D.C. deadlock continues as COVID-19 deaths top a quarter million

WASHINGTON, D.C. (NBC News) — President-elect Joe Biden met Wednesday with front-line healthcare workers in a virtual roundtable as the United States crossed a tragic threshold: More than 250,000 American lives lost to COVID-19.

“This requires some very significant action,” Biden said.

With cases, hospitalizations, and deaths all accelerating, a dire warning was issued by a leading member of President Trump’s coronavirus task force.

“We are not crying wolf, this is the worst case of rising cases that we have seen in the pandemic,” said Admiral Brett Giroir.

Despite the public health emergency, the Trump administration is still refusing to share information with the incoming Biden administration.

President Trump has focused instead on election lawsuits, which have been falling flat, and a partial recount in Wisconsin.

Overnight, the president drew sharp criticism from both parties for firing the top U.S. election security official, who had publicly refuted the president’s baseless claims of widespread fraud.