Tag Archive for: Gov.

Lt. Gov. Patrick Tells Corporations to Stop Meddling in Politics, Says SB7 is Not Suppression, It’s Security – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

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In a fiery address Tuesday morning, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) scolded American Airlines, Major League Baseball, and other corporations for meddling in politics while defending SB7, the Senate’s recently passed Election and Ballot Security bill.

Opponents said Senate Bill 7 limits polling hours, eliminates drive-through voting, and includes some changes to the mail-in ballot process. Patrick said the bill is not about voter suppression, as opponents have said, but rather voter security and that the bill is needed because “Americans no longer trust the system and a country where voters do not trust the system is a country in peril.”

“People in America have lost faith in their elections, in the outcome, and we have to resolve that issue in this country and in this state and that’s why Senate Bill 7 is needed,” Patrick said.

Patrick said he was, “tired of lies and the nest of liars who continue to repeat them. “Nothing has changed in the election code regarding early voting. Nothing.”

“Let me repeat this for the media and the Democrats so they’ll stop lying about it, we have not changed any dates on early voting. It still starts two weeks before the election — 12 days of early voting.”

Patrick added SB7 makes mail-in voting easier for seniors or the disabled by making signature verification now one signature for comparison for a longer period of time instead of comparing two signatures within the last six years.

The lieutenant governor said they were standardizing polling places, not reducing them, saying the number of polling places would depend on the number of eligible voters in the area.

The lieutenant governor took offense to criticism of the bill saying it calls into question his integrity and that of the 18 Republican members who voted for the bill. He specifically mentioned a call from a representative of American Airlines whom Patrick said called his office to say they’d be opposing SB7 but hadn’t read the bill.

“So you’re calling us to tell us it isn’t personal against the lieutenant governor or the governor or the 18 members who voted for the bill, but you haven’t read the bill and you’re calling us out for suppressing the vote? Well, let me…

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Gov. Walz Combats False Reports That He Spent Thanksgiving Weekend In Florida, Has $400M Net Worth – WCCO

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — After a long weekend in which Gov. Tim Walz begged Minnesotans not to travel, some may have been surprised by some online reports.

Social media was filled with news that while protestors demonstrated against restrictions this weekend at his residence, Walz was vacationing in Florida.

Another widely-shared story is that Walz, who talks often of his and his wife’s careers as public school teachers, is suddenly a wealthy man, worth $400 million.

Walz says both the trip and his alleged wealth are definitely not true.

“I have not left the state since March, since [the pandemic] happened,” Walz said. “The thing I most worry about though is if you are willing to believe those types of things without any proof, you’re probably not going to listen to me when I tell you to wear a mask.”

The governor’s staff at first brushed off the comments, but then the volume increased, and the public began calling the governor’s office to complain about the imaginary Florida trip.

Mark Lanterman, a former cyber security investigator for the United States Secret Service, now runs the cybersecurity firm Computer Forensics Services.

“We need to remember that just because it’s on the internet doesn’t mean it’s true,” Lanterman said.

He says it’s important to remember websites, like the one that’s disseminating false information about Walz’s net worth, may also be making money.

“Many organizations with web pages get paid based on the number of clicks that are driven to their webpage, whether that’s a quarter cent or half a cent, it all depends,” Lanterman said.

The governor and Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm say this latest spread of fake news, like the virus, is weaving its way into people lives, creating an alternate reality that can also be deadly.

“It’s deeper than that because it goes to undermining the policies,” Walz said.

“People saying, ‘Well don’t bother to get tested because the state is cooking the numbers,’” Malcolm said. “That’s horribly dangerous.”

The governor’s office says they do not know where, or who, originated the reports. Lanterman says the origin of internet fake news stories…

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Maryland Gov. Hogan sets up new computer security office to protect state networks

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Gov. Larry Hogan signed an executive order Tuesday designed to strengthen the state’s defenses against cyber attacks, appointing a single official with responsibility for computer security at all …
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