What Biden’s Win Means for Affirmative Action Lawsuits

 

In recent years, the debate over college admissions and affirmative action has become increasingly contentious. Progressives argue that affirmative action is necessary for preserving racial diversity in America’s higher-education institutions. On the other hand, conservatives see affirmative action as a discriminatory policy that unfairly benefits certain races while disadvantaging others. Over the last four years, the Trump administration in particular has expressed a desire to eliminate affirmative action, focusing on university admissions-related discrimination as a prominent issue on their political agenda.

On Thursday, November 12, a federal appeals court ruled that Harvard’s admissions process was within civil rights law and did not discriminate against Asian-Americans. The case was brought by an anti-affirmative-action advocacy group named Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) with the support of the federal government. With this most recent development, the case is set to go to the Supreme Court. A majority of legal experts believe that the Supreme Court will agree to hear the case, especially since it frames affirmative action in the context of Asian-American rights, as opposed to cases that have historically claimed discrimination against white students. If the case does make it to the Supreme Court, the 6-3 conservative majority (including Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, and Neil Gorsuch, all appointed by Trump) means existing affirmative action policies will likely be significantly limited.

Biden’s presidential win is unlikely to affect how the Supreme Court will vote. However, there are other methods for his administration to influence the ongoing legal battle. In addition to the case against Harvard, the Trump administration has backed several other lawsuits brought by SFFA against various institutions. On October 8, the Trump administration also sued Yale University over its admissions policies directly through the Department of Justice. Once the transition of power is complete, Biden’s administration will likely withdraw federal support from the SFFA cases and drop the case against Yale entirely. However, that is far from a guarantee that the cases will not reach the Supreme Court. Since SFFA is a private organization, their cases will still exist even without federal support. In the Yale case, SFFA has already filed a motion to intervene. If the court grants this motion, even if Biden’s Department of Justice were to drop the case, SFFA would be able to continue it.

Ultimately, though Biden has options to preserve affirmative action, they seem to be too little too late. The real decision rests on America’s judicial system, and especially the nine justices of the Supreme Court. 

Links:

NYT

NYT 2

Yale Daily News

Washington Post

CS Monitor

What if Trump Refuses To Concede?

 As we reach the one week mark of the announcement of Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election, a lot is still up in the air, specifically Trump's refusal to concede. After being MIA for nearly a week, Trump's only form of communication with the American people has been through a series of angry tweets claiming that the election was rigged and fraudulent. Unsurprisingly his band of followers supported him on this, calling out baseless claims regarding mail-in-ballots and demanding recounts in numerous states. His administration has clearly made no effort or progress in his decision to concede, except for Mike Pompeo saying that there will be a “smooth transition” into Trump’s second term. It seems as if the GOP is living in a fantasyland of victory even though global leaders have offered their congratulations to the Biden campaign.

Just this morning Trump tweeted, “He only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA. Concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go. This was a RIGGED ELECTION!” after he has waved on his supporters protesting the election results outside the White House Saturday Night. These protests quickly became violent as different groups began to clash throughout the night. Again, these clashes further highlight how Trump’s refusal to acknowledge his loss have the ability to jeopardize the status of our democracy. 

                                        Protesters clash during Saturday night pro-trump rally in DC

If Trump still has not conceded by the January 20th date for inauguration and has exhausted all of his legal rights and funds, Biden has stated multiple times that he has no doubt that the US Military will physically remove him from office. Although only a temperamental fix, Trump would be pushed out of the white house and would have to continue his legal fiasco elsewhere. However, this is the first time that such an occurrence has happened in the US so we would be entering uncharted territories, without any real guidance for what to do.

As people, there is not much we can do, and many are afraid. The people have no control and must rely on a government to protect the liberties of democracy. As for now, we can just hope that Trump concedes before January, and if not, there will be a lot to come out of the early months of 2021. 

