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Election 2020

Early-voting surge scrambles expectations as states approach 2016 turnout

For now, the early numbers overwhelmingly favor Democrats, but the gap has narrowed in several battleground states in recent days.

By Amy Gardner and Rosalind S. Helderman22 minutes ago

Visual Story: Here’s what early voting looks like during the pandemic

LIVE UPDATES

5:04PM

Biden, Harris condemn fatal police shooting of Walter Wallace Jr., call for end to violence at protests

4:34PM

Trump, in Michigan, casts doubt on Whitmer kidnapping plot

(Brian Monroe/The Post)

Video

America’s failed response

In a three-part documentary, The Washington Post explores a failed response to the coronavirus pandemic that’s left 225,000 Americans dead, despite decades of preparation in Washington.

By Whitney Shefte and Jorge Ribas

The FixAnalysis

In scathing speech, Obama embraces his inner Trump troll

In remarks Tuesday in Orlando, the former president went after President Trump in strikingly personal terms.

By Aaron Blake

Former U.S. attorneys — all Republicans — back Biden, saying Trump threatens ‘the rule of law’

By Tom Hamburger and Devlin Barrett

The 45th President

Trump has brought his company more than $2.5 million from taxpayers

Among the charges: Mar-a-Lago billed the government $3 apiece for glasses of water for Trump and Japan's Shinzo Abe.

By David A. Fahrenthold, Josh Dawsey, Jonathan O'Connell and Anu Narayanswamy

Amid USPS delays, election experts and campaigns weigh in: Don’t mail your ballot

By Jacob Bogage

Ohio’s drop-box dispute shows how voting rights groups and Democrats fear Trump’s influence

The Trump campaign intervened in a court fight and one judge nominated by the president ruled to uphold the drop-box limit.

By Michael Kranish

Republicans could suffer from Chinese company’s failure to buy Montana beef

The apparent collapse of a deal touted during President Trump’s 2017 visit to Beijing may affect the tight U.S. Senate race in Montana.

By David J. Lynch

PodcastCan He Do That?

Trump and race: How the president’s rhetoric and policies divided us

By Allison Michaels

Add to:Apple Podcasts,Google Podcasts,Stitcher

GUIDE TO THE ELECTION

Trump is the greatest president in the modern era when it comes to shaping the judiciary

Opinion by Marc A. Thiessen

We just had a decade-long debate on health care, and Democrats won

Opinion by Paul Waldman

All the small things you can look forward to in a Biden administration

Opinion by Jennifer Rubin

Trudeau’s plan to ban single-use plastics is an unworkable, feel-good fantasy

Opinion by J.J. McCullough

‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ and ‘The Right Stuff’ try to make history convenient

Opinion by Sonny Bunch

I’m not just voting against Trump — I’m voting for Biden. Here are eight reasons.

Opinion by Max Boot

Coronavirus

Trump predicts massive stimulus deal after election, but negotiations have mostly ended

By Erica Werner

Shalonda Glascoe examines a window at the townhouse where she lives in Baltimore. (Michael S. Williamson/The Post)

Renters thought a CDC order protected them from eviction. Then landlords found loopholes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's eviction moratorium went into effect in September to help protect people from the novel coronavirus. But it has a loophole that allows landlords to continue evicting tenants.

By Kyle Swenson

Canadian Thanksgiving could be a cautionary tale for Americans

Officials in at least three Canadian provinces have linked Thanksgiving gatherings held in October to rising case numbers.

By Amanda Coletta and Adam Taylor

LIVE UPDATESAccess to these updates is free

4:09PM

Kansas nursing home where every resident was infected is terminated from Medicare program

3:18PM

Data shows Belgium has highest infection rate in the E.U. as hospital occupancy increases

Pandemic depression is about to collide with seasonal depression. Make a plan, experts say.

By Chelsea Cirruzzo

Lakers fans’ parties, celebrations might have fueled L.A. coronavirus spike, official says

By Cindy Boren

How the coronavirus made it nearly impossible to renounce U.S. citizenship

A record number of Americans are seeking to give up citizenship this year. But disruptions to consular services have made it nearly impossible.

By Adam Taylor

Guide to the Pandemic

Places with highest daily reported cases per capitaSeven-day average of daily new reported cases per 100,000 residents

Road to Recovery

When New York’s Strand Bookstores asked for help, 25,000 online orders flooded in

By Jacob Bogage

In Connecticut, high school football was canceled. A private league launched in its place.

