Libertarian nominee Chase Oliver denies being spoiler — history shows differently
ATLANTA — Georgia resident Chase Oliver is the Libertarian Party’s nominee for president, but historical polling data shows he will not win the election. What worries most presidential campaign officials — and what Oliver rejects — is that he will draw away votes from the two major parties.
“We can’t be a spoiler because you can’t spoil something that’s already rotten,” Oliver said Tuesday as a guest on the “ Politically Georgia ” podcast, where he talked about his presidential bid.
But would Oliver’s candidacy more likely spoil the election for President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump?
“In the environment we’re in right now, that’s a question that’s hard to answer,” said David Chastain, former executive director for Georgia’s Libertarian Party. ”Are people going to be voting for things or against things? For people or against people?”
—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Michigan voters losing trust in democracy, education and economy, poll finds
DETROIT — A new survey of Michigan voters suggests their trust is declining in the institution of democracy, the value of a college education and the stability of the economy, even among those who say they're personally doing better than before the COVID pandemic.
The poll also asked about whether the use of force, threats or violence is justified under any circumstances in a democracy, and 35% of poll respondents said they believe it is.
Separately, 5% of Michigan voters said that violence is justified if their preferred candidate for president loses the 2024 election after all votes are counted "fairly." Ninety percent said there would be no justification for violence in that case.
The wide-ranging poll commissioned by the Detroit Regional Chamber ahead of this week's Mackinac Policy Conference that starts Tuesday in several areas points to a disconnect between reality and what voters perceive to be the truth, particularly regarding the economy and the rate of inflation.
—The Detroit News
NYC schools plan suggests strategies for smaller class sizes, including more remote learning
NEW YORK — New York City public schools won’t cap enrollment at popular schools to comply with the class size law this fall, education officials announced Tuesday — but suggested remote instruction and other strategies to bring more classes to the required levels.
The local Education Department has directed each of the city’s dozens of school districts to increase its share of classes in compliance by 3%, according to a draft class size plan. The law currently being phased in will limit classes between 20 and 25 students depending on grade level.
And while significant enrollment proposals aren’t part of the 50-page plan, principals were given about a dozen options to meet new targets, including to rebalance their classes, repurpose space for classrooms, and even consider using virtual learning to reduce the impact on space.
“Our draft class size reduction plan for the 2024-2025 school year outlines clear, actionable steps to ensure we remain in compliance with the class size law,” Schools Chancellor David Banks said in a statement. “Further, it provides targeted support for high-need schools and supports robust teacher recruitment – powered by $182 million in new school funding.”
—New York Daily News
It's Russia versus the West again, this time playing out in tiny Georgia
A tug of war between Moscow and the West is playing out in Georgia — not the U.S. state, but the small Black Sea nation tucked into the Caucasus mountain region. And the political stakes just rose dramatically.
Georgia's parliament on Tuesday overrode a presidential veto of a measure that critics have dubbed the "Russian law" — dealing a crippling setback to hopes by pro-democracy forces that the former Soviet republic will be able to one day join the European Union.
Opponents consider the bill a heavy-handed attempt to stifle media freedom and muzzle civil society, and have staged months of massive street protests to try to block the measure. Now, barring some last-minute reversal, the parliamentary speaker is set to sign it into law within five days if the president refuses to do so.
"It's utterly pernicious," Hans Gutbrod, a professor of public policy at Ilia State University in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, said of the bill. "This is a watershed moment." The E.U., which had warned that enacting the measure would "negatively affect" Georgia's chances of being accepted into the 27-member bloc, said it "deeply regrets" the veto override.
—Los Angeles Times
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