'Game changer': WaPo analysis favors Harris to win election with 2 paths to victory

Kathleen Culliton
August 15, 2024 

KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN - JULY 17: US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a moderated conversation with former Trump administration national security official Olivia Troye and former Republican voter Amanda Stratton on July 17, 2024 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. (Photo by Chris duMond/Getty Images)

Vice President Kamala Harris now has two paths to victory over former President Donald Trump in the upcoming election, a new Washington Post analysis found.

Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee's campaign, became Thursday the Washington Post's favorite to win the White House should the election take place today, based on a polling data analysis that found she has more ways to win.

"For now, that is a game changer," wrote data scientist Lenny Bronner.

The vice president has claimed leads in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and is closing the gap in Michigan, where Trump now leads by less than a percentage point, the Washington Post reports. The analysts expect a tie in that state within days.

Trump maintains a lead in the electoral college tally but the Post finds Harris is competitive in more states that could add to 270 electoral college votes, according to the Post.

Harris has two paths: claiming Rust Belt states — Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania — or the Sun Belt states of Georgia, Arizona and Nevada, according to the Post.

But Trump, their analysis found, must win both.

"The reason Harris is now the favorite is because Harris has closed the gap with Trump in Sun Belt states enough to open a second path to the presidency," wrote Bronner. "There’s no question something big happened."

Polls historically underestimated Trump in his last two presidential elections, but the Post analysis found Harris' freedom from Rust Belt reliance and her campaign's continued momentum in swing states could balance it out.

"Our model shows that for Trump to win the White House, he would need to notch victories in both the Rust Belt and Sun Belt," writes Bronner. "But crucially for Harris, she would win by taking just one of those two paths."

How Democrats are building momentum for a bigger youth vote

Shauneen Miranda,

 States Newsroom
August 16, 2024 

The Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, visits a campaign office on Aug. 9, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Democratic and left-leaning youth organizing groups have seized on a new opportunity to rally younger voters now that Vice President Kamala Harris is their party’s presidential nominee.

Young adult voters — including millions of Gen Zers — could be pivotal in determining the outcome of the race in which the 59-year-old Democrat vies for the Oval Office against former President Donald Trump, 78, the GOP presidential nominee. Members of Gen Z eligible to vote are 18 to 27 years old this year.

These groups say young voters are excited to possibly elect someone who more closely represents their demographics, as Harris would be the first woman to serve as president, the second Black president and the first president of South Asian descent. About 45% of the Gen Z generation eligible to vote are young people of color, according to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University.

Democrats nominated Harris after President Joe Biden, 81, gave up his reelection bid following a disastrous performance in a June 27 debate and intense pressure on him to drop out.

The organizing groups are also highlighting Harris’ connection with young people on issues that have historically been important to this demographic, such as protecting reproductive rights and climate action.

Battleground states

With less than three months to go until Election Day, these groups are in full swing as they target battleground states in which the presidential contest has historically been particularly close and utilize their state and local chapters for youth voter outreach.

Kati Durkin, western vice president of Young Democrats of America, said they have a “pretty targeted campaign plan” that narrows in on traditional swing states — such as Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin— to reach out to YDA members in those states and help members contact their peers.

“We’re really looking at: How do we mobilize the young vote using our network of chartered units across the country? So how do we get in there and go tell folks on a college campus in Nevada, ‘Hey, here’s how you register to vote, here’s why voting is so important and here’s why we’re really excited about Vice President Harris’?”

YDA, directly affiliated with the Democratic Party, is the largest youth-led, partisan political organization in the country and has over 20,000 members across all 50 states.

Durkin said the group makes sure that “as our folks on the ground are doing the work, we are bringing in the people from the Washingtons and the New Yorks of the country and getting them to help make calls in a state like Nevada, but also making sure that, as the DNC does youth-targeted outreach, we’re bringing our members to that, we’re helping with that infrastructure.”

Similarly, College Democrats of America — the official collegiate arm of the Democratic National Committee — communicates with its local chapters that are working on the ground in their respective areas to get out the vote.

“We’ve seen a lot of local organizations really do a lot of heavy lifting, especially in districts that might be historically red, to get the youth vote out, make sure that people on their campuses or in their states are actively registered to vote (and) are excited about voting,” Gia Iyer, deputy communications director for CDA, told States Newsroom.

