Barack Obama innsatt som USAs 44. president

Målform: Bokmål - Dato: 21. januar 2009 - Oppdater siden - Rediger artikkelen - Flere nyheter

USA: Barack Hussein Obama ble tirsdag innsatt som ny president i USA, den 44. i rekken. Dette skjedde under den 56. innsettelsesseremonien.

Flere bilder fra innsettelsesdagen!

Innsettelsesseremonien foregikk tradisjonelt, med Obamas edsavleggelse og påfølgende tale. Etter talen var det lunsj for den nye presidenten, som ble valgt 5. november, der senator Edward Kennedy fikk et illebefinnende og måtte forlate lunsjen. Etter lunsjen var det parade gjennom Washingtons gater. Obama-paret kjørte da i en bil, som naturlig nok var godt sikret. Bilen måtte kjøre i gangfart, grunnet resten av paradens gående deltagere.

Barack og Michelle Obama gikk ut av bilen sin under paraden i Washington D.C.. Etter hvert kom også videpresident Joe Biden og hans kone  Biden ut av sin bil og slo følge med presidentparet. Spaserturen i paraden varte i cirka 7 minutter.

Sikkerheten under og etter innsettelsen var stor, med flere tusen politifolk og soldater som passet på den nye presidenten. Millioner av mennesker befant seg i Washington for å følge Obamas innsettelse.

Dagen etter hans innsettelse, ringte Obama først den palestinske presidenten Mahmoud Abbas aller først. Dette var ifølge ham selv hans første telefonsamtale til en leder av et utenlandsk land.

Barack Hussein Obama jr. (født 4. august 1961 i Honolulu på Hawaii i USA) er USAs 44. president. Han var tidligere juniorsenator for Illinois, og var inntil november 2008 den eneste afroamerikaneren i USAs senat, og den femte i USAs historie. Obama er den første afroamerikaneren som har blitt valgt til president i USA.

Barack Obama var Det demokratiske partiets kandidat ved presidentvalget i 2008 i konkurranse med republikaneren John McCain. Han trakk seg fra Senatet 16. november 2008 fordi han ikke kunne være medlem i den lovgivende forsamlingen etter å ha blitt innsatt som president.

Den 16. januar 2007 tok han det første offentlige skritt mot å erklære sitt kandidatur ved å opprette en undersøkelseskomité med dette for øye, og den 10. februar fulgte den formelle lansering av kandidaturet. Den 27. august 2008 ble han etter forslag fra Hillary Clinton valgt til demokratenes kandidat til president på demokratenes landsmøte med akklamasjon. 4. november 2008 vant Barack Obama presidentvalget. Han vant 28 av 50 delstater, Washington D.C. og en valgmann fra Nebraska, som ga tilsammen 365 valgmannsstemmer (270 er nødvendig for flertall i valgmannskollegiet).

Basert på hans stemmegivning i Senatet, ble Obama av mange regnet som en av USAs mest liberale senatorer. I mange spørsmål ønsket han imidlertid å samarbeide med politikere fra det Det republikanske parti. Obama har hele tiden vært imot krigen i Irak, i motsetning til flere andre presidentkandidater, eksempelvis Hillary Clinton. Han stemte likevel for bevilgninger til Irak-krigen etter at den var igangsatt.

Han er gift med advokaten Michelle Obama, født Robinson, og de har to døtre sammen.


Zaprzysiężenie Baracka Obamy na 44. prezydenta USA

2008 United States presidential election

Nowy Jork oszalał na punkcie swojego nowego prezydenta. Dziś mieszkańcy będą oglądać na telebimach w różnych punktach miasta, zaprzysiężenie 44 prezydenta USA. Na samochodach, domach, sklepach można zobaczyć napisy: „Nowy Jork jest Twój”, „Trzymaj się Obama”.

Cały Nowy Jork żyje dzisiejszym wydarzeniem. Studenci Uniwersytetu Columbia, którego Obama jest absolwentem, od rana tańczą i śpiewają w oczekiwaniu na wielką uroczystość. Podobnie jest na pozostałych nowojorskich uczelniach. Postrzegane jako historyczne wydarzenie wymaga doskonałej oprawy – w zakładach pracy i szkołach rozstawiane są wielkie ekrany, aby każdy mógł zobaczyć relację z uroczystości. Nowojorczycy i całe tłumy turystów z całego świata przywita nowego prezydenta na Time Square.

O godzinie 18.05 czasu polskiego Obama złożył przysięgę na 44. prezydenta USA.

Następnie wygłosił dwudziestominutowe przemówienie, które zostało ocenzurowane przez Chiny.


Obama assume presidência dos EUA com maioria no Congresso e apoio de governadores

Agência Brasil

20 de janeiro de  2009

Com a crise financeira e o conseqüente desencantamento dos norte-americanos com o atual governo, a maior economia do mundo realiza hoje o sonho verbalizado por Marthin Luther King há 45 anos. “Eu tenho o sonho de ver um dia meus quatro filhos vivendo numa nação em que não sejam julgados pela cor de sua pele, mas sim pelo seu caráter”, discursou o ativista dos direitos sociais em 1963. Nesta terça -feira (20), toma posse o primeiro presidente negro dos Estados Unidos, Barack Obama.

No que diz respeito ao apoio do Congresso, Obama governará no cenário dos sonhos de qualquer presidente - o Partido Democrata tem maioria tanto no Senado quanto na Câmara. No Senado, conta com 54 democratas contra 40 republicanos e dois independentes. Na Câmara, onde são necessários 218 votos para obtenção de maioria, há 252 deputados democratas, 173 republicanos e 10 indecisos. Obama conta ainda com o apoio dos governadores – 29 são democratas e 21 republicanos.

Filho de pai queniano, mãe americana e padrasto asiático, Obama nasceu em Honolulu, no Havaí, no dia 4 de agosto de 1961 e foi criado pela mãe, Ana Duhan. Seu pai, o economista Barack Obama, e sua mãe Ann Duham se conheceram na Universidade do Hawaí. Depois de separados, o pai voltou para o Quênia e Obama foi criado pela mãe e pelo padrasto em Jacarta. Com 10 anos de idade, foi morar com os avós nos Estados Unidos.

Obama graduou-se em Ciências Políticas pela Universidade de Columbia, em Nova Iorque, em 1983. Em 1991, se formou em direito na Universidade de Harvard. De 1985 a 1996 – quando foi eleito parlamentar para a Assembléia geral de Illinois - trabalhou como líder comunitário em bairros pobres de Chicago e como advogado na defesa de direitos civis. Simultaneamente, lecionava direito constitucional na Universidade de Chicago. Reeleito em 2000, foi eleito senador da República em 2004 pelo Partido Democrata no Estado de Illinois, com 70% dos votos.

Casado há 16 anos com a advogada Michelle Obama e pai de duas filhas, Barack Obama foi escolhido candidato à Presidência dos Estados Unidos em 2008, após cinco meses de acirrada disputa com a ex-primeira dama e também senadora democrata Hillary Clinton. Hillary desistiu da candidatura e declarou apoio à Obama em maio, quando ele alcançou mais do que os 2.118 delegados necessários à nomeação. Oficializada em 28 de agosto, a nomeação, por um grande partido, de um negro à Casa Branca já foi fato histórico na política norte-americana.

Obama evitou, em sua campanha, a polêmica racial. Beneficiado pela baixa popularidade do republicano George W. Bush tanto internamente quanto no exterior, recebeu o apoio de celebridades e autoridades do mundo todo. Com um discurso de mudança – o site de campanha e do governo de transição levou o nome de Change, que significa mudança em inglês - e com o slogan “Yes We Can [Sim, nós podemos]”, derrotou o republicano John MacCain e foi eleito presidente dos Estados Unidos no dia 4 de novembro de 2008, com 52% dos votos ( 62.527.406) contra 46% (55.450.968) de McCain. Ele venceu em 26 estados e no Distrito Federal de Washington. MacCain ganhou em 21 estados.

Entre as muitas promessas de campanha de Obama, estão a retirada das tropas americanas do Iraque, o fechamento da prisão de Guantânamo, a legalização dos imigrantes e a retomada do diálogo com nações amigas e inimigas. Mas foi a crise financeira internacional que deu o tom do processo eleitoral a partir de 15 de setembro, quando a Lehman Brothers decretou falência, o Bank Of America comprou e salvou a Merril Lynch e o índice Dow Jones caiu 500 pontos.

Questões antes centrais para o povo norte-americano, como o terrorismo e a guerra do Iraque, caíram para segundo plano. Para 63% dos eleitores, a economia era a questão mais importante. Outros 10% consideravam a guerra do Iraque como tema central, 9% estavam preocupados prioritariamente com terrorismo, 9% com o sistema de saúde pública e 7% com energia.

A recessão mobilizou americanos normalmente alheios à política e levou pela primeira vez às urnas 11% dos eleitores. Destes, 68% votaram em Barack Obama. O principal desafio do novo presidente será justamente salvar a maior economia do planeta.


Obama svärs in som USAs president

Publiceringar 20 januari • januari 2009 • kvartal 1 • vecka 4


奧巴馬宣誓成為美國第44任總統

1月20日，美國華盛頓特區超過200萬民眾齊聚國會山莊四周，見證美國第一位非洲裔總統巴拉克·奧巴馬宣誓就職的歷史性時刻。

這是美國建國以來第56屆總統就職典禮，也是歷來規模最大的就職典禮，耗費超過1.5億美元，動員近萬名警力。盡管華盛頓特區的氣溫已經降到攝氏零度，但是大量的民眾早就冒著嚴寒在戶外守候良久，等待「偶像」奧巴馬的出現，甚至有從外地來的支持者不惜在華盛頓街頭露宿。目前初步統計人數至少有200萬人，超過以往最多人參加的1965年林登·詹森的就職典禮。

就職典禮的主題是「自由的新生」。儀式從美東時間10:00開始，總統喬治·沃克·布殊和候任總統巴拉克·奧巴馬在白宮餐聚完畢之後，保安嚴密的總統車隊將他們緩緩載到就職典禮舉行的國會山莊。

而一眾貴賓，包括國會參眾兩院議員、最高法院大法官、前總統吉米·卡特偕夫人、喬治·赫伯特·沃克·布殊偕夫人、比爾·克林頓偕夫人等。加州資深女參議員黛安·費恩斯坦親自主持了就職典禮。

美南浸信會著名牧師華理克帶領全體在場民眾進行了祈禱；隨後被譽為「靈魂歌后」的黑人女音樂家艾瑞莎·弗蘭克林獻唱了美國19世紀的實際國歌《My Country, 'Tis of Thee》。然後在大法官約翰·保羅·斯蒂文斯的見證下，喬·拜登宣誓成為了美國副總統。

約翰·威廉姆斯和馬友友等知名演奏家在這時演奏起《Air and Simple Gifts》的旋律。

高潮在12:05左右開始，在首席大法官約翰·羅伯茲的見證下，巴拉克·奧巴馬手按當年亞伯拉罕·林肯總統使用的《聖經》宣誓：

羅伯茲大法官宣读誓词的第一句时有个讀錯，奧巴馬只好將錯就錯重復羅伯茲大法官的說話；到那時候羅伯茲大法官才知道甚麼回事。奧巴馬宣誓完畢之後，正式成為美國第44任總統，在場200多萬民眾激動地齊聲歡呼「奧巴馬！」二十一響禮炮鳴放。隨後，奧巴馬發表了其20分鐘的就職演說，闡述了他未來四年總統任期內的治國理念和方針。

他在演說中強調正式目前美國面對的苦難，但是希望國人能夠戰勝恐懼，團結面對分歧，他更要求美國人要改掉壞的習慣，回復人們與征服的寶貴信任；美國需要一個負責任的新時代，美国人都在重建美国“勤劳、诚实、公平竞争、宽容、忠诚和爱国主义”等传统上扮演重要的角色，美國已經準備好再次引領大家前行。他還提出了加強市場監控，重視環保，堅持和宣揚民主，打擊恐怖主義和外交方針等大致的政策思維。

就職典禮在海軍演奏的國歌聲中結束。隨後，新任總統巴拉克·奧巴馬和夫人、副總統喬拜登和夫人與剛剛卸任的喬治·W·布殊總統和夫人、迪克·切尼副總統和夫人穿過國會大廈。奧巴馬恭送布殊總統離開，布殊總統登上一架直升機，飛機緩緩升起，布殊總統在窗旁向地上的人們致意。

典禮結束後，奧巴馬一家要出席很多慶祝活動和宴會，但是等待他的更多是嚴峻的挑戰。

各國領導人已經紛紛致電祝賀奧巴馬正式就任總統。


Obama to Muslims: 'Americans are not your enemy'

President Barack Obama of the United States had his first full interview since his inauguration, on Al Arabiya television. The Dubai television network in the United Arab Emirates had exclusive access to the President.

During the interview, Obama repeated a campaign promise to deliver a speech in a Muslim capital, and urged that the peace process between Israel and Palestine resume.

"We cannot tell either the Israelis or the Palestinians what's best for them. They're going to have to make some decisions. But I do believe that the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is one that is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people," Obama said.

The President pointed out that he had lived for years in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country. This experience taught him that people share the same hopes and dreams regardless of their faith, he said.

"My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy — we sometimes make mistakes — we have not been perfect," said Obama. "But if you look at the track record... America was not born as a colonial power, and that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that."

Obama also spoke about al-Qaeda and, according to Al Arabiya, former President George W. Bush's "war on terror".

"[What] we need to understand is, is that there are extremist organizations — whether Muslim or any other faith in the past — that will use faith as a justification for violence. Our administration [will] be very clear in distinguishing between organizations like al Qaeda — that espouse violence, espouse terror and act on it — and people who may disagree with my administration and certain actions." Obama also stated that he "cannot respect terrorist organizations that would kill innocent civilians and we will hunt them down."

On the topic of Iran, Obama stated that the country has not been conducive to peace, and that, "if countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us."

"If we start the steady progress on these issues, I'm absolutely confident that the United States, working in tandem with the European Union, with Russia, with all the Arab States in the region — I'm absolutely certain that we can make significant progress," Obama told the interviewer.

