Розділ: Повідомлення
Trump, Biden Head to Battleground States Friday
With just a few days until voters cast the last ballots in the U.S. presidential election, the top candidates are focusing their campaign efforts Friday in four midwestern battleground states. President Donald Trump will campaign in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, while former Vice President Joe Biden will campaign in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.Michigan has 16 electoral votes, Minnesota and Wisconsin have 10 each, and Iowa 6.WATCH: Blue states and Red states Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
Democratic U.S. presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden greets suporters at a drive-in, Get Out the Vote campaign stop in Tampa, Florida, Oct. 29, 2020.Biden slams Trump over ‘super spreader events’
Biden criticized President Trump for holding packed rallies amid the coronavirus pandemic where most attendees are not wearing masks, calling them ”super spreader events.” The president is “spreading more than just coronavirus. He’s spreading division and discord,” Biden said at a second drive-in rally later in the day in Tampa that was cut short by a rain shower. Trump, addressing a large crowd in a stadium parking lot in Tampa, again predicted heavy Republican voter turnout — “a great red wave” — on November 3. “We’re going to win this election so big. You watch,” the president predicted. Trump had been scheduled to hold another rally later Thursday in North Carolina, but because of “very bad weather,” including high winds, the event was postponed until Monday, he told reporters.U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during a campaign rally outside Raymond James Stadium, in Tampa, Florida, Oct. 29, 2020.Trump touts coronavirus vaccine
Trump, in his speech in Tampa, also said the country would have a vaccine for COVID-19 “in a few weeks,” promising that “seniors will be first in line to have it.” In Florida, people over the age of 65 this year could comprise about a third of those voting for president. In every election since 1996, the winner of Florida has won the presidency. The winner there earns 29 of the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the election. According to an Unprecedented early voting numbers
More than 80 million people had already voted as of Thursday, well above half of the overall 2016 vote count, which was 138.8 million. About two-thirds of America’s early voters have mailed in or dropped off their ballots, and the rest voted in person at polling places throughout the country. Biden voted Wednesday in Wilmington, Delaware, while Trump cast his ballot Saturday at a library in West Palm Beach, Florida, near his Mar-a-Lago resort. Voting experts say voter turnout for the contest between the Republican Trump and Democratic challenger Biden could be the highest percentage of the electorate since 1908, when 65% of the country’s eligible voters cast ballots.
…
By Polityk | 10/30/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
California Voters to Decide Gig Economy’s Fate
Voters in California are deciding on an initiative that would keep people who work in the so-called gig economy as independent contractors, not employees. Michelle Quinn reports.
Camera: Matt Dibble and Deana Mitchell Producer: Matt Dibble
…
By Polityk | 10/30/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Walmart Pulls Firearms, Ammunition from US Store Floors as Civil Unrest Flares
Walmart Inc removed firearms and ammunition from U.S. store floors this week to protect customers and employees as tensions across the country have been rising, the world’s largest retailer said on Thursday.The move comes days before the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3, with many worried that the result could be contested or spark violence.”We have seen some isolated civil unrest and as we have done on several occasions over the last few years, we have moved our firearms and ammunition off the sales floor as a precaution for the safety of our associates and customers,” a Walmart spokesperson said. The company does not have a date for when it will place the guns and ammunition back on the shelves, he added.The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer, which sells firearms in approximately half of its more than 5,000 U.S. stores, will still sell the items upon request, it said.Retailers have been on edge after people earlier this year smashed windows, stole merchandise and, at times, set stores ablaze in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Portland and other U.S. cities. In an another trend that has fed concern, gun sales in the United States this year have reached record highs, and more first-time buyers have purchased firearms recent months.In June, Walmart pulled firearms and ammunition from some U.S. sales stores amid nationwide protests over the death of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, while in police custody in late May.Last year, the retailer stopped selling ammunition for handguns and some assault-style rifles in all its U.S. stores.It has also in the past called for a strengthening of background checks for gun buyers and action to take guns out of the hands of those who pose a risk of violence.Shares of the retailer were trading roughly flat after the bell.
…
By Polityk | 10/30/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Supreme Court Issues Flurry of Last-Minute Election Orders
North Carolina, yes. Pennsylvania, yes. Wisconsin, no. That is how the Supreme Court has answered questions in recent days about an extended timeline for receiving and counting ballots in those states. In each case, Democrats backed the extensions and Republicans opposed them. All three states have Democratic governors and legislatures controlled by the GOP. At first blush, the difference in the outcomes seems odd because the Supreme Court typically takes up issues to harmonize the rules across the country. But elections are largely governed by states, and the rules differ from one state to the next. These cases are being dealt with on an emergency basis in which the court issues orders that either block or keep in place a lower court ruling. But there is almost never an explanation of the majority’s rationale, though individual justices sometimes write opinions that partially explain the matter. FILE – A worker prepares tabulators for the upcoming election at the Wake County Board of Elections in Raleigh, N.C., Sept. 3, 2020.There also is a difference in how the justices act based on whether they are ruling on a lawsuit that began in state or federal court. Conservative justices who hold a majority on the Supreme Court object to what they see as intrusions by federal judges who order last-minute changes to state election rules, even in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. The power to alter absentee ballot deadlines and other voting issues rests with state legislatures, not federal courts, according to the conservative justices. The court also is divided, but so far has been willing to allow state courts interpreting their own state constitutions to play more of a role than their federal counterparts. The justices did not finally resolve the legal issues involved, but they could do so after the election. A more thorough examination could come either in a post-election challenge that could determine the presidential winner if, for example, Pennsylvania proves critical to the national outcome, or in a less tense setting that might not affect the 2020 vote but would apply in the future. Even a decision that only looked ahead to future elections would be “concerning given that state courts have often been more protective of the right to vote under state constitutions than the federal courts have under the U.S. Constitution,” University of Kentucky law professor Joshua Douglas said. Also, new Justice Amy Coney Barrett has not taken part in any of these last-minute orders but could participate going forward. Here are some state-specific explanations of what has taken place over the past 10 days. Pennsylvania Last week, before Barrett had been confirmed, the justices divided 4-4, a tie vote that allowed the three-day extension ordered by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to remain in effect. On Wednesday, the court said it would not grant a quick, pre-election review to a new Republican appeal to exclude absentee ballots received after Election Day in the battleground state. FILE – Media members photograph and record a sorting machine at Philadelphia’s mail-in ballot sorting and counting center in preparation for the 2020 U.S. general election in Philadelphia, Oct. 26, 2020.But it remained unclear whether those ballots will ultimately be counted. The court’s order left open the possibility that the justices could take up and decide after the election whether a three-day extension to receive and count absentee ballots ordered by Pennsylvania’s high court was proper. The issue would take on enormous importance if Pennsylvania turns out to be the crucial state in next week’s election, and the votes received between November 3 and November 6 are potentially decisive. The Supreme Court ruled hours after Pennsylvania’s Department of State agreed to segregate ballots received in the mail after polls close on Tuesday and before 5 p.m. on November 6. Without keeping those ballots separate, Pennsylvania might have risked having the state’s overall vote count called into question. Three conservative justices signaled their interest in the court’s eventual review of the case. North Carolina The court on Wednesday refused to block an extra six days to receive and count absentee ballots in North Carolina. The State Board of Elections lengthened the period from three to nine days because of the coronavirus pandemic, pushing back the deadline to November 12. The board’s decision was part of a legal settlement with a union-affiliated group. The extension was approved by a state judge. Lawmakers had previously set November 6 as the deadline for mailed ballots because of the pandemic. There is no order or recommendation in North Carolina that ballots received after November 6 be kept apart. Justice Neil Gorsuch said courts should not be second-guessing the legislature. The election board and the state judge “worked together to override a carefully tailored legislative response to COVID,” Gorsuch wrote. Wisconsin In Wisconsin, ballots must arrive by Election Day, November 3, to be counted. The Supreme Court on Monday refused to reinstate a lower-court order that would have added six days to the deadline, identical to the extension granted primary voters in April. A federal appeals court already had blocked the additional days. FILE – A person drops off their absentee ballot at a drop box at City Hall as early voting for the upcoming presidential election begins in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Oct. 20, 2020.This time, it was the court’s liberals who objected. “As the COVID pandemic rages, the court has failed to adequately protect the nation’s voters,” Justice Elena Kagan wrote in dissent. Again, there was nothing from the court explaining its order, but Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Gorsuch all wrote separate opinions. “Different bodies of law and different precedents govern these two situations and require, in these particular circumstances, that we allow the modification of election rules in Pennsylvania but not Wisconsin,” Roberts wrote, before the court had acted in the North Carolina case. Kavanaugh’s opinion drew outsized attention because he invoked the court’s Bush v. Gore case that effectively resolved the 2000 presidential election in favor of Republican George W. Bush. The Supreme Court has never cited Bush v. Gore in an opinion of the court. In 2000, in its unsigned majority opinion, the court wrote, “Our consideration is limited to the present circumstances.” But three lawyers who worked for Bush’s cause in 2000 — Roberts, Kavanaugh and now Barrett — sit on the court.
