#tucson special elections | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

foreverlogical · 5 years ago

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Clifford Wagner, an 80-year-old Republican in Tucson, Arizona, never cared for President Donald Trump.He supported Jeb Bush in the 2016 presidential primary race and cast a protest vote in the general election for Gary Johnson, the Libertarian nominee. An Air Force veteran, Wagner described the Trump presidency as a mortifying experience: His friends in Europe and Japan tell him the United States has become "the laughingstock of the world."

This year, Wagner said he would register his opposition to Trump more emphatically than he did in 2016. He plans to vote for Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, and hopes the election is a ruinous one for the Republican Party.

"I'm a Christian, and I do not believe in the hateful, racist, bigoted speech that the president uses," Wagner said, adding, "As much as I never thought I'd say this, I hope we get a Democratic president, a Democratic-controlled Senate and maintain a Democratic-controlled House."

Wagner is part of one of the most important maverick voting groups in the 2020 general election: conservative-leaning seniors who have soured on the Republican Party over the past four years.

Republican presidential candidates typically carry older voters by solid margins, and in his first campaign Trump bested Hillary Clinton by 7 percentage points with voters over 65. He won white seniors by nearly triple that margin.

Today, Trump and Biden are tied among seniors, according to a poll of registered voters conducted by The New York Times and Siena College. And in the six most important battleground states, Biden has established a clear upper hand, leading Trump by 6 percentage points among the oldest voters and nearly matching the president's support among whites in that age group.

That is no small advantage for Biden, the former vice president, given the prevalence of retirement communities in a few of those crucial states, including Arizona and Florida.

No Democrat has won or broken even with seniors in two decades, since Al Gore in 2000 devoted much of his general election campaign to warning that Republicans would cut popular programs like Social Security and Medicare. In 2016, Trump, now 74, seemed in some ways keenly attuned to the political sensitivities of voters in his own age group. As a candidate, he bluntly rejected his party's long-standing interest in restructuring government guarantees of retirement security.

But Trump's presidency has been a trying experience for many of these voters, some of whom are now so frustrated and disillusioned that they are preparing to take the drastic step of supporting a Democrat.

The grievances of these defecting seniors are familiar, most or all of them shared by their younger peers. But these voters often express themselves with a particularly sharp kind of dismay and disappointment. They see Trump as coarse and disrespectful, divisive to his core and failing persistently to comport himself with the dignity of the other presidents that they have observed for more than half a century. The Times poll also found that most seniors disapproved of Trump's handling of race relations and the protests after the death of George Floyd.

And as the coronavirus pandemic continues to sweep the country, putting older Americans at particular risk, these voters feel a special kind of frustration and betrayal with Trump's ineffective leadership and often-blase public comments about the crisis.

The president has urged the country to return to life-as-usual far more quickly than the top public health officials in his own administration have recommended. Some prominent Republican officials and conservative pundits have even suggested at times that older people should be willing to risk their own health for the sake of a quicker resumption of the business cycle.

In The Times poll, seniors in the battleground states disapproved of Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic by 7 points, 52% to 45%. By a 26-point margin, this group said the federal government should prioritize containing the pandemic over reopening the economy.Former Rep. Carlos Curbelo of Florida, a 40-year-old Republican deeply versed in the politics of the retiree-rich swing state, said many seniors were disturbed by important aspects of Trump's record and found Biden a mild and respectable alternative who did not inspire the same antipathy on the right that Clinton did in 2016.

Regarded by much of his own party as bland and conventional, Biden's nostalgia-cloaked candidacy may be uniquely equipped to ease a sizable group of right-of-center seniors into the Democratic column, at least for one election.

"He's not ever been known to be a radical or an extreme leftist or liberal, so there is certainly a degree of comfort there," Curbelo said. He added: "This public health crisis is so threatening, especially to seniors, and because the president hasn't earned high marks in his handling of it, I think that has also been a factor in Biden's improving numbers."Biden and his allies have expressed growing excitement about the political possibilities that the shifting senior vote could create in the fall. That is true not only in Sun Belt retirement havens but also in Midwestern states where Biden is currently running well ahead of Clinton's 2016 performance with a range of conservative-leaning constituencies, including older white people.

In Iowa, former Gov. Tom Vilsack, a close Biden ally, said the former vice president had closed a substantial deficit in the state through his response to the coronavirus, his connection with older rural voters and his ability to empathize. "Part of it is the demeanor he has projected during the course of this pandemic," Vilsack said, before acknowledging, "As much as Joe's doing, it's probably as much or more what the president has done or failed to do." He cited an ad from a group of anti-Trump Republicans that cast Trump's approach to crisis as erratic and selfish, unlike past presidents who have confronted national tragedies like the Challenger disaster and the Oklahoma City bombing.

"Each of those presidents was able to connect emotionally to the feelings of the nation," Vilsack said. "This president has had a really, really hard time doing that.

"Trump's ineffective response to the coronavirus weighed on the thinking of many older voters surveyed in the poll, including Patrick Mallon, 73, a retired information technology specialist in Battle Creek, Michigan.Mallon said he was a registered Republican who had long been unhappy with Trump but mindful that he was presiding over a strong economy. The pandemic set Mallon firmly against Trump's reelection.

"The main reason is Donald Trump saying, 'Don't wear a mask, this thing is going to go away, we can have large gatherings,'" he said. "Everything he says is incorrect and dangerous to the country.

"When young people contract the coronavirus, Mallon added, "most of them will survive, but they're going to give it to their parents, their grandparents -- and I'm sorry, we're just as important as that younger generation is.

"The abandonment of Trump by older voters is far from universal, and he still has a strong base among older white men and self-described conservatives. Nationally, the oldest voters approve of Trump's handling of the economy by 12 points, more than double the figure for voters of all ages.

And in the battleground states, Trump has a 10-point lead over Biden with white men over the age of 65, even as Biden has opened up an advantage with white women in the same age group. Nonwhite seniors in the battleground states currently support Biden over Trump by a huge margin, 65% to 25%.

Even among some seniors supportive of Trump, however, there is an undercurrent of unease about the way he approaches the presidency.

Karen Gamble, 65, of Reidsville, North Carolina, said that she was dissatisfied with the overall government response to the coronavirus outbreak and echoed many popular complaints about Trump's persona. She said she wished, for instance, that Trump "wouldn't be such a bully and would conform to being in a regal-like position, as our presidents have always been.

"Gamble said she was planning to support Trump in the election all the same, describing Biden as too old and too compromised on matters related to China. But Gamble, who said she has a "severe lung problem," expressed hope that Trump would change his approach to the pandemic. "We can't blame him for this -- how many presidents could really do any better than what he's done?" Gamble said, before adding: "I just wish he wouldn't let the country open up as much as it has. I see all these teens and young people at the beach, and I fear for them because now they're getting sick."

In Tucson, Gerald Lankin, a more forceful Trump supporter, said he would back the president mainly as a vote "against the Democrats." Lankin, 77, said he found Trump's personal manner offensive but agreed with him on most issues and saw Democrats as "much, much, much, much too far to the left."

"He hasn't really done anything that I can say I'm against," Lankin said of Trump. "I think what he's doing is the best he can. But, boy, he is tough to take. He is a tough guy to take."There may be time for Trump to regain his footing with seniors, along with several other right-leaning groups that have drifted away during the bleakest months of his presidency. His ability to do so could have far-reaching implications not just for his chances of winning a second term, but also his party's ability to keep its hold on the Senate.At the moment, Trump's unpopularity with older voters appears to be hindering other Republicans in states including Arizona and Michigan.

