usatoday--2020-10-23--Fact check: Claims of nationwide protests affecting Biden's poll performance lack context

Protest-related violence has lessened in recent months because of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden 's performance in election polls , says a social media claim .
Conservative conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich appeared to imply social justice demonstrators are either pro-Biden or that Biden himself has some control over demonstrations in an Oct. 9 post that received 4,000 shares .
`` After polling showed the riots were going to cost Biden the election , the totally organic , nationwide rioting stopped , '' he wrote .
Cernovich is a right-wing `` provocateur , '' according to the Southern Poverty Law Center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a coordinated harassment campaign against women in the gaming industry , and was a foremost spreader of the `` Pizzagate '' conspiracy theory .
Believers in Pizzagate thought former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton ran a child sex trafficking ring from the basement of a Washington , D.C. , pizza restaurant .
Cernovich did not respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY .
His post is one of various condemnations against protests throughout the country following incidents of police brutality .
Roughly two-thirds of respondents to a USA TODAY/Ipsos poll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laid siege to U.S. cities .
Some political analysts observed a drop in Biden 's polling numbers from early summer — when social justice protests were widespread — to late August .
The Aug. 23 shooting by police of Jacob Blake , a 29-year-old Black man in Kenosha , Wisconsin , incited protests throughout the city .
Two people died days later when 18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse fired into a crowd of demonstrators .
Rittenhouse was among several armed counter-protesters from out of state , USA TODAY reported .
Blake is recovering in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with first-degree intentional homicide , attempted intentional homicide and a misdemeanor charge of underage firearm possession , according to USA TODAY .
Biden 's lead over President Donald Trump began rising shortly after George Floyd 's death in Minneapolis police custody on May 25 , reaching double-digits in June yet ebbing toward the end of summer , according to CNN 's Harry Enten .
`` One reason Biden 's advantage might have been cut is that the peaceful protests of early summer have faded from the news and the importance of race relations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans ' most important problems , '' Enten wrote on Aug. 29 .
An Aug. 26 piece in the New York Times documented how violent outbreaks among protests in Kenosha influenced voting attitudes in Wisconsin .
`` The politically calculated warnings of President Trump and the Republican Party about chaos enveloping America should Democrats win in November are reverberating among some people in Kenosha , ... '' reporters Sabrina Tavernise and Ellen Almer Durston wrote .
CNN anchor Don Lemon delivered perhaps the most prominent critique of the Democratic candidates ' response to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Aug.26 .
He suggested incidents of rioting correlated with negative polling outcomes for Biden , according to the Los Angeles Times .
`` The rioting has to stop .
...
It ’ s showing up in the polling .
It ’ s showing up in focus groups .
It is the only thing — it is the only thing — right now that is sticking , ” Lemon said .
Becket Adams , commentary writer for conservative-leaning Washington Examiner , accused the CNN anchor of bias toward the Democratic Party .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a serious , objective journalist opposes the anti-police riots now because he is worried that the destruction and mayhem will hurt the Democratic Party ’ s electoral chances in the fall , '' Adams wrote .
`` How is that for a principled stand ? ''
James S. Robbins , a special assistant in the office of the defense secretary during the George W. Bush administration , also referenced Lemon 's statements in an Aug. 31 opinion piece in USA TODAY .
`` CNN 's Don Lemon bemoaned the fact that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' and 'showing up in focus groups , ' '' he wrote .
But there is evidence to support Lemon 's claim , Robbins said .
He cited a Civiqs poll of support for the movement among registered voters .
Approval for the Black Lives Matter movement `` peaked '' on June 3 and , according to Robbins , has fallen ever since .
`` Of course BLM is not synonymous with rioting , '' he wrote .
`` But this trend may show the extent to which the issues have been conflated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study by the Pew Research Center found a decline in support for the BLM movement from June to September among white and Hispanic adults .
But percentages remained virtually unchanged among Black and Asian adults , most of whom support the movement .
A majority of Democrats ( 88 % ) supported BLM in June as opposed to 16 % of Republicans , according to Pew .
In his article , Robbins also accused Biden of coming out against demands to defund the police because it does n't poll well , even among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polled said they wanted the police to spend more time in their neighborhoods ( 20 % ) as opposed to less ( 19 % ) , according to the Gallup poll referenced in Robbins article .
Andrew Bates , a spokesperson for Biden , said the Democratic nominee does not believe that police should be defunded , USA TODAY reported .
Since May 30 , Biden has maintained a lead of at least 5 points over Trump in general election polling , according to Real Clear Politics .
Biden led Trump by 7.8 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after Jacob Blake 's shooting — and by 7.2 points on Aug. 11 , one of the last days of rioting in Portland , Oregon , according to a report by the US Crisis Monitor .
On Sept. 23 , the attorney general of Kentucky announced a grand jury 's decision to indict former Louisville officer Brett Hankinson , one of three police officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor , on three felony counts of wanton endangerment for firing into a neighboring apartment , USA TODAY reported .
Two Louisville @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protest .
The shootings marked one of the last major outbursts tied to social justice protests .
Biden polled 7.1 points over Trump that day .
Did 'rioting ' stop after polls took a downturn ?
Outbreaks of violence occurred in less than 10 % of areas of protest , according to the US Crisis Monitor .
And though more people are describing incidents of violence in cities like Portland and Kenosha as riots , according to a Fox News poll taken Sept. 7-10 , more than 93 % of demonstrations associated with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rating among registered voters is the lowest it 's been since March 2019 , according to a Civiqs poll .
The former vice president polled 49 % unfavorable , 46 % favorable , with 5 % unsure , on Oct. 19 .
This is nearly unchanged from the Aug. 26 GOP convention .
Biden 's highest unfavorable rating was 59 % on Feb. 10 , the date of the New Hampshire primary , according to Civiqs .
We rate this claim MISSING CONTEXT , based on our research .
Biden has maintained a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His current favorable rating has barely changed from Aug. 26 , around the time some analysts observed a possible relationship between protests in Kenosha and polling numbers .
A connection between `` totally organic , nationwide rioting '' and Biden 's poll numbers can not be determined .
• The Los Angeles Times , Aug. 26 : `` CNN ’ s Don Lemon urges Joe Biden to address Kenosha protests for Jacob Blake '' • USA TODAY , Aug. 31 : `` Rioting is beginning to turn people off to BLM and protests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ USA TODAY , Aug. 30 : `` 'It 's surreal in the worst possible way ' : Kenosha reels after Jacob Blake shooting and a week of violence '' • USA TODAY , June 8 : `` Joe Biden comes out against 'defund the police ' push amid mounting attacks from Trump after George Floyd protests '' • USA TODAY , Oct. 7 : `` Jacob Blake released from hospital , transferred to spinal cord rehab center in Chicago '' • The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project , retrieved Oct. 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AMERICA : NEW DATA FOR SUMMER 2020 '' • Washington Examiner , Aug. 26 : `` Don Lemon turns anti-riot now that they poll poorly for the Democrats '' • Pew Research Center , Sept. 16 : `` Support for Black Lives Matter has decreased since June but remains strong among Black Americans '' • USA TODAY , Sept. 23 : `` 'Absolutely heartbreaking ' ruling in Breonna Taylor shooting sparks new wave of national protests for justice , racial equality '' • CNN , Aug. 29 : `` Why Democrats are worried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our journalism .
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Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook .
This fact check is available at IFCN ’ s 2020 US Elections FactChat # Chatbot on WhatsApp .
Click here , for more .

