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A Romanian national pleaded guilty on Monday to charges related to his role in a “swatting” ring that targeted dozens of public officials, including a former US president. Going by the aliases “Plank,” “Jonah” and “Cypher,” 26-year-old Thomasz Szabo took part in a years-long conspiracy to place bogus 911 calls, claiming emergencies were taking place at the homes of top government officials, and make bomb threats against government buildings and houses of worship, according to Justice Department. Szabo and a co-conspirator, 21-year-old Serbian national Nemanja Radovanovic, allegedly targeted about 100 people, including members of Congress, governors, cabinet-level executive branch officials...

The Steal Moves to Georgia —Trump won Georgia on Tuesday night by tens of thousands of votes.At the time — even if the outstanding ballots were counted Democrats would never win the state.But that all changed since election day.On Wednesday morning they announced only 25,000 ballots were left to count.That was at 6:20 AM.Then by 8:00 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING the Georgia Secretary of State announced that 50,000 ballots were yet to be counted.They just found 25,000-35,000 new ballots that need to be counted.

California's top elected officials could get pay raises when the California Citizens Compensation Committee meets today in Sacramento. The commission convenes at least once a year to consider changing salaries, which take effect in December. No raises were given last year, but in 2007 the attorney general and superintendent of public instruction received 5 percent raises while all the others got 2.75 percent raises. Other officers whose pay the panel oversees include the governor; lieutenant governor; secretary of state; controller; treasurer; insurance commissioner; Board of Equalization members and the 120 members of the Legislature. Last year, the commission considered a...

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration is expected to announce today pay raises of up to 27 percent for more than 50 top officials, saying the state must boost salaries to remain competitive with local governments that pay more. The new salaries taking effect April 1 won't cost taxpayers more, at least initially, but they will force state departments to make cuts or otherwise absorb the raises within existing personnel budgets. The hefty raises - 10 agency heads, for example, would see their annual salaries grow to $175,000, a 23 percent increase - come as Schwarzenegger is preaching the need...

SACRAMENTO — California Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer gives a lot of speeches. Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi keeps tabs on Democratic fundraisers. Treasurer Phil Angelides makes time for reporters from coast to coast. And Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante doesn't do much — at least according to the daily calendars they keep. --snip-- ... But the calendars offer a glimpse at the work patterns of the seven statewide politicians, all Democrats — and sometimes provide a few telling details. For example, Controller Steve Westly — a former executive with the private Internet auction service EBay — keeps a busy schedule, though it's...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Top officials in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration toured liquefied natural gas sites in Asia and Australia with energy executives seeking to build fuel terminals along the California coast. The 11-day trip last month included briefings, meals and receptions with Australian and South Korean government officials, as well as stays at an upscale hotel and a yacht tour. But the focus was liquefied natural gas facilities. An important fuel in Asia for years, energy companies have recently explored importing the gas to the West Coast but have met resistance from city officials and residents who fear the...

Colo. Officials Enter Charter School Fray .c The Associated Press DENVER (AP) - State officials are threatening to take away the power of local school boards to approve charter schools after one district refused to endorse a proposed Montessori school, citing budget constraints. Officials in the 1,900-student Steamboat Springs school district say they face a $332,000 deficit and cannot afford a second charter school. Colorado is one of only a handful of states where local school districts approve new charter schools. State education officials and lawmakers want to set up another agency, similar to those in other states, that parents...

State Officials Order Expensive New Vehicles Officials Order $47,000 SUV, $41,000 Cadillac POSTED: 4:22 p.m. PST December 12, 2002 UPDATED: 6:03 p.m. PST December 12, 2002 SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- With the state in the middle of a budget crisis of historic proportions, lawmakers are cutting costs, affecting thousands of jobs, salaries and programs. But KCRA 3 has learned that two newly-elected officials are ordering costly cars at taxpayers' expense. Facing thousands of layoffs and a severe budget crisis, state employees are starting to catch wind that two top government officials hope to land in the driver's seat of luxury vehicles...