Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: 11/04/22

Exclusive: Polls show Senate incumbents in peril

Nov 04, 2022

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BREAKING — "Trump ally Tom Barrack acquitted of foreign agent charges," by AP's Tom Hays: "DONALD TRUMP's inaugural committee chair, TOM BARRACK, was acquitted of all counts Friday at a federal trial in which he was accused of using his personal access to the former president to secretly promote the interests of the United Arab Emirates."

IS THIS THE RED WAVE? — "A total lunar eclipse will turn the moon blood red on Election Day," by WaPo's Amudalat Ajasa: "The entire moon will illuminate coppery-red from 5:17 a.m. until 6:42 a.m. Eastern time." Just in time for polls opening!

CHANGING OF THE GUARD — The Capitol Police force was already facing intense scrutiny in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, and now it's under even more pressure, our colleagues Nicholas Wu and Katherine Tully-McManus report , following the brutal attack on Speaker NANCY PELOSI's husband, PAUL, at their San Francisco home.

"Members of Congress are seeking more transparency and a broader discussion of how to protect lawmakers' families," Nick and KTM write. "One top Democrat is even calling out the department's secretive division dedicated to protecting congressional leaders. As the Capitol Police weighs an ask to grow a budget that's almost the size of San Antonio's force, the lawmakers it's asked to protect are openly unsure that extra cash will make members functionally safer."

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — We got our hands on some exclusive polling in two of the hottest states — Arizona and Nevada — from former Trump hand DAVID BOSSIE's Citizens United, in collaboration with KELLYANNE CONWAY's polling operation. The topline takeaway is that the Democratic Senate incumbents in each state are in jump-ball races. Here's the details:

Arizona Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters, left, and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) are shown.

Blake Masters and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) | Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo

— Arizona: Democratic Sen. MARK KELLY holds a one-point lead over Republican BLAKE MASTERS, 47% to 46%. And Republican gubernatorial candidate KARI LAKE leads Democrat KATIE HOBBS 49% to 45%. Read the polling memo

This combination of photos shows Nevada Republican Senate candidate Adam Laxalt speaking, left, and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) speaking, right.

Adam Laxalt and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) | John Locher, left, Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo

— Nevada: Democratic Sen. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO holds a one-point lead over Republican ADAM LAXALT, 45% to 44%. And Republican JOE LOMBARDO leads Democratic Gov. STEVE SISOLAK, 45% to 43%. Read the polling memo

For the record: All of the matchups mentioned above fall well within the polls' margins of error of plus-or-minus 4.4%. Each poll surveyed 501 registered likely voters in the respective states from Nov. 2-3. Each matchup also carries a significant number of undecided voters (ranging from 5% in the Arizona Senate race to 13% in the Arizona gubernatorial race).

But they generally track with the current polling in these contests. RealClearPolitics' Arizona average finds Kelly with a +1 advantage (48.2% to 47.2%) and Lake at +1.8 (49.2% to 47.4%). And their Nevada average has Laxalt with a +1.9 edge (47% to 45.1%) and Lombardo +1.8 (46.5% to 44.7%).

ANTISEMITISM ABOUNDS — "Between Kanye and the Midterms, the Unsettling Stream of Antisemitism," by NYT's Michael Paulson and Ruth Graham: "Antisemitism is one of the longest-standing forms of prejudice, and those who monitor it say it is now on the rise in America. The number of reported incidents has been increasing."

WEEKEND READ — "Clock runs out on efforts to make daylight saving time permanent," by WaPo's Dan Diamond: "A bill to permanently 'spring forward' has been stalled in Congress for more than seven months, as lawmakers trade jabs over whether the Senate should have passed the legislation at all. House officials say they've been deluged by voters with split opinions and warnings from sleep specialists who insist that adopting permanent standard time instead would be healthier, and congressional leaders admit they just don't know what to do."

— Another option: "Tired of Daylight-Saving Time Confusion? Just Opt Out," by WSJ's James Hookway

Good Friday afternoon. Send me your daylight saving time hot takes: gross@politico.com .

