All eyes are on US, but row over GP document leak rolls on

With the highest number of votes of any presidential candidate in US history, Democratic nominee Joe Biden is hoping today is the day he clinches enough votes to become the president of the United States.

Just like yesterday, the race is proving to be a white-knuckle ride.

The fate of the American presidency has largely come down to a handful of key states. All throughout Wednesday, the result was on a razor’s edge.

As the hours ticked on, and many of us remained glued to CNN's magic wall of numbers, Biden's narrow lead over US president Donald Trump expanded in battleground states.

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It was neck and neck in states such as Michigan and Wisconsin, and then they fell to Biden late in the day.

Trump’s margins in Georgia and Pennsylvania have shrunk dramatically, while Nevada, Pennsylvania and North Carolina remain in play.

In a speech that stopped short of a celebration, Biden declared a win for him would be a “victory for democracy”.

Trump’s reaction has been to send out a string of incredulous tweets and to threaten legal action in various states. Many of Trump’s tweets came with provisos or notes from Twitter to warn the content could be misleading.

Given his threat to use the courts to try to invalidate ballots received after November 3rd, it is clear the levers of democracy in America are again under attack and that the country is as divided as ever.

So what would a Biden presidency mean for Ireland now?

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar certainly seems to believe that Biden will be a force for good.

He told a meeting of the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting last night that Biden has a "genuine" attachment to Ireland, specifically mentioning his heritage in Mayo. That interest in Ireland goes above and beyond just a golf resort, he told party members, in a swipe at Trump.

Interestingly, Varadkar also said Biden’s election could change the dynamic in Brexit talks to Ireland’s advantage.

And in a piece that you can find here, Pat Leahy points out Government sources in Dublin see a Biden White House as a "double-lock" on the Brexit issue.

He writes there is “satisfaction that the Biden White House would be less instinctively friendly to Boris Johnson’s government than its predecessor”.

Leaks about leaks

While we were all glued to the various American networks, the fallout over the GP pay deal leaks controversy continued. After days of defending Varadkar on the airwaves, Fine Gael members gathered yesterday to evening to hear what he had to say.

He thanked them for defending him on the airwaves and in the Dáil chamber. He signed off with a warning to “be careful of who you think your friends are”.

At the same time, the Fianna Fáil party was about to descend into chaos over the same issue.

As my colleague Harry McGee reports, there were heated exchanges between Mr Martin and Sligo TD Marc MacSharry, who said party members were angry seeing the Taoiseach acting as "chief flag-flyer for Leo".

It has escaped no-one’s attention, especially the fine folk of Twitter, that we have learned about the fallout to the leaks debacle through, well, more leaks. That’s politics for you.

Best reads

Suzanne Lynch has been playing a blinder bringing us all the latest from the United States. Here is her lead story report.

Here is another thought-provoking piece from Fintan O'Toole that is proving to be a hit with readers.

Miriam Lord on Dublin 4's answer to Éamon Ó Cuív.

Naomi O'Leary has the latest on Brexit talks, and, once again, the mood music is gloomy.

Playbook

Leaders' Questions kick off at midday. One of the more interesting items up today is a Bill from Labour that would seek to remove a provision in law that allows 25 per cent of school places to be reserved for children of past pupils. The Government will seek to kick this to touch for a year. Here's the full schedule for the Dáil.

The Seanad agenda can be found here.

There are a handful of committees meeting including the PAC and Joint Committee on Education. Here is the full schedule.