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☆ 'Grab-bag' extremists drive surge in U.S political violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Politics'Grab-bag' extremists drive surge in U.S political violencePostedA new breed of extremist has sparked the deadliest wave of U.S. political violence in decades. These self-made radicals, mixing right-wing conspiracy theories and marginal beliefs, forego logic and coherence in favor of personal grievances. Investigative reporters Peter Eisler and Ned Parker explain.

Persons: Peter Eisler, Ned Parker

☆ U.S. political violence driven by new breed of ‘grab-bag’ extremists
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +25 min

The incidents involve violence emanating from across the political spectrum, including dozens of cases of substantial property damage by leftists at political demonstrations. Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Trump, didn’t respond to questions from Reuters about the former president’s remarks and the impact of his rhetoric. But those who study extremism say psychiatric problems alone rarely induce political violence. “How could I take care of a brother in arms if I couldn’t even take care of myself?” Aldrich told the court. In the summer of 2022, Aldrich told the group he wanted to build a website to “promote freedom of speech,” Arroyo said.

Persons: Anderson Lee Aldrich, ” Gilbert Arroyo, Aldrich, Arroyo, ” Arroyo, “, ” Aldrich, Ted Kaczynski, ”, Brian Hughes, Donald Trump, Michael Jensen, Trump, Mark Milley, Steven Cheung, Milley, Rory Banks, Banks, Jacob Ware, Jensen, Stephanie Clark, Ashley Paugh, Barack Obama wasn’t, Republican Sen, Ted Cruz, John F, Kennedy, Matt Kriner, Troy Burke, Elwell, Burke, Jessica, Joe Biden, Sarah Huyser, John D, Cohen, Nathan Allen, Allen, Terence Delehanty, Audrey Mazzola, Allen texted Mazzola, Mazzola, Ramona Cooper, David Green, Green, “ Saint Nathan Allen, Aaron Brink, Brink, Aldrich’s, Laura Voepel, Carrie Thompson, Voepel, John Redgrave, Discord’s, ” Redgrave, “ Andy, ” Luke Simpson, Jonathan, Pamela Pullen, didn’t, Nick Brooks, Brooks, Pepe, Blacks, Simpson, ” Simpson, Michael Bowman, Joseph Archambault, Aldrich texted, Ned Parker, Peter Eisler, Joseph Tanfani, John Emerson, Paulo Prada Organizations: Reuters, Q, American University, Washington , D.C, ” Reuters, U.S, Capitol, Jan, Trump, University of Maryland’s, U.S . Joint Chiefs of Staff, ., Council, Foreign Relations, Republican, Middlebury College’s Center, Terrorism, Counterterrorism, Public Religion Research Institute, REUTERS, Central Intelligence Agency, U.S . Constitution, Department of Homeland Security, Facebook, ” Winthrop Police, Smith, Wesson, Air Force, SWAT, Prosecutors Locations: Colorado, Colorado Springs, Washington ,, United States, Nevada, Wheaton , California, Washington, Maryland, Vietnam, Mexico, mainstreaming, Monterey , California, Michigan, Gratiot County, U.S ., Winthrop , Massachusetts, California, Texas, San Diego, Ohio, Illinois, Australia, Florida, Buffalo , New York

☆ The man behind Trump World’s myth of rigged voting machines
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +32 min

He publicly announced his purchase of Montgomery’s data in August at a gathering in Missouri of hundreds of his followers. “I own it,” Lindell said of Montgomery’s data, touting it as irrefutable proof Trump was cheated. On Nov. 9, far-right podcaster Joe Oltmann linked Montgomery’s Hammer and Scorecard claims to a parallel conspiracy theory: that widely used voting machines manufactured by Dominion Voting Systems were rigged to flip votes from Trump to Biden. Powell amended her complaint a few days later and dropped the expert’s declaration and the references to Montgomery’s claims. But the government said in a recent court filing that the order has nothing to do with election data.

