Shift in Ohio vote tallies after election not a sign of 'something nefarious,' secretary of state says

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose

 As officials in the key battleground state of Ohio prepare for an unprecedented surge in mail-in ballots for the 2020 presidential election, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose wants to make it clear that any shift in voting tallies after Election Day should not be taken as an indication of wrongdoing.

More than two million Ohio residents requested mail-in ballot applications prior to the start of early voting on Tuesday, doubling the count at the same time in 2016 and 2012. Ballots in the state are counted for up to 10 days after Election Day -- as long as they are postmarked by Nov. 2 -- meaning that election results displayed on the night of Nov. 3 will be unofficial and include all votes received through any method by 7:30 p.m. local time.

LaRose, a Republican, said the state will have “pretty conclusive” results on election night if early returns show President Trump or Democratic nominee Joe Biden winning the state by a wide margin.

But if the race is close, he acknowledged that it could take “three weeks or more” to know the final results as elections officials work to tabulate mail-in and provisional ballots. LaRose added that the state is taking steps to be transparent about the process, such as publishing the number of outstanding mail-in ballots online.

“When the results on election night say one thing and then when the results change over the ensuing several weeks, that’s not a sign that something nefarious is happening. In fact, quite the contrary,” LaRose told Fox News. “It’s a sign that the legal process is being allowed to play itself out so that every legally cast vote can be tabulated. That’s exactly what we need to do.”

The security and speed of the mail-in ballot process have emerged as key points of contention during the 2020 election cycle.

Trump has argued, without evidence, that mail-in ballots are susceptible to fraud and suggested that their widespread use could result in a “rigged election.” During his debate with Biden last week, Trump said he would only accept the results of the vote "if it’s a fair election.”

In a change from past years, Ohio plans to publish the number of expected mail-in ballots that have yet to be received on election night – both for the sake of transparency and as a guide on whether initial results can be taken as definitive. The voting process will operate just as it has in the past, where results on election night have been considered unofficial until they can be certified.

Additionally, LaRose was adamant that Ohio has developed a highly secure system for mail-in voting with a number of safeguards in place.

“Let me be loud and clear, voter fraud is exceedingly rare,” LaRose said. “It’s rare because we enforce the laws. We work to keep it rare. We follow the procedures. We have bipartisan supervision of every part of our election process and that includes the way Ohioans do absentee voting.”

In order to cast a mail-in ballot, voters must prove their identity both when requesting their ballot application and when submitting their completed ballot. State officials maintain up-to-date voting rolls and allow voters to track their ballots online.

Ohio does not allow so-called “ballot harvesting,” in which a third party collects ballots from the public. Voters must submit their ballots personally, through a family member or through the mail.

LaRose said he plans to “follow the law” if any candidate, Trump or otherwise, attempts to question Ohio’s election results. Ohio state law allows officials to provide voting tallies on two occasions -- an unofficial count on election night and a final, certified result about three weeks after Election Day.

Ohio is one of several key “swing states” in 2020. A Fox News poll last month showed Biden with a five-point lead over Trump in the state after the president carried Ohio during his victory over then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016.

LaRose said disinformation about the voting process and adequate staffing at polling locations, not ballot security, are his chief concerns for the upcoming election. He noted that much of the disinformation has emerged from abroad, where foreign countries “are intentionally trying to degrade the trust that Americans have in our elections.”

 

“Combating disinformation, making sure that voters have accurate information is probably the thing I think about more than anything else right now,” LaRose said. As of this week, Ohio has recruited approximately 46,000 state residents to serve as poll workers at roughly 4,000 voting locations. The state has set a target of 55,000 trained poll workers by Election Day to ensure that locations are staffed even if the ongoing coronavirus pandemic impacts the workforce.

County election boards have been equipped with high-speed mail handling equipment and letter-opening machines to handle the record influx in ballots. For in-person voting, centers will follow a 61-point safety checklist, including use of personal protective equipment, to ensure a safe environment for the public.

