washingtontimes--2020-09-12--WVa theater owners looking forward to new movies, customers

CHARLESTON , W.Va. ( AP ) - There are plenty of parking spots and seats available , and the popcorn is popping at area movie theaters .
Now , if only there were something to show on the big screens .
Or at least something new .
That ’ s the case for properties belonging to the Greater Huntington Theater Corp. , along with theaters across the country .
The parent company for Park Place Stadium Cinemas in Charleston , the Greater Huntington Theater Corp. , adjusted its business model because of the COVID-19 pandemic .
That included changes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adhere to a system of industry-wide safety protocols .
But while many facilities are reopening - or about to reopen depending upon restrictions in their individual states - a common concern remains : what to show .
“ The main issue is more about film product than theaters , ” said Greg Pauley , vice president of the GHTC .
“ The film companies aren ’ t supplying theaters across the country with any new films .
We used to open up two or three films each week .
But , suddenly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shut down.
” The movie industry wasn ’ t immune to COVID-19 , neither at the production level nor with distribution .
While theaters shut down en masse across the country even before spring , movie studios began postponing the release of films or halted production on projects altogether .
Still , theaters have tried to make a go of it , especially after the creation of CinemaSafe .
That ’ s an industry-specific program of protocols created by a team of epidemiologists focused specifically on movie theaters .
The guidelines of CinemaSafe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at CinemaSafe.org - offers best practices on such areas as enhanced cleaning , mobile ticketing , modified concessions and employee heath training .
CinemaSafe ’ s guidelines align with , if not enhance , Gov .
Jim Justice ’ s mandates that West Virginia movie theaters require face coverings and adequate social distancing .
Together , they not only work to keep facilities safe , but they also provide an aura of comfort for moviegoers who ’ ve been on the couch for months .
That was the case for Patty Harless , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and her husband usually go to the movies two or three times a month .
That routine , however , has been dormant since February .
“ I was a little uneasy at first , but you kind of get lost in the movie and things seem normal , ” Harless said of their return to theaters .
“ It ’ s just been so long , and we were anxious to get out.
” Likewise , theater owners were eager for patrons such as Harless to return .
Pauley said his theaters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but were limited to older movies .
With nothing new to entice customers , that stint “ just didn ’ t work.
” But the chain reopened two weeks ago with a few new offerings .
The biggest , however , debuted this past weekend - Christopher Nolan ’ s “ Tenet.
” Tabbed as the first potential blockbuster to be released in months , “ Tenet ” indeed had a strong weekend , pulling in an estimated $ 20.2 million .
That ’ s a solid number for what is normally one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year for movies .
But it was especially strong this Labor Day weekend .
“ But , obviously , ” Pauley said with a resigned chuckle , “ this year is a little different .
”

SCOTT HAMILTON, The Charleston Gazette-Mail

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - There are plenty of parking spots and seats available, and the popcorn is popping at area movie theaters. Now, if only there were something to show on the big screens.
Or at least something new.
That’s the case for properties belonging to the Greater Huntington Theater Corp., along with theaters across the country. The parent company for Park Place Stadium Cinemas in Charleston, the Greater Huntington Theater Corp., adjusted its business model because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That included changes to seating, concessions and cleaning, to adhere to a system of industry-wide safety protocols.
But while many facilities are reopening - or about to reopen depending upon restrictions in their individual states - a common concern remains: what to show.
“The main issue is more about film product than theaters,” said Greg Pauley, vice president of the GHTC. “The film companies aren’t supplying theaters across the country with any new films. We used to open up two or three films each week. But, suddenly, because of COVID-19, everything has been shut down.”
The movie industry wasn’t immune to COVID-19, neither at the production level nor with distribution. While theaters shut down en masse across the country even before spring, movie studios began postponing the release of films or halted production on projects altogether.
Still, theaters have tried to make a go of it, especially after the creation of CinemaSafe. That’s an industry-specific program of protocols created by a team of epidemiologists focused specifically on movie theaters.
The guidelines of CinemaSafe - which also has information for moviegoers at CinemaSafe.org - offers best practices on such areas as enhanced cleaning, mobile ticketing, modified concessions and employee heath training.
CinemaSafe’s guidelines align with, if not enhance, Gov. Jim Justice’s mandates that West Virginia movie theaters require face coverings and adequate social distancing. Together, they not only work to keep facilities safe, but they also provide an aura of comfort for moviegoers who’ve been on the couch for months.
That was the case for Patty Harless, 36. The Charleston resident said she and her husband usually go to the movies two or three times a month. That routine, however, has been dormant since February.
“I was a little uneasy at first, but you kind of get lost in the movie and things seem normal,” Harless said of their return to theaters. “It’s just been so long, and we were anxious to get out.”
Likewise, theater owners were eager for patrons such as Harless to return.
Pauley said his theaters opened for two weeks in June, but were limited to older movies. With nothing new to entice customers, that stint “just didn’t work.”
But the chain reopened two weeks ago with a few new offerings. The biggest, however, debuted this past weekend - Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet.”
Tabbed as the first potential blockbuster to be released in months, “Tenet” indeed had a strong weekend, pulling in an estimated $20.2 million. That’s a solid number for what is normally one of the four biggest weekends of the year for movies.
But it was especially strong this Labor Day weekend.
“But, obviously,” Pauley said with a resigned chuckle, “this year is a little different.”


washingtontimes--2020-09-12--Indiana man faces January trial in twin sons' 2014 deaths

LAFAYETTE , Ind .
( AP ) - A northern Indiana man whose guilty plea in the 2014 house fire deaths of his twin 3-year-old sons was vacated last year is set for a January trial after being charged a second time in their deaths .
A Tippecanoe County judge scheduled jury selection for Jan. 11 for Brandon Abbott , who faces two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death and a dozen drug-related charges .
Those drug charges were dismissed after Abbott , 37 , pleaded guilty in March 2015 to two counts of neglect of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then sentenced to 70 years in prison for the April 2014 deaths of Landon and Liam Abbott .
But a judge vacated Abbott ’ s guilty plea in February 2019 after an attorney for Abbott argued that his sentence was illegal because his guilty pleas were not made knowingly or voluntarily and that there was an error in sentencing .
Abbott was returned to the Tippecanoe County Jail in May 2019 , where he remains awaiting trial .
Prosecutors also filed two additional drug charges against Abbott earlier this year , the Journal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drug-growing operation inside the rented house where the boys died during a weekend visit with their father at the home near the town of Mulberry , about 50 miles ( 80 kilometers ) northwest of Indianapolis , prosecutors said .
In his appeal , Abbott said he arranged for a friend and a babysitter to watch the children , before he later passed out .
He said in his appeal that he was unconscious when the fire began and said he was burned while trying to reach his sons .
Investigators said a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showed that he had recently used marijuana , ecstasy and hydrocodone , according to the probable cause affidavit .

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - A northern Indiana man whose guilty plea in the 2014 house fire deaths of his twin 3-year-old sons was vacated last year is set for a January trial after being charged a second time in their deaths.
A Tippecanoe County judge scheduled jury selection for Jan. 11 for Brandon Abbott, who faces two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death and a dozen drug-related charges.
Those drug charges were dismissed after Abbott, 37, pleaded guilty in March 2015 to two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death. He was then sentenced to 70 years in prison for the April 2014 deaths of Landon and Liam Abbott.
But a judge vacated Abbott’s guilty plea in February 2019 after an attorney for Abbott argued that his sentence was illegal because his guilty pleas were not made knowingly or voluntarily and that there was an error in sentencing.
Abbott was returned to the Tippecanoe County Jail in May 2019, where he remains awaiting trial.
Prosecutors also filed two additional drug charges against Abbott earlier this year, the Journal & Courier reported.
Abbott operated a drug-growing operation inside the rented house where the boys died during a weekend visit with their father at the home near the town of Mulberry, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Indianapolis, prosecutors said.
In his appeal, Abbott said he arranged for a friend and a babysitter to watch the children, before he later passed out. He said in his appeal that he was unconscious when the fire began and said he was burned while trying to reach his sons.
Investigators said a blood test on Abbott after the fire showed that he had recently used marijuana, ecstasy and hydrocodone, according to the probable cause affidavit.


washingtontimes--2020-09-12--Tortoises released early into the wild in Mississippi

