The American presidential election delivered a mercifully quick and decisive outcome. Our data editor explains why such a tight-seeming race was likely to result in a clear-cut victory. As ADHD prevalence keeps climbing, the science suggests it should be treated not as a disorder but as a spectrum (11:33). And the Indian startups cashing in on a rise in religiosity (19:47).
Donald Trump won after building a broad coalition. Trump's election victory gets rid of at least two of his criminal prosecutions. And stocks climb on hopes that Trump's re-election will boost economic growth.
Today's episode of Up First was edited by Krishnadev Calamur, Anna Yukhananov, Rafael Nam, Olivia Hampton and Jan Johnson. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Lindsay Totty. We get engineering support from Carleigh Strange. And our technical director is Zac Coleman.
The election is over and Donald Trump has won a second term in the White House. The next several months—and maybe years—will be spent analyzing what actually tipped this election, but we at WIRED Politics Lab have a theory: Elon Musk. Throughout the election season, and especially in the homestretch, Musk has used his influence and platform to try to shape the results. Today, Leah sits down with Vittoria Elliott and Timothy Marchman to discuss if it worked. Leah Feiger is @LeahFeiger. Vittoria Elliott is @telliotter. Tim Marchman is @timmarchman. Write to us at politicslab@WIRED.com. Be sure to subscribe to the WIRED Politics Lab newsletter here.
These days, Glen Canyon Park is a tranquil urban park with hiking trails, soccer fields and a playground, which makes it all that more difficult to imagine that it was once home to the first dynamite factory in the United States. Today we’ll join reporter Gabriela Glueck to learn how dynamite made its way to San Francisco and why it was such a transformative product in this state. Plus, we'll explore the stories of Chinese laborers who often had the most dangerous jobs of all in the high explosives industry.
This story was reported and produced by Gabriela Glueck. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Ana De Almedia Amaral and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.
In the latest installment of the ongoing interview series with contributing editor Mark Bauerlein, Joseph Carola, S.J., joins in to discuss his new book, “Engaging the Church Fathers in Nineteenth-Century Catholic Theology: The Patristic Legacy of the Scuola Romana.”
Intro music by Jack Bauerlein.
Donald Trump has been elected president of the United States. . . again. It was a historic political comeback for a candidate rejected by the people just four years ago. But this time, Trump took almost every coveted state: Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin. And he leads in Nevada and Arizona. The entire blue wall. . . turned red. And unlike 2016, this was not just an Electoral College victory. Surprising pollsters and betting markets alike, Trump also won the popular vote. To top it off, Republicans took control of the Senate, gaining four seats, and maybe more by the time this episode airs. Simply put, it was a red landslide.
It is extremely rare in our history for a president to come back after losing a reelection bid so badly. In fact, Trump's rebound is bigger than Nixon's—bigger than Napoleon's in 1815.
And yet it happened on Tuesday night with the most flawed candidate American politics has ever seen. How did he do it?
If you were only watching cable news over the last few years, you would be shocked by the outcome. But if you had been reading The FP, you probably were not surprised. Yes, Kamala had the support of Beyoncé, Oprah, Taylor Swift, and almost every A-lister with a pulse. She outraised Trump by around $600 million. She was endorsed by industry leaders in science and economics. But it’s been clear for some time now that the Democrats do not have the buy-in or trust of the American people. FP senior editor Peter Savodnik said it best: “They didn’t lose because they didn’t spend enough money. They didn’t lose because they failed to trot out enough celebrity influencers. They lost because they were consumed by their own self-flattery, their own sense of self-importance.”
Still, in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, CNN and MSNBC tried to explain away Trump's appeal, and the profound failure of the left, with accusations that the American people are the ones to blame.
But those explanations are not right.
As exit polls came in, Trump showed strength with black and Latino voters. CNN exit polls showed he won about 13 percent of black voters (up from 8 percent in 2020) and 45 percent of Latino voters (up from 32 percent last election). It shows a massive pickup. He won among voters who make less than $100,000. And compared to 2020, Trump improved in cities, in rural areas, in suburbs. . . . as CNN's John Berman put it: “It’s kind of an everywhere improvement.”
Here today to make sense of it all is FP contributor and Newsweek opinion editor Batya Ungar-Sargon, pundit and political powerhouse Brianna Wu, and FP Senior Editor Peter Savodnik.
We reflect on why Democrats lost so dramatically and decisively; how Trump’s comeback happened, despite an impeachment, being found guilty of sexual assault, and 116 indictments; how Trump found success with black and Latino voters; what the next four years might look like with Trump returning to the White House; and if this will be a wake-up call for Democrats.
If you liked what you heard from Honestly, the best way to support us is to go to TheFP.com and become a Free Press subscriber today.
Hey folks, this is more of an SIO, but I recorded a solo show because I have to debunk this myth about Kamala losing 10-15m Democratic votes. The truth is not at all that. I also have a million other thoughts that I really just want to get out there and that I hope will be helpful.
Matt and I will be back on Friday. Also, I'm not charging Patreon for this one since it's on SIO. Thanks.
One of the most famous battles in the history of the American West took place in June 1876.
An alliance of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes faced off against the United States cavalry.
The battle was a route and one of the most devastating losses for the American military, as well as one of the greatest victories for Plains Indians.
The victory, however, was only temporary as the victory led to an even bigger response, and the loss was actually glorified in the United States for decades.
Learn more about the Battle of the Little Bighorn and how it shaped the American West on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
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We've got an update on President-elect Trump’s victory… he’s now projected to win all seven swing states.
And we’ll tell you about Vice President Harris’s concession speech.
Also, we explain what’s likely to happen to the criminal cases against Trump now that he’s heading back to the White House.
Plus, a fast-spreading wildfire suddenly forced thousands of evacuations, the popular gaming platform Roblox is making a big change to how pre-teens can use it, and the so-called Super Bowl of pickleball is underway.
Those stories and even more news to know in about 10 minutes!
Join us every Mon-Fri for more daily news roundups!
