theguardian--2020-10-27--Amy Coney Barrett is a constitutional ‘originalist’ – but what does it mean?

The confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett as a supreme court justice marks the advent of a bedrock conservative majority on the court that analysts expect to influence American life for a generation .
Barrett ’ s arrival on the court will make it easier for the conservative bloc to get to a five-vote majority on future cases involving everything from environmental regulations to voting rights .
But , as the latest conservative judge to declare herself a constitutional “ originalist ” during confirmation hearings , Barrett could also influence what kinds of arguments hold sway on the court for years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court hears in the first place .
It has been rare over the course of American history for a particular brand of judicial philosophy to gain such prominence that it catches the public eye .
A torrent of judicial appointments by Donald Trump over the last four years , however , including three supreme court nominees espousing “ originalism ” , has pushed the term into the political discourse .
Barrett defined the term for the Senate .
“ So in English , that means that I interpret the constitution as a law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ text and I understand it to have the meaning that it had at the time people ratified it , ” she said .
“ So that meaning doesn ’ t change over time .
And it ’ s not up to me to update it or infuse my own policy views into it.
” Aziz Huq , a professor of law at the University of Chicago , said that there is a thriving academic debate about the merits of originalism that is only “ loosely connected ” with the current political discourse , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the right as a philosophical fig leaf for a conservative political agenda .
“ The political discourse of originalism is closely aligned with the policy preferences of the Republican party that has promoted judges who happen to take this perspective , ” Huq said .
“ It purports to be something that is moving outside politics , but it is – in its origins , and in the way that it has been applied in the courts – it is tightly linked to a particular partisan political orientation.
” Elected officials and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Trump ’ s judicial appointees are white and 75 % are men have begun to hear something else in the term : a nostalgic appeal to the exclusive hold on power by white men at the time the constitution was written – a sense reinforced by the president ’ s repeated personal refusal to disavow white supremacy .
“ Are you an originalist ?
” the Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot , who is a lawyer but not a judge , was asked by a reporter this month .
Lightfoot chuckled .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if she is an originalist ?
” Lightfoot said .
“ No , ma ’ am , I am not .
Since the constitution didn ’ t consider me a person in any way , shape or form , because I ’ m a woman , because I ’ m Black , because I ’ m gay – I ’ m not an originalist.
” But other legal analysts say that the search for an “ original public meaning ” of the constitution , including later amendments ruling out discrimination and expanding the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ avenue of legal reasoning that is increasingly employed on the left as well as the right .
In making the case that Trump was guilty of “ high crimes and misdemeanors ” and “ bribery ” , the House impeachment managers led by congressman Adam Schiff relied on originalist arguments about how those terms were understood by the founders , analysts point out .
Liberal supreme court justices have even recently used originalist analysis to advance arguments about gun control , emoluments , faithless electors and the delegation by Congress of policymaking authority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goal of originalism is really just to argue that the constitutional rule that ’ s embodied in the constitution should be understood in the way that it was understood by those who adopted it in the first place , and that courts ought to be constrained by that understanding when it ’ s possible to determine what that understanding is , ” said Keith Whittington , a professor of politics at Princeton University specializing in constitutional theory .
“ That doesn ’ t require government policy to look like anything that it might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it certainly doesn ’ t require going back to particular practices that were true in earlier periods.
” But originalist reasoning does harken to a time when the conception of the federal government ’ s role was much narrower , Huq said , making it a particularly useful tool for dismantling public health protections and other regulations .
That conservative project could accelerate with Barrett on the bench , Huq said .
“ What I would expect to see is that , under an originalist guise , we will start to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the regulatory state , the helping hand of the state – and to prevent it from stepping in to prevent the harms that arise from climate change , from pollution , workplace safety issues – the list is long.
” Originalism as applied by the court also has a tragic blind spot , failing to grapple with structural violence directed at minorities under the law , Huq said .
“ The court has almost nothing to say about the vast domains of government activity in which race plays a major role , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face of the law , ” he said .
“ Criminal justice is saturated with racial animus and saturated with racial bias , but the laws are not written with race in the text of the law , therefore the court has nothing to say .
There are almost no cases in the supreme court about racial bias in criminal justice , and this is why .
”

The confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett as a supreme court justice marks the advent of a bedrock conservative majority on the court that analysts expect to influence American life for a generation.
Barrett’s arrival on the court will make it easier for the conservative bloc to get to a five-vote majority on future cases involving everything from environmental regulations to voting rights. But, as the latest conservative judge to declare herself a constitutional “originalist” during confirmation hearings, Barrett could also influence what kinds of arguments hold sway on the court for years to come – and what cases the court hears in the first place.
It has been rare over the course of American history for a particular brand of judicial philosophy to gain such prominence that it catches the public eye. A torrent of judicial appointments by Donald Trump over the last four years, however, including three supreme court nominees espousing “originalism”, has pushed the term into the political discourse.
Barrett defined the term for the Senate. “So in English, that means that I interpret the constitution as a law, that I interpret its text as text and I understand it to have the meaning that it had at the time people ratified it,” she said. “So that meaning doesn’t change over time. And it’s not up to me to update it or infuse my own policy views into it.”
Aziz Huq, a professor of law at the University of Chicago, said that there is a thriving academic debate about the merits of originalism that is only “loosely connected” with the current political discourse, in which the term is often used on the right as a philosophical fig leaf for a conservative political agenda.
“The political discourse of originalism is closely aligned with the policy preferences of the Republican party that has promoted judges who happen to take this perspective,” Huq said. “It purports to be something that is moving outside politics, but it is – in its origins, and in the way that it has been applied in the courts – it is tightly linked to a particular partisan political orientation.”
01:12 Amy Coney Barrett takes oath after being confirmed to US supreme court – video
Elected officials and others who have noticed that 86% of Trump’s judicial appointees are white and 75% are men have begun to hear something else in the term: a nostalgic appeal to the exclusive hold on power by white men at the time the constitution was written – a sense reinforced by the president’s repeated personal refusal to disavow white supremacy.
“Are you an originalist?” the Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot, who is a lawyer but not a judge, was asked by a reporter this month.
Lightfoot chuckled. “You ask a gay, Black woman if she is an originalist?” Lightfoot said. “No, ma’am, I am not. Since the constitution didn’t consider me a person in any way, shape or form, because I’m a woman, because I’m Black, because I’m gay – I’m not an originalist.”
But other legal analysts say that the search for an “original public meaning” of the constitution, including later amendments ruling out discrimination and expanding the right to vote, is an appropriate avenue of legal reasoning that is increasingly employed on the left as well as the right.
In making the case that Trump was guilty of “high crimes and misdemeanors” and “bribery”, the House impeachment managers led by congressman Adam Schiff relied on originalist arguments about how those terms were understood by the founders, analysts point out. Liberal supreme court justices have even recently used originalist analysis to advance arguments about gun control, emoluments, faithless electors and the delegation by Congress of policymaking authority to executive branch agencies.
01:55 Democrat Dick Durbin sets out opposition to 'originalism' during debate on Amy Coney Barrett – video
“The goal of originalism is really just to argue that the constitutional rule that’s embodied in the constitution should be understood in the way that it was understood by those who adopted it in the first place, and that courts ought to be constrained by that understanding when it’s possible to determine what that understanding is,” said Keith Whittington, a professor of politics at Princeton University specializing in constitutional theory.
“That doesn’t require government policy to look like anything that it might have looked like in an earlier age, it certainly doesn’t require going back to particular practices that were true in earlier periods.”
But originalist reasoning does harken to a time when the conception of the federal government’s role was much narrower, Huq said, making it a particularly useful tool for dismantling public health protections and other regulations.
That conservative project could accelerate with Barrett on the bench, Huq said.
“What I would expect to see is that, under an originalist guise, we will start to see the court aggressively trying limit the scope of the regulatory state, the helping hand of the state – and to prevent it from stepping in to prevent the harms that arise from climate change, from pollution, workplace safety issues – the list is long.”
05:10 Amy Coney Barrett: key moments from the supreme court confirmation hearings – video
Originalism as applied by the court also has a tragic blind spot, failing to grapple with structural violence directed at minorities under the law, Huq said.
“The court has almost nothing to say about the vast domains of government activity in which race plays a major role, but isn’t stated on the face of the law,” he said.
“Criminal justice is saturated with racial animus and saturated with racial bias, but the laws are not written with race in the text of the law, therefore the court has nothing to say. There are almost no cases in the supreme court about racial bias in criminal justice, and this is why.”


theguardian--2020-10-26--Biden warns Trump over holding ‘super-spreader events’ as US Covid cases surge

