AT&T announces it's shuttering its flagship store in Democrat-controlled San Francisco, citing change in 'consumer shopping habits'



AT&T revealed Thursday it is joining the host of companies that have already shuttered their anchor stores in the Democrat-controlled city of San Francisco.

The company's 24,000-square-foot flagship store, a prominent fixture in the downtown's Union Square, will be closing August 1.

Chris Collins, a spokesman for the telecommunications giant, told the San Francisco Standard, "Consumer shopping habits continue to change, and we're changing with them. ... That means serving customers where they are through the right mix of retail stores, digital channels and our phone-based care team."

Consumer shopping habits have changed drastically since leftists successfully passed Proposition 47 in 2014 — a leftist California ballot initiative that effectively decriminalized thefts under $950.

Collins noted, "All retail employees affected by this change will be offered jobs at one of our other many retail locations within the city."

AT&T will still have a presence in the city, where it still has over 10 stores and licensed retailers.

The news of the closure broke just hours after Cinemark Holdings, Inc., revealed it too was ditching the crime-ridden and excrement-littered city, shuttering its theater in the downtown Westfield San Francisco Centre mall, which has seen 46% of its stores close since the pandemic.

A spokesman for the company told Fox Business, "Cinemark can confirm it has decided to permanently close the Century San Francisco Centre 9 and XD theater shortly before the conclusion of its lease term following a comprehensive review of local business conditions."

Months after announcing it would peel back its Banana Republic presence in Union Square and shutter the Atheleta store on Sutter Street, Gap announced in May that it was closing its 73,000-square-foot Old Navy flagship store, reported the Standard.

Nordstrom's chief store officer also indicated last month it was closing its anchor location in the Westfield Mall, citing dramatic changes in the "dynamics of the downtown San Francisco market."

A spokesman for the mall, which has said goodbye to Office Depot, the Container Store, Anthropologie, and Saks Off 5th flee, noted the Nordstrom closure "underscores the deteriorating situation in downtown San Francisco."

TheBlaze previously reported that number of the businesses still sticking it out, such as Target, have begun locking large sections of their products behind security glass.

When the glass breaks, proprietors are oftentimes reluctant to defend their exposed property from the hordes of thieves who roam the streets in the broad daylight because San Francisco's victims are oftentimes subject to greater scrutiny than the offenders.

Democratic socialist Dean Preston, on the city's board of supervisors, recently threatened legislation to prevent security guards from drawing their weapons in defense of property.

\u201cThe Looting going on in war-torn Kiev is INSANE \u2026. \n\nOh wait, this is Democrat controlled San Francisco. \n\nNo one look or RT please. \n\nhttps://t.co/Rrp2Y61hhw\u201d
— Benny Johnson (@Benny Johnson) 1645984209


San Francisco, which comedian Dave Chappelle recently quipped has become "half 'Glee,' half zombie movie," scores a 2 out of 100 (100 being safest) on Neighborhood Watch's crime index.

The chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime is 1 in 186, and the likelihood of becoming a victim of a property crime is 1 in 20, as filmmaker Eli Steel recently discovered firsthand.

\u201cYou hear about how bad San Francisco is. I was filming a shot of my father , Shelby Steele, and in the ten minutes we were gone our SUV was broken into and nearly $15k of cameras stolen. Called 911 & they hung up twice.\u201d
— Eli Steele (@Eli Steele) 1686767367

According to the SFPD, between Jan. 1 and June 11, there were 131 reports of arson; 13,445 reports of larceny theft; 2,378 burglary reports; 1,070 assaults; 1,150 robberies; 91 rapes; 2,889 motor vehicle thefts; and 22 murders.

The city's crime and decline is not just chasing out businesses.

A comprehensive survey conducted by the San Francisco Chronicle last year found that 37% of current residents plan to be living somewhere beside San Francisco in three-years time. The city had experienced a 7% numeric decline in its population between July 2020 and July 2021.

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Comer to hold Wray in contempt of Congress after glimpsing FBI record detailing alleged Biden bribery scheme



Congressional investigators had an opportunity Monday to view a document detailing alleged criminal activity involving President Joe Biden.

