theguardian--2020-10-12--California investigates unauthorized ballot boxes installed by Republicans

California authorities have launched a criminal investigation into unauthorized ballot boxes that the Republican party has placed in several counties , with authorities warning that these set-ups are illegal .
The boxes have appeared in Fresno , Los Angeles and Orange counties at locations including political party offices , campaign headquarters and churches , according to the California secretary of state .
The GOP admitted Monday that it owned the boxes and defended the practice .
The secretary of state issued a memo to county registrars this weekend clarifying that unofficial drop boxes are illegal and ballots must be returned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , vote centers or ballot drop-off locations .
The memo comes after a regional field director for the California Republican party in Orange county supporting the congressional campaign of Michelle Steel posed in a social media photo with a box labeled “ official ballot drop off box ” and encouraged voters to message him for “ convenient locations ” to drop their ballots , the newspaper reported .
Steel , a county supervisor , is challenging Harley Rouda , a Democrat , for his seat in Congress .
There was a report about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Los Angeles county community of Castaic .
The church posted on social media the box was “ approved and brought by the GOP ” , the Orange County Register reported .
In Orange county , the registrar of voters , Neal Kelley , said official drop boxes were clearly recognizable and carried the official county elections logo .
He said it wasn ’ t clear how many voters had used these unofficial drop boxes in his county but after receiving reports about them , he notified the state and district attorney ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like me installing a mailbox out on the corner – the post office is the one that installs mailboxes , ” Kelley told the newspaper .
The state has sent cease-and-desist orders to the GOP in all three counties .
California ’ s attorney general , Xavier Becerra , said late Monday he had received “ disturbing reports ” that some GOP officials “ may not be prepared or willing to remove those boxes ” .
If the boxes aren ’ t removed , the Republican leaders could face prosecution , he added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ launched a criminal investigation into at least two unauthorized ballot boxes in the county , a spokeswoman , Kimberly Edds , told the Guardian .
The DA ’ s office received numerous reports from concerned residents , though she declined to specify where the boxes were located while the investigation continues .
There are prosecutors available 24-7 to investigate these claims , and the DA has set up a hotline for reports about fraud .
“ This is something we take extraordinarily seriously , ” Edds said , adding that it was too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may have been affected .
She noted that residents could track their ballots online if they had concerns .
Lance Trover , a spokesman for Steel ’ s campaign , referred questions to the state Republican party .
Hector Barajas , a spokesman for the party , pointed to a state law that allows a third party to collect voters ’ ballots .
Republicans have long decried the law .
“ In California , where you can have convicted felons and individuals with a criminal history go door to door and collect ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because organizations , individuals and groups are offering an opportunity for their friends , family , and patrons to drop off their ballot with someone they know and trust , ” Barajas said in the statement .
“ The Democrat anger is overblown when state law allows organizations , volunteers or campaign workers to collect completed ballots and drop them off at polling places or election offices.
” But reliance on the law is misleading .
The provision says the voter must authorize the person who returns the ballot and that the third @ @ @ @ @ @ @ People who collect ballots can not be compensated based on the number of ballots they return and must bring a ballot to the elections office shortly after receiving it .
Jessica Levinson , a Loyola Law School professor , noted that voters had a right to choose how they delivered their ballots , and that the unauthorized boxes were misleading voters .
“ Republicans have been saying , ‘ You can ’ t trust the system , there is fraud , ’ and then they engage in arguably fraudulent behavior and create the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said , adding she feared a chilling effect , even if few people were directly impacted .
People were already fearful about voting in person due to Covid , and wary about voting by mail due to concerns with possible delays , Levinson said : “ It creates a psychological question and undermines the integrity of the election at a moment when it ’ s so important for voters to be able to trust the elections.
” The party questioned on Twitter this weekend what would be wrong with a group providing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots in a safe location rather than handing them to an individual .
A message was left seeking comment with California ’ s Democratic party .
Ada Briceño , chair of the Democratic party in Orange county , said in a statement the boxes were an attempt at voter suppression .
“ Voters need trust in our election system , and this latest attempt by senior Republicans only erodes that trust , ” she said .
Orange county is one of the most conservative regions in California and has been the site of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ however , the county went blue for the first time in decades , with voters backing Hillary Clinton .
Ana Gonzalez , a representative for the state Democratic party in San Bernardino county in southern California , said there was a lot of confusion about mail ballots and that volunteers were canvassing to ensure voters are educated about the process .
“ People are desperate right now with the pandemic and the GOP is taking advantage of this and distracting and misleading folks , ” she said .
“ In marginalized communities , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that voters have the right information and are safely turning in their ballots .
We ’ ve got to stay vigilant.
” Trump has continued to escalate baseless attacks on mail-in voting , repeating false claims about voter fraud and spreading lies about the process in California .

Sam Levin in Los Angeles and Sam Levine in New York

California authorities have launched a criminal investigation into unauthorized ballot boxes that the Republican party has placed in several counties, with authorities warning that these set-ups are illegal.
The boxes have appeared in Fresno, Los Angeles and Orange counties at locations including political party offices, campaign headquarters and churches, according to the California secretary of state. The GOP admitted Monday that it owned the boxes and defended the practice.
The secretary of state issued a memo to county registrars this weekend clarifying that unofficial drop boxes are illegal and ballots must be returned by mail or to official polling places, vote centers or ballot drop-off locations.
The memo comes after a regional field director for the California Republican party in Orange county supporting the congressional campaign of Michelle Steel posed in a social media photo with a box labeled “official ballot drop off box” and encouraged voters to message him for “convenient locations” to drop their ballots, the newspaper reported. Steel, a county supervisor, is challenging Harley Rouda, a Democrat, for his seat in Congress.
.@MichelleSteelCA proving, yet again, that she’s the most corrupt politician in Orange County. Steel’s team is using fake and illegal “official” ballot drop boxes.
OC voters — these are FAKE. Please only drop off your ballot in @OCRegistrar drop boxes. pic.twitter.com/kAoP1DwdKI — Harley Rouda (@HarleyRouda) October 11, 2020
There was a report about a similar box at a church in the Los Angeles county community of Castaic. The church posted on social media the box was “approved and brought by the GOP”, the Orange County Register reported.
In Orange county, the registrar of voters, Neal Kelley, said official drop boxes were clearly recognizable and carried the official county elections logo. He said it wasn’t clear how many voters had used these unofficial drop boxes in his county but after receiving reports about them, he notified the state and district attorney’s office.
“It would be like me installing a mailbox out on the corner – the post office is the one that installs mailboxes,” Kelley told the newspaper.
The state has sent cease-and-desist orders to the GOP in all three counties. California’s attorney general, Xavier Becerra, said late Monday he had received “disturbing reports” that some GOP officials “may not be prepared or willing to remove those boxes”. If the boxes aren’t removed, the Republican leaders could face prosecution, he added.
The Orange county district attorney has launched a criminal investigation into at least two unauthorized ballot boxes in the county, a spokeswoman, Kimberly Edds, told the Guardian. The DA’s office received numerous reports from concerned residents, though she declined to specify where the boxes were located while the investigation continues. There are prosecutors available 24-7 to investigate these claims, and the DA has set up a hotline for reports about fraud.
“This is something we take extraordinarily seriously,” Edds said, adding that it was too early to comment on how many voters may have been affected. She noted that residents could track their ballots online if they had concerns.
Lance Trover, a spokesman for Steel’s campaign, referred questions to the state Republican party.
Hector Barajas, a spokesman for the party, pointed to a state law that allows a third party to collect voters’ ballots. Republicans have long decried the law.
“In California, where you can have convicted felons and individuals with a criminal history go door to door and collect ballots from voters, Democrats are now upset because organizations, individuals and groups are offering an opportunity for their friends, family, and patrons to drop off their ballot with someone they know and trust,” Barajas said in the statement.
“The Democrat anger is overblown when state law allows organizations, volunteers or campaign workers to collect completed ballots and drop them off at polling places or election offices.”
But reliance on the law is misleading. The provision says the voter must authorize the person who returns the ballot and that the third party must sign the return envelope. People who collect ballots cannot be compensated based on the number of ballots they return and must bring a ballot to the elections office shortly after receiving it.
Jessica Levinson, a Loyola Law School professor, noted that voters had a right to choose how they delivered their ballots, and that the unauthorized boxes were misleading voters.
“Republicans have been saying, ‘You can’t trust the system, there is fraud,’ and then they engage in arguably fraudulent behavior and create the problems they are complaining about,” she said, adding she feared a chilling effect, even if few people were directly impacted.
People were already fearful about voting in person due to Covid, and wary about voting by mail due to concerns with possible delays, Levinson said: “It creates a psychological question and undermines the integrity of the election at a moment when it’s so important for voters to be able to trust the elections.”
The party questioned on Twitter this weekend what would be wrong with a group providing an option for associates to drop off ballots in a safe location rather than handing them to an individual.
A message was left seeking comment with California’s Democratic party. Ada Briceño, chair of the Democratic party in Orange county, said in a statement the boxes were an attempt at voter suppression.
“Voters need trust in our election system, and this latest attempt by senior Republicans only erodes that trust,” she said.
Orange county is one of the most conservative regions in California and has been the site of numerous pro-Trump rallies. In 2016, however, the county went blue for the first time in decades, with voters backing Hillary Clinton.
Ana Gonzalez, a representative for the state Democratic party in San Bernardino county in southern California, said there was a lot of confusion about mail ballots and that volunteers were canvassing to ensure voters are educated about the process.
“People are desperate right now with the pandemic and the GOP is taking advantage of this and distracting and misleading folks,” she said. “In marginalized communities, we’ve got to make sure that voters have the right information and are safely turning in their ballots. We’ve got to stay vigilant.”
Trump has continued to escalate baseless attacks on mail-in voting, repeating false claims about voter fraud and spreading lies about the process in California.
Agencies contributed reporting


