Opinion: Previewing the Trump/Harris debate

Posted on by Jack Colwell

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Now comes the Kamala Harris vs. Donald Trump debate, looming as an important factor in deciding the presidential election and the nation’s course at home and in the world.

Q. Who will win?

A. It’s impossible to predict a debate winner with any certainty. The unexpected can happen in a presidential debate and often does.

Q. What unexpected could happen?

A. Like that June 27 debate when President Joe Biden bumbled terribly, unable to finish sentences and thoughts. Or like that 2020 debate when Trump raged incoherently. No doubt about the loser in those two debates, even if you don’t recall a single issue that was discussed.

Q. Well, in terms of predicting this time, aren’t most Harris backers confident it will be a prosecutor vs. felon show, with the jury of voters around the nation finding Trump guilty of fraud and unfit to return to the White House?

A. Yes. But prosecution efforts in real courts this year enabled Trump to convince a large segment of voters that he is a victim, not a villain. The debate will be viewed by voters in their living rooms, not in a courtroom. Harris could damage the favorable image she has been building if she comes across as a hostile prosecutor.

Q. How about the other side? Aren’t most MAGA backers confident that Trump will demolish Harris, making her look flustered, weak and unfit for the White House?

A. Yes. But ridiculing and insulting her could backfire if she doesn’t take the bait and remains calm and in control. Trump could damage the image he has been promoting as more presidential if he rages the way he did in that 2020 debate.

Q. Will the debate decide the presidential election?

A. That’s very unlikely, unless one of the candidates is as shockingly bad as Biden was in June — so bad that he dropped out of the race. It could be that the debate will have little effect on the outcome.

Q. Little effect? No winner?

A. Yes, just as a debate can have significant effect, some presidential debates have had little effect, with supporters of each candidate seeing their choice as a winner and nothing happening to cause any undecided voters to swing sharply in any direction. Also, a lot can still happen before Election Day to overcome reaction to the debate.

Q. What issue is likely to be most important in the debate?

A. How the candidates look will be more important than how they look at issues. Most voters know the general direction each side has taken on issues of importance to them. So they won’t be interested in a bunch of statistics or lengthy arguments to back up or shoot down some position. They will focus instead on the demeanor of the candidates as they take their expected stands.

Q. What will be important in the way they look?

A. Who does or doesn’t look confident, truthful, presidential, likable. It’s been said that voters sometimes evaluate which candidate they would prefer to have a beer with or have as a visitor at their home.

Q. What will viewers be looking for especially when Harris is on the TV screen?

A. Whether she seems presidential, ready to be commander in chief. Yes, the lingering question for some of a woman president. If she smiles as Trump attacks, will she look in control and more likable or will she look weak?

Q. What will they be looking for especially when Trump is on the TV screen?

A. Whether he looks too old, too unhinged to go back to the White House. So-called double haters had been disgusted with the Trump vs. Biden choice, finding both to be too “out of it.” The age issue clearly hurt Biden more, but now the focus of that will be on Trump. 

Jack Colwell has covered Indiana politics for over five decades for the South Bend Tribune. Email him at [email protected].

Education reports to the General Assembly shared with Board of Education

Posted on by Matthew Sasser

The state Board of Education reviewed two reports mandated by the General Assembly at a meeting Wednesday morning. 

Career and College Ready Graduate introduces college-level math and English courses to high school seniors to help them prepare to attend a North Carolina college without any remediation courses. The program is in its third year of full implementation following funding from the General Assembly in the 2022-23 fiscal year. 

The program’s administrator, Erica Shoulders-Royster, said its main goals include eliminating opportunity gaps by 2025 and lowering the number of students taking remedial classes. 

Shoulders-Royster shared results from a survey of over 400 students and 200 staffers, showing that flexible scheduling of class times and smaller class sizes have been most successful so far according to respondents. 