Scientists raising threatened tortoises at a Mississippi National Guard camp to give them a head start in the wild are trying something new – raising a few to sexual maturity and then releasing them .
The Nature Conservancy and the National Guard released their first seven adult-sized gopher tortoises Wednesday at Camp Shelby , near Hattiesburg , where the nonprofit has a tortoise hatchery .
Reptile size and sexual maturity are closely related - and the animals were trying to mate and showed other signs of sexual maturity at age 5 , project leader Jim Lee , a biologist with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phone interview Friday from Camp Shelby .
He said five of the tortoises had been raised for six years but had shells about 10 inches ( 254 millimeters ) long , or as big as those which have lived in Mississippi ’ s wilds for 18 to 25 years .
It ’ s an intriguing idea , said Tracey Tuberville , a University of Georgia scientist who runs a lab on the Savannah River near Aiken , South Carolina , and hadn ’ t heard of the latest twist at Camp Shelby .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ re basically providing an incredible boost to the population , ” she said Friday .
“ You ’ re shading off a lot of years ” to get adult animals .
Gopher tortoises got their name because they burrow .
Their dens become homes to hundreds of other species that live in dwindling longleaf pine forests , including endangered dusky gopher frogs .
They ’ re native from South Carolina to Florida and west into Louisiana , but their numbers have fallen as the forests were felled .
The U.S .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Camp Shelby project along with the U.S. Forest Service and several state agencies - says they are threatened in Mississippi , Louisiana and western Alabama , and a candidate for protection in Georgia , Florida and South Carolina .
Programs in areas with more gopher tortoises or where the reptiles grow faster may not need a longer head start , Tuberville noted .
Hers has settled on raising the tortoises for just one year .
With a shell length of about 3 inches ( 76 millimeters ) , or about the size @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , about 70 % survive , she said .
“ The longer you raise them the more space it takes , the fewer you can raise for the next year ’ s cohort .
And the bigger they are the more mess they make , ” she said .
A day before Mississippi ’ s large tortoises were let go , The Nature Conservancy released 87 kept for that program ’ s more usual two years , to the size of a wild-grown 6- to 8-year-old .
Those likely have another decade before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Over the last several years , scientists have released about 400 tortoises with shells 5 to 6 inches ( 127 to 152 millimeters ) long , in Camp Shelby .
They were raised from eggs laid by colonies scattered around the 134,000-acre ( 54,200-hectare ) camp in the DeSoto National Forest .
To ensure the widest genetic mix , they ’ re all released at a central location , Lee said .
They ’ re given 12 hours of “ daylight ” year-round and as much food as they want , since the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of energy they must spend are the major factors in growth up to average adult size .
Gopher turtles in the wild grow more slowly in Mississippi than in Georgia or Florida , Lee noted .
He said that ’ s partly because the growing season ’ s shorter and partly because burrowing in Mississippi ’ s soil , which holds more clay and loam , is more work than in sandy eastern forests .
One concern about the adult-sized tortoises is that longer captivity might keep them from behaving normally in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Lee said .
“ We only released them two days ago but I ’ ve tracked them four times , ” going to the release site to check their radio tags and behavior , he said .
“ Each one of our animals has either constructed its own burrow or is using a preexisting burrow .
That suggests to us that these guys know what they ’ re doing , ” he said .
The seven big beasts include five raised from eggs and kept for six years .
The other two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and raised to the same size .
“ If they all live two or three years , we might be onto something .
If they all die within a few weeks this is not a very good idea , ” Lee said .
He said he has another eight 3-year-olds that can be released in another two years to continue the experiment , and Camp Shelby ’ s environmental officer has suggested a building where larger enclosures could be created to expand the program .
“ We wouldn ’ t be able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get on an annual basis .
But maybe 25 to 50 , ” he said .
The current building could be considered a middle school where gopher tortoises would stay for two years .
“ Then they ’ d graduate to this bigger facility which had bigger enclosures , like a high school , ” he said .

Scientists raising threatened tortoises at a Mississippi National Guard camp to give them a head start in the wild are trying something new - raising a few to sexual maturity and then releasing them.
The Nature Conservancy and the National Guard released their first seven adult-sized gopher tortoises Wednesday at Camp Shelby, near Hattiesburg, where the nonprofit has a tortoise hatchery.
Reptile size and sexual maturity are closely related - and the animals were trying to mate and showed other signs of sexual maturity at age 5, project leader Jim Lee, a biologist with The Nature Conservancy, said in a phone interview Friday from Camp Shelby. He said five of the tortoises had been raised for six years but had shells about 10 inches (254 millimeters) long, or as big as those which have lived in Mississippi’s wilds for 18 to 25 years.
It’s an intriguing idea, said Tracey Tuberville, a University of Georgia scientist who runs a lab on the Savannah River near Aiken, South Carolina, and hadn’t heard of the latest twist at Camp Shelby.
“Assuming it’s successful, you’re basically providing an incredible boost to the population,” she said Friday. “You’re shading off a lot of years” to get adult animals.
Gopher tortoises got their name because they burrow. Their dens become homes to hundreds of other species that live in dwindling longleaf pine forests, including endangered dusky gopher frogs.
They’re native from South Carolina to Florida and west into Louisiana, but their numbers have fallen as the forests were felled. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - part of the Camp Shelby project along with the U.S. Forest Service and several state agencies - says they are threatened in Mississippi, Louisiana and western Alabama, and a candidate for protection in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.
Programs in areas with more gopher tortoises or where the reptiles grow faster may not need a longer head start, Tuberville noted. Hers has settled on raising the tortoises for just one year. With a shell length of about 3 inches (76 millimeters), or about the size of a 3- or 4-year-old wild turtle, about 70% survive, she said.
“The longer you raise them the more space it takes, the fewer you can raise for the next year’s cohort. And the bigger they are the more mess they make,” she said.
A day before Mississippi’s large tortoises were let go, The Nature Conservancy released 87 kept for that program’s more usual two years, to the size of a wild-grown 6- to 8-year-old.
Those likely have another decade before they can breed, Lee said.
Over the last several years, scientists have released about 400 tortoises with shells 5 to 6 inches (127 to 152 millimeters) long, in Camp Shelby.
They were raised from eggs laid by colonies scattered around the 134,000-acre (54,200-hectare) camp in the DeSoto National Forest. To ensure the widest genetic mix, they’re all released at a central location, Lee said.
They’re given 12 hours of “daylight” year-round and as much food as they want, since the amount they can eat and the amount of energy they must spend are the major factors in growth up to average adult size.
Gopher turtles in the wild grow more slowly in Mississippi than in Georgia or Florida, Lee noted. He said that’s partly because the growing season’s shorter and partly because burrowing in Mississippi’s soil, which holds more clay and loam, is more work than in sandy eastern forests.
One concern about the adult-sized tortoises is that longer captivity might keep them from behaving normally in the wild. So far, so good, Lee said.
“We only released them two days ago but I’ve tracked them four times,” going to the release site to check their radio tags and behavior, he said.
“Each one of our animals has either constructed its own burrow or is using a preexisting burrow. That suggests to us that these guys know what they’re doing,” he said.
The seven big beasts include five raised from eggs and kept for six years. The other two were taken from areas dangerous to them and raised to the same size.
“If they all live two or three years, we might be onto something. If they all die within a few weeks this is not a very good idea,” Lee said.
He said he has another eight 3-year-olds that can be released in another two years to continue the experiment, and Camp Shelby’s environmental officer has suggested a building where larger enclosures could be created to expand the program.
“We wouldn’t be able to do that with all the animals we get on an annual basis. But maybe 25 to 50,” he said.
The current building could be considered a middle school where gopher tortoises would stay for two years. “Then they’d graduate to this bigger facility which had bigger enclosures, like a high school,” he said.
___
McConnaughey reported from New Orleans.


washingtontimes--2020-09-12--Mali talks on post-coup transition government wrapping up

BAMAKO , Mali ( AP ) - Days of consultations to map out Mali ’ s transition to a civilian government will conclude Saturday , though transition leaders won ’ t be decided upon until next week .
The leaders of the military junta that deposed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita last month led talks with some 300 political party and civil society leaders in an effort to map out a way forward for the unstable West African nation .
It ’ s likely the transition will be led by a civilian , with strong military presence in the other positions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a researcher with the Institute for Security Studies who is closely following the talks .
“ We must nevertheless expect a civilian very close to the junta who will lead this transition , ” he said , adding that it ’ s likely other civilian participants will have links to the opposition coalition M5-RFP that held huge anti-government protests for weeks before the coup .
The 15-nation West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS has warned the junta that it must designate a transitional civilian leader by next week or face further sanctions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the country and has closed its borders with Mali .
The military junta , known as the National Committee for the Salvation of the People , previously proposed a three-year transition , saying that a new constitution should be written first .
They also favor a transition leader from the military .
The international pressure for a quick transition is intended to avoid a protracted political crisis that could be taken advantage of by Mali ’ s growing Islamic insurgency .
A military coup in Mali in 2012 led to a power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who managed to seize major towns in the north before France led a military intervention the following year to oust them .
Armed groups from Mali ’ s north , notably the Coordination for the Movement of Azawad , who had signed a peace agreement with the government , did not travel to the capital , Bamako , to participate in the consultations .
The junta had intended to travel to Kidal in the north to hold talks last week but were prevented by weather conditions .
“ We have men , weapons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the CNSP is no more legitimate than us , ” said Sidi Brahim Ould Sidatt , the president of the Azawad group .
“ We have two choices to make now : Either we enter the transition process and have made a new constitution of Mali together in which we recognize ourselves , or we wait after the transition and we continue negotiations with the government that will be put in place.
” ECOWAS leaders will hold a summit in Ghana on Tuesday to discuss the Mali transition with the junta .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ transition will then be appointed .

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) - Mali’s military junta, which staged a coup last month, agreed Saturday to an 18-month transition government led by a military or civilian leader that would pave the way to elections.
Three days of consultations with leaders of political and civil society groups laid out a charter for the transition, which will also include a vice president and transitional council that will serve as the National Assembly. The president and vice president will be chosen by a group of people appointed by the junta, according to Moussa Camara, spokesman for the talks.
Mali’s opposition coalition, the international communities and the West African regional bloc have called for a civilian leader for the transition.
The 15-nation West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS has warned the junta must designate a transitional civilian leader by next week or face further sanctions. ECOWAS has already stopped financial transfers into the country and has closed its borders with Mali.
The military junta, known as the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, previously proposed a three-year transition, saying that a new constitution should be written first.
On Saturday, the leader of the junta, Col. Assimi Goita, said he hoped for the support of the international community.
“I make the commitment before you to spare no effort to implement the recommendations of these days of consultations in the exclusive interest of the Malian people,” he said.
Baba Dakono, a researcher with the Institute for Security Studies who is closely following the talks, said that if a civilian leader is ultimately chosen, they will be close to the junta, and there will be a strong military presence in the other positions of power.
It’s likely other civilian participants will have links to the opposition coalition M5-RFP that held huge anti-government protests for weeks before the coup, he said.
The charter approved Saturday gives control of defense, security and re-foundation of the state to the vice president.
The international pressure for a quick transition is intended to avoid a protracted political crisis that could be taken advantage of by Mali’s growing Islamic insurgency. A military coup in Mali in 2012 led to a power vacuum that was exploited by jihadists, who managed to seize major towns in the north before France led a military intervention the following year to oust them.
Armed groups from Mali’s north, notably the Coordination for the Movement of Azawad, who had signed a peace agreement with the government, did not travel to the capital, Bamako, to participate in the consultations. The junta had intended to travel to Kidal in the north to hold talks last week but were prevented by weather conditions.
“We have men, weapons and we control two-thirds of the country and the CNSP is no more legitimate than us,” said Sidi Brahim Ould Sidatt, the president of the Azawad group. “We have two choices to make now: Either we enter the transition process and have made a new constitution of Mali together in which we recognize ourselves, or we wait after the transition and we continue negotiations with the government that will be put in place.”
ECOWAS leaders will hold a summit in Ghana on Tuesday to discuss the Mali transition with the junta. The president and prime minister of the transition will then be appointed.
___
Carley Petesch in Dakar, Senegal contributed to this report.


