shareblue--2020-12-15--Georgia official rages at GOP senators: 'Stop focusing on me' and try 'winning' instead

Georgia 's Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger unleashed on the state 's Republican senators for their latest dishonest smear this week , saying Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue have embarrassed themselves with a recent public demands for voter registration data their campaigns have already received .
`` Though I ’ ve told the Republican Party to stop focusing on me and instead direct their energies to winning the Senate runoffs , clearly they haven ’ t listened , '' said Raffensperger said in a press release on Tuesday .
`` As embarrassing as it is for Sens .
Perdue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data they want is already publicly available from the Secretary of State , it ’ s even worse that they ’ re not aware their own campaigns already have the data they ’ re looking for . ''
He urged them to `` call their offices and get their campaigns in order . ''
He was referring to a joint statement issued by Loeffler and Perdue on Monday , accusing him of not doing his job .
`` It 's been one week since the voter registration deadline passed and the Secretary of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a final list of newly registered voters , '' they alleged .
`` Georgians demand transparency , accountability , and accuracy in our elections process — and the Secretary of State is failing to provide it in a timely manner . ''
But Raffensperger noted in his response that the lack of a `` final list '' is because `` counties continue to add validly registered voters who registered by the December 7 deadline '' and that the voter files — updated daily — are available online for $ 250 .
Further , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate Committee already have that information .
`` The National Republican Committee ( NRSC ) requested and received copies of the newly registered Georgia voters every day and the NRSC confirmed that it shared that public data with the Perdue and Loeffler senate campaigns , '' he said .
Raffensperger points out that the national party had confirmed that the Loeffler and Perdue campaigns have the latest information , quoting a National Republican Senatorial Committee representative as saying , `` They have those lists . ''
Neither campaign immediately responded to inquiries for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incumbent seeking a second six-year term , failed to win a majority last month and will thus face Democrat Jon Ossoff in a Jan. 5 runoff .
Loeffler , who was appointed late last year to temporarily fill a vacancy , came in second in last month 's special election for the remaining two years of former Sen. Johnny Isakson 's ( R ) unexpired term .
Since no candidate got a majority in that race either , Loeffler will face the first-place finisher — Democrat Raphael Warnock — in a runoff on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden carried Georgia by about 12,000 votes on Election Day , Loeffler and Perdue have repeatedly attacked Raffensperger for not doing enough to rig the state for Donald Trump .
Echoing Trump 's false attacks , they demanded Raffensperger resign last month over unspecified `` mismanagement and lack of transparency . ''
`` There have been too many failures in Georgia elections this year and the most recent election has shined a national light on the problems , '' the duo baselessly claimed .
Raffensperger dismissed this demand at the time , calling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to happen . ''
He and his wife subsequently received multiple death threats from angry Republicans via social media .
Both Senate runoffs are expected to be close .
If Democrats win both races , they will narrowly control a majority in the U.S. Senate after Jan. 20 .
Otherwise , Republicans will likely maintain their Senate majority for the next two years .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger unleashed on the state’s Republican senators for their latest dishonest smear this week, saying Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue have embarrassed themselves with a recent public demands for voter registration data their campaigns have already received.
“Though I’ve told the Republican Party to stop focusing on me and instead direct their energies to winning the Senate runoffs, clearly they haven’t listened,” said Raffensperger said in a press release on Tuesday. “As embarrassing as it is for Sens. Perdue and Loeffler not to know that the data they want is already publicly available from the Secretary of State, it’s even worse that they’re not aware their own campaigns already have the data they’re looking for.” He urged them to “call their offices and get their campaigns in order.”
He was referring to a joint statement issued by Loeffler and Perdue on Monday, accusing him of not doing his job. “It’s been one week since the voter registration deadline passed and the Secretary of State has failed to compile and release a final list of newly registered voters,” they alleged. “Georgians demand transparency, accountability, and accuracy in our elections process — and the Secretary of State is failing to provide it in a timely manner.”
But Raffensperger noted in his response that the lack of a “final list” is because “counties continue to add validly registered voters who registered by the December 7 deadline” and that the voter files — updated daily — are available online for $250.
Further, both the campaigns and the National Republican Senate Committee already have that information.
“The National Republican Committee (NRSC) requested and received copies of the newly registered Georgia voters every day and the NRSC confirmed that it shared that public data with the Perdue and Loeffler senate campaigns,” he said.
Raffensperger points out that the national party had confirmed that the Loeffler and Perdue campaigns have the latest information, quoting a National Republican Senatorial Committee representative as saying, “They have those lists.”
Neither campaign immediately responded to inquiries for this story.
Perdue, a first-term incumbent seeking a second six-year term, failed to win a majority last month and will thus face Democrat Jon Ossoff in a Jan. 5 runoff.
Loeffler, who was appointed late last year to temporarily fill a vacancy, came in second in last month’s special election for the remaining two years of former Sen. Johnny Isakson’s (R) unexpired term. Since no candidate got a majority in that race either, Loeffler will face the first-place finisher — Democrat Raphael Warnock — in a runoff on the same day.
Since President-elect Joe Biden carried Georgia by about 12,000 votes on Election Day, Loeffler and Perdue have repeatedly attacked Raffensperger for not doing enough to rig the state for Donald Trump. Echoing Trump’s false attacks, they demanded Raffensperger resign last month over unspecified “mismanagement and lack of transparency.”
“There have been too many failures in Georgia elections this year and the most recent election has shined a national light on the problems,” the duo baselessly claimed.
Raffensperger dismissed this demand at the time, calling it “laughable” and “not going to happen.”
He and his wife subsequently received multiple death threats from angry Republicans via social media.
Both Senate runoffs are expected to be close. If Democrats win both races, they will narrowly control a majority in the U.S. Senate after Jan. 20. Otherwise, Republicans will likely maintain their Senate majority for the next two years.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-12-15--Judge rules against one of Trump administration's last chances to restrict abortion

The Trump administration last week suffered a loss in what is likely to be one of its last attempts to restrict the availability of abortion .
On Dec. 9 , a federal district court judge in Maryland refused to lift an injunction against the Food and Drug Administration blocking the agency from enforcing rules that require a person to physically go to a clinic to obtain drugs for a medication abortion .
Those rules present a particular danger during the coronavirus pandemic .
Current FDA regulations require people to visit a clinic in person and be handed the abortion pill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus .
Several physicians ' groups and reproductive health organizations sued the agency , saying that the drug could be prescribed via telehealth and then mailed to the patient or picked up at a local pharmacy .
Although the FDA has loosened telehealth restrictions for other drugs , including opioids , it refused to do so for abortion medication .
Instead , the administration has fought it every step of the way , through the district court and up to the Supreme Court and back down again .
In ruling against the administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted that since the original injunction blocking the FDA ’ s rules was issued in July 2020 , the pandemic had gotten `` substantially worse . ''
The administration argued that since some states had relaxed public health requirements as the pandemic went on , it was fine to require an in-person clinic visit .
The court did n't find this persuasive , saying that simply because people were permitted to go to a restaurant or store did n't mean they should be mandated to go to the doctor for the abortion pill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keeping with medical evidence .
The drugs used for medication abortion are both highly safe and highly effective .
The Guttmacher Institute , which conducts research on abortion policies , says that serious complications appear in fewer than 0.4 % of patients .
Medication abortion is safer than Viagra , for example , which is often prescribed remotely .
A study published in the open access journal Contraception : X shows that during the pandemic , abortion clinics have , in states where they are able to , substantially increased their use of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states where abortion access is generally widespread , 73 % of clinics reported that they started or increased telehealth options , and not just for medication abortions .
Clinics were able to change their practice in other ways that increase safety and convenience , such as following up with patients via internet rather than in person .
Though the pandemic was the impetus for the increased use of telehealth , there 's no reason to believe the desire for the practice will end when the pandemic does .
A multi-country survey conducted in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ telehealth was widespread and widely appreciated by patients .
Sixty percent of people surveyed wanted to continue to use technology more to communicate with their health care providers .
Guttmacher reports that a clear majority — 57 % — of women of childbearing age in America live in a state that is hostile to abortion rights .
In many cases , people live in counties where there are no abortion clinics , and getting to clinics can be cost-prohibitive .
Telehealth can help make access easier and , by eliminating travel , time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , cheaper .
The administration of President-elect Joe Biden will be able to roll back FDA restrictions on the abortion pill without an act of Congress or approval from the courts .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