A day after his own chief of staff said the US had effectively surrendered to the coronavirus , Donald Trump told reporters rival Joe Biden , had “ waved the white flag on life ” , while the Democrat nominee warned the president about holding “ super-spreader events ” .
“ He doesn ’ t leave his basement , ” the president told reporters of Biden , on arriving in the pivotal swing state of Pennsylvania for a campaign rally .
“ He ’ s a pathetic candidate.
” Biden , who leads Trump in most national and battleground state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ events officially scheduled on Monday .
However , Biden unexpectedly emerged late Monday afternoon , also in Pennsylvania , on his way to a campaign field office in Chester , near Philadelphia , and briefly spoke with reporters , by defending his campaign style versus Trump ’ s .
He said : “ The big difference between us , and the reason why it looks like we ’ re not traveling , we ’ re not putting on super spreaders.
” Biden also criticized Trump for planning to hold a White House event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the supreme court .
The Democratic nominee noted several people who attended last month ’ s Rose Garden event , where Trump announced Barrett ’ s nomination , later tested positive for coronavirus .
“ And when the president of the United States puts on these super-spreader events , you saw what happened when she was announced – all the people , including his family -- thank God they seem to be okay – all the people who came down with Covid , I just hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lesson , ” Biden said .
Biden noted he understood why Trump wanted to celebrate , but he argued it was “ not appropriate ” given the number of coronavirus infections is surging across the country .
The Democrat expressed hope that attendees would wear masks and practice social distancing to limit the risk of coronavirus spread at the event .
Some Republican senators have even seemed hesitant to attend the celebration , even though they have championed Barrett ’ s nomination .
Biden added : “ Trump is the worst possible person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The president , meanwhile , repeated his insistence that the US was “ absolutely rounding the corner ” in the fight against Covid-19 , despite rising case numbers across the US and an outbreak among senior aides to Mike Pence .
US deaths per day from coronavirus are on the rise again , just as health experts had feared , and cases are climbing in nearly every state .
With election day just over a week away , average deaths per day across the country are up 10 % over the past two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as of Sunday , according to data from Johns Hopkins University .
Confirmed infections per day are rising in 47 states , and deaths are up in 34 .
A spokesman said the vice-president and his wife tested negative for coronavirus on Saturday and Sunday .
Pence has stayed on the campaign trail .
The national caseload of more than 8.6m and a death toll of 225,000 continue to be the world ’ s highest .
El Paso , a Texas border city which is the site of a particularly virulent outbreak , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states including Michigan and Wisconsin are seeing surging case numbers , health systems creaking under the strain .
National new case numbers hit a record high on Friday , at more than 83,000 , just missed that mark on Saturday , then dropped to around 60,000 on Sunday .
The seven-day average of new cases hit 68,767 – the highest since the start of the pandemic .
One influential study has predicted 500,000 US deaths by February .
At the White House , the chief of staff , Mark Meadows , sought to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Sunday , in which he said : “ We ’ re not going to control the pandemic.
” Asked if the Trump administration was “ waving a white flag ” , Meadows said : “ The only person waving a white flag along with his white mask is Joe Biden .
We ’ re going to defeat the virus .
We ’ re not going to control it.
” Meadows added that the administration would “ try to contain it as best we can ” , and claimed his remark on Sunday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We need to make sure that we have therapeutics and vaccines , we may need to make sure that when people get sick , that , that they have the kind of therapies that the president of the United States had .
Then we can provide those emergency using authorisations .
Hopefully they ’ ll be coming in very short order , ” he said .
Trump spent three days in hospital after he , his wife , their son , senior aides and Republican leaders contracted Covid-19 , after a White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Amy Coney Barrett to the supreme court .
Barrett is due to be confirmed by the Senate on Monday evening .
Meadows said the White House would host a celebration , adding : “ Tonight we ’ ll be doing the best we can to encourage as much social distancing as possible.
” Democrats , who held the Senate floor overnight in protest of the nomination , said Pence should not attend the vote .
Pence had said he wanted to attend but on Monday an aide told Politico he would not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After news broke that Pence ’ s chief of staff and a senior political adviser tested positive for Covid-19 , the White House designated the vice-president an essential worker , meaning he did not have to follow federal guidelines and quarantine for 14 days , and could carry on campaigning .
Trump is also campaigning at events at which mitigation measures such as mask-wearing and social distancing are not strictly observed .
Dr Anthony Fauci , the most senior US public health adviser , on Monday , Fauci repeated his contention that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first wave of coronavirus infections .

Martin Pengelly in New York, Joan E Greve in Washington and agencies

A day after his own chief of staff said the US had effectively surrendered to the coronavirus, Donald Trump told reporters rival Joe Biden, had “waved the white flag on life”, while the Democrat nominee warned the president about holding “super-spreader events”.
“He doesn’t leave his basement,” the president told reporters of Biden, on arriving in the pivotal swing state of Pennsylvania for a campaign rally. “He’s a pathetic candidate.”
Biden, who leads Trump in most national and battleground state polls, did not have any campaign events officially scheduled on Monday.
However, Biden unexpectedly emerged late Monday afternoon, also in Pennsylvania, on his way to a campaign field office in Chester, near Philadelphia, and briefly spoke with reporters, by defending his campaign style versus Trump’s.
He said: “The big difference between us, and the reason why it looks like we’re not traveling, we’re not putting on super spreaders.”
Biden: "The big difference between us, and the reason why it looks like we're not traveling, we're not putting on super spreaders." pic.twitter.com/mcc8JoNV6c — The Recount (@therecount) October 26, 2020
Biden also criticized Trump for planning to hold a White House event later in the evening to celebrate the likely confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the supreme court.
The Democratic nominee noted several people who attended last month’s Rose Garden event, where Trump announced Barrett’s nomination, later tested positive for coronavirus.
“And when the president of the United States puts on these super-spreader events, you saw what happened when she was announced – all the people, including his family -- thank God they seem to be okay – all the people who came down with Covid, I just hope he was willing to have learned a lesson,” Biden said.
Donald Trump holds a campaign rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Monday. Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
Biden noted he understood why Trump wanted to celebrate, but he argued it was “not appropriate” given the number of coronavirus infections is surging across the country.
The Democrat expressed hope that attendees would wear masks and practice social distancing to limit the risk of coronavirus spread at the event.
Some Republican senators have even seemed hesitant to attend the celebration, even though they have championed Barrett’s nomination.
Me: Senator are you going to to the White House for the Amy Coney Barrett celebration tonight?
Sen. Ted Cruz: Uhhh, call my press office — Leigh Ann Caldwell (@LACaldwellDC) October 26, 2020
Biden added: “Trump is the worst possible person to lead us through this pandemic.”
The president, meanwhile, repeated his insistence that the US was “absolutely rounding the corner” in the fight against Covid-19, despite rising case numbers across the US and an outbreak among senior aides to Mike Pence.
US deaths per day from coronavirus are on the rise again, just as health experts had feared, and cases are climbing in nearly every state.
With election day just over a week away, average deaths per day across the country are up 10% over the past two weeks, from 721 to nearly 794 as of Sunday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Confirmed infections per day are rising in 47 states, and deaths are up in 34.
A spokesman said the vice-president and his wife tested negative for coronavirus on Saturday and Sunday. Pence has stayed on the campaign trail.
The national caseload of more than 8.6m and a death toll of 225,000 continue to be the world’s highest. El Paso, a Texas border city which is the site of a particularly virulent outbreak, has gone back into lockdown.
Battleground states including Michigan and Wisconsin are seeing surging case numbers, health systems creaking under the strain. National new case numbers hit a record high on Friday, at more than 83,000, just missed that mark on Saturday, then dropped to around 60,000 on Sunday. The seven-day average of new cases hit 68,767 – the highest since the start of the pandemic.
One influential study has predicted 500,000 US deaths by February.
At the White House, the chief of staff, Mark Meadows, sought to clarify a remark he made to CNN on Sunday, in which he said: “We’re not going to control the pandemic.”
Asked if the Trump administration was “waving a white flag”, Meadows said: “The only person waving a white flag along with his white mask is Joe Biden. We’re going to defeat the virus. We’re not going to control it.”
Meadows added that the administration would “try to contain it as best we can”, and claimed his remark on Sunday had been taken out of context.
Mike Pence speaks in Kinston, North Carolina on Sunday. Photograph: Jonathan Drake/Reuters
“We need to make sure that we have therapeutics and vaccines, we may need to make sure that when people get sick, that, that they have the kind of therapies that the president of the United States had. Then we can provide those emergency using authorisations. Hopefully they’ll be coming in very short order,” he said.
Trump spent three days in hospital after he, his wife, their son, senior aides and Republican leaders contracted Covid-19, after a White House event held to celebrate the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the supreme court.
Barrett is due to be confirmed by the Senate on Monday evening. Meadows said the White House would host a celebration, adding: “Tonight we’ll be doing the best we can to encourage as much social distancing as possible.”
Democrats, who held the Senate floor overnight in protest of the nomination, said Pence should not attend the vote. Pence had said he wanted to attend but on Monday an aide told Politico he would not unless his casting vote were needed.
After news broke that Pence’s chief of staff and a senior political adviser tested positive for Covid-19, the White House designated the vice-president an essential worker, meaning he did not have to follow federal guidelines and quarantine for 14 days, and could carry on campaigning. Trump is also campaigning at events at which mitigation measures such as mask-wearing and social distancing are not strictly observed.
Dr Anthony Fauci, the most senior US public health adviser, on Monday, Fauci repeated his contention that the US is not yet out of the first wave of coronavirus infections.


theguardian--2020-10-26--How Texas went from low voter turnout to nation's top early voting state

