(FORT BLISS, N.M.) — The FBI is investigating after a female U.S. service member reported she was assaulted by a group of male Afghan evacuees at Fort Bliss in New Mexico.
The woman, who was helping to support the evacuees brought from Afghanistan to the United States in the wake of the Taliban reclaiming the country, reported she was assaulted by a small group at the Doña Ana Complex on Sept. 19, according to Lt. Col. Allie M. Payne, the director of public affairs for Fort Bliss.
“We take the allegation seriously and appropriately referred the matter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Payne said in a statement. “The safety and well-being of our service members, as well as all of those on our installations, is paramount. We immediately provided appropriate care, counseling and support to the service member.”
The base also said it is adding security measures, like increased lighting, safety patrols and enforcing a buddy system.
“We received the referral from Fort Bliss and our office is investigating the allegation,” FBI El Paso said in a statement.
There were no further details about the incident.
The Doña Ana Complex, which is about a half hour north of Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, across the New Mexico border, is used as a firing range, but was converted into a sprawling, air conditioned tent city for incoming evacuees.
The Biden administration chose Fort Bliss two weeks ago when it granted access to the media to one of the facilities housing the tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees who were flown out of Kabul in a frenzied, chaotic process prompted by the Taliban reasserting control of the country much sooner than anticipated.
About 10,000 evacuees are staying at the facility until they can be processed and resettled, according to U.S. officials. All of the evacuees were subject to a thorough vetting process before they were flown to the U.S., according to U.S. officials.
News of the investigation of the assault on a female service member follows the arrests of two Afghan evacuees at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin this week.
Mohammad Haroon Imaad, 32, was charged with strangling and suffocating his wife in an incident that took place Sept. 7, according to the indictment, and Bahrullah Noori, 20, was charged with attempting to engage in a sexual act with a minor.
Court documents say 13,000 people related to the resettlement are being housed at Fort McCoy.
Legendary singer Kelly Price has reportedly been found safe after being listed as a missing person following her release from a Georgia hospital due to a COVID-19 diagnosis.
According to a report from TMZ, Price’s representatives claim that the singer is not missing, but safely recovering from COVID-19 at an undisclosed location. However, it has not yet been confirmed by Georgia police that Price’s missing person investigation has been closed.
As previously reported by TMZ, Price was listed as a missing person with the National Crime Information Center after Georgia authorities conducted a welfare check at Price’s home on Saturday, September 18. They reportedly found no evidence of foul play and spoke with Kelly’s boyfriend at the residence.
The gossip site says the family reportedly received a call about Price’s discharge and were concerned because she was not believed to be in full health.
Price’s alleged disappearance comes after the singer took to Instagram in July to share she was “COVID Positive.”
“I’m following Dr’s orders. I’m quarantined. Feeling really drained. Splitting headache…,” she wrote. “I’m grateful and expecting to have a full recovery.”
Legendary singer Kelly Price has reportedly been listed as a missing person following her release from a Georgia hospital after being diagnosed with COVID-19.
TMZ reports that Price is now listed with the National Crime Information Center after Georgia authorities conducted a welfare check at Price’s home on Saturday, September 18. They reportedly found no evidence of foul play and even spoke with Kelly’s boyfriend at the residence.
The gossip site says the family reportedly received a call about Price’s discharge, but were concerned because she was not believed to be in full health.
Price’s alleged disappearance comes after the singer took to Instagram in July to share she was “COVID Positive.”
“I’m following Dr’s orders. I’m quarantined. Feeling really drained. Splitting headache…,” she wrote. “I’m grateful and expecting to have a full recovery.”
On Thursday night, Madonna graced the New York City premiere of her upcoming Paramount+ documentary Madame X, which streams starting October 8. On the red carpet, she revealed that she’d recently spoken to Britney Spears, her duet partner on the 2003 song “Me Against the Music.”
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Madonna said of Britney — who she famously smooched at the 2003 MTV VMAs — “[I was] just checking in on her, and congratulating her on her marriage…or her pending marriage. I love her.”
Madonna also told ET that she was “really proud” of her eldest child, 24-year-old Lourdes, who made her Met Gala debut last week and who also can be seen strutting herself in Rihanna‘s Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3 lingerie fashion show, which is now streaming on Amazon.
