theblaze--2020-11-06--Biden takes narrow lead over Trump in Georgia as counting enters tense fourth day; presidential race

Biden takes narrow lead over Trump in Georgia as counting enters tense fourth day; presidential race still too close to call

Biden takes narrow lead over Trump in Georgia as counting enters tense fourth day ; presidential race still too close @ @

The presidential race still remains too close to call as of early Friday morning, as neither candidate has secured enough electoral votes to guarantee victory after three days of ballot-counting. However, in an ominous development for President Trump, Democratic nominee Joe Biden has claimed an extremely small lead in the state of Georgia.
The central focus of attention remains a set of four states that seem likely to determine the outcome of the election: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada. In order to secure victory, Trump must win both Pennsylvania and Georgia, as well as one or the other of Arizona or Nevada. Alternately, in the much less likely event that he wins Pennsylvania and both Arizona and Nevada, the race could plausibly end in a tie at the Electoral College. In such a scenario, the vote would move to the House of Representatives, where each state delegation would be given one vote. Republicans hold a majority of state delegations, and thus Trump would likely be re-elected under those circumstances.
In Georgia, Biden claimed a razor-thin lead of just over 1,000 votes as the last of the mail-in and absentee votes trickled in overnight. It is unknown exactly how many ballots remain to be counted in Georgia, but current estimates place the number at around 10,000, including the military/overseas ballots, provisional ballots, and "cured" mail-in ballots, over which there will almost definitely be court wrangling. The margin in Georgia is currently so close that it seems unlikely that we will know the winner in Georgia for several days yet.
In Pennsylvania, President Trump still maintains a lead of about 19,000 votes, but at least 163,000 votes remain outstanding to count. Almost 100,000 of that total is from Allegheny County and the city of Philadelphia. Around 80 percent of the mail-in balloting from those locations has been breaking for Biden thus far in the counting process, which means that Trump's lead in the Keystone State is extremely precarious as the count enters what officials hope will be the final day in Pennsylvania.
In Arizona, President Trump has narrowed Biden's lead to about 47,000 votes, with about 263,000 votes left to count. The Trump campaign remains optimistic that Arizona is within reach and in fact estimates that President Trump will win the state by about 30,000 votes, according to their math. Arizona officials have expressed optimism that the count will be finished by Friday night. Fox News insists that the race already belongs to Biden; many other networks and the Trump campaign strongly disagree.
Nevada, as usual, remains mired in a morass of incompetence and is apparently unable to count votes at even nearly the same pace as the rest of the country. Officials there have refused to indicate that their count will be ready before November 12 (!!), so if the contest comes down to that state, the country could be in for a long wait in terms of knowing who won the presidential election.
In a fiery press conference yesterday afternoon, President Trump blasted the current counting process and promised extensive litigation to challenge the results in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. His campaign insists that they believe they will have won when all the legally cast votes have been counted.


theblaze--2020-11-06--Andrew Yang tells Democrats they have lost touch with the working class; liberals lash out at him on

Andrew Yang tells Democrats they have lost touch with the working class; liberals lash out at him on social media

Andrew Yang tells Democrats they have lost touch with the working class ; liberals lash out at him on social @

Former presidential candidate and entrepreneur Andrew Yang scolded the Democratic Party on CNN on Thursday, telling them that they had lost touch with the working class, and liberals responded by excoriating him on social media.
Yang made the comments on CNN Thursday evening while discussing the results of the election and the disappointing losses to Democrats in Congress.
He explained that when he was a candidate he would tell working-class Americans that he was running as a Democrat and that they they would often flinch as if he'd said something negative.
"There's something deeply wrong when working-class Americans have that response to a major party that theoretically is supposed to be fighting for them, so you have to ask yourself what has the Democratic Party been standing for in their minds?" Yang said.
"And in their minds the Democratic Party unfortunately, has taken on this role of the coastal urban elites who are more concerned about policing various cultural issues than improving their way of life, that has been declining for years." he explained. "And so if you're in that situation, this to me is a fundamental problem for the Democratic Party because if they don't figure this out, then this polarization and division will get worse not better."
"Is that real or messaging or both?" asked CNN host Don Lemon.
"It's real, I mean [Democratic Rep.] Debbie [Dingle of Michigan] just said they lost a plant that had 1,500 workers, and so if you're a laid-off worker from that plant and you look up and say 'what is the Democratic Party doing for me,' its unclear!" Yang responded.
"And we can talk about a unifying message from Joe Biden, he's a naturally very unifying figure," he continued. "But then there's the reality on the ground where their way of life has been disintegrating for years and if we don't address that then you're going to see a continued acceleration towards the institutional mistrust that animated the Trump vote and will continue to do so."
'Your white supremacy is showing'
While Yang's criticism of the Democratic Party has been echoed by many pundits and political activists, some liberals on social media lashed out at him in anger against the constructive criticism.
"SHUT THE F*** UP ANDREW YANG THE WORKING CLASS IS WOMEN AND LATINOS AND BLACK PEOPLE AND QUEER PEOPLE WE ARE THE WORKING CLASS F*** YOU," said feminist atheist writer Marcie Bianco in a tweet.
"If you say 'working class' your white supremacy is showing THE END," she added in a second tweet before she made her account private.
"Andrew Yang is a clown and a buffoon who is here using antisemitic and homophobic tropes because (and this is true) he is also an a**hole," tweeted liberal commentator Noah Berlatsky.
"Hey @AndrewYang ... you're from New York. You were a corporate lawyer then a dot-com profiteer. You /are/ the coastal urban elite," tweeted journalist David Perry.
"Why doesn't Andrew Yang take some of his gigantic pile of money an do something useful with it instead of lecturing people about needing the votes of racist s**theads because of our garbage electoral system?" tweeted chemist Tim Dreier.
Here are the full comments from Yang on CNN:


theblaze--2020-11-07--Pennsylvania county responds after viral videos show poll workers filling out ballots

They provided an explanation for what is going on

Viral videos circulating on the internet purport to show poll workers in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, filling out blank ballots as the state continues to count votes critical to determining the winner of the presidential race between President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
But the county has provided an explanation for what is going, and Reuters, PolitiFact, and USA Today have all found the allegations of fraud to be false.
What are the details?
One video shows a male poll worker in a black shirt appearing to fill out ballots and stamp them while he is sitting across from a female worker who is wearing a grey sweater. Two other female workers can be seen sitting next to the pair at a nearby separate table.
A second video shows one of the women at the second table filling out ballots.
Delaware County responded in a press release, confirming that the footage was recorded on its official live stream while saying that the viral footage had been "altered" and that "some residents" are "making false accusations" about what the video shows. The county did not specify which video was allegedly altered, but it did point out:
The actual video shows the election worker at a table with other coworkers in a room full of people with bipartisan observers a few feet away at each end of the table, closely observing the worker from approximately 6 feet away. This arrangement was agreed upon between the Election Bureau and the former Republican Chairman of Delaware County Council, acting in his capacity as counsel for the Delaware County Republican Party.
The county shared a screenshot showing the same workers, and the observers monitoring the process.
Image source: Delaware County Pennsylvania government website
The county explains:
During the processing of ballots, a machine extractor opens the ballots. Some ballots were damaged by the extractor during this process in such a way that the ballots could not be scanned successfully. According to the scanner manufacturer, Hart, the best practice to deal with damaged ballots that cannot be scanned is to transcribe the votes on each ballot to a clean ballot and scan the clean ballot. In accordance with that guidance, the Chief Clerk of the Delaware County Bureau of Elections instructed elections staff to manually transcribe the damaged ballots. As ballots were being transcribed, the original damaged ballots were directly beside the new ballots and bipartisan observers witnessed the process at close range. Damaged ballots have been preserved.
A third video also taken from Delaware County's live stream shows an overhead view of a different female poll worker filling out ballots while sitting directly across from a male worker wearing a long-sleeved plaid shirt.
The woman can clearly be seen filling out several ballots and stamping them, as a man narrating (while viewing on a computer) can be heard saying, "This lady is marking the ballots. I filmed her a half hour ago doing six, and she's still working at it."
A uniformed law enforcement officer can be seen walking by at one point, and the narrator says, "And there's a security guard right there who's watching her. The cops are in on it! Disgusting."
But it does appear that the male poll worker in the video is reading off one (presumably damaged) ballot to the female worker who is filling out the blank ballots. TheBlaze has called and emailed Delaware County for further clarity on the process.
Poll workers in PA Filling Out Ballots www.youtube.com
TheBlaze has not yet been able to determine who is narrating the video, but it does show the Delaware County live stream web address, and its multiple cameras.
Anything else?
President Trump has alleged that fraud is occurring in Pennsylvania and other states, as he has seen his lead eaten away in a number of states as election workers continue to conduct vote counts.
The Trump campaign has not responded to a request for comment about the videos.


theblaze--2020-11-07--Georgia officials say abnormal company update caused a glitch that halted machine voting for hours i

Georgia officials say abnormal company update caused a glitch that halted machine voting for hours in two counties 'That is @ @ @ @ @ ever do . '