washingtontimes--2020-09-12--Progressive candidates in Delaware take on veteran Democrats

DOVER , Del .
( AP ) - Incumbency as a member of Delaware ’ s state House or Senate often comes with the expectation that any member of your party hoping to succeed you will “ wait their turn ” until you decide to move on .
But this year ’ s primary elections include several races in which veteran Democratic lawmakers are being challenged by political newcomers who think it ’ s time for a change .
Tuesday ’ s primary elections feature seven races in which Democratic incumbents face challengers .
That ’ s more than double @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incumbent Democrats were challenged , with one losing .
Many of the challengers are younger candidates who have been inspired by the growing progressive movement within the Democratic Party on the national level and don ’ t believe incumbent lawmakers have done enough to address issues ranging from criminal justice reform and climate change to gay rights and a $ 15 minimum hourly wage .
Among the lawmakers facing intraparty opposition is Sen. President Pro Tem David McBride , who was first elected to the Senate in 1980 after spending two years in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a primary challenger since 1986 .
“ I ’ m not one who necessarily believes in waiting your turn , ” said McBride ’ s primary opponent , social worker Marie Pinkney .
“ That mentality is one of the reasons why we have legislators like my opponent and others who have gone unchallenged for decades.
” “ I ’ m not going to allow party tradition to stand in the way of doing what I want to do , which is help people in the most effective way possible , ” added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of McBride for “ locking up ” gun-control legislation last year .
McBride , who did not respond to email and phone messages requesting an interview , declared last year that several gun-control measures , including bans on certain semi-automatic firearms and large capacity magazines , would not be coming out of a committee he leads because support among fellow Democrats was “ almost nonexistent.
” State Sen. Bruce Ennis of Smyrna is facing a Democratic primary challenge for the first time since 1984 , two years after he was elected to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state trooper and one of the more conservative Democrats in the Senate , has two primary opponents .
Similarly , two Democratic challengers , including former legislative aide Madinah Wilson-Anton , are trying to unseat Rep. John Viola , who has represented a Newark-area district for 22 years .
Wilson-Anton could become the first Muslim elected to the General Assembly .
Democratic Rep. Earl Jaques , also of Newark , is facing his first primary challenge in 10 years .
“ I hope there ’ s room in my party for moderates like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ primary opponent , Eric Morrison , is one of several challengers , including Pinkney and Wilson-Anton , who have been endorsed by Progressive Democrats for Delaware .
“ A lot of these guys have been in office for 20 , 30 years , and not much is changing , ” said PDD President Jordyn Pusey , who narrowly lost a Democratic county council primary in 2018 .
“ There ’ s a lot more movement around new faces , new ideas.
” Morrison believes the primary contests are not about labels like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” but more about what voters want .
“ It ’ s good for democracy that people in office should be challenged , and that voters should have a choice , ” he said .
“ There always is a lot of talk , but as far as action , we don ’ t see a lot of action , ” Morrison said .
Morrison , who has performed as a female impersonator for many years and hosted a drag show fundraiser for his campaign , could become the first gay person elected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , meanwhile , apologized last year for “ insensitive ” comments about Morrison ’ s fundraiser and has been criticized by progressive Democrats for his positions on issues including gay rights and abortion .
“ It ’ s not that he ’ s just a moderate Democrat , it ’ s that he ’ s not even holding up the party platform , ” Pusey said .
“ He did not support gay marriage , and that ’ s something the Democratic Party supports wholeheartedly.
” Jaques questions whether moving the party further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electorate .
“ It does worry me to some degree , ” he said .
“ I don ’ t think we should lean that far over .
… We need to be a little bit more in the middle of the road.
” Jesse Chadderdon , executive director of the Delaware Democratic Party , said primaries are “ just an inevitability ” in solid-blue Delaware , where Democrats control the governor ’ s office , the House and Senate , and all statewide elective offices .
“ To win elective office in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to defeat someone in your own party , ” he noted , adding that the party is “ as healthy as I ’ ve ever seen it.
” “ Certainly , progressive activists have a loud and important voice in our party … but there are a lot of diverse voices in our party , ” Chadderdon said .
“ We think that ’ s a good thing.
” Chadderdon also said the primary elections shouldn ’ t be seen as just “ a two-way tug of war ” between moderates and progressives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discussion about public policy , ” he said .

DOVER, Del. (AP) - Incumbency as a member of Delaware’s state House or Senate often comes with the expectation that any member of your party hoping to succeed you will “wait their turn” until you decide to move on. But this year’s primary elections include several races in which veteran Democratic lawmakers are being challenged by political newcomers who think it’s time for a change.
Tuesday’s primary elections feature seven races in which Democratic incumbents face challengers. That’s more than double the three races in 2018 in which incumbent Democrats were challenged, with one losing.
Many of the challengers are younger candidates who have been inspired by the growing progressive movement within the Democratic Party on the national level and don’t believe incumbent lawmakers have done enough to address issues ranging from criminal justice reform and climate change to gay rights and a $15 minimum hourly wage.
Among the lawmakers facing intraparty opposition is Sen. President Pro Tem David McBride, who was first elected to the Senate in 1980 after spending two years in the House. He has not had a primary challenger since 1986.
“I’m not one who necessarily believes in waiting your turn,” said McBride’s primary opponent, social worker Marie Pinkney. “That mentality is one of the reasons why we have legislators like my opponent and others who have gone unchallenged for decades.”
“I’m not going to allow party tradition to stand in the way of doing what I want to do, which is help people in the most effective way possible,” added Pinkney, who has been particularly critical of McBride for “locking up” gun-control legislation last year.
McBride, who did not respond to email and phone messages requesting an interview, declared last year that several gun-control measures, including bans on certain semi-automatic firearms and large capacity magazines, would not be coming out of a committee he leads because support among fellow Democrats was “almost nonexistent.”
State Sen. Bruce Ennis of Smyrna is facing a Democratic primary challenge for the first time since 1984, two years after he was elected to the state House. Ennis, a retired state trooper and one of the more conservative Democrats in the Senate, has two primary opponents.
Similarly, two Democratic challengers, including former legislative aide Madinah Wilson-Anton, are trying to unseat Rep. John Viola, who has represented a Newark-area district for 22 years. Wilson-Anton could become the first Muslim elected to the General Assembly.
Democratic Rep. Earl Jaques, also of Newark, is facing his first primary challenge in 10 years.
“I hope there’s room in my party for moderates like myself,” he said.
Jaques’ primary opponent, Eric Morrison, is one of several challengers, including Pinkney and Wilson-Anton, who have been endorsed by Progressive Democrats for Delaware.
“A lot of these guys have been in office for 20, 30 years, and not much is changing,” said PDD President Jordyn Pusey, who narrowly lost a Democratic county council primary in 2018. “There’s a lot more movement around new faces, new ideas.”
Morrison believes the primary contests are not about labels like “progressive” and “moderate,” but more about what voters want.
“It’s good for democracy that people in office should be challenged, and that voters should have a choice,” he said.
“There always is a lot of talk, but as far as action, we don’t see a lot of action,” Morrison said.
Morrison, who has performed as a female impersonator for many years and hosted a drag show fundraiser for his campaign, could become the first gay person elected to the Delaware General Assembly. Jaques, meanwhile, apologized last year for “insensitive” comments about Morrison’s fundraiser and has been criticized by progressive Democrats for his positions on issues including gay rights and abortion.
“It’s not that he’s just a moderate Democrat, it’s that he’s not even holding up the party platform,” Pusey said. “He did not support gay marriage, and that’s something the Democratic Party supports wholeheartedly.”
Jaques questions whether moving the party further left might narrow its acceptability among the electorate.
“It does worry me to some degree,” he said. “I don’t think we should lean that far over. … We need to be a little bit more in the middle of the road.”
Jesse Chadderdon, executive director of the Delaware Democratic Party, said primaries are “just an inevitability” in solid-blue Delaware, where Democrats control the governor’s office, the House and Senate, and all statewide elective offices.
“To win elective office in a heavily Democratic area, you have to defeat someone in your own party,” he noted, adding that the party is “as healthy as I’ve ever seen it.”
“Certainly, progressive activists have a loud and important voice in our party … but there are a lot of diverse voices in our party,” Chadderdon said. “We think that’s a good thing.”
Chadderdon also said the primary elections shouldn’t be seen as just “a two-way tug of war” between moderates and progressives.
“It’s about robust discussion about public policy,” he said.


washingtontimes--2020-09-12--From a stable job to a tent: A waiter's homeless struggle