theguardian--2020-10-12--Amy Coney Barrett's hearing kicks off with hypocrisy and healthcare | David Smith

That was rich .
Senate Republicans , otherwise known as Donald Trump ’ s Praetorian Guard , lined up on Monday to pay pious homage to Ruth Bader Ginsburg , the separation of powers and the halcyon days of political bipartisanship .
A visitor from outer space might have thought that they were the upholders of civics and civility at the start of Amy Coney Barrett ’ s supreme court hearing on Capitol Hill .
No matter that Trump has played divider-in-chief or that Republicans blocked Barack Obama ’ s nominee to the court in 2016 .
It was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Graham , chairman of the Senate judiciary committee and the Trump appreciation society , reminded everyone that both Ginsburg and her ideological opposite , Justice Antonin Scalia , were confirmed almost unanimously .
“ I don ’ t know what happened between then and now , ” he said , wistfully .
“ We can all take some blame but I just want to remind everybody there was a time in this country where someone like Ruth Bader Ginsburg was seen by almost everybody as qualified for the position of being on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a different philosophy than many of the Republicans who voted for her.
” No justice has been confirmed so close to a presidential election .
Graham , who promised not to confirm one in an election year ( saying “ Use my words against me ” , which plenty of Democrats are ) , acknowledged a point everyone could agree on : “ This is going to be a long , contentious week.
” As senator after senator drew their battle lines , 48-year-old Barrett , sitting silently in a big black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dock .
Republicans sought to normalise her rushed nomination , arguing the Senate was merely doing its duty while setting up straw men : Democrats want to attack her Catholic faith ( none did ) , Democrats want to play foul as they did with Brett Kavanaugh ( hardly ) , Democrats want to expand the court ( objection : relevance ) , Democrats want to conflate the judiciary with policy ( true ) .
Josh Hawley of Missouri pushed the notion that Democrats , whose presidential nominee is Catholic , are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ VIII : “ When you tell somebody that they ’ re too Catholic to be on the bench , when you tell them they ’ re going to be a Catholic judge , not an American judge , that ’ s bigotry.
” Joni Ernst of Iowa added : “ It ’ s really quite simple what your opponents are doing .
They are attacking you as a mom and a woman of faith because they can not attack your qualifications.
” For their part , Democrats maintained a laser-like focus on turning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the future of the Affordable Care Act ( ACA ) , known as Obamacare .
The supreme court will hear a case on the law on 10 November , with Barrett ’ s past positions suggesting she will be part of a 6-3 conservative majority to strike it down .
In the hearing room , Democrats set up giant photos of citizens whose insurance would be taken away .
Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island said the nomination was a “ judicial torpedo aimed ” at Obamacare ’ s protection for people with pre-existing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has signalled in the judicial equivalent of all-caps that she believes the ACA must go ” .
It was a sensible card to play .
Healthcare was a successful message in the 2018 midterms .
Now it is sharply in focus , in the middle of a pandemic that has killed more than 210,000 in the US .
They also pointed out the jarring contrast between a Senate that can move faster than Usain Bolt to hold supreme court hearings and the body that has dragged its feet on economic relief for millions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic vice-presidential nominee , joined via video link and , after a glitchy start , told Graham the hearing was “ illegitimate ” and “ reckless ” and should have been postponed because it put workers , janitorial staff , congressional aides and Capitol police at risk from the virus .
She highlighted the case of Myka , a girl with a congenital heart defect and whose health insurance is guaranteed by Obamacare .
Harris lifted Myka ’ s photo to reveal the book I Dissent : Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a clear attempt to jam through a supreme court nominee who will take healthcare away from millions of people during a deadly pandemic that has already killed more than 214,000 Americans , ” Harris said .
Like judicious guests at a dinner party , Democrats steered well clear of talking about religion .
They also – except Cory Booker of New Jersey – had little to say about the threat to Roe v Wade , the 1973 ruling that effectively legalised abortion nationwide , perhaps wary of how it might play for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ November .
Barrett also wisely avoided the subject when she was finally allowed to peel off her mask and read from a prepared statement .
Her calm and steady voice was easier on the ear than Kavanaugh ’ s stentorian fulminating .
She reinforced Republicans ’ talking points without offending liberals : “ Courts are not designed to solve every problem or right every wrong in our public life .
The policy decisions and value judgments of government must be made by the political branches , elected by and accountable to the people.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year and recovered .
The Republican senator Mike Lee , infected much more recently , displayed some Trumpian bravado by attending in person and speaking without a mask after his office said he was free of symptoms .
Another infected senator , Thom Tillis of North Carolina , participated remotely .
The hearing room had physical distancing in place .
It could hardly go worse than the White House ceremony where Barrett ’ s nomination was announced .
Guests did not wear masks or observe physical distancing .
More than two dozen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the two senators , have contracted Covid-19 .
Dr Anthony Fauci , the country ’ s top infectious diseases expert , has called it a “ super-spreader ” event .
Whitehouse complained : “ America is worried about one thing above all else right now : our health .
This hearing itself is a microcosm of Trump ’ s dangerous ineptitude in dealing with the Covid pandemic .
Trump can ’ t even keep the White House safe .
“ Here , it ’ s the chairman ’ s job to see to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though his words were reassuring , I don ’ t know .
Who has been tested ?
Who should be tested ?
Who is a danger ?
What contact tracing has been done on infected and exposed senators and staff ?
Nothing.
” He summed up : “ The whole thing , just like Trump , is an irresponsible botch .
”