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Watch the full conversation.

BIG PICTURE

THIS IS CONCERNING — "A wide majority of Americans are concerned about politically motivated violence," by WaPo's Emily Guskin: "Nearly 9 in 10 Americans (88 percent) are concerned that political divisions have intensified to the point that there's an increased risk of politically motivated violence in the United States, including over 6 in 10 who are 'very concerned.'"

HOW IT'S PLAYING — "At Campaign's End, Democrats See Limits of Focus on Abortion," by NYT's Lisa Lerer and Elizabeth Dias: "Strategists and pollsters say voters remain uncertain about the tangle of state laws that have replaced federal protections and about candidates' positions — one sign that Republicans, who were caught flat-footed by the victory they spent decades working to achieve, may have successfully muddied the waters about their positions."

THE DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDE — "In Milwaukee, city and suburban voters are at partisan odds over crime," by WaPo's Cara McGoogan

IN REAL LIFE — "'We're Afraid': Town That Inspired Debunked Voter Fraud Film Braces for Election Day," by NYT's Jack Healy and Alexandra Berzon: "San Luis, Ariz., a small farming outpost on the border, played a key role in the making of the movie '2,000 Mules.' Now some residents are scared to vote."

WAY DOWN-BALLOT — "Midterm voters to take on Colorado's soaring housing costs," by AP's Jesse Bedayn in Denver: "Bloated housing prices in the past few years have crept into every corner of Colorado. … Fed-up Coloradans have taken the crisis into their own hands and will vote Tuesday on a host of local and statewide ballot measures intended to rein in the soaring cost of housing."

BATTLE FOR THE SENATE

RACING TO THE FINISH — The Cook Political Report released its final Senate overview today , changing its "most likely outcomes" to D+0 and R+3 and moving the Wisconsin race between GOP Sen. RON JOHNSON and Democrat MANDELA BARNES from toss-up to lean Republican. Read the writeup by Jessica Taylor

BATTLE FOR THE STATES

ON WISCONSIN — "Wisconsin Republicans Stand on the Verge of Total, Veto-Proof Power," by NYT's Reid Epstein in Franks Field, Wis.: "If Wisconsin Democrats lose several low-budget state legislative contests here on Tuesday — which appears increasingly likely because of new and even more gerrymandered political maps — it may not matter who wins the $114 million tossup contest for governor between Gov. TONY EVERS, a Democrat, and TIM MICHELS, a Republican. Those northern seats would put Republicans in reach of veto-proof supermajorities that would render a Democratic governor functionally irrelevant."

HOT POLLS

— New York: Democratic Gov. KATHY HOCHUL leads Republican Rep. LEE ZELDIN in the gubernatorial race, 48% to 45%, per a new Spectrum News/Siena College poll . (This race was 47% to 44% in favor of Zeldin in September.)

— Florida: Republican Gov. RON DeSANTIS leads Democrat CHARLIE CRIST in the gubernatorial race 54% to 42, per a new Spectrum News/Siena College poll . And GOP Sen. MARCO RUBIO leads Democratic Rep. VAL DEMINGS in the Senate contest 51% to 43%.

HOT ADS
Via Steve Shepard

— Georgia: "I don't consider myself a senator who used to be a pastor," Democratic Sen. RAPHAEL WARNOCK says in a new closing-argument ad . "I'm a pastor who serves in the Senate."

— New Hampshire: The latest ad from the STEVE WYNN-financed Our American Century seeks to hitch GOP Senate nominee DON BOLDUC to Republican Gov. CHRIS SUNUNU's coattails, featuring a clip of Sununu on a recent episode of "Meet the Press" saying he supports Bolduc, whom he opposed before the Republican primary in September.

California Today: Newsom, a climate leader, fights electric vehicle subsidy

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November 4, 2022

By Kellen Browning

Tech Reporter, Business

It's Friday. Proposition 30 would increase taxes on the wealthiest Californians to subsidize electric vehicle programs. Plus, a former Santa Clara County sheriff is convicted of corruption.