Links:

https://nypost.com/2020/11/05/what-happens-if-trump-loses-2020-election-and-wont-concede/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-15/trump-acts-defeated-while-still-insisting-he-beat-joe-biden?srnd=premium

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/14/us/politics/thousands-rally-in-washington-as-clashes-erupt.html?searchResultPosition=4

Supreme Court Appears to be Poised to Uphold the Affordable Care Act

 After Trump took office and the GOP controlled the Congress Republicans zeroed in on abolishing the Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare. They initially tried to replace it with their own healthcare plan, but when that failed they decided to go to the courts to abolish it. If the Supreme Court decides to keep the ACA it will be the third time they have decided to do so. 

Both Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh have said that they may get rid of a controversial piece within the ACA called the individual mandate and keep the rest of the ACA. The individual mandate required most Americans to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty. This was the basis for the 2012 Supreme Court challenge to the ACA, and the Supreme Court upheld it under Congress's taxing powers. But in 2017 the GOP controlled Congress made that penalty $0, thus allowing Republican lead states to claim that since that part of the  ACA is no longer really in place the Supreme Court's justification is not workable, and therefore the entire Act should be eliminated. 

If the Supreme Court chooses to keep the ACA, or at least keep the majority of it, it will be a slap in the face to the GOP who put Justices on the court that they thought would eliminate the Affordable Care Act. This court case could set a tone for what the court stands for and ease some people's fears towards what the conservative majority Supreme Court will do in the coming years when faced with cases in which their rulings will change the lives of millions. 

Cnn.com

Cnbc.com

Biden Names Members of COVID-19 Advisory Board

 

Yesterday, on Monday, November 9, President-elect Biden made clear his intentions to prioritize the COVID-19 pandemic by revealing the thirteen members of his coronavirus advisory board, which consists of a team of highly respected medical professionals and academics led by seasoned public health officials. Former Surgeon General under President Obama Dr. Vivek Murthy, former FDA Commissioner under Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton Dr. David Kessler, and Yale professor of public health Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith are co-chairs of the board. Biden also appointed to the panel Dr. Rick Bright, a former high-level public health official in the Trump administration who filed a whistleblower complaint in April 2020 after his dismissal, claiming that his advance warnings about the pandemic and his reservations about hydroxychloroquine as a cure for the coronavirus were ignored.

In the same statement, Biden reaffirmed the importance of wearing masks, asserting that wearing masks is a common responsibility for all American citizens. Continuing his campaign theme of unity, he remarked that wearing a mask is “not a political statement,” but a matter of saving lives— “not Democrat or Republican lives, but American lives.”

So far, Biden’s focus on the pandemic, his plans to bring the pandemic under control, and his appointees to the advisory board have all been well-received. Business organizations, including the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Retail Federation, and the US Chamber of Commerce have applauded Biden’s message of putting lives and science above politics. The situation is a sharp contrast to September, when several leading pharmaceuticals
companies signed a pledge to guarantee the safety of a COVID-19 vaccine, pushing back against the Trump administration’s rush to have a vaccine ready before the general election.

However, some have criticized the lack of geographical diversity among the members of Biden’s advisory board. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, pointed out that all of Biden’s appointees hail from America’s coasts, where the pandemic is relatively under control. “The coasts are doing okay, but the red states are being hammered and the deaths are going to be extraordinary.” The absence of experts from the Midwest and the American South could pose an issue to mitigating COVID-19’s spread in those areas, especially since people there are more likely to believe Trump’s rhetoric about the virus.

Overall, the formation of Biden’s coronavirus advisory board is a major step in the right direction. It signals to the American public and the world at large that the United States will once again be basing its policymaking on veritable, scientific fact, a reassuring sentiment for many.

Links:

CNN
The Hill
NY Times
Washington Post

How Stacey Abrams Turned Georgia Blue

 As Joe Biden’s lead in Georgia grows we have one person to thank, Stacey Abrams. Well actually Stacey Abrams and her band of Black female voting rights advocates, elected officials and community organizers. These women recognized the severe voter suppression present in the state for the past 20 years and opted to change that in the 2020 election. 

