After a cascade of Republican states left ERIC, what comes next?

Since the 2020 presidential election, Republicans nationwide have passed restrictive legislation harming voters, predicated on baseless allegations of widespread voter fraud.

In a twist of irony, the one voting system that effectively reduces voter fraud is the Election Registration Information Center (ERIC), which has seen a cascade of departures from Republican states.

Once uncontroversial and little known, ERIC is an organization comprised of both Democratic and Republican states that is used to ensure accurate voter registration rolls.

States that opt-in to the coalition submit voter registration and department of motor vehicle licensing data to ERIC, which then produces a handful of maintenance reports. These reports can show voters who have died, moved states, possess duplicate registrations and those who are eligible to vote but have not yet registered.

Following the release of a glaringly false article attacking ERIC on the Gateway Pundit, a far-right website, that alleged numerous falsehoods about the coalition, a wave of departures ensued.

By July 2022, nine states, all Republican-controlled, had exited or announced their departure from ERIC.

At: https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/after-a-cascade-of-republican-states-left-eric-what-comes-next/

Louisiana voters line up to cast ballots in New Orleans during the 2022 mid-terms.

The state was the first of nine red states to have so far abandoned the Election Registration Information Center (ERIC) - following a false article attacking ERIC on the Gateway Pundit, a far-right website.

Argentine far-right candidate Milei skips memorial event repudiating Hamas attack and calling for release of hostages

The Delegation of Argentine Israeli Associations (DAIA) - Argentina's largest Jewish federation - held its annual meeting in Buenos Aires on Monday night - which focused on repudiating Hamas terrorism, demanding the release of those kidnapped and supporting the State of Israel in the war against the terrorist group.

Home to Latin America's largest Jewish community, some 21 Argentine nationals are among the over 200 currently held as hostages amid the ongoing Israeli counterattack in Gaza.

The event was attended by an array of judicial, political, business, cultural and union leaders, as well as ambassadors - including Israel's Galit Ronen, 58, and Marc Stanley, 66, of the United States.

The most notable absence, however, was that of far-right presidential candidate Javier Milei.

Milei, 53, will be competing against Economy Minister Sergio Massa, 51, who represents the ruling, center-left Front for All Coalition and outstripped Milei by an unexpectedly strong 37% to 30% in the October 22nd general election.

Polls differ as to which candidate has the advantage - although most agree that the November 19th runoff will be close.

Far-right fury

Also in attendance was defeated hard-right candidate Patricia Bullrich, who was eliminated from the runoff after netting 24%. Bullrich, 67, created deep divisions in her coalition after endorsing Milei last week in a deal reportedly brokered by her political boss, former President Mauricio Macri.

She reaped further criticism on Monday by declaring on a right-wing cable news channel that she "hopes (Argentina) explodes before" the November 19th runoff.

Massa repudiated the bombastic Bullrich following a meeting with the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA) - the country's top manufacturing lobby - today, noting that "when things explode, those who get hurt are Argentines. The merchants, the workers, lose."

"I have a constructive view and don't think about how to destroy the other in order to win an election."

At: https://www-infobae-com.translate.goog/politica/2023/10/31/en-un-acto-con-fuerte-presencia-politica-la-daia-repudio-el-ataque-de-hamas-a-israel-y-pidio-la-liberacion-de-los-rehenes/?_x_tr_sl=es&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Argentine Economy Minister Sergio Massa (center, blue tie) joins an array of Jewish leaders in Argentine politics, culture, business and labor in repudiating the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel, as well as calling for the release of the over 200 hostages still held by Hamas - including 21 Argentine nationals.

Far-right, opposition candidate Javier Milei skipped the event.

Milei - who enjoys the support of figures such as Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and former U.S. President Donald Trump - is staunchly supported by apologists of the country's last dictatorship.

Jews accounted for 13% of the 8,960 reported to have "disappeared" during the fascist Videla regime according to a 1984 report.

Argentine elections: Right-wing candidate endorses far-right's Milei for runoff, creating schisms in both coalitions

Far-right presidential candidate Javier Milei announced Wednesday that he and Patricia Bullrich, a hard-right candidate eliminated from the runoff in elections held on Sunday, had allied ahead of the upcoming run-off because “getting to power is [the] priority.”

