Civil Unrest and Protests Unfold as Presidential Election Ballot Counting Continues

Currents News Staff

Counting, court fights, and chaos seem to be the words of the day since election night failed to deliver a decisive winner. The leads are narrowing for the president and Joe Biden in some remaining key battlegrounds. But, Pennsylvania still could be the deciding factor.

The count continues, the protests rage on and the legal battles begin as this presidential election is still too close to call. The focus is on a handful of battleground states, which are still counting hundreds of thousands of mail-in ballots that could decide this election.

The Trump campaign is taking legal action in Michigan, Georgia and Nevada, saying they’ll request a recount in Wisconsin. On Nov. 5, a court victory in Pennsylvania gave the campaign more access to observe ballot counting.

“This is very important because as you know, they have kept us away 30 to 50 to 100 feet, with a barricade,” says former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, “They had a guy in there wearing a badge who was not a sworn law enforcement officer keeping people away.”

The Trump campaign had claimed the state was cheating.

“Our observers are going to be six feet behind every person who is counting these votes in accordance with the COVID protocols,” says Corey Lewandowski, Trump campaign senior advisor. “This is a win for every person who cast a legal ballot in the state of Pennsylvania.”

Pennsylvania’s democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro called the motion more political than legal.

“There are observers observing this counting, and the counting will continue,” says Josh.

While most protests around the country, like the one in Philadelphia, have been peaceful, some, including in New York City, have escalated. Pictures posted on the NYPD’s Twitter page show garbage set on fire in the streets of the West Village; powerful explosive M-80’s were found in the area of Fifth Avenue and Eighth Street, and police have confiscated other weapons at protests.

Former Vice President Joe Biden is asking his supporters to be patient, saying his campaign sees a clear path to 270 electoral votes.

“We the people will not be silenced,” he said. “We the people will not be bullied. We the people will not surrender.”

Brooklyn Diocese Priests Inspire Others to Answer the Call During National Vocation Awareness Week

By Jessica Easthope

It might not be a call to the priesthood, but every person has a vocation.

“Everyone has a vocation in life, whether it’s to be a priest, to be married, to be single or enter the religious life or the diaconate, every person has a call,” said Father Chris Bethge, the Assistant Vocation Director for the Brooklyn Diocese and teacher at Cathedral Preparatory School and Seminary in Elmhurst, Queens.

Father Chris has been called by God in many ways. His life has been shaped by example and now he’s trying to be an example for others.

“I pray there will be priests in the future that say I want to be a priest like Father Chris,” he said.

Last month the Vatican released data showing the growing priest shortage across the world, but the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is reporting steady enrollment over the last decade. The retention rate for the college seminary class of 2020 is expected to be 75 percent which is higher than the average 71 percent over the last 12 years. The Brooklyn Diocese has only lost one out of 47 current seminarians.

“In the Diocese of Brooklyn, I do believe because of the examples of good priests. I think it’s clearly working,” Father Chris said.

It worked for Father Peter Okajima, a newly ordained priest serving at Our Lady of the Snows in Floral Park, Queens.

“What we really need to focus on is having our adults, having our children fall in love with Christ,” Father Peter said.

He knows firsthand the power of vocation. When Father Peter was being called, he was married with two children. His marriage was eventually annulled and he entered the seminary.

“I had everything, I had a decent job making good money, I had a wonderful family, I was living in a nice house and yet I had this sense of incompleteness,” he said.

Though it’s a challenge with the ongoing pandemic, Father Peter says he feels he can inspire future priests by being present and asking the simple question that led him to a religious life.

“Just saying, ‘Have you thought about being a priest?’ Sometimes, people need that question asked,” said Father Peter.

Father Chris’ message to people considering the religious life is to follow the path God is leading you down.

“Pope Benedict said, ‘The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness,’” Father Chris reminded.

Out of Cathedral Prep School and Seminary’s 34 seniors, nine have expressed interest in continuing to discern their call to the priesthood.

COVID Testing Begins for Red Zone Catholic Schools in Brooklyn, Queens Per Reopening Requirements

By Emily Drooby

On Thursday Nov. 5, St. Athanasius Catholic Academy students Emma and Dominic Thomas were tested for COVID-19.

Emma described the test as, “kinda tickly but it was soft.”

“When it went into my nose I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it actually doesn’t hurt.’ It felt really soft, but it almost made me sneeze,” explained her brother.

This is a step that needs to be taken before their red zone school can welcome students back.

Last week New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced stricter reopening guidelines for schools in COVID hot spot zones, including that everyone must have a negative COVID test before in-person learning can restart. The new rules also require 25 percent of the school to be tested weekly after reopening.

