LOUISVILLE, Kentucky—After disastrous primary showcases in and , voting-rights advocates turned their eyes to Kentucky amid national concern that the state’s Tuesday primary could be the latest to offer a troubling portrait of voting during the coronavirus pandemic.In the days before the election, hallmarks of what in a time of COVID hellish were unfolding: In Jefferson County, only one polling site, albeit a large one, was open Tuesday. That made the Kentucky Exposition Center the lone in-person polling location for the area that includes this city, the state’s largest. A similar...…LOUISVILLE, Kentucky—After disastrous primary showcases in and , voting-rights advocates turned their eyes to Kentucky amid national concern that the state’s Tuesday primary could be the latest to offer a troubling portrait of voting during the coronavirus pandemic.In the days before the election, hallmarks of what in a time of COVID hellish were unfolding: In Jefferson County, only one polling site, albeit a large one, was open Tuesday. That made the Kentucky Exposition Center the lone in-person polling location for the area that includes this city, the state’s largest. A similar...WW…

This story was co-published with the Kansas City Star.Kris Kobach likes to tout his work for Valley Park, Missouri. He has boasted on cable TV about crafting and defending the town’s hardline anti-immigration ordinance. He discussed his “victory” there at length on his old radio show. He still lists it on his resume.But “victory” isn’t the word most Valley Park residents would use to describe the results of Kobach’s work. With his help, the town of 7,000 passed an ordinance in 2006 that punished employers for hiring illegal immigrants and landlords for renting to them. But after two years...…This story was co-published with the Kansas City Star.Kris Kobach likes to tout his work for Valley Park, Missouri. He has boasted on cable TV about crafting and defending the town’s hardline anti-immigration ordinance. He discussed his “victory” there at length on his old radio show. He still lists it on his resume.But “victory” isn’t the word most Valley Park residents would use to describe the results of Kobach’s work. With his help, the town of 7,000 passed an ordinance in 2006 that punished employers for hiring illegal immigrants and landlords for renting to them. But after two years...WW…

President Donald Trump has, for the first time, publicly suggested delaying November’s presidential election—an unprecedented measure that is beyond the powers of the president.In his latest tweet pushing his that mail-in ballots somehow make elections more susceptible to voter fraud, Trump that holding the election during the raging pandemic would be dangerous and mulled whether it would be best to “Delay the Election until people can vote properly, securely and safely.”Despite his posturing, Trump has absolutely no legal power to follow through on the proposal to delay the vote. His...…President Donald Trump has, for the first time, publicly suggested delaying November’s presidential election—an unprecedented measure that is beyond the powers of the president.In his latest tweet pushing his that mail-in ballots somehow make elections more susceptible to voter fraud, Trump that holding the election during the raging pandemic would be dangerous and mulled whether it would be best to “Delay the Election until people can vote properly, securely and safely.”Despite his posturing, Trump has absolutely no legal power to follow through on the proposal to delay the vote. His...WW…

President Donald Trump kicked off his Monday coronavirus task force briefing by criticizing one of the leading Republican At the start of the briefing, the president said the nation’s governors had been given “a list of the names, addresses, and phone numbers of the labs where they can find additional testing capacity within their states.” “Hundreds and hundreds of labs are ready, willing, and able,” he insisted. “Some of the governors, like as an example the governor from Maryland, didn’t really understand the list. He didn’t understand too much about what was going on, so now I think...…President Donald Trump kicked off his Monday coronavirus task force briefing by criticizing one of the leading Republican At the start of the briefing, the president said the nation’s governors had been given “a list of the names, addresses, and phone numbers of the labs where they can find additional testing capacity within their states.” “Hundreds and hundreds of labs are ready, willing, and able,” he insisted. “Some of the governors, like as an example the governor from Maryland, didn’t really understand the list. He didn’t understand too much about what was going on, so now I think...WW…

Horney Mitchell is scared. The mayor of the small town of Gifford, South Carolina, sees what’s happening across the state line in Georgia, where the state’s Republican governor is loosening coronavirus restrictions, and his advice to people is simple.Stay home.  “I'm telling my folks, don't go to Georgia,” Mitchell said. “What I tell them is (to) stay home and stay safe. Do not cross the Georgia line.”  Saying that is difficult, he said, because it’s hard to tell someone how to live their life. He doesn’t want to be a bearer of bad news. He’d rather be one to pass on a...…Horney Mitchell is scared. The mayor of the small town of Gifford, South Carolina, sees what’s happening across the state line in Georgia, where the state’s Republican governor is loosening coronavirus restrictions, and his advice to people is simple.Stay home.  “I'm telling my folks, don't go to Georgia,” Mitchell said. “What I tell them is (to) stay home and stay safe. Do not cross the Georgia line.”  Saying that is difficult, he said, because it’s hard to tell someone how to live their life. He doesn’t want to be a bearer of bad news. He’d rather be one to pass on a...WW…

