Monthly Archives: May 2023

Although it is possible the jury made a mistake when it handed down a guilty verdict, neither Carlson nor Rittenhouse nor Abbott tried to argue the case on the merits. Instead, they made a simple assumption: that any violence against a left-wing protester is justified on its face. Perry had lived out the right-wing fantasy of lethal violence in defense of order. By their lights, he had done nothing wrong.

Prominent conservatives have taken the same view of Daniel Penny, the 24-year-old assailant in the killing of Jordan Neely in a New York City subway car this month. What we know is that Neely, who was homeless, was erratic and acting hostile toward other passengers. Witnesses said he had not attacked anyone. At some point, Penny, a former Marine, placed Neely in a chokehold, which killed him. Two other passengers restrained Neely while he struggled on the ground. Penny is now charged with second-degree manslaughter.

We dont know much, yet, about Pennys mind-set or motivation during his confrontation on the subway. But this has not stopped conservatives from valorizing him in the same way they valorized Rittenhouse and Perry. The Marine who stepped in to protect others is a hero, said Greene, now a congresswoman. The decision to charge Penny, said the Fox News host Greg Gutfeld, was pro-criminal and anti-hero.

In a testament to conservative enthusiasm for Penny, an online fund-raiser has raised more than $2 million for his legal defense. And DeSantis, now angling for the Republican presidential nomination, stepped in with a message of support. We must defeat the Soros-Funded DAs, stop the Lefts pro-criminal agenda, and take back the streets for law abiding citizens, he said on Twitter. We stand with Good Samaritans like Daniel Penny. Lets show this Marine Americas got his back.

Its the same language, the same tropes, the same ideas. In listening to conservative fans of Rittenhouse, Perry and Penny, you would never know that there were actual people on the other side of these confrontations. You would never know that those people were, in life, entitled to the protection of the law and that they are, in death, entitled to a full account of the last moments of their lives, with legal responsibility for the men who killed them, if thats what a jury decides.

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Opinion | The Republican Embrace of Vigilantism Is No Accident - The New York Times

EBENSBURG, Pa. Party-endorsed Republican candidates Keith Rager and incumbent Commissioner Scott Hunt cruised by two opponents on Tuesday in the Republican primary for two Cambria County commissioner slots on the November ballot.

They will face incumbent Commissioners Thomas Chernisky and William B.J. Smith, who ran unopposed on the Democratic ticket, in November for the three commissioners seats.

In a rare move, the Cambria County Republican Committee last month endorsed Rager and Hunt in the primary without endorsing Johnstown candidates John DeBartola and Joseph Taranto.

On Tuesday, the winners each received more votes than the combined total of Taranto and DeBartola.

Final totals were Hunt, 8,934 (38%); Rager, 7,938 (34%); DeBartola, 3,361 (14%); and Taranto, 3,178 (13%).

Hunt, of Southmont, was first elected commssioner in 2019 and previously served as Upper Yoder Township supervisor.

I think my hard work over the past three and a half years was noticed, Hunt said in a telephone interview late Tuesday. I think the voters responded to the position that I did what I said I was going to do.

He added that his ability to work with the two Democratic commissioners has been an asset in the election.

People are looking for elected officials who are experienced and even-tempered, Hunt said. Ive been able to work with anyone to better our county. Ive always been less about an agenda and more about working together to improve the area.

Rager, of Salix, said he was grateful to his supporters and is already looking toward November.

Im starting tomorrow, he said.

Rager sees some room for change in the county operations. He wants to look at the budget and review the operations of the county Veterans Affairs office.

The former Marine and member of the Forest Hills school board was employed by UPS for many years.

I fixed the UPS center, and when I was doing that, I learned you never change anything until you get in there and see how things are working, Rager said.

DeBartola and Taranto ran as a team, pushing to change the county operation.

As commissioners, we will overhaul the services provided by the county. In doing so, we will see that they are streamlined and effective offering services on par with or better than other areas, not lagging far behind, the two said, announcing their candidacies.

DeBartola did not respond to a request for comments following the teams defeat.

Randy Griffith is a multimedia reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 532-5057. Follow him on Twitter@PhotoGriffer57.

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ELECTION 2023 | GOP's Hunt, Rager cruise to wins in Republican ... - TribDem.com

Former US president Donald Trump on the 4th hole at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg, Co. Clare, during his visit to Ireland. Picture date: Thursday May 4, 2023. (Photo by Brian Lawless/PA Images via Getty Images) | GREER, UNITED STATES - MAY 04: Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley holds a rally in Greer, South Carolina, United States on May 4, 2023 (Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Were being forced into the 2024 presidential election far too early. This is giving political reporters ulcersand its also giving Republican candidates more and more opportunities to flounder about just how much they want to restrict abortion. Though they consistently agree that talking about banning abortion does them no favors (because it is extremely popular), they continue to spout their extreme anti-abortion opinions at nearly every opportunity.

I think the media has tried to divide [the American public] by saying we have to decide certain weeks, Republican hopeful Nikki Haley said of abortion ban specifics on Face the Nation on Sunday.In states, yes. At the federal level, its not realistic. (A classic, noncommittal politician sentence.)

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In a direct contrast, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who is exploring running for president, went hard out of the gate, saying he supports a 20-week federal abortion ban. It makes total sense to me, he told New Hampshire media in April. Hilariously, he walked that back almost immediately.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) said last yearbefore Dobbs sent abortion policy back to the statesthat the state-level abortion ban he signed into law should be reconsidered to add rape and incest exceptions if Roe was overturned. Well, here we are, and Hutchinson has maintained that hed support a national abortion ban if it includes some exceptions. (Yes, Hutchinson is running. Right now, hes the forgotten candidate, but elections are long and everyone seems to get their moment in the spotlight.)

I would support the restrictions, and I would advocate for the exceptions of the life of the mother and the cases of rape and incest, he told CNN last month. I believe thats where the American public is. I dont think anything will come out of Congress without those exceptions. And I certainly would sign a pro-life bill, but I would expect those exceptions to be in place.

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Exceptions to abortion bans are incredibly hard to use and require very intense burdens of proofso in practice, they end up simply being total bans. Of course, Hutchinson is also ignoring the fact that nearly two-thirds of Americans think abortion should be legal, including more than half of people living in states won by Donald Trump in 2020.

Speaking of... Lets talk about Trump, whos never met a political stance he could stick to. In an interview with The Messenger, a newly launched news website, the former president commented on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R)and likely rival for the GOP nominationsigning a six-week abortion ban. He has to do what he has to do, Trump said. If you look at what DeSantis did, a lot of people dont even know if he knew what he was doing. But he signed six weeks, and many people within the pro-life movement feel that that was too harsh.

Reporter Marc Caputo noted that Trump himself wouldnt declare if he agreed with the many people within the pro-life movement regarding how harsh a six-week abortion ban is or isnt. (For the record, from any sensible persons perspective, isnt just harshits cruel.)

This is typical of Trump: When asked repeatedly by the Washington Post whether he agreed with the six-week ban, he wouldnt comment. The Post also reported that the former president maintains it is a states rights issue and not something he should focus his time on.

While DeSantis hasnt officially declared, hes signed increasingly more stringent anti-abortion laws, decimating abortion access in the southeastthough, so far, hes kept fairly quiet about it.

All of this flailing comes as anti-abortion groups want to make national abortion bans (of any kind) the standard in order to get an endorsement. Even back in October, shortly before the midterm elections, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America was mad that Republican candidates were focusing on the economy instead of abortion after overturning Roe v. Wade. Pro-life Republicans must account for their policy positions on abortion, Mallory Carroll, a spokesperson for SBA, told Politico at the time. With pro-abortion Democrats holding rallies specifically to talk about abortion, pro-life Republicans have an opportunity to present a strong contrast to that.

The groups position has only gotten clearer since then. In April, SBAs president said there is now a standard that Trump is running afoul of: We will oppose any presidential candidate who refuses to embrace at a minimum a 15-week national standard to stop painful late-term abortions while allowing states to enact further protections, Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America, told the New York Times.

This goes against what voters actually want, though. In state-level votes since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, efforts to preserve abortion access have prevailed. Yet Republicans are ignoring that factor dont careand a growing number have committed themselves to looking indecisive and squabbling over deeply unpopular policies in public for the next 18 months.

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Republican Presidential Candidates Are Floundering on How Early to Ban Abortion - Yahoo News

A voter fills out his ballot at an early voting location in Alexandria, Va., on Sept. 26, 2022. Andrew Harnik/AP hide caption

A voter fills out his ballot at an early voting location in Alexandria, Va., on Sept. 26, 2022.

Virginia on Thursday became the latest Republican-led state to withdraw from a multistate partnership that until early 2022 was considered a widely trusted, bipartisan effort to share voter information.

The move makes Virginia the eighth state to leave the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, amid fringe conservative media reports and conspiracy theories attempting to connect the group to liberal donors and activists.

Virginia's departure is notable because the state was a founding member of the compact in 2012, under former GOP Gov. Bob McDonnell.

As recently as three months ago, Republican voting officials in other states that have since pulled out were praising it as a "godsend" and "one of the best fraud-fighting tools we've got."

But in a letter obtained by member station VPM, Virginia's commissioner of elections, Susan Beals, said a slew of concerns caused her to rethink the state's membership. She cited the recent exit of nearby states, "increasing concerns regarding stewardship, maintenance, privacy, and confidentiality of voter information" and "controversy surrounding the historical sharing of data with outside organizations leveraged for political purposes."

ERIC did previously share, for research purposes, some anonymized data with an outside elections organization led by ERIC's founder David Becker, but each state that participated did so voluntarily.

"We will pursue other information arrangements with our neighboring states and look to other opportunities to partner with states in an apolitical fashion," Beals wrote.

