US presidential election system should be changed to empower third party candidates, former congressman says

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Updated 05 September 2024
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US presidential election system should be changed to empower third party candidates, former congressman says

US presidential election system should be changed to empower third party candidates, former congressman says

CHICAGO: Former Chicago Congressman Bill Lipinski, who represented one of the largest concentrations of Arab and Muslim voters in the US, argued that American voters should not take the role of third-party candidates for granted.

A conservative Democrat who represented the third and later redistricted fifth congressional district in Chicago and the suburbs, Lipinski said it is extremely difficult for a third-party candidate to win, but they can force a presidential election into unforeseen results.

In an interview on The Ray Hanania Radio Show, to be broadcast Thursday Sept. 5, Lipinski said historically third-party candidates have denied victory to several major party candidates.

At least four instances in past elections were decided by the presence of popular third-party candidates who were also running for president. They include: Teddy Roosevelt in 1912 undermining the re-election of President William Howard Taft; Ross Perot undermining the re-election of George H.W. Bush to Bill Clinton in 1992; Ralph Nader undermining the election of Al Gore to George W. Bush in 2000; and Dr. Jill Stein undermining the election of Hillary Clinton to Donald J. Trump in 2016.


Given today’s polarized, emotion-driven politics, Lipinski argued that the American election system should be changed to accommodate third-party candidates.

“At times I would like to see a third party. There are other times when I think two parties. In another time in another place, two parties were sufficient. Today, I don’t believe that’s the case. Today, I would really like to see a third party because, unfortunately, the Republicans are controlled to a great extent nowadays by their extreme right wing, the Democrats, by their extreme left wing. That’s not good for the parties, I don’t think. Nor is it good for the country,” Lipinski said, noting that the moderates or centrists are “blocked out” by both parties.

Stein is currently running with the Green Party, and is attracting significant votes from Democratic minority constituencies of Arabs, Muslims and progressives who are angry with the reluctance of Democrat candidate Kamala Harris to force Israel’s government to end its “genocide” of Palestinians in Gaza.

Lipinski blamed the polarization and heightened voter emotion on former President Donald Trump, saying he shifted politics from issues to personalities.

He said that the influence of third-party candidates “can’t be taken for granted” in the election and that there is a misconception among many that the presidential election is decided by who gets the largest “popular vote.”

“This is not a democracy, it’s a republic. Now there is a slight difference between those two, but there is a difference. If no candidate receives the 270 votes necessary, electoral votes, that is, to be elected president, that it goes into the House of Representatives,” Lipinski said, noting that a third-party candidate has never won the election but could affect an election significantly.

Democracy, according to Mariam Webster dictionary, means the direct influence of the people (voters) in the selection of their government, while “Republic” means a process in which government decides what’s in the best interests of the people.

“In 2000, Al Gore would have been the president of the United States if he had won Florida, and he would’ve won Florida if the Green Party had not taken over 100,000 votes.”

American presidential elections are decided instead by the Electoral College Vote which is a system of 538 votes divided among each of the country’s 50 states plus Washington D.C., based on their voter population size. To win the presidency, a candidate must win at least 270 ECV to become president. Lipinski noted that in at least two elections, the losing candidate won the popular vote in the country, but lost the ECV. Those were in 2000 with Gore losing to Bush and in 2016 with Hillary Clinton losing to Trump.

In 2000, Bush won the election by winning the larger number of ECV, Lipinski noted. But Bush received more than 500,000 votes fewer than Gore. Bush had 50,455,156 or 47.87 percent of the total votes and Gore received 50,992,335, which was 48.38 percent. Nader, with the Green party, won 2,882,897 votes in the election causing Gore to lose Florida’s ECV to Bush.

Lipinski said he could not predict who will win the election, and acknowledged that Stein’s candidacy will have an effect, mainly on the Democratic party.

“She praises Joe (Biden) in a general way, but on specific issues. She’s starting to distance herself somewhat from him … She is much more today a centrist candidate than she has ever been before,” Lipinski said, noting Biden was more of a far left “progressive” during this election than he was in the past 40 as a “centrist Democrat” US Senator.

“What has happened with Harris. She’s been a progressive Democrat, going back to when she was the state’s attorney in San Francisco County, and then she was attorney general in California, a US senator. She was very progressive, very much a progressive Democrat. Now that she’s the Democratic nominee for president, she is slowly marching towards the center. It just goes to show you how much real consistency political people in this country have at the present time. Whatever it takes. That is their motto.”

Lipinski acknowledged there was more cooperation between the Republican and Democratic parties in the past, but we don’t see much of that today.

“Once the election is over, we need to have cooperation between the two parties “Republican and Democratic),” Lipinski said, noting Clinton and Gingrich coming together to balance the budget which was the first time since the Second World War.

