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Statewide Races
3:20 am
Tue November 6, 2012

Florida's New Battleground: The State Supreme Court

Originally published on Tue November 6, 2012 12:18 pm

In Florida, Supreme Court justices are nominated by a commission and appointed by the governor. Every six years, they're up for retention. Voters decide whether to keep them on the bench or let them go.

Since the system was put in place in the 1970s, retention votes have been pro forma affairs, with justices doing little fundraising or campaigning.

But this year is different.

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Superstorm Sandy: Before, During And Beyond
3:19 am
Tue November 6, 2012

Norfolk, Va., Puts Flooding Survival Plan To The Test

Credit Steve Helber / AP
Motorists drive through standing water at an intersection flooded from the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida in the Ocean View area of Norfolk, Va., in November 2009.

Originally published on Tue November 6, 2012 12:18 pm

Superstorm Sandy got officials in New York and New Jersey talking about how to prevent flooding in a time of global warming and sea level rise.

But the place on the East Coast that's most vulnerable to flooding is several hundred miles south, around Norfolk, Va. — and Norfolk has already spent many years studying how to survive the rising waters.

Scientists say what Norfolk has learned is especially important in light of new research showing that the coastline from North Carolina to Boston will experience even more sea level rise than other areas.

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Election 2012
6:43 pm
Mon November 5, 2012

New York To Allow Voters To Cast Ballots By Affidavit

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Now many who will cast presidential ballots in New York have been facing a complicated post-storm challenge - where they should vote. Superstorm Sandy has displaced many residents from their homes and some polling places are out of commission because of storm damage. Late today, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an order, telling voters they can cast ballots wherever they want.

I asked NPR's Quil Lawrence in New York about just what Governor Cuomo said today.

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The Two-Way
6:19 pm
Mon November 5, 2012

When Will We Know Who Won?

Credit Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images
We'll know who won eventually. But when?

Everybody tries to predict who will win.

What we wonder, though, is when will we know whether it will be President Obama or Republican challenger Mitt Romney taking the oath of office next January?

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It's All Politics
6:07 pm
Mon November 5, 2012

Last Of The Early Voters In Ohio Make A Scene

Credit Courtesy Karen Kasler
Mimes perform at the Franklin County Early Voting Center in Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday.

For thousands of voters in Ohio, Election Day is going to be a day of rest — because they worked hard to vote on Sunday.

Thousands stood in long lines at voting sites in northeast Ohio, in southwest Ohio and in central Ohio. But the Franklin County Early Voting Center may have had the most carnival-like atmosphere.

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It's All Politics
5:51 pm
Mon November 5, 2012

Crossroads GPS Redefines 'Social Welfare' Political Action

Credit Spencer Platt / Getty Images
Karl Rove, the founder of Crossroads GPS and a former adviser to President George W. Bush, at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Aug. 28.

Originally published on Mon November 5, 2012 7:12 pm

With all the really big numbers flying around this campaign season, here's one more: $165,062,250.

That's how much Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS has spent attacking Democrats and helping Republicans this election. Perhaps this number doesn't seem so special, compared with the $1 billion spent by President Obama's campaign and at least $900 million by Gov. Romney's team.

There is one critical difference, though.

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Superstorm Sandy: Before, During And Beyond
5:49 pm
Mon November 5, 2012

Hard-Hit Long Island Awaits Power As Temps Drop

Originally published on Mon November 5, 2012 6:49 pm

A week after Hurricane Sandy hit the region, roughly 1 million people are still without power in the New York area, and more than one-third of those live on Long Island.

In the hierarchy of hurricanes that have hit Mastic Beach, N.Y., over the years, this one ranks near the top, says Mayor Bill Biondi.

"This is the worse we've had in a long time," Biondi says. "I guess the only thing that was worse than this ... was the hurricane of 1938. I haven't seen or heard anything in between those years that was worse than this one."

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The Two-Way
5:48 pm
Mon November 5, 2012

All Across Syria, A Bloody Day

Credit SANA / EPA/Landov
Syrians gather at the site of a car bombing Monday that killed 11 people and wounded dozens in Damascus, according to the SANA news agency, which provided the photo. The violence in the city was described as some of the worst in recent months.

Originally published on Mon November 5, 2012 6:40 pm

The fighting in Syria was both nasty and widespread on Monday. Here's a summary of some of the worst fighting:

-- Two deadly car bombings took place, one in a residential neighborhood in Damascus that killed 11 people, according to Syria's state-run SANA news agency. The other one, near the central city of Hama, generated wildly conflicting claims. An activist group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the suicide attack killed 50 government soldiers and allied gunmen. But the government put the death toll at two civilians.

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It's All Politics
5:32 pm
Mon November 5, 2012

Legal Battle Surrounds Florida Early Voting Dispute

Credit Alan Diaz / AP
Floridians stand in line during the last day of early voting in Miami on Saturday. A judge extended early-voting hours in one Florida county Sunday after Democrats sued to allow more time.

Originally published on Mon November 5, 2012 5:49 pm

Early voting ended in Florida on Saturday. But on Sunday, some county elections officials opened their offices to allow people to vote using absentee ballots.

In Miami-Dade County, elections officials opened the office for over-the-counter absentee voting, but then inexplicably shut down. A couple of hundred waiting voters began chanting and pounding on the doors. An hour later, the office reopened.

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Presidential Race
5:32 pm
Mon November 5, 2012

Presidential Transition Begins Far Before Election Day

Originally published on Mon November 5, 2012 5:49 pm

While Mitt Romney spent this last day campaigning in swing states, he had a busy team back in Washington D.C. The Republican presidential nominee's staff has been preparing for months for a possible transition into the presidency should Romney win the election. Over at the White House, members of President Obama's staff have also been thinking about what would have to happen should the president lose his re-election bid. Robert Siegel looks into what's going on behind the scenes of a possible presidential transition.

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