theguardian--2020-12-10--Letter-writers look to get out the vote in Georgia – with a personal touch

Each election season as campaigns ramp up get-out-the-vote efforts , socially awkward Americans face a dilemma : is it possible to help salvage democracy without having to cold-call anyone ?
The letter-writing organization Vote Forward offers a solution .
This year , the non-profit says , it inspired more than 182,000 people to send more than 17m personalized letters encouraging others to exercise their rights .
“ We ’ re thrilled with how it went , ” said Scott Forman , Vote Forward ’ s founder .
“ Early this year we set what felt at the time like an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which is an order of magnitude more than we had done in previous years , ” he said .
“ It was pretty wild to see how it got a little bit viral.
” Forman said avoiding tricky conversations was part of the reason he started the program : “ I ’ m not really that enthusiastic in wanting to knock on doors or make phone calls.
” During a global pandemic , face-to-face interactions become even less feasible , making the operation – launched in 2017 – feel somewhat prescient .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ staff members , has a new task : getting out the vote , especially among underrepresented groups , for Georgia ’ s crucial Senate runoff elections , which will determine the balance of power in the chamber – and thus shape Joe Biden ’ s presidency .
The strategy has three parts : boosting voter registration , encouraging people to request ballots , and nudging unlikely voters toward the polls .
Vote Forward ’ s letter-writing scheme asks volunteers to add a handwritten message beginning with the words “ I vote because ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting information ; volunteers then send the letters to potential voters identified by the organization .
So what is the best way to convince Georgians to make their voices heard ?
The temptation might be to write something like : “ I vote because , though Democrats may not be perfect , many of them still appear to have remnants of a soul .
Vote blue !
” But Forman urges a more restrained approach , noting that research has shown nonpartisan messages are more effective at increasing turnout than partisan efforts .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaigns target Democratic-leaning voters , these letters are “ not a political pitch .
It ’ s about lowercase-D democratic values , ” Forman said .
“ And I personally think that is something we need to try to unify around.
” Indeed , he points out , at a time when many Americans are stuck in political feedback loops and unwilling to listen to the other side , a “ warm and neighborly ” note can be just the thing to cut through .
“ I do feel like some of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come from being in bubbles – information bubbles and social bubbles , ” Forman said .
“ Getting this factual and personal piece of mail from a fellow citizen , ” he added , might help “ to puncture some of those bubbles ” .
Forman ’ s own letters to Georgians , he said , would focus on exercising one ’ s voice .
“ I ’ ve gotten more and more attracted to the idea that voting is about agency , ” he said .
“ So I would write something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s important to me that my voice be heard by our leaders , and they take my interests into account when they make decisions for all of us.
’ ” Bria East , a Philadelphia educator who received a Vote Forward letter , supports Forman ’ s argument : “ It was such an unbiased and positive reminder , ” East wrote in a letter the organization shared .
“ This year I am registered to vote but haven ’ t sent my ballot in .
This letter was the motivation I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also advises against referring specifically to the national stakes of Georgia ’ s senate races .
“ Georgia voters are making a choice about who will represent Georgia , and our messages should respect that , ” the group says .
Letters should contain positive , inclusive messages and avoid getting into specifics about the issues .
Democrats have a difficult battle ahead as the Rev Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff seek to replace the Republican senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue in a traditionally red state .
But Joe Biden turned Georgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Forman has hope for the senate : “ Runoff elections are problematic in that they tend to depress turnout overall , ” he noted .
But with such high stakes and a new Democratic coalition having formed in the state behind Biden , “ my hope is that a lot of people will vote .
And if they do , I think that Rev Warnock and Mr Ossoff have a decent chance .
”

Each election season as campaigns ramp up get-out-the-vote efforts, socially awkward Americans face a dilemma: is it possible to help salvage democracy without having to cold-call anyone?
The letter-writing organization Vote Forward offers a solution. This year, the non-profit says, it inspired more than 182,000 people to send more than 17m personalized letters encouraging others to exercise their rights.
“We’re thrilled with how it went,” said Scott Forman, Vote Forward’s founder. “Early this year we set what felt at the time like an insanely ambitious goal of writing 10m letters, which is an order of magnitude more than we had done in previous years,” he said. “It was pretty wild to see how it got a little bit viral.”
Forman said avoiding tricky conversations was part of the reason he started the program: “I’m not really that enthusiastic in wanting to knock on doors or make phone calls.” During a global pandemic, face-to-face interactions become even less feasible, making the operation – launched in 2017 – feel somewhat prescient.
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Now the organization, with just six staff members, has a new task: getting out the vote, especially among underrepresented groups, for Georgia’s crucial Senate runoff elections, which will determine the balance of power in the chamber – and thus shape Joe Biden’s presidency.
The strategy has three parts: boosting voter registration, encouraging people to request ballots, and nudging unlikely voters toward the polls.
Vote Forward’s letter-writing scheme asks volunteers to add a handwritten message beginning with the words “I vote because” on letters that are otherwise prewritten with voting information; volunteers then send the letters to potential voters identified by the organization. So what is the best way to convince Georgians to make their voices heard?
The temptation might be to write something like: “I vote because, though Democrats may not be perfect, many of them still appear to have remnants of a soul. Vote blue!”
But Forman urges a more restrained approach, noting that research has shown non-partisan messages are more effective at increasing turnout than partisan efforts. Though some of Vote Forward’s campaigns target Democratic-leaning voters, these letters are “not a political pitch. It’s about lowercase-D democratic values,” Forman said. “And I personally think that is something we need to try to unify around.”
Indeed, he points out, at a time when many Americans are stuck in political feedback loops and unwilling to listen to the other side, a “warm and neighborly” note can be just the thing to cut through. “I do feel like some of the conspiracy-minded and anti-factual beliefs that people have come from being in bubbles – information bubbles and social bubbles,” Forman said. “Getting this factual and personal piece of mail from a fellow citizen,” he added, might help “to puncture some of those bubbles”.
Forman’s own letters to Georgians, he said, would focus on exercising one’s voice. “I’ve gotten more and more attracted to the idea that voting is about agency,” he said. “So I would write something like: ‘I vote because it’s important to me that my voice be heard by our leaders, and they take my interests into account when they make decisions for all of us.’”
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Bria East, a Philadelphia educator who received a Vote Forward letter, supports Forman’s argument: “It was such an unbiased and positive reminder,” East wrote in a letter the organization shared. “This year I am registered to vote but haven’t sent my ballot in. This letter was the motivation I needed to do so.”
Vote Forward also advises against referring specifically to the national stakes of Georgia’s Senate races. “Georgia voters are making a choice about who will represent Georgia, and our messages should respect that,” the group says. Letters should contain positive, inclusive messages and avoid getting into specifics about the issues.
Democrats have a difficult battle ahead as the Rev Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff seek to replace the Republican senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue in a traditionally red state. But Joe Biden turned Georgia blue in the presidential race, and Forman has hope for the Senate: “Runoff elections are problematic in that they tend to depress turnout overall,” he noted. But with such high stakes and a new Democratic coalition having formed in the state behind Biden, “my hope is that a lot of people will vote. And if they do, I think that Rev Warnock and Mr Ossoff have a decent chance.”


theguardian--2020-12-10--'It's surreal': the US officials facing violent threats as Trump claims voter fraud

