The night is darkest before the dawn.

To see that child-man charlatan in the White House spouting lies yet again, asserting without a trace of evidence that “If you count the legal vote I easily win,” claiming that “I won Pennsylvania by a lot,” and Michigan and Georgia too, was to be reminded of the American nightmare of these past four years that the American people seem to have brought to an end.

It was a nightmare in which truth died, decency was trampled, science was flouted, division was fanned and the American idea was desecrated, as President Donald Trump wheedled his way into the minds of every American with an insidious cascade of self-obsessed posturing and manipulative untruth.

In a democracy, a beautiful idea for which so much blood has been shed over the centuries, every vote is counted and each vote counts. That is what happened in 2016, when Trump won Michigan by 0.2 percentage points, Pennsylvania by 0.7 and Wisconsin by 0.8. What goes around comes around. The difference in 2020 is that the child-man cannot accept his treat being snatched away. A bully born on third base cannot play by the rules of the game and accept the sanctity of the electoral process and the law.

As I write, it appears that Joe Biden will be the 46th president of the United States.

There may be recounts. There will be legal challenges. But Trump’s attempted coup against democracy, for it is no less than that, will be resisted. The United States is far bigger than this little man.

It seems almost churlish to pick apart Trump’s arguments, which in fact reflect no more than the hysteria of a narcissist for whom the phrase “You’re fired!” is unbearable. He cannot seem to distinguish between voting after the election, which would be illegal, and the process of receiving and counting votes cast in a timely manner. Or rather, he can make that distinction, but only when it comes to Arizona, where he hopes the ballots still being counted will reverse Biden’s lead.

Trump has another mental problem. He cannot, it seems, distinguish between a snapshot of a moment — when, for example, he was ahead of Biden by several hundred thousand votes in Georgia and Pennsylvania on election night — and the eventual result after all votes are counted. He keeps bleating that he “won” and that some vast conspiracy by the media and a corrupt Democratic Party machine has mysteriously “whittled down” his triumph until it takes on the hideous hew of defeat. Another name for “whittling” is counting the votes.

Such desperation — the antics of the sandbox transposed to the Oval Office — is excruciating to watch, not least because it is so predictable.

Throughout his life, when in a tight corner, having stiffed his contractors or ushered his businesses to the brink of bankruptcy, Trump has responded with lawsuits, lies and threats. His method was simple: attack, attack, attack. It often worked. But until now, he has not faced the will of the American people in the opposing corner.

An attempted coup against democracy, I said. For months now, Trump has been peddling the notion that, as he put it in July, “mail-in ballots will lead to massive electoral fraud and a rigged 2020 election.” He has returned to the theme relentlessly, without any evidence that mail ballots lead to fraud. This was the groundwork for a power grab.

Now it is Biden’s moment, on the eve of his 78th birthday. The moment of a man with a deep respect for America’s institutions, its alliances and the rule of law. The moment of a man who reached out to all Americans during the campaign. The moment of a man who became the Democratic nominee as people turned to safe hands to confront the coronavirus and now, it seems, will be asked to heal a wounded nation. The moment of a man who came to a gift for empathy through the devastating loss of his first wife and two of his four children. The moment of an American who understands that you cannot sculpt from rotten wood, and so every democracy requires the foundation of truth.

Trump’s last-ditch incitement of his vast tribe — composed of tens of millions of Americans — will cast a shadow across an eventual Biden presidency. The battles of today will not quickly abate. But the restoration of sanity to the highest office in the land is the prerequisite for the rebuilding that must now begin. As Martin Luther King Jr. put it, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

I think now particularly of Georgia, where a Biden victory would be the first by a Democratic candidate in almost three decades. With its large African American population, and its sharp division between diverse, fast-growing Metro Atlanta and a mainly white conservative hinterland, Georgia was a bellwether of a changing America reeling from a pandemic and racial tension.

“Let Freedom Ring From Georgia” was the headline on a column I wrote from there in June, predicting a Trump defeat.

Democracy is messy but stubborn. It is the system that best enshrines the human desire to be free. This massive American vote has been many things — bitter and ugly among them — but above all, it has been a beautiful testament to the power of each single ballot in the world’s oldest democracy.

The night is darkest before the dawn. To see that child-man charlatan in the White House spouting lies yet again, asserting without a trace of evidence that “If you count the legal vote I easily win,” claiming that “I won Pennsylvania by a lot,” and Michigan and Georgia too, was to be reminded of the American nightmare of these past four years that the American people seem to have brought to an end.

The night is darkest before the dawn. To see that child-man charlatan in the White House spouting lies yet again, asserting without a trace of evidence that “If you count the legal vote I easily win,” claiming that “I won Pennsylvania by a lot,” and Michigan and Georgia too, was to be reminded of the American nightmare of these past four years that the American people seem to have brought to an end. It was a nightmare in which truth died, decency was trampled, science was flouted, division was fanned and the American idea was desecrated, as President Donald Trump wheedled his way into the minds of every American with an insidious cascade of self-obsessed posturing and manipulative untruth. In a democracy, a beautiful idea for which so much blood has been shed over the centuries, every vote is counted and each vote counts. That is what happened in 2016, when Trump won Michigan by 0.2 percentage points, Pennsylvania by 0.7 and Wisconsin by 0.8. What goes around comes around. The difference in 2020 is that the child-man cannot accept his treat being snatched away. A bully born on third base cannot play by the rules of the game and accept the sanctity of the electoral process and the law. As I write, it appears that Joe Biden will be the 46th president of the United States. There may be recounts. There will be legal challenges. But Trump’s attempted coup against democracy, for it is no less than that, will be resisted. The United States is far bigger than this little man. It seems almost churlish to pick apart Trump’s arguments, which in fact reflect no more than the hysteria of a narcissist for whom the phrase “You’re fired!” is unbearable. He cannot seem to distinguish between voting after the election, which would be illegal, and the process of receiving and counting votes cast in a timely manner. Or rather, he can make that distinction, but only when it comes to Arizona, where he hopes the ballots still being counted will reverse Biden’s lead. Trump has another mental problem. He cannot, it seems, distinguish between a snapshot of a moment — when, for example, he was ahead of Biden by several hundred thousand votes in Georgia and Pennsylvania on election night — and the eventual result after all votes are counted. He keeps bleating that he “won” and that some vast conspiracy by the media and a corrupt Democratic Party machine has mysteriously “whittled down” his triumph until it takes on the hideous hew of defeat. Another name for “whittling” is counting the votes. Such desperation — the antics of the sandbox transposed to the Oval Office — is excruciating to watch, not least because it is so predictable. Throughout his life, when in a tight corner, having stiffed his contractors or ushered his businesses to the brink of bankruptcy, Trump has responded with lawsuits, lies and threats. His method was simple: attack, attack, attack. It often worked. But until now, he has not faced the will of the American people in the opposing corner. An attempted coup against democracy, I said. For months now, Trump has been peddling the notion that, as he put it in July, “mail-in ballots will lead to massive electoral fraud and a rigged 2020 election.” He has returned to the theme relentlessly, without any evidence that mail ballots lead to fraud. This was the groundwork for a power grab. Now it is Biden’s moment, on the eve of his 78th birthday. The moment of a man with a deep respect for America’s institutions, its alliances and the rule of law. The moment of a man who reached out to all Americans during the campaign. The moment of a man who became the Democratic nominee as people turned to safe hands to confront the coronavirus and now, it seems, will be asked to heal a wounded nation. The moment of a man who came to a gift for empathy through the devastating loss of his first wife and two of his four children. The moment of an American who understands that you cannot sculpt from rotten wood, and so every democracy requires the foundation of truth. Trump’s last-ditch incitement of his vast tribe — composed of tens of millions of Americans — will cast a shadow across an eventual Biden presidency. The battles of today will not quickly abate. But the restoration of sanity to the highest office in the land is the prerequisite for the rebuilding that must now begin. As Martin Luther King Jr. put it, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” I think now particularly of Georgia, where a Biden victory would be the first by a Democratic candidate in almost three decades. With its large African American population, and its sharp division between diverse, fast-growing Metro Atlanta and a mainly white conservative hinterland, Georgia was a bellwether of a changing America reeling from a pandemic and racial tension. “Let Freedom Ring From Georgia” was the headline on a column I wrote from there in June, predicting a Trump defeat. Democracy is messy but stubborn. It is the system that best enshrines the human desire to be free. This massive American vote has been many things — bitter and ugly among them — but above all, it has been a beautiful testament to the power of each single ballot in the world’s oldest democracy.