CDA is also collaborating with other youth organizations to get their messaging spread beyond the confines of who their individual accounts follow on social media.

“It’s a lot of just outreach and making sure that we can get as many young people to be excited about this election,” Iyer said.

Youth and advocacy groups unite behind Harris

Shortly after Harris announced her intent to win the Democratic nomination, a coalition of youth organizing groups, including YDA and CDA, endorsed Harris.

“As a champion of reproductive freedom, climate action, economic justice, and gun violence prevention, Vice President Harris is uniquely equipped to build a coalition of young voters who will lead her to victory,” 17 youth and advocacy groups said in a late July statement.

The organizations highlighted Harris’ historic presidency if elected, as she would be the “first woman, first Asian American, and second Black president.”

“As members of the most diverse generation in our nation’s history, a Kamala Harris presidency would be one in which we see ourselves,” the coalition said.
Volunteer sign-ups

Voters of Tomorrow — one of those 17 organizing groups backing Harris — had more people apply to join its chapter network and more volunteer sign-ups in the three days after Harris’ announcement than it did in the two months prior.

The left-leaning organization aims to increase youth voter turnout and has a chapter network across more than 20 states.

Part of the group’s key efforts, according to deputy press secretary Jessica Siles, include running an organizing boot camp to train young people and having weekly text banks and phone banks.

Siles said the group’s chapter network “will also be organizing on different college campuses, whether that’s voter registration drives or town halls with local candidates, just trying to meet young people where they’re at, whether that’s on a campus or online, and trying to get them the resources they need to protect our future.”

Recent polling shows Harris holding a lead over Trump, particularly among young voters. In a Morning Consult poll conducted Aug. 9-11, 48% of voters ages 18-34 say they would choose Harris, compared to 41% who would pick Trump.

Durkin of YDA said “not only is (Harris) the right candidate for the job, but she has generated so much excitement. I have not seen it in years, I mean just this morning, my friend was texting me: ‘Is this what hope feels like?’”

Harris is “somebody that has put her effort, historically, into backing up her values, which are our values, and showing up for young people, and I think that is a lot of what’s generating this excitement,” Durkin added.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, whom Harris tapped to be her running mate, has also generated enthusiasm from young voters.

Iyer of CDA said Harris is “really catering to a younger, more progressive audience, which is great,” adding that “Walz, himself, is an incredible governor who’s done great things for people across his state, and it’s just a really great combination to see someone who actually is advocating for issues that matter to young Democrats, like the members of CDA.”

Uncommitted voters

Though Harris is gaining momentum among young voters, pro-Palestinian organizers are putting pressure on both the Biden administration and Harris, as she campaigns for the presidency, to enact an arms embargo on Israel. It’s not yet clear how much of an effect opposition to the Israel-Hamas war may have on turnout among young Democrats.

The “Not Another Bomb” national campaign is the latest initiative from the Uncommitted National Movement, where a wide swath of organizers, including young and progressive voters, have protested Biden’s policies regarding the Israel-Hamas war.

Organizers are urging Harris to “shift away from President Biden’s disastrous policy on Gaza,” saying a “call for a ceasefire and arms embargo is a moral and human imperative.”

Activists are also holding a “Not Another Bomb Day of Action,” with rallies across the country during the weekend leading up to the Democratic National Convention.

Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on Facebook and X.

 

Asian-American voters with the key to victory in U.S. presidential election in hands

Posted August. 16, 2024

                       

• Font size down
• Font size up

한국어

• Share this article on Facebook
• Share this article on Twitter

There is an ever-increasing competition between Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris to win the hearts of Asian American voters in the race for the U.S. presidential election this November. Out of 330 million U.S. citizens as of 2022, those of Asian descent took up around 7.5 percent (24.7 million), a relatively smaller share than Caucasians, Hispanics, Afro-Americans, and other races.

However, Asian-American voters have grown 15 percent for the last four years since 2020, showing a faster growth than Hispanics (12 percent) and Afro-Americans (7 percent). Added to this, the two candidates are in a neck-and-neck situation within the margin of error according to recent surveys and public polls. Given that every single vote matters to both of them, they all are determined to gain Asian American support.

