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Compliance Notes – Vol. 3, Issue 39 – – United States https://digitalalabamanews.com/compliance-notes-vol-3-issue-39-united-states/ 30 September 2022 Nossaman LLP To print this article, all you need is to be registered or login on Mondaq.com. Campaign Finance & Lobbying Compliance A Democratic super PAC, Priorities USA, is launching a multi-million dollar campaign to fight voter suppression in seven battleground states. The PAC will spend $5 million on digital advertisements that seek to directly reach minority voters to help them navigate complicated election laws in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada. The ads aim to ensure voters can cast their ballot by directing them to websites and hotlines that help locate polling locations, to remind people of the materials they must have with them and to educate voters on their specific rights at the voting booth. To help protect voting rights and defend against policies that Priorities USA says unfairly target Black and brown voters, the PAC will also spend $10 million on existing litigation in Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Michigan and New Hampshire. ( Adam Edelman, NBC News) Former President Trump’s allies created a new super PAC called MAGA Inc., which is expected to be the primary vehicle for funneling money into crucial midterm races. If Trump decides to run for a second presidential term in 2024, it could become a part of his campaign finance infrastructure. While the Democrats are out-raising Republicans ahead of the November 8 midterm elections, Trump is one of the Republicans seeing huge small-donor fundraising success even though he is not a 2022 candidate. As this new super PAC comes weeks before the midterms, Trump is expected to spend heavily to bolster his endorsed candidates. ( Sareen Habeshian, Axios) TikTok recently announced it is banning campaign fundraising on its platform, limiting access to monetization features and requiring “mandatory verification” for U.S. political accounts. While the app already bars political advertising, TikTok will also ban campaign fundraising by prohibiting videos soliciting donations and videos from political parties directing people to their website’s donation page. Political accounts will be ineligible for the “Creator Fund,” a monetary fund that users can receive for posting content to TikTok. Additionally, political accounts will not have access to gifting, tipping and e-commerce. The announcement of these new policies comes a month after researchers found that TikTok accounts have been used to spread misinformation ahead of elections in Europe, Asia and South America. ( Gina Martinez, CBS News) Colorado: There will be new contribution limits to candidates for school district director and modified reporting requirements for public officials as Colorado’s Secretary of State’s Office adopted permanent rule revisions implementing House Bills 22-1060 and 22-1156. During any regular biennial or special school election, small donor committees are limited to contributing $25,000. For persons other than small donor committees, the contribution limit is $2,500. The rules also changed the post-election reporting deadline from 30 days to 35 days and clarified that candidates seeking reelection who already have a personal disclosure statement on file with the Secretary of State do not need to re-file it. The new rules become permanently effective 20 days after publication in the Colorado Register. ( News Release: State of Colorado, Department of State) Government Ethics & Transparency Illinois: State Senator Emil Jones III pleaded not guilty to felony counts stemming from an alleged bribery scheme involving a red light camera company that automatically issues traffic tickets. According to prosecutors, Jones accepted a $5,000 bribe from SafeSpeed LLC, which operates “automated traffic enforcement systems,” in exchange for excluding from traffic studies the Chicago suburbs where SafeSpeed does much of its business. Jones is the latest politician charged in the long-running public corruption investigation focusing on officials’ ties to companies that secured contracts to run red-light cameras in dozens of Chicago suburbs that generated millions of dollars in fines from motorists annually. Jones, who has served in the Senate since 2009 and is running unopposed for reelection from the 14th District, has his next court appearance scheduled for four days before the general election. ( Peter Hancock, Capitol News Illinois) South Dakota: After finding Governor Kristi Noem intervened with a state agency to influence her daughter’s application for a real estate appraiser license, the state’s Government Accountability Board will not publicly disclose the “appropriate action” it took. The three judges on the board, which was created to provide a check on any misconduct by state officials, unanimously found there was evidence that Governor Noem engaged in a conflict of interest and malfeasance. However, the question of whether to discipline the governor will stay “confidential” as the case remains closed since Governor Noem did not contest the board’s findings. ( Stephen Groves, AP News) The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances. POPULAR ARTICLES ON: Compliance from United States Compliance Notes – Vol. 3, Issue 35 Nossaman LLP Welcome to Compliance Notes from Nossaman’s Government Relations & Regulation Group – a periodic digest of the headlines, statutory and regulatory changes and court cases involving campaign finance, lobbying compliance, … The Role Of Audit And Monitoring In Compliance Ankura Consulting Group LLC Internal audit and monitoring functions are important to an organisation’s ability to design and implement an effective compliance programme. Although each function has a distinct mandate… Training And Developing A Culture Of Compliance K2 Integrity With tightening budgets, increasing regulatory expectations, and a growing number of risks, compliance teams at financial institutions face big challenges as they work to fulfill their mission… Read More…

Putin To Host Kremlin Ceremony Annexing Parts Of Ukraine https://digitalalabamanews.com/putin-to-host-kremlin-ceremony-annexing-parts-of-ukraine/ A view shows a banner on a screen, set up ahead of an expected ceremony and concert to declare four Ukraine’s self-proclaimed regions part of Russia following recent referendums, near St. Basil’s Cathedral in central Moscow, Russia September 29, 2022. A slogan on the screen reads: “Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson – Russia!” REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina Russian annexation of four regions condemned worldwide Move is ‘dangerous escalation’ jeopardising peace – U.N. chief Ukraine’s Zelenskiy says for war to end Putin must be stopped Zelenskiy summons emergency meeting on security, defence Sept 30 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin was set to host a ceremony on Friday for the annexation of four Ukrainian regions, while his Ukrainian counterpart said Putin would have to be stopped if Russia was to avoid the most damaging consequences of the war. Russia’s expected annexation of the Russian-occupied areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia has been widely condemned in the West. U.N. chief Antonio Guterres said it was a “dangerous escalation” that would jeopardise prospects for peace. “It can still be stopped. But to stop it we have to stop that person in Russia who wants war more than life. Your lives, citizens of Russia,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a Thursday evening address. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com The four regions cover some 90,000 square km, or about 15% of Ukraine’s total area – about the size of Hungary or Portugal. Russian government officials have said that the four regions will fall under Moscow’s nuclear umbrella once they have been formally incorporated into Russia. Putin has said he could use nuclear weapons to defend Russian territory if necessary. Ukraine has said it will seek to take back its territory. “Referendums have no legal value, under international law the regions are and remain territories of Ukraine and Ukraine is ready to do anything to take them back,” Mikhailo Podolyak, Zelenskiy’s adviser, told Italian La Repubblica. “They were sham votes, in which few people participated. To those who went to vote they pointed their rifles in their faces ordering, ‘Vote!’.” Zelenskiy promised a strong response to the annexations and summoned his defence and security chiefs for an emergency meeting on Friday where “fundamental decisions” will be taken, an official said. ‘NO LEGAL VALUE’ On the eve of the annexation ceremony in the Georgievsky Hall of the Great Kremlin Palace and a concert in Red Square, Putin said that “all mistakes” made in a call-up announced last week should be corrected, his first public acknowledgment that it had not gone smoothly. Thousands of men have fled from Russia to avoid a draft that was billed as enlisting those with military experience and required specialities but has often appeared oblivious to individuals’ service record, health, student status or even age. At Friday’s event, Putin will give a speech, meet leaders of the self-styled Russian-backed Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic as well as the Russian-installed leaders of the parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia that Russian forces occupy. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not say whether Putin would attend the concert, as he did a similar event in 2014 after Russia proclaimed it had annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region. A stage has been set up in the Moscow square with giant video screens and billboards proclaiming the four areas part of Russia. U.S. President Joe Biden said the United States would never recognise Russia’s claims on Ukraine’s territory, denouncing the referendums. “The results were manufactured in Moscow,” Biden said at a conference of Pacific Island leaders on Thursday. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan pressed Putin in a call to take steps to reduce tensions in Ukraine. U.N. Secretary General Guterres told reporters: “Any decision to proceed with the annexation … would have no legal value and deserves to be condemned.” FIGHTING The United States and the European Union are set to impose additional sanctions on Russia over the annexation, and even some of Russia’s close traditional allies, such as Serbia and Kazakhstan, say they will not recognise the take over. What Russia is billing as a celebration comes after it has faced its worst setbacks of the seven-month-old war, with its forces routed in Ukraine’s northeast Kharkiv region. Heavy fighting continues in the four disputed regions. Russian forces launched a rocket attack on a humanitarian convoy on the road out of Zaporizhzhia and there were dead and wounded, said Oleksandar Starukh, the governor of the region. Starukh said people were queuing to bring aid to relatives in Russian-controlled territory and pick up their relatives when the attack occurred. He did not specify the location. Reuters could not verify battlefield reports. Some military experts say Kyiv is poised to deliver another major defeat, gradually encircling the town of Lyman, Russia’s main remaining bastion in the northern part of Donetsk province. Its capture would open the way into the Luhansk region. In the past 24 hours, Ukraine’s military said it had killed 43 Russian servicemen and destroyed two Russian Su-25 aircraft, four tanks, four large-calibre howitzers, two self-propelled cannons and one reconnaissance drone. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Reuters bureaux; writing by Michael Perry; Editing by Robert Birsel Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More…

Biden Declares South Carolina State Of Emergency – Follow Hurricane Ian Updates https://digitalalabamanews.com/biden-declares-south-carolina-state-of-emergency-follow-hurricane-ian-updates-2/ Hurricane Ian: Waves flood roads in Key West as storm strengthens to category 4 After spending most of Thursday as a tropical storm, Ian has now been upgraded to a hurricane again as it takes aim at the South Carolina coastline. President Joe Biden has issued an emergency declaration for the state. Ian is forecast to make landfall somewhere near Charleston, South Carolina, at about 2pm today. It will produce life-threatening flooding, storm surge and strong winds across parts of Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center. “Ian could slightly strengthen before landfall, and is forecast to rapidly weaken over the southeastern United States late Friday into Saturday,” an advisory said. Meanwhile, dozens of rescue operations have been taking place across Florida after unprecedented flooding from one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the United States. Thousands of people are stranded across the state as coastguard helicopters were seen plucking people from roofs after several feet of water surged into neighbourhoods. Some 2.5 million people remain without power. The damage and economic losses caused by Hurricane Ian could amount to as much as $120bn, according to the latest estimate. Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists Email Please enter a valid email Please enter a valid email Password Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number First name Please enter your first name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters Last name Please enter your last name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters You must be over 18 years old to register You must be over 18 years old to register Year of birth I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent.  Read our Privacy notice You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. Each email has a link to unsubscribe. Already have an account? sign in Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists Email Please enter a valid email Please enter a valid email Password Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number First name Please enter your first name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters Last name Please enter your last name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters You must be over 18 years old to register You must be over 18 years old to register Year of birth I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent.  Read our Privacy notice You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. Each email has a link to unsubscribe. Already have an account? sign in Read More…

