President-elect Donald Trump has promised to eliminate the Department of Education, an ambitious goal that comes amid backlash to what critics say is the agency&#8217;s runaway spending and focus on &#8220;woke&#8221; indoctrination as American children&#8217;s grades decline.
“I say it all the time, I’m dying to get back to do this. We will ultimately eliminate the federal Department of Education,” Trump <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/20/politics/department-of-education-shut-down-trump/index.html">said</a> during a September rally in Wisconsin. “We will drain the government education swamp and stop the abuse of your taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate America’s youth with all sorts of things that you don’t want to have our youth hearing.”
The proposal was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zxfnqj_3XQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">met</a> with cheers on the campaign trail. But it&#8217;s also gotten support from experts like Jim Blew, who served as Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development at the Education Department during Trump&#8217;s first term. Blew told The Daily Wire there&#8217;s no doubt in his mind that his former workplace should be eliminated.
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&#8220;All of the Education Department’s core functions could and should be performed by other federal agencies,&#8221; Blew, who also co-founded the Defense of Freedom Institute, told The Daily Wire.
Blew&#8217;s proposal gets at another major criticism of the Education Department, which is that it doesn&#8217;t do much educating. Though it spends $80 billion in taxpayer dollars each year, it has no say over public school curriculum, which is decided at the state and local level. Instead, it doles out $18.4 billion annually for Title I, the low-income school district program, and $15.5 billion for special education. It also enforces certain Title IX civil rights laws and sets the rules for colleges to participate in the $1.6 trillion federal student loan program.
The Trump administration could potentially reassign some programs to other agencies while scrapping others. For example, some critics have proposed <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/politics-elections/2024/07/11/how-project-2025-could-radically-reshape-higher-ed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">assigning</a> the student loan program to the Treasury Department, having the Justice Department enforce Title IX, and turning Title I into a state block grant program with minimal federal oversight.
But Blew acknowledged that one way of doing this — no-strings-attached block education grants to local governments — could result in worse spending decisions.
&#8220;But they would be hard pressed to do worse than the current system,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We&#8217;re betting that the local districts understand their communities better than people in D.C., that they know their students&#8217; needs best, and that they can use the money more effectively.&#8221;
During the pandemic, even the hundreds of billions of extra COVID dollars the department doled out were not enough to keep children from failing academically. Students nationwide fell hopelessly behind in core subjects — nine-year-olds saw their average reading scores fall five points in 2022, the largest decline since 1990, and their math scores fell seven points, the first ever decline in math.
Parents lashed out at schools that kept depressed children stuck at home, struggling to learn through a laptop screen, then forced them to mask and social distance all day when they did return to the classroom. At the same time, remote learning allowed parents to catch a glimpse of the &#8220;woke&#8221; material their kids were learning.
Trump is not the first Republican to try to abolish the Education Department. Ronald Reagan also campaigned on getting rid of it, but he was <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-01-29-mn-13948-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">met</a> with resistance from Congress and backed down. However, the current frustration with public schools could be the tipping point Trump needs to nix the department.
The Education Department is also responsible for enforcing certain civil rights laws, a mandate the Biden administration has taken full advantage of with a dramatic rewrite of Title IX guidance, which redefined sex to include &#8220;gender identity,&#8221; erasing protections for biological women in schools. The new interpretation has garnered significant backlash and it has been blocked by the courts in many states.
Trump has expressed his intention to use federal leverage on education as well, including <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/agenda47/president-trumps-plan-to-save-american-education-and-give-power-back-to-parents" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cutting</a> funds for schools pushing Critical Race Theory, gender ideology, or &#8220;other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.&#8221;
Jonathan Zachreson, a conservative on the Roseville City School Board near Sacramento, said that while he agrees with slashing federal bureaucracy, the Trump administration could also use the department to reign in California&#8217;s far-left education policies.
Zachreson cited California&#8217;s recent legislation <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-09-24/california-schools-gender-neutral-bathrooms-newsom-signs-lgbtq-rights-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forcing</a> schools to allow trans-identifying students to use the bathroom of the opposite sex as well as <a href="https://edsource.org/2024/newsom-signs-bill-to-end-parental-notification-policies-at-schools-but-opponents-say-its-not-over-yet/715767" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prohibiting</a> schools from having parental notification policies.
&#8220;I believe both of those things are a violation of federal law, but if you get rid of the Department of Education how are you to hold California and some of these very leftist states accountable? So that&#8217;s my biggest concern,&#8221; Zachreson told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;Before you abolish the Department of Education, I think you need to fix a couple of things,&#8221; Zachreson said, including making Title IX guidance &#8220;very clear.&#8221;
Andy Smarick, an education expert and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, agreed that without a federal bureaucracy, Trump and future presidents would have less power to drive their education agenda.
&#8220;I&#8217;m fine with allowing state leaders to do more. But Mr. Trump and future presidents may like the idea of having federal power to advance their priorities,&#8221; Smarick said.
&#8220;Federal rules unquestionably create burdens for school leaders and can create headaches for state and local policymakers,&#8221; Smarick said, but he cautioned, &#8220;If we get rid of the Department of Education, we have to be comfortable with the idea of lots of federal money and reduced oversight.&#8221;
Federal funding is not always a positive, though, Zachreson observed. California&#8217;s teachers&#8217; unions &#8220;held kids hostage&#8221; during the pandemic by refusing to open schools until the Education Department gave them federal COVID relief money, he said.
In order to eliminate the Department of Education, Trump will need to clear a couple of hurdles, first and foremost, getting Congress to agree to shutter the department. Trump would have to convince the slim Republican majorities in the House and Senate to pass legislation to close the department, and some experts have <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/25/dc/unlikely-trump-can-actually-eliminate-education-department-experts-say/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cast</a> doubt on whether he will be able to do so since he needs a supermajority of 60 votes in the Senate.
Already though, Republican lawmakers are making moves. Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced a bill last week that <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/education/5003481-south-dakota-republican-department-of-education-trump/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">would</a> abolish the Education Department and transfer its programs to other federal agencies.
And then there are teachers&#8217; unions. Teachers&#8217; unions and the department have always been linked. When President Jimmy Carter signed legislation creating the Cabinet agency in 1979, he was fulfilling a campaign promise to the National Education Association. And teachers&#8217; unions still very much want the department around. This month, Randi Weingarten, the head of the country&#8217;s biggest teachers&#8217; union <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/the-weekend/watch/head-of-america-s-biggest-teachers-union-slams-donald-trump-s-education-plans-225330245756" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slammed</a> Trump&#8217;s plans to close it.
Whatever the Trump administration is able to accomplish, it will take years to reverse the learning loss students have suffered recently. Blew, the former Education Department official, lamented that so many children are underserved by the current education system.
&#8220;The reform movement will continue until that injustice is erased,&#8221; he said.

