The dubious Arizona election “audit” is plagued by problems and nowhere close to completion.

The Democratic secretary of state, Katie Hobbs, sent a letter Wednesday pointing out that ballots have been left unattended, laptop computers unlocked and unsupervised, and untrained workers are using inconsistent procedures to count more than 2.1 million ballots cast in Maricopa County, reported the Washington Post.

The review is far behind schedule, with only about 20 percent of the ballots counted after almost two weeks of work, and workers must vacate Veterans Memorial Coliseum when their rental agreement ends May 14, and the venue’s operators say previous commitments to a high school graduation cannot be undone.

Hobbs, the current secretary of state, said in her letter that elections are “governed by a complex framework of laws and procedures designed to ensure accuracy, security, and transparency” but the recount effort ordered by the GOP state Senate and led by Florida firm Cyber Ninjas “ensure none of those things.”

Former Arizona secretary of state Ken Bennett, a Republican who’s acting as spokesman for the audit, did not respond to a request for comment by tweeted that Hobbs’ allegations were “baseless claimes [sic].”

“The audit continues!” read the tweet.

Volunteers are helping Cyber Ninjas, whose CEO pushes election conspiracy theories on Twitter, look for evidence of fraud that may have deprived Donald Trump of an election win.

Contractors have examined ballots under microscopes and UV lights to search for watermarks, based on claims that originated among Qanon conspirators, or traces of bamboo, which conspiracy theorists believe would prove the ballots were imported from China and, therefore, fraudulent.

“What they’re doing is to find out if there’s bamboo in the paper,” said John Brakey, an assistant to Bennett. “They’re doing all sorts of testing to prove if it was or wasn’t, and that’s very important, because the only way you’re going to persuade people on changing is having facts, and we’re on a mission for facts.”

An external oversight board created by Facebook has upheld the social media platform’s decision to ban Donald Trump, saying on January 6 two of his posts “severely violated Facebook’s Community Standards.”

The board also told Facebook it has six months to re-examine its decision, essentially as CNN reports, punting the decision back to Mark Zuckerberg.

“However,” the oversight board’s 35-page decision adds, “it was not appropriate for Facebook to impose the indeterminate and standardless penalty of indefinite suspension. Facebook’s normal penalties include removing the violating content, imposing a time-bound period of suspension, or permanently disabling the page and account.”

That essentially forces Facebook’s Zuckerberg to make a decision, and keep that decision in line with its standard policies.

JUST IN: ” The Board has upheld Facebook’s decision on January 7, 2021, to restrict then-President Donald Trump’s access to posting content on his Facebook page and Instagram account.”

— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) May 5, 2021

“The Board insists that Facebook review this matter to determine and justify a proportionate response that is consistent with the rules that are applied to other users of its platform,” the board adds. “Facebook must complete its review of this matter within six months of the date of this decision. The Board also made policy recommendations for Facebook to implement in developing clear, necessary, and proportionate policies that promote public safety and respect freedom of expression.”

The board also made clear the degree of damage and risk Trump inflicted.

“The Board found that, in maintaining an unfounded narrative of electoral fraud and persistent calls to action, Mr. Trump created an environment where a serious risk of violence was possible. At the time of Mr. Trump’s posts, there was a clear, immediate risk of harm and his words of support for those involved in the riots legitimized their violent actions. As president, Mr. Trump had a high level of influence. The reach of his posts was large, with 35 million followers on Facebook and 24 million on Instagram.”

This is a breaking news and developing story.

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) has ridden the fake “cancel culture” wave for almost a year. He tried to do it again Tuesday morning but one Washington Post reporter was not having it.

Hawley, blamed by many as one of the leaders of the January 6 attempted coup, after an infamous and now iconic photo of his fist pumped in the air on the steps of Congress, showing “solidarity” with the insurrectionists and leading the rioters to the House of Representatives went viral. Hawley had been the face of the attempt to vote to disqualify the results of a free and fair election, but the photo sealed the deal for many who have labeled him as an insurrectionist.

Hawley’s book contract was canceled as a result of his participation, but he quickly got another publisher – and lots of free PR.

The far right wing Missouri GOP Senator has been claiming he’s a victim of “cancel culture” ever since, while taking no responsibility for his actions. But he has been using it to rile up his base to get them to buy his book.

Noted tech journalist Kara Swisher sums up the consensus on Hawley’s tactics:

To market his book, Josh Hawley used an iPhone, Twitter and Amazon. More censorSHOP than censorship. https://t.co/BnaHMtftL8

— Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) April 28, 2021

Meanwhile on Tuesday Hawley was in a live interview with Washington Post reporter Cat Zakrzewski, putting forth his dubious claims about supposed election irregularities.

At one point Hawley bullies and berates Zakrzewski, twisting her words to advance his claims.

“If you’re going to challenge this on, you know, saying that they didn’t hear the merits of the case,” Zakrzewski told Hawley, “because there was an appeals court that ruled that the case lacked merits, so it’s difficult for a court to rule on the merits when they don’t exist. I want to get back to the book –” she said before Hawley interrupted her.

“No, no, no, hold on, no, no,” he interjected. “No, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t say that they just that they heard the merits and dismissed it that’s wrong, that’s wrong. The merits. An important point, it’s an important point. Listen, it’s an important point, don’t, don’t try to censor, cancel, and silence me here,” he told her.

“Senator, we’re hosting you here,” Zakrzewski replied.

Watch:

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO): "Don't try to censor, cancel, and silence me here."@Cat_Zakrzewski: "Senator, we're hosting you here." pic.twitter.com/AJagRLNiyS

— The Recount (@therecount) May 4, 2021