Week In Review: Design, Low Power https://digitalalabamanews.com/week-in-review-design-low-power/ Data center viz to reach $20B; Launches from Renesas, Siemens, and Synopsys; IBM, Vodafone, and GSMA partner on post-quantum task force; Arm announces board directors and CFO Tools and IP Renesas introduced a new microprocessor that enables artificial intelligence to process image data from multiple cameras. “One of the challenges for embedded systems developers who want to implement machine learning is to keep up with the latest AI models that are constantly evolving,” said Shigeki Kato, Vice President of Renesas’ Enterprise Infrastructure Business Division. “With the new DRP-AI TVM tool, we are offering designers the option to expand AI frameworks and AI models that can be converted to executable formats, allowing them to bring the latest image recognition capabilities to embedded devices using new AI models.” Renesas also said it will provide SoCs, microcontrollers, analog and power semiconductors, and technical support to Vietnam-based electric vehicle maker VinFast. And it launched an integrated software development environment for automotive ECUs containing multiple hardware devices.  Siemens released Tessent multi-die software, which automates design-for-test tasks for 2.5D and 3D chip architectures. Ankur Gupta, vice president and general manager of the Tessent business unit for Siemens Digital Industries Software, said chip design companies are “seeing dramatic spikes in IC test complexity due to the rapid adoption and deployment of designs featuring densely packed dies in 2.5D and 3D devices.” The company also said recreational vehicle maker Hymer used Siemens software to create a digital twin for its new VisionVenture camper. Synopsys developed a new streaming fabric technology that allows for real-time silicon health analytics in large and complex chip designs. The on-chip network also minimizes excessive power. “Efficient, cost-effective silicon data access is a fundamental requirement to achieving reliable device operation during their life cycles, which is essential for high uptime of mission-critical applications,” said Amit Sanghani, senior vice president of the Synopsys Hardware Analytics and Test team. Keysight, AMD, and F5 collaborated on a demonstration of 5G Terabit scale traffic at the Mobile World Congress in Las Vegas. CyPerf, Keysight’s software-based cloud native traffic generator demonstrated performance capability of F5’s cloud-network network function, which in turn was powered by AMD processors. “With a proven method to generate and process cloud-based traffic, service providers can now confidently roll out 5G services at scale,” said Ram Periakaruppan, Vice President and General Manager of Keysight’s Network Solutions group. Is the EDA industry doing enough to develop and drive new methodologies? Industry leaders say verification is indeed evolving, albeit slowly. Read more here. Deals IBM and Vodafone partnered with GSMA on a task force for post-quantum cryptography and adoption across the global telecommunications supply chain. The organizations say the goal of the task force is to “define policy, regulation and operator business processes for the enhanced protection of telecommunications in a future of advanced quantum computing.” Reneas announced that AMD chose a Renesas timing device for its RFSoC DFE development platform.  Research A new study estimates the data center virtualization market will surpass $20 billion by 2030. Global Market Insights said the valuation will likely be driven by “the surging attention toward improving business agility and reducing operational cost, along with strong product penetration in government-associated sectors for easy accessibility of data.” Virtualization software helps to improve utilization of individual servers, and is a key part of the architecture in hyperscale data centers. Imec researchers and Nokia Bell Labs jointly presented a key building block to deploy 100G PON (passive optical network). Rockley Photonics has developed micro-transfer-printed (mTP) silicon-photonics based laser for commercial applications. Once thought too futuristic, DNA is now edging forward as a data storage option. Peking University presented an open-source dataset, named CircuitNet, dedicated to AI for IC applications. Awards Giovanni De Micheli, Professor and Director of the Institute of Electrical Engineering (IEL) and of the Integrated Systems Centre at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland is this year’s winner of the Phil Kaufman Award for his contributions to EDA. Upcoming events Oct. 1-5, IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Microarchitecture, Chicago, IL Oct. 3-6, International Symposium on Microelectronics – iMAPS, Boston, MA Oct. 3-21, Samsung Foundry Forum & SAFE Forum, San Jose, EMEA, Japan, Korea, China Oct. 19-21, Electronic Specialty Gas Conference, Chandler, AZ Oct. 20-11, IEEE ISICAS: International Symposium on Integrated Circuits, Bordeaux, France Oct. 24-28, Hardwear.io Security Trainings and Conference, The Hague, Netherlands Oct. 25-27, PAINE: Physical Assurance & Inspection of Electronics, Huntsville, AL Oct. 26-27, Arm DevSummit, San Francisco, CA    Find more chip industry events here. In case you missed it Check out the Systems & Design newsletter and the Low Power – High Performance newsletter for these highlights and more: Strengthening The Global Semi Supply Chain Designing For Thermal Can ML Help Verification? Maybe Rethinking Machine Learning For Power If you’d like to receive Semiconductor Engineering newsletters and alerts via email, please subscribe here. Read More…

NFL Thursday Night: Dolphins Lose Tua Tagovailoa, Game https://digitalalabamanews.com/nfl-thursday-night-dolphins-lose-tua-tagovailoa-game/ The AFC’s only undefeated team through three weeks of the 2022 season lost as the NFL’s Week 4 schedule kicked off in Cincinnati on Thursday night. But the Miami Dolphins’ 27-15 defeat by the Bengals wasn’t the team’s primary concern. In the second quarter, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa got slammed to the turf on a sack, and after being removed from the field strapped to a stretcher, the former Alabama All-American was taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center with what Miami announced were head and neck injuries. After the game, Miami coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would be able to fly back with the team on Thursday night. The Dolphins trailed 7-6 when Tagovailoa got hurt. He had completed 8-of-14 passes for 110 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Cincinnati safety Vonn Bell intercepted Tagovailoa at the Bengals 29-yard line in the first quarter, and he also intercepted Tagovailoa’s replacement, Teddy Bridgewater, at the Cincinnati 9 in the fourth quarter. Bell’s 46-yard return on his second interception launched a touchdown drive the set the final score with 1:52 remaining. In addition to Tagovailoa, six other players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field during the Miami-Cincinnati game: · Dolphins defensive end Big Kat Bryant (Auburn) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play. · Raekwon Davis (Alabama) started at nose tackle for the Dolphins. Davis made three tackles. · Dolphins outside linebacker Trey Flowers (Columbia) made one tackle. · Bengals cornerback Allan George (Andalusia) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play. · Tyreek Hill (West Alabama) started at wide receiver for the Dolphins. Hill caught 10 passes for 160 yards, including a 64-yard reception. · Noah Igbinoghene (Hewitt-Trussville, Auburn) was designated as a game-day inactive. · Bengals kicker Evan McPherson (Fort Payne) made field goals of 19 and 57 yards as well as three extra points. On Sept. 11, McPherson set the franchise record with a 59-yard field goal. · Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (Park Crossing) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play. · Jaylen Waddle (Alabama) started at wide receiver for the Dolphins. Waddle caught two passes for 39 yards. · Jonah Williams (Alabama) started at left offensive tackle for the Bengals. Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow, who had been sacked an NFL-worst 15 times in the first three games, was sacked once on Thursday night. Miami’s next game is on Oct. 9, when the Dolphins visit the New York Jets for an AFC East rivalry game. Cincinnati evened its record at 2-2 and will visit the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 9 for an AFC North rivalry game. FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…

Hurricane Ian – Live: Tropical Storm Regains Hurricane Strength As It Nears South Carolina https://digitalalabamanews.com/hurricane-ian-live-tropical-storm-regains-hurricane-strength-as-it-nears-south-carolina/ Hurricane Ian: Waves flood roads in Key West as storm strengthens to category 4 UP NEXT LIVE – Updated at 06:12 After spending most of Thursday as a tropical storm, Ian was upgraded to a hurricane again as it takes aim at the South Carolina coastline. The National Hurricane Center stated in its 5pm ET update that Hurricane Ian was “taking aim at the Carolinas and Georgia with life-threatening flooding, storm surge and strong winds.” The hurricane is now moving north-northwest at around 10 mph with maximum sustained winds increasing to 75 mph with strong gusts. “Ian could slightly strengthen before landfall tomorrow, and is forecast to rapidly weaken over the southeastern United States late Friday into Saturday,” the advisory said. Dozens of rescue operations have been taking place across Florida after unprecedented flooding from one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the United States. Thousands of people are stranded across the state as coastguard helicopters were seen plucking people from roofs after several feet of water surged into neighbourhoods. Some 2.5million people were currently without power. Meanwhile, the damage and economic losses caused by Hurricane Ian could amount to as much as $120bn, according to a new estimate. Key Points Ian upgraded to hurricane once again South Carolina under hurricane warning What is the path of Hurricane Ian? Death toll climbs after sheriff predicts hundreds of lives lost Where to donate to help those impacted by Hurricane Ian Timelapse video shows rapid flooding on Florida island as Hurricane Ian creates dangerous storm surge 06:12 , Maroosha Muzaffar A time-lapse video of an intersection on the island starts off with winds and heavy rain, but the road quickly gives way to surging waters that completely cover the median and rise halfway up a street sign. Watch the video here: © Provided by The Independent Video shows rapid flooding on Florida island as Hurricane Ian brings storm surge Sanibel mayor pens emotional letter after Ian: ‘Our lives and our island have been forever changed’ 06:04 , Maroosha Muzaffar The mayor of a Florida island that was ripped apart by Hurricane Ian has penned an emotional letter to residents, saying “Our lives and our island have been forever changed.” Sanibel Island is cut off after the only bridge that connects it and Captiva to the mainland bore the brunt of the historic hurricane and had sections ripped out. “I am struggling to find the words to convey my feelings, as I am sure most of us are as we look to the past four days. All our lives and our island have been forever changed. What we do tomorrow and the days and months ahead will redefine and strengthen our community,” wrote Mayor Holly Smith. Read the full story by Ethan Freedman here: © Provided by The Independent Sanibel mayor pens emotional letter after island ripped apart by Hurricane Ian ICYMI: Firefighters evacuate Orlando nursing home as Storm Ian ravages Florida 06:03 , Graeme Massie Woman braves Hurricane Ian flood to check on stranger’s mom 05:57 , Maroosha Muzaffar Christine Bomlitz became more and more distraught as Hurricane Ian gained in ferocity, sweeping across southwest Florida on Wednesday. Hours passed, but there was still no word from her 84-year-old mother. Thursday morning came. The storm had long drifted away overnight. But still no word. Read the full piece here: © Provided by The Independent Woman braves Hurricane Ian flood to check on stranger’s mom Hurricane Ian sweeps away homes, memories on barrier islands 05:48 , Maroosha Muzaffar On the road into Fort Myers Beach, cars are left abandoned in the roadway, where they stalled when Hurricane Ian‘s storm surge flooded their engines and their drivers couldn’t continue. Broken trees, boat trailers and other debris litter the road. It’s even worse in the seaside tourist town, much of which was flattened by the fierce winds and powerful storm surge generated by the Category 4 hurricane. Read the full story here: © Provided by The Independent Hurricane Ian sweeps away homes, memories on barrier islands Donald Trump avoids fraud lawsuit deposition by staying in Florida as Hurricane Ian strikes 05:32 , Maroosha Muzaffar Donald Trump has avoided a deposition for a fraud lawsuit by remaining in Florida as Hurricane Ian bore down. The former president had been due to be deposed in a civil class action lawsuit first filed in 2018. It accuses Mr Trump, his children, and the Trump Organization, of committing deception and fraud. It is different to the lawsuit filed earlier this month by New York Attorney General Letitia James, that similarly accuses Mr Trump and the others of fraud, for allegedly overvaluing his assets by billions of dollars. Read the full story by Andrew Buncombe here: © Provided by The Independent Trump avoids fraud deposition by staying in Florida as Hurricane Ian hits Don Lemon scolded for turning NOAA Hurricane Ian interview into climate crisis debate 05:25 , Maroosha Muzaffar As Ian approached the US, Jamie Rohme, the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center, raised some eyebrows when he seemed to demur about linking the storm to the climate crisis during an interview on CNN. Read the full story here: © Provided by The Independent Don Lemon scolded for turning NOAA Hurricane Ian interview into climate crisis debate Study finds that climate change added 10% to Ian’s rainfall 05:20 , Maroosha Muzaffar A quick study by two scientists calculates that climate change made Hurricane Ian 10 per cent rainier than it would have been if there were no such thing as global warming. Read the full piece by Seth Borenstein here: © Provided by The Independent Study finds that climate change added 10% to Ian’s rainfall Death toll climbs after sheriff predicts hundreds of lives lost 05:09 , Graeme Massie ICYMI: At least five people are believed to have been killed in Fort Myers and the surrounding Lee County area following Hurricane Ian officials have said, though that number may have risen to as many as 12 based on reports from Florida officials. Gino Spocchia has the story. © Provided by The Independent Death toll climbs after sheriff predicts hundreds of lives lost Hurricane Ian could result in up to $120bn in damages 04:35 , Maroosha Muzaffar The damage and economic losses caused by Hurricane Ian could amount to as much as $120bn, according to a new estimate. AccuWeather founder and CEO Dr Joel N Myers said in a press release that “Ian will go down as one of the most damaging and impactful storms in the US history, along with 2017’s Hurricanes Harvey, which caused $190 billion in total damage and economic loss, and Irma ($80 billion); Sandy in 2012 ($210 billion); Katrina in 2005, ($320 billion), as adjusted for inflation.” NFL game to go ahead in Tampa on Sunday night 04:03 , Graeme Massie ICYMI: The Sunday night NFL game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs will go ahead in the Florida city in the wake of Hurricane Ian, the home team has announced. “We have informed the NFL, after consulting with local and state agencies, that we are ready to play Sunday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium as originally scheduled,” the team said in a statement. The game is scheduled to kick off at 8.20pm ET. “We would like to thank all of the local government agencies and the thousands of emergency personnel who worked tirelessly over the past few days to ensure that our area would be ready to respond if needed. We would also like to acknowledge the Miami Dolphins organization for their assistance and hospitality in allowing us to use their practice facilities this week,” the statement added. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with the many thousands in the Southwest Florida region who have been severely impacted by Hurricane Ian. We are also very thankful that the Tampa Bay area was spared the most damaging consequences of this powerful storm.” ICYMI: Hurricane Ian flooding captured on stunning aerial video 03:06 , Graeme Massie Aftermath of Hurricane Ian could wreak havoc on insurance market: ‘If it sounds too good to be true, it is’ 02:04 , Graeme Massie ICYMI: Hurricane Ian has brought widespread devastation to Florida, with many areas facing months or years of rebuilding, and for many residents, the recovery process might be prolonged without proper flood insurance, property insurance or other reimbursements for damages. Ethan Freedman has the details. © Provided by The Independent Aftermath of Hurricane Ian could wreak havoc on insurance market Two deaths on Sanibel Island, say officials 01:43 , Graeme Massie Around 200 households stayed on the island during Hurricane Ian, and Mayor Holly Smith says that there have been two fatalities. Rescuers removed 40 people from the island, which has been cut off after its bridge collapsed, by boat on Thursday. The mayor said that 12 of those had sustained injuries during the storm. © Provided by The Independent (AP) Trump begs for donations from Mar-a-Lago as Hurricane Ian wreaks destruction across Florida 01:33 , Graeme Massie ICYMI: Donald Trump turned to social media to plead for donations to his political campaign as parts of Florida began rescue and recovery efforts following Hurricane Ian. Speaking in a video on Wednesday from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, southern Florida, the former president pleaded for donations to his Save America PAC ahead of a fundraising deadline. “We have a major fundraising deadline coming up and there’s never been a time like this,” said Mr Trump, who claimed America had “never been so disrespected” by the world. © P...

