Global Shares Dip on China; US Shutdown09/26 05:14
Global Shares Dip on China; US Shutdown09/26 05:14 Global shares mostly sank Tuesday over worries about a possible U.S. government shutdown and the troubled Chinese economy. TOKYO (AP) -- Global shares mostly sank Tuesday over worries about a possible U.S. government shutdown and the troubled Chinese economy. France's CAC 40 lost 0.7% in early trading to 7,076.82. Germany's DAX fell 0.5% to 15,329.25. Britain's FTSE 100 edged up 0.2% to 7,638.01. U.S. shares were set to drift lower with Dow futures down 0.3% at 34,158.00. S&P 500 futures lost 0.5% to 4,359.25. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index slipped 1.1% to finish at 32,315.05. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.5% to 7,038.20. South Korea's Kospi dropped 1.3% to 2,462.97. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 1.5% to 17,470.31, while the Shanghai Composite fell 0.4% to 3,102.27. Investors are watching for Chinese economic indicators being released later in the week. "The Chinese property woes are far from over, as the notorious developer Evergrande defaulted on its 4 billion yuan onshore bond repayment and delayed the restructuring meetings," said Tina Teng, market analyst at CMC Markets APAC & Canada. While the crisis is not shocking to those closely following China's property market, concerns are growing that Chia's housing sector is still deteriorating, raising risks of financial instability, said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management. "It's important to acknowledge that tackling the housing issue is much more challenging in practice than in theory. This difficulty is why property developers are still struggling two years into the Evergrande debt crisis, and potential homebuyers are hesitant to enter the market," he added. Realization is also sinking in that the Federal Reserve will likely keep interest rates high well into next year. The Fed is trying to ensure high inflation gets back down to its target, and it said last week it will likely cut interest rates in 2024 by less than earlier expected. Its main interest rate is at its highest level since 2001. The growing understanding that rates will stay higher for longer has pushed yields in the bond market up to their highest levels in more than a decade. That in turn makes investors less willing to pay high prices for all kinds of investments, particularly those seen as the most expensive or making their owners wait the longest for big growth. In the near term, the U.S. government may be set for another shutdown amid more political squabbles on Capitol Hill. But Wall Street has managed its way through previous shutdowns, and "history shows that past ones haven't had much of an impact on the market," according to Chris Larkin, managing director of trading and investing at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley. In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude slipped $1.09 to $88.59 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, fell $1.07 to $92.22 a barrel. In currency trading, the U.S. dollar rose to 148.93 Japanese yen from 148.84 yen. The euro cost $1.0598, up from $1.0594.
US Aims to Create Nuke Fusion Facility 09/26 06:04
US Aims to Create Nuke Fusion Facility 09/26 06:04 The Biden administration hopes to create a commercial nuclear fusion facility within 10 years as part of the nation's transition to clean energy, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Monday. VIENNA (AP) -- The Biden administration hopes to create a commercial nuclear fusion facility within 10 years as part of the nation's transition to clean energy, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Monday. Calling nuclear fusion a pioneering technology, Granholm said President Joe Biden wants to harness fusion as a carbon-free energy source that can power homes and businesses. "It's not out of the realm of possibility" that the U.S. could achieve Biden's "decadal vision of commercial fusion," Granholm said in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press in Vienna. Fusion works by pressing hydrogen atoms into each other with such force that they combine into helium, releasing enormous amounts of energy and heat. Unlike other nuclear reactions, it doesn't create radioactive waste. Proponents of nuclear fusion hope it could one day displace fossil fuels and other traditional energy sources. But producing carbon-free energy that powers homes and businesses from fusion is still decades away. A successful nuclear fusion was first achieved by researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California last December in a major breakthrough after decades of work. Granholm also praised the role of the Vienna-based U.N. nuclear watchdog in verifying that states live up to their international commitments and do not use their nuclear programs for illicit purposes, including to build nuclear weapons. "The IAEA is instrumental in making sure that nuclear is harnessed for good and that it does not fall into the hands of bad actors," she said. The watchdog organization has agreements with more than 170 states to inspect their nuclear programs. The aim is to verify their nuclear activities and nuclear material and to confirm that it is used for peaceful purposes, including to generate energy. Nuclear energy is an essential component of the Biden administration's goal of achieving a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and net zero emissions economy by 2050. Asked about the difficulty of finding storage sites for radioactive waste, Granholm said that the U.S. has initiated a process to identify communities across the country who may be willing to host an interim storage location. Currently, most of the spent fuel is stored at nuclear reactors across the country. "We have identified 12 organizations that are going to be in discussion with communities across the country about whether they are interested (in hosting an interim site)," she said. The U.S. currently does not recycle spent nuclear fuel but other countries, including France, already have