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u.s. news Dialuna 19 September 2022

Some census takers who fudged data didn’t get fired

(AP) - Some census tak- had not visited so they could
ers who falsified informa- close cases during the waning
tion during the 2020 count days of the census.
didn’t have their work re-
done fully, weren’t fired Supervisors were able to track
in a timely manner and in their census takers’ work in
some cases even received real time through mobile de-
bonuses, according to the vices that the census takers
U.S. Commerce Depart- used to record information
ment’s watchdog group. about households’ numbers,
demographic characteristics
The findings released Friday and members’ relationships
by the Office of Inspector to one another. As a result,
General raise concerns about supervisors would get alerts
possible damage to the qual- when actions raised red flags
ity of the once-a-decade head about accuracy, such as a cen-
count that determines politi- sus taker recording data on
cal power and federal fund- a home while far away from
ing, the address or a census taker
conducting an interview in
Off-campus students at col- just a few minutes. As a qual-
leges and universities were ity control check, others cen-
likely undercounted since sus takers were sent back to
the census started around the homes to re-interview resi-
same time students were sent dents.
home to stop the spread of In fact, some census tak- work, only 300 were fired the census determines how
COVID-19 in March 2020, The Inspector General’s ers whose work was flagged for misconduct or unsatis- many congressional seats
the review found. probe concluded that some for falsifications were given factory performance. Of the each state gets. The numbers
alerts weren’t being properly more cases, weren’t fired and 1,400 “hard fail” census tak- also are used for redrawing
During the 2020 census, resolved, some re-interviews were reassigned to other op- ers, 1,300 of them received political districts and distrib-
The Associated Press docu- weren’t properly conducted erations, the report said. bonuses ranging from $50 to uting $1.5 trillion in federal
mented cases of census takers and that the work of some $1,600 each, the report said. spending each year. Because
who were pressured by their census takers whose work Of the 1,400 census takers of that, undercounts can cost
supervisors to enter false in- had been flagged for falsi- who were designated “hard The census is the largest non- communities funding.
formation into a computer fying data had not been re- fails” because questions military mobilization in the
system about homes they worked to fix its accuracy. about the accuracy of their U.S. Data gathered during

Biden warns US democracy threatened, but how can he save it?

(AP) — President Joe Former President Donald in a climate where one party to “preserve, protect and de- and to their support for the
Biden is finding it’s easier Trump continues to stoke has so frontally questioned fend” the U.S. Constitution, Electoral Count Act, which
to call out attacks on de- the baseless claim the 2020 the integrity of the electoral but even in ordinary times would patch ambiguities ex-
mocracy than it is to stop election was stolen, and even process and actively sought to there is no playbook for safe- ploited by Trump and his al-
them. now advocates for the results undermine confidence in it. guarding it. Biden took that lies.
in certain battleground states oath as the nation was facing
His fundamental rationale to be decertified even though “We’re in an unprecedent- challenges unmatched since The administration also has
for running for president was the falsehood has been re- ed situation here, because perhaps the U.S. Civil War, sounded the alarm about
that America’s democratic jected by dozens of courts Biden’s predecessor has in the view of some histori- domestic extremist groups.
traditions were in jeopardy. and his own attorney general. shown a flagrant disregard ans. There’s an increasing overlap
Now, 20 months into his The belief has taken deep for the Constitution of the with politically-fueled vio-
presidency, the dangers are root in the Republican Party, United States, and now oth- In a speech earlier this month lence, as a growing number
worse, Biden’s warnings are with dozens of candidates in- ers are following that path,” at Philadelphia’s Indepen- of ardent Trump support-
more dire -- and the limits sisting Trump was right. said Princeton historian Sean dence Hall, Biden described ers seem ready to strike back
of his own ability to fix the Wilentz, who was among a democracy as “under assault” against the FBI or others
problem are clearer. Never in the country’s histo- group invited to the White and pledged that it was the they consider going too far
ry have elections taken place House recently to put today’s work of his presidency to in investigating the former
challenges in historical con- defend it. But he also said president. And the National
text. “It could be dangerous.” the solution had to be bigger Security Council has devel-
than him, that he can’t turn oped a whole-of-government
Biden has found, even with back what he sees as a years- strategy to counter domestic
the megaphone of the White long backslide in American violent extremism, which
House, how difficult it is to political norms on his own. U.S. intelligence officials
counter the Trump-inspired have called the top threat to
narrative and the millions of His efforts at persuasion homeland security.
Americans who believe it. don’t seem to have produced
Trump allies have been going any significant shift in public While voters ranked threats
around the country peddling opinion. His push for voting to democracy as the most
lies about the 2020 elec- rights legislation in Congress important issue ahead of the
tion and conspiracy theories has for the most part fallen midterm elections, according
about voting machines, while short. to an NBC News poll late
Republican candidates run- last month, the conspiracy
ning for office this year have Beyond the president’s in- theories pushed by Trump
repeated his lies to their sup- creasingly drastic warnings, and his allies have succeeded
porters –- messaging that has White House officials point in sowing doubts about the
reached a broad audience. to the administration’s ef- integrity of U.S. elections in
forts to push voting rights a large swath of the popula-
Every U.S. president swears safeguards through Congress tion.