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Today's top stories
NPR's Domenico Montanaro joins us today to give us a snapshot of the state of the race. Subscribe to NPR's Politics Newsletter and check out NPR's live blog for more election updates and analysis.
Former President Donald Trump has been elected president again, according to a race call by the Associated Press. Trump won the key states of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, with a combined 29 electoral votes to clinch more than the 270 necessary to win the presidency. As of 6:15 a.m. ET Wednesday, Trump had 277 electoral votes total. Several states, including Michigan, Arizona and Nevada are still outstanding.
Prior to the race call for Wisconsin, Trump spoke at Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., where he stood flanked by family and staff and spoke to a crowd of supporters. “We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible,” Trump said.
Trump said he won the popular vote, but those results have not been tabulated.
He will return to the White House after falsely claiming the 2020 election was rigged and stoking the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. He is also the first convicted felon to win the White House.
Republicans have retaken the Senate. They could very well have in the neighborhood of 55 to 56 Senate seats when all the counting is done. The House will not be determined for some time. It could take a week or so, as there are many close races. Sixty-two seats remain uncalled at this hour. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take control of the House. It appears they may come very close. But whoever wins control will do so by a very small margin.
— by Domenico Montanaro, NPR's political editor/correspondent
- 🎧 Trump’s political career was expected to end after the Jan. 6 attack and multiple indictments, NPR’s Franco Ordoñez tells Up First. Trump’s message on the economy resonated with many. Others told Ordoñez what appealed to them was how he spoke, that he wasn’t politically correct and that he wasn’t a politician.
- 🎧 People at Harris' event in D.C. last night realized things weren't going their way even before North Carolina was called in Trump's favor, NPR's Deepa Shivaram says. Democrats must now try to figure out how this happened and discover ways the party can rebuild.
Now that Republicans have reclaimed a Senate majority, Trump will have the opportunity to appoint more judges and increase his influence over the courts. However, any efforts to advance legislation will depend on control of the House, which is still too close to call.
- 🎧 Democrats are still defending tight Senate races in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Nevada, NPR's Deirdre Walsh says. In the House, there’s a possibility Democrats could win a narrow majority. If Democrats can't flip the House, Republicans will control both chambers of Congress and the White House.
- ➡️ Two Black women will serve together in the Senate for the first time in U.S. history. Maryland’s Angela Alsobrooks and Delaware’s Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester doubled the number of Black ever women elected to the U.S. Senate from two to four. Both are Democrats.
- ➡️ Delaware State Sen. Sarah McBride also made history. She is the first openly transgender person elected to serve in Congress.
- ➡️ Voters in 10 states are deciding whether to include protections for reproductive rights in their state constitutions. Here’s where they stand now.
- ➡️ Arizona voters have approved a GOP-backed immigration measure allowing state and local law enforcement to arrest undocumented migrants.
- 📷 NPR network photographers spent Election Day documenting Americans casting their votes. See photos of what Election Day looked like across the country.
- 🎧 The presidential campaign season has been full of unexpected moments, words and sounds. Take a step back and experience the 2024 race through archival soundbites.
Picture show
The White House has been offering the same tour for decades, with little change over the years. Now, First Lady Jill Biden has introduced a new tour that allows visitors to walk into rooms and experience new interactive elements. These enhancements include videos, digital photos and touchable replicas, providing a more engaging, museum-like experience.
- 📷 See photos of the tour including one of the new additions: the Diplomatic Reception Room.
Today's listen
Brothers Lucas and Arthur Jussen first performed for the Dutch queen when they were just 12 and 8 years old. About 20 years later, they are now touring the world and performing in major concert halls. This month, the piano duo released a set of recordings they call "tiny diamonds" — short waltzes and lullabies influenced by, and in some cases diverging from, French Impressionism of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This release marks the first volume in a planned trilogy.
- 🎧 NPR’s A Martínez speaks with them about their new EP. Hear their thoughts and listen to some of the music.
3 things to know before you go
- Move over Moo Deng. There’s a new tiny pygmy hippo. The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland's Edinburgh Zoo announced its own newborn. A female calf, named Haggis was born on Oct. 30.
- Rafael has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane. It's expected to batter the Cayman Islands and Cuba before moving into the Gulf of Mexico.
- The black-footed ferret has successfully given birth, marking the first time a U.S. clone of an endangered species produced offspring.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
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