In brief remarks this afternoon, Joe Biden urged Americans "to stay calm" because the "process is working. The count is being completed, and we'll know very soon."
The red mirage in action: President Trump's 625,000 vote lead in Pennsylvania Wednesday morning has shrunk to less than 100,000, and its secretary of state says "we definitely could" know the winner by as soon as tonight.
Joe Biden urged "all people to stay calm" at a press conference on Thursday as outstanding votes are tallied, adding, "We have no doubt that when the count is finished, Sen. [Kamala] Harris and I will be declared the winners."
The big picture: The former VP and Harris attended an earlier briefing on the coronavirus outbreak while key states including Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia and North Carolina continue to count ballots. President Trump on Twitter has argued vote tallying should come to a halt.
Arizona remains one of the presidential election's most unsettled states, with Joe Biden clinging to a slight lead.
Axios Re:Cap digs into why Biden underperformed Democratic Senate candidate Mark Kelly and the so-called "Sharpiegate," with local reporter Hank Stephenson and University of Arizona professor Kate Kenski.
President Trump and his allies are setting the stage to claim a Joe Biden presidency would be illegitimate, baselessly questioning everything from how ballots are counted to whether "fake" polls suggesting blue waves that never came are tantamount to voter suppression.
Why it matters: Arguing that he was wrongfully removed from office could give Trump a face-saving way to explain a possible election loss. It also could distract from a Biden presidency in transition.
Why it matters: Fast-growing startups generally try very hard to avoid regulation. As they become increasingly important, they collectively represent a growing blind spot for regulators.
Economically, the outcome of the election could not be worse than where we seem to be headed: A Biden presidency with a Republican Senate.
Why it matters: "Gridlock" — where the president's party doesn't control both houses of Congress — is being cheered by financial markets wary of political overreach. Stocks are not the economy, however. In the depths of a global pandemic, fiscal boldness is exactly what's needed for the economy as a whole. The problem is that political obstructionism is all but certain.
A judge in Michigan said she will deny the Trump campaign's request to stop the counting of mail-in ballots in the state. Judge Cynthia Stephens announced her decision at the end of an oral briefing Thursday and has not yet issued a written order.
Why it matters: This is a significant loss for the Trump campaign's effort to slow or stop vote-counting in critical states that Joe Biden is projected to win.
The stock markets appearedtohavepriced in a "blue wave" for the past few weeks, and the spending sugar high that would follow.
What happened: The stock markets were wrong. Just like they were almost every time that Nancy Pelosi or Steven Mnuchin would sprinkle a crumb of stimulus hopes, or when some press release would imply that a vaccine or curative therapeutic could be just around the corner.
Philadelphia officials on Wednesday released body camera footage — which Mayor Jim Kenney described as "traumatic" and graphic" — of police fatally shooting Walter Wallace, a 27-year-old Black man, late last month.
What happened: The video of the roughly 40-second-long incident on Oct. 26 shows Wallace walking toward the officers, who repeatedly command him to drop the knife he is holding, before 14 shots were fired.
Republicans' likely hold on the Senate is forcing Joe Biden's transition team to consider limiting its prospective Cabinet nominees to those who Mitch McConnell can live with, according to people familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: The new Senate political math could dash the ambitions of some Democrats, including those who have clashed with Republicans.
After months of a grueling campaign season, some swing voters around Florida are desperately searching for an end to this cycle — even if it means accepting a PresidentBiden win after they voted for President Trump.
Why it matters: Fatigue over the level of political outreach and content they've been inundated with during this race — as well as fear that there will be extreme civil unrest no matter who wins — is pushing these voters to accept a president they don't even want if it means the chaos will end.
The presidential election is coming down to key battleground states. Joe Biden was projected on Wednesday to win Wisconsin and Michigan, both of which President Trump won in 2016. These are also among the states where the president's campaign filed lawsuits to challenge the vote.
Supporters of President Trump protested outside an Arizona election center late Wednesday, chanting "count the votes!" as elections officials continued to tabulate ballots in a state that Joe Biden is projected to win.
Why it matters: The Trump campaign was furious that Fox News and AP called Arizona for Biden on Tuesday night with hundreds of thousands of votes still outstanding, as a victory for the Democrat would significantly narrow Trump's possible path to 270 electoral votes.
Police and demonstrators clashed in New York and several other U.S. cities into Thursday morning, during nationwide election protests.
Why it matters: The uncertain presidential election results have prompted unrest and some of the biggest protests seen since the summer's massive Black Lives Matter demonstrations over the death of George Floyd, as supporters of President Trump and Joe Biden took to the streets Wednesday night.
Democrat Sen. Gary Peters has won re-election in Michigan against Republican businessman and veteran John James, AP projects.
Why it matters: It's a crucial win for Democrats, who have seen their chances of flipping the Senate fade away after failing to defeat vulnerable Republicans in Maine, Iowa, Montana and other states.
With Joe Biden closing in on 270 electoral votes, the Trump campaign filed a flurry of ballot-related lawsuits that legal experts say are unlikely to produce a Bush v. Gore sequel.
The state of play: Biden will win Wisconsin and Michigan, the AP projected. Biden can clear 270 electoral votes by hanging on in Nevada and Arizona — or winning Pennsylvania.
The U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday found 815 remaining ballots in court-ordered sweeps in several Texas facilities, according to a federal court filing. They have now been delivered to election officials,
The big picture: U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan set a deadline on Wednesday to have USPS sweep facilities in Texas for outstanding ballots and have them delivered to election officials by 5 p.m. local time.
