alternet--2020-11-25--Trump's plan to burn the civil service to the ground is moving forward at this major agency

Donald Trump signed an executive order last month taking aim at the existence of a nonpartisan civil service with job protections for career employees that prevent the entire government from being politicized—and 88 % of the workers at the Office of Management and Budget are already in the crosshairs , ahead of schedule .
OMB Director Russell Vought has determined that 425 OMB workers—again , 88 % percent of them—should be converted to the new `` Schedule F , '' which would allow Trump to purge those who are n't sufficiently loyal to him personally , and would potentially strip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experienced , knowledgeable staff immediately before President-elect Joe Biden 's inauguration .
A long list of good government and government ethics organizations sent Congress a letter urging lawmakers to block Trump 's executive order , writing `` Our nonpartisan civil service has served as a model for other countries for more than a century .
Since the passage of the Pendleton Act of 1883 , civil servants have been hired based on their qualifications , and have been protected from removal based on political affiliation .
These protections do not exist for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but rather to ensure the government delivers services insulated from undue political influence . ''
The executive order risks doing concrete damage to the function of government—as Team Trump no doubt intended .
`` At best , this EO will serve as a distraction at a time when the focus should be on ensuring a smooth transfer of power from one administration to another , '' they write .
`` At worst , career civil servants upon whom Americans rely for deep expertise and lifesaving services during the pandemic and economic crisis—from approving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political reasons . ''
And if Trump officials hire a large number of new staff following a purge of the existing civil servants , it could be incredibly difficult for the Biden administration to undo the damage .
This may sound like an obscure issue , but it is dangerous stuff , and it 's just one part of Trump 's efforts to trash the entire federal government on his way out the door .

Donald Trump signed an executive order last month taking aim at the existence of a nonpartisan civil service with job protections for career employees that prevent the entire government from being politicized—and 88% of the workers at the Office of Management and Budget are already in the crosshairs, ahead of schedule.
OMB Director Russell Vought has determined that 425 OMB workers—again, 88% percent of them—should be converted to the new "Schedule F," which would allow Trump to purge those who aren't sufficiently loyal to him personally, and would potentially strip the agency of many of its most experienced, knowledgeable staff immediately before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.
A long list of good government and government ethics organizations sent Congress a letter urging lawmakers to block Trump's executive order, writing "Our nonpartisan civil service has served as a model for other countries for more than a century. Since the passage of the Pendleton Act of 1883, civil servants have been hired based on their qualifications, and have been protected from removal based on political affiliation. These protections do not exist for the sake of the civil servants themselves, but rather to ensure the government delivers services insulated from undue political influence."
The executive order risks doing concrete damage to the function of government—as Team Trump no doubt intended.
"At best, this EO will serve as a distraction at a time when the focus should be on ensuring a smooth transfer of power from one administration to another," they write. "At worst, career civil servants upon whom Americans rely for deep expertise and lifesaving services during the pandemic and economic crisis—from approving vaccines to distributing loans—could be removed for political reasons."
And if Trump officials hire a large number of new staff following a purge of the existing civil servants, it could be incredibly difficult for the Biden administration to undo the damage. This may sound like an obscure issue, but it is dangerous stuff, and it's just one part of Trump's efforts to trash the entire federal government on his way out the door.


alternet--2020-11-25--Judge in Michael Flynn case will oversee anti-Trump NAACP lawsuit alleging racist voting rights viol

Judge in Michael Flynn case will oversee anti-Trump NAACP lawsuit alleging racist voting rights violations

Many of the major cities in battleground states where President Donald Trump and his legal team have been trying to void the election results have large African-American communities , including Detroit , Atlanta , Philadelphia ( which is 43 % Black ) and Milwaukee .
A lawsuit filed by attorneys for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund alleges that the Trump campaign and GOP lawyers have committed violations of the Voting Rights Act and are trying to disenfranchise Black voters , and the federal judge who will be overseeing the case is Emmet G. Sullivan — who is known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criminal case .
NAACP attorneys filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization and three Black voters who voted in the 2020 presidential election : Nicole L. Hill , Maureen Taylor and Teasha K. Jones , all of whom are alleging that their voting rights were violated when Trump tried to overturn the election results .
In the lawsuit , the plaintiffs explain , `` Repeating false claims of voter fraud , which have been thoroughly debunked , ( Trump and his campaign ) are pressuring state and local officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wayne County , Michigan ( where Detroit is the county seat ) , and thereby disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters .
Defendants ' tactics repeat the worst abuses in our nation 's history , as Black Americans were denied a voice in American democracy for most of the first two centuries of the republic . ''
The plaintiffs go on to say , `` The Voting Rights Act of 1965 flatly prohibits ( those ) efforts to disenfranchise Black people and assault our republic .
This is a moment that many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we are here , and the law is clear .
It is time to enforce it . ''
Although President-elect Joe Biden 's victories in Pennsylvania , Michigan , Nevada and other battleground states have been certified , a right-wing pro-Trump group , the Wisconsin Voters Alliance , has filed a lawsuit in the hope of preventing the Wisconsin Elections Commission from certifying Biden 's win in that Rust Belt State .
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul , a Democrat , has slammed the lawsuit as a power grab and a sleazy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In Pennsylvania , Trump 's attorneys , including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani , sued in the hope of getting millions of votes thrown out .
But their efforts were unsuccessful , and Pennsylvania 's 20 electoral votes were certified for Biden .
The plaintiffs , in their lawsuit , decry Trump 's `` campaign to overturn the results of the election by blocking certification of the results , on the ( legally incorrect ) theory that blocking certification would allow state legislatures to override the will of the voters and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electors . ''
Sherrilyn Ifill , director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund , told Law & Crime , `` For two weeks , the president and his campaign have been spreading misinformation and making baseless accusations of voting irregularities in cities with large concentrations of Black voters who participated in record numbers in this election .
The president 's use of dog whistles to suggest the illegitimacy of votes cast by Black voters in Detroit , Philadelphia , Milwaukee and Atlanta are an appeal to a dangerous and corrosive racialized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also told Law & Crime , `` Equally alarming have been the president 's attempts to pressure state and local officials in Michigan — first with a demand that votes in Detroit not be counted and now , more recently , urging officials to refuse to certify votes from Wayne County .
Our action seeks to protect the integrity of the votes cast by Black voters in Detroit from the president 's attempts to overturn the will of voters expressed at the ballot box . ''
The 73-year-old Judge Sullivan , a graduate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , is known for his decisions in the United States of America v. Michael T. Flynn — the criminal case against former National Security Adviser Flynn , who served in the Trump Administration in 2017 .

