JOHN DICKERSON

For more than half a century, ABC, CBS and NBC have aired evening newscasts each weeknight on television.

Craig Newmark twists a “Batman” quote to jokingly refer to himself as “not the nerd you want, but maybe, now and then, I’m the nerd you need.”.

NEW YORK – ABC, CBS and NBC all cut away from President Donald Trump on Thursday as he spoke from the White House to make an unfounded accusation that the presidential election was being stolen from him. Trump was more subdued Thursday, yet offered a litany of complaints about “suppression” polls, mail-in voting and fraud that he never specified. Cordes said there is no indication of a substantive number of illegal votes cast, and said Trump's reference to votes arriving late was “another falsehood.”MSNBC cut away from Trump to anchor Brian Williams. “There are no illegal votes that we know of, there has been no Trump victory that we know of.”After ABC ended its coverage, the network’s White House correspondent, Jonathan Karl, also said there was no evidence of illegal votes. But especially in this election.”While CNN kept Trump on the air, a chyron displayed under him said, “Without any evidence, Trump says he's being cheated.”Anchor Jake Tapper looked weary when it was over.

A man stops to watch election returns on electronic billboards in Times Square, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in New York. Cable and broadcast news divisions followed the story closely, even as they learned that election night coverage was a relative dud with viewers. An estimated 56.9 million people watched coverage over 21 networks during primetime hours Tuesday, down sharply from the 71.4 million viewers on election night 2016, the Nielsen company said. For weeks, media outlets had warned that Americans would need patience on election night and beyond, and that turned out to be their most accurate prediction. Even if Biden won the presidency, Democrats were sure to face questions about why the race was so close and why predicted gains in Congress didn't materialize.

FILE - The ViacomCBS headquarters is shown in New York's Times Square on Aug. 5, 2020. CBS News is rebuilding MTV's old "Total Request Live" studio as its headquarters for election night. The network is installing giant touchscreens and "augmented reality" displays for the big political night and says the studio provides extra roominess to put on a television show in the COVID-19 era. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

CBS News is rebuilding MTV's old "Total Request Live" studio as its headquarters for election night. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)NEW YORK – Watch out for Britney Spears and the Jonas Bros.: CBS News is building a new high-tech election night set in the Times Square studio where MTV's “Total Request Live” ruled the music world two decades ago. Norah O'Donnell will anchor her first presidential election night, joined on the set by Gayle King, Margaret Brennan, John Dickerson and Ed O'Keefe. Shades will be drawn on the windows for the serious business of election night. On television, CBS will have Major Garrett reporting on voter integrity, Jeff Pegues on misinformation and Nancy Cordes on congressional races.

NEW YORK – Across television and streaming services, the life and legacy of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was already front and center Saturday, a day after her death at 87. “For so many of us, Justice Ginsburg was a real-life superhero: a beacon of hope, a warrior for justice, a robed crusader who saved the day time and again," McKinnon said. On MSNBC, a past profile, “Justice Ginsburg,” was re-broadcast as word of her death spread. Joining the live coverage will be Chris Scalia, a son of Ginsburg's close friend and colleague, late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Fox News Channel will present a one hour special on the life and legacy of Ginsburg on Sunday at 10 p.m. Eastern, anchored by Shannon Bream.

Republicans decided the show must go on and, for the most part, television networks followed. The convention is taking place in the shadow of huge stories that are happening right now, CNN's Anderson Cooper said. Networks, after giving extensive coverage to the Democrats last week, are cognizant of being fair to the Republicans. The president has been showing up every night, the president could talk about it. But former Republican Sen. Rick Santorum, also a CNN contributor, said Republicans were there to try and reelect President Trump and that has to continue to remain their focus.