By Roman Stubbs

Diners weigh the ethics, risks and responsibilities of eating inside restaurants

By Tim Carman

Your Life at Home

In-person or virtual school? We had to make the agonizing choice twice.

By Nicole Slaughter Graham

Pandemic depression is about to collide with seasonal depression. Make a plan, experts say.

By Chelsea Cirruzzo

Museums and other attractions are reopening across the region. Here’s what you can visit now.

By Fritz Hahn

Full coverage and resources

Asked and answered: What to know about coronavirus

FAQ: What to know about masks and covid-19

Sign up to get our Coronavirus Updates newsletter

Race & Reckoning

Judge rules Va. governor can remove Lee statue in Richmond, but not immediately

The judge halted the governor from removing the statue of the Confederate general right away, giving the group trying to save it time to appeal.

By Laura Vozzella24 minutes ago

Phila. officials call for investigation after police fatally shoot Black man

By Frances Stead Sellers and Katie Shepherd54 minutes ago

Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones talks at a de-escalation seminar for the police department. (Robb Hill for The Post)

Police de-escalation training gaining renewed clout as law enforcement seeks to reduce killings

By Tom Jackman and Dan Morse

VMI cadets attack Black students, women on anonymous chat app as furor over racism grows

By Ian Shapira

DHS names new ombudsman for immigration detention to investigate allegations of misconduct and abuse

By Nick Miroff

Keith Raniere sentenced to 120 years in prison on charges of sex trafficking in his NXIVM program

By Larry Neumeister and Tom Hays | AP

Trump appointee sweeps aside rule that ensured ‘firewall’ at Voice of America

By Paul Farhi

Post ReportsPodcast

Will your vote count?

38 minutes ago

Add to:Apple Podcasts,Google Podcasts,Stitcher

Don’t Miss

Perspective

How politicians target you: 3,000 data points on every voter, including your phone number

By Geoffrey A. Fowler

‘Stop doing that, or this interview will end’: How the smackdown took over cable news in 2020

By Paul Farhi

2020 reads like a TV script. So we asked screenwriters how it should end.

By Maura Judkis

Critic's Notebook

From Basquiat to ‘Black Panther’: How graffiti went mainstream

By Sebastian Smee

Trending

Allie Caren/The Washington Post

The do's and don'ts of holiday travel during the pandemic

Three experts from Johns Hopkins University's epidemiology department weigh in on best practices for those who plan to travel this holiday season.

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Washington Post Apps

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Politics

A window is illuminated at Mar-a-Lago during a dinner with President Trump and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on March 7 in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP)

Trump’s company billed the government for at least $2.5 million. Here are the key charges.

New records detail how the president’s visits drove government spending to his businesses, which charged for expenses as small as the water he drank.

By David A. Fahrenthold

Judge rejects Justice Dept. bid to short-circuit defamation case brought by woman who accused Trump of rape

The judge said the department could not substitute the U.S. government in place of President Trump as the defendant in the case.

By Matt Zapotosky, Devlin Barrett and Shayna Jacobs

Americans’ debts are mounting, putting new focus on Biden’s role opposing bankruptcy protections

As president, Joe Biden says, he would push for letting people who enter bankruptcy discharge their student debts and protect the equity they have built in cars and homes.

By Douglas MacMillan and Jonathan O'Connell

McConnell says his health is fine, declines to explain bruised hands

By Paul Kane

The FixAnalysis

Big potential surprises in battle for Senate majority

By Amber Phillips

Voters’ GuideQ&A

What readers are asking about the election

National polling average

Biden is leading (+9) the national polling average.

Biden

52%

Trump

43%

Average of national polls since Oct. 12 that meet Washington Post standards for transparency and quality. Includes polls by Economist-YouGov, NBC-WSJ, PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist, SurveyMonkey-Tableau and Quinnipiac University.

How the average works

World

U.S. citizen kidnapped in West African nation of Niger, say officials

No group has asserted responsibility for the abduction, which a senior government official in Niger said happened in Birnin Konni, a remote town close to the West African country’s border with Nigeria.

By Danielle Paquette

Today’s WorldViewAnalysis

Macron vs. Erdogan is a fight both leaders want

“In each other,” the French and Turkish leaders “have found the ideal enemy.” They may well find it more satisfying to confront each other than to reckon with the challenges at their doorsteps.

