buzzfeed--2020-09-25--The Feds Are Investigating Issues With A Small Number Of Mail-In Ballots In One Pennsylvania County

An election worker in a different county handles mail-in ballots in May during Pennsylvania 's primaries .
Federal authorities are investigating issues with a small number of mail-in ballots that were `` improperly opened '' and `` discarded '' in one Pennsylvania county , a US attorney announced Thursday .
In what was seen by political experts as a highly unusual and even inappropriate statement , David J .
Freed , US Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania , announced that officials were investigating after they recovered nine military ballots for the upcoming general election that were `` discarded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Elections , including seven that were cast for President Donald Trump .
A letter Freed sent to the county 's elections director hours later further clarified that elections staff had `` improperly opened '' the ballots and `` had the ballots removed and discarded , or removed and placed separately from the envelope containing confidential voter information and attestation . ''
Freed said at this time it appears that three of the nine ballots can be attributed to voters while the remaining six can not .
The seven ballots that included votes for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ envelope .
Of those , just one has since been tied to an envelope , meaning it can be attributed to the voter who cast it .
The other two ballots that had been thrown away and were recovered by elections staff were reinserted into `` what appeared to be their appropriate envelopes , '' the letter stated .
It is not known which candidate those votes were for .
In addition to the nine military ballots , investigators found four `` apparently official , barcoded , absentee ballot envelopes that were empty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attestations and signatures , and one that had a handwritten return address .
The letter stated that the majority of these materials were found outside in a dumpster .
In Pennsylvania , elections workers can not open mail-in ballots until the morning of Election Day .
Freed said that while investigators are continuing to review the materials , the initial findings of the investigation were `` troubling . ''
`` The Luzerne County Bureau of Elections must comply with all applicable state and federal election laws and guidance to ensure that all votes-regardless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election count , '' he said .
`` Even though your staff has made some attempts to reconstitute certain of the improperly opened ballots , there is no guarantee that any of these votes will be counted in the general election . ''
It was n't clear why elections staff discarded the ballots , but Freed said they have learned that `` all or nearly all envelopes received '' at the county elections officers `` were opened as a matter of course '' due to their similar appearance .
`` It was explained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overseas , military , absentee and mail-in ballot requests are so similar , that the staff believed that adhering to the protocol of preserving envelopes unopened would cause them to miss such ballot requests , '' the letter stated .
He said this issue had existed during the state 's primary earlier this year but had not been rectified .
In 2016 , Trump won more than 58 % of votes in Luzerne County , which has a population of about 317,000 people , according to US Census estimates .
Luzerne County Elections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BuzzFeed News ' request for comment .
In a statement emailed to BuzzFeed News , Chief County Solicitor Romilda Crocamo said Watchilla discovered the issue last week and that her findings were immediately reported to authorities .
Freed said his office , as well as the FBI , began investigating the issue on Monday at the request of the Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis .
`` The County will continue to work in cooperation with the authorities throughout their review , '' Crocamo said .
`` Due to the fact that this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not appropriate for the County to provide further comment at this time . ''
Freed 's initial statement , which initially incorrectly stated that all nine ballots were cast for Trump , immediately sparked unfounded claims by the president 's campaign that this was evidence that Democrats were trying to steal the election .
But FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress on Thursday that the agency has `` not seen , historically , any kind of coordinated national voter fraud effort in a major election , whether it 's by mail or otherwise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal election outcome by mounting that kind of fraud at scale would be a major challenge for an adversary , '' Wray said .
Freed is a Republican who was nominated by President Trump for his position in 2017 .
His announcement about the Pennsylvania investigation , including the revelation that most of the ballots involved were cast for Trump , raised concerns for election law experts .
Before Freed 's statement was released , White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany had mentioned the case during a briefing , saying , `` Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were found in Pennsylvania and I believe you should be getting more information on that shortly . ''
Justin Levitt , a professor at Loyola Law School and a former DOJ official , wrote on Twitter that , `` An investigation here may be reasonable .
But there is NO legit reason for : 1 ) a DOJ press release on a pending investigation , that 2 ) announces a partial list of unconfirmed facts , including 3 ) the identity of one of the candidates on specific ballots . ''
`` There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identity of the preferred candidate in this context .
None , '' Levitt later told BuzzFeed News in a phone interview .
`` It ’ s a fact that does not matter for law enforcement purposes .
Either the ballots were treated properly or not but it does not matter who the votes were cast for .
The only reason to include that information is for partisan political purposes . ''
Levitt pointed to the Department of Justice 's own guidelines , revised in 2017 , that investigations by federal prosecutors into election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way that minimizes the likelihood that the investigation itself may become a factor in the election . ''

Federal authorities are investigating issues with a small number of mail-in ballots that were "improperly opened" and "discarded" in one Pennsylvania county, a US attorney announced Thursday.
In what was seen by political experts as a highly unusual and even inappropriate statement, David J. Freed, US attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced that officials were investigating after they recovered nine military ballots for the upcoming general election that were "discarded" at the Luzerne County Board of Elections, including seven that were cast for President Donald Trump.
A letter Freed sent to the county's elections director hours later further clarified that elections staff had "improperly opened" the ballots and "had the ballots removed and discarded, or removed and placed separately from the envelope containing confidential voter information and attestation."
Freed said at this time it appears that three of the nine ballots can be attributed to voters while the remaining six cannot. The seven ballots that included votes for Trump were found without a matching envelope. Of those, just one has since been tied to an envelope, meaning it can be attributed to the voter who cast it.
The other two ballots that had been "discarded" and were recovered by elections staff were reinserted into "what appeared to be their appropriate envelopes," the letter stated. It is not known which candidate those votes were for.
In addition to the nine military ballots, investigators found four "apparently official, barcoded, absentee ballot envelopes that were empty," including two that had completed attestations and signatures and one that had a handwritten return address. The letter stated that the majority of these materials were found outside in a dumpster.
In Pennsylvania, elections workers cannot open mail-in ballots until the morning of Election Day.
Freed said that while investigators are continuing to review the materials, the initial findings of the investigation were "troubling."
"The Luzerne County Bureau of Elections must comply with all applicable state and federal election laws and guidance to ensure that all votes — regardless of party — are counted to ensure an accurate election count," he said. "Even though your staff has made some attempts to reconstitute certain of the improperly opened ballots, there is no guarantee that any of these votes will be counted in the general election."
In a press release emailed to BuzzFeed News on Friday, county officials explained that Luzerne County Elections Director Shelby Watchilla learned on Sept. 16 that "a temporary seasonal independent contractor," who was assigned to sort mail and had just started work two days prior, "incorrectly discarded" the military ballots into the trash. The temporary worker is no longer employed by the elections bureau, the county said.
The elections bureau began sending out the military ballots for the November general election on Aug. 25. The ballots, which are called Uniformed Military and Overseas Voters Act (UMOVA) ballots, are for US citizens living abroad and military voters. Mail-in ballots for the general public are expected to be sent out beginning Oct. 5.
As part of the investigation, the county said that all of the bureau's garbage from Sept. 14 to Sept. 16 was collected and placed into bags in a dumpster secured by county staff.
"Each bag of garbage from the entire building in the dumpster was searched by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office, Pennsylvania State Police as well as Luzerne County staff," the county said. "All items of concern were taken into custody by the Federal Bureau of Investigations."
The press release also noted that county staff were unaware that the majority of the ballots involved were cast for President Trump until it was disclosed by the US Attorney's Office in its statement Thursday.
Freed said investigators have learned that "all or nearly all envelopes received" at the county elections offices "were opened as a matter of course" due to their similar appearance.
"It was explained to investigators the envelopes used for official overseas, military, absentee and mail-in ballot requests are so similar, that the staff believed that adhering to the protocol of preserving envelopes unopened would cause them to miss such ballot requests," his letter stated.
He said this issue had existed during the state's primary earlier this year but had not been rectified.
Watchilla did not respond to BuzzFeed News' request for comment.
In a statement emailed to BuzzFeed News on Thursday, Chief County Solicitor Romilda Crocamo said Watchilla's findings were immediately reported to authorities after she discovered them last week.
In 2016, Trump won more than 58% of votes in Luzerne County, which has a population of about 317,000 people, according to US Census estimates.
Freed said his office, as well as the FBI, began investigating the issue Monday at the request of the Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis.
Once the FBI returns the ballots to the county, staff will try to contact the voters involved to process their ballots, the county said in the Friday press release. The county encouraged voters who have already mailed their UMOVA ballots to check the status of their ballot on the state's website.
"Luzerne County will be providing supplemental extensive training to both full time staff and temporary seasonal independent contractors and has a security camera in the Elections Bureau to actively monitor and ensure that all staff are strictly adhering to proper procedures and protocols," the county said.
Freed's initial statement, which initially incorrectly stated that all nine ballots were cast for Trump, immediately sparked unfounded claims by the president's campaign that this was evidence that Democrats were trying to steal the election.
But FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress on Thursday the agency has "not seen, historically, any kind of coordinated national voter fraud effort in a major election, whether it's by mail or otherwise."
"Certainly to change a federal election outcome by mounting that kind of fraud at scale would be a major challenge for an adversary," Wray said.
Freed is a Republican who was nominated by Trump for his position in 2017.
His announcement about the Pennsylvania investigation, including the revelation that most of the ballots involved were cast for Trump, raised concerns for election law experts.
Before Freed's statement was released, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany had mentioned the case during a briefing, saying, "Trump ballots, ballots for the president, were found in Pennsylvania, and I believe you should be getting more information on that shortly."
Justin Levitt, a professor at Loyola Law School and a former Department of Justice official, wrote on Twitter: "An investigation here may be reasonable. But there is NO legit reason for: 1) a DOJ press release on a pending investigation, that 2) announces a partial list of unconfirmed facts, including 3) the identity of one of the candidates on specific ballots."
"There's no statute that turns on the identity of the preferred candidate in this context. None," Levitt later told BuzzFeed News in a phone interview. "It’s a fact that does not matter for law enforcement purposes. Either the ballots were treated properly or not, but it does not matter who the votes were cast for. The only reason to include that information is for partisan political purposes."
Levitt pointed to the DOJ's own guidelines, revised in 2017, that investigations by federal prosecutors into election fraud "must be conducted in a way that minimizes the likelihood that the investigation itself may become a factor in the election."


