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U.S. Elections

Warnock holds on to Senate seat; Trump organization guilty

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Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock wins his Senate runoff election; Trump organization found guilty; airlines pay for pollution; and San Francisco calls off its killer robots. These stories and more highlight the morning update for Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022.

Raphael Warnock retains Georgia Senate seat

Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock defeated Republican challenger Herschel Walker in the Georgia runoff election.

“It is my honor to utter the four most powerful words ever spoken in a democracy, the people have spoken,” Warnock said Tuesday night. 

While Democrats already had control of the Senate, Warnock’s win gives his party an outright 51-49 majority.

Supreme Court discusses controversial election theory

While the 2022 midterm election is now at a close after Tuesday night’s results, the landscape of future elections will be debated at the Supreme Court Wednesday.

The high court will discuss a controversial legal theory that declares state legislatures have the final say in how to conduct elections, including redistricting inside their states.

As it stands today, state courts can strike down a state legislature’s proposed redistricting map. That’s what happened in North Carolina. The state legislatures redrew the lines, but a state court threw it out. And Republican lawmakers sued.

It’s now up to the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether state lawmakers have the highest authority or whether oversight is warranted.

The ruling won’t only effect a legislature’s power over redistricting, it could also reshape many aspects of the election process.

Trump organization found guilty of tax fraud

“The former president’s companies now stand convicted of crimes. that is consequential,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Tuesday.

His remarks came after two companies within the Trump Organization were found guilty of criminal tax fraud.

The organization faces a possible fine of up to $1.6 million. Top executives were accused of manipulating the books to avoid paying personal income taxes on what they considered write-offs, such as apartments and cars.

Former President Donald Trump was not on trial. The organization’s former finance chief had already pleaded guilty to tax crimes prior to yesterday’s ruling.

China’s Xi Jinping travels to Saudi Arabia today

China’s communist leader, Xi Jinping, will be arriving in Saudi Arabia Wednesday, just five months after Saudi leaders met with President Biden. They are now welcoming America’s adversary for talks on economy and security.

China’s visit is seen as a historic meeting between the two sides. A sign the two countries who share authoritative regimes could enhance a partnership.

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have long shared an understanding, but they’ve recently been at odds after Saudi Arabia’s cut to oil production.

Airlines to pay for how much it pollutes

We told you yesterday that airlines are looking to cut emissions but the price of the transition to cleaner energy will fall on customers.

A new law announced Wednesday, puts new pressure on airlines to make that transition happen fast. The European Union took to a vote in the early hours today deciding airlines will now have to pay when their planes produce too much pollution in Europe.

It adds new pressure to the transportation sector to shift away from fossil fuels.

San Francisco reverses robot force

Remember when San Francisco agreed for its police to add robots to its force? Never mind, says the city officials in a drastic U-turn decision after public outcry.

The reversal comes just one week after the board voted 8 to 3 to approve the use of robots only in extreme situations.

Now, in another 8-to-3 vote, the board says they changed their mind, siding with protesters calling for a stop to killer robots.

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KARAH RUCKER: THE SUPREME COURT IS TAKING UP A CASE TODAY THAT WILL DETERMINE HOW MUCH CONTROL STATE LEGISLATURES HAVE OVER FEDERAL ELECTIONS. BUT FIRST RESULTS FROM THE GEORGIA RUN OFF.
THIS IS YOUR MORNING UPDATE AIMED DOWN THE MIDDLE WITH STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS.

RAPHAEL WARNOCK RETAINS GEORGIA SENATE SEAT

SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK | D-Georgia: “It is my honor to utter the four most powerful words ever spoken in a democracy, the people have spoken.”

DEMOCRATIC SENATOR RAPHAEL WARNOCK HAS DEFEATED HIS REPUBLICAN CHALLENGER HERSCHEL WALKER IN THE GEORGIA RUN OFF ELECTION.

WHILE DEMOCRATS ALREADY HAD CONTROL OF THE SENATE, WARNOCK’S WIN GIVES HIS PARTY AN OUTRIGHT 51 TO 49 MAJORITY.

SUPREME COURT DISCUSSES CONTROVERSIAL ELECTION THEORY

WHILE THE 2022 MIDTERM ELECTION IS NOW AT A CLOSE AFTER LAST NIGHT’S RESULTS, THE LANDSCAPE OF FUTURE ELECTIONS WILL BE DEBATED AMONG THE SUPREME COURT TODAY.

TODAY, THE HIGHEST COURT WILL DISCUSS A CONTROVERSIAL LEGAL THEORY. IT DECLARES STATE LEGISLATURES HAVE THE FINAL SAY-SO IN HOW TO CONDUCT ELECTIONS…INCLUDING REDISTRICTING INSIDE THEIR STATES.