Immediately prior to the interview, Obama met with George J. Mitchell, his special envoy to the Middle East. Mitchell then embarked on his diplomatic mission with visits to Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, France and the United Kingdom.


Obama viestitti rauhaa arabitelevisiossa

Yhdysvaltain tuore presidentti Barack Obama (dem.) antoi eilisiltana Yhdysvaltain aikaa ensimmäisen haastattelunsa arabimedialle. Hän puhui al-Arabiya-televisiokanavan haastattelussa rauhan tavoittelusta ja amerikkalaisten ja muslimien välisistä suhteista. Hän vetosi omaan menneisyyteensä maailman suurimman muslimimaan Indonesian asukkaana sanoessaan oppineensa, että kaikilla ihmisillä uskosta riippumatta on yhteisiä toiveita ja unelmia.

– Työni muslimimaailmaa kohtaan on välittää sanoma, että amerikkalaiset eivät ole vihollisianne, Obama kiteytti. Amerikkalaisille hän sanoi välittävänsä sanoman siitä, että muslimimaailma on täynnä ihmisiä, jotka vain haluavat elää elämäänsä ja nähdä lastensa voivan paremmin. Terroristijohtajia hän kritisoi siitä, että he eivät voi sanoa parantaneensa muslimilasten koulutusta ja terveydenhoitoa.

Obama sanoi uskovansa muslimien huomanneen, että terroristien tie johtaa vain kuolemaan ja tuhoon.

Obama puhui myös Palestiinan ja Israelin väleistä, mutta ei ottanut puheeksi Israelin taannoista hyökkäystä Gazan kaistalle. Hän korosti, että Israel on yhä Yhdysvaltain vahva liittolainen. Obama sanoi, ettei Yhdysvallat voi sanella, mikä on Israelin ja Palestiinan parhaaksi. Hänestä aika olisi kuitenkin otollinen sille, että Israel ja palestiinalaiset huomaisivat nykymenon kestämättömyyden ja palaisivat neuvottelupöytään.

Obama sanoi, että hänen hallintonsa puhuu muslimimaailmalle kunnioittavaan sävyyn eikä niputa yhteen muslimeja ja terroristeja.

– En voi kunnioittaa terroristijärjestöjä, jotka tappaisivat viattomia; etsimme ja tuhoamme ne. Mutta laajemmin muslimimaailmalle tarjoamme ystävyyden kättä, Obama sanoi.


Obama wins South Carolina primary

Barack Obama has won the South Carolina Democratic primary, with 55 percent of the vote.

Hillary Clinton came in second with 27 percent of the vote, while John Edwards was third with 18 percent.

"Tonight, the cynics who believed that what began in the snows of Iowa was just an illusion were told a different story by the good people of South Carolina," Obama told his supporters.

"In nine short days, nearly half the nation will have the chance to join us in saying that we are tired of business-as-usual in Washington, we are hungry for change, and we are ready to believe again," he said, referring to Super Tuesday, which will be on February 5. 24 states will be holding primaries or caucuses on that day.

Clinton reportedly called Obama to congratulate him on his victory.

"I have called Senator Obama to congratulate him and wish him well," she stated.

A CNN exit poll showed Obama with 81 percent of the black vote, in a primary where 55 percent of voters were black. The exit poll also showed Obama with 24 percent of the white vote, while Edwards and Clinton received 39 percent and 36 percent of this demographic, respectively.

*Dropped out of race


Barack Obama gewinnt Vorwahlen in South Carolina

South Carolina (Vereinigte Staaten), 28.01.2008 – Die Vorwahlen der Demokraten im US-Bundesstaat South Carolina hat Barack Obama mit einem großen Vorsprung vor Hillary Clinton gewonnen. Mit 55 Prozent der abgegebenen Stimmen erreichte er einen hohen Vorsprung vor der früheren First Lady, was vor allem auf etwa 80% der afroamerikanischen Wähler zurückzuführen ist, die in South Caroline etwa die Hälfte der demokratischen Wähler ausmachen. John Edwards, der im Jahr 2004 dort siegte, landete in seinem Heimatstaat abgeschlagen auf dem dritten Platz. Er erreichte nur 18 Prozent der Wählerstimmen. Beobachter bewerten das Abstimmungsergebnis als Absage der Wähler an Diffamierungen des politischen Gegners.

Senator Edward Kennedy (Massachusetts) hat inzwischen angekündigt, Obama unterstützen zu wollen. Dies könnte dem Wahlkampf Barack Obamas neue Impulse geben. Robert F. Kennedy jr., Umweltaktivist, und Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, frühere Vizegouverneurin von Maryland, die beiden Kinder des erschossenen Ex-Justizministers, unterstützen dagegen die Kandidatur Hilary Clintons. Die Demokraten richten nun ihr Hauptaugenmerk auf den Super Tuesday am 5. Februar und konzentrieren sich vor allem auf die bevölkerungsstarken Bundesstaaten New York und Kalifornien.


Obama gana las primarias de Carolina del Sur

27 de enero de 2008Columbia (Carolina del Sur), Estados Unidos — El precandidato presidencial estadounidense y senador de Illinois Barack Obama ganó ayer las primarias del Partido Demócrata de Carolina del Sur con 55% de los votos.

Sus oponentes en esta carrera presidencial, Hillary Clinton y John Edwards, obtuvieron 27% y 18% de los votos, respectivamente.

Obama le dijo a sus partidarios: "Esta noche, a los cínicos que creían que lo que comenzó en las nevadas de Iowa era sólo una ilusión les ha sido contado un cuento diferente por la buena gente de Carolina del Sur".

Añadió: "En nueve cortos días, casi la mitad de la nación tendrá la oportunidad de unirse a nosotros diciendo que estamos cansados de lo usual en Washington, que tenemos hambre de cambio y que estamos listos para volver a creer". Se refería al Supermartes, que será celebrado el 5 de febrero. 24 estados tendrán sus primarias o caucuses ese día.

Clinton dijo que había llamado a Obama para felicitarlo y desearle suerte.

*Retirado de la carrera.


Barack Obama remporte la primaire démocrate de Caroline du Sud

Le sénateur Barack Obama a remporté la primaire démocrate de Caroline du Sud, avec 55 % des suffrages.
La sénatrice Hillary Clinton arrive en deuxième position avec 27 % des suffrages, alors que John Edwards arrive en troisième position avec 18 % des voix.
« Ce soir, les cyniques qui croyaient que ce qui avait commencé dans les neiges de l'Iowa n'était qu'une illusion ont entendu une autre histoire de la part du bon peuple de Caroline du Sud », a déclaré Barack Obama à ses supporteurs.
« Dans neuf petits jours, la moitié de la nation à peu près aura la chance de dire avec nous que nous sommes fatigués du train-train de Washington, que nous sommes affamés de changement, et nous sommes prêts à croire à nouveau », a-t-il indiqué en faisant allusion au « super mardi », qui se tiendra le 5 février. Ce jour là, 24 États tiendront des primaires ou caucus.

Hillary Clinton a déclaré avoir appelé Barack Obama afin de le féliciter de sa victoire : « j'ai appelé le sénateur Obama afin de le féliciter et de lui souhaiter bonne chance ».

Un sondage de CNN à la sortie des urnes a indiqué que Barack Obama avait remporté 81 % des suffrages de la communauté noire, dans une primaire où 55 % des électeurs sont issus de cette communauté. Ce sondage a également montré que Barack Obama avait obtenu 24 % des votes des électeurs blancs, alors que John Edwards et Hillary Clinton rassemblaient 39 et 36%, respectivement, des suffrages de cette communauté.

* Dennis Kucinich vient d'abandonner la course à l'investiture démocrate.


Primarie USA 2008: in Carolina del Sud stravince Obama per i Democratici

Ieri è stato il turno delle primarie in Carolina del Sud anche per i Democratici (i Repubblicani hanno votato il 20 gennaio).

Vittoria a larga maggioranza per il Senatore dell'Illinois Barack Obama, che con il 55,4% dei consensi ha doppiato il risultato della Senatrice Hillary Clinton (26,5%), mentre risulta ancor più staccato John Edwards, fermo al 18%.

Per quanto riguarda i rappresentanti alla convention nazionale, che eleggerà il candidato democratico alla Casa Bianca, al momento si prevedono 25 eletti per Barack Obama, 12 per Hillary Clinton e 8 per John Edwards.
Per la Carolina del Sud parteciperanno alla convention nazionale anche 9 superdelegati del partito.

La vittoria di Obama in South Carolina era annunciata[1] ed è dovuta principalmente al voto della popolazione sotto i 60 anni e di pelle nera.[2]

In dettaglio i risultati delle votazioni (al 99% dello spoglio):


Obama vinner Sør-Carolina

Målform: Bokmål - Dato: 27. januar 2008 - Oppdater siden - Rediger artikkelen - Flere nyheter

USA: Barack Obama vant demokratenes nominasjonsvalg i Sør-Carolina, med 55 prosent av stemmene.

Hillary Clinton kom på andreplass med 27 prosent, mens John Edwards fikk 18 prosent.

«I kveld ble kynikerne som mente at de som skjedde i snøen i Iowa bare var en illusjon fortalt en annen historie av folket i Sør-Carolina», sa Obama til tilhengerne sine.

«I løpet av ni korte dager vil nesten halve landet ha muligheten til å bli med oss i å si at vi er lei av 'business-as-usual'-holdningen i Washington, vi er sultne på forandring, vi er rede til å tro igjen!» fortalte Obama. På «super-tirsdagen» 5. februar vil 24 delstater avholde nominasjonsmøter eller primærvalg.

Clinton skal ha ringt Obama og gratulert ham med seieren.

«Jeg har ringt senator Obama for å gratulere og ønske ham alt vel», uttalte Clinton.

En valgdagsmåling foretatt av CNN viste at 81 prosent av svarte velgere stemte på Obama. 55 prosent av velgerne i Sør-Carolina er svarte. Valgdagsmålingen viste også at Obama tok 24 prosent av de hvite velgerne, mens Edwards og Clinto tok henholdsvis 39 og 36 prosent fra denne gruppen.

* Har trukket seg fra valgkampen


Obama vence as prévias na Carolina do Sul

Barack Obama já ganhou as prévias democratas na Carolina do Sul, com 55 por cento dos votos.

Hillary Clinton veio em segundo com 27 por cento dos votos, ao passo que John Edwards foi terceiro com 18 por cento.

"Esta noite, os cínicos que acreditava que o que começou no neves de Iowa foi apenas um Ilusão foi-nos dito uma história diferente pelo bom povo da Carolina do Sul ", Obama Disse aos seus apoiantes.

"Em nove dias curtos, quase metade do povo terá a oportunidade de juntar-se a nós em dizer Que estamos fartos de business-as-usual em Washington, estamos ansiosos para a mudança, e Estamos prontos a acreditar novamente ", disse ele, referindo-se a Super Ter, que será em 5 de fevereiro. 24 estados vão realizar primárias  nesse dia.

Clinton declaradamente felicitou Obama  por sua vitória.

"Chamei o senador Obama para felicitá-lo e desejar-lhe bem", ela afirmou.

A  sondagem da CNN mostrou que Obama ganhou com 81 por cento dos votos da população Negra no estado, Numa primária onde 55 por cento dos eleitores eram negros. A sondagem mostrou também que Obama recebeu 24 por cento do voto do eleitorado branco, enquanto Edwards e Clinton recebeu 39 Por cento e 36 por cento, respectivamente.

*Saíram da Corrida pela Casa Branca

*John Whitesides. Obama rolls to big South Carolina win — Reuters, 26 de janeiro de 2008

*Obama wins key South Carolina vote [inativa] — Agence France-Presse, 27 de janeiro de 2008. Página visitada em 27 de janeiro de 2008. Arquivada em 30 de janeiro de 2008

*Primary Results for South Carolina — CNN, 26 de janeiro de 2008

*Alex Fram. Strong Black Vote Gives Obama SC Win [inativa] — Associated Press, 27 de janeiro de 2008. Página visitada em 27 de janeiro de 2008. Arquivada em 30 de janeiro de 2008


Обама — победитель на праймериз в Южной Каролине

Барак Обама выиграл предварительные выборы Демократической партии США в Южной Каролине, набрав 55 процентов голосов.

Хиллари Клинтон стала второй, набрав 27 % голосов, а Джон Эдвардс — третьим (18 %).

«За девять коротких дней, почти половина нации будет иметь шанс присоединиться к нам, сказав, что мы устали от того, что в Вашингтоне дела идут своим чередом, мы желаем перемен, и мы готовы снова поверить», — сказал Обама, говоря о так называемом «Супер-вторнике», который будет 5 февраля. 24 штата будут голосовать в тот день.

Клинтон поздравила Обаму с победой.

«Я позвонила сенатору Обаме, чтобы поздравить его, и пожелала удачи», — сообщила она.

Экзит-полл CNN показал, что Обама набрал 81 % среди экваториальной расы (55 % от всех избирателей относились к ней). Также, по результатам экзит-полла, у Обамы 24 % среди избирателей европеоидной расы, у Эдвардса — 39 %, у Клинтон — 36 %.

*Выбыл из борьбы

27 января 2008 года


Obama wins Wyoming caucus

Barack Obama has won the Wyoming Democratic caucus Saturday, furthering his delegate lead in the close race against Hillary Clinton.

Obama had 61 percent of the vote, beating out Clinton's 38 percent. 7 of Wyoming's 12 pledged delegates will to go to Obama, while 5 will go to Clinton. This would put Obama's delegate count at 1,578 and Clinton's at 1,468, according to the Associated Press. 2,025 delegates are needed to seal the nomination.

"This is a very important win for us," said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe. "I think it's evidence that Senator Obama is going to be able to put more states in play because of his strength with independent voters."

Clinton's campaign manager called the caucus a "near split in delegates" and thanked supporters for coming out to vote. "Although the Obama campaign predicted victory in Wyoming weeks ago, we worked hard to present Senator Clinton's vision to the caucus-goers and we thank them for turning out today," she said.

