Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 2:49 a.m. No.11624016   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4323 >>4534 >>4735

Who’s meddling now? Zuckerberg tells employees it’s ‘clear’ Biden won still-contested US election

13 Nov, 2020 04:18 / Updated 6 hours ago

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly called the 2020 US presidential election for Democrat Joe Biden, soothing employees’ minds while engaging in the sort of meddling his platform purports to fight.

Apparently disregarding Facebook’s public-facing image as a fierce opponent of election meddling by entities not legitimately involved in the political process, Zuckerberg dived into the fray during a Thursday company-wide town hall, according to an audio of the meeting first obtained by Buzzfeed and later confirmed by CNBC.

 

“I believe the outcome of the election is now clear and Joe Biden is going to be our next president,” Zuckerberg reportedly told the assembled crowd. “It’s important that people have confidence that the election was fundamentally fair, and that goes for the tens of millions of people that voted for Trump.”

https://www.rt.com/usa/506546-zuckerberg-clear-election-biden/

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 2:52 a.m. No.11624037   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4323 >>4534 >>4735

Jeffy might have got some of these yet I am gonna do 'em anyways and whatever sticks, sticks.

 

'Not a fraud case': Trump campaign's Arizona lawyer rebuts 'stop the steal' in case shifted from Sharpies to 191 votes

by Emily Larsen, Political Reporter | | November 13, 2020 04:45 AM

 

President Trump says that the 2020 election was "stolen" as his supporters cry "stop the steal" at protests across the country, alleging widespread election fraud.

 

But a lawyer representing Trump's campaign rejected that argument when it comes to the legal complaints about ballot tabulation in Maricopa County, the most populous county in Arizona.

 

“This is not a fraud case. It is not a stealing-the-election case,” said Kory Langhofer, the lawyer representing the Trump campaign and the Arizona Republican Party, in a six-hour court hearing on Thursday. He called the case a "relatively boring an anodyne case about the proper procedures being followed."

 

In another comment, Langhofer echoed concerns of Democrats warning that Trump's allegation of widespread fraud is harmful to the democratic system of the United States.

 

"The words we use here have real effects in the real world and the confidence in our public systems," Langhofer said. "I just want to be very clear on the record about what we're talking about here and what we are not."

 

What started as a lawsuit based on a now-debunked theory that bleed-through from Sharpie markers caused tabulation errors in how ballots in Maricopa County has turned into a narrowly focused case about a small number of ballots (191 so far) unlikely to make a difference in the presidential election results in the Grand Canyon State.

 

At issue in the case is whether some in-person Election Day voters' ballots were improperly pushed through a tabulation machine after being flagged as having a problem. Trump's legal team presented several witnesses at the hearing who said that a poll worker pushed, or they were instructed to push, a "green button" that caused the ballot to be accepted.

 

The green-button direction would process votes that had an "overvote" in which the machine found that a selection was made for multiple candidates in a contest rather than just one, causing no vote to be recorded for that candidate. The witnesses testified that they were instructed or pushed the green button despite not having selected multiple candidates in any race. After reading more information online, they question whether their votes counted.

MORE AT LINK:

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/not-a-fraud-case-trump-campaigns-arizona-lawyer-rebuts-stop-the-steal-in-case-shifted-from-sharpies-to-191-votes

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 2:52 a.m. No.11624039   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4323 >>4534 >>4735

China about to pull off ‘diplomatic coup’ by striking world’s largest free trade agreement

13 Nov, 2020 09:22

Fifteen Asia-Pacific nations including China and Japan plan to sign the world’s biggest free trade deal this weekend. The FTA will cut tariffs, strengthen supply chains with common rules of origin, and codify new e-commerce rules.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is expected to be announced at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, which Vietnam is hosting virtually. It will involve the ten member states of the ASEAN bloc – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – as well as their trade partners Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea.

 

The new economic bloc will thus represent around a third of the world’s gross domestic product and population.

 

It will become the first-ever free trade agreement to include China, Japan, and South Korea – Asia’s first, second and fourth-largest economies. One of the original partners, India, said last November that it would not participate in the negotiations due to concern that opening up its market would cause its trade deficit with China to grow.

 

https://www.rt.com/business/506564-china-worlds-largest-free-trade/

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 2:55 a.m. No.11624054   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4157 >>4323 >>4534 >>4735

Donald Trump attacks Fox News: 'They forgot the golden goose'

President turns to right-wing network Newsmax for support after Fox warned viewers Trump’s election victory claims were false

Helen Sullivan

Thu 12 Nov 2020 22.26 EST Last modified on Fri 13 Nov 2020 02.25 EST

 

Donald Trump has unleashed a torrent of tweets denouncing Fox News, accusing the network of having forgotten “what made them successful, what got them there”.

 

“They forgot the Golden Goose,” Trump wrote in a tweet posted at midday on Thursday:

 

The tirade was posted after the president, who has refused to acknowledge his election loss to Democratic nominee Joe Biden, retweeted multiple comments from supporters, many of which expressed the view that they would instead be relying on right-wing cable channel and website Newsmax.

 

Late on Thursday, the top story on Newsmax.com was headlined “Sen. Ted Cruz to Newsmax TV: ‘Media Don’t Get to Decide Presidency’.”

 

Among Trump’s retweets was one by a user called “Appalachian Christian”, who said: “Suit yourself Left Fox 4 NewsMaxxxxx.”

 

Fox was one of the first news organisations to call the state of Arizona for Biden and has warned its readers that Trump’s claims of victory are false.

 

On Monday night, Fox host Neil Cavuto cut away from a campaign event hosted by the White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany at the Republican National Committee headquarters when McEnany said that Trump’s campaign team “wanted every legal vote to be counted”.

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa – I just think we have to be very clear. She’s charging the other side as welcoming fraud and welcoming illegal voting. Unless she has more details to back that up, I can’t in good countenance continue to show you this,” Cavuto said from the studio.

 

Trump on Monday claimed without evidence that the network’s “ratings have completely collapsed.”

 

Trump’s embrace of Newsmax has however translated into a ratings boost, with viewership jumping from an average of 65,000 people before the election to 800,000 viewers of its prime time shows this week, according to Nielsen data quoted in the New York Times, which reports that the NewsMax app was the fourth most popular on the Apple App Store on Thursday.

