washingtontimes--2020-09-18--Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court justice, dies at 87

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , the second woman to sit on the high court and the first justice in modern times to become a cultural sensation , died Friday after more than a quarter-century on the court .
She passed away at her home in Washington , D.C. surrounded by family after battling metastatic pancreas cancer .
“ Our Nation has lost a jurist of historic nature , ” said Chief Justice John G. Roberts , Jr. “ We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague .
Today we mourn , but with confidence that future @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we knew her — a tireless and resolute champion of justice.
” The Brooklyn , New York-born jurist ’ s fans and foes took to calling her the “ Notorious RBG ” because of her unabashedly liberal crusades from the bench and her tendency to insert herself into partisan politics in interviews and speeches beyond the walls of the Supreme Court .
Her departure from the court creates a third opening for President Trump to fill , which is more than any president since Ronald Reagan .
Democrats are likely to mount a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with just six weeks until the Nov. 3 election , fearing that a conservative-leaning judge replacing the most prominent liberal would swing the high court more than any other nominee in decades .
Her passing will become a top election issue , as both Republicans and Democrats jockey over who will get to nominate the next justice to fill her seat .
Justice Ginsburg earned her reputation through carefully argued and fiercely written opinions — with her greatest hits usually coming in dissents prodding her colleagues to take a more expansive view @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights and government power .
They are the causes she cut her teeth on as a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union , where she defended women ’ s rights at a time before the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution applied to sex .
“ She was probably the biggest driving force behind a very successful attempt to make equal protection to include gender , ” said Curt Levey , president of the Committee for Justice .
Her fame as a justice has been unprecedented , with an unmatched crossover appeal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Hagiographic movies and documentaries drew significant audiences , and T-shirts and other knick-knacks with her likeness are sold online .
The American Bar Association Journal in 2018 found more than 1,000 results for RBG-related gear selling on craft website Etsy.com .
She also was included as a character , complete with robe and gavel , in “ Lego Movie 2 , ” alongside Batman and Superman in 2019 .
Irin Carmon , a co-author of the book “ Notorious RBG , ” called Justice Ginsburg an “ unapologetic feminist.
” “ Justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ Notorious RBG ’ phenomena , ” she told Larry King in 2015 .
“ What she has said the past about it is , ‘ I can ’ t take credit for the Notorious RBG , but I like it and so do my grandchildren.
’ ” Her fans grew even more adoring , and her critics even more outraged , as Mr. Trump ran for the White House and then won four years ago .
During a 2016 CNN interview , she called Mr. Trump “ a faker ” and complained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apology the next day .
Months later she had to apologize again after criticizing professional football players who were kneeling for the national anthem , calling it “ dumb and disrespectful.
” In 2018 , as the confirmation process for Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh was devolving into a circus , she criticized the Senate and pointed out that even as an ACLU litigator she was confirmed in 1993 on a 96-3 vote .
She was the second woman on the court , joining then-Justice Sandra Day O ’ Connor .
Two other women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , have followed in the years since .
Liberals find little to criticize Justice Ginsburg for , other than her decision not to retire during the eight years of President Barack Obama ’ s tenure , when he might have named her replacement .
Conservatives view her as the chief spokeswoman for the “ living Constitution ” approach to legal reasoning , in which the founding document is seen as embodying principles that can be applied in a modern era , rather than hard-and-fast rules to be followed until voters change them .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ certain constitutional principles you follow whether it leads to a result you like or don ’ t like , that doesn ’ t really occur to her , ” Mr. Levey said .
Born in 1933 to an immigrant father from Ukraine and a mother who grew up in New York , she attended Harvard Law School , where she was one of only nine women .
Although a year behind her husband Martin “ Marty ” Ginsburg in law school , she attended both his and her classes for a period of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he battled cancer .
After law school , her husband worked as a tax lawyer in New York , but she was rejected by a number of big law firms , despite graduating at the top of her class .
She found work as a law professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey .
It was during her time teaching law students that she became involved with several gender-based discrimination cases , often seeking out men as plaintiffs to advance her fight for gender equality .
She joined the ACLU in 1972 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights project and argued before the Supreme Court in 1973 on behalf of Air Force Lt. Sharron Frontiero , who was demanding a housing allowance and other benefits that at the time were given to only men in the military .
“ I ask no favor for my sex .
All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks , ” Justice Ginsburg said in her 1973 argument before the court as an attorney , quoting activist Sara Grimke .
The court found the military ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As a justice on the high court , she authored the 1996 United States v. Virginia opinion , which struck down Virginia Military Institute ’ s all-male admission policy .
The 7-1 decision even won the backing of then-Chief Justice William Rehnquist .
It was the late Justice Antonin Scalia , one of Justice Ginsburg ’ s close friends and fellow opera lover , who dissented from her opinion .
Carolyn Shapiro , a law professor at Kent University , called that opinion the “ crowning moment for her career as a women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact that Chief Justice Rehnquist joined it … that must have been a very sweet victory for her to get his vote , ” Ms. Shapiro said .
Yet Justice Ginsburg ’ s ferocity as a judge has shown more in her dissents .
Indeed , it was her angry opinion in a 2013 voting rights case , Shelby County , that gave rise to the Notorious RBG nickname .
The majority in the 5-4 ruling said voting discrimination still exists , but said the decades-old formula Congress used to force some states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and therefore unfair , and needed to be updated or scrapped .
Justice Ginsburg said the court “ errs egregiously ” in wading into the fight , saying those decisions were rightly left to the political branches .
Curiously , that was a barb frequently aimed at her own jurisprudence .
She also gained fame for her dissent defending Lilly Ledbetter , who sued her employer Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. for pay discrimination .
The majority of the court held Ms. Ledbetter sued outside the statute of limitations , barring her claim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Act .
Justice Ginsburg sparked Congress to step in and address wage discrimination , passing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act — the first bill signed into law by President Barack Obama in January 2009 .
Justice Ginsburg is survived by her two children Jane and James Ginsburg , their spouses , her four grandchildren , two step-grandchildren , as well as one great-grandchild .
Her husband Martin Ginsburg passed away in 2010 .

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death on Friday marked an end of an era for feminists, as the second woman to sit on the high court was viewed internationally as a trailblazer for women’s rights and gender equality.
The liberal icon who became the first justice in modern times to become a pop culture sensation died at her home in Washington, D.C. on Friday surrounded by family after battling metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Justice Ginsburg was 87 years old and had served more than a quarter-century on the court.
“Our Nation has lost a jurist of historic nature,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said. “We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her — a tireless and resolute champion of justice.”
Before her passing, the justice reportedly told her granddaughter that her “most fervent wish” was for her seat not to be filled until there was a new president, recognizing the vacancy would become a politically charged issue just six weeks before Election Day.
But President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have already vowed to move forward with a replacement — no matter who is elected to the White House in November, setting up what could be the first Supreme Court confirmation to take place during a lame-duck session in modern political times.
The Brooklyn-born jurist’s fans and foes took to calling her the “Notorious RBG” because of her unabashedly liberal missions from the bench and her tendency to insert herself into partisan politics in interviews and speeches beyond the walls of the Supreme Court.
Her departure from the court creates a third opening for Mr. Trump to fill, which is more than any president since Ronald Reagan.
Justice Ginsburg earned her reputation through carefully argued and fiercely written opinions — with her greatest hits usually coming in dissents prodding her colleagues to take a more expansive view of personal liberty, women’s rights and government power.
They are the causes she cut her teeth on as a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, where she defended women’s rights at a time before the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution began being applied to sex.
“She was probably the biggest driving force behind a very successful attempt to make equal protection to include gender,” said Curt Levey, president of the Committee for Justice.
Her fame as a justice has been unprecedented, with an unmatched crossover appeal to people far beyond the legal world.
Hagiographic movies and documentaries drew significant audiences, and T-shirts and other knickknacks with her likeness are sold online. The American Bar Association Journal in 2018 found more than 1,000 results for RBG-related gear for sale on Etsy.com.
She also was included as a character, complete with robe and gavel, in “The Lego Movie 2,” alongside Batman and Superman in 2019.
Irin Carmon, a co-author of the book “Notorious RBG,” called Justice Ginsburg an “unapologetic feminist.”
“Justice Ginsburg is actually pretty amused by the ‘Notorious RBG’ phenomena,” she told Larry King in 2015. “What she has said the past about it is, ‘I can’t take credit for the Notorious RBG, but I like it and so do my grandchildren.’”
Her fans grew even more adoring, and her critics even more outraged, as Mr. Trump ran for the White House and then won four years ago.
During a 2016 CNN interview, she called Mr. Trump “a faker” and complained of his ego. She issued an apology the next day.
Months later she apologized again after criticizing professional football players who were kneeling for the national anthem, calling it “dumb and disrespectful.”
In 2018, as the confirmation process for Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh was devolving into a circus, she criticized the Senate and pointed out that even as an ACLU litigator, she was confirmed in 1993 on a 96-3 vote.
She was the second woman on the court, joining then-Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Two other women, Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, have since joined.
Liberals find little to criticize Justice Ginsburg for, other than her decision not to retire during the eight years of President Obama’s tenure, when he might have named her replacement.
Conservatives view her as the chief spokeswoman for the “living Constitution” approach to legal reasoning, in which the founding document is seen as embodying principles that judges can apply according to modern understandings, rather than hard-and-fast rules to be followed until voters change them.
“The idea that there should be certain constitutional principles you follow, whether it leads to a result you like or don’t like — that doesn’t really occur to her,” Mr. Levey said.
Born Joan Ruth Bader in 1933 to an immigrant father from Ukraine and a mother who grew up in New York, she attended Harvard Law School, where she was one of only nine women in her class.
Although a year behind her husband Martin “Marty” Ginsburg in law school, she attended both his classes and her own, taking notes for him while he battled cancer.
After law school, her husband worked as a tax lawyer in New York, but she was rejected by several big law firms, despite graduating at the top of her class. She found work as a law professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
It was during her time teaching law students that she became involved with several gender-based discrimination cases, often seeking out men as plaintiffs to advance her fight for gender equality.
She joined the ACLU in 1972, where she started the women’s rights project and argued before the Supreme Court in 1973 on behalf of Air Force Lt. Sharron Frontiero, who was demanding a housing allowance and other benefits that at the time were given only to men in the military.
“I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks,” Justice Ginsburg said in her 1973 argument before the court as an attorney, quoting 19th-century activist Sarah Grimke.
The court found the military’s benefits policy violated the Constitution.
As a justice on the high court, she authored the 1996 United States v. Virginia opinion, which struck down Virginia Military Institute’s all-male admission policy.
The 7-1 decision even won the backing of then-Chief Justice William Rehnquist. It was the late Justice Antonin Scalia, one of Justice Ginsburg’s close friends and fellow opera lover, who dissented from her opinion.
Carolyn Shapiro, a professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law, called that opinion the “crowning moment for her career as a women’s rights advocate.”
“The fact that Chief Justice Rehnquist joined it … that must have been a very sweet victory for her to get his vote,” Ms. Shapiro said.
Yet Justice Ginsburg’s ferocity as a judge has shown more in her dissents.
Indeed, it was her angry opinion in a 2013 voting rights case, Shelby County, that gave rise to the “Notorious RBG” nickname.
The majority in the 5-4 ruling said voting discrimination still exists, but said the decades-old formula Congress used to force some states to undergo extra voting scrutiny was outdated and therefore unfair and needed to be updated or scrapped.
Justice Ginsburg said the court “errs egregiously” in wading into the fight, saying those decisions were rightly left to the political branches. Curiously, that was a barb frequently aimed at her jurisprudence.
She also gained fame for her dissent defending Lilly Ledbetter, who sued her employer Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. for pay discrimination.
The majority of the court held Ms. Ledbetter sued outside the statute of limitations, barring her claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Justice Ginsburg sparked Congress to step in and address wage discrimination, passing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act — the first bill signed into law by President Obama in January 2009.
Flags at the White House were lowered to half-staff in honor of Justice Ginsburg, whom White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany called “a trailblazer for women.”
Justice Ginsburg is survived by her two children Jane and James Ginsburg, their spouses, her four grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, as well as one great-grandchild. Martin Ginsburg, her husband, died in 2010.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-09-18--Activities association, coaches optimistic for fall sports

