Ballot Scanner Malfunction Disrupts Special Election in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Thousands of Ohioans, particularly in the Akron region, headed to polling stations today for a special election. The focal point of this election is the decision on Issue 1, a measure that seeks to set stringent rules on public attempts to modify the state constitution.

Polling stations opened their doors at 6:30 a.m. and are expected to close by 7:30 p.m. On the table is a decision that, if passed per Akron Beacon Journal, would:

Require 60% of voters to pass a new constitutional amendment, instead of a simple majority of 50% plus one.

Require citizens who want to place an amendment on the ballot to collect signatures from at least 5% of voters from the last gubernatorial election in all 88 counties, instead of the current 44.

Eliminate a 10-day cure period that allows citizens to replace any signatures deemed faulty by the secretary of state’s office.

However, a curveball was thrown in Cuyahoga Falls when News5’s Mike Holden reported ballot scanner issues.

“There’s a bit of an issue here… This has resulted in people not being able to cast their ballot immediately,” said Holden.

Affected voters were presented with two options: to store their ballots in an orange bag for later scanning or to nullify their ballot and return later. Distraught and frustrated, several voters reached out to the Board of Elections in Summit County for clarity.

Deputy Director Pete Zeigler claimed that there was no malfunction with any machines.

Instead, he pointed to poll workers’ unfamiliarity with the new voting machines as the source of the problems, according to Beacon Journal.

“These machines have not malfunctioned; this has only been happening because of poll workers struggling to learn the new equipment.” Zeigler said. “At no point was voting halted. They only swapped out machines as a precaution.”

Kari Lake took to Twitter to voice her frustrations, drawing parallels with Maricopa County and critiquing the Ohio Secretary of State.

“Sound familiar?? Looks like they took a page out of the Maricopa County “selections” playbook. Today is Election Day in Ohio and the machines don’t work. The swampy never-Trumper Ohio Secretary of State was too busy running for another office to do his job making sure Election Day runs smoothly. Reminds me of the jackasses who run Maricopa County elections when they sabotaged Election Day to stop the will of We the People. Wake up America,” Kari Lake wrote.

“Ohio has a big election today. The tabulators aren’t working and people are being asked to put their ballots into bags to be scanned later. Hmm,” Kari Lake wrote in a separate post.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/08/ballot-scanner-malfunction-disrupts-special-election-cuyahoga-falls/

Supreme Court reinstates Biden's ghost gun regulations

Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh dissented.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated the Biden administration's restrictions on "ghost guns," or firearms without serial numbers. The decision came in a 5-4 emergency ruling.

The justices paused a lower court ruling that invalidated the nationwide restrictions as the administration appeals a ruling from a Texas-based federal judge to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh dissented.

The executive branch's rule issued last year changes the definition of a firearm under federal law to include unfinished parts so it can be more easily tracked, The Associated Press reported. The rule does not ban the purchase of gun kits or firearms.

https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/supreme-court-reinstates-ghost-gun-regulations

America First Legal sues Target for allegedly misleading shareholders

At issue is a recent multi-billion loss stemming from a consumer boycott in response to the company's featuring Pride merchandise marketed toward children in June.

America First Legal announced on Tuesday that it had filed a lawsuit against retail giant Target for allegedly misleading shareholders with false statements about its political/social risk monitoring.

"Target’s management has misled investors, assuring them that the corporation oversees social and political issues and risks to protect shareholders," AFL stated. "Behind closed doors, Target works for its extremist hard-left 'stakeholders' at the expense of its customers and shareholders."

At issue is a recent multi-billion loss stemming from a consumer boycott in response to the company's featuring Pride merchandise marketed toward children in June.

"In its 2022 and 2023 Proxy Statements, Target assured shareholders and investors that the Board was monitoring for social and political issues and risks arising from the company’s ESG mandates," AFL tweeted. "However, management only cared whether its leftist 'stakeholders' were satisfied, disregarding the possibility that its customers and shareholders might feel differently."

"In May 2023, Target embraced the radical transgender agenda with its 'Pride' marketing and sales campaign," it continued. "The collection included clothing for children with rainbow symbols, LGBT-themed bibs and onesies for babies, and 'tuck-friendly' bathing suits for 'transgender women.'"

"This reckless move predictably caused more than a $12 billion collapse in share value — its largest loss in over 20 years," AFL asserted. The group then cited prior controversies involving the retailer's decision to permit customers to use restrooms that correspond with their gender identity rather than their biological sex.

"For far too long, large corporations have recklessly pandered to the left and 'bent the knee' to serve the woke elites. Today, on behalf of our client, America First Legal is saying enough is enough," the statement concluded.

The suit comes amid a broader backlash against companies taking socially progressive political stances and adopting so-called "woke" corporate practices. Bud Light, for instance, recently faced a substantial boycott in response to a disastrous marketing partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/america-first-legal-sues-target-allegedly-misleading-shareholders

Israel Threatens To Strike "Every Meter" Of Lebanon Amid Maritime Dispute

Just hours before the defense minister’s threat, Lebanon mobilized its naval forces in response to Israeli vessels violating the country’s sovereignty

Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, said on 8 August in a message addressed to both Hezbollah and the Lebanese government, that Tel Aviv is prepared to strike “every meter” of the country.

