#election
Trump falls just below 50% in popular vote, but gets more than in past elections
https://text.npr.org/nx-s1-5213810
President-elect Donald Trump got very close to a majority of the vote in this presidential election, but not quite. It is not exactly the "unprecedented and powerful mandate" Trump claimed on election night.\
\
In fact, this year's popular-vote margin is the second-closest since 1968 and still tightening. It shows just how closely divided the country is politically, and that any shift to the right is marginal.
#election #presidential-election #general-election #trump #popular-vote
#Romania / #Israel’s #Chikli has yet to meet a neo-Nazi he doesn't like.
Calin #Georgescu, a previously obscure far-right candidate dubbed the "TikTok Messiah," has emerged as the surprise leader in Romania's first round of presidential elections, sparking controversy and concern. Georgescu, who gained prominence through an aggressive social media campaign, has a documented history of praising World War II-era Romanian fascist leaders Corneliu Zelea Codreanu and Marshal Ion Antonescu, who were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Romanian #Jews during the #Holocaust.
Turns out Israel's Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli recently held phone conversations with Georgescu. The reported communication between Chikli and Georgescu raises serious questions about Israeli diplomatic engagement with far-right European politicians who trivialize or praise perpetrators of the @Holocaust.
The point of convergence between #Israel's current far-right government figures like Chikli and European far-right parties is their shared anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies. This practical alliance, despite the historical #antisemitism of these @European groups, appears to be based on this single shared prejudice.
or
Http://www.archive.is/1tPOX
@israel
@palestine
#IsraelOccupation #Europe #FarRight #Election #Fascism
Petition to Call a General #UK #Election
"I would like there to be another General Election.
I believe the current Labour Government have gone back on the promises they laid out in the lead up to the last election."
2,341,136 signatures Nov 25 1pm
A 4-year cruise or a €1 house in Italy: Inside the schemes helping Americans skip #Trump’s presidency
Following the recent US election result, Google searches for ‘how to move to Europe’ increased by more than 1,000 per cent in some countries.
Searches by #Americans for moving to Canada and Australia soared by 1,270 and 820 per cent respectively in the 24 hours after the first polls closed, according to Google data.
[gopher://gopher.floodgap.com/0/feeds/voaheadlines/2024/Nov/19/https---www.voanews.com-a-hong-kong-imprisons-pro-democracy-activists-in-landmark-national-security-case--7868919.html](gopher://gopher.floodgap.com/0/feeds/voaheadlines/2024/Nov/19/https---www.voanews.com-a-hong-kong-imprisons-pro-democracy-activists-in-landmark-national-security-case--7868919.html)
Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.
Hong Kong imprisons pro-democracy activists in landmark national security case
by William Yang
Taipei, Taiwan --
Hong Kong's High Court on Tuesday sentenced 45 pro-democracy activists
to up to 10 years in jail under subversion charges, marking an end to
the largest national security case in Hong Kong under a sweeping law
imposed by Beijing.
The defendants were accused of conspiracy to commit subversion for
taking part in an unofficial primary election aimed at selecting
opposition candidates to run in the 2020 legislative council election.
Authorities said the activists were planning to paralyze the Hong Kong
government and force the city's leader to resign by aiming to win a
legislative majority and use that to block government budgets.
The 45 defendants were given prison sentences between four years and
two months, and 10 years. Legal scholar Benny Tai, viewed as the
mastermind of the primary election by the government, received the
longest sentence.
In addition to Tai, other prominent activists involved in the case were
also given lengthy prison sentences. Journalist-turned-activist Gwyneth
Ho was sentenced to seven years in prison, and prominent Hong Kong
activist Joshua Wong was sentenced to four years and eight months in
prison.
Analysts say Tuesday's sentencing reflects the rapid disappearance of
basic rights and freedom in Hong Kong since the imposition of the
national security law in 2020.