California Budget Crisis Threatens Basic Services

Here’s What Getting Rid Of The Education Department Could Look Like

Here's What Getting Rid Of The Education Department Would Look Like

Department of Education

Donald Trump

Education

Public Schools

Trump 2024

Trump Administration

The Trump campaign posted a flashback to Vice President Kamala Harris bashing saying, &#8220;Merry Christmas,&#8221; promising that a second Trump presidency would have Christmas cheer.
&#8220;How dare we speak &#8216;Merry Christmas!&#8217; How dare we!&#8221; Harris said in a 2017 speech during negotiations about protections for illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.
The Trump Team TikTok account <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@teamtrump/video/7433056022354332970?_t=8r7M8EGgRBP&amp;_r=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> the old video of Harris and then cut to a clip of former President Donald Trump.
&#8220;Well, guess what? We&#8217;re saying &#8216;Merry Christmas&#8217; again,&#8221; Trump said in the clip.
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Team Trump posted this on TikTok one day ago. It has 30M views and 4.2M likes. <a href="https://t.co/CqqUcMrLGP">pic.twitter.com/CqqUcMrLGP</a>
&mdash; End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/1853441489478500645?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
During his 2016 campaign,  Trump promised that Americans would say &#8220;Merry Christmas&#8221; again if he won.
&#8220;If I&#8217;m president, you&#8217;re going to see &#8216;Merry Christmas&#8217; in department stores, believe me,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWdzygLq1UE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a speech at the time.
&#8220;If I become president, we&#8217;re all going to be saying &#8216;Merry Christmas&#8217; again,&#8221; he said in another.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
The Trump Team&#8217;s TikTok was posted on Sunday, two days before the presidential election on Tuesday.
Trump and Harris are currently <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/general/2024/trump-vs-harris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tied</a> nationally, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average.
Trump holds a tiny lead in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada, and Arizona. Harris holds a slight lead in Michigan and Wisconsin.
During her 2017 remarks, Harris called it &#8220;morally wrong&#8221; to take Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status away from non-citizens.
&#8220;When we all sing happy tunes and sing &#8216;Merry Christmas&#8217; and wish each other &#8216;Merry Christmas,&#8217; these children are not going to have a merry Christmas,&#8221; she said. &#8220;How dare we speak &#8216;Merry Christmas!&#8217; How dare we! They will not have a merry Christmas. They don&#8217;t know if they will be here in a matter of days, weeks and months.&#8221;
This election cycle, the Trump campaign and Republicans have zeroed in on immigration, one of their strongest issues, arguing that the Biden administration has allowed an unmitigated disaster at the border.
Harris has hammered abortion, urging women especially to vote for her to preserve legal abortion. In the last few weeks, her campaign has also tried to boost support among men, which Democrats fear may be one of her biggest vulnerabilities.
Meanwhile, Christmas is already in the air around the country.
Retail stores have already begun to display their Christmas inventory and are decorating their stores in anticipation of the holiday season.
The famous Rockefeller Christmas Tree has been selected and is <a href="https://apnews.com/article/christmas-tree-rockefeller-center-massachusetts-b61e117d3c93fe1d9d0734e4728eb77c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">set</a> to arrive in Midtown Manhattan on Saturday.

Trump-Pence Rally Orlando, Fla.

‘How Dare We Speak Merry Christmas:’ Trump Team Posts Kamala Flashback, Promises Christmas Cheer

'How Dare We Speak Merry Christmas:' Trump Team Posts Kamala Flashback, Promises Christmas Cheer

2024 Election

Christmas

Elections

Harris 2024

Kamala Harris

Politics

Wisconsin

An illegal migrant man on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-york" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Long Island</a> has been arrested for allegedly raping a five-year-old girl.
Wilson Castillo Diaz, 26, is <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/11/01/us-news/illegal-migrant-arrested-for-allegedly-raping-5-year-old-girl-on-long-island-cops/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> of raping the little girl on October 16, Nassau County police said. The girl was taken to a local hospital to be medically evaluated after the alleged rape, according to police.
Details about where the alleged rape occurred and what Diaz&#8217;s relationship with the child is were not immediately released.
Diaz is facing a litany of charges including rape, attempted rape, and endangering the welfare of a child.
His bond was set at $200,000.
Diaz crossed into the U.S. illegally near the Rio Grande in Texas back in April 2014, during the Obama administration, police said. It is not clear which country he traveled from.
He was apprehended by border agents, but released and then failed to appear at his immigration hearing.
Most recently, he had been living in Westbury, about a half hour west of Queens.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been notified of his arrest, police said.
The case echoes several other recent alleged incidents involving illegal migrants targeting children.
In nearby Queens, a 25-year-old Ecuadorian migrant who crossed the border illegally in 2021 was <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/migrant-custody-person-interest-rape-13-year-queens/story?id=111213630" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested</a> in June in connection with the rape of a 13-year-old girl in a park. The suspect allegedly threatened a 13-year-old boy and girl with a machete-style knife, tied their wrists together with a shoelace, and then sexually assaulted the girl.
In August, a 26-year-old Haitian national was <a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ero-boston-arrests-haitian-national-accused-raping-child-massachusetts-migrant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> of aggravated rape of a child in a Boston area migrant shelter.
In another Massachusetts case, a 28-year-old illegal migrant from El Salvador was accused of raping a 14-year-old on the wealthy island of Nantucket.
In another wealthy area, Martha’s Vineyard, a 24-year-old Brazilian national was <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/09/17/us-news/illegal-migrant-accused-of-raping-nantucket-child-released-on-bail-before-ice-could-nab-him/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">charged</a> with raping a minor earlier this year.
The border crisis has dogged the Biden administration.
The administration was <a href="https://homeland.house.gov/2024/05/22/startling-stats-factsheet-biden-administration-on-track-to-reach-10-million-encounters-nationwide-before-end-of-fiscal-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on track</a> for 10 million encounters with illegal migrants at the border by this fall. Meanwhile, more than 1.7 million migrant &#8220;gotaways,&#8221; those who avoided detection, have snuck over the border as well under Biden.
Illegal immigration has loomed large ahead of Tuesday&#8217;s presidential election.
Former President Trump and Republicans have hammered the issue, their strongest issue this election cycle, while Vice President Kamala Harris has largely sought to avoid it.
However, Harris has claimed she does want to build a border wall after originally calling the project &#8220;un-American&#8221; when Trump proposed it.

EL SALVADOR-CRIME-GANGS-ARMED FORCES

Illegal Migrant Arrested In New York, Accused Of Raping 5-Year-Old Girl

Crime

Illegal Immigration

Immigration

New York

U.S.