What’s more, voter turnout among Asian Americans has risen considerably. The national turnout among Asian American voters was 40 percent higher in the 2020 presidential election than the previous one in 2016. According to The New York Times, Asian Americans only accounted for 4 percent of voters nationwide in 2020, which was way lower than Hispanics and Afro-Americans, who accounted for 15 percent each. However, this upcoming election will be greatly influenced by Asian voters in almost every state.

Kamala Harris, whose father is Afro-Jamaican American and whose mother is of Tamil-Indian descent, puts an extra effort into targeting Asian American voters. She is the first U.S. presidential candidate of Asian descent.

Woo-Sun Lim imsun@donga.com

South Asian voters in North Carolina

express enthusiasm for Harris

For the first time, South Asian voters will be represented at the top of a presidential ticket with Vice President Kamala Harris. On Friday, she will hold a rally in North Carolina, where South Asians are the largest and fastest-growing Asian voting bloc. CBS News correspondent Shanelle Kaul spoke with voters about the 2024 race.

'Incredibly powerful': Study shows how celebrities could tilt 2024 election

Matthew Chapman
August 14, 2024 

Taylor Swift performs on the opening night of "The Eras Tour" at State Farm Stadium on March 17, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. - John Medina/Getty Images North America/TNS

A new study from Harvard University reveals the extent to which celebrities could influence the course of the 2024 presidential election, reported the New York Daily News on Wednesday.

“While some polling shows that people claim they aren’t influenced by celebrity voices when it comes to politics, more rigorous evidence indicates that these voices are incredibly powerful,” said the report. “This potential impact is why nonprofits, candidates, and elected officials are increasingly seeking ways to engage celebrities.”

Among the impacts the report found, pop megastar Taylor Swift drove 250,000 people to register to vote with a single post in 2018. She has not made a formal endorsement this year, as she did for President Joe Biden in 2020, although some fans have speculated that one of her recent moves was an implicit endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Royce White, the MAGA candidate for Senate in Minnesota, even had a public meltdown over what he incorrectly thought was a Democratic endorsement from Swift.

ALSO READ:Sen. John Fetterman violates financial law with botched corporate bond disclosures

While voters continue to tell pollsters that celebrities don't influence their choices, both parties campaign as though they do, noted the Daily News.

"Despite often railing against celebrity culture, the Republican Party officially nominated former reality TV star Donald Trump as its presidential candidate. The party’s convention in Milwaukee last month featured rapper Kid Rock, wrestler Hulk Hogan and country singer Lee Greenwood," said the report.

Meanwhile, Democrats will kick off their convention in Chicago next week, "and while the list of celebrity attendees is still up in the air, Harris has already gotten support from musicians including Beyoncé, Megan the Stallion and Charli XCX."

Even without celebrity influence, Harris' entrance into the race following President Joe Biden's decision to end his bid for re-election has turbocharged young voter enthusiasm, according to recent polling data.

Harris applauded for proposing the first-ever ban on price gouging

Julia Conley, Common Dreams
August 16, 2024 

Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at West Allis Central High School on July 23, 2024, in West Allis, Wis. (Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

Economic justice advocates on Thursday applauded the Harris campaign's announcement the Vice President Kamala Harris is planning to unveil a historic ban on food and grocery price gouging amid widespread discontent about costs that have ballooned by 26% in the last five years.

The Democratic presidential candidate is expected to unveil the proposal for the first-ever federal price gouging ban at a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina on Friday, detailing plans to direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to impose "harsh penalties" on companies that hike food prices to pad their profits.

As president, the campaign said late Wednesday, Harris would set "clear rules of the road to make clear that big corporations can't unfairly exploit consumers to run up excessive corporate profits on food and groceries," building on actions President Joe Biden has taken, such as the creation of a Strike Force on Unfair and Illegal Pricing and his guidelines aimed at reining in corporate mergers.

The rules would be introduced in Harris' first 100 days in office, should she win the presidential election in November.

Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Action, said Biden and Harris have set out to correct "decades of failure by federal leaders to tackle food monopolies [that] have sent grocery prices skyrocketing."

"President Biden finally turned the corner with real action against ill-advised corporate mergers, and the Harris campaign's signals of intent to work even harder against food profiteering are encouraging," said Hauter. "We look forward to seeing robust antitrust policy that will make a difference in our wallets, and send the food monopolies packing."