 

Later on Thursday, however, Trump tweeted his praise for two Fox hosts, both long-time Trump loyalists, touting a “must see” segment by commentator Sean Hannity and a “confirming and powerful piece” by Fox Business Network anchor Lou Dobbs.

MORE AT LINK:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/13/donald-trump-attacks-fox-news-they-forgot-the-golden-goose

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 2:57 a.m. No.11624069   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4081 >>4137 >>4323 >>4534 >>4658 >>4735

No evidence of US election fraud, says coalition of federal and state officials

Presidential poll was the most secure ever, says statement from cybersecurity experts, in clearest repudiation yet of Donald Trump’s claims

Reuters

Fri 13 Nov 2020 00.51 EST Last modified on Fri 13 Nov 2020 02.24 EST

 

A coalition of US federal and state officials have said they have no evidence that votes were compromised or altered in last week’s presidential election, rejecting unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud advanced by Donald Trump and many of his supporters.

 

The statement from cybersecurity experts, which trumpeted the 3 November election as the most secure in American history, amounted to the most direct repudiation to date of the outgoing president’s efforts to undermine the integrity of the contest.

 

It echoed repeated assertions by election experts and state officials over the last week that the election unfolded smoothly without broad irregularities.

 

“While we know there are many unfounded claims and opportunities for misinformation about the process of our elections, we can assure you we have the utmost confidence in the security and integrity of our elections, and you should too,“ the statement said. “When you have questions, turn to elections officials as trusted voices as they administer elections.”

 

The statement was distributed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which spearheaded federal election protection efforts. It was tweeted by the agency’s director, Chris Krebs, who just hours earlier had been the subject of a Reuters story that said he had told associates he expected to be fired by Trump. Krebs has been vocal on Twitter in repeatedly reassuring Americans that the election was secure and that their votes would be counted.

 

“America, we have confidence in the security of your vote, you should, too,” he wrote.

 

The officials who signed the statement said they had no evidence that any voting system had deleted or lost votes, had changed votes, or was in any way compromised.

 

They said all of the states with close results have paper records, which allows for the recounting of each ballot, if necessary, and for “the identification and correction of any mistakes or errors”.

 

“The election was the most secure in American history. Right now, across the country, election officials are reviewing and double checking the entire election process prior to finalising the result,” the statement said.

 

The message is in stark contrast to Trump’s unsupported claims of fraud and widespread problems that he insists could affect vote totals.

MORE AT LINK:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/13/no-evidence-of-us-election-says-coalition-of-federal-and-state-officials

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 2:59 a.m. No.11624087   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4323 >>4534 >>4735

Lawsuit Claims 40,000-Plus Fraudulent Ballots Pumped Through Detroit For Joe Biden

Eyewitnesses testify they saw approximately 40,000 irregular ballots arrive in vehicles with out-of-state plates during an early-morning poll worker shift change Nov. 4. That's not even the half of it.

By Joy Pullmann

NOVEMBER 12, 2020

A lawsuit filed Nov. 8 in Michigan alleges that Detroit, Mich. elections officials oversaw and openly encouraged election fraud totaling many “tens of thousands” of fraudulent ballots, plus other illegal election-tampering.

 

The complaint filed by an in-state conservative nonprofit legal group alleges numerous instances of illegal and suspicious activity in the Democrat stronghold encompassing Detroit, Wayne County. President Trump’s legal team has filed a separate lawsuit alleging additional voting crimes and irregularities in the county.

 

The current results of the presidential race in Michigan suggest an approximately 146,000-vote gap between President Trump and Joe Biden, and an 84,000-vote gap between U.S. Senate candidates Gary Peters (D) and John James (R). The Associated Press and the state’s Democrat officials say Biden has won the state’s electoral votes and that Trump’s claims of fraud are insulting and inaccurate.

 

Wayne County is estimated to have been the site of some 850,000 votes this year. If this lawsuit is accurate, however, a massive portion of these votes is fraudulent.

 

The Great Lakes Justice Center complaint provides “eyewitness accounts and direct evidence” that “approximately 40,000” unsecured, irregular ballots arrived in vehicles with out-of-state license plates at Detroit’s only vote-counting location, TCF Center, in the wee hours of the Nov. 4 morning during a shift change in election workers. Eyewitnesses signed affidavits saying that every one of this group of 40,000 ballots they saw “was counted orally and attributed only to Democratic candidates,” specifically Joe Biden.

 

Other eyewitnesses signed affidavits under penalty of perjury stating they saw multiple other piles of ballots, together additionally numbering in the tens of thousands, that were counted despite violating election law, sometimes at the direction of local election officials. This allegedly happened both before the election, during early voting, and during the election and subsequent vote count.

 

“After poll challengers started discovering the fraud taking place at the TCF Center, Defendant election officials and workers locked credentialed challengers out of the counting room so they could not observe the process, during which time tens of thousands of ballots were processed,” the complaint says. It also alleges:

 

“Defendant election officials and workers allowed ballots to be duplicated by hand without allowing poll challengers to check if the duplication was accurate. In fact, election officials and workers repeatedly obstructed poll challengers from observing. Defendants permitted thousands of ballots to be filled out by hand and duplicated on site without oversight from poll challengers.”

Poll challenger Daniel Gustafson signed an affidavit stating he “witnessed tens of thousands of ballots being delivered to the TCF Center that were not in any approved, sealed, or tamper-proof container…Large quantities of ballots were delivered to the TCF Center in what appeared to be mail bins with open tops. Contrary to law, these ballot bins and containers did not have lids, were not sealed, and did not have the capability of having a metal seal.”

The Federalist reported earlier this week on one affidavit filed in this complaint, from former Michigan Assistant Attorney General Zachary Larsen, but there are many, many more, and the details are scandalous.

MORE AT LINK:

https://thefederalist.com/2020/11/12/lawsuit-claims-40000-plus-fraudulent-ballots-pumped-through-detroit-for-joe-biden/

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 3 a.m. No.11624095   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4132 >>4190 >>4323 >>4534 >>4735

Republicans Pick Up Tenth House Seat With New York Victory

NOVEMBER 12, 2020 By Tristan Justice

House Republicans added one more to their ranks this week after New York Democratic Rep. Max Rose conceded defeat Thursday in the Staten Island-area district.

 

“I received a gracious phone call from Rep. Max Rose today conceding the election,” wrote State Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis on Twitter. “I want to thank him for his service to our nation in both the military and in Congress. We agreed to work together on a seamless transition to best serve our constituents.”

