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Arizona Republican legislators speak out against proposed abortion ballot measure
A group of Republican Arizona legislators is speaking out against a proposed ballot measure to expand abortion access in the state.
Rep. Selina Bliss on Friday spoke at an anti-abortion March for Life rally at the Capitol. She said she and several of her fellow Republican lawmakers had signed a declaration to discourage Arizonans from signing the petition.
"I’m proud today to see us come together to proclaim respect for the sanctity of human life and to promote the protection of all innocent human life from conception on," Bliss told rally attendees. "We in the Arizona Legislature encourage every person to refuse to sign the Arizona Abortion Access Act on the ballot, as this is an assault on God’s value and sovereignty regarding the sanctity of human life."
Abortion rights groups have until July to collect nearly 400,000 signatures to get the measure onto ballots. Their plan would amend the state constitution to allow abortions up to the point of fetal viability — usually around 24 weeks — with exceptions beyond that when health risks are involved. Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, has signed the petition.
https://kjzz.org/content/1872863/arizona-republican-legislators-speak-out-against-proposed-abortion-ballot-measure
Here's all of the ballot questions for Central Florida voters to decide
FLORIDA — The 2024 presidential race is well underway, with several states already holding their primary elections to decide who will top the Republican and Democratic tickets in November. Floridians across the state will have a chance to make their voice heard on Tuesday, March 19. Many municipalities will hold their local elections, with some charter amendments and ballot questions thrown in.
Before that can happen, there are some important dates for voters in Central Florida to be aware of.
Both Orange and Flagler counties will hold municipal elections in addition to the Presidential Preference Primary election for Republicans on March 19.
Voters looking to vote by mail should make sure to get their applications in before Thursday, March 7.
https://mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2024/02/23/local-elections-and-ballot-questions-for-presidential-preference-primary
MO Attorney General sues Planned Parenthood, using video from right-wing group as evidence
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is suing Planned Parenthood Great Plains for “trafficking minors out of state to obtain abortions without parental consent.”
“This is the beginning of the end for Planned Parenthood in the State of Missouri,” Bailey wrote in a press release. “What they conceal and conspire to do in the dark of night has now been uncovered. I am filing suit to ensure it never happens again.”
As evidence of this, Bailey cites video recorded by hidden camera from the conservative group Project Veritas, which has previously been found to use deceptive tactics and edited videos to attack organizations sometimes aligned with liberal causes. Its ethics have been under scrutiny, and its founder, James O’Keefe, was ousted from the organization after accusations of misconduct.
In the video, the Project Veritas cameraman poses as the uncle of a 13-year-old girl who is pregnant and seeks an abortion without the knowledge of her parents. This girl does not exist in reality, but the Project Veritas representative continues to question Planned Parenthood employees as to how his “niece” could obtain an abortion.
https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/politics/2024/03/01/missouri-attorney-general-sues-planned-parenthood-for-alleged-underage-abortions/72795265007/
Jill Biden launches tour by speaking in Tucson on abortion rights, women's issues
First Lady Jill Biden told a Tucson audience Saturday "it's no accident that Arizona was my first stop" on her Women for Biden/Harris tour.
“Four years ago, Arizona, you put us in the White House," she said. "Serving has been the greatest accomplishment of my life.”
For her first stop, Biden was in Tucson as guest speaker for Arizona List's 20th anniversary.
Arizona List was created to support Democratic women seeking political seats, from school board members to presidential candidates.
https://tucson.com/news/local/government-politics/elections/jill-biden-campaign-tour-tucson-arizona-list-womens-issues-abortion-access/article_4a2c0f9a-d89e-11ee-8c48-b30d2f0e9e97.html
Moldova Sounds Alarm on Russian Interference in Elections
Moldovan officials are growing increasingly concerned that Transnistria’s request for “protection” from Russia is a sign that Russia is preparing to interfere in Moldova’s presidential election and European Union referendum later this year, a top Moldovan official told The Daily Beast.
Transnistria, the Russia-backed breakaway region in Moldova, held a special congress earlier this week to request “protection” from Russia. It’s a move that alarmed many poeple, who believe it could be part of an effort to give a green-light to Russia to extend its territorial ambitions, lean on its military presence of 1,500 troops in Transnistria, and possibly annex the region.