Many of the major cities in battleground states where President Donald Trump and his legal team have been trying to void the election results have large African-American communities, including Detroit, Atlanta, Philadelphia (which is 43% Black) and Milwaukee. A lawsuit filed by attorneys for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund alleges that the Trump campaign and GOP lawyers have committed violations of the Voting Rights Act and are trying to disenfranchise Black voters, and the federal judge who will be overseeing the case is Emmet G. Sullivan — who is known for his decision in the Michael Flynn criminal case.
NAACP attorneys filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization and three Black voters who voted in the 2020 presidential election: Nicole L. Hill, Maureen Taylor and Teasha K. Jones, all of whom are alleging that their voting rights were violated when Trump tried to overturn the election results.
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs explain, "Repeating false claims of voter fraud, which have been thoroughly debunked, (Trump and his campaign) are pressuring state and local officials in Michigan not to count votes from Wayne County, Michigan (where Detroit is the county seat), and thereby disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters. Defendants' tactics repeat the worst abuses in our nation's history, as Black Americans were denied a voice in American democracy for most of the first two centuries of the republic."
The plaintiffs go on to say, "The Voting Rights Act of 1965 flatly prohibits (those) efforts to disenfranchise Black people and assault our republic. This is a moment that many of us hoped never to face. But we are here, and the law is clear. It is time to enforce it."
Although President-elect Joe Biden's victories in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada and other battleground states have been certified, a right-wing pro-Trump group, the Wisconsin Voters Alliance, has filed a lawsuit in the hope of preventing the Wisconsin Elections Commission from certifying Biden's win in that Rust Belt State. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, has slammed the lawsuit as a power grab and a sleazy, unethical effort to disenfranchise Wisconsin voters.
In Pennsylvania, Trump's attorneys, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, sued in the hope of getting millions of votes thrown out. But their efforts were unsuccessful, and Pennsylvania's 20 electoral votes were certified for Biden.
The plaintiffs, in their lawsuit, decry Trump's "campaign to overturn the results of the election by blocking certification of the results, on the (legally incorrect) theory that blocking certification would allow state legislatures to override the will of the voters and choose the Trump campaign's slate of electors."
Sherrilyn Ifill, director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, told Law & Crime, "For two weeks, the president and his campaign have been spreading misinformation and making baseless accusations of voting irregularities in cities with large concentrations of Black voters who participated in record numbers in this election. The president's use of dog whistles to suggest the illegitimacy of votes cast by Black voters in Detroit, Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Atlanta are an appeal to a dangerous and corrosive racialized narrative of voter fraud."
Ifill also told Law & Crime, "Equally alarming have been the president's attempts to pressure state and local officials in Michigan — first with a demand that votes in Detroit not be counted and now, more recently, urging officials to refuse to certify votes from Wayne County. Our action seeks to protect the integrity of the votes cast by Black voters in Detroit from the president's attempts to overturn the will of voters expressed at the ballot box."
The 73-year-old Judge Sullivan, a graduate of the Howard University School of Law, is known for his decisions in theUnited States of America v. Michael T. Flynn — the criminal case against former National Security Adviser Flynn, who served in the Trump Administration in 2017.


alternet--2020-11-25--Trump has one last policy gift planned for his racist supporters

President Donald Trump 's days in the White House may be numbered but that does not mean he does n't have enough time to wreak havoc or create additional roadblocks for the incoming Biden administration .
In fact , NBC News reports that Trump may have one last policy in the works that would likely be praised by his racist supporters .
According to the editorial , Trump is reportedly set on vetoing the U.S. Department of Defense 's annual spending bill which would , subsequently , block the changing of U.S. military bases honoring the leaders of the Confederacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office on a wave of racism and who in one of his first official acts made racism an official policy of the U.S. government , it only makes sense that one of Trump 's last would be just as deeply racist .
The president has skillfully stoked the racism inherent in his base .
He has consistently helped translate this into official actions since his first days in office , starting with the so-called Muslim ban , in a trend that continues to place white people 's grievances over national security . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ threatened to veto the defense bill .
At the time , he tweeted , `` I will Veto the Defense Authorization Bill if the Elizabeth 'Pocahontas ' Warren ( of all people ! )
Amendment , which will lead to the renaming ( plus other bad things ! )
of Fort Bragg , Fort Robert E. Lee , and many other Military Bases from which we won Two World Wars , is in the Bill ! ''

President Donald Trump's days in the White House may be numbered but that does not mean he doesn't have enough time to wreak havoc or create additional roadblocks for the incoming Biden administration.
In fact, NBC News reports that Trump may have one last policy in the works that would likely be praised by his racist supporters. According to the editorial, Trump is reportedly set on vetoing the U.S. Department of Defense's annual spending bill which would, subsequently, block the changing of U.S. military bases honoring the leaders of the Confederacy:
"For someone who came into office on a wave of racism and who in one of his first official acts made racism an official policy of the U.S. government, it only makes sense that one of Trump's last would be just as deeply racist.
The president has skillfully stoked the racism inherent in his base. He has consistently helped translate this into official actions since his first days in office, starting with the so-called Muslim ban, in a trend that continues to place white people's grievances over national security."
The latest editorial comes months after Trump threatened to veto the defense bill. At the time, he tweeted, "I will Veto the Defense Authorization Bill if the Elizabeth 'Pocahontas' Warren (of all people!) Amendment, which will lead to the renaming (plus other bad things!) of Fort Bragg, Fort Robert E. Lee, and many other Military Bases from which we won Two World Wars, is in the Bill!"


alternet--2020-11-25--Scott Peterson and 35,000 other California inmates filed for COVID unemployment benefits in massive

Scott Peterson and 35,000 other California inmates filed for COVID unemployment benefits in massive fraud scheme

A California prosecutor revealed that thousands of inmates , including high-profile killer Scott Peterson , have carried out one of the biggest unemployment fraud schemes in history by seizing on the coronavirus pandemic .
Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert revealed the state paid out approximately $ 140 million to cover more than 35,000 unemployment claims likely filed by inmates from March to August of this year .
A total of 158 claims have been filed for 133 inmates reportedly on death row , according to NBC Los Angeles .
The scheme is being described as `` the biggest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
In addition to Peterson , claims were reportedly filed by multiple other high-profile killers including Cary Stayner , who was convicted of the 1999 murders of four people in Yosemite National Park ; and Susan Eubanks , a San Diego woman behind bars for the murders of her four sons in 1997 .
It has been reported that officials were tipped off after reviewing inmates ' recorded conversations .
Some bragged about the schemes they had carried out .
`` Quite frankly , the inmates are mocking us , '' Schubert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials were forced to alert California Gov .
Gavin Newsom ( D ) .
On Tuesday afternoon , the governor released a statement in response to the massive scheme as he condemned unemployment fraud and abuse of the state 's system .
`` Unemployment fraud across local jails and state and federal prisons is absolutely unacceptable .
Earlier this year , I launched a strike team to expedite unemployment payments and to minimize abuse of the system .
When we saw evidence of fraud in correctional facilities , I directed the Employment Development @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take immediate actions to prevent fraud and to hold people accountable when fraud is not prevented .
Based on that direction , EDD and CDCR , in partnership with USDOL worked to match social security numbers of those in state custody to identify the scope of the problem and to hold people accountable .
To expedite and strengthen these efforts I have directed the Office of Emergency Services to stand up a task force to coordinate state efforts and support investigations by local District Attorneys .
We will continue to fully partner with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as needed to investigate and resolve this issue speedily .
While we have made improvements , we need to do more .
Everything the state does will be done in partnership with the local District Attorneys and I thank them for their commitment to resolving this issue as quickly as possible . ''
According to prosecutors , most claims were filed on behalf of the prisoners by people on the outside .
The department declined to release any information regarding specific claims due to confidentiality requirements .

