Recently, each stateâs members of the 538 who make up the Electoral College officially voted in their individual states their choices for president and vice president.
The votes were certified on Monday, Dec.14: Democrat Joe Biden 306, to Republican President Donald Trumpâs 232.
That caused Republican Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell to recognize on the Senate floor the next morning that Democratic former Vice-President Joe Biden will indeed become president on Jan. 20.
âThe electoral college has spoken,â McConnell said, adding, âToday I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden.âÂ
That replaces the descriptive refuge of âformer Vice-President,â which many Republican office-holders have used, trying to stay on President Trumpâs âgood side,â wherever that is these days.
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Venezuela resumes direct oil shipments to China despite U.S. sanctions
Venezuela has resumed direct shipments of oil to China after U.S. sanctions sent the trade underground for more than a year, according to Refinitiv Eikon vessel-tracking data and internal documents from state company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).
Chinese state companies China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) and its listed subsidiary PetroChina – long among PDVSA’s top customers – stopped loading crude and fuel at Venezuelan ports in August 2019 after Washington extended its sanctions on PDVSA to include any companies trading with the Venezuelan state firm. https://reut.rs/36ZyATv
The imposition of the sanctions was part of a push by the Trump administration to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, but they failed to completely halt the South American nation’s oil exports or to loosen Maduro’s grip on power.