theguardian--2020-11-06--What to do when your president has a temper tantrum | Marina Hyde

There are several reasons presidents cry .
Anyone who has ever had one and been up half the night with it – or all the night with it , night after night – can tell you this .
Sometimes presidents cry because they ’ re tired , sometimes they cry because they need their nappy changed , sometimes they cry because they don ’ t want you to leave them , sometimes they cry because they have a gnawing pain in their tummy , and sometimes they cry because they ’ re just being impossible that day and you should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to it but somehow you just can ’ t .
To anyone going through it currently : this phase will pass .
Of course , a crying president demands incredible amounts of attention , and while you ’ re in the thick of it , consumed by this , it may feel like it will never stop , or at least you won ’ t make it out .
There are many moments in the small hours where you stare at this crying thing and think wryly : wow , what happened to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remember when it wasn ’ t like this .
The television news – I like to think of it as the president monitor , lighting up each time he needs attention – has been on what feels like pretty much constantly in our house since 2016 , the year that Trump won ( and the UK began its own extended period of toddler meltdown ) .
A child ’ s formative years are so precious , and I ’ m sure our children will benefit enormously from all the times I ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watching the president , ” or occasionally even been forced to momentarily stop watching the president to deliver a behavioural verdict .
“ I know why you ’ re acting up – it ’ s to get my attention away from the president acting up .
Well , it won ’ t work.
” Everyone has their parenting gurus – as a realist , I follow the Philip Larkin model .
And it is typical of the parenting in our house that we , hugely belatedly , started thinking not that we should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t be ridiculous !
– but more along the lines of : should we … maybe say something ?
Anyway , after a while we did .
We said stuff to them like “ We should probably mention that this isn ’ t normal – at least , it didn ’ t used to be .
I mean , I know it ’ s pretty much all the news you ’ ve ever known in your short and possibly already terminally disillusioned lives .
But seriously , in the not-all-that-olden times , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about politics .
Longer !
” Eventually we wondered if saying “ This isn ’ t normal ” was even accurate .
All our children are under 10 .
Technically , it was kind of normal .
Even in this golden age of TV it was the biggest show on air , and frequently inspired us to seek out other family content .
Really , it was impossible not to watch the president ’ s rosebud anus mouth puckering up and screaming at some rally , and not ask one another : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rosemary ’ s Baby ?
Go on one of those parenting websites and see whether it honestly merits its 18 certificate .
Come on – it was made in the late 60s – these days even the news is scarier !
Which reminds me : can you just put on the news ?
He ’ s about to have one of his moments in the Rose Garden , and we should watch the full horror show as a family.
” As time wore even further on , we would remark mildly to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vague gesture ] all THIS .
As with all the worst stuff in the world , I ’ m afraid adults did this .
Will it get fixed ?
Hopefully !
If adults don ’ t fix it pretty quick , they ’ ll fairly soon be moving on to the phase where they bend down and pat your head and say : ‘ Hey guys , we need your generation to grow up and fix all this !
’ That is really the worst , and you SHOULD in fact be outraged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power to say to you ‘ Go to bed ’ or ‘ Right , I ’ m taking away the iPad.
’ ” But now , this .
After four years , we have FINALLY moved on to much , much safer cautionary tale territory – because now the president is really just crying .
For parents of small children , and also for anyone who has ever seen a small child behave badly in the supermarket or the street , the thing we are watching on TV now is extremely , totally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ young .
The big orange guy is angry because it is not his turn any more .
He is being a Bad Loser .
Look at him !
Someone should stop him .
Yes , I agree with you he needs a punishment for this behaviour .
Yes , no iPad would be a start .
I remember the huge excitement of being got out of bed as a child for major news events on the basis that , “ This is history.
” Yet watching Trump have his meltdown on Thursday night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inspired to get the children out of bed for it .
They could watch the giant baby in the morning .
We are finally , just about , near the point where it isn ’ t history .
It is just histrionics .

There are several reasons presidents cry. Anyone who has ever had one and been up half the night with it – or all the night with it, night after night – can tell you this. Sometimes presidents cry because they’re tired, sometimes they cry because they need their nappy changed, sometimes they cry because they don’t want you to leave them, sometimes they cry because they have a gnawing pain in their tummy, and sometimes they cry because they’re just being impossible that day and you should probably go to bed and leave them to it but somehow you just can’t.
To anyone going through it currently: this phase will pass. Of course, a crying president demands incredible amounts of attention, and while you’re in the thick of it, consumed by this, it may feel like it will never stop, or at least you won’t make it out. There are many moments in the small hours where you stare at this crying thing and think wryly: wow, what happened to my life? I think I vaguely remember when it wasn’t like this.
The television news – I like to think of it as the president monitor, lighting up each time he needs attention – has been on what feels like pretty much constantly in our house since 2016, the year that Trump won (and the UK began its own extended period of toddler meltdown). A child’s formative years are so precious, and I’m sure our children will benefit enormously from all the times I’ve said “Shhhh, I’m watching the president,” or occasionally even been forced to momentarily stop watching the president to deliver a behavioural verdict. “I know why you’re acting up – it’s to get my attention away from the president acting up. Well, it won’t work.”
Everyone has their parenting gurus – as a realist, I follow the Philip Larkin model. And it is typical of the parenting in our house that we, hugely belatedly, started thinking not that we should switch the president monitor off – don’t be ridiculous! – but more along the lines of: should we … maybe say something?
Anyway, after a while we did. We said stuff to them like “We should probably mention that this isn’t normal – at least, it didn’t used to be. I mean, I know it’s pretty much all the news you’ve ever known in your short and possibly already terminally disillusioned lives. But seriously, in the not-all-that-olden times, you could go DAYS without particularly thinking about politics. Longer!” Eventually we wondered if saying “This isn’t normal” was even accurate. All our children are under 10. Technically, it was kind of normal.
Even in this golden age of TV it was the biggest show on air, and frequently inspired us to seek out other family content. Really, it was impossible not to watch the president’s rosebud anus mouth puckering up and screaming at some rally, and not ask one another: “I wonder if the children would enjoy Rosemary’s Baby? Go on one of those parenting websites and see whether it honestly merits its 18 certificate. Come on – it was made in the late 60s – these days even the news is scarier! Which reminds me: can you just put on the news? He’s about to have one of his moments in the Rose Garden, and we should watch the full horror show as a family.”
As time wore even further on, we would remark mildly to the children: “Sorry about [expansively vague gesture] all THIS. As with all the worst stuff in the world, I’m afraid adults did this. Will it get fixed? Hopefully! If adults don’t fix it pretty quick, they’ll fairly soon be moving on to the phase where they bend down and pat your head and say: ‘Hey guys, we need your generation to grow up and fix all this!’ That is really the worst, and you SHOULD in fact be outraged that people like that somehow have the power to say to you ‘Go to bed’ or ‘Right, I’m taking away the iPad.’”
But now, this. After four years, we have FINALLY moved on to much, much safer cautionary tale territory – because now the president is really just crying. For parents of small children, and also for anyone who has ever seen a small child behave badly in the supermarket or the street, the thing we are watching on TV now is extremely, totally, instantly recognisable even to the very young. The big orange guy is angry because it is not his turn any more. He is being a Bad Loser. Look at him! Someone should stop him. Yes, I agree with you he needs a punishment for this behaviour. Yes, no iPad would be a start.
I remember the huge excitement of being got out of bed as a child for major news events on the basis that, “This is history.” Yet watching Trump have his meltdown on Thursday night, I didn’t exactly feel inspired to get the children out of bed for it. They could watch the giant baby in the morning. We are finally, just about, near the point where it isn’t history. It is just histrionics.


theguardian--2020-11-06--Big turnout and heroic vote counters: the real winners from the US election

