Author: Data and Research Manager

US election spending exceeds GDP of numerous countries

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Americans spend more on politics and political campaigns than any other nation on Earth, and the 2020 election once again rewrote the fundraising record books.

U.S. spending is such that it’s barely comparable to the amounts in other countries.

In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party spent 16 million pounds on the 2019 campaign that handed them a majority in Parliament, about $21.3 million based on today’s exchange rate. That’s less than the amount Democrats and Republicans spent on the 21st Congressional District in Texas, where Rep. Chip Roy (R) held off a challenge from former state Sen. Wendy Davis (D) last month. Continue reading.

Conservative nonprofit group challenging election results around the country has tie to Trump legal adviser Jenna Ellis

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A conservative legal organization that has filed lawsuits challenging the election results in five states has a tie to President Trump’s legal team, raising questions about the independence of what has appeared to be an endeavor separate from the president’s last-gasp legal maneuvering.

Senior Trump campaign legal adviser Jenna Ellis serves as special counsel to the Thomas More Society, which has filed lawsuits through the newly formed Amistad Project alleging problems with the vote in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The Thomas More Society confirmed her relationship to the group but said she is playing no role in its election-related activities. Continue reading.

Georgia secretary of state recertifies election results after recount

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Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) recertified the results of the state’s presidential election on Monday after a recount completed last week reaffirmed President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

“It’s been 34 days since the election on Nov. 3,” Raffensperger said at a news conference at the Georgia Capitol earlier in the day. “We have now counted legally cast ballots three times and the results remain unchanged.”

The recertification of the results amounted to a major blow to President Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the presidential race. Trump has repeatedly refused to acknowledge his loss to Biden and has falsely claimed that the election outcome was marred by widespread voter fraud and systemic irregularities.

Armed protesters alleging voter fraud surrounded the home of Michigan’s secretary of state

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Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson had just finished wrapping string lights around her home’s portico on Saturday evening and was about to watch “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” with her 4-year-old son when a crowd of protesters marched up carrying American flags and guns.

About two dozen protesters chanted “Stop the Steal” and accused Benson, a Democrat and Michigan’s chief election officer, of ignoring widespread voter fraud — an echo of President Trump’s continued unfounded claims as he seeks to overturn the results of the election that President-elect Joe Biden won.

“She’s decided to completely ignore all of the credible, credible, fraudulent evidence that has been continually pointed out,” demonstrator Genevieve Peters said of Benson, as she live-streamed the protest in Detroit on Facebook. “We’re out here in front of the secretary of state’s house and we want her to know we will continue to be here.” Continue reading.

Here’s Why Trump Won’t Live At Mar-A-Lago When He’s No Longer President

President Donald Trump may not have conceded yet, but it appears that he’s already started looking into upgrading his private residences at his “winter White House,” Mar-a-Lago. Sources have told People: “[The Trumps] are definitely renovating his apartment within the Mar-a-Lago Club to make it larger, more modern and comfortable for his use.” 

In September 2019, President Donald Trump changed his main residence from Manhattan to Palm Beach. He went on Twitter to explain the move, saying: “I cherish New York, and the people of New York, and always will, but unfortunately, despite the fact that I pay millions of dollars in city, state and local taxes each year, I have been treated very badly by the political leaders of both the city and state.”

“Few have been treated worse. I hated having to make this decision, but in the end it will be best for all concerned,” he finished. When the announcement was made, The Washington Post reported he listed his permanent address to 1100 S. Ocean Blvd, Palm Beach — or Mar-a-Lago. Continue reading.

Trump administration rejects tougher standards on soot, a deadly air pollutant

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“People of color and the poor — that is who gets hit the hardest by this,” one activist says

The Trump administration on Monday rejected setting tougher standards on soot, the nation’s most widespread deadly air pollutant, saying the existing regulations remain sufficient even though some public health experts and environmental justice organizations had pleaded for stricter limits.

