thetennesseestar--2020-11-11--Clint Brewer on Trumpism and Election: ‘At Some Point the Cult of Personality Has to Go Away and the

Clint Brewer on Trumpism and Election: ‘At Some Point the Cult of Personality Has to Go Away and the Country Has to  Come First’

Live from Music Row Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Clint Brewer to the studio .
During the third hour , Brewer explained how he thought President Trump may have to consider what his plans will be if he does not end up winning on December 13 once electors have met .
He indicated that there still was the possibility of a Republican Senate and gains in the House with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep the newly elected administration in check .
Leahy : We are joined in the studio today by our good friend , reformed and recovering journalist Clint Brewer .
Clint , you had an intriguing statement about Donald Trump ’ s future .
I want to just frame this for you .
Let us say we ’ ve reached December 13 and the electors have met legally and Joe Biden has received 270 more Electoral College votes .
He would then be called the president-elect .
Caveat .
I ’ m not giving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s the framing of this .
Brewer : Yeah , I think the president and you know , not so much to a lesser extent but also his family need to consider how this period of time is going to impact the Trump brand .
A couple of things .
You know , the president has been fond of saying , you know , it ’ s kind of like what he said about the late Senator McCain .
I like people who don ’ t get captured .
Well , most people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so if he is , in fact , the loser and it appears by all early indicators that he is very much the loser in this race , he needs to consider what role he wants to play in public life moving forward .
I thought Senator Graham had a very insightful statement , which is you know , he needs to keep the movement alive .
You know President Trump for all his faults and there are many , ( Leahy chuckles ) he created a genuine movement of people on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Not necessarily Republicans .
And not necessarily people that would ever be engaged before .
Brewer : A very populist broad , you know set of folks .
And that doesn ’ t happen very often in American politics .
So you have to credit the president with his ability to create something new .
Now , some would say it wasn ’ t particularly an attractive brand of populism .
Brewer : It was effective while it lasted .
And you know , he needs to think about you know , beyond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ play in the national scene moving forward .
I mean , it ’ s going to be hard for any Republican to get the nomination in 2024 without some kind of nod of approval from the president .
Leahy : Well speaking of nods .
How old ’ s the president he said was 73 ?
Leahy : How old is Joe Biden ?
77 ?
Leahy : Yeah , you know in four years Donald Trump will be younger than Joe Biden is right now .
Brewer : Yeah , exactly .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ possibility for that .
I mean , I think he needs to conduct himself in a way we ’ re all possibilities remain open .
Leahy : I got two words for him .
If it turns out that he on December 13 the electoral college has as determined that Joe Biden is the president-elect if it turns out and as I said , it ’ s I think it ’ s a 25 percent shot that Trump can upset that .
Here my two words for Donald Trump .
Are you ready @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean the reason I say that Grover Cleveland was elected president in it and 1884 and served four years .
A term .
Lost to Benjamin Harrison you maybe recall that election ?
Brewer : Mike was in high school back everyone .
Leahy : But then after that loss in 1892 , he was re-elected president and served a second term .
And non-continuous .
And by the way , Grover Cleveland is one of my favorite Democratic presidents .
Brewer : Well , let ’ s look at what ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Republican nomination in 2024 has officially started .
Leahy : It started .
Who ’ s going to be down there ?
Brewer : Well , I ’ ve just have been reading news reports .
Senator Cotton is going to be there .
Senator Rubio ’ s going to be there .
Nikki Haley , the former ambassador .
Haley ’ s going to be there .
Senator Cruz is going to be there .
Brewer : So I mean they ’ re already stepping out .
Leahy : And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own ways .
Leahy : Tom Cotton is a very solid guy .
He was sitting in your seat here .
Leahy : Very impressive .
Very impressive in terms of how she presents herself and how she nails interviews .
Brewer : What we are doing right now and that ’ s what everyone else is doing .
I mean people are already mentally moving on from the Donald Trump era .
And whether they want to admit it or not , and I know our listeners and you know the diehards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , fight .
And you know , I mean if you ’ ve got this much investment in a presidential election , you should exhaust all legal remedies .
But at the same time , your public positioning and posturing need to be , I ’ ll say this .
And this will be incredibly inflammatory for your listeners .
Leahy : Our listeners love to hear your inflammatory statements .
Brewer : I never cast a vote for Al Gore .
Not once .
But I will say this .
At the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gore with a single act proved himself to be a great American .
Because when it was obvious that he had lost… Leahy : Heads are exploding in our listening audience right now .
Brewer : He stepped out and conceded and made sure that the country knew who the new president was and that was a very brave act and for a person who has literally spent their whole life on a track to run for the president of the United States .
To do that whether you liked him or whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his policies , and I wasn ’ t particularly fond of his policies , that was a very selfless act .
And at some point , the cult of personality has to go away and the country has to come first .
And you know what ?
We ’ ve got a lot to live for here with the Senate and with the gains in the House .
There ’ s plenty to do .
Leahy : It ’ s not really the cult of personality because the terrible things that are about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ becomes president it is going to threaten the very existence of our constitutional republic .
Brewer : And we need a majority in the Senate to keep it in check .
Brewer : Because without it there ’ s no bargaining power about cabinet appointments and judicial appointments .
There ’ s no firewall .
Leahy : So this is actually the product the best focus I think of what ’ s next from hard-nosed politics right now for the country .
If you look at it again saying , it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris .
Oh my goodness .
And they ’ re going to want to destroy the country as we know it .
They ’ re going to want to do court-packing .
Brewer : If the Senate is Republican , they ’ re not going to be able to do any of that .
Leahy : Well , let me just hold on here .
I saw a little glimmer of hope asterisk .
The reason that we ’ re taught by these two races in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right now that Thom Tillis will hold North Carolina .
It looks like .
Asterisk .
Votes might show up in the middle of the night still in North Carolina .
But let ’ s assume that .
So right now we ’ ve got 50 Republican Senators and 48 Democrats .
If these two run-off elections go to the Democrats it ’ ll be 50/50 and any major vote Kamala Harris Vice President under the Constitution is the tiebreaker .
So they could jam through court-packing and end the filibuster with this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Manchin .
Democrat , West Virginia yesterday said I will never vote to end the filibuster .
I will never vote for court-packing .
Asterisk Democrat , West Virginia .
Brewer : Right right .
Well and that ’ s the thing that you know , you do have to remember the Senate is an institution with a lot of long-standing traditions in a fair amount of courtesy between members that don ’ t exist in the House .
Brewer : And you ’ re gon na have a hard time getting even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these things .
And that ’ s what I ’ m saying at some point .
The zero-sum game of national politics has to end and governing in the country has to come first .
Leahy : Most likely though it ’ s going to come down to be certain that there ’ s no court-packing and other awful Democrats socialist stuff .
We ’ ve got to win at least one of those two run-off elections .
Brewer : Well , let me tell you the midterms are right around the corner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think that way .
The midterms right around the corner .
( Leahy laughs ) The things that matter now are Georgia and the midterms .
Leahy : Everybody ’ s exhausted with politics and here ’ s coming again .
Listen to the full third hour here : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-11--Professor Phill Kline Explains How Mark Zuckerberg’s Wallet Fed Georgia’s Democratic Strongholds Ena

Professor Phill Kline Explains How Mark Zuckerberg’s Wallet Fed Georgia’s Democratic Strongholds Enabling a Lawless Election

Live from Music Row Tuesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville ’ s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed the Director of the Amistad Project of the Thomas More Society Phill Kline to the newsmakers line .
During the second hour , Kline detailed how Facebook ’ s Mark Zuckerberg put money into the hands of judges , election officials , and vote-counters through his alleged charity called the Center for Tech and Civic Life which has inevitably created a lawless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : We are joined now by our good friend Phill Kline .
Phill is a professor of law at Liberty Law School and the former attorney general in Kansas , and he is now the director of the Amistad Project of the Thomas More Society .
And he ’ s been tracking all of these voting irregularities by the Democrats in this 2020 presidential election .
Good morning , Phill .
Kline : Michael great to be with you .
Leahy : Well , I had a story last night about Mark Zuckerberg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Life .
This is actually a purported non-partisan group that he gave 350 million dollars to in September .
And that money as you have pointed out in many of your critiques is really in essence a Democratic get out the vote effort .
I actually did a story of Breitbart last night and I think I ’ ve documented to great detail that in fact , the money in Georgia only went to six Democratic counties .
and three of them in Fulton County , Cobb County , and Gwinnett County and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent of the 221,000 net vote gain for Joe Biden in Georgia versus Hillary Clinton .
It looks like a get out the vote effort to me Phill .
Kline : Well , Michael , thank you first for blowing the whistle on this .
and you ’ ve been doing it for some time and I appreciate the article .
It ’ s not just a get out the vote effort it is the purchase of local election offices .
These monies are going directly to the people who are counting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are working to turn out the vote .
But only in Democratic areas .
And this combined with gross irregularities and I would say lawlessness and preventing the access that is required by the law of both parties to be able to watch the count .
We have boarded-up windows .
We have people quitting in the middle of the night with counts suddenly ticking up after those who were watching have left .
We have lawlessness .
And this is a lawless election .
And what Mark Zuckerberg has done is put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paying election judges in Philadelphia .
Their salaries .
The people who determine what ballots to count and what the count is .
He is paying that through this charity claiming to be helping us vote in a COVID environment , which is not the objective .
The objective was to determine the President of the United States .
So you ’ ve got Big Tech .
Think about this .
If you want to have the authority or control a nation you control the flow of information and you control the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s money into this election matched the federal government ’ s appropriation to help the states do an election during COVID .
Leahy : And we have actually at our Tennessee Star Outlet we have Corrine Murdock a reporter is down in Atlanta right now .
She spoke with a whistleblower in Gwinnett County which is one of the counties they received funding of over four million dollars for Gwinnett County from the Zuckerberg funded Center for Technology and Civic Life .
Here ’ s a report from Corrine Murdock in our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Officials Used Ballot Machines Missing Security Seals in Gwinnett County .
You may not have heard this particular one yet Phil , but you probably heard quite a few similar stories .
Just to lead this off .
A GOP poll watcher reported that officials allowed workers to use ballot machines that were missing security seals in Gwinnett County , Georgia .
Beth Sexton first called into The Tennessee Star election 2020 unmasked tip line to report the incident on Monday .
She reported this to her supervisors there and they said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happened , you know , just inadvertently .
Inadvertently !
Kline : This is what we have breaking out across the country .
And even worse than that .
Let me give you just a couple of examples to tie into this Michael .
In Detroit , the official position of the Detroit Democratic election clerk is that she has the right to appoint three Democrats to review ballots and claim these ballots are faulty .
They do this and then they set them on the table .
And then they bring our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they accurately looked at the flawed ballot and then they completed the new ballot .
They test it in the machine and count it and then moved the flawed ballots away .
And we don ’ t have a right to watch that process .
They are casting votes for third parties who are not there and claiming to be able to do it behind boarded-up windows without people viewing this .
Listen to the full second hour here : Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to the Tennessee Star Report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 98.3 FM WLAC 1510 .
Listen online at iHeart Radio .
Photo “ Mark Zuckerberg ” by Facebook .