Few elected officials may be doing more to openly play to the right wing’s antipathy to pandemic public-health restrictions than South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. Noem has refused to issue a statewide stay-at-home order during the health crisis even after an outbreak at ain her state became a virus flashpoint; embraced the president’s favored coronavirus ; and raised her profile as a national outlier despite concerns in and outside of her state. Laura Ingraham has spent time championing the Republican leader during an interview on her Fox News show, calling her “public enemy No. 1...…Few elected officials may be doing more to openly play to the right wing’s antipathy to pandemic public-health restrictions than South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. Noem has refused to issue a statewide stay-at-home order during the health crisis even after an outbreak at ain her state became a virus flashpoint; embraced the president’s favored coronavirus ; and raised her profile as a national outlier despite concerns in and outside of her state. Laura Ingraham has spent time championing the Republican leader during an interview on her Fox News show, calling her “public enemy No. 1...WW…

As President Donald Trump laid out new federal guidelines for states and stressed their authority Thursday, he stopped short of condemning .Not long after measured remarks to start the day’s coronavirus task force briefing, Trump declined to criticize , claiming that people are “suffering” and saying, “I think they’re listening, I think they listen to me,” when asked if they should listen to local authorities. “They seem to be protesters that like me and respect this opinion, and my opinion is the same as just about all of the governors,” Trump said.When he was first asked about the...…As President Donald Trump laid out new federal guidelines for states and stressed their authority Thursday, he stopped short of condemning .Not long after measured remarks to start the day’s coronavirus task force briefing, Trump declined to criticize , claiming that people are “suffering” and saying, “I think they’re listening, I think they listen to me,” when asked if they should listen to local authorities. “They seem to be protesters that like me and respect this opinion, and my opinion is the same as just about all of the governors,” Trump said.When he was first asked about the...WW…

Confronted with a cratering economy that threatens his re-election chances, President Donald Trump is discovering a hard truth: The powers he possesses are limited. Over the past week, Trump has pushed the idea that the coronavirus pandemic is fading enough to allow Americans to begin resuming normal economic functions. And he’s proclaimed that he has “total” authority over states to compel them to dispense with their public health restrictions in pursuit of that grand “re-opening.” But over the past 24 hours, Trump’s boasts have largely been revealed to be hollow. Governors have...…Confronted with a cratering economy that threatens his re-election chances, President Donald Trump is discovering a hard truth: The powers he possesses are limited. Over the past week, Trump has pushed the idea that the coronavirus pandemic is fading enough to allow Americans to begin resuming normal economic functions. And he’s proclaimed that he has “total” authority over states to compel them to dispense with their public health restrictions in pursuit of that grand “re-opening.” But over the past 24 hours, Trump’s boasts have largely been revealed to be hollow. Governors have...WW…

Former Vice President Joe Biden has officially been declared the victor of the Wisconsin Democratic primary, according to the Associated Press, after a surge in mail-in ballots posted in the midst of the coronavirus crisis took days to officially tabulate the results of the April 7 contest.Biden’s win in Wisconsin is largely pro forma following of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign last week, which cleared the path to the Democratic presidential nomination for the former two-term vice president, despite the chaotic lead-up to a contest that some would expose voters to the...…Former Vice President Joe Biden has officially been declared the victor of the Wisconsin Democratic primary, according to the Associated Press, after a surge in mail-in ballots posted in the midst of the coronavirus crisis took days to officially tabulate the results of the April 7 contest.Biden’s win in Wisconsin is largely pro forma following of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign last week, which cleared the path to the Democratic presidential nomination for the former two-term vice president, despite the chaotic lead-up to a contest that some would expose voters to the...WW…

Facing the difficult task of unseating an incumbent governor whose popularity has risen during the coronavirus pandemic, North Carolina Republican Dan Forest is doubling down with the kind of move that appeals to a GOP base that’s balked at public health restrictions.As a resurgent coronavirus pandemic continues to stress southern states and worry health officials, the lieutenant governor is pushing forward with a lawsuit targeted at public health executive orders from Gov. Roy Cooper. The pending lawsuit comes just after the Democrat moved to pause the state’s reopening and announced...…Facing the difficult task of unseating an incumbent governor whose popularity has risen during the coronavirus pandemic, North Carolina Republican Dan Forest is doubling down with the kind of move that appeals to a GOP base that’s balked at public health restrictions.As a resurgent coronavirus pandemic continues to stress southern states and worry health officials, the lieutenant governor is pushing forward with a lawsuit targeted at public health executive orders from Gov. Roy Cooper. The pending lawsuit comes just after the Democrat moved to pause the state’s reopening and announced...WW…