This comes after Abrams’ devastatingly close loss in 2018 which made it clear that Georgia could flip blue if enough attention was put in place to alter the long history of conservative efforts to suppress democratic voters in the state. The coalition of Abrams and her supporters worked to engage voters, specifically disengaged voters of color rather than focusing on the popular tactic to flip moderate white voters blue. Clearly this tactic proved to be promising seeing as she engaged and registered 800,000 new voters in just the past year. Abrams told POLITICO shortly before Election Day; “Only the message is not trying to persuade them to share Democratic values. Your message is to persuade them that voting can actually yield change.”

Democrats had been trying to flip Georgia blue for the past two decades but have been unsuccessful until Thursday night when Georgia flipped by a margin of 600 votes that has since grown to 12,000, further echoing Stacey’s initiative to convince voters that their vote truely does yield change. 

Her new project will be the January run-off elections in Georgia. She has already developed plans to encourage voters to request their ballots and to vote, urging communities of color to voice their vote. Without Abrams and her New Georgia Project it is unlikely that 1 million more voters would have turned out since 2016 and that Biden would have won the state of Georgia.

Questions to Ponder:

1. Do you think voter suppression is a big issue in the United States and if so how can we resolve this?

Links:

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/08/stacey-abrams-believers-georgia-blue-434985 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stacey-abrams-voter-suppression-georgia-election/ 

Pfizer Vaccine Shows To Be 90% Effective

 Just days after Biden’s victory, the drug company Pfizer announced success among early tests of their Covid-19 vaccine which suggests an effectiveness of 90%. This news offers a promising future as cases in the US skyrocket to 10.2 million. 

    The company released few details after its clinical trial was reviewed, but made the claim that the vaccine was in fact 90% effective. If the results hold, the vaccine will be on par with the current effectiveness of the popular measles vaccine that is used to prevent the common childhood virus. The company also made it clear that there were no serious safety concerns that were revealed throughout their trials. 

Pfizer is expected to request the FDA for an emergency authorization of the two dose vaccine in the upcoming weeks. However, Alex Azar from the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary said it would take multiple weeks for U.S. regulators to process the received data before a potential approval, leaving the vaccine to possibly be available in the beginning months of 2021. By the end of 2020, Pfizer is expected to have produced 15-20 million doses which would cause massive steps to control the pandemic that has taken the lives of 1.2 million people globally. 

Critics like Jesse Goodman, a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at Georgetown has stated that, “We need to see the actual data, and we’re going to need longer-term results,” however continued to congratulate the hard work of the scientists working on the task force, pushing the idea that this vaccine could be a huge step in the fight against the pandemic. 

Additionally, even before the trials began, the Trump administration announced its advance purchase deal on July 22, placing early bets of Pfizer’s success. This was the largest such commitment from the U.S. government regarding the Covid-19 pandemic especially after their slow response and lack of in initiative regarding the rise in cases. This commitment was still followed by baseless claims from President Trump that the vaccine makers were being controlled by politics and that after November 3rd the pandemic would be over. Trump had continuously reported that vaccines would be ready by the end of the year, however this still seems to be a loose promise. President elect Joe Biden also released a statement saying that masks and social distancing precautions should still be followed until mass distributions have occurred which aligns with his past promises to control the pandemic once elected. Still, there is hope that the Pfizer vaccine will push the world closer to control over the pandemic as 2021 approaches regardless of political drama.

Questions to Ponder:

1. Do you think it is suspicious that the vaccine announcement comes just days after Biden's victory?
2. Do you think that Americans will be proactive in the attempts to push out a vaccine?

Links:

https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-vaccines-pfizer/pfizer-vaccine-trial-success-signals-breakthrough-in-pandemic-battle-idUSKBN27P1ID 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/09/health/covid-vaccine-pfizer.html

https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2020/11/09/pfizer-coronavirus-vaccine-90-effective-sanjay-gupta-newday-vpx.cnn 

Global Reactions to Biden’s Victory

            This Saturday morning, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were elected to office as America’s 46th president and vice president. Harris made history as the first female, African American, and Asian American vice president. Biden won against incumbent President Trump, making him the first president in 28 years to fail to be re-elected to a second term.

