Jose Garcia
Jose Garcia's JournalSupreme Court declines to hear Kari Lake voting machine lawsuit
Source: The Hill
The Supreme Court declined Monday to take up a case brought by Republicans Kari Lake and Mark Finchem over the use of voting machines in Arizona elections, the latest blow to the duo of GOP candidates who have seen their lawsuit rejected several times.
Lake and Finchem asked the Supreme Court to review a federal appellate judge’s decision to dismiss their case last October. The suit sought to block electronic voting machines from being used in the state, questioning their accuracy and reliability.
Lawyers for Lake, who is running for a Senate seat in Arizona this cycle, and Finchem, who is seeking a state Senate seat, argued in a court filing to the Supreme Court that they had sufficiently argued that “[a]ll Arizona-certified optical scanners and ballot marking devices, as well as the software on which they rely, have been wrongly certified for use”; Arizona’s voting machines had been “hacked” and “manipulated”; and that there were apparent discrepancies in the Maricopa County’s vote count after the 2020 election.
The lawsuit was filed ahead of the November 2022 midterms, when Lake was running for governor and Finchem was running for secretary of state. Both lost their elections.
Read more: https://thehill-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4611220-supreme-court-declines-to-hear-kari-lake-voting-machine-lawsuit/amp/?amp_gsa=1&_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQGsAEggAID#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17138015389541&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Fthehill.com%2Fhomenews%2Fcampaign%2F4611220-supreme-court-declines-to-hear-kari-lake-voting-machine-lawsuit%2F
White House Thoroughly Denounces Columbia University Protests: 'Blatantly Antisemitic, Unconscionable, and Dangerous'
Source: Mediaite
President Joe Biden’s White House denounced Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian protests as “blatantly anti-Semitic and dangerous.”
Over the last week, hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters have gathered to demand an end to the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The student protesters set up what they called a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” and included tents, signs, and more. The actions have led to hundreds of activists being arrested, including the daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
The White House on Sunday issued a statement condemning the protests after videos on social media captured demonstrators praising Hamas and denouncing the Israeli government.
“While every American has the right to peaceful protest, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly Antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous – they have absolutely no place on any college campus, or anywhere in the United States of America,” said White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates.
Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mediaite.com/biden/white-house-thoroughly-denounces-columbia-university-protests-blatantly-antisemitic-unconscionable-and-dangerous/amp/
Title IX: Athletes can play amid sexual misconduct inquiries
Source: ESPN
New federal regulations released Friday will prevent colleges and coaches from suspending athletes accused of sexual misconduct while school officials investigate complaints against them.
The due process provision is one of several outlined in the U.S. Department of Education's final version of regulations governing how K-12 schools, colleges and universities respond to complaints of sexual harassment and violence under Title IX. The regulations, a draft version of which the Biden administration proposed in June 2022, are scheduled to go into effect Aug. 1.
Friday's release did not include provisions regarding the eligibility of transgender athletes, which had been included in an earlier Department of Education proposal. Officials separated that issue from the broader Title IX rules, and those regulations are not expected until after November's presidential election. Asked during a call with reporters Thursday whether the delay was politically motivated, a senior administration official said those rules have a separate process, which is several months behind.
The due process provision was originally adopted in 2020 under the Trump administration by former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. While it has been championed by male athletes facing accusations and organizations advocating for stronger due process protections, it has been decried and criticized by survivors and their supporters for intimidating those who report violations and putting other students at risk.
Read more: Title IX: Athletes can play amid sexual misconduct inquiries
Lehigh Valley state House candidate's children accused of vandalizing political sign opposing her
Two children of Easton City Council member Taiba Sultana are accused of vandalizing a sign opposing her state House candidacy.
Sultana confirmed Thursday that two of her sons, ages 12 and 11, are accused of damaging the sign — one of several placed by PA Citizens PAC, a political action committee funded by attorney Raymond Lahoud.
Easton police would not release the names of the children but confirmed a state trooper on Wednesday afternoon saw two juveniles spray-painting the sign at Lafayette Street and Bushkill Drive.
The incident is under investigation and no charges have been filed, Capt. Salvatore Crisafulli said.
More: https://www.mcall.com/2024/04/18/pa-state-house-candidate-taiba-sultanas-children-accused-of-vandalizing-political-sign-opposing-her/
Federal criminal investigation opened into Key Bridge crash
Source: Washington Post
The FBI has opened a criminal investigation focusing on the massive container ship that brought down the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last month — a probe that will look at least in part at whether the crew left the port knowing the vessel had serious systems problems, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
Authorities are reviewing the events leading up to the moment when the Dali, a 985-foot Singapore-flagged ship, lost power while leaving the Port of Baltimore and slammed into one of the bridge’s support pillars, said the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing probe.