“We want to be at 55,000 and that’s what’s necessary to make sure that no voter arrives at a polling location on Nov. 3 and finds a locked door,” LaRose said. “We need to have those polling locations staffed with well-trained, bipartisan teams of elections officials."

 

 

Biden suggests people were able to quarantine because 'some Black woman was able to stack the grocery shelf' in viral clip

 

What will I come up with next?

 Joe Biden has landed in hot water over a viral clip of him suggesting why people were able to quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic.

"They're saying, 'Jeez, the reason I was able to stay sequestered in my home is because some Black woman was able to stack the grocery shelf,'" Biden is heard saying in the clip.

The 10-second clip, which was originally shared on Sept. 29, was just a snippet of comments the Democratic nominee made during a Sept. 15 roundtable with veterans in Tampa, Fla.

In the expanded remarks, Biden had expressed a positive tone in dealing with the problems the country faces, particularly the ones that stem from the coronavirus outbreak. He said that he's "more optimistic ... than I’ve ever been in my whole career."

"And they say, 'Well, why in the hell would you say that Biden? You just talked about all these difficulties.' Well, I’ll tell you why. Because the American public, the blinders have been taken off," Biden told the roundtable attendees. "They’ve all of a sudden seen a hell of a lot clearer. They’re saying, 'Jeeze, the reason I was able to stay sequestered in my home is because some Black woman was able to stack the grocery shelf. Or a young Hispanic is out there, these dreamers are out there, 60,000 of them acting as first responders and nurses and docs.' Or all of a sudden people are realizing, 'My Lord, these people have done so much. Not just Black, White, across the board, have done so much for me. We can do this. We can get things done.' And I think they’re ready."

Biden's remarks didn't go viral until Monday after they were amplified by Turning Point USA senior contributor Rob Smith.  https://www.tpusa.com/

The former vice president was slammed on social media with critics calling the comments "racist" and joking about the Biden campaign calling a "lid."

"What???? And Black folks STILL giving him a pass!" National Diversity Coalition for Trump CEO Dr. Darrell Scott exclaimed.

"You ain’t Black if you ain’t stocking a grocery shelf for Joe Biden," political commentator Dave Rubin quipped, alluding to Biden's infamous "You ain't Black" gaffe from earlier this year.

"This should spark a lot of conversation about the morality of the lockdowns and how we’ve made lower-income Americans into human shields," Ricochet editor Bethany Mandel tweeted.

Many suggested that there would be an enormous uproar if President Trump or a Republican were caught saying what Biden said.

"Imagine the media's reaction if Trump said this," RealClearPolitics co-founder and president Tom Bevan said.

"Close your eyes. Picture Trump saying this. Now picture the media reaction. Enjoy your evening!" The Hill media reporter Joe Concha exclaimed.

"Imagine @realDonaldTrump, or any Republican said what Joe Biden just said here," Daily Wire contributor Harry Khachatrian similarly expressed.

The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.

The account of the pro-Trump Twitter user who originally shared the video clip appeared to have been suspended sometime Monday evening after his tweet went viral. Fox News reached out to Twitter with an inquiry as to what led to the account's suspension.

In May, Biden had to walk back comments he made to "Breakfast Club" host, Charlamagne Tha God, when he said "you ain't Black" to Black voters who were still undecided between supporting him or President Trump in the election.

In August, the former VP was similarly in damage control mode when he appeared to disparage the diversity of the Black community, saying "unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community with incredibly different attitudes about different things.”

NBC town hall panned as 'Biden infomercial': 'Undecided voters' didn't seem so 'undecided'

 

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a NBC Town Hall at Pérez Art Museum, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, in Miami, with Lester Holt at right. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

NBC's town hall featuring Joe Biden did not receive the warmest reception on Monday night.

The outdoor, televised event, which aired on both NBC and MSNBC, took place in the swing state of Florida and moderator Lester Holt told viewers that all of the Miami attendees were "undecided voters."

