Kanye West Brings Legal Challenge to Ballot Ban in Ohio

Rapper, fashion mogul, and independent contender in the 2020 presidential election Kanye West on Wednesday afternoon sued Ohio's secretary of state for rejecting his application to be listed on the state's ballot for the November election.

In a suit brought before the Ohio Supreme Court, West and running mate and pastor Michelle Tidball ask the court to compel the secretary of state's office to accept their petitions, overturning its decision to deny them based on a claimed discrepancy in signatures on two official campaign filings.

The Ohio filing is just the latest blow in the rapper-turned-candidate's struggle to appear on the ballot in November, when he is slated to be officially recognized in only a handful of states. Several more have, like Ohio, denied West ballot access.

A source with knowledge of the situation told the Washington Free Beacon that there are going to be "very aggressive legal efforts in Ohio and in states across the country to get Kanye on the ballot where he was qualified to do so. Attempts to keep Kanye off the ballot will be dealt with vigorously in court, without exception."

Earlier this month, West and Tidball filed the paperwork to the secretary of state's office to get on the Ohio ballot. At the time, the campaign submitted nearly 15,000 signatures, almost three times the state's minimum requirement.

But two weeks later, West's filing claims, Ohio director of elections Amanda Grandjean informed the campaign that the application had been denied, because the statement of candidacy they submitted to the secretary's office did not correspond to a copy of the statement associated with the nominating petition circulated by the campaign. In particular, Tidball's signature did not match on the two documents, "calling into question which is genuine," Grandjean wrote.

The same day Ohio secretary of state Frank LaRose announced West and Tidball's denial, he simultaneously announced that Green Party candidates Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker had been granted ballot access.

"A signature is the most basic form of authentication and an important, time-honored, security measure to ensure that a candidate aspires to be on the ballot and that a voter is being asked to sign a legitimate petition," LaRose said at the time. "There is no doubt that the West nominating petition and declaration of candidacy failed to meet the necessary threshold for certification."

https://freebeacon.com/2020-election/kanye-west-brings-legal-challenge-to-ballot-ban-in-ohio/

>>10430738

Rights experts condemn use of force against journalists covering US protests

Journalists covering ongoing protests denouncing systemic racism and police brutality in the United States must be able to do their job in peace, two experts on the right to freedom of expression said on Wednesday.

UN Special Rapporteur David Kaye, and his counterpart from the Organization of American States, Edison Lanza, condemned the use of force against journalists reporting on demonstrations that have rocked cities across the US over the past two weeks following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed African American man, by police in Minneapolis.

“We have received numerous reports of journalists attacked, harassed, arrested and detained in the course of their work covering protests in the United States against systemic racism and police brutality in the United States”, they said in a joint statement.

“Law enforcement has the duty to ensure the safety of journalists who are covering protests and to guarantee the right of the public to seek and receive information about these social mobilisations.”

‘Essential watchdog’ in democracies

The statement underlined the “essential watchdog role”, of the press in democratic societies, and the experts reminded US authorities that reporters must be afforded “the highest degree of protection” in order to perform their work freely.

“This obligation includes both the duty to avoid the use or threat of force against journalists and to protect journalists against third party violence,” they said.

“The targeting of media workers with lethal or less-lethal force for doing their work is prohibited under international human rights law and contrary to best policing standards. Those violating such rules must be subject to accountability and disciplinary processes.”

Leaders also have a role

Similarly, “public authorities should condemn attacks against journalists and promote the role played by the press”, the statement continued.

The experts have previously addressed what they described as US President Donald Trump’s “years-long attack” on the media, which has fostered a climate of hostility and intolerance.

Nearly two years ago, they expressed concern over the President referring to the media as the “enemy of the American people”, “very dishonest” or “fake news”, and accusing the press of “distorting democracy”, among other charges.

“We are deeply concerned that the militarisation of policing in the United States not only interferes with the right to peacefully assemble but also limits the ability of the press to cover protests”, the experts added.

“It encourages law enforcement to see protesters and journalists as belligerents, and we strongly encourage demilitarisation and a reliance on international standards for the management of protests”.

Right to freedom of expression

Mr. Kaye, an American, was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in August 2014 to monitor protection of the right to freedom of expression across the world.

As a Special Rapporteur, he is neither a UN staff member, nor is he paid by the Organization.

Mr. Lanza, who is from Uruguay, has served as the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) since October 2014.

The IACHR is a principal and autonomous organ of the Organization of American States (OAS).

https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/06/1066022

>>10430766

U.N. Reverses Ban on Staff Participation in Anti-Racism Protests

The secretary-general changes course on staffers’ participation in demonstrations against police brutality in the United States, citing a U.N. history of fighting discrimination.

The United Nations instructed its staff members last week not to participate in public demonstrations sweeping the world in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, on the grounds that public displays of support for the protest movement would undermine the world body’s reputation for impartiality, according to a copy of an internal circular the U.N. ethics board sent to U.N. staff last week.

But U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres reversed course on Tuesday, informing U.N. staffers by email that there is “no ban on personal expressions of solidarity or acts of peaceful civic engagement, provided they are carried out in an entirely private capacity.”

Speaking to U.N. staffers at a virtual town hall meeting last week, Guterres had acknowledged that many U.N. colleagues “would like to be more vocal and active” in response to the popular protests against racism and police brutality in New York and beyond, according to a video recording of the event obtained by Foreign Policy. But he said they would have to restrain themselves.

“We are all shocked by the brutality of the murder of George Floyd. … It’s important to recognize that at the center of [this crisis] there is a serious question of racism,” he said. But he cautioned that U.N. staffers’ status as international civil servants placed “limitations” on their freedom to speak out or act.

