At least a dozen ballots connected to voter fraud scheme in Colorado
Thousands of votes already cast in one Colorado county are being reviewed again after election staff discovered at least a dozen fraudulent ballots. The Colorado Secretary of State’s office said the ballots were stolen, fraudulently filled out and mailed into the Mesa County election office.
Officials identified the issue by the signature verification process, which compares the signatures on ballots to those the state has on file for voters.
Several of the affected voters reached out saying they never sent in their ballot after they received a message from the county clerk’s office that their signature had a discrepancy.
Other voters who had their ballots stolen would have been notified, but those ballots were intercepted in time.
“What we also know is that Colorado’s elections are safe and secure and this attempt at fraud was found and investigated quickly because of Colorado’s groundbreaking tools that we have here,” Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said.
The Mesa County district attorney is investigating. Griswold said it appeared the same person signed a number of the ballots, but it is not clear if that individual signed all of them.
All registered voters in Colorado receive ballots by mail, which they can return by mail, at a drop box or polling center.
Billing error, not rising energy prices, behind viral Trump campaign moment
A viral moment from former President Donald Trump’s recent campaign stop at a Bronx barbershop captured the store’s owner, Javier Rodriguez, expressing concerns about sharply rising energy costs, saying his annual utility bill rose from $2,100 to $15,000 over the last four years. However, it has now been reported by The New York Times that the increase in power bills was not due to rising energy prices since Trump left office, but rather a billing error.
This all began when Rodriguez shared allegations of a more than 600% spike in his shop’s energy costs during Trump’s visit to his business. Rodriguez’s story quickly spread online, raising questions about whether such a large increase in the barber’s power bill was actually possible. A Straight Arrow News analysis of the math behind the supposed energy cost hike found that the figures did not align with current state electric rates.
However, the substantial increase in Rodriguez’s power bill is now believed to be the result of a recurring billing error linked to a malfunctioning smart meter. At times, the meter had been charging Rodriguez’s barbershop 14 times the actual amount of electricity it used.
Con Edison, the utility company responsible for managing power across New York City, has acknowledged the error. The company stated that it had been working to resolve the problem since August, and reached out directly to Rodriguez to correct the mistake. The company also claims that no payments have been or will be collected from Rodriguez until the issue is fully resolved.
During Trump’s town hall style event at his barbershop, Rodriguez mentioned that he was in the process of disputing the charges with Con Edison. The barber posted this exchange with the former president on his Instagram, although that portion of their conversation was omitted from Fox News’ coverage of Trump’s visit. The network expressed it is happy to see that the segment helped bring the billing issue to light.
Rodriguez admitted he was initially overwhelmed by the media attention, but now sees it as a positive development, as he says the public spotlight prompted Con Edison to address the situation more urgently.
CNN alleges Fox edited Trump’s controversial barbershop remarks
CNN accused Fox News of selectively editing a recent segment featuring former President Donald Trump’s visit to a Bronx barbershop, where he interacted with patrons and answered questions. The network aired a condensed 15-minute version that omitted several of Trump’s controversial remarks, according to CNN.
CNN claims several exaggerated statements about immigration in Ohio, crime in Colorado and praise for Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The network also claimed the edits were aimed at presenting Trump in a more favorable light.
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Fox News stated that all barbershop interviews are pre-taped and edited for time and clarity. Officials noted the Bronx segment ran nearly an hour in its original form. The network maintains that segments were edited to streamline Trump’s responses.
However, CNN contends that the edits altered the perception of Trump’s responses. The network cited a now-deleted Instagram video from an audience member that showed Trump taking longer, unedited pauses and answering repeated questions more indirectly.
CNN alleges that Fox condensed Trump’s answers to offer more straightforward sound bites that made him appear direct and on-topic. In one case, Fox cut Trump’s lengthy response about eliminating federal taxes.
The original video showed Trump discussing unrelated topics before finally answering the question after being prompted multiple times. The video has since been deleted by the audience member who posted it on Instagram.
AP Images
This controversy mirrors Trump’s recent accusation that CBS similarly edited an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris on “60 Minutes“. Trump claimed CBS cut certain responses to enhance Harris’ image. Trump demanded that CBS release the unedited footage, accusing the network of bias.