Rose, a freshman Democrat in the lower chamber had flipped the seat two years ago in what is widely considered one of the most conservative districts in New York City. Rose was one of 41 Democratic lawmakers to oust Republicans in 2018 to reclaim the House majority halfway into President Donald Trump’s first term putting California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi back in the speaker’s chair.

 

The Republican victory in New York marks the GOP’s tenth pick-up for a net gain of six seats in the House, a majority of whom are women.

MORE AT LINK:

https://thefederalist.com/2020/11/12/republicans-pick-up-tenth-house-seat-with-new-york-victory/

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 3:02 a.m. No.11624108   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4117 >>4118 >>4323 >>4534 >>4735

The Shady Ex-Cop Behind Trump’s Nevada Voter Fraud Farce

SIN CITY SLEAZE

Known for cavorting with criminal strip-club operators and scandals galore, the head of the Nevada GOP is the perfect hype man for a hopeless mission.

John L. Smith

Published Nov. 13, 2020 3:21AM ET

LAS VEGAS—Donald Trump couldn’t have found a better MAGA minion to lead his Nevada voter fraud snipe hunt than Michael McDonald.

 

An ex-cop with a long history of ethical entanglements, suspect friendships, and outright scandals, McDonald—now chair of the state Republican Party—is made-to-order to represent the Trump brand. In tandem with failed gubernatorial candidate Adam Laxalt, McDonald heads the scattered squad of Trump loyalists overhyping fact-free claims and lawsuits that continue to be shredded by state Attorney General Aaron Ford and swatted down in court.

 

Widespread voter fraud enabled by a lack of ballot-count observers? Nope. Armies of out-of-state Democrats flowing into Nevada to cast ballots? Try again. Would you believe throngs of dead people turned out for Joe Biden in the Silver State? They didn’t.

MORE AT LINK:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/michael-mcdonald-the-shady-ex-cop-behind-trumps-nevada-voter-fraud-farce?ref=home

[They] are extremely desperate

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 3:05 a.m. No.11624114   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4323 >>4534 >>4735

UK summons Chinese ambassador after expulsion of Hong Kong MPs

The government views China's latest action as part of a campaign to stifle all voices critical of Beijing's policies.

By Greg Heffer, political reporter

Thursday 12 November 2020 14:23, UK

 

The government has summoned China's ambassador to register "deep concern" after Beijing ordered the expulsion of four opposition MPs from Hong Kong's parliament.

 

Kwok Ka-ki, Alvin Yeung, Dennis Kwok and Kenneth Leung were banished from the territory's assembly for allegedly endangering national security.

 

They were expelled under a new Chinese law banning supporters of Hong Kong independence from holding office.

 

The action saw the remaining opposition members of Hong Kong's parliament resign en masse and means the territory's pro-Beijing government is now effectively unchallenged in the legislature.

MORE AT LINK:

https://news.sky.com/story/uk-summons-chinese-ambassador-after-expulsion-of-hong-kong-mps-12130665

CCP desperation is some of the sweetest.

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 3:06 a.m. No.11624123   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4150 >>4323 >>4534 >>4735

South Africa Ruling Party Official Charged With Graft, Fraud

By S'thembile Cele and Gemma Gatticchi

November 13, 2020, 5:14 AM EST

ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule appears in court

South African president has vowed to crackdown on corruption

 

South African prosecutors charged the second-highest ranking official in the nation’s ruling party with corruption, fraud and money-laundering.

 

The charges were put to African National Congress Secretary-General Ace Magashule at a court appearance in the Magistrate Court in the central city of Bloemfontein on Friday. The court granted Magashule bail of 200,000 rand ($12,827).

 

Magashule, who currently oversees the day-to-day running of the ANC, is the highest-profile serving politician to face charges since President Cyril Ramaphosa took office in 2018 and pledged to crack down on the corruption that became endemic during his predecessor Jacob Zuma’s rule. The government estimated that more than 500 billion rand was stolen.

 

The case against Magashule relates to a 255 million-rand asbestos audit contract that was awarded in the Free State, according to the police’s special investigating unit. Four government officials and business people were also detained in connection with the contract in September.

 

While the legal processes against Magashule could take years to be concluded, he may be politically sidelined in the interim. That’s because the party has instructed all its members facing charges to step aside from their posts until their cases are concluded – although not all of them have complied.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-13/south-africa-ruling-party-official-charged-with-graft-fraud?srnd=premium

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 3:09 a.m. No.11624140   🗄️.is 🔗kun

China congratulates Joe Biden, Kamala Harris

Xinhua

13 Nov 2020, 19:18 GMT+10

 

BEIJING, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) – China on Friday congratulated Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, saying China will respect American people's choice.

 

"China has been following U.S. domestic and international reactions to the U.S. presidential election," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a daily press briefing.

 

"We understand the result of the election will be determined according to the U.S. laws and procedures," Wang added.

https://www.chinanews.net/news/266970721/china-congratulates-joe-biden-kamala-harris

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 3:09 a.m. No.11624141   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4323 >>4534 >>4735

Court asked to extend TikTok stay of execution

Xinhua

12 Nov 2020, 02:04 GMT+10

 

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) – Video-sharing social networking platform TikTok announced Tuesday that it has filed a petition to a federal appeals court seeking to invalidate the U.S. government's divestiture order issued in August.

 

According to an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump in August, TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance needs to sell or spin off its U.S. TikTok business within 90 days, which means Thursday.

 

TikTok said in a statement that it had asked the government for a 30-day extension because it was "facing continual new requests and no clarity on whether our proposed solutions would be accepted" but it had not been granted one.

 

"We have no choice but to file a petition in court to defend our rights and those of our more than 1,500 employees in the U.S.," it added.

 

On the pretext of national security threat, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) conducted a probe into ByteDance's 2017 acquisition of Musical.ly, the predecessor to TikTok, in the fall of 2019.

 

This September, Trump gave a preliminary approval for ByteDance to sell the popular app to U.S. buyers. However, the U.S. administration gave no further decision following the news of a deal among ByteDance, Oracle and Walmart.

 

TikTok said it had actively engaged with CFIUS in good faith for years to address the latter's concerns, even as "we disagree with its assessment," but the fact of no feedback in nearly two months to its proposed solutions to finalize the three-parts agreement forced the company to appeal before the deadline.

