Georgia Secretary of State Raffensperger’s Amicus Brief Attempting to Prevent an Independent Audit in the State’s 2020 Election Results Includes At Least Seven False Accusations

Last week we reported that Georgia’s creepy Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger had petitioned the court to request that the state of Georgia not have to provide paper ballots in an audit requested and awarded by the court.

Yesterday, creative destruction media, listed seven instances in Raffensperger’s letter that are just plain false:

1 The brief falsely claims that Petitioners did not articulate legal justification to unseal the ballots while it totally ignores the most important point of relevant law that any court can unseal ballots for any reason under O.C.G.A. 21-2-500. If the controversies surrounding the Nov 3rd 2020 election do not justify reasons to unseal the ballots then what would?

2 The brief falsely portrays the lawsuit as only Open Records Request Act claims when in reality, most are Equal Protection and Due Process claims that justify unsealing of the ballots as part of discovery for evidence to adjudicate the claims;

3 The brief restates the off repeated false claims that there are overwhelming security and privacy issues involving the ballots. The ballots contain no voter identifiable information and will remain in the custody of Fulton Co. during the inspection according to the most recently filed inspection plan;

4 The brief falsely implies that recently signed Act 9 of the Georgia General Assembly, passed as SB202, prevents ballots from being unsealed. No such language exists as any reader can see by reviewing the bill language or our analysis of it in the sixth installment of our Georgia Election Integrity series. A recent Raffensperger press release claimed he “worked with the Georgia legislature to make sure ballot images could be made available to the public for review” when in reality, his Elections Director Chris Harvey and legal counsel Ryan Germany misled county elections directors in Emails by falsely claiming the AG office had issued an opinion that ballot images could not be made public;

5 The brief falsely attempts to use a 2007 Smith V. Dekalb case as precedent for ballot images when that case referenced the old DRE voting system that never produced paper ballot images.

6 The brief falsely states that lawsuit contains “baseless” claims when the claims are actually based on four sworn affidavits from seasoned poll managers stating they handled counterfeit ballots during the November 14th and 15th hand count audit

7 The brief falsely states that there was no unlawful activity at the State Farm Area when mail-in ballots were processed during the night of November 3rd and 4th 2020. The video shows a curved room that impaired monitor visibility, ballots being hidden under skirted tables, the same ballots being scanned more than once and scanning re-initiated after an announcement was made that scanning would stop for the night according to two sworn affidavits. All of these activities and conditions are violations of Georgia laws contrary to voting system implementation manager Gabriel Sterling who claimed it was “normal ballot processing” (O.C.G.A. 21-2-406, 21-2-483(b) 2-2-492, 21-2-493)

What is Raffensperger so scared about that he would intentionally disregard the truth in his letter to the court?

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/04/georgia-secretary-state-raffenspergers-amicus-brief-attempting-prevent-independent-audit-states-2020-election-results-includes-least-seven-false-accusations/

Pennsylvania Agrees to Remove 'Dead People' From Voters Lists After Lawsuit

Claims about 'dead people' purportedly voting in the 2020 presidential election are part of the voter fraud allegations continuing to be pushed by Donald Trump and his supporters. Attempts to prove these allegations in court failed, although the ex-POTUS has never conceded his defeat.

Pennsylvania's Department of State has agreed to remove deceased people from its voting rolls under conditions of a settlement in a lawsuit filed by The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) – a US legal group that seeks to purge ineligible voters from electoral lists nationwide.

Pennsylvania agreed to run a cross-check between its eligible-voter database and the federal lists of deceased citizens in the state, removing the latter from voter rolls. Thus the state will no longer send mail-in voting ballots to 'dead people', a move that will further limit the possibility of voter fraud in future elections.

"This marks an important victory for the integrity of elections in Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth’s failure to remove deceased registrants created a vast opportunity for voter fraud and abuse. It is important to not have dead voters active on the rolls for 5, 10, or even 20 years. This settlement fixes that", a PILF statement reads.

The agreement also includes a provision under which Pennsylvania will order each county commission to "promptly cancel the registrations" of the deceased, whose names had previously remained in voter lists.

