PoliticsJames Fishback tops 1,899-vote X poll on Republican presidential field
Fishback received 40.3% in a self-selected X poll, leading DeSantis, Vance and Rubio; the result is not a scientific survey.
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CONTRIBUTOR
Stat Crux Report
Stat Crux Report covers politics, policy, and culture. This report draws on the primary sources linked below.
Politics
EconomyU.S. payrolls add 29,000 in September as unemployment edges to 4.2%
The September jobs report showed little change in payroll employment and unemployment, while prior months were revised down by a combined 60,000 jobs.
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EconomyTrump's economic approval falls to 26% in AP-NORC poll
An AP-NORC survey found 26% approval for President Trump's handling of the economy and 17% approval on the cost of living.
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PoliticsRepublican super PAC shifts Senate ad spending from North Carolina to Kansas
The Senate Leadership Fund is pulling back its remaining North Carolina advertising and placing a seven-figure buy in Kansas as Republicans defend their Senate majority.
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CultureJudge denies Lindsay Clancy acquittal motion after mistrial
A Massachusetts judge ruled that prosecutors presented enough evidence for a jury to decide whether Lindsay Clancy was criminally responsible for the deaths of her three children.
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PoliticsDOJ reviews claims of Watergate prosecutor misconduct
The Justice Department is conducting a preliminary review of allegations that the Watergate special prosecutor’s office mistreated Richard Nixon and his associates, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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PoliticsTaylor and Conley narrowly lead Republican incumbents in House polls
New district polls put Democrats Shannon Taylor and Cait Conley slightly ahead of Republican Reps. Rob Wittman and Mike Lawler, but both margins fall within survey uncertainty.
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PoliticsTrump administration begins $500 ACA refund payments
Nearly 1 million full-price HealthCare.gov enrollees in 30 states are set to receive $500 checks with a letter from President Trump.
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PoliticsU.S. military ends Operation Inherent Resolve mission in Iraq
The final U.S. and coalition forces left Erbil Air Base on September 30, ending the mission in Iraq while counter-ISIS operations continue from elsewhere in the region.
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PoliticsSenate blocks West Bank violence reporting measure, 51-47
The Section 502B resolution would have required the State Department to report on American deaths and other human-rights issues in the West Bank.
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WorldIran’s Guard threatens U.S. warships beyond Gulf if fighting resumes
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that American naval forces as far away as the Indian Ocean could be targeted if U.S. attacks resume.
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PoliticsReport cites Fishback’s H-1B position as anti-South Asian hate
A Center for the Study of Organized Hate report cites James Fishback’s call to eliminate H-1B visas while measuring a broader rise in anti-South Asian rhetoric online.
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PoliticsDriver sentenced to 30 days in fatal Charlotte hit-and-run
Q’Laundra Hood received a suspended 16-to-29-month term, 36 months of supervised probation and 30 days in jail after pleading guilty in Lance Sotelo’s death.
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PoliticsArmy Reserve reportedly assesses support units for possible Cuba operation
CBS News says an internal Army message seeks availability data for support formations that could be needed in 90 to 120 days, but the document contains no Cuba reference and no deployment orders.
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CultureEpiscopal priest says God is nonbinary and Jesus ‘transitioned’
The Rev. Flourish Klink made the claims in a March 21 homily at New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine, according to the sermon text published on Klink’s website.
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ImmigrationDHS says assaults on ICE personnel rose 1,649%
The department reported 647 assaults from January 20, 2025, through September 20, 2026, compared with 37 during the same-length period under the Biden administration.
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PoliticsFlorida minimum wage reaches $15 on September 30
Florida’s hourly minimum wage will rise from $14 to $15 on September 30, completing the voter-approved phase-in added to the state constitution in 2020.
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PoliticsJim Copenhaver dies two years after Butler rally shooting
The 76-year-old veteran died from complications tied to wounds suffered during the 2024 assassination attempt on Donald Trump, according to his lawyer and Pennsylvania’s attorney general.
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PoliticsFlorida announces 20 arrests in voting-fraud cases
Florida officials say 16 noncitizens and four people with felony convictions face charges after allegedly registering or voting while ineligible.
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PoliticsSteube bill would require warrants for federal Flock camera access
Rep. Greg Steube introduced the FLAFO Act to restrict federal use of Flock Safety license-plate cameras and condition certain Justice Department grants on similar local privacy rules.
