- Barr tells prosecutors to investigate ‘vote irregularities’ despite lack of evidence
- Joe Biden vows to ‘spare no effort’ in tackling Covid as US sees record cases
- Donald Trump has no intention of conceding, campaign insists
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8.46am GMT
Of course, as well as the supreme court hearing today, we’re still in a situation where president Trump, the first incumbent to fail to win a second term since 1992, is refusing to concede defeat. Ed Pilkington and Sam Levine report for us on Attorney General William Barr’s highly unusual move to have “vote irregularities” investigated, despite a lack of evidence.
The intervention of Barr, who has frequently been accused of politicizing the Department of Justice, comes as Donald Trump refuses to concede defeat and promotes a number of legally meritless lawsuits aimed at casting doubt on the legitimacy of the election.
Barr wrote on Monday to US attorneys, giving them the green light to pursue “substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities” before the results of the presidential election in their jurisdictions are certified. As Barr himself admits in his letter, such a move by federal prosecutors to intervene in the thick of an election has traditionally been frowned upon, with the view being that investigations into possible fraud should only be carried out after the race is completed.
Related: Barr tells prosecutors to investigate ‘vote irregularities’ despite lack of evidence
8.39am GMT
Why is the Affordable Care Act (ACA) up before the supreme court again? Well, its the latest chapter of Republicans trying to get Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare reforms struck down.
My layman’s understanding of the case is this: In the Affordable Care Act, there is a provision requiring minimum essential coverage provision, known as the ‘individual mandate’.
The ACA remains in effect while the litigation is pending. However, if all or most of the law ultimately is struck down, it will have complex and far-reaching consequences for the nation’s health care system, affecting nearly everyone in some way. A host of ACA provisions could be eliminated, including protections for people with pre-existing conditions, subsidies to make individual health insurance more affordable, expanded eligibility for Medicaid, coverage of young adults up to age 26 under their parents’ insurance policies, coverage of preventive care with no patient cost-sharing, closing of the doughnut hole under Medicare’s drug benefit, and a series of tax increases to fund these initiatives.
8.25am GMT
Hi, and welcome to our live coverage of American politics in the wake of last week’s election. There’s an important hearing at the supreme court today about Obamacare. It could see the law struck down as unconstitutional and deprive millions of healthcare amid a pandemic. Here’s a little of where we are and what we might expect …
Related: Joe Biden vows to ‘spare no effort’ in tackling Covid as US sees record cases