Gayle Craven, 80, of High Point, North Carolina, said that while she was a registered Republican, she had not voted for Trump in 2016 and would reject him again this year. She said she saw Biden as an "honest man."

"Trump is the biggest disappointment," she said. "He has made America look like idiots. I think he's an embarrassment to my country."

Other older voters leaning toward Biden cautioned that they could still change their minds, like Frederick Monk, 73, of Mesa, Arizona, who said he had voted for Trump but quickly came to see him as "incompetent." Still, Monk said his mind was not fully made up. If Biden chooses an overly liberal running mate, he said he could cast a vote for Trump and hope his second term is an exercise in futility. "Hopefully the Democrats retake the Senate and make his next four years miserable, if he lasts that long," Monk said.

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jackperry87 · 5 years ago

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2019 elections GOP Win

1. Of all places, Democrats suffered a notable setback in New Jersey Tuesday as Republicans prevailed in battleground legislative districts in the southern part of the state. Although Democrats will not lose their majority in Trenton, experts predict they could lose more than half a dozen seats as mail-in ballots are counted. In District 1, State Sen. Bob Andrzejczak lost his reelection bid Tuesday to Republican challenger Mike Testa in one of the key races in South Jersey. With unofficial results showing Testa with a six-percentage-point lead, the Democratic incumbent conceded the race for the 1st District, according to Sam Rivers, a campaign manager for local Democrats. In the same district, which covers Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland Counties, Democratic incumbents Bruce Land and Matthew Milam conceded their Assembly race to Republican challengers Erik Simonsen and Antwan McClellan. Unofficial results showed Simonsen and McClellan leading by a four-point margin late Tuesday.In South Jersey’s other hotly contested race, for Assembly in the 8th District, which spans most of Burlington County and parts of Atlantic and Camden Counties, Democratic candidates Gina LaPlaca and Mark Natale conceded to Republican candidates Ryan Peters and Jean Stanfield.

2. Although Democrats ran up big margins in Philadelphia's longtime Republican suburbs, the GOP made major inroads into the western part of the Keystone State. Voters in Washington County, compromising suburban Pittsburgh, gave Republicans a majority on the board of commissioners, for the first time this century. Cambria County, a longtime Democratic stronghold where Lyndon Johnson beat Barry Goldwater by more than 35 points saw Republican candidates win three countywide races and notch a rare win on the Johnstown City Council.

3. Daniel Cameron made two major firsts in the race for Kentucky Attorney General. He is the first Republican to win the seat in 70 years and he is the state's first African American attorney general. Although Republican Governor Matt Bevin apparently lost the race for governor, his defeat to a member of Kentucky's most well-known political family (the Beshears) and an unpopular first term in office filled with unforced errors was not unexpected, even if it is disappointing. But Kentucky Republicans can hold their heads high having won five of the six statewide elected offices.

4. Mississippi may be dark red, but Democrats remain more competitive at the state level thanks to a large African American population and running moderate candidates. In the governor's race, the Democrat, outgoing Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, was the best candidate the party could have hoped for. Hood is not only pro-life and pro-gun, but he had also won statewide elections four times, something that has become increasingly rare for Democrats in the Deep South. But on Tuesday Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves won the race for governor by nearly six points. Republicans swept all eight statewide races for the first time since reconstruction, including the races for lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. Despite already having a supermajority in both legislative chambers, the GOP picked up three seats in the state Senate. Per the Mississippi Clarion Ledger:"We won it all, didn't we?" a jubilant outgoing Republican Gov. Phil Bryant told a crowd at an election-night party for Gov.-elect Tate Reeves and other statewide winners in Jackson. "They even brought in Obama ... We made America great again." Despite making a red state even redder we don't expect the mainstream media to pick up this story. Help us make it go viral!

5. The Republican Party didn't just win a few elections this past Tuesday, it also has prevailed in hard-fought contests throughout 2019. In Louisiana, Republicans secured a supermajority in the State Senate and came within seven seats of doing so in the State House. GOP candidates running against Governor John Bel Edwards (D) won 52 percent of the vote combined, giving the Republican nominee a strong chance at winning the November 16 runoff. If the GOP secures a trifecta, it would control all levers of power in Baton Rouge during the next round of redistricting.In North Carolina, the GOP took home another big win as Dan Bishop prevailed in a highly contested special election to represent North Carolina's suburban 9th District. Arguably the most surprising conservative victory this year came in Arizona where voters in the liberal city of Tucson rejected becoming a sanctuary city by a significant margin.

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trumpsfinalcountdown · 27 days ago

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There Are 1,448 Days Left Of The Trump Regime

Good morning friends. I hope that everyone is doing well and still choosing to stay and fight despite how hard and horrible it has been. Let's do some journaling today.

Write about how fear has shaped your thoughts and/or actions today.

When we can recognize the influence that fear has on us helps us separate it from reality.

So, if my fear today has caused me to stay in bed and doom scroll, I now can identify that doom scrolling hasn't actually helped me today, and I can remember that for next time. OR maybe doom scrolling has helped me not feel alone, and I am gaining a sense of community at a time I feel isolated. Now I know that if I ever am feeling that way, there are always other people out there that feel similarly.

See, writing it out brings it to focus and now you can recognize pattern that are helpful or challenge the unhelpful ones.

And then we can go from there.

YOUR DAILY RESOURCE: Immigrants Rising is a website full of resources for undocumented students. From scholarships, to entrepreneurship resources, to immigration law, mental health and more. There is a plethora of helpful links, resources, reading, funding, etc to help those that are undocumented and need assistance now. thank you mujeresxpsych on TikTok for sharing this information.

YOUR DAILY QUOTE: "What progressives who ignore history don't understand is that, just like racism is taught, so is distrust. Especially in households like mine, where parents and grandparents who had lived through Jim Crow, COINTELPRO, Reaganomics, and the war on drugs, talked to their children early and often on how to stay out of trouble. When the cops harassed you, but didn't bother to actually protect and serve, when violence broke out between neighbors. Lectures from outsiders on what was wrong with our culture and community weren't what was needed. What we needed was the economic and racial privilege we lacked to be put to work to protect us. Being skeptical of those who promise they care, but do nothing to help those that are marginalized is a life skill that can serve you well when your identity makes you a target." Hood Feminism: Notes From the Women that a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall

ARIZONA UPCOMING ELECTION: Phoenix Union High School District Special Mail-in Election AND City of Tucson Special Elections Prop 414. Both are on March 11th!

PHOENIX UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT SPECIAL MAIL-IN ELECTION: If you are not yet aware a federal judge has ordered Maricopa County to redo the election for two Phoenix Union High School District Governing Board seats after the county printed incorrect directions on some ballots.

If you live in Maricopa County please be sure to make your vote matter. The Governing Board is responsible in identifying DISTRICT NEEDS, as well as being responsive of those needs, and to meet those needs in the long and short term. They establish policies, approve or disapprove of budgets, curriculum, and personnel.

These are all DEEPLY important in the current times we are in. Please go and ensure your vote is counted in this redo.

PROPOSITION 414: The full name is Proposition 414 – Safe & Vibrant City.

Prop 414 asks for a half-cent tax increase for the next 10 years and claims it is to fund a vibrant and safer Tucson.

17.50% of the funding would go to affordable housing and shelter

16.75% would go to neighborhood and community resilience

22.75% would go to enhanced emergency response.

12.25% would go to technology investments

But what alarms me is the 30.75% that would be going to Capital Investments for First Responders. Specifically because the funding is going to PPE such as ballistic vests, shields, and "non-lethal enforcement platforms". Approximately $1,700,000 would go towards this per year.

Another 6 Million would go to patrol cars, and replacing their fleet, and another 4 Million a year to the Fire Departments fleet (Firetrucks, Ladder trucks, etc)

$1.5 Million will be used for Public Safety Training Modernization

And more all of which can be found here as well as where the other funds are going to specifically.

This sounds overall like a decent proposition, however the amount of funding needed for things like non-lethal enforcement platforms (Tasers, barriers, pepper spray, bean bags which are the projectiles that are shot out to incapacitate people) does concern me.

It makes me wary that 30% of the funding from this tax will go to police products directly used in the face of protestors during BLM movements among others. This, to me, signifies a preparation under the guise of 'making Tucson beautiful'. However, I do not live there to know if the benefits that would come from this would outweigh the risk of where those funds would go within police departments.

Vote what you think is best, as money would be going to good causes as well - I do not live in Arizona, so I will not speak on what it is like to live there. I can only view from the outside what this MIGHT mean for others.

H. R. 375: Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act of 2025. This is a bill that is designed to combat the fungal disease Rapid Ohia Death. This disease has been killing Ohia trees in Hawaii since 2014 when it was discovered. These trees are vital to Hawaii's ecosystems, culture, and watersheds.

This bill is asking for continued federal support to prevent the disease from spreading, Identify Ohia trees that are resistant to it, as well as propagate them.

It asks that the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) continue researching how ROD spreads. It asks that the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to continue providing resources to prevent further spreading, and financial and staff resources to the Institute of Pacific Island Forestry (IPIF) and also that the Department of the Interior communicate and collaborate with the Department of Agriculture alongside the Sate of Hawaii to continue to detect, prevent, and restore.

This bill does have quote a bit of senate support, and it looks likely to pass the Senate as well. However, it is still in good practice to voice your support.

Here is a script email you can use to send to your senator.

Subject: Please Support the Continued Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death Response Act (H.R. 375)

Dear [Senator's Name], I am writing to urge you to support the Continued Rapid Ohia Death Response Act of 2025 (H.R. 375) as it moves through the Senate. This bipartisan bill is critical to protecting Hawaii’s native forests from the devastating effects of Rapid Ohia Death (ROD), a fungal disease that has already claimed hundreds of thousands of ʻōhiʻa trees. The Ohia tree is more than just a plant—it is the backbone of Hawaii’s ecosystem, playing a crucial role in maintaining watersheds, preventing erosion, and supporting native biodiversity. Beyond its ecological significance, the Ohia is deeply rooted in Hawaiian culture and traditions. Losing these trees at the current alarming rate threatens not just the environment, but also the cultural and economic well-being of the region. H.R. 375 takes a science-backed, collaborative approach to addressing ROD by providing much-needed funding for research, forest restoration, and coordinated management efforts. It will empower agencies like the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Geological Survey to work alongside the State of Hawaii to mitigate the spread of this disease and protect the future of these vital forests. The bill passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support (359-62), demonstrating that protecting our nation's natural resources is not a partisan issue—it is a responsibility. I strongly urge you to support this legislation and help ensure the long-term health of Hawaii’s forests and ecosystems. Thank you for your time and consideration. I appreciate your leadership and your commitment to environmental conservation. Sincerely, [Your Name] [Your Address] (optional but recommended for constituent verification) [Your Email] (optional but recommended for response)

SONG OF THE DAY:

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theliberaltony · 6 years ago

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via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

Signs point to the Arizona Senate special election being a key race in determining who controls the Senate in 2020. On the Republican side of the race to fill the late Sen. John McCain’s old seat, Sen. Martha McSally — who was appointed to McCain’s seat after losing her 2018 bid for the state’s other seat — is expected to run to finish off the last two years of McCain’s term. But she could face a formidable challenger in retired astronaut and Navy veteran Mark Kelly, who announced he’ll run for the seat as a Democrat last month. But Kelly could face his own adversary in the primary, so here’s a detailed look at the possible Democratic primary battle that lies ahead and an early look at the all-important general election.

The Democratic primary could get heated

After announcing his plans to run for the Senate, Kelly raised $1.1 million in the first two days of his campaign, putting him on par with Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Kamala Harris in initial fundraising hauls for 2020 presidential campaigns. Considering Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema spent $24 million to narrowly defeat McSally in 2018, Kelly will likely need a similar budget for the state’s upcoming Senate race, so his early fundraising haul is promising. And Kelly is no stranger to politics. He is the husband of former Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who survived being shot in the head during an assassination attempt in Tucson in 2011 that killed six and wounded 13. In the aftermath, Giffords and Kelly founded a political organization to fight gun violence, and in the 2018 midterms, their organization spent nearly $7 million to campaign against Republican members of Congress. But despite being a gun control activist, Kelly has indicated he will embrace a centrist, bipartisan approach, similar to how Sinema positioned herself in the 2018 race.

But Kelly may not have the Democratic field to himself. Rep. Ruben Gallego is also eyeing the race, and his entrance would set up a centrist vs. progressive battle for the party’s nomination. Gallego is a three-term congressman and member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a collection of the most liberal members on Capitol Hill. What’s more, Gallego is a veteran, which could help him match qualifications with both Kelly and McSally, who was the Air Force’s first female fighter pilot in combat.

How might a Gallego-Kelly primary play out? Well, if we just look at Arizona’s electorate, Kelly might have an advantage. Although Gallego, like 23 percent of the state’s electorate, is Hispanic, the majority of Democratic primary voters are white,1 which might undercut any edge his heritage gives him in a primary. Kelly might also be able to make an electability argument in a primary race against Gallego: An early general election survey of the race from OH Predictive Insights found McSally ahead of Kelly by just 2 percentage points while she led Gallego by 8 points. Still, Gallego might be able to use Kelly’s voting record against him, as Kelly has voted in a Republican primary and has switched his party identification between independent and Democratic in the past. Kelly has also caught flak for taking money from big companies while working the speaking circuit.

Even more critical is the role geography can play in a primary, as candidates tend to get the most support from their home base. This could boost Gallego, who represents part of the state’s biggest city, Phoenix. Maricopa County, which encompasses Phoenix, usually casts about half or more of all votes in Arizona’s Democratic primaries. Meanwhile, Pima County — which covers Tucson, where Giffords and Kelly are based — casts less than a quarter of the vote. So if Gallego does run, Kelly will have to keep the margins close in Maricopa and elsewhere while performing strongly in Pima to win the primary.

The Phoenix area dominates Arizona’s Democratic primaries

Share of Arizona Democratic primary votes cast in Maricopa County (which includes Phoenix) and Pima County (which includes Tucson) compared to the rest of the state, 2012-2018

Year Primary Maricopa Pima Rest of Arizona 2012* Congress and state offices 47.9% 25.1% 27.0% 2014 Congress and state offices 50.0 21.3 28.7 2016 President 53.5 23.3 23.2 2016 Congress and state offices 50.9 23.3 25.8 2018 Congress and state offices 55.8 21.6 22.7 Average 51.6 22.9 25.5

*There was no 2012 Democratic presidential primary in Arizona. State primaries are held in August; the 2016 presidential primary was in March 2016.

Source: Arizona Secretary of State

Should Gallego run, it’s likely this primary will be competitive, which could make things difficult for Democrats in the general election because Arizona holds its state primaries very late2 — the last Tuesday in August — which leaves roughly two months to consolidate support for a general election candidate.

McSally found herself in a similar situation in the 2018 Republican primary when she was up against former Maricopa county Sheriff Joe Arpaio and former state Sen. Kelli Ward, though McSally pulled away at the end with 55 percent of the vote; meanwhile Sinema coasted to victory in the Democratic primary with 79 percent of the vote against a minor opponent. So if the 2020 Democratic primary proves to be contentious and McSally doesn’t face a notable primary challenger of her own, she could stand to benefit from a heated Democratic primary. But she too could face her own primary — some Republicans didn’t want her to fill McCain’s seat because her performance in the 2018 race raised concerns that she would lose a 2020 race as well.

The general election could be close

Regardless of who wins the Democratic primary, Democrats face a tough opponent in McSally. Although McSally lost the 2018 Senate race, she raised more than $20 million and has experience winning elections in a competitive House district, which she held for two terms until she stepped aside to run for Senate this past November and Democrats captured her old seat. McSally has also received national attention for sharing her experience of being raped while she was serving in the Air Force. McSally’s one of several women in Congress who, since the rise of the #MeToo movement, have spoken openly about their own experiences with sexual assault or domestic violence. McSally’s support of sexual assault survivors may help her cut across party lines and change the perception of the #MeToo movement as a liberal women’s issue.

More broadly, the potential competitiveness of the Arizona contest speaks to the state’s evolution toward becoming a battleground state in U.S. politics. Sinema’s 2018 victory over McSally came on the heels of President Trump carrying the state by just 3.5 points in the 2016 election, the smallest GOP edge in Arizona since 1996, when Bill Clinton won the state — the only Democrat to do so since 1952. So despite its Republican lean (9 points more Republican than the country as a whole prior to the 2018 election,3) Arizona could see a lot of presidential activity in 2020, which could influence the state’s down-ballot elections.

This Senate race will be one of the top-tier contests in 2020 — handicappers currently view it as a toss-up (Inside Elections and Sabato’s Crystal Ball) or lean it toward the GOP (Cook Political Report). As the GOP has a 53-47 edge in the Senate,4 most paths for Democrats retaking the Senate require capturing this seat (and others) because it may be difficult for Democrats to retain the Alabama seat that they won in 2017. So just like in 2018, Arizona will host a high-octane Senate contest, one that could be pivotal in deciding the Senate majority.

#IFTTT #Politics – FiveThirtyEight #politics #538 #Geoffrey Skelley

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sfnewsvine · 2 years ago

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Another Trump Senate Candidate Has Been Condemned By The People Who Knew Him Best

Arizona Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters has been condemned by 75 of his classmates, academics, and alumni. AZ Mirror reported: A bunch of Blake Masters’ former classmates at Inexperienced Fields Nation Day College in Tucson have condemned him in no unsure phrases in an open letter saying that he would “lead Arizona down a darkish, dystopian path.” …. “He peddles extremist ideology — attacking veterans, calling abortion ‘demonic,’ being endorsed by Neo-Nazis, blaming gun violence on ‘Black folks, frankly,’ and that’s simply the tip of the iceberg,” Masters’ former classmates mentioned within the letter. “He additionally belittles those that don’t share his views, and it’s clear Blake will lead Arizona down a darkish, dystopian path. He’s a person who gave up every part — his associates, his neighborhood, his values, and his integrity — all in pursuit of energy, place, and status.” Whether or not it’s Herschel Walker being denounced by his personal son, Dr. Oz being denounced as harmful by the medical neighborhood, or Blake Masters being denounced by the folks that he went to high school with a transparent pattern has developed the place Trump’s hand-picked Senate candidates are being known as harmful by those that know them greatest. Every of those candidates is at the moment dropping of their elections, however with out vigilance, they might every discover themselves in america Senate serving to Republicans implement an extremist agenda. Blake Masters is at the moment dropping to Sen. Mark Kelly and Republicans have despatched alerts that they’re giving up on the race, however voters should end the job on election day and be sure that every of those harmful extremists is denied a seat within the Senate. Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He’s additionally a White Home Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Diploma in Political Science. His graduate work targeted on public coverage, with a specialization in social reform actions. Awards and Skilled Memberships Member of the Society of Skilled Journalists and The American Political Science Affiliation Supply hyperlink Originally published at SF Newsvine

#SF Newsvine

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htubmanrenrappingblog · 1 year ago

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VOTE*VOTEVOTE:ALLDEMS SAVE*OUR*DEMOCRACY:TODAY: NOVEMBER.07.2023:NC/SC/MN VA/MS/MI/OH/KY/NJ/ME/NH/RI/KS/ TX/MA/CA/NY/NM/&MORE*STATES: WHY*VOTE*ALLDEMS??? The-republicans-ARE------ FULL-OF-BULL-CRAPS! BLACK*DEMS/WOMEN*DEMS/ ALL*COLLEGE*STUDENTS/ INDEPENDENT*DEMS*VOTE*TODAY!!! 2023 Elections: Full List of State Votes Taking Place Across the Country On November 7, 2023, people across the U.S. will go to the polls to vote in a number of elections. From gubernatorial to mayoral and state legislative ballots, voters will have the chance to have their say across numerous states in the country. ***ALSO:Louisiana[NOV.14*RUNOFFS] MAYORAL ELECTIONS!!!: Akron, Ohio

Aurora, Colorado

Boise, Idaho

Bridgeport, Connecticut

Carmel, Indiana

Charleston, South Carolina

Charlotte, North Carolina

Columbus, Ohio

Des Moines, Iowa

Durham, North Carolina

Evansville, Indiana

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Gary, Indiana

Hartford, Connecticut

Houston, Texas

Indianapolis, Indiana

Knoxville, Tennessee

Manchester, New Hampshire

Orlando, Florida

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Portland, Maine

Pueblo, Colorado

Salt Lake City, Utah

Savannah, Georgia

South Bend, Indiana

Spokane, Washington

Springfield, Massachusetts

Tucson, Arizona

Wichita, Kansas

City General Elections

Arizona, Flagstaff

Arizona, Phoenix

Arizona, Glendale

Arizona, Tucson city

California, Orange Cove

California, Riverside County special ballot measure election

California, Mount Shasta

California, Shasta County

California, Fort Bragg

California, Plumas County

California, Marin County

Connecticut, Hartford

Florida, Miami

Florida, Hialeah

Florida, Orlando

Georgia, Atlanta

Georgia, DeKalb County

Iowa, Marion County

Iowa, Des Moines City Council Ward 1

Iowa, Polk County

Iowa, Pella

Iowa, Des Moines

Idaho, Ada County

Idaho, Boise city council

Indiana, Indianapolis

Indiana, Fort Wayne

Kansas, Topeka

Kansas, Wichita

Michigan, Eagle Township

Michigan, Kalamazoo County

Michigan, Oakland County

Michigan, Ingham County

Michigan, Lansing

Minnesota, Minneapolis,

Minnesota, Minnetonka

Minnesota, St. Paul

Minnesota, St. Louis

Missouri, Jackson County

Missouri, Kansas City

Missouri, Clay County

North Carolina, Durham

North Carolina, Guildford County

North Carolina, Charlotte

New Hampshire, Concord

New Mexico, Santa Fe

New Mexico, Bernalillo County

New Mexico, Albuquerque,

New York, New York City

New York, Erie County

New York, Richmond County

New York, Buffalo

New York, Bronx County

New York, New York County

New York, Queens County

New York, Kings County

Oregon, Lane County

Oregon, Marion County

Oregon, Multnomah County

South Carolina, Columbia

Laramie County, Wyoming

Other Special Elections

California, San Diego County Board of Supervisors District 4

California, Chula Vista City Attorney

California, Fallbrook Public Utility District and Rainbow Municipal Water District

