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Former President Donald Trump has won Georgia, NBC News projects, notching a victory in a key battleground state that his campaign focused on as a must-win after he narrowly lost it in 2020. Biden was the first Democrat to win the state since Bill Clinton in 1992. Trump visited Georgia six times this year, holding rallies in Rome, Savannah and Atlanta. Brian Kemp, who began appearing with him toward the end of the election cycle after having distancing himself from Trump amid his criticisms of the state election process. Unlike four years ago, when exit polls showed Biden winning independents by 53% to 44% in Georgia, Trump appears to be winning independent voters this time, according to the latest data early Wednesday.

Persons: Donald Trump, It’s, Joe Biden’s, Democratic Sens, Raphael Warnock, Jon Ossoff, Brad Raffensperger, —, Kamala Harris doesn’t, Biden, Bill Clinton, Trump, Trump’s, Brian Kemp, Kemp, Warnock, Herschel Walker Organizations: Georgia, NBC News, Republicans, Republican, Democratic, White, Democrat, Trump ramped, Democratic Party, Black Business, NBC, Trump, Republican Gov, Fox, Democrats Locations: —, Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, Rome, Savannah, Trump

“It is so visibly dehumanizing to actually criminalize such an act of humanity and dignity,” she said. Demonstrators at Saturday’s voting rights rally at Morehouse College. So, in this moment, we want to say that we are not going back.”The gathering also focused on the rights of disabled voters. “Black voters would be suppressed on the back of disabled voters. “The Voting Rights Act has been so attacked,” she said.

Persons: —, ”, Nicole Carty, ” Carty, Jim Crow, Martin Luther King, Senate runoffs, Brian Kemp, Matthew Johnson, Kamala Harris, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Curtis Bunn, Gerald Griggs, Dom Kelly, Kemp “, ” Kelly, “, squirrelly Organizations: ATLANTA, Morehouse College, Get, Democratic, Senate, Gov, Morehouse, Atlanta NAACP, Renaissance Guild, New Disabled, NBC, Civil Rights Movement, NAACP Locations: Georgia, Atlanta, Randolph County , Georgia

☆ Chiang Mai: About 100 rescued elephants escape flash floods at popular sanctuary in northern Thailand
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Helen Regan | Kocha Olarn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Dramatic video and images from the Elephant Nature Park near the city of Chiang Mai showed dozens of elephants wading through belly-deep water to find safety on higher ground. A view of the flooded elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Elephant Nature ParkThe Elephant Nature Park is an elephant rescue and rehabilitation center in the Chiang Mai countryside that has rescued more than 200 elephants from the tourism and logging industries since its inception in the 1990s. Rescue workers evacuate animals to higher ground at Elephant Nature Park after severe flooding caused the nearby river to overflow in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Elephant Nature ParkSeveral villages in Chiang Mai’s Mae Rim district have been inundated by water from upstream runoffs, local media reported Thursday.

Persons: Chiang Mai, Chailert, “, Saengduean, ”, Typhoon Yagi, ” Saengduean Organizations: Bangkok CNN, CNN, Facebook Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand, Chaing Mai, Chiang, Mae Rim

☆ Iran's new president may be a reformist, but change remains distant
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Newly-elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visits to the shrine of the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran, Iran on July 06, 2024. Fatemeh Bahrami | Anadolu | Getty ImagesIran on Friday elected its first "reformist" president in 20 years, signaling many voters' rejection of hardline conservative policies amid low turnout of just 49%, according to official figures. Iran's sole reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian and ultraconservative Saeed Jalili are set to go to runoffs after securing the highest number of votes in Iran's presidential election, the interior ministry said. "This is why many Iranians have lost hope in bringing about change through the ballot boxes and are boycotting elections." "The core structure of Iran's theocratic regime, where a Supreme Leader's authority eclipses that of any president, will remain steadfastly intact… In essence, Iran's theocracy is designed to resist meaningful change."

