反对特朗普当选总统的努力宣告失败，请看本报昨日的报道：

    There were many protesters but few faithless electors as Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote Monday — ensuring he will become America’s 45th president.

    An effort by anti-Trump forces to persuade Republican electors to abandon the president-elect came to practically nothing and the process unfolded largely according to its traditions. Trump’s polarizing victory Nov. 8 and the fact Democrat Hillary Clinton had won the national popular vote had stirred an intense lobbying effort, but to no avail.

    报道中的to no avail就是“毫无效果”，例如：

    Desperate to find work as the economy tipped into chaos, John scoured job ads to no avail.

    在经济陷入一片混乱之际约翰想找一份工作，但翻了无数招聘广告还是一无所获。