…
By Polityk | 10/30/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Родина голови внутрішньої безпеки СБУ придбала квартиру в елітному ЖК в 4 рази дешевше від ринкових цін – «Схеми»
Родина начальника Управління внутрішньої безпеки СБУ Андрія Наумова придбала 3-кімнатну квартиру в елітному житловому комплексі у центрі Києва в чотири рази дешевше від ринкових цін. Про це йдеться у розслідуванні програми «Схеми» (проєкт Радіо Свобода і телеканалу «UA:Перший») – «Таємний кадр СБУ: Alter Ego Наумова». Журналісти виявили, що ця квартира, а також маєток під Києвом, оформлені на його матір, але користується ними сам високопосадовець СБУ. При цьому, підкреслюється у розслідуванні, інформація про керівника Управління внутрішньої безпеки та його статки, згідно з офіційною відповіддю спецслужби, належить до категорії «з обмеженим доступом». Водночас юристи підтверджують, що купівлю квартири у кілька разів дешевше від ринкової вартості можна розцінювати як неправомірне отримання подарунку у розумінні закону «Про запобігання корупції».
Від власних джерел у Міністерстві юстиції «Схеми» отримали копію договору про передачу матері Андрія Наумова Ірині влітку 2019 року майнових прав на 3-кімнатну квартиру площею більше ніж 100 квадратних метрів у житловому комплексі Alter Ego у Печерському районі Києва. Вона придбала ці права за 1 мільйон 191 тисячу 300 гривень.
Водночас, підкреслюють журналісти, апартаменти такою площею згідно з цінами від забудовника у 2019–2020 роках у цьому ЖК коштують від майже 4,5 мільйонів гривень до 5,5 мільйонів.
«Тобто Ірині Наумовій житло в Alter Ego обійшлось щонайменше в 4 рази дешевше. Чи могла вона самостійно придбати коштовне майно? Відповідно до реєстру юридичних осіб, свого бізнесу вона вже більше ніж 10 років як не має, з соцмереж видно, що жінка займається майструванням ляльок», – мовиться у розслідуванні.
«Схеми» зафіксували, що Андрій Наумов користується цією квартирою. Знімальна група кілька разів помічала Mercedes із номерами прикриття, який заїжджав і виїжджав з підземного паркінгу ЖК.
В один із днів, 9 жовтня, знімальній групі вдалось зафіксувати його пасажира – ним виявився сам Андрій Наумов.
Майнові права на квартиру мати високопосадовця СБУ купила у бізнесмена Костянтина Ученика, який придбав їх у забудовника на етапі інвестування у 2016 році за суму майже в 1 мільйон 190 тисяч гривень. І теж, схоже, за заниженою вартістю, зазначають журналісти. Цей будинок був зведений на землях, які перебували у власності Генпрокуратури. На момент купівлі Костянтином Учеником квартири в цьому ЖК за заниженою вартістю сам Наумов був одним із керівників управління матеріально-технічного забезпечення ГПУ.
«Якщо орієнтуватись на ціни 2016 року, коли він здійснив купівлю, то апартаменти схожого метражу мали би обійтись йому у суму більше від 3 мільйонів гривень. Тобто, незважаючи на зростання цін на житло і беручи до уваги лише зміну курсу валют, на перепродажу майнових прав за 3 роки він не тільки не заробив, а навіть втратив більше від 3 тисяч доларів», – підрахували журналісти.
Згідно з даними реєстру юросіб, Костянтин Ученик – бізнесмен, раніше очолював із десяток будівельних фірм. Дві з них пов’язані із колишнім очільником СБУ, а нині бізнесменом Валерієм Хорошковським.
Одна з них – ТОВ «Маяк-Вестдом», яку Ученик очолює і досі, – регулярний фігурант розслідувань правоохоронців – зокрема, податківців та поліції.
Юристи підкреслюють: на момент купівлі квартири посада, яку обіймав Наумов, – керівника державного підприємства у Чорнобильській зоні відчуження, – підпадала під дію антикорупційного законодавства і належала до посад з високим корупційним ризиком.
«По суті, різниця між ринковою вартістю і заниженою ціною – це вже є пільга додаткова, тобто держслужбовець не має права таке отримувати. Тому придбання апартаментів, оформлених на близьку особу, зі значною знижкою у розумінні закону «Про запобігання корупції» може бути розцінено як незаконне одержання подарунку через близьку особу. За це чинним законодавством передбачена адміністративна відповідальність», – аналізує заступник голови Громадської ради при НАЗК Сергій Миткалик.
Як виявили журналісти, Наумов користується ще одним родинним майном – будинком у селищі Гребінки Київської області. Біля нього «Схеми» фіксували той самий мерседес, який заїжджав та виїжджав з паркінгу ЖК на Печерську. А біля автомобіля – особу, за статурою схожою на Андрія Наумова.
На його матір у Гребінках оформлені три земельні ділянки на березі річки Протока загальною площею півтора гектара. На них, згідно з даними з реєстру, зведений один будинок, водночас зйомка з повітря виявила, що на території – два будинки.
Тут, у Гребінках, ймовірно, мешкає цивільна дружина високопосадовця СБУ Анна Ревенко, яка публікує звідси пости у соцмережах. Також протягом 2014–2016 років вона працювала у компанії «Маяк-Вестдом» бізнесмена Ученика, який за заниженою вартістю продав квартиру матері Наумова.
У 2019 Анна Ревенко придбала одразу дві машини – вантажний Volkswagen Crafter та позашляховик Toyota Rav4 2018 року випуску. Їхня сумарна вартість, відповідно до цін з оголошень про продаж подібних авто, коливається від майже 1 мільйона 200 тисяч до 1 мільйона 340 тисяч гривень.
Згідно з даними джерел «Схем» у податковій, загалом, починаючи з 2011 року, Анна Ревенко заробила трохи більше ніж 400 тисяч гривень – разом зі стипендіями та соцвиплатами. Тобто, виходить, офіційних доходів Ревенко вистачило би лише на оплату третини від сукупної вартості придбаних автомобілів, мовиться у розслідуванні.
Андрій Наумов особисто відмовився відповідати на запитання «Схем». Не надали відповідей щодо його майнового стану і в пресслужбі СБУ. Бізнесмен Костянтин Ученик також не захотів спілкуватися з журналістами.
Управління внутрішньої безпеки СБУ, яке очолює Наумов, з-поміж інших функцій має виявляти правопорушення самих співробітників спецслужби. Це один із найзакритіших підрозділів. Положення про нього засекречене, а у відповідь на прохання «Схем» ознайомитись із трудовою біографією та відзнаками його керівника в СБУ зазначили, що така інформація належить до категорії «з обмеженим доступом».
Лише нещодавно, 14 жовтня, інформація про те, хто обіймає посаду керівника управління внутрішньої безпеки СБУ, стала публічною : Володимир Зеленський своїм указом присвоїв Андрієві Наумову військове звання бригадного генерала.
Відповідно до останньої декларації за 2019 рік – до початку роботи в СБУ, – Наумов не має власної нерухомості, орендує службове житло і зберігає заощадження готівкою та у банку. Вступ на зазначену посаду посаду в СБУ дозволив Наумову не показувати декларацію.
У середині жовтня безпековий комітет Верховної Ради погодив до першого читання президентський законопроєкт про реформування СБУ, який не тільки залишає шанс на цілковите засекречення декларацій, але й збільшує і без того широкі повноваження СБУ, твердять юристи.
28 жовтня НАЗК закрив доступ до Єдиного державного реєстру декларацій. Це зроблено на виконання рішення Конституційного суду від 27 жовтня, який, зокрема, визнав неконституційним положення щодо відкритого доступу громадян до цього реєстру. Судді КСУ також проголосували за визнання неконституційною статті про кримінальну відповідальність за декларування недостовірної інформації і скасував її.
…
By Gromada | 10/30/2020 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Former DHS Official Says He Wrote NY Times ‘Anonymous’ Trump Critique
A former Trump administration official who penned a scathing anti-Trump op-ed and book under the pen name “Anonymous” revealed himself Wednesday as a former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security.
The official, Miles Taylor, came forward six days before Election Day to criticize President Donald Trump as “a man without character.” He said he hoped other former administration officials will “find their conscience when they wake up tomorrow” and speak up, too.