 

Separately, District Judge Wendy Beetlestone of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on Oct. 30 temporarily blocked a Trump order that would ban U.S. companies from doing business with TikTok from Nov. 12.

 

The judge ruled that she found the U.S. government's "own descriptions of the national security threat posed by the TikTok app are phrased in the hypothetical" and therefore she could not find that "the risk presented by the government outweighs the public interest in enjoining" the ban.

 

Beetlestone's decision came after a separate ruling by Judge Carl Nichols of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Sept. 27, which blocked the White House's ban on TikTok downloads in the country.

 

Many American pundits also questioned Trump's orders designed to ban business of TikTok and ByteDance in the country.

 

Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of the University of Berkley School of Law, said at an panel of experts online hosted by the Asia Society in October, that Trump's bans had no legal standing on Constitutional grounds, and the act was a clear violation of the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech.

 

"There is no compelling 'interest,' no demonstration of a real national security problem, no proof that there was no other way, plus the ban restricts the people's right to transmit and receive information," he said."

https://www.chinanews.net/news/266953569/court-asked-to-extend-tiktok-stay-of-execution

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 3:16 a.m. No.11624170   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4194

Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, but misinformation will continue to win

Nathan Bomey 4:11 am 11 13 2020 USA TODAY

 

The election is over, but the misinformation age is just beginning.

 

While President Donald Trump, who has been a major disseminator of falsehoods, lost the election to Democratic challenger Joe Biden, the allure of conspiracy theories, misleading videos and digital lies will endure.

 

Experts say the propagators of misinformation – ranging from nefarious foreign actors like Russia to American politicians to ordinary folks who have no idea they’re sharing falsehoods – will continue to flourish even as mainstream social media companies take a more aggressive stance against them.

 

“Misinformation will remain a potent force in American politics,” said Josh Pasek, a University of Michigan professor and expert on misinformation and political communication.

 

One key reason: With Trump out of power, his legion of supporters will be energized to circulate posts, memes and videos that undermine Biden, misinformation experts say. Still others will fall into the basic human trap of sharing, posting or commenting on misleading content that they have no idea is off base.

 

“The forces that have made President Trump’s misinformation such an effective strategy for him won’t go away,” said Brendan Nyhan, a Dartmouth College political scientist who has studied the issue. “The same incentives will exist for politicians, cable news networks and partisan websites to create misinformation. If anything, they’ll have a more receptive audience because negative information about a Biden administration will be even more appealing.”

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2020/11/13/trump-administration-ending-misinformation-age-continues-after-election/6128246002/

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 3:16 a.m. No.11624171   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4323 >>4534 >>4735

House GOP Leader Defends Incoming QAnon Supporters, Stands With Trump

A few cracks but no big GOP break with Trump on Biden’s win

The Associated Press Haaretz

Published at 05:52

The most powerful Republicans in Washington are standing firmly behind President Donald Trump and his unsupported claims of voter fraud for now, but new cracks emerged among GOP leaders elsewhere who believe it’s time to treat Democrat Joe Biden like the president-elect he is.

 

GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy suggested Thursday that Biden doesn’t need intelligence briefings because Trump might remain president in the new year.

https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/house-gop-leader-defends-incoming-qanon-supporters-stands-with-trump-1.9307533

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 3:19 a.m. No.11624188   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4323 >>4534 >>4735

Justice Alito warns of dangers to free speech, religious liberty in Federalist Society address

“In certain quarters religious liberty has fast become a disfavored right,” Alito said

By Brie Stimson | Fox News

Published 2 hours ago

 

Religious liberty and free speech are among Americans' personal freedoms potentially imperiled along with government overreach during the coronavirus pandemic, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito warned Thursday.

 

“Tolerance for opposing views is now in short supply,” Alito added in a virtual keynote speech to a conference of the conservative Federalist Society, in which he referenced the current state of discourse in the nation's law schools and the “broader academic community.”

 

Many recent law school graduates claim they face “harassment” and “retaliation” for any views that depart “from law school orthodoxy,” Alito said.

 

“In certain quarters religious liberty has fast become a disfavored right,” he said. “For many today, religious liberty is not a cherished freedom. It’s often just an excuse for bigotry and it can’t be tolerated even when there’s no evidence that anybody has been harmed.”

 

He cited the Supreme Court cases of the Little Sisters of the Poor, an order of Roman Catholic nuns who were exempted from a requirement to provide birth control coverage to employees and Colorado baker who was allowed to refuse service to a gay couple for their wedding.

 

No employees with the Little Sisters of the Poor asked for birth control coverage and the gay couple was given a free cake by another shop and had celebrity chefs jump to their defense, he said.

 

“The question we face is whether our society will be inclusive enough to tolerate people with unpopular religious beliefs,” he added, saying Christians deserve the same protections as the any of the religious minority groups in cases over which has presided throughout the years.

 

When Alito, 70, a nominee of former President George W. Bush who was confirmed by the Senate in 2006, touched on the pandemic, he said it has “resulted in previously unimaginable restrictions on individual liberty” and whatever people believe about the coronavirus restrictions, the U.S. can’t allow the restrictions to stand after the pandemic has passed.

 

He also said that houses of worship have been treated unfairly compared to other businesses during the pandemic, like in the case of casinos in Nevada.

MORE:

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/justice-alito-warns-of-dangers-to-free-speech-religious-liberty-in-federalist-society-address

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 3:23 a.m. No.11624213   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4266 >>4323 >>4454 >>4534 >>4735

After firings and turnover, national security community wonders: what’s next?

By: Aaron Mehta and Joe Gould   11 hours ago

 

WASHINGTON — The unprecedented removal of top Pentagon officials during a presidential transition has left the national security community reeling, wondering who will be the next to go and struggling to understand why it is happening at all.

 

Among the theories discussed by national security experts and concerned Democrats alike: that the firings are a play to accelerate the removal of troops in Afghanistan or, more skeptically, to use the military to subvert the election results.

 

A third option, however, is also floating among Washington circles: that the exits of Defense Secretary Mark Esper and several other key officials stem from personal politics that have been commonplace during the Trump administration.

 

An administration official, who asked not to be named because of the political sensitivities, attributed the overhaul to John McEntee, the director of the Presidential Personnel Office, who has reportedly been working for months to quash perceived disloyalty within the administration. A Washington Post columnist tweeted McEntee is also behind exits at the Department of Homeland Security.