Critics, however, argue that the CBS edits were intended for promotional snippets. They said Fox’s approach removed portions from the primary segment, potentially misrepresenting Trump’s full dialogue with barbershop patrons.
Media analysts are now raising questions about how network editing choices might impact public perception of political figures. Fox’s cuts, they argue, could create a skewed narrative of Trump’s responses, while the incident underscores broader concerns over transparency in network television. Fox has yet to release the full unedited footage from Trump’s barbershop visit to clarify CNN’s claims.
Harris, Trump campaigns and allies spent half-a-billion dollars in just over 2 weeks
Turn on the television for any length of time and the political ads are constant, especially in the race for president. In the days leading up to Election Day on Nov. 5, expect the onslaught to continue as the candidates and the surrogates spend a whopping amount of money.
According to financial disclosures filed this week, The Trump and Harris campaigns spent more than half-a-billion dollars in the first half of October 2024. The campaigns themselves doled $265 million, while their super PACs kicked in another $260 million.
During that same time period in October, The New York Times found that the Harris campaign raised about $183 million. The Trump campaign pulled in $92 million. Most of the money is being spent on advertising as quickly as it is coming in.
Their surrogates are also spending lots of money on the race. The Democrats’ largest super PAC, Future Forward, spent $82 million on ad buys during the week of Oct. 21 alone. The Harris campaign is getting a financial boost from Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz. He has contributed $38 million.
Donald Trump meanwhile is getting financial help from the world’s richest man, Elon Musk. He spent $57 million on Republicans in the first half of October and contributed $119 million overall.
Musk is also contributing money to Senate Republicans in an effort to flip the Senate to the GOP in the election.
Former model says Donald Trump groped her in front of Jeffrey Epstein
A former Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model claimed she was groped by former President Donald Trump in the 90s. She also said that Jeffrey Epstein was involved.
Stacey Williams sat down with CNN on Thursday, Oct. 24, for her first on-camera interview about the allegation.
Stacey Williams’ shares her story
Williams said she and Epstein, whom she was dating at the time, were walking together on Fifth Avenue in New York City in 1993 when Epstein brought her to Trump Tower. That’s when she said Trump greeted them outside his office. She said he immediately pulled her into him and started groping her with Epstein standing there watching and smiling.
“Then the hands started moving, and they were on the, you know, on the side of my breasts, on my hips, back down to my butt, back up, sort of then, you know, they were just on me the whole time,” Williams said.
After leaving, Williams claimed Epstein berated her for allowing Trump to touch her.
“I just had this really like sickening feeling that it was coordinated, that somehow the whole thing was — I was rolled in there like a piece of meat for some kind of weird, twisted game,” Williams said.
Williams said she ended her relationship with Epstein after the encounter. She also said she didn’t know of his predatory behavior that would be revealed years later.
Trump was once close friends with Epstein. He publicly distanced himself from Epstein after the financier faced charges related to inappropriate sexual conduct with underage girls.
Williams also said she got a Mar-a-Lago postcard from Trump delivered to her modeling agency shortly after the incident at Trump Tower. It read, “Stacey, your home away from home. Love, Donald.”
CNN spoke to three friends of Williams who each said that she told them about the incident with Trump and Epstein in 2006, 2015 and 2016.
Trump campaign responds
The Trump campaign denied Williams’ allegations calling it a “fake story contrived by Kamala Harris’ campaign.”
Williams insists her decision to go public with this claim isn’t related to the 2024 election and that she hasn’t spoken to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign about the allegation.
She said sharing her story coincides with the release of a new documentary about Sports Illustrated. She said she mentioned the incident in the documentary.
Arab-American voters may be key in swing state Michigan
Former President Donald Trump will head to Michigan for a rally on Friday, Oct. 25. The campaign stop will see him give a speech to supporters in Traverse City, speaking to them from the AV flight hanger at Cherry Capital Airport.
Michigan is one of the seven battleground states where pundits believe the presidential race will be decided. The state has 15 electoral votes, and is home to a very large Arab-American population. More than 300,000 people of Arab or Middle Eastern descent live there. In Dearborn, Arab-Americans are now a majority.