The Trump administration last week suffered a loss in what is likely to be one of its last attempts to restrict the availability of abortion.
On Dec. 9, a federal district court judge in Maryland refused to lift an injunction against the Food and Drug Administration blocking the agency from enforcing rules that require a person to physically go to a clinic to obtain drugs for a medication abortion.
Those rules present a particular danger during the coronavirus pandemic. Current FDA regulations require people to visit a clinic in person and be handed the abortion pill, increasing the possibility of contracting the virus. Several physicians’ groups and reproductive health organizations sued the agency, saying that the drug could be prescribed via telehealth and then mailed to the patient or picked up at a local pharmacy.
Although the FDA has loosened telehealth restrictions for other drugs, including opioids, it refused to do so for abortion medication. Instead, the administration has fought it every step of the way, through the district court and up to the Supreme Court and back down again.
In ruling against the administration again, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang noted that since the original injunction blocking the FDA’s rules was issued in July 2020, the pandemic had gotten “substantially worse.” The administration argued that since some states had relaxed public health requirements as the pandemic went on, it was fine to require an in-person clinic visit. The court didn’t find this persuasive, saying that simply because people were permitted to go to a restaurant or store didn’t mean they should be mandated to go to the doctor for the abortion pill.
The court’s holding is in keeping with medical evidence. The drugs used for medication abortion are both highly safe and highly effective. The Guttmacher Institute, which conducts research on abortion policies, says that serious complications appear in fewer than 0.4% of patients. Medication abortion is safer than Viagra, for example, which is often prescribed remotely.
A study published in the open access journal Contraception: X shows that during the pandemic, abortion clinics have, in states where they are able to, substantially increased their use of telehealth for medication abortions. In northeastern states where abortion access is generally widespread, 73% of clinics reported that they started or increased telehealth options, and not just for medication abortions. Clinics were able to change their practice in other ways that increase safety and convenience, such as following up with patients via internet rather than in person.
Though the pandemic was the impetus for the increased use of telehealth, there’s no reason to believe the desire for the practice will end when the pandemic does. A multi-country survey conducted in May 2020 found that the use of telehealth was widespread and widely appreciated by patients. Sixty percent of people surveyed wanted to continue to use technology more to communicate with their health care providers.
Guttmacher reports that a clear majority — 57% — of women of childbearing age in America live in a state that is hostile to abortion rights. In many cases, people live in counties where there are no abortion clinics, and getting to clinics can be cost-prohibitive. Telehealth can help make access easier and, by eliminating travel, time off of work, and child care, cheaper.
The administration of President-elect Joe Biden will be able to roll back FDA restrictions on the abortion pill without an act of Congress or approval from the courts.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-12-15--Virginia governor candidate calls for 'martial law' to steal election

A Republican state senator from Virginia on Tuesday urged Donald Trump to call in the military to block a peaceful transition of power to President-elect Joe Biden — the latest example of aggressive or violent rhetoric from GOP stragglers refusing to accept Trump 's loss .
`` Not my President and never will be .
The American people are n't fools , '' state Sen. Amanda Chase , who is running for governor of Virginia in 2021 , wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday morning .
`` We know you cheated to win and we 'll never accept these results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cheating to win ; never .
It 's not over yet .
So thankful President Trump has a backbone and refuses to concede .
President Trump should declare martial law as recommended by General Flynn . ''
Chase 's comment came the morning after the Electoral College sealed Biden 's victory , giving him 306 votes to Trump 's 232 .
That 's the same exact margin Trump won by in 2016 — although he lost the popular vote by millions .
Of course , there was no widespread fraud in the 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have suggested .
Judges at every level have tossed lawsuits from the Trump campaign and its allies because they have failed to provide any actual evidence of fraud or irregularities .
Chase is part of a vocal contingent of the Republican Party that is still pushing those lies , and urging violence to stop the peaceful transition of power that is a hallmark of U.S. democracy .
She was endorsing a call from Trump 's former national security adviser Michael Flynn — the man Trump recently pardoned for lying to federal investigators about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early December said Trump should suspend the Constitution and use martial law to hold a new election .
`` When the legislators , courts and/or Congress fail to do their duty under the 12th Amendment , you must be ready Mr President to immediately declare a limited form of Martial Law , and temporarily suspend the Constitution and civilian control of these federal elections , for the sole purpose of having the military oversee a national re-vote , '' read a manifesto published in the right-wing Washington Times that Flynn and other Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used violent rhetoric , including the Arizona Republican Party , which urged Trump supporters to die for the cause of overturning the election .
This kind of rhetoric has already created dangerous situations across the country .
In Michigan , for instance , armed protesters demonstrated outside the home of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson earlier this month .
Violent rhetoric also caused the closure of the Michigan state Capitol to the public during Monday 's Electoral College vote over fears of violence .
`` This is some scary stuff , man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is supposed to be like , '' Wisconsin elector Khary Penebaker , a Democrat , told the New York Times this week , speaking to the escalating tensions .
Wisconsin 's state Capitol , was similar closed to the public on Monday , out of concerns about possible violence .
Other Republicans have condemned the rhetoric used by those like Chase and Flynn .
`` Do you support facts and liberty ?
Or supporting martial law based on unhinged conspiracy ramblings — from [ Sidney ] Powell and Mike Flynn ? ''
tweeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , pointing to Chase 's Facebook post .
`` Conspiracy theories like QAnon or FACTS ?
Choose . ''
Chase , for her part , has waged similarly extreme stunts in the past .
In August , she refused to wear a mask at a state legislative special session , forcing the Legislature to put her into a plexiglass box to avoid her possibly spreading the coronavirus .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

A Republican state senator from Virginia on Tuesday urged Donald Trump to call in the military to block a peaceful transition of power to President-elect Joe Biden — the latest example of aggressive or violent rhetoric from GOP stragglers refusing to accept Trump’s loss.
“Not my President and never will be. The American people aren’t fools,” state Sen. Amanda Chase, who is running for governor of Virginia in 2021, wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday morning. “We know you cheated to win and we’ll never accept these results. Fair elections we can accept but cheating to win; never. It’s not over yet. So thankful President Trump has a backbone and refuses to concede. President Trump should declare martial law as recommended by General Flynn.”
Chase’s comment came the morning after the Electoral College sealed Biden’s victory, giving him 306 votes to Trump’s 232. That’s the same exact margin Trump won by in 2016 — although he lost the popular vote by millions.
Of course, there was no widespread fraud in the 2020 election, as Trump and his supporters have suggested. Judges at every level have tossed lawsuits from the Trump campaign and its allies because they have failed to provide any actual evidence of fraud or irregularities.
Chase is part of a vocal contingent of the Republican Party that is still pushing those lies, and urging violence to stop the peaceful transition of power that is a hallmark of U.S. democracy.
She was endorsing a call from Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn — the man Trump recently pardoned for lying to federal investigators about his communications with Russia — who in early December said Trump should suspend the Constitution and use martial law to hold a new election.
“When the legislators, courts and/or Congress fail to do their duty under the 12th Amendment, you must be ready Mr President to immediately declare a limited form of Martial Law, and temporarily suspend the Constitution and civilian control of these federal elections, for the sole purpose of having the military oversee a national re-vote,” read a manifesto published in the right-wing Washington Times that Flynn and other Trump allies signed.
Other Republicans have also used violent rhetoric, including the Arizona Republican Party, which urged Trump supporters to die for the cause of overturning the election.
This kind of rhetoric has already created dangerous situations across the country.
In Michigan, for instance, armed protesters demonstrated outside the home of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson earlier this month. Violent rhetoric also caused the closure of the Michigan state Capitol to the public during Monday’s Electoral College vote over fears of violence.
“This is some scary stuff, man, and this is not what America is supposed to be like,” Wisconsin elector Khary Penebaker, a Democrat, told the New York Times this week, speaking to the escalating tensions.
Wisconsin’s state Capitol, was similar closed to the public on Monday, out of concerns about possible violence.
Other Republicans have condemned the rhetoric used by those like Chase and Flynn.
“Do you support facts and liberty? Or supporting martial law based on unhinged conspiracy ramblings — from [Sidney] Powell and Mike Flynn?” tweeted Rep. Denver Riggleman, a Virginia Republican, pointing to Chase’s Facebook post. “Conspiracy theories like QAnon or FACTS? Choose.”
Chase, for her part, has waged similarly extreme stunts in the past.
In August, she refused to wear a mask at a state legislative special session, forcing the Legislature to put her into a plexiglass box to avoid her possibly spreading the coronavirus.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-12-15--Incoming GOP congressman: Black Democrat can't 'represent what real Americans believe'

