China Strategically Manipulating Strategic Mineral Markets and Disadvantaging the West, Expert Says

Mining

During a visit to Portugal, a senior U.S. official claimed that China is flooding the market in lithium as a “predatory” tactic to drive down global prices and beat back competition. If prices are low, the theory goes, it’s hard to attract investors and make mine development in the West economically attractive. 

Reuters reported Jose Fernandez, undersecretary for economic growth, energy and the environment at the U.S. Department of State said at a briefing earlier this month that China was looking at the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, which provides government funding for the development of critical minerals and domestic manufacturing, and responding to the competition it may create. 

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Senator Marsha Blackburn Speaks to Reporters After Voting Early in Brentwood

Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) told reporters on Friday she is “confident” in the security of the Volunteer State’s elections after she cast her vote early for the November 5 general election at an early voting polling location in Brentwood.

“We know that in Tennessee, we have the most secure elections in the country and our Secretary of State, Tre Hargett, gets a lot of credit for that. I know Tennesseans are confident they can show up, cast their vote, and that vote’s going to be counted,” Blackburn said.

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Republicans Warn of Long Election Day Lines as Maricopa County Says Results Will Be Delayed

Voting Line

As Republicans warn of long lines on Election Day in Maricopa County, Ariz., local election officials also expect election results to be delayed. Republicans in both Arizona and on the national level are claiming that Maricopa County has not sufficiently prepared for Election Day, which may result in long lines and persuading eligible voters to avoid voting. 

The possible Election Day issues are in addition to the announcement by Maricopa County election officials that it will take 10-13 days to completely tabulate all ballots, meaning that some races may not be called on election night.

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Michigan Bill Would Increase Voter ID Requirements

Michigan Voter ID Bill

Michigan voters would need to provide extensive documentation when showing up to the polls in order for their vote to be immediately counted if a newly introduced state senate bill becomes law.

Senate Bill 1034, sponsored by state Sen. Jonathan Lindsey, R-Allen, would require Michiganders to present both proof of identity and proof of residency when signing an affidavit to receive a ballot at polling locations.

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Commentary: Polls Underestimate Trump Because He Appeals to Americans Who Are Less Political

Trump and Crowd

One of the largest takeaways from Trump’s unexpected success in 2016 – and the inability of pollsters to accurately predict the support he earned in both 2016 and 2020 – is that Trump has continuously appealed to Americans who are less politically engaged.  

Adding to the issue, is that Americans with lower political engagement are also generally harder to recruit into political surveys to share their opinions. We see this theme repeatedly, with low propensity voters, especially first-time voters, being much more likely to support Trump than highly active voters. At the same time, lower frequency voters are much harder to reach in polls before election day.

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Youngkin, Miyares Vow to Appeal for Virginia’s Right to Remove Illegal Voters ‘All the Way to the Supreme Court’

Jason Miyares and Glenn Youngkin

Governor Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares on Friday vowed to appeal after a federal judge ordered Virginia to restore about 1,500 noncitizens to the commonwealth’s voter rolls.

U.S. District Judge Patricia Trolliver Giles, an appointee of President Joe Biden, announced her decision after the Biden-Harris Department of Justice (DOJ) sued to force Virginia to restore the noncitizen voters, alleging the commonwealth violated the National Voter Registration Act by removing them so close to an election.

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Pennsylvania County Claims It Discovered Batch of 2,500 Potentially Fraudulent Voter Registration Applications

Lancaster County Commission

Public officials in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania on Friday announced the discovery of a batch containing approximately 2,500 voter registration applications that includes as many as 1,500 forms submitted with false information or without the consent of the applicant.

Ray D’Agostino, the Vice-Chairman of the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners and Chairman of Lancaster County Board of Elections, said election workers discovered discrepancies including identical handwriting, signatures that do not match those on file with the county, duplicate registrations, false addresses, or fake driver’s license and social security numbers.

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Ohio Judge Strikes Down State’s Six-Week Abortion Ban

Gavel court judge order

A county judge in Ohio ruled Thursday that the state’s six-week abortion ban is unconstitutional, permanently blocking the law from taking effect.

Judge Christian Jenkins blocked Ohio’s “Heartbeat Act,” signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in 2019, arguing last year’s abortion ballot initiative that amended the state constitution should be able to take full effect.

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Report: Most Counties Have Little or No Local News Sources

News Room

A new study reveals that a majority of American counties have either one local news outlet or none at all, following a rise in closures of local newspapers.

As reported by Axios, the data compiled by the Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism reveals that over half of the United States’ 3,143 counties have either one local media outlet, or zero; this amounts to approximately 55 million people with limited or no access to local news.

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