While House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) glimpsed the document the FBI has worked hard to keep under wraps, that was not enough to satisfy the bureau's obligation to Congress.

For the bureau's continued refusal to comply with a congressional subpoena, Comer indicated Monday afternoon he would initiate contempt of Congress hearings against FBI Director Christopher Wray, starting Thursday.

The unclassified document flashed to Comer and Raskin Monday, which the FBI has worked ardently to keep out of lawmakers' hands, is an FBI-generated FD-1023 form that reportedly contains "valuable, verifiable information" describing an alleged $5 million "criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions."

The House Oversight Committee has been looking to get its hands on the document since early May, when congressional Republicans subpoenaed the FBI to that effect. The FBI has, however, repeatedly refused to turn over the document.

After missing another deadline last week, the FBI finally brought the document to Capitol Hill, not to turn over as legally required, but to privately show to Comer and Raskin in an SCIF, a secured environment for viewing sensitive information.

What Comer saw was apparently as telling as the FBI's desperation to hide it.

"Today, FBI officials confirmed that the unclassified FBI-generated record has not been disproven and is currently being used in an ongoing investigation," Comer said Monday, noting the investigation is likely being undertaken in Biden's home state of Delaware.

"The confidential human source who provided information about then-Vice President Biden being involved in a criminal bribery scheme is a trusted, highly-credible informant who has been used by the FBI for over 10 years and has been paid over six figures," continued Comer. "These are facts and no amount of spin, and frankly lies, from the White House or congressional Democrats can change this information," added Comer.

Comer noted that at the briefing Monday, "the FBI again refused to hand over the unclassified record to the custody of the House Oversight Committee."
"Given the severity and complexity of the allegations contained within this record, Congress must investigate further. Americans have lost trust in the FBI's ability to enforce the law impartially and demand answers, transparency, and accountability," added the Kentucky congressman.
\u201c\ud83d\udea8BREAKING: House Oversight Chair James Comer confirms FD1023 form proves Biden criminal bribery scheme after viewing it, announces Contempt of Congress hearings for FBI Director Wray this Thursday\u201d
— Benny Johnson (@Benny Johnson) 1685985295

TheBlaze previously reported that some lawmakers and legal experts have suggested that Wray should not just be charged with contempt but impeached.

Mike Davis, founder of the Article III Project and former chief counsel for nominations to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, said Wray should be impeached for refusing to produce to Congress a document evidencing the FBI covered up then-Vice President Joe Biden taking a foreign bribe and changing American policy."

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) appeared to agree with Davis, tweeting, "Chris Wray’s refusal to comply with a subpoena for FD-1023 is an affront to the checks and balances of our government. Wray should be impeached," adding, "FBI Director Wray’s continuous attempts to protect Joe Biden and his entire criminal family to further our country’s two-tiered justice system must come to an end."

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'Retirement is going great so far': Tucker Carlson briefly speaks to reporter



Fox News Media issued a press release on Monday claiming that the network and Tucker Carlson had "agreed to part ways." Carlson has not yet publicly addressed the matter, but in Florida on Tuesday, the popular conservative commentator briefly spoke to DailyMail.com.

"Retirement is going great so far," he chuckled, according to the outlet. "I haven't eaten dinner with my wife on a weeknight in seven years." The outlet reported that when pressed about his future, Carlson smiled and jokingly replied, "Appetizers plus entree."

Video shows Carlson and his wife riding together in a golf cart.

\u201cTucker Carlson laughing.\nWith his wife of +30 years & 4 kids.\nOn a golf cart.\nNot a care in the world.\nThis after the nasty, vicious goblin left threw everything they had at him for YEARS. After all that the left is still miserable.\nTucker is still happy.\nTucker wins.\nEternal joy\u201d
— Benny Johnson (@Benny Johnson) 1682515425

The Wall Street Journal, citing unidentified sources, reported that Carlson learned he was being let go around 10 minutes prior to when Fox announced the news of the split.

"FOX News Media and Tucker Carlson have agreed to part ways. We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor," the company's press release declared. "Mr. Carlson’s last program was Friday April 21st. Fox News Tonight will air live at 8 PM/ET starting this evening as an interim show helmed by rotating FOX News personalities until a new host is named."