Rep.-elect Madison Cawthorn ( R-NC ) attacked Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock on Tuesday , baselessly suggesting the Georgia-born pastor is an imposter .
In a Fox News interview during a visit to Alpharetta , Georgia , Cawthorn suggested that Warnock was only pretending to be a moderate southern religious leader .
`` You see this Warnock fella who 's coming down here and disguising himself as some moderate pastor from the South who does n't believe in these radical ideas , '' Cawthorn complained .
`` But if you look at him , really , what he actually believes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He wants to defund our police .
He says he 's a pastor , yet he 's all about abortion .
This is somebody who does not represent what real Americans believe . ''
Cawthorn also griped that if Georgia elects Warnock and Democrat Jon Ossoff to Senate next month , giving Democrats a narrow majority in both chambers of Congress , `` it 's not gon na represent the values of my home , western North Carolina . ''
Cawthorn is saying things that are not true : Warnock is from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
After growing up in public housing in Savannah , he attended Morehouse College in Atlanta , earned multiple degrees , including a PhD , at Union Theological Seminary in New York City , and was ordained a minister , serving since 2005 as senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta , preaching from the former pulpit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Fact-checkers have repeatedly debunked the false claim that Warnock wants to defund the police ( he told an interviewer on June 25 , `` I do not believe that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Warnock is pro-choice .
But contrary to Cawthorn 's assertion , the vast majority of `` real Americans '' are pro-choice .
A poll conducted by CBS News in late May and early June found 63 % of Americans favor keeping the decision in Roe .
v. Wade , while just 29 % want it overturned .
A poll conducted by ABC News/Washington Post a year earlier found 60 % of Americans want abortion to be legal in all or most cases .
It is Cawthorn 's own views that are outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he lamented in an interview with the website Jewish Insider that he has been unsuccessful in his attempts to convert religious Jews to evangelical Christianity .
On Election Day , he made national news for tweeting , `` Cry more , libs , '' after he was projected the winner in his House race .
He was forced to apologize in October after his campaign posted a website accusing his opponent in the race for North Carolina 's 11th Congressional District of working with a journalist who had `` quit his academia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ males , like Cory Booker who aims to ruin white males running for office . ''
In 2017 , he raved on social media about a visit he made to Adolf Hitler 's vacation home , a trip he said had been on his `` bucket list . ''
Now he has become the latest Republican to suggest that Warnock — who would be the first Black U.S. senator to represent Georgia — is not a `` real '' American .
Last month , Sen. Marsha Blackburn ( R-TN ) tweeted , `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ views are disqualifying .
He should withdraw from the # GASen . ''
Warnock 's opponent , Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler , has accused him of celebrating an `` anti-American '' pastor and warned , `` @ ReverendWarnock would champion the radical left 's efforts to politicize the pandemic and fundamentally change America as we know it .
Not on my watch . ''
Warnock received a plurality of the vote in last month 's special election , but because no candidate received a majority , he will face Loeffler in a runoff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected to be close in a state won by Democratic President-elect Joe Biden by about 12,000 votes .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Rep.-elect Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) attacked Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock on Tuesday, baselessly suggesting the Georgia-born pastor is an imposter.
In a Fox News interview during a visit to Alpharetta, Georgia, Cawthorn suggested that Warnock was only pretending to be a moderate southern religious leader.
“You see this Warnock fella who’s coming down here and disguising himself as some moderate pastor from the South who doesn’t believe in these radical ideas,” Cawthorn complained. “But if you look at him, really, what he actually believes, he is a radical’s radical. He wants to defund our police. He says he’s a pastor, yet he’s all about abortion. This is somebody who does not represent what real Americans believe.”
Cawthorn also griped that if Georgia elects Warnock and Democrat Jon Ossoff to Senate next month, giving Democrats a narrow majority in both chambers of Congress, “it’s not gonna represent the values of my home, western North Carolina.”
Cawthorn is saying things that are not true: Warnock is from the South, a native of Georgia. After growing up in public housing in Savannah, he attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, earned multiple degrees, including a PhD, at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and was ordained a minister, serving since 2005 as senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, preaching from the former pulpit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Fact-checkers have repeatedly debunked the false claim that Warnock wants to defund the police (he told an interviewer on June 25, “I do not believe that we should defund the police”).
Warnock is pro-choice. But contrary to Cawthorn’s assertion, the vast majority of “real Americans” are pro-choice. A poll conducted by CBS News in late May and early June found 63% of Americans favor keeping the decision in Roe. v. Wade, while just 29% want it overturned. A poll conducted by ABC News/Washington Post a year earlier found 60% of Americans want abortion to be legal in all or most cases.
It is Cawthorn’s own views that are outside of the national mainstream.
Last month, he lamented in an interview with the website Jewish Insider that he has been unsuccessful in his attempts to convert religious Jews to evangelical Christianity.
On Election Day, he made national news for tweeting, “Cry more, libs,” after he was projected the winner in his House race.
He was forced to apologize in October after his campaign posted a website accusing his opponent in the race for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District of working with a journalist who had “quit his academia job in Boston to work for non-white males, like Cory Booker who aims to ruin white males running for office.”
In 2017, he raved on social media about a visit he made to Adolf Hitler’s vacation home, a trip he said had been on his “bucket list.”
Now he has become the latest Republican to suggest that Warnock — who would be the first Black U.S. senator to represent Georgia — is not a “real” American.
Last month, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) tweeted, “Raphael Warnock’s radical, anti-American views are disqualifying. He should withdraw from the #GASen.”
Warnock’s opponent, Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, has accused him of celebrating an “anti-American” pastor and warned, “@ReverendWarnock would champion the radical left’s efforts to politicize the pandemic and fundamentally change America as we know it. Not on my watch.”
Warnock received a plurality of the vote in last month’s special election, but because no candidate received a majority, he will face Loeffler in a runoff on Jan. 5.
The election is expected to be close in a state won by Democratic President-elect Joe Biden by about 12,000 votes.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


Cartoon: Putin's cue

Clay Jones is a nationally syndicated political cartoonist .
He has worked for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and The Free Lance-Star @ @ @ @ @ draws a weekly cartoon for CNN Opinion .
He lives in the Washington suburbs of @ @ @

A decade after Sandy Hook, grief remains but hope grows
December, the anniversary of the worst grade school mass shooting in the U.S. is a difficult month for many in Newton. But in the face of heartbreak and grief, some survivors and families of victims feel hope for a brighter future.
By Associated Press - December 22, 2022


shareblue--2020-12-16--Anti-mask violence is cropping up everywhere — and GOP lawmakers are egging it on

After serving eight years as a government official , Mayor Joyce Warshaw of Dodge City , Kansas , resigned Tuesday after threats of violence by people opposed to her city 's mask mandate made her fear for her safety .
According to a Washington Post report , Warshaw began receiving a flood of threats via email and voicemail after she voted on the mask regulations .
`` The messages grew frequent and more aggressive : Burn in hell .
Get murdered , '' the Post noted .
`` One person simply wrote , 'We 're coming for you . '
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were aggressive , and they frightened me and my family , '' Warshaw said .
`` There 's a strong part of me that wants to say they are only words .
But people are angry right now , and I do n't know that for sure . ''
Threats of violence made by anti-maskers have emerged as a troubling trend since the pandemic 's beginning .
And in many cases , Republican lawmakers are encouraging them .
Most notably , Donald Trump 's heckling and name-calling of Michigan 's Democratic Gov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ created what she said was an atmosphere that encouraged a failed kidnapping plot against her by violent people on the far right who oppose lockdowns and mask mandates .
More recently , incoming congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene griped Wednesday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi 's new mask mandate for the House chamber is a `` violation '' of her constitutional rights .
`` Is this the Marjorie Mask Mandate , @ SpeakerPelosi ? ''
Greene asked on Twitter .
`` An oppressive violation of my rights . ''
She ended the tweet with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And Sen. Ted Cruz ( R-TX ) took to Twitter on Tuesday to slam those calling for people to wear masks even after they receive the coronavirus vaccine : `` This is a bizarre , lunatic , totalitarian cult , '' he ranted .
`` It 's not about vaccines or protecting people 's lives — it is instead profoundly anti-science , and is only focused on absolute govt control of every aspect of our lives . ''
Such rhetoric adds to the backlash against masking that can become dangerous when people act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On Wednesday in Saugerties , New York , a man violently assaulted a customer in a dollar store when she approached him about his failure to wear a mask .
Last weekend , the small town of Mossyrock , Washington , was the site of a large anti-mask protest organized by the far-right group Patriot Prayer , which has a history of violent incidents .
One week earlier , public health officials in Boise , Idaho , were forced to end a meeting early when anti-maskers protested outside their building and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In late November , an Ohio man threatened a Walmart employee with brass knuckles when he was asked to wear a mask , and an enraged IHOP patron in Queens , New York , slashed an employee after being asked by another employee to wear a mask .
Managers at some stores , such as popular Texas chain grocery H-E-B , have said they 've had to stop enforcing mask policies because of violence and frequent threats to employees ' safety .
In Omaha , Nebraska , Police Lt. John Wells told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with an anti-masker should be avoided at all costs .
`` You do n't want to try to instigate a confrontation because you do n't know how that person is going to try and react , '' Wells said .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