Food & Water Action pointed out that the proposal came a day after it was announced that the multinational food company Mars would acquire its competitor, Kellanova, for $36 billion "in a bid to dominate snack market sales at consumers' expense."

Such acquisitions have continued, said Food & Water Action, even as the monthly food cost for a family of four sticking to inexpensive groceries to save money increased 50% over the past four years, while the top four grocery companies in the U.S. saw their revenues go up as much as 36%.

"The cost of a whole chicken rose 41%, while poultry giants Tysons Foods and Perdue saw revenue increases of 22.5% and 54.9%, respectively," said the group.

While grocery prices have gone up by just 1% in the past year, costs have not eased since they shot up due to supply chain and labor issues during the coronavirus pandemic.

A Gallup poll in May found that 41% of Americans viewed the high cost of living as the most pressing financial issue for their families, and a survey by public opinion research group Blueprint found in June that penalties for companies that price gouge had the support of 81% of respondents, including 86% of Independent voters.

"It's hard to get down an aisle in the grocery store without finding an example of price gouging or price fixing, and it's costing us dearly," Lindsay Owens, executive director of the think tank Groundwork Collaborative, told The Washington Post. "It's wonderful to see the vice president unleash a suite of policy proposals to crack down on these cheaters and protect Americans' pocketbooks."

On social media on Thursday, Owens exposed "some of the worst offenders" who raise prices with the goal of boosting profits—a major driver of inflation, according to an analysis by Groundwork earlier this year.

"Practices like shrinkflation (that half empty bag of chips) and it's evil twin skimpflation (like when Wishbone salad dressing swaps the oil for water), or Walmart rigging the produce scales to charge a little more on a pound of oranges, are everywhere," said Owens. "It's wonderful to see that Harris will address her plans to take on price gouging in the food and grocery sector tomorrow. She has a strong track record of going after cheaters from her time as California's top lawyer, and through her great work this past four years."

As Americans express strong support for price gouging penalties, said David Sirota, founder of The Lever, Harris' proposal will "inevitably" push Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump into defending corporations that willfully force families to pay more for essentials.

The proposal will "bait the entire American right into screaming, 'Let them eat cake' as they go on record in support of food conglomerates fleecing the working class," said Sirota.

Rights group gives Harris its first-ever presidential endorsement

Brett Wilkins, 

Common Dreams
August 16, 2024

Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at West Allis Central High School on July 23, 2024, in West Allis, Wis. (Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

Facing the specter of draconian policies including mass deportations of undocumented immigrants under a potential second term for former U.S. President Donald Trump, a major progressive Latine-led advocacy group on Thursday announced its first-ever general election presidential endorsement, for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

"Our democracy is at a crossroads. Former President Trump and extremist politicians have promised mass deportations, the erosion of fundamental rights, and four more years of white supremacist ideology," said Theo Oshiro, executive director of Make the Road Action, in a statement announcing the group's endorsement.

"In the face of this assault on freedom, equality, and dignity, Vice President Kamala Harris is the clear choice for voters this November," Oshiro continued. "This election is about our collective vision of what this country can become. We are working toward a future where all people have the freedom to stay with their loved ones, the freedom to transform their lives, and the freedom to thrive."

"That vision is only possible under a President Harris," he stressed. "We will fight to ensure that she is elected and will hold her accountable to deliver for immigrant and working-class communities."

Latine Americans could play a decisive role in key swing states including Nevada, where they make up nearly 1 in 5 of all voters, and Pennsylvania, where an estimated 615,000 Latine residents are eligible to vote. President Joe Biden won Nevada by fewer than 50,000 votes in 2020 and Pennsylvania by 80,000 votes.

Human rights defenders fear a second Trump term could be even more harmful to undocumented immigrants than his previous White House tenure, during which the Republican president—who launched his 2016 campaign by calling Mexicans rapists and drug dealers—enacted policies including ramped-up deportations; migrant family separation; imprisonment of children in cages; and banning people from several Muslim countries, Venezuela, and North Korea from entering the United States.

"I firmly believe this endorsement marks a pivotal moment for our membership," said Antonio Garcia of Make the Road Action Nevada. "The stakes couldn't be higher as we endorse Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate [Minnesota Gov.] Tim Walz, signifying a bold step forward."

