Green Party candidate Jill Stein is suing the state of Ohio because state election officials said they won't count her votes on Election Day because her party apparently named her running mate after the deadline.
Stein, running mate Butch Ware and three Ohio voters filed the suit on Wednesday, claiming that the decision "infringes on their constitutional rights to free speech, association, and equal protection and the voting rights of the Ohio-based plaintiffs," according to the Washington Examiner.
Stein filed as an independent candidate in Ohio because the Green Party lost its state recognition in Ohio several years ago.
She named party nominee for Ohio governor Anita Rios as a placeholder for her running mate until Ware was nominated in August to fill the position.
Ohio election officials said Stein's name would still be on the state ballots, which were already shipped to overseas military voters, but votes for her and Rios/Ware would not be counted.
The request to remove Rios was granted, but the request to add Ware was received after the deadline, the officials said.
The lawsuit contends that the request by Rios to withdraw her candidacy was submitted by a local party official without Rios's knowledge.
The lawsuit plaintiffs want a temporary injunction and restraining order to force officials to count votes for Stein.
In 2020, Stein got 46,271 votes in Ohio, less than 1% of the votes in the state.
Her vote total was only about 10% of the more than 450,000 votes that separated former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden in Ohio, which had 18 electoral votes.
Trump handily won the state despite having only a narrow advantage in polling close to Election Day.
In 2024, Ohio looks like a solid win for Trump again, and its position is only made stronger by the fact that it is the home state of Sen. J.D. Vance (R).
Stein is one of the last third party candidates left standing after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdrew from the race and endorsed Trump in August.
While the counting of her votes might not make much of a difference in Ohio, there are swing states that had smaller vote margins in 2020, and if just 45,000 votes more votes in Georgia, Arizona and Wisconsin had gone to Trump, it could have been an entirely different result.
The sports world is in mourning with the news that a beloved bodybuilding legend has died at the age of 60.
As the New York Post reports, news broke last week that Lenny Persin, affectionately known as “Big Lenny,” passed away after a battle with congestive heart failure.
Word of Persin's death began to spread as a result of a YouTube video post from Dave Palumbo, a fellow figure in the bodybuilding world.
“Big Lenny Persin is no longer with us,” Palumbo said, according to The Sun. “He passed over the last couple days, we're not really sure exactly what day.”
Offering some insight as to the cause of his colleague's death, Palumbo noted, “He was suffering from congestive heart failure for quite some time now.”
Paying tribute to the late athlete, Palumbo stated, “Big Lenny was an icon in the sport. He carved out a unique niche for himself, leading a group of bodybuilders who went by the name of the Del Rey Misfits.”
Persin was, according to Palumbo, the group's “fearless leader.”
Well-known for his outgoing and gregarious personality as well as for his unusual physical features that included a notably protruding midsection, Persin had no trouble making a name for himself within the bodybuilding community.
Persin took second place in the 2017 NPB Ruby Championship, the most recent competition in which he was involved.
Those acquainted with him professionally recalled his commitment to being the largest competitor on any stage and marveled at his unorthodox approach to the sport and unfailingly unfiltered communication style.
Persin never shied away from sharing his takes on fitness, bodybuilding, and philosophy in a frank, attention-grabbing manner, something friends and fellow athletes now recall with great fondness.
Amid the sad news of Persin's death, tributes for the bodybuilder have begun to pour in, including from industry figure Jon Bravo, who noted, “I had a chance to know him, and he was a gentle giant, you know.”
Bravo went on, “One of the biggest guys, the biggest guy in the room and, you know, if there's one thing we can all learn from Big Lenny is that he lived each day to the fullest and it didn't matter if he lived in a rundown apartment filled with roaches and dirt and mould, each day, he had a smile on his face and each day he found a way to make himself happy.”
