LibertyVoter.Org

By Meaghan Ellis

The 2020 presidential election has a historic early voter turnout with more than 80 million Americans casting their ballots before Election Day. With the massive early voter turnout, many are now wondering who the early voters will benefit. Is it Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden or President Donald Trump? A number of clues may indicate which candidate will benefit from early voting.

Here are a few clues:

1. New voters are heading to the polls – A new analysis shows early voting has attracted many new voters for the upcoming election. More than 1 out of 4 of all voters — approximately 27 percent — were either “new or infrequent voters,” according to AP’s analysis. So who are new voters casting their ballot for? According to the data, Democrats are getting the job done. The data indicates that 43 percent of the new or infrequent voters are registered Democrats, whereas only about a quarter of those early voters are registered Republicans.

Tom Bonier, who works for the political data firm TargetSmart, weighed in on Democrats’ efforts to expand their electorate and how the party is benefiting from it.

“Democrats are already expanding their electorate,” said Bonier. “That would certainly appear to be favorable for Biden — to be taken with the caveat we’ve heard a million times before, that we don’t know how many other voters will come out on Election Day.”

2. Democratic early voting lead - In addition to the new or infrequent voter analysis, overall early voting turnout also leans toward Democratic voters. As of Friday, October 30, Democrats lead in early voting making up 47 percent of the turnout. Republicans, on the other hand, only account for 33 percent of early voting turnout. While that does not guarantee an Election Day win, it does position the Democrats with a sizable advantage going into Election Day.

3. Black voter turnout remains steady – Black voter turnout may strongly impact Biden’s ability to swing battleground states. For the 2016 election, Democrats suffered a decline in voter turnout in battleground states which likely contributed to the relatively close losses in multiple key states. According to WFLA, there has been a distinct surge in Black voter turnout in multiple key states that could greatly impact the outcome of the election.

There’s been a surge in the older African-American vote. Black voters 65 and older are already …read more

Source: ALTERNET

By Meaghan Ellis

President Donald Trump has a long history of undermining the work of scientists and the variance surrounding Hurricane Dorian is reportedly still a point of conflict within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Like Trump’s stance on the coronavirus outbreak, he refused to admit that he was completely wrong about the catastrophic Category 5′s path and according to The New York Times, the ordeal spiraled into a full scandal behind closed doors. In fact, the “Sharpiegate” ordeal reared its ugly head yet again this week when NOAA’s acting chief scientist, Craig McLean, lost his job.

The publication reports that McLean was removed from his position earlier this month when he raised questions about whether or not a new political appointee was aware of the agency’s guidelines scientific integrity. The guidelines strictly prohibit manipulating scientific research for the purpose of political gain. In a nutshell, politicization of any kind is not allowed.

Apparently, the new appointee, identified as Erik Noble, also a former White House adviser, was not pleased with McLean’s request. Here is an excerpt from the NY Times report:

The request prompted a sharp response from Dr. Noble. “Respectfully, by what authority are you sending this to me?” he wrote, according to a person who received a copy of the exchange after it was circulated within NOAA.

Mr. McLean answered that his role as acting chief scientist made him responsible for ensuring that the agency’s rules on scientific integrity were followed.

The following morning, Dr. Noble responded. “You no longer serve as the acting chief scientist for NOAA,” he informed Mr. McLean, adding that a new chief scientist had already been appointed. “Thank you for your service.”

While McLean is still employed with the agency, he appears to have been demoted. Now, Ryan Maue, a former research meteorologist at the Cato Institute, has taken over the chief scientist position. The latest NOAA debacle follows Trump’s “Sharpiegate” scandal when he attempted to undermine NOAA scientists as he claimed Alabama was within the cone for the hurricane’s projected path. The president had also been photographed with an NOAA image that included an altered look at the hurricane’s projected path. The altered image actually included Alabama.

By Meaghan Ellis

With only three days left until the 2020 election, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has a significant edge over President Donald Trump where voters aged 18-24 are concerned, according to a new poll.

According to Forbes, young voters inclined to embrace more revolutionary and progressive policies have opted to support the Biden campaign on the road to the White House. The poll has revealed eight out of 10 younger voters (86%) are taking the election very seriously and see it as a decision that could ultimately impact their futures.

The publication also included multiple graphs to provide a visual highlighting the top concerns young voters have. One of the graphs suggests younger voters are highly concerned about the coronavirus pandemic, the subsequent impacts it has had on the economy, the future of health care, and the country’s ongoing problems stemming from systemic racism.

Although Trump has long boasted about his administration’s handling of the pandemic while disregarding the importance of public health and the existence of systemic racism, the poll shows that younger voters “say they are not happy with the status quo, with 60% reporting the U.S. is on the ‘wrong track.’”

