Last week, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced that her office would send every registered voter in the state an absentee ballot application ahead of the November general election. The move was expected, given that Michigan voters had approved a ballot measure in 2018 to give every voter a chance to vote absentee with "no excuse." But it was met with fury from President Trump, who falsely claimed that Benson, a Democrat, was sending actual ballots to voters. While he later corrected that mistake on Twitter, the president continued to accuse Benson of "illegally" overstepping her authority, calling her a "rogue Secretary of State."
In an interview on Cheddar, Benson pushed back against President Trump's attacks on mail-in voting, which have continued for days, leading Twitter to put up its first fact checks on the president's account. "He got it wrong," Benson said, arguing that her office is trying to provide "certainty and clarity at a time of great uncertainty" and noting that she had the "authority and responsibility" to send mail-in ballot applications to all Michigan voters.
"It's simply a way to educate our voters about their choice to vote by mail this fall," Benson said. "It's really not something that should be controversial at all."
Vote-by-mail has taken on a new level of importance this election year, with many states resigned to the fact that the pandemic is likely to keep some voters away from polling places this fall, especially if a second wave of the coronavirus hits. Michigan is not the only state to expand absentee voting this year; California and New Hampshire have also announced rule changes for the election, and several other states are trying to find ways to make it easier for residents to vote absentee. The Trump campaign, and Trump himself, are against these changes — the RNC is suing to block California's order, and the president has already put down a marker for what may be expected to come if more states follow, tweeting that voting by mail will result in a "rigged election."
Election security experts say that the risk of fraud with mail-in voting is somewhat higher than with in-person voting, where it is virtually nonexistent, although President Trump has shared concerns about that, too. Benson says Michigan is working on ways to ensure the sanctity of the election, including the implementation of signature checks on ballots and envelopes, similar to how poll workers check voter signatures against past signatures when they show up to vote.
"It's very difficult, if not impossible, to forge someone's signature," she said.
The bigger issue may have to do with the speed, rather than the accuracy, of the results. Benson said that because current law stipulates that poll workers can't even open mailed-in ballots until Election Day, it may take more time — possibly days — for Michigan's official results to be certified. She said her office is efforting more machines and workers to cut that time down come November.
Her main concern, she said, is the president and his supporters sowing the seeds of doubt about the legitimacy of the election before anyone has had a chance to cast a ballot.
"I anticipate these attacks on the sanctity of our process...will only increase in the months ahead," Benson said. "We all have to be vigilant against that."
Many U.S. consumers say they’ve noticed higher than usual prices for holiday gifts in recent months, according to a a December poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A contributing factor is the unusually high import taxes the Trump administration put on foreign goods. While the worst-case consumer impact that many economists foresaw from the administration’s trade policies hasn’t materialized, some popular gift items have been affected more than others. Most toys and electronics sold in the U.S. come from China. So do most holiday decorations. Jewelry prices have risen due to the cost of gold.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to block states from regulating artificial intelligence. He argues that heavy regulations could stifle the industry, especially given competition from China. Trump says the U.S. needs a unified approach to AI regulation to avoid complications from state-by-state rules. The order directs the administration to draw up a list of problematic regulations for the Attorney General to challenge. States with laws could lose access to broadband funding, according to the text of the order. Some states have already passed AI laws focusing on transparency and limiting data collection.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