The people versus Donald Trump

Three days have passed, we still don't have a result in the US Presidential Election. Why is it taking so long? Palki Sharma Upadhyay explains.

Gravitas: Explained: The delay in the US Election Results

The outcome of the U.S. presidential election hung in the balance on Thursday as five swing states continued to count their ballots. To capture the White House, a candidate must amass at least 270 votes in the Electoral College.

Watch: U.S. Election Dialogues; November 05, 2020

U.S. Election Dialogues: What's the road ahead for America?

US Election 2020: Donald Trump challenges vote counts in key states

As a strong reaction over President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump's </a>false claims related to the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/us-election">US presidential election</a>, many TV channels across the country halted the live coverage of Republican president's first public appearance since the election night.&nbsp;

Trump made several unverified statements in his 17-minute address, highlighting that Democrats were using "illegal votes" to "steal the election from us."

Watch |

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-election-2020-protests-over-vote-counting-as-us-awaits-result-341019/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

His statements came at a time when Democratic contender <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden </a>closing in on the magical 271-mark to win the election.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-result-live-updates-trump-and-biden-spar-as-outcome-remains-in-the-balance-340949">US election 2020 result LIVE updates: Trump and Biden spar as outcome remains in the balance</a>

"OK, here we are again in the unusual position of not only interrupting the president of the United States but correcting the president of the United States," said MSNBC presenter Brian Williams, as the network quickly pulled off its live coverage of the speech.

NBC and ABC News also pulled the ended Trump's live coverage, reports news agency AFP.&nbsp;

"What a sad night for the United States of America to hear their president say that, to falsely accuse people of trying to steal the election," said Jake Tapper from CNN.&nbsp;

Tapper said Trump continues to "lie after lie after lie about the election being stolen," with no evidence, "just smears."

Meanwhile, in what is seen as the biggest prize that is awaited, Pennsylvania, Trump's huge lead is declining sharply and Biden is closing in on the margin.&nbsp;

Biden is currently leading in Arizona and Nevada and if he maintains the lead, he would become the next president of the US. 
&nbsp;

As a strong reaction over President Donald Trump's false claims related to the US presidential election, many TV channels across the country halted the live coverage of Republican president's first public appearance since the election night.

As a strong reaction over President Donald Trump's false claims related to the US presidential election, many TV channels across the country halted the live coverage of Republican president's first public appearance since the election night. Trump made several unverified statements in his 17-minute address, highlighting that Democrats were using "illegal votes" to "steal the election from us." Watch | His statements came at a time when Democratic contender Joe Biden closing in on the magical 271-mark to win the election. Also read | US election 2020 result LIVE updates: Trump and Biden spar as outcome remains in the balance "OK, here we are again in the unusual position of not only interrupting the president of the United States but correcting the president of the United States," said MSNBC presenter Brian Williams, as the network quickly pulled off its live coverage of the speech. NBC and ABC News also pulled the ended Trump's live coverage, reports news agency AFP. "What a sad night for the United States of America to hear their president say that, to falsely accuse people of trying to steal the election," said Jake Tapper from CNN. Tapper said Trump continues to "lie after lie after lie about the election being stolen," with no evidence, "just smears." Meanwhile, in what is seen as the biggest prize that is awaited, Pennsylvania, Trump's huge lead is declining sharply and Biden is closing in on the margin. Biden is currently leading in Arizona and Nevada and if he maintains the lead, he would become the next president of the US.

US: TV channels take down Donald Trump's live coverage as he continues to make false claims

Twitter and Youtube have taken a stand against the&nbsp;right-wing strategist Steve Bannon and suspended an account that was promoting Bannon's podcast in which he said the US coronavirus task force expert Anthony Fauci should be&nbsp;decapitated as a "warning" to others.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump's</a> aid and strategist hosts a podcast named "Bannon’s War Room". During one of the latest episodes of the podcast, he suggested that if Donald Trump wins the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election">US election</a>&nbsp;2020 against&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>, Anthony Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray should be beheaded as awarning to the other federal&nbsp;bureaucrats.

"I’d actually like to go back to the old times of Tudor England, I’d put the heads on pikes, right? I’d put them at the two corners of the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats. You either get with the program, or you’re gone," Bannon said.

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Steve Bannon calls for Dr. Fauci and FBI Director Wray to be beheaded "as a warning to federal bureaucrats"<a href="https://twitter.com/YouTube?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@youtube</a> prohibits "inciting others to commit violent acts against individuals" 
 
<a href="https://t.co/OECKxxQSzX">https://t.co/OECKxxQSzX</a> <a href="https://t.co/zBHimpUZT5">pic.twitter.com/zBHimpUZT5</a>
— Madeline Peltz (@peltzmadeline) <a href="https://twitter.com/peltzmadeline/status/1324471538310127618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The "get with the program, or you’re gone" appraoch was not appreciated by twitter and YouTube who suspended Bannon's accounts saying the platforms prohibit&nbsp;inciting others to commit violent acts against individuals. However, Bannon did, later in the podcast, partially retract his punishment idea saying the President would not go ahead with this suggestion as Donald Trump is "kind hearted" and a "good man".&nbsp;

Many believe that Bannon's comment was meant as a metaphor but was poked by his co-anchor&nbsp;Jack Maxey who took the metaphor further by citing the example of anniversary of&nbsp;"hanging of two Tories in Philadelphia" during the American Revolution.

"These [Tories] were Quaker businessmen who had cohabitated, if you will, with the British while they were occupying Philadelphia. These people were hung. This is what we used to do to traitors," Maxey said. "That’s how you won the revolution… The revolution wasn’t some sort of garden party, right? It was a civil war."

Steve Bannon's War Room co-host&nbsp;Raheem Kassam took to Twitter to share screenshit of the suspended accounts with the caption "Looks permanent. Time to bring&nbsp; 
@WarRoom2020&nbsp;back!"

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Looks permanent. Time to bring <a href="https://twitter.com/WarRoom2020?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WarRoom2020</a> back! <a href="https://t.co/UDC88bGqLu">pic.twitter.com/UDC88bGqLu</a>
— Raheem Kassam (@RaheemKassam) <a href="https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/1324494295030730760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Donald Trump, whose main focus right now is to accuse Joe Biden of committing fraud has not yet commented on this issue. The two, who were once close, have had a falling out in the last few months, but Bannon has continued to lend his supporting voice for the President from a distance.

Twitter and Youtube have taken a stand against the right-wing strategist Steve Bannon and suspended an account that was promoting Bannon's podcast in which he said the US coronavirus task force expert Anthony Fauci should be decapitated as a "warning" to others.