Persons: Masoud Pezeshkian, Ruhollah Khomeini, Fatemeh, Masoud, Ibrahim Raisi, Sina, Toossi, Massoud Pezeshkian, Majid Saeedi, Mohammad Khatami, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Nader Itayim, Khamenei, Itayim, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Amirhossein Ghazizadeh, Hashemi Alireza Zakani, Saeed Jalili, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Iran's, ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, Atta Kenare, Ben Taleblu, Pezeshkhian, Mahsa Amini, Amini, Mahsa, Ozan Kose, Pezeshkian's Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Center for International, CNBC, Guardian Council, Argus Media, Vehicles, Afp, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, AFP, for Human Rights, Trump Locations: Tehran, Iran, Afrasiabi, Islamic Republic, Mideast, Washington, Pezeshkian, Kurdish Iranian, Iranian, Istanbul

☆ Iran elects reformist Masoud Pezeshkian in presidential runoff vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

FILE PHOTO: Presidential candidate Masoud Pezeshkian shows the victory sign during a campaign event in Tehran, Iran June 23, 2024. Majid Asgaripour | Via ReutersIran elected Masoud Pezeshkian to its presidency, in an unexpected victory for the country's reformist camp amid deep social discontent, economic hardship, and regional war. Pezeshkian won 16.3 million votes, according to reports which cited the local authorities, with the election seeing a 49.8% turnout. The most moderate of the candidates, he formerly served as minister of health under Iran's last reformist president, Mohammad Khatami, from 1997 to 2005, and Khatami among other reformist politicians endorsed him. Iran's sole reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian and ultraconservative Saeed Jalili are set to go to runoffs after securing the highest number of votes in Iran's presidential election, the interior ministry said.

Persons: Masoud Pezeshkian, Majid Asgaripour, Pezeshkian, Saeed Jalili, Mohammad Khatami, Khatami, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Amirhossein Ghazizadeh, Hashemi Alireza Zakani, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Iran's, ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, Atta Kenare, Ayatollah Khamenei, Sina Organizations: Via Reuters, Islamic Consultative Assembly, Afp, Getty, House, Revolutionary Guards, Center for International, CNBC, U.S, Supreme, Revolutionary Guard Locations: Tehran, Iran, Via, Via Reuters Iran, Washington, Israel, Iranian

☆ France’s far right may be on the brink of power after Macron’s gamble backfired. Here’s what comes next
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-01 | by ( Saskya Vandoorne | Camille Knight | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance was crushed on Sunday after the far-right National Rally (RN) party surged in the first round of the country’s parliamentary elections. It would then become the first far-right party to enter the French government since World War II – although nothing is certain ahead of Sunday’s second round. “Tonight is not a night like any other,” Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said solemnly in an address to the French. The left-wing New Popular Front has announced that it will withdraw all candidates who came in third to help prevent far-right candidates from getting elected. A loss would force Macron to nominate a prime minister from whichever party wins – putting a political opponent in charge of running the government.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron’s, Gabriel Attal, It’s, “, Italy’s Giorgia, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Vladmir Putin, Le Pen, Vladimir Putin, Macron, Jordan Bardella, Bardella Organizations: Paris CNN, New, Ensemble, ”, European Union, Russian, NATO, National Assembly Locations: Sunday’s, Europe, Ukraine, Russian, France

☆ Election Updates: Trump returns to Washington to flex political muscle.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Maggie Haberman | Jonathan Swan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

