cnbc--2020-09-23--Canadian woman charged with sending deadly poison ricin to Trump called him 'Ugly Tyrant Clown' in l

Canadian woman charged with sending deadly poison ricin to Trump called him 'Ugly Tyrant Clown' in letter

Pascale Ferrier appears in a jail booking photograph taken after her arrest by the Mission Police Department in Mission , Texas , March 13 , 2019 .
A Canadian woman criminally charged with mailing President Donald Trump the deadly poison ricin called him `` The Ugly Tyrant Clown '' in a letter containing the poison , according to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday .
The woman , Pascale Cecile Veronique Ferrier , was ordered held without bail after appearing Tuesday in federal court in Buffalo , New York , for the first time in the case on a charge of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Ferrier , 54 , was apprehended Sunday at the U.S. border in Buffalo , where she told American authorities that she was wanted by the FBI for sending `` the ricin letters '' to Trump and other people , the complaint said .
Ferrier , who lives in the city of Laval , just north of Montreal , also was allegedly carrying a loaded firearm and a knife when she was arrested .
In the letter Ferrier mailed to the White House from Canada , a note addressed to Trump said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you : 'The Ugly Tyrant Clown . '
I hope you like it , '' the complaint says .
`` You ruin USA and lead them to disaster .
I have US cousins , then [ sic ] I do n't want the next 4 years with you as president , '' the note said .
`` Give up and remove your application for this election .
So I made a 'Special Gift ' for you to make a decision .
This gift is in this letter .
If it does n't work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another poison , or I might use my gun when I 'll be able to come .
Enjoy .
FREE REBEL SPIRIT '' . ''
Trump never saw the letter , which was received at the White House 's mail sorting center last Friday .
According to the FBI , Ferrier on Sept. 9 posted messages on Twitter and Facebook that said `` # killTrump '' and used wording such as `` Ugly Clown Tyrant . ''
Ferrier also allegedly sent six other letters containing a powdery substance to people who work in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been incarcerated after being arrested in March 2019 on a weapons possession charge in Mission , Texas , according to the complaint .
Those letters , mailed from Canada and received last week at the facilities in Texas , were found to contain fingerprints that matched those of Ferrier .
Those letters , like the letter to Trump , contained the phrase `` if it does n't work I will find a better recipe , '' and the signature block that said 'FREE REBEL SPIRIT , '' the complaint says .
During @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ferrier asked a judge to appoint a lawyer for her , after saying she did not plan to hire a private attorney .
The court-appointed lawyer said that Ferrier wanted both an identity hearing , which will require prosecutors to prove she is the person identified in the criminal complaint , and a probable cause hearing , which will require them to show that there is sufficient evidence to justify the charges .
Those hearings will be held Monday .

Pascale Ferrier appears in a jail booking photograph taken after her arrest by the Mission Police Department in Mission, Texas, March 13, 2019.
A Canadian woman criminally charged with mailing President Donald Trump the deadly poison ricin called him "The Ugly Tyrant Clown" in a letter containing the poison, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday.
The woman, Pascale Cecile Veronique Ferrier, was ordered held without bail after appearing Tuesday in federal court in Buffalo, New York, for the first time in the case on a charge of threatening the president of the United States.
Ferrier, 54, was apprehended Sunday at the U.S. border in Buffalo, where she told American authorities that she was wanted by the FBI for sending "the ricin letters" to Trump and other people, the complaint said.
Ferrier, who lives in the city of Laval, just north of Montreal, also was allegedly carrying a loaded firearm and a knife when she was arrested.
In the letter Ferrier mailed to the White House from Canada, a note addressed to Trump said, "I found a new name for you: 'The Ugly Tyrant Clown.' I hope you like it," the complaint says.
"You ruin USA and lead them to disaster. I have US cousins, then [sic] I don't want the next 4 years with you as president," the note said.
"Give up and remove your application for this election. So I made a 'Special Gift' for you to make a decision. This gift is in this letter. If it doesn't work, I'll find better recipe for another poison, or I might use my gun when I'll be able to come. Enjoy. FREE REBEL SPIRIT"."
Trump never saw the letter, which was received at the White House's mail sorting center last Friday.
According to the FBI, Ferrier on Sept. 9 posted messages on Twitter and Facebook that said "#killTrump" and used wording such as "Ugly Clown Tyrant."
Ferrier also allegedly sent six other letters containing a powdery substance to people who work in Texas jails and detention centers where she had been incarcerated after being arrested in March 2019 on a weapons possession charge in Mission, Texas, according to the complaint.
Those letters, mailed from Canada and received last week at the facilities in Texas, were found to contain fingerprints that matched those of Ferrier.
Those letters, like the letter to Trump, contained the phrase "if it doesn't work I will find a better recipe," and the signature block that said 'FREE REBEL SPIRIT," the complaint says.
During her appearance in court on Tuesday, Ferrier asked a judge to appoint a lawyer for her, after saying she did not plan to hire a private attorney.
The court-appointed lawyer said that Ferrier wanted both an identity hearing, which will require prosecutors to prove she is the person identified in the criminal complaint, and a probable cause hearing, which will require them to show that there is sufficient evidence to justify the charges.
Those hearings will be held Monday.


cnbc--2020-09-24--House Democrats prepare new $2.4 trillion stimulus plan with unemployment aid, direct payments

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) speaks during a briefing to the media on Capitol Hill in Washington , September 10 , 2020 .
House Democrats are preparing a new , smaller coronavirus relief package expected to cost about $ 2.4 trillion as they try to forge ahead with talks with the Trump administration , a source familiar with the plans said Thursday .
The bill would include enhanced unemployment insurance , direct payments to Americans , Paycheck Protection Program small-business loan funding and aid to airlines , among other provisions , the person said .
To @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chop roughly $ 1 trillion from their previous proposal for a fifth pandemic aid plan .
The party aims to restart stimulus negotiations with the White House after talks fell apart last month .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly pushed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to boost the administration 's roughly $ 1.3 trillion offer by another trillion dollars .
Pelosi directed Democratic committee chairs to draft legislation , according to Politico , which first reported on plans to craft another bill .
The House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as next week , but Democrats have not yet decided on a plan , the outlet reported .
Democrats and Republicans have failed to come to agreement on more aid to combat the health and economic damage from the crisis , even after a $ 600 per week supplemental unemployment benefit , a federal moratorium on evictions and window to apply for PPP loans lapsed .
Hopes for more legislation dwindled in recent weeks as Republicans grew wary of spending and election-year politics infiltrated the process .
House Democrats passed their more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Earlier this month , Senate Democrats blocked a roughly $ 500 billion Republican plan .
The GOP put together a scaled back bill after a measure costing about $ 1 trillion that they released in July failed to lead to a bipartisan breakthrough .
The discussions about a relief proposal come as concerns grow about the potential for the U.S. economic recovery , boosted by the trillions in relief Congress has passed this year , to falter .
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell , among other economic experts , has warned the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fiscal stimulus .
While the U.S. has enjoyed several months of strong jobs growth after coronavirus-related shutdowns led to widespread layoffs , the national unemployment rate still came in at 8.4 % when last measured in August .
On Thursday , the Labor Department said initial jobless claims rose slightly to 870,000 last week .
The Nov. 3 election has , of course , factored into lawmakers ' calculations on whether to pass more aid and how to structure it .
Vulnerable Senate Republicans and House Democrats have pushed for concrete actions they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parties try to keep their majorities .
As Pelosi has repeatedly said she would only pass a comprehensive pandemic aid plan , some House Democrats have pushed to approve more targeted legislation .

House Democrats are preparing a new, smaller coronavirus relief package expected to cost about $2.4 trillion as they try to forge ahead with talks with the Trump administration, a person familiar with the plans said Thursday.
The bill would include enhanced unemployment insurance, direct payments to Americans, Paycheck Protection Program small-business loan funding and aid to airlines, among other provisions, the person said. To reach the price tag, Democrats would chop roughly $1 trillion from their previous proposal for a fifth pandemic aid plan.
The party aims to restart stimulus negotiations with the White House after talks fell apart last month. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly pushed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to boost the administration's roughly $1.3 trillion offer by another trillion dollars.
Pelosi directed Democratic committee chairs to draft legislation, according to Politico, which first reported on plans to craft another bill. The House could vote on a bill as soon as next week, but Democrats have not yet decided on a plan, the outlet reported.
Democrats and Republicans have failed to come to agreement on more aid to combat the health and economic damage from the crisis, even after a $600 per week supplemental unemployment benefit, a federal moratorium on evictions and the window to apply for PPP loans lapsed. Hopes for more legislation dwindled in recent weeks as Republicans grew wary of spending and election-year politics infiltrated the process.
House Democrats passed their more than $3 trillion aid package in May. Earlier this month, Senate Democrats blocked a roughly $500 billion Republican plan.