Six Catholic schools in the Brooklyn Diocese were forced closed for being in a red zone. St. Athanasius in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn is one of them.

They held on-site testing for their students Wednesday and Thursday. Even their pastor, Monsignor David Cassato, joined. He says all 170 people they tested the first day were negative.

“I’m glad I got it done because I want this school opened, I want the kids back in here,” said Monsignor Cassato, who is also the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Vicar for Catholic Schools.

The process was easy. Kids were ushered into a private room with their parents and a registered nurse administered the test. The results came back in just 15 minutes.

However, getting testing up and running was not painless.

“It’s been very difficult getting this all together. Because the state took days to send the tests. And secondly, trying to get a vendor to take care of us and to get the testing done,” explained Monsignor Cassato.

He thanked Maimonides Medical Center for making the testing possible.

Across the Brooklyn Diocese, other schools are dealing with a similar struggle. Every school is at a different stage of testing.

Finishing testing doesn’t mean the schools can just open up. Results have to be sent to the state, which will give final approval.

“The children are really actually accommodating really well, but they need to get back to some kind of normal,” said the school’s principal, Diane Competello.

“I miss my teachers and my friends and I miss hanging out with them at class,” Noelle Pianoforte, a student at the school, told Currents News.

St. Athanasius Catholic Academy has been closed for almost five weeks.

Currents News full broadcast for Wed, 11/4/20 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

All eyes are on a handful of battle ground states as Election 2020 is far from over.

The all-important Senate races – will the Democrats flip the Senate or can Senate Republicans hold on to a slim majority?

The Supreme Court hears their first case with Justice Amy Coney Barrett on board – a Catholic adoption agency is fighting for their right to religious freedom.

Biden Hopeful on Heading to White House, Trump Claims Fraud With Presidential Election Undecided

By Jessica Easthope

The 2020 historic race for the White House hangs in the balance. Late in the afternoon on Nov. 4, former Vice President Joe Biden addressed the American people, not yet declaring victory but sounding hopeful that he’s headed for the presidency.

“After a long night of counting it’s clear we’re winning enough states needed to win 270 electoral votes to win the presidency,” Biden said during a brief press conference.

Now, all eyes are on Pennsylvania, one of five states that stand in the way of an official victory for Biden or President Donald Trump who, through his attorney Rudy Giuliani, has filed a lawsuit citing election fraud in Philadelphia.

“This is a fraud on the American public,” President Trump said.

President Trump claimed victory in the early morning hours Wednesday, with millions of ballots still to be counted.

“This is an embarrassment to our country. We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election,” the President said.

Former Vice President Biden urged his supporters and the American people to be patient.

“We’re gonna have to be patient until the hard work of tallying votes is finished. And it ain’t over until every vote is counted, every ballot is counted,” Biden said.

At of 6 p.m. EST, Biden is expected to secure a victory in Nevada, President Trump in Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Alaska. There are questions about Biden’s flip of Arizona as more ballots are being counted. The state has voted Republican in every presidential election — except one —since 1952.

Wednesday, President Trump called for a recount in Wisconsin and that could take days. Close to 100 million people voted early this election, both in person and by mail, taking election workers longer to count every vote.

“As I’ve said all along. It’s not my place or Donald Trump’s place to say who’s won this election. That’s the decision of the American people. Keep the faith, guys! We’re going to win this,” Biden said.

If elected, Joe Biden would be only the second Catholic president. He was able to secure New York State, and won by large margins in Brooklyn and Queens.

President Trump’s prediction for the election? It must go to the Supreme Court. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who was re-elected in Kentucky, backed that.

“Going to court is the way we resolve uncertainty in our country, so no I’m not troubled at all by the president suggesting that because the other side’s already doing it too, and you can anticipate in close elections both sides will be lawyered up and we’ll end up in court,” Sen. McConnell said.

Also as of 6 p.m. EST Wednesday evening, Joe Biden has 264 electoral votes, President Trump has 214. 270 are needed to win.

Breaking Down Incoming Election Results for Trump and Biden, State by State

Currents News Staff

Political analyst Brian Browne joins Currents News to offer insight and break down the presidential election results in some states and counties.

President Trump won in Florida, doing especially well in Miami-Dade County, which has a large Latino population. It’s also a state that has a large number of senior citizens who are the high-risk group for COVID-19. The president has taken a lot of heat for how he’s handled the pandemic, but it appears seniors backed Trump as well.

Biden won the state of Wisconsin, the scene of the police involved shooting of Jacob Blake over the summer, and then protests and civil unrest. Even though Biden won the state, Donald Trump led in that county.

If Democrats Flip the Senate From a Republican Majority, What That Would Mean for Catholics?

By Emily Drooby

Some U.S. Senators held onto their seats and other seats were flipped as Democrats attempted to take back the U.S. Senate, which before Election Day had a Republican majority.

They need four seats, three if Joe Biden wins the election, because his vice president would break a Senate tie.

Democrats picked up two seats: one in Colorado and one in Arizona

But Republicans offset one of those losses with a win in Alabama. It looks like two races in Georgia will likely go to a runoff in January.

All signs point to Republicans retaining a narrow majority of the Senate. With the House retaining a Democratic majority and a possible Biden presidency, conservatives holding the Senate would be key for many Catholics worried about issues like abortion funding and religious freedom.

One example is the Equality Act, which makes sexual orientation and gender identity protected classes. U.S. Bishops think its passage could roll back key religious freedom protections. The GOP led Senate has blocked it in the past, but it would be a risk again if the Senate flipped Democratic.

Losing the Senate could also mean losing Hyde Amendment protections, which stops federal funding of elective abortions. Pro-lifers fear this could lead to another round of COVID relief that includes funding for abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.

The Senate also approves federal judges, which is very important to many Catholics as issues like abortion and freedom of religion often hinge on those appointments.

During his first four years of presidency, Donald Trump made over 200 appointments to the Federal courts and three to the Supreme Court.

Having a conservative majority in the Senate would allow lawmakers to fight against liberal judicial nominations.

All Eyes Are on Swing States as Election Votes Are Being Counted

Currents News Staff

All eyes are still on the battleground states as we return to the presidential race.

It’s the same story — and the same states — that the presidential election will be decided in.

In 2016, President Trump flipped Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, states that hadn’t voted Republican since the 80’s.

The Associated Press says Biden won in Wisconsin this year, but the rest are still up for grabs, as are other swing states.

This presidential election is also different from the last, the most obvious change being the number of people voting and mail in ballots. President Trump on Election Night suggested votes stop being counted, and even said he would go to the Supreme Court to get it stopped.

Nevada election officials are saying they won’t release all of their results until Nov. 5. In Pennsylvania they stopped counting ballots for the night on Tuesday.

So, what does the path to victory look like this year for each candidate?

St. John’s University political science professor Brian Browne is back with Currents News to walk us through what happens now.

Brooklyn Voters See Smooth Election Day Due to Record Early Voting Numbers

By Jessica Easthope

Walk up and come right in — that’s what voters were doing the afternoon of Nov. 3 at Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Museum, two of the busiest early voting sites.

“I guess it’s just because everyone voted early and got it out of the way, but I am surprised,” said Emma Suits, a voter who cast her ballot at Barclays Center in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn on Tuesday.

Some were shocked by the lack of crowds, but chalked it up to the nearly 100 million people who voted early this election.

“My grandfather, he voted early here and he said there was a very long line so I am surprised that on Election Day there is no line,” said Imani Miller, who voted at the Brooklyn Museum.

“There’s like no one here, it’s odd, I guess it’s because everyone did it earlier,” said Roya Carreras, another Brooklyn Museum voter. “But I’m always happy to vote, and it feels very empowering and important, so I guess we’ll just wait and see and pray.”

At the Brooklyn Museum, the Black Chef Movement was stationed out in front with free food, making sure Election Day energy was up.

“This year is critical for what’s going on in the world — the reaction to COVID-19 and racial injustices, it’s so important for people to get out and have their voices heard. And we’re here to just support people who might need some food or some energy in order to vote,” said Erica Lezama, there with the Black Chef Movement.

And at Barclays Center, Deborah Dawkins was giving back in her own way, handing out flowers in memory of her mother.

“I’m here with these flowers because my mother who was very adamant about voting is no longer with me, she passed away May 3 from COVID and I think, I know had the legislation acted sooner she may still be here,” Deborah said.

The pandemic was at the forefront of voters’ minds as they headed to the polls.

“If I wasn’t going to vote already it would be the main reason why I’m voting now,” explained Imani. “There are places back in Europe going back into lockdown, so it’s absolutely not over.”

Currents News full broadcast for Tues, 11/03/20 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

Election Day 2020, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Turnout could be the biggest in 100 years.

Everything is on the line during the most contentious race yet – we have team coverage.

Cities around the country hoping for the best and expecting the worst, boarded up and preparing for chaos in the streets.

Plus, the Catholic vote. The religious population in small swing state counties could decide the election of the century. But who will win?