“ Donald Trump needs to be goin ’ bye-bye , ” Ann Wolfe said as she approached one of Austin ’ s Holiday Inn hotels , now doubling as a polling place .
Although the man in the White House claims he ’ s pro-life like her , she said , “ under his watch , over 200,000 people are dead ” .
So while Wolfe was open to candidates from both parties down ballot , she planned to throw her support behind Democratic nominee Joe Biden , who she thought was at least “ a normal human being ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s the most important vote that we ’ ll ever have to have in this lifetime , ” she said .
In a tidal wave of political engagement , more than 7 million Texans have already cast a ballot during the general election , the vast majority in-person .
The numbers are propelling what is historically one of the lowest voter turnout states to the top of the nation ’ s leaderboard in terms of the sheer number of people who have voted thus far .
That groundswell of participation is even more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remain ever-present at the polls while fears of Covid-19 also loom large .
“ What we ’ re seeing is that Texans will crawl through broken glass to be able to make sure their voices are heard this election , ” said Abhi Rahman , communications director for the Texas Democratic party .
In the midst of the early voting period , extended by Governor Greg Abbott amid the coronavirus pandemic , approximately 43 % of registered voters statewide had voted as of Sunday , logging more than 80 % of the total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a week left in the election .
“ It is really quite something that people are turning out in the numbers that they are .
And that they ’ re standing in line for hours when this is early voting , this is not Election Day , and many Texans have never done that before because it is such a low voter turnout state , ” said Brittany Perry , an instructional associate professor in political science at Texas A & M University .
In Harris and El Paso counties , more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters respectively had cast ballots by Sunday , despite sometimes encountering three-hour-long waits , according to Election Protection .
Broken machines thwarted residents in Travis and Fort Bend counties on the first day of early voting , yet both have already experienced turnout around 50 % of registered voters as of last weekend .
And , while there have been curbside voting issues in Bexar and Hidalgo counties , that hasn ’ t stopped more than 600,000 people from participating in the electoral process , long before 3 November .
Donald Trump and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of what ’ s driving so many voters to the polls , said Emily M Farris , an associate professor of political science at Texas Christian University .
“ Trump ’ s path to the White House is basically impossible without winning Texas ’ 38 electoral votes , ” she said .
And the president ’ s handling of the coronavirus crisis is weighing on people ’ s minds in the state , where cases persist and 17,700 people have died .
“ Obviously , the way , you know , this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think it ’ s important for us to have support from our government .
I just don ’ t feel that , ” said Ileanna Mercado , a school counselor on her way to vote for Biden in Austin .
“ I just would like for our country to go in a very different direction.
” Both Perry and Farris said that when they voted , it was their first experience ever having to stand in lines during an election in Texas – a sign of enthusiasm , but also of failing systems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two separate days before she finally voted .
At her last destination , she called out a man who wasn ’ t wearing a mask , only to have him drape one across his chin in defiance after a poll worker offered it to him .
Face coverings aren ’ t required at Texas polls , and despite the public health crisis , the Republican-dominated state government has refused to expand narrow vote-by-mail eligibility criteria .
“ In Texas , there ’ s still significant risk to voting in-person , ” said Gabrielle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Protection .
Concerns around pandemic safety have become a recurring theme at her hotline , where uncomfortable callers describe voters or even election officials forgoing masks .
“ What we ’ re seeing is there ’ s still a number of challenges and obstacles of voter suppression that exist in Texas , even with an extended early vote period , ” Velasco said .
But Chairman Allen West , a Georgia native , retired Army lieutenant colonel and one-term Florida congressman who is the new head of the Republican party of Texas , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of anyone who was unable to vote .
“ Of course there are long lines , ” he quipped .
“ But then there are long lines to get on a ride at Disneyland or Six Flags Over Texas.
” But there ’ s also a surge of new voters to account for – voters who are challenging the idea that Texas is always a red state .
Constituents with a recent history of only voting in Republican primaries represent 31 % of Texas ’ s general share of early votes in 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Democrats , according to Republican-focused political consulting company Ryan Data and Research .
That leaves over 43 % of the state ’ s vote broadly unaccounted for , with higher voter turnout rates usually favoring Democrats .
“ Texas has never been a red state , it ’ s been a non-voting state , ” Rahman said .
“ Now that it is voting , all bets are off .
And if we do the work , if we continue to push , we will flip the state.
” With a skyrocketing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1.9 million more registered voters since 2016 , Texas ’ s electorate is evolving quickly .
But the election is “ still very much a toss-up ” , and turning the state completely blue would come as a “ huge shock ” , Perry said .
A Democratic presidential nominee hasn ’ t tasted victory there since 1976 ; as of now , Trump is slightly favored to win , while Biden is favored to take the election in its entirety .
West still believed Trump would be successful – in Texas and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden , “ I would question whether or not they ’ re a Republican truthfully because their principles and values lead me to believe that they ’ re quite conflicted , ” he said .
But even prominent Texans from his party such as Senator John Cornyn have started to distance themselves from the polarizing president during this election year .
Other politicos , from former Texas Republican representatives Steve Bartlett and Alan Steelman to former Trump Hispanic advisor Jacob Monty , have vocally championed Biden .
During a recent virtual press conference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shedding sizable Republican support in Texas .
“ I ’ ve not changed my philosophy , ” Monty said .
“ I ’ ve just determined that Donald Trump is an existential threat to America , and a threat to the GOP .
”

“Donald Trump needs to be goin’ bye-bye,” Ann Wolfe said as she approached one of Austin’s Holiday Inn hotels, now doubling as a polling place.
Although the man in the White House claims he’s pro-life like her, she said, “under his watch, over 200,000 people are dead”. So while Wolfe was open to candidates from both parties down ballot, she planned to throw her support behind Democratic nominee Joe Biden, who she thought was at least “a normal human being”.
“It seems like it’s the most important vote that we’ll ever have to have in this lifetime,” she said.
The US may face its biggest ever ballot brawl this November. Sign up to our weekly email Fight to Vote to stay informed on election integrity and voting rights.
In a tidal wave of political engagement, more than 7 million Texans have already cast a ballot during the general election, the vast majority in-person. The numbers are propelling what is historically one of the lowest voter turnout states to the top of the nation’s leaderboard in terms of the sheer number of people who have voted thus far. That groundswell of participation is even more striking in context, as democratic hurdles remain ever-present at the polls while fears of Covid-19 also loom large.
“What we’re seeing is that Texans will crawl through broken glass to be able to make sure their voices are heard this election,” said Abhi Rahman, communications director for the Texas Democratic party.
In the midst of the early voting period, extended by Governor Greg Abbott amid the coronavirus pandemic, approximately 43% of registered voters statewide had voted as of Sunday, logging more than 80% of the total turnout from four years ago with over a week left in the election.
It seems like it’s the most important vote that we’ll ever have to have in this lifetime Ann Wolfe
“It is really quite something that people are turning out in the numbers that they are. And that they’re standing in line for hours when this is early voting, this is not Election Day, and many Texans have never done that before because it is such a low voter turnout state,” said Brittany Perry, an instructional associate professor in political science at Texas A&M University.
In Harris and El Paso counties, more than two-fifths and roughly a third of registered voters respectively had cast ballots by Sunday, despite sometimes encountering three-hour-long waits, according to Election Protection. Broken machines thwarted residents in Travis and Fort Bend counties on the first day of early voting, yet both have already experienced turnout around 50% of registered voters as of last weekend. And, while there have been curbside voting issues in Bexar and Hidalgo counties, that hasn’t stopped more than 600,000 people from participating in the electoral process, long before 3 November.
Donald Trump and his broader agenda are likely at least part of what’s driving so many voters to the polls, said Emily M Farris, an associate professor of political science at Texas Christian University. “Trump’s path to the White House is basically impossible without winning Texas’ 38 electoral votes,” she said.
And the president’s handling of the coronavirus crisis is weighing on people’s minds in the state, where cases persist and 17,700 people have died. “Obviously, the way, you know, this whole pandemic has panned out, I think it’s important for us to have support from our government. I just don’t feel that,” said Ileanna Mercado, a school counselor on her way to vote for Biden in Austin. “I just would like for our country to go in a very different direction.”
People wait in line to cast their ballots in early voting in Houston, Texas, on 13 October. Photograph: Go Nakamura/Reuters
Both Perry and Farris said that when they voted, it was their first experience ever having to stand in lines during an election in Texas – a sign of enthusiasm, but also of failing systems. Perry visited multiple polling places across two separate days before she finally voted.
At her last destination, she called out a man who wasn’t wearing a mask, only to have him drape one across his chin in defiance after a poll worker offered it to him. Face coverings aren’t required at Texas polls, and despite the public health crisis, the Republican-dominated state government has refused to expand narrow vote-by-mail eligibility criteria.
“In Texas, there’s still significant risk to voting in-person,” said Gabrielle Velasco, a national coordinator for Election Protection. Concerns around pandemic safety have become a recurring theme at her hotline, where uncomfortable callers describe voters or even election officials forgoing masks. “What we’re seeing is there’s still a number of challenges and obstacles of voter suppression that exist in Texas, even with an extended early vote period,” Velasco said.
Texans will crawl through broken glass to be able to make sure their voices are heard this election Abhi Rahman
But Chairman Allen West, a Georgia native, retired Army lieutenant colonel and one-term Florida congressman who is the new head of the Republican party of Texas, insisted that he hadn’t heard of anyone who was unable to vote.
“Of course there are long lines,” he quipped. “But then there are long lines to get on a ride at Disneyland or Six Flags Over Texas.”
But there’s also a surge of new voters to account for – voters who are challenging the idea that Texas is always a red state.
Constituents with a recent history of only voting in Republican primaries represent 31% of Texas’s general share of early votes in 2020 so far, compared to 25.8% for Democrats, according to Republican-focused political consulting company Ryan Data and Research. That leaves over 43% of the state’s vote broadly unaccounted for, with higher voter turnout rates usually favoring Democrats.
“Texas has never been a red state, it’s been a non-voting state,” Rahman said. “Now that it is voting, all bets are off. And if we do the work, if we continue to push, we will flip the state.”
With a skyrocketing Hispanic population and a surge of around 1.9 million more registered voters since 2016, Texas’s electorate is evolving quickly. But the election is “still very much a toss-up”, and turning the state completely blue would come as a “huge shock”, Perry said. A Democratic presidential nominee hasn’t tasted victory there since 1976; as of now, Trump is slightly favored to win, while Biden is favored to take the election in its entirety.
West still believed Trump would be successful – in Texas and nationally. If self-proclaimed Republicans vote for Biden, “I would question whether or not they’re a Republican truthfully because their principles and values lead me to believe that they’re quite conflicted,” he said. But even prominent Texans from his party such as Senator John Cornyn have started to distance themselves from the polarizing president during this election year.
Other politicos, from former Texas Republican representatives Steve Bartlett and Alan Steelman to former Trump Hispanic advisor Jacob Monty, have vocally championed Biden. During a recent virtual press conference, they projected confidence that Trump is shedding sizable Republican support in Texas.
“I’ve not changed my philosophy,” Monty said. “I’ve just determined that Donald Trump is an existential threat to America, and a threat to the GOP.”