With this election came many mixed reactions both within America and globally. Within America, there was a general feeling of relief in Democrats and both disappointment and support for Biden in Republicans. Carolyn Gibbs, a worker for Progress PA, a political group that aims to help Democrats get into office, says that while she feels a sense of relief, she is also tense about the divide in our country. Gibbs, an avid protestor who frequently dressed in costume for protest, said, “There are still 74 days left in the Trump presidency, and I would not be surprised if I need those costumes before January 20, 2021.” Several Republican leaders such as Senator Mitt Romney and Senator Marco Rubio criticized Trump’s baseless claims of voter fraud. However, there were a number of Republican leaders, and Republican citizens, who defended Trump’s false claims that the Democrats are trying to steal the election. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, for example, tweeted: “There are still serious legal challenges that have been made, and until that process is resolved, the election is not final.” Of the Republican citizens in America, Christian conservatives and evangelicals are one of the most disappointed about the change in leadership. While Trump was in power, they got a lot of what they wanted: two hundred federal judges and three Supreme Court Justices, an embassy in Jerusalem, and anti abortion policies. With Biden’s election and his vastly different views on topics of interest, they are concerned and fearful of the power they may lose.

 Canada’s Justin Trudeau was one of the first leaders to congratulate Biden and Harris on their victory. In Europe, Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin was one of the first leaders to congratulate Biden. Martin referenced Biden’s Irish-American heritage in his tweet, saying: “Joe Biden has been a true friend of this nation throughout his life and I look forward to working with him in the years ahead. I also look forward to welcoming him back home when the circumstances allow!” Many other leaders such as Australia’s prime minister Scott Morrison, South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed a similar sentiment. Palestinian Authority President Madmoud Abbas, who had been largely sidelined by Trump stated that he was “looking forward to working with President-elect Biden and his administration in order to enhance the Palestinian-American relations and achieve freedoms, independence, justice, and dignity for our people.” Many leaders such as Colombia’s mayor of Bogota Claudia Lopez, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, despite being a close Trump ally, offered hearty congratulation to Kamala Harris for being the first African-American and Indian-American female vice president.

World leaders also commented on the election process and the events that unfolded during this past week. Several senior German politicians described Trump’s claims of voter fraud as “unbelievable” and “awful behaviour”, expressing a disapproval of the  Russia’s foreign ministry tweeted that the close race was evidence of problems in the US electoral system. Finally, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose relationship with America worsened under Trump tweeted: “The situation in the US & what they themselves say about their elections is a spectacle! This is an example of the ugly face of liberal democracy in the US. Regardless of the outcome, one thing is absolutely clear, the definite political, civil, & moral decline of the US regime.” Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani added that the new US administration now had a chance to make up mistakes in the past. This general attitude indicates that many world leaders disapproved of the way Trump handled his position of power and expected Biden to reverse the damage he caused in ways such as putting the US back in the Paris Climate Accords.

However, one world leader has remained unsurprisingly quiet about the Biden victory - Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Four years ago, the Kremlin was quick to send a message to President Trump within hours of the 2016 race being called. While Trump didn’t act to strengthen Russian ties to America, his America-first policy fell in agreement with the Kremlin’s hopes of weakening the Western alliance to expand Russian influence in the world. His current silence indicates that Putin is preparing for a hard and deeply conflicting relationship with President Biden, especially because he knows that Biden sees Russia as one of America’s biggest security threats. As a vice president, with Barack Obama, Bideen worked actively to support pro-Western politicians in Ukraine, which is a country at war with Russia.

Both within the United States and globally, leaders and citizens recognize a sharp change in power and have both great hopes and fears about the future steps of our new president.

Links:

• NPR
  

• CNN
  

• NYTimes
  

FDA Advisory Panel Rejects Controversial Alzheimer’s Drug

    This drug, aducanumab, engineered by Biogen, would be the first new Alzhiemer’s treatment in almost twenty years. However, the FDA’s panel of medical experts declined to endorse it, saying there wasn’t enough evidence that showed its effectiveness in slowing cognitive decline. While the non binding vote of the Food and Drug Administration’s panel doesn’t signify a complete rejection of the drug by the agency, it shows that many experts do not see its effectiveness. This disagreement starkly contrasts a presentation by Dr. Billy Dunn, the director of the FDA’s office of neuroscience, who believes that “the evidence supporting its approval appears strong”. Many of the agency’s reviewers also agree with Dr. Dunn, a development that raised Biogen’s stock price by over 40 percent.