Still on Voter Rolls After Twenty Years of Being Dead

The lawsuit, which PILF filed right after the 2020 election day, demanded Pennsylvania authorities fix a failure "to reasonably maintain voter registration records under federal and state law". According to the legal group, some 21,000 deceased individuals remain on the state voter lists, with 92% of that group dead for over a year. The organisation found at least 197 registrants who have been dead for at least twenty years, but were still "eligible" to vote under Pennsylvania records.

It is not yet known, how many records Pennsylvania State will correct under the conditions of the settlement.

Claims about 'dead voters' who allegedly voted during the 2020 electoral cycle were actively peddled by the Trump campaign as a part of its voter fraud allegations. The ex-POTUS legal team took these accusations to court, but failed to win any of the cases. Trump and some of his allies continue to push the claims that Democratic state authorities rigged the election, stealing the Republican victory in the presidential race.

https://sputniknews.com/us/202104101082593423-pennsylvania-agrees-to-remove-dead-people-from-voters-lists-after-lawsuit/

Iran Orders 10-day Shutdown Amid 4th Wave of Coronavirus Pandemic

Iran imposed a 10-day lockdown across most of the country on Saturday to curb the spread of a fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic, state media reported.

The lockdown affects 23 of the country’s 31 provinces, health ministry spokesman Alireza Raisi said. Businesses, schools, theatres, and sports facilities have been forced to shut and gatherings are banned during the holy fasting month of Ramadan that begins on Wednesday.

Iran’s coronavirus cases have surpassed 2 million with a new daily average of over 20,000 infections over the past week, according to the health ministry. It has reported more than 64,000 fatalities.

“Unfortunately, today we have entered a fourth wave,” President Hassan Rouhani said in televised remarks. He blamed the surge foremost on the variant that first emerged in the UK which spread to Iran earlier this year from neighboring Iraq.

Other factors included widespread travel, weddings, and celebrations during the Iranian New Year holidays that began on March 20, he said.

The UK variant is now predominant in the country, and 257 cities and towns are on red alert, Raisi said.

Iran has been the epicenter of the pandemic in the Middle East. In February, it closed several crossing points with Iraq in an effort to stem the spread of the UK variant.

The country’s vaccination drive has also been slow going.

Tehran says it has received more than 400,000 of 2 million Sputnik V vaccines on order from Russia, and that it is awaiting delivery of 4.2 million AstraZeneca shots.

It has also received 250,000 doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine and part of an order of 500,000 doses of India’s COVAXIN.

With a population of 83 million, Iran had hoped to secure over 2 million vaccines by March 20 to vaccinate mainly healthcare workers. It is developing at least four local vaccine candidates, one in cooperation with Cuba, which is expected to reach production in a few months.

https://www.ntd.com/iran-orders-10-day-shutdown-amid-4th-wave-of-coronavirus-pandemic_595288.html

Sexual assault across NYC up 322% from same time last year

The number of rapes reported across the city skyrocketed over the past three weeks — just as nicer weather arrived and capacity was expanded at bars and restaurants.

Sexual assaults surged 322 percent to 38 during the week of March 29-April 4 from the 9 reported the same period last year, NYPD data show.

The week prior, March 22-28, saw 36 sex attacks — 125 percent more than the 16 reported the same week in 2020 as pandemic lockdowns began.

Sexual assaults soared 94 percent to 33 from 17 for the week of March 15-21, NYPD stats show.

“I don’t think this is a coincidence. People are out going to bars and restaurants again at 50 percent capacity,” says Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant who teaches at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “As New Yorkers get vaccinated and start venturing out to the bar and nightclub scene, just beware of your surroundings and who you hang out with. Don’t let your guard down, don’t drink to excess, and never leave a friend behind.”

Of the 174 rapes reported in the Big Apple from Jan. 1 through April 4, the NYPD data show 14 were committed by strangers and 160 via “acquaintances,” which includes individuals who may have just met.

New York City expanded indoor dining capacity to 50 percent on March 19. Watering holes are still not allowed to serve over the bar, but patrons drink via table service when they order food.