A California prosecutor revealed that thousands of inmates, including high-profile killer Scott Peterson, have carried out one of the biggest unemployment fraud schemes in history by seizing on the coronavirus pandemic.
Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert revealed the state paid out approximately $140 million to cover more than 35,000 unemployment claims likely filed by inmates from March to August of this year. A total of 158 claims have been filed for 133 inmates reportedly on death row, according to NBC Los Angeles. The scheme is being described as "the biggest fraud of taxpayer dollars in California history."
In addition to Peterson, claims were reportedly filed by multiple other high-profile killers including Cary Stayner, who was convicted of the 1999 murders of four people in Yosemite National Park; and Susan Eubanks, a San Diego woman behind bars for the murders of her four sons in 1997.
It has been reported that officials were tipped off after reviewing inmates' recorded conversations. Some bragged about the schemes they had carried out. "Quite frankly, the inmates are mocking us," Schubert said.
The scheme was so widespread officials were forced to alert California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). On Tuesday afternoon, the governor released a statement in response to the massive scheme as he condemned unemployment fraud and abuse of the state's system.
"Unemployment fraud across local jails and state and federal prisons is absolutely unacceptable. Earlier this year, I launched a strike team to expedite unemployment payments and to minimize abuse of the system. When we saw evidence of fraud in correctional facilities, I directed the Employment Development Department to review its practices and to take immediate actions to prevent fraud and to hold people accountable when fraud is not prevented. Based on that direction, EDD and CDCR, in partnership with USDOL worked to match social security numbers of those in state custody to identify the scope of the problem and to hold people accountable. To expedite and strengthen these efforts I have directed the Office of Emergency Services to stand up a task force to coordinate state efforts and support investigations by local District Attorneys. We will continue to fully partner with law enforcement and direct as many resources as needed to investigate and resolve this issue speedily. While we have made improvements, we need to do more. Everything the state does will be done in partnership with the local District Attorneys and I thank them for their commitment to resolving this issue as quickly as possible."
According to prosecutors, most claims were filed on behalf of the prisoners by people on the outside. The department declined to release any information regarding specific claims due to confidentiality requirements.


alternet--2020-11-25--Mitch McConnell just engineered a lifetime judgeship for an ‘unqualified’ 33-year-old: 'Dangerous'

On Wednesday , The Daily Beast examined the `` dangerous '' record of 33-year-old Kathryn Kimball Mizelle , one of the final judicial nominees to be forced through by Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans — and her complete lack of qualifications for the job , beyond her high-powered conservative connections .
`` One of five judicial nominees waved through by the lame duck Senate in a final vote before lawmakers left town for Thanksgiving , Mizelle 's confirmation is the most galling , '' wrote Eleanor Clift .
`` Mizelle is only eight years out of law school ( University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's standard for a lifetime seat is 12 years of legal experience .
She has had four distinguished clerkships , including one for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas , but her only trial experience is as an intern before she graduated from law school .
She will take her seat on the Eleventh Circuit for the Middle District of Florida having never tried a case — civil or criminal — as a lead attorney or co-counsel . ''
Very few judges are ever confirmed to the federal bench in their early 30s , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exclusive club because she is a well-connected Washington lawyer with conservative cred who travels in the right circles .
At Jones Day , President Trump 's favorite law firm , where she has been an associate since last year , Mizelle 's profile page highlighted her successful representation of the Chamber of Commerce in fending off a demand from the AFL-CIO for greater worker protections during the COVID crisis . ''
`` She is married to Chad Mizelle , who faced similar questions about his youth and inexperience last year when his friend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stephen Miller , smoothed the way for him to become the acting general counsel at the Department of Homeland Security , leading DHS ' legal office of 2,500 attorneys just six years after graduating from law school , '' wrote Clift .
`` Apart from her skimpy experience , concerns about Kathryn Mizelle 's ideology are at the core of Democratic opposition , and they originate with her tenure at the Justice Department in 2017 and 2018 supervising litigation handled by the Civil Rights Division .
It was a time when many voting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back . ''
Moreover , concluded Clift , since 1896 , only one judicial nominee was ever advanced during a lame duck session of a defeated president .
`` In 1980 , a lame duck Senate confirmed Stephen Breyer to the Court of Appeals , '' wrote Clift .
`` Nominated by President Jimmy Carter , who had just lost reelection , Democrat Ted Kennedy and Republican Strom Thurmond saw Breyer 's confirmation as a fitting reward for the work he had done as chief counsel of the Judiciary Committee , which they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later , President Clinton elevated Breyer to the Supreme Court .
Kathryn Mizell , I 'm tempted to say , is no Stephen Breyer . ''

On Wednesday, The Daily Beast examined the "dangerous" record of 33-year-old Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, one of the final judicial nominees to be forced through by Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans — and her complete lack of qualifications for the job, beyond her high-powered conservative connections.
"One of five judicial nominees waved through by the lame duck Senate in a final vote before lawmakers left town for Thanksgiving, Mizelle's confirmation is the most galling," wrote Eleanor Clift. "Mizelle is only eight years out of law school (University of Florida), and the ABA's standard for a lifetime seat is 12 years of legal experience. She has had four distinguished clerkships, including one for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, but her only trial experience is as an intern before she graduated from law school. She will take her seat on the Eleventh Circuit for the Middle District of Florida having never tried a case — civil or criminal — as a lead attorney or co-counsel."
Very few judges are ever confirmed to the federal bench in their early 30s, noted Clift. "Mizelle joins that exclusive club because she is a well-connected Washington lawyer with conservative cred who travels in the right circles. At Jones Day, President Trump's favorite law firm, where she has been an associate since last year, Mizelle's profile page highlighted her successful representation of the Chamber of Commerce in fending off a demand from the AFL-CIO for greater worker protections during the COVID crisis."
"She is married to Chad Mizelle, who faced similar questions about his youth and inexperience last year when his friend and ally at the White House, Stephen Miller, smoothed the way for him to become the acting general counsel at the Department of Homeland Security, leading DHS' legal office of 2,500 attorneys just six years after graduating from law school," wrote Clift. "Apart from her skimpy experience, concerns about Kathryn Mizelle's ideology are at the core of Democratic opposition, and they originate with her tenure at the Justice Department in 2017 and 2018 supervising litigation handled by the Civil Rights Division. It was a time when many voting rights and LGBT protections were being rolled back."
Moreover, concluded Clift, since 1896, only one judicial nominee was ever advanced during a lame duck session of a defeated president.
"In 1980, a lame duck Senate confirmed Stephen Breyer to the Court of Appeals," wrote Clift. "Nominated by President Jimmy Carter, who had just lost reelection, Democrat Ted Kennedy and Republican Strom Thurmond saw Breyer's confirmation as a fitting reward for the work he had done as chief counsel of the Judiciary Committee, which they had led. More than a decade later, President Clinton elevated Breyer to the Supreme Court. Kathryn Mizell, I'm tempted to say, is no Stephen Breyer."


alternet--2020-11-25--Michigan girl handcuffed by police at age 11 dies of COVID at age 14

A Grand Rapids , Michigan girl , who was at the center of police controversy after being handcuffed by officers , has reportedly died from complications of coronavirus .
On Nov. 9 , Honestie Hodges , 14 , tested positive for COVID-19 .
Later that day , she was rushed to Helen DeVos Children 's Hospital , according to the family 's GoFundMe account established by the girl 's grandmother , Alisa Niemeyer , reports the Detroit Free Press .
Niemeyer posted an update on Sunday as she announced the death of her granddaughter .
`` It is with an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tell all of you that my beautiful , sassy , smart loving Granddaughter has gone home to be with Jesus , '' she wrote .
When asked about Hodges , a spokesperson with the Spectrum Health System , which includes the Children 's Hospital , confirmed Hodges was in critical condition on Sunday .
Niemeyer noted that her granddaughter `` endured brain complications and was on a ventilator while at the hospital '' and she `` also received a blood transfusion . ''
However , no further details about her health or passing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to confidentiality concerns .
Hodges made national headlines back in 2017 after a physical encounter with a Grand Rapids police officer .
The girl , who was 11 at the time , cried and pleaded with the officer not to be cuffed as her aunt was searched due to a suspected stabbing .
The body cam footage which captured the entire incident led to public outcry and calls for justice .
Although the Grand Rapids Police Department said their investigation revealed no evidence of wrongdoing , Chief David Rahinsky described the footage as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the incident , the law enforcement agency adopted the Honestie Policy , which aimed to regulate how officers interact with underage children .