theguardian--2020-10-26--'The system is broken': Americans cast their vote for better healthcare

Ramae Hamrin was a high school math teacher in rural northern Minnesota , in a small town with a Paul Bunyan statue and snow on the ground by October .
Hamrin , 50 , instructed low-income students in calculus .
It was not an easy job , but it provided health insurance for her and her three children .
When it came to voting , like many Americans , she was put off by the two-party system .
She voted third-party and often libertarian .
Then , Hamrin slipped , fell and broke her hip .
She went to hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) lesion on her femur , and within weeks was diagnosed with cancer : multiple myeloma .
Within two years , she was unable to work , permanently disabled by the ravages of cancer treatment .
“ Before I got diagnosed , I would have never thought about healthcare or drug prices , ” as a voting issue , said Hamrin .
“ Now , really that ’ s my only issue.
” This year , she said , she is voting one way : “ strictly Democratic ” .
With the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hamrin is one of millions of Americans who have been heading to the polls this fall with healthcare and drug prices as their top voting issue .
The United States ’ massive , largely private and very expensive health industry has ranked as a top voter concern for years , and helped drive Democrats to victory in the midterm elections of 2018 , when the party took control of the House of Representatives .
But over the last six months of the coronavirus pandemic , which has killed more than 220,000 Americans , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the election , though health voters like Hamrin argue the two are inseparable .
Her daughter , an accomplished cross-country runner in college , was diagnosed with Covid-19 and now needs an inhaler .
“ I do trust the Democrats more than I trust the Republicans to get anything done on this issue , ” said Hamrin .
Although , she added : “ It ’ s hard to know who to trust these days.
” Although healthcare reform elicits concern across parties , it is one in which Democrats hold a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lead over Trump on issues ranging from how to lower Americans ’ health costs and to how to protect people from loathed insurance industry practices .
“ Covid has made us all healthcare voters , ” said David Mitchell , founder of Patients for Affordable Drugs , one of a handful of advocacy groups which does not take money from pharmaceutical companies .
Mitchell is also a cancer patient .
Without insurance , the drugs he depends on would cost $ 900,000 a year .
Because Mitchell buys private insurance , he pays @ @ @ @ @ @ @ track prescription drug pricing in campaigns , and whether it ’ s the Senate race in New Mexico or the Senate race in Iowa or the Senate race in North Carolina , Georgia , Maine and Michigan – drug prices are figuring in all those races , ” Mitchell said .
“ They ’ re spending millions and millions and millions of dollars in ads.
” It ’ s not hard to find stories about why the issue resonates with voters .
“ My wife is a diabetic with high blood pressure .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay for her meds next month !
” wrote Brett , a Florida resident who provided their story to Patients for Affordable Drugs .
A story submitted to the organization by a Wisconsin woman named Kelsey , said her insurance requires $ 650 in monthly cost-sharing to cover post-traumatic stress disorder , diabetes and allergies among others .
The cost “ leaves us virtually broke every month ” .
“ People are terrified , folks have lost their jobs , the economy isn ’ t doing well for folks who are having to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is something people need in this moment , ” said Rosemary Enobakhare , the campaign director for Healthcare Voter .
The campaign helped galvanize voters in 2018 , and win Democratic control of the US House , on the back of support for the 2009 Affordable Care Act , more commonly known as Obamacare – the largest overhaul of the US healthcare system in decades that extended health insurance coverage to millions of Americans who could not afford it .
The politics of healthcare has changed dramatically in four years of the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fulfill their vow to repeal and “ replace ” Obamacare .
“ We thought we had done all the work we needed to do to protect the ACA , but we have Republicans still working very hard to take away people ’ s healthcare , ” said Enobakhare .
A repeal bill sank after Trump antagonist and Republican former US Senator John McCain cast a thumbs-down no vote .
But Republicans have also since found that protections brought in under Obamacare have become more popular .
“ When you are dealing with people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death they will do whatever it takes to get better and to stay alive , ” said Daniel Dawes , director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine .
“ You now have folks who have reached the breaking point , ” said Dawes .
“ They recognize there is something unfair about this system.
” Democrats and insurgent progressives then rode the wave of GOP failure to office in 2018 .
Senator Bernie Sanders has meanwhile raised the prominence of the Medicare for All healthcare plan , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would eliminate private health insurance .
This election year , Democrats are again making healthcare and insurance a top issue , though Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden ’ s health policy does not support Medicare for All .
Instead , Biden advocates for the expansion of Obamacare , a policy likely to appeal to more centrist voters who are not yet convinced by the promise of a full healthcare revolution .
Trump has repeatedly claimed a new Republican health plan is in the wings , though he has failed to unveil one , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bring down drug prices , though they lack detail and are unlikely to do so .
The Trump administration is also now backing a legal challenge that could leave 20 million people without health insurance in the middle of a pandemic .
One week after election day on 3 November , the supreme court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on whether the ACA is constitutional , which could send shockwaves through the health system as the United States grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic .
A Trump supreme court nominee , Amy Coney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , could be the deciding vote .
For Hamrin , this is not an ideological debate .
On 1 January , she loses her private insurance , and the cost of the medication keeping her alive soars to $ 15,000 a year , all but wiping out her disability checks .
“ The whole system is broken , ” said Hamrin .
“ I think government needs to interfere on this one , ” she said , adding that she is voting Democrat because she believes government interference “ follows their philosophy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said : “ I ’ m just not sure we ’ re ever going to see a workable solution , and one in time to save the lives of people that need it .
”

Ramae Hamrin was a high school math teacher in rural northern Minnesota, in a small town with a Paul Bunyan statue and snow on the ground by October.
Hamrin, 50, instructed low-income students in calculus. It was not an easy job, but it provided health insurance for her and her three children. When it came to voting, like many Americans, she was put off by the two-party system. She voted third-party and often libertarian.
Then, Hamrin slipped, fell and broke her hip. She went to hospital, doctors discovered a 9-centimetre (3.5-inch) lesion on her femur, and within weeks was diagnosed with cancer: multiple myeloma. Within two years, she was unable to work, permanently disabled by the ravages of cancer treatment.
“Before I got diagnosed, I would have never thought about healthcare or drug prices,” as a voting issue, said Hamrin. “Now, really that’s my only issue.”
This year, she said, she is voting one way: “strictly Democratic”.
With the US election just over a week away, Hamrin is one of millions of Americans who have been heading to the polls this fall with healthcare and drug prices as their top voting issue.
The United States’ massive, largely private and very expensive health industry has ranked as a top voter concern for years, and helped drive Democrats to victory in the midterm elections of 2018, when the party took control of the House of Representatives.
But over the last six months of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 220,000 Americans, Covid-19 eclipsed healthcare as the top issue of the election, though health voters like Hamrin argue the two are inseparable. Her daughter, an accomplished cross-country runner in college, was diagnosed with Covid-19 and now needs an inhaler.
“I do trust the Democrats more than I trust the Republicans to get anything done on this issue,” said Hamrin. Although, she added: “It’s hard to know who to trust these days.”
Although healthcare reform elicits concern across parties, it is one in which Democrats hold a huge advantage. Biden has a 20-point lead over Trump on issues ranging from how to lower Americans’ health costs and to how to protect people from loathed insurance industry practices.
“Covid has made us all healthcare voters,” said David Mitchell, founder of Patients for Affordable Drugs, one of a handful of advocacy groups which does not take money from pharmaceutical companies.
Health workers administer Covid-19 tests for people who may be unable to afford health insurance in Alatamonte Springs, Florida. Photograph: Barcroft Media via Getty Images
Mitchell is also a cancer patient. Without insurance, the drugs he depends on would cost $900,000 a year. Because Mitchell buys private insurance, he pays $15,000 a year.
“We track prescription drug pricing in campaigns, and whether it’s the Senate race in New Mexico or the Senate race in Iowa or the Senate race in North Carolina, Georgia, Maine and Michigan – drug prices are figuring in all those races,” Mitchell said. “They’re spending millions and millions and millions of dollars in ads.”
It’s not hard to find stories about why the issue resonates with voters.
“My wife is a diabetic with high blood pressure. We don’t know how to pay for her meds next month!” wrote Brett, a Florida resident who provided their story to Patients for Affordable Drugs.
A story submitted to the organization by a Wisconsin woman named Kelsey, said her insurance requires $650 in monthly cost-sharing to cover post-traumatic stress disorder, diabetes and allergies among others. The cost “leaves us virtually broke every month”.
“People are terrified, folks have lost their jobs, the economy isn’t doing well for folks who are having to make some stark decisions, so healthcare is something people need in this moment,” said Rosemary Enobakhare, the campaign director for Healthcare Voter.
The campaign helped galvanize voters in 2018, and win Democratic control of the US House, on the back of support for the 2009 Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare – the largest overhaul of the US healthcare system in decades that extended health insurance coverage to millions of Americans who could not afford it.
Trenise Bryant protests a bill to replace the Affordable Care Act in 2017. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
The politics of healthcare has changed dramatically in four years of the Trump administration. Republicans have repeatedly failed to fulfill their vow to repeal and “replace” Obamacare.
“We thought we had done all the work we needed to do to protect the ACA, but we have Republicans still working very hard to take away people’s healthcare,” said Enobakhare.
A repeal bill sank after Trump antagonist and Republican former US Senator John McCain cast a thumbs-down no vote. But Republicans have also since found that protections brought in under Obamacare have become more popular.
“When you are dealing with people who are sick on the verge of death they will do whatever it takes to get better and to stay alive,” said Daniel Dawes, director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine.
“You now have folks who have reached the breaking point,” said Dawes. “They recognize there is something unfair about this system.”
Democrats and insurgent progressives then rode the wave of GOP failure to office in 2018. Senator Bernie Sanders has meanwhile raised the prominence of the Medicare for All healthcare plan, an NHS-style single-payer system favored by progressives that would eliminate private health insurance.
This election year, Democrats are again making healthcare and insurance a top issue, though Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s health policy does not support Medicare for All. Instead, Biden advocates for the expansion of Obamacare, a policy likely to appeal to more centrist voters who are not yet convinced by the promise of a full healthcare revolution.
Trump has repeatedly claimed a new Republican health plan is in the wings, though he has failed to unveil one, and touted executive orders he claims will bring down drug prices, though they lack detail and are unlikely to do so.
The Trump administration is also now backing a legal challenge that could leave 20 million people without health insurance in the middle of a pandemic. One week after election day on 3 November, the supreme court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on whether the ACA is constitutional, which could send shockwaves through the health system as the United States grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic.
A Trump supreme court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, expected to be confirmed this week, could be the deciding vote.
For Hamrin, this is not an ideological debate. On 1 January, she loses her private insurance, and the cost of the medication keeping her alive soars to $15,000 a year, all but wiping out her disability checks.
“The whole system is broken,” said Hamrin. “I think government needs to interfere on this one,” she said, adding that she is voting Democrat because she believes government interference “follows their philosophy”.
Without government regulation, she said: “I’m just not sure we’re ever going to see a workable solution, and one in time to save the lives of people that need it.”


