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Tennessee's state House map was also challenged in the lawsuit, though the state did defend those boundaries. Ultimately, the three judges panel upheld the House map and ordered the Tennessee Senate to come up with a new district layout by Jan. 31, 2024. “Today's court ruling against the gerrymandered state Senate map is a clear win for the Tennessee Constitution,” said Democratic Sens. The Tennessee Democratic Party said Wednesday that it would continue fighting the ruling on upholding the House map. In April 2022, the panel of state trial-level judges blocked the Senate map from taking effect.

Persons: —, Wednesday's, “, Randy McNally, Jonathan Skrmetti, ”, Democratic Sens, London Lamar, ” Akbari, Lamar, Hendrell Remus, didn’t Organizations: Republican, Republicans, Tennessee Senate, Tennessee Constitution, Democratic, The Tennessee Democratic Party, state's Democratic Party, General, Tennessee Democratic Party, U.S Locations: Tenn, Nashville, Davidson County, gerrymandered, Tennessee, Raumesh Akbari, London, Shelby, Memphis

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia's state Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to approve rules for a new commission to discipline and remove state prosecutors, meaning the commission can't begin operating. In an unsigned order, justices said they have “grave doubts” about their ability to regulate the duties of district attorneys beyond the practice of law. Beyond the hurdle of state Supreme Court approval of rules, four district attorneys are suing to overturn the commission, arguing that it unconstitutionally infringes on their power. The Georgia law states a prosecutor can't refuse to prosecute whole categories of crimes, but must instead decide charges case by case. It applies both to district attorneys and elected solicitors general, who prosecute lower-level crimes in some Georgia counties.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump, hadn't, Houston Gaines, ” Gaines, Sherry Boston, ” Boston, Judge Paige Reese Whitaker, “, Chris Carr, Willis, Trump, Randy McGinley, McGinley Organizations: ATLANTA, —, Judicial, ”, Athens Republican, Republicans, Democratic, Republican Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Athens, Atlanta's DeKalb County, Walton

The office of Republican Senate Leader Phil Berger did not immediately respond Monday to emails seeking comment on the lawsuit. The “Black Belt” counties of eastern North Carolina have significant and politically cohesive populations of Black voters who overwhelmingly support Democratic candidates, the lawsuit states. A white majority in the surrounding area is also politically cohesive, and the plaintiffs argue they historically vote as a bloc to defeat candidates supported by Black voters. One of those districts, Senate District 2, where Pierce and Matthews reside, stretches more than 160 miles from the Virginia border down parts of the Atlantic coastline. Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue, a Wake County Democrat, said the lawsuit provides “a glimmer of hope” to Black voters in eastern North Carolina.

Persons: Rodney Pierce, Moses Matthews, Phil Berger, Pierce, Matthews, Dan Blue, ”, Blue, ___ Hannah Schoenbaum Organizations: Republican, Assembly, GOP, Democratic, Black voters, North, General, Wake, Wake County Democrat, General Assembly, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: RALEIGH, N.C, North Carolina, Black, Halifax County, Martin County, Virginia, Wake County

☆ Finland mulls more border restrictions as asylum seekers 'impossible' to return
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Essi Lehto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Finland's President Sauli Niinisto addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHELSINKI, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Finland said on Monday it had become impossible to return asylum seekers who did not meet the criteria for protection and said that it might further restrict migrant entries from Russia following a jump in the number of applicants. Over 500 asylum seekers, mostly from Yemen, Somalia, Syria and Iraq, arrived in Finland - an eastern outpost of the European Union - via Russia in the past two weeks, prompting Helsinki to shut half its border crossings and accuse Moscow of funnelling migrants to its border. Migrants entering Finland from Russia can now only request asylum at two of the remaining four crossing points on their shared 1,340-km (830-mile) border. The Kremlin said on Monday it had lodged a formal protest over the partial border closure, saying the decision reflected an anti-Russian stance.