That was rich. Senate Republicans, otherwise known as Donald Trump’s Praetorian Guard, lined up on Monday to pay pious homage to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the separation of powers and the halcyon days of political bipartisanship.
A visitor from outer space might have thought that they were the upholders of civics and civility at the start of Amy Coney Barrett’s supreme court hearing on Capitol Hill. No matter that Trump has played divider-in-chief or that Republicans blocked Barack Obama’s nominee to the court in 2016.
It was a morning of hypocrisy and healthcare.
Lindsey Graham, chairman of the Senate judiciary committee and the Trump appreciation society, reminded everyone that both Ginsburg and her ideological opposite, Justice Antonin Scalia, were confirmed almost unanimously.
“I don’t know what happened between then and now,” he said, wistfully. “We can all take some blame but I just want to remind everybody there was a time in this country where someone like Ruth Bader Ginsburg was seen by almost everybody as qualified for the position of being on the supreme court, understanding that she would have a different philosophy than many of the Republicans who voted for her.”
No justice has been confirmed so close to a presidential election. Graham, who promised not to confirm one in an election year (saying “Use my words against me”, which plenty of Democrats are), acknowledged a point everyone could agree on: “This is going to be a long, contentious week.”
As senator after senator drew their battle lines, 48-year-old Barrett, sitting silently in a big black face mask, resembled a prisoner in the dock.
Republicans sought to normalise her rushed nomination, arguing the Senate was merely doing its duty while setting up straw men: Democrats want to attack her Catholic faith (none did), Democrats want to play foul as they did with Brett Kavanaugh (hardly), Democrats want to expand the court (objection: relevance), Democrats want to conflate the judiciary with policy (true).
Mike Lee, recovering from coronavirus, at Amy Coney Barrett’s hearing on Capitol Hill. Photograph: REX/Shutterstock
Josh Hawley of Missouri pushed the notion that Democrats, whose presidential nominee is Catholic, are as hostile to the Vatican as Henry VIII: “When you tell somebody that they’re too Catholic to be on the bench, when you tell them they’re going to be a Catholic judge, not an American judge, that’s bigotry.”
Joni Ernst of Iowa added: “It’s really quite simple what your opponents are doing. They are attacking you as a mom and a woman of faith because they cannot attack your qualifications.”
For their part, Democrats maintained a laser-like focus on turning the hearing into a proxy vote on the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as Obamacare. The supreme court will hear a case on the law on 10 November, with Barrett’s past positions suggesting she will be part of a 6-3 conservative majority to strike it down. In the hearing room, Democrats set up giant photos of citizens whose insurance would be taken away.
Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island said the nomination was a “judicial torpedo aimed” at Obamacare’s protection for people with pre-existing conditions. He added that Barrett “has signalled in the judicial equivalent of all-caps that she believes the ACA must go”.
It was a sensible card to play. Healthcare was a successful message in the 2018 midterms. Now it is sharply in focus, in the middle of a pandemic that has killed more than 210,000 in the US. They also pointed out the jarring contrast between a Senate that can move faster than Usain Bolt to hold supreme court hearings and the body that has dragged its feet on economic relief for millions of unemployed.
Amy Klobuchar speaks during Amy Coney Barrett’s hearing on Capitol Hill. Photograph: REX/Shutterstock
Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, joined via video link and, after a glitchy start, told Graham the hearing was “illegitimate” and “reckless” and should have been postponed because it put workers, janitorial staff, congressional aides and Capitol police at risk from the virus.
She highlighted the case of Myka, a girl with a congenital heart defect and whose health insurance is guaranteed by Obamacare. Harris lifted Myka’s photo to reveal the book I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark.
“Mr Chairman, this hearing is a clear attempt to jam through a supreme court nominee who will take healthcare away from millions of people during a deadly pandemic that has already killed more than 214,000 Americans,” Harris said.
Like judicious guests at a dinner party, Democrats steered well clear of talking about religion. They also – except Cory Booker of New Jersey – had little to say about the threat to Roe v Wade, the 1973 ruling that effectively legalised abortion nationwide, perhaps wary of how it might play for Joe Biden in swing states on 3 November.
Barrett also wisely avoided the subject when she was finally allowed to peel off her mask and read from a prepared statement. Her calm and steady voice was easier on the ear than Kavanaugh’s stentorian fulminating. She reinforced Republicans’ talking points without offending liberals: “Courts are not designed to solve every problem or right every wrong in our public life. The policy decisions and value judgments of government must be made by the political branches, elected by and accountable to the people.”
Barrett tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this year and recovered. The Republican senator Mike Lee, infected much more recently, displayed some Trumpian bravado by attending in person and speaking without a mask after his office said he was free of symptoms. Another infected senator, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, participated remotely. The hearing room had physical distancing in place.
It could hardly go worse than the White House ceremony where Barrett’s nomination was announced. Guests did not wear masks or observe physical distancing. More than two dozen people linked to the event, including the two senators, have contracted Covid-19. Dr Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious diseases expert, has called it a “super-spreader” event.
Whitehouse complained: “America is worried about one thing above all else right now: our health. This hearing itself is a microcosm of Trump’s dangerous ineptitude in dealing with the Covid pandemic. Trump can’t even keep the White House safe.
“Here, it’s the chairman’s job to see to the committee’s safety, and though his words were reassuring, I don’t know. Who has been tested? Who should be tested? Who is a danger? What contact tracing has been done on infected and exposed senators and staff? Nothing.”
He summed up: “The whole thing, just like Trump, is an irresponsible botch.”


theguardian--2020-10-11--Biden looking good – but concern over polls means Democrats are cautious

