shareblue--2020-09-25--This obscure Pennsylvania law could mean voters' ballots aren't counted

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that any ballots voted by mail must be contained in a secrecy envelope in order to be counted — a strict requirement that could disenfranchise voters in the presidential election in November .
The state 's mail-in ballots come with two envelopes : an unaddressed inner envelope to protect the anonymity of the ballot , and a second addressed , postage-paid envelope .
When voters are done voting , they need to first seal their ballot inside the secrecy envelope , and then put it inside the addressed envelope for mailing .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without the secrecy envelope is deemed a `` naked ballot . ''
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently ruled that , under state law , such ballots may not be counted .
Since many Democrats are expected to vote by mail this November due to the coronavirus pandemic , the potential exists for disqualified `` naked ballots '' to be detrimental to Biden 's electoral chances .
Donald Trump won Pennsylvania by only about 44,000 votes in 2016 , amounting to less than 1 % of votes cast .
`` Recent actions by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be the subject of significant post-election legal controversy , the likes of which we have not seen since Florida in 2000 , '' wrote Lisa Deeley , chairwoman of the Philadelphia City Commissioners , the panel that oversees elections .
Deeley penned a letter to Pennsylvania 's legislative leaders underscoring `` the urgent need to eliminate the secrecy envelope requirement , '' which she believes is `` a vestige of the past '' that is no longer needed to ensure the anonymity of the ballot , which are now no longer counted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through an industrialized process '' that itself protects the identity of voters .
Deeley tweeted her concerns on Sept. 21 : `` Today , I sent a letter to legislative leaders re : my concerns on the recent @ SupremeCtofPA decision requiring ballots to be in secrecy envelopes to be counted & asked for a legislative fix .
I do n't want 100K+ legit PA ballots thrown out for a technicality . ''
She said the state is one of only 16 that use secrecy envelopes in absentee voting .
`` Secrecy envelopes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Modern central counts make them obsolete .
Secrecy envelopes exist just to slow down counting and are now a means to disenfranchise well intentioned PA voters , '' Deeley tweeted .
State Supreme Court Justice Max Baer , a Democrat , had ruled in favor of tossing out the naked ballots without the secrecy envelopes .
`` It is clear that the legislature believed that an orderly canvass of mail-in ballots required the completion of two discrete steps before critical identifying information on the ballot could be revealed .
The omission of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Baer wrote , according to the Philadelphia Inquirer .
A spokesperson for the Department of State told the Inquirer that Gov .
Tom Wolf 's administration `` would support legislation requiring counties to count naked ballots '' under the principle of protecting the right to vote .
But it 's unclear whether the Democratic governor would be able to reach an agreement with Republican legislators .
The state 's GOP-controlled legislature showed little interest in changing the law .
Democrats are now focusing efforts on voter education in hopes of preventing the naked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ encourage every Pennsylvanian who is voting by mail to make sure that they double-envelope their ballot , and put it in the secrecy envelope before inserting it into the declaration envelope , '' Deeley tweeted .
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez issued a statement urging voters to be vigilant in making their voices heard .
`` With vote-by-mail requests surging , it 's important that every voter using a mail ballot for the first time has all the information they need so that their ballot will be counted , including the importance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ envelope , '' Perez said .
`` Voting begins well before Election Day , and we 're confident that our voter education program will lead the way and make sure every Pennsylvanian 's voice is heard . ''
The Pennsylvania government has produced an instructional video to educate voters on how to ensure one 's mail-in vote will be counted .
Published with permission from The American Independent Foundation .

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that any ballots voted by mail must be contained in a secrecy envelope in order to be counted — a strict requirement that could disenfranchise voters in the presidential election in November.
The state’s mail-in ballots come with two envelopes: an unaddressed inner envelope to protect the anonymity of the ballot, and a second addressed, postage-paid envelope. When voters are done voting, they need to first seal their ballot inside the secrecy envelope, and then put it inside the addressed envelope for mailing.
A ballot placed inside the outer addressed envelope without the secrecy envelope is deemed a “naked ballot.” The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently ruled that, under state law, such ballots may not be counted.
Since many Democrats are expected to vote by mail this November due to the coronavirus pandemic, the potential exists for disqualified “naked ballots” to be detrimental to Biden’s electoral chances. Donald Trump won Pennsylvania by only about 44,000 votes in 2016, amounting to less than 1% of votes cast.
“Recent actions by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court have set Pennsylvania up to be the subject of significant post-election legal controversy, the likes of which we have not seen since Florida in 2000,” wrote Lisa Deeley, chairwoman of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, the panel that oversees elections.
Deeley penned a letter to Pennsylvania’s legislative leaders underscoring “the urgent need to eliminate the secrecy envelope requirement,” which she believes is “a vestige of the past” that is no longer needed to ensure the anonymity of the ballot, which are now no longer counted at the polls but “centrally, through an industrialized process” that itself protects the identity of voters.
Deeley tweeted her concerns on Sept. 21: “Today, I sent a letter to legislative leaders re: my concerns on the recent @SupremeCtofPA decision requiring ballots to be in secrecy envelopes to be counted & asked for a legislative fix. I don’t want 100K+ legit PA ballots thrown out for a technicality.”
She said the state is one of only 16 that use secrecy envelopes in absentee voting.
“Secrecy envelopes are a vestige of the past. Modern central counts make them obsolete. Secrecy envelopes exist just to slow down counting and are now a means to disenfranchise well intentioned PA voters,” Deeley tweeted.
State Supreme Court Justice Max Baer, a Democrat, had ruled in favor of tossing out the naked ballots without the secrecy envelopes.
“It is clear that the legislature believed that an orderly canvass of mail-in ballots required the completion of two discrete steps before critical identifying information on the ballot could be revealed. The omission of a secrecy envelope defeats this intention,” Baer wrote, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
A spokesperson for the Department of State told the Inquirer that Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration “would support legislation requiring counties to count naked ballots” under the principle of protecting the right to vote. But it’s unclear whether the Democratic governor would be able to reach an agreement with Republican legislators. The state’s GOP-controlled legislature showed little interest in changing the law.
Democrats are now focusing efforts on voter education in hopes of preventing the naked ballots from being invalidated.
“I encourage every Pennsylvanian who is voting by mail to make sure that they double-envelope their ballot, and put it in the secrecy envelope before inserting it into the declaration envelope,” Deeley tweeted.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez issued a statement urging voters to be vigilant in making their voices heard.
“With vote-by-mail requests surging, it’s important that every voter using a mail ballot for the first time has all the information they need so that their ballot will be counted, including the importance of sealing their ballot in the secrecy envelope,” Perez said. “Voting begins well before Election Day, and we’re confident that our voter education program will lead the way and make sure every Pennsylvanian’s voice is heard.”
The Pennsylvania government has produced an instructional video to educate voters on how to ensure one’s mail-in vote will be counted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpHR3MM4NuU
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-09-25--Trump demands supporters send more money because he's short on cash

Donald Trump begged supporters Friday to send him more money , warning that his campaign is way behind its fundraising targets .
`` We need to make sure we have the resources to combat their LIES , which is why I ’ m coming to you now with a critical request , '' Trump said in his email solicitation .
`` We ’ re well behind our September pace so we need you to step up RIGHT NOW but we also need to break a fundraising record on Debate Day to beat Joe Biden.
” The request comes at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Though Trump has raised a historic amount of money — about $ 1.3 billion as of early September — it squandered a massive cash advantage on some questionable spending .
According to a New York Times report earlier this month , over the past five months , Team Trump blew its nearly $ 200 million cash advantage on things including $ 156,000 for planes to pull pro-Trump banners , nearly $ 110,000 for magnetic cell phone pouches to keep people from recording Trump at his fundraising events , and over $ 1 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington , D.C. , media market .
Those ads were reportedly designed entirely to reassure Trump , a frequent D.C. television viewer , of his reelection chances .
Trump 's free-spending campaign so far has not translated to a polling lead .
He has trailed Biden in nearly every national poll and is behind in the vast majority of surveys of key swing states .
Meanwhile , Biden set a record with his August fundraising , outraising Trump by a 3 to 1 margin , according to the Center for Responsive Politics .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the beginning of September than Trump .
Trump 's latest solicitation also claims that all donations will magically be octupled .
`` WE ’ VE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE ! ''
the ad reads .
`` If you step up in the NEXT HOUR , BOTH of your gifts will be 700 % -MATCHED ! ''
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to an inquiry about how this is possible , given Federal Election Commission contribution restrictions .
The campaign sent another email — hours earlier — from Donald Trump Jr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an 800 % match .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Donald Trump begged supporters Friday to send him more money, warning that his campaign is way behind its fundraising targets.
“We need to make sure we have the resources to combat their LIES, which is why I’m coming to you now with a critical request,” Trump said in his email solicitation. “We’re well behind our September pace so we need you to step up RIGHT NOW but we also need to break a fundraising record on Debate Day to beat Joe Biden.”
The request comes at a tough time for Trump’s campaign. Though Trump has raised a historic amount of money — about $1.3 billion as of early September — it squandered a massive cash advantage on some questionable spending.
According to a New York Times report earlier this month, over the past five months, Team Trump blew its nearly $200 million cash advantage on things including $156,000 for planes to pull pro-Trump banners, nearly $110,000 for magnetic cell phone pouches to keep people from recording Trump at his fundraising events, and over $1 million on Trump ads in the deep blue Washington, D.C., media market.
Those ads were reportedly designed entirely to reassure Trump, a frequent D.C. television viewer, of his reelection chances.
Trump’s free-spending campaign so far has not translated to a polling lead. He has trailed Biden in nearly every national poll and is behind in the vast majority of surveys of key swing states.
Meanwhile, Biden set a record with his August fundraising, outraising Trump by a 3 to 1 margin, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Biden had more cash on hand overall at the beginning of September than Trump.
Trump’s latest solicitation also claims that all donations will magically be octupled. “WE’VE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE!” the ad reads. “If you step up in the NEXT HOUR, BOTH of your gifts will be 700%-MATCHED!”
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to an inquiry about how this is possible, given Federal Election Commission contribution restrictions.
The campaign sent another email — hours earlier — from Donald Trump Jr., claiming that any donations would receive an 800% match.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-09-25--Court revives House lawsuit over Trump taking military funds for his wall

