thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-31--'Terrified' Jon Stewart Sums Up How Many Americans Feel Right Now

Jon Stewart somewhat summed up the mood of many Americans on Friday when he declared to Stephen Colbert : “ I ’ m terrified .
I ’ m anxious , I ’ m lonely , I ’ m wishing it was 2010 again.
” “ An election and a pandemic ?
How much canned soup and ammunition can one man have , Stephen ?
” Stewart joked on Friday ’ s broadcast of “ The Late Show.
” “ I just want to know what is gon na happen , ” said the former host of “ The Daily Show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new current affairs series for Apple TV+ , of the imminent 2020 election .
“ I wan na know how much longer we have to keep going through this marathon , ” he continued .
“ On election day , are we at the Heartbreak Hill where all that effort and all that resilience is about to pay off and we ’ re going to cross the finish line and finally be able to exhale ?
Or is this the halfway point , the 13-mile mark ?
And when will my nipples stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to know , Steve.
” “ The finish line , for me , is this man ( President Donald Trump ) not being president anymore and 1,000 people not dying every day from a disease we don ’ t understand , ” he replied .
Both Stewart and Colbert , however , acknowledged the winner of the 2020 election may not be known on Tuesday — or even for several weeks after .
“ We don ’ t even know if we ’ ll know on Tuesday , ” said Stewart .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if an asteroid doesn ’ t hit us on Monday , because it ’ s been that kind of a fucking year .
”

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Jon Stewart somewhat summed up the mood of many Americans on Friday when he declared to Stephen Colbert: “I’m terrified. I’m anxious, I’m lonely, I’m wishing it was 2010 again.”
“An election and a pandemic? How much canned soup and ammunition can one man have, Stephen?” Stewart, who this week announced a new current affairs series for Apple TV+, joked on Friday’s broadcast of “The Late Show.”
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“I just want to know what is gonna happen,” said the former host of “The Daily Show” of the imminent election.
“I wanna know how much longer we have to keep going through this, where we are in this marathon,” he continued. “On Election Day, are we at the Heartbreak Hill ... all that effort and all that resilience is about to pay off, we’re going to cross the finish line and finally be able to exhale? Or is this the halfway point, the 13-mile mark? And when my nipples will stop bleeding? These are questions I need to know, Steve.”
Colbert picked up Stewart’s metaphor and asked Stewart to define the “finish line.”
“The finish line, for me, is this man [President Donald Trump] not being president anymore and 1,000 people not dying every day from a disease we don’t understand,” said Stewart.
Both Stewart and Colbert, however, acknowledged that the winner of the 2020 election may not be known next week — or even for several weeks after.
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“We don’t even know if we’ll know on Tuesday,” said Stewart. “And for God’s sake, if an asteroid doesn’t hit us on Monday, because it’s been that kind of a fucking year.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-31--Colbert Thinks This Trump Rant Perfectly Illustrates How Fast COVID-19 Is Spreading

For the Nov 3 election : States are making it easier for citizens to vote absentee by mail this year @ @ @ @ @ Each state has its own rules for mail-in absentee voting .
Visit your state election @ @ @ @ @ if you can vote by mail .

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“The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert on Friday used a video of President Donald Trump ranting at a recent campaign rally to demonstrate how quickly the coronavirus is now spreading across the United States.
Almost 90,000 new infections of COVID-19 were reported nationwide on Thursday. That’s “the equivalent of more than one per second,” noted Colbert.
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“One viral expert explained just how fast that is,” Colbert sarcastically quipped before airing footage of Trump repeating the word “COVID” over and over again during one of his attacks on the media.
“It’s pretty depressing,” Colbert admitted.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-31--Samantha Bee Hits Donald Trump With A 22-Minute Montage Of Her Most Brutal Takedowns

“ Full Frontal ” host Samantha Bee calls out and condemns Donald Trump over and over again in a montage @ @ @ @ @ the president .
Bee highlights Trump ’ s racism , blasts his policies and debunks @ @ @ @ @ 22-minute supercut released Friday , which features 50 of her best White House-themed segments from @ @ @ @ @ “ We ’ re hoping we never have to update it after Nov. 3 , @ @ @ @ @ said of the video on YouTube .
Check out the montage here : And you @ @ @ @ @ monologue about the election from this week ’ s “ Full Frontal ” here :

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“Full Frontal” host Samantha Bee calls out and condemns Donald Trump over and over again in a montage of her best takedowns of the president.
Bee highlights Trump’s racism, blasts his policies and debunks his conspiracy theories in the 22-minute supercut released Friday, which features 50 of her best White House-themed segments from the last four years.
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“We’re hoping we never have to update it after Nov. 3,” Bee’s show said of the video on YouTube.
Check out the montage here:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-31--Searing Supercut Counts Down Donald Trump's '100 Most Tremendous Scandals'

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The pace of controversies has been hard to keep up with during Donald Trump’s presidency.
On Friday, “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” released a montage featuring 100 of the “most tremendous” scandals that have engulfed the Trump White House in the last four years.
They include Trump’s impeachment over the Ukraine scandal, his catastrophic handling of the coronavirus pandemic, his recent insulting of war veterans as “suckers” and “losers,” and his repeated refusals to condemn white supremacists and the far-right conspiracy theory movement QAnon.
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“This list is not definitive,” the Comedy Central show noted in its YouTube description for the 7-minute clip.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-31--U.S. Reports Record-Breaking 100,000 COVID-19 Cases In Single Day

The daily caseload of 100,233 is also a world record for the global pandemic , surpassing the 97,894 cases reported by India on a single day in September .
Five times over past ten days , the United States has exceeded its previous single-day record of 77,299 cases registered in July .
The number of daily infections reported during past two days indicates that the nation is now reporting more than one new case every second .
The spike comes just four days ahead of the U.S. presidential election on Tuesday .
The COVID-19 pandemic , which has killed nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has dominated the final stretch of the campaign .
The United States crossed 9 million cumulative cases on Friday , representing nearly 3 % of the population , according to a Reuters tally of publicly reported data .
On Friday , 16 U.S. states reported their highest one-day coronavirus infections while thirteen states were at record levels of hospitalized COVID-19 patients .
So far in October , 31 states have set records for increases in new cases , including five considered key in the Nov. 3 presidential election : Ohio , Michigan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden held rallies in Florida on Thursday , showcasing their contrasting approaches to the pandemic .
The nationwide surge in cases seen in the past week is pushing the United States towards the grim mark of 100,000 daily cases .
India holds the record of most number of daily coronavirus cases – 97,894 cases , it reported on Sept. 17 .
For every 10,000 people in the United States , over 272 coronavirus cases have been reported and about seven people have died , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been 127 cases and four deaths per 10,000 residents .
More than 1,000 people died of the virus on Thursday , marking the third time in October that milestone has been passed in a single day .
The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 has risen more than 50 % in October to 46,000 , the highest figure since mid-August .

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(Reuters) - The United States set a new all-time high for coronavirus cases confirmed in a single 24-hour period on Friday, reporting just over 100,000 new infections to surpass the record total of 91,000 posted a day earlier, according to a Reuters tally.
The daily caseload of 100,233 is also a world record for the global pandemic, surpassing the 97,894 cases reported by India on a single day in September.
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Five times over past ten days, the United States has exceeded its previous single-day record of 77,299 cases registered in July. The number of daily infections reported during past two days indicates that the nation is now reporting more than one new case every second.
The spike comes just four days ahead of the U.S. presidential election on Tuesday. The COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed nearly 230,000 people in the United States, has dominated the final stretch of the campaign.
The United States crossed 9 million cumulative cases on Friday, representing nearly 3% of the population, according to a Reuters tally of publicly reported data.
On Friday, 16 U.S. states reported their highest one-day coronavirus infections while thirteen states were at record levels of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
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So far in October, 31 states have set records for increases in new cases, including five considered key in the Nov. 3 presidential election: Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden held rallies in Florida on Thursday, showcasing their contrasting approaches to the pandemic.
The nationwide surge in cases seen in the past week is pushing the United States towards the grim mark of 100,000 daily cases. India holds the record of most number of daily coronavirus cases – 97,894 cases, it reported on Sept. 17.
For every 10,000 people in the United States, over 272 coronavirus cases have been reported and about seven people have died, according to a Reuters analysis. In Europe there have been 127 cases and four deaths per 10,000 residents.
More than 1,000 people died of the virus on Thursday, marking the third time in October that milestone has been passed in a single day. The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 has risen more than 50% in October to 46,000, the highest figure since mid-August.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-31--Researchers Estimate Trump Rallies Led To 30,000 Coronavirus Cases And 700 Deaths

A series of rallies held by President Donald Trump over three months this summer functioned as COVID-19 superspreader events , leading to thousands more cases and hundreds more deaths than otherwise would have occurred , Stanford University researchers concluded .
Academics from the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research focused on 18 events between June 20 and Sept. 22 and tracked community spread of the coronavirus up to 10 weeks after the rallies , reasoning that “ the effects of a superspreader event may snowball over time.
” The rallies resulted in more than 30,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ necessarily among attendees , the researchers ’ working paper published Friday concluded .
“ Our analysis strongly supports the warnings and recommendations of public health officials concerning the risk of COVID-19 transmission at large group gatherings , particularly when the degree of compliance with guidelines concerning the use of masks and social distancing is low , ” the authors said .
Photos and video from Trump ’ s events showed that few attendees wore masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus .
Trump has made a point to say “ masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repeatedly denigrated his Democratic opponent Joe Biden for wearing one , and recently poked fun at an ally , Laura Ingraham , for masking up .
“ Another reason these events may be likely to cause significant onward transmission is because the people who attend them are ... less likely to wear masks and to socially distance , and the same is probably more true among their contacts than it is among the friends of people who would decide against attending such an event because they view it ― reasonably ― as too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan , told HuffPost in an email .
“ I think this is one important point of departure from many of the social justice protests over the summer , in which it seems that these types of precautions were more common , though of course not universal , ” Zelner added .
The Stanford findings appeared to back up comments from at least one Oklahoma health official who suggested that the president ’ s rally contributed to a spike in COVID-19 cases around Tulsa in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to critics who said the rallies put lives unnecessarily at risk , Trump campaign officials said they took precautions before and during the events , including taking temperatures and providing hand sanitizer .
The U.S. neared ― or , by Reuters ’ account , surpassed ― a record high of 100,000 new daily cases this week , and the total number of cases across the country since the start of the pandemic crossed the 9 million mark .
Experts widely believe that cases will rise as Americans spend more time indoors because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @

