This Is Bigger Than Partisanship

So, who's running the Justice Department? [NPR Politics]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Map of Florida]( NPR The Big Picture: A Test For Democracy It’s not over. Days after the election, multiple races are too close to call and temperatures are running high. As his race for Senate tightened this week, Florida Republican Gov. Rick Scott alleged with no evidence that liberals are trying to “steal” the election. President Trump [escalated the rhetoric]( questioning the legitimacy of the vote and the integrity of election officials. It’s not a new line for Trump. Remember he falsely alleged that he lost the popular vote because of rampant — and unproven — voter fraud. So it’s up to other election officials — Democrat and Republican — to hold the line and defend their processes. This is bigger than partisanship. There’s nothing more vital to a democracy than the legitimacy of elections and the peaceful transfer of power. More from the week: - Florida could be headed for recounts: [Here's how they would work]( - Trump declares "great victory" after election, but [34 of his candidates lost]( - What do blue and red America [have in common]( Craft breweries — and more — Domenico Montanaro, NPR's lead political editor --------------------------------------------------------------- [Michelle Obama]( NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images ICYMI: Top Stories Mapping 2020: The 2020 presidential race is already coming into focus for political strategists on both sides of the aisle. As NPR’s Jessica Taylor reports, while [Republicans fared well]( in the key states of Ohio and Florida, Democrats scored wins in states that were crucial to President Trump’s 2016 victory. Blasey Ford threats: Christine Blasey Ford is [still receiving threats]( after accusing Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her decades ago, according to her lawyers. NPR’s Tim Mak reports that Blasey Ford has had to move four times, hire a private security detail and has been unable to return to her job as a professor. Sudan at SCOTUS: The Trump administration is [siding with the government of Sudan]( in a lawsuit brought against the country by victims of the USS Cole bombing in 2000. As NPR’s Nina Totenberg reports, the case rests on whether notification of the lawsuit was delivered to the wrong address. Michelle Obama’s memoir: In Becoming, Michelle Obama [tells the story of becoming herself]( — and her struggle to hang on when her life was hijacked by politics. As NPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben writes in her review, Obama’s book is “one of those rare political books with truly excellent writing.” — Brandon Carter, NPR Politics social media producer --------------------------------------------------------------- [Jeff Sessions and Rod Rosenstein]( Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images The Russia Imbroglio: Who's Running The Justice Department? At the Justice Department's landmark headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue, the big office on the fifth floor is now vacant. President Trump cleared it out this week in the [most-expected, least-surprising personnel move]( of all time, following month after month of verbal abuse for one of his earliest supporters in Congress, Jeff Sessions. All the same, the long-serving Alabama politician seemed stunned as he blinked into the klieg lights as [Justice Department workers clapped him out](. With him was the man who had begun the day as [Sessions' chief of staff, Matthew Whitaker]( who concluded it as the top legal and law enforcement officer of the United States of America. For now. [Read the full imbroglio update]( Briefly: - [Trump falsely claims]( not to know the man he hand-picked as acting attorney general - Catch up on last week's update: [Is the endgame now in sight?]( — Philip Ewing, NPR's national security editor [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( You received this message because you're subscribed to our Politics emails. | [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002 [NPR]