On 1 December Gabriel Sterling , a Republican election official in Georgia , stood on the steps of the state capitol in Atlanta and let rip on Donald Trump .
“ Mr President , it looks like you likely lost the state of Georgia , ” he said , contradicting Trump ’ s increasingly unhinged claim that he had won the presidential race against all evidence .
“ Stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence , ” Sterling went on , referring to a storm of death threats and intimidation that had been unleashed by Trump supporters against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Someone is going to get shot , someone is going to get killed .
And it ’ s not right.
” Then Sterling uttered the phrase that instantly entered the annals of American political rhetoric : “ It has to stop.
” It did not stop .
Two days after Sterling ’ s impassioned speech went viral , Elena Parent , a Democratic state senator in Georgia , turned up for a hearing organized by Republican leaders to try to cast doubt on the election result .
Trump attorneys , led by Rudy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raft of conspiracy theories and baseless claims that tens of thousands of dead people and other ineligible individuals had voted .
The Republicans hadn ’ t warned Parent that the event would be attended by Giuliani , Trump ’ s henchman in his mission to undermine American democracy until this week when the former New York mayor came down with Covid-19 .
So she had no idea that a big crowd of far-right fanatics and the media outlets that feed them lies and falsehoods would also be in the chamber .
If she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ careful to protect her personal details online .
And she might not have sent out an anodyne tweet decrying the event accurately as a “ sad sham ” .
The bombardment began immediately .
“ The attacks came from all corners and on all platforms , ” Parent told the Guardian .
“ They were in chat-boards , by email , in comments on my Facebook and Instagram pages , on the phone .
They ran the gamut from basic insults to ‘ We are watching you , you have kids , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In eight years as an elected politician in Georgia , she had never experienced anything like it .
“ It was surreal .
I ’ m not someone who will ever be bullied or intimidated into being silent , but never have I had an issue on this scale.
” The bile spread far and wide .
An elected official in Missouri accused her on Facebook of an act of treason “ punishable by death ” .
The worst part wasn ’ t the threats of sexual violence against her , or even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her home address was plastered all over the internet .
As a result , state police have stepped up patrols outside her home .
Parent has no doubt about the source of the overwhelming assault she has endured .
“ We have a president who does not care about American institutions or democracy .
He has created a cult-like following and is exposing people like me across the country to danger because of his unfounded rhetoric on the election.
” What she fears most is that “ cult-like ” quality of Trump supporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more disturbing because you know there is no logic or sense of reality that will dissuade or deter these folks.
” The election may be more than five weeks in the past , but in Georgia , the heat that Trump has generated around his unprecedented refusal to accept defeat shows no sign of cooling .
Parent suspects that for elected officials like her , as well as election workers , it will remain “ very difficult ” through the two US senate runoff elections in Georgia on 5 January , which will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate , and probably until Joe Biden ’ s inauguration on 20 January and beyond .
At the center of the maelstrom are the public servants in charge of Georgia ’ s election process .
Brad Raffensperger , the Republican secretary of state who on Monday recertified the results after three separate counts all showed Biden the victor by about 12,000 votes , has faced caravans of armed “ Stop the Steal ” militants driving past his house .
In an interview with the Guardian , Raffensperger said that his wife was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Then I started getting them .
Then she started getting sexualized texts .
Threatening stuff.
” Both Raffensperger and Sterling now have police protection at their homes , and the FBI is investigating .
But it ’ s not just prominent officials who are in danger .
Raffensperger told the Guardian that some election workers had been followed home .
“ One of them pulled into a police station and then the car [ following them ] disappeared.
” A 20-year-old contractor for a private company had a noose strung outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hanged for treason on the back of a QAnon conspiracy theory enabled by Trump .
Raffensperger said : “ An election worker was just working his job , doing what he has to do to put food on the table .
His family actually becomes part of this threat vector because they have the same last name.
” Cassie Miller , senior research analyst for the Southern Poverty Law Center , said that the threatening behavior in Georgia and other states that Trump has put under a spotlight , such as Michigan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dangerous formation on the far right .
“ What ’ s happening with the ‘ Stop the Steal ’ rallies is that mobilization is gathering force in an effort to shift the Republican party to more extreme positions , ” she said .
Part of what makes the movement so toxic , Miller said , was its anti-democratic thrust .
“ Their message is that Trump represents the true will of the people , that the democratic process failed to recognize that , so the democratic process should no longer be trusted .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot of other tactics.
” The attacks hurled by Trump and his supporters on members of his own party , including Georgia governor , Brian Kemp , Raffensperger and Sterling , are all part of coercion intended to bend the Republican party in a fundamentally authoritarian direction .
To no small degree , it is working .
While some Republican figures like Sterling have memorably spoken out , most have kept their silence .
As Parent put it : “ My Republican colleagues in Georgia , and even in Congress , have not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expressed his disappointment over the lack of outrage coming from fellow elected officials .
“ It would be nice to see moral courage from political leaders on both sides to condemn violence and threats of violence.
” He said that it was “ very disheartening when that ’ s not really condemned by everyone .
When it is condemned , it seems like it ’ s a half-hearted condemnation .
It should be full-throated : ‘ We condemn this , it ’ s wrong.
’ ” The two Republican senators in Georgia contesting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kelly Loeffler , have both resisted acknowledging Biden ’ s victory in public .
Loeffler has gone further , embracing aspects of that other cult-like antisemitic conspiracy theory movement , QAnon .
In August , Loeffler appeared on a campaign stage alongside Marjorie Taylor Greene , who has since become the first open QAnon supporter to win a seat in the US House .
A less noticed but equally disturbing feature of Loeffler ’ s controversial alliance with Greene was that members of the far-right militia group Georgia III % Martyrs were among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A separate splinter group , Georgia Security Force 3 % , has made its presence felt at several of the most intimidatory “ Stop the Steal ” actions since the election .
Its leader , Chris Hill , has posted videos on YouTube showing him participating in caravans of agitated Trump supporters driving past Raffensperger ’ s house and the governor ’ s mansion .
In one video , Hill calls Raffensperger “ Mr Ratsperger ” and says : “ We are going to go over there and let him know he can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be hell to pay .
There ’ s a lot of patriots out here feeling revolutionary , and I ’ m one of them .
Guns up !
” Hampton Stall , founder of the Atlanta-based research body Militia Watch , said that it was not always easy to distinguish genuine danger from macho grandstanding .
“ There ’ s a lot of bluster – a lot of the threats made by militia groups are idle threats.
” But at the “ Stop the Steal ” rally that was held over five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last month , Stall was struck by the unprecedented amount of intermingling that was going on among far-right groups .
Chris Hill and his militia were there , Alex Jones of InfoWars was there , as were Nick Fuentes and his Groyper army and the Proud Boys .
“ There was an incredible amount of crossover of far-right militias , ” Stall said .
“ Seeing Chris Hill speak from a bullhorn followed by Nick Fuentes making jokes about the Holocaust was troubling – it points to the coalitions that could be built @ @ @ @ @ @ @ willful validation of such activity has left elected officials on both sides of the aisle deeply rattled .
They question the health of the nation .
“ It demonstrates the utmost importance of having a thread of moral character in the White House , ” said Parent .
“ I ’ m grateful Donald Trump will be exiting – morality is absent in this president , and it is very dangerous.
” Raffensperger set his personal anxiety against the long arch of US history .
“ Is this something George Washington would have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Is that the kind of behavior that the founding fathers of this great republic would have done ?
”