A charging station in the Bay Area.Kelsey McClellan for The New York Times

One of California's November ballot measures has made for some strange political bedfellows.

On one side, environmentalists have teamed up with firefighters, Democrats and Lyft, the ride-share company, which has poured more than $45 million into its campaign to pass a climate initiative. On the other, Gov. Gavin Newsom has aligned himself with California billionaires, teachers and Republicans in opposition.

The focus of the unlikely coalitions: Proposition 30, a ballot measure known as the Clean Cars and Clean Air Act, which asks California voters whether to raise the personal income tax by 1.75 percent on those making more than $2 million per year, in order to pay for electric vehicle programs and help fight wildfires.

Proponents say the measure would raise money from those who can afford it to fund critical state mandates on electric vehicle sales and ride-share miles that have been highly promoted but not fully funded. Opponents argue it would require taxpayers to foot the bill for electric vehicle subsidies that Uber and Lyft would eventually have to pay for on their own.

In August, California regulators voted to ban the sale of all gasoline-powered cars in the state by 2035, which was hailed by environmentalists — and by Newsom — as a significant step in combating climate change. Last year, the state implemented an even earlier standard for ride-share companies like Lyft and Uber: 90 percent of ride-share drivers' miles will have to be in electric vehicles by 2030.

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Left out of those mandates was an explanation of who would be expected to pay for the switch to greener cars. Despite a federal tax credit, battery-powered vehicles are still prohibitively expensive for many drivers, especially gig drivers who often struggle to make ends meet.

Proposition 30 would generate $3.5 billion to $5 billion each year, according to the state legislative analyst's office, with most of that going toward helping people, businesses and governments buy electric vehicles and toward installing more vehicle charging stations. The emphasis would be on help for low-income communities and those living in heavily polluted areas. Transportation accounts for about 50 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the state, according to the California Air Resources Board.

Stuart Cohen, one of the transit and environmental activists who helped craft the measure, called it "transformative."

"This measure would dramatically accelerate the transition" to electric vehicles "so that we can actually get rid of internal combustion by 2035, like the state hopes," said Cohen, the founder of TransForm, a transit advocacy group.

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The opposition to the measure, which includes some of the wealthy individuals who would have to pay more in taxes and business groups opposed to tax increases, argues that the proposal benefits corporations, because Uber and Lyft would eventually have to comply with the new state electric vehicle mandates and would have to cough up the money to do so on their own, most likely by offering subsidies for their drivers to buy battery-powered cars.

The "no" campaign got a huge boost over the summer from Newsom, who, despite his focus on fighting climate change, has emerged as its highest-profile opponent and appeared in an television advertisement attacking Lyft in September.

"Prop. 30 is being advertised as a climate initiative," Newsom says in the ad as he strolls across the screen. "But in reality, it was devised by a single corporation, to funnel state income taxes to benefit their company."

Newsom's influence could swing the race. Likely voters favored the proposition by 55 percent to 40 percent in a September poll from the Public Policy Institute of California, but a new poll released last week by the institute found just 41 percent of likely voters in support, with 52 percent opposed.

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Dan Newman, a spokesman for the governor, said there were other methods for combating climate change. In September, Newsom signed a climate package that includes $10 billion for the transition to electric vehicles.

"There are better, more thoughtful ways that are already underway of hastening that transition, and doing it without raising taxes," Newman said.

Lyft declined to comment but pointed to a September blog post by Logan Green, a company co-founder and its chief executive, in which he urged voters to support Prop. 30 to help address pollution and climate change. Lyft also sent an email blast to its customers in October advocating for the measure.

Critics argue that Newsom is catering to top-dollar donors and other wealthy individuals by opposing the measure. Among the top contributors to the "no" campaign are Reed Hastings, the chief executive of Netflix; Michael Moritz, a partner at the venture firm Sequoia Capital; John Fisher, the owner of the Oakland A's; William Oberndorf, who helped fund the recall of Chesa Boudin, the San Francisco district attorney; and Bobby Kotick, the chief executive of Activision Blizzard.