Officials admitted that voting was halted in two counties in Georgia over a glitch that was caused by an update to their system that was made the night before the election.
It is important to note that there is not yet any allegation that votes were lost or tampered with in either county, or that voters in either county were unable to vote.
The temporary countywide outage caused voting machines to be inoperable for several hours in Spalding County, but officials were able to get the machines running by 10 a.m. During the time that they were trying to fix the problem, officials had voters use paper ballots instead.
A similar issue in Morgan County forced officials to use paper ballots there as well, which delayed some voters.
"The lines are a bit longer than we would like," said Elections Director Jennifer Doran according to WAGA-TV. "We are asking voters to be patient while we work to get everyone voted."
Officials later said that the glitch was due to an update made to the machine systems that was made on Monday evening.
Spalding County Board of Election elections supervisor Marcia Ridley admitted that the update was abnormal.
"That is something that they don't ever do. I've never seen them update anything the day before the election," Ridley said to Politico.
Both of the counties used voting machines purchased from Dominion Voting Systems Corporation. The 2020 election was the first statewide contest using the new system purchased by Georgia for $100 million in 2019.
In order to give voters enough time to cast their ballot after the delays caused by the glitch, the voting deadline was extended to 11 p.m. by Superior Court Judge W. Fletcher Sams.
Georgia's Secretary of State said that the average wait time for most voters was about 3 minutes on election day, with some waiting for an hour only because of elderly voters needing assistance.
TheBlaze reached out to election officials in both counties but neither responded in time for publication.
The voting results for both counties appear to be similar to results from the 2016 election. Morgan County went for Trump by a margin of 70-30 in the 2016. In 2020, he actually performed better in Morgan County, winning 71 percent of the vote to Biden's 27 percent. Spalding County went for Trump by a margin of 60-35 in 2016, and went for Trump by a margin of 60-38 in 2020.
The U.S. Senate race in Georgia was still undecided on Friday and headed towards a runoff election. The outcome of that election could decide whether the Senate stays in Republican control or switches to the Democrats.
Here's some of the problems in Georgia on election day:


theblaze--2020-11-06--BLM rioters vandalize Portland commissioner's house after he voted against defunding police; city ha

BLM rioters vandalize Portland commissioner's house after he voted against defunding police; city hall hit with arson attack

BLM rioters vandalize Portland commissioner 's house after he voted against defunding police ; city hall hit with arson attack @ @ @ @ @ paint filled balloons at the home

Dozens of left-wing protesters vandalized a Portland commissioner's home after he voted against a measure that would defund part of the Portland Police Bureau's budget.
The disconcerting event unfolded on Thursday according to the Portland Police.
Portland City Commissioner Dan Ryan had voted against a measure earlier that day that would have redirected $18 million from the police budget to other programs supporting social causes.
Portland Unified Command said that the group marched to Ryan's home, broke a window and tossed "burning flares and paint filled balloons" at the house. Video on social media captured the protesters chanting "Black Lives Matter!" and "F**k you Dan Ryan!!" during the protest.
Here's video of the protest:
March in North Portland declared an unlawful assembly www.youtube.com
Rioters also attacked the Portland City Hall and tried to torch it in an arson attack.
Ryan's vote was the swing vote on the measure and prevented it from passing.
Liberal critics specifically faulted Ryan for his vote on social media, calling it "white supremacy."
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler condemned the attack and called it intimidation in a statement on Friday.
"Last night's criminal destruction and attack on Commissioner Ryan's home are reprehensible," Wheeler said.
"Violence, criminal destruction and intimidation are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Those responsible must be found, investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I condemn anyone who uses violence to attempt to silence the voices of others."
Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who backed the police defunding motion, also condemned the violence against her colleague on the city council.
"Fighting for systemic change is messy and complicated, but what shouldn't be complicated is recognizing when lines have been crossed, and that's what happened last night," she said in part.
The Portland Police budget for the current year was slated to be about $244 million, meaning the "defund the police" effort that was defeated would have cut about 7.3% of the budget. However, the city council had already cut $15 million from the budget in June as a part of their support for the "Black Lives Matter" movement.
Here's a local news report about the vandalism:


theblaze--2020-11-06--'The View' host Sunny Hostin goes nuclear over fact that nearly 50% of voters voted for Trump: 'You

'The View' host Sunny Hostin goes nuclear over fact that nearly 50% of voters voted for Trump: 'You are selfish'

'The View ' host Sunny Hostin goes nuclear over fact that nearly 50 % of voters voted for Trump : @ @ @ @

"The View's" Sunny Hostin declared that Americans who voted for President Donald Trump during the 2020 presidential election are "selfish."
What are the details?
During a heated segment, Hostin blasted Trump voters for supporting the president.
"For the past four years, this president has shown us that he is a misogynist, that he is homophobic, that he is racist, and that he mismanaged a coronavirus pandemic to the tune of over 250,000 American deaths," Hostin said. "Yet 50% of America saw all of that and looked the other way to their brothers and sisters and said, 'I'm going to vote for him anyway.' And that is really disheartening."
Hostin insisted that one thing was clear to her: "For me, that means you are selfish."
"I'm not going to say that 50% of Americans are racist and sexist and homophobic, but I will say that tells me that they will look the other way to that kind of behavior, to the plight of their fellow Americans if personally they feel that they are doing OK and that they will do better under that type of presidency, and that, I think, is despicable," she unloaded. "It is un-American."
Co-host Sara Haines appeared to attempt to steer the conversation back to more of a middle ground and argued that voting itself "is a selfish thing."
"We vote for what affects our day-to-day lives," she reasoned, pointing to voters in 2016 who previously supported former President Barack Obama, but went on to vote for President Donald Trump. "That's their choice. That's their vote, and they're just as American as we are, they have a different viewpoint. That was the part that really shocked me on election night is how different it was."
Hostin was not to be deterred from her leftist talking points.
She responded, "The problem, Sara, though, is that our very democracy is founded on the notion of a collective spirit. 'We the people,' right? We the people, for the people, by the people, and unless you have that collective social contract, our democracy fails."
Hostin argued that such selfishness impacts fellow voters, and seemed to indicate that democracy will fail over differing viewpoints.
"[W]hen you see 50% of the country just looking the other way at the plight of 50% or more of the country, at the plight of the LGBTQ community, at the plight of African Americans, at the plight of immigrants — their children are being torn from them at the border — at the plight of people that are losing their spouses, their children, their brothers, their sisters from a deadly virus because the president could not control it — because he lied to us — when you see that, and you still continue to vote for yourself, democracy fails."
What else?
Later during the show, she insisted that the election uncovered the "true character" of many Americans.
"I'm not saying that if you voted for Trump that you are a racist, that you are a homophobe, that you are a sexist, that you are against transgender rights," she countered. "But what I will say, if you voted for Trump, you then did look the other way at the fact that he is not allowing our transgender brothers and sisters from serving in the military, that he has called people from African countries that those people are from s**thole countries, that he has slandered women, that he has done all of these terrible, terrible things."
She concluded, "If you voted for him, then all of those things are OK with you because of your own personal circumstances."
Is 2020 Election a Referendum on America? Part 1 | The View www.youtube.com
(H/T: The Western Journal)


theblaze--2020-11-06--Trump-hating writer Touré wishes 'excruciating' pain on Trump voters for siding with 'cult leader' —

Trump-hating writer Touré wishes 'excruciating' pain on Trump voters for siding with 'cult leader' — and is mercilessly mowed down for it

Trump-hating writer Touré wishes 'excruciating ' pain on Trump voters for siding with 'cult leader ' — and is mercilessly @ @ @ @ @ of the woke are so foul , vengeful , and bitter .
What a graceless @ @ @

Among the millions of Americans who hate President Donald Trump is veteran writer Touré, who made a name for himself back in the day writing for Rolling Stone. (No surprise, right?)
And as rumblings rolled across the land Thursday that Democratic nominee Joe Biden was on the brink of defeating Trump in the 2020 election, Touré went out of his way to deliver a message to fellow Americans who voted for the president.
His Twitter missive was not kind. Not in the least:
"If you're a Trumper I hope the pain and anxiety you feel now is excruciating," he wrote. "You voted against America and for a cult leader who has no redeeming or admirable qualities. He's a cretin who cares nothing about this country and you don't either. You deserve all the pain and more."
Makes you feel all kinds of warm and fuzzy inside, doesn't it?
Well, Touré — who has amassed over 222,000 Twitter followers — couldn't have expected that his declaration would be devoid of pushback, right? Indeed, it wasn't.
How did folks respond?
Lots of commenters raked Touré over the coals for his downright nasty post.
Pundit Andrew Sullivan — no Trump apologist by any stretch — reacted by saying, "Some of the woke are so foul, vengeful, and bitter. What a graceless response."
Christopher F. Rufo — who's been reporting about government-sponsored far-left programs to combat "whiteness" — told Touré the potentially hard-to-swallow truth: "Most Trump voters will be momentarily disappointed, then go back to work, family, community — where they draw their primary meaning in life. I can say this for sure: you won't see any Trump voters screaming into the sky or calling in trauma counselors to the office."
Others added the following:


theblaze--2020-11-06--Democrats had major plans to flip state legislatures this year as redistricting looms. They failed .

Democrats had major plans to flip state legislatures this year as redistricting looms. They failed ... bigly.