A Grand Rapids, Michigan girl, who was at the center of police controversy after being handcuffed by officers, has reportedly died from complications of coronavirus.
On Nov. 9, Honestie Hodges, 14, tested positive for COVID-19. Later that day, she was rushed to Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, according to the family's GoFundMe account established by the girl's grandmother, Alisa Niemeyer, reports the Detroit Free Press.
Niemeyer posted an update on Sunday as she announced the death of her granddaughter. "It is with an extremely heavy heart that I have to tell all of you that my beautiful, sassy, smart loving Granddaughter has gone home to be with Jesus," she wrote.
When asked about Hodges, a spokesperson with the Spectrum Health System, which includes the Children's Hospital, confirmed Hodges was in critical condition on Sunday. Niemeyer noted that her granddaughter "endured brain complications and was on a ventilator while at the hospital" and she "also received a blood transfusion."
However, no further details about her health or passing could be disclosed by the hospital due to confidentiality concerns.
Hodges made national headlines back in 2017 after a physical encounter with a Grand Rapids police officer. The girl, who was 11 at the time, cried and pleaded with the officer not to be cuffed as her aunt was searched due to a suspected stabbing. The body cam footage which captured the entire incident led to public outcry and calls for justice.
Although the Grand Rapids Police Department said their investigation revealed no evidence of wrongdoing, Chief David Rahinsky described the footage as "nauseated."
As a result of the incident, the law enforcement agency adopted the Honestie Policy, which aimed to regulate how officers interact with underage children.


alternet--2020-11-25--Wisconsin attorney general slams GOP lawsuit to overturn election results and ‘disenfranchise’ voter

Wisconsin attorney general slams GOP lawsuit to overturn election results and ‘disenfranchise’ voters

In Wisconsin , the right-wing Wisconsin Voters Alliance has filed a lawsuit asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to void President-elect Joe Biden 's victory over President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election .
And one of the people who is speaking out against this brazen power grab is Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul .
Kaul , a Democrat , stated , `` The litigation filed this afternoon seeks to disenfranchise every Wisconsinite who voted in this year 's presidential election .
The Wisconsin Department of Justice will ensure that Wisconsin 's presidential electors are selected based on the will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters who cast a ballot . ''
Biden 's Electoral College victories in Pennsylvania , Nevada , Michigan and other battleground states have been certified , but the Wisconsin Elections Commission has n't certified the election results yet in its state .
And the Wisconsin Voters Alliance , with its lawsuit , is trying to prevent the Wisconsin Elections Commission from making that certification .
If the Wisconsin Voters Alliance has its way , Wisconsin 's ten electoral votes will go to Trump despite the fact that Biden won the state .
Here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter :

In Wisconsin, the right-wing Wisconsin Voters Alliance has filed a lawsuit asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to void President-elect Joe Biden's victory over President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. And one of the people who is speaking out against this brazen power grab is Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul.
Kaul, a Democrat, stated, "The litigation filed this afternoon seeks to disenfranchise every Wisconsinite who voted in this year's presidential election. The Wisconsin Department of Justice will ensure that Wisconsin's presidential electors are selected based on the will of the more than 3 million Wisconsin voters who cast a ballot."
Biden's Electoral College victories in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Michigan and other battleground states have been certified, but the Wisconsin Elections Commission hasn't certified the election results yet in its state. And the Wisconsin Voters Alliance, with its lawsuit, is trying to prevent the Wisconsin Elections Commission from making that certification. If the Wisconsin Voters Alliance has its way, Wisconsin's ten electoral votes will go to Trump despite the fact that Biden won the state.
Here are some reactions to the lawsuit on Twitter:


alternet--2020-11-25--Georgia GOP secretary of state: Trump ‘threw my family under the bus’ even though we voted for him

Brad Raffensperger , the Republican secretary of state in Georgia , has written an angry editorial for USA Today in which he details the harassment he and his family have been subjected to because he followed the law and certified President-elect Joe Biden 's victory .
Raffensperger starts out his editorial by praising the Peach State for holding a free and fair election under difficult circumstances stemming from the novel coronavirus pandemic .
`` By all accounts , Georgia had a wildly successful and smooth election , '' he writes .
`` We finally defeated voting lines and put behind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for disastrous elections .
This should be something for Georgians to celebrate , whether their favored presidential candidate won or lost . ''
He then details how he and his family voted for President Donald Trump and were nonetheless `` thrown under the bus by him '' after Raffensperger refused to delay certification of the election results after a hand recount of ballots confirmed Biden 's victory .
Despite the president 's attacks on him , however , Raffensperger is standing by his confidence that the election in Georgia was run by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as secretary of state , I have fought repeatedly to uphold the integrity of elections in Georgia , '' he insists .
`` We worked with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to strengthen signature matching for absentee ballot voters .
We outlawed ballot harvesting and implemented a new voting system with printed paper-ballots that voters could hold and review before casting for the first time in nearly 20 years.
`` Read the whole editorial here .

Brad Raffensperger, the Republican secretary of state in Georgia, has written an angry editorial for USA Today in which he details the harassment he and his family have been subjected to because he followed the law and certified President-elect Joe Biden's victory.
Raffensperger starts out his editorial by praising the Peach State for holding a free and fair election under difficult circumstances stemming from the novel coronavirus pandemic.
"By all accounts, Georgia had a wildly successful and smooth election," he writes. "We finally defeated voting lines and put behind us Fulton County's now notorious reputation for disastrous elections. This should be something for Georgians to celebrate, whether their favored presidential candidate won or lost."
He then details how he and his family voted for President Donald Trump and were nonetheless "thrown under the bus by him" after Raffensperger refused to delay certification of the election results after a hand recount of ballots confirmed Biden's victory.
Despite the president's attacks on him, however, Raffensperger is standing by his confidence that the election in Georgia was run by the book.
"Throughout my two years as secretary of state, I have fought repeatedly to uphold the integrity of elections in Georgia," he insists. "We worked with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to strengthen signature matching for absentee ballot voters. We outlawed ballot harvesting and implemented a new voting system with printed paper-ballots that voters could hold and review before casting for the first time in nearly 20 years. "
Read the whole editorial here.


alternet--2020-11-26--Trump didn’t offer his deplorables hope of a better life — he promised to drag everyone down to thei

Trump didn’t offer his deplorables hope of a better life — he promised to drag everyone down to their own sorry level