On 1 December Gabriel Sterling, a Republican election official in Georgia, stood on the steps of the state capitol in Atlanta and let rip on Donald Trump.
“Mr President, it looks like you likely lost the state of Georgia,” he said, contradicting Trump’s increasingly unhinged claim that he had won the presidential race against all evidence.
“Stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence,” Sterling went on, referring to a storm of death threats and intimidation that had been unleashed by Trump supporters against public officials in the state.
“Someone is going to get shot, someone is going to get killed. And it’s not right.”
Then Sterling uttered the phrase that instantly entered the annals of American political rhetoric: “It has to stop.”
It did not stop.
01:37 'It has to stop': Georgia Republican says Trump's election rhetoric will lead to violence – video
Two days after Sterling’s impassioned speech went viral, Elena Parent, a Democratic state senator in Georgia, turned up for a hearing organized by Republican leaders to try to cast doubt on the election result. Trump attorneys, led by Rudy Giuliani, presented the hearing with a raft of conspiracy theories and baseless claims that tens of thousands of dead people and other ineligible individuals had voted.
The Republicans hadn’t warned Parent that the event would be attended by Giuliani, Trump’s henchman in his mission to undermine American democracy until this week when the former New York mayor came down with Covid-19. So she had no idea that a big crowd of far-right fanatics and the media outlets that feed them lies and falsehoods would also be in the chamber.
If she had known, she would have been careful to protect her personal details online. And she might not have sent out an anodyne tweet decrying the event accurately as a “sad sham”.
The bombardment began immediately. “The attacks came from all corners and on all platforms,” Parent told the Guardian. “They were in chat-boards, by email, in comments on my Facebook and Instagram pages, on the phone. They ran the gamut from basic insults to ‘We are watching you, you have kids, we are coming to your house.’”
In eight years as an elected politician in Georgia, she had never experienced anything like it. “It was surreal. I’m not someone who will ever be bullied or intimidated into being silent, but never have I had an issue on this scale.”
The bile spread far and wide. An elected official in Missouri accused her on Facebook of an act of treason “punishable by death”.
The worst part wasn’t the threats of sexual violence against her, or even the death threats; it was that her home address was plastered all over the internet. As a result, state police have stepped up patrols outside her home.
Parent has no doubt about the source of the overwhelming assault she has endured. “We have a president who does not care about American institutions or democracy. He has created a cult-like following and is exposing people like me across the country to danger because of his unfounded rhetoric on the election.”
What she fears most is that “cult-like” quality of Trump supporters. “That makes the entire experience more disturbing because you know there is no logic or sense of reality that will dissuade or deter these folks.”
The election may be more than five weeks in the past, but in Georgia, the heat that Trump has generated around his unprecedented refusal to accept defeat shows no sign of cooling.
Parent suspects that for elected officials like her, as well as election workers, it will remain “very difficult” through the two US Senate runoff elections in Georgia on 5 January, which will be crucial in determining which party controls the Senate, and probably until Joe Biden’s inauguration on 20 January and beyond.
At the center of the maelstrom are the public servants in charge of Georgia’s election process. Brad Raffensperger, the Republican secretary of state who on Monday recertified the results after three separate counts all showed Biden the victor by about 12,000 votes, has faced caravans of armed “Stop the Steal” militants driving past his house.
In an interview with the Guardian, Raffensperger said that his wife was the first to start getting death threats. “Then I started getting them. Then she started getting sexualized texts. Threatening stuff.”
Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, said: ‘It would be nice to see moral courage from political leaders on both sides.’ Photograph: Erik S Lesser/EPA
Both Raffensperger and Sterling now have police protection at their homes, and the FBI is investigating. But it’s not just prominent officials who are in danger.
Raffensperger told the Guardian that some election workers had been followed home. “One of them pulled into a police station and then the car [following them] disappeared.”
A 20-year-old contractor for a private company had a noose strung outside his door and was threatened with being hanged for treason on the back of a QAnon conspiracy theory enabled by Trump. Raffensperger said: “An election worker was just working his job, doing what he has to do to put food on the table. His family actually becomes part of this threat vector because they have the same last name.”
Cassie Miller, senior research analyst for the Southern Poverty Law Center, said that the threatening behavior in Georgia and other states that Trump has put under a spotlight, such as Michigan, is part of a new and more dangerous formation on the far right.
“What’s happening with the ‘Stop the Steal’ rallies is that mobilization is gathering force in an effort to shift the Republican party to more extreme positions,” she said.
Part of what makes the movement so toxic, Miller said, was its anti-democratic thrust. “Their message is that Trump represents the true will of the people, that the democratic process failed to recognize that, so the democratic process should no longer be trusted. That opens up the train to a lot of other tactics.”
The attacks hurled by Trump and his supporters on members of his own party, including Georgia governor, Brian Kemp, Raffensperger and Sterling, are all part of coercion intended to bend the Republican party in a fundamentally authoritarian direction. To no small degree, it is working.
While some Republican figures like Sterling have memorably spoken out, most have kept their silence. As Parent put it: “My Republican colleagues in Georgia, and even in Congress, have not been profiles in courage.”
Raffensperger also expressed his disappointment over the lack of outrage coming from fellow elected officials. “It would be nice to see moral courage from political leaders on both sides to condemn violence and threats of violence.”
He said that it was “very disheartening when that’s not really condemned by everyone. When it is condemned, it seems like it’s a half-hearted condemnation. It should be full-throated: ‘We condemn this, it’s wrong.’”
The two Republican senators in Georgia contesting the runoff elections, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, have both resisted acknowledging Biden’s victory in public. Loeffler has gone further, embracing aspects of that other cult-like antisemitic conspiracy theory movement, QAnon.
In August, Loeffler appeared on a campaign stage alongside Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has since become the first open QAnon supporter to win a seat in the US House. A less noticed but equally disturbing feature of Loeffler’s controversial alliance with Greene was that members of the far-right militia group Georgia III% Martyrs were among the security detail for the event.
A separate splinter group, Georgia Security Force 3%, has made its presence felt at several of the most intimidatory “Stop the Steal” actions since the election. Its leader, Chris Hill, has posted videos on YouTube showing him participating in caravans of agitated Trump supporters driving past Raffensperger’s house and the governor’s mansion.
In one video, Hill calls Raffensperger “Mr Ratsperger” and says: “We are going to go over there and let him know he can hear us. There’s going to be hell to pay. There’s a lot of patriots out here feeling revolutionary, and I’m one of them. Guns up!”
Hampton Stall, founder of the Atlanta-based research body Militia Watch, said that it was not always easy to distinguish genuine danger from macho grandstanding. “There’s a lot of bluster – a lot of the threats made by militia groups are idle threats.”
But at the “Stop the Steal” rally that was held over five days at the capitol building in Atlanta last month, Stall was struck by the unprecedented amount of intermingling that was going on among far-right groups. Chris Hill and his militia were there, Alex Jones of InfoWars was there, as were Nick Fuentes and his Groyper army and the Proud Boys.
“There was an incredible amount of crossover of far-right militias,” Stall said. “Seeing Chris Hill speak from a bullhorn followed by Nick Fuentes making jokes about the Holocaust was troubling – it points to the coalitions that could be built in the future.”
Trump’s willful validation of such activity has left elected officials on both sides of the aisle deeply rattled. They question the health of the nation.
“It demonstrates the utmost importance of having a thread of moral character in the White House,” said Parent. “I’m grateful Donald Trump will be exiting – morality is absent in this president, and it is very dangerous.”
Raffensperger set his personal anxiety against the long arc of US history. “Is this something George Washington would have done?” he asked. “Is that the kind of behavior that the founding fathers of this great republic would have done?”


theguardian--2020-12-11--Looking back at 2020: a year like no other – podcast

A look back at how the Guardian covered a year that began with the outbreak of a pandemic , witnessed global anti-racism protests after the killing of George Floyd , and ended with the voting out of President Donald Trump As we entered a new decade back in January , newspapers were full of stories about Australian bushfires , tensions between the US and Iran , and the British Conservatives were revelling in their 80-seat majority .
But the World Health Organization was already dealing with news of a ‘ novel coronavirus ’ in Wuhan , China , a disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way we lived our lives .
Covid-19 swept through Asia and into Europe and beyond , killing almost 2 million people and bringing the world ’ s economies to their knees .
The Guardian ’ s editor-in-chief , Katharine Viner , joins Anushka Asthana to look back on a year in which reporters covered some huge breaking stories , including the killing of George Floyd and the global anti-racism movement Black Lives Matter .
There was the US election in which the American people voted to remove Donald Trump .
And there was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continuing climate crisis which , despite a pandemic-induced reduction in travel , only resulted in a 7 % drop in global emissions .
And all the while Britain hurtled inexorably towards an end-of-year Brexit .

Presented by Anushka Asthana with Katharine Viner; produced by Mythili Rao with Nicholas Alexander; executive producers Nicole Jackson and Phil Maynard

A look back at how the Guardian covered a year that began with the outbreak of a pandemic, witnessed global anti-racism protests after the killing of George Floyd, and ended with the voting out of President Donald Trump
As we entered a new decade back in January, newspapers were full of stories about Australian bushfires, tensions between the US and Iran, and the British Conservatives were revelling in their 80-seat majority. But the World Health Organization was already dealing with news of a ‘novel coronavirus’ in Wuhan, China, a disease that was going to dramatically change the way we lived our lives. Covid-19 swept through Asia and into Europe and beyond, killing almost 2 million people and bringing the world’s economies to their knees.
The Guardian’s editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner, joins Anushka Asthana to look back on a year in which reporters covered some huge breaking stories, including the killing of George Floyd and the global anti-racism movement Black Lives Matter. There was the US election in which the American people voted to remove Donald Trump. And there was the biggest story of all: the continuing climate crisis which, despite a pandemic-induced reduction in travel, only resulted in a 7% drop in global emissions. And all the while Britain hurtled inexorably towards an end-of-year Brexit.


theguardian--2020-12-11--Georgia runoffs: can handwritten letters help get out the vote?