Carlson had apparently expected to return to the air on Monday, because he said "we'll be back on Monday" when closing out his program on Friday April 21.

In the wake of the news of the split, some people have taken to Twitter to announce that they have cancelled their subscription to the Fox Nation streaming service.

Politico quoted two Defense Department officials who were apparently pleased by the news about Carlson, though the outlet did not disclose the identities of those officials. "Good riddance," one official reportedly said.

The outlet reported that when asked to respond to the news that Defense Department officials were pleased, Carlson wrote via text, "Ha! I'm sure."

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DeSantis backs Bud Light boycott movement



Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has expressed support for the movement to boycott Bud Light over the woke beer brand's decision to hire transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney to promote its product.

DeSantis noted that companies that engage in such activity will continue to do so if they never face any response. He said that while a boycott might not work against all companies, a beer company will feel the impact if conservatives boycott.

The governor suggested that there is a broader phenomenon of corporations attempting to alter U.S. policy and culture and that he believes "push back is in order across the board, including with Bud Light."

When asked if people will ever see him imbibing a Bud Light again, DeSantis responded in the negative, saying that he does not "think so."

\u201cEXCLUSIVE: Gov. DeSantis On Bud Light Boycott:\n\n"Why would you want to drink Bud Light?\n\nIf we don't push back they're gonna keep doing it. If you don't have conservative beer drinkers, they're gonna feel that.\n\nIt's a righteous. Pushback is in order.\n\nI'll never drink Bud again"\u201d
— Benny Johnson (@Benny Johnson) 1681773923

DeSantis, who has not announced a presidential bid, is widely viewed as a political figure who may throw his hat into the ring in the GOP presidential primary.

Bud Light's move to enlist Mulvaney to advertise its beverage has been met by a groundswell of negative public sentiment. Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a statement last week that did not address the controversy head on but did say that the company "never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people." Shortly after the statement came out, Bud Light was majorly ratioed when it posted its first tweet since April 1.

But the beer brand has found support on the left: Several House Democrats from California staged a photo of themselves standing around with Bud Light bottles in hand.

\u201chttps://t.co/jpJUgXpNlc\u201d
— Ted Lieu (@Ted Lieu) 1681611879

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'I'm just here for THE National Anthem': Republican stayed seated during black national anthem at Super Bowl



Kari Lake was apparently sitting down at the Super Bowl during the song "Lift Every Voice and Sing," which is commonly called the black national anthem.

"The @NFL played two different 'National Anthems' tonight. Someone just sent me a photo of @KariLake sitting during the first one," Benny Johnson tweeted when sharing a photo of Lake.

"I'm just here for THE National Anthem," Lake replied.

\u201c@bennyjohnson @NFL I\u2019m just here for THE National Anthem\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\u201d
— Benny Johnson (@Benny Johnson) 1676246163

"I'm against a 'black National Anthem' for the same reason I am against a 'white National Anthem,' a 'gay National Anthem,' a 'straight National Anthem,' a 'Jewish National Anthem,' a 'Christian National Anthem,' and so on," Lake noted in a statement, according to Fox News Digital. "We are ONE NATION, under God. Francis Scott Key's words ring true for every single American Citizen regardless of their skin color. James Weldon Johnson's 'Lift Your Voice' is a beautiful song, but it is not our National Anthem."

Lake expressed support for comments posted by Zeek Arkham, who tweeted, "My 'black' National Anthem is the same anthem I've been singing since I was a child. The same one children of all races have been singing. My National Anthem never needed a color. Do they want racism to die, or do they want to keep finding ways to divide us all?"

"I love this," Lake noted when retweeting Arkham.

\u201cI love this.\u201d
— Kari Lake (@Kari Lake) 1676253840

Lake, who lost Arizona's 2022 gubernatorial contest to Democrat Katie Hobbs, is slated to speak at CPAC's Ronald Reagan Dinner next month.

Lake has claimed that she did not lose the governor's race: "I didn't lose. I won. They stole this," she said.