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A series of rallies held by President Donald Trump over three months this summer functioned as COVID-19 superspreader events, leading to thousands more cases and hundreds more deaths than otherwise would have occurred, Stanford University researchers concluded.
Academics from the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research focused on 18 events between June 20 and Sept. 22 and tracked community spread of the coronavirus up to 10 weeks after the rallies, reasoning that “the effects of a superspreader event may snowball over time.”
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The rallies resulted in more than 30,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 700 deaths, though not necessarily among attendees, the researchers’ working paper published Friday concluded.
“Our analysis strongly supports the warnings and recommendations of public health officials concerning the risk of COVID-19 transmission at large group gatherings, particularly when the degree of compliance with guidelines concerning the use of masks and social distancing is low,” the authors said.
“The communities in which Trump rallies took place paid a high price in terms of disease and death,” they concluded.
The paper has not yet undergone peer review.
Three of the events ― in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Phoenix; and Henderson, Nevada ― took place indoors; the rest happened outdoors.
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Photos and video from Trump’s events showed that few attendees wore masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Trump has made a point to say “masks are OK,” but he has repeatedly denigrated his Democratic opponent Joe Biden for wearing one, and recently poked fun at an ally, Laura Ingraham, for masking up.
“Another reason these events may be likely to cause significant onward transmission is because the people who attend them are ... less likely to wear masks and to socially distance, and the same is probably more true among their contacts than it is among the friends of people who would decide against attending such an event because they view it ― reasonably ― as too risky,” Prof. Jon Zelner, assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan, told HuffPost in an email.
“I think this is one important point of departure from many of the social justice protests over the summer, in which it seems that these types of precautions were more common, though of course not universal,” Zelner added.
The Stanford findings appeared to back up comments from at least one Oklahoma health official who suggested that the president’s rally contributed to a spike in COVID-19 cases around Tulsa in late June and early July.
Responding to critics who said the rallies put lives unnecessarily at risk, Trump campaign officials said they took precautions before and during the events, including taking temperatures and providing hand sanitizer.
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Such precautions only go so far if people don’t wear masks or maintain social distance, researchers have said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-31--Texas Republicans Ask State's Supreme Court To Throw Out 100,000 Cast Ballots

Texas Republicans asked the state ’ s Supreme Court to throw out more than 100,000 ballots that have already been cast just days before the next U.S. presidential election .
A lawsuit filed earlier this week by two GOP candidates and a Republican member of the Texas House asked the Texas Supreme Court to throw out drive-thru ballots , arguing such voting was illegal .
The case is currently being handled by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston .
The lawsuit could jeopardize the votes of more than 115,000 voters in Harris County , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported .
The all-Republican Texas Supreme Court already smacked down multiple attempts to stop citizens from drive-thru voting .
The new complaint seeks to invalidate votes that have already been cast .
“ Allowing an illegal voting scheme that invites corruption and fraud is tantamount to voter suppression because legal votes will be nullified by illegal votes , ” the lawsuit , filed in part by Republican state Rep. Steve Toth , said .
The lawsuit argued that drive-thru voting goes beyond what the Texas election code permits for curbside voting because the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” do not include drive-thru voting during a pandemic .
“ Despite the fact that the Texas Election Code restricts curbside voting to specific and narrowly defined categories of voters Defendant — using the COVID-19 pandemic as his pretext — is permitting any and all Harris County registered voters to vote curbside or drive-thru and vote in violation of the Texas Election Code , ” the lawsuit argued .
Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins , named as the defendant in the lawsuit , said the plan was legal and approved by the Texas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll keep saying it : Drive-Thru Voting is safe , completely legal and the plan was approved by the Secretary of State .
Every vote cast by registered voters will be counted , ” Hollins tweeted Wednesday .
The push to invalidate the ballots ― in a state and county that have seen record-breaking turnout of early voters ― is especially alarming given that conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito , Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas signaled earlier this week that they may favor throwing out some ballots after the election .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ They are a disgrace to our state and our country , ” Rahman told the publication .
“ They are so afraid of losing this election because Texans are rising up.
” Austin lawyer C. Robert Heath argued in a memo prepared for Harris County that the purpose of state voting laws is to preserve the right to vote , not take it away .
“ If a court or other authority were to decide to invalidate those votes , it would require ignoring or overruling more than a century of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The case now goes before conservative Judge Andrew Hanen of the U.S. District Court , who scheduled an emergency hearing for Monday morning , Slate courts reporter Mark Stern tweeted Saturday .

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Texas Republicans asked the state’s Supreme Court to throw out more than 100,000 ballots that have already been cast just days before the next U.S. presidential election.
A lawsuit filed earlier this week by two GOP candidates and a Republican member of the Texas House asked the Texas Supreme Court to throw out drive-thru ballots, arguing such voting was illegal. The case is currently being handled by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston.
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The lawsuit could jeopardize the votes of more than 115,000 voters in Harris County, which includes Houston, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
The all-Republican Texas Supreme Court already smacked down multiple attempts to stop citizens from drive-thru voting. The new complaint seeks to invalidate votes that have already been cast.
“Allowing an illegal voting scheme that invites corruption and fraud is tantamount to voter suppression because legal votes will be nullified by illegal votes,” the lawsuit, filed in part by Republican state Rep. Steve Toth, said.
The lawsuit argued that drive-thru voting goes beyond what the Texas election code permits for curbside voting because the code’s “narrowly defined categories” do not include drive-thru voting during a pandemic.
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“Despite the fact that the Texas Election Code restricts curbside voting to specific and narrowly defined categories of voters Defendant — using the COVID-19 pandemic as his pretext — is permitting any and all Harris County registered voters to vote curbside or drive-thru and vote in violation of the Texas Election Code,” the lawsuit argued.
The lawsuit added that 100,000 “illegal drive-thru votes” had already been cast.
Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins, named as the defendant in the lawsuit, said the plan was legal and approved by the Texas Secretary of State.
“We’ll keep saying it: Drive-Thru Voting is safe, completely legal and the plan was approved by the Secretary of State. Every vote cast by registered voters will be counted,” Hollins tweeted Wednesday.
We'll keep saying it: Drive-Thru Voting is safe, completely legal, and the plan was approved by the Secretary of State. Every vote cast by registered voters will be counted. #HarrisVotes https://t.co/abpok6oU2D — Harris County Clerk (@HarrisVotes) October 28, 2020
The push to invalidate the ballots ― in a state and county that have seen record-breaking turnout of early voters ― is especially alarming given that conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas signaled earlier this week that they may favor throwing out some ballots after the election. Justice Brett Kavanaugh issued a similar opinion.
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Abhi Rahman, a spokesman for the Texas Democratic Party, told the American-Statesman that this week’s petition was filed by “cowards.”
“They are a disgrace to our state and our country,” Rahman told the publication. “They are so afraid of losing this election because Texans are rising up.”
Austin lawyer C. Robert Heath argued in a memo prepared for Harris County that the purpose of state voting laws is to preserve the right to vote, not take it away.
“If a court or other authority were to decide to invalidate those votes, it would require ignoring or overruling more than a century of Texas law,” Heath said.
The case now goes before conservative Judge Andrew Hanen of the U.S. District Court, who scheduled an emergency hearing for Monday morning, Slate courts reporter Mark Stern tweeted Saturday.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-31--Mark Meadows Accused Of Blowing Campaign Cash On Clubs, Cupcakes And Trump Hotel

A watchdog group filed a complaint on Friday against President Donald Trump ’ s chief of staff , Mark Meadows , accusing him of spending tens of thousands of dollars of campaign funds on clubs , gourmet cupcakes , a jeweler and Trump hotels .
Meadows , a former congressman from North Carolina , announced last year that he would not run for reelection .
But his campaign committee , Meadows for Congress , reportedly continued racking up expenses , including at the Trump International Hotel and its in-house restaurant , BLT Prime .
Other payments went to grocery stores @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , D.C. , according to the complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington .
The complaint was apparently sparked by an investigation by Salon , which also found that Meadows ’ campaign dropped $ 2,650 at a Washington jewelry store the day Meadows officially resigned from Congress to become Trump ’ s chief of staff .
It also paid out more than $ 5,800 to a campaign aide in “ field representative ” mileage long after Meadows ’ campaign had stopped existing .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Meadows ’ chosen successor , Lynda Bennett ( a friend of his wife ’ s ) , was traveling around the state in what was ultimately a failed campaign .
The “ alignment of expenditures , ” the complaint states , makes them “ unlikely to be legitimate campaign expenses , ” and raises “ serious questions about whether Meadows and Meadows for Congress violated legal prohibitions against converting campaign funds for personal use.
” The complaint called for an “ immediate investigation , ” and possible referral to the Justice Department for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not immediately respond to HuffPost ’ s request for comment .