With its 19 electoral votes, whoever wins Pennsylvania will have a good chance at winning the presidential election.
The Keystone State is critical for former President Donald Trump, but considered a must-win for Vice President Kamala Harris. Losing would significantly complicate her path to victory.
Both candidates are spending the most time and money in Pennsylvania, holding dozens of events and pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into swaying voters.
Here&#8217;s everything you need to know about Pennsylvania.
Polling
The polls show Trump with a tiny 0.4% sliver of a lead in Pennsylvania, <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/general/2024/pennsylvania/trump-vs-harris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the RealClearPolitics polling average.
Just before President Joe Biden suspended his campaign in July, Trump had a four point lead in Pennsylvania, a sizable lead for this state. As soon as Biden dropped out and Harris was informally installed as the Democratic nominee, she spiked in the polls, but she never led Trump by more than one point. Harris topped out in mid-September at 48.5% to Trump&#8217;s 47.5%, according to the RCP average.
At this point in 2020, Biden was leading in Pennsylvania by 4.3 points. He won the state by a single percentage point. In 2016, Hillary Clinton, who narrowly lost the state, was leading by 5 points.
If Harris loses Pennsylvania, she will <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/09/19/trump-three-swing-states-election-win-00179648" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have</a> to win both Michigan and Wisconsin and one swing state in both the south and west to win the White House.
How Pennsylvania Has Voted In The Past
A true swing state, Pennsylvania has flipped between red and blue over the past few presidential elections.
In 2020, Biden won Pennsylvania by approximately 81,000 votes. In 2016, Trump won the state by more than 44,000 votes.
Former President Barack Obama won Pennsylvania by huge margins both times he ran for president — an estimated 620,000 votes in 2008 and 310,000 votes in 2012.
Before Trump flipped Pennsylvania red in 2016, no Republican had won the state since George H.W. Bush in 1988. Ronald Reagan won Pennsylvania in both 1980 and 1984.
What The Candidates Are Saying
Trump has made a strong play for Pennsylvania&#8217;s blue-collar voters, emphasizing energy independence, specifically his support for fracking and coal mining, two major industries in the state.
He has also <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/video/trump-talks-immigration-jobs-and-manufacturing-at-pennsylvania-rally/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promised</a> to prioritize domestic manufacturing, arguing it will create jobs in Pennsylvania&#8217;s steelworking industry, which was deeply affected by the decline of American manufacturing in recent decades.
Meanwhile, Harris has hammered the abortion issue, especially in the more blue areas like the Philadelphia suburbs. Her campaign is trying to mobilize minority voters in urban areas, although Democrats have <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/16/kamala-harris-pennsylvania-campaign-drama-00183844" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complained</a> internally that she may not be doing enough to mobilize that demographic.
What Early Voting Shows
Already, 1.2 million early ballots have been <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/22/politics/early-voting-numbers-what-matters/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cast</a> in Pennsylvania. For context, the state saw nearly 7 million total votes in 2020.
Pennsylvania is the one swing state where Democrats are enjoying an early lead in early voting — about 60% of those who have voted early <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-25/election-early-voting-what-to-know-in-arizona-pennsylvania-north-carolina" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are</a> registered Democrats, although that does not guarantee they voted for Harris.
Pennsylvania does not have widespread early in-person voting, and Trump supporters tend to vote in person. This means Republicans could show up in large numbers on Election Day.
When Can We Expect A Result?
Pennsylvania&#8217;s presidential election results are likely to be delayed several days this election cycle, just as they were in 2020, due to the time it takes to count mail-in ballots.
The delay is caused by Pennsylvania law, which does not <a href="https://6abc.com/post/election-2024-go-inside-philadelphia-warehouse-will-process-mail-ballots/15469813/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allow</a> mail-in ballots to be processed until 7 a.m. on Election Day.
In 2020, Election Day was November 4, but Pennsylvania was not <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-called-pennsylvania-joe-biden-why-f7dba7b31bd21ec2819a7ac9d2b028d3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> for Biden by major news outlets until November 7. The call put Biden over 270 electoral votes, making him the president-elect.
The process could end up being faster this time, since Pennsylvania is seeing fewer applications for mail-in or absentee ballots so far. As of last week, there were 1.9 million mail ballot applications compared with 2.7 million total mail ballots cast in 2020, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-25/election-early-voting-what-to-know-in-arizona-pennsylvania-north-carolina" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to state data.
In the 2022 midterms, a flurry of recount demands delayed Pennsylvania certifying the results until December 22.
This year though, the state must certify election results by December 11, about five weeks after Election Day, under a new federal deadline.
Al Schmidt, the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, will likely be in the spotlight as the election gets underway. The secretary oversees the state&#8217;s election process, including certifying the results. Local election boards submit the unofficial returns to the secretary&#8217;s office, which conducts a final review and certifies the official election results.
Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who was widely expected to be Harris&#8217; running mate, will then formally affirm the election results and issue a list of the electors chosen for the Electoral College.
What Counties To Watch
Many of the lawsuits challenging the 2020 election in Pennsylvania targeted votes in Philadelphia County; Allegheny County, which includes the Pittsburgh area; and Montgomery County, the third most populous county in the state.
These three areas will be heavily scrutinized during the 2024 election.
As far as bellwethers, Erie County in the northwest corner of the state and Lackawanna County in the Scranton area will also be <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/elections/articles/15-battleground-counties-in-the-2024-presidential-election" target="_blank" rel="noopener">watched</a> closely. Erie frequently flip-flops between red and blue, and Lackawanna is notable because President Joe Biden is from Scranton, and because it has a lot of blue-collar voters, a bloc that has increasingly turned towards Trump.
Voting Issues From 2020 To Now
Pennsylvania&#8217;s 2020 election was fiercely challenged by Republicans on many fronts.
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Republicans lost a challenge relating to Pennsylvania allowing mail-in ballots to be received up to three days after Election Day, even if they were not postmarked. The more than 10,000 ballots affected by this challenge would not have changed the election result.
This year, however, mail-in ballots must be <a href="https://www.pa.gov/en/agencies/vote/elections/upcoming-elections.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">received</a> by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
The Trump campaign sued after their poll watchers were kicked out by local officials from &#8220;satellite election offices&#8221; in Philadelphia and several other counties, where some early votes were cast. A local judge rejected the suit, ruling that these locations were not official polling places. Philadelphia is <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/philadelphia-satellite-election-office-locations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continuing</a> to use satellite offices this election.
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Republicans also unsuccessfully sued over voters being allowed to correct mistakes on their ballot, as well as over Pennsylvania not requiring a voter&#8217;s signature on their ballot to resemble the signature on the voter’s registration form.
Ballot drop boxes were hugely controversial in Pennsylvania and other swing states. Pennsylvania allowed drop boxes for mail-in ballots due to the pandemic. The Trump campaign sued, arguing that drop boxes increase the risk of voter fraud, but a federal judge <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/10/10/922673818/judge-blocks-trump-campaign-attempt-to-limit-use-of-drop-boxes-in-pennsylvania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threw</a> out that lawsuit. Some areas of the state are still <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/07/voting-drop-boxes-luzerne-pennsylvania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">using</a> drop boxes this election cycle.
Several broader lawsuits also failed in 2020.
A Republican lawsuit arguing the state&#8217;s expansion to no-excuse absentee ballots was unconstitutional was <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/biden-transition-updates/2020/11/29/939859062/pennsylvania-supreme-court-rejects-republican-suit-to-throw-out-ballots" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dismissed</a>. That case could have seen 2.5 million mail-in ballots out of the state&#8217;s 6.9 million total ballots thrown out.
The state <a href="https://www.pa.gov/en/agencies/vote/voter-support/mail-in-and-absentee-ballot.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continues</a> to have no-excuse mail-in voting today.
Texas challenged Pennsylvania and other swing states&#8217; 2020 election results, but the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2020/12/11/texas-lawsuit-supreme-court-election-results/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threw</a> out that case.
Election certification was also a target of several challenges from the Trump campaign and other Republicans. Claims about dead people voting in Pennsylvania circulated as well, although there was not much hard evidence of this happening frequently. Pennsylvania <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/pennsylvania-election-audit-2021-updates-results-20210922.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">completed</a> an audit involving a random sample of more than 45,000 ballots that supported Biden&#8217;s victory.
This year, ballot concerns have already popped up in Pennsylvania.
In Lancaster County west of Philadelphia, a criminal investigation is <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/10/25/nx-s1-5165382/lancaster-county-voter-registration-fraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener">underway</a> after election workers flagged about 2,500 voter registration forms for potential fraud. Two other counties received similar forms, the county&#8217;s district attorney said.
Last week, election officials in Bucks County, also near Philadelphia, <a href="https://6abc.com/post/election-2024-bucks-county-pennsylvania-warns-fake-video-showing-destroyed-ballots/15466111/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> a viral video appearing to show mail-in ballots for Trump being destroyed did not show &#8220;authentic&#8221; ballot materials. The video was reported to the FBI nevertheless.
Earlier this week, the Republican National Committee <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/republicans-supreme-court-pennsylvania-provisional-ballots/">petitioned</a> the Supreme Court to overturn a Pennsylvania court&#8217;s ruling that election officials must count &#8220;provisional ballots&#8221; cast by voters whose mail-in ballots are rejected because they are sent in without a required &#8220;secrecy envelope.&#8221;
Other Races To Watch
Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey (D), who is seeking a fourth term, is running against Republican Dave McCormick, a successful businessman and Army veteran.
McCormick has run a pro-fracking campaign and has also called for border security and reigning in spending. Casey, at one time a rare pro-life Democrat, has emphasized his support for abortion and has argued that corporate price gouging is causing inflation.
There are no statewide ballot measures on the ballot in Pennsylvania this year.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Overlooking Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Swing-State Showcase: Everything You Need To Know About The Race In Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia

Elon Musk&#8217;s many successful companies have reportedly faced at least 20 federal investigations and reviews in recent years.
Tesla and SpaceX especially have faced heavy scrutiny, red tape, and fines over the course of their operations, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/20/us/politics/elon-musk-federal-agencies-contracts.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
These two companies also contract heavily with the federal government — last year, Musk&#8217;s companies secured nearly $3 billion across 100 contracts with 17 federal agencies.
The Times declared that Musk&#8217;s &#8220;influence over the federal government is extraordinary, and extraordinarily lucrative&#8221; although it acknowledged that his companies are &#8220;increasingly facing regulatory battles and overlapping federal investigations from all corners of the government.&#8221;
SpaceX has been slapped with violations and fines by both the Transportation Department and the Environmental Protection Agency. It was also slapped with a discrimination lawsuit by the Justice Department and accused of OSHA violations by the Labor Department. The Department of the Interior also conducted a review of Starbase, the company&#8217;s rocket launch facility in Texas, and the Federal Communications Commission <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-reaffirms-decision-reject-starlink-application-nearly-900-million-subsidies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rejected</a> subsidies for Starlink, the company&#8217;s satellite internet network.
Tesla has been under investigation by three entities, the Justice Department, Transportation Department, and Securities and Exchange Commission. The electric car company has also been hit with OSHA violations by the Labor Department and has faced oversight by the National Labor Relations Board. Tesla was also hit with a lawsuit by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. It also saw enforcement actions from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Neuralink, Musk&#8217;s brain implant company, was fined by the Transportation Department and saw an investigation by the Agriculture Department.
X, formerly Twitter, which Musk bought two years ago, has seen investigations and a court order from the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as oversight and a consent decree from the
Musk has openly expressed frustration with the heavy regulation of his companies.
Last week, he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/shamelessly-breaking-the-law-elon-musk-blasts-california-officials-denying-spacex-launches" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> a lawsuit against a California regulator that cited his politics in their decision to reject more SpaceX rocket launches.
&#8220;It is illegal for them to make decisions based on what they (mostly wrongly) think are my politics,” Musk said. “Yet here they are shamelessly breaking the law!&#8221;
This election cycle, Musk has thrown the full weight of his financial power and celebrity behind former President Donald Trump, even campaigning with Trump in person earlier this month. The tech mogul has also hosted multiple town halls by himself to promote Trump in Pennsylvania, the most crucial swing state, and has repeatedly urged swing state residents to register to vote.
Musk has offered to head up a &#8220;government efficiency&#8221; commission under a potential second Trump administration to slash bureaucratic waste.
However, because of all the federal oversight on his companies, Musk has an &#8220;enormous conflict of interest,&#8221; the Times declared, although the outlet acknowledged that Musk&#8217;s formal power would be quite limited as historically Congress has refused to agree to ideas from business outsiders like Musk.
&#8220;But a suggestion from Mr. Musk could still be damaging to an agency, if he singled it out to Mr. Trump as an example of waste or mismanagement,&#8221; the Times warned.

