buzzfeed--2020-11-06--Anonymous Trump Critic And Former DHS Staffer Miles Taylor Has Left Google

Miles Taylor , the former Trump administration official who penned an anonymous New York Times opinion piece criticizing the president , is no longer working at Google , according to a company document seen by BuzzFeed News .
Taylor , who served as both deputy chief of staff and chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security , was hired last year by Google following his departure from the Trump administration .
His hiring inspired backlash within the company as Google employees questioned why the search and advertising giant employed an individual who defended government policies its own executives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taylor revealed he was the person behind the anonymous 2018 Times op-ed and subsequent book — a Google spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that he was still an employee but on unpaid leave .
The spokesperson said last week that the company was previously unaware of his role as the unnamed Times op-ed writer and that it only found out via media reports .
Taylor was active in backing former vice president Joe Biden in the 2020 election , joining former Trump administration officials in condemning the president .
`` We can confirm that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Google , ” a company spokesperson told BuzzFeed News in a statement .
“ He 's been on personal leave since August , and has decided to pursue his other interests outside the company.
” Taylor did not respond to a request for comment .
Taylor — who previously argued in favor of what he called a “ tough ” but “ tailored ” version of a controversial Trump administration rule that barred visitors from six Muslim-majority countries — joined Google following heavy criticism of the travel ban from the company ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2017 , following the announcement of the original travel ban , Google cofounder Sergey Brin joined protesters at San Francisco International Airport to protest the policy , while Google CEO Sundar Pichai pointedly voiced his displeasure on Twitter and in an email to staff .
After BuzzFeed News published a story on Taylor ’ s hiring as head of national security policy engagement , Google executives attempted to assuage employees ’ worries .
During an all-hands meeting at its Mountain View , California headquarters last year , Karan Bhatia , Google 's vice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , spoke to employees .
Ahead of that discussion , the company removed inquiries about Taylor from an internal system that allows employees to ask questions of their leaders .
“ I ’ ll say that the press reports that you will have seen contain a number of important inaccuracies in them , ” Bhatia said , appearing to reference BuzzFeed News ’ earlier reporting .
“ First of all , he was not involved in the formation of the travel ban , the Muslim ban .
He was not in the administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News did not report that Taylor had helped to draft the travel ban , which barred visitors from six Muslim-majority countries in early 2017 .
Instead , it noted his public defense of a subsequent iteration of the policy as a DHS official later that year .
Taylor was part of a group close to then–DHS secretary Kirstjen Nielsen .
Nielsen ’ s tenure at DHS oversaw massive upheavals of the immigration system , including efforts to deny permanent residency to immigrants who officials believe are likely to use public benefits , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ border that led to families being separated , and pushing asylum-seekers into Mexico during immigration proceedings , known as the `` Remain in Mexico '' program .
Last year , BuzzFeed News obtained internal emails through the Freedom of Information Act that showed Taylor ’ s key role in coordinating the messaging of family separation efforts with Nielsen and Chad Wolf , now the acting head of DHS .
In one May 2018 email , Nielsen asked Taylor and Wolf to provide “ narratives ” days after a caravan of Central American immigrants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ border in Tijuana .
An internal document seen by BuzzFeed News confirming his departure noted that “ Miles Taylor ’ s hiring at Google caused headlines and internal controversy .
”

Miles Taylor, the former Trump administration official who penned an anonymous New York Times opinion piece criticizing the president, is no longer working at Google, according to a company document seen by BuzzFeed News.
Taylor, who served as both deputy chief of staff and chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security, was hired last year by Google following his departure from the Trump administration. His hiring inspired backlash within the company as Google employees questioned why the search and advertising giant employed an individual who defended government policies its own executives had opposed.
Last week — when Taylor revealed he was the person behind the anonymous 2018 Times op-ed and subsequent book — a Google spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that he was still an employee but on unpaid leave. The spokesperson said last week that the company was previously unaware of his role as the unnamed Times op-ed writer and that it only found out via media reports.
Taylor was active in backing former vice president Joe Biden in the 2020 election, joining former Trump administration officials in condemning the president.
"We can confirm that Miles is no longer an employee of Google,” a company spokesperson told BuzzFeed News in a statement. “He's been on personal leave since August, and has decided to pursue his other interests outside the company.”
Taylor did not respond to a request for comment.
Taylor — who previously argued in favor of what he called a “tough” but “tailored” version of a controversial Trump administration rule that barred visitors from six Muslim-majority countries — joined Google following heavy criticism of the travel ban from the company’s senior leadership and cofounders. In January 2017, following the announcement of the original travel ban, Google cofounder Sergey Brin joined protesters at San Francisco International Airport to protest the policy, while Google CEO Sundar Pichai pointedly voiced his displeasure on Twitter and in an email to staff.
After BuzzFeed News published a story on Taylor’s hiring as head of national security policy engagement, Google executives attempted to assuage employees’ worries. During an all-hands meeting at its Mountain View, California headquarters last year, Karan Bhatia, Google's vice president of government affairs and public policy, spoke to employees. Ahead of that discussion, the company removed inquiries about Taylor from an internal system that allows employees to ask questions of their leaders.
“I’ll say that the press reports that you will have seen contain a number of important inaccuracies in them,” Bhatia said, appearing to reference BuzzFeed News’ earlier reporting. “First of all, he was not involved in the formation of the travel ban, the Muslim ban. He was not in the administration when the ban was issued.”
BuzzFeed News did not report that Taylor had helped to draft the travel ban, which barred visitors from six Muslim-majority countries in early 2017. Instead, it noted his public defense of a subsequent iteration of the policy as a DHS official later that year.
Taylor was part of a group close to then–DHS secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
Nielsen’s tenure at DHS oversaw massive upheavals of the immigration system, including efforts to deny permanent residency to immigrants who officials believe are likely to use public benefits, a "zero tolerance" policy at the border that led to families being separated, and pushing asylum-seekers into Mexico during immigration proceedings, known as the "Remain in Mexico" program.
Last year, BuzzFeed News obtained internal emails through the Freedom of Information Act that showed Taylor’s key role in coordinating the messaging of family separation efforts with Nielsen and Chad Wolf, now the acting head of DHS. In one May 2018 email, Nielsen asked Taylor and Wolf to provide “narratives” days after a caravan of Central American immigrants had made its way to the US–Mexico border in Tijuana.
An internal document seen by BuzzFeed News confirming his departure noted that “Miles Taylor’s hiring at Google caused headlines and internal controversy.”


buzzfeed--2020-11-06--“My Wife And Mother Are Very Concerned For Me”: Fears For Ballot Counters’ Safety Amid A Tight Race

One ballot counter , who was inside a Detroit facility when angry Trump supporters demanded to be let in , told BuzzFeed News , `` I think we had that feeling of , What if we have to physically defend ourselves ?
” Election officials say they are fearful for the safety of their staff and are calling for an end to harassment from the public as they work to finish counting ballots .
“ Please stop making harassing & threatening calls to my staff .
They are kind , hardworking public servants just doing their job , ” Michigan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Asking them to shove sharpies in uncomfortable places is never appropriate & is a sad commentary on the state of our nation.
” With the race tightening as delayed results roll in around the country after Election Day due to a large number of mail-in ballots , President Donald Trump has made unsubstantiated allegations that the election is being stolen .
Armed supporters have rallied at election centers in Arizona , demanded entry to a vote-counting site in Michigan , and disrupted a press conference in Nevada .
BuzzFeed News has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stories on the 2020 elections .
To help keep this news free , become a member .
Joe Gloria , the registrar of voters for Clark County , Nevada , said Thursday that he was worried about his staff after a Trump supporter screamed at him and reporters during a media event the day prior .
” I can tell you that my wife and my mother are very concerned for me .
… I am concerned for the safety of my staff , ” he said Thursday .
“ We ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we have the security that ’ s necessary.
” Gloria said officials would begin monitoring vehicles coming to the site .
Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said her team had also taken precautions .
“ We have security , ” she told reporters on Thursday afternoon .
“ We make sure that we are safe and we make sure that where our operations are are secure and safe.
” In Maricopa County , Arizona , where an estimated 200 Trump supporters gathered on Wednesday night , the state ’ s elections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sheriff ’ s office for “ doing their job , so we can do ours.
” The department later tweeted , “ It is imperative that we balance the protection and well-being of our election workers and volunteers with the constitutional right of protesters who may wish to demonstrate outside the Elections Department.
” Joe Biden has been declared the winner of the election in Michigan , but Nevada and Arizona — along with Georgia , North Carolina , and Pennsylvania — were still too close to call as of Thursday afternoon .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ have declared Arizona for Biden , but other outlets , including BuzzFeed News , are waiting for more information . )
As the votes get counted , tensions are high .
At the TCF Center in Detroit , dozens of Trump supporters showed up Wednesday to try to monitor the count and began chanting outside when they were not allowed in .
Jane Duggan , a 74-year-old who worked as a ballot counter there on Wednesday , told BuzzFeed News she was on the far end of the hall when she heard yelling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doors .
“ We were working there , and all of a sudden there was this chanting going , ” she said .
“ The people outside broke the glass in the door into this room .
They had to immediately board it up .
They had police on the inside and the outside .
I believe these people were actually in the room at one time.
” “ It was stressful — more stressful than frightening , ” she recalled .
“ There was a man at my table who was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , ‘ If they lay a hand on me , all bets are off.
’ `` I think we had that feeling of , What if we have to physically defend ourselves ?
” If you have a news tip , we ’ d like to hear from you .
Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels .
One Democratic operative tasked with observing the vote at the TCF Center told BuzzFeed News he and his colleagues were frequently trying to stop their Republican counterparts from intimidating ballot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican Party in Michigan did not immediately respond to a request for comment . )
“ It is in their legal right to challenge , but it ’ s not in their legal right to intimidate or evoke fear .
It wasn ’ t everyone , but many of them were , ” said the Democratic operative , Steven Benson , 31 .
“ They were raising their voices .
A lot of them weren ’ t adhering to social distancing , and hovering over them.
” As results have rolled in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victory has narrowed , and both he and his supporters have become more on edge .
The president demanded a halt to the vote counting in a tweet on Thursday morning , while his son Donald Trump Jr. wrote that their supporters should “ go to total war over this election to expose all of the fraud.
” His campaign and Republican officials have argued without evidence that there has been widespread fraud , and they have filed lawsuits trying a variety of tactics to affect ballot counting .
The slow count has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there have also been counterprotesters at election centers and demonstrations to “ protect the vote ” in cities around the country .
Oregon Gov .
Kate Brown activated the state ’ s National Guard after a protest in Portland became destructive , but the country has so far not seen the widespread violence that some feared .
Gloria , the Clark County registrar in Nevada , said he expected to have most of the ballots there counted by the end of the weekend and that he would remain focused in spite of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allow anyone to stop us from what our duty is in counting ballots , ” he said .