SANTA FE , N.M. ( AP ) - High school athletics officials and coaches are optimistic some sports teams will be able to compete this year despite silence from state officials on a tentative game schedule .
Since summer , pandemic guidelines have kept athletes in groups of five athletes per coach and required them to wear masks while exercising , even outdoors .
Under a revised public health order issued Friday by Gov .
Michelle Lujan Grisham , some restrictions were loosened .
For example , it permits up to 10 individuals to participate in youth sports conditioning and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ practice as fall sports like volleyball and cross country prepare for matches next month .
“ Four bodies makes a big difference because a lot of us don ’ t have a lot of coaches , ” said part-time Pojoaque volleyball coach Joe Rodriguez .
He ’ s looking forward to their first game , scheduled for Oct. 13 against a Santa Fe team , and his team ’ s first practice on Sept. 28 .
“ They ’ ll be hungry , as far as wanting touches and getting in the gym @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they will have a season , ” Rodriguez said .
In a call with coaches Friday morning , New Mexico Activities Association Executive Director Sally Marquez said not to be discouraged and to plan for competitive games in October .
“ I ’ ve been optimistic and very positive with our coaches that we will play again , ” Marquez told The Associated Press .
Marquez said she submitted plans for all fall sports weeks ago and in some cases months ago .
Rodriguez is eager to get confirmation that his team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security guard and needs to plan his life .
So do his students and their parents .
“ Thank god my job is really supportive of what I do in my personal time , ” Rodriguez said .
Pojoaque Superintendent Sondra Adams said that while the state weighs options , she has planned for every contingency around sports , including partial admission of fans or none at all .
Attanasio is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative .
Report for America is a nonprofit national service program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report on under-covered issues .
Follow Attanasio on Twitter .

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - High school athletics officials and coaches are optimistic some sports teams will be able to compete this year despite silence from state officials on a tentative game schedule.
Since summer, pandemic guidelines have kept athletes in groups of five athletes per coach and required them to wear masks while exercising, even outdoors.
Under a revised public health order issued Friday by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, some restrictions were loosened. For example, it permits up to 10 individuals to participate in youth sports conditioning and skills development, allowing greater flexibility for practice as fall sports like volleyball and cross country prepare for matches next month.
“Four bodies makes a big difference because a lot of us don’t have a lot of coaches,” said part-time Pojoaque volleyball coach Joe Rodriguez.
He’s looking forward to their first game, scheduled for Oct. 13 against a Santa Fe team, and his team’s first practice on Sept. 28.
“They’ll be hungry, as far as wanting touches and getting in the gym and being around each other and knowing that they will have a season,” Rodriguez said.
In a call with coaches Friday morning, New Mexico Activities Association Executive Director Sally Marquez said not to be discouraged and to plan for competitive games in October.
“I’ve been optimistic and very positive with our coaches that we will play again,” Marquez told The Associated Press.
Marquez said she submitted plans for all fall sports weeks ago and in some cases months ago.
Rodriguez is eager to get confirmation that his team can play. He works as a security guard and needs to plan his life. So do his students and their parents.
“Thank god my job is really supportive of what I do in my personal time,” Rodriguez said.
Pojoaque Superintendent Sondra Adams said that while the state weighs options, she has planned for every contingency around sports, including partial admission of fans or none at all.
___
Attanasio is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. Follow Attanasio on Twitter.


washingtontimes--2020-09-18--Mississippi corrections employee accused of embezzlement

JACKSON , Miss .
( AP ) - A Mississippi Department of Corrections employee has been arrested on charges of embezzlement after officials say he stole prison property and sold it for personal profit .
Corrections Commander Carl Arnold , 60 , was arrested Tuesday and suspended without pay , Commissioner Burl Cain said Friday afternoon .
Arnold , a 25-year veteran of the department , is accused of taking state-owned copper and stainless steel and selling the items to a private business .
Officials allege the illegal activity had been going on for almost a year .
Arnold was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl .
It wasn ’ t immediately known if he had an attorney who could comment for him .
Cain , who was confirmed as Mississippi ’ s corrections commissioner in June , said Arnold ’ s arrest is part of a greater effort to quash wrongdoing by employees in the Department of Corrections .
Arnold was one of five employees , including the chief of security and a warden , who have been dismissed or suspended since Cain started work .
“ We are the ones who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the criminals , not be the criminals , ” Cain said in a statement .
“ So we will not tolerate bad behavior of any kind.
” Citing confidential personnel issues , Cain said he could not publicly discuss why the chief of security and one of the wardens were terminated .
He also couldn ’ t discuss the reasons for suspending a director and an associate warden without pay .
A sixth employee resigned effective immediately and is prohibited from going on prison grounds .
Four other people , who are not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the Rankin County prison .
Cain said he will be as transparent as he can be and keep the public informed of any additional criminal charges tied to the employees .
For years , Mississippi prisons have operated with tight budgets and have struggled to hire enough guards because of low pay , long hours and dangerous conditions .
Outbursts of violence in late December and early January left several inmates dead or injured .
Lawsuits filed on behalf of prisoners say living conditions are unsanitary .
And the U.S. Justice Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Mississippi prison system .
A previous Mississippi corrections commissioner , Christopher Epps , is in federal prison after pleading guilty in 2015 to money laundering and filing false tax returns .
Prosecutors said he took more than $ 1.4 million in bribes from contractors doing business with Mississippi prisons .
Cain spent 21 years as warden of Louisiana ’ s Angola penitentiary before his nomination to the the job of corrections commissioner in Mississippi .

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A Mississippi Department of Corrections employee has been arrested on charges of embezzlement after officials say he stole prison property and sold it for personal profit.
Corrections Commander Carl Arnold, 60, was arrested Tuesday and suspended without pay, Commissioner Burl Cain said Friday afternoon. Arnold, a 25-year veteran of the department, is accused of taking state-owned copper and stainless steel and selling the items to a private business. Officials allege the illegal activity had been going on for almost a year.
Arnold was head of the K-9 unit at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl. It wasn’t immediately known if he had an attorney who could comment for him.
Cain, who was confirmed as Mississippi’s corrections commissioner in June, said Arnold’s arrest is part of a greater effort to quash wrongdoing by employees in the Department of Corrections. Arnold was one of five employees, including the chief of security and a warden, who have been dismissed or suspended since Cain started work.
“We are the ones who are supposed to be protecting society from the criminals, not be the criminals,” Cain said in a statement. “So we will not tolerate bad behavior of any kind.”
Citing confidential personnel issues, Cain said he could not publicly discuss why the chief of security and one of the wardens were terminated. He also couldn’t discuss the reasons for suspending a director and an associate warden without pay. A sixth employee resigned effective immediately and is prohibited from going on prison grounds. Four other people, who are not state employees, have also been banned from the Rankin County prison.
Cain said he will be as transparent as he can be and keep the public informed of any additional criminal charges tied to the employees.
For years, Mississippi prisons have operated with tight budgets and have struggled to hire enough guards because of low pay, long hours and dangerous conditions. Outbursts of violence in late December and early January left several inmates dead or injured. Lawsuits filed on behalf of prisoners say living conditions are unsanitary. And the U.S. Justice Department announced in February that it is investigating the Mississippi prison system.
A previous Mississippi corrections commissioner, Christopher Epps, is in federal prison after pleading guilty in 2015 to money laundering and filing false tax returns. Prosecutors said he took more than $1.4 million in bribes from contractors doing business with Mississippi prisons.
Cain spent 21 years as warden of Louisiana’s Angola penitentiary before his nomination to the the job of corrections commissioner in Mississippi.