Milken Institute’s Global Conference Held In Beverly Hills

Elon Musk’s Companies Have Faced At Least 20 Federal Probes

Elon Musk's Companies Have Faced At Least 20 Federal Probes

Elon Musk

federal regulation

SpaceX

Tesla

Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) has made a number of dubious statements during the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pennsylvania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 election cycle</a> against his Republican challenger, businessman and veteran Dave McCormick, on a slew of issues from the border to abortion.
The pair, who <a href="https://6abc.com/post/bob-casey-dave-mccormick-debate-6abc-amid-combative-senate-race/15431160/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">faced</a> off in a debate Tuesday night, are fighting one of the most closely-watched races in the country that could decide which party controls the Senate next year.
McCormick is an Army combat veteran who served in Iraq. He was previously a hedge fund CEO, and he also served as the Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs during the George W. Bush administration.
Casey is seeking his fourth term as senator from Pennsylvania.
On illegal immigration, Casey has said he is “fighting to secure our border” and even <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/vulnerable-dem-senator-touts-border-wall-new-ad-previously-dismissing-waste-money" target="_blank" rel="noopener">used</a> a border wall image in a campaign ad despite previously calling a wall a &#8220;waste of money.&#8221;
&#8220;President Trump doesn’t seem to get it. He’s not getting a concrete or steel wall along the width of the border- never, ever, ever, ever,&#8221; Casey said in 2019.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
President Trump doesn’t seem to get it. He’s not getting a concrete or steel wall along the width of the border- never, ever, ever, ever. <a href="https://t.co/5OlMnBA8pp">https://t.co/5OlMnBA8pp</a>
&mdash; Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenBobCasey/status/1081575996325801985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Casey also <a href="https://x.com/Bob_Casey/status/1805368029724688489" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> McCormick supports &#8220;a total abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest.&#8221; McCormick has <a href="https://www.abc27.com/this-week-in-pennsylvania/this-week-in-pennsylvania-u-s-senate-candidate-dave-mccormick/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> he is pro-life, but supports abortion exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother.
Casey was first elected in 2007 as a rare pro-life Democrat, but he has since loudly supported abortion, even voting for the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would enshrine legal abortion in federal law.
Casey has also <a href="https://x.com/SenBobCasey/status/1790408093320331459" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> he is “proud to stand with Pennsylvania&#8217;s law enforcement officers,” and that safety is a “top priority” for him.
However, Casey was <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pennsylvania-police-slam-longtime-dem-sen-casey-aligning-himself-defund-police-group-dangerous" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsed</a> earlier this year by a progressive group that has called for police departments to be defunded.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I retired from the Army as a captain after a combat tour in Iraq, but I&#39;ve never stopped serving my country.
I&#39;m a seventh-generation Pennsylvanian, political outsider, &amp; PA job creator.
Bob Casey is a weak, liberal, 30-year career politician who has failed our commonwealth. <a href="https://t.co/NnuK1F25Su">pic.twitter.com/NnuK1F25Su</a>
&mdash; Dave McCormick (@DaveMcCormickPA) <a href="https://twitter.com/DaveMcCormickPA/status/1846343048986259598?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Casey also vowed he is &#8220;committed to fighting the fentanyl crisis,&#8221; but he has <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2024/02/29/pa-senator-bob-casey-drug-smuggling-border-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted</a> against a total of $800 million for opioid and narcotic detection. Earlier this year, he introduced a bill he claimed would help stop fentanyl at the border, but the bill <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3591" target="_blank" rel="noopener">never</a> made it out of committee.
Nearly 4,000 Pennsylvanians <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">died</a> from fentanyl in the 12-month period that ended in May.
Casey also <a href="https://bobcasey.com/issue/preserving-pennsylvanias-energy-legacy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> he understands the “economic benefits and energy independence that Pennsylvania’s energy industry provides.”
However, six different times, Casey has <a href="https://freebeacon.com/elections/bob-casey-says-he-has-no-plans-to-introduce-fracking-constraints-he-did-so-6-times/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">introduced</a> a bill, the FRAC Act, that he says would allow &#8220;rigorous oversight&#8221; by the Environmental Protection Agency. The bill would hamstring drilling, kill hundreds of thousands of jobs, and cause higher energy prices, according to energy groups.
About 20,000 Pennsylvanians <a href="https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2024/08/20/fracking-industry-job-claims/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">work</a> in the fracking industry.
Vice President Kamala Harris said in 2019 that she was &#8220;in favor of banning fracking,&#8221; but she has backtracked on that position this year.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729077615157000&amp;usg=AOvVaw17Kprl74oE9DYOLREdiBPU">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ COMING TO DAILYWIRE+ OCT. 28</a>
Casey has taken aim at McCormick over seniors as well, claiming that the Republican will &#8220;slash your Medicare and Social Security and cut Medicaid for nursing home care.”
McCormick&#8217;s team pushed back strongly, pointing out that even The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/14/democratic-senator-attacks-his-pennsylvania-rival-with-an-invented-claim/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gave</a> Casey four &#8220;Pinocchios&#8221; for this claim, which the paper called &#8220;made up.&#8221;
McCormick has been very clear that he will oppose any changes in benefits for seniors, his campaign said.
Casey also accused McCormick of having &#8220;ties to Vladimir Putin&#8217;s personal slush fund,&#8221; claiming he invested nearly half a billion dollars into Russian sovereign bonds.
McCormick&#8217;s campaign called these &#8220;imaginary ties&#8221; and pointed out that Casey himself as Pennsylvania state treasurer oversaw pension <a href="https://sers.pa.gov/pdf/ACFR/2006_SERS_ACFR.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investments</a> in Russian bonds totaling more than $197 million.
Another of Casey&#8217;s <a href="https://www.casey.senate.gov/news/releases/stop-shrinkflation-casey-introduces-legislation-to-crack-down-on-big-corporations-shrinking-products-without-reducing-prices" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bills</a>, supported by President Biden but stuck in committee, would enact price controls on companies. The bill was <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/03/07/cookie-monster-shrinkflation-biden/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slammed</a> by a Washington Post columnist, who said it would &#8220;make the problem worse.&#8221;
Casey has also promised to &#8220;fight for a middle-class tax cut.&#8221; The McCormick campaign pointed out that Casey voted against former President Donald Trump&#8217;s tax cuts and opposes renewing them before they expire next year.
Meanwhile, Casey <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2023/11/29/bob-casey-dem-senator-helped-pass-bidens-massive-spending-bills-corporations-inflation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted</a> for several bills greenlighting the Biden administration&#8217;s trillions of dollars in spending while blaming inflation on corporate profits.
Matt Gruda, McCormick&#8217;s campaign manager, declared victory after the debate, calling Casey a &#8220;weak career politician, who is a sure vote for Kamala Harris&#8217;s liberal agenda.&#8221;
&#8220;Casey doubled down on the same failed policies that have sent the cost of living skyrocketing, restricted Pennsylvania energy, allowed crime to run rampant across the commonwealth, and thrown open our borders, enabling fentanyl to kill 4,000 Pennsylvanians last year,&#8221; Gruda said.
The Pennsylvania Senate race has razor-thin margins. Casey <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/senate/general/2024/pennsylvania/mccormick-vs-casey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leads</a> McCormick by just three percentage points, and the latest polls <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/david-mccormick-bob-casey-senate-pennsylvania-polls-1968157" target="_blank" rel="noopener">show</a> that lead eroding.
Currently, Democrats control the upper chamber by just one seat with 51 members who vote with them, while Republicans control 49 seats.