☆ Arizona county certifies midterm election vote after court order
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Ned Parker | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Dec 1 (Reuters) - A conservative, rural Arizona county that had defied a state deadline to certify its Nov. 8 midterm election results relented on Thursday after a judge said state law required the approval. Superior Court Judge Casey McGinley ruled at a hearing on Thursday that the Cochise County board of supervisors did not have the right to block certification. “The board of supervisors has a nondiscretionary duty to canvas the returns,” McGinley said during the livestreamed hearing, citing Arizona law. Arizona law requires counties to certify election results by Nov. 28, ahead of the state's certification on Dec. 5. Soon after the court hearing on Thursday, the board approved the election results.

☆ Republicans in one Arizona county refuse to certify election results
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Ned Parker | Linda So | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

-Republican officials who have embraced voter fraud theories resisted certifying the midterm election results in one Arizona county on Monday, defying a state deadline and setting the stage for a legal battle. REUTERS/Jim UrquhartoIn Cochise County, a conservative stronghold in southeastern Arizona, the two Republican members of the three-person board of supervisors voted to postpone certifying the county’s election results. On Monday, the Mohave board ultimately certified its election results but also criticized Maricopa’s performance. Arizona law requires counties to certify election results by Nov. 28, ahead of the state’s certification on Dec. 5. “In the last year, it’s become an unprecedented dereliction of duty for county officials to violate their oaths of office and refuse to certify election results, citing ‘gut feelings’ or alleged problems in jurisdictions other than their own,” Becker said.

☆ In Arizona, election deniers refuse to back down
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Ned Parker | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

FILE PHOTO: Supporters of Republican candidate for Arizona Governor Kari Lake and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters protest outside the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center as vote counting continues inside, in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., November 12, 2022. The defeat of Lake and other election deniers was seen as a powerful rebuke of candidates who echoed Trump’s myths of a stolen election. Republican activists urged voters not to use the secure box on Election Day, according to Maricopa County officials. Maricopa County on Sunday released a report detailing voter numbers by location on Election Day and was scheduled to certify election results on Monday. DELAYS IN CERTIFICATIONElsewhere in Arizona, two conservative counties, Mohave and Cochise, do not plan to certify election results until Monday, the final day to formally do so, following pressure by election deniers.

Although prominent election deniers in critical battleground states lost at the polls, their movement has had far-reaching impact. In reality, the livestream app suffered a glitch that caused the cameras to stop working, county officials said in a statement after investigating the blackout. IN ARIZONA, BOOSTING SECURITYIn Arizona's Maricopa County, election officials strengthened doors, added shatterproof film on windows and stationed a security guard in the ballot-counting room. In Georgia's Gwinnett County, which includes part of the greater Atlanta area, election officials held planning meetings with local law enforcement to beef up security, Elections Supervisor Zach Manifold told Reuters. The plan included keeping sheriff's officers on site for longer to ensure election staff felt safe, he said.

Their defeats were a sign of voters rejecting anti-democratic tendencies in tight midterm elections. In swing states Arizona, Nevada and Michigan, "America First" candidates were nominated for secretary of state, the position that oversees elections. All of those candidates lost. Nevertheless, many Republican election deniers won other races around the country. Reuters/Ipsos polling has shown about two-thirds of Republican voters believe the election was stolen from Trump.

[1/11] The sun rises over the U.S. Capitol, as control of Congress remained unclear following the 2022 U.S. midterm elections in Washington, U.S., November 9, 2022. "Women in America made their voices heard, man," President Joe Biden said at a political event in Washington. At the political event, Biden noted that many so-called "election deniers" had accepted their own losses. A White House official said Biden spoke by phone with Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy, who announced on Wednesday his intention to run for speaker of the House if Republicans control the chamber. Republicans are expected to demand spending cuts in exchange for raising the nation's borrowing limit next year, a showdown that could spook financial markets.

☆ U.S. Senate up for grabs as Republicans move toward House majority
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

(Live election results from around the country are here.) But Democrats were able to avoid the major defeat that Republicans had anticipated and were holding on in the close Senate battles in Nevada and Arizona. Even a slim House majority would allow Republicans to shape the rest of Biden's term, blocking priorities such as abortion rights and launching investigations into his administration and family. A White House official said Biden spoke by phone with Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy, who announced earlier in the day his intention to run for speaker of the House if Republicans control the chamber. Control of the Senate, meanwhile, would give Republicans the power to block Biden's nominees for judicial and administrative posts.