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Meadows, a former congressman from North Carolina, announced last year that he would not run for reelection. But his campaign committee, Meadows for Congress, reportedly continued racking up expenses, including at the Trump International Hotel and its in-house restaurant, BLT Prime. Other payments went to grocery stores and the Lavender Moon Cupcakery in Washington, D.C., according to the complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
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The complaint was apparently sparked by an investigation by Salon, which also found that Meadows’ campaign dropped $2,650 at a Washington jewelry store the day Meadows officially resigned from Congress to become Trump’s chief of staff.
It also paid out more than $5,800 to a campaign aide in “field representative” mileage long after Meadows’ campaign had stopped existing. At the time the expenses were charged, Meadows’ chosen successor, Lynda Bennett (a friend of his wife’s), was traveling around the state in what was ultimately a failed campaign.
The “alignment of expenditures,” the complaint states, makes them “unlikely to be legitimate campaign expenses,” and raises “serious questions about whether Meadows and Meadows for Congress violated legal prohibitions against converting campaign funds for personal use.”
The complaint called for an “immediate investigation,” and possible referral to the Justice Department for criminal charges.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-31--The Road To 270: Biden Has Options, Trump Walks A Narrower Path

The former vice president is competitive in all the battleground states Trump carried in 2016 and has put a handful of traditionally Republican states , including Georgia and Arizona , in play .
That has Trump scrambling to defend a wide swath of territory and putting the incumbent ’ s hopes for reelection on two of the most populous swing states , Florida and Pennsylvania .
Those states were carried by Democrats for decades before 2016 .
They would give Biden 279 electoral votes , as long as he wins all the other states in Clinton ’ s column .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to win any other states Trump won in 2016 .
The fiercest struggle among the three is in Pennsylvania .
Biden has had a slight advantage in most polls , while some suggest Trump remains within striking distance .
Biden , who was born in Scranton , claims some favorite-son status in the state .
Trump ’ s hopes have been boosted by Biden ’ s recent call for phasing out fossil fuels , though Biden has said he would not ban fracking .
The Arizona alternative supposes , as most of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he also wins Nevada , last carried by a Republican in 2004 .
Trump has campaigned in the state , though Democrats say they are comfortable with their prospects there .
The race for North Carolina appears tighter , but there is recent precedent for a Democrat carrying the state .
In 2008 , Barack Obama was the first Democrat to take it in 32 years .
Although he narrowly lost there in 2012 , as did Clinton in 2016 , waves of college-educated newcomers are swelling its booming suburbs , a boost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made two stops in Georgia this past this week and on Friday had his first fall campaign visit to Iowa .
He ’ s spent almost $ 5 million but hasn ’ t visited Iowa since the state ’ s caucuses in February .
Biden has campaigned lightly in Ohio but has spent almost $ 7 million in advertising .
Surveys and operatives in both parties said the two states were very close heading into the campaign ’ s final weekend .
There ’ s one more big prize on the table : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state for years , but this is the first year in decades where it may really be within reach for the party .
His stop Thursday was in swing-voting Hillsborough County , where Clinton beat him by about 41,000 votes .
Hillsborough is next to — and shares a media market with — Pinellas County , the most populous county in the state to flip from Democratic in 2012 to Republican in 2016 .
Trump won some counties in the surrounding area by more than 60 % of the vote , and his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the score with first-time and less regular voters in these places .
The president is wagering much on Pennsylvania as the best chance of moving within striking distance of that threshold .
After a trio of rallies this past week , Trump was set to hold four more in the state on Saturday .
Among his upcoming stops : Bucks County .
It was once Philadelphia ’ s most GOP-heavy suburb but has been trending Democratic and is an example of the obstacles Trump is facing .
He lost the county by less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has seen his standing in the suburbs steadily erode since then .

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden each have a path to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House. Biden’s is appreciably wider.
The former vice president is competitive in all the battleground states Trump carried in 2016 and has put a handful of traditionally Republican states, including Georgia and Arizona, in play. That has Trump scrambling to defend a wide swath of territory and putting the incumbent’s hopes for reelection on two of the most populous swing states, Florida and Pennsylvania.
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A look at the most likely roads to victory:
BIDEN
TRUE NORTH
Biden can win an electoral majority most simply by carrying the three states where Trump stunned Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016: Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Those states were carried by Democrats for decades before 2016. They would give Biden 279 electoral votes, as long as he wins all the other states in Clinton’s column. Under this scenario, Biden would not need to win any other states Trump won in 2016.
The three northern industrial states have been Biden’s sharpest target for advertising dollars. He spent almost $150 million — 30% of his total national ad spending since June — in the three, according to Kantar/CMAG’s review for The Associated Press.
The fiercest struggle among the three is in Pennsylvania. Biden has had a slight advantage in most polls, while some suggest Trump remains within striking distance. Biden, who was born in Scranton, claims some favorite-son status in the state. Trump’s hopes have been boosted by Biden’s recent call for phasing out fossil fuels, though Biden has said he would not ban fracking.
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SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST
If Biden loses Pennsylvania, it would require him to find 11 electoral votes elsewhere.
Once reliably Republican Arizona, offering exactly 11, and North Carolina, with 15, are states Trump won four years ago that are well within Biden’s reach.
Democrats are particularly bullish about Arizona, last carried by a Democrat in 1996. Trump won the state in 2016 by 3.5 percentage points, the smallest margin in 20 years, and this year, the Democrats’ Senate candidate, former astronaut Mark Kelly, is running a strong race.
The Arizona alternative supposes, as most of Biden’s paths do, that he also wins Nevada, last carried by a Republican in 2004. Trump has campaigned in the state, though Democrats say they are comfortable with their prospects there.
The race for North Carolina appears tighter, but there is recent precedent for a Democrat carrying the state. In 2008, Barack Obama was the first Democrat to take it in 32 years. Although he narrowly lost there in 2012, as did Clinton in 2016, waves of college-educated newcomers are swelling its booming suburbs, a boost to Biden’s chances.
THE REST IS EXTRA
There’s another scenario for Biden: a more comfortable Electoral College victory.
Should Biden win Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and either Arizona and North Carolina, he would capture at least 290 electoral votes.
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He’s also competing for Ohio, which Trump won by 8 percentage points in 2016; Iowa, which Trump won by nearly 10 percentage points; and Georgia, which Trump carried by 5 percentage points. Victories in those states would boost Biden’s electoral total above 300.
Biden made two stops in Georgia this past this week and on Friday had his first fall campaign visit to Iowa. He’s spent almost $5 million but hasn’t visited Iowa since the state’s caucuses in February. Biden has campaigned lightly in Ohio but has spent almost $7 million in advertising. Surveys and operatives in both parties said the two states were very close heading into the campaign’s final weekend.
Oh, and remember Florida? The perennial battleground offers 29 electoral votes and is, per usual, exceedingly close.
There’s one more big prize on the table: Texas. Democrats have been eyeing the state for years, but this is the first year in decades where it may really be within reach for the party.
The state’s new battleground status highlights not just Trump’s struggles in the suburbs, which are booming outside Texas’ major cities, but also his weaknesses in nearly every state with a diverse electorate.
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“Biden has more of an opportunity to win by a larger electoral number than Trump does,” said Republican pollster Glen Bolger, who is surveying in several battleground states but not for Trump’s campaign. “It doesn’t mean Trump can’t win.”
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TRUMP
FLORIDA OR BUST
Trump almost certainly cannot reach 270 electoral votes without carrying Florida, where polls show a tight race. Some have suggested a slight Biden advantage.
Trump’s rally Thursday in Florida was his third campaign trip to the state this month, underscoring why Florida is so important to his reelection. He plans to return before Tuesday’s election.
His stop Thursday was in swing-voting Hillsborough County, where Clinton beat him by about 41,000 votes. Hillsborough is next to — and shares a media market with — Pinellas County, the most populous county in the state to flip from Democratic in 2012 to Republican in 2016.
Trump won some counties in the surrounding area by more than 60% of the vote, and his campaign hopes it can further run up the score with first-time and less regular voters in these places.
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Trump planned to accompany first lady Melania Trump when she votes Tuesday near Palm Beach County. The Trumps moved their residence from reliably Democratic New York to Florida last year.
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PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE
Even if Trump nets Florida and holds battlegrounds he won in the South and Southwest, he would still be short of 270 electoral votes.
The president is wagering much on Pennsylvania as the best chance of moving within striking distance of that threshold. After a trio of rallies this past week, Trump was set to hold four more in the state on Saturday.
He’s been making stops across Pennsylvania, from counties outside Philadelphia, the largest metro area, to the rural northwest corner of the state.
Among his upcoming stops: Bucks County. It was once Philadelphia’s most GOP-heavy suburb but has been trending Democratic and is an example of the obstacles Trump is facing. He lost the county by less than 2 percentage points in 2016 and has seen his standing in the suburbs steadily erode since then.
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Trump’s argument to Pennsylvania voters was recharged after Biden, during their Oct. 22 debate, called for phasing out fossil fuels. That created an opportunity for Trump in a state with a robust natural gas industry.
“Biden’s plan to abolish the entire U.S. oil industry — you saw that?” Trump noted at a rally last week in Lansing, Michigan, recalling Biden’s call for phasing renewable fuels in and fossil fuels out over time. “Will cripple our nation and send us into an absolute deep depression.”
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THE REST ISN’T THE BEST
Even if Trump wins Florida and Pennsylvania, he would still be short of the magic number if he can’t carry most of the states he won in 2016.
He could nose ahead in Ohio, long one of his strongest states, but would still need to cobble together a series of states he won in 2016, such as Iowa, and some he lost narrowly and continues to trail.
That more complicated path would include flipping Minnesota, Nevada and New Hampshire. That, however, would defy political logic for an incumbent to lose in places won four years ago and win in places lost back then.
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Grasping for every vote he can, Trump has even campaigned in Maine and Nebraska, where electoral votes are awarded by congressional district and to the overall state winner. A week ago, Trump was in Levant, Maine, near the hub of the state’s GOP leaning north, Bangor, hoping to hold the single electoral vote in its 2nd District, and in Omaha, Nebraska, on Tuesday, hoping to hold that metropolitan district’s single vote.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-31--Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Slams 'Spinelessness' Of Trump Acolyte Lindsey Graham