PA GOP Senate Candidate Dave McCormick Holds Primary Election Night Party

In Crucial PA Senate Race, Dave McCormick’s Dem Opponent Launches Dubious Attacks

In Crucial PA Senate Race, Dave McCormick's Dem Opponent Launches Dubious Attacks

Bob Casey

Dave McCormick

Senate

U.S. Senate

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/elon-musk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elon Musk</a> is threatening legal action after California officials cited his politics in their decision to reject more SpaceX rocket launches.
On Thursday, the California Coastal Commission rejected the U.S. Space Force&#8217;s request for more frequent SpaceX rocket launches. The Space Force had <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-spacex-launches-california-coastal-commission-2024-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> that SpaceX be allowed to do 50 launches a year of its Falcon 9 rocket at Vandenberg Space Force Base, up from 36 launches.
The commission denied the request in a six-to-four vote.
During a hearing on the issue, commissioners griped about Musk&#8217;s political views, as well as his campaign stop with former President Donald Trump earlier this month.
Caryl Hart, the commission chair, sparked accusations of illegal regulatory lawfare when she distinguished between SpaceX and other companies.
&#8220;It&#8217;s not the other companies. This is about SpaceX increasing their launches, not the other companies increasing their launches,&#8221; Hart said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The Coastal Commission has one job – take care of the California coast. 
It is illegal for them to make decisions based on what they (mostly wrongly) think are my politics. 
For example, I have done more to advance sustainable energy &amp; help the environment than maybe anyone… <a href="https://t.co/x5CF2WkVdA">https://t.co/x5CF2WkVdA</a>
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1846281675430334854?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;We&#8217;re dealing with a company the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race and made it clear what his point of view is,&#8221; she said.
Hart also <a href="https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/company-news/2024/10/11/california-commissioners-reject-expansion-of-spacex-launches-a-non-binding-rebuff-of-musk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeared</a> to forget that SpaceX Director of Government Affairs Matthew Dunn had participated in the hearing via Zoom earlier.
Commissioner Mike Wilson said at the hearing that politics and science &#8220;mix in these spaces.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729077615157000&amp;usg=AOvVaw17Kprl74oE9DYOLREdiBPU">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ COMING TO DAILYWIRE+ OCT. 28</a>
Wilson complained that Musk was &#8220;speaking about political retribution on a national stage, and it was very glib, but yet he was standing next to a person, a candidate that openly promotes and is working to normalize that language, and we have to push back against that.&#8221;
Commissioner Gretchen Newsom accused Musk of &#8220;hopping about the country spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking FEMA while claiming his desire to help the hurricane victims.&#8221;
Musk skewered the Commission in comments posted to X.
&#8220;The Coastal Commission has one job – take care of the California coast. It is illegal for them to make decisions based on what they (mostly wrongly) think are my politics,&#8221; Musk wrote.
The SpaceX founder added that he has done &#8220;more to advance sustainable energy &amp; help the environment than maybe anyone ever, which is not exactly a &#8216;far-right&#8217; position.&#8221;
&#8220;Yet here they are shamelessly breaking the law! They should resign immediately and face the appropriate legal consequences for their actions,&#8221; Musk said.
Musk has been outspoken in his support of Trump this election cycle.
During his October 5 campaign stop with Trump in Pennsylvania, the tech mogul urged people to register to vote and cast their ballot for Trump in the crucial swing state.
Trump is locked in an extremely close race with Vice President Kamala Harris. Several polls this month have shown her tiny national lead starting to shrink.

7th Viva Technology Conference In Paris – Day 3

‘Shamelessly Breaking The Law!’: Elon Musk Blasts California Officials Denying SpaceX Launches

'Shamelessly Breaking The Law!': Elon Musk Blasts California Officials Denying SpaceX Launches

California

First Amendment

General

United States Space Force

Inflation came in hotter than expected in the final Labor Department report before the presidential election less than four weeks away.
The consumer price index, which measures the general cost of goods and services across the country, increased 0.2% in September when seasonally adjusted, according to the <a class="link " href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cpi.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" data-ylk="slk:latest data;cpos:1;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" data-rapid_p="12" data-v9y="1">latest data</a> from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Thursday morning.
Eggs were 8.4% higher, nearly 40% more expensive than a year ago. Butter was 2.8% higher, nearly 8% more expensive than a year ago.
Energy prices fell 1.9% in September. Gasoline prices fell, but electricity and natural gas prices ticked up.
This bumped the annual inflation rate up to 2.4%. Both numbers were 0.1 percentage point higher than the Dow Jones expectations.
Meanwhile, jobless claims also jumped following Hurricane Helene&#8217;s devastation in North Carolina and several other areas. Unemployment filings hit 258,000 for the week ending October 5, the highest since last year at the beginning of August. This was 33,000 more jobless claims than the previous week and much higher than the predicted 230,000.
Food and housing prices especially jumped. Food saw a 0.4% rise, while shelter saw a 0.2% rise in cost.
The &#8220;core&#8221; index, which takes out the more volatile prices of food and gas, also ticked up more than expected, 0.3% over the 0.2% growth economists expected, and 3.3% higher than a year ago.
The stock market saw a dip Thursday after the report was released.
The numbers show that the &#8220;Biden-Harris administration was never able to get this issue under control and back to the Federal Reserve&#8217;s target rate,&#8221; Alfredo Ortiz, CEO of the Job Creators Network, said in a <a href="https://www.jobcreatorsnetwork.com/press_releases/job-creators-network-responds-to-september-consumer-price-index/">statement</a>.
&#8220;Under the Biden-Harris administration, inflation increased by a total of 21%. In other words, the value of the dollars in American wallets has declined by one-fifth, preventing ordinary people from making ends meet. &#8220;This alone means Kamala Harris does not deserve a promotion to the Oval Office,&#8221; Ortiz said. &#8220;She cast the tiebreaking vote in $3 trillion of unnecessary deficit spending that bid up prices and diluted the currency. Pro-growth conservatives who believe in a sound dollar, economic growth, and deficit reduction are urgently needed in Congress and the White House to make America affordable again.&#8221;
Vice President Kamala Harris has struggled to win over voters with her economic message, and polls show that the majority of voters favor former President Donald Trump on the economy.
With less than four weeks until Election Day, Harris is locked in a tight presidential race with Trump. She is currently leading by just two percentage points, less than Hillary Clinton was leading at this point in 2016 before she ultimately lost.

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Inflation Hotter Than Expected In Final Report Before Election

