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Ballot Boxes Attacked in Pacific Northwest

Ballot Boxes Attacked in Pacific Northwest

Your unbiased daily news brief

James Kratch
October 29, 2024

Good Tuesday morning. A top British retailer said it is the victim of "a sophisticated fraud" resulting in the theft of almost $400K worth of high-value cheddar. An international law enforcement effort to track down the culprits and the 48.5K pounds of missing goods is underway. Have a great day.

In Today’s Brief

New York: Prison raided
Bibi: No Iranian nukes
Nevada: Mail ballot ruling
TGI Fridays: Bankruptcy rumors
Jon Stewart: Sticking around

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Election interference

The FBI is investigating a pair of ballot dropbox fires in the Pacific Northwest that authorities believe are connected.

The news: Ballot boxes in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, went up in flames early yesterday morning. Cops have surveillance images of a car stopping at the Portland box right before the fire there was detected. Police said enough incendiary material was left behind at both locations to establish the incidents are linked.
The fallout: A fire suppressant inside the Portland box protected all but three ballots, local officials said. But the same protection failed in the Vancouver box about 10 miles away. Hundreds of ballots were damaged or destroyed. Washington Secretary of State Steven Hobbs called the fire in his state "an act of terror" while Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said it was "a direct attack on democracy." Oregon and Washington conduct the bulk of their elections by mail.
Big picture: The incidents came days after about 20 ballots were damaged when an Arizona post office box was set ablaze, renewing concerns about the safety of mail ballots. The Washington fire occured in the state's 3rd Congressional District, one of the most competitive House races in the nation between Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican rival Joe Kent.

2) Trial bombshell

An Indiana state forensic expert testified no DNA from a high-profile double-murder murder suspect was found on items recovered from the scene of the killings.

Catch up: Two teenage girls were killed along the Monon High Bridge Trail in Delphi, Indiana, in 2017. The case received significant media attention at the time; one of the victims, 13-year-old Liberty German, appeared to have recorded audio and video of the killer on her phone. Richard Allen was then arrested in 2022 and charged with the murders; he has pleaded not guilty. His trial began earlier this month.
Long road: Allen reached out to cops days after the murders and told them he was in the area on the day they were killed. But his information got buried in paperwork until it was re-discovered by a clerk years later, setting in motion the series of events that led to his arrest. Police have since said he was "hiding in plain sight."
Current developments: Stacy Bozinovski, an Indiana State Police forensic scientist, said she found no sign that 14-year-old Abby Williams and German were sexually assaulted and Allen's DNA was not detected in her work. Police say a cartridge matched to Allen's gun was found at the scene, but the girls were killed with a knife. There has also been testimony acknowledging police mistakes in the investigative process. The trial is expected to continue for a few more weeks.

3) Happy meal

You may never be denied the glory of a McDonald's McFlurry again.

The news: An exemption granting the fast-food chain's restaurants the "right to repair" the special machines that make the soft-serve ice cream treats was granted by the U.S. Copyright Office. The move will allow staff members to bypass the digital locks that previously prevented repairs.
Only show in town: Taylor, the manufacturing company that produces the McFlurry machines, previously owned theexclusive rights to fix them under copyright. The monopoly blocked any third parties from servicing the machines and tended to create significant backlogs waiting for a Taylor technician (which was also costly).
Big picture: McFlurry machine issues have long inspired jokes and memes, as well as negative marketing by rivals and even a recent social media post by former President Donald Trump. There is even a website -- McBroken.com -- dedicated to mapping which locations have working machines and which do not. And yes, this is not just a viral perception thing -- about 15% of the nation's McFlurry machines were out of commission as of last night.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

Various federal agencies raided the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. The infamous federal prison currently holds hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs and disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried; the "interagency operation" was said to be due to safety concerns in the facility (More)
Minneapolis police believe a pair of triple shootings at homeless encampments in the city may be connected. Three people were killed and three people wounded in the two incidents, one on Saturday and one on Sunday; no arrests had been made as of last night (More)
A Boston-area pizza shop owner was sentenced to over eight years in federal prison following a forced labor conviction. Stavros Papantoniadis used physical violence and threats of deportation or harm to intimidate workers who were in the country illegally; his attorney said he will appeal and pursue a new trial (More)

World News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The Biden Administration pressured Israel to avoid airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in its recent retaliatory operation; Israel will also ban the UNRWA aid organization, sparking international concerns about the Gaza humanitarian crisis (More | More)
Uruguay's presidential election is headed to a too-close-to-call runoff. Center-left candidate Yamandu Orsi received roughly 400K more votes than conservative candidate Alvaro Delgado, but third-place finisher Andres Ojeda has pledged to support Delgado in next month's vote (More)
French President Emmanuel Macron is on a state visit to Morocco, a former colony. The trip comes after France backed the Moroccan autonomy plan for the disputed Western Sahara territory, alienating Algeria, which administers a swath of the enclave (More)

Campaign News

Nevada's state Supreme Court said mail ballots received up to three days after Election Day can be counted, regardless of postmark. The decision upheld a lower court ruling; the Republican National Committee and Trump's campaign sued to block the election rule (More)
The city of Philadelphia is suing Elon Musk over his super PAC's controversial $1M giveaways to battleground state voters. District Attorney Larry Krasner said it is "an unlawful lottery;" President Joe Biden said the Tesla CEO's plan is "totally inappropriate" (More | More)
Democrats have moved to amplify comedian Tony Hinchcliffe's controversial comments about Puerto Rico at former President Trump's Madison Square Garden rally. Almost 1M Puerto Rican live in swing states, according to census records (More | More)

Business & Markets

Major indexes closed higher yesterday. The Dow Jones enjoyed the biggest session, jumping over 250 points (Dow +0.65%, Nasdaq +0.26%, S&P 500 +0.27%).
TGI Fridays is believed to be on the verge of declaring bankruptcy. The restaurant chain closed roughly 50 locations in the last week and has closed over 100 in the U.S. this year; a merger deal with a British franchising company fell apart in April (More)
Volkswagen plans to close factories in Germany for the first time. The automaker will shutter at least three plants and downsize all remaining production sites in its home country; VW is struggling to compete with American and Chinese rivals after a slow pivot to electric vehicles (More)

Entertainment & Sports

Jon Stewart's second run on The Daily Show has been extended. The comedian will continue to host the satirical news program's Monday telecast through December 2025; he returned to the Comedy Central show in February and also serves as an executive producer (More)
The Los Angeles Dodgers took a 3-0 lead on the New York Yankees in the World Series. The ballclub could win its first world title since 2020 tonight in Game 4 of the seven-game series; first pitch is at 8:08 p.m. ET on Fox (More)
Manchester United fired embattled manager Erik ten Hag. Former star player Ruud van Nistelrooy will be the Premier League club's interim manager; Brentford's Thomas Frank is rumored to be a top target for the permanent job (More)

Quick Hitters

Feel Good: There is a bronze statue of a dog named Rex inside Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery. It is unknown if he shares a resting spot with his entombed owner, but visitors leave him sticks to play with just in case.
Fun Stuff: A British couple first met while working at the grocery store. So they went back there on their wedding day to take pictures (and pick up some potato chips).
Go Deep: Albert Einstein -- and other notable figures -- never uttered the profound comments often attributed to them. Here is a close look at how viral misquotes evolve and replicate, often due to honest mistakes.
That Stings: How do paper cuts cause so much discomfort? A doctor explains why the tiny injuries carry a painful punch.
Life Hack: Most people have never cleaned a mattress. But doing so can help you sleep better, reduce allergens and sweat and prevent pests. Here are some tips to get started.

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