theguardian--2020-10-27--Amy Coney Barrett confirmed to US supreme court – video

A majority of US senators have voted to confirm Donald Trump ’ s supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barrett .
@ @ @ @ @ yays are 52 .
The nays are 48 , ' announced US senator Chuck Grassley @ @ @ @ @ Coney Barrett of Indiana to be an associate justice of the supreme court of the @ @ @ @ @ ' Grassley said to applause in the Senate .
Lawmakers voted along party lines , @ @ @ @ @ Maine joining united Democrats to vote against Barrett ’ s confirmation .
Barrett , 48 @ @ @ @ @ conservative majority on the nation ’ s highest court .
Long term , her appointment @ @ @ @ @ on a range of policies governing abortion rights , immigration and LGBTQ+ rights • Amy @ @ @ @ @ court in major victory for US conservatives - live

A majority of US senators have voted to confirm Donald Trump’s supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. 'On this vote, the yays are 52. The nays are 48,' announced US senator Chuck Grassley. Trump then held a celebratory swearing-in ceremony on the White House lawn. Barrett said. 'I will do my job without any fear or favour and ... I will do so independently of both the political branches and of my own preferences.' Lawmakers voted along party lines, although Republican Susan Collins of Maine joined Democrats to vote against Barrett’s confirmation. Barrett, 48, will secure a 6-to-3 conservative majority on the nation’s highest court. Long term, her appointment could have a major impact on a range of policies governing abortion rights, immigration and LGBTQ+ rights


theguardian--2020-10-27--Biden attacks Trump's 'rushed and unprecedented' confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett – US politics liv

Biden attacks Trump's 'rushed and unprecedented' confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett – US politics live

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany once praised Joe Biden as “ a man of the people ” capable of “ coming off as human ” and “ resonating with middle class voters ” .
In an interview with a New York radio station in 2015 , she also said that though she thought Donald Trump would be more likely to beat Biden , then considering a run for president , than Hillary Clinton , “ I think the juxtaposition of kind of the man of the people and kind of this tycoon , is a problem.
” A week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the comments from five years ago were reported by Andrew Kaczynski of CNN , a reporter who specialises in burrowing through the strata of internet time , looking for forgotten comments by public figures which now seem unfortunate or embarrassment .
“ I think the Republicans run into a problem if it is Joe Biden and if it is maybe a Trump on the other side , ” McEnany told AM970 in 2015 .
“ Because Joe Biden , one of the things he is remarkable at is really kind of being a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ middle class voters .
Feeling like – coming off as human .
His gaffes – as much as we make fun of them – to a certain extent they make him look human .
So not , since he ’ s likable.
” McEnany also said , presciently , that though “ the juxtaposition of kind of the man of the people and kind of this tycoon , is a problem ” in any Biden-Trump match-up , “ Donald Trump ’ s remarkably coming off as a man of the people despite being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , McEnany spoke to Fox Business Network .
“ When you have Joe Biden here who ’ s funny and likeable and can resonate with the middle class , ’ she said , “ he really can speak to the average , everyday American , versus Hillary Clinton who ’ s cold and somber .
Remember when she had to – that calculated move of drinking a drink at a bar to seem like a human being .
Joe Biden is a human and people will resonate with that .
I predict @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wasn ’ t , of course , but he is now and a week out from election day he leads the incumbent president in most national polls and in most battleground states , though some leads are narrowing as Trump campaigns hard .
In a statement to CNN , McEnany parroted Trump administration attack lines when she had now learned of Biden ’ s “ profound personal corruption ” and called him “ an empty vessel for the liberal elites and far left ” .

Joan E Greve (now), Martin Belam and Tom McCarthy (earlier)