Apologies in advance : the Upside has been too riveted by events in the US this week to do much else .
This most divisive , bad-tempered election might not seem fertile ground for optimism .
But we spotted plenty .
A huge turnout .
Heroic vote counters putting in magnificent double shifts .
A determination to uphold democracy in the face of the pandemic .
A robust institutional system , able to contain the sharpest differences of opinion and channel them towards a mandate .
As for the outcome , the Upside has always steered clear of party politics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ zeal to zealots .
We ’ re more interested in the trial than the tribal .
We are for collaboration , for innovation , for science , for honesty , for compassion , for ingenuity , for spirit , for courage in the face of adversity .
We are for any president who embodies and encourages the same .
And so to this week ’ s list of the Guardian ’ s most optimistic journalism , which includes : • Reasons to be hopeful in the US election .
Three-minute read • Culture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mini-series Life expectancy in Australia has hit new peaks of 85 for women and almost 81 for men , according to official statistics .
Elsewhere , I don ’ t know what your record for keepy-uppy is , but I ’ ll bet it ’ s not 1.1m .
This young lady topped that improbable total , and raised some cash for key workers in the process .
And , from the world of cricket , we salute the sixiest batsman ever , Chris Gayle , via some wonderful writing from Andy Bull @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s largest wind-powered ship is a salivating prospect , even if it is still at prototype stage .
Jeff Bezos ’ s $ 10bn Earth Fund is an equally salivating prospect… here the Atlantic reports on the principal beneficiaries .
George Nixon has an offer that Upside readers can not refuse .
I can only describe it as a do-it-yourshelf library .
George explains more here : It ’ s really good to see the government has allowed libraries to stay open during this second lockdown so people can access books not via @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still might not be an option after a decade of austerity and local authority funding cuts .
Bookshops are also still closed .
During the first lockdown I posted pictures of my bookshelves on Twitter and Facebook in case anyone was interested in borrowing any of them , as they don ’ t do much after I ’ ve finished reading them .
I ’ ve reposted the original posts from March ( I ’ ve also bought plenty more books since then naturally ... ) and wondered if you wouldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ please ?
They ’ re all free , I just split the cost of postage with people , and it ’ d be great to spread the word as far as possible This made us wonder if other Upside readers had initiative or lockdown antics they would like to share with the group ?
Do get in touch if so .
Meanwhile , on Twitter , rubbercable reminded us of a piece from earlier this year about the fight against fake news Where was the Upside ?
With the Indian botanical enthusiasts trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extinct .
If you haven ’ t already , sign up here to get this newsletter delivered to your inbox every Friday .
If you have , thanks for reading and have a great weekend .

Apologies in advance: the Upside has been too riveted by events in the US this week to do much else. This most divisive, bad-tempered election might not seem fertile ground for optimism. But we spotted plenty.
A huge turnout. Heroic vote counters putting in magnificent double shifts. A determination to uphold democracy in the face of the pandemic. A robust institutional system, able to contain the sharpest differences of opinion and channel them towards a mandate.
As for the outcome, the Upside has always steered clear of party politics. We prefer ideas to idealogues, zeal to zealots. We’re more interested in the trial than the tribal.
We are for collaboration, for innovation, for science, for honesty, for compassion, for ingenuity, for spirit, for courage in the face of adversity. We are for any president who embodies and encourages the same.
And so to this week’s list of the Guardian’s most optimistic journalism, which includes:
Reasons to be hopeful in the US election. Three-minute read
C Covid vaccine approved by Christmas? Four-minute read
How Estonia excels at digital learning. Two-minute read
Culture to pick you up during lockdown. Mini-series
Therapeutic music in Nigeria. Three-minute read
Children using iPads in school, Tallinn, Estonia. Photograph: Lionel Derimais/Getty Images
Lucky numbers
Life expectancy in Australia has hit new peaks of 85 for women and almost 81 for men, according to official statistics.
Elsewhere, I don’t know what your record for keepy-uppy is, but I’ll bet it’s not 1.1m. This young lady topped that improbable total, and raised some cash for key workers in the process.
Imogen Papworth-Heidel, 10, shows her keepy-uppy skills. Photograph: Karl Heidel/PA
And, from the world of cricket, we salute the sixiest batsman ever, Chris Gayle, via some wonderful writing from Andy Bull.
What we liked
The world’s largest wind-powered ship is a salivating prospect, even if it is still at prototype stage.
Jeff Bezos’s $10bn Earth Fund is an equally salivating prospect… here the Atlantic reports on the principal beneficiaries.
Oceanbird, the wind-powered vessel by the Sweden-based shipping company Wallenius Marine.
What we heard
George Nixon has an offer that Upside readers cannot refuse. I can only describe it as a do-it-yourshelf library. George explains more here:
It’s really good to see the government has allowed libraries to stay open during this second lockdown so people can access books not via Amazon, but for some people that still might not be an option after a decade of austerity and local authority funding cuts. Bookshops are also still closed. During the first lockdown I posted pictures of my bookshelves on Twitter and Facebook in case anyone was interested in borrowing any of them, as they don’t do much after I’ve finished reading them. I’ve reposted the original posts from March (I’ve also bought plenty more books since then naturally...) and wondered if you wouldn’t mind helping me get the word out please? They’re all free, I just split the cost of postage with people, and it’d be great to spread the word as far as possible
This made us wonder if other Upside readers had initiative or lockdown antics they would like to share with the group? Do get in touch if so.
Meanwhile, on Twitter, rubbercable reminded us of a piece from earlier this year about the fight against fake news
2020 elections have proven that the World needs a dose of this. Is the 'digital literacy' curriculum or course material available online? — Rubbercable (@rubbercable) November 5, 2020
Where was the Upside?
With the Indian botanical enthusiasts trying to preserve crops in danger of going extinct.
If you haven’t already, sign up here to get this newsletter delivered to your inbox every Friday. If you have, thanks for reading and have a great weekend.


theguardian--2020-11-06--Election fight: a divided US takes to the streets as the count goes on – in pictures

Protesters turned out in cities across the country for a second night while votes are still being counted for the @ @ @ @ @ to US election victory : what Trump and Biden need to win • Trump v @ @ @ @ @ they come in • Senate and House elections – full results as they come in

Protesters turned out in cities across the country for the third day while votes are still being counted for the 2020 presidential election


theguardian--2020-11-06--'You can't stop the revolution': rival protesters converge in Philadelphia – video

Vote counting is continuing in Pennsylvania as duelling protest groups gathered throughout the day outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center in @ @ @ @ @ The battleground state received 358,257 mail-in ballots and the count has resulted in the vote @ @ @ @ @ and Donald Trump • US election live : Biden and Trump virtually tied in Georgia @ @ @ @ @ election officials continue vote count as Trump tries to create chaos

Vote counting is continuing in Pennsylvania as duelling protest groups gathered throughout the day outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center in the centre of Philadelphia. The battleground state received 358,257 mail-in ballots and the count has resulted in the vote gap narrowing between Joe Biden and Donald Trump


theguardian--2020-11-06--Trump repeats baseless election fraud claims as Biden calls for calm – video report

Donald Trump has claimed , without evidence , 'If you count the legal votes , I easily win ' , @ @ @ @ @ presidential election where votes are still being counted .
Trump 's comments come after rival @ @ @ @ @ stay calm as the result remains unconfirmed .
In remarks made at the White House @ @ @ @ @ legally-cast mail-in ballots as illegitimate , and made unsubstantiated claims pollsters got results 'knowingly wrong @ @ @ @ @ being stolen • US election live : TV networks cut away as Trump lies again @ @ @ @ @ down on false election result claims as Biden calls for calm

Donald Trump has claimed, without evidence, 'If you count the legal votes, I easily win', declaring victory again in a presidential election where votes are still being counted. Trump's comments come after rival Joe Biden urged Americans to stay calm as the result remains unconfirmed. In remarks made at the White House, Trump falsely referred to legally-cast mail-in ballots as illegitimate, and made unsubstantiated claims pollsters got results 'knowingly wrong' and the election is being stolen


theguardian--2020-11-07--US election 2020 live: Biden edges toward victory with leads over Trump in Pennsylvania and Nevada

Thousands of Donald Trump supporters have unwittingly found themselves in a Facebook group called “ Gay Communists for Socialism ” , after being tricked by its creators into joining what they thought was a pro-Trump election group .
On Thursday , a Facebook group called “ Stop the Steal ” , a reference to the president ’ s false claims that Joe Biden is “ stealing ” the US election , was disabled by the social network for misinformation after gaining more than 350,000 members .
Other groups emerged in its place , including a second “ Stop the Steal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ castaways from the original group .
But less than 24 hours later , an administrator for the group changed its name to “ Gay Communists for Socialism ” without explanation , confounding the new members .
Dozens of posts from angry and confused Trump supporters asked , “ What happened to stop the steal ?
” and , “ Why is this group called gay communists for socialism ?
” , while others demanded , “ Get me off this page !
!
!
!
!
!
” Using Facebook-owned data analytics tool @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was created on 5 November as “ Stop the Steal ” before being renamed .
One administrator , whose real identity could not be verified , told the Guardian the group was a planned operation to troll conservatives with a fake “ Stop the Steal ” group .
“ We had no idea it would take off like this or suck in as many clueless people as it did when we made the switch , ” the administrator said .
He said the group , which now has 60,000 members , has an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administrator further trolled its members by telling them the name change had been done to keep Facebook from cracking down on it , and later said the group may have been hacked by Facebook itself .
“ We ’ ve been on the phone and messaging with Facebook trying to get to the bottom of this ” – a clear joke , as Facebook does not have a public customer service phone number .