With a largely Republican voting base, Wyoming has usually been ignored by Democratic candidates. But in this caucus, excitement was evident in the unusually high turnout, which resulted in long lines, packed rooms, and late arrivals that had to be turned away. "I'm worried about where we're going to put them all," said Joyce Corcoran, a local party official. "But I guess everybody's got the same problem."

Both Obama and Clinton were campaigning in Wyoming the day before the caucus. At town hall meeting in Casper, Obama criticized Clinton's 2002 authorization of the Iraq War, and defended against Clinton's accusations that he wouldn't immediately pull troops out of Iraq if elected.

"I will bring this war to an end in 2009, so don't be confused ... when Senator Clinton is not willing to acknowledge that she voted for war," Obama said. "I don't want to play politics on this issue, because she doesn't have standing to question my position on this issue."

The candidates' presence in Wyoming came as a surprise to many, including Democratic Party spokesman Bill Luckett. "Seriously, I never imagined when I took this job that we would see the day when the two front-runners for the Democratic presidential nomination would hold events in Wyoming on the eve of our county caucuses," he said.

The next Democratic contest will be the Mississippi primary on Tuesday, where there are 33 pledged delegates at stake.


Presidenziali USA 2008, Obama vince in Wyoming: "Corro per vincere"

Il senatore democratico dell'Illinois, Barack Obama, si è aggiudicato le primarie nel Wyoming: secondo gli ultimi conteggi, Obama avrebbe portato a casa 5 378 voti (il 61%) contro i 3 312 (38%) della senatrice di New York, Hillary Clinton. In base a tali proiezioni, la CNN assegna a Obama sei delegati contro i cinque di Clinton, mentre un delegato non verrebbe assegnato. Altri media, tuttavia, ne assegnano sette al senatore afroamericano.

Sale così a circa 100-110 delegati il vantaggio di Obama sulla Clinton, con un punteggio di 1 527/1 568 - 1 426/1 468. In questo momento, Obama è in vantaggio grazie al favore degli elettori, mentre i superdelegati (ovvero gli esponenti maggiori del Partito Democratico) sono appannaggio della moglie dell'ex presidente. C'è tuttavia da considerare che i superdelegati non sono vincolati alle proprie dichiarazioni di voto, e passare da uno schieramento all'altro fino alla Convention di agosto a Denver, dove serviranno 2 025 delegati per vincere.

Intanto, forte della vittoria, Barack Obama rilancia la sua sfida e parlando alla ABC ha respinto l'ipotesi di un ticket Clinton-Obama: «Non sarò candidato alla vicepresidenza perché sono in corsa per essere eletto presidente. Abbiamo vinto nel doppio degli Stati rispetto alla senatrice Clinton e abbiamo ottenuto un maggiore consenso popolare».

Martedì toccherà al Mississippi: in palio 40 delegati.


Obama, Medvedev sign treaty cutting nuclear stockpiles

U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev have signed a treaty to reduce their countries' nuclear stockpiles by 25 to 30 percent over seven years.

In the Spanish Hall, an ornate chamber within the Czech capital's Prague Castle, the two countries, which own more than 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons, agreed to downsize their arsenals.

Presidents Obama and Medvedev sat in front of U.S. and Russian flags and signed their countries' first major nuclear arms reduction accord in almost two decades.

The new ten-year pact, which is called the "New START Treaty", requires the U.S. and Russia to cut their inventory of nuclear warheads to about 1,500 each in the next seven years. Both countries are estimated to have well over 2,000 warheads now.

The agreement also slashes by more than half the number of missiles, submarines and bombers that carry the weapons.

The pact replaces the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I), which was signed by U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in the final days of the Soviet Union. START I expired in December of last year. The treaty complements the other two nuclear arms reduction treaties signed by the United States and Russia, which where the 1993 Russia, which where the 1993 START II treaty and the 2002 Moscow Treaty also known as SORT.

Obama said the treaty is a big step forward for world security. "Today is an important milestone for nuclear security and nonproliferation and for U.S.-Russia relations," he said.

Medvedev said because of this treaty, the entire world community has won. The Russian leader said the year-long negotiations were tough, but hard work on both sides brought success.

"That enabled us to do something that just a couple of months ago looked like 'mission impossible.' Within a short span of time we prepared a full-fledged treaty and signed it," he said.

Obama says, in addition, that the treaty paves the way for future arms reduction talks with Russia, mainly on short-range nuclear weapons. "This treaty will set the stage for further cuts, and going forward, we hope to pursue further discussions with Russia on reducing both our strategic and tactical weapons, including non-deployed weapons," he said.

Tom Collina, research director at the Arms Control Association, says the new treaty is significant in reducing the threat from U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons, but more significant because it could lead to further cuts.

"We think we can even go to deeper reductions, and we hope they sign a new treaty after this one relatively soon. But this treaty is a great step forward, it is very important, and it puts U.S. and Russian arms control back on a firm footing, and, again, sets us up for deeper cuts," he said.

The signing of the "New START" treaty is one of several arms control developments taking place in several weeks.

Earlier in the week, President Obama announced a major shift in U.S. nuclear policy. He said for the first time that preventing nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism is at the top of the U.S. nuclear agenda. The threat of destruction by Russian warheads is now considered a secondary menace.

Under Obama's nuclear posture review, the U.S. pledges not to use nuclear weapons on non-nuclear countries that abide by their nonproliferation obligations.

Frank Gaffney, a former arms control adviser to President Ronald Reagan, says the president's nuclear posture review is based on a false and dangerous premise. "The idea that he can, by reducing America's nuclear arsenal, contribute to the universal abandonment of nuclear weaponry. It will not happen. It will not happen on his watch. It will not happen ever," he said.

Obama also plans to hold a conference on nuclear security next week in Washington, D.C..

In their hour-and-a-half meeting before the ceremony, President Obama urged Medvedev to support new U.N. sanctions against Iran for its refusal to stop enriching uranium. The Russian leader said the issue is not whether to impose sanctions, but what kind of sanctions.

"Smart sanctions should be able to motivate certain parties to behave properly, and I am confident that our teams that will be engaged in consultations will continue discussing this issue," he said.

Obama said, "We are working together at the United Nations Security Council to pass strong sanctions on Iran and we will not tolerate actions that flout the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty)." He added, "My expectation is that we are going to be able to secure strong, tough sanctions on Iran this spring."

The nuclear treaty is almost certain to be approved in the Russian Duma. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Russia reserves the right to drop out of the pact if it believes U.S. missile defense plans for Europe threaten its security.

Many experts agree passage in the U.S. Senate is not as certain, but that its prospects are good. To ratify the treaty, it will require 67 votes, to pass it will require Republican votes. Republicans in the Senate have expressed concerns that too many restrictions have been placed on America's nuclear arsenal.

However, Obama is confident the treaty will be ratified when asked during a press conference following the signing. Obama stated, "And so I'm actually quite confident that Democrats and Republicans in the United States Senate, having reviewed this, will see that the United States has preserved its core national security interests, that it is maintaining a safe and secure and effective nuclear deterrent, but that we are beginning to once again move forward, leaving the Cold War behind, to address new challenges in new ways."

Obama also noted, "[T]hat both in Russia and the United States, it’s going to be posed on the Internet, appropriate to a 21st century treaty.  And so people not only within government but also the general public will be able to review, in an open and transparent fashion, what it is that we’ve agreed to." Copies of the treaty and it's protocol have been posted on the State Department's website.


Obama a Medvěděv podepsali v Praze smlouvu o snížení počtu jaderných hlavic

Praha se stala dějištěm historické události, když v ní ve 12 hodin a 36 minut podepsali prezidenti Spojených států a Ruska Barack Obama a Dmitrij Medvěděv dohodu o omezení jaderných zbraní. Již před týdny ohlášená dohoda, jejíž dopilování do detailů odložilo podpis až na začátek dubna, má vést ke snížení počtu strategických jaderných hlavic. Smlouvu musí ještě ratifikovat ruská Státní duma a Senát amerického Kongresu.

Smlouva nahradí dohodu START-1, jejíž platnost vypršela. Obě strany se zavázaly snížit počet svých jaderných hlavic na 1550. Vzhledem ke skutečnému arzenálu obou mocností to neznamená masivní rozebírání jaderných hlavic, a tak za větší přínos považují pozorovatelé fakt, že smlouva obnovuje režim vzájemných inspekcí.

Obama po podpisu smlouvy prohlásil, že pro obě země ani pro svět není dobré, když Spojené státy a Rusko nejsou schopné spolupracovat na velkých záležitostech. „Dnešek je významný milník pro jadernou bezpečnost, pro nešíření jaderných zbraní a pro americkou ruské vztahy.“ Podle Medvěděva šlo o skutečně historickou událost, která je vítězstvím pro obě strany. Hostitel události, český prezident Václav Klaus k ní přehodnotil svůj postoj a konstatoval, že podpis smlouvy byl „věcí mimořádnou a věcí mimořádně úspěšnou“.[1] Podpis přivítali také světoví státníci, např. generální tajemník OSN Pan Ki-mun doufá, že je to jen začátek na cestě obou velmocí k úplnému odstranění atomových zbraní.[2] Některé komentáře médií ale považují dikci smlouvy za příliš navazující na původní dohodu START-1 a tedy setrvávající v rétorice a politice studené války. Kriticky se k dohodě vyjádřil například ruský nacionalista Vladimir Žirinovskij.

Navzdory podpisu smlouvy zůstávají mezi Ruskem a Spojenými státy spory o podobě chystaného amerického protiraketového štítu, jak v Praze potvrdil i náměstek ruského ministra zahraničí Sergej Rjabkov.[3] Rusko si kvůli protiraketovému systému vymínilo právo na jednostranné odstoupení od smlouvy, pokud bude systém považovat za hrozbu pro svou obranu.

Návštěvu obou prezidentů provázejí v Praze rozsáhlá bezpečností opatření. Medvěděv dorazil do Česka z Bratislavy už ve středu a odletěl odpoledne po podpisu smlouvy, Obama přiletěl ve čtvrtek ráno a zůstává do pátku. Večer po podpisu smlouvy se setkal s představiteli vybraných středoevropských a východoevropských zemí.


Vereinigte Staaten und Russland unterzeichnen START-Nachfolgeabkommen

Prag (Tschechien), 09.04.2010 – In Prag unterzeichneten gestern die Präsidenten der Vereinigten Staaten und Russlands einen Abrüstungsvertrag. Dabei setzten Barack Obama und Dmitri Medwedew in der Prager Burg ihre Unterschrift unter das so genannte START-Abkommen, das in einer Vorgängerversion 1991 erstmals unterzeichnet wurde. Dieses Dokument mit einer zehnjährigen Laufzeit sieht vor, die Anzahl der strategischen Offensivwaffen zu reduzieren. Russland und die Vereinigten Staaten wollen die Anzahl der nuklearen Sprengköpfe innerhalb der nächsten sieben Jahre von jeweils 2.200 auf 1.550 reduzieren. Die Zahl der Raketen, U-Boote und Flugzeuge, die diese Waffen zum Einsatz tragen, sollen zudem auf jeweils 800 verringert werden.

Dass ausgerechnet in Prag der Vertrag unterzeichnet wird, ist offenbar kein Zufall. Barack Obama hatte genau vor einem Jahr eine viel beachtete Grundsatzrede gehalten, in der er die Vision einer atomwaffenfreien Welt vorstellte. Später erhielt er vom Nobelpreis-Komitee hierfür den Friedensnobelpreis. Der Vertrag wurde auch im Beisein des tschechischen Staatsoberhauptes Václav Klaus besiegelt. Flankiert wird das neue Abkommen durch zwei weitere Ereignisse. Obama verkündigte vor wenigen Tagen eine neue Doktrin, nach der die Atomwaffen nur noch in ganz elementaren Fällen eingesetzt werden. Auch wird es in der kommenden Woche einen Gipfel mit 47 Staats- und Regierungschefs in Washington geben. Dabei soll es um die Frage gehen, wie verhindert werden kann, dass Terroristen an nukleares Material gelangen.


Signature du traité START III par les États-Unis et la Russie

Le président américain Barack Obama et son homologue russe Dmitri Medvedev ont signé aujourd'hui le nouveau traité START III[1] visant à réduire de 25 à 30 % l'armement nucléaire des deux pays dans les sept années à venir. Réunis à Prague, en République tchèque, les deux chefs d'États ont convenus de réduire les armes nucléaires de la Russie et des États-Unis, qui détiennent à eux seuls plus de 90 % des armes nucléaires du monde. Ce nouveau traité est l'aboutissement de difficiles négociations et remplace le traité START I signé en 1991 par le président soviétique Mikhaïl Gorbatchev et le président américain George Bush peu avant l'effondrement du bloc soviétique.

À la chute de l'Union soviétique, c'est avec la Fédération de Russie que les États-Unis signèrent ensuite START II en 1993. START II fut ratifié par les États-Unis en 1996 et par la Russie en 2000, car le parlement russe a retardé la signature en signe de protestation contre les bombardements de l'OTAN sur la Yougoslavie. START II prévoyait une réduction des arsenaux stratégiques de deux tiers, au terme de laquelle chaque partie ne devait pas disposer de plus de 3 500 têtes nucléaires stratégiques, mais ce traité n'a jamais été appliqué, la Russie souhaitant d'abord que les américains maintiennent en vigueur le traité ABM.

Pour le président Medvedev, la signature de ce nouveau traité représente « une victoire pour le monde entier ». « Cela nous a permis d'accomplir ce qui, il y a seulement deux mois, apparaissait comme une « mission impossible ». En un laps de temps, nous avons élaboré un traité en bonne et du forme et l'avons signé », a-t-il déclaré. Pour le président Barack Obama, il ne s'agit que d'une première étape. « Ce traité prépare le terrain pour d'autres réductions de l'armement nucléaire et d'autres avancées. Nous espérons poursuivre les négociations avec la Russie afin de réduire les armes stratégiques et tactiques, y compris celles qui ne sont pas déployées ». « Il s'agit aujourd'hui d'une étape importante pour la sécurité nucléaire, la non prolifération et les relations entre les États-Unis et la Russie », a-t-il déclaré à son tour.