After serving eight years as a government official, Mayor Joyce Warshaw of Dodge City, Kansas, resigned Tuesday after threats of violence by people opposed to her city’s mask mandate made her fear for her safety.
According to a Washington Post report, Warshaw began receiving a flood of threats via email and voicemail after she voted on the mask regulations.
“The messages grew frequent and more aggressive: Burn in hell. Get murdered,” the Post noted. “One person simply wrote, ‘We’re coming for you.'”
“They were loud, and they were aggressive, and they frightened me and my family,” Warshaw said. “There’s a strong part of me that wants to say they are only words. But people are angry right now, and I don’t know that for sure.”
Threats of violence made by anti-maskers have emerged as a troubling trend since the pandemic’s beginning.
And in many cases, Republican lawmakers are encouraging them.
Most notably, Donald Trump’s heckling and name-calling of Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over COVID safety measures created what she said was an atmosphere that encouraged a failed kidnapping plot against her by violent people on the far right who oppose lockdowns and mask mandates.
More recently, incoming congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene griped Wednesday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s new mask mandate for the House chamber is a “violation” of her constitutional rights.
“Is this the Marjorie Mask Mandate, @SpeakerPelosi?” Greene asked on Twitter. “An oppressive violation of my rights.”
She ended the tweet with the hashtag “#MyBodyMyChoice.”
And Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) took to Twitter on Tuesday to slam those calling for people to wear masks even after they receive the coronavirus vaccine: “This is a bizarre, lunatic, totalitarian cult,” he ranted. “It’s not about vaccines or protecting people’s lives — it is instead profoundly anti-science, and is only focused on absolute govt control of every aspect of our lives.”
Such rhetoric adds to the backlash against masking that can become dangerous when people act on anger and resentment against the mandates.
On Wednesday in Saugerties, New York, a man violently assaulted a customer in a dollar store when she approached him about his failure to wear a mask.
Last weekend, the small town of Mossyrock, Washington, was the site of a large anti-mask protest organized by the far-right group Patriot Prayer, which has a history of violent incidents.
One week earlier, public health officials in Boise, Idaho, were forced to end a meeting early when anti-maskers protested outside their building and the private homes of some of the officials.
In late November, an Ohio man threatened a Walmart employee with brass knuckles when he was asked to wear a mask, and an enraged IHOP patron in Queens, New York, slashed an employee after being asked by another employee to wear a mask.
Managers at some stores, such as popular Texas chain grocery H-E-B, have said they’ve had to stop enforcing mask policies because of violence and frequent threats to employees’ safety.
In Omaha, Nebraska, Police Lt. John Wells told a local station that initiating an encounter with an anti-masker should be avoided at all costs.
“You don’t want to try to instigate a confrontation because you don’t know how that person is going to try and react,” Wells said.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-12-16--Tennessee keeps pushing abortion law that judges keep saying is illegal

Tennessee keeps trying — and failing — to impose an unconstitutional waiting period for people in the state who need abortions .
A federal judge just handed the state another loss , ruling that he wo n't let the waiting period go into effect while the case makes its way through the courts .
In October 2020 , Judge Bernard Friedman struck down Tennessee 's 48-hour waiting period , the first time a mandatory waiting period between the first consultation with a provider and the actual procedure was found unconstitutional .
The judge did so after carefully considering testimony from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide informed consent to the procedure , and therefore the waiting period was unnecessary .
The state was unable to explain how the waiting period enhanced the safety of someone seeking an abortion .
On the contrary , mandatory waiting periods have been shown to create a heavy burden on people seeking an abortion .
Those waiting periods mean multiple visits to abortion providers and can dramatically increase the cost of an abortion .
People have to take additional time off work and arrange for transportation and child care .
Not many Tennessee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people have to travel long distances twice or pay to stay multiple nights near a provider .
In striking down the law , Friedman found that the waiting period did add expense and often create a delay longer than the mandated 48 hours , with an average gap of one to two weeks between the first and second appointments .
After the October loss , the state immediately appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit .
Lawyers for the state argued that although they had lost at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ win in the appellate court , so Friedman should let the 48-hour waiting period stand while the case proceeded through the courts .
In making that request , the state argued that Friedman erred by not weighing all the benefits of the 48-hour waiting period against the burdens on people seeking an abortion .
He wrote in his order denying the defendant 's motion for a stay that the waiting period `` increases the risks of an otherwise safe medical procedure , heightens financial and logistical barriers to abortion access , erodes patient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demeans women 's decision-making capabilities , while providing no improvements to an already robust informed consent process . ''
The state had also argued that the waiting period might adversely affect some people , but not `` a large fraction of the cases in which the regulation is relevant . ''
Friedman did n't buy that either .
He reminded the state that the waiting period especially burdens people who have to travel long distances and poor people , and that there was a significant overlap between those two groups .
Further , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often insurmountable , '' both logistically and financially .
People who have to wait to get an abortion may not get one at all , thanks to delays and increased costs created by a waiting period .
Doctors had testified before the Tennessee General Assembly that there were already multiple points in the process of obtaining a medical procedure at which a patient has to give their informed consent to it , and that there was no reason to artificially elongate that process in the case of abortions , particularly since other similar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ period .
Unfortunately , the state is likely right that it could prevail with a higher court .
Even if it was to lose in the 6th Circuit , the case could go up to the Supreme Court , where an enthusiastic anti-choice supermajority awaits , eager to burden people right out of their ability to get an abortion .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Tennessee keeps trying — and failing — to impose an unconstitutional waiting period for people in the state who need abortions. A federal judge just handed the state another loss, ruling that he won’t let the waiting period go into effect while the case makes its way through the courts.
In October 2020, Judge Bernard Friedman struck down Tennessee’s 48-hour waiting period, the first time a mandatory waiting period between the first consultation with a provider and the actual procedure was found unconstitutional. The judge did so after carefully considering testimony from doctors that people received extensive opportunities to provide informed consent to the procedure, and therefore the waiting period was unnecessary. The state was unable to explain how the waiting period enhanced the safety of someone seeking an abortion.
On the contrary, mandatory waiting periods have been shown to create a heavy burden on people seeking an abortion. Those waiting periods mean multiple visits to abortion providers and can dramatically increase the cost of an abortion. People have to take additional time off work and arrange for transportation and child care. Not many Tennessee counties have an abortion clinic, so people have to travel long distances twice or pay to stay multiple nights near a provider.
In striking down the law, Friedman found that the waiting period did add expense and often create a delay longer than the mandated 48 hours, with an average gap of one to two weeks between the first and second appointments.
After the October loss, the state immediately appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Lawyers for the state argued that although they had lost at the district court level, they would likely win in the appellate court, so Friedman should let the 48-hour waiting period stand while the case proceeded through the courts.
In making that request, the state argued that Friedman erred by not weighing all the benefits of the 48-hour waiting period against the burdens on people seeking an abortion.
Friedman definitively refused.
He wrote in his order denying the defendant’s motion for a stay that the waiting period “increases the risks of an otherwise safe medical procedure, heightens financial and logistical barriers to abortion access, erodes patient autonomy and the physician-patient relationship, and demeans women’s decision-making capabilities, while providing no improvements to an already robust informed consent process.”
The state had also argued that the waiting period might adversely affect some people, but not “a large fraction of the cases in which the regulation is relevant.”
Friedman didn’t buy that either. He reminded the state that the waiting period especially burdens people who have to travel long distances and poor people, and that there was a significant overlap between those two groups.
Further, he wrote, those burdens are “often insurmountable,” both logistically and financially. People who have to wait to get an abortion may not get one at all, thanks to delays and increased costs created by a waiting period.
Doctors had testified before the Tennessee General Assembly that there were already multiple points in the process of obtaining a medical procedure at which a patient has to give their informed consent to it, and that there was no reason to artificially elongate that process in the case of abortions, particularly since other similar medical procedures require no such comparable waiting period.
Unfortunately, the state is likely right that it could prevail with a higher court. Even if it was to lose in the 6th Circuit, the case could go up to the Supreme Court, where an enthusiastic anti-choice supermajority awaits, eager to burden people right out of their ability to get an abortion.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-12-16--Trump sets another record — in executing people

For the first time in history , the U.S. government has carried out more executions in a year than all states that still conduct executions , according to an annual report on the death penalty released Wednesday .
Donald Trump oversaw a full-throttle resumption of federal executions this year after a 17-year pause , carrying out 10 executions even as backing for capital punishment waned .
That 's a higher yearly total than under any presidency since the 1800s , according to the report by the Death Penalty Information Center .
The dwindling numbers of states with active death-penalty programs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before some put the breaks on their execution programs to wait out the pandemic .
States carried out 22 executions in 2019 .
`` We have never seen it before .
We never expected to see it .
And it may be a long time before we ever see it happen again , '' said Robert Dunham , the executive director of the Washington , D.C.-based center .
The center does n't take a side in the debate over the death penalty , Dunham has said , but has criticized the way states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death penalty , singling out problems with racial bias and secrecy , among other things .
The Trump administration has three more executions scheduled ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden , a Democrat and death-penalty opponent .
One of those scheduled to be executed is Lisa Montgomery , the only woman on federal death row .
She was convicted of using a rope to strangle a pregnant woman , 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett , in 2004 and then using a kitchen knife to cut the baby girl from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is executed as planned on Jan. 12 , she would be the first woman executed by the federal government in some six decades .
The last federal execution is scheduled for Jan. 15 , Martin Luther King Jr. 's birthday , and just five days before Biden 's inauguration .
Texas accounted for three of the seven state executions in 2020 ; there was one each in Alabama , Georgia , Missouri , and Tennessee , the report says .
Texas was also the last state to carry out a death sentence this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8 for fatally shooting an 82-year-old man in 1993 .
U.S. prison officials carried out their first execution since 2003 just six days later , putting Daniel Lewis Lee to death for killing an Arkansas family in a 1990s plot to build a whites-only nation in the Pacific Northwest .
The newly released report cited a 2020 Gallup poll in which 43 % of respondents said they oppose the death penalty — the highest level of opposition to capital punishment that Gallup registered since 1966 .
Despite the 55 % support for capital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said most Americans had `` nuanced views '' and that even many who say they support the death penalty in theory do n't like it in practice .
`` It is too soon to tell if they want no death penalty at all , '' he said .
Historically , the federal government has n't been a prolific executioner compared to states , carrying out no more than a few hundred non-military executions since the nation 's founding .
From colonial days to the present , states have put to death more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by leading death-penalty researchers M. Watt Espy and John Ortiz Smykla .
While state numbers are skewed this year because many halted executions as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19 , the report said longer-term trends of more and more states striking death-penalty statutes or observing informal moratoriums also explain the lower numbers .
According to the report , the country has seen 30 or fewer executions for a sixth straight year , which continues a steady decline since executions approached 100 in 1999 .
Colorado in 2020 became the latest state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , becoming the 22nd state to abolish capital punishment .
Currently , 34 states have either abolished the death penalty or not carried out executions in a decade or more even though their laws permit them , the report said .
During the year , Louisiana and Utah passed the 10-year milestone with no executions .

