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The presidential election, October jobs report, Eta could strengthen: 5 things to know Friday

Editors  |  Paste BN

Election 2020: All eyes on battleground states 

Friday may be the day the election ends when most of the remaining battleground states hit the home stretch in counting and potentially, even call some races. Democratic nominee Joe Biden begins the day with 264 Electoral College votes to President Donald Trump's 214. That means Biden needs to win one of the four remaining battleground states — Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, or Nevada — to secure the presidency. In Georgia, Biden took a slight lead over Trump early Friday as voting continues. In Pennsylvania, major counties such as Philadelphia have been counting through the night, and Trump's lead there is also narrowing. On Thursday, Trump delivered a falsehood-laden speech that Paste BN and other outlets decided to take down because he attacked, without evidence, the integrity and results of the election.

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Election 2020 enters day three of vote counting
Paste BN reporters check in on the third day of vote counting in the 2020 presidential election. What is taking so long to declare a winner?
States of America, Paste BN

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Joe Biden takes slight lead in Georgia

Democratic candidate Joe Biden officially took the lead in Georgia over President Donald Trump early Friday, after a new round of results were released. As of 4:30 a.m. EST, the former vice president led by 917 votes with thousands of ballots remaining to be counted. Biden caught then passed Trump in the traditionally red state due to an onslaught of mail-in ballots from Democratic-leaning counties. Democratic voters utilized early voting and mail-in ballots across the nation more so than Republicans. Though Democrats' chances at winning the Senate majority are diminishing, the fight may stretch into early 2021. Both of the Georgia Senate seats up for election this year could head to runoff contests on Jan. 5, based on the ballot results as of early Friday. Incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue dipped slightly below 50% of the vote Thursday evening. If that tally stays below the 50% mark, he'll face Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff. The other Georgia Senate seat contested between incumbent GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Raphael Warnock, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, already is headed to a runoff as Warnock garnered the most votes in that contest, but also didn't get the mandated 50% of the vote. 

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Georgia runoffs will decide who controls U.S. Senate
Millions in campaign contributions are rolling into Georgia as its Senate races have national implications.
Paste BN

Economy adds 638,000 jobs in October as unemployment falls to 6.9%

The U.S. economy added 638,000 jobs in October as payroll growth roughly held steady despite a surge in COVID-19 cases and Congress’s failure to provide more aid to unemployed Americans and struggling businesses. The unemployment rate fell from 7.9% to 6.9%, the Labor Department said Friday. Economists had estimated that 600,000 jobs were added last month, according to a Bloomberg survey. Although last month’s employment gains were outsized by historical standards, the increases have slowed for four straight months since peaking at 4.8 million in June. The nation has recovered about 12 million, or 55%, of the 22 million jobs wiped out in the health crisis as states have reopened restaurants, shops and other businesses shuttered by the outbreak, and brought back many furloughed workers.

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COVID-19: Americans who lost their jobs are finding new careers
As COVID-19 rages on, more temporary job losses have become permanent so Americans are switching careers during the pandemic.
Paste BN

Eta could regain strength, move north toward Florida as a tropical storm

Tropical Depression Eta is on track to strengthen again into a tropical storm and head toward Cuba and Florida over the weekend. The storm was still causing heavy rains and life-threatening flooding in parts of Central America early Friday and is expected to move northeast and strengthen later in the day, the National Hurricane Center said. The National Weather Service in Miami warned residents an extended period of heavy rain and gusty winds was possible for portions of the area by the weekend.   There is a chance the storm could reach hurricane strength as it moves across the Caribbean, forecasters said. Floods and landslides from the storm have already killed at least 13 people and damaged hundreds of homes in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. If Eta hits the U.S., it would be the 12th named storm to make landfall this year, an all-time record. 

Starbucks' holiday drinks are back

Forget Pumpkins Spice Lattes, it's Peppermint Mocha season. Starbucks red cups and holiday drinks including Caramel Brulee Latte, Chestnut Praline Latte and Eggnog Latte are back. And if you order a handcrafted holiday beverage in any size on Friday, you can get a reusable cup for free while supplies last. "Our thought behind the cups this year was about people carrying them out in the world as messengers of joy," Jeff Wilkson, Starbucks creative director, said in a statement. Festive food items are also coming, including the new Cranberry Orange Scone. Dunkin’ brought back its winter seasonal drinks Wednesday which include the Peppermint Mocha Latte and Gingerbread Latte. 

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