"This election isn't merely about individuals; it's a watershed moment in history that will profoundly influence our community's future," Garcia continued. "It compels us to choose unity over division, to take a stand on the right side of history."

"Electing the first woman of color as president of the United States fills me with immense pride, knowing my vote contributes to this historic change," he added. "More than responding to the times, being part of this movement means we are actively forging a better future. We are committed to holding our leaders accountable, ensuring they uphold their promises to our immigrant and working-class communities."

In an effort to blunt attacks by Trump and other Republicans over what they falsely claim are the Biden administration's "open borders" policies, Harris has positioned herself as a border hawk. The narrator of a new Harris campaign ad titled "Tougher" says that "as vice president, she backed the toughest border control bill in decades, and as president, she will hire thousands more border agents and crack down on fentanyl and human trafficking. Fixing the border is tough. So is Kamala Harris."

According to a YouGov-Statista Research poll published last month, immigration is the second-most important issue to U.S. voters after inflation and prices.

Last week, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the nation's largest and oldest Latine civil rights organization, endorsed Harris—the first time the group has endorsed a presidential candidate since its founding in 1929.

Harris has also been endorsed by Latine advocacy groups including Mi Familia Vota, Voto Latino, and UnidosUS Action Fund.

Another group making its first-ever presidential endorsement for Harris is the youth-led gun control campaign March for Our Lives.

Conservative pollster delivers terrible news to Trump — and worse to J.D. Vance

Tom Boggioni
August 15, 2024 

Donald Trump, J.D. Vance (Trump photo by Mandel G Ngan for AFP: Vance by Gage Skidmore)

During an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," conservative pollster Frank Luntz shared focus group footage of conservative voters who explained why they can't vote for Donald Trump this time — and complained that Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) was a devastatingly bad choice as a running mate.

Speaking with the hosts, Luntz said there was no good news for the former president in his newest round of focus groups, with many of the participants admitting they were excited to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris and that they were appalled by Vance.

"They are tired of Trump's abuse and of Trump's personality," Luntz told the hosts before adding, "What is unique about them is you're going to see how many young women are participating now. They are the ones that switched. they are the ones who went either from undecided or supporting Kennedy, and you've notice that Kennedy's numbers have completely imploded.

"They either supported Kennedy, Trump or were undecided, and they are so excited about this younger, fresher woman running that you can see it and feel it in their intensity, in their passion and in their desire for change."

In one telling comment from a participant, she stated, "I actually was a Trump voter in '16 and '20, and it was despite his personality and a lot of the other extra issues. However, when he chose J.D. Vance it kind of pushed me over to have an open mind."

Another added, "I don't want to be taken over by Christian nationalists with Project 2025. The debate was a disaster, and the RNC looked like a wrestling match and J.D. Vance is probably the most unlikable American I can possibly think of to run our country. I just feel like we need to take the party back, and it's not going to happen if Trump or another Republican is in office right this second."

"Wow, Frank. tell us more. I mean, it seems like J.D. Vance played a big role in the changes and shifting altitudes in this campaign," co-host Mike Brzezinski remarked.

"These are ex-Republicans, conservatives who are looking at Trump and his personality, the whole Trump/Vance ticket and they are saying this is not what I want," he replied.

Asked to explain further, he stated, "Younger women are absolutely focused on that because they see someone who looks like them, and they can't emphasize that enough. It's a validation of who they are and what they want to be, and for Trump to be rude about that or abusive about that is a big mistake."

"Harris reminds some men of their first wife. Donald Trump reminds women of their first husband's divorce lawyer, and he needs to back off," he dryly added.

You can read more here.

Vance's favorability numbers plummet below Sarah Palin's: analyses

Kathleen Culliton
August 15, 2024 

(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)


Donald Trump's running mate is less popular with American voters than Sarah Palin was as she ran alongside Sen. John McCain, polls and analyses show.

FiveThirtyEight, an aggregator of national polls, found this week that Vance's net favorability has plummeted six points from -3.3 percent on July 18 to -9.3 on Wednesday, Aug. 14.

A New Republic analysis declared Thursday, "Vance is possibly the least popular vice presidential candidate of the 21st century."