As the Democratic presidential primaries drew to a close in the spring , Laura Hubka was left wondering how she was going to sell Joe Biden to voters in her corner of rural Iowa .
Hubka , an ultrasound technologist and chair of Howard county Democrats , lamented that the party cast aside an array of more inspirational , younger and original candidates in favor of a fading politician past his prime .
Personally , she backed Pete Buttigieg , the young , gay former Indiana mayor .
Hubka couldn ’ t see how a candidate as uninspiring as Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a part of Iowa that swung heavily from Barack Obama to Donald Trump four years ago .
She quietly braced herself for yet another defeat .
Months later , Biden is riding high in the polls and , if the numbers are to be believed , is on his way to a significant victory in three weeks to put an end to the most tumultuous presidency of modern times .
Support for the former vice-president has surged in recent days as the White House lurches from crisis to disaster .
Democrats are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them the nightmare of losing an election four years ago that all the polls said Hillary Clinton was going to win .
Biden is up to 16 points ahead nationally on the back of Trump ’ s antics in the most undignified presidential election debate in history and his cavalier attitude to other people ’ s health after he contracted coronavirus .
Suddenly must-win states like Pennsylvania , Michigan and Wisconsin seem safe for Biden .
States that looked to be just beyond his grasp , like Florida and Iowa , and maybe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , are competitive .
But Hubka is not sure she does believe the polls .
“ I don ’ t want to believe any of them , and I don ’ t want anyone else to believe them either .
I don ’ t want one person to stay home and not vote , like when they thought Hillary Clinton was 15 points ahead , ” she said .
“ I do think that there ’ s a few people that may have been making excuses for Trump who feel a little more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might vote for Joe Biden .
But sitting where I live , I don ’ t feel like there ’ s a 14- , 15-point lead .
He ’ s not ahead by that.
” Poll after poll nevertheless says that Biden is in a commanding position with his numbers constantly pushed up by voters recoiling from Trump ’ s actions .
A Franklin Pierce University survey in recent days showed that far from engendering sympathy , the president contracting Covid-19 precipitated a collapse in support .
Days earlier , Biden held a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the diagnosis , the former vice-president surged to 55 % while the president fell back to just 34 % .
Other polls mirror those findings .
Crucially , Biden has a 12-point lead among independent voters who will decide the election in key swing states .
For all that , the political analyst Larry Sabato thinks Hubka is wise to be cautious .
He said Biden ’ s position would be much weaker if not for the president ’ s chaotic and cavalier handling of a pandemic that has claimed 215,000 deaths and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by election day .
But he said the polls do not reflect what will happen when the votes are counted .
“ He ’ s not winning by 14 or 16 points .
Not a chance .
We ’ re too polarized for that .
What happened was a lot of Trump supporters became discouraged after the debate and after his hospitalization and simply wouldn ’ t participate in the polls .
This has happened before .
So I think Biden will win , probably by a healthy margin .
But nothing like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a sugar high , ” said Sabato , director of the Center for Politics as the University of Virginia .
Republican party election organizers recognized months ago that the election was shaping up as a referendum on Trump ’ s handling of coronavirus and he was not being judged favorably .
Hubka acknowledges that without the pandemic , Biden would be struggling to compete with the president .
“ I absolutely do think if the stock market was still high and unemployment numbers were still at 3 % it would have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poll numbers would not be where they are , ” she said .
But Sabato said that while coronavirus has been key in Biden ’ s rise , it is not the only factor in an increasingly disastrous year for the president .
“ Covid changed everything .
On January 1 , most people in my field believed that Trump was the favorite .
The economy was golden .
He was the incumbent .
He could take full credit the way incumbents always do , even if they had nothing to do with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Sabato .
“ Then came the pandemic and the economic collapse .
Then the police shootings of blacks , and the incredible irresponsibility of Donald Trump and his key associates which has resulted in a cell of Covid in the White House .
The debate was a complete disaster for Trump .
This is karma , some would say.
” Trump ’ s attempts to delegitimize the Black Lives Matter protests after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May helped drive younger voters toward Biden , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affinity with .
Katybeth Davis lives in a blue-collar community just south of Detroit that swung heavily to Trump four years ago .
That shift was instrumental in delivering Michigan to the president by just 10,704 votes , providing an important part of the electoral college that put him in the White House .
Polls now put Biden eight points ahead in Michigan .
“ You see Biden signs all over the place now when you hardly saw any for Hillary , ” said Davis , a 36 year-old construction company supervisor who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including African , Native American and European ancestry .
Davis was drawn into political activism by the Black Lives Matter protests , a cause she said has done a lot more than the coronavirus to mobilize younger voters who did not engaged with politics before .
“ There is a huge surge in the younger voters participating , going into the lower income neighborhoods doing voter registration , ” she said .
“ They see that everything we ’ ve worked for , a lot of social justice issues , are on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a rightwing supreme court now .
We could lose marriage equality .
Women ’ s rights .
The huge reason I believe that women are going for Joe now is because they realize that Roe v Wade is literally on the line .
Immigration ’ s on the line .
This is our diversity that ’ s on the line .
This is racial equality , gender equality .
This is literally every single value that we have.
” Opinion polls show that not only are voters under 30 overwhelmingly more likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say they will definitely vote is up to 63 % from 47 % four years ago , according to a Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics poll .
Biden also has a consistent and widening lead in another prize state , Florida .
If he were to take it , that would almost certainly block any hope of Trump winning the election , although Biden is still doing worse with conservative Latinos there than his Democratic predecessors .
Trump supporters routinely dismiss the increasingly alarming polls for their man as flawed or faked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no better than Clinton who was polling similar numbers and still lost .
“ It ’ s not true , ” said Sabato .
“ Biden is doing much better than Clinton , mainly because he doesn ’ t stir the negative emotions that Hillary did .
Some of it was just pure gender bias but a lot of it was with her personality , and dislike for the Clintons .
So I think Biden is in a much better position .
He ’ s relatively inoffensive.
” Other underlying trends in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been a significant shift to the former vice-president among older voters , some of them recoiling from Trump ’ s lack of respect for the decorum of his office .
For the first time in at least two decades , a majority of voters over 65 back a Democrat for president with Biden winning 60 % support .
Women have also shifted to Biden in significant numbers .
He commands a huge 27-point margin among female voters , nearly twice that for Clinton four years ago .
Biden is even gaining among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 .
Support among black voters is as strong as always for Democratic presidential candidates but the key will be turning out African Americans to the polls after they stayed home in large numbers when Clinton ran .
All of this matters most in the handful of states that will decide the election .
Wisconsin is among the most crucial after Obama ’ s significant majority there in 2012 vanished when Clinton lost the state by only about 23,000 votes even though the polls put her ahead by about six points .
Now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the lead .
Charles Franklin , director of Wisconsin ’ s respected Marquette poll , said that is a reason to be cautious but there are important differences .
For a start , the proportion of voters saying they are undecided in Wisconsin is about half that of 2016 so there is less room for Trump to pick up additional support .
In addition , four years ago the polls showed a lot of people really didn ’ t like Clinton even if they didn ’ t like Trump either so many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is regarded much more favorably , making it easier to vote against Trump .
Franklin ’ s latest poll also shows an increased determination to vote this year , and that is likely to benefit Biden .
“ It suggests that we will be very close to a record for turnout in a presidential year when the state saw a fall in turnout in 2016 , ” he said .
“ Most of the drop-off in votes four years ago was on the Democratic side .
Hillary Clinton got close to 250,000 fewer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Romney in 2012 ) .
But Trump only barely exceeded Romney ’ s total .
Given the way Democrats feel about President Trump , I don ’ t expect to see a similarly one-sided drop-off this year .
I think Democrats generally are very positive to Joe Biden , but they are extraordinarily negative to Donald Trump .
So in many ways , Trump is the Democrats ’ greatest get-out-the-vote argument.
” It is difficult to see how Trump overcomes any surge in turnout for Biden in Wisconsin and other swing states .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ loyal , he does not appear to be picking up significant numbers of new voters who have come on board because they are happy about the way things have gone over the past four years .
Instead he is struggling to hold on to those he won over in 2016 .
As much as Hubka would liked to have seen her fellow Democrats chose a different presidential candidate , she thinks Biden turned out to be a fortuitous choice at time when significant numbers of voters appear to have retreated from their craving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an end to the crazy ” .
“ I don ’ t find a lot of people jumping for joy that it ’ s Joe Biden but they ’ re glad that it ’ s him because they feel like he can win .
He can reassure Republicans who want to get away from Trump .
They know that he was with Obama and they can look at him and say , ‘ At least he can fill this space and do the job and I can sleep at night , not wondering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next , ’ ” said Hubka .
Still , Americans are acutely aware that this is 2020 and there are more than three weeks to the polls , an eternity in a month that has already seen its share of political drama .
Democrats see the president ’ s attempts to disrupt the election , such as his attacks on postal voting , as an implicit recognition that he is losing and only expect him to get more desperate .
Trump ’ s calls to mobilise militias to ostensibly monitor the vote , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intimidate voters in areas likely to back Biden , alarms Hubka .
So does his endorsement of the white nationalist militias during the debate , particularly after the FBI exposed a rightwing militia plot to abduct the governor of Michigan .
It ’ s all part of a pattern of increasingly erratic behaviour , including Trump berating his own cabinet last week for not prosecuting his political enemies , that has Democrats on edge whatever the polls may say .
“ I feel a little more confident that Biden can win but we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to happen tomorrow or the next day , ” said Hubka .
“ I ’ m fatigued .
Every day I wake up worrying about what craziness Trump ’ s going to bring .
I don ’ t know that I ’ ve ever felt this uneasy about all sorts of different things that are happening right now .
I can ’ t get a good feel of it .
It makes me nauseous , actually , just thinking of what ’ s he gon na do to win.
” “ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t think there ’ s anything that Trump could do right now that would save him .
Even if he has a vaccine before the election .
I don ’ t even think a big stimulus package is going to help either .
To be honest , I think the Republicans have even come to terms with it .
I just want it to be over with .
I really do , ” she said .