By Ishaan Tharoor

The Flaminio Cemetery in Rome. (Ginevra Sammartino for The Post)

Their aborted fetuses were buried, and their names exposed. These women in Italy want answers.

By Stefania D’Ignoti

A Kabul student survived an attack on his classroom. Two years later, his brother died in a suicide bombing at the same place.

Terrorism has returned to the Afghan capital at a time of growing insurgent violence in rural areas.

By Sharif Hassan and Pamela Constable

Argentina locked down early and hard. Now cases are exploding.

Masks are required everywhere, and gatherings remain limited to 10 or fewer people. But more people are flouting the rules.

By Terrence McCoy, Ana Vanessa Herrero, Heloísa Traiano and Maite Fernández Simon

National

Firefighters work as the fire burns toward a home in Orange County on Monday. (Getty Images)

Calif. fires force tens of thousands to evacuate Orange County

By Andrew Freedman and Diana Leonard

Tropical Storm Zeta heads to Gulf Coast, prompting storm surge warnings

It will be the eleventh named storm to strike the United States this season.

By Matthew Cappucci6 minutes ago

Rare October ice storm hits Oklahoma, knocks out power to 200,000

“Tree carnage” has been reported in Oklahoma City, and the University of Oklahoma warned of “lightning-infested sleet and freezing rain storms” that would hit the campus.

By Matthew Cappucci

Desperate voters book last-minute flights to the polls: ‘Five hours of flying is more than worth it’

Some people literally are going the distance so their votes will count.

By Teo Armus

Scientists remove 98 ‘murder hornets’ in Washington state

Scientists removed 98 so-called murder hornets from a nest discovered near the Canadian border in Washington state over the weekend.

By Nicholas K. Geranios | AP

D.C., Md. & Va.

Coronavirus tally in D.C. region hits two-month high

D.C., Maryland and Virginia reported daily numbers above their recent averages, with each jurisdiction seeing a rise this month. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said he expects the pandemic to worsen this fall, but added that he has no plans to bring back the type of restrictions put in place earlier this year.

By Ovetta Wiggins

They met in Hawaii and built a life in rural Md. This fall, they died two days apart of covid-19.

By Lola Fadulu

Viola Hubbard puts on her “election official” apron. (Evelyn Hockstein for The Post)

This 72-year-old volunteer has worked every election since 2008. Covid-19 won’t stop her.

As in-person voting begins in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Viola Hubbard will be the site coordinator at Ballou High School.

By Michael Brice-Saddler, Fenit Nirappil and Julie Zauzmer1 hour ago

Capital Weather Gang

Tropical Storm Zeta’s remnants could drench the DMV on Thursday

Showers may begin Wednesday night, but the heaviest rain looks to fall Thursday afternoon and evening, with a few showers lingering into Friday.

By Jeff Halverson and Matthew Cappucci1 hour ago

Bowser will vote against decriminalizing psychedelic mushrooms

The initiative has the support of at least three council members and several council candidates.

By Julie Zauzmer1 hour ago

Most scooter injuries in D.C. region happen on sidewalks, study says

The report found that most of the injuries that required hospitalization were suffered by the riders themselves.

By Luz Lazo

Capital Weather Gang

P.M. Update: Clouds rule through a slightly warmer Wednesday

Hope you've liked our recent weather. There's more ahead.

By Ian Livingston13 minutes ago

Known coronavirus deaths and cases

Going Out Guide

For Absurdly Well’s politically charged street art, inspiration is of-the-moment

The D.C. poster artist’s timely, ubiquitous artworks create an iconography of the present.

By Kelsey Ables

Menya Hosaki serves bowls of ramen and moments of peace

At this Petworth ramen shop, chef-owner Eric Yoo ladles out escapes from a turbulent world.

By Tim Carman

Museums and other attractions are reopening across the region. Here’s what you can visit now.

Some cultural institutions, including a handful of Smithsonian museums, have reopened their doors to socially distanced visitors.

By Fritz Hahn

Real Estate

Four condos added to the mix in Dupont Circle neighborhood

How to avoid high-pressure sales tactics for home repair work

Salamander hotel extends resort brand to two new home communities in Middleburg, Va.

Business & Technology

Google says it will ban political ads following election

The company said it the ads would be banned for at least a week following the election, anticipating that results may take longer to come in.

By Rachel Lerman

Facebook takes down three coordinated networks using fake accounts

The social media giant said the networks were trying to spread misleading information on its sites, including at least one account sowing misinformation about the election.

By Rachel Lerman