“There’s high anticipation here and great excitement,” Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Wednesday before Mr. Trump’s visit. Mr. McConnell condemned Mr. Trump’s actions and declared him responsible. Pressed about Mr. Trump’s visit to Washington, Mr. McConnell told reporters on Wednesday, “I said earlier this year I supported him. He’s earned the nomination by the voters all across the country.”Defying the expectations of Mr. McConnell and many others, Mr. Trump did not disappear. Most of corporate America had turned its back on Mr. Trump after the violence on Jan. 6.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Republicans ’, Biden, Trump’s, Mitch McConnell, —, “, Mike Johnson, John Barrasso of, McConnell, acquit, Erin Schaff, Mr, He’s, Ron DeSantis, Tim Cook, Jamie Dimon Organizations: Republicans, Republican, Trump, Business, Capitol, Biden’s Electoral, The New York Times, Gov, Capitol Hill, Apple, JPMorgan Chase, America Locations: Washington, Manhattan, John Barrasso of Wyoming, Georgia, Lago, Florida, Mecca

☆ Can Biden Recapture Lightning in a Bottle in Georgia?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Rick Rojas | Maya King | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The official purpose of Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s trip to Georgia in the final days of 2020 was to rally support for two Democratic Senate candidates facing tight runoffs. “I have to say, it feels pretty good,” Mr. Biden told a crowd in Atlanta, reveling in the distinction of being the first Democrat to win Georgia in a presidential election in nearly 30 years. The moment — along with the Democrats’ win of both Senate seats a few weeks later, tipping control of the chamber — seemed to affirm the party’s resurgence in a state long dominated by Republicans. This weekend, as Mr. Biden returns to Atlanta with ambitions of winning the state again in a rematch with former President Donald J. Trump, he faces a much different climate. The optimism that soared among Georgia Democrats after his win has been overtaken by frustration and worry, not just about his campaign prospects but also about the direction of the country.

Persons: Joseph R, Biden, “, Mr, Donald J, Trump Organizations: Democratic, Democrat, Georgia, Democrats ’, Republicans, Georgia Democrats Locations: Georgia, Atlanta, reveling

☆ S&P 500 futures pop in overnight trading, boosted by Alphabet and Microsoft: Live updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Stock futures rose in overnight trading Thursday as Big Tech names Alphabet and Microsoft saw shares rally on strong earnings. S&P 500 futures climbed 0.9% and Nasdaq 100 futures popped 1.2%. The blue-chip Dow slid 375 points Thursday, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.5% and 0.6%, respectively. The S&P 500 is up 1.6% week to date, on pace to break a three-week losing streak. So far, about 38% of the S&P 500 companies have reported quarterly results, and nearly 80% of those beat earnings expectations.

Persons: Dow, Thursday's, Dow Jones, Bill Adams Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Big Tech, Microsoft, Dow Jones Industrial, Nasdaq, Gross, Dow, Comerica Bank, Chevron, Exxon Mobil

Mark Harris has won the Republican nomination for a U.S. House seat in North Carolina, giving the pastor a second chance to go to Washington after a 2018 absentee ballot scandal. Harris will face Democrat Justin Dues in November in a district running from Charlotte east to Lumberton that was drawn to heavily favor Republicans. While the investigation led to charges against several people and some convictions, Harris wasn’t charged, cooperated with investigators and called for a new election. Harris did not run again, however, and the seat was won by Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop. In addition, Republicans Bishop and U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry decided not to run again, opening their Republican-dominated districts to new representation.

Persons: Mark Harris, Harris, Allan Baucom, Justin, Harris wasn’t, Dan Bishop, Bishop, ”, Kelly Daughtry, Brad Knott, Daughtry, Addison McDowell, Mark Walker, Patrick McHenry Organizations: Republican, U.S, Union, U.S . House, State Board, Republican U.S . Rep, Blue Shield, U.S . Rep, Democratic, Republicans, Assembly, Republicans Bishop Locations: North Carolina, Washington, state's, Union County, Charlotte, Lumberton, District, Smithfield, Raleigh, 6th, North Carolina's

The Senate voted 30-19 along party lines Friday for Senate Bill 358, sending it to the House for more debate. The chamber's Republican majority also on Friday pushed through a proposal to ban ranked-choice voting in Georgia on a 31-19 party-line vote. Raffensperger, also a Republican, says it is unconstitutional for the Senate to give the State Election Board the power to oversee an elected official. Activists have been pushing the State Election Board to investigate whether Raffensperger mishandled his audit of Fulton County’s 2020 results, motivated by unproven claims of fraud. Parent said the bill is pointless because ranked-choice voting is only allowed in Georgia today on overseas ballots.

