Trump Wins In Decisive Fashion

Good Wednesday morning. While we burned the midnight oil (and then some), the votes just keep on coming in. You can find up-to-the-minute election results here. Have a great day!

In Today’s Brief

• Tennessee: Neo-Nazi plot

• Nigeria: Children released

• Bomb threats: Russian suspicions

• Home Depot: Co-founder dies

• Oasis: Tour grows

... and more

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Top Tips

1) The return

Donald Trump is projected to be the 47th President of the United States after a historic victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.

• The call: Fox News was the first media outlet to name Trump the president-elect at 1:47 a.m. ET after it declared him the winner in Wisconsin, pushing him over 270 Electoral College votes. The network also called Pennsylvania for him, ending any path to victory for Harris. He also won Georgia and North Carolina and is leading in Arizona, Michigan and Nevada as he closes in on a clean sweep of battleground states.

• Trump’s comments: The former president addressed supporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, around 2:30 a.m., declaring victory and vowing to “heal” the nation. Harris did not concede or make a public appearance last night; her campaign said she would address supporters today.

• The popular vote: Trump has pulled in about 51% of the total national vote, putting him on track to win the popular vote for the first time in three tries. He would be the first Republican candidate to capture it since former President George W. Bush in 2004. Trump is the second president to be elected to non-consecutive terms, joining Grover Cleveland Alexander.

2) Down the ballot

Republicans regained control of the U.S. Senate.

• Upper chamber flips: The GOP captured the majority when Bernie Moreno unseated incumbent Democratic Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown. His victory came after West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice won retiring independent Sen. Joe Manchin's seat for the first Republican pickup. Nebraska GOP Sen. Deb Fischer also held off competitive independent candidate Dan Osborn and Republicans had a chance to finish with as many as 56 seats.

• In the House: The balance of power remains too close to call. But the GOP, which holds a current 220-212 majority, has a net gain of three seats and is trending toward holding the chamber.

• Gubernatorial races: Both parties held serve at the statehouses. Former New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte was the most notable GOP winner. North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, rolled past scandal-plagued Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. But it was not a big enough win to propel Harris past Trump in the state.

3) Big shakeup

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a personnel move while America was voting.

• The news: Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was fired yesterday, roughly 13 months after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023terrorist attack sparked a war in the Middle East. Foreign Minister Israel Katz will replace him; Gideon Saar, a Netanyahu political rival, will become foreign minister as the PM aims to maintain his fragile coalition government.

• Key context: The move was long rumored. Gallant had been critical of Netanyahu's approach to the conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah; they have also clashed over domestic politics. The prime minister said the trust between the men "cracked." 

• Big picture: The move led to considerable outcry and protests in Tel Aviv. It comes as Israel fights in Gaza and Lebanon and as Iran is believed to be planning another retaliatory attack. Tehran is reportedly considering the use of proxy forces in Iraq and other regional countries; the U.S. has warned Iraq it could be hit by Israel if it allows Iran to launch attacks from its territory. 

Quick Tips

U.S. News

• A Tennessee man was charged in an apparent scheme to destroy an energy facility in Nashville. The Department of Justice alleges he intended to use a weapon of mass destruction and was inspired by neo-Nazis; he was also probed as a potential mass shooting culprit (More)

• Capitol Police arrested a man carrying a flare gun and torch lighter at the Capitol Visitor Center. The 28-year-old Michigan resident allegedly smelled of fuel and had papers he wanted to deliver to Congress (More)

• A former defense contractor received a 15-year federal prison sentence for an unprecedented bribery and fraud scheme against the U.S. Navy. Leonard Glenn "Fat Leonard" Glenn pleaded guilty in 2015 but fled the country in 2022 before being arrested in Venezuela; he must pay $20M in restitution and a $150K fine (More)

World News

• Over two dozen Nigerian children facing the death penalty were freed after over two months in prison.  President Bola Tinubu ordered the release of about 70 people, including 29 kids, accused of participating in protests against the government amid a cost-of-living crisis (More)