 

“All the churn really isn’t about policy,” the official said, adding that National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien has been left out of the decision making. “It’s about getting revenge on the people they consider ‘never Trump.’”

 

Trump’s Monday firing of Esper, replacing him with Christopher Miller, the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, was already extraordinary for a transition period, and made more unusual because the job did not go to Deputy Secretary David Norquist. (For now, Norquist remains on the job.)

 

But the situation escalated Tuesday, when Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Joseph Kernan and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy James Anderson submitted their resignations, in moves that were reportedly directed by White House staff. Esper’s chief of staff, Jen Stewart, was also pushed out.

 

• Ezra Cohen-Watnick, who entered the Trump administration with National Security Adviser Mike Flynn, replaced Kernan in an acting capacity.

 

• Anthony Tata, a retired Army brigadier general and Fox News guest who was placed in the Pentagon amid controversy over his inflammatory remarks, will be performing the duties held by Anderson.

 

• Kash Patel, a former National Security Council official who rose to prominence by helping House Republicans during the investigation into ties between Trump and Russia, has been named Miller’s chief of staff.

 

Patel is “running the show,” and Cohen-Watnick is “very influential over there now,” the administration source said.

 

While speculation swirls about who is next — reports have named acquisition head Ellen Lord, the longest-serving political appointee at the department, as well as Chief Management Officer Lisa Hershman — other moves with less prominent leaders are also taking place.

 

These include:

 

• Charles D. Cowan, a Trump appointee at Housing and Urban Development, arrived on Monday as the new deputy chief management officer, Defense News has learned.

 

• Alexis Ross, a deputy chief of staff for Esper, was also let go with Stewart. However, Ross may end up staying in the Pentagon in another role.

 

• Mark Tomb, Anderson’s deputy chief of staff, was also let go Wednesday, according to Foreign Policy.

 

• And retired Col. Douglas Macgregor, a major proponent of Afghanistan withdrawal, has been placed as an adviser to Miller.

 

Lead Democrats on the congressional defense committees have been critical of the moves, citing a risk to national security and claiming the changes project chaos and instability to adversaries around the world at a time when the United States should project calm and order.

 

“If this is the beginning of a trend — the president either firing or forcing out national security professionals in order to replace them with people perceived as more loyal to him — then the next 70 days will be precarious at best and downright dangerous at worst,” Rep. Adam Smith, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said in a statement Tuesday. He added that Trump’s “singular obsession with loyalty has severely undermined the competence of our government and made us less safe.”

 

On Thursday evening, Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., told a Fox News reporter that the administration had indicated the personnel changes at the Pentagon have finished.

MORE

https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2020/11/12/after-firings-and-turnover-national-security-community-wonders-whats-next/

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 3:23 a.m. No.11624216   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4323 >>4534 >>4735

Turkey Pleads For US To Rethink F-35 Program Suspension Before Biden Enters White House

by Tyler Durden

Fri, 11/13/2020 - 04:15

Despite Turkey facing immense Washington pressures over its acquirement and recent successful testing of the S-400 anti-air defense system from Russia, including its prior suspended participation in the F-35 program, President Trump has stopped short of allowing sanctions which have been advocated by Congressional hawks.

 

Critics of the White House have said it's due to Trump's "special relationship" with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan; however, with Joe Biden expected to enter the White House in January, Ankara is on edge given Biden's past charged rhetoric on Turkey.

 

For this reason Turkey is once again urging the US to reconsider, as Reuters reports "Turkey is ready to discuss U.S. concerns about the technical compatibility of Russian S-400 defenses and U.S.-made F-35 jets, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Thursday, repeating Ankara's proposal for a joint working group with Washington on the issue."

MORE AT LINK:

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/turkey-pleads-us-rethink-f-35-program-suspension-biden-enters-white-house

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 3:27 a.m. No.11624231   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4323 >>4373 >>4534 >>4735

Senate Republicans, Lindsey Graham say Joe Biden needs presidential daily briefs

By Steven Nelson November 12, 2020 | 4:25pm

 

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham on Thursday joined a growing number of Senate Republicans calling for President-elect Joe Biden to be given classified presidential daily briefs, or PDBs.

 

The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman and recurrent golf partner of President Trump told CNN Biden should be given the PDBs soon. The Trump administration has not provided the briefings saying it’s unclear if Biden won the election.

 

Graham, a 2016 Trump adversary who became one of his closest allies, said, “Yeah, I think he should” get access to the secret sessions, which have been withheld pending the outcome of Trump’s legal challenges and state recounts.

 

Many other Senate Republicans this week said Biden should be given the daily briefings — which would supplement other less frequent classified briefings which he’s received since September as a presidential candidate.

 

Senate Majority Whip John Thune of South Dakota, the second-ranking Senate Republican, got behind the idea Thursday.

 

“Well, I think that it probably makes sense to prepare for all contingencies,” Thune said. “As these election challenges play out in court, I don’t have a problem with, and I think it’s important from a national security standpoint, continuity. And you’ve seen other members suggesting that. I think that makes sense.”

 

Trump swiped at Thune in August when the senator said it was “problematic” for Trump to host his Republican National Convention speech at the White House.

 

“John Thune did? Right, the Republican John Thune? Well, it is legal,” Trump told reporters at the time.

 

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) also said he believes Biden should get the briefings, saying, “I don’t think that would hurt.”

 

And Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) also backed the push, telling reporters, “I would think — especially on classified briefings — the answer is yes.”

https://nypost.com/2020/11/12/senate-gop-lindsey-graham-say-joe-biden-needs-intel-briefs/

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 3:27 a.m. No.11624232   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4323 >>4534 >>4735

PA Judge Rules Some Late Ballots Don't Count; Secretary Of State 'Lacked Authority' To Extend ID Deadline

by Tyler Durden

Fri, 11/13/2020 - 02:50

 

A Pennsylvania judge ruled on Thursday that the state cannot count late ballots which required voters to provide proof of identification to 'cure' them by an arbitrary deadline set by the Secretary of State.

 

After the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that mail-in ballots could be accepted three days after Election Day, a separate issue in dispute, PA Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar submitted her own guidance that said proof of ID could be provided up to Nov 12, three days from the ballot acceptance deadline.

 

The order is notably separate from a challenge to the PA Supreme Court decision to allow late ballots, and invalidates only those subject to Boockvar's extension to cure a lack of ID between Nov. 10-12.