Maanvi Singh (now) and Joan E Greve earlier

7 Nov 2020 17.36 GMT Kamala Harris shared a video of her phone call with Joe Biden shortly after they were declared the winners of the US presidential election. “We did it,” Harris says in the video. “We did it, Joe. You’re going to be the next president of the United States.” We did it, @JoeBiden. pic.twitter.com/oCgeylsjB4 — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 7, 2020
Updated at 18.02 GMT
7 Nov 2020 17.32 GMT The Guardian’s Sam Levine reports from Philadelphia: The city erupted shortly after the presidential race was called for Joe Biden here Saturday morning. People driving down Broad Street, a main avenue that runs through the heart of the city, were honking, cheering, and applauding loudly. One worker cleaning the streets said it felt like the Eagles, Philadelphia’s football team, won the Super Bowl.
Lots of honking and cheering on Broad street in Philadelphia. People are cheering from their cars pic.twitter.com/ebp1ISTo0u — Sam Levine (@srl) November 7, 2020 Now I’m at the Pennsylvania convention center, which is where votes are being counted and has become the epicenter of protests and celebrations in recent days. There were loud cheers of “lock him up” and “Black Lives Matter”. Donna Widmann, a teacher here who helped get her students and their families registered, said she’s hasn’t been able to stop crying. “So much emotion has happened in the past four years, man, and it just feels really good,” Widmann said. “I can’t stop crying.”
Updated at 17.40 GMT
7 Nov 2020 17.28 GMT Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Donald Trump, celebrated Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ victory. The voters have spoken, and they have chosen @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris to be our next president and vice president.
It's a history-making ticket, a repudiation of Trump, and a new page for America.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen. Onward, together. pic.twitter.com/YlDY9TJONs — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 7, 2020 “The voters have spoken, and they have chosen @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris to be our next president and vice president,” Clinton said in a tweet. “It’s a history-making ticket, a repudiation of Trump, and a new page for America. Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen. Onward, together.”
7 Nov 2020 17.23 GMT Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have both updated their Twitter bios to reflect their victory in the US presidential election. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have both updated their Twitter bios to reflect their newest titles: president-elect and vice president-elect. pic.twitter.com/neraVh2iAd — Joan Greve (@joanegreve) November 7, 2020
7 Nov 2020 17.19 GMT Biden wins Nevada Joe Biden has already won the presidential election, and the president-elect is now adding to his electoral college vote count. The AP has just announced Biden also won Nevada and its six electoral votes, bringing the Democrat’s electoral vote count to 290. BREAKING: Joe Biden wins Nevada. #APracecall at 9:13 a.m. PST. #Election2020 https://t.co/lGfinjTqT4 — AP Politics (@AP_Politics) November 7, 2020 If Biden maintains his lead in Georgia, his final electoral vote count will be 306, well above the 270 needed to win the White House. That also means Biden’s electoral vote count will be identical to the electoral votes that Donald Trump won in 2016. Trump has repeatedly characterized his 2016 electoral college victory as a “landslide”.
Updated at 18.08 GMT
7 Nov 2020 17.15 GMT People celebrate on Black Lives Matter plaza across from the White House in Washington, DC on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election Photograph: Eric Baradat/AFP/Getty Images Residents of Washington, DC, which leans heavily Democratic, took to the streets to celebrate after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the presidential election.
Updated at 17.54 GMT
7 Nov 2020 17.08 GMT Foreign leaders have already started offering their congratulations to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris after they were declared the winners of the presidential election. From the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau: Congratulations, @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris. Our two countries are close friends, partners, and allies. We share a relationship that’s unique on the world stage. I’m really looking forward to working together and building on that with you both. — Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 7, 2020
Updated at 18.12 GMT
7 Nov 2020 17.06 GMT The country’s new vice-president-elect, Kamala Harris, sent a tweet celebrating her and Joe Biden’s win as a victory for the conscience of the nation. “This election is about so much more than @JoeBiden or me,” Harris said. “It’s about the soul of America and our willingness to fight for it. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Let’s get started.” This election is about so much more than @JoeBiden or me. It’s about the soul of America and our willingness to fight for it. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Let’s get started.pic.twitter.com/Bb9JZpggLN — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 7, 2020
Updated at 18.12 GMT
7 Nov 2020 16.57 GMT Biden: 'It’s time for America to unite' President-elect Joe Biden has released a statement, thanking the American people for their support. “I am honored and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice-President-elect Harris,” Biden said.
“In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America.” Echoing the themes of his campaign, Biden called on Americans to unite in this time of crisis.
“With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation,” Biden said.
“It’s time for America to unite. And to heal.
“We are the United States of America. And there’s nothing we can’t do, if we do it together.”
Updated at 18.12 GMT
7 Nov 2020 16.54 GMT Trump refuses to concede after Biden declared president-elect Donald Trump is showing no signs of conceding, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the US presidential election. “We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don’t want the truth to be exposed. The simple fact is this election is far from over,” Trump said. The simply fact is that this election is over. The final votes will continue to be counted in dozens of states, but there is no way for Trump to come back in the presidential race at this point. “Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated,” Trump said. The president’s reelection campaign has filed lawsuits in multiple battleground states this week, but several of them have already been dismissed, and Biden’s team has dismissed them as “meritless.” It’s also worth noting that Trump does not have to concede, although it is considered a hallmark of the peaceful transfer of power. The fact of the matter is, Biden has the electoral votes to win the White House, and he will be sworn in as president in January.
7 Nov 2020 16.50 GMT Lauren Gambino Joe Biden has been elected the 46th president of the United States, denying Donald Trump a second term after a deeply divisive presidency defined by a once-in-a-century pandemic, economic turmoil and social unrest. Biden won the presidency by clinching Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral votes on Saturday morning, after days of counting votes and record turnout across the country. The win in Pennsylvania took Biden’s electoral college vote to 284, surpassing the 270 needed to win the White House. The American people have replaced a real estate developer and reality TV star who had no political experience with a veteran of Washington who has spent more than 50 years in public life and twice ran unsuccessfully for president. With turnout projected to reach its highest point in a century, a fearful and anxious nation elected a candidate who promised to govern not as a Democrat but as an “American president” and vowed to be a unifying force after four years of upheaval. The result also marked the historic rise of Kamala Harris, who will be the first woman and the first woman of color to serve as vice-president in American history. Joe Biden wins US election after four tumultuous years of Trump presidency Read more
7 Nov 2020 16.43 GMT The homepage of the conservative-leaning website Drudge Report, which has moved away from Donald Trump in recent months, currently has a picture of the president with a caption taken from The Apprentice: “You’re fired.” The Drudge Report right now. pic.twitter.com/3Wf8OmnQfM — Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) November 7, 2020
Updated at 18.15 GMT
7 Nov 2020 16.40 GMT With Joe Biden’s victory, Kamala Harris will be the first woman, the first African American and the first Asian American to become vice president. Harris is the fourth woman to be on a major party’s presidential ticket -- after Geraldine Ferraro in 1984, Sarah Palin in 2008 and Hillary Clinton in 2016. Harris is the first woman to be on a successful ticket. She will be sworn in as vice president in January.
Updated at 17.01 GMT
7 Nov 2020 16.35 GMT The networks have also declared Joe Biden to be the winner of the US presidential election. BREAKING: JOE BIDEN WINS
Joe Biden will be the 46th president of the United States, CNN projects, after a victory in Pennsylvania puts the Scranton-born Democrat over 270 https://t.co/g5ahxZ3Zcu #CNNElection pic.twitter.com/4bVHYENaaT — CNN (@CNN) November 7, 2020 The call came after a new batch of ballots came in from Pennsylvania, pushing Biden’s lead in the state over 30,000 votes. Some outlets, including CNN, have not yet called Arizona, so they currently show Biden’s electoral college vote count as 273. But with or without Arizona, Biden has surpassed the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.
7 Nov 2020 16.27 GMT Joe Biden beats Donald Trump to win US election Joe Biden has won the presidency by clinching Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral votes, the AP has just announced. BREAKING: Joe Biden wins Pennsylvania. #APracecall at 11:25 a.m. EST. #Election2020 https://t.co/lGfinjTqT4 — AP Politics (@AP_Politics) November 7, 2020 Biden’s electoral vote count now stands at 284, surpassing the 270 needed to win the White House. Donald Trump has been defeated, and Biden will become the 46th president of the United States in January.


theguardian--2020-11-07--Biden poised to win presidency after record turnout in turbulent election

