Election Day in Hamtramck: Steady turnout, fire fighters hope to keep department intact
November 3rd, 20200 HAMTRAMCK — Precincts in Hamtramck showed a steady turn out by late afternoon, though the Election Day turn out seemed to be lower than expected for a major election. Hamtramck City Clerk August Gitschlag told The Arab American News that only 5,183 absentee ballots had been returned as of 3:30 p.m. Just under 700 AV were still...
U.S. Election Day unfolds smoothly, so far defying fears of disruption
November 3rd, 20200 DETROIT/ATLANTA — Americans by the millions waited patiently to cast ballots at libraries, schools and arenas across the country on Tuesday, in an orderly show of civic duty that belied the deep tensions of one of the most polarizing presidential campaigns in U.S. history. The face masks worn by many voters and the sight of...
Michigan officials promise safe, clean and accessible polling places on Tuesday
November 2nd, 20200 MICHIGAN — As clerks, election workers and municipal governments brace for Election Day, Michigan officials are now ensuring that polling places will be safe, clean and accessible. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said on Monday that election workers were taking precautions and are well equipped with masks, gloves,...
Polarized electorate, mail-in ballots could spark post-election legal “fight of our lives”
November 2nd, 20200 WILMINGTON, DEL — U.S. Election Day on Tuesday has all the ingredients for a drawn-out court battle over its outcome: A highly polarized electorate, a record number of mail-in ballots and some Supreme Court justices who appear ready to step in if there is a closely contested presidential race. The only missing element that would...
Poll shows Arab American voters favor Biden in 2020 presidential election
October 31st, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — A poll conducted by the Arab American Institute (AAI) in Washington, D.C. shows that Arab American voters prefer Joe Biden over incumbent Donald Trump for the upcoming Nov. 3 presidential election. The Yalla Vote Tracking Poll, released earlier this week, shows that a majority of likely Arab American voters...
Our endorsements: Vote for Biden, but hold him responsible
October 30th, 20200 Donald Trump has given Arab Americans no real choice in this election. Since the launch of his political career in 2015, he has denigrated and harmed Arabs and Muslims at every turn. He said, "Islam hates us." He proposed a "complete and total shutdown" on Muslims entering the country. Then, in his first week in office, he signed an...
Record-breaking early voting in U.S. election tops 80 million
October 29th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 80 million Americans have cast ballots in the U.S. presidential election, according to a tally on Thursday from the U.S. Elections Project at the University of Florida, setting the stage for the highest participation rate in more than a century. The record-breaking pace, more than 58 percent of the total...
Exclusive: Q&A with Kamala Harris ahead of election
October 28th, 20200 DEARBORN — Democratic vice presidential nominee and California Senator Kamala Harris visited Metro Detroit last Sunday, making a notable, unannounced stop in Dearborn to grab dinner at the Khalaf Grill. The visit by Joe Biden's running mate was just one of several visits by both prominent Democratic and Republican candidates in the...
Viability of Arab American candidates, like Brian Mosallam, shows importance of the Arab vote
October 27th, 20200 MICHIGAN — Michigan could be the most important swing state in the country. And the Arab American vote could make the difference. Though Metro Detroit has its large concentration, Arab Americans have been an integral part of the historic and cultural fabric of the entire country. More so, Arab Americans enjoy a variety of...
“Baptism by fire” for newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Barrett
October 27th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Newly confirmed conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett faces a barrage of politically fraught cases in her first days on the job, as the court weighs election disputes and prepares to hear a challenge to the Obamacare healthcare law. On Monday, the Republican-controlled Senate pushed through...
U.S. early voting tops 60 million as historic pace continues
October 26th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than 60 million Americans have cast ballots in the U.S. presidential election with eight days to go, a record-breaking pace that could lead to the highest voter turnout in over a century, according to data from the U.S. Elections Project on Monday. The tally is the latest sign of intense interest in the...
Arab American votes can make a difference in this election
October 23rd, 20200 With less than two weeks left in this election season, by now many in our communities have already cast their vote. According to the Michigan Secretary of State’s office, more than 1.5 million Michiganders have already turned their absentee ballots in. That is phenomenal news. We have been working diligently to ensure that all...Jill Biden visits Dearborn, promises Arab Americans a “seat at the table”
DEARBORN — Jill Biden, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, spoke at a voter mobilization event at the popular Shatila Bakery on Warren Avenue on Tuesday. The event was invite-only and not open to the general public due to COVID-19 concerns. Dearborn was one of four stops Biden made in the state this week, as...