For the first time in history, the U.S. government has carried out more executions in a year than all states that still conduct executions, according to an annual report on the death penalty released Wednesday.
Donald Trump oversaw a full-throttle resumption of federal executions this year after a 17-year pause, carrying out 10 executions even as backing for capital punishment waned. That’s a higher yearly total than under any presidency since the 1800s, according to the report by the Death Penalty Information Center.
The dwindling numbers of states with active death-penalty programs carried out just seven executions in 2020 before some put the breaks on their execution programs to wait out the pandemic. States carried out 22 executions in 2019.
“We have never seen it before. We never expected to see it. And it may be a long time before we ever see it happen again,” said Robert Dunham, the executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based center.
The center doesn’t take a side in the debate over the death penalty, Dunham has said, but has criticized the way states and the federal government carry out the death penalty, singling out problems with racial bias and secrecy, among other things.
The Trump administration has three more executions scheduled ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat and death-penalty opponent.
One of those scheduled to be executed is Lisa Montgomery, the only woman on federal death row. She was convicted of using a rope to strangle a pregnant woman, 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett, in 2004 and then using a kitchen knife to cut the baby girl from the womb, authorities said.
If Montgomery is executed as planned on Jan. 12, she would be the first woman executed by the federal government in some six decades. The last federal execution is scheduled for Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, and just five days before Biden’s inauguration.
Texas accounted for three of the seven state executions in 2020; there was one each in Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, and Tennessee, the report says. Texas was also the last state to carry out a death sentence this year, executing Billy Wardlow on July 8 for fatally shooting an 82-year-old man in 1993. U.S. prison officials carried out their first execution since 2003 just six days later, putting Daniel Lewis Lee to death for killing an Arkansas family in a 1990s plot to build a whites-only nation in the Pacific Northwest.
The newly released report cited a 2020 Gallup poll in which 43% of respondents said they oppose the death penalty — the highest level of opposition to capital punishment that Gallup registered since 1966. Despite the 55% support for capital punishment in the 2020 poll, Dunham said most Americans had “nuanced views” and that even many who say they support the death penalty in theory don’t like it in practice.
“It is too soon to tell if they want no death penalty at all,” he said.
Historically, the federal government hasn’t been a prolific executioner compared to states, carrying out no more than a few hundred non-military executions since the nation’s founding. From colonial days to the present, states have put to death more than 15,000 people, according to data compiled by leading death-penalty researchers M. Watt Espy and John Ortiz Smykla.
While state numbers are skewed this year because many halted executions as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19, the report said longer-term trends of more and more states striking death-penalty statutes or observing informal moratoriums also explain the lower numbers. According to the report, the country has seen 30 or fewer executions for a sixth straight year, which continues a steady decline since executions approached 100 in 1999.
Colorado in 2020 became the latest state to strike death-penalty laws from its books, becoming the 22nd state to abolish capital punishment. Currently, 34 states have either abolished the death penalty or not carried out executions in a decade or more even though their laws permit them, the report said. During the year, Louisiana and Utah passed the 10-year milestone with no executions.


shareblue--2020-12-16--Trump just made life even harder for LGBTQ people on his way out the door

In its final stretch in office , the Trump administration is continuing its attacks on protections for LGBTQ people .
On Monday it issued changes to the rules on federal funding to social service organizations that apply to grants funded by nine agencies , rolling back protections introduced during the Obama administration .
The rules enacted under President Barack Obama required religious groups that receive federal money to provide social services , including shelters and soup kitchens , to give written notice to their clients that the programs they were accessing were being provided by a faith-based organization .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other , similar services nearby if they preferred an option that was n't faith-based .
People accessing services were also to be informed of their rights in doing so , including the right not to be forced to participate in religious activities in order to obtain the services , such as attending a church service in order to receive food .
In its announcement of the proposed changes in January , the White House said , `` The proposed rules would eliminate burdensome Obama-era requirements that unfairly imposed unique regulatory burdens only on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protections the Trump administration is eliminating are particularly important because faith-based organizations that receive government grants to provide social services often discriminate against LGBTQ people who approach them for help .
Experts on the separation of church and state and on LGBTQ equality say that the rollback of these safeguards would harm LGBTQ people who might go to a faith-based homeless shelter , for example , and be turned away or otherwise treated abusively .
Jennifer C. Pizer , director of law and policy at the civil rights organization Lambda Legal , released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calling the new rules a `` 400-page monstrosity . ''
Pizer wrote , `` In these final days of this administration , as we enter the winter months in the grip of an unchecked devastating pandemic , the Trump/Pence team is accelerating its commitment to elevating ultra-conservative religious interests above everyone else 's basic rights . ''
Pizer wrote in a separate email that Lambda Legal is concerned about rural LGBTQ people and LGBTQ people in under-resourced communities , who need mental health services , emergency housing , and nutrition support .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one federally funded provider available .
`` And if that provider is a faith-based provider that discriminates against LGBTQ people , that mistreatment tends to drive people away from the services they need to recover and that we , the taxpayers , are funding them to receive .
When the government chooses a faith-based agency to receive the contract to serve a rural or otherwise under-resourced area , it can create problems for members of the public who do n't have options , '' Pizer said .
`` And if that agency infuses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has a duty to provide referrals , people who are made to feel unwelcome or bad in other ways will not be receiving the treatment that is appropriate in federally funded programs . ''
The Trump administration has found other ways to assault LGBTQ rights in its final few weeks .
Earlier this month , the Department of Labor issued a final rule that gives employers wiggle room to discriminate against LGBTQ workers , creating broader exceptions for federal contractors who want religious exemptions in areas such as hiring .
The Department of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ published a final rule on Friday on changes in the criteria for granting asylum such that it will be harder for LGBTQ people to have asylum claims granted .
Advocates for the rights of LGBTQ asylum-seekers say that the rule narrows definitions of persecution even further and ignores the many ways anti-LGBTQ persecution is manifested .
The organization GLAAD , which is keeping a running tally of Trump administration attacks on the LGBTQ community , lists 181 of them as of this writing .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

In its final stretch in office, the Trump administration is continuing its attacks on protections for LGBTQ people. On Monday it issued changes to the rules on federal funding to social service organizations that apply to grants funded by nine agencies, rolling back protections introduced during the Obama administration.
The rules enacted under President Barack Obama required religious groups that receive federal money to provide social services, including shelters and soup kitchens, to give written notice to their clients that the programs they were accessing were being provided by a faith-based organization. They required that clients be given referrals to other, similar services nearby if they preferred an option that wasn’t faith-based.
People accessing services were also to be informed of their rights in doing so, including the right not to be forced to participate in religious activities in order to obtain the services, such as attending a church service in order to receive food.
In its announcement of the proposed changes in January, the White House said, “The proposed rules would eliminate burdensome Obama-era requirements that unfairly imposed unique regulatory burdens only on religious organizations.”
Advocates say the protections the Trump administration is eliminating are particularly important because faith-based organizations that receive government grants to provide social services often discriminate against LGBTQ people who approach them for help. Experts on the separation of church and state and on LGBTQ equality say that the rollback of these safeguards would harm LGBTQ people who might go to a faith-based homeless shelter, for example, and be turned away or otherwise treated abusively.
Jennifer C. Pizer, director of law and policy at the civil rights organization Lambda Legal, released a statement in an email this week calling the new rules a “400-page monstrosity.”
Pizer wrote, “In these final days of this administration, as we enter the winter months in the grip of an unchecked devastating pandemic, the Trump/Pence team is accelerating its commitment to elevating ultra-conservative religious interests above everyone else’s basic rights.”
Pizer wrote in a separate email that Lambda Legal is concerned about rural LGBTQ people and LGBTQ people in under-resourced communities, who need mental health services, emergency housing, and nutrition support. For these individuals, there may be only one federally funded provider available.
“And if that provider is a faith-based provider that discriminates against LGBTQ people, that mistreatment tends to drive people away from the services they need to recover and that we, the taxpayers, are funding them to receive. When the government chooses a faith-based agency to receive the contract to serve a rural or otherwise under-resourced area, it can create problems for members of the public who don’t have options,” Pizer said.
“And if that agency infuses their services with religion and no longer has a duty to provide referrals, people who are made to feel unwelcome or bad in other ways will not be receiving the treatment that is appropriate in federally funded programs.”
The Trump administration has found other ways to assault LGBTQ rights in its final few weeks.
Earlier this month, the Department of Labor issued a final rule that gives employers wiggle room to discriminate against LGBTQ workers, creating broader exceptions for federal contractors who want religious exemptions in areas such as hiring.
The Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security also published a final rule on Friday on changes in the criteria for granting asylum such that it will be harder for LGBTQ people to have asylum claims granted.
Advocates for the rights of LGBTQ asylum-seekers say that the rule narrows definitions of persecution even further and ignores the many ways anti-LGBTQ persecution is manifested.
The organization GLAAD, which is keeping a running tally of Trump administration attacks on the LGBTQ community, lists 181 of them as of this writing.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-12-16--GOP senator: Investigate voter fraud because our voters believe our lies about it