Each election season as campaigns ramp up get-out-the-vote efforts , socially awkward Americans face a dilemma : is it possible to help salvage democracy without having to cold-call anyone ?
The letter-writing organization Vote Forward offers a solution .
This year , the non-profit says , it inspired more than 182,000 people to send more than 17m personalized letters encouraging others to exercise their rights .
“ We ’ re thrilled with how it went , ” said Scott Forman , Vote Forward ’ s founder .
“ Early this year we set what felt at the time like an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which is an order of magnitude more than we had done in previous years , ” he said .
“ It was pretty wild to see how it got a little bit viral.
” Forman said avoiding tricky conversations was part of the reason he started the program : “ I ’ m not really that enthusiastic in wanting to knock on doors or make phone calls.
” During a global pandemic , face-to-face interactions become even less feasible , making the operation – launched in 2017 – feel somewhat prescient .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ staff members , has a new task : getting out the vote , especially among underrepresented groups , for Georgia ’ s crucial Senate runoff elections , which will determine the balance of power in the chamber – and thus shape Joe Biden ’ s presidency .
The strategy has three parts : boosting voter registration , encouraging people to request ballots , and nudging unlikely voters toward the polls .
Vote Forward ’ s letter-writing scheme asks volunteers to add a handwritten message beginning with the words “ I vote because ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting information ; volunteers then send the letters to potential voters identified by the organization .
So what is the best way to convince Georgians to make their voices heard ?
The temptation might be to write something like : “ I vote because , though Democrats may not be perfect , many of them still appear to have remnants of a soul .
Vote blue !
” But Forman urges a more restrained approach , noting that research has shown non-partisan messages are more effective at increasing turnout than partisan efforts .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaigns target Democratic-leaning voters , these letters are “ not a political pitch .
It ’ s about lowercase-D democratic values , ” Forman said .
“ And I personally think that is something we need to try to unify around.
” Indeed , he points out , at a time when many Americans are stuck in political feedback loops and unwilling to listen to the other side , a “ warm and neighborly ” note can be just the thing to cut through .
“ I do feel like some of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come from being in bubbles – information bubbles and social bubbles , ” Forman said .
“ Getting this factual and personal piece of mail from a fellow citizen , ” he added , might help “ to puncture some of those bubbles ” .
Forman ’ s own letters to Georgians , he said , would focus on exercising one ’ s voice .
“ I ’ ve gotten more and more attracted to the idea that voting is about agency , ” he said .
“ So I would write something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s important to me that my voice be heard by our leaders , and they take my interests into account when they make decisions for all of us.
’ ” Bria East , a Philadelphia educator who received a Vote Forward letter , supports Forman ’ s argument : “ It was such an unbiased and positive reminder , ” East wrote in a letter the organization shared .
“ This year I am registered to vote but haven ’ t sent my ballot in .
This letter was the motivation I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also advises against referring specifically to the national stakes of Georgia ’ s Senate races .
“ Georgia voters are making a choice about who will represent Georgia , and our messages should respect that , ” the group says .
Letters should contain positive , inclusive messages and avoid getting into specifics about the issues .
Democrats have a difficult battle ahead as the Rev Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff seek to replace the Republican senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue in a traditionally red state .
But Joe Biden turned Georgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Forman has hope for the Senate : “ Runoff elections are problematic in that they tend to depress turnout overall , ” he noted .
But with such high stakes and a new Democratic coalition having formed in the state behind Biden , “ my hope is that a lot of people will vote .
And if they do , I think that Rev Warnock and Mr Ossoff have a decent chance .
”


theguardian--2020-12-11--Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine approved by panel clearing way for FDA authorization for emergency use

Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine approved by panel clearing way for FDA authorization for emergency use – as it happened

If the FDA follows the panel ’ s recommendation and grants emergency approval , the US would be the third country in the world to have authorized the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in the broader public behind the UK and Canada , and it will be the most populous country to do so .
In more data on the vaccine released in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday , Pfizer and BioNTech said the vaccine was 95 % effective in a randomized controlled trial of more than 43,000 people .
An accompanying editorial in the journal described @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ triumph ” for science .
“ Most vaccines have taken decades to develop , but this one is likely to move from conception to large-scale implementation within a year , ” wrote Dr Eric J Rubin , the editor-in-chief of the journal , who co-authored the editorial .
The vaccine uses messenger RNA technology to introduce the body to the spike protein found on the outside of the coronavirus to provoke an immune response .
It requires two doses , administered three weeks apart .
Scientists are still studying how long the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and efficacy of the vaccine in children and pregnant women , and the rate of asymptomatic disease in vaccine recipients .
The FDA could approve the vaccine for emergency use at any time after the advisory committee meeting , and the Trump administration is pushing for speedy approval .
But the FDA must signal it is giving safety and efficacy concerns due consideration .
Vaccines in general have a higher bar for approval than many medicines , because they are given to healthy adults .

Maanvi Singh (now), Lauren Aratani and Martin Belam (earlier)

