Jubilant Obama Supporters Swarm Grant Park

(NEWSER) - President-elect Barack Obama addressed the country and the world for the first time tonight, vowing to unite a nation beset by trouble at home and abroad, the Chicago Tribune reports. "Change has come to America," Obama told a crowd of tens of thousands at Chicago's Grant Park and millions more watching around the world. "Our stories are singular, but our destinies are shared." More»

Last state to be called leaves tally at Obama 365, McCain 173

(NEWSER) - Missouri, the last state up for grabs, looks to have gone Republican by less than a 1% margin, leaving John McCain with 173 electoral votes to Barack Obama’s 365, the Kansas City Star reports. There are still 3,000 uncounted provisional ballots, but McCain’s margin is large enough to declare him the winner of the state’s 11 electoral votes. More»

Early results likely to set tone

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama won the crucial battleground states of Florida, Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania to clinch victory over John McCain and secure his place in history, MSNBC reports. The 47-year-old Illinois senator will become the nation's first black president when he succeeds George W. Bush in January. Obama reached the 270 electoral votes needed at 11pm ET when he won the states of California, Washington, and Oregon. More»

Obama has most leads, but take these with a big chunk of salt

(NEWSER) - Huffington Post got its hands on the exit polling information shared with media outlets at 5pm but not reported by television networks. They show Barack Obama leading in most swing states, though the HuffPo cautions that the numbers are extremely unreliable; believe at your own risk. The list has Obama leading:

• 52-44% in Florida
• 54-45% in Ohio
• 57-42% in Pennsylvania

The pitbull with lipstick might've been a game-changer, but enough already

(NEWSER) - It's an inevitability of any election season: Some phrases will get bandied around so much that the hapless American, simply trying to do his civic duty by paying attention, will be crushed under the sheer weight of political verbiage. The Red Eye lists the worst offenders:

• Change: As in, change the channel now.
• Hockey mom: We're not in Alaska any more.
• Joe the Plumber: He's not a licensed plumber, not named Joe.