Trump Barred From Colorado Ballot, Israel-Gaza, Congolese Election

The state Supreme Court in Colorado says Donald Trump is ineligible for re-election.

It's an historic ruling that bars Trump from Colorado's primary ballot. The former president's campaign team says they will appeal.

I'm Amy Martinez, that's Michelle Martin, and this is up first from NPR News.

And millions of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo vote for their next president today. The country is facing ongoing violence from armed groups fighting for control of the country's precious metals, including cobalt, used to make smartphones. Stay with us, we've got the news you need to start your day.

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Christian nationalists want to turn America into a theocracy, a government under biblical rule.

If they gain more power, it could mean fewer rights for you.

I'm Heath Druzin and on the new season of Extremely American, I'll take you inside the movement.

Listen to Extremely American from Boise State Public Radio, part of the NPR network.

On the Ted Radio Hour, MIT psychologist Sherry Turkle, her latest research into the intimate relationships people are having with chatbots. Technologies that say, I care about you, I love you, I'm here for you, take care of me. The pros and Cons of artificial intimacy. That's on the Ted Radio Hour from NPR.

The Colorado Supreme Court issued an historic ruling yesterday it said Donald Trump is not eligible to become president again because he engaged in insurrection.

Now, the decision bars him from the state's primary ballot. Now, right away, Trump's campaign said it would appeal the ruling to the U.S Supreme Court.

For more on this, I'm joined by Colorado Public Radio's Bente Brooklyn Bente, Good morning hi. So, the ruling of this case stems from Trump's role in the January 6th events.

This is a case that challenges Trump's eligibility based on a provision of the U.

And what has the Trump campaign said in response?

A spokesman called it completely flawed and said they'll immediately appeal to the U.

Sure, of course, and three of whom he appointed. But can you say a little bit more about the clause in the Constitution, Section 3 that came into play here?

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was ratified after the Civil War, and it was really designed to bar former Confederate leaders from holding office. It's barely been used since then, but January 6th gave it a new application. In Colorado, six unaffiliated and Republican voters filed the lawsuit, backed by a liberal group. And there have been a number of attempts by liberal organizations to use Section 3 to disqualify Trump in states like Michigan, Minnesota, but those cases were dismissed.

So this is heading to the Supreme Court.

Yeah, all along. Election officials and legal experts have been saying that this is a question that may need to be resolved by the Supreme Court. One important note here the Colorado justices stayed their decision until early January, and that's when Colorado's ballots are set to be finalized. So Trump's name would appear on the ballot if the Supreme Court appeal is still pending. I think it's fair to say that politically, we can expect to hear a lot more about this.

That is Benta Birkeland with Colorado Public Radio Benta. Thank you.

Thanks so much.

Israel's military continues to launch ground and air assaults in Gaza, including in and around the southern city of Rafah. That's where hundreds of thousands of civilians have fled seeking safety.

As the death toll nears 20,000, according to Gaza's health ministry, Israel is coming under intense international pressure to limit further civilian casualties. Among the Palestinians killed yesterday in the aerial campaign was another journalist. Dozens of journalists have been killed in Gaza, according to media advocates.

So let's go now to NPR's Carrie Khan, who is in Tel Aviv. Carrie, good morning.

Thanks for having me.

So there's been no let up in Israel's aerial campaign in Gaza. There was a communications blackout for several days, and that's still going on in many places. Could you start by bringing us up to date on the situation now?

Bombing was heavy yesterday, especially in the north, and that's according to the U.

So what are you hearing about the possibility of another ceasefire in exchange of hostages and prisoners?

There have been meetings with U.

I say that information coming out of Gaza usually is incorrect, to say the least. It's a dire situation in Gaza. It's extremely painful, but what else can we do?

Aid groups are increasingly worried about deteriorating infrastructure in Gaza. UNICEF today released a report, saying sanitation and water services are at the point of collapse there.

So the U.

They've been trying to get a resolution for a couple of days and they will try again today. They're working on language to avoid another U.S veto, the U.S.

That is NPR's Keri Kahn from Tel Aviv, Keri, thank you.

You're welcome.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, millions of people head to the polls today to elect their next president. The incumbent Felix Tsitsekedi is seeking a second term.

The country is rich in minerals, but also faces a lot of challenges. And one of them is the violence being perpetuated by more than 100 armed groups in the east, vying for control of large deposits of oil, gold and cobalt. That's a metal used in smartphones.

And this comes after decades of conflict that has killed millions of people and led to an ongoing humanitarian crisis in the huge country, which is the second largest in Africa. Many Congolese may not even be able to get to a voting station to cast a ballot. NPR's Emmanuel Akinwotu is with us now from Lagos to tell us more. Good morning Emmanuel.

Good morning.

It just seems that so much is at stake for the Democratic Republic of Congo in this election. So just what are the most pressing issues?

President Felix Tsitsekedi. He's the incumbent seeking a second term. And he's seen as the favorite, even though his popularity has really waned since he took office four years ago. Many of the pretty brutal challenges that have gripped this country are now even more entrenched. You know, it's one of the most mineral-rich nations on Earth, but since independence from the Belgian colonial regime, it's never really thrived. Millions of people live in poverty, and that's gotten worse since Covid. Insecurity has worsened in the East, the humanitarian crisis, where more than six million people are displaced.

So you've been telling us about just how widespread the violence still is. So, given that, can elections even take place in the east of the country?

Yes, there's really profound challenges. It's really been a kind of logistical nightmare for the Electoral Commission because of security threats, and also because of challenges. With millions of people getting their voters cards. You know, about a million people, apparently, who wanted to vote will not be able to. Over 40 million people have registered. The Electoral Commission has actually been heavily criticized by civil society groups, but we'll see how this plays out.

I understand that the U.N. Security Council has agreed to withdraw U.N. peacekeepers from the region early in response to demands from the president. Why withdraw them when the violence is still going on?

Frankly, it's because the peacekeeping missions have failed, you know, they're deeply unpopular, there's no confidence in them on the ground anymore. There have been very high-profile scandals, sexual abuse scandals, too, things have really gotten worse.

That is NPR's Emmanuel Akinwotu in Lagos. Emmanuel, thank you so much.

Thank you.

And that's up first for Wednesday, December 20th. I'm Michelle Martin.

And I'm Abe Martinez Up First is produced by Claire Murashima, David West and Katie Klein. Our editors are Ali Schweitzer, Michael Sullivan, Ben Swayze and Alice Wolfley. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott, and our technical director is Zach Coleman. Join us again tomorrow.

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