Election officials say they are fearful for the safety of their staff and are calling for an end to harassment from the public as they work to finish counting ballots.
“Please stop making harassing & threatening calls to my staff. They are kind, hardworking public servants just doing their job,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel tweeted on Thursday. “Asking them to shove sharpies in uncomfortable places is never appropriate & is a sad commentary on the state of our nation.”
With the race tightening as delayed results roll in around the country after Election Day due to a large number of mail-in ballots, President Donald Trump has made unsubstantiated allegations that the election is being stolen. Armed supporters have rallied at election centers in Arizona, demanded entry to a vote-counting site in Michigan, and disrupted a press conference in Nevada.
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections. To help keep this news free, become a member.
Joe Gloria, the registrar of voters for Clark County, Nevada, said Thursday that he was worried about his staff after a Trump supporter screamed at him and reporters during a media event the day prior.
”I can tell you that my wife and my mother are very concerned for me. … I am concerned for the safety of my staff,” he said Thursday. “We’re putting measures into place to make sure that we have the security that’s necessary.”
Gloria said officials would begin monitoring vehicles coming to the site.
Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said her team had also taken precautions. “We have security,” she told reporters on Thursday afternoon. “We make sure that we are safe and we make sure that where our operations are are secure and safe.”


buzzfeed--2020-11-06--Facebook Has An Internal Metric For “Violence And Incitement Trends.” Right Now It’s Rising.

The metric , which assesses the potential for danger based on keywords , rose to 580 from 400 this week — a 45 % increase .
As votes are being tallied across the country to determine the next US president , internal Facebook data shows that the company has seen a significant increase in what it calls “ violence and incitement trends.
” In a post to a group on Facebook ’ s internal message board , one employee alerted their colleagues to a nearly 45 % increase in the metric , which assesses the potential for danger based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last five days .
The post , which was seen by BuzzFeed News , notes that trends were previously rising “ slowly , ” but that recently “ some conspiracy theory and general unhappiness posts/hashtags ” were gaining popularity .
“ The ‘ probable violence and incitement ’ metric for explore has been slowly rising over the last few days , ” the post ’ s author wrote , referring to Facebook ’ s “ Explore ” search tool .
“ The risky hashtags seem conspiracy-theory-esque.
” The internal metric , which has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at around a score of 400 on Oct. 31 .
It rose to a 24-hour average of nearly 580 as of Thursday morning .
Although Facebook has a policy on violence and incitement , the existence of a metric shows the extent to which the company actively measures activity on its platform that can foster unrest .
In recent years , the social media platform was widely criticized for inciting genocide in Myanmar , fostering political unrest in the Philippines , and abetting the organization of domestic extremism in places like Kenosha , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ violence and incitement ” number indicates that the company 's own internal metrics have found Facebook posts are contributing to an unstable situation around the counting of ballots in the US presidential election as President Donald Trump and his supporters attempt to inject unfounded doubts into the process .
Do you work at Facebook or another technology company ?
We 'd love to hear from you .
Reach out at ryan.mac @ buzzfeed.com , craig.silverman @ buzzfeed.com , or via one of our tip line channels .
In the post , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ranging from popular Trump slogans , including # DrainTheSwamp , # Trump2020 , and # KeepAmericaGreat , to “ qanon-esque ” sayings like # WatchTheWater .
QAnon is the collective delusion pushed by a growing number of the president ’ s supporters and Republican politicians that a secret cabal of deep state operatives and people who sexually abuse children control the government .
These hashtags , which are gaining popularity , point to the overall theme , the employee wrote of “ democrats stealing the election , not trusting the results , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t panic because most of these hashtags aren ’ t very prevalent , but it does seem to be a building trend that ideally we stop before it gains momentum , ” the employee said in their post .
“ While these hashtags aren ’ t as explicitly risky as # RiggedElection and # VoterFraud , they do promote similar ideas ; given we have approval to block those hashtags , it would be great if we could come up with a standard for these ‘ borderline ’ hashtags.
” The employee ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already been monitoring and suppressing hashtags that seed doubt about the election process and violate its terms of service .
Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois declined to say which hashtags the company had suppressed , or how long the `` violence and incitement '' metric had been in use .
`` We 're staying vigilant in detecting content that could incite violence during this time of heightened uncertainty , '' she said .
`` We 've readied products and policies in advance of this period so we can take action quickly and according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a disinformation researcher and fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars , said she wasn ’ t aware Facebook had a metric for “ violence and incitement ” trends and was heartened that they were tracking it .
Still , she said , suppression of individual hashtags “ is not going to do the trick.
” “ We ’ re talking about the broader structure of Facebook that incentivizes these communities to organize and foster offline violence , ” Jankowicz said .
“ I ’ m not sure they have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a structure that they ’ re relying on to keep people engaged and make money these days.
” The employee ’ s report on the “ violence and incitement ” metric came hours before the social network banned a fast-growing Facebook group called Stop the Steal , due in part to calls for violence circulating among its more than 365,000 members .
The group was formed on Wednesday by apparent Republican operatives and members used it to sow discord about the vote-totaling process , organize protests , and make threats .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we are taking during this period of heightened tension , we have removed the group ‘ Stop the Steal , ’ which was creating real-world events , ” Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement .
“ The group was organized around the delegitimization of the election process , and we saw worrying calls for violence from members of the group.
” While Facebook acted after multiple complaints and press questions about the group , its organizers had already prepared for a scenario in which it was banned .
A sign-up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked potential members to join a direct mailing list “ in the event that social media censors this group.
” On a companywide call on Thursday , Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Vice President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg said the group was removed for attempting to delegitimize the vote-counting process .
Clegg , the former United Kingdom deputy prime minister , added that Facebook had been “ prepared for this , ” despite the group amassing more than 360,000 members in less than 48 hours .
Prior to the election , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and social issue groups , though Stop the Steal seemed to spread organically across the platform without any algorithmic distribution .
Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin criticized Facebook for its slow response to groups like Stop the Steal , adding that it ’ s time the company started “ providing answers.
” “ Mark Zuckerberg needs to stop getting caught flat-footed when Facebook is used to promote violence and undermine democracy , ” she said in a statement .
“ Facebook has the tools to track violence and now they need to use their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ platform.
” “ It ’ s worrisome that Facebook continues to refuse to make meaningful changes to the products and features that have become essential tools for violent groups , ” said Virginia Sen. Mark Warner .
“ When the risks of a poorly designed product are foreseeable , businesses that don ’ t take steps to fix their products to address those risks are normally held liable for the harms they cause.
” During a Thursday all-hands meeting , Zuckerberg opened by discussing the election and thanking his employees for their work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He answered questions about when employees would return to the office and the progress of their cryptocurrency arm and said that any regulation of the company may be harder to achieve because the country appears to be heading toward a split government .
One question , however , about how to make Facebook “ filled with more love and less divisiveness ” gave him pause .
Election results seem to indicate so far , that the country is pretty divided , he said .
“ My hope is that by building up a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can join groups meaningful to them — that ’ s how people can build a stronger social fabric , ” Zuckerberg said .
An hour earlier , Facebook had banned a group trying to undermine US democracy .
Zuckerberg did not acknowledge this seeming contradiction and moved on .
He closed his discussion with employees by answering questions about stress-eating and his least favorite Halloween candy .
“ Milky Way , ” he said .
“ I ’ ve never been a Milky Way person . ''

