CNN is offering tips for establishing and enforcing boundaries with encroaching relatives.

The Washington Post is reminding its subscribers that the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends 1 pound of turkey per dinner guest among those celebrating the 400-year-old tradition.

The Bay Area News Group, meantime, is here to explain why cranberries are the only regular Thanksgiving item that went down in price amid this year’s record inflation, provide travelers with last-minute pointers to save money, help you find beverages to elevate and eliminate worry over what goes well with turkey and bring you these holiday-themed political cartoons.

1. Most candidates for top election posts are against hand counts

“The vast majority of candidates running to become their states’ chief election officers oppose hand counting ballots, a laborious and error-prone process that has gained favor among some Republicans embracing conspiracy theories about voting machines.

“An Associated Press survey of major-party secretary of state candidates in the 24 states found broad skepticism about hand counting among election professionals of all ideological stripes. Of 23 Republicans who responded to the survey, 13 clearly said they opposed implementing a statewide hand count of ballots instead of a machine count.” Click the headline to read more by Nicholas Riccardi | Associated Press

2. Threats to US election security grow more complex

“Top U.S. election security officials say protecting the nation’s voting systems has become increasingly challenging since millions of Americans embraced unfounded conspiracy theories and false claims about widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential race.

“With the midterm elections just days away, the director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Jen Easterly, and other officials say they have no evidence that election infrastructure has been altered by hostile actors to prevent voting or vote counting, compromise ballots or affect voter registration accuracy.

“But they’re not lowering their guard. Disinformation is rampant. Foreign rivals are capable of potent cyber mischief. And the insider threat is considered greater than ever. On top of the physical threats and intimidation of elections officials — which is authorities’ overriding concern — security experts are particularly worried about tampering by those who work in local election offices or at polling stations.” Click the headline to read more by Frank Bajak | Associated Press

3. So far, Californians aren’t rushing to vote early

“With just days to go until Tuesday’s election, the state has yet to see a big surge of people voting early — but experts say numbers will pick up as the deadline approaches for Californians to choose a new governor, weigh in on seven ballot measures and cast a vote in multiple congressional races.

“Only 17% of ballots had been returned as of Friday, according to Political Data, Inc., which tracks voter data from every county in California. With little time remaining until Nov. 8, that’s a far cry from the 55-60% overall voter turnout expected in this election. A low turnout could give a bump to Republicans in competitive races, as historically the GOP tends to do better when fewer people vote.

“But the low numbers also could simply reflect voters procrastinating.

“Turnout so far has been higher in some parts of the Bay Area — 23% in San Mateo County, 22% in Santa Clara County, and 20% in Contra Costa County.  San Francisco and Alameda are about average, at 18% and 17% respectively, according to Political Data, Inc.” Click the headline to read more by Marisa Kendall | Bay Area News Group

He also clapped back at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) with a taunt about paying for her blue checkmark and pleaded with famed author Stephen King to pay for his checkmark.

The world’s richest man also unveiled a plan to terminate almost 3,700 employees at the social media company — about half of its workforce — “in a bid to drive down costs following his $44 billion acquisition,” Bloomberg reported. Meanwhile third-party estimates from Bot Sentinel suggested that more than 875,000 users deactivated their accounts between Oct. 27 and Nov. 1, while half a million more were suspended, according to MIT Technology Review.

That all followed Musk seizing control at the social network by ousting senior leadership, including CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal and policy head Vijaya Gadde one week earlier. And two days after Musk promised advertisers the platform would not become a “free-for-all hellscape,” he gave credibility to and spread disinformation about the recent attack on Paul Pelosi, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, in a tweet replying to former Secretary of State and 2016 presidential election popular vote winner Hillary Clinton. Musk later deleted the tweet about Paul Pelosi.

Since then, Musk said the company would not allow “anyone who was de-platformed for violating Twitter rules back on platform until we have a clear process for doing so, which will take at least a few more weeks.”

See what cartoonists from around the world are saying about the new Chief Twit:

• 

  The Earl Warren Building, headquarters of the Supreme Court of California and part of the Ronald M. George State Office Complex, is shown in San Francisco, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

CLICK HERE if you’re having trouble viewing these galleries on a mobile device.

San Francisco: Hundreds rally against anti-Asian American violence

Spurred to action by recent attacks in Atlanta and the Bay Area, hundreds of protesters gathered Friday in San Francisco to rally against violence targeting Asian Americans.

The crowd marched from Union Square to the Embarcadero, shouting “Rise up people, rise up” and “The people united will never be defeated,” while waving signs that demanded “Stop Asian Hate.” The event kicked off a weekend of rallies planned throughout the Bay Area in response to what many say has become a troubling surge.