experience with it. Spent nuclear fuel can be recycled in such a way that new fuel is created. But critics of the process say it is not cost-effective and could lead to the proliferation of atomic weapons. There are two proliferation concerns associated with recycling, according to the Washington-based Arms Control Association: The recycling process increases the risk that plutonium could be stolen by terrorists, and second, those countries with separated plutonium could produce nuclear weapons themselves. "It has to be done very carefully with all these non-proliferation safeguards in place," Granholm said. Professor Dennis Whyte, director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said the U.S. has taken a smart approach on fusion by advancing research and designs by a range of companies working toward a pilot-scale demonstration within a decade. "It doesn't guarantee a particular company will get there, but we have multiple shots on goal," he said, referring to the Energy Department's milestone-based fusion development program. "It's the right way to do it, to support what we all want to see: commercial fusion to power our society" without greenhouse gas emissions. On other topics, Granholm said that depending on whether the U.S. government shuts down or not, the Biden administration could announce in October details on an $8 billion hydrogen hub program that will be funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law. A hub is meant to be a network of companies that produce clean hydrogen and of the industries that use it -- heavy transportation, for example -- and infrastructure such as pipelines and refueling stations. States and companies have teamed up to create hub proposals. Environmental groups say hydrogen presents its own pollution and climate risks. When released into the atmosphere, it boosts volumes of methane and other greenhouse gases. "Our goal is to get the cost of clean hydrogen down to 1 dollar per kilogram within one decade," Granholm insisted. As fossil fuel emissions continue warming Earth's atmosphere and extreme weather phenomena occur globally, Granholm was asked her opinion on the announcement by U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that the U.K. will delay crucial climate targets. Sunak said last week that he will push back the deadline for selling new gasoline and diesel cars and the phasing out of gas boilers as part of one of his biggest policy changes since taking office. "When you see the heatwaves that the U.K. experienced this summer, I think it becomes obvious that we need to put on the accelerator," she said, while adding that the U.K. has been a "great partner" in pushing modern technologies. "We want to see everybody moving forward as quickly as possible (on the clean energy transition), including ourselves," she said.
Biden Hears Pacific Island Leaders 09/26 06:09
Biden Hears Pacific Island Leaders 09/26 06:09 WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Joe Biden on Monday told leaders from the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum that he has heard their warnings about the impact of climate change on their region and that his administration is committed to helping them meet the challenge. Pacific islands leaders gathered Monday for the start of a two-day Washington summit. Many have been critical of rich countries for not doing enough to control climate change despite being responsible for much of the problem, and for profiting from loans provided to vulnerable nations to mitigate the effects. At the summit's start, Biden said his administration is requesting Congress approve $200 million in new assistance for the region, including financing to help the islands prepare for climate and natural hazards and improve infrastructure. Biden has put a premium on improving ties in the Pacific at a time of rising U.S. concern about China's growing military and economic influence. "I want you to know I hear you, the people in the United States and around the world hear you," Biden told the leaders. "We hear your warnings of a rising sea and (that) they pose an existential threat to your nations. We hear your calls for reassurance that you never, never, never will lose your statehood, or membership of the U.N. as a result of a climate crisis. Today, the United States is making it clear that this is our position as well." As part of the summit, the U.S. is formally establishing diplomatic relations with two South Pacific nations, the Cook Islands and Niue. Secretary of State Antony Blinken took part in separate signing ceremonies with Niue Premier Dalton Tagelagi and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown to mark the new elevated relations. "Today, we celebrate shared history, common values and people-to-people ties between our two nations, Tagelagi said at the Niue ceremony. "We have been looking forward to this day." Brown welcomed the elevation of U.S. relations with the Cook Islands and said the U.S.-Pacific islands partnership could be an important tool for helping the region achieve its aspirations. "These milestones celebrate areas of change and demonstrate that with unshakable resolve and leadership, remarkable achievements are possible," Brown said. The forum includes Australia, the Cook Islands, Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Kiribati signed onto a $29.1 million partnership with the U.S.-backed Millennium Corporation Challenge. The group will assist the island country with dozens of low-lying atolls and help boost its workforce. Some of the leaders attended an NFL game in Baltimore on Sunday and visited a U.S. Coast Guard cutter in the city's harbor for a briefing on combating illegal fishing and other maritime issues. Biden announced Monday that later this year he would deploy a U.S. Coast Guard vessel to the region to collaborate and train with Pacific islands nations. At last year's summit, the White House unveiled its Pacific strategy, an outline of its plan to assist the region's leaders on pressing issues like climate change, maritime security and protecting the region from overfishing. The administration pledged the U.S. would add $810 million in new aid for Pacific islands nations over the next decade, including $130 million on efforts to stymie the impacts of climate change. The leaders also met Monday with Biden's special envoy on climate, John Kerry, for closed-door talks focused on climate change. Blinken and U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield were hosting the leaders at the State Department for a dinner. Kerry and Samantha Power, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, will host the leaders on Tuesday for climate talks with members of the philanthropic community. The leaders also plan to meet with members of Congress. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will host a roundtable with the leaders and members of the business community. Power last month traveled to Fiji to open a new USAID mission that will manage agency programs in nine Pacific islands countries: Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau. The U.S. this year has opened embassies in Solomon Islands and Tonga, and is on track to open an embassy in Vanuatu early next year. Biden earlier this year had to cut short a planned visit to the Indo-Pacific, scrapping what was to be a historic stop in Papua New Guinea, as well as a visit to Australia for a gathering with fellow leaders of the so-called Quad partnership so he could focus on debt limit talks in Washington. He would have been the first sitting U.S. president to visit Papua New Guinea. Biden is set to honor Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with a state visit next month.
Congress Moving Into Crisis Mode 09/26 06:10
Congress Moving Into Crisis Mode 09/26 06:10 With a government shutdown five days away, Congress is moving into crisis mode as Speaker Kevin McCarthy faces an insurgency from hard-right Republicans eager to slash spending even if it means curtailing federal services for millions of Americans. WASHINGTON (AP) -- With a government shutdown five days away, Congress is moving into crisis mode as Speaker Kevin McCarthy faces an insurgency from hard-right Republicans eager to slash spending even if it means curtailing federal services for millions of Americans. There's no clear path ahead as lawmakers return with tensions high and options limited. The House is expected to vote Tuesday evening on a package of bills to fund parts of the government, but it's not at all clear that McCarthy has the support needed to move ahead. Meanwhile, the Senate, trying to stave off a federal closure, is preparing its own bipartisan plan for a stopgap measure to buy some time and keep offices funded past Saturday's deadline as work in Congress continues. But plans to tack on additional Ukraine aid have run into trouble as a number of Republicans in both the House and Senate oppose spending more money on the war effort. Against the mounting chaos, President Joe Biden warned the Republican conservatives off their hardline tactics, saying funding the federal government is "one of the most basic fundamental responsibilities of Congress." Biden implored the House Republicans not to renege on the debt deal he struck earlier this year with McCarthy, which set the federal government funding levels and was signed into law after approval by both the House and Senate. "We made a deal, we shook hands, and said this is what we're going to do. Now, they're reneging on the deal," Biden said late Monday. "If Republicans in the House don't start doing their jobs, we should stop electing them." A government shutdown would disrupt the U.S. economy and the lives of millions of Americans who work for the government or rely on federal services -- from air traffic controllers who would be asked to work without pay to some 7 million people in the Women, Infants and Children program, including half the babies born in the U.S., who could lose access to nutritional benefits, according to the White House. It comes against the backdrop of the 2024 elections as Donald Trump, the leading Republican to challenge Biden, is egging on the Republicans in Congress to "shut it down" and undo the deal McCarthy made with Biden. Republicans are also being encouraged by former Trump officials, including those who are preparing to slash government and the federal workforce if the former president retakes the White House in the 2024 election. With five days to go before Saturday's deadline, the turmoil is unfolding as House Republicans hold their first Biden impeachment inquiry hearing this week probing the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden. "Unless you get everything, shut it down!" Trump wrote in all capital letters on social media. "It's time Republicans learned how to fight!" McCarthy arrived at the Capitol early Monday after a tumultuous week in which a handful of hard-right Republicans torpedoed his latest plans to advance a usually popular defense funding bill. They brought the chamber to a standstill and leaders sent lawmakers home for the weekend with no endgame in sight. After the House Rules Committee met Saturday to prepare for this week's voting, McCarthy was hopeful the latest plan on a package of four bills, to fund Defense, Homeland Security, Agriculture, and State and Foreign Operations, would kickstart the process. "Let's get this going," McCarthy said. "Let's make sure the government stays open while we finish our job passing all the individual bills." But at least one top Trump ally, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who is also close to McCarthy, said she would be a "hard no" on the vote to open debate, known as the Rule, because the package of bills continues to provide at least $300 million for the war in Ukraine. Other hard-right conservatives and allies of Trump may follow her lead. "Now you have a couple of new people thinking about voting against the Rule," said Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., referring to the upcoming procedural vote. Once a holdout himself, Buck told reporters at the Capitol he would be voting for the package, but he's not sure McCarthy will have enough for passage. "I don't know if he gets them back on board or not," Buck said. While their numbers are just a handful, the hard-right Republican faction holds oversized sway because the House majority is narrow and McCarthy needs almost every vote from his side for partisan bills without Democratic support. The speaker has given the holdouts many of their demands, but it still has not been enough as they press for more -- including gutting funding for Ukraine, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Washington last week is vital to winning the war against Russia. The hardline Republicans want McCarthy to drop the deal he made with Biden and stick to earlier promises for spending cuts he made to them in January to win their votes for the speaker's gavel, citing the nation's rising debt load. Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a key Trump ally leading the right flank, said on Fox that a shutdown is not optimal but "it's better than continuing on the current path that we are to America's financial ruin." Gatez, who has also threated to call a vote to oust McCarthy from his job, wants Congress to do what it rarely does anymore: debate and approve each of the 12 annual bills needed to fund the various departments of government -- typically a process that takes weeks, if not months. "I'm not pro-shutdown," he said. But he said he wants to hold McCarthy "to his word." Even if the House is able to complete its work this week on some of those bills, which is highly uncertain, they would still need to be merged with similar legislation from the Senate, another lengthy process. Meantime, senators have been drafting a temporary measure, called a continuing resolution or CR, to keep government funded past Saturday, but have run into trouble trying to tack on Biden's request for supplemental funding for Ukraine. They face resistance from a handful of Republicans to the war effort. A Senate aide said talks would continue through the night. And a spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget said the administration would continue to work with members of both parties in Congress to secure supplemental funds and ensure efforts to support Ukraine continue alongside other key priorities like disaster relief. With just days remaining before a shutdown, several of the holdouts say they will never vote for any stopgap measure to fund the government as they push for Congress to engage in the full-scale debate.
Court Appointee Proposes AL Districts 09/26 06:12
Court Appointee Proposes AL Districts 09/26 06:12 MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- A court-appointed special master on Monday submitted three proposals for new congressional districts in Alabama as federal judges oversee the drawing of new lines to provide greater representation for Black voters. The three proposals all create a second district where Black voters comprise a majority of the voting age population or close to it -- something that state lawmakers refused to do when they drew lines this summer. Richard Allen, the court-appointed special master, wrote that all three proposals follow the court's instruction to create a second district in the state where Black voters have an opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice. A three-judge panel is overseeing the drawing of new lines after ruling that Alabama lawmakers ignored their finding that the state -- which is 27% Black -- should have more than one district with a substantial percentage of Black voters. Alabama has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to put the redraw on hold as the state appeals, but the justices have yet to rule on the request. The three-judge panel has tentatively scheduled an Oct. 3 hearing on the special master's proposed plans. Kareem Crayton, a redistricting expert at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, which filed an earlier brief supporting plaintiffs who challenged Alabama's previous map, said the proposals "show a serious consideration of the need to remedy the violation found by the court." "There will be more to review as we get access to the block files supporting these recommended maps, but what's clear is that the Special Master did what the state had to date simply refused to do: take the directives of the local court seriously. Each proposal appears to create two districts that are either majority Black or close to it," Crayton said. The three proposals, submitted by the court-appointed special master would alter the boundaries of Congressional District 2 so that Black voters comprise between 48.5% to 50.1% of the voting-age population. By contrast, the district drafted by GOP lawmakers had a Black voting-age population of 39.9%, meaning it would continue to elect mostly white Republicans. However, Allen wrote that the lines were not drawn on the basis of race and did not target a particular Black population percentage in any district. But he said the proposals follow the court's directive that the state should have an additional district in which Black voters "have an opportunity to elect a representative of their choice." "A performance analysis in this case should demonstrate that the Black-preferred candidate often would win an election in the subject district," Allen wrote. The filing said that candidates preferred by Black voters would have won between 13 and 16 of 17 recent elections. Allen is a former chief deputy for several previous Republican Alabama attorney generals. The three-judge panel had ruled that Alabama's 2021 plan -- that had one majority-Black district out of seven in a state where 27% of residents are Black -- likely violated the U.S. Voting Rights Act. The U.S. Supreme Court in June upheld the panel's finding, leading lawmakers to draw new lines. The Republican-controlled Alabama Legislature, which has been reluctant to create a Democratic-leaning district, in July adopted a new map that maintained a single Black district. The three-judge panel wrote that they were "deeply troubled" by the state's defiance, blocked use of the new map and directed a special master to submit proposed new maps.
