NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-06-2024 5AM EST

Episode Date: November 6, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly. With the Associated Press declaring Donald Trump to be on the cusp of winning the White House, the former president delivered a victory speech early this morning in West Palm Beach, Florida. We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible and it is now clear that we've achieved the most incredible political thing. Look what happened. Is this crazy? Officially, the AP shows Trump with 267 of the 270 electoral votes

needed to defeat Vice President Harris in the race for the White House. Trump's total includes the swing states of Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. The results are still not official in other swing states, such as Michigan and Pennsylvania. The results are still not official in other swing states such as Michigan and Wisconsin. On the same convention center stage as Trump, his Republican running mate, Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, described the results as the greatest political comeback in the history of the country. At Harris' Democratic Watch Party on the campus of Howard University in Washington, the Vice President's campaign co-chair, Cededric Richmond addressed supporters last night, advising them to go home and to

be patient. We still have votes to count. We still have states that have not been called yet. We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted. Howard University is Harris' alma mater. The vice president is expected to talk about the election results later today. She has not conceded. Republicans will retake control of the Senate in January as a result of election day contests.

The GOP has flipped two Senate seats. One of them is in Ohio, where Republican challenger Bernie Moreno defeated Democratic incumbent Senator Sherrod Brown, according to the AP. NPR's Barbara Sprunt has more. This marks a major victory for Republicans, who now have enough seats to control the Senate. Moreno, a former car dealership owner, received the

endorsement of former President Donald Trump and tried to link Brown to national Democratic figures. The race was essentially a dead heat ahead of the election, one of the tightest of toss-up races in the country. Both parties invested historic levels of spending, pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into the state that was considered the nexus of the battle for control of the Senate. Brown has been in the Senate for nearly 18 years, flipping a seat in 2006. He had never before been on the same ballot as Trump.

Barbara Sprunt and Pure News, Washington. Control of the House is not yet clear, with the results of dozens of House races still outstanding. In Florida, voters have rejected Amendment 3 to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. It would have allowed the purchase, possession, and use of marijuana products for adults who were 21 years old or older. This is NPR News from Washington. Voters in Florida and South Dakota have rejected valid measures on abortion rights. Supporters of reproductive rights prevailed in six other states, including Missouri,

as Jason Rosenbaum with St. Louis Public Radio reports. Missourians backed a constitutional amendment legalizing abortion up to fetal viability, usually around 24 weeks. It's a sharp rebuke of Missouri Republicans who implemented a near total ban on abortion with exceptions only for medical emergencies. Tori Schaefer with the ACLU of Missouri says the passage of the abortion legalization initiative should send a strong message to abortion rights opponents.

It shows the values of our state. It shows that people want reproductive freedom and honestly it says if you can do it in a state like Missouri, you can do it anywhere. Missouri was one of 10 states this year with ballot items aimed at protecting abortion rights. For NPR News, I'm Jason Rosenbaum in St. Louis. In other news, the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash of a business jet in suburban Phoenix. Five people were killed

yesterday when that jet crashed while taking off from Falcon Field Airport in Mesa. The FAA says the jet slammed into a vehicle outside airport property. It's unclear if anyone on the ground was among those killed. Recapping our top story, Donald Trump is nearing the 270 electoral votes needed to defeat Vice President Harris and return to the White House. Officially, the AP says Trump has 267 electoral votes. The race has not been officially called. I'm Dave Mattingly, NPR News in Washington.