buzzfeed--2020-09-25--If You're Not Aware Of How The Pandemic Is Affecting Deaf People, You Need To Watch These TikToks

`` I think it 's important for people to know how to respectfully interact with anyone in the disability community @ @ @ @ @ barriers , '' she said .
`` Most people have never met a deaf person @ @ @ @ @ help them know how to be accessible and respectfully patient when they do . ''

"I think it's important for people to know how to respectfully interact with anyone in the disability community and break down the intimidation barriers," she said. "Most people have never met a deaf person before. I want to help them know how to be accessible and respectfully patient when they do."


buzzfeed--2020-09-25--Lizzo Said The Body Positivity Movement Has Been "Made Acceptable" And Is "No Longer Benefiting" The

Lizzo Said The Body Positivity Movement Has Been "Made Acceptable" And Is "No Longer Benefiting" The People Who Created It

`` I feel no ways about that , because inclusivity is what my message is always about , '' she @ @ @ @ @ 'm glad that this conversation is being included in the mainstream narrative . ''
She @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t like is how the people that this term was created for are @ @ @ @ @ Girls with back fat , girls with bellies that hang , girls with thighs that @ @ @ @ @ that overlap .
Girls with stretch marks .
You know , girls who are in @ @ @ @ @ need to be benefiting from the mainstream effect of body positivity now . ''

The "Juice" singer went on to explain that she thinks it would be "lazy" at this point for her to call herself "body positive", and so she's pushing for a different label instead.


buzzfeed--2020-09-26--This Woman On TikTok Got Pregnant Without Having Sexual Intercourse And Yes, It's Possible

She considered abortion , but ultimately decided to have the baby .
`` I was just nervous I would n't @ @ @ @ @ everything .
But he has it all and more , '' she said .
Samantha @ @ @ @ @ is now 5 .
She 's still with her boyfriend , Alex , and they @ @ @ @ @ named Theo who 's turning 1 next week .
And yes , Theo was conceived @ @ @ @ @ added .

She considered abortion, but ultimately decided to have the baby. "I was just nervous I wouldn't be able to give him everything. But he has it all and more," she said. Samantha's son, Bentley, is now 5. She's still with her boyfriend, Alex, and they also have a baby boy named Theo who's turning 1 next week. And yes, Theo was conceived the traditional way, Samantha added.


buzzfeed--2020-09-25--Putin Asked Trump For A Mutual Ban On Election Interference. The White House Said Russia Should Stop

Putin Asked Trump For A Mutual Ban On Election Interference. The White House Said Russia Should Stop Its Ongoing Meddling First.

The White House read Russian President Vladimir Putin ’ s appeal on Friday for Russia and the US to agree on banning meddling in each other ’ s elections and made one of its own : Stop your meddling first .
“ A good starting point for discussion would be Russia discontinuing its ongoing meddling with the US election , ” a White House senior administration official told BuzzFeed News .
In a surprising and somewhat cryptic statement posted to the Kremlin ’ s site , Putin extended an offer to President Donald Trump for the adversarial nations to reset @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each other ’ s internal affairs , including elections .
“ One of today ’ s major strategic challenges is the risk of a large-scale confrontation in the digital field , ” Putin wrote .
“ We would like to once again address the US with a suggestion to agree on a comprehensive program of practical measures to reboot our relations in the field of security in the use of information and communication technologies ( ICTs ) .
“ [ I propose ] to exchange , in a mutually acceptable format , guarantees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other , including into electoral processes.
” Putin ’ s appeal came less than six weeks before the US presidential election .
US intelligence agencies have determined that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the aim of helping Trump , including by hacking into Hillary Clinton 's Democratic campaign , and that it continues to interfere in the 2020 election .
The Kremlin denies the accusations .
A recent CIA analysis concluded that Putin is most likely continuing to approve and direct interference operations aimed at raising Trump ’ s reelection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday .
And last week , FBI Director Christopher Wray said Russia was conducting a “ very active ” campaign to denigrate Joe Biden and sow chaos in the US political scene , Politico reported .
That assessment was apparently made to support sanctions imposed by the US Treasury this month on Andriy Derkach , a Ukrainian lawmaker deemed to be an “ active Russian agent ” who has embarked on a monthslong campaign to smear Biden , the former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee .
“ Dialogue like this is obviously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China , Iran , or any other party that continues to interfere in our election process , ” the senior White House official said of Putin ’ s statement .
“ According to Microsoft , Russian groups have attacked more than 200 organizations including political campaigns , advocacy groups , parties , and political consultants , ” the official continued .
They also pointed to a Washington Post article published Thursday that said Facebook had removed additional Russian disinformation networks with ties to the country ’ s intelligence services .
It is also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this kind of pitch , as US political operatives were quick to point out .
“ Various versions of this idea were floated before and it ’ s come up repeatedly in track 2 dialogues .
Recall the ‘ cyber unit ’ Putin proposed to Trump at the Hamburg G20 , which Trump touted as an accomplishment until his staff walked it back , ” tweeted Mike Carpenter , a close Biden ally who served as the director for Russia on the National Security Council under then-president Barack Obama .
Laura Rosenberger , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Securing Democracy , also noted the similarity to previous overtures made by Putin and said the Russian president ’ s message was also directed at Washington ’ s support for opponents of the Kremlin .
“ Read carefully .
He called for non-intervention — as in the US should also stop supporting democratic activists .
Not dissimilar to the dialogue he proposed creating early in Trump admin .
Total trap , ” she tweeted .
Some analysts and pundits questioned why Putin is extending the offer now .
A Bloomberg report on Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials and a former Kremlin insider saying Putin is growing increasingly worried that Trump may lose to Biden .