 

"[T]he Court concludes that Respondent Kathy Boockvar, in her official capacity as Secretary of the Commonwealth, lacked statutory authority to issue the November 1, 2020, guidance to Respondents County Boards of Elections insofar as that guidance purported to change the deadline … for certain electors to verify proof of identification," wrote Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt in a court order.

 

"Accordingly, the Court heareby ORDERS that Respondents County Board of Elections are enjoined from counting any ballots that have been segregated pursuant to paragraph 1 of this Court's order dated November 5, 2020, granting a special injunction."

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/pa-judge-rules-some-late-ballots-dont-count-secretary-state-lacked-authority-extend

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 3:32 a.m. No.11624263   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4295 >>4323 >>4336 >>4534 >>4735

Tony Norman: QAnon Confidential: A plea for marching orders from 'The One'

Donald Trump's absence is testing the faith of his most fervent followers.

NOV 13, 2020 12:00 AM

HOW CAN I SPEAK TO Q? MY FAITH IS SHAKEN. I FOLLOWED THE PLAN. TRUMP LOST! WHAT NOW? WHERE IS THE PLAN?”

 

Those are the words of a believer who lapsed and fell away from you, Donald Trump. Those of us who truly believe and follow you will never question your plan. We are not infidels! We Are QAnon!

 

It has been a week since the Deep State and its lackeys in the lamestream media attempted to stage a coup and steal the presidency from you.

 

Thank MAGA Almighty and the forces of Light that are always working for the good of the children that you caught those Satan-worshipping ‘Demoncrat’ bandits in the act of backdating hundreds of thousands of ballots in Pennsylvania. You won the election despite the odds arraigned against you on that apocalyptic day. Of course they refuse to acknowledge it. They lost!

 

But in every war there are casualties. On Election Day when we needed him most, our former brother, the administrator of the online “Q” sanctuary, left the sacred fellowship to “spend time” with his family and to “have a life” apart from the only life that truly matters — worshipping and supporting you, Donald Trump.

 

We were left to our own to interpret the flashy electronic boards on cable news showing most of the states turning red with only a tiny few turning blue — yet the Dumbocrats still had the audacity to declare themselves the winners! We have eyes. We aren’t colorblind. We see color! Donald Trump won because there are more red states than blue!

 

We laugh at these baby-eating pedophiles and their movie star enablers. These globalists and Hollywood mutants have been concocting evil and warping minds since the so-called Dark Ages.

 

We’ve been saving the world from Jews, Freemasons, Rothschilds, Chinese mercantilists, Jacobins, Abolitionists, mandatory vaccinations, FemiNazis, Marxists, George Soros and global warming alarmists since the fall of the Holy Roman Empire. We refused to bathe during the Black Plague — another big hoax — because we heard the water was fluoridated. We are QAnon!

 

Because we revere you and look to you for coded answers to all of life’s questions, we eagerly await the unfolding of your plan in the midst of the nation’s revolt against your imperial prerogatives, President Trump.

 

Didn’t we stage boat flotillas and attend super-spreader events at stadiums in your name? Because we are Q, we didn’t mind barking “lock her up” and “lock him up” like Nero’s subjects in ancient Rome cheering as Christians were thrown to the lions even though we could feel the coronavirus mingling in our bloodstream with every breath. We did not shrink from exposure to you or each other. We are QAnon!

MORE KEK HERE:

https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/tony-norman/2020/11/12/QAnon-Confidential-MAGA-Trump-conspiracy-Biden-presidency/stories/202011120095

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 3:35 a.m. No.11624279   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4308 >>4323 >>4335 >>4352 >>4534 >>4673 >>4735

QAnon After Trump's Election Defeat

1,830 views • Nov 12, 2020

< YOUTUBE VIDEO

 

Bloomberg Politics

262K subscribers

Nov.12 – Mike Rothschild, Conspiracy theory researcher & author of "The World's Worst Conspiracies", discusses the current state of QAnon after President Trump's election defeat. He speaks with Emily Chang on "Bloomberg Technology".

 

IF THIS IS NOT KEK TO YOU, YOU NEED TO GO BACK AND LURK MORE, KAREN! KEK

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 3:42 a.m. No.11624338   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4430 >>4537 >>4744

McCarthy responds to QAnon proponent Marjorie Taylor Greene joining House GOP Caucus

4,056 views • Nov 12, 2020

< VIDEO

 

The Hill

916K subscribers

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy responds to QAnon proponent Marjorie Taylor Greene getting elected in 2020.

 

McCarthy laughs at the Q>>>anon question yet states that "you mentioned two people who will join our party yet both of them have denounced Qanon".

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 3:46 a.m. No.11624369   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4393 >>4537 >>4744

China Gears For Next-Gen Warfare; Showcases Its Latest Unmanned Combat Capabilities

Published 2 hours ago on November 13, 2020 By Aakriti Sharma

China’s People’s Liberation Army is certain about winning future wars with the development of unmanned combat systems. As per the latest state media reports, multiple types of unmanned equipment, including an amphibious combat platform and a combat vehicle with a new design concept, are about to enter military service.

 

China’s National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) has been making independent innovations involving frontier technologies in unmanned warfare since 2013.

 

A China National Radio (CNR) report said it has developed many types of unmanned combat equipment, which will lay the technical foundations for Chinese troops to win future wars.

 

CNR reported that photos of the prototype of the amphibious platform in the water show a boat-sized platform sailing at a high speed. The other project a “combat vehicle with a new design concept” is also ready for delivery inspections, the report suggested.

 

The aim to deploy small, new, tracked war-robots armed with machine guns, night vision, missile loaders and camera sensors is to conduct attacks while manned systems remain at safer stand-off distances.

 

People’s Online Daily reported earlier this year that the “thigh-high robot looks like a small assault vehicle. Target practice results showed the robot has acceptable accuracy.” It is unknown if these unmanned combat systems are operated by human decision-makers, or are operate with some measure of autonomy.

 

The armies like that of the US have been long operating combat robots, ranging from teleoperated sensors and IED-detonators to small, semi-autonomous unmanned systems programmed to respond to specific cues or sensor input.

 

On the other hand, amid rising tensions with Taiwan and in the South China Sea, the PLA deployed multiple types of unmanned equipment including aerial reconnaissance drones, unmanned obstacle-breaking ships, and unmanned ground vehicles for both attack and transport purposes in October, according to a China Central Television report.

