Fraud Starts Fights From Balloon Boy Neighborhood To Afghanistan Oct 19, 200911:53 PDT

Monday, October 19, 2009.

Tensions are rising at home and abroad as fraud allegations hit both the elections in Afghanistan as well as the so-called Balloon Boy saga in Colorado. What’s definitely not a fraud? The Minnesota Vikings and the old man, Brett Favre, who have the best record in football. This is your Daily Surf Report, using the best videos on the web to keep you abreast of the day’s top stories.

Over 1M Votes Tossed From Afghan Election By Fraud Investigation

An independent fraud investigation panel has thrown out some 1.3 million of the 5.5 million votes cast in Afghanistan’s presidential election. Of the tossed votes, almost a million (995,000) were for incumbent President Hamid Karzai, dwindling Karzai’s election day 54% margin of victory and potentially forcing a run off between him and his main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah.

Karzai has remained in office pending official election results, and the Karzai government has a say in whether or not to accept the findings of the fraud investigators. Reactions were strong from supporters of both candidates, as Abdullah receives a second wind while Karzai followers are outraged by the prospect of a run off when they feel their candidate has already won the election.

The shaky leadership situation in Afghanistan promises to delay President Obama’s decision on a new strategy for the war against al Quaeda and the Taliban in that country, including whether or not Obama will order an increased number of U.S. troops deployed to the region.

This FOX News report details the fraud investigation’s findings and the likely outcome they will have:

Balloon Boy Neighbor Gets in Fight With Reporters

The announcement by the Sheriff Department calling the Balloon Boy incident a hoax has only increased the one thing the Heene family sought, media attention. 6 year old Falcon Heene was supposedly trapped in a balloon floating miles from his home only to be found in his parents garage. Officials now suspect the entire event, which millions followed in the news and online fearing for the boy’s safety, was a deliberate attempt to raise publicity for a proposed reality show. Falcon’s father Richard Heene and his wife Mayumi met in acting school and got a taste for fame when the couple previously appeared on the ABC reality show Wife Swap. Heene has contacted multiple networks to pitch a reality series with himself as the star.

For days now, dozens of reporters have been camped outside the Heene home. One unidentified neighbor of the family apparently had enough when multiple news vehicles and reporters blocked access to his home. A heated exchange rapidly escalated to a UFC style brawl as the neighbor apparently was prepared to take on all the reporters at once. This raw video treat is a must watch!

Favre’s Vikings Go 6-0

The Minnesota Vikings are riding Brett Favre’s return to the NFC North all the way to the playoffs. In a tough division that also features the Chicago Bears and Favre’s former team, the Green Bay Packers, the Vikings are running away from the pack (and the Bears) after a late game win against the Baltimore Ravens made Minnesota the NFL’s only six win team.

While the Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints are also undefeated, early bye weeks mean those two teams are only 5-0. The Broncos face the San Diego Chargers tonight on Monday Night Football, where a win would make Denver the second team to go six for six on the year.

ESPN’s Countdown Daily recaps the Vikings’ narrow victory over the Ravens on Sunday:

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