Biden Declares South Carolina State Of Emergency – Follow Hurricane Ian Updates https://digitalalabamanews.com/biden-declares-south-carolina-state-of-emergency-follow-hurricane-ian-updates/ Hurricane Ian: Waves flood roads in Key West as storm strengthens to category 4 After spending most of Thursday as a tropical storm, Ian has now been upgraded to a hurricane again as it takes aim at the South Carolina coastline. President Joe Biden has issued an emergency declaration for the state. Ian is forecast to make landfall somewhere near Charleston, South Carolina, at about 2pm today. It will produce life-threatening flooding, storm surge and strong winds across parts of Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center. “Ian could slightly strengthen before landfall, and is forecast to rapidly weaken over the southeastern United States late Friday into Saturday,” an advisory said. Meanwhile, dozens of rescue operations have been taking place across Florida after unprecedented flooding from one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the United States. Thousands of people are stranded across the state as coastguard helicopters were seen plucking people from roofs after several feet of water surged into neighbourhoods. Some 2.5 million people remain without power. The damage and economic losses caused by Hurricane Ian could amount to as much as $120bn, according to the latest estimate. Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists Email Please enter a valid email Please enter a valid email Password Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number First name Please enter your first name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters Last name Please enter your last name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters You must be over 18 years old to register You must be over 18 years old to register Year of birth I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent.  Read our Privacy notice You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. Each email has a link to unsubscribe. Already have an account? sign in Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists Email Please enter a valid email Please enter a valid email Password Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number First name Please enter your first name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters Last name Please enter your last name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters You must be over 18 years old to register You must be over 18 years old to register Year of birth I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent.  Read our Privacy notice You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. Each email has a link to unsubscribe. Already have an account? sign in Read More…

Clergy Strive To Reconcile Politically Divided Congregations https://digitalalabamanews.com/clergy-strive-to-reconcile-politically-divided-congregations/ One member of Rabbi David Wolpe’s diverse congregation left because Wolpe would not preach sermons criticizing Donald Trump. Scores of others left over resentment with the synagogue’s rules for combating COVID-19. But Wolpe remains steadfast in his resolve to avoid politics when he preaches at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles. “It is not easy to keep people comfortable with each other and as part of one community,” he said. “A great failing of modern American society is that people get to know each other’s politics before they get to know their humanity.” Wolpe — whose congregation includes liberal Democrats and hundreds of conservative Iranian Americans — is far from alone in facing such challenges. Though many congregations in the U.S. are relatively homogeneous, others are sharply divided. In some cases, divisions are becoming more pronounced as midterm election season heats up, leaving clergy to keep the peace while still meeting the spiritual needs of all of their members. A Black pastor in Columbus, Ohio — Bishop Timothy Clarke of the First Church of God — says there are “deep divides” in his predominantly African American congregation of more than 2,000. He cited abortion as a particularly divisive topic in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling in June allowing states to ban the procedure. “There are good people on both sides,” said Clarke, who addressed the congregation’s differences in a recent sermon. “I talked about the fact God loves everybody, even those you disagree with,” he said. The Rev. Paul Roberts, senior pastor of Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, said his congregation – like many others — is dealing with one contentious issue after another. “The whole thing with Trump, Black Lives Matter, the pandemic really has highlighted a sense of uneasiness when you’re covering all these different topics as a church,” he said. “It just seems there isn’t anything that doesn’t have tension over it.” His church has about 140 regular attendees, a politically and theologically diverse group that’s about half Black and half white. He said a few people left the church over its support for the Black Lives Matter movement, but for the most part it has stayed together. He attributes that in part to hours of patient dialogue over such issues as mask-wearing and vaccines, which some Black members were wary of because of the history of medical maltreatment of African Americans. Rabbi Judith Siegal is asking members of her politically divided congregation in Coral Gables, Florida, to sign a code of ethics pledging to respect those with different views. Newly displayed signs at the synagogue, Temple Judea, hammer home this message. “No matter who you vote for, your skin color, where you are from, your faith, or who you love, we will be there for one another,” one sign says. “That’s what a community means.” Siegal said she and her assistant rabbi, Jonathan Fisch, are often asked by members of the Reform congregation to address certain issues “We’re careful about doing that in a way that’s value-driven, preaching from our tradition and our Torah,” she said. “For example, we know that welcoming immigrants is something that’s important to us as Jews — but we’re never going to tell anyone how to vote.” The Rev. Sarah Wilson said her congregation at St. Barnabas Lutheran Church in Cary, Illinois, includes Republican business leaders and liberal nurses and teachers. There are partisan differences, as well as conflicting views on abortion, but she aspires to keep political debate out of the church and avoid partisan rhetoric of her own. “Politics are very important to me — I vote in every election,” she said. “But I’m not here to tell a person how to vote or who to vote for. If people ask me, even for city council, I don’t do that.” The congregation at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and its connected Catholic school community is diverse ethnically, economically, and politically, said the Rev. David Boettner, rector of the cathedral and vicar general of the Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee. Mass is celebrated in five languages, and parishioners and student families speak more than a dozen at home; some are financially well off while others struggle to get by, he said. “We’ve definitely got folks that belong to the Democratic Party and folks that belong to the Republican Party, and folks that probably don’t belong to either,” Boettner said. Political issues crop up in conversations at church, but Boettner suspects members are less likely to share polarizing views with him because he is their priest. They share more freely on social media, and he has noticed an increase in political posts as the midterm elections approach. Abortion and religious liberty, including the recent Supreme Court rulings, are prominent, he said. Boettner said he strives for consistency in preaching about the Catholic teachings on moral, social and economic justice issues, while steering clear of endorsing specific policies. Prayers are offered for all leaders, not just those from a particular party. “The church is not partisan,” Boettner said. “The Catholic Church is probably a great example of a church that offends both Democrats and Republicans alike.” In Bluefield, West Virginia, the Rev. Frederick Brown said he has sought “the middle of the road” during nearly three decades as pastor of a diverse but collegial congregation at Faith Center Church. “Staying in the middle of the road means God thinks it’s all important,” he said. “When you vote, you can vote your convictions — but don’t attack anyone else’s convictions because they’re different from yours.” At Sinai Temple, Rabbi Wolpe strives to encourage mutual respect within his congregation. He cites the men’s book club as a positive example: In a recent initiative, it alternated reading a book by a left-of-center author, then a book by a conservative. Yet Wolpe, 64, says political divisions have become deeply entrenched. “When I was born, people objected to their children marrying someone from another race but didn’t object to marrying someone from a different political party,” he said. “Now it’s the reverse.” Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox Read More…

Abortion Key To Ellison’s Second Term Hopes https://digitalalabamanews.com/abortion-key-to-ellisons-second-term-hopes/ MINNEAPOLIS — Keith Ellison gave up a safe seat in Congress to run for Minnesota attorney general, saying it was his best chance to push back against the policies of Donald Trump. Now locked in a tough reelection fight, he’s arguing that he’s been far less of a partisan warrior than his critics claim. Ellison squeaked into office in 2018, taking a post that Democrats had traditionally won easily. But he was a polarizing figure in the eyes of some voters. The outspoken progressive came from the Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic Party, and Republicans tried to draw attention to his past associations with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, though Ellison had publicly renounced Farrakhan when he first ran for the U.S. House in 2006. His bid for a second term as attorney general comes after four tumultuous years that put Minnesota in the world spotlight over the police killings of George Floyd and other Black men. His Republican opponent, hedge fund lawyer Jim Schultz, says Ellison deserves much of the blame for the surge in violent crime that followed. “They think I’m going to be a firebrand and I end up being a fairly pragmatic guy,” Ellison said in an interview. “That’s true of my entire service.” Ellison was already leading a major initiative for greater police accountability when Floyd died under the knee of former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin in 2020. Ellison went on to lead the prosecution team that got Chauvin convicted of murder the next year, a verdict that potentially averted another eruption of violence. Ellison also took a step that his Republican critics are now trying to use against him. He strongly backed a charter amendment in Minneapolis that arose from the “defund the police” movement. It would have replaced the city’s police department with a loosely defined department of public safety, with details to be worked out later. Voters rejected it. On the campaign trail, Schultz depicts Ellison as being “at the forefront of the defund-the-police movement” and blames that movement for the departures of hundreds of dispirited police officers in Minneapolis and elsewhere. And he blames those losses for the spike in gun violence, carjackings and other crimes since the pandemic. “Far left, extreme politicians like Keith Ellison have gotten behind really reckless policies like defunding the police,” Schultz said in an interview. “It’s deeply wrong. It’s immoral.” Violent crime has been rising across Minnesota since the pandemic began, with Minneapolis accounting for much of the increase, while its police force has fallen about 300 officers short of its authorized strength. Minnesota saw a 21.6% statewide increase in violent crime in 2021 from 2020, with violent crime in greater Minnesota rising by 16% and by 23.9% in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. Ellison said he doesn’t regret supporting the charter amendment, but he said he never supported “defunding the police” and said it didn’t accurately describe the amendment. He also dismissed Schultz’s claim that he’s hostile to police, saying he regards policing as a noble profession and that Chauvin did more to invite scorn and demoralize officers than anything he ever did. “I’m the one who prosecuted him for killing George Floyd,” Ellison said. “So I’m the one trying to restore the honor and dignity of policing.” Ellison also led the prosecution of former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter, who said she confused her gun for her Taser when she killed Daunte Wright during a traffic stop last year. She was convicted of manslaughter in December. Schultz has said he would support commuting her two-year sentence. Crime isn’t the only issue that has Schultz, a 36-year-old political newcomer, hopeful of being the first Republican to occupy the attorney general’s office since 1971. He also accuses Ellison of “unbelievable incompetence” for failing to stop a massive fraud scheme in its early stages, with 49 people charged so far with stealing at least $250 million from federal programs administered by the state to provide low-income children with nutritious meals during the pandemic. Ellison has countered that his office helped uncover the fraud. If Ellison is to survive both that attack and the policing criticism to win a second term, abortion rights is likely to be the issue that does it. Schultz vowed this spring to do everything in his power as attorney general to aggressively defend the unborn. After Roe’s reversal, he joined many other Republicans trying to pivot away from abortion and back to crime in a state where abortion rights are protected under the state constitution. Meanwhile, Ellison brought New York Attorney General Letitia James to Minnesota in early September to raise money from abortion rights supporters in the legal community. Soon after, he visited an abortion clinic in Moorhead that moved across the border from Fargo, North Dakota, to escape a trigger ban on abortion. Ellison vowed early on that his office won’t cooperate if other states seek to prosecute women who come to Minnesota for abortions. Ellison said the election is about more than abortion rights or crime. Trump’s rhetoric, the Jan. 6 insurrection, the Supreme Court’s abortion decision and the rise of “MAGA Republicans” have put democracy in doubt, he said. Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox Read More…

Robert Roode Indicates Surgery Following WWE Hiatus https://digitalalabamanews.com/robert-roode-indicates-surgery-following-wwe-hiatus/ Robert Roode took to Instagram today and indicated that he has been suffering from an injury. Roode posted a photo of Southlake Orthopaedics in Birmingham, Alabama and said he was heading back home after what he hopes is a successful trip to the facility. Roode also thanked Southlake and Andrew Sports Medicine, which often takes care of injured WWE Superstars. “Heading home after what is hoped to be a successful trip to Birmingham AL . Big thank you to @southlakeortho and @andrews_sports_medicine for taking great care of me this week. Especially to the first class medical staff of Dr Micheal Ellerbusch , Dr Andrew Cordover and Dr Charles Carnel,” he wrote. Roode attached another photo with the post that indicates he underwent surgery, but he did not elaborate on why he was visiting the doctors, or why he has been out of the ring. Roode has not wrestled since losing to Omos at the WWE live event in Amarillo, TX on June 25. His last TV match was the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the April 1 SmackDown, and his last singles TV match was the loss to WWE NXT Champion Bron Breakker on March 22. There’s no word yet on when Roode will be back in action, but we will keep you updated. You can see Roode’s full Instagram post below: Stay tuned to WrestlingHeadlines.com for more. Follow Marc on Twitter at @this_is_marc. Send any news, tips or corrections to us by clicking here. Read More…