Fact check: Claims of nationwide protests affecting Biden's poll performance lack context
Show Caption Hide Caption Biden meets Blake family, holds Kenosha discussion After meeting privately with the family of Jacob Blake, the Black man who was recently shot by a white police officer, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden listened to Kenosha residents voice their concerns. (Sept. 3) AP
The claim: Nationwide 'rioting' stopped after Biden began polling badly
Protest-related violence has lessened in recent months because of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's performance in election polls, says a social media claim.
Conservative conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich appeared to imply social justice demonstrators are either pro-Biden or that Biden himself has some control over demonstrations in an Oct. 9 post that received 4,000 shares.
"After polling showed the riots were going to cost Biden the election, the totally organic, nationwide rioting stopped," he wrote.
Cernovich is a right-wing "provocateur," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. He gained prominence from #Gamergate, a coordinated harassment campaign against women in the gaming industry, and was a foremost spreader of the "Pizzagate" conspiracy theory. Believers in Pizzagate thought former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton ran a child sex trafficking ring from the basement of a Washington, D.C., pizza restaurant.
Cernovich reached out to USA TODAY but did not provide additional context for his claim.
His post is one of various condemnations against protests throughout the country following incidents of police brutality.
Roughly two-thirds of respondents to a USA TODAY/Ipsos poll said they believed protesters and counter-protesters have laid siege to U.S. cities.
A relationship between 'riots' and polling?
Some political analysts observed a drop in Biden's polling numbers from early summer — when social justice protests were widespread — to late August.
The Aug. 23 shooting by police of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin, incited protests throughout the city. Two people died days later when 18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse fired into a crowd of demonstrators. Rittenhouse was among several armed counter-protesters from out of state, USA TODAY reported.
Blake is recovering in a rehabilitation center. Rittenhouse has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, attempted intentional homicide and a misdemeanor charge of underage firearm possession, according to USA TODAY.
Biden's lead over President Donald Trump began rising shortly after George Floyd's death in Minneapolis police custody on May 25, reaching double-digits in June yet ebbing toward the end of summer, according to CNN's Harry Enten.
"One reason Biden's advantage might have been cut is that the peaceful protests of early summer have faded from the news and the importance of race relations has dropped down on the list of Americans' most important problems," Enten wrote on Aug. 29.
An Aug. 26 piece in the New York Times documented how violent outbreaks among protests in Kenosha influenced voting attitudes in Wisconsin.
"The politically calculated warnings of President Trump and the Republican Party about chaos enveloping America should Democrats win in November are reverberating among some people in Kenosha,..." reporters Sabrina Tavernise and Ellen Almer Durston wrote.
CNN anchor Don Lemon delivered perhaps the most prominent critique of the Democratic candidates' response to Kenosha while covering the Republican National Convention on Aug.26. He suggested incidents of rioting correlated with negative polling outcomes for Biden, according to the Los Angeles Times.
"The rioting has to stop. ... It’s showing up in the polling. It’s showing up in focus groups. It is the only thing — it is the only thing — right now that is sticking,” Lemon said.
Pundits picked apart Lemon's comments.
Becket Adams, commentary writer for conservative-leaning Washington Examiner, accused the CNN anchor of bias toward the Democratic Party.
"The cable news host who bills himself as a serious, objective journalist opposes the anti-police riots now because he is worried that the destruction and mayhem will hurt the Democratic Party’s electoral chances in the fall," Adams wrote. "How is that for a principled stand?"
James S. Robbins, a special assistant in the office of the defense secretary during the George W. Bush administration, also referenced Lemon's statements in an Aug. 31 opinion piece in USA TODAY.
"CNN's Don Lemon bemoaned the fact that the rioting is 'showing up in the polling' and 'showing up in focus groups,'" he wrote.
But there is evidence to support Lemon's claim, Robbins said. He cited a Civiqs poll of support for the movement among registered voters. Approval for the Black Lives Matter movement "peaked" on June 3 and, according to Robbins, has fallen ever since.
"Of course BLM is not synonymous with rioting," he wrote. "But this trend may show the extent to which the issues have been conflated in the public mind."
Attitudes about BLM
A study by the Pew Research Center found a decline in support for the BLM movement from June to September among white and Hispanic adults. But percentages remained virtually unchanged among Black and Asian adults, most of whom support the movement.
A majority of Democrats (88%) supported BLM in June as opposed to 16% of Republicans, according to Pew.
In his article, Robbins also accused Biden of coming out against demands to defund the police because it doesn't poll well, even among African-Americans.
Nearly equal percentages of African-Americans polled said they wanted the police to spend more time in their neighborhoods (20%) as opposed to less (19%), according to the Gallup poll referenced in Robbins article.
Andrew Bates, a spokesperson for Biden, said the Democratic nominee does not believe that police should be defunded, USA TODAY reported.
What Biden-Trump polling shows
Since May 30, Biden has maintained a lead of at least 5 points over Trump in general election polling, according to Real Clear Politics. Biden led Trump by 7.8 points on Aug. 24 — the day after Jacob Blake's shooting — and by 7.2 points on Aug. 11, one of the last days of rioting in Portland, Oregon, according to a report by the US Crisis Monitor.
On Sept. 23, the attorney general of Kentucky announced a grand jury's decision to indict former Louisville officer Brett Hankinson, one of three police officers involved in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor, on three felony counts of wanton endangerment for firing into a neighboring apartment, USA TODAY reported. Two Louisville police officers were shot in the ensuing protest.
The shootings marked one of the last major outbursts tied to social justice protests. Biden polled 7.1 points over Trump that day.
Did 'rioting' stop after polls took a downturn?
Outbreaks of violence occurred in less than 10% of areas of protest, according to the US Crisis Monitor. And though more people are describing incidents of violence in cities like Portland and Kenosha as riots, according to a Fox News poll taken Sept. 7-10, more than 93% of demonstrations associated with BLM are peaceful.
Biden's unfavorable rating among registered voters is the lowest it's been since March 2019, according to a Civiqs poll. The former vice president polled 49% unfavorable, 46% favorable, with 5% unsure, on Oct. 19. This is nearly unchanged from the Aug. 26 GOP convention. Biden's highest unfavorable rating was 59% on Feb. 10, the date of the New Hampshire primary, according to Civiqs.
Our ruling: Missing context
We rate this claim MISSING CONTEXT, based on our research. Biden has maintained a lead over Trump since late May. His current favorable rating has barely changed from Aug. 26, around the time some analysts observed a possible relationship between protests in Kenosha and polling numbers. A connection between "totally organic, nationwide rioting" and Biden's poll numbers cannot be determined.
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usatoday--2020-10-23--When 'Live PD' cameras rolled, Williamson County deputies used more force