Richmond Police arrested 11 people during a protest outside the Richmond City Justice Center on Tuesday.
The group was gathered outside of the Justice Center to protest conditions in the Richmond jail after COVID-19 outbreak among 100 inmates and staff was reported.
Richmond police officers arrived outside of the Justice Center to help the Richmond Sheriff’s office deal with the group protesters who had moved from the public sidewalk onto Justice Center grounds during the demonstration, causing a security concern, according to the Richmond police description of the incident,
Just before 7 p.m., a man on a bicycle attempted to block a tow truck trying removing a vehicle that had been illegally parked in front of the Justice Center. When a Richmond police officer arrived at the scene, the man tried to flee on his bike and was then stopped by the officer. Other protesters witnessed this and attempted to stop the arrest, leading to those people being arrested as well, according to the police account.
A video of the incident was captured and published to the RVA Magazine Instagram account. That video is below.
A flyer on social media for the protest read: “Our comrades on the inside are facing retaliation from officers for simply requesting adequate medical attention. These conditions are inhumane. We stand in solidarity with those who have been kidnapped, convicted and caged.”
On Wednesday, Richmond police released the names and charges for the 11 protesters arrested.
Their names and charges are as follows:
Stephen Roach Obstruction of Justice Impeding the flow of traffic
Benjamine Skromine Obstruction of Justice Impeding the flow of traffic
Gabrielle Brost Hoffman Obstruction of Justice
Aditya Mohan Obstruction of Justice
Rachel Fidlow Obstruction of Justice
Andre Rosson Obstruction of Justice
Alex Oxford Obstruction of Justice with Force
Jonathan Miranda Disorderly Conduct
Susanna Keating Disorderly Conduct
Mollie Luck Disorderly Conduct
Carmen Day Disorderly Conduct
– – –
Jacob Taylor is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network. Follow Jacob on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Richmond City Justice Center Protest” by RVA Mag.


thetennesseestar--2020-11-11--Commentary: Vets’ Service Is Worthy of Reflection on Veterans Day—and the Rest of the Year

This Veterans Day , we have great reason to thank our many veterans and reflect on the immeasurable value of their service .
Celebrated every year on Nov. 11 , what we now know as Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day , for the day the Treaty of Versailles was signed to end World War I .
After World War II and the Korean War , in 1954 , Congress officially changed the name of Armistice Day to Veterans Day .
The holiday is distinct from Memorial Day , which emphasizes remembering the fallen .
The purpose of Veterans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reflect upon and honor the past—and ongoing—contributions of American veterans .
Each year , new veterans rejoin civilian society , having faithfully discharged their duty .
But for civilians who are unfamiliar with the culture and inner workings of the armed services , the contributions of veterans in building the world in which we live are easy to overlook .
Threats to American interests from terrorist organizations and from countries such as Russia , China , and North Korea persist in their subtle and overt aggression around the globe , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wherever they are needed .
Americans can rest easy at night because the U.S. armed forces do their job well .
And the seamlessness with which many veterans reintegrate into civilian society , contributing through leadership , resilience , and innovation to the public and private sectors , makes the gravity of their sacrifice easy to overlook .
Veterans Day is an opportunity for Americans to intentionally reflect on what may be overlooked and to consider how best to honor their sacrifices , perhaps in new ways .
The first thing an individual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is specifically designed to encourage gratitude and reflection , not necessarily memorial or celebration .
It is an opportunity to learn and reflect on the principles of service , commitment , honor , selflessness , and patriotism that veterans model .
For example , reflect on the depth of their commitment : The entirety of a veteran ’ s sacrifice goes beyond the years of their life they dedicated to the service , to include their individual skills , their physical and mental well-being , and the work they contribute to civilian society @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discipline of their service .
Veterans are generally successful at reintegrating into civilian society , bringing unique perspectives , skills , and experience to the workplace .
They model a loyalty to the greater good to communities in which they live .
Veterans also serve in their communities , often at rates of volunteerism higher than those of the civilian population .
And we can appreciate the honor and patriotism they demonstrate by executing their duty to the country as it is , without losing faith in America ’ s potential to improve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s an honor to have veterans living in our midst today who we can personally honor and thank .
So , let ’ s thank them .
But civilians can also listen to veterans ’ experiences , show up at parades , donate to VA advocacy groups , write letters , visit VA hospitals , and especially support the reintegration of veterans for whom the transition is not as easy .
Also , remember the bigger picture .
We can honor their sacrifice through our own commitments to participate in the growth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country .
In each of our individual callings , we can work alongside them to defend the freedom and prosperity of your nation and fellow citizens .
The unique qualities that make America exceptional in the world begin here , with those dedicated to serving , defending , and bettering our nation .
Thank you , veterans , and happy Veterans Day to all !
Janae Diaz is an intern in The Heritage Foundation ’ s Young Leaders Program .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-11--FDA Has Delayed Approval Process for Promising Cancer Drug for Months Because of COVID

A promising immunotherapy drug for patients battling non-Hodgkin ’ s lymphoma may fail to gain federal approval due to COVID-19 precautions , according to company executives and a quarterly report .
Liso-cel , manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb , originally had its Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) application accepted in February , but has yet to have one of its contracted manufacturing sites undergo FDA inspection due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Not only is the drug ’ s approval contingent on the facility inspections from the FDA , according to multiple company executives , but its application expires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the plant is not inspected in the coming days Bristol-Myers may have to completely resubmit the drug ’ s application as a result .
While the first of two facility inspections occurred , the planned inspection of Bristol-Myers ’ contracted Houston facility has not “ due to COVID travel restrictions and health risks , ” according to a Sept. 8 conference call with Citi biopharma analysts and the company ’ s chief medical officer .
The coronavirus pandemic has posed challenges for both “ us and the FDA , ” and “ it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s approval ] because the FDA staff , like many of us , are operating under the constraints of COVID , ” Samit Hirawat , Bristol-Myers ’ s chief medical officer said during the call .
“ What I can say today is the FDA has informed us that they will require inspection of both our contracted facilities in Washington State as well as the manufacturing organization for the vector , which is located in Texas .
These inspections have not yet taken place .
We are working very closely with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he added .
“ We do not plan to provide additional details or ongoing updates on the FDA ’ s process , ” the administration said when asked by the Daily Caller News Foundation if liso-cel was at risk of failing to get approval .
The drug , which in clinical trials triggered a positive response in 73 % of patients and remission in 53 % of patients , according to Bristol-Myers , must receive FDA approval by Nov. 16 .
If it fails to be approved , it must resubmit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by months , if not years , potentially costing thousands of lives as a result .
Each year , approximately 77,000 Americans are diagnosed with non-Hodgkin ’ s lymphoma , and about 20,000 Americans die , according to the American Cancer Society .
Hirawat also said on the Sept. 8 call that while he understood the FDA ’ s need to prioritize the development and approval of coronavirus treatments and vaccines , he said that “ they also need to manage ” other “ diseases that are life-threatening ” as well .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ torpedo the drug ’ s approval , Hirawat added that he could not further elaborate except that its approval “ is [ a ] very , very high [ priority ] for us.
” On Sept. 15 , Bristol-Myers CEO Giovanni Caforio said on a conference that while the approval process was “ going well , ” the FDA ’ s inability to inspect the Texas site due to COVID was “ a main concern ” that “ somewhat increases the risk ” that the drug would fail to receive approval before its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drug needed FDA inspection at both of its contracted manufacturing plants .
While the first inspection occurred months ago in Washington State , the second has not even been scheduled even though the two inspections are independent from one another , according to the company conference call .
In Bristol-Myers ’ third-quarter financial report , it acknowledged that COVID-19 could delay the “ ability for the FDA to conduct on-site inspections , such that the review of [ liso-cel ] could be delayed ” as well .
During another event at the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inspection had not even been scheduled , saying that “ right now we don ’ t have a date for inspection of the plant .
So they have not been inspected yet.
” Bristol-Myers did not say whether the drug was in jeopardy .
“ Bringing liso-cel to patients in need is a top priority for Bristol Myers Squibb , ” a company spokesperson told the DCNF in an email .
“ The FDA has not yet inspected [ Bristol-Myers ’ ] contracted manufacturing facility in Texas .
[ Bristol-Myers ’ ] is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ensure a safe and timely inspection of that facility , despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic , ” the spokesperson added .
Andrew Trunsky is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-11--Georgia’s Protections, Checks and Balances on the Vote Counting Process