Selon les estimations, chacune des deux superpuissances détient plus de 2 000 ogives. Mais dans les sept prochaines années, ils devront ramener leurs stocks respectifs à 1 500 unités. Plus de la moitié de leurs missiles, sous-marins et bombardiers tactiques devront également disparaître.

De son côté, le secrétaire général de l'ONU, Ban Ki-moon, a salué comme « une étape importante » vers le désarmement nucléaire. M. Ban a également déclaré dans un communiqué de son service de presse qu'il « se félicite de la signature du nouveau traité START III, étape importante des efforts internationaux pour le désarmement nucléaire et pour parvenir à un monde débarrassé des armes atomiques ». « Ce remarquable accomplissement va aussi aider à créer une atmosphère positive pour la conférence de suivi du Traité de non-prolifération nucléaire (TNP) le mois prochain au siège de l'ONU » à New York, ajoute le texte. En visite officielle en Autriche, M. Ban félicite les deux présidents pour leur sens des responsabilités et émet l'espoir que les deux pays continueront leurs efforts vers « l'élimination de toutes les armes nucléaires ».


A Praga Obama e Medvedev firmano lo Start 2 per la riduzione degli armamenti

Stati Uniti d'America e Russia hanno siglato a Praga il nuovo Start, per la riduzione degli armamenti nucleari nell'ambito di un disarmo sempre più efficace.

Gli arsenali dei due Paesi verranno ridotti di circa il 30%. Il nuovo Start è una prosecuzione del trattato scaduto in dicembre e concordato nel 1991. Legalmente sarà in vigore per 10 anni a meno di cambiamenti concordati in anticipo. "Il mondo è oggi più sicuro", "inizia una nuova epoca", ecco i due messaggi lanciati da Praga in previsione della conferenza di Washington sulla proliferazione nucleare della prossima settimana.


Obrador declares himself President, plans protests

Mexican presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who lost the vote count to his rival Felipe Calderon by 0.57%, declared victory in the elections and vowed that he and his supporters will continue protesting. "I am already president," he said in a television interview "I won the presidential election. I am president of Mexico by the will of the majority of Mexicans."

Protests in favour of Obrador have grown increasingly confrontational. This week, protestors marched in front of the Mexican stock exchange, blockading the entrance. Obrador is expected to announce a campaign of civil disobedience at a rally in central Mexico City on Sunday. He and his supporters are pressuring Mexico's Federal Electoral Tribunal to issue a recount of every vote cast in the election.

Presidential Candidate Obrador believes that President Vicente Fox and Presidential Candidate Calderon are responsible for what he believes to be election fraud.

Calderon has rejected Obrador's call for a recount, saying that the election was fair.


Obrador se auto declara Presidente do México e simpatizantes fazem protestos

O candidato presidencial mexicano Andrés Manuel López Obrador, que perdeu a eleição para Presidente para o seu rival Felipe Calderón Hinojosa pela diferença de 0.57 % dos votos, declarou vitória nas eleições e jurou que ele e os seus apoiadores continuarão a protestar. "Eu  já sou  presidente," disse numa entrevista para a televisão "ganhei a eleição presidencial. Sou o presidente do México pela vontade da maioria de Mexicanos."

Os protestos a favor de Obrador tornam-se cada vez mais maiores.

Espera-se que Obrador anuncie uma campanha de desobediência civil durante uma reunião na Cidade do México no domingo. Ele e os seus simpatizantes estão pressionando o Tribunal Eleitoral Federal de México para fazer uma recontagem dos votos da eleição.

O candidato presidencial Felipe Calderón do Partido Ação Nacional (PAN) foi declarado o vencedor da eleição Presidencial ocorrida em 2 de julho. O seu rival principal, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, da Coalizão Pelo Bem de Todos —formada   pelo Partido da Revolução Democrática (PRD), Partido do Trabalho (PT) e Partido Convergência— não admitiu o resultado e disse que  mobilizaria protestos  públicos além de questionar os resultados no tribunal.

As perguntas foram levantadas sobre a contagem dos votos depois que algumas discrepâncias foram notadas na contagem. Enquanto alguns apoiadores de López Obrador alegaram a manipulação do processo de contagem, o próprio  Obrador descartou a possibilidade da fraude por má fé. Observadores internacionais disseram que a eleição foi transparente,  sem problemas.

O Ministro do Interior, Carlos Abascal, disse que uma recontagem total é "fisicamente e também legalmente impossível." Apesar disso,   relatórios de cada cabine de votação preenchidas por representantes de todos os partidos já foram distribuídos às partes em disputa.

O Tribunal Eleitoral Federal de México, formado por sete juizes, tem o  poder ouvir reclamações e reconsiderar o resultado da eleição. O Tribunal deve declarar oficialmente o vencedor no início de setembro.


Officials: Maoist rebels kill at least 70 Indian soldiers

Officials have reported that Maoist rebels in India killed at least 70 soldiers in Chhattisgarh, a central state in the country.

The ambush was made on security convoys in a dense jungle in the district of Dantewada, a remote area. According to police, about 300 Maoists set off explosives and started shooting at them.

"Seventy-five [people] have been killed, and seven injured," commented Gopal Pillai, the Indian home secretary.

This is the deadliest incident security forces have seen since they recently initiated an offensive against the Maoists; the operation has spread out across several states and includes 50,000 federal paramilitary troops, as well as thousands of policemen.

The violence is still ongoing, according to police official Ashok Dwivedi. "Fighting is still carrying on in the area, and we're having great difficulty getting news from there," he said.

It is the biggest loss of life security forces have suffered since launching the recent offensive against the rebels.

India's Home Minister P. Chidambaram remarked that the convoys had apparently "walked" into a trap set by the Maoists. "Something has gone very wrong. They seem to have walked into a trap set by the [Maoists]. Casualties are quite high," he said.


75 полицая са убити в щата Чхатисгарх, Индия

При стълкновение между редовни части на индийската полиция и бунтовници маоисти в джунглите на област Дентавада се е стигнал до престрелка и използване на експлозиви. Бунтвниците са били 700.

Чидамбарам министърът на вътрешните работи на Индия, смята че, полицейската част е  навлязла в тренировъчен лагер на бунтовниците и е попаднала в засада.

Според първият министър на Индия Манмохан Сингх недоволствата и бунтовете на маоистите в страната съществуват от 60-те години и са активни в няколко изолирани и изостанали в икономическото си развитие  земеделски области  в Индия.

В края на миналата година полицията е провела засилен акции срещу бунтовниците маоисти.

През последните седмици бунтовниците  са зачестили нападенията си.

En Inde, 75 policiers tués par les rebelles maoïstes,  Sujeet Kumar, Nouvel Observateur


இந்தியாவில் மாவோயிசப் போராளிகளின் தாக்குதலில் 75 படையினர் உயிரிழப்பு

இந்தியாவில் இயங்கி வரும் மாவோயிசப் போராளிகளின் தாக்குதலில் பாதுகாப்புப் படையைச் சார்ந்த 75 வீரர்கள் கொல்லப்பட்டார்கள். சத்தீஸ்கர் மாநிலத்தில் தன்டேவாடா மாவட்டத்தில் இந்த நிகழ்வு இடம்பெற்றுள்ளது.

இன்று அதிகாலை ஏறத்தாழ 6 முதல் ஏழு மணியளவில் அமுக்ரானா என்ற அடர்ந்த வனப் பகுதியில், அங்குள்ள சாலைகளை ஒழுங்குபடுத்திவிட்டு வரும் வழியில் மேற்கண்ட சம்பவம் நடந்தது. முன்னதாக வீதியில் இருந்த கண்ணிவெடி வெடித்து வாகனத்தில் இருந்தவர்கள் கொல்லப்பட்டர்கள். பிறகு அங்கு பதுங்கியிருந்த போராளிகள் சுற்றிவளைத்து சரமாரியாக காவல்துறையினரையும் சிஆர்பிஎஃப் சேர்ந்த துணை இராணுவப் படையினரையும் சுட்டுக்கொன்றனர்.

மத்திய ரிசர்வ் காவல்படையைச் சேர்ந்த அதிகாரி உள்பட 74 பேரும், மாநில காவல்துறையின் தலைமைக் காவலர் ஒருவரும் கொல்லப்பட்டதாக மத்திய உள்துறைச் செயலர் ஜி.கே. பிள்ளை தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

மீட்புப் பணியில் ஈடுபடுத்தப்பட்ட உலங்குன்வானூர்தியும் தாக்குதலுக்கு உள்ளானதாக அவர் தெரிவித்தார். காயமடைந்த 7 வீரர்கள் மருத்துவமனையில் சேர்க்கப்பட்டிருக்கிறார்கள்.

இந்த சம்பவம் குறித்துக் கருத்துத் தெரிவித்த உள்துறை அமைச்சர் திரு ப. சிதம்பரம், இதனை நிகழ்த்தியவர்கள் மனிதத்தன்மையற்றவர்கள் என்று தெரிவித்தார்.

செவ்வாய், ஏப்ரல் 6, 2010


Oil for food scandal: UN releases third report

The UN-appointed panel investigating the oil for food scandal has released its third report.

The report says that Benon Sevan took nearly US$150,000 in cash bribes. Chef de Cabinet for Kofi Annan, Mark Malloch Brown, said that the UN would lift Sevan's immunity should an approach come from a law enforcement authority and that the UN had been in 'active collaboration' with the Southern District of New York.

At the press conference responding to the report, Malloch Brown also said that there was will "a real need for serious, deep-rooted management reform of our organization, and that does not seem to be yet fully accepted by all member states."

Benon Sevan, who worked for the UN for nearly 40 years before resigning on Sunday, has denied the accusation. In his resignation letter to Kofi Annan, he wrote: "The charges are false and you, who have known me all these years, should know they are false... I fully understand the pressure you are under..., but sacrificing me for political expediency will never appease our critics or help you or the organisation."

A former UN procurement officer Alexander Yakovlev has pleaded guilty to accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from UN contractors.


Korupcja w ONZ: Aleksandr Jakowlew przyznał się do winy

Aleksandr Jakowlew, odpowiadający przed nowojorskim sądem rosyjski dyplomata podejrzany o korupcję przy okazji programu Organizacji Narodów Zjednoczonych "Ropa za żywność" przyznał się do winy.

Miał on otrzymać około miliona dolarów od firm, które wygrały kontrakty ONZ. Grozi mu łączna kara nawet do 60 lat więzienia.

Nazwisko Jakowlewa pojawiło się w ostatnim raporcie, opracowanym przez niezależną komisję śledczą, kierowaną przez byłego szefa banku centralnego USA, Paula Volckera. Głównym oskarżonym jest Benon Sevan, były dyrektor wykonawczy irackiego programu. Miał on brać łapówki w zamian za przyznawanie lukratywnych kontraktów na zakup irackiej ropy egipskiemu koncernowi naftowemu AMEP. Wysokość łapówek, o które oskarża się Sevana sięga 150 tysięcy dolarów.

Amerykański szef grupy inspektorów wojskowych Charles Duelfer oszacował, że korupcja w ramach programu "Ropa za żywność" mogła pochłonąć aż 1,7 miliarda dolarów.


Relatório diz que autoridade das Nações Unidas recebeu 150 mil dólares de suborno

O comitê de investigação indicado pelas Nações Unidas (ONU) para o escândalo Petróleo-por-comida liberou o seu terceiro relatório.

O relatório diz que Benon Sevan recebeu  cerca de 150 mil dólares em dinheiro como suborno (propina). O chefe do gabinete de Kofi Annan, Mark Malloch Brown disse que as Nações Unidas podem retirar a imunidade de Sevan caso alguma autoridade faça o pedido. Ele disse também que as Nações Unidas estão em ativa colaboração com as autoridades do Distrito do Sul de Nova Iorque.

Numa conferência para a imprensa, Malloch Brown disse que há uma  "real necessidade de uma séria, profunda reforma da organização" e que isto ainda não foi totalmente aceito completamente por todos os países membros.

Benon Sevan trabalhou para as Nações Unidas durante cerca de 40 anos, antes de sair do cargo domingo, ao mesmo tempo em que negou as denúncias contra ele. Na sua carta de demissão para Koffi Anan, ele escreveu: As acusações são falsas e o senhor, que me conhece durante todos esses anos, deve saber que são falsas...Eu compreendo a pressão que o senhor está enfrentando..., mas o meu sacrifício para a conveniência política nunca apaziguará os nossos críticos ou ajudará o senhor, ou a organização.

Além de Sevan, Alexander Yakovlev , uma ex-autoridade de aquisição das Nações Unidas,  declarou-se culpado e confirmou ter  aceitado de centenas de milhares de dólares em subornos de contratantes da ONU.


On the campaign trail in the USA, August 2020

Federal Election Commission of the United States

The following is the fourth edition of a monthly series chronicling the 2020 United States presidential election. It features original material compiled throughout the previous month after an overview of the month's biggest stories.

This month's spotlight on the campaign trail: a bat attacks the Libertarian Party's presidential nominee, the American Independent Party picks a ticket amid controversy, and Birthers resurface to question the eligibility of the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee.

As the campaign shifted to August, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden led incumbent President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, in the RealClearPolitics head-to-head polling average, 49.4 percent to 42.0 percent.

After President Trump suggested in a late July tweet that mail-in voting could result in fraud, early August debate centered around the postal service. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Republican fundraiser Trump appointed to the post two months prior, instituted new policies at USPS that resulted in a slowed service.  Critics accused Trump of an intentional delay.  DeJoy maintained the USPS could handle the increased demand for mail-in ballots amid the coronavirus pandemic.  Democrats in Congress pushed for extra funding to avoid potential voter disenfranchisement.  Trump endorsed blocking emergency relief as a means to prevent a proliferation of mail-in ballots.  Biden criticized Trump for this stance, arguing the President did not want the election to take place.  Trump repeated his claim mail-in voting would be fraudulent.  In addition, he initiated several lawsuits challenging certain states' mail-in voting procedures, particularly a Nevada law mandating ballots be mailed to all registered voters.

