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Today's edition of quick hits:
* Where things stand: "Joe Biden continued to expand his lead in Pennsylvania, edged ahead in Georgia and is up in Nevada with the fate of the presidency on the line and several closely watched states still counting ballots Friday, almost three days after polls closed."
* A scramble in Georgia: "Advocates for both presidential candidates raced to find every person in Georgia who submitted a flawed ballot before time ran out Friday to fix the paperwork in a race that could be decided by the narrowest of margins."
* A scary story: "Two armed men who were en route to the Philadelphia Convention Center, where votes are being counted, were taken into custody Thursday night after police learned of a possible threat, a Philadelphia police spokesperson told NBC News."
* After Donald Trump tweeted, "Stop the count" this week, it fell to aides to explain to him why that was the opposite of his actual position: "If the vote-counting stopped at that moment, Trump would lose. Trump's senior advisers intervened, explaining to the president that he needed to be more precise about just which vote counts he wanted halted. He did not want all of the states to stop counting votes, they added, because that would lead to a Biden victory."
* It's a shame she doesn't understand how bad an argument this is: "Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel did not present concrete examples of alleged voter fraud in her home state of Michigan and elsewhere when pressed by Fox News anchors on Friday, instead urging Americans to 'give us time' to produce evidence of irregularities."
* Why'd they try to hide this in the first place? "A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Small Business Administration to release details on coronavirus pandemic-related loans that would disclose information on businesses that benefited from $717 billion in federally backed borrowings."
* From late yesterday: "A federal judge ordered the Postal Service on Thursday to continue its sweep of mail facilities to check for undelivered ballots in states that have extended vote delivery deadlines, such as North Carolina and Pennsylvania."
* That office sure has been busy lately: "The U.S. Office of Special Counsel has opened an investigation into allegations that the Trump campaign's use of the White House as an Election Day command center violated federal law, Democratic Representative Bill Pascrell said on Thursday."
* Texas trouble, Part I: "In formal complaints, six whistleblowers allege they were retaliated against after reporting [Texas Attorney General Ken] Paxton -- with a 'hostile' work environment that included being kept from attending important meetings and empty cardboard boxes delivered near their offices."
* Texas trouble, Part II: "Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had an extramarital affair with a woman whom he later recommended for a job with the wealthy donor now at the center of criminal allegations against him, according to two people who said Paxton told them about the relationship."
* Former Sen. John Danforth (R-Mo.) issued a statement today that read, "By alleging widespread fraud, President Trump's purpose is to undermine Americans' belief in the legitimacy of the election and therefore in the foundation of our democracy. He is causing incalculable damage to our country."
Have a safe weekend.