Bullrich's endorsement of Milei - reportedly brokered by right-wing former President Mauricio Macri - sent shockwaves in both Bullrich's and Milei's coalitions.

Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, 57, noted that while “both options are very bad” - referring to Milei and center-left candidate Sergio Massa, 51 (who placed first but will face Milei in the November 19th runoff) - “I don’t believe in anything that Milei proposes.”

“His ideas are bad and dangerous. It’s not good for the country - it’s what I think, they're my convictions.”

The pro-Trump economist, 53 - who has pledged to deregulate everything from firearms to organ transplants - said he believed he’d secure a majority in the runoff by attracting all of Bullrich’s votes; but the first poll published after the October 22nd elections suggests this is unlikely:

The Proyección poll showed that 24% of Bullrich voters would vote for Milei, 14% for Massa, 20% were undecided, and the remaining 42% would spoil their ballot or not show up to vote.

Overall, 45% of respondents said they’d vote for Massa and 34% for Milei in the run-off - though the poll was conducted before Bullrich, 67, formally backed Milei.

Massa, the nation's current Economy Minister, defied expectations by garnering nearly 37% of Sunday's vote - compared to 30% for Milei (who had been the front-runner for months), and 24% for Bullrich.

Anti-democratic demagogue

Numerous other leaders in Bullrich's right-wing Together for Change (JxC) coalition likewise distanced themselves from her endorsement of the bombastic Milei - including all 10 JxC governors or governors-elect and the leaders of the two centrist parties within the JxC: Gerardo Morales of the UCR, and the Civic Coalition's Elisa Carrió.

Nor was the endorsement welcomed by all in Milei's neo-fascist Forward Liberty (LLA) party: Three of the 35 LLA congresspeople elected on Sunday defected from the party, as well as Luis Barrionuevo - long the leading right-wing figure in Argentina's largely left-leaning labor movement.

Milei, who often praises Argentina's fascist last dictatorship - which killed up to 30,000 while bankrupting the country during its 1976-83 reign - was condemned as a “a demagogue who affects democratic coexistence” by UCR Vice President Martín Lousteau following Bullrich's endorsement.

At: https://buenosairesherald.com/politics/milei-on-bullrich-alliance-getting-to-power-is-the-priority

Far-right candidate Javier Milei embraces hard-right candidate Patricia Bullrich after receiving her endorsement for the November 19th runoff - from which she was eliminated after receiving 24%, to Milei's 30%.

Milei will face center-left Economy Minister Sergio Massa in the runoff after Massa garnered an unexpectedly strong 37%.

Bullrich's endorsement has been compared to conservative German Chancellor Franz von Papen's enabling Nazi leader Adolf Hitler to take office in 1933 - upon which Hitler staged the Reichstag Fire and ruled as dictator.

von Papen became a top Nazi official in the bargain.

Argentine elections leave radical outsider and centrist economy minister in November runoff

Argentines flocked to the polls on Sunday to vote in a national election where a far-right libertarian and the pragmatic economy minister lead three other candidates in the race for the presidency - and will proceed to a November 19th runoff.

With 82% of precincts reporting, centrist Peronist Economy Minister Sergio Massa, 51, leads with 36.1%; with far-right economist Javier Milei, 53, second with 30.4%; and right-wing former Security Minister Patricia Bullrich, 67, eliminated with 23.7%.

Over 35 million voters were registered in this year's elections, held in nearly 17,000 precincts - plus 141 embassies and consulates worldwide.

Popular discontent in the economically troubled nation of 46 million depressed turnout somewhat, which at 77.6% was somewhat below the 81% registered in 2019 - but well above the 70% in nationwide primaries this August.

Voters also chose 130 congressional and 24 senate seats, as well as three governors and the mayor of Buenos Aires.

Buenos Aires Province Governor Axel Kicillof - whose province is home to 3 out of 8 Argentines - handily secured re-election with 45.2%, to right-wing challenger Néstor Grindetti's 26.2%.

