One of the most unethical practices employed by the Democratic Party in the 2020 election was its open embrace of ‘Zuck Bucks.’
A private donation from Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, set up a foundation called the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), which distributed nearly $400 million in funds to voting districts nationwide. The benefiting districts were disproportionately Democrat-leaning. ‘Zuck Bucks’ paid poll workers to step up voter registration drives, provide transportation to voters to polling stations, and two half-a-million-dollar automatic ballot sorters in Philadelphia, one of the regions at the center of the election disputes in 2020.
Although the donations were not illegal, they amounted to a massive in-kind, below-the-radar contribution to help one party over another. It is little wonder that 25 primarily-red states have passed laws to ban the practice.
It was bad enough that private money attempted to skewer elections. Now, the Biden administration, using taxpayer dollars, is trying to do the same, using the federal work-study program.
Earlier this week, Vice President Kamala Harris announced a new federal initiative to partner with voting rights groups and federal agencies to get students to register people to vote.
We have been doing work to promote voter participation for students. For example, we have under the Federal Work-Study program now allow students to get paid through Federal Work-Study to register people and to be non-partisan poll workers. As we know, this is important for a number of reasons. One, to engage our young leaders in this process and activate them in terms of their ability to strengthen our communities.
Harris’s statement is blatantly unethical and possibly illegal.
For college students who apply for federal aid, the Work-Study Program emphasizes employment in civic education and work related to students’ course of study whenever possible. The relationship to students’ course of study is vital to the federal aid program. Even when colleges have agreements with private for-profit employers for work-study jobs, the rules stipulate that work-study jobs must be relevant to the student’s training (to the maximum extent possible).
How would Harris verify the qualification of a student to receive work-study funds? Would only political science majors in liberal arts programs qualify? What if a student is minoring in political science? Since conducting elections involves various skills – marketing, statistics, sociology, computer science, litigation, history, criminal justice, cybersecurity, and communication – would all these majors and minors be included? Which majors would be disqualified if Harris wielded such a broad brush? Wouldn’t using federal funds to subsidize some majors as against others amount to discrimination? There are some of the many unanswered questions.
Indeed, there are even more significant statutory issues with the proposal.
Elections in America are a state function. Every aspect of an election – voter registration, maintaining voter databases and authenticating candidates, poll administration, vote counting, tabulation, and declaring results – is the responsibility of the Secretary of State in each state authorized to execute state laws. When disputes occur, these are resolved in state courts under the administration of state judges.
The federal government has a limited role, mostly centered on election security by defending against domestic and foreign actors through the FBI, combating campaign finance violations through the Federal Election Commission, and protecting election officials and workers from physical harm through federal law enforcement.
Of course, after the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the Department of Justice became heavily involved in protecting citizens’ right to vote. But after nearly fifty long years of DOJ oversight of problem districts, primarily in the South, the United States Supreme Court held on June 25, 2023, that it is unconstitutional to use the coverage formula in Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act to determine which jurisdictions are subject to the preclearance requirement of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Shelby County v. Holder was one of the most consequential decisions of the Roberts Court, no longer requiring an Alabama county, for example, to apply to the DOJ for permission to make the slightest change to the county’s voting processes, such as relocating a polling station.
This 2024 factsheet from the United States Department of Homeland Security explicitly details the federal role in elections. It makes no mention that the federal government should drive voter registrations or send poll workers to elections. What Kamala Harris is proposing is almost illegal, by her own department’s definition.
If Harris’s proposals are not stopped in court, it will amount to taxpayer funds going to college students who overwhelmingly support Democratic candidates, to mobilize citizen participation in elections when the federal government has no constitutional role. It will amount to federal funds paying workers to play a partisan role at polling stations. There’s no mechanism to verify that students on federal work-study programs are non-partisan. If using private funds in ‘Zuck Bucks’ was terrible, using federal dollars is significantly worse.
Americans have witnessed President Biden repeatedly disobeying legal precedent or court orders to do what he pleases. The Supreme Court expressly forbid Biden’s Department of Education from canceling student debt. However, using ingenious methods, Biden has continued to waive hundreds of billions of dollars of debt.
Recall that we’ve emphasized numerous times in our editorials the negative momentum and the exodus of young people from Biden’s camp. The latest initiative aims to reel them back in.
We have not forgotten how, prior to the 2022 midterm elections, Biden promised huge student loan waivers, knowing that the plan was destined to fail. Also noteworthy is Kamala Harris’s prominent role as an advocate for abortion rights, another cornerstone of the Democrats’ reelection agenda targeting youth.
