memeorandum: With the vote count now over, here's how Pennsylvania broke for Joe Biden (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

1:30 PM ET, November 29, 2020

Top Items:

20 days of fantasy and failure: Inside Trump's quest to overturn the election — The facts were indisputable: President Trump had lost. — But Trump refused to see it that way. Sequestered in the White House and brooding out of public view after his election defeat …

Rosalind Helderman / Washington Post:

Wisconsin recount confirms Biden's win over Trump, cementing the president's failure to change the election results — The recount of presidential ballots in Wisconsin's two largest counties finished Sunday, reconfirming that President-elect Joe Biden defeated President Trump in the key swing state by more than 20,000 votes.

Discussion: USA Today, The Daily Beast, Reuters, Axios, Associated Press, We Love Trump, Just The News, Raw Story, Conservative News Today, New York Times, New York Post, Democracy Docket and Bloomberg

Patrick Marley / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Dane County recount will show Biden won Wisconsin, but Trump is planning a lawsuit — MADISON - Dane County will wrap up its recount Sunday, affirming Democrat Joe Biden's victory in Wisconsin as President Donald Trump prepares a lawsuit. — The completion of Dane County's recount comes …

Discussion: Associated Press, The Hill, Business Insider, Politico, Al Jazeera and Alternet.org

The Philadelphia Inquirer:

With the vote count now over, here's how Pennsylvania broke for Joe Biden — It's now official: President-elect Joe Biden won Pennsylvania by 80,555 votes, significantly larger than the 44,292-vote margin that helped carry President Donald Trump to the White House in 2016.

Discussion: USA Today, New York Times, Raw Story, Washington Times, Mediaite and eVille Times

American Greatness:

Reality and the Narrative — Despite the blandishments of the narrative, which seek to seduce you into acquiescence with rumors of inevitability, we really do not know how this story, which seems so familiar, will end. — Oscar Wilde was such a card. Sitting for his viva voce examination in Greek …

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Los Angeles Times, Raw Story and Just The News

Dante Chinni / NBC News:

Trump underperformed in most counties with large rallies — WASHINGTON — As the 2020 campaign wound down, President Donald Trump criss-crossed the country, holding rallies to fire up his supporters and get them out to vote. Many saw the rallies as a sign of big enthusiasm for Trump …

Brett Samuels / The Hill:

Trump: 'I'm ashamed that I endorsed' Kemp in Georgia — President Trump on Sunday said he regretted endorsing Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R), taking a swipe at the top Republicans in the state ahead of two critical Senate runoff elections. — The president decried the use of Dominion Voting Systems machines …

Discussion: Washington Times, Mediaite, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, New York Post and Conservative News Today

Justine Coleman / The Hill: Ossoff warns McConnell would cause paralysis in federal government if GOP holds Senate

Patricia Murphy / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
What counts for Brad Raffensperger

Discussion: Business Insider and Mediaite

Dominick Mastrangelo / The Hill:

Lieutenant governor: Trump campaign would get its ‘clock cleaned’ if it appeals Pennsylvania ruling to Supreme Court — Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor said late Saturday that he is hopeful President Trump's campaign appeals lawsuits thrown out by judges in the state to the U.S. Supreme Court …

Discussion: Vox, Fox News, BuzzFeed News, American Greatness and Al Jazeera

CBS Pittsburgh:
Pa. Supreme Court Dismisses Request From Mike Kelly And Sean Parnell To Declare Mail-In Voting Unconstitutional In State, Deny Results From 2020 Election Mail-In Ballots

Discussion: Media Matters for America

Elise Viebeck / Washington Post:
Pennsylvania Supreme Court dismisses lawsuit against mail ballots with prejudice in another defeat for Trump

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Root, The Week, Crooks and Liars, ABC News, WTOP, Associated Press, The Daily Caller, UPI, The Hill, NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, RedState, Raw Story and NBC News

Jeremy Roebuck / The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Pennsylvania Supreme Court tosses GOP congressman's suit seeking to throw out all ballots cast by mail

Discussion: CNN, Erie Daily Times-Morning News, Slate, Politico, The Guardian, The Gateway Pundit and Outside the Beltway

Eliza Shapiro / New York Times:

New York City Will Reopen Elementary Schools and Phase Out Hybrid Learning — Mayor Bill de Blasio had faced criticism that in responding to the pandemic, he was prioritizing activities like indoor dining over the well-being of the city's children. — Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sunday …

Discussion: The Hill and Forbes

Bryan Pietsch / New York Times:

Utah Monolith Mysteriously Disappears From Desert — The metal structure has been removed, Utah officials said on Saturday, adding that they had not taken it down. — As mysteriously as it arrived, a metal monolith that was discovered last week by Utah public safety workers is now gone, officials said on Saturday.