A runoff, on the other hand, appears likely in the city of Buenos Aires - where right-wing candidate Jorge Macri (a cousin of the former president) has garnered 49.3% to center-left challenger Leandro Santoro's 32.3%.

Debt and democracy

Outgoing President Alberto Fernández, 64, opted out of running for re-election as he suffers from rock-bottom approval ratings amid annual inflation of over 138% - partly the result of a foreign debt "Macrisis" inherited from his right-wing predecessor, Mauricio Macri.

"We're in our 40th year of democracy, such that today is a particularly important day," President Fernández remarked after voting in Buenos Aires this morning.

This was the 10th presidential election held in Argentina since 1983, following a 7-year fascist dictatorship that presided over 30,000 "disappeared" and a foreign debt debacle that burdens to the country to this day.

Milei and his running mate, Victoria Villarruel, 48, have openly praised the last dictatorship.

At: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/argentina-heads-polls-grip-fierce-economic-crisis-2023-10-22/

Leading Argentine presidential candidates Sergio Massa (center-left), Patricia Bullrich (hard-right), and Javier Milei (far-right).

Representing the governing coalition, the pragmatic Massa will face off against the neo-fascist Milei in runoff elections this November.

Burt Young, Oscar-nominated actor who played Paulie in 'Rocky' films, dies at 83

Burt Young, the Oscar-nominated actor who played Paulie, the rough-hewn, mumbling-and-grumbling best friend, corner-man and brother-in-law to Sylvester Stallone in the “Rocky” franchise, has died.

Young died Oct. 8 in Los Angeles, his daughter, Anne Morea Steingieser, told the New York Times on Wednesday. No cause was given. He was 83.

Young had roles in acclaimed films and television shows including “Chinatown,” “Once Upon a Time in America” and “The Sopranos.”

But he was always best known for playing Paulie Pennino in six “Rocky” movies. The short, paunchy, balding Young was the sort of actor who always seemed to play middle-aged no matter his age.

At: https://apnews.com/article/burt-young-obit-rocky-paulie-6239cda219832f45f75a5de2b2d5577a

Prolific Italian-American actor Burt Young, 1940 - 2023, known for his crusty but endearing characters.

Argentina evacuates citizens requesting repatriation from Israel

A new contingent of Argentines who decided to leave Israel after the start of the war with Hamas arrived this Friday afternoon from Rome at Ezeiza International Airport outside Buenos Aires.

Carrying 229 passengers, this was the third Aerolíneas Argentinas flight of operation "Safe Return" deployed by the national government following the brutal Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7th and its aftermath.

Those arriving were received by dozens of family and friends, who thanked the repatriation actions for which 737 people have thus far returned from the conflict zone on these special flights.

According to the Foreign Ministry, over 1,500 Argentines have requested repatriation - a sizable percentage of the 38,000 Argentines living in Israel currently (Israel's 12th largest immigrant community).

"There are no words other than gratitude to the entire Argentine State," said one woman who arrived from Eilat.

"There were nerves on this repatriation flight. They are heroes! They took us out in the middle of missile alarms at the airport. It was not a common tourist flight."

At: https://www-telam-com-ar.translate.goog/notas/202310/643791-vuelo-aerolineas-repatriados-israel.html?_x_tr_sl=es&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

https://twitter.com/SantiagoCafiero/status/1714410975376363818
Some of the 737 Argentine citizens repatriated from Israel by Argentina's Operation Safe Return since the brutal Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7th and its aftermath.

Over 1,500 Argentines in Israel have requested repatriation - most of them belonging to what's long been Latin America's largest Jewish population.

Argentina approves South America's first COVID-19 vaccine

The National Administration of Drugs, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT) approved the first COVID-19 vaccine entirely developed in Argentina: the “ARVAC Cecilia Grierson.”

Developed by the National University of San Martín, the National Council of Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET), and the Cassará Lab, the vaccine has proven to be safe and effective as a booster against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in people over 18.