Joe Biden is poised to become the 46th president of the United States after record turnout in a unique and turbulent election put him in front in the four remaining swing states , with postal ballots continuing to skew heavily in the Democrat ’ s favour .
Biden made preparations to address the nation on Friday evening , and CNN reported that a “ national defence airspace ” would be established above the Democratic candidate ’ s house in Wilmington , Delaware – meaning he would begin to receive the protection of the US military , the first trappings of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of power still looked far from certain , with the president showing every sign he was unwilling to leave the Oval Office gracefully .
On Friday evening , Donald Trump tweeted : “ Joe Biden should not wrongfully claim the office of the President .
I could make that claim also .
Legal proceedings are just now beginning !
” The president ’ s defiance divided his party and his White House staff between those willing to back a last stand , and those urging him to accept defeat .
With every passing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president .
In the early hours of Friday morning , Biden took the lead in the Republican stronghold of Georgia and a few hours later he overtook Trump in Pennsylvania , whose 20 electoral votes alone are enough to carry him over the threshold – even without Arizona , which the Associated Press has called for Biden while other media organisations say it remains too close to call .
The Democratic challenger also remained ahead in Nevada , with a narrow lead .
In Georgia , the margin was so slim that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recount after the votes were certified later this month .
Reports from the Trump camp said he was in no mood to concede .
After the lead slipped in Pennsylvania , the White House put out a statement insisting “ this election is not over ” .
A few hours later a second statement was put out , in the president ’ s name , impugning the entire US electoral system .
“ We believe the American people deserve to have full transparency into all vote counting and election certification , and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election .
This is about the integrity of our entire election process , ” the statement said .
As was the case with previous claims by Trump and his loyalists , no evidence of fraud was presented .
The Senate majority leader , Mitch McConnell , refused to commit himself , telling journalists : “ I ’ m not going to answer any hypotheticals about where we go from here.
” However , Senator Roy Blunt , who is close to McConnell , signalled that many in the Republican leadership were reluctant to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chaos .
“ You can ’ t stop the count in one state and decide you want the count to continue in another state .
That might be how you ’ d like to see the system work but that ’ s not how the system works , ” Blunt said .
“ Part of the obligation of leadership is you should always have in your mind : how do I leave ?
” The decisions of Rupert Murdoch and his media empire were also under scrutiny .
Fox News journalists were instructed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden as “ president-elect ” even if the network ’ s election team called Pennsylvania for the Democrat , according to CNN .
There were growing fears on Friday that some elements among Trump ’ s devoted fanbase would take their cue from him to take matters into their own hands .
Philadelphia police said they had arrested two men on Thursday for carrying guns without permits near the state convention centre where votes were being counted .
According to the police , one of the men had a pistol in a holster @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under a jacket .
In the men ’ s silver Hummer vehicle , police found an AR-style rifle without a serial number and 160 rounds of ammunition .
On the back window there were stickers promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory cult , including one saying “ # WWG1WGA ” , which stands for “ where we go one we go all ” .
The two men had set out from Virginia Beach and a local informant told the FBI about their plan to travel to the convention centre .
On Friday morning , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from both parties to endorse the legitimacy of the election , at a nervous moment for US democracy , amid fears that the Trump camp would try to disrupt the state-by-state certification of results and the choice of state electors to send to the electoral college , which formally names the president .
Asked about the prospect of Trump refusing to concede , a Biden campaign spokesman , Andrew Bates , said : “ As we said on 19 July , the American people will decide this election .
And the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of the White House.
” After whittling down a substantial lead for Donald Trump in Pennsylvania on election night , Biden ’ s vote count passed the president ’ s just before 9am , building up a narrow edge of 27,174 votes by Friday evening .
Many of the more than 100,000 votes yet to be counted in the state are in Democratic areas , and Democrats make up a disproportionate share of postal ballots .
The supreme court justice Samuel Alito on Friday evening directed election officials in Pennsylvania to follow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separately .
The Pennsylvania secretary of state , Kathy Boockvar , had already directed officials to segregate the late-arriving ballots and told CNN she didn ’ t think those ballots would affect the outcome of the elections “ unless it ’ s super close ” .
As of Friday evening , Biden had moved to a 4,020-vote advantage in Georgia .
The final margin between the two candidates looked certain to fall beneath the 0.5 % , threshold for triggering a recount .
“ With a margin that small , there will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state ’ s Republican secretary of state , Brad Raffensperger , told reporters .
“ Interest in our election obviously goes far beyond Georgia ’ s borders .
The final tally in Georgia at this point has huge implications for the entire country.
” In the south-west , Biden was holding on to slim advantages in Arizona and Nevada .
In Arizona , his lead narrowed to 29,861 by Friday evening as county results favoured Trump , but so far not on the scale he would need to overtake his challenger .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The fate of its six electoral college votes was likely to be decided over the weekend .
Biden ’ s lead over Trump in the nationwide popular vote stretched to over 4m , as he amassed a record 73.7m , but the president ’ s tally of 69.7m was the second-highest in US political history ( just over Barack Obama ’ s winning total in 2008 ) – reflecting the reality that while Trump seemed doomed to defeat , Trumpism will remain very much a force .
As Biden closed in on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calm after an inflammatory and falsehood-filled Trump address from the White House , where the president once again claimed he had won .
The latest voting figures accelerated increasingly frantic efforts by Trump and his campaign to undermine confidence in the election , threatening a rash of litigation amid unfounded claims of election rigging .
“ This is a case when they are trying to steal an election , they are trying to rig an election , ” Trump said from the podium of the White House briefing room .
“ If you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ win , Trump wrongly claimed .
“ If you count the illegal votes , they can try to steal the election from us .
“ If you count the votes that came in late , we ’ re looking at them very strongly , a lot of votes came in late , ” he said .
Several TV networks cut away during his remarks , with anchors saying they needed to correct his statements .
However , two loyalist senators , Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Ted Cruz of Texas , appeared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s claims , in the absence of evidence that illegal or late votes were being counted , or that the election is being stolen .
Graham , whose loyalty had been questioned on Twitter by the president ’ s son , Don Jr , pledged $ 500,000 towards the president ’ s legal fees .
From his Delaware headquarters , Biden sought to project national leadership , beginning his remarks by talking about the surging coronavirus infection rates , and appealed for patience with the electoral process , after it emerged the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Delaware to join his security detail .
“ I ask everyone to stay calm .
The process is working , ” Biden said .
“ It is the will of the voters – no one , not anyone else – who chooses the president of the United States of America.
” Any attempt by Trump to cling on to power looked likely to split his party .
While many high-profile Republicans have not commented on Trump ’ s latest remarks , several GOP lawmakers denounced his baseless allegations about fraud , with Paul @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that every vote would be counted , adding that “ anything less harms the integrity of our elections and is dangerous for our democracy ” .
Adam Kinzinger , an Illinois GOP congressman , tweeted : “ Stop spreading debunked misinformation … This is getting insane .
”