\u201c.@KariLake: \u201cThey thought that being new to politics, they would steal the vote of the people of Arizona in broad daylight, and I would just walk away going it\u2019s too big of a hill to climb, of a mountain to climb.\n\nThey picked a fight with the wrong person. I didn\u2019t lose, I won.\u201d\u201d
— Kari Lake War Room (@Kari Lake War Room) 1673144740

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Horowitz: The real reason Western leaders are silent about Chinese protests



Typically, when we watch human rights violations across the globe from the comfort of our American homes, we are overcome with a sense of relief that we live in freedom. However, as we ominously watch the protests over lockdowns in China, let’s not forget that a large degree of this particular tyranny was implemented in America for months and that there is nothing in place to stop it from happening again. In fact, what starts in China clearly gets imported to the United States, because our elite overlords are impressed rather than horrified with the behavior of the CCP.

If the response from our government officials, celebrities, and media to the repression taking place in China appears to be muted, it’s likely because these same people had no problem with implementing some of these very policies in the supposed land of the free. In fact, according to revelations from Dr. Fauci himself during a seven-hour deposition with Missouri and Louisiana Attorneys General Eric Schmitt and Jeff Landry, Fauci himself imported the idea of inhumane lockdowns because officials were so impressed with China.

Thanks to a federal judge’s order in a lawsuit in which these two AGs are suing the Biden administration for collaborating with social media to censor opposition to the regime’s COVID policies, Fauci was forced to answer questions during a deposition with the attorneys for the censored plaintiffs last week. One of the plaintiffs, Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, released key details from Fauci’s testimony. Fauci supposedly divulged that he dispatched his deputy at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Clifford Lane, to China in Feb. 2020. They were so impressed with China’s “success” that they decided to emulate the policy in the West.

“Dr. Lane was very impressed about how, from a clinical public health standpoint, the Chinese were handling the isolation, the contact tracing, the building of facilities to take care of people, and that’s what I believed he meant when he said [they] were managing this in a very structured, organized way,” said Fauci in response to a question from one of the lawyers.

So, what was the lesson he took from Dr. Lane in applying China’s policy to the West? “I believe Dr. Lane came to the conclusion that when you have a widespread respiratory disease that a very common and effective way to curtail the rapid spread of the disease is by implementing social distancing measures. … Dr. Lane is a very astute clinician, and I have every reason to believe that his evaluation of the situation was accurate and correct.”

There you have it. Not only weren’t they horrified by Chinese authorities welding people into their homes and tracking every move of every citizen, they found it to be “effective” and “very structured.” Yeah, presumably the Nazi concentration camps were quite structured and organized too.

\u201cUnreal footage shows CCP forces welding shut an exit to an apartment building during zero-COVID lockdowns\u2014 trapping desperate people inside.\n\nThis was supposed to be our ruling class\u2019 \u201cmodel?\u201d\n\n\u201d
— Benny Johnson (@Benny Johnson) 1669644503

In other words, our political elites still find nothing fundamentally wrong with what China did and have not repudiated the actions they mimicked here. We must remember that although people weren’t welded into their homes, the stay-at-home orders, masks, massive surveillance, use of AI, transhumanism, and biomedical tyranny were all made in China. And unlike everything else made there, these appear to have staying power.

Rather than engaging in an arms race with the Chinese to see who can excel more at tyranny, we need to destroy the tyranny and plow the salt of freedom into it forever.

Ironically, masks are still being shoved on rape and trauma victims or on the elderly and seriously ill in health care settings, masks made by slave labor in China. AG Schmitt reports that Fauci clearly knew that masks don’t work but promoted them anyway:

\u201cAnother tidbit from Fauci depo: In Feb \u201820 he emailed a friend advising her masks were ineffective. Confirmed again on Mar 31. On Apr 3 he\u2019s adamant masks should be worn even though he couldn\u2019t cite a single study to prove it. Mandates followed\u2014Lives ruined\n\nCOVID tyranny is born\u201d
— Eric Schmitt (@Eric Schmitt) 1669392317

Remember people like hair salon owner Shelly Luther being jailed in Texas (of all places) for opening her business? To this day, Gov. Greg Abbott has still not apologized for his COVID policies. We still have Texas doctors being punished for not having worn masks during Abbott’s mask orders. We still have universities, law schools, and medical schools in red states pushing these illogical, inhumane, immoral, and disproven mandates on the human body.