Young voters also weighed in with their take on the “American Dream.”

When asked whether they think the American Dream is “alive and well,” “presently in a coma,” or “dead and not coming back,” 47% say the American Dream is “presently in a coma” and 20% say it’s “dead and not coming back.” Just 26% of young people say the American Dream is “alive and well.”

Over the last three months, Biden has also gained momentum among young White, Hispanic, and Black voters. While Biden still maintains a significant lead among white voters, the only issue is that the Democratic presidential hopeful’s support among those voters has slightly slipped.

See the graph below:

Forbes

Biden is also maintaining the support among Gen-Z voters. However, his support among Millennial voters is slightly lower. Despite the variation, the poll still shows Biden significantly ahead of Trump.

As of Saturday October 31, more than 75 million Americans have already cast their vote for the upcoming election.

…read more

Source: ALTERNET

By Meaghan Ellis

It’s been a long, difficult week in Trumpworld with all of the incriminating reports of corruption surrounding President Donald Trump and his administration. With Election Day less than five days away, Trump is likely feeling the pressure as the opposing forces work over time to state their case and prove that he is unfit for the office of the presidency.

Many of the stories raise more questions about Trump’s leadership and the hidden agendas of his White House officials and other members of his administration.

Here’s a breakdown of the stories circulating this week:

1. Trump, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the Turkish Bank A new report by the New York Times has uncovered details about Trump and U.S. Attorney Bill Barr questionable handling of possible violations of U.S. sanctions involving billions of dollars worth of gold and cash that was funneled to Iran.

When Geoffrey S. Berman, a top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, traveled to the White House to speak with Barr and some of his top administrative officials about the criminal investigation into the state-owned Turkish bank, Halkbank, Barr suggested that the bank be allowed to avoid indictment by paying only a fine and admitting that some wrong was done. Barr’s sentiments also echoed Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s words as he had reportedly asked Trump repeatedly to stop the investigation. Trump’s presumed eagerness to please Erdogan has also raised questions about where the president truly stands. For Berman, Barr’s request raised red flags and questions about whether or not Barr was colluding with foreign operatives.

“This is completely wrong,” Berman later told lawyers in the U.S. Department of Justice, according to people who received intel about the proposal and Barr’s reaction. “You don’t grant immunity to individuals unless you are getting something from them — and we wouldn’t be here.”

This report is yet another cloud over Trump and his administration regarding where their loyalty lies.

2. Pompeo Family Email Scandal U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was caught in the middle of an email scandal when it was revealed that he and his wife, Susan Pompeo had conducted official White House business using personal email addresses. Now, the couple is being investigated by both Congress and the State Department’s inspector generals for “potential misuse of government resources.” On multiple occasions, Susan Pompeo is said to have regularly utilized her personal …read more

Source: ALTERNET

By Lucian K. Truscott IV

Remember this number: $3.

That’s how much Trump charged the federal government for a glass of water in April of 2018 when he and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. According to the Washington Post, Trump’s company also charged the government “$13,700 for guest rooms, $16,500 for food and wine and $6,000 for the roses and other floral arrangements,” over the two days he held meetings with Abe at the resort. But one day, Trump was scheduled to meet with Abe without aides and advisers, with no meal service or cocktails or any other celebratory nonsense. Just the two leaders, alone in a room, talking. According to the Post, the bill for that day contained a line item reading, “Bilateral meeting. Water. $3.00 each.”

Donald Trump has been paid “at least $2.5 million by the U.S. government,” since taking office, according to official documents obtained by the Post. Trump has made more than 280 visits to his own hotels and golf clubs over the last four years, and the payments covered costs for “hotel rooms, ballrooms, cottages, rental houses, golf carts, votive candles, floating candles, candelabras, furniture moving, resort fees, decorative palm trees, strip steak, chocolate cake, breakfast buffets, $88 bottles of wine and $1,000 worth of liquor for White House aides.” according to the Post.

And water. A total of six bucks for water, no charge being too small to make it onto a bill to the government for a payment going straight into the pocket of the man who owns the Trump Organization and everything it comprises, including his resort in Palm Beach.

It’s apparently a good part of what the Trump base likes about him — his appetites, his pure, unadulterated, money-grubbing-right-down-to-$3-for-water greed. Trump has wanted more his entire life. He wants more money, of course. He has spent a lifetime in pursuit of more money, and then some more, and more and more. He borrowed so much money in pursuit of even more money that it drove him into bankruptcy, several bankruptcies in fact. Today, as president, he is said to be in debt for nearly $1 billion to banks and other lenders, a debt that will come due within the next few years, according to the New York Times and other reports.

Trump wants more fame, a drive that started off with mentions in gossip …read more

Source: ALTERNET