California accused of blocking federal voter roll audit as DOJ escalates probe of election fraud claims

The Justice Department is escalating its clash with California over voter-roll access, accusing state officials of blocking a federal audit — though Golden State officials warn the demand threatens voter privacy and oversteps federal authority. The dispute centers on voter roll maintenance and access to registration records, not any publicly identified allegation of impropriety in a specific California race. “If California genuinely wants voters to trust its elections, it should open its records, not fight to keep them closed,” Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli said in a lengthy post on X that included a copy of…

Facebook and Instagram down as Meta products hit with widespread outage

Thousands of users appeared to be affected by a widespread outage impacting Meta’s Instagram, Facebook and Messenger on Friday, with reports flooding social media and outage-tracking site Downdetector. Downdetector showed a sharp spike in Instagram reports, rising from a baseline of 25 complaints to several thousand as users reported being…

World’s rarest great ape decimated by 4 days of extreme rain, with 7% of population lost to cyclone

A single climate-change-fueled cyclone killed 7% of Tapanuli orangutans ‪—‬ the world’s rarest great apes ‪—‬ in just five days last year, new research reveals.The study shows that “climate change-driven weather poses an immediate, catastrophic threat to the world’s rarest great ape,” the researchers wrote.Tapanuli orangutans (Pongo tapanuliensis) live in…

Sam Bankman-Fried loses bid to overturn crypto fraud conviction, 25-year prison sentence

Sam Bankman-Fried on Friday lost his bid to overturn his fraud conviction and 25-year prison sentence over the collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange he founded. In a unanimous decision, a three-judge panel of the Manhattan-based 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals said prosecutors’ evidence against Bankman-Fried “was, conservatively stated, robust.” “While he was…

Patriots end practice early after scary Drake Maye collision

Patriots coach Mike Vrabel watched his entire season flash before his eyes after a tumultuous offseason. During 11-on-11 drills Thursday, its final practice of the week, New England apparently turned up the heat but was forced to end early as Drake Maye collided with second-year Edge rusher Bradyn Swinson. It…

Padres likely lose Ramon Laureano for season in injury crusher

The Padres, in the midst of a skid, have been dealt a big blow to their outfield. Manager Craig Stammen revealed Friday that Ramon Laureano could be sidelined for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery for a torn labrum in his right hip. Laureano’s hip has caused him…

Michelle Wie West misses US Open cut in likely final career start

Michelle Wie West’s comeback proved to be a brief one. The 2014 U.S. Women’s Open champion returned to major championship golf in Southern California this week, shooting 75-74 before missing the cut in what is expected to be the final start of her career. Wie West stepped away from pro…

Xavier Becerra advances to November runoff in California governor’s race

Former Biden cabinet member Xavier Becerra is headed for a November showdown after making his way into the top tier of California’s gubernatorial primary, according to the Associated Press. The ex-Health and Human Services secretary made up significant ground on Republican frontrunner Steve Hilton as late-arriving ballots continued to be…

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