Link Roundup May-November 2024

[wepon]

NBC News Exit Poll: Voters express deep concern about America's democracy and economy

The early exit poll results also show that voters who backed Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have different priorities on the issues. A majority of Harris voters prioritized the state of democracy. Abortion was the second-most-important issue to Harris voters, 2 in 10 of whom said it mattered most to their votes, followed by economy, foreign policy and immigration. Half of Trump voters said the economy was the most important issue to their votes, followed by immigration (20%), democracy (12%), abortion (6%) and foreign policy (4%).

2024 turnout is near the 2020 record. See how each state compares.

Voter turnout in this year’s presidential election is expected to be close to the record high set in 2020, according to a Washington Post analysis of data from the Associated Press and the University of Florida Election Lab.

Elon Musk’s PAC Fired and Abandoned Canvassers in Michigan Who Voiced Concerns: Report

The workers — many of whom are Black — told >i>Wired that Blitz Canvassing, a subcontractor for Musk’s PAC, had them sign nondisclosure agreements and transported them to Michigan neighborhoods in the back of a U-Haul without seats or seat belts. After Wired ran an initial story about their working conditions, the magazine reported that the subcontractor fired more than a dozen canvassers, leaving some without full compensation or transportation home.

Abortion Bans Have Delayed Emergency Medical Care. In Georgia, Experts Say This Mother’s Death Was Preventable.

Their reviews of individual patient cases are not made public. But ProPublica obtained reports that confirm that at least two women have already died after they couldn’t access legal abortions and timely medical care in their state. There are almost certainly others.

USA: Free speech on campus needs to be protected, not attacked, say experts

The United States must ensure that freedom of peaceful assembly is respected, as required by Articles 19 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by the United States, and by Article 5 of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. Limitations need to be legitimate, necessary, and proportionate. Private campuses have a responsibility to respect human rights under the UN Guiding Principles on business and human rights.

How the Yale Unions Took Over New Haven

In a 2011 campaign nicknamed Aldermania, the unions ran a slate of candidates to win a majority on the Board. The idea was to bring working-class residents into government and turn the board into more than a rubber-stamping mechanism for the mayor. Weeks of door-knocking during the sticky summer heat paid off: seventeen of eighteen candidates endorsed by the union won their elections. They were Black and white and Latino; there was a Yale janitor, a Yale library assistant, and a Yale undergraduate. The majority has held ever since.

Judge rules Breonna Taylor's boyfriend caused her death, throws out major charges against ex-Louisville officers

Federal charges against former Louisville Police Detective Joshua Jaynes and former Sgt. Kyle Meany were announced by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 during a high-profile visit to Louisville. Garland accused Jaynes and Meany, who were not present at the raid, of knowing they had falsified part of the warrant and put Taylor in a dangerous situation by sending armed officers to her apartment. But Simpson wrote in the Tuesday ruling that "there is no direct link between the warrantless entry and Taylor's death." Simpson's ruling effectively reduced the civil rights violation charges against Jaynes and Meany, which had carried a maximum sentence of life in prison, to misdemeanors.

Blood puddles, mold, tainted meat, bugs: Boar’s Head inspections are horrifying

According to USDA documents, the agency has not taken enforcement actions against Boar's Head, and there is no data available on swab testing for Listeria at the Virginia facility.

California police worked with neo-Nazis to pursue 'anti-racist' activists, documents show

Officers also worked with TWP member Derik Punneo to try to identify anti-fascist activists, recordings revealed. Officers interviewed Punneo in jail after he was arrested for an unrelated domestic violence charge. Audio recordings captured investigators saying they brought photos to show him, hoping he could help them identify anti-fascist activists. The officers said, “We’re pretty much going after them,” and assured him: “We’re looking at you as a victim.”

Pentagon ran secret anti-vax campaign to undermine China during pandemic

The U.S. military’s anti-vax effort began in the spring of 2020 and expanded beyond Southeast Asia before it was terminated in mid-2021, Reuters determined. Tailoring the propaganda campaign to local audiences across Central Asia and the Middle East, the Pentagon used a combination of fake social media accounts on multiple platforms to spread fear of China’s vaccines among Muslims at a time when the virus was killing tens of thousands of people each day. A key part of the strategy: amplify the disputed contention that, because vaccines sometimes contain pork gelatin, China’s shots could be considered forbidden under Islamic law. The military program started under former President Donald Trump and continued months into Joe Biden’s presidency, Reuters found – even after alarmed social media executives warned the new administration that the Pentagon had been trafficking in COVID misinformation.

Dem Insiders Begged Team Harris Not to Campaign With Liz Cheney

But Harris exerted far more effort attempting to appeal to Republicans, moderates, and independents than the Democratic base — which has been demoralized, in part, by Biden’s continued support for Israel’s brutal war in Gaza.

Why Kamala Harris Lost — And Why It Wasn’t Close

There’s good reason to distrust that Trump’s 2025 agenda will financially benefit the average American. His plan to impose widespread tariffs on imported goods will raise prices for consumers. His plan to preserve his tax cuts for the rich and further slash the corporate tax rate will surely once again primarily benefit the wealthiest Americans. Trump has promised to give a top administration role to the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, who pledged to impose major spending cuts that would “involve some temporary hardship.” But Americans, enraged about the economy, were not voting for Trump’s economic agenda, in particular. They were simply registering their disapproval of the state of the economy as it stands, today.

How to Evaluate a Nonprofit Before You Donate

Since nonprofits are required to file a document called a Form 990 with the IRS every year, you can check out a nonprofit’s finances for yourself with a few online resources. By taking the time to evaluate the charity before you donate, you can see how effective your donation will be and get peace of mind knowing it’s more likely that the organization effectively spends your donation and does what it says.

Trump taps Musk to lead a 'Department of Government Efficiency' with Ramaswamy

Until he dropped out of the 2024 presidential race in January to endorse Trump, Ramaswamy vowed to reduce the role of the federal government. His policy proposals included slashing the Federal Reserve workforce by at least 90% and deporting American-born children of undocumented immigrants.

How UnitedHealth’s Playbook for Limiting Mental Health Coverage Puts Countless Americans’ Treatment at Risk

By the end of 2021, United’s algorithm program had been deemed illegal in three states. But that has not stopped the company from continuing to police mental health care with arbitrary thresholds and cost-driven targets, ProPublica found, after reviewing what is effectively the company’s internal playbook for limiting and cutting therapy expenses. The insurer’s strategies are still very much alive, putting countless patients at risk of losing mental health care. Optum, its subsidiary that manages its mental health coverage, is taking aim at those who give or get “unwarranted” treatment, flagging patients who receive more than 30 sessions in eight months. The insurer estimates its “outlier management” strategy will contribute to savings of up to $52 million, according to company documents.