Currently, almost six million US residents and 30 million people across the globe suffer from Alzheimer’s. This statistic is expected to double by 2050. Aducanumab, Biogen’s Alzheimer's drug, would be the first medicine that would act against Alzheimer’s by attacking the biology of the disease. It is designed to clear the amyloid plaques in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer’s. This drug is different from the ones made twenty years ago because it treats the disease process rather than simply reducing the symptoms. It is considered to be most helpful to patients with mild cognitive decline. The panel did not support it because it did not meet their requirement of showing two successful studies - one shows that aducanumab slowed the progression of Alzheimer’s while the other study did not. To make up for the failure of the second study, the FDA presented only positive evidence and analysis that was favorable to the drug. Dr. Scott Emerson, a biostatistician at the University of Washington said: “This analysis seems to be subject to the Texas sharpshooter fallacy, a name for the joke of someone first firing a shotgun at a barn and then painting a target around the bullet holes”. This did not go over well with the FDA's advisory panel. Additionally dr. Lon Schneider who directs the California Alzheimer's Disease Center at the University of Southern California said the FDA should not approve of aducanumab because “1 identical study was flat-out negative. The other one was biased and unblinded, and whatever effects it showed were truly trivial.”

Despite these varying results and the pushback from the advisory panel, the agency has said that it still wants to approve aducanumab. Medical experts are now concerned about the possible harm of Alzheimer’s patients taking this drug that might not even help them.

Links:

• NYTimes
  

• NPR
  

• WashingtonPost
  

What Biden's Win Would Mean for the Middle East

    The result of the US presidential election is not only incredibly important to the American people; politicians and political analysts say the election could turn politics in the Middle East as well. The outcome of this race would have a drastic effect on issues from the Iran nuclear deal to the rise of unchecked authoritarianism to Trump’s “deal of the century” for Israelis and Palestinians.

In May 2018, President Trump pulled us from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Obama era nuclear deal with Iran, after which Iran suffered under heavy sanctions. Biden has expressed an intent to restore the JCPOA when speaking to CFR: “If Iran moves back into compliance with its nuclear obligations, I would re enter the JCPOA as a starting point to work alongside our allies in Europe and other world powers to extend the deal’s nuclear constraints. Doing so would … re establish US credibility.” His promise to restore this nuclear deal is thought to be the reason why Iran refused to come back to the table with the Trump administration during his presidency, especially because Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif repeatedly stated that he would not negotiate another agreement after Trump pulled the US out of JCPOA. This withdrawal caused great economic strain on Iran which, under Biden’s return to JCPOA, could be improved.

About unchecked authoritarianism, Biden has promised to undo Trump’s foreign policy of turning a blind eye to autocracy and the abuse of human rights. Under Trump’s neglect, authoritarianism has increased. For example, in Saudi Arabia, Trump allowed for the rise of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who vehemently stamped out dissent and jailed scores of activists and many women’s rights defenders. Even after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the prince’s most well known critic, at the Istanbul consulate, Trump failed to raise criticism. Biden, on the anniversary of Khashoggi’s murder in October 2019, stated that: “I will defend the right of activists, political dissidents, and journalists around the world to speak their minds freely without fear of persecution and violence”, indicating a vastly different approach to a authoritarianism from Trump. In Egypt, Biden condemned Trump’s support for Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who Trump once called his “favorite dictator”. Sisi’s actions against his critics include jailing thousands of dissidents and subjecting his critics to harsh treatment while in jail.

A third aspect of Middle Eastern politics that may see great change under the Biden presidency is that of the “deal of the century”. This refers to the Trump Peace Plan for Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In September, Trump convinced the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, two Arab gulf countries, to normalize ties with Israel. However, Palestinian officials were sidelined by Trump’s unilateralism, which was also seen in his labelling of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the legitimization of Israeli settlements that are illegal under international law. Biden supported the normalization agreements and expressed an inclination to push more countries to agree to similar deals. However, he opposed Trump’s unilateralism towards Israel and Palestine. He opposes annexation, settlement expansion, and any steps taken away from a two state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Biden also wanted to reverse Trump’s withdrawal of economic and humanitarian support for Palestine.

The Middle East expects drastic change to come from the switch in American leadership, but can only hope for improved foreign policy.

Links:

• CNN
  

• Aljazeera
  

• CNBC
  

x

Biden wins Presidency

 Earlier today, Associated Press called the 2020 presidential election; Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have won the presidency and vice-presidency. 

This has been a historic election, to say the least. Kamala Harris is the first woman to be elected Vice President. Moreover, it has taken place in the midst of a pandemic, and Biden has managed to garner more votes than any other presidential candidate, contributed to by mail-in ballots and an increased early turnout. If the election was determined by the national popular vote, Biden would have a clear win, currently leading by over 4 million votes. Instead, we waited days to see which way Pennsylvania’s (and Nevada’s, among others) electoral votes would go. This brings to attention the common debate over the necessity of the electoral college, which doesn’t dredge up much controversy in more decisive races but becomes especially contentious in tight races as we’ve seen this year.

 

In the final stretch of the election season, Biden’s campaign focused especially on states that swung to Trump in 2016, particularly in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, gaining support from an “unlikely alliance of women, people of color, old and young voters and a sliver of disaffected Republicans” and through his emphatic disapproval of Trump’s management of the pandemic as well as his general character.

 

We have yet to see a concession from President Trump, though that is to be expected given his administration’s continued narrative that this has been a fraudulent election. As he continues to spread misinformation about election integrity, Trump claims that the race is “far from over,” his campaign issuing a statement that they will be taking to the courts next week to ensure that “election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated.” Trump is also one of three presidents to lose re-election since World War II.

 

In a brief statement, Biden said, “With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation. It’s time for America to unite. And to heal. We are the United States of America. And there’s nothing we can’t do, if we do it together.” He puts forth a message of unity, although he will certainly be met with challenges going forward with a deeply divided Senate. 

 

Biden and Harris surely have immense tasks awaiting them, with the issue of distributing a vaccine for Covid-19, restoring the economy, and addressing systemic reforms in regards to the policing system and racial justice. But they are preparing—their transition site assures that “the transition team will continue preparing at full speed so that the Biden-Harris Administration can hit the ground running on Day One.”

 

NY Times

The Washington Post (election updates, might change depending on when you view the link)

CNN (election updates, might change depending on when you view the link)

Run-off Elections in Georgia to Determine Senate Control?

The second of Georgia’s Senate elections appears to be gearing towards a run-off, with Republican incumbent David Perdue facing Democratic challenger Jon Ossof in addition to the run-off for the other seat between Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican Kelly Loeffler.

                                                           Warnock supporters

In Georgia, when no candidate receives a majority of the vote, a run-off election is called between the two candidates who received the most votes. Georgia’s run-off system is contrary to what the majority of the states use: the plurality system. In theory, the run-off system ensures that the candidate elected to office is not opposed by a majority of the electorate, forcing the candidates in the run-off to appeal to a broader base of voters. In the plurality system, on the other hand, a candidate can win the seat without having to reach the majority threshold.

So far, Democrats have gained only one Senate seat. With the seats in North Carolina and Alaska leaning Republican, the two Senate seats in Georgia could make or break a Democratic majority in the Senate (assuming Kamala Harris will serve as the tie-breaker as Vice President). It is especially crucial because even if Biden wins, a Senate majority is necessary to pass legislation and enact policy agenda as well as to confirm Democratic executive and judicial appointees. Otherwise, with a Republican majority, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will likely block most of Biden’s initiatives; the ensuing divided government would be riddled with gridlock and the Biden administration would foreseeably struggle with enacting reform in the healthcare and tax systems, among others.

The Republican opposition to a potential Democrat Senate Majority touts the usual warnings of a “takeover” by “extremist liberals” who would distress the tax and policing system—despite the fact that Biden’s tax plan only targets “corporations and the wealthiest Americans” and that neither of the Democratic Senate candidates in Georgia propose “defunding the police.”

As the run-off elections will take place on January 5th, we will likely see millions of dollars going into heavy campaigning in Georgia over the next few months; Georgia is also the only state this year with both Senate seats up for election, so there were already extra eyes on Georgia to begin with. No doubt these campaigns will gain coverage on a national scale as the future of the country seemingly lies in these two seats.

NPR

AP

Intelligencer

Vox (goes deeper into actual history of GA’s runoff system)

President Trump Crafts Potentially Dangerous Narrative of Voter Fraud as His Chances of Re election Decrease

Ever since the election results have turned against President Trump’s chances of reelection, he has attempted to undermine the election by making false claims about the presidency being stolen from him through major voter fraud by Democrats. This effort started several months ago, in April, when President Trump spoke of more than 150 claims about fraudulent ballots and the dangers of mail in voting.
            On the night of Election Day, when the votes appeared to be in President Trump’s favor, he prematurely announced his victory and thanked Americans for electing him for a second term. Several tweets also went out that night including: “I will be making a statement tonight. A big WIN!” 

    However, as more votes were counted on Thursday, which largely included Democratic mail in ballot votes, many red leaning states flipped to blue and the election results turned in Vice President Biden’s favor. President Trump then began to repeat this potentially dangerous narrative of Democratic voter fraud being the reason for his failure to be re elected. On Thursday morning, Trump tweeted: “We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed!” This tweet was flagged by Twitter for false information on account of President Trump’s claim that he was up “big” (he actually wasn’t up at all) and baselessly accused Democrats of trying to fraudulently steal the election. After complaining about his votes being “whittled down” in states where he had been leading on Election Night, President Trump expressed disapproval of a peaceful transition of power to Vice President Biden, if he wins. Rather, he suggested that he would lead a legal battle until he wins the election. Currently, he is pursuing lawsuits in Michigan, Georgia, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, where President Trump lost or is closing to losing his lead to Vice President Biden.

The baseless claims of voter fraud, predicted by Trump’s previously voiced opinions about mail in voting, were a clear sign of Trump’s desperation in the face of his falling vote count and his objection to leaving the White House without a fight in the courts. Although no real evidence of voter fraud has been uncovered, Trump’s claims caused many of his more loyal supporters to gather at polling centers to demand a recount. CNN calls this narrative “corrosive and potentially dangerous” for its possible effect in undermining the American citizens’ faith in the government and the American government’s credibility in the eyes of the rest of the world as well. President Trump’s objection to leaving office foreshadows a long legal battle before a confirmed result for the US 2020 Presidential Election.

Links:

• CNN
  

• Washington Post
  

• NY Times
  

x

Oregon becomes the first state to decriminalize hard drugs

 With the historic passing of Measure 110 in Oregon, the state becomes the first to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, and oxycodone among other hard drugs. The measure states that persons found in possession of such drugs would either pay a fine or attend one of the new “addiction recovery centers” that will be open by next October rather than facing imprisonment. While the legislation does not undo current drug-related convictions, there is a budding effort to erase some of those records.

With a restorative “health-based” approach to drug use rather than one of criminal punishment, the measure addresses the nuances of race and socioeconomic factors that have been long associated with the prevalence of drug use by challenging the normalization of criminalizing the poor or people of color due to a lack of systemic support. According to the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission, with Measure 110, “racial disparities in drug arrests could drop by 95 percent, and...convictions of Black and Indigenous Oregonians could drop by a staggering 94 percent.” Moreover, because incarceration increases the risk of overdose in those struggling with substance abuse, the legislation works to break the cycle that exacerbates fatal drug use. Hence, the measure sets significant precedent in both ending the “war on drugs” as well as bringing reform to the policing system in America by redirecting funds towards addiction recovery and efforts to support mental health.

Yes on 110 Campaign volunteers with petitions in Salem

While some may believe this measure will encourage drug use by eliminating the semblance of consequence, other countries with similar regulation have had results that imply the opposite. For instance, Portugal has seen “no surge” in drug use since decriminalizing hard drugs in 2000 and in fact has had a 20% increase in the number of people being treated for addiction and a decrease in drug related deaths. 

True success in Oregon will only come with the appropriate combination of support services from the public health system along with this decriminalization. And with the proper support, the Washington Post offers that “recovering drug users” can both break out of the cycle of “drug-related criminality” and prevent stigmatization from “employers, lenders, and landlords.” Instead of giving up on the people struggling with substance abuse, the measure pushes forward a path for reintegration that encourages and opens up growth and opportunity.

AP 

The Intercept

Washington Post

Trump Campaign Files Numerous Lawsuits amid election

The Trump campaign has filed lawsuits in several states including Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Georgia in an attempt to question the validity of the vote counts and further fuel the (baseless) narrative that this is a “stolen election” riddled with fraud. 

These suits come in states where Biden has either overtaken Trump’s earlier lead or is steadily closing the gap; they generally aim to halt the counting until observers are allowed "better access” to watch the count while also raising concerns about absentee ballots and contest a handful of votes that would not significantly advantage Trump. Of suits that have been struck down, one Pennsylvania court dismissed a complaint that GOP reps were being prevented from seeing the writing on mail-in ballots on the grounds that observing did not include auditing, and a judge in Georgia declared that there was no evidence that an alleged 53 ballots were accepted late.

While one suit did result in allowing Republican observers to watch the count from six feet away in PA, these actions appear desperate and are more evident of Trump's campaign’s diminishing optimism in the election (although that hasn’t stopped Trump from prematurely announcing himself the victor) than in succeeding to uncover any substantial accounts of fraud or irregularities. 

Election office in Lansing, Michigan after counting absentee ballots on Wednesday

This series of legal action coincides with President Trump’s urge to “STOP THE COUNT” in a moment that NYTimes calls “dangerous for American democracy” as Trump continues to undermine both his “supporters’ faith in the country’s government” and “the credibility of the United States around the world.” Trump’s message conflicts with his push to recount in Wisconsin, further revealing that the true motivations of his campaign is to count (or not count) the votes where it gives them an advantage or hinders Biden. More than concern about faithless electors, this entrenches the concern about faithless leadership in those putting power and party before country.

Ultimately consistent with the sentiment that they will not accept defeat, Trump's campaign behavior is evidence of a contentious road ahead. 

Links:

AP

NYTimes 1

NYTimes 2

The Hill

Post Election Protests Break Out Across the Country

 With several key states still counting ballots, protests have broken out across the country, with the intent to either push for all the votes to be counted, or push for the counting of ballots to stop. Even before the election, several major cities, like D.C. and New York were boarding up stores in preparation for the outcome of the election. 

The protests were exacerbated by Donald Trump tweeting about how he has won many key states, like Pennsylvania and Georgia. Despite the states not being done counting ballots. These remarks have caused his supporters to start protests to prevent ballots from being counted in places like Georgia, where Trump is currently leading. And protests to keep counting ballots in places like Arizona and Nevada, where Biden is leading, but Trump is closing the gap between them. So while Trump's base is flipping what they want in order to win, most people are protesting to simply prevent thousands of votes from being cast aside, silencing the people who cast those ballots. 

So while results are waited on from Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Georgia protests will keep happening in order for votes to be counted. There has been confusion from some people about where all the Biden votes have come from, and the fact that they are all being counted after what looked like a very large Trump lead. This can be explained by Trump’s massive push to delegitimize mail-in votes and convincing his supporters to vote in person on Nov. 3rd. Making sure that their votes were counted first. Leading to the appearance of a large Trump lead. But after the polls closed the mail-in votes were counted, which were mostly for Biden, closing the gap and sometimes passing the Trump lead.

npr.org

cbsnews.com

foxnews.com 

Election Day Open Thread

"Democracy -- it's not the voting, it's the counting." - Tom Stoppard

Questions and comments about anything related to the election and its immediate aftermath are welcome here.

Here are some relevant links, some of which might get stirred into class tomorrow (you need to be logged into our google domain.)