11 Dec 2020 00.50 GMT Summary From Lauren Araratani, and me: The Food and Drug Administration vaccine advisory committee meeting voted to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for distribution. Pfizer answered questions from outside experts about the efficacy of the vaccine. The FDA is expected to follow the committee’s recommendations and authorize the vaccine, which could be administered to healthcare workers and nursing home residents within days.
Pfizer answered questions from outside experts about the efficacy of the vaccine. The FDA is expected to follow the committee’s recommendations and authorize the vaccine, which could be administered to healthcare workers and nursing home residents within days. Four attorneys general responded to a Supreme Court lawsuit that claims that they mishandled their election. In their filings, the AGs said the lawsuit, filed by the Texas attorney general, is baseless in facts and is a clear 11th-hour attempt to overturn the election.
In their filings, the AGs said the lawsuit, filed by the Texas attorney general, is baseless in facts and is a clear 11th-hour attempt to overturn the election. Joe Biden will nominate Susan Rice as director of the Domestic Policy Council, a group that will be charged with implementing many of Biden’s campaign promises, and Denis McDonough as secretary of Veteran Affairs. Both were top officials in the Obama administration.
Both were top officials in the Obama administration. A leaked recording of a meeting Biden had with civil rights leaders revealed the president-elect believes the “Defund the Police” movement has allowed the GOP to “beat the living hell” out of Democrats during the election. Biden was responding to their requests to use executive orders to carry out policy measures Democrats are pushing for.
Updated at 01.17 GMT
11 Dec 2020 00.43 GMT A legal brief seeking to overturn the election result, signed by 106 Republican members of Congress, is written by Phillip Jauregui, who was formerly the lawyer for disgraced senate candidate Roy Moore. Several women have accused Moore of sexual assault, including two who were minors during the time of the assaults. A former chief justice of the supreme court of Alabama and US Senate candidate, Moore admitted to pursuing minors. When Moore was running for Senate, Jauregui attempted to cast doubt on allegations from accuser Beverly Young Nelson, who presented proof that Moore signed her high-school yearbook, before he sexually assaulted her when she was 16. Here’s more on the brief, and the case to overturn election results: States targeted in Texas election fraud lawsuit condemn 'cacophony of bogus claims' Read more
Updated at 01.11 GMT
10 Dec 2020 23.50 GMT Letter-writers look to get out the vote in Georgia – with a personal touch Matthew Cantor reports: Each election season as campaigns ramp up get-out-the-vote efforts, socially awkward Americans face a dilemma: is it possible to help salvage democracy without having to cold-call anyone? The letter-writing organization Vote Forward offers a solution. This year, the non-profit says, it inspired more than 182,000 people to send more than 17m personalized letters encouraging others to exercise their rights. “We’re thrilled with how it went,” said Scott Forman, Vote Forward’s founder. “Early this year we set what felt at the time like an insanely ambitious goal of writing 10m letters, which is an order of magnitude more than we had done in previous years,” he said. “It was pretty wild to see how it got a little bit viral.” Forman said avoiding tricky conversations was part of the reason he started the program: “I’m not really that enthusiastic in wanting to knock on doors or make phone calls.” During a global pandemic, face-to-face interactions become even less feasible, making the operation – launched in 2017 – feel somewhat prescient. Now the organization, with just six staff members, has a new task: getting out the vote, especially among underrepresented groups, for Georgia’s crucial Senate runoff elections, which will determine the balance of power in the chamber – and thus shape Joe Biden’s presidency. Read more: Letter-writers look to get out the vote in Georgia – with a personal touch Read more
10 Dec 2020 23.11 GMT Joe Biden released a statement on the FDA panel’s vote. “Jill and I grieve with everyone mourning a loved one lost to this deadly virus,” he said. “But today’s approval by the Food & Drug Administration of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is a bright light in a needlessly dark time.” Biden noted that “vaccines don’t equal vaccinations”. “Our challenge now is to scale up manufacturing and distribution to distribute 100 million shots in the first 100 days of my administration,” he said. “Before I take office, we need the Trump administration to purchase the doses it has negotiated with Pfizer and Moderna and to work swiftly to scale manufacturing for the US population and the world. And, we will need Congress to fund our distribution efforts.”
Updated at 00.05 GMT
10 Dec 2020 22.59 GMT Jessica Glenza As we noted below, the FDA advisory committee’s vote was not without dissent. Four of the 22-voting member panel voted against issuing an emergency authorization, after a late debate about whether to remove 16- and 17-year-olds from the authorization. Some experts argued the data on this subgroup was “thin” and that the panel should recommend further study. But others said the safety and efficacy data to date was enough for emergency use, not least because this group is unlikely to get the vaccine for months because of supply constraints. “We have clear evidence of benefit and all we have on the other side is theoretical risk,” said Dr Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Philadelphia Children’s Hospital. Another major concern for the panel was how to continue blinded placebo-controlled trials if the FDA issues an emergency authorization, as it is expected to. That is because once an emergency authorization is issued, it would be unethical to keep trial participants from finding out whether they received a placebo, and ultimately getting the vaccine.
Updated at 23.18 GMT
10 Dec 2020 22.50 GMT Jessica Glenza If the FDA follows the panel’s recommendation and grants emergency approval, the US would be the third country in the world to have authorized the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in the broader public behind the UK and Canada, and it will be the most populous country to do so. In more data on the vaccine released in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday, Pfizer and BioNTech said the vaccine was 95% effective in a randomized controlled trial of more than 43,000 people. An accompanying editorial in the journal described the vaccine’s development as a “triumph” for science.
“Most vaccines have taken decades to develop, but this one is likely to move from conception to large-scale implementation within a year,” wrote Dr Eric J Rubin, the editor-in-chief of the journal, who co-authored the editorial. The vaccine uses messenger RNA technology to introduce the body to the spike protein found on the outside of the coronavirus to provoke an immune response. It requires two doses, administered three weeks apart. Scientists are still studying how long the vaccine will protect people, the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in children and pregnant women, and the rate of asymptomatic disease in vaccine recipients. The FDA could approve the vaccine for emergency use at any time after the advisory committee meeting, and the Trump administration is pushing for speedy approval. But the FDA must signal it is giving safety and efficacy concerns due consideration. Vaccines in general have a higher bar for approval than many medicines, because they are given to healthy adults. Read more: FDA advisory panel recommends approval of Pfizer Covid vaccine for emergency use Read more
10 Dec 2020 22.40 GMT FDA panel approves Pfizer vaccine The Food and Drug Administration’s advisory panel on the coronavirus vaccine has voted to authorize the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. The FDA is now expected to follow the panel’s recommendation, and when it does, millions of doses of the jab can be shipped across the US. Healthcare workers and nursing home residents will be the first to get inoculated. Later on this month, the FDA will also consider a vaccine developed by Moderna – which will also go first to health workers and care home residents. Seventeen panelists voted to approve, 4 voted against and 1 abstained.
Updated at 23.03 GMT
10 Dec 2020 22.21 GMT The Supreme Court ruled unanimously today that three Muslim men can sue against FBI officials after being put on no-fly lists. The men said that the FBI asked them to become informants for a terrorism-related investigation. They declined, citing their religious beliefs and a hesitation to spy on their community. As a result, the men allege, they were put on a no-fly list that prohibits people from boarding flights that are outbound from or pass over the United States. The Justice Department argued that the men should not be able to sue individual agents, saying that an ability to do so would inhibit their ability to do their jobs, saying that “well-intentioned federal employees would thus be forced to navigate a minefield of liability”.
But the Supreme Court ruled that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, which prohibits the government from burdening a person’s exercise of religion without a compelling interest, allows claims for money damages against government officials in individual capacity.
10 Dec 2020 22.15 GMT Today so far Here’s a quick recap of everything that’s happened so far today: The Food and Drug Administration is holding a vaccine advisory committee meeting today, the result of which will determine whether the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be approved for distribution. Pfizer has been answering questions from outside experts about the efficacy of the vaccine.
Pfizer has been answering questions from outside experts about the efficacy of the vaccine. Four attorneys general responded to a Supreme Court lawsuit that claims that they mishandled their election. In their filings, the AGs said the lawsuit, filed by the Texas attorney general, is baseless in facts and is a clear 11th-hour attempt to overturn the election.
In their filings, the AGs said the lawsuit, filed by the Texas attorney general, is baseless in facts and is a clear 11th-hour attempt to overturn the election. Joe Biden will nominate Susan Rice as director of the Domestic Policy Council, a group that will be charged with implementing many of Biden’s campaign promises, and Denis McDonough as secretary of Veteran Affairs. Both were top officials in the Obama administration.
Both were top officials in the Obama administration. A leaked recording of a meeting Biden had with civil rights leaders revealed the president-elect believes the “Defund the Police” movement has allowed the GOP to “beat the living hell” out of Democrats during the election. Biden was responding to their requests to use executive orders to carry out policy measures Democrats are pushing for.
Updated at 23.00 GMT
10 Dec 2020 21.43 GMT States respond to Texas lawsuit attempting to overturn election results Four attorneys general of battleground states have hit back against a lawsuit that seeks to overturn the results of the election by claiming the states mishandled their elections.
Texas attorney general Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit to the supreme court alleging Wisconsin, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Michigan did not seriously investigate voter fraud, though there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the election. Donald Trump and 17 Republican-led states backed the lawsuit, which is a clear 11th-hour attempt at trying to overturn the election in Trump’s favor, though all 50 states have certified their election results. The Trump campaign and local Republican parties have been instigating lawsuits in attempts to change the election since the results were announced over a month ago, but the vast majority have died in court. The attorneys general from the four states echoed each other in their rebukes of the lawsuit, offer choice words in their court filings about Texas’ lawsuit. Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s Democratic attorney general, wrote in the state’s filing that Texas is asking the court “to reconsider a mass of baseless claims”, saying the lawsuit adds to the “cacophony of bogus false claims” about the election. Dana Nessel, Michigan’s Democratic attorney general, wrote that the Texas challenge is “without factual foundation or a valid legal basis”. Meanwhile, Georgia’s Republican attorney general wrote that Texas’ claims are “far-reaching” and “the breathtaking remedies it seeks are impossible ground in legal principles”. The supreme court may wait for Texas’ response to the states’ rebuttal or it could make a ruling before the state gets a chance to file such a response.
Updated at 22.15 GMT
10 Dec 2020 21.21 GMT Jessica Glenza Let’s go through some of the details of the vaccine being considered by the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) vaccine advisory committee. The FDA advisory panel is considering whether to recommend the vaccine for emergency use authorization, often called EUA. That would allow the vaccine to be distributed to the public, but is a lower bar than full approval and only valid during the public health emergency – in this case the Covid-19 pandemic.
Supplies will be very limited at first. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has already recommended the first people to receive the vaccine – health workers and long-term care residents.
The vaccine appears highly effective. According to data published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday, the vaccine appears to be 95% effective in preventing Covid-19 a trial of more than 43,000 people. The study looked at a two-shot regimen.
The vaccine is a messenger RNA vaccine, which provokes immunity by introducing the immune system to the spike protein on the coronavirus.
The trial was a randomized, placebo-controlled observer-blinded trial that split participants evenly between people who received two shots of a placebo, and two shots of the vaccine – currently called “BNT162b2”.
The study looked specifically at people 16 years and older. In future studies, Pfizer intends to look at vaccine safety and efficacy in children as young as 12.
Side effects included headache, fatigue and fever, which resolved within a couple days. The government intends to use several surveillance programs to collect information on side effects, called “adverse events”, for years after the vaccine is distributed. It will also begin a surveillance study on healthcare workers specifically.
The FDA recommended continued surveillance for Bell’s palsy, or facial paralysis. There is no current evidence that the vaccine causes facial paralysis, but four cases among vaccine recipients in the trial.
The FDA found only one possible serious adverse effect related to the vaccine, which was a shoulder injury. Other serious adverse events, such as a case of appendicitis, were found not to be unrelated to the vaccine.
Trial participants were followed for a median of two months after they received either the vaccine or a placebo. Most adverse vaccine reactions take place within six weeks.
Scientists are still studying how long immunity lasts, a concept known as “durability”, and the rate of asymptomatic disease in people who receive the vaccine.
There is very little data on safety and efficacy in pregnant and lactating women, but there is also no evidence it is harmful to pregnant women or the fetus. For that reason, FDA officials suggest pregnant women should discuss the vaccine with their healthcare provider, when it becomes available to them.
The panel is expected to recommend an emergency use authorization, and the FDA is expected to grant emergency use rights. The New England Journal of Medicine, which published Pfizer’s results today, called the new vaccine a “triumph” of science.
Updated at 21.36 GMT
10 Dec 2020 21.00 GMT Joan E Greve More than 100 female leaders in the Native American community and entertainment industry have signed on to a letter calling on Joe Biden to nominate congresswoman Deb Haaland as interior secretary. “As women who have worked to protect our democracy and advance the promise of this country, we are hopeful and relieved that you will be leading us into a bright future,” the letter says. “It is in this spirit that we, Native American women and Indigenous peoples’ allies, write to urge you to appoint Congresswoman Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Department of the Interior.” Among those who have signed on to the letter are singer Cher, actress Kerry Washington and feminist activist Gloria Steinam. If nominated and confirmed, Haaland, a progressive congresswoman from New Mexico, would be the first Native American to lead the interior department. “We believe it is critical at this time for the first Native American to serve in the President’s Cabinet, so we can begin to shift the focus back to caring for future generations and returning to a value system that honors Mother Earth,” the letter says. “We believe that person is Congresswoman Deb Haaland.” Progressive groups have pushed for Haaland’s nomination, but some Democratic leaders have expressed hesitation about pulling another House member into Biden’s cabinet, given the party’s very narrow margin in the chamber after last month’s elections. Joe Biden's staff nominations are early test of relationship with progressives Read more
10 Dec 2020 20.37 GMT The New Hampshire House Speaker, Dick Hinch, who was sworn into his role just last week, died yesterday from Covid-19. News of Hinch’s death yesterday was unexpected. A statement announcing his death did not include a cause of death, but said that Hinch, who was 71, was “a loving husband, father, family man, and veteran who devoted his life to public service”. Hinch’s office said his death was an “unexpected tragedy”. A medical examiner today announced that Hinch had died from Covid-19. In response, the state’s acting Speaker Sherman Packard and Senate President Chuck Morse said they are “committed to protecting the health and safety of our fellow legislators and staff members who work at the statehouse in Concord”. Their statement said they will be working with the state’s health department to see if there are any additional Covid-19 protocols that can be put in place “to ensure the continued protection of our legislators and staff”. New Hampshire House Speaker Dick Hinch Photograph: Elise Amendola/AP
10 Dec 2020 20.15 GMT Biden says 'Defund the Police' gave momentum to GOP to 'beat the living hell out of us' in election In a meeting with civil rights leaders, president-elect Joe Biden said that Republicans “beat the living hell out of us” during the election because of the “Defund the Police” movement, according to the Intercept, which got ahold of leaked audio from the meeting In the meeting, held Tuesday, the civil rights leaders urged Biden to use executive orders to carry out policy measures Democrats are pushing for. In the meeting, Biden pushed back against the idea of using broad-sweeping executive orders, saying “executive authority that my progressive friends talk about is way beyond the bounds”. He said pressure on his incoming administration on police reform could hurt the runoff elections in Georgia, which would get Democrats a majority in the Senate if won, saying that Republicans have used the “Defund the Police” movement to sway some moderates toward the GOP. “That’s how they beat the living hell out of us across the country, saying that we’re talking about defunding the police. We’re not. We’re talking about holding them accountable,” he said. “Defund the Police” has recently been criticized by moderate Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and House Majority Whip James Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina, who said that the phrase hurt Democratic candidates and could damage the Black Lives Matter movement. Civil rights leaders warned Biden that picking Vilsack could backfire in Georgia, where Shirley Sherrod is still a hero. He responded by saying the real threat in the runoffs was "defund the police." https://t.co/NSykP8rN0L — Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) December 10, 2020
Updated at 21.14 GMT
10 Dec 2020 19.54 GMT Jessica Glenza An advisory committee to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently hearing testimony from Pfizer, which is arguing the agency should should approve its Covid-19 vaccine on an emergency basis. At the hearing, experts are now questioning Pfizer about the data it has provided, and tire kicking is expected to continue through the afternoon. But some key themes are already emerging.
Pfizer has developed a vaccine that appears highly effective in Phase II/III trials, but those results need to continue to be monitored in the real world for both efficacy, the length of immune protection (durability) and long-term safety. To do this, the CDC has amped up several vaccine monitoring programs, and is taking a whole government approach.
The data presented by Pfizer clearly still has skeptics – as was evident during the public comment period. But even experts well known for their criticism of the FDA, such as Dr. Sidney Wolf of the nonprofit group Public Citizen, were in support of distributing the vaccine to the public on an emergency basis.
Pfizer plans to apply for full approval of the vaccine in April 2021, after six months of monitoring of participants. But it faces a hurdle in keeping trial participants enrolled, many of whom may want to know whether they received a placebo, and then obtain the vaccine themselves.
Perhaps the most important takeaway from the hearing is the underlying reason the vaccine is being considered – the pandemic is “essentially out of control” in the US, according to Pfizer’s senior vice president of vaccine research and development, Dr. Kathrin Jansen. “Modeling from the CDC shows that a vaccine with high efficacy can save many lives. However, the pandemic vaccine must be introduced before the peak of cases will impact.”
10 Dec 2020 19.29 GMT Nearly 50 GOP lawmakers sent a letter yesterday to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell discouraging him from implementing measures that would test lenders’ vulnerability to impacts due to climate change, which may encourage banks to cut ties with the oil and gas industry, reported Politico today. “This is less about predicting financial stress and more about creating financial stress for politically incorrect, disfavored industries,” US Representative Andy Barr, a Republican from Kentucky, told Politico. Since last month, Powell has made it clear that climate change could play a role in financial regulation because of its potential to impact the financial system. “In our oversight of the financial system, we will account for all material risks and try to protect the economy and the public from those risks. Climate change is one of those risks,” he said at a November 5 press conference. “The science and art of incorporating climate change into our thinking about financial regulation is relatively new.”