Democrats had major plans to flip state legislatures this year as redistricting looms .
They failed ... bigly .
Republicans @ @ @ @ @ of the New Hampshire state Legislature on Nov. 3 .
( Photo by Cheryl Senter/Bloomberg @ @ @ @

Because 2020 was a Census year, there was an increased focus on state legislatures as both parties sought control of the levers of power in states' redistricting battles.
Democrats were convinced they could flip 10 state legislative chambers in hopes of wielding more control in the upcoming redistricting fights, Fortune reported.
But they failed to flip a single house — and failed miserably.
In fact, the GOP flipped two chambers: the New Hampshire state House and Senate, the National Conference of State Legislatures reported.
With these wins it appears the Republicans will control at least 59 of the 98 partisan chambers (Nebraska has a unicameral, non-partisan Legislature). Arizona's final results have yet to be reported. Should the GOP keep control there, they would hold 61 state chambers, while the Democrats hold 37.
If that total stays as expected, the Republicans would have full control of 30 state legislatures and the Democrats would have 18.
Only Minnesota's legislature has a partisan split between the two houses: the Senate is held by the GOP and the House by Democrats.
According to Fortune, the GOP "will control both the House and Senate in 24 out of 36 states that will draw district lines for U.S. Congress, the state legislature itself, or both." Though every state has a redistricting process, some states use special commissions instead of relying on the legislature.
The NCSL called the few number of legislative chamber flips "phenomenal." On average, the organization said, 12 chambers flip party control in each general election.
"With just two chamber flips so far, it looks like 2020 will see the least party control changes on Election Day since at least 1944 when only four chambers changed hands," the NCSL said. "In the 1926 and 1928 elections, only one chamber changed hands."
Governor races make this even more important
Of course, having control of both houses of the legislature is a powerful tool, but it becomes more significant when the party that runs the Senate and the House also controls the governorship.
The good news for Republicans: They were able to pick up the statewide trifecta in two states.
In New Hampshire, where the GOP flipped control of both houses, the governor, Chris Sununu, is a Republican, meaning the party gained a significant leg up there.
And in Montana, where Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock was term-limited out and the GOP already controlled the legislature, Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte handily beat Democrat Mike Cooney, flipping the governor's mansion from blue to red.
This gives the GOP complete state control in 23 states, compared to Democrats' control of 15 states, the NCSL said. In 11 states, one of the power positions (governorship, Senate, or House) is held by a different party from the other two.
This story has been updated.


theblaze--2020-11-06--Lawsuit: At least 21,000 dead people registered on Pennsylvania’s voter rolls

Lawsuit : At least 21,000 dead people registered on Pennsylvania ’ s voter rolls The lawsuit says that 92 % @ @ @ @ @ been dead for over a year

There are at least 21,000 dead people registered on the state of Pennsylvania's voter rolls, according to a lawsuit filed by a legal group.
A lawsuit filed on Thursday by the Public Interest Legal Foundation claims that there are tens of thousands of deceased registrants on voter rolls in Pennsylvania. The amended lawsuit filed against the Pennsylvania Department of State alleges that Pennsylvania failed to "reasonably maintain voter registration records under federal and state law" during the 2020 presidential election cycle.
The lawsuit alleges that a vast majority are from over a year ago. According to the lawsuit, 92% of the 21,000 deceased people on Pennsylvania's voter rolls died earlier than October 2019. Thousands of the alleged registered dead people reportedly died over five years ago.
"As of October 7, 2020, at least 9,212 registrants have been dead for at least five years, at least 1,990 registrants have been dead for at least ten years, and at least 197 registrants have been dead for at least twenty years … Pennsylvania still left the names of more than 21,000 dead individuals on the voter rolls less than a month before one of the most consequential general elections for federal officeholders in many years," the filing states.
The legal group claims that in 2016 and 2018, there were 216 instances of dead people voting.
"This case is about ensuring that those deceased registrants are not receiving ballots," PILF President and General Counsel J. Christian Adams said in a statement. "This case isn't complicated. For nearly a year, we've been offering specific data on deceased registrants to Pennsylvania officials for proper handling ahead of what was expected to be a tight outcome on Election Day.
"When you push mail voting, your voter list maintenance mistakes made years ago will come back to haunt in the form of unnecessary recipients and nagging questions about unreturned or outstanding ballots," Adams warned.
The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
The Public Interest Legal Foundation is an Indiana-based 501(c)(3) public interest law firm founded in 2012 that claims it is "dedicated entirely to election integrity."
"The Foundation exists to assist states and others to aid the cause of election integrity and fight against lawlessness in American elections," the PILF website states. PILF has previously filed cases in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.
On Thursday, the Trump campaign filed a federal lawsuit in Nevada in an attempt to stop the counting of "illegal votes." The suit alleges that thousands of nonresidents and dead people have cast ballots in the state.
In Michigan, there were reports of extremely elderly voters, who would be so old that they would likely be deceased, mailing in absentee ballots. A viral social media post allegedly showed several people who were over 118 years old casting their ballots in the 2020 election. Michigan's secretary of state's office said the error is a glitch in the system.


theblaze--2020-11-06--Leftists bully pro-police coffee shop off college campus. So hundreds flock to shop's other location

Leftists bully pro-police coffee shop off college campus. So hundreds flock to shop's other location in solidarity.

Leftists bully pro-police coffee shop off college campus .
So hundreds flock to shop 's other location in solidarity .

Hundreds of customers flocked to Big City Coffee last Friday morning, and since there was no room to hold everybody, patrons were in line far down the block.
Image source: KTVB-TV video screenshot
An unusual scene to be sure at the small business in Boise, Idaho — but there was a reason so many gathered at the establishment last week.
Image source: KTVB-TV video screenshot
What are the details?
See, the coffee shop closed its new location on the campus of Boise State University on Oct. 26 after some students criticized a Thin Blue Line flag displayed at the downtown shop, KTVB-TV reported.
Image source: KTVB-TV video screenshot
Indeed, members of the college's Inclusive Excellence Student Council tore into Big City Coffee at a September meeting and wondered why the franchise was allowed on campus.
One called the shop "not a safe place," and another stated, "We are supporting an organization that blatantly supports the Thin Blue Line, and everyone [sic] black person I know has stories of being treated unfairly at this place ... I believe that supporting this organization during these times is not good."
A third council member had this to say: "This is unacceptable that it is happening. Activists in our area are being targeted and people are being harmed. This company is going to encourage this type of behavior on campus and attract those types of people to our campus. It should not be up to marginalized students to fix this. It is up to the administrators to fix this and allow for students to have a voice. We have known for half a decade that they support Thin Blue Line, and this is unacceptable and should have never happened."
What did the coffee shop owner have to say?
Big City Coffee owner Sarah Fendley wrote on social media that she displays the Thin Blue Line flag as a message of support to police and her fiance, Boise Police Cpl. Kevin Holtry, KTVB said.
Holtry was paralyzed and had his left leg amputated above the knee after he was shot multiple times during a manhunt for a wanted felon in 2016, the station said in a previous story.
Image source: KTVB-TV video screenshot
In regard to the campus controversy, university officials said the shop owner "requested to be let out of the contract. We agreed to the owner's request. At no time did the administration at Boise State ask Big City Coffee to leave campus. At no time did the administration ask Big City Coffee to compromise the owner's First Amendment rights."
And while Fendley declined to comment to KTVB about the situation, Holtry said there has been a "misconception that [Fendley] left of her own free will, which is actually not even a half-truth, probably an eighth-truth, because she knew darn good and well that she wasn't going to get the support" on campus due to an "extremely small vocal minority."
Good news
But Holtry added to the station that he was "blown away" by the turnout at the coffee shop's downtown location after word got out that they were no longer on the BSU campus — and the reasons why.
Image source: KTVB-TV video screenshot
"This is really touching and it's been a very amazing day — I've been here for two-and-a-half hours, and it's been like this the entire time," he told KTVB. "It shows what a great community we have, and what people really think and what people — how they live and how they support, not just first responders but local businesses and people who really commit their lives to Boise."
(H/T: Campus Reform)


theblaze--2020-11-06--At least 15 kindergarteners come into contact with rabid bat

At least 15 kindergarteners come into contact with rabid bat How in the world did this even happen ?

At least 15 students from a Texas elementary school have reportedly come into contact with a rabid bat outside of their school on Nov. 2.
The New York Daily News reported that most of the 15 children have been found and have been referred to receive medical treatment after the exposure.
What are the details?
A group of children, all students at Lagos Elementary School in Manor, Texas, were reportedly discovered playing with or near the bat around 9 a.m.
On Wednesday, the Manor Police Department issued a statement revealing they were looking for those students and any other who may have come in contact with the bat.
"The Manor Police Department is working with Manor ISD to identify students at Lagos Elementary School who may have come into contact with a bat that tested positive for rabies by the Texas Department of State Health Services," the statement, posted on Facebook, began.
"Video footage viewed by Manor ISD discovered approximately 15 kindergarten students near or playing with the infected bat on Monday 11/02/2020 at approximately 9am," the statement continued. "Exposure with infection, if left untreated, can be fatal. If detected early, the virus is highly treatable. Manor ISD is attempting to contact parents directly of kindergarten students [sic] classes that were shown in the video."
'No confirmed cases' of rabies in children
Sgt. Craig Struble of the Manor Police Department, told WJZY-TV that there are no confirmed cases of rabies among the children at the time of this reporting.
"The students were seen touching the bat in the school playground," he said. "At this point there are no confirmed cases of kids contracting rabies from the bat."
What else?
In a Wednesday statement, a spokesperson for the district said, "Administrators at Lagos Elementary School were notified that several scholars at the campus may have come in close contact with a rabid bat. District established procedures to remove the bat were immediately followed. The scholars and families have been referred to a physician."
The district added that it would be monitoring the issue and would inspect the school "for any signs of bats and other pests."
"School officials will take the appropriate actions and notify you if any bats or other pests are found," the district added. "Manor ISD is working closely with Manor PD on this matter."
KXAN-TV noted, "If a parent has any questions about a child's potential exposure to the rabid bat, the district asks you to call its assistant director of Health Services and Wellness at 512-278-4093 and Manor Animal Control at 512-230-8348."


theblaze--2020-11-06--Celebrities attack Trump voters: Janelle Monae says every American who supported Trump should 'burn'

Celebrities attack Trump voters : Janelle Monae says every American who supported Trump should 'burn' Celebrities claim 70 million Americans @ @ @ @ @ they voted for Trump

