The Conversation -- November 7, 2024

Matt Viser of the Washington Post: "President Joe Biden walked into the Rose Garden on Thursday morning to concede his party's defeat, expressing confidence in the American electoral system and vowing to oversee a peaceful transfer of power. But underlying his remarks was a funereal mood, as cabinet members and staffers were escorted to their seats, exchanging hugs and sober glances before rising for a standing ovation when the president emerged.... Biden is now forced to welcome and legitimize a man he condemned, a man whose ouster -- as he has said repeatedly over the past five years -- was the entire reason he ran for president in the first place, and a man he has called a fascist and an existential threat to democracy. Biden is now pledging to honor and accept Trump in a way that Trump did not and would not do for him. Biden's fealty to democratic traditions requires him to courteously pave the way for a man who often dismisses them -- but whom the voters chose." ~~~

Guardian Editors: "This is an exceptionally bleak and frightening moment for the United States and the world. Donald Trump swept the electoral college and is on course to take the popular vote -- giving him not merely a victory, but a mandate.... Presented with a choice between electing the first black, female president on a promise of a sunnier future, and a racist, misogynist, twice-impeached convicted felon hawking hatred and retribution, [the voters] picked Mr Trump."

Rebecca Solnit of the Guardian: "Our mistake was to think we lived in a better country than we do. Our mistake was to see the joy, the extraordinary balance between idealism and pragmatism, the energy, the generosity, the coalition-building of the Kamala Harris campaign and think that it must triumph over the politics of lies and resentment. Our mistake was to think that racism and misogyny were not as bad as they are, whether it applied to who was willing to vote for a supremely qualified Black woman or who was willing to vote for an adjudicated rapist and convicted criminal who admires Hitler. Our mistake was to think we could row this boat across the acid lake before the acid dissolved it.... The principal problems that got us to this bleakest moment in American history are intertwined. They are the crisis of masculinity, the failure of the mainstream news media and the rise of Silicon Valley...." Read on.

Christopher Rugaber of the AP: "The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Thursday by a quarter-point in response to the steady decline in the once-high inflation that had angered Americans and helped drive Donald Trump's ... victory this week. The rate cut follows a larger half-point reduction in September, and it reflects the Fed's renewed focus on supporting the job market as well as fighting inflation, which now barely exceeds the central bank's 2% target. Thursday's move reduces the Fed's benchmark rate to about 4.6%, down from a four-decade high of 5.3% before September's meeting. The Fed had kept its rate that high for more than a year to fight the worst inflation streak in four decades. Annual inflation has since fallen from a 9.1% peak in mid-2022 to a 3 1/2-year low of 2.4% in September."

Anton Troianovski & Valerie Hopkins of the New York Times: ?President Vladimir V. Putin on Thursday congratulated and lavished praise on Mr. Trump in his first comments on the U.S. election result, a sign that the Kremlin would move quickly to try to capitalize on the president-elect's apparent fondness for Russia and its autocratic ruler. Mr. Putin, speaking at a conference in Sochi, Russia, said Mr. Trump acted 'like a man' after surviving the assassination attempt in Butler, Pa., last summer, adding that Mr. Trump's stated desires to improve ties with Russia and end the Ukraine war 'deserve attention.' And he suggested that he expected Mr. Trump to act more freely in his second term, signaling a hope that Mr. Trump would finally follow through on his Russia-friendly rhetoric." MB: But who will be president of the Dictators' Club?

~~~~~~~~~

Marie: As a card-carrying member of "The Enemy Within" (or "the enemy from within," as Trump prefers to say), I fully expect Trump to do what he can to ruin my life, both generally with his anti-normal-people preferences, and personally, because of his hatred of those who oppose him. In the meantime, I think we all should figure out ways to minimize his disruption of our lives and well-being. So I'm taking suggestions.

Nicholas Nehemas & Erica Green of the New York Times: "Vice President Kamala Harris formally acknowledged her loss to ... Donald J. Trump on Wednesday in a defiant and emotional speech, defending her campaign as a fight for democracy that she would continue, even if not from the Oval Office. 'While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,' Ms. Harris said. 'Hear me when I say, the light of America's promise will always burn bright,' she added. 'As long as we never give up. And as long as we keep fighting.'"

~~~ Washington Post Editors: "Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a crisp concession speech on Wednesday afternoon at Howard University. The 60-year-old acknowledged, with grace, dignity and a dash of hope, that she had lost the presidency to ... Donald Trump. She didn't make excuses. Instead, she set the tone for how Democrats can responsibly approach Mr. Trump in the coming four years -- defending their core values while cooperating for the best interests of the country." MB: In the wake of these editors' refusal to endorse Harris, I see no irony at all in their celebrating a concession speech made necessary, in some small part, by their own cowardice.

Michelle Stoddart of ABC News: "President Joe Biden spoke to ... Donald Trump on the phone Wednesday to congratulate him on winning the presidency, the White House said in a statement.... Biden invited Trump to meet with him at the White House, the statement said."

This appears to be the final Electoral College tally, based on the AP's projections: ~~~

Shane Goldmacher & Lisa Lerer of the New York Times: Trump's "win ushers in an era of uncertainty for the nation.... To roughly half the country, Mr. Trump's rise portends a dark turn for American democracy, whose future will now depend on a man who has openly talked about undermining the rule of law. Mr. Trump helped inspire an assault on the Capitol in 2021, has threatened to imprison political adversaries and was denounced as a fascist by former aides. But for his supporters, Mr. Trump's provocations became selling points rather than pitfalls.... Republicans also picked up at least three Senate seats, in Ohio, Montana and West Virginia, to give the party a majority in the Senate. Control of the House of Representatives was still too close to call.... His election raises questions about the future of N.A.T.O. and the American backing of Ukraine; Mr. Trump has long spoken glowingly about President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This much is true: the POTUS* will no longer be A/K/A "the leader of the free world," because the U.S. will no longer be a part of what most people think of as "the free world"; that is, this country will no longer be a version of a liberal democracy.

Lisa Lerer of the New York Times: "Donald Trump told Americans exactly what he planned to do. He would use military force against his political opponents. He would fire thousands of career public servants. He would deport millions of immigrants in military-style roundups. He would crush the independence of the Department of Justice, use government to push public health conspiracies and abandon America's allies abroad. He would turn the government into a tool of his own grievances, a way to punish his critics and richly reward his supporters. He would be a 'dictator' -- if only on Day 1. And, when asked to give him the power to do all of that, the voters said yes. This was a conquering of the nation not by force but with a permission slip. Now, America stands on the precipice of an authoritarian style of governance never before seen in its 248-year history." Read on. (Also linked yesterday.)