In the disarray and distrust inspired by alleged voting irregularities in Georgia , it stands that the hallmarks of a trustworthy vote-counting process should be revisited .
The Tennessee Star contacted the elections officials from a range of the most populated counties in the state to gain insider perspective and knowledge .
However , several of the officials refused to offer comment , and the remainder didn ’ t respond by press time .
The basic , key components to proper vote-counting reflect multiple levels of checks and balances .
Trustworthy vote-counting includes bipartisan representation ; a hierarchy of supervisors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballot or memory stick boxes ; and ballot machines secured both electronically and physically .
According to several seasoned poll workers and officials , the general standards for vote-counting encompass the following methods : Digital ballots are either transmitted automatically from the voter to the counting facility or stored on memory sticks or hard drives .
Mail-in ballots are observed in the presence of multiple poll workers or challengers .
A pre-check consists of workers checking the ballot while closed .
At that stage , workers ensure that the voter is registered , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both the ballot signature and address matches the signature on file .
Once a worker removes the ballot from the envelope , they check for substances or markings that might interfere with the ballot machine ’ s scanners .
The opened ballots are then placed in batches corresponding with the time received .
Every ballot is scanned and stored onto memory sticks .
Once full , the memory sticks are removed from the machine and transported to tabulation servers .
A select few individuals have access to the room with the servers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ until the polls close .
Once the tabulation server has a complete report of votes , a new memory stick receives the report and is taken to the election director ’ s office .
At that point , the director uploads the memory stick into the state election reporting system .
Every state differs on its laws regarding the amount of poll watchers and challengers , as well as the level of bipartisanship required .
In Georgia , poll watchers must wear badges to identify themselves .
Each precinct may have up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and nonpartisan or independent candidates may appoint one .
Additionally , candidates can ’ t serve as poll watchers .
As for counting votes , Georgia law requires that superintendents only allow certain individuals they ’ ve deputized to touch any ballots , containers , papers , or machines involved .
The process is required to be made visible to the public .
Ballot containers must have unbroken seals when received and remain separate from differing polling places .
The superintendent must note damaged , spoiled or invalid , and unused ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counted , and save those ballots in a container .
Duplicate ballot copies are permissible for defective ballots , so long as it is prepared by the corresponding election official of the same polling place .
Ultimately , tabulating machines print the report of vote totals .
As for absentee and mail-in ballots , Georgia law requires that the worker must write the date and time they received the ballot on the envelope .
Verifications of signatures , addresses , and registration all align with general standards for vote-counting .
Counting these ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Election Day .
Any rejected absentee voters must be recorded onto three copies of a list and given to the poll manager .
Challenged ballots must be marked as “ challenged , ” and set aside for counting and review .
Additionally , officials must notify the voter that their ballot was challenged .
Any voter that fails to sign , presents an invalid signature , is ineligible to vote , or can ’ t provide all verifiable , consistent information as required by law must have their ballot rejected .
As for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ precincts with multiple security seals to indicate no tampering occurred .
One controversial component that these machines may include is a modem allowing internet access .
The ballot machine software used in every Georgia county and 28 other states , Democracy 5.5A by Dominion Voting Systems ( Dominion ) , sparked controversy over that component last week .
The system presented glitches that deleted , misplaced , delayed , or swapped votes .
Additional controversy ensued after it was discovered that Texas rejected the system for faulty security .
Specifically , Democracy 5.5A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ports .
The top three voting manufacturing companies – Election Systems & Software ( ES & S ) , Dominion , and Hart InterCivic – admitted to installing internet modems in tabulators and scanners .
These companies assured the National Election Defense Coalition ( NEDC ) that these measures were completely safe , and their purpose was to relay unofficial election results to the public more quickly .
However , the National Institute of Standards and Technology and independent cybersecurity experts stated the opposite : voting systems that come online at any point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future elections .
“ Once a hacker starts talking to the voting machine through the modem , the hacker can not just change these unofficial election results , they can hack the software in the voting machine and make it cheat in future elections , ” stated Dr. Andrew Appel to NBC News , a computer science and security professor at Princeton University .
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger defended the overall integrity of vote-counting across the state as recently as Monday .
Raffensperger indicated that ongoing investigations won ’ t have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law states that any vote totals with a difference of less than one-half of one percent qualifies for a recount of that election , if the losing party issues a written request to do so within two business days following the certified election results .
As it stands prior to the outcomes from legal challenges , Democratic candidate Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump by less than half a point .
Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and the Star News Network .
Follow her latest on Twitter , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Photo “ Georgia Capitol ” by DXR .
CC BY-SA 4.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-11--Chesapeake Gynecologist Convicted for a Scheme of Unnecessary Surgeries, Insurance Fraud

A federal jury has convicted Javaid Perwaiz , a gynecologist accused of defrauding insurance companies by performing unnecessary procedures including hysterectomies and early induced labor , according to a Department of Justice ( DOJ ) press release .
On Monday , the jury convicted the Chesapeake doctor on 52 counts related to the scheme .
“ Perwaiz billed private and governmental insurers millions of dollars for irreversible hysterectomies and other surgeries and procedures that were not medically necessary for his patients , ” the press release states .
“ In many instances , Perwaiz would falsely tell his patients that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in order to induce them to agree to the surgeries.
” Perwaiz practiced in the Hampton Roads area since the 1980s , but the charges relate to activity from 2010-2019 .
A June 2020 indictment alleged that Perwaiz would report falsified symptoms to insurance companies to justify the procedures he charged for .
He also falsely claimed to perform diagnostic procedures in his office .
“ Perwaiz routinely and aggressively encouraged women to consent to irreversible , invasive , and unnecessary gynecological procedures and surgeries .
For instance , Perwaiz routinely told patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not undergo surgery and that she already had cancer and required surgery , ” the indictment alleged .
“ Perwaiz routinely did not counsel and offer less-invasive medical options to his patients other than the invasive gynecological procedures and surgeries.
” “ Dr .
Perwaiz preyed upon his trusting patients and committed horrible crimes to feed his greed , ” G. Zachary Terwilliger , U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia said in the press release .
“ Dr .
Perwaiz has a history of fraud including having his medical license @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to stop him but the brave victims who testified against him and law enforcement.
” The DOJ press release states , “ The evidence at trial also demonstrated that Perwaiz falsified records for his obstetric patients so that he could induce their labor early , prior to the recommended gestational age that minimizes risk to the mother and baby , to ensure he would be able to conduct and be reimbursed for the deliveries.
” According to the June 2020 indictment , Perwaiz had been terminated from a hospital ’ s staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , unnecessary surgery , lack of documentation , and discrepancies in record keeping.
” According to the indictment , he was formally censured in 1984 “ for lack of documentation of patient records and lack of judgment in regards to a sexual relationship with a patient.
” In 1996 the doctor pled guilty to two counts of felony tax evasion .
“ In part , this included Perwaiz attempting to claim the purchase of a Ferrari sports car as a business expense by labeling it as a purchase of an ultrasound machine for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states .
Perwaiz ’ s medical license was subsequently suspended until 1999 , according to the indictment .
Then , in September 2018 , the FBI initiated a new case against Perwaiz after a hospital employee submitted a tip about unnecessary surgeries , according to a 2019 affidavit for a warrant against the doctor .
“ Perwaiz ’ s patients advised hospital staff they were present for their ‘ annual clean outs.
’ In many instances , the patients were not aware of the procedures they were undergoing , ” the affidavit states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported that Perwaiz was being held without bond .
Although COVID-19 delayed his court appearances , a federal jury convicted the doctor on Monday .
He will face sentencing on March 31 , 2021 .
“ Perwaiz faces a maximum penalty of 465 years in prison , ” the DOJ press release states .
“ Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.
” “ Doctors are in positions of authority and trust and take an oath to do no harm to their patients , ” Karl Schumann , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FBI ’ s Norfolk Field Office , said in the press release .
“ With unnecessary , invasive medical procedures , Dr. Perwaiz not only caused enduring complications , pain and anxiety to his patients , but he assaulted the most personal part of their lives and even robbed some of their future .
The brave patients and nurses who came forward and testified deserve our gratitude for helping end this horrible scheme.
” Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Email tips to @ @ @ @ @


thetennesseestar--2020-11-11--Virginia COVID-19 Update: Coronavirus Numbers Rising Throughout the State, Vaccine Expected by Year

Virginia COVID-19 Update: Coronavirus Numbers Rising Throughout the State, Vaccine Expected by Year End, Officials Say