Twitter and Youtube have taken a stand against the right-wing strategist Steve Bannon and suspended an account that was promoting Bannon's podcast in which he said the US coronavirus task force expert Anthony Fauci should be decapitated as a "warning" to others. Donald Trump's aid and strategist hosts a podcast named "Bannon’s War Room". During one of the latest episodes of the podcast, he suggested that if Donald Trump wins the US election 2020 against Joe Biden, Anthony Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray should be beheaded as awarning to the other federal bureaucrats. "I’d actually like to go back to the old times of Tudor England, I’d put the heads on pikes, right? I’d put them at the two corners of the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats. You either get with the program, or you’re gone," Bannon said. Steve Bannon calls for Dr. Fauci and FBI Director Wray to be beheaded "as a warning to federal bureaucrats"@youtube prohibits "inciting others to commit violent acts against individuals" https://t.co/OECKxxQSzX pic.twitter.com/zBHimpUZT5 — Madeline Peltz (@peltzmadeline) November 5, 2020 × The "get with the program, or you’re gone" appraoch was not appreciated by twitter and YouTube who suspended Bannon's accounts saying the platforms prohibit inciting others to commit violent acts against individuals. However, Bannon did, later in the podcast, partially retract his punishment idea saying the President would not go ahead with this suggestion as Donald Trump is "kind hearted" and a "good man". Many believe that Bannon's comment was meant as a metaphor but was poked by his co-anchor Jack Maxey who took the metaphor further by citing the example of anniversary of "hanging of two Tories in Philadelphia" during the American Revolution. "These [Tories] were Quaker businessmen who had cohabitated, if you will, with the British while they were occupying Philadelphia. These people were hung. This is what we used to do to traitors," Maxey said. "That’s how you won the revolution… The revolution wasn’t some sort of garden party, right? It was a civil war." Steve Bannon's War Room co-host Raheem Kassam took to Twitter to share screenshit of the suspended accounts with the caption "Looks permanent. Time to bring @WarRoom2020 back!" Looks permanent. Time to bring @WarRoom2020 back! pic.twitter.com/UDC88bGqLu — Raheem Kassam (@RaheemKassam) November 5, 2020 × Donald Trump, whose main focus right now is to accuse Joe Biden of committing fraud has not yet commented on this issue. The two, who were once close, have had a falling out in the last few months, but Bannon has continued to lend his supporting voice for the President from a distance.

Twitter, YouTube ban Steve Bannon for wanting Anthony Fauci beheaded if Trump wins US election 2020

#Gravitas | What does the future hold for India-US ties, if Joe Biden wins? Palki Sharma tells you why New Delhi should not be worried about the prospect of a Biden White House.

Gravitas: What a Biden Presidency means for India

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden pulled ahead in the battleground state of Georgia by 917 votes, as the tallying of votes continues in the state.

US Election 2020: Several battleground states yet to declare results | WION-VOA Co-Production

At least nine popular YouTube channels were promoting on Thursday debunked accusations about voting fraud in the U.S. presidential race, conspiratorial content that could jeopardize advertising and memberships revenue they get from the video service.

Reuters found the channels, ranging from ones with 1,000 followers to more than 629,000, endorsing claims that fact-checking units of the Associated Press, Reuters and other organizations have deemed false or inaccurate.

YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc`s Google, has rules that forbid channels using its revenue-generation tools from making "claims that are demonstrably false and could significantly undermine participation or trust in an electoral or democratic process."

Google did not immediately respond when asked if it would suspend ads and membership sales on the channels, a penalty commonly known as "demonetization."

With ballot tallying ongoing in a few states whose results will decide the hotly contested race between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, Trump has made unsubstantiated accusations about the Democratic party`s stealing the election. Trump`s supporters have rallied behind the misinformation on social media and in protests outside vote-counting sites.

Google, Facebook and Twitter and others have struggled to guard against the misinformation as millions of posts arrive each day.

Researchers who track misinformation say it is fueled by content creators who see an opportunity to profit from it. Over the last few years, they have pressured YouTube and its advertisers to tighten scrutiny.

Some YouTube advertisers now avoid sponsoring political content. But the memberships offering, under which fans pay a few dollars monthly for exclusive content and promotional merchandise, has helped offset lost ad sales.

One of the channels seen by Reuters, JohnTalks, shared two videos on Thursday about alleged voter fraud in Michigan - a key battleground state in the election that Biden has won - generating more than 90,000 views in eight hours.

Among the claims cited was that wagons, suitcases and coolers were used to smuggle ballots into a counting center. At least three news outlets investigated the claim and determined the items carried food for election workers and camera equipment for a local TV station.

JohnTalks did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

The liberal online watchdog group Media Matters for America said in a report on Thursday that it found videos making dubious claims post-election have garnered more than 1 million views collectively.

YouTube`s policy on "demonstrably false" election information drew attention on Wednesday when CNBC reported that One American News Network was generating ad revenue from its YouTube video prematurely declaring Trump the winner. YouTube said it would not remove the video, but stopped running ads on it.

Trump`s talk of fraud has created opportunity for his critics, too. Some popular YouTube channels, which run ads and sell memberships, have generated hundreds of thousands of views on videos rebutting Trump supporters` claims of voter fraud.

At least nine popular YouTube channels were promoting on Thursday debunked accusations about voting fraud in the U.S. presidential race, conspiratorial content that could jeopardize advertising and memberships revenue they get from the video service.

At least nine popular YouTube channels were promoting on Thursday debunked accusations about voting fraud in the U.S. presidential race, conspiratorial content that could jeopardize advertising and memberships revenue they get from the video service. Reuters found the channels, ranging from ones with 1,000 followers to more than 629,000, endorsing claims that fact-checking units of the Associated Press, Reuters and other organizations have deemed false or inaccurate. YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc`s Google, has rules that forbid channels using its revenue-generation tools from making "claims that are demonstrably false and could significantly undermine participation or trust in an electoral or democratic process." Google did not immediately respond when asked if it would suspend ads and membership sales on the channels, a penalty commonly known as "demonetization." With ballot tallying ongoing in a few states whose results will decide the hotly contested race between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, Trump has made unsubstantiated accusations about the Democratic party`s stealing the election. Trump`s supporters have rallied behind the misinformation on social media and in protests outside vote-counting sites. Google, Facebook and Twitter and others have struggled to guard against the misinformation as millions of posts arrive each day. Researchers who track misinformation say it is fueled by content creators who see an opportunity to profit from it. Over the last few years, they have pressured YouTube and its advertisers to tighten scrutiny. Some YouTube advertisers now avoid sponsoring political content. But the memberships offering, under which fans pay a few dollars monthly for exclusive content and promotional merchandise, has helped offset lost ad sales. One of the channels seen by Reuters, JohnTalks, shared two videos on Thursday about alleged voter fraud in Michigan - a key battleground state in the election that Biden has won - generating more than 90,000 views in eight hours. Among the claims cited was that wagons, suitcases and coolers were used to smuggle ballots into a counting center. At least three news outlets investigated the claim and determined the items carried food for election workers and camera equipment for a local TV station. JohnTalks did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. The liberal online watchdog group Media Matters for America said in a report on Thursday that it found videos making dubious claims post-election have garnered more than 1 million views collectively. YouTube`s policy on "demonstrably false" election information drew attention on Wednesday when CNBC reported that One American News Network was generating ad revenue from its YouTube video prematurely declaring Trump the winner. YouTube said it would not remove the video, but stopped running ads on it. Trump`s talk of fraud has created opportunity for his critics, too. Some popular YouTube channels, which run ads and sell memberships, have generated hundreds of thousands of views on videos rebutting Trump supporters` claims of voter fraud.

YouTube channels making money from ads, memberships amplify Trump voting fraud claims

According to the Associated Press, Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden has 264 electoral college votes while President Donald Trump has about 214 votes. 270 happens to be the magic number needed for a candidate to claim presidency.