Whiny-ass sore-loser Donald Trump has a legit super power—both times he 's run , he 's turned out voters that have n't shown up for any other election , and did n't even show up in the polls .
Remember , polling was perfectly fine in 2018 , and Democrats swept races in 2017 , 2018 , and 2019 .
They even won governorships in blood-red Kentucky and Louisiana !
Yet both 2016 and 2020 saw the emergence of a massive wave of white voters that polling totally missed .
In fact , despite suffering some defections among suburban Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million more votes in 2020 than he did in 2016 !
So I came up with a theory : the Hidden Deplorables .
The outline goes like this : In other words , these are people who have lost everything and simply want to burn everything to the ground .
Trump did n't offer hope for a better life , he promised to drag everyone down to their own sorry level .
That 's why it did n't even matter that Republicans failed to offer up a policy platform at their convention .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ every norm , institution , and tradition to the ground '' down in a platform .
It was quite well understood .
While the theory will get tested in the January Senate runoffs in Georgia ( Trump got 360,000 new votes in the state between 2016 and 2020 , will they turn out again ? )
, fact is it is just that—a theory .
It 's my best explanation as to why these Trump voters only show up when Trump is on the ballot , and why pollsters are unable to capture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much that they hate everything , why would they pick up a phone and talk to a pollster ?
Why would they join a polling panel ?
Why would they answer a polling text ?
And given that they 've only shown up for Trump , it 's nearly impossible to just model them in .
( Some conservative pollsters tried to do it by simply adding a `` shy Trump voter '' number to their polling , it ended up being just a way to `` unscrew '' the polls .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outcomes as everyone else .
They actually thought Trump would win . )
Wednesday morning brought fresh new evidence of my theory , in a piece by conservative pollster Daniel Cox of the American Enterprise Institute .
These are incels and Q followers and militia members and just assholes in general who repel people around them .
In fact , as Republican as white people are , less than half of white people with strong social networks supported Trump !
That 's why urban whites are so heavily Democratic—they are surrounded by community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are turning blue as well , and particularly women , going to PTA meetings and their yoga or barre classes .
It could also explain why suburban men , less likely to engage in such social endeavors , remain more Republican .
This theory really starts to explain a great deal , actually .
Seniors are the age group most likely to be isolated , and they remain more heavily Republican .
Rural areas are emptying out , with young residents moving to the big cities or other places with greater educational , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the education gap that has emerged the last few cycles fits in—college is a community building experience .
There 's no doubt this is an over-simplification of complex political trends , but there 's the nut of something fascinating here .
It certainly explains why the internet , and Facebook in particular , have been such a boon to conspiracy theorists and the socially marginalized , and provided rocket fuel to their growth .
These people are social failures yet human , thus desperate for social interaction and community .
That makes them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supremacists , and all manners of deplorable groups .
To be clear , this does n't apply to all Republicans .
A mega-church-going Republican who votes on abortion is n't isolated , but that individual also has no problem answering a pollster 's questions .
Same with a Wall Street `` do n't tax me '' Republican .
Those people are easy to find and count .
But it certainly speaks to a real percentage of Republicans , and certainly explains the hidden deplorable quite well .
Isolation is n't an absolute .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ off .
It 's a scale , and it 's easy to see how the further on the isolation scale someone is , the less likely they are to properly interact with society and its institutions … that is , until a Trump emerges speaking to their pain and anger .
It certainly explains our own bewilderment that Trump got 10 million more votes than last time .
Of course we do n't see these people .
No one sees these people .
That 's the point .
Funny thing is , these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ himself .
He literally begged them to turn out and vote for Republican candidates for governor in Louisiana and Kentucky last year , and they did n't listen .
It 's not Trump the institution ( as president and head of the Republican Party ) that motivates them .
It 's Trump the destroyer of norms , traditions , and liberals that motivates them to vote .
So why would they vote for some Republican governor who might actually try to govern ?
They 're attracted to Trump 's specific brand of destructive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the future—that we 've seen the last of them for a while ( until the next right-wing populist emerges , which seems quite inevitable at this point ) .
Of course , past performance is no guarantee of future results , and as already noted , we 'll get to test this theory out in Georgia in January .
But that just speaks to the hidden deplorables ' future voting habits .
But as an explanation of who they are , and why they exist , this analysis by Cox is pretty solid @ @ @

Whiny-ass sore-loser Donald Trump has a legit super power—both times he's run, he's turned out voters that haven't shown up for any other election, and didn't even show up in the polls. Remember, polling was perfectly fine in 2018, and Democrats swept races in 2017, 2018, and 2019. They even won governorships in blood-red Kentucky and Louisiana!
Yet both 2016 and 2020 saw the emergence of a massive wave of white voters that polling totally missed. In fact, despite suffering some defections among suburban Republicans, Trump still managed to get 10 million more votes in 2020 than he did in 2016! So I came up with a theory: the Hidden Deplorables.
The outline goes like this:
The hidden deplorables aren't Republican. They aren't even conservative. They're apolitical, otherwise ignoring politics, because their lives legitimately suck. They live in meth country, with dim job prospects (in fact, those two factors are highly correlated). Institutions have failed them—corporations abandoned them for cheaper labor overseas, government feels distant, and it's certainly not improving their lives. Cities feel like walled gardens—unattainable, unaffordable, yet that's where all the jobs are, the culture, the action. These deplorables have been left behind. So their attitude? "Fuck them all."
In other words, these are people who have lost everything and simply want to burn everything to the ground. Trump didn't offer hope for a better life, he promised to drag everyone down to their own sorry level. That's why it didn't even matter that Republicans failed to offer up a policy platform at their convention. No one needs to write "burn every norm, institution, and tradition to the ground" down in a platform. It was quite well understood.
While the theory will get tested in the January Senate runoffs in Georgia (Trump got 360,000 new votes in the state between 2016 and 2020, will they turn out again?), fact is it is just that—a theory. It's my best explanation as to why these Trump voters only show up when Trump is on the ballot, and why pollsters are unable to capture them. If their life sucks so much that they hate everything, why would they pick up a phone and talk to a pollster? Why would they join a polling panel? Why would they answer a polling text? And given that they've only shown up for Trump, it's nearly impossible to just model them in. (Some conservative pollsters tried to do it by simply adding a "shy Trump voter" number to their polling, it ended up being just a way to "unscrew" the polls. They were even more wrong in the final outcomes as everyone else. They actually thought Trump would win.)
Wednesday morning brought fresh new evidence of my theory, in a piece by conservative pollster Daniel Cox of the American Enterprise Institute.
Finally, research on the 2016 election by David Shor, a Democratic pollster, echoed what we found in our own pre-election 2020 survey: There was a large swing to Trump among white voters who had low levels of social trust — a group that researchers have found is also less likely to participate in telephone surveys.
In our pre-election survey on the strength of Americans' social networks, we found that nearly one in five Americans (17 percent) reported having no one they were close with, marking a 9 percentage point increase from 2013.1 What's more, we found that these socially disconnected voters were far more likely to view Trump positively and support his reelection than those with more robust personal networks. Biden was heavily favored by registered voters with larger social networks (53 percent to 37 percent), but it was Trump who had the edge among voters without any close social contacts (45 percent to 39 percent).
And this was especially true among white voters even after accounting for differences in income, education level, and racial attitudes. Sixty percent of white voters without anyone in their immediate social network favored Trump, compared to less than half (46 percent) of white voters with more robust social ties.
These are incels and Q followers and militia members and just assholes in general who repel people around them. In fact, as Republican as white people are, less than half of white people with strong social networks supported Trump! That's why urban whites are so heavily Democratic—they are surrounded by community. That's likely why suburban whites are turning blue as well, and particularly women, going to PTA meetings and their yoga or barre classes. It could also explain why suburban men, less likely to engage in such social endeavors, remain more Republican.
This theory really starts to explain a great deal, actually. Seniors are the age group most likely to be isolated, and they remain more heavily Republican. Rural areas are emptying out, with young residents moving to the big cities or other places with greater educational, recreational, and economic opportunities. Even the education gap that has emerged the last few cycles fits in—college is a community building experience.
There's no doubt this is an over-simplification of complex political trends, but there's the nut of something fascinating here. It certainly explains why the internet, and Facebook in particular, have been such a boon to conspiracy theorists and the socially marginalized, and provided rocket fuel to their growth. These people are social failures yet human, thus desperate for social interaction and community. That makes them ripe for recruitment by QAnon, white supremacists, and all manners of deplorable groups.
To be clear, this doesn't apply to all Republicans. A mega-church-going Republican who votes on abortion isn't isolated, but that individual also has no problem answering a pollster's questions. Same with a Wall Street "don't tax me" Republican. Those people are easy to find and count. But it certainly speaks to a real percentage of Republicans, and certainly explains the hidden deplorable quite well. Isolation isn't an absolute. You can't turn it on and off. It's a scale, and it's easy to see how the further on the isolation scale someone is, the less likely they are to properly interact with society and its institutions … that is, until a Trump emerges speaking to their pain and anger.
It certainly explains our own bewilderment that Trump got 10 million more votes than last time. Of course we don't see these people. No one sees these people. That's the point.
Funny thing is, these hidden deplorables don't even trust Trump himself. He literally begged them to turn out and vote for Republican candidates for governor in Louisiana and Kentucky last year, and they didn't listen. It's not Trump the institution (as president and head of the Republican Party) that motivates them. It's Trump the destroyer of norms, traditions, and liberals that motivates them to vote. So why would they vote for some Republican governor who might actually try to govern? They're attracted to Trump's specific brand of destructive chaos. That's my hope for the future—that we've seen the last of them for a while (until the next right-wing populist emerges, which seems quite inevitable at this point).
Of course, past performance is no guarantee of future results, and as already noted, we'll get to test this theory out in Georgia in January. But that just speaks to the hidden deplorables' future voting habits. But as an explanation of who they are, and why they exist, this analysis by Cox is pretty solid supporting evidence.