A federal appeals court on Friday revived a House challenge of Donald Trump 's use of Defense Department money to build a border wall after Democrats refused to provide funding he requested .
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia reversed a lower court 's dismissal of the House Democrats ' lawsuit .
The appeals panel found the House had been wrongly cut out of its `` constitutionally indispensable legislative role '' when Trump unilaterally moved about $ 8 billion to border wall construction .
Congress ' power to appropriate spending `` is a core structural protection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so to speak , between the branches of government that prevents encroachment of the House 's and Senate 's power of the purse , '' the panel wrote .
The case now returns to the court of U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden , a Trump appointee , who had initially ruled that Congress lacked the authority to sue in April 2019 .
The Justice Department did not immediately comment .
House Democrats sued three months after the end of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history , triggered by Trump 's demand for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signed a funding bill that included $ 1.4 billion for border barriers , short of the $ 5.7 billion he had demanded from Congress .
But he then declared a national emergency to secure billions more in funding denied by Democrats controlling the House , in part by taking money for military housing and counterdrug programs .
The move triggered several legal challenges , including the one by House Democrats .
Another appeals court ruled in June against the transfer of money from military construction projects .
But the U.S. Supreme Court in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while the case continued .
The high court 's four liberal justices dissented .
One of those four , Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , died Sept. 18 .
The three-judge panel consisted of Senior Circuit Judge David B. Sentelle , nominated to the court by former President Ronald Reagan , and two nominees of former President Barack Obama : Patricia Millett and Robert Wilkins .
Building a border wall was one of Trump 's signature campaign pledges four years ago , though he promised then that Mexico would pay for the wall .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ completed 321 miles ( 517 kilometers ) of wall during the Trump administration , though almost all of that is replacing existing barriers .

A federal appeals court on Friday revived a House challenge of Donald Trump’s use of Defense Department money to build a border wall after Democrats refused to provide funding he requested.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia reversed a lower court’s dismissal of the House Democrats’ lawsuit. The appeals panel found the House had been wrongly cut out of its “constitutionally indispensable legislative role” when Trump unilaterally moved about $8 billion to border wall construction.
Congress’ power to appropriate spending “is a core structural protection of the Constitution — a wall, so to speak, between the branches of government that prevents encroachment of the House’s and Senate’s power of the purse,” the panel wrote.
The case now returns to the court of U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, who had initially ruled that Congress lacked the authority to sue in April 2019.
The Justice Department did not immediately comment.
House Democrats sued three months after the end of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, triggered by Trump’s demand for border wall funding.
The president later signed a funding bill that included $1.4 billion for border barriers, short of the $5.7 billion he had demanded from Congress. But he then declared a national emergency to secure billions more in funding denied by Democrats controlling the House, in part by taking money for military housing and counterdrug programs.
The move triggered several legal challenges, including the one by House Democrats. Another appeals court ruled in June against the transfer of money from military construction projects. But the U.S. Supreme Court in July declined to order wall construction stopped while the case continued. The high court’s four liberal justices dissented. One of those four, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, died Sept. 18.
The three-judge panel consisted of Senior Circuit Judge David B. Sentelle, nominated to the court by former President Ronald Reagan, and two nominees of former President Barack Obama: Patricia Millett and Robert Wilkins.
Building a border wall was one of Trump’s signature campaign pledges four years ago, though he promised then that Mexico would pay for the wall.
The U.S. Border Patrol says it has completed 321 miles (517 kilometers) of wall during the Trump administration, though almost all of that is replacing existing barriers.


shareblue--2020-09-26--Fact check: Trump is lying about how much he's helped veterans

Donald Trump claimed to receive a 2016 award from military veterans that did n't exist and falsely denigrated the record of the late Republican Sen. John McCain on veterans affairs , whose widow endorsed Democratic rival Joe Biden for president .
A look at some of Trump 's claims this week : TRUMP : `` I was honored to receive the endorsement of the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association in 2016 , and they gave me a beautiful award .
And I have it very proudly on a wall of great importance to me . ''
— White House ceremony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pigs invasion of Cuba .
THE FACTS : There is no official award .
Trump did get an endorsement from the association in 2016 , the first ever from the group of Florida-based veterans who fought in the United States ' failed attempt to overthrow the Cuban government in 1961 .
But no award came with it .
In a news release this month — four years after the fact and after Trump repeatedly claimed he received an award — Juan López de la Cruz , president of the association , sought to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ award '' from the group in 2016 .
The group endorsed Trump for a second term .
TRUMP : `` I hardly know Cindy McCain ... Joe Biden was John McCain 's lapdog .
So many BAD decisions on Endless Wars & the V.A.
, which I brought from a horror show to HIGH APPROVAL . ''
— tweet .
THE FACTS : Trump is ignoring accomplishments at the Department of Veterans Affairs that began during the Obama-Biden administration , which included McCain 's singular successes on behalf of fellow veterans .
McCain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind the law that gave veterans an option to go outside the VA 's health care system and get private care at public expense under certain conditions .
President Barack Obama signed the VA Choice legislation into law .
Ignoring that reality , Trump persistently claims that he brought Choice into law when no one else could .
Trump signed a law in 2018 that expanded the options for using the Choice program established by Obama and McCain and other lawmakers .
The 2018 law is named after three lawmakers who were veterans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They are Rep. Samuel R. Johnson ( R-TX ) , Sen. Daniel K. Akaka ( D-HI ) , and McCain ( R-AZ ) .
Trump frequently points to VA accomplishments such as improved wait times and the offering of same-day mental health services .
But those same-day services at VA were started during the Obama administration .
Major veterans ' organizations in fact urged Trump when he became president to reappoint Obama 's VA secretary , Bob McDonald , so he could continue the VA gains .
Trump ultimately settled on one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to be VA secretary .
A 2019 study by the Journal of the American Medical Association later found improved wait times at VA from 2014 to 2017 , a period largely covering the Obama administration , with VA patient satisfaction also on the rise .
While the VA has shown good ratings during the Trump administration , Trump 's claim of deserving all credit for turning the VA from a `` horror show '' to `` HIGH APPROVAL '' is sorely misplaced .
Cindy McCain endorsed Biden for president Tuesday in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the GOP 's 2008 nominee .

Donald Trump claimed to receive a 2016 award from military veterans that didn’t exist and falsely denigrated the record of the late Republican Sen. John McCain on veterans affairs, whose widow endorsed Democratic rival Joe Biden for president.
A look at some of Trump’s claims this week:
TRUMP: “I was honored to receive the endorsement of the Bay of Pigs Veterans Association in 2016, and they gave me a beautiful award. And I have it very proudly on a wall of great importance to me.” — White House ceremony honoring veterans of the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba.
THE FACTS: There is no official award.
Trump did get an endorsement from the association in 2016, the first ever from the group of Florida-based veterans who fought in the United States’ failed attempt to overthrow the Cuban government in 1961. But no award came with it.
In a news release this month — four years after the fact and after Trump repeatedly claimed he received an award — Juan López de la Cruz, president of the association, sought to recast the endorsement as a “recognition award” from the group in 2016. The group endorsed Trump for a second term.
___
TRUMP: “I hardly know Cindy McCain … Joe Biden was John McCain’s lapdog. So many BAD decisions on Endless Wars & the V.A., which I brought from a horror show to HIGH APPROVAL.” — tweet.
THE FACTS: Trump is ignoring accomplishments at the Department of Veterans Affairs that began during the Obama-Biden administration, which included McCain’s singular successes on behalf of fellow veterans.
McCain was a leading force in the Senate behind the law that gave veterans an option to go outside the VA’s health care system and get private care at public expense under certain conditions. President Barack Obama signed the VA Choice legislation into law. Ignoring that reality, Trump persistently claims that he brought Choice into law when no one else could.
Trump signed a law in 2018 that expanded the options for using the Choice program established by Obama and McCain and other lawmakers.
The 2018 law is named after three lawmakers who were veterans of war. All now are dead. They are Rep. Samuel R. Johnson (R-TX), Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), and McCain (R-AZ).
Trump frequently points to VA accomplishments such as improved wait times and the offering of same-day mental health services. But those same-day services at VA were started during the Obama administration. Major veterans’ organizations in fact urged Trump when he became president to reappoint Obama’s VA secretary, Bob McDonald, so he could continue the VA gains. Trump ultimately settled on one of McDonald’s deputies, David Shulkin, to be VA secretary.
A 2019 study by the Journal of the American Medical Association later found improved wait times at VA from 2014 to 2017, a period largely covering the Obama administration, with VA patient satisfaction also on the rise.
While the VA has shown good ratings during the Trump administration, Trump’s claim of deserving all credit for turning the VA from a “horror show” to “HIGH APPROVAL” is sorely misplaced.
Cindy McCain endorsed Biden for president Tuesday in a rebuke of Trump by the widow of the GOP’s 2008 nominee.


shareblue--2020-09-26--Pompeo ditches diplomacy to hit the campaign trail for Trump