“Anything is possible for her,” Madonna said of Lourdes, adding, “She’s way more talented than I was, am, whatever.”
Madonna said that her Madame X documentary — which captures her theater tour in support of her 2019 album Madame X — includes “great art, thoughtfulness, incredible dancing, incredible music, provocation, politics, spirituality, family. Everything!”
Just a reminder that The Rolling Stones will kick off their 2021 No Filter Tour of the U.S. this Sunday, September 26, in St. Louis at The Dome at America’s Center.
The trek marks the band’s first-ever without longtime drummer Charlie Watts, who died August 24 at age 80. Stepping in for Watts will be respected session drummer Steve Jordan, who Charlie had chosen as his fill-in before his passing.
The Rolling Stones are giving fans the opportunity to help pick one song that they’ll play at each show of the tour, by visiting Vote.RollingStones.com. The tunes that fans can choose from for the St. Louis gig are “Angie,” “Fool to Cry,” “Ruby Tuesday” or “Wild Horses.” Those who participate in the voting also can enter a competition to win a personalized video message from one of the band members.
Ahead of the tour, the Stones have posted a special video message from Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood on their socialmediapages. In the clip, they express their excitement about returning to the road, and encourage people who come out to the shows to get the COVID-19 vaccine, wear a mask and/or get tested for the virus.
The band’s U.S. tour leg features a total of 13 shows, and runs through a November 20 concert in Austin, Texas. Check out the group’s full schedule at RollingStones.com.
Janelle Monáe is joined by Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Chlöe x Halle, Zoë Kravitz and more female stars on the 17-minute song “Say My Name,” which was released Friday. The track calls “attention to the Black women and girls whose deaths at the hands of law enforcement have been silenced.”
“We honor the Black women and girls who lost their lives at the hands of police,” Monáe says in a statement. “This is a rally cry. We aim to give reverence to the countless Black women and girls who should be with us today.”
YoungBoy Never Broke Again dropped his third album, SINCERELY, KENTRELL, and one of the biggest names in hip hop is predicting superstardom for the 21-year-old artist from Baton Rouge, Lousiana. Cash Money Records co-founder Birdman, who launched the careers of Lil Wayne, Drake and Nicki Minaj, believes YoungBoy can be the best MC in five years.
“I think NBA YoungBoy might be the biggest rapper,” Birdman said on the Big Facts Podcast, as reported by HotNewHipHop.com.
Gospel icon Kirk Franklin released a new version of his 1998 single “Lean on Me,” featuring the voices of youth living in poverty around the world. The original version featured Mary J. Blige and Bono from U2, and was nominated for a Grammy for Song of the Year.
“I pray this version provides a little hope for the people across the globe.” Franklin said in a statement.
Finally, Grammy winner Anthony Hamilton released his first new album in five years, Love Is the New Black, featuring Jennifer Hudson, Rick Ross and Lil Jon.
“I wanted this album to feel like what was missing throughout the pandemic,” Hamilton said in a statement. “This is the restoration. We’re making this thing called life, sexy, beautiful, and powerful again.”
Janelle Monáe is joined by Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Chlöe x Halle, Zoë Kravitz and more female stars on the 17-minute song “Say My Name,” which was released Friday. The track calls “attention to the Black women and girls whose deaths at the hands of law enforcement have been silenced.”
“We honor the Black women and girls who lost their lives at the hands of police,” Monáe says in a statement. “This is a rally cry. We aim to give reverence to the countless Black women and girls who should be with us today.”
YoungBoy Never Broke Again dropped his third album, SINCERELY, KENTRELL, and one of the biggest names in hip hop is predicting superstardom for the 21-year-old artist from Baton Rouge, Lousiana. Cash Money Records co-founder Birdman, who launched the careers of Lil Wayne, Drake and Nicki Minaj, believes YoungBoy can be the best MC in five years.
“I think NBA YoungBoy might be the biggest rapper,” Birdman said on the Big Facts Podcast, as reported by HotNewHipHop.com.
Gospel icon Kirk Franklin released a new version of his 1998 single “Lean on Me,” featuring the voices of youth living in poverty around the world. The original version featured Mary J. Blige and Bono from U2, and was nominated for a Grammy for Song of the Year.