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PoliticsNavy says eight suicide attempts occurred across Lincoln strike group
Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao told Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand that eight attempts were recorded across the carrier strike group during its extended deployment, with no suicide deaths.
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PoliticsFederal grand jury indicts man accused of shooting Dallas ISD officer
Jose Santiago Pantoja-Morales faces a federal firearms charge after prosecutors say he seized an officer’s gun and shot him during an August struggle in Dallas.
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CultureHarvey Weinstein sentenced to 15 years in New York sexual-assault case
A Manhattan judge imposed 15 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision for Weinstein’s 2025 conviction over the 2006 assault of Miriam Haley.
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PoliticsTrump administration proposes 17,500 refugee ceiling focused on Afrikaners
A notice to Congress proposes a 17,500-person refugee ceiling for the next 12 months, with admissions consisting primarily of South African Afrikaners.
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EconomyU.S.-backed consortium targets $150 billion in European nuclear projects
The State Department says a U.S., Japanese, South Korean and Polish industry consortium aims to expand nuclear power across Europe and promote more than $150 billion in reactor investment.
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TechnologyStanford dining division used AI to alter student photos, report says
The Stanford Review reports that Stanford Residential & Dining Enterprises used AI to change students’ race, gender and facial appearance in promotional images.
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EconomyTrump targets Cuba and Iran in UN speech as Cuban delegation exits
Trump called Cuba an “absolutely failed state,” predicted its government would fall and urged broader economic isolation of Iran in a United Nations address.
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EconomyVance blames Iranian attacks as global fuel shortage persists
Vice President JD Vance says Iranian attacks on international shipping are keeping energy prices elevated as diesel supplies remain tight worldwide.
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PoliticsAnalysisOpenSecrets lists AIPAC as Gill’s top 2026 contributing organization
An OpenSecrets table attributes $28,227 in AIPAC-associated contributions to Rep. Brandon Gill, combining individual and PAC money rather than a single direct transfer.
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PoliticsCaruso supporters campaign as suspended clerk faces five felonies
A Stat Crux Report post shows supporters distributing Mike Caruso campaign literature after his August arrest on five felony charges.
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PoliticsWhite House denies access to CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters
Reporters for CNN, MS NOW and Politico were turned away and had White House press passes confiscated after Trump announced a ban.
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WorldTexas adopts standards teaching ancient Israel and Israel’s 1948 founding
The revised high-school standards add ancient Israel and identify 1948 as the establishment of modern Israel in the ancestral homeland of the Jews. Final implementation is scheduled for 2033–34.
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ImmigrationOmar bill would redirect $139.6 billion from ICE and CBP
The Make ICE Pay Act would transfer funds previously appropriated to ICE and CBP into a HUD grant program for seven states affected by federal immigration operations.
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PoliticsHome At Last founder charged in alleged $7.5 million homeless-housing fraud
Federal prosecutors allege Michael Young used sham vendors to divert public housing money toward a nightclub, travel, vintage-car work and unrelated real estate.
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PoliticsKrishnamoorthi tells Langevin ‘I’m staying’ after curry remark
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi said America is his home after Palm Bay Councilman Chandler Langevin told him to “take your curry and go home.”
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CultureJawahar gets 11 years in Ponzi scheme that counted Travis Kelce among victims
Siddharth Jawahar was sentenced to 11 years and ordered to pay $31.35 million in restitution after pleading guilty to three wire-fraud counts; prosecutors named Travis Kelce among 64 victims.
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WorldCBO estimates Iran war has cost Pentagon $38.1 billion
The Congressional Budget Office says the conflict cost the Defense Department about $38.1 billion through August 1 and could add $2 billion to $3 billion for each additional month, depending on its intensity.
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WorldU.S. plans $2.8 billion sale of 40,000 heavy bombs to Israel
The pending package would include 20,000 Mk 84 bombs and 20,000 BLU-117 bombs; Congress has been informally notified, but the sale is not final.
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PoliticsNearly 1 in 6 young Americans is neither working nor studying
The Washington Post says the share among ages 16–29 is rising, though its callout did not identify the dataset or measurement period.
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PoliticsSenate advances college-sports overhaul in 74–24 cloture vote
The Senate voted to end debate on a motion to proceed to the Protect College Sports Act, clearing a procedural hurdle but not passing the bill.
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PoliticsMeink confirms U.S. has “on-orbit space control weapons”
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said the Space Force has weapons in orbit capable of defending U.S. forces, while declining to say whether they are kinetic or non-kinetic.