Persons: —, Brad Raffensperger's, Bill, Raffensperger, ”, Charlene McGowan, Sen, Max Burns, Burns, Chris Carr, Fulton, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Lower, uncounted, Republican Sen, Randy Robertson, Cataula, Robertson, Elena Parent, Parent Organizations: ATLANTA, Republican, Senate, Sylvania Republican, Raffensperger, Board, Democratic, Republican Georgia, Atlanta Democrat, ” Locations: — Georgia's, Georgia, Atlanta, ” Florida, Idaho , Montana , South Dakota, Tennessee

Louisiana's newly inaugurated Legislature is set to convene for an eight-day special session Monday during which lawmakers will discuss items that could impact how the state conducts elections. The focus of the session is to redraw Louisiana's congressional map after a federal judge ruled that current boundaries violate the Voting Rights Act. Lawmakers also may explore new state Supreme Court districts and moving away from the state’s unique “jungle primary” system. Baton Rouge-based U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick agreed with civil rights groups’ arguments and struck down Louisiana’s map for violating the Voting Rights Act in June. CHANGING LOUISIANA'S OPEN ‘JUNGLE PRIMARY’ TO CLOSEDIn a decades-old debate, lawmakers could look at an overhaul to Louisiana’s unique open “jungle primary” system, shifting the state toward a closed primary system.

Persons: Jeff Landry, Landry, Shelly Dick, “ Organizations: Lawmakers, Republican Gov, Black, U.S ., Appeals, Fifth, Louisiana Supreme Court, Times, New, New Orleans Advocate Locations: Black, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, WDSU, New Orleans

The gubernatorial election was decided in October when Jeff Landry, a Republican backed by former President Trump, won outright and avoided a runoff. Voters will cast ballots this weekend to determine the winners of a slew of other races, including three vacant, statewide offices: attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer. Democrats hope to gain a statewide office in the reliably red state as the GOP tries to retain its current offices. The secretary of state race will be closely watched after GOP incumbent Kyle Ardoin declined to seek reelection. Republican Landry is a former state representative from Lafayette and has worked in Ardoin’s office for four years.

Persons: Donald Trump, runoffs, Jeff Landry, Trump, didn't, Republicans “, ” Trump, John Fleming, Dustin Granger, Kyle Ardoin, Nancy Landry, Gwen Collins, Greenup, Republican Landry, Democrat Collins, Alice Lee Grosjean, Huey P, Long, State James Bailey, Landry, Liz Murrill, Joe Biden's, Lindsey Cheek, Cheek Organizations: —, Democratic, Republican, GOP, Republicans, Louisiana Republican Party, Democrat, Ardoin, State, of Elementary Locations: BATON ROUGE, La, Louisiana, Lake Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge

Nearly three years later, the two sides are headed to trial in Georgia over those claims. A ruling against True the Vote could deter similar mass challenges in Georgia and other states, attorneys for plaintiff Fair Fight say. In Georgia, elections officials rejected just a few dozen ballots cast in the 2021 Senate runoff election, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Fair Fight plans to call Engelbrecht. True the Vote had aligned itself with Trump’s reelection campaign and its multistate legal effort to overturn the general election results.