“I pray this version provides a little hope for the people across the globe.” Franklin said in a statement.
Finally, Grammy winner Anthony Hamilton released his first new album in five years, Love Is the New Black, featuring Jennifer Hudson, Rick Ross and Lil Jon.
“I wanted this album to feel like what was missing throughout the pandemic,” Hamilton said in a statement. “This is the restoration. We’re making this thing called life, sexy, beautiful, and powerful again.”
(NEW YORK) — The United States has been facing a COVID-19 surge as the more contagious delta variant continues to spread.
More than 682,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.7 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The average number of daily deaths in the U.S. has risen about 20% in the last week, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The U.S. is continuing to sink on the list of global vaccination rates, currently ranking No. 45, according to data compiled by The Financial Times. Just 64.3% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the CDC.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Sep 24, 6:12 pm
VA begins offering booster shots to veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs said it is already doling out booster shots to veterans at its medical centers and clinics on Friday, just hours after Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky approved the third shots.
“These booster doses are an important step forward in the fight against COVID-19,” VA Secretary Denis McDonough said in a statement. “With the authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech booster for eligible individuals, VA can provide Veterans an opportunity to maximize their protection, continuing our work to keep people safe and save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The boosters, so far only authorized for the Pfizer vaccine, are to be administered six months after an individual receives their initial vaccines.
It also said in a statement that it continues to reach out to veterans who have not been vaccinated at all.
Sep 24, 4:37 pm
US reaches vaccine milestone
Seventy-five percent of those eligible (12 years and older) have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, the White House’s COVID-19 data director Cyrus Shahpar posted on Twitter Friday.
Calling the statistic a “milestone,” Shahpur also tweeted, “Let’s add more!”
Sep 24, 3:51 pm
Millions of federal contractors must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8
The White House said Friday millions of federal contractors must get fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by Dec. 8.
The announcement came in a document issued Friday by the White House’s budget office, the Office of Management and Budget, following up on an executive order President Joe Biden signed Sept. 9 that mandated vaccinations for federal contractors, Reuters reported.
The formal guidance also says that after Dec. 8 “all covered contractor employees must be fully vaccinated by the first day of the period of performance on a newly awarded covered contract.”
An OMB spokesperson told ABC News that “millions” of people would be covered but didn’t share more exact numbers.
Earlier this month, the White House said that federal government employees and contractors will now be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will create a rule for private businesses with 100 or more employees to require their employees to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson, Molly Nagle, Sarah Kolinovsky, and Justin Gomez
Sep 24, 3:34 pm
Nurses laud CDC decision to include front-line workers as eligible booster shot group
National Nurses United, the nation’s largest union of registered nurses, is lauding CDC director Rochelle Walensky’s inclusion of front-line and health care workers in her recommendations for who may now get a third Pfizer booster dose — a decision which overruled the agency’s independent panel conclusion.
The CDC’s advisory group had rejected the idea of third Pfizer doses for “high risk” workers like nurses and teachers, saying that without further data it wasn’t comfortable with automatically adding younger, healthier people simply by occupation.
The nurses’ union urged Walensky to bypass what her advisory panel had said — which is what she ultimately did.
“Nurses across the country are beyond relieved today to wake up to the news that CDC Director Rochelle Walensky prioritized the health and safety of health care and other essential workers most at risk of contracting Covid-19,” NNU president Deborah Burger told ABC in a statement Friday.
“It takes courage to do the right thing, especially when it involves going against the CDC’s own advisory panel,” Burger added. “We applaud this bold decision-making that prioritizes the health and safety of workers on the front lines of this ongoing crisis, and we know that her decision will absolutely save lives.”
Walensky however, insisted that she did not overrule the CDC’s advisory panel’s decision on booster shots for at-risk, front-line workers. She defended the decision as a “scientific close call” saying that she would advocate for the boosters if she was in the room.
“I want to be very clear that I did not overrule … the advisory committee,” she said. “I listened to the votes. I listened to the comments on the vote and this was a scientific close call … It was my call to make. If I had been in the room, I would have voted ‘yes.'”
She also said that boosters were not a solution for ending the pandemic.
