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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 12 January 2021
Data snags cause Trump to miss giving Congress census data

By MIKE SCHNEIDER apportionment numbers to unprecedented order by
Associated Press the president, due to the the president to exclude
The Trump administration pandemic and irregulari- people in the country il-
has missed a deadline for ties that were discovered legally from those figures.
giving Congress numbers while crunching data from President-elect Joe Biden
used for dividing up con- the 2020 census on a short- opposes the order, which
gressional seats among ened schedule. was inspired by an influen-
the states, as the U.S. Cen- The census not only de- tial GOP adviser who wrote
sus Bureau works toward cides how many congres- that excluding them from
fixing data irregularities sional seats each state gets the apportionment process
found during the numbers- based on population, but would favor Republicans
crunching phase of the it also determines the distri- and non-Hispanic whites.
2020 census. bution of $1.5 trillion in fed- Last week, Biden an-
President Donald Trump on eral funding each year. nounced that Rhode Island
Sunday missed a deadline The earliest date the ap- Gov. Gina Raimondo will
for transmitting the appor- portionment numbers will be his nominee for Com- A briefcase of a census taker is seen as she knocks on the door
tionment numbers to Con- be ready is Feb. 9, as the merce Secretary, which of a residence Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020, in Winter Park, Fla. A half-
gress. Under federal law, Census Bureau fixes anom- would make her responsi- million census takers head out en mass this week to knock on
the president is required alies discovered during ble for the final 2020 census the doors of households that haven’t yet responded to the 2020
to hand over the numbers data processing, accord- numbers instead of current census. Associated Press
to Congress showing the ing to Department of Jus- Commerce Secretary Wil-
number of people in each tice, which is representing bur Ross, if census data- sued the Trump administra- ing the data will compro-
state within the first week of the Commerce Depart- processing continues past tion in order to stop the cen- mise its quality.
the start of Congress in the ment and Census Bureau in Jan. 20. sus from ending early out of The coalition says Depart-
year following a once-a- a lawsuit filed by a coalition Trump’s apportionment concerns that a shortened ment of Justice attorneys
decade head count of ev- of municipalities and ad- order was challenged in head count would cause have repeatedly refused
ery U.S. resident. There are vocacy groups in federal more than a half-dozen minority communities to be to turn over court-ordered
no penalties for missing the court in San Jose, Califor- lawsuits around the U.S., undercounted. documents, and the coali-
deadline. nia. but the Supreme Court The coalition of municipali- tion is seeking sanctions of
The president’s tardiness If that date holds, the Cen- ruled last month that any ties and advocacy groups $5,000 a day until they do
stemmed from the Com- sus Bureau will not finish challenge was premature. currently is seeking data so. The Department of Jus-
merce Department, which processing the numbers The San Jose lawsuit was and documents to help as- tice says sanctions are in-
oversees the Census Bu- until several weeks after originally brought by a co- sess the accuracy of the appropriate. A hearing in
reau, missing a year-end Trump leaves office Jan. alition of municipalities and 2020 census, saying a short- the lawsuit was being held
target date for giving the 20, putting in jeopardy an advocacy groups that had ened timeline for process- late Monday.q

Bar association seeks Giuliani ban over ‘combat’ remarks

By MICHAEL R. SISAK the people calling for the
Associated Press bar association to remove
NEW YORK (AP) — Rudy Giuliani were U.S. Reps.
Giuliani is facing possible Mondaire Jones, D-N.Y.,
expulsion from the New and Ted Lieu, D-Calif., who
York State Bar Association send a letter to the organi-
over incendiary remarks zation last week saying that
he made to President Don- his actions were “abso-
ald Trump’s supporters last lutely disqualifying from re-
week before they violently maining in good standing.”
stormed the U.S. Capitol. The bar association said
The organization said Mon- in a statement that Giu-
day that it has opened an liani’s words “quite clearly
inquiry into whether Giuliani were intended to encour-
should remain a member. age Trump supporters un-
Its bylaws state that “no happy with the election’s
person who advocates the outcome to take matters
overthrow of the govern- into their own hands.” The
ment of the United States” group condemned the vio-
shall remain a member. lence at the Capitol, call-
Removal from the bar asso- ing it “nothing short of an
ciation, a voluntary mem- attempted coup, intended
bership organization dat- to prevent the peaceful
ing to 1876, is not the same In this Jan. 6, 2021 file photo former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani speaks in Washington at a transition of power.”
as being disbarred and rally in support of President Donald Trump, called the “Save America Rally.” Associated Press “We cannot stand idly
banned from practicing by and allow those intent
law. That can only be done given a chance to explain president’s spurious fight to perpetuate Trump’s base- on rending the fabric of
by the courts. and defend his words and overturn his election loss to less voter fraud claims, our democracy to go un-
A message seeking com- actions. Giuliani, the former President-elect Joe Biden, which culminated in fiery checked,” the organiza-
ment was left with Giuliani’s mayor of New York City, is a Democrat. The bar asso- remarks last Wednesday in tion said in a statement.
spokesperson. The bar as- Trump’s personal lawyer ciation said it has received Washington as Congress The bar association isn’t the
sociation said he will be af- and has played a promi- hundreds of complaints met to count Biden’s Elec- only organization reconsid-
forded due process and be nent role in the Republican about Giuliani’s work to toral College win. Among ering its ties to Giuliani.q