Celebrities reacted to the close 2020 presidential election by lashing out at Americans who voted for President Donald Trump, denouncing them as racists and sexists.
Actress and singer Janelle Monáe went on a rant where she lambasted the nearly 70 million Americans who voted for President Donald Trump in the election. Monáe said that every person who supported President Trump should "burn."
In a now-deleted tweet, Monáe shared a photo on Twitter of her giving the middle finger in a selfie with the caption, "F*** Donald Tromp and every American citizen, celebrity, white woman, black man, ETC who supported him burnnnnnnnnnn,"
In another since-deleted tweet, Monáe said, "I'm not going down the list for y'all you do the research and see who gave him millions of votes."
Monáe shared a tweet that read, "I'm never forgiving Trump voters and that doesn't make me a bad person."
The actress added, "NEVER OR those who endorsed him."
On Election Day, the leftist entertainer shared a tweet that read, "ELECTORAL COLLEGE IS RACIST BULLS*** AND SHOULD BE ABOLISHED."
Monáe, who came out as "pansexual" in 2018, has been a supporter of Democratic politicians. Monáe gave a performance at CarolinaFest in support of former President Barack Obama in 2012.
Failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams tapped Monáe to create an original song for her 2020 documentary "All in All: The Fight for Democracy."
Monáe thanked Abrams, who wasn't running in the 2020 election, by saying on Thursday, "WE OWE YOU SO MUCH!!!! You make America GREAT!"
Monáe has been highly critical of President Trump. In July 2019, Monáe demanded that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) impeach President Trump.
"I'm dead ass convinced this idiot racist could kill someone on Twitter live in the WH west wing & u guys would be like 'when he kills someone he reaffirms his message of division. We have to work together to reflect BLAH,'" she wrote on Twitter. "CALL 4 IMPEACHMENT Speaker Pelosi ... Stop dragging this OUT."
Monáe also ranted, "HE HAS BEEN A XENOPHOBIC RACIST … AND he is MENTALLY UNFIT to be PRESIDENT."
"The Republican Party has wanted a pawn to carry out their agenda & help do their dirty work for a while," she tweeted. "This is why the racists, sexists, white nationalists, white supremacists, etc that make up that party won't call 4 impeachment . #RacistInChief is ALSO a PAWN"
Other celebrities voiced disdain to the over 69 million Americans voted for President Trump in the 2020 presidential election, including actor Dave Bautista, Demi Lovato, Wesley Snipes, Kathy Griffin, Josh Gad, and John Cusack. Some celebrities attacked Americans who voted for Trump, claiming that people who endorsed the incumbent president are supporting racism, sexism, and fascism.


theblaze--2020-11-06--Trump campaign responds to outfit that called Pennsylvania — and the election — for Biden: Not so fa

Trump campaign responds to outfit that called Pennsylvania — and the election — for Biden: Not so fast

Trump campaign responds to outfit that called Pennsylvania — and the election — for Biden : Not so fast

Decision Desk HQ called the Pennsylvania race for former Vice President Joe Biden on Friday at 8:50 a.m. ET. And with that, they declared Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election.
But the Trump campaign had a quick response: Not so fast; this thing's not over yet.
What happened?
Decision Desk HQ tweeted Friday morning, "Decision Desk HQ projects that @JoeBiden has won Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral college votes for a total of 273."
"Joe Biden has been elected the 46th President of the United States of America," the outfit continued. "Race called at 11-06 08:50 AM EST"
So far, Decision Desk is the only outlet to call Pennsylvania one way or the other. Everyone from Fox News to CNN and the New York Times still considers the Keystone State to be too close to call.
Naturally, the Trump campaign shot back a response quickly, attempting to quash any claims that the race is over.
"This election is not over. The false projection of Joe Biden as the winner is based on results in four states that are far from final," Trump 2020 campaign general counsel Matt Morgan said in a statement.
"Georgia is headed for a recount, where we are confident we will find ballots improperly harvested, and where President Trump will ultimately prevail," he added.
Georgia's secretary of state announced Friday morning that the state would be going to a recount and that there are nearly 9,000 outstanding military ballots.
Morgan went on to note that there have been multiple accusations of voting irregularities in Pennsylvania and that those issues should preclude any declarations of a victor there.
"There were many irregularities in Pennsylvania, including having election officials prevent our volunteer legal observers from having meaningful access to vote counting locations," Morgan said. "We prevailed in court on our challenge, but were deprived of valuable time and denied the transparency we are entitled to under state law."
Then there are the alleged problems in Nevada, Morgan continued, saying, "In Nevada, there appear to be thousands of individuals who improperly cast mail ballots."
And the Trump team is still optimistic when it comes to Arizona. Their team believes the president can still pull out a win there.
"Finally, the President is on course to win Arizona outright, despite the irresponsible and erroneous 'calling' of the state for Biden by Fox News and the Associated Press," Morgan said. "Biden is relying on these states for his phony claim on the White House, but once the election is final, President Trump will be re-elected."
The latest batch of votes counted in Arizona did show Trump cutting into Biden's lead. However, they might not be enough, considering that Trump needs 58% of remaining ballots to go his way. He garnered only 51% of the most recent batch.


theblaze--2020-11-06--University administrators apologize for Blue Lives Matter emblem, face calls to fire campus safety o

University administrators apologize for Blue Lives Matter emblem, face calls to fire campus safety officer

Here it comes

Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California, has issued an apology after one of its campus security officers displayed a Blue Lives Matter emblem during a Zoom meeting on diversity.
According to a Thursday report from Campus Reform, students called for the college to fire the security officer in question.
What are the details?
Following the outcry, several of the university's administrators sent an email to the campus community saying that the incident "damaged the trust and faith" placed in the higher learning institution.
The school, in its message, said that the Blue Lives Matter emblem — also referred to as the Thin Blue Line — is "widely considered an effort to undermine the Black Lives Matter movement."
"The assistant director of Campus Safety Services (CSS) participated in the event with a postcard on a bookshelf behind him that is widely considered to be an effort to undermine the Black Lives Matter movement and its universally important goals," a portion of the message read.
"We deeply apologize for this incident and the hurt it has caused," the administration added in its message.
What else?
The outlet reported that the school's College Republicans group said that the Santa Clara Multi-Cultural Center shared on its Instagram page a post from another group that said the postcard in question is also a "white supremacist icon" and an "anti-black symbol."
The very same post called for the safety officer to be fired.
"In regards to the events that took place at the end of our forum, we would like to apologize," the center said. "As a council, we overestimated the ability of the invited administrators to create and maintain a safe space necessary for BIPOC students. SCU has committed to being an 'anti-racist' institution, and from the actions demonstrated last night, this is clearly not the case."
Eoan Harrison, who is president of the school's chapter of College Republicans, told the outlet the group is "disappointed" with the university for labeling the apparently innocuous incident as one of "hatred."
"Santa Clara University College Republicans is firm in its support of our police officers and law enforcement," Harrison said in a statement on the matter. "We are ashamed of the university for their response to this incident. It is regrettable that SCU is choosing to label supporters of police officers racists."
The school has not announced the fate of the officer in question at the time of this reporting, but declined to comment on the matter, saying it was a "personnel matter."


theblaze--2020-11-06--Secret Service headed to Biden campaign HQ in Wilmington as Biden reportedly prepares to deliver big

Secret Service headed to Biden campaign HQ in Wilmington as Biden reportedly prepares to deliver big victory speech Things are @ @ @

The Secret Service is sending in extra agents to the Biden campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, beginning Friday to ramp up protection ahead of his possible assumption of the presidency.
What are the details?
According to the Washington Post, Biden's campaign is preparing for the possibility that former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden could soon claim a victory in the election against incumbent President Donald Trump.
"The Secret Service summoned a squad of agents to add to the protective bubble around Biden after his campaign told the agency that the Democratic nominee would continue utilizing a Wilmington convention center at least another day," the outlet reported, "and could make a major speech as early as Friday, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the security protocols."
Secret Service spokesperson Catherine Milhoan — as well as a spokesperson for the Biden campaign — declined to comment on the reports.
The ongoing controversy over election results may delay the Secret Service from providing Biden with the full regimen of protection that is normally afforded a president-elect while any pending controversies are resolved in court.
"Secret Service would probably feel duty-bound to ramp up protection before then, a former agent said," the Post added, pointing out that a similar scenario played out once before during the contested 2000 presidential election between former President George W. Bush and former vice president and Democratic nominee Al Gore.
What else?
TheBlaze reported on Friday that Biden took the lead in Pennsylvania, and a win in that state would put him over the 270-vote threshold in the electoral college.
The Trump campaign has promised a series of legal challenges to the results in several states, but most of those challenges have not yet been filed.


theblaze--2020-11-06--How were Trump and Biden different on election night?

How were Trump and Biden different on election night ?