As the Democratic presidential primaries drew to a close in the spring, Laura Hubka was left wondering how she was going to sell Joe Biden to voters in her corner of rural Iowa.
Hubka, an ultrasound technologist and chair of Howard county Democrats, lamented that the party cast aside an array of more inspirational, younger and original candidates in favor of a fading politician past his prime. Personally, she backed Pete Buttigieg, the young, gay former Indiana mayor.
Hubka couldn’t see how a candidate as uninspiring as Biden would draw support away from the president in a part of Iowa that swung heavily from Barack Obama to Donald Trump four years ago. She quietly braced herself for yet another defeat.
Months later, Biden is riding high in the polls and, if the numbers are to be believed, is on his way to a significant victory in three weeks to put an end to the most tumultuous presidency of modern times. Support for the former vice-president has surged in recent days as the White House lurches from crisis to disaster. Democrats are daring to hope they can put behind them the nightmare of losing an election four years ago that all the polls said Hillary Clinton was going to win.
Biden is up to 16 points ahead nationally on the back of Trump’s antics in the most undignified presidential election debate in history and his cavalier attitude to other people’s health after he contracted coronavirus. Suddenly must-win states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin seem safe for Biden. States that looked to be just beyond his grasp, like Florida and Iowa, and maybe even Republican strongholds like Texas and Georgia, are competitive.
But Hubka is not sure she does believe the polls.
I don’t want one person to stay home and not vote, like when they thought Hillary Clinton was 15 points ahead Laura Hubka
“I don’t want to believe any of them, and I don’t want anyone else to believe them either. I don’t want one person to stay home and not vote, like when they thought Hillary Clinton was 15 points ahead,” she said. “I do think that there’s a few people that may have been making excuses for Trump who feel a little more ashamed or a little more like they might vote for Joe Biden. But sitting where I live, I don’t feel like there’s a 14-, 15-point lead. He’s not ahead by that.”
Poll after poll nevertheless says that Biden is in a commanding position with his numbers constantly pushed up by voters recoiling from Trump’s actions. A Franklin Pierce University survey in recent days showed that far from engendering sympathy, the president contracting Covid-19 precipitated a collapse in support. Days earlier, Biden held a five point lead over Trump. After the diagnosis, the former vice-president surged to 55% while the president fell back to just 34%.
Other polls mirror those findings. Crucially, Biden has a 12-point lead among independent voters who will decide the election in key swing states.
For all that, the political analyst Larry Sabato thinks Hubka is wise to be cautious. He said Biden’s position would be much weaker if not for the president’s chaotic and cavalier handling of a pandemic that has claimed 215,000 deaths and will probably take tens of thousands more by election day. But he said the polls do not reflect what will happen when the votes are counted.
A parade of more than 300 golf carts supporting Je Biden caravan to the Sumter county elections office in Florida to cast their ballots on 7 October. Photograph: John Raoux/AP
“He’s not winning by 14 or 16 points. Not a chance. We’re too polarized for that. What happened was a lot of Trump supporters became discouraged after the debate and after his hospitalization and simply wouldn’t participate in the polls. This has happened before. So I think Biden will win, probably by a healthy margin. But nothing like the current numbers suggest. It’s a sugar high,” said Sabato, director of the Center for Politics as the University of Virginia.
Republican party election organizers recognized months ago that the election was shaping up as a referendum on Trump’s handling of coronavirus and he was not being judged favorably. Hubka acknowledges that without the pandemic, Biden would be struggling to compete with the president.
“I absolutely do think if the stock market was still high and unemployment numbers were still at 3% it would have been more difficult for Joe Biden. His poll numbers would not be where they are,” she said.
But Sabato said that while coronavirus has been key in Biden’s rise, it is not the only factor in an increasingly disastrous year for the president.
“Covid changed everything. On January 1, most people in my field believed that Trump was the favorite. The economy was golden. He was the incumbent. He could take full credit the way incumbents always do, even if they had nothing to do with the economic engine. Democrats were discouraged,” said Sabato.
“Then came the pandemic and the economic collapse. Then the police shootings of blacks, and the incredible irresponsibility of Donald Trump and his key associates which has resulted in a cell of Covid in the White House. The debate was a complete disaster for Trump. This is karma, some would say.”
Donald Trump and Joe Biden participate in a presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio, on 29 September. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
Trump’s attempts to delegitimize the Black Lives Matter protests after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May helped drive younger voters toward Biden, a candidate few of them feel any great affinity with.
Katybeth Davis lives in a blue-collar community just south of Detroit that swung heavily to Trump four years ago. That shift was instrumental in delivering Michigan to the president by just 10,704 votes, providing an important part of the electoral college that put him in the White House.
Polls now put Biden eight points ahead in Michigan.
“You see Biden signs all over the place now when you hardly saw any for Hillary,” said Davis, a 36 year-old construction company supervisor who describes herself as “super mixed-race”, including African, Native American and European ancestry.
Davis was drawn into political activism by the Black Lives Matter protests, a cause she said has done a lot more than the coronavirus to mobilize younger voters who did not engaged with politics before.
“There is a huge surge in the younger voters participating, going into the lower income neighborhoods doing voter registration,” she said. “They see that everything we’ve worked for, a lot of social justice issues, are on the line with this election. We have a rightwing supreme court now. We could lose marriage equality. Women’s rights. The huge reason I believe that women are going for Joe now is because they realize that Roe v Wade is literally on the line. Immigration’s on the line. This is our diversity that’s on the line. This is racial equality, gender equality. This is literally every single value that we have.”
Opinion polls show that not only are voters under 30 overwhelmingly more likely to back Biden but the number who say they will definitely vote is up to 63% from 47% four years ago, according to a Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics poll.
Supporters hold signs as they await the arrival of Joe Biden in Erie, Pennsylvania, on 10 October. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Biden also has a consistent and widening lead in another prize state, Florida. If he were to take it, that would almost certainly block any hope of Trump winning the election, although Biden is still doing worse with conservative Latinos there than his Democratic predecessors.
Trump supporters routinely dismiss the increasingly alarming polls for their man as flawed or faked, and claim that Biden is doing no better than Clinton who was polling similar numbers and still lost.
“It’s not true,” said Sabato. “Biden is doing much better than Clinton, mainly because he doesn’t stir the negative emotions that Hillary did. Some of it was just pure gender bias but a lot of it was with her personality, and dislike for the Clintons. So I think Biden is in a much better position. He’s relatively inoffensive.”
Other underlying trends in the polls look good for Biden. There has been a significant shift to the former vice-president among older voters, some of them recoiling from Trump’s lack of respect for the decorum of his office. For the first time in at least two decades, a majority of voters over 65 back a Democrat for president with Biden winning 60% support.
Women have also shifted to Biden in significant numbers. He commands a huge 27-point margin among female voters, nearly twice that for Clinton four years ago. Biden is even gaining among middle-aged men who overwhelmingly favoured Trump in 2016. Support among black voters is as strong as always for Democratic presidential candidates but the key will be turning out African Americans to the polls after they stayed home in large numbers when Clinton ran.
All of this matters most in the handful of states that will decide the election. Wisconsin is among the most crucial after Obama’s significant majority there in 2012 vanished when Clinton lost the state by only about 23,000 votes even though the polls put her ahead by about six points. Now Biden is consistently five to 10 points in the lead.
Charles Franklin, director of Wisconsin’s respected Marquette poll, said that is a reason to be cautious but there are important differences. For a start, the proportion of voters saying they are undecided in Wisconsin is about half that of 2016 so there is less room for Trump to pick up additional support.
In addition, four years ago the polls showed a lot of people really didn’t like Clinton even if they didn’t like Trump either so many of them stayed at home. Biden is regarded much more favorably, making it easier to vote against Trump.
Franklin’s latest poll also shows an increased determination to vote this year, and that is likely to benefit Biden.
Joe Biden speaks as Kamala Harris listens in Phoenix, Arizona, on 8 October. Photograph: Carolyn Kaster/AP
“It suggests that we will be very close to a record for turnout in a presidential year when the state saw a fall in turnout in 2016,” he said.
“Most of the drop-off in votes four years ago was on the Democratic side. Hillary Clinton got close to 250,000 fewer votes than Obama got (against Mitt Romney in 2012). But Trump only barely exceeded Romney’s total. Given the way Democrats feel about President Trump, I don’t expect to see a similarly one-sided drop-off this year. I think Democrats generally are very positive to Joe Biden, but they are extraordinarily negative to Donald Trump. So in many ways, Trump is the Democrats’ greatest get-out-the-vote argument.”
It is difficult to see how Trump overcomes any surge in turnout for Biden in Wisconsin and other swing states. While the president’s base remains loyal, he does not appear to be picking up significant numbers of new voters who have come on board because they are happy about the way things have gone over the past four years. Instead he is struggling to hold on to those he won over in 2016.
As much as Hubka would liked to have seen her fellow Democrats chose a different presidential candidate, she thinks Biden turned out to be a fortuitous choice at time when significant numbers of voters appear to have retreated from their craving for change and now “just want an end to the crazy”.
“I don’t find a lot of people jumping for joy that it’s Joe Biden but they’re glad that it’s him because they feel like he can win. He can reassure Republicans who want to get away from Trump. They know that he was with Obama and they can look at him and say, ‘At least he can fill this space and do the job and I can sleep at night, not wondering what crazy thing is going to happen next,’” said Hubka.
Still, Americans are acutely aware that this is 2020 and there are more than three weeks to the polls, an eternity in a month that has already seen its share of political drama. Democrats see the president’s attempts to disrupt the election, such as his attacks on postal voting, as an implicit recognition that he is losing and only expect him to get more desperate.
Trump’s calls to mobilise militias to ostensibly monitor the vote, which Democrats interpret as a call to intimidate voters in areas likely to back Biden, alarms Hubka. So does his endorsement of the white nationalist militias during the debate, particularly after the FBI exposed a rightwing militia plot to abduct the governor of Michigan.
It’s all part of a pattern of increasingly erratic behaviour, including Trump berating his own cabinet last week for not prosecuting his political enemies, that has Democrats on edge whatever the polls may say.
I feel a little more confident that Biden can win but we don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow or the next day Laura Hubka
“I feel a little more confident that Biden can win but we don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow or the next day,” said Hubka. “I’m fatigued. Every day I wake up worrying about what craziness Trump’s going to bring. I don’t know that I’ve ever felt this uneasy about all sorts of different things that are happening right now. I can’t get a good feel of it. It makes me nauseous, actually, just thinking of what’s he gonna do to win.”
Davis is more relaxed.
“I’m not nervous. I don’t think there’s anything that Trump could do right now that would save him. Even if he has a vaccine before the election. I don’t even think a big stimulus package is going to help either. To be honest, I think the Republicans have even come to terms with it. I just want it to be over with. I really do,” she said.


