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☆ A Trump judge and Biden’s Justice Department agree that a Texas map is illegal. But that doesn’t mean it will change
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —A county redistricting plan in Texas that a Donald Trump-appointed judge deemed “a clear violation” of the Voting Rights Act is back before a notoriously conservative appeals court. After the 2021 Census, the Republican-led county commission broke up that district, locking in four majority-white districts instead. Their opponents argue that Congress did not intend for multiple “classes” of minorities to be considered together when assessing a map’s Voting Rights Act compliance. Black and Latino voices ‘extinguished,’ judge saysThe 2021 map split up the long-established Precinct 3, spreading those minority voters across the four total commission precincts. “It would be devastating for minority voters as devastating as it was for Galveston’s Black and Latino voters.”

Persons: Donald Trump, Biden, Jeffrey Vincent Brown, –, ”, Valencia Richardson, Christian Adams, ‘, ” Brown, Brown, Mark Henry –, Henry, Robin Armstrong, Armstrong, Adams, Circuit “, Elena Kagan, …, ” Chad Ennis –, ” Ennis, Hilary Harris Klein Organizations: CNN, Republican, 5th, Campaign, “, Senate, Justice Department, Galveston Republicans, Interest Legal Foundation, Circuit, Southern Coalition for Social Justice Locations: Texas, Galveston’s County, Galveston County, White, Galveston, Louisiana, Mississippi, ”

☆ All of a sudden, Ted Cruz really doesn't want to talk about his podcast
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewWhen I approached Sen. Ted Cruz at the Capitol this week, he appeared upbeat, quipping that he was "living the dream" when I opened our conversation. iHeartMedia, which signed on as a corporate partner to the podcast in late 2022, has confirmed that the payments to the super PAC were derived from advertising revenue generated by podcast. The Campaign Legal Center and End Citizens United have also filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission accusing Cruz of violating campaign finance laws. "When you write a positive story on something I've accomplished here, on legislation I've passed, then I'll answer your questions," Cruz replied.

Persons: —, Sen, Ted Cruz, Cruz, iHeartMedia, Colin Allred, Allred, He's, Ron Johnson, JD Vance, Markwayne Mullin, I've Organizations: Service, Capitol, Texas Republican, Business, Democrat, Houston Chronicle, Democratic Rep, Legal, Citizens, Federal, BP, Capitol Hill, FEC, Sens Locations: Houston, BP America, Texas, Wisconsin, Ohio, Oklahoma

☆ Trump's potential Truth Social earnout is an avenue for outside interests if he becomes president, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Truth Social app is being displayed on a smartphone with Truth Social visible in the background. Donald Trump's scheduled earnout through the parent company of Truth Social presents opportunities for outside interests if he were to defeat Joe Biden and become president again, according to experts. "When President Trump returns to the White House, he will continue to follow ethics guidelines," Steven Cheung, Trump's spokesperson, said in an email. The new Trump media stock has been on a wild swing since it began trading. To the extent users prefer a platform that is not associated with President Trump, TMTG's ability to attract users may decrease," the Trump Media and Technology Group wrote in a filing.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Joe Biden, Trump, Virginia Canter, Canter, Biden, Steven Cheung, He's, Kedric Payne, Payne, Peter Schiff, President Trump Organizations: Truth, Trump Media, Technology, Securities and Exchange Commission, Trump, White, Nasdaq, CNBC, Technology Group Locations: Washington ,, U.S

☆ How corporate PAC money could end up in the personal coffers of Sens. JD Vance and Markwayne Mullin
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

At the same time, they've been taking tens of thousands of dollars in corporate PAC money — some of which may be ending up directly in the senators' bank accounts. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Between the 2022 election and the end of 2023, Vance has used $78,000 in corporate PAC contributions to repay campaign debts, while Mullin has done the same with $45,000 in corporate cash. Mullin did the same with 19 corporate PACs, including ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobile, and GlaxoSmithKline. He also promised not to take corporate PAC money during the GOP primary, only to reserve that pledge during the general election against Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, who did accept corporate PAC money.