washingtontimes--2020-09-18--Hawaii to launch new unemployment call center as claims rise

HONOLULU ( AP ) - The unemployment office in Hawaii announced that a new call center is slated to be online by the end of the month to help manage the increased caseload during the pandemic .
Some residents have called unsuccessfully every day seeking benefits from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and have had their questions go unanswered , Hawaii News Now reported .
“ We ’ re getting scared .
I mean , how are we going to pay for our bills ?
We don ’ t have any money coming in , ” former local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Newly named state Labor Department Director Anne Perreira-Eustaquio said Thursday that the state is contracting with mainland company Maximus to hire 100 people to handle customer service calls for the unemployment office .
“ So these individuals coming on board to take these calls , need to understand the system , how it works , how to help these claimants and not just answer a call , but fix something if they can , ” Perreira-Eustaquio said , adding that the department is making progress with claims .
There are 53 people dedicated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ department is in the process of hiring 17 more , officials said .
“ We are making progress on PUA .
We ’ ve been able to tackle fraud .
We paid out 2,600 claims this past Monday and another 8,500 weeks of claims will be released this weekend , ” she said .
In addition , the FEMA Lost Wages Assistance program , that would award those eligible with an extra weekly $ 300 , is expected to be paid out next month after engineers complete building a new program to launch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unemployment office has processed 135,000 eligibility self-certifications for the program but says there are still tens of thousands who may be eligible .

HONOLULU (AP) - The unemployment office in Hawaii announced that a new call center is slated to be online by the end of the month to help manage the increased caseload during the pandemic.
Some residents have called unsuccessfully every day seeking benefits from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and have had their questions go unanswered, Hawaii News Now reported.
“We’re getting scared. I mean, how are we going to pay for our bills? We don’t have any money coming in,” former local resort kitchen manager Russell Raymond said.
Newly named state Labor Department Director Anne Perreira-Eustaquio said Thursday that the state is contracting with mainland company Maximus to hire 100 people to handle customer service calls for the unemployment office.
“So these individuals coming on board to take these calls, need to understand the system, how it works, how to help these claimants and not just answer a call, but fix something if they can,” Perreira-Eustaquio said, adding that the department is making progress with claims.
There are 53 people dedicated to processing pandemic unemployment benefits and the department is in the process of hiring 17 more, officials said.
“We are making progress on PUA. We’ve been able to tackle fraud. We paid out 2,600 claims this past Monday and another 8,500 weeks of claims will be released this weekend,” she said.
In addition, the FEMA Lost Wages Assistance program, that would award those eligible with an extra weekly $300, is expected to be paid out next month after engineers complete building a new program to launch the benefit and verify eligibility.
The unemployment office has processed 135,000 eligibility self-certifications for the program but says there are still tens of thousands who may be eligible.


washingtontimes--2020-09-18--Emmy show will include $2.8M donation to fight child hunger

LOS ANGELES ( AP ) - Every Emmy Award handed out Sunday will come with something extra - a $ @ @ @ @ @ hunger .
The Television Academy announced Friday that each network and streaming service competing on @ @ @ @ @ donation for every Emmy they win .
With 23 Emmys being handed out and the @ @ @ @ @ that will mean a donation of $ 2.8 million to No Kid Hungry , a @ @ @ @ @ hunger brought on by the coronavirus crisis .
The 72nd Emmy Awards air Sunday at @ @ @ @ @ Jimmy Kimmel is hosting from Staples Center in Los Angeles and winners will accept their @ @ @ @ @ but little beyond that has been revealed about what will happen during the show that @ @ @ @ @ unique pandemic circumstances .
The HBO limited series “ Watchmen ” is the top nominee @ @ @ @ @ include Anthony Anderson , Mindy Kaling , Lin-Manuel Miranda , Patrick Stuart , RuPaul and @ @ @

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Every Emmy Award handed out Sunday will come with something extra - a $100,000 donation to fight child hunger.
The Television Academy announced Friday that each network and streaming service competing on the telecast has pledged the donation for every Emmy they win.
With 23 Emmys being handed out and the academy committing $500,000, that will mean a donation of $2.8 million to No Kid Hungry, a group working to relieve child hunger brought on by the coronavirus crisis.
The 72nd Emmy Awards air Sunday at 5 p.m. on ABC.
Jimmy Kimmel is hosting from Staples Center in Los Angeles and winners will accept their awards from remote locations, but little beyond that has been revealed about what will happen during the show that is being put on under unique pandemic circumstances.
The HBO limited series “Watchmen” is the top nominee.
Guests set to appear include Anthony Anderson, Mindy Kaling, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Patrick Stuart, RuPaul and Oprah Winfrey.


washingtontimes--2020-09-18--Texas reports 3,978 new coronavirus cases, 123 more deaths

AUSTIN , Texas ( AP ) - More than 3,978 new cases were reported Friday of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 , as well as 123 new COVID-19 deaths , according to Texas health officials .
Hospitalizations from COVID-19 also continued to fall with 3,172 beds filled Friday , 74 fewer than the day before .
The trend encouraged Republican Gov .
Greg Abbott to loosen restrictions on how many customers restaurant and fitness club could accommodate , although bars remain closed despite pressure from owners and some conservative GOP activists .
Texas bars have been shut down since June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and deaths occurred .
Overall , there have been 682,241 confirmed cases reported in Texas since the state began tracking coronavirus cases in early March .
Of those , 14,713 COVID-19 cases ended in death , most of them this summer .
In all , there have been more 674,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Texas .
Also , the state estimated 66,866 cases were currently active .
The true number of cases is likely higher though because many people haven ’ t been tested and studies suggest people can be infected and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and a cough that clear up in two to three weeks .
For some , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , it can cause more severe illness , including pneumonia , and death .

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - More than 3,978 new cases were reported Friday of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, as well as 123 new COVID-19 deaths, according to Texas health officials.
Hospitalizations from COVID-19 also continued to fall with 3,172 beds filled Friday, 74 fewer than the day before.
The trend encouraged Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to loosen restrictions on how many customers restaurant and fitness club could accommodate, although bars remain closed despite pressure from owners and some conservative GOP activists. Texas bars have been shut down since June when a surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths occurred.
Overall, there have been 682,241 confirmed cases reported in Texas since the state began tracking coronavirus cases in early March. Of those, 14,713 COVID-19 cases ended in death, most of them this summer. In all, there have been more 674,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Texas. Also, the state estimated 66,866 cases were currently active.
The true number of cases is likely higher though because many people haven’t been tested and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and a cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.


washingtontimes--2020-09-18--Coronavirus outbreak prompts restrictions at Maryland dorm

COLLEGE PARK , Md .
( AP ) - Residents of a dormitory at the University of Maryland are being @ @ @ @ @ for the next two weeks after a coronavirus outbreak there .
News outlets report that @ @ @ @ @ 200 students living in Denton Hall , a traditional high-rise dormitory located near the campus @ @ @ @ @ say the restrictions are not an official quarantine but students have been told not to @ @ @ @ @ to restrict movements as much as possible .
Communal bathrooms can only be used two @ @ @ @ @ the past two weeks , 23 Denton students have tested positive for coronavirus .
The @ @ @ @ @ 5 p.m. Friday .
Students also had the option of returning home before the restrictions @ @ @ @

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - Residents of a dormitory at the University of Maryland are being asked to restrict their movements for the next two weeks after a coronavirus outbreak there.
News outlets report that the restrictions affect more than 200 students living in Denton Hall, a traditional high-rise dormitory located near the campus football stadium.
Campus officials say the restrictions are not an official quarantine but students have been told not to attend in-person classes and asked to restrict movements as much as possible. Communal bathrooms can only be used two at a time.
In the past two weeks, 23 Denton students have tested positive for coronavirus.
The restrictions went into effect at 5 p.m. Friday. Students also had the option of returning home before the restrictions went into effect.


washingtontimes--2020-09-18--COVID-19 testing decrease due wildfires and poor air quality

SALEM , Ore. ( AP ) - The availability of coronavirus testing in Oregon decreased this week due to the massive wildfires and the hazardous air quality that stretched across the state .
Despite this , officials said Friday that data continues to show a decline in the rate of COVID-19 transmission in the state .
Many outdoor testing sites in Oregon and the state ’ s laboratory that processes and holds tests were closed this week .
In August , Oregon performed an average of 32,000 tests per week .
Last week , as thousands of people were forced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Oregon tested 19,465 people , officials said .
To date , Oregon has tested approximately 616,600 people for COVID-19 .
Symptoms from wildfire smoke and COVID-19 overlap - cough , runny nose , fatigue , difficulty breathing and headaches .
But smoke impacts don ’ t typically include fever , chills , muscle or body aches , vomiting , loss of taste or smell or diarrhea .
Since the start of the massive wildfires , about 10 % of all emergency room visits across the state are for asthma type symptoms - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ began to clear overnight Thursday and Friday , as many communities reported improved air quality .
The Oregon Health Authority reported 295 new coronavirus cases Friday , bringing the state total to 30,342 .
The state ’ s death toll remains at 521 .
The health authority ’ s most recent COVID-19 modeling shows that the current rate of transmission is continuing in a downward trend that began in mid-July , meaning that each case is generating less than one other case .
If transmission continues at the current rate , by early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a day .
However , officials warn that it is unclear what effects the evacuations and the poor air quality might have on COVID-19 transmission .
While testing centers may have been closed for a portion of the week , health experts used resources elsewhere in attempt to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19 - specifically among firefighters and evacuees .
Earlier this week , the state reported that 3,185 Oregonians , who fled from the fires , were being sheltered .
Most people were placed in non-congregate shelters and hotels to minimize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , firefighters who have traveled from across the state and the country to fight the wildfires are being screened for coronavirus symptoms .
Cline is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative .
Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues .

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - The availability of coronavirus testing in Oregon decreased this week due to the massive wildfires and the hazardous air quality that stretched across the state.
Despite this, officials said Friday that data continues to show a decline in the rate of COVID-19 transmission in the state. Many outdoor testing sites in Oregon and the state’s laboratory that processes and holds tests were closed this week.
In August, Oregon performed an average of 32,000 tests per week. Last week, as thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes because of wildfires, Oregon tested 19,465 people, officials said.
To date, Oregon has tested approximately 616,600 people for COVID-19.
Symptoms from wildfire smoke and COVID-19 overlap - cough, runny nose, fatigue, difficulty breathing and headaches. But smoke impacts don’t typically include fever, chills, muscle or body aches, vomiting, loss of taste or smell or diarrhea.
Since the start of the massive wildfires, about 10% of all emergency room visits across the state are for asthma type symptoms - an increase.
Smoke across the state began to clear overnight Thursday and Friday, as many communities reported improved air quality.
The Oregon Health Authority reported 295 new coronavirus cases Friday, bringing the state total to 30,342. The state’s death toll remains at 521.
The health authority’s most recent COVID-19 modeling shows that the current rate of transmission is continuing in a downward trend that began in mid-July, meaning that each case is generating less than one other case.
If transmission continues at the current rate, by early October new cases could decrease to 80 a day.
However, officials warn that it is unclear what effects the evacuations and the poor air quality might have on COVID-19 transmission.
While testing centers may have been closed for a portion of the week, health experts used resources elsewhere in attempt to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19 - specifically among firefighters and evacuees.
Earlier this week, the state reported that 3,185 Oregonians, who fled from the fires, were being sheltered. Most people were placed in non-congregate shelters and hotels to minimize the risk of exposure.
In addition, firefighters who have traveled from across the state and the country to fight the wildfires are being screened for coronavirus symptoms.
____
Cline is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.


washingtontimes--2020-09-18--Woman's death blamed on wound from 2017 Vegas Strip massacre

LAS VEGAS ( AP ) - Medical officials in Las Vegas have attributed the death of a 29-year-old Las Vegas woman to complications from a gunshot wound she received during the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history nearly three years ago .
However , Las Vegas police said the department does not plan to raise the death toll beyond the 58 people killed in October 2017 on the Las Vegas Strip .
Samanta Arjune ’ s death May 26 at a Las Vegas hospital was ruled a homicide stemming from the severe leg wound received in the massacre , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Police also did not raise the death tally last month following findings by the coroner in California ’ s San Bernardino County in the death of a Redlands woman .
Kimberly Gervais , 57 , had been a quadriplegic after being wounded in the neck .
She died at a hospital last November .
Authorities have said more than 400 people were wounded and about 450 more were hurt fleeing bullets raining from 32nd-floor windows into a crowd of 22,000 people at an outdoor country music festival .
The gunman killed himself before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Mandalay Bay resort .
Authorities theorized he may have sought notoriety , but said they never determined a clear motive for the attack .

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Medical officials in Las Vegas have attributed the death of a 29-year-old Las Vegas woman to complications from a gunshot wound she received during the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history nearly three years ago.
However, Las Vegas police said the department does not plan to raise the death toll beyond the 58 people killed in October 2017 on the Las Vegas Strip.
Samanta Arjune’s death May 26 at a Las Vegas hospital was ruled a homicide stemming from the severe leg wound received in the massacre, the Clark County coroner said Thursday.
Police also did not raise the death tally last month following findings by the coroner in California’s San Bernardino County in the death of a Redlands woman.
Kimberly Gervais, 57, had been a quadriplegic after being wounded in the neck. She died at a hospital last November.
Authorities have said more than 400 people were wounded and about 450 more were hurt fleeing bullets raining from 32nd-floor windows into a crowd of 22,000 people at an outdoor country music festival.
The gunman killed himself before police reached him in a suite at the Mandalay Bay resort. Authorities theorized he may have sought notoriety, but said they never determined a clear motive for the attack.


washingtontimes--2020-09-18--Native American activist guilty of rape but not kidnapping

SANTA FE , N.M. ( AP ) - A New Mexico jury on Friday convicted a Native American activist of @ @ @ @ @ acquitted him of kidnapping - the most serious charge against him .
Santa Fe jurors @ @ @ @ @ hours before announcing their verdict against Redwolf Pope .
Prosecutors had accused Pope of raping @ @ @ @ @ Fe hotel in 2017 and recording the act .
Pope is an activist who has @ @ @ @ @ elders and others during 2016 pipeline protests at the Standing Rock reservation in North Dakota @ @ @ @ @ convicted of raping had asked him to give her a ride home from a party @ @ @ @ @ at trial .
Pope could have been sentenced up to 18 years for kidnapping , @ @ @ @ @ The third-degree felony rape charge and the misdemeanor voyeurism together carry a combined maximum penalty @ @ @ @ @ .
The public defender representing Pope said his client was not guilty of kidnapping because @ @ @ @ @ his vehicle .

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - A New Mexico jury on Friday convicted a Native American activist of rape and voyeurism, but acquitted him of kidnapping - the most serious charge against him.
Santa Fe jurors deliberated for less than four hours before announcing their verdict against Redwolf Pope.
Prosecutors had accused Pope of raping a woman in a Santa Fe hotel in 2017 and recording the act.
Pope is an activist who has been described as having assisted elders and others during 2016 pipeline protests at the Standing Rock reservation in North Dakota.
The woman Pope was convicted of raping had asked him to give her a ride home from a party, according to evidence presented at trial.
Pope could have been sentenced up to 18 years for kidnapping, a first degree felony. The third-degree felony rape charge and the misdemeanor voyeurism together carry a combined maximum penalty of four years in prison.
The public defender representing Pope said his client was not guilty of kidnapping because the woman willingly got into his vehicle.


washingtontimes--2020-09-19--Popup drive-in movie coming to T.F. Green Airport

Rhode Island ’ s largest airport is hosting a popup drive-in movie in one of its parking lots as a @ @ @ @ @ .
The film “ Linda Ronstadt , The Sound of my Voice ” is scheduled @ @ @ @ @ .
Green Airport ’ s parking lot located across from the Hampton Inn and Suites @ @ @ @ @ Thursday .
The event is free but attendance is limited to 100 cars by reservation @ @ @ @ @ made starting at noon Monday at https : //newportfilm.com .
Cars will be allowed to @ @ @ @ @ hour before showtime , and food trucks will be on site to provide refreshments .
@ @ @ @ @ partnership between the Rhode Island Airport Corp , newportFILM , and Frontier Airlines .
“ @ @ @ @ @ help bring a fun and memorable experience to thank everyone for their continued support of @ @ @ @ @ connect with our community partners during this difficult period , ” Iftikhar Ahmad , president @ @ @ @ @ Island Airport Corp. said in a statement .

WARWICK, R.I. (AP) -
Rhode Island’s largest airport is hosting a popup drive-in movie in one of its parking lots as a thank you to the community.
The film “Linda Ronstadt, The Sound of my Voice” is scheduled to be shown at T.F. Green Airport’s parking lot located across from the Hampton Inn and Suites Hotel at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
The event is free but attendance is limited to 100 cars by reservation only, which can be made starting at noon Monday at https://newportfilm.com.
Cars will be allowed to arrive as much as an hour before showtime, and food trucks will be on site to provide refreshments.
The movie night is a partnership between the Rhode Island Airport Corp, newportFILM, and Frontier Airlines.
“We’re proud to help bring a fun and memorable experience to thank everyone for their continued support of T.F. Green Airport and connect with our community partners during this difficult period,” Iftikhar Ahmad, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Airport Corp. said in a statement.


washingtontimes--2020-09-19--AP FACT CHECK: Trump's virus revisionism; Biden on the hoax