The Environmental Protection Agency retained the current thresholds for fine-particle pollution for another five years, despite mounting evidence linking air pollution to lethal outcomes in respiratory illnesses, including covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Documents obtained by The Washington Post show that the EPA has disregarded concerns raised by some administration officials that several of its air policy rollbacks would disproportionately affect minority and low-income communities.

In its decision announced Monday, the EPA maintained that the Obama-era levels, set in 2012, are adequately protective of human health. Agency scientists had recommended lowering the annual particulate matter standard to between 8 and 10 micrograms per cubic meter in a draft report last year, citing estimates that reducing the limit to 9 could save between 9,050 and 34,600 lives a year. Continue reading.

In the Know: December 9, 2020


2020 Election News 
Embattled Texas AG Sues Swing States in SCOTUS to Save Trump, Daily Beast
YouTube to remove content that alleges widespread election fraud, The Hill
‘Very worried that this affects our brand’: Georgia Lt. Gov. tells GOP to accept election results, Politico
27 GOP reps ask for special counsel to investigate election irregularities, The Hill
Arizona Supreme Court crushes GOP chair Kelli Ward’s coup attempt, USA Today
Supreme Court rejects Pennsylvania Republicans’ attempt to block Biden victory, CNN
Nevada Supreme Court rejects Trump campaign’s appeal to overturn Biden’s win, Washington Post

Congressional News
House approves defense bill with veto-proof majority after Trump urges GOP opposition, CNN
Pelosi, Schumer blast $916B White House coronavirus relief proposal, NBC News

Environmental News
The world’s rich need to cut their carbon footprint by a factor of 30 to slow climate change, U.N. warns, Washington Post
Covid lockdowns will only lower 2050 temperatures by 0.01C, predicts UN, The Guardian
Most of America’s dirty power plants will be ready to retire by 2035, Grist
‘We Now Need to Do the Impossible.’ How Greta Thunberg Is Fighting for a Greener Post-Pandemic World, Time

Continue reading “In the Know: December 9, 2020”

Trump critic: I am not afraid of Trump

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Adam Kinzinger says he isn’t scared of President Trump.

Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran and lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, has garnered a reputation for being one of the few GOP lawmakers willing to push back on Trump. 

The Illinois Republican has been one of the most outspoken critics of the administration’s decision to pull troops out of Afghanistan, was one of the first in his party to recognize President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 election, slammed the president’s allegations of voter fraud on Twitter and has come out heavily against the QAnon conspiracy theory.

How 700 Epidemiologists Are Living Now, and What They Think Is Next

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They are going to the grocery store again, but don’t see vaccines making life normal right away.

Even with coronavirus vaccines on the way, many epidemiologists do not expect their lives to return to pre-pandemic normal until most Americans are vaccinated. In the meantime, most have eased up on some precautions — now going to the grocery store or seeing friends outdoors, for example — but are as cautious as ever about many activities of daily life.

In a new informal survey of 700 epidemiologists by The New York Times, half said they would not change their personal behavior until at least 70 percent of the population was vaccinated. Thirty percent said they would make some changes once they were vaccinated themselves.

A minority of the epidemiologists said that if highly effective vaccines were widely distributed, it would be safe for Americans to begin living more freely this summer: “I am optimistic that the encouraging vaccine results mean we’ll be back on track by or during summer 2021,” said Kelly Strutz, an assistant professor at Michigan State University. Continue reading.

Federal judge rejects Michigan Republicans’ effort to decertify election results

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A federal judge on Monday rejected Michigan Republicans’ effort to have their state’s election results decertified.

Judge Linda Parker denied a request for an injunction submitted by a group of President Trump‘s electors against state officials, finding that their lawsuit is “far from likely to succeed in this matter.”

“In fact, this lawsuit seems to be less about achieving the relief Plaintiffs seek—as much of that relief is beyond the power of this Court—and more about the impact of their allegations on People’s faith in the democratic process and their trust in our government,” Parker wrote in her 36-page decision. “Plaintiffs ask this Court to ignore the orderly statutory scheme established to challenge elections and to ignore the will of millions of voters.  This, the Court cannot, and will not, do.”  Continue reading.