A poll out this week from Arab News/YouGov, found that Trump had a slight lead over Vice President Kamala Harris among Arab-Americans, 45% to 43%. The war in the Middle East is a major issue.
The poll found that 39% of respondents believe Trump would be able to solve the war between Israel and Hamas, while 33% said Harris could solve it. However, survey participants see Trump as more supportive of Israel while they view Harris as more sensitive to Arab-Americans.
A board member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Action, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, believes Harris’ lack of support in the polls is the result of her unwillingness to push Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, or impose a weapons embargo on Israel.
The Harris campaign realizes the importance of Michigan and its voters. According to The Associated Press, she has made nearly a dozen campaign trips to the state since becoming the Democratic nominee this past summer.
RealClearPolitics has the race for Michigan as a dead heat between Trump and Harris with less than two weeks to go until Election Day.
Springsteen rallies for Harris; Trump targets voters in Southwest
As Election Day nears, Vice President Kamala Harris brought out some big names, including Bruce Springsteen, to back her campaign while former President Donald Trump talked border control in two key swing states. And McDonald’s officials say they’ve identified the source of the deadly E. coli outbreak linked to its Quarter Pounders. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.
Springsteen rallies for Harris; Trump targets voters in southwest
With more than 30 million votes already cast, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are now just 11 days away from America deciding who will be the U.S.’ next leader.
Thursday night, Oct. 24, it was another kind of boss who called to get out the vote and showed his support for the Democratic nominee. Bruce Springsteen performed at a rally for Vice President Harris outside Atlanta.
In between songs, Springsteen addressed the crowd, describing former President Trump as a tyrant and sharing why he is supporting Harris.
“I want a president who reveres the Constitution, who does not threaten but wants to protect and guide our great democracy, who believes in the rule of law and the peaceful transfer of power, who will fight for a woman’s right to choose, and who wants to create a middle-class economy that will serve all our citizens,” Springsteen said. “There is only one candidate in this election who holds those principles dear: Kamala Harris.”
Bruce @Springsteen: Donald Trump wants to be a tyrant. He does not know what it means to be deeply American. I am urging all who believe in the American way to join me in voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz pic.twitter.com/HSkwKKXOmz
“We have an opportunity before us to turn the page on the fear and divisiveness that have characterized our politics for a decade because of Donald Trump,” Harris said. “We have the opportunity to chart a new way and joyful way forward.”
Meanwhile, Trump spoke at two rallies Thursday; one in Arizona and another in Nevada.
On the campus of Arizona State University, Trump focused his attention on the border and the immigration crisis, putting the blame squarely on Vice President Harris.
“She has eradicated our sovereign border, and she has unleashed an army of migrant gangs who are waging a campaign of violence and terror against our citizens.” Trump said, “And my message today is very simple: Kamala’s migrant invasion, given to us through gross incompetence, disqualifies her from even thinking about being president. We can’t let that happen.”
“Under the Trump administration, we’re going to build an economy that lifts up all Americans,” Trump said, “including African Americans, Hispanic Americans and also members of our great Asian American and Pacific Islander community, many of whom are here today.”
I was in Las Vegas this evening with a message of hope for all Americans—With your vote in this election, I WILL END INFLATION, I WILL STOP THE INVASION, and I WILL BRING BACK THE AMERICAN DREAM! Together, WE will MAGA!!! Thank you, NEVADA! pic.twitter.com/cgt8lb0lIi
Friday, Oct. 25, all eyes are on Texas. Former President Trump will speak to reporters in Austin and plans to sit down for an interview on Joe Rogan’s podcast, according to multiple outlets. Vice President Harris’ team has confirmed there were talks for her to also be a future guest on the podcast, but schedules did not align.
Ohio abortion ban ruled unconstitutional by county judge
An Ohio judge has ruled the state’s ban on most abortions is unconstitutional. Thursday, a county judge said Ohio’s so-called “heartbeat law” violates a voter-approved amendment to the state constitution.