Sen. Menendez Rejects Calls to Resign 09/26 06:13
Sen. Menendez Rejects Calls to Resign 09/26 06:13 UNION CITY, N.J. (AP) -- Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey defiantly pushed back against federal corruption charges on Monday, saying nearly half a million dollars in cash authorities found in his home was from his personal savings, not from bribes, and was on hand for emergencies. Rejecting rising calls for him to resign, the influential chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said he believed he'd be cleared of charges that he took cash and gold in illegal exchange for helping Egypt and New Jersey business associates. "I recognize this will be the biggest fight yet, but as I have stated throughout this whole process, I firmly believe that when all the facts are presented, not only will I be exonerated, but I still will be New Jersey's senior senator," Menendez said at Hudson County Community College's campus in Union City, where he grew up. He did not respond to questions and did not say whether he would seek reelection next year. Addressing allegations in the indictment unsealed Friday that authorities found cash stuffed in envelopes and clothing at his home, Menendez said that stemmed from his parents' fear of confiscation of funds from their time in Cuba. "This may seem old fashioned, but these were monies drawn from my personal savings account based on the income that I have lawfully derived over those 30 years," he said. Authorities recovered about 10 envelopes with tens of thousands of dollars in cash that had the fingerprints of one of the other defendants in the case on them, according to the indictment. Menendez also addressed his relationship with Egypt, which plays a central role in the indictment against him, suggesting he's been tough on the country over its detention of Americans and other "human rights abuses." "If you look at my actions related to Egypt during the period described in this indictment and throughout my whole career, my record is clear and consistent in holding Egypt accountable," he said. Prosecutors say he met with Egyptian military and intelligence officials, passed along non-public information about employees at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and ghostwrote a letter on behalf of Egypt asking his Senate colleagues to release a hold on $300 million worth of aid. He did not directly address those allegations Monday. The state's Democratic leadership, including Gov. Phil Murphy, the state party chairmen and leaders of the Legislature, along with some of Menendez's congressional colleagues, are calling on him to resign In Washington, however, where his party holds a bare Senate majority, some of Menendez's Democratic colleagues have stopped short of urging him to give up his seat, notably Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, and Majority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois. Even though Schumer has not called for Menendez to step down, other members of his caucus have. Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown and Vermont Sen. Peter Welch called for his resignation on Monday, following Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman on Saturday. Menendez did, however, step down as required as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Schumer said on Friday, when the indictment was unsealed. If he seeks reelection, Menendez will face at least one challenger in a primary next year after Democratic Rep. Andy Kim announced over the weekend that he will run for the Senate because of the charges against the state's senior senator. Menendez's reelection campaign could face significant hurdles besides the criminal indictment, the second one he has faced in eight years, in light of opposition from state party leaders. If the Democratic Party abandons Menendez, he could lose a potent benefit of party support: the so-called party line, or preferred ballot placement in the primary, widely regarded as a significant boost to incumbents and those with establishment backing. Menendez has denied any wrongdoing in the federal case against him, his wife and three of their business associates. In an emailed statement last week, he accused prosecutors of misrepresenting "the normal work of a congressional office" and said he will not allow his work in the Senate to be distracted by "baseless allegations." A lawyer for his wife said she "denies any criminal conduct and will vigorously contest these charges in court." He and Nadine Menendez are accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold and a luxury car from a trio of New Jersey businessmen for a variety of corrupt acts. The indictment said Menendez used his clout to interfere in three criminal cases, pressured U.S. agriculture regulators to protect an associate's business interests, and used his position as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee to influence U.S. policy on Egypt. Federal agents who searched his home in 2022 found more than $480,000 in cash stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets and a safe, and gold bars worth more than $100,000, prosecutors said. Another $70,000 was discovered inside his wife's safety deposit box, they said. Some Menendez supporters attended the news conference .Among them was Manny Contreras, a resident of nearby Passaic County, who said he came to show his support for Menendez and had been voting for him for years. "It's a big problem for the Latino community, we don't want to see him go, we have to give him the benefit of the doubt," Contreras said. He said if Menendez were found guilty, he would have to reconsider his support, but because of the good things in the Menendez's long career, he was willing to let the process play out.