Vance's unfavorably numbers jumped more than 13 points in less than a month, with 28.9 percent of voters viewing him poorly in a July poll but 42.4 percent feeling the same way in August, according to the analysis.

The number of voters who view Vance favorably increased only 7 points from 25.6 in July to 33.1 percent in August, FiveThirtyEight reports.

ALSO READ: Trump's insatiable ego is destroying the former president

The increase in both numbers reflects Vance's growing exposure as the Republican nominee running alongside Trump, the New Republic argues.

The outlet blamed gaffes and questionable claims about cat ladies and childless Americans for the increase in unfavorable polling.

"As a result of his botched rollout, which included widespread backlash for his egregiously sexist comments and low-energy speaking events marred by gaffes, Vance’s net favorability dropped even lower," the analysis states.

"Vance is officially less liked than Sarah Palin, who is widely regarded as one of the least popular vice-presidential candidates in recent history," according to ABC News.

Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) has also seen his favorability drop, the data showed. As of Wednesday, he had a net favorability of 4.7 percent, 14 points above Vance's.

Donald Trump may have just broken the law — again: legal expert

Sarah K. Burris
August 15, 2024 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and US President Donald Trump have developed a close relationship. (AFP/File / JACK GUEZ)

Former top Justice Department prosecutor Andrew Weissmann observed that Donald Trump has broken the law again, but noted it is a rarely enforced law.

Trump spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, two U.S. sources who were briefed on the call told Axios on Wednesday One source claimed Trump's call was an attempt to encourage Netanyahu to accept the ceasefire deal being offered.

Weissmann said that it's an example of history repeating itself. He recalled Richard Nixon "obstructing peace negotiations on Vietnam." Then-Gov. Ronald Reagan's (R-CA) aides made a secret deal with Iranian leaders to delay the release of American hostages at the time, The New Republic reported.

Trump has also been telegraphing messages to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he would end U.S. support of Ukraine in the ongoing war.

Such moves violate the Logan Act, a law that made it illegal for an "unauthorized" American citizen to try and negotiate foreign policy with a foreign government.

"Although never enforced," said Weissmann.

In those previous years, the lawmakers who violated the Logan Act then became presidents, which could have prevented any possible enforcement of the law.

On May 7, Hamas accepted the terms of a ceasefire deal "that follows the three-phase framework," said a timeline on Al Jazeera. On May 31, President Joe Biden endorsed the deal, The New York Times said.

In a statement to the press on Thursday, Netanyahu's team said that the prime minister did not "discuss the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal." Netanyahu has been blamed for blocking the deal.

Oklahoma judge overseeing charter school embezzlement case rejects calls for recusal

Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice
August 16, 2024

Defense attorney Gary Wood attends a preliminary hearing for his client, Epic Charter School co-founder David Chaney, on May 7 at the Oklahoma County Courthouse. Wood has disputed a request that he be disqualified from the Epic case. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice)


OKLAHOMA CITY — A judge presiding over the major embezzlement case against the co-founders of Epic Charter School faces a call to recuse, with a defense attorney accusing her of being an “advocate for the prosecution.”

District Judge Susan Stallings denied the request for her disqualification during a hearing Thursday at the Oklahoma County Courthouse. Both she and prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Office disagreed with the defense’s argument that she is unable to be impartial.

“The court finds there were a lot of assumptions made but no facts,” Stallings said.

Defense attorney Joe White, who filed the motion, said he intends to appeal Stallings’ decision. First, the matter would come before the chief judge in Oklahoma County, a responsibility the district judges share on a rotating basis. Then, if rejected again, White could raise it to the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals.

It’s not uncommon for a judge to receive a request to recuse, but most are resolved in private. Far fewer disqualifications are ever disputed in a public hearing.

White said Stallings should be disqualified because of her work history at the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office, which investigated Epic and filed charges against the school’s co-founders.

Stallings is a former Oklahoma County prosecutor who led the DA’s Domestic Violence Unit.

“You may well have been a participant at least in hearing information about the Epic case,” White told the judge during the hearing. “There is reasonable evidence, reasonable reasons that I question your impartiality. What matters not is the reality of bias but its appearance.”

Stallings said she had no knowledge of the Epic investigation until the charges were filed years after she left the DA’s office.