Persons: —, JD Vance, Markwayne Mullin, they've, Vance, Mullin, Sen, Ted Cruz, Elena Kagan, Cruz, Jordan Libowitz, Republican Sen, Ron Johnson of, Ron Johnson, Shawn Thew, who's, Tim Ryan, didn't, Vance's, Saurav Ghosh, Ghosh Organizations: Service, Sens, Indiana, Business, Texas Republican, Finance, FEC, Citizen, Washington, Capitol, Republican, Getty, Pro, Comcast, Intel, General Motors, Walmart —, ConocoPhillips, GlaxoSmithKline, GOP, Democratic Rep Locations: Ohio, Texas, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, AFP, Oklahoma, The Ohio, ExxonMobile

☆ Analysis: Trump’s DJT stock creates a unique new ethical nightmare
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In the meantime, he’s also trying to sell “God Bless the USA” Bibles via his social media platform Truth Social for $59.99. )”A history of bankruptcyAnother note of caution for investors in DJT should the history of the last company Trump took public. Trump’s casino company also went by the ticker DJT, but on the New York Stock Exchange between 1995 and 2004, when it went bankrupt and was delisted. None of that has stopped what some experts have referred to as a bubble forming around the Trump Media & Technology Group. Susquehanna International Group did not return a request for comment about the company’s stake in Trump Media & Technology Group.

Persons: ”, Donald John Trump, he’s, CNN’s Matt Egan, “, Kara Swisher, Laura Coates, Egan, Reddit, Trump, Daniel Dale, Jeff Yass, Jordan Libowitz, ” Libowitz, Kedric Payne, ” Payne, can’t, weren’t Organizations: CNN, Nasdaq, Trump, “ Trump Media, Trump Media, New York Stock Exchange, Trump Media & Technology, NYSE, GameStop, AMC, Susquehanna International Group, Yass ., Yass . Susquehanna International Group, Trump Media & Technology Group, Supreme, DC, Trump Organization, New York Times Locations: United States, New York, DJT, Trump’s, ByteDance, TikTok, Yass, Trump, Yass . Susquehanna, Washington, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, DC

☆ Kyrsten Sinema is still sitting on over $11 million in campaign cash — and she could easily use it to fuel her post-Senate life
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

At the end of January, the Arizona senator reported holding nearly $10.6 million cash on hand in her campaign account and another $466,000 in her leadership PAC. AdvertisementNow, it's far from clear what will happen to those "resources" — Sinema's campaign did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment last week on the matter. There are a few different ways this could play out if Sinema decides to keep a "zombie PAC" running. Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bennet once introduced a bill to crack down on "zombie PACs." Advertisement"A lot of people use that to stay in the game because a leadership PAC is kind of a slush fund.

Persons: —, What's Sen, Kyrsten Sinema, Ruben Gallego, Kari Lake, Sinema, Arizonans, Saurav Ghosh, Ghosh, That's, Republican Sen, Rob Portman, Portman, Matt Dolan, Anna Moneymaker, he's, Kelly Ayotte, who's, Aaron Scherb, it's, She'd, she'd, Democratic Sens, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Elizabeth Warren of, Elizabeth Warren, Michael Bennet, Bill Clark, Bennet, she's, airfare, Jordan Libowitz Organizations: Service, Senate, Democrat, Democratic Rep, Business, Bloomberg, Republican, American Enterprise Institute, US, Republicans, Democratic, Daily Beast, Citizen, Washington, Commission, PAC Locations: Arizona, Ohio, New Hampshire, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Washington, Europe

☆ Trump and his favorite fundraising platform both face donor problems
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

and "Donation not approved," but the people who send them all want the same thing: to halt the Republican political contribution platform WinRed from making any more automatic, recurring withdrawals from their accounts. According to campaign finance reports, WinRed processed $14,300 in political contributions from Elliot and her husband, Orin Elliot, between 2020 and the end of 2023. "Older folks are generally more vulnerable and they're often more easily taken in" by aggressive political fundraising appeals, according to Saurav Ghosh, director of federal campaign finance reform at the nonprofit watchdog Campaign Legal Center. "You see with former President Trump, that he's fundraising off his indictments. That refund rate was more than four times that of President Joe Biden's campaign and surrounding political apparatus at that time, according to the Times.