28 Oct 2020 05.09 GMT Summary As of this evening, 70,032,485 Americans have already voted early – either in person or absentee, according to the US Elections Project. The overwhelming enthusiasm has perhaps put this year on pace to see some of the highest voter participation rates in more than a century.
The overwhelming enthusiasm has perhaps put this year on pace to see some of the highest voter participation rates in more than a century. Hundreds took to the streets in Philadelphia to protest the police killing of Walter Wallace Jr, a 27-year-old Black man. Philadelphia police said they will be deploying more officers and have asked for the National Guard to assist them as protests continue.
Philadelphia police said they will be deploying more officers and have asked for the National Guard to assist them as protests continue. Amy Coney Barrett officially joined the supreme court, after Chief Justice John Roberts delivered her judicial oath in a private ceremony this morning.
after Chief Justice delivered her judicial oath in a private ceremony this morning. Trump lashed out against Barack Obama as the former president unleashed blistering criticism of his successor. Speaking at a drive-in rally in Orlando, Florida, Obama once again lambasted Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, noting the president has complained about the news coverage the pandemic has received as the US death toll continues to climb. “He’s jealous of Covid’s media coverage,” Obama said.
Speaking at a drive-in rally in Orlando, Florida, Obama once again lambasted Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, noting the president has complained about the news coverage the pandemic has received as the US death toll continues to climb. “He’s jealous of Covid’s media coverage,” Obama said. Biden delivered a speech in Warm Springs, Georgia, as polls show a close presidential race in the traditionally conservative state. “The president declared, he’s going to wage war on the virus. Instead he shrugged, swaggered and he surrendered,” Biden said in Warm Springs. “Well, I’m here to tell you we can and will get control of this virus.”
as polls show a close presidential race in the traditionally conservative state. “The president declared, he’s going to wage war on the virus. Instead he shrugged, swaggered and he surrendered,” Biden said in Warm Springs. “Well, I’m here to tell you we can and will get control of this virus.” Trump falsely suggested it was illegal to count ballots after election day. “It would be very, very proper and very nice if a winner were declared on November 3, instead of counting ballots for two weeks, which is totally inappropriate, and I don’t believe that’s by our laws,” Trump told reporters before leaving Washington for his three campaign rallies today. In reality, states have until 8 December (known as the “safe harbor” deadline) to tabulate final election results.
“It would be very, very proper and very nice if a winner were declared on November 3, instead of counting ballots for two weeks, which is totally inappropriate, and I don’t believe that’s by our laws,” Trump told reporters before leaving Washington for his three campaign rallies today. In reality, states have until 8 December (known as the “safe harbor” deadline) to tabulate final election results. A federal judge denied the justice department’s bid to take over Trump’s defense in E Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit. The judge ruled that the president was not acting in his official capacity when he denied Carroll’s rape allegation, as the justice department had argued. My colleague Tom McCarthy will continue to bring you live updates. Follow along here: US election 2020: more than 70m Americans have voted early – live Read more
28 Oct 2020 04.46 GMT Trump administration sets new low for refugee admissions In a late-night press release, the White House announced it will admit no more than 15,000 refugees over the next fiscal year, setting a historic low since the US began its refugee program in 1980. “This refugee admissions ceiling incorporates more than 6,000 unused places from the FY 2020 refugee admissions ceiling that might have been used if not for the COVID-19 pandemic,” the administration said in a statement. Last year, the administration set the cap for the number of refugees admitted into the US at 18,000. The year before that it was 30,000. The caps have a significant reduction from the 110,000 refugees allowed during Barack Obama’s last year in office. The determination to cap admissions at 15,000 was made earlier this month. Read more: Rights groups appalled as Trump cuts US refugee admissions to record low Read more
28 Oct 2020 04.21 GMT The US diplomats’ union has denounced an attempt by a Trump appointee to remove the “firewall” protecting the editorial independence of the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and other US overseas broadcasters, warning that it marked an attempt to turn them into vehicles for “government propaganda”. The CEO of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), Michael Pack, announced overnight on Monday that he would be rescinding the “firewall rule” insulating journalists from editorial direction from politically appointed management. The rule, Pack argued, was “in tension with the law and harmful to the agency and the US national interest”. “The rule threatened constitutional values because the constitution gives the president broad latitude in directing the foreign policy of the United States,” Pack wrote in a message to his staff. The move follows several steps already taken by Pack, an ally of the rightwing ideologue Steve Bannon, to exercise greater political control USAGM broadcasters that include Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Radio Free Asia and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. Since taking up the job in June, he has conducted a purge on senior journalists and refused to renew the visas of foreign reporters. The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) said it stood in solidarity with USAGM staff in opposition to the move Fears of crackdown on US journalism as Trump ally removes editorial 'firewall' Read more
28 Oct 2020 04.01 GMT In a new series, Guardian US is zooming in on Maricopa county, a spot that could decide the fate of Trump – and America. Maricopa county, which encompasses Arizona’s capital, Phoenix, and blossoming rings of surrounding suburbs, has nearly 4.5 million residents and dominates the state politically. One third of Maricopa residents identify as Latino, according to US census data. Over the past decade, demographic change, population growth and a cultural shift seen across America’s suburbs has turned this sprawling desert metropolis – a bastion of western conservatism for decades – into one of the most closely watched and fiercely contested presidential battlegrounds in the nation.
The county holds the keys to winning Arizona, and no Republican has ever won the White House without winning this key Sun Belt state. In 2016, Donald Trump won here by just three percentage points. Can he do it again in 2020? Read more from the opening piece in the series, Phoenix rising, here: The Arizona county that could decide the future of Trump – and America Read more
Updated at 04.11 GMT
28 Oct 2020 03.23 GMT Health officials and scientists in the administration told the Daily Beast they were offended by a press release that listed “ending the Covid-19 pandemic” as a major accomplishment of Donald Trump’s and quoted the president’s daughter Ivanka alongside experts. The Daily Beast reports: In a statement released Tuesday afternoon The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy said that it considered “ending the COVID-19 pandemic” to be one of President Donald Trump’s major first term accomplishments. The office released a corresponding report that listed achievements of the Trump administration in the area of science and innovation. “It’s mind boggling,” one official said of the White House’s assertion it had ended the pandemic. “There’s no world in which anyone can think that [statement] is true. Maybe the president. But I don’t see how even he can believe that. We have more than 70,000 new cases each day.” Four officials working with the White House coronavirus task force told The Daily Beast that they viewed the White House’s statement as a personal slight and a public rebuke of their efforts to try and get control of the virus. Officials described the report as the latest example of the president and his team of advisers refusing to acknowledge that the U.S. is experiencing a worrying resurgence of the virus. “We have exploding case counts. Death rates will undoubtedly rise. They are living in a parallel universe that bears no relation to the reality that Americans are living,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control in the Obama administration. “And this idea that we should let it spread and protect the vulnerable is a really dangerous mistake. The idea that it [containing the virus] can’t be done ignores reality.” Read more here.
Updated at 03.52 GMT
28 Oct 2020 02.40 GMT At the Trump rally in Nebraska, the Los Angeles Times’ Eli Stokols writes that the Wifi network was called “Where is Hunter?” and the password was “10FORTHEBIGGUY”. The network was “largely non-functioning,” he wrote in the Press Pool report. Supporters at the rally, as they are wont to do, chanted “Lock him up,” when Trump’s speech turned to unsubstantiated and unverified accusations against his opponent Joe Biden’s son Hunter.
28 Oct 2020 02.20 GMT America's protest crackdown: five months after George Floyd, hundreds face trials and prison Sam Levin Some protesters face stacked charges and threats of deportation; others have been charged with police assault with no reports of injuries Protesters demonstrate outside of Phoenix police headquarters against the death of George Floyd, killed in Minneapolis, and Dion Johnson, killed in Arizona. Photograph: Nicole Neri/Reuters Lee Percy Christian III didn’t think Arizona law enforcement could stop him from protesting – until they locked him up indefinitely.
Earlier this month, Christian, 27, was arrested for “unlawful assembly” after a Black Lives Matter protest in Phoenix and jailed without bond because of outstanding charges from previous demonstrations. Prosecutors later suggested bond be set at $100,000. Christian’s lawyers and a judge agreed he could be released on a lower bond – if he didn’t participate in future public protests. Christian was mortified, but agreed to sign away his right to protests so he could leave jail – he had spent nine days locked up. “I’m guilty until proven innocent,” he said recently on the phone. “We’re in a police state, and the last thing the police want is for me to be out there using my voice.” Since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May, millions of Americans have marched in cities big and small to protests racial violence and police brutality. The demonstrations have been overwhelmingly nonviolent, yet in many jurisdictions law enforcement has responded with force. Tens of thousands of demonstrators, activists and BLM supporters have been arrested. More than five months since the start of the unrest, hundreds of these protesters have been slapped with serious charges by federal and local prosecutors, according to researchers and a review of court data. Some protesters have faced stacked charges and threats of life sentences. Others have been charged with “assaulting” police officers where there’s no evidence of violence and no reports of injuries. Some arrested protesters have been transferred to immigration authorities. The crackdown comes as Donald Trump, eager to put Democrats on the defense, has ramped up warnings about Black Lives Matter, anti-fascists and the “far left” in the lead up to the election. He has called BLM a “symbol of hate” and claimed without evidence that “Antifa” will “attack your homes”. America's protest crackdown: five months after George Floyd, hundreds face trials and prison Read more
28 Oct 2020 02.04 GMT Survey: Indian Americans back Biden and Democrats Indian Americans are overwhelmingly backing Joe Biden according to a new survey. Of more than Indian American citizens surveyed, 72% planned to vote for Biden and 22% for Trump. Although Indian Americans make up about .8% of eligible voters in the US, both presidential campaigns have been courting them. The Biden/Harris campaign recently held a South Asian get out the vote rally, a virtual event that featured stars from the Netflix reality TV show Indian Matchmaker as well as Indian actors and public figures. Kamla Harris, if elected, would become the first Black and Indian American vice-president in US history. I cried when @KamalaHarris thanked her ”chithis” (aunties in Tamil) as she accepted the nomination for VP
So many little brown & black girls will finally see themselves in their leaders if we vote
Call your aunties/uncles/cousins about their voting plan: https://t.co/ZBqEahzzx7 pic.twitter.com/OecpiKx4h9 — Padma "Did You Vote Yet?" Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) October 27, 2020 Donald Trump, meanwhile, has maintained a friendship with India’s rightwing prime minister, Narendra Modi, even hosting a “Howdy, Modi: Shared Dreams, Bright Futures” rally in Houston last year that drew hundreds of thousands. But “the data show that Indian Americans continue to be strongly attached to the Democratic party, with little indication of a shift toward the Republican party,” said researchers from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and the University of Pennsylvania. “In addition, Indian Americans view US-India relations as a low priority issue in this electoral cycle, emphasizing instead nationally salient issues such as healthcare and the economy,” they wrote.
Updated at 02.19 GMT
28 Oct 2020 01.37 GMT More than 70 million Americans have voted early As of this evening, 70,032,485 Americans have already voted early – either in person or absentee, according to the US Elections Project. The overwhelming enthusiasm has perhaps put this year on pace to see some of the highest voter participation rates in more than a century. Thus far, early voters have favored Democrats in most states that provide data on who is voting early, but Republicans have been narrowing the gap. #earlyvote evening update 10/27
At least 70 million people have voted in the 2020 general election 🥳https://t.co/s8K2xFDeSA pic.twitter.com/YWReHAumTI — Michael McDonald (@ElectProject) October 28, 2020
Updated at 02.05 GMT
28 Oct 2020 00.40 GMT It seems the president’s staff has been leaving notes and printouts for journalists in the White House press pool. The printouts include a promo for upcoming Fox News programming, with the handwritten message: “Must-see TV”. Journalists also received a printout of early voting numbers by party affiliation in Michigan. “The president wasn’t aware until somewhat recently that the press corps doesn’t have access to wifi” while aboard Air Force One, said Jennifer Jacobs of Bloomberg. “So he’s been leaving us printouts. It’s essentially a paperwork version of a tweet.” This is the 4th note Trump has asked staff to leave on reporters’ seats on Air Force One this week. New trend. https://t.co/GmGAre1rup — Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) October 28, 2020
Updated at 00.50 GMT
28 Oct 2020 00.23 GMT Donald Trump’s campaign website was briefly down. The campaign said the website was “defaced”. The site’s “About” section was replaced with what appeared to be a scam to collect cryptocurrency, TechCrunch reports. The new text read: “the world has had enough of the fake-news spreaded daily by president donald j trump. it is time to allow the world to know truth.” Whoever switched out the website content also claimed to have information about “origin of the corona virus” and provided addresses to collect cryptocurrency. “There was no exposure to sensitive data because none of it is actually stored on the site. The website has been restored,” said Trump communications director Tim Murtaugh. .@realDonaldTrump's campaign website has been hacked. Doing research for a climate change article and this is what pops up: pic.twitter.com/Kjc2ELSdAV — Gabriel Lorenzo Greschler (@ggreschler) October 27, 2020
Updated at 00.52 GMT
28 Oct 2020 00.13 GMT Facebook’s moratorium on political ads in the last stretch before election day was full of glitches, according to campaigns. Reuters reports: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s digital director Rob Flaherty slammed the social media giant on Tuesday, saying on Twitter its systems broke “within seconds of launching the silly, performative pre-election hoop-jumping exercise.” A Biden spokesman said an undisclosed number of his campaign’s ads were affected.
Under pressure to crack down on misinformation and other abuses, Facebook said last month it would impose a moratorium – or temporary ban – on new political ads in the week before Nov. 3 in an attempt to tamp down on misinformation on social media as Election Day approached. The company stopped accepting new political or issue ads on Tuesday. Facebook said it would allow pre-existing ads to run during that period but would block any adjustments to the ads’ content or design.
A Facebook spokeswoman declined to answer Reuters questions, but Facebook’s director of product management Rob Leathern said on Twitter: “We’re investigating the issues of some ads being paused incorrectly, and some advertisers having trouble making changes to their campaigns.” Campaigns rushed to submit any ads they might need for the election period ahead of the moratorium, strategists have told Reuters in recent days.
President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign started running pre-prepared ads touting GDP numbers that will not be released until Thursday. Facebook Inc said on Tuesday it had rejected a pre-prepared Trump campaign ad that told users to “vote today,” because it did not have “the proper context or clarity” – a violation of its policies.
Updated at 00.40 GMT


theguardian--2020-10-27--Electoral college explained: how Biden faces an uphill battle in the US election