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PoliticsTrump alleges Butler files were altered as FBI cites new Crooks information
Trump made the claim without presenting evidence. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the FBI found new information about Thomas Crooks but disclosed no details.
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EconomyU.S. diesel reaches record $6.23 as fuel supply tightens
AAA’s September 14 national diesel average reached $6.2301, up about 33 cents in a week and nearly 69% from a year earlier. California averaged $8.1544.
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ImmigrationCalifornia sends three immigration-enforcement bills to Newsom
The enrolled measures would restrict public hiring of former immigration officers, temporarily ban wearable electroshock devices and expand California’s law-enforcement mask law.
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PoliticsNazira Haji Zada removed in first Alien Terrorist Removal Court case
The lawful permanent resident agreed to removal after the Justice Department accused her of supporting an ISIS-inspired 2024 Election Day attack plot.
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PoliticsSupreme Court keeps USPS mail-ballot rule blocked before midterms
The justices denied an emergency request to revive the Postal Service’s August 21 rule; Alito and Thomas dissented, while Kavanaugh cited the election calendar.
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PoliticsMBS pressed Trump for Houthi strikes; U.S. chose intelligence support
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince urged direct U.S. action against Yemen’s Houthis, according to CBS and Axios. Trump instead offered intelligence and targeting support.
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ImmigrationLawyer says U.S. deportee Ahmed Soliman was detained in Equatorial Guinea
A lawyer and human-rights coalition say Ahmed Soliman was taken into custody in Malabo after his U.S. deportation. His location and condition were not publicly confirmed.
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CultureU.S. reading scores fall 14 points in PISA 2025
American 15-year-olds’ reading score fell sharply from 2022, while math slipped two points and science was essentially unchanged. U.S. rankings improved as other countries also declined.
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TechnologyNextEra closes $1.9 billion federal loan for Iowa nuclear restart
The Energy Department closed a loan of up to $1.9 billion for NextEra’s proposed restart of the Duane Arnold plant. Google would buy its power under a long-term agreement.
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PoliticsTrespasser stopped at Kamala Harris’s Malibu property
Security personnel stopped a woman who entered Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff’s Malibu property before she reached the home. Deputies said she left voluntarily and was not arrested.
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TechnologyMusk and Altman back Amodei’s AI slowdown call as China rivalry looms
Three leading AI executives support slowing frontier development for safety work. Amodei says any coordinated slowdown must preserve America’s lead over China.
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EconomyIsrael moves to close UK consulate after settlement trade ban
Israel announced it would close Britain’s consulate in East Jerusalem and bar 12 Britons after the UK unveiled restrictions on trade tied to West Bank settlements.
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TechnologyGoogle says China-linked hackers ran open-weight AI on compromised clouds
Google’s threat intelligence team says a China-linked group used victims’ cloud computing resources to run open-weight AI models while targeting North American research.
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WorldSOUTHCOM sinks vessel it says supported Los Choneros trafficking
Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere removed the crew before sinking the vessel, which U.S. Southern Command said operated as an at-sea refueling station in the Eastern Pacific.
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CultureStat Crux Report launches reader comments
Readers can now discuss articles directly on Stat Crux Report under published discussion rules.
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PoliticsRepublicans prepare to showcase America First agenda at Dallas midterm convention
The two-day Dallas gathering will put Republican candidates, policy priorities and voters on one national stage less than two months before Election Day.
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EconomyTrump threatens Bombardier sales unless it builds aircraft in U.S.
The president said the Canadian jetmaker must manufacture in America to keep selling there; no implementation mechanism was announced.
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EconomyCanada’s new retaliatory tariffs take effect September 8
Tariffs of 15%, 25% and 50% cover C$27.6 billion of U.S.-origin goods, with in-transit shipments exempt.
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WorldBSW says it would abstain in third vote for Saxony-Anhalt premier
The party did not announce an AfD coalition; its candidate said BSW would abstain in a third ballot, when a simple majority is enough.
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CultureClancy trial holdout juror publicly defends vote for conviction
Michael P. Desronvil says the evidence supported conviction and rejects claims he expressed reasonable doubt; the 11-1 deadlock ended in a mistrial.
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EconomyEU announces €200 million partnership package with Greenland
Ursula von der Leyen announced two years of investment in connectivity, energy, minerals and public priorities during a visit to Nuuk.
