CA: Counting votes takes a long time here; new bill could change that

Source: SFGate

“A new bill introduced Monday aims to speed up the notoriously slow process of counting ballots in California. Assembly Bill 5 is light on specifics at that moment. But that’s because the bill’s author, Assemblymember Marc Berman, wants to hear from local elections officials and voter advocates before he settles on the exact proposals that may help speed election results. ‘We want to hopefully come to some consensus on what is a reasonable timeline for the counting of the vast majority of votes,’ Berman, a Democrat from Palo Alto, told SFGATE. ‘We’re not going to get to 100% one week after election day … but what are some reasonable goals to set that all counties will follow in terms of counting ballots as quickly as possible?’ There were two congressional races in California this year that demonstrated just how long counting ballots in the state can take.” (12/04/24)

https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/new-bill-to-speed-up-vote-counting-in-california-19959959.php

Steve Trinward

South Korea’s Warning for Washington

Source: The Atlantic
by Brian Klaas

“A right-wing wannabe authoritarian president — a leader who attacks the press, is accused of abusing power for personal gain, uses his power to block investigations into his family’s potential corruption, hopes to stay in office to avoid heading to prison, and only seems to have concepts of a plan to address his nation’s inflation and health care — declared martial law earlier today. This is not a dystopian fever dream for what may soon come to pass in the United States, but instead a rapidly unfolding crisis in South Korea …. President Yoon’s seemingly failed bid to consolidate power under martial law is a cautionary tale for Washington on the eve of a second Trump administration. Sometimes, incompetent authoritarians botch plots to seize power. They still damage democratic institutions and norms in the process.” (12/03/24)

https://archive.is/lrjYW

Thomas L. Knapp

Labor Nominee Chavez-DeRemer: More Trump Loyalist Than Union Ally

Source: The American Prospect
by Hassan Ali Kanu

“President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for labor secretary, Oregon Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, has been portrayed as the rare pro-union Republican, but a quick review of her history as an elected representative reveals a more mixed record. There are also indications that she will carry out the role, if confirmed, as a Trump loyalist, much as we’ve seen with the incoming administration’s other named nominees. Chavez-DeRemer is the daughter of a Teamster union member, and the former mayor of Happy Valley, Oregon. She’s also a businesswoman, and founded a network of medical clinics along with her husband that brings in between $1 million and $5 million a year, according to her federal financial disclosures. Chavez-DeRemer lost her re-election race last month after serving one term in Congress.” (12/04/24)

https://prospect.org/politics/2024-12-04-labor-nominee-chavez-deremer-trump-loyalist/

Steve Trinward

Disgraced president-elect’s transition team green-lights FBI background checks for incoming staff

Source: Politico

“The Trump-Vance transition has signed an agreement with the Department of Justice allowing the transition team to ‘submit names for background checks and security clearances,’ the transition said in a statement Tuesday. The transition team delayed signing the memorandum of understanding — typically inked before the election — for weeks, preventing the FBI from conducting background checks on any of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees announced thus far or processing security clearances for Trump transition officials.” (12/03/24)

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/03/trump-transition-doj-agreement-00192451

Thomas L. Knapp

Notre-Dame: Private Financing of a “Public Good”

Source: EconLog
by Pierre Lemieux

“It is true that the public subscription for the restoration of Notre-Dame was launched by the French government and that generous tax deductions were available, but a partial tax deduction of course does not mean that a donation costs nothing to the donor. And if there were no compulsory taxes, many people would have more money to contribute to their preferred public goods. The lesson remains that it is not unrealistic to think that the public goods worth a lot to some part of the public could be financed voluntarily.” (12/03/24)

https://www.econlib.org/notre-dame-private-financing-of-a-public-good/

Thomas L. Knapp

Year-End Fundraiser Update: Nearly There!

THANK YOU to DZ, DFD, SLH, DG, CH, and SH! Their “subscribing donor” payments and one-time contributions yesterday, totaling $158, bring our year-end fundraiser total (as of 5:30am on Wednesday, December 4) to $2,252.50!

That leaves us only $423 short of our $5,531 goal (with supporter GL “matching funds” for half the goal, we only have to raise $2,675.50 from our other readers).

Can we finish the fundraiser this week? YES — if those of you who haven’t supported the freedom movement’s daily newspaper lately (maybe ever) weigh in at:

https://news.rationalreview.com/support-rrnd

Your contribution need not be large. If If 170 readers donate $2.50 each, or 85 readers donate $5 each, we’ll be done. But ten readers donating $43 each works just as well … as does any other combination. We love you, and we love your support in any amount. Hit us at:

https://news.rationalreview.com/support-rrnd

Have a great day!

Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily

Thomas L. Knapp

South Korea: Yoon faces impeachment after martial law debacle

Source: Reuters

“South Korean lawmakers submitted a bill on Wednesday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol after he declared martial law and reversed the move hours later, triggering a political crisis in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. The surprise declaration of martial law in the major U.S. ally late on Tuesday caused a standoff with parliament, which rejected Yoon’s attempt to ban political activity and censor the media, as armed troops forced their way into the National Assembly building in Seoul. The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) called for Yoon, who has been in office since 2022, to resign or face impeachment. Six South Korean opposition parties later submitted a bill in parliament to impeach Yoon, with voting set for Friday or Saturday.” (12/04/24)

https://archive.is/uYdnX

Thomas L. Knapp