FORT LAUDERDALE , Fla. ( AP ) - Jeff Lello has never been rich , but the 42-year-old could pocket $ 100 cash most weekend nights at the steakhouse chain where he waited tables .
He always had enough money for groceries , his car and the modest Orlando apartment he rented with roommates .
But when he reported for work on a Friday night in March , the manager ushered him and the rest of the staff into an office and told them they were laid off indefinitely as the restaurant , along with much of the country , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Still wearing his uniform , Lello left the restaurant where he ’ d worked for two years , unsure of what was next .
He ’ d been waiting tables since he was a teenager .
He often picked up extra shifts and could always scrimp by .
He ’ d never had to rely on food stamps or unemployment .
But now , as he waited for Florida ’ s backlogged unemployment system to send money , weeks turned into months .
His meager savings dried up , and he could no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Overnight , he went from having a roof over his head to living in a flimsy tent purchased with his last $ 75 .
Lello is one of an estimated 20 million Americans living paycheck to paycheck , spending more than 30 % of their income on rent , who are likely to experience homelessness at some point , according to the National Coalition for the Homeless .
The group predicts that number could increase by 45 % because of the pandemic .
As the virus outbreak pushed unemployment rates to record numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dire .
The Sunshine State was one of the slowest in the nation to process claims , delaying payments for months for Lello and others .
By mid-June , the state hadn ’ t paid 40 % of is 2.2 million claims .
“ I don ’ t understand what I did wrong .
Why me ?
” Lello said of the safety nets that failed him .
“ I had just lost all hope in everything.
” He ’ d never been much of a camper , but he pitched his yellow-and-blue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feared bugs and spiders , and other homeless campers .
Inside , he had a cot with a sleeping bag , and a shelf for food and belongings .
One corner was for clean clothes , the other for dirty .
He threw a tarp over the top to protect against rain .
Lello thrives on routine - he ’ d lost 150 pounds in the past year , running daily to clear his head .
He was eager to maintain hard-fought gains .
Most days , he was awake by 7 a.m. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freshen up and wash a shirt .
He ’ d head to the food bank and haul away a big brown bag of pasta , sauce and other things that require pots , pans and electricity .
He gave most of it away , keeping peanut butter and granola bars - enough to get by for a day .
He made rookie mistakes .
Once , raccoons tore through his supply of bars , bagels and crackers .
He learned it ’ s best to be first in the food-bank line , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be in a tent before nightfall .
He spent much of the day begging for money , food or odd jobs on the roadside .
“ 6 weeks with no help .
Please , ” his sign read .
Each week , as he waited for long-overdue unemployment checks , he scrawled a new number , until it ’ d been nearly 12 weeks .
Most people didn ’ t stop : “ I think the most I ever got was one dollar and a bag of oranges.
” Begging wasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It was the human interaction - coming so close , yet so far from meaningful contact .
Cars full of friends and families talking and laughing whizzed by .
He said he thought of his father , who killed himself years ago , and his mother and sister , from whom he ’ s estranged .
“ I was truly , truly alone , ” he said .
“ I was going back to no one.
” He spent the day ’ s hottest hours in the library , charging his phone and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unemployment-funds status - calling , hanging up and dialing back for hours .
His stimulus check and tax refund were also stuck in red tape , he said .
Although he was living the headlines - unemployment backlogs , record jobless claims , relief-fund debates - he felt invisible .
Summer stretched on without a check .
He ’ d struggled for years with manic depression and was getting counseling from a free clinic , but that , too , shuttered .
Running - when he could manage , given his meager diet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ session felt like a rebirth , something to be proud of .
At night , he screamed into his pillow or bit his cot to soothe his nerves .
Thoughts of suicide haunted him .
“ In the morning I ’ m working on being positive and building up my body and , at night , I want to destroy myself because there wasn ’ t any hope , ” he said .
His closest friend , Amanda , visited a few times .
Sometimes , her family let him shower at their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she arrived with a small bag of change she said was her last , he said .
Near the end of July , Amanda called .
He ’ d forwarded his mail there .
The unemployment check had arrived , with his back pay : $ 4,800 .
He took her to breakfast at Denny ’ s , filling up on plates of eggs , bacon , pancakes , sausage .
“ When you ’ re homeless , ” he said , “ the hardest thing is to get something hot.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crew for takeout , and offered him two weekly shifts - not enough to live on , but a start .
He bought a van with air conditioning , a roof , doors , an alarm .
The DMV isn ’ t taking new appointments , and he can ’ t drive it until it ’ s registered .
But he can sleep there , and soon , he hopes , get food-delivery work .
Florida ’ s unemployment system has now processed 99 % of claims , paying nearly $ 15 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more hopeful now , but cautiously so .
His loner instincts are hard to shake .
When he needed help most , so many turned their backs - the restaurant , the government , most of his friends .
“ It makes me just want to find a way of not depending on anyone ever again , ” he said .
“ When the hard times come , there ’ s not going to be anyone there .
”

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - Jeff Lello has never been rich, but the 42-year-old could pocket $100 cash most weekend nights at the steakhouse chain where he waited tables. He always had enough money for groceries, his car and the modest Orlando apartment he rented with roommates.
But when he reported for work on a Friday night in March, the manager ushered him and the rest of the staff into an office and told them they were laid off indefinitely as the restaurant, along with much of the country, shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Still wearing his uniform, Lello left the restaurant where he’d worked for two years, unsure of what was next. He’d been waiting tables since he was a teenager. He often picked up extra shifts and could always scrimp by. He’d never had to rely on food stamps or unemployment.
But now, as he waited for Florida’s backlogged unemployment system to send money, weeks turned into months. His meager savings dried up, and he could no longer afford rent or his car. Overnight, he went from having a roof over his head to living in a flimsy tent purchased with his last $75.
Lello is one of an estimated 20 million Americans living paycheck to paycheck, spending more than 30% of their income on rent, who are likely to experience homelessness at some point, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless. The group predicts that number could increase by 45% because of the pandemic.
As the virus outbreak pushed unemployment rates to record numbers, Florida’s situation was especially dire. The Sunshine State was one of the slowest in the nation to process claims, delaying payments for months for Lello and others. By mid-June, the state hadn’t paid 40% of is 2.2 million claims.
“I don’t understand what I did wrong. Why me?” Lello said of the safety nets that failed him. “I had just lost all hope in everything.”
He’d never been much of a camper, but he pitched his yellow-and-blue tent deep in the woods. He feared bugs and spiders, and other homeless campers. Inside, he had a cot with a sleeping bag, and a shelf for food and belongings. One corner was for clean clothes, the other for dirty. He threw a tarp over the top to protect against rain.
Lello thrives on routine - he’d lost 150 pounds in the past year, running daily to clear his head. He was eager to maintain hard-fought gains.
Most days, he was awake by 7 a.m. , searching for a convenience-store bathroom to freshen up and wash a shirt. He’d head to the food bank and haul away a big brown bag of pasta, sauce and other things that require pots, pans and electricity. He gave most of it away, keeping peanut butter and granola bars - enough to get by for a day.
He made rookie mistakes. Once, raccoons tore through his supply of bars, bagels and crackers. He learned it’s best to be first in the food-bank line, and it’s usually too hot to be in a tent before nightfall.
He spent much of the day begging for money, food or odd jobs on the roadside.
“6 weeks with no help. Please,” his sign read. Each week, as he waited for long-overdue unemployment checks, he scrawled a new number, until it’d been nearly 12 weeks. Most people didn’t stop: “I think the most I ever got was one dollar and a bag of oranges.”
Begging wasn’t the hardest part, he said. It was the human interaction - coming so close, yet so far from meaningful contact.
Cars full of friends and families talking and laughing whizzed by. He said he thought of his father, who killed himself years ago, and his mother and sister, from whom he’s estranged.
“I was truly, truly alone,” he said. “I was going back to no one.”
He spent the day’s hottest hours in the library, charging his phone and applying for jobs. He checked his unemployment-funds status - calling, hanging up and dialing back for hours. His stimulus check and tax refund were also stuck in red tape, he said.
Although he was living the headlines - unemployment backlogs, record jobless claims, relief-fund debates - he felt invisible.
Summer stretched on without a check. He’d struggled for years with manic depression and was getting counseling from a free clinic, but that, too, shuttered.
Running - when he could manage, given his meager diet - became a lifeline. Each sweat-drenched session felt like a rebirth, something to be proud of.
At night, he screamed into his pillow or bit his cot to soothe his nerves. Thoughts of suicide haunted him.
“In the morning I’m working on being positive and building up my body and, at night, I want to destroy myself because there wasn’t any hope,” he said.
His closest friend, Amanda, visited a few times. Sometimes, her family let him shower at their home and have a meal. Once, she arrived with a small bag of change she said was her last, he said.
Near the end of July, Amanda called. He’d forwarded his mail there. The unemployment check had arrived, with his back pay: $4,800.
He took her to breakfast at Denny’s, filling up on plates of eggs, bacon, pancakes, sausage. “When you’re homeless,” he said, “the hardest thing is to get something hot.”
The steakhouse reopened, with a skeleton crew for takeout, and offered him two weekly shifts - not enough to live on, but a start.
He bought a van with air conditioning, a roof, doors, an alarm. The DMV isn’t taking new appointments, and he can’t drive it until it’s registered. But he can sleep there, and soon, he hopes, get food-delivery work.
Florida’s unemployment system has now processed 99% of claims, paying nearly $15 billion to 1.9 million people.
Lello is more hopeful now, but cautiously so. His loner instincts are hard to shake. When he needed help most, so many turned their backs - the restaurant, the government, most of his friends.
“It makes me just want to find a way of not depending on anyone ever again,” he said. “When the hard times come, there’s not going to be anyone there.”


washingtontimes--2020-09-12--State clears Tazewell site of 220 tons of used tires

PEKIN , Ill. ( AP ) - The Illinois Environmental Agency has removed more than 220 tons of used tires @ @ @ @ @ site in Tazewell County .
Officials said the operation took more than six weeks because @ @ @ @ @ dispersed over a 10-acre ( 4-hectare ) area .
It ’ s the site of @ @ @ @ @ on Illinois 29 south of Pekin .
The amount of tire debris translated into nearly @ @ @ @ @ Tazewell County Health Department provided five truck-back waste containers and bought concrete barrier blocks to @ @ @ @ @ law allows removal of waste tires when they become a public health hazard .
Standing @ @ @ @ @ an ideal breeding ground for disease-carrying mosquitoes .
The operation cost $ 147,900 and was @ @ @ @ @ sets aside from a $ 2.50-per-tire fee on retail purchases .
Some used tires may @ @ @ @ @ Others are shredded for re-use in a variety of applications .