WASHINGTON ( AP ) - After months of mass death and sickness , what could possibly count as a success story against the pandemic ?
President Donald Trump would have you believe Americans are already living that success story , even as the death toll approaches 200,000 and infections spread by the tens of thousands a day .
Trump ’ s latest revisionism on the pandemic came during a week when he unleashed a torrent of misbegotten claims about mail-in voting , a monthslong preoccupation growing more intense with the approach of the Nov. 3 election .
While Democratic presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and largely supported case that Trump has underplayed the severity of the pandemic , the devil was in the details : No , Trump did not call the coronavirus a hoax .
TRUMP : “ If you look at what we ’ ve done and all of the lives that we ’ ve saved … this was our prediction , that if we do a really good job , we ’ ll be at about a hundred and - 100,000 to 240,000 deaths .
And we ’ re below that substantially , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But that would be if we did the good job .
If the not-so-good job was done , you ’ d be between 1.5 million - I remember these numbers so well - and 2.2 million.
” - news conference Wednesday .
THE FACTS : He ’ s glossing over grim numbers and wrongly describing the scientific projections .
First and most notably , the U.S. is not running “ substantially ” below projections that 100,000 to 240,000 would die from COVID-19 .
The death toll is close to 200,000 and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of thousands of new infections are being reported each day .
The White House and federal public health authorities have often pointed to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington as a source for their pandemic projections .
The institute now forecasts more than 415,000 U.S. deaths from COVID-19 by Jan. 1 .
In early April , U.S. officials estimated at least 100,000 would die from the pandemic even if all conceivable steps were taken against it - a thorough and enduring lockdown , full use of masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 240,000 assumed aggressive mitigation .
Trump has often cited a potential death toll of 2.2 million or so - a number that puts the reality of several hundred thousand deaths in a better light .
He uses it to claim to have saved many lives .
But such an extreme projection was merely a baseline if nothing at all were done to fight the pandemic .
It was never , as he claimed , an expected death toll if “ the not-so-good job was done.
” At an April 1 briefing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ projection of 100,000 to 240,000 deaths , the president held out hope of keeping deaths under 100,000 .
“ I think we ’ re doing better than that.
” Now he ’ s trying to move the goal posts and have the public consider anything under 240,000 deaths a success .
TRUMP : “ We ’ ll have manufactured at least 100 million vaccine doses before the end of the year.
” - news conference Friday .
TRUMP : “ We expect to have enough vaccine for every American by April.
” - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Don ’ t count on this .
Even if one or more vaccines is authorized for emergency use by the end of this year , those numbers stretch credulity .
Public authorities are so certain there will be only limited doses at first that they ’ re developing plans to triage them for people who need it the most , such as health workers .
In a distribution plan released this past week , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ’ s best-case option was that 35 million to 45 million doses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ December if two of the leading candidates both proved safe and effective .
And those candidates require two doses , three weeks to four weeks apart .
Having enough vaccine for everyone — whenever that may be - is different from getting it into people ’ s arms .
Plans for how to accomplish that are still being worked out .
Trump is pushing hard to have a vaccine announced before the election or at least to convince people that such an outcome is possible .
But federal health officials and scientists have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unlikely .
BIDEN VIDEO : “ Trump in public : ‘ Hoax.
’ Trump in private : ‘ Killer.
’ ” - video tweeted by Biden on Tuesday .
BIDEN VIDEO , showing Trump saying at a Feb. 28 campaign rally in South Carolina : “ The coronavirus - and this is their new hoax.
” THE FACTS : The accusation is misleading .
So is the selective video editing that made it appear Trump was calling the coronavirus a “ new hoax.
” At the rally featured in the video , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and “ this is their new hoax ” at separate points .
Although his meaning is difficult to discern , the broader context of his words shows he was railing against Democrats for their denunciations of his administration ’ s coronavirus response .
“ Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus , ” he said .
“ You know that , right ?
Coronavirus .
They ’ re politicizing it.
” He meandered briefly to the subject of the messy Democratic primary in Iowa , then the Russia investigation before returning to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impeachment hoax .
… And this is their new hoax.
” Asked at a news conference the next day to clarify his remarks , Trump made clear he was not referring to the coronavirus itself as a hoax .
“ No , no , no.
” he said .
” ‘ Hoax ’ referring to the action that they take to try and pin this on somebody , because we ’ ve done such a good job .
The hoax is on them , not — I ’ m not talking about what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m talking what they ’ re doing .
That ’ s the hoax.
” He continued : “ Certainly not referring to this .
How could anybody refer to this ?
This is very serious stuff.
” The video ’ s reference to “ Trump in private ” calling the virus a “ killer ” comes from the president ’ s interview in April with author and journalist Bob Woodward , whose new book “ Rage ” contains Trump ’ s acknowledgment that he was playing down the virus threat in public , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is incorrect for Biden to suggest , as the video does , that Trump insisted the virus was a hoax before ultimately acknowledging to the author in April that it was deadly and serious .
Trump on several occasions before that did refer publicly to the virus as a “ plague ” and a “ killer , ” while also falsely dismissing it as something that would go away on its own , in hot weather or otherwise .
TRUMP : “ There ’ s going to be fraud .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be the scam of all time.
” - news conference Friday .
TRUMP : “ The big Unsolicited Ballot States should give it up NOW , before it is too late , and ask people to go to the Polling Booths and , like always before , VOTE .
Otherwise , MAYHEM !
!
!
Solicited Ballots ( absentee ) are OK. ” - tweet Thursday .
THE FACTS : Trump is overstating the potential for “ mayhem ” and fraud in “ big unsolicited ballot states.
” There is no such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Five states routinely send ballots to all registered voters so they can choose to vote through the mail or in person .
Four other states and the District of Columbia will be adopting that system in November , as will almost every county in Montana .
Election officials note that , by registering to vote , people are effectively requesting a ballot , so it makes no sense to call the materials sent to them “ unsolicited.
” More broadly speaking , voter fraud has proved exceedingly rare .
The Brennan Center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of ballot fraud at 0.00004 % to 0.0009 % , based on studies of past elections .
In the five states that regularly send ballots to all voters who have registered , there have been no major cases of fraud or difficulty counting the votes .
TRUMP : “ Because of the new and unprecedented massive amount of unsolicited ballots which will be sent to ‘ voters ’ , or wherever , this year , the Nov 3rd Election result may NEVER BE ACCURATELY DETERMINED , which is what some want.
” - @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s highly unlikely that any chaos in states with universal mail-in voting will cause the election result to “ never be accurately determined.
” The five states that already have such balloting have had time to strengthen their systems , while four new states adopting it - California , New Jersey , Nevada and Vermont - have not .
Of those nine states , only Nevada is a battleground , worth six electoral votes and only likely to be pivotal in a national presidential deadlock .
The others , including the District @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The main states that are being contested - Arizona , Florida , Michigan , North Carolina , Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - only send mail ballots to voters who request them .
Trump said Thursday that such “ solicited ” ballots are absolutely “ OK. ” Trump frequently blasts mail-in voting as flawed and fraudulent while insisting that mail ballots in certain states such as Florida , a must-win state for him , are fine .
But mail-in ballots are cast in the same way as what Trump refers to as “ absentee ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of scrutiny such as signature verification in many states .
In court filings , the Trump campaign has acknowledged that mail-in and absentee ballots are legally interchangeable terms .
States nationwide expect a surge in mail-in voting due to the coronavirus threat .
TRUMP : “ Unsolicited Ballots are uncontrollable , totally open to ELECTION INTERFERENCE by foreign countries , and will lead to massive chaos and confusion !
” - tweet Thursday .
THE FACTS : Mail-in ballots aren ’ t the biggest risk for foreign interference .
Trying to influence a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean paying thousands of U.S. citizens , carefully selected in pivotal states , who are willing to conspire with a foreign government and risk detection and prosecution .
Far easier and cheaper would be a social media campaign seeking to discourage certain groups of people from voting , which is something the FBI has warned about .
Or a cyberattack on voter registration data that would eliminate certain voters from the rolls .
That could cause havoc at polling places or election offices as officials attempt to count ballots from people who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Attorney General Bill Barr has raised the possibility that a “ foreign country could print up tens of thousands of counterfeit ballots.
” He argued they would be hard to detect , but that ’ s been disputed by election experts .
Mail-in ballots are printed on special paper and must be formatted correctly in order to be processed and counted .
Ballots are specific to each precinct , often with a long list of local races , and would be identified as fraudulent if everything didn ’ t match precisely .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ worked very hard to cancel all of our venues .
Despite the fact that he controls the state , he failed , but would have rather done rally outside .
Can you imagine this man is in charge … of the Ballots in Nevada !
?
Not fair , Rigged Election !
” - tweets Monday .
THE FACTS : You don ’ t have to imagine that man being in charge of the election because he isn ’ t .
Whatever his beef with Nevada ’ s Democratic Gov .
Steve Sisolak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state ’ s new all-mail election in November .
That responsibility falls to Nevada ’ s secretary of state , Barbara Cegavske .
She is a Republican .
TRUMP , on Virginia ’ s governor : “ He is in favor of executing babies after birth - this isn ’ t late-term abortion , this is a step way beyond !
” - tweet Friday , when advance voting opened in Virginia .
THE FACTS : This a gross distortion of Democratic Gov .
Ralph Northam ’ s position on late-term abortion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ambiguous comments on the subject but he has certainly not called for executing babies , which is a crime .
It is not necessarily a crime to forgo sophisticated medical intervention in cases where severe fetal abnormalities leave a newborn with no chance of survival .
This has happened on rare occasions in the course of a late-term abortion .
The U.S. government recorded 143 deaths between 2003 and 2014 involving infants born alive during attempted abortions .
This is the subject Northam addressed more than a year ago in a radio interview @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that would allow late-term abortions .
He said if a woman were to want an abortion as she ’ s going into labor , the baby would be delivered and “ resuscitated if that ’ s what the mother and the family desired , and then a discussion would ensue ” between doctors and the mother .
He did not elaborate on the circumstances or what the discussion would be .
Organizations representing obstetricians and gynecologists say laws already provide protections to every healthy newborn , whether born during a failed abortion or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are so severe that a newborn would die soon after birth , a family may choose what ’ s known as palliative care or comfort care .
This might involve allowing the baby to die naturally without medical intervention .
Similar decisions about whether to extend life support in hopeless cases are faced by the families of patients of any age .
When families decide not to continue medical intervention in such a case , they are not “ executing ” the patient .
TRUMP : “ You know , Obama came into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prize , like almost immediately , right ?
In fact , he didn ’ t even know why he got it .
He didn ’ t even know .
He had no idea why he got it and he was right about that because nobody else does either .
They still don ’ t know.
” — rally in Minden , Nevada , Sept. 12 .
TRUMP : “ But it ’ s true , Obama got it for no reason whatsoever.
” — rally in Henderson , Nevada , Sept. 13 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ about Obama and his Nobel Peace Prize is true .
The Nobel committee announced Obama as recipient of the prize on Oct. 9 , 2009 , nearly nine months after his inauguration — that ’ s not “ almost immediately.
” As far as the reason for awarding the prize to Obama , the committee was quite clear in its 258-word statement issued 11 years ago , which focused on “ his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples ” and noted in particular “ Obama ’ s vision of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weapons.
” “ Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world ’ s attention and given its people hope for a better future , ” the committee said in its statement .
To be sure , the prize reflected aspirations more than accomplishments .
When Obama was asked later why he got the prize , he did say : “ To be honest , I don ’ t know.
” He said they give those prizes “ to just about anybody these days.
” He was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against him at his rally .
But agree or disagree with the committee ’ s decision , it gave its reasons for honoring Obama .
Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi in Denver and Lauran Neergaard , Eric Tucker and Douglass K. Daniel in Washington contributed to this report .
EDITOR ’ S NOTE - A look at the veracity of claims by political figures .

