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July 22, 2021 - Epoch Times

19:29

Audit of 2.1 Million Ballots Begins in Maricopa County; Real-Time Camera Footage | Facts Matter

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	Good evening.
	Just yesterday, James O'Keefe, who is the founder of Project Veritas, he announced that not only is he suing Twitter, but he is also filing a defamation lawsuit against CNN as well.
	Meanwhile, out in Arizona, after months of legal back and forth, Maricopa County's large-scale audit of the 2020 election, which includes over 2 million ballots and close to 400 machines, is officially underway.
	They even set up a website with nine livestream cameras so you can watch everything that's taking place in real time.
	Now, over in Louisiana, the Attorney General out there is leading nine other states in suing Joe Biden.
	Why?
	Well, they're saying that his climate crisis executive order amounts to a giant power grab by the federal government.
	And lastly, over in Michigan, a state lawmaker out there was charged with driving under the influence, resisting arrest, as well as a weapons charge.
	However, what's really making waves, at least on the internet, is what he said during the arrest process.
	Let's go through that together.
	This is your daily Facts Matter update, and I'm your host, Roman, from the Epoch Times.
	Now let's start today's discussion over in Michigan.
	Earlier this month, a state lawmaker over in Michigan was charged with a DUI, resisting arrest, as well as a weapons charge.
	And furthermore, newly released dashcam footage has shed more light on the details of the actual arrest.
	Now, the lawmaker in question is a man named Jewel Jones.
	He's a Democrat.
	He's a three-term lawmaker over in Michigan.
	And after drunkenly crashing his car, which, by the way, had a vanity license plate with the word elected on it, that was his plate number, he taunted police officers, saying, among several other things, you don't know who you're dealing with, and I run your budget.
	Take a look for yourself.
	I don't know what the fuck was.
	I work for y'all, man.
	Furthermore, according to the police report, this lawmaker had no idea where he was, and as he was struggling with the police officers, he told them that he was going to go place a call to Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
	Now, according to both the footage as well as the police reports, this lawmaker, he was resisting arrest, he was taken to the ground, and he was hit with both pepper spray as well as a taser blast in order to get him under control.
	According to local authorities out in Michigan, his blood alcohol content was.19%, which is more than double the legal limit over in Michigan.
	Now, we here at the Epoch Times, we actually reached out to the office of Mr.
	Jewel Jones for comment, but we have yet to hear back.
	However, according to a statement from his lawyer, he allegedly was not resisting arrest at all.
	Here's a part of what that statement said.
	He was fully cooperative.
	The officers decided to throw Representative Jones to the ground, and three of them held him down, crushing him under their weight.
	The officers also tased Representative Jones in his head, causing memory loss and leaving scars that are visible to this day.
	They used so much pepper spray on his face that his eyes still appear profoundly red and swollen.
	Furthermore, this lawyer also said that the reason that Mr.
	Jones was talking about calling the governor or controlling the budget was to try and stop them from using excessive force.
	Essentially, his argument is that he is the victim in this case.
	As to whether that is really the case or not, well, that is up to the courts to decide.
	Now, if you would like to watch this dashcam footage for yourself, or if you would like to read more about the details in this case, the link to that will be in the description box below this video for you to check out.
	And by the way, while you're down there looking for those links, take a quick moment to smash that like button.
	Because you already know that videos that are like this talking honestly about what is happening in this world are routinely throttled, restricted, censored, or sometimes outright removed by big tech giants like YouTube.
	However, when you smash that like button below this video, you are forcing the YouTube algorithm to share this video out to potentially thousands of more people, letting the truth be known far and wide.
	And now let's talk a little bit about Project Veritas.
	Yesterday, James O'Keefe, who is the founder of Project Veritas, he said that he is filing a defamation lawsuit against CNN. Now for your reference, by the way, he has already filed a lawsuit against Twitter after they banned his account about a week ago.
	That lawsuit was filed with the Supreme Court of New York, and it asserts that Twitter knowingly defamed James O'Keefe in their statement when they explained why he was banned from the platform.
	Here's what their lawsuit says: "The false accusation that Mr. O'Keefe operated fake accounts is particularly damaging for Mr. O'Keefe because Mr. O'Keefe is a journalist.
	As such, his reputation for transparency and accurate reporting is fundamental to his profession." Now, as to why James O'Keefe will be suing CNN, the reason he gave was that CNN was engaging in defamation by saying that he was kicked off of Twitter not because he was running fake accounts, but because he was spreading disinformation.
