AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Some Texas voters are complaining that machines flipped their straight-ticket selections to the other party in key races during early voting, especially the much-watched Senate battle between Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Beto O'Rourke. The secretary of state's office said Friday that there have been reported issues with Hart eSlate voting machines, which are used in around 30 percent of counties statewide and feature a wheel for selecting candidates and buttons to move from screen to screen. But it says they are caused by voters themselves and often occur when they complete and submit ballots too quickly. "The Hart eSlate machines are not malfunctioning, the problems

A predominantly black youth football team in Maryland was thrown out of its league and banned from the playoffs without being given a reason, reports Fox Baltimore. The Reisterstown Mustangs went undefeated in the Carroll County Youth Football and Cheer league, but after the season concluded, and before the playoffs, they were sent a letter saying they had been thrown out of the league and would not be allowed in the playoffs. “I believe it is the racial makeup of our program, because we don’t look like other programs in the league and we are treated differently,” said team president Marquita Melvin. “When you don’t give us a reason, the only thing it has to do with the makeup of our organiz

It seems Kanye West has had a change of heart. The polarizing rapper returned to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon, claiming he has decided to distance himself from politics after realizing he's been used. His announcement arrived as he faces mounting backlash for his support of Donald Trump and the right-wing. "My eyes are now wide open and now realize I’ve been used to spread messages I don’t believe in," he wrote. "I am distancing myself from politics and completely focusing on being creative." Kanye specifically pointed to the newly released Blexit merch—T-shirt designs that encouraged black people to ditch the Democratic Party in favor of the GOP. Though 'Ye was originally credited for the p

At the peak of his nefarious career, James “Whitey” Bulger, the long-ago murderous Boston mob boss, wasn’t one to dwell on his mistakes, even when he killed the wrong guy a few times. For back then, as whispers had it, Whitey was untouchable. However, in 2015, after three schoolgirls wrote to him in prison as part of a history project, seeking his views on “leadership” and “legacy,” the octogenarian ex-gangster, a ninth-grade dropout, responded with a rueful letter. In the Coleman II federal penitentiary in Florida, he filled a sheet of college-ruled notebook paper with tidy cursive, lamenting, “My life was wasted and spent foolishly, brought shame + suffering on my parents and siblings and

American poet, Ntozake Shange, best known for her Obie Award-winning play for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf, passed away on the morning of Saturday, October 27, 2018. She was 70. According to a tweet from her family, the feminist and playwright died “peacefully in her sleep.” “To our extended family and friends, it is with sorrow that we inform you that our loved one, Ntozake Shange, passed away peacefully in her sleep in the early morning of October 27, 2018,” the tweet reads. “Memorial information / details will follow at a later date.” In 2011, Shange was diagnosed with Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP), a neurological disorder

Public Enemy’s Chuck D called out Donald Trump for threatening to close the Southern U.S border to migrants and asylum seekers. He also tweeted something to his followers. “This is the devil anyway you frame it,” wrote the rapper. “He is the king devil. If you voted for him you wear that badge too.” Of course, the political debate began instantly and some used sarcasm to disagree with the rap legend. For example, one person suggested he use his own residence to house some of the migrants. Others, meanwhile, used a more serious tone to explain themselves. “If the country has 7000 plus unapproved and unidentified people about to invade, it is a matter of public safety that the border is closed

Pharrell Williams wants President Donald Trump to stop using his song from "Despicable Me 2" after the president used it a rally on the same day 11 people were killed in a Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. The Los Angeles Times reported that Williams' attorney sent a cease-and-desist letter to the president after Trump played "Happy" at his Saturday political rally in Murphysboro, Ill. "On the day of the mass murder of 11 human beings at the hands of a deranged 'nationalist,' you played his song 'Happy' to a crowd at a political event in Indiana," Williams' attorney Howard E. King wrote in the letter. "There was nothing 'happy' about the tragedy inflicted upon our country on Saturday and no per

The suspect identified Sunday in the murder of an active duty Navy sailor in Mountain View on Saturday was also involved another shooting minutes before, police said. Brandon Acuna, 21, was accused in the shooting death of Curtis Adams, 21, early Saturday morning, police said. Acuna was also involved in another shooting 10 minutes earlier near the 600 block of Boundary Street in Mount Hope, police said. He allegedly shot at a man who interrupted his attempt to break into the man's car, according to police. Police said Adams was driving southbound on Interstate 15 around 2:20 a.m. when he saw what he thought was a stranded driver near the northbound Interstate 5 on-ramp and pulled over to hel

A man accused of groping a woman during a Southwest Airlines flight over the weekend apparently justified his actions by invoking President Trump. According to an affidavit obtained by CBS affiliate KHOU, he said the president says it's OK to grab women by their private parts. Bruce Alexander, 49, was arrested on Sunday after a Southwest Flight 5421 coming from Houston landed in Albuquerque. He appeared in federal court on Monday and was charged with abusive sexual contact after he allegedly touched a woman's breast while he was sitting behind her on the Southwest flight. The victim said she felt Alexander's hand move from behind her and grab her right breast, according to the affidavit. She

Melania Trump sat down with ABC World News Tonight for an interview that will air on Friday, during which she discussed the #MeToo movement and sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh, who was confirmed to the Supreme Court on Saturday. Trump was away on a trip to Kenya last week as Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing took place. In the clip of Trump’s interview with ABC News anchor Tom Llamas, the first lady made her position on reporting sexual assault loud and clear to survivors. “You need to have really hard evidence, that, you know, if you accuse of something, show the evidence,” Trump said. She added that she supports women, and also men. “I do stand with women, but we need to

