Galvin launches investigation into Boston ballot shortage
Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin opened an investigation into the Boston Election Commission after polling stations across the state capital ran out of English-only ballots on election day.
The blame was put on an unexpected influx of voters at specific locations, those being where ballots ran low in Hyde Park, West Roxbury and areas of the South End. However, Galvin reported around 766,200 ballots were printed at his office for delivery across the city and claims it was lack of communication and preparation that was the cause of the delays.
“Although it appears that these locations ultimately received ballots, voters were subjected to unreasonable unnecessary delays in exercising their franchise,” Galvin wrote in a letter to Eneida Tavares, the chair of the Boston Election Commission, on Wednesday. “This is unacceptable and contravenes the most fundamental principles of our democratic process.”
Communication between the Election Commission and officials at the poll sites were reportedly inaccessible when the shortage started to occur, leading to police officers delivering the ballots across the city with their sirens and lights on to accommodate the long lines and high demand at the polling locations.
“It is completely unacceptable for people to have to wait for significant periods of time without ballot access and on the one hand having high turnout is a great problem to have. But we need to make sure that we’re on top of all those issues because protecting access to the ballot is the most fundamental part of our democracy,” said Mayor Michelle Wu.
Reported by NBC, a news conference held by Galvin revealed similar situations occurred in 2006 and again in 2021. Galvin expects, like in 2006, to have to appoint a receiver, a member of staff in the secretary of state’s office that will take control over the election department.
Teixeira sentenced to 15 years in prison for leaking classified documents
Sentencing concluded Tuesday, Nov. 12 for Jack Teixeira, the 22-year-old former Massachusetts Air National Guard member, who pleaded guilty to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information.
Teixeira was sentenced by Judge Indira Talwani to 15 years for stealing and leaking classified documents from the Pentagon, violating the Espionage Act. Texeira had distributed the information on the online chat program Discord, which is primarily used by the video game community.
Teixeira joined the Coast Guard in 2019 and was stationed on Cape Cod at the Otis Air National Guard Base, where he was a cyber transport systems journeyman. He was later granted top-secret security clearance position in 2021. He was trained in the definition of classified information, classification levels and proper handling of the material prior to receiving this access, according to his indictment.
Prosecution alleged the documents he leaked, which contained information ranging from equipment in Ukraine to troop movements, were shared in an attempt to impress the peers in the online servers.
There were also records of Teixeira messaging individuals and groups requesting they delete all chat messages with him as investigations got closer to his unit.
Teixeira’s defense team pushed for an 11 year sentencing, sharing that Teixeira’s actions were not done with harm in mind. He showed remorse in the courtroom, apologizing for the consequences of his actions.
“I’m sorry for all of the harm that I’ve brought and I’ve caused,” said Teixeira.
Government officials have condemned his actions throughout the sentencing process, claiming that his choices will have lasting and severe repercussions.
“We won’t know the full extent of Jack Teixeira’s damage for several years,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Joshua S. Levy.
Final House races too close to call, Republicans approach control trifecta
Partisan control of the House of Representatives hangs in the balance as the 15 remaining seats have yet to be called.
As of 8:10 p.m. Nov. 12, Republicans hold 214 seats of the House while Democrats hold 206, according to The Associated Press.
So far, Democrats have picked up one seat in the House from California’s 27th District while Republicans have picked up three seats from Michigan’s 7th District and Pennsylvania’s 7th and 8th Districts.
Nine states have uncalled seats, with several totaling so close that recounts are being called, according to The AP.
Differences in the time taken to report results are due to differences in state law. Currently, California holds several of the uncalled seats. In the interest of lessening obstacles to the vote, California, Oregon and Washington have all-mail elections. Despite proven increases in voter turnout, the administration choice leads to a bottleneck of ballots on Election Day and reporting delays.
The Hill reported House Republicans plan to nominate a challenger to current House Speaker Mike Johnson during the party’s internal elections Nov. 13.
If Republicans claim control of the House, the party will be in the majority for both Senate chambers, as well as the presidency following the election of Donald J. Trump.
Trump announces first cabinet picks
As president-elect Donald Trump begins the transition process into his upcoming presidency, he begins to announce who will be serving in his cabinet. The beginning of Trump’s selections are MAGA loyalists who have been outspoken in their support for Trump.
The first person to be formally announced in Trump’s cabinet is Susie Wiles serving as Chief of Staff. Wiles was Trump’s senior campaign advisor and will be the first woman to hold this position. With a background in Florida politics, she has been coined as a key figure in both Trump and Ron DeSantis’ winning campaigns.
Trump named Florida Representative, Mike Waltz, as national security advisor. Waltz is a third-term congressman and long-term Trump supporter who will hold significant power in the United States role in wars happening in Ukraine and the Middle East.
One of the biggest issues the Trump campaign stood on was immigration and border control. One of the ways Trump plans on enforcing his claims is through Tom Homan who Trump named his “border czar.” Homan will be in charge of Northern and Southern border control and play a key role in his “mass deportation” plan. Homan has promised to, “run the biggest deportation operation the country has ever seen,” according to the Associated Press.
Veteran and Fox News host, Pete Hegseth, will serve as Trump’s defense secretary in his upcoming term. Hegseth holds an untraditional background for this position and was a prominent supporter of Trump during his first term in 2016.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will head the new “Department of Government Efficiency.” This is a new organization that will operate outside of the government as a type of advisory board. While it is unclear what this will entail, this new department will exist outside of the government and therefore, AP reports, Musk, Ramaswamy and potential other members, would not be held to the same accountability and transparency as government officials.
As Trump continues to announce who will serve on his cabinet for his upcoming presidential term, the country will continue to see who will be set to lead essential parts of the United States government.
Arrest made after shooting at Tuskegee University leaves one dead, 16 injured
Content advisory: This story describes gun violence and death.
A shooting at Tuskegee University Nov. 10 killed one and injured 16 others during the Alabama college’s 100th annual homecoming weekend, according to the Associated Press. One arrest was made in relation to the shooting.
Twelve of the 16 people sustained injuries from the gunfire, authorities said. AP reported some university students among those injured. Tuskegee said in a statement the man killed was a “non-university individual,” whom a local coroner identified as 18-year-old La’Tavion Johnson from Troy, Alabama, reported AP.
Jaquez Myrick, a 25-year-old from Montgomery, Alabama was arrested carrying a handgun with a machine gun conversion device leaving the scene of the shooting, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Myrick was federally charged with possession of a machine gun.
The ALEA did not state if Myrick was a student at the university, according to AP.
Tuskegee, a historically Black university, canceled classes Nov. 11 and 12 to provide mental health days to community members and allow authorities to continue the investigation. The university also offered virtual and in-person grief counseling for students, faculty and staff according to a statement.
“As we navigate this challenge as a family, keep your classmates in mind as some work to heal physically and mentally from this event. The same applies to faculty and staff,” the statement said. “The university experienced an exceptional Homecoming weekend, and this event has tarnished it. Asking for help is a sign of strength and not weakness. Standing strong together is also the Tuskegee Way.”
The university will also now require a university ID to access campus and for students, staff and faculty to wear IDs at all times on campus.
NPR reported the shooting follows a series of other acts of gun violence at homecoming events within the past month. Three people died and eight others were injured at a shooting outside Lexington, Mississippi during a homecoming football game celebration Oct. 19. The same day, one person was killed and four others were injured in a shooting at Albany State University in Georgia.