U.N. workers who wished to express support for the protesters would have to limit their activities to reposting U.N. press releases and social media posts by the U.N. chief and other senior U.N. officials, he said. “There is one thing we can all do, which is to retweet, to spread the U.N. messages that have been issued already in relation to [the protests], and this can be done by everybody and multiply and amplify those messages that are messages against racism, that are messages against police brutality, that are message against inequalities and discrimination,” Guterres said.

But the decision faced pushback among U.N. staffers and independent U.N. human rights advocates, who claimed the restrictions abridged the rights of individuals to free speech and peaceful assembly, which are enshrined in the U.N. Charter and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. “While I understand the need to ensure the impartiality of its international civil service, it is clear that internal UN rules cannot override broad international human rights norms applied in every nation,” Clément Voule, the U.N. special rapporteur on rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, said in a statement.

“The issues at the heart of the protests that have unfolded since the killing of George Floyd are the same fundamental issues that the UN has been fighting for since its establishment,” Voule, a Togolese lawyer, wrote. “The UN has been at the forefront of the fight against racism and discrimination. This is the reason why people have taken to the streets and why UN staff should be able to join them.”

The ethics board circular—which ordered U.N. officials to avoid protests and observe curfews in New York City and other American cities—followed weeks of mass demonstrations against police brutality across all 50 states. The protests—triggered by the video of a Minneapolis police officer asphyxiating Floyd with his knee on his neck—have inspired similar ones around the world.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/06/08/united-nations-staff-george-floyd-protests/

Plane Crashes Into Lake In Maine

FALMOUTH, Maine — Police say a plane crashed into a lake in Falmouth, Maine on Wednesday.

According to WGME, the aircraft went down in Highland Lake near Lowell Farm Road. Officials did not specify what type of aircraft was involved or if anyone was hurt.

https://breaking911.com/plane-crashes-into-lake-in-maine/

EU trade commissioner RESIGNS after outcry over attending quarantine-defying golf party in Ireland

EU Commissioner Phil Hogan is the latest political casualty of the ‘Golfgate’ scandal in which a host of Irish politicians partied at a golf club dinner, hours after introducing strict lockdown measures for the public.

Hogan, a member of Ireland’s Fine Gael party, announced his resignation on Wednesday. One day earlier, he briefed Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on his activities in Ireland last week.

Hogan attended a lavish party at the Station House Hotel in Clifden, County Galway, last Wednesday. Together with more than 80 people, including current and former MPs, senators, ambassadors and a supreme court judge, Hogan dined in an event organized by the Oireachtas (Parliament) Golf Society.

While guests sat ten to a table, the Irish public were hit with new coronavirus lockdown measures. These included a ban on indoor gatherings of more than six people at home and more than 50 in restaurants. Most pubs in the country remain closed too, and the entire county of Kildare, which borders Dublin, is under strict lockdown.

Hogan insisted that he broke no regulations, as he tested negative for Covid-19 two weeks before the dinner. However, Irish regulations require anyone returning from abroad – as Hogan did from Brussels – to quarantine for 14 days, test or no test. Since his return from Belgium, it emerged that not only did Hogan not quarantine at home, he journeyed to Dublin, Kilkenny and Limerick – via the quarantined county of Kildare.

https://www.rt.com/news/499144-ireland-eu-commissioner-resigns-golf/

Interesting!

Jacob Blake Had Outstanding Arrest Warrant For Sexual Assault Facing Upto 8-1/2 Years In Prison

Jacob Blake had an outstanding arrest warrant for sexual assault, trespassing and disorderly conduct in connection with domestic abuse. Police were responding to a domestic incident at a home in the area when Blake was shot, though nature of the dispute is unclear. Although viral video showed a cop shooting Blake while reaching for something in the car, another video from a different angle showed him brawling with the cops on the pavement. In 2015, Jacob Blake was charged with resisting arrest causing a soft tissue injury to a police officer while pulling a gun at the bar for which he was facing upto 8-1/2 years in prison.

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/77854/jacob-blake-had-outstanding-arrest-warrant-for-sexual-assault-facing-upto-812-years-in.html

Second Government Contracting Executive Pleads Guilty to Bribery Conspiracy Involving PBGC Contracts

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/second-government-contracting-executive-pleads-guilty-bribery-conspiracy-involving-pbgc

Scott Morrison’s unveils new power to block deals between China and states

Scott Morrison will rip up China’s Belt Road deal with Victoria as he unveils new powers to block secret deals between foreign powers.

Scott Morrison will unveil new powers to block secret deals between foreign powers including China with state governments and universities amid rising concern over espionage.

Just hours after one of China’s top diplomats insisted secretive deals with academics in Australia’s universities were simply designed to “spread sunshine”, the Prime Minister will argue urgent reforms are required.

The new test will ask whether or not the proposed arrangements adversely affect Australia’s foreign relations and whether it is inconsistent with Australian foreign policy.

If the arrangement fails the test the foreign minister will have powers to stop the state entity from negotiating, entering, remaining in or giving effect to any new arrangements.

“Australia’s foreign policies and relationships must always be set to serve Australia’s interests,” Mr Morrison said.

“One of the most important jobs of the Federal Government is to protect and promote Australia’s national interest.”

The reforms also follow concerns over Victoria’s Belt and Road initiative to build infrastructure in the state.

https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/scott-morrisons-unveils-new-power-to-block-deals-between-china-and-states/news-story/f96b6612dc18c90bfd697d7ae6a90a70

Ohhh this is getting interesting! note the staged rona outbreak in Victoria………..well looky here October 2019

Victoria deepens engagement with Beijing's controversial Belt and Road initiative

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-24/victoria-deepens-links-with-china-controversial-belt-and-road/11636704

>>10431145

https://qanon.pub/

Now shut ya bitchin