Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 5-8-20

Political News
Barack And Michelle Obama To Headline YouTube’s Virtual Commencement Event
Democrats File Lawsuit That Would Lift Mail-In
Voting Restrictions
One issue that comes up repeatedly as the coronavirus pandemic interferes with the 2020 election season is how to ensure that people can vote safely. While Republi- cans seem hellbent on forc- ing voters to choose between risking their health to vote in person or staying home and not voting at all, Democrats have filed a lawsuit aimed at ending what they feel are un- constitutional restrictions prohibiting voters—particu- larly young and African- American voters—from casting absentee ballots.
According to WCSC 5, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Dem- ocratic National Committee, and South Carolina Demo- cratic Party filed the “Four Pillars” lawsuit in a U. S. Federal Court in Columbia, S. C. on Saturday. The suit al- leges that stipulations around mail-in voting— which generally say that the only people who qualify are people 65 and older; people with disabilities or underly-
ing health issues; and people in the military serving over- seas—unfairly require voters to risk exposure to a deadly virus in order to vote in South Carolina’s primary on June 9 and in the general election in November.
“We won’t allow this pan- demic to be used as an ex- cuse to undermine our democracy,” DNC chairman Tom Perez said in a state- ment, according to The State. “It’s the job of our leaders to defend our right to vote, not to create unneces- sary, unconstitutional bur- dens.”
The suit also alleges that, because black people are being killed by COVID-19 in- fection at higher rates, black voters are disproportionately affected by absentee-ballot restrictions and are being forced to choose between staying home on Election Day or “avoiding needless and serious risk to their health, the health of their friends and family and the broader community.”
Former President Barack Obama will deliver a com- mencement message for America’s high school seniors in a televised multimedia primetime special Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020. ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC will simultaneously air the special on May 16, at 8 pm ET/PT/7 pm CT, along with more than 20 other broadcast and digital stream- ing partners.
Hosted by XQ Institute, The LeBron James Family Foundation, and The Enter- tainment Industry Founda- tion the primetime special will bring together notable figures to give a joyful tribute
BARACK AND MICHELLE OBAMA
One of the next big battles on Capitol Hill will be over a push by leading Democrats to include billions of dollars in direct rental assistance in the next economic relief package.
Rep. Maxine Waters, of California, is lobbying hard to get the rescue package to include her legislation ban- ning evictions and directing $100 billion in rental assis- tance to tenants in unsubsi- dized housing.
“I’ve warned everyone we must include my $100 [bil- lion] plan to protect renters from evictions,” Waters tweeted on April 24. “I’m prepared to fight till hell freezes over to get it done!”
Immediate relief could
REP. MAXINE WATERS
head off a long-term danger for many renters: Struggling tenants — including a dispro- portionate number of mi- norities whose jobs have been wiped out by the crisis
— will be unable to stay cur- rent on their rent, meaning they could be slammed with massive payments when the emergency ends. They will then face not only eviction but also a major hit to their credit scores, which would hurt their ability to build wealth for years to come.
Rep. Barbara Lee (D- Calif.) is seeking an immedi- ate moratorium on evictions for “all types of rentals,” not just those that are federally subsidized.
“We haven't recovered from the last recession in terms of the loss of one's home,” Lee said in an inter- view. In communities of color, “we have a pandemic upon a pandemic.”
to America’s Class of 2020. Among those joining Presi- dent Obama are LeBron James, Malala Yousafzai, the Jonas Brothers, Yara
Shahidi, Bad Bunny, Lena Waithe, Pharrell Williams, Megan Rapi- noe, H.E.R., Ben Platt, and others.
Pandemic Threatens To Widen Racial Wealth Gap
New Video From The Lincoln Project Blames Trump For Mishandling Coronavirus Outbreak
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway is Trump’s mouthpiece. She is a news outlet favorite be- cause she can spin any Trump messup into a beau- tiful word salad of bulls*^t. It’s truly a skill.
George T. Conway, III is a prominent attorney and ar- guably Trump’s biggest ad- versary. He constantly trolls Trump on Twitter. He even co-founded a super PAC of Republicans that don’t bother with Trump.
Kellyanne Conway and
THE CONWAYS
George Conway are mar- ried. Somehow, they make it work.
On Monday, the Lincoln Project, Conway’s super
PAC that he formed with for- mer GOP strategist Steve Schmidt, released a video that placed the blame on Trump and his staff for the spread and mishandling of the ongoing coronavirus out- break. According to the Washington Post, the video called “Mourning in Amer- ica,” a play on President Ronald Reagan’s famous “Morning in America” 1984 campaign ad, claims that Trump ignored the deadly virus, which has led to tens of thousands of deaths.
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