New York Times Editors: "Over the next four years, Americans must be cleareyed about the threat to the nation and its laws that will come from its 47th president and be prepared to exercise their rights in defense of the country and the people, laws, institutions and values that have kept it strong.... Americans should now be wary of an incoming Trump administration that is likely to put a top priority on amassing unchecked power and punishing its perceived enemies, both of which Mr. Trump has repeatedly vowed to do. All Americans, regardless of their party or politics, should insist that the fundamental pillars of the nation's democracy -- including constitutional checks and balances, fair-minded federal prosecutors and judges, an impartial election system and basic civil rights -- be preserved against an assault that he has already begun and has said he would continue." (Also linked yesterday.)

Sarah Ellison of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump's return to the White House signals a significant breakdown of an already battered democracy, experts say. Almost as dangerous, they contend, much of the electorate sees him as democracy's savior.... It is not Trump's individual policy proposals that worry history and democracy scholars as much as his continued denial of reality that he lost the 2020 presidential election and his role in encouraging his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, who violently stormed the U.S. Capitol. The failure of the courts and Congress to hold him accountable for those actions signals an unofficial takeover of the levers of government by a charismatic, strongman figure who has remade the Republican Party in his image, these democracy scholars say. He is poised to start a second term with broad legal immunity, granted by a reshaped Supreme Court upon which he has exerted significant influence." MB: Ellison cram-packs quite a few sweeping ideas into a short space. A useful read.

This election was a CAT scan on the American people, and ... what it revealed, at least in part, is a frightening affinity for a man of borderless corruption. Donald Trump is no longer an aberration; he is normative. -- Peter H. Wehner, a former strategic adviser to President George W. Bush ~~~

~~~ Peter Baker of the New York Times: "No longer can the political establishment write off Mr. Trump as a temporary break from the long march of progress, a fluke who somehow sneaked into the White House in a quirky, one-off Electoral College win eight years ago. With his comeback victory to reclaim the presidency, Mr. Trump has now established himself as a transformational force reshaping the United States in his own image.... Mr. Trump's testosterone-driven campaign capitalized on resistance to electing the first woman president.... For the first time in history, Americans have elected a convicted criminal as president. They handed power back to a leader who tried to overturn a previous election, called for the 'termination' of the Constitution to reclaim his office, aspired to be a dictator on Day 1 and vowed to exact 'retribution' against his adversaries." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Baker goes on to complain that Biden & Harris "failed to unite the country." Oh, boo-hoo-hoo. I suppose one could argue that their sales pitch was wanting, but they more-or-less delivered on what they promised, and very few politicians do that. We live in a country full of whiney-babies who not only think they deserve to have riches bestowed upon them but also have no idea what government policies might help them get those riches. For all but those in the top one percent, it sure isn't Donald Trump who will feather their nests. Trump is through with the sheeples.

Adam Cancryn of Politico: "Democrats are directing their rage over losing the presidential race at Joe Biden, who they blame for setting up Kamala Harris for failure by not dropping out sooner.... They are livid that they were forced to embrace a candidate who voters had made clear they did not want -- and then stayed in the race long after it was clear he couldn't win.... By the time he decided to pass the torch, he had saddled Harris with too many challenges and far too little time to build a winning case for herself.... Any gains Harris made during her abridged campaign were swamped on Tuesday by the enduring backlash against the Biden administration over inflation and cost-of-living concerns -- and a president who proved incapable of selling the electorate on his accomplishments and whose apparent overconfidence kept him in the campaign despite growing signs that he wasn't up for the job." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As some of us have expressed here, Biden didn't pull out of the race too late. He never should have got in it in the first place. He implied back during the 2020 campaign that he would be a one-term president -- a "bridge" president to a new generation. He was a bridge all right -- from Trumpland to New Trumpland. I blame not only Joe Biden, but also the people around him, including his wife, who protected him when it must have been clear to them that he wasn't up to running both the country and a rigorous campaign against a dangerous megalomaniac. How is it possible that any intelligent, experienced adult thinks he is the only person capable of -- something? A responsible old guy who became a "bridge" president would spend part of nearly every work day grooming a stable of potential replacements, then letting them run a race for the job.

David Gilmour of Mediaite: "CNN contributor David Axelrod called on analysts to remain 'clear-eyed' about 'racism' and 'sexism' as one reason for Vice President Kamala Harris's defeat to .. Donald Trump in the presidential election.... 'There were appeals to racism in this campaign, and there is racial bias in this country and there is sexism in this country, and anybody who thinks that that did not in any way impact on the outcome of this race is wrong.'" (Also linked yesterday.)

Erica Green & Maya King of the New York Times: Donald Trump's “affirmed the worst of what many Black women believed about their country: that it would rather choose a man who was convicted of 34 felonies, has spewed lies and falsehoods, disparaged women and people of color, and pledged to use the powers of the federal government to punish his political opponents than send a woman of color to the White House.... Nearly the entire country shifted sharply to the right as it returned him to power. Democrats watched as he won alarmingly high shares of the vote in blue states: 47 percent in Virginia and New Jersey. 44 percent in New York. 43 percent in Connecticut." The reporters are both Black women, so they know whereof they write. But they should know -- to the extent that we can be, we are all Black women now.