During Wednesday's livestream, Steven Crowder pointed out the differences between President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
"Biden and Trump both gave a speech, and they were similar in a lot of ways. They were different in one," Crowder said.
In this clip, Crowder noted a difference in the energy behind statements issued by both 2020 presidential candidates. According to Crowder, while President Trump and Biden put a positive spin on the progress of the election, Trump displayed a willingness to fight for the position.
Watch the clip for more from Crowder.
Want more from Steven Crowder?
To enjoy more of Steven's uncensored late-night comedy that's actually funny, join Mug Club — the only place for all of Crowder uncensored and on demand.


theblaze--2020-11-06--Latest batch of Arizona votes cuts further into Joe Biden's lead

Latest batch of Arizona votes cuts further into Joe Biden 's lead

The latest batch of reported Arizona vote totals has cut further into Democratic nominee Joe Biden's lead in the state, netting President Donald Trump an additional 31,768 votes, compared to 28,285 for Biden. Biden's lead now stands at just under 44,000 votes, with an expected 200,000 remaining to be counted.
Although the numbers were encouraging for the Trump team, they may not have been enough. As of Thursday night, Trump needed to win approximately 58% of the remaining ballots in order to take the lead in Arizona, and instead he only won about 51% of this batch (compared to 46% for Biden). So, although Trump narrowed the gap with this batch, he did not narrow it as much as his campaign would have hoped.
Arizona continues to count votes, and election officials hope that the Arizona count will be substantially completed by the night. However, there are a fairly large number of provisional ballots in Arizona that may not be counted until the weekend, or even next week.
Arizona is one of four states — along with Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Nevada — that will likely determine the outcome of the presidential race between Trump and Biden. The race was "called" by Fox News late on election night and then a few hours later by the Associated Press, but most media outlets have not officially called the race. The Trump campaign has repeatedly insisted that they expect to win Arizona by around 30,000 votes.
If Trump does not win Arizona, his path back to the White House becomes extremely complicated and would require him to win Nevada (which looks like an increasing long shot) or win legal challenges to the current tabulated totals in one of the states that has currently been called for Biden. Winning Arizona remains the Trump campaign's clearest and by far easiest path to victory.


theblaze--2020-11-06--Antifa bro smashes up Portland church — so now it's forced to close shelter, halt homeless program t

Antifa bro smashes up Portland church — so now it's forced to close shelter, halt homeless program that provides meals to hundreds daily

Antifa bro smashes up Portland church — so now it 's forced to close shelter , halt homeless program that @ @ @ @ @

The surveillance video says it all.
A homeless person is curled up Wednesday night on the sidewalk outside the doors of St. Andre Bessette Church in downtown Portland, Oregon.
Image source: Saint Andre Bessette video screenshot
Then into the camera frame comes a marching group of black-clad Antifa militants.
One of them approaches the area where the homeless person is curled up, pays no attention to the individual, and proceeds to the task at hand: Busting up the church's doors and windows.
Image source: Saint Andre Bessette video screenshot
He then pathetically holds open the busted out door, presumably to let his comrades inside to do their usual ransacking and pillaging — but they ignore him as the terrified homeless person runs off.
Image source: Saint Andre Bessette video screenshot
Finally, one of his buddies armed with a black umbrella has to pry the thug away.
Image source: Saint Andre Bessette video screenshot
All in a night's work, eh?
What happened next?
Unfortunately, because of the extensive damage to the doors and windows, the church leader who filed the police report told officers the church was forced to close its shelter and halt homeless services for the foreseeable future because staff can't safely open or close the building's doors. St. Andre Bessette serves several hundred people a day, providing shelter, meals and other services to homeless individuals, police added.
"Until I can get the building secured, everything's coming to a stop," Father Tom Gaughan told KGW-TV. "So, there's hundreds of people that we would normally give out food to, and we're not gonna be able to because of this."
Gaughan added to the station that he didn't know how long it would take to make the building safe. St. Andre Bessette is a Catholic church.
Gaughan added to KOIN-TV that he's also suspending church services, including mass, until the building is secured — and that, for now, mass will be livestreamed on Facebook.
"We ask for everyones prayers for peace in our streets which is so long overdue and pray for our sisters and brothers who call the streets and shelters home," Gaughan also told KOIN. "Because the act of one person has prevented us from providing for hundreds of people over the course of a week."
What did public officials have to say?
Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese condemned those who damaged not just to the church but other downtown buildings as well: "Last night's criminal activity targeting the Downtown Portland neighborhood was reprehensible and impacts all Oregonians. The loss of shelter beds due to violence and vandalism comes at a time when we desperately need safe space for vulnerable individuals to seek refuge from a pandemic and colder, rainier weather. This hurts the community's efforts to get people off the streets and connected to the crucial resources they need."
Gov. Kate Brown condemned the "self-styled anarchist protesters, some armed" who "marched downtown last night, with no discernible goal other than to cause violence and vandalism," KOIN reported.
She added that they "shattered the windows of a church that feeds Oregonians in need, a women-owned and operated business that raises money for immigrant and women's rights, and many other storefronts. Indiscriminate destruction solves nothing. These are acts of privilege."


theblaze--2020-11-06--POLL: Will Nancy Pelosi remain the Speaker of the House?

POLL : Will Nancy Pelosi remain the Speaker of the House ?
Cast your vote and do n't forget to @ @

POLL: Will Nancy Pelosi remain the Speaker of the House?
Cast your vote and don't forget to share!


theblaze--2020-11-06--Disgraced Hillsong ex-pastor Carl Lentz posts picture of his wife and kids, admits he cheated on her

Disgraced Hillsong ex-pastor Carl Lentz posts picture of his wife and kids , admits he cheated on her

Carl Lentz, former Hillsong pastor, revealed that he was unfaithful to his wife and children in a lengthy Instagram post.
The admission comes just a day after Hillsong announced Lentz's ouster from the church, which pointed to the ex-pastor's "moral failures."
What are the details?
In an Instagram post, Lentz wrote, "Our time at HillsongNYC has come to an end. This is a hard ending to what has been the most amazing, impacting and special chapter of our lives."
He said that leading the church was an "honor in every sense of the word."
"When you accept the calling of being a pastor, you must live in such a way that it honors the mandate," Lentz said. "That it honors the church, and that it honors God. When that does not happen, a change needs to be made and has been made in this case to ensure that standard is upheld."
Lentz admitted that over the years at the church, he did "not do an adequate job of protecting my own spirit, refilling my own soul, and reaching out for the readily available help that is available."
"When you lead out of an empty place, you make choices that have real and painful consequences," he continued. "I was unfaithful in my marriage, the most important relationship in my life and held accountable for that. This failure is on me, and me alone and I take full responsibility for my actions."
Lentz said that he is beginning a journey of attempting to build trust with his wife, Laura, as well as his three children. The couple married in 2003.
"We, the Lentz family, don't know what this next chapter will look like, but we will walk into it together very hopeful and grateful for the grace of God," he concluded.
What else?
In a statement on the church's website, Hillsong founder Brian Houston announced that the church opted to terminate Lentz's employment for the "best interests of everyone" involved.
"The action has been taken following ongoing discussions in relationship to leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures," the statement added. "It would not be appropriate to go into detail about the events that led to this decision."
The church pointed out that it will not publicly comment further following the statement.


theblaze--2020-11-06--Georgia secretary of state: There will be a recount, nearly 9,000 military ballots still outstanding

Georgia secretary of state : There will be a recount , nearly 9,000 military ballots still outstanding 'We will get @ @ @ @ @ 'll defend the integrity of our election '

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) gave an update the state of vote-counting in the Peach State and said there will be a recount.
Former Vice President Joe Biden currently leads President Donald Trump by about 1,100 votes.
What's going on in Georgia?
Raffensperger held a news conference Friday morning to give an update on the tallying of votes in the state, saying that the results have been and will remain extremely close.
As a result, he said, there will be a recount.
According to Raffensperger, there are still 8,890 military ballots outstanding that will be counted if they are returned by the close of business Friday and were postmarked Nov. 4.
Out of 5 million votes cast, the margin will be only a few thousand, he predicted.
The secretary said the state said the race is still too close to call.
"With a margin that small, there will be a recount in Georgia," he said, adding, "The stakes are high, and emotions are high on all sides. We will not let those debates distract us from our work. We will get it right, and we'll defend the integrity of our election."
"In some states, there are complaints about monitors not being allowed to watch the count," Raffensperger continued. "In Georgia, this process is and will remain open and transparent to monitors."
"If any member of the public raises legitimate concerns, we'll investigate those," he said. "We are committed to doing anything and everything to maintaining trust for every Georgian, regardless of partisan preference."
Georgia voting system implementation manager Gabriel Sterling said the process is open for everyone to watch and encouraged people to do so.
According to Sterling, the state has seen no widespread irregularities so far. But he added, with a narrow margin, a small problem can impact the entire election; therefore, officials are taking all credible assertions of voting irregularities seriously and are investigating.
Sterling said the recount cannot occur until the election is certified, which could happen as late as Nov. 20. If the victor has wins by half a percentage point or less, the loser can request a recount.
Sterling said he "hoped" a statewide recount could be done in a week.


theblaze--2020-11-06--Lindsey Graham donates $500,000 to Trump's legal defense fund, says 'Philadelphia elections are croo

Lindsey Graham donates $500,000 to Trump's legal defense fund, says 'Philadelphia elections are crooked as a snake'

Lindsey Graham donates $ 500,000 to Trump 's legal defense fund , says 'Philadelphia elections are crooked as a snake' @ @ @ @ @ be on the table '

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) declared that he would donate $500,000 to President Donald Trump's legal defense fund. Graham announced the financial support of the Trump campaign's legal efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results on Thursday night during an appearance on Fox News' "Hannity."
"I'm here tonight to stand with President Trump," Graham told host Sean Hannity. "He stood with me, he's the reason we're going to have a Senate majority ... He helped Senate Republicans. We're going to pick up House seats because of the campaign that President Trump won.
"I'm going to donate $500,000 tonight to President Trump's defense legal fund," the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman said.
Lindsey Graham pledges $500K to Trump's legal fund www.youtube.com
The money will come from Graham's campaign account, according to a spokesperson.
Graham set a fundraising record for a Republican Senate candidate with $28 million in the third quarter during his re-election battle. His opponent, Democrat Jaime Harrison, raised $57 million in the third quarter, the most ever raised in that period by any U.S. Senate candidate. In total, Graham raised roughly $58 million, according to the Associated Press.
Graham went on to beat Harrison by 10 points in the 2020 election, 54.5% to 44.2%.
Earlier on Thursday, Donald Trump Jr. called out Republicans for not supporting the president, citing only Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) as exceptions.
"The total lack of action from virtually all of the '2024 GOP hopefuls' is pretty amazing," the president's son tweeted. "They have a perfect platform to show that they're willing & able to fight but they will cower to the media mob instead. Don't worry @realDonaldTrump will fight & they can watch as usual!"
When it was pointed out that Graham hadn't shown support for the president as of Thursday afternoon, Trump Jr. responded, "No one is surprised."
Graham's donation will help fund the Trump campaign's legal battle to contest the election procedures in the swing states of Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania.
During the "Hannity" interview, Graham discussed the presidential election, and proclaimed that the "allegations of wrongdoing are earth-shattering."
When asked if Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania and elsewhere should invalidate the election results if there is corruption, Graham said, "I think everything should be on the table." He also said, "Philadelphia elections are crooked as a snake."


