By Tierney Sneed, Fredreka Schouten, CNN

(CNN) — The federal elections overhaul bill that’s a top priority for President Donald Trump already faced near-impossible odds in the Senate, but the White House is making the “SAVE America Act” even more difficult to pass by insisting that Republicans load it up with additional controversial provisions.

The version that passed the House last month – focused on adding strict new ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting – is not expected to get the approval of the Senate because Republicans lack the votes to eliminate the filibuster, which allows the Democratic minority to block the bill.

But Trump has doubled down, commanding Republicans to add provisions that would end the widespread practice of no-excuse mail voting and target transgender policies that have been effective culture war fights for the GOP yet are unrelated to the running of elections.

If either the current iteration of the bill, or the pie-in-the-sky version Trump is now reaching for, were to become law, it would be a massive disruption for this year’s midterm elections. (Under an earlier draft of the “SAVE America Act” some of the provisions would have not taken effect until next year, but a last-minute change to the bill in the House makes those requirements take effect immediately upon enactment),

Election experts say documented cases of voter fraud – especially voting by non-citizens – are exceedingly rare. The right-leaning Heritage Foundation’s database of confirmed fraud cases, for instance, shows fewer than 100 examples of noncitizens improperly casting ballots between 2000 and 2025.

Currently, states that on their own are trying to implement proof of citizenship mandates for voting can only do so for state and local elections, so proponents of the federal legislation say it is a much-needed fix so states can enforce those requirements up and down the ballot. Critics say the legislation puts unnecessary burdens on voters, requiring them to present documents that millions of Americans don’t have easy access to in order to exercise the franchise.

Current provisions

Proof of Citizenship

Individuals would have to present to election officials in person documents proving their citizenship, such as a birth certificate, US passport or a naturalization certificate, to register to vote. In cases such as marriage – where the name on a birth certificate doesn’t match the voter’s current name – voter registration applicants would be allowed to submit additional documents that explain the discrepancy.

More than 21 million otherwise eligible voters do not have easy access to those citizenship documents, according to a survey conducted by the Brennan Center, a left-leaning think tank that researches election issues, and other groups.

Supporters of the bill have argued that a REAL ID, such as those required at airports, would suffice for meeting the citizenship document requirement. However, that is only true for the handful of states that issue REAL IDs that indicate a person’s citizenship.

Currently, voters simply sign an attestation, under penalty of perjury, that they are US citizens.

Voter registration

The bill would complicate a person’s ability to register online or by mail, because those using those registration methods would have to still go to their election office in person to show their proof of citizenship.

Jason Snead, a proponent of the bill who leads the Honest Elections Project, argued because an “overwhelming majority of people register to vote in person through the DMV already,” that extra step would not be a burden fo

By MJ Lee, Nicky Robertson, CNN

(CNN) — Sarah Ferguson, the ex-wife of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was desperate. Almost a decade and a half after her highly public divorce from the former prince in 1996, Ferguson – better known to many as “Fergie” – owed tens of thousands of pounds in rent, was feeling alone, and in search of a new career.

On all of these tribulations, Ferguson sought help and advice from her friend: Jeffrey Epstein.

CNN’s examination of dozens of files in the Justice Department’s “Epstein library” found that Ferguson continually showered Epstein with praise, including after his 2008 conviction in Florida for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

Messages show that Ferguson affectionately referred to Epstein as her “spectacular and special friend,” “the brother I have always wished for,” and told him “I am so proud of you” while he was serving jail time. More than once, Ferguson quipped that Epstein should marry her.

The former duchess, now 66, sought to lean on Epstein for financial help, repeatedly inquiring whether she could borrow money from the financier and asking him to employ her as his “house assistant.” CNN’s review also found that even after Ferguson criticized Epstein in an interview by tying him to pedophilia, in private, she was remorseful and apologetic to Epstein for those public comments.

Ferguson is one of many public figures whose close ties to the late convicted child sex offender have newly come to light through the millions of Epstein-related files released by the Justice Department.

Her ex-husband, the former Prince Andrew, has been publicly disgraced for his own association with Epstein: He was thrown out of the monarchy; made to relinquish his titles; moved out of his longtime home in the Crown’s Windsor Estate; and in February, arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

Six companies linked to Ferguson are shutting down in the aftermath of the release of the Epstein files, CNN previously reported.

Ferguson has not been accused of crimes related to Epstein, and the appearance of one’s name in the Epstein files does not suggest wrongdoing. CNN has reached out to a representative for Ferguson for comment.

Ferguson to Epstein while he was in jail: ‘I am so proud of you’

Epstein still had months left of his 18-month jail sentence in early April of 2009 when he received an email from Ferguson. She wrote that she was landing in Palm Beach in a few hours and she wanted to know whether she could see Epstein during her layover for a cup of tea.

Epstein, who was given work-release privileges that allowed him to leave jail for up to 12 hours a day, six days a week, responded: “yes.” (It is not clear whether the two ultimately saw each other that day.)

Two days later, Epstein wrote an email to Ferguson that began with the words: “you look great.” In the message, Epstein laid out his vision for a company that Ferguson could run called “Mothers Army,” an initiative aimed at helping mothers in need that would be funded by corporate sponsors.

Ferguson sounded delighted.

“My dear spectacular and special friend Jeffrey,” she wrote back. “You are a legend, and I am so proud of you.” She continued on to write that she had “read and devoured” Epstein’s email, and that she planned to get back to him with a “business pla

The post Schools Should Be Safe Spaces appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

HENDERSON, Nevada (KEYT) - Cal Poly was just 6-of-32 from three-point distance for only 19 percent in a 72-69 first round loss to UC San Diego at the Big West Championships.

The top scorer in the Big West Hamad Mousa scored a team-high 21 points Cal Poly but he was 0-for-6 from beyond the arc while teammate Peter Bandelj made just 1-for-9 on his three-point attempts.

Cal Poly led the defending Big West Champions 35-26 at the half but the Tritons rallied behind a game-high 23 points from Hudson Mayes and 20 points from Tom Beattie.

The Mustangs finish the season 14-19.

The post Cal Poly struggles from long distance and has short stay at Big West Championships appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Andrew Freedman, CNN

(CNN) — A drastic weather pattern change is about to induce an acute case of weather whiplash for most of the country. During the next few days, a record-setting Western heat wave will settle in while winterlike cold returns to the East.

The heat wave in the West will dominate weather headlines for at least two weeks starting Thursday, as numerous locations are likely to set all-time heat records for the month of March.

The heat will melt the West’s already well-below-average snowpack, raising concerns for spring and summer water resources and a potentially severe wildfire season. The heat all but assures that Colorado and Utah will have their lowest snowpack on record.

“We’re going to get to April first and we’re going to see some very scary snowpack numbers essentially everywhere” across the West, University of California climate scientist Daniel Swain said this week.

The heat, which is already building in the Southwest, comes courtesy of a strong area of high pressure, or ridge in the upper atmosphere, also known as a heat dome. This weather feature is likely to park over the West without moving much for up to two weeks.

Downstream of the heat dome, the jet stream will dive south out of Canada, transporting cold air into the Midwest and East, along with chances for snowfall into mid-to-late March.

If this feels familiar, it is because this is the same pattern that brought multiple cold outbreaks and major winter storms to the East this winter, though the unusually mild weather this past week likely had residents thinking spring may have sprung.

Cities that saw high temperatures in the 70s and 80s this week are likely to see highs in the 30s and 40s next week.

Washington, DC, saw a high temperature of 84 degrees on Tuesday, but will drop into the 50s this weekend, and fall into the 40s early next week. Temperatures climbed into the 70s in parts of the Northeast on Tuesday, but multiple chances of more snow are back in the forecast there during the next five to seven days.

The cooldown may reach all the way into the Southeast, where parts of Florida could see lows in the 50s this weekend, potentially plunging into the 40s early next week.

While the impending cold snap in the East will feel like major whiplash, the weather shift in the West will be far more significant.

Deadly heat in March

The National Weather Service is warning residents of the Southwest in particular to prepare for unprecedented — and potentially deadly — March temperatures during what will be a long duration heat wave.

Phoenix is likely to see its earliest 100-degree day on record, beating the current record by more than 10 days, according to the NWS.

“Given the unprecedented length and magnitude of this extreme heat wave, heat stress will be increasing each day,” NWS forecasters in Los Angeles said Wednesday. Extreme heat can be deadly, and is the top weather-related killer in the Lower 48 states annually.

This heat wave follows what was already the West’s hottest meteorological winter – December through February – on record, with multiple states setting all-time warmest winter records.

Southern California is predicted to experience temperatures as much as 20 to 30 degrees above average for this time of year during the course of the next two weeks, the NWS warned.

Climate change increases the likelihood, duration, and severity of heat waves, and likely played a role in clinching the title for the West’s hottest winter.

In addition, seasonal timing is shifting as the world warms. Across much of the US, winter is the fastest-warming season, and spring is also coming earlier in many areas with the last freeze happening sooner.

The-CNN-Wire