Marie: Quite a few post mortems in today's media are dedicated to "understanding" Trump's voters. Okay, yeah. Look 'em up yourself. IMO, Trump voters are either stupid, ignorant, hateful, cruel, violent, vengeful, careless, greedy, self-absorbed, disgruntled, xenophobic, racist, misogynistic, fascistic, and celebrity-obsessed or some combination thereof. You can probably think of a number of other appropriate adjective. Perhaps not enough attention has been paid to "celebrity-obsessed." When you think of the voters' choices since televisions came into most homes, they almost always chose the candidate who was the bigger celebrity or the more TV-ready: Kennedy v. Nixon, Reagan (a Hollywood B-movie start & TV personality) v. Mondale, Clinton v. Bush I, Obama v. McCain, Trump (also a teevee personality) v. Clinton the Female. In fact, the glaring exception has been Trump v. Biden.

David Gilmour of Mediaite: "Steve Bannon warned the federal government that it would 'pay the price for trying to destroy this country' and that as soon as President-elect Donald Trump takes office entire agencies will be 'swept out.'... [Bannon] was himself sent to federal prison over his refusal to cooperate with subpoenas from the congressional subcommittee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riots."

Tess Owen of Wired: "... the same far-right extremists emboldened by [Trump's] first administration are celebrating his win with violent memes and threats. Many of the social media posts reviewed by Wired reveled in fantasies of Trump locking up and even executing his political opponents in revenge. 'Build the gallows!!' urged a post on Gab, a social media platform that caters to the far right. 'There has to be as many traitors executed as he has days in office,' urged another Gab post. 'Build the gallows, restore the REPUBLIC.'" MB: I find this rather heartening. Of course Trump may extend his term of office if he isn't dead by 2029, but there are only 1,461 days in a 4-year term. So if the goal is to hang 1,461 "enemies within," I don't think they'll get to me, as there are surely 1,500 bigger fish to fry. Sure, I could end my days in a dank Trump "detention center" holding tank. But, hey, no noose!

Michelle Goldberg of the New York Times: "... I expect the next few months to be a period of mourning rather than defiance. My own instinct -- which conflicts with the demands of my job -- is to retreat into my family, to look for solace in time with friends, in theater and in novels, to block out the humiliating truth about what my country has decided to become.... But eventually, mourning either starts to fade or curdles into depression and despair. When and if it does, whatever resistance emerges to the new MAGA will differ from what came before. Gone will be the hope of vindicating the country from Trumpism, of rendering him an aberration. What's left is the more modest work of trying to ameliorate the suffering his government is going to visit on us.... The work of the next four years [will be] saving what we can and trying to imagine a tolerable future."

Perry Stein, et al., of the Washington Post: Trump's win "prompted special counsel Jack Smith to start discussing how to wind down the two federal prosecutions of the president-elect.... The possible slowing down of the federal cases -- which could in theory barrel forward until Inauguration Day -- could give Smith time to deliver a final report detailing the findings of his two probes to Attorney General Merrick Garland before Trump becomes the 47th president.... In New York, meanwhile, Trump's lawyers were expected to try to delay his upcoming sentencing in state court on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal a hush money payment to an adult-film actress." NPR's story is here. Politico's report is here. ~~~

⭐ ~~~ Ankush Khardori of Politico Magazine: "We have just witnessed the greatest failure of federal law enforcement in American history.... At the root of it all are the considerable and truly historic legal missteps by the Biden administration and Attorney General Merrick Garland, as well as a series of decisions by Republicans throughout the political and legal systems in recent years that effectively bailed Trump out when the risks for him were greatest.... It is now clearer than ever that Garland was a highly questionable choice to serve as attorney general from the start.... [Garland's reluctance to prosecute Trump, however, does not excuse] the Republican political and legal class for their role in all this as well. In fact, Trump could not have pulled it off without a great deal of help from them too. Start with Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans in 2021. They could -- and should -- have voted to convict Trump after his second impeachment, which would have prevented him from running again for the presidency.... Last but most certainly not least: The Republican appointees on the Supreme Court bailed Trump out this year -- in the heart of the general election campaign and when it mattered most." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Years ago, and maybe a few times since, Akhilleus predicted that there was no way Trump was ever going to jail. At time, I thought there was a glimmer of hope Akhilleus was wrong. You know, maybe six weeks at Rikers for the 34 felonies?? Something. I do think New York Justice Juan Merchan should order Trump to spend a few weekends in Rikers between now and January 20. I don't see how Trump's frittering his time away in a rat-invested shithole (so he could find out what a shithole really is) would hurt the nation any more than would his spending that same time at some Trump golf resort.

Charlie Warzel of the Atlantic, writing avant le déluge, asserts that what Elon Musk did to Twitter is the blueprint for what Trump will do to the federal government: "Fire everyone. Turn it into a personal political weapon. Let chaos reign." Warzel has evidence of the plan. If my link doesn't work, see yesterday's ("Presidential Race") Comments for the gift link from laura h. ~~~