Persons: Sauli Niinisto, Caitlin Ochs, Niinisto, Petteri Orpo, Orpo, Tomi Kivenjuuri, Kivenjuuri, Moscow's, Essi Lehto, Terje Solsvik, Anna Ringstrom, Jonathan Oatis, Gareth Jones Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, European, Migrants, Finnish Border Guard, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.N, New York, U.S, Finland, Russia, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Helsinki, Moscow, Poland, EU, Finnish, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, East, Africa, Oslo, Stockholm

☆ Moldovan president's allies score well in local polls
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Alexander Tanas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sandu warned before the election that pro-Russian forces in the country, particularly fugitive business magnate Ilan Shor, had funnelled money into Moldova to "buy" voters. Shor's allies were barred from running two days before the first round and he complained from exile in Israel that the ruling had cost him electoral success. An independent won in Comrat, a town in the south where one of Shor's allies had won a regional vote earlier this year. Ion Ceban, running under a party he founded, was re-elected mayor of the capital Chisinau in the first round, though the president's supporters suggest he may hold pro-Russian sympathies. Reporting by Alexander Tanas; Editing by Ron Popeski and Will DunhamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Maia Sandu, ZAK BENNETT, Maia Sandu's, Sandu, Ilan Shor, Shor's, Ion Ceban, Igor Grosu, Shor, Arina Korsicova, Alexander Tanas, Ron Popeski, Will Dunham Organizations: USAID, Democracy, Ford Foundation Center, Social Justice, 78th United Nations General, Rights, Sunday, European Union, Sandu's Party of Action, Solidarity, Socialist Party, PAS, Constitutional, The Organization, Security, Cooperation, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Rights CHISINAU, Moldova, Russian, Ukraine, Romania, Israel, Moldova's, Balti, Russia, Comrat, Calaras, Chisinau, Europe

HENRICO, Va. (AP) — Susanna Gibson lost her Virginia legislative race this month, but she may not be done with politics. But that is my plan.”Gibson said she had no idea the videos existed until they were brought to her attention by reporters. “What is newsworthy is abortion rights are on the line in Virginia,” she said. She won a competitive June primary and centered her message to voters on protecting abortion rights as the state's Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, pledged to enact stricter limits. Abortion rights groups and a leading LGBTQ+ advocacy group continued to support her campaign.

Persons: — Susanna Gibson, Gibson, I’m, ” Gibson, —, Daniel Watkins, ”, ” Ken Nunnenkamp, Roe, Wade, Glenn Youngkin, “, loitered, Louise Lucas, Gibson's, Han Jones, David Owen, Terry McAuliffe, Watkins, she's, Virginia’s, Mary Anne Franks, Franks, Matthew Barakat Organizations: Associated Press, Republican Party of Virginia, University of Virginia, Columbia University, Republican, Democratic Party, Virginia, District, Democratic, FBI, George Washington University Law School Locations: HENRICO, Va, Virginia, Henrico

☆ Explainer: What Turkey gained in delaying Sweden's NATO bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Huseyin Hayatsever | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

NATO, Turkish, Swedish and Finnish flags are seen in this illustration taken May 18, 2022. Last year, Stockholm reversed a ban on exporting military equipment to Turkey, without revealing details of companies or products. WHAT HAVE OTHER NATO MEMBERS DONE? In October, Erdogan sent Sweden's NATO bid to Turkey's parliament for consideration. But it has faced objections in the U.S. Congress over Turkey's delaying NATO enlargement and its human rights record.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Gunnar Strommer, Jens Stoltenberg, Thomas Goffus, Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Turkish, NATO, Stockholm, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, European Union, Canada, SWEDEN GO, U.S . Congress, Kurdish, Hamas, U.S, Thomson Locations: Rights ANKARA, Ukraine, Turkey, Hungary, Sweden, Stockholm, Helsinki, Washington, SWEDEN, FINLAND, Madrid, Finland, Kurdistan, Ankara, United States, Netherlands, Brussels, Gaza

The United States, Russia and Britain, who are council veto-powers, abstained from Wednesday's vote on the resolution drafted by Malta. The United States has backed pauses, while Russia has pushed for a ceasefire. The Security Council attempted four times in two weeks in October to act. Russia failed twice to get the minimum votes needed, the United States vetoed a Brazilian-drafted resolution and Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-drafted resolution. It also calls on all parties not to deprive civilians in Gaza of basic services and humanitarian aid needed for their survival, welcomes the initial, limited deliveries of aid, but calls for that to be increased.