Persons: Matthew Hurtt, Hurtt, he's, Samie Elliot, Elliot, Orin Elliot, WinRed, Donald Trump's, Trump, Saurav Ghosh, Joe Biden's Organizations: Arlington, Arlington County Republican, Republican, Arlington VA, Hurtt, CNBC, Arlington County Republican Party, Federal, Commission, Republican Party, WinRed, The New York Times, Times Locations: Virginia, Arlington County, Arlington, Oklahoma, Hurtt's inbox, WinRed

But it is actually registered as a nonprofit with the IRS — not a formal political party. Both the FEC and the IRS have been hesitant in recent years to police groups that push the boundaries of campaign finance law. The IRS, meanwhile, has largely shrunk from enforcement ever since attempts to crack down on tea party groups during Barack Obama's presidency drew massive backlash. Still, campaign finance experts say many of the legal arguments made by the Democratic groups are solid. Under a widely held interpretation of IRS rules, political nonprofit groups are limited to making political activity 50% of their activity.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, ”, Tiffany Muller, “, Biden, Barack Obama's, Adav Noti, Ryan Clancy, Clancy, ” Noti, ___ Cooper Organizations: WASHINGTON, Biden, Trump, Democratic, Citizens United, End Citizens, Federal, Commission, IRS, FEC, Republicans, Citizens Locations: Washington, Colorado, Phoenix

"We're going to win Iowa," DeSantis declared on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Dec. 2. NBC News reached out to both the DeSantis campaign and Never Back Down for comment for this piece. 'I knew they were stupid'DeSantis' presidential campaign was a mess from the moment it launched. "What harmed the campaign the most off the bat was that it didn't have a clear purpose and message," a former DeSantis campaign staffer said. "The blunt truth is that DeSantis' presidential campaign was sabotaged through early incompetence in Tallahassee," the person said.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Brendan Mcdermid, DeSantis, Scott Wagner, Wagner, Nikki Haley, Trump, Haley, Jordan Wiggins, Donald Trump, —, Donald Trump —, Elon Musk, Ron, Generra Peck, Ryan Tyson, Christina Pushaw —, Bill Mitchell, Mitchell, Peck, …, Ken, Ken Griffin, Griffin, I'm, Jeff Roe, Roe, Hugh Hewitt, dethrone Trump, it's, Jess Szymanski, we've Organizations: Florida Gov, Republican, Reuters, PAC, Iowa, NBC, New, Trump, NBC News, Gov, DeSantis, Fox News, United Nations, Republican Party, Trump GOP, Twitter, Federal, Commission, Florida GOP, of Justice, Roe, South, Tallahassee Locations: Florida, Iowa, West Des Moines , Iowa, Reuters Iowa, New Hampshire, DeSantis, New York, Tallahassee, South Florida, Iowa , New Hampshire, South Carolina

☆ George Santos Reveals One Truth: It’s Easy to Abuse Campaign Finance Laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Rebecca Davis O Brien | More About Rebecca Davis O Brien | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Perhaps no federal officeholder in modern American history has been accused of ignoring, testing or breaking as many aspects of campaign finance law so flagrantly, in such a short span of time, as George Santos has. But his case, while sensational, illustrates the profound weaknesses of the system, and its potential for abuse. For years, campaign finance laws have eroded, while the watchdogs responsible for their oversight have been weakened by limited powers, underfunding and political stalemate. “He is an extreme example of something that is happening all the time in campaign finance,” said Saurav Ghosh, a former Federal Election Commission enforcement lawyer who is now the director of federal campaign finance reform at the Campaign Legal Center, a watchdog group. Mr. Santos, he suggested, was able to take advantage of “the overall under-regulation of money that is raised and spent on election influence.”