Stock Futures Inch Lower Following Thursday’s Broad Sell-Off https://digitalalabamanews.com/stock-futures-inch-lower-following-thursdays-broad-sell-off/ Stock futures were lower on Friday morning following a sharp sell-off that brought the S&P 500 to a new 2022 low. Futures tied to the S&P 500 were down 0.25%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures lost 0.36% or 106 points. Nasdaq 100 futures were 0.26% lower. The 2022 sell-off resumed in full force during regular trading on Thursday as investors weighed concerns over future rate-hiking decisions from the Federal Reserve and the impact on the market. Apple led Thursday’s decline, closing down 4.9% as the tech giant has faced reports of declining demand for its new products, specifically the iPhone 14 series. Bank of America also downgraded the tech giant, which pressured shares. At the end of regular trading on Thursday, the S&P 500 dropped 2.1% to 3,640.47. The Dow was down 1.54% to 29,225.61, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 2.84% to 10,737.51. The major indexes are also on track to end the week — and September — sharply in the red. The S&P 500 is off 1.4% for the week, while the Dow and the Nasdaq are each down 1.2%. For September, the S&P 500 is down 7.9%, and the Dow is off 7.2%. The Nasdaq is on track for a loss of 9.1% for the month. “The market stinks,” said Jamie Cox, managing partner of Harris Financial Group. “But that’s basically what the Fed wants: tighten financial conditions, and they believe that that will help bring down inflation to the levels that they find acceptable. And they’re using the transmission mechanism of the market to make that happen.” Nike shares fell in after-hours trading after the company reported that sales increased, but supply chain and inventory issues hampered the bottom line in its fiscal first quarter. Meanwhile, Amylyx Pharmaceuticals‘ shares spiked after the Food and Drug Administration approved its drug for Lou Gehrig’s disease. On the economic data front, investors will watch for personal income and spending and consumer spending Friday morning. The Federal Reserve’s favorite measure of inflation, the PCE deflator, is also due for August. China reports better-than-expected factory activity for September China’s official manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index surprisingly grew in September to 50.1, much higher than the 49.6 predicted by analysts in a Reuters poll. The 50-point mark separates growth from contraction. PMI prints compare activity from month to month. Meanwhile, the Caixin/S&P Global manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index, a private survey of factory activity — reported a contraction with a reading of 48.1. “Subdued demand conditions and lower production requirements led firms to cut back on their purchasing activity in September, with the rate of decline the quickest in four months,” the Caixin press release said. The official non-manufacturing PMI came in at 50.6 in September, down from 52.6 in August. — Abigail Ng CNBC Pro: Is the Fed on the right track? Wall Street veteran Ed Yardeni says this is what it should do next The U.S Federal Reserve announced yet another 75 basis point hike earlier this month, sending the federal funds rate up to a range of 3% to 3.25%. The central bank also signaled it may raise interest rates up to as high as 4.6% in 2023 to control inflation. Ed Yardeni, the economist who coined the term “bond vigilantes,” gives his take as the Fed’s response to inflation comes under intense scrutiny. Pro subscribers can read more here. — Zavier Ong Nike, Amylyx move in post-market trading Nike and Amylyx Pharmaceuticals are moving after hours. The sportswear giant Nike was down about 9.2% in after-hour trading Thursday after reporting first-quarter earnings after the bell. Despite beating revenue expectations, the company said supply chain and inventory issues hurt the bottom line. On the other hand, Amylyx saw shares up nearly 10% in extended trading. The pharmaceutical company received approval from the Food and Drug Administration late in the afternoon for its controversial new drug expected to slow the progress of Lou Gehrig’s disease. — Alex Harring Indices slide week to date, month to date The three major indices are all on pace to slide this week. The Dow is down about 1.23% week to date, putting it on track for its sixth negative week out of the last second. It dropped 7.25% so far this month, which places it on pace for its worst month since March 2020 – when the pandemic began. The S&P 500 was also on track for its sixth negative week out of the last seven, notching down 1.43% so far this week. It has fallen 7.95% month to date, which would be its worst month since June if it remains at that level. Also heading toward its sixth negative week out of the last seven, the Nasdaq slid 1.2% so far this week. It is down 9.13% month to date, meaning it is on track for its worst monthly performance since April. — Alex Harring Futures tick up slightly in first hour Futures ticked up slightly after open Thursday evening following a day of sell-offs as nervous investors continue wondering how the Federal Reserve’s fight against inflation will impact markets. Futures for the S&P 500 were up 0.33%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were up slightly less at 0.23%. Nasdaq 100 futures followed closely, up 0.21%. — Alex Harring Read More…

Trump Pleads For Political Donations From Mar-A-Lago – Follow Live https://digitalalabamanews.com/trump-pleads-for-political-donations-from-mar-a-lago-follow-live/ Former US president Donald Trump claims he can declassify top secret documents just ‘by thinking about it’ A court filing by Donald Trump’s legal team has revealed that the former president hoarded some 200,000 pages of federal documents upon leaving office, spread between the 11,000 documents already mentioned following the search of Mar-a-Lago. In the filing, which contains Mr Trump’s objections to an accelerated review schedule laid out by special master US District Judge Raymond Dearie, his lawyers argue that an early October deadline for scanning and reviewing the documents is unrealistic because they cannot be processed quickly enough. The former president’s team also claims that Judge Dearie is overstepping his authority by asking them to confirm the inventory of what was seized. They argue only the Justice Department can do so. As Florida reeled from the impact of Hurricane Ian on Wednesday, Mr Trump pleaded on social media for donations… to his political campaign ahead of a fundraising deadline. Rescue and recovery efforts had yet begun. Having postponed Wednesday’s final public hearing because of the storm, the January 6 House select committee is instead interviewing conservative activist Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, about her actions after the 2020 election. Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists Email Please enter a valid email Please enter a valid email Password Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number First name Please enter your first name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters Last name Please enter your last name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters You must be over 18 years old to register You must be over 18 years old to register Year of birth I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent.  Read our Privacy notice You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. Each email has a link to unsubscribe. Already have an account? sign in Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists Email Please enter a valid email Please enter a valid email Password Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number First name Please enter your first name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters Last name Please enter your last name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters You must be over 18 years old to register You must be over 18 years old to register Year of birth I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent.  Read our Privacy notice You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. Each email has a link to unsubscribe. Already have an account? sign in Read More…

Stacey Abrams Looks To Win Black Men In Bid For Ga. Governor https://digitalalabamanews.com/stacey-abrams-looks-to-win-black-men-in-bid-for-ga-governor/ Georgia Democratic candidate for governor Stacey Abrams speaks at a campaign event on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, in Atlanta, flanked by radio and TV personality Charlamagne tha God, left, rapper 21 Savage and civil rights lawyer Francys Johnson, right. The event is one of a series that Abrams has done to appeal to Black men in her race against Republican incumbent Brian Kemp. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy) The Associated Press By JEFF AMY and BILL BARROW, Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Democrat Stacey Abrams was on stage for an hour with radio and television host Charlamagne tha God and rapper 21 Savage when she faced a question from a skeptical audience member. “A lot of politicians speak about their plan and what they plan to do, but I also notice that I never hear a clear turnaround of when their plan will go into effect,” said Soheem Perry, who lives in suburban Atlanta. “If it doesn’t happen within the time that’s been promised, how should we feel about our vote?” Perry captured the alienation some Black Americans feel about the political process. Democrats court their votes every election year yet sometimes struggle to deliver on certain promises. But in her bid to become America’s first Black woman governor, Abrams needs support even from disillusioned voters. The concern is especially acute when it comes to Black men, who some analysts suggest have trickled recently to Republicans. A large majority of Black men have still cast votes for Democrats in recent elections, meaning the bigger fear in a tight race is that they won’t vote at all. Political Cartoons Abrams acknowledges the possibility. She built her national profile by insisting Democrats can compete in Georgia, a longtime Republican stronghold, if they attract marginal or disaffected voters, including Black men. “If Black men turn out in the numbers and support me at the levels they’re capable of, I can win this election, because we know Black men sometimes punch below their weight class,” Abrams said at the event. “They’ve got reasons to be distrustful, and they’ve got reasons to be disconnected. And it is not only disingenuous, it would be bad practice, for me to not do the work to show that I understand.” To maximize Black male support, Abrams has held a series of events targeting them. A recent gathering in an un-air-conditioned warehouse featured free food and T-shirts. Abrams delivered bits of her standard speech in response to questions from Charlemagne, 21 Savage and civil rights lawyer Francys Johnson. But the topics were tilted toward the audience, with discussions of how Abrams opposes letting prosecutors use rap lyrics in gang prosecutions, how she wants to decriminalize — but not legalize — marijuana because she fears federal criminal charges, and how she believes Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has abandoned efforts to make Georgia’s criminal justice system less punitive. “We need leadership that sees us, that serves us and that believes in us,” Abrams said. “The current governor has proven on every one of those metrics that he does not care.” Black voters made up 29% of the general electorate during Abrams’ 2018 gubernatorial bid, according to Georgia voting records. Abrams won 94% of Black votes, according to AP VoteCast data, and still lost to Kemp by about 55,000 votes out of 4 million cast. In 2020, President Joe Biden topped Donald Trump in Georgia by less than 12,000 votes out of 5 million. Strong turnout among white voters meant Black voters accounted for 27% of that electorate, with VoteCast showing that Biden won 92% of the Black vote. In Georgia’s 2021 runoffs, which elected two Democrats to the U.S. Senate, Black voters cast 28% of ballots. Yet in these and other elections, a significantly larger share of Black women voted than Black men. Abrams’ team identifies 3.9 million Georgia voters as its universe of potential support, but knows she won’t get them all, said campaign manager Lauren Groh-Wargo. About 2.5 million are Black, Groh-Wargo said. Biden, at almost 2.5 million votes in 2020, won more votes than any Democrat ever before in Georgia. Abrams got 1.92 million votes in 2018. A subtext in Abrams’ effort is that Black men may be overshadowed in the Democratic Party by Black women. Black women have long been an anchor of Democrats’ coalition. They were credited with putting Alabama Democrat Doug Jones over the top in an upset U.S. Senate victory in 2017. Abrams’ 2018 near-miss forced a rethinking by white-dominated donor circles and media about Black women’s viability as statewide candidates. Biden’s path to the White House further affirmed Black women’s political power. In the Democratic primaries, Biden lost badly in overwhelmingly white Iowa and New Hampshire before surging to the nomination largely by sweeping Southern states with larger Black populations, driven by strong turnout in particular from Black women. With that in mind, Biden, as president, has elevated women of color. Kamala Harris, his vice president, is Black and of Jamaican and Indian descent, and the first woman to hold the office. Biden also delivered on a campaign promise to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, resulting in Ketanji Brown Jackson becoming the court’s 116th justice. Nsé Ufot, who leads the New Georgia Project, a voting rights group Abrams founded as a state lawmaker, said it would be “disingenuous” to say the newfound attention on Black women is “not a factor” in how some Black men view politics currently. But Ufot said any resentments “are not as big a deal as the hand-wringing class” might think. “The question is whether she can make the hard sell, taking the case directly to Black men.” Abrams herself disputes any characterization that her focus on Black men reveals a “weakness” in her campaign. “Every candidate, every campaign has to work hard to make certain that people believe it’s worth voting, and that’s what I’m doing,” she told a gathering of Black journalists this week in Washington, adding that she’s trying to address “distrust and despair” among voters who “are not seeing the results they thought they would see.” Indeed, it’s not that Black men aren’t overwhelmingly faithful Democrats, said Leah Wright Rigueur, a Johns Hopkins University expert on African American political power. “The majority of Black men are exactly where they were a couple of years ago, which is that they’re consistent and loyal and partisan voters and supporters of Democratic candidates,” she said. But Wright Rigueur said former President Barack Obama maxed out support from Black men, drawing some Black Republicans who’ve since moved back toward the GOP. She also said others are frustrated that previous Democratic victories haven’t had a big impact on their lives. “There is a cross section of Black men that manifest their frustration with failures of the Democratic Party by saying, ‘You have to earn my vote,’” she said. One of those is Tim Black, a Washington commentator who says he’s an independent. He warned in a recent video that it would a be a “slap in the face” to blame Black men if Abrams loses, and that no one has an “obligation” to back her. “We’re tired as hell of being talked down to,” Black said. “Here’s a radical idea: Instead of telling us who to vote for, give us some tangible reasons to vote for you.” Abrams seemed to sense that criticism at her event, holding up her policy ideas as ways to help people directly. “There’s a Twitter universe that presumes that if you don’t say exactly what they want to hear, you don’t have an agenda for Black men. I get it,” Abrams said. “It just so happens that I know that if the agenda for Black men works, it works for everyone.” Groh-Wargo described voters overall as “exhausted” by the 2020 campaign, including the Senate runoffs two months after the presidential election. She acknowledged frustrations among less habitual Democratic voters who “showed up” to defeat Trump only to face a pandemic economy, inflation and nonstop campaigning. “There’s a Black men’s Democratic problem in California. It’s not just us,” Groh-Wargo said. “There is softness because Black voters in America are having this collective experience. … People do not feel seen and heard.” But, she insisted, “They don’t feel that way about Stacey,” because Abrams is “showing up.” For Perry, the voter who asked whether Abrams could keep her promises, that may be enough. He said Abrams didn’t fully answer his question, but his “gut feeling about her … is genuineness.” And, he added, “That’s what I normally feel like I don’t feel from politicians.” Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More…