Lipinski said that in the event that no candidate receives 270 ECV, the contest would go to the US House of Representatives where each of the country’s 50 states would get one vote based on which party had the most members in Congress. The Senate would decide the vice presidential contest in a different way, with each senator casting a vote.

You can listen to the entire interview with former Congressman Bill Lipinski on Thursday Sept. 5 at 5 p.m. EST and again on Monday Sept. 9 on WNZK AM 690 radio in Michigan, or by going online at https://ArabNews.com/RayRadioShow.


South Africa condemns ‘misinformation’ after Trump freezes aid

South Africa condemns ‘misinformation’ after Trump freezes aid
Updated 54 min 21 sec ago
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South Africa condemns ‘misinformation’ after Trump freezes aid

South Africa condemns ‘misinformation’ after Trump freezes aid
  • “We are concerned by what seems to be a campaign of misinformation,” the government said
  • South Africa said it “has taken note” of Trump’s executive order

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa condemned on Saturday US President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze aid to the country over a law he alleged allows land to be seized from white farmers.
“We are concerned by what seems to be a campaign of misinformation and propaganda aimed at misrepresenting our great nation,” the government said.
“It is disappointing to observe that such narratives seem to have found favor among decision-makers in the United States of America.”
The law would “enable the government of South Africa to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation,” Trump alleged in an executive order, which also noted foreign policy clashes between the two countries over the war in Gaza.
South Africa said it “has taken note” of Trump’s executive order, but added: “It is of great concern that the foundational premise of this order lacks factual accuracy and fails to recognize South Africa’s profound and painful history of colonialism and apartheid.”
Land ownership is a contentious issue in South Africa, with most farmland still owned by white people three decades after the end of apartheid and the government under pressure to implement reforms.


War crimes prosecutor first target of Trump’s ICC sanctions, sources say

War crimes prosecutor first target of Trump’s ICC sanctions, sources say
Updated 08 February 2025
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War crimes prosecutor first target of Trump’s ICC sanctions, sources say

War crimes prosecutor first target of Trump’s ICC sanctions, sources say
  • The sanctions include freezing of US assets of those designated and barring them and their families from visiting the United States
  • The order directed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in consultation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to submit a report within 60 days naming people who should be sanctioned

THE HAGUE: International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan is the first person to be hit with economic and travel sanctions authorized by US President Donald Trump that target the war crimes tribunal over investigations of US citizens or US allies, two sources briefed on the matter told Reuters on Friday.
Khan, who is British, was named on Friday in an annex — not yet made public — to an executive order signed by Trump a day earlier, a senior ICC official and another source, both briefed by US government officials, told Reuters. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a confidential matter.
The sanctions include freezing of US assets of those designated and barring them and their families from visiting the United States.
The order directed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in consultation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to submit a report within 60 days naming people who should be sanctioned.
The ICC on Friday condemned the sanctions, pledging to stand by its staff and “continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world, in all situations before it.” Court officials met in The Hague on Friday to discuss the implications of the sanctions.
The International Criminal Court, which opened in 2002, has international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in member states or if a situation is referred by the UN Security Council.
Dozens of countries warned on Friday that the US sanctions could “increase the risk of impunity for the most serious crimes and threaten to erode the international rule of law.”
“Sanctions would severely undermine all situations currently under investigation as the Court may have to close its field offices,” the 79 countries — who make up about two-thirds of the court’s members — said in a statement.

UN DEAL WITH US
Under an agreement between the United Nations and Washington, Khan should be able to regularly travel to New York to brief the UN Security Council on cases it had referred to the court in The Hague. The Security Council has referred the situations in Libya and Sudan’s Darfur region to the ICC.
“We trust that any restrictions taken against individuals would be implemented consistently with the host country’s obligations under the UN Headquarters agreement,” deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Friday.
Khan was most recently in New York last week to brief the Security Council on Sudan.
“International criminal law is an essential element to fighting impunity, which is unfortunately widespread,” Haq said. “The International Criminal Court is its essential element, and it must be allowed to work in full independence.”
Trump’s move on Thursday — repeating action he took during his first term — coincided with a visit to Washington by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who — along with his former defense minister and a leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas — is wanted by the ICC over the war in the Gaza.
During a visit to the US Congress on Friday, Netanyahu praised Trump’s move, describing the court as a “scandalous” organization “that threatens the right of all democracies to defend themselves.”


Zelensky urges allies to ‘invest’ in mineral wealth

Zelensky urges allies to ‘invest’ in mineral wealth
Updated 08 February 2025
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Zelensky urges allies to ‘invest’ in mineral wealth

Zelensky urges allies to ‘invest’ in mineral wealth
  • “We have mineral resources. This does not mean that we give them away to anyone, even to strategic partners,” Zelensky posted on social media
  • “It is about partnership. Put your money in. Invest. Let’s develop this together and make money”

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday Kyiv wants its allies to invest in its mineral resources after US President Donald Trump asked for “rare earths” in exchange for military aid.
“We have mineral resources. This does not mean that we give them away to anyone, even to strategic partners,” Zelensky posted on social media, quoting answers he had given in an interview with Reuters news agency.
“It is about partnership. Put your money in. Invest. Let’s develop this together and make money,” Zelensky said.
Trump said this week the United States was “looking to do a deal with Ukraine, where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earths and other things.”
Quoting his Reuters interview, Zelensky said Ukraine’s mineral wealth was worth “trillions of dollars,” citing its reserves of titanium and uranium, which he described as the largest in Europe.
He said it is very important for Ukraine to “keep all this” because these resources represent “security guarantees,” adding that he also did not want them to fall into Russia’s hands.
Trump’s call for a deal involving rare earths prompted criticism from the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday,
“We are helping (Ukraine) without asking to be paid in return. This should be everyone’s position,” he told the RND media group.
The US president said on Friday he would “probably” meet Zelensky next week in a location outside Ukraine.
Zelensky wrote on X on Friday that Ukraine and the US were “planning meetings and talks” and “working out the details,” without confirming there would be talks next week.
Trump has urged both Moscow and Kyiv to negotiate an end to the war, which is nearing a third year with Russia making steady advances in east Ukraine.
The US leader has said he is ready to meet Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, but no talks have been confirmed.


Amal Clooney takes up Oxford University professorship

Amal Clooney takes up Oxford University professorship
Updated 08 February 2025
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Amal Clooney takes up Oxford University professorship

Amal Clooney takes up Oxford University professorship
  • Blavatnik School of Government ‘delighted’ to appoint leading British-Lebanese barrister
  • She has won landmark legal cases representing victims of genocide, sexual assault, persecution

LONDON: Leading British-Lebanese human rights barrister Amal Clooney has become a professor at Oxford University.

She will be a visiting professor of practice in international law at the Blavatnik School of Government, The Times reported.

The 47-year-old is an Oxford graduate, having studied law at St. Hugh’s College. She said she was honored to return to her alma mater as a professor.

The Blavatnik School of Government said it was “delighted” to appoint Clooney, adding that her expertise will enhance research and teaching at the school.

Clooney has won landmark legal cases representing victims of genocide, sexual assault and persecution at some of the world’s top courts, including the International Criminal Court.

She co-founded the Clooney Foundation for Justice with her husband in 2016. It provides legal aid for free speech and women’s right cases in more than 40 countries.

Clooney has published two textbooks on international law, and was a visiting professor at New York City’s Columbia Law School.

“It is a privilege to have this opportunity to engage with the next generation of global leaders and to contribute to the vibrant academic community at Oxford,” she said.

“I look forward to collaborating with both faculty and students to advance access to justice around the world.”


India’s installed solar capacity surpasses 100 GW

India’s installed solar capacity surpasses 100 GW
Updated 08 February 2025
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India’s installed solar capacity surpasses 100 GW

India’s installed solar capacity surpasses 100 GW
  • Growth fueled by local solar module production
  • Country targets 280 GW solar capacity by 2030

NEW DELHI: India has announced that its installed solar power capacity has exceeded 100 GW as it aims to generate 500 GW of electricity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030 under its Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement.

As of Jan. 31, India’s total installed solar capacity stood at 100.33 GW. Another 84.10 GW are under implementation and an additional 47.49 GW under tendering, according to data shared by New and Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday.

“India’s energy journey over the past 10 years has been historic and inspiring. Initiatives like solar panels, solar parks and rooftop solar projects have brought about revolutionary changes,” Joshi said in a statement.

“Today India has successfully achieved the target of 100 GW of solar energy production. In the field of green energy, India is not only becoming self-reliant but is also showing the world a new path.”

According to the ministry’s data, India’s solar power sector has increased capacity by 3,450 percent over the past decade, rising from 2.82 GW in 2014. That growth has been fueled by local solar module production, which in 2014 had a capacity of only 2 GW.

“Over the past decade, this has surged to 60 GW, establishing India as a global leader in solar manufacturing,” Joshi said in his statement. “With continued policy support, India is on track to achieve a solar module production capacity of 100 GW by 2030.”
Solar energy is the dominant contributor to the country’s renewable energy growth, accounting for 47 percent of the total installed renewable energy capacity.

“India’s milestone of 100 GW installed solar capacity is a testament to its rapid clean energy transition, proving its ability to scale renewable infrastructure ... However, challenges remain: grid integration, financing gaps, and the continued dependence on coal for baseload power highlight the complexities of India’s energy future,” Binit Das, renewable energy program manager at the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi, told Arab News.

“As the country pushes toward its 280 GW solar target by 2030, addressing these hurdles will be key to ensuring a truly sustainable and resilient energy system,” Das added. “To truly achieve energy independence, India must complement solar with robust storage, hybrid solutions, and emerging technologies like green hydrogen and offshore wind. A diversified, resilient strategy is key to unlocking the full potential of renewables.”