Boulder shooting suspect’s gun would’ve been illegal under city’s now-void assault-weapon ban

A gun used by a man suspected of shooting and killing 10 people Monday at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, would have been illegal under the city’s assault weapon ban that was recently blocked by a judge, though nobody ever had been cited under the ban while it was active, the Denver Post reported.

The suspect purchased a Ruger AR-556 pistol on March 16, six days before the mass killing, according to his arrest affidavit. The Ruger AR-556 pistol is not technically a rifle, though many features of its design echo a rifle’s set-up.

A gun like the Ruger AR-556 pistol was banned in Boulder until March 12, when a Boulder County District Court judge ruled the city’s ban on assault weapons and magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds was illegal. The city’s definition of prohibited assault weapons included semi-automatic pistols that can accept a magazine outside of the pistol grip.

Biden taps VP Harris to lead border response

President Joe Biden has tapped Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the White House effort to tackle the migration challenge at the U.S. southern border, the Associated Press reported.

Biden made the announcement Wednesday as he and Harris met at the White House with Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandra Mayorkas and other immigration advisers to discuss the increase in young migrants arriving at the border since Biden took office.

With the move, Biden hopes to show Americans he’s taking the border situation seriously after facing stiff criticism from Republicans as the flow of migrants has increased since he took office in January.

But the high-profile assignment for Harris, who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 and is expected to run for the White House again in the future, could be politically fraught.

For more political cartoons, CLICK HERE.

• 

  Mass Shootings and Normal by Dave Granlund, PoliticalCartoons.com

• 

  Latest mass shooting by Adam Zyglis, The Buffalo News, NY

• 

  Signe Wilkinson

• 

  Getting back to normal by Dave Whamond, Canada, PoliticalCartoons.com

• 

  Numb and numb-er by David Fitzsimmons, The Arizona Star, Tucson, AZ

• 

  Michael Ramirez

CLICK HERE if you’re having trouble viewing this gallery on a mobile device.

Boulder shooting: Suspect bought gun 6 days earlier; 10 victims range from 20 to 65 years old

A 21-year-old man from Arvada, Colorado, was arrested on 10 counts of first-degree murder after opening fire in a Boulder grocery store Monday afternoon, The Denver Post reported.

The suspected gunman, identified Tuesday, surrendered to police after being shot in the leg. He wore a tactical vest and carried a handgun and a long gun — a Ruger AR-556 — that he had purchased six days earlier, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

Police publicly identified the 10 victims Tuesday morning:

Denny Stong, 20Neven Stanisic, 23Rikki Olds, 25, who worked as a manager at the storeTralona Bartkowiak, 49Teri Leiker, 51Eric Talley, 51, who was the first Boulder police officer on sceneSuzanne Fountain, 59Kevin Mahoney, 61Lynn Murray, 62Jodi Waters, 65

Biden on gun violence in the US: ‘We have to act’

In brief remarks responding to Monday’s shooting, President Joe Biden urged Congress to move quickly to close the loopholes in the background check system and also to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, the Associated Press reported.

“It should not be a partisan issue,” Biden said Tuesday. “This is an American issue. It will save lives, American lives.”

Colorado attack is the 7th mass shooting in 7 days in the US

The Boulder supermarket shooting “took place less than a week after eight people were killed in a series of attacks on spas in Atlanta,” reported CNN. “They are also among at least seven mass shootings in the past week across the United States — including three incidents on Saturday alone.”

The FBI defines a mass shooting as an incident which results in four or more casualties (dead or wounded) excluding the shooter(s).

For more political cartoons, CLICK HERE.

• 

  Mike Luckovich

• 

  Minors crossing US border by Dave Granlund, PoliticalCartoons.com

• 

  Biden’s Immigrant Voters by Gary McCoy, Shiloh, IL

• 

  Migrant Crisis by Monte Wolverton, Battle Ground, WA

CLICK HERE if you’re having trouble viewing this gallery on a mobile device.

GOP focuses on immigration as border crossings rise

According to the Pew Research Centers, 18,945 family members and 9,297 unaccompanied children reached the U.S.-Mexico border in February, the Associated Press reported. Those figures represent 168% and 63% increases, respectively, from January.

In a recent interview with ABC President Joe Biden advised migrants hoping to gain entry to the United States not to leave their towns. When asked whether his immigration policies are encouraging migrants, Biden said that the numbers of people encountered at the southern border in the first two months of his administration remain lower than spikes recorded during the Trump administration.

Republicans are now uniting around the issue, a signature of Biden’s predecessor.

“If they don’t control this, it’ll be a huge issue this year, and it’s an issue that gets you into public health, into the issue of defending America and whether there are borders,” said Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a longtime Trump ally.

​In a letter signed by 40 senators, Republicans have criticized the Biden administration’s border policies; among the criticisms are Biden’s kinder tones, his pledge to end family separations at the border, and the administration’s freezing of of Trump’s border wall project.

