Good morning, it's Wednesday, Nov. 4. We survived Election Day—but have no clear answers. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

No Answers on Election Day

After nearly a year-and-a-half of campaigning, one of the most anticipated presidential races in US history remains too close to call as of this morning. As expected, the high volume of early votes delayed the final count in a number of key states—see each state's deadline here. At the time of this writing, the race appears most likely to come down to Midwestern states, where a number of early votes remain to be counted. See overall Electoral College updates here.

President Trump appears to have made significant gains with Latino voters, particularly in Florida. Democratic nominee Joe Biden outperformed Hillary Clinton's 2016 results with white voters across the state, while Trump improved his standing by more than 100,000 votes in Miami-Dade county, largely driven by Cuban Americans. The president leads in the state 51.3% to 47.9%, with more than 95% of precincts reporting.

Most of the focus is on a trio of Midwestern battleground states. In Wisconsin, Biden maintains a narrow lead, with about 90% of votes counted. Trump has a five-point lead in Michigan as of this writing with about 75% of precincts reporting; officials said a large number of early votes were yet to be counted. Pennsylvania, the most closely watched state, favors Trump by 12 points with a large number of early votes outstanding—including Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), which paused vote counting late last night, with a plan to resume at 10am ET this morning. Mail in ballots are projected to lean Democratic—it's unclear if it will close the gap between the two candidates.

Biden won Arizona, the first time the state voted for a Democrat in 24 years. President Trump leads in Georgia by two points with 10% of votes remaining.

Both campaigns are prepping legal challenges, with a focus on the Midwestern states. Experts say the final count may take a few days—an outcome that was largely anticipated.

Battle for Congress

The battle for control of the US Senate may likewise stretch on for weeks, with a number of races yet to be decided. Seats are 47-47 as of this writing; see updated results here.

Republicans flipped one seat, with challenger (and former Auburn University football coach) Tommy Tuberville (R) beating incumbent Doug Jones (D) in Alabama. Democrats flipped two seats, netting one; former governor John Hickenlooper (D) beat incumbent Sen. Cory Gardner (R) in Colorado, while former astronaut Mark Kelly (D) beat incumbent Martha McSally (R) in Arizona. Republicans need to hold on to either three or four seats to maintain control of the Senate, depending on who wins the White House.

A number of key races are too close to call. Republicans lead in North Carolina (Republican held) and Michigan (Democrat held). At least one of Georgia's races is headed for a special election, while the other is still yet to be decided. In Maine, Sen. Susan Collins (R) outperformed polls and has a wide lead over challenger Sara Gideon (D). If no one breaks 50% in Georgia or Maine, the races head to a runoff. Each state is still counting early votes.

In South Carolina's closely watched race, incumbent Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) fended off well-funded challenger Jamie Harrison (D). Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) cruised to his seventh term in office.

Democrats are on track to retain their majority in the House, having entered with a 232-198 advantage (and five vacant seats). The current tally as of this writing is 185-178 in favor of Democrats, with 72 seats still being counted. See updates here.

California's Prop 22 Passes

In California, voters passed Prop 22 by a margin of roughly 58%-42%, allowing gig economy giants like Uber and Lyft to classify employees as independent contractors, and not employees. The outcome carves out an exemption from a state law that companies said could potentially force them out of the state.

New Jersey and Arizona became the 12th and 13th states to decriminalize recreational marijuana, while Mississippi and South Dakota legalized the plant for medical use. Meanwhile, Oregon became the first state to decriminalize possession of all hard drugs.

In Mississippi, voters approved a flag design that includes a magnolia flower and the phrase "In God We Trust," replacing a previous design that included the Confederate flag.

Like races for elected offices, many are still being decided as of this writing. See a full list with ongoing updates here.

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5G IS HERE

Did you hear? Apple's new iPhone 12 is 5G-ready. That means faster connections: Some experts think it'll be 100 times faster than current iPhone models. Not only does this represent a massive technological leap, but it also suggests that consumers will flock to the 5G-enabled iPhone 12 in a way we've never seen before. Some estimates suggest over 230 million will be purchased.