US ELECTION 2020 Results Update: Uncertainty in 5 key battleground states

The battle for the Presidency of United States of America is going om right down to the wide. This is the final stretch of voting and it is Joe Biden who has quite clearly got a lead in this case. WION brings you a report.

US ELECTION 2020 Results Update: Democratic Nominee Biden inches closer to majority votes

Three days since US Election is wrapped up yet there is no president. The outcome of the Presidential election hangs in balance. Team Trump is demanding that the vote count should be stopped, on the other hand team Biden has said that every vote must be counted. WION brings you a report.

US ELECTION 2020 Results Update: 5 key battleground states continue to count votes

Joe Biden has issued a short statement from his home state of Delaware urging people for patience and reiterated that every vote counts & it will be counted.

US ELECTION 2020: Joe Biden calls for patience as votes are counted

US Election 2020: In battleground state of Georgia, Biden overtakes Trump by 917 votes

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-results-2020-trump-campaign-loses-legal-fights-in-georgia-and-michigan-340960" hreflang="en">US Election results 2020: Trump campaign loses legal fights in Georgia and Michigan</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2020/11/04/168285-donald-trump-addresses-media.jpg?itok=FO7gvbwz" />

While Donald Trump is trying his best to get the judges to rule in his favour, Joe Biden has accepted his win and is urging people to 'keep the faith, folks'.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/with-a-record-of-over-120000-covid-19-cases-us-sets-another-grim-milestone-340964">With a record of over 120,000 Covid-19 cases, US sets another grim milestone</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2020/10/17/165326-virus11.jpg?itok=bslb2cjC" />

At least 123,085 new Covid-19 infections were confirmed between 8:30 pm Wednesday and 8:30 pm Thursday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/former-mexican-defence-minister-pleads-not-guilty-to-us-drug-charges-340956">Former Mexican defence minister pleads not guilty to US drug charges</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2020/11/06/168628-mexican.jpg?itok=F9cCbyaT" />

Salvador Cienfuegos is accused of conspiring to produce and distribute "thousands of kilograms" of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana in the US between December 2015 and February 2017.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eta-wreaks-devastation-in-central-america-kills-50-in-gautemala-340953">Eta wreaks devastation in Central America, kills 50 in Gautemala</a>

<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2020/11/06/168627-havoc-wreaked-by-hurricane-eta.jpg?itok=bfOMYbFC" />

Hurricane Eta unleashed torrential rains and catastrophic flooding on Central America, with fatalities sharply up on Thursday as streets turned into rivers and dozens more were feared to be buried in their homes by mudslides.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-a-civil-war-is-brewing-in-ethiopia-340946">A civil war is brewing in Ethiopia</a>

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&nbsp;

US Election results 2020: Trump campaign loses legal fights in Georgia and Michigan While Donald Trump is trying his best to get the judges to rule in his favour, Joe Biden has accepted his win and is urging people to 'keep the faith, folks'.

US Election results 2020: Trump campaign loses legal fights in Georgia and Michigan While Donald Trump is trying his best to get the judges to rule in his favour, Joe Biden has accepted his win and is urging people to 'keep the faith, folks'. With a record of over 120,000 Covid-19 cases, US sets another grim milestone At least 123,085 new Covid-19 infections were confirmed between 8:30 pm Wednesday and 8:30 pm Thursday. Former Mexican defence minister pleads not guilty to US drug charges Salvador Cienfuegos is accused of conspiring to produce and distribute "thousands of kilograms" of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana in the US between December 2015 and February 2017. Eta wreaks devastation in Central America, kills 50 in Gautemala Hurricane Eta unleashed torrential rains and catastrophic flooding on Central America, with fatalities sharply up on Thursday as streets turned into rivers and dozens more were feared to be buried in their homes by mudslides. A civil war is brewing in Ethiopia ×

Morning news brief: Trump family wants 'war' on elections, possible civil war in Ethiopia and more

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden took a narrow lead over President Donald Trump in the battleground state of Georgia for the first time early on Friday, putting the White House within his reach as it and other undecided states continue to count ballots.

US Election 2020: Joe Biden leading by 917 votes in battleground state of Georgia

As trends point at a Biden victory, Donald Trump is holed inside the White House, he's filing lawsuits and blaming everyone for the numbers. Palki Sharma Upadhyay asks - Is Donald Trump a sore loser?u

Gravitas: Donald Trump in denial mode

Counting began more than 40 hours ago. America still doesn't know who the next President will be. Biden leads the race. But Trump wants to challenge all recent Biden victories. Palki Sharma Upadhyay tells you why the result could trigger another violent showdown in the US.

Gravitas: Why Trump wants to stop the counting of mail-in ballots

India's former Permanent Representative to the United Nations Syed Akbaruddin says a change in guard in Washington DC shouldn't have a negative impact on India-US ties. Palki Sharma Upadhyay gets you an exclusive conversation.

Gravitas: Syed Akbaruddin on the prospect of a Biden Presidency

Trump supporters swarmed a vote-counting centre in Detroit to 'stop the count'. The anti-Trump camp has launched its own protests, with some demanding a concession from US President Donald Trump. Palki Sharma Upadhyay tells you more about the chaos in America.

Gravitas: Chaos in the United States after results are delayed

Joe Biden moves into lead in Georgia, inches closer to White House

Poll workers in Derry, New Hampshire, learned the hard way earlier this year that hand sanitizer and paper ballots do not mix. So on Election Day, they carefully repositioned the gallon tubs of sanitizer from the entrance of their polling place to the exit, hoping to keep voters from gunking up their ballots.

But their effort could not stop the woman who brought her own bottle of hand sanitizer and applied a heavy lather as she voted, dampening the paper so much that the AccuVote ballot reader refused to accept it. When the soggy ballot was finally yanked out of the jammed contraption, there was no mistaking what had happened: Everyone could see the voter’s wet handprint on the paper.

“I don’t know what it is about hand sanitizer, maybe it’s the alcoholic content, but if you ever tried to pour hand sanitizer on nicer paper, it almost — I don’t want to say it disintegrates, but it makes it weaker,” said Tina Guilford, the top election official in Derry, who has come to learn how to process those accidentally sanitized ballots.

In a year when interference by foreign governments, armed protesters and voter suppression were considered the main threats at the polls, some Election Day holdups were the result of everyday municipal malfunctions.

Those setbacks highlight the decentralized nature of national elections, which rely on hundreds of thousands of everyday people to work the polls. And they bring attention to what some advocates have been urging for years: the need for better basic infrastructure in some voting locations, including new polling places to reduce crowding and improved systems to register online or vote by mail.

Lawrence Norden, the director of the election reform program at New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice, said election officials seemed better prepared this year, in part because of the microscope the coronavirus pandemic and fears of meddling placed over the 2020 election. Congress also sent $400 million to the states as part of the economic stimulus bill signed by President Donald Trump in March to help them make adjustments for safe elections, although some Democrats said at the time that more money was needed.

“There’s no question that our election infrastructure is chronically underfunded,” Norden said, although he noted that more money, private and public, had flowed to election planning in recent years.

In the 2018 midterm elections, voters cast ballots at about 230,871 polling places, where more than 637,000 poll workers — two-thirds of whom were older than 60 — signed them in, guided them to their ballots and counted their votes. That patchwork of election districts and poll workers makes mishaps impossible to avoid, experts said, but can also keep an incident at one polling place from affecting a broader region.

“The fact that we do fundamentally run elections by volunteer citizens in their local communities, that keeps a minor or even a major problem happening in one place from bringing down our democracy,” said Maggie Toulouse Oliver, the New Mexico secretary of state and president of the National Association of Secretaries of State.