AUSTIN , Texas – Imani Nembhard got out of her car , exactly as Williamson County sheriff ’ s deputy Christopher Pisa ordered .
Without warning , he knocked her to the ground with enough force to send her shoes and skirt flying .
He dug his knee into her shoulder , burying his fingers in her braids as he pressed her cheek into the hot pavement .
Her 4- and 8-year-old daughters watched in terror from the backseat , crying for their mother .
“ They were screaming , ‘ Please get off my mom , ’ ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Army veteran who served in Kuwait .
The 29-year-old mother ’ s violations : a missing license plate and a little attitude .
The kind of violence Nembhard experienced that day in April 2019 became increasingly common in Williamson County when Sheriff Robert Chody invited the camera crews of “ Live PD ” to feature his department .
An American-Statesman analysis of 124 use-of-force reports shows that violent encounters between Williamson County sheriff ’ s deputies and civilians nearly doubled from 43 in 2017 — the year before “ Live PD ” joined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
During the weeks when the reality TV show filmed with the department , deputies used force significantly more often than during weeks when cameras weren ’ t on patrol .
Black civilians like Nembhard and Javier Ambler II , a 40-year-old father killed after being chased by Chody ’ s deputies in March 2019 , represented 1 in 5 victims of force , despite the fact they make up just 1 in 10 of Williamson County residents .
The reports show that many of the deputies who used force had been on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including Pisa — raising concerns about the quality of training officers receive before being assigned to patrol .
What ’ s more , deputies were almost never disciplined for using force .
In only two cases over the three years analyzed did supervisors find policy violations , leaving many civilian victims to wonder whether officers who left them emotionally and physically scarred will face any accountability .
“ We do n't want police officers to be hounded for their jobs , ” said Geary Reamey , a professor at St. Mary ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ At the same time , we have to have a way for officers to be removed from that job when they have engaged in some kind of misconduct.
” The Williamson County sheriff ’ s office has been under fire for its aggressive policing tactics since at least June , when the Statesman revealed details of Ambler ’ s death .
Data show that , during the agency ’ s 11-month-long stint with “ Live PD , ” both use of force and high-speed chases increased significantly .
Reporting by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ department leaders reportedly rewarded deputies who used “ good force ” with gift cards .
And , the Texas Rangers are investigating at least five use-of-force incidents .
Chody was indicted last month for his alleged role in the destruction of “ Live PD ” video footage of Ambler ’ s death .
Pisa was charged with assaulting Nembhard .
Additional grand jury investigations in Travis County could produce more charges related to Ambler ’ s death .
Experts say the data point to a problematic culture of violence within the department that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a desire to make good TV .
“ They ’ ve wanted to give television crews something that was worth putting on the air , ” said Tyrone Powers , a former FBI agent and a professor at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland .
Chody has declared his innocence and defended his department , which he says is facing attacks from political adversaries who want him ousted from office .
Chief Deputy Tim Ryle , Chody ’ s second-in-command , attributed the increased use of force to the increase in people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the agency does not disproportionately use force against Black individuals .
“ This analysis is flawed primarily because you are not factoring in the transient populations , ” Ryle said .
Nembhard was pulled over twice on April 21 , 2019 – picking up and dropping off her brother at work in Round Rock .
The first encounter with a Williamson County sheriff ’ s deputy was pleasant , she said .
He gave her a warning for not having a front license plate and let her go .
When she saw lights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time that day , Nembhard admitted she was annoyed .
She was convinced Pisa had targeted her because of her race .
She gave her name , driver ’ s license number and date of birth , like Pisa requested .
When he returned to her vehicle window , he asked her , “ Do you love your children ?
” glancing over to her two daughters in the backseat , Nembhard recalled .
“ Do your parents love you ?
” Nembhard said she quipped back .
That ’ s when Nembhard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violent .
A passerby stopped to ask whether Nembhard needed help .
Pisa ordered him to leave .
The worst humiliation for Nembhard came at the hospital , where she was X-rayed and treated for cuts and scrapes .
Pisa refused to uncuff her to use the restroom , forcing her to urinate off the side of the bed .
“ I was treated like a criminal .
I did nothing wrong , ” Nembhard said .
Two days later , Nembhard left jail .
All charges against her were dropped .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office reported her to Child Protective Services , alleging that her children were unrestrained in the car and that she smelled of alcohol during the traffic stop .
CPS closed the investigation weeks later with no action taken .
Ryle said Pisa used unreasonable force on Nembhard and that the department would have fired him had he not resigned .
But in an interview with Rangers six months after the confrontation , Pisa said he was surprised when supervisors asked him to resign .
He expected to receive a gift card from his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ common knowledge that the department would reward deputies who used force , labeling them “ Wilco badasses , ” Pisa said .
Pisa was indicted on assault and official oppression charges this month following an investigation by the Texas Rangers and Williamson County prosecutors .
Nembhard said she is disgusted by the violence and trauma she and her daughters endured .
“ Damn the gift card .
I do n't care what was encouraged , ” Nembhard said .
“ It 's disgusting behavior.
” Pisa ’ s encounter with Nembhard was not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but cameras had been filming with the department the day before .
Fifty-five percent of the force incidents in 2019 occurred during the 29 weeks “ Live PD ” filmed , and the reality TV cameras captured some of the agency ’ s most violent encounters .
As soon as he took office in 2017 , Chody shopped his department to reality TV producers .
“ Live PD ” started filming in Williamson County in November 2018 and stopped in May 2020 , shortly before the show was canceled .
When the TV @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show that deputies began using aggressive tactics more frequently .
Car chases rose by 54 % in 2019 compared with the year before .
During the third week of filming with “ Live PD , ” deputies reported four force encounters in a single day , more than any other day from 2017 to 2020 .
“ Live PD ” cameras were rolling when deputies stopped Ramsey Mitchell over a minor traffic violation in June 2019 .
When Mitchell tried to run away , deputies J.J. Johnson , Zachary Camden and Mark Luera @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and shocking him with Tasers .
Mitchell was left with permanent scars .
Texas Rangers are investigating the incident .
“ Live PD ” camera crews also filmed three months earlier as Johnson and Camden chased Ambler for 22 minutes after he had failed to dim his headlights .
When Ambler crashed to a stop , the deputies used their Tasers on him repeatedly as he cried out that he had congestive heart failure and couldn ’ t breathe .
Though the case is expected to come before a grand jury , Chody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did nothing wrong .
Typically , use-of-force encounters increase in a community if violent crimes increase , said University of Missouri-St. Louis professor David Klinger .
But when “ Live PD ” embedded with officers week after week , force incidents rose in 2019 compared with the previous year , even though Williamson County ’ s violent crime rate dropped by 7 % .
`` The minute that TV camera shows up , people do things they would n't normally do and they say things they would n't normally say .
That includes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a Texas State University lecturer and a former San Marcos police chief .
Deputies also used Tasers , like the ones that killed Ambler , nearly twice as often in 2019 , compared to 2017 .
Tasers were used in more than half of the force incidents from 2017 to 2019 , a rate experts described as excessive .
“ When they use it that often , it is usually indicative of misusing them in instances where it 's probably not justified , ” said Justin Mozzola , a researcher with Amnesty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police use of Tasers .
Nearly three-quarters of the force encounters during the three-year period resulted in injuries , many of them from Tasers .
Common injuries included burn marks from the probes and injuries from falling .
Deputy Pisa , who was 24 at the time , had been patrolling in Williamson County just eight months before he pulled Nembhard over and threw her to the ground .
Like Pisa , more than 40 % of the deputies named in use-of-force reports since 2017 had been with the department for two years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dozen cases , deputies involved had been employed for less than a year , raising concerns that insufficient training is pushing inexperienced officers into the field .
“ All the studies have said that the male brain does n't even fully form until they are 26 .
So if you 're going to become an officer at 21 and you have the power to remove another human being from existence , that training and supervision has got to be tight , ” said Powers , the professor and former FBI agent .
Pisa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Nembhard and his client were victims of a poorly run cadet academy and training program .
An investigation last year by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement found that the Williamson sheriff ’ s academy changed academic standards without approval to make it easier for some cadets .
An academy sergeant also resigned after the commission said he used a racial slur in conversation with a Black cadet .
McCabe said that Pisa 's training about how to conduct traffic stops and perform de-escalation techniques was abbreviated to rush cadets onto the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ September 2018 , supervisors also decreased his field training from the standard five to seven months to 12 weeks `` just to get bodies on the street , '' McCabe said .
One of Pisa 's field training officers was Deputy Loreno Hernandez , McCabe said .
Texas Rangers are investigating Hernandez , and he was removed from the training program after body camera video showed him attacking a domestic violence victim .
`` This was a complete failure of supervision , '' McCabe said .
`` You have to look at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here . ''
The data also shows that it is common for rookie Williamson County deputies to use force multiple times in a year .
Deputy Sean Feldmann used force or assisted fellow officers using force in seven cases over his two years with the department .
Before being hired in Williamson County , Feldmann worked for Kerr County sheriff ’ s department where he was fired for lying about an affair he had with a married dispatcher .
Previously , the Lewisville Police Department passed on hiring him because he lied during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record .
Williamson County sheriff ’ s officials placed Feldmann on administrative leave in March after he had made sexual comments in front of co-workers .
He returned to work a few weeks later .
Feldmann is among at least a dozen deputies with checkered pasts that the department has hired .
Most of them have quietly worked off camera , but some , including Feldmann , have gone on to be featured prominently on “ Live PD.
” Although Pisa was forced to resign and is facing criminal charges over his treatment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Williamson County and nationally .
Police supervisors and prosecutors are often hesitant to discipline or charge officers , who are generally portrayed as heroes risking their lives to preserve order .
So , there is little accountability for law enforcement agencies when it comes to using force .
Lax reporting requirements also make it difficult to know the extent of force being used , how many people are injured and whether communities of color are disproportionately affected .
The federal government collects use-of-force data from agencies that volunteer it ; Williamson County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No other requirements exist for Texas law enforcement offices to report such data .
Additionally , state law does not provide specific definitions of what is considered reasonable or excessive uses of force , making it difficult to determine whether an officer ’ s actions were warranted .
In Williamson County , even when a supervisor took the rare step of issuing a finding of wrongdoing in a use-of-force incident , his superiors overturned the determination .
In that June 2019 incident , Feldmann body-slammed a Black woman who refused to identify herself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and coach , was arrested and charged with interference with public duties , though the charge was dropped nine months later .
Gilliam-Hicks said the arrest , a first for her , cost her a job at a bigger school district .
At a recent ceremonial reveal of a mural remembering Ambler , she mulled their shared injustices and the vastly different outcomes .
“ It ’ s bigger than me , ” Gilliam-Hicks said .
“ We do n't hold anybody accountable .
They ’ re going to do it again .
@