Discussion: pjmedia.com, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, Bureau of Land Management, INSIDER, New York Post and Althouse

Eric Kleefeld / Media Matters for America:

Right-wing media feud erupts over Trump lawyer Sidney Powell's bonkers election conspiracy theories — When it turns out Alex Jones is the peacemaker here, you're in trouble. — Right-wing media now have to grapple with a strange new internal conflict: whether to endorse the set …

Discussion: Washington Examiner and The Daily Caller

John Whitehouse / Media Matters for America:
After praising the Trump campaign's unhinged press conference last week, Rush Limbaugh now says it was a failure

Discussion: littlegreenfootballs.com

Washington Post:
For Trump advocate Sidney Powell, a playbook steeped in conspiracy theories

Discussion: Business Insider and Mock Paper Scissors

Joanna Weiss / Politico:

‘Time For My Flag to Go Up’: How Anti-Trumpers Are Reclaiming the American Flag — About a month before the election, Curtis Woodall logged onto Amazon and ordered an American flag. The 72-year-old Vietnam War veteran and retired infantry soldier had taken his old flag down about a year into the Trump administration.

Discussion: RedState, Boston Herald, Raw Story and The Nevada Independent

Fred Hiatt / Washington Post:

Marco Rubio is already suiting up for the politics of destruction — Let's say you're a Republican senator who claims to support democracy and U.S. leadership in the world. — Let's imagine, too, that you've spent four years excusing and supporting a president who fawned …

The Guardian:

A year after Wuhan alarm, China seeks to change Covid origin story — Reports in state media signal an intensifying propaganda effort to place the birth of the virus in other countries — Nearly a year after doctors identified the first cases of a worrying new disease in the Chinese city of Wuhan …

Max Stier / USA Today:

Make America incompetent again? Trump wants to ruin our merit-based federal jobs system. — Trump wants to bring back a corrupt system of political patronage. Congress and Joe Biden must undo this attack on the capability of our government. — Federal agencies across the government …

Discussion: Alternet.org

Barbara Slavin / New York Times:

A Scorched Earth Strategy on Iran — The assassination of a top nuclear scientist isn't about stopping a bomb — it's about preventing diplomacy. Joe Biden doesn't have to let it work. — Ms. Slavin directs the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council.

Discussion: Raw Story, JNS.org, NBC News and The Week

David E. Sanger / New York Times:
Assassination in Iran Threatens Fate of Nuclear Deal

Discussion: Conservative News Today, Breitbart, Washington Post, The Week, Slate, Daily Kos, The Guardian, NPR, New York Post and Twitchy

Simon Tisdall / The Guardian:
Was scientist's killing the opening shot of a Trump-led war on Iran?

Discussion: AFP, New York Times, Bloomberg, Slate, Spectator USA, One America News Network and HotAir

ABC News:

Americans need to understand importance of not furthering spread of COVID-19: Fauci — Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared on ABC's “This Week” Sunday. — Hospitals struggle with growing number of COVID-19 cases — The U.S. has surpassed 13 million confirmed coronavirus cases, adding more than a million cases in just six days.

Discussion: Politico and New York Post

Allyson Waller / New York Times:

A Cat Is Said to Be Joining the Bidens in the White House — The last cat to live in the White House, India, belonged to President George W. Bush. — When he was running for president, Joseph R. Biden Jr. said it was time for a pet to be put back in the White House.

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, RedState and Conservative News Today

Parker Molloy / Media Matters for America:

Conservatives' complaints about media calling presidential elections are desperate nonsense — The same people chiding news networks for calling the race were fine with it in 2016 — On Saturday, after days of uncertainty, CNN became the first major news network to call the presidential race for Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Crooks and Liars, Raw Story, CBS News, CNN and Fox News

New York Times:

Let's Talk About Higher Wages — The nation, and the Democratic Party, desperately needs a replacement for the tired story that tax cuts drive economic growth. — The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values.

Discussion: Center for Economic …