Biden named Senator Kamala Harris of California as his running mate.  Harris previously sought the Democratic presidential nomination but withdrew before the primaries.  This fulfilled Biden's earlier pledge to pick a woman as his running mate.  Trump questioned the selection.  He said the "phony" and "nasty" Harris attacked Biden during Democratic debates and blasted her behavior during the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation hearing. He also said Harris' poll numbers dropped precipitously before her withdrawal. Other critics outside the Democratic party raised questions about Harris' eligibility, which Trump also briefly entertained.  Commentators compared this response to the debunked Birther movement that questioned the citizenship of President Barack Obama.  One entity whose members challenged Obama's citizenship  and now do likewise with Harris, the American Independent Party, nominated a ticket of Alliance Party presidential nominee Rocky De La Fuente for president and rapper Kanye West for vice president.  The party, which has ballot access in California, reportedly did not contact West about the nomination. West, a presidential candidate himself, with the Birthday Party, spent much of August seeking ballot access in various states. According to Forbes, West claimed to be in communication with Trump's son-in-law and White House adviser Jared Kushner "almost daily." In mid-August, Kushner, on behalf of the White House, helped broker a deal establishing diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Just ahead of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Donald Trump's younger brother Robert died of an unspecified illness. Biden and Harris each sent their condolences to Trump.  Observers questioned whether coronavirus was the cause of death. The hashtag #WrongTrump went viral on Twitter shortly after, suggesting users wished for the President's death. The Democratic convention took place in a largely virtual format due to the coronavirus pandemic.  It featured speeches that were, for the most part, previously recorded.  Party business took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Speakers hammered Trump for his response to coronavirus.   Biden was officially nominated with some delegates pledged to Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who, unlike the other withdrawn Democratic candidates, did not release his delegates to Biden in order to help shape the party platform.  At 77, Biden became the oldest person ever nominated for president by either major party. Speakers throughout the four day convention included three former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Obama; former Ohio governor John Kasich, among other Republicans; and two brothers of George Floyd, whose death in police custody in May led to widespread protests.  Former First Lady Michelle Obama gave the keynote address on the opening night, urging viewers, "we have got to vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it." After her speech, the anti-transgender slur "Big Mike" trended on Twitter.  Harris, in her address, accepted the vice presidential nomination, becoming the first African American and first South Asian American to fill the role.  On the last day, Biden delivered his acceptance speech at Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware.  Broadcast of the speech appeared on a screen at a drive-in viewing nearby at Frawley Stadium.   Trump described the convention as a "Hollywood-produced infomercial."  He defended his record on the pandemic, and criticized Democrats for failing to mention Biden's opposition to Trump's ban on travel from China and Europe to slow the spread of coronavirus. In a later speech, Trump assailed the event as the "darkest and angriest and gloomiest convention in American history."
Opinion polls did not show any meaningful convention bump for Biden.

Before the start of the 2020 Republican National Convention, the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin led to protests and unrest.  Blake survived the shooting but was left paralyzed.  Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers declared a state of emergency and deployed the national guard. Unrest continued in Portland, Oregon as well, where a Trump supporter was shot and killed. "Law and order" was a common theme at the convention.  Most speeches were given from Washington D.C., though the party handled its internal business, such as the unanimous renomination of Trump, in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, both gave speeches in Charlotte on the first day of the convention. Other speakers during the four day event included four of Trump's children; First Lady Melania Trump; Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who drew weapons on allegedly trespassing protesters at their St. Louis residence; and Nicholas Sandmann, a former high school student who received a settlement from CNN over the depiction of him during a 2019 anti-abortion march. From Israel, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke, defending Trump's America First foreign policy.  It was unusual for a sitting Secretary of State to speak to a political convention.  Democrats in Congress vowed to investigate whether Pompeo used State Department resources to engage in partisan activities. Vice President Pence gave a speech before a crowd of about 100 people in Baltimore, Maryland.  On the last night, Trump delivered a long acceptance speech on the South Lawn of the White House with 1,500 spectators and a large fireworks show afterwards.  During the speech Trump claimed, "Biden's plan is not a solution to the virus, but rather it is a surrender to the virus."  Political commentators such as Brit Hume and Chris Wallace described the speech as "flat" and lacking energy.  Trump's decision to allow part of the convention to take place at the White House raised ethics questions as well. A Black Lives Matter group protested outside the White House on the last day of the convention.  A group of protesters surrounded and allegedly threatened Senator Rand Paul and his wife Kelley as they exited the event.  In reaction to the convention, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused Trump of ignoring "truth, evidence, data and facts" and said she would prefer Biden not participate in the presidential debates with Trump.  Biden rejected Pelosi's suggestion, saying he would act as a "fact checker on the floor" during the debate.

Unlike Biden, Trump seemingly received a slight bump from his convention. At the end of August, he erased some of Biden's lead in the nationwide RealClearPolitics head to head average, trailing 49.6 percent to 43.3 percent.

For  Libertarian Party presidential nominee Jo Jorgensen, the August campaign began on a hairy note.  According to the campaign, on the morning of August 1 around 4:30 or 5:30 a.m. EST, a flying creature collided with Jorgensen on the front porch of her South Carolina home.  That creature, a bat, apparently approached Jorgensen's neck and struck her on the chin. Wikinews contacted campaign manager Steve Dasbach and deputy campaign manager Jess Mears about the incident.

"Jess Mears and I witnessed [the bat attack]," said Dasbach to Wikinews. "I was driving them to the airport to catch a flight to Pittsburg[h]."

Mears would not confirm Dasbach's account.  Instead, she pointed to a video of Jorgensen on Facebook, which corroborated most of Dasbach's telling.  Neither Dasbach nor Mears would provide Wikinews with an image of the wound.

On the campaign trail in Pittsburgh, Jorgensen stopped at a local medical facility. Jorgensen received five precautionary shots for rabies since the bat broke her skin.  Bats can carry the rabies virus, which is transmittable to humans and could result in death.  According to the CDC, treatment for any potential exposure requires a series of shots over a 14 day period. In her Facebook video, Jorgensen confirmed this course of treatment.

"I'm taking the instructions very seriously", said Jorgensen.  "The instructions basically say if you miss any shots, if you don't take them on time, you die.  They didn't say it quite like that.  They said if you don't take the remaining shots on time then the shots you've taken will do you no good.  So that's kind of scary. [...] It is a bit disconcerting to have an encounter with a bat."

News of the incident was not reported until after August 7 when Jorgensen tweeted about missing campaign events in Mississippi to get shots as part of her treatment.  Following the tweet, Newsweek, Politico, The Hill, Time Magazine,  Mediaite, The Independent,  and TMZ, among others, published stories on the incident.  A day after the news broke, the hashtag #LetHerSpeak, referring to Jorgensen's bid to be included in the Presidential Debates, trended on Twitter.

At the time of the news reports, Jorgensen polled at three percent nationwide in the Change Research/CNBC poll.  She polled at two percent in the Monmouth poll.  This falls short of the 15 percent threshold for participation in the official debates put on by the Commission on Presidential Debates.

The American Independent Party (AIP), the same party that nominated the late Alabama Governor George Wallace for president in 1968 and future president Donald Trump in 2016, nominated a candidate with center left views for its 2020 presidential ticket.  At its August 15 convention with around 20 virtual attendees, the party nominated Alliance Party presidential nominee Rocky De La Fuente for president and rapper Kanye West for vice president. The AIP, which has ballot access in California, the most populous US state, made the nomination amid three points of controversy:  De La Fuente's usual running mate, Darcy Richardson, was left off the ticket in favor of West; questions surround whether the AIP nominated the ticket to assist President Trump's re-election; and before the nomination, De La Fuente made several monetary transfers to the AIP vice chairman.

De La Fuente, a businessman who first ran for president in the 2016 Democratic primaries and was the Reform Party's 2016 presidential nominee, ran for president again this year; first as a challenger to President Trump in the Republican primaries, and then as the presidential nominee of the Alliance, Reform, and Natural Law parties.  For each of these parties, Richardson is De La Fuente's running mate.  The De La Fuente/Richardson ticket has ballot access in a total of 15 states.  But for California, with the AIP, West stands in Richardson's usual place.  Richardson had his own opinion on the matter.  He provided Wikinews with the text of a message he sent to AIP vice chairman Mark Seidenberg:
"Please let Rocky [De La  Fuente] know that if he runs with the unstable, bi-polar Trump-loving Kanye West in California that I will withdraw as his vice-presidential running mate nationally.
I've spent my entire adult life battling the duopoly and certainly DO NOT want my name associated with a candidacy that peripherally includes a Trump/GOP plant like the unhinged rapper .... [AIP co-founder] Bill Shearer must be rolling over in his grave."

Richardson has since reconciled with De La Fuente and remains "fully committed" to the campaign despite its new association with West.

West, who is running for president in multiple states, may not even be aware of the AIP nomination.   He has, previusly, not denied allegations his candidacy is meant to assist President Trump but also not admitted it outright.  The AIP is less discreet about its intentions. In comments at Ballot Access News, AIP chairman Markham Robinson, whose Twitter bio includes the hashtags #MAGA and #TRUMP2020, writes:
"It’s a long shot I’ll grant you, but our ticket may draw enough votes that would otherwise go to Biden-Harris to give Trump-Pence a plurality.
Think about it for a second, who would votes for our ticket? Well, there will be those [who] vote for it based on their love and/or admiration for Rocky or Ye (Kanye West). There may well be Never Trumpers from the ranks of Republicans who will not vote for Trump, but are galled by [the] thought of voting for loathsome Progressives/Socialists like Biden-Harris. And there will be those who will vote for Rocky because of his Hispanic name and roots. In fact our ticket may turn out to be the most popular protest vote receptacle ever."

According to FEC records, De La Fuente's Rocky 101 LLC political action committee gave Seidenberg a total of US$10,000 over a series of five payments between December 2019 and April 2020.  The reports use the description "research services" or leave the label blank. Seidenberg defended the payments in comments on Ballot Access News and denied any allegation of quid pro quo:
"[T]he advance[s] received from Rocky [were] to cover hotels and travel expenses around California to run for House and/or Senate races. None [of the money] went to work on [the] race for President. [I] spent three days alone in March 2020 at UC Berkeley Law Library looking up Texas Election Law.  Most of the time was [spent] at the offices of the California Secretary of State and Registrar of Voters in Kings, Kern, Fresno, and Tulare Count[ies] on Rocky['s] run for House of Representatives."

When asked to clarify his association with Seidenberg and whether the payments influenced the AIP decision, De La Fuente gave a terse "no."  Robinson and Seidenberg were each contacted for this story as well but have not responded to inquiries as of this publication.

Prominent members of the aforementioned AIP, among others, question the citizenship and eligibility of Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Her selection as Joe Biden's running mate and ultimate nomination at the Democratic National Convention further highlighted these questions.  Political commentators see similarities to the questions posed about the citizenship and eligibility of President Barack Obama from those termed Birthers. Nearly all legal experts consider the perspective of Birthers as incorrect, arguing there is no question about Harris' eligibility.  Still, the vocal minority persists. "Birther King" Andy Martin, a lesser-known 2012 and 2016 presidential candidate, Wikinews interviewee, and former adjunct law professor, provided his own input on the Harris question.

At Ballot Access News, AIP vice chairman Mark Seidenberg commented:
"[Kamala Harris is] Constitutionally ineligible to serve as VPOTUS (Vice President of the United States). At [her] birth her parents were from foreign
countries and not US citizens, viz., she is not a natural born citizen. Then she [grew] up in her formative years in Canada and graduated from a high school in Canada."

Harris was born October 20, 1964 in Oakland, California to an Indian-born mother, the late Shyamala Gopalan, and a Jamaican-born father, Donald J. Harris.  The two parents were married before Harris' birth but divorced in 1971. Neither were U.S. citizens at the time of Harris' birth. Harris moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada with her mother and sister, Maya Harris, at the age of 12.  She graduated from Quebec's Westmount High School in 1981 before returning to the United States to attend college.

The 12th Amendment to the US Constitution makes the qualifications of vice president the same as the qualifications of president.  Article 2, Section 1 sets the citizenship qualification for president:
"No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President".

Martin argues that since the term "natural born Citizen" is not defined in the document, the meaning of the term at the time of its writing should prevail.

"Under commonly understood legal theory in 1789," writes Martin, "a natural born citizen had both parents born in the United States. Being born yourself in the US made you a 'citizen.' But you were 'natural born,' and therefore eligible to serve as president, only if both of your parents had also been born in the US."

Martin says the founders constructed this "significant barrier" to "prevent foreigners from coming to the US and procreating a baby who would then be eligible for the presidency."  He claims the founders were concerned "a German Prince would come to America and father a child to establish Germanic hegemony of the new nation."

The 14th Amendment states: "all persons born [...] in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens."  Martin does not consider such birthright citizenship to have any effect on what constitutes natural born citizenship, seeing the two as distinct concepts.

Differing slightly in a Newsweek essay, Professor John C. Eastman of Chapman University School of Law writes that the term "subject to" in the 14th Amendment requires parents to be citizens subject to "complete jurisdiction" rather than mere "partial jurisdiction" as noncitizens.

AIP chairman Markham Robinson reflects this view in Ballot Access News comments:
"It is the AIP position that while foreign tourists (or illegal immigrants) are IN US jurisdiction, they are not UNDER it, so the children born in the US of such parents do not in fact enjoy 'birthright citizenship.'"

Eastman does not make a judgment on Harris, arguing that she needs to answer questions on the status of her parents at the time of her birth.  He holds that if they were "lawful permanent residents" at Harris' birth then she meets the requirement.  If they were only "temporary visitors" on student visas, she does not meet the requirement.

For Martin, it does not make much of a difference.  While he believes Harris does not qualify as a natural born citizen under the 1789 view, he says court decisions made to challenge Obama's status have left the natural born citizen clause unenforceable.

"Harris can probably rest easy that despite the renewed debate", Martin opines, "she will not be blocked from taking the oath of office if she and Biden win."