Colorado, Broomfield recall

Kentucky, Jefferson County Family Court

Michigan, Fremont Township recall

Michigan, Green Charter Township recall

Michigan, Big Rapids Township recall

Michigan, Pere Marquette Township recall

Michigan, Webber Township recall

Michigan, White River Township recall

Michigan, Parma Township recall

Michigan, Speaker Township recall

Michigan, Redding Township recall

Ohio, Toledo city council

Oregon, Brookings recall

Texas, La Marque, recall election for city councilman

Virginia, Chesapeake treasurer https://www.newsweek.com/2023-elections-america-usa-governor-congress-attorney-general-1841112 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| VOTEALLDEMS/KICK-OUT-THE------ The-republicans-ARE------ FULL-OF-BULL-CRAPS! https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0OnoYJ7VX8U CONTROLLING-CREEPY-republicans https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BB9RZ0mzAn8 ------ONE-OF-THE-RUDEST-republicans: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/l40myC_vkiI THE-republican-DISSING*MILITARY*SERVICE: republican-"tommy-tuberville gets INSANT KARMA after Mocking Biden as Video Resurfaces of Humiliating Fall": https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QkErZomQUSE ------VOTING-for-a-gop-IS-TAKING-A-CHANCE: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TYtkSh7cVzY ***"Game-Changer? Democrat's BOLD NEW Plan To Win Mississippi's Governor's Mansion! | Roland Martin" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTUiChd65xc ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

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aestheticvoyage2018 · 6 years ago

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Day 310: Tuesday November 6, 2018 - “Vote Aqui”

Took my time out at the end of the day to walk over to the Methodist Church down around the corner to place my ballot in the ballot box. This years midterms were highlighted by an amazing amount of early voting and mail in ballots - but theres something special about going and doing it in person. I put on a blue shirt, and my american flag hat, and went and got my sticker. Then I came home and settled in to watch the returns. The Republicans kept the Senate with a great hand dealt, Dems took over the House with politics at the local level riding a progressive Blue wave, that fed Governors races too, including Michigan that flipped back to Blue at the State level. A record number of women and minorities were elected; Colorado successfully elected an openly gay-governor and saw its first first-man. A record number of voters turned out for mid-terms, nearing 50% of eligible voters, a 10% increase from the last mid-term. I was one of 2,140,600 Arizonans to cast a ballot was watching closely the results of our stand-out race, for the Senate seat. As the mostly red state kept with tradition down ballot, and overnight comeback pushed our dem candidate to DC, winning by about 30K votes. Squeaked it out and I wondered how McSally felt about all those really ridiculous ads that were paid for.... why would you spend so much money to be mean? Im glad this red state rejected more of that. I look forward to calling Sinema as much as Ive called Flake lately. Our county delivered her with 56% of the vote.

Despite moving around as much as I have, it seems I find the bluer spots to align with. In this purple state, Tucson is the more progressive place to be. Denver, Bellingham, St Louis. Over the last ten years Ive participated in every election and was very prideful of showing up to do my part today here in the Old Pueblo. I was also thrilled that all those infuriating campaign ads would finally stop. Hope that the new congress can help change the temperature of the nation. And I cant wait to be here again in 2 years.

Song: Kenny Chesney - Better Boat

Quote: “The most dangerous people in the world are not the tiny minority instigating evil acts, but those who do the acts for them. For example, when the British invaded India, many Indians accepted to work for the British to kill off Indians who resisted their occupation. So in other words, many Indians were hired to kill other Indians on behalf of the enemy for a paycheck. Today, we have mercenaries in Africa, corporate armies from the western world, and unemployed men throughout the Middle East killing their own people - and people of other nations - for a paycheck. To act without a conscience, but for a paycheck, makes anyone a dangerous animal. The devil would be powerless if he couldn't entice people to do his work. So as long as money continues to seduce the hungry, the hopeless, the broken, the greedy, and the needy, there will always be war between brothers.” ― Suzy Kassem

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innocentamit · 3 years ago

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Tucson, Arizona Will Require 2022 Election Workers to Be Vaccinated

The city of Tucson, Arizona, will mandate vaccines for election workers in the upcoming May special election. Coincidentally, more than 91% of Democrats in the US are vaccinated versus roughly 60% of Republicans. This is part of the Democrats’ plan to steal 2022 by blocking patriots out of poll worker positions. The Gateway Pundit reported on the massive evidence of voter fraud discovered in Pima…

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tucson-progressive · 7 years ago

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If someone asks you to sign the Outlaw Dirty Money Citizens Initiative petition, please do it! We need transparency in campaign finance in Arizona. I proposed two bills this year that would have repealed Republican laws that obscured campaign finance records and increased maximum donation amounts. Republicans want less transparency and more money in the political system. I am a clean elections candidate I want more transparency and a level playing field when it comes to money. Special interests control our government through big money politics. It is time that the people took control. #pdamerica #powersforthepeople #endcitizensunited #shepersisted #outlawdirtymoney #rememberinnovember (at Tucson, Arizona)

#powersforthepeople #rememberinnovember #pdamerica #endcitizensunited #shepersisted #outlawdirtymoney

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techcrunchappcom · 4 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/covid-19-live-updates-thanksgiving-at-a-moment-of-national-peril/

Covid-19 Live Updates: Thanksgiving at a Moment of National Peril

Here’s what you need to know:

A restaurant with outdoor bubbles in Milwaukee. Deaths are surging in the Midwest.Credit…Tom Lynn for The New York Times

Americans were celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday with the pandemic at perhaps its most precarious point yet.

Coronavirus cases in the United States have reached record highs, with an average of more than 176,000 a day over the past week. Deaths are soaring, with more than 2,200 announced on both Tuesday and Wednesday, the highest daily totals since early May. Even as reports of new infections begin to level off in parts of the Midwest, that progress is being offset by fresh outbreaks on both coasts and in the Southwest, where officials are scrambling to impose new restrictions to slow the spread.

The national uptick includes weekly case records in places as diffuse as Delaware, Ohio, Maine and Arizona, where more than 27,000 cases were announced over seven days, exceeding the state’s summer peak.

In New Mexico, grocery stores are being ordered to close if four employees test positive. In Los Angeles County, Calif., restaurants can no longer offer in-person dining. And in Pima County, Ariz., which includes Tucson, cases have reached record levels and officials have imposed a voluntary curfew.

“What we’re trying to do is decrease social mobility,” said Dr. Theresa Cullen, the Pima County health director.

Deaths are also surging, especially in the Midwest, the region that drove much of the case growth this fall. More than 900 deaths have been announced over the past week in Illinois, along with more than 400 each in Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Health officials have worried aloud for weeks that large Thanksgiving gatherings could seed another wave of infections at a time when the country can scarcely afford it. In many places, hospitals are already full, contact tracers have been overwhelmed and health care workers are exhausted.

“Wisconsin is in a bad place right now with no sign of things getting better without action,” said an open letter signed by hundreds of employees of UW Health, the state university’s medical center and health system. “We are, quite simply, out of time. Without immediate change, our hospitals will be too full to treat all of those with the virus and those with other illnesses or injuries.”

More than 260,000 people have died of coronavirus in the United States. In a speech on the eve of Thanksgiving, President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. spoke of his family’s losses, and urged Americans to “hang on” and called for unity.

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Biden Calls for Unity in Thanksgiving Address

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. stressed the importance of unity and encouraged Americans to be careful with Thanksgiving celebrations this year to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.

You know, looking back over our history, you see that it’s been in the most difficult circumstances that the soul of our nation has been forged. And now we find ourselves again facing a long, hard winter. We’ve fought nearly a yearlong battle with a virus that has devastated this nation. I know the country has grown weary of the fight. We need to remember, we’re at war with a virus, not with one another, not with each other. This year we’re asking Americans to forgo so many of the traditions that we’ve long made this holiday, that’s made it so special. For our family, for 40-such years, 40-some years, we’ve had a tradition of traveling over Thanksgiving, a tradition that we’ve kept every year save one: the year our son Beau died. But this year, we’ll be staying home. I know how hard it is to forgo family traditions, but it’s so very important. I give thanks now for you, for the trust you’ve placed in me. Together we’ll lift our voices in the coming months and years, and our song shall be of lives saved, breaches repaired, a nation made whole again.

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. stressed the importance of unity and encouraged Americans to be careful with Thanksgiving celebrations this year to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.CreditCredit…Chandan Khanna/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

“I remember that first Thanksgiving, the empty chair, the silence,” said Mr. Biden, whose son Beau died in 2015. “It takes your breath away. It’s really hard to care. It’s hard to give thanks. It’s hard to even think of looking forward. It’s so hard to hope. I understand.”

A man prays on the steps of the closed St. Sebastian Church in Queens, N.Y., in March. Credit…Todd Heisler/The New York Times

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York accused the U.S. Supreme Court of political partisanship on Thursday after the high court rejected his statewide coronavirus-based restrictions on religious services, playing down the impact of its ruling and suggesting it was representative of its new conservative majority.

Regardless of the governor’s interpretation, the decision by the Supreme Court late on Wednesday to suspend the 10- and 25-person capacity limitations on churches and other houses of worship in New York would seem to be a sharp rebuke to Mr. Cuomo, who had previously won a series of legal battles over his emergency powers.

“You have a different court, and I think that was the statement that the court was making,” the governor said, noting worries in some quarters after President Trump nominated three conservative justices on the Supreme Court in the past four years. “We know who he appointed to the court. We know their ideology.”

Mr. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, insisted that the decision “doesn’t have any practical effect” because the restrictions on religious services in Brooklyn, as well as similar ones in Queens and the city’s northern suburbs, had since been eased after the positive test rates in those areas had declined.

But less stringent capacity restrictions, also rejected by the Supreme Court’s decision, are still in place in six other counties, including in Staten Island.

Legal experts said that despite the governor’s assertion that the decision was limited to parishes and other houses of worship in Brooklyn, the court’s ruling could be used to challenge and overturn other restrictions elsewhere. “The decision is applicable to people in similar situations,” said Norman Siegel, a constitutional lawyer and former leader of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “It’s applicable to any synagogue, any church, to any mosque, to any religious setting.”

Earl Wilson/The New York Times

Brittainy Newman for The New York Times

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Instead of 42 giant balloons and floats, there were 30. Many of the high school marching bands from around the country stayed home. And the parade itself covered only a snippet of the traditional 2.5-mile route, confined to a single block of 34th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in Manhattan.

But the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade kicked off Thursday morning, with organizers determined to not let the pandemic completely derail the pageantry. So with the New York City Rockettes — minus the famous kick-lines that were scrapped to adhere to social-distancing guidelines — Dolly Parton, and, of course, Santa Claus, the ritual marker of the start of the holiday season got underway on Herald Square.

Planning this year’s event was a singular feat of logistical legerdemain. Starting in March, the parade planners at Macy’s and NBC, which airs the event, had to rip up the carefully calibrated script and come up with an entirely new blueprint.

“What I knew about Thanksgiving Day a month ago is different from what I know now,” said Susan Tercero, who is the executive producer of the event for Macy’s. “How do you plan something in June that’s going to happen in November when you have no idea where the country is going to be at then?”

History set a high bar for canceling the parade, which has gone off every year since 1924, except for three years during World War II.

The planners kept in communication with city and state officials and responded as evidence of a second wave in New York mounted, reducing the number of participants to 12 percent of their typical work force from 25 percent. Instead of about 8,000 people working a packed parade route in a normal year, 960 people will work over three days of filming.

Delta Airlines will begin offering “quarantine free” flights between Atlanta and Rome starting next month. Credit…Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, via Associated Press

For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic swept across Europe and the United States, a pilot program will allow a limited number of passengers to travel across the Atlantic from Atlanta to Italy without having to quarantine upon arrival, according to a Delta Air Lines news release on Thursday.

The airline said it had worked with officials in both Georgia and Italy and that the program would rely on a strict testing protocol to ensure the flights could be conducted safely and “coronavirus free.”

Starting Dec. 19, all U.S. citizens permitted to travel to Italy for “essential reasons, such as for work, health and education,” as well as all European Union and Italian citizens, would have to test negative for Covid-19 three times:

Once with a polymerase chain reaction (P.C.R.) test taken up to 72 hours before departure.

Once with a rapid test at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

And once again with a rapid test upon arrival at Rome’s Fiumicino airport.

Passengers departing Rome would again have to pass a rapid test at the airport.

Travelers will also be asked to provide information upon entry into the United States to support contact-tracing protocols set up by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Airlines, battered by the pandemic, have been working to establish travel corridors that are both safe and reliable.

The International Air Transport Association forecast this week that the sector will lose $157 billion by the end of next year.

“This crisis is devastating and unrelenting,” the organization’s director, Alexandre de Juniac, said in a statement.

Delta, in partnership with Alitalia, said the airlines worked with the Mayo Clinic to devise the protocols and hoped they could serve as a model going forward.

Global Roundup

London will move to the second tier of restrictions, but service in restaurants and pubs will still be limited. Credit…Andrew Testa for The New York Times

Almost all of England must adhere to the two most severe sets of coronavirus restrictions when a national lockdown ends next week, the government said on Thursday, in an announcement likely to stoke tensions with lawmakers.

London and Liverpool have escaped the most stringent curbs and have been put into the second of three tiers, each based on an assessment of the threat from the virus.

Restaurants and pubs will reopen for indoor dining, but they will only be allowed to serve alcohol indoors to those eating a substantial meal.

In Manchester, Birmingham, Leicester, Newcastle and Hull, cities that must follow the toughest restrictions, pubs and restaurants will stay closed except for takeout service.

Just a handful of areas in the south of England will be in the tier with the lightest rules.