Biden Administration

Biden-Harris administration

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Wikipedia editors are pushing to delete a page on Ryan Wesley Routh, the man accused of trying to assassinate former President Donald Trump on Sunday, arguing that Routh is not notable because he was prevented from harming Trump.
Routh&#8217;s page is listed as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Wesley_Routh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nominated</a> for deletion, and editors are currently <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Ryan_Wesley_Routh&amp;diff=prev&amp;oldid=1246018972&amp;diffonly=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">debating</a> its fate.
On Sunday, Trump was targeted at his West Palm Beach golf course by a suspect who pointed an AK-47-style rifle through a fence about 400 yards away from the former president. Secret Service opened fire on the suspect, who fled. Routh was later arrested and charged. Trump remained safe and unharmed during the incident.
It was the second assassination attempt on Trump&#8217;s life since July 13 when Trump suffered a bloody gunshot to his ear at a Pennsylvania rally.
Wikipedia&#8217;s editors were not concerned.
&#8220;Nothing really happened here. The event itself might not even warrant its own article,&#8221; one Wikipedia editor wrote of Sunday&#8217;s assassination attempt.
&#8220;The man didn&#8217;t even get close,&#8221; wrote another. &#8220;This guy is not gonna remain notable enough to get his own page a week from now.&#8221;
&#8220;All that happened yesterday was that someone was found with a gun in a bush at Trump&#8217;s golf course. No injuries at all — Routh didn&#8217;t even let off any shots,&#8221; another person wrote.
&#8220;I second deletion. Let us stop making an article for every idiot who trespasses with intentions to commit a felony. We are not a Tabloid! Delete immediately or lose the credibility as an Encyclopedia,&#8221; wrote another editor.
Despite its stated commitment to producing accurate, crowd-sourced articles, Wikipedia&#8217;s left-leaning bias has been well documented. A Manhattan Institute report <a href="https://manhattan.institute/article/is-wikipedia-politically-biased" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> that Wikipedia articles tend to associate negative emotions like &#8220;anger and disgust&#8221; with right-leaning public figures and positive emotions like &#8220;joy&#8221; with left-leaning public figures.
Wikipedia is the seventh-most visited domain on the internet, with tens of millions of people <a href="https://financesonline.com/wikipedia-statistics/#:~:text=There%20are%20more%20than%2041.4%20million%20registered%20users%20on%20the,45%25%20of%20readers%20are%20women." target="_blank" rel="noopener">reading</a> Wikipedia articles every day. American politics and Donald Trump in particular rank near the top for the most popular articles.
Some editors argued Routh should only be mentioned on the page about &#8220;security incidents involving Donald Trump.&#8221;
Other Wikipedia editors pushed back on deleting Routh&#8217;s page.
&#8220;Just when does an attempted Presidential assassin become notable? When he succeeds in getting a shot off?&#8221; one editor asked.
&#8220;This seems like a cover-up by Harris stans,&#8221; wrote another.
&#8220;Pretty obvious why some editors want this [page] binned. Yet, we have &#8216;Thomas Matthew Crooks,&#8217; who outside of an initial flurry of coverage, it&#8217;s highly unlikely that we&#8217;ll get additional details around what motivated him or his background,&#8221; wrote another editor.
Crooks was the gunman who shot Trump in the ear in July. He was killed by a Secret Service sniper.
One Wikipedia editor pointed out that Trump is also the current Republican nominee and noted that the FBI said Routh had been lying in wait for Trump for nearly 12 hours.
&#8220;Let the people see the facts as they are publicly known,&#8221; that editor said. &#8220;Otherwise, the attempt to delete this article is just another censorship attempt. What else do you need&#8230; a conviction?&#8221;
&#8220;If you try to assassinate a president or former president of the United States, you will most certainly make it into the history books. I don&#8217;t think I need to state the obvious,&#8221; another wrote.
&#8220;Two assassination attempts in one election cycle is unprecedented,&#8221; another person added. &#8220;He&#8217;s also an oddball, the information online about him and his motives tell an interesting story that is unique. He probably has the largest digital footprint of any attempted or successful US presidential assassin.&#8221;
Routh has a colorful background.
The 58-year-old&#8217;s online history shows he held anti-Trump views and was obsessed with the Ukraine war, which he spoke about in a 2022 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUyInDGLFlo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with Newsweek. Routh even traveled overseas hoping to fight in Ukraine&#8217;s military against Russia.
Routh also has a decades-long criminal history that includes writing bad checks, possession of a weapon of mass destruction, a hit-and-run, resisting arrest, and a concealed weapons violation.
Still, some Wikipedia editors remained unconvinced.
One editor dismissed the FBI <a href="https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2024/09/15/trump-campaign-gunshots-in-his-vicinity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">labeling</a> the incident an assassination attempt, saying Routh &#8220;did not even shoot close to Trump.&#8221;
&#8220;This is less of an assassination attempt as it is a security incident or foiled plan,&#8221; another editor wrote.
&#8220;This is getting absurd. This man has little to no notability,&#8221; another person said.
Another editor pointed out that Wikipedia does not have pages for the man who <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/13/michael-steven-sandford-guilty-trump-shooting-attempt-las-vegas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tried</a> to grab a police officer&#8217;s gun at a Trump rally in 2016 and admitted he wanted to kill Trump.
&#8220;I feel like a person grabbing a cops gun [sic] is not the same as police opening fire on a guy aiming at trump [sic],&#8221; another editor responded.
One editor also pointed out that there is a Wikipedia page for Squeaky Fromme, a member of the Manson family who attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975. Ford saw two attempts on his life in 17 days. Trump has seen two attempts on his life in just over two months.
Routh appeared in federal court Monday morning and was charged with both possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.
As of Wednesday evening, his Wikipedia page was still live.

Wikipedia Photo Illustrations

‘Didn’t Even Let Off Any Shots:’ Wikipedia Editors Push To Delete Trump Shooter Page

Wikipedia Editors Push To Delete Ryan Wesley Routh Page 

assassination

assassination attempt

Wikipedia

Journalist Chris Cuomo revealed Monday that he called former President Donald Trump after the second assassination attempt against him, saying he is &#8220;ashamed&#8221; of the &#8220;unacceptable&#8221; reaction from the media.
The former CNN host, who anchored a show at the network for eight years until 2021, made the remarks on his primetime NewsNation show Monday night.
&#8220;The reaction is unacceptable,&#8221; Cuomo said. &#8220;Media and political players have gotten away with playing down what should be a cause for panic.&#8221;
On Sunday, Trump was targeted by a suspect who pointed an AK-47-style rifle through a fence at Trump&#8217;s West Palm Beach golf course. Secret Service opened fire on the suspect, who fled but was later arrested. Trump remained safe and unharmed during the incident.
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We all know what is wrong with our politics and us as a people. How do we get to a better place? I don&#39;t know what sets us right but I know damn well what is wrong. Thoughts? <a href="https://t.co/YOjMk9A5MW">pic.twitter.com/YOjMk9A5MW</a>
&mdash; Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisCuomo/status/1835845664833437904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;&#8216;Oh but the guy didn&#8217;t even shoot.&#8217; What if it was your father? Or what if it was Kamala Harris or President Biden, God forbid?&#8221; Cuomo said. &#8220;Do you think that it would be almost a shoulder shrug and more talk about the Secret Service and allocation of funds than just how crazy it is that this is what&#8217;s happening in our country?&#8221;
Cuomo also slammed the &#8220;fake concern by our sitting president and almost nothing from the Democrat who wants to lead us.&#8221;
&#8220;I called former President Trump,&#8221; Cuomo said. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t ask him any questions. I didn&#8217;t go after him about his role. I just want to know how his family&#8217;s taking this.&#8221;
&#8220;I wanted to just say, listen, I&#8217;m really sorry that this is going on and it&#8217;s being dealt with this way,&#8221; Cuomo continued. &#8220;Not because I&#8217;m in favor of his politics or what he says. I criticize him all the time. That&#8217;s my job, and he deserves it. But he doesn&#8217;t deserve this, a guy pointing an AK-47 at him while he&#8217;s playing golf? And we take solace in the fact that the guy didn&#8217;t get any rounds off? That does not work for me. If I had been through what that guy has been through in the last two months you would not know where I am. You would never see me on TV again. No way I would do that. I don&#8217;t know how he does it. He&#8217;s got kids that are adults, but he&#8217;s got grandkids. He&#8217;s got a wife.&#8221;
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Cuomo also said critics should apologize to Trump&#8217;s wife, Melania, for mocking her fears about plots against her husband.
Last week, Don Lemon, another former CNN anchor, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/fox-news-hsots-mock-don-lemon-melania-trump-1953542" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> a video of himself rolling his eyes and criticizing a video of Melania Trump expressing concerns about the &#8220;horrible and distressing experience&#8221; of watching her husband be nearly assassinated.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think she&#8217;s right, but I totally get why she feels that way, and people mock her?&#8221; Cuomo said.
Cuomo added that the rhetoric around both candidates is overblown, saying Trump is not a &#8220;despot in waiting&#8221; and Vice President Kamala Harris is &#8220;not a communist.&#8221;
&#8220;You can think what you want about Trump,&#8221; he said. &#8220;He does not have many more full-throated critics of what he says and does than me, okay? And yet I called him today because I am ashamed of how we are responding and not responding to the threats on him. And I feel for his family.&#8221;
&#8220;We are playing a dangerous game with ourselves, and we&#8217;re doing it for petty stakes,&#8221; Cuomo said.

