thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-23--Lisa Murkowski Won't Say How She'll Vote On Amy Coney Barrett

POOL New / Reuters Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has been one of the few Republican senators willing to occasionally buck President Donald Trump .
It seemed she would break with him over the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett , but that is now in doubt .
Despite that , she still won ’ t say if she plans to vote for President Donald Trump ’ s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the high court , less than two weeks before the election and as many people are already casting their ballots .
Just on Thursday she repeated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appropriate to move forward with Barrett .
“ I ’ ve shared for a while that I didn ’ t think we should be taking this up until after the election , and I haven ’ t changed , ” Murkowski told Politico .
One might logically presume from such a statement that she will oppose Barrett in the Senate ’ s confirmation vote on Monday .
But no !
Murkowski met with Barrett this week and issued a vague statement about reserving the right to vote either way , given that since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Early on I announced my preference that the Senate not take up a Supreme Court nomination this close to a presidential election , applying the same standard I used in 2016 , but the process moved forward and we are now just days away from a vote to fill the vacancy left by the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , ” she said .
“ Whether to confirm the nominee , Judge Amy Coney Barrett , is a decision each senator has to make on their own.
” Murkowski is up for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll certainly draw political fire from Trump and at least some Republicans in her state if she votes against Barrett .
But she ’ s demonstrated an independent streak for years , between her crucial vote against repealing the Affordable Care Act and opposing Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh ’ s confirmation ( she technically voted “ present ” for a procedural reason , but she ’ s in the Congressional Record as opposed ) .
She also bucked her party in her 2010 reelection bid , after she unexpectedly lost her GOP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She responded by running as an independent and launching a write-in campaign featuring now-famous ads that carefully spelled out her name , M-U-R-K-O-W-S-K-I .
Against the odds , and with no support from the Republican Party , she won .
That record combined with her regular comments about opposing an election-year Supreme Court confirmation have made it all the more confusing about where she stands on a vote for Barrett .
But Murkowski will have to start showing her cards on Friday , as the Senate begins holding procedural votes leading up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regardless of her ultimate decision , Barrett is on track to be confirmed in the GOP-controlled Senate .

Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has been one of the few Republican senators willing to occasionally buck President Donald Trump. It seemed she would break with him over the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, but that is now in doubt. POOL New / Reuters
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has been saying for weeks that she’s opposed to confirming a Supreme Court nominee in a presidential election year.
Despite that, she still won’t say if she plans to vote for President Donald Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the high court, less than two weeks before the election and as many people are already casting their ballots.
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Just on Thursday she repeated her position that it’s not appropriate to move forward with Barrett. “I’ve shared for a while that I didn’t think we should be taking this up until after the election, and I haven’t changed,” Murkowski told Politico.
One might logically presume from such a statement that she will oppose Barrett in the Senate’s confirmation vote on Monday. But no!
“Sen. Murkowski hasn’t publicly stated how she will vote on the nominee,” her spokeswoman told HuffPost on Friday.
Murkowski met with Barrett this week and issued a vague statement about reserving the right to vote either way, given that since the confirmation process is underway.
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“Early on I announced my preference that the Senate not take up a Supreme Court nomination this close to a presidential election, applying the same standard I used in 2016, but the process moved forward and we are now just days away from a vote to fill the vacancy left by the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” she said. “Whether to confirm the nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, is a decision each senator has to make on their own.”
Murkowski is up for reelection in 2022, and she’ll certainly draw political fire from Trump and at least some Republicans in her state if she votes against Barrett. But she’s demonstrated an independent streak for years, between her crucial vote against repealing the Affordable Care Act and opposing Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation (she technically voted “present” for a procedural reason, but she’s in the Congressional Record as opposed).
She also bucked her party in her 2010 reelection bid, after she unexpectedly lost her GOP primary to a tea party challenger. She responded by running as an independent and launching a write-in campaign featuring now-famous ads that carefully spelled out her name, M-U-R-K-O-W-S-K-I. Against the odds, and with no support from the Republican Party, she won.
That record combined with her regular comments about opposing an election-year Supreme Court confirmation have made it all the more confusing about where she stands on a vote for Barrett.
But Murkowski will have to start showing her cards on Friday, as the Senate begins holding procedural votes leading up to the final one on confirmation. And regardless of her ultimate decision, Barrett is on track to be confirmed in the GOP-controlled Senate.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-23--Trump And Biden Lawyers Bracing For White House Legal Battle

Dozens of attorneys for the Republicans and the Democrats are already clashing in courts across the U.S. over mailed-in ballot deadlines and other issues brought on by the coronavirus pandemic .
And as Trump tries to sow doubt in the legitimacy of the Nov. 3 election , both sides have built massive legal operations readying for a bitterly disputed race that lands at the Supreme Court “ We ’ ve been preparing for this for well over a year , ” Republican National Committee Chief Counsel Justin Riemer told The Associated Press .
“ We ’ ve been working with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preparation , for Election Day operations , and our litigation strategy.
” On the Democratic side , the Biden campaign ’ s election protection program includes a special national litigation team involving hundreds of lawyers led by Walter Dellinger , acting solicitor general in the Clinton administration , and Donald Verrilli , a solicitor general under President Barack Obama , among others .
Bob Bauer , a former White House counsel to Obama , and Biden campaign general counsel Dana Remus are focused on protecting the rights of voters , who have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country on the belief that the presidential election will be decided by their ballots .
Both sides are informed by the experience of the 2000 election , which was ultimately decided by the Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore .
But this year , because Trump has pushed unsubstantiated claims about the potential for voter fraud with increased voting by mail , sewing doubt about the integrity of the result , has lawyers are preparing for a return trip before the high court .
And , in an extraordinary twist , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Supreme Court , Judge Amy Coney Barrett , to be seated as soon as possible if she is confirmed as expected on Monday , saying it ’ s important to have a ninth justice to decide any election disputes .
Behind the scenes , Trump and Republicans have been putting together a legal team that includes Jay Sekulow , one of the president ’ s lead attorneys during the impeachment trial and the special counsel ’ s Russia investigation , who is an experienced litigator before the Supreme Court .
Republicans have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national firms to challenge Democratic efforts to expand ballot access in key battleground states .
Thousands of volunteer lawyers have signed up to assist with Election Day operations and poll watching and other issues , Riemer said .
A group called Lawyers for Trump , whose advisory board includes Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani is recruiting retired lawyers and law students .
Jones Day is among the prominent global law firms expected to play a role .
Attorney Will Consovoy , who has represented Trump in such cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ top New York prosecutor from getting his tax returns , is also likely to be a key player in any election legal fights .
Riemer said it ’ s not as though the party is going to call up a random attorney on Election Day and say , “ Hey , are you busy ?
Do you want to litigate a recount ?
” That ’ s close to what happened in 2000 .
Barry Richard , who represented Bush in the 2000 Florida recount , got a call the morning after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had to scramble to quickly pull a team together , he said .
Elias and his team have filed lawsuits seeking to force states to extend mailed-in ballot collection deadlines and other things .
In one of those cases , the Supreme Court this week allowed Pennsylvania to count mailed-in ballots received up to three days after the Nov. 3 election , rejecting a Republican bid to block the extension .
Elias has long been the public face of Democratic legal contests , serving as general counsel to Hillary Clinton ’ s campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2004 .
He pushes regular updates about developments in his lawsuits to nearly 150,000 followers on Twitter , as well as guidance for voting and the occasional jibe at the president and his Republican counterparts .