More than 50% of staff stated grade point average was the main method of determining eligibility for students in the program. A GPA between 2.2 and 2.79 was the main criterion used to determine a student’s eligibility. 

According to the presentation from Shoulders-Royster, more than 50% of Career and College Ready Graduate  students are people of color, a greater portion of participants are economically disadvantaged and classes are predominantly male. 

The 2023-24 pass rate for math courses in the Career and College Ready Graduate program rose 3% across all three tested levels from the previous year. All levels reported a pass rate in the mid-80s. 

“Those [improved math scores] remain drastically different from previous … results. We’re still moving in the right direction,” Shoulders-Royster said, adding that consideration for how to make the English classes more effective is in progress. 

A much lower pass rate was reported in the 2023-24 English classes. Last year, pass rates of 24% and 18% were reported in English 1 and 2, respectively. Of 5,761 English 1 test attempts, 1,407 students passed. 

Shoulders-Royster shared that North Carolina community colleges were the most popular choice for Career and College Ready Graduate students, accounting for 24% of higher education enrollment stemming from the program. She added that 59% of the program’s students do not enroll in a college. 

A second presentation addressed the most recent testing data available for students with disabilities. 

“Students with disabilities experienced a slight increase in proficiency for grade-level performance,” Carol Ann Hudgens, senior director at the Office of Exceptional Children, said about the 2022-23 school year data. “While this is an improvement post-pandemic and a credit to exceptional educators statewide, the rate of improvement remains a concern.”

In 2017, 23% of students with disabilities were reported grade-level proficient. In 2021, that figure declined to 15%. It rose to 18% in 2022 and 19% from the most recent year of data available in 2023. 

Revised efforts to include retention in the Exceptional Children office will be a part of an upcoming fall conference where invited educators, speech therapists and audiologists will attend a recruitment fair to network and provide support in filling vacancies. Hudgens said the Exceptional Children mentoring program has been and will continue to be a boost for new teachers. 

“It’s designed to work with teachers in the most critical years of retention to strengthen the knowledge and application of EC processes,” she said. 

Four other reports to the General Assembly were approved via the consent agenda Wednesday morning. Reports for districts’ remote instruction plans, a fifth grade career awareness program, the impact of a coding and mobile app development grant and a students with disabilities definition of residence list were approved.

For questions or comments, or to pass along story ideas, please write to Matthew Sasser at [email protected] or contact the NC Insider at [email protected] or @StateAffairsNC 

Budget committee sounds alarm over Docking Building expenditure

Posted on by Matt Resnick

Members of the Legislative Budget Committee broached concerns Wednesday over the allocation of at least $17 million for furniture and equipment at the under construction Docking State Office Building. 

Rep. Troy Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill, said the money was generated via interest from American Rescue Plan Act grant funding, but questioned why the dollar figure was budgeted for 2024 when the project isn’t slated to be completed until 2025. Prior to his remarks, the committee was informed that the furniture and equipment purchases wouldn’t be made until the completion of the project next year. 

“Why was it appropriated earlier than needed?” Waymaster asked during a presentation by Dylan Dear, assistant director for Fiscal Services. 

Dear added, “We don’t have any evidence that the money has actually been spent at this point.” 

Rep. Henry Helgerson, D-Eastborough, told State Affairs he has “real questions” about the allocation of pandemic aid dollars. The discovery of a former high-ranking commerce official’s body last week ignited controversy pertaining to the Department of Commerce’s alleged misappropriation of COVID-19 grant funding. Jonathan Clayton, who was found dead in his wrecked pickup truck, worked for the department from 2020 to 2023, ending as economic recovery director.

The commerce department has since denied Clayton’s claims that it improperly steered aid to certain districts. As far as the funding earmarked for furniture and equipment expenditures, Helgerson said it was never approved by the Legislature. He also questioned the position taken by Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration that American Rescue Plan Act funds can be allocated without legislative approval. 

“There are legislators, myself included, who believe that is not what the statute says,” he said. 