The heartbeat law banned most abortions once a heartbeat is detected, which could be as early as six weeks — before many women even know they are pregnant. It passed in 2019 and took effect in 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Last year, Ohioans voted 56% in favor of a constitutional amendment effectively rendering that law null. After it passed, Ohio’s Republican attorney general requested to leave all but the abortion part of the law in place.
DA recommends Menendez brothers be resentenced for parents’ murders
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced he’s recommending the Menendez brothers be resentenced for the 1989 murders of their parents. In 1996, a judge sentenced Erik and Lyle Menendez to life in prison for the killings.
The brothers claimed they had been sexually abused by their father, but prosecutors argued inheriting the family’s money was their motive. The sexual abuse claims recently resurfaced with some Menendez relatives saying the abuse was, in fact, true.
Now, the LA County DA is recommending they be resentenced to 50 years to life, which would make them both immediately eligible for parole under California law because they were younger than 26 at the time of the murders.
"Throughout his disastrous tenure as DA, Gascón has consistently prioritized celebrity cases over the rights of crime victims, showing more interest in being in the spotlight than in upholding justice," Michele Hanisee ADDA President @GeneMaddaus Read: https://t.co/biSSkmv2Sz
“There is no excuse for murder,” Gascón said, “and I will never imply that what we’re doing here is to excuse that behavior — because even if you get abused, the right path is to call the police, seek help — but I understand also how sometimes people get desperate.”
He added, “I believe that they have paid their debt to society.”
DOJ reaches $100M settlement in deadly Baltimore bridge collapse
The Department of Justice has reached a settlement in connection with the deadly Baltimore bridge collapse in March. The DOJ said the two companies that owned the cargo ship, which crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, have agreed to pay more than $100 million to resolve a civil claim.
That claim alleged the disaster was caused by the companies’ cost-cutting measures and neglecting the ship’s maintenance.
McDonald’s did not say which facility the onions were sent to, but at least 49 people in 10 states were sickened and one person has died from the outbreak. Most of the infections were reported in Colorado and Nebraska.
Goldfish changes name to Chilean sea bass to reach adult snackers
One of the most popular brands in snack foods has undergone a major name change. Goldfish, the snack that smiles back, has temporarily changed its name to Chilean Sea Bass.
Here’s the catch though: the Chilean Sea Bass limited edition crackers are not sold in stores. They’re only available online with a price of $7.38 for two bags.
The snacks are available through Oct. 30 here, but once they sell out for the day, you’ll have to wait until your next chance to reel in the deal.
Iowa and Georgia officials report noncitizens registered to vote
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said earlier this week 87 noncitizens in Iowa voted in previous state elections out of 2.3 million registered Iowa voters. Pate stated those cases were turned over to the attorney general, and if guilty, those individuals could face felony charges.
Additionally, Pate reported 2,022 people who had previously identified themselves as non-U.S. citizens were registered to vote in Iowa.
The audit revealed some of these noncitizens registered to vote through the Department of Transportation while renewing their driver’s licenses. Officials said the audit was routine and something they do before any election. A spokesperson for Pate’s office said some may have since been naturalized as U.S. citizens and are now legally allowed to vote.
In Georgia, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger reported that 20 noncitizens were registered to vote, out of 8.2 million voters.
Raffensperger’s said his office removed all 20 from the voter rolls and gave their information to law enforcement. They could face charges, according to Raffensperger. None of the noncitizens cast ballots for November’s presidential election. However, Raffensperger said nine of them had participated in earlier elections.
“List maintenance is not a one-time thing,” Raffensperger said during a news conference on Wednesday, Oct. 23. “It is an ongoing process with incremental improvement. We need to remain constantly vigilant. I am committed to keeping up with list maintenance activities and will be conducting a comprehensive citizenship audit once a year going forward.”
The chief operating officer for Raffensperger’s office told reporters Wednesday that if a noncitizen is on a path to citizenship and registers to vote, “you will never get to be a citizen. It is a very high risk, very little reward for one vote thing.”
Russia spreading lies about US hurricanes to win war in Ukraine: Study
More lies and conspiracy theories are reportedly coming to Americans from the Kremlin. Russia has long been accused of sowing division and now it’s being discovered that those efforts appear to be ramping up ahead of the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election.