Taylor has been an outspoken critic of Trump’s in recent months and had repeatedly denied he was the author of the column and subsequent book — even to colleagues at CNN, where he has a contributor contract. He left the Trump administration in June 2019 and endorsed Democrat Joe Biden for president this summer.
Trump and White House officials moved quickly to describe Taylor as someone with little standing and clout.
“This guy is a low-level lowlife that I don’t know. I have no idea who he is, other than I got to see him a little while ago on television,” Trump told a campaign rally crowd in Arizona. As he belittled Taylor as a “sleazebag” and called for his prosecution, the crowd broke into cheers of “drain that swamp.”
But as DHS chief of staff, Taylor was in many White House meetings with the president on his border policy and other major Homeland Security issues. During Taylor’s time as chief of staff, Trump threatened to shut down the border and his administration developed the policy to force asylum seekers to wait across the U.S.-Mexico border.
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows called Taylor’s revelation “a monumental embarrassment,” tweeting, “I’ve seen more exciting reveals in Scooby-Doo episodes.”
During a CNN appearance with Chris Cuomo Wednesday night, Taylor said he didn’t unmask himself earlier because the story would have disappeared within 48 hours.
“No one would pay attention and they wouldn’t care,” he said. “Right now, Americans are reviewing the president’s resume, his record and his character and it is mission critical that people like me, but others, come out now when the voters are listening and tell them who this man really is.”
Taylor’s anonymous essay was published in September 2018 by The New York Times, infuriating the president and setting off a frantic White House leak investigation to try to unmask the author.
In the essay, the person, who identified themselves only as a senior administration official, said they were part of a secret “resistance” force out to counter Trump’s “misguided impulses” and undermine parts of his agenda.
The author wrote, “Many Trump appointees have vowed to do what we can to preserve our democratic institutions while thwarting Mr. Trump’s more misguided impulses until he is out of office.”
The Times identified the author as a “senior official” in the administration and received some criticism online Wednesday for inflating Taylor’s credentials. The newspaper, which said it had granted Taylor anonymity because his job would be jeopardized if his identity was revealed, on Wednesday confirmed Taylor was the author because he has waived his right to confidentiality, and had no other comment.
The allegations incensed the president, bolstering his allegations about a “deep state” operating within his government and conspiring against him. The president, who had long complained about leaks in the White House, also ordered aides to unmask the writer, citing “national security” concerns to justify a possible Justice Department investigation.
Instead, the author pressed forward, penning a follow-up book published last November called “A Warning” that continued to paint a disturbing picture of the president, describing him as volatile, incompetent and unfit to be commander in chief.
To a certain extent, he’s since been overshadowed by other former government officials, both during the impeachment hearings and after, who went public condemning Trump’s behavior with their names attached.
Taylor’s behavior also leaves questions for CNN. He was asked directly by the network’s Anderson Cooper in August whether he was “Anonymous” and answered: “I wear a mask for two things, Anderson, Halloween and pandemics. So, no.”
Josh Campbell, a national security correspondent for CNN, tweeted that he had also asked Taylor if he was “Anonymous” and was told no.
Taylor said Wednesday that he owed Cooper a beer and a mea culpa. He said he wrote in his book that he would deny being “Anonymous” if asked, because he wanted to keep the focus on his arguments, instead of who was writing them.
“You know what the problem is with having lied is: Now you’re a liar, and people will be slow to believe you,” Cuomo said.
But he continued with a half-hour interview where Taylor denounced Trump. CNN said Taylor would remain a network contributor.
Taylor said he believed Trump would double down on damaging policies, particularly the separation of families at the southern border, if he won a second term.
“They want to turn this country into fortress America rather than a shining city on the hill,” he said.
He said he considered resigning from the Trump administration a year before he did and wishes now that he had.
Former GOP consultant Reed Galen, one of the founders of the anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project, tweeted that Taylor “isn’t a hero.” He added: “He sat in those rooms, in those councils of power and allowed the banality of evil to work. … Heroism isn’t silence until it’s convenient and personally advantageous to stand up.”
…
By Polityk | 10/29/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Trump, Biden Campaign in Florida Thursday
With days until voters cast the last ballots in the U.S. presidential election, the top candidates are focusing their campaign efforts Thursday in the southeastern state of Florida.In every election since 1996, the winner of Florida has won the presidency. The winner there earns 29 of the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the election.President Donald Trump begins his campaigning day with a rally in the city of Tampa before traveling for an evening rally in the state of North Carolina.Former Vice President Joe Biden is set to speak to supporters in Broward County in the afternoon and then head to his own event in Tampa in the evening.According to anAbout two-thirds of America’s early voters have mailed in their ballots, and the rest voted in person at polling places throughout the country. Biden voted Wednesday in Wilmington, Delaware, while Trump cast his ballot on Saturday at a library in West Palm Beach, Florida, near his Mar-a-Lago resort. Voting experts say voter turnout for the contest between Republican Trump and Democratic challenger Biden could be the highest percentage of the electorate since 1908, when 65% of the country’s eligible voters cast ballots.
…
By Polityk | 10/29/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Нацрада призначить перевірки телеканалам, які транслювали агітацію в день тиші
Національна рада з питань телебачення і радіомовлення призначить перевірки телеканалам, які транслювали політичну агітацію в день тиші – про це регулятор повідомив 29 жовтня за підсумками засідання робочої групи, яке відбулося напередодні.
За висновками членів Нацради, в ефірі кількох інформаційних каналів у період з 17 по 25 жовтня були порушення виборчого законодавства, в тому числі і в день тиші – 24 жовтня, а також у день голосування, коли будь-яка агітація заборонена.
«Порушень у день тиші вже давно не спостерігалося у вітчизняному просторі, зауважили члени робочої групи, і це один із найбільш негативних моментів, на яких треба наголосити», – йдеться в повідомленні Нацради.
За висновками ради, сюжет, де народний депутат Ілля Кива висловлював підтримку кандидату на посаду міського голови Києва Олександру Попову, транслювався в день виборців в ефірі каналів «112-Україна», «Z ZIK», «NEWSONE». При цьому «Z ZIK», як зазначають у регуляторі, припинив включення, вказавши на порушення норм виборчого законодавства.
Читайте також: Верховна Рада не збирається надалі позбавляти журналістів акредитації – керівниця пресслужби
«Поширення агітаційних матеріалів у день волевиявлення громадян є порушенням строків агітації, передбачених статтею 52 Виборчого кодексу України. Двом ліцензіатам Національної ради – «112-Україна» і «NEWSONE» – буде призначено позапланові перевірки», – заявляє пресслужба ради.
Серед інших ознак порушень, які виокремлює Нацрада – поширення прихованої агітації, недотримання порядку розміщення політичної реклами, оприлюднення неповних результатів соціологічних досліджень.
За повідомленням, робоча група ухвалила повідомити про виявлені порушення Центральну виборчу комісію, і вказала ліцензіатам на неприпустимість такий дій надалі.
Також Нацрада вказала на порушення в трансляції каналу «НАШ», який нібито не дотримався вимог щодо маркування політичної реклами. Телеканалу також призначили перевірку через один із таких епізодів.
Читайте також: Президент Туреччини позивається до французького журналу Charlie Hebdo
«Недотримання журналістських стандартів, незаконна політична агітація – вони в цілому руйнують довіру до медіа, і ми втрачаємо не лише глядачів, ми втрачаємо й виборців. Підтвердженням цьому є така низька явка, яка була на цих виборах. Тому що, коли замість достовірних фактів люди отримують завуальовані меседжі, вони змінюють своє ставлення і відповідно стають пасивними», – цитує пресслужба одного з членів ради Максима Онопрієнка.
Згадані канали наразі не коментували цієї заяви.
26 жовтня керівниця місії спостерігачів БДІПЛ ОБСЄ в Україні Інгібйорнг Сольрун Гісладоттір заявила, що приватні медіа «не змогли неупереджено та збалансовано висвітлювати події виборчого процесу, а також всю діяльність кандидатів».
В Україні 25 жовтня відбулися місцеві вибори. Українці обирали депутатів місцевих рад, селищних, сільських і міських голів. Явка склала близько 37%.
…
By Gromada | 10/29/2020 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Очільник Мінкульту назвав важливим рішення уряду про фінансування «патріотичних серіалів» із COVID-фонду
Міністр культури та інформаційної політики України Олександр Ткаченко назвав «очікуваними новинами для кіноіндустрії» і «важливим» рішення уряду від 28 жовтня про те, що окремі етапи виробництва «патріотичних телесеріалів» реалізовуватимуться за державний кошт, а саме з Фонду боротьби із поширенням COVID-19.
