ELECTION RESULT NOT YET KNOWN: Americans went to bed last night or early this morning without knowing who will be the next president, with President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden locked in a tight battle, with the three traditionally Democratic states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania that Trump was able to flip in 2016 again the focus of attention. All three had a large number of mail-in votes amid the coronavirus pandemic that need to be processed, and while we may have a result today, there is a prospect of the election outcome might not be known for days. Other close states yet to be called included as of 4:00 a.m. ET included Georgia, North Carolina and Nevada. As of the same time, Biden had 238 electoral votes to 213 for Trump -- according to the Associated Press' count -- of the 270 needed to win.Trump won some states that Biden's campaign had hoped they might be able to nab, Florida the biggest prize among them, and there'd been hopes of Ohio or even Texas. Trump for his part wasn't able to pull New Hampshire or Minnesota away from the Democrats, which his campaign had tried to do.
Biden briefly spoke outdoors before a group of supporters in Delaware a little after 12:30 a.m. ET, urging patience and saying "we believe we're on track to win this election." He said, "It’s not my place or Donald Trump’s place to declare who’s won this election." Trump spoke before a cheering audience at the White House nearly two hours later, just before 2:30 a.m. ET. While recounting states he had won, Trump falsely claimed there was, quote, "major fraud" going on with the vote count aimed at, quote, "trying to disenfranchise" his voters. He also claimed, incorrectly, that he'd already won, and stated that his campaign was going to go to the Supreme Court with legal challenges.
➤ELECTORAL VOTE BREAKOUT 270 Votes Needed to Win
✔States Won By Biden -- Electoral Votes (as called by Associated Press as of 4 a.m. ET) (238)
Arizona -- 11
California -- 55
Colorado -- 9
Connecticut -- 7
Delaware -- 3
Hawaii -- 4
Illinois -- 20
Maine + 1st District -- 3
Maryland -- 10
Massachusetts -- 11
Minnesota -- 10
Nebraska 2nd District -- 1
New Hampshire -- 4
New Jersey -- 14
New Mexico -- 5
New York -- 29
Oregon -- 7
Rhode Island -- 4
Vermont -- 3
Virginia -- 13
Washington -- 12
Washington, D.C. -- 3
✔States Won By Trump -- Electoral Votes (213)
Alabama -- 9
Arkansas --- 6
Florida -- 29
Idaho -- 4
Indiana -- 11
Iowa -- 6
Kansas -- 6
Kentucky -- 8
Louisiana -- 8
Mississippi -- 6
Missouri -- 10
Montana -- 3
Nebraska -- 4
North Dakota -- 3
Ohio -- 18
Oklahoma -- 7
South Carolina -- 9
South Dakota -- 3
Tennessee -- 11
Texas -- 38
Utah -- 6
West Virginia -- 5
Wyoming -- 3
✔Undecided -- Electoral Votes (87)
Alaska -- 3
Georgia -- 16
Maine 2nd District -- 1
Michigan -- 16
Nevada -- 6
North Carolina -- 15
Pennsylvania -- 20
Wisconsin -- 10
➤SENATE RACES: There were 35 Senate seats up for election, 23 held by Republicans and 12 by Democrats. Going into the election, Republicans held 53 Senate seats, and Democrats had 45, plus two independents who caucus with them. Republicans held on to several seats that were considered vulnerable, including in Iowa, South Carolina, Texas and Kansas. Democrats flipped a Senate seat in Colorado and one in Arizona, while Republicans flipped a seat in Alabama. Several races were still not decided and one, in Georgia, is headed to a runoff in January, and possibly another in the state is too.
Pickups:
- Colorado, where Democrat John Hickenlooper defeated Republican Senator Cory Gardner.
- Alabama, where Republican Tommy Tuberville defeated Democratic incumbent Senator Doug Jones.
- Arizona, where Democrat Mark Kelly defeated Republican incumbent Senator Martha McSally.
➤HOUSE RACES: All 435 House seats were up for election. Going into the election, Democrats held 232 seats, Republicans had 197, there was one Libertarian and five vacancies. Democrats were expected to hold on to the majority, but at leas six Democratic incumbents lost their seats and the party may face a net loss of seats in its majority. There had been expectations ahead of the election instead that they might gain seats.
Races of interest:
- Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, who's promoted the "Q" conspiracy theory that Trump is secretly fighting against a pedophile cabal, won her race in Georgia.
- All four members of the "Squad" -- progressive Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Minnesota's Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan -- were reelected.
