Category: National Issues

Election expert pinpoints ‘the most sinister’ part of Georgia’s voting law that’s flying under the radar

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Georgia’s new voter suppression bill, which was signed into law by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday, has been slammed by its critics for the many ways in which it will make voting more difficult in the Peach State. But journalist Ari Berman, during a Thursday night appearance on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” zeroed in on what he considers the most disturbing part of the law: the fact that it gives Republican state officials in Georgia the power to take control of local election operations.

Maddow asked Berman, “If this law had been in place in Georgia in November 2020, when Trump came in and leaned on Georgia Republicans…. and said, ‘I need to have won Georgia — can you make that happen?’…. would they have been able to use Georgia law? Would they have been able to do it — do what Trump demanded, if this law had been in place?”

Berman responded, “Yes, if this law had been in place, Donald Trump absolutely might have succeeded in overturning the election in Georgia because his biggest Republican critic in Georgia was the secretary of state, (Brad Raffensperger)…. If the Republican legislature in Georgia had wanted to overturn the will of the voters, they could have done that through control of the State Board of Elections and through leaning on county board of elections. And this is why they have made this such a big part of the bill.” Continue reading.

Democrats see Georgia as opening salvo in war on voting rights

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Republican state legislators engaged in a nationwide effort to rewrite ballot access laws after the highest-turnout, most secure election in history scored their first major achievement Thursday when Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed a sweeping overhaul package into law that will restrict voter access to absentee ballots and ballot drop boxes.

In other states, Democrats watched with rising anxiety, knowing their legislatures are next.

“We’ve been watching Georgia pretty closely, and we knew our legislative Republicans were likely to introduce something as well,” said Michigan state Sen. Stephanie Chang (D), who represents part of Detroit and its southern suburbs. Continue reading.

Biden administration fires most Homeland Security Advisory Council members

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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas fired most members of the department’s independent advisory council on Friday, a purge that included several allies of former president Donald Trump and veteran officials who served under both parties.

Former Department of Homeland Security officials and advisory board members who worked under Democratic and Republican administrations said they could not remember so many members being dismissed at once, as the general practice of past administrations was to allow appointees to serve out their terms before replacing them.

The council is unpaid and includes leaders from state and local government, law enforcement, the private sector and academia who advise the agency on issues such as immigration, terrorism, crime and national disasters. Members serve one- to three-year terms and meet about four times a year. Continue reading.

Far-Right Extremists Move From ‘Stop the Steal’ to Stop the Vaccine

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Extremist organizations are now bashing the safety and efficacy of coronavirus vaccines in an effort to try to undermine the government.

Adherents of far-right groups who cluster online have turned repeatedly to one particular website in recent weeks — the federal database showing deaths and adverse reactions nationwide among people who have received Covid-19 vaccinations.

Although negative reactions have been relatively rare, the numbers are used by many extremist groups to try to bolster a rash of false and alarmist disinformation in articles and videos with titles like “Covid-19 Vaccines Are Weapons of Mass Destruction — and Could Wipe out the Human Race” or “Doctors and Nurses Giving the Covid-19 Vaccine Will be Tried as War Criminals.”

If the so-called Stop the Steal movement appeared to be chasing a lost cause once President Biden was inaugurated, its supporters among extremist organizations are now adopting a new agenda from the anti-vaccination campaign to try to undermine the government. Continue reading.

FBI: Texas Man Hurled Lit Firecracker at Cops During Capitol Riot

The FBI arrested a Texas man on Friday who allegedly hurled a lit firecracker at police officers during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. David Judd, 35, has been charged with assaulting police, resisting or impeding officers, and civil disorder for what prosecutors describe as his attack against police guarding the Capitol building’s Lower West Terrace doors. Judd was taken into custody by the Dallas FBI field office on Friday morning. According to an affidavit, he was caught on surveillance footage joining other protesters in trying to shove their way through a line of police officers. He then allegedly helped other protesters use riot shields stolen from police to make a “shield wall” against officers before lighting a firecracker and throwing it at the line of officers.

A fellow member of the crowd was apparently so shocked by the move that they yelled: “You going to do that and run away! What the fuck.” According to the affidavit, that same unidentified person then notified others in the area that “he threw a firecracker, a big giant, what the…” In addition to being captured in footage from the riots, Judd also posted to social media before the rally boasting of having “a license to carry a firearm” before proclaiming it was time to “fight to save this country and support the greatest president,” federal prosecutors say. View the post here.

A friend of Trump admits that the myth of Biden’s senility just crumbled in the face of reality

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Geraldo Rivera has long been a supporter and apologist of former President Donald Trump. In fact, the former talk show host even describes Trump as a friend. But despite his loyalty to the former president, Geraldo is pushing back against Trump’s insulting claims about President Joe Biden.

During an appearance on “Fox & Friends” on Friday, March 26, Rivera was asked about the president’s performance during his first press briefing on Thursday.

Although Geraldo admitted that he was disappointed about Biden’s decision not to call on Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy when taking questions from reporters, he noted that the president is not as “senile” as Trump previously claimed, reports Mediaite. Continue reading.

Company with Trump administration tie may be COVID-19 vaccine bottleneck

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Company may be part of the reason why Johnson & Johnson vaccines are delayed

A pharmaceutical contractor under scrutiny for its ties to former government officials could be one of the bottlenecks holding up the production of millions of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.

Emergent BioSolutions, the U.S. company making “drug substance,” the active ingredient in the vaccines, is still awaiting regulatory authorization, according to a company official familiar with the process. Emergent-made doses were not included in the paperwork Johnson & Johnson submitted to the Food and Drug Administration. That means that the material Emergent makes would not be available to be used for vaccines that can be administered in the United States now. 

Johnson & Johnson is due to deliver 20 million doses by the end of March, but just 4.7 million had been delivered as of March 25, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Continue reading.

Fox News reporter complains Biden doesn’t take his outlet’s questions — and Jen Psaki sets him straight

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During Joe Biden’s two months as president, Fox News’ Peter Doocy has been a fixture at White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s news conferences — and she has been much more polite with him than former President Donald Trump’s press secretaries typically were with CNN reporters. But during a press briefing on Friday, Doocy claimed that Biden was marginalizing Fox News — and Psaki politely but firmly set him straight.

Doocy, the 33-year-old son of Fox News’ Steve Doocy, claimed, “Any time that the president has an event where he is given a list of reporters to call on, Fox is the only member of the five-network TV pool that has never been on the list in front of the president. And I’m just curious if that is an official administration policy.”

Psaki, who has taken questions from Doocy many times, responded, with a smile, “We’re here having a conversation, aren’t we? And do I take questions from you every time you come to the briefing room? Has the president taken questions from you since he came into office, yes or no?” Continue reading.

Biden: Georgia law is ‘Jim Crow in the 21st century’

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President Biden on Friday sharply criticized a new restrictive voting law passed in Georgia, accusing the state’s Republicans of rushing to enact an “un-American law to deny people the right to vote.”

“This law, like so many others being pursued by Republicans in statehouses across the country is a blatant attack on the Constitution and good conscience,” Biden said in a statement issued by the White House Friday afternoon.

“This is Jim Crow in the 21st century. It must end. We have a moral and constitutional obligation to act,” he continued. Continue reading.

Pelosi appoints first Black sergeant-at-arms

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday appointed Gen. William J. Walker to serve as the next House sergeant-at-arms, making him the first African American to hold the position.

Why it matters: Paul D. Irving, the former sergeant-at-arms, resigned one day after the pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan 6.

Details: Walker is the commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, where he is responsible for the strategic leadership and training of Army and Air Force guard. Continue reading.