The Tap: Tuesday, October 11, 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 #38 of The Tap, which was published on October 15, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

  • Donna Brazile, the interim chair of the Democratic National Committee, denied sending the Clinton campaign a moderator question in advance of a town hall taped in March 2016. According to an email allegedly obtained by WikiLeaks from Clinton campaign chair John Podesta's email account, Brazile, who was a contributor to CNN at the time, sent top Clinton advisor Jennifer Palmieri the exact wording of a question about the death penalty that was later used in the town hall. The subject of the email was "From time to time I get the questions in advance."
    • Brazile said in a statement, "As a longtime political activist with deep ties in our party, I supported all of our candidates for president. I often shared my thoughts with each and every campaign, and any suggestions that indicate otherwise are simply untrue. As it pertains to the CNN Debates, I never had access to questions and would never have shared them with the candidates if I did."
    • Top CNN official Barbara Levin also denied the allegations. "To be perfectly clear, we have never, ever given a town hall question to anyone beforehand," she said.
    • Moderator Roland Martin initially said in response to the story, “I don’t share my questions with anybody. Literally. My executive producer wasn’t even aware of what I was going to ask.” He later amended, “I shared my questions with my executive producer, she was the one who sent my questions to the folks with CNN.”
    • Podesta said that he had spoken with the Federal Bureau of Investigation "as a victim" of hacking and accused the Russian government of meddling in the U.S. election through the hack. “I’ve been involved in politics for nearly five decades. This definitely is the first campaign that I’ve been involved with in which I’ve had to tangle with Russian intelligence agencies who seem to be doing everything that they can on behalf of our opponent.”
    • See also: Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016/WikiLeaks
  • In another email thread released by WikiLeaks, Chelsea Clinton expressed "serious concerns" that Teneo, a consulting firm that had hired former President Bill Clinton as an advisor, was using his name to gain access to foreign officials for profit. She wrote that a Teneo employee had "called Members of the House and Members of Parliament, 'on behalf of President Clinton,' for Teneo clients...without my father's knowledge and inelegantly and ineffectually at best and at worse has now precipitating people in London making comparisons between my father and Tony Blair's profit motivations. Which would horrify my father." Chelsea Clinton had previously expressed concern with potential conflicts of interest at the Clinton Foundation, initiating an audit of the nonprofit's conflict of interest practices. Doug Band, an aide to Clinton and one of the founders of Teneo, told Bill Clinton that Chelsea Clinton was trying to "push him out, take over" in her efforts to "professionalize" the organization. Documents were later drafted to clarify how Bill Clinton’s various personal and professional activities—at the Clinton Foundation and elsewhere—should be handled. According to Politico, "Band continued to be paid by the Clinton Foundation into 2012, and by Bill Clinton’s taxpayer-subsidized personal office through January 2013, but he has since become distanced from the family, even as Teneo’s clientele continued to overlap with the Clinton Foundation’s donor rolls."
  • Hillary Clinton announced a plan to increase and expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC) as a form of "middle class tax relief." Under her proposal, the CTC would increase from $1,000 to $2,000 for each child four years of age or younger. She would also "lower the threshold for refundability from $3,000 to the first dollar of earnings for families."
  • Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim criticized Hillary Clinton for saying during the second presidential debate that she would consider arming the Kurds in order to empower them in the fight against ISIS in Syria. Yildirim said, “Isn’t America our ally? Isn’t it our NATO ally? Isn’t it our ally in the region? What does it mean to support weapons with weapons?” He continued, “Where in the world have you ever seen this? How moral is it, how ethical is it, how right is it to fight a terrorist organization with another terrorist organization, to defeat a terrorist organization with another terrorist organization?”
  • Former Vice President Al Gore joined Hillary Clinton at a campaign rally in Florida where she discussed climate change and clean energy. He encouraged voters to support Clinton by referencing his narrow presidential loss in 2000, saying, “Your vote really, really, really counts. You can consider me as Exhibit A of that.”
  • Donald Trump's campaign released a new ad focused on Hillary Clinton's health. The ad includes images or warfare and various moments of Clinton showing signs of ill health in public, while a narrator states, “Hillary Clinton failed every single time as secretary of state. Now she wants to be president. Hillary Clinton doesn’t have the fortitude, strength, or stamina to lead in our world.” The issue of health is not an uncommon one in presidential election years, but it has come to play an outsized role in the 2016 election. One reason for this is that—at 69 and 70 years old respectively—Clinton and Trump will be two of the oldest presidential nominees in U.S. history on election day in November. Polling data suggests that voters have some concerns about the health of presidential candidates. Most voters think that candidates should release personal health records, and most voters also say a candidate's health has at least some impact on their preference for president. Read more about the history of health in presidential elections, public opinion on the issue, and what we know about the health of the 2016 presidential candidates.
  • Almost two dozen former Justice Department officials who served under five different Republican administrations released a letter condemning Donald Trump. The letter focused on Trump’s comments at the second presidential debate in which he said he would appoint a federal prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state and that, if he is elected, Clinton will “be in jail.” The letter stated, “We believe that Donald Trump’s impulsive treatment, flair for controversy, vindictive approach to his opponents and alarming views outside the constitutional mainstream ill suit him to oversee the execution of the laws in a fair and evenhanded manner. None of us will vote for Mr. Trump and all believe he must be defeated at the polls.”
  • Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced that a temporary hold has been placed on deporting Haitians because of Hurricane Matthew. He said, "We will have to deal with that situation, address it, be sympathetic to the plight of the people of Haiti as a result of the hurricane.” He added deportations will continue once the humanitarian crisis is under control. According to NBC News, “An Obama administration directive unveiled last month was designed to put an end to temporary provisions that allowed Haitians to enter the U.S. without a visa. That policy came out of an extraordinary wave of migrants coming to the U.S. in the years since Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake in 2010.”
  • The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in three cases. In Manrique v. United States, the court reviewed when and how many notices of appeal must be filed when challenging a sentence imposing restitution. In Samsung Electronics v. Apple, the court considered whether, when a design patent is applied only to a component of a product, a patent infringer’s profits should be forfeited on the entire product or just on those components protected under patent. In Pena-Rodriguez v. Colorado, the court examined whether a Colorado rule of evidence that prohibits the use of jury deliberations as evidence generally can still prohibit the use of such testimony when the testimony provides evidence of a juror's racial bias.