As votes are being tallied across the country to determine the next US president, internal Facebook data shows that the company has seen a significant increase in what it calls “violence and incitement trends.”
In a post to a group on Facebook’s internal message board, one employee alerted their colleagues to a nearly 45% increase in the metric, which assesses the potential for danger based on hashtags and search terms, over the last five days. The post, which was seen by BuzzFeed News, notes that trends were previously rising “slowly,” but that recently “some conspiracy theory and general unhappiness posts/hashtags” were gaining popularity.
“The ‘probable violence and incitement’ metric for explore has been slowly rising over the last few days,” the post’s author wrote, referring to Facebook’s “Explore” search tool. “The risky hashtags seem conspiracy-theory-esque.”
The internal metric, which has not previously been reported, had been at around a score of 400 on Oct. 31. It rose to a 24-hour average of nearly 580 as of Thursday morning.
Although Facebook has a policy on violence and incitement, the existence of a metric shows the extent to which the company actively measures activity on its platform that can foster unrest. In recent years, the social media platform was widely criticized for inciting genocide in Myanmar, fostering political unrest in the Philippines, and abetting the organization of domestic extremism in places like Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The rapid uptick in the “violence and incitement” number indicates that the company's own internal metrics have found Facebook posts are contributing to an unstable situation around the counting of ballots in the US presidential election as President Donald Trump and his supporters attempt to inject unfounded doubts into the process.
Do you work at Facebook or another technology company? We’d love to hear from you. Reach out at ryan.mac@buzzfeed.com, craig.silverman@buzzfeed.com, or via one of our tip line channels.
In the post, the Facebook employee highlighted a number of hashtags ranging from popular Trump slogans, including #DrainTheSwamp, #Trump2020, and #KeepAmericaGreat, to “qanon-esque” sayings like #WatchTheWater. QAnon is the collective delusion pushed by a growing number of the president’s supporters and Republican politicians that a secret cabal of deep state operatives and people who sexually abuse children control the government.
These hashtags, which are gaining popularity, point to the overall theme, the employee wrote of “democrats stealing the election, not trusting the results, and supporting Trump.”
“I wouldn’t panic because most of these hashtags aren’t very prevalent, but it does seem to be a building trend that ideally we stop before it gains momentum,” the employee said in their post. “While these hashtags aren’t as explicitly risky as #RiggedElection and #VoterFraud, they do promote similar ideas; given we have approval to block those hashtags, it would be great if we could come up with a standard for these ‘borderline’ hashtags.”


buzzfeed--2020-11-06--Democrats’ Chances Of Winning The Senate Are Shrinking Rapidly

Democrats were projected to have an excellent chance to take the Senate on Election Day but lost a string of close races , leaving them with an incredibly tough path to overtake Republicans — and we may not know the answer until January .
Democrats are currently projected to have 47 seats to Republicans ’ 48 .
They ’ ll need to win three of the remaining five races and for Biden to win the presidency to take control ; if Biden loses , they ’ ll need to win four of the Senate races .
WASHINGTON — There was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would n't just win the presidency , but also take control of the Senate and end Majority Leader Mitch McConnell 's iron grip on the chamber .
Those hopes are shrinking rapidly and hinge on two very unsure runoff races .
Democrats are currently favored to win in Arizona , where Democrat Mark Kelly has already declared victory over Republican Sen. Martha McSally .
But beyond that , the situation doesn ’ t look great for the party .
Republicans are currently leading in Alaska , where they are favored , and in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s two seats with the power to swing control of the Senate .
Both races are heading to runoff elections in January because no candidate hit 50 % of the vote .
The runoffs will take place on Jan. 5 .
Reaching 50 seats would be a massive win for Democrats if Biden wins the White House .
It would give them control of the Senate , albeit barely , because as vice president , Kamala Harris would cast tiebreaking votes .
But to get there , Democrats will have to perform better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the general election .
Despite picking up seats in Colorado and likely Arizona , Democrats lost a toss-up race against Sen. Susan Collins in Maine and consistently lost in red-leaning states like Montana , Iowa , South Carolina , and Texas .
In one Georgia race , incumbent Republican David Perdue leads Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff , though the gap has been shrinking .
Perdue fell just below 50 % of the vote Thursday morning while Ossoff sat at about 48 % as votes are still being counted ; Decision Desk HQ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a runoff on Thursday night .
The bad news for Ossoff is that Libertarian Party candidate Shane Hazel , who had pulled in more than 2 % of the vote , will drop off the ballot .
Ossoff will need to increase his share of the vote by enough to compensate for the many Libertarian voters who will presumably move over to Perdue .
The other race — a special election triggered by the retirement of former Republican senator Johnny Isakson — is more fractured because two viable Republican candidates were competing for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was appointed to replace Isakson earlier this year , won that battle with 26 % of the vote .
Rep. Doug Collins , one of President Donald Trump ’ s most aggressive allies , received 20 % of the vote and will fall off the ballot .
Democrat Raphael Warnock finished first with about 33 % of the vote and will now face off against Loeffler alone .
Collins endorsed Loeffler and his voters should overwhelmingly stick with the Republican ticket .
The good news for Warnock is that four other Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well , but they only made up about 13 % of the vote combined .
Winning either race would be a huge coup in a state that was solidly Republican until this year .
Georgia has rapidly transformed into a purple state , with Biden and Trump neck and neck in the race for the state ’ s Electoral College votes .
But to take the Senate , Democrats will have zero margin for error and need both seats , barring something surprising happening in Alaska or North Carolina .
If you have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like to hear from you .
Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels .
Losing the Senate would be a devastating loss for the Democratic Party , which had hoped to follow the Donald Trump era with sweeping moves , such as expanding the Affordable Care Act , gun control measures , immigration reform , and new environmental laws .
McConnell , who won his own reelection race in Kentucky on Tuesday , has consistently blocked Democratic legislation and can continue to do so .
Although Democrats will very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t even need to go through the effort of voting down progressive bills .
McConnell just never brings them to the floor , meaning they never get debated or go to a vote .
For any bill to become law , it will have to be approved by Republicans .
Given how bitterly partisan Congress has become , it is unlikely that Republicans will approve of many of Biden ’ s policies if he wins .
President Barack Obama tried to win over Republicans on bipartisan initiatives , and they mostly refused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he will likely be in a similar situation because Democrats control the House .
But the president can continue to stock the judiciary with conservative judges because confirming them falls to the Senate .
Democrats have long raged about the Senate ’ s aversion to taking up meaningful legislation .
Under McConnell , the Senate has become known as a “ legislative graveyard ” — a term he has embraced — because of how rarely bills were passed .
McConnell has mostly ignored legislation passed by the House , even when Republicans were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on appointing judges .
The Senate has passed few significant pieces of legislation over the past four years , but McConnell has confirmed 218 federal judges to lifetime appointments and put three conservative justices on the Supreme Court .
Republican control of the Senate would also mean conservative control of the Supreme Court will not be threatened .
Prominent progressive figures were calling on Biden to expand the court by adding and filling new seats with Democratic nominees , but that is not possible without control of the Senate .
The precedent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much is able to pass through a split Congress , but one area where a bipartisan deal could be reached is a new coronavirus relief bill .
The provisions of the last aid bill expired over the summer , leaving individuals and businesses without any government support .
Biden has promised to pass a new relief bill ; though negotiations between Trump ’ s White House and the House of Representatives have broken down , Trump has also promised to pass an aid bill after the election .

Democrats are currently favored to win in Arizona, where Democrat Mark Kelly has already declared victory over Republican Sen. Martha McSally. But beyond that, the situation doesn’t look great for the party. Republicans are currently leading in Alaska, where they are favored, and in North Carolina.
That leaves Georgia’s two seats with the power to swing control of the Senate. Both races are heading to runoff elections in January because no candidate hit 50% of the vote. The runoffs will take place on Jan. 5.
Reaching 50 seats would be a massive win for Democrats if Biden wins the White House. It would give them control of the Senate, albeit barely, because as vice president, Kamala Harris would cast tiebreaking votes.
But to get there, Democrats will have to perform better in the Georgia runoffs than they did in the general election. Despite picking up seats in Colorado and likely Arizona, Democrats lost a toss-up race against Sen. Susan Collins in Maine and consistently lost in red-leaning states like Montana, Iowa, South Carolina, and Texas.
In one Georgia race, incumbent Republican David Perdue leads Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff, though the gap has been shrinking. Perdue fell just below 50% of the vote Thursday morning while Ossoff sat at about 48% as votes are still being counted; Decision Desk HQ projected that the race would go to a runoff on Thursday night.
The bad news for Ossoff is that Libertarian Party candidate Shane Hazel, who had pulled in more than 2% of the vote, will drop off the ballot. Ossoff will need to increase his share of the vote by enough to compensate for the many Libertarian voters who will presumably move over to Perdue.
The other race — a special election triggered by the retirement of former Republican senator Johnny Isakson — is more fractured because two viable Republican candidates were competing for the seat. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who was appointed to replace Isakson earlier this year, won that battle with 26% of the vote. Rep. Doug Collins, one of President Donald Trump’s most aggressive allies, received 20% of the vote and will fall off the ballot.
Democrat Raphael Warnock finished first with about 33% of the vote and will now face off against Loeffler alone. Collins endorsed Loeffler and his voters should overwhelmingly stick with the Republican ticket. The good news for Warnock is that four other Democratic candidates will drop off the ballot as well, but they only made up about 13% of the vote combined.
Winning either race would be a huge coup in a state that was solidly Republican until this year. Georgia has rapidly transformed into a purple state, with Biden and Trump neck and neck in the race for the state’s Electoral College votes. But to take the Senate, Democrats will have zero margin for error and need both seats, barring something surprising happening in Alaska or North Carolina.
If you have a news tip, we’d like to hear from you. Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels.
Losing the Senate would be a devastating loss for the Democratic Party, which had hoped to follow the Donald Trump era with sweeping moves, such as expanding the Affordable Care Act, gun control measures, immigration reform, and new environmental laws. McConnell, who won his own reelection race in Kentucky on Tuesday, has consistently blocked Democratic legislation and can continue to do so.
Although Democrats will very likely retain the House, Republicans don’t even need to go through the effort of voting down progressive bills. McConnell just never brings them to the floor, meaning they never get debated or go to a vote. For any bill to become law, it will have to be approved by Republicans.
Given how bitterly partisan Congress has become, it is unlikely that Republicans will approve of many of Biden’s policies if he wins. President Barack Obama tried to win over Republicans on bipartisan initiatives, and they mostly refused.
If President Donald Trump wins, he will likely be in a similar situation because Democrats control the House. But the president can continue to stock the judiciary with conservative judges because confirming them falls to the Senate.
Democrats have long raged about the Senate’s aversion to taking up meaningful legislation. Under McConnell, the Senate has become known as a “legislative graveyard” — a term he has embraced — because of how rarely bills were passed. McConnell has mostly ignored legislation passed by the House, even when Republicans were in control of it, and focused on appointing judges. The Senate has passed few significant pieces of legislation over the past four years, but McConnell has confirmed 218 federal judges to lifetime appointments and put three conservative justices on the Supreme Court.
Republican control of the Senate would also mean conservative control of the Supreme Court will not be threatened. Prominent progressive figures were calling on Biden to expand the court by adding and filling new seats with Democratic nominees, but that is not possible without control of the Senate.
The precedent of the past two years is that not much is able to pass through a split Congress, but one area where a bipartisan deal could be reached is a new coronavirus relief bill. The provisions of the last aid bill expired over the summer, leaving individuals and businesses without any government support. Biden has promised to pass a new relief bill; though negotiations between Trump’s White House and the House of Representatives have broken down, Trump has also promised to pass an aid bill after the election.