“I want to be clear we will not boost our way out of this pandemic. Infections among the unvaccinated continue to fuel this pandemic rise, resulting in a rising number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths where people are in vaccinated,” Walensky said.
-ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik and Matthew Vann
Sep 24, 2:28 pm
CVS says it will make Pfizer booster available today
On the heels of pharmacy retail chain Walgreens’ announcement that it is now ready to give third booster doses of the Pfizer vaccine to newly eligible groups, CVS announced it too will be ready “later today.”
“We are reviewing the CDC guidance and will be ready to provide the booster dose at CVS Pharmacy and select MinuteClinic locations that offer the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine later today. We strongly encourage customers to schedule an appointment in advance at to ensure they are able to access the correct vaccine at a convenient time and location,” the drugstore chain said in a statement Friday.
-ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik
Sep 24, 1:08 pm
COVID-19 outbreaks increase in school districts without masking policies: CDC study
School districts without a universal masking policy in place at the start of the school year saw a significant increase in COVID-19 outbreaks, according to three new studies released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Additionally, school districts in those counties saw more than double the number of pediatric COVID-19 cases during this same period, the studies, released Friday, also found.
The studies further emphasize that school mask requirements, along with other prevention strategies, are critical to reducing the spread of COVID-19 in schools.
Other key findings from the studies include:
– Schools in Arizona that opened without a school mask requirement had a 3.5 higher likelihood of having a COVID-19 outbreak than schools that opened with a school mask requirement.
-During the early part of the 2021-2022 academic school year, almost 2,000 schools have been closed and more than 900,000 students in more than 40 states have been impacted.
– Pediatric cases during the start of the 2021-2022 school year were about half in U.S. counties with school mask requirements than in counties without school mask requirements.
To prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in schools, the CDC recommends a multi-layered strategy including vaccination, universal indoor masking, testing and physical distancing.
-ABC News’ Eric Strauss
Sep 24, 12:18 pm
Walgreens announces its doors are open for new Pfizer booster group
Walgreens announced Friday morning that its participating stores are ready to start giving third booster doses of Pfizer’s vaccine to newly eligible groups.
The CDC green-lit Pfizer booster shots on Thursday.
As of Friday morning, those newly eligible groups can walk into any Walgreens location offering the Pfizer shot, the company said.
Also, as of Friday, people can begin scheduling appointments online or over the phone.
-ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik
Sep 24, 12:11 pm
Pfizer booster shot available ‘literally right now’ in NYC: Mayor
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said a third Pfizer booster shot is available to eligible New Yorkers, “literally right now.”
“As of now, as of this exact moment, New Yorkers in a number of categories are eligible for the 3rd booster shot, Pfizer only, for the COVID vaccine,” the mayor told radio station WNYC Friday.
Eligible New Yorkers include anyone who got their second shot six months ago and are 65 or older; in a long-term care facility or nursing home; are between 18 and 64 years old with an underlying medical condition; or are between 18 and 64 years old and a front-line or health care worker doing direct work with the public, the mayor said.
On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention an independent advisory panel’s recommendation for seniors and other medically vulnerable Americans to get a booster shot of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine six months after their second dose.
“Literally now you can go online, vax4nyc, either make an appointment right now for the coming days or you can get a list of all the city-run sites and you can walk in today if you are in those categories,” de Blasio said.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky
Sep 24, 6:23 am
CDC endorses Pfizer boosters for older and high-risk Americans
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has endorsed an independent advisory panel’s recommendation for seniors and other medically vulnerable Americans to get a booster shot of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, six months after their second dose.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, also partially overruled her agency’s advisory panel in a notable departure by adding a recommendation for a third dose for people who are considered high risk due to where they work, such as nurses and teachers — a group which the panel rejected in its recommendation. Some panelists said that without further data, they weren’t comfortable with automatically including younger people because of their jobs.
In a statement announcing her decision late Thursday, Walensky pointed to the benefit versus risk analysis she had weighed, and data rapidly evolving.
“In a pandemic, even with uncertainty, we must take actions that we anticipate will do the greatest good,” Walensky said. “While today’s action was an initial step related to booster shots, it will not distract from our most important focus of primary vaccination in the United States and around the world.”