theguardian--2020-10-12--Joe Biden in Ohio: Trump 'turned his back on you' – video

Joe Biden told a drive-in rally in Ohio that Donald Trump 'turned his back on you ' during the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ Biden questioned why Republicans had time for supreme court hearings but no time to come @ @ @ @ @ Democrats on another economic relief package to help individuals , businesses and city and state @ @ @ @ @ called off Covid-19 relief talks , then pushed for a deal .
Late last week @ @ @ @ @ its offer to Democrats , but the Senate majority leader , Mitch McConnell , said @ @ @ @ @ pass a bill before the election and House speaker Nancy Pelosi said the White House @ @ @ @ @ enough money .
Trump won Ohio by eight percentage points in 2016 , but polls @ @ @ @ @ now a key battleground state in the upcoming election .
• US election polls tracker @ @ @ @ @ the swing states ?

Joe Biden told a drive-in rally in Ohio that Donald Trump 'turned his back on you' during the pandemic and its economic fallout.
Biden questioned why Republicans had time for supreme court hearings but no time to come to an agreement with House Democrats on another economic relief package to help individuals, businesses and city and state governments.
Trump has alternately called off Covid-19 relief talks, then pushed for a deal. Late last week, the White House expanded its offer to Democrats, but the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, said it was unlikely Congress could pass a bill before the election and House speaker Nancy Pelosi said the White House offer didn’t include enough money.
Trump won Ohio by eight percentage points in 2016, but polls have tightened and it is now a key battleground state in the upcoming election.


theguardian--2020-10-12--Amy Coney Barrett: US supreme court nominee delivers opening statement – video

US supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barrett was sworn in during Monday 's opening confirmation hearing before the Senate judiciary @ @ @ @ @ was humbled to be considered to fill the seat left by Ruth Bader Ginsburg .
@ @ @ @ @ to a vacancy created by the death last month of Ginsburg just weeks before the @ @ @ @ @ furious about Republicans ' refusal to consider a nominee from Barack Obama some 10 months @ @ @ @ @

US supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barrett was sworn in during Monday's opening confirmation hearing before the Senate judiciary committee and told senators she was humbled to be considered to fill the seat left by Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
President Donald Trump formally nominated Barrett on 26 September.
Trump's nomination of Barrett to a vacancy created by the death last month of Ginsburg just weeks before the election enraged Democrats, still furious about Republicans' refusal to consider a nominee from Barack Obama some 10 months before the 2016 election.


theguardian--2020-10-13--Amy Coney Barrett hearings continue as Trump heads to Pennsylvania rally – US politics live

Senator Lindsey Graham used the beginning of his questioning of Amy Coney Barrett to lay out his complaints about the @ @ @ @ @ Republican chairman of the Senate judiciary committee argued the ACA ( “ Obamacare ” ) @ @ @ @ @ to large states like California , Massachusetts and New York .
Graham ’ s comments @ @ @ @ @ on the committee used their opening statements to warn that Barrett ’ s confirmation to @ @ @ @ @ the ACA .
A couple things to note : Republicans have been unable to repeal @ @ @ @ @ even during the first two years of Trump ’ s presidency , when the party @ @ @ @ @ both chambers of Congress .
Graham is also locked in a very close reelection race @ @ @ @ @ where he is being severely outraised by his opponent , Democrat Jaime Harrison .

Joan E Greve (now) and Martin Belam (earlier)