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s and Democratic rival Joe Biden’s campaigns are assembling armies of powerful lawyers for the possibility that the race for the White House is decided not at the ballot box but in court.
They have been engaging in a lawyer’s version of tabletop war games, churning out draft pleadings, briefs, and memos to cover scenarios that read like the stuff of a law school hypothetical more than a real-life case in a democracy.
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Dozens of attorneys for the Republicans and the Democrats are already clashing in courts across the U.S. over mailed-in ballot deadlines and other issues brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. And as Trump tries to sow doubt in the legitimacy of the Nov. 3 election, both sides have built massive legal operations readying for a bitterly disputed race that lands at the Supreme Court
“We’ve been preparing for this for well over a year,” Republican National Committee Chief Counsel Justin Riemer told The Associated Press. “We’ve been working with the campaign on our strategy for recount preparation, for Election Day operations, and our litigation strategy.”
On the Democratic side, the Biden campaign’s election protection program includes a special national litigation team involving hundreds of lawyers led by Walter Dellinger, acting solicitor general in the Clinton administration, and Donald Verrilli, a solicitor general under President Barack Obama, among others. Bob Bauer, a former White House counsel to Obama, and Biden campaign general counsel Dana Remus are focused on protecting the rights of voters, who have been enduring long lines at polling places around the country on the belief that the presidential election will be decided by their ballots.
Both sides are informed by the experience of the 2000 election, which was ultimately decided by the Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore. But this year, because Trump has pushed unsubstantiated claims about the potential for voter fraud with increased voting by mail, sewing doubt about the integrity of the result, has lawyers are preparing for a return trip before the high court.
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And, in an extraordinary twist, the president has pushed for his nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, to be seated as soon as possible if she is confirmed as expected on Monday, saying it’s important to have a ninth justice to decide any election disputes.
The race is already thought to be the most litigated in American history, with some 260 lawsuits arising from the coronavirus by one tally.
Behind the scenes, Trump and Republicans have been putting together a legal team that includes Jay Sekulow, one of the president’s lead attorneys during the impeachment trial and the special counsel’s Russia investigation, who is an experienced litigator before the Supreme Court. Republicans have hired dozens of attorneys and retained prominent national firms to challenge Democratic efforts to expand ballot access in key battleground states.
Thousands of volunteer lawyers have signed up to assist with Election Day operations and poll watching and other issues, Riemer said. A group called Lawyers for Trump, whose advisory board includes Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani is recruiting retired lawyers and law students. Jones Day is among the prominent global law firms expected to play a role. Attorney Will Consovoy, who has represented Trump in such cases as his long-running fight to prevent a top New York prosecutor from getting his tax returns, is also likely to be a key player in any election legal fights.
Riemer said it’s not as though the party is going to call up a random attorney on Election Day and say, “Hey, are you busy? Do you want to litigate a recount?”
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That’s close to what happened in 2000. Barry Richard, who represented Bush in the 2000 Florida recount, got a call the morning after the election asking if he could help and had to scramble to quickly pull a team together, he said.
“Things were much different then. We had no history of candidates lawyering up for presidential elections, so everything hit the fan the night of election night,” Richard said.
Biden has also created a legal war room that his campaign says is focused on combatting voter suppression at the polls and ensuring votes are correctly counted.
Another team that’s fighting voter access issues in courts across the country is headed by well-known election lawyer Marc Elias of the law firm Perkins Coie, who is prominent in Democratic circles and has become a bête noire of Republicans.
“When Democrats want to tilt elections in their favor outside the ballot box, who do they call? Marc Elias and Perkins Coie,” an RNC website says.
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Republicans accuse Elias and Democrats of trying to use the coronavirus pandemic to rig the election by doing away with safeguards against fraud.
Elias and his team have filed lawsuits seeking to force states to extend mailed-in ballot collection deadlines and other things. In one of those cases, the Supreme Court this week allowed Pennsylvania to count mailed-in ballots received up to three days after the Nov. 3 election, rejecting a Republican bid to block the extension.
Elias has long been the public face of Democratic legal contests, serving as general counsel to Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016 and John Kerry’s in 2004. He pushes regular updates about developments in his lawsuits to nearly 150,000 followers on Twitter, as well as guidance for voting and the occasional jibe at the president and his Republican counterparts.
“Being called a ‘partisan hack’ by a lawyer for Donald Trump is a badge of honor I will wear proudly for a lifetime,” he wrote in a tweet this week.
But lawyers on both sides say they are preparing to be ready for much more than a fight on Twitter.
____
Richer reported from Boston.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-23--Alabama Voters To Decide On Scrubbing Racist Language From State Constitution

Courts have long since struck down legalized segregation , but past attempts to strip the offensive phrases have failed .
Even though no organized opposition to the measure has emerged this time , some worry that conservative backlash to the Black Lives Matter movement could quash the proposal , which qualified for the ballot months before the nationwide demonstrations that occurred in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd .
A measure on the Nov. 3 ballot would allow the state to recompile its 119-year-old constitution in a process supporters say would remove a lingering stain from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the legalized oppression of Black people .
“ What we are trying to do with this small measure is to bring the Alabama Constitution into the 21st century and be more reflective of who we are as a state now , ” said Rep. Merika Coleman , one of the sponsors of the bipartisan legislation .
An amendment would clear the way for excising language from the constitution that bans mixed-race marriages , allows poll taxes , and mandates school segregation .
It would also remove duplicate sections from the heavily amended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one section .
In 2004 , conservatives helped kill a move to clean up the constitution by arguing the move could lead to increases in school taxes .
Eight years later , education groups and others opposed a similar measure because it retained segregation-era language that denied the constitutional right to education in Alabama .
Called Amendment 4 , the proposal as written on statewide ballots does not even mention race .
It just says the amendment would let the Legislature “ recompile the Alabama Constitution and submit it during the 2022 Regular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its ratification by the voters ... .
” Supporters are encouraged because no organized opposition has emerged just days ahead of the vote .
But they are also wary that conservatives who dominate the state electorate could oppose the amendment if they perceive it as being tied to anti-racism protests .
“ It ’ s possible that the backlash will rear its head and people will vote against it , ” said Nancy Ekberg , a director of Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform , a nonprofit that has been pushing for a rewrite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movement and remnants of racism are tied to measures in some other states .
Voters in neighboring Mississippi will decide on a replacement for the Confederate-themed state flag , and Rhode Island voters will decide whether to remove a reference to plantations from the state ’ s official name .
Two decades ago , Alabama voters voted to repeal an unenforceable section of the constitution that made it illegal for Black and white people to marry .
About 40 % voted against the change , and the amendment either passed narrowly or lost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If voters OK a reworking this year , a final version of the document would still have to be approved by lawmakers and in another statewide vote in 2022 .
Republican Gov .
Kay Ivey has not taken an official position on the anti-racist measure or any of the five other statewide amendments on the ballot , but she does not oppose any of them , said spokeswoman Gina Maiola .
The 1901 constitution was written to establish a “ rigid apartheid ” in Alabama , and the white men who wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and poor white people for generations , said historian Wayne Flynt .
Large numbers of Black people did not register to vote until after the civil rights gains of the 1960s .
“ This referendum and the referendum in ’ 22 will be a way of opening up the soul of Alabama and see what it looks like on the inside , ” Flynt said .

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Alabama voters once again have the chance to remove the racist language of Jim Crow from the state’s constitution, which was approved in 1901 to enshrine white supremacy as state law.
Courts have long since struck down legalized segregation, but past attempts to strip the offensive phrases have failed. Even though no organized opposition to the measure has emerged this time, some worry that conservative backlash to the Black Lives Matter movement could quash the proposal, which qualified for the ballot months before the nationwide demonstrations that occurred in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd.
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A measure on the Nov. 3 ballot would allow the state to recompile its 119-year-old constitution in a process supporters say would remove a lingering stain from the state’s era of racial segregation and the legalized oppression of Black people.
“What we are trying to do with this small measure is to bring the Alabama Constitution into the 21st century and be more reflective of who we are as a state now,” said Rep. Merika Coleman, one of the sponsors of the bipartisan legislation.
An amendment would clear the way for excising language from the constitution that bans mixed-race marriages, allows poll taxes, and mandates school segregation. It would also remove duplicate sections from the heavily amended document and put related items all in one section.
While eradicating overt racism might seem like a logical move in 2020, approval isn’t a given: Voters in the majority white, conservative state have rejected similar proposals twice since 2000.
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In 2004, conservatives helped kill a move to clean up the constitution by arguing the move could lead to increases in school taxes. Eight years later, education groups and others opposed a similar measure because it retained segregation-era language that denied the constitutional right to education in Alabama.
Supporters of the measure are being careful with how they present the issue this year.
Called Amendment 4, the proposal as written on statewide ballots does not even mention race. It just says the amendment would let the Legislature “recompile the Alabama Constitution and submit it during the 2022 Regular Session, and provide a process for its ratification by the voters ....”
Supporters are encouraged because no organized opposition has emerged just days ahead of the vote. But they are also wary that conservatives who dominate the state electorate could oppose the amendment if they perceive it as being tied to anti-racism protests.
“It’s possible that the backlash will rear its head and people will vote against it,” said Nancy Ekberg, a director of Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform, a nonprofit that has been pushing for a rewrite for 20 years.
Coleman said there was no connection between the amendment and nationwide protests against racial injustice.
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“I don’t understand how anyone would conflate the two issues when we passed the measure in 2019 and it was completely bipartisan,” she said.
The racial justice movement and remnants of racism are tied to measures in some other states. Voters in neighboring Mississippi will decide on a replacement for the Confederate-themed state flag, and Rhode Island voters will decide whether to remove a reference to plantations from the state’s official name.
In Alabama, history shows there’s reason for supporters of the amendment to worry.
Two decades ago, Alabama voters voted to repeal an unenforceable section of the constitution that made it illegal for Black and white people to marry. About 40% voted against the change, and the amendment either passed narrowly or lost in many rural, mostly white counties.
If voters OK a reworking this year, a final version of the document would still have to be approved by lawmakers and in another statewide vote in 2022.
Republican Gov. Kay Ivey has not taken an official position on the anti-racist measure or any of the five other statewide amendments on the ballot, but she does not oppose any of them, said spokeswoman Gina Maiola.
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The 1901 constitution was written to establish a “rigid apartheid” in Alabama, and the white men who wrote it were successful in disenfranchising Black people and poor white people for generations, said historian Wayne Flynt. Large numbers of Black people did not register to vote until after the civil rights gains of the 1960s.
Flynt said someone — including a state competing for an economic development project — could use the remaining racist language in the constitution to argue that “nothing in Alabama has changed.”
“This referendum and the referendum in ’22 will be a way of opening up the soul of Alabama and see what it looks like on the inside,” Flynt said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-23--Trump Seized On Biden’s Oil Industry Remark. But Was It Actually Damaging?

