Daily Briefing: Vote, then try to win $1.9 billion
It's Election Day 2022, with key races determining the future makeup of Congress. Also: The Powerball jackpot has climbed to $1.9 billion – the largest lottery prize ever. Chris Evans has been named the Sexiest Man Alive.
🙋🏼♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Are you an early riser? Try to catch today's lunar eclipse.
Let's go with Election Day's top headlines.
The Senate, House and governor races to watch this Election Day
Today is Election Day, and election officials across the country are preparing for disruptions as voters cast ballots in the first national election since 2020, when former President Donald Trump refused to accept the results and an angry mob later stormed the U.S. Capitol to prevent their certification in January 2021. Read more
Quick rundown: The Democratic Senate majority is at stake; Republicans are vying to flip the House; Gubernatorial candidates are running at a time of high inflation and voters have a chance to shape public policy around issues like marijuana and abortion.
- What would a Republican Congress look like? The midterm elections will determine control of Congress and with it the fate of President Joe Biden’s agenda. A GOP House would likely open a lot of new investigations and expand the influence of ultraconservative lawmakers.
- Will we know the results by the end of the day? Ballot counting has never been completed on Election Day in any state at any point in the nation’s history, experts say. Official results have always taken days or weeks to finalize given the array of checks and balances used by election officials.
- What's up with election monitors? The Justice Department will deploy election monitors to 64 locations on Election Day to ensure compliance with voter access laws and to prevent intimidation and interference. Meanwhile, Arizona has become the epicenter of concerns about ballot drop box security and voter intimidation.
👉 More Election Day coverage from Paste BN
- Amid anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, voter ID laws create obstacles for thousands of transgender voters.
- ''Hope is bringing us back'': Black voters are moving South, building power for Democrats.
- It's about to be a louder road to 2024: Here's four lessons learned from the angry midterms.
- Looking for more information before you fill out your ballot? This state-by-state breakdown is your guide.
💡 Got an idea for an original "I Voted" sticker? Submit your design here.
Powerball delays $1.9B jackpot drawing over security protocols
Powerball players will have to patiently wait after Monday night's drawing was delayed due to a participating lottery "needing extra time to complete the required security protocols," officials announced. Monday's jackpot had climbed to $1.9 billion – the largest lottery prize ever – with a cash option of $929.1 million. Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Winners can receive their prize through an annual payment plan over 29 years, but most people opt for the grand jackpot prize in cash. Read more
- What should you do with $1.9 billion? Here's what to do if you win.
More news to know now
- 🔵 Jewish communities fear rising hate following Trump, Kanye West and Kyrie Irving comments.
- 📝 After SATs fly out of UPS truck after exams, Texas high school seniors may have to retake tests.
- 🌠 The closest known black hole to Earth, sitting 1,600 light-years away, was found by astronomers.
- 🔔 Tyson Foods CFO was charged after trespassing into a woman's home, falling asleep in her bed, police say.
- 🎧 On today's 5 Things podcast, Paste BN national political correspondent Phillip Bailey looks at the key races to watch this Election Day. You can listen to the podcast every day on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your smart speaker.
🌤 What's the weather this Election Day? Check your local forecast here.
Subtropical Storm Nicole could reach hurricane strength before hitting Florida
With more than three weeks left in the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, Subtropical Storm Nicole poses a new threat to Florida this week even as the state continues its recovery from Hurricane Ian. Nicole formed northeast of the Bahamas early Monday. National Hurricane Center forecasters predicted it could bear down on Florida's east coast Wednesday night as a strong tropical storm or even a hurricane. The NHC issued both hurricane and tropical storm watches for Florida’s eastern coast Monday. Read more
- What is a subtropical storm and how is it different from a tropical or extratropical system?
- Explore the Paste BN hurricane tracker.
Kyiv region still struggles, 6 months after Russian retreat
More than six months after Russian forces retreated from the towns around the Ukrainian capital, residents of the region are still struggling to rebuild their lives. An estimated 1 million people have returned to the Kyiv area, but many no longer have jobs and cannot afford to fix their houses. Ukraine’s government is struggling to carry out the most urgent repairs to civilian homes. But according to a recent report, nearly $350 billion is needed for reconstruction across the war-ravaged country, and that amount is expected to grow. Read more
Just for subscribers:
- 📚 We need to reverse the global learning crisis before it derails a generation of children.
- 👊 Neighbors fighting neighbors? A 30-day minimum law for Airbnbs has Oahu homeowners split.
- ✔ A Vietnam vet made prosthetic legs so unusual a Marine Corps museum wanted them.
- 😱 Elon Musk is making automakers uncomfortable on Twitter.
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Chris Evans named People's Sexiest Man Alive for 2022
People magazine named the "Captain America" leading man as its latest hunk of the year, passing on the crown from 2021's sexiest man Paul Rudd. Best known for his roles as Marvel superhero Steve Rogers/Captain America and more recently as Buzz Lightyear in the 2022 Pixar movie "Lightyear," Evans said his latest achievement will give his mom bragging rights and more to celebrate. "My mom will be so happy," Evans, 41, told People in his Sexiest Man Alive cover story. Read more
- Chris Evans, Paul Rudd, Michael B. Jordan: More Sexiest Man Alive recipients through the years.
📷 Photo of the day: The 2022 CFDA Fashion Awards 📷
There aren’t many rooms that can join together the likes of Cher, Kim Kardashian, Martha Stewart and Lenny Kravitz. Then again, the CFDA Fashion Awards aren’t just any room. Top names in fashion and entertainment flooded downtown Manhattan at Cipriani South Street to reunite and fête each other at the 2022 Council of Fashion Designers of America’s annual event Monday night, honoring the organization’s 60th anniversary. Read more
Click here to see more photos from the star-studded CFDA awards.
A little less heavy
- 🎬 Third time's the charm? Jimmy Kimmel to return as host of the 2023 Oscars.
- 🍿 How new Netflix comedy ''Blockbuster'' compares to the world's last Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon.
- 🗨 I got dumped because I have MS. When should I tell the person I am dating?
- 🐴 At 20 inches tall, Pumuckel the pony is vying for the title of the world's smallest horse.
- ⚾ Houston Astros celebrated their 2022 World Series title with a parade –and a beer can thrown at Ted Cruz.
Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at Paste BN, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note, shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to Paste BN here.
Associated Press contributed reporting.