On Monday morning, federal agents appeared to board the ship to conduct a search. Less than an hour after the sun rose at 6:30 a.m., a succession of three boats pulled to the port side of the Dali. About 6:50 a.m. Monday, people wearing yellow or orange life jackets entered the Dali through a lower door and climbed a ladder to the ship’s bow. About a half-hour later, nearly a dozen more people wearing dark clothing pulled up in a smaller boat and climbed aboard.
The FBI confirmed in a statement that its agents were on the ship.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/04/15/balitmore-key-bridge-criminal-investigation/
10 years after armed standoff with federal agents, Bundy cattle are still grazing disputed rangeland
BUNKERVILLE, Nev. (AP) — The words “Revolution is Tradition” stenciled in fresh blue and red paint mark a cement wall in a dry river wash beneath a remote southern Nevada freeway overpass, where armed protesters and federal agents stared each other down through rifle sights 10 years ago.
It was just before noon on a hot and sunny Saturday when backers of cattle rancher Cliven Bundy, including hundreds of men, women and children, made the U.S. Bureau of Land Management quit enforcing court orders to remove Bundy cattle from vast arid rangeland surrounding his modest family ranch and melon farm.
Witnesses later said they feared the sound of a car backfiring would have unleashed a bloodbath. But no shots were fired, the government backed down and some 380 Bundy cattle that had been impounded were set free.
“Since then, we’ve relatively lived in peace,” Ryan Bundy, eldest among 14 Bundy siblings, said in a telephone interview. “The BLM doesn’t contact us, talk to us or bother us.”
More: https://news.yahoo.com/10-years-armed-standoff-federal-080350716.html
Protester who threatened city council facing 18 felony counts
Source: KGET-TV
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A pro-Palestinian protester arrested after telling the Bakersfield City Council, “We’ll see you at your house, we’ll murder you,” has been charged with 18 felony counts.
Riddhi Patel, 28, is charged with eight counts of threatening a public official and 10 counts of making terroristic threats, according to court records. Held on $1 million bail, she’s due in court at 3 p.m.
Patel made the threat, which was captured on video, during the public comment section of Wednesday’s city council meeting.
She first railed against council members for not passing a resolution condemning Israel’s actions in its war against Hamas. Later, she harangued them for the recently implemented security measures, saying they were put in place to retaliate against protesters.
Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.kget.com/news/crime-watch/protester-who-threatened-city-council-facing-18-felony-counts/amp/
Big donation to Rudy Giuliani defense fund is target of lawsuit alleging fraud by donor
Source: CNBC
One of the largest donations to Rudy Giuliani's legal defense fund is at the center of a new lawsuit that argues the $100,000 contribution rightfully belongs to victims of an alleged online fraud scheme.
The donation by Matthew Martorano in September accounted for nearly 13% of all the money that Giuliani, the former attorney for Donald Trump and onetime New York City mayor, raised in the fund.
The fund was intended to help Giuliani pay for lawyers in the Georgia election interference case — where Trump is a co-defendant — and in a civil defamation case that Giuliani lost, brought by two Georgia election workers.
But the plaintiff in the new civil suit — filed after CNBC reported on Martorano's donation earlier this year — claims that $100,000 flowed from Martorano's participation in an alleged online skin care product scam. They are seeking "to unwind" the donation to Giuliani.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2024/04/11/lawsuit-targets-donation-to-rudy-giuliani-defense-fund-.html
O.J. SIMPSON DEAD AT 76 After Cancer Battle
Source: TMZ
O.J. Simpson -- one of the most infamous high-profile Americans of all time -- is dead after a cancer battle.
The former NFL great -- who stood trial for the double-murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, in the '90s, only to be acquitted -- passed away Wednesday in Las Vegas ... this according to his family.
They say he was surrounded by his children and grandchildren when he died Wednesday night. Simpson's attorney also confirmed his death to TMZ.
O.J. had reportedly been battling prostate cancer in recent years, and his health took a turn for the worse of late -- with him landing in hospice care within the past few months.
Read more: https://www.tmz.com/2024/04/11/oj-simpson-dead-dies-cancer/
Duplicate please delete
Source: ABC News
Multiple people were injured after gunfire broke out at a celebration to mark the end of Ramadan in Philadelphia, police said.
The incident occurred Wednesday afternoon in the Parkside neighborhood at an Eid al-Fitr event that was attended by approximately 1,000 people, police said. The holiday marks the end of Ramadan, Islam's holy month of fasting.
Two "factions" pulled out guns and started shooting at each other at the outdoor gathering, according to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel. About 30 shots were fired, he said.
A 22-year-old was shot in the stomach during the gunfire and a juvenile self-transported to a hospital with a gunshot wound to the hand, Bethel said. Both are in stable condition, he said.
Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/abcnews.go.com/amp/US/philadelphia-eid-celebration-shooting/story%3fid=109097226
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