As the winter months , colder weather and the holiday season are approaching , the coronavirus numbers , encompassing a number of different metrics , have been increasing throughout Virginia over the last month or so , according to government officials .
At a televised briefing Tuesday afternoon , Governor Ralph Northam said the state is seeing a rise in cases , percent positivity – now at 6.2 percent – and hospitalizations .
The governor stressed the need for Virginians to continue following general health and safety practices like wearing masks or face coverings , washing hands frequently , physical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ My message today is for every Virginian because we are one state , one Commonwealth and no region is an island , ” Northam said .
“ We all need to step up our vigilance and our precautions , especially as we head toward the Thanksgiving holiday.
” The Virginia Department of Health reported 1,435 new cases on Tuesday , but it is not known how many of those cases are confirmed versus probable .
The total number of confirmed cases is now at 178,432 out of 8.5 million Virginians .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ incidence rate per 100,000 people is at 17.2 , well above the high threshold of 10.0 .
Three weeks ago , the state ’ s daily case incidence rate per 100,00 was at 11.8 , according to the VDH pandemic metrics dashboard .
In a weekly report from the VDH and the University of Virginia ( UVA ) Biocomplexity institute , the statewide coronavirus reproduction rate is slightly above one ( 1.087 ) , which means the virus is spreading quickly .
The report also found that the reproduction rate is above one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and is especially high in the far southwest region ( 1.366 ) .
The current number of confirmed COVID-19 patients in state hospitals is 885 .
Since the beginning of October confirmed hospitalizations have been slowly increasing , but nearly 22,000 of those patients have been discharged , according to the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association COVID-19 dashboard .
Still , Virginia is faring better than almost all Midwestern states , neighbors Kentucky and Tennessee and the nation as a whole , according to the Biocomplexity Institute report .
Northam also announced contracts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the One Lab Network , the state ’ s coordinated lab testing system , which is expected to allow for 7,000 additional tests per day by the end of 2020 .
State Health Commissioner Dr. Norman Oliver also spoke at Tuesday ’ s briefing to provide information about a potential COVID vaccine .
“ We can expect to have a vaccine from one of the many that are in play right now by the end of the year , and I want to let you know that we are ready to get that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Commonwealth , ” Oliver said .
“ A COVID-19 vaccine is especially important because in order to stop a pandemic we really have to do our best to increase the immunity that exists in the population.
” Oliver said a state plan for the delivery and distribution of vaccines has already been submitted to and approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , but warned that it will take months for the VDH to vaccinate millions of Virginians and take a while to develop that immunity .
The health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is distributing a coronavirus vaccine that is both safe and effective .
Jacob Taylor is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Follow Jacob on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ]


thetennesseestar--2020-11-11--Gov. Walz Calls Sixth Special Session for Thursday

Gov .
Tim Walz on Monday said he will convene the sixth special session of the Minnesota Legislature on Thursday .
“ Amid climbing COVID-19 cases , hospitalizations , and deaths , Walz intends to extend the COVID-19 peacetime emergency by 30 days , ” a news release said .
The extension will mark a total of about 274 days or nearly nine months Minnesota has been under a state of emergency .
“ This is a dangerous phase of this pandemic .
We ’ re in the midst of a surge in case positivity and hospitalizations , ” Walz @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Peacetime Emergency will help ensure we have the tools we need to respond quickly to protect Minnesotans ’ health and well-being.
” The special session follows an increase in new COVID-19 cases , hospitalizations , and deaths .
The state reported 3,930 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 19 deaths on Monday , 14 of which were residents of a long-term care facility .
Minnesota ’ s peacetime emergency is consistent with the emergencies declared in 48 other states , so governors can quickly respond to COVID-19 .
A majority vote in the House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergency powers , but if the previous five special sessions are any indication , the GOP-controlled Senate will move to revoke his emergency powers , but the DFL-led House won ’ t .
Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square .
A graduate of Hillsdale College , his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org .
Previously , he worked as a financial analyst at Pepsi .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-11--COVID-19 Outbreak in Richmond Registrar’s Office Delays Election Results

Candidates in Richmond ’ s close elections will have to wait a little longer for certainty after three staffers in the Registrar ’ s office were diagnosed with COVID-19 .
Registrar Kirk Showalter said most ballots would be counted by Tuesday , but 975 provisional ballots remain to be evaluated and counted .
At a Monday press conference , Showalter said she hoped results for those ballots would be available on Friday .
“ 90 percent of my staff are now under quarantine until November 17 .
We do have a few staff members not impacted and they will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ skeleton staff , ” Showalter said at the press conference .
Although the results of the mayoral election seem clear , as of press time on Tuesday several city council races were close , according to State Department of Elections data .
A staffer from Mayor Levar Stoney ’ s campaign also tested positive , according to a statement obtained by NBC29 .
“ Based on guidance from the Richmond City Health District and pursuant to City of Richmond employee protocol , my office and I will be isolating for the time being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prepared to serve the residents of Richmond from home , ” Stoney said .
The announcement triggered a wave of testing among campaigns and city employees who had contact with the registrar ’ s office .
On Twitter , mayoral candidate Alexsis Rodgers said she was quarantining from home while waiting for test results .
Second District City Council candidate Katherine Jordan tweeted that she tested negative .
Her opponent Tavarris Spinks tweeted that he had confirmed no contact with the office during the COVID-19 risk window .
Spinks was leading Jordan by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the State Department of Elections .
ABC8 News reported that three police officers were quarantining after a potential exposure at the registrar ’ s office .
On Monday night , Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras published an updated warning of a risk of exposure due to the three infected officials being present at polling locations in Richmond schools on Election Day .
Richmond ’ s schools have been operating in a mainly virtual environment since the beginning of the school year .
In a Tuesday email , Showalter told The Star @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that would complete all the ballots cast except just 975 provisional ballots .
Showalter said in the email , “ After today , the only outstanding things to be counted are the provisional ballots .
Provisional ballots are cast in the precincts on Election Day because a person ’ s qualification to vote can not be determined right then and there .
A good portion of the provisional ballots were cast by persons that had been mailed an absentee ballot.
” To determine if the provisional ballots are valid , the absentee district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the provisional ballots to make sure no one votes twice .
“ We want to give every provisional ballot its due consideration , ” Showalter said at the Monday press conference .
“ I ’ m hoping we will have something on those by the end of the week.
” Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Email tips to [ email protected ] .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-11--Ohio Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Stiffen Penalties for Rioting, Vandalism, Looting

An Ohio native , J.D .
Davidson is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years of experience in newspapers @ @ @ @ @ Alabama and Texas .
He has served as a reporter , editor , managing editor @ @ @ @ @ a regional editor for The Center Square .
Photo “ Minnesota Rioters ” by Lorie @ @ @ @ @ .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-11--University of Virginia Extends Its Optional Credit Grading Policy for January-Term and Spring Semest

University of Virginia Extends Its Optional Credit Grading Policy for January-Term and Spring Semester

The University of Virginia ( UVA ) announced Monday the school is extending the optional credit grading policy , originally implemented this fall , for all undergraduate and certain graduate classes during January-term and the spring 2021 semester .
Provost Liz Magill made the announcement in a letter to students , which included details on how the grading policy will work .
“ After extensive discussion and thoughtful consideration , we determined that it would be best to extend the fall grading policy to both J-term and the spring , ” Magill wrote in the letter .
“ Ultimately , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by students , faculty , and staff about the effects of this pandemic on many of our students , while at the same time honoring the views of those students and faculty who seek to give or receive standard grades.
” When students register for January-term , a two-week period between semesters where students only have one class , or spring semester classes they will have the option to choose standard letter grading or to receive a credit ( CR ) /general credit ( GC ) /no credit ( NC ) grade .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ credit grading option during those terms will still count toward curricular , major , and graduation requirements , and will not factor into a student ’ s grade point average ( GPA ) , according to the letter .
Additionally , a credit grade will not hinder students ’ ability to apply for a specific major , research program or to switch between UVA ’ s different schools .
“ It is a little bit of a good and bad idea , ” Lauren Pitkin , a senior at UVA , told The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m not going to be choosing [ credit grades ] , I do think that it ’ s a good option for some students because , even though we should be used to online classes by now , every class is super different and it can be more difficult to focus or get work done in one class than it is another , especially based on [ professor ’ s ] teaching styles.
” Pitkin , who chose to receive letter grades for classes this semester , also said she thinks credits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposed to juniors or seniors .
Joseph DiPetto , a fellow senior at the university , offered a slightly different opinion on credit grades .
“ There are a lot of different students in different situations , but I don ’ t really feel it helps much , ” DiPetto told The Star .
“ It kind of just seems like a pass for me , maybe a pass in a more difficult class .
It really depends on your major , because for some majors the classes you take are not really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other majors , grades are really important.
” “ Last semester I think it was a good option , it was necessary , ” DiPetto added .
“ But , now that [ students ] have their feet on the ground and we prove we can take classes online that is not really necessary.
” For students that choose the credit system , a CR grade will be given if they meet course requirements for credit ( C or higher ) , GC will be given if a student gets a passing below @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for an F grade , according to the letter .
Magill also noted that before making a decision , students should think about any possible implications of selecting or not selecting credit grades .
“ I remain grateful to our students , faculty , and staff for their valuable insight and leadership on this important topic , ” Magill wrote .
Jacob Taylor is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Follow Jacob on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ] Photo “ University of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Virginia .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-11--Liberty Stuns Virginia Tech with Game-Winning Field Goal to Remain Undefeated