With Walensky’s final sign-off, booster shots will now quickly become available for millions more Americans at pharmacies, doctors’ offices and other sites that offer the Pfizer vaccine as soon as Friday.
Sep 23, 8:40 pm
Leaving nurses out of booster recommendation ‘unconscionable,’ union charges
The nation’s largest union of registered nurses pushed back against the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel’s vote on COVID-19 booster shots, calling not including front-line workers like nurses in its recommendations “unconscionable.”
National Nurses United is urging CDC Director Rochelle Walensky to bypass what the advisory panel, ACIP, recommended and add nurses and other health care workers to the list of eligible booster recipients.
“Nurses and other health care workers were among the first to be vaccinated because of their high risk of exposure to the virus,” Deborah Burger, the union’s president, said in a statement. “Why leave them out of booster shots?”
“It is unconscionable that ACIP would not vote to keep us safer from death, severe Covid, and long Covid,” Burger continued. “We must do everything possible to ensure that the health of our nurses and other health care workers will not be put even more at risk.”
ACIP voted Thursday to recommend a third Pfizer dose for people aged 65 and older, as well as those as young as 18 if they have an underlying medical condition.
In its authorization Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration did agree to make the shots available to front-line workers. But ACIP said there was not yet enough data to support providing booster shots automatically to young people because of their jobs.
(DES MOISE, Iowa) — Iowa’s senior Republican senator, Chuck Grassley, announced in an early morning tweet Friday that, at age 88, he will seek reelection in 2022.
Grassley, who will be 89 by Election Day next year, is proud of his physical fitness, and not-so-subtly bragged about in a tweet announcing his run that showed him jogging before sunrise in Iowa.
“It’s 4 a.m. in Iowa so I’m running. I do that 6 days a week. Before I start the day I want you to know what Barbara and I have decided,” Grassley said the tweet. “I’m running for re-election—a lot more to do, for Iowa. We ask and will work for your support. Will you join us?”
The tweet included a clock turning to 4 a.m. and video of him jogging in the dark along a rural road.
It’s 4 a.m. in Iowa so I’m running. I do that 6 days a week. Before I start the day I want you to know what Barbara and I have decided.
Even getting close to 90, Grassley is currently only the second oldest member of the Senate, with California Democrat Dianne Feinstein besting him for the title by a matter of months.
His physique is a matter of legend on Capitol Hill.
He is frequently seen running or walking briskly through the Capitol hallways, and he’s known to challenge other senators to push-up contests. (He can do at least 21, perhaps more.)
But Grassley’s endurance can also be measured by his steady presence on Capitol Hill.
He began his career in Washington when he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1975. He’s been a member of the Senate since 1980, and currently holds the record for the 10th longest Senate tenure.
Grassley currently serves as the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. He led the committee for a portion of the Trump administration and aided in the confirmation of Supreme Court nominees and many federal judges that cemented conservative sway of the judiciary. He also served as chair of the Senate Finance Committee for the later half of President Donald Trump’s term.
With Republicans hoping to retake the now evenly-divided Senate in 2022, Grassley’s seat, as well as those of other Republican incumbents up for reelection, will be closely watched. Several long-serving Republican senators are retiring in 2022.
Following the announcement of his intent to run, the Iowa Republican Party threw its weight behind the senator.
“The road to a Republican majority runs right through Iowa. Defending this seat should be a top priority for every Iowan looking to stop Joe Biden’s chaotic agenda,” the party said in a statement. “Sen. Grassley’s never-quit attitude has propelled him to be one of the most effective senators in our state’s history. Grassley is a lifelong family farmer who understands the value of hard work, community, education, and family.”
Grassley’s most likely opponent is former Democratic Iowa Representative Abby Finkenauer, who was narrowly defeated in her 2020 reelection bid for the House.
Recent polling be the Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll showed Grassley leading Finkenauer by 18 percentage points among likely voters.
Finkenauer slammed Grassley in a statement, alleging that the senator has lost touch with Iowa during his lengthy Senate tenure.
“After 47 years in Washington, D.C., Chuck Grassley has changed from an Iowa farmer to just another coastal elite,” Finkenauer alleged.
Grassley’s Senate colleagues celebrated his announcement in tweets Friday, praising his work ethic and experience.