Undaunted by criticism , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is forging ahead with a series of events that have overtly political overtones ahead of the November presidential election .
Casting aside a long tradition of the nation 's top diplomat shunning partisan politics , Pompeo gave a speech on Wednesday in the swing state of Wisconsin , marking his participation in the fourth event this month alone that goes well beyond what previous secretaries of state have done in support of the presidents they have served .
From the Republican National Convention , which he addressed by recorded video from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas over the weekend and the Value Voters Summit in Washington just on Tuesday , Pompeo has not been shy in taking his message to audiences considered essential to Donald Trump 's reelection .
And more are scheduled .
While Pompeo 's speeches have stopped short of blatant calls to vote for Trump , the venues he has chosen have raised eyebrows and sparked allegations from Democrats of possible violations of federal law .
Pompeo and his aides have denied any wrongdoing and defended his appearances as part of explaining foreign policy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American people .
Yet , they fit a pattern he has established since becoming secretary of state nearly three years ago .
He has bristled at restrictions his predecessors have observed in obeyance of the Hatch Act , which forbids political activity by federal officials in their positions .
And , Pompeo is not alone .
He 's just one of many frequent fliers to battleground states in Trump 's Cabinet as Nov. 3 draws near .
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue , Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler , Interior Secretary David Bernhardt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among agency heads making scores of trips this year to swing states — announcing federal grants and other aid for each targeted state or promoting Trump initiatives that they say have helped boost the local economy and residents .
Cabinet-level travel to Pennsylvania and other states vital to Trump in the Electoral College have intensified in recent weeks .
But these Cabinet members have portfolios dealing primarily with domestic issues , so their travel to states is less likely to raise eyebrows .
But secretaries of state are associated with traveling around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politics .
Madeleine Albright , a longtime Democratic activist , famously spoke of having her `` political instincts surgically removed '' when she became secretary of state under President Bill Clinton and worked with top Republicans in Congress like North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms on foreign policy matters .
Colin Powell shied away from political events while he held the office in Republican President George W. Bush 's administration as did his successor Condoleezza Rice .
While Hillary Clinton and John Kerry each defended the Obama administration 's policies with special emphasis on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pointedly distanced themselves from campaign appearances .
As Trump 's secretary of state Pompeo has traveled extensively in the United States to speak to conservative audiences .
Beyond any support Pompeo may be giving to Trump , the travels have added to speculation that he has political aspirations of his own , including a possible presidential run in 2024 .
Pompeo has deflected questions about his personal ambitions .
Pompeo 's home state of Kansas has been a frequent destination , but he has also spoken in Tennessee , Florida , and Kentucky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considered prime locations for foreign policy discourse .
After Pompeo 's China-focused speech at the Wisconsin state capitol in Madison on Wednesday , Wisconsin Democratic state Sen. Chris Larson decried the appearance , calling it a `` campaign speech disguised as a foreign policy address . ''
But Pompeo 's appearance at the Republican National Convention last month — it attracted a substantial backlash from Democrats — appears to have set the stage for an all-out , election-year push for Trump as Pompeo touts Trump 's full-throated support for Israel , promotion of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on China .
In addition to the Wisconsin state Senate on Wednesday , Pompeo spoke to white evangelicals , a key demographic for Trump at the Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano , Texas , at services last Sunday .
`` As the secretary of state I 'm not allowed to do politics , '' he told the congregation , `` but I can do duty , and it is everyone 's duty to be counted , to stand up and express your preference , the things that you want , and to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freedom that we have been given and that our officers and security teams will ensure that we have the opportunity to go vote . ''
`` Go exercise that right and make sure every one of your friends does the same , and then the Lord will pass upon it and we will come out of this election a stronger , better nation , '' he said .
`` I am confident of that . ''

Undaunted by criticism, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is forging ahead with a series of events that have overtly political overtones ahead of the November presidential election.
Casting aside a long tradition of the nation’s top diplomat shunning partisan politics, Pompeo gave a speech on Wednesday in the swing state of Wisconsin, marking his participation in the fourth event this month alone that goes well beyond what previous secretaries of state have done in support of the presidents they have served.
From the Republican National Convention, which he addressed by recorded video from Israel, to an evangelical megachurch in Texas over the weekend and the Value Voters Summit in Washington just on Tuesday, Pompeo has not been shy in taking his message to audiences considered essential to Donald Trump’s reelection. And more are scheduled.
While Pompeo’s speeches have stopped short of blatant calls to vote for Trump, the venues he has chosen have raised eyebrows and sparked allegations from Democrats of possible violations of federal law. Pompeo and his aides have denied any wrongdoing and defended his appearances as part of explaining foreign policy and the State Department’s role to the American people.
Yet, they fit a pattern he has established since becoming secretary of state nearly three years ago. He has bristled at restrictions his predecessors have observed in obeyance of the Hatch Act, which forbids political activity by federal officials in their positions.
And, Pompeo is not alone. He’s just one of many frequent fliers to battleground states in Trump’s Cabinet as Nov. 3 draws near.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, and Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette are among agency heads making scores of trips this year to swing states — announcing federal grants and other aid for each targeted state or promoting Trump initiatives that they say have helped boost the local economy and residents.
Cabinet-level travel to Pennsylvania and other states vital to Trump in the Electoral College have intensified in recent weeks.
But these Cabinet members have portfolios dealing primarily with domestic issues, so their travel to states is less likely to raise eyebrows. But secretaries of state are associated with traveling around the globe — and steering clear of domestic politics.
Madeleine Albright, a longtime Democratic activist, famously spoke of having her “political instincts surgically removed” when she became secretary of state under President Bill Clinton and worked with top Republicans in Congress like North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms on foreign policy matters. Colin Powell shied away from political events while he held the office in Republican President George W. Bush’s administration as did his successor Condoleezza Rice.
While Hillary Clinton and John Kerry each defended the Obama administration’s policies with special emphasis on issues they felt strongly about, both pointedly distanced themselves from campaign appearances.
As Trump’s secretary of state Pompeo has traveled extensively in the United States to speak to conservative audiences. Beyond any support Pompeo may be giving to Trump, the travels have added to speculation that he has political aspirations of his own, including a possible presidential run in 2024. Pompeo has deflected questions about his personal ambitions.
Pompeo’s home state of Kansas has been a frequent destination, but he has also spoken in Tennessee, Florida, and Kentucky at events that might not otherwise be considered prime locations for foreign policy discourse.
After Pompeo’s China-focused speech at the Wisconsin state capitol in Madison on Wednesday, Wisconsin Democratic state Sen. Chris Larson decried the appearance, calling it a “campaign speech disguised as a foreign policy address.”
But Pompeo’s appearance at the Republican National Convention last month — it attracted a substantial backlash from Democrats — appears to have set the stage for an all-out, election-year push for Trump as Pompeo touts Trump’s full-throated support for Israel, promotion of international religious freedom and increasingly tough stance on China.
In addition to the Wisconsin state Senate on Wednesday, Pompeo spoke to white evangelicals, a key demographic for Trump at the Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, at services last Sunday.
“As the secretary of state I’m not allowed to do politics,” he told the congregation, “but I can do duty, and it is everyone’s duty to be counted, to stand up and express your preference, the things that you want, and to go to the polling place and exercise that freedom that we have been given and that our officers and security teams will ensure that we have the opportunity to go vote.”
“Go exercise that right and make sure every one of your friends does the same, and then the Lord will pass upon it and we will come out of this election a stronger, better nation,” he said. “I am confident of that.”


shareblue--2020-09-27--Trump paid zero federal income taxes in 10 of the past 15 years, report says

Donald Trump paid just $ 750 in federal income taxes the year he ran for office and in his first year in the White House , according to a report Sunday in The New York Times .
Trump , who has fiercely guarded his tax filings and is the only president in modern times not to make them public , paid no federal income taxes in 10 of the past 15 years .
The details of the tax filings complicate Trump 's description of himself as a shrewd and patriotic businessman , revealing instead a series of financial losses and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conflict with his responsibilities as president .
Trump 's financial disclosures indicated he earned at least $ 434.9 million in 2018 , but the tax filings reported a $ 47.4 million loss .
The disclosure , which the Times said comes from tax return data it obtained extending over two decades , comes at a pivotal moment ahead of the first presidential debate Tuesday and weeks before a divisive election against Democrat Joe Biden .
Speaking at a news conference Sunday at the White House , Trump dismissed the report as `` fake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taxes , though he gave no specifics .
He also vowed that information about his taxes `` will all be revealed , '' but he offered no timeline for the disclosure and made similar promises during the 2016 campaign on which he never followed through .
In fact , Trump has fielded court challenges against those seeking access to his returns , including the U.S. House , which is suing for access to Trump 's tax returns as part of congressional oversight .
During his first two years in office , Trump received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which in addition to his golf properties in Scotland and Ireland included $ 3 million from the Philippines , $ 2.3 million from India , and $ 1 million from Turkey .
Trump in 2017 paid $ 145,400 in taxes in India and $ 156,824 in the Philippines , compared to just $ 750 in U.S. income taxes .
Trump found multiple ways to reduce his tax bills .
He has taken tax deductions on personal expenses such as housing , aircraft and $ 70,000 to style his hair while he filmed `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ property businesses solely owned and managed by Trump appear to have offset income from his stake in `` The Apprentice '' and other entities with multiple owners .
During the first two years he was in office , Trump relied on business tax credits to reduce his tax obligations .
The Times said $ 9.7 million worth of business investment credits that were submitted after Trump requested an extension to file his taxes allowed him to reduce his income and pay just $ 750 each in 2016 and 2017 .
Income tax payments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump , starting in 2010 , claimed and received an income tax refund that totaled $ 72.9 million , which the Times said was at the core of an ongoing audit by the IRS .
The Times said a ruling against Trump could cost him $ 100 million or more .
He also has more than $ 300 million in loans due to be repaid in the next four years .
Richard Neal ( D-MA ) , the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee who has tried unsuccessfully to obtain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Times report makes it even more essential for his committee to get the documents .
`` It appears that the President has gamed the tax code to his advantage and used legal fights to delay or avoid paying what he owes , '' Neal wrote in a statement .
`` Now , Donald Trump is the boss of the agency he considers an adversary .
It is essential that the IRS 's presidential audit program remain free of interference . ''
A lawyer for the Trump Organization , Alan Garten , and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on the report .
Garten told the Times that `` most , if not all , of the facts appear to be inaccurate . ''
He said in a statement to the news organization that Trump `` has paid tens of millions of dollars in personal taxes to the federal government , including paying millions in personal taxes since announcing his candidacy in 2015 . ''
The New York Times said it declined to provide Garten with the tax filings in order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first general election debate against Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 , Clinton said that perhaps Trump was n't releasing his tax returns because he had paid nothing in federal taxes .
Trump interrupted her to say , `` That makes me smart . ''