☆ Republicans close in on U.S. House majority, Senate still up for grabs
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A split would mean the Senate majority would come down to a runoff election in Georgia for the second time in two years. Even a slim House majority would allow Republicans to shape the rest of Biden's term, blocking priorities such as abortion rights and launching investigations into his administration and family. A White House official said Biden spoke by phone with Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy, who announced earlier in the day his intention to run for speaker of the House if Republicans control the chamber. Control of the Senate, meanwhile, would give Republicans the power to block Biden's nominees for judicial and administrative posts. MIXED RESULTSThe party in power historically suffers heavy casualties in a president's first midterm election, and Biden has struggled with low approval ratings.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy had hoped to celebrate a resounding victory that would propel him into the top job of speaker. But Republican hopes for a "red wave" of victories faded as Democrats showed surprising resilience in several key races. Pelosi said in a statement, "It is clear that House Democratic members and candidates are strongly outperforming expectations around the country." [1/9] Supporters cheer U.S. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) at a House Republicans' party held late on the night of the 2022 U.S. midterm elections in Washington, U.S., November 9, 2022. The Georgia Senate race could end up in a Dec. 6 runoff, possibly with Senate control at stake.

By early Wednesday, Republicans had flipped six Democratic House seats, Edison Research projected, one more than the minimum they need to take over the chamber. But Republican hopes for a "red wave" of victories faded as Democrats showed surprising resilience in several key races. Pelosi said in a statement, "It is clear that House Democratic members and candidates are strongly outperforming expectations around the country." But television host and heart surgeon Mehmet Oz failed to win his Pennsylvania Senate race. In Pennsylvania, Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, who sought to overturn the state's election results after Trump lost, was defeated by Democrat Josh Shapiro.

In the House of Representatives, Republicans remained favored to win a majority that would allow them to halt Biden's legislative agenda. By early Wednesday, the party had flipped six Democratic House seats, Edison Research projected, one more than the minimum they need to take over the chamber. But Republican hopes for a "red wave" of victories faded as Democrats showed surprising resilience in several key races. The Democratic speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, said in a statement, "It is clear that House Democratic members and candidates are strongly outperforming expectations around the country." Voter anger over the Supreme Court's June decision to overturn the nationwide right to abortion helped Democrats to curb their losses.

SummarySummary Companies Key House, Senate races still too close to callRepublican-controlled Congress would stymie Biden agendaPHOENIX, Ariz./BIRMINGHAM, Mich., Nov 8 (Reuters) - Control of Congress was up for grabs after Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections with many of the most competitive races uncalled, leaving it unclear whether Republicans would seize control from President Joe Biden's Democrats. In the House of Representatives, Republicans had been favored to win a majority that would allow them to halt Biden's legislative agenda. By early Wednesday, the party had flipped four Democratic House seats, Edison Research projected, one short of the number they need to take over the chamber. The Georgia Senate race could end up in a Dec. 6 runoff, possibly with Senate control at stake. Democrats currently control the 50-50 Senate with Vice President Kamala Harris able to break any ties.

Vance won Ohio's U.S. Senate race in Tuesday's midterm elections, but control of the chamber remained up for grabs with several contests too close to call. Democrats currently control the 50-50 Senate with Vice President Kamala Harris able to break any ties. In addition to every House seat, 35 Senate seats and three dozen governors' races are on the ballot. (Live election results from around the country are here.) In Pennsylvania, Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, who sought to overturn the state's election results after Trump lost, was defeated by Democrat Josh Shapiro.

[1/14] A voter waits in line to cast their ballot during the midterm elections, in McAllen, Texas, U.S., November 8, 2022. REUTERS/Callaghan O'HarePHOENIX, Ariz./BIRMINGHAM, Mich., Nov 8 (Reuters) - Republicans were favored to wrest control of the U.S. House of Representatives away from President Joe Biden's Democrats based on early returns in Tuesday's midterm elections, though the prospects of a "red wave" appeared to have dimmed. But importantly, that number can change as close to 200 of the 435 House races had yet to be called, including some with vulnerable Republican incumbents. But even a narrow Republican House majority would be able to block Biden's priorities while launching politically damaging investigations into his administration and family. (Live election results from around the country are here.)

REUTERS/Mary F. CalvertPHOENIX, Ariz./BIRMINGHAM, Mich., Nov 8 (Reuters) - Senate incumbents including Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and senior Republican John Thune won re-election in Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections, on a day Republicans were expected to wrest control of Congress away from President Joe Biden's Democrats. Thirty-five Senate seats and all 435 House of Representatives seats are on the ballot. The final outcome, particularly control of the 50-50 Senate, is unlikely to be known any time soon. Democrats currently control that chamber through Vice President Kamala Harris' tie-breaking vote. The Georgia race could end up in a Dec. 6 runoff to determine which party holds the Senate.

DeSantis, a possible contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, turned away Democratic Representative Charlie Crist, Edison Research projected. Seven Republicans also won U.S. Senate seats, according to Edison, though none was unexpected. Thirty-five Senate seats and all 435 House of Representatives seats are on the ballot. Republicans are widely favored to pick up the five seats they need to control the House, but control of the Senate could come down to tight races in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia and Arizona. In Maricopa County, Arizona - a key battleground - the Republican Senate nominee, Blake Masters, and the national party filed an emergency lawsuit seeking to extend voting hours after some tabulation machines malfunctioned.

Edison Research projected that incumbent Republican Senators Tim Scott in South Carolina and Todd Young in Indiana would win re-election. Fox News projected Republican Rand Paul would win re-election in Kentucky and Democrat Peter Welch would win an open Senate seat in Vermont. I blame the current administration for that," said Bethany Hadelman, who said she voted for Republican candidates in Alpharetta, Georgia. A Republican Senate would hold sway over Biden's judicial nominations, including any Supreme Court vacancy, intensifying the spotlight on the increasingly conservative court. Those concerns swayed even some Republican leaning voters like Henry Bowden, 36, an Atlanta lawyer who said he voted for a mix of Republican and Democratic candidates.

☆ Analysis: Abortion, Trump dashed Republican hopes for 'red wave'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

They wanted to protect abortion rights and stop candidates beholden to Republican former president Donald Trump. That surprised Democratic Party strategists and pollsters, who had expected inflation would trump everything, including concerns about the loss of abortion rights. Michigan voters approved a ballot issue that gave abortion state constitutional protection and re-elected Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who had vowed to “fight like hell” to protect abortion rights. Sydney Wright, an 18-year-old student at the University of Nevada, Reno, said she counts herself as a conservative but voted Democratic because of abortion. THE TRUMP FACTORLike Wright, Nyasha Riley, 37, a registered Republican in Phoenix, voted for Democrats because of abortion rights and Trump.

☆ Analysis: Abortion, Trump dash Republican hopes for 'red wave'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

PHOENIX/RENO, Nevada, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Arizona and Nevada security officials remained on high alert on Wednesday for election-related protests and allegations of voter fraud, as they prepared for days of ballot counting to determine final results in key races for governor and U.S. Senate. Election officials in Maricopa County, Arizona's most populous, said it could take until at least Friday to tally all votes. About 400,000 votes in Maricopa County remain to be counted, election officials said. The race for governor and U.S. Senate remained uncalled on Wednesday, with about 70% of votes tallied. Jamie Rodriguez, the interim registrar of voters in Washoe County, Nevada, said during the state's primary season her staff was harassed by people convinced of election fraud.

☆ U.S. midterm elections: When will we know who won?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Jason Lange | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The top House Republican, Kevin McCarthy, said early on Wednesday he was confident his party would prevail as its candidates showed signs of closing in on victory. * With 44 of 435 House seats still lacking a clear winner, Republicans were leading in vote tallies for 17 of them. If they hold onto those leads, McCarthy would likely replace Democrat Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House. * If Cortez Masto and Kelly prevail, Democratic control of the Senate would likely continue through the second half of Biden's term. Currently the Senate is split 50-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, able to cast the tie-breaking vote.

But the door knockers didn't explain where to vote or promote a candidate, the usual work of canvassers ahead of a big election. At another, they listed names of registered voters and demanded to know if they still lived at the address. In at least one state, Michigan, they plan to use their list of alleged irregularities to challenge voters in the Nov. 8 election. Reuters identified at least 23 state-wide or local efforts where canvassers may have crossed the line into intimidation, according to election officials and voting rights lawyers. This August, people affiliated with USEIP were also canvassing in La Plata County, according to the county clerk.

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