Rachel Willis, director of legislative affairs for the Department of Commerce, briefed the committee on projects that fell under the umbrella of an economic development initiative for the northwest and north central regions of the state.

“The funding allocation for Northwest Economic Development will serve as a catalyst to continue to enhance the region by improving infrastructure related to housing and commercial development,” Willis said, adding that each of the projects requires differing local funding matches.

The projects include: 

  • Atwood housing project, $750,000. The commerce department is working in concert with a developer to construct nine houses using funding through the agency’s Reinvestment Housing Incentive District program. 
  • Colby drive-thru access project, $427,325. The project’s blueprint is centered on the redevelopment of an access road to improve traffic flow through an area of Colby that includes several retailers and restaurants. 
  • Colby retail development project, $4.73 million. According to a document distributed by Willis, the project is intended to “transform Colby into a major regional attraction.” The project’s centerpiece is a multipurpose arena and equestrian center surrounded by retail outlets and hotels. 
  • Hays 27th Street project, $4.44 million. The funding is earmarked for the development of a retail shopping center and will also bankroll costs associated with “land acquisition, architectural design, and engineering and grading.” 
  • Sharon Spring infrastructure improvement project, $1 million. The commerce department and developers are working with a developer to construct 24 new lots on the west side of town — the first new housing project in Sharon Springs in decades, according to Willis’ document. 
  • Dane G. Hansen Housing Cooperative project, $4 million. The project centers on the development of 75 houses and 80 apartments in various communities in northwest Kansas. 
  • Russell, Maple and Main residential development project, $1.5 million. The multiphase housing project includes senior living, single-family homes and a community center through Commerce’s Reinvestment Housing Incentive District program. 

Willis also provided minimal updates on STAR Bond projects, such as the Mattel Adventure Park planned for a 2026 opening in Bonner Springs and a project tied to new headquarters for American Royal in Kansas City. 

She told the committee she was unable to provide much information on those projects because of their “size and complexity.” She added that further details will be presented after the districts are approved and bonds have been issued. 

Helgerson also took issue with transparency related to a host of projects.

“The Legislature has never really had thorough discussion about how much government wants to intrude or partner with private development,” he said. 

Helgerson acknowledged that “housing has been a problem in many of those areas” of the state but questioned whether the government should be the one attempting to solve those problems. 

“Legislators and the governor have backdoored in to decide that we’re going to put tens of millions of dollars into this process,” he said. “With the emphasis at the federal and state levels in putting in millions of more dollars, there probably needs to be a discussion as to what are the appropriate limits for government [involvement] in something that’s historically been private industry.” 

Helgerson added, “There needs to be some overnight and a clear expectation of what you’re trying to accomplish — establishment of goals and how you’re going to reach those goals.” 

Matt Resnick is a statehouse reporter at State Affairs Pro Kansas/Hawver’s Capitol Report. Reach him at [email protected].

