The Tap: Friday, November 4, 2016

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The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.

Review of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #41 of The Tap, which was published on November 5, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

• The Paris climate change agreement—a non-binding international plan to reduce emissions and fund climate mitigation projects in developing countries—took force. John Morton, director for climate and energy at the White House National Security Council, said, “Reaching the Paris agreement in December of last year was clearly a watershed moment for the international community.” He added that the agreement is taking effect “much, much faster, years faster, than most people expected. And with that entry into force, that puts us on a much accelerated path toward implementation of that goals that we laid out in Paris a year ago.” According to The Hill, “The pact consists of individual pledges that each nation made to limit or cut greenhouse gas emissions. The United States’s pledge is to cut 26 percent to 28 percent of emissions by 2025. But those cuts are not binding under international law, which means the Senate does not have to vote on the accord.”
  • On Thursday, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and 13 Republican senators wrote a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry stating their opposition to the climate deal. They wrote, “We are concerned the administration has not been forthright in acknowledging the limitations of the president’s domestic climate actions, primarily the Clean Power Plan, and the pathway the administration has taken to join the Agreement. We urge you to be candid with parties to the Agreement to preserve the diplomatic credibility of the United States.”

• Three members of the United States Military were killed in Jordan when their vehicles came under fire as they were entering a military base. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said, "We are saddened to report that three U.S. service members were killed today in a shooting incident at a Jordanian military base. … We are working closely with the government of Jordan to determine exactly what happened. Our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of these service members."

• President Barack Obama granted commutation to 72 federal inmates, bringing the total number of commutations during his presidency to 944 individuals. According to a White House press release, “The President’s 944 commutation recipients have earned that second chance -- whether by obtaining a GED, taking vocational programming to learn skills for future employment, or addressing the substance abuse that so often has led to their criminal conduct.”

• New election data shows that Latinos are early voting in higher numbers than in 2012 throughout the country. "According to the data firm Catalist, one of the largest increases of early voting by Latinos is taking place in Arizona, a traditionally Republican state that Clinton visited for the first time during the general election on Wednesday. ... Significant upticks are also taking place in Nevada and Florida, two other states where a burgeoning Hispanic vote could prove key in determining the outcome," The Washington Post reported.

• The State Department released 285 pages of emails from Hillary Clinton's time as secretary of state. Although most were duplicative of previously released emails, two of the emails have been retroactively classified as "confidential."
  • See also: Hillary Clinton email investigation

State

• In New Jersey, the “Bridgegate” trial against Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni concluded with both being convicted on all counts for their involvement with the George Washington Bridge lane closure in September 2013. The two were charged with conspiring with former Port Authority executive David Wildstein to purposely create traffic jams on the bridge in retaliation against the mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey, for declining to endorse Governor Chris Christie’s (R) re-election bid in 2013. Kelly is a former aide to Gov. Christie and Baroni is the former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Following their convictions in court, both Kelly and Baroni announced that they plan to appeal.
  • Gov. Christie has denied any involvement with the lane closure scheme, stating that the employees acted alone and without his knowledge. Following the ruling, he issued the following statement: “As a former federal prosecutor, I have respected these proceedings and refused to comment on the daily testimony from the trial. I will set the record straight in the coming days regarding the lies that were told by the media and in the courtroom.” Gov. Christie is unable to run for re-election in 2017 due to term limits.

Local

• Politico reported that liberal donor George Soros donated $2 million to Maricopa Strong, an outside organization opposing the re-election efforts of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Arizona. The donation combined Soros’ interest in donating to more local law enforcement races and his interest in immigration-related issues. Arpaio is best-known for his outspoken criticism of the federal government's policies concerning illegal immigration. Maricopa Strong, which also received funding from California billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs and former Enron executive John Arnold and his wife Laura, aired advertisements that claimed, "Joe Arpaio has put his personal agenda ahead of public safety, costing taxpayers more than $142 million."

Preview of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #40 of The Tap, which was published on October 29, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

State

• Voter registration deadline in Wisconsin if registering in person.
• Early voting ends in Massachusetts, Nevada, Texas, and Utah.