Good morning.

Kamala Harris formally conceded the election to Donald Trump on Wednesday, calling on her supporters to “never give up” and fight for American democracy as he prepared to choose his top team.

In a speech at her alma mater, Howard University, Harris said after the Republican secured more than the 270 votes needed to win the Electoral College: “While I concede this election, I am not conceding the fight this campaign has sparked. Hear me when I say: The light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up.” She received loud applause when she told the crowd that she would help the peaceful transition of power.

For the first time in twenty years, the Republicans appear to be winning the popular vote: at the time of writing, Trump had 51% compared to Harris’ 48%. With results still trickling in, Joe Biden, who said he spoke with Trump on Wednesday and invited him to the White House, will address the nation on Thursday.

• How many people voted for Trump compared to 2020? Vote counting is underway – but Trump is expected to reach the 74 million votes he won in 2020, while Harris will fail to reach the 81 million votes Biden won in 2020.

US Elections 2024: Control of the House of Representatives remains unclear

Control of the U.S. House of Representatives remained unclear early Thursday morning, although Republicans secured their widely expected majority in the U.S. Senate.

With two pillars of power already under Republican control, the stakes for the Democratic party are higher than ever as gaining control of the House of Representatives could be the only way to check Trump’s power as president.

At the time of writing, 38 races remained uncalled, with Republicans gaining one seat, giving them 206, while Democrats lost one seat, at 191.

• When will we know? It could still take days to determine the winner of the House of Representatives – in 2022 it took more than a week.

A special US prosecutor will close the criminal cases against Trump

Special prosecutors will end their criminal cases against Trump before he takes office in January, according to two sources close to the case, because his victory means the cases will not go to trial.

The decision is made because the cases will not be concluded by Inauguration Day, and once Trump is in the White House, the special counsel’s office would not be allowed to take any further criminal actions.

The Justice Department has long been aware that if the Republican nominee were elected, Trump’s attorney general would likely drop charges against him over his retention of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election .

Other news…

Statistic of the day: 2 million people are at risk of starvation in the state of Myanmar

Two million people in Myanmar’s Rakhine state are at risk of starvation within months after conflict and trade blockades caused an economic collapse and a threat of famine, a senior UN official has warned. Many households surveyed reported eating “one meal a day – some even less,” said Kanni Wignaraja, UN Assistant Secretary-General and regional director of the United Nations Development Programme.

Don’t Miss: ‘Trump Can’t Stop Global Climate Action’

For a much-needed dose of optimism about the future of climate negotiations, read this piece from Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics. Hare says the wheels of the energy transition are already in motion and argues that even with Trump in the White House, the rest of the world can stick together to take meaningful action on global warming. Even in the US, it may not be in Republicans’ political interest to roll back green investments.

Climate check: 2024 will ‘almost certainly’ be the hottest ever

The EU’s space program has said it is “almost certain” that this year will be the hottest on record. The report shows that 2024 will likely be the first year with temperatures more than 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than before the Industrial Revolution, an alarming milestone. While world leaders had pledged to prevent the Earth from warming 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100, global warming is on track to roughly double that.

Last thing: make my bed? That’s against doctor’s orders, I’m afraid

Professional medical advice is now calling into question what parents of teens have tried to get them to do for decades: make their bed, that is. Doctors tell TikTok that dust mites, which live in all our bedding, prefer a well-made bed that retains moisture and helps them thrive. Other advice, which may be less welcome for handymen, includes changing your bedding once a week.

Sign up

First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you’re not already signed up, subscribe now.

Please contact us

If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters, please email [email protected]