PEKIN, Ill. (AP) - The Illinois Environmental Agency has removed more than 220 tons of used tires from an abandoned auto salvage site in Tazewell County.
Officials said the operation took more than six weeks because of the amount of material dispersed over a 10-acre (4-hectare) area. It’s the site of the former Harmon Auto Salvage on Illinois 29 south of Pekin.
The amount of tire debris translated into nearly 20,000 passenger-vehicle tires. The Tazewell County Health Department provided five truck-back waste containers and bought concrete barrier blocks to prevent unauthorized access.
State law allows removal of waste tires when they become a public health hazard. Standing water in dormant tires provides an ideal breeding ground for disease-carrying mosquitoes.
The operation cost $147,900 and was covered by money the state sets aside from a $2.50-per-tire fee on retail purchases.
Some used tires may be retreaded for use. Others are shredded for re-use in a variety of applications.


washingtontimes--2020-09-12--Peoria Civic Center seeks $4M to keep afloat during pandemic

PEORIA , Ill. ( AP ) - A civic center in central Illinois is seeking about $ 4 million to keep afloat during the coronavirus pandemic that ’ s caused the facility to lay off staff and lose money .
The financial woes for the Peoria Civic Center began when the state ordered it shut in March due to the virus outbreak , which led to it absorbing a $ 250,000 loss and cutting staff from 350 to 16 .
“ It ’ s no secret , ” Civic Center Authority Board Chairman Matt Bartolo said .
“ We have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a $ 3.8 million price tag .
“ We don ’ t have it .
And we ’ re going to need it in the next 60 days because we ’ ll be out of money in October , ” Civic Center General Manager Rik Edgar said .
“ If that happens , the Civic Center will close .
Permanently.
” Edgar is slated to lead a group this month that will ask the Peoria City Council for about $ 4 million , which would cover full pay for staff and other building @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The civic center passed a budget which projected no revenue for the new fiscal year starting next month , Edgar said .
He said they ’ ve gone six months without any events that could bring in money .
“ We want to host activities .
Our staff wants to be in the building … all we can do right now is try to brace and prepare ourselves for when that time comes , ” Bartolo said .

PEORIA, Ill. (AP) - A civic center in central Illinois is seeking about $4 million to keep afloat during the coronavirus pandemic that’s caused the facility to lay off staff and lose money.
The financial woes for the Peoria Civic Center began when the state ordered it shut in March due to the virus outbreak, which led to it absorbing a $250,000 loss and cutting staff from 350 to 16.
“It’s no secret,” Civic Center Authority Board Chairman Matt Bartolo said. “We have a problem.”
The solution comes with a $3.8 million price tag.
“We don’t have it. And we’re going to need it in the next 60 days because we’ll be out of money in October,” Civic Center General Manager Rik Edgar said. “If that happens, the Civic Center will close. Permanently.”
Edgar is slated to lead a group this month that will ask the Peoria City Council for about $4 million, which would cover full pay for staff and other building expenses, the Journal Star reported.
The civic center passed a budget which projected no revenue for the new fiscal year starting next month, Edgar said. He said they’ve gone six months without any events that could bring in money.
“We want to host activities. Our staff wants to be in the building … all we can do right now is try to brace and prepare ourselves for when that time comes,” Bartolo said.


washingtontimes--2020-09-12--Groups servicing immigrants, refugees to share grant funding

DETROIT ( AP ) - Organizations in southeastern Michigan that service immigrants and refugees will share more than $ 200,000 @ @ @ @ @ range from $ 5,000 to $ 10,000 and are designed to support a variety of @ @ @ @ @ according to the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan .
The rapid response grants are made @ @ @ @ @ and Refugee Funder Collaborative , a group of philanthropic partners that seeks to address a @ @ @ @ @ and refugee population in the region .
The 23 organizations receiving the funding include 1 @ @ @ @ @ to support COVID-19 response efforts focused on undocumented community members , the Chaldean Community Foundation @ @ @ @ @ case management to immigrants and refugees , and the Michigan Advocacy Program for its Farmworker @ @ @ @ @ Foundation President Mariam C. Noland says that “ as the needs of immigrants and refugees @ @ @ @ @ evolve during the pandemic , we are here to serve as a source of support @ @

DETROIT (AP) - Organizations in southeastern Michigan that service immigrants and refugees will share more than $200,000 in grants.
The grants range from $5,000 to $10,000 and are designed to support a variety of groups and their needs, according to the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.
The rapid response grants are made through the Southeast Michigan Immigrant and Refugee Funder Collaborative, a group of philanthropic partners that seeks to address a needs gap of the immigrant and refugee population in the region.
The 23 organizations receiving the funding include 1 Michigan for the Global Majority to support COVID-19 response efforts focused on undocumented community members, the Chaldean Community Foundation to provide human services and case management to immigrants and refugees, and the Michigan Advocacy Program for its Farmworker Legal Services branch.
Community Foundation President Mariam C. Noland says that “as the needs of immigrants and refugees in our region continue to evolve during the pandemic, we are here to serve as a source of support.”


washingtontimes--2020-09-12--Prison evacuation leads to phone call pause for some inmates

PORTLAND , Ore. ( AP ) - Oregon corrections officials have confirmed that over 1,300 inmates evacuated from the state women ’ s prison in Wilsonville were moved to central Oregon .
The Coffee Creek Correctional Facility was evacuated Thursday because of wildfire threats in Marion and Clackamas counties .
Inmates are now at the Deer Ridge Correctional Institution in Madras , The Oregonian/OregonLive reported .
Department of Corrections spokesperson Jennifer Black said there are two facilities at Deer Ridge , one minimum security and one medium security .
Men were moved from the medium security facility where they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ building , which had been vacant .
Women from Coffee Creek were moved into the medium security facility .
Black said the women have access to phones , video calls and tablets , and that the inmates have to initiate the call .
Black said prison staffers are working to set up phone access for men .
Approximately 1,400 other inmates from three other Oregon prisons were evacuated earlier in the week due to fire threats .
People from the Santiam Correctional Institution , Mill Creek Correctional Facility and Oregon State Correctional Institution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Salem .
Black said inmates from Santiam and Mill Creek moved back to those facilities Thursday , while inmates from the Oregon State Correctional Institution remain at the state penitentiary .

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Oregon corrections officials have confirmed that over 1,300 inmates evacuated from the state women’s prison in Wilsonville were moved to central Oregon.
The Coffee Creek Correctional Facility was evacuated Thursday because of wildfire threats in Marion and Clackamas counties. Inmates are now at the Deer Ridge Correctional Institution in Madras, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.
Department of Corrections spokesperson Jennifer Black said there are two facilities at Deer Ridge, one minimum security and one medium security. Men were moved from the medium security facility where they’re usually housed into the minimum security building, which had been vacant. Women from Coffee Creek were moved into the medium security facility.
Black said the women have access to phones, video calls and tablets, and that the inmates have to initiate the call.
Black said prison staffers are working to set up phone access for men.
Approximately 1,400 other inmates from three other Oregon prisons were evacuated earlier in the week due to fire threats. People from the Santiam Correctional Institution, Mill Creek Correctional Facility and Oregon State Correctional Institution were moved to the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem.
Black said inmates from Santiam and Mill Creek moved back to those facilities Thursday, while inmates from the Oregon State Correctional Institution remain at the state penitentiary.


washingtontimes--2020-09-12--AP FACT CHECK: Trump vs. Trump on virus; Biden missteps