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-N.Y. ) on Friday slammed the “ spinelessness ” of embattled Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-S.C. ) , tweeting that he was “ at the top when it comes to folding on your own values like a wet napkin.
” Ocasio-Cortez hit back at Graham ― who was a fierce critic of Donald Trump before the 2016 election , and has become a staunch supporter ever since ― after he suggested during his final debate against Democratic candidate Jaime Harrison that his rival would go “ down the AOC road ” on climate policy and destroy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record , does not support Ocasio-Cortez ’ s Green New Deal .
The New York Democrat pulled no punches with her response to Graham , writing : .
@ LindseyGrahamSC I ’ m not sure you believe in *anything* except preserving yourself .
& let ’ s not get started on your climate denial .
I ’ ve seen a lot of spinelessness in DC , but you ’ re at the top when it comes to folding on your own values like a wet napkin .
SC deserves better .
https : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) October 31 , 2020 Ocasio-Cortez has clashed with Graham , who polls suggest is locked in a tight race to retain his seat , on multiple previous occasions .
Most notably , Graham ramped up the rhetoric against Ocasio-Cortez in 2019 when he described her and other progressive lawmakers as “ anti-America ” communists .
Ocasio-Cortez at the time said Graham ’ s “ biggest issue ” with Trump ’ s racism was that “ it doesn ’ t go far enough.
” I see @ LindseyGrahamSC ’ s biggest issue w/ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t go far enough - Graham wants to bring back 1950s McCarthyism , too .
GOP is doing this because they have no plan for our future .
We ’ re the ones fighting for healthcare , edu , good jobs , & they got nothing .
https : //t.co/pfAEATWbJl — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( @ AOC ) July 15 , 2019

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Friday slammed the “spinelessness” of embattled Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), tweeting that he was “at the top when it comes to folding on your own values like a wet napkin.”
Ocasio-Cortez hit back at Graham ― who was a fierce critic of Donald Trump before the 2016 election, and has become a staunch supporter ever since ― after he suggested during his final debate against Democratic candidate Jaime Harrison that his rival would go “down the AOC road” on climate policy and destroy the economy.
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Harrison, for the record, does not support Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal.
The New York Democrat pulled no punches with her response to Graham, writing:
.@LindseyGrahamSC I’m not sure you believe in *anything* except preserving yourself. & let’s not get started on your climate denial.
I’ve seen a lot of spinelessness in DC, but you’re at the top when it comes to folding on your own values like a wet napkin.
SC deserves better. https://t.co/daiXUObkTX — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 31, 2020
Ocasio-Cortez has clashed with Graham, who polls suggest is locked in a tight race to retain his seat, on multiple previous occasions.
Most notably, Graham ramped up the rhetoric against Ocasio-Cortez in 2019 when he described her and other progressive lawmakers as “anti-America” communists. Ocasio-Cortez at the time said Graham’s “biggest issue” with Trump’s racism was that “it doesn’t go far enough.”
I see @LindseyGrahamSC’s biggest issue w/ Trump’s racism is that it doesn’t go far enough - Graham wants to bring back 1950s McCarthyism, too.
GOP is doing this because they have no plan for our future.
We’re the ones fighting for healthcare, edu, good jobs, & they got nothing. https://t.co/pfAEATWbJl — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 15, 2019


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-31--Trump Supporters Swarm Biden Campaign Bus On Texas Highway

Supporters of President Donald Trump used their personal vehicles — decked out with campaign gear — to swarm a stretch of highway outside Austin , Texas , Friday in an apparent attempt to bully a Biden-Harris campaign bus and drive Democratic activists off the road .
Photos and video of the incident from different angles showed a line of pickup trucks waving Trump 2020 flags pull onto the left shoulder of Interstate Highway 35 as the bus approached .
Other images appeared to show the same vehicles surround the bus , box it in and force it to reduce its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went so far as to hit a white SUV driven by a Democratic campaign staffer , Katie Naranjo , chair of the Travis County Democratic Party , said in a tweet that included a photo of the scuffed and dented vehicle .
A white hearse was also reportedly seen among the vehicles as part of the Trump caravan .
Armed Trump trolls harassing Biden Bus on I-35 , ramming volunteer vehicles & blocking traffic for 40 mins .
Eric Trump took to FB to incite this violence .
At least the Trump hearse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have died due to his incompetence .
# VoteHimOut pic.twitter.com/vUyhhKyceo — Rafael Anchía ( @ RafaelAnchia ) October 30 , 2020 A rally planned for later in the afternoon was canceled due to the safety threat posed by the Trump gang , Naranjo and Democratic Texas state Rep. Sheryl Cole both said in social media posts .
Speakers were to include U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett , Austin Mayor Steve Adler and former U.S. Rep. Wendy Davis , who is running for Congress again this term .
But Texas Democrats said in a statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ canceled so as not to divert attention from Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris , who was speaking elsewhere in the state .
The campaign of Joe Biden did not immediately respond to a HuffPost request for clarification Saturday .
CBS Austin reporters witnessed Trump supporters confront the Biden campaign bus at another point Friday afternoon , this time in a parking lot where they waved signs accusing the Biden family of being communists .
Reporter Jordan Bontke said a group of Trump supporters then “ scrambled to their trucks ” to follow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gaggles of Trump supporters ― some with truck details showing support for the conspiracy theory QAnon ― follow the Biden bus around Texas earlier in the week .
The incidents are not isolated .
Voters across the country have reported seeing crowds and caravans of Trump supporters honking , jeering and waving flags near polling places as early voting began .
One video posted to social media purported to show police in Fort Worth , Texas , accompany Trump supporters Friday as they sidled up to a polling place in a predominantly Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the video ’ s content .

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Supporters of President Donald Trump used their personal vehicles — decked out with campaign gear — to swarm a stretch of highway outside Austin, Texas, Friday in an apparent attempt to bully a Biden-Harris campaign bus and drive Democratic activists off the road.
Trump applauded the dangerous stunt in a tweet on Saturday, gushing “I LOVE TEXAS!”
Photos and video of the incident from different angles showed a line of pickup trucks waving Trump 2020 flags pull onto the left shoulder of Interstate Highway 35 as the bus approached. Other images appeared to show the same vehicles surround the bus, box it in and force it to reduce its speed.
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Today, @realDonaldTrump supporters followed the Biden bus throughout central Texas to intimidate Biden supporters. They ran into a person's car, yelling curse words and threats. Don't let bullies win, vote. pic.twitter.com/CIyEWwbvqU — Katie Naranjo (@KatieNaranjo) October 30, 2020
One of the Trump supporters went so far as to hit a white SUV driven by a Democratic campaign staffer, Katie Naranjo, chair of the Travis County Democratic Party, said in a tweet that included a photo of the scuffed and dented vehicle. No injuries were reported.
“They ran into a person’s car, yelling curse words and threats,” Naranjo wrote.
She added: “Don’t let bullies win, vote.”
Others, such as Texas state Rep. Rafael Anchia, alleged that the Trump supporters carried guns.
A white hearse was also reportedly seen among the vehicles as part of the Trump caravan.
Armed Trump trolls harassing Biden Bus on I-35, ramming volunteer vehicles & blocking traffic for 40 mins. Eric Trump took to FB to incite this violence.
At least the Trump hearse is appropriate given the 200K+ Americans who have died due to his incompetence. #VoteHimOut pic.twitter.com/vUyhhKyceo — Rafael Anchía (@RafaelAnchia) October 30, 2020
A rally planned for later in the afternoon was canceled due to the safety threat posed by the Trump gang, Naranjo and Democratic Texas state Rep. Sheryl Cole both said in social media posts. The decision was made out of an abundance of caution in the face of the Trump supporters’ aggression. Law enforcement assisted the Biden bus when it arrived at its destination to ensure passengers’ safety.
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Speakers at the event were to include U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Austin Mayor Steve Adler and former U.S. Rep. Wendy Davis, who is running for Congress again this term.
Texas Democrats, however, said in a statement to CBS Austin that the event was canceled so as not to divert attention from Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, who was speaking elsewhere in the state.
I flew down to Texas to help with the Biden/Harris bus tour, intended to drum up enthusiasm at polling locations. Instead, I ended up spending the afternoon calling 911. 1/ pic.twitter.com/gKAjv7gv85 — Dr. Eric Cervini (@ericcervini) October 31, 2020
CBS Austin reporters witnessed Trump supporters confront the Biden campaign bus at another point Friday afternoon, this time in a parking lot where they waved signs accusing the Biden family of being communists. Reporter Jordan Bontke said a group of Trump supporters then “scrambled to their trucks” to follow the bus.
Local reporters also captured gaggles of Trump supporters ― some with truck details showing support for the conspiracy theory QAnon ― follow the Biden bus around Texas earlier in the week.
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As the Biden bus rolled down 11th street toward I-35, Trump supporters scrambled to their trucks to follow it. @cbsaustin pic.twitter.com/idnbDqFU3L — Jordan Bontke (@JBontkeCBS) October 30, 2020
The incidents are not isolated. Voters across the country have reported seeing crowds and caravans of Trump supporters honking, jeering and waving flags near polling places as early voting began.
(State and local laws vary on how close such activity can be to polling places or what constitutes illegal voter intimidation.)


