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Politics: 2024Talks - September 23, 2024

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Politics and views in the United States.

Audio file

Republicans want winner-take-all electoral votes in Nebraska, the Georgia Board of Elections says precincts must hand count ballots, and the Congressional Black Caucus defends Haitian immigrants against conspiracy theories.

TRANSCRIPT

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Welcome to 2024 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times.

We need to speak with one voice.

We're a small state, we've got five votes.

We're a Republican state.

I think it's just something we have to get done.

It's an issue of fairness.

Nebraska Republican Congressman Mike Flood is pushing his state to start awarding its electoral college votes winner take all.

Nebraska and Maine are the only states to award delegates by congressional district.

Democrats have a good shot at the vote from the Omaha area, which could tip a tied race.

Former President Donald Trump is pressing for the rule change, but Maine lawmakers say they might reply in kind.

The Georgia Board of Elections has ruled that all ballots must now be counted by hand following machine tally.

Critics say that will delay results and produce errors, but board member Janelle King says it's about election integrity.

We have another layer just to ensure that the precinct count is right.

The precinct count is right, the county count is right, and then the state count is right.

King is one of three board members recently praised by Trump at an Atlanta rally.

The state's Republican attorney general calls the move illegal.

Congressional leaders say they've reached agreement on a three-month spending bill without a Trump Act measure requiring proof of citizenship to vote.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says this means they can avoid a government shutdown.

Now that the MAGA GOP bill has failed, it's clear that only a bipartisan budget bill will keep the government open.

Controversial North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson is denying the charges and refusing to end his campaign.

CNN revealed explicit offensive comments they say he made on a pornography website a decade ago, including calling himself a black Nazi.

Let me reassure you, the things that you will see in that story, those are not the words of Mark Robinson.

His top campaign staff all resigned over the weekend.

In spite of previously calling him Martin Luther King on steroids, Trump pointedly did not invite Robinson to or mention him at a recent Wilmington rally.

But Democratic Governor Roy Cooper says Trump must have been aware that Robinson has a history of disturbing comments.

Republican leaders and Donald Trump have known who he is, they've embraced him, they've supported him from day one.

House Democrats have introduced a resolution condemning racism towards Haitians.

Congressional Black Caucus Chair, Stephen Horsford of Nevada, says communities in Ohio are living in fear after Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, spread conspiracy theories about immigrants eating their neighbors' pets.

This racist scapegoating, pitting one group of Americans against another for political purposes is dangerous and it has no place in our national discourse.

I'm Katherine Carley for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.