The White House read Russian President Vladimir Putin’s appeal on Friday for Russia and the US to agree on banning meddling in each other’s elections and made one of its own: Stop your meddling first.
“A good starting point for discussion would be Russia discontinuing its ongoing meddling with the US election,” a White House senior administration official told BuzzFeed News.
In a surprising and somewhat cryptic statement posted to the Kremlin’s site, Putin extended an offer to President Donald Trump for the adversarial nations to reset relations and agree not to meddle in each other’s internal affairs, including elections.
“One of today’s major strategic challenges is the risk of a large-scale confrontation in the digital field,” Putin wrote. “We would like to once again address the US with a suggestion to agree on a comprehensive program of practical measures to reboot our relations in the field of security in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).
“[I propose] to exchange, in a mutually acceptable format, guarantees of non-intervention into internal affairs of each other, including into electoral processes.”
Putin’s appeal came less than six weeks before the US presidential election. US intelligence agencies have determined that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the aim of helping Trump, including by hacking into Hillary Clinton's Democratic campaign, and that it continues to interfere in the 2020 election. The Kremlin denies the accusations.
A recent CIA analysis concluded that Putin is most likely continuing to approve and direct interference operations aimed at raising Trump’s reelection chances, the New York Times reported Tuesday. And last week, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Russia was conducting a “very active” campaign to denigrate Joe Biden and sow chaos in the US political scene, Politico reported.
That assessment was apparently made to support sanctions imposed by the US Treasury this month on Andriy Derkach, a Ukrainian lawmaker deemed to be an “active Russian agent” who has embarked on a monthslong campaign to smear Biden, the former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee.
“Dialogue like this is obviously hard to take seriously with Russia, China, Iran, or any other party that continues to interfere in our election process,” the senior White House official said of Putin’s statement.
“According to Microsoft, Russian groups have attacked more than 200 organizations including political campaigns, advocacy groups, parties, and political consultants,” the official continued. They also pointed to a Washington Post article published Thursday that said Facebook had removed additional Russian disinformation networks with ties to the country’s intelligence services.
It is also not the first time Russia has made this kind of pitch, as US political operatives were quick to point out.
“Various versions of this idea were floated before and it’s come up repeatedly in track 2 dialogues. Recall the ‘cyber unit’ Putin proposed to Trump at the Hamburg G20, which Trump touted as an accomplishment until his staff walked it back,” tweeted Mike Carpenter, a close Biden ally who served as the director for Russia on the National Security Council under then-president Barack Obama.
Laura Rosenberger, director of the bipartisan group Alliance for Securing Democracy, also noted the similarity to previous overtures made by Putin and said the Russian president’s message was also directed at Washington’s support for opponents of the Kremlin.
“Read carefully. He called for non-intervention — as in the US should also stop supporting democratic activists. Not dissimilar to the dialogue he proposed creating early in Trump admin. Total trap,” she tweeted.
Some analysts and pundits questioned why Putin is extending the offer now. A Bloomberg report on Friday provided some clues. It cited US officials and a former Kremlin insider saying Putin is growing increasingly worried that Trump may lose to Biden.


buzzfeed--2020-09-25--Pennsylvania’s “Naked Ballot” Problem Is Spooking Elections Officials

WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania elections officials are scrambling to educate voters on how to properly submit their mail-in ballots after the state Supreme Court ruled officials can reject ballots received without secrecy envelopes .
“ You know , it ’ s very concerning because we can see 30,000 to 40,000 ballots that can very likely be thrown out , just in Philadelphia , in this upcoming general election , ” Philadelphia City Commissioner Lisa Deeley told BuzzFeed News during a phone interview Thursday .
“ And we know in Pennsylvania , you know , after what we saw in 2016 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election.
” Last week , the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled officials can reject ballots that are not enclosed in a secrecy envelope to conceal how a person voted .
This is a reversal from just this summer , when local election officials had instructed counties to count ballots that came in “ naked , ” or outside of their secrecy envelopes , in June ’ s elections .
Deeley , an elected Democrat , is calling on the state legislature to eliminate the secrecy ballot altogether .
“ One voter who is disenfranchised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told BuzzFeed News .
“ But we are disenfranchising tens of thousands of voters under the cover of law .
It is n't fair to Pennsylvanians that their vote will not be counted on a mere technicality , which is really a vestige from the past.
” The court decision has officials and local advocacy groups rushing to do a last-ditch voter outreach campaign on the new rule , just over a month before the presidential election .
The result of that outreach could decide the presidency : Donald Trump won Pennsylvania with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2016 .
Deeley said the city commissioners ’ office is adding messaging to its communications plan that would advise voters on how to properly submit their mail-in ballot .
Since the ruling , the commissioners ’ office has added a step-by-step explainer graphic on secrecy envelopes to its website and social media platforms .
The decision adds to an onslaught of confusion for Pennsylvania voters , from the fearmongering around mail-in voting coming out of the White House to the bevy of lawsuits from the Trump campaign that threaten the state ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This election marks the first time Pennsylvania voters will widely use mail-in voting options .
Pennsylvania Gov .
Tom Wolf has pushed mail-in voting as a safe way to vote during the pandemic .
Currently , 16 states require a secrecy sleeve to validate mail-in ballots .
It ’ s a measure installed for security and was first adopted by states like Kentucky to avoid voter intimidation .
“ The challenge is balancing voter privacy with voter accessibility , ” Kentucky ’ s former secretary of state Trey Grayson told BuzzFeed News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sounding the alarm about votes being tossed , but in another context , other groups could sound the alarm about voters losing the secrecy of the ballot.
” But in states like Kentucky , there ’ s a “ cure ” option , where , in some cases , voters have an opportunity to either resubmit their ballots , vote in person , or give up their anonymity should their ballots be deemed invalid .
The practice , however , requires a longer voting period or rules that allow votes to be counted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the meantime , nonprofits are committing to voter outreach around the issue as best they can during a pandemic .
David Thornburgh , president of the Committee of Seventy , a Philadelphia-based good government organization , has held events on Facebook Live , Zoom , and panels that have reached a couple hundred people .
But its voter outreach campaign , WeVote , which partners with large businesses like health insurers , could reach a half-million voters , he said .
“ At one level , it ’ s real simple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an outer envelope , and you need to use both when you are returning your mail ballot for it to count , ” Thornburgh said .
“ The challenge is , we ’ ve got 10 or 15 times as many people voting by mail in this election than we did four years ago.
” The ruling has inspired partisan nonprofits to organize .
Represent PA , a Philadelphia PAC looking to support more women running in state and federal elections , holds biweekly “ breakfast briefings ” for women all over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the political process .
Executive Director Christine Jacobs said Thursday 's event centered around election security and , in light of the recent court ruling , naked ballots .
“ All of the Republican discussions are designed around putting restrictions on voting rather than encouraging people to vote , ” Jacobs said .
“ I think that the feeling is the exuberance of making sure that the Democrat votes are held up.
” Jamie Perrapato , who heads Turn PA Blue , called the decision a “ form of voter suppression ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ combat it , adding language to their voter outreach scripts and planning to share graphics on how to properly submit a ballot .
But overall , Perrapato said , this just adds to the anxiety so many people are feeling around voting : “ I just keep yelling : There ’ s two envelopes ; don ’ t throw anything out !
”

WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania elections officials are scrambling to educate voters on how to properly submit their mail-in ballots after the state Supreme Court ruled officials can reject ballots received without secrecy envelopes.
“You know, it’s very concerning because we can see 30,000 to 40,000 ballots that can very likely be thrown out, just in Philadelphia, in this upcoming general election,” Philadelphia City Commissioner Lisa Deeley told BuzzFeed News during a phone interview Thursday. “And we know in Pennsylvania, you know, after what we saw in 2016, I mean, that could cost an election.”
Last week, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled officials can reject ballots that are not enclosed in a secrecy envelope to conceal how a person voted. This is a reversal from just this summer, when local election officials had instructed counties to count ballots that came in “naked,” or outside of their secrecy envelopes, in June’s elections. Deeley, an elected Democrat, is calling on the state legislature to eliminate the secrecy ballot altogether.
“One voter who is disenfranchised is one too many,” Deeley told BuzzFeed News. “But we are disenfranchising tens of thousands of voters under the cover of law. It isn't fair to Pennsylvanians that their vote will not be counted on a mere technicality, which is really a vestige from the past.”
The court decision has officials and local advocacy groups rushing to do a last-ditch voter outreach campaign on the new rule, just over a month before the presidential election. The result of that outreach could decide the presidency: Donald Trump won Pennsylvania with just 44,292 more votes than Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Deeley said the city commissioners’ office is adding messaging to its communications plan that would advise voters on how to properly submit their mail-in ballot. Since the ruling, the commissioners’ office has added a step-by-step explainer graphic on secrecy envelopes to its website and social media platforms.
The decision adds to an onslaught of confusion for Pennsylvania voters, from the fearmongering around mail-in voting coming out of the White House to the bevy of lawsuits from the Trump campaign that threaten the state’s voting opportunities amid the coronavirus pandemic.
This election marks the first time Pennsylvania voters will widely use mail-in voting options. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has pushed mail-in voting as a safe way to vote during the pandemic. Currently, 16 states require a secrecy sleeve to validate mail-in ballots. It’s a measure installed for security and was first adopted by states like Kentucky to avoid voter intimidation.
“The challenge is balancing voter privacy with voter accessibility,” Kentucky’s former secretary of state Trey Grayson told BuzzFeed News. “Right now, groups are sounding the alarm about votes being tossed, but in another context, other groups could sound the alarm about voters losing the secrecy of the ballot.”
But in states like Kentucky, there’s a “cure” option, where, in some cases, voters have an opportunity to either resubmit their ballots, vote in person, or give up their anonymity should their ballots be deemed invalid. The practice, however, requires a longer voting period or rules that allow votes to be counted after Election Day, according to Grayson.
In the meantime, nonprofits are committing to voter outreach around the issue as best they can during a pandemic.
David Thornburgh, president of the Committee of Seventy, a Philadelphia-based good government organization, has held events on Facebook Live, Zoom, and panels that have reached a couple hundred people. But its voter outreach campaign, WeVote, which partners with large businesses like health insurers, could reach a half-million voters, he said.
“At one level, it’s real simple: You’ve got two envelopes, an outer envelope, and you need to use both when you are returning your mail ballot for it to count,” Thornburgh said. “The challenge is, we’ve got 10 or 15 times as many people voting by mail in this election than we did four years ago.”
The ruling has inspired partisan nonprofits to organize. Represent PA, a Philadelphia PAC looking to support more women running in state and federal elections, holds biweekly “breakfast briefings” for women all over Pennsylvania who want to be more engaged in the political process. Executive Director Christine Jacobs said Thursday's event centered around election security and, in light of the recent court ruling, naked ballots.
“All of the Republican discussions are designed around putting restrictions on voting rather than encouraging people to vote,” Jacobs said. “I think that the feeling is the exuberance of making sure that the Democrat votes are held up.”
Jamie Perrapato, who heads Turn PA Blue, called the decision a “form of voter suppression” and said her team is working to combat it, adding language to their voter outreach scripts and planning to share graphics on how to properly submit a ballot. But overall, Perrapato said, this just adds to the anxiety so many people are feeling around voting:
“I just keep yelling: There’s two envelopes; don’t throw anything out!”


buzzfeed--2020-09-25--A Temp Worker Incorrectly Threw A Few Military Ballots Into The Trash In One Pennsylvania County, Of

A Temp Worker Incorrectly Threw A Few Military Ballots Into The Trash In One Pennsylvania County, Officials Said

Federal authorities are investigating issues with a small number of mail-in ballots that were `` improperly opened '' and `` discarded '' in one Pennsylvania county , a US attorney announced Thursday .
In what was seen by political experts as a highly unusual and even inappropriate statement , David J .
Freed , US attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania , announced that officials were investigating after they recovered nine military ballots for the upcoming general election that were `` discarded '' at the Luzerne County Board of Elections , including seven that were cast for President Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the county 's elections director hours later further clarified that elections staff had `` improperly opened '' the ballots and `` had the ballots removed and discarded , or removed and placed separately from the envelope containing confidential voter information and attestation . ''
Freed said at this time it appears that three of the nine ballots can be attributed to voters while the remaining six can not .
The seven ballots that included votes for Trump were found without a matching envelope .
Of those , just one has since been tied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be attributed to the voter who cast it .
The other two ballots that had been `` discarded '' and were recovered by elections staff were reinserted into `` what appeared to be their appropriate envelopes , '' the letter stated .
It is not known which candidate those votes were for .
In addition to the nine military ballots , investigators found four `` apparently official , barcoded , absentee ballot envelopes that were empty , '' including two that had completed attestations and signatures and one that had a handwritten return @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority of these materials were found outside in a dumpster .
In Pennsylvania , elections workers can not open mail-in ballots until the morning of Election Day .
Freed said that while investigators are continuing to review the materials , the initial findings of the investigation were `` troubling . ''
`` The Luzerne County Bureau of Elections must comply with all applicable state and federal election laws and guidance to ensure that all votes — regardless of party — are counted to ensure an accurate election count , '' he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ some attempts to reconstitute certain of the improperly opened ballots , there is no guarantee that any of these votes will be counted in the general election . ''
In a press release emailed to BuzzFeed News on Friday , county officials explained that Luzerne County Elections Director Shelby Watchilla learned on Sept. 16 that `` a temporary seasonal independent contractor , '' who was assigned to sort mail and had just started work two days prior , `` incorrectly discarded '' the military ballots into the trash .
The temporary worker is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the county said .
The elections bureau began sending out the military ballots for the November general election on Aug. 25 .
The ballots , which are called Uniformed Military and Overseas Voters Act ( UMOVA ) ballots , are for US citizens living abroad and military voters .
Mail-in ballots for the general public are expected to be sent out beginning Oct. 5 .
As part of the investigation , the county said that all of the bureau 's garbage from Sept. 14 to Sept. 16 was collected and placed into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staff .
`` Each bag of garbage from the entire building in the dumpster was searched by the Federal Bureau of Investigations , the Luzerne County District Attorney ’ s Office , Pennsylvania State Police as well as Luzerne County staff , '' the county said .
`` All items of concern were taken into custody by the Federal Bureau of Investigations . ''
The press release also noted that county staff were unaware that the majority of the ballots involved were cast for President Trump until it was disclosed by the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Freed said investigators have learned that `` all or nearly all envelopes received '' at the county elections offices `` were opened as a matter of course '' due to their similar appearance .
`` It was explained to investigators the envelopes used for official overseas , military , absentee and mail-in ballot requests are so similar , that the staff believed that adhering to the protocol of preserving envelopes unopened would cause them to miss such ballot requests , '' his letter stated .
He said this issue had existed during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but had not been rectified .
Watchilla did not respond to BuzzFeed News ' request for comment .
In a statement emailed to BuzzFeed News on Thursday , Chief County Solicitor Romilda Crocamo said Watchilla 's findings were immediately reported to authorities after she discovered them last week .
In 2016 , Trump won more than 58 % of votes in Luzerne County , which has a population of about 317,000 people , according to US Census estimates .
Freed said his office , as well as the FBI , began investigating the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis .
Once the FBI returns the ballots to the county , staff will try to contact the voters involved to process their ballots , the county said in the Friday press release .
The county encouraged voters who have already mailed their UMOVA ballots to check the status of their ballot on the state 's website .
`` Luzerne County will be providing supplemental extensive training to both full time staff and temporary seasonal independent contractors and has a security camera in the Elections Bureau to actively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strictly adhering to proper procedures and protocols , '' the county said .
Freed 's initial statement , which initially incorrectly stated that all nine ballots were cast for Trump , immediately sparked unfounded claims by the president 's campaign that this was evidence that Democrats were trying to steal the election .
But FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress on Thursday the agency has `` not seen , historically , any kind of coordinated national voter fraud effort in a major election , whether it 's by mail or otherwise . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ outcome by mounting that kind of fraud at scale would be a major challenge for an adversary , '' Wray said .
Freed is a Republican who was nominated by Trump for his position in 2017 .
His announcement about the Pennsylvania investigation , including the revelation that most of the ballots involved were cast for Trump , raised concerns for election law experts .
Before Freed 's statement was released , White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany had mentioned the case during a briefing , saying , `` Trump ballots , ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pennsylvania , and I believe you should be getting more information on that shortly . ''
Justin Levitt , a professor at Loyola Law School and a former Department of Justice official , wrote on Twitter : `` An investigation here may be reasonable .
But there is NO legit reason for : 1 ) a DOJ press release on a pending investigation , that 2 ) announces a partial list of unconfirmed facts , including 3 ) the identity of one of the candidates on specific ballots . ''
`` There 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the preferred candidate in this context .
None , '' Levitt later told BuzzFeed News in a phone interview .
`` It ’ s a fact that does not matter for law enforcement purposes .
Either the ballots were treated properly or not , but it does not matter who the votes were cast for .
The only reason to include that information is for partisan political purposes . ''
Levitt pointed to the DOJ 's own guidelines , revised in 2017 , that investigations by federal prosecutors into election fraud `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minimizes the likelihood that the investigation itself may become a factor in the election . ''