In another rich irony, the Chinese protesters were chanting “we don’t want testing, we want freedom,” yet in the U.S. we still have these mandates for many. They are on our own military.

\u201cHundreds of protesters in Beijing march with blank paper as part of the White Paper Revolution \n\nThey are chanting "We don't want testing, we want freedom"\u201d
— Jack Posobiec \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Jack Posobiec \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1669644593

In other words, we have still not inoculated ourselves against this sort of tyranny at home. Republicans barely even mentioned it during either the 2020 or 2022 elections. One would think House Republicans would make their “HR1” legislation all about banning emergency powers, the Prep Act, lockdowns, masks, and vaccine mandates. Yet we barely hear a peep from them. Indeed, as Chinese citizens risk their lives to protest the CCP, we still have not rid ourselves of our own Chinese demons in the supposed land of the free and the home of the brave.

Control of the US Senate remains unknown



So far, Republicans have underperformed in many races across the country, and now which party will control the United States Senate for the next two years remains unclear.

Senators serve six-year terms, and a third of the Senate — approximately 33 senators — is up for reelection during every election cycle. Since January 2021, the Senate has been evenly split with 50 Republicans, 48 Democrats, and 2 independents who caucus with Democrats, leaving Vice President Kamala Harris (D) to cast more than two dozen deciding votes in less than two years.

No major outlet has yet projected which party will control the U.S. Senate. However, the following races will likely play a key role in the outcome.

Pennsylvania

This race is particularly important for Democrats, as Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz were competing for a seat vacated by retiring Republican incumbent Pat Toomey. A Fetterman win will increase the chances that Democrats maintain or perhaps increase their Senate majority.
Unfortunately, Fetterman suffered a debilitating stroke back in May, which severely affected his ability to give speeches, dialogue with voters, and participate in debates. Because of his impaired physical and mental fitness, Oz attempted to offer a stable, reliable alternative to Fetterman, who did not make many appearances without closed-captioning and has a very liberal track record as the lieutenant governor of the state.

So far though, Pennsylvania voters do not seem as concerned about Fetterman's health. As of early Wednesday morning, he holds a narrow lead of just under one point with 88% of votes reported.


\u201cFETTERMAN: \u201cI run on Roe v. Wade. I celebrate the demise of Roe v. Wade.\u201d \n\n\u201d
— Benny Johnson (@Benny Johnson) 1667693805

Arizona

In Arizona, Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat incumbent, has faced a strong challenge from venture capitalist Blake Masters. Masters hammered Kelly's record of voting to approve President Joe Biden's liberal agenda, and in particular, his seemingly indifferent attitude toward illegal immigration.
"If this is the result of Senator Kelly being 'focused on the border,' my gosh, he's the most ineffective and worst senator of all time," Masters quipped during their debate in early October.
\u201c.@bgmasters: "If this is the result of Senator Kelly being 'focused on the border,' my gosh, he's the most ineffective and worst senator of all time."\u201d
— RNC Research (@RNC Research) 1665106366

Voting irregularities in Maricopa County, the most populous county in the state, will make this race difficult to call.

Georgia

Political junkies and college football fans across the country paid close attention to this race between Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, who won a special election against Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler in 2020, and former Heisman Trophy winner and University of Georgia legend Herschel Walker.
Running as a Republican, Walker was able to capitalize on his folksy mannerisms and southern drawl to convince many voters to trust him, despite allegations that he had paid for a former girlfriend to abort his child in 2009. In his debate against Warnock, Walker leaned in on his pro-life stance and his friendship with former President Donald Trump, both topics which he was then able to turn into attacks against Warnock.
"[I]f black lives matter," Walker rhetorically asked Warnock, who is also a Christian minister, "why are you not protecting those babies? And instead of aborting those babies, why are you not baptizing those babies?"
\u201cHerschel Walker (R): \u201cIf Black Lives Matter, why are you not protecting those babies, and instead of aborting those babies, why are you not baptizing those babies?\u201d\n\nSen. Raphael Warnock (D): \u201cI think the women of Georgia have a clear choice.\u201d\u201d
— The Recount (@The Recount) 1665790058

Warnock and Walker remain neck and neck, at 49.1% and 48.8%, respectively. If neither candidate reaches the 50% threshold once all ballots have been counted, the race will head for a runoff.