Persons: David, Dee, Vassily Nebenzia, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Barbara Woodward, Thomas, U.N, Michelle Nichols, Paul Grant, Emelia, Grant McCool, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Hamas, United Nations Security Council, REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, United Nations Security, United, U.S, United Nations, Security, Gaza, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, U.N, New York, U.S, Gaza, United States, Russia, Britain, Malta, China

CNN —The UN Security Council has approved a resolution calling for “humanitarian pauses and corridors” in war-torn Gaza, a long-awaited diplomatic breakthrough after weeks of bitter negotiations. He also criticized its lack of condemnation for the deaths of civilians and humanitarian workers. Wednesday’s vote was the Security Council’s fifth attempt to pass a resolution on Israel’s war with Hamas, which controls Gaza. “We knew that there are countries, the P5 (the permanent members of the Security Council: the US, UK, China, France and Russia) always have what they call the red lines. But the vote in that body is nonbinding, unlike a mandatory Security Council vote.

Persons: Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, ”, Lior, “ Israel, ” “ Israel, Riyad Monsour, França Danese, Lana Nusseibeh, Antonio Guterres, Martin Griffiths, Volker Türk Organizations: CNN, UN Security, United Nations, Israeli, Palestinian, Hamas, Arab, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Security Council, International, Committee, UN, Security, Palestinian Ministry of Health, UAE, Star, Health Ministry, Human Rights, United Nations General Assembly Locations: Gaza, United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Israel, Gaza’s, Malta, China, UK, France, Ramallah, Pleas

☆ The Man Who Blazed a Trail for Dictatorship in the Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Ben Hubbard | More About Ben Hubbard | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

And help he did. He sent arms, military experts and advice on how to talk to the West. He encouraged the officers to assure the United States, Britain and France that the coup posed no risk to their people or interests. His long reign is but one strand of Nasser’s disastrous legacy, according to “We Are Your Soldiers,” by the Lebanon-based journalist Alex Rowell. Rowell takes the reader on a historical tour of the Middle East to illuminate how Nasser contributed to the region’s “shared curse of political repression mixed with economic misery.”

Persons: Gamal Abdel Nasser, Alex Rowell, King Idris I, Muammar el, el, ” Nasser, “, Colonel el, Qaddafi, brutalizing, kook, Rowell, Nasser, ” Organizations: Libyan Army, United Nations General Assembly Locations: Egypt, United States, Britain, France, Libya, Lebanon

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — After four failed attempts, the U.N. Security Council is trying for a fifth time to come up with a resolution on the Israel-Hamas war, but it remains to be seen whether serious divisions can be overcome to produce a consensus on wording. The current draft under negotiation would demand “immediate extended humanitarian pauses” throughout the Gaza Strip to provide civilians with desperately needed aid. The 15-member council, which has the responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, has been paralyzed since the war began by its internal divisions. But unlike Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, though they are a barometer of world opinion. Of the five veto-holding Security Council members, Russia, China and France voted in favor, the United States voted against and the United Kingdom abstained.