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-31--North Carolina Deputies Pepper-Spray Demonstrators Marching To Polls

In a startling scene Saturday , North Carolina sheriff ’ s deputies and local police pepper-sprayed a group of mostly Black demonstrators , including young children , who were marching to the polls to vote .
State Attorney General Josh Stein fired off a statement soon after , warning that voters have a “ constitutional right to cast their vote safely and securely , without threats or intimidation.
” My statement on today ’ s incident in Graham , NC : All eligible voters in North Carolina have a constitutional right to cast their vote safely and securely , without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s troubling events in Alamance County , I went to the courthouse in Graham ... 1/ — Josh Stein ( @ JoshStein_ ) October 31 , 2020 About 200 people participated in the “ I Am Change ” march from a church to the polls to encourage people to vote in the town of Graham in Alamance County .
It was organized by a local pastor and included the mayor of nearby Burlington .
After the crowd took a knee in the street for 8 minutes of silence to remember Minneapolis police victim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disperse and began arresting people and pelting them with pepper spray , reported The Raleigh News & Observer .
Police also reportedly used pepper spray at other points in the march .
At least three children became ill from the spray , according to the newspaper .
The deputies also dismantled a sound system set up for speakers in the courthouse square as part of the demonstration .
UPDATED : “ Melanie Mitchell said her 5- and 11-year-old daughters were pepper-sprayed just after the moment of silence .
She said Graham police approached @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and soon began spraying pepper spray .
...
Both kids threw up.
” https : //t.co/bXCdqK2LFp — Robyn Tomlin ❤📰 ( @ robyntomlin ) October 31 , 2020 The Alamance County Sheriff ’ s Office issued a statement on Twitter saying that “ unfortunately the rally in Graham ended due to concerns for the safety of all.
” The Graham Police Department issued a lengthy statement saying that organizers failed to get a road closure permit for the 8 minutes of silence , and that police aimed “ pepper based vapor ” toward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ ve never seen anything like it , ” marcher Faith Hill told The News & Observer .
“ I think it was their intention , from the moment this march was announced , that we don ’ t get to the polls in numbers.
” Democratic congressional candidate Scott Huffman , who participated in the march , railed against the police action in a Twitter video , his eyes still smarting from the pepper spray .
Veronica Holman said her 3-year-old great-nephew threw up after being pepper-sprayed as they sat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ They didn ’ t warn us or anything , ” she told The News & Obsderver .
“ We were just sitting on the wall.
” Stein tweeted later Saturday that the situation had calmed down , and that everyone who wanted to vote apparently managed to do so .
He said he had “ reached out ” to the Alamance County Sheriff ’ s Office .
... and all is calm now .
I reached out to the State Board of Elections and was informed that the events appear not to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ location .
The site there was calm , and the voters got in line and voted .
2/ — Josh Stein ( @ JoshStein_ ) October 31 , 2020 “ We ’ re still gathering information but it appears that voting has continued and hasn ’ t been interrupted , ” said Patrick Gannon , spokesman for the State Board of Elections .
“ This is a non-partisan march , ” key organizer Rev .
Gregory Drumwright said earlier this month when announcing event .
“ This march is encouraging people to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
”

In a startling scene Saturday, North Carolina sheriff’s deputies and local police pepper-sprayed a group of mostly Black demonstrators, including young children, who were marching to the polls to vote.
State Attorney General Josh Stein fired off a statement soon after, warning that voters have a “constitutional right to cast their vote safely and securely, without threats or intimidation.”
My statement on today’s incident in Graham, NC:
All eligible voters in North Carolina have a constitutional right to cast their vote safely and securely, without threats or intimidation. After today’s troubling events in Alamance County, I went to the courthouse in Graham ... 1/ — Josh Stein (@JoshStein_) October 31, 2020
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About 200 people participated in the “I Am Change” march from a church to the polls to encourage people to vote in the town of Graham in Alamance County. It was organized by a local pastor and included the mayor of nearby Burlington.
After the crowd took a knee in the street for 8 minutes of silence to remember Minneapolis police victim George Floyd, deputies ordered them to disperse and began arresting people and pelting them with pepper spray, reported The Raleigh News & Observer. Police also reportedly used pepper spray at other points in the march.
At least three children became ill from the spray, according to the newspaper.
The deputies also dismantled a sound system set up for speakers in the courthouse square as part of the demonstration.
UPDATED: “Melanie Mitchell said her 5- and 11-year-old daughters were pepper-sprayed just after the moment of silence. She said Graham police approached the crowd assembled in the street ... and soon began spraying pepper spray. ... Both kids threw up.” https://t.co/bXCdqK2LFp — Robyn Tomlin ❤📰 (@robyntomlin) October 31, 2020
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The Alamance County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement on Twitter saying that “unfortunately the rally in Graham ended due to concerns for the safety of all.”
The Graham Police Department issued a lengthy statement saying that organizers failed to get a road closure permit for the 8 minutes of silence, and that police aimed “pepper based vapor” toward the ground to disperse the crowd.
Unfortunately the rally in Graham ended due to concerns for the safety of all. — Alamance County Sheriff's Office (@SheriffAlamance) October 31, 2020
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” marcher Faith Hill told The News & Observer. “I think it was their intention, from the moment this march was announced, that we don’t get to the polls in numbers.”
Democratic congressional candidate Scott Huffman, who participated in the march, railed against the police action in a Twitter video, his eyes still smarting from the pepper spray.
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Peaceful protests for Souls to the Polls & Black Lives Matter turned violent because law enforcement tried to take the sound equipment. Proper permits were issued #BLM #SoulsToThePolls pic.twitter.com/wJlqH3ZNaN — Scott Huffman For Congress (@HuffmanForNC) October 31, 2020
Veronica Holman said her 3-year-old great-nephew threw up after being pepper-sprayed as they sat across the street from the courthouse. “They didn’t warn us or anything,” she told The News & Obsderver. “We were just sitting on the wall.”
Twelve people were reportedly arrested, including a journalist and and a campaign manager for a county commissioner candidate.
It was the last day of early voting.
Stein tweeted later Saturday that the situation had calmed down, and that everyone who wanted to vote apparently managed to do so. He said he had “reached out” to the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office.
... and all is calm now. I reached out to the State Board of Elections and was informed that the events appear not to have impacted voting at the early voting location. The site there was calm, and the voters got in line and voted. 2/ — Josh Stein (@JoshStein_) October 31, 2020
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“We’re still gathering information but it appears that voting has continued and hasn’t been interrupted,” said Patrick Gannon, spokesman for the State Board of Elections.
“This is a non-partisan march,” key organizer Rev. Gregory Drumwright said earlier this month when announcing event. “This march is encouraging people to go to the polls and vote for change.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-31--Gretchen Whitmer's Fight In Michigan Could Be The Democratic Party's Future

Since then Michigan ’ s COVID-19 numbers have risen dramatically , as they have throughout the Midwest and just as @ @ @ @ @ they would .
Rather than reconsider his position , Shirkey has adopted the Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ Nobody should be misled here or of the opinion that you can keep it from @ @ @ @ @ two weeks ago .
“ I ’ m also a big believer that there ’ @ @ @ @ @ immunity that needs to take place.
” The Future Of Majority Rule In Michigan — @ @ @ @