Persons: Stacey Abrams, Steve Jones, Jones, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Catherine Engelbrecht, Abrams, Brad Raffensperger, Trump, Trump’s, Engelbrecht, ”, Jake Evans, Michael Wynne Organizations: ATLANTA, U.S, Senate, Associated Press, Atlanta Journal, Democrats, Republican, Trump, Navy, Plaintiffs, yanks, U.S . Department of Justice Locations: Georgia, Texas, Gainesville, U.S

Weeks later, Mr. Trump is the former President Trump. Instead, in a brief televised address shortly before 2:30 a.m., Mr. Trump furiously laid down his postelection lie. For weeks, Mr. Trump had been peppering him with tips of fraud that, upon investigation by federal authorities, proved baseless. The cavalry “is coming, Mr. President,” Kylie Kremer tweeted to Mr. Trump on Dec. 19. On Jan. 15, Mr. Trump acquiesced to an Oval Office meeting with Mr. Lindell, who arrived with two sets of documents.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Joseph R, Biden, Justin Clark, Rudolph W, Giuliani, Clark, Weeks, Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Jared Kushner, McConnell’s, Biden’s, William P, Barr, Mr, Trump’s, Sidney Powell, Lin Wood, sleuths, MyPillow, Mike Lindell, Patrick Byrne, Stephen K, Bannon, Michael T, Flynn, platformed, Jared Taylor, Enrique Tarrio, Doug Mills, Eric, “ We’re, ”, Fox, Eric Trump, Newt Gingrich, Joe Biden’s, Kevin McCarthy, Laura Ingraham, Obama, Dennis Montgomery, Thomas McInerney, McInerney, John McCain, Bannon’s, “ it’s, Paul Gosar, Doug Ducey, Roy Blunt of, Roy Blunt, Anna Moneymaker, —, “, ” Mr, Mark Meadows, Josh Holmes, Kushner, — Mr, Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski, Lindsey Graham, Sean Hannity, Lindsey Graham of, Sean Hannity’s, — I’ve, Let’s, Graham, Pat A, Axios, Brendan Smialowski, “ Hannity, Thomas, Jenna Ellis, Matt Morgan, Al Gore, George W, Bush, Brooks, Stefan Passantino, Powell, Lynsey Weatherspoon, Gore, William H, Rehnquist, Giuliani —, Kris Kobach, Mark Martin, Lawrence Joseph, Kobach, Uncle Sam, Mr . Biden, Ken Paxton, Jeffrey M, Landry, Paxton, Kyle D, Hawkins, Jacquelyn Martin, Joseph, Richard L, Chris Carr, Carr, Mike Johnson of, Mike Johnson, McCarthy, Privately, Ted Cruz of, John Sauer, ’, ” James E, Nicolai, North, Wayne Stenehjem, Stenehjem, Wayne, Tasos Katopodis, MAGA, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Marsha Blackburn of, Ms, Blackburn, Amy Kremer, Ann Stone, Roger Stone, Amy Coney Barrett, Kremer’s, Kylie Jane Kremer, Jennifer Lawrence, Dustin Stockton, Lawrence, Stockton, I’ve, Lindell, they’d, Taylor, Greg Locke, Covid, Michael McKinney, Tucker Carlson, Carlson’s, “ Donald Trump, ” Ms, Meadows, Georgia runoffs, Byrne, Cipollone, he’d, Martin, Mike Pence, reconvene, ” Kylie Kremer, James Yeager, Kylie Kremer, Yeager’s, Lawrence whooped, John Kennedy, James Lyle, Josh Hawley, “ You’ve, Lyle, Couy Griffin, Kennedy, Pete Marovich, Kremer, Julie Jenkins Fancelli, Alex Jones, Caroline Wren, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr, Katrina Pierson, Brad Raffensperger, Jeffrey A, Rosen, Department’s, Jeffrey Clark, Scott Perry, Hawley, Cruz, Year’s, Tom Cotton of, Cotton, Cindy Chafian, Chafian, Jones, Stone, Locke, Jan, “ You’ll, Gosar, Griffin, Robert O’Brien, I’m, ’ ”, Kenny Holston, Donald Trump, ” Mark Walker, Ben Margot, Stefani Reynolds, Samuel Corum, Erin Schaff, David J, Ted Cruz, John Bazemore Organizations: Twitter, Dominion Systems, Trump, Biden, Dominion, New, New York City, The New York Times, Senate, New York, Republican Party, Capitol, White, Times, The Times, America News Network, Fox, America, Boys, New York Times, American, Air Force, Electoral College, Republicans, Joe Biden’s Democratic Party, Republican, Facebook, Democrats, Associated Press, “ Fox & Friends, White House, West Wing, “, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Veritas, Justice Department, Postal Service, York Daily, Agence France, Zignal Labs, Amistad, Thomas More Society, Mr, Electoral, Supreme, Lawyers, General Association, Associated, State, University of California, Republican House, Women, Tea Party, Trump -, Breitbart, of, Credit, SPAN, Tea Party Express, Republican National Committee, Internet, Army, Des Moines Register, Marine, General Services Administration, Swedish, Cowboys, Capitol ., Street Journal, Save, General Association ., Law Defense Fund, Freedom, Coalition, Proud Boys, Willard, Homeland Security, Party, Getty, Georgia Electoral College Locations: Detroit, Arizona, Georgia, New York, America, China, Trump, Grand Rapids, Mich, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Santa Cruz ,, Arizona —, Russia, North Vietnam, United States, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Kentucky, Utah, Alaska, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Erie, Pa, Pennsylvania, Long, Bush, Florida, tightest, Kansas, North Carolina, Ken Paxton of Texas, Texas, State of Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, Irvine, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Ted Cruz of Texas, Missouri, Washington, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Trump’s, Hudson, Stockton, Tennessee, Des Moines, Meadows, White, fistfights, Nashville, West Monroe, La, Louisiana, drumbeating, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Delaware