The NYPD could not say if the disturbing numbers are linked to the relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions.

“We remain in unprecedented times amid the continuing strains of COVID-19. It’s always preferable to view crime statistics over a long period, to determine trends particularly during this ongoing pandemic,” an NYPD spokeswoman said, adding, “Year-to-date, rape complaints have declined by 13 percent.

“However, we acknowledge that rape is an underreported crime and we encourage victims and survivors to always please come forward.”

Of the 107 rapes reported from March 15-April 4 across the Big Apple, 28 occurred in Brooklyn and Manhattan, respectively, followed by 27 in Queens and 24 in the Bronx.

Queens saw 14 rapes in the week of March 29-April 4, a period with no rapes last year.

Midtown South — a precinct that covers many hotels, Times Square, and transit hubs like Penn Station — saw 10 rapes reported the week of March 22-28 — a 400 percent increase from the two reported there last year during the same period.

https://nypost.com/2021/04/10/sexual-assault-across-nyc-up-125-from-same-time-last-year/

The U.S. Economy Is Now Run By Women

So much for the patriarchy.

At the top of the helm in President Biden's economic cabinet are numerous women. For example, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and trade czar Katherine Tai all collectively help run the economy. Many of President Biden's economic advisors are also women, Reuters noted this week.

The effects of having women in charge of the economy are already being noted. Biden's $2.3 trillion spending plan includes $400 billion of support for jobs that take care of kids and seniors. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has pointed to a focus on "human infrastructure".

Yellen wrote on Twitter:

“In the end, it might be that this bill makes 80 years of history: it begins to fix the structural problems that have plagued our economy for the past four decades. This is just the start for us.”

Rebecca Henderson, a professor at Harvard Business School, says women can bring "fresh perspective" to policy:

“When you’re different from the rest of the group, you often see things differently. You tend to be more open to different solutions. We’re in a moment of enormous crisis. We need new ways of thinking.”

While women have taken the helm of countries as Presidents and Prime Ministers, "institutions that make economic decisions have largely been controlled by men until recently", the report notes.

Now, women like Christine Lagarde at the ECB, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at the WTO and Kristalina Georgieva at the IMF, all call the shots.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/us-economy-now-run-women

Back into quarantine? German govt plans new harsh Covid-19 restrictions in draft law – reports

Night-time curfews, sweeping business closures and severe limits on public gatherings are all part of the German government’s new bill aimed at “standardizing” Covid-19 measures to stop the third wave, German media report.

Berlin is currently working on amendments to the national Infection Protection Act that would significantly tighten the lockdown restrictions and greatly reduce the federal states’ ability to defy the government’s orders, German media that obtained the draft document report.

The document that is expected to be discussed and potentially approved by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet on Tuesday includes binding requirements for all federal states where an average seven-day Covid-19 infection rate will rise over 100 per 100,000 people. Such states will no longer be able to find any excuses to avoid imposing the so-called “emergency brake,” the supposed text of the bill, published by Die Welt on Saturday, reads.

All states over this threshold infection rate will be bound to introduce a standard set of measures developed by the federal government, should the legislation come into force. Such measures involve a night-time curfew between 21:00 and 05:00, with exceptions for medical emergencies, professional activities and for looking after people or animals.

Private and public gatherings would once again be limited to the members of one household and one person outside of it, with children under 14 excluded from this rule.

All non-essential stores and services, including cafes, clubs, museums and sports facilities, as well as shops other than grocery stores, pharmacies and petrol stations, would be closed. Employers would also have to let their employees work from home if there are no “compelling reasons” for them to stay in the workplace. Universities would switch to distance education, with in-person classes only being allowed if every person attending them presents a negative Covid-19 test result.

Such restrictions could only be lifted if the average seven-day Covid-19 infection numbers remain below the threshold level for three days in a row. The bill would grant the federal government an ability to issue special statutory ordinances – a right previously reserved for the federal states only – to regulate the restrictions and “guarantee nationwide uniform control” over the Covid-19 measures.

https://www.rt.com/news/520697-germany-covid-restrictions-quarantine-bill/