The fact that much of Northern England faces the tightest curbs is likely to revive claims that the region is not being treated the same way as London and the southern parts of the country.

Across the country, some normality will return when the lockdown lifts on Wednesday in England, and stores, gyms and hairdressers can reopen. Religious services, weddings and outdoor sporting events can also take place.

But in dividing the country into three tiers of restrictions, based on regional data, the government is hoping that the system works better than it did earlier this year, when it failed to stem a surge in cases.

This time the rules have been tightened and Thursday’s announcement, made by the health secretary, Matt Hancock, underscores the government’s desire to keep controls on the hospitality trade in the run up to Christmas.

“It is vital that we safeguard the gains we have made,” he told lawmakers on Thursday.

Some critics, however, want regions split into smaller units to reflect local circumstances, and 70 lawmakers from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party have expressed concerns about the economic damage of restrictions designed to prevent the spread of the virus.

In other developments around the world:

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and state governors agreed to tighten virus restrictions and extend the country’s lockdown through December. “Without a doubt we have difficult months ahead of us,” Ms. Merkel told lawmakers on Wednesday.

Amid a growing caseload, Greece is also extending a lockdown that had been set to end on Monday, until Dec. 7.

Prince Carl Philip and his wife, Princess Sofia, of Sweden tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a statement from the Royal Court of Sweden. Carl Philip is fourth in the line of succession to the Swedish throne.

South Korea reported 583 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday, the biggest daily caseload since early March, as health officials struggled to contain a third wave that began earlier this month. In the past week, officials have banned gatherings of more than 100 people, shuttered nightclubs and allowed only takeout services in coffee shop chains.

Researchers working on AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine in Oxford, England.Credit…Andrew Testa for The New York Times

The announcement this week that a cheap, easy-to-make coronavirus vaccine appeared to be up to 90 percent effective was greeted with jubilation. “Get yourself a vaccaccino,” a British tabloid celebrated, noting that a shot of the vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, costs less than a cup of coffee.

But since unveiling the preliminary results, AstraZeneca has acknowledged a key mistake in the vaccine dosage received by some study participants, adding to questions about whether the vaccine’s apparently spectacular efficacy will hold up under additional testing.

Scientists and industry experts said the error and a series of other irregularities and omissions in the way AstraZeneca initially disclosed the data have eroded their confidence in the reliability of the results.

Officials in the United States have also said that the results were not clear. It was the head of the U.S. federal vaccine initiative — not the company — who first disclosed that the vaccine’s most promising results did not reflect data from older people.

The upshot, the experts said, is that the odds of regulators in the United States and elsewhere quickly authorizing the emergency use of the AstraZeneca vaccine are declining, a setback in the global campaign to corral the devastating pandemic.

Michele Meixell, a spokeswoman for AstraZeneca, said the trials “were conducted to the highest standards.”

In an interview on Wednesday, Menelas Pangalos, the AstraZeneca executive in charge of much of the company’s research and development, defended the company’s handling of the testing and its public disclosures. He said the error in the dosage was made by a contractor, and that, once it was discovered, regulators were immediately notified and signed off on the plan to continue testing the vaccine in different doses.

Asked why AstraZeneca shared some information with Wall Street analysts and some other officials and experts but not with the public, he responded, “I think the best way of reflecting the results is in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, not in a newspaper.”

Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington, center, speaking in January about the first reported case of the coronavirus in the United States.Credit…Grant Hindsley for The New York Times

It was 10 months ago that officials identified the first U.S. coronavirus case in Snohomish County, Wash. That area north of Seattle is now reporting its highest coronavirus case numbers of the pandemic.

Snohomish County has recorded an average of about 230 cases per day over the past week, about three times higher than a month ago. Dr. Chris Spitters, the Snohomish County health officer, said hospitalizations in the region have risen about 400 percent in just six weeks.

“Hospitals are rapidly approaching where we were back in March,” Dr. Spitters said this week.

On Jan. 21, federal and local officials announced that a person who had recently traveled from Wuhan, China, had tested positive in Snohomish County, setting off an extensive effort to isolate and treat the patient. Weeks later, the Seattle region emerged as an early epicenter of the virus, although it remains uncertain whether the outbreak was linked to that first person.

Washington State recorded many of the first coronavirus deaths in the nation in March but managed to contain its outbreak in the spring and has kept its numbers low when compared to other states around the country. But in recent days, case numbers have been jumping and setting records. Gov. Jay Inslee has restored coronavirus restrictions, closing fitness facilities and prohibiting indoor dining at bars and restaurants.

Dr. Kathy Lofy, the state health officer, said Wednesday the situation was “extraordinarily urgent” and urged all residents to take action to stop the spread of the virus before hospitals become overwhelmed.

“We must all recommit to flatten the curve now,” Dr. Lofy said.

San Quentin Prison in California has been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic.Credit…Jim Wilson/The New York Times

The Thanksgiving menu behind bars in the United States this year featured extra helpings of loneliness and tension along with the processed turkey.

Most American prisons suspended in-person visits months ago — some as early as March — to try to limit the spread of the coronavirus, leaving many inmates able to communicate with loved ones only through mail that can take several weeks to arrive or costly phone and video calls.

This year, the threat of the virus and the long separations from families have added an extra layer of anxiety to one of the most anticipated days of the year, inmates and their relatives say.

Kelly Connolly, whose brother Rory Connolly is serving time in a federal prison in Ohio, said her family felt helpless to relieve her brother’s isolation and fear of getting sick.

The ban on visits “does seem extra punitive, on top of the sentence — the daily tension and terror, in addition to all the other aspects of prison,” she said. “This is by far the longest stretch my brother has gone without seeing family members or friends.”

Prisons, jails and detention facilities have often become coronavirus hot spots. More than 327,000 inmates and guards in have been infected by the virus, and more than 1,650 have died, according to a New York Times database.

The steep recent rise in infections around the nation has meant that a number of prisons and jails that were planning to allow family visits for Thanksgiving have canceled those plans.

Getting a free coronavirus test in Los Angeles on Wednesday.Credit…Bryan Denton for The New York Times

After more than two months of unrelenting growth, the United States is poised to see a steep drop-off in new cases on Thursday.

It will be a mirage, not progress.

At least 14 states have said they do not plan to update their data on Thursday as Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. Other states will likely do the same. And many county and regional health departments will also take the day off.

“Out of respect for our O.S.D.H. personnel who have worked tirelessly since March in response to the Covid pandemic, we will not be reporting data on Thanksgiving,” the Oklahoma State Department of Health said in a statement on Wednesday.

The New York Times reports new cases and deaths on the date they are announced by officials in hundreds of state and local health departments. In a typical week, daily fluctuations are smoothed out by using a rolling average that accounts for spikes on Fridays, when many states report their highest numbers of the week, and drops on the weekends, when some places don’t report any data.

That analysis will become harder after Thanksgiving, which is almost assured to have far fewer cases than the 187,000 announced last Thursday, when 49 states reported fresh data. The country’s seven-day case average, now above 175,000, could fall sharply, at least for a day.

Harder still is knowing what to expect in the days after Thanksgiving. Some states are likely to report artificial spikes when they resume reporting on Friday, which could push the country past 200,000 cases in a single day for the first time.

But the blurry data could persist longer. Health officials in Vermont have said they will forego reporting both Thursday and Friday. And access to testing is likely to decrease for a few days, meaning more infections could go uncounted. In Louisiana, testing sites run by the National Guard will be closed both Thursday and Friday. In Wisconsin, some National Guard testing sites are closed all week.

