Wednesday, November 6
Today’s Headlines:
- Virginia Votes for Climate Action, Gun Safety to Flip House and Senate
- Democrats Sweep Philadelphia Suburbs
- U.S. Productivity Unexpectedly Declines
Most Read on the Bloomberg Terminal:
Trump Dealt Loss With Democratic Gains in Kentucky, Virginia (Bloomberg)
U.S. Election Recap: Democrats Take Full Control of Virginia Senate and House for First Time in a Generation (New York Times)
Michael Bloomberg was the largest outside individual donor. His group Everytown for Gun Safety gave $2.5 million to help Democrats, and Beyond Carbon, his climate change group, donated more than $600,000 to two House candidates in coastal districts.
Gun policy dominated the election cycle after a May 31 mass shooting in Virginia Beach, where a gunman killed 12. A recent Washington Post-Schar School poll found it to be the top issue among Virginia voters.
Behind the Scenes in Virginia: How a Bloomberg-Funded Gun-Safety Group Helped turn Virginia Blue Tuesday (CNN)
@Everytown for Gun Safety tweeted: “After the VA Beach shooting, VA Republican lawmakers failed to act on gun safety. So we invested $2.5M to support Gun Sense Candidates & put the full weight of our grassroots network into flipping control of the legislature. The result? A General Assembly #GunSenseMajority.”
Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, the grassroots army of Everytown for Gun Safety, tweeted: “WE DID IT!!! @everytown was the largest outside donor in Virginia, outspending the @NRA 8 to 1. And @MomsDemand volunteers outmaneuvered the NRA with over 100,000 calls, door knocks and texts to voters. Tonight we beat the @NRA in their home state. #electionday #valeg”
Red State Swing: Democrat Poised to Win Kentucky Governors Race as Incumbent Republican Refuses to Concede (CNN)
Several rural Kentucky counties had dramatic swings from the 2016 Presidential election: Rowan County (population 24,000), voted 59% for Trump in 2016 vs 37% for Hillary Clinton. In yesterday’s election, the county voted the reverse – 58.5% for the Democratic candidate for governor vs 37.9% for the Republican governor.
Neighboring Bath County (population 12,000) voted 67% for Trump vs 30% for Clinton in 2016. This year, it went 52% for the Democrat vs 46% for the Republican, according to the New York Times 2019 Kentucky Governor Results Map and New York Times 2016 Presidential Election Results Map.
Democrats Make History in Philadelphia Suburbs as Region’s Blue Wave Strengthens (NBC Philadelphia)
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Economy and Trade Watch.
Alert: U.S. Productivity Unexpectedly Posts First Decline Since 2015 (Bloomberg)
Brexit and Trade Impact: Europe Warned to Prepare for the Worst as IMF Sees Clouds Darken (Bloomberg)
Macron in China: Xi, Macron Pledge to Uphold Free Trade During China Visit (Bloomberg)
U.S.-China Update: China Insists Trump Give Up His Favorite Trade Weapon — Tariffs (Bloomberg)
Rate Watch: Ray Dalio Says the ‘World Has Gone Mad’ With So Much Free Money (Bloomberg)
UK Election.
Impeachment Watch.
Breaking: First Public House Hearings on Impeachment Inquiry to Begin Next Week (New York Times)
Trump Impeachment Defense Undercut as Envoys Detail Rudy Giuliani’s Role (Bloomberg)
Crisis at U.S. State Department: Impeachment Transcripts Show Tanking Morale at State as Foreign Service Officers Raise Legal Defense Funds (Government Executive)
Local U.S. Elections.
Repeal of SF E-cigarette Ban, Once Backed by Juul, Overwhelmingly Rejected by Voters (San Francisco Chronicle)
Mike Bloomberg tweeted: “JUUL put itself on the ballot with Proposition C and San Francisco voters overwhelmingly rejected it, forcing JUUL to drop its own campaign. This should embolden other cities and states to take action to protect children’s health.”
New York City Adopts Ranked-Choice Voting, Jumaane Williams Voted Public Advocate (Politico)
Cyclist Who Flipped Off Trump Wins Loudoun County Supervisor Seat Representing His Golf Club (Washington Post)
Fashion Today.
Queen Elizabeth Ditches Real Fur for Faux Fur (The Telegraph – UK)
Future of Transportation.
Inside the High-Stakes Race to Build the World’s First Flying Taxi (New York Times)
German start-up Lilium illustrates the potential and the risks of creating a new generation of electric aircraft for urban transportation.
Best of late night.
“In New York City, low-level offenders can now take an art class to substitute for jail time. Yeah. The criminals said ‘No thanks, we’ll take the jail time.’”
— Conan O’Brien
“I saw that the McDonald’s Happy Meal is turning 40. So now that it’s 40, instead of being a ‘Happy Meal’, it’s more of a self-reflective, ‘What does it all Mean? Meal.’”
— Jimmy Fallon
“The New York Times just did a big story about the President’s Twitter feed, and it found that Trump has sent over 2,000 tweets where he bragged about himself. Americans are like, ‘That’s ridiculous. Everybody knows Instagram is where you brag about yourself!’”
— Jimmy Fallon