This week saw a variety of such small-scale interruptions. In Atlanta, the culprit was leaky plumbing. Inside the arena where the Atlanta Hawks play basketball — converted into a polling place — the early-morning discovery that a burst pipe was leaking water into a room with absentee ballots delayed the count by a couple of hours. An arena staff member quickly fixed the leak, and none of the ballots were damaged, officials said.

Several polling places in Louisiana were running on generators after lingering power failures caused by Hurricane Zeta, which led to a feud between local and state officials over who was responsible for sending the generators to election sites. Officials ultimately moved two polling locations to a nearby middle school, and there were no serious delays.

In Hidalgo County in South Texas, just across the border from Mexico, it was a technical glitch. New laptops that had been distributed to polling sites before Election Day to help accommodate the region’s record-breaking turnout did not work, causing delays of up to 90 minutes Tuesday morning.

“They were not allowing the software program to open up to check in voters,” Yvonne Ramon, the county elections administrator, said. “And because they were scattered throughout the county, my field service technicians took off to the nearest locations. We’re a large county, so going from location to location is not an easy thing.”

Ramon noted that hiccups with new technology were not unusual. But the county kept polling places open an additional hour Tuesday night to make up for the earlier delays, and everyone who had come out to cast a ballot was ultimately able to do so, she said.

In the battleground state of Wisconsin, the last few hundred votes went unreported for several hours because the Richland County clerk could not reach the clerk in the town of Willow, who had said she felt sick and then could not be reached, according to The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Willow’s 274 votes were eventually reported. In Green Bay, the count of absentee votes was briefly delayed while an election official ran over to City Hall to get more ink for the vote-counting machines.

Poll workers face unexpected glitches every year, but warnings about distorted tallies or delayed counts made voters and observers more on edge than usual about any oddities. None of the complications this week led to serious problems, elections officials said. Some, like the hand sanitizer incident, were the result of an election severely altered by coronavirus precautions.

Until this year, “Hand sanitizer was never a thing at a polling place,” said Guilford, the official in Derry, where just over 18,000 people voted. The ballot that jammed the machine was ultimately hand counted, and the ballot reader was taken out of service, she said.

Hand sanitizer had tripped up other ballot machines in New Hampshire earlier this year, and on Tuesday in Iowa, requiring one of the machines to be fixed.

Daniel Healey, the town clerk in Derry, said election officials had done what they could to keep it from happening again, but that they could not stop everything.

“There was way less hand sanitizer this time,” he said, but some people brought their own. “There’s no way to stop it entirely.” 
&nbsp;

Poll workers in Derry, New Hampshire, learned the hard way earlier this year that hand sanitizer and paper ballots do not mix. So on Election Day, they carefully repositioned the gallon tubs of sanitizer from the entrance of their polling place to the exit, hoping to keep voters from gunking up their ballots.

Poll workers in Derry, New Hampshire, learned the hard way earlier this year that hand sanitizer and paper ballots do not mix. So on Election Day, they carefully repositioned the gallon tubs of sanitizer from the entrance of their polling place to the exit, hoping to keep voters from gunking up their ballots. But their effort could not stop the woman who brought her own bottle of hand sanitizer and applied a heavy lather as she voted, dampening the paper so much that the AccuVote ballot reader refused to accept it. When the soggy ballot was finally yanked out of the jammed contraption, there was no mistaking what had happened: Everyone could see the voter’s wet handprint on the paper. “I don’t know what it is about hand sanitizer, maybe it’s the alcoholic content, but if you ever tried to pour hand sanitizer on nicer paper, it almost — I don’t want to say it disintegrates, but it makes it weaker,” said Tina Guilford, the top election official in Derry, who has come to learn how to process those accidentally sanitized ballots. In a year when interference by foreign governments, armed protesters and voter suppression were considered the main threats at the polls, some Election Day holdups were the result of everyday municipal malfunctions. Those setbacks highlight the decentralized nature of national elections, which rely on hundreds of thousands of everyday people to work the polls. And they bring attention to what some advocates have been urging for years: the need for better basic infrastructure in some voting locations, including new polling places to reduce crowding and improved systems to register online or vote by mail. Lawrence Norden, the director of the election reform program at New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice, said election officials seemed better prepared this year, in part because of the microscope the coronavirus pandemic and fears of meddling placed over the 2020 election. Congress also sent $400 million to the states as part of the economic stimulus bill signed by President Donald Trump in March to help them make adjustments for safe elections, although some Democrats said at the time that more money was needed. “There’s no question that our election infrastructure is chronically underfunded,” Norden said, although he noted that more money, private and public, had flowed to election planning in recent years. In the 2018 midterm elections, voters cast ballots at about 230,871 polling places, where more than 637,000 poll workers — two-thirds of whom were older than 60 — signed them in, guided them to their ballots and counted their votes. That patchwork of election districts and poll workers makes mishaps impossible to avoid, experts said, but can also keep an incident at one polling place from affecting a broader region. “The fact that we do fundamentally run elections by volunteer citizens in their local communities, that keeps a minor or even a major problem happening in one place from bringing down our democracy,” said Maggie Toulouse Oliver, the New Mexico secretary of state and president of the National Association of Secretaries of State. This week saw a variety of such small-scale interruptions. In Atlanta, the culprit was leaky plumbing. Inside the arena where the Atlanta Hawks play basketball — converted into a polling place — the early-morning discovery that a burst pipe was leaking water into a room with absentee ballots delayed the count by a couple of hours. An arena staff member quickly fixed the leak, and none of the ballots were damaged, officials said. Several polling places in Louisiana were running on generators after lingering power failures caused by Hurricane Zeta, which led to a feud between local and state officials over who was responsible for sending the generators to election sites. Officials ultimately moved two polling locations to a nearby middle school, and there were no serious delays. In Hidalgo County in South Texas, just across the border from Mexico, it was a technical glitch. New laptops that had been distributed to polling sites before Election Day to help accommodate the region’s record-breaking turnout did not work, causing delays of up to 90 minutes Tuesday morning. “They were not allowing the software program to open up to check in voters,” Yvonne Ramon, the county elections administrator, said. “And because they were scattered throughout the county, my field service technicians took off to the nearest locations. We’re a large county, so going from location to location is not an easy thing.” Ramon noted that hiccups with new technology were not unusual. But the county kept polling places open an additional hour Tuesday night to make up for the earlier delays, and everyone who had come out to cast a ballot was ultimately able to do so, she said. In the battleground state of Wisconsin, the last few hundred votes went unreported for several hours because the Richland County clerk could not reach the clerk in the town of Willow, who had said she felt sick and then could not be reached, according to The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Willow’s 274 votes were eventually reported. In Green Bay, the count of absentee votes was briefly delayed while an election official ran over to City Hall to get more ink for the vote-counting machines. Poll workers face unexpected glitches every year, but warnings about distorted tallies or delayed counts made voters and observers more on edge than usual about any oddities. None of the complications this week led to serious problems, elections officials said. Some, like the hand sanitizer incident, were the result of an election severely altered by coronavirus precautions. Until this year, “Hand sanitizer was never a thing at a polling place,” said Guilford, the official in Derry, where just over 18,000 people voted. The ballot that jammed the machine was ultimately hand counted, and the ballot reader was taken out of service, she said. Hand sanitizer had tripped up other ballot machines in New Hampshire earlier this year, and on Tuesday in Iowa, requiring one of the machines to be fixed. Daniel Healey, the town clerk in Derry, said election officials had done what they could to keep it from happening again, but that they could not stop everything. “There was way less hand sanitizer this time,” he said, but some people brought their own. “There’s no way to stop it entirely.”

The unforeseen threats to the 2020 election: Hand sanitizer and bad plumbing

Donald Trump's campaign team have filed lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia, where ballots are still being counted in races that are too close to call.