Holt kicked off the town hall by asking him to react to President Trump's departure from Walter Reed Medical Center and grilled him by asking if he was "surprised" by Trump's coronavirus diagnosis; if he thought the president's medical team were "forthcoming" with information about his condition and whether he "trusts" their assessment; if he had "a moment of pause, of worry" when he first heard about the diagnosis following the first presidential debate; if he would "pledge to transparency" as president regarding his own potential health issues. and if he believes Trump "bears responsibility" for contracting the coronavirus.

Then the "undecided voters" were able to speak to the former vice president one-on-one. Of the roughly eleven voters who were able to ask questions, one was described as "leaning" towards Biden, one was described as a "registered Republican" that was also "leaning" towards Biden, one was described as a former registered Republican who "voted for Hillary Clinton" and other one voted for Clinton in 2016 but he, too, according to Holt, voted for Republicans "in the past." None of the attendees were described as a Trump voter or "leaning" towards voting for the incumbent president.

All of their questions were primarily focused on Biden's plans as president rather than tough questions that challenged the candidate on his 47-year record.

Critics took notice of the not-so-stimulating exchange between Biden and the voters.

"NBC's town hall with Joe Biden & 'undecided voters' in Miami didn't seem to have undecided voters. Nor was it much of a Miami town hall, which would have way more yelling & pointed questions. It was a TV show that doubled as a Biden infomercial. Can't blame him for doing it," Politico reporter Marc Caputo reacted.

"The townhall questions for Biden are pretty underwhelming thus far," McClatchy political correspondent David Catanese tweeted.

"I just watched that entire, hour-long NBC News townhall with Joe Biden. No questions about whether he will pack the court, nuke the filibuster, or add DC and Puerto Rico as states," Daily Caller's Greg Price said, later adding, "There were also no questions about China."

The Biden town hall was even knocked by one of Biden's own supporters.

"The media never learns. NBC just spent the first 12 mins of @JoeBiden's town hall talking about Trump. Damn," Democratic activist Chris Jackson reacted.

Others took aim at Holt for asking Biden if he "regrets" the "divisive" rhetoric he expressed during the first presidential debate last week.

"Lester Holt is trying to 'both sides' the first presidential debate and criticizing Joe Biden for calling Trump a clown at this townhall. Insane," progressive commentator Hasan Piker tweeted.

"Hey, Lester Holt... Donald Trump is a clown. Apparently, so are you," Bishop Talbert Swan wrote.

Last month, CNN was similarly criticized for its friendly town hall with Biden, which came just days after President Trump faced tough questions at an ABC News-hosted event.

Lockdown America Cartoons

 

3 win Nobel medicine prize for discovering hepatitis C virus. Trump Nominated for Nobel Prize Three Times, where is it?

 

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Americans Harvey J. Alter and Charles M. Rice and British-born scientist Michael Houghton jointly won the Nobel Prize for medicine on Monday for their discovery of the hepatitis C virus, a major source of liver disease that affects millions worldwide.

Announcing the prize in Stockholm, the Nobel Committee noted that the trio’s work identified a major source of blood-borne hepatitis that couldn’t be explained by the previously discovered hepatitis A and B viruses. Their work, dating back to the 1970s and 1980s, has helped saved millions of lives, it said.

President Trump receives third nomination for Nobel Peace Prize, what happen to it?

President Donald Trump does a little dance after speaking at a campaign rally Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, in Newport News, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WTVO) — President Donald Trump has received his third nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, this time from Australian law professors, on the basis of the “Trump Doctrine” of foreign policy.

Law professor David Flynt appeared on Britain’s SkyNews over the weekend, saying the “Trump Doctrine” is “something extraordinary,” saying, “What he has done with the Trump Doctrine is that he has decided he would no longer have America in endless wars, wars which achieve nothing but the killing of thousands of young Americans and enormous debts imposed on America, and nothing solved in the countries in which it is carried on. So he’s reducing America’s tendency to get involved in any and every war.”