«Учора (28 жовтня – ред.) Кабінет міністрів підтримав ініційовану #МКІП постанову, яка погоджує порядок і дозволяє оголосити пітчинг патріотичних серіалів. Звертаю увагу, що 100 млн. грн. на проведення конкурсу заплановано ще з літа в рамках 1 млрд. грн. інституційної підтримки сфери культури. Тобто мова не йде про нові чи додаткові кошти», – заявив Олександр Ткаченко.
Він пояснив, що на його думку, це важливо, бо «спрощує телевізнийкам роботу над проєктами за рахунок державного фінансування».
«Робота потрібна усім, а дуже складний час для кіноіндустрії нікуди не минув. Особливо для людей, які працюють у сфері, і через довготривалу відсутність системних зйомок просто живуть у стані простою. Потрібно продовжувати розвивати український телевізійний продукт, залучаючи до цього талановитих митців. З українськими акторами та про українські наративи. Тримаємо це у фокусі, бо популяризація ринку вітчизняного контенту особливо важлива для безпеки в інформаційному просторі», – сказав міністр.
Він додав, що міністерство незабаром зможе розпочати конкурсний відбір з «пошуку проєктів патріотичного спрямування».
28 жовтня уряд на засіданні схвалив проєкт постанови «Про внесення змін до пункту 9 Порядку використання коштів для здійснення деяких заходів, спрямованих на запобігання виникненню та поширенню, локалізацію та ліквідацію спалахів, епідемій та пандемій гострої респіраторної хвороби COVID-19, спричиненою коронавірусом SARS-Co V-2». Документ, зокрема, дозволяє використовувати бюджетні кошти на покриття витрат на реалізацію окремих періодів виробництва «телевізійних серіалів патріотичного спрямування».
Міністерство фінансів України днями повідомило, що із Фонду боротьби з COVID-19 вже витрачено 52% коштів або 34,1 мільярда гривень із загалом 66-ти мільярдів
…
By Gromada | 10/29/2020 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
Верховна Рада не збирається надалі позбавляти журналістів акредитації – керівниця пресслужби
Верховна Рада не збирається надалі позбавляти журналістів акредитації, повідомила керівниця пресслужби парламенту Ірина Кармелюк у коментарі Радіо Свобода.
«Я думаю, що ми не будемо проводити таку практику. Усі матимуть право ходити. Заради Бога, не треба – не будемо перевіряти», – сказала Кармелюк.
За її словами, під час минулого скликання у Верховній Раді були акредитовані близько шести тисяч журналістів. Зараз акредитованих представників ЗМІ близько трьох тисяч. Усі вони мають право заходити в парламент.
Кармелюк пояснила, що пресслужба Верховної Ради моніторить активність акредитованих журналістів.
«Це наша робота. Як пресслужба, ми кожен рік пишемо листи журналістам. Там, де ми не бачимо публікацій активних, ми їм пишемо лист, що просимо надати публікації. Раніше такі випадки були, при попередньому скликанні. Дійсно, там багато людей, які не пишуть, не висвітлюють і не можуть надати жодних публікацій», – заявила Кармелюк Радіо Свобода.
Вона підтвердила, що ініціатива позбавити акредитації журналістів «Слідства.Інфо» надійшла від пресслужби парламенту.
«Вони не відповіли, тому що в них неправильно була надана адреса. Ось у чому питання. Це технічний момент. Ніхто проти них нічого не копає. Ніхто не хоче позбавляти їх якоїсь акредитації. Під час акредитації на всі свої видання вони дали неправильну адресу. Через те вони не отримували нашу кореспонденцію – там, де ми писали ці листи», – каже керівниця пресслужби Ради.
За словами Кармелюк, журналісти могли просто зателефонувати в парламент і поцікавитися, чому їх позбавили акредитації. Тоді інцидент був би вичерпаним. Вона переконує, що дзвінка з редакції не було.
28 жовтня з’явилася інформація, що Верховна Рада скасувала акредитацію більш як двох десятків ЗМІ. Серед них – «Слідство.Інфо», «Громадське телебачення Донбасу» та «НикВести». Увечері стало відомо, що всі видання знову акредитовані.
your ad hereBy VilneSlovo | 10/29/2020 | Повідомлення, Свобода слова
Представниця ОБСЄ: переговори в політичній підгрупі ТКГ з врегулювання на Донбасі не просуваються
Переговори в політичній підгрупі Тристоронньої контактної групи знову не просуваються, заявила спеціальна представниця голови ОБСЄ в Україні та ТКГ посолка Гайді Ґрау. Про це вона заявила увечері 28 жовтня за результатами чергової зустрічі ТКГ та її робочих підгруп, яка відбулася відеозв’язком.
За оцінками Ґрау, загальна динаміка виконання припинення вогню «триває і має позитиний ефект на життя цивільних у зоні конфлікту».
«Протягом трьох місяців, кількість порушень залишається нижче рівня, зафіксованого до запровадження заходів із посилення припинення вогню 27 липня. Це відображає важливість політичної волі до подальшого дотримання припинення вогню», – йдеться в заяві представниці ОБСЄ.
Читайте також: На Донбасі зазнав поранення український військовий – штаб ООС
За словами Ґрау, безпекова ситуація, дотримання режиму тиші, в тому числі координація механізму реакції на порушення припинення вогню, були центральними темами дискусії безпекової підгрупи.
«Дискусія в робочій підгрупі з політичних питань знову не досягла поступу. У спробі пожвавити роботу над вирішенням конфлікту, ТКГ доручила робочій підгрупі негайно розробити проєкт плану дій на основі письмових рекомендацій учасників робочої підгрупи в повній відповідності до Мінських угод», – повідомляє вона.
Ґрау також зазначила, що гуманітарна підгрупа продовжила обговорювати підготовку до одночасного відкриття нових контрольних пунктів в’їзду та виїзду на лінії розмежування в Золотому та Щасті. Очікується, що КППВ будуть готові до 10 листопада 2020 року.
«Крім того, були розглянуті питання, пов’язані з врегулюванням правового статусу окремих осіб, звільнених в ході попередніх обмінів. Я закликаю докласти всіх зусиль, щоб взаємно звільнити та обмінятися затриманими в ході конфлікту на базі принципу «всіх на всіх», як це передбачено Мінськими угодами», – заявляє представниця ОБСЄ.
Економічна підгрупа, за заявою, обговорила питання постачання води через лінію зіткнення в Донецькій і Луганській областях, а також виплати пенсії мешканцям окупованих територій.
28 жовтня відбулася дистанційна зустріч Тристоронньої контактної групи за участі представників України та Росії за модераторства ОБСЄ.
Збройний конфлікт на Донбасі триває від 2014 року після російської окупації Криму. Україна і Захід звинувачують Росію у збройній підтримці бойовиків. Кремль відкидає ці звинувачення і заявляє, що на Донбасі можуть перебувати хіба що російські «добровольці».
За даними ООН, від квітня 2014-го до 31 липня 2020 року внаслідок збройного конфлікту на Донбасі загинули від 13 100 до 13 300 людей.
…
By Gromada | 10/29/2020 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
П’ять населених пунктів на Донбасі залишилися без води – ОДА
П’ять населених пунктів Донецької області залишилися без водопостачання через прорив на Другому Донецькому водопроводі, повідомляє Донецька обласна державна адміністрація 29 жовтня.
Аварійні ремонтно-відновлювальні роботи тривають біля міста Слов’янськ.
«Фахівці комунального підприємства «Компанія «Вода Донбасу» приступили до ремонту магістрального водоводу діаметром 1400 міліметрів вранці 28 жовтня. Наразі припинено водопостачання п’ятьох населених пунктів (з них три частково) – місто Костянтинівка (частково), місто Дружківка (частково), село Петрівка, селище міського типу Щербинівка (частково) та селище міського типу Новгородське Торецької міської ради (усього – 75401 особа/39720 абонентів)», – йдеться в повідомленні.
Читайте також: Представниця ОБСЄ: переговори в політичній підгрупі ТКГ з врегулювання на Донбасі не просуваються
Як зазначають у ОДА, причиною прориву стала тріщина довжиною 25 сантиметрів. Станом на 8 ранку триває відкачування води на місці прориву. Очікують, що ремонт буде завершений протягом поточної доби.
Адміністрація області нагадує, що Другий Донецький водопровід є головним джерелом водопостачання для Слов’янська, Краматорська, Дружківки, Костянтинівки, а також прилеглих сіл і селищ. За даними ОДА, 20 кілометрів водопроводу потребують заміни.
…
By Gromada | 10/29/2020 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
US Lawmakers Attack Social Media CEOs for Taking Down and Labeling Some Speech
The CEOs of Facebook, Google and Twitter testified before a Senate committee hearing Wednesday, just days before the U.S. election. Tina Trinh reports.