AS IT STANDS TODAY…STATE COURTS CAN STRIKE DOWN A STATE LEGISLATURE’S PROPOSED REDISTRICTING MAP.
THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED IN NORTH CAROLINA.

STATE LEGISLATURES REDREW THE LINES, BUT STATE COURTS THREW IT OUT. REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS SUED.

IT’S NOW UP TO THE SUPREME COURT TO DECIDE WHETHER STATE LAW MAKERS HAVE THE HIGHEST AUTHORITY…OR WHETHER OVER-SIGHT IS WARRANTED.

THE RULING WON’T ONLY EFFECT A LEGISLATURE’S POWER OVER REDISTRICTING. IT COULD RESHAPE MANY ASPECTS OF THE ELECTION PROCESS.

TRUMP ORGANIZATION FOUND GUILTY OF TAX FRAUD

ALVIN BRAGG | MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY: “The former president’s companies now stand convicted of crimes. That is consequential.”

TWO COMPANIES WITHIN THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION HAVE BEEN FOUND GUILTY OF CRIMINAL TAX FRAUD.

THE ORGANIZATION FACES A POSSIBLE FINE OF UP TO $1.6 MILLION. TOP EXECUTIVES WERE ACCUSED OF MANIPULATING THE BOOKS TO AVOID PAYING PERSONAL INCOME TAXES ON WHAT THEY CONSIDERED WRITE-OFFS, SUCH AS APARTMENTS AND CARS.

FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS NOT ON TRIAL. THE ORGANIZATIONS FORMER FINANCE CHIEF HAD ALREADY PLED GUILTY TO TAX CRIMES PRIOR TO YESTERDAY’S RULING.

CHINA’S XI JINPING TRAVELS TO SAUDI ARABIA TODAY

CHINA’S COMMUNIST LEADER XI JINPING WILL BE ARRIVING IN SAUDI ARABIA TODAY. JUST FIVE MONTHS AFTER SAUDI LEADERS MET WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN.

THEY NOW WELCOME AMERICA’S ADVERSARY FOR TALKS ON ECONOMY AND SECURITY.

CHINA’S VISIT IS SEEN AS A HISTORIC MEETING BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES. A SIGN THE TWO COUNTRIES WHO SHARE AUTHORITATIVE REGIMES COULD ENHANCE A PARTNERSHIP.

THE U.S. AND SAUDI ARABIA HAVE LONG SHARED AN UNDERSTANDING, BUT THEY’VE RECENTLY BEEN AT ODDS AFTER SAUDI ARABIA’S CUT TO OIL PRODUCTION.

AIRLINES TO PAY FOR HOW MUCH IT POLLUTES

WE TOLD YOU YESTERDAY THAT AIRLINES ARE LOOKING TO CUT EMISSIONS BUT THE PRICE OF THE TRANSITION TO CLEANER ENERGY WILL FALL ON CUSTOMERS.

IF YOU MISSED THAT REPORT, IT’S ON OUR WEBSITE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS DOT COM. A NEW LAW ANNOUNCED TODAY PUTS NEW PRESSURE ON AIRLINES TO MAKE THAT TRANSITION HAPPEN FAST.

THE EUROPEAN UNION TOOK TO A VOTE IN THE EARLY HOURS TODAY. DECIDING AIRLINES WILL NOW HAVE TO PAY WHEN THEIR PLANES PRODUCE TOO MUCH POLLUTION IN EUROPE.

IT ADDS NEW PRESSURE TO THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR TO SHIFT AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUELS. NOT AN EASY TASK BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF POWER NEEDED FOR LARGE AIRCRAFT TO MAKE LONG FLIGHTS.

SAN FRANCISCO REVERSES ROBOT FORCE

REMEMBER WHEN SAN FRANCISCO AGREED FOR ITS POLICE TO ADD ROBOTS TO ITS FORCE? NEVER MIND. SAYS THE CITY OFFICIALS IN A DRASTIC U-TURN DECISION AFTER PUBLIC OUTCRY.

THE REVERSAL COMES JUST ONE WEEK AFTER THE BOARD VOTED 8 TO 3 TO APPROVE THE USE OF ROBOTS ONLY IN EXTREME SITUATIONS.

NOW, IN ANOTHER 8 TO 3 VOTE, THE BOARD SAYS THEY CHANGED THEIR MIND. SIDING WITH PROTESTERS SCREAMING FOR A STOP TO KILLER ROBOTS.