Photo Claims Ballots Sat in a Library SafeJames O'Keefe's media group released a photo Tuesday that it says was taken inside Stevenson Ranch Library near Santa Clarita, California. The image allegedly shows multiple ballots stored in the library's safe, the same safe the post says is also used for cash and other items. According to the group, the picture was taken last Friday, three days after the primary polls closed. That is the kind of timing that makes election managers ask for patience while voters ask for receipts, which is fair enough for both sides.The Group Wants the Ballots TracedThe post said the group hopes the ballots made it to the correct processing centers. It also urged people with tips about possible election fraud in California or Los Angeles to contact its newsroom by email or Signal. None of that proves wrongdoing on its own, but it does raise a plain question: why were ballots still sitting in a library safe after Election Day? In a system that asks the public to trust the chain of custody, little details like this tend to matter more than the usual parade of press releases.https://twitter.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/2064428008841388466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Late Ballot Counts Shifted Two California RacesCalifornia's late…

Judge Says the Fee Went Too FarA federal judge in Massachusetts has struck down President Donald Trump’s $100,000 fee for H-1B visa petitions, saying the administration crossed a constitutional line. U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin ruled that the charge worked like a tax, not a penalty, and that only Congress can impose or delegate taxes. That is a small detail, of course, unless you happen to be the branch of government trying to set one with a proclamation. The case was brought by 20 states, led by California, and it challenged the fee Trump announced in September for employers seeking highly skilled foreign workers.The Court Rejected The Administration’s ShortcutSorokin also found that the policy ran afoul of the Administrative Procedure Act, the law that tells agencies to slow down and do the paperwork before changing things that affect real people and real money. According to the ruling, the agencies behind the fee failed to give a solid explanation, failed to consider alternatives, and failed to weigh the impact of the rule. They also did not have a valid emergency or foreign-affairs reason to skip notice and comment. In plain English, the court said the government cannot point to a presidential…