Donald Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes the year he ran for office and in his first year in the White House, according to a report Sunday in The New York Times.
Trump, who has fiercely guarded his tax filings and is the only president in modern times not to make them public, paid no federal income taxes in 10 of the past 15 years.
The details of the tax filings complicate Trump’s description of himself as a shrewd and patriotic businessman, revealing instead a series of financial losses and income from abroad that could come into conflict with his responsibilities as president. Trump’s financial disclosures indicated he earned at least $434.9 million in 2018, but the tax filings reported a $47.4 million loss.
The disclosure, which the Times said comes from tax return data it obtained extending over two decades, comes at a pivotal moment ahead of the first presidential debate Tuesday and weeks before a divisive election against Democrat Joe Biden.
Speaking at a news conference Sunday at the White House, Trump dismissed the report as “fake news” and maintained he has paid taxes, though he gave no specifics. He also vowed that information about his taxes “will all be revealed,” but he offered no timeline for the disclosure and made similar promises during the 2016 campaign on which he never followed through.
In fact, Trump has fielded court challenges against those seeking access to his returns, including the U.S. House, which is suing for access to Trump’s tax returns as part of congressional oversight.
During his first two years in office, Trump received $73 million from foreign operations, which in addition to his golf properties in Scotland and Ireland included $3 million from the Philippines, $2.3 million from India, and $1 million from Turkey. Trump in 2017 paid $145,400 in taxes in India and $156,824 in the Philippines, compared to just $750 in U.S. income taxes.
Trump found multiple ways to reduce his tax bills. He has taken tax deductions on personal expenses such as housing, aircraft and $70,000 to style his hair while he filmed “The Apprentice.” Losses in the property businesses solely owned and managed by Trump appear to have offset income from his stake in “The Apprentice” and other entities with multiple owners.
During the first two years he was in office, Trump relied on business tax credits to reduce his tax obligations. The Times said $9.7 million worth of business investment credits that were submitted after Trump requested an extension to file his taxes allowed him to reduce his income and pay just $750 each in 2016 and 2017.
Income tax payments help finance the military and domestic programs.
Trump, starting in 2010, claimed and received an income tax refund that totaled $72.9 million, which the Times said was at the core of an ongoing audit by the IRS. The Times said a ruling against Trump could cost him $100 million or more. He also has more than $300 million in loans due to be repaid in the next four years.
Richard Neal (D-MA), the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee who has tried unsuccessfully to obtain Trump’s tax records, said the Times report makes it even more essential for his committee to get the documents.
“It appears that the President has gamed the tax code to his advantage and used legal fights to delay or avoid paying what he owes,” Neal wrote in a statement. “Now, Donald Trump is the boss of the agency he considers an adversary. It is essential that the IRS’s presidential audit program remain free of interference.”
A lawyer for the Trump Organization, Alan Garten, and a spokesperson for the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on the report.
Garten told the Times that “most, if not all, of the facts appear to be inaccurate.”
He said in a statement to the news organization that Trump “has paid tens of millions of dollars in personal taxes to the federal government, including paying millions in personal taxes since announcing his candidacy in 2015.”
The New York Times said it declined to provide Garten with the tax filings in order to protect its sources.
During his first general election debate against Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016, Clinton said that perhaps Trump wasn’t releasing his tax returns because he had paid nothing in federal taxes.
Trump interrupted her to say, “That makes me smart.”
Updated with additional reporting.


shareblue--2020-09-27--Progressives are pushing to expand the Supreme Court. Here's what that means.

Since Joe Biden ran away with the Democratic presidential nomination in March , leading progressives have accepted him — sometimes grudgingly — as their party 's leader .
But , in the final weeks of the campaign , the Supreme Court vacancy is threatening to inflame old divides .
Some activists on the left are pressing Biden to endorse expanding the number of high court justices should he win the White House and Democrats take control of the Senate .
But Biden , who ran a relatively centrist primary campaign , has n't embraced those calls , worried they may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There 's little indication that large swaths of progressives will abandon Biden or back third-party candidates , moves that wounded Democrat Hillary Clinton 's 2016 bid .
But activists insist they will keep pressure on Biden to pursue dramatic reforms to the Supreme Court if Republicans move forward with a plan to quickly approve Donald Trump 's pick to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg .
`` The majority of Berniecrats will most likely vote for Vice President Joe Biden , '' said Nina Turner , a former Ohio state senator and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns .
`` That does n't mean that they are not going to raise hell all the way . ''
`` Biden should make it clear that he will fight back by expanding the court if he wins , '' said Turner , who is founding a firm to advance progressive causes , Amare Public Affairs .
The Constitution does n't mandate the number of Supreme Court justices , which has changed over time .
In 1937 , President Franklin D. Roosevelt promoted legislation to `` pack the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justices , an effort that stalled once the justices began to rule in his favor on policies tied to the New Deal .
Since then , the makeup of the court has n't been a prominent issue in national politics .
That began to change after Justice Brett Kavanaugh 's contentious 2018 nomination fight .
Calls to add justices grew much louder this week in response to the GOP 's rush to fill Ginsburg 's seat before the election , which would leave the court with six conservatives and three liberals .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , very fast , '' said Aaron Belkin , director of Take Back the Court , which advocates for increasing the number of justices .
`` And under a Biden administration , when the court has the administration handcuffed on Day One , I think the politics are going to be changing even more quickly . ''
That puts Biden in a tough spot .
As someone who spent 36 years in the Senate , he built a career revering Washington 's institutions .
During the 2020 primary , he pointedly declined to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Warren or California Sen. Kamala Harris , who is now his running mate , in being open to court expansion .
During his first extended comments Sunday about Ginsburg 's death , Biden appealed to the few remaining moderate Senate Republicans to buck their party 's leadership , rather than to progressives looking for him to support a larger court .
Since then , Biden has largely sought to avoid the issue as he 's campaigned in battleground states , preferring instead to focus on Trump 's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about changes to the court during an interview with a Wisconsin television station , saying a response would `` shift all the focus . ''
Biden has also said Democrats should concentrate on making it clear for voters why the GOP push to quickly fill Ginsburg 's seat is a `` gigantic mistake and abuse of power . ''
Some progressives said Ginsburg 's death laid bare why they 're backing Biden .
`` Voting for Joe Biden is not about whether you agree with him .
It 's a vote to let @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Instagram last week .
The New York congresswoman spent months expressing skepticism toward Biden but also was co-leader of a task force on climate change that top Biden supporters and advisers formed with their counterparts from Sanders ' unsuccessful presidential campaign to try to better reach consensus on top issues .
Those groups made policy recommendations that helped shape the Democratic Party platform , which was adopted at its national convention last month and was meant to avoid the ideological clashes that Clinton endured four years ago .
Sanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Warren , who has suggested she 'd be willing to support it , have similarly used Ginsburg 's death as a rallying cry for Biden .
`` Democracy as we know it is in danger , '' Warren said at a virtual event with Virginia leaders , calling Republican court efforts `` the last gasp of a desperate party that is overrepresented in the hall of power . ''
During a speech Thursday , Sanders warned that Trump is openly suggesting that he 'll brand as illegitimate any election he loses .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ country faces from a president who is a pathological liar , who has strong authoritarian tendencies , who neither understands nor respects our Constitution and who is prepared to undermine American democracy in order to stay in power . ''
The voting results may be disputed and trigger a legal fight , Sanders said , noting that Trump `` is attempting to push through a Supreme Court justice who may very well cast a vote in a case that will determine the outcome of this election . ''
Rather than mentioning expanding the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to counter that is to have the largest voter turnout in U.S. history .
`` This is not just an election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden , '' Sanders said .
`` This is an election between Donald Trump and democracy — and democracy must win . ''
Just getting Biden elected might not be enough for everyone , though .
Adam Green , co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee , called the coming Senate nomination fight Biden 's chance to offer a `` first big show of force as leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He can quickly unify Democrats in saying no confirmation until after inauguration , '' Green said .
`` And promising to expand the court if Republicans do an end run around democracy . ''