Julian Borger in Washington and Peter Beaumont

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Joe Biden, poised to become the 46th president of the United States, called on the nation to “put the anger and the demonization behind us”, in the wake of a particularly bitter election campaign, but admitted it would not be easy to heal the deep divisions in US politics.
Biden appeared in his home town of Wilmington, Delaware, alongside his running mate, Kamala Harris, on a stage that had been erected for a victory speech. But although the vote count in the four remaining undecided states was running strongly in his favour, the major news networks held back from declaring Biden the winner, wary of the febrile atmosphere in the aftermath of the vote.
Addressing supporters, Biden counseled patience but assured them he and Harris had begun preparations for taking up the reins of office on 20 January, saying they have been meeting with public health experts and economists on a day that saw a new record of more than 121,000 coronavirus cases.
03:01 Biden: 'We're going to win this race' as election count puts him on the cusp of victory – video
“We’re going to put out a plan to control this virus into action,” Biden said. “We can’t save any of the lives lost, but we can save a lot of lives in the months ahead.”
After an election with a record turnout, Biden has so far amassed some 75m votes, more than any previous president and nearly 4.5m more than Donald Trump. He is also ahead in the four remaining hotly-contested swing states, where postal ballots continued to skew heavily to his advantage.
CNN reported that a “national defence airspace” would be established above the Democratic candidate’s house in Wilmington, Delaware – meaning he would begin to receive the protection of the US military, the first trappings of the presidency.
But a smooth transfer of power still looked far from certain, with the president showing every sign he was unwilling to leave the Oval Office gracefully. On Friday evening, before his rival’s Wilmington speech, Trump tweeted: “Joe Biden should not wrongfully claim the office of the President. I could make that claim also. Legal proceedings are just now beginning!”
The president’s defiance divided his party and his White House staff between those willing to back a last stand, and those urging him to accept defeat.
With every passing hour, the arithmetic moved relentlessly against the president. In the early hours of Friday morning, Biden took the lead in the Republican stronghold of Georgia and a few hours later he overtook Trump in Pennsylvania, whose 20 electoral votes alone are enough to carry him over the threshold.
Journalists from all over the world wait for the result of the US presidential election on Black Lives Matter Plaza in front of the White House, 6 November 2020. Photograph: Eric Baradat/AFP/Getty Images
The Democratic challenger also remained ahead in Nevada, with a narrow lead. In Georgia, the margin was so slim that the state declared there would be a recount after the votes were certified later this month.
Reports from the Trump camp said he was in no mood to concede. After the lead slipped in Pennsylvania, the White House put out a statement insisting “this election is not over”.
A few hours later a second statement was put out, in the president’s name, impugning the entire US electoral system.
“We believe the American people deserve to have full transparency into all vote counting and election certification, and that this is no longer about any single election. This is about the integrity of our entire election process,” the statement said. As was the case with previous claims by Trump and his loyalists, no evidence of fraud was presented.
The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, refused to commit himself, telling journalists: “I’m not going to answer any hypotheticals about where we go from here.”
However, Senator Roy Blunt, who is close to McConnell, signalled that many in the Republican leadership were reluctant to follow Trump along the path to constitutional chaos.
“You can’t stop the count in one state and decide you want the count to continue in another state. That might be how you’d like to see the system work but that’s not how the system works,” Blunt said. “Part of the obligation of leadership is you should always have in your mind: how do I leave?”
The decisions of Rupert Murdoch and his media empire were also under scrutiny. Fox News journalists were instructed by their managers not to refer to Biden as “president-elect” even if the network’s election team called Pennsylvania for the Democrat, according to CNN.
In his speech in Delaware, Biden appealed for a return to civility in politics.
“Let’s put the anger and the demonization behind us,” he said. “It’s time for us to come together as a nation to heal. It’s not gonna be easy, but we have to try.”
That uphill task was made all the more daunting by the swirl of conspiracy theories Trump and his loyalists had whipped up over the vote count. There were growing fears on Friday that some elements among Trump’s devoted fanbase would take their cue from him to take matters into their own hands. Philadelphia police said they had arrested two men on Thursday for carrying guns without permits near the state convention centre where votes were being counted.
According to the police, one of the men had a pistol in a holster and the second had a gun concealed under a jacket. In the men’s silver Hummer vehicle, police found an AR-style rifle without a serial number and 160 rounds of ammunition. On the back window there were stickers promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory cult, including one saying “#WWG1WGA”, which stands for “where we go one we go all”. The two men had set out from Virginia Beach and a local informant told the FBI about their plan to travel to the convention centre.
People dance and hold signs during a protest in support of counting all votes as the election in in the state is still unresolved on Thursday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photograph: Chris McGrath/Getty Images
On Friday morning, Biden was seeking to rally prominent figures from both parties to endorse the legitimacy of the election, at a nervous moment for US democracy, amid fears that the Trump camp would try to disrupt the state-by-state certification of results and the choice of state electors to send to the electoral college, which formally names the president.
Asked about the prospect of Trump refusing to concede, a Biden campaign spokesman, Andrew Bates, said: “As we said on 19 July, the American people will decide this election. And the United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House.”
After whittling down a substantial lead in Pennsylvania on election night, Biden’s vote count passed the president’s just before 9am, building up an edge of 28,833 votes by Friday evening with most of the remaining uncounted votes in the form of mail in ballots, used far more by Democrats than Republicans.
The supreme court turned down a Republican appeal to halt the vote count in Pennsylvania on Friday evening, but justice Samuel Alito upheld state guidance that late-arriving ballots should be segregated from the others, keeping the door open to a possible challenge to their status.
The Pennsylvania secretary of state, Kathy Boockvar, had already directed officials to segregate theballots and told CNN she didn’t think it would affect the outcome of the elections “unless it’s super close”.
As of Friday evening, Biden had moved to a 4,395-vote advantage in Georgia. The final margin between the two candidates looked certain to fall beneath the 0.5%, threshold for triggering a recount.
Q&A How will the Guardian report US election results? Show Though most people will probably be watching the results of the race for the White House, more than 7,000 elections took place across the US on 3 November. In the age of disinformation, it is more important than ever that media outlets report election results as clearly and transparently as possible. The Guardian will be using data collected and analysed by the Associated Press (AP) as the source for when we will call election results for the presidency, Senate, House races and others. AP has a team of thousands of specialists and correspondents across America, who have trusted relationships with local officials. This will guide their data-led assessment of when it's time to call a race. There are a number of other highly reputable election "decision desks" in US media. They may call races earlier than AP. While the Guardian will report this is happening, we will rely on AP's data to make our own final call. Should any candidate declare victory prematurely, we will report this claim, but make clear that it is not valid. The only measure of victory is a complete count of all outstanding ballots. Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback.
In the south-west, Biden was holding on to slim advantages in Arizona and Nevada. In Arizona, his lead narrowed to 29,861 by Friday evening as county results favoured Trump, but so far not on the scale he would need to overtake his challenger. The Associated Press and Fox News called Arizona as a win for Biden on election night but other major networks have not followed suit.
In Nevada, Biden was ahead by 22,657 votes. The fate of its six electoral college votes was likely to be decided over the weekend.
The latest voting figures accelerated increasingly frantic efforts by Trump and his campaign to undermine confidence in the election, threatening a rash of litigation amid unfounded claims of election rigging.
02:24 Trump repeats baseless election fraud claims as Biden calls for calm – video report
Trump did not make a public appearance on Friday, amid reports he was unhappy with the legal team fighting his cause in the states, and he spent much of the days retweeting conspiracy theories about vote counting irregularities.
“I had such a big lead in all of these states late into election night, only to see the leads miraculously disappear as the days went by. Perhaps these leads will return as our legal proceedings move forward!” he tweeted.
The reason his early leads were being erased in some states was because mail in ballots were being counted after in-person ballots, and Trump had deterred his own supporters from using mail-in ballots, falsely suggesting they were more vulnerable to fraud.
Maanvi Singh contributed to this report


theguardian--2020-11-07--Why is the Nevada vote count taking so long?

The pace of vote-counting in Nevada is being criticized for taking too long – so long that it has become a target of a whole genre of memes .
But government officials say they are emphasizing accuracy over speed in a year when processing an unprecedented flood of mail-in ballots under extended deadlines is taking more time .
“ We told everyone early on that results would take at least 10 days , ” Secretary of State spokeswoman Jennifer A. Russell said in an email .
The Legislature passed a bill in August to send all active voters mail-in ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least not fueling , the spread of the coronavirus .
Those postmarked by Election Day can be counted if they arrive at election offices within seven days , which is Tuesday .
And they continue to come in , though the number arriving each day is expected to dwindle .
“ It ’ s been a different year for us , ” said Deanna Spikula , registrar of voters in Washoe County , the state ’ s second-largest county that includes Reno .
“ The volume is definitely something that we ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far as receiving and processing mail-in ballots.
” The Associated Press has not declared a winner in the state .
More than 1.2 million ballots had been counted by Friday afternoon , with Joe Biden holding a 22,657-vote lead over President Donald Trump — an edge of about 1.8 points .
About 87 % of the estimated vote has been tallied , but tens of thousands of votes remain uncounted statewide .
The vast majority of those untallied ballots are in Clark County , which includes Las Vegas and its populous surrounding suburbs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Friday that outstanding votes fell into several categories , each requiring multi-step verification to ensure the integrity of the election .
Most of the still-to-be counted ballots arrived by mail , and are first processed through a machine that verifies signatures .
Election staff manually examines signatures not verified by the machine .
Later , a review is done to make sure the total number of ballots processed matches the number of ballots received .
Once verified , those ballots are counted .
As of Thursday , an additional 44,000 ballots required @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signature-match problems .
The registrar ’ s office reaches out to voters in both groups to verify their eligibility to vote , which again takes time .
Gloria said he expected the majority of the remaining ballots to be counted by Sunday .
The Legislature gave election officials until November 12 to finish counting votes , and Gloria said staff intended to work until then to resolve ballot issues .
In Washoe County , the registrar ’ s office said it had no backlog or other problems with vote-counting .
Along with counting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county has about 5,100 provisional and same-day registration ballots that need to be counted .
About 1,800 others have signature issues , which the agency is attempting to resolve with the voters .
Processing mail-in ballots takes longer , but “ we haven ’ t had any hiccups , we haven ’ t had any delays , ” said spokeswoman Bethany Drysdale .
“ As much as everybody wants an answer right now , we won ’ t have that until every ballot is counted , ” she added .