theguardian--2020-12-11--States targeted in Texas election fraud lawsuit condemn 'cacophony of bogus claims'

Georgia , Michigan , Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on Thursday urged the US supreme court to reject a lawsuit filed by Texas and backed by Donald Trump seeking to undo Joe Biden ’ s victory , saying the case has no factual or legal grounds and makes “ bogus ” claims .
“ What Texas is doing in this proceeding is to ask this court to reconsider a mass of baseless claims about problems with the election that have already been considered , and rejected , by this court and other courts , ” Josh Shapiro , Pennsylvania ’ s Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the nine justices .
Texas filed the longshot suit against the four election battleground states on Tuesday directly with the supreme court .
It asked that the voting results in those states be thrown out because of their changes in voting procedures that allowed expanded mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic .
On Thursday afternoon , more than 100 Republican members of the House filed an amicus brief with the court in support of the Texas lawsuit .
Trump ’ s campaign and his allies already have been spurned in numerous lawsuits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election results .
Legal experts have said the Texas lawsuit has little chance of succeeding and have questioned whether Texas has the legal standing to challenge election procedures in other states .
Biden , a Democrat , defeated Trump in the four states in the 3 November election .
The Republican president won them in the 2016 election .
Local , state and national election officials declared November ’ s election the most secure in American history but the Trump campaign continues to push to overturn the result , baselessly claiming widespread fraud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Shapiro wrote on Thursday , was adding to a “ cacophony of bogus false claims ” about the election .
Dana Nessel , Michigan ’ s Democratic attorney general , listed the many cases filed in that state that Trump and his backers have lost .
“ The challenge here is an unprecedented one , without factual foundation or a valid legal basis , ” Nessel wrote in Michigan ’ s filing .
Chris Carr , Georgia ’ s Republican attorney general , said Texas could not show it had been harmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The novel and far-reaching claims that Texas asserts , and the breathtaking remedies it seeks , are impossible to ground in legal principles and unmanageable , ” Carr wrote in Georgia ’ s filing .
Josh Kaul , Wisconsin ’ s Democratic attorney general , noted that Trump already had obtained recounts in the two most heavily Democratic counties in the state , showing no problems with the results .
“ There has been no indication of any fraud , or anything else that would call into question the reliability of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Wisconsin ’ s filing .
Trump filed a motion with the court on Wednesday asking the justices to let him intervene and become a plaintiff in the suit filed by Ken Paxton , the Republican attorney general of Texas and an ally of the president .
Trump met on Thursday with Paxton and other state attorneys general who support the suit .
Twenty states joined the District of Columbia in filing a brief lodged by Democratic officials on Thursday backing the four states targeted by Texas .
Seventeen other states on Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hear the case in filings by Republican officials .
Arizona filed its own brief signaling an interest in the case without explicitly taking sides .
Then the more than 100 Republican House members , led by Mike Johnson of Louisiana , also filed a friend of the court brief backing Trump .
“ The Supreme Court has a chance to save our Country from the greatest Election abuse in the history of the United States , ” Trump wrote on Twitter on Thursday , repeating his unfounded allegations that the election was rigged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not make specific fraud allegations .
Instead , Texas said changes to voting procedures removed protections against fraud and were unlawful when the reforms were made by officials in the four states or courts without the approval of the states ’ legislatures .
Democrats and other critics have accused Trump of aiming to reduce public confidence in US election integrity and undermine democracy by trying to subvert the will of the voters .
One Republican state attorney general , Dave Yost of Ohio , filed a separate brief on Thursday disagreeing with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , saying that it “ would undermine a foundational premise of our federalist system : the idea that the States are sovereigns , free to govern themselves ” .

Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on Thursday urged the US supreme court to reject a lawsuit filed by Texas and backed by Donald Trump seeking to undo Joe Biden’s victory, saying the case has no factual or legal grounds and makes “bogus” claims.
“What Texas is doing in this proceeding is to ask this court to reconsider a mass of baseless claims about problems with the election that have already been considered, and rejected, by this court and other courts,” Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s Democratic attorney general, wrote in a filing to the nine justices.
Texas filed the longshot suit against the four election battleground states on Tuesday directly with the supreme court. It asked that the voting results in those states be thrown out because of their changes in voting procedures that allowed expanded mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic.
On Thursday afternoon, more than 100 Republican members of the House filed an amicus brief with the court in support of the Texas lawsuit.
⚖JUST IN: New amicus brief from 106 Republican House members in support of Texas' bid to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's win in the Supreme Court. Here they are👇 pic.twitter.com/QLN4jDfoto — John Kruzel (@johnkruzel) December 10, 2020
Trump’s campaign and his allies already have been spurned in numerous lawsuits in state and federal courts challenging the election results. Legal experts have said the Texas lawsuit has little chance of succeeding and have questioned whether Texas has the legal standing to challenge election procedures in other states.
Biden, a Democrat, defeated Trump in the four states in the 3 November election. The Republican president won them in the 2016 election.
Local, state and national election officials declared November’s election the most secure in American history but the Trump campaign continues to push to overturn the result, baselessly claiming widespread fraud across the country.
The Texas lawsuit, Shapiro wrote on Thursday, was adding to a “cacophony of bogus false claims” about the election.
Dana Nessel, Michigan’s Democratic attorney general, listed the many cases filed in that state that Trump and his backers have lost.
“The challenge here is an unprecedented one, without factual foundation or a valid legal basis,” Nessel wrote in Michigan’s filing.
Chris Carr, Georgia’s Republican attorney general, said Texas could not show it had been harmed by the election results in other states.
“The novel and far-reaching claims that Texas asserts, and the breathtaking remedies it seeks, are impossible to ground in legal principles and unmanageable,” Carr wrote in Georgia’s filing.
Josh Kaul, Wisconsin’s Democratic attorney general, noted that Trump already had obtained recounts in the two most heavily Democratic counties in the state, showing no problems with the results.
“There has been no indication of any fraud, or anything else that would call into question the reliability of the election results,” Kaul wrote in Wisconsin’s filing.
Trump filed a motion with the court on Wednesday asking the justices to let him intervene and become a plaintiff in the suit filed by Ken Paxton, the Republican attorney general of Texas and an ally of the president.
Trump met on Thursday with Paxton and other state attorneys general who support the suit.
Twenty states joined the District of Columbia in filing a brief lodged by Democratic officials on Thursday backing the four states targeted by Texas.
Seventeen other states on Wednesday filed a brief urging the justices to hear the case in filings by Republican officials. Arizona filed its own brief signaling an interest in the case without explicitly taking sides.
Then the more than 100 Republican House members, led by Mike Johnson of Louisiana, also filed a friend of the court brief backing Trump.
“The Supreme Court has a chance to save our Country from the greatest Election abuse in the history of the United States,” Trump wrote on Twitter on Thursday, repeating his unfounded allegations that the election was rigged against him.
The Texas lawsuit does not make specific fraud allegations. Instead, Texas said changes to voting procedures removed protections against fraud and were unlawful when the reforms were made by officials in the four states or courts without the approval of the states’ legislatures.
Democrats and other critics have accused Trump of aiming to reduce public confidence in US election integrity and undermine democracy by trying to subvert the will of the voters.
One Republican state attorney general, Dave Yost of Ohio, filed a separate brief on Thursday disagreeing with the Texas proposal that votes be tossed out, saying that it “would undermine a foundational premise of our federalist system: the idea that the States are sovereigns, free to govern themselves”.


theguardian--2020-12-10--Susan Rice tapped for top domestic policy role in Biden administration

Susan Rice has been tapped by president-elect Joe Biden to run his domestic policy council , an under-the-radar but highly influential group with broad sway over the administration ’ s approach to issues including immigration , healthcare and racial inequality .
The move marks a surprising shift for Rice , a longtime Democratic foreign policy expert who served as President Barack Obama ’ s national security adviser and UN ambassador .
Rice ’ s name had been floated for multiple high-ranking positions in the incoming Biden administration .
She was one of the finalists to be Biden ’ s vice-presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for secretary of state .
But the Biden transition team has been wary about tapping anyone who could face a difficult confirmation process .
Republicans have been eager to fight aggressively to prevent Rice from making it through the confirmation process and were expected to recall her involvement in the 2012 Benghazi attack in Libya as part of their strategy .
The domestic policy council position does not require Senate confirmation .
Biden also nominated Denis McDonough , former chief of staff to President Obama , to run the Department of Veterans Affairs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organizational challenges for both parties over the years .
But he never served in the armed forces , a fact noted by a leading veterans organization .
In selecting Rice and McDonough , Biden is continuing to fill his administration with prominent members of the Obama administration .
He will make the formal announcements on Friday , along with his nominations of the Ohio representative Marcia Fudge to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development , Katherine Tai as US trade representative and Tom Vilsack as agriculture secretary .
Vilsack filled that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terms .
“ The roles they will take on are where the rubber meets the road – where competent and crisis-tested governance can make a meaningful difference in people ’ s lives , enhancing the dignity , equity , security , and prosperity of the day-to-day lives of Americans , ” Biden said in a statement .
In choosing Rice to oversee the White House council , advisers said Biden was signaling the importance of domestic policy in his early agenda .
Though the council was created with the intention of being on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ council , it traditionally has had a lower public profile , including for its directors .
Rice is expected to be more of a force , inside and outside the White House , and her appointment creates a new power center in the West Wing .
She has discussed replicating some elements of the national security council in her new role , including a principals committee of cabinet secretaries and others that could bring more structure to domestic policymaking , but also pull more power into the West Wing .
She is expected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden administration ’ s response to the coronavirus pandemic .
Healthcare , immigration and tackling racial inequality are also expected to be among the top issues for the domestic policy shop next year .
The 56-year-old Rice will be among the most prominent Black women in Biden ’ s administration .
Although Biden has insisted his administration will not simply be a retread of Obama ’ s presidency , he is bringing back numerous familiar faces .
His team has defended the moves as a nod toward experience and the need to hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issues facing the nation across multiple fronts .
Shirley Anne Warshaw , a professor at Gettysburg College who has studied the presidency and cabinets , said following Obama as he builds out his team gives Biden an advantage .
“ This is a much better bench than Obama had because these people have the experience of serving in the Obama administration , ” Warshaw said .
“ In that way , Joe Biden is the luckiest man in the world.
” McDonough , the VA nominee , is an experienced manager who was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second term .
McDonough was previously Obama ’ s deputy national security adviser , including during the raid in 2011 that killed the al-Qaida leader , Osama bin Laden , and was a longtime congressional staffer .
McDonough was credited with helping Obama try to bridge divides on Capitol Hill , including around one of his most substantial second-term legislative achievements : the Veterans Choice Act .
The legislation , for which Donald Trump tries to take credit , gave former service members more options to seek care and the VA secretary more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bill came about following exposés during the Obama administration into mismanagement at some VA hospitals and mounting complaints by advocacy groups .
As chief of staff , McDonough was also deeply involved in an overhaul of VA leadership after the scandals , which led to the exit of the department ’ s secretary .
“ We are surprised by this pick .
No way to deny that , ” said Joe Chenelly , national executive director of Amvets , or American Veterans .
“ We were expecting a veteran , maybe a post-9/11 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Or maybe a veteran who knows the VA exceptionally well .
We are looking forward to hearing from President-Elect Biden on his thinking behind this nomination.
” Associated Press contributed to this report

