Omaha’s blue dot goes to Kamala Harris, but GOP House candidate leads
Nebraska’s split electoral votes have created a now-famous blue dot in the middle of America in recent elections. Congressional District 2, that dot, split when it was declared for Vice President Kamala Harris, but incumbent Republican Rep. Don Bacon leads in the U.S. House race.
Douglas County is home to Omaha, the largest city within the blue dot. The Douglas County, Nebraska Election Commission will be counting roughly 8,000 ballots on Friday, Nov. 8, most of them from early voting that came in on Monday, Nov. 4, and just before the polls closed on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
The blue dot became somewhat of a focal point with the television networks, the major newspapers and political sites in the run-up to the presidential election.
Nebraska is a state that splits its electoral votes. Congressional District 2, in the traditionally red state of Nebraska, is where Democrats have made inroads in recent elections with Barack Obama winning it in 2008 and Joe Biden in 2020.
National pundits presented various scenarios in which the electoral college and the path to 270 had Kamala Harris at 269, needing one electoral vote to push her over the top and win the election. Democrats in Omaha held out hope it would be them and the blue dot.
Harris lost the election, but she did win the blue dot’s one electoral vote. According to the Nebraska secretary of state, she garnered 51% of the vote to Donald Trump’s 47.5%, a margin of about 11,000 votes.
Now, Republicans are counting on District 2 to help them keep control of the House of Representatives. Incumbent Rep. Don Bacon, R, is seeking a fifth term. He leads Democratic challenger Tony Vargas by 8,000 votes. Vargas had hoped to flip the seat from red to blue.
Bacon declared victory in Nebraska District 2 and said the blue dot should now be called the “Bacon dot.” Vargas has refused to concede, saying every vote needs to be counted.
Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District looms large in upcoming election
One week until the presidential election and pundits are running all sorts of scenarios in which former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris win the necessary 270 electoral college votes. One key battleground is Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District.
Nebraska is one of two states that splits its electoral votes. Democratic presidential candidates won the district, which includes the city of Omaha, in 2008 and 2020. Democrats are hoping the district goes for Harris this year and she garners its one electoral vote. They have also given the district a nickname: Nebraska’s Blue Dot.
A New York Times poll, out this week, has Harris leading Trump by 12 points in the district, 54% to 42%. Trump is ahead statewide and if the numbers hold, Trump would win four electoral votes and Harris one.
There is also a key congressional race in the 2nd District. Republican incumbent Don Bacon is vying for a fifth term. His Democratic challenger is State Sen. Tony Vargas, who narrowly lost to Bacon in 2022.
Democrats need to pick up just four seats in the upcoming election to take control of the House of Representatives.
For Bacon to keep his seat, he might need many voters in the 2nd District to be ticket-splitters, which means voting for Harris for president but then switching to Bacon in the congressional race.
Bacon admits he is facing strong political headwinds this time around.
Omaha police chief says actions justified in deadly shooting; video released
The chief of the Omaha Police Department said Wednesday, Oct. 2, that an officer followed protocol when he shot an armed man eight times, killing him. The incident happened Saturday, Sept. 28, after officers Noah Zendejas and Alex Atkinson stopped Steve Phipps for expired plates.
Police shared body-worn camera footage that showed Phipps outside his car, standing near the open driver’s side door before he ran. Officer Zendejas and Officer Atkinson can be heard in body-worn camera audio, both giving verbal commands to stay in the car.
That’s when police say Phipps became an imminent threat and Zendejas fired his gun.
Police said Phipps ignored them as he ran away from the traffic stop, hopped over a fence while pointing a gun at Officer Zendajas.
Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said Zendeja’s response was justified, because his officers are trained to shoot until the threat is over. He said tasers weren’t used because officers saw the gun, which was later confirmed to be loaded.
“He was a legal possessor of that gun,” Schmaderer said. “Had he remained in the car and the officers went up to the window and he declared that he had a firearm, no crime would have been committed here. He would have been issued a ticket for expired plates.”
Phipps’ family said he tried to be up front with police in the past and was still arrested for having a concealed weapon.
Schmaderer said he met with Phipps’ family and shared the body camera footage with them. Zendajas and Atkinson have both been placed on leave.
A grand jury will review the shooting, which is standard procedure.
Several dead after tornadoes sweep through Midwest
Several people, including an infant, are dead after tornadoes sweep through the Midwest. Also, demonstrations by dueling groups turn physical on the campus of UCLA. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Monday, April 29, 2024.
Several dead after tornadoes sweep through Midwest
At least four people, including a young child, are dead after tornadoes swept through Oklahoma on Sunday, April 28 — part of a series of severe weather events affecting several Midwestern states.
On Friday, April 26, a tornado damaged dozens of homes and buildings in suburban Omaha, Nebraska, but no fatalities were reported. Local health officials described the lack of serious injuries as “miraculous.”
Over the weekend, more than 100 tornadoes were reported across six states, including Iowa, where one person critically injured by the storms later died. Less than 36 hours later, EF-3 tornadoes struck Oklahoma, leaving over 20,000 people without power and causing significant damage statewide.
One person died when four semi-trucks overturned on Interstate 35 in Marietta. Another victim was identified as a 4-month-old child. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, R, has declared a disaster emergency in response to the extensive damage.
Dueling protests get into physical altercations on UCLA campus
School officials reported that the protests had remained peaceful until a barrier separating the groups was breached, leading to shoving and punching among members of both groups. Campus police armed with batons managed to separate the demonstrators.
The UCLA vice chancellor expressed heartbreak over the violence on campus. The university said it had allowed both groups to protest, some participants were from outside the university.
Blinken visits Saudi Arabia to discuss war in Gaza
On the morning of Monday, April 29, the State Department reported that Blinken met with Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister to discuss ongoing efforts to release hostages held by Hamas and to explore “a pathway to a Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel.”
Later Monday, Blinken is scheduled to discuss Europe’s role in rebuilding the Gaza Strip with Arab and European leaders. His visit follows President Joe Biden’s phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, April 28, about a potential cease-fire and a warning against an Israeli attack on Gaza City’s Rafah.
Trump holds private meeting with former GOP rival DeSantis
Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, R, met privately for breakfast in Miami on Sunday, April 29, to discuss raising funds for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
The meeting, first reported by The Washington Post, was reportedly arranged by real estate chairman Steven Witkoff.
The talks between the presumptive Republican nominee and his one-time rival lasted several hours and were described as “friendly.”
This encounter comes just weeks after NBC News reported DeSantis pledged to donors during a private event that he’ll assist in fundraising efforts for Trump’s campaign.
DeSantis suspended his presidential campaign in January, just days before the New Hampshire primary, and announced he was backing Trump.
Musk visits Beijing as Tesla’s China-made cars clear data security hurdles
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has unexpectedly visited Beijing, coinciding with the city’s first major auto show in four years. During his visit, Musk met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. This meeting follows Tesla’s announcement that local Chinese authorities have lifted restrictions on its cars after they passed China’s data security standards.
The MLB Players Association stated that the league will modify the Nike uniforms following player complaints about this season’s changes, which included issues with jersey lettering size, mismatched colors and see-through pants.
The uniforms, designed by Nike and manufactured by Fanatics, will be updated by the beginning of the 2025 season, as the memo highlighted the issues as “entirely a Nike issue.”
Omaha group assists El Paso shelters amid migrant crisis
The migrant crisis is putting a strain on the resources and economies of U.S. border cities. Now, those cities are seeking help from communities and organizations across the country.
One group in Omaha, Nebraska, has been doing what it can to ease the burden on El Paso, Texas, which officials say has been stretched beyond capacity.
El Paso accounts for 20% of all illegal entries at the southern border for fiscal year 2023. Border Patrol agents apprehended over 425,000 migrants who crossed into El Paso, marking a 38% increase from the previous year.
The city had to establish emergency “overflow” shelters and house thousands of migrants in local hotels, but it eventually reached a breaking point.
Source: Reuters
“In the last 30 days, we have sheltered over 16,000 people who might have otherwise been on the streets in El Paso, and we’ve provided over 40,000 meals. We want to ensure we treat people in the right manner,” Mayor Oscar Leeser said.
The majority of these migrants are awaiting deportation hearings, some of which could be years away.
One Texas-based shelter sought assistance from Omaha to provide temporary accommodation and support for these families while they make arrangements for their legal proceedings.
“Omaha Welcomes the Stranger” was established just one year ago in response to the significant increase in asylum-seekers in El Paso.
“We received an inquiry from a man named Ruben Garcia at Annunciation House, who said that, at that time, he worked in El Paso, Texas, and there were more people coming across the border than the local shelters could accommodate for temporary hospitality,” said Tom Hoarty, a board member at Omaha Welcomes the Stranger. “He asked if it would be possible for us to receive some of those asylum-seekers here in Omaha and give them a temporary place to stay while they made their arrangements to go to other parts of the country.”
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Last year, Omaha Welcomes the Stranger welcomed 39 asylum-seekers who arrived by bus from El Paso. The organization focuses on assisting families, including parents and children of various ages.
“Margaret and I volunteered in 2019 and 2021, and so we became familiar with the process at the local shelter in El Paso,” Hoarty said. “We saw the faces of the people, and once you’ve talked to the people and seen them face-to-face, and you’ve seen their children, you think ‘those children don’t look a whole lot different from my grandchildren. Why shouldn’t they have the opportunity to have a safe place to live?’”
Recently, more families are coming from Venezuela and often lack friends or sponsors in the United States. This makes the support that the organization offers even more crucial. According to the El Paso city website, Venezuelan nationals comprise 70% of the migrant population.
“Well, if the need arises for us to take a larger group of people like it did a year ago, we’re prepared to do that.” Hoarty said. “And we have a network of volunteers who have agreed to help us.”
For migrants seeking permanent residency, Hoarty believes that many would be more than willing to fill employment roles if given the opportunity.
“I think it’s important to realize that our country was built on the concept of immigration.” Hoarty said. “As you drive down any street in Omaha, you see signs that say ‘we’re hiring’ or ‘help wanted.’ We think there are a lot of people who would be more than happy to fill those jobs. So we try to do what we can to place people in situations where they can do that.”
The impacts of migration on small cities are intricate. Omaha Welcomes the Stranger represents a small-scale, privately funded initiative aimed at providing support to asylum-seekers. The organization is currently helping six families during their immigration process, and Hoarty says they are ready in case they are called on again.
We’re prepared to take a few families, as many as we can, and try to help them find places to live and work in Omaha.
Tom Hoarty, Omaha Welcomes the Stranger
“We receive donations from individuals across the region,” Hoarty said. “If anyone is interested in contributing, they can contact us through St. Pius the 10th Catholic Church in Omaha, and the church will forward the donation to us.”