The pace of vote-counting in Nevada is being criticized for taking too long – so long that it has become a target of a whole genre of memes. But government officials say they are emphasizing accuracy over speed in a year when processing an unprecedented flood of mail-in ballots under extended deadlines is taking more time.
“We told everyone early on that results would take at least 10 days,” Secretary of State spokeswoman Jennifer A. Russell said in an email.
How it started
The Legislature passed a bill in August to send all active voters mail-in ballots in hopes of curbing, or at least not fueling, the spread of the coronavirus. Those postmarked by Election Day can be counted if they arrive at election offices within seven days, which is Tuesday. And they continue to come in, though the number arriving each day is expected to dwindle.
“It’s been a different year for us,” said Deanna Spikula, registrar of voters in Washoe County, the state’s second-largest county that includes Reno. “The volume is definitely something that we’ve never seen before in the state as far as receiving and processing mail-in ballots.”
Where we stand
The Associated Press has not declared a winner in the state. More than 1.2 million ballots had been counted by Friday afternoon, with Joe Biden holding a 22,657-vote lead over President Donald Trump — an edge of about 1.8 points. About 87% of the estimated vote has been tallied, but tens of thousands of votes remain uncounted statewide.
The vast majority of those untallied ballots are in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas and its populous surrounding suburbs. Clark County Registrar Joe Gloria said on Friday that outstanding votes fell into several categories, each requiring multi-step verification to ensure the integrity of the election.
The process
Most of the still-to-be counted ballots arrived by mail, and are first processed through a machine that verifies signatures. Election staff manually examines signatures not verified by the machine. Later, a review is done to make sure the total number of ballots processed matches the number of ballots received. Once verified, those ballots are counted.
As of Thursday, an additional 44,000 ballots required ID verification, and 2,100 others had signature-match problems. The registrar’s office reaches out to voters in both groups to verify their eligibility to vote, which again takes time.
The timeline
Gloria said he expected the majority of the remaining ballots to be counted by Sunday. The Legislature gave election officials until November 12 to finish counting votes, and Gloria said staff intended to work until then to resolve ballot issues.
In Washoe County, the registrar’s office said it had no backlog or other problems with vote-counting. Along with counting mail ballots as they arrive, the county has about 5,100 provisional and same-day registration ballots that need to be counted. About 1,800 others have signature issues, which the agency is attempting to resolve with the voters.
Processing mail-in ballots takes longer, but “we haven’t had any hiccups, we haven’t had any delays,” said spokeswoman Bethany Drysdale.
“As much as everybody wants an answer right now, we won’t have that until every ballot is counted,” she added.


theguardian--2020-11-07--Armed men arrested near Philadelphia vote-counting site, police say

Two men armed with handguns were arrested on Thursday near the convention center in Philadelphia where the continuing vote count could decide the presidential election , police said .
Joshua Macias , 42 , and Antonio LaMotta , 61 , traveled to the city from the Virginia Beach , Virginia , area in a Hummer and did not have permits to carry the weapons in Pennsylvania , police said .
The Hummer was adorned with an American flag and a window sticker for the antisemitic , pro-Trump conspiracy theory QAnon .
They were arrested after the FBI in Virginia relayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police .
Officers stopped the men on the street about a block away from the vehicle , the Philadelphia police commissioner , Danielle Outlaw , said .
LaMotta had a 9mm Beretta in a holster and Macias had a .40-caliber Beretta handgun inside his jacket , Outlaw said .
An AR-style rifle without a serial number and ammunition were found inside the vehicle , Outlaw said .
A woman with the men was not arrested , the Philadelphia district attorney , Larry Krasner , said .
The arrests drew outsized attention amid heightened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump ’ s repeated , false accusations of voter fraud , but officials cautioned against reading too much into them .
There was no indications that anyone else was involved or that the men were members of an extremist group .
They did not say why the men went to Philadelphia .
Photographs of the men ’ s silver Hummer , taken by a photographer for the Philadelphia Inquirer , showed multiple QAnon decals on the vehicle , as well as a QAnon hat on the dashboard .
Social media accounts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
QAnon is a baseless internet conspiracy theory whose followers believe that Donald Trump is waging a secret war against a powerful “ deep state ” cabal of Democrats and Hollywood celebrities who run the world while engaging in pedophilia and child trafficking .
Followers believe that at the right moment , Trump will unmask the members of the cabal and ship them off to Guantanamo Bay .
The FBI identified QAnon as a potential domestic terror threat in 2019 , following a string of violent or criminal acts by followers of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the narrative of QAnon is tantamount to an incitement to violence .
LaMotta ’ s Twitter account included a dozen hand-drawn cartoons that used antisemitic tropes to portray aspects of the QAnon narrative and other conspiracy theories .
He portrayed Trump as a shirtless , heavily armed action hero .
A Facebook account linked to his email address used the phrase “ Deep State ” in the name .
In July , LaMotta established a GoFundMe called “ Virginia Armed Patriots ” to “ organize armed patriots for the people and businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in sectors or predicaments not covered by law-enforcement agencies ... 24/7 ” .
He appears to have shared the fundraiser in a “ Virginians Against Excessive Quarantine ” Facebook group but did not attract any donors .
Macias ’ s recent tweets suggest he supports Trump ’ s false allegations of voter fraud .
Before his arrest on Thursday , Macias posted a Facebook Live video of himself outside the Philadelphia convention center , according to the Anti-Defamation League .
In the video , Macias called on viewers to take action to “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Not these ballot stuffers that are going on in these back rooms.
” Trump ’ s recent promotion of a baseless conspiracy theory alleging that Democrats are attempting to steal the election fits neatly within the QAnon worldview , the Syracuse University professor Whitney Phillips told the Guardian this week .
“ The idea that ‘ they ’ are out to corrupt democracy , that the deep state is trying to rig the election against Trump , that it ’ s responsible for overblowing the risks of Covid and taking away your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ingredients for an insurrection , ” she said .
“ When Trump is talking about this specific kind of conspiracy theory , that runs the risk of activating this underlying feeling about ‘ them ’ coming after us , and that is extraordinarily corrosive to democracy.
” On Friday afternoon the men were in police custody awaiting arraignment on state charges of carrying a concealed firearm without a license and carrying a firearm on a public street .
Information on lawyers who could comment on their behalf was not immediately available .

Two men armed with handguns were arrested on Thursday near the convention center in Philadelphia where the continuing vote count could decide the presidential election, police said.
Joshua Macias, 42, and Antonio LaMotta, 61, traveled to the city from the Virginia Beach, Virginia, area in a Hummer and did not have permits to carry the weapons in Pennsylvania, police said. The Hummer was adorned with an American flag and a window sticker for the antisemitic, pro-Trump conspiracy theory QAnon.
They were arrested after the FBI in Virginia relayed a tip about their plans to Philadelphia police. Officers stopped the men on the street about a block away from the vehicle, the Philadelphia police commissioner, Danielle Outlaw, said.
LaMotta had a 9mm Beretta in a holster and Macias had a .40-caliber Beretta handgun inside his jacket, Outlaw said. An AR-style rifle without a serial number and ammunition were found inside the vehicle, Outlaw said.
A woman with the men was not arrested, the Philadelphia district attorney, Larry Krasner, said.
The arrests drew outsized attention amid heightened tensions over the undecided presidential race and Donald Trump’s repeated, false accusations of voter fraud, but officials cautioned against reading too much into them. There was no indications that anyone else was involved or that the men were members of an extremist group. They did not say why the men went to Philadelphia.
Photographs of the men’s silver Hummer, taken by a photographer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, showed multiple QAnon decals on the vehicle, as well as a QAnon hat on the dashboard. Social media accounts of both suspects include multiple references to QAnon.
QAnon is a baseless internet conspiracy theory whose followers believe that Donald Trump is waging a secret war against a powerful “deep state” cabal of Democrats and Hollywood celebrities who run the world while engaging in pedophilia and child trafficking. Followers believe that at the right moment, Trump will unmask the members of the cabal and ship them off to Guantanamo Bay.
The FBI identified QAnon as a potential domestic terror threat in 2019, following a string of violent or criminal acts by followers of the conspiracy movement. Experts have long warned that the narrative of QAnon is tantamount to an incitement to violence.
LaMotta’s Twitter account included a dozen hand-drawn cartoons that used antisemitic tropes to portray aspects of the QAnon narrative and other conspiracy theories. He portrayed Trump as a shirtless, heavily armed action hero. A Facebook account linked to his email address used the phrase “Deep State” in the name.
In July, LaMotta established a GoFundMe called “Virginia Armed Patriots” to “organize armed patriots for the people and businesses of Virginia to provide needed armed security in sectors or predicaments not covered by law-enforcement agencies ... 24/7”. He appears to have shared the fundraiser in a “Virginians Against Excessive Quarantine” Facebook group but did not attract any donors.
Macias’s recent tweets suggest he supports Trump’s false allegations of voter fraud. Before his arrest on Thursday, Macias posted a Facebook Live video of himself outside the Philadelphia convention center, according to the Anti-Defamation League. In the video, Macias called on viewers to take action to “ensure that every legitimate vote is counted. Not these ballot stuffers that are going on in these back rooms.”
Trump’s recent promotion of a baseless conspiracy theory alleging that Democrats are attempting to steal the election fits neatly within the QAnon worldview, the Syracuse University professor Whitney Phillips told the Guardian this week.
“The idea that ‘they’ are out to corrupt democracy, that the deep state is trying to rig the election against Trump, that it’s responsible for overblowing the risks of Covid and taking away your freedoms, that has all of the ingredients for an insurrection,” she said. “When Trump is talking about this specific kind of conspiracy theory, that runs the risk of activating this underlying feeling about ‘them’ coming after us, and that is extraordinarily corrosive to democracy.”
On Friday afternoon the men were in police custody awaiting arraignment on state charges of carrying a concealed firearm without a license and carrying a firearm on a public street. Information on lawyers who could comment on their behalf was not immediately available.


