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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.
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.”
In Midtown Manhattan, the normal noise of busy streets filled with commuters and shoppers was replaced by the sounds of power tools as businesses prepared for the election. Businesses have boarded up their windows and doors, and luxury residential buildings have hired extra security.
This comes as many fear the aftermath of this contentious election could include civil unrest.
From “the intelligence that we are hearing, there are going to be protests no matter who wins,” explained Kenneth Weiss, a senior account manager for Advanced Electronic Solutions, also known as AES. They are a security company that services some of the biggest residential and commercial buildings in New York City.
Kenneth explained that many buildings are using a combination of electronic security in terms of technology and physical security in terms of bodyguards.
“Security is like an onion, so you want to have different layers,” he said,” and the more layers you have, the harder it is for someone to cause damage to persons, property or information and let them go to the next building.”
Adding, they’ll also be using technology to monitor large group gatherings.
“A lot of the clients are using overt and covert video surveillance and using smart techniques, AI, deep learning algorithms, so that if a crowd is forming. it could alert someone that’s monitoring the systems and hopefully let them take some action before a problem occurs,” Kenneth added.
Mayor Bill de Blasio shrugged off questions about potential violence during his daily press conference.
The mayor asked people to accept election results, adding that the NYPD is ready if there is any unrest.
Both presidential candidates made their final push for votes right up to the wire, hitting all of the battleground states.
President Trump worked the phones from the White House while Joe Biden made his way back to his hometown of Scranton, Penn. With a lot on the line, especially for Catholics, some argue this may be the most important election in the history of our nation.
Joining Currents News to discuss Election Day 2020 is St. John’s University Political Science Professor Brian Browne.
Three people were killed by a knife-wielding attacker in a basilica in Nice, France on the morning of Oct. 29 in what the mayor of that city called a terrorist attack.This is just the latest in a string of church attacks in France.
Joining Currents News to talk about the elevated terror threat there and church security in general, is Joe Esposito, former NYPD Chief of Department and the former Commissioner of New York City Emergency Management.
There’s a lot of power that can come with changing your mind. In this election, with pro-life issues at the forefront, those voting with a Catholic conscience could have more power than ever before. Voters on both sides of the aisle say they’re letting their faith lead the way, but they’re not all going in the same direction.
“What’s happening here is we have a non-Catholic who’s upholding Catholic teaching and a Catholic who is undermining it,” said Chad Pecknold, an Associate Professor of Theology at the Catholic University of America.
Perhaps you agree, perhaps you don’t, but Chad is making his voice heard.
“I kind of got slotted into the ‘Never Trumper’ category,” Chad said.
He’s a swing voter. As a pro-life Catholic, Pecknold said he couldn’t he couldn’t and didn’t vote for President Trump in 2016, but this election he says he won’t even consider another candidate.
“It’s my goal to defend the unborn and the President has absolutely delivered on that, not only at the Supreme Court level but hundreds of judges that have been appointed. And I simply did not believe he would deliver those, but he did,” said Pecknold.
And he’s not the only one who thinks so: Brian Burch, the President of Catholic Vote, also changed his mind.
Trump has “a courageous record of pro-life commitment,” he said. “And I think all Catholics should look at that and say for those of us who were skeptical, we could not be happier to have been wrong.”
The pro-life movement has become more energized by President Trump’s record on pro-life issues. But many Catholics believe being pro-life doesn’t mean just being against abortion.
“I am pro-life, pro-social justice, consistent ethic Catholic and neither party and neither candidate match my values,” said John Carr the Director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University. “In some ways I’m politically homeless, but for me, I could not support President Trump.”
When it comes to voting with faith in mind, John is on the other end of the spectrum.
“Among the major issues for me is protecting the unborn and equality of all God’s children and fanning the flames of racism and demonizing immigrants has just been too much for me, so I can’t support President Trump,” John said.
In recent decades the Catholic vote has been essentially split down the middle, but at the same time Catholics represent a significant part of the population in battleground states like Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania. It’s counties in those states that can decide this election.
HARTFORD – He will now be called Blessed Michael McGivney.
Father Michael McGivney (1852-1890), the founder of the Knights of Columbus, is a step closer to sainthood after he was beatified at a Mass at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut on Oct. 31.
Father McGivney served as a parish priest in what is now the Archdiocese of Hartford. It was the archdiocese, along with the Knights of Columbus, that started the effort to have him elevated to sainthood. That effort began in 1997.
The beatification is of special interest in the Diocese of Brooklyn, where there are 82 Knights of Columbus councils.
Beatification, in which the Catholic Church recognizes that a deceased person has entered into heaven and is capable of interceding on behalf of people who pray to him or her, is the final step before sainthood. A person who has been beatified is referred to as “Blessed.”
One miracle has been attributed to Father McGivney’s intervention. A second miracle would have to be verified before Father McGivney could be declared a saint.
Bishop Frank Caggiano, bishop of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and a former auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Brooklyn, was among the members of the clergy at the celebration.
“I’m elated today,” he told The Tablet. Father McGivney was a young parish priest who served both his church and the mostly poor Irish immigrant community that surrounded his church,” Bishop Caggiano noted. “He is an example to today’s priests. He inspires us to get out there and meet the poor where they live, be among them,” he said.
The main celebrant of the Mass was Cardinal Joseph William Tobin, archbishop of Newark. He served as the representative of Pope Francis and read aloud a letter from the pontiff that officially declared Father McGivney beatified.
Archbishop of Hartford Leonard P. Blair was the concelebrant. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley of Boston were also on the altar.
The Archdiocese of Hartford took special precautions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including limiting the seating inside the cathedral and mandating the wearing of face masks.
Michelle, Daniel and Little Michael McGivney Schachle traveled all the way from Tennessee for the Mass. (Photo: Paula Katinas)
In May, Pope Francis signed a decree recognizing a miracle credited to Father McGivney.
The family that benefited from that miracle, the Schachles of Dickson, Tennessee, took part in the Mass.
Five years ago, Michelle and Daniel Schachle prayed to Father McGivney to save their unborn son after tests detected fetal hydrops, a condition that causes fluid to build up in the body’s organs. “We were told there was no hope and that our baby would die,” Michelle Schachle told The Tablet.
The couple was advised to get an abortion — advice they rejected.
“I was crying in the bedroom. My husband told me he prayed to fetal Father McGivney and that he was sure our baby boy would live,” she said.
Upon their return home from a trip to Fatima, the Schachles went back to the clinic and were shocked when doctors told them there was no sign of hydrops.
Blessed with that miracle, the couple decided to name their baby boy Michael McGivney Schachle. He is now five years old. He has Down syndrome and is thriving, his mother said.
Daniel Schacle, who is a fourth degree knight, said his son’s life can teach an important lesson. “It’s not up to us to determine quality of life. It wasn’t up to us to determine when Michael died. It’s up to God,” he said.
The family drove from Tennessee all the way to Connecticut for the Mass. During the service, the family, including little Michael, proceeded to the altar and presented a relic of Father McGivney.
Genevieve Schachle, 18, Michael’s sister, said the day was special for the whole family. “It’s all of these emotions coming at once,” she told Currents News. Calling her brother “my sweet baby,” she added, “I see the face of God when I look at him.”
There is another reason the Schachles feel a connection to Father McGivney. The Knights of Columbus founder was the oldest of 13 children. Little Michael McGivney Schachle is the youngest of 13.
Father McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882 while serving as a parish priest at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven. Originally established as a group to help widows and orphans, the Knights of Columbus is now the largest Catholic fraternal organization in the world. It has more than 2 million members.
A portrait of Father McGivney graced the area above the altar. (Photo: Paula Katinas)
“There are millions of people who look to Father McGivney and pray to him,” said Carl Anderson, the supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus.
The beatification of the organization’s founder is “more than a new chapter,” said Anderson, who added that the group will continue following Father McGivney’s example.
The beatification is being celebrated in the Diocese of Brooklyn with the establishment of a new Knights of Columbus Council at Blessed Trinity Parish, Rockaway Point.
Father Michael Gelfant, the pastor, said the new council, Our Lady of Knock Council 17580, was established just eight weeks ago and already has 72 members.
“The council was fast tracked to be open and running by the beatification and will receive a special beatification charter,” said Father Gelfant, who is the associate state chaplain for the Knights of Columbus. He is also the grand knight of the new council.