The majority of legal experts reject the views Seidenberg, Martin, Robinson and Eastman espouse.

Professor Eugene Volokh of UCLA School of Law writes in a Newsweek essay that the term "natural born citizen" derived from the British "natural born subjects" which included all people born within the borders of the British empire.   Moreover, he says the 14th Amendment phrase "subject to" referred primarily to children born to Indian tribes.  He concludes Harris meets the natural born citizen requirement.

Others dismissed the claims outright. Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of UC Berkeley School of Law called it "a truly silly argument." Professor Jessica Levinson of Loyola Law School asked whether Oakland was part of the US and then declared "that's the full legal analysis."


2020年美國總統大選8月競選活動

以下是英文維基新聞記錄2020年美國總統大選的月度系列第四版，概述了當月最大的新聞大事，將整個上個月的原創材料匯編成冊。

本月競選焦點包括，蝙蝠攻擊自由黨的總統候選人、美國獨立黨選票爭議、「鳥人」再次出現，質疑民主黨副總統候選人的資格。

隨着競選活動轉入8月，民主黨總統候選人拜登在《真清晰政治》的平均民調中以49.4%對42.0%領先於共和黨總統候選人現任總統特朗普。

特朗普總統在7月底的推特中提出郵遞投票可能導致欺詐後，8月初的辯論圍繞郵遞選票展開。特朗普兩個月前任命的共和黨募捐人、郵政局長路易斯·德喬伊（Louis DeJoy）在美國郵政制定了新政策，導致服務放緩，批評者指責特朗普是故意拖延選舉。德約伊堅持認為，在2019年冠狀病毒病大流行的情況下，美國郵政可以處理增加的郵遞投票需求。國會民主黨人推動提供額外資金，以避免潛在選民的權利被剝奪。特朗普贊同阻止緊急救援資金，以此來防止郵遞選票的泛濫。拜登批評特朗普的這一立場，認為總統不希望選舉發生，特朗普則重複聲稱郵遞投票會有欺詐行為。此外，他還發起了幾項訴訟，挑戰某些州份的郵遞投票程序，其中，內華達州的一項法律要求，將選票郵寄給所有登記選民。

拜登任命加州參議員賀錦麗為競選拍檔，這實現了拜登此前的承諾，即挑選一名女性作為競選拍檔。賀錦麗此前曾尋求民主黨總統提名，但在初選前退出提名。特朗普對這一選擇提出質疑。他說，賀錦麗在民主黨辯論中攻擊拜登，並抨擊她在布雷特·卡瓦諾最高法院確認聽證會上的行為。他還說，賀錦麗的民調數字在她退出提名前急劇下降。民主黨外的其他批評者對賀錦麗的資格提出了質疑，特朗普也對此進行了簡單的回應。評論者將這一回應與質疑前任總統奧巴馬美國公民身份的「鳥人運動」（Birther）進行了比較。美國獨立黨有成員質疑奧巴馬的公民身份，現在也同樣質疑哈里斯的公民身份，美國獨立黨提名聯盟黨總統提名人洛基·德拉富恩特為總統，說唱歌手坎耶·韋斯特為副總統。據報該黨在加州有投票權，但沒有就提名一事聯繫韋斯特。韋斯特本人也是總統候選人，他與生日黨一起，8月份的大部分時間都在各州拉票。據《福布斯》報導，韋斯特聲稱與特朗普的女婿、白宮顧問賈里德·庫什納「幾乎每天都在溝通」。8月中旬，庫什納代表白宮幫助促成了以色列和阿拉伯聯合酋長國之間的建交協議。

就在2020年民主黨全國代表大會召開前夕，特朗普總統的弟弟羅伯特因病去世，拜登和賀錦麗分別向特朗普表示哀悼，有觀察人士質疑2019冠狀病毒病是否為其死因。不久後，#WrongTrump（#錯誤的特朗普#）的標籤在推特上瘋傳，暗示有推特使用者希望總統死亡。由於2019冠狀病毒病大流行，民主黨大會基本以線上形式進行，演講片段大部分是事先錄製好的，演講者錘鍊特朗普對疫情的反應，而民主黨的黨務工作在威斯康星州的密爾沃基進行。拜登被正式提名，一些代表被承諾給佛蒙特州的參議員伯尼·桑德斯，與其他退出的民主黨候選人不同，桑德斯為了幫助塑造黨綱，並沒有將他的提名名額給予拜登，而77歲的拜登成為有史以來被任何一個主要政黨提名為總統的最年長者。在整個四天的大會上，發言人包括三位前總統占美·卡特、比爾·克林頓和奧巴馬；前俄亥俄州州長約翰·卡西奇等共和黨人；以及喬治·佛洛伊德的兩兄弟，他在5月被警方拘留時的死亡導致了廣泛的抗議活動。前第一夫人米歇爾（Michelle Obama）在開幕式當晚發表了主旨演講，她敦促觀眾必須把票投給拜登，「就像我們的生命取決於此」。在她的演講結束後，「反變性人」（Anti-transgender）的穢語Big Mike（「大麥克」）在推特上走紅。賀錦麗在演講中接受了副總統提名，成為第一位非洲裔美國人和第一位南亞裔美國人擔任副總統。最後一天，拜登在特拉華州威爾明頓的大通中心發表演講，演講的轉播到弗勞利體育場附近的一個駕車觀影的螢幕上。特朗普將大會形容為「荷里活製作的訊息片」。他為自己在疫情上的紀錄辯護，並批評民主黨人沒有提到拜登反對特朗普禁止從中國和歐洲旅行以減緩冠狀病毒的傳播。在後來的演講中，特朗普抨擊今次活動是「美國歷史上最黑暗、最憤怒、最陰暗的大會」，輿論調查並未顯示拜登有任何意義顛簸大會。

在2020年共和黨全國代表大會開始前，警察在威斯康星州基諾沙市槍擊雅各布·布萊克的事件導致了抗議和騷亂。雖然布萊克在槍擊事件中倖存下來，但卻癱瘓了。威斯康星州州長托尼·埃弗斯宣佈該州進入緊急狀態，並部署了國民警衞隊。俄勒岡州波特蘭市的騷亂也在繼續，一名特朗普支持者被槍殺。「法律和秩序」（Law and order）是2020年共和黨全國代表大會的共同主題。大會大多數演講都是在華盛頓特區進行的，不過該黨在北卡羅來納州的夏洛特處理內部事務，例如一致重新提名特朗普就是在北卡羅來納州所進行的。特朗普和副總統彭斯，都在大會第一天在夏洛特發表了演講。在為期四天的活動中，其他演講者包括特朗普的四個孩子和第一夫人梅拉尼婭；馬克·麥克洛斯基和帕特里夏·麥克洛斯基，他們在聖路易斯的住所對據稱擅闖的抗議者拔出武器；一名前高中生尼古拉斯·桑德曼，因在2019年反墮胎遊行中對他的描述而獲得美國有線電視新聞網的和解。國務卿蓬佩奧在以色列出訪發言，為特朗普的「美國優先」外交政策辯護。一位現任國務卿在政治大會上發言是不尋常的，國會中的民主黨人誓言要調查蓬佩奧是否利用國務院資源從事黨派活動。副總統彭斯在馬利蘭州巴爾的摩市向約100人發表演講。最後一天晚上，特朗普在白宮南草坪發表了長長的演講，有1500名觀眾，之後還舉行了大型煙火表演。在演講中，特朗普稱：「拜登的計劃不是解決病毒的辦法，而是向病毒投降。」布里特·休姆（Brit Hume）和基斯·華萊士等政治評論員形容今次演講「平淡無奇，缺乏活力。」特朗普允許部分大會在白宮舉行的決定也引發了道德問題。在大會的最後一天，一個Black Lives Matter組織在白宮外進行了抗議。一群抗議者包圍了參議員蘭德·保羅和他的妻子凱利，據稱他們在離開場地時受到威脅。對於大會，眾議院議長佩洛西指責特朗普「無視真相、證據、數據和事實」，並表示她希望拜登不要參加與特朗普的總統辯論。拜登拒絕了佩洛西的建議，稱他將在辯論中充當「現場的事實查核員」。

與拜登不同的是，特朗普的民調似乎從他的大會中得到了「挫折」。8月底，他在《真清晰政治》的全美平均民調中以49.6%落後於43.3%。

自由黨總統候選人喬·喬根森（Jo Jorgensen），在美國東部時間8月1日早上4點半或5點半左右，一隻蝙蝠於她在南卡羅來納州家中的前廊上與相撞。蝙蝠擊中了她的下巴，維基新聞就此事聯繫了競選經理史蒂夫·達斯巴赫（Steve Dasbach）和副競選經理傑西·米爾斯（Jess Mears）。

達斯巴赫對維基記者說：「傑西·米爾斯和我目睹了（蝙蝠襲擊），我當時正開車送他們去機場，趕往匹茲堡的飛機。」米爾斯不願證實達斯巴赫的說法。相反，她指出了喬根森在Facebook上的一段影片，這證實了達斯巴赫的大部分講述。達斯巴赫和米爾斯都不願向維基新聞提供傷口的圖像。

在匹茲堡的競選活動中，喬根森在當地的一家醫療機構休息。自從被蝙蝠破皮後，喬根森接受了5次狂犬病預防注射。蝙蝠可以攜帶狂犬病病毒，這種病毒可以傳染給人類，並可能導致死亡。根據疾控中心的說法，對任何潛在的暴露進行治療，都需要在14天的時間裏進行一系列的注射。喬根森在她的Facebook影片中，證實了注射過程。

直到8月7日，喬根森在推特上發文稱，為了接受治療而打針，她錯過了在密西西比州的競選活動，各大媒體才報導了這一事件的消息。在推特發出後，《新聞周刊》、《政治家》、《山丘》、《時代》雜誌、《媒體》、《獨立報》和TMZ等都發表了有關該事件的報導。消息傳出一天後，#LetHerSpeak（指喬根森爭取列入總統辯論）的標籤在推特上走紅。

在新聞報導時，喬根森在Change Research和全國廣播公司商業頻道民調中的全國民調為3%。她在蒙茅斯民調（Monmouth Poll）中的民調為2%，這沒有達到總統辯論委員會提出的參加正式辯論的15%的門檻。

1968年提名已故阿拉巴馬州州長喬治·華萊士和2016年提名總統特朗普的美國獨立黨，為其2020年的總統提名人票提名了一名持中左政治光譜的候選人。該黨在8月15日舉行的線上大會大約有20位參與者，該黨提名聯盟黨總統候選人洛基·德拉富恩特為總統，提名說唱歌手坎耶·韋斯特為副總統。獨立黨在美國人口最多的加州擁有投票權，在三點爭議中獲得提名。爭議包括德拉富恩特的慣用競選拍檔達西·理查森（Darcy Richardson）被排除在提名人票之外，轉而支持韋斯特，外界質疑獨立黨提名人票是否是為了協助特朗普總統連任，而在提名前，德拉富恩特曾多次向獨立黨副主席進行金錢轉賬。

德拉富恩特是一位商人，他第一次在2016年民主黨初選中競選總統，是改革黨2016年的總統提名人，今年再次競選總統；先是在共和黨初選中作為特朗普總統的挑戰者，然後是聯盟黨、改革黨和自然法黨的總統提名人。在這些政黨中，理查森都是德拉富恩特的競選拍檔。

理查森對此事有自己的看法，他向維基新聞提供了他發給美國獨立黨副主席馬克·塞登伯格（Mark Seidenberg）的聊天紀錄：「請讓Rocky（德拉富恩特）知道，如果他在加州不穩定，和兩極喜歡特朗普的坎耶·韋斯特一起競選，我將退出他在全國範圍內的副總統競選拍檔。我的整個成年生活都在與二元壟斷作鬥爭，比如像精神失常的說唱歌手。比爾·希勒（Bill Shearer，美國獨立黨聯合創始人）一定在墳墓裏翻滾。」

理查森此後與德拉富恩特和解，儘管韋斯特是他的競選搭檔，但理查森表示將仍舊全力以赴地投入到競選運動中。

在多個州競選總統的韋斯特，前期沒有否認自己參選是為了協助特朗普總統的指控，但也沒有直接承認。美國獨立黨主席馬克漢姆·羅賓遜（Markham Robinson）的Twitter簡歷加上了「#讓美國再次偉大」（#MAGA）和「#特朗普2020年總統競選」（#TRUMP2020）兩個標籤，他在網絡媒體《投票訪問新聞》（Ballot Access News）的評論中寫道：「我承認這是個遠期的機會，但我們可能會吸引到足夠的選票，否則這些選票會給拜登，讓特朗普獲得多數票。想一想，誰會投票給我們？好吧，會有一些人基於對洛基或韋斯特的喜愛或崇拜而投下贊成票。共和黨人中很可能有「永不特朗普者」，他們不會投特朗普的票，但一想到要投給拜登這樣的可憎的進步派或社會主義者，就感到『痛心疾首』。也會有人因為洛基的西班牙裔名字和根基而投票給他。」

根據聯邦選舉委員會的紀錄，德拉福恩特的「Rocky 101 LLC政治行動委員會」在2019年12月至2020年4月期間，通過一系列的五次付款，給馬克·塞登伯格總計1萬美元，付款描述包括「研究服務」，或者讓描述空白。塞登伯格在網絡媒體《投票訪問新聞》（Ballot Access News）的評論中為這些付款辯護，並否認任何交換條件的指控：「從德拉福恩特那裏收到的預付款是為了支付參眾兩院競選的酒店和加州周邊的旅行費用，這些錢沒有一筆用於競選總統的工作。2020年3月，我一個人在加州大學伯克利分校法律圖書館花了三天時間查找德克薩斯州選舉法。大部分時間都花在加州州務卿和選民登記處的辦公室，在金斯、克恩、弗雷斯諾和圖拉雷縣，為洛基競選眾議員做準備。」

當被要求澄清他與塞登伯格的關係，以及這些款項是否影響了美國獨立黨的決定時，德拉富恩特給出了一個簡短的否定：「不。」馬克漢姆·羅賓遜和塞登伯格也分別為這篇報導與維基記者取得聯繫，但截至本刊發稿時，他們還沒有對詢問作出回應。