~~~ Peter Baker & Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "Over the course of the campaign, Mr. Trump outlined a set of policies for his second term that would be far more sweeping than what he enacted in his first. Without establishment Republicans and military veterans surrounding him to resist his more drastic ideas, Mr. Trump may find it easier to move ahead, particularly if his party completes its sweep by winning the House.... His version of ['saving our country'] involves an expansive agenda that would reshape government, foreign policy, national security, economics and domestic affairs as dramatically as any president in modern times.... Having promised to devote his next four years in office to 'retribution,' Mr. Trump plans to quickly shield himself from legal scrutiny, end criminal investigations against himself, pardon supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and turn the power of federal law enforcement against his adversaries.... Once Mr. Trump has ... curb[ed] the professional ranks of civil servants in government..., many other changes would in theory be that much easier to enact." They go on.

Maxine Joselow of the Washington Post: "The Biden administration moved Wednesday to narrow the scope of an oil-and-gas lease sale in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that was mandated under ... Donald Trump. The plan underscores how the Biden administration is racing to cement its environmental legacy mere hours after Trump secured a second term. Trump has vowed to boost oil drilling in the refuge, as part of broader plans to expand fossil fuel production on public lands across the country."

~~~~~~~~~~

New York Times reporters assess what Trump's 2nd presidency* may mean to some other countries around the world.

Continental Sclerosis. Steven Erlanger of the New York Times: "The victory of Donald J. Trump will test the ability of America's European allies to maintain solidarity, do more to build up their own militaries and defend their economic interests. In anticipation of a Trump victory, there have already been efforts to try to ensure continued support for Ukraine, continuity in NATO and to craft a response should Mr. Trump make good on his threat to apply blanket tariffs on goods imported into the United States. But the Europeans have a long way to go. A second Trump presidency could serve as a catalyst for Europe to fortify itself in the face of a more undependable America. But it is far from clear the continent is prepared to seize that moment. With both the French and German governments weakened by domestic politics, a strong European response may be difficult to construct. And even after one term of Mr. Trump and a war in Ukraine, Europeans have been slow to change." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Frankly, I don't see the developed democracies as our allies anymore. Trump spent most of his firm term denigrating NATO countries & cozying up to autocrats. We just became friends of Putin, Orban & Little Kim. I think the U.S. is about to become the most important piece of a newly-conceived "Axis of Evil."

Germany. Kate Brady of the Washington Post: "Germany's governing coalition collapsed Wednesday, as Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired his finance minister and announced a confidence vote that is widely expected to fail and to pave the way to early elections in the spring. The news from Europe's largest economy added a huge jolt of uncertainty on a day when much of the world's attention was focused on the outcome of the U.S. election. 'I would have liked to have spared you this difficult decision,' Scholz said at the chancellery Wednesday night. 'Especially in times like these, when uncertainty is growing.'"

Israel, Palestine, et al. Shira Rubin, et al., of the Washington Post: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejoiced over Donald Trump's election victory, as he banked on resetting relations with Washington and following through on his maximalist aims in the country's multifront war.... 'It's time for total victory,' crowed Itamar Ben Gvir, Netanyahu's far-right national security minister, in an address to the Knesset on Wednesday.... Israel Ganz, head of a council representing Israeli settlers across the occupied West Bank, celebrated the moment as a historic 'opportunity for the settlement movement,' which has already made significant gains since Netanyahu returned to power in 2022."

Ukraine, et al. David Stern & Serhiy Morgunov of the Washington Post: "Ukrainian troops have clashed with North Korean forces for the first time, according to senior Ukrainian officials -- a development that would open a 'new page of instability in the world,' President Volodymyr Zelensky said.... Russian forces had provided the North Korean troops with 'training of a one-month period,' which is now being shortened, sometimes to one week, 'so that they can get engagement on the battlefield,' [Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem] Umerov said."

Marie: Thank you to everyone who sent birthday greetings. I truly was not fishing for them when I mentioned my birthday in connection with the election.

Presidential Race

Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a concession speech this afternoon at Howard University: ~~~

At 4:10 pm ET Wednesday: Harris 226; Trump 292.

The New York Times liveblog of developments is here.

Shane Goldmacher & Lisa Lerer of the New York Times:Trump 's "win ushers in an era of uncertainty for the nation.... To roughly half the country, Mr. Trump's rise portends a dark turn for American democracy, whose future will now depend on a man who has openly talked about undermining the rule of law. Mr. Trump helped inspire an assault on the Capitol in 2021, has threatened to imprison political adversaries and was denounced as a fascist by former aides. But for his supporters, Mr. Trump's provocations became selling points rather than pitfalls.... Republicans also picked up at least three Senate seats, in Ohio, Montana and West Virginia, to give the party a majority in the Senate. Control of the House of Representatives was still too close to call.... His election raises questions about the future of N.A.T.O. and the American backing of Ukraine; Mr. Trump has long spoken glowingly about President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This much is true: the POTUS* will no longer be A/K/A "the leader of the free world," because the U.S. will no longer be a part of what most people think of as "the free world"; that is, this country will no longer be a version of a liberal democracy.

Lisa Lerer of the New York Times: "Donald Trump told Americans exactly what he planned to do. He would use military force against his political opponents. He would fire thousands of career public servants. He would deport millions of immigrants in military-style roundups. He would crush the independence of the Department of Justice, use government to push public health conspiracies and abandon America's allies abroad. He would turn the government into a tool of his own grievances, a way to punish his critics and richly reward his supporters. He would be a 'dictator' -- if only on Day 1. And, when asked to give him the power to do all of that, the voters said yes. This was a conquering of the nation not by force but with a permission slip. Now, America stands on the precipice of an authoritarian style of governance never before seen in its 248-year history." Read on.

New York Times Editors: "Over the next four years, Americans must be cleareyed about the threat to the nation and its laws that will come from its 47th president and be prepared to exercise their rights in defense of the country and the people, laws, institutions and values that have kept it strong.... Americans should now be wary of an incoming Trump administration that is likely to put a top priority on amassing unchecked power and punishing its perceived enemies, both of which Mr. Trump has repeatedly vowed to do. All Americans, regardless of their party or politics, should insist that the fundamental pillars of the nation's democracy -- including constitutional checks and balances, fair-minded federal prosecutors and judges, an impartial election system and basic civil rights -- be preserved against an assault that he has already begun and has said he would continue."

This election was a CAT scan on the American people, and ... what it revealed, at least in part, is a frightening affinity for a man of borderless corruption. Donald Trump is no longer an aberration; he is normative. -- Peter H. Wehner, a former strategic adviser to President George W. Bush ~~~

~~~ Peter Baker of the New York Times: "No longer can the political establishment write off Mr. Trump as a temporary break from the long march of progress, a fluke who somehow sneaked into the White House in a quirky, one-off Electoral College win eight years ago. With his comeback victory to reclaim the presidency, Mr. Trump has now established himself as a transformational force reshaping the United States in his own image.... Mr. Trump's testosterone-driven campaign capitalized on resistance to electing the first woman president.... For the first time in history, Americans have elected a convicted criminal as president. They handed power back to a leader who tried to overturn a previous election, called for the 'termination' of the Constitution to reclaim his office, aspired to be a dictator on Day 1 and vowed to exact 'retribution' against his adversaries." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Baker goes on to complain that Biden & Harris "failed to unite the country." Oh, boo-hoo-hoo. I suppose one could argue that their sales pitch was wanting, but they more-or-less delivered on what they promised, and very few politicians do that. We live in a country full of whiney-babies who not only think they deserve to have riches bestowed upon them but also have no idea what government policies might help them get those riches. For all but those in the top one percent, it sure isn't Donald Trump who will feather their nests. Trump is through with the sheeples.

David Gilmour of Mediaite: “CNN contributor David Axelrod called on analysts to remain 'clear-eyed' about 'racism' and 'sexism' as one reason for Vice President Kamala Harris's defeat to ... Donald Trump in the presidential election.... 'There were appeals to racism in this campaign, and there is racial bias in this country and there is sexism in this country, and anybody who thinks that that did not in any way impact on the outcome of this race is wrong.'"

Trump declared victory.

Marie: I turned 80 years old Monday. In all those 80 years, this is the first time I ever felt I lived in a country where I was not welcome and where, in fact, I do not belong. And now, where I do not want to live. The structure is in place to dismantle a form of government that was hanging by a thread, a thread that has now broken.

     P.S. I have to be away most of the day Wednesday. It's hard to say when we'll find out which party controls the House.