A 17-year-old teen residing in the concert jungle where dreams are made of was refused a job at Necessary Clothing after she was told she was ‘too dark’ to work there. The New York teen, Mali D’Janite says she is a student in need of a job. With sales associate experience she wanted to work at one of her favorite stores located in the Soho area where she shopped regularly. “I’ve shopped at Necessary Clothing for years and have always loved their clothes,” Mali said in an exclusive interview with BET. “I recently moved back to New York City after living in Phoenix with my mother for the last couple of years.” She said she was caught off guard when the assistant manager, Natou Diallo, told her

Holistic pro-cannabis doctor found dead. A holistic doctor who was an advocate of cannabis as a medical treatment has been found dead. Popular and well-known former Miss Universe contestant Sonya Kay Forbes was found dead at her Cunningham Avenue, St. Andrew home, and the autopsy revealed the cause of death was a stab wound to the abdomen. Dr. Forbes, 40 was known for being in support of using cannabis to treat and cure medical conditions, she was currently working on a groundbreaking study which was using cannabis to help people suffering from long term eye problems. Dr. Forbes is just the latest in a long line of holistic doctors who have been found dead at home in mysterious circumstances

Five of the six Baltimore police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray are fighting to take down the Maryland state attorney who announced the charges – and they want to take the fight all the way to the Supreme Court. In 2016, two officers were acquitted, another’s trial resulted in a hung jury, and prosecutors dropped charges against the remaining three officers. It was an emotional end to the case that had gripped the city of Baltimore ever since April 2015 when Gray, a 25-year-old black man, died from a spinal injury he suffered in the back of a police van, and the death was ruled a homicide. After the state charges were dropped, five of the exonerated officers tried to sue state

Former U.S. Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Madeleine Albright both questioned the dramatic negative effects the Trump administration has had on the United States and its people. Speaking with CNN's Fareed Zakaria on October 7, Powell criticized Trump's various attacks on the news media, close U.S. allies and even the country's own citizens. Powell lamented that his three favorite words in the U.S. Constitution had long been "We the people," but Trump's short time in office has morphed the famous founding fathers' line into "me the president." “You see things that should not be happening,” Powell told Zakaria. “How can a president of the United States get up and say that the media is t

Police officer Sherry Hall was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by 23 years of probation on Aug. 30 after fabricating a story that a Black man shot her while on duty, according to The Washington Post. In Sept. 2016 Hall said she was shot by a 6-foot, 250-pound Black man with dreads in a green shirt and black jogging pants. The then-rookie officer claimed she took cover and fired two rounds after she was shot without warning. A bullet was recovered from her protective vest, two shell casings were found near her police car, and another casing was located in the nearby woods. According to 11 Alive, Rodreikus Scott was apprehended and identified as the shooter by Hall. Hall made inconsis

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) - A man who disguised himself in blackface pleaded guilty to armed robbery of the casino floor cashier cage at New York-New York Hotel and Casino, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. Cameron James Kennedy, 27, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty before to one count of interference with commerce by robbery. He faces the maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, at his Dec. 13, 2018. Kennedy was arrested two weeks after the Jan. 10 robbery in an effort by Las Vegas Metro police, the FBI and the United States Attorney's Office. The investigation showed that Kennedy, originally described by police as a black man, had used face paint or concealing makeup to disguis

John Nolley embraces his wife Kim and son John Nolley III at his exoneration today. Credit: Ron Jenkins (Fort Worth, Texas – October 3, 2018) Today Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney Sharen Wilson filed legal papers before Judge Louis Sturns to dismiss 1997 murder charges against Innocence Project client John Nolley based on actual innocence. At a court hearing attended by Nolley, his family and legal team, and representatives from the District Attorney’s Office and Bedford Police Department, Judge Sturns granted the motion, and Nolley was exonerated of murder after twenty-one years. Nolley served 19 years of a life sentence before he was released on bond in 2016 with the consent of D

Crystal Mason, the woman who became the poster child for voter suppression when she was sentenced to five years for casting a ballot in Texas, has gone into federal prison at the start of her ordeal. Mason, 43, surrendered voluntarily on Thursday to authorities and was taken into federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas. She left her three children behind. In her final Facebook post before she went inside, she wrote: “This fight is not over, I’m glad God choose me for this journey. I’m walking in there no tears and head hung high …” Mason’s crime was to cast a ballot in the 2016 presidential election. An African American woman, she had been encouraged by her mother to do her civic duty and vote,

Citing the war on drugs’ disproportionate impact on people of color, judges in Seattle have agreed to vacate the marijuana convictions of hundreds of people who were punished for pot possession before the state made weed legal. According to the Seattle Times, in April, city attorney Pete Holmes filed a motion asking the city’s seven municipal court judges to vacate the convictions of anyone charged with misdemeanor possession between 1996 and 2010. Holmes, who was elected in 2010, decided to stop prosecuting minor weed offenses when he took office. Even though Washington state legalized ganja in 2012, Holmes urged the city to clear the past offenses in order to “right the injustices of a dru

After signing with the Carolina Panthers last week, safety Eric Reid hasn't changed his off-field message. The former San Francisco 49ers player wore a shirt in support of former teammate Colin Kaepernick during Monday's press conference: Eric Reid said ‘'without a doubt'' his collusion case against the NFL will continue. Reid also explained why he wants to keep the protests at the front of the conversation: Eric Reid: “As we said when we started, Colin and I, nothing will change unless we talk about it.” The 26-year-old was the first to kneel alongside Kaepernick during the national anthem in protest against racial inequality, and he continued into 2017 after the quarterback went unsigned.