A study released on Thursday, Oct. 24, shows Russia has been spreading misinformation about recent hurricanes in the United States and the federal government’s response. It’s reportedly part of an ongoing effort to meddle in the country’s political debates.
Researchers say that Russian state media, social media accounts and websites are all involved. They said the groups are trying to frame the federal response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton in a negative light. They believe the goal is to show American leaders as incompetent or corrupt.
The London-based organization behind the study said this is how Moscow disinformation groups infiltrate U.S. households, by taking advantage of polarizing issues to cast doubt on the American government and each other.
Melanie Smith, the director of the research group,said disinformation actors capitalize on natural disasters by “simply pouring gasoline on fires that already exist.”
The false claims nclude false assertions that the Federal Emergency Mangement Agency (FEMA) is diverting funds to aid migrants and conspiracy theories of government weather manipulation.
The conspiracy theories may have serious consequences as well. One man who was arrested for threatening FEMA workers in North Carolina said he was motivated by false social media claims that the agency was withholding supplies from Hurricane Helene victims.
Analysts believe that Russia’s war against Ukraine is the main motivator for spreading lies. They note that if Russia can convince enough Americans to oppose U.S. support of Kyiv, Moscow’s path to victory in Ukraine gets much easier.
DOJ warns Musk $1 million payments to voters may be illegal, FEC complaint filed
The Department of Justice sent a letter to Elon Musk’s super PAC, warning them that the $1 million dollar a day giveaway to registered voters may be illegal. America PAC has given away at least $4 million to 4 registered voters in swing states who sign a petition supporting the First Amendment and Second Amendment.
According to multiple reports, the letter came from the DOJ’s public integrity unit which handles election related matters. Letters like this typically don’t state next steps and don’t necessarily mean an investigation has been opened, they are intended to get the recipient to change their course of action.
In addition to the letter from the DOJ, the watchdog group Public Citizen filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging the payments violate Title 52, the section of federal law that covers voting and elections.
Public Citizen cited the Federal Election Campaign Act which states anyone found guilty of paying or accepting payment for either voting or registering to vote can be fined up to $10,000 or imprisoned for up to five years. The complaint asked the FEC to investigate.
Musk said in exchange for the money he’s asking the recipients to be a spokesperson for the petition.
Straight Arrow News’ Ray Bogan spoke with Jerry Goldfeder, an attorney who has been practicing election law for more than 40 years. Goldfeder said Musk’s giveaway is illegal because the only people who are eligible are registered voters.
Jerry Goldfeder: Either they are being paid and encouraged to register or perhaps they’re being rewarded for having registered previously. So there’s a real linkage between paying someone money and the registration requirement that he’s put into place. That’s not permitted.
Ray Bogan: When Elon Musk gave out the first reward, he said, “The only thing we ask for the million dollars is that you be a spokesperson for the petition.” When he makes a public statement like that about what he says the cause is, does that make a difference?
Jerry Goldfeder: Not really because he’s requiring someone to be a registered voter. So either they’re going to register in order to sign the petition or they’re being rewarded for having been registered because those are the only people who can get this money. So there’s a direct linkage between registration and the money and that’s not permitted under the law.
Ray Bogan: What could the potential punishment be? And the second part of the question is, could the people who receive the money ultimately have to pay it back?
Jerry Goldfeder: Well, I don’t think they’d have to pay it back, but that’s an interesting issue. The Department of Justice or the FEC may require them to do so under their different set of statutes.
But the violation, if there is a violation of the statute, as I think that there is, the penalties could be civil penalties, fines against Elon Musk, or it could be a criminal case, in which case they’d have to find intent to violate the laws. And at this point, he certainly knows that the laws exist because there’s been a lot of commenting on it on social media, on TV, on all sorts of cable and so on.
So perhaps in the beginning, he didn’t realize he was breaking the law, perhaps, but at this point he certainly should be aware and he certainly has what we call constructive knowledge of breaking the law. So I think that there’s a civil exposure as well as criminal exposure.
As Goldfeder explained, even if the FEC and DOJ decide to open formal investigations, they will take a very long time to have final results.