     As sun-up approaches, it looks like today will be a sunny day here in southern New Hampshire. By avoiding the news, I can pretend nothing is different today. I have to get my vehicles serviced & inspected. After that, I can go shopping if I want to. The stores will be open and the prices will be about the same as they were yesterday. The same people who go to work, whether it's to a factory or an office in a New York City skyscraper or even to a brutalist government building in the Washington, D.C. area. For now. The changes will come in mostly small increments, and perhaps in a few noticeable ones. But they will come. Now is the time to start thinking about what may happen and how you will react.

~~~~~~~~~~

Israel/Palestine, et al. Josef Federman of the AP: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed his popular defense minister, Yoav Gallant, in a surprise announcement that came as the country is embroiled in wars on multiple fronts across the region. The move sparked protests across the country, including a mass gathering that paralyzed central Tel Aviv. Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. But Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival before taking the step as the world's attention was focused on the U.S. presidential election. Netanyahu cited 'significant gaps' and a 'crisis of trust' in his Tuesday evening announcement as he replaced Gallant with a longtime loyalist." ~~~

~~~ Patrick Kingsley of the New York Times: "By dismissing his defense minister, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has consolidated his hold over his coalition by removing his main internal critic, making it easier for him to set wartime policy in the short term. But the move also comes with long-term risks. By firing a popular rival who had opposed some of his most divisive policies, Mr. Netanyahu has fueled criticism that he thinks his personal survival is more important than the national interest. The departing minister, Yoav Gallant, had broken with Mr. Netanyahu by pressing for a cease-fire with Hamas, saying it was the only way to free dozens of Israeli hostages held by the group in Gaza. On the domestic front, Mr. Gallant had pushed to scrap an exemption from military service for ultra-Orthodox Jews, a measure that risked collapsing Mr. Netanyahu's government because it angered its ultra-Orthodox members."

The Conversation -- Election Day 2024

Marie: I am happy to report that even here in Election-Day-only voting, old-fashioned, fuddy-duddy New Hampshire ~~~

Marie: This is a particularly good day to read the Comments. See particularly Akhilleus's treatment of "The Fatty Gunpowder Plot," featuring the very best Three Stooges. Also Bobby Lee's perhaps prescient concern about the final vote tally in the presidential election.

For your enjoyment: ~~~

New York Times reporters are liveblogging Election Day news here.

The last polls will close at 1 a.m. Eastern, in Alaska."

Simon Levien: "Senator JD Vance of Ohio ... voted at his local precinct this morning in Cincinnati.... Vance said he was headed to Florida, where the Trump campaign is hosting an election night watch party in West Palm Beach."

David Goodman: The Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, had a brief spat with the Justice Department over its deployment of election monitors to several counties in Texas.... Paxton dropped an emergency lawsuit over the monitors today after he said they had agreed to remain outside of polling places in the state."

Glenn Thrush: "F.B.I. officials said unknown people had been circulating fake news clips and videos using the bureau's insignia to push false narratives that voters should avoid polling places because of imminent terror attacks."

Jazmine Ulloa: "[Gov. Tim] Walz started the morning by joining radio shows in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Georgia, encouraging listeners to vote. The Walz team is headed to Harrisburg, Pa., for a final campaign event before meeting up with Vice President Kamala Harris at her alma mater, Howard University in Washington, to watch the election results."

David Chen: "Voters are poised to elect governors on Tuesday in 11 states, including eight that are wide open, with no incumbent running. But only a handful of races are expected to be competitive.... With Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, a Republican, leaving office after eight years, the race between the Republican nominee, former Senator Kelly Ayotte, and Joyce Craig, a Democrat, is viewed by many pollsters as the most competitive for governor. Ms. Ayotte is much better known. But Ms. Craig, the former mayor of Manchester, the state's biggest city, has been buoyed by criticism of Ms. Ayotte's [anti-abortion stances]."

Michael Gold: "Donald Trump just voted in Palm Beach, Fla., minutes away from his private club and residence in Mar-a-Lago.... Pressed by reporters on whether he might concede if he loses, he said, 'If I lose an election, if it's a fair election, I'm going to be the first one to acknowledge it, and I think it's -- well, so far, I think it's been fair.'... 'My supporters are not violent people,' he said, not addressing the actions of a mob of his supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.... 'I don't have to tell them that.'"

Ulloa: "Gov. Tim Walz, speaking at a packed diner in Harrisburg, Pa., thanked supporters for seeing themselves in his middle-class family and made a final pitch for Vice President Kamala Harris's vision for the nation, saying their ticket is about being part of a system that is hopeful where 'every voice matters.'"

Theodore Schleifer: "Elon Musk's super PAC just announced its last $1 million award to a registered voter [in Michigan] as part of its controversial sweepstakes program."

Gold: "After voting, Trump went to his campaign headquarters, inside a nondescript office building in West Palm Beach, Fla., where he thanked his staff, cast doubt on the use of voting machines and questioned the integrity of an election that could not be called on Election Day."

Gold: "In the closing days of the race..., Mr. Trump has used misogynistic language to refer to Vice President Kamala Harris and has fostered an environment at his rallies where speakers and attendees feel comfortable making the kind of gendered insults that, in another political era, would have been unthinkable to say in public.... He appeared to embrace a remark shouted by a rallygoer that insinuated Ms. Harris was a prostitute. And he voiced some approval of an audience member's idea to put Ms. Harris in the ring with the boxer Mike Tyson.... He used violent imagery as he denounced Liz Cheney ... as a coward.... And even as Mr. Trump has said that his advisers have told him to stop saying he would protect women, he went a step further last week by saying he would protect them 'whether the women like it or not.'The Harris campaign cast those remarks as paternalistic and sexist."

Schleifer & Maggie Haberman: "Elon Musk plans to spend election night with ... Donald J. Trump, giving Mr. Trump direct access to the person controlling one of key information platforms on what could be a chaotic evening. Mr. Musk ... plans to be at Mar-a-Lago for some of the evening festivities in Palm Beach, Fla. He will be among a small group watching the returns with Mr. Trump...."

Here's something I forgot to highlight this morning, but I think the story may appear down the page in one or more of the reports I linked: ~~~

     ~~~ Kierra Frazier of Politico: "At a rally Monday in Reading, Pennsylvania, [Donald Trump] suggested that Kamala Harris should get into the ring with boxer Mike Tyson. 'Put Mike in the ring with Kamala. That will be interesting,' Trump said while appearing to repeat something someone in the crowd said. It's been a theme of Trump's campaign in recent days. He's repeatedly aimed violent rhetoric at his critics, particularly women."

This New York Times page tells you when the polls close in each state (and even within each state, where there is more than one closing time.) This CNN page tells you when the last polls close in each state, but it does not provide the intra-state details the Times report does.