Persons: George Santos, Santos, ”, Saurav Ghosh Organizations: Commission

Struggling to energize his campaign, DeSantis this week privately encouraged his donor network to support a newly formed super PAC that's taking over advertising responsibilities. The super PAC has also paid for the bulk of his TV ads and almost all of his organizing. On Aug. 8, the DeSantis campaign announced a staff shakeup, replacing its campaign manager and hiring Polyansky from the super PAC to serve as deputy campaign manager. Polyansky is an Iowa campaign veteran who has worked on several presidential campaigns in the state. DeSantis spokesman Andrew Romeo said it was “totally false” to assert that DeSantis coordinated any campaign strategy with the super PAC.

Persons: scrappy, Koch, Trump, “, ”, Bob Vander Plaats, DeSantis, Jasper County —, David Polyansky, Polyansky, Andrew Romeo, James Uthmeier, Right's, Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, ” Uthmeier, ” Haley, Haley, Nachama Soloveichik, Emily Seidel, Drew Klein, ___ Peoples Organizations: DeSantis, Republican, Supreme, GOP, PAC, The Associated Press, “, Iowa Caucus, WIN, ”, Trump, Haley, SFA Fund, Haley SFA, Prosperity, ___ Locations: Iowa, U.S, Jasper, Washington, ” Ports, New Hampshire, South Carolina, New York, Meredith , New Hampshire

☆ Opinion | An Unarmed Teen Was Shot During a Cease-Fire. Israel Was Never Held to Account.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Rabea Eghbariah | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

The injury left Mr. Nabaheen permanently paralyzed and wheelchair bound for the rest of his life. I represented him as part of a landmark case that sought civil remedies for his life-changing injuries through the Israeli court system. Put simply, Mr. Nabaheen’s case set a chilling precedent such that no one in Gaza can seek compensation for any damages caused by Israel. Many of them, like Mr. Nabaheen, had already survived several wars before finally succumbing to this one. And like Mr. Nabaheen, there will likely be no recognition or recourse for their tragedies.

Persons: Attiya Nabaheen, Nabaheen, Mezan, Nabaheen’s, Al Mezan, Mr, ”, Esther Hayut, “ Organizations: Palestinian, Israeli, Legal Center, Arab Minority Rights, Al Mezan, for Human Rights, Israeli Ministry of Defense, United Nations, Supreme Locations: Gaza, Israeli, Haifa, United States, Israel, Adalah, Gaza City

☆ Opinion | Israel Is Silencing Internal Critics
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Michael Sfard | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

Freedom of political expression in Israel with regard to the Israeli-Arab conflict, especially with regard to Israeli policy toward Palestinians, has always been precarious, especially for the Palestinian citizens of Israel. It shouldn’t be surprising: In societies that contain widespread nationalistic tendencies, as is sadly the case in Israel, war and national tragedies create the perfect environment for witch hunts and the accelerated branding of critics and minorities as enemies from within. The suppression of speech and targeting of critics of Israel’s policy toward the conflict has always had a strategic goal. Crushing dissent and eliminating the political force of Palestinian citizens of Israel are crucial conditions that must be met to achieve that goal. Michael Sfard is an Israeli human rights lawyer and the author of “The Wall and the Gate: Israel, Palestine and the Legal Battle for Human Rights.”