Judge weighs complaint against House candidate’s residency

Posted on by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

The judge presiding over the complaint filed against LD15 House candidate Michael Way said he wants to rule on the matter by Friday. He has until Monday to rule if Way will be eligible to hold a seat in the House as he will likely win in the Republican-leaning district. Plaintiff Deborah Kirkland, who said Tuesday she supported Way’s Freedom Caucus-endorsed opponent Peter Anello in the primary election, is asking Judge Rodrick Coffey to keep Way on the ballot but allow Republican precinct committeemen to appoint three nominees for replacement, with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors appointing a nominee for office, similar to the process of a legislative vacancy. Neither Anello nor the other runner-up in the LD15 GOP House race, Alex Stovall, are eligible to run as write-in candidates in the general election due to Arizona’s “sore loser” law. Karen Hartman-Tellez, an attorney representing the Secretary of State’s office, said at the Anello nor the other runner-up in the LD15 GOP House race Anello nor the other runner-up LD15 GOP House race, Alex Stovall,  are not eligible to run as write-in candidates in the general election due to Arizona’s “sore loser” law. Karen Hartman-Tellez, an attorney representing the Secretary of State’s office, said at the end of Tuesday’s evidentiary hearing they could run as write-in candidates if Way is removed from the ballot, but there’s a risk for Republicans under that scenario that could result in Democrat to potentially pick up a seat in the district against write-in opponents. hearing they could run as write-in’s if Way is removed from the ballot, but there’s a risk for Republicans under that scenario that could result in Democrat Barbara Beneitone to potentially pick up a seat in the district against write-in opponents. Ballots have already been printed in Maricopa and Pinal counties, and Hartman-Tellez said state statute is clear that election officials should only count votes for candidates if they are ineligible to receive votes due to death or incapacity. “Incapacity doesn’t mean involuntary withdrawal or voluntary withdrawal,” Hartmman-Tellez said. Way’s attorney, Andrew Gould, argued state law gives the legislature “almost limitless” power to determine its own rules regarding the eligibility of its members. The legislature passed a law in 1991 that was aimed at eliminating post-primary election challenges, and Gould argued the law gives the court now jurisdiction in Way’s case because of separation of powers.

Gov braves unfamiliar territory to celebrate Apache trout

Posted on by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

Hobbs joined the Secretary of the Interior and the White Mountain Apache Tribe at Bass Pro Shops in Mesa on Wednesday to announce the removal of the Apache trout from the Endangered Species List, and the jokes wrote themselves. Surrounded by the store’s fish display and waterfall feature, Secretary Deb Haaland, White Mountain Apache Tribe Chairman Kasey Velasquez and Hobbs celebrated the state fish’s recovery from near extinction. Hobbs posed for a photo with a stuffed fish before answering questions from reporters, who peppered her with questions about her fishing and camping habits. Hobbs told reporters that she is not good at fishing, adding that she’ll practice “when I’m done being governor.” She also told reporters that the last time she visited a Bass Pro Shops was likely before she was governor. Hobbs said she has never been hunting but would be willing to try it, also, once she leaves office.

Gallego touts work on lowering seniors’ prescription drug prices

Posted on by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

Backed by a group of Arizona seniors, Gallego highlighted his work to lower prescription drug prices at Phoenix pharmacy Monday and took the time to contrast himself with Lake, who he said previously called to significantly cut the federal budget and likened price negotiation on pharmaceuticals to communism. Gallego chiefly highlighted his work backing the Inflation Reduction Act, which, in part, caps the cost of insulin at $35 and puts a $2,000 limit on out-of-pocket costs for those on Medicare. Doug Hart, a senior and former president of Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans, said his out-of-pocket costs were $5,000, and under the $2,000 price cap, he would be saving $3,000. “Any senior that votes for Kari Lake has got to think, do I really want to spend $3,000 more out of pocket to vote for her?” Hart said. Gallego said Lake proposed a 50% to 70% cut to the federal budget, which he claimed would “put Medicare and other vital programs on the chopping block.” Lake did not make any specific mention of Medicare when proposing cuts. And she said most recently at Trump’s rally in Glendale that “any politician who tries to lay a finger on your Medicare or Social Security will have to go through me.” But when asked about price controls on Medicare in an interview August 15, Lake said the proposal fell in line with communism. Gallego’s press conference Monday again highlighted his support from senior organizations. He received endorsements in May from the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.  “I will continue to work in partnership with Arizona seniors because of our shared mission of making Arizona a place where people have access to safe retirement, access to health care, and they can retire comfortably, safely and with dignity,” Gallego said. “I will always fight to protect Medicare, to keep medication affordable and to preserve Arizona’s part or benefits, and this is a fight that will take with me all the way to the Senate.”

Feds allege Russians funneled $10M through conservative outlet in Tennessee

Posted on by Erik Schelzig

After being dropped by distributors in 2022, the television network formerly known as Russia Today covertly funded a conservative content creation company in Tennessee to spread misinformation, according to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday.