Beals was appointed to the post last year by Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. She previously served as an aide to state Sen. Amanda Chase, who went on to become arguably the state's most prominent election denier.

Beals did not immediately respond to requests for comment. ERIC's executive director, Shane Hamlin, confirmed that the organization received Virginia's resignation Thursday, and Macaulay Porter, a spokesperson for Youngkin, confirmed in a statement that Virginia was withdrawing.

Youngkin, who has hinted at a possible presidential run, dodged questions about the legitimacy of the 2020 election until after he secured the GOP gubernatorial nomination. He later acknowledged the vote was legitimate but campaigned for candidates who felt otherwise, including Arizona gubernatorial hopeful Kari Lake.

Delegate Marcus Simon, a Democrat who previously led the House of Delegates' election committee, accused Youngkin and Beals of "going full MAGA." He argued Virginia's voter rolls would become worse as a result of the move, a sentiment previously expressed by voting experts after other states departed ERIC.

"This was to prevent all the things that you Republicans say could happen people voting across state lines or voting in more than one state," Simon said. "It's data driven. And it's science based. And apparently, we're leaving, because somebody in the administration wants to align themselves with these MAGA Republicans that believe the election was stolen."

ERIC is the only way states currently have to share election data, as well as data from state motor vehicle agencies and other government departments.

The organization anonymizes the data it receives from states, then compares it to spit out reports that local election administrators can use to correct outdated addresses, remove dead voters, and reach out to eligible people who aren't registered.

For the first 10 years, ERIC grew steadily with states like South Carolina, Connecticut and, most recently, New Jersey joining.

And one of its biggest calling cards was helping to catch the small amount of voter fraud that does happen every federal election. A January report from the Florida Department of State Office of Election Crimes and Security said it had "used data provided by ERIC to identify" hundreds of voters who appeared to have voted in Florida and in another ERIC member state in the same election.

Florida has since announced its departure from ERIC.

Ryan Germany, who worked as general counsel for Georgia Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, said at an elections event recently that he saw how ERIC transformed the accuracy of their voter lists.

"We have just seen that list maintenance is so much better with ERIC," Germany said. "It's because of the cross-state data, yes. But even without it, it makes for better in-state maintenance, it makes for catching more dead people that we might not catch through our normal state process."

But recently, the organization has become the latest aspect of American voting to turn polarized.

A far-right website targeted the organization last year with a series of articles claiming ERIC was a left-wing plot to steal elections. That set off a chain reaction of grassroots pressure in conservative states.

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Virginia is the eighth Republican-led state to leave ERIC - NPR

Cranston police share this booking photo of Matthew Reilly.

CRANSTON, R.I. (WLNE) Cranstons Mayor Kenneth Hopkins announced Councilman Matthew Reilly resigned from his position of chairman of the Cranston Republican Party.

The mayor made the announcement in his first public comment following Reillys arrest Monday.

My hope is Matt will get whatever care and attention he needs for his own well-being, the mayor said in a release.

I agree with Council President (Jessica) Marino that everyone should allow the court system and judicial process to work towards an appropriate resolution, he continued.

Marino also issued a statement on Tuesday, saying in part, The news of Cranston Republican Party Chairman Matthew Reilly/ Ward 6 Councilman Matthew Reillys arrest and criminal charges are very concerning and disappointing.

Reilly remains on the city council at this time.

Police said at about 11:30 a.m. Monday, someone signaled to an officer in the area of Pontiac Avenue and Marine Drive about a man who looked like he was choking.

The officer saw the man, later identified as Councilman Matthew Reilly, appearing to have a medical episode. The officer noticed Reilly, 41, was holding a glass pipe and a lighter

Reilly was charged with one count of drug possession andwas arraigned by a bail commissioner and released pending a court appearance on June 15.

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Councilman Matthew Reilly resigns as chairman of Cranston ... - WLNE-TV (ABC6)

LOCK HAVEN Newcomers Cathy Gedon and Jacqui Anastos, Republican candidates, are punching their ticket for Clinton County Auditor, according to preliminary Primary Election results.

Gedon was the top vote-getter, according to preliminary results, with 2,484. Of that number, 2,233 were cast in-person on Tuesday and another 251 were by mail-in ballot.

Anastos followed behind with 2,055 votes. Of that number, 1,857 were cast at the polls on Tuesday and another 198 were cast via mail-in ballot.

Incumbent Brooke Fravel fell behind with 1,914 votes. Of that number, 1,741 were cast in person and another 173 were by mail-in ballot.

Thirteen write-in votes were also recorded by the Clinton County Voter Registrars office on Tuesday night.

On the Democrat side, incumbent Michelle Crowell was the lone candidate on Tuesdays ballot. Crowell received 2,120 votes. Of that number, 1,411 were cast in-person and another 709 were by mail-in ballot.

Another 153 votes were cast as write-ins.

Three seats are open for Clinton County Auditor this election cycle.

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Preliminary results: Gedon, Anastos to punch Republican ticket for ... - Lock Haven Express