The Georgia State Senate passed a bill Tuesday requiring voters in the state to present a photo ID prior to receiving an absentee ballot. The vote was 35 to 18, with Democrats united in opposition, as GPB (Georgia Public Broadcasting) News reported : Majority Caucus Vice Chair Sen. Larry Walker (R-Perry) sponsored the bill and said it would improve security and efficiency of the absentee process. “It’s not about disenfranchising voters, it’s not about overly burdening the electorate,” he said. “It is about efficiency and security and election integrity and allowing the Georgia public to have confidence in the vote.” But Sen. David Lucas (D-Macon) gave an emotional speech in opposition to the proposal, calling it “malarkey” and warning that the measure would be costly because of inevitable court challenges. “You’re going to spend taxpayer money trying to defend it,” he said. “I will not go back home and tell those who vote that I took away the right for you to vote.” The bill now goes to the Georgia House of Representatives, where the Special Committee on Election Integrity voted Wednesday to approve HB 531 , which contains a number of election reform measures, including the requirement of photo ID for absentee ballot applications. The Gwinnett Daily Post reported : The roughly 60-page bill, sponsored by Rep. Barry Fleming, R-Harlem, contains more than two dozen proposals including a controversial change requiring voters seeking mail-in ballots to provide the number on their driver’s license or state identification card, or photocopies of other valid ID forms. Fleming’s bill would also restrict ballot-casting on weekends during the three-week early-voting period, scrapping rules for polls to be open on Sundays and instead requiring counties to pick either one Saturday or one Sunday ahead of Election Day for the precincts to be open. The bill passed the state House Special Committee on Election Integrity, which Fleming chairs, on a ...
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I-Team: What Massachusetts Can Learn From Leading COVID Vaccination States
BOSTON (CBS) – Governor Charlie Baker says Massachusetts now ranks first in the nation in the number of first doses of COVID-19 vaccines among states that have five million residents or more. But when it comes to overall vaccinations, WBZ-TV’s I-Team found it’s surprising which parts of the country are well ahead. In Connecticut, the old Pratt & Whitney airfield has been transformed into a fast-paced drive-through for coronavirus vaccinations. READ MORE: Reopening Of Wedding Industry Welcome News For Business, Brides And Grooms “The drive-through clinic is really efficient in terms of getting people through,” said Leslie Gianelli, who’s with Community Health Center Inc., which runs the clinic. “It only takes a few minutes for the people to get the vaccination, and then just keep rolling through the runway,” she said. The CDC ranks Connecticut highest in New England for shots per capita. By now, anyone 55 and older can sign up. “We’re trying to get these shots into people as quickly as we can. We’re racing these variants,” said the state’s Chief Operating Officer Josh Geballe. He said Connecticut has a zero-waste policy. “We haven’t had any cases of doses going in the trash,” he told WBZ. Massachusetts has lost hundreds . Records obtained by the I-Team show Reliant Medical Group in Milford threw out exactly 100 doses. That’s the same number the Suffolk House of Corrections tossed. Bogwalk Urgent Care in Canton threw away 69, to name just a few at the top of the list of more than 1,200. That’s unimaginable over the border in Connecticut. “You’re literally pulling someone off the street if you need to, and giving them the vaccine just to make sure we’re never putting it in the trash,” said Geballe. READ MORE: Arrest Made After 80-Year-Old Shrewsbury Woman Injured In Hit & Run Also leading the pack in vaccinations, hundreds of miles to the south, one of the poorest states in the country is winning the race to end the pandemic. ...
Citizens United rolls out anti-Biden campaign to ‘fight back’ against agenda, defend Trump’s record
close Video Trump loves to show Americans he's 'a fighter': Bossie The president surprises supporters outside of Walter Reed Medical Center; reaction from Trump 2020 senior campaign adviser David Bossie and registered nurse Lydia Hall. EXCLUSIVE: Citizens United on Thursday rolled out a new anti-Biden campaign in an effort to "fight back" against President Biden's agenda and defend the "successful America first policies" of former President Trump. Citizens United, the conservative nonprofit famous for its role in loosening campaign finance restrictions, is set to introduce the new project at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Fla., which begins on Thursday. CPAC READIES FOR FLORIDA GATHERING AMID COVID-19, AS CONSERVATIVES READY FOR TRUMP BONANZA Citizens United President David Bossie told Fox News that Citizens United’s new StopBidenAgenda.com is an effort to "fight back." Bossie told Fox News that Biden "did not receive a mandate to impose his radical agenda on America and we won’t let him undo the successful America first policies of Donald Trump without a fight." The website will feature videos and op-eds and will allow supporters to join petitions as well as stay up to date on Citizens United investigations and ongoing Freedom of Information Act litigation "in order to hold Biden accountable." The website features petitions for supporters to join, including one to "restore trust in our elections," another to "fight the Biden amnesty," and another to "appoint a special counsel" to take on the federal investigation into Hunter Biden’s tax affairs. The website features Citizens United’s top "stop agenda issues," including "constitutional issues, taxes, jobs, economy, climate, border security, China, Middle East, and Law & Order." "The site will be continuously updated with the hottest content," Bossie told Fox News. Video "Since the ...
