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Jimmy Carter, 39th US president, Nobel winner, dies at 100
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A law requiring Missouri voters to show government-issued photo identification to cast regular ballots will stand after a lower-court judge found it constitutional Tuesday. Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem's decision upholds the law, which was made possible by a 2016 voter-approved constitutional amendment allowing lawmakers to enact photo ID requirements. “To maintain a secure system for voting, it only stands to reason that a photo ID should be essential,” Missouri Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said in a statement praising the ruling. Voter photo ID supporters such as Ashcroft say the practice prevents voter fraud and improves public confidence in election results. Voting rights advocates say getting the records needed to obtain proper photo identification can be challenging, especially for older voters and people with disabilities. The National Conference of State Legislatures reports 36 states request or require identification to vote, of which at least 21 ask for a photo ID. Under Missouri’s law, people without government-issued photo identification can cast provisional ballots to be counted if they return later that day with a photo ID or if election officials verify their signatures. The law also requires the state to provide a free photo identification card to those lacking one to vote. Missouri's NAACP and League of Women Voters, along with two individual voters, sued to overturn the law in 2022. They argued that some voters faced substantial obstacles getting up-to-date and accurate government-issued photo IDs and worried that casting a provisional ballot could put them at higher risk of having their votes not counted. Beetem initially dismissed the lawsuit , finding neither of the two individual voters “alleged a specific, concrete, non-speculative injury or legally protectable interest in challenging the photo ID requirement.” The Missouri ACLU and Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, who sued on behalf of the plaintiffs, in response added another voter to the lawsuit and asked Beetem again to find the voter ID requirement unconstitutional. Beetem noted in his Tuesday ruling that all of the individual plaintiffs have successfully voted since the law took effect. “Their claim that their provisional ballots may be rejected is purely speculative,” Beetem wrote. “In addition, the evidence at trial confirms that rejection rates for provisional ballots are low, and the rates specifically for signature-mismatch are exceedingly low.” He concluded that the law's rules on photo identification “protect the fundamental right to vote by deterring difficult to detect forms of voter fraud." Lawyers for the plaintiffs said they will appeal Beetem's ruling. “The League believes the state should be making it easier, not harder, for Missourians to exercise their fundamental right to vote," Missouri League of Women Voters President Marilyn McLeod said in a statement. "There’s no evidence of voter impersonation in Missouri, so these restrictions don’t make our elections any safer or more secure.” The 2022 law also includes permits in-person voting for any reason two weeks before an election, a compromise negotiated by Senate Democrats.
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AP News Summary at 6:44 p.m. ESTTrump says extension of the debt ceiling will 'go down as one of the dumbest political decisions made in years'The Government Accountability Office has denied more protests involving the OASIS+ professional services contract vehicle, allowing the contract to inch closer to its debut. A final resolution that would clear the government-wide contract to open for business still be months away. One of the two remaining open protests is not due for a decision until February. Vernergy Group filed its protest on Oct. 31 with a Feb. 10 decision due date. The other open protest from Wits Solutions Inc. will see a decision by Dec. 2. In the last 10 days, GAO has denied three more protests on top of . GAO dismissed several earlier protests after . The protests involve the small business competition for OASIS+, GSA’s vehicle for a broad range of professional services across the federal government. Nearly 1,400 small businesses have been chosen as likely winners. GSA has not named the winners of the full-and-open portion of the contract. The allegations raised in the recently-denied protests have been different enough from each other that GAO did not bundle them into a single decision. GAO denied protests filed by Jefferson Consulting, AtVentures and Q2 Impact. Jefferson protested GSA’s decision to reject its proposal because it was no longer a small business. The company recertified as large during the competition. GAO agreed that the company was no longer eligible for a small business award. AtVentures raised objections to how GSA treated mentor-protégé joint ventures. GSA said that work examples had to be submitted by the protégé, not from its parent company. This is similar to the Mission Solaiya in early November. Q2 Impact’s proposal was rejected by GSA because it is selling equipment from Huawei Technologies on another contract. Huawei is on a list of banned equipment manufacturers, but Q2 has a waiver its other contract. GSA rejected the proposal because the company did not have a waiver specific to OASIS+ GAO will make more details on these decisions available after the documents go through a vetting process. We will write an update when we know more.
The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. (AP) — Po’Boigh King had 28 points in North Carolina Central’s 78-77 victory over Gardner-Webb on Saturday. King added six rebounds for the Eagles (4-7). Isaac Parson scored 13 points and added seven assists and three steals. Keishon Porter shot 2 of 7 from the field, including 1 for 3 from 3-point range, and went 3 for 4 from the line to finish with eight points. The Runnin’ Bulldogs (4-6) were led in scoring by Anthony Selden, who finished with 25 points. Jamaine Mann added 15 points for Gardner-Webb. Shahar Lazar finished with 10 points and four assists. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Visible Rift Between Oilers’ Ekholm and Kapanen Raises QuestionsUS politicians on both sides have reacted to news that former US President Jimmy Carter, who as president brokered peace between Israel and Egypt and later received the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work, has died at age 100. or signup to continue reading Here are some of the immediate comments. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN AND FIRST LADY JILL BIDEN "Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian. Over six decades, we had the honour of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what's extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well." US PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP "The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude. Melania and I are thinking warmly of the Carter Family and their loved ones during this difficult time. We urge everyone to keep them in their hearts and prayers." FORMER US PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON AND FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON "From his commitment to civil rights as a state senator and governor of Georgia; to his efforts as President to protect our natural resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, make energy conservation a national priority, return the Panama Canal to Panama, and secure peace between Egypt and Israel at Camp David; to his post-Presidential efforts at the Carter Centre supporting honest elections, advancing peace, combating disease, and promoting democracy; to his and Rosalynn's devotion and hard work at Habitat for Humanity—he worked tirelessly for a better, fairer world." US SENATOR MITCH MCCONNELL "Elaine and I join the Senate and the nation in mourning the passing of our 39th president, Jimmy Carter." "President Carter served during times of tension and uncertainty, both at home and abroad. But his calm spirit and deep faith seemed unshakeable. Jimmy Carter served as our commander-in-chief for four years, but he served as the beloved, unassuming Sunday school teacher at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia for forty. And his humble devotion leaves us little doubt which of those two important roles he prized the most." US HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON "Today, the thoughts of Americans and the prayers of Congress are lifted up on behalf of the Carter family. President Carter's story was one of humble beginnings, and his life is a testament to the boundless opportunities available in this great nation. Because of his work in brokering the Camp David Accords and his advocacy with Habitat for Humanity, the world is a more peaceful place, and more Americans have a place to call home. No one can deny that President Carter led an extraordinary life of service to his country. May he rest in peace." US REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER "I am deeply saddened to learn about the death of President Jimmy Carter. President Carter was a man of integrity who was guided by his faith. I join all Americans in saluting President Carter for his lifetime of service, first as a naval officer, then as a senator in the Georgia State Senate, then as Governor of Georgia, and, finally, as President of the United States. I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to the Carter family." US SENATOR MARK WARNER "President Carter will be remembered by what he built and left behind for us – a model of service late into life, a tireless devotion to family and philanthropy, and a more peaceful world to call home." Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . Advertisement
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