Numbers aside, public health officials are worried about what the holiday may bring. For weeks, governors and hospital executives have been begging people to skip turkey dinners with people not in their households. The country’s case average is as high as it’s ever been, cases are rising in 40 states and deaths are reaching levels unseen since May, with more than 2,200 announced nationwide both Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Unless we unite behind the belief that each of us has a responsibility to protect others, we will face a devastating holiday season,” said Barbara Ferrer, the public health director in Los Angeles County, Calif., where cases have soared to record levels this week.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and Dr. Theresa Tam, the country’s chief public health officer, held a news conference on Oct. 13, the day after Canada’s Thanksgiving.Credit…Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press

Does Canada’s Thanksgiving, which passed well over a month ago, offer a preview of what the United States now faces in terms of the pandemic?

The differences between public health systems in Canada’s provinces and their pandemic rules make it difficult to generalize about the entire country’s holiday aftereffects.

Daniel Coombs, a professor of mathematics at the University of British Columbia and an infectious disease modeling expert, said that several “provinces have seen rises that are hard to directly link to Thanksgiving purely from case counts.”

But Professor Coombs said many provinces did find through contact tracing that some new cases were linked to Thanksgiving events.

Over the past six weeks, he said, outbreaks that started at Thanksgiving have continued to grow. “It is not really possible to say what fraction of current cases were specifically seeded by Thanksgiving gatherings but I think it is indisputable that the effect is there,” Professor Coombs said.

Since Thanksgiving, new restrictions have been imposed in many parts of Canada. This week an agreement between the four provinces along the Atlantic coast that allowed quarantine-free travel between them was suspended after a growth of cases in two of them. Manitoba, British Columbia and Ontario all imposed new measures in all or some areas this month.

But Colin D. Furness, an assistant professor at Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation of the University of Toronto, cautioned that Canada’s version of Thanksgiving is not an ideal proxy for the American version. It is not even a statutory holiday in some provinces, and Canadians generally wait until Christmas to travel for family get-togethers.

“So for the U.S., where Thanksgiving is the biggest travel weekend of the year, and where Covid is currently raging in many places, the threat posed by this holiday is enormous,” he said. “If we looked at the Canadian experience, we might underestimate the U.S. risk.”

About 60 students and parents from Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District in New Jersey protested last week after the superintendent announced schools would remain closed until Jan. 19.Credit…James Estrin/The New York Times

Gov. Philip D. Murphy has urged New Jersey school districts to open for some face-to-face instruction, repeatedly noting that the coronavirus spread among teachers and students was far lower than expected.

Last week, as New York City was reeling from the mayor’s decision to close the nation’s largest school district, Mr. Murphy joined with six other governors — including New York’s — to release a statement about the importance, and relative safety, of in-person instruction.

His own schools weren’t listening: While most districts in New Jersey had reopened for some in-person instruction, many announced plans this week to return to all-remote learning through all or part of the holidays.

The tensions point to the difficulty governors across the Northeast have had in persuading districts to reopen more fully — decisions that often require school boards to buck powerful teachers unions and to live with the inherent risk of outbreaks as the virus surges.

Parents and children are often caught in the middle, forced to quickly shift routines and expectations in a year already marred by the extraordinary challenges of remote instruction.

Mr. Murphy, a Democrat, has the power to shut down schools, as he did in March when New York and New Jersey were an early epicenter of the pandemic. And he has said that decisions about all-remote instruction need state approval and that districts must be working toward bringing students back to class.

Still, for all the governor’s public exhortations, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Education could not point to a single instance when the state rejected a district’s plan to shift to all-remote instruction.

The governors of Massachusetts and Connecticut have faced similar pressure from districts and unions as they continue to stress the importance of in-person education. In New York, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo offered a plan to keep New York City’s schools open for at least a few more days, but the mayor rebuffed him.

The state of Texas limits attendance at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, to half its capacity of over 100,000. The team plays the Washington Football Team on Thursday.Credit…Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Tens of thousands of fans are expected to be at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Thursday, when the Dallas Cowboys, as they have nearly every year since 1966, play at home on Thanksgiving, this time against the Washington Football Team.

To control the spread of the coronavirus, state rules limit attendance at the stadium to half its capacity of more than 100,000, and no game has approached that limit. Still, attendance has grown every game, hitting a high of 31,700 on Nov. 8, when the Pittsburgh Steelers were in town. Jerry Jones, the team’s owner, plans to keep selling tickets even as the number of infections surges in Tarrant County, where the Cowboys play home games.

“I see a continued aggressive approach to having fans out there,” Mr. Jones said last week on Dallas sports talk radio. “And that’s not being insensitive to the fact that we got our Covid and outbreak. Some people will say maybe it is, but not when you’re doing it as safe as we are and not when we’re having the results we’re having.”

Local and state authorities have ultimate authority over whether fans can attend games, and the rules in Texas are more permissive than in states like California and New Jersey, where teams have played without spectators this season.

But Mr. Jones’s approach runs counter not just to what other N.F.L. teams have done in recent weeks, but to what medical experts say is prudent public health policy. The number of cases in the county has jumped more than fivefold since the start of the regular season in early September, when there was an average of 1,500 confirmed infections a day.

On Wednesday, the N.F.L. has moved the Thanksgiving night showdown between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers to Sunday afternoon after nearly a dozen players and staff members on the Ravens tested positive for the virus.

Pope Francis on Sunday at the Vatican.Credit…Vincenzo Pinto/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Pope Francis, writing for the New York Times Opinion section, says that to come out of this pandemic better than we went in, “we have to let ourselves be touched by others’ pain.”

In this past year of change, my mind and heart have overflowed with people. People I think of and pray for, and sometimes cry with, people with names and faces, people who died without saying goodbye to those they loved, families in difficulty, even going hungry, because there’s no work.

Sometimes, when you think globally, you can be paralyzed: There are so many places of apparently ceaseless conflict; there’s so much suffering and need. I find it helps to focus on concrete situations: You see faces looking for life and love in the reality of each person, of each people. You see hope written in the story of every nation, glorious because it’s a story of daily struggle, of lives broken in self-sacrifice. So rather than overwhelm you, it invites you to ponder and to respond with hope.

To come out of this crisis better, we have to recover the knowledge that as a people we have a shared destination. The pandemic has reminded us that no one is saved alone. What ties us to one another is what we commonly call solidarity. Solidarity is more than acts of generosity, important as they are; it is the call to embrace the reality that we are bound by bonds of reciprocity. On this solid foundation we can build a better, different, human future.

Credit…Vinnie Neuberg

Last week, David Leonhardt invited readers of his Morning newsletter to send six words describing what made them thankful in 2020. Here is a selection of their responses:

The crinkling eye above the mask.

A furtive hug with a friend.

The backyard haircuts are getting better.

My choir still meets on Zoom.

Friends who give me streaming passwords.

Family reunion in January, before Covid.

Miss family, but safer for them.

Saved a lot of lipstick money.

More homemade pasta, no more jeans.

No shame in elastic-waist pants.

Braless at home? No one cares.

Mom, 87, rocking pretty, pandemic ponytail.

Teenage son still likes to snuggle.

My parents live two blocks away.

No better excuse to avoid in-laws.

This stinking year is nearly over.

#covid #National

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