cnbc--2020-09-24--Lawmakers push back against Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , speaks during her weekly news conference in the Capitol in Washington on Thursday , Sept. 24 , 2020 .
`` I 've been complaining very strongly about the ballots .
And the ballots are a disaster , '' Trump said , seemingly referring to mail-in ballots .
Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on the legitimacy of mail-in ballots as a voting mechanism , claiming — without evidence — that they are susceptible to massive fraud .
Many more voters are expected to vote by mail this election as a health precaution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump , himself , has voted by mail .
At a press conference Wednesday , Trump said , `` we 'll have to see what happens , '' when it comes to whether he would peacefully hand over his office .
`` I have confidence that he wo n't get away with saying , for example , I won with ... the vote on the ground , the vote in the mail does n't count , and the rest of that , '' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , told reporters on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump refused to promise a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the 2020 election , lawmakers pushed back on his statements .
At a congressional hearing Thursday , FBI director Christopher Wray said the agency has not historically seen `` any kind of coordinated national voter fraud effort in a major election , whether it 's by mail or otherwise . ''
Democrats have become increasingly concerned about how the unusual circumstances created by the pandemic will influence the outcome of the election and transition of power if former Vice President Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more voters expected to vote by mail , many expect the race will be impossible to call on Election Day unless one candidate wins in a landslide .
That could leave room for candidates to cast doubt on the outcome of the election .
Social media companies are already preparing for the possibility of one candidate prematurely claiming a victory .
And with one Supreme Court seat open following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg last week , a more conservative court may be left with the deciding vote on the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenge .
At a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting Thursday , Chairman Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. , said he would accept whatever decision the Supreme Court decided if the election results reached that point .
Graham 's committee is tasked with reviewing judicial appointees and said he would support Trump 's efforts to fill Ginsburg 's seat , contradicting his statements in 2016 saying the next president should make the appointment if a vacancy occurred close to the election .
`` Bottom line is whatever the court decides I will accept , '' Graham @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greatest legacy in many ways , to me , is what he did after he lost .
He accepted a result of the Supreme Court that was 5-4 , like 500 votes in the state of Florida .
How many places in the world would power peacefully transfer under those circumstances ?
How many places in the world where you actually have a peaceful transfer of power to begin with ? ''
Graham added , `` there is no alternative to a peaceful transfer of power . ''
`` The winner of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January 20th , '' Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. , said in a tweet Thursday .
`` There will be an orderly transition just as there has been every four years since 1792 . ''
Some Twitter users pointed out that McConnell 's language left room for interpretation , given many votes are expected to not yet be counted by election night .
In statements on Twitter , several other Republicans reaffirmed a peaceful transition , though they did not call out Trump by name or directly reference his comments .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ transition of power ; without that , there is Belarus , '' tweeted Sen. Mitt Romney , R-Utah , who has been critical of Trump .
`` Any suggestion that a president might not respect this Constitutional guarantee is both unthinkable and unacceptable . ''
`` As we have done for over two centuries we will have a legitimate & fair election , '' tweeted Sen. Marco Rubio , R-Fla. `` It may take longer than usual to know the outcome , but it will be a valid one [ . ]
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peacefully swear in the President . ''
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy , R-Calif. , said Thursday , `` There will be a very peaceful transition , '' according to The New York Times .
He added that the same question should be asked of Democrats like `` Hillary Clinton , who said never concede the race . ''
Clinton 's comments about not conceding the race referred to the potentially incomplete results that could come out on Election Day due to the expected surge in mail-in voting .
In an interview released @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should not concede under any circumstances '' on Election Day given that it could take more time to find out the winner .
Former Wisconsin Gov .
Scott Walker , a Republican , tweeted that , `` Smart candidates never concede anything before an election .
They focus on what it takes to win . ''

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks during her weekly news conference in the Capitol in Washington on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020.
"I've been complaining very strongly about the ballots. And the ballots are a disaster," Trump said, seemingly referring to mail-in ballots. Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on the legitimacy of mail-in ballots as a voting mechanism, claiming — without evidence — that they are susceptible to massive fraud. Many more voters are expected to vote by mail this election as a health precaution due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Trump, himself, has voted by mail.
At a press conference Wednesday, Trump said, "we'll have to see what happens," when it comes to whether he would peacefully hand over his office.
"I have confidence that he won't get away with saying, for example, I won with ... the vote on the ground, the vote in the mail doesn't count, and the rest of that," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters on Thursday.
A day after President Donald Trump refused to promise a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the 2020 election, lawmakers pushed back on his statements.
At a congressional hearing Thursday, FBI director Christopher Wray said the agency has not historically seen "any kind of coordinated national voter fraud effort in a major election, whether it's by mail or otherwise."
Democrats have become increasingly concerned about how the unusual circumstances created by the pandemic will influence the outcome of the election and transition of power if former Vice President Joe Biden wins the electoral vote. With more voters expected to vote by mail, many expect the race will be impossible to call on Election Day unless one candidate wins in a landslide.
That could leave room for candidates to cast doubt on the outcome of the election. Social media companies are already preparing for the possibility of one candidate prematurely claiming a victory. And with one Supreme Court seat open following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg last week, a more conservative court may be left with the deciding vote on the election outcome if it ends with a legal challenge.
At a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting Thursday, Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he would accept whatever decision the Supreme Court decided if the election results reached that point. Graham's committee is tasked with reviewing judicial appointees and said he would support Trump's efforts to fill Ginsburg's seat, contradicting his statements in 2016 saying the next president should make the appointment if a vacancy occurred close to the election.
"Bottom line is whatever the court decides I will accept," Graham said Thursday. "Al Gore's greatest legacy in many ways, to me, is what he did after he lost. He accepted a result of the Supreme Court that was 5-4, like 500 votes in the state of Florida. How many places in the world would power peacefully transfer under those circumstances? How many places in the world where you actually have a peaceful transfer of power to begin with?"
Graham added, "there is no alternative to a peaceful transfer of power."
"The winner of the November 3rd election will be inaugurated on January 20th," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a tweet Thursday. "There will be an orderly transition just as there has been every four years since 1792."
Some Twitter users pointed out that McConnell's language left room for interpretation, given many votes are expected to not yet be counted by election night.
In statements on Twitter, several other Republicans reaffirmed a peaceful transition, though they did not call out Trump by name or directly reference his comments.
"Fundamental to democracy is the peaceful transition of power; without that, there is Belarus," tweeted Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who has been critical of Trump. "Any suggestion that a president might not respect this Constitutional guarantee is both unthinkable and unacceptable."
"As we have done for over two centuries we will have a legitimate & fair election," tweeted Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. "It may take longer than usual to know the outcome, but it will be a valid one[.] And at noon on Jan 20,2021 we will peacefully swear in the President."
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Thursday, "There will be a very peaceful transition," according to The New York Times. He added that the same question should be asked of Democrats like "Hillary Clinton, who said never concede the race."
Clinton's comments about not conceding the race referred to the potentially incomplete results that could come out on Election Day due to the expected surge in mail-in voting. In an interview released in August, she said Biden "should not concede under any circumstances" on Election Day given that it could take more time to find out the winner.
Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, tweeted that, "Smart candidates never concede anything before an election. They focus on what it takes to win."
Correction: An earlier version misstated House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's title.
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cnbc--2020-09-24--'Character counts' — Carly Fiorina, GOP presidential candidate in 2016, explains why she’ll vote for

'Character counts' — Carly Fiorina, GOP presidential candidate in 2016, explains why she’ll vote for Biden

Former Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina told CNBC on Thursday she supports Democratic nominee Joe Biden 's candidacy despite their ideological differences .
`` I do n't always agree with Joe Biden 's policies , but I do think character counts .
I think leadership matters , '' Fiorina said on `` Squawk Alley , '' a little over a month before Election Day and just days before the first debate between Biden and President Donald Trump With the U.S. experiencing a persistent pandemic , and rebounding from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression , Fiorina said Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recover than Trump .
`` I think collaboration is now critical , not just collaboration across the aisle , Republican to Democrat for sure , collaboration between city governments wrestling with a whole host of issues , including social injustice and the federal government , '' Fiorina said .
`` And I think Trump has demonstrated his unwillingness and incapacity to lead or to collaborate . ''
Biden , the former vice president under Barack Obama , holds a 7 percentage point lead over Trump in an average of national polls compiled by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executive of Hewlett-Packard from 1999 to 2005 , was among the crowded field of candidates for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination , which was won by Trump.During the 2016 campaign , Trump made sexist comments about Fiorina 's appearance .
Fiorina also once mounted a bid for U.S. Senate in California as a Republican .
She is not the only Republican who has publicly broken from the party and endorsed Biden , who represented Delaware in the Senate for more than three decades before he became vice president .
On Tuesday , Cindy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nominee Sen. John McCain , announced her support for Biden .
Another Republican former HP CEO , Meg Whitman , has also endorsed Biden and spoke at the Democratic National Convention .
`` In business we focus on results , and I think his results do not earn him a second term , '' Fiorina said of Trump , a New York real estate developer before beginning his political career .
Despite high-profile opposition from Fiorina and others , Trump still maintains overwhelming support in the Republican Party .
The Trump campaign did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment .

Former Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina told CNBC on Thursday she supports Democratic nominee Joe Biden's candidacy despite their ideological differences.
"I don't always agree with Joe Biden's policies, but I do think character counts. I think leadership matters," Fiorina said on "Squawk Alley," a little over a month before Election Day and just days before the first debate between Biden and President Donald Trump
With the U.S. experiencing a persistent pandemic, and rebounding from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, Fiorina said Biden is better equipped to help the nation recover than Trump.
"I think collaboration is now critical, not just collaboration across the aisle, Republican to Democrat for sure, collaboration between city governments wrestling with a whole host of issues, including social injustice and the federal government," Fiorina said. "And I think Trump has demonstrated his unwillingness and incapacity to lead or to collaborate."
Biden, the former vice president under Barack Obama, holds a 7 percentage point lead over Trump in an average of national polls compiled by RealClearPolitics.
Fiorina, who was chief executive of Hewlett-Packard from 1999 to 2005, was among the crowded field of candidates for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, which was won by Trump.During the 2016 campaign, Trump made sexist comments about Fiorina's appearance. Fiorina also once mounted a bid for U.S. Senate in California as a Republican.
She is not the only Republican who has publicly broken from the party and endorsed Biden, who represented Delaware in the Senate for more than three decades before he became vice president. On Tuesday, Cindy McCain, widow of 2008 GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, announced her support for Biden. Another Republican former HP CEO, Meg Whitman, has also endorsed Biden and spoke at the Democratic National Convention.
"In business we focus on results, and I think his results do not earn him a second term," Fiorina said of Trump, a New York real estate developer before beginning his political career.
Despite high-profile opposition from Fiorina and others, Trump still maintains overwhelming support in the Republican Party.
The Trump campaign did not respond to CNBC's request for comment.


cnbc--2020-09-24--FBI has not seen evidence of widespread voter fraud, Director Wray tells senators

FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on `` Threats to the Homeland '' on Capitol Hill in Washington , U.S. , September 24 , 2020 .
FBI Director Christopher Wray said Thursday that the bureau has not seen evidence of widespread voting fraud , an assertion that undercuts President Donald Trump 's recent warnings about the integrity of the election .
`` We have not seen , historically , any kind of coordinated national voter fraud effort in a major election , whether it 's by mail or otherwise , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Governmental Affairs Committee .
Wray 's remarks come a day after Trump again claimed , without evidence , that mail-in voting is susceptible to massive fraud , perhaps by foreign adversaries .
The president refused Wednesday to commit to a peaceful transition of power if Democratic nominee Joe Biden wins the November election , citing concerns about `` the ballots . ''
Wray told lawmakers the FBI has seen voter fraud at the local level `` from time to time '' but disputed the possibility of fraud at the national level .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mounting that kind of fraud at scale would be a major challenge for an adversary , '' Wray said .
At a White House briefing on Thursday , press secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended Trump 's concerns surrounding election security : `` As Attorney General Barr has said , we 've never had an election where we 've done mass mail-out voting like this before . ''
Wray also had advice for Americans in dealing with a flood of disinformation on social media .
`` I would encourage people to be critical thinkers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sources and make up their own mind and be a skeptical , discerning electorate , which is what I think is the best defense against malign foreign influence , '' Wray said .

FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on "Threats to the Homeland" on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 24, 2020.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said Thursday that the bureau has not seen evidence of widespread voting fraud, an assertion that undercuts President Donald Trump's recent warnings about the integrity of the election.
"We have not seen, historically, any kind of coordinated national voter fraud effort in a major election, whether it's by mail or otherwise," Wray told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Wray's remarks come a day after Trump again claimed, without evidence, that mail-in voting is susceptible to massive fraud, perhaps by foreign adversaries. The president refused Wednesday to commit to a peaceful transition of power if Democratic nominee Joe Biden wins the November election, citing concerns about "the ballots."
Wray told lawmakers the FBI has seen voter fraud at the local level "from time to time" but disputed the possibility of fraud at the national level.
"To change a federal election outcome by mounting that kind of fraud at scale would be a major challenge for an adversary," Wray said.
At a White House briefing on Thursday, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended Trump's concerns surrounding election security: "As Attorney General Barr has said, we've never had an election where we've done mass mail-out voting like this before."
Wray also had advice for Americans in dealing with a flood of disinformation on social media.
"I would encourage people to be critical thinkers and to get their news from a variety of sources and make up their own mind and be a skeptical, discerning electorate, which is what I think is the best defense against malign foreign influence," Wray said.


cnbc--2020-09-24--Biden's child tax-credit plan is a big clue that his agenda could be more progressive than thought

Joe Biden 's anti-poverty plan to expand the child tax credit suggests that his potential presidency would likely mean a White House more focused on progressive economic policies than those seen during the Obama and Clinton years .
Aimed at reducing childhood poverty rates , Biden 's proposed expansion would be dramatic and open the allowance to families who would otherwise fail to qualify .
It would increase a family 's annual , per-child credit to $ 3,000 from $ 2,000 and would be awarded in installments each month instead of the current springtime lump sum .
Children under age @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` You saw in 2009 , the Obama-Biden administration did an expansion of the child tax credit then , and it was an important expansion , '' said Seth Hanlon , special assistant for economic policy to then-President Barack Obama .
`` But it was more incremental , whereas this is more transformative . ''
The prospective tax credit overhaul , included in a broader Biden campaign tax plan released on Sept. 17 , comes as millions of Americans struggle to find employment or keep their small businesses afloat due to the Covid-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ throughout the summer , economists say it could take years for the unemployment rate to drop from its current 8.4 % back to pre-coronavirus levels , especially as jobless claims continue to exceed expectations into the fall .
The economic hardship has not been evenly distributed .
Low-income workers have suffered some of the worst employment losses that threaten to exacerbate poverty for those already most at risk .
Between January and July , employment rates among U.S. workers in the bottom wage quartile ( those who make less than $ 27,000 ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ modest declines of 5.3 % for middle-wage workers ( $ 27,000 – $ 60,000 ) and 1.6 % for high-wage workers ( greater than $ 60,000 ) , according to tracktherecovery.org .
To be sure , President Donald Trump 's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act did accomplish something similar in bumping the child tax credit from $ 1,000 to $ 2,000 and reducing the income threshold for claiming it to $ 2,500 .
The law is perhaps best known on Wall Street for reducing the corporate tax rate from 35 % to 21 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tax deduction at $ 10,000 .
Neither the Biden nor Trump campaigns responded to CNBC 's request for comment by the time this article published .
Progressive proponents of Biden 's plan say its most exciting change is extension of the credit to families making less than $ 2,500 per year .
Under current law , households must earn at least $ 2,500 per year to qualify for the credit since those making less do n't have tax liability .
That would mean an American parent without taxable income — including those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic — would nonetheless qualify for the credit .

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks in Tampa, Florida on September 15, 2020 during a roundtable discussion with Tampa-area veterans and military families. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images
Joe Biden's anti-poverty plan to expand the child tax credit suggests that his potential presidency would likely mean a White House more focused on progressive economic policies than those seen during the Obama and Clinton years. Aimed at reducing childhood poverty rates, Biden's proposed expansion would be dramatic and open the allowance to families who would otherwise fail to qualify. It would increase a family's annual, per-child credit to $3,000 from $2,000 and would be awarded in installments each month instead of the current springtime lump sum. Children under age 6 would be credited $3,600. "You saw in 2009, the Obama-Biden administration did an expansion of the child tax credit then, and it was an important expansion," said Seth Hanlon, special assistant for economic policy to then-President Barack Obama. "But it was more incremental, whereas this is more transformative." The prospective tax credit overhaul, included in a broader Biden campaign tax plan released on Sept. 17, comes as millions of Americans struggle to find employment or keep their small businesses afloat due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Though jobless figures slowly improved throughout the summer, economists say it could take years for the unemployment rate to drop from its current 8.4% back to pre-coronavirus levels, especially as jobless claims continue to exceed expectations into the fall.
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The economic hardship has not been evenly distributed. Low-income workers have suffered some of the worst employment losses that threaten to exacerbate poverty for those already most at risk. Between January and July, employment rates among U.S. workers in the bottom wage quartile (those who make less than $27,000) decreased by 16.1% compared with more modest declines of 5.3% for middle-wage workers ($27,000 – $60,000) and 1.6% for high-wage workers (greater than $60,000), according to tracktherecovery.org. To be sure, President Donald Trump's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act did accomplish something similar in bumping the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000 and reducing the income threshold for claiming it to $2,500. The law is perhaps best known on Wall Street for reducing the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and capping the state and local tax deduction at $10,000. "Joe Biden's proposed $4 trillion tax increase will burden hard working Americans at all income levels," Courtney Parella, a Trump campaign spokeswoman, said in an email. "Under President Trump's leadership, Congress passed the first major tax reform in 30 years and doubled the child tax credit that benefitted nearly 40 million families," she added. "He will continue to help Americans keep more of their hard-earned paychecks in their pockets as he delivers the Great American Comeback." The Biden campaign did not respond to CNBC's request for comment. Progressive proponents of Biden's plan say its most exciting change is extension of the credit to families making less than $2,500 per year. Under current law, households must earn at least $2,500 per year to qualify for the credit since those making less don't have tax liability. That would mean an American parent without taxable income — including those who lost their job as a result of the pandemic — would nonetheless qualify for the credit.
Sen. Michael Bennet speaks in the second Democratic presidential primary debate, hosted by NBC News, June 27, 2019. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
Biden's big-ticket plan is based on a bill called the American Family Act, a piece of legislation introduced by Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, in 2017 as a counter to Trump's tax overhaul. The American Family Act has support from virtually every Democrat in the Senate including Biden's running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris. Progressive leaders Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., also support the bill, almost guaranteeing its odds of passage if Democrats manage to take control of the Senate in the 2020 elections. Hanlon said Biden's plan doesn't make the tax credit changes permanent, but he and other Democrats would favor doing so. The AFA's fact sheet says the credit would be expanded "as long as economic conditions require it," said Hanlon, who now works for the left-leaning Center for American Progress. But "notwithstanding the pandemic, which of course makes it more urgent, it certainly should be a permanent priority." "It's really a game changer for low-income families," he added. Research conducted by the Columbia University Center on Poverty and Social Policy and touted by the bill's drafters finds that that AFA would reduce the number of children in poverty by 4 million (from 14.8% to 9.5%) and the number of kids in deep poverty by 1.6 million (from 4.6% to 2.4%).
Debt and growth
The Biden campaign's shift to the left of prior Democratic administrations is especially clear in the composition of his economic team.
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Longtime Biden advisor Jared Bernstein, for example, touted the AFA in March 2019 for including more families and expanding the credit to 27 million kids who do not get the full credit. "Underinvesting in kids is not just a cost borne by their families. It is a cost borne by all of us," Bernstein wrote in a Washington Post op-ed last year. "Children who grow up in poverty face stressors with lasting negative effects, for themselves and for the rest of us (e.g., less educational attainment, reduced earnings, worse health outcomes)." "The AFA's extra credit for young children is thus a particularly attractive attribute, as providing such resources has been shown to improve adult outcomes of poor children," he added. Bernstein and other Democratic economists have for years pushed back on a long-held belief that programs that reduce income or wealth inequality come at a cost of shrinking the overall economic "pie" while also ballooning the national debt.
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cnbc--2020-09-24--Biden holds steady polling lead over Trump ahead of first debate