"Today's harsh sentences against dozens of prominent democracy
activists reflect just how fast Hong Kong's civil liberties and
judicial independence have nosedived in the past four years since the
Chinese government imposed the draconian National Security Law on the
city," said Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch.
Some former pro-democracy politicians in Hong Kong said the case has
already closed off space for substantive political discussion and
public participation before Tuesday's sentencing.
"Since their arrest in 2021, there are no more protests and there is no
more public discussion about anything in Hong Kong," Debby Chan, a
former pro-democracy district councilor, told VOA by phone.
Experts say the case will further restrain Hong Kong's civil society,
as it shows there is no longer room for meaningful political
participation in the city.
"The outcome would set a precedence for future attempts to organize
political activities in Hong Kong and it also shows that authorities
can arrest and try large numbers of participants at the same time,"
Patrick Poon, a visiting researcher at the University of Tokyo, told
VOA by phone.
## A more Chinese-style judicial system
Foreign governments have criticized the trial as politically motivated
and urged Hong Kong authorities to release the activists as they were
penalized for taking part in a peaceful political activity.
However, Chinese and Hong Kong authorities have repeatedly
characterized the national security law as a means to restore order
following large-scale pro-democracy protests in 2019. They also said
the activists were [1]treated according to local law.
Poon said several defendants in the case were repeatedly denied bail
and endured years of pre-trial detention before court proceedings of
the case finally began, actions that show Hong Kong authorities are
adopting judicial practices that are often used in China.
"The lengthy pre-trial detention and denial of bail application are all
common practices in China's judicial system, so I think this case shows
that Hong Kong is becoming more similar to China in that regard," he
told VOA.
According to [2]data collected by the Georgetown Center for Asian Law,
173 individuals have been arrested under national security-related
charges and 94 individuals have been charged with national
security-related crimes since the law was implemented in July 2020.
Some defendants are reportedly suffering from chronic health issues and
others were not allowed to visit sick relatives.
"One defendant tried to apply for parole to visit his sick parents
multiple times but the correctional services department rejected his
applications. In the end, both of his parents passed away," Sunny
Cheung, an associate fellow for China studies at the Jamestown
Foundation and participant in the 2020 primary, told VOA by phone.
Despite the hardship over the last few years, Chan said Tuesday's
sentencing marks the end of a stage.
"The sentences mean we now have a date to look forward to and we
finally know when all of this suffering will end," she told VOA.
Poon said since Hong Kong has incorporated some Chinese practices into
its judicial system, it's important to see whether Hong Kong
authorities would deprive the detainees or their family members of
basic rights in the future.
"One thing I don't want to see is the authorities blocking relatives
from visiting the defendants, but since Hong Kong's judicial system has
become very similar to the Chinese system, it's really hard to say
whether this would happen in Hong Kong or not," he said.
As family and friends await the activists' release, years from now,
Chan said she will try to position herself in a Hong Kong society where
pro-democracy organizations no longer exist.
"The pro-democracy people are still there, but there are no
organizations to gather these people," she told VOA.
References
- https://www.voanews.com/a/hong-kong-convicts-14-pro-democracy-activists-in-city-s-biggest-national-security-case/7634597.html
- https://www.chinafile.com/tracking-impact-of-hong-kongs-national-security-law
#civil-rights #human-rights #democracy #hong-kong #香港 #china #中国 #election #subversion #conviction #sentencing
See also [gopher://gopher.floodgap.com/0/feeds/democracynow/2024/Nov/19/7](gopher://gopher.floodgap.com/0/feeds/democracynow/2024/Nov/19/7)
and
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/11/19/headlines/hong_kong_court_sentences_45_pro_democracy_activists_in_landmark_national_security_trial
Something from "the failing New York Times" *
Not that they have any more clue than does Lord StableGenius, what he might do.... but a grounded (and un-paywalled) first take.
### What a Second Trump Term Could Mean for Your Money
Here’s what the president-elect has said he might do with your taxes, student loans, Social Security and more.