buzzfeed--2020-09-25--A Very Confusing Trip To Minnesota That Sums Up A Very Confusing Presidential Campaign

For all the talk of a constantly shifting election , my trip to Minnesota showed how things may not be changing much .
Voters know what they care about , and their minds are made up .
MINNEAPOLIS — When I booked my flight here , the presidential race was tightening , a massive backlash was brewing against Black Lives Matter in the Midwest , and Minnesota was a swing state .
By the time I landed there a week later , it didn ’ t , it hadn ’ t , and it wasn ’ t .
This has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , huge news events have seemed to swing the gravity of the presidential race , only to turn out to barely register in polls or on the ground .
Voters , it keeps turning out , know what they care about .
More than ever , their minds feel made up .
Two days into my trip to Minnesota , there was another seismic event that was supposed to change everything : the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg , and a last-minute fight for a suddenly vacant seat on the Supreme Court .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ outside a campaign rally President Donald Trump was holding in Bemidji in northern Minnesota — a city no sitting president had ever visited .
Right away , news outlets started talking about how Ginsburg ’ s death had “ upended the presidential race.
” The sun was setting , and across from the hangar where the rally was being held , Trump supporters had parked their cars on a stretch of dry grass like tailgaters , trying to catch a glimpse of Air Force One across the way and blasting Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not even know yet that Ginsburg had died , but the focus on his campaign ’ s `` law and order '' message already felt like old news .
Outside the rally , a group of men who said they ’ d arrived too late to get into the hangar were drinking beers under a Trump flag that hung from the trunk of a car .
I asked if they thought Ginsburg ’ s death would make a difference in the election .
At first they looked at me blankly .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think just about everybody ’ s already made up their minds , ” his friend said .
“ Even if you say you haven ’ t , when you ’ re in there to vote , it ’ s gon na be , ‘ Do you like the way the last four years have gone ?
Or do you not ?
’ That ’ s about it.
” A third friend raised his beer .
“ No matter what , there ’ s no way he ’ s going to lose , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chris , who said he was an evangelical Christian , told me the most important issue for him in the election was Trump .
“ I heard about that , ” Chris said when I asked about Ginsburg .
He didn ’ t seem to think it would matter in the election one way or another .
“ I guess I think it probably energizes both sides , ” Chris said .
This whole year , the search for shifting narratives by the media and by campaigns — particularly Republicans — has stood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had stayed mostly the same .
Impeachment , the movement for racial justice , the president ’ s reported comments about the military , the threat to the United States Postal Service .
Joe Biden led Trump in polls both nationally and in key swing states at the start of the general election , and he still does now with 40 days to go .
A national poll this week found only 4 % of voters had n't yet decided whom they would vote for , a smaller number than Biden 's overall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still win — it doesn ’ t take much more than a small polling error or a shift in voter turnout to tip the Electoral College ’ s balance — but it ’ s hard not to get the impression that voters ' minds have been made up for quite some time .
Trump , though , has had something of an obsessive focus on Minnesota for years .
In 2016 , he lost the state by just 1.5 points — despite barely visiting during his campaign .
Since then , he thinks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his favor : His campaign has taken the state much more seriously ; a Democrat-heavy district elected one of Republicans ’ most hated opponents , Rep. Ilhan Omar ; and Minnesota , a mostly white state , became the epicenter of Black Lives Matter protests after George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis .
In 2018 , Republicans actually managed to flip two Democratic House seats , though they also lost two red ones .
If there was a white backlash to BLM , people thought — if the former blue wall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be happening in Minnesota .
But soon after Kenosha , polls of Minnesota , which had been sparse so far , started to come out one after another .
Trump was behind by nine points , fifteen points .
The Minneapolis suburbs seem to have shifted since 2016 — against Trump .
Looking back , the only event that really seems to have changed the race was the pandemic .
Which makes sense , in a way .
Everything else can seem fleeting compared to the weight of the virus on all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daily lives that still haven ’ t been reversed , the visual reminders everywhere you turn .
In rural Minnesota , things seemed to be proceeding mostly as usual .
But in the Minneapolis suburbs , where Republicans desperately need to make inroads , many Republican candidates had dramatically altered their campaigns to limit the spread of the coronavirus .
There were few events to go to .
The Democratic Party in Minnesota is called the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party — a name that once reflected a coalition of big cities like Minneapolis and rural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Iron Range .
But since 2016 , like in so many other places , the state has cleaved almost in two .
Rural Democratic areas swung to Trump — he won Bemidji ’ s Beltrami County by 10 points in 2016 , after Obama won it by nearly the same margin in 2008 .
The once-conservative Minneapolis suburbs shifted to Democrats , especially in 2018 .
The day after Ginsburg died , I spent the day on what felt like the opposite spectrum of the Minnesota Republican Party from what I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suburban 2nd District , Republican Tyler Kistner had been running to take back a congressional seat that had once solidly belonged to his party .
A Democrat , Rep. Angie Craig , won it in 2018 .
Kistner , who is 33 , is a wiry , clean-shaven retired Marine in flannel and skinny jeans .
He ’ d just finished a 100-mile run across the district , stopping along the way at local businesses and police stations .
He held the final event of the run on the green lawn of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a picture with a few dozen attendees and a Blue Lives Matter flag .
Jeff Schuette , the chair of the 2nd District GOP , said he felt energy for Republicans in the district that was “ completely different ” than in 2018 .
For Republicans in the district , he said , a trio of issues dominate the conversation : the economy , the virus , and public safety — in that order .
Schuette , who put on a bright red GOP mask to talk to me , said suburban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — but they see the regulations imposed by Minnesota ’ s Democratic governor as overreach , too .
They want restaurants and businesses to reopen , he said .
Schuette thinks the Minneapolis protests will help his party out in the wealthy , mostly white suburbs .
“ I ’ ve gone to maybe 10 Democratic doors where you ask , ‘ What ’ s most important to you ?
’ and they ’ ve said , ‘ Please don ’ t let the riots come out here to Burnsville.
’ ” But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death , Schuette just wasn ’ t sure what it would mean .
“ I guess as a [ party ] chair , I ’ m trying to maintain some sort of semblance of what we ’ re trying to do , ” Schuette said .
“ I would have preferred that she wouldn ’ t have passed away , I really would.
” “ It ’ s way above my pay grade , ” he said .
“ I guess if you want my opinion , I don ’ t know .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t know which would be better .
They try to use precedents , but then you have — If President Trump loses and we didn ’ t appoint someone , then that would be bad .
So I don ’ t know.
” But Kistner , Schuette ’ s top candidate in the district , thought of the politics of Ginsburg ’ s death differently .
“ This is going to become another key issue , ” he said .
“ What helped Trump in 2016 ?
Justices .
This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ energized as they already are , this is just one more thing to add on to the swing voters.
” I asked about whether he talked about issues like abortion much with voters .
“ I ’ m pro-life , ” Kistner said .
“ If it comes up , I ’ ll talk about it.
” It was the same way for the rest of the evening .
No one brought up Ginsburg to me .
There were so many other things on everyone ’ s minds .
On Thursday , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , truly upended — this time without question .
A third-party candidate ’ s death triggered an unusual state law that meant that the election for the district ’ s seat would be canceled and replaced by a special election in February 2021 .
The votes that have already been cast for Kistner or Craig will not be counted .
“ I can ’ t tell you anything that ’ s going on , ” Schuette , baffled , told me on the phone minutes after the news broke .
“ Can anything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ landed on the White House lawn , I don ’ t even know… ” I know Minnesota .
I grew up just a few blocks from the heart of the George Floyd protests , in a neighborhood that is filled now with Black Lives Matter signs and murals of Floyd and , here and there , the charred ruins of buildings .
As a kid , I spent my summers in what is now Trump country , in northern Minnesota , in a tiny town called Longville that had just 300 people in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So it didn ’ t occur to me that I would visit and leave with no better understanding of the race than when I ’ d started .
But that was what happened .
The drive to Trump ’ s rally in Bemidji on Saturday took me up the same road that my parents and I took north from Minneapolis every summer , through sprawling farm fields and then pine tree forests .
It was impossible not to notice the Trump signs everywhere — painted on giant boulders , hand-lettered on old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As I drove , I didn ’ t see a single Biden sign , not one , and I found myself wondering what it meant — all the different ways you could interpret the simple fact of all those Trump signs in Minnesota , a state Biden was now supposedly running away with .
Was there a massive enthusiasm gap between Republicans and Democrats ?
Maybe .
But then what about the polls that showed Biden with a wide lead in the state — maybe they were wrong .
But then how could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters when vocal , unabashed support for Trump was everywhere you looked ?
Was it just that Biden ’ s ground game was lagging in the pandemic ?
Would that matter ?
I ’ d spoken to Jennifer Carnahan , the chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota , at the height of the focus on the state .
Carnahan said that even she had been surprised by how close Minnesota was in 2016 .
Few polls had even shown Trump within the margin of error there .
“ People are no longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enthusiasm for the president , ” Carnahan told me .
“ You can feel the excitement .
I ’ ve never seen this level of interest or attention .
We do have a chance to flip the state.
” Then I got to Bemidji , a small and not particularly liberal city in the heart of deep-red Trump country .
There , at a location chosen so that it wouldn ’ t provoke confrontations with Trump rallygoers , hundreds of people in masks lined the street , waving Biden–Harris signs .
There were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Minneapolis .