Flynt continued, saying, “He has, firstly, common sense, and he is only guided by national interest … and therefore an interest in the western alliance” he said.

Flynt also credited Trump’s approach to Middle East peace with the Abraham Accord, which saw the United Arab Emirates and Israel normalize relations, the first agreement between Israel and a major Arab country since 1994.

Trump has two prior Nobel Prize nominations from a member of the Norwegian Parliament for the historic Middle East peace deal, and from a member of the Swedish Parliament, for helping to normalize relations between Serbia and Kosovo.

Trump takes a brief car ride

 

BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — Infected and contagious, President Donald Trump briefly ventured out in a motorcade on Sunday to salute cheering supporters.

Hours earlier, Trump’s medical team reported that his blood oxygen level dropped suddenly twice in recent days and that they gave him a steroid typically only recommended for the very sick. Still, the doctors said Trump’s health is improving and that he could be discharged as early as Monday.

With one month until Election Day, Trump was eager to project strength despite his illness. The still-infectious president surprised supporters who had gathered outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, driving by in a black SUV with the windows rolled up. Secret Service agents inside the vehicle could be seen in masks and other protective gear.

The move capped a weekend of contradictions that fueled confusion about Trump’s health, which has imperiled the leadership of the U.S. government and upended the final stages of the presidential campaign. While Trump’s physician offered a rosy prognosis on his condition, his briefings lacked basic information, including the findings of lung scans, or were quickly muddled by more serious assessments of the president’s health by other officials.

In a short video released by the White House on Sunday, Trump insisted he understood the gravity of the moment.

White House spokesman Judd Deere said Trump’s trip outside the hospital “was cleared by the medical team as safe to do.” He added that precautions were taken, including using personal protective equipment, to protect Trump as well as White House officials and Secret Service agents.

Joe Biden’s campaign, meanwhile, said the Democratic presidential nominee again tested negative for coronavirus Sunday. The results come five days after Biden spent more than 90 minutes on the debate stage with Trump. Biden, who has taken a far more cautious approach to in-person events, had two negative tests on Friday.

For his part, Trump still faces questions about his health.

His doctors sidestepped questions on Sunday about exactly when Trump’s blood oxygen dropped — an episode they neglected to mention in multiple statements the day before — or whether lung scans showed any damage.

Pressed about conflicting information he and the White House released on Saturday, Navy Cmdr. Dr. Sean Conley acknowledged that he had tried to present a sunnier description of the president’s condition.

“I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude that the team, the president, that his course of illness has had. Didn’t want to give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction,” Conley said. “And in doing so, you know, it came off that we were trying to hide something, which wasn’t necessarily true. The fact of the matter is that he’s doing really well.”

According to CDC guidelines, “In general, transport and movement of a patient with suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection outside of their room should be limited to medically essential purposes.”

Even before Trump’s motorcade outing on Sunday, some Secret Service agents have expressed concern about the lackadaisical attitude toward masks and social distancing inside the White House, but there isn’t much they can do, according to agents and officials who spoke to The Associated Press. This close to the election, thousands of agents are engaged on protective duty so they can be subbed out quickly should someone test positive.

Blood oxygen saturation is a key health marker for COVID-19 patients. A normal reading is between 95 and 100. Conley said the president had a “high fever” and a blood oxygen level below 94% on Friday and during “another episode” on Saturday.

He was evasive about the timing of Trump oxygen drops. (“It was over the course of the day, yeah, yesterday morning,” he said) and asked whether Trump’s level had dropped below 90%, into concerning territory. (“We don’t have any recordings here on that.”) But he revealed that Trump was given a dose of the steroid dexamethasone in response.

At the time of the briefing, Trump’s blood oxygen level was 98% — within normal rage, Trump’s medical team said.

Signs of pneumonia or other lung damage could be detected in scans before a patient feels short of breath, but the president’s doctors declined to say what those scans have revealed.