President Donald Trump seized on Joe Biden ’ s call for a transition from oil to renewable energy Thursday night , appealing directly to voters in the energy-producing states of Texas , Pennsylvania and Oklahoma to take heed of what his campaign later described as the Democratic nominee ’ s “ pledge to end the oil industry.
” Biden ’ s actual remark came as something of a verbal stumble amid heated crosstalk .
For nearly 12 minutes toward the end of the final presidential debate , he touted union support for his clean-energy jobs plan and toed a nuanced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s attempts to tie him to progressive calls to phase out that drilling practice altogether .
Scientifically , that was not controversial .
Virtually all climate research indicates that to keep global temperatures from reaching catastrophic new heights , oil use must be dramatically phased down .
But in the bitter final days of the election , Biden seemed to deliver Trump and his industry allies material for attack ads aimed at workers already struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic .
“ A lot of these communities have been burned in the past , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said by phone Friday morning .
“ Add to that the fact that a lot of people are misinformed and they ’ re getting all their news from social media , from Facebook , and that doesn ’ t help.
” But the mayor said things have only gotten worse under Trump .
The president campaigned in Monessen in 2016 and vowed to bring back steel jobs .
Instead , as Trump ’ s bungled response to the pandemic helped crash the economy , the small city ’ s ArcelorMittal coking plant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ If it were a traditional election cycle , maybe it would break through , ” Shorraw said .
“ But the fact that Election Day is a little over a week away and so many people have already voted ― I think everyone has already dug their heels in.
” Trump ’ s ongoing push to deregulate the oil and gas industry has actually cost jobs in regions badly hit by the sudden plunge in oil prices at the start of the pandemic .
In August , the Trump administration rescinded a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and plug methane leaks from wells , pipelines and storage facilities .
The rollback was such a radical break from mainstream opinion on greenhouse gas regulations that even oil giants Exxon Mobil and Chevron called on the administration to reverse its decision .
This week , the French government blocked a $ 7 billion deal to buy Texas natural gas on the grounds that the deregulated U.S. industry was now too dirty .
And far from damaging employment , keeping the methane rule in place would have created at least 50,000 jobs fixing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to analysis from the BlueGreen Alliance , a coalition of the largest U.S. labor unions and environmental groups .
If it were a traditional election cycle , maybe it would break through .
But the fact that Election Day is a little over a week away and so many people have already voted ― I think everyone has already dug their heels in.
” Cleaning up the energy industry is a popular idea .
Sixty-three percent of likely voters support “ putting workers from extractive industries to work remediating abandoned oil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think tank Data for Progress found in a survey published last month .
Fifty-five percent support ending government subsidies to the fossil fuel industry , which Biden has pledged to do .
“ Investment in any energy construction will only be made better by union workers building these projects safely and professionally , ” Frank Mahoney , spokesman for the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters , said by email Friday morning .
“ We are ready for investment now and investment made due to transitions in the energy industry.
” Mahoney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pennsylvania ’ s energy sector .
On Friday morning , Biden seemed to signal where he wanted the industry to go by endorsing Mike Siegel , a Green New Dealer in a tight race to unseat Rep. Michael McCaul ( R-Texas ) in a district that stretches from the suburbs of Houston to the suburbs of Austin .
Siegel has wooed unions representing workers in the state ’ s storied oil industry to support his plan to transition away from fossil fuels .
“ I look around at my union brothers and sisters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being obliterated , with no backup plan for us to transition to something better , ” Ryan Pollock , a Texas fossil fuel industry worker backing Siegel ’ s run , said in a viral campaign ad released last week .
“ This election is about sending one of our own to bring our vision of a Green New Deal to Congress , ” he said , “ and to bring back good union jobs so we can build a more stable future for ourselves and our loved ones.
” We want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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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President Donald Trump seized on Joe Biden’s call for a transition from oil to renewable energy Thursday night, appealing directly to voters in the energy-producing states of Texas, Pennsylvania and Oklahoma to take heed of what his campaign later described as the Democratic nominee’s “pledge to end the oil industry.”
Biden’s actual remark came as something of a verbal stumble amid heated crosstalk. For nearly 12 minutes toward the end of the final presidential debate, he touted union support for his clean-energy jobs plan and toed a nuanced line on fracking, repelling Trump’s attempts to tie him to progressive calls to phase out that drilling practice altogether.
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Trump asked Biden: “Would you close down the oil industry?”
“Yes, I would transition from the oil industry,” said Biden, adding: “The oil industry pollutes significantly. ... It has to be replaced by renewable energy over time.”
Scientifically, that was not controversial. Virtually all climate research indicates that to keep global temperatures from reaching catastrophic new heights, oil use must be dramatically phased down. But in the bitter final days of the election, Biden seemed to deliver Trump and his industry allies material for attack ads aimed at workers already struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The oil industry’s biggest lobby hit back quickly. “We aren’t going anywhere,” Mike Sommers, chief executive of the American Petroleum Institute, said in a press release after the debate.
At least two vulnerable House Democrats from oil-producing regions condemned the remark.
Democratic nominee Joe Biden's remark about the oil industry at the final 2020 presidential debate was scientifically sound but perhaps politically ill-timed. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
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“Here’s one of the places Biden and I disagree,” Rep. Kendra Horn (D-Okla.) wrote in a tweet. “We must stand up for our oil and gas industry.”
Another freshman Democrat, Rep. Xochitl Torres Small (D-N.M.), urged Biden not to “demonize a single industry.”
In Monessen, Pennsylvania, a former steel-mill city an hour’s drive southeast of Pittsburgh, Mayor Matt Shorraw said edited clips of Biden seemingly vowing to shut down oil production could proliferate on Facebook and sway rural voters traumatized by decades of Rust Belt decay.
“A lot of these communities have been burned in the past,” Shorraw, who has endorsed Biden, said by phone Friday morning. “Add to that the fact that a lot of people are misinformed and they’re getting all their news from social media, from Facebook, and that doesn’t help.”
But the mayor said things have only gotten worse under Trump. The president campaigned in Monessen in 2016 and vowed to bring back steel jobs. Instead, as Trump’s bungled response to the pandemic helped crash the economy, the small city’s ArcelorMittal coking plant laid off 180 workers this summer.
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Shorraw also noted that many voters in the Keystone State have already cast early ballots.
“If it were a traditional election cycle, maybe it would break through,” Shorraw said. “But the fact that Election Day is a little over a week away and so many people have already voted ― I think everyone has already dug their heels in.”
Trump’s ongoing push to deregulate the oil and gas industry has actually cost jobs in regions badly hit by the sudden plunge in oil prices at the start of the pandemic. In August, the Trump administration rescinded a rule requiring companies to detect, disclose and plug methane leaks from wells, pipelines and storage facilities.
The rollback was such a radical break from mainstream opinion on greenhouse gas regulations that even oil giants Exxon Mobil and Chevron called on the administration to reverse its decision. This week, the French government blocked a $7 billion deal to buy Texas natural gas on the grounds that the deregulated U.S. industry was now too dirty. And far from damaging employment, keeping the methane rule in place would have created at least 50,000 jobs fixing leaks and manufacturing equipment to control emissions, according to analysis from the BlueGreen Alliance, a coalition of the largest U.S. labor unions and environmental groups.
“In the middle of massive unemployment in oil and gas communities, Trump finalized a rule that not only sucks for the environment but is actually bad for workers,” Jason Walsh, executive director of the BlueGreen Alliance, said by phone Friday morning.
The country has at least 3 million uncapped oil and gas wells, he said. Decommissioning those wells, which pose major contamination risks to the surrounding water and land, would create 190,000 jobs, a recent study by the nonpartisan Political Economy Research Institute found.
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“Is the Trump administration acting on that? Absolutely not,” Walsh said. “Does Biden have a plan for capping those wells and creating jobs in oil and gas communities? Yes, he does.”
“If it were a traditional election cycle, maybe it would break through. But the fact that Election Day is a little over a week away and so many people have already voted ― I think everyone has already dug their heels in.”” - Matt Shorraw, mayor of Monessen, Pennsylvania
Cleaning up the energy industry is a popular idea. Sixty-three percent of likely voters support “putting workers from extractive industries to work remediating abandoned oil and gas wells,” the left-leaning think tank Data for Progress found in a survey published last month. Fifty-five percent support ending government subsidies to the fossil fuel industry, which Biden has pledged to do.
Last year, the Pew Research Center found that 67% of adults think the federal government is doing too little to combat the effects of climate change. A New York Times/Siena College poll last week found that 66% of likely voters support Biden’s clean-energy plan.
“Investment in any energy construction will only be made better by union workers building these projects safely and professionally,” Frank Mahoney, spokesman for the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, said by email Friday morning. “We are ready for investment now and investment made due to transitions in the energy industry.” Mahoney’s union represents construction workers in Pennsylvania’s energy sector.
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On Friday morning, Biden seemed to signal where he wanted the industry to go by endorsing Mike Siegel, a Green New Dealer in a tight race to unseat Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) in a district that stretches from the suburbs of Houston to the suburbs of Austin. Siegel has wooed unions representing workers in the state’s storied oil industry to support his plan to transition away from fossil fuels.
“I look around at my union brothers and sisters, and every day I see jobs being obliterated, with no backup plan for us to transition to something better,” Ryan Pollock, a Texas fossil fuel industry worker backing Siegel’s run, said in a viral campaign ad released last week. “This election is about sending one of our own to bring our vision of a Green New Deal to Congress,” he said, “and to bring back good union jobs so we can build a more stable future for ourselves and our loved ones.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-23--Here Is One Health Care Pledge Biden Shouldn't Make