The DA’s office charged Epic’s co-founders, Ben Harris and David Chaney, in 2022 with racketeering and a litany of financial crimes, accusing the defendants of creating a complex scheme to enrich themselves with millions of public education funds. Harris and Chaney deny ever misusing taxpayer dollars.

The Attorney General’s Office has since taken over prosecution of the case.

Epic’s former chief financial officer, Josh Brock, faces many of the same charges as Harris and Chaney. He has since agreed to testify against the co-founders in exchange for a plea deal that would guarantee him no prison time.

Although more than two years have passed, multiple delays have kept the court proceedings in their early stages.

A weeklong preliminary hearing in March laid out the evidence against Harris and Chaney, but a week wasn’t enough to get through all the witness testimony.

Special judge Jason Glidewell handled the preliminary hearing. He would decide whether prosecutors have established enough probable cause for the case to continue to trial with Stallings, who is Glidewell’s superior.

The preliminary hearing was set to resume in May, but it was stalled again by a motion to disqualify Chaney’s attorney, Gary Wood. Brock’s attorneys said Wood used to represent their client and therefore should be barred from cross-examining him.

Wood denies ever representing Brock.

In an unexpected turn of events, Stallings decided to handle Wood’s disqualification hearing herself, rather than the special judge overseeing the preliminary hearing.

White, who represents Harris, said Stallings’ work history came to light during meetings leading up to Wood’s hearing. He said she should have disclosed the information sooner.

The attempt to force Stallings off the case adds another delay to an already stalled case. It remains unclear when the preliminary hearing will resume or when the request for Wood’s disqualification will be resolved.

White complained Stallings can’t remain unbiased in Wood’s disqualification hearing when her old boss, former Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater, could be called as a witness.

Prater’s former first assistant, Jimmy Harmon, said there is “zero” basis to remove Stallings and called White’s complaints an attempt at “judge shopping.”

Now the head of the attorney general’s criminal division, Harmon said any information about the Epic investigation stayed between himself and the DA. He said Stallings wouldn’t have known any details because team leaders didn’t talk in front of each other about ongoing, sensitive investigations.

“That’s not the way Mr. Prater ran his office,” Harmon said during Thursday’s court hearing.

White also contended that Harmon revealed details of confidential negotiations between Prater and Wood — information that he says now spoils the judge’s ability to be impartial. The information was disclosed in a witness list Harmon filed for the hearing on Wood’s disqualification.

The witness list states Prater would testify that Wood attempted to negotiate a settlement agreement on behalf of Harris, Chaney and Brock. The settlement, which never ended up happening, would involve the defendants paying “a significant sum up-front in restitution” in exchange for no criminal charges being filed, the witness document states.

The fact that Stallings is now aware of this information is disqualifying and “reeks of bias,” White said.

Prater declined to comment on Stallings’ and Wood’s disqualification proceedings.

“I believe it’s appropriate for any information about the Epic case to come out at future hearings in open court,” he told Oklahoma Voice.

Oklahoma Voice is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on Facebook and X.

South Korea proposes 'freedom-based' unification with North Korea

Liberation Day event in Seoul marked by controversy as independence groups and opposition lawmakers protest appointment of director at national independence museum

Yasin Gungor |16.08.2024 - 



ISTANBUL

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called Thursday for peaceful unification with North Korea “based on freedom and democracy.”

Yoon also called for an official dialogue channel to address issues between the divided Koreas, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

"The freedom we enjoy must be extended to the frozen kingdom of the North," he told an event to mark Liberation Day.

"Only when a unified, free and democratic nation rightfully owned by the people is established across the entire Korean Peninsula will we finally have complete liberation," he added.

South and North Korea have been divided since the 1950s following the defeat of Japan during World War II, when the Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

Over the years, however, the two sides had set up communication channels and sealed pacts to promote trade and military agreements.

But in recent months, nearly all such pacts and agreements have been ended as the two sides ramped up rival military activities.

While Seoul has closed ranks with the US and Japan, Pyongyang has established closer ties with Russia.

Yoon's proposal towards unification with the North came amid controversy, as some independence fighter groups and opposition lawmakers boycotted the official ceremony.

They protested the appointment of a director at the national independence museum who is accused of justifying Japan's colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula.