US News Roundup: U.S. miners tout environmental credentials in wake of Biden victory; U.S. notches up more COVID-19 case and hospitalization records and more

Republican Georgia secretary of state says no sign of widespread fraud in vote count Georgia's Republican Secretary of State said on Wednesday there was no sign yet of widespread fraud in his state's vote count, where Democratic President-elect Joe Biden currently has a 14,000 vote lead over President Donald Trump.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

U.S. miners tout environmental credentials in wake of Biden victory

U.S. mining companies are moving fast to align themselves with Joe Biden's climate change agenda, saying the lithium, copper and other metals they produce can help the president-elect achieve his ambitious goals to slash carbon emissions and electrify the nation's automobiles. With Biden proposing to hasten the demise of coal and other fossil fuels with his $2 trillion climate plan, miners of so-called strategic metals are hoping Biden's team sees them as partners, not foes.

U.S. notches up more COVID-19 case and hospitalization records

The United States continued to notch up grim records on Wednesday as it battles through the coronavirus pandemic, with a worsening outbreak in the northeast of the country adding pressure on top of an already reeling Midwest. Reported new COVID-19 infections of 142,279 were at an all-time daily high for a second day in a row and above 100,000 for an eighth consecutive day, according to a Reuters tally.

Trump endorses McDaniel to remain RNC chair, ponders 2024 run

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday endorsed Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel to stay on in her position, in what one source said could be a prelude to Trump's announcing plans to run for president in 2024. Normally, a president who loses an election does not influence who the RNC picks as its next leader. Trump is contesting the results of the Nov. 3 election that was won by Democrat Joe Biden.

Biden's Treasury pick may be key to climate, jobs, and equality agenda

Incoming U.S. Treasury secretaries have been confronted over the past two decades with the financial rescue of other countries, the bailout of the U.S. banking system and a trade war. But whoever Joe Biden chooses may face an agenda of historic depth and breadth, fighting crises while pursuing the lofty goals the president-elect set during his campaign. Biden's Treasury pick will have to cope with a recession and joblessness, as well as serving as the fulcrum to address wealth inequality, climate change and other issues.

Biden ignores Trump to build team; eyes on pandemic as hospitalizations soar

President-elect Joe Biden will press on with building his governing team on Thursday, ignoring President Donald Trump's refusal to accept defeat. New records for coronavirus infections and hospitalizations ensured that the transition will be dominated by the response to the pandemic, which has accelerated since the Nov. 3 election. Trump remains in office until Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20.

As Trump refuses to concede, some bettors hold out too

President Donald Trump's challenge of the U.S. election result in the courts has emboldened some to bet he can still win, even as most bookies have settled bets by accepting that President-elect Joe Biden will succeed him. Trump still has a 10% chance of remaining in the White House for a second term, according to Betfair, an online betting exchange that matches opposing wagers by punters.

That is up from 3% late last week. Blowback against Trump campaign law firm targets clients, recruiting

Jones Day, the go-to law firm for U.S. President Donald Trump's election campaign, is under fire for representing Republicans in a lawsuit over Pennsylvania's extended deadline to receive mail-in ballots, with law students threatening to boycott the firm and a prominent anti-Trump group targeting it online. The firm defended its representation in a statement on Tuesday, saying the case raises important constitutional questions, pushing back on critic's claims that its main goal is to sow distrust in the results of the election. A request by Republicans for the Supreme Court to hear the case is pending.

Biden taps longtime aide Ron Klain, who led Ebola fight, as chief of staff

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden appointed top Democratic official Ron Klain as his chief of staff and assistant to the president on Wednesday. Klain is one of Biden's closest confidants and first worked for the Democrat in 1989 when he was a U.S. senator. He was in charge of the Barack Obama administration's response to the Ebola health crisis in 2014, when Biden was vice president.

Donations under $8K to Trump ‘election defense’ instead go to president, RNC

As President Donald Trump seeks to discredit last week's election with baseless claims of voter fraud, his team has bombarded his supporters with requests for money to help pay for legal challenges to the results: “The Left will try to STEAL this election!” reads one text. But any small-dollar donations from Trump's grassroots donors won't be going to legal expenses at all, according to a Reuters review of the legal language in the solicitations.

Republican Georgia secretary of state says no sign of widespread fraud in vote count

Georgia's Republican Secretary of State said on Wednesday there was no sign yet of widespread fraud in his state's vote count, where Democratic President-elect Joe Biden currently has a 14,000 vote lead over President Donald Trump. Brad Raffensperger, in an interview with CNN, said he has ordered a hand recount because of the closeness of the vote count, but he believed votes had so far been tallied accurately. Biden's current lead, with nearly all votes counted, is 0.3%.

(With inputs from agencies.)