Arizona is dealing with a major voter registration issue that could impact over 218,000 voters just weeks before the upcoming election. The state's Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) failed to verify proof of citizenship for thousands of voters, a requirement for voting in state and local elections. This error primarily affects voters with driver's licenses issued before 1996, when proof of citizenship was not required. Secretary of State Adrian Fontes revealed the issue, which has ballooned from an initial estimate of 98,000 affected individuals to a staggering 218,000, including 79,000 Republicans. The discrepancy arose from a data coding mistake, improperly marking individuals as having submitted proof of citizenship when, in fact, many had not. MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD IN ARIZONA! 218,000 voters have been wrongly marked as having provided proof of citizenship due to an “error.” These voters will STILL BE ABLE TO VOTE in the general election even though they didn’t give proof of citizenship. pic.twitter.com/QmAwfiIYxr — Scott Adams (@scottadamsshow) October 1, 2024 Proposition 200, passed by Arizona voters in 2004, mandates that proof of citizenship be provided to participate in state and local elections, though federal elections do not require the same documentation. The Arizona GOP has sharply criticized Fontes for what they describe as a lack of transparency and timely solutions to the problem. AZGOP Chair Gina Swoboda expressed frustration, accusing Fontes of misleading the public and calling for the immediate release of the SQL query used to determine the affected voters. Additionally, the party demanded that county recorders, not the Secretary of State’s office, manage the situation, as they are the officials authorized to process voter registration updates. MASSIVE SCANDAL IN ARIZONA! 218,000 voters have been wrongly marked as having provided proof of citizenship due to an “error.” These voters will STILL BE ABLE TO VOTE in the general election even though they didn’t give proof of citizenship. This election fraud is disgraceful! pic.twitter.com/F2bh6TZReY — Paul A. Szypula (@Bubblebathgirl) October 1, 2024 Despite the growing concerns, Fontes assured the public that those impacted by the error will still be allowed to vote in the upcoming election, even if their proof of citizenship status is unresolved. His office is working to correct the errors, and election officials will contact the affected voters following the election to ensure proper documentation is submitted where necessary. Fontes also defended the state's election security, arguing that the error should not prevent eligible voters from participating, as they signed legal attestations affirming their citizenship under penalty of perjury. The court has ruled that those impacted by the registration error will be able to cast full ballots in state and local races, despite the coding mistakes. However, the Arizona GOP and concerned citizens continue to push for full transparency and a rapid solution before election day to ensure confidence in the integrity of the voter rolls. As Arizona heads toward the general election, concerns about voter integrity are mounting. This registration mishap could lead to further political clashes, as election security remains a deeply divisive issue in the state. Voter confidence, already shaken by claims of fraud in previous elections, could further deteriorate if the situation isn't resolved quickly and transparently. With over 218,000 voters' eligibility at stake, Arizona's election officials are racing against time to fix the errors. It remains to be seen whether the solutions proposed by the Secretary of State’s office will calm the fears of voters or fuel further concerns about the state’s election system. As Arizona prepares for this high-stakes election, the urgency of maintaining both security and access at the ballot box has never been greater. The post Arizona Faces Voter Registration Crisis Ahead of Election appeared first on The Conservative Brief.

The WNBA is facing a steep drop in viewership after rookie sensation Caitlin Clark and her Indiana Fever were eliminated from the playoffs by the Connecticut Sun. Clark's playoff debut set records, attracting 1.84 million viewers for Game 1 and a staggering 2.54 million in Game 2. However, since her exit, ratings have plunged by almost 50%, with subsequent matchups failing to maintain the same audience. The Fever's popularity soared during Clark's rookie season, becoming the most-watched team in the league. In fact, 14 of the most-watched games this season featured the Fever, with Clark consistently drawing significant attention due to her record-breaking performances. Clark set records for points, assists, and three-pointers during the regular season, further boosting her team's profile. New Nike billboard to celebrate Caitlin Clark winning ROY pic.twitter.com/648omEzwmX — TickPick (@TickPick) October 3, 2024 Once Clark and the Fever were eliminated, the league struggled to keep viewers engaged. For instance, Game 1 between the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces drew only 929,000 viewers, a sharp contrast to Clark’s playoff games, while the Sun-Minnesota Lynx game garnered a mere 650,000. Despite featuring some of the league’s top teams, these games couldn’t compete with the NFL for attention, a challenge Clark managed to overcome. In addition to the drop in viewership, attendance numbers have also taken a hit. The Sun-Lynx matchup saw only 8,500 attendees, barely filling half the capacity of Minnesota's Target Center. The Liberty-Aces contest at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center attracted a better crowd with over 14,000 attendees, but still fell short of a sellout​. the first look at Caitlin Clark with her 2024 @WNBA Rookie of the Year trophy pic.twitter.com/AVxwBitcOe — Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) October 4, 2024 Clark's unprecedented popularity in her rookie year brought new fans to the WNBA, many of whom are now tuning out with her elimination. She broke numerous records, including the most All-Star votes in league history and the first-ever rookie triple-double. Her team also set a record for the most attended regular season game, with 20,711 fans attending their final game against the Washington Mystics. The "Caitlin Clark Effect" had a profound impact on the WNBA’s visibility this season, and her absence from the playoffs has left a noticeable void, both in ratings and fan interest. The remaining playoff games face tough competition from other major sports like the NFL, MLB, and the upcoming NBA and NHL seasons, which makes it unlikely that the WNBA will see a resurgence in viewership without Clark. The post WNBA Ratings Plummet Following Caitlin Clark’s Exit appeared first on The Conservative Brief.