Another social media user appeared to co-sign those sentiments, commenting on Persin's death by remarking simply and succinctly, “Now this is heartbreaking because that big gentle giant meant no ill will toward anyone that he might offend,” and that is a modest -- yet profound -- legacy of which anyone could be proud.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Vice President Kamala Harris has "no role" in hurricane preparedness and clean up after she complained the Florida Republican wouldn't take her calls, The Hill reported. This came after Harris said DeSantis was "selfish" for ignoring her attempts to reach out.
The governor of the Sunshine State has been dealing with back-to-back hurricanes. As the state was still reeling from Hurricane Helene, a more virulent storm named Hurricane Milton was bearing down on the state, headed for a direct hit.
Meanwhile, Harris, desperately trying to appear relevant in the matter for the sake of her presidential campaign, said DeSantis was being "selfish" for refusing to speak with her. DeSantis had strong words after host Andrew Ross Sorkin asked him about it on Thursday's Squawk Box on CNBC.
DeSantis punches back at Kamala. This is a beatdown.pic.twitter.com/KOzjl93mKT
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) October 11, 2024
It's clear DeSantis was fed up with Harris' grousing about their lack of communication while he was busy helping his state during a crisis. "I am working with the President of the United States, I’m working with the director of FEMA, I’m marshaling all my state assets," De Santis responded.
"We’ve been doing this now nonstop for over two weeks between Helene and this. And so if there’s anything I can leverage to benefit my people, I’m going to do it," he added.
Then DeSantis contrasted Harris to both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, who never "politicized" hurricane relief. "The fact of the matter is they put out a story saying I didn’t take [her calls]. didn’t even know she was trying to reach me, but she has no role in this process," DeSantis went on.
"And I’ve been dealing with these storms in Florida under both Trump and Biden. Neither of them ever politicized it. And, in fact, all the storms I’ve dealt with under this administration, although I’ve worked well with the president, [Harris] has never called in Florida. She has never offered any support," he added.
"So what she’s doing is, she’s trying to inject herself into this because of her political campaign. So, as the governor here who’s leading this, I don’t have time for those games. I don’t care about her campaign," DeSantis said.
Harris was trying to make DeSantis look like the one using the crises for political gain. Instead, the strategy backfired as people saw how she made herself the story during a hurricane just for political gain.
As DeSantis noted, both Biden and Trump were able to work with him to provide help to the people of Florida. As NBC reported, Biden praised DeSantis when asked about Harris' alleged snub.
"All I can tell you is I’ve talked to Gov. DeSantis. He’s been very gracious. He’s thanked me for all we’ve done," Biden said. "He knows what we’re doing. And I think that’s important."
An anonymous source claims that Biden wasn't aware of the conflict when asked about it. "He wasn’t tracking a specific back-and-forth" because he was too "focused on the response itself."
Harris has made many blunders in the short time she's been campaigning. This public tiff with DeSantis is the worst yet because it shows her true colors.
U.S. House of Representatives candidate Thomas Bowman has suspended his campaign after realizing he's been a "pawn" for Democrats, ABC News reported. Bowman was running as an independent to represent Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District in a contentious race.
The Patriots Run Project had enticed Bowman and several other conservative candidates into running as independents in key states. Many agreed to this election scheme, thinking they were helping former President Donald Trump.
However, Bowman realized that he was splitting the votes to allow the Democrats to prevail. Bowman has since decided to endorse GOP candidate Joe Teirab in his bid to unseat Democratic Rep. Angie Craig.
"I certainly spent a lot of time and effort influencing the race as a pawn in this scheme here," Bowman lamented. The 71-year-old retiree was one of many candidates who were taken in by this scheme.
Bowman didn't know what he was getting into when he decided to run as an independent candidate. The self-proclaimed constitutionalist started to suspect something was wrong after discovering that donor Elizabeth Steinglass had been donating to his opponent.
In fact, Steinback and her husband, David, had given the maximum allowable donations to Craig's campaign. The pair gave millions of dollars to other Democratic candidates, which led Bowman to question everything.
