
It's not just voting and Covid: How red states are overriding their blue cities
CNN
Republican-controlled states have escalated their offensive against Democratic-controlled cities and counties this year to unprecedented heights, further deepening the trench between red and blue America.
From Key West, Florida, to Bozeman, Montana, from Atlanta to Houston, local communities predominantly governed by Democrats have seen more of their policy decisions overridden by Republican legislatures and governors. This surge of state preemption began with aggressive efforts by Republican governors to override local public health rules during the coronavirus pandemic, but in this year's legislative session it has spread to cover a panoramic range of issues. GOP-run states have reversed local decisions on everything from voting rules to police funding levels, from policies on homelessness and energy to zoning and fees on developers. In Key West's case, the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature even overturned a local ballot initiative barring giant cruise ships from docking in the small community.
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A high-ranking official at the Chinese consulate in New York shipped over a dozen Nanjing-style salted ducks prepared by his personal chef to the parents of a former aide to two New York governors. The aide also received tickets to events including a concert at Carnegie Hall and a ballet at Lincoln Center.