“There’s some expected findings, but nothing of any major clinical concern,” Conley said. He declined to outline those “expected findings.”

Asked about Conley’s lack of transparency, White House aide Alyssa Farah suggested the doctors were speaking as much to the president as to the American public, “when you’re treating a patient, you want to project confidence, you want to lift their spirits, and that was the intent.”

Trump’s treatment with the steroid dexamethasone is in addition to the single dose he was given Friday of an experimental drug from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. that supplies antibodies to help the immune system fight the virus. Trump on Friday also began a five-day course of remdesivir, a Gilead Sciences drug currently used for moderately and severely ill patients. The drugs work in different ways — the antibodies help the immune system rid the body of virus, and remdesivir curbs the virus’ ability to multiply.

Garibaldi, a specialist in pulmonary critical care, said the president was not showing any side effects of the drugs “that we can tell.”

The National Institutes of Health COVID-19 treatment guidelines recommend against using dexamethasone in patients who do not require oxygen. It has only been proven to help in more serious cases. Among the concerns with earlier use is that steroids tamp down certain immune cells, hindering the body’s own ability to fight off infection.

Trump is 74 years old and clinically obese, putting him at higher risk of serious complications.

First lady Melania Trump has remained at the White House as she recovers from her own bout with the virus.

Many in the White House are also shaken and scared — nervous that they have been exposed to the virus and confronting the reality that what seemed like a bubble of safety has become a COVID-19 hot spot. It took until late Sunday for the White House to send a generic note to staffers suggesting they not come to the building if they do not feel well.

___

AG Barr to self-quarantine out of caution amid coronavirus worries

Attorney General William Barr speaks with Kellyanne Conway after President Donald Trump announced Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to the Supreme Court, in the Rose Garden at the White House, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Attorney General William Barr will self-quarantine for several days out of an abundance of caution after President Trump and several other lawmakers tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a report.

Barr was potentially exposed to COVID-19 at a Sept. 26 White House event announcing the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. He was seen on video having a conversation with Kellyanne Conway, who has since tested positive for the virus.

Department of Justice spokesperson Kerri Kupec said Sunday evening that Barr has been tested for COVID-19 four times since Friday morning and all four test results were negative

"He is feeling great and has no symptoms," she wrote on Twitter. "Thank you to all who have expressed concern and support!"

According to the New York Times, Barr previously said through a spokesperson that he would not quarantine.

He attended one meeting at Justice Department headquarters on Friday and stayed home during the weekend -- except to be tested.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

 

White House releases new photo of Trump from Walter Reed

The White House on Sunday released a new photograph of President Trump working out of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., while undergoing treatment for COVID-19.

The photo was taken after the president fielded calls from Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley. The caption said Mark Meadows, Trump’s chief of staff, was also in the room at the time.

Trump has been trying to project an image of strength during his brief stay at the hospital but has faced a few health scares in recent days, including two instances where his blood oxygen level dropped suddenly.  Trump was given a dose of the steroid dexamethasone in response.

Meadows told Fox News' "Justice with Judge Jeanine" Saturday night that the president was experiencing symptoms that had his staff "real concerned" on Friday, including fever and low blood oxygen level. But he appears to be recovering.

A normal blood oxygen reading is between 95 and 100. Dr. Sean Conley, who is Trump’s personal physician, said the president had a “high fever” and a blood oxygen level below 94% on Friday and during “another episode” on Saturday.

Oct. 4: President Donald J. Trump participates in a phone call with Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley. (WHITE HOUSE)

His medical team said they’ve been encouraged by the president’s energy and test results and said he might be able to be discharged from the hospital on Monday.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1312864232711520257

The president took a brief trip outside the hospital to greet supporters who’ve gathered outside. The president was criticized by many on social media that he jeopardized members of the Secret Service for a photo-op.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere said in a statement "that appropriate precautions were taken in the execution of this movement to protect the President and all those supporting it, including PPE. The movement was cleared by the medical team as safe to do.”