In 2016, he lost the state by just 1.5 points — despite barely visiting during his campaign. Since then, he thinks things in the state have changed in his favor: His campaign has taken the state much more seriously; a Democrat-heavy district elected one of Republicans’ most hated opponents, Rep. Ilhan Omar; and Minnesota, a mostly white state, became the epicenter of Black Lives Matter protests after George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis. In 2018, Republicans actually managed to flip two Democratic House seats, though they also lost two red ones.
If there was a white backlash to BLM, people thought — if the former blue wall was tipping back toward Trump — it would be happening in Minnesota.
But soon after Kenosha, polls of Minnesota, which had been sparse so far, started to come out one after another. Trump was behind by nine points, fifteen points. The Minneapolis suburbs seem to have shifted since 2016 — against Trump.
Looking back, the only event that really seems to have changed the race was the pandemic. Which makes sense, in a way. Everything else can seem fleeting compared to the weight of the virus on all of us, the shifts in our daily lives that still haven’t been reversed, the visual reminders everywhere you turn.
In rural Minnesota, things seemed to be proceeding mostly as usual. But in the Minneapolis suburbs, where Republicans desperately need to make inroads, many Republican candidates had dramatically altered their campaigns to limit the spread of the coronavirus. There were few events to go to.
The Democratic Party in Minnesota is called the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party — a name that once reflected a coalition of big cities like Minneapolis and rural areas like the union-heavy mining region called the Iron Range.
But since 2016, like in so many other places, the state has cleaved almost in two. Rural Democratic areas swung to Trump — he won Bemidji’s Beltrami County by 10 points in 2016, after Obama won it by nearly the same margin in 2008. The once-conservative Minneapolis suburbs shifted to Democrats, especially in 2018.
The day after Ginsburg died, I spent the day on what felt like the opposite spectrum of the Minnesota Republican Party from what I’d seen in Bemidji. In the suburban 2nd District, Republican Tyler Kistner had been running to take back a congressional seat that had once solidly belonged to his party. A Democrat, Rep. Angie Craig, won it in 2018.
Kistner, who is 33, is a wiry, clean-shaven retired Marine in flannel and skinny jeans. He’d just finished a 100-mile run across the district, stopping along the way at local businesses and police stations. He held the final event of the run on the green lawn of a business in Burnsville, where he posed for a picture with a few dozen attendees and a Blue Lives Matter flag.
Jeff Schuette, the chair of the 2nd District GOP, said he felt energy for Republicans in the district that was “completely different” than in 2018.
For Republicans in the district, he said, a trio of issues dominate the conversation: the economy, the virus, and public safety — in that order.
Schuette, who put on a bright red GOP mask to talk to me, said suburban voters are legitimately concerned about the virus — but they see the regulations imposed by Minnesota’s Democratic governor as overreach, too. They want restaurants and businesses to reopen, he said.
Schuette thinks the Minneapolis protests will help his party out in the wealthy, mostly white suburbs. “I’ve gone to maybe 10 Democratic doors where you ask, ‘What’s most important to you?’ and they’ve said, ‘Please don’t let the riots come out here to Burnsville.’”
But when it comes to Ginsburg’s death, Schuette just wasn’t sure what it would mean.
“I guess as a [party] chair, I’m trying to maintain some sort of semblance of what we’re trying to do,” Schuette said. “I would have preferred that she wouldn’t have passed away, I really would.”
“It’s way above my pay grade,” he said. “I guess if you want my opinion, I don’t know. I really don’t. I don’t know which would be better. They try to use precedents, but then you have — If President Trump loses and we didn’t appoint someone, then that would be bad. So I don’t know.”
But Kistner, Schuette’s top candidate in the district, thought of the politics of Ginsburg’s death differently.
“This is going to become another key issue,” he said. “What helped Trump in 2016? Justices. This is going to be another one. As energized as they already are, this is just one more thing to add on to the swing voters.”
I asked about whether he talked about issues like abortion much with voters. “I’m pro-life,” Kistner said. “If it comes up, I’ll talk about it.”
It was the same way for the rest of the evening. No one brought up Ginsburg to me. There were so many other things on everyone’s minds.
On Thursday, the race in the 2nd District was completely, truly upended — this time without question. A third-party candidate’s death triggered an unusual state law that meant that the election for the district’s seat would be canceled and replaced by a special election in February 2021. The votes that have already been cast for Kistner or Craig will not be counted.
“I can’t tell you anything that’s going on,” Schuette, baffled, told me on the phone minutes after the news broke. “Can anything else happen in 2020? If aliens landed on the White House lawn, I don’t even know…”


buzzfeed--2020-09-25--A Russian Billionaire With Close Ties To Putin Made Suspicious Payments To Nobu