Persons: Nurit Peled, Jean, Paul Sartre, “, Ms, Elhanan, Sakharov, —, ”, Itamar Ben, Benjamin Netanyahu, Castigating, they’ve, Israel Frey, Frey, Michael Sfard Organizations: Legal Center, Arab, Rights, Academia, Equality, Education, Israel Police, Twitter, police, Human Rights Locations: Jerusalem, French, Israel, Gaza, Haifa, Umm, Jordan, Palestine

Maine is the latest state to address foreign influence in elections. The Maine referendum on the Nov. 7 ballot would ban foreign governments, or companies with 5% or more foreign government ownership, from donating to future referendum races. The Maine proposal is straightforward by targeting foreign governments and companies owned by them, while leaving untouched foreign-based corporations with no government ownership. The idea of foreign influence in U.S. elections is something that unites people in an era of deep partisan divisions. “Of course we shouldn’t have foreign governments meddling in our elections.”___Follow David Sharp on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @David_Sharp_AP

Persons: Aaron McKean, McKean, Daniel Weiner, It’s, ” Weiner, “, Sen, Rick Bennett, —, Janet Mills, Maine’s, ”, Sarah Walker, Bennett, George Washington, David Sharp, @David_Sharp_AP Organizations: —, Hydro, Washington , D.C, Brennan Center for Justice, Hydro Quebec, Central Maine Power, CMP, Canadian, Republican, Democratic Gov, Maine Press Association, Maine Association of Broadcasters, Norges Bank, Qatar Investment Authority Locations: PORTLAND, Maine, — Maine, Hydro Quebec, Canadian, Washington ,, Minnesota, Florida, Idaho, Seattle, Portland , Maine, U.S, ” Maine, Spanish, In Montana, California, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Los Angeles, Canada, Calgary, Alberta, Qatar

The bulk of the Trump PAC money went to law firms that have defended Trump against a series of criminal charges or in civil lawsuits. “Well, if the little fish’s lawyer is being paid by the big fish that’s less likely to happen potentially.”The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment. That money is earmarked for political and campaign activities, not for legal expenses, according to the campaign. To help pay the legal fees, Trump’s political operation has also moved millions from his super PAC, MAGA Inc. Those concerns are amplified in court records filed by Smith’s team in the Mar-a-Lago case.

Persons: — Donald Trump’s, Trump, ”, Randall Eliason, he’s, Letitia James ’, James, schemed, “, it’s, Anthony Michael Kreis, Donald Trump, Robert Lee, wasn’t Trump, Lee, Alina Habba, Christopher Kise, James ’, Habba Madaio, Habba, Jean Carroll, Mary Trump, Kise, Foley, Lardner, Chris Kise, Ron DeSantis, Sen, Rick Scott, Coleman, Ciara Torres, Jack Smith, ” Torres, Spelliscy, Joe Biden, Saurav Ghosh, don’t, ” Ghosh, Donald J, Smith, Carlos De Oliveira, De Oliveira, He’s, Walt Nauta, John Irving of, Brand, Stanley Woodward, Woodward, Mark Meadows, Dawn Smelcer, ” he’s, Eric Tucker, Jill Colvin Organizations: WASHINGTON, Commission, Associated, Save, Republican National Committee, Democratic National Committee, National Republican Senatorial, Trump PAC, Trump, White, George Washington University Law School, MAGA Inc, Georgia State University, Associates, Save America, New York Times, PAC, Republican, Florida Gov, Continental, Stetson University College of Law, Justice Department, Justice, Republicans, Democrats, GOP, Democratic, Legal, Smith’s, FBI, John Irving of Earth & Water Law, Brand Woodward Law, Prosecutors, AP, Associated Press Locations: New York, Georgia, Fulton, Lago, Florida, Boca Raton , Florida, Washington ,, Bedminster , New Jersey, York, West Palm Beach , Florida, Save America, Fayetteville , North Carolina, Washington

