What we know, and what we STILL don’t

As of this writing, we still don’t know the next occupant of the White House—but we know a little bit more than we did on Wednesday. Here’s an update.

What we know:

• The vote count in many critical states was closer than expected, and it’s still too early to determine who won the presidential race.
• The outcome hinges on the final results in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. As of this writing, Biden looks to be leading in all four states by razor-thin margins, and most sources say it's too close to call. If he wins Georgia, he will have 269 electoral votes—meaning he only needs one more electoral vote—and if he wins Pennsylvania, he's over 270. 
• Since our last update, we know the outcome of a few more critical states, including Michigan and Wisconsin, both of which narrowly went to Biden, and Ohio, which went to Trump.
• Democrats will keep control of the House, but with a slightly smaller majority.
• Results from two hotly contested Senate races: Maine, where Republican Sen. Susan Collins kept hold of her seat, and Michigan, where Democratic Sen. Gary Peters fought off his challenger.
• Whatever happens today, expect recounts, litigation, and misinformation from the Trump campaign to cloud the outcome for weeks.
• The real winners? Election workers—including many volunteers—who have been working day and night to count the votes in the face of threats.
• Reality is stranger than fiction. 

What still don’t we know:

• The next POTUS.
• If we will have the first tied presidential race since 1800…or the closest since 1876 (with a difference of ONE electoral vote). At this point, a 269-269 tie is technically possible, but unlikely.
• Control of the Senate. Republicans are expected to keep control, but three critical races are still up in the air: North Carolina, where incumbent Republican Thom Tillis holds a tight lead over Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham, and Georgia, where both Senate races are headed for runoffs in January.

ICYMI: Here’s our election coverage from the week:

• 11/4: What we know, and what we don’t
• 11/5: The state of the states; what the election results mean for agriculture and the bioeconomy

More News:

Biocentury: HHS proposes regulation sunset rule that could create uncertainty for industry, paralyze FDA
“A proposed rule released Wednesday seeks to make regulations from FDA and other HHS agencies automatically sunset 10 years after they have gone into effect unless the agencies undertake a cumbersome, time-consuming process to renew them.”

STAT News: New research points to potential link between pollution levels and COVID-19 death risk
“In a study published Wednesday in Science Advances, researchers estimated long-term air pollution levels for more than 3,000 U.S. counties, which also had COVID-19 mortality data available through June 2020. While the study wasn’t designed to show whether pollution exposure directly affected a person’s risk of death due to COVID-19, it did demonstrate an association between increased pollution levels and higher COVID-19 death tolls.”

The Hill: Business groups scramble to forge ties amid race for House Agriculture chair
"The agriculture business community is scrambling to make connections and strengthen ties with members of the House Agriculture Committee now that the top two lawmakers on the panel will be gone in January."

President Trump’s Friday: No public events scheduled.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: With Congress returning to Washington next week, the House will expand COVID-19 testing for lawmakers, reports POLITICO. “The election killed any dreams of big health care changes,” says Axios. Meanwhile, not too far from the Capitol, a panel of experts will meet at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today to discuss Biogen’s Alzheimer’s therapeutic.