In a back-and-forth contest that featured several lead changes , No .
25 Liberty beat Virginia Tech 38-35 on Saturday thanks to a 51-yard field goal with 1 second left on the clock .
The field goal put a stamp on the thrilling game , where Liberty were forced to rally from a seven-point halftime deficit , and moved the Flames to a 7-0 record for the first time in program history .
“ I just couldn ’ t be prouder of the way our kids competed and didn ’ t worry about the scoreboard , and just played the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hugh Freeze said during the postgame press conference .
“ We knew we were going to have problems stopping them .
I tried to slow the game down and manage it , so that we had a chance late in the game .
The plan worked pretty good.
” With eight seconds left in the fourth quarter and the game tied 35-35 , Liberty was forced to attempt a 59-yard field goal after the Hokies ’ defense stopped the Flames from converting on third down .
Liberty kicker Alex Barbir ’ s attempt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for what appeared to be a game-winning touchdown , but the officials ruled Tech head coach Justin Fuente had called a timeout just before the snap .
On the next play , Liberty instead decided to go for a first down on fourth-and-6 to give Barbir a better chance .
The Flames did just that , picking up eight yards with five seconds remaining , setting up Barbir ’ s game-clinching field goal .
Freeze described the kick and the ensuing celebration on the field as “ extremely special.
” “ You don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like that in team sports , particularly with a school that is trying to build a program and has just been FBS for a few years , ” Freeze said .
“ And to now have two wins over Power 5 opponents in year two is kind of euphoric really .
We ’ re just thankful that we get to do this together with a group that loves each other.
” Despite fumbling four times and losing two of them , Liberty star quarterback Malik Willis , a transfer from Auburn , stuffed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rushing .
Willis accounted for 325 total yards in the game , completing 20 of 30 passes for 217-yards and three touchdowns , while running the ball 19 times for 108 yards and one touchdown .
Flames running back Joshua Mack chipped in on the ground , rushing for 90 yards on 19 carries , while wide receiver CJ Yarbrough caught five passes for 65 yards .
Tech quarterback Hendon Hooker outpaced Willis , producing 373 total yards and four total touchdowns of his own – three passing and one rushing .
156 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come on the ground .
In this week ’ s Associated Press top-25 rankings , Liberty jumped up three spots from No.25 to No.22 , and have now beaten two Power 5 opponents , Syracuse and Virginia Tech , from the Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) on the road as underdogs .
This Saturday , the Flames are taking on the Western Carolina , who have not played a game yet this season , for a chance to improve to 8-0 .
The following three games on the schedule look to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to North Carolina State ( 4-3 ) , another Power 5 opponent , then they host University of Massachusetts ( 0-2 ) before finishing the season on the road against 15th-ranked and fellow unbeaten Coastal Carolina .
Even if the Flames end up finishing its season a perfect 11-0 , it is extremely unlikely that they would be in contention for a spot in the College Football Playoff .
But , even with a loss to Coastal Carolina , Liberty could secure a spot in a new year ’ s six bowl game @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an odd college football season , the Flames ’ success has been one of the more surprising storylines .
Jacob Taylor is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
Follow Jacob on Twitter .
Email tips to [ email protected ]


thetennesseestar--2020-11-11--Georgia Announces Full, Hand Recount in Presidential Race

Jason Schaumburg is an award-winning , veteran editor who has been a journalist for more than 20 years .
He @ @ @ @ @ top editor in three northern Illinois newsrooms for Shaw Media and Pioneer Press .
Schaumburg @ @ @ @ @ The Center Square .
Background Photo “ Georgia Capitol ” by DXR .
CC BY-SA @ @


thetennesseestar--2020-11-11--Despite State GOP Claims to the Contrary, Georgia Is Ripe for Election Fraud

The presidential election might come down to Georgia , where years of subtle changes have been chipping away at election security in the state .
All eyes are on Georgia right now , where former Vice President Joe Biden leads President Trump by a razor-thin margin of fewer than 12,000 votes , making the presidential contest there the closest in the country .
Votes were still being counted over the weekend , and state election officials said nearly all ballots would be counted by the end of the day on Monday .
Because the margin between Biden and Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it appears Georgia is headed for a recount regardless of the final vote tally .
All of this is happening amid allegations of voter fraud and ballot-counting irregularities .
Republican Sens .
David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler issued a joint statement Monday saying the management of the election in Georgia has become an “ embarrassment.
” They called on Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger , also a Republican , to step down for failing “ to deliver honest and transparent elections.
” Other Georgia officials pushed back .
Republican Lt. Gov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office had seen “ no credible examples ” of voter fraud or irregularities , and Gabriel Sterling , the state ’ s voting systems implementation manager , held a news conference Monday to reassure the media that everything is fine and that any irregularities are a result of human error , not fraud .
But the story in Georgia isn ’ t that simple .
Structural changes to Georgia ’ s election law implemented piecemeal over the past decade , specifically changes to absentee mail-in voting , have made the state more susceptible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s on a scale large enough to change the outcome of the presidential election , no one knows right now .
That ’ s one of the things we might find out in a recount .
Because most Americans don ’ t closely follow election laws and lawsuits in Georgia , here ’ s a quick breakdown of the ways recent changes to Georgia ’ s election laws might be affecting the presidential election .
Back in March , Georgia election officials agreed to a settlement in federal court with the Georgia Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee , which had sued the state over its rules for absentee voting .
Specifically , the settlement introduced something called “ ballot curing ” to Georgia election law .
Ballot curing is when voters whose mail-in ballots are rejected for some reason—the signature on the ballot doesn ’ t match the one on file , the ballot is missing certain voter information , etc.—are notified and given a chance to correct or “ cure ” their absentee ballot .
Under the settlement , state election officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rejected within three business days .
If an absentee ballot is rejected in the 11 days before Election Day , officials agreed to contact the voter in the next business day .
Because more than 8,000 absentee ballots were rejected in the 2018 general election in Georgia , this provision in the settlement got the most media play .
But it wasn ’ t the most important provision , which was a crucial change to the rules for accepting absentee ballots in the first place .
Previously , the signature on the absentee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eNet , a computer database that maintains Georgia ’ s voter registration and absentee ballot information .
If the signature on the ballot didn ’ t match , it was thrown out .
In a cleverly worded section of the settlement , Georgia election officials agreed to a subtle but profound change .
Instead of having to match the signature on file with eNet , the absentee ballot signature only had to match the signature on the absentee ballot application .
The key word in the settlement was “ any.
” That is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rejected if it doesn ’ t match “ any ” of the signatures on file—either in eNet or the signature on the absentee ballot application .
What ’ s more , an absentee ballot can only be rejected if , A ) it doesn ’ t match any other signature , and B ) “ a majority of the registrars , deputy registrars , or absentee ballot clerks reviewing the signature agree that the signature does not match any of the voter ’ s signatures on file in eNet or on the absentee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so important ?
Well , if someone fraudulently filed an absentee ballot application , that same person could then sign the absentee ballot itself , and since the two signatures would match , the ballot would be accepted .
This is obviously a huge flaw in the system , but it ’ s one Georgia elections officials agreed to—and they did so without making the Georgia GOP a party to the lawsuit or the settlement , which means Georgia Republicans had no say in this major change .
Fulton County Has Big Problems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problem in Georgia you probably haven ’ t heard about is a legal challenge now underway in Fulton County , the state ’ s most populous county that encompasses Atlanta .
Earlier this year , Atlanta attorney Ray Smith issued written notice of an election challenge on behalf of two clients in Fulton County to the Georgia secretary of state and the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections .
That challenge , which Smith first sent in July and issued again on November 2 , alleges there are as many as 15,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who no longer live there .
Of those , some 1,246 are registered to vote outside of Georgia , and at least 24 of them , as of November 2 , had already voted in Fulton County .
I talked to Smith on the phone Monday , and he told me the original purpose of the challenge was to be able to furnish information on potential absentee voter fraud to a handful of candidates for the Georgia state House of Representatives , in case there were contested elections in Fulton County , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ever anticipated we would have to provide this information for the presidential election , ” said Smith , who has since joined the Trump election team in Georgia .
Smith explained that he has evidence in the form of written affidavits that these people no longer live where the Fulton County voter rolls say they do .
According to Georgia state law , they were supposed to have been removed from the rolls , but , said Smith , Fulton County refused to do so , as did a superior court judge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now under appeal with the Georgia Court of Appeals .
This Has Been Slowly Unfolding For Years There ’ s a history to all of this that goes back further than Stacey Abrams ’ s failed 2018 bid for the Georgia governorship .
Efforts have been underway in Georgia for the past decade to expand early and absentee voting .
Here ’ s a quick rundown .
In 2013 , a federal judge ordered Georgia to expand its runoff election window to 45 days to allow more time for absentee ballots to come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mail-in voting rules like the ability to request an absentee ballot online with only a driver ’ s license or a state-issued ID number .
Then in 2017 , the Lawyers ’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law , a nonprofit group , successfully sued the state to require a fresh registration window for federal runoff elections .
Before , you had to have been registered for the regular election in order to be eligible to vote in the runoff , which was considered a continuation of the same election .
Now you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you didn ’ t vote in the regular .
This change might have an outsized influence on the current election .
For example , Georgia voters who want to cast a ballot in the January 5 runoff next year have until December 7 to register .
Critics say that opens up federal runoff elections to the possibility that out-of-state voters might try to rush in and illegally take part in a runoff—a prospect that could come to pass if control of the U.S. Senate comes down to runoffs in Georgia .
I spoke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elected official in Georgia who told me these changes have all been part of an effort to chip away at Georgia election law .
“ Everything they ’ ve been passing makes it easier to cheat , ” he said .
“ This is the first election in my lifetime where there ’ s a great deal of uncertainty about whether we ’ ve had a safe and fair election .
”

