| President-elect Biden may have to deal with a GOP-controlled Senate; Ethopia could be plunging into civil war. Tonight's Sentences was written by Benjamin Rosenberg. | | | | | | | Joe Biden is now the president-elect. He will likely be challenged by a Republican Senate. | | | | | | - More than two full days after the final polls closed, Decision Desk called the presidential election for Democratic nominee Joe Biden on Friday morning. His home state of Pennsylvania pushed him over the top and allowed him to cross the 270 electoral vote threshold. [Vox / Dylan Matthews]
- Four states — Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina — remain uncalled, and although Biden doesn't need them to win the presidency, he is in good shape to take all but North Carolina. He pulled ahead in Georgia overnight after votes from the late Rep. John Lewis's district were counted. [Vox / Fabiola Cineas]
- Still, it was not the resounding victory Biden had hoped for — decisive losses in Florida, Texas, and Ohio made sure of that. With President Donald Trump still falsely claiming the election was stolen from him, Biden may not have the mandate he desires upon taking office. [Politico / Ryan Lizza]
- Republicans also look likely to maintain their majority in the Senate. Races in Alaska and North Carolina have not yet been called, and there will be two runoffs in Georgia, but the odds of Democrats gaining the chamber appear low. [Vox / Ella Nilsen]
- A Republican Senate may make it hard for Biden to have his Cabinet appointees confirmed. Potential candidates like Elizabeth Warren for secretary of the Treasury and Susan Rice for secretary of state seem like long shots. [Politico / Theodoric Meyer, Megan Cassella, Alice Miranda Ollstein, and Alex Thompson]
- Biden campaigned on taking swift, decisive action to address the Covid-19 crisis, something Trump never did. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell figures to be a major obstacle to legislation the Biden administration tries to push through. [Vox / German Lopez]
- That includes efforts to make strides in the fight against climate change. McConnell has often refused to discuss climate bills on the Senate floor, and he could block Biden's nominees for the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. [The Hill / Rachel Frazin and Rebecca Beitsch]
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday morning that despite a disappointing showing for House Democrats in this year's elections (they maintained their majority but lost seats to the GOP), Biden "has a strong mandate to lead, and he'll have a strong Democratic House with him." [The Hill / Mike Lillis]
- Biden will not enjoy nearly the freedom President Barack Obama did in his first two years, when Democrats controlled both houses of Congress. Bolder ideas like statehood for Puerto Rico and Washington, DC, and expanding the Supreme Court are likely out of the question. [Bloomberg / Kathleen Hunter]
| | | Ethiopia could be on the verge of civil war | | - Ethiopia, one of Africa's fastest-growing economies, could be on the brink of a civil war, as fighting in the Tigray region in the far north of the country has escalated. The Ethiopian army said Thursday that the country is being dragged into an "unexpected and aimless war." [AP / Elias Meseret and Cara Anna]
- Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for helping end a war with Eritrea but may have now just started a new one. The Tigray People's Liberation Front had dominated the government until Abiy took office in 2018. [AP / Cara Anna]
- After the TPLF allegedly attacked a federal military base in the regional capital of Mekelle, Abiy responded by sending troops into the region. The federal government then gave itself broader security powers by declaring a six-month state of emergency. [CNN / Brent Swails and David McKenzie]
- The TPLF is well-armed and well-trained and controls the most powerful regional armed force in Ethiopia, leading analysts to raise fears about the possibility of a full-scale war between the TPLF and the federal government. [NPR / Eyder Peralta]
- Abiy postponed national elections this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, prompting the TPLF to claim that he was illegitimately holding on to power. Tigray went ahead with regional elections in September, so Abiy cut off funding to the region. [Axios / Dave Lawler]
| | | | | | | The US set another daily record for new Covid-19 cases on Thursday with more than 121,000, something Dr. Anthony Fauci warned could happen by the winter. | | | [NPR / Will Stone] -
US job growth slowed again in October, although the unemployment rate continued to decrease. The economy added 638,000 jobs last month, down from 672,000 in September. [CNBC / Jeff Cox] -
Russian lawmakers are considering a bill that would give former presidents lifetime immunity from prosecution, which would protect current leader Vladimir Putin if and when he leaves office. [CNN / Mary Ilyushina] -
The NBA has announced plans for its 2020-21 season: Each team will play 72 regular-season games starting December 22, followed by a postseason tournament that will finish before the 2021 Summer Olympics. [ESPN / Adrian Wojnarowski] | | | | | "Mitch McConnell will force Joe Biden to negotiate every single cabinet secretary, every single district court judge, every single U.S. attorney with him. My guess is we'll have a constitutional crisis pretty immediately." | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | This email was sent to edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com. Manage your email preferences, or unsubscribe to stop receiving all emails from Vox. If you value Vox's unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036.
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