From the press release this is an interesting, and oddly colloquial, way for the United States Dept of Justice under AG Bill Barr to define the first amendment.

…”Social distancing, while difficult and unfamiliar for a nation that has long prided itself on the strength of its voluntary associations, has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of American lives from an imminent threat.”…

I never quite thought about the first amendment as being so casual.  Let’s all attend our ‘voluntary associations’ on Sunday.  Alrighty then… Though, well, I do wonder what an involuntary association would be. I digress; I’m being petty.

[DOJ] “Today, the Department filed a Statement of Interest in support of a church in Mississippi that allegedly sought to hold parking lot worship services, in which congregants listened to their pastor preach over their car radios, while sitting in their cars in the church parking lot with their windows rolled up. 

The City of Greenville fined congregants $500 per person for attending these parking lot services – while permitting citizens to attend nearby drive-in restaurants, even with their windows open.[1]  The City appears to have thereby singled churches out as the only essential service (as designated by the state of Mississippi) that may not operate despite following all CDC and state recommendations regarding social distancing.

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Six states hold presidential primary elections today and the first results should start coming in shortly after 8:00pm Eastern Time.

Initial reports from Mississippi and Missouri today are “very low turnout”.  Additionally, the Michigan secretary of state warned the results may not be known until “well into” Wednesday, as the state and DNC work to “adjust recent changes” in the elections system.

Michigan (125 delegates), polls close 8:00pm ET; Mississippi (36 delegates), polls close at 8:00pm ET; Missouri (68 delegates), polls close 8:00pm ET; North Dakota (14 delegates), polls close 8:00pm ET; Idaho (20 delegates), most polls close 10:00pm ET; Washington State (89 delegates), polls close 11:00pm ET.

New York Times Election Results Here

CNN Election Results Here

Politico Election Results Here

Michigan (125 delegates), Idaho (20), Mississippi (36), Missouri (68), North Dakota (14), and Washington State (89) all vote today.  If you are on the ground in one of these key states feel free to share your own ground report in the comments section.

How is turnout?  What is the sense in your area, town, region or precinct?
Treeper ground reports have proven to be some of the most accurate real time analysis and much better than the MSM spin.  So, what do you see going on?

Voters in Kentucky, Mississippi, Virginia and New Jersey are voting today to select new Governors and state legislators.  President Trump has rallied in support of Matt Bevin (Kentucky) and Tate Reeves (Mississippi), while Democrats have spent millions on Virginia.

Mississippi Election Results – Clarion Ledger HERE

Mississippi Election Results – Decision Desk HQ HERE

Kentucky Secretary of State – Election Results HERE

CNN Election Results: MS, KY, VA – HERE

New York Times (All States/All Races) – Election Results HERE

With all of the DC ankle-biters constantly nipping at his heels and opposing President Trump simply because he’s disrupting their indulgences, let’s hope the great people of Mississippi provide an energetic welcome…
Today President Donald Trump exits the swamp and heads to Tupelo, Mississippi, for a Keep America Great Rally at Bancorp-South Arena. President Trump is expected to speak at 7:00pm CDT / 8:00pm EDT with pre-speech rally events and speakers starting earlier.
UPDATE: Video Added (just hit play)

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After federal authorities raided seven chicken processing facilities in Mississippi last week evidence is now surfacing (within probable cause affidavits – full pdf below) of willful and intentional illegal hiring practices.  But don’t look for all the employers to be prosecuted.
The Washington Post has an excellent outline of the seven facilities citing dozens of instances where evidence shows each company knew they were hiring people who were not legally eligible for work.
In a surprising number of cases the illegal employees were arrested by Border Patrol in California, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona and released on electronic-monitoring programs, including ankle bracelets, to await court dates.
According to the affidavits federal authorities tracked the GPS locators on some of the employees and found they were illegally working in all of the facilities.  During interviews with the workers they stated how friends and family members in Mexico and Guatemala told them where to go for work in Mississippi.
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Retired ICE Director Tom Homan appears on Fox News to discuss the latest illegal immigrant enforcement action in Mississippi.

(Reuters) – U.S. immigration authorities arrested nearly 700 people at seven agricultural processing plants across Mississippi on Wednesday in what federal officials said could be the largest worksite enforcement operation in a single state. (read more)

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At 2:00pm EST Tropical Storm Barry is strengthening with current 65 MPH winds.  Barry is still forecast to become a hurricane shortly before landfall.  Slow movement, warm water and growing energy is a concern as Barry is anticipated to be a long duration flood event.
Extreme rains and widespread flooding are anticipated for Louisiana and the Mississippi valley area.  Pay close attention to local officials for your area.  Barry is not a concerning wind event; however, the extreme rainfall and flooding are significant concerns.

Hurricane Center – At 100 PM CDT (1800 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Barry was located near latitude 28.4 North, longitude 90.6 West. Barry is moving toward the west-northwest near 5 mph (7 km/h). A motion toward the northwest is expected to begin later today, followed by a turn toward the north Saturday night. On the forecast track, the center of Barry will approach the central or southeastern coast of Louisiana through tonight and then make landfall over the central Louisiana coast on Saturday.
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The latest storm advisory from the National Hurricane Center still shows Louisiana as the most likely impacted region of the northern gulf coast. Tropical Storm Barry will likely become Hurricane Barry shortly before landfall.  Severe flooding is the largest concern.
National Hurricane Center – At 4:00pm CDT (2100 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Barry was located near latitude 27.8 North, longitude 89.3 West. Barry is moving toward the west near 5 mph (7 km/h) and this motion is expected to continue tonight. A turn toward the northwest is expected on Friday, followed by a turn toward the north on Saturday.

On the forecast track, the center of Barry will be near or over the central or southeastern coast of Louisiana Friday night or Saturday, and then move inland into the lower Mississippi Valley on Sunday.
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UPDATE: Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith easily wins: 55-45

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