Patrick Marley & Robert Klemko of the Washington Post: "Before polls opened [today], some 80 million voters had cast early ballots, either in person or through the mail. That's about half the overall number who voted in 2020. Tens of millions more will vote Tuesday. Early voting has gone mostly smoothly around the country, though voters have faced long lines in some places, including in the swing state of Pennsylvania.... Voting administrators ... will perform their duties amid stepped-up security after facing years of threats from some Trump supporters who believe his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him."

Some GOP-run States Favor Election Fraud. Alanna Richer & Jim Salter of the AP: "Some Republican-led states say they will block the Justice Department's election monitors from going inside polling places on Election Day, pushing back on federal authorities' decades-long practice of watching for violations of federal voting laws. Officials in Florida and Texas have said they won't allow federal election monitors into polling sites on Tuesday. And on Monday, Missouri filed a lawsuit seeking a court order to block federal officials from observing inside polling places. Texas followed with a similar lawsuit seeking to permanently bar federal monitoring of elections in the state. The Justice Department announced last week that it's deploying election monitors in 86 jurisdictions across 27 states on Election Day. The Justice Department declined to comment on the moves by the Republican-led states, but filed court papers urging the judge to deny Missouri's request."

Presidential Race

First Results Reported! Christopher Maag of the New York Times: At the Balsam Grand Resort Hotel in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, "the tally -- the first result of this election -- was announced 12 minutes after midnight. In a hamlet where 66.67 percent of the registered voters are Republicans (the other two are independents) and where Nikki Haley swept the primary with all six votes, the general election ended in a tie: three votes for Kamala Harris, and three for Donald J. Trump. Four years ago, all five votes went to Joseph R. Biden Jr. In 2016, Hillary Clinton got four votes and Mr. Trump two." MB: The Times report doesn't address gender, but I think I heard on the teevee that four of the voters were men and two were women.

Katie Rogers, et al., of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump and Kamala Harris closed out their campaigns ... in starkly different moods: The former president, often appearing drained at arenas that were not filled, claimed that the country was on the brink of ruin, while the vice president promised a more united future as energized supporters chanted alongside her, 'We're not going back.' In stop after stop, the presidential rivals essentially offered up two competing versions of reality on Monday and into early Tuesday.... Stopping in Scranton, Allentown and Pittsburgh before a nighttime rally in Philadelphia, Ms. Harris talked about bolstering the economy and restoring federal abortion rights. She asserted that Americans were 'exhausted' and ready to move on from the politics of the past decade.... Ms. Harris, still appearing fresh after a three-month sprint, appealed for unity and pressed the contrast to her rival without uttering his name.... But Mr. Trump, reaching the end of a grueling marathon of a campaign that began in 2022, looked visibly weary, battling fatigue in front of listless crowds, though he was relatively more upbeat and energized in Michigan.... Her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, was campaigning in Wisconsin and Michigan. To cover more ground virtually, their campaign simulcast rallies from the battleground states featuring top surrogates and musical performers, with crowds looking to big screens to see what was happening in other cities."

Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump on Monday threatened tariffs as high as 100 percent on Mexico, America's largest trading partner last year, in yet another escalation of the drastic protectionist promises of his 2024 presidential campaign. Speaking in Raleigh, North Carolina, a day before Election Day, Trump said he would impose tariffs on Mexico of between 25 percent and 100 percent until it closed off its border with the United States. Trump has already suggested new import duties of as high as 20 percent on every country in the world, and economists have warned that if enacted, his sweeping new trade proposals are likely to send costs soaring for U.S. consumers."

Michael Gold of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump has spent parts of the last week of his campaign speaking in self-aggrandizing reverence about the arenas he has filled and the size of his enthusiastic audiences. Never again, he has said, will there be crowds like the ones he has attracted this year. But in the closing stretch of his third run for the White House, Mr. Trump -- a 78-year-old whose voice lately has strained at times, whose speech has been slurred and whose energy appears to be flagging -- is not quite the candidate he used to be. And neither are his crowds.... During the final week of his campaign, Mr. Trump has at times been delivering boasts about crowd size in arenas that are far from packed to the rafters. And when he insists that thousands more are waiting outside, they are often not. On Saturday, his campaign curtained off the upper bowl of an arena in Greensboro, N.C., that Vice President Kamala Harris had filled. Seating in the lower bowl wasn't packed either." Read on for a little schadenfreude fix. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It's almost as if Michael Gold is not enamored of the subject of his assignment. And perhaps Gold isn't all that pleased that Trump said it would be fine if Gold & the rest of the Trump press corps were shot by an aspiring Trump assassin.

Marie: Perhaps, like me, you thought naming RFK Jr. to oversee the federal government's management of women's health issues was just about the worst possible hire Trump could boast. BUT we should have factored in Trump's penchant for striving to top his most egregious pronouncements: ~~~

     ~~~ Kathleen Culliton of the Raw Story: "Trump raised eyebrows Sunday during his Georgia rally when he [said]..., 'We will build a missile defense shield.... We'll put Herschel Walker in charge of that little sucker.' Walker, a Trump supporter whose 2022 senatorial bid failed as reports rolled in he paid for partners to have abortions despite claiming to oppose the procedure and lied about having a military career, had introduced the former president earlier that evening. 'It stops on Tuesday,' Walker said, 'when we vote for my friend and your friend Donald Trump Jr.'"

David Frum of the Atlantic on the horrors Donald Trump has promised us. MB: I have not been a fan of Frum's, formerly a speechwriter for Bush the Younger. But this essay, to which laura h. pointed us and gave us the gift of a link, is a fine piece of writing, IMO. If my link here doesn't work, laura's link in Monday's Comments does. (Also linked yesterday.)

Chris Cameron & Simon Levien of the New York Times: "Senator JD Vance of Ohio said in a campaign rally on Monday afternoon that 'in two days, we're going to take out the trash, and the trash's name is Kamala Harris,' moments after asserting that Ms. Harris had 'disrespect' and 'even hatred' for some Americans.... He ... referr[ed] to President Biden's remarks that denounced the racist language at ... Donald J. Trump's recent rally at Madison Square Garden but appeared to insult Trump supporters as 'garbage.' Mr. Vance told the crowd that 'here in our movement, we love every citizen of this country.' Thirty-five seconds later, Mr. Vance described the vice president as trash. The crowd roared its approval, with many giving Mr. Vance a standing ovation.... Mr. Vance at first dismissed the backlash against the racist remarks at Madison Square Garden, saying 'we have to stop getting so offended at every little thing in the United States of America.' Mr. Vance quickly seized on Mr. Biden's 'garbage' remarks, however, and mentioning it became a staple of his campaign rallies." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: It doesn't matter, but it's hard to know if JayDee is the stupid, rude naif he appears to be or if he is aware of his own hypocrisy and his smug bro remarks are merely poor performance art. Either way, he's the kind of obnoxious punk who makes pacifists cheer when somebody breaks & punches him in his fat little face.