☆ Fox mogul Rupert Murdoch survived the phone-hacking scandal. Dominion's $1.6 billion lawsuit will test whether he can do it again.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Now, two voting-technology companies, Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic, want to make another Murdoch media property pay even more for Fox News's role in spreading election denial. But the phone-hacking scandal showed how Murdoch has weathered challenges to his power before. Another key difference from the phone-hacking scandal is the presence of written records that show Fox execs knew exactly what was going on. In the last quarter of 2022, Fox Corp. netted $321 million on $4.6 billion in revenue. And during the phone-hacking scandal, Murdoch showed fierce loyalty.

☆ Fed's new banking backstop could slow balance sheet drawdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Michael S. Derby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Those bonds - collateral for Fed loans of up to a year in duration - will end up on the central bank's $8.4 trillion balance sheet. So far it has managed to shed nearly $600 billion of bonds from a balance sheet that topped out above $9 trillion in the middle of last year. "The more advantageous financial terms of the new Fed facility could divert a substantial amount of borrowing from the (Federal Home Loan Banks) and boost the size of the Fed's balance sheet," Wrightson said. Still, "reserve balances might not fall as much as they thought before because BTFP will actually add reserves and grow the balance sheet." Some observers believe the unsettled nature of markets right now means the Fed should consider stopping the balance sheet drawdown process.

☆ Polls open in Tunisian election with turnout under scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A voter casts his ballot at a polling station during the second round of the parliamentary election in Tunis, Tunisia January 29, 2023. Polls are open from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. (0700 GMT-1700 GMT). On Friday Moody's credit ratings agency downgraded Tunisian debt saying the country would likely default on sovereign loans. Saied's new rules make the parliament subservient to the president, who now takes the lead in forming or dismissing governments. The rules also reduce the role of political parties, with parliamentary candidates listed only by name without reference to their party affiliation.

