona certifies election results
On Monday, the state of Arizona certified the results of its presidential election almost a month after the Nov. 3 election, further solidifying former Vice President Joe Biden’s win over the incumbent, Donald Trump, according to the Associated Press.
Governor Doug Ducey assured the press that Arizonans can have confidence in their election results, saying that “the system is strong.”
“We do elections well here in Arizona,” Gov. Ducey said.
Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs wanted voters to know the election in Arizona “was conducted with transparency, accuracy and fairness in accordance with Arizona’s laws and election procedures, despite numerous unfounded claims to the contrary.”
“ [The election in Arizona] was conducted with transparency, accuracy and fairness in accordance with Arizona’s laws and election procedures, despite numerous unfounded claims to the contrary.”
Katie Hobbs, Arizona Secretary of State
Neither signatory of the state’s election results acknowledged the president’s allegations of legal irregularities and voter fraud.
Biden is officially the second Democratic candidate to win the state in more than half a century, narrowly beating Trump by 10,457 votes — or less than 1% of the ballots.
The certification of the state’s election results also paved the way for Senator Mark Kelly to be sworn in on Wednesday, taking the seat of the late Senator John McCain. Sen. Kelly won the special election against Republican candidate Martha McSally by almost 100,000 votes and will carry out the last two years of Sen. McCain’s term.
Biden announces ‘first ever’ all-female senior press team
On Monday, president-elect Joe Biden appointed Jen Psaki and six other women to serve as what he claims is the first all-female senior press team in the nation’s history, according to the BBC.
“I am proud to announce today the first senior White House communications team composed entirely of women,” Biden said. “These qualified, experienced communicators bring diverse perspectives to their work and a shared commitment to building this country back better.”
“These qualified, experienced communicators bring diverse perspectives to their work and a shared commitment to building this country back better.”
Joe Biden, United States President- elect
Psaki, who served as the Obama Administration’s White House communications director, will fill the role of Biden’s press secretary, while Kate Bedingfield, the former deputy Biden campaign communications director, will lead the team.
President-elect Biden has made an effort to include diversity in his administration picks. Symone Sanders will also serve on his administration’s team as the senior advisor to the first female vice president-elect in U.S. history, Kamala Harris.
Biden’s press team does not require approval from the Senate.
According to Al Jazeera, Biden has also recently nominated the first Latino Chief of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, who was born in Havana, Cuba.
Department of Justice sues Facebook
After conducting a two year investigation, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against social media giant Facebook on Thursday for discriminating against Americans in more than 2,000 job openings, according to the BBC.
According to the lawsuit, Facebook “intentionally created a system” that favors job applicants with temporary visas over U.S. citizens.
“Our message to all employers — including those in the technology sector — is clear: You cannot illegally prefer to recruit, consider or hire temporary visa holders over U.S. workers,” Eric Drieband, the assistant attorney general to the DOJ’s civil rights division, said.
Facebook ultimately denied the allegations, but said it’s working with the DOJ.