Daily Skimm: Arizona, Balenciaga, and Mpox

Arizona

The Story

Election deniers in Arizona are refusing to certify midterm election results.

How did we get here?

Earlier this month, the state’s midterms vote count had Dems winning top races, including Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D) as the state’s new governor. But Trump-backed opponent Kari Lake (R) has refused to concede. That’s despite losing by a margin of over 17,000 votes. So yesterday, ignoring the certification deadline, Arizona’s GOP-controlled Cochise County voted 2-1 against certifying the votes. Supervisors in the conservative Mohave County weighed the same decision but ultimately voted to confirm the results.

What’s their reason?

Some Republicans and election deniers have argued that ballots weren’t cast. The theory stems from ballot printing issues in Maricopa County — Arizona's largest county — on Election Day. 71 of more than 220 polling stations were unable to read ballots because of printer ink problems. As a plan B, poll workers told voters to head to a different location or deposit their ballots in a secure box where they would be counted at another location. Republicans say that the printer issue prevented people from voting. But Arizona officials are denying the accusations. And now are suing Cochise for not certifying results. In the meantime, we’ve still got Georgia on our minds…

Talk to me.

Over the weekend, tens of thousands of voters started to head to the polls for the state’s Senate runoff. The race — between Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) and GOP challenger Herschel Walker — will determine if Dems have 51 seats or just 50. And whether VP Kamala Harris will have to step in as the Senate tie-breaker. But that race lies in the balance until Dec 6.

theSkimm

Nearly 300 election deniers ran for office in the midterm elections. More than 100 of them lost. Now, one small county in Arizona has turned the state into the epicenter of unfounded claims just two years after the 2020 presidential election.

And Also...This

Why some people aren’t walking in their Balenci-ussies…

Balenciaga. Last week, the fashion house filed a $25 million lawsuit against a production company involved in its controversial ad campaign. ICYMI, Balenciaga ran two ads on its Instagram: One showing children holding teddy bears with bondage-style leather harnesses and another featuring document of a SCOTUS ruling about child pornography. Social media erupted with backlash criticizing the popular French brand for sexualizing children and making light of child abuse. Balenciaga called the ads a “series of grievous errors.” It said it is looking into the “parties” responsible for the photos. That wasn’t enough for many, including parents who are calling on celebs like Kim Kardashian to condemn the brand. Kardashian, a mother of four, has said she’s “re-evaluating” her partnership in light of the “disturbing images.”

Where people are concerned…

Houston. Today, more than 2 million of the city’s residents are waking up again without safe drinking water. Officials say a power outage at a purification plant meant that the water pressure system was too low to ensure the water was free of bacteria or other contaminants. So now, it's up to Houston residents to clean their own water. It also means one of the country’s largest school districts was forced to shut down for a second day as residents were told to boil water for at least two minutes before drinking, brushing their teeth, and washing their hands. Houston’s mayor expects the notice to be lifted today.

What got F-TXed over…

BlockFi. Yesterday, the crypto lending platform filed for bankruptcy. The filing comes days after acknowledging that it had “significant exposure” to FTX. Think: a $400 million revolving credit line from FTX — and loans tied up in the FTX-affiliated trading firm Alameda Research. Now that FTX is a walking morality tale for crypto bros, BlockFi says the bankruptcy filing will help to “stabilize its business” and allow it to restructure. The news came after bankruptcy hearings began for FTX last week, with a lawyer describing the company as founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s “personal fiefdom.” SBF is scheduled to speak (virtually) at a New York Times event tomorrow.

Which matchup Americans are watching closely…

US v. Iran. Today, the two soccer teams go head-to-head at the World Cup in Qatar. It’s a must-win for the US after tying with England last week. But the tensions are about more than ranking: Many are watching to see whether Iranian players will skip the national anthem again, raising concerns they could face arrest back home. Meanwhile, the US soccer coach is apologizing for a controversial US Soccer Federation post that showed the Iranian flag without the Islamic Republic emblem – a move that had Iran calling for the US team to be disqualified. Tensions are high — and kickoff is today at 2pm ET. Here’s where to watch.

What we apparently don’t need to worry about (for now)…

Mauna Loa. Yesterday, the world’s largest active volcano continued to erupt on Hawaii’s Big Island for the first time in almost 40 years. Officials say residents aren’t in danger, at least not for weeks — but that some roads could be threatened.

While mpox is saying ‘allow me to reintroduce myself’… 

Queen Consort Camilla also reintroduced ladies-in-waiting.

What it’s giving...

Tuesday.