On the other hand, Moldovan officials have dismissed the move as a propaganda stunt, part of Russia’s hybrid war against Moldova’s pro-Western government. In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast, Moldova’s Ambassador to the United States, Viorel Ursu, said this was an influence campaign aimed at spreading fear and chaos, which will only increase as Moldova’s elections and its EU referendum—a creep westwards Russia has long detested—loom large this year.
“It is no coincidence that this kind of rhetoric and tension has been rising,” Ursu told The Daily Beast. “We are likely to see more of these type of actions in the coming months with the main purpose to instill fear and uncertainty in Moldova, and in this way to shape the outcome of the presidential election and EU accession referendum.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/moldova-sounds-alarm-on-russian-interference-in-elections-after-transnistria-protection-request
India: BJP's first list of candidates for Lok Sabha (Lower House) elections 2024 to be out today
The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) is likely to announce on Saturday its first list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The candidates list, which is likely to include over 100 candidates, will be released at a press conference on Saturday evening. The much-awaited first list of candidates comes after late-night meeting by the BJP leadership.
The saffron party had held its first round of its Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting on Thursday where its members, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, deliberated at the BJP headquarters in Delhi to finalise candidates on seats across 17 states for the Lok Sabha elections 2024. According to the reports, decision regarding over 155 seats were made during the BJP CEC meeting.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP's National President JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Organisation General Secretary BL Santosh, Chief Ministers, State Presidents, In-charges, Co-Incharges, and Election In-charges of various states were present in the last meeting.
https://www.livemint.com/politics/news/lok-sabha-elections-2024-bjp-first-list-to-be-out-today-11709377057949.html
AUS: Labor (Left) wins crucial Dunkley by-election as Liberals (Right) concede seat south east of Melbourne
Labor's Jodie Belyea has won the Dunkley by-election in Victoria on Saturday, as Liberal candidate Nathan Conroy conceded.
The Liberal Party had been hopeful of flipping the seat in Melbourne's south east before the results came in, as it would have put pressure on the government in the next federal election.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was quick to celebrate Belyea's victory on X, the social media platform formally known as Twitter.
"Congratulations to Jodie Belyea on her victory in the Dunkley by-election and winning the honour of serving her local community in federal parliament," he said.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/polls-open-in-crucial-dunkley-byelection/1f3408f1-7050-40b7-ba72-c47b2247820d
A far-right US youth group is ramping up its movement to back election deniers
urning Point USA, a far-right youth group known for its fundraising prowess and for promoting election-conspiracy theories, is mounting a multimillion-dollar mobilization drive via its advocacy arm in the swing states of Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin.
Arizona-based TPUSA, a non-profit co-founded in 2012 by then 18-year-old Charlie Kirk that’s become a key ally in Donald Trump’s Maga ecosystem, has launched the drive through Turning Point Action, which has raised tens of millions of dollars and is hiring hundreds of full-time employees in the three states, according to its spokesperson, Andrew Kolvet.
While its current fundraising drive is to support the voter-outreach efforts, TP Action is likely to help finance other political advocacy initiatives, including ousting some key Arizona election officials who disputed claims of election fraud in 2020.
Dubbed “chase the vote”, the drive is being supplemented by another get-out-the-vote campaign that TP Action is starting with the Christian nationalist and televangelist Lance Wallnau.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/02/far-right-youth-group-turning-point-charlie-kirk
NE: 'Knock the rough edges off': Lawmaker seeks study of Native American voting rights
LINCOLN — The Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs could consult with an expert for a dedicated review of Native American voting rights under a legislative proposal considered this week.
Legislative Bill 1262, introduced by State Sen. Jen Day of Omaha, would have the commission contract with a consultant with expertise in tribal issues to study and determine any barriers to voting and equal representation for Indian tribes in Nebraska. Day is chair of the Legislature’s State-Tribal Relations Committee.
Day said her bill would build off a federal steering group’s recommendations for such barriers, commissioned through a White House executive order, but “make it relevant for Nebraska.”
“Because Native voters are profoundly diverse, we thought it best that we explore this within our own state,” Day told the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/knock-the-rough-edges-off-lawmaker-seeks-study-of-native-american-voting-rights/
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