 

Taiwan has reached out the US for military support in case of the Chinese invasion. The US, which is in a trade war with China, has lent support to Taiwan not only for its independence but also due to Chinese claims in the South China Sea.

 

China’s NUDT team has also developed the “Desert Wolf” series of unmanned ground vehicles, which run on caterpillar tracks, are equipped with remotely controlled weapon stations, and can transport goods and injured soldiers, the state media Global Times Reported.

 

Currently, aerial drones have become an important part of combat and they have reshaped the modern warfare. Meanwhile, unmanned weapons on the ground, and on the surface of the water and below it, are yet to garner attention, but they are also expected to change how battles are fought, the GT quoted a Beijing-based military expert. He said China needs to develop and commission unmanned equipment in all realms.

 

The US experts believe that “the apparent Chinese intention for the robots appears somewhat analogous to the U.S. posture, meaning that they will be deployed for reconnaissance and potential attack missions.”

 

Such a war-prospect means what types of defensive tactics the U.S. might be contemplating in response to the threat of a Chinese robotic attack. As per the experts, this highlights the significance of U.S. efforts to deploy its own unmanned systems to identify and potentially take out approaching armed robots.

https://eurasiantimes.com/china-gears-for-next-gen-warfare-showcases-its-latest-unmanned-combat-capabilities-watch/

arrrr!!

Doesn't anyone listen to the Pope?! kek

 

Pope Francis Urges Followers To Pray That AI And Robots Will Always Serve Mankind

Published by Sahil Varma , in Christianity — November 12, 2020

https://allindiaroundup.com/christianity/pope-francis-urges-followers-to-pray-that-ai-and-robots-will-always-serve-mankind/

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 3:57 a.m. No.11624437   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4537 >>4744

'It's not over yet, right?' Trump voters back president's refusal to concede

Loyalty from president’s base remains undimmed, amid belief that political establishment is colluding to deny him victory

Edward Helmore

Fri 13 Nov 2020 02.00 EST Last modified on Fri 13 Nov 2020 03.47 EST

 

A postal worker collects mail from a mailbox inside the protest pen, as a handful of supporters of Donald Trump demonstrate outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center this week.

A postal worker collects mail from a mailbox inside the protest pen, as a handful of supporters of Donald Trump demonstrate outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center this week. Photograph: Rebecca Blackwell/AP

The red and blue political bunting and yard signs planted on suburban lawns are mostly gone and with them the outward signs of America’s fiercely oppositional election. But in other respects, the tensions of the 2020 contest remain as acute as they were on polling day for many Trump supporters.

 

“Not many care about people as much as Trump,” said tow-truck driver Vinny Nolan as he took a rest at a highway truck stop near Hackensack, New Jersey. “The [Russia] collusion bullshit was a set-up. He gave everyone money while we iron this virus situation then they announce a vaccine two days after the election. Why didn’t they do that a week ago? He would have won.”

 

To more than half the country’s voters the election is resolved with Democrat Joe Biden as the winner but to a marginally smaller share of Americans it remains an ongoing contest – no matter all the evidence against that. With Donald Trump as yet unwilling to recognize defeat, and papering swing-states with baseless legal petitions challenging vote counts, many of his supporters still say they remain behind the president.

 

A pre-natal office administrator in suburban Rockland county, New York, who preferred to give only her first name – Emily – citing pervasive fears of being shunned for her support, conceded that Trump had failed to adequately address “the George Floyd thing”, as she called the killing of a Black American by a white Minneapolis police officer that triggered a summer of unrest and anti-racism protests.

 

But Emily reasoned that Trump was not fundamentally a politician, a characteristic that lies at the heart of his enduring popularity for many of the 71 million Americans who voted for him on 3 November. And like many, protesters’ calls to defund the police had worried her. “They talk about the community policing. But what community? No one wants to get involved.”

 

Ten days after voting closed, Republican voters are at a crossroads over whether to support Trump’s ongoing and unprecedented challenge to the vote counts or to accept defeat by Biden. Whichever path supporters choose to follow, for many Trump’s popularity is undiminished, perhaps even enhanced, by the manner of his defeat at the hands of what they regard as a political establishment.

 

Leo Basa, a veteran from Aerial Lake, Pennsylvania, said he didn’t see evidence of a stolen election but politicians “had made a mockery of the system”.

 

“The tables have turned. It is Republicans’ turn to say, ‘No, you didn’t win’, just like the Democrats did in 2016. It’s really a shame. They’re acting like children with the bickering. The media has a lot to do with it. State the facts and just the facts. I’ll make my own opinions.”

 

On Wednesday, the widely publicized #StopTheSteal campaign was augmented with #stopthetires2020, a protest by truck drivers billing themselves as a “bonded group of brothers and sisters to show America who runs the country”.

 

With stoppages on Wednesday and later this month, many showed their support on social media, and called on drivers to interrupt deliveries to coastal Democrat-controlled states from the industrial and food-producing central red states “to keep the movement going”.

 

But on arterial highways leading into the disputed swing-state of Pennsylvania, many truckers said that they had either not heard of the protest, or had no wish to forfeit their daily haulage fees.

MORE AT LINK:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/13/trump-loss-voters-back-refusal-concede

Anons! What is your profession?!

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 4:04 a.m. No.11624468   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4537 >>4744

Author Ken Timmerman explains election hacking with Newsmax TV host Grant Stinchfield

4,558 views • Nov 11, 2020

< VIDEO

Ken Timmerman

94 subscribers

Did Dominion Voting Systems send a software "patch" that altered votes in last week's election? Team Trump needs to examine the data files in county elections offices in ALL the battleground states. Ken Timmerman explains how the Democrats may have stolen the election in his new book The Election Heist. (Just Google it)

 

This video might be 2 days old yet Timmerman knows his shit. Good listen

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 4:08 a.m. No.11624493   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4537 >>4744

Chinese Headache: It is Beijing’s aggressive behaviour that is Asia’s biggest problem today

November 13, 2020, 3:04 PM IST

 

Russia has warned that any escalation in India-China tensions could be exploited by other players for geopolitical purposes — a clear hint at the US. However, the fact is that it is China that is to be blamed for the current round of tensions between the Asian neighbours. It is China that has unilaterally violated the LAC and is trying to change facts on the ground. It is the Chinese PLA that killed 20 Indian soldiers in clashes in Galwan Valley in June. Therefore, the onus is fully on China to de-escalate the situation and restore calm in the region.