WASHINGTON (AP) - After months of mass death and sickness, what could possibly count as a success story against the pandemic?
President Donald Trump would have you believe Americans are already living that success story, even as the death toll approaches 200,000 and infections spread by the tens of thousands a day.
Trump’s latest revisionism on the pandemic came during a week when he unleashed a torrent of misbegotten claims about mail-in voting, a monthslong preoccupation growing more intense with the approach of the Nov. 3 election.
While Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden laid out a broad and largely supported case that Trump has underplayed the severity of the pandemic, the devil was in the details: No, Trump did not call the coronavirus a hoax.
A review:
PANDEMIC
TRUMP: “If you look at what we’ve done and all of the lives that we’ve saved … this was our prediction, that if we do a really good job, we’ll be at about a hundred and - 100,000 to 240,000 deaths. And we’re below that substantially, and we’ll see what comes out. But that would be if we did the good job. If the not-so-good job was done, you’d be between 1.5 million - I remember these numbers so well - and 2.2 million.” - news conference Wednesday.
THE FACTS: He’s glossing over grim numbers and wrongly describing the scientific projections.
First and most notably, the U.S. is not running “substantially” below projections that 100,000 to 240,000 would die from COVID-19. The death toll is close to 200,000 and the pandemic is far from over. Tens of thousands of new infections are being reported each day.
The White House and federal public health authorities have often pointed to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington as a source for their pandemic projections. The institute now forecasts more than 378,000 U.S. deaths from COVID-19 by Jan. 1.
In early April, U.S. officials estimated at least 100,000 would die from the pandemic even if all conceivable steps were taken against it - a thorough and enduring lockdown, full use of masks and more. A death toll up to 240,000 assumed aggressive mitigation.
Trump has often cited a potential death toll of 2.2 million or so - a number that puts the reality of several hundred thousand deaths in a better light. He uses it to claim to have saved many lives. But such an extreme projection was merely a baseline if nothing at all were done to fight the pandemic. It was never, as he claimed, an expected death toll if “the not-so-good job was done.”
At an April 1 briefing, when Trump and his officials discussed the projection of 100,000 to 240,000 deaths, the president held out hope of keeping deaths under 100,000. “I think we’re doing better than that.”
Now he’s trying to move the goal posts and have the public consider anything under 240,000 deaths a success.
___
TRUMP: “We’ll have manufactured at least 100 million vaccine doses before the end of the year.” - news conference Friday.
TRUMP: “We expect to have enough vaccine for every American by April.” - news conference Friday.
THE FACTS: Don’t count on this.
Even if one or more vaccines is authorized for emergency use by the end of this year, those numbers stretch credulity.
Public authorities are so certain there will be only limited doses at first that they’re developing plans to triage them for people who need it the most, such as health workers. In a distribution plan released this past week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s best-case option was that 35 million to 45 million doses would be available by the end of December if two of the leading candidates both proved safe and effective. And those candidates require two doses, three weeks to four weeks apart.
Having enough vaccine for everyone — whenever that may be - is different from getting it into people’s arms. Plans for how to accomplish that are still being worked out.
Trump is pushing hard to have a vaccine announced before the election or at least to convince people that such an outcome is possible. But federal health officials and scientists have signaled or outright stated that that is unlikely.
___
BIDEN VIDEO: “Trump in public: ‘Hoax.’ Trump in private: ‘Killer.’” - video tweeted by Biden on Tuesday.
BIDEN VIDEO, showing Trump saying at a Feb. 28 campaign rally in South Carolina: “The coronavirus - and this is their new hoax.”
THE FACTS: The accusation is misleading. So is the selective video editing that made it appear Trump was calling the coronavirus a “new hoax.”
At the rally featured in the video, Trump actually said the phrases “the coronavirus” and “this is their new hoax” at separate points. Although his meaning is difficult to discern, the broader context of his words shows he was railing against Democrats for their denunciations of his administration’s coronavirus response.
“Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus,” he said. “You know that, right? Coronavirus. They’re politicizing it.” He meandered briefly to the subject of the messy Democratic primary in Iowa, then the Russia investigation before returning to the pandemic. “They tried the impeachment hoax. … And this is their new hoax.”
Asked at a news conference the next day to clarify his remarks, Trump made clear he was not referring to the coronavirus itself as a hoax.
“No, no, no.” he said. ”‘Hoax’ referring to the action that they take to try and pin this on somebody, because we’ve done such a good job. The hoax is on them, not — I’m not talking about what’s happening here. I’m talking what they’re doing. That’s the hoax.”
He continued: “Certainly not referring to this. How could anybody refer to this? This is very serious stuff.”
The video’s reference to “Trump in private” calling the virus a “killer” comes from the president’s interview in April with author and journalist Bob Woodward, whose new book “Rage” contains Trump’s acknowledgment that he was playing down the virus threat in public, so as to avoid panic.
But it is incorrect for Biden to suggest, as the video does, that Trump insisted the virus was a hoax before ultimately acknowledging to the author in April that it was deadly and serious.
Trump on several occasions before that did refer publicly to the virus as a “plague” and a “killer,” while also falsely dismissing it as something that would go away on its own, in hot weather or otherwise.
___
VOTING
TRUMP: “There’s going to be fraud. It’s a disaster. This is going to be the scam of all time.” - news conference Friday.
TRUMP: “The big Unsolicited Ballot States should give it up NOW, before it is too late, and ask people to go to the Polling Booths and, like always before, VOTE. Otherwise, MAYHEM!!! Solicited Ballots (absentee) are OK.” - tweet Thursday.
THE FACTS: Trump is overstating the potential for “mayhem” and fraud in “big unsolicited ballot states.”
There is no such thing as an “unsolicited” ballot. Five states routinely send ballots to all registered voters so they can choose to vote through the mail or in person. Four other states and the District of Columbia will be adopting that system in November, as will almost every county in Montana. Election officials note that, by registering to vote, people are effectively requesting a ballot, so it makes no sense to call the materials sent to them “unsolicited.”
More broadly speaking, voter fraud has proved exceedingly rare. The Brennan Center for Justice in 2017 ranked the risk of ballot fraud at 0.00004% to 0.0009%, based on studies of past elections.
In the five states that regularly send ballots to all voters who have registered, there have been no major cases of fraud or difficulty counting the votes.
___
TRUMP: “Because of the new and unprecedented massive amount of unsolicited ballots which will be sent to ‘voters’, or wherever, this year, the Nov 3rd Election result may NEVER BE ACCURATELY DETERMINED, which is what some want.” - tweet Thursday.
THE FACTS: It’s highly unlikely that any chaos in states with universal mail-in voting will cause the election result to “never be accurately determined.”
The five states that already have such balloting have had time to strengthen their systems, while four new states adopting it - California, New Jersey, Nevada and Vermont - have not. Of those nine states, only Nevada is a battleground, worth six electoral votes and only likely to be pivotal in a national presidential deadlock. The others, including the District of Columbia, are overwhelmingly Democratic.
The main states that are being contested - Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - only send mail ballots to voters who request them. Trump said Thursday that such “solicited” ballots are absolutely “OK.”
Trump frequently blasts mail-in voting as flawed and fraudulent while insisting that mail ballots in certain states such as Florida, a must-win state for him, are fine. But mail-in ballots are cast in the same way as what Trump refers to as “absentee” mail ballots, with the same level of scrutiny such as signature verification in many states. In court filings, the Trump campaign has acknowledged that mail-in and absentee ballots are legally interchangeable terms.
States nationwide expect a surge in mail-in voting due to the coronavirus threat.
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TRUMP: “Unsolicited Ballots are uncontrollable, totally open to ELECTION INTERFERENCE by foreign countries, and will lead to massive chaos and confusion!” - tweet Thursday.
THE FACTS: Mail-in ballots aren’t the biggest risk for foreign interference.
Trying to influence a federal election through mail-in ballots would probably mean paying thousands of U.S. citizens, carefully selected in pivotal states, who are willing to conspire with a foreign government and risk detection and prosecution.
Far easier and cheaper would be a social media campaign seeking to discourage certain groups of people from voting, which is something the FBI has warned about. Or a cyberattack on voter registration data that would eliminate certain voters from the rolls. That could cause havoc at polling places or election offices as officials attempt to count ballots from people who are “missing” from their voter databases.
Attorney General Bill Barr has raised the possibility that a “foreign country could print up tens of thousands of counterfeit ballots.” He argued they would be hard to detect, but that’s been disputed by election experts.
Mail-in ballots are printed on special paper and must be formatted correctly in order to be processed and counted. Ballots are specific to each precinct, often with a long list of local races, and would be identified as fraudulent if everything didn’t match precisely.
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TRUMP: “The Governor of Nevada worked very hard to cancel all of our venues. Despite the fact that he controls the state, he failed, but would have rather done rally outside. Can you imagine this man is in charge … of the Ballots in Nevada!? Not fair, Rigged Election!” - tweets Monday.
THE FACTS: You don’t have to imagine that man being in charge of the election because he isn’t.
Whatever his beef with Nevada’s Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak, the governor isn’t running the state’s new all-mail election in November. That responsibility falls to Nevada’s secretary of state, Barbara Cegavske. She is a Republican.
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ABORTION
TRUMP, on Virginia’s governor: “He is in favor of executing babies after birth - this isn’t late-term abortion, this is a step way beyond!” - tweet Friday, when advance voting opened in Virginia.
THE FACTS: This a gross distortion of Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam’s position on late-term abortion. Northam brought trouble on himself with ambiguous comments on the subject but he has certainly not called for executing babies, which is a crime.
It is not necessarily a crime to forgo sophisticated medical intervention in cases where severe fetal abnormalities leave a newborn with no chance of survival. This has happened on rare occasions in the course of a late-term abortion. The U.S. government recorded 143 deaths between 2003 and 2014 involving infants born alive during attempted abortions.
This is the subject Northam addressed more than a year ago in a radio interview when he expressed support for state legislation that would allow late-term abortions. He said if a woman were to want an abortion as she’s going into labor, the baby would be delivered and “resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue” between doctors and the mother. He did not elaborate on the circumstances or what the discussion would be.
Organizations representing obstetricians and gynecologists say laws already provide protections to every healthy newborn, whether born during a failed abortion or under other circumstances.
But when anomalies are so severe that a newborn would die soon after birth, a family may choose what’s known as palliative care or comfort care. This might involve allowing the baby to die naturally without medical intervention.
Similar decisions about whether to extend life support in hopeless cases are faced by the families of patients of any age. When families decide not to continue medical intervention in such a case, they are not “executing” the patient.
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OBAMA’S NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
TRUMP: “You know, Obama came into office, they gave him the Nobel Prize, like almost immediately, right? In fact, he didn’t even know why he got it. He didn’t even know. He had no idea why he got it and he was right about that because nobody else does either. They still don’t know.” — rally in Minden, Nevada, Sept. 12.
TRUMP: “But it’s true, Obama got it for no reason whatsoever.” — rally in Henderson, Nevada, Sept. 13.
Neither of Trump’s oft-stated assertions about Obama and his Nobel Peace Prize is true. The Nobel committee announced Obama as recipient of the prize on Oct. 9, 2009, nearly nine months after his inauguration — that’s not “almost immediately.”
As far as the reason for awarding the prize to Obama, the committee was quite clear in its 258-word statement issued 11 years ago, which focused on “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples” and noted in particular “Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.”
“Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future,” the committee said in its statement.
To be sure, the prize reflected aspirations more than accomplishments. When Obama was asked later why he got the prize, he did say: “To be honest, I don’t know.” He said they give those prizes “to just about anybody these days.” He was making self-deprecating jokes, which Trump turned against him at his rally.
But agree or disagree with the committee’s decision, it gave its reasons for honoring Obama.
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Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi in Denver and Lauran Neergaard, Eric Tucker and Douglass K. Daniel in Washington contributed to this report.
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EDITOR’S NOTE - A look at the veracity of claims by political figures.
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Find AP Fact Checks at http://apnews.com/APFactCheck
Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck


washingtontimes--2020-09-19--Maine nonprofits get aid assisting domestic violence victims

PORTLAND , Maine ( AP ) - Three non-profit groups that provide services for victims of domestic violence are among @ @ @ @ @ $ 2.3 million in federal aid in Maine .
The federal Office of Violence Against @ @ @ @ @ , which are designed to support rape crisis centers and victims of domestic violence and @ @ @ @ @ going to New Hope for Women in Rockland , Partners for Peace in Bangor and @ @ @ @ @ .
Each organization is receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in aid .
The state @ @ @ @ @ to receive a grant of about $ 390,000 to assist rape crisis centers and organizations @ @ @ @ @ assault .
Maine independent Sen. Angus King and Republican Sen. Susan Collins said the funding @ @ @ @ @ state ’ s response to these crimes and allow Maine non-profit organizations to continue to @ @ @ @ @ .
”

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Three nonprofit groups that provide services for victims of domestic violence are among the recipients of more than $2.3 million in federal aid in Maine.
The federal Office of Violence Against Women is providing the grants, which are designed to support rape crisis centers and victims of domestic violence and stalking. The grants are going to New Hope for Women in Rockland, Partners for Peace in Bangor and Caring Unlimited Corporation in Sanford.
Each organization is receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in aid. The state of Maine is also set to receive a grant of about $390,000 to assist rape crisis centers and organizations that help victims of sexual assault.
Maine independent U.S. Sen. Angus King and Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said the funding “will help strengthen our state’s response to these crimes and allow Maine non-profit organizations to continue to protect victims in their communities.”


washingtontimes--2020-09-19--1 dead, 2 injured in South End shooting

1 dead, 2 injured in South End shooting

BOSTON ( AP ) - One man was killed and two others injured in a shooting in a South End @ @ @ @ @ , police said .
The shooting happened shortly before 8 p.m. near the intersection of @ @ @ @ @ The victims , two in their early 30s and one in his early 40s , @ @ @ @ @ where one of the men was pronounced dead , police said .
Police are investigating @ @ @ @ @ had been made .
Anyone with any information about the shooting is asked to contact @ @ @ @ @

BOSTON (AP) - One man was killed and two others injured in a shooting in a South End neighborhood of Boston Friday night, police said.
The shooting happened shortly before 8 p.m. near the intersection of Hammond and Westminster streets. The victims, two in their early 30s and one in his early 40s, were taken to area hospitals where one of the men was pronounced dead, police said.
Police are investigating the shooting and no arrests had been made. Anyone with any information about the shooting is asked to contact Boston police at 1-800-494-TIPS.


washingtontimes--2020-09-19--Former district attorney represents some he once prosecuted

JACKSON , Miss .
( AP ) - A former district attorney in Mississippi ’ s largest county is now representing some people he once prosecuted , court documents show .
Robert Shuler Smith did not seek reelection last year in Hinds County .
He told WLBT-TV that he sees no conflict of interest .
But the current district attorney , Jody Owens , is seeking to have Smith removed from one case .
Smith represents Prince Johnson , who was indicted by Hinds County grand jury in 2017 on eight counts of prescription fraud .
Owens recently filed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johnson case , saying state law and Mississippi Ethics Commission opinions show Smith should not represent people he once tried .
Smith said most cases are handled by assistant district attorneys .
“ I had no knowledge or have no knowledge of these cases , ” Smith said .
Smith cited a Mississippi Supreme Court case in which a former assistant district attorney from Pascagoula later defended a person she prosecuted .
The high court ruled that because that prosecutor didn ’ t remember prosecuting that case , it wasn ’ t a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mississippi Bar Association to ask if he could represent people he had once prosecuted .
“ If anybody had an objection , they could raise it and we could discuss their position , but I never heard anything , ” Smith said .
Adam Kilgore , general counsel for the bar association , said he could not comment on attorneys contacting the bar with ethics questions .
“ The bar , specifically the Office of General Counsel , is prohibited from giving stamps of approval or disapproval as to a proposed course of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found another case listing Smith as a defense attorney .
Ryan Davis is accused of shooting several people at a 2016 block party .
Smith denies involvement in that case , despite court records listing him on the defense team .
“ I don ’ t represent this person .
I don ’ t really know why they have my name on this one , ” Smith said .
However , he said he represents others that his office prosecuted .
” There ’ s actually a few , but we ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
A day before Owens filed a motion to disqualify him as counsel , Smith filed a motion to dismiss the case , alleging prosecutorial misconduct and a violation of Johnson ’ s right to a speedy trial .
Owens responded that Smith can not allege due process violations or prosecutorial misconduct without including himself in that .

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A former district attorney in Mississippi’s largest county is now representing some people he once prosecuted, court documents show.
Robert Shuler Smith did not seek reelection last year in Hinds County. He told WLBT-TV that he sees no conflict of interest. But the current district attorney, Jody Owens, is seeking to have Smith removed from one case.
Smith represents Prince Johnson, who was indicted by Hinds County grand jury in 2017 on eight counts of prescription fraud.
Owens recently filed a motion seeking to disqualify Smith from the Johnson case, saying state law and Mississippi Ethics Commission opinions show Smith should not represent people he once tried.
Smith said most cases are handled by assistant district attorneys.
“I had no knowledge or have no knowledge of these cases,” Smith said.
Smith cited a Mississippi Supreme Court case in which a former assistant district attorney from Pascagoula later defended a person she prosecuted. The high court ruled that because that prosecutor didn’t remember prosecuting that case, it wasn’t a conflict.
Smith said he contacted the Mississippi Bar Association to ask if he could represent people he had once prosecuted.
“If anybody had an objection, they could raise it and we could discuss their position, but I never heard anything,” Smith said.
Adam Kilgore, general counsel for the bar association, said he could not comment on attorneys contacting the bar with ethics questions.
“The bar, specifically the Office of General Counsel, is prohibited from giving stamps of approval or disapproval as to a proposed course of action,” Kilgore said.
WLBT found another case listing Smith as a defense attorney. Ryan Davis is accused of shooting several people at a 2016 block party. Smith denies involvement in that case, despite court records listing him on the defense team.
“I don’t represent this person. I don’t really know why they have my name on this one,” Smith said.
However, he said he represents others that his office prosecuted.
”There’s actually a few, but we’ve been working those out,” Smith said.
A day before Owens filed a motion to disqualify him as counsel, Smith filed a motion to dismiss the case, alleging prosecutorial misconduct and a violation of Johnson’s right to a speedy trial. Owens responded that Smith cannot allege due process violations or prosecutorial misconduct without including himself in that.


washingtontimes--2020-09-19--Evangelicals at base of Trump hopes for Pennsylvania repeat

