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They were victorious in all six states that featured ballot initiatives around abortion access this year. If approved, it would require a 60% threshold of support for future ballot measures to pass, as opposed to the current majority. Ballot initiative groups say that’s the point. Critics have alleged the measure amounts to a test run for a more comprehensive measure that would raise the threshold for all such constitutional ballot initiatives. “They’re trying to use ballot measures — to change ballot measures,” said Fields Figueredo of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center.

Meanwhile, abortion-rights advocates and the ballot initiative groups they’re working with said preliminary efforts are also underway in Florida, Missouri and other states. Meanwhile, voters in two Democratic states, California and Vermont, chose to officially protect abortion rights in their constitutions. “Reproductive rights is a winning issue. The Dobbs decision had a huge impact,” said Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, the executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, which works with progressive organizations to help advance citizen-led ballot measures. “And what we know — that about a majority of Americans actually support reproductive rights and abortion access — means we have an incredible opportunity.”

☆ Israel’s Netanyahu says he has formed new government
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

JERUSALEM — Designated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced late Wednesday that he has successfully formed a new coalition, setting the stage for him to return to power as head of the most right-wing Israeli government ever. Netanyahu made the announcement in a phone call to President Isaac Herzog moments before a midnight deadline. His Likud Party released a brief video clip of the smiling Netanyahu and a recording of the conversation. Nonetheless, Netanyahu said he intends to complete the process “as soon as possible next week” A date for its swearing-in wasn’t immediately announced. Likud lawmakers have been competing for a shrinking collection of assignments after Netanyahu gave away many plumb jobs to his governing partners.

☆ Nepali groups urge FIFA to 'make things right' for migrant workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 15 (Reuters) - More than three dozen Nepali civil society groups on Thursday called on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to "stop looking the other way" while migrant workers are denied compensation after having "suffered abuses in Qatar", Amnesty International said. The 2022 World Cup host nation, where foreigners make up the majority of the 2.9 million population, has faced intense criticism from human rights groups over its treatment of migrant workers. In the open letter to Infantino, the Nepali organizations demanded compensation for workers who they said had suffered abuse, and families who have lost loved ones. The letter said it was "next to impossible" for migrant workers to access a compensation fund set up by Qatar to reimburse stolen wages if they had already returned to Nepal. FIFA and tournament organisers the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy were not immediately available for comment.

☆ Congress approves removing statue of Supreme Court chief justice who wrote Dred Scott decision
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The House passed a bill Wednesday that would remove from public display at the U.S. Capitol a statue of Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney, who wrote the 1857 Dred Scott decision that defended slavery and denied the citizenship of Black Americans. Roger B. Taney (1777-1864), former chief justice of the Supreme Court. The House overwhelmingly passed the measure a few months later in a 305-113 vote, but it did not advance in the Senate. A statue of Taney, who lived in Maryland, was removed from Maryland's State House grounds in 2017. Congress in recent years has taken similar actions to remove other statues from the Civil War era.

☆ First on CNN: Biden administration to pilot new portions of citizenship test next year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The naturalization exam is a crucial step to an immigrant’s path toward US citizenship, potentially impacting hundreds of thousands of immigrants who seek citizenship annually. The trial civics portion is expected to be redesigned in a multiple-choice format, instead of it being fill in the blank. Currently, applicants study 100 civics test items and are required to answer six of 10 civics questions correctly to pass. The citizenship test was a target of the Trump administration, which tried to curtail legal immigration and doubled down on citizenship. Last year, the Biden administration rolled back the controversial Trump-era naturalization civics test, reverting to a prior version of the exam.

☆ DOJ touts first-of-its-kind settlement in racial discrimination case targeting ‘crime-free housing’ policy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The US Justice Department on Wednesday filed what it is describing as a first-of-its-kind settlement in a racial discrimination case challenging a so-called “crime-free housing ordinance.”The proposed consent decree was filed Wednesday in a lawsuit the Justice Department brought in 2019 against the central California city of Hesperia, alleging that the city’s ordinance violated the Fair Housing Act’s prohibitions on racial discrimination in housing access. Hesperia continues to deny the allegations. She noted under the program, Black renters were almost four times more likely to be evicted than White renters and Latino renters were 29% more likely to be evicted. According to the Justice Department, Hesperia and its co-defendants – the county of San Bernardino and the San Bernardino Sheriffs Department – have agreed to pay a $950,000 settlement. It will compensate people who were harmed under the policy and will cover anti-discrimination training and other initiatives.

☆ FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried made political contributions under other people's names, US authorities allege
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A federal indictment alleges FTX CEO and founder Sam Bankman-Fried committed several campaign finance violations. Bankman-Fried is accused of donating to politicians under others' names, wire fraud, money laundering, and more. And among the litany of charges levied against Bankman-Fried, he's accused of committing several campaign finance violations. One way that Bankman-Fried defrauded the US, the indictment alleges, is by donating to candidates and political action committees using other people's names. Using these methods, the indictment alleges Bankman-Fried and unnamed others donated more than $25,000 in total in a calendar year, in violation of campaign finance regulations.

CNN —Peru’s new President Dina Boluarte has proposed bringing general elections forward two years to April 2024, during a televised speech delivered early Monday morning, amid ongoing protests throughout the country. Boluarte became Peru’s first female president last week after lawmakers removed her predecessor Pedro Castillo. Castillo on Monday insisted that he is still Peru’s President, according to a series of tweets posted on his Twitter account. Protestors take over the Pan-American highway in Arequipa, Peru, on December 12, 2022. Diego Ramos/AFP/Getty ImagesPolice officers clash with protesters in Arequipa, Peru December 12, 2022.

Detectives probing the "targeted attacks" on two power stations last weekend that left thousands of North Carolina residents in the dark have been searching online for a possible motive, two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter told NBC News. Officials are also looking at other theories, such as the possibility that the attack was carried out by an ex-employee or another motive that has yet to present itself. Less than an hour later, Emily Rainey wrote on her Facebook page, "The power is out in Moore County and I know why." Patrons dine by candlelight at Red's Corner during the Moore County power outage on Dec. 5, 2022, in Southern Pines, N.C. Kaitlin McKeown / The News & Observer via APOfficials have announced that a $75,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the shooter or shooters. Meanwhile, Duke Energy reported Wednesday that power had been restored to all customers.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried gave $2.5 million to a leading political ethics watchdog. The group says it can't give the money back because officials already spent it.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The Campaign Legal Center fights against lawlessness and unethical behavior in politics. Brendan Quinn, a spokesperson for the Campaign Legal Center, says the nonprofit organization cannot return or give away Bankman-Fried's money because the money is already spent. Asked whether the Campaign Legal Center would consider disgorging an amount of money equivalent to what Bankman-Fried contributed, Quinn noted that the Campaign Legal Center is not a political candidate or committee. The Campaign Legal Center has not yet provided Insider a copy, first requested December 2, of the most recent IRS 990 tax document filed by Campaign Legal Center Action, its advocacy arm. Former President Donald Trump has been a frequent target of the Campaign Legal Center's legal and ethics efforts.

☆ Italy's Meloni and daughter targeted by online death threat
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her 6-year-old daughter have received online death threats from an unemployed man angry over government plans to cut an anti-poverty subsidy, police said on Wednesday. Meloni's right-wing government wants to limit the so-called "citizens' income" scheme next year ahead of scrapping the measure altogether in 2024, when it will be replaced by a new benefit that has yet to be detailed. Meloni, who took office in October, has always criticised the citizens' income, which was introduced in 2019, arguing that able-bodied people of working age should not be allowed to live off state subsidies indefinitely. Under proposals included in the 2023 budget, currently under debate in parliament, citizens' income payments will be withdrawn after eight months except for households with children, people aged 60 or above, and disabled persons. Reporting by Alvise Armellini and Angelo Amante, editing by Crispian BalmerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mongolians clash with police in protest against inflation and graft
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ULAANBAATAR, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Mongolian protesters clashed with police as they tried to storm parliament after thousands gathered in freezing temperatures to demonstrate against soaring inflation and government corruption. Demonstrators clashed with police on Monday in front of the Government Palace where parliament sits. [1/5] Protesters take part in a demonstration against soaring inflation and government corruption on Sukhbaatar Square in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia December 5, 2022. Rentsendorj 1 2 3 4 5Some later jostled violently with police as they tried to storm the building. Reporting by Bilguun Chadraabal and Josh Arslan; Writing by Dominique Patton; Editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ El Salvador investigative journalists sue spyware maker in U.S. federal court
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Journalists from an investigative news outlet in El Salvador sued NSO Group in United States federal court Wednesday after the Israeli firm’s powerful Pegasus spyware was detected on their iPhones. In January, the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, an internet watchdog, reported that dozens of journalists and human rights defenders in El Salvador had their cellphones repeatedly hacked with the spyware. Among them were journalists at the El Faro news site. NSO Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the lawsuit. Apple and WhatsApp have pending lawsuits against NSO Group in the same U.S. court in the Northern District of California.