Persons: ”, Richard Gowan, U.N, “, ” Gowan Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, . Security, Malta, Associated Press, United, Israel, International Crisis, Russia, Security Locations: Israel, Gaza, China, Russia, United States, Brazil, U.S, United Nations, France, United, Egypt, Balkans, Syria

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — China, Iran and a multitude of Arab nations condemned an Israeli minister’s statement that a nuclear bomb on the Gaza Strip was an option in the Israel-Hamas war, calling it a threat to the world. It is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, and a former employee at its nuclear reactor served 18 years in Israeli prison for leaking details and pictures of Israel’s alleged nuclear arsenal program to a British newspaper in 1986. He urged Israel to stop “such rhetoric or posturing” and join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapon state. Ambassador Amir Iravani told the conference the nuclear threats directed toward Palestinians by high-ranking Israeli officials highlight Israel’s “pride” in having these weapons in its hands. “The secrecy surrounding Israel’s nuclear capabilities poses a significant threat to regional stability,” he said.

Persons: Amihai Eliyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, U.N, Geng Shuang, Geng, Izumi Nakamitsu, ” Nakamitsu, Mohamed Al, Hassan, Gaza “, ”, d’Affaires Hadi Hachem, Amir Iravani, “, ” Israel, Netanyahu, Mikhail Ulyanov, “ there’s Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, Israel’s Heritage, British, Gulf Cooperation, U.N Security, IAEA, Nuclear Locations: China, Iran, Gaza, Israel, Beijing, Saudi Arabia, Vienna, Moscow, United States, United Kingdom

☆ Turkish parliament commission to debate Sweden NATO bid Thursday
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NATO, Turkish, Swedish and Finnish flags are seen in this illustration taken May 18, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsANKARA, Nov 14 (Reuters) - The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs commission will debate a bill approving Sweden's NATO membership on Thursday, according to the official agenda of the commission. President Tayyip Erdogan submitted the bill to parliament for ratification three weeks ago, in a move welcomed by NATO and Stockholm. The bill must be approved by parliament's foreign affairs commission before a vote by the full general assembly. NATO foreign ministers will meet in Brussels on Nov. 28-29.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Jonathan Spicer Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, NATO, Thomson Locations: Rights ANKARA, Turkish, Stockholm, Turkey, Ankara, Sweden, Brussels, Finland, Ukraine, Hungary

☆ Erdogan Says Legal Amendment Could Be Needed to Solve Turkish Judicial Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

ANKARA (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday parliament may pass a legal amendment to resolve a judicial crisis involving an unprecedented clash between two of the country's top courts. "It is not difficult to make legal arrangements regarding individual applications (to the Constitutional Court)," Erdogan told reporters on a flight back from Saudi Arabia, according to a text published by his office on Sunday. "But the work is not done after completing the legal amendments on individual applications," he added, signalling that more legal changes on the matter could be considered. At issue is a ruling by the Constitutional Court last month that jailed parliamentarian Can Atalay should be released. In response to the Constitutional Court ruling, the Court of Cassation said the Constitutional Court's ruling was unconstitutional.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Osman, Cassation, Ozgur Ozel, Huseyin Hayatsever, William Maclean Organizations: Constitutional, Cassation, CHP Locations: ANKARA, Saudi Arabia

☆ Erdogan says legal amendment could be needed to solve Turkish judicial crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan attends Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November, 11, 2023. "It is not difficult to make legal arrangements regarding individual applications (to the Constitutional Court)," Erdogan told reporters on a flight back from Saudi Arabia, according to a text published by his office on Sunday. "But the work is not done after completing the legal amendments on individual applications," he added, signalling that more legal changes on the matter could be considered. At issue is a ruling by the Constitutional Court last month that jailed parliamentarian Can Atalay should be released. In response to the Constitutional Court ruling, the Court of Cassation said the Constitutional Court's ruling was unconstitutional.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Osman, Cassation, Ozgur Ozel, Huseyin Hayatsever, William Maclean Organizations: Islamic Cooperation, Saudi Press Agency, Handout, Rights, Constitutional, Cassation, CHP, Thomson Locations: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Rights ANKARA

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia's state House will soon have its first Black speaker in its more than 400-year history after the chamber's incoming Democratic majority on Saturday chose Del. Scott was unanimously elected speaker-designee by the House Democratic Caucus, the group said in a news release. The full House of Delegates will vote to officially confirm him on the first day of the 2024 legislative session. “Virginia voters sent a resounding message on Tuesday that they wanted a Commonwealth that moved forward and that is exactly what I intend to do as your next Speaker,” Scott said in a statement. House Republicans were expected to vote Sunday.

