AP News in Brief at 9:04 p.m. EST

Biden advisers to meet vaccine firms as Trump stalls handoff

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden's scientific advisers will meet with vaccine makers in coming days as the presidential transition remains stalled because of President Donald Trump's refusal to acknowledge that he lost the election. That delayed handoff is especially problematic during a public health crisis, the government's top infectious disease expert said.

“Of course it would be better if we could start working with them,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who has been through multiple presidential transitions during 36 years of government service. He likened the process to runners passing on the baton in a relay race. “You don’t want to stop and then give it to somebody," he said. “You want to just essentially keep going.”

The president-elect's outreach to the vaccine manufacturers comes as the coronavirus pandemic in the United States has entered perhaps its most dangerous phase. The seven-day rolling average for new daily cases stood at 145,400 on Saturday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. That means the U.S. is adding about 1 million new cases a week, and deaths averaged 820 a day as of Saturday, a 33% increase in just two weeks.

"We’re going to start those consultations this week,” said Biden's chief of staff, Ron Klain, citing Pfizer and other pharmaceutical companies.

Pfizer’s announcement that preliminary data indicate its vaccine is 90% effective lifted financial markets last week and gave people worldwide hope that an end to the pandemic will be coming.

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Trump seems to acknowledge Biden win, but he won't concede

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday appeared to acknowledge for the first time that Joe Biden won the White House, but made clear he would not concede and would keep trying to overturn the election result. Trump's statements came in tweets that included several baseless claims about the Nov. 3 vote, which state and federal officials say was safe and secure.

Trump, without using Biden's name, tweeted that “He won,” something Trump had not said before publicly, though he said the Democrat's victory was only “in the eyes” of the media. Biden defeated Trump by winning back a trio of battleground states that switched from the Democratic column in 2016 — Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania — and topped the 270 electoral vote threshold to clinch the presidency. Biden so far has 78.8 million votes, the most ever by a winning candidate, to Trump's total — more than 73 million.

“If the president’s prepared to begin to recognize that reality, that’s positive,” Biden's incoming chief of staff, Ron Klain told NBC's “Meet the Press.” Still, Klain said, “Donald Trump’s Twitter feed doesn’t make Joe Biden president or not president. The American people did that.”

A Republican governor said “it was good actually” to see Trump's tweet that Biden won. “I think that’s the start of an acknowledgment. ... We want to make sure that there is a smooth transition,” said Arkansas' Asa Hutchinson on NBC.

The president has previously refused to accept the results of the election and, in a later tweet Sunday, he dug in again, saying, “I concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go.” Even while seemingly acknowledging Biden’s victory, he also argued without evidence that the former vice president only won because the election was “rigged.” Trump then made unsubstantiated complaints about access for poll watchers and about vote tabulations and asserted, “WE WILL WIN!” Twitter soon posted warning labels about the tweets.

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SpaceX launches 2nd crew, regular station crew flights begin

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX launched four astronauts to the International Space Station on Sunday on the first full-fledged taxi flight for NASA by a private company.

The Falcon rocket thundered into the night from Kennedy Space Center with three Americans and one Japanese, the second crew to be launched by SpaceX. The Dragon capsule on top — named Resilience by its crew in light of this year’s many challenges, most notably COVID-19 — reached orbit nine minutes later. It is due to reach the space station late Monday and remain there until spring.

“By working together through these difficult times, you’ve inspired the nation, the world, and in no small part the name of this incredible vehicle, Resilience,” Commander Mike Hopkins said right before liftoff.

Once reaching orbit, he radioed: “That was one heck of a ride."

Sidelined by the coronavirus himself, SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk was forced to monitor the action from afar. He tweeted that he “most likely” had a moderate case of COVID-19. NASA policy at Kennedy Space Center requires anyone testing positive for coronavirus to quarantine and remain isolated.

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Peru's interim president resigns as chaos embroils nation

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru’s interim president resigned Sunday as the nation plunged into its worst constitutional crisis in two decades following massive protests unleashed when Congress ousted the nation’s popular leader.

In a short televised address, Manuel Merino said Congress acted within the law when he was sworn into office as chief of state Tuesday, despite protesters’ allegations that legislators had staged a parliamentary coup.

“I, like everyone, want what’s best for our country,” he said.

The politician agreed to step down after a night of unrest in which two young protesters were killed and half his Cabinet resigned. Peruvians cheered the decision, waving their nation’s red and white flag on the streets of Lima and chanting “We did it!” But there is still no clear playbook for what comes next.

Congress scheduled an emergency session for Sunday evening to select a new president. Meanwhile, ex-President Martín Vizcarra – whose ouster sparked the upheaval – called on the country’s highest court to step in.

