Trump has no plans to immediately concede election as Biden takes lead: Report
Washington: Donald Trump does not have plans to immediately concede the election to Joe Biden after his Democratic rival pulled ahead in key states that could deliver him enough electoral votes to win the race for the White House, a senior aide of the president was quoted as saying by a media report on Friday.
According to the latest US media projections, Biden pulled ahead of Trump in Georgia. He has also taken the lead over Trump in Pennsylvania.
Trump cannot find a route to 270 electoral votes without Georgia and Pennsylvania, so his chances of securing reelection will hinge on developments in the two key battleground states.
Georgia's 16 electoral votes would be enough to guarantee at least a tie in the 538-member Electoral College, pending results from the other uncalled states. Pennsylvania, which has 20 electoral college votes would single-handedly deliver the White House to Biden.
Reacting to the latest developments, the senior Trump aide told Fox News that the president's counselors have been giving him advice in both directions, with some telling Trump that a concession is a correct thing to do, and others pushing him to continue to fight to ensure the vote was correct and legitimate
The aide, who was not identified, told Trump's favorite news channel that the president is "simply skeptical."
He warned about this for months, the aide said. The media didn't take it seriously, and now, here we are with the scenario.
The aide said, though, that the president may ultimately concede.
He's just not there yet, the aide added.
Reacting to the Trump aide's remarks that President Trump has no plans to concede the race, Biden spokesperson said, "As we said on July 19th, the American people will decide this election."
"The United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House, campaign spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign has filed lawsuits in a number of states this week, seeking access to poll watching, as well as a federal lawsuit in Nevada urging officials to stop counting illegal ballots, claiming thousands of ballots were sent to non-residents and the deceased.
The president will almost certainly ask for a recount in Pennsylvania, the report said, noting that this will be in addition to the one he and his campaign announced in Wisconsin.
He will also likely ask for a recount in Georgia as well, and if he doesn't overtake Biden, he will likely request a recount in Arizona, too, the report said.
Asked if this would be resolved any time in the near future, the aide told Fox News, I don't see how it is.
Meanwhile, Trump campaign general counsel Matt Morgan on Friday said: "This election is not over."
"The false projection of Joe Biden as the winner is based on results in four states that are far from final," Morgan said.
"Georgia is headed for a recount, where we are confident we will find ballots improperly harvested, and where President Trump will ultimately prevail."
Trump on Thursday vowed that he and his campaign would not allow corruption to steal the election while maintaining that he will win the 2020 presidential race.
If you count the legal votes, I easily win, he said. We will not allow corruption to steal such an important election or any election for that matter. Trump, however, did not give any evidence of electoral malpractice.
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Siddaramaiah gives push for AI in Karnataka Budget
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said to further strengthen the AI sector, AI and Robotics Technology Park under IISc, will set up a robotics and AI campus called "Bangalore Robotics and AI Innovation Zone" during the current year.
This campus will be set up in collaboration with ISRO and Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (KEONICS), Siddaramaiah added.
Presenting Karnataka Budget 2026-27, he said, a centre of Excellence for AI will be set up at IIIT Raichur at a cost of Rs 5 crore.
Noting that Karnataka is the first state to introduce the Global Capability Center (GCC) Policy, the CM said, as a result of the progressive policies of the government, more than 550 GCCs are currently operating in the state.
"Under this policy, the target is to establish 500 new GCCs in the state by 2029, which are expected to create employment for 3.5 lakh people and generate an economic output of USD 50 billion. A new IT park will be established in Mangalore to promote GCC by KEONICS," he said.
With the support extended to the IT sector, more than 30,000 employees are working in 100 companies in Mysuru, the CM said.
To ease the congestion in Bengaluru and to strengthen economic activities beyond Bengaluru, Myasuru city will be developed as the second IT city of the state, he added.
To support drone testing and performance appraisal, a drone testing facility will be established in Chikkaballapur district, he said.
"During the current year, Rs 4 crore will be allocated for the development of an advanced surgical-assisted robot (COBOT)" in collaboration with IIIT-Bangalore and NIMHANS. This technology will facilitate improved outcomes in neurosurgical procedures, he added.
The CM said that infrastructure facilities will be developed at the Centre for Human Genetics at a total cost of Rs 20 crore to accommodate the newly established Institute of Advanced Genome Editing and Gene Therapy, along with other biotechnology-based laboratories.
With the objective of establishing a state-of-the-art AI Center of Excellence in Bengaluru, two centres of excellence will be set up in collaboration with the Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms and NASSCOM at a total cost of Rs 16 crore, he said.
Rs 10 crore will be allocated to implement the first phase of the Quantum Road Map over five years and this will train and develop high-quality human resources required in the quantum technology sector, he said.
Noting that a detailed project report has been prepared and submitted to the Central Government to establish a state-of-the-art 'Science City at a cost of Rs 233 crore in Adinarayana Hosahalli, Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said, upon its approval, the State will take further steps, including design and development.
To inculcate scientific temper among students, Science centres have been established in all the districts, and planetariums have been set up in 11 districts. In the current year, six new planetariums will be developed in Vijayanagar, Ballari, Chitradurga, Yadgiri, Koppal and Bidar districts at a unit cost of Rs 4 crores and a total cost of Rs.24 crore, he said.
Highlighting that Karnataka is leading in the country's Information Technology sector, the CM said, "Our state has contributed to 43 per cent of India's IT exports. Under the new IT Policy 2025-30, software exports are expected to reach Rs 11.5 lakh crore by 2030."
Karnataka State has moved up from 21st position in the previous year to 14th in the global start-up ecosystem and is home to over 18,000 active Start-ups, he said.
"Bengaluru is also ranked 5th in the world's top 50 AI cities in the field of AI and Big Data," Siddaramaiah said.
The LEAP is a flagship initiative of the Government, launched with an outlay of Rs 1,000 crore to promote start-ups and entrepreneurship in cities beyond Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said.
To increase employment opportunities through long-term industry-academia partnerships, a super 100 industry-academia adoption programme will be implemented in collaboration with Karnataka Digital Economy Mission(KDEM).
Karnataka ranks among the leading states in the ESDM and semiconductor sectors, he said.
It is a matter of pride that major global companies like Foxconn, LAM Research, and Applied Materials have recently invested in the state. The state anticipates investments to the tune of Rs 45,000 crore from companies in this sector, Siddaramaiah added.