House OKs immigration bills for Dreamers, farm workers

Following a slew of executive orders centered on rolling back policies ranging from the Muslim travel ban to separating families at the border, Democrats in Congress voted last week to pass a proposal long known as the gateway to citizenship.

Lawmakers approved the bill offering legal status to 2 million people brought to the U.S. illegally as children, known as Dreamers, in a 228-197 vote Thursday. In a separate measure approved 247-174, lawmakers voted to create similar protections for 1 million farm workers who have worked in the U.S. without documentation.

For more political cartoons, CLICK HERE.

Cuomo rejects calls to resign, apologizes for past behavior

“New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday apologized for his behavior toward several women who have accused him of making unwanted advances but denied that he ever touched anyone ‘inappropriately’ and rejected calls to resign,” according to CNN.

To date, at least three Democratic state assemblymembers in New York’s legislature have called for Cuomo to step down. Six more lawmakers who identify as Democratic Socialists also supported Cuomo’s resignation.

At the federal level, U.S. Representatives Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.), Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) also called for his resignation. The New York Daily News did note, however, that neither Malliotakis nor Stefanik “ever called on former President Donald Trump to resign or face scrutiny after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual harassment and assault before, during and after the 2016 campaign.”

Cuomo denies accusation of unwanted advance and one sexual harassment allegation, acknowledges another

Anna Ruch told the New York Times that Cuomo approached her during a crowded wedding reception in 2019 and put his hand on her lower back, which was exposed by an open-back dress. She also accused Cuomo of putting his hands on her face and asking if he could kiss her.

“Ruch is the first woman to accuse Cuomo of an unwanted advance and the first who did not work for him,” according to CNN.

Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett both served as aides in the Cuomo administration. Boylan served three years in the Cuomo administration and accused him of once kissing her on the lips without consent, touching her lower back, arms and legs, comparing her to rumored ex-girlfriends and suggesting they play strip poker.

Cuomo’s spokeswoman Caitlin Girouard said that all Boylan’s “claims of inappropriate behavior are quite simply false.”

Bennett worked as an executive assistant and health policy adviser under Cuomo, alleging the governor asked her a series of intrusive questions about her personal life and whether she felt age made a difference in romantic relationships.

Cuomo did not deny that he asked Bennett personal questions in a statement. He did, however, decline further comment until an independent review he requested had concluded.

The governor first tried to appoint federal Judge Barbara Jones to oversee the review himself before he ceded that decision to New York Attorney General Letitia James, who will select a private attorney to investigate Cuomo.

For more political cartoons, CLICK HERE.

Trump calls for GOP unity, repeats lies about election loss

Donald Trump on Sunday called for Republican Party unity at the Conservative Political Action Conference, AP reported. The former President also peddled lies about his defeat in the 2020 election in a televised speech, repeating the unfounded claim that he lost only because of mass voter fraud.

Judges, Republican state officials and Trump’s own administration have rejected his own claims, which Democrats have dubbed the “big lie,” and countered with the fact that he lost by more than 7 million votes.

Trump calls for GOP unity, repeats lies about election loss

Golden Trump proves wildly popular at CPAC

Tommy Zegan, a California-based artist, created a 6-foot-tall golden statue of Donald Trump wearing a suit jacket, American flag-themed shorts and flip-flops. Zegan said his work is a symbolic response to multiple pieces of art mocking Trump.

The red white and blue shorts represent Trump’s patriotism, a red tie stands in for his Republican ideals and the thongs and shorts serve to convey his retirement age.

“He should be at the beach right now,” said Zegan, adding however that he would be ecstatic if Trump ran for office again in 2024.

Golden Trump proves wildly popular at CPAC

CPAC speakers lament COVID restrictions, loss of ‘freedoms’

The Conservative Political Action Conference kicked off its 2021 meeting with a defiant stance toward COVID-19 restrictions, CNN reported. CPAC was nearly canceled when Maryland’s pandemic-related restrictions on large gatherings forced the event organizers to relocate to Orlando.

“That state decided to cancel us because they said this was unsafe,” said Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, which puts on CPAC. “And I said to myself, I’ll be damned if I’ll be the first ACU chairman in 50 years to not have CPAC.”

While Florida’s restrictions are looser than in some other states, there is a mask mandate inside the hotel.

CPAC speakers lament COVID restrictions, loss of ‘freedoms’

For more political cartoons, CLICK HERE.

CLICK HERE if you’re viewing on a mobile device.

What NY prosecutors can learn from Trump’s tax returns

Now that the Supreme Court has cleared the way for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance to obtain former President Donald Trump’s tax returns, a Democratic grand jury investigation into Trump’s business affairs could turn up new evidence that he lied to lenders or tax officials.

Trump’s accounting firm, Mazars USA, is supposed to turn over draft and final versions of the 45th president’s tax returns and financial statements, CNN reported. Vance also is seeking raw financial data, work papers and communications between the firm and Trump representatives that show how the raw data was analyzed.

