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@chrismessina

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@amuse

Nov 19

WAR: Russia announced Ukraine attacked it using US-made nuclear-capable tactical missiles, after the US confirmed the report, Russia signaled it's ready to launch a tactical nuclear response according to @CNBC. Pray for peace.

WAR: The use of low yield tactical nukes, especially airburst, on the battlefield would give Russian troops a huge advantage and facilitate rapid troop advancement on all fronts. It would also demoralize Ukrainian troops. The targeted areas would be safe for troops within 12-24 hours. If NATO decided to intervene it would have to accept the very real threat of European capitals being targeted with strategic nuclear missiles. Russia clearly communicated, publicly and privately, it would reserve the right to a nuclear response if NATO provided and authorized use of long range missiles inside Russia. That line was crossed last night.

WAR: Putin has approved changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, setting out new conditions under which the country would consider using its arsenal. The doctrine now says an attack from a non-nuclear state, if backed by a nuclear power, will be treated as a joint assault on Russia. bbc.com/news/articles/…

Read 4 tweets

@amuse

Nov 11

Senator, based on a leaked whip count, you are supporting @SenJohnThune for Majority Leader. Can you confirm this is the case? @RepJimBanks, @SenJohnBarrasso, @MarshaBlackburn, @SenBillCassidy, @SenatorCollins, @SenTomCotton, @SenKevinCramer, @SenTedCruz, @RepJohnCurtis, @SteveDaines, @SenJohnHoeven, @WVGovernor, @SenLummis, @LeaderMcConnell, @SenMullin, @lisamurkowski, @SenatorRounds, @SenatorTimScott, @TimSheehyMT, @SenDanSullivan, @SenThomTillis, @SenatorWicker, @SenToddYoung.

h/t @bennyjohnson

Senator, based on a leaked whip count, you are supporting @JohnCornyn for Majority Leader. Can you confirm this is the case? @JohnBoozman, @SenKatieBritt, @SenatorBudd, @SenCapito, @MikeCrapo, @SenJoniErnst, @SenatorFischer, @LindseyGrahamSC, @ChuckGrassley, @HawleyMO, @SenHydeSmith, @SenJohnKennedy, @SenatorLankford, @DaveMcCormickPA, @SenatorRicketts, @SenatorRisch.

h/t @bennyjohnson

Senator, based on a leaked whip count, you are supporting @SenRickScott for Majority Leader. Can you confirm this is the case? @SenatorHagerty, @SenRonJohnson, @SenMikeLee, @RogerMarshallMD, @BernieMoreno, @RandPaul, @marcorubio, @Eric_Schmitt, @SenTuberville, @JDVance1

h/t @bennyjohnson

Read 7 tweets

@amuse

Nov 5

CLOSING ARGUMENT🧵1/4: against another four years of Harris rule by @cb_doge:

CLOSING ARGUMENT🧵2/4: against another four years of Harris rule by @cb_doge:

@cb_doge CLOSING ARGUMENT🧵3/4: against another four years of Harris rule by @cb_doge:

Read 4 tweets

@amuse

Nov 1

ELECTION INTEGRITY: Last month the USPS quietly issued a last minute directive preventing the imaging of mail-in ballots. Normally the USPS would be able to confirm the number of mail-in ballots sent to election officials to ensure fraudulent ballots aren't inserted into the election. Bypassing the central scanning facilities, as the directive requires, means there will be NO way to verify the numbers reported by local election authorities match the numbers reported by the USPS.

The integrity of an election hinges on the robustness of the systems that facilitate voter participation. When those systems are altered at the last minute, the checks and balances designed to prevent fraud can be seriously undermined. A recent directive issued by the United States Postal Service (USPS), just a month before the upcoming election, threatens to do precisely that. By instructing USPS facilities to bypass their central scanning operations for mail-in ballots, this change removes a key layer of transparency and makes it difficult, if not impossible, to verify the legitimacy of absentee ballots. This decision effectively jeopardizes the integrity of the election by eliminating an important method of auditing mail-in ballots.

Traditionally, USPS relies on centralized scanning to create digital images of every mail piece, including absentee ballots. These scans are more than just technical formalities—they represent a critical layer of accountability. By scanning ballot envelopes, USPS is able to track the movement of election-related mail, confirm its transit through the system, and provide evidence of delivery. This method has allowed for an additional check against fraud, ensuring that every mail-in ballot destined for election officials is accounted for. The number of mail-in ballots scanned by USPS could be cross-referenced with the numbers reported by local election authorities to ensure consistency, thereby minimizing the possibility of fraudulent ballots being introduced into the system.

