--:-- Tracy Mumford: From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Thursday, November 7th. Here's what we're covering.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for. But hear me when I say, the light of America's promise will always burn bright.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: In Washington, D.C. yesterday, Kamala Harris came out to address the nation after losing the election to Donald Trump. She spoke from the same stage at Howard University where she'd hoped to celebrate a victory.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign. Many people in the crowd were in tears as Harris called on her supporters to continue what she framed as an ongoing fight for democracy, justice and the rule of law.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: And so to everyone who is watching, do not despair. This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: What Harris was trying to do was to gracefully leave the stage and end her campaign. But what she left behind is a party beginning to point fingers and launch recriminations against different wings and aspects of the party over who is to blame for Trump's sweeping victory.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: My colleague Reed Epstein covered Harris's campaign, and he spent the last 24 hours talking to Democratic lawmakers and party officials who each have their own theory about why Harris lost.
--:-- Reed Epstein: Among the conversations that I've had were Bernie Sanders complaining that the Democratic Party has become increasingly a party of identity politics, really talking about how the party needs to recalibrate around an economic focus.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Coming to the same type of conclusion is Seth Moulton, a congressman from Massachusetts, who said that Democrats are out of touch with the American people, needs to do less preaching and more listening.
--:-- Seth Moulton: I have two little girls. I don't want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete. But as a Democrat, I'm supposed to be afraid to say that.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: A really striking indictment and something that had been sort of whispered in Democratic circles during this campaign, but not really addressed head on, particularly when Trump ran tens of millions of dollars in anti-trans messaging attacking Kamala Harris.
--:-- Reed Epstein: Reed says other Democrats he talked to had other explanations. Some placed the blame on President Biden, saying he stayed in the race too long. Others pointed to voters' frustration over the war in Gaza.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: And he says that with no immediate consensus about what went wrong for Democrats, the party is just starting what will be a difficult, months-long conversation about how to move forward.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Meanwhile, the transition back to a Trump White House has begun. Yesterday, Kamala Harris called Trump directly to concede.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: His communications director said, "Both leaders agreed on the importance of unifying the country." He also took a call from President Biden, who proposed a meeting about the transition of power.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Trump has a transition leadership team in place, but they've been working largely out of his sight until now because Trump was superstitious about planning ahead.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Trump's broader transition operation is expected to include a mix of Wall Street executives, traditional conservatives, and right-wing populists, along with other Trump allies like Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: In the wake of Donald Trump's win, the Times has learned that Special Counsel Jack Smith, who brought the two federal cases against Trump, has now begun discussions about how to wind them down.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The case is centered on Trump's alleged attempts to obstruct the results of the 2020 election and the mishandling of classified documents after he left office.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: There is a longstanding Justice Department policy that prosecutors are not supposed to pursue prosecutions against a sitting president. And that's just simply for the reason that these prosecutions, while they might be meritorious, would obviously interrupt and disrupt a president's ability to run the country.
--:-- Alan Foyer: Times reporter Alan Foyer, who's been following the federal cases against Trump, says his presidential victory will almost inevitably affect his state-level cases as well.
--:-- Alan Foyer: In Georgia, where he's also charged with trying to overturn the 2020 election, Trump's lawyers will likely push for that case to be dropped on the same logic as the Justice Department's policy.
--:-- Alan Foyer: And in New York, where Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts for falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal, his sentencing is scheduled for later this month.
--:-- Alan Foyer: So Trump's lawyers are essentially going to argue that Trump should not face an immediate sentence in Manhattan because he's preparing to enter the White House.
--:-- Alan Foyer: And if indeed there is jail time that is imposed, well, how is he going to serve it while he's running the country?
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Today at the Federal Reserve, officials are widely expected to cut interest rates, which could give Americans some relief down the line on their credit cards and other loan costs.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: It'll be the second cut in just a few months, after the Fed kept rates high for years to try and tame inflation, which has now been slowing.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The last time the Fed cut rates in September, stocks hit a record high, and any potential new boost from today's cut will come on top of the market surge from yesterday.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: It's normal for Wall Street to rally after a presidential election when the uncertainty of a race is over. But analysts say that yesterday may have been particularly high, as investors look forward to factors like lighter regulation that may come under the new Trump administration.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: And finally, in the suburbs of Dallas this week, a fierce competition has been playing out that has absolutely nothing to do with politics.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: It is time for the big one. Yes, the Lapoplasty Pickleball World Championships. It's the Pickleball World Championships, basically the Super Bowl of pickleball.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The sport, which is like a cousin of tennis, is the fastest-growing sport in America, and it's trying to prove its pro status.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Most people just think of it as a hobby or a very loud nuisance, depending on how close you live to a court and those nonstop paddle smacks.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: At this week's tournament, it is mostly amateur players, but there are top-ranked pros, too. Some of them are walking proof you can make a living at pickleball.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: One player, Ben Johns, will be paid $2.5 million for playing at the championships this week.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: It's less clear if the organizers will make money, though, which the president of the Professional Pickleball Association admitted.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: But he said that was not the point. Quote, "This is where we see pickleball going and what it can become, and this is us standing behind it."
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Those are the headlines. Today on The Daily, a deep dive into who Donald Trump won over to win the election. That's next in the New York Times audio app, or you can listen wherever you get your podcasts.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.