	Now, James O'Keefe, during an interview with Fox News, he described it this way.
	Not even Twitter alleges that I was banned or Project Veritas was banned for disinformation.
	Every day in this country, people are defamed and lied about constantly, and they don't have the will, the money, the resources to fight back.
	So Veritas is going to be the tip of that spear.
	Now, what he's probably referring to there is how, during a segment of CNN, they accused James O'Keefe of being kicked off of Twitter, not for running fake accounts like Twitter alleges, but instead for spreading disinformation.
	Now, we here at the Epoch Times, we reached out to CNN for comment, but we have yet to hear back.
	If you would like to read more about this case, we discussed it in an earlier episode.
	I'll throw the link up here.
	Or if you would like to read about some of the new developments that have come about, the link will be in the description box below this video for you to check out.
	And now, before we move on over and talk about the audit happening in Arizona, I would like to take a quick moment and introduce our sponsor for today's episode, and I will do so from the sound booth.
	The sponsor of today's episode is AMAC, that's A-M-A-C, and it stands for the Association of Mature American Citizens.
	Now, even though I consider myself a mature American citizen, I am about 20 years too young to join.
	But if you or someone in your family is 50 years old or older, you should consider joining AMAC. They are basically the conservative version of the AARP, And they have basically three main benefits to joining.
	The first one is the money-saving benefit.
	If you're a member, they will give you a ton of discounts to places like retail shops, restaurants, on insurance plans, on vitamins.
	It's actually a pretty long list of discounts you'll get.
	I'll throw the link in the description box below this video.
	You can check out the full list.
	The second benefit is that they will send you a magazine directly to your doorstep.
	And even though I'm not a member, I have read their magazine, and it's pretty good.
	It's filled with a lot of really good, thought-provoking articles.
	And then the third benefit, and what people consider the best, is that they actually fight for conservative values on Capitol Hill.
	Basically, they're fighting against what they're calling the socialist storm that's brewing in America.
	And so if you are interested, it doesn't cost that much.
	It's only about $16 per year.
	Check out AMAC. The link will be in the description box below this video.
	Or you can go on over to amac.us forward slash facts matter.
	Again, that's amac.us forward slash facts matter.
	And AMAC, thank you so much for sponsoring this episode.
	And now Roman in the studio, back to you.
	And now let's move on over to Arizona.
	As we already discussed in a previous episode, Maricopa County, which is Arizona's most populous county, something like 61% of all Arizonians live in this one county, and they are now conducting a major audit of the 2020 election.
	Now, the audit was actually supposed to begin a few months ago, but because the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors refused to comply with the state Senate, they had to go through the courts in order to obtain all of the machines and all of the ballots in order to conduct the audit.
	Now, last week, once the Arizona Senate had everything in hand, including over 2 million ballots and close to 400 tabulating machines, once they had the venue rented, and once they had contracted four audit companies, including a firm called Cyber Ninjas— The audit was set and ready to begin.
	However, at the very last minute, the Arizona Democratic Party filed a lawsuit which aimed to stop the audit from taking place altogether.
	Their reasoning, according to the lawsuit which they filed, was that this audit lacked various safeguards, it lacked requirements to be secure and reliable, and as such, it would, as they wrote in the lawsuit, undermine the integrity of the state's elections as well as the security of voter information.
	Now, specifically, what they were arguing here is that some of the private companies that the Arizona Senate contracted to conduct this audit were not authorized to review confidential voter registration records and not authorized to gain possession or control of voted early ballots.
	Now, to be very precise, they said that according to state law, according to Arizona state law, We're good to go.
	Now, as a response to that lawsuit, the chairwoman of the Arizona Republican Party, she wrote this on Twitter.
	The Democrats are still trying to stop the Maricopa County audit and defy the Arizona Senate subpoena.
	What are they hiding?
	Hearing tomorrow on this ridiculous temporary restraining order.
	And so then, during that hearing on Friday, the judge in the case, he stipulated that the audit could be paused, but only if Arizona Democrats put up a million dollars as bond.
	However, the Democratic Party refused, they did not put up a million dollars, and so now, as we speak, the audit is officially underway.
	Now, as for the reason why the Democrat Party did not put up a million dollars, they summed it up in a statement.