buzzfeed--2020-11-05--This Scene From "Veep" Basically Predicted The Entire Election Situation Happening Right Now

It 's day three of counting the votes for the US presidential election .
I 'm not going to get @ @ @ @ @ on right now because I 'm not John King .
HOWEVER , we absolutely need @ @ @ @ @ thatbasically predicted what is happening right now .

It's day three of counting the votes for the US presidential election. I'm not going to get into everything that's going on right now because I'm not John King . HOWEVER, we absolutely need to talk about the fact that Veep basically predicted what is happening right now.


buzzfeed--2020-11-06--How Our Obsession With Polls Could Be Messing Up Our Democracy

While news junkies debate how accurate this year ’ s election forecasts were , experts warn the whole enterprise could be distorting the way candidates campaign and voters vote .
Political divination is a new national pastime , with prominent forecasters playing the part of celebrated oracles .
Fueled by massive stakes and bitter partisanship , a new breed of high-profile election handicappers have hooked the country on their highly addictive brand of data , cheerfully shoveling an endless stream of poll-driven predictions into the maw of an insatiable public .
But as the slowly unfolding results of Tuesday ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those predictions are far from omniscient .
If some of their bets for the 2020 race seem increasingly on target , others — notably , predicting a win for Biden in Florida and saying Sen. Susan Collins would probably lose in Maine — seem far off , a jarring disconnect for a public that put its faith in the data-driven prognosticating emanating from outlets including FiveThirtyEight , the New York Times , and the Economist .
( Here 's a closer look at how the numbers added up . )
The forecasters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defended the accuracy of their work , telling the public it misconstrues the information they present or that they never pretended to be perfect .
A tweet by Nate Silver , perhaps the field ’ s most prominent figure , telling anxious Democrats to “ have a glass of wine or whatever and chill out about the polls ” seemed to many readers like a promise that their preferred candidate would win handily .
When closer-than-expected results left some people feeling misled , however , Silver didn ’ t appear to do much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coming after FiveThirtyEight , ” he said on a podcast the day after the election , “ then the answer is , Fuck you , we did a good job !
” But beyond accuracy , this race raises another , potentially more important , concern about America ’ s prediction obsession : that endless consumption of poll data — updated , analyzed , dissected , and promoted on TV , the web , and even in partisan fundraising efforts — distorts the entire political process , affecting the behavior of both voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I do n't think it 's a good thing for democracy to be so obsessed with polls , ” said David Rothschild , an economist who studies polling and public opinion and who has done election forecasting in the past .
“ I worry it enhances horse race–style coverage of elections and skews people 's expectations , while distracting from policy , which is what really matters.
” Forecasts are the products of complex mathematical simulations based on an array of polling data , often in combination with other factors such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ produce what amounts to a very highly educated guess , not a confirmed take-it-to-the-bank fact .
Yet the media , the political class , and voters often attribute to those forecasts the same degree of certainty that they would to NFL scores on a Monday morning .
Political scientists and statisticians point to a wide range of factors that could undermine a forecast ’ s accuracy .
The polls they depend on may reflect a skewed sample of the population ; they may not be able to fully account for shifts in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for respondents , they may change their minds on their way to the voting booth .
Those problems could be compounded across a number of similar states — such as what happened in 2016 , when unexpected wins in Wisconsin , Michigan , and Pennsylvania propelled Donald Trump to the presidency .
It turns out that accurately predicting who will win individual contests in a nation of 325 million people — as opposed to measuring public opinion in a broader context — is exceedingly difficult and , experts posit , perhaps not what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem is that these predictions are not what people frequently assume them to be .
A projection that , for example , Joe Biden has a 75 % chance of winning a given state means that of the hundreds or thousands of simulations analysts ran , three quarters resulted in his victory .
What voters often overlook is that the same forecast means Biden loses that state a quarter of the time — and might never win by more than a razor-thin margin .
“ Essentially , ” said Solomon Messing , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ makes it sound like the candidate is a slam dunk to most people.
” That can have big consequences .
After Donald Trump ’ s surprising Electoral College victory in 2016 , Messing studied the way polling influences voter behavior .
He found that hyper-confidence in an election outcome makes people less likely to vote — why bother , the thinking goes , if your candidate already has it sewn up — and that the effect seems larger among Democratic voters than Republicans .
Forecasts , he found , seem to bolster that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an election ’ s outcome , confuses many , and decreases turnout , ” the study that Messing coauthored said .
The ensuing media coverage of that forecasting , meanwhile , tends to favor the leading candidate , which , in the case of 2016 , “ raised questions ” about whether the forecasts themselves contributed to Trump ’ s win .
Lonna Atkeson , a political scientist at the University of New Mexico and a member of the MIT Election Data and Science Lab , said that effect may have played a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The challenger , Sara Gideon , led the incumbent , Susan Collins , in every major poll .
Instead voters chose Collins , and it wasn ’ t even close .
As of late Wednesday , when Gideon conceded , Collins was up by more than 7 points .
“ They were way off , ” said Atkeson , who noted that the same pollsters appear to have correctly predicted the presidential vote in the state .
“ What happened in Maine ?
Did the polling push voters in more urban , Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
” She and other experts point to such situations as evidence that forecasts can not accurately project specific voting outcomes , no matter how much the public would like them to , nor can they fully account for the impact of variables like the spread of misinformation on social media , voter intimidation efforts , or massive mail-in balloting during a pandemic .
It ’ s not even clear , in many cases , that pollsters are reaching the right mix of people .
The sheer number of polls conducted during every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential preference to county-level ballot measures — leaves some voters , especially in swing states , feeling overwhelmed by incessant inquiries via phone , text message , and email .
Experts say there is some evidence to suggest that the same , relatively small group of people responds to polls over and over , giving their opinions disproportionate prominence , while other cohorts are underrepresented .
Pollsters try to adjust for those shortcomings with various methodologies , but it ’ s impossible to verify their accuracy .
“ A big worry in political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people — distrustful of the media , academia , science , etc .
— who do not want to engage with pollsters and survey research , ” said Neil Malhotra , a professor of political economy at Stanford .
Rick Ector , a firearms instructor from Detroit who voted for Trump , told BuzzFeed News that he understands why people like him blow off inquiries from pollsters .
“ If we get a call from some agency asking us who we are voting for and we don ’ t know this person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what they will do with that information , there ’ s high risks and stakes involved , ” he said .
“ People put themselves at risk for getting targeted.
” Jason Chatwell , a Trump voter in Kouts , Indiana , said he goes even further .
“ A lot of times I will say the opposite of what I ’ m really going to do if I get polled , ” he said .
“ Mainly because I don ’ t trust anybody . ''
Where polls are both more accurate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a professor of political science and public policy at Duke University , is at measuring public sentiment , across a broad swath of the American public , on issues such as universal healthcare or the Green New Deal .
According to Atkeson , polling data focused on voting outcomes tends to push the public conversation away from policy and may discourage candidates from even expressing their positions on important issues .
With Biden leading Trump by high single-digit and low double-digit margins in nearly every national poll throughout the late summer and early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little incentive for him to take risks by talking about his own plans .
Instead , he mostly stuck to criticizing the incumbent for his handling of the coronavirus .
“ I know Biden has policies out there somewhere , but as far as I can tell all he talked about was COVID , COVID , COVID , ” said Atkeson .
“ You can see why they chose that strategy.
” Candidates also have become adept at using polling data for other ends , such as fundraising .
Although Mark Kelly surveyed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Arizona Senate race , his campaign pursued an underdog strategy , sending supporters cherry-picked data from less favorable polls in order to generate donations .
“ Three polls show Mark Kelly statistically tied with Martha McSally in Arizona , ” read the subject line of one such email sent Oct. 14 .
In fact , polls taken at that time showed him up by as much as 11 points .
It seemed to work : By Election Day , Kelly had raised $ 33 million more than his opponent .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a comfortable margin of 4.2 percentage points , although the race has not yet been called .
Over the past dozen years , polling has blossomed from a service providing data to campaigns and news outlets to a media industry in its own right .
Forecasters strive to be accurate not only for accuracy ’ s sake , but also because of the financial incentives driving their own businesses , which extend far beyond political races .
The irony is that this kind of data-driven analysis , which Silver has said he developed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ narrative cast of so much horse race political coverage , has instead breathed new life into horse race coverage .
Some have suggested that the most recent polling debacle could spell the end of polling as we know it .
But there were similar calls after the 2016 election , too .
Most observers doubt that kind of change is coming anytime soon .
“ I do n't see the pollsters go away , ” said Atkeson .
“ It 's a great story and one that keeps giving .
Every day you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polling itself becomes part of the election narrative.
” ●