☆ Georgia Unlikely to End General-Election Runoff Law This Year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Cameron Mcwhirter | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A polling place last year in Georgia, where runoffs are triggered if no candidate in a general-election race secures more than 50% of the vote. ATLANTA—Several groups across the political spectrum have pressed the Georgia legislature to consider eliminating the state’s general-election runoffs, after second rounds of voting in three Senate races that critics say were costly for local governments and exhausting for voters in recent years. Leaders in the GOP-dominated statehouse say they have little interest in significant changes—for now.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Wednesday called for the state Legislature to end general election runoff contests. “Georgia is one of the only states in the country with a General Election Runoff,” he said in a statement. It was the state's third Senate general election runoff in the past two election cycles. Under Georgia law, a runoff occurs if no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote in an election. Georgia is one of only two states — the other is Louisiana — that continue to hold general election runoffs (though another nine use runoffs in primaries).

☆ Georgia Secretary of State Calls to End General-Election Runoffs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Joshua Jamerson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger called on state lawmakers to eliminate its general-election runoff after previously defending the practice as healthy when the 2020 and 2022 elections resulted in high-stakes, second rounds of voting. In Georgia statewide elections, if no candidate notches 50% support, the top two vote-getters advance to a runoff. While several states have runoffs for primary elections, it is rare to have them in general elections.

☆ Georgia's top election official calls for end to runoffs in the state
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 14 (Reuters) - Georgia's top election official on Wednesday called on lawmakers to eliminate the state's unusual runoff election system, a week after Democrats again prevailed in a runoff for a closely fought U.S. Senate race. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, said runoff elections put a significant strain on election officials. Under Georgia law, if no candidate secures at least half of the votes in November's regular election, a runoff between the two top vote-getters is triggered. Democrats in January 2021 swept two Senate runoff races, giving them control of the chamber and allowing President Joe Biden to advance his legislative agenda. Only Louisiana and Georgia employ a runoff system for general elections.

CNN —Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has called on state lawmakers to eliminate general election runoffs. “Georgia is one of the only states in country with a General Election Runoff,” Raffensperger, a Republican, said in a statement on Wednesday. I’m calling on the General Assembly to visit the topic of the General Election Runoff and consider reforms.”Georgia’s general election runoff system, rooted in its segregationist past, says that if no candidate in a general election gets more than 50% of the vote, the race must go to a runoff four weeks later between the two candidates who received the most votes. Raffensperger’s statement comes a little more than a week after Georgia’s third US Senate runoff election in two years, which saw Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock defeat Republican challenger Herschel Walker. The secretary of state pointed to the additional impact the four-week runoff period had on voters and county election officials this year.

☆ Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger calls on state legislators to eliminate runoff elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger called for an end to general election runoffs. "Georgia is one of the only states in the country with a General Election Runoff. I'm calling on the General Assembly to visit the topic of the General Election Runoff and consider reforms," Raffensperger said in a statement. In the November general election, Warnock edged out Walker 49.4%-48.5%, but since neither candidate met the 50 percent threshold, the race was extended for an additional four weeks. State courts sided with the plaintiffs and voting took place on November 26 in select jurisdictions across the state.

☆ Strong midterm turnout in Georgia sparks new debate about a controversial election law
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Fredreka Schouten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The strong turnout in Georgia’s runoff election that cemented Democrats’ control of the US Senate is sparking fresh debate about the impact of the state’s controversial 2021 election law and could trigger a new round of election rule changes next year in the Republican-led state legislature. “There’s no truth to voter suppression,” Raffensperger said in an interview this week with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, a day after Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock secured reelection in the first federal election cycle since Georgia voting law took effect. State election officials had opposed casting ballots on that date, saying Georgia law prohibited voting on a Saturday if there is a state holiday on the Thursday or Friday before. In the CNN interview earlier this week, Raffensperger suggested that the Republican-controlled General Assembly might revisit some of the state’s election rules, including potentially lowering to 45% the threshold needed to win a general election outright. “There will be a push for this in the upcoming legislative session,” said Daniel Baggerman, president of Better Ballot Georgia, a group advocating for the instant runoff.

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