theblaze--2020-11-06--Biden takes lead in Pennsylvania; a win would put Biden over the 270 electoral vote threshold for th

Biden takes lead in Pennsylvania; a win would put Biden over the 270 electoral vote threshold for the presidency

Biden takes lead in Pennsylvania ; a win would put Biden over the 270 electoral vote threshold for the presidency @ @ @ @ @ are from heavily Democratic areas

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden took the lead in the Pennsylvania vote count early Friday morning, according to the New York Times. A win in Pennsylvania would put Biden over the threshold of 270 electoral votes needed to take the presidency.
Just after 9 a.m., the vote totals stood at 3,295,304 for Biden and 3,289,717 for President Trump. The Times said that the remaining ballots left to be counted are coming from heavily Democratic areas in the state.
What are the details?
Trump had enjoyed a lead of near 700,000 votes earlier in the week before batches of mail-in ballots from blue areas like Philadelphia and its surrounding counties started rolling in, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. Democratic voters have heavily favored voting via mail-in ballots throughout the country.
Indeed, the Times, in a separate story, reported early Wednesday that Biden was winning absentee ballots by an overwhelming margin, according to data from the secretary of state, and that he'd take the Keystone State — and its prized 20 electoral votes — if the trend continued.
As of about 9 a.m. Thursday, the Pennsylvania Department of State election returns site reported Trump with a lead of just over 176,000, showing Biden closed the gap considerably, as late Wednesday morning he had just under 2.5 million votes, while Trump at the time had just over 3 million.
The Trump camp on Wednesday afternoon saw things differently.
"We are declaring a victory in Pennsylvania," Trump's campaign manager Bill Stepien said during a media call, according to Time White House correspondent Tessa Berenson. "This is not based on gut or feel. This is based on math."
Anything else?
Members of Trump's campaign Thursday allegedly were not being permitted to observe ballot-counting in the Philadelphia Convention Center despite a court order issued earlier in the day allowing them to do so.
A Philadelphia court ruled Thursday morning that poll watchers were allowed to be within six feet of ballot-counting at the Pennsylvania Convention Center rather than the previous 20-foot perimeter, KYW-TV reported.
However, two videos posted to social media show Trump campaign representatives — including Corey Lewandowski — declaring that they were being blocked from observing the count.
The Associated Press reported late Wednesday that Trump's campaign sued to stop the Pennsylvania vote count over lack of "transparency" and was seeking to intervene in the Supreme Court case. Fox News said the lawsuit was meant to overturn a SCOTUS decision that allows Pennsylvania to continue counting mail-in ballots received after Tuesday until Friday, as long as they were postmarked by Nov. 3.


theblaze--2020-11-06--Keith Olbermann loses it in latest anti-Trump rant: 'Trump must be removed and arrested, tonight!'

Keith Olbermann loses it in latest anti-Trump rant : 'Trump must be removed and arrested , tonight ! '

In an angry rant, former MSNBC and ESPN host Keith Olbermann embarked on yet another unhinged rant against President Donald Trump over the 2020 presidential election.
What are the details?
Olbermann shared video of the rant on Twitter Thursday night, writing, "TRUMP MUST BE REMOVED AND ARRESTED, TONIGHT. Gripped by a paranoid delusion, threatening the nation's safety, this can't wait any longer. It won't happen; in fact, he'll probably concede and instantly announce he's running in '24."
In the video, Olbermann called the president's voters — all 69 million of them and counting — "morons."
"The bad news is, I think the lame-duck president is now pivoting to Trump 2024," he warned, pointing to a recent New York Times report indicating that Trump is reportedly considering a third run at the White House if former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden wins the 2020 presidential election.
"When it's finally over, he utters this breathless sentence: 'I concede and I'm running for president in 2024. The rallies start next Friday,'" Olbermann added.
"Trump can still live in a version of the bubble that he and the 69 million morons who voted for him have lived in since 2015," he added. "Inside 'Trump World,' it's fun and exciting and there's no pandemic and nothing but white people and lots of guns and everybody will be a billionaire soon!"
Elsewhere during the evening, Vice President Mike Pence tweeted, "I Stand With President @realDonaldTrump," to which Olbermann fired back, "Then you need to be arrested and removed tonight as well."


theblaze--2020-11-07--NFL drops COVID hammer on 2 teams: Massive fines, lost draft pick for not following virus rules

NFL drops COVID hammer on 2 teams : Massive fines , lost draft pick for not following virus rules

The NFL wasn't playing when it said it was going to implement and enforce more stringent COVID protocols. After sending a first round of fines following Week 2 of the season, the league levied even bigger fines and punishments on two teams this week, according to ESPN.
Not only did the fines total in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, but also one team was stripped a 2021 draft pick.
Who screwed up?
The Las Vegas Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves in hot water this week. The NFL cracked down on the two clubs for violating the league's increasingly stringent COVID protocols.
In September, Raiders coach Jon Gruden and his team were fined $100,000 and $250,000 respectively for Gruden's failure to wear a mask on the sidelines during a game against the New Orleans Saints.
Now the team has suffered a new round of fines, and they have been stripped of their sixth-round pick in the 2021 draft, ESPN reported.
Gruden was fined another $150,000, and the club was dinged $500,000. A few players also faced smaller individual fines for violations.
ESPN's Adam Schefter said the recent round of fines were based on three main violations:
● Coach Gruden has failed to wear a mask consistently.
Gruden has repeatedly apologized for his lax masking, noting, "I've had the virus. I'm doing my best. I'm very sensitive about it.
● A number of players attended a large indoor gathering.
The event in question was an event for Raider tight end Darren Waller's charity, the Waller Foundation on Oct. 5. Multiple players were at the charity event but were massless and mingling with the crowd.
● The team permitted an non-credentialed person into their locker room after a game.
Gruden said during a video news conference, ""I'm just going to say [I'm] very proud of our organization, how we've handled this entire protocol and this entire process and I'm not going to comment any further than that. We, as I said last week, I believe we're on the cutting edge of being the best in servicing players and I'll leave it at that," ESPN reported.
The Steelers were fined a total of $350,000, according to a Friday morning EPSN report.
The team was slapped with a $250,000 fine for not wearing masks. And head coach Mike Tomlin was hit with a $100,000 penalty fo falling to wear a mask.
This story has been updated.


theblaze--2020-11-07--Pelosi: Biden has 'tremendous mandate' to carry out Democratic agenda

Pelosi : Biden has 'tremendous mandate ' to carry out Democratic agenda The speaker says he has ' a bigger @ @ @ @ @ '

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) insisted several times Friday that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has a "mandate" to carry out their party's agenda, referring to Biden as "president-elect" despite the fact that no winner has been declared in the close race between him and President Donald Trump.
What are the details?
In greeting reporters for her daily press briefing, Pelosi declared, "I wish we weren't wearing masks so we could see how exciting it is to come before you today with Joe Biden having the tremendous mandate that he has."
"This morning it is clear, that the Biden-Harris ticket will win the White House," she went on to say. "President-elect Biden has a strong mandate to lead."
Toward the end of her presser, the speaker added, "I think Joe Biden has a big mandate, a bigger mandate than John F. Kennedy when I was in school."
Pelosi pointed to that the fact that Biden received a record number of votes in the election as evidence that the American people have spoken for the Democratic agenda, but dismissed the fact that Democrats lost House seats while Republicans appear to have maintained control of the Senate.
But not everyone was convinced by Pelosi's claims.
GOP Sen. Roy Blunt (Mo.) told The Hill that the results from the general election show that the speaker will be forced to "give some ground" on the next coronavirus relief package.
"The vast majority of her members also think she has to give some ground here," Blunt said. "The liberal agenda was rejected by voters."
He added, "There was no mandate in this election."
Pundits also pushed back on Pelosi's "mandate" talk.
Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly tweeted, "Pelosi says Biden has a 'huge mandate.' Really? Dems lost seats when supposed to gain them in her chamber, d/n/gain control of Senate, saw DT win more votes than ever with minority groups, & did not see the promised Blue Wave. Truth will prevail in Jan. when gridlock settles in."
The Hill's Joe Concha wrote, "Pelosi saying Biden owns a 'huge mandate' after razor-thin margins in 7 battleground states is peak 2020..."
George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley reacted similarly, tweeting, "Nancy Pelosi just called the election 'a huge mandate' for Joe Biden. That is a rather curious statement given our ongoing monitoring of razor thin margins as well as the loss of seats in the House and the apparent failure to retake the Senate (despite record Democratic spending)."


theblaze--2020-11-07--Two Trump supporters shot in drive-by pellet gun attack at a corner rally in Florida

Two Trump supporters shot in drive-by pellet gun attack at a corner rally in Florida One woman was with 'Latinos @ @ @ @ @ in the temple