☆ Chinese protesters are reacting to a broken social contract
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Diana Fu | Diana Fu Is Associate Professor Of Chinese Politics At The University Of Toronto | Non-Resident Fellow At The Brookings Institution. She Is Author Of The Book | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

However, a deeper cause for this unrest is that the protesters are responding to a broken social contract between the Chinese Communist Party and the people. Despite swift censorship, a Chinese social media post referencing the incident had been viewed 180,000 times before it was deleted. With 20% youth unemployment, businesses closing, migrant workers left homeless and preventable deaths mounting, some Chinese citizens are withdrawing their consent to be ruled. Chinese protesters normally avoid such rhetoric, preferring to stick to bread-and-butter economic or local issues, which are more likely to yield concessions. It is significant that this time, Chinese protesters are borrowing a tactic from Hong Kong protesters in 2020 — holding up pieces of blank paper.

☆ Trolls, propaganda & fear stoke Bukele's media machine in El Salvador
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +23 min

In examining Bukele’s media operation, Reuters interviewed more than 70 people, including former media operatives and social media researchers. It showed Bukele with an 86% approval rating in El Salvador, making him the most popular leader in the region. “The threat in El Salvador used to be from the gangs, now it's from the state,” said Angelica Carcamo, the organization's president. “I found a lot more manipulation in El Salvador than in Mexico,” Escorcia said. A native of Guatemala, Torres has been critical of the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras for creating conditions that spur migration.

☆ Analysis: China protests highlight Xi's COVID policy dilemma - to walk it back or not
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File PhotoBEIJING, Nov 29 (Reuters) - The rare street protests that erupted in cities across China over the weekend were a referendum against President Xi Jinping's zero-COVID policy and the strongest public defiance during his political career, China analysts said. Public dissatisfaction with Xi's zero-COVID policy, expressed on social media or offline in the form of putting up posters in universities or by protesting, is Xi's biggest domestic challenge since the 2019 protests in Hong Kong against an extradition bill. Although this authoritarian arrangement allowed Xi to be more powerful, it also contains vulnerabilities, as exposed by the protests, analysts said. "If he lets go, it would mean that his past zero-COVID policy has completely failed and he would have to take responsibility for it. Xi tried tweaking the zero-COVID policy with the release of "20 measures" last month, in an attempt to standardize prevention measures nationwide and make them friendlier to residents and to the economy.

REUTERS/Thomas PeterBEIJING, Nov 29 (Reuters) - The rare street protests that erupted in cities across China over the weekend were a referendum against President Xi Jinping's zero-COVID policy and the strongest public defiance during his political career, China analysts said. Public dissatisfaction with Xi's zero-COVID policy, expressed on social media or offline in the form of putting up posters in universities or by protesting, is Xi's biggest domestic challenge since the 2019 protests in Hong Kong against an extradition bill. Although this authoritarian arrangement allowed Xi to be more powerful, it also contains vulnerabilities, as exposed by the protests, analysts said. "If he lets go, it would mean that his past zero-COVID policy has completely failed and he would have to take responsibility for it. Xi tried tweaking the zero-COVID policy with the release of "20 measures" last month, in an attempt to standardize prevention measures nationwide and make them friendlier to residents and to the economy.

☆ Thirteen people missing on Italian island Ischia after landslide - ANSA
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Thirteen people were missing on the Italian holiday island of Ischia after a landslide caused by heavy rain engulfed some buildings, the Ansa news agency reported on Saturday, citing the local police. The Italian fire brigade tweeted that a rainstorm that started at 0400 GMT caused flooding and landslides on the island. "Searches are underway for any missing people" in Casamicciola Terme, one of the six small towns of Ischia, a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea about 30 km (18.64 miles)from Naples. Gianni Capuano, an official of Italy's Civil Protection, told Sky TG24 that a young child was among the missing, adding that families in danger were being evacuated. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was in close contact with the Civil Protection minister Nello Musumeci, the Civil Protection Department and the Campania Region "to follow the evolution of the wave of bad weather that has hit Ischia".