But with just 40 days until Election Day , Biden also appears to be holding onto his leads in a series of crucial battleground states , albeit narrowly in some .
While the polling gap might favor Biden , it 's the Electoral College , not the popular vote , that will decide the race .
Trump won in 2016 despite Democrat Hillary Clinton 's more than 2.8 million edge in the popular vote .
The debate , set for Tuesday at 9 p.m .
ET , will be held in Ohio – a state that Trump won handily in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2020 .
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden holds a durable lead over President Donald Trump in national polling averages ahead of their first debate , where the contenders are set to discuss the Supreme Court , the economy and the coronavirus pandemic .
Averages of polls from Florida , Pennsylvania , Michigan , Wisconsin , North Carolina and Arizona give Biden a 3.8-point spread over Trump , according to RCP 's swing-state tracker .
The closest races in that tracker are North Carolina and Florida , both of which Trump won against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ average lead in North Carolina and a 1.3-point lead in Florida .
The Sunshine State in particular , with its 29 electoral votes , has become a major focus for both campaigns .
Trump , who recently became a permanent resident of Florida , and Biden paid visits earlier this month , and both have made overtures to the high proportion of Latino voters there .
The competition appeared to ramp up further following a handful of polls showing Trump leading Biden among Latinos in Florida .
Trump 's surprise move last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aid for Puerto Rico was viewed as an apparent play for Florida voters .
Florida Republicans , meanwhile , are reportedly pushing Trump to select Barbara Lagoa as his next Supreme Court nominee , believing that the Cuban-American federal judge could boost the president 's chances in the state .
Some individual state polls do show Trump gaining since August .
A Monmouth University poll of registered voters in Iowa , for instance , found Trump rising to a 50 % -44 % lead over Biden , though a separate model of likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ race at a narrower 49 % -46 % spread for Trump .
The poll of 402 registered voters in Iowa was conducted by phone between Friday and Tuesday .
It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points .
One political analyst who is n't changing the prediction he made in early August is historian Allan Lichtman , who has correctly called every presidential race since 1984 .
`` I absolutely stand by my prediction '' that Trump will lose in 2020 , Lichtman said in a phone interview @ @ @ @ @ @ @ method eschews the polls in favor of an analysis of 13 different categories , such as the state of the economy and the president 's policy record , dubbed the `` Keys to the White House . ''
`` The keys , they 're like a rock .
They do not easily change , because they have the fundamentals , not the day-to-day of the campaign , '' Lichtman said .
`` Trump is n't going to suddenly morph into a different person . ''
Despite Lichtman 's prediction and the steady gap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ averages , there are more than enough reasons not to jump to conclusions about what the outcome will be -- or when it will even be known .
Lingering fears about the spread of Covid-19 , which has killed more than 200,000 people in the U.S. , have spurred some state leaders to expand access to mail-in voting , by lowering the bar for requesting an absentee ballot or by simply sending ballots out to registered voters statewide .
The changes have led to concerns that Election Day itself will be fraught with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be counted until days after Nov. 3 .
Trump , who himself votes by absentee ballot , has railed against those mail-in voting plans , claiming without evidence that they will inevitably lead to widespread fraud .
Far more Democrats than Republicans say they plan to vote by mail in the 2020 election , recent polls have shown .
On Wednesday , Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power when asked by a reporter at the White House if he would make such a pledge , `` win , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we 'll have to see what happens .
You know that .
I 've been complaining very strongly about the ballots .
And the ballots are a disaster , '' Trump said .
He added : `` Get rid of the ballots , and you 'll have a very — you 'll have a very peaceful — there wo n't be a transfer , frankly , there 'll be a continuation . ''
Trump has tied his doubts about voting integrity into his push to quickly fill the Supreme Court seat left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bader Ginsburg on Friday .
`` I think this will end up in the Supreme Court and I think it 's very important that we have nine justices , '' Trump said Wednesday .
At the same time , U.S. officials have warned that foreign actors are working to influence the outcome of the election .
Last month , counterintelligence chief William Evanina said Russia is trying to `` undermine '' Biden 's candidacy , while China and Iran oppose Trump 's reelection .
FBI director Christopher Wray told Congress last week that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in its efforts to `` denigrate '' Biden .
Foreign election interference , along with voter suppression efforts , are the two things that `` keep me up at night , '' Lichtman told CNBC .

But with just 40 days until Election Day, Biden also appears to be holding onto his leads in a series of crucial battleground states, albeit narrowly in some.
While the polling gap might favor Biden, it's the Electoral College, not the popular vote, that will decide the race. Trump won in 2016 despite Democrat Hillary Clinton's more than 2.8 million edge in the popular vote.
The debate, set for Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET, will be held in Ohio – a state that Trump won handily in 2016 but which has grown fiercely competitive in 2020 .
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden holds a durable lead over President Donald Trump in national polling averages ahead of their first debate , where the contenders are set to discuss the Supreme Court, the economy and the coronavirus pandemic .
Averages of polls from Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Arizona give Biden a 3.8-point spread over Trump, according to RCP's swing-state tracker.
The closest races in that tracker are North Carolina and Florida, both of which Trump won against Clinton. Biden holds just a 0.5-point average lead in North Carolina and a 1.3-point lead in Florida.
The Sunshine State in particular, with its 29 electoral votes, has become a major focus for both campaigns.
Trump, who recently became a permanent resident of Florida, and Biden paid visits earlier this month, and both have made overtures to the high proportion of Latino voters there.
The competition appeared to ramp up further following a handful of polls showing Trump leading Biden among Latinos in Florida.
Trump's surprise move last week to announce $13 billion in disaster aid for Puerto Rico was viewed as an apparent play for Florida voters. Florida Republicans, meanwhile, are reportedly pushing Trump to select Barbara Lagoa as his next Supreme Court nominee, believing that the Cuban-American federal judge could boost the president's chances in the state.
Some individual state polls do show Trump gaining since August. A Monmouth University poll of registered voters in Iowa, for instance, found Trump rising to a 50%-44% lead over Biden, though a separate model of likely voters from the same pollster put the race at a narrower 49%-46% spread for Trump. The poll of 402 registered voters in Iowa was conducted by phone between Friday and Tuesday. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.
One political analyst who isn't changing the prediction he made in early August is historian Allan Lichtman, who has correctly called every presidential race since 1984.
"I absolutely stand by my prediction" that Trump will lose in 2020, Lichtman said in a phone interview with CNBC last week.
Lichtman's method eschews the polls in favor of an analysis of 13 different categories, such as the state of the economy and the president's policy record, dubbed the "Keys to the White House."
"The keys, they're like a rock. They do not easily change, because they have the fundamentals, not the day-to-day of the campaign," Lichtman said. "Trump isn't going to suddenly morph into a different person."
Despite Lichtman's prediction and the steady gap between Trump and Biden in the polling averages, there are more than enough reasons not to jump to conclusions about what the outcome will be -- or when it will even be known.
Lingering fears about the spread of Covid-19, which has killed more than 200,000 people in the U.S., have spurred some state leaders to expand access to mail-in voting, by lowering the bar for requesting an absentee ballot or by simply sending ballots out to registered voters statewide. The changes have led to concerns that Election Day itself will be fraught with confusion as large swaths of ballots may not be counted until days after Nov. 3.
Trump, who himself votes by absentee ballot, has railed against those mail-in voting plans, claiming without evidence that they will inevitably lead to widespread fraud. Far more Democrats than Republicans say they plan to vote by mail in the 2020 election, recent polls have shown.
On Wednesday, Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power when asked by a reporter at the White House if he would make such a pledge, "win, lose or draw."
"Well, we'll have to see what happens. You know that. I've been complaining very strongly about the ballots. And the ballots are a disaster," Trump said.
He added: "Get rid of the ballots, and you'll have a very — you'll have a very peaceful — there won't be a transfer, frankly, there'll be a continuation."
Trump has tied his doubts about voting integrity into his push to quickly fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday.
"I think this will end up in the Supreme Court and I think it's very important that we have nine justices," Trump said Wednesday.
At the same time, U.S. officials have warned that foreign actors are working to influence the outcome of the election. Last month, counterintelligence chief William Evanina said Russia is trying to "undermine" Biden's candidacy, while China and Iran oppose Trump's reelection.
FBI director Christopher Wray told Congress last week that Russia has been "very active" in its efforts to "denigrate" Biden.
Foreign election interference, along with voter suppression efforts, are the two things that "keep me up at night," Lichtman told CNBC.