"Do not make a mistake, we do not want war, but we are ready to defend our citizens, our soldiers, and our sovereignty," the minister said.

"We will not hesitate to employ all of our power and to attack every meter of Hezbollah and of Lebanon … and return Lebanon to the stone age," he added.

Gallant said that Hezbollah “might mistakenly think that they can test Israel” due to the deep internal crisis it is facing, and the vow made by many of its army reservists to boycott military service protests against the government’s judicial reform program.

He affirmed, however, that Israel would not be divided in the event that Hezbollah threatened it with war.

Gallant’s threats came just hours after the Lebanese army mobilized its naval forces in response to Israeli boats that violated Lebanese sovereignty on 8 August.

Al-Mayadeen news outlet observed the Israeli boats entering Lebanon’s territorial waters via a camera located in the Naqoura area while the Lebanese army was escorting a tour of dozens of journalists to the southern borders.

Recently, there has been a series of Lebanese responses to ongoing Israeli violations of the country’s sovereignty. These violations include excavations on Lebanon’s side of the border, which serve as the basis for an Israeli plan to build a defensive wall.

Most recently, in early July, Israel annexed the northernmost part of the already occupied southern border village of Ghajar – which is internationally recognized Lebanese territory. The move drew widespread condemnation and has exacerbated the existing tensions on the border.

As a result of constant Israeli incursions, the Lebanese and Israeli militaries came close to facing off on the border last month. The tensions also relate to an outpost erected by Hezbollah earlier this year in the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms area – which has been under occupation since 1967.

Despite Israeli threats, complaints to the UN, and pressure from Washington, the Hezbollah outpost remains in place.

Last week, Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said that there is a “weakening in the policy of self-restraint” by Hezbollah on the border.

https://new.thecradle.co/articles/israel-threatens-to-strike-every-meter-of-lebanon

FBI Official Involved In Trump-Russia Hoax To Plead Guilty To – Conspiring With Russia

An ex-FBI agent who led the agency's New York counterintelligence division and played a key role in the Trump-Russia collusion probe - will plead guilty to charges of colluding with Russia himself, a federal judge suggested in a Monday order reported by the Washington Times.

Charles McGonigal was arrested in January and charged with violating US sanctions on Russia by taking secret payments from a Russian oligarch, Oleg V. Deripaska, to investigate a rival oligarch.

"The court has been informed that defendant Charles McGonigal may wish to enter a change of plea," wrote Judge Jennifer Reardon in a brief order in which she also scheduled a hearing for Aug. 15.

McGonigal initially pleaded not guilty on four corruption charges - including conspiring to evade U.S. sanctions, money laundering, conspiring to commit money laundering and conspiring to violate federal law against doing business with sanctioned individuals. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/fbi-official-involved-trump-russia-hoax-plead-guilty-conspiring-russia

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/aug/7/fbi-official-who-worked-trump-russia-probe-later-a/

Former Middle School Health Aide Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/former-middle-school-health-aide-sentenced-10-years-prison-possession-child-pornography

Former Los Lunas High School Coach Sentenced to 23 Years for Coercion and Enticement and Production of Child Pornography

https://www.justice.gov/usao-nm/pr/former-los-lunas-high-school-coach-sentenced-23-years-coercion-and-enticement-and

Three Board Members of Failed Washington Federal Bank in Chicago Guilty of Falsifying Records and Obstructing Regulators

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/three-board-members-failed-washington-federal-bank-chicago-guilty-falsifying-records

Former Leader of “Clan Del Golfo” Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison for Operating a Continuing Criminal Enterprise and Related Charges

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/former-leader-clan-del-golfo-drug-trafficking-organization-sentenced-45-years-prison

Leader Of Drug Trafficking Organization Responsible For Trafficking More Than 5,000 Kilograms Of Cocaine Sentenced To Prison

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/leader-drug-trafficking-organization-responsible-trafficking-more-5000-kilograms

Disney Partners With Transgender TikTok Influencer to Promote Girls’ Apparel and Dress Like Minnie Mouse

Disney clearly learned nothing from the Bud Light fiasco and has partnered with transgender TikTok influencer Seann Altman, a biological male who identifies as “gender fluid,” to promote a line of girls’ apparel.

The ultra-woke company worked with Altman on a video for Disney Style, one of the entertainment giant’s TikTok accounts.

In the video, Altman does a tutorial on dressing like Minnie Mouse.

Altman dons a red Minnie Mouse print dress, big red bow, and a white petticoat before putting his hair in two high buns to simulate the children’s character’s ears.

“I literally look like Minnie Mouse!” Altman declares.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/08/disney-partners-transgender-tiktok-influencer-promote-girls-apparel/

https://twitter.com/JimFergusonUK/status/1688495394001494016

Measuring Australia's excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic until the first quarter 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of people in Australia. Excess mortality, typically defined as the difference between the total number of deaths in a specified period and the expected numbers of deaths in that same period, continues to provide important insights into the mortality profile in Australia during this time.

https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/measuring-australias-excess-mortality-during-covid-19-pandemic-until-first-quarter-2023