Exquisite sushi , a celebrity chef , and glamorous clientele have made Nobu , a restaurant and hotel empire with more than 40 outlets in 20 countries , one of the world ’ s most famous luxury brands .
But one aspect of the chain ’ s expansion has so far remained a secret : Nobu accepted more than $ 600,000 that its bank deemed suspicious , as part of a deal with a close associate of Vladimir Putin who also has strong ties to the White House .
That associate , the billionaire Russian real estate developer Aras Agalarov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 meeting at Trump Tower where senior members of the Trump campaign expected to receive dirt on Hillary Clinton .
Agalarov ’ s company , Crocus International , runs two Nobu restaurants in Moscow , one in the heart of the city and a second in the glittering Crocus City megamall , site of the 2013 Miss Universe beauty pageant that Donald Trump ran .
Confidential government documents reveal , however , that for a time , Crocus International paid Nobu ’ s hefty licensing fees through untraceable offshore companies , which experts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money laundering .
The arrangement led the bank ’ s investigators to threaten to stop accepting the payments entirely .
Some came through a Latvian bank that has since been shut down due to its involvement in a Russian money laundering scheme .
The suspicious banking transactions were sent to the US Treasury Department ’ s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network , known as FinCEN .
They were compiled , along with thousands of pages of other records , in response to requests by the Senate Intelligence Committee as part of its inquiry into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential election .
The Nobu documents , revealed here for the first time , provide additional information about the Agalarov family , whose business dealings were discussed in the Mueller report .
The documents are part of the more than 2,100 suspicious activity reports , or SARs , that BuzzFeed News shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and more than 100 news organizations around the world as part of the FinCEN Files investigation .
By law , banks must file these documents when they detect the hallmarks of money laundering or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in and of themselves evidence of a crime , but they can support investigations and intelligence gathering .
The FinCEN Files also open a window onto the scope and scale of the dirty economy .
They show suspicious transactions from untraceable offshore companies , like the ones that Crocus International used , located around the globe .
From Hollywood entertainment to Venezuelan public housing , almost no part of the world ’ s economy is untouched by this shadow financial system — not even the A5 Wagyu beef that Nobu serves , rare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Agalarov is an unlikely business partner for a hospitality empire cofounded by Robert De Niro , the actor who has emerged as an outspoken critic of Trump .
From the podium at the 2018 National Board of Review awards , De Niro denounced Trump as a “ fucking fool.
” He has stated that he would never let the president into any of the Nobu restaurants .
Agalarov , by contrast , reportedly had Trump sit at his table at his 58th birthday party .
De Niro did not respond to multiple requests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SARs do not suggest that De Niro himself was involved in or even aware of these financial irregularities , and they do not fault Nobu , which the bank referred to as “ non-concerning.
” Nobu ’ s corporate controller was aware of the irregular payments , and he tried repeatedly to get the Agalarovs to stop making them .
Scott Balber , the attorney for Agalarov , said all of the offshore companies cited in the SARs are owned by Agalarov , along with other similar companies that he uses as part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transactions , he said : “ Most people do n't run their businesses in anticipation of a Buzzfeed reporter 's questions years later , based upon illegally leaked SARS.
” He said there were no problems .
Back in 2009 , Nobu was looking to expand to Russia , and the family of real estate billionaires paved the way .
`` Well , it just happened that we found the Agalarovs now , ” De Niro told the Moscow News when the first Nobu Moscow opened in April 2009 .
“ Without them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
As Nobu and Crocus International prepared to open the second restaurant in the Crocus City mall , a US bank was flagging financial transactions that seemed fishy .
Nobu Restaurant Group requires its partners to pay fees for licensing as well as for things like clothes and electric stoves .
But in late 2014 , payments for the Moscow locations began arriving not from Crocus International , the entity that signed the licensing agreement , but from companies in offshore havens known for money laundering and tax evasion , such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Belize .
In August 2015 , according to a suspicious activity report that First Republic Bank sent to the Treasury Department , Nobu ’ s corporate controller wrote Crocus International a reminder that payments needed to be sent from the company ’ s account .
He told BuzzFeed News that he reached out “ multiple times ” to ask them to stop sending the money through the offshore companies .
The controller , Merrick Rhodes , said he knew that First Republic might look askance at payments from an unknown third party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requested that it comes through one of the parent companies , ” he told BuzzFeed News .
“ Obviously our bank wants us to have it come from them.
” By the time Nobu Crocus City opened in November of that year , investigators from the bank had spotted more than $ 200,000 in payments they deemed suspicious .
Denso Trading Ltd. , which was registered in the United Kingdom by a Cypriot company to an unrelated Russian , sent more than $ 90,000 and then dissolved .
Denso sent payments through Trasta @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was involved in a notorious money laundering ring .
First Republic continued filing suspicious activity reports to the Treasury Department — and processing those suspicious payments .
Documents reviewed by BuzzFeed News showed that the bank had filed nine reports between November 2014 and June 2017 , flagging $ 602,886 from at least 10 different offshore companies .
In the June 2017 report , the bank said that the transactions it reviewed “ were concerning based upon the non-transparent nature of the wire originators.
” Geo Business Invest Corp. , which the bank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Belize , sent more than $ 170,000 .
Other SARs filed by First Republic also mention the use of possible shell companies .
First Republic became more aggressive in its approach in June 2017 , threatening to withhold payments that did not originate from a Crocus International account .
First Republic Bank declined to comment about the transactions .
Rhodes , Nobu ’ s controller , told BuzzFeed News that in early 2017 , the licensing agreements for the two restaurants were transferred to another company , NIME LLC , owned by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Since then , he said , there have been no payments from anyone other than the company named in the contract.●

The SARs do not suggest that De Niro himself was involved in or even aware of these financial irregularities, and they do not fault Nobu, which the bank referred to as “non-concerning.” Nobu’s corporate controller was aware of the irregular payments, and he tried repeatedly to get the Agalarovs to stop making them.
Scott Balber, the attorney for Agalarov, said all of the offshore companies cited in the SARs are owned by Agalarov, along with other similar companies that he uses as part of his business.
Asked about the transactions, he said: “Most people don't run their businesses in anticipation of a Buzzfeed reporter's questions years later, based upon illegally leaked SARS.” He said there were no problems.
Back in 2009, Nobu was looking to expand to Russia, and the family of real estate billionaires paved the way.
"Well, it just happened that we found the Agalarovs now,” De Niro told the Moscow News when the first Nobu Moscow opened in April 2009. “Without them, we wouldn't have managed it."
As Nobu and Crocus International prepared to open the second restaurant in the Crocus City mall, a US bank was flagging financial transactions that seemed fishy.
Nobu Restaurant Group requires its partners to pay fees for licensing as well as for things like clothes and electric stoves. But in late 2014, payments for the Moscow locations began arriving not from Crocus International, the entity that signed the licensing agreement, but from companies in offshore havens known for money laundering and tax evasion, such as the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, and Belize.


buzzfeed--2020-09-25--Julián Castro Now Says Democrats Should Consider Court-Packing