Teirab lauded Bowman for his courage. "Thomas is a true patriot for his willingness to boldly call out the dirty tricks that Angie Craig's allies pulled in an attempt to interfere in the election," the Republican candidate said in a statement.
Meanwhile, it's become clear that other right-leaning candidates may have been similarly recruited to unwittingly help Democrats. Bowman is the second candidate to drop out after learning who was truly behind the Patriots Run Project.
In Iowa, independent candidate Joe Wiederien withdrew from his House of Representatives race after learning he had also been duped by the shady organization. The state Division of Criminal Investigation has opened a probe into possible election fraud.
An Associated Press investigation found that the Patriots Run Project is backed by Democratic donors and consulting firms. The group recruited unsuspecting pro-Trump patriots through Facebook ads.
The Patriots Run Project lured these would-be candidates in with targeted ad language that appealed to would-be candidates. One ad proclaims, "We need American Patriots like YOU to stand for freedom with President Trump and take back control from the globalist elites by running for office. "
Despite the underhanded methods, pinpointing whether an actual crime was committed is difficult. There may be cause in Iowa as it's illegal to deprive citizens of "a fair and impartially conducted election process."
It is difficult to determine who exactly was the mastermind behind all of it. Weirden claims that he was recruited by an operative named "Johnny," who drove an electric vehicle and was cagey about being photographed.
This scheme preyed on unsuspecting Americans who were trying to serve their country. While it's true that the candidates should have done their due diligence, it's unconscionable for parties to manipulate people and elections this way.
A Biden-Harris administration report found that its policy of lifting sanctions on Iran has allowed the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world to make billions of dollars on petroleum, the Daily Caller reported. The regime has flourished after the administration eased up on Trump-era financial restrictions.
Iran was under the thumb of former President Donald Trump thanks to "maximum pressure" sanctions imposed on the nation. Revenue from oil cratered from $65 billion in 2018 to $16 billion in 2020.
The exact opposite has happened under President Joe Biden, according to the 2024 Report on Iranian Petroleum and Petroleum Product Exports from the Department of Energy. As he eased sanctions against Iran, revenue rebounded each year, beginning with his first year in office.
Iran raked in $37 billion in 2021, then $54 billion in 2022, and another $53 billion in 2023. Meanwhile, tensions in the Middle East have increased after Hamas, which is supported and funded by Iran, launched an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The purpose of sanctions is to restrict an unfriendly nation's ability to make money. This is supposed to prevent dangerous nations from launching offensive strikes by cutting off funding.
Unfortunately, Biden ignored that fact and relaxed the sanctions against Iran, which contrasted sharply with his predecessor's policy. While Trump was in office in 2018, Iran produced 527,000 barrels of petroleum and 704,000 barrels of condensate oil for export.
Biden allowed Iran to export 1.3 million barrels in 2023, nearly doubling the output under Trump just five years before. In a statement Wednesday, Richard Goldberg, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, warns it will only get worse.
"If 2024 follows 2023, that's roughly $200 billion in oil revenue for Iran under the Biden-Harris administration. Annual oil revenue for Iran today is more than 3x higher than under Trump in 2020," Goldberg posted to X, formerly Twitter, Wednesday.
"Totally insane. This is not due to 'sanctions evasion.' This is by design," he added.
Iran has had its hand in the war with Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023 strike against America's ally. However, the Associated Press reported that Iran launched more than 180 ballistic missiles last week in solidarity with Hamas and Hezbollah.
Israel will now have to answer for this offensive even as most of the missiles failed to cause the death and destruction intended. Leaders are discussing exactly what that will entail.
"The question is not whether Israel will retaliate or respond. The question is which way," former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said to the Associated Press.
In keeping with the theme of helping a state sponsor of terrorism, Biden has discouraged Israel from attacking Iran's nuclear program or the oil industry. It remains to be seen whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will listen as he seeks to protect his own people.
