North Carolina orders do-over election for House seat following ballot fraud

By Paul Vale

Friday, February 22

NEW ELECTION FOR NORTH CAROLINA 9TH The North Carolina Board of Elections has unanimously ordered a new election in the state’s 9th Congressional District after examining evidence of absentee ballot fraud on behalf of GOP candidate Mark Harris. [HuffPost] [Tweet | Share on Facebook]

JUDGE GAGS ROGER STONE A federal judge extended a gag order to silence Roger Stone after the longtime Trump associate published an Instagram post showing crosshairs next to the judge’s head. [HuffPost]

ACOSTA BROKE LAW OVER SEX RING CASE Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta broke federal law when, as a prosecutor, he signed a plea deal with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, a judge ruled. Epstein, a former hedge fund manager, helped operate an international sex ring in which he recruited underage girls in Florida and from overseas. [HuffPost]

200 U.S. TROOPS TO STAY IN SYRIA The White House said “a small peacekeeping group” of 200 American troops will stay in Syria after a U.S. pullout. [Reuters]

SMOLLETT LAWYERS SLAM POLICE Lawyers for “Empire” star Jussie Smollett accused Chicago police of carrying out an “organized law enforcement spectacle” hours after the police superintendent claimed the actor staged a hate crime to boost his career. [HuffPost]

POPE OPENS HISTORIC SEX ABUSE SUMMIT Pope Francis opened a landmark sex abuse prevention summit by warning senior Catholic figures that the faithful are demanding concrete action against predator priests. [AP]

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ALABAMA PUBLISHER DOUBLES DOWN ON KKK Alabama newspaper publisher Goodloe Sutton does not regret the editorial he wrote calling for the “Ku Klux Klan to night ride again.” He doubled down in a local interview, saying, “The KKK are the nicest.” [HuffPost]

GOVERNMENT WORKER CHARGED IN COHEN LEAK An Internal Revenue Service analyst has been charged with leaking confidential records about Michael Cohen’s bank account. [HuffPost]

PROUD BOYS LEADER’S LAW CAREER SUSPENDED Jason Lee Van Dyke, the lawyer who represented and briefly led the Proud Boys extremist gang, has been suspended from practicing law in Texas. [HuffPost]

BEING A BLACK MUSLIM WOMAN IN AMERICA Black Muslim women are the target of multiple forms of bigotry — yet they are expected to deal with those instances gracefully. We look at the challenges they face. [HuffPost]

STEVE KING RUNNING FOR ANOTHER TERM Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said that he plans to run for a 10th term in Congress despite his history of support for white supremacy. [HuffPost]

MADURO CLOSES BORDER WITH BRAZIL Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has closed the border with Brazil as a row over foreign humanitarian aid continues. [BBC]

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