TheNewsGuru

Tag: U.S. Elections

  • U.S. presidential debate: What undecided voters think

    U.S. presidential debate: What undecided voters think

    A group of U.S. voters who could not choose between Joe Biden and Donald Trump before Thursday’s presidential debate delivered their verdicts after the contest and it was almost universally bad news for Biden.

    Of the 13 “undecideds” who spoke to Reuters, 10 described the 81-year-old Democratic president’s performance against Republican candidate Trump collectively as feeble, befuddled, embarrassing and difficult to watch.

    Gina Gannon, 65, a retiree in the battleground state of Georgia, voted for Trump in 2016 before ditching him for Biden in 2020.

    “Joe Biden looked very weak and confused right from the start. It concerns me that our global enemies see Joe Biden in this manner.

    “I was shocked and dismayed. I hate to see our president acting that way on TV and in front of the world,” Gannon said.

    She added: “I am voting for Donald Trump now.”

    Presidential debates typically have limited influence on voters but Biden and Trump are in a tight race and the election will likely be decided by just thousands of votes in a handful of swing states.

    Both candidates need to win over the relatively small number of voters who have not yet decided who to vote for.

    Biden delivered a shaky, faltering performance while Trump battered him with a series of often false attacks.

    Biden’s poor showing rattled his fellow Democrats and will likely deepen voter concerns that he is too old to serve another four-year term.

    Seven of the nine voters who were dismayed by Biden’s performance told Reuters they were now leaning towards Trump because they no longer believe Biden can perform his duties as president.

    Three of those said they would vote for Trump in his Nov. 5 election rematch with Biden, even though two of them said they do not like the former Republican president.

    Meredith Marshall, 51, who lives in the Los Angeles area and is self-employed, said the debate left her in shock.

    She voted for Biden in 2020 but is now leaning toward Trump, given what she described as Biden’s lack of mental acuity.

    “God forbid if my choices are as they stand right now based on this debate. Hands down I would vote for a liar and a convict over a person who doesn’t seem to be all there mentally.”

    About 20 per cent of voters say they have not picked a candidate in this year’s presidential race, are leaning toward third-party options, or might not vote at all, according to the most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.

    Reuters interviewed 15 such voters ahead of Thursday’s debate, and they agreed to be interviewed again after the event about whether the debate changed their views.

    It was not all bad news for Biden.

    Ashley Altum, a 28-year-old mental healthcare manager from South Carolina, had been torn between Biden or a third-party candidate before the debate.

    Now she is leaning more towards Biden.

    She said she was satisfied with Biden’s responses, given he was more willing than Trump to address questions directly.

    “I did see Biden slipping up quite a bit, but I’m always surprised more people don’t in these situations,” she said.

    “I think that anybody could go up there and speak eloquently is impressive to begin with.”

    Biden pointed out in the debate that Trump, at 78, is only three years younger.

    “But Trump was just Trump. From a cognitive decline perspective, I didn’t see that in Trump,” said Tom Reich, 36, a software engineer from South Carolina.

    The issues of age and mental capacity exploded onto the campaign trail in February following a report by a Department of Justice special counsel that suggested Biden was suffering memory lapses.

    “What a disaster for the Democrats,” Scott Harrington, 63, a fishmonger in Massachusetts, said after watching the debate.

    “I was basically undecided but was hoping Biden would have been good enough so I could vote for him. I dislike Trump intensely.

    “I was worried Biden would show he was not up to the job, but he was even worse than I feared. I might just abstain,” he added.

  • U.S. polls: We will file our big cases soon – Trump

    U.S. polls: We will file our big cases soon – Trump

    President Donald Trump has said his campaign team would soon file big cases in court to challenge the outcome of the U.S. 2020 presidential election.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports President Trump made this known on Sunday while denying the many cases filed all over the country to challenge the outcome of the election.

    “Many of the court cases being filed all over the Country are not ours, but rather those of people that have seen horrible abuses.

    “Our big cases showing the unconstitutionality of the 2020 Election, & the outrage of things that were done to change the outcome, will soon be filed,” Trump stated.

    Earlier, in continuing with his conspiracy theories, Trump had vowed he won’t let the rigged election steal the country.

    He had admitted that Democrats candidate Joe Biden won the election but that he won because the election was rigged.

    “All of the mechanical “glitches” that took place on Election Night were really THEM getting caught trying to steal votes. They succeeded plenty, however, without getting caught. Mail-in elections are a sick joke!

    “He only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA. I concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go. This was a RIGGED ELECTION,” he tweeted.

  • U.S. polls: We have a long way to go – Trump

    U.S. polls: We have a long way to go – Trump

    President Donald Trump has said there is a long way to go as far as the U.S. 2020 presidential election is concerned.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Trump tweeted this on Sunday while continuing to promote his election conspiracy theories.

    “He won because the Election was Rigged. NO VOTE WATCHERS OR OBSERVERS allowed, vote tabulated by a Radical Left privately owned company, Dominion, with a bad reputation & bum equipment that couldn’t even qualify for Texas (which I won by a lot!), the Fake & Silent Media, & more.

    “He only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA. I concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go. This was a RIGGED ELECTION,” Trump tweeted.

    On Sunday, Trump claimed that the, “All of the mechanical “glitches” that took place on Election Night were really THEM getting caught trying to steal votes. They succeeded plenty, however, without getting caught. Mail-in elections are a sick joke!”

    Trump went further to tweet that he will win the U.S. 2020 presidential election.

    Meanwhile, the final results of the U.S. 2020 presidential election have been announced with Biden winning 306 electoral votes and Donald Trump winning 232 electoral votes.

    Legal efforts pulled by Trump’s campaign team to try to overturn the results of the election have proved abortive so far.

  • U.S. polls: Trump says ‘only’ time will tell which administration it will be

    U.S. polls: Trump says ‘only’ time will tell which administration it will be

    U.S. President Donald Trump has again refused to concede defeat, saying ‘only’ time will tell which administration it will be.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Trump stated this in his first public address since Joe Biden was projected winner of the U.S. 2020 presidential election.

    Referring to future Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdowns in the U.S., Trump said his administration won’t introduce one but added that, “Whatever happens in the future, who knows which administration it will be, I guess time will tell.”

    The final results of the U.S. 2020 presidential election were announced on Friday with Joe Biden winning 306 electoral votes and Trump winning 232 electoral votes.

    President-elect Biden narrowly defeated Trump in Georgia and Trump won North Carolina, as the two final states were called on Friday, a week and a half after Election Day.

    Biden became president-elect when he won Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes on Saturday, passing the required 270-vote threshold.

    The victory for Biden in Georgia — a once reliably Republican state whose politics have been pushed to the left — means he flipped 5 states that Trump won in 2016.

    The others were Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump did not flip any states this year.

    TNG reports after every state has been called by the US networks, Joe Biden won the US election with 306 electoral votes.

    Legal efforts pulled by Trump’s campaign team to try to overturn the results of the election have proved abortive so far.

  • BREAKING: Final results of U.S. 2020 presidential election announced

    BREAKING: Final results of U.S. 2020 presidential election announced

    The final results of the U.S. 2020 presidential election have been announced with Joe Biden winning 306 electoral votes and Donald Trump winning 232 electoral votes.

    President-elect Biden narrowly defeated Trump in Georgia and Trump won North Carolina, as the two final states were called on Friday, a week and a half after Election Day.

    Biden became president-elect when he won Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes on Saturday, passing the required 270-vote threshold.

    The victory for Biden in Georgia — a once reliably Republican state whose politics have been pushed to the left — means he flipped 5 states that Trump won in 2016.

    The others were Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump did not flip any states this year.

    TNG reports after every state has been called by the US networks, Joe Biden won the US election with 306 electoral votes.

    Legal efforts pulled by Trump’s campaign team to try to overturn the results of the election have proved abortive so far.

  • U.S. ELECTIONS: Twitter labels 300,000 misleading tweets

    U.S. ELECTIONS: Twitter labels 300,000 misleading tweets

    Social media giant, Twitter, says it labelled approximately 300,000 tweets for disputed and “potentially misleading” contents about the U.S. elections over the last two weeks.

    Twitter’s Head of Legal, Policy and Trust, Vijaya Gadde, and its Head of Product, Kayvon Beykpour, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday evening.