Police say someone drove by a street corner rally for President Donald Trump in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and fired into the crowd with a pellet gun, striking two supporters of the president.
Fort Lauderdale police said the two adult victims were treated at the scene for minor injuries and released.
Witnesses said that they saw a black Porsche SUV round the corner they have called "Freedom Corner" before the shots rang out.
Trump supporter Celeste Ellich told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that they had experienced drivers throwing water bottles at them but this was the first time someone shot at them with a pellet gun.
"You still should be able to stand there and peacefully protest," said Ellich. "I was waiting for something like this to potentially happen."
One of the victims spoke to WSVN-TV about the attack.
"I didn't come out here looking for trouble, I came out here with a flag to support my president!" said an emotional Evelyn Alvarez.
She showed the wound where she had been shot in the temple, very close to her eye.
"We were having a peaceful rally to show support for our president, just out here flag waving and with our signs," said Alvarez.
She said that they heard the occupants of the car shouting obscenities during the attack. Another woman was hit in the shoulder.
One Trump supporter posted video reportedly showing the aftermath of the shooting with the police response.
A similar incident was documented in the nearby neighborhood of Wilton Manors where two pedestrians were shot with paintball pellets by people driving by in a truck. No political motivation was reported in that attack.
Ellich, who is the director of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida, said that they would make sure future events ended before dark.
Here's a local news video about the attack:


theblaze--2020-11-07--Update in Arizona vote count shows Trump gaining on Biden, with 173k ballots left to be counted

Update in Arizona vote count shows Trump gaining on Biden , with 173k ballots left to be counted The country @ @ @ @ @ long election

An update to the vote tally in the key state of Arizona has President Donald Trump gaining on Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, but still behind with only 173,000 ballots left to count.
The updated count from Maricopa County on Friday evening included 71,932 votes, with 31,433 going to Biden, and 38,388 going to Trump. The difference means that the president added a net gain of 6,955 votes.
That brings the total tally thus far to 1,004,003 vote for Biden and 950,503 votes for the president. This leaves Biden with an advantage of 29,861 votes over the president.
With 173,000 Arizona ballots left to be counted, the margin gets harder and harder for the president to bridge.
That includes about 47,000 provisional ballots, according to Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.
As of Friday, Biden had already garnered about 253 electoral votes to the president's 214. The Trump campaign has said they expect to win Arizona, and without winning the state the president's pathway to 270 electoral votes becomes prohibitively difficult.
Officials expect to release the count from another tranche of early ballots on Saturday on 9 a.m. Protesters have gathered outside the Maricopa County Election Center since election day to demand a fair election ballot counting process.
Here's more about the election battle in Arizona:


theblaze--2020-11-07--Philadelphia mayor says Trump should 'put his big boy pants on' and concede, despite ongoing vote co

Philadelphia mayor says Trump should 'put his big boy pants on' and concede, despite ongoing vote count

Philadelphia mayor says Trump should 'put his big boy pants on ' and concede , despite ongoing vote count The @ @ @ @ @ call a winner in key states

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney (D) called on President Donald Trump to "put his big boy pants on" and concede the presidential race to Joe Biden on Friday, despite a number of key battleground states — including Pennsylvania — remaining too close to call.
What are the details?
"I think what the president needs to do is, frankly, put his big boy pants on and needs to acknowledge the fact that he lost and he needs to congratulate the winner, just as Jimmy Carter did, just as George H.W. Bush did, and, frankly, just as Al Gore did, and stop this and let us move forward as a country," Kenney said during an afternoon press conference. "That's my feeling."
Kenney added, "I doubt he'll listen to me, but that's it."
According to Fox News, Kenney and Philadelphia election officials explained that more than 40,000 ballots remained uncounted, and said it would take "several days" to reach a final tally.
The day before, President Trump alleged that Democrats were "trying to steal an election, they're trying to rig an election." He said that "in Pennsylvania, Democrats have gone to the state Supreme Court to try and ban our election observers and very strongly."
"They don't want anybody in there. They don't want anybody watching them as they count the ballots," he continued, saying "they are trying obviously to commit fraud."
He added, "In Philadelphia, observers have been kept far away, very far away. So far that people are using binoculars to try and see, and there's been tremendous problems caused. They put paper in all of the windows so you can't see in."
The president's comments appear to have conflated two separate events. In Philadelphia, there was a disagreement between the campaigns regarding the distance the campaign observers had to maintain from the workers who were counting the votes, who have been working live on camera since the counting started. Vote counting officials had set up a perimeter of 20 feet around the vote counters, while the Trump campaign wanted workers to be able to observe from six feet away. The disagreement ultimately led to litigation, which was resolved by an agreement.
The reference to paper on the windows may have been a reference to an incident in Wayne County, Michigan, in which local officials were concerned that unlicensed poll observers were trying to film vote counters and post video of them on social media through the windows. During the entire counting process in Wayne county, the Trump campaign had over 100 observers inside of the building. At no time has it been alleged that counting proceeded in Wayne County without observers from the Trump campaign present.
In response, Kenney said there is "not one iota of evidence" to support the president's claims, arguing, "What we have seen here in Philadelphia is democracy, purse and simple."
Philadelphia Mayor to Trump: Put your BIG BOY PANTS on www.youtube.com
The Washington Examiner reported that "thousands of ballots remain to be counted in Philadelphia," and that "officials in the state have yet to give a definitive timeline of when they expect the process to conclude."
The outlet further noted that the Trump 2020 campaign "has filed several lawsuits asking for a pause to the count, alleging 'irregularities' by poll workers."
Videos have circulated online in recent days purportedly showing poll workers in Pennsylvania's Delaware County filling out blank ballots. The clips sparked accusations of fraud, but county officials refuted the claims, explaining that the workers were simply transcribing from original ballots that had been damaged by voting machines.


theblaze--2020-11-08--Violence breaks out at Biden rally in Wisconsin

In what should have been a festive day for Biden supporters quickly turned violent at a rally in Madison, Wisconsin. A man at a Biden-Harris gathering brutally assaulted another rally-goer on Saturday, only hours after several media outlets declared that Joe Biden had won the 2020 presidential election.
The event featured Black Lives Matter flags flying as well as people holding signs that said: "Biden-Harris" and "Socialists believe black lives matter." At one point, a man with a blue shirt becomes agitated about an alleged missing phone.
"I dropped my phone," the man yells. "Get my phone. It was right there."
The man looks away and then viciously sucker-punches the person standing in front of him who didn't appear to instigate the violence and didn't appear to retaliate. The man lands several punches on the face of the person in front of him, as seen in the video taken by photojournalist Rebecca Brannon.
A police officer is standing in close proximity of the fight and quickly breaks up the brouhaha. The assailant runs away and is dragged to the ground by another man at the Biden-Harris rally. Police surround the attacker.
One of the speakers at the event tried to calm down the situation. "Come on! The last thing we want to do is see a black man get arrested by the police," she announced over the sound system.
"Black people just made history today and you want to be f***ing ignorant," a man screamed on a megaphone. "You want to bring the place down. F*** you!"
(Content Warning: Graphic video)
Earlier in the day, Biden called for "unity."
"With the campaign over, it's time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation," Biden said. "It's time for America to unite. And to heal.
There were other Biden celebrations in the United States on Saturday with large crowds, where social distancing wasn't possible.


theblaze--2020-11-07--Biden supporters flood streets over reported Biden victory — but media called Trump rallies 'super s

Biden supporters flood streets over reported Biden victory — but media called Trump rallies 'super spreader' events

So apparently COVID is over

Americans — including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) — flooded city streets nationwide Saturday afternoon after the media declared former Vice President Joe Biden the president-elect.
The massive crowds celebrated Biden's reported victory. Ironically, their gatherings come just one week after the media scolded President Donald Trump for allowing massive gatherings of supporters at his campaign rallies by circulating a study that claimed Trump's rallies resulted in hundreds of coronavirus deaths.
What are the details?
Immediately after news broke of Biden's projected victory, social media videos showed Biden's supporters pour into the streets to celebrate — all while in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
From Times Square in downtown Manhattan:
From Brooklyn:
Social justice activist Shaun King said of the situation in Brooklyn, "I'm telling you, right now in Brooklyn it looks, feels, and sounds like we just overthrew a dictator."
Schumer even joined the celebrations in New York City — and was caught without a mask, at least temporarily.
The situation in Washington, D.C., outside the White House was much of the same. Thousands gathered to mock Trump's impending election loss.
BREAKING: Celebrations ERUPT across US after 2020 presidential election called for Joe Biden www.youtube.com
What did the media say about Trump rallies?
The media spent much of the latter part of the election criticizing Trump for holding massive campaign rallies, and were quick to circulate a study that pinned culpability for COVID cases on Trump.
From Politico:
President Donald Trump's campaign rallies between June and September may have caused some 30,000 coronavirus infections and more than 700 deaths, according to a new study by Stanford University economists.
The working paper, released late Friday, examined the impact of 18 rallies held between June 20 and Sept. 30 by comparing spread of the virus after each event to parts of the country that didn't host rallies. The findings illustrate the risks of not heeding public health warnings to wear masks and avoid large gatherings to mitigate the risks of Covid-19, the authors — including B. Douglas Bernheim, the chair of Stanford's economics department — wrote.
Meanwhile, Vox declared, "The president is most likely a super spreader."
Saturday's massive celebrations came despite America experiencing its worst day of COVID-19 cases to date.
On Friday, the U.S. set a single day record of more than 126,000 new positive COVID-19 cases.


theblaze--2020-11-07--Biden campaign threatens to 'escort' President Trump out of the White House if he refuses to leave

Biden campaign threatens to 'escort ' President Trump out of the White House if he refuses to leave The president @ @ @ @ @ lost the election