Since Joe Biden ran away with the Democratic presidential nomination in March, leading progressives have accepted him — sometimes grudgingly — as their party’s leader. But, in the final weeks of the campaign, the Supreme Court vacancy is threatening to inflame old divides.
Some activists on the left are pressing Biden to endorse expanding the number of high court justices should he win the White House and Democrats take control of the Senate. But Biden, who ran a relatively centrist primary campaign, hasn’t embraced those calls, worried they may intensify the nation’s partisan split.
There’s little indication that large swaths of progressives will abandon Biden or back third-party candidates, moves that wounded Democrat Hillary Clinton’s 2016 bid. But activists insist they will keep pressure on Biden to pursue dramatic reforms to the Supreme Court if Republicans move forward with a plan to quickly approve Donald Trump’s pick to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“The majority of Berniecrats will most likely vote for Vice President Joe Biden,” said Nina Turner, a former Ohio state senator and top adviser to progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns. “That doesn’t mean that they are not going to raise hell all the way.”
“Biden should make it clear that he will fight back by expanding the court if he wins,” said Turner, who is founding a firm to advance progressive causes, Amare Public Affairs.
The Constitution doesn’t mandate the number of Supreme Court justices, which has changed over time. In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt promoted legislation to “pack the court” by expanding its number of justices, an effort that stalled once the justices began to rule in his favor on policies tied to the New Deal.
Since then, the makeup of the court hasn’t been a prominent issue in national politics. That began to change after Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s contentious 2018 nomination fight. Calls to add justices grew much louder this week in response to the GOP’s rush to fill Ginsburg’s seat before the election, which would leave the court with six conservatives and three liberals.
“The politics of this are moving very, very fast,” said Aaron Belkin, director of Take Back the Court, which advocates for increasing the number of justices. “And under a Biden administration, when the court has the administration handcuffed on Day One, I think the politics are going to be changing even more quickly.”
That puts Biden in a tough spot. As someone who spent 36 years in the Senate, he built a career revering Washington’s institutions. During the 2020 primary, he pointedly declined to join rivals such as Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren or California Sen. Kamala Harris, who is now his running mate, in being open to court expansion.
During his first extended comments Sunday about Ginsburg’s death, Biden appealed to the few remaining moderate Senate Republicans to buck their party’s leadership, rather than to progressives looking for him to support a larger court.
Since then, Biden has largely sought to avoid the issue as he’s campaigned in battleground states, preferring instead to focus on Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and high unemployment. He ducked a question about changes to the court during an interview with a Wisconsin television station, saying a response would “shift all the focus.”
Biden has also said Democrats should concentrate on making it clear for voters why the GOP push to quickly fill Ginsburg’s seat is a “gigantic mistake and abuse of power.”
Some progressives said Ginsburg’s death laid bare why they’re backing Biden.
“Voting for Joe Biden is not about whether you agree with him. It’s a vote to let our democracy live another day,” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Instagram last week.
The New York congresswoman spent months expressing skepticism toward Biden but also was co-leader of a task force on climate change that top Biden supporters and advisers formed with their counterparts from Sanders’ unsuccessful presidential campaign to try to better reach consensus on top issues. Those groups made policy recommendations that helped shape the Democratic Party platform, which was adopted at its national convention last month and was meant to avoid the ideological clashes that Clinton endured four years ago.
Sanders, who opposes Supreme Court expansion, and Warren, who has suggested she’d be willing to support it, have similarly used Ginsburg’s death as a rallying cry for Biden.
“Democracy as we know it is in danger,” Warren said at a virtual event with Virginia leaders, calling Republican court efforts “the last gasp of a desperate party that is overrepresented in the hall of power.”
During a speech Thursday, Sanders warned that Trump is openly suggesting that he’ll brand as illegitimate any election he loses. He cited “the danger that this country faces from a president who is a pathological liar, who has strong authoritarian tendencies, who neither understands nor respects our Constitution and who is prepared to undermine American democracy in order to stay in power.”
The voting results may be disputed and trigger a legal fight, Sanders said, noting that Trump “is attempting to push through a Supreme Court justice who may very well cast a vote in a case that will determine the outcome of this election.”
Rather than mentioning expanding the Supreme Court, Sanders said the way to counter that is to have the largest voter turnout in U.S. history.
“This is not just an election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden,” Sanders said. “This is an election between Donald Trump and democracy — and democracy must win.”
Just getting Biden elected might not be enough for everyone, though. Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, called the coming Senate nomination fight Biden’s chance to offer a “first big show of force as leader of the Democratic Party.”
“He can quickly unify Democrats in saying no confirmation until after inauguration,” Green said. “And promising to expand the court if Republicans do an end run around democracy.”


shareblue--2020-09-27--Trump and right-wing media push antifa bogeyman myth

The group gathered around the town square , waiting for the arrival of what has become a new American bogeyman : antifa .
Michael Johnson and others were certain that school buses full of radical left-wing extremists from big cities were coming to Leitchfield , Kentucky , where about 50 of their neighbors had gathered on the courthouse lawn to chant , `` Black lives matter ! ''
and wave signs in solidarity with the nation 's surging protest movement .
The June 10 protest ended peacefully with no sign of any antifascist activists in the town of less than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ son sat awake outside their house all night , armed with a shotgun , just in case the antifa rumors he saw circulating online were true .
`` There 's no reason not to believe it after you watch TV , what 's going on , '' said Johnson , 53 .
It 's a scene that has unfolded in many other cities and small towns this year , the product of fear and conflict stoked by bogus posts on social media , right-wing news outlets and even some of the nation 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the federal government would designate antifa as a `` terrorist organization '' and has blamed it for violence at protests against racial injustice and police brutality .
Attorney General William Barr has claimed groups using `` antifa-like tactics '' fueled violent clashes in Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd , a black man killed by a white police officer who pressed his knee into Floyd 's neck for several minutes .
However , FBI Director Christopher Wray told a congressional panel last Thursday that antifa is more of an ideology or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the FBI has had domestic terrorism investigations of `` violent anarchist extremists , any number of whom self identify with the antifa movement , '' Wray noted that extremists driven by white supremacist or anti-government ideologies have been responsible for most deadly attacks in the United States over the past few years .
A man suspected of fatally shooting a Trump supporter after a pro-Trump caravan in Portland , Oregon , last month had described himself in a social media post as `` 100 % ANTIFA . ''
Federal agents later shot and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in Washington state .
But federal arrest records of more than 300 people at protests across the country include very few obvious mentions of the word antifa .
They could be hard to identify , however , because there is no domestic terrorism statute under which to charge protesters involved in violence or vandalism .
Louisville , Kentucky-based attorney David Mour has represented many protesters involved in demonstrations over the killing of Breonna Taylor , a 26-year-old emergency medical technician who was shot by Louisville police officers when they barged into her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to serve a search warrant .
Protesters have occupied a square in downtown Louisville for more than three months .
All along , Mour has dealt with wild rumors that antifa is somehow involved .
`` It 's constant .
These people are just trying to generate fear and frenzy .
They 're trying to blame all this stuff on antifa , and I 'm like , 'Who exactly is antifa ?
Where are they ?
Who are you talking about ? '
It 's insane , '' he said .
Rutgers University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ book `` Antifa : The Anti-Fascist Handbook , '' said there are well organized , tightly knit antifa groups that have operated for years .
`` But that 's different from saying that the politics of antifa is just one single , monolithic organization , which is obviously false , '' said Bray , whose book traces the history and evolution of the movement .
Many Americans had never heard of antifa before Trump 's election and the violent clashes between far-right extremists and counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Trump 's campaign and presidency stimulated far-right organizing and the antifascist response to it .
He believes Trump and his allies are demonizing antifa for political gain .
`` The portrayal they present serves their purposes of using it as a boogeyman to rally support and to kind of redirect attention away from the legitimate grievances behind the Black Lives Matter protests , '' he said .
Adam Klein , an associate professor of communication studies at Pace University , analyzed social media posts by far-right extremists and antifascist activists leading up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He found antifascists have a `` pretty loose '' communication network .
`` You do n't get the sense online that there is an organization as much as there are some prominent ( social media ) accounts associated with antifa , '' he said .
Lindsay Ayling , a 32-year-old doctoral student at the University of North Carolina 's flagship Chapel Hill campus , is a fixture at counterprotests against neo-Confederates and other far-right group members .
They often call her `` antifa , '' a label she accepts `` in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ am willing to go and confront fascists on the streets . ''
`` The thing that 's so dangerous about labeling anyone who is antifascist as a terrorist is that it 's criminalizing thought , '' she said .
`` Not just thought , but it 's criminalizing active resistance to fascism . ''
Ayling said the first person to call her an antifa leader was a Florida man , Daniel McMahon , who dubbed himself `` the Antifa hunter '' online .
McMahon was sentenced to more than three years in prison @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social media to threaten a Black activist to deter the man from running for office in Charlottesville .
Far-right extremists are n't the only ones who use the term against her , Ayling said .
Last week , she posted a video of herself asking Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson why he and his deputies were `` breaking the law '' by not wearing masks at the scene of a protest in North Carolina .
`` Ma'am , why are you breaking the law ?
We know you 're with antifa , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invading Leitchfield , Kentucky , started on Facebook and quickly spread through the community .
Stephanie Ann Fulkerson , who had organized the demonstration , was stunned .
She usually keeps to herself but felt strongly enough about the Black Lives Matter movement that she decided to plan something in the small town in Grayson County about 70 miles south of Louisville .
`` This is the first time I 've really spoke up for anything .
I 'm a stay-at-home mom that 's very anti-social .
That 's the crazy part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As the protest got underway , residents lined up in front of businesses to guard against vandalism , some of them on motorcycles .
A handful heckled the protesters .
At one point , one of them stormed across the street toward the demonstration , but law enforcement restrained him .
The buses did n't show , but that did n't mean everyone accepted it was just a baseless rumor .
Johnson said he heard that 15 antifa members in a Winnebago were stopped in town by local residents and law enforcement and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` That 's a rumor , '' the sheriff said .
`` People are pretty detailed when they make up stories . ''