Biden has betrayed America and its allies and made the world less safe in the process. Lifting sanctions on Iran has had swift and dire consequences that prove that a Democratic administration makes the world a more dangerous place.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said that the Electoral College "needs to go" in favor of "a national popular vote," Fox News reported. As governor, the Democratic vice presidential hopeful signed a pact that would circumvent the system.
Like clockwork, Democrats rail against the Electoral College system every four years because they often win the popular vote but fail to garner the 270 electoral votes required to win the presidency. Walz is no exception, as he and Vice President Kamala Harris face former President Donald Trump in a few weeks.
The American election system works by designating electors from each state. In 48 of the 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., the Electoral College casts ballots for whichever candidate receives the most votes (Maine and Nebraska award their electoral votes proportionally).
This system ensures that every state gets a say in the national elections rather than larger states overriding the will of smaller states through sheer numbers. The framers of the Constitution set up the system, but Democrats don't like it.
At a private California fundraiser at Gov. Gavin Newson's Sacramento home, Walz made his case for changing the system that has served the U.S. for over two centuries. "I think all of us know the Electoral College needs to go," Walz said, according to CNN.
"We need a national popular vote, but that’s not the world we live in. So we need to win Beaver County, Pennsylvania," Walz continued.
"We need to be able to go into York, Pennsylvania, win. We need to be in western Wisconsin and win. We need to be in Reno, Nevada, and win," Walz went on, seemingly angry that he has to campaign places other than big cities.
Harris also called for a change during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2019 during her first failed presidential bid. "There’s no question that the popular vote has been diminished in terms of making the final decision about who’s the president of the United States and we need to deal with that, so I’m open to the discussion," Harris said.
Still, the Harris/Walz campaign claimed this isn't an official position. "He was commenting to a crowd of strong supporters about how the campaign is built to win 270 electoral votes," a spokesperson explained.
Walz has been persistent in his message against the Electoral College. In 2023, he signed the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, an agreement between states to award their votes to whichever candidate wins the popular vote nationally.
Other Democrats have been speaking out against the system for decades. Some believe it makes candidates focus on states that otherwise wouldn't be relevant, which the left sees as a downside.
They believe that victories such as President George W. Bush's 2000 win and Trump's 2016 win over Hillary Clinton prove that the system is broken since the candidates didn't win the popular vote. However, the Republicans believe just the opposite.
States with larger populations would have prevailed over their more rural counterparts had the Electoral College system not been in place. Instead, each citizen had a say in the national election.
Democrats hate the Electoral College because it gives a voice to people outside of blue cities and states that are packed with Democratic voters. The system works as designed, which is exactly why Democrats hate it so much.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz deflected from false statements about his whereabouts during the Tiananmen Square protests by calling former President Donald Trump "a pathological liar," Breitbart reported. The Democratic vice presidential hopeful made this remark on CBS's 60 Minutes, which aired Monday.
During the vice presidential debate earlier this month, the moderators confronted Walz about being caught in this big lie. The governor's response became infamous as he copped to the truth that he wasn't there and could be a "knucklehead at times."
Correspondent Bill Whitaker once again asked Walz about the falsehood during his interview, perhaps giving him a chance to come up with something better than calling himself names. Rather than make things better, Walz deflected by smearing Trump.
60 Minutes obliterated Harris/Walz
Wow
Tim Walz gets called out as someone Americans can't trust
pic.twitter.com/wY0pWUpA9N— Tim Pool (@Timcast) October 8, 2024
According to Fox News, Whitaker said that Walz "has been criticized for embellishing or telling outright falsehoods about his military record and about his travels to Asia in the 1980s." To his credit, Whitaker was direct in confronting him about the Tiananmen Square whopper.
"In your debate with Sen. JD Vance, you said, 'I’m a knucklehead at times.' And I think you were referring to the time that you said that you were in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square unrest when you were not," Whitaker said.