Producer: Matt Dibble
…
By Polityk | 10/29/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
US Veterans Lean Toward Trump this Election, But Some Are Disillusioned
U.S. military veterans tend to vote Republican in presidential elections, and a majority will likely do so again this year. But VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb talked to some veterans who are reconsidering their political leanings and voting on the issues that matter most to them.
Camera: Adam Greenbaum and Mike Burke
…
By Polityk | 10/29/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Biden Deploys Obama to Campaign, Trump Sends His Children
Days before the November 3 election, the campaigns of President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden are making their last pitch to voters, sending high-profile surrogates including former President Barack Obama and the Trump family children. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has the story.
Produced by: Bakhtiyar Zamanov
…
By Polityk | 10/29/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Surge in Rejected Mail Ballots Heightens Specter of Post-Election Uncertainty
During every U.S. presidential election, hundreds of thousands of mail-in ballots are discarded by election officials for a variety of reasons, from arriving too late to missing a proper signature on the outer envelope.But this year, with more than half of U.S. voters casting ballots early or by mail, even more absentee ballots are being tossed out, raising questions about voting rights and heightening the specter of post-election uncertainty in key battleground states.Consider Florida and Georgia, two Southern states where President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, have been running neck and neck ahead of the November 3 election.While Florida and Georgia don’t publish data on ballot rejections before the election, two academics — Dartmouth College professor Michael Herron and University of Florida professor Daniel Smith — have analyzed the states’ official mail-in data to tally the number of votes at risk of rejection.In Florida, out of 3.8 million mail-in ballots cast so far, more than 15,000 face dismissal, a rejection rate of 0.4 percent, according to Herron and Smith. In North Carolina, the rejection rate is even higher. As of October 25, out of more than 780,000 ballots mailed in the state, more than 10,000 face possible rejection, a disqualification rate of about 1.3%, their research found.Minority votersAs in some recent elections, more minority than white voters are facing ballot rejections. In North Carolina, for example, Black voters were three times more likely than white voters to have their ballots flagged, the researchers found. This is something the Democrats could use as an issue should they decide to challenge the results of close races.To be sure, not every ballot marked as deficient will be automatically rejected. In both states, as in many others, voters are given an opportunity to “cure” or correct mistakes on their ballots.“It would be premature at this juncture to conclude that those returned ballots have been rejected by the canvassing board and not counted,” said Mark Ard, interim communications director for the Florida Department of State.In North Carolina, officials have started contacting voters with erroneous ballots, said Patrick Gannon, public information director for the North Carolina State Board of Elections.“A voter who for any reason does not have time to cure the ballot may vote in person during the early voting period through October 31 or on Election Day,” Gannon said via email.At first glance, the number of Florida and Georgia ballots flagged for rejection appears modest. However, in Florida and Georgia, as in other states with historically close elections, 10,000 votes can sometimes be the difference between victory and defeat.The outcome of the 2000 presidential election between Republican George W. Bush, the ultimate victor, and Democrat Al Gore came down to 537 votes in Florida. And during the 2018 primary election for a U.S. Senate seat from Florida, Republican Rick Scott won by just 10,033 votes, the researchers noted.As more mail ballots arrive in the coming days, the number of rejected ballots is likely to grow, in some cases potentially surpassing the margin of victory between candidates in closely fought presidential, congressional, state or local races in battleground states.“That’s a really nightmarish scenario when an election is so close that the number of rejected ballots is greater than the margin,” Herron said in an interview.As of Wednesday, 49 million Americans had voted by mail, according to a tally by the U.S. Elections Project.Herron and Smith first published their findings in The Conversation, a research publication. They shared more up-to-date data from Florida and North Carolina with VOA.Court battlesThe issues of how to handle ballots with signature problems and how long past November 3 mail-in ballots can arrive and still be counted have been the subject of months-long court battles by Republicans and Democrats throughout the country.With more Democrats than Republicans voting by mail, Republicans have sought court intervention, with varying degrees of success, to prevent late-arriving ballots from being entered into the final tally.In recent weeks, the conservative-controlled U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against efforts to change election procedures, including ballot receipt deadlines, invoking a doctrine that holds election rules should not be changed close to a vote.On October 19, before Trump’s latest Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, was confirmed, the justices split 4-4 over Pennsylvania’s plan to count the votes until three days after Election Day, even if they don’t have a legible postmark. On Wednesday, the justices refused to fast-track a new Republican challenge to Pennsylvania’s extended vote-counting deadline.But earlier this week, in a ruling viewed as a major setback for the Democrats, the high court blocked a Wisconsin plan to count mail-in ballots for up to six days after the election.Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington, said rejected mail-in ballots are ripe for post-election litigation.“I suspect we may have big delays in the counting of ballots if there is a significant increase in absentee ballots, and I think there may also be litigation over the rejection of absentee ballots that did not comply with state law,” von Spakovsky, a former Republican member of the Federal Election Commission, said in a recent interview.Historically, less than 1% of absentee votes get rejected because of administrative errors. But with record numbers of people voting by mail this year, many of them first-time voters, at least 1 million ballots could be discarded, according to a recent projection by a joint investigation by USA Today, Columbia Journalism Investigations and the PBS series Frontline.During this year’s presidential primaries, more than 550,000 mail-in ballots were discarded in 30 states, far more than the total for the 2016 presidential election, according to an analysis by NPR in August. That happened in large part because states were unprepared for the surge in voting by mail during the pandemic, noted Tammy Patrick, a former Arizona election official now with the foundation Democracy Fund.In the months since the primaries, however, many states have adopted a number of voting-by-mail best practices, changes that will likely reduce the number of rejected ballots, Patrick said.“They have redone their voting instructions. They have redone the design of their ballot envelopes. They have adopted practices like ballot tracking,” Patrick said.Voters can now check their voting status online and in at least 19 states are notified when their mail ballots need to be corrected. In Colorado, voters with deficient ballots are notified by text message and allowed to correct the error on their smartphones.As a result, Patrick said, fewer ballots will ultimately be rejected during the general election.“It might be a little bit higher than a traditional presidential election because there still will be so many new voters, but I’m hopeful that we won’t see the same kind of numbers we saw in the primary,” Patrick said.One wild card, however, is the number of mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day. While some states have extended their ballot receipt deadlines, 32 states, including Florida, don’t accept ballots that arrive after Election Day, giving voters little time to cure their ballots. North Carolina accepts ballots up to six days after Election Day if they are postmarked on or before November 3. Republicans have asked the Supreme Court to block the plan.“I think the big, lurking question out there is how many ballots arrive after Election Day,” Herron said.