HARRISBURG , Pa. ( AP ) - President Donald Trump ’ s homestretch push to repeat his razor thin victory in Pennsylvania four years ago won ’ t happen without white evangelicals , and there are signs that critical component of his coalition hasn ’ t lost the faith .
It ’ s a group that has often made the difference for Republicans on the Pennsylvania ballot .
And while some born-again voters had misgivings about Trump in 2016 , they helped him eke out a 44,000-vote margin of victory in the pivotal swing state .
This time around , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporting their agenda .
Trump ’ s policies have helped keep in the fold evangelicals who otherwise might have been discomforted by his style .
Their opinions on a range of political issues make them among the least likely voters to jump to former Vice President Joe Biden , the Democrat .
A recent NBC News/Marist poll in Pennsylvania found 79 % of white evangelicals saying they will vote for Trump in this year ’ s presidential election .
But Biden ’ s campaign hopes to make some inroads , with plans to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effort next week , according to Josh Dickson , the campaign ’ s national faith engagement director .
“ In this moment , there is a stark moral contrast between the common good values of the Biden-Harris agenda , which deeply aligns with the values of people of faith , and the agenda of the current administration , which is based in divisiveness and fear , ” Dickson said in a statement .
The Biden campaign frames “ the real religious issue ” at stake as systemic racism , while evangelical Trump voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including like-minded judicial appointees , along with school choice , religious freedom and the movement of the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem .
“ Many of us who support the president wish sometimes he didn ’ t say the things he did , wish he had a character more in line with scriptural teachings , ” said Laszlo Pasztor , a retired military officer from Carlisle who organizes evangelicals politically .
“ Many of us say he ’ s a work in progress .
However , his policies , nevertheless , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policies of any president in my lifetime.
” Evangelicals , Christians who generally have had a “ born again ” personal religious conversion or awakening , form a significant slice of the electorate .
They believe in the Bible as God ’ s literal word and embrace an activist aspect to their faith .
Trump was raised as a Presbyterian , a mainline Protestant denomination , and Biden is a practicing Catholic .
White evangelical voters made up 17 % of the 2018 midterm electorate in Pennsylvania , according to an AP VoteCast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ analysis found 20 % of voters nationwide in the 2016 election were white evangelicals ; 77 % of them backed Trump .
Black Protestant voters often share religious views with white evangelicals , but they largely vote Democratic .
While evangelical voters are scattered across Pennsylvania , they are most concentrated in the vast T-shaped swath of farm and forest land outside the greater Philadelphia and Pittsburgh regions .
“ It ’ s a strong , quiet undercurrent that will sweep the T again in huge numbers , ” said state Senate President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who represents a sparsely populated district along the New York border .
Larry Denver , who helped found the Faith and Freedom Coalition state chapter , said his enthusiasm for Trump has grown since 2016 .
Like many other evangelicals , Trump was not his first choice four years ago - he favored U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in the Republican primary .
“ Throughout the scriptures , God has done most of his work through the most unlikely people , ” said Denver , a retired veteran from the Philadelphia suburbs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not normally the ones you ’ d think would be involved.
” Trump is “ using white evangelicals , he ’ s playing on their anti-intellectualism , ” said John Fea , an American history professor at Messiah University outside Harrisburg and an evangelical churchgoer who has written extensively about evangelicals in politics and public life .
“ I feel that most white evangelicals who support Trump are often sacrificing the integrity of the office of the president , ” Fea said .
“ They ’ re supporting a person - the list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who has constantly played with racist language.
” Fea said Biden may be able to reach enough evangelicals to make a difference in a close race , particularly around Philadelphia , but he sees in evangelicals devotion to a political effort that has been entrenched for decades .
“ Is the political playbook going to hold up even with a corrupt guy who doesn ’ t hold our values ?
The answer is yes , the political playbook is the most important thing , ” Fea said .
Evangelicals often cite Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who championed evangelical issues while an Indiana congressman and governor , as a turning point in getting behind Trump .
They ’ ve noticed when Trump and Pence have brought up faith and made other religious references in public remarks .
“ We have a vice president that not only speaks our language but has shown day in and day out that he is a man of God , ” said Justin Behrens , an evangelical Christian who chairs the Republican Party in Luzerne County , which Trump flipped in 2016 with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s reelection .
Trump needs his appeal to evangelicals to pay off ahead of the Nov. 3 election with campaign help , donations and the type of energy that makes someone persuade fence-sitting friends and neighbors .
Pasztor has been volunteering with the Trump Victory Faith Coalition ’ s local organization and organizing voter registration drives , poll workers and neighborhood networks within the evangelical community , to reach those who did not turn out for Trump in 2016 .
What remains to be seen is how the evangelical vote will play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic is limiting the informal Sunday political talk at churches .
Trump needs to energize that evangelical , churchgoing part of his base to claim Pennsylvania ’ s 20 electoral votes .
Evangelical voters “ tend to be competitive , they tend to be out front , they tend to be more involved , they go to rallies , ” said veteran Pennsylvania pollster Terry Madonna , a political science professor at Franklin & Marshall College .
“ They are critical.
” Associated Press polling reporter Hannah Fingerhut in Washington contributed to this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guide brings you the facts about voting early , by mail or absentee from each state : https : //interactives.ap.org/advance-voting-2020

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - President Donald Trump’s homestretch push to repeat his razor thin victory in Pennsylvania four years ago won’t happen without white evangelicals, and there are signs that critical component of his coalition hasn’t lost the faith.
It’s a group that has often made the difference for Republicans on the Pennsylvania ballot. And while some born-again voters had misgivings about Trump in 2016, they helped him eke out a 44,000-vote margin of victory in the pivotal swing state. This time around, they sound eager to repay him for supporting their agenda.
Trump’s policies have helped keep in the fold evangelicals who otherwise might have been discomforted by his style. Their opinions on a range of political issues make them among the least likely voters to jump to former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democrat.
A recent NBC News/Marist poll in Pennsylvania found 79% of white evangelicals saying they will vote for Trump in this year’s presidential election.
“Many of us who support the president wish sometimes he didn’t say the things he did, wish he had a character more in line with scriptural teachings,” said Laszlo Pasztor, a retired military officer from Carlisle who organizes evangelicals poltically. “Many of us say he’s a work in progress. However, his policies, nevertheless, have probably been more Christian than the policies of any president in my lifetime.”
The Biden campaign frames “the real religious issue” at stake as systemic racism, while evangelical Trump voters point to his support for anti-abortion efforts, school choice, religious freedom and the movement of the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
Like-minded judicial appointees are key to the evangelical political agenda. Trump has had a transformative impact on the courts system: Last year, the number of federal judicial appointees approved by the U.S. Senate was more than twice the annual average over the past three decades. And conservatives have now set their sights on what would be the Trump administration’s third U.S. Supreme Court seat, following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday.
The vacancy is “an opportunity, albeit it’s going to be quite turbulent and challenging because of the timing,” Pasztor said, adding that participants in an online video conference for evangelical campaign efforts on Saturday morning prayed for “the comfort of Ginsburg’s family.”
Evangelicals, Christians who generally have had a “born again” personal religious conversion or awakening, form a significant slice of the electorate. They believe in the Bible as God’s literal word and embrace an activist aspect to their faith. Trump was raised as a Presbyterian, a mainline Protestant denomination, and Biden is a practicing Catholic.
White evangelical voters made up 17% of the 2018 midterm electorate in Pennsylvania, according to an AP VoteCast survey. And a Pew Research Center analysis found 20% of voters nationwide in the 2016 election were white evangelicals; 77% of them backed Trump. Black Protestant voters often share religious views with white evangelicals, but they largely vote Democratic.
While evangelical voters are scattered across Pennsylvania, they are most concentrated in the vast T-shaped swath of farm and forest land outside the greater Philadelphia and Pittsburgh regions.
“It’s a strong, quiet undercurrent that will sweep the T again in huge numbers,” said state Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, a Republican who represents a sparsely populated district along the New York border.
Larry Denver, who helped found the Faith and Freedom Coalition state chapter, said his enthusiasm for Trump has grown since 2016. Like many other evangelicals, Trump was not his first choice four years ago - he favored U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas in the Republican primary.
“Throughout the scriptures, God has done most of his work through the most unlikely people,” said Denver, a retired veteran from the Philadelphia suburbs. “The people he picks are not normally the ones you’d think would be involved.”
Trump is “using white evangelicals, he’s playing on their anti-intellectualism,” said John Fea, an American history professor at Messiah University outside Harrisburg and an evangelical churchgoer who has written extensively about evangelicals in politics and public life.
“I feel that most white evangelicals who support Trump are often sacrificing the integrity of the office of the president,” Fea said. “They’re supporting a person - the list goes on - a liar, someone who has constantly played with racist language.”
Biden’s campaign hopes to make some inroads, with plans to launch an “evangelicals for Biden” effort next week, according to Josh Dickson, the campaign’s national faith engagement director.
“In this moment, there is a stark moral contrast between the common good values of the Biden-Harris agenda, which deeply aligns with the values of people of faith, and the agenda of the current administration, which is based in divisiveness and fear,” Dickson said in a statement.
Fea said Biden may be able to reach enough evangelicals to make a difference in a close race, particularly around Philadelphia, but he sees in evangelicals devotion to a political effort that has been entrenched for decades.
“Is the political playbook going to hold up even with a corrupt guy who doesn’t hold our values? The answer is yes, the political playbook is the most important thing,” Fea said.
Evangelicals often cite Trump’s vice presidential selection of Mike Pence, who championed evangelical issues while an Indiana congressman and governor, as a turning point in getting behind Trump. They’ve noticed when Trump and Pence have brought up faith and made other religious references in public remarks.
“We have a vice president that not only speaks our language but has shown day in and day out that he is a man of God,” said Justin Behrens, an evangelical Christian who chairs the Republican Party in Luzerne County, which Trump flipped in 2016 with a 25-point swing from President Barack Obama’s reelection.
Trump needs his appeal to evangelicals to pay off ahead of the Nov. 3 election with campaign help, donations and the type of energy that makes someone persuade fence-sitting friends and neighbors.
Pasztor has been volunteering with the Trump Victory Faith Coalition’s local organization and organizing voter registration drives, poll workers and neighborhood networks within the evangelical community, to reach those who did not turn out for Trump in 2016.
What remains to be seen is how the evangelical vote will play out at a time when the coronavirus pandemic is limiting the informal Sunday political talk at churches. Trump needs to energize that evangelical, churchgoing part of his base to claim Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes.
Evangelical voters “tend to be competitive, they tend to be out front, they tend to be more involved, they go to rallies,” said veteran Pennsylvania pollster Terry Madonna, a political science professor at Franklin & Marshall College. “They are critical.”
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Associated Press polling reporter Hannah Fingerhut in Washington contributed to this story.
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AP’s Advance Voting guide brings you the facts about voting early, by mail or absentee from each state: https://interactives.ap.org/advance-voting-2020