When ‘Live PD’ cameras rolled, Williamson County deputies used more force
AUSTIN, Texas – Imani Nembhard got out of her car, exactly as Williamson County sheriff’s deputy Christopher Pisa ordered.
Without warning, he knocked her to the ground with enough force to send her shoes and skirt flying. He dug his knee into her shoulder, burying his fingers in her braids as he pressed her cheek into the hot pavement.
Her 4- and 8-year-old daughters watched in terror from the backseat, crying for their mother.
“They were screaming, ‘Please get off my mom,’” said Nembhard, a Killeen resident and U.S. Army veteran who served in Kuwait.
The 29-year-old mother’s violations: a missing license plate and a little attitude.
The kind of violence Nembhard experienced that day in April 2019 became increasingly common in Williamson County when Sheriff Robert Chody invited the camera crews of “Live PD” to feature his department.
An American-Statesman analysis of 124 use-of-force reports shows that violent encounters between Williamson County sheriff’s deputies and civilians nearly doubled from 43 in 2017 — the year before “Live PD” joined the agency — to 82 in 2019. During the weeks when the reality TV show filmed with the department, deputies used force significantly more often than during weeks when cameras weren’t on patrol.
Black civilians like Nembhard and Javier Ambler II, a 40-year-old father killed after being chased by Chody’s deputies in March 2019, represented 1 in 5 victims of force, despite the fact they make up just 1 in 10 of Williamson County residents.
The reports show that many of the deputies who used force had been on the job two years or fewer — including Pisa — raising concerns about the quality of training officers receive before being assigned to patrol.
What’s more, deputies were almost never disciplined for using force. In only two cases over the three years analyzed did supervisors find policy violations, leaving many civilian victims to wonder whether officers who left them emotionally and physically scarred will face any accountability.
“We don't want police officers to be hounded for their jobs,” said Geary Reamey, a professor at St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio. “At the same time, we have to have a way for officers to be removed from that job when they have engaged in some kind of misconduct.”
The Williamson County sheriff’s office has been under fire for its aggressive policing tactics since at least June, when the Statesman revealed details of Ambler’s death. Data show that, during the agency’s 11-month-long stint with “Live PD,” both use of force and high-speed chases increased significantly. Reporting by the Statesman also exposed that sheriff’s department leaders reportedly rewarded deputies who used “good force” with gift cards. And, the Texas Rangers are investigating at least five use-of-force incidents.
Chody was indicted last month for his alleged role in the destruction of “Live PD” video footage of Ambler’s death. Pisa was charged with assaulting Nembhard. Additional grand jury investigations in Travis County could produce more charges related to Ambler’s death.
Experts say the data point to a problematic culture of violence within the department that is rooted in insufficient training and exacerbated by a desire to make good TV.
“They’ve wanted to give television crews something that was worth putting on the air,” said Tyrone Powers, a former FBI agent and a professor at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland.
Chody has declared his innocence and defended his department, which he says is facing attacks from political adversaries who want him ousted from office.
Chief Deputy Tim Ryle, Chody’s second-in-command, attributed the increased use of force to the increase in people deputies came in contact with and said the agency does not disproportionately use force against Black individuals.
“This analysis is flawed primarily because you are not factoring in the transient populations,” Ryle said.
‘Disgusting behavior’
Nembhard was pulled over twice on April 21, 2019 – picking up and dropping off her brother at work in Round Rock.
The first encounter with a Williamson County sheriff’s deputy was pleasant, she said. He gave her a warning for not having a front license plate and let her go.
When she saw lights flash in her rear-view mirrors a second time that day, Nembhard admitted she was annoyed. She was convinced Pisa had targeted her because of her race.
She gave her name, driver’s license number and date of birth, like Pisa requested.
When he returned to her vehicle window, he asked her, “Do you love your children?” glancing over to her two daughters in the backseat, Nembhard recalled.
“Do your parents love you?” Nembhard said she quipped back.
That’s when Nembhard said the interaction turned heated and then violent. A passerby stopped to ask whether Nembhard needed help. Pisa ordered him to leave.
The worst humiliation for Nembhard came at the hospital, where she was X-rayed and treated for cuts and scrapes. Pisa refused to uncuff her to use the restroom, forcing her to urinate off the side of the bed.
“I was treated like a criminal. I did nothing wrong,” Nembhard said.
Two days later, Nembhard left jail. All charges against her were dropped.
She later learned that the sheriff’s office reported her to Child Protective Services, alleging that her children were unrestrained in the car and that she smelled of alcohol during the traffic stop. CPS closed the investigation weeks later with no action taken.
Ryle said Pisa used unreasonable force on Nembhard and that the department would have fired him had he not resigned.
But in an interview with Rangers six months after the confrontation, Pisa said he was surprised when supervisors asked him to resign. He expected to receive a gift card from his bosses for using force. It was common knowledge that the department would reward deputies who used force, labeling them “Wilco badasses,” Pisa said.
Pisa was indicted on assault and official oppression charges this month following an investigation by the Texas Rangers and Williamson County prosecutors.
Nembhard said she is disgusted by the violence and trauma she and her daughters endured.
“Damn the gift card. I don't care what was encouraged,” Nembhard said. “It's disgusting behavior.”
Influence of ‘Live PD’
Pisa’s encounter with Nembhard was not captured on “Live PD,” but cameras had been filming with the department the day before.
Fifty-five percent of the force incidents in 2019 occurred during the 29 weeks “Live PD” filmed, and the reality TV cameras captured some of the agency’s most violent encounters.
As soon as he took office in 2017, Chody shopped his department to reality TV producers. “Live PD” started filming in Williamson County in November 2018 and stopped in May 2020, shortly before the show was canceled.
When the TV show started following the department, data show that deputies began using aggressive tactics more frequently. Car chases rose by 54% in 2019 compared with the year before. During the third week of filming with “Live PD,” deputies reported four force encounters in a single day, more than any other day from 2017 to 2020.
“Live PD” cameras were rolling when deputies stopped Ramsey Mitchell over a minor traffic violation in June 2019. When Mitchell tried to run away, deputies J.J. Johnson, Zachary Camden and Mark Luera tackled him, kicking and punching him and shocking him with Tasers. Mitchell was left with permanent scars. Texas Rangers are investigating the incident.
“Live PD” camera crews also filmed three months earlier as Johnson and Camden chased Ambler for 22 minutes after he had failed to dim his headlights. When Ambler crashed to a stop, the deputies used their Tasers on him repeatedly as he cried out that he had congestive heart failure and couldn’t breathe.
Though the case is expected to come before a grand jury, Chody’s office found the deputies involved did nothing wrong.
Typically, use-of-force encounters increase in a community if violent crimes increase, said University of Missouri-St. Louis professor David Klinger.
But when “Live PD” embedded with officers week after week, force incidents rose in 2019 compared with the previous year, even though Williamson County’s violent crime rate dropped by 7%.
"The minute that TV camera shows up, people do things they wouldn't normally do and they say things they wouldn't normally say. That includes the cops," said Howard Williams, a Texas State University lecturer and a former San Marcos police chief.
Deputies also used Tasers, like the ones that killed Ambler, nearly twice as often in 2019, compared to 2017. Tasers were used in more than half of the force incidents from 2017 to 2019, a rate experts described as excessive.
“When they use it that often, it is usually indicative of misusing them in instances where it's probably not justified,” said Justin Mozzola, a researcher with Amnesty International, which advocates for restrictions on police use of Tasers.
Nearly three-quarters of the force encounters during the three-year period resulted in injuries, many of them from Tasers. Common injuries included burn marks from the probes and injuries from falling.
Questions of training shortcuts
Deputy Pisa, who was 24 at the time, had been patrolling in Williamson County just eight months before he pulled Nembhard over and threw her to the ground.
Like Pisa, more than 40% of the deputies named in use-of-force reports since 2017 had been with the department for two years or less. In at least a dozen cases, deputies involved had been employed for less than a year, raising concerns that insufficient training is pushing inexperienced officers into the field.
“All the studies have said that the male brain doesn't even fully form until they are 26. So if you're going to become an officer at 21 and you have the power to remove another human being from existence, that training and supervision has got to be tight,” said Powers, the professor and former FBI agent.
Pisa’s attorney, Robert McCabe, said Nembhard and his client were victims of a poorly run cadet academy and training program.
An investigation last year by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement found that the Williamson sheriff’s academy changed academic standards without approval to make it easier for some cadets. An academy sergeant also resigned after the commission said he used a racial slur in conversation with a Black cadet.
McCabe said that Pisa's training about how to conduct traffic stops and perform de-escalation techniques was abbreviated to rush cadets onto the street. Once Pisa began patrolling in September 2018, supervisors also decreased his field training from the standard five to seven months to 12 weeks "just to get bodies on the street," McCabe said.
One of Pisa's field training officers was Deputy Loreno Hernandez, McCabe said. Texas Rangers are investigating Hernandez, and he was removed from the training program after body camera video showed him attacking a domestic violence victim.
"This was a complete failure of supervision," McCabe said. "You have to look at the deeper question of how did we get here."
The data also shows that it is common for rookie Williamson County deputies to use force multiple times in a year. Deputy Sean Feldmann used force or assisted fellow officers using force in seven cases over his two years with the department.
Before being hired in Williamson County, Feldmann worked for Kerr County sheriff’s department where he was fired for lying about an affair he had with a married dispatcher. Previously, the Lewisville Police Department passed on hiring him because he lied during a polygraph, according to his personnel record.
Williamson County sheriff’s officials placed Feldmann on administrative leave in March after he had made sexual comments in front of co-workers. He returned to work a few weeks later.
Feldmann is among at least a dozen deputies with checkered pasts that the department has hired. Most of them have quietly worked off camera, but some, including Feldmann, have gone on to be featured prominently on “Live PD.”
‘We don’t hold anybody accountable’
Although Pisa was forced to resign and is facing criminal charges over his treatment of Nembhard, such accountability is rare in Williamson County and nationally.
Police supervisors and prosecutors are often hesitant to discipline or charge officers, who are generally portrayed as heroes risking their lives to preserve order. So, there is little accountability for law enforcement agencies when it comes to using force.
Lax reporting requirements also make it difficult to know the extent of force being used, how many people are injured and whether communities of color are disproportionately affected.
The federal government collects use-of-force data from agencies that volunteer it; Williamson County sheriff’s office does not. No other requirements exist for Texas law enforcement offices to report such data.
Additionally, state law does not provide specific definitions of what is considered reasonable or excessive uses of force, making it difficult to determine whether an officer’s actions were warranted.
In Williamson County, even when a supervisor took the rare step of issuing a finding of wrongdoing in a use-of-force incident, his superiors overturned the determination. In that June 2019 incident, Feldmann body-slammed a Black woman who refused to identify herself.
Marquina Gilliam-Hicks, a school teacher and coach, was arrested and charged with interference with public duties, though the charge was dropped nine months later.
Gilliam-Hicks said the arrest, a first for her, cost her a job at a bigger school district.
At a recent ceremonial reveal of a mural remembering Ambler, she mulled their shared injustices and the vastly different outcomes.
“It’s bigger than me,” Gilliam-Hicks said. “We don't hold anybody accountable. They’re going to do it again.”
Watchdog coverage


usatoday--2020-10-23--Huge group of bats fly over man fishing on the Katherine River in Australia

Huge group of bats fly over man fishing on the Katherine River in Australia '' Have you ever seen so @ @ @ @ @ answer is no ...

Bats create spooky sky as they fly over fisherman
"Have you ever seen so many bats?" The answer is no...
USA TODAY, Storyful


usatoday--2020-10-23--How to pick the best pumpkin for carving

How to pick the best pumpkin for carving Do n't just pick any pumpkin .
Here are tips and tricks @ @ @ @ @ for carving .