State

Local

  • The Denver Post reported that billionaire Democratic donor George Soros had donated at least $179,000 to an outside organization to defeat Jefferson and Gilpin County District Attorney Pete Weir. The paper reported that Soros’ money went to Colorado Safety and Justice, an organization attacking Weir with mailers stating, “Women and children aren’t safe from sexual violence with Pete Weir as district attorney.”

See also: Money in local elections

  • The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) reached a contract agreement with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to prevent a strike planned to begin the same day. The union had authorized the decision to strike on September 28, 2016. The agreement came after more than 12 hours of negotiation between school board members and union leaders.
    • The turmoil between CPS and the CTU has been ongoing: On August 24, 2016, the CPS school board unanimously approved a $5.4 billion operating budget for 2016-2017. The budget included $30 million in concessions from the CTU. In response, Chicago teachers marched in front of CPS headquarters. The budget was first proposed in early August and included increased property taxes and personnel cuts. It also offered gradual pay increases for teachers and phased out district payments into CTU pension and insurance funds. The inclusion of $945 million in borrowing for unspecified construction projects received backlash from CTU leaders after 1,000 teachers, aides, and support staff were laid off earlier in the month due to district budget shortfalls.
  • Former Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon (D) filed as a write-in candidate for mayor for the general election. Dixon was defeated by Catherine Pugh in the April 26 primary but cited issues with how ballots were handled in the primary during a press conference announcing her write-in bid. A state audit of the primary results found 1,650 ballots were mishandled by the city in Pugh's 2,408-vote victory over Dixon. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (D) is not running for re-election. Baltimore is the 23rd-largest city by population in the United States and the largest in Maryland.
  • The city council of Washington, D.C., voted to advance a package of anti-tobacco bills, including one that would raise the minimum age to buy cigarettes in the city to 21 years old. Additional pieces of legislation would ban vaping in public places and prevent the use of tobacco at sporting events. The nation’s capital would not be the first major city to raise the minimum age for cigarettes above the federal one; Boston, Chicago, and New York City already have similar laws on the books. Before becoming law, the bills would need to be approved a second time by the city council and then signed by Mayor Muriel Bowser (D). Washington, D.C., is the 26th-largest city by population in the United States.
  • The U.S. Attorney's Office announced that it would file contempt of court charges against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio (R). Arpaio is up for election this year and faces Democratic challenger Paul Penzone in the general election. The contempt charge stems from a May 2016 ruling where U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow found that Arpaio and three others failed to follow Snow’s orders to reduce racial profiling within the sheriff’s department. Arpaio has raised over $12 million for his re-election campaign, which is $4 million more than Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (R) raised in 2014. Maricopa County is one of 17 counties covered by Ballotpedia.

Preview of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #37 of The Tap, which was published on October 8, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

  • The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in three cases. In Manrique v. United States, the court will review when and how many notices of appeal must be filed when challenging a sentence imposing restitution. In Samsung Electronics v. Apple, the court will consider when a design patent is applied only to a component of a product, should a patent infringer’s profits be forfeited on the entire product or just on those components protected under patent. In Pena-Rodriguez v. Colorado, the court will examine whether a Colorado rule of evidence that prohibits the use of jury deliberations as evidence generally can still prohibit the use of such testimony when the testimony provides evidence of a juror's racial bias.

Local

  • The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) plans to begin a teacher strike on this date after it authorized the decision on September 28, 2016.
  • The turmoil between CPS and the CTU has been ongoing:
    • On August 24, 2016, the CPS school board unanimously approved a $5.4 billion operating budget for 2016-2017. The budget included $30 million in concessions from the CTU. In response, Chicago teachers marched in front of CPS headquarters. The budget was first proposed in early August and included increased property taxes and personnel cuts. It also offered gradual pay increases for teachers and phased out district payments into CTU pension and insurance funds. The inclusion of $945 million in borrowing for unspecified construction projects received backlash from CTU leaders after 1,000 teachers, aides, and support staff were laid off earlier in the month due to district budget shortfalls.
  • Join Ballotpedia's preemption webinar at 11 a.m. CT as our experts discuss the tug-of-war between city and state governments that has developed behind the scenes of the 21st century's biggest policy debates.



The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.
March: 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
April: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
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June: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
July: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
August: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
September: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
October: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7• 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
November: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
December: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 31
January: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
February: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17
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