上述美國獨立黨的知名成員等對民主黨副總統候選人賀錦麗的美國公民身份和資格提出質疑。自從她被選為拜登的競選伙伴，並在民主黨全國代表大會上最終獲得提名，進一步突出了這些問題。政治評論員認為，與那些被稱為「鳥人」（Birthers）的人對奧巴馬總統的美國公民身份和總統資格提出的問題有相似之處。幾乎所有的法律專家都認為「鳥人」的觀點是不正確的，認為賀錦麗的總統候選資格不存在問題。不過，少數「鳥人」的聲音還是在堅持，維基新聞採訪對象「鳥人王」（King of the Birthers）安迪·馬丁（Andy Martin）是新聞工作者，是一位不太知名的2012年和2016年總統候選人、前兼職法學教授，就賀錦麗的問題提出了自己的看法。

在《投票訪問新聞》（Ballot Access News），美國獨立黨副主席馬克·塞登伯格（Mark Seidenberg）評論道：「賀錦麗在憲法上沒有資格擔任VPOTUS（美國副總統）。在她出生時，她的父母來自外國，而不是美國公民，也就是說，她不是一個『自然出生』（Natural born Citizen）的公民。然後她在加拿大成長，並從加拿大的一所高中畢業。」

賀錦麗1964年10月20日出生在加州奧克蘭，已故母親布魯內特·戈帕蘭（Shyamala Gopalan）是出生於印度，父親唐納德·賈斯伯·哈里斯（Donald Jasper Harris）出生於牙買加。父母在賀錦麗出生前結婚，但在1971年離婚。在賀錦麗出生時，兩人都不是美國公民。賀錦麗12歲時隨母親和姐姐瑪雅·哈里斯（Maya Harris）搬到了加拿大魁北克省的蒙特利爾。她於1981年畢業於魁北克省的西山高中（Westmount High School），之後回到美國上大學。

馬丁認為，由於憲法中沒有對「天生的公民」（Natural born Citizen）一詞作出定義，因此應以該詞在編寫憲法時的含義為準。

馬丁寫道：「根據1789年普遍理解的法律理論，『自然出生』（Natural born Citizen）的公民有父母雙方都在美國出生。自己出生在美國，你就成為了美國公民。但你是「自然出生」的，因此只有當你的父母雙方也出生在美國，才有資格擔任總統 。」

馬丁說，建國者構築這個重要的障礙，是為了防止外國人來美國生育孩子，然後有資格擔任總統。他稱，建國者擔心一位德國王子會來美國生孩子，建立日耳曼人對新國家的霸權。

憲法第十四條修正案規定：「所有在美國出生並受美國管轄的人都是『公民』。」馬丁不認為這種與生俱來的公民身份對甚麼是天生的公民身份有任何影響，認為這兩個概念是不同的。

與《新聞周刊》的一篇文章略有不同的是，查普曼大學法學院的約翰·C·伊斯特曼（John C. Eastman）教授寫道，第14條修正案中的「受制於」（subject to）一詞要求父母是受「完全管轄」的公民，而不是像非公民那樣僅僅是「部分管轄」。

獨立黨主席馬克漢姆·羅賓遜（Markham Robinson）在《投票訪問新聞》的評論中反映了這一觀點：「獨立黨的立場是，雖然外國遊客（或非法移民）在美國的管轄範圍內，但他們並不在美國的管轄範圍內，所以這些父母在美國出生的孩子，其實並不享有『出生公民權』（birthright citizenship）。」

伊斯特曼沒有對賀錦麗做出判斷，認為她需要回答父母在她出生時的身份問題。他認為，如果他們在賀錦麗出生時是「合法的永久居民」（Lawful permanent residents），那麼她就符合要求。如果他們只是持學生簽證的「臨時訪客」（Temporary visitors），她就不符合要求。

對馬丁來說，這並沒有太大的區別。雖然他認為根據1789年的觀點，賀錦麗不符合自然出生公民的條件，但他說，法院為挑戰奧巴馬的地位而做出的裁決使自然出生公民條款無法執行。

馬丁認為，「賀錦麗或許可以放心，儘管辯論再起」，「如果她和拜登獲勝，她不會被阻止宣誓就職。」

大多數法律專家拒絕接受塞登伯格、馬丁、羅賓遜和伊斯特曼所主張的觀點。

加州大學洛杉磯分校法學院的尤金·沃洛克（Eugene Volokh）教授在《新聞周刊》的一篇文章中寫道，「天生公民」（Natural born citizen）一詞來源於英國的「天生臣民」（Natural born subjects），包括所有在大英帝國境內出生的人。此外，他還說，第14修正案中的「受制於」一詞主要是指印第安部落出生的孩子。他的結論是賀錦麗符合自然出生公民的要求。

其他人則直接駁回了這些說法。加州大學伯克利分校法學院院長埃爾溫·切梅林斯基（Erwin Chemerinsky）稱這是「一個真正愚蠢的論點」。洛約拉法學院的傑西卡·萊文森（Jessica Levinson）教授問奧克蘭是否是美國的一部分，然後宣稱「這才是完整的法律分析」。


On the campaign trail in the USA, July 2020

Russian involvement in the 2016 US presidential election

The following is the third edition of a monthly series chronicling the 2020 United States presidential election. It features original material compiled throughout the previous month after an overview of the month's biggest stories.

This month's spotlight on the campaign trail includes interviews with the vice presidential nominees of the American Solidarity Party, the Bread and Roses Party, and the Unity Party of America.

As the campaign reached July, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden led incumbent President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, in the RealClearPolitics head-to-head polling average, 49.7 percent to 40.3 percent.

On July 1, the city of Seattle cleared the autonomous CHAZ/CHOP (Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone/Capitol Hill Organized Protest).  Nevertheless, civil unrest including the toppling of statues, still stemming from the police killing of George Floyd in May, continued elsewhere in the US. President Trump sent Department of Homeland Security officers to protect federal buildings in Portland.  Biden criticized the move, arguing Trump was "sow[ing] chaos and division" and "mak[ing] matters worse."  The Trump campaign accused Biden of "siding with criminals." Trump maintained the campaign theme of law and order.  While the nation continued to suffer through the coronavirus pandemic, the President traveled to South Dakota, which, unlike most states, had not enacted a stay-at-home order, to take part in a celebration at Mount Rushmore on the eve of Independence Day.  He delivered a speech in which he condemned rioters who desecrate statues and memorials throughout the nation.  In addition, he announced the creation of a special park with statues to honor historic US figures.  Most attendees at the event did not practice social distancing or wear face masks.   The next day, Trump held a Fourth of July "Salute to America" in Washington, D.C. in which he delivered another speech. Joe Biden forewent traditional holiday activities as an added precaution against COVID-19.  That same day, rapper Kanye West made a surprise announcement on Twitter that he, himself, was running for president.  In an interview with Forbes, West outlined his campaign.  He named Wyoming preacher Michelle Tidball as his running mate and introduced the Birthday Party as the vehicle for his run. His platform included anti-abortion views. West backed away from his previous support for President Trump, expressing disappointment at reports Trump hid in the White House basement during riots.  He leveled greater criticism at Biden, saying he was not "special" like himself, Trump, and former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. The interviewer questioned whether West was running to help President Trump defeat Biden. West did not deny the suggestion.  After the interview, a spokesman for West claimed West decided to drop out of the race.  However, subsequently, West officially filed with the FEC and secured a place on the ballot in Oklahoma with a US$35,000 payment.   Two other Independent presidential candidates also paid the fee to qualify for the Oklahoma ballot: child actor and entrepreneur Brock Pierce; plus pianist and pageant participant Jade Simmons.  West, in an interview with a Charleston, South Carolina radio station, floated Simmons as a potential running mate, arguing  Tidball could be used in a different capacity.  He identified fellow rapper Jay-Z as his ideal running mate.  West held his first campaign rally in Charleston, where he tearfully discussed potentially aborting his first child with wife Kim Kardashian, screaming "I almost killed my daughter!"  He proposed a US$1 million payment for those who give birth to children rather than aborting.  At this time, West's family reportedly expressed concerns about West's mental state.  The next day on Twitter West accused his wife of attempting to "lock me up" due to his comments at the rally.

In a July 9 speech in Pennsylvania, Biden introduced an economic plan called "Build Back Better" designed to reinvigorate the US economy in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.  "Build Back Better" is, like Trump's "America First" plan, a form of economic nationalism.  "Build Back Better" calls for an increase in corporate taxes among economic incentives to "Buy American."  Biden claimed the plan would create five million US jobs. Trump encouraged public schools to reopen classes in-person at summer's end.  He threatened to withhold federal funds from districts that did not comply.  Trump later softened his stance, acknowledging that circumstances may require delaying some school reopenings.  In addition, for the first time, Trump was pictured wearing a face mask.  As cases of coronavirus increased in Florida, Trump cancelled the in-person Republican National Convention planned for Jacksonville.  Instead, like the Democratic National Convention  Republicans opted to hold their convention in a largely virtual format.  The Libertarian Party held the second half of its convention partially in-person in Orlando.  Although the party had already nominated the ticket of professor Jo Jorgensen for president and podcaster Spike Cohen for vice president at the virtual convention in May, party business still needed to be completed.  At the same time, the Green Party held its national convention virtually and nominated the ticket of party co-founder and union leader Howie Hawkins for president and truck driver Angela Walker for vice president.

In mid-July, Trump commuted the prison sentence of confidante Roger Stone.  Stone had been found guilty of several crimes including false statements to investigators as part of Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian interference into the 2016 presidential election.  Trump called Stone's 40 month sentence "unjust."  The Biden campaign criticized the commutation as an abuse of power, pointing to the "ballot box" as the only way to stop Trump.  Several days later, Trump's niece Mary Trump released the tell-all book Too Much and Never Enough.  The book alleges, among other things, that Trump paid his friend Joe Shapiro to take the SAT for him before his admission to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.  Shapiro's widow, former tennis player Pam Shriver, said her husband had told her Trump had not met Shapiro until being admitted to Wharton. The July 17 death of Democratic Congressman John Lewis, a prominent civil rights leader, had a major impact on the second half of the month.  The death brought the issue of civil rights back to the forefront of the campaign.  Lewis's colleague and leader of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congresswoman Karen Bass emerged as a significant contender to be Biden's running mate, joining Senators Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Tammy Duckworth as potential candidates.  Trump did not attend Lewis's viewing or funeral.  Three former presidents including Barack Obama attended the funeral.  During his eulogy, Obama took a veiled shot at Trump for his attacks on mail-in voting, which critics, like Obama, have said amounted to voter suppression.  As the funeral progressed, Trump tweeted about possibly delaying the 2020 election due to his concerns about potential fraud from widespread mail-in balloting instituted due to the pandemic.  Biden attacked Trump for the tweet, claiming he used it to distract from Lewis's funeral.  In honor of Lewis, Biden said once in office he would immediately sign the renewal of the Voting Rights Act, renamed the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act. On the day of the funeral, the co-chair of Black Voices for Trump and 2012 presidential candidate, Herman Cain, who, like Trump, ran for president on his business credentials, died from COVID-19.  He had attended Trump's Tulsa rally in June without a mask and first received hospital treatment for COVID-19 on July 1.  Trump lauded Cain as a "powerful voice of freedom."

As July came to a close, Biden’s lead over Trump in the RealClearPolitics average slightly decreased, with Biden registering 49.9 percent to 42.1 percent for Trump.

In July, the American Solidarity Party's ticket of retired teacher Brian T. Carroll for president and high school teacher Amar Patel for vice president, qualified, through petition, for ballot access in Illinois.  The party has expanded upon its ballot access from 2016 when its first ticket of Mike Maturen for president and Juan Muñoz for vice president appeared on the ballot only in Colorado, receiving a total of 6,776 votes, largely from write-ins in other states.

The party was founded in 2011 as the Christian Democratic Party. It changed to its current name ahead of the 2016 presidential election.  The party is based on Roman Catholic social teachings, advocating for social justice, environmentalism, and "a consistent life ethic"
including opposition to abortion, euthanasia, and capital punishment.  It has grown ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Last September the party nominated Carroll for president over past Wikinews interviewee Joe Schriner and Joshua Perkins who also sought the party's nomination. Carroll selected Patel as his running mate. Patel, the son of Indian immigrants, is a high school teacher in the Chicago suburbs. He converted to Catholicism in 1993 and engaged with the Knights of Columbus. He became involved in the pro-life movement and, in association with that, the Republican Party, but grew disillusioned with the party over the war policies of the George W. Bush administration.  Eventually, Patel joined the Solidarity Party and rose to the position of chairman

Patel spoke with Wikinews about the campaign. He discussed how he became the vice presidential nominee of the Solidarity Party, what he sees as his duties and responsibilities as Carroll's running mate, and why voters should consider voting for the Carroll/Patel ticket.

((WSS))  Why did you agree to be the running mate of Brian Carroll?  How do you complement him on the ticket?

((WSS))  What duties and responsibilities come with being the vice presidential nominee of the Solidarity Party?

((WSS))   In what states is the Carroll/Patel ticket expected to be on the ballot? Why should voters in those states choose Carroll/Patel over other tickets?

The Bread and Roses Party ticket of University of Maryland research scholar Jerome Segal for president and filmmaker John de Graaf for vice president secured a spot on the ballot in Vermont in July. The party had already achieved qualified status in Maryland.  It is seeking access only in non-swing states where a particular major party is heavily expected to win.  In swing states, to avoid the spoiler effect, the party supports the Democratic Party's presidential ticket.

Segal founded the Bread and Roses Party since the last presidential election.  Its name derives from the rallying call of immigrant textile workers in Massachusetts during a 1912 strike.  The party holds leftist positions including the right to employment, paid vacation, a shortened work week, and recognition of the State of Palestine.  In August 2019 the party nominated Segal for president. He announced de Graaf as his running mate this past April.  As a filmmaker, de Graaf has produced 40 documentaries.  In addition, he has co-written four books, and has written numerous articles for such publications as The Progressive and The New York Times.

