Bits n’ pieces from east, west and beyond

East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. A recent sampling:

A Florida postal worker, accused of tossing mail, including one mail-in ballot, faces up to five years in prison and a $150,000 fine, various media reported. 

A video claiming a Pennsylvania postal worker tampered with mail-in ballots was declared a hoax by bi-partisan election officials, the Director of National Intelligence and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Newsweek reported. The agencies said they expect pre- and post-election that Russia will “create and release additional media content that seeks to undermine the trust in the integrity of the election and divide Americans.”

After allegations that Elon Musk’s $1 million-a day voter lottery was illegal and needed to stop, a Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge ruled Monday the pro-Trump PAC effort could proceed. Why? Musk’s team claimed the winners were not chosen “by chance,” and were instead chosen for “earnings” in payment for their work. Musk had previously stated that the $1 million would be awarded “randomly.” CNN said the Justice Dept. may further pursue the legality of Musk’s “lottery.”

CBS: Although he’s a convicted felon, under Florida law Trump was allowed to vote there, since he was convicted outside of Florida, in New York State.

Shortly before Election Day Elon Musk, slated by Trump to lead a Department of Government Efficiency, said of Trump’s economic plans that they necessarily involve “some temporary hardship, but it will ensure long-term prosperity,” Newsweek shared. 

Musk says he would cut $2 trillion from the U.S. budget; 23 Nobel Prize-winning economists said Trump’s economic plans would lead to higher prices, larger deficits and greater inequality. No word from the media about how Musk, the world’s richest man, would personally make sacrifices for the sake of the U.S. budget.

Trump recently said he has a “little secret” for Republicans to do “really well with the House” and “we will tell you what it (the secret) is when the race is over.”

The man who attacked former Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer has been sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole, BBC reported. The attack left Paul Pelosi hospitalized with a fractured skull and other injuries.

Competing gender interests were front and center before Election Day, brought into focus by an ad from Vote Common Good, a progressive evangelical organization. The ad stated, “In the one place in America where women still have the right to choose, you can vote any way you want and no one will ever know.” 

VCG said they’d heard from women fearful about the repercussions if they did not vote according to their husband’s direction, The Guardian reported. The conservative reaction to the ad was mixed, with some denying women being coerced; some saying the message undermines traditional family values; and a Fox news host saying if his wife secretly voted for Harris “that’s the same thing as having an affair…it violates the sanctity of our marriage.” 

A Guardian opinion piece noted that “A lot of households are not democracies…they are dictatorships.” Further evidence of that came from canvassers who encountered women, in their husband’s absence, admitting voting contrary to their husband’s vote.

The Supreme Court’s right-wing majority recently ruled that Virginia, which was predicted to vote for Harris, does not have to restore registration for 1,600 voters, even though it’s prior to an election. The emergency docket case stemmed from Virginia’s Republican governor, via executive order, directing the state to run voter registration rolls against DMV data to check for non-citizens. 

Saying that was a violation of federal law, which prohibits systematic removal of voters within 90 days of a federal election, the Justice Dept. and civil rights groups sued. They pointed out that they’d identified people who were citizens but their voter registration was cancelled. The Guardian said the Supreme Court majority provided no rationale for the decision. Legal analysts told Newsweek the Supreme Court decision was a disgrace and a “wrong-headed decision in light of clear federal law.” Republicans liked the decision.

Trying to get more men to vote, Donald Trump Jr. urged men to “get off their butts” and vote, adding “If I can do what I’ve been doing for the last few months just getting crapped on by everyone all over the country…you can wait in line.” 

He went on to say celebrities are endorsing Kamala Harris because they’re on an “Epstein list” (implying they’ve been indicted for sexual abuse or assault, and that Harris is blackmailing them for support). But, as The Daily Beast recently reported, sex offender and financier Epstein has said on a tape recording that he was one of Donald Trump’s “closest friends.”

Blast from the past: The Red Mirage is familiar to the news industry when reporting on a presidential election outcome: early votes appear to favor Republicans, since votes in small counties are faster to tally than votes in largely-populated counties. As the count continues, the Republican lead becomes smaller. Those unaware of the Red Mirage can be tricked into thinking something unfair is happening, which Donald Trump tried to use to convince the public of voter fraud in 2020. Trump’s tactic was to plant doubt about the election to support his claim he’d been cheated out of a second presidency.