	Regardless, the audit is now currently underway, and the Arizona Republicans, they said that their aim is to help boost public confidence in the they said that their aim is to help boost public confidence in And along that line, they are trying to make the audit as transparent as possible, even launching something called ArizonaAudit.org, which you can go to right now.
	The link will actually be in the description box below, and on that website are nine livestream videos which show you what's happening at the state audit site in real time.
	Again, if you want to check it out for yourself, that's azaudit.org.
	The link will be in the description box below.
	And also, if you would like to read about any of this back and forth between the Democrats and the Republicans in this whole audit drama, the link to that will also be in the description box below, including all of their legal arguments.
	And now let's move on over to Louisiana.
	Right now, Louisiana is leading nine other states across the country who are collectively suing Joe Biden over his climate crisis executive order.
	Now, to give you a bit of background on this, in case you forgot, on his very first day in office, Joe Biden signed an executive order, this one right here, which says, among other things, that the federal government must advance environmental justice and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and bolster resilience to the impacts of climate change.
	And so that executive order was issued about 100 days ago.
	Now, last Thursday, Joe Biden unveiled a new phase of this climate agenda, vowing that the United States will cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, so within the next nine years.
	However, according to Louisiana's Attorney General, Mr.
	Jeff Landry, this type of action could actually destroy a range of industries.
	Here's what he said in a statement.
	Joe Biden's executive order should alarm every American.
	If left unchecked, the president could use this destructive cost structure to justify almost anything.
	Now, that's a pretty broad statement, and as it relates specifically to Louisiana, here's what the Attorney General said might happen.
	Louisiana produces crucial natural and man-made resources for our nation and enjoys a rich, storied way of life.
	From timber and food stocks to oil and natural gas, chemical and industrial products to recreational sportsmanship and outdoor activities, nearly every aspect of our economy and culture is at risk under this unconscionable policy.
	Now, this 57-page lawsuit, which again has nine other states joining Louisiana in suing Joe Biden, is arguing something very specific.
	It says that Joe Biden's order forces federal agencies to estimate the number of emissions of three greenhouse gases.
	These are what's collectively known as SCGHD estimates.
	And that, by the way, stands for social cost of greenhouse gas estimates.
	And they are arguing that this move by Joe Biden would be a huge power grab by the federal government.
	Basically, because these greenhouse gases are so ubiquitous, these new estimates could be relevant for almost every federal rule, everything from regulating dishwashers to regulating vending machines.
	Here's what part of that lawsuit said.
	In other words, federal agencies must now use these estimates to calculate regulatory costs and benefits for virtually everything that states and their citizens encounter every day.
	That means federal agencies will use these estimates to assign massive, even existential costs to every regulatory action and other relevant action, thereby fundamentally transforming the way states conduct business and Americans live.
	And so, these ten states collectively are asking the court to order federal agencies to not use these estimates, and to declare instead that these estimates are contrary to law, arbitrary, and capricious.
	And so, we'll have to wait and see how this all plays out as this lawsuit is making its way through the court.
	Now, we here at the Epoch Times, we reached out to the Biden administration for comment on this matter, but we have yet to hear back.
	Regardless, if you would like to read more about this lawsuit, or if you would like to read more about the potential effects that this new climate executive order might have on American life, the links to that will be in the description box below this video for you to check out.
	And now let's move on over to Alabama.
	Just yesterday, the governor of Alabama signed into law a bill which bans transgender student athletes from competing in public school sports teams that do not match their biological sex.
	And this, by the way, makes Alabama the second state in the union to enact such a ban.
	Essentially, what this bill mandates, just as an example, is that someone who was born a male but now identifies themselves as a female cannot compete in a girls' sports team, at least in K-12.
	Here's what part of that bill says.
	A public K-12 school may not allow a biological female to participate on a male team if there is a female team in a sport.
	A public K-12 school may never allow a biological male to participate on a female team.
	Furthermore, according to this bill, it's important to make sure that sports teams remain separate so that female athletes can have an equal opportunity to compete.
	Now, so far this year, Arkansas, South Dakota, Mississippi, Tennessee have joined Idaho in banning transgender athletes in school sports.
	And that ban, by the way, was actually later blogged by a federal judge and is currently under review.
	It's pending legal review.
	And how these cases play out in Idaho, Alabama, Mississippi, and all these other states will have very big implications for the rest of the country.
	That's because this year, Republicans in at least 20 different states are pushing for similar laws and the Biden administration is actually supporting biologically male students in participating in women's sports.