• The Mexican Navy said it seized almost 4T of cocaine. A semi-submersible boat was intercepted in the Pacific Ocean about 150 miles off the coast of Acupulco; nine crew members were detained (More)

• Ukraine said its troops engaged North Korean forces for the first time. The "small-scale" clashes occurred in Russia's Kursk border region; U.S. officials said there are now at least 10K North Korean troops near the Ukrainian border (More)

Campaign News

• Fake bomb threats, believed to be connected to Russia, were emailed to polling locations in at least five battleground states. Officials said the claims in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin were not credible; some sites had voting hours extended while the Kremlin denied the allegations (More)

• Elon Musk faces another lawsuit over his America PAC's controversial $1M daily giveaway. An Arizona voter filed a proposed class action suit in Texas, where many of the billionaire's companies are incorporated, alleging fraud after Musk's attorneys said winners were predetermined in his pending Philadelphia-based lawsuit (More)

• About three-quarters of the top-100 U.S. newspapers by size did not make a presidential endorsement this cycle. Former President Trump only received two endorsements while Vice President got about two dozen; almost all made endorsements 20 years ago (More)

Business & Markets

• Major indexes closed higher yesterday. The Dow Jones jumped over 400 points while the Nasdaq was up over 250 (Dow +1.02%, Nasdaq +1.43%, S&P 500 +1.23%).

• Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus died at 95. The billionaire businessman was also a philanthropist, a prolific Republican donor and an outspoken supporter of former President Trump; he and current Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank established the hardware store chain in 1978 (More)

• Walgreens will pay $100M to settle a class action lawsuit involving generic drug pricing. The filing alleges the pharmacy chain fraudulently overcharged customers who were not members of its prescription savings program; Walgreens admitted no liability and maintains there was no wrongdoing (More)

Entertainment & Sports

• The much-anticipated Oasis reunion tour will reach a fourth continent. The British rock band will play concerts in Argentina, Brazil and Chile next fall; it has already announced dates in Australia, Europe and North America (More)

• The NBA suspended Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid after a physical altercation with a local newspaper columnist. The former MVP will miss three games; he took issue with a column that referenced his son and late brother (More)

• Oregon was the No. 1-ranked team in the initial College Football Playoff rankings. Ohio State, Georgia, Miami and Texas rounded out the top-5 in that order; Boise State was the top-ranked non-Power Four team at No. 12 and Army was No. 25 (More)

Quick Hitters

• Fun Stuff: A photographer has spent a decade traveling the world taking photos of dog breeds in their ancestral homes. Here is a sampling of his adorable work, which spans over 50 cities in 20 countries.

• Chow Down: Temperatures are falling while it gets dark outside much earlier. So get cozy with almost 50 recipes that feel like a big hug.

• Take Note: Make sure you read this if you are traveling for the holidays this year -- it is a rundown of the dates you want to try to avoid being on the road or in the skies if possible.

• Forever Young: Lois Young is 95-years-old. She also dominates rivals who are decades younger in her Kansas pickleball league.

• Life Hack: Deli meats can be expensive and have limited lifespans in the refrigerator. But you can freeze cold cuts as long as you adhere to a few key safety guidelines.

Watch This

If electric energy is the future, we need many more batteries.

Links

• Almost $11B was spent on political ads this cycle 📺

• Bold facts about bald eagles 🦅

• Amazon got FAA approval to test new delivery drones 📦

• Dabo Swinney had a rough trip to the polls 🗳️

• U.S. state economies compared to other countries 📈

• Wireless signals may be able to predict flash flooding📱

• Good dogs are worshipped in Nepal 🐶

• Millennials spend too much time sitting down 🪑

• How Las Vegas is becoming a sustainable city 🎰

• Boeing machinists approved their new contract 🛩️

Looking Ahead …

The world's first wood-paneled satellite is on the way to the International Space Station. It will then be released into a six-month orbit around the Earth to test whether timber materials are viable for future space exploration. The Japanese-designed satellite is also made of aluminum and has electric components.

Question of the Day

Yesterday’s results:

How excited are you for political TV ads to stop?

• Incredibly excited (60%)

• Excited (23%)

• Very excited (13%)

• They don’t bother me (4%)