She refers to the overhaul as a “judicial coup,” saying it risks facilitating the “de facto annexation of the West Bank without any critique or any review” from the Supreme Court. The cabinet includes a number of West Bank settlers in powerful positions, and the agreement that brought together the government calls for extending Israel’s sovereignty in the West Bank, effectively a call for annexation. Under Netanyahu’s far-right government, Israel has approved a record number of housing units in West Bank settlements, Peace Now said in a July report. “Did the Supreme Court protect Palestinian rights in the West Bank? More recently in 2017, Israeli security forces bulldozed nine homes built on private Palestinian land in the West Bank settlement of Ofra.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, West Bank haven’t, Sawsan, Netanyahu, Netanyahu’s, Israel, Israel doesn’t, ” Zaher, Eliav, ” Lieblich, Zaher, Ahmed Tibi, Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben Gvir, Tibi, ” Tibi, ” Gershon Baskin, Bond, ” Baskin, “ Organizations: CNN, West Bank, Legal Center, Arab, Rights, United Nations, Israel Democracy Institute, Tel Aviv University, Palestinian Authority, Supreme Court, Court of Justice, Israel’s, Israeli, Court Locations: Palestinian, Israel, West Bank, East Jerusalem, Jerusalem, West, The Hague, Dura, Qara, Ofra

☆ Dark money donations to Virginia Republicans outpace Democrats 6 to 1 in fight for control of the state legislature
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Virginia has seen nearly $1.7 million in outside spending for candidates in key 2023 races. All 140 seats in the Virginia legislature are up for grabs in districts that were recently redrawn. All 140 seats in the Virginia legislature — 100 in the House of Delegates and 40 in the state Senate — are up for grabs in November. But Democrats, who are seeking to maintain Senate control and win back the House, are competing hard for key seats in vote-rich metropolitan Richmond, Hampton Roads, and Northern Virginia. Youngkin has so far been unsuccessful in moving a 15-week abortion ban through the legislature, blunted by Democrats in the Senate.

Persons: Virginia, spender, Koch, Elizabeth Shimek, Glenn Youngkin, Youngkin, Roe, Wade Organizations: Service, Virginia Center, Investigative Journalism, WHRO, Virginia Department, Prosperity, Republicans —, Democratic, GOP, Gov, Republican, Republicans Locations: Virginia, Wall, Silicon, Richmond, Hampton Roads, Northern Virginia

CNN —In an urgent appeal to wealthy Republicans who had assembled in Milwaukee ahead of the first GOP presidential primary debate, top brass for the super PAC backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told donors they needed an injection of $50 million over the next four months, according to leaked audio obtained by CNN. The tension spilled into the open just days before the Milwaukee event, when the super PAC released a memo with debate pointers for DeSantis. The pitch appeared structured to convince donors the super PAC had a plan for their dollars if they would open up their pocketbooks. Many Republican strategists and campaign veterans have questioned the arrangement between DeSantis’ campaign and the super PAC, pointing to the limitations of running a political operation from the outside.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, “, ”, Chris Jankowski, DeSantis, I’m, Jankowski, Kristin Davison, Jeff Roe, Trump, Casey DeSantis, ” Roe, –, Roy Bailey, Davison, ’, Robert Bigelow, Roe, Donald Trump, “ Donald Trump, ” Davison, we’re, Puerto, “ Trump, ” —, —, Casey, ” Jankowski, We’ve Organizations: CNN, PAC, Florida Gov, DeSantis, Dallas, Trump, Reuters, Labor, GOP, White, US House, Puerto Rico’s, Super, ”, ” Navy, JAG, Republican, Federal, Commission, Campaign Locations: Milwaukee, Iowa, Florida, DeSantis, Nevada, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico, Georgia