RT employees Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva were charged with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act and to commit money laundering. 

Afanasyeva allegedly used multiple false personalities to post hundreds of videos on the platforms controlled by an entity identified in the indictment as Company 1, which described itself as a “network of heterodox commentators that focus on Western political and cultural issues.” The description matches language on the website of Tenet Media, which is based in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville. 

Tenet Media’s description of its mission. (Credit: Tenet website)

The indictment also says the company registered with the Tennessee Secretary of State on May 22, 2023, the same date that state records show a company called Roaming USA Corp. changed its assumed name to Tenet Media. 

The complaint said the company received about 30 wire transfers from foreign entities totaling $9.7 million. The outfit never publicly disclosed that it was funded and directed by RT or registered as an agent of a foreign principal, federal prosecutors said. 

According to the HuffPost’s Yashar Ali, Tenet is owned by Lauren Chen, who is affiliated with Turning Point USA, and her husband, Liam Donovan. Donovan is listed as Tenet’s agent in the filings with the Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s office.

A Hargett spokesman declined to say whether the office had received a subpoena from federal investigators.

The company’s founders allegedly worked together with the defendants to “deceive” two of the site’s prominent commentators, who had 2.4 million and 1.3 million YouTube subscribers, to post the content. Tenet’s roster includes Laura Southern, Tim Pool, Taylor Hansen, Matt Christiansen, Dave Rubin, and Benny Johnson.

Kalashnikov, Afanasyeva and the company’s founders “worked together to mask U.S. Company 1’s true source of funding — i.e., RT,” the indictment said.

A message left by State Affairs with Tenet through its website was not immediately returned.

The indictments were part of a larger effort by the federal government to crack down on Russian efforts to influence the 2024 election.

“The American people are entitled to know when a foreign power engages in political activities or seeks to influence public discourse,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said. 

More Tennessee connections

RT had Tennessee connections when it was still on the air. Nashville political operative and attorney Steve Gill was a frequent guest. Scottie Nell Hughes worked as an anchor. 

“I’ve never heard of these people, never been aware of anything that they’ve been supposedly operating here in Tennessee,” Gill told The Tennessee Journal. “I’ve got to tell you, if you gave me $10 million, I could definitely affect an election. Better than having some troll bots out there doing ads [in 2016] that apparently some of which were trying to help Hillary [Clinton] and some of which were attacking Trump.

“Again, the whole thing to me looks a little bit light,” Gill added, arguing that intelligence officials improperly downplayed the significance of Hunter Biden’s laptop during the 2020 presidential election, which he likened to “actual election interference.”

Steve Gill appears on RT in 2020. (Credit: Screengrab from RT)

Gill said the Biden administration, meanwhile, is “not doing anything against Iran which is actively trying to interfere with the election to defeat Trump because they’d rather have the more pliable Biden administration through Harris.”

He charged the Biden administration is “all about intimidation, silencing opposition, silencing” questioning U.S. policy in areas ranging from Ukraine to vaccine skepticism. 

Gil said he “never received a dime” for his appearances on RT. 

“You know me,” he said. “Do you think anybody’s ever told me what to say?”

He said he has appeared on other outlets as well, including Iranian TV where he has criticized the Iranian government.

“My opinions have been consistent for 35 years,” Gill said with a laugh.