But beyond accuracy, this race raises another, potentially more important, concern about America’s prediction obsession: that endless consumption of poll data — updated, analyzed, dissected, and promoted on TV, the web, and even in partisan fundraising efforts — distorts the entire political process, affecting the behavior of both voters and politicians in troublingly unforeseeable ways.
“I don't think it's a good thing for democracy to be so obsessed with polls,” said David Rothschild, an economist who studies polling and public opinion and who has done election forecasting in the past. “I worry it enhances horse race–style coverage of elections and skews people's expectations, while distracting from policy, which is what really matters.”
Forecasts are the products of complex mathematical simulations based on an array of polling data, often in combination with other factors such as the state of the economy. They produce what amounts to a very highly educated guess, not a confirmed take-it-to-the-bank fact. Yet the media, the political class, and voters often attribute to those forecasts the same degree of certainty that they would to NFL scores on a Monday morning.
Political scientists and statisticians point to a wide range of factors that could undermine a forecast’s accuracy. The polls they depend on may reflect a skewed sample of the population; they may not be able to fully account for shifts in the demographics of the electorate; and as for respondents, they may change their minds on their way to the voting booth.
Those problems could be compounded across a number of similar states — such as what happened in 2016, when unexpected wins in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania propelled Donald Trump to the presidency. It turns out that accurately predicting who will win individual contests in a nation of 325 million people — as opposed to measuring public opinion in a broader context — is exceedingly difficult and, experts posit, perhaps not what polling is best at.
One glaring problem is that these predictions are not what people frequently assume them to be. A projection that, for example, Joe Biden has a 75% chance of winning a given state means that of the hundreds or thousands of simulations analysts ran, three quarters resulted in his victory. What voters often overlook is that the same forecast means Biden loses that state a quarter of the time — and might never win by more than a razor-thin margin.
“Essentially,” said Solomon Messing, the chief scientist at Acronym, “it makes it sound like the candidate is a slam dunk to most people.”
That can have big consequences. After Donald Trump’s surprising Electoral College victory in 2016, Messing studied the way polling influences voter behavior. He found that hyper-confidence in an election outcome makes people less likely to vote — why bother, the thinking goes, if your candidate already has it sewn up — and that the effect seems larger among Democratic voters than Republicans. Forecasts, he found, seem to bolster that confidence.
“Forecasting increases certainty about an election’s outcome, confuses many, and decreases turnout,” the study that Messing coauthored said. The ensuing media coverage of that forecasting, meanwhile, tends to favor the leading candidate, which, in the case of 2016, “raised questions” about whether the forecasts themselves contributed to Trump’s win.
Lonna Atkeson, a political scientist at the University of New Mexico and a member of the MIT Election Data and Science Lab, said that effect may have played a role in the Maine senate race. The challenger, Sara Gideon, led the incumbent, Susan Collins, in every major poll. Instead voters chose Collins, and it wasn’t even close. As of late Wednesday, when Gideon conceded, Collins was up by more than 7 points.
“They were way off,” said Atkeson, who noted that the same pollsters appear to have correctly predicted the presidential vote in the state. “What happened in Maine? Did the polling push voters in more urban, Democratic areas to come out less for Gideon?”


buzzfeed--2020-11-06--What Happens If There Is A Recount In Georgia?

As the presidential election increasingly tightens in Georgia , the race to secure the state ’ s 16 electoral votes may come down to a recount .
The state is among five battleground states whose crucial count is still underway amid an increase of mail-in ballots due to the coronavirus pandemic .
As of Thursday afternoon , election officials said there are nearly 48,000 votes still uncounted , with the bulk of the outstanding ballots in Chatham and Fulton counties .
The margins are so close that it ’ s very easy to see the state heading into a recount @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a margin of about 13,000 votes in the state , but former vice president Joe Biden is expected to pick up the bulk of votes ; Chatham and Fulton lean toward Democrats , and the mail-in ballots have been predominantly in favor of Biden .
Either candidate could still come out ahead .
And even the nominal loser would possibly be able to request a recount .
In Georgia , a candidate can ask for a recount when the margin is less than .5 % of the total votes cast for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ within two days following the certification of election results and is ultimately up to the discretion of the secretary of state .
There is a history of recent recounts in part of the state .
In 2017 , Mary Norwood called for a recount in the Atlanta mayoral race , citing an unofficial count that handed her opponent Keisha Lance Bottoms the win .
Bottoms maintained her victory with a slim margin of 832 votes while Norwood gained no extra votes after the second count .
The result of the recount was announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the city recounted more than 92,000 ballots .
On Wednesday , the Trump campaign and Georgia Republicans filed a lawsuit in Chatham County arguing that a judge should order the county to make sure they secured and accounted for ballots received after 7 p.m. on Election Day .
The case questioned the validity of 53 absentee ballots after a witness claimed it was unclear if late-arriving absentee ballots were being mixed in with on-time ballots .
A superior court judge found no evidence of the complaint and dismissed the case .

As the presidential election increasingly tightens in Georgia, the race to secure the state’s 16 electoral votes may come down to a recount. The state is among five battleground states whose crucial count is still underway amid an increase of mail-in ballots due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As of Thursday afternoon, election officials said there are nearly 48,000 votes still uncounted, with the bulk of the outstanding ballots in Chatham and Fulton counties. The margins are so close that it’s very easy to see the state heading into a recount.
President Donald Trump is currently leading by a margin of about 13,000 votes in the state, but former vice president Joe Biden is expected to pick up the bulk of votes; Chatham and Fulton lean toward Democrats, and the mail-in ballots have been predominantly in favor of Biden. Either candidate could still come out ahead.
And even the nominal loser would possibly be able to request a recount. In Georgia, a candidate can ask for a recount when the margin is less than .5% of the total votes cast for the office. The request must be made within two days following the certification of election results and is ultimately up to the discretion of the secretary of state.
There is a history of recent recounts in part of the state. In 2017, Mary Norwood called for a recount in the Atlanta mayoral race, citing an unofficial count that handed her opponent Keisha Lance Bottoms the win. Bottoms maintained her victory with a slim margin of 832 votes while Norwood gained no extra votes after the second count. The result of the recount was announced two weeks later on Dec. 20, after the city recounted more than 92,000 ballots.
On Wednesday, the Trump campaign and Georgia Republicans filed a lawsuit in Chatham County arguing that a judge should order the county to make sure they secured and accounted for ballots received after 7 p.m. on Election Day. The case questioned the validity of 53 absentee ballots after a witness claimed it was unclear if late-arriving absentee ballots were being mixed in with on-time ballots. A superior court judge found no evidence of the complaint and dismissed the case.


buzzfeed--2020-11-05--Eric Trump Is An Election Disinformation Superspreader

When the Trump campaign held a press conference in Pennsylvania on Nov. 4 to lie about having won the state , Eric Trump was front and center .
“ This is fraud .
This is absolute fraud , ” said the president ’ s son , inaccurately .
While President Donald Trump ’ s penchant for falsehoods and conspiracy theories is well documented , his middle son has become a superspreader of false and misleading election information .
Eric Trump has used his Twitter account , which has more than 4.4 million followers , to blast out false claims of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victory in Pennsylvania , and to promote misleading news articles .
“ Political elites using social media to sow distrust in the election process is unprecedented in the US , ” Joan Donovan , the research director of Harvard 's Shorenstein Center on Media , Politics , and Public Policy , told BuzzFeed News .
“ Even in 2018 , while we saw false associations between candidates and their political positions , there was no large scale campaign to upend trust in the voting process .
While President Trump has become known for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used his social media in the same way until now.
” Eric Trump 's blitz included a claim about Sharpies in Arizona , votes for Trump being burned , and inaccurate calculations of voter turnout in Wisconsin .
All of these were false .
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections .
To help keep this news free , become a member .
He also shared a story from a Texas website that suggested a video showing a man wheeling a box into a Detroit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In fact , the video shows a camera operator from a local TV station bringing in equipment .
And on election night , Trump shared a screenshot of a baseless tweet from his father claiming that his opponents were trying to “ STEAL the election .
”

When the Trump campaign held a press conference in Pennsylvania on Nov. 4 to lie about having won the state, Eric Trump was front and center.
“This is fraud. This is absolute fraud,” said the president’s son, inaccurately.
While President Donald Trump’s penchant for falsehoods and conspiracy theories is well documented, his middle son has become a superspreader of false and misleading election information. Eric Trump has used his Twitter account, which has more than 4.4 million followers, to blast out false claims of vote count irregularities, to prematurely claim victory in Pennsylvania, and to promote misleading news articles.
“Political elites using social media to sow distrust in the election process is unprecedented in the US,” Joan Donovan, the research director of Harvard's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy, told BuzzFeed News. “Even in 2018, while we saw false associations between candidates and their political positions, there was no large scale campaign to upend trust in the voting process. While President Trump has become known for white propaganda campaigns, Eric has not used his social media in the same way until now.”
Eric Trump's blitz included a claim about Sharpies in Arizona, votes for Trump being burned, and inaccurate calculations of voter turnout in Wisconsin. All of these were false.
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections. To help keep this news free, become a member.
He also shared a story from a Texas website that suggested a video showing a man wheeling a box into a Detroit polling center was transporting suspicious votes. In fact, the video shows a camera operator from a local TV station bringing in equipment.
And on election night, Trump shared a screenshot of a baseless tweet from his father claiming that his opponents were trying to “STEAL the election.”


buzzfeed--2020-11-06--Biden’s Campaign Wants You All To Chill Out. Trump’s Campaign Wants You All To Freak Out.