Nevada

Democrat incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto has looked vulnerable for months against Republican challenger Adam Laxalt. Since mid-September, Laxalt has shown a steady lead in the polls, and Cortez Masto has struggled to demonstrate solidarity with her party while also distancing herself from Biden, who is deeply unpopular with many Nevadans. On Oct. 25, the New York Times dubbed her "the Senate's most at-risk Democrat."
The two did not have a debate this election season.

\u201c\u201cNot once has @cortezmasto said no and put her foot down on behalf of the people of Nevada. She has stood side by side, almost 100% of the time, with Joe Biden.\u201d\n\nSenator @TomCottonAR is right. Masto has been nothing but a rubber stamp for Biden.\n\nNevada is ready for change.\u201d
— Adam Paul Laxalt (@Adam Paul Laxalt) 1667678084
Clark and Washoe Counties, the two most populous counties in the state, may not announce vote tallies until Thursday, according to Jon Ralston of the Nevada Independent and Ben Margiott of KRNV. So, we have very little data about this race.

New Hampshire

This state was not supposed to be in play for Republicans, and it turns out, it never really was. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D) won by just 0.6% of the vote in 2016, New Hampshire then trended leftward in the next two election cycles. Biden won the state handily in 2020, 52.7% to Trump's 45.4%.
During the primary this year, Democrats then threw considerable money at Republican Don Bolduc because they thought he would be easiest candidate to defeat in the November election. A PAC affiliated with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) obviously agreed, since it pulled money out of the race in mid-October.
Though Bolduc took a slight lead in some polls in the final days, Hassan held a comfortable lead all night. She has been projected to win reelection safely.

\u201cDON BOLDUC: Under Joe Biden and Maggie Hassan, \u201cyou can\u2019t even buy a house, you can\u2019t even rent property, you can\u2019t even feed your children, you can\u2019t even heat your home. That is the ultimate tax.\u201d #NHSen\u201d
— RNC Research (@RNC Research) 1667437347

Arizona election officials report issues with vote-counting machines at 20% of polling locations in Maricopa County



Maricopa County Board of Supervisors chairman Bill Gates reported on Tuesday morning that approximately 20% of the voting centers in Arizona's largest county are experiencing issues with vote-counting tabulators.

"About 20% of the locations out there where there's an issue with the tabulator where some of the ballots that after people have voted them, they try and run them through the tabulator and they're not going through," Gates stated.

\u201c#BREAKING Chairman @maricopacounty Board of Supervisors @billgatesaz says 20% voting centers are having issues w/tabulators. He says the ballot can still be dropped in the box, it will just get centrally tabulated tonight. He says they\u2019re working to fix the issue. #Election2022\u201d
— Ali Bradley (@Ali Bradley) 1667925045

Gates stated that if the tabulator does not accept a ballot, voters can place their ballots inside a "secure box," and they will be manually counted in the evening at a central counting location. A majority of Arizona counties tabulate ballots this way, Gates added.

"This will function much like early voting functions, in that we would get your ballot back, once we've signature-verified it, we would send it to our central tabulators," Gates said. "Ballots that are [at the central location] will already be signature-verified, so we won't need to confirm identity but we will central-tabulate them."

Voters across the county took to social media to report tabulator malfunctions at multiple Maricopa County locations. Residents captured videos of election workers announcing issues with the vote-counting machines.

"We have two tabulators. One of the tabulators is not working," an election worker at one Maricopa voting center explained to voters waiting in line to cast their ballots. "The other tabulator is taking about 75% successful. So, 25% of them are being misread. And it could be a printer issue, or it could be the tabulator itself. So, when it's misread, you have an option to put it into what's called box three, and it gets read. Whether it goes downtown and gets read manually or whether it gets refed into our tabulator."