Halloween: How to pick the best pumpkin for carving
Don't just pick any pumpkin. Here are tips and tricks to pick the best pumpkin for carving.
ProblemSolved, USA TODAY


usatoday--2020-10-24--Mark Kelly says it's not him dressed as Adolf Hitler for Halloween in yearbook photo

Mark Kelly , the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate , said he was falsely accused of dressing up for Halloween decades ago as Adolf Hitler , the Nazi dictator responsible for World War II and the genocide of 6 million Jews .
National File , a conservative news site , published images Friday asserting the image was Kelly , along with images from a yearbook reportedly dating to the mid-1980s .
The site did not quote anyone verifying the images were of Kelly .
Three former classmates of Kelly 's said the photos are not of him .
Kelly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mark Baden , Kelly 's roommate at the Merchant Marine Academy , said the images are not of Kelly .
`` I was the First Rotation Regimental Commander , '' Baden said .
`` These photos are absolutely not Mark Kelly , and anyone saying that is lying.
” More : Democrats are trying to flip the Senate in 2020 : These are the seats considered up for grabs on Election Day National File was the site that uncovered North Carolina Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Cal Cunningham ’ s romantic texting with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Patrick Howley , the National File reporter , stood by his story .
`` I am frankly shocked that Mark Kelly would dare to deny this and at the mainstream media 's inability or unwillingness to do their job and report the truth about the candidates seeking high office in the United States , '' Howley said in an emailed statement to The Arizona Republic .
“ These aren ’ t pictures of Mark , and he never dressed up in such a costume , ” Kelly ’ s campaign manager Jen Cox @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story is false and should be retracted immediately , and those who have spread this misinformation online should delete it .
Anyone using it to try to smear a combat veteran should be ashamed of themselves . ''
Jennifer Boykin , another classmate of Kelly ’ s , said the images published by the National File were not of Mark .
“ I attended the Merchant Marine Academy with Mark , ” her statement said .
“ I attended this event .
This is not Mark in any of these photos.
” Another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's campaign that the images are not of Kelly , a former Navy combat pilot and NASA astronaut .
`` I attended the Merchant Marine Academy with Mark , '' Ed McDonald said .
`` I attended this event as well and am in this photo .
This is a group from 2nd Company .
Mark was not in 2nd Company , and that is not him in these photos . ''
The National File ’ s article published photos of a man it claimed was Kelly sporting a dark toothbrush mustache , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a swastika , aviator-style sunglasses , a pressed shirt , and a dark tie .
In one photo , the man is staring straight into a camera with a “ Happy Halloween ” banner hanging behind him .
He was standing next to others dressed in costumes .
According to Kelly ’ s campaign , it injects a false but new line of attack against Kelly by allies of his Republican opponent , Sen. Martha McSally .
McSally has hammered Kelly on his indirect business dealings with China , paid speaking engagements , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a disparaging remark he made in 2018 about Hispanics while referring to his twin brother .
McSally ’ s campaign spokeswoman declined to comment immediately on the report .
Kelly has run his race as a moderate Democrat willing to work across party lines , a brand that successfully worked in 2018 for Democrat Kyrsten Sinema when she beat McSally that year in a race for the state ’ s other Senate seat .
Polls have consistently shown him with an advantage over McSally , and his campaign has dominated hers in fundraising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. Senate .
Have news to share about Arizona 's U.S. senators or national politics ?
Reach the reporter on Twitter and Facebook .
Contact her at yvonne.wingett @ arizonarepublic.com and 602-444-4712 .
Subscribe for free to The Gaggle political podcast on Apple Podcasts , Overcast , or wherever you listen to audio content .

Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, Arizona Republic

Mark Kelly says it's not him dressed as Adolf Hitler for Halloween in yearbook photo
Show Caption Hide Caption For early voting, voting locations or registration lookup, we can help Interested in early voting? Voting locations? Find out if you're registered to vote and happenings in your state at vote.usatoday.com USA TODAY
Mark Kelly, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, said he was falsely accused of dressing up for Halloween decades ago as Adolf Hitler, the Nazi dictator responsible for World War II and the genocide of 6 million Jews.
National File, a conservative news site, published images Friday asserting the image was Kelly, along with images from a yearbook reportedly dating to the mid-1980s. The site did not quote anyone verifying the images were of Kelly.
Three former classmates of Kelly's said the photos are not of him. Kelly's campaign called the article false.
Mark Baden, Kelly's roommate at the Merchant Marine Academy, said the images are not of Kelly.
"I was the First Rotation Regimental Commander," Baden said. "These photos are absolutely not Mark Kelly, and anyone saying that is lying.”
More: Democrats are trying to flip the Senate in 2020: These are the seats considered up for grabs on Election Day
National File was the site that uncovered North Carolina Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Cal Cunningham’s romantic texting with a woman who is not his wife.
Patrick Howley, the National File reporter, stood by his story.
"I am frankly shocked that Mark Kelly would dare to deny this and at the mainstream media's inability or unwillingness to do their job and report the truth about the candidates seeking high office in the United States," Howley said in an emailed statement to The Arizona Republic.
“These aren’t pictures of Mark, and he never dressed up in such a costume,” Kelly’s campaign manager Jen Cox said in a statement. “The story is false and should be retracted immediately, and those who have spread this misinformation online should delete it. Anyone using it to try to smear a combat veteran should be ashamed of themselves."
Jennifer Boykin, another classmate of Kelly’s, said the images published by the National File were not of Mark.
“I attended the Merchant Marine Academy with Mark,” her statement said. “I attended this event. This is not Mark in any of these photos.”
Another classmate said through a statement by Kelly's campaign that the images are not of Kelly, a former Navy combat pilot and NASA astronaut.
"I attended the Merchant Marine Academy with Mark," Ed McDonald said. "I attended this event as well and am in this photo. This is a group from 2nd Company. Mark was not in 2nd Company, and that is not him in these photos."
The National File’s article published photos of a man it claimed was Kelly sporting a dark toothbrush mustache, an armband featuring what appears to be a swastika, aviator-style sunglasses, a pressed shirt, and a dark tie.
In one photo, the man is staring straight into a camera with a “Happy Halloween” banner hanging behind him. He was standing next to others dressed in costumes.
The National File’s story went viral Friday.
According to Kelly’s campaign, it injects a false but new line of attack against Kelly by allies of his Republican opponent, Sen. Martha McSally.
McSally has hammered Kelly on his indirect business dealings with China, paid speaking engagements, calls for stricter gun control, and a disparaging remark he made in 2018 about Hispanics while referring to his twin brother.
McSally’s campaign spokeswoman declined to comment immediately on the report.
President Donald Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., shared National File’s article.
Kelly has run his race as a moderate Democrat willing to work across party lines, a brand that successfully worked in 2018 for Democrat Kyrsten Sinema when she beat McSally that year in a race for the state’s other Senate seat.
Polls have consistently shown him with an advantage over McSally, and his campaign has dominated hers in fundraising.
The race could decide control of the U.S. Senate.
Have news to share about Arizona's U.S. senators or national politics? Reach the reporter on Twitter and Facebook. Contact her at yvonne.wingett@arizonarepublic.com and 602-444-4712.
Subscribe for free to The Gaggle political podcast on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever you listen to audio content.


usatoday--2020-10-23--Can Sen. Thom Tillis come from behind and beat Cal Cunningham in crucial NC Senate race?

