First: Harris concedes to Trump but urges his supporters to 'never give up' | US News

Good morning

Kamala Harris formally conceded the election to Donald Trump on Wednesday and urged her supporters to “never give up” and fight for American democracy as he prepared to choose his top team.

Speaking at her alma mater, Howard University, after the Republican received more than the 270 votes needed to win the Electoral College, Harris said: “While I concede this election, I concede the fight that is this one.” fueled the election campaign. Hear me when I say: The light of America's promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up.” She received loud applause when she told the crowd that she would support the peaceful transition of power.

For the first time in two decades, Republicans are projected to win the popular vote: at the time of writing, Trump had 51% to Harris' 48%. With the results still in, Joe Biden, who said he spoke to Trump on Wednesday and invited him to the White House, will address the nation on Thursday.

• How many people voted for Trump compared to 2020? The vote count is still ongoing – but Trump is expected to reach the 74 million votes he won in 2020, while Harris is expected to fall short of the 81 million votes Biden won in 2020.

US elections 2024: Control of the House of Representatives remains unclear

Control of the U.S. House of Representatives remained unclear early Thursday morning, even as Republicans secured their widely expected majority in the U.S. Senate.

With two pillars of power already under Republican control, the Democratic Party has more at stake than ever before, as gaining control of the House of Representatives could be their only way to check Trump's power as president.

At the time of writing, 38 races had not yet been called, with Republicans gaining one seat to 206 while Democrats trailed by one seat at 191.

• When will we know? It may still take days to determine the House winner – in 2022 it took more than a week.

US special investigator should close criminal proceedings against Trump

Special counsel will drop their criminal cases against Trump before he takes office in January because his victory means the cases will not go to trial, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

The decision comes because the cases will not be completed by Inauguration Day and once Trump is in the White House, the special counsel's office would be barred from pursuing further criminal action.

The Justice Department has long known that if the Republican nominee were elected, Trump's attorney general would likely drop charges against him over his withholding of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

In other news…

Stat of the day: 2 million at risk of starvation in Myanmar state

Two million people in Myanmar's Rakhine state are at risk of starvation within months after conflict and trade blockades led to economic collapse and looming famine, a senior UN official has warned. Many households surveyed reported eating “a single meal a day – some even less,” said Kanni Wignaraja, U.N. deputy secretary-general and regional director of the United Nations Development Program.

You shouldn't miss this: “Trump can't stop global climate protection”

To inspire much-needed optimism about the future of climate negotiations, read this article by Bill Hare, Managing Director of Climate Analytics. Hare says the wheels of the energy transition are already in motion and argues that the rest of the world can also stand together with Trump in the White House to take meaningful action on global warming. Even in the US, it may not be in Republicans' political interests to scale back green investments.

Climate check: 2024 will “almost certainly” be the hottest year ever

The EU's space program said it was “virtually certain” that this year would be the hottest on record. The report found that 2024 will likely be the first year in which temperatures will be more than 1.5°C (2.7°F) higher than before the Industrial Revolution – an alarming milestone. While world leaders promised to stop the Earth's warming to 1.5°C by 2100, global warming is on track to roughly double that figure.

Last thing: make my bed? I'm afraid this is against the doctor's orders

Professional medical advice is now casting doubt on what parents of teenagers have been trying to get them to do for decades: make their beds. Doctors tell TikTok that dust mites, which live in all of our bedding, prefer a well-made bed that retains moisture and helps them thrive. Another piece of advice that may be less welcome for those who are reluctant to do housework is to change the bedding once a week.

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