“Chuck is a ferocious advocate for the people of Iowa and the conservative cause,” GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said in a tweet. “I have served with Chuck my entire time in the Senate. He is one of the most hardworking, enthusiastic senators I have ever met with a wealth of experience and knowledge.”
ABC News’ Quinn Scanlan contributed to this report.
(PHOENIX) — Nearly eleven months after Joe Biden was elected president, the GOP-led review of Arizona’s Maricopa County ballots has found no substantial deviation from the vote count reported by the county that helped clinch the win for Biden.
The review’s count was within a “few hundred” of the county’s total, according to Republican Senate President Karen Fann.
“That is a true statement. They were close. I find it ironic that our secretary of state, and a few others have called this a sham audit — that you can’t trust, that you can’t believe it. Well the interesting fact is: Truth is truth, numbers are numbers and we said that from day one,” Fann said. “And those numbers were close. Within a few hundred.”
“This has never been about overturning the election. It’s never been about decertifying,” she said.
Despite mandated post-election reviews and two private audits of the county’s results that showed no anomalies or election integrity issues, Republicans still forged ahead with court cases seeking to prove fraud in Maricopa County.
When those failed, the state Senate contracted a private company to conduct a review of its own, which has now ultimately found similar results to the vote counts reported by Maricopa County, officials said during their presentation.
Democrats disavowed the process in a statement Friday afternoon.
“This fake audit, which has cost Arizona taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, was never about increasing voter trust. It was about overturning the will of the voters, waging war against a fair and secure election and encouraging conspiracy theories to destabilize American democracy. The facts are this: Maricopa County performed multiple real audits of the election as required under state law,” Senate Democratic Leader Rebecca Rios said. “At the end of the day, the American people elected Joe Biden in a free and fair election and Cyber Ninjas and Arizona Republicans can’t change that.”
Biden flipped the state blue with a 10,457 vote lead. Sen. Mark Kelly also ousted former Republican Sen. Martha McSally — winning that race by 78,806 votes.
Maricopa County Chairman Jack Sellers, a Republican who was critical of the partisan review process, said after a draft report began circulating Thursday night that the results were not surprising.
“You don’t have to dig deep into the draft copy of the Arizona Senate/Cyber Ninja audit report to confirm what I already knew – the candidates certified by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, Governor, Secretary of State and Attorney General – did, in fact, win,” Sellers said in a statement.
Despite the fact that the review reaffirmed Biden’s win, critics say it still contained misrepresentations about election procedures.
The process was also criticized for a lack of transparency. While the review was being conducted, it was difficult to discern who exactly was in charge. Far-right media outlets were typically given increased access to the review and its officials, according to local media.
Fann chose Cyber Ninjas, a Florida-based cybersecurity firm with no experience working in elections, to conduct the review. She agreed to cover $150,000 of the cost with taxpayer money and approximately $6 million was donated by private groups, according to records released in response to a court order.
Only Fann and the chairman of the Judiciary Committee heard the presentation on Friday. There was no public comment or question period expected. Democrats are not allowed to participate in the presentation and were not expected to be able to ask questions, according to a spokesperson for Senate Democrats, who said the party had been “out of the loop.”
Since the beginning of the review, election experts have warned that the process was flawed and results would not be trustworthy given the unscientific manner the review was conducted. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican who took office in January, wrote a 38-page report to debunk common conspiracy theories and lies about the election results.
“I spent November and December willing to wait for a meritorious lawsuit, a scientific claim, or convincing data. But it never came because it didn’t exist. What is there, is data showing that Trump’s loss was built on disaffected Republican voters,” Richer wrote in his report. “And the maps of presidential votes in 2020 almost exactly match the Arizona map of 2016, except that it shifted slightly in favor of the Democrat.”
Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat running for governor who fought to allow official election observers in to watch the review process, wrote a prebuttal of her own, saying the partisan review does not meet the standard definition of an “audit.”
“Moreover, it failed to satisfy the basic standards for election auditing. Because of these failures, any findings or report issued by Cyber Ninjas, or the state senate, based on the information collected using these faulty and inconsistently applied procedures and processes, should not be considered trustworthy or accurate,” she said.