cnbc--2020-09-24--President Trump and siblings sued by niece Mary Trump, who claims they swindled her out of millions

President Trump and siblings sued by niece Mary Trump, who claims they swindled her out of millions of dollars

President Donald Trump and two of his siblings were sued on Thursday by their niece Mary , who accused them of fraud for allegedly swindling her out of millions of dollars to which she was entitled after the death of her father .
In addition to the president , the other defendants are retired federal appeals court Judge Maryanne Trump Barry and the executor of the estate of Robert Trump , who died last month .
`` For Donald J. Trump , his sister Maryanne , and their late brother Robert , fraud was not just the family business — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Mary Trump 's lawsuit said .
`` All told , they fleeced her of tens of millions of dollars or more . ''
The lawsuit filed in New York state Supreme Court in Manhattan comes on the heels of the publication of Mary Trump 's best-selling , tell-all book that was scathingly critical of the president .
And it comes less than six weeks before the Nov. 3 election , in which the president is facing a challenge from Democratic nominee Joe Biden .
This past summer , a lawsuit filed under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the publication of Mary Trump 's book , `` Too Much and Never Enough : How My Family Created the World 's Most Dangerous Man . ''
That suit claimed that Mary Trump violated a nondisclosure agreement she signed to settle a similar legal allegation about being denied assets due her .
Mary Trump 's new suit claims that her aunt and uncles committed to watching over her financial interests when their brother and her father , Fred Trump Jr. , died in 1981 .
Mary was 16 at the time .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minority interests in the family business , '' the suit said .
But instead of protecting her interests , the suit said , the defendants `` lied . ''
`` They designed and carried out a complex scheme to siphon funds away from her interests , conceal their grift , and deceive her about the true value of what she had inherited , '' the suit claims .
The alleged schemes included charging `` exorbitant management fees , consulting fees , and salaries '' from companies that were part of Mary 's financial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schemes against Mary , '' the suit says .
`` Each scheme was a fraud in itself , but they also built on one another .
First , Defendants fraudulently siphoned value from Mary 's interests to entities Defendants owned and controlled , while disguising those transfers as legitimate business transactions ( the 'Grift ' ) , '' the suit said .
`` Second , Defendants fraudulently depressed the value of Mary 's interests , and the net income they generated , in part through fraudulent appraisals and financial statements ( the 'Devaluing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Third , following Fred Sr. 's death , Defendants forced Mary to the negotiating table by threatening to bankrupt Mary 's interests and by canceling the healthcare policy that was keeping [ Mary 's brother ] Fred III 's infant son alive , and once at the table Defendants presented Mary with a stack of fraudulent valuations and financial statements , and a written agreement that itself memorialized their fraud , and obtained her signature ( the 'Squeeze-Out ' ) . ''
`` Through each of these schemes , Defendants not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was rightfully hers , they also kept her in the dark about it — until now , '' the suit says .
The suit makes claims of fraud , civil conspiracy and breach of fiduciary duty .
The lawsuit says that Mary Trump , who had previously reached a financial settlement with her uncles and aunt over claims to her grandfather Fred Trump Sr. 's estate , only learned that she would have been entitled to much more after a New York Times expose of the Trump family in 2018 .
The deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Trump family 's estate was worth $ 30 million , according to Mary Trump .
But she later came to believe that it was closer to $ 1 billion .
`` My uncles Donald and Robert and aunt Maryanne were supposed to be protecting me as my trustees and fiduciaries , '' Mary Trump said in a statement .
`` Recently , I learned that rather than protecting me , they instead betrayed me by working together in secret to steal from me , by telling lie after lie about the value @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by conning me into giving everything away for a fraction of its true value , '' Mary Trump said .
`` I am bringing this case to hold them accountable and to recover what is rightfully mine . ''
Mary Trump is being represented by attorney Roberta Kaplan , who is representing the writer E. Jean Carroll in a civil defamation lawsuit against the president over his claim that Carroll lied by saying she was raped by him in the mid-1990s in the dressing room of a Manhattan department store .
White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the lawsuit , told reporters , `` the only fraud committed there was Mary Trump recording one of her relatives , and she 's really discredited herself . ''
McEnany 's statement referred to Mary Trump having secretly recorded her aunt , Barry , in 2018 and 2019 , talking about President Trump .
The Washington Post , in an article last month detailing those calls , said Barry had said of President Trump , `` He has no principles .
None , '' that the president lies regularly , that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teenager when she did his homework for him .
`` It 's the phoniness of it all , '' Barry said on one call quoted by The Post .
`` It 's the phoniness and this cruelty .
Donald is cruel . ''
A lawyer for Robert Trump did not immediately return requests for comment from CNBC on the lawsuit .
Contact information by Maryanne Trump Barry was not immediately available .

Mary L. Trump interview on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow MSNBC
President Donald Trump and two of his siblings were sued on Thursday by their niece Mary, who accused them of fraud for allegedly swindling her out of millions of dollars to which she was entitled after the death of her father. In addition to the president, the other defendants are retired federal appeals court Judge Maryanne Trump Barry and the executor of the estate of Robert Trump, who died last month. "For Donald J. Trump, his sister Maryanne, and their late brother Robert, fraud was not just the family business — it was a way of life," Mary Trump's lawsuit said. "All told, they fleeced her of tens of millions of dollars or more." The lawsuit filed in New York state Supreme Court in Manhattan comes on the heels of the publication of Mary Trump's best-selling, tell-all book that was scathingly critical of the president. And it comes less than six weeks before the Nov. 3 election, in which the president is facing a challenge from Democratic nominee Joe Biden. This past summer, a lawsuit filed under Robert Trump's name failed to prevent the publication of Mary Trump's book, "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man." That suit claimed that Mary Trump violated a nondisclosure agreement she signed to settle a similar legal allegation about being denied assets due her.
Donald Trump with sister Maryanne Trump Barry and brother Robert Trump attend the Trump Taj Mahal opening April 1990 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Sonia Moskowitz | Getty Images
Mary Trump's new suit claims that her aunt and uncles committed to watching over her financial interests when their brother and her father, Fred Trump Jr., died in 1981. Mary was 16 at the time. "Upon his death, Mary inherited valuable minority interests in the family business," the suit said. But instead of protecting her interests, the suit said, the defendants "lied." "They designed and carried out a complex scheme to siphon funds away from her interests, conceal their grift, and deceive her about the true value of what she had inherited," the suit claims. The alleged schemes included charging "exorbitant management fees, consulting fees, and salaries" from companies that were part of Mary's financial holdings. "Defendants perpetrated three fraudulent schemes against Mary," the suit says.
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cnbc--2020-09-24--Prosecutors drop prostitution charges against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, more than yea

Prosecutors drop prostitution charges against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, more than year after scandal broke

Owner of the New England Patriots Robert Kraft walks on the field prior to the game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 17 , 2017 in New Orleans , Louisiana .
Florida prosecutors on Thursday dropped prostitution solicitation charges against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft , after being barred from using police surveillance videos that might prove their case .
The move was expected after the Florida attorney general 's office said Monday that it would not ask the state Supreme Court to reverse an appeals court decision blocking as evidence videos showing Kraft @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visits to the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter , Fla. , in early 2019 .
The videos , which have never been made public , were the most powerful , and possibly the only real pieces of evidence , against the 79-year-old billionaire , who had pleaded not guilty in the case .
`` Without these videos we can not move forward with our prosecution , '' said Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg during a press conference .
Aronberg said that he was `` disappointed '' by the appeals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also called the Orchids of Asia Day Spa `` a notorious brothel , '' and he defended the decision by local police to open an investigation that led to the prosecution of Kraft and two dozen other men .
Those other men also had their charges dropped because of the appellate court ruling .
`` It is not a lack of will that caused us to drop the charges in the spa cases , '' Aronberg said .
`` But our hands were tied '' by the attorney general 's decision not to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Aronberg , however , said he understood that decision .
Aronberg 's office on Thursday filed in court two notices of nolle prosequi , a term that means they will not proceed with prosecution in the case , in which the NFL owner Kraft was charged with two counts of soliciting prostitution , a misdemeanor .

