3 Stories You Should Read 2/22/2019: North Carolina, Measles, Pelosi
Confluence Daily is your daily news source for women in the know.
In the category of: It’s not always Russians.
Here’s what you need to know about North Carolina’s GOP ballot fraud scandal
Republicans like to obsess about “voter fraud” even when there’s little or no evidence, but a GOP House candidate in North Carolina is now finally conceding his own election must be redone, after evidence showed his campaign financed illegal votes.
After several days of testimony, North Carolina’s Board of Elections unanimously ruled Thursday that the only undecided House contest from the fall midterms, Ninth District candidate Mark Harris, must be redone, and Harris tearfully agreed in a dramatic hearing. That’s because a political operative working for Harris harvested absentee ballots to vote in the Republican’s favor.
In the category of: The power of social media.
Measles Outbreaks Are Increasing. Experts Think It’s Because of Anti-Vaxxers on Facebook.
Online disinformation is giving rise to real—and potentially deadly—effects.
Two researchers at the University of Stirling in Scotland released a study last year concluding, based on data from January 2011 to August 2017, that there were “statistically significant positive correlations” between the use of anti-vaccination search terms and falling rates of immunizations, suggesting that online anti-vaxxer activity is having real and potentially deadly consequences.
Amaryllis Mavragani, one of the study’s authors, told Mother Jones about observing anti-vaccination groups on Facebook, saying she grew frustrated at how easily incorrect information is passed around. She believes internet platforms like Facebook are contributing to the decrease in immunizations targeting diseases like the measles and enabling new outbreaks.
In the category of: It’s going down.
House Dems Introduce Measure To Block Trump’s National Emergency Declaration
Trump issued the declaration to fund his long-sought wall along the U.S-Mexico border.
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats on Friday introduced a resolution to block the national emergency declaration that President Donald Trump issued to fund his long-sought wall along the U.S-Mexico border.
The move sets up a fight that could result in Trump’s first veto. It starts the clock on a constitutional clash between Trump and Democrats and sets up a vote by the full House as soon as next week.
The Democratic-controlled House is sure to pass the measure, and the GOP-run Senate may adopt it as well despite Trump’s opposition.
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