February 1, 2019

A specialist in Election Law invites Mitch McConnell to attend classes at his alma mater to LEARN...

What's Mitch McConnell so afraid of?


https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/31/opinions/mitch-mcconnell-wrong-about-democrat-voting-bill-douglas/

By Joshua A. Douglas

Updated 7:56 AM ET, Fri February 1, 2019



Editors note" "Joshua A. Douglas is a professor at the University of Kentucky College of Law who specializes in election law, voting rights, and constitutional law. He is the author of the forthcoming book, "Vote for US: How to Take Back Our Elections and Change the Future of Voting." Follow him @JoshuaADouglas. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own; view more opinion at CNN."

(CNN) Dear Sen. Mitch McConnell,



As a professor of election law and voting rights at the University of Kentucky College of Law -- your state's flagship institution and your alma mater -- I invite you to come sit in on my election law class. Given your recent commentary on the subject, it might teach you a lot.


For instance, you can learn about the true merits of H.R. 1, the For the People Act, a proposed law that Democrats in Congress have introduced to completely revamp our elections. Yes, it would include a provision to make Election Day a federal holiday as part of a suite of reforms to improve voter turnout.

You mocked the holiday idea on the Senate floor this week (and in your recent Washington Post op-ed) while ignoring the comprehensive nature of the election reform package. You claim it's all part of a Democratic "power grab." Senator, are you really afraid of more eligible people going to the polls?

The law includes many reforms -- like automatic voter registration, felon re-enfranchisement, improved election security, and methods to make voting more convenient -- that all amount to one thing: modernizing our election system for everyone.
What's more, the law would enact numerous ideas that are already working in various states and localities throughout the country. It is aimed at bringing more eligible voters into our political process. In fact, several Republican-controlled states have enacted some of these reforms.

Take automatic voter registration, which is sweeping the nation. The idea is built on a simple premise: When the government already has information about voters, such as through the Department of Motor Vehicles office, it should simply add that information to the voter registration rolls. Voter registration is often an unnecessary barrier to voter participation, and states can eliminate that barrier by automatically registering valid voters in this way.

Far from a ruse that registers invalid voters (an assertion from your op-ed that the Washington Post later corrected), it would simply make it easier for more people to participate in our elections. In fact, automatic voter registration actually improves election integrity by helping states clean up their voter rolls..................

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I invite you to the classroom anytime you are available.

February 1, 2019

Melania Trump hates criticism so much she's suing over anything she deems unfair: report

I had only heard about one of her wins. But I do not pay much attention to her. I really have no interest in her comings and goings at all.




Melania Trump hates criticism so much she’s suing over anything she deems unfair: report

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/01/melania-trump-hates-criticism-much-shes-suing-anything-deems-unfair-report/



Dominique Jackson


30 Jan 2019 at 18:51 ET


While the press often criticizes those in the public eye, First Lady Melania Trump is not sitting idly by while headlines speculate about her life. In a report, The Washington Post explained how Trump has taken “unprecedented ” action against the media in her role as the first lady.

“But there’s one thing that no first lady — until Melania Trump — has done in response to wildly negative and untruthful stories: Sued a publication,” the report said.

Stephanie Grisham, Trump’s spokeswoman said that Trump does not want lies swirling around about her life.

“Her reasoning is pretty simple — she won’t stand for people printing lies about her,” Grisham told The Post. “It’s irresponsible and reckless, and media outlets should be held accountable when they choose profit over the truth.”

So far, the first lady has won settlements against three publications A British outlet The Telegraph issued a statement of apology to Trump. In 2016, she won a settlement with the Daily Mail. She also won a settlement against a Maryland blogger.

Trump’s attorney, Charles Harder said she, “will continue to enforce her rights against reckless writers, reporters, editors and publishers who make false statements about her.”

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February 1, 2019

Trump Administration Gets An Earful On New Campus Sexual Assault Rules

Trump Administration Gets An Earful On New Campus Sexual Assault Rules

https://www.npr.org/2019/01/30/689879689/education-department-gathers-feedback-on-new-campus-sexual-assault-rules?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20190130

January 30, 20197:32 AM ET
Heard on Morning Edition


After a presentation from activists, Boston University sophomore Blaire Thomas looks at the HandsOffIX website, which offers a Mad Lib-style template to comment on proposed changes to federal rules on how campuses handle cases of sexual assault and harassment.
Tovia Smith/NPR

The Department of Education has been inundated with approximately 100,000 public comments on its proposed new rules for how campuses handle cases of sexual assault. Secretary Betsy DeVos opened the public comment period two months ago, after unveiling her plan to replace Obama-era rules with regulations that, she says, would better protect the accused. The window for comments closes Wednesday at midnight.

Many who have weighed in praise the new rules for "restoring sanity" and fairness to the process but many more are critical.

Those comments range from short expletives and insults aimed at DeVos, to personal and sometimes graphic accounts of sexual assaults,and pleas not to return to the bad ol' days, when victims were not believed and incidents were swept under the rug.

The deluge of comments comes as survivor advocates have been mobilizing their troops on social media, at comment-writing pizza parties, and through crash courses in commenting on college campuses.

At a recent meeting of the Boston University Students For Reproductive Freedom club, Sage Carson with the survivor advocacy group, Know Your IX joined in by video conference, updating students on what the proposals would do.


"I'll be blunt," she says, "It's devastating." She tells the students the proposed rules would mean schools don't automatically have to investigate incidents alleged to have occurred in private, off-campus apartments, or misconduct that is reported to a coach or resident advisor, for example, instead of the official Title IX officer.

She then instructs students how to formally file their objections through the Hands Off IX website. A Mad Libs-type of template makes commenting easy, and then forwards submissions on to the official regulation comment website. .........................