The group gathered around the town square, waiting for the arrival of what has become a new American bogeyman: antifa.
Michael Johnson and others were certain that school buses full of radical left-wing extremists from big cities were coming to Leitchfield, Kentucky, where about 50 of their neighbors had gathered on the courthouse lawn to chant, “Black lives matter!” and wave signs in solidarity with the nation’s surging protest movement.
The June 10 protest ended peacefully with no sign of any antifascist activists in the town of less than 7,000 people, but Johnson and his son sat awake outside their house all night, armed with a shotgun, just in case the antifa rumors he saw circulating online were true.
“There’s no reason not to believe it after you watch TV, what’s going on,” said Johnson, 53.
It’s a scene that has unfolded in many other cities and small towns this year, the product of fear and conflict stoked by bogus posts on social media, right-wing news outlets and even some of the nation’s most powerful leaders.
Donald Trump has said the federal government would designate antifa as a “terrorist organization” and has blamed it for violence at protests against racial injustice and police brutality. Attorney General William Barr has claimed groups using “antifa-like tactics” fueled violent clashes in Minneapolis after the death of George Floyd, a black man killed by a white police officer who pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for several minutes.
However, FBI Director Christopher Wray told a congressional panel last Thursday that antifa is more of an ideology or a movement than an organization. While the FBI has had domestic terrorism investigations of “violent anarchist extremists, any number of whom self identify with the antifa movement,” Wray noted that extremists driven by white supremacist or anti-government ideologies have been responsible for most deadly attacks in the United States over the past few years.
A man suspected of fatally shooting a Trump supporter after a pro-Trump caravan in Portland, Oregon, last month had described himself in a social media post as “100% ANTIFA.” Federal agents later shot and killed the suspect, Michael Forest Reinoehl, in Washington state.
But federal arrest records of more than 300 people at protests across the country include very few obvious mentions of the word antifa. They could be hard to identify, however, because there is no domestic terrorism statute under which to charge protesters involved in violence or vandalism.
Louisville, Kentucky-based attorney David Mour has represented many protesters involved in demonstrations over the killing of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician who was shot by Louisville police officers when they barged into her house in the middle of the night to serve a search warrant. Protesters have occupied a square in downtown Louisville for more than three months. All along, Mour has dealt with wild rumors that antifa is somehow involved.
“It’s constant. These people are just trying to generate fear and frenzy. They’re trying to blame all this stuff on antifa, and I’m like, ‘Who exactly is antifa? Where are they? Who are you talking about?’ It’s insane,” he said.
Rutgers University historian Mark Bray, author of the book “Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook,” said there are well organized, tightly knit antifa groups that have operated for years.
“But that’s different from saying that the politics of antifa is just one single, monolithic organization, which is obviously false,” said Bray, whose book traces the history and evolution of the movement.
Many Americans had never heard of antifa before Trump’s election and the violent clashes between far-right extremists and counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017. Bray said Trump’s campaign and presidency stimulated far-right organizing and the antifascist response to it. He believes Trump and his allies are demonizing antifa for political gain.
“The portrayal they present serves their purposes of using it as a boogeyman to rally support and to kind of redirect attention away from the legitimate grievances behind the Black Lives Matter protests,” he said.
Adam Klein, an associate professor of communication studies at Pace University, analyzed social media posts by far-right extremists and antifascist activists leading up to the Charlottesville rally three years ago. He found antifascists have a “pretty loose” communication network.
“You don’t get the sense online that there is an organization as much as there are some prominent (social media) accounts associated with antifa,” he said.
Lindsay Ayling, a 32-year-old doctoral student at the University of North Carolina’s flagship Chapel Hill campus, is a fixture at counterprotests against neo-Confederates and other far-right group members. They often call her “antifa,” a label she accepts “in the sense that I oppose fascism and I am willing to go and confront fascists on the streets.”
“The thing that’s so dangerous about labeling anyone who is antifascist as a terrorist is that it’s criminalizing thought,” she said. “Not just thought, but it’s criminalizing active resistance to fascism.”
Ayling said the first person to call her an antifa leader was a Florida man, Daniel McMahon, who dubbed himself “the Antifa hunter” online. McMahon was sentenced to more than three years in prison after pleading guilty in April to using social media to threaten a Black activist to deter the man from running for office in Charlottesville.
Far-right extremists aren’t the only ones who use the term against her, Ayling said. Last week, she posted a video of herself asking Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson why he and his deputies were “breaking the law” by not wearing masks at the scene of a protest in North Carolina.
“Ma’am, why are you breaking the law? We know you’re with antifa,” the sheriff responded.
Rumors of antifa invading Leitchfield, Kentucky, started on Facebook and quickly spread through the community. Stephanie Ann Fulkerson, who had organized the demonstration, was stunned. She usually keeps to herself but felt strongly enough about the Black Lives Matter movement that she decided to plan something in the small town in Grayson County about 70 miles south of Louisville.
“This is the first time I’ve really spoke up for anything. I’m a stay-at-home mom that’s very anti-social. That’s the crazy part of all this,” she said.
As the protest got underway, residents lined up in front of businesses to guard against vandalism, some of them on motorcycles. A handful heckled the protesters. At one point, one of them stormed across the street toward the demonstration, but law enforcement restrained him.
The buses didn’t show, but that didn’t mean everyone accepted it was just a baseless rumor. Johnson said he heard that 15 antifa members in a Winnebago were stopped in town by local residents and law enforcement and complied with a command to go home.
Grayson County Sheriff Norman Chaffins said that didn’t happen.
“That’s a rumor,” the sheriff said. “People are pretty detailed when they make up stories.”


shareblue--2020-09-28--Ginsburg's death could turn the tide in the Texas Senate race

Sen. John Cornyn ( R-TX ) and Democratic opponent MJ Hegar 's tight Texas Senate race is anyone 's game after increased donations for Hegar — as well as an endorsement by former President Barack Obama — arrived following Ruth Bader Ginsburg 's death .
It all started last week , when Cornyn expressed his support for filling Ginsburg 's Supreme Court seat immediately .
`` I hope our colleagues on the other side of the aisle will try to restrain themselves from repeating the smear campaign that took place during Justice Kavanaugh 's confirmation hearing , '' he added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week whether he thought the Supreme Court vacancy would affect his own Senate race , Cornyn said it would be a `` major factor . ''
With a hotly contested Supreme Court seat on the line , Texas Democrats and others have rallied around Air Force veteran and Purple Heart honoree Hegar with a renewed verve .
The facts do n't lie : Donation processing site Act Blue received more than $ 100 million in donations for Democratic candidates in the two days following Ginsburg 's death .
According to Hegar 's Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major beneficiaries .
The Democratic candidate from Round Rock , Texas , received more than 200,000 donations at that time , though campaign officials declined to give an exact dollar amount .
Billy Begala , a spokesman for the party 's `` Cornyn War Room , '' told the Austin-American Statesman that after Ginsburg 's death , Hegar 's campaign also saw an enormous uptick in both volunteers and small-dollar donations .
And , although Cornyn received endorsements last weekend from 100 south Texas leaders and elected officials , Hegar 's weekend saw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ source : Obama .
Hegar was one of 111 candidates named in Obama 's second wave of endorsements , and the only Texas candidate .
`` I 'm proud to endorse these outstanding Democratic candidates who will work to get the virus under control , rebuild the economy and the middle class , and protect Americans ' health care and preexisting conditions protections from Republican assault , '' the former president said in a statement .
`` They ’ re dedicated to shoring up and strengthening our democracy , a project that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of us — but it begins by electing Democrats right now . ''
On .
Sept. 25 , Hegar tweeted in response that she was proud to have Obama 's support in her efforts to `` protect and expand ... health care , restore our economy from the COVID-19 pandemic , and put power back in the hands of the people . ''
`` Texas is the biggest battleground state , '' she added .
`` Let 's win . ''
On Sunday , Sens .
Chris Murphy ( D-CT ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Booker ( D-NJ ) , and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro started a campaign on social media for Hegar to `` turn Texas blue . ''
Dick Durbin ( D-IL ) , and former congressman Beto O ’ Rourke — who narrowly lost a Senate race to incumbent Ted Cruz in the 2018 midterms — joined the efforts , resulting in Hegar raising $ 300,000 in 10 hours .
According to Data for Progress , Cornyn maintains a mere 2-point lead over Hegar , so it 's possible the death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upset the apple cart for the Republican incumbent .
This is especially true considering 22 % of voters identify as undecided in the Cornyn-Hegar race .
Hegar campaign spokesman Jake Lewis said that since Ginsburg 's passing , the campaign has `` been humbled by the outpouring of support from people who want to ensure that [ Ginsburg 's ] legacy of fighting for equal rights and justice for all is continued .
`` Texans know that on Nov. 3 preserving our health care is on the ballot , protecting women ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting rights is now on the ballot , which is why they are fired up and energized to send Sen. Cornyn packing , '' he added .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Democratic opponent MJ Hegar’s tight Texas Senate race is anyone’s game after increased donations for Hegar — as well as an endorsement by former President Barack Obama — arrived following Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death.
It all started last week, when Cornyn expressed his support for filling Ginsburg’s Supreme Court seat immediately.
“I hope our colleagues on the other side of the aisle will try to restrain themselves from repeating the smear campaign that took place during Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing,” he added.
Asked by CQ Roll Call last week whether he thought the Supreme Court vacancy would affect his own Senate race, Cornyn said it would be a “major factor.”
“But I can see it cutting both ways, in terms of people’s response,” he noted. “They seem pretty polarized already.”
With a hotly contested Supreme Court seat on the line, Texas Democrats and others have rallied around Air Force veteran and Purple Heart honoree Hegar with a renewed verve.
Speaking to Ginsburg’s death and the high court race, Texas Democratic consultant Sonia Van Meter told CQ Roll Call, “I see all of this really revving up the Democratic base but also appealing to suburban women who may have been conservative in the past but are not seeing any kind of reason to stay with the Republican Party.”
The facts don’t lie: Donation processing site Act Blue received more than $100 million in donations for Democratic candidates in the two days following Ginsburg’s death.
According to Hegar’s Senate campaign, Hegar was one of the major beneficiaries. The Democratic candidate from Round Rock, Texas, received more than 200,000 donations at that time, though campaign officials declined to give an exact dollar amount.
Billy Begala, a spokesman for the party’s “Cornyn War Room,” told the Austin-American Statesman that after Ginsburg’s death, Hegar’s campaign also saw an enormous uptick in both volunteers and small-dollar donations.
And, although Cornyn received endorsements last weekend from 100 south Texas leaders and elected officials, Hegar’s weekend saw an endorsement from a much more prominent source: Obama.
Hegar was one of 111 candidates named in Obama’s second wave of endorsements, and the only Texas candidate.
“I’m proud to endorse these outstanding Democratic candidates who will work to get the virus under control, rebuild the economy and the middle class, and protect Americans’ health care and preexisting conditions protections from Republican assault,” the former president said in a statement. “They’re dedicated to shoring up and strengthening our democracy, a project that’s going to take time and require all of us — but it begins by electing Democrats right now.”
On. Sept. 25, Hegar tweeted in response that she was proud to have Obama’s support in her efforts to “protect and expand … health care, restore our economy from the COVID-19 pandemic, and put power back in the hands of the people.”
“Texas is the biggest battleground state,” she added. “Let’s win.”
On Sunday, Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro started a campaign on social media for Hegar to “turn Texas blue.” Dick Durbin (D-IL), and former congressman Beto O’Rourke — who narrowly lost a Senate race to incumbent Ted Cruz in the 2018 midterms — joined the efforts, resulting in Hegar raising $300,000 in 10 hours.
According to Data for Progress, Cornyn maintains a mere 2-point lead over Hegar, so it’s possible the death of Ginsburg and the SCOTUS tensions could upset the apple cart for the Republican incumbent. This is especially true considering 22% of voters identify as undecided in the Cornyn-Hegar race.
Hegar campaign spokesman Jake Lewis said that since Ginsburg’s passing, the campaign has “been humbled by the outpouring of support from people who want to ensure that [Ginsburg’s] legacy of fighting for equal rights and justice for all is continued.
“Texans know that on Nov. 3 preserving our health care is on the ballot, protecting women’s rights is on the ballot, defending voting rights is now on the ballot, which is why they are fired up and energized to send Sen. Cornyn packing,” he added.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-09-28--Teachers across the country are dying from COVID-19