* (Sir #TrumpVirus term). #truth #ElectionsHaveConsequences #GQP #cult #election #USeconomy #taxes
There's no winning! Don’t Cry, Cryo!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV6gvZ7OrZQ
1:32 min video
#video #trump #election
Oh? It wasn't Moscow Mitch??
♲ br00t4c - 2024-11-14 01:08:09 GMT
Did Republicans Just Hand Trump 2.0 His First Defeat?#MajorityLeader #JohnThune #Trump #Senate #Election
“If voting could ever really change anything, it’d be illegal.”— Thorne, Land of the Blind (2006)
Despite the billions spent to create the illusion of choice culminating in the reassurance ritual of voting for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, when it comes to most of the big issues that keep us in bondage to authoritarian overlords, not much will change.
War will continue. Drone killings will continue. Surveillance will continue. Censorship of anyone who criticizes the government will continue. The government’s efforts to label dissidents as extremists and terrorists will continue. Police shootings will continue. SWAT team raids will continue. Highway robbery meted out by government officials will continue. Corrupt government will continue. Profit-driven prisons will continue. And the militarization of the police will continue.
The outcome of this year’s election changes none of that.
What does the election mean for AI? Matt Wolfe says: The upcoming Trump Administration will repeal the Biden Administration's AI regulation executive order, which required developers of foundation models to report their safety tests to the federal government, and in general the upcoming Trump Administration will oppose regulation of AI, seeking for AI to advance as fast as possible so the US will stay ahead of geopolitical competitors. "Make America First in AI". The upcoming Trump Administration might even fund AI "Manhattan Projects" to further speed up AI advancement. J.D. Vance is an advocate for open source AI models. Elon Musk runs X.AI and will be working with the upcoming Trump Administration.
That's the first 6 minutes of the video. The rest is about other stuff: Runway AI's new camera control feature, Kling Face Swap, ByteDance's new X-Portrait 2, Facepoke, BlackForestLabs's Labs FLUX 1.1, Krea.AI Loras (character models), Anthropic PDF reading, Anthropic's Haiku price increase, partnerships with AI companies and the US military/defense industry, Instagram age verification, OpenAI possibly wanting to get into hardware, GPT-4o Predicted Outputs, Prime Video AI recaps, iOS 18.2 new AI features, bolt.new builds a Tetris game from a prompt, Wendy's working with Palentir for supply chain AI, SingularityNET AI that plays Minecraft, Nvidia robotics simulation tools, and a Unitree walking robot and robot dog that a guy tries to beat the heck out of.
#Mauritius election 2024: Amid #wiretapping #scandal, what’s at stake?
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/10/mauritius-election-amid-wiretapping-scandal-whats-at-stake
Tensions have further escalated after authorities last week imposed a social #media ban until November 11, a day after the #elections. The unprecedented move provoked outrage from #opposition groups and citizens, prompting the #government to overturn it a day later.
#politics #Africa #election #censorship #internet #freedom #Democracy #surveillance #Problem #news
The #Democrats lost all swing states at the #election
But they thought they could win with #Harris. I think they are lost in their own #EchoChamber. With all the Hollywood-Stars voting for Harris they lost the #support of the poor people and their needs.
🗽 🇺🇸 😱🤑
#usa #vote #politics #Hollywood #Democracy #entertainment #president #government #news #WhiteHouse #swingstate #trump #Problem #poverty
The real rulers are the Elon Musks and #Trump is just on stage for the smear theater. Unfortunately, the leftists who want to redistribute #wealth no longer exist in American politics. The right has stepped into this gap and taken over the problems of poor people for their politics. How can the US be a #democracy if you have to be a millionaire to become #president or need the favor of millionaires to make it?
#politics #news #usa #society #poverty #Problem #WhiteHouse #freedom #government #capitalism #money #finance #election #future #humanrights #power