WILMINGTON , Delaware — We ’ re approaching 48 hours of ballot counting and doomscrolling and weird pop-up news conferences from Rudy Giuliani — but there is still no conclusion to the 2020 election .
Though both sides claim to be on track to win , their very different approaches to this period of uncertainty tell the larger story .
President Donald Trump and his allies , including former campaign officials and the irrepressible Giuliani , are trying to pipe more chaos into the process with tweets demanding that the counting stop and through lawsuits with questionable merit designed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process .
Joe Biden and his team , meanwhile , have been a veritable fount of confidence and patience .
His campaign manager opened a Thursday morning briefing by bragging that she was well rested and repeatedly returning to a message for nervous Democrats that amounted to Chill out , everyone .
We got this .
“ Our data shows that Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States , ” campaign manager Jennifer O ’ Malley Dillon said at the beginning of the videoconference , issuing what would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” declarations over the next 20 minutes .
“ Voters have turned out in record numbers for the vice president and because of that — and because he sees the same data we do and knows he is losing — Donald Trump continues to push a flailing strategy designed to prevent people 's votes from being counted , ” she added a moment later .
“ What we 're seeing in these legal suits is that they are meritless and nothing more than an attempt to distract and delay what is now inevitable.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ each of the states where ballots are still being counted , expressing varying levels of optimism for all except North Carolina .
Biden himself said in brief remarks Wednesday that “ it 's clear that we 're winning enough states to reach the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.
” Biden , the former vice president , has stopped short of declaring victory — something Trump untruthfully did in the early hours of Wednesday — but said that “ when the count is finished , we believe we will be the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Georgia are all still counting ballots today , and North Carolina will be sorting through ballots for days .
Things are expected to tighten in favor of Trump in Arizona , while they are expected to tighten in favor of Biden in Pennsylvania .
Nothing is definite .

WILMINGTON, Delaware — We’re approaching 48 hours of ballot counting and doomscrolling and weird pop-up news conferences from Rudy Giuliani — but there is still no conclusion to the 2020 election.
Though both sides claim to be on track to win, their very different approaches to this period of uncertainty tell the larger story.
President Donald Trump and his allies, including former campaign officials and the irrepressible Giuliani, are trying to pipe more chaos into the process with tweets demanding that the counting stop and through lawsuits with questionable merit designed to cast doubt on the integrity of the process. Joe Biden and his team, meanwhile, have been a veritable fount of confidence and patience. His campaign manager opened a Thursday morning briefing by bragging that she was well rested and repeatedly returning to a message for nervous Democrats that amounted to Chill out, everyone. We got this.
“Our data shows that Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States,” campaign manager Jennifer O’Malley Dillon said at the beginning of the videoconference, issuing what would be her first of three “next president” declarations over the next 20 minutes.
“Voters have turned out in record numbers for the vice president and because of that — and because he sees the same data we do and knows he is losing — Donald Trump continues to push a flailing strategy designed to prevent people's votes from being counted,” she added a moment later. “What we're seeing in these legal suits is that they are meritless and nothing more than an attempt to distract and delay what is now inevitable.”
O’Malley Dillon walked through each of the states where ballots are still being counted, expressing varying levels of optimism for all except North Carolina. Biden himself said in brief remarks Wednesday that “it's clear that we're winning enough states to reach the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.” Biden, the former vice president, has stopped short of declaring victory — something Trump untruthfully did in the early hours of Wednesday — but said that “when the count is finished, we believe we will be the winners.”
Nevada, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Georgia are all still counting ballots today, and North Carolina will be sorting through ballots for days. Things are expected to tighten in favor of Trump in Arizona, while they are expected to tighten in favor of Biden in Pennsylvania. Nothing is definite.


buzzfeed--2020-11-06--Trump Cannot Just “Go” To The Supreme Court To Fight Election Results. Here’s What Would Need To Hap

Trump Cannot Just “Go” To The Supreme Court To Fight Election Results. Here’s What Would Need To Happen To End Up There.

It took a month for Bush v. Gore to make its way through lower courts and reach the justices in 2000 .
WASHINGTON — In the early hours of Wednesday , with many states still going through the lawful process of tallying votes , President Donald Trump declared : “ We will be going to the Supreme Court.
” That ’ s not how the courts work , though .
With rare exceptions that don ’ t apply to the election , no one can simply bring a case to the US Supreme Court .
Trump ’ s rhetoric created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election results that doesn ’ t exist yet — by Wednesday evening , there were a handful of lawsuits pending , but none involved the kind of consequential fights over final vote tallies that would decide the outcome of the race .
That could change , of course .
Trump ’ s campaign said they ’ ll seek a recount in Wisconsin after former vice president Joe Biden was declared the winner , and could try to go to court to challenge the results if he still lost after that .
Decision Desk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday .
There ’ s already a case pending before the Supreme Court about whether Pennsylvania can count absentee ballots that arrive between Nov. 4 and Nov. 6 , but that would only be a vehicle for deciding the election if the race came down to Pennsylvania ’ s 20 electoral votes — and if those as-yet-unknown number of post–Election Day ballots would change the outcome .
Regardless of whether the Trump campaign ’ s lawsuits succeed in stopping any ballots from being counted , they ’ ve underscored Trump and his campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawfulness of ballot counting that extends beyond Election Day — something that happens in every election .
On Wednesday , dozens of Michigan residents tried to disrupt ballot counting at a site in Detroit , spurred by fake information that spread online of widespread fraud .
Trump ’ s campaign filed five new legal actions on Wednesday .
Two are aimed at halting ballot counting in Michigan and Pennsylvania on the grounds that the Trump campaign and Republicans haven ’ t gotten as much access to observe the process as they argue they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; in the Pennsylvania case , the campaign lost the first round before a judge in Philadelphia .
On Election Day , the Trump campaign unsuccessfully asked the Nevada Supreme Court to stop ballot counting in Clark County on the grounds that they weren ’ t being given access to observe the process .
Another Trump campaign lawsuit filed Wednesday accuses Pennsylvania of giving certain first-time voters too much time to comply with an ID requirement ( the campaign said they ’ d filed this case but hadn ’ t released the court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fourth seeks to join the Pennsylvania case already before the Supreme Court .
Shortly before publication time on Wednesday night , the campaign filed a new lawsuit in Chatham County , Georgia , but it was n't an effort to halt ballot counting — the campaign alleged it received information that absentee ballots that arrived after the state 's Election Day deadline might be improperly mingled with valid ballots , and asked the judge to enter an order making sure none were counted .
There are two other cases pending in Pennsylvania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directly involved in , although both were brought by Republicans .
One is an attempt to toss out at least 93 ballots cast by absentee voters in Montgomery County who were given a chance to fix or “ cure ” problems with their ballots before Election Day ; the other seeks to block an unknown number of absentee voters whose ballots were disqualified from casting provisional ballots instead .
With the exception of the Pennsylvania case that ’ s already before the Supreme Court , any new legal fight would take time to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before the Trump campaign could ask the justices to weigh in .
The court also isn ’ t bound to take a case , although they ’ re likely to step in if there ’ s a legal question that could decide the entire election .
Bush v. Gore , the Supreme Court case that handed the presidency to George W. Bush in 2000 , began with weeks of back-and-forth by Bush and then–vice president Al Gore ’ s campaigns over ballot recounts in Florida .
Gore filed the case that would eventually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ certified its results in late November and declared Bush the winner .
The court ruled on Dec. 12 , 2000 , more than a month after Election Day .
Trump ’ s comments Wednesday morning were the latest iteration of statements he ’ s made leading up the election predicting that the Supreme Court will play a role in deciding the presidency and pledging to fight state election practices and results that he doesn ’ t like before the justices .
Trump and Senate Republicans rushed to fill the late justice Ruth Bader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in September , with Trump saying that the court needed a ninth justice in place by the election and that he was “ counting on ” the Supreme Court to “ look at the ballots.
” If the winner of the presidential race does end up hinging on a Supreme Court decision , Trump ’ s comments make clear that he ’ s banking on the court ’ s conservative majority — which is now at 6–3 since the Senate confirmed his latest nominee , Justice Amy Coney Barrett — to rule in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to Election Day , the court issued a mix of decisions that expanded mail-in voting opportunities in some states and limited it in others , although the court ’ s conservative-leaning justices have generally sided with Republican efforts to restrict Americans ’ ability to vote remotely during the coronavirus pandemic .
If you have a news tip , we ’ d like to hear from you .
Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels .
Biden ’ s campaign wasn ’ t active in court before Election Day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s campaign , but both the Republican and Democratic Party organizations committed millions of dollars and armies of lawyers to legal fights arising around the election this year .
On a call with reporters on Wednesday , Bob Bauer , a senior adviser to Biden ’ s campaign and veteran election lawyer , was dismissive of Trump ’ s threats that they ’ d try to go to the Supreme Court to stop ballots from being counted after Election Day .
“ If at some point he arrives before the Supreme Court with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawfully cast by eligible voters , but not yet counted by the time Donald Trump wanted them counted , that somehow they don ’ t count anymore , he will be in for one of the most embarrassing defeats a president ever suffered before the highest court of the land , ” Bauer said .