Public opinion polls this month at first indicated Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Cal Cunningham was maintaining a lead among likely voters despite a storm of news stories and campaign ads about his summertime adulterous tryst and romantic texting with a woman from California .
Now , most recent polls say the race between Cunningham and incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis has narrowed to a statistical tie .
The narrowing comes as Tillis has pushed Cunningham to talk about allegations of another paramour , this time a woman from North Carolina .
The allegation was made by National File , a conservative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s text messages with the California woman .
Tillis temporarily paused his campaigning in early October , just as Cunningham ’ s bad news first broke , when he tested positive for COVID-19 .
Knowledge Changes Everything : Click here to pick up some knowledge today and subscribe to The Fayetteville Observer .
With the voting period closing in on Election Day , does the change in the polling numbers show Cunningham ’ s support has eroded because voters dislike that he was unfaithful to his wife ?
Or do the newer polls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are steady , while supporters of Republican President Donald Trump ( who have been unhappy because Tillis occasionally has disagreed with the president ) are finally deciding to vote to re-elect the Republican senator ?
It depends on whom you ask .
“ It ’ s been a lot of bad news cycles for Cal Cunningham , and that will move the numbers a little bit , ” said Peter Francia , director of the Center for Survey Research at East Carolina University .
The school 's latest poll , published Tuesday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 47 % .
The margin of error is 3 points , putting them in a statistical tie .
“ The two bombshells -- Tillis ’ COVID diagnosis and Cunningham ’ s marital infidelity -- have not affected the basic trajectory of the race , ” said David McLennan , director of the Meredith Poll produced by Meredith College in Raleigh .
“ Thom Tillis remains an endangered incumbent .
The two ‘ October surprises ’ may have had the effect of causing a number of voters to say they have not made up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a statement this past week that the trend in the polls shows “ Cunningham ’ s support has remained stable or increased , and that any tightening in the margin is due to natural Republican base consolidation happening later in the cycle than usual.
” A look at the polls published this month suggests both the pollsters and the Cunningham campaign have factors for their arguments .
Election 2020 : Is Biden bringing Black voters back to the polls ?
The answer could decide who wins NC On Oct. 12 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cunningham ’ s polling average was 5.6 points ahead of Tillis ’ .
Then both he and Tillis declined , although Cunningham remained 4.3 points ahead on Oct. 17 .
Both candidates have since rebounded , but Tillis more-so , leaving Cunningham 1.7 points ahead as of Friday afternoon .
( The Real Clear Politics does not include the Meredith Poll in its compilation . )
Cunningham issued an apology following the initial reports of his relationship with the California woman and told reporters he won ’ t discuss the topic further .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ infidelity in campaign ads , public appearances and statements .
“ Cal Cunningham ’ s refusal to deny a second extramarital affair serves as confirmation that he engaged in egregious misconduct in addition to what has already landed him under investigation by the Army Reserve , ” Tillis said in a news release .
Cunningham is an officer in the Army Reserve , and the service said this month it is him .
Under military law , personnel are not allowed to engage in adultery .
“ If Cal Cunningham cheats and lies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he will continue to cheat and lie as your U.S.
Senator , ” Tillis said .
He said on Fox News that Cunningham should drop out of the race and attend to his relationship with his wife and children .
In news interviews and comments on social media , Cunningham supporters have said they will vote for him even if the allegations are true .
Their priority : Wresting majority control of the U.S. Senate away from the Republican Party , which holds 53 of the 100 seats .
The election in North @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Democrats ’ efforts .
A Cunningham spokeswoman said Tillis is trying to distract voters from substantive issues that are more important to the voters , like access to health care and the federal government ’ s efforts to contain the coronavirus .
“ Senator Tillis and his allies can ’ t defend his record of trying to strip protections from those with pre-existing conditions or botching the response to COVID-19 , so instead , they are spending the final weeks of this race resorting to desperate , personal attacks , ” Communications @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tillis was asked this past week by TV station WCNC in Charlotte if he is applying a double standard by harping on Cunningham ’ s behavior yet supporting Republican President Donald Trump , who has similar activities in his past .
Tillis said the difference between Cunningham ’ s activity and Trump ’ s is that Cunningham was with the wife of an Army veteran who was injured in the service .
“ No , I think the standard should be the same , ” Tillis told the TV station .
“ That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make whatever choices they want to for president .
But let 's not lower the standard and say that you can have an adulterous affair with the wife of a wounded warrior.
” The California woman and her husband have both told the media they were in a marital separation when she was with Cunningham .
In the 2014 election , when Tillis unseated Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan , he was running behind in surveys toward the end of the election .
But he predicted he would sway the remaining undecided voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His prediction proved accurate .
Can Tillis do that again ?
In 2014 , the national political winds favored Republicans , said Francia of ECU .
“ As of today , those national winds look like they are blowing in the direction of the Democrats , and so that — that ’ s going to work against Tillis in 2020 , ” Francia said .
Here are the latest poll results , as reported by the pollsters and Real Clear Politics , as of Friday afternoon : • Tied 47-47 , conducted Oct. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Ipsos for the Reuters news service .
• 43.3 % -38.2 % , Cunningham up more than 5 points , conducted Oct. 16 to Oct. 19 by Meredith College .
• 51-45 , a 6-point lead for Cunningham , conducted Oct. 16 to Oct. 19 , by Change Research for the CNBC news channel .
• 49-47 , Cunningham ahead 2 points , conducted Oct. 15 to Oct. 18 by ABC News and The Washington Post .
Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at pwoolverton @ gannett.com and 910-261-4710 .

Can Sen. Thom Tillis come from behind and beat Cal Cunningham in crucial NC Senate race? Democrats stick behind Cunningham, focus on issues instead of infidelity, as they try to seize majority in US Senate
Show Caption Hide Caption Important voting rules you need to know before heading to the polls Voting is important, so there are rules to protect it. Here's what you need to know before you go to vote. USA TODAY
Public opinion polls this month at first indicated Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Cal Cunningham was maintaining a lead among likely voters despite a storm of news stories and campaign ads about his summertime adulterous tryst and romantic texting with a woman from California.
Now, most recent polls say the race between Cunningham and incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis has narrowed to a statistical tie. The narrowing comes as Tillis has pushed Cunningham to talk about allegations of another paramour, this time a woman from North Carolina. The allegation was made by National File, a conservative news site that first reported Cunningham’s text messages with the California woman.
Tillis temporarily paused his campaigning in early October, just as Cunningham’s bad news first broke, when he tested positive for COVID-19.
Knowledge Changes Everything: Click here to pick up some knowledge today and subscribe to The Fayetteville Observer.
With the voting period closing in on Election Day, does the change in the polling numbers show Cunningham’s support has eroded because voters dislike that he was unfaithful to his wife?
Or do the newer polls instead show that Cunningham’s numbers are steady, while supporters of Republican President Donald Trump (who have been unhappy because Tillis occasionally has disagreed with the president) are finally deciding to vote to re-elect the Republican senator?
It depends on whom you ask.
“It’s been a lot of bad news cycles for Cal Cunningham, and that will move the numbers a little bit,” said Peter Francia, director of the Center for Survey Research at East Carolina University. The school's latest poll, published Tuesday, had Cunningham leading Tillis 48% to 47%. The margin of error is 3 points, putting them in a statistical tie.
“The two bombshells -- Tillis’ COVID diagnosis and Cunningham’s marital infidelity --have not affected the basic trajectory of the race,” said David McLennan, director of the Meredith Poll produced by Meredith College in Raleigh. “Thom Tillis remains an endangered incumbent. The two ‘October surprises’ may have had the effect of causing a number of voters to say they have not made up their mind.”
Meredith’s latest survey, published Friday, has Cunningham leading Tillis 43.3%-38.2%, with 14.1% undecided.
The Cunningham campaign said in a statement this past week that the trend in the polls shows “Cunningham’s support has remained stable or increased, and that any tightening in the margin is due to natural Republican base consolidation happening later in the cycle than usual.”
A look at the polls published this month suggests both the pollsters and the Cunningham campaign have factors for their arguments.
Election 2020: Is Biden bringing Black voters back to the polls? The answer could decide who wins NC
On Oct. 12, the Real Clear Politics survey compilation website said Cunningham’s polling average was 5.6 points ahead of Tillis’. Then both he and Tillis declined, although Cunningham remained 4.3 points ahead on Oct. 17.
Both candidates have since rebounded, but Tillis more-so, leaving Cunningham 1.7 points ahead as of Friday afternoon. (The Real Clear Politics does not include the Meredith Poll in its compilation.)
Cunningham issued an apology following the initial reports of his relationship with the California woman and told reporters he won’t discuss the topic further.
Tillis has pounded on Cunningham for the infidelity in campaign ads, public appearances and statements.
“Cal Cunningham’s refusal to deny a second extramarital affair serves as confirmation that he engaged in egregious misconduct in addition to what has already landed him under investigation by the Army Reserve,” Tillis said in a news release. Cunningham is an officer in the Army Reserve, and the service said this month it is him. Under military law, personnel are not allowed to engage in adultery.
“If Cal Cunningham cheats and lies while he asks for your vote, he will continue to cheat and lie as your U.S. Senator,” Tillis said. He said on Fox News that Cunningham should drop out of the race and attend to his relationship with his wife and children.
In news interviews and comments on social media, Cunningham supporters have said they will vote for him even if the allegations are true. Their priority: Wresting majority control of the U.S. Senate away from the Republican Party, which holds 53 of the 100 seats. The election in North Carolina is expected to be key in the Democrats’ efforts.
Learn More: ‘Complete and utter annoyance:’ NC Democratic voters react to Cunningham affair
A Cunningham spokeswoman said Tillis is trying to distract voters from substantive issues that are more important to the voters, like access to health care and the federal government’s efforts to contain the coronavirus.
“Senator Tillis and his allies can’t defend his record of trying to strip protections from those with pre-existing conditions or botching the response to COVID-19, so instead, they are spending the final weeks of this race resorting to desperate, personal attacks,” Communications Director Rachel Petri said.
Meanwhile, Tillis was asked this past week by TV station WCNC in Charlotte if he is applying a double standard by harping on Cunningham’s behavior yet supporting Republican President Donald Trump, who has similar activities in his past. Tillis said the difference between Cunningham’s activity and Trump’s is that Cunningham was with the wife of an Army veteran who was injured in the service.
“No, I think the standard should be the same,” Tillis told the TV station. “That's why I said voters are entitled to make whatever choices they want to for president. But let's not lower the standard and say that you can have an adulterous affair with the wife of a wounded warrior.”
The California woman and her husband have both told the media they were in a marital separation when she was with Cunningham.
In the 2014 election, when Tillis unseated Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan, he was running behind in surveys toward the end of the election. But he predicted he would sway the remaining undecided voters in the final days and win. His prediction proved accurate.
Can Tillis do that again?
In 2014, the national political winds favored Republicans, said Francia of ECU.
“As of today, those national winds look like they are blowing in the direction of the Democrats, and so that — that’s going to work against Tillis in 2020,” Francia said.
Here are the latest poll results, as reported by the pollsters and Real Clear Politics, as of Friday afternoon:
Tied 45-45, Rasmussen Reports, conducted Tuesday and Wednesday.
Tied 47-47, conducted Oct. 14 to Oct. 20 (Wednesday) by Ipsos for the Reuters news service.
43.3%-38.2%, Cunningham up more than 5 points, conducted Oct. 16 to Oct. 19 by Meredith College.
51-45, a 6-point lead for Cunningham, conducted Oct. 16 to Oct. 19, by Change Research for the CNBC news channel.
48-47, Cunningham ahead 1 point, conducted Oct. 15 to Oct. 18 by ECU.
49-47, Cunningham ahead 2 points, conducted Oct. 15 to Oct. 18 by ABC News and The Washington Post.
45-44, Cunningham ahead 1 point, conducted Oct 13 to Oct. 14 by Emerson College.
Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at pwoolverton@gannett.com and 910-261-4710.