The news network said examining those documents could be key to determining any disparities in the information Trump or his companies gave tax authorities and other officials like banks and business partners about his income.

What NY prosecutors can learn from Trump’s tax records

GOP wrestles with the post-Trump future

Two months into the Biden presidency, Republican party leaders are split on what direction the party should move. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the eve of the Jan. 6 insurrection that the pro-Trump mob was “provoked by the president,” and former Vice President Mike Pence later skipped Trump’s departure ceremony to attend Biden’s inauguration.

But Sens. Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson and others continued parroting Trump’s claims of electoral fraud up until inauguration day. Sen. Lindsey Graham, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Minority Whip Steve Scalise later visited Mar-a-Lago amid an ongoing feud between pro-Trump and Never Trump party members in the Biden era.

GOP wrestles with the post-Trump future

Inauguration sows seeds of doubt in QAnon believers

President Biden’s inauguration may have disappointed believers of the QAnon conspiracy alleging that a global cabal run by leftist pedophiles would face a reckoning known as “the storm,” but the truest among the believers are not abandoning the false theory yet.

The latest reporting by CNN, Newsweek and Salon suggests Q’s followers now believe former President Donald Trump will be inaugurated March 4. That falsehood arose from U.S. history: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president, was the last to be sworn in on March 4, in 1933. FDR changed the official date to Jan. 20 for his second inauguration in 1937.

Nevertheless, almost 5,000 National Guard troops will remain in Washington through March 12 to address concerns of violence from the QAnon crowd. U.S. Capitol Police requested the troops stay in Washington hoping to avoid a repeat of the failed Jan. 6 insurrection.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did confirm, however, that there is no specific or credible threat at this time. Beyond March, law enforcement officials in the nation’s capital are concerned about security around Biden’s joint address to Congress.

Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, called the pro-Trump conspiracy group “dangerous,” as the party continues dealing with its defeat in 2020 and would not encourage Trump himself to run again for the White House in 2024.

McDaniel stopped short of denouncing Trump as a viable leader for the party’s future though, saying the GOP would remain “neutral” in its next presidential primary, according to AP. She added that she would like to see Trump help Republicans win back majorities in the 2022 midterm elections.

Georgia GOP moves to reduce vote-by-mail

Republicans in Georgia’s state senate have proposed reductions to absentee voting by mail after relentless false claims by Trump and his allies. State election officials there have confirmed there was no widespread fraud in voting by mail or any other irregularities that could have changed the 2020 election results.

The same Republican Party introduced no-excuse absentee voting in Georgia in 2005 through a GOP-controlled legislature. Democrats, however, cast nearly twice as many absentee ballots as Republicans in 2020. Georgia Republicans now are supporting bills that would restrict who can vote absentee by mail, require a photo ID for those who do not vote absentee, ban ballot drop boxes and block outside groups from sending out absentee ballot applications, AP reported.

Other GOP-backed proposals include ending automatic voter registration when obtaining a driver’s license and banning new residents from voting in runoff elections. Not all Republicans are on board with every new idea: House Speaker David Ralston said in January that he was not convinced the state should do away with no-excuse absentee voting.

Georgia GOP moves to reduce vote-by-mail

For more political cartoons, CLICK HERE.

CLICK HERE if you’re viewing on a mobile device.

Perseverance, the ninth and largest, most advanced ever spacecraft sent by NASA to land on Mars, tweeted its first video Monday. The clip featured multiple angles of the robot’s landing, captured by its 25 cameras.

NASA rover Perseverance lands safely on Mars

In case you missed it, the United States on Thursday landed Perseverance on the surface of the red planet, Associated Press reported. The roaming droid’s seven-month journey ended in “seven minutes of terror” that involved auto-piloting its own entry, descent and landing near the Jezero Crater.

Within minutes the six-wheeled rover, nicknamed Percy, was tweeting photos that gave everyone back on Earth a window into a 5-by-4-mile strip on an ancient river delta full of pits, cliffs and fields of rock. Ground controllers at the space agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena sent the plutonium-powered vehicle there in search of any evidence that life once thrived on the planet, according to AP.

It will take a week for the rover to start driving as officials check its systems. Percy then will use its 7-foot arm to drill into the surface it’s roaming to collect rock samples for signs of life, a process the rover will continue over the next two years. Once it has gathered three to four dozen chalk-sized samples, a separate fetch rover will retrieve the materials. By 2031, the space agency aims to have those samples on their way back to Earth on another rocket ship.

NASA timed the robot’s approximately 300-million-mile voyage to take advantage of a close alignment of Earth and Mars. Spacecraft from China and the United Arab Emirates also swung into orbit around Mars last week.

For more political cartoons, CLICK HERE.