Persons: Del, Don Scott, Scott, Virginia, ” Scott, Glenn Youngkin, Youngkin, Richmond —, “, We’re, ”, Youngkin's, Breit, designee, Eileen, Todd Gilbert, Charniele Herring, Alexandria, Kathy Tran, Tran, Terry Kilgore, Gilbert Organizations: —, Democratic, House Democratic Caucus, GOP, U.S . Navy, Portsmouth, Virginia Democrats, Navy, Republicans, Youngkin, Virginia voters, Virginia, Republican, ”, Democrats, American, Pacific, Senate Democratic Locations: RICHMOND, Va, Commonwealth, Tuesday's, Virginia, Texas, Fairfax County

☆ No, 11,200 Climate Refugees Aren’t Heading to Australia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Natasha Frost | More About Natasha Frost | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Pacific island nation of Tuvalu once comprised 11 islands. For decades, Tuvalu’s leaders have warned about the effects of the world’s emissions on this tiny place. “It’s a matter of disappearing from the surface of this earth,” Kausea Natano, the prime minister, said in September on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. And so when Mr. Natano and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia announced a bipartisan agreement this week between their nations that would help Tuvalu mitigate the effects of climate change, many anticipated a wholesale offer of climate-based asylum for Tuvalu’s approximately 11,200 citizens. At least in the short term, the truth is rather less dramatic.

Persons: “, Kausea Natano, Natano, Anthony Albanese Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, Australia, Pacific, Forum Locations: Tuvalu, Tuvalu’s, Cook, Australia

☆ Australia foreign minister touts Tuvalu security, migration pact
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2023. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Sunday that a security and migration pact signed with Tuvalu showed Australia was a "genuine, reliable" regional partner, as it seeks to counter China's influence in the Pacific. Australia announced on Friday the security guarantee to the tiny Pacific Islands nation to respond to military aggression, protect it from climate change and boost migration. Australia, a United States ally, has been working to shore up its Pacific standing amid a rising China, which recently upgraded a security pact with Solomon Islands. Under the treaty, announced in the Cook Islands by Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Tuvalu counterpart Kausea Natano, Australia will also vet Tuvalu's security arrangements with other nations.

Persons: Penny Wong, Eduardo Munoz, Wong, Anthony Albanese, Kausea Natano, Albanese, Sam McKeith, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Australia's, General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, Tuvalu, Pacific ., Australian Broadcasting Corp, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Australia, Pacific, Pacific . Australia, United States, China, Solomon, Tuvalu, Cook, Taiwan, Beijing, Hawaii, Sydney

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A former Indiana lawmaker has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge alleging that he accepted promises of lucrative employment from a gaming company during his time in public office, federal prosecutors said Friday. Sean Eberhart, 57, agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, according to court documents filed Thursday. The former Republican state representative represented central Indiana's House District 57 for 16 years before leaving office in November 2022. In 2022, longtime casino executive John Keeler was sentenced along with a former Indiana state senator, Brent Waltz, for their role in the illegal funneling of gambling money into the lawmaker's unsuccessful 2016 bid for congress. Keeler, who was a Republican legislator for 16 years in the 1980s and 1990s, was sentenced to two months in federal prison and fined $55,000.

Persons: —, Sean Eberhart, ” Eberhart, Eberhart, Todd Huston, Eberhart's, Huston, John Keeler, Brent Waltz, Keeler Organizations: INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Republican, central, General, Spectacle Entertainment, Lake Michigan, Public, Spectacle, Attorney's, Associated Press, FBI Locations: central Indiana's, Lake, Gary , Indiana, Gary, Indiana's Vigo County, U.S, Indiana, Greenwood

☆ Pacific Islands leaders confirm former Nauru president as next top official
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nauru President Baron Divavesi Waqa addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 26, 2018. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 10 (Reuters) - The Pacific Islands Forum confirmed the selection of former Nauru President Baron Waqa as the 18-member bloc's next top official at a meeting on Friday in the Cook Islands. Current Nauru President David Adeang had abruptly left the annual leaders meeting a day earlier after objections were raised by at least one Pacific Islands leader over Waqa's nomination. Adeang did not travel with the other leaders to the island of Aitutaki, where meetings resumed on Friday. "I inherited a fractured Pacific forum.

Persons: Baron Divavesi Waqa, Eduardo Munoz, Baron Waqa, bloc's, David Adeang, Adeang, Waqa, Sitiveni Rabuka, Henry Puna, Kirsty Needham, Tom Hogue Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, Pacific Islands Forum, Nauru, Fiji, Thomson Locations: Nauru, U.N, New York, U.S, Cook, Aitutaki, Taiwan, China, Micronesia, Polynesia, Melanesia

☆ Suburbs Were Democratic Turf on Tuesday. What About in 2024?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | More About Jonathan Weisman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Abortion was dominant; suburban voters outside Ohio’s biggest cities voted overwhelmingly to establish the right to an abortion in the state’s constitution. Kentucky’s incumbent Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, who ran hard on abortion rights and kitchen-table issues like infrastructure spending, won not only Jefferson County, home to Louisville, and Fayette County, home to Lexington. He also beat his Republican challenger, Daniel Cameron, in Kenton and Campbell Counties, once reliably Republican redoubts across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. “The Republican Party has to modernize its message on this issue if we’re going to convince Democrats and independents to cross over and vote Republican. This time, she said, some of the same parents recoiled from Republican efforts to ban books with L.G.B.T.Q.

Persons: Andy Beshear, Daniel Cameron, Glenn Youngkin’s, Danica Roem, “, ”, John Whitbeck, Roe, Wade, Heather Williams, recoiled Organizations: Democratic, Republican, Campbell Counties, Democrat, Virginia General, State Senate, Democrats, Republican Party of Virginia, Republican Party, Democratic Legislative, Committee Locations: Ohio’s, Jefferson County, Louisville, Fayette County, Lexington, Kenton, Campbell, Ohio, Cincinnati, Virginia, Loudoun County, Washington, ”

The potential Georgia connection surfaced a day after authorities in Washington state said four county election offices had to be evacuated as election workers were processing ballots cast in Tuesday’s election, delaying vote-counting. Election offices in Seattle’s King County and ones in Skagit, Spokane and Pierce counties received envelopes containing suspicious powders. Political Cartoons View All 1237 ImagesTacoma Police spokesperson William Muse said a message inside the envelope received by Pierce County election workers said “something to the effect of stopping the election." It was not immediately clear how authorities came to suspect that a letter might have been sent to the Fulton County election office or whether similar ones went to election offices in other states. "Election officials should be free from fear and intimidation, which is why I’ve called on the General Assembly to increase penalties for election interference,” Raffensperger said.

Persons: William Muse, Muse, Steve Hobbs, ”, Brad Raffensperger, I’ve, ” Raffensperger, accidently, Gene Johnson, Lindsay Whitehurst Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Georgia Emergency Management, Homeland Security Agency, The Associated Press, Tacoma Police, U.S . Department of Justice, FBI, U.S . Postal, Service, AP, Assembly, Associated Press Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, Atlanta, Washington, Seattle’s King County, Skagit , Spokane, Pierce, Kings, Spokane, Pierce County, United States, Seattle

Democrats won full control of the General Assembly despite losing in key swing districts. In this year’s election, Republican candidates prevailed in three of the four Biden-Youngkin state Senate districts and in at least seven of 11 Biden-Youngkin state House districts. There were 20 Senate districts and 48 House districts carried by both Biden in 2020 and McAuliffe in 2021. Democrats won all of them Tuesday, averaging 67% of the vote in Senate districts and 76% in House districts. In comparison, there were 16 Senate districts and 41 House districts carried by both Trump and Youngkin.

Persons: Republican Glenn Youngkin’s, Terry McAuliffe, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Youngkin, Donald Trump's, McAuliffe, –, Siobhan Dunnavant, Monty Mason, Matt Fariss, Karen Greenhalgh, Del, Kim Taylor Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democrats, Republicans, Republican, Biden, Associated Press, Hampton Roads, Youngkin, Trump, Democratic, House, AP Locations: Virginia, Youngkin, Petersburg, Richmond, Fredericksburg, Hampton, District, Williamsburg

OHIO ABORTION RIGHTSOhioans voted to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, Edison Research projected, which will render moot a six-week abortion limit signed into law by Republican Governor Mike DeWine. The ban is currently on hold pending litigation at the conservative state Supreme Court. The success of Ohio's ballot measure initiative, which put the question of abortion rights to voters directly, adds to a string of ballot measure victories for abortion rights supporters since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. PENNSYLVANIA SUPREME COURTThe race for a new state Supreme Court justice will not alter the liberal tilt of Pennsylvania's highest court but could have future implications for abortion rights and election laws in the state. Democrats have a 4-2 majority in the partisan state court, with one vacant seat to be filled in this election.

Persons: Andy Beshear, Jon Cherry, Daniel Cameron, Republican Donald Trump, Beshear, Tate Reeves, Democrat Brandon Presley, Reeves, Presley, Elvis Presley, Roe, Wade, Glenn Youngkin, Mike DeWine, Cherelle Parker, Republican David Oh, Jim Kenney, Sheila Jackson Lee, John Whitmire, Sylvester Turner, Daniel McCaffery, Carolyn Carluccio, Gabriella Borter, Colleen Jenkins, Lincoln Organizations: Democratic, Capitol, REUTERS, Republicans, KENTUCKY, Edison Research, Republican, MISSISSIPPI GOVERNOR Republican, Democrat, Democratic Governors Association, NEW, General, U.S, PENNSYLVANIA, New York Times, Democrats, Thomson Locations: Frankfort , Kentucky, U.S, Kentucky, Mississippi, Virginia, New Jersey, Ohio, COVID, MISSISSIPPI, Northern Mississippi, Southern, VIRGINIA, Virginia's Senate, U.S ., NEW JERSEY, Democratic New Jersey, OHIO, Philadelphia, Houston

The Associated Press has not yet called the race — one of four uncalled contests that will determine the final margins in each chamber. Senate Republicans conceded late Tuesday that Democrats had taken that chamber's majority. House Republicans had not issued any kind of statement as of mid-morning Wednesday. Also uncalled by the AP Wednesday morning was the Tidewater matchup between Democratic incumbent Monty Mason and his GOP challenger, Danny Diggs. And in a competitive race south of Richmond uncalled by the AP, Republican incumbent Kim Taylor held a narrow lead over Democrat Kimberly Pope Adams.

Persons: Glenn Youngkin, Joel Griffin, Tara Durant, ” Griffin, Youngkin, ” Susan Swecker, Monty Mason, Danny Diggs, Diggs, Republican David Owen, Democrat Susanna Gibson, Gibson, Kim Taylor, Democrat Kimberly Pope Adams, Taylor, Adams, Dave Rexrode, ” “ Organizations: Senate, Republican Gov, Democratic, Republican, Associated Press, Virginia Republicans, Commonwealth, Democratic Party of Virginia, Republicans, House Republicans, AP, Tidewater, GOP, House, Democrat Locations: RICHMOND, Va, Virginia, Virginia's, Stafford County, “, Richmond, Hampton Roads, ”

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