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President Donald Trump loves attacking Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and one of his favorite insults is that she’s alienated her constituents with her aggressive COVID-19 response. “They’re not liking her so much because she’s got everybody locked down,” he said last week on his CBS “60 Minutes” interview.
The reality in Michigan looks rather different.
Whitmer’s stay-at-home orders expired early in the summer and, since then, life has been carrying on as much as it is in any other part of the country. Stores are serving customers, schools are open where districts have approved. Even college football is back on, albeit without the marching bands or spectators in the stands.
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As for Whitmer’s standing with the public, approval of her overall job performance in a WDIV/Detroit News poll out this week was 59%, and approval of her COVID-19 response specifically was at 61%. Trump, by contrast, got just 44% for overall job performance rating and 39% on COVID-19. The numbers have been like that for months.
But Whitmer’s ability to keep doing her job is in jeopardy right now, thanks to Republicans who control the heavily gerrymandered state legislature and conservative judges who control the state Supreme Court. On Oct. 2, those judges struck down the law on which Whitmer had relied most heavily for her emergency orders, making it more difficult for her to respond to the pandemic even as as COVID-19 cases are surging again.
This inability to govern despite majority support should sound quite familiar, because it is the underlying story of national politics today ― and the situation Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is likely to face in January should he win on Tuesday.
Even if Democrats also take the Senate, Republicans will be able to use the filibuster to block legislation. And with Justice Amy Coney Barrett now on the Supreme Court, a 6-3 conservative majority will be able to undermine whatever Biden manages to get through the congressional gauntlet.
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It doesn’t have to be this way, of course. There’s lots of talk about ending the filibuster, finding some way to balance the Supreme Court and taking other steps to break down the barriers to majority rule that have accumulated in the last few decades. But plenty of Democratic officials seem skittish, unconvinced such drastic measures are necessary.
They should take a closer look at what’s been happening in Michigan.
Whitmer’s COVID-19 Response And The Backlash
It’s easy to forget that Whitmer was, if anything, hesitant to act at the very beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. In early March, when cases were popping up in other parts of the country, she declined to issue early restrictions on mass gatherings when Democratic presidential candidates were holding rallies in the state for its presidential primary.
Then Michigan got its first cases and, within weeks, the state was in a full-blown crisis, with Detroit-area hospitals nearly overrun. Whitmer took dramatic action to shut down the state, closing businesses and schools, banning large gatherings and issuing a blanket stay-at-home order.
Cases, hospitalizations and deaths plummeted, as data showed an unusually sharp drop in activity and mobility ― exactly what public health experts said was necessary to deter the spread of the virus. One study, from researchers at the Imperial College of London and Oxford University, suggested the combination of Whitmer’s order and compliance from most Michiganders saved thousands of lives and maybe tens of thousands.
The voters appear to have noticed. Even if they didn’t agree with every decision, they saw her scrambling to get protective gear when the Trump administration didn’t, making it easier for Michiganders to get unemployment benefits and, above all, listening to the scientists. Her approval ratings actually rose from where they had been before the pandemic.
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Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden should pay close attention to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the opposition she's facing from the Republican-controlled state legislature and courts. JIM WATSON via Getty Images
But there were dissenters, and they made a lot of noise. Protesters started showing up in Lansing, many of them taking advantage of open-carry laws, to decry Whitmer’s “tyranny.” In late April, a group entered the capitol building, screaming at guards and potentially spewing the virus, and then took up position in the visitor’s gallery.
Some of those protesters got a visit from Mike Shirkey, who is leader of the state Senate Republicans and was an early critic of Whitmer’s actions. At another rally, in May, Shirkey addressed a group of the self-described “Michigan Militia” and, with a Bible in one hand and a copy of the Constitution in the other.
“One book gives us our rights, assigns them to us, is inalienable,” he said, according to a report in The New Yorker. “The other book is supposed to defend our rights.” And then, pointing toward the crowd, including those holding rifles, he said, “That’s when these groups need to stand up and test that assertion of authority by the government. We need you now more than ever.”
Shirkey was careful after these appearances to say he didn’t support violence, just as he denounced the alleged plot to kidnap and execute Whitmer that the FBI foiled earlier this month. But Shirkey has done his part to stoke the underlying anger.
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Back in April, while caseloads were still overwhelming hospitals, Shirkey posted a Facebook message: “OUR Governor IS DESTROYING OUR HEALTH BY KILLING OUR LIVELIHOODS.” A few weeks later, when Whitmer extended her stay-at-home order, he said she was “comfortable being a dictator.”
The arguments got a lot of attention, in part, because they were part of a broader attack from national Republicans, including Trump, who at the time was famously tweeting “LIBERATE MICHIGAN.”
The rhetoric continued through the summer and fall. In early October, Shirkey said it was time for the state to ratchet down its public health measures, even though public health experts were warning that a new, third spike in cases was likely. He also refused to support a mask mandate, another measure that public health officials — and the governor — were advocating.
“We need to now transition from a public health emergency to managing and learning to live with this virus,” he said. “I think we can do that without being under a state of emergency, and that’s my strong, strong feelings.”
Since then Michigan’s COVID-19 numbers have risen dramatically, as they have throughout the Midwest and just as the epidemiologists have been predicting they would. Rather than reconsider his position, Shirkey has adopted the Trump administration’s line: “Nobody should be misled here or of the opinion that you can keep it from spreading,” he said two weeks ago. “I’m also a big believer that there’s an element of herd immunity that needs to take place.”
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That statement drew a sharp rebuke from several of the nation’s top public health experts, who in a joint letter warned that a herd immunity strategy could lead to an additional 30,000 deaths in the state.
Michigan As A Minority-Rule State
Shirkey’s positions are widely shared among Republican officials in Lansing, and amplified in friendly media outlets like the Detroit News editorial page. Sometimes they make nuanced arguments about substance and procedure, or question (as some less partisan observers do) whether Whitmer herself could be doing more to improve her relations with the legislature.
Other times, Michigan conservatives traffic in the same extreme language that Shirkey does. Earlier this year, Nolan Finley, the high-profile conservative editor of the News’ editorial page, accused Whitmer of “turning the state into a dictatorship.”
None of which would matter much if the GOP’s power over state government was proportionate to its support within the state. But thanks to partisan gerrymandering, arguably among the nation’s most extreme, Republicans control both houses of the state legislature despite getting 400,000 fewer votes than Democratic state legislative candidates in 2018.
That 2018 election was the same one that put Whitmer in power, part of a resounding Democratic sweep of statewide positions. And as governor, she was able to veto bills the legislature passed to limit her emergency authority.
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But Republicans and their allies kept at it. They launched a ballot initiative to take away Whitmer’s emergency powers and filed lawsuits. One of those was the case that ended up winning this month at the state Supreme Court, where conservative, GOP-backed judges currently have a four-to-three majority.
“This isn’t politics as usual. This is a massive undemocratic power grab.” - Susan Demas, Michigan Advance
The most important part of that ruling was the finding, by those four conservative justices, that Whitmer couldn’t rely on Michigan’s 1945 emergency powers law because it was unconstitutional. It was a breathtaking act of judicial ambition, in part because the justices relied on some fringy, pre-New Deal legal doctrine ― and in part because they issued the ruling even though the particulars of the case would have made it easy (and, in the minds of many legal scholars, more appropriate) to issue no ruling at all.
The Whitmer administration was ready for the outcome. Robert Gordon, director of Michigan’s department of health and human services, issued a set of parallel orders on masks and other public health measures, relying on his own, separate authority for emergencies. But those orders are also subject to legal challenge, potentially putting their fate back in the hands of the state Supreme Court.
How the court might rule is unclear, especially if a case doesn’t get there for a few months. One of the conservative judges is leaving the bench, creating an opening that the voters get to fill on Tuesday. Candidates for the bench are technically non-partisan, but the parties endorse them and, as things stand, Democratic-backed judge Elizabeth Welch has a good shot at taking the seat, flipping the majority.
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But that all depends on a fair and open election, which has suddenly become an issue of its own. Whitmer and her allies, including Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, urged the legislature to pass a bill allowing early counting of absentee ballots. All they got from the legislature was a compromise bill giving local clerks a 10-hour head start on processing, but not counting, the ballots.
More recently, Benson issued an order banning open carry at polling places, citing the possibility of voter intimidation. A group of sheriffs from more rural parts of the state said they would not enforce the order, while conservative state judges have issued decisions blocking it.
Benson is now appealing their decisions to the state Supreme Court and the case is likely to get fast-track treatment, though given recent history, her chances of prevailing would appear to be slim.
“This isn’t politics as usual,” Susan Demas, longtime political journalist and editor-in-chief of the left-leaning Michigan Advance, wrote last month. “This is a massive undemocratic power grab.”
The Future Of Majority Rule In Michigan — And The U.S.
The 2020 election is likely to be the last for the GOP’s gerrymandered advantage in Michigan’s legislature, as a successful 2018 ballot initiative puts reapportionment in the hands of a nonpartisan commission. That commission is still organizing and faces some legal attacks of its own, but aims to redraw districts in time for 2022.
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COVID-19 will hopefully be long gone by then. But ending the GOP’s artificial lock on the legislature could have dramatic effects on other areas of policymaking. Whitmer ran for office in 2018 on promises to “fix the damn roads” and to increase spending on public education. The legislature has opposed her plans, leaving her to make a significant, but only partial, down payment on her roads plan through executive authority to issue bonds.With a Democratic legislature, her plans would get serious consideration.
It’s that part of the story that should really get the attention of Democrats in Washington. Biden’s policy ambitions include a $2 trillion clean energy investment, nearly another trillion to bolster the Affordable Care Act and get closer to universal health insurance, unprecedented new assistance for child care ― plus, for the short-term, a COVID-19 response that includes a combination of economic relief, widespread testing and reinforcements for the public health system.
Advisers have talked about an “FDR-size” agenda, and that’s not an exaggeration. But it would require FDR-style spending that Republicans in the Senate will oppose and, if they have the filibuster, will be able to block. Other parts of the agenda, including Biden’s pledge to dramatically reduce carbon emissions, would require regulation likely to draw scrutiny from conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Of particular concern is an attempt to stop Congress from giving executive branch agencies leeway over rules and regulations. Such a move would make effective regulation difficult, maybe impossible.
The antiquated theory behind this argument, which conservative Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch outlined in a dissent to a 2019 ruling in Gundy v. U.S., is called “non-delegation doctrine.” That theory happens to be the basis on which the Michigan Supreme Court struck down Whitmer’s emergency declarations.
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“The goal here is pretty obvious,” Nicholas Bagley, a University of Michigan law professor, wrote in The Atlantic. “A revived nondelegation doctrine would give conservatives a useful tool to beat back laws adopted under a Biden administration.”
Bagley went on to warn that Gorsuch had a decent chance of winning over four more conservative justices on this point, especially since Barrett’s presence on the court means he could afford to lose one.
The surest way to fix these kinds of problems is by ending the filibuster and changing the court’s composition some way. The question is whether Democrats have the mettle to do it ― and, more specifically, whether they could get the 50 votes in the Senate they would need. (A simple majority could end the filibuster.)
There are some hopeful signs. Although Biden has talked about his belief that he can win over Republicans, he’s pointedly refused to rule out changes to the filibuster, just as he’s refused to promise that he wouldn’t change the court’s composition.
Meanwhile, even some more moderate and mild-mannered members of the Democratic caucus, like Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Angus King (I-Maine), have said GOP obstruction in Washington ― up to and including the willingness to jam through Barrett’s nomination right before the election ― may require some kind of reaction.
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But even if Democrats win the Senate, they’ll have a thin majority, which means changes to either Senate procedure or the Supreme Court would require the assent of nearly every single member of the caucus. Already, more conservative members like Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Kirsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) have said they are reluctant to do so.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-31--Early Voting Offers Only A Few Clues

Early Voting Offers Only A Few Clues

As of Friday afternoon , 86.8 million people had voted in the presidential election .
That ’ s 63 % of the total who cast ballots in the 2016 race .
Most election experts think the United States will see 150 million to 160 million ballots cast in 2020 , which would mean that we are likely more than halfway through voting .
In one state , Texas , more votes have already been cast than in all of 2016 .
More than 1 out of 4 of all ballots — 27 % — were cast either by new or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s analysis .
Those are voters who have never voted before or voted in fewer than half of the elections in which they were eligible .
It sounds like a big number , but it ’ s not too much greater than in past years .
The Democratic data firm Catalist found that , in 2016 , roughly one-quarter of the electorate didn ’ t vote in the previous presidential election .
“ Democrats are already expanding their electorate , ” said Tom Bonier of the Democratic data firm TargetSmart .
“ That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden — to be taken with the caveat we ’ ve heard a million times before , that we don ’ t know how many other voters will come out on Election Day.
” Biden ’ s fate may be tied to a strong turnout among Black voters in the battleground states .
So far , about 9 % of the early vote has been cast by African-Americans , about on par with the 10 % of the electorate Black voters made up in 2016 , according to a Pew Research estimate of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ young voters are still a larger share of the registered voter population in almost all states than they were in 2016 , according to the Center for Information Research and Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University .
That ’ s a reflection of both population growth and the increased registration that led to 2018 .