Chris Cameron & Michael Gold of the New York Times: "Joe Rogan, the enormously popular podcast host who brought Donald J. Trump onto his show for a three-hour episode last month, endorsed the former president in a post on social media on Monday.... Minutes later, Mr. Trump promoted Mr. Rogan's endorsement from the campaign trail in Pittsburgh, falsely suggesting that Mr. Rogan had never before endorsed a political candidate. Mr. Rogan endorsed Bernie Sanders in 2020. 'He's the biggest there is,' Mr. Trump said of Mr. Rogan... The Trump campaign soon sent out a fund-raising email playing up Mr. Rogan's endorsement."

Bro Horror Story No. 1. Paul Mozur, et al., of the New York Times: "Right-wing groups, which use Telegram to organize real-world actions, are urging followers to watch the polls and stand up for their rights, in a harbinger of potential chaos. Groups backing ... Donald J. Trump recently sent messages to organize poll watchers to be ready to dispute votes in Democratic areas. Some posted images of armed men standing up for their rights to recruit for their cause. Others spread conspiracy theories that anything less than a Trump victory on Tuesday would be a miscarriage of justice worthy of revolt.... Telegram is a prime organizing tool for extremists, who have a tendency to turn digital coordination into real-world action." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Bro Horror Story No. 2. Drew Harwell, et al., of the Washington Post: An "organized network of conservative activists and conspiracy theorists ... have spent years building online followings by promoting their belief in corrupt elections. On platforms controlled by [Elon] Musk -- and Trump, the majority owner of the online platform Truth Social -- they have worked to stand up a preemptive infrastructure stronger than the 'Stop the Steal' movement that grew after Trump's 2020 loss. The online movement ... four years ago was driven by a small, disordered and slapdash group of right-wing fringe accounts echoing Trump's claims of election fraud. Today, it is an army -- organized, widely promoted and shored up by an ideology that has permeated the Republican base.... [Besides using Xitter and Trump's failing social media platform,] election deniers also have gathered in Discord servers, Facebook pages, Telegram channels and video conference calls to share strategies to combat what they say is a secret 'deep state' vote-stealing scheme." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Bro Horror Story No. 3: Ryan Reilly of NBC News: "As Donald Trump yet again tells his supporters he can lose Tuesday only if there's massive voter fraud and as he ramps up violent rhetoric about Democrats and other 'enemies,' members of the far-right group [Proud Boys] that put more 'boots on the ground' than any other at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, say they're mobilizing.... Several Proud Boys leaders were ultimately convicted of seditious conspiracy and are still in prison, including former chairman Enrique Tarrio, who is serving 22 years, the longest sentence given to any Jan. 6 defendant. But the decentralized all-male far-right group remains active around the country, and some of its members are openly making plans to get involved in Tuesday's elections, as Trump closes his campaign by talking about shooting through the evil,' 'dangerous' and 'the enemy within'; and spreads more baseless predictions of election fraud."

Amanda Moore in Politico Magazine: "A white nationalist worked on the Trump campaign in an important position in Pennsylvania for five months -- until Friday, when the Pennsylvania GOP fired him after learning about his views from my reporting. Last week, I confirmed that Luke Meyer, the Trump campaign's 24-year-old regional field director for Western Pennsylvania, goes by the online name Alberto Barbarossa. As Barbarossa, he co-hosts the Alexandria podcast with Richard Spencer, organizer of the 2017 white nationalist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. On his podcast and others, and in posts online, Barbarossa regularly shares white nationalist views."

Julian Barnes & Steven Myers of the New York Times: "Russian groups and other foreign adversaries have unleashed an extensive disinformation campaign to undermine confidence in the election, and senior U.S. officials are worried that Moscow's efforts could continue to stoke political discord until the election is certified in January. On Monday night..., the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the F.B.I. said in a joint statement that foreign adversaries led by Russia were 'conducting additional influence operations intended to undermine public confidence in the integrity of U.S. elections and stoke divisions among Americans.'" MB: I don't doubt it, but Russia's "extensive disinformation campaign" isn't nearly as great as the "extensive disinformation campaign" the Trump/Musk ticket is running.

Isabel Rosales & Paul Murphy of CNN: "An American social media influencer said he was paid $100 by a pro-Kremlin propagandist to post a fake video of Haitian immigrants claiming to vote in the US presidential election. The payment was one of several the man said he received from the propagandist- a registered Russian agent - to post on social media in the run-up to the election. The pro-Trump influencer, who uses the @AlphaFox78 handle on X, is an American man living in Massachusetts, CNN has learned.... The account, which has a history of posting right-wing memes in support of ... Donald Trump, was the first to post the now-debunked video that purportedly showed a Haitian immigrant claiming he would vote at least twice in Georgia for Vice President Kamala Harris."

Andrew Sorkin, et al., of the New York Times: "Investors on Monday appear to be unwinding bets on the so-called Trump trade. In a major reversal, bonds have rallied and the dollar and crypto currencies have dipped in the race's final hours. One explanation is a surprising new poll that showed Vice President Kamala Harris, powered in part by support from women and older voters, edging ahead in deep-red Iowa -- a finding that's also led to a tightening of Donald Trump's lead in political prediction markets." (Also linked yesterday.)

Theodore Schleifer of the New York Times: "A Pennsylvania judge handed Elon Musk a legal victory on Monday, refusing to halt Mr. Musk's election sweepstakes, in which registered voters who signed a petition to support the Constitution were entered into a drawing to win $1 million. Judge Angelo Foglietta of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas denied a request from Philadelphia's district attorney, Larry Krasner, to issue an emergency injunction against Mr. Musk and put an immediate end to the giveaways. Mr. Musk's win is primarily symbolic.... The Musk team had already cut $1 million checks for 17 registered voters across the country and had no plans to give away more money to any voters in Pennsylvania.... Mr. Musk's petition was meant to build media publicity for his organization, America PAC, and also allow it to build a list of loyal supporters of ... Donald J. Trump, but full details on precisely how it worked had not been made public before Monday." Read on to learn how the scheme worked, or at least how Musk's lawyers described it to the court. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: If Musk's lawyer got him out of one kettle of fish with his convoluted defense, the lawyer may have plunged Musk into another, more costly one. ~~~