However, the recent USPS directive has instructed postal workers to bypass these centralized facilities and deliver absentee ballots directly to local Boards of Election (BOEs) without the standard scanning procedures. This means that the usual chain of digital records—a crucial audit trail—will be absent. There will be no comprehensive count of absentee ballots moving through the mail, and as a result, no reliable way for external observers to verify that the number of ballots received by election officials matches the number actually mailed by voters. With the imaging process deliberately omitted, election observers and watchdog groups lose a powerful tool that could independently verify or challenge local election authorities’ claims.

This sudden change also undermines confidence in an already tense electoral environment. With only a month until Election Day, altering fundamental mail handling procedures is bound to generate suspicion. For many voters, the safeguard that USPS imaging provides—an objective count of ballots—is a reassurance that the process is being conducted fairly. By sidestepping this layer of accountability, USPS has inadvertently fed into the narrative that absentee ballots are vulnerable to manipulation. For an electoral system that is often scrutinized for potential vulnerabilities, eliminating an established verification method only adds fuel to those concerns.

Another problem arises with the lack of transparency. Informed Delivery, a service offered by USPS, has allowed voters to digitally preview their incoming mail, providing them with an image of their ballot envelope. This transparency not only gave voters confidence but also created another line of defense against fraud—any inconsistency between what a voter expected and what was delivered could be flagged. Without the centralized scanning process, this transparency is also lost. Voters now have fewer assurances that their ballot has traveled safely through the system or reached its intended destination.

Ultimately, the USPS directive introduces an alarming level of uncertainty into the electoral process. Election integrity is not just about preventing fraud; it is also about ensuring that the systems in place foster trust. By removing the ability to confirm that the numbers of ballots mailed, received, and counted are consistent, the USPS is inadvertently creating opportunities for discrepancies. These discrepancies, whether intentional or not, could easily undermine public confidence in the outcome of the election.

In conclusion, the last-minute USPS directive to bypass centralized scanning of absentee ballots has significant ramifications for election integrity. It removes a key verification step that has historically helped ensure the legitimacy of mail-in voting. By stripping away a vital layer of transparency, this directive leaves voters and observers in the dark about whether the number of ballots reported by local election authorities truly reflects those mailed. In a time when public trust in elections is already fragile, such a change—made just weeks before Election Day—could prove deeply damaging to the perceived legitimacy of the entire electoral process.

ELECTION INTEGRITY: The federal workers that are entrusted with delivering millions of ballots are being told by their leaders that Trump is a threat to democracy and that if they don't stop him he will become dictator.

It is unacceptable that the Postal Worker's union that represents 92% of America's letter carriers is able to use its influence and presence in 30,000+ post offices to spread this sort of dangerous misinformation to federal employees.

It is one thing for Union President Mark Dimondstein to endorse Kamala Harris and quite another to use his position to spread dangerous lies about the former president. This amounts to election interference and is likely resulting in thousands of letter carriers violating the Hatch Act.

If you were convinced that Hitl*r was coming to power in America what would you do to stop him? Would you throw away ballots from houses with Trump signs? Throw away ballots from houses with American flags (just in case)?

ELECTION INTEGRITY: Reporting from @loganwashburn76 reveals that the Georgia Chapter of the National Association of Letter Carriers sent a letter to its members labeling President Trump an existential threat - this sort of incendiary rhetoric is dangerous and must be end.

Read 4 tweets

@amuse

Oct 23

ELECTION INTEGRITY: Dallas County hired a new election administrator to run its elections this year and things are off to a rough start just two days into early voting as software glitches are causing huge lines at voting places. Many are asking if the 'glitches' are a feature or bug so I decided to take a look at who the county hired to run the election.

I was shocked to learn that Dallas County decided to hire a Venezuelan national named Heider Garcia to be its election administrator [Garcia's immigration status is not public]. I was even more shocked to learn that he ran at least three nationwide elections in Venezuela as a Smartmatic employee - election monitors believed vote totals and results provided by Smartmatic machines were being manipulated to help Hugo Chávez. By 2017 Smartmatic admitted it could not certify the integrity of elections using its machines in Venezuela.