There are two other cases pending in Pennsylvania that the Trump campaign isn’t directly involved in, although both were brought by Republicans. One is an attempt to toss out at least 93 ballots cast by absentee voters in Montgomery County who were given a chance to fix or “cure” problems with their ballots before Election Day; the other seeks to block an unknown number of absentee voters whose ballots were disqualified from casting provisional ballots instead.
With the exception of the Pennsylvania case that’s already before the Supreme Court, any new legal fight would take time to work its way through the lower courts before the Trump campaign could ask the justices to weigh in. The court also isn’t bound to take a case, although they’re likely to step in if there’s a legal question that could decide the entire election.
Bush v. Gore, the Supreme Court case that handed the presidency to George W. Bush in 2000, began with weeks of back-and-forth by Bush and then–vice president Al Gore’s campaigns over ballot recounts in Florida. Gore filed the case that would eventually land before the justices only after Florida certified its results in late November and declared Bush the winner. The court ruled on Dec. 12, 2000, more than a month after Election Day.
Trump’s comments Wednesday morning were the latest iteration of statements he’s made leading up the election predicting that the Supreme Court will play a role in deciding the presidency and pledging to fight state election practices and results that he doesn’t like before the justices.
Trump and Senate Republicans rushed to fill the late justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat after Ginsburg died in September, with Trump saying that the court needed a ninth justice in place by the election and that he was “counting on” the Supreme Court to “look at the ballots.”
If the winner of the presidential race does end up hinging on a Supreme Court decision, Trump’s comments make clear that he’s banking on the court’s conservative majority — which is now at 6–3 since the Senate confirmed his latest nominee, Justice Amy Coney Barrett — to rule in his favor. In the weeks leading up to Election Day, the court issued a mix of decisions that expanded mail-in voting opportunities in some states and limited it in others, although the court’s conservative-leaning justices have generally sided with Republican efforts to restrict Americans’ ability to vote remotely during the coronavirus pandemic.
If you have a news tip, we’d like to hear from you. Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels.
Biden’s campaign wasn’t active in court before Election Day in the same vein as Trump’s campaign, but both the Republican and Democratic Party organizations committed millions of dollars and armies of lawyers to legal fights arising around the election this year. On a call with reporters on Wednesday, Bob Bauer, a senior adviser to Biden’s campaign and veteran election lawyer, was dismissive of Trump’s threats that they’d try to go to the Supreme Court to stop ballots from being counted after Election Day.
“If at some point he arrives before the Supreme Court with a novel proposition that ballots that were lawfully cast by eligible voters, but not yet counted by the time Donald Trump wanted them counted, that somehow they don’t count anymore, he will be in for one of the most embarrassing defeats a president ever suffered before the highest court of the land,” Bauer said.


buzzfeed--2020-11-06--Delaware Has Elected The First-Ever Openly Trans State Senator In The US

Sarah McBride , a 30-year-old LGBTQ activist , will become the most powerful openly trans lawmaker in the nation after winning her state senator race in Delaware during Tuesday 's elections .
Just moments after her win , she told BuzzFeed News that she hopes her achievement as the first-ever openly trans state senator will encourage other young LGBTQ people to follow their dreams .
`` I am hopeful that tonight 's result can send a potentially lifesaving message to a young trans kid , '' said McBride .
`` They can go to sleep knowing that their dreams and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' McBride , a former White House intern in the Obama administration and later the press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign , came out as trans when she was serving as the student body president of American University in Washington , DC , in 2012 .
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections .
To help keep this news free , become a member .
She was in the car driving to her election party on Tuesday when the first round of votes came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after getting to the party at a local small business in Wilmington , the Associated Press and the New York Times called the race for her .
`` I spent my entire life feeling like tonight was so incomprehensible that it was seemingly impossible , '' she said .
`` To have those results come in and see in black and white online the AP call it ... helped to reinforce that nothing is truly impossible . ''
McBride named fellow Democrat Danica Roem , who was elected as the first openly trans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Delegates in 2017 , as one of the people who paved the way for her to run .
On Tuesday night , Roem tweeted her congrats to McBride , declaring that she was `` so , so so , so proud . ''

Sarah McBride, a 30-year-old LGBTQ activist, will become the most powerful openly trans lawmaker in the nation after winning her state senator race in Delaware during Tuesday's elections.
Just moments after her win, she told BuzzFeed News that she hopes her achievement as the first-ever openly trans state senator will encourage other young LGBTQ people to follow their dreams.
"I am hopeful that tonight's result can send a potentially lifesaving message to a young trans kid," said McBride. "They can go to sleep knowing that their dreams and their truths are not mutually exclusive."
McBride, a former White House intern in the Obama administration and later the press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, came out as trans when she was serving as the student body president of American University in Washington, DC, in 2012.
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections. To help keep this news free, become a member.
She was in the car driving to her election party on Tuesday when the first round of votes came in showing she might win. Shortly after getting to the party at a local small business in Wilmington, the Associated Press and the New York Times called the race for her.
"I spent my entire life feeling like tonight was so incomprehensible that it was seemingly impossible," she said. "To have those results come in and see in black and white online the AP call it ... helped to reinforce that nothing is truly impossible."
McBride named fellow Democrat Danica Roem, who was elected as the first openly trans state lawmaker to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2017, as one of the people who paved the way for her to run.
On Tuesday night, Roem tweeted her congrats to McBride, declaring that she was "so, so so, so proud."


buzzfeed--2020-11-06--Here's A Running List Of False And Misleading Information About The Election

Watch out for images and videos being taken out of context .
Election Day is here .
We may see a flood of false information about President Donald Trump and his challenger , former vice president Joe Biden .
Researchers are warning about images or videos of ballot tampering that may be old or out of context , misleading statistics on voter fraud , and baseless allegations of foreign interference .
Before sharing an online rumor with your friends and family , take the time to verify it .
This can be as easy as checking how recently an account @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comparing the claim to what reputable news outlets are saying , searching online to find another source , or doing a reverse image search .
Today we 'll be keeping a running list of unverified , misleading , and fake claims that we have been able to debunk .
This list will be updated throughout the day , so please check back .
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections .
To help keep this news free , become a member .
How to read @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have no concrete evidence either confirming or refuting them .
This type of claim has either no sources or no evidence , and is based on conjecture with no original reporting behind it .
Treat this kind of information with healthy skepticism and wait to see how it develops .
MISLEADING : Posts that take a real event out of context , for example : miscaptioning a video or photo from the protests .
This can also include images that are presented at a deceptive angle or descriptions that cherry-pick facts .
Avoid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post .
FALSE : Reporters or reliable sources with direct knowledge have contradicted this information on the record , or it is refuted by unimpeachable evidence .
Examples include images or videos filmed at a different time or location but presented as recent , demonstrably false claims , and websites masquerading as news outlets publishing untrue information .
The footage was shot by Kellye SoRelle , a Texas lawyer and member of Lawyers for Trump , who said she was in Detroit as a Republican observer .
On Crowder 's livestream , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was similar to boxes of ballots she “ had seen and been watching and monitoring.
” “ The ‘ ballot thief ’ was my photographer , ” tweeted Ross Jones , a reporter with WXYZ .
“ He was bringing down equipment for our 12-hour shift.
” The video was also the subject of a misleading story on Texas Scorecard , a conservative site , which has generated over 120,000 views on YouTube .
An out-of-context video of Biden 's appearance on the podcast Pod Save America is making rounds again after going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Snopes debunk at the time , Biden was actually talking about Trump .
The out-of-context video was tweeted by RNC Research , amplified by Eric Trump , and eventually quote-tweeted by the president .
`` The President of the United States has already demonstrated he ’ s willing to lie and manipulate our country ’ s democratic process to help himself politically , which is why we have assembled the most robust and sophisticated team in presidential campaign history to confront voter suppression and fight voter fraud however it may present itself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign told Snopes in October .
The videos purport to show voters who are over 100 years old casting a ballot in Michigan , but they are misleading .
Logically , a company monitoring misinformation , reported that the people shown in the videos “ most likely are relatives of the people born in the early 1900s and inherited relatives ' names.
” Logically also matched the names of the people who are over 100 years old — featured in the videos — to their likely living descendants .
According to a spokesperson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even if someone cast a ballot for a voter who died , that ballot wo n't be counted : Ballots of voters who have died are rejected in Michigan , even if the voter cast an absentee ballot and then died before Election Day .
On rare occasions , a ballot received for a living voter may be recorded in a way that makes it appear as if the voter is dead .
This can be because of voters with similar names , where the ballot is accidentally recorded as voted by John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by John Smith Jr ; or because of inaccurately recorded birth dates in the qualified voter file ; for example , someone born in 1990 accidentally recorded as born in 1890 .
In such scenarios , no one ineligible has actually voted , and there is no impact on the outcome of the election .
Local clerks can correct the issue when it is brought to their attention .
The canvas watcher who was removed from the ballot counting room in Philadelphia on Thursday was breaking the rules that prohibit filming inside , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ted Cruz retweeted a video mischaracterizing the situation , writing falsely that , “ Dem mayors are defying the law.
” According to Lauren Vidas , an election law attorney and an observer in the room , the man in the video was one of two people filming inside the room , which is against the rules .
The ballot counters “ didn ’ t flinch , I don ’ t even know if they noticed it , ” she said .
A spokesperson for the city ’ s commissioner ’ s office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election , confirmed that ’ s what happened .
“ He was removed from the room by security after refusing to stop taking pix in the observer area , ” said spokesperson Kevin Feeley .
“ He was told several times that he had to stop , there are signs in multiple places saying ‘ no pictures allowed , ’ and he disregarded all of it.
” Vidas said the other person taking photos was asked to delete them and , once they did , was allowed to remain .
The man in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leave .
Vidas also said it looked like the man had Republican identification despite claiming he was a Democrat .
“ This was him purposely trying to create a scene , ” Vidas said .
“ The only people who think it ’ s a situation are people repeating it on social media.
” Tweets , like the one above , claiming ballots were being “ magically counted ” are misleading .
The state 's mail-in ballots are still being counted and officials are asking the public for patience , the Detroit Free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden votes cited in some tweets was the result of a data error , according to a spokesperson for Decision Desk HQ , an election data and analysis service .
“ It was a simple error from a file created by the state that we ingested , ” the company said in a statement .
`` DDHQ does not correct/amend/adjust any state provided file .
The state noticed the error and produced an updated count .
This happens on election nights and we expect other vote tabulators in MI experienced this error and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' The state is largely Democratic , and absentee ballots are “ expected to be more generally favorable to Biden , ” according to the Detroit Free Press .
You can see the latest Michigan results here .
A video that claimed to show someone putting 80 votes for Trump into a plastic bag and setting them on fire spread rapidly on Twitter .
It ’ s also false .
Twitter has suspended at least one account that posted the video , which was retweeted by Eric Trump and other pro-Trump influencers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ being burned were sample ballots , according to a statement from election official in Virginia Beach , Virginia .
The video appears to have been first shared by an anonymous account early on Wednesday morning , which later tweeted that it had no idea where the video was shot and claimed to live in England .
Right-wing site the Gateway Pundit cited it in an article , while acknowledging , “ None of the people who have tweeted the video seem to know where the video came from to confirm its authenticity.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city commissioners office , the situation depicted in the video really did happen , but there 's more to it than what 's shown .
`` It was an honest mistake , '' spokesperson Kevin Feeley said in a phone call .
The poll watcher had a different ward than what was at on his certificate , Feeley said , and the worker misinterpreted the law and did n't allow him in .
An older version of the law said that watchers must be assigned to specific wards .
According to Feeley , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was corrected .
“ This person was allowed to enter and is there now , ” he said .
A spokesperson for the district attorney 's office also said , “ Our Election Task Force has not received any complaints that fit what is being described or alleged in that tweet.
” This photo shows pallets of bricks on a sidewalk in what a person on Twitter said was Chicago .
He also claimed the bricks “ mysteriously ” showed up .
There 's nothing mysterious about the bricks .
As reported by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the bricks were used to build a patio wall for a nearby restaurant .
Thalen also established that the photo was old and that the bricks were no longer on the sidewalk .
The misleading tweet garnered attention because it evoked the claims about bricks that spread during protests after police killed George Floyd and Breonna Taylor .
At the time , BuzzFeed News investigated more than 15 claims that bricks were being deliberately placed near protests as a way to instigate chaos .
In every example , there was a reasonable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showing a verbal altercation at a polling station in Pennsylvania in which a local Democratic official asked a Republican poll watcher to leave is genuine , officials confirmed to BuzzFeed News .
But there ’ s more to the story .
Kevin Feeley , a spokesperson for the Philadelphia City Commissioners , said the poll watcher in the video never left the polling station , and that the altercation was the result of a misunderstanding .
Feeley told BuzzFeed News that his office sent a senior state election official to the polling station @ @ @ @ @ @ @ woman in the video had misunderstood new regulations , which now allow poll watchers to remain for the duration of polls being open .
“ That ’ s not how it worked in the past , ” Feeley said .