That ’ s a dangerously ironclad promise .
And if Biden wants to know why , he should ask his old friend , Barack Obama , who famously promised that people who liked their old insurance plans could keep them ― when , in fact , some could not .
Obama and his allies sought to minimize that sort of disruption , by avoiding major changes to employer coverage , when they wrote the legislation that eventually became the Affordable Care Act .
But they also wanted to rewrite the rules for people buying private insurance on their own , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefit gaps and the ones insurers frequently would not sell to people with preexisting conditions .
Obamacare ’ s new rules have proved wildly popular , and today Republicans fall all over themselves to express their support for them , even as they simultaneously try to undermine them .
But those rules also forced insurers to upgrade their existing policies in order to meet the new standards .
Many just canceled the old policies instead , to the dismay of people who had enrolled in them and had taken Obama ’ s promise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost policies ultimately got cheaper ones because they were eligible for the law ’ s tax credits .
And even those who paid more were getting coverage with new protections , not realizing their old policies had limits that would have left them with ruinous expenses if a serious illness or injury occurred .
Still , some people lost plans they liked , and others lost access to beloved providers because alternative plans didn ’ t include them in their networks .
Nobody ever figured out how many people fell into these categories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low millions , which is significant even if it ’ s just a small percentage of the total population .
Now it ’ s Biden with a new health plan that , by design , leaves most existing insurance arrangements in place .
His proposal would reinforce and expand existing programs , in part by making the assistance available through HealthCare.gov and similar state-run exchanges more generous and available to people of all incomes , though still on a sliding scale .
But Biden also recognizes that one of the Affordable Care Act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t do enough to help people who have access to employer-sponsored coverage but can ’ t afford the premiums or out-of-pocket costs that come with the policies .
These workers , many of them low-income , hourly employees , struggle with payments or turn down the coverage altogether .
Biden ’ s plan would allow these under-insured or uninsured workers to go into the health coverage exchanges and take advantage of the newly enhanced subsidies there by enrolling in one of the private insurance options , whether it ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a big company like Aetna .
They could also choose to enroll in the new public option that Biden has promised to create .
The Urban Institute , which is nonpartisan but generally center-left , has modeled plans similar to Biden ’ s .
Overall , Blumberg said , about 10 % of people with employer-sponsored coverage would end up with subsidized exchange coverage instead .
And mostly it would be low-income workers choosing to do it on their own , not employers dropping insurance .
“ With expanded and enhanced subsidies , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they are better off getting coverage on the marketplaces and would prefer that their employers drop coverage so that they can receive a wage bump , ” Eibner said .
“ The availability of a cheaper public option might also push people towards the marketplace if the public option successfully negotiates competitive prices with providers without sacrificing on quality or network breadth.
” The key is that a big shift over to subsidized insurance , to the point where large numbers of employers start dropping coverage , would happen only if subsidized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , attractive alternative ― which sounds a lot more like a change for the better than a change for the worse .
The reality is that insurance arrangements in the U.S. are not static .
Employers frequently alter benefits from year to year , while individuals often must switch plans when job status or income changes .
In the process , many end up with inadequate coverage or no coverage at all .

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President Donald Trump hit Joe Biden with a familiar attack in Thursday night’s presidential debate, warning that the former vice president would wipe out private health insurance for 180 million Americans.
Biden pointed out that Trump was criticizing a position the Democratic nominee doesn’t actually hold. Although many Democrats support “Medicare for All,” which would eliminate private insurance in order to create one government-run plan, Biden is not among them.
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Biden has made it clear he prefers to bolster the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Biden would do that, in part, by offering more financial assistance to insurance buyers and by creating a voluntary government-run plan, what’s known as a public option.
But Biden said something else in Thursday’s debate: “Not one single person with private insurance would lose their insurance under my plan.”
That’s a dangerously ironclad promise. And if Biden wants to know why, he should ask his old friend, Barack Obama, who famously promised that people who liked their old insurance plans could keep them ― when, in fact, some could not.
Obamacare’s “Keep Your Plan” Promise
Democrats first started making such vows during the 2008 presidential campaign. The primary purpose was to distinguish their health care proposals from President Bill Clinton’s 1993 proposal, under which most employer plans would have disappeared.
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The specter of such a dramatic change was one reason the Clinton proposal became so politically toxic and ultimately failed to get through Congress.
Obama and his allies sought to minimize that sort of disruption, by avoiding major changes to employer coverage, when they wrote the legislation that eventually became the Affordable Care Act. But they also wanted to rewrite the rules for people buying private insurance on their own, because those were the policies with huge benefit gaps and the ones insurers frequently would not sell to people with preexisting conditions.
Obamacare’s new rules have proved wildly popular, and today Republicans fall all over themselves to express their support for them, even as they simultaneously try to undermine them. But those rules also forced insurers to upgrade their existing policies in order to meet the new standards. Many just canceled the old policies instead, to the dismay of people who had enrolled in them and had taken Obama’s promise literally.
Many of the people who lost policies ultimately got cheaper ones because they were eligible for the law’s tax credits. And even those who paid more were getting coverage with new protections, not realizing their old policies had limits that would have left them with ruinous expenses if a serious illness or injury occurred.
Still, some people lost plans they liked, and others lost access to beloved providers because alternative plans didn’t include them in their networks. Nobody ever figured out how many people fell into these categories, but it was probably in the low millions, which is significant even if it’s just a small percentage of the total population.
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Some ended up paying a lot more for coverage they felt was inferior. Others sought out alternatives, such as religion-based health sharing plans that may be no more reliable than the skimpy plans the Affordable Care Act eliminated. And some went uninsured.
Obama, meanwhile, took a hit to his political standing and reputation. PolitiFact named “keep your plan” as its 2013 lie of the year
Bidencare’s Immediate Effect On Employer Coverage
Now it’s Biden with a new health plan that, by design, leaves most existing insurance arrangements in place. His proposal would reinforce and expand existing programs, in part by making the assistance available through HealthCare.gov and similar state-run exchanges more generous and available to people of all incomes, though still on a sliding scale.
But Biden also recognizes that one of the Affordable Care Act’s biggest shortcomings is that it didn’t do enough to help people who have access to employer-sponsored coverage but can’t afford the premiums or out-of-pocket costs that come with the policies. These workers, many of them low-income, hourly employees, struggle with payments or turn down the coverage altogether.
Biden’s plan would allow these under-insured or uninsured workers to go into the health coverage exchanges and take advantage of the newly enhanced subsidies there by enrolling in one of the private insurance options, whether it’s a local Blue Cross plan or something from a big company like Aetna. They could also choose to enroll in the new public option that Biden has promised to create.
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More than 12 million people with employer coverage could save money that way, according to a recent study from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, and for some the savings could be into the thousands of dollars.
In theory, the existence of a new, more attractive insurance option might persuade some employers to stop offering coverage altogether. But few experts think employers will be rushing to drop coverage, no matter how generous Biden and his allies manage to make assistance inside the exchanges.
The reason, as economist Linda Blumberg of the Urban Institute think tank explained to HuffPost, is that employers would still have tons of incentive to offer insurance.
The existing tax break for group policies makes a dollar of benefits worth more than a dollar of income. And company benefits are a way to attract and retain employees, especially the higher-wage workers that companies often compete to hire.
The Urban Institute, which is nonpartisan but generally center-left, has modeled plans similar to Biden’s. Overall, Blumberg said, about 10% of people with employer-sponsored coverage would end up with subsidized exchange coverage instead. And mostly it would be low-income workers choosing to do it on their own, not employers dropping insurance.
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Bidencare’s Long-Term Effect On Employer Coverage
Christine Eibner, an economist at the Rand Corp. think tank, said she too believes the Biden plan is “unlikely to have an immediate impact on ESI [employer sponsored insurance] offerings — inertia is a powerful force.”
But, she added, that could change over time.
“With expanded and enhanced subsidies, an increasing share of workers may find that they are better off getting coverage on the marketplaces and would prefer that their employers drop coverage so that they can receive a wage bump,” Eibner said. “The availability of a cheaper public option might also push people towards the marketplace if the public option successfully negotiates competitive prices with providers without sacrificing on quality or network breadth.”
The key is that a big shift over to subsidized insurance, to the point where large numbers of employers start dropping coverage, would happen only if subsidized insurance turned out to be a viable, attractive alternative ― which sounds a lot more like a change for the better than a change for the worse.
The reality is that insurance arrangements in the U.S. are not static. Employers frequently alter benefits from year to year, while individuals often must switch plans when job status or income changes. In the process, many end up with inadequate coverage or no coverage at all.
Ultimately, the test of reform isn’t whether it leaves a flawed status quo in place. It’s whether it brings America closer to a place where everybody can get health care when they need it. Biden can defend his plan on those grounds without hesitation.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-23--400 Years After Mayflower's Arrival, Pilgrims' Descendants Wrestle With Legacy