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WorldKushner says Israeli government is acting ‘a little irrational’ over Gaza
The U.S. special envoy linked his criticism to Israel’s approaching election while saying Washington and Israel agree on Gaza’s intended end state.
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EconomyFuel-oil deficit forecast at 218,000 barrels a day in third quarter
Energy Aspects forecasts a sharp fuel-oil shortfall as refinery disruptions and stronger margins for other products tighten ship and power-plant fuel supplies.
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EconomyChris Wright says an Iran nuclear agreement may not happen
The energy secretary said the United States might instead keep destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities, while the IAEA stresses verification.
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PoliticsJohn Fetterman apologizes for text dismissing children’s hospital concerns
The Pennsylvania senator called the message a “dumb joke” while disputing former aides’ broader claims about his Senate work.
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ImmigrationDHS chief says immigration agents arrested 380 people in Springfield
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reported 380 arrests after Haiti’s TPS ended; available reporting does not establish that every person arrested was Haitian.
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WorldIsraeli strike kills father and 8-year-old daughter in Gaza City, medics say
Hospital officials said Youssef Akila and his daughter Wafaa were killed and six others wounded; Israel said it targeted a Hamas militant.
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EconomyU.S. diesel rises to a record near $5.90 a gallon
AAA’s September 6 average reached $5.897 a gallon, above the $5.85 record reported two days earlier, as fuel markets faced disruption around the Strait of Hormuz.
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PoliticsCampaign says armed man lunged at Amy Acton at Ohio fair
Acton was not injured; campaign and local party officials said volunteers were hurt and a suspect was arrested with multiple weapons.
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CulturePhoto prompts unconfirmed claim that Milo Yiannopoulos converted to Islam
A September 6 image shows the commentator in a crocheted skullcap, but clothing is not proof of religious conversion and no direct confirmation was located.
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EconomyWomen accounted for about 98% of August’s reported payroll gain
BLS figures show women’s payroll employment rose by 158,000 against an overall gain of 162,000. That is a share of net growth, not all hiring.
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WorldIsraeli strikes kill seven in southern Lebanon, ministry says
Lebanon’s health ministry raised the day’s toll after an initial report of four deaths; the government said Ghandour Hospital was destroyed, while Israel described the building as a Hezbollah command site.
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WorldAfD wins Saxony-Anhalt projection with about 44%
A later ARD projection put AfD at 44% and the CDU at 17.8%. Counting and the formation of a state government remained unfinished.
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PoliticsHunter Biden says he ‘may have to’ run for president in 2028
The conditional remark came in a preview of a WABC interview and stopped short of a campaign announcement. In August, Biden had said he was not running for office.
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PoliticsRoy Cooper’s 2020 criminal-justice task force included Kerwin Pittman
State records confirm Pittman’s membership. Court records and his own account provide context for the former gang member’s criminal history and later reform work.
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EconomyHoward Lutnick disclosed at least $250 million in 2025 income, reports say
The reported total largely reflects the commerce secretary’s former Cantor Fitzgerald interests. Income is not the same measure as net profit.
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WorldPutin orders 72-hour pause in Kyiv strikes as U.S. envoys pursue talks
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Vladimir Putin in Moscow as the sides paused strikes on the capitals. The announced pause does not amount to a nationwide ceasefire.
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WorldAnalysisTroy Nehls says Israel did not determine U.S. entry into the Iran war
A clip shared by Stat Crux Report shows the congressman discussing Israel, Iran and American aid. His answer separates the decision to enter the war from his argument for supporting Israel.
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EconomyTexas leads first-half electricity generation gains as California output falls
Texas posted the largest increase in utility-scale electricity production in the first half of 2026. California’s decline requires context about rooftop solar, storage and imported power.
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TechnologyLocal governments pause data-center development as zoning rules catch up
Communities in Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina and Wisconsin have adopted temporary restrictions while reviewing how data centers fit into local infrastructure and land-use plans.
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ImmigrationICE lodges detainer after Maryland I-270 crash kills mother and daughter
DHS says Jose Antonio Caballero-Nolasco faces manslaughter and impaired-driving homicide charges following a fatal wrong-way crash in Montgomery County.
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PoliticsDOJ announces voting and registration charges against five people in three states
Four people face charges of voting while not U.S. citizens, and a U.S. citizen is accused of helping his wife register fraudulently, according to federal prosecutors.
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