Today's Liberal News

Welcome to Election Purgatory

Approximately infinity years ago, in a 2006 TED talk, the computer scientist Jeff Han demonstrated a new kind of touch-driven display. First he wiggled all 10 fingertips against a big screen attached to a drafting desk, and then the display responded to all of them at once, as if he were scratching the belly of a puppy instead of operating a computer.

Photos of the Week: Golden Monkey, Bubble Dining, Water Dance

Hurricane Eta damage in Nicaragua, a Halloween blue moon, a presidential election in the U.S., earthquake aftermath in Turkey, a whale tail wreck in the Netherlands, colorful vineyards in Germany, the Day of the Dead in Mexico, a light show in Shanghai, and much more.

Trump Moves Into the Burn-It-Down Phase

President Donald Trump tonight raised the threat of a constitutional crisis to a new level. He issued an extraordinary series of baseless charges about the election he is on the verge of losing—that Democrats were stealing the vote, that the media had deliberately released “phony polls” to suppress Republican turnout, that “corrupt” officials in Detroit and Philadelphia were finding Democratic ballots to whittle away his supposed lead.

Trump’s especially low-caliber legal team tells us exactly where Trumptanic is headed

In a matter of several years, Rudy Giuliani has gone from being America’s mayor to the serial butt of its jokes. That’s what makes him the perfect figurehead of Donald Trump’s farcical multi-pronged legal effort to claw back the will of The People and invalidate enough legally cast votes so that Trump can retain the presidency.

Rudy, more plugged into Ukrainian corruption than U.S.

Arizona mob trying to stop the count included some familiar deplorable faces

On Wednesday night, a mob began gathering outside the Maricopa County Elections Department offices in Phoenix, where clerks were counting the votes well into the night. Republicans are desperately trying to recreate their successful “Brooks Brothers Riot,” where so-called average citizens demanded the vote count be stopped in Florida during the 2000 presidential election.

Judge orders mail facility sweeps twice a day in states where votes can still be accepted

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan has ordered the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to conduct sweeps twice a day in all the mail processing facilities for the 23 states that allow for ballots postmarked on or by Election Day to be counted in the following days.

That includes some battleground states that have not yet been called: Pennsylvania, which can still count ballots received until end of business Friday; Nevada, which will accept properly postmarked ballots until Nov.

Put a pin in it: still some 50% of votes to be counted in the Alaska Senate race

As Democrats fixate on Georgia to see whether it might play host to two highly consequential Senate runoffs, it’s worth at least putting a pin in the Alaska Senate race too. 

At the moment, the AP reports that only about 50% of the state’s votes have been counted in the race between GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan and independent challenger Al Gross (who would caucus with Democrats).

The Atlantic Daily: 3 Winners of the Election

Every weekday evening, our editors guide you through the biggest stories of the day, help you discover new ideas, and surprise you with moments of delight. Subscribe to get this delivered to your inbox.BRETT CARLSEN / GETTYThe presidential contest appears likely to drag on at least one more agonizing day. But the Oval Office wasn’t the only thing on the line this year. We explore three winners of this cycle.1.

How to Cope With Election Agony

“How to Build a Life” is a biweekly column by Arthur Brooks, tackling questions of meaning and happiness.“I don’t feel like getting out of bed,” a friend texted me the morning after the 2016 election, so bereft was she at the outcome. Her disbelief was mixed with sadness, anger, and fear.She had plentiful company in her misery. “‘Post-election Stress Disorder’ Sweeps the Nation,” PBS NewsHour reported.

Mondaire Jones, One of First Two Openly Gay Black Congressmen, Backs Expanding Supreme Court

In New York, Democrats Mondaire Jones and Ritchie Torres are set to become the first two openly gay Black men elected to Congress, replacing lawmakers who are retiring after decades in Washington. Jones will represent New York’s 17th Congressional District, joining the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. He supports the Green New Deal, Medicare for All and a $15 minimum wage. “The era of small ideas is over,” Jones says.