Kelly Weill

Kelly Weill

‘Absurd’: As 2024 Looms, Counties Won’t Update Voting Tech

Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily BeastAs a new presidential election year approaches, some voting machines are still living in 2020.In Washington, a trio of counties have declined to update their voting technology, despite appeals from state leaders who say the upgrades will improve election security. Central to the standoff is a hack-monitoring device that was previously the subject of right-wing conspiracy theories. It’s one of several ongoing partisan disputes over election security in the run-up to the 2024 race.Pro-democracy groups caution that the technology lapses also threaten to undermine trust in elections.Read more at The Daily Beast.

Anti-Defamation League Ex-Staff Decry CEO’s Stance on Ceasefire Rallies

Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/JVP/ADLWhen Elon Musk endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy theory on X (formerly Twitter) last Wednesday, major advertisers fled the site. But when, amid the advertiser exodus, Musk tweeted two days later that the terms “decolonization” and “from the river to the sea” implied genocide toward Israelis, an unlikely CEO came to his support.“This is an important and welcome move by @elonmusk,” Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League posted on Friday. “I appreciate this leadership in fighting hate.”Greenblatt’s comments—the same day as a Twitter advertiser exodus—raised eyebrows among onlookers, who noted that Musk had endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy theory days earlier and that Greenblatt leads an organization dedicated to combating antisemitism.Read more at The Daily Beast.