WASHINGTON ( AP ) - Explaining his deceptive assurances about the pandemic , President Donald Trump suggested he was doing what Winston Churchill had done , soothing the public in a time of danger .
That ’ s not how it went down in World War II .
Churchill did not tell Britons that Nazi Germany was “ under control ” or that , “ like a miracle , it will disappear , ” to cite Trump ’ s words on the virus .
The British prime minister spread fear , as well as resolve , as he summoned Britons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apparatus of aggression ” enslaving swaths of Europe and soon to be “ turned upon us.
” Trump ’ s statements about the pandemic have been rife with misinformation from the start .
But journalist Bob Woodward ’ s new book , “ Rage , ” reveals Trump admitting to using distortion as a tactic as he underplayed the threat of COVID-19 to Americans and young people in particular , while knowing better .
The president said his purpose was to avoid panic .
Details from the book and its recorded interviews with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politicking as the campaign for the Nov. 3 election entered its homestretch .
As the rhetoric flew , both Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden exaggerated their influence in reviving the auto industry .
In a mix-up , Biden vastly overstated military COVID-19 deaths .
Trump thoroughly misrepresented Biden ’ s positions .
TRUMP on Churchill during the German bombing of London : “ He always spoke with calmness .
He said , ‘ We have to show calmness.
’ ” - remarks to Michigan supporters Thursday .
TRUMP : “ As the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the face of World War II , ‘ Keep calm and carry on.
’ That ’ s what I did.
’ ” - Michigan remarks .
THE FACTS : Historians take sharp issue with that .
“ Churchill understood that candor in crisis was vital , ” tweeted Erik Larson , author of “ The Splendid and the Vile , ” a history of Churchill and Britons during the German bombing campaign known as the Blitz .
” He did not sugarcoat the German threat.
” Fellow historian Jon Meacham responded to Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rendered with Twitter abbreviation : “ The British people can face any misfortune w/ fortitude & buoyancy as long as they are convinced that those in charge of their affairs are not deceiving them , or are not dwelling in a fool ’ s paradise.
” The slogan to “ Keep calm and carry on ” was printed on British posters in preparation for war but did not gain favor and the posters were soon scrapped .
In his first BBC broadcast as prime minister , in May 1940 , Churchill described in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of German armored columns and infantry through the ravaged French countryside and said it would be foolish “ to disguise the gravity of the hour.
” He said “ that hideous apparatus of aggression which gashed Holland into ruin and slavery in a few days will be turned upon us .
I am sure I speak for all when I say we are ready to face it ; to endure it.
” The Blitzkrieg started that September .
While Trump was repeatedly minimizing the danger of the outbreak in his public remarks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus was deadlier than even a severe seasonal flu , that he was struck by how easily it spread and that “ plenty of young people ” were contracting it .
“ I wanted to always play it down , ” he said in March .
“ I still like playing it down .
Because I don ’ t want to create a panic.
” TRUMP : “ We are going to have vaccines very soon , it may be much sooner than you think.
” - news conference Thursday .
TRUMP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incredible vaccine , and … in speed like nobody has ever seen before .
This could ’ ve taken two or three years , and instead it ’ s going to be - it ’ s going to be done in a very short of period of time .
Could even have it during the month of October.
” - news conference Monday .
THE FACTS : He ’ s almost certainly raising unrealistic hopes as the November election approaches .
The Food and Drug Administration already has told manufacturers it won ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ less than 50 % effective .
Getting the right math before November , as Trump has promised , is “ incredibly unlikely , ” said Dr. Larry Corey of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute , who is overseeing the U.S. government ’ s vaccine studies .
Public health experts are worried that Trump will press the FDA to approve a vaccine before it is proven to be safe and effective .
Dr. Anthony Fauci , the government ’ s top infectious diseases expert , has said he is “ cautiously optimistic ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by early next year .
Even then , Fauci made clear that the vaccine would not be widely available right away .
“ Ultimately , within a reasonable period of time , the plans now allow for any American who needs a vaccine to get it within the year 2021 , ” Fauci told Congress last month .
Dr. Francis Collins , the director of the National Institutes of Health , also expressed “ cautious optimism ” this past week that one of the vaccines being tested will pan out by year ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Certainly to try to predict whether it happens on a particular week before or after a particular date in early November is well beyond anything that any scientist right now could tell you.
” TRUMP : “ The approach to the virus is a very unscientific blanket lockdown by the Democrats.
” - news conference Thursday .
TRUMP : “ Biden ’ s plan for the China virus is to shut down the entire U.S. economy.
” - news conference Monday .
THE FACTS : That ’ s not Biden ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he would shut down the economy only if scientists and public health advisers recommended he do so to stem the COVID-19 threat .
He said he would follow the science , not disregard it .
Biden told ABC last month he “ will be prepared to do whatever it takes to save lives ” when he was asked if he would even be willing to shut the country again .
“ I would listen to the scientists , ” he said .
If they said to shut it down , “ I would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When Joe Biden was vice president , his failed approach to the swine flu was disastrous .
… And 60 million Americans got H1N1 in that period of time .
…We did everything wrong , it was a disaster.
” - news conference Thursday .
THE FACTS : This is a distorted history of a pandemic in 2009 that killed far fewer people in the United States than the coronavirus is killing now .
For starters , Biden as vice president wasn ’ t running the federal response .
And that response was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 came to the U.S. Then , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ’ s flu surveillance network sounded the alarm after two children in California became the first people diagnosed with the new flu strain in this country .
About two weeks later , the Obama administration declared a public health emergency against H1NI , also known as the swine flu , and the CDC began releasing anti-flu drugs from the national stockpile to help hospitals get ready .
In contrast , Trump declared a state of emergency in early March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case of COVID-19 was announced , and the country ’ s health system struggled for months with shortages of critical supplies and testing .
More than 190,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S .
The CDC puts the U.S. death toll from the 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic at about 12,500 .
BIDEN : “ President Obama and I rescued the auto industry and helped Michigan ’ s economy come roaring back.
” - tweet Wednesday .
THE FACTS : Biden is assigning too much credit to Barack Obama and himself for saving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matter , what the Obama administration did was an expansion of pivotal steps taken by Obama ’ s predecessor , President George W. Bush .
In December 2008 , General Motors and Chrysler were on the brink of financial collapse .
The U.S. was in a deep recession and U.S. auto sales were falling sharply .
GM , Chrysler and Ford requested government aid , but Congress voted it down .
With barely a month left in office , Bush authorized $ 25 billion in loans to GM and Chrysler from the $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intended to save the largest U.S. banks .
Ford decided against taking any money .
Once in office , Obama appointed a task force to oversee GM and Chrysler , both of which eventually declared bankruptcy , took an additional roughly $ 55 billion in aid , and were forced to close many factories and overhaul their operations .
All three companies recovered and eventually started adding jobs again .
TRUMP : “ We brought you a lot of car plants , you know that right ?
… I saved the U.S. auto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BIDEN , on Michigan ’ s economy : “ Donald Trump squandered it - and hardworking Michiganders are paying the price every day.
” -tweet Wednesday .
THE FACTS : Both Trump and Biden are overstating it .
Trump did not wreck Michigan ’ s economy , but he certainly didn ’ t bring an auto industry boom , either .
In fact , the number of auto and parts manufacturing jobs in the state fell slightly between Trump ’ s inauguration and February of this year , before the coronavirus took hold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 174,200 such jobs , and that dropped to 171,800 in February , according to Labor Department statistics .
While most plants shuttered for about eight weeks after the pandemic hit , many are back running near capacity again , at least for now .
In July , the most recent figures available , Michigan had 154,400 auto and parts manufacturing jobs .
Michigan Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer , a Democrat , recently said the state ’ s economy was operating now at 87 % of pre-pandemic levels , citing figures from Moody ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Instead of focusing on radical ideology , my administration is focused on delivering real results .
And that ’ s what we have .
Right now we have the cleanest air ever we ’ ve ever had in this country - let ’ s say over the last 40 years.
” - remarks Tuesday in Jupiter , Florida .
FACTS : He ’ s not responsible for all of the progress - far from it .
All six air pollution measurements monitored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency showed that in 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record .
But the most important pollutant , tiny particles , was essentially about the same as 2016 , only down 1 % , according to Carnegie Mellon University environmental engineering professor Neil Donahue .
The same figures also showed that air pollution rose in the first two years of the Trump administration before falling greatly in 2019 .
Donahue and three other outside experts in air pollution said the president was wrongly taking credit for what years , even decades , of ever-increasing emissions restrictions caused .
H. Christopher Frey , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and former chief of the EPA ’ s air quality scientific advisory board , said that “ current trends in air quality are for reasons irrespective of , or despite , policies of the Trump administration.
” Instead he and Donahue attributed it to a shift from use of dirtier coal - a shift the Trump administration has fought against - and to newer , cleaner cars replacing older vehicles .
TRUMP : “ We ’ re showing that we can create jobs , safeguard the environment and keep energy prices low for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And you see that .
You also see it when you pump the gas in your car and you ’ re sometimes paying a lot less than $ 2 lately .
So we ’ re doing well.
” - Florida remarks .
THE FACTS : Trump is wrongly taking credit .
Gasoline prices didn ’ t fall because of the Trump administration .
They plunged because the coronavirus forced people to abandon their offices , schools , business trips and vacations .
“ Reduced economic activity related to the COVID-19 pandemic has caused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2020 , ” said the U.S. Energy Information Administration .
World demand for oil has fallen by 8 million barrels a day , the agency estimates .
Underscoring the connection to the pandemic shutdown , U.S. gas prices were at their lowest in April when people were staying home most now are up 33 cents a gallon on average , the agency says .
TRUMP : “ We ’ re pretty much out of Syria.
” - news conference Thursday .
THE FACTS : Not so much .
Last year close to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outposts near the border area where a Turkish attack on the country was initially centered .
But the U.S. currently has about 700 troops deployed to Syria , a number that hasn ’ t changed a lot lately .
BIDEN : “ Troops died in Iraq and Afghanistan : 6,922 .
… Military COVID deaths : 6,114 .
Folks , every one of these lives mattered.
” - remarks Wednesday in Warren , Michigan .
THE FACTS : He ’ s way off on the number of coronavirus deaths in the U.S. military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just seven members of the military have died from COVID-19 , including reservists and those in the National Guard .
The Biden campaign acknowledged he had misspoken .
citing overall coronavirus deaths in Michigan instead of U.S. military deaths in a mix-up .
TRUMP : “ If you look at NATO , with the exception of eight countries - we ’ re one of them - every country is way behind .
They ’ re delinquent , especially Germany , in paying their NATO bills .
… And they ’ ve increased their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to $ 400 billion a year .
It ’ s all because of me.
” - news conference Monday .
THE FACTS : He ’ s incorrect on several fronts .
First , countries don ’ t pay to be in NATO and don ’ t owe the organization anything other than contributions to a largely administrative fund that Trump is not talking about .
Member countries are not delinquent on NATO bills .
Nor have collections increased , as he asserted .
Trump ’ s actual beef is with how much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ budgets .
He ’ s pressed them to spend more .
So did Obama .
And in 2014 , during the Obama administration , NATO members agreed to move “ toward ” spending 2 % of their gross domestic product on their own defense by 2024 .
Trump then mangles what happened next .
In December , NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced that by 2024 , military spending by non-U.S. members of the alliance will have increased by $ 400 billion since 2016 because of commitments from the member states .
That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years .
It ’ s not “ $ 400 billion a year , ” as Trump put it .
And it ’ s not “ all because of me.
” TRUMP , retweeting an Associated Press analysis projecting the number of ballots that get rejected will soar this fall because of increased mail-in voting : “ Rigged Election !
” - tweet Tuesday .
THE FACTS : No , defective ballots do not equate to fraud .
The overwhelming majority aren ’ t .
According to the Brennan Center for Justice , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they arrive late , a particular worry this year because of recent U.S .
Postal Service delays and an expected surge in mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic .
Ballots also are deemed defective if there is a missing signature - common with newer voters unfamiliar with the process - or it doesn ’ t match what ’ s on file .
In addition , some states require absentee voters to get a witness or notary to sign their ballots .
“ None of those are fraud , ” said Wendy Weiser , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at NYU School of Law .
When suspected cases are investigated for potential fraud , studies have borne out the main reason for defects is voter mistake .
The AP analysis published Monday found that rejections of absentee ballots could triple compared with 2016 in some battleground states , potentially tipping the election outcome .
It said voters “ could be disenfranchised in key battleground states ” and that nullified votes could be “ even more pronounced in some urban areas where Democratic votes are concentrated and ballot rejection rates trended higher during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s far from an election “ rigged ” against Trump .
Associated Press writers Lauran Neergaard , Seth Borenstein , Josh Boak , Christopher Rugaber , Robert Burns , Lolita C. Baldor and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar in Washington , James LaPorta in Delray Beach , Florida , Tom Krisher in Detroit , Alexandra Jaffe in Warren , Michigan , and Tom Beaumont in Des Moines , Iowa , contributed to this report .
EDITOR ’ S NOTE - A look at the veracity of claims by political figures .