alternet--2020-11-26--Hollywood producer bankrolled mysterious super PAC-funded flyers calling Connecticut’s first black c

Hollywood producer bankrolled mysterious super PAC-funded flyers calling Connecticut’s first black congresswoman a socialist

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WASHINGTON — During her first reelection bid earlier this year , Connecticut 's first black congresswoman , Rep. Jahana Hayes , was attacked as `` too radical '' in mailers showing her standing in front of a scene that looks like burning , violent looting and tying her to `` the Squad . ''
But who exactly paid for the ads that Hayes decried as a `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It turns out the super PAC that pushed the ads was entirely funded by a wealthy Connecticut-based film director , who is an heir to a fortune amassed by his father , who had a hand in founding the network that would become Univision and a private satellite fleet used to broadcast stations like HBO , CNN and ESPN .
The donation was not public until now because No Socialism Political Action Committee is what 's called a pop-up PAC .
It was created in the disclosure dead zone , after the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regulators require PACs to reveal their donors .
This week , PACs like that began filing their first legally required post-general election disclosures to the FEC , so the contributions became public record .
Reverge Anselmo , of Greenwich , Conn. , which is in a neighboring congressional district to the one Hayes represents , gave $ 100,000 to the No Socialism Political Action Committee on October 19 , according to a document filed Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission .
That same day , the super PAC funded $ 35,047.89 worth of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to FEC records .
Two days later , the PAC spent another $ 20,138.83 on the mailers .
Another $ 25,000 went to a North Carolina-based firm called Saligram and Associates for `` fundraising consulting , '' while D.C.-based political strategist Jim Dornan took in $ 15,000 for strategic consulting , according to the paperwork filed Wednesday .
Every election year , PACs like this form late in the election season to fund suspicious ads against opponents , only to reveal the donors , and potential political motivations , after the votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a campaign finance expert at the Washington , D.C. law firm Harmon Curran .
Kappel said it 's not unusual for a super PAC to form , take in a massive donation and spend that money all on the same day , because the PACs often pre-plan their activity but do n't pull the trigger until after the last fundraising disclosure deadline .
In South Carolina , for instance , a mysterious super PAC funded ads spent more than $ 1 million boosting Sen. Lindsey Graham 's conservative third-party opponent , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or donors .
`` People who go this route obviously have some reason that they do n't want to have their name connected with their political activity , '' Kappel said .
`` The reporting requirements are such that you can time your campaign activity so as to avoid disclosing the identity of the individuals who paid for independent expenditures , if they 're made through a super PAC , until after the election is over , so voters have no idea who 's paying for that when they go to vote .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a request for comment .
But Hayes condemned the ads during the race , posting on Facebook last month that the mailer is a `` dog whistle , '' and noting that , `` When they can not attack me on substance , they have to double down on fear , hate , and division . ''
Though super PACs are legally banned from strategizing with campaigns , the messages often mirror those of the candidates they 're trying to support .
That was no different here , as Hayes ' Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sullivan , often tagged her as too radical and too close to Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , Ilhan Omar , Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley .
Sullivan 's campaign did not respond to a request for comment .
Not despite the attacks , Hayes bested Sullivan in the race by almost 40,000 votes in the district that favors Democrats but is the closest thing to a swing district that exists in heavily liberal Connecticut , where every statewide and congressional office is occupied by a Democrat .
Hayes first came to prominence when she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Barack Obama .
Anselmo , who could not be reached for comment , also donated $ 5,200 to Sullivan 's campaign in May , and has been a steady donor to Republican causes , including to the campaign of President Donald Trump .
He donated $ 730,000 to another super PAC that supported ultra-conservative candidates this year , $ 300,000 to a Pro-Trump super PAC and thousands more to various PACs and candidates .
Earlier this year he raised a stir in northern California when he donated $ 100,000 to a candidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a donation that local political experts said is probably the largest sum ever given to an official in a local race , according to the Redding Record Searchlight .
Anselmo used to own a winery there , but sold it after battles with the county over permitting issues .
Though he lists himself as retired now in FEC records , Anselmo 's main gig was in the film industry .
He directed a few movies in the late 1990s and early 2000s , including directing Rachel Leigh Cook , Val Kilmer and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , about a rebellious rich teenager who joins the Marines to avoid jail time and falls in love with a schizophrenic actress .
Anselmo , who lives in a Greenwich mansion modeled after a famous French château , Marie Antoinette 's Petit Trianon , according to the Greenwich Sentinel , is the son of Rene Anselmo , an Italian-American satellite and television billionaire .
The elder Anselmo , who died in 1995 , lived and worked for many years in Mexico , then returned to the United States and founded the Spanish International @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He then bet his fortune on PanAmSat , a satellite company that was later sold by his family for $ 3 billion .