Jackson Set To Make Supreme Court Debut In Brief Ceremony https://digitalalabamanews.com/jackson-set-to-make-supreme-court-debut-in-brief-ceremony/ Nation & World Posted 12:31 AM Updated 26 mins ago increase font size President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses are expected Friday at the invitation-only ceremonial investiture for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. By MARK SHERMANAssociated Press WASHINGTON — Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is making her first appearance on the Supreme Court bench in a brief courtroom ceremony three days ahead of the start of the high court’s new term. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses are expected Friday at the invitation-only ceremonial investiture for Jackson, the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. Ketanji Brown Jackson speaks during an event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, April 8, 2022, celebrating the confirmation of Jackson as the first Black woman to reach the Supreme Court. Andrew Harnik/Associated Press During the ceremony, the 52-year-old Jackson will follow the custom of every other new justice since 1972 and sit in a chair that once belonged to John Marshall, who served as chief justice for 34 years in the early 1800s. Marshall also was a slaveholder, perhaps adding a special poignancy to Jackson taking her place in his one-time possession. She is only the third Black justice in the court’s history, along with her new colleague Justice Clarence Thomas and the late Justice Thurgood Marshall. Friday’s ceremony includes the reading of the proclamation appointing Jackson to the court. She will also repeat the oath she took when she formally joined the court in June, just after the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer. Jackson was confirmed in April on a 53-47 vote in the Senate, with three Republican senators joining all Democrats to support her. Biden had pledged during his presidential campaign that he would nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court. Jackson is the first justice appointed by a Democratic president since Justice Elena Kagan joined the court in 2010. Kagan was appointed by former President Barack Obama, who also appointed Justice Sonia Sotomayor in 2009. It appeared Obama would get a third high court pick when Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016. But Senate Republicans refused to take up Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland, then serving as a federal appeals court judge. Garland, now Attorney General, will also participate in Friday’s ceremony. Former President Donald Trump eventually chose Justice Neil Gorsuch, the first of his three Supreme Court appointees, to fill Scalia’s seat. Invalid username/password. Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration. Use the form below to reset your password. When you’ve submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code. Read More…

AP News Summary At 11:44 P.m. EDT https://digitalalabamanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-1144-p-m-edt/ Floods trap many in Florida as Ian heads to South Carolina FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Ian has regained some strength after exiting Florida and taking aim at South Carolina. The National Hurricane Center said the storm spent only a few hours as a weakened tropical storm over Florida before it spun up into a Category 1 hurricane on Thursday in the Atlantic Ocean. Rescue crews were wading through water and using boats to rescue Florida residents stranded in the wake of Hurricane Ian. The Orange County fire department posted photos of crews in a flooded neighborhood in the Orlando area. At least four people in Florida were confirmed dead on the state’s eastern coast. Forecasters have issued a hurricane warning for coastal South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina ahead of another landfall Friday. Russia to annex more of Ukraine on Friday at the Kremlin KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia is planning to annex more of Ukraine on Friday. The move represents an escalation of the seven-month war that is expected to isolate the Kremlin further, draw more international punishment and bring extra support to Ukraine. An annexation ceremony is planned in the Kremlin. The annexation would come just days after voters supposedly approved Moscow-managed “referendums” that Ukrainian and Western officials have denounced as illegal, forced and rigged. In an apparent response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called an emergency meeting Friday of his National Security and Defense Council. Russia opens more border draft offices amid call-up exodus Russian authorities are opening more military enlistment offices near Russia’s borders in an apparent effort to intercept Russian men of fighting age who are trying to avoid getting called up to fight in Ukraine. Saratov regional officials said a new draft office opened Thursday at a checkpoint on Russia’s border with Kazakhstan. Another military enlistment center was to open at a crossing in the Astrakhan region, also on the border with Kazakhstan. Earlier this week, makeshift Russian draft offices were set up near a border crossing into Georgia and on Russia’s border with Finland. Russian officials say they would hand call-up notices to all eligible men who were trying to leave the country. 1/6 chairman: Ginni Thomas reiterates false election claims WASHINGTON (AP) — Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has stood by the false claim that the 2020 election was fraudulent during an interview with the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. That is according to Rep. Bennie Thompson, the panel’s Democratic chairman. The committee has for months sought an interview with Thomas in an effort to know more about her role in trying to help former President Donald Trump overturn his election defeat. She texted with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and contacted lawmakers in Arizona and Wisconsin after the election. Thomas’ attorney says his client was solely focused on ensuring reports of voter fraud and irregularities were investigated. Hurricane Ian sweeps away homes, memories on barrier islands FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Cars are left abandoned where they stalled on the road into Fort Myers Beach when Hurricane Ian’s storm surge flooded their engines and their drivers couldn’t continue. Broken trees, boat trailers and other debris litter the path. It’s even worse in the seaside tourist town, much of which was flattened by the fierce winds and powerful storm surge generated by the Category 4 hurricane. The barrier islands along the southwest Florida coast are famed for their seashells, fishing and laid-back lifestyle. They took major hits from Ian when it came ashore Wednesday and residents tried to salvage what they could Thursday. Trump records probe: Tensions flare over special master WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI search of Donald Trump’s Florida estate has spawned a parallel “special master” process that has slowed the Justice Department’s criminal investigation and exposed simmering tensions between department prosecutors and lawyers for the former president. The probe into the presence of top secret information at Mar-a-Lago continues. But barbed rhetoric in the past week’s court filings has laid bare deep disagreements related to the special master’s work and made clear that a process the Trump team initially sought has not been playing to the president’s advantage. The special master, Raymond Dearie, is a former federal prosecutor and served as a U.S. District judge in Brooklyn. S. Korea, US and Japan hold anti-N. Korean submarine drills SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea, U.S. and Japanese warships have launched their first anti-submarine drills in five years, after North Korea renewed ballistic missile tests this week. South Korea says Friday’s one-day trilateral training off the Korean Peninsula’s east coast is meant to cope with a North Korean push to advance its ability to fire missile from submarines. North Korea has been building bigger submarines including a nuclear-powered one and testing sophisticated missiles that can be fired from them in recent years. The North’s recent five missiles launches, the first such tests in a month, also came before and after U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visited South Korea. Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa stretchered off with head injury CINCINNATI (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained neck and head injuries after being slammed to the ground Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals, and was stretchered from the field. The Dolphins said Tagovailoa was conscious and had movement in all his extremities after being taken by stretcher from the field and to University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The Dolphins said after their 27-15 loss to the Bengals that Tagovailoa was expected to be released from the hospital and fly home with the team. Tagovailoa was chased down and sacked by Josh Tupou with about six minutes left in the first half. He remained down for more than seven minutes before being loaded on a backboard, stabilized and removed via stretcher. Study finds that climate change added 10% to Ian’s rainfall A quick study by two scientists calculates that climate change made Hurricane Ian 10% rainier than it would have been if there were no such thing as global warming. Thursday’s analysis, which was not peer reviewed, is based on 20 computer simulations of a world with no climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. Scientists then compared those scenarios to what was playing out in real time with Hurricane Ian. The authors compared the highest rainfall rates over three hours. Biden vows US commitment to Pacific Islands at summit WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has told visiting leaders from more than a dozen Pacific Island countries that the U.S. is committed to bolstering its presence in their region and becoming a more collaborative partner as they face the “existential threat” of climate change. The president on Thursday addressed the leaders who gathered in Washington for a summit as the White House looks to improve relations in the Pacific amid heightened U.S. concern about China’s growing economic and military influence. Biden hosted the leaders for a dinner at the White House on Thursday evening. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More…

Tua Tagovailoa, Noah Igbinoghene Among NFL Flag-Bearers https://digitalalabamanews.com/tua-tagovailoa-noah-igbinoghene-among-nfl-flag-bearers/ Eight players with Alabama football roots will be wearing international flag decals on their helmets during Weeks 4 and 5 of the NFL schedule. Across the NFL, more than 200 players and coaches are participating in the initiative intended to celebrate the league’s nationalities and cultures. Each decal will represent the flag-bearer’s native nation or country of cultural heritage. MORE NFL: · EAGLES QB JALEN HURTS WINS MONTHLY NFL AWARD · DERRICK BROWN’S INTERCEPTION: ‘HE THOUGHT IT WAS A BURGER’ · CTE PIONEER SAYS TUA TAGOVAILOA SHOULDN’T BE PLAYING Alongside the U.S. flag, players were eligible to wear the flag of another country or territory if they lived there for at least two years or had a parent or grandparent born there. Players from Alabama high schools and colleges participating (with their nations) include: · Miami Dolphins cornerback Noah Igbinoghene (Hewitt-Trussville, Auburn): Nigera · Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (Alabama): Philippines · Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (Alabama): Haiti · Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Central-Phenix City): Belize · Philadelphia Eagles punter Arryn Siposs (Auburn): Australia · Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama): Samoa · Denver Broncos punter Corliss Waitman (South Alabama): Suriname · Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Prince Tega Wanogho (Edgewood Academy, Auburn): Nigeria “I am proud to represent my heritage with the Samoan flag on my helmet,” Tagovailoa said. “My family and my culture are very important to me. Our name means everything, and it’s an honor to be able to represent not only my family’s name but also my Samoan heritage as an NFL player. I hope that in doing so, I can encourage kids from the islands to keep pursuing their dreams and to also be proud of their culture and where they’ve come from.” RELATED: NFL WEEK 4: SCHEDULE, TV, ODDS Participating coaches will wear pins instead of decals. Among those coaches will be New England Patriots running-backs coach Vinnie Sunseri, a former Alabama safety. He’ll be wearing a pin for Italy. “The NFL is proud of the extensive collection of nationalities and heritage of its players across the league,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “We recognize the many cultures they represent and the excitement they bring to their home fans, which ultimately helps grow our game.” FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…

Ian Becomes A Hurricane Again As It Takes Aim At South Carolina https://digitalalabamanews.com/ian-becomes-a-hurricane-again-as-it-takes-aim-at-south-carolina/ ORLANDO, Fla. — The emergency call came from the nursing home shortly after 5 a.m.: Water was seeping into the low-slung, low-lying complex called Avante at Orlando and threatening its 106 residents, some of them too frail to walk. By daybreak, dozens of rescue workers had descended on Avante, which bills itself as a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center. The water in the building was about a foot deep, but it was perhaps as high as three feet in the parking lot outside. Many of the patients, in their 80s or 90s, were wheeled out on cots, their white sheets billowing in the whipping winds trailing Hurricane Ian, their faces filled with fear and confusion. Soon, however, they were safe — if shaken and wet — in vans and buses bound for shelters and hospitals. As epic rain and high wind pounded much of central Florida on Thursday, a picture emerged of what the storm had wrought, from wrenching catastrophe to mere gale-force inconvenience. The battered landscape ranged from utter devastation on the southwestern coast to wearily familiar flooding in St. Augustine near the state’s northeastern edge. Rescue teams worked feverishly to retrieve people from the barrier islands near Cape Coral, and wrecked boats and drifts of rotting debris piled up along the eviscerated beach in Fort Myers. In Arcadia, Fla., about an hour to the north, the quaint historic district was a ravaged display of broken glass and blown-out storefronts. Water had swallowed a swath of West Oak Street, on the east end of the bridge that spans Peace River, and a DeSoto County Sheriff’s deputy implored a line of drivers not to attempt to cross on Thursday. “It’s at your own risk,” he said to car after car. “We’re not going to tow you or be able to get you out if you’re stuck. Do you understand?” Behind him, a small four-door car stalled. Elsewhere, however, many inland survivors viewed the storm as a worst-case scenario averted. “It’s a cliché, but we got lucky,” Paul Womble, the director of emergency management in Polk County in central Florida, said, noting that anticipated tornadoes had failed to materialize and that no injuries had been reported. Due east of Tampa Bay, the county had first braced for complete disaster, with the hurricane seemingly headed straight for it, and then for two feet of rain as the storm shifted south, as well as a massive surge in the already swollen Peace River. But the hurricane had spent a good deal of its force by the time it hit the southern end of the county, and the damage, Mr. Womble said, was limited mostly to power outages and a carpet of debris, branches and snapped power poles. Cleanup would be substantial, he said, but Hurricane Irma in 2017 probably would turn out to have been more destructive. In the small town of Bartow, Pete Miranda, a Polk County resident for half a century, was relieved but still shaken. “Dude, it was bad,” said Mr. Miranda, who was raking up branches near his home at a battered-but-still-standing mobile home park. A former oil driller, he said he had stayed behind to watch for looters but the storm was far more violent than he had expected. “It was whistling at me like it was a woman,” he said. “But don’t get me wrong — it was scary.” Where Ian passed as a still powerful but somewhat diminished Category 3 storm, the landscape just inland from the Gulf Coast looked rattled but not ruined. Giant oaks lay broken next to highways covered in thick carpets of leaves and Spanish moss, cow pastures were now small lakes, and the aluminum roof of one gas station plaza was slam-dunked into the ground. Power crews were everywhere, and so was the work cut out for them, with utility poles snapped and dangling on their own sagging power lines. In towns and even small cities, traffic lights were mostly dark, and the cars and trucks waited hesitantly at each intersection. Gas stations were mostly out of service. North of the storm’s track, while people were busy clearing huge mats of debris from roofs and porches, the homes themselves were mostly still standing. The low-lying areas of some towns — places that local officials said had routinely flooded in Charley and Irma and even some recent bad storms — had flooded again but not as severely as they had at times in the past. But the closer one got to Fort Myers, the reports of damage became more dire. Large parts of Hardee County, a rural area that was devastated by Charley in 2004, were flooded on Thursday, and the sheriff’s department said in a Facebook post that the waters were still rising. “Search and rescue missions are still underway,” the post said. “It will be dark soon.” In Orlando, the heart of the state’s tourist industry, the mayor of surrounding Orange County said about only half of the two feet of predicted rain had fallen, and Disney World said its theme parks would resume operation on Friday in a phased reopening. Still, the Orlando neighborhood of Rio Pinar Estates had become a giant, impassible lake as the mayor briefed the public, and some 200,000 residents were without electricity. The houses, many of them broad, one-story ranches, had not gone under, although many had taken on water: In the street, it appeared to be three feet deep or more in places. Rescue crews had taken out some residents in boats. At around 11 a.m., Ava King, who lives in the last house before the water started, was yelling at the driver of a pickup truck that was nosing into the water. “I wouldn’t do it,” she hollered. The truck was in up to its headlights. It slowly backed up. Inside her house, the power was out, and towels were all over the floor. A little water had seeped in, and a creek that runs behind the house was engorged and took up the entire backyard. Ms. King’s neighbor, Jessica Murphy, 39, was sprawled out on a sofa. She lived two doors down. She said she had to swim to Ms. King’s house. “About midnight, I noticed that there was water coming in. By 3 a.m. it was to my knees,” Ms. Murphy said. She was alone; her three children were with her ex-husband. And she was worried about water in her power outlets. She struggled to figure out how to cut off the electricity. “I didn’t know if it was safest to stay or safest to go,” she said. She called Ms. King and said she was coming over. “I tried to get out my front door. It wouldn’t open because there was so much water on the other side,” she said. “So I had to go out the boys’ room window in the front of the house.” She didn’t know how long it would take to fix up her place and make it livable again. For now, she said, she was going to live with her father. “He’s dry,” she said of his house. “He’s bone dry.” Rick Rojas and Michael Majchrowicz contributed reporting. Read More…