As schools across the nation are being pushed to reopen even as the coronavirus pandemic continues and infection rates remain high in many places , the first reports of teachers and staff dying of virus-related causes are emerging .
In South Carolina , Shirley Bannister , the 57-year-old chair of Midlands Technical College 's nursing department in West Columbia , died early Sunday from the coronavirus , just weeks after her daughter , Demetria Bannister , a third-grade teacher at Windsor Elementary School in Columbia , died of it on Sept. 7 at the age of 28 .
`` My @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an angel on Earth .
Her life mission was caring for others , '' said Dr. Donald L Rhames , president of Midlands Technical College .
`` While her death is devastating , her impact is everlasting .
The entire MTC family offer her family support and our prayers . ''
Demetria Bannister , a colleague said , was known as the elementary school 's `` songbird . ''
`` Ms. Bannister used her musical talents to bring a great deal of joy to our school , '' said Denise Quickel , principal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loved her students and never missed an opportunity to advocate for students and public education . ''
Shyla Pennington , 41 , a teaching aide in Volusia County , Florida , succumbed to the virus on Sept. 19 .
Compounding the tragedy for the Jones family , her brother Gerald `` Jerry '' Jones , 51 , a longtime paramedic in the same county , died of COVID-19 the next day .
`` When it rains it pours , '' their father , Greg Jones , had posted on Facebook after his children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least five other teachers throughout the U.S. have died from the coronavirus since schools started reopening in August : AshLee DeMarinis , 34 , in Missouri ; Tom Slade , 53 , in Mississippi ; Teresa Horn , 62 , in Oklahoma ; Nacoma James , 42 , in Mississippi ; and an unnamed special education teacher in Iowa , according to a Forbes update .
Despite potential risks to students , teachers , and school employees , Donald Trump has been an outspoken proponent of reopening schools .
During a press briefing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are safe to return to school because they do n't bear the same risks from the virus as adults do .
`` Well , they do say that they do n't transmit very easily .
And a lot of people are saying they do n't transmit , and we 're looking at that , '' Trump said .
`` Now , they do n't catch it easily ; they do n't bring it home easily .
And if they do catch it , they get better fast .
We 're looking at that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Secretary Betsy DeVos also made incorrect claims about children and the virus , saying during an appearance on a radio show called `` The Conservative Circus : `` More and more studies show that kids are actually stoppers of the disease and they do n't get it and transmit it themselves , so we should be in a posture of — the default should be getting back to school kids in person , in the classroom . ''
Shortly afterwards , Dr. Deborah Birx , leader of the White House coronavirus task force @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transmit the virus would require more study .
`` There 's still open questions there , and that 's why the president concluded with , 'we 're studying this very hard , ' '' she said during an appearance on Fox News .
Dr. John Brownstein , chief innovation officer at Boston Children 's Hospital , told ABC News in response to Trump 's and DeVos ' claims that he does n't think there are any experts saying that children `` ca n't continue chains of transmission and ca n't play a role @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if kids are half as likely to transmit the virus compared to adults , even in that setting , it 's still important because kids do play a role in transmission , '' Brownstein noted in reference to a a 2020 contact tracing study from South Korea , which found that children between 10 and 19 years old can spread the virus at least as effectively as adults .
`` And once you put kids into their natural school setting , that completely changes things .
You have close proximity , poor hygiene @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lesser role and transmission . ''
In August , Trump pushed to reopen all schools even after Birx cautioned against it .
Last month , schools that had reopened in Indiana , Louisiana , Oklahoma , Tennessee , and Georgia were forced to close again after students and staff members tested positive for the coronavirus , the Wall Street Journal reported .
The Cherokee County School District in Georgia closed two of its high schools after COVID-19 cases had forced large numbers of teachers and students into quarantine in August .
As of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporting that 204,600 people in the United States had died of the coronavirus , and 7,146,200 had been infected .
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation .

As schools across the nation are being pushed to reopen even as the coronavirus pandemic continues and infection rates remain high in many places, the first reports of teachers and staff dying of virus-related causes are emerging.
In South Carolina, Shirley Bannister, the 57-year-old chair of Midlands Technical College’s nursing department in West Columbia, died early Sunday from the coronavirus, just weeks after her daughter, Demetria Bannister, a third-grade teacher at Windsor Elementary School in Columbia, died of it on Sept. 7 at the age of 28.
“My heart is broken. Shirley was like an angel on Earth. Her life mission was caring for others,” said Dr. Donald L Rhames, president of Midlands Technical College. “While her death is devastating, her impact is everlasting. The entire MTC family offer her family support and our prayers.”
Demetria Bannister, a colleague said, was known as the elementary school’s “songbird.” “Ms. Bannister used her musical talents to bring a great deal of joy to our school,” said Denise Quickel, principal of Windsor Elementary. “Ms. Bannister loved her students and never missed an opportunity to advocate for students and public education.”
Shyla Pennington, 41, a teaching aide in Volusia County, Florida, succumbed to the virus on Sept. 19. Compounding the tragedy for the Jones family, her brother Gerald “Jerry” Jones, 51, a longtime paramedic in the same county, died of COVID-19 the next day.
“When it rains it pours,” their father, Greg Jones, had posted on Facebook after his children were admitted to the hospital.
Mike Chitwood, sheriff of Volusia County, also issued a statement honoring the “two public servants” who were “both gone too soon.”
“My heart breaks for their family. I’m praying they find peace and know that so many of us are wrapping our arms around them,” Chitwood wrote. “The human toll of COVID-19 is real, and these are the first responders and front-line workers who risk their own health and safety to keep our society functioning. No one has all the answers to this health crisis, but I pray we are doing enough to protect people like Gerald and Shyla. May their memories be a blessing. I am so grateful for their service to our community.”
It’s unclear exactly how the Bannisters, Pennington, and Jones contracted the virus, but their deaths in part reveal an alarming pattern of COVID-19 deaths among teachers and their family members.
At least five other teachers throughout the U.S. have died from the coronavirus since schools started reopening in August: AshLee DeMarinis, 34, in Missouri; Tom Slade, 53, in Mississippi; Teresa Horn, 62, in Oklahoma; Nacoma James, 42, in Mississippi; and an unnamed special education teacher in Iowa, according to a Forbes update.
Despite potential risks to students, teachers, and school employees, Donald Trump has been an outspoken proponent of reopening schools. During a press briefing in July, Trump claimed that children are safe to return to school because they don’t bear the same risks from the virus as adults do.
“Well, they do say that they don’t transmit very easily. And a lot of people are saying they don’t transmit, and we’re looking at that,” Trump said. “Now, they don’t catch it easily; they don’t bring it home easily. And if they do catch it, they get better fast. We’re looking at that fact.”
In July, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos also made incorrect claims about children and the virus, saying during an appearance on a radio show called “The Conservative Circus: “More and more studies show that kids are actually stoppers of the disease and they don’t get it and transmit it themselves, so we should be in a posture of — the default should be getting back to school kids in person, in the classroom.”
Shortly afterwards, Dr. Deborah Birx, leader of the White House coronavirus task force, said the issue of how kids transmit the virus would require more study. “There’s still open questions there, and that’s why the president concluded with, ‘we’re studying this very hard,'” she said during an appearance on Fox News.
Dr. John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, told ABC News in response to Trump’s and DeVos’ claims that he doesn’t think there are any experts saying that children “can’t continue chains of transmission and can’t play a role in community spread.”
“Even if kids are half as likely to transmit the virus compared to adults, even in that setting, it’s still important because kids do play a role in transmission,” Brownstein noted in reference to a 2020 contact tracing study from South Korea, which found that children between 10 and 19 years old can spread the virus at least as effectively as adults. “And once you put kids into their natural school setting, that completely changes things. You have close proximity, poor hygiene, so that might offset their potentially lesser role and transmission.”
In August, Trump pushed to reopen all schools even after Birx cautioned against it.
Last month, schools that had reopened in Indiana, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Georgia were forced to close again after students and staff members tested positive for the coronavirus, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Cherokee County School District in Georgia closed two of its high schools after COVID-19 cases had forced large numbers of teachers and students into quarantine in August.
As of Monday, the New York Times was reporting that 204,600 people in the United States had died of the coronavirus, and 7,146,200 had been infected.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


shareblue--2020-09-28--Trump's Supreme Court nominee is a threat to the LGBTQ community, experts say