Who elects the US president ?
When Americans cast their ballots for the US president , they are actually voting for a representative of that candidate ’ s party known as an elector .
There are 538 electors who then vote for the president on behalf of the people in their state .
Each state is assigned a certain number of these electoral votes , based on the number of congressional districts they have , plus two additional votes representing the state ’ s Senate seats .
Washington DC is also assigned three electoral votes , despite having no voting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 270 of these votes is needed to win the presidency .
The process of nominating electors varies by state and by party , but is generally done one of two ways .
Ahead of the election , political parties either choose electors at their national conventions , or they are voted for by the party ’ s central committee .
The electoral college nearly always operates with a winner-takes-all system , in which the candidate with the highest number of votes in a state claims all of that state ’ s electoral votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump beat Clinton in Florida by a margin of just 2.2 % , but that meant he claimed all 29 of Florida ’ s crucial electoral votes .
Such small margins in a handful of key swing states meant that , regardless of Clinton ’ s national vote lead , Trump was able to clinch victory in several swing states and therefore win more electoral college votes .
Biden could face the same hurdle in November , meaning he will need to focus his attention on a handful of battleground states to win @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electoral votes a state is assigned somewhat reflects its population , the minimum of three votes per state means that the relative value of electoral votes varies across America .
The least populous states like North and South Dakota and the smaller states of New England are overrepresented because of the required minimum of three electoral votes .
Meanwhile , the states with the most people – California , Texas and Florida – are underrepresented in the electoral college .
Wyoming has one electoral college vote for every 193,000 people , compared with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote per 718,000 people .
This means that each electoral vote in California represents over three times as many people as one in Wyoming .
These disparities are repeated across the country .
Who does it favour ?
Experts have warned that , after returning two presidents that got fewer votes than their opponents since 2000 , the electoral college is flawed .
In 2000 , Al Gore won over half a million more votes than Bush , yet Bush became president after winning Florida by just 537 votes .
In all , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost the overall popular vote but won the election .
Professor George Edwards III , at Texas A & M University , said : “ The electoral college violates the core tenet of democracy , that all votes count equally and allows the candidate finishing second to win the election .
Why hold an election if we do not care who received the most votes ?
“ At the moment , the electoral college favours Republicans because of the way Republican votes are distributed across the country .
They are more likely to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between the parties.
” Under the winner-takes-all system , the margin of victory in a state becomes irrelevant .
In 2016 , Clinton ’ s substantial margins in states such as California and New York failed to earn her enough electoral votes , while close races in the battleground states of Pennsylvania and Michigan took Trump over the 270 majority .
As candidates easily win the electoral votes of their solid states , the election plays out in a handful of key battlegrounds .
In 2016 , Trump won six such states - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – adding 99 electoral votes to his total .
The demographics of these states differ from the national average .
They are older , have more white voters without college degrees , and often have smaller non-white populations .
These characteristics generally favour Republicans , and made up the base of Trump ’ s votes in 2016 .
For example , 67 % of non-college-educated white people voted for Trump in 2016 .
In all six swing states , this demographic is overrepresented by at least six percentage points @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alternative systems for electing the president have been proposed and grown in favour , as many seek to change or abolish the electoral college .
Two states – Maine and Nebraska – already use a different method of assigning their electoral college votes .
The two “ Senate ” votes go to the state-wide popular vote winner , but the remaining district votes are awarded to the winner of that district .
However , implementing this congressional district method across the country could result in greater bias than the current system .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election , and the distribution of voters would still strongly favour Republicans .
The National Popular Vote Compact ( NPVC ) is another option , in which each state would award all of its electoral college votes in line with the national popular vote .
If enough states signed up to this agreement to reach the 270 majority , the candidate who gained the most votes nationwide would always win the presidency .
However , the NPVC has more practical issues .
Professor Norman Williams , from Willamette University , questioned how a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the NPVC , and said that partisanship highlighted its major flaws .
Only Democratic states are currently signed up , but support could simply switch in the future if a Republican candidate faces winning the popular vote but not the presidency .
The NPVC is a solution that would elect the president with the most votes without the difficulty of abolishing the electoral college that is enshrined in the constitution .
The current system is also vulnerable to distorted outcomes through actions such as gerrymandering .
This practice involves precisely redrawing the borders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a party .
The result being abnormally shaped districts that disenfranchise certain groups of voters .
Today , an amendment that would replace the college with a direct national popular vote is seen by many as the fairest electoral system .
According to Professor Edwards III , “ There is only one appropriate way to elect the president : add up all the votes and declare the candidate receiving the most votes the winner .
”

Helena Robertson, Ashley Kirk and Frank Hulley-Jones

Who elects the US president?
When Americans cast their ballots for the US president, they are actually voting for a representative of that candidate’s party known as an elector. There are 538 electors who then vote for the president on behalf of the people in their state.
Each state is assigned a certain number of these electoral votes, based on the number of congressional districts they have, plus two additional votes representing the state’s Senate seats. Washington DC is also assigned three electoral votes, despite having no voting representation in Congress. A majority of 270 of these votes is needed to win the presidency.
The process of nominating electors varies by state and by party, but is generally done one of two ways. Ahead of the election, political parties either choose electors at their national conventions, or they are voted for by the party’s central committee.
The electoral college nearly always operates with a winner-takes-all system, in which the candidate with the highest number of votes in a state claims all of that state’s electoral votes. For example, in 2016, Trump beat Clinton in Florida by a margin of just 2.2%, but that meant he claimed all 29 of Florida’s crucial electoral votes.
Such small margins in a handful of key swing states meant that, regardless of Clinton’s national vote lead, Trump was able to clinch victory in several swing states and therefore win more electoral college votes.
Biden could face the same hurdle in November, meaning he will need to focus his attention on a handful of battleground states to win the presidency.
The unequal distribution of electoral votes
While the number of electoral votes a state is assigned somewhat reflects its population, the minimum of three votes per state means that the relative value of electoral votes varies across America.
The least populous states like North and South Dakota and the smaller states of New England are overrepresented because of the required minimum of three electoral votes. Meanwhile, the states with the most people – California, Texas and Florida – are underrepresented in the electoral college.
Wyoming has one electoral college vote for every 193,000 people, compared with California’s rate of one electoral vote per 718,000 people. This means that each electoral vote in California represents over three times as many people as one in Wyoming. These disparities are repeated across the country.
Who does it favour?
Experts have warned that, after returning two presidents that got fewer votes than their opponents since 2000, the electoral college is flawed.
In 2000, Al Gore won over half a million more votes than Bush, yet Bush became president after winning Florida by just 537 votes. In all, the US has had five presidents who lost the overall popular vote but won the election.
Professor George Edwards III, at Texas A&M University, said: “The electoral college violates the core tenet of democracy, that all votes count equally and allows the candidate finishing second to win the election. Why hold an election if we do not care who received the most votes?
“At the moment, the electoral college favours Republicans because of the way Republican votes are distributed across the country. They are more likely to occur in states that are closely divided between the parties.”
Under the winner-takes-all system, the margin of victory in a state becomes irrelevant. In 2016, Clinton’s substantial margins in states such as California and New York failed to earn her enough electoral votes, while close races in the battleground states of Pennsylvania and Michigan took Trump over the 270 majority.
As candidates easily win the electoral votes of their solid states, the election plays out in a handful of key battlegrounds. In 2016, Trump won six such states - Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – adding 99 electoral votes to his total.
The demographics of these states differ from the national average. They are older, have more white voters without college degrees, and often have smaller non-white populations. These characteristics generally favour Republicans, and made up the base of Trump’s votes in 2016.
For example, 67% of non-college-educated white people voted for Trump in 2016. In all six swing states, this demographic is overrepresented by at least six percentage points more than the national average.
Trump's core demographics are over-represented in swing states The key battlegrounds where Trump was elected in 2016 have a higher percentage of white population than the average US state. Out of these, white non-college-educated are more over-represented than college-educated voters. Lower than average non-white populations favour Republicans. Most of Florida’s Cuban-American community also voted Trump in 2016. These states have larger elderly populations. Older voters have reliably voted Republican in recent elections. Guardian graphic. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014-2018 American community survey five-year estimates
The alternatives
Several alternative systems for electing the president have been proposed and grown in favour, as many seek to change or abolish the electoral college.
Two states – Maine and Nebraska – already use a different method of assigning their electoral college votes. The two “Senate” votes go to the state-wide popular vote winner, but the remaining district votes are awarded to the winner of that district. However, implementing this congressional district method across the country could result in greater bias than the current system. The popular vote winner could still lose the election, and the distribution of voters would still strongly favour Republicans.
The National Popular Vote Compact (NPVC) is another option, in which each state would award all of its electoral college votes in line with the national popular vote. If enough states signed up to this agreement to reach the 270 majority, the candidate who gained the most votes nationwide would always win the presidency.
However, the NPVC has more practical issues. Professor Norman Williams, from Willamette University, questioned how a nationwide recount would be carried out under the NPVC, and said that partisanship highlighted its major flaws. Only Democratic states are currently signed up, but support could simply switch in the future if a Republican candidate faces winning the popular vote but not the presidency.
The NPVC is a solution that would elect the president with the most votes without the difficulty of abolishing the electoral college that is enshrined in the constitution.
The current system is also vulnerable to distorted outcomes through actions such as gerrymandering. This practice involves precisely redrawing the borders of districts to concentrate support in favour of a party. The result being abnormally shaped districts that disenfranchise certain groups of voters.
Today, an amendment that would replace the college with a direct national popular vote is seen by many as the fairest electoral system.
According to Professor Edwards III, “There is only one appropriate way to elect the president: add up all the votes and declare the candidate receiving the most votes the winner.”