Daniel Strauss in Washington and agencies

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Susan Rice has been tapped by president-elect Joe Biden to run his domestic policy council, an under-the-radar but highly influential group with broad sway over the administration’s approach to issues including immigration, healthcare and racial inequality.
The move marks a surprising shift for Rice, a longtime Democratic foreign policy expert who served as President Barack Obama’s national security adviser and UN ambassador.
Rice’s name had been floated for multiple high-ranking positions in the incoming Biden administration. She was one of the finalists to be Biden’s vice-presidential running mate. She was also considered for secretary of state.
But the Biden transition team has been wary about tapping anyone who could face a difficult confirmation process. Republicans have been eager to fight aggressively to prevent Rice from making it through the confirmation process and were expected to recall her involvement in the 2012 Benghazi attack in Libya as part of their strategy.
The domestic policy council position does not require Senate confirmation.
Biden also nominated Denis McDonough, former chief of staff to President Obama, to run the Department of Veterans Affairs, a sprawling agency that has presented organizational challenges for both parties over the years. But he never served in the armed forces, a fact noted by a leading veterans organization.
In selecting Rice and McDonough, Biden is continuing to fill his administration with prominent members of the Obama administration. He will make the formal announcements on Friday, along with his nominations of the Ohio representative Marcia Fudge to run the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Katherine Tai as US trade representative and Tom Vilsack as agriculture secretary. Vilsack filled that same role during Obama’s two terms.
“The roles they will take on are where the rubber meets the road – where competent and crisis-tested governance can make a meaningful difference in people’s lives, enhancing the dignity, equity, security, and prosperity of the day-to-day lives of Americans,” Biden said in a statement.
In choosing Rice to oversee the White House council, advisers said Biden was signaling the importance of domestic policy in his early agenda. Though the council was created with the intention of being on par with the White House national security council, it traditionally has had a lower public profile, including for its directors.
Rice is expected to be more of a force, inside and outside the White House, and her appointment creates a new power center in the West Wing. She has discussed replicating some elements of the national security council in her new role, including a principals committee of cabinet secretaries and others that could bring more structure to domestic policymaking, but also pull more power into the West Wing.
She is expected to play an active role in the Biden administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Healthcare, immigration and tackling racial inequality are also expected to be among the top issues for the domestic policy shop next year.
The 56-year-old Rice will be among the most prominent Black women in Biden’s administration.
Although Biden has insisted his administration will not simply be a retread of Obama’s presidency, he is bringing back numerous familiar faces. His team has defended the moves as a nod toward experience and the need to hit the ground running in tackling the pressing issues facing the nation across multiple fronts.
Shirley Anne Warshaw, a professor at Gettysburg College who has studied the presidency and cabinets, said following Obama as he builds out his team gives Biden an advantage.
“This is a much better bench than Obama had because these people have the experience of serving in the Obama administration,” Warshaw said. “In that way, Joe Biden is the luckiest man in the world.”
Denis McDonough, nominated as veterans affairs secretary, was Barack Obama’s chief of staff in his second term. Photograph: Zach Gibson/AFP/Getty Images
McDonough, the VA nominee, is an experienced manager who was chief of staff throughout Obama’s second term. McDonough was previously Obama’s deputy national security adviser, including during the raid in 2011 that killed the al-Qaida leader, Osama bin Laden, and was a longtime congressional staffer.
McDonough was credited with helping Obama try to bridge divides on Capitol Hill, including around one of his most substantial second-term legislative achievements: the Veterans Choice Act. The legislation, for which Donald Trump tries to take credit, gave former service members more options to seek care and the VA secretary more authority to fire underperforming staffers.
The bill came about following exposés during the Obama administration into mismanagement at some VA hospitals and mounting complaints by advocacy groups. As chief of staff, McDonough was also deeply involved in an overhaul of VA leadership after the scandals, which led to the exit of the department’s secretary.
“We are surprised by this pick. No way to deny that,” said Joe Chenelly, national executive director of Amvets, or American Veterans. “We were expecting a veteran, maybe a post-9/11 veteran. Maybe a woman veteran. Or maybe a veteran who knows the VA exceptionally well. We are looking forward to hearing from President-Elect Biden on his thinking behind this nomination.”
Associated Press contributed to this report


theguardian--2020-12-10--Fight to vote: is the US election finally in its endgame?

It feels like this election has lasted about 20 years , but we ’ re finally in the last few days .
Tuesday was the “ Safe Harbor ” deadline , when most election disputes must be resolved .
And on Monday , the electoral college will finally cast its votes , all but securing the president-elect ’ s position .
In these final days , it ’ s clear that Republican officials who support Trump ’ s “ the election was rigged against me ” claims are taking their final gasps of air .
After a tumultuous year , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has decided to sue the battleground states of Georgia , Pennsylvania , Michigan and Wisconsin .
His claim ?
That all of their pandemic election changes violate federal law .
Paxton claims that the attempts to increase access to the polls left open a window for “ voter fraud ” and weakened “ ballot integrity ” .
Reminder : even Trump ’ s own attorney general found no evidence of widespread tampering or voter fraud in the election .
So what happens now ?
Probably nothing .
As with most of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts are saying Paxton ’ s will have no real impact .
However , these challenges serve to create an impression that our elections aren ’ t secure or fair – and that only further degrades trust in US democracy among the American people .
How about the other last-ditch attempts ?
• None The supreme court decisively rejected a lawsuit by Pennsylvania ’ s Republican congressman Mike Kelly arguing that no-excuse absentee voting was illegal .
The case was the first 2020 election legislation to reach the highest court in the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from West Virginia , introduced a resolution on Tuesday to condemn any lawmakers who call on Trump to concede “ prematurely ” , though the president lost the election by a significant margin .
Many Republicans have distanced themselves from this kind of rhetoric , however , and the resolution isn ’ t likely to move forward in any meaningful way .
• None Representative Kelly Loeffler , the Republican senator running for re-election in Georgia ’ s heated January runoff , refused to accept Trump ’ s defeat in a debate on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ losing by a small margin .
Here ’ s what to watch in the coming weeks : 14 December : Electors will meet in their respective states and cast votes for US president .
Each state gets two votes for its senators and one vote for each member of the House of Representatives .
Some Republicans have said they will challenge the count .
23 December : Electoral votes must arrive in Washington by this date .
6 January : Electoral votes are counted .
If there are objections , the House and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and count the votes .
It ’ s unlikely that the objections will have an impact on the election since both the Democratic-controlled House and Republican-controlled Senate would have to sign off .
20 January : Inauguration day .
The new president takes the oath of office at noon .
Meanwhile , if you missed it , Saturday Night Live had a brilliant sketch on Trump ’ s failed lawsuits last weekend .

Hello Fight to Vote readers,
It feels like this election has lasted about 20 years, but we’re finally in the last few days. Tuesday was the “Safe Harbor” deadline, when most election disputes must be resolved. And on Monday, the electoral college will finally cast its votes, all but securing the president-elect’s position.
In these final days, it’s clear that Republican officials who support Trump’s “the election was rigged against me” claims are taking their final gasps of air.
Let’s take a trip back to Texas
After a tumultuous year, the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, has decided to sue the battleground states of Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. His claim? That all of their pandemic election changes violate federal law. Paxton claims that the attempts to increase access to the polls left open a window for “voter fraud” and weakened “ballot integrity”.
Reminder: even Trump’s own attorney general found no evidence of widespread tampering or voter fraud in the election.
So what happens now?
Probably nothing. As with most of the Trump campaign’s lawsuits, legal experts are saying Paxton’s will have no real impact. However, these challenges serve to create an impression that our elections aren’t secure or fair – and that only further degrades trust in US democracy among the American people.
Photograph: Twitter/screengrab
How about the other last-ditch attempts?
The supreme court decisively rejected a lawsuit by Pennsylvania’s Republican congressman Mike Kelly arguing that no-excuse absentee voting was illegal. The case was the first 2020 election legislation to reach the highest court in the US.
Representative Alex Mooney, from West Virginia, introduced a resolution on Tuesday to condemn any lawmakers who call on Trump to concede “prematurely”, though the president lost the election by a significant margin. Many Republicans have distanced themselves from this kind of rhetoric, however, and the resolution isn’t likely to move forward in any meaningful way.
Representative Kelly Loeffler, the Republican senator running for re-election in Georgia’s heated January runoff, refused to accept Trump’s defeat in a debate on Sunday. The current polls have Loeffler losing by a small margin.
Here’s what to watch in the coming weeks:
14 December: Electors will meet in their respective states and cast votes for US president. Each state gets two votes for its senators and one vote for each member of the House of Representatives. Some Republicans have said they will challenge the count.
23 December: Electoral votes must arrive in Washington by this date.
6 January: Electoral votes are counted. If there are objections, the House and Senate consider how they should move forward and count the votes. It’s unlikely that the objections will have an impact on the election since both the Democratic-controlled House and Republican-controlled Senate would have to sign off.
20 January: Inauguration day. The new president takes the oath of office at noon.
Meanwhile, if you missed it, Saturday Night Live had a brilliant sketch on Trump’s failed lawsuits last weekend.