There is immense pride among those who can trace their families back to the passengers who boarded the ship in Plymouth , England , in 1620 to flee religious persecution and realize a better life .
Yet for some , the devastating impact that the Pilgrims ’ landing in New England had on Native Americans weighs heavily in this moment of unrest over systemic racism .
In interviews with The Associated Press , Americans and Britons who can trace their ancestry either to the Pilgrims or the Indigenous people who helped them survive talked openly about the need in 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Considering my ancestors helped incite the racial hierarchies that caused the need for these movements now , I do feel ashamed that that had to be part of history , ” said Olivia Musoke , 19 , whose ancestor on her mother ’ s side arrived in America on the Mayflower .
Musoke , whose father is Black , said the pride she feels in coming from people who helped settle this country “ gets diminished by the role they played in kind of manipulating and terrorizing people of color , which trickled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ The pilgrims came out of religious persecution in England .
And I ’ m very proud of the fact that they set off to create their own independent culture , ” said Seth Howland Handy , 53 , another descendant of a Mayflower passenger .
“ But they came to a place where there was existing culture .
And , you know , the history is not friendly and that is troublesome , ” he said .
Handy said it ’ s more important now than ever now to “ recognize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the great diversity of this country.
” The U.S. was embroiled in civil unrest this summer , with protesters demanding justice for George Floyd and other Black Americans killed or injured by police .
“ To have this tie to our early history is really , I won ’ t say it ’ s a privilege , an honor .
But it ’ s just something to be proud of because so many of them worked so hard , for so many years to help establish this country .
And it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Mucciacco , 90 , of Dedham , Massachusetts .
“ It ’ s not as if they went to America in order to steal land from an Indigenous population , ” she said .
“ Much of it was clearly wrong , but there are many stories that need to be told .
And I think the anniversary gives a chance for all of those stories to be told.
” “ We were exposed to disease .
We were exposed to slavery .
I mean , what happened here was people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that might have been their purpose of leaving their homeland — but they came here and wanted to wipe out the existence of a whole culture , ” said Hazel Harding Currence , 78 , of the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe of Cape Cod .
Organizers of the events planned for this year to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower ’ s arrival pledged to amplify the voices of the Wampanoag , which have been marginalized in past years .
Fifty years ago , state officials disinvited a leader of the Wampanoag @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speech would bemoan the tribe ’ s suffering .
“ We should have never been treated the way that we were , our ancestors , ” Currence said .
“ I think that if they were here now , if they were looking down on us , I think they ’ d be very proud at the movement that ’ s going forward now.
” Even though the virus has put a damper on the commemoration , some members of the Wampanoag tribe say they ’ re hopeful that the attention on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help their voices and stories be heard in a way they haven ’ t been before .

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PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — Four centuries after white Europeans stepped off the Mayflower and onto America’s shores, some descendants of the colonists are wrestling with the complicated legacy of their ancestors amid a global racial reckoning.
There is immense pride among those who can trace their families back to the passengers who boarded the ship in Plymouth, England, in 1620 to flee religious persecution and realize a better life. Yet for some, the devastating impact that the Pilgrims’ landing in New England had on Native Americans weighs heavily in this moment of unrest over systemic racism.
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In interviews with The Associated Press, Americans and Britons who can trace their ancestry either to the Pilgrims or the Indigenous people who helped them survive talked openly about the need in 2020 to fairly tell the history.
“Considering my ancestors helped incite the racial hierarchies that caused the need for these movements now, I do feel ashamed that that had to be part of history,” said Olivia Musoke, 19, whose ancestor on her mother’s side arrived in America on the Mayflower.
Olivia Musoke, 19, a direct descendant of a Pilgrim who came over on the Mayflower, poses for a portrait in Atlanta, on Friday, Sept 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Musoke, whose father is Black, said the pride she feels in coming from people who helped settle this country “gets diminished by the role they played in kind of manipulating and terrorizing people of color, which trickled down to the structures we have today.”
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For some, it’s a difficult issue to reconcile.
“The pilgrims came out of religious persecution in England. And I’m very proud of the fact that they set off to create their own independent culture,” said Seth Howland Handy, 53, another descendant of a Mayflower passenger. “But they came to a place where there was existing culture. And, you know, the history is not friendly and that is troublesome,” he said.
Handy said it’s more important now than ever now to “recognize everyone’s role in our history and the great diversity of this country.” The U.S. was embroiled in civil unrest this summer, with protesters demanding justice for George Floyd and other Black Americans killed or injured by police.
Ginny Mucciaccio, 90, a direct descendant of a Pilgrim who came over on the Mayflower, sits for a portrait in Plymouth, Mass., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Ginny Mucciacco, a descendant of Mayflower passenger Degory Priest, said the Pilgrims’ work ethic was admirable.
“To have this tie to our early history is really, I won’t say it’s a privilege, an honor. But it’s just something to be proud of because so many of them worked so hard, for so many years to help establish this country. And it’s just very important to me,” said Mucciacco, 90, of Dedham, Massachusetts.
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The soul-searching extends across the Atlantic to England, where Mayflower descendants say they, too, are trying to reconcile pride and prejudice.
Vicky Cosstick, a Briton whose ancestors John Alden and Priscilla Mullins were passengers, said she’s troubled by the suffering the Indigenous people endured — but she doesn’t feel guilt.
“I’m of course horrified and appalled to know what happened as a result of British colonialism in America and what happened to their Native American tribes and the Wampanoags,” Cosstick said.
Mayflower descendant Vicky Cosstick poses for a portrait in the back garden of her home in the town of Seaford, on the south coast of England, Friday, Oct. 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
“It’s not as if they went to America in order to steal land from an Indigenous population,” she said. “Much of it was clearly wrong, but there are many stories that need to be told. And I think the anniversary gives a chance for all of those stories to be told.”
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As the racial reckoning has brought new scrutiny to how African American history is taught in American schools, Native Americans have long pushed for the unvarnished stories of their ancestors to be heard.
When the Pilgrims arrived at what we now know as Plymouth, Massachusetts, the Wampanoag tribe helped the exhausted settlers survive their first winter. But Native Americans also endured racism, oppression and new diseases brought by the European settlers.
“We were exposed to disease. We were exposed to slavery. I mean, what happened here was people who came not just for religion — that might have been their purpose of leaving their homeland — but they came here and wanted to wipe out the existence of a whole culture,” said Hazel Harding Currence, 78, of the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe of Cape Cod.
Hazel Harding Currence, 78, a Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe Elder, stands for a photo in her backyard in Bourne, Mass., Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Organizers of the events planned for this year to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower’s arrival pledged to amplify the voices of the Wampanoag, which have been marginalized in past years. Fifty years ago, state officials disinvited a leader of the Wampanoag Nation to the commemoration after learning his speech would bemoan the tribe’s suffering.
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This year, many anniversary events were canceled or postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We should have never been treated the way that we were, our ancestors,” Currence said. “I think that if they were here now, if they were looking down on us, I think they’d be very proud at the movement that’s going forward now.”
Troy Currence, 48, a medicine man from the Herring Pond Wampanaoag Tribe, sits for a photo at his home in Bourne, Mass., Monday, Sept. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Even though the virus has put a damper on the commemoration, some members of the Wampanoag tribe say they’re hopeful that the attention on the problem of systemic racism this year will help their voices and stories be heard in a way they haven’t been before.
“It’s opening up everyone else’s eyes to how unbalanced the world is and unequal,” said Troy Currence, Hazel Harding Currence’s son and a medicine man from the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe.
“The world is spinning out of control. So I think more people are going to be aware and more sensitive and open to receiving a message like that,” he said.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-23--Private Firm Mobilizing Armed Vets For Election Day Stands Down After Minnesota Warning