 

Besides, China’s aggressive behaviour is not just directed at India alone. Southeast Asian nations like Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia too have been at the receiving end of Chinese aggression in the South China Sea. Then there is Chinese belligerence towards Japan over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, while Taiwan in recent years has been constantly threatened by Chinese military manoeuvres.

 

All of this shows that China’s rise has been anything but peaceful. In such a scenario, countries at the receiving end of Chinese aggression have every right to band together and push back. And given India’s strategic position, it makes a lot of sense for New Delhi to ally with the West to counterbalance Beijing. The problem here is the current Chinese leadership and its desire to impose China’s will on its neighbours. It is Beijing that needs to back down, return to the path of dialogue and respect international rules. It is China that is creating instability in Asia. Moscow would do well to relay that message to Beijing.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-editorials/chinese-headache-it-is-beijings-aggressive-behaviour-that-is-asias-biggest-problem-today/

India ain't playing with you and will go all Kali on your asses! kek

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 4:12 a.m. No.11624514   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4537 >>4744

Dominion voting systems whistleblower 100k biden only votes

1,051 views • Nov 12, 2020

< Video

Democrats cheated here is the proof

1.84K subscribers

#dominionvotingmachines whistle blower says 100k biden only ballots input to 'catch up to trump' massive #voterfraud

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 4:28 a.m. No.11624617   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4744

Florida now a Republican state

by Naomi Lim, Political Reporter | | November 13, 2020 06:30 AM

Florida, Florida, Florida is a thing of the past.

 

Twenty years ago at this time, the Sunshine State was the center of the political universe as the 36-day tussle over ballots and hanging chads left Republican Texas Gov. George W. Bush the winner over Vice President Al Gore by 537 votes out of nearly 6 million cast. And since then, the state has seen a series of nail-biting statewide races.

 

But this year, President Trump defied poor polling to dispatch President-elect Joe Biden quickly in Florida, an electoral treasure trove.

 

Trump's overperformance in South Florida denied Biden the opportunity to run-up his margin and cancel out the president's popularity elsewhere in the state, earning Trump the state's 29 votes in the Electoral College.

 

Trump's repeat win in Florida perpetuates an emerging Republican trend in the state. And it's a trend that has prompted concerns that Florida is slipping away from Democrats, at least for the foreseeable future.

 

Though Trump won Florida by only 3 percentage points this cycle, he built on the momentum he created when he defeated Hillary Clinton in the state by 1 percentage point four years ago. This year, Florida was also about 3.5 points more Republican compared to the national popular vote as it stands on Thursday. In 2016, the state was roughly 3 points more Republican than the popular vote.

 

And while former President Barack Obama won Florida by 1 point in 2012 and 3 points in 2008, the state was 1 point and 2 points more Republican than the popular vote, respectively.

 

Republicans haven't shied away from the shift.

 

University of Central Florida politics professor Aubrey Jewett recalled how Trump's first Florida win was propelled by higher-than-expected turnout among white voters. And between 2016 and last week, Florida Republicans hustled to register more than 100,000 people relative to the Democrats, who still lead the statewide registration race by 1 point.

 

But Jewett remembered, too, similar conversations after Obama's consecutive wins. Those victories stirred projections that Florida would become more diverse, bolstering Democrats. That boon never materialized.

MORE AT LINK:

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/florida-now-a-republican-state

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 4:32 a.m. No.11624643   🗄️.is 🔗kun

Justin Haskins: Socialist wing of Democratic Party suffers major setback in elections

Most Americans aren’t ready to add Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin to Mount Rushmore and destroy the free-market system

Justin Haskins By Justin Haskins | Fox News

Published 1 hour ago

 

Radicals who hoped last week’s election would advance America down the path of socialism have had a rude awakening: most Americans aren’t ready to add Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin to Mount Rushmore and destroy the free-market system that made America the great country it is.

 

Unfortunately, Joe Biden is now president-elect and will become our nation’s leader Jan. 20, unless a series of long-shot lawsuits by President Trump and his supporters result in a surprise upset. But Biden won the Democratic presidential nomination and the general election by portraying himself as a moderate, not a socialist revolutionary.

 

And a good chunk of Biden’s votes came from people whose dislike of Trump was a lot stronger than their love for the Democratic presidential nominee or his policies.

 

But one thing that has become abundantly clear in the wake of the election last week: the growing socialist wing of the Democratic Party took a major hit. The socialists moved so far left that they left millions of voters behind.

 

Led by self-described socialists Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., (who failed twice to get the Democratic presidential nomination) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., the far-far left had high hopes of succeeding in launching the transformation of American society into what they claimed would be a socialist utopia.

 

Thankfully, that did not happen. The American people did not fall for socialist propaganda and embrace unrealistic, unaffordable and unworkable socialist policies.

 

That’s a very good thing. Because while socialism promises heaven on Earth, in practice it results in hell on Earth — just ask the suffering people of Cuba, North Korea, Venezuela and other socialist and communist nations. Even Russia and China owe their limited prosperity to capitalist reforms they have introduced. And Eastern European socialist and communist nations ditched the failed systems long ago.

 

The most important election victories for conservatives last week came in several hotly contested U.S. Senate races. Democrats were hoping to flip at least four seats to gain control of the Senate, but that big gain didn’t happen.

 

Republicans have already won 50 Senate seats, including a very surprising victory for Susan Collins in Maine. Democrats have won 48 seats.

 

Two Senate seats are up for grabs in runoff elections in Georgia Jan. 5. Republicans are favored in both races at this point but the outcome is far from certain. If just one of the Republicans wins, the GOP will hold a 51-49 Senate majority. If both Republicans win, the GOP will hold 52 seats to 48 held by Democrats.

 

Two Democratic victories in the Georgia runoff elections would create a Senate split 50-50 between the two parties. Assuming Kamala Harris is vice president, she would cast the tie-breaking vote to narrowly give Democrats a slim Senate majority.

MORE AT LINK:

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/election-socialism-senate-justin-haskins

Anonymous ID: 51fb04 Nov. 13, 2020, 4:36 a.m. No.11624682   🗄️.is 🔗kun

Hello Main Stream Media desperate for a new story on Q AYNON!

So you thought this was a game did you? A larp? Some kid in his mother's basement yelling for more hot pockets?

WHAT HAPPENED IN SAUDI ARABIA?

Repent now before it too late.

Tick fucking tock.