	In fact, Joe Biden signed an executive order which states, among several other things, that children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports.
	And furthermore, the Biden administration secretary of education, he said this during his confirmation hearing.
	And so, within the coming months and years, this is set to not only be a conflict within those individual states, between the people who are for and against these bans, but also between the state and the federal government.
	Now, if you'd like to read more about this law out in Alabama or about the similar types of laws being pushed in the 20 other states, the link to that will be in the description box below this video for you to check out.
	And now let's talk a bit about Kansas.
	Three days ago, the governor of Kansas, a Democrat by the name of Laura Kelly, she vetoed three different bills.
	Two of them were election reform bills, and the third would have allowed more people to carry guns.
	Now, the first two bills, the ones about election reform, they would have changed Kansas' election laws, such as by requiring counties to verify the signatures on early voting ballots and by making it illegal for any person to knowingly alter a postmark on a mail-in ballot.
	Now, in vetoing these bills, the Kansas governor said that they would have suppressed votes.
	Here's what she said in a statement.
	Although Kansans have cast millions of ballots over the last decade, there remains no evidence of significant voter fraud in Kansas.
	This bill is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.
	It is designed to disenfranchise Kansans, making it difficult for them to participate in the democratic process not to stop voter fraud.
	Now, in that statement, she did not exactly make clear how these new laws could necessarily suppress the vote, but she did articulate another reason to not enact voter reform.
	And that reason is economic.
	Here's what she said.
	Hundreds of major companies across the nation have made it abundantly clear that this kind of legislation is wrong.
	Antagonizing the very businesses Kansas is trying to recruit is not how we continue to grow our economy.
	And that's actually very interesting.
	It's interesting to see how these large corporations can actually influence the election laws in our nation by punishing states that don't do what they wish.
	Now, as to the third bill that she vetoed, that bill would have allowed teenagers to carry concealed guns if they had a proper permit.
	However, the governor said that while she supports the Second Amendment, she also expressed concerns that this bill would allow more guns on school grounds, the implication being that it would make them more dangerous.
	Regardless, these three bills are now headed back to the Kansas State House, and in May, next month, they will vote to override the veto.
	And if two-thirds of both the House and the Senate vote in favor, these bills will go into law without the governor's signature.
	Which, according to the Senate president, is exactly what will happen.
	Here's what he said in his statement.
	Governor Kelly vetoed the bills to placate the hard left rather than support mainstream policies supported by most Kansans.
	Each of these common-sense measures were passed by strong majorities.
	Republicans will respond to the governor's veto-orama with a veto-override-orama when we return in May.
	Now, if you would like to read more about these bills out in Kansas, the links to that will be in the description box below this video for you to check out.
	And now lastly, as we already mentioned in several other videos, on the very same day that Joe Biden was sworn into office, YouTube made the unilateral decision to demonetize our program.
	We can now no longer run any ads before, during, or after our episode of Facts Matter, and the Super Chat feature has just been disabled.
	They essentially are trying to snuff out our independent journalism, and as I mentioned in the previous episode, sometimes when I go on the back end of our YouTube channel, I see that videos have just been removed by YouTube.
	Now, even though I stand behind everything I say, everything is fact-based, everything is properly sourced, I really do stand behind every statement because it's not done willy-nilly.
	We do our research and we put our sources out there so you can actually fact-check us for yourself.
	But YouTube, this is YouTube's platform and they can do, I guess, anything they want, at this moment at least, under the current interpretation of Section 230.
	However, we here at the Epoch Times have launched something very cool, something called Epic TV. Epic TV is our awesome new platform where you can find all of our programs, like The Larry Elder Show, Facts Matter, Crossroads with Joshua Phillips, American Thought Leaders, China in Focus with Tiffany Meyer, and all the rest.
	And best of all, it's presented with absolutely no censorship.
	Check it out for yourself.
	It's epictv.com.
	I'll throw a link into the description box below this video.
	It only costs a few dollars every month, but you will get access to no-nonsense, no-censorship, honest programming.
	Again, that link will be in the description box below this video.
	I hope you check it out.
	And I hope that you subscribe and join us on this journey of exploring this world through honest reporting based in truth and tradition.
	Now lastly, if you haven't already, smash that like button for the YouTube algorithm.
	Subscribe to this YouTube channel if you haven't already in order to get this honest news content delivered directly into your YouTube feed while you still can.
	And until next time, I'm your host, Roman from the Epoch Times.

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