Election Day is here. We may see a flood of false information about President Donald Trump and his challenger, former vice president Joe Biden. Researchers are warning about images or videos of ballot tampering that may be old or out of context, misleading statistics on voter fraud, and baseless allegations of foreign interference.
Before sharing an online rumor with your friends and family, take the time to verify it. This can be as easy as checking how recently an account sharing the information was created, comparing the claim to what reputable news outlets are saying, searching online to find another source, or doing a reverse image search.
Today we'll be keeping a running list of unverified, misleading, and fake claims that we have been able to debunk. This list will be updated throughout the day, so please check back.
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections. To help keep this news free, become a member.


buzzfeed--2020-11-06--A Bunch Of Lies Circulating Online Just Came Out Of Trump's Mouth

In an address from the White House on Thursday evening that Donald Trump called “ an update , ” the president reached deep into the online garbage bin and regurgitated many of the rumors that have been widely circulated — and widely debunked — over the last three days .
Trump gave voice to baseless rumors about voter fraud and ballot counting , and once again lied about winning an election that is tilting away from him hour by hour .
Throughout the speech , Trump clearly either misunderstood or misrepresented the election laws of the country he governs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the internet .
“ Michigan , we won the state .
In Wisconsin , we did likewise , fantastically well .
And that got whittled down , ” the president falsely said .
“ In every case , they got whittled down .
We 're on track to win Arizona.
” None of that is accurate .
Joe Biden won the state of Michigan .
Wisconsin and Arizona are still being counted .
Trump ’ s early lead was not “ whittled down.
” Rather he is either confused by or is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are counted , as he , his son , and his press secretary have in the past days .
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections .
To help keep this news free , become a member .
“ They stopped counting for four hours and bad things happened , ” Trump said about Georgia .
This is a reference to an online rumor that claimed ballot counters taking a break were nefarious .
In reality , poll workers , who are uniformly human beings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decided to give their staff a break .
“ They don ’ t want anybody there , they don ’ t want anybody watching as they count the ballots , ” said Trump about Pennsylvania .
In this case , Trump is likely referring to two separate videos , both of which were missing context , of altercations involving poll watchers in Pennsylvania .
In both cases , those poll watchers were able to remain at their locations and do their job , a city official confirmed to BuzzFeed News on Tuesday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ windows so they can ’ t see in , ” Trump said .
He has previously amplified this rumor on Twitter and now brought it all the way to the White House press room .
But windows being covered with paper is not some overarching conspiracy .
The reality is that ballot counters were worried about people taking photos of the process , which is against the law , as the New York Times reported .
“ They did the mail-in ballots , ” Trump said , “ where there ’ s tremendous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claim has been the president ’ s go-to narrative for months , dating as far back as the midterm election in which Trump cried “ fraud ” at the electoral process .
In reality , the US has a minuscule number of election fraud cases , including those that deal with mail-in ballots .
This hasn ’ t stopped Trump ’ s debunked crusade .
“ They mailed out millions of ballots without any verification measure whatsoever , ” he claimed , without proof .
Mail-in ballots are in fact tracked and closely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ service officials said in an ongoing trial yesterday that they chose not to track some ballots through the mail in an effort to speed their delivery .
During the press conference , his rant against mail-in ballots was the lengthiest , including a false claim that those ballots don ’ t have identification and verification requirements .
“ They ’ re just taking the numbers , they ’ re writing down things , ” he said .
Anyone watching Trump conference would have received the same false impression as the people who bought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting process in key states is in disarray .
In reality , the mundane if plodding process of counting one ballot after another is proceeding as predicted .
If you have a news tip , we ’ d like to hear from you .
Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels .

In an address from the White House on Thursday evening that Donald Trump called “an update,” the president reached deep into the online garbage bin and regurgitated many of the rumors that have been widely circulated — and widely debunked — over the last three days.
Trump gave voice to baseless rumors about voter fraud and ballot-counting and once again lied about winning an election that is tilting away from him hour by hour. Throughout the speech, Trump clearly either misunderstood or misrepresented the election laws of the country he governs, and he seemingly sourced much of his material from the internet.
“Michigan, we won the state. In Wisconsin, we did likewise fantastically well. And that got whittled down,” the president falsely said. “In every case, they got whittled down. We're on track to win Arizona.”
None of that is accurate. Joe Biden won the state of Michigan. Wisconsin and Arizona are still being counted. Trump’s early lead was not “whittled down.” Rather, he is either confused by or is purposely sowing confusion about how mail-in ballots are counted, as he, his son, and his press secretary have done in the past few days.
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections. To help keep this news free, become a member.
“They stopped counting for four hours, and bad things happened,” Trump said about Georgia.
This is a reference to an online rumor that claimed ballot counters taking a break were acting nefariously. In reality, poll workers, who are uniformly human beings, need sleep, and some counties decided to give their staffers a break.
“They don’t want anybody there. They don’t want anybody watching as they count the ballots,” Trump said about Pennsylvania.
In this case, the president is likely referring to two separate videos, both of which were missing context, of altercations involving poll watchers in Pennsylvania. In both cases, those poll watchers were able to remain at their locations and do their job, a city official confirmed to BuzzFeed News on Tuesday.
“They put papers on all the windows so they can’t see in,” Trump said.
He has previously amplified this rumor on Twitter and now brought it all the way to the White House press room. But windows being covered with paper is not some overarching conspiracy. The reality is that ballot counters were worried about people taking photos of the process, which is against the law, as the New York Times reported.
“They did the mail-in ballots,” Trump said, “where there’s tremendous corruption and fraud going on.”
This claim has been the president’s go-to narrative for months, dating as far back as the midterm election in which he cried “fraud” at the electoral process. In reality, the US has a minuscule number of election fraud cases, including those that deal with mail-in ballots.
This hasn’t stopped Trump’s debunked crusade. “They mailed out millions of ballots without any verification measure whatsoever,” he claimed without proof. Mail-in ballots are in fact tracked and closely monitored in the US, although Postal Service officials said in an ongoing trial yesterday that they chose not to track some ballots through the mail in an effort to speed up their delivery.
Of his multiple rants during the press conference, his tirade against mail-in ballots was the lengthiest and included a false claim that those ballots don’t have identification and verification requirements.
“They’re just taking the numbers. They’re writing down things,” he said.
Anyone watching Trump's conference would have received the same false impression as the people who bought into the rumors online — that the voting process in key states is in disarray. In reality, the mundane if plodding process of counting one ballot after another is proceeding as predicted.
If you have a news tip, we’d like to hear from you. Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels.