Trump Has Agreed on Transition of Power to Biden

Donald Trump has accepted a formal US transition should begin for President-elect Joe Biden to take office.

The president said the federal agency overseeing the handover must "do what needs to be done", even as he vowed to keep contesting his election defeat.

The General Services Administration (GSA) said it was acknowledging Mr Biden as the "apparent winner".

It came as Mr Biden's victory in the state of Michigan was officially certified, a major blow to Mr Trump.

After the GSA announcement, the Pentagon said it would provide "support to the Biden team... in a professional, orderly, and efficient manner that is befitting of the public's expectation of the Department and our commitment to national security".

 Biden team welcomed the start of the transition process as the Democratic president-elect gears up to be sworn in on 20 January.

"Today's decision is a needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation, including getting the pandemic under control and our economy back on track," a team statement said.

Earlier, Mr Biden unveiled a foreign policy and national security team consisting of old colleagues from his years in the Obama administration.

He will appoint Anthony Blinken as secretary of state and John Kerry as climate envoy, while Janet Yellen is tipped to be the first female US treasury secretary.

Mr Trump's fellow Republicans have increasingly been breaking ranks over the transition, with several of them speaking out on Monday.

Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander, who is retiring, released a statement saying that Mr Trump should "put the country first" and help Mr Biden succeed.

"When you are in public life, people remember the last thing you do," Mr...