Negotiating a nuke deal with the barbaric and sadistic leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran is a waste of time
On April 25, President Trump renewed his call to end the Senate filibuster in connection with the SAVE America Act, warning in a post on Truth Social that failure to move the legislation through the upper chamber would be a disastrous political mistake for Republicans.
He is right about the stakes.
The SAVE America Act is the most important election reform bill in a generation. For those concerned about election integrity, the bill addresses a serious weakness in America’s voting system: In numerous states, noncitizens can illegally register to vote with alarming ease, while state officials often lack the tools needed to determine how widespread the problem is.
The current rules make it easy for noncitizens and citizens alike to illegally register to vote.
Federal law already prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections. The trouble is that the law contains far too few meaningful safeguards to make sure that rule is actually followed.
Across more than 40 states, voter registration standards are so weak that election officials often have no reliable way to determine whether a person seeking to register is, in fact, an American citizen.
Oregon is a useful example. On the state’s voter registration form, applicants are given three broad options for proving identity. They may provide a state-issued ID such as a driver’s license, the last four digits of a Social Security number, or one item from a lengthy list of other accepted documents.
That system is deeply flawed. In 19 states, Oregon among them, illegal immigrants may obtain a driver’s license or another form of driving authorization. As a result, possession of a driver’s license does not establish citizenship. At most, it might help officials later identify a questionable registration if the state conducts a serious review of its voter rolls.
But an applicant does not even have to rely on a state ID. A person can choose instead to submit the last four digits of a Social Security number.
At first glance, that might appear to be a strong barrier, since illegal immigrants are not lawfully issued Social Security numbers. But that assumption ignores a serious and long-running problem: Many illegal immigrants have obtained and used Social Security numbers, and millions more Social Security numbers have been stolen and made available on the dark web.
RELATED: How Republicans have failed to defund sanctuary cities for a generation
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Earlier this year, researchers released a report uncovering a large illegal online database that included “2.7 billion records with Social Security numbers.”
It’s hard to tell how many of the records involved the same Social Security number or a false number, but the total number of records is so high that it’s possible that this one report shows that the vast majority of Americans have already had their Social Security numbers illegally taken.
The weaknesses in the system go even farther than SSNs. People can also register without submitting either a state ID or a Social Security number. They can instead rely on various substitute documents, none of which establish that the applicant is a U.S. citizen.
Oregon again shows how reckless these rules can be. Its voter registration form permits applicants to use non-government photo identification. It also allows documents such as a paycheck stub, utility bill, or bank statement.
Under these rules, a person with a mailing address and a cable or gas bill could be placed on the voter rolls without ever having to provide a reliable form of identification.
Pretending these rules ensure elections are secure is nothing short of delusional. The current rules make it easy for noncitizens and citizens alike to illegally register to vote.
For example, in many states, there are few safeguards to stop a parent from stealing the identity of his or her adult child to cast a second ballot. All the parent would need to register in the name of a child is the last four digits of his or her Social Security number, information that nearly all parents have.
Although voter registration rules are dangerously weak in much of the country, the protections that exist at the ballot box differ widely from state to state. In places with strong voter ID requirements and widespread in-person voting, it is much harder for noncitizens and citizen identity thieves to cast ballots. But many states have failed to adopt those basic safeguards.
RELATED: Red states are not waiting for Congress to pass the SAVE America Act
Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images
Twenty-four states require voters to present photo identification when voting in person, while 12 additional states require some form of identification but do not require that the ID include a photo.
Fourteen states impose no voter ID requirement for most voters. That list includes large states with millions of voters, such as California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania.
The danger is compounded by the rapid expansion of mail-in voting. Many states now permit no-excuse mail-in ballots, and eight states run their elections entirely by mail.
Furthermore, there is evidence that suggests the problem could be far greater than most are willing to admit. A 2023 survey by the Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports found that more than one in four 2020 mail-in voters admitted to engaging in at least one activity that likely constitutes a violation of election law.
Similarly, in 2024, Heartland and Rasmussen conducted another survey that showed 28% of likely voters said they would be willing to engage in at least one form of illegal voting activity to help their preferred candidate win that year’s presidential election.
The facts are disturbing and clear: Many Americans are willing to commit voter fraud, and not nearly enough protections are currently in place to prevent them from doing so.
The SAVE America Act would finally make America’s elections safe and secure again, but only if Republicans in Congress stop making excuses and use the power voters gave them to pass it.
A police officer was allegedly kidnapped after being dragged into a getaway car during an alleged armed robbery in California, and the bodycam video has been released.
The video showed a vehicle crashing into a FoodMaxx grocery store in Antioch at about 5:15 a.m. on Feb. 20. Three armed robbers enter the store before police arrive about three minutes later.
The officer threatens to shoot DeSouza unless he stops the vehicle, and after he refuses to stop, the officer shoots him.
One of the store employees later told police that one of the men was armed and threatened employees.
As police are yelling commands, the driver of the vehicle crashes into the occupied police cruiser, and police approach the car.
At one point, an officer lunges at the car just as it reverses back into the store, and he falls inside the passenger side with the door nearly shutting behind him.
That's when the driver flees with the officer inside. The officer was identified as Travis Donaldson.
Bodycam video from inside the vehicle captures the bizarre interaction between officer and the driver.
"Stop the car!" the officer says.
"Get out the car, bro!" the driver yells.
"Stop the car!" the officer repeats.
"Get out!" the driver yells.
"Stop the car!" the officer yells.
Moments later the driver yells, "I'm going to crash this motherf**king car! I ain't going to jail!"
Police say the driver, later identified as 23-year-old Dominick DeSouza, was driving erratically and ignoring orders from Donaldson. He tells the officer to jump out of the car but does not slow down.
The officer threatens to shoot DeSouza unless he stops the vehicle, and after he refuses to stop, the officer shoots him. DeSouza yells in pain, crashes the car, and then flees on foot.
Police said additional officers arrived at the scene and located DeSouza within 10 minutes of his fleeing from the car. He was found with the gunshot wound to his leg and hiding in bushes.
He was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office charged DeSouza with kidnapping, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon upon a peace officer, two counts of burglary, grand theft, and unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle.
Officer Donaldson suffered minor injuries during the incident.
The nine minutes of footage from the incident can be viewed in its entirety at the Antioch City YouTube channel.
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A prominent left-wing academic has sparked controversy for declaring that mass migration from Africa will serve as a "great irrigation" of French society.
The post French Academic Praises Mass Migration From Africa as a ‘Great Irrigation’ of Society appeared first on Breitbart.