"Is that kind of misrepresentation — isn’t that more than just being a 'knucklehead?'" Whitaker prodded. Walz responded by claiming it is his opponent who is a liar.
"I think folks know who I am, and I think they know the difference between someone expressing emotion, telling a story, getting a date wrong, by — rather than a pathological liar like Donald Trump. I will own up to being a knucklehead at times, but the folks closest to me know that I keep my word," Walz claimed.
Rather than backing down, Whitaker said that the issue "comes down to the question of whether you can be trusted to tell the truth," he said to Walz. "Yeah, well, I can. I think I can," Walz replied.
Walz has claimed that Trump is "a pathological liar," but the Minnesota governor is deflecting. The most notorious of Walz's lies is that he is a combat veteran when, in reality, Walz retired just before his National Guard unit deployed to Iraq, the Associated Press reported.
He then lied about the rank he had when he was honorably discharged. Walz also misrepresented the truth about how his children were conceived when some Republicans were looking to limit in vitro fertilization fertility treatments.
As the New York Post reported, Walz said that he and his wife "have two beautiful children" because of IVF. However, the procedure they used was actually intrauterine insemination, which does not create embryos and therefore doesn't carry the same moral issues.
Walz claimed he misspoke and meant they utilized "reproductive health care like IVF" instead. It's clear from all of these situations that Walz favors whatever has the most utility rather than the actual truth about anything.
Walz is absolutely correct that he's a knucklehead. He forgot to say that he's also manipulative, dishonest, radical, and unfit for office.
Deputy Mayor for Public Safety in New York City has become the latest to resign in the midst of a growing scandal involving Mayor Eric Adams (D) and some members of his administration and staff.
Banks is part of the probe involving Adams, which led to an Adams indictment two weeks ago on bribery and corruption charges.
Adams has not yet resigned and insists that he is innocent of any wrongdoing.
Banks's home was raided by the FBI on September 4 as part of the investigation and his devices were seized.
Adams said he had spoken to Banks about the resignations and his plans afterward.
“We spoke yesterday and we spoke again this morning,” Adams said Monday morning on NY1.
“He stated that he wanted to transition to some other things with his life and he doesn’t want this to be a constant burden on the work that we are doing in the city and I accepted his resignation,” he continued.
“I wish my good friend well,” he added. Adams also praised the public work of Banks during his remarks.
According to reports, Banks had wanted to resign before the federal probe, but once his home was raided, he decided to stay and fight the investigation.
The investigation of Banks is looking into whether he funneled contracts to companies linked to his brother Terrence Banks.
Saferwatch, IT companies Derive Technologies and SVAM International and grocery store delivery app Mercato are some of the companies working with Terrence Banks that allegedly got contracts with the city.
The Adams indictment includes five charges, but so far no one else has been charged in the probe.
There are definitely suspicions about the involvement of several others in the deal, however. For one, retired NYPD Inspector Tim Pearson, who was in charge of migrant contracts, also resigned amid investigation by the feds.
Adams has reportedly gotten pressure from NY Governor Kathy Hochul (D) to pressure more top aides and officials to resign amid the probe.
The men of the Kennedy family have long been tied to tales of marital strife and infidelity, and such is the case with former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Rumors are increasingly swirling that RFK Jr. and his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, are on the verge of divorce in the wake of a scandal involving journalist Olivia Nuzzi, as the Daily Mail reports, with a recent outing in Malibu seemingly revealing mounting tension between the spouses.
The gossip mill has been working overtime in recent weeks, ever since news broke that Nuzzi had been placed on leave from her job at New York magazine due to allegations that she had been involved in a personal relationship of some sort with someone close to the 2024 presidential race – later revealed to be Kennedy.
Though the entanglement, which supposedly started after Nuzzi interviewed Kennedy for a political profile article, did not turn physical, it was said to have involved texting of an intimate nature.
Kennedy has been married for 10 years to Hines, of Curb Your Enthusiasm fame, and he has had a notorious history of extramarital affairs, having once reportedly maintained a list of over 40 such conquests in his phone.