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The Latest: US cases hit 11M; latest million took 6 days

BALTIMORE — More than 11 million cases of the coronavirus have now been reported in the United States, with the most recent million coming in less than a week.

Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus tracker reached 11 million on Sunday. It had topped 10 million cases on Nov. 9.

It took 300 days for the U.S. to hit the 11 million mark since the first case was diagnosed in Washington state on Jan. 20.

COVID-19 is spreading more rapidly across the U.S. than it has at any time since the pandemic started. Deaths are also on the rise, though not at the record high numbers reached in the spring. The seven-day rolling average for daily new deaths was more than 1,080 as of Saturday, more than 30% higher than it was two weeks earlier.

COVID-19 has now killed more than 246,000 people in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins.

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Poll workers contract virus, but Election Day link unclear

Despite painstaking efforts to keep election sites safe, some poll workers who came in contact with voters on Election Day have tested positive for the coronavirus, including more than two dozen in Missouri and others in New York, Iowa, Indiana and Virginia.

The infections cannot be tied definitively to polling places. Because COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in the U.S., there is no way to determine yet whether in-person voting on Election Day contributed to the surge, public health experts said.

Still, the infections among poll workers raise concerns because of how many people passed through voting sites, which implemented social-distancing rules, erected protective barriers and stocked sanitizer, masks, gloves and other safety gear. In most places, poll workers were required to wear masks.

The cases emerged while election workers continued counting thousands of ballots. As a hand tally of the presidential race began in Georgia, the state's top election official placed himself under quarantine after his wife tested positive for the coronavirus.

In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which is in a county considered a national virus hot spot, an election official who worked an early voting site later tested positive.

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Britain's Johnson in self-isolation; has no virus symptoms

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is self-isolating after being told he came into contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said Sunday.

“He will carry on working from Downing Street, including on leading the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic,” a statement from his office said.

Johnson “is well and does not have any symptoms of COVID-19,” it added.

Johnson met with a small group of lawmakers for about a half-hour on Thursday, including one who subsequently developed coronavirus symptoms and tested positive.

He was notified by the National Health Service's Test and Trace system Sunday and told he should self-isolate because of factors including the length of the meeting.

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AP FACT CHECK: Trump wrong on Georgia voter signature checks

ATLANTA (AP) — President Donald Trump has wrongly claimed that Georgia election officials are unable to verify signatures on absentee ballot envelopes because of a legal settlement known as a consent decree.

Here's a look at Trump's claims, in a tweet on Saturday:

TRUMP: “The Consent Decree signed by the Georgia Secretary of State, with the approval of Governor @BrianKempGA, at the urging of @staceyabrams, makes it impossible to check & match signatures on ballots and envelopes, etc. They knew they were going to cheat. Must expose real signatures!”

THE FACTS: There is nothing in the consent decree that prevents Georgia election clerks from scrutinizing signatures. The legal settlement signed in March addresses accusations about a lack of statewide standards for judging signatures on absentee ballot envelopes.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, said that not only is it entirely possible to match signatures, but that the state requires it.

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Biden's beach hideaway has political sun shining on Rehoboth

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) — This resort town known for Atlantic waves that are sometimes surfable, fresh-cut French fries and a 1-mile wooden boardwalk that dates to the 1870s has long prided itself on being the “Nation's Summer Capital.”

It may soon sport a beach White House.

President-elect Joe Biden owns a $2.7 million, Delaware North Shores home with a swimming pool that overlooks Cape Henlopen State Park, is blocks from the ocean and a short drive from downtown Rehoboth Beach. It's a getaway about two hours by motorcade from Washington and a bit less than that from Biden's longtime home in Wilmington.

Biden spent time in Rehoboth Beach after the Democratic National Convention and made his first trip back this weekend as president-elect.

“I think he’s earned, certainly, a couple of days off,” said Jen Psaki, an adviser to Biden’s transition team.

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Dustin Johnson buries some major memories, wins the Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — In this one-of-a-kind Masters that had no fans and no roars, Dustin Johnson made sure it had no drama. And when he polished off his five-shot victory Sunday with lowest score in tournament history, he had no words.

Only tears.

Looking smart in his Masters green jacket he dreamed his whole life of winning, Johnson spoke to a small gathering on the putting green in absence of the official ceremony, but only briefly. In control of every aspect of his game on a course that never allows anyone to relax, he couldn't speak when it was over. Instead, he turned to wipe his eyes.

“I've never had this much trouble gathering myself,” Johnson finally said. “On the golf course, I'm pretty good at it.”

No one was better. Not even close.