Thursday Roundup: Central-Phenix City, Piedmont Win https://digitalalabamanews.com/thursday-roundup-central-phenix-city-piedmont-win/ High School Sports Published: Sep. 29, 2022, 10:32 p.m. Central-Phenix City 35, Dothan 28 Central-Phenix City quarterback Jaylen Epps threw four touchdown passes to four different receivers and uncommitted 4-star senior Karmello English scored two TDs to lead the Red Devils to a Class 7A, Region 2 victory over Dothan at Rip Hewes Stadium in Dothan. Dothan running back Octavious Thomas logged 57 carries for 285 yards and four touchdowns, according to the stat sheet provided to AL.com. That ranks No. 2 all-time in AHSAA history for single-game carries, according to the AHSAA’s online record book. Thomas scored on runs of 6, 1, 1 and 4 yards, as he carried the ball on 57 of Dothan’s 63 offensive plays. The Red Devils (5-2 overall, 4-1 in region) led 21-7 at halftime, 28-14 in the third quarter and 35-21 midway through the fourth quarter. For Dothan (5-2, 3-2), the loss ended a three-game winning streak. English scored the game’s first touchdown on a 1-yard run and added a 23-yard TD reception to make it 14-7. Epps’ other TD passes covered 57 yards to Cameron Coleman, 17 yards to Jared Wiley and 1 yard to Romello Green. Central plays at Lee-Montgomery next week, and Dothan plays Enterprise at home. Piedmont 34, Westbrook Christian 0 Jack Hayes threw two second-half touchdown passes, Sloan Smith kicked field goals of 29 and 30 yards and the Bulldogs got its first shutout of the season. For Westbrook (4-2 overall, 2-2 in Class 3A, Region 6), it’s the first time the team has been shut out since falling 35-0 to Randolph last year. Piedmont (4-2 overall, 4-0 in Class 3A, Region 6) plays at Glencoe next week, while Westbrook is at Geraldine. This post will be updated. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…

Trump Docs Probe: Tensions Flare Over Special Master Process https://digitalalabamanews.com/trump-docs-probe-tensions-flare-over-special-master-process/ This photo shows an aerial view of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club Aug. 31, 2022, in Palm Beach, Fla. The FBI search of Donald Trump’s Florida estate has spawned a parallel special master process that this month slowed down a criminal investigation and exposed simmering tensions between Justice Department prosecutors and lawyers for the former president. The probe into the presence of top-secret information at Mar-a-Lago continues. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File) WASHINGTON — The parallel “special master” process spawned by the FBI search of Donald Trump’s Florida estate has slowed the Justice Department’s criminal investigation and exposed simmering tensions between department prosecutors and lawyers for the former president. The probe into the presence of top-secret government information at Mar-a-Lago continues. But barbed comments in the past week’s court filings have laid bare deep disagreements related to the special master’s work And the filings have made clear that a process the Trump team initially sought has not been playing to the president’s advantage. A look at where things stand: WHO IS THE SPECIAL MASTER AND WHAT IS HIS ROLE? A federal judge in Florida appointed at the Trump team’s request an independent arbiter to inspect the thousands of documents seized from Mar-a-Lago and to weed out from the investigation any that might be protected by claims of either attorney-client privilege or executive privilege. That arbiter, formally known as a special master, is Raymond Dearie. He’s a former federal prosecutor who was appointed a U.S. District judge in Brooklyn by then-President Ronald Reagan. He also has served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. However, since his current appointment by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, the scope of his responsibilities has been hemmed in by a federal appeals court. That court last week ruled overwhelmingly in favor of the Justice Department, concluding that it did not have to share with Dearie for his review the roughly 100 documents with classified markings taken during the Aug. 8 search. That leaves for his evaluation the roughly 11,000 other, unclassified documents — which a Trump lawyer said actually total roughly 200,000 pages — recovered by the FBI. WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE THEN REGARDING CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS? The past week or so has revealed stark divisions in how both sides envision the process playing out, as well as the precise role the special master should have. An early hint surfaced when the Trump team resisted Dearie’s request for any evidence that the documents, as Trump has asserted, had been declassified. A lawyer for Trump, James Trusty, said that inquiry was “premature” and “a little beyond” what Cannon, had had in mind at the time she appointed the special master. Dearie mused aloud that “my view of it is you can’t have your cake and eat it,” by ducking that question. The following day, in a setback for the Trump team, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit overruled an order from Cannon that had temporarily halted the Justice Department’s ability to use the classified documents taken from Mar-a-Lago as part of its criminal investigation. Besides restoring the department’s access , the order also lifted Cannon’s mandate that investigators provide the special master with those records. More conflict followed, this time related to the scanning and processing of non-classified government records taken from Mar-a-Lago. Government lawyers revealed in a letter Tuesday that none of the five document-review vendors it had recommended for the job was “willing to be engaged” by the Trump team. The Justice Department said it was confident that it would be able to secure the arrangements on its own while noting that it continued to expect the Trump team to pay. But Trusty responded with his own letter Wednesday attributing the difficulty in securing a vendor to the sheer quantity of documents, which he said totaled roughly 200,000 pages. He said the department’s deadlines for the production of documents was overly “aggressive” — “It would be better to base deadlines on actual data and not wistful claims by the Government” — and scolded the department for what he said were its “antagonistic” comments. “DOJ continues to mistake itself as having judicial authority. Its comments are not argument, but proclamations designed to steamroll judicial oversight and the Plaintiff’s constitutional rights,” Trusty wrote. WHAT IS LIKELY TO HAPPEN NEXT? The FBI’s investigation into the retention of classified records at Mar-a-Lago took a major step forward when the appeals court lifted Cannon’s hold on its ability to use those documents in evaluating whether Trump or anyone else should face criminal charges. Dearie’s work as special master will continue alongside that probe but there’s little chance any action he takes at this point could substantially alter the outcome of the investigation or affect major decisions that lie ahead. Even so, there’s a pending request from Dearie that has attracted significant attention — and any answer to it could prove illuminating. He has given the Trump team until Oct. 7 — the first deadline had been Friday, but has now been pushed back — to raise any objections to the detailed property inventory of documents and items taken by the FBI. That filing matters because Trump and some of his allies have raised unsupported suggestions that the agents who searched his home may have planted evidence. If his lawyers affirm the inventory’s accuracy, they will be contradicting their own client’s claims and also acknowledging the presence of classified materials in the home. The Justice Department this week made what it called minor revisions to the inventory, but said it was an otherwise full and accurate accounting of what was taken. Yet newly disclosed correspondence suggests the Trump team is balking at making its own public assessment of the inventory’s accuracy. Trusty said in a letter Sunday that the directive that it do so goes beyond what Cannon had envisioned when she appointed Dearie and that, besides, the Trump team does not have access to the classified documents it would need for such a review. The Justice Department, for its part, suggested that the Trump team should not be able to avoid stating its position on the record or following other of Dearie’s directives. “The Special Master needs to know that he is reviewing all of the materials seized from Mara-Lago on August 8, 2022 — and no additional materials — before he categorizes the seized documents and adjudicates privilege claims,” the department said. The letter Tuesday ended with this tart reminder to Trump and his lawyers: “Plaintiff brought this civil, equitable proceeding. He bears the burden of proof.” Read More…

Virginia Thomas, Wife Of Supreme Court Justice, Reaffirms Trump’s “Big Lie” https://digitalalabamanews.com/virginia-thomas-wife-of-supreme-court-justice-reaffirms-trumps-big-lie/ A day after the January 6 House Select Committee charged with investigating ex-President Donald Trump’s failed coup postponed what might have been the final hearing held by the committee, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, appeared for a voluntary interview with the committee. For over four hours, the long-time Republican activist and Christian fascist answered questions behind closed doors on her role in Donald Trump’s failed coup. Loading Tweet … In brief comments to reporters following the conclusion of the interview, Chairman Bennie Thompson (Democratic-Mississippi) revealed that during her testimony, Thomas confirmed she still believes Trump’s “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was stolen and that President Joe Biden is an illegitimate usurper. Thompson told reporters that Thomas answered “some” of the questions posed to her and that when she was asked if the election was stolen she replied, “Yes.” “She said that,” Thompson confirmed. A statement issued by Thomas’ lawyer, Mark Paoletta, following the interview declared that Thomas, who had refused for months to appear before the committee, was “happy to cooperate” and “clear up the misconceptions about her activities surrounding the 2020 elections. She answered all the Committee’s questions.” Confirming Thompson’s statement that Thomas still maintains that the election was stolen, Paoletta wrote: “As she said from the outset, Mrs. Thomas had significant concerns about fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election. And, as she told the Committee, her minimal and mainstream activity focused on ensuring that reports of fraud and irregularities were investigated.” Thomas’ role in Trump’s failed coup was far from “mainstream.” As the wife of Clarence Thomas, and a decades-long influential activist in the Republican Party, Thomas had unparalleled access not only to Trump and the White House, but to congressional Republicans and the Supreme Court itself. All three branches of government, along with elements in the police-military-intelligence apparatus and on-the-ground fascist militias, were enlisted by Trump and his Republican backers to overturn the election on January 6. The World Socialist Web Site has written extensively on Thomas’ leading role in the coup. This includes her texting QAnon conspiracies and suggesting fascist lawyer Sidney Powell to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows following the November election, and personally emailing legislators in Wisconsin and Arizona to overturn the popular vote. She attended the “Stop the Steal” rally outside the White House on January 6 and worked with with Trump coup-lawyer John Eastman, as well as mediating disputes between mid-level Trump organizers leading up to the attack on the Capitol. The intersection of Thomas and Eastman in the coup is particularly significant. In a damning memorandum circulated to Trump and his co-conspirators, Eastman argued that Vice President Mike Pence had the power to unilaterally reject Electoral College votes from states Trump lost. Eastman, who is from California, did not know Trump personally prior to him becoming president. However, Eastman was a former law clerk for Clarence Thomas. In addition to Eastman, William Consovoy and Patrick Strawbridge, former Clarence Thomas law clerks, are also lawyers for Trump, according to Business Insider. Needless to say there is plenty of material for the committee to question Thomas about, including what influence she had in her husband’s decision to cast the lone dissenting vote earlier this year over whether the Select Committee should have access to White House documents and text messages which directly implicated his wife in Trump’s coup plot. That it has taken this long for the committee to even question Thomas speaks to the true role of the committee, which is not to reveal the depths of the fascist conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election, but to contain the investigation safely within “official channels” so that the exposure is limited to Trump and a few “crazies.” In this way the “bipartisan committee” hopes to preserve the integrity of capitalist institutions, such as the Republican Party and the Supreme Court, in the eyes of the public and the working class in particular, whom both the Democrats and the “never-Trump” Republicans fear more than the fascists who dominate the Republican Party. Thompson, fulfilling his task of chloroforming the working class, sought to conceal any explosive revelations beyond Thomas’ belief that the 2020 election was stolen, which is now the consensus view in the Republican Party. Following the interview, Thompson curtly answered reporters’ questions telling them that the committee was “glad she came in.” Thompson added he would not be able to commit to releasing her interview in its entirety, only saying that portions might be disclosed “if there’s something of merit.” Thomas’ in-person testimony came one day after the Select Committee, according to published reports, was slated to hold their final hearing, roughly six weeks before the November midterm elections. The stated reason for postponing the September 28 hearing was due to Hurricane Ian which has devastated Florida. One of the nine members of the committee is Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy; her district includes Seminole and Orange counties, Florida, directly in the path of the storm. While the catastrophic weather emergency no doubt provided the necessary pretext to cancel the hearing, it does appear as if the Select Committee was already hesitant to proceed. On Tuesday, CBS News reporter Scott MacFarlane reported that unlike previous hearings, he and other mainstream media outlets had not yet been provided an expected witness list or even a “theme” of what the final hearing would entail, less than 24 hours before it was set to begin. MacFarlane said he had been told by sources on the committee that some of the hearing was set to be focused on clips filmed by a Danish documentary filmmaker which were taped before the 2020 election and through January 6. The clips feature Republican agent Roger Stone promoting the idea that Trump should declare victory before the election results were tabulated. The hearing would also, finally, detail the nexus between Stone and fascist Oath Keeper and Proud Boy militia groups, one of the six “centers of gravity” in the coup identified by former Republican congressman and January 6 investigator Denver Riggleman in a recent CBS 60 Minutes interview. In a report on Thomas’s testimony Thursday, MacFarlane noted that Thomas was not under oath during her questioning. He surmised that while some of Thomas’ testimony might make it into a future Select Committee hearing, it is entirely possible that given the upcoming elections, such a hearing does not materialize until after the November midterms, if at all. Read More…