All eyes are on Georgia right now, where former Vice President Joe Biden leads President Trump by a razor-thin margin of fewer than 12,000 votes, making the presidential contest there the closest in the country.
Votes were still being counted over the weekend, and state election officials said nearly all ballots would be counted by the end of the day on Monday. Because the margin between Biden and Trump is so thin, less than 1 percent, it appears Georgia is headed for a recount regardless of the final vote tally.
All of this is happening amid allegations of voter fraud and ballot-counting irregularities. Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler issued a joint statement Monday saying the management of the election in Georgia has become an “embarrassment.” They called on Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, also a Republican, to step down for failing “to deliver honest and transparent elections.”
Other Georgia officials pushed back. Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Ducan told CNN that his office had seen “no credible examples” of voter fraud or irregularities, and Gabriel Sterling, the state’s voting systems implementation manager, held a news conference Monday to reassure the media that everything is fine and that any irregularities are a result of human error, not fraud.
But the story in Georgia isn’t that simple. Structural changes to Georgia’s election law implemented piecemeal over the past decade, specifically changes to absentee mail-in voting, have made the state more susceptible to voter fraud. Whether it’s on a scale large enough to change the outcome of the presidential election, no one knows right now. That’s one of the things we might find out in a recount.
Because most Americans don’t closely follow election laws and lawsuits in Georgia, here’s a quick breakdown of the ways recent changes to Georgia’s election laws might be affecting the presidential election.
Settlement Smuggled In Major Change to Mail-In Voting
Back in March, Georgia election officials agreed to a settlement in federal court with the Georgia Democratic Party, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which had sued the state over its rules for absentee voting.
Specifically, the settlement introduced something called “ballot curing” to Georgia election law. Ballot curing is when voters whose mail-in ballots are rejected for some reason—the signature on the ballot doesn’t match the one on file, the ballot is missing certain voter information, etc.—are notified and given a chance to correct or “cure” their absentee ballot. Under the settlement, state election officials agreed to contact voters whose ballots were rejected within three business days. If an absentee ballot is rejected in the 11 days before Election Day, officials agreed to contact the voter in the next business day.
Because more than 8,000 absentee ballots were rejected in the 2018 general election in Georgia, this provision in the settlement got the most media play. But it wasn’t the most important provision, which was a crucial change to the rules for accepting absentee ballots in the first place.
Previously, the signature on the absentee ballot had to match the signature on eNet, a computer database that maintains Georgia’s voter registration and absentee ballot information. If the signature on the ballot didn’t match, it was thrown out.
In a cleverly worded section of the settlement, Georgia election officials agreed to a subtle but profound change. Instead of having to match the signature on file with eNet, the absentee ballot signature only had to match the signature on the absentee ballot application. The key word in the settlement was “any.” That is, an absentee ballot can only be rejected if it doesn’t match “any” of the signatures on file—either in eNet or the signature on the absentee ballot application.
What’s more, an absentee ballot can only be rejected if, A) it doesn’t match any other signature, and B) “a majority of the registrars, deputy registrars, or absentee ballot clerks reviewing the signature agree that the signature does not match any of the voter’s signatures on file in eNet or on the absentee ballot application.”
Why is that change so important? Well, if someone fraudulently filed an absentee ballot application, that same person could then sign the absentee ballot itself, and since the two signatures would match, the ballot would be accepted. This is obviously a huge flaw in the system, but it’s one Georgia elections officials agreed to—and they did so without making the Georgia GOP a party to the lawsuit or the settlement, which means Georgia Republicans had no say in this major change.
Fulton County Has Big Problems With Its Voter Rolls
The other big problem in Georgia you probably haven’t heard about is a legal challenge now underway in Fulton County, the state’s most populous county that encompasses Atlanta.
Earlier this year, Atlanta attorney Ray Smith issued written notice of an election challenge on behalf of two clients in Fulton County to the Georgia secretary of state and the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections. That challenge, which Smith first sent in July and issued again on November 2, alleges there are as many as 15,000 people registered to vote in Fulton County who no longer live there. Of those, some 1,246 are registered to vote outside of Georgia, and at least 24 of them, as of November 2, had already voted in Fulton County.
I talked to Smith on the phone Monday, and he told me the original purpose of the challenge was to be able to furnish information on potential absentee voter fraud to a handful of candidates for the Georgia state House of Representatives, in case there were contested elections in Fulton County, as had been forecast.
“We never, ever anticipated we would have to provide this information for the presidential election,” said Smith, who has since joined the Trump election team in Georgia.
Smith explained that he has evidence in the form of written affidavits that these people no longer live where the Fulton County voter rolls say they do. According to Georgia state law, they were supposed to have been removed from the rolls, but, said Smith, Fulton County refused to do so, as did a superior court judge earlier this year. The case is now under appeal with the Georgia Court of Appeals.
Let me repeat. Fulton County elections officials told the media and our observers that they were shutting down the tabulation center at State Farm Arena at 10:30 p.m. on election night only to continue counting ballots in secret until 1:00 a.m. — David Shafer (@DavidShafer) November 10, 2020
This Has Been Slowly Unfolding For Years
There’s a history to all of this that goes back further than Stacey Abrams’s failed 2018 bid for the Georgia governorship. Efforts have been underway in Georgia for the past decade to expand early and absentee voting. Here’s a quick rundown.
In 2013, a federal judge ordered Georgia to expand its runoff election window to 45 days to allow more time for absentee ballots to come in. The decision exacerbated already weak mail-in voting rules like the ability to request an absentee ballot online with only a driver’s license or a state-issued ID number.
Then in 2017, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonprofit group, successfully sued the state to require a fresh registration window for federal runoff elections. Before, you had to have been registered for the regular election in order to be eligible to vote in the runoff, which was considered a continuation of the same election. Now you can vote in the runoff even if you didn’t vote in the regular.
This change might have an outsized influence on the current election. For example, Georgia voters who want to cast a ballot in the January 5 runoff next year have until December 7 to register. Critics say that opens up federal runoff elections to the possibility that out-of-state voters might try to rush in and illegally take part in a runoff—a prospect that could come to pass if control of the U.S. Senate comes down to runoffs in Georgia.
I spoke to a longtime GOP activist and former elected official in Georgia who told me these changes have all been part of an effort to chip away at Georgia election law. “Everything they’ve been passing makes it easier to cheat,” he said. “This is the first election in my lifetime where there’s a great deal of uncertainty about whether we’ve had a safe and fair election.”
John Daniel Davidson is a senior editor at The Federalist. His writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Claremont Review of Books, The New York Post, and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter, @johnddavidson.


thetennesseestar--2020-11-12--COVID-19, Spending Cuts Focus of Tennessee Education Budget Discussions

Teacher raises , vacant positions and funding for school districts with decreased enrollment this school year were some of the topics discussed Tuesday as the chiefs of Tennessee ’ s education agencies presented their proposed budgets for the upcoming fiscal year .
Gov .
Bill Lee is hearing budget presentations from each of his state agencies over the course of the week , preparing to put together a state budget proposal Lee will present to the Tennessee Legislature in his State of the State address next year .
As the state prepared to respond to a dramatic financial toll brought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic , Tennessee Finance and Administration Commissioner Butch Eley asked agencies in May to prepare to propose a 12 % reduction in their budgets .
In addition to specific funding requests , budget hearings have focused on the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on operations and adaptations that have been necessary within the work of agencies to continue serving constituents .
Budget discussions for the Tennessee Department of Education ( TDOE ) was no different Tuesday morning , as Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn made the department ’ s funding pitch to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funding cuts for services that would not be passed on as expenses to local school districts .
In addition to eliminating vacant positions across the department , Schwinn noted the TDOE renegotiated a contract with a test provider , saving the state $ 40 million over the five-year contract .
“ We were spending something like $ 11 for each paper test .
We were able to bring that down to somewhere between $ 2 to $ 3 per paper test , ” Schwinn said .
Schwinn said the TDOE also will scale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is housed over four floors of offices in the Andrew Johnson building , in addition to regional offices .
Remote work and extensive in-district travel among staff have made it possible for the agency to reduce its workspace by half .
“ Needing to have that physical space where they very rarely are sitting because they are in a district seemed unnecessary , so we are eliminating those core offices , the physical spaces , so that folks can really lean into spending time on the ground and classrooms and districts , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ institute a rotating schedule of in-office work .
“ We are continuing to work through things like phones , internet , some of the printing things that are needed for our day-to-day work , but we are seeing the productivity and the outcomes , ” Schwinn said .
Schwinn also noted that school safety and transportation teams will be consolidated and merged into a “ district operations ” team , saving $ 350,000 .
The TDOE also will make reductions of $ 41,000 to the State Board of Education , $ 6,400 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the charter commission , and $ 100,000 to maintenance services made possible by reducing the department ’ s footprint .
“ The future of Tennessee depends on education funding , ” Lee told reporters in a news conference between budget hearings Tuesday morning .
While planned raises for teachers were eliminated during budget cuts the Legislature made bracing for financial hardship , Lee said he ’ s optimistic there will be funding for teacher raises this year .
“ We certainly hope that there will be an opportunity for meaningful increases in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , praising the work of teachers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic .
State funding for school districts is determined by student enrollment .
As many students have pursued school alternatives such as online study or attending a different school because of the effect of COVID-19 on the education system , many school districts have reported a decrease in enrollment .
In its annual report to the governor , the state Basic Education Program Review Committee – the entity that reviews Tennessee ’ s mechanism for funding of local school districts – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” and not receive budget cuts as a result of COVID-19-related enrollment decreases .
Lee also said he anticipates school districts will experience lower enrollment as more students have pursued education alternatives .
“ Ultimately , the Legislature makes the decision regarding the proposals that we make in our budget , ” Lee said , “ but we believe that districts will be held harmless , that that funding will continue at the same level , that the challenges that districts have faced as a result of the pandemic those burdens should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve received in the past.
” Vivian Jones reports on Tennessee and South Carolina for The Center Square .
Her writing has appeared in the Detroit News , The Hill , and publications of The Heartland Institute .

