10 things you need to know today: November 5, 2020

1. Biden closer to victory with projected wins in Michigan, Wisconsin

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was projected the winner in Michigan and Wisconsin on Tuesday, flipping two states that President Trump won in 2016. The victories widened the former vice president's lead over Trump. Biden also led in Nevada and Arizona, whose 17 electoral votes would give Biden the 270 needed to take the White House. "I'm not here to declare that we've won," said Biden alongside his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), in his home state of Delaware. "But I am here to report that when the count is finished we believe we will be the winners." Trump falsely asserted election fraud, and declared, falsely, that he was the winner in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina, all of which remained undecided. Trump's campaign called for a recount in Wisconsin, where Biden led by just over 20,000 votes out of 3.2 million.

Reuters The Washington Post

2. New coronavirus cases exceed 100,000 in 1 day for 1st time

The number of new coronavirus cases in the United States surpassed 100,000 in a single day for the first time on Wednesday. The Washington Post reported that the total for the day reached 104,004 new infections, while The New York Times said its database indicated that there were 107,800. The record came as the pandemic surged across the Midwest and Plains states. Five states — Maine, Minnesota, Indiana, Nebraska, and Colorado — set records for the most new cases in a single day. Seven states reported record hospitalizations for COVID-19. Deaths, which lag behind spiking infections, have gone up by 21 percent nationwide in the past two weeks. More than 1,100 fatalities were reported Wednesday, bringing the U.S. death toll to more than 233,000.

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The New York Times The Washington Post

3. Trump campaign sues to block Pennsylvania's extended vote count

President Trump's campaign on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to overturn a Pennsylvania state Supreme Court ruling letting election officials count mail-in ballots received up to three days after the Tuesday's election. The U.S. high court last week allowed the deadline to stand but suggested it might revisit the matter if Pennsylvania's results proved crucial. "That time has come," Trump's campaign said in the filing. "Given last night's results, the vote in Pennsylvania may well determine the next president of the United States." Ballots received after the polls closed were to be separated in case of a court challenge. Pennsylvania officials defended their process. "Pennsylvania is going to count every vote and make sure that everyone has their voice heard," Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, said in a statement.

USA Today

4. Susan Collins wins 5th Senate term

Republican Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) was projected to win a fifth Senate term on Wednesday, fighting off a challenge from Democratic nominee Sara Gideon. Collins was one of several Republicans considered vulnerable in Tuesday's election, in part because of a backlash over her vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Collins' victory all but closed the window on Democrats' chance to seize a majority in the Senate. Collins said more than 17 hours after the polls closed that she had "received a very gracious call" from Gideon conceding the race. Collins trailed in the polls for much of the campaign, but closed the gap in the days before the election. She had 51 percent of the vote compared to Gideon's 42.4 percent with 85 percent of the ballots in. The campaign was the most expensive in the state's history.

The Hill

5. Markets surge as investors predict Washington gridlock

U.S. stocks soared on Wednesday as investors apparently expected Tuesday's mixed elections to result in the kind of gridlock in Washington that often lifts markets by making major policy changes impossible. The presidential election remained too close to call, but Democrats appeared to have retained control of the House with Republicans nearly certain to hold onto a narrow Senate majority. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 368 points or 1.3 percent, down from a session-high gain of more than 800 points. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closed up by 2.2 percent and 3.9 percent, respectively. The S&P 500 has now risen three straight days, and won back all of its 5.6 percent loss last week. Futures rose further early Thursday.

USA Today CNBC

6. USPS says it did what it could to comply with order to find ballots

The U.S. Postal Service argued on Wednesday in a legal filing that it essentially complied with a judge's order to search for misplaced absentee ballots in battleground states, despite saying late Tuesday it would disregard the judge's specific demands. U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan for the District of Columbia ordered a search after the USPS said about 300,000 ballots nationwide had received entry scans at mail processing facilities, but not exit scans. Sullivan ordered checks and heightened supervision at facilities in 15 states. Experts have said USPS should be able to process 97 percent of incoming ballots, but processing scores fell to 89.6 percent on Nov. 2. In the new filing, USPS said "the Inspection Service was not able to conduct specific sweeps" as requested, but that measures in place already "provided assurance that the relevant plants had sufficient oversight" to ensure ballots were expedited.

The Washington Post Politico

7. Italy, England impose new lockdowns as pandemic surges in Europe

Italy joined England in imposing new lockdowns to fight new waves of coronavirus infections. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the country's most drastic measures since a national lockdown in March. Starting Friday, the new restrictions will affect much of Italy, including northern regions that are main drivers of the country's economy. "The situation is particularly critical," Conte said at a news conference. England will impose its second lockdown starting Thursday. The two nations are among several using new restrictions to curb surging infections across Europe. Poland is shutting schools and stores, Lithuania is imposing a full lockdown, and France is extending a state of emergency until February.

The New York Times

8. Peters projected to hang on in Michigan's Senate race

Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan has narrowly won re-election, NBC News and Politico projected Wednesday. The first-time incumbent was seen as one of the most vulnerable Democrats heading into Tuesday's vote. His Republican challenger, businessman and veteran John James, mounted a strong challenge in what became one of the most expensive Senate races in the state's history. But hours after NBC projected Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden as the winner of the state's 16 electoral votes, the network reported that Peters had edged out James, who had appeared to be in the lead on election night. The result, with 98 percent of the expected vote tallied, was 49.7 percent for Peters, and 48.4 percent for James. "To all who believed in us, gave your time and effort in our fight: thank you for putting your trust in me," Peters said.

NBC News Politico

9. 'Blue wave' failed to materialize in state legislatures

Democrats' hopes of a "blue wave" in state elections failed to materialize, with the lowest number of state legislatures changing hands since 1946, the National Conference of State Legislatures said Wednesday. Democrats went into the election hoping to regain control of statehouses that Republicans had controlled for years. But by Wednesday, with results still not final, it appeared that only four chambers were likely to see a shift in control, including New Hampshire's House and Senate, which Republicans seized back from Democrats. In Arizona, where Democrats made a push to win majorities in the state House and Senate for the first time in decades, Republicans gained in key races as counting continued Wednesday, making a flip less likely. "This is crazy in that almost nothing has changed," said Tim Storey, an expert with the NCSL.

The New York Times Arizona Republic

10. 11 arrested in Portland, 50 in NYC amid post-election protests

Portland police arrested 11 people and seized fireworks, hammers, and a rifle on Wednesday after post-election protests broke out. "All of the gatherings that were declared riots were downtown," a Portland Police spokesman told Reuters. There were no reports of injuries. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) activated the National Guard in response to the protests. New York police arrested about 50 people as protests spread in the city on Wednesday. Small, peaceful demonstrations by supporters of Democratic nominee Joe Biden were reported in other cities on the night after President Trump prematurely declared victory despite trailing in the electoral and popular votes. Trump has called for halting vote counts in remaining states where he leads but Biden is gaining.

Reuters