Now, our friends at The Motley Fool love Apple and recognize what a remarkable business they've built. But Apple's current market cap reflects the incredible extent to which they've grown in mobile dominance. It's hard to triple in size when you're already a $2T (yes, trillion) company.

There's another company though, one that's just a fraction of a percent of Apple's size, which stands to grow massively with Apple's iPhone 12 sales. In fact, they make a component so crucial, it's expected to be included in every single iPhone 12 produced. Motley Fool Stock Advisor members can get the scoop on this company for free; sign up now to read the report.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Baron Wolman, Rolling Stone magazine's first staff photographer, dies at 83 (More) | See some of Wolman's most iconic photos (More)

> NFL considering a 16-team playoff, instead of the usual 12, as a contingency if games are canceled due to the coronavirus (More) | Denver Broncos general manager John Elway, team president Joe Ellis test positive for COVID-19 (More)

> Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona undergoes emergency brain surgery to treat blood clot in his brain (More)

Science & Technology

> Researchers reconstruct the first complete dinosaur brain; provides insight into the hunting capabilities of Buriolestes schultzi, a fox-sized dinosaur that lived 233 million years ago (More)

> Implantable rubber device can be placed directly on heart to monitor cardiac conditions; device harvests energy from heartbeats, allowing it to operate without an external power source (More)

> New estimates find between 1 million and 2.5 million tons of discarded plastics are not properly disposed of in the US each year; country produces more than 46 million tons of annual plastic trash (More)

Business & Markets

Brought to you by The Ascent

> US stock markets end higher (S&P 500 +1.8%, Dow +2.1%, Nasdaq +1.9%) as investors await election outcome (More)

> IPO of Ant Group—Chinese fintech giant founded by Jack Ma—will not go forward Thursday as planned, as Chinese regulators halt offering citing regulatory issues; $37B offering would have been largest global IPO ever (More)

> Healthcare giant McKesson says US states are seeking up to $21B from drug distributors for their roles in the US opioid epidemic (More)

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Politics & World Affairs

> Hurricane Eta makes landfall in Nicaragua as a Category 4 storm, expected to bring widespread flooding to Central America in coming days (More)

> Three-year-old girl recovered from rubble in the Turkish city of Izmir, four days after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake; at least 110 people were killed with more than 1,000 injured (More) 

> Austrian police arrest 14 people in sweep for accomplices of gunman who killed four, injured 22 during Monday rampage in downtown Vienna; reports say attacker had previously sought to join ISIS (More)

5G SUPERCYCLE

In partnership with The Motley Fool

The experts at The Motley Fool are predicting the incredible power of 5G in the iPhone 12 to create a sales supercycle. That is, the enhanced connections and functionality could drive over 230 million consumers to buy the new iPhone worldwide; that's 50 time more sales than the original iPhone!

And there's a company 1/500th the size of Apple, which stands to gain every time someone buys an iPhone 12. It makes a critical component, and is expected to be involved in the production of every single iPhone 12. Find out more about this relatively unknown company—sign up for Motley Fool Stock Advisor to read the report.

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ETCETERA

Newspaper front pages from a century of presidential elections.

This AI program can diagnose COVID-19 by listening to your cough.

The average human body temperature is dropping—even in isolated Amazonian tribes.

Canadian great-great-grandmother celebrates 109th birthday days after beating COVID-19.

The uniqueness of endangered birds.

Can lab-grown brains become conscious? 

Gang pulls bank heist in Milan via the sewage system.

New analysis takes a guess at the number of alien civilizations. ($$, NatGeo)

Clickbait: When that baby's comin' but you've gotta cast your ballot.

Historybook: Journalist Walter Cronkite born (1916); Nellie Tayloe Ross becomes first woman elected governor in the US (1924); HBD Sean "Diddy" Combs (1969); Iran hostage crisis begins (1979); Barack Obama becomes first African American elected US president (2008).

"There is no such thing as a little freedom. Either you are all free, or you are not free."

- Walter Cronkite

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