WASHINGTON (AP) - Explaining his deceptive assurances about the pandemic, President Donald Trump suggested he was doing what Winston Churchill had done, soothing the public in a time of danger. That’s not how it went down in World War II.
Churchill did not tell Britons that Nazi Germany was “under control ” or that, “like a miracle, it will disappear,” to cite Trump’s words on the virus.
The British prime minister spread fear, as well as resolve, as he summoned Britons to national purpose against the “hideous apparatus of aggression” enslaving swaths of Europe and soon to be “turned upon us.”
Trump’s statements about the pandemic have been rife with misinformation from the start. But journalist Bob Woodward’s new book, “Rage,” reveals Trump admitting to using distortion as a tactic as he underplayed the threat of COVID-19 to Americans and young people in particular, while knowing better. The president said his purpose was to avoid panic.
Details from the book and its recorded interviews with Trump dropped during a week of intense politicking as the campaign for the Nov. 3 election entered its homestretch.
As the rhetoric flew, both Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden exaggerated their influence in reviving the auto industry. In a mix-up, Biden vastly overstated military COVID-19 deaths. Trump thoroughly misrepresented Biden’s positions.
BLOOD, SWEAT, TEARS
TRUMP on Churchill during the German bombing of London: “He always spoke with calmness. He said, ‘We have to show calmness.’” - remarks to Michigan supporters Thursday.
TRUMP: “As the British government advised the British people in the face of World War II, ‘Keep calm and carry on.’ That’s what I did.’” - Michigan remarks.
THE FACTS: Historians take sharp issue with that.
“Churchill understood that candor in crisis was vital,” tweeted Erik Larson, author of “The Splendid and the Vile,” a history of Churchill and Britons during the German bombing campaign known as the Blitz. ”He did not sugarcoat the German threat.”
Fellow historian Jon Meacham responded to Trump with a quote from Churchill himself, rendered with Twitter abbreviation: “The British people can face any misfortune w/ fortitude & buoyancy as long as they are convinced that those in charge of their affairs are not deceiving them, or are not dwelling in a fool’s paradise.”
The slogan to “Keep calm and carry on” was printed on British posters in preparation for war but did not gain favor and the posters were soon scrapped.
In his first BBC broadcast as prime minister, in May 1940, Churchill described in chilling detail the “remarkable” advance of German armored columns and infantry through the ravaged French countryside and said it would be foolish “to disguise the gravity of the hour.”
He said “that hideous apparatus of aggression which gashed Holland into ruin and slavery in a few days will be turned upon us. I am sure I speak for all when I say we are ready to face it; to endure it.” The Blitzkrieg started that September.
While Trump was repeatedly minimizing the danger of the outbreak in his public remarks, he was telling Woodward that he knew the virus was deadlier than even a severe seasonal flu, that he was struck by how easily it spread and that “plenty of young people” were contracting it. “I wanted to always play it down,” he said in March. “I still like playing it down. Because I don’t want to create a panic.”
___
VIRUS
TRUMP: “We are going to have vaccines very soon, it may be much sooner than you think.” - news conference Thursday.
TRUMP: “You’ll have this incredible vaccine, and … in speed like nobody has ever seen before. This could’ve taken two or three years, and instead it’s going to be - it’s going to be done in a very short of period of time. Could even have it during the month of October.” - news conference Monday.
THE FACTS: He’s almost certainly raising unrealistic hopes as the November election approaches.
The Food and Drug Administration already has told manufacturers it won’t consider any vaccine that’s less than 50% effective. Getting the right math before November, as Trump has promised, is “incredibly unlikely,” said Dr. Larry Corey of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute, who is overseeing the U.S. government’s vaccine studies.
Public health experts are worried that Trump will press the FDA to approve a vaccine before it is proven to be safe and effective.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious diseases expert, has said he is “cautiously optimistic” that a coronavirus vaccine will be ready by early next year. Even then, Fauci made clear that the vaccine would not be widely available right away.
“Ultimately, within a reasonable period of time, the plans now allow for any American who needs a vaccine to get it within the year 2021,” Fauci told Congress last month.
Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health, also expressed “cautious optimism” this past week that one of the vaccines being tested will pan out by year’s end. But he warned: “Certainly to try to predict whether it happens on a particular week before or after a particular date in early November is well beyond anything that any scientist right now could tell you.”
The “particular date” is Nov. 3, Election Day.
___
TRUMP: “The approach to the virus is a very unscientific blanket lockdown by the Democrats.” - news conference Thursday.
TRUMP: “Biden’s plan for the China virus is to shut down the entire U.S. economy.” - news conference Monday.
THE FACTS: That’s not Biden’s plan at all. Biden has said he would shut down the economy only if scientists and public health advisers recommended he do so to stem the COVID-19 threat. He said he would follow the science, not disregard it.
Biden told ABC last month he “will be prepared to do whatever it takes to save lives” when he was asked if he would even be willing to shut the country again.
“I would listen to the scientists,” he said. If they said to shut it down, “I would shut it down.”
___
TRUMP: “When Joe Biden was vice president, his failed approach to the swine flu was disastrous. … And 60 million Americans got H1N1 in that period of time. …We did everything wrong, it was a disaster.” - news conference Thursday.
THE FACTS: This is a distorted history of a pandemic in 2009 that killed far fewer people in the United States than the coronavirus is killing now. For starters, Biden as vice president wasn’t running the federal response. And that response was faster out of the gate than when COVID-19 came to the U.S.
Then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s flu surveillance network sounded the alarm after two children in California became the first people diagnosed with the new flu strain in this country.
About two weeks later, the Obama administration declared a public health emergency against H1NI, also known as the swine flu, and the CDC began releasing anti-flu drugs from the national stockpile to help hospitals get ready. In contrast, Trump declared a state of emergency in early March, seven weeks after the first U.S. case of COVID-19 was announced, and the country’s health system struggled for months with shortages of critical supplies and testing.
More than 190,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. The CDC puts the U.S. death toll from the 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic at about 12,500.
___
AUTOS
BIDEN: “President Obama and I rescued the auto industry and helped Michigan’s economy come roaring back.” - tweet Wednesday.
THE FACTS: Biden is assigning too much credit to Barack Obama and himself for saving the auto industry.
As an initial matter, what the Obama administration did was an expansion of pivotal steps taken by Obama’s predecessor, President George W. Bush.
In December 2008, General Motors and Chrysler were on the brink of financial collapse. The U.S. was in a deep recession and U.S. auto sales were falling sharply. GM, Chrysler and Ford requested government aid, but Congress voted it down.
With barely a month left in office, Bush authorized $25 billion in loans to GM and Chrysler from the $700 billion bailout fund that was initially intended to save the largest U.S. banks. Ford decided against taking any money. Once in office, Obama appointed a task force to oversee GM and Chrysler, both of which eventually declared bankruptcy, took an additional roughly $55 billion in aid, and were forced to close many factories and overhaul their operations.
All three companies recovered and eventually started adding jobs again.
___
TRUMP: “We brought you a lot of car plants, you know that right? … I saved the U.S. auto industry.” - Michigan rally Thursday.
BIDEN, on Michigan’s economy: “Donald Trump squandered it - and hardworking Michiganders are paying the price every day.” -tweet Wednesday.
THE FACTS: Both Trump and Biden are overstating it. Trump did not wreck Michigan’s economy, but he certainly didn’t bring an auto industry boom, either.
In fact, the number of auto and parts manufacturing jobs in the state fell slightly between Trump’s inauguration and February of this year, before the coronavirus took hold.
When Trump took office there were 174,200 such jobs, and that dropped to 171,800 in February, according to Labor Department statistics. While most plants shuttered for about eight weeks after the pandemic hit, many are back running near capacity again, at least for now. In July, the most recent figures available, Michigan had 154,400 auto and parts manufacturing jobs.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, recently said the state’s economy was operating now at 87% of pre-pandemic levels, citing figures from Moody’s Analytics and CNN.
___
ENERGY and ENVIRONMENT
TRUMP: “Instead of focusing on radical ideology, my administration is focused on delivering real results. And that’s what we have. Right now we have the cleanest air ever we’ve ever had in this country - let’s say over the last 40 years.” - remarks Tuesday in Jupiter, Florida.
FACTS: He’s not responsible for all of the progress - far from it.
All six air pollution measurements monitored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency showed that in 2019 the U.S. air was the cleanest on record. But the most important pollutant, tiny particles, was essentially about the same as 2016, only down 1%, according to Carnegie Mellon University environmental engineering professor Neil Donahue. The same figures also showed that air pollution rose in the first two years of the Trump administration before falling greatly in 2019.
Donahue and three other outside experts in air pollution said the president was wrongly taking credit for what years, even decades, of ever-increasing emissions restrictions caused.
H. Christopher Frey, an engineering professor at North Carolina State University and former chief of the EPA’s air quality scientific advisory board, said that “current trends in air quality are for reasons irrespective of, or despite, policies of the Trump administration.” Instead he and Donahue attributed it to a shift from use of dirtier coal - a shift the Trump administration has fought against - and to newer, cleaner cars replacing older vehicles.
___
TRUMP: “We’re showing that we can create jobs, safeguard the environment and keep energy prices low for America and low for our citizens. And you see that. You also see it when you pump the gas in your car and you’re sometimes paying a lot less than $2 lately. So we’re doing well.” - Florida remarks.
THE FACTS: Trump is wrongly taking credit. Gasoline prices didn’t fall because of the Trump administration. They plunged because the coronavirus forced people to abandon their offices, schools, business trips and vacations.
“Reduced economic activity related to the COVID-19 pandemic has caused changes in energy demand and supply patterns in 2020,” said the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
World demand for oil has fallen by 8 million barrels a day, the agency estimates.
Underscoring the connection to the pandemic shutdown, U.S. gas prices were at their lowest in April when people were staying home most now are up 33 cents a gallon on average, the agency says.
___
TROOPS
TRUMP: “We’re pretty much out of Syria.” - news conference Thursday.
THE FACTS: Not so much.
Last year close to 30 U.S. troops moved out of two outposts near the border area where a Turkish attack on the country was initially centered. But the U.S. currently has about 700 troops deployed to Syria, a number that hasn’t changed a lot lately.
___
BIDEN: “Troops died in Iraq and Afghanistan: 6,922. … Military COVID deaths: 6,114. Folks, every one of these lives mattered.” - remarks Wednesday in Warren, Michigan.
THE FACTS: He’s way off on the number of coronavirus deaths in the U.S. military.
According to the Defense Department, just seven members of the military have died from COVID-19, including reservists and those in the National Guard.
The Biden campaign acknowledged he had misspoken. citing overall coronavirus deaths in Michigan instead of U.S. military deaths in a mix-up.
___
NATO
TRUMP: “If you look at NATO, with the exception of eight countries - we’re one of them - every country is way behind. They’re delinquent, especially Germany, in paying their NATO bills. … And they’ve increased their spending now $130 billion, going up to $400 billion a year. It’s all because of me.” - news conference Monday.
THE FACTS: He’s incorrect on several fronts.
First, countries don’t pay to be in NATO and don’t owe the organization anything other than contributions to a largely administrative fund that Trump is not talking about. Member countries are not delinquent on NATO bills. Nor have collections increased, as he asserted.
Trump’s actual beef is with how much NATO countries spend on their own military budgets. He’s pressed them to spend more. So did Obama. And in 2014, during the Obama administration, NATO members agreed to move “toward” spending 2% of their gross domestic product on their own defense by 2024.
Trump then mangles what happened next.
In December, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced that by 2024, military spending by non-U.S. members of the alliance will have increased by $400 billion since 2016 because of commitments from the member states.
That’s $400 billion cumulatively over eight years. It’s not “$400 billion a year,” as Trump put it. And it’s not “all because of me.”
___
NOVEMBER ELECTION
TRUMP, retweeting an Associated Press analysis projecting the number of ballots that get rejected will soar this fall because of increased mail-in voting: “Rigged Election!” - tweet Tuesday.
THE FACTS: No, defective ballots do not equate to fraud. The overwhelming majority aren’t.
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the vast majority of ballots are disqualified because they arrive late, a particular worry this year because of recent U.S. Postal Service delays and an expected surge in mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic.
Ballots also are deemed defective if there is a missing signature - common with newer voters unfamiliar with the process - or it doesn’t match what’s on file. In addition, some states require absentee voters to get a witness or notary to sign their ballots.
“None of those are fraud,” said Wendy Weiser, director of Brennan’s democracy program at NYU School of Law. When suspected cases are investigated for potential fraud, studies have borne out the main reason for defects is voter mistake.
The AP analysis published Monday found that rejections of absentee ballots could triple compared with 2016 in some battleground states, potentially tipping the election outcome.
It said voters “could be disenfranchised in key battleground states” and that nullified votes could be “even more pronounced in some urban areas where Democratic votes are concentrated and ballot rejection rates trended higher during this year’s primaries.” That’s far from an election “rigged” against Trump.
___
Associated Press writers Lauran Neergaard, Seth Borenstein, Josh Boak, Christopher Rugaber, Robert Burns, Lolita C. Baldor and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar in Washington, James LaPorta in Delray Beach, Florida, Tom Krisher in Detroit, Alexandra Jaffe in Warren, Michigan, and Tom Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.
___
EDITOR’S NOTE - A look at the veracity of claims by political figures.
___
Find AP Fact Checks at http://apnews.com/APFactCheck
Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck


washingtontimes--2020-09-12--NMU settles bias lawsuit by female professors for $1.46M

MARQUETTE , Mich. ( AP ) - Four female professors who accused Northern Michigan University of discrimination based on gender @ @ @ @ @ $ 1.46 million , their attorneys said .
The women said men were being paid @ @ @ @ @ classes and were given preferences in choosing classes .
They said they were retaliated against @ @ @ @ @ lawsuit was filed in federal court by Claudia Hart , Carol Steinhaus , Karin Stulz @ @ @ @ @ deal was reached in August , records show .
“ Although it took a lot @ @ @ @ @ tears to get to this point , it will all be worth it if it @ @ @ @ @ pay and attitudes , ” Vroman said in a statement released by Sterling Attorneys .
@ @ @ @ @ , lawyers for NMU denied any discrimination and said “ neutral factors ” were used @ @ @ @ @ university said the settlement isn ’ t an admission of liability .
“ The settlement @ @ @ @ @ ahead in the best interest of the students , ” NMU said .

MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) - Four female professors who accused Northern Michigan University of discrimination based on gender have settled a lawsuit for $1.46 million, their attorneys said.
The women said men were being paid more for teaching the same classes and were given preferences in choosing classes. They said they were retaliated against after they complained.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court by Claudia Hart, Carol Steinhaus, Karin Stulz and Margaret Vroman. A deal was reached in August, records show.
“Although it took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to this point, it will all be worth it if it results in positive change in pay and attitudes,” Vroman said in a statement released by Sterling Attorneys.
In a March court filing, lawyers for NMU denied any discrimination and said “neutral factors” were used in setting pay.
The university said the settlement isn’t an admission of liability.
“The settlement allows the university to move ahead in the best interest of the students,” NMU said.


washingtontimes--2020-09-12--Indiana GOP pushing mail voting despite Trump's derision

INDIANAPOLIS ( AP ) - The Indiana Republican Party is directly appealing to voters across the state to submit mail-in ballots even as President Donald Trump has questioned the integrity of mail voting and state GOP leaders have rejected calls for easing the rules on it .
Applications for absentee mail-in ballots have been mailed to an undisclosed number of voters throughout the state by the state Republican and Democratic parties .
Democratic leaders continue pushing for the state to allow no-excuse mail-in voting as Indiana did for the spring primary because of coronavirus concerns , but Republican Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , instead , insisted on the safety of in-person voting .
The Republican mailing urges voters to mail their ballot application by Oct. 14 and then “ Return your voted ballot immediately .
Due to higher than normal absentee volume , there may be delays in the delivery and processing of your ballot.
” Holly Lawson , spokeswoman for Holcomb ’ s reelection campaign and the state Republican Party , declined to provide any information about how many applications were mailed out , who was targeted or the cost of the mailing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with early voting in person and Election Day voting , has long been a part of our get-out-the-vote plan , and this year is no different , ” Lawson told The ( Fort Wayne ) Journal Gazette .
Indiana election officials estimate voters could submit 1.3 million to 1.8 million mailed ballots for this fall ’ s election , a level that would be 10 times the state ’ s total four years ago .
The distribution of ballot applications by the political parties and interest groups is legal and has been common @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Indiana secretary of state ’ s office .
It is the responsibility of county election officials to approve the applications and mail actual ballots to the voters .
People not expecting the applications have contacted county election offices with questions .
“ It confuses the voter , ” said Beth Liming , the county clerk in northern Indiana ’ s Cass County .
Mail-in voting has become contentious across the country as Trump has derided such ballots as vulnerable to fraud , even though multiple studies have debunked the notion .
The Centers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mail ballots as a safer alternative to in-person voting during the pandemic .
Indiana Democratic Party Chairman John Zody said health concerns should take greater importance as more than 100,000 people in the state have been confirmed with coronavirus infections .
“ Eric Holcomb is telling us it ’ s safe to vote in-person while quietly helping Republicans vote from the safety of their homes , ” Zody said .
“ Eric Holcomb is acting like he ’ s the party boss pulling strings to win elections instead of leading for every Hoosier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at risk .
”

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indiana Republican Party is directly appealing to voters across the state to submit mail-in ballots even as President Donald Trump has questioned the integrity of mail voting and state GOP leaders have rejected calls for easing the rules on it.
Applications for absentee mail-in ballots have been mailed to an undisclosed number of voters throughout the state by the state Republican and Democratic parties. Democratic leaders continue pushing for the state to allow no-excuse mail-in voting as Indiana did for the spring primary because of coronavirus concerns, but Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb and other GOP officials have, instead, insisted on the safety of in-person voting.
The Republican mailing urges voters to mail their ballot application by Oct. 14 and then “Return your voted ballot immediately. Due to higher than normal absentee volume, there may be delays in the delivery and processing of your ballot.”
Holly Lawson, spokeswoman for Holcomb’s reelection campaign and the state Republican Party, declined to provide any information about how many applications were mailed out, who was targeted or the cost of the mailing.
“Absentee voting by mail, along with early voting in person and Election Day voting, has long been a part of our get-out-the-vote plan, and this year is no different,” Lawson told The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette.
Indiana election officials estimate voters could submit 1.3 million to 1.8 million mailed ballots for this fall’s election, a level that would be 10 times the state’s total four years ago.
The distribution of ballot applications by the political parties and interest groups is legal and has been common over several elections, according to the Indiana secretary of state’s office. It is the responsibility of county election officials to approve the applications and mail actual ballots to the voters.
People not expecting the applications have contacted county election offices with questions.
“It confuses the voter,” said Beth Liming, the county clerk in northern Indiana’s Cass County.
Mail-in voting has become contentious across the country as Trump has derided such ballots as vulnerable to fraud, even though multiple studies have debunked the notion. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the mail ballots as a safer alternative to in-person voting during the pandemic.
Indiana Democratic Party Chairman John Zody said health concerns should take greater importance as more than 100,000 people in the state have been confirmed with coronavirus infections.
“Eric Holcomb is telling us it’s safe to vote in-person while quietly helping Republicans vote from the safety of their homes,” Zody said. “Eric Holcomb is acting like he’s the party boss pulling strings to win elections instead of leading for every Hoosier. His political maneuvering is putting lives at risk.”