By 2010 Smartmatic had moved Garcia to run elections in the Philippines until 2016 when it was discovered that voting machines he was responsible for had unauthorized changes made to the vote transmission script during the election night. While Garcia wasn't implicated he left the company and took a job in California. Recently the co-founder of Smartmatic was charged in a bribery scandal with bribes to Philippine officials.

During Garcia's short stint in Placer County as election coordinator the county had huge issues with ballot printing errors requiring votes to be thrown out, new ballots to be printed, and voters to be contacted individually. By 2016 many voters weren't even getting their ballots as a result of printing delays. There were massive problems with the voter registration system forcing many voters to use provisional ballots.

Garcia left Placer County for a job as Tarrant County's election administrator in 2018. His tenure with the county was fraught with controversy and scandal. At one point at least a third of the county's mail-in ballots had to be rescanned due to a barcode glitch. By 2023 he was forced to resign amid an investigation by County Judge Tim O’Hare into Garcia's decision, priorities, and budget.

Why would Dallas County hire a former Smartmatic executive involved in the most corrupt elections in the world be hired despite questionable tenures running elections in Placer and Tarrant County? The best case is that Garcia is incompetent and the worst case is that he's compromised.

So what is the answer? Vote. Got vote ASAP. Stand in line as long as you have to stand in line. The answer isn't to give up. We ALL must stand up and make our voices heard at the ballot box. Please don't get discouraged.

h/t @Carlos__Turcios

ELECTION INTEGRITY: Dallas County's new Venezuelan Election Administrator says he is sorry for 'glitches' that caused hundreds of early voters to be turned away. Wait times exceeded two hours for the brave.

What is the answer? Go vote, vote, vote! Get everyone you know to vote. If there are going to be shenanigans this election we've got to overwhelm the Democrats with as many votes as possible. Don't get discouraged. Report issues so we can fix the system for next election - but the only answer today is to vote. PLEASE VOTE!

h/t @Carlos__Turcios

ELECTION INTEGRITY: Dallas County's new Venezuelan Election Administrator Heider Garcia was never charged with a crime for his involvement with the Philippine election but it appears he was run out of the country and left Smartmatic.

Read 4 tweets

@amuse

Oct 18

ELECTION INTEGRITY: It concerned me when the head of the postal workers union told his members that Trump would end democracy and fire them if they didn't stop him from taking office. We're now seeing ballots from Republican areas being thrown away.

ELECTION INTEGRITY: Postal workers have been at the heart of various efforts to undermine the integrity of our elections. Here just a few examples:

- 2017 Democrat operatives bribed a Texas postal worker named Noe Olvera to give them the names and addresses of residents who received a mail-in ballot. He pled guilty.

- 2021 New Jersey postal worker named Nicholas Beauchene discarded 99 absentee ballots a month before the 2020 presidential election. He pled guilty.

- 2021 New York postal worker named Brandon Wilson was caught carrying undelivered absentee ballots in the trunk of his car by CBP while attempting to cross the border. He pled guilty.

- 2024 Tennessee postal worker named DuJuan Butler was caught on tape throwing away baskets of mail containing voter registrations, ballots, and other election related material. He's facing 5 years in prison and $250,000 fine.

- 2024 Four Puerto Rico postal workers were charged with delaying delivery of ballots to certain addresses during the 2022 special election.

The federal workers that are entrusted with delivering millions of ballots are being told by their leaders that Trump is a threat to democracy and that if they don't stop him he will become dictator.

It is unacceptable that the Postal Worker's union that represents 92% of America's letter carriers is able to use its influence and presence in 30,000+ post offices to spread this sort of dangerous misinformation to federal employees.

It is one thing for Union President Mark Dimondstein to endorse Kamala Harris and quite another to use his position to spread dangerous lies about the former president. This amounts to election interference and is likely resulting in thousands of letter carriers violating the Hatch Act.

If you were convinced that Hitl*r was coming to power in America what would you do to stop him? Would you throw away ballots from houses with Trump signs? Throw away ballots from houses with American flags (just in case)?

ELECTION INTEGRITY: Georgia Chapter of the National Association of Letter Carriers sent a letter to its members labeling President Trump an existential threat - this sort of incendiary rhetoric is dangerous and must be end. We've got to be able to trust our mail carriers.

Read 4 tweets

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