\u201cBREAKING: Reports out of Maricopa county of Machines \u201cnot working\u201d and ballots being \u201cmisread\u201d\n\nWHAT IS GOING ON?\n\u201d
— Benny Johnson (@Benny Johnson) 1667917997

Another video shared on social media captured an election worker explaining how ballots placed into box three will be counted.

"Tonight, a Republican and a Democrat will sit and go through all of the misread ballots all over the county and count them," the election worker explained. She added that none of the tabulators at the voting location were working correctly.

"Nothing's working for the last half hour," she noted.

\u201cPoll worker in Maricopa County confirms "nothing's working" for the last half hour. Explains misread ballots will get counted downtown tonight.\u201d
— Charlie Kirk (@Charlie Kirk) 1667925913

According to the elections department, as of Tuesday, there were 2,463,264 active voters in Maricopa County. As of 11 a.m. ET, roughly 44,000 voters had cast their ballots in person.

Katie Hobbs (D), Arizona's current secretary of state and a gubernatorial candidate, refused calls to recuse herself from overseeing the midterm elections.

The tabulator issues in Maricopa County are expected to delay the announcement of the results in the critical gubernatorial race between Democrat Katie Hobbs and Republican Kari Lake and the Senate race between Democrat Mark Kelly and Republican Blake Masters.

\u201cScottsdale Arizona: 11735 N SCOTTSDALE RD\u2026 Machines are down all over the place.. Many COULDN\u2019T even get their votes counted.. \n\nThis is happening all just Maricopa county not just at this location.. Why is this happening @stephen_richer @katiehobbs ??\u201d
— DoBetterAZ.com (@DoBetterAZ.com) 1667929271

Kathy Griffin uses her dead mother's Twitter account to resume war with Elon Musk after getting suspended from platform for impersonating him



Comedian and left-wing attack dog Kathy Griffin began using her dead mother's Twitter account to continue doing battle with new Twitter owner Elon Musk after she was suspended from the social media platform Sunday for impersonating him.

\u201c@elonmusk I\u2019m back from the grave to say\u2026\n#FreeKathy \n#TipIt\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1667775222

"I'm back from the grave to say ... #FreeKathy ..." the account for Griffin's late mother read Sunday evening. That was followed by the following message: "Apologize in advance for all the comments you’re gonna have to read about how ugly I am, and they’re probably gonna throw you in there, too. Oh, by the way this is KG. I’m tweeting from my dead mother’s account. She would not mind."

Musk, as he is wont to do, expertly trolled Griffin, noting on Twitter that "actually, she was suspended for impersonating a comedian" — a quip that's garnered nearly 450,000 likes and counting since Sunday evening.

He wasn't done:

\u201c@bennyjohnson @kathygriffin For $8\u201d
— Benny Johnson (@Benny Johnson) 1667777736

Griffin gets all worked up

Griffin can be a relentlessly surly soul when she's offended. We're talking about someone who accused a non-celebrity of attending the Jan. 6 riots and reported the person to the FBI — all after this everyday individual called Griffin "despicable."

So you know she's obsessed with digging into Musk with her myriad claws.

After Musk joked that Griffin was "suspended for impersonating a comedian," she got predictably fired up:

\u201c@elonmusk @bennyjohnson @kathygriffin I mean\u2026 you stole that joke, you asshole. People have been posting that joke for hours, you hack.\nLook, please do a better job running this company. It used to mean something. \nThis is KG btw\u201d
— Benny Johnson (@Benny Johnson) 1667777736

“I mean… you stole that joke, you asshole,” she wrote from her deceased mom's account. “People have been posting that joke for hours, you hack. Look, please do a better job running this company. It used to mean something. This is KG btw.”

Some other tries from Griffin:

\u201c@saraschaefer1 I honestly think it\u2019s because it\u2019s me, and because the tweets I was trying to write in his voice were pro democrats and had hashtags like #VoteBlueToProtectWomen and #voteblue and pro @BetoORourke etc.\nOh Sara, this is KG btw.\u201d
— Maggie Griffin (@Maggie Griffin) 1667791219
\u201cElon, this is Maggie contacting you from the spirit world tell u\u2026you\u2019re a douchebag. This is not parody. This is the actual ghost of Kathy Griffin\u2019s boxed wine loving mother saying I\u2019m gonna get tipsy & throw my bingo cards at you! NOT A PARODY. \nTo the moon, a**hole. #FreeKathy\u201d
— Maggie Griffin (@Maggie Griffin) 1667835391

The New York Post noted that Griffin "risks getting her mom’s account suspended too because Twitter’s 'ban evasion policy' clearly states that 'Twitter reserves the right to also permanently suspend any other account we believe the same account holder or entity may be operating in violation of our earlier suspension, regardless of when the other account was created.'"