    According to Gadde and Beykpour, the affected tweets represent 0.2 per cent of no fewer than 150 million U.S. election-related messages sent on the platform during the two-week period.

    “More than a year ago, the public told us they wanted Twitter to offer context on misleading information.

    “This is the exact approach we’ve implemented on Tweets about COVID-19, synthetic and manipulated media, and the 2020 U.S. election that could contribute to offline harm.

    “We continue to apply labels to add context and limit the risk of harmful election misinformation spreading without important context,” they said.

    The officials said 456 of the affected tweets received warning messages and had their engagement features limited during the period between Oct. 27 and Nov. 11.

    They said the enforcement actions were part of ongoing efforts to limit the spread of misleading information about election processes around the world on Twitter.

    U.S. President Donald Trump is one of those affected by the company’s enforcement actions.

    Trump’s tweets on unsubstantiated claims about voter fraud in the election have been repeatedly labelled or covered by the company.

    “We remain vigilant and will continue working to protect the integrity of the election conversation on Twitter.

    “As we’ve done for many elections around the world, we will produce a longer-form retrospective of all of our work around the 2020 U.S. Election in early 2021.

    “We will continue to research, question, and change features that may encourage behaviours on Twitter that negatively affect the health of the public conversation,” Gadde and Beykpour added.

  • U.S. Attorney-General orders investigation into alleged election fraud

    U.S. Attorney-General orders investigation into alleged election fraud

    U.S. Attorney General, William Barr, has directed federal prosecutors across the country to examine allegations of fraud in the Nov. 3 general elections.

    Barr’s directive is contained in a Nov. 9 memo titled, “Post-Voting Election Irregularity Inquiries” addressed to relevant divisions in the Department of Justice.

    It came two days after the projection of former Vice President and Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, as winner of the keenly-contested presidential election.

    The Republican incumbent President Donald Trump has not conceded, and is alleging that the election was stolen by the Democrats especially in battleground states.

    His campaign organisation has filed lawsuits in key states like Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona and Alabama where the race has been very tight.

    Barr said it was important the “American people can trust that our elections were conducted in such a way that the outcomes accurately reflect the will of the voters”.

    He said although it is the constitutional responsibility of states to conduct and supervise elections, the justice department is obliged to ensure the elections are credible.

    The attorney general said investigations should be conducted only into credible allegations of irregularities that, if true, “could potentially impact the outcome of a federal election in an individual state.”

    Reports say the directive is not going down well with some senior officials of the department, including a top election crimes prosecutor, Richard Pilger.

    Pilger, the Director of Elections Crimes Branch in the department’s Public Integrity Section, has reportedly resigned in protest against Barr’s interference.

    According to reports, said the attorney general was issuing “an important new policy abrogating the forty-year-old Non-Interference Policy for ballot fraud investigations” before lectins are certified.

  • U.S. ELECTIONS: Nnamdi Chukwuocha’s kinsmen hail him for victory

    U.S. ELECTIONS: Nnamdi Chukwuocha’s kinsmen hail him for victory

    Kinsmen of Nigerian-American Mr Nnamdi Chukwuocha have hailed him for winning a seat in the U.S. general elections.

    Chukwuocha, a native of Umuoshi Avutu Autonomous Community in the Obowo Local Government Area of Imo, was re-elected as a member of the Delaware House of Representatives District 1.

    Before his re-election, Chukwuocha had served in different committees in the House of Representatives, including the Corrections and Education Committee.

    One of Chukwuocha’s kinsmen, Mr Kingsley Onukogu, told the NAN in a telephone interview on Sunday that Chukwuocha’s victory was significant because “it helps to address the issue of racism’’.

    Onukogu, the President-General Imo Union in South-Aftica (IUS), said that with the victory, Nigerians would have a say in America.

    “I live in South-Africa and I know that the greatest challenge we face in foreign countries is racism but with Nigerians winning sensitive positions in U.S. and other countries, the issue of racism will be addressed.”

    Onukogu commended Chukwuocha for the uncommon boldness he took in contesting election in America.

    Also reacting, the traditional ruler of Umulogho Autonomous Community, Eze Ngozi Uwalaka, commended Chukwuocha for adding his name in America’s history book.

