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More Than 9 Million People Voted Early In Texas. For One Day In Its Biggest County, They Voted All Night.

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  Elizabeth Conley / AP Jahaziel Ramos wipes down the polling station where her mom had just voted in the general election at Victory Houston polling station in Houston, Friday, Oct. 30. HOUSTON — Across the sprawling expanse of Harris County, voters came all day Thursday. They came at midnight, and then past it, long into the early hours of Friday morning. If Democrats’ long-held dreams of turning Texas blue come true on Election Day, much of it will be because of the nearly 5 million people in Harris County — home to Houston, the most diverse city in the country, and a swelling population that has become more and more Democratic since 2016. It will also be because Harris County took on a mission to make it easy for its citizens to vote, even in the midst of  a pandemic  — often in the face of  intense opposition from Republicans . They crafted large drive-through voting centers modeled after fast food restaurants like Sonic, situating them in downtown parking lots ...
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Day of the Dead celebrations to be muted when Mexicans need them more than ever

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  People visit the Valle de Chalco municipal cemetery on the outskirts of Mexico City. Authorities have ordered cemeteries closed during the Day of the Dead, which begins Sunday evening and continues through the night. (Marco Ugarte/AP) By  Marissa J. Lang Oct. 30, 2020 at 3:00 a.m. PDT MEXICO CITY — Cemeteries have been ordered closed on Sunday, so Elvira Rosas went early. The Mexico City woman laid flowers on the graves of her father and grandparents last week and felt some welcome reprieve from the chaos of this pandemic year. Still, it saddens her to think about Sunday evening, the start of Mexico’s Day of the Dead, when by tradition the spirits of loved ones return to commune with their families for festive graveside reunions, and Rosas and her children will be absent. “I wish we could be there to welcome them,” she lamented. Violent criminal groups are eroding Mexico’s authority and claiming more territory The orange-petaled marigolds that line Mexico City’s Paseo de la ...
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Whether Trump or Biden wins, Europe doesn’t think it can depend on U.S.

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  Flags fly outside European Commission headquarters in Brussels. Europe is closely watching the U.S. election. (Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Bloomberg News) By  Michael Birnbaum  and  Loveday Morris Oct. 31, 2020 at 3:00 a.m. PDT At an election night watch party four years ago at the residence of the U.S. ambassador to Belgium, festive European diplomats were stunned into wine-soaked silence as Donald Trump captured Florida around 4 a.m. Brussels time. This time, they are determined not to be shocked by the U.S. results. No matter who occupies the White House in January, Europe is preparing a more independent course. Many here would prefer a victory by former vice president Joe Biden. While Trump has his fans among  Central Europe’s populists , his approval in Western Europe has remained low throughout his term — fewer than 1 in 5 people  surveyed by Pew Research Center  trust him to do the right thing. His handling of the pandemic has only hardened Europea...
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