14 Oct 2020 02.27 BST Summary The second day of Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination hearings concluded. Barrett dodged and deflected questions about her views on healthcare, abortion, presidential transfer of power, climate change, Donald Trump’s public statements, and many other issues.
Barrett dodged and deflected questions about her views on healthcare, abortion, presidential transfer of power, climate change, Donald Trump’s public statements, and many other issues. Democrats reiterated their concerns that Barrett’s confirmation could jeopardize the ACA. “I’m not here on a mission to destroy the Affordable Care Act,” Barrett told the committee. “I’m just here to apply the law.” The court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in a case involving the ACA just one week after the presidential election.
“I’m not here on a mission to destroy the Affordable Care Act,” Barrett told the committee. “I’m just here to apply the law.” The court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in a case involving the ACA just one week after the presidential election. Kamala Harris – in her prosecutorial style – made the case that Barrett’s views on abortion are clear based on public statements and career record. “I would suggest that we not pretend that we don’t know how this nominee views a women’s right to choose,” said Harris, who ended her questioning time by asking that letters from the NAACP, NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Planned Parenthood opposing Barrett’s nomination be entered into the record.
“I would suggest that we not pretend that we don’t know how this nominee views a women’s right to choose,” said Harris, who ended her questioning time by asking that letters from the NAACP, NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Planned Parenthood opposing Barrett’s nomination be entered into the record. Under intense questioning from Amy Klobuchar, Barrett declined to characterize Roe as a “super-precedent” case. Barrett has said she considers Brown v Board of Education, which ended racial segregation in schools, to be a super-precedent case because it will never be overturned given there are no challenges to it now. “I’m answering a lot of questions about Roe, which I think indicates that Roe doesn’t fall in that category,” Barrett said. She added that her characterization does not necessarily mean Roe should be overturned.
Barrett has said she considers Brown v Board of Education, which ended racial segregation in schools, to be a super-precedent case because it will never be overturned given there are no challenges to it now. “I’m answering a lot of questions about Roe, which I think indicates that Roe doesn’t fall in that category,” Barrett said. She added that her characterization does not necessarily mean Roe should be overturned. Trump called for a massive coronavirus relief package, as Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell announced plans to vote on a standalone bill for small business loans. “STIMULUS! Go big or go home!!!” Trump said in a tweet.
as Senate majority leader announced plans to vote on a standalone bill for small business loans. “STIMULUS! Go big or go home!!!” Trump said in a tweet. The president held a rally for packed-in, maskless supporters in Pennsylvania. Lagging in polls, the president directly appealed to suburban women to “please” vote for him.
Updated at 02.43 BST
14 Oct 2020 02.14 BST The Associated Press asks: where’s Melania? The first lady, whose office last week said her Covid-19 symptoms had been mild, has been unseen since her diagnosis. The AP reports: Mrs. Trump was last seen Sept. 29 accompanying the president to Cleveland for his nationally televised debate with Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Before that trip, she attended a Sept. 26 gathering in the White House Rose Garden that is now believed to have been a “super spreader” event for the virus. The president introduced Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett to scores of guests who sat close together, many without face coverings. Several guests later tested positive for COVID-19. The first lady’s office provided no update Tuesday on her condition. The president’s campaign referred questions to the White House. A possible upside for the White House in the positive test results is that they overshadowed the release of audio recordings by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former confidante and adviser to the first lady, in which Mrs. Trump was heard complaining about having to decorate the mansion for Christmas. She also was heard downplaying the conditions in which migrant children were housed in U.S. detention centers after the administration separated them from their families at the Mexico border. Wolkoff detailed her falling out with Mrs. Trump in a new book the White House has dismissed as full of “mistruths and paranoia.” Wolkoff also had confirmed she had Mrs. Trump on tape. Read the full analysis here.
Updated at 02.41 BST
14 Oct 2020 01.38 BST One other extraordinary dodge today: Barrett said that while she has “read things about climate change”, she does not have “firm views on it”. Amy Coney Barrett tells Sen. Kennedy: “I have read things about climate change. I would not say I have firm views on it.” pic.twitter.com/kG3cv8XN5Q — Johnny Verhovek (@JTHVerhovek) October 13, 2020 While it is convention for supreme court nominees to demur on questions about how they might rule on future cases, and not uncommon to avoid exposing firm stances on hot-button political issues – Barrett’s assertion that she has no views on and limited exposure to topics that most Americans have thought through to at least some extent is very difficult to believe.
Updated at 01.56 BST
14 Oct 2020 01.24 BST Second day of Amy Coney Barrett nomination hearing concludes The day was characterized by Barrett dodging questions on abortion, voting rights, the Affordable Care Act, and the presidential transfer of power. Amy Coney Barrett answers questions during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, DC. Photograph: Caroline Brehman/EPA The hearing resumes at 9am ET tomorrow.
14 Oct 2020 01.18 BST CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale’s excellent response to Trump’s assertion that he saw the TV network’s camera light go off when he insulted it: CNN “doesn’t use any visible camera light when recording at rallies”. Trump does his usual lie-shtick about how he just saw CNN's camera light go off right after he insulted CNN.
CNN doesn't broadcast these rallies live, doesn't turn off its cameras when he insults CNN, and doesn't use any visible camera light when recording at rallies. — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) October 14, 2020
14 Oct 2020 01.08 BST Donald Trump holds a rally in Pennsylvania The president, trailing in polls and fresh off a coronavirus infection, is addressing thousands at a packed rally in Johnstown. rump holds a Make America Great Again rally as he campaigns at John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images “Suburban women, will you please like me?” Trump pleaded. “I saved your damn neighborhood!” The president won the state by an 0.7-point margin in 2016, and is now trailing his opponent by seven points. White, politically moderate women, who helped him win four years ago, are now defecting to Biden per a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll. As he did at his Florida rally yesterday Trump threatened to kiss “every man and woman” – now that he says recovered from Covid-19.
Updated at 01.21 BST
13 Oct 2020 00.35 BST Harris: let's 'not pretend' that Barrett's views on abortion are unknown Kamala Harris speaks virtually during the hearing. Photograph: Patrick Semansky/AFP/Getty Images Harris ended by making a carefully laid-out case that despite Barrett’s equivocation and insistence that she’s unbiased on the issue of reproductive rights – she is far from that. “I would suggest that we not pretend that we don’t know how this nominee views a women’s right to choose to make her own healthcare decisions,” Harris said. The California senator noted that Ruth Bader Ginsburg – whom Barrett has cited as her model in declining to give any hints on how she’d vote on future cases – was much more forthcoming with her own personal views on a woman’s right to choose. Harris then read out a list of public statements and evidence that Barrett’s views on abortion – and how she might vote on an abortion case - have already been made clear. She did not ask Barrett questions about Roe v Wade - driving home the point that everyone already knows the answer. Harris ended by highlighting letters opposing Barrett’s nomination from the NAACP, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Planned Parenthood.
Updated at 02.05 BST
13 Oct 2020 00.16 BST Barrett is maintaining that before she was nominated to the Supreme Court, she was completely unaware of Donald Trump’s public statements that he wanted to appoint a judge that would tear down the ACA. HARRIS: Prior to your nomination, were you aware of Trump's statements pledging to strike down the ACA?
CONEY BARRETT: I don't recall hearing or seeing such statements pic.twitter.com/lKVrTste3o — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 13, 2020 “I would hope the committee would trust my integrity,” Barrett said, noting, as she’s done throughout, that she’s not made any commitments to rule a certain way on the healthcare law. The assertion, and implication that she’d somehow completely tuned out the president’s loud, public criterion for judges he’d appoint, is strange - and difficult to believe.
Updated at 00.55 BST
13 Oct 2020 00.08 BST Today, Harris is again using her famous prosecutorial style to question Barrett’s views on the Affordable Care Act (ACA). After a long preamble about the importance of healthcare amid the ongoing pandemic, Harris’ first question for Barrett was how many months after Barrett wrote a law review article criticizing John Roberts’ decision upholding the ACA did she receive her nomination for her appeals court position. “The Affordable Care Act and all of its protections hinge on this seat,” Harris said.
13 Oct 2020 00.01 BST Harris’ sharp questioning of Trump’s last Supreme Court nominee – now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh – helped elevate her political profile. Complete exchange between Sen. Kamala Harris and Judge Kavanaugh on Mueller Investigation.
Kavanaugh: "I would like to know the person you're thinking of."
Sen. Harris: "I think you're thinking of someone and you don't want to tell us." pic.twitter.com/3bP7rJ6u0L — CSPAN (@cspan) August 11, 2020
13 Oct 2020 23.56 BST Kamala Harris questions Barrett The Democratic vice-presidential nominee has begun by addressing the severity of the coronavirus pandemic, and its economic consequences. “People need help - they need help to pay their rent or mortgages. Parents need help putting food on the table,” she said, criticizing Republicans for rushing through their judicial nominee rather than focusing on passing a coronavirus relief bill.
Updated at 00.12 BST
13 Oct 2020 23.49 BST Barrett has dodged questions about the presidential transfer of power and whether she would recuse herself from deciding a presidential election case. When New Jersey Senator Cory Booker asked directly and pressed, Barrett initially equivocated before saying she believed in the peaceful transfer of power.
“One of the beauties of America from the beginning of the republic is that we have had peaceful transfers of power,” she said. “I think it is part of the genius of our Constitution and the good faith and goodwill of our people.” But she declined – when pressed earlier by Vermont’s Patrick Leahy – to say whether she would recuse herself from deciding a presidential election case, after Donald Trump said he needs his nominee confirmed because he thinks his election will end up in court. She dodged - only saying she’d make a decision carefully. Barrett also declined to say whether the president could pardon himself.
Updated at 00.13 BST
13 Oct 2020 23.10 BST As the Amy Coney Barrett nomination hearings roll on into their ninth hour, it’s worth taking a beat to note that Barrett would not hold her current position on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals had Mitch McConnell not blocked Obama’s nominee Myra Selby. Did you know Amy Coney Barrett is sitting in a stolen judicial seat right now? In May 2017, Trump nominated Barrett to IN seat on Seventh Circuit, which covers Indiana, Illinois & Wisconsin. This is same seat to which President Obama nominated Myra Selby, a Black woman, in 2016. — Leslie Proll (@LeslieProll) September 26, 2020
Updated at 23.27 BST


