Election 2020 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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2020 election

The biggest test of an idea is whether someone will vote for it. Whether it’s data privacy or net neutrality, nearly every policy will be tested in the 2020 campaign — not just by candidates but also in the thousands of smaller conversations taking place in the run-up to Election Day. Issues like climate change and antitrust will be taking center stage for the first time in generations as former Vice President Joe Biden squares off against President Donald Trump. At the same time, tech giants like Google, Apple, and Facebook will be doing their best to stay out of the crossfire, even as their platforms become the central battlegrounds in the new digital ad race and foreign actors look to influence the conversation with hidden ads and false-flag campaigns. It’s going to be a wild ride, and we’ll be tracking every twist and turn right here.

Sarah Jeong
Sarah Jeong
When is a retweet an official act?

Earlier this summer, SCOTUS ruled that Trump is “absolutely immune” for any official acts on January 6. In an October Non-Surprise, prosecutors are arguing that Trump is being charged for unofficial acts.

A partly-unsealed brief asserts, among other things, that Trump used his Twitter in a personal capacity while attempting to overturn the 2020 election, by tweeting and retweeting conspiracy theories and attacks on public officials. Although Trump sometimes tweeted about official White House business,

... he also regularly used the account to post on unambiguously private matters — for example, when he posted a picture of himself golfing with Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods at the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida, and re-tweeted a Trump Organization post about the Trump New York hotel being “named the # 1 ‘Best Hotel in the World!’”

Adi Robertson
Adi Robertson
Another voting machine disinformation settlement.

This time it’s Smartmatic settling with Newsmax, which it sued for libel after the 2020 election, for an undisclosed amount. As The Guardian notes, a Smartmatic suit against Fox is still in progress — though the network cut a huge surprise settlement deal with another voting company, Dominion, last year.

Everything you need to know about Section 230

The most important law for online speech

Casey Newton
Count Every Vote got its power from the Black Lives Matter movement

Having field-tested digital tools was key for Democrats to mobilize people quickly

Kim Lyons
Gray wolves win in historic Colorado election

Colorado will need to bring people together to ensure the wolves’ survival

Justine Calma