Vander Plaats and his group are leaders in the state’s Christian conservative movement, which has enormous political influence in Iowa. “It’s a lot more money” than you typically see allocated in Iowa, said Steffen Schmidt, an emeritus political science professor at Iowa State University who studies political spending in the state. “We endorsed Rick Santorum and he stormed to a caucus victory due to our base of supporters,” Vander Plaats wrote. Dunwell referred a request for comment to Vander Plaats, who said Dunwell had been paid as an “independent contractor” since June. You like being around them,” Vander Plaats said on conservative podcast host Steve Deace’s show on Monday.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Scott Morgan, Ron DeSantis scrambles, Donald Trump, DeSantis, Bob Vander Plaats, Vander, Vander Plaats, “, Steffen Schmidt, ”, Andrew Romeo, –, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Ted Cruz, ” Vander Plaats, Steve Scheffler, Scheffler, “ Vander Plaats, Paul S, Ryan, Jess Szymanski, Jon Dunwell, Dunwell, Tucker Carlson, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tim Scott, Tricia McLaughlin, Ramaswamy, Scott, Mike Pence, Marc Short, Carlson, Santorum, Karen, ” Trump, Trump, Haley, Scott —, Casey, Steve Deace’s, ” Alexandra Ulmer, Joseph Tanfani, Jason Lange, Jason Szep Organizations: Republican U.S, Florida, Fair, REUTERS, Republican, Family, Foundation, pollsters Edison Media Research, Iowa State University, Family Leader, Trump, Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition, Reuters, Santorum, Iowa, DeSantis, ”, Fox News, Federal, Commission, Scott, PAC, Trust, Patriot Voices, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Iowa, Atlantic , Iowa, U.S, ” IOWA, Arkansas, Des Moines, New Hampshire, Nevada, Republic, San Francisco, Washington

☆ Voting by Formerly Imprisoned in Tennessee, Already Hard, Gets Harder
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Michael Wines | More About Michael Wines | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Tennessee has sharply restricted the conditions under which it will restore voting rights to people who have completed prison sentences for felonies, joining a growing list of Republican-controlled states that have rolled back access to the ballot by former felons. The state has for years permitted most people with completed felony sentences to restore their voting rights through an administrative process established in 2006 that is ostensibly automatic, but in practice almost unnavigable. Only 3,400 people, or less than 1 percent of all disenfranchised Tennesseans, have had their voting rights restored under the program, said Blair Bowie, the director of the Restore Your Vote initiative at the Campaign Legal Center, a voting-rights advocacy group in Washington. But in a letter sent to local election officials on Friday, the elections coordinator for Tennessee’s secretary of state said the state would now require that formerly incarcerated people also be granted clemency by the governor’s office or have their citizenship rights restored by a circuit court judge.

Persons: Blair Bowie Organizations: Republican Locations: Tennessee, Washington

☆ Exclusive: Hunter Biden's gallery sold his art to a Democratic donor 'friend' who Joe Biden named to a prestigious commission
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Internal gallery documents reveal that sales of Hunter Biden's art brought in $1.3 million. The messaging seemed to suggest that Hunter Biden's art patrons came from a rarified universe of collectors who had nothing to do with the hurly burly of politics. Hunter Biden did in fact learn the identity of two buyers, according to three people directly familiar with Hunter Biden's own account of his art career. In the past, Hunter Biden has privately suggested that he could arrange to have friends seated on the commission. In fact, according to the person familiar with Hunter Biden's account, Morris purchased the art through Biden's gallery.

Persons: Hunter Biden, Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali, Kevin Morris, Hunter Biden's, Joe Biden, Hunter, Hirsh Naftali, Biden, Kamala Harris, Hirsh Naftali's, —, Nancy Pelosi, Ian Sams, Bruce Weinstein, it's, Weinstein, Eric Schwerin, Barack Obama, Eric, Schwerin, Abbe Lowell, Lowell, Georges Bergès, Hunter Biden's gallerist, Hunter Biden deplanes, Elizabeth Frantz, Morris, Charlie Horne, Gurr Johns, he'd, Kedric Payne, Mattathias Schwartz Organizations: Service, Biden White, Biden White House, California Democratic, Democratic National Campaign, Commission, America's, RAND Corporation, Air Force, New York Times, Times, Department of Justice Locations: Wall, Silicon, New York, Los Angeles, California, Israel, Europe, Syracuse , New York