theguardian--2020-10-13--Mitch McConnell laughs at criticism over Congress Covid relief failure

Criticised by challenger Amy McGrath in a debate Monday night for blocking a new coronavirus relief bill , Mitch McConnell laughed .
“ Trying to figure out what he is laughing about , ” tweeted Claire McCaskill , a former Democratic senator from Missouri who now works for NBC News .
Nearly 7.8m coronavirus cases and almost 215,000 deaths have been recorded in the US .
Amid devastating economic fallout , Congress has not passed a relief package since May , when the Democratic-held House passed a $ 3tn bill the Republican Senate did not take up .
Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tried to restart .
McGrath and McConnell met to debate in Lexington during a rise in cases in Kentucky .
The Democrat has raised impressive sums and stayed in touch in the polls – though victory remains unlikely .
“ The House passed a bill in May and this Senate went on vacation , ” McGrath said .
As McConnell chuckled , she continued : “ I mean , you just don ’ t do that .
You negotiate .
Senator , it is a national crisis , you knew that the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the end of July .
We knew that.
” As McConnell tried to interrupt , still chuckling , McGrath said : “ If you want to call yourself a leader … you got to get things done and those of us who served in the Marines , we don ’ t just point fingers at the other side .
We get the job done.
” McConnell blamed the House speaker , Nancy Pelosi , saying : “ Look , I know how to make deals .
I made three major deals with Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the problem is here is the unwillingness of the speaker to make a deal.
” “ She mentions she was in the Marines about every other sentence , ” McConnell said .
“ I think her entire campaign is : she ’ s a Marine , she ’ s a mom , and I ’ ve been [ in Washington ] too long.
” “ Senator , ” McGrath retorted , “ you ’ ve been there for 36 years .
How ’ s it looking , Kentucky ?
” McConnell ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leader , she said , “ is to help America through this crisis right now in passing legislation to keep our economy afloat so that people can make ends meet .
“ And instead of doing that , he is trying to ram through a supreme court nominee right now , instead of negotiating , which is what he should have been doing all summer long.
” Echoing Democrats ’ arguments at Senate judiciary committee hearings in Washington , McGrath also said the current supreme court nominee , Amy Coney Barrett , would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
McConnell contended : “ No one believes the supreme court is going to strike down the Affordable Care Act.
” The court is due to hear a challenge to Barack Obama ’ s signature healthcare reform on 10 November .
Few observers fancy the ACA ’ s chances before a 6-3 conservative court .
In the debate in Kentucky , McConnell repeatedly pointed out that Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer , who would lead the chamber if Democrats take it in November , is from New York .
“ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Do you want somebody from New York to be setting the agenda for America and not terribly interested in Kentucky ?
Or do you want to continue to have one of the four congressional leaders from our state looking out for Kentucky , giving Kentucky an opportunity to punch above its weight , providing extra assistance for Kentucky ?
“ That ’ s the question .
She will transfer all of that to New York .
I will keep it in Kentucky.
” Observers were swift to point out that the Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump , is from New York too .
McGrath has posted strong fundraising figures .
But speaking to the Associated Press on Monday , Josh Holmes , a McConnell adviser , said that though “ money can buy you a lot of TV advertising ” , McGrath would never “ have enough money to buy [ enough ] liberal voters ” .

Criticised by challenger Amy McGrath in a debate on Monday night for blocking a new coronavirus relief bill, Mitch McConnell laughed.
“Trying to figure out what he is laughing about,” tweeted Claire McCaskill, a former Democratic senator from Missouri who now works for NBC News.
Nearly 7.8m coronavirus cases and almost 215,000 deaths have been recorded in the US. Amid devastating economic fallout, Congress has not passed a relief package since May, when the Democratic-held House passed a $3tn bill the Republican Senate did not take up. Donald Trump recently dynamited negotiations, which he then tried to restart.
McGrath and McConnell met to debate in Lexington during a rise in cases in Kentucky. The Democrat has raised impressive sums and stayed in touch in the polls – though victory remains unlikely.
“The House passed a bill in May and this Senate went on vacation,” McGrath said.
As McConnell chuckled, she continued: “I mean, you just don’t do that. You negotiate. Senator, it is a national crisis, you knew that the coronavirus wasn’t gonna end at the end of July. We knew that.”
As McConnell tried to interrupt, still chuckling, McGrath said: “If you want to call yourself a leader … you got to get things done and those of us who served in the marines, we don’t just point fingers at the other side. We get the job done.”
McConnell blamed the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, saying: “Look, I know how to make deals. I made three major deals with Joe Biden during the Obama era. What the problem is here is the unwillingness of the speaker to make a deal.”
On Tuesday, after Trump tweeted “STIMULUS! Go big or go home!!!”, McConnell said the Senate would soon vote on a “skinny” bill, meant to tap into unused funds from previous legislation, a course Pelosi has already rejected.
McGrath is a former Marine Corps fighter pilot.
“She mentions she was in the marines about every other sentence,” McConnell said on Monday night. “I think her entire campaign is: she’s a marine, she’s a mom, and I’ve been [in Washington] too long.”
“Senator,” McGrath retorted, “you’ve been there for 36 years. How’s it looking, Kentucky?”
McConnell’s “one job” as Senate majority leader, she said, “is to help America through this crisis right now in passing legislation to keep our economy afloat so that people can make ends meet.
“And instead of doing that, he is trying to ram through a supreme court nominee right now, instead of negotiating, which is what he should have been doing all summer long.”
Echoing Democrats’ arguments at Senate judiciary committee hearings in Washington, McGrath also said the current supreme court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, would help bring down the Affordable Care Act.
McConnell contended: “No one believes the supreme court is going to strike down the Affordable Care Act.”
The court is due to hear a challenge to Barack Obama’s signature healthcare reform on 10 November. Few observers fancy the ACA’s chances before a 6-3 conservative court.
In the debate in Kentucky, McConnell repeatedly pointed out that the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, who would lead the chamber if Democrats take it in November, is from New York.
“It’s not complicated,” he said. “Do you want somebody from New York to be setting the agenda for America and not terribly interested in Kentucky? Or do you want to continue to have one of the four congressional leaders from our state looking out for Kentucky, giving Kentucky an opportunity to punch above its weight, providing extra assistance for Kentucky?
“That’s the question. She will transfer all of that to New York. I will keep it in Kentucky.”
Observers were swift to point out that the Republican president with whom McConnell serves, Donald Trump, is from New York too.
McGrath has posted strong fundraising figures. But speaking to the Associated Press on Monday, Josh Holmes, a McConnell adviser, said that though “money can buy you a lot of TV advertising”, McGrath would never “have enough money to buy [enough] liberal voters”.