May 7, 2018

Report: Mike Pence to tell Venezuela to suspend presidential election

Vice President Mike Pence. Photo: STR/AFP via Getty Images

Vice President Mike Pence will follow the European Union's lead this afternoon and ask Venezuela to postpone its presidential election, scheduled for May 20, in the hopes that more time will allow for a freer and more democratic voting process, reports Bloomberg.

The big picture: Elections in Venezuela, a country which has been facing a debilitating economic crisis, are normally held in December, and many critics claim that the decision to hold this year's election in May was made to help extend President Nicolas Maduro's reign to a second six-year term. Meanwhile, only one opposition candidate has been allowed to run.

Go deeper

Shawna Chen
Updated 48 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Voters in Wisconsin, Michigan urged to return absentee ballots to drop boxes

Signs for Joe Biden are seen outside a home in Coon Valle, Wisconsin, on Oct. 3. Photo by KEREM YUCEL via Getty

Wisconsin Democrats and the Democratic attorney general of Michigan are urging voters to return absentee ballots to election clerks’ offices or drop boxes, warning that the USPS may not be able to deliver ballots by the Election Day deadline.

Driving the news: The Supreme Court rejected an effort by Wisconsin Democrats and civil rights groups to extend the state's deadline for counting absentee ballots to six days after Election Day, as long as they were postmarked by Nov. 3. In Michigan, absentee ballots must also be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day in order to be counted.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Sara Fischer, author of Media Trends
56 mins ago - Technology

Facebook warns of "perception hacks" undermining trust in democracy

Photo Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Facebook warned Tuesday that bad actors are increasingly taking to social media to create the false perception that they’ve pulled off major hacks of electoral systems or have otherwise seriously disrupted elections.

Why it matters: "Perception hacking," as Facebook calls it, can have dire consequences on people's faith in democracy, sowing distrust, division and confusion among the voters it targets.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Orion Rummler
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Obama: Trump is "jealous of COVID's media coverage"

Former President Barack Obama launched a blistering attack on President Trump while campaigning for Joe Biden in Orlando on Tuesday, criticizing Trump for complaining about the pandemic as cases soar and joking that he's "jealous of COVID's media coverage."

Driving the news: Trump has baselessly accused the news media of only focusing on covering the coronavirus pandemic — which has killed over 226,000 Americans so far and is surging across the country once again — as a way to deter people from voting on Election Day and distract from other issues.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow