Bob Ortega
CNN
Phoenix, AZ, United States
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Past articles by Bob:
Trump-backed GOP pick for Michigan AG has been a vocal supporter of election lies. Emails show just how far he's gone for the cause
Months after Joe Biden's 2020 victory over Donald Trump in Michigan had been certified, and confirmed by audits and voting reviews, a clerk in rural Barry County received an unusual and confusing request from Matthew DePerno, an attorney in Kalamazoo. → Read More
Michigan GOP leaders encourage rule breaking at poll worker training session
The evening before Michigan's state primary, Wayne County GOP leaders held a Zoom training session for poll workers and partisan observers -- warning them about "bad stuff happening" during the election and encouraging them to ignore local election rules barring cell phones and pens from polling places and vote-counting centers. → Read More
Michigan GOP leaders encourage rule breaking at poll worker training session
The evening before Michigan's state primary, Wayne County GOP leaders held a Zoom training session for poll workers and partisan observers -- warning them about "bad stuff happening" during the election and encouraging them to ignore local election rules barring cell phones and pens from polling places and vote-counting centers. → Read More
US has 'significant' cyber vulnerabilities, but a sweeping Russian cyberattack is unlikely
But now, even as the Russian army drops bombs and mortar shells on civilians in hospitals and neighborhoods and its invasion of Ukraine nears its fourth week, no known nightmare cyber scenario --- a widespread power outage, a poisoned water system, a crippled supply chain -- has come to pass in Ukraine, the US or elsewhere. To be sure, a ripple of smaller cyberattacks ricocheted through the… → Read More
US has 'significant' cyber vulnerabilities, but a sweeping Russian cyberattack is unlikely
In the winter of 2015, computer hackers working for the Russian government attacked Ukraine's power grid and switched off the lights and heat to more than 200,000 consumers. → Read More
Fears of unlikely federal gun-control measures lead to raft of state laws
Brandon Steele, a second-term Republican in West Virginia's House, worked Amid fears on social media and by gun-rights groups that the Second Amendment is under threat, GOP lawmakers have rushed to pass state laws seeking to blunt any federal gun restrictions the Biden administration might adopt. → Read More
In the wake of Trump's attack on democracy, election officials fear for the future of American elections
Trump's efforts to subvert the election leave the future of free and fair elections in jeopardy. → Read More
Arizona audit funding cloaked in secrecy
Three weeks into the Arizona Senate's unorthodox audit of the 2020 presidential election results, one potential winner seems to be emerging, regardless of any count: Cyber Ninjas, the Florida-based consulting firm being paid to lead the analysis of the votes in populous Maricopa County. → Read More
Huge Trump-era and pandemic immigrant visa backlog poses challenge for Biden
Biden administration wrestling with massive backlog of nearly 2.6 million immigrant visa applications, caused by restrictions from Trump policies and covid-19 pandemic. → Read More
Extremists intensify calls for violence ahead of Inauguration Day
In the weeks before the riot at the US Capitol, the warning signs were clear: online posts from hate groups and right-wing groups agitating for civil war and attacks on law enforcement. Experts are warning that the calls for violence have only intensified ahead of Inauguration Day, when President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in as commander in chief. → Read More
Insurrection fueled by conspiracy groups, extremists and fringe movements
The mob of Trump supporters who stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday included conspiracy theorists linked to QAnon and the Proud Boys -- two right-wing extremist factions that President Trump repeatedly refused to condemn during his election campaign last year. → Read More
Arizona Republicans worry party infighting could harm them in future elections
President Donald Trump's continuing fraudulent attacks against the reality of his election loss have pitted Republicans in Arizona against each other, with some in the party fearing the ongoing and public rift will open the door to further gains by Democrats beyond 2020. → Read More
Courts across the country hand Trump and his allies more losses as attempts to upend election results collapse
The Trump campaign and its allies were dealt additional blows in Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin and Arizona on Friday as courts rejected their attempts to challenge the presidential election results. → Read More
Arizona certifies Biden's victory
Arizona certified its election results on Monday, awarding the state's 11 electoral votes to President-elect Joe Biden and clearing the way for Senator-elect Mark Kelly, a Democrat, to be sworn in this week. → Read More
Post-election audits find no fraud in Arizona
More than half of all counties in Arizona have conducted post-election audits and found either no discrepancies or microscopic issues that don't affect the outcome of the race, according to reports filed with the Arizona secretary of state's office. → Read More
Post-election audits find no fraud in Arizona
More than half of all counties in Arizona have conducted post-election audits and found either no discrepancies or microscopic issues that don't affect the outcome of the race, according to reports filed with the Arizona secretary of state's office. → Read More
'Trump can still win': The President's supporters remain defiant after Biden's victory
When CNN and other news outlets projected on Saturday that Joe Biden had won the presidency, the streets of Democratic strongholds like New York, Washington and Chicago erupted in celebrations that lasted into the night. → Read More
Fact check: Trump doubles down on groundless conspiracy theory that GOP poll watchers across the country were sidelined
President Donald Trump has falsely claimed there were widespread abuses against his poll watchers across the country, and is using these false allegations to dispute the election results. → Read More
False rumors about Sharpies went viral, sparking outrage and a lawsuit
False claims that using Sharpie pens could invalidate ballots in Arizona prompted a top Department of Homeland Security official on Thursday to urge people to stop spreading disinformation online connected to the so-called "#SharpieGate" rumors → Read More
Cities, states and businesses brace for election unrest in US
Corporate America, city governments and federal and local law enforcement across the country are making plans to deal with political instability, civil unrest and violence around the upcoming presidential election. → Read More