Alex Trebek Dead at 80

Alex Trebek the revered and beloved "Jeopardy!" host since 1984, whose calm but witty presence was must-see television for millions of Americans has died … TMZ has learned. A "Jeopardy!" spokesperson tells TMZ, "Jeopardy is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends." The TV icon had been battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer since announcing the news back in March 2019. He immediately started chemo after the diagnosis but made no plans to retire and continued hosting his game show … as impressively as ever.

Trebek powered through for a full year despite what he called "massive attacks of great depression that made me wonder if it was really worth fighting on" because he said he realized giving up on life would be a betrayal to his wife, God and other cancer patients. He pointed out the odds of surviving a second year with pancreatic cancer were just 7 percent, but he hoped he'd be able to celebrate that milestone too. Sadly, he took a turn for the worse. Alex continued to host "Jeopardy!" … recently beginning his 37th season, and earlier this year, he shot the epic 'Greatest of All Time' tournament on prime-time television. Ken Jennings, who won that 'G.O.A.T.' tournament reacted to Alex's passing, saying, "Alex wasn't just the best ever at what he did. He was also a lovely and deep decent man, and I'm grateful for every minute I got to spend with him." Ken's competitor James Holzhauer added, "It was one of the great privileges of my life to spend time with this courageous man while he fought the battle of his life. You will never be replaced in our hearts, Alex." The shows executive producer, Mike Richards, says, "Working beside him for the past year and a half as he heroically continued to host "Jeopardy!" was an incredible honor. His belief in the importance of the show and his willingness to push himself to perform at the highest level was the most inspiring demonstration of courage I have ever seen."

After his initial diagnosis, there were several ups and downs for Alex. In May 2019, he announced his tumors had shrunk more than 50 percent, obviously a great sign of progress, but his numbers declined and he began another round of chemotherapy a few months later. Still, he maintained a positive outlook … and did a lot of good throughout his ordeal. His soothing and reassuring voice was on display when he announced having cancer. Trebek who was signed to host the show through 2022 joked, "Truth told, I have to! Because under the terms of my contract, I have to host 'Jeopardy!' for three more years!" His commitment to the game show was a two-way street. When Alex took a brief medical leave in 2018 to have surgery for blood clots on his brain after a nasty fall, "Jeopardy!" never aired episodes with a guest host. He also suffered mild heart attacks in 2007 and 2012. Alex started his career on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1961 announcing the news, and quickly gained fame after hosting the high school quiz show, "Reach for the Top." He introduced himself to U.S. audiences in 1973 when he hosted a new NBC show called "The Wizard of Odds." That would lead to work on a variety of game shows … including "High Rollers" with his trademark curly hair and classic 'stache and a brief fill-in stint for Chuck Woolery on "Wheel of Fortune." Then, when the "Jeopardy!" gig a revival of the old show came up, Alex got the call. The show gained immense popularity with Alex at the helm … dominating the evening game show biz along with 'Wheel.' Alex winner of 6 Daytime Emmy Awards for outstanding game show host set a Guinness World record in June 2014 for most episodes (6,829) of a game show hosted. Despite his unprecedented and hugely successful run, Alex never viewed himself as a celeb or the "star" of the show. He said as much to Harvey Levin for an episode on "Objectified." Alex also told Levin he was seriously considering retirement before signing a contract extension. He seemed serious at the time … naming 2 potential replacements: L.A. Kings announcer Alex Faust and CNN legal analyst Laura Coates. Important to note … "Jeopardy!" producers say they are not announcing a new host right now.

https://www.tmz.com/2020/11/08/alex-trebek-jeopardy-host-dead-dies-stage-4-pancreatic-cancer/

>>11543985

Hmm, it was well publicized he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer at least a year ago if not longer..

>>11544012

Not always true..do the research.

GOP Veteran of Bush-Gore Battle: Dem Strategy Is to Let Courts Pick Election Winners

One of the top lawyers in Bush v. Gore says the onslaught of lawsuits filed by Democrats this election year is a “nationwide coordinated effort” to attack state laws that “guard against voter fraud.” And, he says, their goal is to let lawyers and courts — not voters — pick the election winners. Jim Bopp developed the legal rationale the Bush team used to argue and win its case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2000. Today, he’s watching as Democrats, led by their election lawyer Marc Elias, have filed more than 400 election-related lawsuits in this cycle. Elias, Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign attorney, is the founder of Democracy Docket, which describes itself as “the leading platform for progressive advocacy and information about voting rights, elections, redistricting and democracy.” It’s behind dozens of lawsuits across the US that pressured states to change their voting rules as the November election approached. The final step in the Democrats’ process, Bopp says, was to drive the election into the courts. “The lawsuits leading up were preparing the way by striking down as many anti-fraud protections as possible and radically expanding the number of mail-in ballots either through universal mail-in balloting or expanding absentee and then creating opportunities afterward for litigation that throws the determination of the results into the hands of election officials, lawyers and ultimately courts,” Bopp told InsideSources.

The Trump campaign filed suit to stop what it says is an illegal vote-counting process in Michigan and Pennsylvania until the campaign could be granted “meaningful access” to observe the opening and tallying of mail-in and absentee ballots. They also filed suit in Georgia, asking that state laws be followed in the processing of absentee ballots. Suits filed by Democrats in Pennsylvania had succeeded in striking down laws requiring mail-in and absentee ballots be received by election day and requiring a visible postmark, to prove they were mailed by Election Day. “What this does is provides for opportunities for people to game the system,” says Bopp. “They get to find out how many votes they need. And then, they have three or four days to get people or dummy up ballots, make sure they’re mailed so they won’t have a date stamp.” Bopp says Democrats were pushing for pre-paid envelopes for ballots, not because they think their supporters can’t afford a 50-cent stamp, but because pre-paid envelopes aren’t marked with a date stamp and therefore can be mailed after the election and still be counted. “Of course the Republicans have filed suits,” he says. “But they’re all defensive. What Republicans are doing are trying to defend legislative laws that have been enacted, that the Democrats are trying to change, or have changed.”

Other suits around the country have challenged laws requiring witness signatures, or requiring signatures on ballots to match signatures on file with elections offices. Others have forced counties to put up unattended drop boxes and open additional voting locations. In Philadelphia, public schools were turned into early voting centers, where people could walk in, request a mail-in ballot, fill it out on site, and turn it in immediately. Democrats also fought, successfully, to prevent Republicans from posting poll watchers in these locations. The first suits were filed by Democrats in 2018, in the run-up to the presidential election. “They were just practicing, and developing legal theories and things like that,” says Jim Bopp. “They also filed some suits this year prior to the primaries, and there were probably 40 or 50 of those… But you know they didn’t care about the primaries. They were practicing and developing their legal theories but also trying to knock down some key provisions or paving the way for universal mail-in balloting. “They had some success in that, but the big payoff was going to be this general election, and that’s why there’s over 400 cases.”

In Pennsylvania, the suits wiped away most state election laws and ballots and are now being handled in a way they’ve never been handled before. For example, in several counties, elections officials are contacting people who’ve not filled out their mail-in or absentee ballot correctly, or omitted a signature, and given them an opportunity to come in and fix it. “That’s illegal,” says Bopp. “There’s nothing in Pennsylvania state election law that permits a re-submission of your ballot.” The end goal with all the Democrat lawsuits, he says, is the high court. “You don’t do one Florida. You do 20 Floridas,” he says. “And why not?

https://www.insidesources.com/gop-veteran-of-bush-gore-battle-dem-strategy-is-to-let-courts-pick-election-winners/

>>11544309

Corn Pop..

Eyes On