Bank of America customers across the United States experienced a significant service outage on October 2, 2023, leaving thousands unable to access their accounts. Many reported seeing zero balances, creating widespread panic. The outage, which primarily affected the bank's online and mobile services, sparked over 18,000 complaints within a short period, peaking at around 12:45 p.m. ET. Downdetector, a platform that tracks service disruptions, recorded the sharp spike in outage reports as customers struggled to retrieve account details or make transactions. Most reports involved issues with Bank of America's digital platforms, where users logged in only to find their account balances wiped out. Some customers also encountered difficulties at physical branches and ATMs, with multiple complaints of inability to perform deposits or withdrawals. Bank of America issued a statement acknowledging the problem, explaining that some customers were "experiencing issues accessing their accounts and balance information". Everybody that doesn’t have Bank of America seeing all of them with $0 in their account pic.twitter.com/seYQrGFWHM — Paulos (@LoswitheMos) October 2, 2024 The outage, which began around 4:26 p.m. UTC, prompted a wave of frustration from affected customers. While the bank assured users that the issues were mostly resolved by the following day, several continued to report problems even after Bank of America’s initial response. Social media platforms, especially X (formerly Twitter), were flooded with posts from users venting about the glitch. Some humorously shared memes depicting the frustrating experience of refreshing their accounts, only to see a balance of zero repeatedly. For many, the apparent lack of immediate clarity on the cause of the outage further fueled concerns. While some customers could still withdraw funds from ATMs despite the system showing zero balances, others were completely locked out of their accounts. "My money is gone, but conveniently, my debt is still there," one customer remarked sarcastically, capturing the widespread sentiment of disbelief and irritation. The "Simpsons" movie accurately predicted that "Bank of America" ran out of money. Simpson also mentioned that the price of #PiNetwork is infinite. This is evidence that by the end of the year, Pi holders will be rich with no way out! pic.twitter.com/OIe3bdYz7W — Pillionaires π Whales (@PicoinWhales) October 3, 2024 By the early hours of October 3, Bank of America claimed that the issue had been "fully resolved," but many users disputed this, continuing to report account access problems well after the bank’s official statement. Some customers raised concerns about potential overdraft fees and other financial implications stemming from the outage, demanding more transparency from the bank on how it planned to address these concerns. In addition to complaints from regular customers, some financial experts noted that the incident could reflect broader issues in the bank's IT infrastructure. Bank of America has faced technical glitches before, though this outage was one of the largest in recent history. With millions of users relying on the bank’s digital services, the inability to access funds even temporarily raised questions about the reliability of such centralized financial systems, prompting renewed discussions about alternatives like cryptocurrency, which some customers touted as more resilient​. Despite the seriousness of the incident, Bank of America's stock remained largely unaffected, with its share price trading relatively flat during the outage. The event underscores the delicate balance financial institutions must maintain in safeguarding digital services, where even short-term disruptions can severely impact customer trust​. As of now, Bank of America has yet to provide detailed explanations about the root cause of the outage or what measures it plans to take to prevent similar disruptions in the future. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities in digital banking, as customers increasingly depend on online platforms for managing their finances. The post Bank of America Customers Face Widespread Outage, Zero Balance Errors appeared first on The Conservative Brief.