Sen. Josh Hawley ( R-MO ) said Wednesday at a sham hearing about non-existent `` irregularities '' in the 2020 election that allegations of voter fraud must be investigated because Republicans believe they exist .
Sen. Ron Johnson , the Wisconsin Republican who as chair of the Homeland Security Committee has held multiple sham investigations over Donald Trump 's many debunked conspiracy theories , held the hearing to investigate what he called `` legitimate questions '' about election fraud , even though there has been no evidence of any fraud .
Of course , Republicans believe voter fraud exists because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members of the House and Senate , have lied and told them so .
Trump and his allies ' have made numerous claims of fraud based on conspiracy theories .
Those allegations of fraud have been presented in court in lawsuits seeking to invalidate ballots in numerous states across the country .
And those lawsuits have been dismissed by dozens of judges because they lacked even a modicum of evidence .
That has n't stopped Republican lawmakers from continuing to insist to their supporters that there are valid questions about whether a massive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of millions of votes to steal the election from Trump and to even suggest that lawmakers should take extraordinary steps to overturn the election .
In fact , earlier on Wednesday , Hawley did not rule out challenging the Electoral College outcome on Jan. 6 when Congress meets to formally accept Joe Biden as the next president .
And at the Senate hearing , he said Republicans believing the lies peddled to them by Trump and Republican lawmakers is reason enough to keep investigating the outcome of the election .
I 'm from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I was talking with some of the constituents back home , a group of about 30 people .
Every single one of them , every one of them , told me that they felt they had been disenfranchised , that their votes did n't matter , that the election had been rigged .
These are normal , regular people .
These are normal folks living normal lives who firmly believe that they have been disenfranchised .
And to listen to mainstream press and quite a few voices in this building tell them after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was a hoax ... after four years of that , being told that the last election was fake and that Donald Trump was n't really elected and that Russia intervened , after four years of that now these same people are told , `` You need to sit down and shut up .
If you have any concerns about election integrity you 're a nutcase , you should shut up . ''
Well , I tell ya what , 74 million Americans are not going to shut up , and telling them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that their concerns do not matter , and they should just be quiet , is not a recipe for success in this country .
It 's not a recipe for the unity I hear the other side is so interested in .
Hawley himself has been propping up these conspiracy theories .
On Nov. 7 , the day Biden was declared the winner , Hawley tweeted , `` The media do not get to determine who the president is .
The people do .
When all lawful votes have been counted , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ addressed , we will know who the winner is . ''
The Missouri senator has still refused to say that Biden is president-elect , even though the Electoral College already voted to make Biden the winner .
Of course , even Attorney General William Barr , who has backed up Trump 's past conspiracy theories , said there was not widespread voter fraud in the election that would alter the results .
Yet Republicans kept bringing up those same false claims at the Senate hearing Wednesday .
`` The election was in many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paul said , without providing any evidence .
Three of the witnesses invited to speak to the committee also made baseless allegations of fraud , including a lawyer who argued a case that the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down , declaring it `` un-American . ''
Ken Starr , another witness at the hearing , falsely claimed dead people voted — a lie Trump and his supporters keep repeating even though that 's been proven to be false .
The only witness who said the election was fair and secure was Christopher Krebs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Infrastructure Security Agency who was fired by Trump after issuing a statement with many other elections officials from around the country , stating that the 2020 election `` was the most secure in American history , '' and that there was `` no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes , changed votes , or was in any way compromised . ''
At Wednesday 's hearing , Krebs again confirmed that the election was indeed free from interference .
`` There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was in any way compromised , '' he said .
He also called on Republicans to stop perpetuating these baseless lies .
`` This is not the America I recognize .
It 's got to stop .
We need everyone across the leadership ranks to stand up , '' Krebs said .
`` I would appreciate more support from my own party , the Republican Party , to call this stuff out and move on … We have to move on . ''
Democrats on the committee chastised their GOP colleagues for calling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ false narratives about fraud or irregularities corrodes public trust ; it threatens national security ; and it weakens our democracy and our standing around the world , '' Sen. Gary Peters ( D-MI ) said in his opening remarks .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said Wednesday at a sham hearing about non-existent “irregularities” in the 2020 election that allegations of voter fraud must be investigated because Republicans believe they exist.
Sen. Ron Johnson, the Wisconsin Republican who as chair of the Homeland Security Committee has held multiple sham investigations over Donald Trump’s many debunked conspiracy theories, held the hearing to investigate what he called “legitimate questions” about election fraud, even though there has been no evidence of any fraud.
Of course, Republicans believe voter fraud exists because Trump and many other Republicans, including members of the House and Senate, have lied and told them so.
Trump and his allies’ have made numerous claims of fraud based on conspiracy theories. Those allegations of fraud have been presented in court in lawsuits seeking to invalidate ballots in numerous states across the country. And those lawsuits have been dismissed by dozens of judges because they lacked even a modicum of evidence.
That hasn’t stopped Republican lawmakers from continuing to insist to their supporters that there are valid questions about whether a massive scheme somehow changed the results of tens of millions of votes to steal the election from Trump and to even suggest that lawmakers should take extraordinary steps to overturn the election.
In fact, earlier on Wednesday, Hawley did not rule out challenging the Electoral College outcome on Jan. 6 when Congress meets to formally accept Joe Biden as the next president. And at the Senate hearing, he said Republicans believing the lies peddled to them by Trump and Republican lawmakers is reason enough to keep investigating the outcome of the election.
Hawley, at Wednesday’s hearing:
I’m from the state of Missouri. Yesterday, I was talking with some of the constituents back home, a group of about 30 people. Every single one of them, every one of them, told me that they felt they had been disenfranchised, that their votes didn’t matter, that the election had been rigged. These are normal, regular people. These are normal folks living normal lives who firmly believe that they have been disenfranchised. And to listen to mainstream press and quite a few voices in this building tell them after four years of nonstop Russia hoax, it was a hoax … after four years of that, being told that the last election was fake and that Donald Trump wasn’t really elected and that Russia intervened, after four years of that now these same people are told, “You need to sit down and shut up. If you have any concerns about election integrity you’re a nutcase, you should shut up.” Well, I tell ya what, 74 million Americans are not going to shut up, and telling them that their views don’t matter, and that their concerns do not matter, and they should just be quiet, is not a recipe for success in this country. It’s not a recipe for the unity I hear the other side is so interested in.
Hawley himself has been propping up these conspiracy theories. On Nov. 7, the day Biden was declared the winner, Hawley tweeted, “The media do not get to determine who the president is. The people do. When all lawful votes have been counted, recounts finished, and allegations of fraud addressed, we will know who the winner is.”
The Missouri senator has still refused to say that Biden is president-elect, even though the Electoral College already voted to make Biden the winner.
Of course, even Attorney General William Barr, who has backed up Trump’s past conspiracy theories, said there was not widespread voter fraud in the election that would alter the results.
Yet Republicans kept bringing up those same false claims at the Senate hearing Wednesday.
“The election was in many ways stolen,” Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said, without providing any evidence.
Three of the witnesses invited to speak to the committee also made baseless allegations of fraud, including a lawyer who argued a case that the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down, declaring it “un-American.”
Ken Starr, another witness at the hearing, falsely claimed dead people voted — a lie Trump and his supporters keep repeating even though that’s been proven to be false.
The only witness who said the election was fair and secure was Christopher Krebs, the former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency who was fired by Trump after issuing a statement with many other elections officials from around the country, stating that the 2020 election “was the most secure in American history,” and that there was “no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.”
At Wednesday’s hearing, Krebs again confirmed that the election was indeed free from interference.
“There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised,” he said.
He also called on Republicans to stop perpetuating these baseless lies.
“This is not the America I recognize. It’s got to stop. We need everyone across the leadership ranks to stand up,” Krebs said. “I would appreciate more support from my own party, the Republican Party, to call this stuff out and move on … We have to move on.”
Democrats on the committee chastised their GOP colleagues for calling the hearing.
“Amplifying these obviously false narratives about fraud or irregularities corrodes public trust; it threatens national security; and it weakens our democracy and our standing around the world,” Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) said in his opening remarks.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-12-16--Kelly Loeffler is not sure yet whether she'll try to overturn election