The chilling plan to deploy the armed gang was targeted earlier this week in a lawsuit by citizen groups , calling it a blatant violation of the Voting Rights Act and an incitement of domestic terrorism .
Atlas Aegis , which says it is run by military veterans , agreed to stand down following an investigation and warning from Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison , who blasted what he characterized as a voter intimidation operation .
Atlas Aegis agreed in a settlement that it would discontinue the operation , Ellison announced .
The company also agreed to make it clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrong and that the firm “ did not intend to intimidate , coerce , or threaten Minnesota voters [ or ] poll workers ... or to make Minnesota voters less willing to vote.
” After reports a TN co was recruiting private security for MN ’ s elections , we investigated .
We just won a settlement : that co will *not* recruit/provide security to MN before , during or after the election & will *not* intimidate voters in MN or anywhere .
https : //t.co/71SQFblf57 — Attorney General Keith Ellison ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minnesota and federal law are clear : No one may interfere with or intimidate a voter at a polling place , and no one may operate private armed forces in our state , ” Ellison said in statement Tuesday when he launched an investigation into the operation .
“ The presence of private ‘ security ’ at polling places would violate these laws.
” He added Friday : I ’ m holding Atlas Aegis to account for their misstatements about recruiting security for polling places in Minnesota that potentially frightened Minnesota voters .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ again and will not be anywhere in Minnesota before , during , or after Election Day.
” Ellison had demanded business records from the company to determine who is paying for the vigilantes and how Atlas Aegis intended to deploy them .
He told the company to “ cease and desist any planning and stop making any statements about engaging in this activity.
” Anthony Caudle , the company ’ s chairman and co-founder , insisted in an interview earlier this month with The Washington Post that the vigilantes “ would not be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unless there ’ s an issue.
” They will be deployed to “ make sure that the antifas don ’ t try to destroy the election sites , ” he said , referring to anti-fascist activists .
There is no indication that any “ antifas ” intend to destroy polling stations .
The company had posted a help-wanted message through a defense industry job site calling for former members of Special Operations forces to staff “ security positions in Minnesota during the November Election and beyond to protect election polls , local businesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Those messages have since been pulled down .
Atlas Aegis will now post on its advertising sites that it was wrong to suggest that it was hiring armed guards for poll site security , the Star Tribune in Minneapolis reported .
Caudle told the Post that the client seeking to mobilize the armed gang is a “ consortium of business owners and concerned citizens ” in Minnesota .
He refused to identify them .
As part of the settlement with Ellison , the company agreed not to provide any protective agent services in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2022 .
Under terms of the settlement , violations could result in a $ 50,000 penalty .
There ’ s no indication that President Donald Trump ’ s campaign was linked to the operation .
But the campaign and the president have issued calls for thousands of partisan “ poll watchers , ” which they refer to as Trump ’ s “ Army , ” to “ fight ” for the president .
We want to know what you ’ re hearing on the ground from the candidates .
If you get any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mailers , robocalls or hear anything else you think we should know about , email us at scoops @ huffpost.com .

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A private firm from Tennessee agreed Friday to stop recruiting military Special Operations veterans to battle imagined “antifas” at Minnesota polling stations on Election Day.
The chilling plan to deploy the armed gang was targeted earlier this week in a lawsuit by citizen groups, calling it a blatant violation of the Voting Rights Act and an incitement of domestic terrorism.
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Atlas Aegis, which says it is run by military veterans, agreed to stand down following an investigation and warning from Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who blasted what he characterized as a voter intimidation operation.
Atlas Aegis agreed in a settlement that it would discontinue the operation, Ellison announced. The company also agreed to make it clear that earlier statements to the media were wrong and that the firm “did not intend to intimidate, coerce, or threaten Minnesota voters [or] poll workers ... or to make Minnesota voters less willing to vote.”
An “assurance of discontinuance” of the Atlas Aegis operation was filed Friday in Ramsey County District Court.
After reports a TN co was recruiting private security for MN’s elections, we investigated. We just won a settlement: that co will *not* recruit/provide security to MN before, during or after the election & will *not* intimidate voters in MN or anywhere. https://t.co/71SQFblf57 — Attorney General Keith Ellison (@AGEllison) October 23, 2020
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“Minnesota and federal law are clear: No one may interfere with or intimidate a voter at a polling place, and no one may operate private armed forces in our state,” Ellison said in statement Tuesday when he launched an investigation into the operation. “The presence of private ‘security’ at polling places would violate these laws.”
He added Friday: I’m holding Atlas Aegis to account for their misstatements about recruiting security for polling places in Minnesota that potentially frightened Minnesota voters. They won’t be doing it again and will not be anywhere in Minnesota before, during, or after Election Day.”
Ellison had demanded business records from the company to determine who is paying for the vigilantes and how Atlas Aegis intended to deploy them. He told the company to “cease and desist any planning and stop making any statements about engaging in this activity.”
Anthony Caudle, the company’s chairman and co-founder, insisted in an interview earlier this month with The Washington Post that the vigilantes “would not be seen” at polling stations — “unless there’s an issue.” They will be deployed to “make sure that the antifas don’t try to destroy the election sites,” he said, referring to anti-fascist activists. There is no indication that any “antifas” intend to destroy polling stations.
The company had posted a help-wanted message through a defense industry job site calling for former members of Special Operations forces to staff “security positions in Minnesota during the November Election and beyond to protect election polls, local businesses and residences from looting and destruction.”
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Those messages have since been pulled down. Atlas Aegis will now post on its advertising sites that it was wrong to suggest that it was hiring armed guards for poll site security, the Star Tribune in Minneapolis reported.
Caudle told the Post that the client seeking to mobilize the armed gang is a “consortium of business owners and concerned citizens” in Minnesota. He refused to identify them.
As part of the settlement with Ellison, the company agreed not to provide any protective agent services in Minnesota from now until Jan. 1, 2022. Under terms of the settlement, violations could result in a $50,000 penalty.
There’s no indication that President Donald Trump’s campaign was linked to the operation. But the campaign and the president have issued calls for thousands of partisan “poll watchers,” which they refer to as Trump’s “Army,” to “fight” for the president.
Volunteer to be a Trump Election Poll Watcher. Sign up today! #MakeAmericaGreatAgainhttps://t.co/3AnrRV7uSz — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15, 2020
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-23--Uber, Lyft Lose Appeal, Must Classify Drivers As Employees In California

Uber and Lyft lost a court battle on Thursday and must classify their drivers in California as employees who are due benefits and labor protections .
But in the Nov. 3 election , California voters will decide on Proposition 22 , which could exempt Uber , Lyft and others from the state law that mandates their drivers be employees , not contractors .
California ’ s AB5 law , which went into effect earlier this year , requires gig-economy companies to reclassify many of their workers as employees , rather than independent contractors .
As employees , the car-service drivers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a minimum wage , health insurance , overtime pay , sick leave and the right to form a union .
After Uber and Lyft refused to comply , California sued the companies in May .
A lower court ruled against them in August , prompting the appeal that now has been rejected .
“ This is a victory for the people of California and for every driver who has been denied fair wages , paid sick days , and other benefits by these companies , ” said San Francisco city attorney Dennis Herrera @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the case .
“ For too long Uber and Lyft have illegally denied their drivers basic workplace protections.
” A Lyft spokesperson said this ruling made it “ more urgent than ever ” for their campaign to pass Prop .
22 — which Lyft , Uber and others have put nearly $ 200 million behind .
The company said there would be no change in operations for now , as they await the result of the vote .
Uber , which did not immediately respond to HuffPost ’ s request for comment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ considering our appeal options.
” In Thursday ’ s ruling , the appellate judges shut down Uber and Lyft ’ s argument that they are tech companies and not transportation companies .
“ Uber and Lyft ’ s position that they are not in the transportation business is frivolous , ” the ruling read .
Uber and Lyft also argued that drivers are not their employees because the companies provide a service to them through their “ platform ” that connects them to riders .
The appellate court also rejected that notion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ necessary for defendants ’ businesses to prosper.
” Uber and Lyft have fought tooth and nail against AB5′s requirements , given that converting drivers to employees with benefits would come with a hefty price tag .
After the August ruling that Uber and Lyft had to obey AB5 and classify their drivers as employees , the companies threatened to shut down operations in the state .
Gig Workers Rising , a group of ride-hailing drivers and other app-based workers who have been advocating for better working conditions , slammed the shutdown threat as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ middle of a pandemic , with no safety net.
” Along with hundreds of thousands of drivers , millions of passengers who rely on their services would be affected if Uber and Lyft decide at some point to suspend services .

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Uber and Lyft lost a court battle on Thursday and must classify their drivers in California as employees who are due benefits and labor protections.
Under the ruling by California’s court of appeals, the companies must comply within 30 days.
But in the Nov. 3 election, California voters will decide on Proposition 22, which could exempt Uber, Lyft and others from the state law that mandates their drivers be employees, not contractors.
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California’s AB5 law, which went into effect earlier this year, requires gig-economy companies to reclassify many of their workers as employees, rather than independent contractors. As employees, the car-service drivers are entitled to benefits and protections like a minimum wage, health insurance, overtime pay, sick leave and the right to form a union.
After Uber and Lyft refused to comply, California sued the companies in May. A lower court ruled against them in August, prompting the appeal that now has been rejected.
“This is a victory for the people of California and for every driver who has been denied fair wages, paid sick days, and other benefits by these companies,” said San Francisco city attorney Dennis Herrera, whose office was a plaintiff in the case. “For too long Uber and Lyft have illegally denied their drivers basic workplace protections.”
A Lyft spokesperson said this ruling made it “more urgent than ever” for their campaign to pass Prop. 22 — which Lyft, Uber and others have put nearly $200 million behind. The company said there would be no change in operations for now, as they await the result of the vote.
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Uber, which did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment, told The New York Times it was “considering our appeal options.”
BIG NEWS: Today the California Appeals Court decided Uber and Lyft drivers must be classified as employees Under State Law. This is a victory for workers.
Here's our full statement.#VoteNoOnProp22 pic.twitter.com/Vn0SUTxDzl — Gig Workers Are Voting No On Prop 22 (@GigWorkersRise) October 23, 2020
In Thursday’s ruling, the appellate judges shut down Uber and Lyft’s argument that they are tech companies and not transportation companies. “Uber and Lyft’s position that they are not in the transportation business is frivolous,” the ruling read.
Uber and Lyft also argued that drivers are not their employees because the companies provide a service to them through their “platform” that connects them to riders. The appellate court also rejected that notion: “The drivers provide the services necessary for defendants’ businesses to prosper.”
Uber and Lyft have fought tooth and nail against AB5′s requirements, given that converting drivers to employees with benefits would come with a hefty price tag.
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Meanwhile, Uber and Lyft drivers have repeatedly protested — including a nationwide strike last year — in hopes of getting better pay and benefits.
After the August ruling that Uber and Lyft had to obey AB5 and classify their drivers as employees, the companies threatened to shut down operations in the state.
Gig Workers Rising, a group of ride-hailing drivers and other app-based workers who have been advocating for better working conditions, slammed the shutdown threat as “leaving drivers for dead in the middle of a pandemic, with no safety net.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-23--Pennsylvania Top Court Says Mail-In Ballots Can't Be Rejected Over Signature Mismatches