US ELECTION 2020 Update: Team Trump files lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia

PHOENIX — In downtown Portland, Oregon, they shouted, “Count every vote!” At the Detroit convention center, they urged those tallying ballots to stop. And outside a Philadelphia vote-counting site, they said they just wanted to watch.

In a year defined by protests — for women’s rights and Black lives, against coronavirus lockdowns and police brutality — the presidential election brought even more demonstrators to the streets across America this week as days passed without a clear winner.

As former Vice President Joe Biden appeared to gain ground over President Donald Trump in the race to reach 270 electoral votes, protests broke out in hotly contested areas including Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Phoenix, where demonstrators said they were convinced the election was being stolen — a baseless claim that has circulated fiercely on social media, including on Trump's Twitter feed.

Protests also took place in areas where the results were settled, like New York, Portland, Washington and Miami, where the organizers — Latino Republican groups — offered a warning on a Facebook page called Stop the Steal: “They’re trying to steal this election from the President Donald J. Trump and we’re not going to let it happen.”

While sometimes tense — in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, the registrar said he had requested extra security at the election headquarters — the protests attracted a modest turnout.

But the effort may be just ramping up: The Stop the Steal Facebook page, a public group started by Trump supporters, mushroomed to more than 360,000 members within hours before it was shut down by Facebook. It had been teeming with conspiracy theories and demands to halt the vote-counting process.

Trump has long been laying the groundwork for doubts about the election results, saying without evidence that mail-in ballots were fraudulent and that the election would be rigged. Several protesters spoke of “illegal votes” and said they simply did not believe that Biden could have won in their state.

Republicans have complained that observers have been kept too far from counters to inspect ballots and ensure accuracy. In Philadelphia, Trump surrogates won a minor victory when a state appellate court ordered that observers be allowed to watch from 6 feet away instead of the previous 20 feet at the main Philadelphia canvassing area. Counterprotesters outside danced and wore shirts that said “Count Every Vote.”

In Atlanta, some 60 people gathered downtown with signs that read “No cheating” and “Four more years.” Drivers in cars passing by held their horns down in support and waved flags out of their windows.

“We want every legal vote to be counted,” said Chandler Crump, 16, a high school student from Atlanta. “I feel amazing being here. There’s a lot of patriotic proud American energy here.”

Simone Michaud, a stay-at-home mother from Marietta, an Atlanta suburb, said she was there to “represent women of color and females in general,” adding, “we have one of the best presidents.”

In Phoenix, about 50 protesters hoisted Trump signs and chanted “Stop the steal” outside City Hall. Several in the crowd were openly carrying rifles and handguns as police officers looked on.

“I’m here to tell the left there’s no way in hell they’re taking my guns,” said Josh Dawl, 35, who had both a .22-caliber rifle and a Winchester Model 1894 rifle. “Trump supports our constitutional rights. Biden does not.”

The protest in Phoenix on Thursday came as election officials scrambled to finish counting ballots. It followed a demonstration Wednesday night that was convened by Mike Cernovich, a far-right blogger and YouTube personality. At that protest, armed right-wing demonstrators repeatedly threatened journalists, to the point where sheriff’s deputies moved television crews inside the Maricopa County Elections Center.

On Thursday, Dale Williams, 70, a retired real estate broker, said he showed up to voice opposition to what he described as a Democratic attempt to steal the election, a claim that is not supported by facts.

“I absolutely believe Donald Trump won Arizona and won the country,” said Williams, who was carrying a concealed handgun that he brandished to a reporter. “We cannot let Democrats get away with fraud.”

Outside the convention center in Detroit, where absentee ballots were being counted, a lone Black Lives Matter protester took a knee in the street, blocking an SUV that was decked out in Trump flags and towing a human-sized Statue of Liberty, with a sign that said, “Build the wall.”

The kneeler, Angelo Austin, who wore a mask that said “Detroit,” exchanged heated words with the demonstrators and blocked the SUV until the police asked him to move.

“We’re still fighting to breathe,” he said, yelling at the group while some Trump supporters called him racist and raised their voices, telling him: “It’s not about race.”

Austin, who is Black, scoffed. “My grandparents helped build this city,” he said, adding that most of the people who showed up to contest the votes were from outside of Detroit.

Many at the rally said that as they watched the votes come in from Detroit on Wednesday — helping flip the state of Michigan to Biden — they increasingly thought election fraud had been committed.

“The MAGA army is not going to let our vote, democracy, be stolen,” said Mark Conway, 61, who had driven from Macomb County on Wednesday after hearing on the radio that Republican poll watchers were needed.

He stayed at the center for several hours before leaving and returning with his son, only to be told that he could not re-enter. “They said that because of COVID, the capacity was reached,” he said.

Entry was “temporarily frozen” with more than 550 election challengers, half of them Republicans, already inside the center, a city official said.

Conway remained outside until about 9 p.m. Wednesday. After dark, the challengers demanded that the poll workers stop counting the votes, and sporadic chants of “Let us in” broke out.

Conway returned Thursday morning to continue to support Trump. “We want every legal vote counted, and I believe that he got more legal votes than anybody has ever gotten,” Conway said, adding that the shift in Biden’s favor overnight, as more votes were counted, wasn’t “credible.”

“The polls were fake, the news was fake, the votes are fake, and the candidate is fake,” he said.

Becky De Nooy came to the rally from Grand Rapids with her daughter, Emma, and said she, too, was distrustful of what she viewed as a surge of ballots suddenly showing up for Democrats.

“That should be suggesting that there’s something amiss,” De Nooy, 49, said. Her daughter added: “Not having a fair election, we cease to be a democratic republic.”

Across the country, there were also people who took to the streets out of alarm for Trump’s claim of victory before the votes had been counted.

In Washington, there were newly installed concrete vehicle barriers at the Black Lives Matter plaza near the White House, signaling that the city was preparing for larger crowds in an area where demonstrators have been watching results trickle in on a large screen.

A brief standoff broke out Thursday afternoon outside of the Republican National Committee headquarters between dozens of Trump supporters and a small group chanting “Black lives matter.”

As the police set up a barricade, the president’s supporters responded by yelling “Legal votes matter,” “All lives matter” and “Does your life matter?”

Flor Cerrato, an accountant from Los Angeles in a pink Trump cap and red Trump mask, said she came to the protest because she believed that the president had “already won by landslide.”

“Why don’t they just let it go,” she said while holding a “Latinos-Americans 4 Trump” sign. “They’re trying to switch the numbers around.”

Republican leaders appeared at some protests reviving oft-used claims of irregularities that have in the past been debunked or shown to be greatly exaggerated. Outside a nondescript warehouse in North Las Vegas where most of the uncounted votes in Clark County remain, they erected a podium in the street.

Broadcasting on a hastily announced livestream, the former Nevada attorney general, Adam Laxalt, said Republicans had filed a lawsuit after discovering evidence of dead people and out-of-state voters illegally casting ballots in Nevada — but he did not provide any specifics to support those claims.

“We’re asking the judge to, due to all of these irregularities, to stop the counting of improper votes,” he said.

Laxalt was joined by Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, and Ric Grenell, former acting director of national intelligence.

Dozens of flag-waving Trump supporters looked on, and trucks with Trump flags circled the block, some gunning their engines and honking their horns.

Grenell refused to answer questions, telling reporters, “Listen, you are here to take in information.” As reporters shouted questions, the speakers got into a van and drove away.

PHOENIX — In downtown Portland, Oregon, they shouted, “Count every vote!” At the Detroit convention center, they urged those tallying ballots to stop. And outside a Philadelphia vote-counting site, they said they just wanted to watch.

