Biden’s European allies greet a familiar face
Political leaders across the continent showered the elected president with congratulations. Unlike President Trump, Joe Biden, who was elected the 46th President of the United States on Saturday, is benevolent of his transatlantic allies and is likely to restore the courtesy of the relationship and re-join the Paris Climate Agreement and remain with the World Health Organization.
But it will still be cautious in Europe as to what Mr Biden might ask of the continent’s leaders, especially in the knowledge that he could be a president for a term and that the populist impulse that animated Trumpism has barely gone .
At home, the president-elect prepared a change of power and was due to announce a Covid-19 task force today as the coronavirus outbreak reached harrowing new levels in the United States. Mr Trump has not admitted defeat. Here are our latest updates.
Biden speaks: “Let this dark era of demonization in America come to an end here and now,” Biden told an auto audience in Wilmington, Del. “I promise to be a president who doesn’t want to divide, but to unite.” Read his full speech.
Write history: Senator Kamala Harris was the first woman – and woman of color – to be elected Vice President. Ms. Harris, the daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, ranks higher in governing the country than any other woman before her.
Silence from Russia: In contrast to his Western European counterparts, Russian President Vladimir Putin had not made a statement on the elected president by the end of Sunday, suggesting a tense four years.
Hometown Boy: In Ballina, Ireland, a 10,000-inhabitant town where Mr Biden’s great-great-great-grandfather was born and raised, residents toasted their distant cousin – even when a lock kept the bars closed.
10 million coronavirus cases in the US
The United States reported its 10 millionth coronavirus case on Sunday, with the last million added in just 10 days from a total of nearly 50 million cases worldwide.
With the country grappling with its most widespread wave of infections to date, experts are pointing to an upcoming holiday season when many people may congregate in situations where the risk of virus transmission is high. The seven-day average of new cases is now 100,000 per day, higher than that of any other country. Hospital stays and deaths have also increased.
In Europe, the hospital crisis has gotten worse. Adjusted for the population, there are more than twice as many people hospitalized with Covid-19 compared to the United States, threatening to overwhelm overstretched facilities and exhausted health professionals.
According to a count by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, the total number of cases in Europe has exceeded 11.8 million.
Here are the latest updates and maps of the pandemic.
In other developments:
Tensions in Europe over fears of Islamist extremism
A month after a teacher was beheaded in France for showing his class caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, fears grow in the Netherlands that the country could have repercussions from the attack.
An 18-year-old woman in Rotterdam was arrested last week on suspicion of making online threats against a teacher who had shown a cartoon in his classroom supporting Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical newspaper that originally created the Muhammad cartoons had published. The local news media reported that another teacher in Den Bosch was threatened after showing students a cartoon depicting Muhammad during a free speech class.
And in France, the specific characteristics of the three young men behind the recent terrorist attacks – isolated, self-radicalized individuals rather than Islamist extremist networks – have raised difficult questions about whether the government’s broad response is the right one.
Quote: In an environment where “cultural ruptures” are in the foreground – a radical Salafist Islam against the West, but also against moderate brands of Islam – these young men are being radicalized, said Gilles Kepel, a French political scientist. “Without this atmosphere there would be no spark. Without a spark, there would be no attack either. “
If you have 6 minutes, it’s worth it
A challenging chapter for the Parisian bouquinists
In normal times, Parisians and tourists from around the world visit the 230 or so open-air booksellers known as “les bouquinistes”, whose box-shaped metal bookcases filled with cellophane classics or antique lithographs stretch for nearly four miles along the Seine.
But with their revenues falling with the city’s pedestrian traffic, many booksellers are now struggling to get through. “The bouquinists have been here since the Middle Ages,” said one. “I would like to think that the coronavirus won’t finish us off.” (You can also read and share the story in French.)
The following also happens
Nagorno-Karabakh War: The President of Azerbaijan claimed on Sunday that his armed forces had captured the strategically important mountain town of Shusha, known to Armenians as Shushi. The city overlooks several mountain valleys and the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, Stepanakert, is considered to be the fulcrum for the military control of the region.
Affordable Care Act: The US Supreme Court will hear arguments on Tuesday in a case aimed at eliminating Obama-era law. If it were put down, millions of Americans would lose health insurance and people with pre-existing conditions would have difficulty getting insurance in the future.
Ethiopia reshuffle: Days after a military offensive was ordered in the Tigray region, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed undertook a major reshuffle of the security services on Sunday. The moves place a multi-ethnic group of his closest allies in crucial positions, observers say, and strengthen his hand as he navigates a conflict that could lead to civil war.
Snapshot: Above is a nearly a century old fig tree in the Westlands business district of Nairobi. Government agencies plan to dismantle it to make way for a four-lane highway, but face growing public opposition. “This particular tree is a symbol of Nairobi,” said an environmental adviser.
Lived life: Alex Trebek, who runs the American television game show “Jeopardy!” Record-breaking for 37 years and somewhere on the way to becoming a much-admired cultural icon, he died on Sunday at the age of 80. He really was like that.
What we see: The “Accidentally Wes Anderson” Instagram feed, which our food editor Sam Sifton describes as “very reassuring.”
Now a break from the news
Cook: You can bake Yotam Ottolenghi’s butternut squash and fondue cake with pickled red chili peppers in advance or serve warm. Either way, it’s delicious – and seriously, intensely cheesy.
Read: Escape to another century. These three historical novels are your ticket.
Do: The colors we use to decorate our homes can help us overcome challenging times. Here are some tips on how to find the right shade for the moment.
There’s even more to discover in our collection of home ideas, what to read, cook, see, and do while staying safe at home.
And now for the background story about …
American hopes for the future
The US election results seemed to crystallize deep divisions in the country – over the virus, the economy, race issues, and even how to properly count the votes. In the days leading up to the last election day, Americans waited in line in record numbers to cast ballot papers. What did they want for America? Here are some of their answers.
Kristin Haynes, 44, from Atlanta
“I hope that we will find our humanity again, that we will find a way to be kind to one another and to have empathy in general. I’m in a hopeless place right now in relation to what happened to this country, and a lot of that comes from a black person. I’ve never seen this total lack of respect for difference. “
Jairee Tannan, 19, from San Francisco
“I want America not to see us as animals, do you feel me? I want everyone to look at me – I don’t want them to just look at me as a black man. I want them to see me as an individual. “
James Couch, 35, of Wilmington, Del.
“I’m sick of Covid-19 and I hope the country can pass by. This was the worst time of our life and I want this to get better and the economy better. “
Phyllis Minsuk, 82, and Les Minsuk, 85, from Maryvale, Arizona.
Phyllis: I want peace inside and peace outside. I want the country to come together again as caring, loving and concerned citizens, where we really live in such a way that we can support one another. “
Les: I want us to be healthy again.
That’s it for this briefing. I wish you a hopeful start to the week.
– Natasha
Many thanks
To Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh for the break from the news. You can reach the team at [email protected].
PS
• We listen to “The Daily”. Our last episode is about Joe Biden’s election victory.
• Here’s our mini crossword puzzle and a hint: British “Bye, bye!” (Four letters). You can find all of our puzzles here.
• The word “dehybernated” – one of the malapropisms of the late comedian Norm Crosby – first appeared in The Times yesterday, according to the Twitter bot @NYT_first_said.
• Thomas Erdbrink, our Iran correspondent for eight years, will be our first head of the Northern European office.
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