     ~~~ Maryclaire Dale of the AP: "Judge Angelo Foglietta -- ruling after Musk's lawyers said the winners are paid spokespeople and not chosen by chance -- did not immediately explain his reasoning.... [Philadelphia District Attorney Larry] Krasner has said he could still consider criminal charges, as he's tasked with protecting both lotteries and the integrity of elections.... Krasner -- who noted that he has long driven a Tesla -- said he could also seek civil damages for the Pennsylvania registrants." ~~~

     ~~~ David Ingram of NBC News: "A lawyer for Elon Musk said in a Philadelphia courtroom Monday that the winners of Musk's $1 million daily prize giveaway in election swing states are not chosen at random, contradicting what Musk said when he announced the contest last month. Legal experts told NBC News that the disclosure could have legal fallout for Musk across multiple jurisdictions under laws designed to protect consumers from deceptive practices. 'This is absolutely, unambiguously illegal,' Christopher Peterson, a University of Utah law professor who specializes in consumer protection, said in an email. 'You cannot lawfully lie to the public about conducting a random sweepstakes, lottery, or contest and then rig the results to hand-select the winners,' he said. 'It really is not complicated. This is just fraud; a simple, ugly fraud on the public.' He said Musk and his super PAC's behavior could be 'both a civil wrong and a crime.'... 'They falsely advertised that people who never had a chance to win should participate, and participation meant providing the PAC with valuable information about voters to target,' ... said [Harvard Law professor Rebecca Tushnet] in an email." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: A subpoena of Musk's mailing list would make it right easy to find some disgruntled losers willing to play another fun game: "Sue a Billionaire." The prize: $1 million. And every player wins. I'm thinking class action here. ~~~

~~~ Farah Stockman of the New York Times: "Of all the things that Elon Musk has done to get Donald Trump elected -- magnifying misinformation on his social media platform, X; jumping up and down onstage at rallies; and pouring eye-popping sums into pro-Trump propaganda -- nothing has generated more excitement than his strange and dubious [$1 million] contest.... It's very on brand for allies of Trump ... to turn our elections into a game show.... An oligarch is playing games with our democracy."

Robert Reich explains why Elon Musk & his ilk will be f***ed if Trump loses the election. Interesting that Musk himself acknowledges he'll be f***ed if Trump loses. And wouldn't that be a shame? Thanks to RAS for the links. (Also linked yesterday.)

Chris Cameron of the New York Times: "Tucker Carlson, a top surrogate for ... Donald J. Trump who spoke at the Republican National Convention this summer and made racist claims at a Trump rally last week at Madison Square Garden, said on Monday that the increased occurrence of hurricanes in the United States was a consequence of abortion -- which he characterized as 'human sacrifice.' Appearing on a podcast hosted by Stephen K. Bannon, a right-wing political strategist and Trump ally who was just released from prison, Mr. Carlson repeatedly portrayed abortion -- a medical procedure -- as a kind of religious human sacrifice. He dismissed scientific research that links global warming to the increased potency and frequency of hurricanes, saying instead that 'it's probably abortion, actually.' 'I'm sure I'll be attacked for saying this, but I really believe it,' Mr. Carlson said, adding, 'You can't participate in human sacrifice without consequences.'...

Mr. Carlson also described nuclear weapons as 'demonic,' adding that they were created by 'not-human forces,' and asserted that the U.S. military had 'consistently' targeted and killed Christian populations since the end of World War II." MB: It seems to me that the demons who "physically mauled" Tucker also could have instilled in him these novel beliefs. Not that Tucker's hypotheses don't seem like perfectly sensible theories flowing from empirical observations. P.S. Tucker needs a job. What Cabinet position should Trump offer him?

Ed Shanahan of the New York Times: "On Monday..., a New Jersey man was convicted of assaulting a law enforcement officer as part of the mob of Donald J. Trump supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. A jury in Federal District Court in Washington, D.C., found the man, Brian Glenn Bingham, of Pennsville, N.J., guilty of the felony offenses of assaulting, resisting or impeding a police officer and civil disorder, and several misdemeanors, prosecutors said.

Lori Aratani & Rachel Lerman of the Washington Post: "Striking Boeing machinists have ended their nearly two-month walkout, voting Monday to accept a four-year deal that locks in historic gains in wages and benefits that are substantially higher than the company offered before the strike began."

~~~~~~~~~~

Ohio. Isabelle Taft of the New York Times: "A former Columbus, Ohio, police officer was found guilty of murder on Monday in the 2020 shooting of Andre Hill, a Black man whose death spurred protests against police brutality and led to police reforms in the city. A Franklin County jury also found the officer, Adam Coy, who is white, guilty of two other charges, felonious assault and reckless homicide. Mr. Coy was taken into custody after the verdict was read. He will be sentenced on Nov. 25.... Mr. Coy was responding with another officer to a call about a suspicious S.U.V. parked in a residential area. His body camera footage showed that he approached a garage and shined a light inside. As Mr. Hill walked slowly toward the officers, the video shows, Mr. Coy pulled his gun and shot Mr. Hill four times.... No weapon was recovered at the scene, the city announced shortly after the shooting."

~~~~~~~~~~

Russia. Arden Farhi, et al., of CBS News: "U.S. and European law enforcement agencies are working together to investigate whether incendiary devices detonated in July at DHL logistics hubs in Germany and the U.K. were part of a larger operation directed by Russian Intelligence services (in particular, the GRU -- Russian military intelligence), the highest level of the Russian government or by outside individuals acting in the interests of Russia, a source familiar with the matter said. Officials are working to determine whether the larger operation was to place similar devices on aircraft servicing the U.S. and U.S. allies. The Wall Street Journal first reported the alleged plot targeting U.S. aircraft."

News Ledes

How often we are oblivious to the heroes who walk among us.

New York Times: "Richard A. Cash, who as a young public-health researcher in South Asia in the late 1960s showed that a simple cocktail of salt, sugar and clean water could check the ravages of cholera and other diarrhea-inducing diseases, an innovation that has saved an estimated 50 million lives, died on Oct. 22 at his home in Cambridge, Mass. He was 83.... In 1978, the British medical journal The Lancet called [the] innovation [devised together with another American doctor] 'potentially the most important medical advance this century.'"

New York Times: "Murray McCory, who founded the outdoor equipment company JanSport while still in college and whose signature innovation, a lightweight backpack, revolutionized school life for millions of students, died on Oct. 7 in Seattle. He was 80."