Amy Coney Barrett , chosen by Donald Trump chose to take over the late-Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg 's seat on the Supreme Court , has the capacity to do great harm to LGBTQ rights , advocates for equality say .
Barrett , who currently sits on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals , has ties to anti-LGBTQ groups , has sided with opponents of LGBTQ rights on key legal issues , and has made a number of harmful statements about transgender people .
Republicans are ramming her confirmation through anyway .
Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-SC ) , the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Barrett will begin on Oct.12 , and Senate Republicans are trying to get a floor vote on her nomination the week before the election .
In 2016 , Barrett made comments on the issue of LGBTQ rights before the Supreme Court during a lecture for the Jacksonville University Public Policy Institute .
Barrett framed issues of transgender equality as a `` debate '' and referred to a myth propagated by conservatives that transgender women pose a threat to cisgender women and girls simply by using the bathroom that corresponds to their gender @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the words `` transgender women '' when discussing them .
`` People will feel passionately on either side about whether physiological males who identify as females should be permitted in bathrooms , especially where there are young girls present , '' she said during the lecture .
Speaking of bathroom access , Barrett said that it `` does seem to strain the text of the statute '' to say that Title IX demands that protections against sex discrimination include transgender people .
During the same 2016 lecture event , Barrett defended Chief Justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hodges , the 2015 landmark Supreme Court case that ruled in favor of marriage equality .
Barrett said people were presenting it `` as a vote for or against same-sex marriage but that 's not what the opinion was about . ''
She added that Roberts ' dissent `` was about who gets to decide whether we have same-sex marriage or not '' and that `` the dissent 's view was that it was n't for the court to decide . ''
Barrett notably signed on to a letter in 2015 that expressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and family are founded on the indissoluble commitment of a man and a woman '' and `` the significance of sexual difference and complementarity of men and women . ''
Barrett also has connections to the Alliance Defending Freedom , which the Southern Poverty Law Center has identified as an anti-LGBTQ hate group .
She has spoken at the Blackstone Legal Fellowship , which is run by Alliance Defending Freedom .
The group published on its website last year , `` Men who self-identify as women are still biological men .
... And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever change the fact that a feminized man will never truly experience what it is to be a woman . ''
The group also trains lawyers to `` defend religious liberty , '' which , for the Alliance Defending Freedom , has meant defending those who have allegedly denied LGBTQ people services or employment .
As a judge , Barrett has a record of opposing abortion access .
This affects LGBTQ people as experts say they are more vulnerable to poverty , and therefore should have unencumbered access to abortion care .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people of color as well , given her refusal to rehear a case on racial segregation in 2017 .
The Human Rights Campaign said the decision , which involved a lawsuit involving a business who had allegedly separated employees by race , raised `` significant concerns about her approach to Civil Rights law . ''
She has also criticized Roberts ' opinion in 2012 that kept a key part of the Affordable Care Act intact .
An estimated 65 % of LGBTQ adults have pre-existing conditions compared to 51 % of the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LGBTQ groups oppose Barrett 's nomination .
Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings stated , `` If confirmed , Judge Amy Coney Barrett will unleash a Supreme Court majority that is hostile to all of our basic civil rights , and the impact will be felt for decades . ''
The Human Rights Campaign has said that Barrett 's `` hostility towards many of society ’ s most marginalized , victimized and vulnerable groups raises serious concerns about her ability to be impartial and fairly consider the rights of all who come before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sarah Kate Ellis , GLAAD president and CEO , said in a separate statement , `` If confirmed , Amy Coney Barrett will be a vote to undermine hard-won rights critical to all LGBTQ people , women and immigrants .
Health care , reproductive rights , our legal rights to marry who we love or not be fired for who we are , are all at risk . ''
In 2017 , 27 LGBTQ organizations sent a letter to Sen. Chuck Grassley ( R-IA ) , then-chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , stating their opposition to Barrett 's confirmation as a circuit court judge .
Barrett 's `` views on civil rights issues are fundamentally at odds with the notion that LGBT people are entitled to equality , liberty , justice and dignity under the law , '' they wrote .
Referring specifically to her ties to ADF , they added , `` LGBT people can not put their faith in the courts when the judge before them refuses to even recognize a brazenly anti-LGBT group as what it is . ''
Published with @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Amy Coney Barrett, chosen by Donald Trump chose to take over the late-Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme Court, has the capacity to do great harm to LGBTQ rights, advocates for equality say.
Barrett, who currently sits on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, has ties to anti-LGBTQ groups, has sided with opponents of LGBTQ rights on key legal issues, and has made a number of harmful statements about transgender people.
Republicans are ramming her confirmation through anyway.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the Senate Judiciary chair, has said confirmation hearings for Barrett will begin on Oct.12, and Senate Republicans are trying to get a floor vote on her nomination the week before the election.
In 2016, Barrett made comments on the issue of LGBTQ rights before the Supreme Court during a lecture for the Jacksonville University Public Policy Institute.
Barrett framed issues of transgender equality as a “debate” and referred to a myth propagated by conservatives that transgender women pose a threat to cisgender women and girls simply by using the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity. Barrett also refrained from using the words “transgender women” when discussing them.
“People will feel passionately on either side about whether physiological males who identify as females should be permitted in bathrooms, especially where there are young girls present,” she said during the lecture.
Speaking of bathroom access, Barrett said that it “does seem to strain the text of the statute” to say that Title IX demands that protections against sex discrimination include transgender people.
During the same 2016 lecture event, Barrett defended Chief Justice John Roberts’ dissent in Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 landmark Supreme Court case that ruled in favor of marriage equality. Barrett said people were presenting it “as a vote for or against same-sex marriage but that’s not what the opinion was about.”
She added that Roberts’ dissent “was about who gets to decide whether we have same-sex marriage or not” and that “the dissent’s view was that it wasn’t for the court to decide.”
Barrett notably signed on to a letter in 2015 that expressed support for the idea that “marriage and family are founded on the indissoluble commitment of a man and a woman” and “the significance of sexual difference and complementarity of men and women.”
Barrett also has connections to the Alliance Defending Freedom, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has identified as an anti-LGBTQ hate group. She has spoken at the Blackstone Legal Fellowship, which is run by Alliance Defending Freedom.
The group published on its website last year, “Men who self-identify as women are still biological men. … And no amount of wishing or desire will ever change the fact that a feminized man will never truly experience what it is to be a woman.” The group also trains lawyers to “defend religious liberty,” which, for the Alliance Defending Freedom, has meant defending those who have allegedly denied LGBTQ people services or employment.
As a judge, Barrett has a record of opposing abortion access. This affects LGBTQ people as experts say they are more vulnerable to poverty, and therefore should have unencumbered access to abortion care.
A Barrett nomination presents high stakes for LGBTQ people of color as well, given her refusal to rehear a case on racial segregation in 2017. The Human Rights Campaign said the decision, which involved a lawsuit involving a business who had allegedly separated employees by race, raised “significant concerns about her approach to Civil Rights law.”
She has also criticized Roberts’ opinion in 2012 that kept a key part of the Affordable Care Act intact. An estimated 65% of LGBTQ adults have pre-existing conditions compared to 51% of the U.S. population.
For these reasons, many LGBTQ groups oppose Barrett’s nomination.
Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings stated, “If confirmed, Judge Amy Coney Barrett will unleash a Supreme Court majority that is hostile to all of our basic civil rights, and the impact will be felt for decades.”
The Human Rights Campaign has said that Barrett’s “hostility towards many of society’s most marginalized, victimized and vulnerable groups raises serious concerns about her ability to be impartial and fairly consider the rights of all who come before the Court, including LGBTQ people.”
Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD president and CEO, said in a separate statement, “If confirmed, Amy Coney Barrett will be a vote to undermine hard-won rights critical to all LGBTQ people, women and immigrants. Health care, reproductive rights, our legal rights to marry who we love or not be fired for who we are, are all at risk.”
In 2017, 27 LGBTQ organizations sent a letter to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), then-chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, as well as ranking member Dianne Feinstein, stating their opposition to Barrett’s confirmation as a circuit court judge.
Barrett’s “views on civil rights issues are fundamentally at odds with the notion that LGBT people are entitled to
equality, liberty, justice and dignity under the law,” they wrote.
Referring specifically to her ties to ADF, they added, “LGBT people cannot put their faith in the courts when the judge before them refuses to even recognize a brazenly anti-LGBT group as what it is.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.