Biden fractures foot after fall, will likely be in walking boot 'for several weeks'

Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris met virtually Monday afternoon with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, as their transition looks to continue its outreach to local officials who are dealing with the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

"You walk the streets of America, where people recognize you and look to you for confidence, look to you for a sense of security that everything's gonna be OK," Harris said. "You are the ones who take the heat on a daily basis. You are recognizable as the leaders of their government and the place where they live, the place where they worship, the place where their children go to school."

Biden then spoke briefly, joking with the mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he was born, about the town naming a street "Joe Biden Way."  He told the virtual group that he hopes to forge a partnership based on a "strong sense of common purpose" between cities and the federal government.

"As we head into this Thanksgiving, in a very dark point with cases and hospitalizations and deaths spiking, I want you to know that we're here for you and we will listen to you and work with you. And this is the first priority I'm going to have once I'm sworn in," Biden said.

The president-elect then went through his plans to slow the spread of COVID-19, including increased testing capacity, universal masking and discussed the slew of other challenges facing local officials.

He praised mayors for doing the practical -- and not partisan -- work of keeping their citizens safe and noted he has always worked to have a good relationship with local officials from his time as a city councilman, U.S. senator and vice president.

Biden also pledged his support to cities over the next few months noting that director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Julie Chavez Rodriguez will work with mayors as the point person. 

"Blue cities, red cities, It doesn't matter," Biden said. "They're all-American cities, American communities who deserve the full support of an American president, I promise you that."

"Every mayor deserves a president who is going to be a true partner. And the bottom line is we can't do this without you," he added.

-ABC News' John Verhovek, Molly Nagle and Beatrice Peterson

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued opinions Monday rejecting five lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign that were aimed at invalidating 8,329 ballots cast in the 2020 presidential contest over technical concerns.

Three justices wrote in the majority that, "no allegations of fraud or illegality" came up in examination of the ballots.

"While failures to include a handwritten name, address or date in the voter declaration on the back of the outer envelope, while constituting technical violations of the Election Code, do not warrant the wholesale disenfranchisement of thousands of Pennsylvania voters," Justice Christine L. Donohue wrote for the majority.

Two other justices joined Donohue, while other members of the court issued separate opinions. In one separate opinion, Justice David N. Wecht wrote that while he agrees technically deficient ballots should be counted this year, he does not believe the absence of a date on the declaration "should be overlooked as a 'minor irregularity.'"

Wecht wrote, "in future elections, I would treat the date and sign requirement as mandatory ... with the omission of either item sufficient without more to invalidate the ballot in question." Wecht concluded his concurring and dissenting opinion with the "hope that the General Assembly sees fit to refine and clarify the Election Code" in the future.

In a second concurring a dissenting opinion, Justice Dougherty, joined by Chief Justice Saylor and Justice Mundy, wrote that the justices agree the deficient ballots should be counted this year, and that ballots missing "fill out" information, such as printed name or address, should not be voided due to technical faults. However, Justice Dougherty noted that "the terms 'date' and 'sign' -- which were included by the legislature -- are self-evident," and that they "do not view the absence of a date as a mere technical insufficiency we may overlook." 

The court also ruled on a similar, separate challenge by a Republican candidate for state senate in Allegheny County contesting 2,349 ballots. The court denied that request as well.

All 10,678 ballots will count in the 2020 election.

-ABCNews' Matthew Mosk and Alex Hosenball

Biden is expected to name former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen as his pick for treasury secretary sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. Yellen, would be the first woman to serve in the role if confirmed.  

As Biden signaled when announcing he had made a decision on who would fill the role, the choice of Yellen is likely to earn approval from progressive Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who previously supported Yellen for chair of the Federal Reserve in 2013. In the last few days, leaders of progressive organizations have already signaled that should Warren not be slated for the role, Yellen would be acceptable in their minds. 

ABC News has reached out to the Biden transition team for comment. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

-ABC News' Martha Raddatz, Katherine Faulders, John Santucci and Molly Nagle

Two House committees continue to battle with the General Services Administration over Administrator Emily Murphy's refusal to formally acknowledge the results of the election, which has stymied President-elect Joe Biden's transition process. 

The Committee on Oversight and Reform and the Appropriations Committee have rejected an offer from the GSA to have Murphy's deputy brief lawmakers next week, following an initial request for Murphy to brief lawmakers by Monday. 

"We cannot wait yet another week to obtain basic information about your refusal to make the ascertainment determination," top Democrats said to Murphy in a written response. "Every additional day that is wasted is a day that the safety, health, and well-being of the American people is imperiled as the incoming Biden-Harris Administration is blocked from fully preparing for the coronavirus pandemic, our nation’s dire economic crisis, and our national security."

Democrats have offered to host the briefing themselves.

Murphy's office claimed the briefing had to be moved to next week because of the closure of the GSA office due to "threatened violence against the facility."

A GSA spokesperson did not respond to ABC News' request for comment.

-ABC News' Benjamin Siegel and Anne Flaherty