Owner of the New England Patriots Robert Kraft walks on the field prior to the game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 17, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Florida prosecutors on Thursday dropped prostitution solicitation charges against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, after being barred from using police surveillance videos that might prove their case.
The move was expected after the Florida attorney general's office said Monday that it would not ask the state Supreme Court to reverse an appeals court decision blocking as evidence videos showing Kraft getting sexually serviced for money during two visits to the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Fla., in early 2019.
The videos, which have never been made public, were the most powerful, and possibly the only real pieces of evidence, against the 79-year-old billionaire, who had pleaded not guilty in the case.
"Without these videos we cannot move forward with our prosecution," said Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg during a press conference.
Aronberg said that he was "disappointed" by the appeals court ruling.
But the top prosecutor also called the Orchids of Asia Day Spa "a notorious brothel," and he defended the decision by local police to open an investigation that led to the prosecution of Kraft and two dozen other men. Those other men also had their charges dropped because of the appellate court ruling.
"It is not a lack of will that caused us to drop the charges in the spa cases," Aronberg said.
"But our hands were tied" by the attorney general's decision not to appeal the ruling, he added. Aronberg, however, said he understood that decision.
Aronberg's office on Thursday filed in court two notices of nolle prosequi, a term that means they will not proceed with prosecution in the case, in which the NFL owner Kraft was charged with two counts of soliciting prostitution, a misdemeanor.


cnbc--2020-09-24--Trump won't commit to peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election

President Donald Trump refused on Wednesday to commit to a peaceful transition of power if he loses the 2020 election to Democratic nominee Joe Biden .
`` Well , we 'll have to see what happens .
You know that .
I 've been complaining very strongly about the ballots .
And the ballots are a disaster , '' Trump said at a White House news conference .
It appeared Trump was referring to mail-in ballots , which he has repeatedly condemned , without evidence , as susceptible to massive fraud .
The president had been asked by a reporter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transfer of power , `` win , lose or draw . ''
When the reporter noted that `` people are rioting , '' Trump replied : `` Get rid of the ballots , and you 'll have a very — you 'll have a very peaceful — there wo n't be a transfer , frankly , there 'll be a continuation . ''
`` The ballots are out of control , '' Trump said .
`` The Democrats know it better than anybody else . ''
The Biden campaign responded by saying : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election .
And the United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House . ''
The Trump campaign pushed back on criticism of the president 's answer .
`` The premise of the question the president was asked assumed that he would lose , which he naturally disagrees with , meaning there will not be a change in administration , '' said spokesman Tim Murtaugh .
Minutes after Trump discussed the potential outcome of the election , the president abruptly left the briefing room , telling the press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take an emergency phone call . ''
The White House did not respond to a request for details on Trump 's departure .
Trump in his brief time at the rostrum also discussed his planned announcement of a nominee to fill the Supreme Court seat vacated by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg .
`` I think it will be a great nominee , a brilliant nominee , '' Trump said , noting that he had already committed to selecting a female judge for the Supreme Court .
Ginsburg , the court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Friday evening at age 87 due to complications from pancreatic cancer .
Trump and most Senate Republicans , especially Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky , have signaled eagerness to have Ginsburg 's seat filled before the Nov. 3 election .
Doing so would likely cement a conservative majority on the nine-member bench , which could alter the trajectory of U.S. law for decades to come .
It could also play a central role in the near term .
With the coronavirus pandemic spurring massive changes to vote-by-mail rules in numerous states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a battlefield of partisan litigation .
The president has already predicted that the high court will decide the winner .
`` I think this well end up in the Supreme Court and I think it 's very important that we have nine justices , and I think the system 's going to go very quickly , '' Trump said at the White House earlier Wednesday .

President Donald Trump refused on Wednesday to commit to a peaceful transition of power if he loses the 2020 election to Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
"Well, we'll have to see what happens. You know that. I've been complaining very strongly about the ballots. And the ballots are a disaster," Trump said at a White House news conference. It appeared Trump was referring to mail-in ballots, which he has repeatedly condemned, without evidence, as susceptible to massive fraud.
The president had been asked by a reporter if he would commit to a peaceful transfer of power, "win, lose or draw."
When the reporter noted that "people are rioting," Trump replied: "Get rid of the ballots, and you'll have a very — you'll have a very peaceful — there won't be a transfer, frankly, there'll be a continuation."
"The ballots are out of control," Trump said. "The Democrats know it better than anybody else."
The Biden campaign responded by saying: "The American people will decide this election. And the United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House."
The Trump campaign pushed back on criticism of the president's answer. "The premise of the question the president was asked assumed that he would lose, which he naturally disagrees with, meaning there will not be a change in administration," said spokesman Tim Murtaugh.
Minutes after Trump discussed the potential outcome of the election, the president abruptly left the briefing room, telling the press, "I have to leave to take an emergency phone call."
The White House did not respond to a request for details on Trump's departure.
Trump in his brief time at the rostrum also discussed his planned announcement of a nominee to fill the Supreme Court seat vacated by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
"I think it will be a great nominee, a brilliant nominee," Trump said, noting that he had already committed to selecting a female judge for the Supreme Court.
Ginsburg, the court's senior liberal associate justice, died Friday evening at age 87 due to complications from pancreatic cancer.
Trump and most Senate Republicans, especially Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, have signaled eagerness to have Ginsburg's seat filled before the Nov. 3 election.
Doing so would likely cement a conservative majority on the nine-member bench, which could alter the trajectory of U.S. law for decades to come.
It could also play a central role in the near term. With the coronavirus pandemic spurring massive changes to vote-by-mail rules in numerous states, the 2020 election has already become a battlefield of partisan litigation.
The president has already predicted that the high court will decide the winner.
"I think this well end up in the Supreme Court and I think it's very important that we have nine justices, and I think the system's going to go very quickly," Trump said at the White House earlier Wednesday.


cnbc--2020-09-24--Grand jury indicts former Louisville cop Brett Hankison in Breonna Taylor raid, but no charges relat

Grand jury indicts former Louisville cop Brett Hankison in Breonna Taylor raid, but no charges related to her shooting death

A grand jury on Wednesday indicted a former Louisville , Kentucky , cop , Sgt .
Brett Hankison , on @ @ @ @ @ the police raid that led to the killing of Breonna Taylor — but he was @ @ @ @ @ related to her death .
Hankison , who fired 10 shots during the raid only @ @ @ @ @ shots that ended up in a neighboring apartment to Taylor 's home , not into @ @ @ @ @ other cops involved in the raid on Taylor 's home , Officer Myles Cosgrove and @ @ @ @ @ were not criminally charged by the grand jury .
An attorney for the Black woman @ @ @ @ @ , condemned the lack of criminal charges related to Taylor 's death .
`` Jefferson @ @ @ @ @ ofc .
Brett Hankison with 3 counts of Wanton Endangerment in 1st Degree for bullets @ @ @ @ @ but NOTHING for the murder of Breonna Taylor .
This is outrageous and offensive !
@ @ @ @

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A grand jury on Wednesday indicted a former Louisville, Kentucky, cop, Sgt. Brett Hankison, on wanton endangerment charges connected to the police raid that led to the killing of Breonna Taylor — but he was not charged with any crimes related to her death. Hankison, who fired 10 shots during the raid only was charged for having fired shots that ended up in a neighboring apartment to Taylor's home, not into her residence itself. Two other cops involved in the raid on Taylor's home, Officer Myles Cosgrove and Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, were not criminally charged by the grand jury. An attorney for the Black woman's family, Ben Crump, condemned the lack of criminal charges related to Taylor's death. "Jefferson County Grand Jury indicts former ofc. Brett Hankison with 3 counts of Wanton Endangerment in 1st Degree for bullets that went into other apartments but NOTHING for the murder of Breonna Taylor. This is outrageous and offensive!" Crump tweeted.
Former Louisville Metropolitan Police Department officer Brett Hankison poses for an official portrait in Louisville, Kentucky, in an undated photograph. LMPD | via Reuters
"If Brett Hankison's behavior was wanton endangerment to people in neighboring apartments, then it should have been wanton endangerment in Breonna Taylor's apartment too. In fact, it should have been ruled wanton murder!" Crump added. Judge Annie O'Connell said a warrant will be issued for Hankison's arrest. She set bail at $15,000. The death of the 26-year-old Taylor, who was hit by six shots, along with the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last spring, catalyzed the protest-driven movement to reform police organizations that spread nationwide this summer. Wanton endangerment in the first degree is a Class D felony that carries a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison. Hankison was charged with three counts of that crime. The multiple counts relate to the fact that the shots he fired went into an apartment, not Taylor's, which contained three other people. A lawyer for the former police officer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Louisville Police Department in June terminated Hankison's employment, saying he had displayed "an extreme indifference to the value of human life." In anticipation of the grand jury's findings, Louisville's mayor, Greg Fischer, imposed a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. starting Wednesday.
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cnbc--2020-09-25--House Democrats prepare new $2.4 trillion stimulus plan with unemployment aid, direct payments