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As early voting breaks records across the U.S., political analysts and campaigns are reviewing reams of data on the voters, looking for clues to key questions: Who is voting? And who is winning?
On one level, the answers can be simple. Registered Democrats are outpacing registered Republicans significantly — by 14 percentage points — in states that are reporting voters’ party affiliation, according to an Associated Press analysis of the early vote.
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But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Many Americans’ choices don’t align with their party registration. Meanwhile, polls show Republicans have heeded President Donald Trump’s baseless warnings about mail voting, and large numbers intend to vote on Election Day. That means the early Democratic surge could give way to a Republican surge on Tuesday.
The picture is further clouded by the unprecedented nature of how Americans are voting. While Democrats are hungry for signs that key parts of their coalition — young voters, Black voters, new voters — are engaged, comparisons to 2016 are difficult.
Here’s a closer look at what we know — and don’t know — about early voters:
EARLY VOTING SPIKES
As of Friday afternoon, 86.8 million people had voted in the presidential election. That’s 63% of the total who cast ballots in the 2016 race. Most election experts think the United States will see 150 million to 160 million ballots cast in 2020, which would mean that we are likely more than halfway through voting. In one state, Texas, more votes have already been cast than in all of 2016.
Democrats have a big lead in the early vote over the GOP — 47% to 33% — according to the AP analysis of data from the political data firm L2.
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That doesn’t mean Democrats are going to win. But it does increase the pressure on Republicans to have a similar advantage — or higher — on Election Day.
NEW VOTERS ARE SHOWING UP
The big turnout question in all elections is: Which side is bringing in new voters? The data shows Democrats are accomplishing that — but not necessarily as dramatically as some of the big overall numbers might suggest.
More than 1 out of 4 of all ballots — 27% — were cast either by new or infrequent voters, according to AP’s analysis. Those are voters who have never voted before or voted in fewer than half of the elections in which they were eligible. It sounds like a big number, but it’s not too much greater than in past years. The Democratic data firm Catalist found that, in 2016, roughly one-quarter of the electorate didn’t vote in the previous presidential election.
Still, the number may well grow, as new and infrequent voters tend to vote close to, or on, Election Day. And even small increases in the tight battlegrounds can make a difference.
A rise in that number appears to be good news for Democrats. Forty-three percent of the infrequent and new voters are registered Democrats, compared to a quarter who are Republicans. The remaining third are registered as independents or with a minor party — a group that tends to favor Democratic candidates.
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The voters are clustered in the Sunbelt, particularly in states such as Florida, North Carolina, and especially Texas that Democrats hope to win by mobilizing large chunks of the electorate that sit out most contests.
“Democrats are already expanding their electorate,” said Tom Bonier of the Democratic data firm TargetSmart. “That would certainly appear to be favorable for Biden — to be taken with the caveat we’ve heard a million times before, that we don’t know how many other voters will come out on Election Day.”
BLACK VOTERS HOLDING STEADY
Biden’s fate may be tied to a strong turnout among Black voters in the battleground states. So far, about 9% of the early vote has been cast by African-Americans, about on par with the 10% of the electorate Black voters made up in 2016, according to a Pew Research estimate of voters in that election.
Black voters are tracking closely with their share of the electorate in several battlegrounds. In North Carolina, they are 21% of both all early voters and all registered voters. In Georgia, they make up 30% of the early vote and 32% of registered voters.
A slight drop in Black voter turnout from the elevated numbers of 2008 and 2012 played a role in Democrats’ 2016 loss, and the party and its supporters are watching carefully to see what happens this time.
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The data so far is ambiguous. There’s been a surge in the older African-American vote. Black voters 65 and older are already one of the most reliable voting demographics, but according to TargetSmart data, they have already surpassed their numbers in six key battlegrounds — Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, and Texas.
At the same time, according to data from the Service Employees International Union, younger, less reliable Black voters comprise a larger share of the Black vote right now than in 2016. That’s a sign of greater engagement in the segment of the electorate that dropped off in 2016.
Organizers say Black voters are reeling from the pandemic and economic collapse, which have hit African-Americans hardest, and the country’s racial reckoning. That’s motivating them to overcome persistent obstacles to voting, said Mary Kay Henry, international president of the Service Employees International Union.
“Black and brown communities have faced these multiple crises,” Henry said. That’s stiffened their resolve to vote, she added.
The SEIU union says 3 out of every 4 black voters have not voted yet in Pennsylvania. The union is shifting resources to its Pennsylvania turnout operations because it is concerned Black voters have been slower to return mail ballots.
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DEMOCRATS HOPE FOR BRIGHT SPOT IN YOUNG VOTERS
As of Friday, AP’s analysis showed 11.3% of early votes have been cast by voters between the ages of 18 and 29. That’s up slightly from this point in 2016, when 9.6% of the early vote was cast by people under age 30, according to TargetSmart.
And in the Sunbelt battlegrounds of Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina, young voters are turning out at a hefty rate of 30% or above, according to AP data.
That’s again a good sign for Democrats, but a very preliminary one. Young voters lean Democratic, and when Democrats rush to the polls, it’s not unexpected that their numbers would be higher.
Young voters showed up in never-before-seen levels in 2018, with 36% of those who were eligible participating, according to the U.S. Census. That helped Democrats win control of the House of Representatives.
Young voter advocates were concerned about the pandemic causing a sharp drop in voter registrations among 18- and 19-year-olds who just became eligible to vote.
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However, young voters are still a larger share of the registered voter population in almost all states than they were in 2016, according to the Center for Information Research and Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. That’s a reflection of both population growth and the increased registration that led to 2018.
Michael McDonald, a University of Florida professor who runs the site ElectProject.org and carefully tracks the early vote, cautioned against drawing too many conclusions from changes in the youth vote from 2016. “Youth turnout is up,” he said. “Everything’s up. That’s what happens when you have a high turnout election.”
WILL HIGH TURNOUT SWAY THE OUTCOME?
Republicans argue that predicted record turnout won’t matter much in battleground states.
When all the votes are counted, the Trump campaign predicts that the turnout rate in battleground states in 2020 will be similar to in 2016.
“It is pretty predictable what they’ve brought into the electorate,” Nick Trainer, the Trump campaign’s director of battleground strategy said of Democrats. “We will bring our own new voters into the electorate ourselves, and it will all come out in the washing machine.”
That’s a sharp break from several election experts, who see signs in both the early vote numbers and polls of voter enthusiasm in battlegrounds.
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John Couvillon, a Republican pollster who tracks the early vote, said the Trump campaign is being too dismissive. “I heard the same kind of attitude in 2008 when Republicans were in denial about the impressive early vote turnout Obama was generating,” Couvillon said.
McDonald notes there’s no way to know until Election Day.
However, he noted that, if turnout is low, that’s not necessarily good news for Trump given the big early vote lead that Democrats have banked. It would mean the president’s campaign would need to win Election Day by an even larger margin.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-31--Twitter Account Posting Trump's Tweets Verbatim Has Been Flagged 4 Times

The account was created by Andrew Lazar , who now volunteers on the Arizona Lincoln Project leadership team but began @ SuspendThePres as an independent project in May , shortly after Trump issued an executive order targeting social media companies and accused them of unfairly working to “ silence conservative voices.
” @ SuspendThePres — which also has a smaller presence on Facebook — is designed to test the limits of Twitter ’ s algorithms and terms of use .
It encourages its nearly 56,000 followers to report rule-violating tweets and has been temporarily locked multiple times for posting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with one obvious difference : Trump is the president , while the @ SuspendThePres account is run by a self-described “ regular Joe.
” “ The routine starts out first thing in the morning , ” Lazar said .
“ I roll out of bed around 5:30 and start rattling off the President ’ s late night tweets from the night before .
... Then it ’ s just cut and paste throughout the day when I have a few minutes to myself .
... All said and done , I ’ d @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total a day to put it all together .
I can think of worse hobbies.
” All that time spent siphoning Trump ’ s 280-character musings has led to four temporary Twitter suspensions .
The first came less than three days after @ SuspendThePres reposted Trump ’ s May 29 tweet calling Minneapolis protesters “ THUGS ” and warning of a possible violent intervention in the city .
The latest was on Sept. 14 , when the account shared Trump ’ s words urging North Carolina voters to avoid having their votes “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s original tweets , in contrast , were allowed to stay online , though they were both labeled with disclaimers that “ Twitter has determined that it may be in the public ’ s interest for the tweet to remain accessible.
” “ I ’ ve been suspended four times now , whereas the president has not , which just goes to show that the president ’ s argument that Twitter is treating him unfairly is pure nonsense , ” Lazar said .
He also blasted the recent “ grandiose tinfoil conspiracy ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who both argued that their social media reach has been censored by algorithms .
“ It ’ s never their own fault .
Someone else is always to blame for their own undoing.
” A spokesperson cited the company ’ s policy on inflammatory tweets by world leaders under which Twitter will “ err on the side of leaving the content up if there is a clear public interest in doing so.
” They stressed that this wasn ’ t solely “ a Trump rule , ” citing other instances such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politician Osmar Terra that remained online with a disclaimer .
Lazar said he asked Twitter spokespersons this very question and received unclear answers .
HuffPost reached out to Twitter as well but did not receive an immediate response .
Nevertheless , despite Twitter ’ s special standard for world leaders , Lazar said that the platform appeared to “ take its terms seriously ” and added that if Trump does win a second term , @ SuspendThePres will keep going — albeit in a potentially automated form .
“ Six months is one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Four more years of reposting manually is another endeavor entirely .
If he loses his bid , I will keep it going manually .
I ’ m really curious to see what happens if Twitter will suspend an ex-president or if they rationalize it some other way .
To that effect , I guess it ’ s up to Trump and Twitter if the experiment has an end in sight .
No doubt he will violate some rule or another ; it ’ s just a matter of time .
The real question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to it be ?
”

