To all who have expressed concern for my well being in Austin, thank you. But I’m coping and okay. 1/7 We were told yesterday to evacuate our home due to no power, heat, water, and fears even sewage pipes were freezing up and on the verge of bursting. After 4 days of hunkering down and determined to tough it out, we got the order to find a new place to go to immediately. 2/7

What happens now?

The tumult continues with rapid news cycles reckoning about the future. We see recriminations and outrage, second-guessing and breathless prognosticating. What will the final vote totals be in the popular vote and in the uncalled states? 1/ Are the portents for Democrats ominous in the long term? Is the party split? What will Donald Trump do? What will the Senate Republicans do? What do we make from parsing the demographics, and the electorate, and the statements from the politicians on both sides? 2/

A long thought for today:

We are on the precipice, of that we are sure. Of what exactly, there are hints and whispers and clues, but the haze of the future is unknowable. 1/ We never really know what lies before us, but the cone of uncertainty at this moment is so wide that it seems to stretch in almost every conceivable direction. There are plausible scenarios that auger for a fundamental redefinition of this nation and this world. 2/

America is hurting, really hurting. Thousands of people are dying every week. Jobs lost. Lives thrown asunder. The West on fire. Our international standing at the lowest point I can remember. We need leadership. We need empathy. We need unity. We need justice. We need hope. Who won and lost tonight in a horse race sense, I don't even want to address. Frankly, I don't give a damn. This was a sad, sad, sad night for this nation that I love with all my heart. This is a moment to mourn what we have lost, and are in danger of losing.

Thinking today of how presidents in the past have spoken about those who gave their lives in service to country. And the pinnacle of that sentiment comes to mind: Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. I re-read it last night and felt it was worth sharing here. "Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

TOP TEN QUESTIONS FOR THE DNC

1) Will anyone watch? It's virtual, but also, there's nothing much new on anyway. 2) Will there be any surprises? These conventions have become about as scripted as the safety announcements on airplanes (remember those?). But just when you think there will be nothing of interest, fate often intervenes. Will it here?

1/ The world would be a far better place if there were more women in positions of power, if the disparity in pay and opportunity between women and men was eliminated, if women around the globe had more freedom and autonomy over their lives and bodies. #InternationalWomensDay 2/ In my travels over decades, I have seen women get things done, often against great odds. When I would arrive at a place for a story, it could be Peoria or Peshawar, I would try to get a handle on what's taking place. Often the men would tell you. But the women would show you.

1/8 What a disgrace. We are in a crisis and one thing that is sorely missing from the Trump Administration is an understanding of... Science. 2/8 We need science. And we need leaders that believe in it. If we are going to confront our challenges, from the immediate, like coronavirus, to the existential, like climate change, we need science.

1/5 How many times can you say it's a perilous time for the country? How many times can you say this is unprecedented? 2/5 An alternative reality has been stifling our democracy for well over a year. Seemingly each and every day brings new evidence of a man who has not the temperament nor the morality nor the stability to lead this nation.

America has lost one of its iconic political leaders with the passing of John McCain. He was of course a senator of distinction and a presidential candidate. Born into a storied military family, McCain first earned national attention during his years of imprisonment in Vietnam. His sacrifice, heroism and courage during that time is of a nature few, thankfully, will ever be forced to comprehend. In the political career that followed, McCain was controversial and far from perfect. In short, he was human.