The Tap: Friday, August 5, 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 #28 of The Tap, which was published on August 6, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

• James Cohn, a judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, assumed senior status on the bench. Judge Cohn’s promotion created a second vacancy on the court. As an Article III judicial position, Judge Cohn’s successor must be nominated by the president, and that nomination is subject to confirmation on the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate.

• Former acting director and deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency Michael J. Morell endorsed Hillary Clinton in an op-ed in The New York Times. He wrote, “Two strongly held beliefs have brought me to this decision. First, Mrs. Clinton is highly qualified to be commander in chief. I trust she will deliver on the most important duty of a president — keeping our nation safe. Second, Donald J. Trump is not only unqualified for the job, but he may well pose a threat to our national security.” Morell singled out Trump’s positions on Russia and its annexation of Crimea and called Trump “an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation.”

• Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch requesting information about the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) role in a $400 million cash payment the United States made to Iran in January 2016 as part of a settlement to resolve a dispute from a failed arms deal. On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that senior DOJ officials objected to sending pallets of cash on an unmarked cargo plane to Iran because they feared Iran would consider it a ransom payment. Grassley wrote, "These reports are particularly troubling in light of the Department’s continuing failure to cooperate with my inquiry into the FBI’s alleged role in facilitating ransom payments to terrorist groups.” Citing the Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal article and an article from 2015 that said the Federal Bureau of Investigation provided guidance to a hostage held by al Qaeda, Grassley added, "there are serious questions about this administration's policies regarding paying ransoms to terrorists and state-sponsors of terrorism."

State

• Nebraska State Sen. Bill Kintner (R) has agreed to pay a $1,000 fine for misusing his state-issued computer to engage in cybersex. The Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission released a report on the investigation that detailed emails and messages between Kintner and a woman from July 2015. After engaging in cybersex, the women tried to extort $4,500 from him by threatening to release the video. Kintner contacted the Nebraska State Patrol about the extortion and confessed to his wife about the incident. Gov. Pete Ricketts (R), Senate President Galen Hadley (R), and Executive Board Chair Bob Krist (R) have all called for Kintner’s resignation. Kintner says that he won’t resign. While the Nebraska State Senate is nonpartisan, Senators Kintner, Hadley, and Krist all identify with the Republican Party. The Senate’s partisan balance stands at 12 Democrats, 35 Republicans, one independent, and one Libertarian.
• Legal challenge filed against ballot arguments in California: Supporters of California’s Marijuana Legalization Initiative, Proposition 64, filed a legal challenge against the voter guide argument in opposition to the measure. Proponents of Prop. 64 specifically critiqued the official opposition argument for saying that Prop. 64 exposes children to pro-marijuana advertising, removes protections for consumers, and “rolls back the total prohibition of smoking ads on TV.” Responding to the legal challenge, Tim Rosales, a spokesman for the “No on Proposition 64” campaign, said, “We are not surprised. Their campaign is in trouble and they know it, and we believe we will prevail.” Rosales also said that the opposition campaign would challenge the official voter argument in support of Prop. 64 as well.
  • The preliminary language to be included on the official voter guide in California is under public review until August 15. During the public review period, legal challenges to proposed language can be filed based on alleged factual inaccuracies and misrepresentations.
  • Last week, proponents of Proposition 60, the measure requiring the use of condoms in pornographic films, also filed a legal challenge against opposing voter guide arguments.

Local

• FILING DEADLINE: Deadline passed to file in the general election for five school board seats in two of Alaska’s largest school districts by enrollment. The election will be held on October 4, 2016. These districts served 31,889 students during the 2013-2014 school year, which was 24.3 percent of all Alaska public school students.

Preview of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #27 of The Tap, which was published on July 30, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

• James Cohn, a judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, will assume senior status on the bench. Judge Cohn’s elevation creates a second vacancy on the court. As an Article III judicial position, Judge Cohn’s successor must be nominated by the president, and that nomination is subject to confirmation on the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate.

Local

• FILING DEADLINE: Deadline to file in the general election for five school board seats in two of Alaska’s largest school districts by enrollment. The election will be held on October 4, 2016. The two school districts served a combined total of 31,889 students during the 2013-2014 school year.