- Drug Decriminalization: Oregon voters passed an initiative making the state the first to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of hard drugs like cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. Those arrested with small amounts of these drugs can avoid trial and possible jail time by paying a $100 fine and attending an addiction recovery program.
- Recreational Marijuana: Voters in New Jersey and Arizona approved the use of recreational marijuana for those age 21 and older, and similar measures were ahead in Montana and South Dakota.
- Abortion: Colorado voters defeated a ban on abortion after 22 weeks unless a pregnant woman's life is endangered, while in Louisiana, voters passed a measure saying there's no state constitutional right to abortion. That could became relevant if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.
- Minimum Wage: Florida voters approved gradually increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026, the latest of at least seven states to do so.
- Mississippi State Flag: Mississippi voters approved a proposed design for a new state flag with a magnolia design. Legislators ended the use of the state flag with a Confederate battle emblem in June.
There have been more than 232,500 deaths in the U.S. as of late last night, according to Johns Hopkins University's count, and more than 9,382,000 confirmed cases.
➤VIENNA GUNMAN WHO KILLED FOUR ACTED ALONE, TRIED TO JOIN ISIS: Authorities in Austria said Tuesday that the man who carried out a shooting terror attack with an automatic rifle on Monday night in Vienna, killing four people and wounding 22, before he was killed by police, had previously tried to join the Islamic State (ISIS). Officials also said there was no indication of a second attacker, something they hadn't been sure of after the attack. The suspect was identified as Kujtim Fejzulai, a 20-year-old Austrian-North Macedonian dual citizen.
➤HURRICANE ETA MAKES NICARAGUA LANDFALL AS CATEGORY 4 STORM, AT LEAST THREE KILLED: Hurricane Eta made landfall in northeast Nicaragua Tuesday (November 3rd) as a powerful Category 4 storm, killing at least three people, after stalling off the country's Caribbean coast for hours. Eta is expected to stay over Central America for much of the week, dumping a lot of rain, with forecasters saying parts of Nicaragua and much of Honduras could get 15 to 25 inches of rain, with 35 inches in isolated areas. Heavy rains also were likely in part of Guatemala and Belize and in Jamaica. Some models show Eta will eventually reform in the Caribbean and could potentially move into south Florida.
➤SURVEY: TWO-THIRDS SAID VOTE WAS ABOUT TRUMP: Presidential elections with the sitting president running for re-election are described as being either a choice between the two candidates or a referendum on the incumbent, and AP VoteCast, a survey of the electorate, found that it was a referendum, with about two-thirds of voters saying their choice was driven by their opinion of President Trump, whether it's positive or negative. Only about one-third said the same about former Vice President Joe Biden. On issues, about 40 percent said the coronavirus pandemic was the top concern facing the country, with the economy close behind, with about 30 percent saying it was the top concern. About 10 percent cited racism as the most important issue. In other results, about 60 percent of voters said they are unhappy with the direction of the country, and three-quarters said they've always known how they would vote.
🚢CRUISE INDUSTRY WON'T BE RESTARTING UNTIL 2021: The cruise industry has given up on restarting in the U.S. from its coronavirus halt, with Cruise Lines International (CLI), the group that represents most cruise lines, saying yesterday its members have agreed to extend the suspension of U.S. sailing operations for the rest of the year. That came just days after Carnival and Norwegian extended their halt on cruises through the end of 2020. It also comes days after the federal government lifted its no-sail order that had been in effect since mid-March, but did so with rules cruise lines would have to meet. CLI said its members, quote, "will use the remainder of the year to prepare for the implementation of extensive measures to address COVID-19 safety."
➤KENTUCKY STATE POLICE COMMISSIONER RESIGNS OVER HITLER TRAINING MATERIALS REPORT: Rodney Brewer is resigning as commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, stepping down days after journalism students at Louisville's duPont Manual High School reported that previously used training police materials had quoted Adolf Hitler recommending the, quote, "perpetually constant" use of violence. Hitler actually appeared three times in the training slideshow, which was used as recently as 2013, according to the high school publication. Brewer has been on the force for 33 years, and was also police commissioner from December 2007 to February 2016. Governor Andy Beshear said Friday in response to the report that the state will review all training materials, calling what was revealed "absolutely unacceptable."