Voting rights advocates in Pennsylvania celebrated a “ huge victory ” on Friday after the state ’ s Supreme Court ruled that mail-in ballots can not be rejected solely because a voter ’ s signature doesn ’ t appear to match the one on file .
“ [ We ] hold that county boards of elections are prohibited from rejecting absentee or mail-in ballots based on signature comparison conducted by county election officials or employees , or as the result of third-party challenges based on signature analysis and comparisons , ” the court ruled .
But the campaign of President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic rival Joe Biden in state polls — sharply criticized the ruling .
“ What if there ’ s no signature at all ?
Or someone just draws a line ?
Sounds pretty stupid , ” Gary Coby , digital director for Trump ’ s 2020 campaign , wrote on Twitter .
Pennsylvania ’ s new guidelines for mail-in ballots , which were issued by the state ’ s top election official Kathy Boockvar earlier this year , state clearly that a signature is required on all mail-in ballots ― but that local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a ballot because of perceived signature discrepancies alone .
The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania , the Campaign Legal Center and other groups in August sued several Pennsylvania election officials including Boockvar for throwing out mail-in ballots because of signature issues and not informing voters that their ballots had been deemed invalid .
More than 26,500 mail-in ballots were rejected during the state ’ s primary election in June ― many of them because of signature issues , the suit alleged .
“ Pennsylvania took the important step of making vote by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the current process does not allow voters to receive notice , or cure , any problems with their ballots , ” Campaign Legal Center attorney Danielle Lang said in August .
“ So we could see a high number of eligible voters have their vote-by-mail ballots discarded for errors that could be easily fixed by the voter.
” Boockvar ’ s subsequent decision to change the state ’ s signature verification rules came under fire , however , by Trump ’ s campaign and other Republicans .
This prompted her to appeal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to issue a declaratory ruling on the validity of her department ’ s ballot guidelines .
Pennsylvania has other safeguards in place to combat voter fraud , Shapiro said in a statement following the court ’ s decision .
“ Voters who use a mail-in ballot have their identity verified in the initial application , often using a drivers ’ license number .
Pennsylvania ’ s voter identification system is safe and secure , ” he said .
“ We are protecting every eligible vote and ensuring each is counted .
Make your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep doing our work to make sure your voice is heard .
”

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Voting rights advocates in Pennsylvania celebrated a “huge victory” on Friday after the state’s Supreme Court ruled that mail-in ballots cannot be rejected solely because a voter’s signature doesn’t appear to match the one on file.
“[We] hold that county boards of elections are prohibited from rejecting absentee or mail-in ballots based on signature comparison conducted by county election officials or employees, or as the result of third-party challenges based on signature analysis and comparisons,” the court ruled.
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Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, called the decision ― unanimously reached by two Republican justices and five Democratic justices ― a “win for voters.”
But the campaign of President Donald Trump — who is lagging behind Democratic rival Joe Biden in state polls — sharply criticized the ruling.
“What if there’s no signature at all? Or someone just draws a line? Sounds pretty stupid,” Gary Coby, digital director for Trump’s 2020 campaign, wrote on Twitter.
Pennsylvania’s new guidelines for mail-in ballots, which were issued by the state’s top election official Kathy Boockvar earlier this year, state clearly that a signature is required on all mail-in ballots ― but that local election officials can’t toss out a ballot because of perceived signature discrepancies alone.
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Boockvar, Pennsylvania’s secretary of the commonwealth, issued the guidelines after facing pressure from voting rights advocates to relax the state’s signature verification rules.
The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, the Campaign Legal Center and other groups in August sued several Pennsylvania election officials including Boockvar for throwing out mail-in ballots because of signature issues and not informing voters that their ballots had been deemed invalid. More than 26,500 mail-in ballots were rejected during the state’s primary election in June ― many of them because of signature issues, the suit alleged.
“Pennsylvania took the important step of making vote by mail available to all Pennsylvanians. However, the current process does not allow voters to receive notice, or cure, any problems with their ballots,” Campaign Legal Center attorney Danielle Lang said in August. “So we could see a high number of eligible voters have their vote-by-mail ballots discarded for errors that could be easily fixed by the voter.”
Boockvar’s subsequent decision to change the state’s signature verification rules came under fire, however, by Trump’s campaign and other Republicans. This prompted her to appeal to the state’s top court to issue a declaratory ruling on the validity of her department’s ballot guidelines.
On Friday, Boockvar hailed the court’s decision as a “huge victory for free and fair elections.”
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Pennsylvania has other safeguards in place to combat voter fraud, Shapiro said in a statement following the court’s decision.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-23--First 'Murder Hornet' Nest In U.S. Found In Washington State

SPOKANE , Wash. ( AP ) — Scientists have discovered the first nest of so-called murder hornets in the United States and plan to wipe it out Saturday to protect native honeybees , officials in Washington state said .
After weeks of searching , the agency said it found the nest of Asian giant hornets in Blaine , a city north of Seattle near the Canadian border .
Bad weather delayed plans to destroy the nest Friday .
The world ’ s largest hornet at 2 inches ( 5 centimeters ) long , the invasive insects can decimate entire hives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people .
Farmers in the northwestern U.S. depend on those honeybees to pollinate many crops , including raspberries and blueberries .
Despite their nickname and the hype around the insect that has stirred fears in an already bleak year , the hornets kill at most a few dozen people a year in Asian countries , and experts say it is probably far less .
Meanwhile , hornets , wasps and bees typically found in the United States kill an average of 62 people a year , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Asian giant hornets is their devastating attacks on honeybees , which are already under siege from problems like mites , diseases , pesticides and loss of food .
A small group of the hornets can kill an entire honeybee hive in hours .
The nest was found after a worker for the Washington state Agriculture Department caught two of the large hornets in a trap Wednesday .
Two more living hornets were captured in another trap Thursday , the agency said .
Using dental floss , “ entomologists were able to attach radio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of which led them to the discovery of the nest ” Thursday , agriculture officials said .
Officials planned to hold a news conference later Friday .
The nest was found inside the cavity of a tree on private property , the Agriculture Department said .
Dozens of the hornets were seen buzzing in and out of the tree .
Scientists for the department have been searching for nests since the first Asian giant hornets were caught earlier this year .
The first confirmed detection of the hornet in the U.S. was in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hornet was trapped this July .
Just over 20 have been caught so far , all in Whatcom County .
The invasive insect is normally found in China , Japan , Thailand , South Korea , Vietnam and other Asian countries .
Officials have said it ’ s not known how it arrived in North America .
Washington state and the Canadian province of British Columbia are the only places the hornets have been found on the continent .
In this Oct. 7 , 2020 , photo provided by the Washington State Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hornet with a tracking device affixed to it sits on an apple in a tree where it was placed , near Blaine , Wash. Washington state officials say they were again unsuccessful at live-tracking an Asian giant hornet while trying to find and destroy a nest of the so-called murder hornets .
The Washington State Department of Agriculture said Monday , Oct. 12 , 2020 , that an entomologist used dental floss to tie a tracking device on a female hornet , only to lose signs of her when she went into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Agriculture via AP )

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SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Scientists have discovered the first nest of so-called murder hornets in the United States and plan to wipe it out Saturday to protect native honeybees, officials in Washington state said.
After weeks of searching, the agency said it found the nest of Asian giant hornets in Blaine, a city north of Seattle near the Canadian border. Bad weather delayed plans to destroy the nest Friday.
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The world’s largest hornet at 2 inches (5 centimeters) long, the invasive insects can decimate entire hives of honeybees and deliver painful stings to people. Farmers in the northwestern U.S. depend on those honeybees to pollinate many crops, including raspberries and blueberries.
Despite their nickname and the hype around the insect that has stirred fears in an already bleak year, the hornets kill at most a few dozen people a year in Asian countries, and experts say it is probably far less. Meanwhile, hornets, wasps and bees typically found in the United States kill an average of 62 people a year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said.
The real threat from Asian giant hornets is their devastating attacks on honeybees, which are already under siege from problems like mites, diseases, pesticides and loss of food. A small group of the hornets can kill an entire honeybee hive in hours.
The nest was found after a worker for the Washington state Agriculture Department caught two of the large hornets in a trap Wednesday. Two more living hornets were captured in another trap Thursday, the agency said.
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Using dental floss, “entomologists were able to attach radio trackers to three hornets, the second of which led them to the discovery of the nest” Thursday, agriculture officials said. Officials planned to hold a news conference later Friday.
The nest was found inside the cavity of a tree on private property, the Agriculture Department said. Dozens of the hornets were seen buzzing in and out of the tree.
The property owner has given permission for agency staff to eradicate the nest and remove the tree, if necessary.
Scientists for the department have been searching for nests since the first Asian giant hornets were caught earlier this year. The first confirmed detection of the hornet in the U.S. was in December 2019 near Blaine and the first hornet was trapped this July. Just over 20 have been caught so far, all in Whatcom County.
The invasive insect is normally found in China, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam and other Asian countries. Officials have said it’s not known how it arrived in North America. Washington state and the Canadian province of British Columbia are the only places the hornets have been found on the continent.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-23--10 Amazing Photos You Missed This Week

10 Amazing Photos You Missed This Week

We ’ re highlighting exceptional photos from around the world for the week that ended Friday .
Check them out @ @ @ @ @ catch a ride atop a car driving on a highway to Ganja , Azerbaijan , @ @ @

We’re highlighting exceptional photos from around the world for the week that ended Friday.
Check them out below.
Above: Geese catch a ride atop a car driving on a highway to Ganja, Azerbaijan, on Wednesday.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-23--Why Language Is One Of The Biggest Barriers To Home Ownership For Spanish-Speakers In The U.S.