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) speaks during a briefing to the media on Capitol Hill in Washington , September 10 , 2020 .
House Democrats are preparing a new , smaller coronavirus relief package expected to cost about $ 2.4 trillion as they try to forge ahead with talks with the Trump administration , a person familiar with the plans said Thursday .
The bill would include enhanced unemployment insurance , direct payments to Americans , Paycheck Protection Program small-business loan funding and aid to airlines , among other provisions , the person said .
To @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chop roughly $ 1 trillion from their previous proposal for a fifth pandemic aid plan .
The party aims to restart stimulus negotiations with the White House after talks fell apart last month .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly pushed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to boost the administration 's roughly $ 1.3 trillion offer by another trillion dollars .
Pelosi directed Democratic committee chairs to draft legislation , according to Politico , which first reported on plans to craft another bill .
The House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as next week , but Democrats have not yet decided on a plan , the outlet reported .
Democrats and Republicans have failed to come to agreement on more aid to combat the health and economic damage from the crisis , even after a $ 600 per week supplemental unemployment benefit , a federal moratorium on evictions and the window to apply for PPP loans lapsed .
Hopes for more legislation dwindled in recent weeks as Republicans grew wary of spending and election-year politics infiltrated the process .
House Democrats passed their more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ May .
Earlier this month , Senate Democrats blocked a roughly $ 500 billion Republican plan .
The GOP put together a scaled-back bill after a measure costing about $ 1 trillion that they released in July failed to lead to a bipartisan breakthrough .
The discussions about a relief proposal come as concerns grow about the potential for the U.S. economic recovery , boosted by the trillions in relief Congress has passed this year , to falter .
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell , among other economic experts , has warned the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fiscal stimulus .
While the U.S. has enjoyed several months of strong jobs growth after coronavirus-related shutdowns led to widespread layoffs , the national unemployment rate still came in at 8.4 % when last measured in August .
On Thursday , the Labor Department said initial jobless claims rose slightly to 870,000 last week .
The Nov. 3 election has , of course , factored into lawmakers ' calculations on whether to pass more aid and how to structure it .
Vulnerable Senate Republicans and House Democrats have pushed for concrete actions they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parties try to keep their majorities .
As Pelosi has repeatedly said she would only pass a comprehensive pandemic aid plan , some House Democrats have pushed to approve more targeted legislation .


cnbc--2020-09-25--Ruth Bader Ginsburg becomes the first woman to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol

A hearse carrying the casket of the late Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg arrives at the U.S. Capitol , where her body will lie in state in Statuary Hall in Washington , U.S. , September 25 , 2020 .
The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday made history once more as the first woman and first Jewish person to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol .
The honor is considered one of the nation 's highest distinctions for government and military leaders .
A pioneering champion of gender equality , Ginsburg was the second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highest court and the leader of its liberal wing .
She died last Friday at age 87 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer .
On Wednesday and Thursday , Ginsburg had lain in repose at the top of the Supreme Court 's front steps .
Friday 's ceremony , spearheaded by Democratic leader Speaker Nancy Pelosi , included a small circle of invited members of Congress and Ginsburg 's family .
Democratic nominee Joe Biden and running mate Sen. Kamala Harris were among those in attendance .
Notably absent from the Capitol @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy .
Following the services , a private interment ceremony will be held next week at Arlington National Cemetery , where her husband , Martin , was buried in 2010 .
As the nation remembers the late justice , a contentious political struggle continues , with Republicans racing to fill the empty Supreme Court seat before the 2020 election .
President Donald Trump plans to announce his nominee on Saturday .

A hearse carrying the casket of the late Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg arrives at the U.S. Capitol, where her body will lie in state in Statuary Hall in Washington, U.S., September 25, 2020.
The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday made history once more as the first woman and first Jewish person to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol.
The honor is considered one of the nation's highest distinctions for government and military leaders. A pioneering champion of gender equality, Ginsburg was the second female to serve on the nation's highest court and the leader of its liberal wing. She died last Friday at age 87 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Read more: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies at age 87
On Wednesday and Thursday, Ginsburg had lain in repose at the top of the Supreme Court's front steps.
Friday's ceremony, spearheaded by Democratic leader Speaker Nancy Pelosi, included a small circle of invited members of Congress and Ginsburg's family. Democratic nominee Joe Biden and running mate Sen. Kamala Harris were among those in attendance.
Notably absent from the Capitol service were top congressional Republicans Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
Following the services, a private interment ceremony will be held next week at Arlington National Cemetery, where her husband, Martin, was buried in 2010.
As the nation remembers the late justice, a contentious political struggle continues, with Republicans racing to fill the empty Supreme Court seat before the 2020 election. President Donald Trump plans to announce his nominee on Saturday.


cnbc--2020-09-25--Ron Paul hospitalized after suffering medical incident during livestream

Ron Paul , the 12-term former congressman , three-time presidential candidate and staunch libertarian advocate , was hospitalized Friday after suffering a medical incident during a live taping of his talk show .
A video clip of the livestream of `` Ron Paul Liberty Report '' shows Paul , 85 , discussing the economy and then suddenly slurring his speech and speaking unintelligibly .
The video , which was widely circulated on Twitter , cuts to another speaker on the call , who asks , `` Dr .
Paul ? ''
without receiving a response .
Later Friday afternoon , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ photo of Paul in a hospital bed .
`` I am doing fine .
Thank you for your concern , '' Paul said , according to the tweet .
An operator at a hospital in Lake Jackson , Texas , told CNBC that a person named Ron Paul was being treated in the emergency room .
When transferred to the ER , CNBC was told that no information on any patients could be provided because of federal disclosure laws .
`` Thank God , Dad is doing well .
Thank you for all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rand Paul , R-Ky. , one of Ron Paul 's five children .
Kelley Paul , Rand Paul 's wife , in a tweet thanked `` everyone who has been praying and sending support for our beloved Grandaddy Ron ! ''
`` He is doing better and we are so grateful , '' she tweeted .
In a statement to NBC News , Paul 's oldest son , Ronnie Paul , said , `` Thank you to all the friends and well wishers that reached out .
My Dad is walking , talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical attention .
Health scares like this are always concerning , but Dad is in great shape and grateful for everyone 's concern . ''
The Ron Paul Institute did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
Paul was a flight surgeon in the Air Force and an obstetrician before entering politics as a Republican in the mid-1970s .
As a Texas congressman , he quickly carved out a reputation as a strict adherent of limited-government principles and a narrow interpretation of the powers of the Constitution .
During his first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nonprofit think tank the Foundation for Rational Economics and Education , or FREE .
Paul ran in the 1988 presidential election on the Libertarian Party ticket .
He ran as a Republican in the 2008 and 2012 elections .
Paul has been a longtime critic of the Federal Reserve 's monetary policies and has advocated a return to the gold standard .

Ron Paul, the 12-term former congressman, three-time presidential candidate and staunch libertarian advocate, was hospitalized Friday after suffering a medical incident during a live taping of his talk show.
A video clip of the livestream of "Ron Paul Liberty Report" shows Paul, 85, discussing the economy and then suddenly slurring his speech and speaking unintelligibly. The video, which was widely circulated on Twitter, cuts to another speaker on the call, who asks, "Dr. Paul?" without receiving a response.
Later Friday afternoon, Paul's official Twitter account tweeted a photo of Paul in a hospital bed.
"I am doing fine. Thank you for your concern," Paul said, according to the tweet.
An operator at a hospital in Lake Jackson, Texas, told CNBC that a person named Ron Paul was being treated in the emergency room. When transferred to the ER, CNBC was told that no information on any patients could be provided because of federal disclosure laws.
"Thank God, Dad is doing well. Thank you for all your prayers today," tweeted Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., one of Ron Paul's five children.
Kelley Paul, Rand Paul's wife, in a tweet thanked "everyone who has been praying and sending support for our beloved Grandaddy Ron!"
"He is doing better and we are so grateful," she tweeted.
In a statement to NBC News, Paul's oldest son, Ronnie Paul, said, "Thank you to all the friends and well wishers that reached out. My Dad is walking, talking and in good spirits while he seeks medical attention. Health scares like this are always concerning, but Dad is in great shape and grateful for everyone's concern."
The Ron Paul Institute did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Paul was a flight surgeon in the Air Force and an obstetrician before entering politics as a Republican in the mid-1970s.
As a Texas congressman, he quickly carved out a reputation as a strict adherent of limited-government principles and a narrow interpretation of the powers of the Constitution. During his first term in 1976, Paul founded the nonprofit think tank the Foundation for Rational Economics and Education, or FREE.
Paul ran in the 1988 presidential election on the Libertarian Party ticket. He ran as a Republican in the 2008 and 2012 elections.
Paul has been a longtime critic of the Federal Reserve's monetary policies and has advocated a return to the gold standard.


cnbc--2020-09-25--It's not entirely clear how the government will pay for Trump's $200 Medicare cards

