ATLANTA (AP) — A federal hearing on a challenge to Georgia’s voting machines was interrupted Friday when someone began posting video and symbols, including images from the Sept. 11 attacks, a swastika and pornography.
Before the interruption, there were roughly 100 people signed in as participants and observers to the high-profile hearing.
During testimony by a voting machine company executive, at least two people — one with the user name Osama — began posting rapidly changing videos and still images, some accompanied by music, by sharing their screens with the video conference. The court quickly ended the Zoom session.
It was not immediately clear when or how the hearing would resume.
The hearing in the long-running fight over Georgia’s voting machines began Thursday and continued Friday morning.
Election integrity activists and individual voters who filed the lawsuit say Georgia’s voting machines are unaccountable and unverifiable and have security vulnerabilities. They’ve asked U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg to order the state to use hand-marked paper ballots for the November election.
State officials argue that the new machines have been thoroughly tested and that security measures will prevent problems. They also say it would be costly and too difficult to make a switch with so little time remaining before the general election.
Regulators authorized AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine for use in adults throughout the European Union on Friday, amid criticism the bloc is not moving fast enough to vaccinate its population.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former FBI lawyer was sentenced to probation for altering an email that the Justice Department relied on during its surveillance of an aide to President Donald Trump during the Russia investigation.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tony Evers lashed out Friday at rival Republicans who tried to repeal his statewide mask mandate, saying killing the order would be a ridiculous move comparable to abolishing speed limits.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — As some conservatives in South Carolina celebrated getting a bill that would ban almost all abortions in the state past a legislative barrier and likely becoming law, they said they are not finished trying to end all abortions.
A Moscow court on Friday put the brother and several allies of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny under house arrest for two months as authorities sought to stymie more protests over the jailing of the top Kremlin foe.