With Wikinews, de Graaf discusses why he joined the Bread and Roses Party, what his role as vice presidential nominee entails, and why voters in non-swing states should choose the Segal/de Graaf ticket over other options on the ballot.

((WSS)) Why did you decide to run as the vice presidential nominee of the Bread and Roses Party?  How do you complement Jerome Segal on the ticket?

((WSS)) What duties and responsibilities do you have as the vice presidential nominee of the Bread and Roses Party?

((WSS)) In what states should voters expect to see the Segal/de Graaf ticket on the ballot?  Why should voters choose the Segal/de Graaf ticket over other tickets on the ballot?

The Unity Party of America ticket of Internet entrepreneur  Bill Hammons for president and engineer Eric Bodenstab for vice president secured ballot access in New Jersey in late July. The party had already attained ballot access in Colorado as a qualified minor party with at least 1,000 members. This is the first election cycle the party has fielded a presidential ticket.

Hammons founded the Unity Party in 2004  and grew it through his 2008 and 2010 runs for US Congress, his 2014 and 2016 runs for US Senate, and his 2018 run for Governor of Colorado.  The party, which describes itself as centrist, advocates in its constitution for, among other things, a balanced budget amendment, elimination of the federal income tax, tax deduction for health care costs, a global minimum wage for fair trade, term limits for Congress and judges, lowering the voting age, DC statehood, and expanded space exploration.

Bodenstab has previously run for city council and was the Unity Party's nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Colorado in 2018.  With Wikinews, Bodenstab discusses how he joined the Unity Party's presidential ticket, what constitutes his role as the party's vice presidential nominee, and why voters in the states the party has attained ballot access should consider casting their vote for the Hammons/Bodenstab ticket.

((WSS)) : Why did you join Bill Hammons on the Unity Party's 2020 presidential ticket?  How do you complement him on the ticket?

((WSS)) : What duties and responsibilities come with being the vice presidential nominee of the Unity Party?

((WSS)) : In what states should voters expect to see the Hammons/Bodenstab ticket on the ballot?  Why should these voters consider casting their vote for the Hammons/Bodenstab ticket over the other tickets on the ballot?


2020年美國總統大選7月競選活動

以下是英文維基新聞記錄2020年美國總統大選的月度系列第三版，概述了當月最大的新聞大事，將整個上個月的原創材料匯編成冊。

本月的竞选焦点包括对美国团结党、面包与玫瑰党和美国统一党的副总统提名人的采访。

競選到了7月，民主黨總統候選人拜登在《真清晰政治》的民調平均值中，以49.7%對40.3%領先於共和黨總統候選人現任總統特朗普。

7月1日，西雅圖市清理掃蕩了自治的國會山自治區。儘管如此，美國其他地方，特別是波特蘭市，包括推翻雕像在內的民間騷亂仍在繼續，仍源於5月警察殺害喬治·佛洛伊德的事件。特朗普總統派出國土安全部官員保護聯邦建築，拜登批評此舉，認為特朗普是在播種混亂和分裂，讓事情變得更糟。特朗普競選團隊指責拜登與犯罪分子站在一起。特朗普發表講話，譴責全國各地褻瀆雕像和紀念碑的騷亂者。此外，他還宣佈建立一個有雕像的特殊公園，以紀念美國歷史人物。大多數出席活動的人沒有保持社交距離，也沒有戴上口罩。第二天，特朗普在華盛頓舉行了國慶節「向美國致敬」活動，他在活動中再次發表演講。拜登放棄了傳統的節日活動，以增加對2019冠狀病毒病疫情的防範。同一天，說唱歌手肯伊·威斯特在Twitter上突然宣佈，他本人將競選總統。在接受福布斯採訪時，韋斯特概述了他的競選活動。他指定懷俄明州傳教士米歇爾·蒂德博爾（Michelle Tidbal）為他的競選伙伴，並介紹了生日派對作為他競選的載體，他的綱領包括反墮胎的觀點。韋斯特從之前對特朗普總統的支持中退縮，對特朗普在騷亂期間躲在白宮地下室的報導表示失望。他對拜登提出了更大的批評，稱他不像自己、特朗普以及前總統奧巴馬和比爾·克林頓那樣「特別」。採訪者質疑韋斯特參選是否是為了幫助特朗普總統擊敗拜登，韋斯特沒有否認這一暗示。採訪結束後，韋斯特的發言人稱，韋斯特決定退出競選。不過，同一天，韋斯特正式向聯邦選舉委員會提出申請，並以3.5萬美元獲得了俄克拉荷馬州選票上的一席之地。另外兩名獨立黨總統候選人也支付了費用，獲得了參加俄克拉荷馬州選票的資格，包括童星和企業家布洛克·皮尔斯，另外還有鋼琴家和選美選手傑德·西蒙斯（Jade Simmons）。韋斯特在接受南卡羅來納州查爾斯頓一家電台採訪時，指西蒙斯是潛在的競選伙伴。他認定同為說唱歌手杰斯（Jay-Z）是他理想的競選拍檔。韋斯特在查爾斯頓舉行了第一次競選集會，他淚流滿面地討論了可能與妻子金·卡戴珊打掉第一個孩子的問題，並大叫「我差點殺了我的女兒！」他提議為那些生下孩子而不是流產的人支付100萬美元。據報導，此時，韋斯特的家人對韋斯特的精神狀態表示擔憂。第二天，韋斯特在推特上指責妻子因他在集會上的言論而試圖「把我關起來」。

7月9日，拜登在賓夕法尼亞州發表演講，介紹了一項名為「Build Back Better」（更好地重建）的經濟計劃，旨在重振2019冠狀病毒病大流行後的美國經濟。雖然建立在與特朗普的「美國優先」計劃類似的經濟民族主義基礎上，但「Build Back Better」呼籲在購買美國貨的經濟激勵措施中增加企業稅，拜登聲稱該計劃將創造500萬個美國就業機會。作為大選前啟動經濟計劃的一部分，特朗普鼓勵公立學校在夏季結束時重新開設面授課程，他威脅說，將扣留不遵守規定的州份的聯邦資金。特朗普後來軟化了立場，承認一些學校可能不得不推遲重開。此外，特朗普首次在照片中戴上了口罩，由於佛羅里達州2019冠狀病毒病病例增加，特朗普取消了計劃在傑克遜維爾舉行的親臨共和黨全國大會。相反，像民主黨全國代表大會一樣，共和黨人選擇以一種主要是網上的形式舉行大會。自由黨在5月的網上大會上已經提名了教授喬·喬根森（Jo Jorgensen）為總統，播客斯派克·科恩（Spike Cohen）為副總統，但黨務工作仍需完成。與此同時，綠黨也以虛擬方式召開了全國大會，並提名該黨聯合創始人、工會領袖霍伊·霍金斯（Howie Hawkins）為主席，貨車司機安吉拉·尼科爾·沃克（Angela Walker）為副主席。

7月中旬，特朗普對知己羅傑·斯通的刑期進行了減刑。作為羅伯特·米勒調查俄羅斯干預2016年總統大選（「通俄門」調查）的一部分，斯通曾被認定犯有多項罪行，包括向調查人員作虛假陳述。特朗普宣佈對斯通40個月的判決是「不公正的」。拜登競選團隊批評減刑是濫用權力，指出「投票箱」是阻止特朗普的唯一途徑。幾天後，特朗普的侄女瑪麗·特朗普發佈了家族自傳書籍《永不滿足：我的家族如何製造出了世界上最危險的人》（Too Much and Never Enough），特朗普家族試圖通過法律手段阻止該書的出版，但沒有成功。書中指控，特朗普在進入賓夕法尼亞大學沃頓商學院之前，付錢給他的朋友喬·夏皮羅（Joe Shapiro），讓他替他參加SAT考試（學術能力測驗和學術評估測試）。夏皮羅的遺孀、前網球運動員帕姆·施莱弗（Pam Shriver）否認了這一指控，她回憶說，特朗普在被沃頓大學錄取之前並沒有見過夏皮羅。7月17日，民主黨眾議員、著名民權領袖約翰·劉易斯（John Lewis）去世，對下半月產生了重大影響，使民權問題再次成為競選的焦點。劉易斯的同事、國會黑人核心小組領導人、眾議員凱倫·巴斯成為拜登競選拍檔的主要競爭者，與參議員賀錦麗、伊莉莎白·華倫和譚美·達克沃斯一起成為潛在候選人。劉易斯的遺體在華盛頓特區時，拜登向他表示了敬意，特朗普沒有參加劉易斯的瞻仰和葬禮，包括奧巴馬在內的三位前總統出席了葬禮。在悼詞中，奧巴馬含蓄地抨擊了特朗普對郵遞投票的攻擊，批評者和奧巴馬一樣，認為這相當於壓制選民。隨着葬禮的進行，特朗普在推特上表示，由於擔心因疫行大流行而實行的郵遞投票可能產生的欺詐行為，可能會推遲2020年的選舉。拜登因這條推特攻擊特朗普，稱他藉此轉移劉易斯葬禮的注意力。為了紀念劉易斯，拜登表示在上任第一天，他就將簽署續簽《投票權法》，改名為《約翰·劉易斯投票權法》（John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act）。葬禮當天，支持特朗普的黑人之聲聯合主席、2012年總統候選人赫爾曼·凱恩因2019冠狀病毒病去世，他和特朗普一樣，都是靠商業資質競選總統。他曾在6月參加特朗普的集會，沒有戴口罩，病毒檢測呈陽性。

隨着7月的結束，拜登在《真清晰政治》民調的平均值中對特朗普的領先優勢略有下降，拜登的平均支持率為49.9%，特朗普為42.1%。

7月，美國團結黨的退休教師布萊恩·T·卡羅爾（Brian T. Carroll）競選總統，高中教師阿馬爾·帕特爾（Amar Patel）競選副總統，通過請願，獲得了在伊利諾伊州的選票准入資格。該黨從2016年開始擴大了選票准入範圍，當時該黨的第一張選票邁克·梅杜倫為總統，胡安·穆尼茲（Juan Muñoz）為副總統，以科羅拉多州的選票為主，共獲得6776張選票，主要來自其他州的選票。

該黨成立於2011年，名為基督教民主黨，在2016年總統大選前改成現在的名字。該黨以羅馬天主教社會教義為基礎，主張社會正義、環保主義和「一貫的生命倫理」，包括反對墮胎、安樂死和死刑。在2020年總統大選前，該黨已經發展壯大。去年9月，該黨提名卡羅爾為總統候選人，卡羅爾選擇了帕特爾作為他的競選伙伴。帕特爾是印度移民的兒子，是芝加哥郊區的一名高中教師。他於1993年皈依天主教，並加入哥倫布騎士會。他參與了共和黨和支持生命運動，但因喬治布殊政府的戰爭政策而對該黨逐漸失望。最後，帕特爾加入了團結黨，並升任主席一職。

帕特爾與維基新聞就競選活動進行了交談，一起討論了他是如何成為團結黨副總統候選人的，他認為自己作為卡羅爾競選伙伴的職責和責任是甚麼，以及為甚麼選民應該考慮投票給卡羅爾和帕特爾。

WSS 你為甚麼同意做卡羅爾的競選拍檔？

WSS 作為團結黨副主席提名人，有哪些職責和責任？

WSS  預計你們的得票會以哪些州份為主？為甚麼這些州的選民應該選擇投給你們？

整個7月，由馬利蘭大學研究學者傑羅姆·石格爾（Jerome Segal）擔任總統、電影製片人約翰·德·格拉夫（John de Graaf）擔任副總統，為麵包與玫瑰黨（Bread and Roses Party）獲得投票權進行了請願。為了避免破壞者效應，該黨只在非搖擺州尋求獲得選票的機會，因為在這些州，某一個主要政黨預計將贏得選舉。在搖擺州，該黨支持民主黨的總統票。

西格爾在2018年成立了麵包和玫瑰黨，其名稱源於1912年馬薩諸塞州移民紡織工人罷工時的號召力。該黨持左派、自稱「社會主義」的立場，包括就業權、帶薪休假、縮短每週工作時間、承認巴勒斯坦國等。2019年8月，該黨提名塞加爾為總統，今年4月，他宣佈德格拉夫為競選伙伴。作為一名電影人，德格拉夫已經製作了40部紀錄片。此外，他還與人合寫了4本書，並為《進步》、《國家》和《紐約時報》等刊物撰寫了大量文章。

帕特爾與維基新聞就競選活動進行了交談，一起討論了他為甚麼要加入麵包和玫瑰黨，他作為副總統候選人的角色是甚麼，以及為甚麼非搖擺州的選民應該選擇投票給西格爾和格拉夫。

WSS你為甚麼決定競選麵包和玫瑰黨的副總統候選人？

WSS作為麵包和玫瑰黨的副總統提名人，你有甚麼職責和責任？

WSS預計你們的得票會以哪些州份為主？為甚麼這些州的選民應該選擇投給你們？

由互聯網企業家比爾·哈蒙斯（Bill Hammons）和工程師埃里克·博登斯塔布（Eric Bodenstab）組成的美國統一黨（Unity Party of America），在7月底獲得了新澤西州的選票。

哈蒙斯在他的老朋友博登斯塔布的幫助下，於2004年成立了統一黨，並通過2008年和2010年競選美國國會，2014年和2016年競選美國參議員，以及2018年競選科羅拉多州州長而發展壯大。該黨自稱是中間派，在黨章中主張平衡預算修正案、取消聯邦所得稅、醫療費用扣稅、公平貿易全球最低工資、國會和法官任期限制、降低投票年齡、華盛頓特區建州、擴大太空探索等。

博登斯塔布此前曾競選市議會，是統一黨2018年科羅拉多州副州長的提名人。

WSS: 你為甚麼成為哈蒙斯的團結黨2020年總統候選人？你如何在票面上輔佐他？

WSS: 你作為團結黨副主席提名人，有哪些職責和責任？

WSS: 預計你們的得票會以哪些州份為主？為甚麼這些州的選民應該選擇投給你們？