Politics

Virginia supports expanding property tax exemption for select military spouses
12
Nov
By Dorothy Brand
Politics, Story

Virginia supports expanding property tax exemption for select military spouses

Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury - A majority of Virginians supported a referendum expanding the state Constitution to provide real estate tax relief to surviving spouses of service members who died in the line of duty. The Constitution only applied to 100% disabled veterans and surviving spouses of soldiers killed in action as determined by the U.S. Department of Defense. Virginia’s unofficial election results show that 93% of Virginians supported the amendment through a referendum that was on the ballot last week. “It’s humbling to see the overwhelming support and to be able to help just over a hundred or so families,”…
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Analyzing the 2024 US Election Results: A Comprehensive Overview
06
Nov
By Dorothy Brand
Politics, , ,

Analyzing the 2024 US Election Results: A Comprehensive Overview

Overview of the 2024 US Election Results The 2024 US elections presented a pivotal moment in the nation's political landscape, marked by key outcomes in various races that reflected the electorate's sentiments. The presidential race concluded with a notable victory, providing the incumbent party a substantial advantage. These results were influenced by a tapestry of factors, including economic conditions, prevailing social issues, and demographic shifts, which shaped voters' decisions across the country. In addition to the presidential race, the elections witnessed significant contests for congressional seats. The House of Representatives saw a reallocation of seats, with both major parties vying…
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Trump takes election pitch to storied New York arena
27
Oct
By Dorothy Brand
Politics

Trump takes election pitch to storied New York arena

Donald Trump rallies supporters Sunday at an iconic New York arena while Kamala Harris goes neighborhood to neighborhood in Philadelphia just over a week before America votes in an extraordinarily close White House race. Trump's gathering at the nearly 20,000-seat Madison Square Garden is expected to draw a blitz of coverage in the Republican's home metropolis, which is still very much a Democratic stronghold. Both candidates are making closing pitches to voters in one of America's most divisive and suspense-filled electoral fights, with polls suggesting a dead heat ahead of the November 5 vote. Harris, 60, has planned a packed…
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Trump’s lawyers urge appeals court to uphold dismissal of classified documents case
26
Oct
By Dorothy Brand
Politics

Trump’s lawyers urge appeals court to uphold dismissal of classified documents case

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump have urged a federal appeals court to uphold the dismissal of the classified documents case against him, saying a judge was correct in ruling that the prosecutor who brought the charges was illegally appointed. The case charging Trump with hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida had long been seen as legally perilous for the Republicans’ White House nominee, but U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed it in July after concluding that special counsel Jack Smith’s appointment to the job was unlawful. The ruling brought an abrupt halt to…
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Beyonce vs Joe Rogan: Stars power up US election
25
Oct
By Dorothy Brand
Celebrities, Politics, ,

Beyonce vs Joe Rogan: Stars power up US election

The US election takes a detour from the swing state circuit to decamp to Texas on Friday as Kamala Harris rallies with pop superstar Beyonce and Donald Trump sits down with the world’s biggest podcaster. Solidly Republican Texas makes an unorthodox stop just days before November 5, especially for Harris who could be working to revive her momentum in the battleground states set to decide the vote. But the Democratic team is gambling that its star-studded show — also featuring country legend Willie Nelson — will highlight Republican restrictions on abortion, a key part of Harris’s platform against Trump. Beyonce’s…
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Supreme Court rejects case about DOJ investigating parents who protest at school boards
09
Oct
By Dorothy Brand
Politics

Supreme Court rejects case about DOJ investigating parents who protest at school boards

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court refused on Monday to hear a case from parents in Virginia and Michigan who argued the Justice Department targeted them for protesting at school board meetings. At the heart of the dispute was a 2021 memo Attorney General Merrick Garland aimed at combatting “a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers and staff.” The memo setting up meetings with state and local law enforcement agencies sought to “discourage these threats, identify them when they occur and prosecute them when appropriate.” Some parents in Loudoun County, Virginia, and…
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In the ‘Fightin’ Ninth,’ Baker seeks to end Griffith’s 13-year tenure
27
Sep
By Dorothy Brand
Politics

In the ‘Fightin’ Ninth,’ Baker seeks to end Griffith’s 13-year tenure

by Markus Schmidt, Virginia Mercury (September 27, 2024) For decades, Virginia’s 9th Congressional District earned the nickname “The Fightin’ Ninth” due to its fiercely contested elections. But for the last 13 years, Republican Morgan Griffith has held the seat with little opposition, solidifying his status as the incumbent. That could change this election cycle as Democrat Karen Baker hopes to unseat the lawmaker from Salem. A native midwesterner who moved to Floyd County from South Carolina in 2014, she has spent the last seven months traveling thousands of miles crisscrossing the deeply rural and mountainous district. Baker’s campaign centers on…
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Biden, Addressing U.N., Will Argue His Vision Has ‘Produced Results’
24
Sep
By Dorothy Brand
Politics

Biden, Addressing U.N., Will Argue His Vision Has ‘Produced Results’

By Sheryl Gay Stolberg: In February 2021, two weeks after he moved into the White House, President Biden reminded the nation’s diplomats of his promise to restore American leadership in the world. In a speech at the State Department, he summed up his election in three words: “America is back.” On Tuesday, Mr. Biden will confront the limits of that promise when he addresses world leaders at the United Nations for his fourth and final time as president. The White House says he will make the case that his “vision for a world where countries come together to solve big…
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‘Let us be clear: it was not an election but a transaction’, LP’s Akapata speaks on Edo guber poll
24
Sep
By Dorothy Brand
World News, Politics

‘Let us be clear: it was not an election but a transaction’, LP’s Akapata speaks on Edo guber poll

Olumide Akpata, the Labour Party’s candidate in the Edo governorship election, on Monday, strongly criticized the exercise, labeling it a “commodities market” and “transaction” marred by vote-buying and voter apathy. “As attested to by YIAGA Africa, our sacred electoral process was reduced to a bidding war for votes,” Akpata said in a statement, following the Independent National Electoral Commission’s declaration of Monday Okpebholo’s victory. “Although the election was largely free from historical forms of election-day malpractice such as ballot box snatching and stuffing, it was nevertheless marred by voter intimidation and the falsification of results,” the LP candidate said. “More…
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The Fed says its long-awaited rate cut is apolitical, even close to the presidential election
23
Sep
By Dorothy Brand
Politics,

The Fed says its long-awaited rate cut is apolitical, even close to the presidential election

by Casey Quinlan, West Virginia Watch (September 23, 2024) The Federal Reserve’s first key interest rate cut in four years coincides with another major four-year event: the homestretch of the presidential election. Fed Chair Jerome Powell downplayed the central bank’s role in the race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on Wednesday, in announcing the half-percentage point cut in its benchmark rate. But that didn’t stop the candidates’ campaigns from weighing in, and it could prove a key factor for voters. “This is my fourth presidential election at the Fed, and it’s always the same. We’re…
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