Trump: First Amendment Protects Him 09/26 06:17
Trump: First Amendment Protects Him 09/26 06:17 DENVER (AP) -- Attorneys for former President Donald Trump argue that an attempt to bar him from the 2024 ballot under a rarely used "insurrection" clause of the Constitution should be dismissed as a violation of his freedom of speech. The lawyers made the argument in a filing posted Monday by a Colorado court in one of the most significant of a series of challenges to Trump's candidacy under the Civil War-era clause in the 14th Amendment. The challenges rest on Trump's attempts to overturn his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden and his role leading up to the violent Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. "At no time do Petitioners argue that President Trump did anything other than engage in either speaking or refusing to speak for their argument that he engaged in the purported insurrection," wrote attorney Geoffrey Blue. Trump also will argue that the clause doesn't apply to him because "the Fourteenth Amendment applies to one who 'engaged in insurrection or rebellion,' not one who only 'instigated' any action," Blue wrote. The former president's lawyers also said the challenge should be dismissed because he is not yet a candidate under the meaning of Colorado election law, which they contend isn't intended to settle constitutional disputes. The motion under Colorado's anti-SLAPP law, which shields people from lawsuits that harass them for behavior protected by the First Amendment, will be the first of the 14th Amendment challenges filed in multiple states to be considered in open court. It was filed late Friday and posted by the court Monday. Denver District Judge Sarah B. Wallace has scheduled a hearing on the motion for Oct. 13. A hearing on the constitutional issues will come on Oct. 30. Whatever Wallace rules, the issue is likely to reach the U.S. Supreme Court, which has never heard a case on the provision of the 14th Amendment, which was ratified in 1868, three years after the Civil War ended. The clause has only been used a handful of times. The Colorado challenge stands out because it was the first filed by an organization with significant legal resources, in this case a liberal group called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. A second liberal group, Free Speech For The People, has also filed a challenge to Trump's candidacy in Minnesota that is scheduled to be heard by that state's high court on Nov. 2. Section Three of the amendment bars from office anyone who once took an oath to uphold the Constitution but then "engaged" in "insurrection or rebellion" against it. Its initial intent was to prevent former Confederate officials from becoming members of Congress and taking over the government. Trump's contention that he is protected by freedom of speech mirrors his defense in criminal cases charging him for his role in the Jan. 6 attack. There, too, he argues he was simply trying to bring attention to what he believed was an improper election -- even though dozens of lawsuits challenging the results had already been rejected. Prosecutors in those cases and some legal experts have noted that Trump's offenses go beyond speech, to acts such as trying to organize slates of fake electors that Congress could have recognized to make him president again. The criminal cases have already bled into the 14th Amendment challenge in Colorado. On Friday, Wallace issued an order barring threats and intimidation in the case after the plaintiffs noted that Trump has targeted lawyers and witnesses in the criminal proceedings against him.