Griffin's long line of nastiness

Back in 2017, Griffin was granted a short respite from her life on the D list after infamously posing with a fake bloody head of then-President Donald Trump during a photo shoot. She soon apologized in the wake of massive backlash, and the stunt earned her a visit from the Secret Service. Later that year, Griffin took back her apology.

As readers of TheBlaze know all too well, Griffin's nastiness is legendary:

Kathy Griffin's Twitter account gets suspended after impersonating Elon Musk, new CEO announces strict rules against impersonations



Comedian and progressive activist Kathy Griffin had her Twitter account suspended on Sunday after violating the social media platform's terms of service. Griffin had been impersonating Elon Musk on Twitter.

Griffin altered her Twitter account to make it appear that it was Musk's official page. She changed her feature image to the same photo that Musk has and renamed her account to "Elon Musk."

Screenshots show Griffin was also impersonating Musk in her tweets. In the impersonating tweets, Griffin instructed people to vote for Democrats in the midterm elections.

\u201cThese celebrities impersonating @elonmusk to attempt and influence people on how to vote is the weirdest celebrity trend. The latest is d lister @kathygriffin.\u201d
— Russian Bot Barbie \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83d\udc71\ud83c\udffc\u200d\u2640\ufe0f (@Russian Bot Barbie \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83d\udc71\ud83c\udffc\u200d\u2640\ufe0f) 1667762910
\u201cWelp, Kathy Griffin is about to be deleted from Twitter for impersonating @ElonMusk. And of course, she is trying to manipulate people to think he wants them to vote for the Democrats. Typical dirty tricks. #Midterms2022 #Election2022 #MAGA\u201d
— Gays For TRUMP (@Gays For TRUMP) 1667763547

Griffin's Twitter account was suspended.

\u201cBREAKING: @KathyGriffin has been permanently suspended from Twitter for impersonating @ElonMusk\u201d
— Benny Johnson (@Benny Johnson) 1667777736

Even before Musk took over Twitter, it was against the social media network's terms of service to impersonate someone.

You may not impersonate individuals, groups, or organizations to mislead, confuse, or deceive others, nor use a fake identity in a manner that disrupts the experience of others on Twitter.

We want Twitter to be a place where people can find authentic voices. That means one should be able to trust that the person or organization featured in an account’s profile genuinely represents the account owner. While you are not required to display your real name or image on your profile, your account should not engage in impersonation or pose as someone who doesn’t exist in order to deceive others. Accounts that use deceptive identities can create confusion, as well as undermine the integrity of conversations on Twitter. For this reason, you may not misappropriate the identity of another person, group, or organization, or create a fake identity for deceptive purposes.

Accounts that impersonate others face profile modifications, temporary account suspension, and permanent suspension.

On Sunday, Musk issued a stern warning for anyone thinking about impersonating other accounts.

"Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying 'parody' will be permanently suspended," Musk tweeted. "Previously, we issued a warning before suspension, but now that we are rolling out widespread verification, there will be no warning."

"This wil l be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue," the Twitter CEO stated.

\u201cPreviously, we issued a warning before suspension, but now that we are rolling out widespread verification, there will be no warning. \n\nThis will be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue.\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1667775222

Griffin previously besmirched Musk as a "white supremacist."

"Think of the damage Zuckerberg has done. Musk is a Piers Morgan level media thirsty, vindictive, white supremacist who is looking to convince you he is an innovative disruptor," Griffin said in April.

Musk replied, "The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all."

Musk added, "By 'free speech', I simply mean that which matches the law. I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law. If people want less free speech, they will ask government to pass laws to that effect. Therefore, going beyond the law is contrary to the will of the people."