'I come from a family where I saw my parents lose everything, and I am terrified of that'

'He did not get a single question in that room about American suffering'

North Carolina continues to suffer under the weight of the horribly run Federal Emergency Management Agency. On the latest episode of “The Tony Kinnett Cast,” we list the countless billions of dollars spent on everyone but American citizens by the very federal agencies constitutionally obligated to give them aid. The legacy media sits in awkward silence as allegations of “Second Gentleman” Doug Emhoff’s domestic abuse circulate on social media. How many times did any other political candidate or their spouse get this kind of polite ignoring, and does this kind of wink-and-nod favor any particular political party? We dig into some “Mail Time” and answer some of the burning questions, both serious and silly, sent in by viewers and listeners every week. Catch the live radio show and livestream weeknights at 7 p.m. EDT on The Daily Signal’s YouTube, X, or Facebook—and subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode or exclusive interview. The post WATCH: Billions for Ukraine and Illegals. North Carolina, Not So Much. appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Editor’s note: This commentary originally was published in September 2023. Federal spending is hard enough to keep track of at the best of times, but the Biden-Harris administration is highly adept at hiding how it funds its open-borders agenda. In a cynical budget negotiation tactic, the White House is trying to push through a $40 billion “supplemental” funding bill that holds bailout money for the Federal Emergency Management Agency hostage to sending billions more to Ukraine with insufficient accountability. It gets worse. If the White House tactic works, and Congress coughs up enough aid to Ukraine that rescue money for FEMA can get through, hundreds of millions of that funding won’t go to disaster-afflicted Americans. Instead it will go to providing housing, food, health care, and transportation for illegal immigrants through grants to activist nongovernment organizations and “sanctuary” cities. That’s right. Even though FEMA grants are meant to help taxpaying Americans prepare for and cope with hurricanes, fires, and floods, the Biden-Harris administration has used these same funds to pay activist NGOs to settle migrants illegally in the United States. FEMA’s major disaster relief and flood insurance programs are already in debt and need to be refilled each year. The White House’s supplemental request uses that as a smokescreen to slip in grant money for their open-border operation. FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program is already being siphoned for over $332 million “to assist communities receiving noncitizens released from custody,” which means housing migrants here illegally at the border, then transporting them to places such as New York City. New York has been promised $104 million from this pot, though at a burn rate of $8 million a day, it won’t last long. Big city mayors gripe about a few buses carrying illegal aliens sent by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, but the main train delivering migrants to their sidewalks is driven by the Department of Homeland Security, using FEMA money.  And the Biden-Harris administration is getting even more brazen. FEMA grant money, unlike its Disaster Relief and Flood Insurance programs, doesn’t require the president to declare a federal disaster—which would at least highlight the self-defeating results of his policies. So it should come as no surprise that DHS, in its fiscal 2024 budget, already asked for a directly appropriated $83.5 million for FEMA Shelter and Services Program grants to “nonprofits and local entities to provide support to noncitizens released from DHS custody.” Furthermore, the Department of Homeland Security asked for $800 million—$650 million more than the year before—“for communities to support migrants who have been released from DHS custody pending the outcome of their immigration proceedings.” Bear in mind that with the asylum system backlogged as never before, this outcome would be far in the future in most cases. The money would come from a $4 billion “Southwest Border Contingency” fund in DHS’ proposed fiscal 2024 budget. In plain English, this means that having created a giant magnet for illegal immigration, the Biden-Harris administration wants to continue to burn your tax dollars to sustain hundreds of thousands of people who entered the U.S. illegally, for an indefinite period. To be clear, not only did these people have no right to enter the country, but they stand little chance of getting asylum even after a due process lasting many years. Naturally, Biden faces resistance in Congress. Republicans have seen DHS use appropriated money to facilitate mass illegal entry over the past two years, and they are wise to the White House’s attempt to ramp this up in the fiscal 2024 budget. Hence the attempt to Trojan-horse the border-related funds into the Ukraine-FEMA bundle. In the supplemental request, DHS is asking not only for $203 million more for Customs and Border Protection’s industrial migrant processing machine—which includes tent housing, transportation, and medical care—but also $600 million more for the FEMA Shelter and Services Program grants. In a recent hearing before Congress, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell tried to “clarify for the record that FEMA is not an immigration agency.” Yet she also proclaimed her support for Biden’s Southwest Border Contingency Fund, which would channel money to FEMA to spend on services to immigrants here illegally. But as a firefighter for two decades, Criswell surely knows which arsonist set the dumpster fire on the border that her agency’s cash-hose is now being pointed at. All this only adds to the reasons that Congress should oppose this corrupt deal. Tying a FEMA top-up to Ukraine aid—in the middle of hurricane season, and shortly after Hawaii’s deadly Maui fires—shows that the Biden-Harris administration will maintain open borders at any price. This commentary originally was distributed by Tribune News Service The post FEMA Money Is for Disaster-Stricken Americans, Not Those Here Illegally appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Israel Should Strike Nuclear Sites in Iran, Not Energy Infrastructure

Interviewer to Harris: Why Haven't You Accomplished Your Agenda as VP? Harris: Uh ... Trump?