theguardian--2020-10-27--US embassy warns Colombian politicians not to get involved in US elections

The American embassy in Bogotá has warned Colombian politicians to “ avoid getting involved ” in the US election , amid a growing row over allegations that far-right lawmakers from the South American country are campaigning in support of Donald Trump .
At least three senior Colombian politicians have been accused of acting as Trump surrogates in Florida , a pivotal battleground state which has been flooded with political advertising and fake news aimed at Latino voters .
Senators María Fernanda Cabal and Carlos Felipe Mejía , and congressman Juan David Vélez , all members of the hard-right ruling Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regularly promote him on Twitter .
Francisco Santos , Colombia ’ s ambassador to the United States , has also been accused by opposition lawmakers of privately coordinating with the Trump campaign .
Santos did not respond to requests for comment .
On Monday , the US ambassador , Philip S Goldberg , took the unusual step of issuing a warning to Colombian lawmakers .
“ The success of relations between the US and Colombia over many years has been based on bipartisan support , ” he tweeted .
“ I urge all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US elections.
” Colombia ’ s foreign minister , Claudia Blum , has been summoned to testify on Wednesday before the country ’ s congress on the brewing scandal .
Florida – with 29 votes in the electoral college – is a key battleground state in the 3 November election , and the Latino vote is seen as critical .
As the race enters its final stretch , the state has been flooded with Spanish-language disinformation , shared on WhatsApp , Facebook and Twitter .
Some content portrays Trump ’ s Democratic opponent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the hard left , but other articles portray him a successor to Latin American leftist dictators such as Cuba ’ s Fidel Castro and Venezuela ’ s Hugo Chávez .
Trump himself has adopted similar arguments .
Earlier this month , he tweeted that Biden was “ a PUPPET of CASTRO-CHAVISTAS ” and claimed “ Biden is weak on socialism and will betray Colombia ” – a near-verbatim regurgitation of a Democratic Centre talking point .
The tweet also mentioned Gustavo Petro , a former presidential candidate and mayor of Bogotá who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s now-defunct M-19 guerrilla group .
Although he is probably unknown to most US voters , Petro remains a hate figure for the Colombian right .
In columns published on the Colombian website Periódico Debate and often shared in the US , Cabal has argued that Biden has been led by the “ radical socialist wing ” of the Democratic party , that coronavirus was “ hatched ” in China as part of a Marxist plot , and that the Minnesota representative Ilhan Omar is an apologist for “ militant Antifa groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who has hobnobbed with prominent Republicans at the past seven Conservative Political Action Conferences ( CPAC ) , said that she is not in direct contact with the Trump campaign .
“ Of course I ’ m campaigning for Trump and have been doing so since he first announced his candidacy , that ’ s not a crime , ” Senator Cabal told the Guardian .
“ I have the absolute right to campaign for whoever I want.
” Unlike Cabal , Vélez lives in Miami and commutes to Bogotá for congressional sessions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that as a dual Colombian-American citizen , he is merely exercising his constitutional rights by campaigning for Trump .
“ But I am not coordinating with the Trump campaign , ” he said .
Mejía did not respond to a request for comment .
Opposition senator Iván Cepeda has launched a senate investigation into the Democratic Centre politicians ’ activities , and argues that they may have infringed US laws prohibiting foreign involvement in its elections .
“ There is a line being crossed , and it could be crossing into something that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even if their behaviour is legal , Cepeda said , it sets a worrying precedent in a nation that has long been viewed by Washington as key ally in the war on drugs and remains a closer partner in a coalition to dislodge the Venezuelan strongman , Nicolás Maduro .
“ This is a break from the bipartisan relations that Colombia has had with the US , ” Cepeda said .
“ This government has broken a basic and fundamental norm , and that could have consequences.
” “ Getting involved in another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign policy faux pas , and needlessly jeopardizes future diplomatic relationships , ” said Benjamin Gedan , deputy director of the Latin America program at the Wilson Center , a Washington thinktank .
“ It is not as bad as covert Russian meddling , but it ’ s risky .
”

The American embassy in Bogotá has warned Colombian politicians to “avoid getting involved” in the US election, amid a growing row over allegations that far-right lawmakers from the South American country are campaigning in support of Donald Trump.
At least three senior Colombian politicians have been accused of acting as Trump surrogates in Florida, a pivotal battleground state which has been flooded with political advertising and fake news aimed at Latino voters.
Senators María Fernanda Cabal and Carlos Felipe Mejía, and congressman Juan David Vélez, all members of the hard-right ruling Democratic Centre party, have endorsed Trump and regularly promote him on Twitter.
Francisco Santos, Colombia’s ambassador to the United States, has also been accused by opposition lawmakers of privately coordinating with the Trump campaign. Santos did not respond to requests for comment.
On Monday, the US ambassador, Philip S Goldberg, took the unusual step of issuing a warning to Colombian lawmakers.
“The success of relations between the US and Colombia over many years has been based on bipartisan support,” he tweeted. “I urge all Colombian politicians to avoid getting involved in US elections.”
Colombia’s foreign minister, Claudia Blum, has been summoned to testify on Wednesday before the country’s congress on the brewing scandal.
Florida – with 29 votes in the electoral college – is a key battleground state in the 3 November election, and the Latino vote is seen as critical.
As the race enters its final stretch, the state has been flooded with Spanish-language disinformation, shared on WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter. Some content portrays Trump’s Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, as a patsy of the hard left, but other articles portray him a successor to Latin American leftist dictators such as Cuba’s Fidel Castro and Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez.
Trump himself has adopted similar arguments. Earlier this month, he tweeted that Biden was “a PUPPET of CASTRO-CHAVISTAS” and claimed “Biden is weak on socialism and will betray Colombia” – a near-verbatim regurgitation of a Democratic Centre talking point.
Joe Biden is a PUPPET of CASTRO-CHAVISTAS like Crazy Bernie, AOC and Castro-lover Karen Bass. Biden is supported by socialist Gustavo Petro, a major LOSER and former M-19 guerrilla leader. Biden is weak on socialism and will betray Colombia. I stand with you! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2020
The tweet also mentioned Gustavo Petro, a former presidential candidate and mayor of Bogotá who once was a member of the country’s now-defunct M-19 guerrilla group. Although he is probably unknown to most US voters, Petro remains a hate figure for the Colombian right.
In columns published on the Colombian website Periódico Debate and often shared in the US, Cabal has argued that Biden has been led by the “radical socialist wing” of the Democratic party, that coronavirus was “hatched” in China as part of a Marxist plot, and that the Minnesota representative Ilhan Omar is an apologist for “militant Antifa groups fighting in Syria”.
Cabal, who has hobnobbed with prominent Republicans at the past seven Conservative Political Action Conferences (CPAC), said that she is not in direct contact with the Trump campaign.
“Of course I’m campaigning for Trump and have been doing so since he first announced his candidacy, that’s not a crime,” Senator Cabal told the Guardian. “I have the absolute right to campaign for whoever I want.”
Unlike Cabal, Vélez lives in Miami and commutes to Bogotá for congressional sessions. In an interview, he said that as a dual Colombian-American citizen, he is merely exercising his constitutional rights by campaigning for Trump. “But I am not coordinating with the Trump campaign,” he said. Mejía did not respond to a request for comment.
Opposition senator Iván Cepeda has launched a senate investigation into the Democratic Centre politicians’ activities, and argues that they may have infringed US laws prohibiting foreign involvement in its elections.
“There is a line being crossed, and it could be crossing into something that is illegal,” Cepeda said.
Even if their behaviour is legal, Cepeda said, it sets a worrying precedent in a nation that has long been viewed by Washington as key ally in the war on drugs and remains a closer partner in a coalition to dislodge the Venezuelan strongman, Nicolás Maduro.
“This is a break from the bipartisan relations that Colombia has had with the US,” Cepeda said. “This government has broken a basic and fundamental norm, and that could have consequences.”
“Getting involved in another country’s elections is a classic foreign policy faux pas, and needlessly jeopardizes future diplomatic relationships,” said Benjamin Gedan, deputy director of the Latin America program at the Wilson Center, a Washington thinktank. “It is not as bad as covert Russian meddling, but it’s risky.”