Buying a home is still a good way to build wealth in the U.S. , and — especially for immigrants — it ’ s a large part of the dream of settling in and establishing roots .
However , language remains one of the biggest barriers to ownership for many Hispanic and Latinx immigrants who move here from such Spanish-speaking countries as Mexico , the Dominican Republic , Spain and El Salvador .
Not only is purchasing a home one of the biggest financial decisions a person or family can make in their life , but the complex process requires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provided in Spanish .
According to a recent report by the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals ( NAHREP ) , 33 % of the Hispanic population in the U.S. are immigrants and their first language is Spanish .
Spanish-speaking immigrants have more than $ 1.7 trillion in buying power , yet continue to be underserved and underrepresented because vital documents such as prerequisite explanations , loan applications , appraisal documents and closing contracts are rarely presented in Spanish .
While experts have recently challenged the axiom that you need 20 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are still many costs associated with buying a first home .
And because Hispanic and Latinx people are more likely to make less money than the national average , it takes them longer to save .
This also means that they are buying homes later in life .
There are 12.3 million Hispanic people aged 38-to-53 living in the U.S. who have worked and saved their way to establish home buying power , and these are precisely the people who need help navigating the process in their own language .
But the issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ include not having real estate professionals who can guide them and cater to their unique needs .
The need to have a translator ( whether a family member , friend or colleague ) complicates the process , and NAHREP reports that the number of Spanish-speaking real estate professionals needs to double in order to keep up with the demand .
The question remains : If realtors can not help with translations and the needs of this community , how can home buyers truly understand the details around the process ?
Oftentimes , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the initial home buying search that then deter families from moving forward with home buying .
Many of these questions revolve around where to get started , how to apply for a mortgage loan , what is the required credit score and more .
Mortgage lender Rocket Mortgage has created a Spanish language-based learning center to help first-time home buyers navigate the process .
Some of the most important terms that require translation that those in the Latinx/Hispanic communities don ’ t often see or hear translated are mortgage ( “ hipoteca ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ de interés ” ) appraisal ( “ evaluación ” or “ tasación ” ) , and escrow ( “ fideicomiso ” ) .
The Rocket Mortgage learning center is available in English and en Español and helps by answering in Spanish many frequently asked questions regarding the mortgage process .
This opens up new opportunities for families to become better informed and further benefit from using loans to buy their first home in order to build wealth .
With mortgage rates reaching historic lows , this year presents a big opportunity for first-time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s a matter of finding the inclusive resources that will help individuals and families learn more about the process , no matter their original language .
For more than 35 years , Rocket Mortgage has been simplifying the home loan process by designing it entirely around you .
When you want personalized attention and need a mortgage to fit your family and budget , Rocket Can .
Visit RocketMortgage.com to learn more .
This article was paid for by Rocket Mortgage and co-created by RYOT Studio .
HuffPost editorial staff did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ content .

Buying a home is still a good way to build wealth in the U.S., and — especially for immigrants — it’s a large part of the dream of settling in and establishing roots.
However, language remains one of the biggest barriers to ownership for many Hispanic and Latinx immigrants who move here from such Spanish-speaking countries as Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Spain and El Salvador. Not only is purchasing a home one of the biggest financial decisions a person or family can make in their life, but the complex process requires research and guidance — services not often provided in Spanish.
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According to a recent report by the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), 33% of the Hispanic population in the U.S. are immigrants and their first language is Spanish.
Opportunity abounds
Spanish-speaking immigrants have more than $1.7 trillion in buying power, yet continue to be underserved and underrepresented because vital documents such as prerequisite explanations, loan applications, appraisal documents and closing contracts are rarely presented in Spanish.
While experts have recently challenged the axiom that you need 20% saved for a down payment, there are still many costs associated with buying a first home. And because Hispanic and Latinx people are more likely to make less money than the national average, it takes them longer to save. This also means that they are buying homes later in life.
Advertisement
There are 12.3 million Hispanic people aged 38-to-53 living in the U.S. who have worked and saved their way to establish home buying power, and these are precisely the people who need help navigating the process in their own language. But the issues they face once they enter the market include not having real estate professionals who can guide them and cater to their unique needs.
The need to have a translator (whether a family member, friend or colleague) complicates the process, and NAHREP reports that the number of Spanish-speaking real estate professionals needs to double in order to keep up with the demand. The question remains: If realtors cannot help with translations and the needs of this community, how can home buyers truly understand the details around the process?
It’s time to talk the talk
Oftentimes, there are many questions that go unanswered during the initial home buying search that then deter families from moving forward with home buying. Many of these questions revolve around where to get started, how to apply for a mortgage loan, what is the required credit score and more. Mortgage lender Rocket Mortgage has created a Spanish language-based learning center to help first-time home buyers navigate the process.
Some of the most important terms that require translation that those in the Latinx/Hispanic communities don’t often see or hear translated are mortgage (“hipoteca”), interest rate (“tasa de interés”) appraisal (“evaluación” or “tasación”), and escrow (“fideicomiso”). The Rocket Mortgage learning center is available in English and en Español and helps by answering in Spanish many frequently asked questions regarding the mortgage process. This opens up new opportunities for families to become better informed and further benefit from using loans to buy their first home in order to build wealth.
Advertisement
With mortgage rates reaching historic lows, this year presents a big opportunity for first-time home buyers to enter the market. It’s a matter of finding the inclusive resources that will help individuals and families learn more about the process, no matter their original language.
_____
From Rocket Mortgage:
For more than 35 years, Rocket Mortgage has been simplifying the home loan process by designing it entirely around you. When you want personalized attention and need a mortgage to fit your family and budget, Rocket Can. Visit RocketMortgage.com to learn more.
Quicken Loans, LLC; NMLS #3030; www.NMLSConsumerAccess.org. Equal Housing Lender. Licensed in 50 states.
This article was paid for by Rocket Mortgage and co-created by RYOT Studio. HuffPost editorial staff did not participate in the creation of this content.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-23--Ana Navarro Sick Of Rudy Giuliani's 'Borat' Excuses: 'Just Make It Stop'

In the movie , the woman is actually the teenage daughter of the Borat character .
The scene ends when Borat , the bizarre , prank-playing Kazakh played by Baron Cohen , bursts into the room and says , “ She ’ s 15 , she ’ s too old for you !
” Although Giuliani claimed he was lying on the bed so he could tuck in his shirt , “ The View ” panel had a hard time taking his excuse seriously .
Joy Behar dismantled the movie scene to show just how sketchy Giuliani ’ s story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Let ’ s have a drink in the bedroom , ’ ” Behar explained .
“ He gets up with her and he ’ s lying on his back , and she ’ s hovering over him .
She takes the microphone off of his shirt and then you see him with his hand in his pants .
Now he claims she ’ s tucking in his shirt .
Now I personally do not have to lie down on a bed to remove my microphone or tuck in my shirt .
I don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Guest panelist Sara Haines cheekily suggested the former New York mayor was wearing tight jeans and added , “ That ’ s exactly what you have to do to tuck in your shirt .
”

In the movie, the woman is actually the teenage daughter of the Borat character. The scene ends when Borat, the bizarre, prank-playing Kazakh played by Baron Cohen, bursts into the room and says, “She’s 15, she’s too old for you!”
Although Giuliani claimed he was lying on the bed so he could tuck in his shirt, “The View” panel had a hard time taking his excuse seriously.
Joy Behar dismantled the movie scene to show just how sketchy Giuliani’s story sounds.
“She says, ’Let’s have a drink in the bedroom,’” Behar explained. “He gets up with her and he’s lying on his back, and she’s hovering over him. She takes the microphone off of his shirt and then you see him with his hand in his pants. Now he claims she’s tucking in his shirt. Now I personally do not have to lie down on a bed to remove my microphone or tuck in my shirt. I don’t know about everybody else.”
Guest panelist Sara Haines cheekily suggested the former New York mayor was wearing tight jeans and added, “That’s exactly what you have to do to tuck in your shirt.”
Behar wasn’t buying it.