In a speech unveiling his health-care `` vision '' for America , President Donald Trump made a surprise announcement : that cash cards will soon be sent to millions of seniors using the government health insurance program Medicare .
`` Under my plan , 33 million Medicare beneficiaries will soon receive a card in the mail containing $ 200 that they can use to help pay for prescription drugs , '' Trump said in North Carolina on Thursday evening .
But it 's unclear how exactly the administration will pay for the cards .
A White House official told CNBC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cash cards would be paid for by `` a Medicare 402 demo '' and that the costs would be `` offset from Most Favored Nation savings . ''
The official did not immediately respond to a request for further details about the 402 demo or how it would supply the funds .
Medicare waivers under Section 402 apply to experimental ways to cover costs and provide services .
`` These will be actual discount cards for prescription drug copays '' and will be mailed in the coming weeks , the official wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an administration official , reported Friday that the money would come from a Medicare trust fund .
According to an application for Medicare 402 waivers , such demonstrations must be `` budget neutral , '' meaning `` that the expected costs under the demonstration can not be more than the expected costs were the demonstration not to occur . ''
The $ 6.6 billion provision is possible , Trump said Thursday , `` partially because of the tremendous money that we 're going to be saving with the Favored Nations and various other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The president appeared to be referencing an executive order revealed earlier this month , directing his Health and Human Services chief to work to `` test a payment model '' ensuring that Medicare Part B-covered products will cost `` no more than the most-favored nation price . ''
Part B covers crucial medical treatment and preventive services .
Medicare Part A covers inpatient care .
Here , the term `` most-favored nation price '' means the lowest price for a product that a drug manufacturer sells to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nations '' is a term often seen in health law contracts that requires providers to give one party equal or better rates for services than it gives other parties .

In a speech unveiling his health-care "vision" for America, President Donald Trump made a surprise announcement: that cash cards will soon be sent to millions of seniors using the government health insurance program Medicare.
"Under my plan, 33 million Medicare beneficiaries will soon receive a card in the mail containing $200 that they can use to help pay for prescription drugs," Trump said in North Carolina on Thursday evening.
But it's unclear how exactly the administration will pay for the cards. A White House official told CNBC in an email that the money for the cash cards would be paid for by "a Medicare 402 demo" and that the costs would be "offset from Most Favored Nation savings."
The official did not immediately respond to a request for further details about the 402 demo or how it would supply the funds. Medicare waivers under Section 402 apply to experimental ways to cover costs and provide services.
"These will be actual discount cards for prescription drug copays" and will be mailed in the coming weeks, the official wrote.
The Wall Street Journal, citing an administration official, reported Friday that the money would come from a Medicare trust fund. According to an application for Medicare 402 waivers, such demonstrations must be "budget neutral," meaning "that the expected costs under the demonstration cannot be more than the expected costs were the demonstration not to occur."
The $6.6 billion provision is possible, Trump said Thursday, "partially because of the tremendous money that we're going to be saving with the Favored Nations and various other things that we've done."
The president appeared to be referencing an executive order revealed earlier this month, directing his Health and Human Services chief to work to "test a payment model" ensuring that Medicare Part B-covered products will cost "no more than the most-favored nation price." Part B covers crucial medical treatment and preventive services. Medicare Part A covers inpatient care.
Here, the term "most-favored nation price" means the lowest price for a product that a drug manufacturer sells to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development members of comparable size.
"Favored nations" is a term often seen in health law contracts that requires providers to give one party equal or better rates for services than it gives other parties.


cnbc--2020-09-25--Former President Barack Obama announces final 2020 candidate endorsements

WASHINGTON -- - Former President Barack Obama released his second and final slate of 2020 election endorsements on Friday , backing a total of 111 Democrats in state legislature and congressional elections across 21 states .
Among his endorsements are seven Democrats running for the U.S. Senate , including several in this year 's most competitive races , and 29 House candidates .
Democrats currently hold a comfortable majority in the House , and they have an opportunity this year to retake control of the Senate , which has been in Republican hands since 2014 .
`` I 'm proud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will work to get the virus under control , rebuild the economy and the middle class , and protect Americans ' health care and pre-existing conditions protections from Republican assault , '' Obama said in a statement .
Five Democratic Senate challengers received Obama 's endorsement : Mark Kelly in Arizona , MJ Hegar in Texas , Adrian Perkins in Louisiana and Jon Ossoff and the Rev .
Ralph Warnock in the two Georgia Senate races .
Obama also endorsed two incumbents : Sens .
Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and Gary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ endorsement was Obama 's backing of Warnock , who is running in a special election in Georgia to fill the Senate seat vacated by former GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson .
Warnock is pastor of Atlanta 's Ebenezer Baptist Church , the Rev .
Martin Luther King 's church , and he led the prayer service at Obama 's second inauguration in 2013 .
Warnock is also the leading Democrat among four top candidates competing in what 's known as an open or `` jungle '' primary .
In this type of contest , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can appear on the ballot in November , but in order to win the election a candidate must win a majority of votes , not merely a plurality .
The result is typically a runoff between the top two candidates , and in Georgia this would occur in January .
The top two Republicans in the race are incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler , who was appointed to the seat last year , and Rep. Doug Collins , who was reportedly President Donald Trump 's pick for the Senate appointment before Gov .
Brian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the top four is businessman Matt Lieberman , son of former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman , who was Al Gore 's running mate in the 2000 presidential race .
Current polling averages show Loeffler and Collins with 24 % and 21 % of the vote , respectively , then Warnock with 19.4 % and Lieberman with 10.6 % .
If Lieberman were to drop out and his voters shift to Warnock , the pastor could reasonably expect to make it to the runoff , while Collins and Loeffler split the GOP vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , siphoning support for Warnock so that only the two Republicans , Loeffler and Collins , make it to the runoff .
Former gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams is one of several prominent Democrats in Georgia who are pressuring Lieberman to exit the race .
`` We need Matt Lieberman to understand he 's not called for this moment , '' Abrams said Thursday .
Obama 's endorsement of Warnock appears to contradict the former president 's pledge earlier this year to endorse only Democratic nominees , and avoid wading into intra-party primaries .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in August , and his office said Friday that his second round , like his first , was populated with candidates who advanced one of Obama 's four goals : `` Winning control of the U.S. Senate and holding the majority in the U.S. House ; electing Democrats who will support fair redistricting in 2021 ; supporting alumni of his campaigns and Administration ; and promoting diverse , emerging leaders for this time . ''
Click here to read Obama 's entire list of endorsements .

WASHINGTON --- Former President Barack Obama released his second and final slate of 2020 election endorsements on Friday, backing a total of 111 Democrats in state legislature and congressional elections across 21 states.
Among his endorsements are seven Democrats running for the U.S. Senate, including several in this year's most competitive races, and 29 House candidates. Democrats currently hold a comfortable majority in the House, and they have an opportunity this year to retake control of the Senate, which has been in Republican hands since 2014.
"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 pre-existing conditions protections from Republican assault," Obama said in a statement.
Five Democratic Senate challengers received Obama's endorsement: Mark Kelly in Arizona, MJ Hegar in Texas, Adrian Perkins in Louisiana and Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Ralph Warnock in the two Georgia Senate races. Obama also endorsed two incumbents: Sens. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and Gary Peters of Michigan.
The most notable endorsement was Obama's backing of Warnock, who is running in a special election in Georgia to fill the Senate seat vacated by former GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson.
Warnock is pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Rev. Martin Luther King's church, and he led the prayer service at Obama's second inauguration in 2013.
Warnock is also the leading Democrat among four top candidates competing in what's known as an open or "jungle" primary. In this type of contest, any candidate who pays the filing fees can appear on the ballot in November, but in order to win the election a candidate must win a majority of votes, not merely a plurality. The result is typically a runoff between the top two candidates, and in Georgia this would occur in January.
The top two Republicans in the race are incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who was appointed to the seat last year, and Rep. Doug Collins, who was reportedly President Donald Trump's pick for the Senate appointment before Gov. Brian Kemp named Loeffler.
The other Democrat in the top four is businessman Matt Lieberman, son of former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, who was Al Gore's running mate in the 2000 presidential race.
Current polling averages show Loeffler and Collins with 24% and 21% of the vote, respectively, then Warnock with 19.4% and Lieberman with 10.6%. If Lieberman were to drop out and his voters shift to Warnock, the pastor could reasonably expect to make it to the runoff, while Collins and Loeffler split the GOP vote.
But Lieberman could also play spoiler, siphoning support for Warnock so that only the two Republicans, Loeffler and Collins, make it to the runoff.
Former gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams is one of several prominent Democrats in Georgia who are pressuring Lieberman to exit the race. "We need Matt Lieberman to understand he's not called for this moment," Abrams said Thursday.
Obama's endorsement of Warnock appears to contradict the former president's pledge earlier this year to endorse only Democratic nominees, and avoid wading into intra-party primaries.
Obama released his first list of endorsements in August, and his office said Friday that his second round, like his first, was populated with candidates who advanced one of Obama's four goals: "Winning control of the U.S. Senate and holding the majority in the U.S. House; electing Democrats who will support fair redistricting in 2021; supporting alumni of his campaigns and Administration; and promoting diverse, emerging leaders for this time."
Click here to read Obama's entire list of endorsements.