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As Election Day nears, President Donald Trump has amped up his Twitter rhetoric, furiously tweeting about his victories and attacking Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
And one account, @SuspendThePres, has been diligently following along, reposting Trump’s snippy remarks as an unusual social media experiment.
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The account was created by Andrew Lazar, who now volunteers on the Arizona Lincoln Project leadership team but began @SuspendThePres as an independent project in May, shortly after Trump issued an executive order targeting social media companies and accused them of unfairly working to “silence conservative voices.”
@SuspendThePres — which also has a smaller presence on Facebook — is designed to test the limits of Twitter’s algorithms and terms of use. It encourages its nearly 56,000 followers to report rule-violating tweets and has been temporarily locked multiple times for posting the exact same things as Trump, but with one obvious difference: Trump is the president, while the @SuspendThePres account is run by a self-described “regular Joe.”
Speaking with HuffPost, Lazar said that mimicking Trump’s social media feed for nearly half a year has been “definitely a bit challenging at times.”
“The routine starts out first thing in the morning,” Lazar said. “I roll out of bed around 5:30 and start rattling off the President’s late night tweets from the night before. ... Then it’s just cut and paste throughout the day when I have a few minutes to myself. ... All said and done, I’d say it takes a few hours in total a day to put it all together. I can think of worse hobbies.”
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All that time spent siphoning Trump’s 280-character musings has led to four temporary Twitter suspensions. The first came less than three days after @SuspendThePres reposted Trump’s May 29 tweet calling Minneapolis protesters “THUGS” and warning of a possible violent intervention in the city. The latest was on Sept. 14, when the account shared Trump’s words urging North Carolina voters to avoid having their votes “illegally” taken away.
In both instances, @SuspendThePres’ verbatim re-postings of the president were flagged as glorifying violence and sharing misleading information about voting. The account was subsequently locked for 12 hours.
Trump’s original tweets, in contrast, were allowed to stay online, though they were both labeled with disclaimers that “Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the tweet to remain accessible.”
Experiment Update - Account just now coming off a 12 hour suspension. Took roughly 68 hours for Twitter to suspend me. The violating tweet has been deleted. Twitters reasoning for the violation? Glorifying violence. Experiment will continue. DMs will remain open. Thank you. https://t.co/fuxJFMERgP — Will they suspend me? (@SuspendThePres) June 2, 2020
Experiment Update - Suspension #4 now in to books. This time for "Violating our rules against posting misleading information about voting." Trump's tweet still stands and he never had a suspension. I'll catch up on his tweets here momentarily. Onward to #5! https://t.co/WG5v0XTy5i pic.twitter.com/Enqzibx01C — Will they suspend me? (@SuspendThePres) September 14, 2020
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“I’ve been suspended four times now, whereas the president has not, which just goes to show that the president’s argument that Twitter is treating him unfairly is pure nonsense,” Lazar said. He also blasted the recent “grandiose tinfoil conspiracy” of Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, who both argued that their social media reach has been censored by algorithms. “It’s never their own fault. Someone else is always to blame for their own undoing.”
HuffPost reached out to Twitter in June regarding the different treatment applied to Trump and @SuspendThePres over the Minneapolis “THUGS” tweet.
A spokesperson cited the company’s policy on inflammatory tweets by world leaders under which Twitter will “err on the side of leaving the content up if there is a clear public interest in doing so.” They stressed that this wasn’t solely “a Trump rule,” citing other instances such as a COVID-19 conspiracy theory tweet by Brazilian politician Osmar Terra that remained online with a disclaimer.
“But what happens if the president isn’t reelected?” Lazar asked. “He becomes a regular citizen. Is he still afforded the same protections? That remains to be seen.”
Lazar said he asked Twitter spokespersons this very question and received unclear answers. HuffPost reached out to Twitter as well but did not receive an immediate response.
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Nevertheless, despite Twitter’s special standard for world leaders, Lazar said that the platform appeared to “take its terms seriously” and added that if Trump does win a second term, @SuspendThePres will keep going — albeit in a potentially automated form.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-31--Early Voting In U.S. Presidential Election Now Tops 90 Million

WASHINGTON , Oct 31 ( Reuters ) - More than 90 million Americans have cast ballots in the U.S. presidential election , according to a tally on Saturday from the U.S .
Elections Project at the University of Florida , setting the stage for the highest participation rate in over a century .
The record-breaking pace , about 65 percent of the total turnout in 2016 , reflects an intense interest in the vote , in which incumbent Donald Trump , a Republican , is up against Democratic nominee JoeBiden , a former vice president .
Huge numbers of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in-person polling sites amid concerns about exposure to the coronavirus at busy Election Day voting places .
Trump trails Biden in national opinion polls amid criticism of the Trump administration ’ s handling of COVID-19 , which has killed nearly 229,000 people in the United States , with numbers of new infections once again breaking daily records as ElectionDay nears on Tuesday .
Democrats hold a significant advantage in early voting due to their embrace of postal ballots , which Republicans have historically cast in large numbers but have shunned amid repeated and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the system is prone to widespread fraud .
Experts have predicted turnout will easily surpass the 138 million who voted in 2016 .
Only 47 million votes were submitted before Election Day four years ago .
In 20 states that report party registration data , 19.9 million registered Democrats have already voted , compared with 13 million Republicans , and 10.1 million with no party affiliation .
The data does not show for whom the votes were cast .

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WASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - More than 90 million Americans have cast ballots in the U.S. presidential election, according to a tally on Saturday from the U.S. Elections Project at the University of Florida, setting the stage for the highest participation rate in over a century.
The record-breaking pace, about 65 percent of the total turnout in 2016, reflects an intense interest in the vote, in which incumbent Donald Trump, a Republican, is up against Democratic nominee JoeBiden, a former vice president.
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Huge numbers of people have voted by mail or at early in-person polling sites amid concerns about exposure to the coronavirus at busy Election Day voting places.
Trump trails Biden in national opinion polls amid criticism of the Trump administration’s handling of COVID-19, which has killed nearly 229,000 people in the United States, with numbers of new infections once again breaking daily records as ElectionDay nears on Tuesday.
Democrats hold a significant advantage in early voting due to their embrace of postal ballots, which Republicans have historically cast in large numbers but have shunned amid repeated and unfounded attacks by Trump, who says the system is prone to widespread fraud.
Experts have predicted turnout will easily surpass the 138 million who voted in 2016. Only 47 million votes were submitted before Election Day four years ago.
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In 20 states that report party registration data, 19.9 million registered Democrats have already voted, compared with 13 million Republicans, and 10.1 million with no party affiliation. The data does not show for whom the votes were cast.
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-01--Now Trump Claims Joe Biden Does Not Believe In Science

Just two weeks after warning that former Vice President Joe Biden would “ listen to the scientists ” if elected , President Donald Trump on Saturday insisted his Democratic opponent does “ not believe in science.
” He accused Biden without any evidence of trying to “ slow down ” a vaccine for COVID-19 .
“ Our opponents do not believe in science , ” he told a crowd in Montoursville , Pennsylvania .
“ They want unlimited power over you and your family .
They got ta open it up.
” He added : “ The so-called experts advising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vaccine .
Can you believe this ?
...
They just didn ’ t want to have it come out before the election .
But everybody knows it ’ s right there .
We ’ re ready to go , but it became a big political thing and they were actually trying to discourage people from taking it .
That ’ s so bad and so stupid and so dangerous.
” No scientific or medical expert or pharmaceutical company has said that any vaccine is “ ready to go.
” Trump mocks Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Watch this clip and ask yourself if Trump was trying to kill Americans by infecting them with coronavirus , how would it sound different ?
pic.twitter.com/aZSugwvoML — Aaron Rupar ( @ atrupar ) October 18 , 2020 On Oct. 18 , Trump mocked Biden by saying the Democratic presidential nominee would pay attention to scientific advice about the coronavirus if he were in the White House .
“ He ’ ll listen to the scientists , ” Trump said .
“ If I listened totally to the scientists , we would right now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a massive depression , instead of , we ’ re like a rocket ship .
Take a look at the numbers.
” We want to know what you ’ re hearing on the ground from the candidates .
If you get any interesting ― or suspicious !
― campaign mailers , robocalls or hear anything else you think we should know about , email us at scoops @ huffpost.com .

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Just two weeks after warning that former Vice President Joe Biden would “listen to the scientists” if elected, President Donald Trump on Saturday insisted his Democratic opponent does “not believe in science.”
He accused Biden without any evidence of trying to “slow down” a vaccine for COVID-19.
“Our opponents do not believe in science,” he told a crowd in Montoursville, Pennsylvania. “They want unlimited power over you and your family. They gotta open it up.”
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Trump just murdered irony pic.twitter.com/xUtmiFHAXI — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 1, 2020
He added: “The so-called experts advising Joe Biden have called for slowing down the vaccine. Can you believe this? ... They just didn’t want to have it come out before the election. But everybody knows it’s right there. We’re ready to go, but it became a big political thing and they were actually trying to discourage people from taking it. That’s so bad and so stupid and so dangerous.”
No scientific or medical expert or pharmaceutical company has said that any vaccine is “ready to go.”
Trump mocks Biden for pledging to listen to scientists. Watch this clip and ask yourself if Trump was trying to kill Americans by infecting them with coronavirus, how would it sound different? pic.twitter.com/aZSugwvoML — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 18, 2020
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On Oct. 18, Trump mocked Biden by saying the Democratic presidential nominee would pay attention to scientific advice about the coronavirus if he were in the White House.
“He’ll listen to the scientists,” Trump said. “If I listened totally to the scientists, we would right now have a country that would be in a massive depression, instead of, we’re like a rocket ship. Take a look at the numbers.”
We want to know what you’re hearing on the ground from the candidates. If you get any interesting ― or suspicious! ― campaign mailers, robocalls or hear anything else you think we should know about, email us at scoops@huffpost.com.