This article was paid for by Raw Story subscribers. Not a subscriber? Try us and go ad-free for $1. Prefer to give a one-time tip? Click here.
WASHINGTON — During her first reelection bid earlier this year, Connecticut's first black congresswoman, Rep. Jahana Hayes, was attacked as "too radical" in mailers showing her standing in front of a scene that looks like burning, violent looting and tying her to "the Squad."
But who exactly paid for the ads that Hayes decried as a "dog whistle" was a secret.
Until now.
It turns out the super PAC that pushed the ads was entirely funded by a wealthy Connecticut-based film director, who is an heir to a fortune amassed by his father, who had a hand in founding the network that would become Univision and a private satellite fleet used to broadcast stations like HBO, CNN and ESPN.
The donation was not public until now because No Socialism Political Action Committee is what's called a pop-up PAC. It was created in the disclosure dead zone, after the last pre-election deadline by which federal campaign finance regulators require PACs to reveal their donors. This week, PACs like that began filing their first legally required post-general election disclosures to the FEC, so the contributions became public record.
Reverge Anselmo, of Greenwich, Conn., which is in a neighboring congressional district to the one Hayes represents, gave $100,000 to the No Socialism Political Action Committee on October 19, according to a document filed Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission.
That same day, the super PAC funded $35,047.89 worth of direct mail attack ads against Hayes, according to FEC records. Two days later, the PAC spent another $20,138.83 on the mailers.
Another $25,000 went to a North Carolina-based firm called Saligram and Associates for "fundraising consulting," while D.C.-based political strategist Jim Dornan took in $15,000 for strategic consulting, according to the paperwork filed Wednesday.
Every election year, PACs like this form late in the election season to fund suspicious ads against opponents, only to reveal the donors, and potential political motivations, after the votes are already cast, said Brett Kappel, a campaign finance expert at the Washington, D.C. law firm Harmon Curran.
Kappel said it's not unusual for a super PAC to form, take in a massive donation and spend that money all on the same day, because the PACs often pre-plan their activity but don't pull the trigger until after the last fundraising disclosure deadline. In South Carolina, for instance, a mysterious super PAC funded ads spent more than $1 million boosting Sen. Lindsey Graham's conservative third-party opponent, but was most likely funded by Democratic-leaning groups or donors.
"People who go this route obviously have some reason that they don't want to have their name connected with their political activity," Kappel said. "The reporting requirements are such that you can time your campaign activity so as to avoid disclosing the identity of the individuals who paid for independent expenditures, if they're made through a super PAC, until after the election is over, so voters have no idea who's paying for that when they go to vote."
Hayes' campaign did not respond to a request for comment. But Hayes condemned the ads during the race, posting on Facebook last month that the mailer is a "dog whistle," and noting that, "When they cannot attack me on substance, they have to double down on fear, hate, and division."
Though super PACs are legally banned from strategizing with campaigns, the messages often mirror those of the candidates they're trying to support. That was no different here, as Hayes' Republican opponent, former federal prosecutor David X. Sullivan, often tagged her as too radical and too close to Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley. Sullivan's campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Not despite the attacks, Hayes bested Sullivan in the race by almost 40,000 votes in the district that favors Democrats but is the closest thing to a swing district that exists in heavily liberal Connecticut, where every statewide and congressional office is occupied by a Democrat. Hayes first came to prominence when she was named teacher of the year by President Barack Obama.
Anselmo, who could not be reached for comment, also donated $5,200 to Sullivan's campaign in May, and has been a steady donor to Republican causes, including to the campaign of President Donald Trump. He donated $730,000 to another super PAC that supported ultra-conservative candidates this year, $300,000 to a Pro-Trump super PAC and thousands more to various PACs and candidates.
Earlier this year he raised a stir in northern California when he donated $100,000 to a candidate in the race for Shasta County supervisor, a donation that local political experts said is probably the largest sum ever given to an official in a local race, according to the Redding Record Searchlight. Anselmo used to own a winery there, but sold it after battles with the county over permitting issues.
Though he lists himself as retired now in FEC records, Anselmo's main gig was in the film industry. He directed a few movies in the late 1990s and early 2000s, including directing Rachel Leigh Cook, Val Kilmer and Carrie Fisher in his semi-autobiographical story Stateside, about a rebellious rich teenager who joins the Marines to avoid jail time and falls in love with a schizophrenic actress.
Anselmo, who lives in a Greenwich mansion modeled after a famous French château, Marie Antoinette's Petit Trianon, according to the Greenwich Sentinel, is the son of Rene Anselmo, an Italian-American satellite and television billionaire. The elder Anselmo, who died in 1995, lived and worked for many years in Mexico, then returned to the United States and founded the Spanish International Network network, which later became Univision. He then bet his fortune on PanAmSat, a satellite company that was later sold by his family for $3 billion.


alternet--2020-11-26--Mnuchin clawback may 'sabotage' Biden by blocking $455B in COVID funds. It may also be 'illegal'

Amember of a congressional panel overseeing coronavirus relief funds accused Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin of attempting to `` sabotage '' President-elect Joe Biden 's incoming administration and an `` illegal '' clawback of unspent stimulus funds .
Mnuchin will claw back $ 429 billion in funds Congress allocated to the Federal Reserve for emergency lending facilities in the Cares Act and another $ 26 billion allocated to the Treasury for direct loans to businesses and put it in the agency 's General Fund , a Treasury spokesperson told Bloomberg News on Tuesday .
The move would block the Biden administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` The move will leave [ Janet ] Yellen — selected by president-elect Joe Biden as his nominee for Treasury secretary — with just under $ 80 billion available in the Treasury 's Exchange Stabilization Fund , '' the outlet reported , adding that `` Mnuchin is n't required to move the money into the General Fund — the Cares Act states that the Treasury Department can maintain access to the money by keeping it in its Exchange Stabilization Fund until 2026 . ''
Mnuchin sent a letter to Federal Reserve Chairman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ return the money .
The Fed agreed to return the funds but publicly objected to the move .
The Fed said in a statement that it `` would prefer that the full suite of emergency facilities established during the coronavirus pandemic continue to serve their important role as a backstop for our still-strained and vulnerable economy . ''
`` I think given where the economy is — and there is so much uncertainty still out there — it is prudent to keep those things open , '' Raphael Bostic , the president of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bloomberg .
Some analysts raised questions about whether the move was even legal .
Skanda Amarnath , a former analyst at the New York Fed , said the clawback was in direct `` violation of the Cares Act . ''
`` This is Treasury 's latest ham-handed effort to undermine the Biden administration .
The good news is that it 's illegal and can be reversed next year , '' Bharat Ramamurti , a member of the Congressional Oversight Commission that oversees Cares Act funding , said .
`` For its part , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this attempted sabotage and should retain the CARES Act funds it already has . ''
Ernie Tedeschi , a former Treasury Department economist , said it was a `` dangerous move '' ahead of what is expected to be a devastating winter .
`` It 's one more enormous risk we are piling onto the winter in the U.S. atop of other risks already there , '' he told Business Insider .
`` We may need that backstop again as cases have now blown through their prior peaks , state and local governments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about to kick off millions of people from unemployment insurance . ''
Mnuchin , whose move was backed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. , told CNBC last week that Congress — which has stalled on a second round of relief funding since March — should decide how to repurpose the funds .
`` We do n't need this money to buy corporate bonds .
We need this money to go help small businesses that are still closed or hurt — no fault of their own — or people who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running out , '' he said .
Sen. Ron Wyden , D-Ore. , the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee , said Mnuchin 's effort was `` shameful '' amid a massive spike in coronavirus infections and the dire need for additional relief funding .
`` As the economy backslides amid skyrocketing COVID-19 cases , Secretary Mnuchin is engaged in economic sabotage and trying to tie the Biden administration 's hands , '' he said in a statement to Reuters .
Sen. Elizabeth Warren , D-Mass.
, said the clawback showed that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` corrupt and incompetent failure . ''
`` He needs to stop sabotaging the Biden administration from cleaning up his mess and helping states , cities , and small businesses , '' she tweeted .
`` Biden will work with leaders across government to ensure Main Street businesses and state and local governments have the support and access to credit they need to weather this storm , '' spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield told Bloomberg .