The Biden campaign issued a veiled forewarning to President Donald Trump following the contentious 2020 presidential election, declaring that "trespassers" will be removed from the White House.
Multiple media outlets declared Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 election on Saturday morning, despite looming recounts and the Trump campaign claiming that there has been voter interference committed.
"This election is not over. The false projection of Joe Biden as the winner is based on results in four states that are far from final," Trump 2020 campaign general counsel Matt Morgan said in a statement. "Georgia is headed for a recount, where we are confident we will find ballots improperly harvested, and where President Trump will ultimately prevail."
The Trump campaign released a statement on Saturday declaring, "The simple fact is this election is far from over."
"We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don't want the truth to be exposed," Trump alleged.
On Saturday morning, Trump proclaimed: "I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!"
"Tens of thousands of votes were illegally received after 8 P.M. on Tuesday, Election Day, totally and easily changing the results in Pennsylvania and certain other razor thin states. As a separate matter, hundreds of thousands of Votes were illegally not allowed to be OBSERVED," the president tweeted. "This would ALSO change the Election result in numerous States, including Pennsylvania, which everyone thought was easily won on Election Night, only to see a massive lead disappear, without anyone being allowed to OBSERVE, for long intervals of time."
"Bad things took place during those hours where LEGAL TRANSPARENCY was viciously & crudely not allowed," Trump claimed. "Tractors blocked doors & windows were covered with thick cardboard so that observers could not see into the count rooms. BAD THINGS HAPPENED INSIDE. BIG CHANGES TOOK PLACE!"
On Friday, the Biden campaign hinted that Trump would be removed from the White House one way or another if the results of the election find that Biden has the 270 electoral votes needed to officially be named the winner.
"As we said on July 19th, the American people will decide this election. And the United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House," the statement from the Biden campaign read.
There is a report that Trump has yet to prepare a concession speech.
The Trump campaign has already filed several lawsuits regarding the election in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Nevada.


theblaze--2020-11-07--CNN's Jake Tapper celebrates Joe Biden's reported victory: 'Long national nightmare is over'

CNN anchor Jake Tapper channeled his inner Gerald Ford upon the media 's declaration that former Vice President Joe Biden is the president-elect — declaring America 's `` long national nightmare is over . ''
`` What a moment in history .
We have all been waiting on the edges of our seats since Tuesday .
It is the end , the end of a tumultuous presidency— a time of some accomplishments , no question , a time when many Americans throughout the country and in shuttered steel-towns and in rural America , they felt for the first time they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Tapper began .
`` But it has also been a time of extreme divisions , many of the divisions caused and exacerbated by President Trump himself , '' Tapper explained .
`` It 's been a time of several significant and utterly avoidable failures , and most tragically , of course , the unwillingness to respect facts and science and do everything that could be done to save lives during a pandemic , '' Tapper continued .
`` It has been a time where truth and fact were treated with disdain .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ where official inhumanity , such as child separation , became the official , shameful policy of the United States . ''
`` But now , the Trump presidency is coming to an end .
To an end .
With so many squandered opportunities and ruined potential , but also an era of just plain meanness , '' Tapper went on to say .
`` It must be said to paraphrase President Ford : For tens of millions of our fellow Americans , their long national nightmare is over , '' Tapper said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Upon taking the presidential oath of office in August 1974 , Ford — who was not elected president , but assumed the high office after Richard Nixon resigned — sought to encourage Americans that the Watergate Scandal that had besmirched Nixon 's White House was finally over .
`` My fellow Americans , our long national nightmare is over , '' Ford said .
`` Our Constitution works ; our great Republic is a government of laws and not of men .
Here the people rule .
But there is a higher Power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who ordains not only righteousness but love , not only justice but mercy , '' Ford continued .
`` As we bind up the internal wounds of Watergate , more painful and more poisonous than those of foreign wars , let us restore the golden rule to our political process , and let brotherly love purge our hearts of suspicion and of hate . ''

CNN anchor Jake Tapper channeled his inner Gerald Ford upon the media's declaration that former Vice President Joe Biden is the president-elect — declaring America's "long national nightmare is over."
"What a moment in history. We have all been waiting on the edges of our seats since Tuesday. It is the end, the end of a tumultuous presidency— a time of some accomplishments, no question, a time when many Americans throughout the country and in shuttered steel-towns and in rural America, they felt for the first time they felt heard, which is important," Tapper began.
"But it has also been a time of extreme divisions, many of the divisions caused and exacerbated by President Trump himself," Tapper explained.
"It's been a time of several significant and utterly avoidable failures, and most tragically, of course, the unwillingness to respect facts and science and do everything that could be done to save lives during a pandemic," Tapper continued. "It has been a time where truth and fact were treated with disdain. It was a time of cruelty, where official inhumanity, such as child separation, became the official, shameful policy of the United States."
"But now, the Trump presidency is coming to an end. To an end. With so many squandered opportunities and ruined potential, but also an era of just plain meanness," Tapper went on to say.
"It must be said to paraphrase President Ford: For tens of millions of our fellow Americans, their long national nightmare is over," Tapper said.
What was the reference to Ford?
Upon taking the presidential oath of office in August 1974, Ford — who was not elected president, but assumed the high office after Richard Nixon resigned — sought to encourage Americans that the Watergate Scandal that had besmirched Nixon's White House was finally over.
"My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over," Ford said.
"Our Constitution works; our great Republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here the people rule. But there is a higher Power, by whatever name we honor Him, who ordains not only righteousness but love, not only justice but mercy," Ford continued. "As we bind up the internal wounds of Watergate, more painful and more poisonous than those of foreign wars, let us restore the golden rule to our political process, and let brotherly love purge our hearts of suspicion and of hate."


theblaze--2020-11-07--Van Jones breaks down crying after news of Biden's reported election victory: 'People felt they coul

Van Jones breaks down crying after news of Biden's reported election victory: 'People felt they couldn't breathe'

Van Jones breaks down crying after news of Biden 's reported election victory : 'People felt they could n't breathe' @ @ @ @ @ a lot of people felt like they could n't breathe ' during Trump 's presidency

Several media outlets declared that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election on Saturday. Upon learning the news of Biden being reportedly elected, CNN commentator Van Jones broke down crying on-air.
Biden was said to have enough votes to win Pennsylvania, reportedly giving the former vice president the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. Moments after news broke that Biden had allegedly won, Jones had an emotional reaction to contemplating President Donald Trump being removed from the White House in January in favor of Biden and Kamala Harris.
"It's easier to be a parent this morning, it's easier to be a dad," Jones said as he sobbed on the live broadcast. "It's easier to tell your kids character matters, it matters. Tell them the truth matters. Being a good person matters."
"And it's easier for a lot of people. If you're Muslim in this country, you don't have to worry if the president doesn't want you here," Jones said as tears flowed down his cheek. "If you're an immigrant, you don't have to worry about your babies being snatched away or send DREAMers back for no reason. It's vindication for a lot of people who have really suffered."
"'I can't breathe,' that wasn't just George Floyd. A lot of people have felt they couldn't breathe," the media personality remarked.
"Every day you're waking up and getting tweets, and you're going to the store and people who have been afraid to show their racism are getting nastier and nastier to you," Jones alleged. "And you're worried about your kids, and you're worried about your sister, can she just go to Walmart and get back into her car without somebody saying something to her. And you've spent so much of your life energy just trying to hold it together."
"I just want my sons to look at this. It's easy to do it the cheap way, and get away with stuff. But it comes back around. It comes back around. And this is a good day for this country," Jones said of the reported election of Biden.
The Trump campaign has said that the race is "far from over" and promised to challenge the election results in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
"Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated," the Trump campaign said on Saturday.


theblaze--2020-11-07--President Trump fires back after media declare Joe Biden the president-elect: 'Far from over'

President Trump fires back after media declare Joe Biden the president-elect : 'Far from over' 'So what is Biden hiding @ @

President Donald Trump vowed Saturday to continue challenging the outcome of the election in the court system, even as the media declared former Vice President Joe Biden the president-elect.
As TheBlaze reported, shortly before noon on Saturday, multiple news outlets finally declared Biden the winner after his lead continued to grow in Pennsylvania and Georgia, states Trump needed to win for re-election.
What did Trump say?
In a lengthy statement, Trump attacked the media for declaring Biden the winner, and promised his campaign would ensure that no ballots cast illegally will be counted.
"We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don't want the truth to be exposed," Trump said.
"The simple fact is this election is far from over," he declared.
Trump's statement went on to say:
Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor. In Pennsylvania, for example, our legal observers were not permitted meaningful access to watch the counting process. Legal votes decide who is president, not the news media.
Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated. The American People are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots. This is the only way to ensure the public has full confidence in our election. It remains shocking that the Biden campaign refuses to agree with this basic principle and wants ballots counted even if they are fraudulent, manufactured, or cast by ineligible or deceased voters. Only a party engaged in wrongdoing would unlawfully keep observers out of the count room – and then fight in court to block their access.
So what is Biden hiding? I will not rest until the American People have the honest vote count they deserve and that Democracy demands.
Election experts, however, have said there is no evidence proving widespread voter fraud — and certainly not on the grand scale that would allow Trump to overcome his deficits in states like Michigan.
"The credible path is to actually be able to produce evidence in the individual states to show fraud, to throw the results in doubt. So far we have seen absolutely nothing that would rise to that level," election law expert Benjamin Ginsberg explained Friday, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Similarly, election law expert Richard Hasen told NPR, "Unless something new happens, I don't see a viable path for Trump to litigate his way out of an Electoral College loss."
Anything else?
Jenna Ellis, senior legal adviser to Trump's campaign, claimed the media are "ignor[ing] the rule of law" by declaring Biden the winner.
"Media coordinated efforts are attempting to simply declare Joe Biden the president and ignore the rule of law. There is no official winner until every legal vote is counted accurately, the states certify results, and all legal challenges are resolved," she said.