Trump prepares to launch a second term early, even without winning  —  President Donald Trump has struggled to convince the country he already won the election.  So he's just going to do the next best thing: Act like he's starting his second term early.  —  Trump and his aides have settled …

Trump Whines: Why Isn't Barr Coming to Save Me?  —  The desire within Trump and his senior staff for a DOJ rescue was palpable, as the vote count kept going more and more in Joe Biden's direction. … In the days since an inconclusive election night likely threw his presidency into the heap of one-termers …

‘Come on Now’: Michigan Judge Scoffs at and Tosses Trump Campaign Lawsuit Backed by ‘Hearsay’ Evidence  —  In President Donald Trump's second loss in court in a single day, a Michigan judge rejected the Trump campaign's bid to stop counting ballots without their inspectors present.

Election 2020 Live Updates: Protests and Legal Skirmishes as Counting Continues in Final Six States … Senate tally includes 65 seats not up for election.  —  Nevada has about 190,000 ballots still to be counted, the secretary of state said.  Ninety percent of them are from Clark County …

Dem leaders warn liberal rhetoric could blow Georgia races  —  Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her top lieutenants had a stark warning for Democrats on Thursday: Swing too far left and they're all but certain to blow their chances in the Georgia runoff that will determine which party controls the Senate.

Georgia vote count: About 14,000 absentee ballots still being tallied  —  By Mark Niesse - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Emily Merwin DiRico - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Jennifer Peebles - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Isaac Sabetai - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Twitter bans Steve Bannon after call for beheadings; YouTube removes video  —  Twitter banned an account associated with Steve Bannon on Thursday and YouTube removed one of his videos after the former Trump adviser called for the beheadings of two federal officials.

What's Trump's Endgame if the Race Is Called for Biden?  —  This piece was originally published on the Election Law Blog.  —  Although things remain uncertain, it appears that Joe Biden could soon be declared by news organizations as the winner of the presidential race.

Counties with worst virus surges overwhelmingly voted Trump  —  U.S. voters went to the polls starkly divided on how they see President Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic, with a surprising twist: In places where the virus is most rampant now, Trump enjoyed enormous support.

N.Y.P.D. Anti-Harassment Official Accused of Racist Rants  —  The official was relieved of his command after City Council investigators amassed evidence that he posted vitriolic messages online under the name “Clouseau.”  —  For more than 20 years, an online chat board called the Rant …

The U.S. Supreme Court Should Act On Pennsylvania's Vote Count  —  The United States Constitution could not be clearer that state legislatures, not courts, make the laws that regulate how elections are held in each state.  That's not happening right now in the battleground state of Pennsylvania …

Long at odds with Trump, Defense Secretary Esper has prepared a resignation letter, say officials  —  WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Mark Esper has prepared a letter of resignation, according to three current defense officials.  —  It's not uncommon for Cabinet secretaries to prepare undated letters …

USPS processed 150,000 ballots after Election Day, jeopardizing thousands of votes  —  The number of mailed ballots not delivered by Nov. 3 is expected to grow as more postal data is released in the coming days.  —  More than 150,000 ballots were caught in U.S. Postal Service processing facilities …

Special Counsel's Office Opens Hatch Act Investigation Into Trump's Use of White House for Campaign Events  —  HERE WE GO AGAIN  —  The U.S. Office of Special Counsel has opened an investigation into whether President Donald Trump's campaign's use of the White House violated federal law.

Facebook Has An Internal Metric For “Violence And Incitement Trends.”  Right Now It's Rising.  —  As votes are being tallied across the country to determine the next US president, internal Facebook data shows that the company has seen a significant increase in what it calls “violence and incitement trends.”

Trump's Special Twitter Treatment Would End With Biden Win  — For now, violating posts get warning label, not removal  — But ‘world leader’ newsworthiness rules wouldn't apply  —  As U.S. president, Donald Trump receives special treatment from Twitter Inc. when he violates …

The Disinformation Is Coming From Inside the White House  —  The president and his allies have united right-wing media and internet trolls with false messaging that legitimate vote counting should stop.  —  A disinformation push to subvert the election is well underway, and it is coming straight from President Trump and his allies.

NYC coddles the privileged, pain-in-ass anarchists who spit on cops  —  The first thing to notice about the young, ahh, lady arrested in Manhattan Wednesday for spitting in a cop's face is that she was back on the street before they had time to test the cop for rabies.  —  Think of that as cause and effect.

Chris Christie tells Trump to stop inflaming and show the evidence  —  One of President Trump's top allies publicly rebuked him on Thursday night for failing to produce evidence to support his unfounded claims that Democrats were stealing the election from him.

A presidency fueled by lies finishes with the worst of them all  —  It's somehow fitting.  A presidency launched with lies, and fueled by them ever since, was destined to finish with the worst of them all.  —  Donald Trump's presidency began on Jan. 20, 2017, with what he asserted was …