South Dakota Gov. Noem's official social media accounts seem to disappear without explanation

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South Dakota Gov. Noem's official social media accounts seem to disappear without explanation

2024-07-09 01:48 Last Updated At：01:51

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — Longstanding official social media accounts belonging to South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem appear to have been deleted without explanation.

The accounts on Facebook, Instagram and X, the site formerly known as Twitter, had reached hundreds of thousands of followers. As of Monday, links to them on the governor's official website led to pages that said the accounts were no longer active.

A fourth link from the governor's website to her official YouTube page remained active, as did Noem's personal accounts on Facebook, Instagram and X.

A new X account for the governor's office was created this month and had just over 300 followers as of Monday morning, far fewer than the roughly half-million of her old account.

Noem spokesperson Ian Fury pointed The Associated Press to that account as the source for official updates from the governor's office but declined to answer questions about her old accounts, including whether they were deleted by Noem or her office.

Noem, once thought to be a vice presidential contender for former Republican President Donald Trump 's 2024 ticket, has been the target of a steady stream of hateful messages for killing a rambunctious puppy since The Guardian in April revealed the details she wrote in her new book.

She tried to reframe the story from two decades ago as an example of her willingness to make tough decisions. She wrote on social media that the 14-month-old wirehaired pointer named Cricket had shown aggressive behavior by biting.

Noem also has faced backlash from within South Dakota for comments she made earlier this year about tribal leaders benefitting from drug cartels. Several tribes have banned Noem from their reservations.

Brazilians vote in tense local elections

2024-10-07 00:48 Last Updated At：00:50

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilians began voting in the first round of local elections on Sunday for mayors, deputy mayors and councilors in the country’s 5,569 municipalities.

In Sao Paulo, three mayoral candidates are running neck-and-neck, including incumbent Ricardo Nunes, left-wing lawmaker Guilherme Boulos and self-help guru turned far-right politician Pablo Marçal. A runoff is scheduled for Oct. 27.

Much of the attention leading up to Sunday’s vote has been on Brazil ’s biggest city, where the race has been marred by episodes of violence involving Marçal.

Last month, José Luiz Datena, a former TV presenter turned candidate, slammed Marçal with a metal chair during a televised debate following references to allegations of sexual misconduct. In a later debate, an aide to Marçal thumped an adversary’s counterpart, resulting in a bloody face.

Marçal sparked more controversy on Friday, when he published on social media a falsified medical report indicating cocaine use by Boulos. The document was widely debunked by local media that pointed to inconsistencies including the fact that it was signed by a doctor who had passed away.

Boulos, a longtime campaigner for housing rights who is backed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, vehemently denied the veracity of the document. On Saturday, a judge sitting on Sao Paulo’s electoral court ordered the suspension of Marçal’s Instagram account for 48 hours and deemed that there are “indications of various offenses under the Electoral Code.”

Some of former President Jair Bolsonaro ’s political base has been drawn to Marçal, enthralled by his fiery rhetoric, although the far-right leader is supporting Nunes.

In Rio de Janeiro, incumbent Eduardo Paes is hoping to avoid a second-round runoff. Polls indicated until recently that was possible. But his principal challenger Alexandre Ramagem has steadily climbed in the polls in recent weeks, rendering the outcome of Sunday’s vote uncertain.

Ramagem, the former chief of Brazil’s intelligence agency under Bolsonaro, is being investigated as part of a wider probe into alleged spying on political opponents. He has denied the accusations.

Bolsonaro is backing Ramagem, and his ascent in the polls is widely attributed to the former president's campaigning on his behalf.

More than 155 million Brazilians are eligible to vote. Forty-three percent of the electorate is in the southeastern region, where Rio and Sao Paulo are located. Women make up around 52% of voters.

Nearly 1,000 transgender politicians are running Sunday in every one of Brazil’s 26 states, according to the nation’s electoral court, which is tracking them for the first time. The number of candidacies has tripled since the last local elections four years ago, when trans rights group Antra mapped them.

Polls opened at 8 a.m. Brasilia time and close at 5 p.m. (2000 GMT).

A second round will be held in municipalities with more than 200,000 registered voters if none of the candidates for mayor obtains an absolute majority.

South Dakota Gov. Noem's official social media accounts seem to disappear without explanation

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South Dakota Gov. Noem's official social media accounts seem to disappear without explanation

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