Amember of a congressional panel overseeing coronavirus relief funds accused Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin of attempting to "sabotage" President-elect Joe Biden's incoming administration and an "illegal" clawback of unspent stimulus funds.
Mnuchin will claw back $429 billion in funds Congress allocated to the Federal Reserve for emergency lending facilities in the Cares Act and another $26 billion allocated to the Treasury for direct loans to businesses and put it in the agency's General Fund, a Treasury spokesperson told Bloomberg News on Tuesday. The move would block the Biden administration from using the funds without congressional approval.
"The move will leave [Janet] Yellen — selected by president-elect Joe Biden as his nominee for Treasury secretary — with just under $80 billion available in the Treasury's Exchange Stabilization Fund," the outlet reported, adding that "Mnuchin isn't required to move the money into the General Fund — the Cares Act states that the Treasury Department can maintain access to the money by keeping it in its Exchange Stabilization Fund until 2026."
Mnuchin sent a letter to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell last week asking him to return the money. The Fed agreed to return the funds but publicly objected to the move.
The Fed said in a statement that it "would prefer that the full suite of emergency facilities established during the coronavirus pandemic continue to serve their important role as a backstop for our still-strained and vulnerable economy."
"I think given where the economy is — and there is so much uncertainty still out there — it is prudent to keep those things open," Raphael Bostic, the president of the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank, told Bloomberg.
Some analysts raised questions about whether the move was even legal. Skanda Amarnath, a former analyst at the New York Fed, said the clawback was in direct "violation of the Cares Act."
"This is Treasury's latest ham-handed effort to undermine the Biden administration. The good news is that it's illegal and can be reversed next year," Bharat Ramamurti, a member of the Congressional Oversight Commission that oversees Cares Act funding, said. "For its part, the Fed should not go along with this attempted sabotage and should retain the CARES Act funds it already has."
Ernie Tedeschi, a former Treasury Department economist, said it was a "dangerous move" ahead of what is expected to be a devastating winter.
"It's one more enormous risk we are piling onto the winter in the U.S. atop of other risks already there," he told Business Insider. "We may need that backstop again as cases have now blown through their prior peaks, state and local governments are making cuts, and we're about to kick off millions of people from unemployment insurance."
Mnuchin, whose move was backed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told CNBC last week that Congress — which has stalled on a second round of relief funding since March — should decide how to repurpose the funds.
"We don't need this money to buy corporate bonds. We need this money to go help small businesses that are still closed or hurt — no fault of their own — or people who are going to be on unemployment that's running out," he said.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said Mnuchin's effort was "shameful" amid a massive spike in coronavirus infections and the dire need for additional relief funding.
"As the economy backslides amid skyrocketing COVID-19 cases, Secretary Mnuchin is engaged in economic sabotage and trying to tie the Biden administration's hands," he said in a statement to Reuters.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said the clawback showed that Mnuchin's pandemic response had been a "corrupt and incompetent failure."
"He needs to stop sabotaging the Biden administration from cleaning up his mess and helping states, cities, and small businesses," she tweeted.
Biden's team called Mnuchin's move "deeply irresponsible."
"Biden will work with leaders across government to ensure Main Street businesses and state and local governments have the support and access to credit they need to weather this storm," spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield told Bloomberg.


alternet--2020-11-26--GOP Sen. David Perdue's mastery of pandemic profiteering continues

GOP Sen. David Perdue has truly made a name for himself as the Senate 's ultimate pandemic profiteer .
In yet another display of Perdue 's cut-throat opportunism , the Associated Press reveals the Republican senator , who is facing a crucial runoff in January , made a series of impeccably timed stock trades last spring for a handsome personal profit .
This particular profitable series of trades centered on the Atlanta-based technology firm Cardlytics .
In late January , as U.S. senators received briefings about the severity of an impending coronavirus outbreak , `` Perdue sold off $ 1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stock at $ 86 a share before it plunged , according to congressional disclosures , '' writes the AP .
But after Cardlytics ' stock price plummeted over news of the pandemic and a simultaneous leadership change , Perdue bought back roughly a quarter to a half million in stock at just $ 30 a share .
By Tuesday of this week , those shares had quadrupled in price to $ 121 a share .
The AP writes that Perdue 's trades were n't necessarily illegal since there 's no direct evidence yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But congressional members undoubtedly had a better grasp of what kind of threat the pandemic posed to both the nation 's public health and the economy , and experts are urging a scrutinization of the trades .
`` This does seem suspicious , '' said John C. Coffee Jr. , a Columbia University law school professor who specializes in corporate and securities issues , adding , `` You need more than suspicions to convict . ''
The rather toothless Senate Ethics Committee has cleared Perdue of ethics violations for some of his past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corruption .
But the sheer volume of Perdue 's impeccably timed trades , whether illegal or not , have come to epitomize the measure of the man .
Perdue , a supposed public servant , clearly spends the vast majority of his time and energy focused on his own bottom line and that of his rich buddies .
That is particularly abhorrent when Perdue adopted a public posture last spring similar to Donald Trump of downplaying a public health emergency that has now claimed more than 250,000 American lives and counting .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out , Perdue urged the listeners of a local Georgia podcast on March 11 not to overreact to the coronavirus threat : `` I think we have to realize that the risk of this virus in the United States right now still remains low . ''
All the while , Perdue was calculating how many ways he could score some big bucks off the near-certain calamity to come .
UPDATE : NYT is reporting that Perdue 's trades of Cardlytic were so eyebrow raising , they prompted a Justice Department inquiry into their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but the trades were clearly too unseemly to entirely ignore .

GOP Sen. David Perdue has truly made a name for himself as the Senate's ultimate pandemic profiteer. In yet another display of Perdue's cut-throat opportunism, the Associated Press reveals the Republican senator, who is facing a crucial runoff in January, made a series of impeccably timed stock trades last spring for a handsome personal profit.
This particular profitable series of trades centered on the Atlanta-based technology firm Cardlytics. In late January, as U.S. senators received briefings about the severity of an impending coronavirus outbreak, "Perdue sold off $1 million to $5 million in Cardlytics stock at $86 a share before it plunged, according to congressional disclosures," writes the AP.
But after Cardlytics' stock price plummeted over news of the pandemic and a simultaneous leadership change, Perdue bought back roughly a quarter to a half million in stock at just $30 a share. By Tuesday of this week, those shares had quadrupled in price to $121 a share.
The AP writes that Perdue's trades weren't necessarily illegal since there's no direct evidence yet that he acted on nonpublic information. But congressional members undoubtedly had a better grasp of what kind of threat the pandemic posed to both the nation's public health and the economy, and experts are urging a scrutinization of the trades.
"This does seem suspicious," said John C. Coffee Jr., a Columbia University law school professor who specializes in corporate and securities issues, adding, "You need more than suspicions to convict."
The rather toothless Senate Ethics Committee has cleared Perdue of ethics violations for some of his past trades that also emitted a whiff of corruption.
But the sheer volume of Perdue's impeccably timed trades, whether illegal or not, have come to epitomize the measure of the man. Perdue, a supposed public servant, clearly spends the vast majority of his time and energy focused on his own bottom line and that of his rich buddies.
That is particularly abhorrent when Perdue adopted a public posture last spring similar to Donald Trump of downplaying a public health emergency that has now claimed more than 250,000 American lives and counting.
As his Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff has pointed out, Perdue urged the listeners of a local Georgia podcast on March 11 not to overreact to the coronavirus threat: "I think we have to realize that the risk of this virus in the United States right now still remains low."
All the while, Perdue was calculating how many ways he could score some big bucks off the near-certain calamity to come.
UPDATE: NYT is reporting that Perdue's trades of Cardlytic were so eyebrow raising, they prompted a Justice Department inquiry into their legality. DOJ ultimately closed the probe, but the trades were clearly too unseemly to entirely ignore.