The ARVAC Cecilia Grierson — named after the first Argentine woman to receive a medical degree (1885) from the University of Buenos Aires — is already being produced in the Cassará manufacturing plant in Buenos Aires, and can be adapted to new variants of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in the region.

According to a press release by the Health Ministry, the development of the vaccine was the result of a public-private consortium that involved more than 600 scientists and professionals, 25 institutions and over 2,000 volunteers.

“The virus is here to stay, and we will need periodic boosters like the common flu,” said Carla Vizzoti, the country’s Minister of Health.

“It is so important that we have this chance of having a safe, effective, and quality resource, and that we can substitute imports and export the vaccine.”

At: https://buenosairesherald.com/business/tech/argentina-approves-its-first-covid-19-vaccine

Argentine Health Minister Carla Vizzotti (fifth from right) and Science Minister Daniel Filmus (with gray beard, holding flag) join the heads of the country's ARVAC project to celebrate the approval of the country's - and the region's - first Covid-19 vaccine.

Argentina recorded over 130,000 Covid-19 deaths - the second-lowest rate per thousand people in Latin America and about half the regional average, according to the University of Oxford's Our World in Data.

U.K. Defense Secretary laughing during speech about Israel sparks backlash

British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps and Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden faced backlash for appearing to laugh during Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's remarks about the war between Israel and Hamas.

On October 7, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest-ever airstrikes against Gaza.

The Associated Press reported that as of Monday afternoon, at least 1,400 people in Israel and at least 2,778 people in Gaza have been killed since the fighting erupted.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country is "at war" and cut off supplies of food, fuel, electricity and medicine into Gaza. He has vowed to "demolish Hamas," ordering 1.1 million people in northern Gaza to relocate to the south.

At: https://www.newsweek.com/british-defense-secretary-laughs-israel-speech-grant-shapps-1835105

https://twitter.com/Haggis_UK/status/1713936288942821846

Dariush Mehrjui: Iranian director and wife found dead

One of Iran's most prominent film directors, Dariush Mehrjui, has been found dead alongside his wife.

The 83-year-old and Vahideh Mohammadifar were found with stab injuries in their home near the capital, Tehran, on Saturday evening, Iranian authorities say.

Mehrjui was considered one of the founders of Iranian new wave cinema.

Four people have been identified in connection to the deaths, according to local media reports.

At: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67118052

Iranian film director Dariush Mehrjui and his wife Vahideh Mohammadifar attend a film directors' meeting in Tehran in 2015.

A founding member of the Iranian New Wave movement of the 1970s, Mehrjui was best known internationally for his existential films - particularly The Cow (1969) and Hamoun (1989).

U.S. budget deficit rises in FY 2023 amid surging interest rates

U.S. budget deficit totaled nearly $1.7 trillion in fiscal year 2023, which ended on September 30, as interest rates have been surging, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said in its Monthly Budget Review on Tuesday.

The federal deficit jumped by 28% between fiscal year 2022 and fiscal year 2023, from $1.375 trillion to $1.69 trillion, according to CBO estimates.

The deficit equaled 6.2% of GDP, up from 5.4% in FY 2022.

That increase, the CBO said, resulted from a combination of lower revenues and higher interest outlays.

Outlays for the largest mandatory spending programs - Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid - increased by 11%, to $2.8 trillion between them.

Net outlays for interest on the public debt rose by 33% to $711 billion - mainly because interest rates were significantly higher than they were in fiscal year 2022.

Defense spending rose 7%, to $774 billion. Total federal outlays, however, slipped 1.4% to $6.13 trillion.

Total receipts were in turn down by 9%, to $4.44 billion - due mainly to a 17% fall in income tax revenues, to $2.18 trillion.

At: https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2023-10/59544.pdf

OMB Director Shalanda Young, and Steve Ricchetti, counselor to President Joe Biden, during debt ceiling talks with congressional Republicans this May.

The federal budget deficit rose 28% in FY 2023 - but was still 46% lower than its high point in FY 2020.

Federal income tax revenues fell 17%, while payroll taxes rose 9% - part of a gradual but longstanding shift from income taxes (49% of the total) to payroll taxes (36%) as leading sources of federal revenues.