A dozen individuals have been charged in a gun-running conspiracy that funneled firearms from Tennessee and Kentucky to Chicago, according to a release from the Department of Justice (DOJ).
In total, the 12 individuals are facing a 21-count indictment with charges for dealing in firearms without a license, transporting and receiving firearms into another state, making false statements to a federally licensed firearm dealer, and multiple other offenses.
Three of the alleged members of the gun pipeline were enlisted members of the U.S. Army and were stationed at Fort Campbell in Clarksville.
Demarcus Adams, Brandon Miller, and Jarius Brunson, along with other individuals charged in the indictment, allegedly purchased legal firearms from dealers in the area. After securing the guns, the DOJ contends the group would deliver the firearms to individuals in Chicago.
Law enforcement officials also claim the scheme was connected to gang violence in Chicago, saying that “the defendants conspired to purchase and deliver over 90 illegally obtained firearms to the Chicago area to facilitate the ongoing violent disputes between the Pocket Town Gangster Disciples and their rival gangs.”
Authorities detailed that at least two deaths were connected to firearms distributed in the movement from Tennessee to the Chicago area.
In addition to Clarksville, the organized crime circle operated in Oak Grove, Kentucky:
“The indictment further alleges the methods used by co-conspirators to purchase firearms from federally licensed firearms dealers in the Clarksville, Tenn. and Oak Grove, Kentucky areas, which included communicating via text messages to coordinate the purchase and delivery of firearms to the Chicago area; providing false information on firearms purchase application forms; and using apps such as Zelle and CashApp to facilitate payment for the illegal transfer of firearms. On one occasion, the indictment alleges that in addition to several firearms available for sale, Brandon Miller had 1,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition available for purchase,” the release from the DOJ details.
— — —
Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Justice Department Announces Superseding Indictment Charging 12 in Gun-Running Conspiracy to Supply” by The Justice Department.


thetennesseestar--2020-11-12--Commentary: Trump Is Still Fighting, Don’t You Give Up

We knew we would win and that the Democrats would attempt to steal the election by large-scale voter fraud .
President Trump foresaw this danger and began fundraising and hiring a team of litigators months ago , preparing for a legal battle royale .
I spent almost an hour on the phone with the head of the GOP litigation team this fall—the Trump team had already raised a huge war chest , and were positioning themselves legally for victory by pre-emptive strikes in the courts .
Conservatives have little trust in the courts to save us .
We have seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to protect the institution of the court more than he wants to protect America .
He believes in appeasing the elite more than he believes in the constitution .
Will the Court stand up for us this time ?
Few conservatives want to bet our country on that one shot .
The media has declared Joe Biden president of the United States , as if we choose presidents by acclamation of the mob .
This is psyops and the target is the Supreme Court , which won ’ t like the appearance of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to us , the people who actually had the majority of votes , to make our voices heard loudly and clearly .
We will not accept fraud stealing our votes .
We must make the public pressure to fight fraud even bigger than the media and social media pressure to hand an unearned victory to Biden-Harris .
The key is where to exert that public pressure .
It is not on social media .
It is not by whining to your friends about how depressed and angry you are .
It is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the democracy we still have .
We have one very powerful weapon .
It is the federal system .
The cheating took place on a county level .
It can be fought at the state level .
This is where ordinary voters can make a difference .
We can and we must supply the backbone to legislators in the cheating states .
Michigan , Pennsylvania , Wisconsin , Arizona , Georgia , and North Carolina all have Republican majorities in their statehouses .
Those legislators have the power to vote that invalid ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collected in defiance of the law .
They have the power to insist that votes tabulated ( and perhaps switched ) with faulty voting software be recounted .
They even have the power to insist that counties irredeemably tainted by fraud hold a do-over election .
According to one reading of the Constitution , it is the state legislators who have the ultimate power and the responsibility to choose the electors who will vote for president in the Electoral College .
Paterson , New Jersey held a second election this year after 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be fraudulent .
That was for town council .
The role of president is a bit more important .
It is not too much for legislatures to insist on an honest re-do in dishonest counties .
That is the lever for Trump voters to pull if they live in those cheating states : call your state legislators , demonstrate , mobilize your neighbors .
Insist on a fair application of the law or a recount .
Those legislators need a backbone .
The people can give it to them .
We can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And we must win it .
We can not afford to be discouraged before the last battle .
The Democrats ’ policies will be economic and social disasters .
China will eat our factories .
Families stressed to the limit will find their jobs do not return , their taxes will go up , and the price of gasoline will explode .
The woke will wreak havoc .
There will be race war in America everywhere you turn .
Anti-Semitism will be mainstreamed .
War will return to the Middle East .
Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open the spigots to immigration from jihadi countries .
Terrorist attacks in our country will return .
America will be a nation with millions of people walking around with a serious case of voters ’ remorse .
It is small consolation that Biden and Harris will inherit the COVID-19 disaster they made worse in order to destroy Trump .
We will all sink with them , as they make every problem worse .
Think of COVID-19 with open borders , flooding our country with sick foreigners .
Nightmare scenario : we might not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again .
If they get away with this one , cheating will be thoroughly practiced and institutionalized by 2022 .
My worst fear—before the next election Biden-Harris will have granted amnesty by executive order , with no push back from a complicit Justice Department .
Once they flood the voting rolls with 20 million former illegal aliens , our two-party system will be turned into an authoritarian one-party state .
These are very grave times .
But in grave times , you do not have the luxury to indulge in despair .
Despair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the near future , but not yet .
This is still the time to fight and fight with everything we ’ ve got .
President Trump , Donald Trump , Jr. , our wonderful veteran congressmen and senators , and the Freedom Caucus , will all be fighting for us , today and every day going forward .
George Washington lost every battle in the Revolutionary War until the last one .
This is not our last battle .
Karin McQuillan served in the Peace Corps in West Africa , was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is now a writer and regular contributor to American Thinker and American Greatness .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-12--Commentary: Seven Simple Proposals to Fix Our Broken Elections

Joe Biden may have declared victory , but whether he or Donald Trump officially wins the presidency may remain undetermined for weeks , even months , and even then we may see the election brought before the Supreme Court .
What we do know is that this election has delivered a mess not seen since 2000 , when the Supreme Court had to rule on whether Bush or Gore had won the race .
We ’ ll see recounts and accusations of voter fraud , and as time drags on , the bitter acrimony that already divides our country will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by accusations of deceit and ballot irregularities was the last thing this country needed .
When tens of millions of voters believe the election was stolen from their candidate , our American Republic is in serious danger .
Here are some proposals for the future that might help end some of these troubles .
First , declare the first Tuesday in November a national holiday .
Voting is a primary right and duty of the American citizen , and we should honor that right by giving Election Day the same status as Independence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or Presidents ’ Day .
I ’ ve read of frustrated voters having to leave the polls without depositing a ballot because of work obligations .
Making Election Day a legal holiday would ease that situation .
Require voter identification .
We need an ID to drive a car , obtain a library card , and board an airplane .
It ’ s absurd not to demand ID for voting .
Limit the availability of early voting to one week directly ahead of the election .
The number of days and weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ridiculous , but also allows for more fraud .
We should say “ Never again ” to mail-in ballots .
This year the excuse for this procedure was avoiding the COVID-19 virus , which is ridiculous when we consider the new normal of our everyday lives .
If wearing masks and social distancing work in Walmart and Kroger , then why wouldn ’ t they work in polling locations ?
While mail-in ballots should be a thing of the past , absentee ballots for military serving overseas , for citizens living abroad , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too ill to leave their homes on Election Day should remain in place .
Shorten the election season .
Cut it by two-thirds .
Many of us have come to dread this relentless , lengthy ordeal .
These campaigns are divisive and incredibly expensive , in part because the United States has the longest election process of any country in the world by far .
In 2015 , for example , NPR reported that the national election campaigns in the USA were 596 days compared to Great Britain ’ s 139 days and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difference ?
Most other countries in the world have laws limiting the length of such campaigns .
It ’ s time to do the same here .
Prosecute those who commit fraud during an election year .
The people who try to vote more than once , those who create false ballots , and those who refuse to permit legitimate monitors from another party to enter polling places should be hauled before a judge and face stiff fines and time in prison .
These cheaters are undermining American democracy .
For a number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war – a battle , depending on which side you stand – between good and evil , between right and wrong .
Our election procedures just widen that divide , pushing us apart rather than making us citizens of the same land .
So let me leave my readers with a question : Why is it that a yutz like me with little direct experience in politics can come up with these proposals ?
Why aren ’ t those in our government considering these or similar alternatives to avoid the next train wreck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ truly the best they can do ?
Or are they just that corrupt ?
As the National Inquirer used to ask , “ Enquiring minds want to know.
” Jeff Minick lives in Front Royal , Virginia , and may be found online at jeffminick.com .
He is the author of two novels , Amanda Bell and Dust on Their Wings , and two works of non-fiction , Learning as I Go and Movies Make the Man .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-12--North Carolina Election Officials Continue to Work Through Vote Count