…
By Polityk | 10/29/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
71 Million Americans Have Already Voted
Americans are voting early for next Tuesday’s presidential election in unprecedented numbers, a product of strong feelings for or against the two main candidates and a desire to avoid large crowds at Election Day polling stations amid the coronavirus pandemic. More than 71 million people have already voted six days ahead of the official election day, totaling more than half of the overall 2016 vote count, which was 138.8 million. FILE – Returned ballots are shown at elections management center at the Salt Lake County Government Center Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, in Salt Lake City.About two-thirds of the early voters have mailed in their ballots, and the rest voted in person at polling places throughout the country. Voting experts say voter turnout for the contest between Republican President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden could be the highest since 1908, when 65% of the country’s eligible voters cast ballots. President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally at Eppley Airfield, Oct. 27, 2020, in Omaha, Neb.Trump, Biden and their respective running mates — Vice President Mike Pence and California Senator Kamala Harris — are continuing to make their closing arguments to voters on Wednesday. Focus on Arizona Both Trump and Harris are campaigning in Arizona, the southwestern state along the Mexican border that Trump won in 2016 against Democrat Hillary Clinton en route to a four-year term in the White House. But polls in the state, where no Democratic presidential candidate has won since 1996, now show Biden narrowly ahead. The state has 11 of the 270 electoral votes that either Trump or Biden will need to claim the presidency and be inaugurated on January 20. U.S. presidential elections are decided in an indirect form of democracy in the 538-member Electoral College, not the national popular vote. Typically, all of a state’s Electoral College votes go to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in each of the 50 states, with the most populous states holding the most sway. Trump is holding two afternoon rallies in Arizona, in Bullhead City and Goodyear. Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., speaks at a campaign event, Oct. 27, 2020, in Las Vegas.Harris is meeting with Latina business owners in the morning in Tucson and later in the day with a group of Black leaders in the state’s biggest city, Phoenix. She is finishing her day with a speech at a rally where pop singer Alicia Keys is performing. Biden briefed on virus Biden, who has cast blame on Trump for the country’s world-leading coronavirus death toll of more than 226,000, is being briefed by public health experts on the pandemic and then delivering remarks on his plans to curb the spread of the virus. Later, he is attending a virtual campaign fund-raising event. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks about the coronavirus and health care at The Queen theater, Oct. 28, 2020, in Wilmington, Del.Trump this week has continued to assert the country has “rounded the corner” in dealing with the virus, even as the number of U.S. infections is surging. Pence is holding rallies in two key Midwest states, Wisconsin and then Michigan, that Trump captured in 2016 but where he now trails Biden. Vice President Miek Pence speaks to hundreds of supporters during a rally at an airplane hangar on Oct. 27, 2020, in Greenville, S.C.National polls typically show Biden with a 7- or 8-percentage point lead over Trump, but with about half that margin in key battleground states that are likely to determine the outcome in the Electoral College. Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 3 MB480p | 5 MB540p | 6 MB720p | 12 MB1080p | 23 MBOriginal | 29 MB Embed” />Copy Download Audio
…
By Polityk | 10/29/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
2020 Election Puts Focus on Twitter, Facebook Content Moderation
The nation’s top technology leaders urged U.S. lawmakers Wednesday to keep content moderation protections in place, despite growing calls from Republicans to address perceived bias in the way social media companies handle free speech online. Online companies are shielded from liability for content on their sites under Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. Those protections apply to companies of all sizes operating online that use third-party content. But some Republicans contend Section 230 is a “carve-out” for larger companies such as Facebook and Twitter, allowing them to censor content based on political viewpoints and use their considerable reach to influence public discourse. U.S. President Donald Trump called for an end to Section 230 in a Tweet Wednesday, saying “The USA doesn’t have Freedom of the Press, we have Suppression of the Story, or just plain Fake News. So much has been learned in the last two weeks about how corrupt our Media is, and now Big Tech, maybe even worse. Repeal Section 230!” President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at MotorSports Management Company, in West Salem, Wis., Oct. 27, 2020.At issue is whether or not a company that moderates content is a publisher instead of a platform and if the reach of companies such Facebook, Google and Twitter constitutes a monopoly. “Companies are actively blocking and throttling the distribution of content on their own platforms and are using protections under Section 230 to do it. Is it any surprise that voices on the right are complaining about hypocrisy, or even worse?” Senate Commerce Chairman Roger Wicker said Wednesday. Section 230 has received renewed attention during the 2020 presidential election cycle due to online companies’ new approaches to content moderation in response to foreign interference on online platforms during the 2016 elections cycle. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey pushed back against that in prepared testimony Wednesday, saying, “We should remember that Section 230 has enabled new companies—small ones seeded with an idea—to build and compete with established companies globally. Eroding the foundation of Section 230 could collapse how we communicate on the Internet, leaving only a small number of giant and well-funded technology companies.” Dorsey told lawmakers one possible approach that is “within reach” would allow users to choose between Twitter’s own algorithm that determines what content is viewable, and algorithms developed by third parties.Wicker said his staff had collected “dozens and dozens” of examples of conservative content that he says has been censored and suppressed over the past four years by Twitter. He alleged the social media company had allowed Chinese Communist propaganda about COVID-19 to remain up for two months while President Donald Trump’s claims about mail-in ballots were immediately taken down. Earlier this month, Twitter blocked users from sharing a link to a news story on Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s son, Hunter. Twitter also locked the accounts of President Trump and White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany for sharing the story, citing its policies for how hacked materials are shared on its website. Based on these actions, Republican Senator Ted Cruz accused Twitter of attempting to influence U.S. elections. “Your position is that that you can sit in Silicon Valley and demand of the media that you can tell them what stories they can publish; you can tell the American people what reporting they can hear,” Cruz said to Dorsey Wednesday. The Twitter CEO has apologized for the decision, tweeting, “Straight blocking of URLs was wrong, and we updated our policy and enforcement to fix. Our goal is to attempt to add context, and now we have capabilities to do that.” Facebook also restricted sharing of the Hunter Biden story, saying it would first need a third-party fact check. The social media company had allowed Russian disinformation to flood the site during the 2016 election, but Facebook instituted new policies this election cycle. According to its website, Facebook’s response includes the removal of 6.5 billion fake accounts in 2019, adding third-party factcheckers to go over content posted on the site as well as removing 30 networks engaged in coordinated, inauthentic behavior. “Without Section 230, platforms could potentially be held liable for everything people say. Platforms would likely censor more content to avoid legal risk and would be less likely to invest in technologies that enable people to express themselves in new ways,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told lawmakers Wednesday. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appears on a screen as he speaks remotely during a hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee on Capitol Hill, Oct. 28, 2020, in Washington.Congressional Democrats expressed concern about the growth of extremist groups online as well as continuing attempts at foreign election interference on social media platforms, questioning the timing of the hearing.“I am appalled that my Republican colleagues are holding this hearing literally days before an election, when they seem to want to bully and browbeat the platforms here to try to tilt toward President Trump’s favor. The timing seems inexplicable except to game the referee,” said Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal. “President Trump has broken all the norms. And he has put on your platforms, potentially dangerous and lethal misinformation and disinformation.” In an earlier line of questioning, Dorsey told lawmakers Twitter does not maintain lists of accounts to watch, but bases content moderation based on algorithms and service user requests. Sundar Pichai, chief executive officer at Google, also stated the company’s commitment toward independence, telling lawmakers, “We approach our work without political bias, full stop. To do otherwise would be contrary to both our business interests and our mission, which compels us to make information accessible to every type of person, no matter where they live or what they believe.”
…
By Polityk | 10/29/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
Голова Конституційного суду не задекларував землю в Криму, власником якої став після анексії за законами Росії – «Схеми»
Олександр Тупицький у 2018 році став власником землі у селищі Кореїз, оформивши договір за законодавством Росії
…
By Gromada | 10/28/2020 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
More Than 3M in Pennsylvania Apply for Mail-in Ballots
A week ahead of the Nov. 3 election, applications in the presidential battleground state of Pennsylvania for mail-in or absentee ballots exceeded 3 million, with Tuesday the last day to request one and legal wrangling creating uncertainty over the deadline to receive them.
State data shows that, of those applications, about 1.9 million, or more than 62%, have been returned to counties.
More than 9 million Pennsylvanians have registered to vote, a record high. If turnout is 70%, which was the rate in 2016’s presidential election in Pennsylvania, that means 6.3 million people will vote.
The majority of people, 1.9 million, applying for mail-in or absentee ballots are Democrats, according to state data. About 760,000 are Republicans and 350,000 are registered independents or third-party voters.
Abby Leafe, a registered Democrat who lives in suburban Philadelphia’s Bucks County, checked her mailbox Tuesday in vain for her mail-in ballot.
“I am desperately, desperately waiting for my ballot to arrive,” said Leafe, a 46-year-old market researcher from Newtown, one of the millions of suburban moms that both parties hope to reach this year.
Leafe hopes to vote by mail, but will go to the polls if need be.
“Making sure we have free and fair elections is worth getting COVID for,” she said.
The crush of mail-in votes is a record, more than 10 times the amount received by counties in 2016’s presidential election when President Donald Trump edged out Democrat Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, helping him win the White House.
This year, Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democrat, are locked in a battle to win Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes, with Trump warning that the only way he can lose Pennsylvania is if Democrats cheat. Democrats counter that Trump is mounting a massive voter intimidation and suppression campaign in Pennsylvania.
Counties have staffed up and bought new high-speed sorting equipment to process the ballots as they prepare to hold an election with fast-rising coronavirus numbers, new voting machines and the U.S. Supreme Court potentially deciding the return deadline for mail-in ballots.
In that lawsuit, Luzerne County on Tuesday asked Justice Amy Coney Barrett to recuse herself from consideration of the state Republican Party’s request that the U.S. Supreme Court block counties from counting mailed-in ballots received up to three days after the Nov. 3 election.
The filing by Luzerne County came shortly after Barrett was formally sworn in as the Supreme Court’s ninth justice.
The justices last week divided 4-4 on the GOP’s request to put a hold on the deadline extension, which left it in place while justices decide whether to consider the underlying case. There is no timeline for them to vote on whether to take the case, which seeks to return the deadline to the one in state law, which is when polls close on Election Day.
The state Supreme Court ruled in September that county election officials must count mailed-in ballots that arrive up until Nov. 6, even if they don’t have a clear postmark, as long as there is no proof it was mailed after the polls closed.
Meanwhile, Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration pushed back on Trump’s claims in his three rallies on Monday in Pennsylvania.
Trump claimed that Wolf’s administration tried to prevent him from holding rallies, but the administration said it had had no contact with the campaign about its rallies Monday. Trump’s campaign presumably deals with property owners and local governments, Wolf’s office said.
Trump also complained, falsely, during a rally in Allentown the day before and on Twitter overnight that Philadelphia is blocking his campaign from having observers at polls.
“We can’t have poll watchers, the judge said,” Trump told rally goers. “They fought us on that, they didn’t want people watching them count.”
Trump’s campaign has not been blocked from having poll watchers.
Rather, Trump’s campaign sued Philadelphia’s elections board to force it to allow campaign representatives to monitor satellite election offices, where people can register to vote, apply for a mail-in ballot, fill it out and return it.
A Philadelphia judge and a statewide appellate court judge both reached the same conclusion, that Pennsylvania law does not allow such monitoring of those activities.
Wolf’s top election official, Kathy Boockvar, suggested Trump is spreading disinformation and said every county will appoint poll watchers before Election Day.
“Philadelphia and every other county in the state can have poll watchers,” Boockvar said at a news conference Tuesday. “That hasn’t changed. His tweets, again, voters need to ignore the disinformation. There’s so much disinformation out there, people should not retweet, should not repost, this information is inaccurate. Pennsylvania has very clear laws.”
…
By Polityk | 10/28/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
US to Open Embassy in Maldives Amid Geopolitics Competition with China
The United States is opening an embassy in the Maldives to strengthen economic and security cooperation five decades after the two nations established diplomatic ties. The move reflects “the continued growth of the U.S.-Maldives relationship and underscoring the United States’ unshakeable commitment to Maldives and the Indo-Pacific region,” said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a statement Wednesday after his meetings in the Maldives with President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo walks to board an aircraft to leave for Maldives, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Oct. 28, 2020.The latest move is seen as part of Washington’s push for a free and open Indo-Pacific to curb Beijing’s influence in the region.
The United States does not have a consulate or embassy in Maldives currently but operates an American Center in Malé. The U.S. ambassador and embassy staff in Sri Lanka are accredited to Maldives and make regular visits to the island archipelago. FILE – A construction worker looks on as the China-funded Sinamale bridge is seen in Male, Maldives, Sept. 18, 2018.Pompeo’s travel to the South Asian nation comes after the U.S. and Maldives signed a defense agreement on September 10 to “deepen engagement and cooperation” in the peace and security of the Indian Ocean, according to the State Department. India, historically skeptical of foreign military presence close to its borders, has blessed the deal, U.S. officials say. In recent years, U.S. naval vessels have regularly conducted port calls at Maldives. The nation of islands has provided support to U.S. efforts to combat terrorism and terrorist financing. The U.S. has provided $2 million in assistance to Maldives for COVID-19 recovery during the pandemic. Washington has also pledged millions in economic support aimed at strengthening Maldives’ fiscal transparency, maritime security, and counterterrorism. The U.S. established diplomatic relations with Maldives in 1966 following its independence from Britain. After Maldives, Pompeo heads to Jakarta, Indonesia, where he will underscore religious freedom and human rights in the world’s most populous Muslim majority nation, according to U.S. officials. The secretary of state has told reporters that it is in the best interest of Southeast Asian nations to protect “their maritime rights” and the ability to conduct business, ensuring “that their sovereignty is protected against” threats from the Chinese Communist Party. Beijing has built strong economic and diplomatic ties with Jakarta. China was the second largest source of foreign direct investment in Indonesia in the first half of this year. Southeast Asia is the region most impacted by While Indonesia is not seen as a party to the South China Sea disputes, it has on multiple occasions detected Chinese fishing or coast guard ships in Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone off the Natuna Islands in the South China Sea.
…
By Polityk | 10/28/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
З 29 жовтня відновлюється навчання після канікул у Києві, 8 шкіл залишаться на карантині – Кличко
Із четверга, 29 жовтня, у школах Києва поновлюється навчання після осінніх канікул, повідомив столичний мер Віталій Кличко.
«Із 29 жовтня відновлюється навчання після канікул у столичних школах. Залишаться на карантині вісім шкіл і 587 класів у 186 школах Києва – через захворювання педагогів і учнів», – сказав Кличко.
Він додав, що після виборів у всіх школах міста, де були розташовані дільниці, здійснили дезінфекцію.
«Тримаємо ситуацію на контролі і оперативно ухвалюємо рішення щодо карантину в окремих школах, чи про переведення окремих класів на дистанційне навчання», – сказав Кличко.
11 жовтня Міністерство освіти і науки України запропонувало встановити осінні канікули в школах з 15 до 30 жовтня.
12 жовтня відомство рекомендувало закладам вищої, фахової передвищої та професійно-технічної освіти перейти на дистанційне навчання з 15 жовтня до 15 листопада.
your ad here
By Gromada | 10/28/2020 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
В Україні за минулу добу виявили 7474 випадки COVID-19 – РНБО
Від ускладнень коронавірусної хвороби за минулу добу померли 165 людей
…
By Gromada | 10/28/2020 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
How do Media Organizations Report Election Results in Real Time?
As Americans prepare to go to polling stations on Election Day this Nov. 3, U.S. news organizations are preparing to report the count which will determine the winners of more than 7,000 races, including the White House, House and Senate seats, state offices, and local legislative positions.In the United States, news organizations observe the vote count in real time and use a variety of information to determine when they can declare a winner in each race, including overall vote totals, exit polling of voters, and the estimated number of votes still uncounted in each precinct. Here’s how it works and what news organizations do to help ensure they do not make a mistake.Who announces winners in U.S. elections?State election officials are the ones who certify the vote count, but long before every ballot has been counted, the American news media use a variety of data sources and tools to project the winners. Using a collection of raw vote totals, statistical techniques, and projections, the news organizations, which have been covering American presidential elections continuously since 1848, have had an excellent – but not perfect – record of calling race winners.How do news organizations count the vote returns on election night?Votes are tabulated county by county by the Associated Press, a non-profit news agency which uses its national network of more than 4,000 reporters on election night to record the vote tallies from county clerks and other local officials. The AP also gathers information from state websites that post election returns. Reporters feed that information back to AP’s vote counting operation, where analysts make decisions about which races are ready to be called.Workers with the Philadelphia City Commissioners office sort election materials for the 2020 General Election in the United States at the city’s mail-in ballot sorting and counting center, in Philadelphia, Oct. 26, 2020.Who does the counting?Local election workers collect the ballot tallies in each precinct. How and when the ballots are counted is determined by local and state laws. For example, some states such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin require that no ballots be counted until Election Day, even if they arrived at election offices weeks earlier. Once the votes from a precinct are counted, election workers pass the information to county and state officials, who then make the tallies available to reporters and the public.What do reporters do with the local tallies?AP reporters across the country phone the results to data entry people in specially set up election centers where they are entered into an electronic system. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the election centers are virtual in 2020. All vote counts are subject to a series of checks and verifications, including computer programs that set off alerts if there are inconsistencies with the vote count because of previous voting history or other data.Who decides the winners?At the AP, a team of race callers on the Decision Desk determines when they have enough information to declare a winner. The team is looking at more than just the overall vote total, taking into account the incoming vote as well as how many ballots are left to count and where those uncounted votes were cast.This election, the AP is not using exit polling data conducted by the National Election Pool as it has done in years past. This data is collected by pollsters who ask voters questions as they are leaving their polling places. AP says that it does not believe such data is effective when large numbers of people vote early.Other news media, including the major TV networks — ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC — continue to be a part of the National Election Pool and will have access to the exit polling data to help make election projections. The networks also use specially set up election desks to make calls on election night.This means that different media organizations may declare winners in elections at different times, using their own models and data. A voter drops off her absentee ballot during early voting at the Park Slope Armory YMCA, in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Oct. 27, 2020.How do they count ballots since so many people are voting early?Because of the coronavirus pandemic, many more Americans are voting early this year and many of those votes are being cast by mail. Mail ballots usually take longer to count than those cast in person. Election officials must open the ballots, make sure a voter is registered, and oftentimes verify their signature.Because of this, the AP is predicting, “extended vote counts” in more states than previous years, which could drag on for days or weeks. The AP developed its own survey in 2018 designed specifically to account for the rise in votes cast before Election Day. The survey, called AP VoteCast, captures the opinion of those who voted early as well as those who voted on Election Day and will help the AP to factor in the early vote when calling races.How accurate is the media at announcing results?The media have largely been accurate in calling election winners. However, their credibility was hugely damaged during the 2000 presidential race when most news outlets prematurely called the race for Al Gore around 8 p.m. on Election Day, then called it again for George W. Bush after 2 a.m. the following morning, then rescinded all calls as an automatic recount of the votes began in Florida.The AP has been counting votes for over 120 years and says that in 2016 it was 99.8% accurate in calling all U.S. races and 100% accurate in calling the presidential and congressional races for each state. AP declared Donald Trump the winner in 2016 at 2:29 a.m. on Wednesday, November 9.