PHOENIX — In downtown Portland, Oregon, they shouted, “Count every vote!” At the Detroit convention center, they urged those tallying ballots to stop. And outside a Philadelphia vote-counting site, they said they just wanted to watch. In a year defined by protests — for women’s rights and Black lives, against coronavirus lockdowns and police brutality — the presidential election brought even more demonstrators to the streets across America this week as days passed without a clear winner. As former Vice President Joe Biden appeared to gain ground over President Donald Trump in the race to reach 270 electoral votes, protests broke out in hotly contested areas including Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Phoenix, where demonstrators said they were convinced the election was being stolen — a baseless claim that has circulated fiercely on social media, including on Trump's Twitter feed. Protests also took place in areas where the results were settled, like New York, Portland, Washington and Miami, where the organizers — Latino Republican groups — offered a warning on a Facebook page called Stop the Steal: “They’re trying to steal this election from the President Donald J. Trump and we’re not going to let it happen.” While sometimes tense — in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, the registrar said he had requested extra security at the election headquarters — the protests attracted a modest turnout. But the effort may be just ramping up: The Stop the Steal Facebook page, a public group started by Trump supporters, mushroomed to more than 360,000 members within hours before it was shut down by Facebook. It had been teeming with conspiracy theories and demands to halt the vote-counting process. Trump has long been laying the groundwork for doubts about the election results, saying without evidence that mail-in ballots were fraudulent and that the election would be rigged. Several protesters spoke of “illegal votes” and said they simply did not believe that Biden could have won in their state. Republicans have complained that observers have been kept too far from counters to inspect ballots and ensure accuracy. In Philadelphia, Trump surrogates won a minor victory when a state appellate court ordered that observers be allowed to watch from 6 feet away instead of the previous 20 feet at the main Philadelphia canvassing area. Counterprotesters outside danced and wore shirts that said “Count Every Vote.” In Atlanta, some 60 people gathered downtown with signs that read “No cheating” and “Four more years.” Drivers in cars passing by held their horns down in support and waved flags out of their windows. “We want every legal vote to be counted,” said Chandler Crump, 16, a high school student from Atlanta. “I feel amazing being here. There’s a lot of patriotic proud American energy here.” Simone Michaud, a stay-at-home mother from Marietta, an Atlanta suburb, said she was there to “represent women of color and females in general,” adding, “we have one of the best presidents.” In Phoenix, about 50 protesters hoisted Trump signs and chanted “Stop the steal” outside City Hall. Several in the crowd were openly carrying rifles and handguns as police officers looked on. “I’m here to tell the left there’s no way in hell they’re taking my guns,” said Josh Dawl, 35, who had both a .22-caliber rifle and a Winchester Model 1894 rifle. “Trump supports our constitutional rights. Biden does not.” The protest in Phoenix on Thursday came as election officials scrambled to finish counting ballots. It followed a demonstration Wednesday night that was convened by Mike Cernovich, a far-right blogger and YouTube personality. At that protest, armed right-wing demonstrators repeatedly threatened journalists, to the point where sheriff’s deputies moved television crews inside the Maricopa County Elections Center. On Thursday, Dale Williams, 70, a retired real estate broker, said he showed up to voice opposition to what he described as a Democratic attempt to steal the election, a claim that is not supported by facts. “I absolutely believe Donald Trump won Arizona and won the country,” said Williams, who was carrying a concealed handgun that he brandished to a reporter. “We cannot let Democrats get away with fraud.” Outside the convention center in Detroit, where absentee ballots were being counted, a lone Black Lives Matter protester took a knee in the street, blocking an SUV that was decked out in Trump flags and towing a human-sized Statue of Liberty, with a sign that said, “Build the wall.” The kneeler, Angelo Austin, who wore a mask that said “Detroit,” exchanged heated words with the demonstrators and blocked the SUV until the police asked him to move. “We’re still fighting to breathe,” he said, yelling at the group while some Trump supporters called him racist and raised their voices, telling him: “It’s not about race.” Austin, who is Black, scoffed. “My grandparents helped build this city,” he said, adding that most of the people who showed up to contest the votes were from outside of Detroit. Many at the rally said that as they watched the votes come in from Detroit on Wednesday — helping flip the state of Michigan to Biden — they increasingly thought election fraud had been committed. “The MAGA army is not going to let our vote, democracy, be stolen,” said Mark Conway, 61, who had driven from Macomb County on Wednesday after hearing on the radio that Republican poll watchers were needed. He stayed at the center for several hours before leaving and returning with his son, only to be told that he could not re-enter. “They said that because of COVID, the capacity was reached,” he said. Entry was “temporarily frozen” with more than 550 election challengers, half of them Republicans, already inside the center, a city official said. Conway remained outside until about 9 p.m. Wednesday. After dark, the challengers demanded that the poll workers stop counting the votes, and sporadic chants of “Let us in” broke out. Conway returned Thursday morning to continue to support Trump. “We want every legal vote counted, and I believe that he got more legal votes than anybody has ever gotten,” Conway said, adding that the shift in Biden’s favor overnight, as more votes were counted, wasn’t “credible.” “The polls were fake, the news was fake, the votes are fake, and the candidate is fake,” he said. Becky De Nooy came to the rally from Grand Rapids with her daughter, Emma, and said she, too, was distrustful of what she viewed as a surge of ballots suddenly showing up for Democrats. “That should be suggesting that there’s something amiss,” De Nooy, 49, said. Her daughter added: “Not having a fair election, we cease to be a democratic republic.” Across the country, there were also people who took to the streets out of alarm for Trump’s claim of victory before the votes had been counted. In Washington, there were newly installed concrete vehicle barriers at the Black Lives Matter plaza near the White House, signaling that the city was preparing for larger crowds in an area where demonstrators have been watching results trickle in on a large screen. A brief standoff broke out Thursday afternoon outside of the Republican National Committee headquarters between dozens of Trump supporters and a small group chanting “Black lives matter.” As the police set up a barricade, the president’s supporters responded by yelling “Legal votes matter,” “All lives matter” and “Does your life matter?” Flor Cerrato, an accountant from Los Angeles in a pink Trump cap and red Trump mask, said she came to the protest because she believed that the president had “already won by landslide.” “Why don’t they just let it go,” she said while holding a “Latinos-Americans 4 Trump” sign. “They’re trying to switch the numbers around.” Republican leaders appeared at some protests reviving oft-used claims of irregularities that have in the past been debunked or shown to be greatly exaggerated. Outside a nondescript warehouse in North Las Vegas where most of the uncounted votes in Clark County remain, they erected a podium in the street. Broadcasting on a hastily announced livestream, the former Nevada attorney general, Adam Laxalt, said Republicans had filed a lawsuit after discovering evidence of dead people and out-of-state voters illegally casting ballots in Nevada — but he did not provide any specifics to support those claims. “We’re asking the judge to, due to all of these irregularities, to stop the counting of improper votes,” he said. Laxalt was joined by Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, and Ric Grenell, former acting director of national intelligence. Dozens of flag-waving Trump supporters looked on, and trucks with Trump flags circled the block, some gunning their engines and honking their horns. Grenell refused to answer questions, telling reporters, “Listen, you are here to take in information.” As reporters shouted questions, the speakers got into a van and drove away.

In a year of protest cries, now it’s ‘count every vote!’ and ‘stop the steal!’

Some Republicans in United States criticized President Donald Trump’s unsupported claim that Democrats are trying to steal the election.

US ELECTION 2020: Top Republicans distance themselves from Trump's statements

Yup, I wanted a grand rebuke, too. I wanted Donald Trump demolished by 10 points. But elections are educational events. Voters are not always wise, but they are usually comprehensible. They know more about their own lives than we in our information bubbles do, and they almost always tell us something important.