➤SURVEY: TWO-THIRDS SAID VOTE WAS ABOUT TRUMP: Presidential elections with the sitting president running for re-election are described as being either a choice between the two candidates or a referendum on the incumbent, and AP VoteCast, a survey of the electorate, found that it was a referendum, with about two-thirds of voters saying their choice was driven by their opinion of President Trump, whether it's positive or negative. Only about one-third said the same about former Vice President Joe Biden. On issues, about 40 percent said the coronavirus pandemic was the top concern facing the country, with the economy close behind, with about 30 percent saying it was the top concern. About 10 percent cited racism as the most important issue. In other results, about 60 percent of voters said they are unhappy with the direction of the country, and three-quarters said they've always known how they would vote.
🚢CRUISE INDUSTRY WON'T BE RESTARTING UNTIL 2021: The cruise industry has given up on restarting in the U.S. from its coronavirus halt, with Cruise Lines International (CLI), the group that represents most cruise lines, saying yesterday its members have agreed to extend the suspension of U.S. sailing operations for the rest of the year. That came just days after Carnival and Norwegian extended their halt on cruises through the end of 2020. It also comes days after the federal government lifted its no-sail order that had been in effect since mid-March, but did so with rules cruise lines would have to meet. CLI said its members, quote, "will use the remainder of the year to prepare for the implementation of extensive measures to address COVID-19 safety."
➤KENTUCKY STATE POLICE COMMISSIONER RESIGNS OVER HITLER TRAINING MATERIALS REPORT: Rodney Brewer is resigning as commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, stepping down days after journalism students at Louisville's duPont Manual High School reported that previously used training police materials had quoted Adolf Hitler recommending the, quote, "perpetually constant" use of violence. Hitler actually appeared three times in the training slideshow, which was used as recently as 2013, according to the high school publication. Brewer has been on the force for 33 years, and was also police commissioner from December 2007 to February 2016. Governor Andy Beshear said Friday in response to the report that the state will review all training materials, calling what was revealed "absolutely unacceptable."
"More Americans on diets from a decade ago, report finds" #food #eat #health #tastyfix https://t.co/jrMJcnTCYs
— Foodie Newsie (@FoodieNewsie) November 4, 2020
➤MORE AMERICANS ON DIETS THAN DECADE AGO: A higher percentage of Americans say they are on a special diet to lose weight or for other health reasons than a decade ago, according to a report out Tuesday from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC report found that 17 percent of Americans said they were on diets during the 2017-2018 survey period, up from 14 percent a decade earlier. Despite that, obesity rates in the U.S. rose over the same period from 34 percent of Americans to 42 percent. Among other information from the report: more women reported being on a diet than men; a higher percentage of those 40 and older were on a diet than those ages 20 to 39; the heavier and more educated people were, the more likely they were to report being on a special diet; and low-carbohydrate diets gained in popularity, while low-fat and low-cholesterol diets saw a decline.
🏈WISCONSIN-PERDUE GAME CANCELED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK: Saturday's football game between Wisconsin and Purdue has been canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak in Wisconsin's program. The school has had 27 cases among 15 athletes and 12 staffers since October 24th, including head coach Paul Chryst. It's also been reported in the media that starting quarterback Graham Mertz and backup quarterback Chase Wolf are also among the active cases. This is the second straight game Wisconsin has been forced to cancel due to their outbreak, after calling off their Nebraska game on October 31st.
Clemson might be No. 1 in the polls, but you went with Bama in the @CapitalOne Fan Vote! pic.twitter.com/PnrhEs1Y33
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 3, 2020
🏈COWBOYS QUARTERBACK DALTON PUT ON COVID LIST: Dallas Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton was put on the reserve/Covid-19 Tuesday and will miss the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. This is the second straight game Dalton is missing after being out of the first because of a concussion. ESPN said Dallas hasn't decided yet who will start in his place.
🏈TAMPA BAY ACTIVATES BROWN: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers activated Antonio Brown from the suspended list on Tuesday, with head coach Bruce Arians saying he'll have a role in Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints. The Buccaneers signed Brown last week to a one-year deal. He ended an eight-game suspension for multiple violations of the NFL's personal conduct policy.
🏈BRONCOS GM ELWAY, PREZ ELLIS POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS: Denver Broncos general manager John Elway and team president Joe Ellis both tested positive for the coronavirus yesterday. The Broncos said both Elway, the former quarterback great, and Ellis have minor symptoms and are "doing well." The team said contract tracing shows no players or coaches came into close contact with either recently.
🏈NFL EXPANDING SIDELINES AS CORONAVIRUS PRECAUTION: The NFL said in a memo to teams on Tuesday that it's expanding the sideline area to give teams more space to distance amid the coronavirus pandemic, and face mask use is now mandatory before and after games and at halftime. The protocol update came one day after the NFL learned two players who played in games Sunday tested positive for the virus.
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