On Friday, President Biden made his first appearance in the White House Briefing Room with only three and a half months left in office after years of calls from reporters across the political spectrum. Sure, he only took questions for just over eight minutes, but the press corps made sure to throw this unique opportunity away with a combination of open-ended foreign policy queries and softballs, including one from taxpayer-funded NPR dialing up the fear porn about post-election violence. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre picked the reporters herself, so that was the first indication this would be a joke. The Associated Press’s Josh Boak went first because that’s how these things go (or risk serious hissy fits, like Sean Spicer learned) and put this pathetic question on the tee for Ol’ Joe: “Florida Senator Marco Rubio described today's jobs report as having fake numbers. What do you make of that and how worried are you that many Americans are hearing that the jobs numbers aren't real?” Biden repeatedly quipped about how he had to choose words carefully (or he’d presumably get in trouble), but said the jobs numbers are “real” and “sincere” and also par for the course for “MAGA Republicans” calling “anything…they don’t like…fake.” Boak’s second question was about Iran and left Biden refusing to commit to anything: “[C]ould you clarify some of your comments yesterday with regard to strikes on Iranian oil facilities. What did you mean by them given some of the reactions we're seeing in the market?” CBS’s Weijia Jiang went next and invited him to tee off on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the increasingly growing conspiracy theories that he’s interfering in the U.S. presidential election (for Donald Trump): CBS’s @Weijia Jiang: “This week, Senator Chris Murphy said it's certainly a possibility that the Israeli government is not going to sign any diplomatic agreement prior to the election, which is what you have been calling for – for so long, potentially to try to influence the… pic.twitter.com/y3V1DBsW8o — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 4, 2024 ABC’s Selina Wang followed up: ABC’s Selina Wang: “What are you advising the Israelis to do in terms of their retaliation to Iran and, at this point, you still haven't spoken to Netanyahu. Is it fair to say that you have little personal influence over what he decides to do?” President Biden: “No. Look, our –… pic.twitter.com/c7QGNtwvlj — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 4, 2024 Wang’s second question was even more of a lament: “But over the past few months they've consistently defied your administration's own advice, so do you believe that the Israelis are going to listen to the advice you're giving them?” After a third Wang question wondering how “should [Israel] respond,” NPR’s Tamara Keith stepped up to the plate and, instead of asking about those affected by Hurricane Helene, the hundreds dead, and the growing uproar surrounding the federal response, she wondered about election legitimacy and post-election violence: NPR’s Tamara Keith: “The election is a month away. One, I'd like to know how you're feeling about how this election is going? And then, also, do you have confidence that it will be a free and fair election, and then it will be peaceful?” President Biden: “Two separate… pic.twitter.com/LmlBsQmUo2 — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 4, 2024 Keith doubled down on the MSNBC-speak: “Are you making any preparations, getting security briefings related to domestic security?” Biden shot back that he “always[s] gets those briefings.” Bloomberg’s Akayala Gardner predictably had two economy-related questions, with one on possible Iranian oil sanctions and the other on the temporarily suspension of a dock worker strike on the east coast. AFP’s Danny Kemp had another Middle East question. This time, it was an acknowledgment that the region seems to be “pretty close to that definition” of “all-out war” and if there’s truly anything he could “really do to stop that”. Amid more shouting from reporters, Jean-Pierre picked The Washington Post’s Toluse Olorunnipa to come up clutch with one final softball: Washington Post’s @ToluseO: “There have obviously been a number of crises that the country has been facing over the past several days with the hurricane, with the port strike, with the situation in the Middle East. Can you talk about how your Vice President, who is running for… pic.twitter.com/YQL9WwLn3U — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) October 4, 2024 Jean-Pierre tried to wrap things up, but amid a torrent of reporters shouting, she tried to call on Reuters’s Nandita Bose, but EWTN’s Owen Jensen caught Biden’s attention by asking for comment about Pope Francis’s call for a day of prayer and fasting on Monday to mark one year since Hamas’s terror attacks on Israel. Once Biden said, he would follow suit, the shouting resumed and he left the room to much rejoicing and chuckling (click “expand”): JEAN-PIERRE: Alright, guys, that's it. Thank you, everybody. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, sir. Thank you. [REPORTERS SHOUTING] UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: On Ukraine, any decision on long range weapons? UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you want to reconsider dropping out of the race? BIDEN: I’m back in! [REPORTERS LAUGH] JACQUI HEINRICH: What made you want to come here today, Mr. President? JEAN-PIERRE: All right, everybody. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Thank you, Mr. President! UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Thank you, Karine. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Can we do that again? JEAN-PIERRE: No. [REPORTERS LAUGH] How incestuous. To see the relevant transcript from the October 4 briefing, click here.