A FEDERAL COURT  denied a Justice Department request to “segregate” 20,000 California ballots in a search for illegal votes (Shutterstock).

A request from the U.S. Department of Justice to “segregate” the ballots sent to about 20,000 people in California who may not be U.S. citizens was rejected by a federal appeals court on Friday.

According to the Associated Press, the ruling upheld a decision on Wednesday by a lower court which denied the request.

“As the district court found – and we discern no clear error – there is no feasible way to identify and segregate the ballots of specific individuals without having potentially catastrophic effects on the whole system,” the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said on a 2-1 ruling.

Critics of the DOJ’s action called it an illegal attempt to interfere with voting and an attempt to cast doubt about the integrity of the election process.

The Justice Department issued a statement: “Federal law prohibits non-citizens from voting. Enforcing the law is not an agenda item. It is the Department’s job.”

Tech stocks lead Wall Street tumble

Concern over spending on artificial intelligence, tied to “disappointing” earning results from the largest technology firms, led to a pronounced decline on Wall Street on Friday.

WALL STREET was not bullish on Friday. (Shutterstock).

United Press International is reporting that the Dow Jones Average fell 579 points. The Nasdaq Composite declined 2.8 percent and the S&P 500 dropped by 1.8 percent.

Amazon, for example, reported a “negative free cash flow” of $42.4 billion, leading to a decline of its share’s value by almost 6 percent.

Other companies such as Intel and Alphabet (parent company of Google) also saw declines.

Intel shares fell by over 5 percent and its revenues overall fell by 5 percent from its computing and physical artificial intelligence division.

Poll: Trump’s approval level now at 37 percent

A new public opinion poll by Emerson College showed President Donald Trump’s approval rating at 37 percent, down from 39 percent in September, according to USA Today.

PRESIDENT Donald Trump (Shutterstock).

This most recent survey was conducted Oct. 24-26 and released on Friday. It was conducted among 1,000 “likely voters” with a margin of error of 3 percent.

A Real Clear Politics average of recent presidential approval polls put Trump’s backing at 38.4 percent with 59.7 percent disapproval.

Other polls show that Democrats are making strides toward potentially taking control of Congress. Most observers believe that the House of Representatives will almost certainly become “blue,” while they are giving a 50-50 chance of winning control of the Senate.

Weather: Weekend rain and then sun

The hot days and nights are behind us now. The forecast for our West Orange County cities is for some rain over the weekend and moderate temperatures going forward. Saturday will have a 44 percent chance of afternoon showers, with a daytime high of 71 and an overnight low of 61. On Sunday, morning showers – 57 percent – are predicted with temps of 72 (56). Monday will warm a bit to 75 (56) and Tuesday to 76 (56) with both days mostly sunny.

Great Thoughts (singing)

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words.”
–Victor Hugo

“If I cannot fly, let me sing.”
– Stephen Sondheim

“Singing is a way of escaping. It’s another world. I’m no longer on earth.”
– Edith Piaf.