No Barring Trump From Ballot
Secretary of State Dave Scanlan Says NH Lacks Necessary Legal Provision
Also on today’s menu:
Romney To Retire, Urges Biden And Trump To Follow Suit
Dog Apprehends Pennsylvania Fugitive In Wooded Area
Gurner: More Unemployment And Less Avocado Toast
Responding to reporters’ questions on September 13, Secretary of State Dave Scanlan said he does not have the power under the 14th Amendment of the U..S. Constitution to keep former president Donald Trump from being on the ballot in New Hampshire. That would be a decision for the U.S. Supreme Court to determine, and that decision would apply to all states.
Several states and constitutional scholars have raised the question of whether Trump, accused of trying to overturn the 2020 election results and inspiring the riot on January 6, 2021, had “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” which would disqualify him from seeking election based on Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment.
“There is no mention in New Hampshire state statute that a candidate in the New Hampshire Presidential Primary can be disqualified using the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution referencing insurrection or rebellion,” Scanlan said, although other state constitutions may be different. Scanlan warned that, “in a situation where some states permit a name to appear on the ballot and other states disqualify it, chaos, confusion, and anger will be the result.”
Scanlan had sought legal advice from Attorney-General John Formella, who wrote, “RSA 655:47, I, requires the Secretary of State to place a presidential primary candidate’s name on the ballot if the candidate timely files a declaration of candidacy in the appropriate form and pays a filing fee. RSA 655:47, I, does not afford the Secretary of State discretion to withhold a candidate’s name from the ballot on the grounds that the candidate may be disqualified under Section Three when a candidate hasn’t been convicted or otherwise adjudicated guilty of conduct that would disqualify a candidate under Section Three.”
Romney To Retire, Urges Biden And Trump To Follow Suit
Senator Mitt Romney, 76, has announced his plans to retire and he called for Donald Trump and Joe Biden to also “stand aside” and make room for a new generations of politicians.
Romney has had a 20-year career in politics, including a five-year stint as governor of Massachusetts. He has been critical of both Biden and Trump.
Romney commented, “At the end of another term, I’d be in my mid-80s. Frankly, it’s time for a new generation of leaders.” He added, “While I’m not running for re-election, I’m not retiring from the fight.” He plans to remain in office until the end of his senate term in January 2025.
Dog Apprehends Pennsylvania Fugitive In Wooded Area
Danelo Cavalcante, 34, a fugitive who escaped from a Pennsylvania prison on August 31, was apprehended by a law enforcement dog as he tried to crawl through thick underbrush after an aircraft picked up his heat signal in a wooded area. More than 500 officers have been hunting him down since his escape.
A judge had sentenced Cavalcante to life in prison for the murder of his ex-girlfriend in front of her two young children in April 2021.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said authorities had apprehended Cavalcante with no shots fired shortly after 8 a.m. on September 13.
Gurner: More Unemployment And Less Avocado Toast
Australian gym-owner-turned-real-estate-mogul Tim Gurner said unemployment should double to remind arrogant workers of their place. “We need to see pain in the economy," he said.
He has previously suggested that the reason young people cannot afford homes is because they spend too much money on avocado toast.
The 41-year-old, who is one of the country’s richest men, said that the COVID-19 pandemic had changed employees’ attitudes and work ethics for the worse. “There’s been a systematic change where employees feel the employer is extremely lucky to have them," he said.
He suggested that the country’s 3.7 percent unemployment rate should rise by 40 - 50 percent, putting more than 200,000 people out of work, to reduce “arrogance in the employment market”.
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