🇺🇸 Georgia on Our Minds (Again)

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FLAG POLLS

🐎 Georgia Senate Runoff Election: Warnock 51, Walker 46 (UMass Lowell)

🐎 Georgia Senate Runoff Election: Warnock 51, Walker 48 (ZFOX 5/InsiderAdvantage)

🐎 Georgia: Trump vs. Biden: Biden 47, Trump 43 (UMass Lowell)

🐘 Georgia: DeSantis vs. Biden: DeSantis 47, Biden 46 (UMass Lowell)

TRENDING

Left: MAGA-world keeps losing in its efforts to tie up Trump criminal probes in court (CNN)

Left: Elizabeth Warren Unveils Sweeping Plan To Address ‘Broken Promises’ To Tribes (Huffington Post)

Left: Of course Trump wants to "terminate" Constitution: He wants to seize power and rule by force (Salon)

Right: Warnock still won't say if he supports any abortion limitations just one day before Georgia runoff (Fox News)

Right: Facebook Warns It May Remove All News from Platform Over JCPA (Breitbart)

Right: Democrat claims her child woke up with 'nightmares' over climate change — but no one is buying it (The Blaze)

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QUICK CLICKS

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Entertainment: Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes taken off air by ABC News chiefs during affair scandal (Page Six)

Pandemic: Hackers linked to Chinese government stole millions in Covid benefits, Secret Service says (NBC News)

Business: Hertz settles lawsuits over hundreds of alleged false arrests (CNN)

World: Tankers seen heading to Russia as oil price cap goes into effect on exports (CNBC)

POLITICS

Georgia on Our Minds (Again)

Voters head to the polls today in Georgia, to conclude the state's Senate runoff election. This resulted after the incumbent, Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock, and Republican challenger Herschel Walker both failed to secure 50% of the vote share during last month’s midterm election.

Reporting from the Right: Georgia Official Doubts Senate Runoff Winner Will Be Known On Election Night (Daily Wire)

Reporting from the Left: Vampires, voter access and the turnout dance: Georgia's Senate runoff remains a question mark (Los Angeles Times)

From The Flag: The runoff pits the top two closest vote getters against each other. With early voting now complete, and Democratic control of the Senate already assured, here’s more from both sides.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Sen. Warnock Is No Shoo-In, But He’s Got a Bounce in His Step

• Governor Brian Kemp has been stumping for Walker since securing reelection, setting himself up for a potential run at the White House.

• Senator Warnock has been the more energetic candidate on the campaign trail and he enters today as the favorite to win.

• Walker continues to face controversy surrounding allegations stemming from his personal life.

“The Man Who Neutered Trump” Michelle Cottle, New York Times Opinion: “Throughout his re-election race, (Governor Brian) Kemp practiced scrupulous social distancing from his ticketmate. … Which, honestly, was the only sensible course of action considering the freak show that has been Mr. Walker’s candidacy. Accusations of domestic abuse? Semi-secret children? Allegations (which he denies) that he paid for abortions for multiple women? Making up stuff about his academic and business ventures? … But now! Mr. Kemp is having a moment. Having secured another four years in office — despite being targeted for removal in the primaries by a certain bitter ex-president — he is feeling looser, freer, more inclined to lend a hand to his good buddy Herschel. … Mr. Kemp has distinguished himself… in a party increasingly anxious about the former president’s influence. For those who see Mr. Trump as the GOP’s past, Mr. Kemp may look appealingly like its future.”

“Republican hopes fade as Warnock momentum picks up in Georgia” Brittany Gibson and Natalie Allison, POLITICO: “Both parties are expecting a close outcome on Tuesday in the closely divided state. After a November election that defied expectations in countless races around the country, a Walker victory is not out of the question. ​​But from Warnock’s first-place finish in the first round of voting to scattered polling and temperature checks of Democratic and GOP operatives, Warnock heads into Election Day as at least a slight favorite to win a full six-year term. … On Saturday and Sunday, he sprinted to six events in various cities, while also delivering a sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he serves as senior pastor and told parishoners that ‘voting is a form of prayer.’ … Democrats have been encouraged that the large early vote totals mean a significant portion of their voters have already cast ballots — and that Republicans wil need to make up serious ground on Election Day turnout.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: Another Former Lover Accuses Herschel Walker of Misconduct Ed Kilgore, New York Magazine

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Trump’s Absence Is Notable, Warnock Would Be a Win For “Tax and Spend”

• Former President Barack Obama has been an asset for Senator Warnock on the campaign trail, while Trump is out of the picture.

• There are four key factors that will decide the race, including Walker’s apparent loss of trust among some voters.

• By voting in favor of the laughably-named “Inflation Reduction Act,” Senator Warnock harmed his constituents’ interests.

“The Ex-President in Georgia’s Senate Runoff Isn’t Trump” Mene Ukueberuwa, Wall Street Journal Opinion: “Barack Obama is a savvy political analyst. Speaking at a rally on Thursday with Sen. Raphael Warnock, Mr. Obama acknowledged that the Democrats’ success in the midterm elections wasn’t the product of their policies or message… he said Republicans defeated themselves. … Mr. Warnock’s message is tuned to the coalition of liberal voters who have shifted the balance in a formerly deep-red state. One part of that group is black residents, who have long made up nearly a third of the state but have increased their turnout at a higher rate than whites since 2016. … Mr. Walker intended his candidacy to arrest this trend, and Donald Trump persuaded him that he was fit for the job. … But Mr. Trump’s reputation fell a long way in Georgia after he claimed the election was stolen.”

“Georgia runoff: Four factors that could decide key swing state Senate race” Cami Mondeaux, Washington Examiner: “Early voting for the runoff election has shattered previous records… (which) could be a good sign for Warnock because Democrats are typically more likely to vote early… Walker must still grapple with widespread scrutiny resulting from a number of scandals that emerged during the midterm election cycle. … Those accusations may be playing into Walker’s favorability ratings, with only 39% of Georgia voters viewing him favorably, compared to 52% who said the opposite… Star power may affect candidates’ chances … Prominent members of both parties have ramped up efforts to stump for their party’s candidates, hoping to elevate their status and push them across the finish line. … Although the runoff is taking place nearly one month after the general election, voters’ top concerns have remained largely unchanged. … That may prove beneficial for Walker, as 64% of those who say issues are their main focus plan to vote for the Republican.”

One more opinion piece from the Right: Raphael Warnock: IRS Agents’ Best Friend, Taxpayers’ Worst Foe Deroy Murdock, Townhall Opinion

FLAG THIS

Neck-And-Neck in the Polls, and Voter Demographics

Polling data suggests this will be a close race, with a survey released Monday showing Warnock slightly ahead of Walker (UMass Lowell’s Center for Public Opinion).

A separate poll called it a toss up as of last week (Emerson College/The Hill), while on Friday CNN put Warnock in the lead.

CNN data also shows the midterm election saw Georgia’s lowest turnout of Black voters since the 2018 midterms, while voters also skewed older.

FLAG FINDS

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WATERCOOLER

Mine Explosion, Arch Deluxe, Avian Treadmill

On December 6, 1907, in West Virginia’s Marion County, an explosion occurred inside a network of mines owned by the Fairmont Coal Company in Monongah, killing 361 coal miners. It was the worst mining disaster in American history. Above is an artistic depiction of the explosion at the No. 8 mine.

Eater: The Arch Deluxe Was a Hell of a Burger. It Was Also McDonald’s Most Expensive Flop.

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Today I Learned a team from New Zealand built a special, tiny treadmill, to help a kiwi named Ruata rebuild strength in its injured leg.