Compiled by Mary Lou Masters

Sarah Train opened up the show with breaking news regarding yesterday’s election results. It seems that President Trump has falsely claimed victory in the 2020 Presidential election. 

Early this morning, Trump said, “Millions and millions of people voted for us tonight. And a very sad group of people is trying to disenfranchise that group of people and we won’t stand for it.” 

Trump also said he was winning battleground states, such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Even though Trump is leading in the vote tallies of all three states, not all mail-in ballots had been counted Tuesday, so no winner has been announced. 

According to NBC News, all three races are “too close to call.” President Trump also accused Democrats of attempting to steal the election by “going to court.” 

It was Trump’s attorneys, however, who actually went to court first Tuesday, filing two suits in Pennsylvania related to mail-in ballots and provisional ballots. The president also said he would go to the Supreme Court to “stop counting.” The president cannot directly appeal to the Supreme Court for relief; litigation will need to move through the federal court system before it can be appealed to the nation’s highest court.

Laura Lenz reported that two major metro-Atlanta counties are experiencing delays in counting ballots and Georgia’s 16 electoral votes and key local elections are at stake. According to NPR, the election is too close to call and there are still thousands of votes to be counted. 

Fulton and Gwinnett had not finished counting ballots by late Tuesday night and were experiencing delays due to issues sorting and counting mail-in ballots. Fulton county’s results are delayed due to a broken water pipe at State Farm Arena, a ballot processing site, according to the AJC. 

Gwinnett is still processing nearly 80 thousand absentee-by-mail votes. According to NPR, the delays in Gwinnett are due to a software error in processing the votes. Some of these ballots will now go through adjudication, a process where a three person panel will try to determine the voter’s intent. Additionally, Cobb and Dekalb are still processing absentee-by-mail votes this morning. 

Jordan followed by discussing some local opinions concerning the election. Election Day has come and gone and just as expected, results have been delayed due to the high voter turnout and record number of mail-in ballots compared to previous elections. Now it’s a waiting game. 

As results come in, and states are being won, anticipation is inevitable. But how are UGA students handling this unprecedented election? I talked to some fellow UGA students about how they feel and to get their take on the election results amid the race to 270. 

Chloe Lynch, fourth year agricultural education major says she’s excited to be living during a time where history is being made everyday. Lynch said that the importance of the individual vote is more evident now than ever.

“I’m curious and hopeful and I’m glad they are taking the necessary time to count each ballot to make sure every voice is heard, but I’m very ready for it to all be over,” Lynch said.

Another UGA student, third year political science major Katherine Love, said she’s nervous but wishes she knew more about when exactly the mail-in ballots will be completely counted for each state.

“These ballot counts are so close, I’m being reminded of the Bush v. Gore election because it was also such a close race where the election could come down to a few states,” Love said. 

Laura then detailed the current financial state. Despite election uncertainty, stock markets opened higher as investors are awaiting the results of the presidential election. The Dow is up 2.3%, or 600 points, the S&P is up 3.1% and NASDAQ is up 4.1%, according to CNN. Market analysts predicted that an uncertain election result would translate to major losses for the stock markets, but so far the markets are experiencing gains. 

In other financial news, Florida voters approved an amendment that will gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2026. The current minimum wage in Florida is $8.56 an hour, according to the AJC. The amendment on the ballot will raise minimum wage to $10 an hour by Sept. 30, 2021. This amendment is expected to impact the large service industry in Florida. 

In California, Proposition 22, a measure that allows companies like Uber, Lyft and Postmates to continue treating their employees as independent contractors, passed, according to the New York Times. This decision will maintain that companies are exempt from employing their drivers and providing benefits such as health care and unemployment. 

Wood reported the latest election updates. Former Vice-President Joe Biden is projected to receive more votes for president than any other candidate in US election history. With many precincts still reporting results, he had already garnered more than 70 million votes by early Wednesday afternoon, compared to former President Barack Obama’s 2008 popular vote total of 69.5 million.

The news follows reports on Tuesday night that the 2020 election was shaping up to have the highest voter turnout since 1908, with 65% of eligible Americans voted, the New York Times reports. The country was on track for around 160 million votes this year, which would put the eligible turnout rate at around 67%.

President Trump’s vote totals are also appearing to be on pace to overtake Obama’s 2008 record, with FiveThirtyEight’s Nate Silver estimating a final tally of 73 million votes for the Republican incumbent.

Mary Lou Masters detailed how elections in Georgia continue to tighten post-election day. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, due to issues with counting ballots in both Fulton and Gwinnett County, it could take days to know the results. 

Although there has not yet been a clear winner announced, President Trump has already claimed victory. Last night, concerning the Special Election for the US Senate, Incumbent Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler “edged out Congressman Doug Collins for a spot in a Jan. 5 runoff against Democrat Raphael Warnock. Collins conceded the race and pledged full support to his once-bitter rival.” 

In regard to the other US Senate race, the incumbent Republican Senator David Perdue still holds the edge over Democrat Jon Ossoff. 

Sarah Train delivered some entertainment news to listeners. Not only was it election day yesterday, but it was also Kendall Jenner’s birthday. The 25-year-old model recently received a ton of backlash on social media after hosting a huge birthday party on Halloween night. 

Jenner celebrated her birthday at Harriet’s Rooftop in West Hollywood with her family and closest celebrity friends for a night of celebration, but seemed to ignore COVID-19 protocols and social distancing guidelines. Celebrities that attended the party include her sister Kylie Jenner, singers like Doja Cat, the Weeknd and Justin Beiber. 

It was revealed that every employee and guest that night had to take a rapid COVID test with a negative result in order to attend the party. However, users on social media still criticized the large gathering for not social distancing and no use of masks. 

Jenner’s momager Kris Jenner, was quick to defend her daughter on SiriusXM’s “Andy Cohen Live.” 

Jenner said, “We’re dealing with lots of people that have different opinions and all we can do is live our lives the best way we know how and be responsible and do the right thing.” 

This isn’t the first time the Kardashian-Jenner clan has faced criticism during the pandemic. Last week, Kim Kardashian West surprised her family and friends with a trip to a private island for her 40th birthday and received all kinds of backlash. Kendall Jenner has not yet publicly responded to the situation.

Jordan Stevenson reported that in international news, Poland hit a daily high of nearly 24,700 coronavirus cases as the government introduced new restrictions on shops, schools and culture institutions through November. 

The new restrictions limit the number of customers in shops and require remote teaching for primary schools. Poland’s Prime Minister said a full national lockdown may be necessary if these measures don’t contain the spread of the coronavirus. He repeated his appeal to citizens to stay home and refrain from ongoing street protests. The Prime Minister said they contribute to the increase in new cases and suggested the protests should be moved to the internet. Health officials say more than 370 people have died from the virus in the past 24 hours alone.

Mary Lou closed out the show with some new information concerning post-election protests. With the election results still unclear, protests have already broken out across the country. 

According to the Associated Press, “More than 1,000 people protesting President Donald Trump converged on Black Lives Matter Plaza on Tuesday night, just a block from the White House, while hundreds more marched through parts of downtown Washington, sometimes blocking traffic and setting off fireworks.”

Although these protests were for the most part peaceful, there were some discrepancies. Some police van tires were slashed. According to the New York Post, a fight was caught on video between a Christian group and Black Lives Matter protesters where someone was “hit with a bottle.” 

Largely peaceful protests also broke out in Portland and Seattle, where there were several arrests, and also in New York City. In Portland, “some protesters were openly carrying guns,” the Associated Press reported. 

In Seattle, protesters were putting nails in the streets. According to the New York Post, a protester was arrested for driving over a police barricade through police officers on their bikes. 

Businesses across the country prepared for protests and possible violence by boarding up their doors and windows and taking out merchandise to prevent looting.

Listen to the recorded segment here