    Uwalaka said that Chukwuocha did not only show capacity but had made the people of Obowo and Imo proud.

    “We are very happy with our son Chukwuocha. He has shown capacity in America. Even those who voted for him will continue to enjoy our blessings,” he said.

    The youth leader of the community, Mr Cyriacus Chinagorom, described the victory as a clear indication that Nigerians are relevant in advanced countries.

    He said that Chukwuocha’s victory would motivate more Nigerians in the diaspora to be more courageous in foreign lands.

    Chinagorom noted that since the announcement of the victory, Nigerians had become more respected in the U.S., noting that the victory had given Nigerian youths courage to participate in politics.

  • Buhari congratulates Biden, begs for more cooperation between United States, Nigeria

    Buhari congratulates Biden, begs for more cooperation between United States, Nigeria

    President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated former Vice President Joe Biden on his election as the new President of the United States (US).

    Buhari told the US president-elect to show respect for Africa, stressing that Nigeria looks forward to greater cooperation with the US when he assumes office.

    Buhari in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu said Biden is becoming president at a time of uncertainty and fear in world affairs.

    The Nigerian leader said “your election is a significant reminder that democracy is the best form of government because it offers the people the opportunity to change their government by peaceful means.”

    According to President Buhari, “the most powerful group are not the politicians, but voters who can decide the fate of the politicians at the polling booth.”

    He noted that “the main fascination of democracy is the freedom of choice and the supremacy of the will of the people.”

    The President added that “respect for the will of the people is the very reason why democracy remains the best form of government, despite its limitations from one polity to another, and from one society to another.”

    According to him, “I am thrilled by the fact that you are an experienced politician who had served as Congressman for 40 years and a Vice President for eight years. This is a remarkable track record that gives us hope that you will add value to the presidency and world affairs.”

    President Buhari also noted that, “with your election, we look forward to greater cooperation between Nigeria and the United States, especially at economic, diplomatic and political levels, including the war against terrorism.”

    On international affairs, President Buhari urged Mr. Biden to “deploy your vast experience in tackling the negative consequences of nationalist politics on world affairs which have created divisions, conflicts and uncertainties.”

    The Nigerian leader also called on Mr. Biden “to introduce greater engagement with Africa on the basis of reciprocal respects and shared interests.”

  • Biden overturns Trump lead in 2 swing states as U.S. awaits result

    Biden overturns Trump lead in 2 swing states as U.S. awaits result

    Democratic candidate Joe Biden has taken the lead in the U.S states of Pennsylvania and Georgia, two of the final states still in play in the presidential election.

    Biden has overhauled what was a substantial lead for President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, and on Friday he pulled slightly ahead as mail-in ballots were added to the tally, broadcasters CNN and Fox reported.

    The results of a little over 30,000 ballots were announced, Biden won around 87 per cent of those votes.

    Winning Pennsylvania would give either candidate 20 of the crucial Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency.

    This is more electoral votes than any other of the undeclared swing states, and could on its own be enough to push Biden over the critical 270 mark.

    A win for Biden in Georgia not at all certain given that the margin is less than 1,000 votes – would hand him the state’s crucial 16 Electoral College votes.

    If Georgia, which has voted Republican every election cycle since 1992, is called for Biden and Arizona holds for the Democrat, this would also push him over the 270 mark.

    The pressure is rising on Trump, who has fewer paths to victory with time running out for him to overturn Biden’s leads.

    Election officials say staff are diligently working in several states to count every vote, noting that mail-in balloting has added some time to the tallying process.

    Trump has made repeated unsubstantiated claims of fraud since Tuesday’s election, with Twitter slapping warning signs on post after post, saying the president is apparently spreading misinformation.

    No election officials have reported fraud.

    In a speech from the White House, his first since the night of polls closing, Trump railed against his opponents, claiming they were aiming to rig the election against him.

    The president blamed a conspiracy of big media, big money, and big tech for the whittling away of his lead.

    Biden has struck a markedly different tone, noting that votes take time to tally and that he was content to wait until the end of counting, saying he has no doubt that he would emerge the winner.

    “Democracy is sometimes messy and sometimes requires a little patience as well,’’ he said in brief remarks from his home state of Delaware on Thursday.