Sen. Kelly Loeffler ( R-GA ) said on Wednesday that she is not ruling out challenging the results of the 2020 election during next month 's joint session of Congress .
But if she says President-elect Joe Biden 's victory in states like Georgia was invalid , it would seemingly cast doubt on her own reelection race .
She told reporters that she was not ready to acknowledge Biden as the victor , claiming , `` There ’ ll be a time for that if that becomes true , but the president has a right to every legal recourse and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right now . ''
Donald Trump and his allies have already filed — and lost — dozens of lawsuits to challenge the election results .
Asked whether she would join a controversial last-ditch effort by Trump allies in the House of Representatives to object to the Electoral College results when they are officially tallied on Jan. 6 , she declined to say no .
`` I have n't looked at it , '' she answered .
`` January 6 is a long way out and there ’ s a lot to play out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already conceded Trump 's defeat and has reportedly begged Loeffler and other Senate Republicans not to object to the vote count .
If any single senator joins the House GOP effort to challenge the results in any state , it will force a two-hour closed debate in each chamber and a vote on whether to reject that state 's electors .
With a Democratic majority in the House and a majority of senators now acknowledging Biden 's win , such a maneuver would likely delay — but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On a conference call Tuesday , McConnell ( R-KY ) said forcing senators to vote on the results would be a `` terrible vote '' for Republicans — requiring them to either vote to overturn a free and fair election — one in which many of them ran and won — or to go on record against Trump , who has repeatedly claimed that he won `` by a lot . ''
( He lost both the popular vote and the Electoral College vote , 306 to 232 , which he described @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' ) Since Election Day , Loeffler has supported Trump 's widely debunked claims of fraud and attacked elections officials from her own party for not doing enough to rig the vote for the incumbent , even demanding the resignation of Georgia 's secretary of state .
On the same day Biden won Georgia by about 12,000 votes , Loeffler , who was appointed to a vacant seat last December , won a slot in the Jan. 5 runoff by coming in second in a very crowded field of candidates .
She will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Warnock , as none of the candidates received a majority of the vote .
But if Loeffler endorses GOP claims that Congress should overturn Georgia 's election results , she would also call into question her own place in that runoff .
Republican Rep. Doug Collins finished in third place , less than 6 % behind her .
Additionally , it would be difficult for her to ask supporters to turn out again to vote for her in another election run by the same Republican officials who allegedly let the election be `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that certified election results should be overturned by Congress .
Loeffler has n't said whether she would accept the runoff results if she were to win in January under the very same system run by the very same officials she is now calling fraudulent .
Her campaign did not immediately response to an inquiry for this story .
On Wednesday , Warnock blasted Loeffler for disrespecting Georgia voters through her refusal to accept Biden 's victory .
`` After refusing for weeks to acknowledge the basic fact that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now leaving the door open to challenging those results in Congress .
That ’ s reckless and disrespectful of Georgia voters , '' he said in a press statement .
`` The Electoral College voted and even Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has congratulated President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris .
It ’ s time for Senator Loeffler to stop putting her personal politics ahead of what ’ s best for our country and accept the results of the November election.
” Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) said on Wednesday that she is not ruling out challenging the results of the 2020 election during next month’s joint session of Congress. But if she says President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in states like Georgia was invalid, it would seemingly cast doubt on her own reelection race.
She told reporters that she was not ready to acknowledge Biden as the victor, claiming, “There’ll be a time for that if that becomes true, but the president has a right to every legal recourse and we’re letting that play out right now.”
Donald Trump and his allies have already filed — and lost — dozens of lawsuits to challenge the election results.
Asked whether she would join a controversial last-ditch effort by Trump allies in the House of Representatives to object to the Electoral College results when they are officially tallied on Jan. 6, she declined to say no.
“I haven’t looked at it,” she answered. “January 6 is a long way out and there’s a lot to play out between now and then.”
Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already conceded Trump’s defeat and has reportedly begged Loeffler and other Senate Republicans not to object to the vote count.
If any single senator joins the House GOP effort to challenge the results in any state, it will force a two-hour closed debate in each chamber and a vote on whether to reject that state’s electors. With a Democratic majority in the House and a majority of senators now acknowledging Biden’s win, such a maneuver would likely delay — but have zero impact on — the process.
On a conference call Tuesday, McConnell (R-KY) said forcing senators to vote on the results would be a “terrible vote” for Republicans — requiring them to either vote to overturn a free and fair election — one in which many of them ran and won — or to go on record against Trump, who has repeatedly claimed that he won “by a lot.” (He lost both the popular vote and the Electoral College vote, 306 to 232, which he described in 2016 as a “landslide.”)
Since Election Day, Loeffler has supported Trump’s widely debunked claims of fraud and attacked elections officials from her own party for not doing enough to rig the vote for the incumbent, even demanding the resignation of Georgia’s secretary of state.
On the same day Biden won Georgia by about 12,000 votes, Loeffler, who was appointed to a vacant seat last December, won a slot in the Jan. 5 runoff by coming in second in a very crowded field of candidates. She will face the top vote-getter, Democrat Raphael Warnock, as none of the candidates received a majority of the vote.
But if Loeffler endorses GOP claims that Congress should overturn Georgia’s election results, she would also call into question her own place in that runoff. Republican Rep. Doug Collins finished in third place, less than 6% behind her.
Additionally, it would be difficult for her to ask supporters to turn out again to vote for her in another election run by the same Republican officials who allegedly let the election be “stolen” for Biden, while arguing that certified election results should be overturned by Congress.
Loeffler hasn’t said whether she would accept the runoff results if she were to win in January under the very same system run by the very same officials she is now calling fraudulent. Her campaign did not immediately response to an inquiry for this story.
On Wednesday, Warnock blasted Loeffler for disrespecting Georgia voters through her refusal to accept Biden’s victory.
“After refusing for weeks to acknowledge the basic fact that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the election, Kelly Loeffler is now leaving the door open to challenging those results in Congress. That’s reckless and disrespectful of Georgia voters,” he said in a press statement.
“The Electoral College voted and even Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has congratulated President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris. It’s time for Senator Loeffler to stop putting her personal politics ahead of what’s best for our country and accept the results of the November election.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-12-16--Trump's campaign is still asking for money for an election that's over

Donald Trump 's presidential campaign continues to send frequent fundraising requests , long after the results of the 2020 presidential election have been decided and the states have certified their Electoral College votes — but why ?
An email sent this week by the campaign informs recipients they have `` won the Weekly Trump Patriot 1000 % IMPACT OFFER ! ''
`` Every week President Trump selects a TOP supporter to receive an exclusive 1000 % IMPACT OFFER , and this week it 's YOU , '' the email said , warning that the offer is only good for two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offer will be given to the next Patriot in line . ''
The email does n't specify what the `` offer '' is , nor does it say where donations would be directed or what the money would be used for , but it does ask for money : `` Please contribute $ 5 in the NEXT 2 HOURS and you can increase your impact by 1000 % , '' it said .
The donation request , which was sent out on Monday , notes in smaller print , `` Reaching grassroots supporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to WIN BIG in November . ''
Emails and texts sent by Trump 's campaign have come under fire before for misleading donors .
The campaign claims to be raising money for Republicans David Perdue 's and Kelly Loeffler 's campaigns for reelection to their Senate seats in Georgia in runoff elections scheduled for Jan. 5 .
But according to Politico , most of the proceeds have actually been funneled directly into `` Save America , '' Trump 's new PAC dedicated to his own future political pursuits .
According to Business Insider @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Georgia senators ' campaigns have gone into Trump 's own pocket , with 25 % going to the Republican National Committee , and none directly to Perdue and Loeffler .
`` The reality is Donald Trump does not care about the future of the Republican Party , so if he can raise money off of the Georgia runoffs but keep the money for his own purposes , he will do so , '' GOP strategist Doug Heye told Politico .
Trump 's lies to donors about where their money is going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 election , Trump 's campaign began soliciting donations for a `` legal defense '' to fight the election outcome as early as midnight on election night .
But the small print made clear that 50 % of the funds raised would go toward paying off the campaign 's debt , and not toward an election recount as promised .
On Nov. 11 Reuters reported that the Trump campaign was continuing to bombard potential donors with pleas for cash to help overturn the election , but that unless a donor gave at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would go to the Save America PAC and roughly $ 3,000 to the RNC — not a penny of the donation would go toward Trump 's recount fund .
Other GOP candidates have also continued to scam donors , soliciting money supposedly to overturn the election results .
South Dakota Gov .
Kristi Noem sent out an email requesting that donors `` bring it home for the president , '' but all funds raised actually went into her own reelection fund .
Even before the election , Trump was begging his base for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on its fundraising goals .
In reality , it threw away a $ 200 million cash advantage through questionable spending , such as $ 110,000 on magnetic cell phone pouches to stop people from recording Trump at fundraisers .
All told , Trump raised more than $ 207 million between Election Day and Dec. 3 .
And according to CNN , the rules governing PAC spending are so lax that that money could ultimately wind up as a slush fund for Trump 's own political future — including a 2024 presidential run .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foundation .

