“ballot boxes” installed by President Donald Trump’s Republican Party are controversial...

A spokesperson for the party in California assured that the ballot boxes, placed last weekend in churches, armories and other private places, were nothing more than an initiative to “collect ballots”. This practice allows intermediaries to collect ballots and route them themselves to polling places, and is permitted in some states, including California.

“We will continue our ballot collection programs,” said Hector Barajas, spokesman for the Republican Party of California, interviewed Monday by CBS television.

The local authorities, for their part, believe that these “ballot boxes”, a kind of letterbox, some of which bear the word “official” in large letters, are likely to deceive the public. They gave Republicans until Thursday to withdraw them.

The controversy arises three weeks before presidential election day, November 3, and as President Donald Trump regularly questions the reliability of the ballot, in particular postal voting, which is very common in the United States.

Biden accuse Trump

Leading the polls three weeks before the US presidential election, Joe Biden on Tuesday courted the “seniors” in Florida by accusing Donald Trump of being more and more “irresponsible” since he contracted the Covid-19 and then returned to it. the crowd in this same key state.

“The only senior that interests Donald Trump is senior Donald Trump himself”, launched the Democratic candidate in Pembroke Pines, north of Miami, where he once again denounced the management of the pandemic by the Republican president who is seeking a second term on November 3.

The 77-year-old former vice president gave a half-hour speech detailing a few proposals for the elderly, a crucial electorate who, in the Sunshine State, has turned to his side in the polls after he voted in majority for the Republican billionaire in 2016.

But he mainly focused on the action of his opponent, while the United States has the heaviest toll in the world with more than 215,000 deaths from Covid-19. “It has prevented seniors in Florida and citizens across the country from getting the help they need,” he lamented. “How many of you can’t kiss your grandchildren?” He added at a retirement center.

His speech was not punctuated by the sometimes confused statements or apparent lapses of memory observed the day before in Ohio, on which the Trumpist camp insists to question his physical and mental form.

In contrast, the 74-year-old president-candidate presented himself to him on Monday “in great shape” at a meeting in Florida, and now says he is “immune” to the coronavirus less than two weeks after having tested positive.

But Joe Biden leads by far in the polls across the country (+10 points ahead according to the average established by the site RealClearPolitics). He also has the advantage over Donald Trump, although smaller, in the most disputed states which, like Florida (+3.7 points), could tilt the election.

Zuckerberg donates $ 100 million

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said on Tuesday that he would donate an additional $ 100 million to local election administrators, while dismissing the accusations of partisan motives.

This financial assistance is in addition to $ 300 million already pledged by Mr. Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan last month for the same reason.

It will be used to buy voting machines, health protection equipment for people working in polling stations and additional agents, the entrepreneur detailed in a message on Facebook.

“Between the Covid and insufficient public funding for the elections, election officials who strive to make sure everyone can vote safely this year face unprecedented challenges,” he wrote.

He increased the amount of his initial donation because the demand from election administrators was “much higher” than expected, said Zuckerbeg, whose personal fortune is estimated by Forbes magazine at a little. over $ 100 billion.

“Numerous complaints” have been filed in an attempt to block the billionaire’s payments to the association that manages this money, the Center for Tech and Civic Life, “on the grounds that the organizations receiving the donations have political objectives”, regrets Mr Zuckerbeg. “It’s wrong.”

The funds, he assures, “are distributed by non-partisan organizations” from urban and rural jurisdictions, many of which come from districts with fewer than 25,000 voters.

“To be clear, I agree with those who say the government should have provided these funds, not private citizens,” Zuckerberg also wrote. But otherwise, “I think it is essential to respond to this urgent need”.

His group has been increasing efforts for months not to repeat the trauma of 2016, when the network was used for massive voter manipulation operations, carried out from Russia, during the presidential elections in the United States and on Brexit in the United States. UK.

Melania Trump’s former friend sued

The US Department of Justice took action on Tuesday against a former advisor and friend of Melania Trump, author of a book on the First Lady published last month.

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff was close to First Lady Melania Trump until 2018, when she fell from grace after revelations about the colossal costs incurred for Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony in January 2017, which she co-hosted .

Her book, “Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship With the First Lady”, is full of anecdotes and quotes meant to raise a part of the veil on the ex-model of Slovenian origin, with rare public appearances.

The portrayal of Mrs. Winston Wolkoff shows her more aggressive than usually portrayed, especially towards her stepdaughter Ivanka.

According to the ministry, the former adviser had pledged not to reveal information about the president’s wife arising from her function in the White House.

She worked there for free and was therefore not a federal employee, but still signed an agreement “specifically prohibiting her from publishing, communicating or disclosing any such information to any unauthorized person or entity.”

According to the complaint, which calls for the seizure of all profits from the book, Ms. Winston Wolkoff should have submitted her work to Melania Trump and lawyers at the White House before its publication.