The first thing we heard from most Americans — since Joe Biden’s popular vote victory seems all but certain — is that Trump is unacceptable. We live in a divided, dug-in nation, but millions more white evangelicals voted Democratic in 2020 than in 2016. Many people voted against partisan predilections to remove a man who is a unique menace to the foundations of this country. That is no meager accomplishment.

The second thing voters told us is this: Separate church and state. We’ve long had political polarization in this country and we still will. But over the last few years polarization has transmogrified into something worse: a religious war.

Trumpism and Wokeism are not equivalent phenomena, but they both serve as secular religions for their disciples. They offer a binary logic of good and evil, a cultlike membership experience, apocalyptic or utopian visions, witch trials for the excommunication of the impure and the sense of personal meaning that comes while fighting a holy war.

In different ways, voters told the two parties that they’d like our politics to be about practical issues. If you want a religious war, go have it somewhere else.

They told Republicans, for example, that you will be much stronger without the MAGA craziness. The Republican Party had a much better election than Trump. While Trump is losing, Republicans have picked up six House seats so far. The Democrats have yet to flip a single state legislature, meaning Republicans will draw the district lines for the next 10 years of electioneering.

The image of a possible future GOP emerged — a multiracial working-class party. Republicans made surprising gains among Latinos, African Americans and Muslims. Trump won the largest share of the nonwhite vote of any Republican candidate in 60 years. That wasn’t done by Trumpian race-baiting but because of the party’s reputation for championing personal agency and personal responsibility, and for boosting small businesses and economic growth. That can be built on.

Meanwhile, voters told Democrats that they, too, would benefit if they played up policy and played down cultural concerns of their Portlandia/graduate-schooled/defund-the-police wing.

If there was ever going to be a Democratic blowout election, this was it — against an immoral candidate with a criminally incompetent record. But Democrats failed to pull it off.

It’s not policies that cost Democrats. The core Biden policies are astoundingly popular. It’s that they’ve built a cultural blue wall that keeps the other half of the country out, no matter the circumstance.

They’ve done it by telling a certain sort of story. American politics, progressives commonly say, is all about the historical shift from homogeneity to diversity. They see America as divided between those enlightened cosmopolitans (Democrats) who welcome the coming diverse postindustrial world and those knuckle-dragging, racist troglodytes (Republicans) who don’t.

The first problem with this narrative is that it is perpetually surprised by events. Election after election, the emerging Democratic majority fails to emerge. The second problem is that it oversimplifies the different processes going on in America. Somehow, we have to have the racial reckoning, which is essential, while we understand the other mega-narratives people feel are driving their lives. Third, it’s just astonishingly smug, self-congratulatory and off-putting.

The voters have handed us a political system that will be led, probably, by Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell. These are not culture warriors. They are politicians and legislators.

We now have two parties whose best version of themselves is as working-class parties. Maybe the next few years can be a partisan competition over who is best for Americans without college degrees.

Would divided government devolve into gridlock? Maybe. McConnell will do whatever is in Republicans' best interests in 2022. But I’m not so sure. America is bitterly divided on cultural matters, but it is getting less divided over economic policy. Populism has weakened the GOP’s anti-government wing and opened senators like Marco Rubio, Josh Hawley, Tom Cotton and others to ideas that call for more federal involvement in industry. For some that includes worker training, for others, an infrastructure bank, wage subsidies or R&amp;amp;D industrial policy.

The voters reminded us yet again that the other side is not going away. We have to dispense with the fantasy that after the next miracle election our side will suddenly get everything it wants. We have to live with one another.

The key is loosening the grip the culture war has had on our politics and governance. Let’s fight our moral difference with books, sermons, movies and marches, not with political coercion.

Yup, I wanted a grand rebuke, too. I wanted Donald Trump demolished by 10 points. But elections are educational events. Voters are not always wise, but they are usually comprehensible.

Yup, I wanted a grand rebuke, too. I wanted Donald Trump demolished by 10 points. But elections are educational events. Voters are not always wise, but they are usually comprehensible. They know more about their own lives than we in our information bubbles do, and they almost always tell us something important. The first thing we heard from most Americans — since Joe Biden’s popular vote victory seems all but certain — is that Trump is unacceptable. We live in a divided, dug-in nation, but millions more white evangelicals voted Democratic in 2020 than in 2016. Many people voted against partisan predilections to remove a man who is a unique menace to the foundations of this country. That is no meager accomplishment. The second thing voters told us is this: Separate church and state. We’ve long had political polarization in this country and we still will. But over the last few years polarization has transmogrified into something worse: a religious war. Trumpism and Wokeism are not equivalent phenomena, but they both serve as secular religions for their disciples. They offer a binary logic of good and evil, a cultlike membership experience, apocalyptic or utopian visions, witch trials for the excommunication of the impure and the sense of personal meaning that comes while fighting a holy war. In different ways, voters told the two parties that they’d like our politics to be about practical issues. If you want a religious war, go have it somewhere else. They told Republicans, for example, that you will be much stronger without the MAGA craziness. The Republican Party had a much better election than Trump. While Trump is losing, Republicans have picked up six House seats so far. The Democrats have yet to flip a single state legislature, meaning Republicans will draw the district lines for the next 10 years of electioneering. The image of a possible future GOP emerged — a multiracial working-class party. Republicans made surprising gains among Latinos, African Americans and Muslims. Trump won the largest share of the nonwhite vote of any Republican candidate in 60 years. That wasn’t done by Trumpian race-baiting but because of the party’s reputation for championing personal agency and personal responsibility, and for boosting small businesses and economic growth. That can be built on. Meanwhile, voters told Democrats that they, too, would benefit if they played up policy and played down cultural concerns of their Portlandia/graduate-schooled/defund-the-police wing. If there was ever going to be a Democratic blowout election, this was it — against an immoral candidate with a criminally incompetent record. But Democrats failed to pull it off. It’s not policies that cost Democrats. The core Biden policies are astoundingly popular. It’s that they’ve built a cultural blue wall that keeps the other half of the country out, no matter the circumstance. They’ve done it by telling a certain sort of story. American politics, progressives commonly say, is all about the historical shift from homogeneity to diversity. They see America as divided between those enlightened cosmopolitans (Democrats) who welcome the coming diverse postindustrial world and those knuckle-dragging, racist troglodytes (Republicans) who don’t. The first problem with this narrative is that it is perpetually surprised by events. Election after election, the emerging Democratic majority fails to emerge. The second problem is that it oversimplifies the different processes going on in America. Somehow, we have to have the racial reckoning, which is essential, while we understand the other mega-narratives people feel are driving their lives. Third, it’s just astonishingly smug, self-congratulatory and off-putting. The voters have handed us a political system that will be led, probably, by Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell. These are not culture warriors. They are politicians and legislators. We now have two parties whose best version of themselves is as working-class parties. Maybe the next few years can be a partisan competition over who is best for Americans without college degrees. Would divided government devolve into gridlock? Maybe. McConnell will do whatever is in Republicans' best interests in 2022. But I’m not so sure. America is bitterly divided on cultural matters, but it is getting less divided over economic policy. Populism has weakened the GOP’s anti-government wing and opened senators like Marco Rubio, Josh Hawley, Tom Cotton and others to ideas that call for more federal involvement in industry. For some that includes worker training, for others, an infrastructure bank, wage subsidies or R&amp;D industrial policy. The voters reminded us yet again that the other side is not going away. We have to dispense with the fantasy that after the next miracle election our side will suddenly get everything it wants. We have to live with one another. The key is loosening the grip the culture war has had on our politics and governance. Let’s fight our moral difference with books, sermons, movies and marches, not with political coercion.

What the voters are trying to tell us

The first public appearance since early morning hours after election days, Donald Trump claimed that the Democrats are stealing the election.

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The presidential election predictions from the key states sparks protests & demonstrations in several cities of the United States. WION brings you a report.

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