Donald Trump’s presidential campaign continues to send frequent fundraising requests, long after the results of the 2020 presidential election have been decided and the states have certified their Electoral College votes — but why?
An email sent this week by the campaign informs recipients they have “won the Weekly Trump Patriot 1000% IMPACT OFFER!”
“Every week President Trump selects a TOP supporter to receive an exclusive 1000% IMPACT OFFER, and this week it’s YOU,” the email said, warning that the offer is only good for two hours: “After that, your offer will be given to the next Patriot in line.”
The email doesn’t specify what the “offer” is, nor does it say where donations would be directed or what the money would be used for, but it does ask for money: “Please contribute $5 in the NEXT 2 HOURS and you can increase your impact by 1000%,” it said.
The donation request, which was sent out on Monday, notes in smaller print, “Reaching grassroots supporters directly is CRITICAL if we’re going to WIN BIG in November.”
Emails and texts sent by Trump’s campaign have come under fire before for misleading donors.
The campaign claims to be raising money for Republicans David Perdue’s and Kelly Loeffler’s campaigns for reelection to their Senate seats in Georgia in runoff elections scheduled for Jan. 5. But according to Politico, most of the proceeds have actually been funneled directly into “Save America,” Trump’s new PAC dedicated to his own future political pursuits.
According to Business Insider, 75% of donations supposedly going to the Georgia senators’ campaigns have gone into Trump’s own pocket, with 25% going to the Republican National Committee, and none directly to Perdue and Loeffler.
“The reality is Donald Trump does not care about the future of the Republican Party, so if he can raise money off of the Georgia runoffs but keep the money for his own purposes, he will do so,” GOP strategist Doug Heye told Politico.
Trump’s lies to donors about where their money is going are nothing new.
Following the Nov. 3 election, Trump’s campaign began soliciting donations for a “legal defense” to fight the election outcome as early as midnight on election night. But the small print made clear that 50% of the funds raised would go toward paying off the campaign’s debt, and not toward an election recount as promised.
On Nov. 11 Reuters reported that the Trump campaign was continuing to bombard potential donors with pleas for cash to help overturn the election, but that unless a donor gave at least $8,000 — $5,000 of which would go to the Save America PAC and roughly $3,000 to the RNC — not a penny of the donation would go toward Trump’s recount fund.
Other GOP candidates have also continued to scam donors, soliciting money supposedly to overturn the election results.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem sent out an email requesting that donors “bring it home for the president,” but all funds raised actually went into her own reelection fund.
Even before the election, Trump was begging his base for money, claiming his campaign was behind on its fundraising goals. In reality, it threw away a $200 million cash advantage through questionable spending, such as $110,000 on magnetic cell phone pouches to stop people from recording Trump at fundraisers.
All told, Trump raised more than $207 million between Election Day and Dec. 3. And according to CNN, the rules governing PAC spending are so lax that that money could ultimately wind up as a slush fund for Trump’s own political future — including a 2024 presidential run.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-12-16--Tom Cotton: We shouldn't help states that are trying to stop the pandemic

Sen. Tom Cotton ( R-AR ) suggested that cities and states that took steps to curb the coronavirus pandemic are to blame for their own economic woes .
And he scolded them for daring to ask for federal aid .
Appearing on Fox News on Wednesday , Cotton called it `` totally unjustifiable '' that Democrats supported funds for states and localities `` who want a no-strings attached bailout '' but are `` preventing people from earning a living '' with pandemic restrictions .
`` All of these Democratic governors and mayors are running to Washington , running to their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chuck Schumer and [ House Speaker ] Nancy Pelosi , demanding bailouts at a time when we should be allowing people to earn a living in a safe and responsible fashion and getting help to those who need it , '' he said .
`` That 's what we should have done back in September .
That 's what Republicans offered at the time . ''
Cotton tweeted out this video of his appearance , blaming the GOP Senate 's refusal to pass a pandemic relief bill for seven months on these same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are holding up coronavirus relief to regular Americans by demanding bailout money from their patrons in Washington , '' he wrote .
`` At the same time , those mayors & governors have prevented their constituents from earning a living .
Unconscionable and heartless . ''
Cotton is not being honest about who is asking for help : Numerous Republican governors and mayors of all parties have also begged the federal government to help their states and cities .
In May , the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed a $ 3 trillion pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states and localities whose revenues dropped and expenses grew due to COVID-19 and its economic damages .
For seven months , Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his fellow Senate Republicans have refused to even give the bill a vote , dishonestly framing the direct aid as a `` blue state bailout '' — even as red states were hit just as hard or harder .
In McConnell 's own state of Kentucky , for example , many cities faced budget shortfalls and called on Congress to pass relief to help them .
Cotton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ telling Politico in April , `` There are a lot of Democratic senators who want a no strings attached bailout for their states because of imprudent fiscal decisions in the past .
And obviously we 're not going to agree to that . ''
From May through September , Senate Republicans refused to bring up any relief legislation at all .
McConnell said this obstruction was `` the reasonable thing to do '' because it `` allowed us to learn the coronavirus did n't mysteriously disappear . ''
Since that time , Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 500 billion `` skinny '' relief bill that included a poison pill — a liability shield for businesses that would have made it virtually impossible for employees to sue if they get sick on the job as the result of their employer 's negligence .
As early as April , Cotton was pushing to immediately reopen the economy and end business restrictions that were put in place to curb the coronavirus ' spread .
And in February , he pushed widely debunked conspiracy theories , baselessly claiming the virus came from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While the virus has spread across the nation uncontrolled , with more than 189,000 total cases and 3,000 deaths in Arkansas alone , places that followed Cotton 's laissez faire approach fared especially badly .
According to a November New York Times analysis , cases surged most in the parts of the country that imposed the fewest restrictions .
`` States that have kept more control policies in a more consistent way — New England states , for example — have avoided a summer surge and are now having a smaller fall surge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policy expert Thomas Hale told the outlet , `` as opposed to states that rolled them back very quickly like Florida or Texas . ''
Arkansas fell into the latter category .
As of Wednesday , bipartisan congressional negotiators were reportedly close to a relief deal that would not include significant aid to struggling state and local governments .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) suggested that cities and states that took steps to curb the coronavirus pandemic are to blame for their own economic woes. And he scolded them for daring to ask for federal aid.
Appearing on Fox News on Wednesday, Cotton called it “totally unjustifiable” that Democrats supported funds for states and localities “who want a no-strings attached bailout” but are “preventing people from earning a living” with pandemic restrictions.
“All of these Democratic governors and mayors are running to Washington, running to their patrons like [Senate Democratic Leader] Chuck Schumer and [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi, demanding bailouts at a time when we should be allowing people to earn a living in a safe and responsible fashion and getting help to those who need it,” he said. “That’s what we should have done back in September. That’s what Republicans offered at the time.”
Cotton tweeted out this video of his appearance, blaming the GOP Senate’s refusal to pass a pandemic relief bill for seven months on these same officials.
“Democratic mayors & governors are holding up coronavirus relief to regular Americans by demanding bailout money from their patrons in Washington,” he wrote. “At the same time, those mayors & governors have prevented their constituents from earning a living. Unconscionable and heartless.”
Cotton is not being honest about who is asking for help: Numerous Republican governors and mayors of all parties have also begged the federal government to help their states and cities.
In May, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed a $3 trillion pandemic relief bill that included billions to support states and localities whose revenues dropped and expenses grew due to COVID-19 and its economic damages.
For seven months, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his fellow Senate Republicans have refused to even give the bill a vote, dishonestly framing the direct aid as a “blue state bailout” — even as red states were hit just as hard or harder. In McConnell’s own state of Kentucky, for example, many cities faced budget shortfalls and called on Congress to pass relief to help them.
Cotton has supported the obstruction of aid, telling Politico in April, “There are a lot of Democratic senators who want a no strings attached bailout for their states because of imprudent fiscal decisions in the past. And obviously we’re not going to agree to that.”
From May through September, Senate Republicans refused to bring up any relief legislation at all. McConnell said this obstruction was “the reasonable thing to do” because it “allowed us to learn the coronavirus didn’t mysteriously disappear.”
Since that time, Senate Republicans have repeatedly tried to pass a $500 billion “skinny” relief bill that included a poison pill — a liability shield for businesses that would have made it virtually impossible for employees to sue if they get sick on the job as the result of their employer’s negligence.
As early as April, Cotton was pushing to immediately reopen the economy and end business restrictions that were put in place to curb the coronavirus’ spread. And in February, he pushed widely debunked conspiracy theories, baselessly claiming the virus came from a “secretive” Chinese biochemical lab.
While the virus has spread across the nation uncontrolled, with more than 189,000 total cases and 3,000 deaths in Arkansas alone, places that followed Cotton’s laissez faire approach fared especially badly.
According to a November New York Times analysis, cases surged most in the parts of the country that imposed the fewest restrictions.
“States that have kept more control policies in a more consistent way — New England states, for example — have avoided a summer surge and are now having a smaller fall surge,” Blavatnik School of Government public policy expert Thomas Hale told the outlet, “as opposed to states that rolled them back very quickly like Florida or Texas.” Arkansas fell into the latter category.
As of Wednesday, bipartisan congressional negotiators were reportedly close to a relief deal that would not include significant aid to struggling state and local governments.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.