Specter of voter fraud stalls changes to Minnesota privacy program
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota program that protects the addresses of victims of intimate partner violence and others with high safety needs has become the latest target in the Republican drumbeat over voter fraud, stalling a proposal at the Capitol that proponents say is needed to ensure the safety of participants.
Changes related to the Safe at Home program, which also includes some judges, prosecutors and law enforcement members who might fear retribution, have typically received bipartisan support at the Capitol, including from some Republican legislators who are now calling for a pause on the legislation.
"(This) is bringing the big lie to a whole other level," said Karla Bigham, DFL-Cottage Grove, whose bill to make changes to the program was held up in a Senate committee this week after Republican objections. "It just was uncalled for, to be blunt, but also unfortunate because this is going to protect victims of domestic abuse."
The program, first established in Minnesota in 2007, helps participants maintain a confidential address and assigns them a private PO Box that they can use as their legal address. The program acts as a mail forwarding service to the participants' private home address and is managed through the Secretary of State's office.
—Star Tribune
Alec Baldwin files arbitration claim against 'Rust' producers
LOS ANGELES — Alec Baldwin has filed an arbitration claim against the producers of the movie “Rust” in a bid to shield himself from liability and cover his legal fees after the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the western last year.
In the arbitration demand filed Friday, Baldwin alleges he was not responsible for the death of Hutchins, whom he shot during rehearsals for the film on a movie ranch outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Seeking indemnification from the “Rust” production company, Baldwin reiterated earlier public statements, saying that he was not in charge of firearm safety or hiring and had been told the gun did not contain any live ammunition, according to the filing with the JAMS private arbitration service reviewed by the Los Angeles Times.
“This is a rare instance when the system broke down, and someone should be held legally culpable for the tragic consequences. That person is not Alec Baldwin,” according to the filing. “October 21 was also the worst day in Alec Baldwin’s life. That day has and will continue to haunt Baldwin.”
A spokesman for the “Rust” producers had no immediate comment. The filing was first reported by The New York Times.
—Los Angeles Times
NC can't bar same-sex couples from domestic violence protection, state's top court says
RALEIGH, N.C. — The state's highest court ruled Friday that victims of domestic violence in same-sex relationships can obtain emergency restraining orders, nullifying a law that made North Carolina the only state in the nation that lacked such protections.
As written, the state law allows same-sex couples to seek domestic violence protection orders only if they're married or divorced. The N.C. Supreme Court's decision, though, upholds a 2020 appeals court ruling where judges declared that the measure violates the state constitution's guarantee to equal protection under the law.
The court's ruling ends, once and for all, North Carolina's status as the only state in the country that prevented victims of domestic violence in unmarried same-sex relationships from obtaining protective orders.
The case reached the N.C. Supreme Court years after a breakup and domestic dispute between two women listed in court filings only by their initials. The plaintiff, known only as "M.E.", appealed after a Wake County district court ruled she was ineligible for a domestic violence protection order because the couple had never been married and were in a same-sex relationship.
—The News & Observer
Two weeks into war, Russia’s economy has rarely fared worse than now
Two weeks into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the war has inflicted a domestic toll that’s already comparable to the worst downturns of President Vladimir Putin’s more than two decades in power.
Tripped up by international sanctions, an economy that was on track to expand for a second year swung into reverse in a matter of days. In one of the first assessments of the damage already done, Bloomberg Economics’ nowcast suggests output has fallen about 2% — a drop that rivals the full-year contraction during the pandemic in 2020.
The decline means more than $30 billion has been erased from Russia’s annual gross domestic product, based on last year’s prices. Bloomberg Economics’ initial forecast is for Russia’s full-year GDP to slump about 9% in 2022.
Putin sought to reassure Russians on Friday, insisting that the Soviet Union grew and “achieved colossal successes” while under sanctions.
But the depth of hardship at home may well test the nation’s resolve should the war in Ukraine turn into a prolonged conflict and result in additional sanctions. Russia is already headed for one of its biggest inflation spikes this century and the risk of shortages is prompting the government to impose restrictions on exports.
—Bloomberg News