…
By Polityk | 10/28/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
У Дніпрі презентували соціальний фотопроєкт про жінок з інвалідністю
27 жовтня у Дніпрі презентували соціальний фотопроєкт «Не така як інші вона» – про жінок з інвалідністю. Про це повідомляє кореспондент «Радіо Свобода»,
За словами авторки Діани Андруник, її мета – привернути увагу спільноти до жінок, чиї тіла відрізняються від умовних «стандартів».
У проєкті фотографки брали участь жінки, які попри все почуваються впевненими та привабливими.
«Вони роздягнулись для того, щоб кожен з нас зрозумів, що можна пройти болючий шлях і прийти до любові і до себе», – сказала авторка.
Серед учасниць зйомок – паралімпійська чемпіонка в інвалідному візку Уляна Пчолкіна, Юліана Юсуф, яка розробила додаток для людей з проблемами шкіри, Варвара Акулова, яка народилася з пухлиною на обличчі й перенесла 15 операцій.
«Варвара Акулова – топовий гример у Європі. Моя подруга. Вона неймовірно крута. І вона навчила мене: люди бояться того, чого не знають. Коли ти знайомиш людей, і показуєш крізь свою призму, що є краса і що краса різна…», – розповіла Андруник.
На виставці також збирають кошти для однієї з героїнь проєкту Надії Возної.
Діана Андруник займається фотозйомкою вісім років. Більшість фото для свого проєкту вона зробила на плівку. Фотографка відзняла дві частини проєкту. Перша з них створювалася протягом 2018 та 2019 років, а друга – наприкінці 2019 – на початку 2020. Наразі тривають зйомки третьої частини проєкту.
…
By Gromada | 10/28/2020 | Повідомлення, Суспільство
US Senate Races Tighten Ahead of Election
With days left until the U.S. election, Democrats are in a position to win a handful of Senate races that could give them control of the chamber in 2021. No matter who wins the White House, party control of the Senate will be a key factor determining how much work gets done in Washington for the next two years.Republicans currently have a 53-47 Senate majority. If Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden wins the presidency, Democrats would need a net pickup of just three Senate seats to assume the majority. If U.S. President Donald Trump is elected to a second term, Democrats would need to gain four Senate seats to have a working majority.According to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, seven of the 35 U.S. Senate seats up for reelection November 3 are races that are too close to call. All seven of those seats are currently Republican-held. Additionally, in this cycle Republicans are defending nearly twice as many seats as Democrats, making it more challenging for Republicans to maintain their numbers.Of the 12 Democrat-held U.S. Senate seats up for reelection, only one is rated by Cook Political Report as leaning Republican – the Alabama race between Senator Doug Jones and his Trump-endorsed Republican challenger Tommy Tuberville. The former football coach has been leading Jones in the polls by double digits since the summer.Casey Burgat, director of the Legislative Affairs program at the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, said polling data showing a shift in Democrats’ favor reflect how many races have been nationalized by Trump’s presence at the top of the ticket.“If we think of elections as referendums on those incumbents, Republicans are in a really tight spot right now, led by President Trump,” he said. “Candidates are having to work in their seats to distance themselves, to show a streak of independence to say that ‘I’m just not a vote for an unpopular president.’ States where just four years ago he was incredibly popular – being that he brought in some senators to the Senate based on his election tally. So quite a shift in a few short years.”Here’s where a handful of key races stand:Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) walks on Capitol Hill, February 3, 2020, in Washington.IowaEarlier this year, the central state of Iowa looked to be one of the states holding strong for Republicans. But while Trump carried the state by 9 percentage points in 2016, his trade wars have had an impact on its heavily agricultural economy.Incumbent Republican Senator Joni Ernst supported Trump’s policies and government payments to farmers to supplement the lost income. She has either trailed or tied her Democratic challenger, real estate developer Theresa Greenfield, in almost all polls throughout the year.Iowa farmer Doug Thompson, a Greenfield supporter, said Ernst’s political fortunes are tied to the president.“Her success or failure is going to be based on Trump’s success or failure in Iowa,” Thompson told VOA. “Agriculture has been devastated even though we’ve been paid off [received federal aid]. There’s still a lot of stress out here – a lot of stress on balance sheets.”Ernst stumbled in a recent debate answering a question about commodities prices, but farmer and Iowa State Senator Dan Zumbach said she understands agriculture in Iowa.“President Trump will get our trade settled down so that we can get better prices long term. Joni Ernst is genuine, honest and knowledgeable, and she works hard for our agriculture because she understands it – it’s where her roots are.”North CarolinaEarly October was a tumultuous time for both candidates in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races: North Carolina. Considered a bellwether for American politics because its demographic makeup reflects a diverse range of areas, ages and ethnicities, North Carolina is fiercely fought over in the presidential election and features a marquee contest between incumbent Republican Senator Thom Tillis and his Democratic challenger, former state senator Cal Cunningham.FILE – Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) talks to reporters prior to the resumption of the Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, January 30, 2020.Earlier this month, Tillis was diagnosed with COVID-19 as a part of the outbreak of cases that impacted the White House and the U.S. Congress. While Tillis has since quarantined and recovered, the virus kept him from the campaign trail. At the same time, his opponent was facing questions about revelations he had been texting a woman who was not his wife. Cunningham ended up admitting to an intimate encounter earlier in the summer and apologized publicly to his family. According to a Real Clear Politics average of polls, Cunningham appears not to have been significantly damaged by those events. He leads Tillis by an average of 1.8 percentage points in political surveys.FILE – Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Cal Cunningham speaks to supporters during a primary election night party in Raleigh, N.C., March 3, 2020.MaineFacing a tough reelection race, Senator Susan Collins crossed the aisle Monday to vote against the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. Collins made it clear she was not voting against Barrett based on her qualifications but on timing.“I do not think it is fair nor consistent to have a Senate confirmation vote prior to the election,” Collins said in a statement Monday.FILE – Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) talks to reporters before attending the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, January 28, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington.Making decisions in the national spotlight is a familiar role for Collins, who cast a key vote earlier this year in the Senate impeachment trial of Trump. Her opponent, Democratic challenger Sara Gideon, raised funds on the basis of Collins’ vote confirming Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, another decision that led some Maine voters to question whether Collins had maintained her reputation as an independent voice in the U.S. Senate.“Her vote for Brett Kavanaugh was kind of that breaking point, or at least one of the flashpoints in saying we like when you’re independent, but only so far as when you are agreeing with what we do as a state,” said Burgat. “She’s been kind of fighting back against that narrative ever since.”Gideon, a Maine state representative, leads Collins by an average of 4.2 percentage points in a Real Clear Politics average of polls conducted in September and October prior to the Supreme Court vote.South CarolinaThe home state of one of Trump’s strongest Senate defenders is a relatively late entry into the list of close races. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham is leading his Democratic challenger, former South Carolina Democratic party chairman Jaime Harrison by 6 percentage points in the latest New York Times/Siena poll conducted the week of October 9. But a Quinnipiac University poll has shown the two candidates in a tie in multiple polls since July.FILE – Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jaime Harrison speaks at a campaign rally on Oct. 17, 2020, in North Charleston, S.C.Money is keeping this race competitive. Graham notably complained about Harrison’s fundraising abilities in the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Barrett last week. Harrison, the former South Carolina Democratic party chairman, has broken the record for the largest three-month fundraising effort ever in a Senate race – a record $57 million.“His fundraising numbers have been astronomical, but a lot of that money has been coming from outside the state where voters are looking to him as an opportunity for a Democratic pickup,” said Burgat. “So they are funneling money into that race, for a variety of reasons, not least of which is that Lindsey Graham has become kind of the face of Trump-enabling, Trump-supporting and going along with the Trump agenda.”Harrison has been careful not to focus his campaign on criticism of Trump – part of a balancing act intended to appeal to voters in a state that went for the president over Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton by 14 percentage points in 2016.Toss-upsOther toss-up races include both Georgia Senate races. Polls show Republican incumbent U.S. Senator David Perdue leading Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff by 1.5 percentage points. In an open race for Georgia’s other Senate seat, a Democratic political newcomer, the Rev. Raphael Warnock, leads a crowded field by an average of 8.5 percentage points. The Montana Senate race shows encouraging signs for Republican incumbent Senator Steve Daines, who leads his Democratic challenger, Steve Bullock, by 3.3 percentage points.Kane Farabaugh contributed to this report.
…
By Polityk | 10/28/2020 | Повідомлення, Політика