Newman said that was an "offensive, absurd argument."

Other groups have weighed in, too. The California Teachers Association opposes Prop. 30 because it would circumvent a state law that requires a portion of new income tax revenue to go toward education. Cal Fire Local 2881, a union for the state's firefighters, supports it because it would allocate 20 percent of the revenue for hiring more firefighters and other methods for preventing wildfires, another major source of pollution.

For more:

A guide to California's seven ballot propositions.
In MAGA-led Shasta County, election apprehension reigns.
Which California House races to watch in this election.

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Items in the estate sale of Joan Didion at Stair Gallery, in Hudson, N.Y.Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

The rest of the news

Joan Didion: Hundreds of Joan Didion's furnishings and personal items will be sold at auction this month, offering fans the opportunity to acquire a piece of her legacy. The items paint a picture of her life.
Midterms: President Biden is making his second trip to California in less than three weeks in hopes of bolstering Democratic House members, The Associated Press reports.
Jaywalking: Los Angeles pedestrians look forward to a relaxed jaywalking law.
Homelessness: Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he would withhold $1 billion in state homelessness funding from cities and counties because he said local governments were failing to get people off the streets fast enough, The San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Pelosi attack: Six days after sustaining a fractured skull in a vicious attack, Paul Pelosi has been discharged from the hospital.Plus, the Canadian man accused of attacking Pelosi with a hammer and trying to kidnap his wife, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, had been living in the United States with an expired immigration status for years.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Snow: The tail end of the season's first significant storm dropped up to five inches of snow on Southern California mountains, The Associated Press reports.
Los Angeles mayor's race: Why won't Newsom back Representative Karen Bass or Rick Caruso?

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

Glacier erasure: Major glaciers across the world, including those in Yosemite National Park, will be gone by 2050 even if global greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, NBC Bay Area reports.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Santa Clara County sheriff: A civil jury found Laurie Smith, a former Santa Clara County sheriff, guilty of six corruption and willful misconduct charges, San Jose Spotlight reports.
Hastings name change: A lawsuit that aims to block the renaming of the University of California Hastings College of the Law violates the San Francisco school's free speech rights, Reuters reports.

Kate Sears for The New York Times.

What we're eating

Chile crisp fettuccine Alfredo with spinach.

Rolling hills and lush trees at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland.Jason Henry for The New York Times

Where we're traveling

Today's tip comes from Beth Dodge Weaver, who recommends a visit to Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland: "The cemetery was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and is a beautiful place to walk and reflect. Many prominent Bay Area families have monuments there, so a bit of local history as well."

P.S.: The cemetery, which dates to the 1800s, also made The Times's itinerary for a 36-hour trip to Oakland.

Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We'll be sharing more in upcoming editions of the newsletter.

Tell us

Have you visited any of the travel destinations that we've recommended in the newsletter? Send us a few lines about your trip and a photo!

We'd like to share them in upcoming editions of the newsletter. Email us at CAToday@nytimes.com. Please include your name and the city in which you live.

Therapy dogs inside Children's Hospital of Orange County.Michal Czerwonka for The New York Times

And before you go, some good news

Lorna Brownlie immediately felt at ease as she petted Cooper, a 13-year-old rescue poodle, while she waited to deliver her baby.

"I went from panicked to being in the hospital to, now this is nice to calm down and have a little bit of company," Brownlie told The Mercury News. "It's soothing. It distracts you a little bit from thoughts in your mind and the week you've been through."

Brownlie was one of the first patients to enjoy a therapeutic canine visit last month after Santa Clara Medical Center restarted its dog therapy program, which began 20 years ago but had been suspended for much of the pandemic.

Cooper's owner, Sandi Kane, told the newspaper that her poodle's restorative power was gratifying. "I see people light up when we walk through the hall — the doctors, the nurses, the staff and then the patients, everybody," she said. "It puts them into a whole different mind-set — I call them magical moments for everybody."

Thanks for reading. We'll be back on Monday.

P.S. Here's today's Mini Crossword.

Soumya Karlamangla and Briana Scalia contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com.

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