The former Democrat has been upfront about these failings, writing in 2001 that he has struggled with what he referred to as “lust demons.”
In light of the most recent cheating rumors, attention has turned to Hines' take on the situation, with speculation now rife about the fate of the celebrity marriage, and according to the Mail, some of Hines' friends now believe that her union with Kennedy may be on its last legs and that the actress is eager to dissolve the marriage.
One person close to Hines told the Mail that the Hollywood star had been “blindsided” by the Nuzzi story and had been convinced that her husband's days of infidelity were over.
“She adored being a member of America's royal family and having the famous Kennedy name attached to hers, but now she's thoroughly embarrassed and furious about his adulterous actions,” the source revealed.
The source added that while “Cheryl was always very aware that Bobby had a long history of womanizing,” she also “firmly believed Bobby, in his seventh decade and with political aspirations, finally had his sex demons under control” and now feels “totally blindsided and humiliated.”
On Friday, the troubled pair were spotted on a coffee run to a Malibu, California Starbucks, with both husband and wife reportedly looking serious, not to mention, rather tense.
Reports have suggested that the couple has barely communicated in recent weeks, and though Hines was seen walking on the sidewalk solo on this particular excursion, the pair did ride in the same vehicle to their destination and sat side-by-side.
Eagle-eyed celebrity watchers noted, however, that Hines' ensemble of jeans, t-shirt, and dark glasses was lacking one noteworthy accessory, namely, a wedding ring.
Whether the marriage of Kennedy and Hines has what it takes to weather this embarrassing public storm, only time will tell, but if the Mail's sources are correct, things do not look particularly promising.
Former President Barack Obama will join Vice President Kamala Harris on the campaign trail in the final days of the campaign, Breitbart reported. The pair will kick off their collaboration with an event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Thursday.
A senior adviser said Obama would accompany Harris in a "blitz" across several swing states. Harris needs all the help she can get in the last few weeks of the campaign.
The vice president and her GOP opponent, former President Donald Trump, are in a statistical tie in many key states, including Pennsylvania. Republicans have been gaining ground recently with increased mail-in ballots and voter registration compared to the previous presidential election.
"Now that voting has begun, our focus is on persuading and mobilizing voters, especially in states with key races. Many of these races are likely to go down to the wire and nothing should be taken for granted," Eric Schultz, senior adviser to Obama, said in a news release.
Obama has been forthright in supporting Harris, especially during the Democratic National Convention in August. "Kamala Harris is ready for the job," Obama proclaimed.
"This is a person who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice and a champion. Kamala wasn’t born into privilege," he claimed, toeing the party line about her life.
"She had to work for what she’s got, and she actually cares about what other people are going through," he added. Obama's endorsement comes after several celebrities and politicians have also gotten on board with Harris.
Harris has received the blessing of notable celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Ben Stiller, and Chris Rock. She also was joined on the campaign trail by the likes of former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, whom Republican voters primaried out of office.
"As a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I have thought deeply about this. Because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris," Cheney claimed when endorsing Harris, the Associated Press reported.
Hollywood and the Democratic elite are lavishing Harris with praise and attention in the final push of the campaign. However, this was only possible because Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi first cajoled President Joe Biden to step aside.
The Washington Post reported that after a disastrous June debate performance, it was clear Biden would have a tough path to victory against Trump. Obama and others behind the scenes were instrumental in taking Biden out of the running.
Still, Obama was publicly supportive of Biden after the debate. "Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself," Obama said following the debate.
It's clear that the former president is still very influential in his party and likely engaged in a whispering campaign that would lead Biden to withdraw from the running. Now that Harris has taken his place, Obama seems to have new enthusiasm for campaigning.
Biden was a bad candidate, but Harris is terminally unlikeable. Even if Obama can make a difference at all, it seems doubtful it will be enough to drag Harris over the finish line.