Enrico Letta said his centre-left Democratic Party would organise street protests on Dec. 17, while former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, leader of the left-leaning 5-Star Movement, called the cuts to the citizens' wage "inhuman." The budget allocates over 21 billion euros next year in tax breaks and bonuses to help firms and households pay electricity and gas bills. This comes on top of some 75 billion euros of similar measures approved this year. The curbs on the citizens' wage, which the rightist coalition says discourages people from seeking work, is particularly contentious. Meloni, who has always opposed the citizens' wage, insisted it was wrong "to put people who can work on the same level as those that can't."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., meets with reporters Wednesday after he fended off a challenge by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and was re-elected as Republican leader. And we turned off a lot of these centrist voters," McConnell said Wednesday. “Much criticism is being placed on the fact that the Republican Party should have done better. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaks after he was nominated to be House speaker on Tuesday. “What I hope we learned from this is you can’t win the general election merely because of your base vote.

☆ High-performance computing saves the day
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Sponsor Post | Sponsored Microsoft Azure | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Whether there's a cyberattack or a heart attack, Microsoft Azure's high-performance computing solutions and Intel's processing speed empower Dataville's citizens to thwart danger, protect themselves, and innovate to create a better city. Dataville makes sustainable changesWhen Dataville senses that one unscrupulous factory in town is polluting the air, it's able to act quickly. Dataville provides better healthcareWhen Dataville citizens have a health crisis, healthcare providers can save the day. See how Microsoft Azure and Intel can give you superpowers. This post was created by Insider Studios with Microsoft Azure and Intel.

☆ Slovenia's election may produce first woman president
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Katja Lihtenvalner | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LJUBLJANA, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Slovenians were voting on Sunday in a presidential election runoff, with former TV presenter Natasa Pirc Musar hoping to beat right-wing politician Andze Logar and become the country's first woman president. Although the role is mostly ceremonial, the president heads the army and also nominates several top officials, including the central bank governor. An opinion poll conducted by the Ninamedia agency published in the daily Dnevnik on Friday showed Pirc Musar winning 51.2% of the votes, with Logar taking 48.8%. "I expect the next president to care about us, the citizens, to represent Slovenia in a good manner," Uros Pinter said after casting his ballot in Ljubljana. Pirc Musar, 54, a former TV presenter who is now an influential lawyer, campaigned on human rights, the rule of law and social welfare issues.

☆ Fact Check-Joe Biden did not announce plan to cheat by ‘dumping ballots’ during U.S. midterms; Vote ‘spikes’ are not evidence of fraud
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Social media users are sharing a claim that President Joe Biden “announced” a plan to cheat on the U.S. midterms by dumping ballots in a Nov. 2, 2022 speech. But nowhere in the speech does Biden “announce” cheating or dumping ballots during the midterm elections. Specifically, mail-in ballots can start being counted ranging from before election day, on election day before polls close and after polls close on election day, depending on the state (here). Reuters has previously reported on why official U.S. election vote counts may not be reported until after election day and can take weeks to verify (here). There are multiple layers of security in place for mail-in ballots, from affidavits and signature verification to witness signatures and notarized ballots.

☆ In Halloween crush, South Koreans see young people being failed again
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Soo Youn | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Then they placed white chrysanthemums on a memorial altar for the 156 mostly young victims of the Halloween crowd crush, and wrote condolences for scores of people who had departed this life decades too soon. Older generations, she said, failed them like they failed the costumed partygoers on Oct. 29. “Why couldn’t the police have gotten there sooner?”South Koreans across the country are asking the same questions. On Monday, Yoon apologized for the crowd crush, vowing to improve police and safety management systems and hold accountable anyone found responsible. The anti-Yoon protests have been going on for weeks with a heavy police presence, including the night of the Halloween crush, which has also angered critics, as has Yoon’s move out of the official presidential residence into a luxury apartment building.

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