ACC candidates face off in only debate before election

Posted on by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

The six candidates vying for three seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission laid out their priorities during a debate hosted by the Citizens Clean Elections Commission on Tuesday night. The Democrats – Ylenia Aguilar, Jonathon Hill and Joshua Polacheck – pitched themselves as reformers who could change the trajectory of the Republican-led commission. The Republicans – incumbent Commissioner Lea Marquez Peterson, Rachel Walden and Rene Lopez – promised to stay the course and uphold the ACC’s recent policy decisions. Much of the conversation centered around energy sources and utility rates, with the Democrats emphasizing the environment, and the Republicans stressing the economy. Aguilar, Hill and Polacheck said they’ll advocate for a transition to 100% renewable energy in the state, while the Republicans said they want to focus on a diversity of energy sources. All candidates said they want to ensure lower costs for ratepayers; Republicans said they want to use the free market to do so, while Democrats said they want to impose a tighter leash on utility companies. The conversation stayed mainly focused on energy policy, not delving much further into the other issues the commission deals with like securities and railroads. During his closing remarks Polacheck briefly mentioned election integrity, saying he wished the candidates had been asked whether they thought Arizona’s elections had been “free and fair” in recent years. “I’m not sure everyone on the stage agrees with [that],” Polacheck said. It’s unclear who the comment was directed at, but Walden has been supportive of Trump on social media and aligned with Trump-backed candidates in Arizona. None of the Republican candidates responded to Polacheck’s statement. Tuesday’s debate was the only one scheduled for the ACC race and likely the only chance voters have to see the candidates square off face-to-face before Election Day.

AFL expands suit over federal-only voting lists

Posted on by Yellow Sheet Report Staff

A lawsuit from America First Legal claiming failure to verify citizenship and remove noncitizens from federal-only voting lists moved to federal court and expanded to all 15 counties, per an amended complaint filed Monday. Before filing suit, AFL sent demand letters to all 15 county recorders for information and confirmation of citizenship checks on federal-only voters in July. And in August, the Trump-aligned legal group sued Maricopa County and its recorder, Stephen Richer, on behalf of Strong Communities Foundation of Arizona Inc., or EZAZ, in Maricopa County Superior Court, alleging failure to conduct regular list maintenance and failure to send information about federal-only voters to the AG. The county then requested the case be moved to the district court given its dealings with federal law. And now in federal court, AFL added all 15 counties to the suit. The parties are scheduled for a case management conference on October 3.

Committee gets peek at new unemployment compensation system

Posted on by Bryan Richardson

The Unemployment Compensation Modernization and Improvement Council on Wednesday took a first look at a new system that state officials believe will help prevent fraudulent claims.

Kansas Department of Labor Secretary Amber Shultz said the system will go live Nov. 19, which is a delay from the late-September goal the department had been shooting for.

“It’s imperative to me that we delay because of the training,” she said, emphasizing the priority of ensuring labor employees know the system well.

Shultz said the additional weeks will provide staff members with better understanding of the system and more opportunities to find necessary tweaks before the system goes live.

House Bill 2570, an unemployment bill the Legislature passed in April, included a provision that extended the sunset date for the council to Dec. 31, 2026. The previous sunset date would’ve passed in June, but the implementation of the new system required more time.

Labor officials provided the committee with a demonstration of the new system.

Sen. Renee Erickson, R-Wichita, called it “an exciting day.”

“This is a day that’s been in the works for a long time,” the committee chair said. “We get a glimpse at the hard work that’s gone into this project.”

In 2022, the labor department hired Tata Consultancy Service to update the unemployment system after the Legislature established the modernization project in 2021.

The agency has spent nearly $25 million on the project as of Aug. 28, Shultz said, adding the spending is within budget and scope.

The enhancements include a requirement for all claimants to record weekly work search activities, integration with KansasWorks for My Reemployment Plan and a segregation that would allow claimants and employers to use the system if other state systems fail.

The project also aims to improve fraud prevention through multifactor authentication.

Shultz said she expects “nefarious actors” to attempt to exploit the system once it goes live.

“They’re watching for when we are going to go live,” Shultz said. “As soon as we do, they’re going to attempt to start poking holes by utilizing social engineering to get somebody to let them in the system through the back door.”

YouTube video

Bryan Richardson is the managing editor at State Affairs Pro Kansas/Hawver’s Capitol Report. Reach him at [email protected] or on X @RichInNews.

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