theguardian--2020-11-06--Trump will no longer receive special Twitter treatment if he loses election

Donald Trump could lose more than just the presidency this January .
Twitter has confirmed that , if Trump leaves office , he will no longer receive special treatment as a “ newsworthy individual ” .
Twitter ’ s policy around newsworthiness protects certain people – such as elected officials with more than 250,000 followers – from having their accounts suspended or banned for rule infractions that would otherwise lead to severe penalties .
That policy is what has led to the company muting , but not removing , at least 12 tweets from the US president over the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process .
But , Twitter has confirmed , the policy does not apply to former elected officials .
They have to follow the same rules as everyone else , and if a tweet breaks those rules , it gets removed .
Were Trump to continue breaking Twitter ’ s rules regularly post-presidency , his account could be suspended .
“ Twitter ’ s approach to world leaders , candidates and public officials is based on the principle that people should be able to choose to see what their leaders are saying with clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Guardian .
“ This means that we may apply warnings and labels , and limit engagement to certain Tweets .
This policy framework applies to current world leaders and candidates for office , and not private citizens when they no longer hold these positions.
” That will present Trump with a choice once he leaves office : either tone down the rhetoric or face the prospect of his hugely influential following being taken away from him .
Meanwhile , lawmakers and human rights groups have renewed calls to suspend the president ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power in January .
On Wednesday , the Democratic representative Gerry Connolly of Virginia called on Twitter in a tweet to “ suspend his account ” .
“ This is pure disinformation .
Valid votes are being counted .
This is America , not Russia , ” he said in response to Trump tweets that included baseless suggestions of voter fraud .
David Cicilline , a Democrat and Rhode Island representative , also called for Twitter to suspend Trump ’ s account for “ posting lies and misinformation at a breathtaking clip ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House antitrust subcommittee and has targeted Twitter with pointed questioning in recent hearings .
On Thursday , the Lawyers ’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the watchdog group Common Cause submitted a joint letter to Jack Dorsey , the Twitter CEO , requesting Trump ’ s account be temporarily suspended to prevent the spread of misinformation about the election .
“ We fear that , in the absence of action by Twitter , the president may be successful in his goal of delegitimizing the integrity of our democratic processes for many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other voters and members of the public , sowing uncertainty about the voting and elections process , and potentially inciting violence against civil servants or others , ” the groups wrote .
A Twitter spokesperson said the company has received the letter and “ intends to respond ” .

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Donald Trump could lose more than just the presidency this January. Twitter has confirmed that, if Trump leaves office, he will no longer receive special treatment as a “newsworthy individual”.
Twitter’s policy around newsworthiness protects certain people – such as elected officials with more than 250,000 followers – from having their accounts suspended or banned for rule infractions that would otherwise lead to severe penalties.
That policy is what has led to the company muting, but not removing, at least 12 tweets from the US president over the past week that cast doubt on the democratic process.
But, Twitter has confirmed, the policy does not apply to former elected officials. They have to follow the same rules as everyone else, and if a tweet breaks those rules, it gets removed. Were Trump to continue breaking Twitter’s rules regularly post-presidency, his account could be suspended.
“Twitter’s approach to world leaders, candidates and public officials is based on the principle that people should be able to choose to see what their leaders are saying with clear context,” a spokesman told the Guardian. “This means that we may apply warnings and labels, and limit engagement to certain Tweets. This policy framework applies to current world leaders and candidates for office, and not private citizens when they no longer hold these positions.”
That will present Trump with a choice once he leaves office: either tone down the rhetoric or face the prospect of his hugely influential following being taken away from him.
Meanwhile, lawmakers and human rights groups have renewed calls to suspend the president’s account even before a possible transition of power in January.
On Wednesday, the Democratic representative Gerry Connolly of Virginia called on Twitter in a tweet to “suspend his account”.
“This is pure disinformation. Valid votes are being counted. This is America, not Russia,” he said in response to Trump tweets that included baseless suggestions of voter fraud.
David Cicilline, a Democrat and Rhode Island representative, also called for Twitter to suspend Trump’s account for “posting lies and misinformation at a breathtaking clip”. Cicilline is the chair of the House antitrust subcommittee and has targeted Twitter with pointed questioning in recent hearings.
On Thursday, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the watchdog group Common Cause submitted a joint letter to Jack Dorsey, the Twitter CEO, requesting Trump’s account be temporarily suspended to prevent the spread of misinformation about the election.
“We fear that, in the absence of action by Twitter, the president may be successful in his goal of delegitimizing the integrity of our democratic processes for many, and not just Twitter users but other voters and members of the public, sowing uncertainty about the voting and elections process, and potentially inciting violence against civil servants or others,” the groups wrote.
A Twitter spokesperson said the company has received the letter and “intends to respond”.


theguardian--2020-11-06--Democrats beware: the Republicans will soon be the party of the working class | Samuel Hammond

Following an election mired in chaos and confusion , this at least is clear : Donald Trump ’ s political career will soon be coming to an end , but Trumpism – his inchoate brand of conservative populism – is here to stay .
The narrative would surely be different had Trump lost in the resounding landslide foreseen by professional pundits and pollsters .
In that universe , the president and everything he represents would have been repudiated , creating an immense temptation for the Republican party to revert back to its lily-white , elite-driven comfort zone .
Instead , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ share of non-white voters of any Republican since 1960 .
This ranged from modest gains among African American men , to major swings in party preference within working-class Latino communities – and not just in Miami-Dade , where Cuban-American turnout helped secure Florida for Trump while unseating two Democratic incumbents .
In Starr county , Texas , for example , Biden beat Trump by five points down from Hillary Clinton ’ s 60 – a 55-point swing in a border town that ’ s 95 % Hispanic and which has a median income @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senator Josh Hawley , a rising star within the GOP ’ s populist faction , was quick to offer his interpretation on Twitter .
“ Republicans in Washington are going to have a very hard time processing this , ” he wrote .
“ But the future is clear : we must be a working class party , not a Wall Street party.
” The Florida senator Marco Rubio concurred .
“ # Florida & the Rio Grande Valley showed the future of the GOP : A party built on a multi-ethnic multi-racial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the primary demographic Trump lost relative to 2016 was non-college-educated white men .
A key factor seems to have been the Biden campaign ’ s strategic positioning on issues that resonate with rust belt voters – from a “ Buy America ” plan so supercharged that it made Steve Bannon blush , to tax incentives for manufacturers that reshore .
Thus even in defeat , the ideas behind Trumpism were on some level victorious .
All that said , the gap between Trumpism in theory and practice remains enormous .
Despite campaigning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2016 , once in office Trump pursued an agenda of tax cuts and deregulation that was almost comically conventional .
And by the final days of the 2020 campaign , Trump scarcely talked about policy at all , much less his core issues of trade and immigration .
Trump ’ s narrow loss thus marks the beginning of an internal struggle for the soul of American conservatism .
Many in the Republican party long for a return to the socially moderate , fiscal conservatism of a bygone era .
Others , like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their peers to embrace the working-class realignment that Trump grasped at an intuitive level , even as he failed in execution .
Between deindustrialization and the steady exodus of college-educated voters to the Democratic party , the Republican party ’ s shift toward the working class has been decades in the making .
A similar trend can be seen elsewhere , too , from Boris Johnson ’ s blue-collar supporters , to the unabashedly pro-union platform of Erin O ’ Toole , the newly minted leader of the Conservative party of Canada .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been the failure , if not outright resistance , of the Republican party ’ s political machinery to adapt in real time .
Indeed , for all of Trump ’ s capacity for disruption , he was no match against the institutional edifice of the so-called “ conservative movement ” – the dozens of free-market thinktanks , law firms and leadership organizations that were called upon to staff his administration and define his agenda .
So while the notion of the Republican party becoming a multiethnic working-class coalition may seem farcical now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The only question is whether the party ’ s elite will continue to deny this reality , or take the next four years to rebuild and realign conservative institutions to better reflect the actual interests of their rank and file .
• None Samuel Hammond is the director of poverty and welfare policy for the Niskanen Center