☆ Alabama is trying to dodge the Supreme Court's order to stop packing Black voters into one district. It's not going to work, a law expert said.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Instead, the redistricting committee proposed a map that raises the number of Black voters in the second district, but doesn't give them the majority. But, according to The Hill, the team of Republicans tasked with redrawing Alabama's district map aren't listening to the Supreme Court's ruling. In this case, it's not about the percentage of Black voters in the district, Gaber said. "It is a continuation of the state's long, sordid history of disenfranchising Black voters." "To me this is evidence of purposeful discrimination at this point given what they've been told by the US Supreme Court."

Persons: John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Mark Gaber, it's, Gaber, Pro Tempore Chris Pringle —, —, Pringle, Marina Jenkins, SCOTUS, they've Organizations: Service, Black, Legal, Republican, Pro Tempore, Politico, National Redistricting Foundation, Democratic, Party, Alabama, Alabama Republicans, Supreme, US Locations: Alabama, Wall, Silicon, The, Black, Alabama's, Birmingham

☆ Utah G.O.P.’s Map Carved Up Salt Lake Democrats. Is It a Legal Matter?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Michael Wines | More About Michael Wines | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The 550,000 voters in Salt Lake County, Utah’s most populous, handed Joseph R. Biden Jr. an 11-percentage point victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 contest for president. On Tuesday, the Utah Supreme Court will consider whether to wade into the increasingly pitched nationwide battle over partisan gerrymanders. The justices will decide whether the state’s courts can hear a lawsuit challenging the House map, or whether partisan maps are a political issue beyond their jurisdiction. But voting rights advocates say Utah’s Constitution offers a stronger case than the federal one for reining in political maps. He said other relevant provisions in the State Constitution, but absent from the federal Constitution, include guarantees of free elections and the right to vote.

Persons: Joseph R, Biden, Donald Trump, ”, Mark Gaber Organizations: Republican, Utah Supreme, U.S, Supreme Locations: Salt Lake County, Utah’s, Utah, State, Washington

The exemption is allowed so long as Super PACs stay independent of the campaign they are supporting. This year's record spending by outside groups has been fueled in part by massive transfers by political groups tied to the candidates. "We've never had anything quite like this before in campaign finance," said Saurav Ghosh, a lawyer at the Campaign Legal Center. 'DISASSOCIATED'The Trump and DeSantis campaigns did not respond to requests for comment, but both Super PACs said the transfers were legal. "Campaign Legal Center is a fringe leftist organization that exists to file frivolous complaints," said MAGA Inc spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer.

Persons: Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Trump, DeSantis, MAGA, Stuart McPhail, We've, Saurav Ghosh, Alex Pfeiffer, Trevor Potter, John McCain, McPhail, Jason Lange, Nathan Layne, James Oliphant, Scott Malone, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: Florida, Republican, Inc, Federal, Commission, MAGA Inc, Citizens, MAGA, Republicans, Democrats, Social Security, Trump, DeSantis, Super PAC, Thomson Locations: Florida, Washington, Wilton , Connecticut

☆ Opinion | Republicans Are No Longer Calling This Election Program a ‘Godsend’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Jesse Wegman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Because of our decentralized election system, the responsibility to sort out this mess falls to the states. Federal and state laws require states to maintain accurate voter rolls, but the states have no established way to communicate and coordinate with one another. The existence of searchable voter data itself is relatively new: As recently as 2000, only seven states had computerized statewide voter databases. One early effort, like the Interstate Crosscheck program, failed miserably because of inadequate data analysis and poor security practices. That information — drawn from voter rolls, D.M.V.

Persons: ERIC, “, ”, Danielle Lang, Ron DeSantis Organizations: Federal, District of Columbia Locations: Florida, ”, Ohio

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