Vote counting continues in North Carolina , more than a week after the Nov. 3 general election .
As absentee votes continue to roll in before Thursday ’ s deadline , state results for president , U.S. Senate and attorney general are among the races still pending Tuesday .
“ We are nearing the finish line , ” said Karen Brinson Bell , executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections ( NCSBE ) .
“ We ask that the public please be patient as county boards of elections , as required , continue to count all eligible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thorough post-election audits and certify their results.
” The U.S. Supreme Court approved an extension for accepting absentee ballots in North Carolina on Oct. 28 .
The ruling allowed mail-in absentee ballots received through Thursday to be counted as long as they were postmarked on or before Nov. 3 .
As of Monday , about 94,900 requested absentee ballots were outstanding .
Election officials , however , said the number of outstanding ballots to be returned will be affected by the number of absentee voters who opted to vote on Election Day or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North Carolinians had three options to vote during the general election .
Voters could have registered and voted during the early voting period of Oct. 15 through Oct. 31 at selected polling places .
Mail-in ballots also were accepted at early voting polling locations during the two-week period before the election week .
All early votes are considered absentee ballots , according to North Carolina law .
According to the NCSBE , county board of elections started to process absentee ballots five weeks before Election Day .
Election officials inserted approved early ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks , but officials did not report the results until Election Day .
As of NCSBE ’ s report Tuesday morning , 3.6 million ballots were cast through one-stop locations .
Nearly 1 million votes were cast by mail , according to NCSBE .
Voters who voted on Election Day in North Carolina inserted their ballots into the voting machine themselves , and those votes were counted and reported election night , according to the NCSBE .
Ballots can be rejected or considered invalid for several reasons , but state law prohibits voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poll workers must offer voters provisional ballots and applications .
Election officials review the provisional applications to determine the voter ’ s eligibility before unsealing the provisional ballot , according to the NCSBE .
A voter is required to use a provisional ballot if their voter registration record can not be found , they have an unreported address change or invalid address , they previously were removed from the voter rolls , they voted at the wrong precinct or they already voted or voted during extended polling hours , according to the NCSBE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the voter is eligible , the provisional ballot is counted , ” the NCSBE website reads .
“ If the voter is eligible for some contests on the ballot but not others , the eligible contests will be counted for that voter.
” There were 40,766 provisional votes cast statewide in the Nov. 3 election , the NCSBE said .
County boards of elections will canvass the election Friday , and the NCSBE will meet Nov. 24 to certify the final results .
As of Tuesday , President Donald Trump had a 74,834-vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North Carolina .
The Associated Press and several other news outlets have called the nationwide race for Biden .
Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis , R-N.C. , has secured 95,292 votes more than his Democratic opponent , Cal Cunningham .
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein has a 12,355-vote lead over his Republican opponent , Jim O ’ Neill .
Nyamekye Daniel has been a journalist for four years .
She was the managing editor for the South Florida Media Network and a staff writer for The Miami Times .
Daniel ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sun-Sentinel , Miami Herald and The New York Times .
Daniel is a staff reporter for The Center Square .
Photo “ Stop the Steal Sign ” by Anthony Crider .
CC BY 2.0 .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-12--Pennsylvania Vote Count Slow Going as Disappointment Grows Among Lawmakers

One week after Election Day , local officials in Pennsylvania continue canvassing ballots as lawmakers statewide express frustration and disappointment over the way the process unfolded .
As of 8 a.m. Tuesday , roughly 53,000 mail-in ballots , out of more than 2.5 million , remain uncounted .
It ’ s unclear how many ballots arrived after 8 p.m. on Nov. 3 – a batch that Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar told counties to segregate from the rest .
It appears another 4.2 million votes were cast on Election Day itself , of which the majority have been counted .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump by fewer than 45,000 votes .
While The Associated Press called the state and its 20 electoral votes for Biden over the weekend , Trump ’ s reelection campaign has alleged voter fraud and promised legal challenges that will delay the certified results indefinitely .
In the meantime , GOP lawmakers in the state Legislature said the confusion over the mail-in ballot process fell far short of the intent of Act 77 , an election reform law that passed both chambers with overwhelming support last year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a privilege once only afforded to military , overseas and out of state voters .
Rep. Tara Toohill , R-Luzerne , said the mail-in “ mayhem ” meant the $ 70 million the state spent investing in newer voting machines “ to create the safest election possible ” feels all for naught .
“ But in reality , in-person voting became the most understaffed and obstructed system imaginable , ” she said .
Toohill , whose district covers a swath of the electorate that flipped from blue to red in 2016 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appropriate training to handle the labor-intensive mail-in ballots .
Further confusion over what to do when a voter preferred to cast their ballot in-person instead left many of her constituents unsure if their vote was counted at all .
“ Many [ staff ] had been hired just the day before , ” she said .
“ County employees were redeployed to physically move , sort and prep for pre-canvassing .
The complete focus on mail-on ballots left the in-person voting system as we know it to be forever changed.
” House Speaker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ audit of the results last week in a letter to Gov .
Tom Wolf and the Department of State – a move that garnered support from rank and file lawmakers in the caucus .
“ The uncertainty surrounding these interventions has cast an unnecessary cloud on the election process , ” Cutler said .
“ That invites our people to question the results , regardless of which candidate or party may prevail.
” One week before the election , the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that postmarked absentee ballots received through 5 p.m. Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a win to Wolf ’ s administration , who sought the extended deadline in the face of record turnout and post office backlogs .
But Republicans appealed the decision , citing security concerns .
The ongoing legal battle means that those ballots must remain segregated from those received by 8 p.m. on Election Day .
On Friday , U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito affirmed that the state set aside and count separately any ballots that arrived after Nov. 3 .
The department said they ’ ve complied with the ruling and always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those received on time .
But Cutler and Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman , R-Centre , argue that Boockvar ’ s directive “ to canvass all ballots as soon as possible ” – given just hours before the polls opened – created confusion , as “ it ’ s not possible to canvass every vote and segregate others at the same time , ” they said .
Some counties also followed state guidance to alert residents with defective or invalid ballots to come remedy the situation , despite no legal process outline in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this , Corman said , undermined the state ’ s election process and leaves a cloud of uncertainty over Pennsylvania ’ s results – the same results that handed Biden his apparent victory over Trump .
But it ’ s not about politics , the leaders insist .
It ’ s about upholding the integrity of Act 77 .
That ’ s why Corman called for Boockvar ’ s resignation after the polls closed on Nov. 3 , because the winner doesn ’ t matter , he said .
“ The constantly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of ballots across the counties , ” he said .
“ Her actions are nothing but a partisan effort to cause chaos and mistrust .
The rebuke by the Supreme Court underscores how Secretary Boockvar ’ s action have weakened the confidence in our voting system and Pennsylvania ’ s election results.
” Boockvar said the posturing from Republican leaders is unfounded .
“ They don ’ t like the late counting of ballots because they don ’ t like anything that allows more voters to be enfranchised , so let ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Christen Smith follows Pennsylvania ’ s General Assembly for The Center Square .
She is an award-winning reporter with more than a decade of experience covering state and national policy issues for niche publications and local newsrooms alike .


thetennesseestar--2020-11-12--Ron DeSantis Introduces ‘Anti-Mob’ Legislation to Allow Floridians to Shoot Rioters And Looters

Republican Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis has proposed an “ anti-mob ” bill that would allow residents to shoot rioters and looters who target businesses following nationwide unrest .
The law would expand the state ’ s self defense law , which currently forbids “ the use of force in defense of property , ” by increasing what constitutes a “ forcible felony , ” according to the Miami Herald .
DeSantis seeks to make looting or “ interruption or impairment ” of a business such a felony , thereby justifying deadly force to prevent it , the local outlet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would also make it a third-degree felony to obstruct traffic , and would allow drivers to have legal immunity if they unintentionally kill or maim anyone engaging in blocking a roadway during a demonstration , according to the Herald .
The law , which is only a draft at the time of publishing , is also set to grant state authorities the ability to withhold funds from localities that choose to reduce their police budgets , the local outlet reported .
Critics of the bill claim the potential legislation will embolden vigilantes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ their actions , ” former Miami-Dade County prosecutor Denise Georges told the Herald .
“ It also allows for death to be the punishment for a property crime — and that is cruel and unusual punishment .
We can not live in a lawless society where taking a life is done so casually and recklessly.
” DeSantis ’ push comes after months-long nationwide unrest that followed the death of George Floyd , who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for over eight minutes , video showed .
Jake Dima @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News Foundation .
Background Photo “ Florida Capitol ” by DXR .
CC BY-SA 4.0 .