Castro , who said in a Democratic primary debate last October that he “ would not pack the court ” as president , said on Monday that with reproductive rights , voting rights , and healthcare hanging in the balance , Democrats should consider structural reform to the court .
“ When those are the stakes , and Mitch McConnell is the one who ’ s abused this system , then yeah , I think we need to be open to considering either adding more justices or other structural reforms that will prevent this kind of abuse in the future @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many of us , that was n't our preference , but the fact is you have Mitch McConnell not abiding by , not working in good faith under the Constitution .
… If you have that kind of abuse of the system , then I think that , yeah , Democrats should be open to different ways that we can stave off draconian changes to our fundamental rights , ” he told BuzzFeed ’ s News O ’ Clock podcast on Monday .
Former presidential candidate Julián Castro thinks Democrats should consider adding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senate Republicans rush to confirm a justice to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg this year , a reversal from his belief during his presidential campaign .
Adding more justices to the Supreme Court , once a fringe idea , has become widely popular among progressives in the last year .
Castro became a favorite among progressives late in his race and has recently been offering public advice to Democratic nominee Joe Biden .
In a separate interview late last week , Castro , the only Latino to run for this year ’ s Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been making progress among Latino voters but knows he has more left to do .
“ I believe the campaign gets it in that they understand they have work to do , ” Castro said , adding that he thinks that Biden will pick up Latino support by Nov. 3 because the campaign is now investing in voter registration , bilingual messaging across platforms , and tailored outreach to different Latino communities , rather than treating them as one unified voting block .
He said the Biden campaign has “ a nuanced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where you have a pan-Latino community that ranges from Cuban Americans to Puerto Ricans and Dominicans , it ’ s not a monolithic community , and I think the campaign gets that , ” he said .
After endorsing Biden in June , Castro has been taking part in some Biden campaign events .
He ’ s also been talking about what matters to Latino voters , including this week at a Telemundo town hall with Sen. Bernie Sanders .
Though Biden has been competitive or ahead of President Donald Trump in many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to build momentum among Latino voters .
A poll over the weekend showed Biden winning Latino voters over Trump 62 % to 26 % , similar to the Latino support that Hillary Clinton won in 2016 .
Castro ’ s campaign focused on progressive policy and racial justice issues .
The former Obama cabinet secretary was the first Democrat in the race to have a comprehensive police reform plan , a progressive immigration plan , and a specific plan to address disparities faced by Native Americans .
This summer , he launched the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support progressive candidates , and last week released the first episode of a new podcast focusing on underserved communities .
He has been outspoken about the lack of diversity in both parties ; he criticized the minimal inclusion of Latino speakers at the Democratic National Convention recently and was vocal throughout his campaign about the disadvantages faced by both candidates and communities of color .
In last week ’ s interview , Castro said he ’ s “ hopeful ” but “ not naive ” that the US is making progress toward addressing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though , is hampered by “ a president who ’ s the biggest race-baiter , the biggest racial grievance politician that we ’ ve had since George Wallace on the national stage.
” Castro called Trump ’ s racist threats about people of color , particularly those in low-income housing , endangering white suburban communities “ shameful.
” “ It ’ s a naked ploy to stoke white fear about Black Americans and other people of color .
It ’ s a lie .
He lied about what the policy is .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to provide fair housing opportunity to everybody , no matter their background .
He lied about who is in the suburbs today .
The suburbs are more diverse than they are when we passed the Fair Housing Act in 1968 , ” Castro , who served as housing secretary during the Obama administration , said .
“ I believe he ’ s misrepresenting what ’ s in the hearts of many white Americans .
I do n't believe the majority of white Americans are sitting at home trying to figure out how they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neighborhood .
He ’ s selling them short , ” he said .
Castro said that in the wake of George Floyd 's death in police custody in Minneapolis , he ’ s been heartened by the “ vast outpouring of support for making progress in our country towards racial justice that included many white people , people of all different backgrounds , ” including “ a greater commitment at least in words by corporate America , by public officials , police departments , sports , celebrities , and people marching in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The question now , he said , is whether people will carry that motivation through to voting and pushing for change in corporate and nonprofit organizations .
“ I ’ m hopeful , you know .
I ’ m not naive , ” he said .
“ I don ’ t think it 's comfortable for a lot of people to do so , and I don ’ t think it ’ s second nature for a lot of people to do so either .
But I also believe that most people have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do it , most people.
” The Castro campaign ’ s progressive policy agenda and focus on communities of color won praise among progressive activists .
Now , with the nomination of one of the least progressive candidates of the dozens of Democrats who ran this cycle , some activists have wondered if they ’ re being asked to shelve the progressive reforms they ’ ve been pushing for to defeat Trump .
Castro said he ’ s not concerned that progressives won ’ t turn out for Biden .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people who recognize what a danger Donald Trump represents also recognize that Joe Biden would do a much better job than Donald Trump , and they will turn out to vote for Joe Biden , ” he said .
“ Is it the case that there ’ s a more progressive vision out there than the one that Joe Biden has ?
On some issues , sure .
It ’ s also true that Joe Biden has the most progressive vision of any Democratic nominee that we ’ ve ever had on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he added .
“ So if Joe Biden is elected we have a wonderful opportunity to do great progressive work in the next administration .
”

Adding more justices to the Supreme Court, once a fringe idea, has become widely popular among progressives in the last year. Castro became a favorite among progressives late in his race and has recently been offering public advice to Democratic nominee Joe Biden. In a separate interview late last week, Castro, the only Latino to run for this year’s Democratic presidential nomination, said he believed Biden has been making progress among Latino voters but knows he has more left to do.
“I believe the campaign gets it in that they understand they have work to do,” Castro said, adding that he thinks that Biden will pick up Latino support by Nov. 3 because the campaign is now investing in voter registration, bilingual messaging across platforms, and tailored outreach to different Latino communities, rather than treating them as one unified voting block.
He said the Biden campaign has “a nuanced approach.”
“Out there in Florida where you have a pan-Latino community that ranges from Cuban Americans to Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, it’s not a monolithic community, and I think the campaign gets that,” he said.
After endorsing Biden in June, Castro has been taking part in some Biden campaign events. He’s also been talking about what matters to Latino voters, including this week at a Telemundo town hall with Sen. Bernie Sanders. Though Biden has been competitive or ahead of President Donald Trump in many swing states, his campaign has struggled to build momentum among Latino voters. A poll over the weekend showed Biden winning Latino voters over Trump 62% to 26%, similar to the Latino support that Hillary Clinton won in 2016.
Castro’s campaign focused on progressive policy and racial justice issues. The former Obama cabinet secretary was the first Democrat in the race to have a comprehensive police reform plan, a progressive immigration plan, and a specific plan to address disparities faced by Native Americans. This summer, he launched the People First Future political action committee to support progressive candidates, and last week released the first episode of a new podcast focusing on underserved communities.
He has been outspoken about the lack of diversity in both parties; he criticized the minimal inclusion of Latino speakers at the Democratic National Convention recently and was vocal throughout his campaign about the disadvantages faced by both candidates and communities of color.
In last week’s interview, Castro said he’s “hopeful” but “not naive” that the US is making progress toward addressing racial inequities. He said any progress, though, is hampered by “a president who’s the biggest race-baiter, the biggest racial grievance politician that we’ve had since George Wallace on the national stage.”
Castro called Trump’s racist threats about people of color, particularly those in low-income housing, endangering white suburban communities “shameful.”
“It’s a naked ploy to stoke white fear about Black Americans and other people of color. It’s a lie. He lied about what the policy is. The fair housing rule was simply meant to provide fair housing opportunity to everybody, no matter their background. He lied about who is in the suburbs today. The suburbs are more diverse than they are when we passed the Fair Housing Act in 1968,” Castro, who served as housing secretary during the Obama administration, said.
“I believe he’s misrepresenting what’s in the hearts of many white Americans. I don't believe the majority of white Americans are sitting at home trying to figure out how they can keep Black people out of their neighborhood. He’s selling them short,” he said.
Castro said that in the wake of George Floyd's death in police custody in Minneapolis, he’s been heartened by the “vast outpouring of support for making progress in our country towards racial justice that included many white people, people of all different backgrounds,” including “a greater commitment at least in words by corporate America, by public officials, police departments, sports, celebrities, and people marching in the streets to press for racial justice.”
The question now, he said, is whether people will carry that motivation through to voting and pushing for change in corporate and nonprofit organizations.
“I’m hopeful, you know. I’m not naive,” he said. “I don’t think it's comfortable for a lot of people to do so, and I don’t think it’s second nature for a lot of people to do so either. But I also believe that most people have a kind heart and that they want to do it, most people.”
The Castro campaign’s progressive policy agenda and focus on communities of color won praise among progressive activists. Now, with the nomination of one of the least progressive candidates of the dozens of Democrats who ran this cycle, some activists have wondered if they’re being asked to shelve the progressive reforms they’ve been pushing for to defeat Trump. Castro said he’s not concerned that progressives won’t turn out for Biden.
“I’m confident that the vast majority of people who recognize what a danger Donald Trump represents also recognize that Joe Biden would do a much better job than Donald Trump, and they will turn out to vote for Joe Biden,” he said.
“Is it the case that there’s a more progressive vision out there than the one that Joe Biden has? On some issues, sure. It’s also true that Joe Biden has the most progressive vision of any Democratic nominee that we’ve ever had on a whole number of issues,” he added. “So if Joe Biden is elected we have a wonderful opportunity to do great progressive work in the next administration.”