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Vice President Kamala Harris has abandoned yet another leftwing policy she previously supported, this time on plastic straws and climate change.
When Harris ran for president in 2020, she expressed support for banning plastic straws.
&#8220;I think we should,&#8221; Harris <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZF9yYdhyV4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a> when asked whether she would ban plastic straws at a 2019 CNN town hall focused on climate change.
On Thursday, however, a Harris campaign official said the Democratic nominee no longer supports such a ban.
&#8220;She doesn&#8217;t support banning plastic straws,&#8221; the campaign official <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/09/05/kamala-harris-plastic-straw-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Axios.
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&#8220;She cast the tie-breaking vote on the most consequential legislation to combat climate change and create clean energy jobs in history, and as President, she is going to be focused on expanding on that progress,&#8221; the official said.
&#8220;She joked even then about how crappy paper straws are and the need to come up with better eco-friendly alternatives,&#8221; the Harris campaign official added.
Harris has reversed a slew of positions and even adopted some that were first embraced by former President Donald Trump&#8217;s campaign since becoming the de facto Democratic nominee for president in July.
On Monday, Harris <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kamala-swipes-yet-another-trump-policy-this-time-about-steel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> she would keep U.S. Steel under domestic ownership during a campaign stop in Pittsburgh. Back in January, Trump said he would block the sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel, Japan’s largest steelmaker.
Harris also blindsided Democrats last month when she adopted Trump’s viral “no tax on tips” proposal, announcing that she supported eliminating taxes on service workers’ tips.
Trump supporters had promoted the policy by writing “no tax on tips” on restaurant receipts to encourage service workers to vote for Trump. Trump himself <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/fox-news-politics/trump-drops-tip-philly-cheesesteak-restaurant-possible-vp-name-floated-crowd-interaction" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> the message on a receipt when he tipped $500 during a visit to a Philadelphia cheesesteak restaurant.
The Harris campaign also announced Friday that she supports a $6,000 child tax credit. That announcement came just days after Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), Trump’s running mate, said he would support doubling the child tax credit to $5,000.
She has also <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/09/05/kamala-harris-plastic-straw-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reversed</a> her stance on Medicare for All and mandatory gun buyback programs, her campaign saying she no longer supports those proposals.
Harris also <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/29/kamala-harris-cnn-interview-00176785" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reversed</a> another energy position, saying she no longer wants to ban fracking, something she supported in 2019.
Her campaign has also <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/09/04/kamala-harris-campaign-ev-mandate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dodged</a> the issue of electric vehicle mandates, refusing to say whether she wants to require car makers to build only electric or hydrogen vehicles by 2035, something she supported during her 2020 campaign.
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“Will the real Kamala Harris please stand up? These are major policy reversals that will impact millions of families so we deserve to know the reasons behind why Kamala Harris can’t seem to go more than a week without a major flip-flop,” said Daniel Turner, founder and executive director of Power The Future, an organization that promotes energy research.
“Cowardly hiding behind campaign staff statements tells us all we need to know: if elected, Kamala Harris will do nothing but hide from major decisions,” Turner said.
Broadly, Harris has been light on details about her policy agenda this election cycle, with critics noting that her official campaign website still does not lay out her policies.

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Climate Change

Vice President Kamala Harris is pushing yet another economic policy that was first embraced by the Trump campaign.
Harris announced she would keep U.S. Steel under domestic ownership during a campaign stop in Pittsburgh on Monday.
“U.S. Steel is an historic American company, and it is vital for our nation to maintain strong American steel companies,” Harris said. “U.S. Steel should remain American-owned and American-operated.”
Back in January, former President Donald Trump said he would block the sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel, Japan&#8217;s largest steelmaker, if he were elected president again. Nippon has put forward a $15 billion proposal to acquire the American company.
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“I would block it instantaneously. Absolutely,” Trump said. “We saved the steel industry. Now, US Steel is being bought by Japan. So terrible.”
Then, in March, President Joe Biden also voiced his opposition to the sale.
“U.S. Steel has been an iconic American steel company for more than a century, and it is vital for it to remain an American steel company that is domestically owned and operated,” Biden said in March.
This is at least the third time Harris has copied a policy first put forward by her opponent this election cycle.
The Democratic nominee blindsided Democrats last month when she adopted Trump&#8217;s viral &#8220;no tax on tips&#8221; proposal, announcing that she supported getting rid of taxes on service workers’ tips.
“It is my promise to everyone here when I am president, we will continue our fighting for working families of America including to raise the minimum wage and eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers,” she said at a rally in Las Vegas.
Trump had announced his “no tax on tips” policy just weeks earlier after his own June rally in Las Vegas, an area with a large service and hospitality industry due to the city’s tourism attractions.
Trump supporters promoted the policy by writing “no tax on tips” on restaurant receipts to encourage service workers to vote for Trump. Trump himself <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/fox-news-politics/trump-drops-tip-philly-cheesesteak-restaurant-possible-vp-name-floated-crowd-interaction" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> the message on a receipt when he tipped $500 during a visit to a Philadelphia cheesesteak restaurant.
After his opponent embraced the policy, the Trump campaign accused her of stealing it.
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“Kamala Harris, whose ‘Honeymoon’ period is ENDING, and is starting to get hammered in the Polls, just copied my NO TAXES ON TIPS Policy,” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112940937623275423" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on Truth Social. “The difference is, she won’t do it, she just wants it for Political Purposes! This was a TRUMP idea – She has no ideas, she can only steal from me. Remember, Kamala has proposed the LARGEST TAX INCREASE IN HISTORY – It won’t happen. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
The Harris campaign announced Friday that she supports a $6,000 child tax credit.
That announcement came just days after Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), Trump&#8217;s running mate, said he would support doubling the child tax credit to $5,000.
“I’d love to see a child tax credit that’s $5,000 per child,” Vance <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/transcript-jd-vance-on-face-the-nation-aug-11-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in an interview with CBS.

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Kamala Swipes Yet Another Trump Policy, This Time About Steel

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