Following an election mired in chaos and confusion, this at least is clear: Donald Trump’s political career will soon be coming to an end, but Trumpism – his inchoate brand of conservative populism – is here to stay.
The narrative would surely be different had Trump lost in the resounding landslide foreseen by professional pundits and pollsters. In that universe, the president and everything he represents would have been repudiated, creating an immense temptation for the Republican party to revert back to its lily-white, elite-driven comfort zone.
Instead, Trump defied expectations by winning the largest share of non-white voters of any Republican since 1960. This ranged from modest gains among African American men, to major swings in party preference within working-class Latino communities – and not just in Miami-Dade, where Cuban-American turnout helped secure Florida for Trump while unseating two Democratic incumbents. In Starr county, Texas, for example, Biden beat Trump by five points down from Hillary Clinton’s 60 – a 55-point swing in a border town that’s 95% Hispanic and which has a median income of only $17,000.
The Missouri senator Josh Hawley, a rising star within the GOP’s populist faction, was quick to offer his interpretation on Twitter. “Republicans in Washington are going to have a very hard time processing this,” he wrote. “But the future is clear: we must be a working class party, not a Wall Street party.”
The Florida senator Marco Rubio concurred. “#Florida & the Rio Grande Valley showed the future of the GOP: A party built on a multi-ethnic multi-racial coalition of working AMERICANS.”
Ironically enough, the primary demographic Trump lost relative to 2016 was non-college-educated white men. A key factor seems to have been the Biden campaign’s strategic positioning on issues that resonate with rust belt voters – from a “Buy America” plan so supercharged that it made Steve Bannon blush, to tax incentives for manufacturers that reshore. Thus even in defeat, the ideas behind Trumpism were on some level victorious.
All that said, the gap between Trumpism in theory and practice remains enormous. Despite campaigning on a rejection of conservative economic orthodoxies in 2016, once in office Trump pursued an agenda of tax cuts and deregulation that was almost comically conventional. And by the final days of the 2020 campaign, Trump scarcely talked about policy at all, much less his core issues of trade and immigration.
Trump’s narrow loss thus marks the beginning of an internal struggle for the soul of American conservatism
Trump’s narrow loss thus marks the beginning of an internal struggle for the soul of American conservatism. Many in the Republican party long for a return to the socially moderate, fiscal conservatism of a bygone era. Others, like Hawley and Rubio, are calling upon their peers to embrace the working-class realignment that Trump grasped at an intuitive level, even as he failed in execution.
Between deindustrialization and the steady exodus of college-educated voters to the Democratic party, the Republican party’s shift toward the working class has been decades in the making. A similar trend can be seen elsewhere, too, from Boris Johnson’s blue-collar supporters, to the unabashedly pro-union platform of Erin O’Toole, the newly minted leader of the Conservative party of Canada.
The main difference in the US case has been the failure, if not outright resistance, of the Republican party’s political machinery to adapt in real time. Indeed, for all of Trump’s capacity for disruption, he was no match against the institutional edifice of the so-called “conservative movement” – the dozens of free-market thinktanks, law firms and leadership organizations that were called upon to staff his administration and define his agenda.
So while the notion of the Republican party becoming a multiethnic working-class coalition may seem farcical now, the longer-term trend speaks for itself. The only question is whether the party’s elite will continue to deny this reality, or take the next four years to rebuild and realign conservative institutions to better reflect the actual interests of their rank and file.


theguardian--2020-11-06--The Guardian view on the election endgame: end Trump’s war on the truth | Editorial

Since he took office Donald Trump has posed a grave threat to democracy .
His wild , relentless post-poll fight against reality this week has shown just how dangerous he can be .
Designed to give his supporters a rationale for their anger over losing the popular vote , the falsehoods raised troubling questions about when , and how , Mr Trump will leave the White House .
The bad news is that it won ’ t be anytime soon .
Democracy in America is rare in giving a president more than 10 weeks of power after losing an election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ratchet up the rhetoric to a fever pitch , seeding the idea that society is irreconcilably at odds with itself .
This is profoundly damaging to America , a fact that cable networks have thankfully and belatedly woken up to after election day .
Around the world former democracies are slipping into autocracy .
The United States is not immune .
The fact is Mr Trump will lose the popular vote by millions of votes and only America ’ s outdated electoral college has saved him from a crushing defeat .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House , not be instructing his lawyers .
Perhaps Mr Trump can not afford to lose .
Presidential immunity from prosecution vanishes once Mr Trump leaves office , a consideration that may weigh heavily given the ongoing investigations by the New York district attorney into reported “ protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization ” .
Mr Trump denies any wrongdoing .
For months it has been obvious that Mr Trump would claim victory and fraud should he lose the election .
He has refused to say he would accept a peaceful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he claimed , could not be trusted .
Without a shred of shame , Mr Trump appears willing to challenge the validity of the vote in any state he loses , seeking to undermine the electoral process and ultimately invalidate it .
This is a dangerous moment .
There ’ s no evidence of widespread illegal votes in any state .
Yet a fully fledged constitutional crisis over the process of counting ballots is on the cards because Mr Trump is demanding recounts and court cases while conditioning his base to view the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in an influential and prescient analysis , Ohio University ’ s Edward B Foley wargamed how a quarrel over mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania could lead to a disputed result in the 2020 presidential election .
The most frightening scenario , said Prof Foley , was “ where the dispute remains unresolved on January 20 , 2021 , the date for the inauguration of the new presidential term , and the military is uncertain as to who is entitled to receive the nuclear codes as commander-in-chief ” .
This ends with the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it is legally sound for Mr Trump to be recognised as re-elected for a second term while Democrats call for nationwide protests to dislodge the squatters in the White House .
It would be better to avoid such a predicament rather than plan to get into it .
Republicans must not be seduced by Mr Trump into manipulating the electoral system , through political and legal battles , to defy the popular will for partisan advantage .
The Grand Old Party has profited from voter suppression and gerrymandering to keep an emerging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ darker impulses have given rise to Mr Trump and an unhealthy reliance on a shrinking coalition of overwhelmingly white Christian voters paranoid about losing power .
Joe Biden looks to have done enough to win the White House .
He will have his work cut out when he gets there , needing to rebuild the US government ’ s credibility after Trumpism hollowed out its institutions .
That means offering hope to a country that faces a pandemic and an economic recession .
He will have to reassert America ’ s role as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ indispensable nation ” disappeared when it was needed the most .
By any reasonable standard Mr Biden should not have to continue to run against Mr Trump .
He must be allowed to get on with running America .

Since he took office Donald Trump has posed a grave threat to democracy. His wild, relentless post-poll fight against reality this week has shown just how dangerous he can be. Designed to give his supporters a rationale for their anger over losing the popular vote, the falsehoods raised troubling questions about when, and how, Mr Trump will leave the White House.
The bad news is that it won’t be anytime soon. Democracy in America is rare in giving a president more than 10 weeks of power after losing an election. Mr Trump is using this time to ratchet up the rhetoric to a fever pitch, seeding the idea that society is irreconcilably at odds with itself. This is profoundly damaging to America, a fact that cable networks have thankfully and belatedly woken up to after election day. Around the world former democracies are slipping into autocracy. The United States is not immune.
The fact is Mr Trump will lose the popular vote by millions of votes and only America’s outdated electoral college has saved him from a crushing defeat. The president should be preparing to leave the White House, not be instructing his lawyers. Perhaps Mr Trump cannot afford to lose. Presidential immunity from prosecution vanishes once Mr Trump leaves office, a consideration that may weigh heavily given the ongoing investigations by the New York district attorney into reported“protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization”. Mr Trump denies any wrongdoing.
For months it has been obvious that Mr Trump would claim victory and fraud should he lose the election. He has refused to say he would accept a peaceful transfer of power. The polls, he claimed, could not be trusted. Without a shred of shame, Mr Trump appears willing to challenge the validity of the vote in any state he loses, seeking to undermine the electoral process and ultimately invalidate it.
This is a dangerous moment. There’s no evidence of widespread illegal votes in any state. Yet a fully fledged constitutional crisis over the process of counting ballots is on the cards because Mr Trump is demanding recounts and court cases while conditioning his base to view the election in existential terms. Last year, in an influential and prescient analysis, Ohio University’s Edward B Foley wargamed how a quarrel over mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania could lead to a disputed result in the 2020 presidential election.
The most frightening scenario, said Prof Foley, was “where the dispute remains unresolved on January 20, 2021, the date for the inauguration of the new presidential term, and the military is uncertain as to who is entitled to receive the nuclear codes as commander-in-chief”. This ends with the US attorney general, William Barr, announcing that it is legally sound for Mr Trump to be recognised as re-elected for a second term while Democrats call for nationwide protests to dislodge the squatters in the White House. It would be better to avoid such a predicament rather than plan to get into it.
Republicans must not be seduced by Mr Trump into manipulating the electoral system, through political and legal battles, to defy the popular will for partisan advantage. The Grand Old Party has profited from voter suppression and gerrymandering to keep an emerging Democratic majority at bay. But these darker impulses have given rise to Mr Trump and an unhealthy reliance on a shrinking coalition of overwhelmingly white Christian voters paranoid about losing power.
Joe Biden looks to have done enough to win the White House. He will have his work cut out when he gets there, needing to rebuild the US government’s credibility after Trumpism hollowed out its institutions. That means offering hope to a country that faces a pandemic and an economic recession. He will have to reassert America’s role as the global problem-solver. Under Mr Trump the “indispensable nation” disappeared when it was needed the most. By any reasonable standard Mr Biden should not have to continue to run against Mr Trump. He must be allowed to get on with running America.