Trump and Biden clash sharply over pandemic in less chaotic final debate
October 23rd, 20200 NASHVILLE – President Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden offered sharply contrasting views on the still-raging coronavirus pandemic at Thursday’s final presidential debate, seeking to persuade the few remaining undecided voters 12 days before the Nov. 3 election. Trump, a Republican, adopted a more restrained tone than he did...
Trump rejoices as Senate panel approves Barrett while Democrats boycott
October 22nd, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, the Republican-led U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved President Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to a lifetime Supreme Court seat despite a Democratic boycott, clearing the way for a final Senate confirmation vote planned for Monday. By a 12-0 vote, the panel approved Barrett with......
Jill Biden mobilizes voters at Shatila Bakery in Dearborn
October 20th, 20200 DEARBORN — Jill Biden, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, will be attending a voter mobilization event at Shatila Bakery on Warren Avenue in Dearborn on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 4 p.m. The event is invite-only and not open to the general public due to COVID-19 concerns. Dearborn is one of few stops Jill Biden will...
Wall Street climbs on optimism over stimulus deal talks
October 19th, 20201 NEW YORK — Wall Street’s main indexes inched higher at the open on Monday on hopes of a coronavirus vaccine by the year-end, while investors were also encouraged by signs an agreement in Washington on a fiscal package could be reached soon. Last week the White House proposed a $1.8 trillion stimulus package, but House Speaker Nancy......
Khizr Khan, father of a slain U.S. soldier, backs Democratic party again ahead of November election
October 16th, 20200 DEARBORN — Khizr Khan, the Muslim American parent of a slain U.S. army captain who rose to prominence in 2016 while campaigning for Hillary Clinton and calling out then-candidate Donald Trump for his anti-immigrant stance, is back in the pre-election fold. Khan, who is Pakistani, is again criticizing President Trump, this time for...
In split-screen town halls, Trump and Biden squabble over coronavirus response
October 16th, 20200 MIAMI/PHILADELPHIA — On Thursday, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden criticized what he called President Trump’s “panicked” response to the coronavirus pandemic, while Trump defended his handling of a crisis that has killed more than 216,000 Americans. The rivals spoke in simultaneous town halls broadcast on separate...
Your vote is your voice, don’t be silent
October 15th, 20200 By Edgar L. Vann A paraphrased quote attributed to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. says, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” The current zeitgeist has cast a pall of perplexing uncertainty for many over the status of the soul of this nation. It is a seismic moment of truth for us all. The malaise...
Nearly 1 million ballots cast in Michigan; voters can check status online
October 14th, 20200 LANSING — Three weeks out from the Nov. 3 election, nearly 1 million citizens have already returned absentee ballots, and more than 2.8 million have requested them, according to the Michigan Department of State (MDOS). A breakdown by jurisdiction of this week’s absentee ballot data is available here. “Michigan citizens can be......
Biden receives major endorsement from Mid East experts, former ambassadors
October 8th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has gained a prominent endorsement from several diplomatic and policy experts on the Middle East. A substantial list of former ambassadors to Middle East and North African (MENA) nations, foreign policy advisors and Middle East affairs experts have signed on to a letter,...
AG brings felony charges against two men for intimidating voters through robocalls
October 8th, 20200 DETROIT — On Thursday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the arrest and arraignment of two men who attempted to intimidate voters through robocalls. The two men, Jack Burkman, 54, of Arlington, Virginia and Jacob Wohl, 22, of Los Angeles, are charged with felony intimidating voters, conspiracy to commit an election law......
Trump, positive for COVID-19, says won’t participate in virtual debate
October 8th, 20200 WASHINGTON (REUTERS) — President Trump said on Thursday he would not participate in a virtual debate, throwing into doubt the second presidential debate between Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, scheduled for Oct. 15. His words came moments after the commission that oversees the debates said the event would be conducted...
Biden campaign launches Chaldean Advisory Council
October 6th, 20200 DETROIT — On Tuesday, Biden for President Michigan (the state's Joe Biden presidential campaign chapter) launched a Chaldean Advisory Council to activate, engage and turn out the Chaldean/Assyrian community in Michigan. With less than 30 days until Election Day, the Chaldean Advisory Council will mobilize voters in the community......