usatoday--2020-10-23--Trump keeps calling $750 tax payment a 'filing fee.' Experts say there's no such thing

President Donald Trump has repeatedly called a $ 750 payment relating to his taxes merely a `` filing fee . ''
The GOP president brought up the fee during an Oct. 15 town hall on NBC .
And he said it again during the final presidential debate on Thursday night .
During the debate on Oct. 22 , Trump said he prepaid tens of millions of dollars , which he learned from his accountants , and reiterated that the $ 750 paid in 2016 and again paid in 2017 was a filing fee .
But what in the world could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for income taxes possibly mean ?
Last I checked , the only money that comes out of my pocket relating to income taxes involves what we pay Bob our tax guy to prepare the returns and what we might owe in state or federal income taxes .
( And yes , we have taxes withheld from our paychecks during the year , too . )
Asking the experts : Is it possible to prepay taxes , as President Trump claims he did ?
Debate winner : Social media says Trump , Biden debate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ winner Many people pay for tax software .
Many owe money at the regular filing deadline of April 15 .
But a special fee relating to filing their tax returns ?
Who ever paid that one ?
How did that $ 750 pop into the conversation ?
The $ 750 first came into play after The New York Times ' blockbuster story on Sept. 28 noted that Trump paid `` $ 750 in federal income taxes the year he won the presidency .
In his first year in the White House , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does seem strange that Trump would pay the exact same amount for two years in a row .
Again , how often has that happened with your taxes ?
Maybe then , this idea of a fee could sound credible , but it 's really not .
Even the tax experts are scratching their heads about Trump 's dodge in wording .
`` The notion that there is a $ 750 tax return filing fee is nothing but nonsense and demonstrates ignorance to the fact that millions of American households would be unable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Lisa De Simone , associate professor of accounting at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin .
Admittedly , we 've not seen the Trump tax returns .
The New York Times said it `` obtained tax return data over more than two decades . ''
The data , according to the report , did not include Trump 's personal tax returns for 2018 or 2019 .
`` As best as I can tell based on what ’ s been published , '' De Simone said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between the amount of alternative minimum taxes he owed and a carryforward for a general business credit . ''
She refers to Form 3800 for 2016 or 2017 , the rules before the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act went into effect on 2018 returns , and the instructions relating to limitations to the allowable general business credit carryforward .
`` Without digging in , and without actually seeing his filed Form 3800 , nothing obvious jumps out .
But my hunch is that he ’ s tripping a limitation to the amount of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s allowed to take against AMT , leaving just $ 750 in taxes owed , '' De Simone said .
What kind of filing fee could this be ?
Others agreed that this reference to an IRS filing fee , which somehow is n't what someone paid for taxes , sounds incredibly strange .
James O ’ Rilley , CPA and tax director for Doeren Mayhew in Troy , said : `` No such thing exists that I ’ m aware of . ''
George W. Smith , a CPA with Andrews Hooper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : `` No , there isn ’ t a filing fee with the IRS . ''
James Hines Jr. , a University of Michigan professor of law and economics , said : `` You do not have to pay the IRS a fee to file your tax return .
You do have to pay your taxes , however . ''
How rich Americans avoid taxes : President Trump 's tax returns show he has company Fact check : Biden voted to tax Social Security , wants to reform retirement benefits Hines , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Tax Policy Research in the U-M 's Stephen M. Ross School of Business , said there are `` what the IRS calls 'user fees ' to which 'filing fee ' could conceivably refer . ''
`` User fees are charges that the IRS imposes for certain services to taxpayers , such as resolving certain tax questions before the taxpayer 's return is filed .
This costs the IRS resources , so they charge the taxpayer , '' Hines said .
He noted that the user fee is `` not exactly a filing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ someone might call it a filing fee . ''
Even so , he said , $ 750 would be `` a very small user fee , so if that 's what it is , it 's for something quite minor . ''
Hines said it seems that the New York Times is claiming that Trump 's tax return showed that $ 750 was owed in income on those two returns .
`` And if so , a user fee should not appear on that line , '' he said .
`` The short @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There is no filing fee for a personal tax return , '' Hines said .
The mystery goes on .
Why did Trump bring up the Tea Party ?
Oddly enough , the IRS does have a user fee of $ 600 for Form 1023 .
But that fee is associated with applying for `` tax-exempt status '' and it is filed by nonprofits .
Again , Trump would n't be paying that fee for his personal income taxes , but such a fee could be familiar to others in his fan base @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he was being targeted just like the Tea Party .
During Thursday 's presidential debate , Trump said : `` I get treated worse than the Tea Party '' by the IRS .
Tompor : Higher used-car values mean your car lease could unlock hidden cash Tax exempt status is a hot political potato with some conservative groups .
Tea Party groups went head-to-head with the IRS almost a decade ago , charging that they were targeted during the Obama administration based on their conservative viewpoints .
The IRS ultimately agreed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were wronged and make changes to avoid political targeting .
In 2018 , the groups could apply for financial compensation .
Trump has not released his any of his tax returns , of course , noting that he 's still in an audit .
So we 're really not getting a straight answer or a complete picture .
But as for a $ 750 fee , I 'm not buying it .
Contact Susan Tompor via stompor @ freepress.com .
Follow her on Twitter @ tompor .

Trump keeps calling $750 tax payment a 'filing fee.' Experts say there's no such thing
Show Caption Hide Caption President Trump's tax return details revealed in New York Times series President Trump paid little to no federal income taxes in recent years, according to the first series of New York Times stories on his tax returns. USA TODAY
President Donald Trump has repeatedly called a $750 payment relating to his taxes merely a "filing fee."
The GOP president brought up the fee during an Oct. 15 town hall on NBC. And he said it again during the final presidential debate on Thursday night.
During the debate on Oct. 22, Trump said he prepaid tens of millions of dollars, which he learned from his accountants, and reiterated that the $750 paid in 2016 and again paid in 2017 was a filing fee.
But what in the world could Trump's reference to a filing fee for income taxes possibly mean?
Last I checked, the only money that comes out of my pocket relating to income taxes involves what we pay Bob our tax guy to prepare the returns and what we might owe in state or federal income taxes. (And yes, we have taxes withheld from our paychecks during the year, too.)
Asking the experts: Is it possible to prepay taxes, as President Trump claims he did?
Debate winner: Social media says Trump, Biden debate was less negative and declared Biden the winner
Many people pay for tax software. Many owe money at the regular filing deadline of April 15. But a special fee relating to filing their tax returns? Who ever paid that one?
How did that $750 pop into the conversation?
The $750 first came into play after The New York Times' blockbuster story on Sept. 28 noted that Trump paid "$750 in federal income taxes the year he won the presidency. In his first year in the White House, he paid another $750."
It does seem strange that Trump would pay the exact same amount for two years in a row. Again, how often has that happened with your taxes? Maybe then, this idea of a fee could sound credible, but it's really not.
Even the tax experts are scratching their heads about Trump's dodge in wording.
"The notion that there is a $750 tax return filing fee is nothing but nonsense and demonstrates ignorance to the fact that millions of American households would be unable to afford such a fee," said Lisa De Simone, associate professor of accounting at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.
Admittedly, we've not seen the Trump tax returns. The New York Times said it "obtained tax return data over more than two decades." The data, according to the report, did not include Trump's personal tax returns for 2018 or 2019.
"As best as I can tell based on what’s been published," De Simone said, "the $750 is the difference between the amount of alternative minimum taxes he owed and a carryforward for a general business credit."
She refers to Form 3800 for 2016 or 2017, the rules before the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act went into effect on 2018 returns, and the instructions relating to limitations to the allowable general business credit carryforward.
"Without digging in, and without actually seeing his filed Form 3800, nothing obvious jumps out. But my hunch is that he’s tripping a limitation to the amount of the general business credit carryforward he’s allowed to take against AMT, leaving just $750 in taxes owed," De Simone said.
What kind of filing fee could this be?
Others agreed that this reference to an IRS filing fee, which somehow isn't what someone paid for taxes, sounds incredibly strange.
James O’Rilley, CPA and tax director for Doeren Mayhew in Troy, said: "No such thing exists that I’m aware of."
George W. Smith, a CPA with Andrews Hooper Pavlik in Southfield, agreed and said: "No, there isn’t a filing fee with the IRS."
James Hines Jr., a University of Michigan professor of law and economics, said: "You do not have to pay the IRS a fee to file your tax return. You do have to pay your taxes, however."
How rich Americans avoid taxes: President Trump's tax returns show he has company
Fact check: Biden voted to tax Social Security, wants to reform retirement benefits
Hines, who is the research director of the Office of Tax Policy Research in the U-M's Stephen M. Ross School of Business, said there are "what the IRS calls 'user fees' to which 'filing fee' could conceivably refer."
"User fees are charges that the IRS imposes for certain services to taxpayers, such as resolving certain tax questions before the taxpayer's return is filed. This costs the IRS resources, so they charge the taxpayer," Hines said.
He noted that the user fee is "not exactly a filing fee, but it's understandable that someone might call it a filing fee."
Even so, he said, $750 would be "a very small user fee, so if that's what it is, it's for something quite minor."
Hines said it seems that the New York Times is claiming that Trump's tax return showed that $750 was owed in income on those two returns. "And if so, a user fee should not appear on that line," he said.
"The short answer to your question is no. There is no filing fee for a personal tax return," Hines said.
The mystery goes on.
Why did Trump bring up the Tea Party?
Oddly enough, the IRS does have a user fee of $600 for Form 1023. But that fee is associated with applying for "tax-exempt status" and it is filed by nonprofits.
Again, Trump wouldn't be paying that fee for his personal income taxes, but such a fee could be familiar to others in his fan base. The president seemed to be insinuating that he was being targeted just like the Tea Party.
During Thursday's presidential debate, Trump said: "I get treated worse than the Tea Party" by the IRS.
Tompor: Higher used-car values mean your car lease could unlock hidden cash
Tax exempt status is a hot political potato with some conservative groups. Tea Party groups went head-to-head with the IRS almost a decade ago, charging that they were targeted during the Obama administration based on their conservative viewpoints.
The IRS ultimately agreed to pay $3.5 million to groups that were wronged and make changes to avoid political targeting. In 2018, the groups could apply for financial compensation.
Trump has not released his any of his tax returns, of course, noting that he's still in an audit. So we're really not getting a straight answer or a complete picture. But as for a $750 fee, I'm not buying it.
Contact Susan Tompor via stompor@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @tompor.


usatoday--2020-10-23--Schumer slams GOP advancing Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation process so close to election

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer slams Republicans for advancing Amy Coney Barrett 's confirmation process so close to election day @

Chuck Schumer on GOP advancing Amy Coney Barrett confirmation process
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer slams Republicans for advancing Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation process so close to election day.
USA TODAY


usatoday--2020-10-23--Social media says Trump, Biden debate was less negative and declared Biden the winner

Who won the second and final presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden ?
Fewer people watched the debate , and way fewer tweeted , and the ones who did were less negative than for the first presidential debate , said Alex Carter , a PHD student at the Adam Brown Social Media Command Center at the University of Tennessee , Knoxville , which monitors user activity on Twitter .
The Center used a Salesforce software program to monitor online reactions to various topics surrounding the debate .
Researchers identified keywords and gauged how people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and another 90 minutes after the debate .
Ratings : Biden-Trump debate ratings : Fewer tune in for final matchup , Nielsen says On Twitter , the Center said that the debate `` was a bit easier to stomach for most Americans , with a negative sentiment of 58 % throughout the night , a 10 % decrease from the first debate . ''
There was also a nearly 60 % reduction in traffic compared to the Sept. 29 debate .
By negative , Carter describes that as Trump saying that COVID-19 was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we 're in a long winter .
More people commented on Biden 's tweet , for instance , which gives that a negative sentiment .
But overall , there was much less engagement , Carter said .
The first debate attracted some 15 million tweets , while he clocked in about 4 million tweets for round two .
`` It was also a much less contentious debate , '' Carter said .
`` And more issue focused . ''
Overall , Biden attracted more positive tweets for his handling of issues , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while Trump saw a spike at the end when they discussed fracking and Biden 's views on the future of oil .
COVID was the most discussed topic of the night , attracting some 300,000 tweets .
`` Either side could claim victory , '' he says .
`` But based on social media , it looks like Biden had the better night . ''

Social media says Trump, Biden debate was less negative and declared Biden the winner
Show Caption Hide Caption Trump and Biden spar over COVID-19 response at final debate President Trump and former Vice President Biden debate the White House's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. USA TODAY
Who won the second and final presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden?
Social media says: Biden, by a slight draw.
Fewer people watched the debate, and way fewer tweeted, and the ones who did were less negative than for the first presidential debate, said Alex Carter, a PHD student at the Adam Brown Social Media Command Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, which monitors user activity on Twitter.
The Center used a Salesforce software program to monitor online reactions to various topics surrounding the debate. Researchers identified keywords and gauged how people used them online 90-minutes before, during and another 90 minutes after the debate.
Last night's debate was a bit easier to stomach for most Americans, with a negative sentiment of 58% throughout the night, a 10% decrease from the first debate. ALong with that though, is a nearly 60% reduction in traffic, most of it focusing on the issues.
Let's take a look pic.twitter.com/zHsZeUeiPY — Adam Brown Social Media Command Center (@utccismcc) October 23, 2020
News: Pres. Trump and Biden debate details, point fingers over immigration policy
Ratings: Biden-Trump debate ratings: Fewer tune in for final matchup, Nielsen says
On Twitter, the Center said that the debate "was a bit easier to stomach for most Americans, with a negative sentiment of 58% throughout the night, a 10% decrease from the first debate."
There was also a nearly 60% reduction in traffic compared to the Sept. 29 debate. By negative, Carter describes that as Trump saying that COVID-19 was turning a corner, and Biden countering that we're in a long winter. More people commented on Biden's tweet, for instance, which gives that a negative sentiment.
But overall, there was much less engagement, Carter said.
The first debate attracted some 15 million tweets, while he clocked in about 4 million tweets for round two.
"It was also a much less contentious debate," Carter said. "And more issue focused."
Overall, Biden attracted more positive tweets for his handling of issues, ranging from the coronavirus and the economy, while Trump saw a spike at the end when they discussed fracking and Biden's views on the future of oil.
COVID was the most discussed topic of the night, attracting some 300,000 tweets.
"Either side could claim victory," he says. "But based on social media, it looks like Biden had the better night."
In a much different #Debates2020 here are some takeaways:
Discussion was not as high with around 5 million Tweets, 1/3 of last Debate
A younger audience of 25-34 leads the way
COVID has lead as main topic of discussion pic.twitter.com/HRY0jsOtDb — Adam Brown Social Media Command Center (@utccismcc) October 23, 2020
Follow USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham (@jeffersongraham) on Twitter
,


usatoday--2020-10-23--President Donald Trump said wind turbines kill 'all the birds.' Cats and radio towers kill far more.

President Donald Trump ’ s crusade against wind turbin continued during Thursday ’ s presidential debate when he proclaimed that wind turbines kill “ all the birds.
” In response to a follow-up to moderator Kristen Welker ’ s question on climate change , former Vice President Joe Biden criticized Trump ’ s opposition to his climate plan and called out the president ’ s previous comments in which he said “ wind causes cancer.
” Trump then responded : “ I know more about wind than you do .
It ’ s extremely expensive , kills all the birds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It 's got a lot of problems and they happen to make the windmills in both Germany and China.
” But his claim that windmills pose a great threat to our avian friends is dubious at best .
A 2014 study did find that windmills killed between 214,000 and 368,000 birds annually .
That number is slight , compared to the estimated annual fatalities caused by cell and radio towers ( around 6.6 million annually ) and cats ( around a couple billion ) .
Trump has repeatedly expressed his disdain for wind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential tenure .
In 2012 , he criticized Scotland for proposing wind turbines near his luxury golf resort in Aberdeenshire .
At a 2019 National Republican Congressional Committee dinner Tuesday , he made the false claim that wind farms cause cancer .
The National Institutes of Health found no threat to human life if turbines are sited properly , with minimal exposure to surrounding homes .
Do wind farms cause cancer ?
Some claims Trump made about the industry are just hot air .
The National Audubon Society , a bird conservation group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turbines in the past .
But , they , too , admitted in a 2016 article that “ birds are going to be threatened by climate change ” and that wind energy may be a necessary evil .

President Donald Trump said wind turbines kill 'all the birds.' Cats and radio towers kill far more.
Show Caption Hide Caption Final presidential debate highlights: COVID-19, immigration and race The final presidential debate had a totally different feel than the first one. Issues took center stage, but the mute button was also put into play. USA TODAY
President Donald Trump’s crusade against wind turbin continued during Thursday’s presidential debate when he proclaimed that wind turbines kill “all the birds.”
In response to a follow-up to moderator Kristen Welker’s question on climate change, former Vice President Joe Biden criticized Trump’s opposition to his climate plan and called out the president’s previous comments in which he said “wind causes cancer.”
Trump then responded: “I know more about wind than you do. It’s extremely expensive, kills all the birds, it’s very intermittent. It's got a lot of problems and they happen to make the windmills in both Germany and China.”
But his claim that windmills pose a great threat to our avian friends is dubious at best. A 2014 study did find that windmills killed between 214,000 and 368,000 birds annually. That number is slight, compared to the estimated annual fatalities caused by cell and radio towers (around 6.6 million annually) and cats (around a couple billion).
Trump has repeatedly expressed his disdain for wind energy, both before and during his presidential tenure. In 2012, he criticized Scotland for proposing wind turbines near his luxury golf resort in Aberdeenshire.
At a 2019 National Republican Congressional Committee dinner Tuesday, he made the false claim that wind farms cause cancer. The National Institutes of Health found no threat to human life if turbines are sited properly, with minimal exposure to surrounding homes.
Do wind farms cause cancer? Some claims Trump made about the industry are just hot air.
The National Audubon Society, a bird conservation group, has been a critic of wind turbines in the past. But, they, too, admitted in a 2016 article that “birds are going to be threatened by climate change” and that wind energy may be a necessary evil.
Contributing: Ledyard King, Wendy Koch, USA TODAY.