Cuomo retains Hong Kong law firm as state fights to recover millions of misspent funds on Chinese ventilators
close Video NY assemblyman on Cuomo nursing home controversy: ‘I am not going to be complicit’ New York State Assemblyman Ron Kim joins ‘Fox & Friends’ ahead of a rally calling for accountability. He’s joined by senior meteorologist Janice Dean. Gov. Andrew Cuomo ’s administration got swindled trying to buy millions of dollars of Chinese medical gear amid the coronavirus crisis — and has been forced to hire a law firm in Hong Kong in a bid to recoup the taxpayer money it lost, The Post has learned. GOV. CUOMO ACCUSED OF SEXUAL HARRASSMENT BY FORMER AIDE The state Department of Health signed a $125,000 contract with the overseas lawyers, Gall Solicitors late last year, according to records posted online by the state Comptroller’s Office. The one-year pact was exempted from a "pre-audit" by Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli under pandemic-related emergency powers Cuomo granted himself on March 7 — and which some lawmakers now want to revoke due to the spiraling controversy over New York ’s nursing home deaths. Earlier this month, The Post exclusively revealed that a top aide privately admitted Cuomo’s administration hid the number of resident deaths in hospitals from lawmakers and the public due to fear that federal prosecutors would use it "against us." That has sparked calls for Cuomo to be impeached and also a reported federal Justice Department probe. Officials declined to provide The Post with a copy of the legal retainer contract or details of the underlying dispute. STEFANIK CALLS ON CUOMO TO RESIGN OVER SEXUAL HARRASSMENT ALLEGATION But a Cuomo spokesman acknowledged that the DOH hired Gall on Dec. 24 "to help us pursue recovery of state funds there, related to procurement." "The contract was just approved and papers will be filed soon, and we’ll reserve further comment until then," spokesman Rich Azzopardi said. In his memoir, "American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the ...
Texas resident has nearly $17,000 deducted from bank account by energy company following winter storm
close Video Texas resident hit with $17,000 bill by energy company after winter storm Scott Willoughby had nearly $17,000 removed from his account for electricity surcharges caused by ‘unregulated’ Texas power grid. A Texas resident had nearly $17,000 automatically deducted from his bank account after Griddy, a Texas Energy Company, imposed surcharges on state residents following a devastating winter storm and subsequent electrical blackout. Scott Willoughby, who joined "America’s Newsroom" Tuesday to discuss the issue, explained that there is no cap on Texas’ unregulated power grids which surged average household electricity costs from 8 to 10 cents per kilowatt-hour to $900 per kilowatt-hour. Willoughby, who had the money in his account to pay the bill, expressed concern that hundreds of thousands of Texas residents will not be able to pay for crippling electrical costs, which average at around $5,000 per household over the course of the seven-day blackout. QUADRIPLEGIC TEXAS MAN HIT WITH $3G POWER BILL AFTER WINTER STORM: 'I DON'T KNOW HOW I'M GONNA PAY THIS' "For a lot of people that [bill] will impact them devastatingly," Willoughby said. "No food on the table for their kids, no rent or house payments or car payments –and there’s no recourse because the money’s gone." Video Despite this, Willoughby remained hopeful that residents will be reimbursed for the excess charges. The Texas resident said that the state legislature and Gov. Greg Abbott called an emergency meeting Saturday to look into ways that they can help lessen the charges incurred on homeowners and renters. Griddy said in a statement on its website Thursday, "We know you are angry and so are we. P-----, in fact." The company explained wholesale prices shot up because the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) took control of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the state’s power grid, Monday ...