Biden to Join UAW Strike Picket Line 09/26 06:18
Biden to Join UAW Strike Picket Line 09/26 06:18 President Joe Biden's decision to stand alongside United Auto Workers pickets on Tuesday on the 12th day of their strike against major carmakers underscores an allegiance to labor unions that appears to be unparalleled in presidential history. WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Joe Biden's decision to stand alongside United Auto Workers pickets on Tuesday on the 12th day of their strike against major carmakers underscores an allegiance to labor unions that appears to be unparalleled in presidential history. Experts in presidential and U.S. labor history say they cannot recall an instance when a sitting president has joined an ongoing strike, even during the tenures of the more ardent pro-union presidents such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman. Theodore Roosevelt invited labor leaders alongside mine operators to the White House amid a historic coal strike in 1902, a decision that was seen at the time as a rare embrace of unions as Roosevelt tried to resolve the dispute. Lawmakers often appear at strikes to show solidarity with unions, and during his 2020 Democratic primary campaign, Biden and other presidential hopefuls joined a picket line of hundreds of casino workers in Las Vegas who were pushing for a contract with The Palms Casino Resort. But sitting presidents, who have to balance the rights of workers with disruptions to the economy, supply chains and other facets of everyday life, have long wanted to stay out of the strike fray -- until Biden. "This is absolutely unprecedented. No president has ever walked a picket line before," said Erik Loomis, a professor at the University of Rhode Island and an expert on U.S. labor history. Presidents historically "avoided direct participation in strikes. They saw themselves more as mediators. They did not see it as their place to directly intervene in a strike or in labor action." Biden's trip to join a picket line in the suburbs of Detroit is the most significant demonstration of his pro-union bona fides, a record that includes vocal support for unionization efforts at Amazon.com facilities and executive actions that promoted worker organizing. He also earned a joint endorsement of the major unions earlier this year and has avoided southern California for high-dollar fundraisers amid the writers' and actors' strikes in Hollywood. During the ongoing UAW strike, Biden has argued that the auto companies have not yet gone far enough to satisfy the union, although White House officials have repeatedly declined to say whether the president endorses specific UAW demands such as a 40% hike in wages and full-time pay for a 32-hour work week. "I think the UAW gave up an incredible amount back when the automobile industry was going under. They gave everything from their pensions on, and they saved the automobile industry," Biden said Monday from the White House. He stressed that the workers should benefit from the carmakers' riches "now that the industry is roaring back." Biden and other Democrats are more aggressively touting the president's pro-labor credentials at a time when former President Donald Trump is trying to chip away at union support in critical swing states where the constituency remains influential, including Michigan and Pennsylvania. Biden is also leaning in on his union support at a time when labor enjoys broad support from the public, with 67% of Americans approving of labor unions in an August Gallup poll. Instead of participating in the second Republican primary debate on Wednesday, Trump will head to Michigan to meet with striking autoworkers, seeking to capitalize on discontent over the state of the economy and anger over the Biden administration's push for more electric vehicles -- a key component of its clean-energy agenda. "If it wasn't for President Trump, Joe Biden would be giving autoworkers the East Palestine treatment and saying that his schedule was too busy," said Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller, referring to the small Ohio town that is still grappling with the aftermath of a February train derailment. Biden said he would visit the community but so far has not. White House officials dismissed the notion that Trump forced their hand and noted that Biden was headed to Michigan at the request of UAW President Shawn Fain, who last week invited the sitting president to join the strikers. "He is pro-UAW, he is pro-workers, that is this president," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday. "He stands by union workers, and he is going to stand with the men and women of the UAW." Yet the UAW strike, which expanded into 20 states last week, remains a dilemma for the Biden administration since a part of the workers' grievances include concerns about a broader transition to electric vehicles. The shift away from gas-powered vehicles has worried some autoworkers because electric versions require fewer people to manufacture and there is no guarantee that factories that produce them will be unionized. Carolyn Nippa, who was walking the picket line Monday at the GM parts warehouse in Van Buren Township, Michigan, was ambivalent about the president's advocacy for electric vehicles, even as she said Biden was a better president than Trump for workers. She said it was "great that we have a president who wants to support local unions and the working class." "I know it's the future. It's the future of the car industry," Nippa said. "I'm hoping it doesn't affect our jobs." Still, other pickets remained more skeptical about Biden's visit Tuesday. Dave Ellis, who stocks parts at the distribution center, said he's happy Biden wants to show people he's behind the middle class. But he said the visit is just about getting more votes. "I don't necessarily believe that it's really about us," said Ellis, who argued that Trump would be a better president for the middle class than Biden because Trump is a businessman. The Biden administration has no formal role in the negotiations, and the White House pulled back a decision from the president earlier this month to send two key deputies to Michigan after determining it would be more productive for the advisers, Gene Sperling and acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, to monitor talks from Washington.