What’s on the horizon? Here are a few predictions:
Many Michigan auto union workers have no intention of voting for Biden. Another round of taxpayer-funded incentives might sway them, but who’s keeping track? With the national debt already at $34 trillion, does it matter?
Take for granted and anticipate announcements related to the release from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, essentially Biden’s political lifeline, to curb summer-to-November price hikes.
President Biden’s desperation for a November victory is palpable. Bidenomics has failed, leaving Americans in extreme distress. With nothing to show for his first term in office, his primary reelection strategy now revolves around lawfare, abortion, and financial handouts.
Employing the federal work-study program to help the Democratic Party is another example of Biden’s shameful conduct. After all, he is a 52-year career politician, experienced and at his best.
TIPP Takes
Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, And More
1. Israel-Hamas War: Dozens Killed Waiting For Aid In Gaza – D.W.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said over 100 people were killed after Israeli troops opened fire as crowds of Palestinians pulled flour and canned goods from an aid convoy near Gaza City.
Israel’s military said it fired in response to a threatening situation near an aid convoy.
The incident provoked strong reactions from actors on all sides of the conflict, including Hamas, the UN, Israel, and the United States. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “condemned” the incident.
2. Pentagon Walks Back Statement That Israel Killed 25,000 Palestinian Women, Children – Al Arabiya
The Pentagon walked back comments made by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that Israel had killed 25,000 Palestinian women and children since Oct. 7.
Asked by a U.S. lawmaker earlier in the day, how many Palestinian women and children had been killed by Israel since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, Austin said: “It’s over 25,000.”
The Pentagon said that Austin was referring to an estimate of the total number of killed Palestinians from the Gaza Health Ministry, which Hamas runs.
3. Houthis Say They Will Introduce ‘Military Surprises’ In Red Sea Operations – Reuters
“Our military operations will continue and advance, and we have surprises that our enemies will not expect at all,” the Iran-aligned group’s leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said in a televised speech.
4. British Soldiers Helping Fire Ukrainian Missiles, Olaf Scholz Reveals – The Telegraph
Germany was accused of a “flagrant abuse of intelligence” after revealing that British soldiers are supporting Ukrainian forces launching long-range Storm Shadow missiles.
Olaf Scholz said on Monday that he would not deliver the Taurus, Berlin’s equivalent of the Storm Shadow, as it would require soldiers assisting on the ground, citing the UK and French approach with their systems. Mr. Scholz argued that following the UK would make Germany a “participant in the war.”
5. Putin Warns Risk Of Nuclear War If West Sends Troops To Ukraine – Al Jazeera
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of a “real” risk of nuclear war if the Western countries send troops to fight in Ukraine during an annual address to the nation two weeks ahead of the presidential election.
Putin said:
They must realize that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory. All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilization. Don’t they get that?
Putin has previously spoken of the dangers of a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia, but his nuclear weapon warning on Thursday was one of his most explicit.
6. Russia To Ban Gasoline Export For Six Months Starting March 1 – Reuters
The Russian government confirmed it will impose a six-month ban on gasoline exports from March 1 to keep prices stable.
The government said on its official Telegram channel:
The decisions taken are aimed at maintaining a stable situation in the fuel market during the period of increased demand associated with spring field works, the holiday season, and scheduled repairs of refineries.
Russia is the world’s second-largest oil exporter.
7. Russia Hails Pyongyang For Supporting Its War Against Ukraine – RFA
“We are pleased that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is standing with us at the forefront of this struggle,” the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang said in a Facebook post.
The move came a few days after Seoul said N Korea had sent over 3 million artillery shells to Russia. North Korea has supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling it a “righteous struggle to defend its strategic security and interests.”
8. U.S. Says Falling Trade With China Could Be Positive – BBC
The steep drop in trade with China could be a positive development, the United States’ top trade official has told the BBC.
Katherine Tai said it “isn’t necessarily negative. It could be a positive indication of diversification on both sides.” The amount of goods the world’s two biggest economies sold to each other fell 17% last year. It comes amid deepening divisions in the global economy.
9. U.S. Launches Inquiry Into Chinese Connected Cars – Nikkei Asia
President Joe Biden announced that he has ordered an investigation into technologies used in connected cars, primarily from China, over national security threats.
“Connected vehicles from China could collect sensitive data about our citizens and our infrastructure and send this data back to the People’s Republic of China,” Biden said. “These vehicles could be remotely accessed or disabled.”
10. China’s COVID-19 Vaccine Victims Petition Chinese Political Elites – RFA
Victims of China’s homemade COVID-19 vaccine have issued a petition calling on the authorities to take responsibility, as representatives vowed to take their grievances to Beijing during the “two sessions” meetings that will open next Tuesday.
Most claimed they contracted leukemia and diabetes after being vaccinated with the Chinese vaccine, Sinovac.
11. China’s Factory Activity Contracts For Fifth Straight Month – Nikkei Asia
China’s factory activity shrank for the fifth month in February amid seasonal factors and persistently poor business sentiment.
The national Bureau of Statistics reported that the country’s benchmark purchasing managers’ index recorded 49.1 for the second month of 2024. The reading is a tick lower than January’s 49.2 and matches the median forecast in a Reuters poll.
12. Taiwan Faces Steady ‘Drip’ Of Pressure As China Tightens Pre-Inauguration Squeeze – Reuters
Taiwan is facing a steady “drip, drip” of Chinese pressure ahead of the inauguration of its next president in May, with officials in Taipei fearing Beijing could further squeeze the island’s room to maneuver without resorting to direct conflict.
Since current Vice President Lai Ching-te won the presidency in January, Beijing has snatched away a diplomatic ally, altered an air route in the narrow Taiwan Strait, and begun regular coast guard patrols around the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands, which hug the Chinese coast.
13. New Zealand Lobbied French On Solomon Islands-China Pact, Cables Show – Al Jazeera
While the precise nature of the discussions is unclear due to redactions in the obtained documents, the cables suggest Wellington hoped officials in French Polynesia and New Caledonia would take a position on the Solomon Islands-China agreement.
News of the Solomon Islands-China security pact in 2022 prompted alarm in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, which have long regarded Pacific Island nations as their geopolitical backyard.
14. Iran Launches ‘Domestically Developed’ Imaging Satellite From Russia – Al Jazeera
The Pars 1 remote sensing and imaging satellite was launched by a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome. It will scan Iran’s topography from an orbit of 310 miles, according to the official IRNA news agency.
Iran’s Telecommunications Minister Issa Zarepour said Pars-I was “fully domestically developed.” The launch of Pars 1 is the fourth this year, with the West accusing Iran of plans to use tech for military purposes.
15. Iran Begins Voting In First Parliament Election Since 2022 Protests – Al Arabiya
Polling stations in Iran opened Friday for elections to select members of parliament and a key clerical body, state TV reported.
This is Iran’s first parliamentary elections since the mass 2022 protests over its mandatory hijab laws after the death of Mahsa Amini. Calls for an election boycott have spread in recent weeks, including from imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, a women’s rights activist, who called them a “sham.”
16. Kim Jong Un Is Now ‘Great Comrade,’ No Longer ‘Great Leader’ – RFA
North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, has received a new title, “Great Comrade,” signaling that the leadership wants to emphasize his achievements over his predecessors, father Kim Jong Il, and grandfather, Kim Il Sung.
The shift from “Great Leader” to “Great Comrade” occurred sometime this month, as the country circulated a five-point oath that all North Koreans must swear to pledge their loyalty.
17. Vietnam: Leaked Communist Party Document Warns Of ‘Hostile Forces’ – BBC
Once better known for sitting quietly in the strategic shadows, its leaders almost unknown to the rest of the world, everyone is now courting Vietnam.
However, a leaked internal document, known as Directive 24, argues that its growing international ties will “increase their sabotage and internal political transformation activities… forming ‘civil society’ alliances and networks, ‘independent trade unions’, creating the premise for the formation of domestic political opposition groups”.
Vietnam is one of only five Communist, one-party states left in the world. No political opposition is permitted.
18. India Economy Beats Expectations With 8.4% Growth – BBC
India has retained its title of the world’s fastest-growing major economy, expanding by 8.4% in the last three months of 2023. The data comes as the country is set to hold a general election this year.
India is forecast to overtake Japan and Germany as the world’s third-biggest economy in the next few years.
19. Obesity ‘Epidemic’ On The Rise, More Than 1 Million Afflicted Around The World – WION
The number of people suffering from obesity has more than quadrupled since 1990, reports a new study released by the Lancet medical journal.
As per the study released before World Obesity Day (March 4), the “epidemic” is particularly hitting poorer countries. It also found that, compared to adults, the rate of obesity is growing faster among children and adolescents.
Even though doctors knew obesity numbers were on a fast rise, a rise past one million wasn’t expected until 2030.
20. Yoga May Boost Brain Health In Women At Risk For Alzheimer’s – UPI Health
In a new study, yoga appears to have bolstered the brain health of older women who had risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease.
The study can’t prove that the ancient practice will slow or prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s, but it did seem to reverse some forms of neurological decline, researchers said.
Republished with permission from TIPP Insights