Tremell Washington Lifts Ramsay Over Wenonah In First Start At QB https://digitalalabamanews.com/tremell-washington-lifts-ramsay-over-wenonah-in-first-start-at-qb/ Ramsay’s defense forced three turnovers in the first quarter and Ashton Ashford scored three times as the sixth-ranked Class 5A Rams drubbed Wenonah 41-6 on Thursday night in Birmingham. Ramsay (5-2, 4-0 in Region 5) got the rout started on the first possession of the game as Marquel Patterson picked off Wenonah quarterback Anthony Young on the third play of the game. The Rams scored five plays later on Ashford’s first of three rushing scores on the night, a 28-yard romp around the left side. The Dragons fumbled on the first play of their second possession and Ramsay capped the ensuing eight-play drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Tremell Washington to Jalen Jones. Washington made his first start at quarterback for the Rams, subbing for the injured Kameron Keenan. “I’m so proud of that guy,” Ramsay coach Ronnie Jackson said. “He’s our little scat guy, we normally put him in all kinds of positions. I’m extremely proud of the way he played.” Wenonah’s Young was sacked twice to open the Wenonah possession, the second of which caused a fumble that was recovered by Cameron Carson in the end zone to put the Rams up 20-0 late in the opening period. Wenonah put together its only scoring drive of the game following the strip-sack TD, cutting the lead to 20-6 on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Young to Cameron Peterson, who caught a 32-yard pass on the play before the score to set up the touchdown. Washington was picked off on the Rams’ next drive, but the Ramsay defense forced two straight three-and-outs. Ramsay capped its ensuing possessions with 25-yard and 2-yard touchdown runs by Ashford, pushing the lead to 34-6 with less than three minutes remaining in the first half. Wenonah (3-3, 1-3) drove deep into Ramsay territory on its final possession of the half, but turned the ball over on downs on the Rams’ fifth sack of the night. Taking over at its own 15-yard line less than a minute left in the opening half, Ramsay’s Washington broke loose for a 25-yard gain on first down and completed a 59-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Montez Dunson with 8 seconds remaining. A running clock was implemented in the second half and Ramsay held possession throughout the third quarter, leaving Wenonah time to run only five plays in the second half. Star of the game: Ashford. The junior running back finished with 15 carries for 103 yards and 3 touchdowns. “First of all, I want to thank my offensive line because they made the way for me. I hit the hole and when I burst out, they pushed me for extra yards. Big game for us to bounce back (from loss to 7A No. 1 Auburn last week),” he said. By the numbers: 5, the number of sacks by the Ramsay defense. … 5, the number of plays run by the Wenonah offense in the second half, due to a running clock. … 2, the number of tackles for loss by the Wenonah defense, compared to 10 by Ramsay. Stat sheet: Ramsay – Washington’s start at QB was his first since playing junior varsity in the eighth grade and the sophomore finished 8-of-11 passing for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns, against 1 interception, and he added 46 yards on 6 rushes. Dunson had 3 receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown and Jones had a 14-yard touchdown catch. Wenonah – Young was 5-of-8 passing for 128 yards, including a touchdown and interception, and rushed for 17 yards despite being sacked 5 times in the game. Outside of Young’s gains on the ground, the running game was nonexistent with zero yards on 4 attempts. Peterson hauled in 2 passes for 55 yards and a touchdown. Coachspeak: “Our guys came out, played well, and I’m excited. I like the way we came out and we weren’t hesitant about things. For the most part, we came out and executed so I’m satisfied.” – Ramsay’s Ronnie Jackson They said it: “I trust him. I told him at practice that he’s got it. He had to slow down and be patient.” – Ashford on Washington’s first start at quarterback “We’ve been playing strong all year so I feel like we have the best defense in the whole state.” – Demarcus Wynn, who had two sacks, on Ramsay’s defensive performance What’s next? The Rams play host to John Carroll while Wenonah travels to Hayden in Region 5 games. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…

Stock Futures Are Up Slightly Following Thursday’s Broad Sell-Off https://digitalalabamanews.com/stock-futures-are-up-slightly-following-thursdays-broad-sell-off/ Stock futures were up slightly Thursday evening following a sharp sell-off that brought the S&P 500 to a new 2022 low. Futures for the S&P 500 were up 0.26%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were up 0.17%. Nasdaq 100 futures were up 0.14%. The 2022 sell-off resumed in full force during regular trading on Thursday as investors weighed concerns over future rate-hiking decisions from the Federal Reserve and the impact on the market. Apple led Thursday’s decline, closing down 4.9% as the tech giant has faced reports of declining demand for its new products, specifically the iPhone 14 series. Bank of America also downgraded the tech giant, which pressured shares. At the end of regular trading on Thursday, the S&P 500 dropped 2.1% to 3,640.47. The Dow was down 1.54% to 29,225.61, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 2.84% to 10,737.51. The major indexes are also on track to end the week — and September — sharply in the red. The S&P 500 is off 1.4% for the week, while the Dow and the Nasdaq are each down 1.2%. For September, the S&P 500 is down 7.9%, and the Dow is off 7.2%. The Nasdaq is on track for a loss of 9.1% for the month. “The market stinks,” said Jamie Cox, managing partner of Harris Financial Group. “But that’s basically what the Fed wants: tighten financial conditions, and they believe that that will help bring down inflation to the levels that they find acceptable. And they’re using the transmission mechanism of the market to make that happen.” Nike shares fell in after-hours trading after the company reported that sales increased, but supply chain and inventory issues hampered the bottom line in its fiscal first quarter. Meanwhile, Amylyx Pharmaceuticals‘ shares spiked after the Food and Drug Administration approved its drug for Lou Gehrig’s disease. On the economic data front, investors will watch for personal income and spending and consumer spending Friday morning. The Federal Reserve’s favorite measure of inflation, the PCE deflator, is also due for August. China reports better-than-expected factory activity for September China’s official manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index surprisingly grew in September to 50.1, much higher than the 49.6 predicted by analysts in a Reuters poll. The 50-point mark separates growth from contraction. PMI prints compare activity from month to month. Meanwhile, the Caixin/S&P Global manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index, a private survey of factory activity — reported a contraction with a reading of 48.1. “Subdued demand conditions and lower production requirements led firms to cut back on their purchasing activity in September, with the rate of decline the quickest in four months,” the Caixin press release said. The official non-manufacturing PMI came in at 50.6 in September, down from 52.6 in August. — Abigail Ng CNBC Pro: Is the Fed on the right track? Wall Street veteran Ed Yardeni says this is what it should do next The U.S Federal Reserve announced yet another 75 basis point hike earlier this month, sending the federal funds rate up to a range of 3% to 3.25%. The central bank also signaled it may raise interest rates up to as high as 4.6% in 2023 to control inflation. Ed Yardeni, the economist who coined the term “bond vigilantes,” gives his take as the Fed’s response to inflation comes under intense scrutiny. Pro subscribers can read more here. — Zavier Ong Nike, Amylyx move in post-market trading Nike and Amylyx Pharmaceuticals are moving after hours. The sportswear giant Nike was down about 9.2% in after-hour trading Thursday after reporting first-quarter earnings after the bell. Despite beating revenue expectations, the company said supply chain and inventory issues hurt the bottom line. On the other hand, Amylyx saw shares up nearly 10% in extended trading. The pharmaceutical company received approval from the Food and Drug Administration late in the afternoon for its controversial new drug expected to slow the progress of Lou Gehrig’s disease. — Alex Harring Indices slide week to date, month to date The three major indices are all on pace to slide this week. The Dow is down about 1.23% week to date, putting it on track for its sixth negative week out of the last second. It dropped 7.25% so far this month, which places it on pace for its worst month since March 2020 – when the pandemic began. The S&P 500 was also on track for its sixth negative week out of the last seven, notching down 1.43% so far this week. It has fallen 7.95% month to date, which would be its worst month since June if it remains at that level. Also heading toward its sixth negative week out of the last seven, the Nasdaq slid 1.2% so far this week. It is down 9.13% month to date, meaning it is on track for its worst monthly performance since April. — Alex Harring Futures tick up slightly in first hour Futures ticked up slightly after open Thursday evening following a day of sell-offs as nervous investors continue wondering how the Federal Reserve’s fight against inflation will impact markets. Futures for the S&P 500 were up 0.33%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were up slightly less at 0.23%. Nasdaq 100 futures followed closely, up 0.21%. — Alex Harring Read More…

Former Alabama Sheriff’s Business Partner Charged With Wire Fraud https://digitalalabamanews.com/former-alabama-sheriffs-business-partner-charged-with-wire-fraud/ Mobile Real-Time News Published: Sep. 29, 2022, 9:06 p.m. Two days after a former Alabama sheriff pleaded guilty to lying on loan applications to get funds for his gambling debts, his business partner was federally indicted on wire fraud charges for allegedly defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program. Danny Lee Beard, Jr., the business partner of ex-Clarke County Sheriff William “Ray” Norris who in 2011 formed Haddco, LLC — a company that buys, sells, trades and services vehicles and equipment — was initially charged in May with nine counts of false statement to a federally insured institution in connection with the PPP and other loans. On Wednesday, some of the charges against Beard were replaced with wire fraud, according to the superseding indictment filed in federal court in Mobile. Prosecutors allege Beard lied on two PPP loan applications for $74,207 each by falsely stating he was paying payroll taxes for all his employees. On the second loan, Beard allegedly used the funds “for personal expenses unrelated to payroll costs, rent/mortgage interest, utilities, and covered operational expenses.” Beard also completed the application for forgiveness of the first PPP loan, which was “fraudulently obtained,” according to the indictment. Norris’ business partner also allegedly lied that he owned a piece of equipment and that he was not attempting to sell a tractor-tailer while obtaining a more than $50,000 commercial loan by Camden-based Town County National Bank. Norris, the former Clarke County sheriff who was indicted federally in the Southern District of Alabama on four counts of the crime earlier this year, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of making a false statement to a federally insured institution. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…

Russia Will Annex 4 Occupied Ukrainian Regions At Ceremony On Friday, Putin Spokesperson Says  https://digitalalabamanews.com/russia-will-annex-4-occupied-ukrainian-regions-at-ceremony-on-friday-putin-spokesperson-says/ 14 hr 5 min ago Russia will annex 4 occupied Ukrainian regions at ceremony on Friday, Putin spokesperson says  From CNN’s Anna Chernova The Kremlin will host a ceremony on Friday at which agreements will be signed on the annexation of occupied Ukrainian territories to the Russian Federation, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson told reporters on Thursday. Dmitry Peskov said the ceremony would take place on Friday at 3 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET). Putin will deliver a speech and meet with Russian-backed leaders of the four occupied regions on the sidelines of the ceremony, he added. Separatist leaders from the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics all traveled to Moscow following the announcement of poll results. The four territories, which together make up around 18% of Ukraine’s territory, recently held Moscow-backed “referendums” on joining Russia. These have been widely condemned by Western leaders as a “sham.” Billboards proclaiming “Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson – Russia!” and giant video screens have been set up on Red Square, according to Reuters on Thursday. Members of the lower house of the Russian parliament have also received invitations to Friday’s ceremony at the Kremlin, state news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing a post by Denis Parfyonov, a Communist Party deputy, on his Telegram channel. A man casts his ballot during a referendum in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine, on September 27. (AP) Some context: “Votes” for referendums on joining Russia, held in the four occupied areas from Friday to Tuesday, are contrary to international law and have been universally dismissed as “a sham” by Ukraine and Western nations, including US President Joe Biden. Counts cited in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia ranged from 87.05% approval to claims of nearly universal verdicts, yet such figures stand in stark contrast to reality. According to a CNN poll of Ukrainians in February, just before Russia’s invasion, no region in the country had more than one in five people supporting Ukrainian unification with Russia. CNN’s Jo Shelley contributed reporting to this post. 14 hr 47 min ago Finland will close borders to Russian tourists amid record crossings since partial mobilization order From Jorge Engels and Allegra Goodwin People entering Finland queue at the passport control area at the border checkpoint crossing in Vaalimaa, Finland, on the border with the Russian Federation on September 29. (Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP/Getty Images) Finland will close its borders to Russian tourists from Friday midnight local time (5 p.m. ET) until further notice amid a record number of Russians crossing into the country following Moscow’s partial mobilization order, the government confirmed Thursday. On September 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the immediate “partial mobilization” of citizens for its war in Ukraine. Since then, there has been an exodus of citizens fleeing the country and thousands of Russians have entered neighboring Finland. “The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the mobilization declared by Russia have changed the security situation in Europe,” Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Thursday. “The Government deems that the Russian mobilization and the rapidly increasing volume of tourists arriving in Finland and transiting via Finland endanger Finland’s international position and international relations.” “The resolution aims to stop tourism and related transit from Russia altogether. It will drastically limit the capacity to receive visa applications in Russia,” the ministry added. “The resolution will not prevent travelling when it is deemed necessary for humanitarian reasons, for national interests or for meeting Finland’s international obligations.” Some context: The announcement comes after Helsinki announced Wednesday it would “significantly” restrict the right of Russian tourists to enter the country or as transit when travelling to other parts of the Schengen area. Finland’s border guard also said Wednesday that more than 50,000 Russians have entered Finland via the land border since September 21. Last weekend also saw a record number of Russians entering Finland via its land border, with 16,886 Russians arriving in total over Saturday and Sunday, according to the border guard’s head of international affairs, Matti Pitkaniitty. 12 hr 40 min ago Nord Stream pipeline damage likely caused by “deliberate” acts of sabotage, says North Atlantic Council From CNN’s Eve Brennan Information gathered on the damage to the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea suggest “the result of deliberate, reckless, and irresponsible acts of sabotage,” the North Atlantic Council said Thursday. Damage to the pipelines is of “deep concern,” the council said in a statement. “These leaks are causing risks to shipping and substantial environmental damage. We support the investigations underway to determine the origin of the damage,” the statement said. “We, as Allies, have committed to prepare for, deter and defend against the coercive use of energy and other hybrid tactics by state and non-state actors. Any deliberate attack against Allies’ critical infrastructure would be met with a united and determined response,” it added. More context: Earlier Thursday, Germany’s ambassador to the UK said there was a “very strong indication” the pipeline leaks were acts of sabotage. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also labelled the leaks “apparent sabotage” in a tweet Tuesday. European security officials observed Russian navy ships in the vicinity of leaks on Monday and Tuesday, according to Western intelligence officials and one other source. Senior Western officials have stopped short of attributing the attack to Russia or any nation. What the Kremlin is saying: A Russian government spokesperson said Thursday that the leaks may have been the result of a “terrorist attack.” “The unprecedented nature of this event, it seems that this is a terrorist attack, possibly at the state level,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said during a daily call with journalists.  Asked about CNN’s report on Russian submarines seen in the area of the Nord Stream disruptions, Peskov said: “This is the Baltic sea. There were far more aircraft, floating and other marine vehicles that belong to NATO countries seen there.” CNN’s Anna Chernova, Allegra Goodwin and Radina Gigova contributed reporting to this post. 8 hr 51 min ago Fourth leak in Nord Stream confirmed by Swedish coast guard From CNN’s Jorge Engels A gas leak causes bubbles to rise to the surface of the sea in Sweden, on Thursday. (Swedish Coast Guard/Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) A fourth leak in the Nord Stream pipelines was confirmed by Sweden’s coast guard on Thursday. “There are currently two gas leaks in Swedish waters, a larger leak above North Stream 1, and a smaller leak above North Stream 2. Two leaks have also been reported in Danish waters,” Sweden’s coast guard said in a statement. The coast guard added that one of its vessels near the pair of leaks in its home seas was reporting a “constant flow” of gas to the surface. The confirmation comes after Germany’s ambassador to the UK, Miguel Berger, said earlier Thursday that a fourth leak had been discovered. The leaks in Swedish waters are approximately 1.8 kilometers (1 nautical mile or 1.1 miles) apart, with the distance from the smaller Swedish leak to the closest Danish leak being 4.6 kilometers (2.6 nautical miles), the coast guard said. The statement concluded by specifying that the coast guard’s vessel is in possession of a remotely operated vehicle but not a submarine, which the Swedish Coast Guard said it neither owns nor operates. 19 hr 23 min ago Pro-Russian separatist leaders involved in illegal referendums across Ukraine arrive in Moscow  From CNN’s Olga Voitovych Separatist leaders from Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics visit Moscow, Russia, on September 29. (Kirill Stremousov) Some of the separatist leaders involved in carrying out sham referendums to secede from Ukraine and join Russia landed in Moscow Thursday, according to a photograph posted by Kirill Stremousov, the Russia-appointed deputy head of the Kherson regional military administration.  The votes – which are illegal under international law – were carried out in the self-declared republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in the east and parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south.   “The historic plane with the leaders of the liberated territories landed in Moscow. We will become new subjects of the Russian Federation very soon,” the statement read, alongside a photograph of Stremousov with Denis Pushilin, Yevgeniy Balitskiy and Vladimir Saldo, some of the other Russian-backed officials involved in the so-called “referendums.” The votes mirror the playbook used during Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, sparking fears they could become a false pretext for the Kremlin to illegally claim more territory in Ukraine and escalate its war effort.  Some context: On Wednesday, with all “votes” counted, Kremlin-backed authorities in the four Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine predictably claimed that residents had overwhelmingly agreed to become part of Russia. The UK Ministry of Defense has said that “there is a realistic possibility” that Putin will use his address to Russia’s parliament on Friday to “formally announce the accession of the occupied regions of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov previously indicated that if the regions announced majorities in favor of joining Russia, the ratificat...

Al Krauser, Longtime Uniondale HS Track Coach, Dies At 96 https://digitalalabamanews.com/al-krauser-longtime-uniondale-hs-track-coach-dies-at-96/ Al Krauser was the architect of one of the most successful high school track and field programs in Long Island history. The track coach at Uniondale High School for over 20 years, Krauser was mild-mannered and gentile, well-respected and well-decorated, with championship medals galore. Long after he retired in 1981, Uniondale remained a championship threat. Uniondale began a streak in 1972 of 23 straight indoor team Nassau County championships, a run that didn’t end until after Krauser’s retirement, according to current coach Dennis Kornfield. Krauser, a father of two and an English teacher at Uniondale who retired and moved to Florida in the early 1980s, died Sept. 5 at his home in Delray Beach, his family said. The World War II veteran was 96. “Uniondale was the University of Alabama of high school track,” said his son, Jack Krauser, 71, a dentist in Florida, comparing his father’s program to the most successful modern college football program. Shortly after retiring, Krauser helped Uniondale’s  4×400 meter relay team win the Championship of America at the 1982 Penn Relays, beating powerhouse Jamaican teams in the process. Paul Marconi, an assistant coach under Krauser, said the former coach was the strategic “mastermind” of that race, which Uniondale won in three minutes, 14.7 seconds. “They just went out, did exactly what Al said, and ended up winning by 5-7 yards,” said Marconi, who lives in Long Beach. The fact that Krauser could influence strategy even after his retirement spoke to how influential he was on the program. “The kids loved him,” Marconi said. “I mean, everybody loved Al. He was like Pied Piper. He was there for his kids and he treated them like they were his own children.” Former athlete Joe Toles said he grew up in the foster care system and was beset by bad experiences within it. When he joined the track and field team, his life changed. Toles, through the mentorship of Krauser, became a standout who set the still-standing national high school record in the 600 yards and earned a full scholarship to Auburn. “He paid attention to me,” said Toles, 63, of Alabama. “The nature of my upbringing, I didn’t have a lot of attention and people didn’t really care. He never let me go. I went from an athlete who, frankly, couldn’t finish any of the races, to eventually [a national record holder].” Toles continued: “He’s just been one of those people that I check in with. His approval was important to me. His pride in the things that I did was important to me. In all essence, he was my father.” Years later, when Toles finally told Krauser of the harsh realities of his foster care experience, the former coach was emotional but refused to take credit  for Toles’ success. “He said, ‘I only treated you the way you should have been treated,’ ” Toles said. When Toles, a single man who adopted eight boys out of the foster care system, was featured on “The Rachael Ray Show” in 2019, Krauser and his wife, Sheila, appeared as surprise guests. “I thought to myself at the funeral, ‘What do you do when your hero dies?’ ” Toles said. “That thought came to my mind because that’s what he was to me. He saved me. I only hope that his example will continue to live on in me.” Krauser was born on April 28, 1926, in Brooklyn and attended Boys High School and Brooklyn College, where he was an English literature major, a two-way lineman on the football team that went to the Tangerine Bowl (now the Citrus Bowl), and a hurdler and shot putter on the track and field team, his son said. Krauser served in the U.S. Army from 1944-45 and was stationed in Georgia. In addition to coaching at Uniondale, where he nurtured athletes like Toles and future Olympic gold medalist Willie Smith, Krauser was a coach for the U.S. team in the Maccabiah Games, a Jewish athletic competition held in Israel, and a coach on the U.S. junior national team in dual meet contests against Russia in the 1970s.  Following coaching, Krauser was instrumental in the creation of the Palm Beach County Senior Tennis League, which grew from a small recreational league to one that boasted over 8,000 members by the end of his life. Krauser, who served on the board of the league, and as president and commissioner at various times, based the league’s layout on the Nassau County high school sports leagues in the 1970s, his son said.   “His personality was special,” his son said. “Since his passing, people have said to me that he was always smiling and he was friendly. I never saw him get into fights . . . He was always a diplomatic person to talk stuff through.” In addition to his son and his wife of 72 years, Al Krauser is survived by his daughter, Jill Berlin of Florida, three granddaughters and four great-grandchildren. He is buried at Eternal Life Memorial Gardens in Florida, his son said.  Read More…

Ginni Thomas Falsely Asserts To Jan. 6 Panel That Election Was Stolen, Chairman Says https://digitalalabamanews.com/ginni-thomas-falsely-asserts-to-jan-6-panel-that-election-was-stolen-chairman-says/ Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, reiterated her belief that the 2020 election was stolen during her interview Thursday with the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to the panel’s chairman, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.). Her false assertion, nearly two years after Joe Biden’s victory, came during a five-hour closed-door interview with the committee. Ginni Thomas, a conservative activist, drew the attention of the committee after investigators obtained emails between her and lawyer John Eastman, who had advocated a fringe legal theory that Vice President Mike Pence could block the congressional certification of Biden’s electoral college win. She also repeatedly pressed White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to find ways to overturn the election, according to messages she sent to him weeks after the election. The messages represent an extraordinary pipeline between Thomas and one of Trump’s top aides as the president and his allies were vowing to take their efforts all the way to the Supreme Court. The committee says it may use clips from her appearance, if they are warranted, in a future hearing. But lawmakers have not yet scheduled their next hearing as lawmakers head back home for recess on Friday. Mark Paoletta, an attorney for Thomas, said in a statement that she appeared before the panel “to clear up the misconceptions about her activities surrounding the 2020 elections.” “As she has said from the outset, Mrs. Thomas had significant concerns about fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election,” the lawyer said. “And, as she told the Committee, her minimal and mainstream activity focused on ensuring that reports of fraud and irregularities were investigated. Beyond that, she played no role in any events after the 2020 election results.” The panel had previously contemplated issuing a subpoena to compel her testimony. In an opening statement provided to the committee and obtained by The Washington Post, Thomas denied discussing her post-election activities with her husband. She also denied that he has ever discussed his work at the court with her. “I can guarantee that my husband has never spoken with me about pending cases at the Court. It’s an iron clad rule in our home,” Thomas added. “Let me also add, it is laughable for anyone who knows my husband to think I could influence his jurisprudence — the man is independent and stubborn, with strong character traits of independence and integrity.” Addressing her text messages to Meadows in the statement, Thomas claimed that her husband was “completely unaware” of her communications with the White House chief of staff “until this Committee leaked them to the press while he was in a hospital bed fighting an infection.” She also described her post-election activities as “minimal.” The Post has previously reported that Thomas emailed state lawmakers in Arizona and Wisconsin in November and December of 2020. In emails sent via FreeRoots, an online platform that allowed people to send prewritten emails to multiple elected officials, Thomas urged the lawmakers to ignore Biden’s popular-vote victory and “choose” their own presidential electors. Read More…

AP News Summary At 9:41 P.m. EDT https://digitalalabamanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-941-p-m-edt/ Floods trap many in Florida as Ian heads to South Carolina PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Ian has regained some strength after exiting Florida and taking aim at South Carolina. The National Hurricane Center said the storm spent only a few hours as a weakened tropical storm over Florida before it spun up into a Category 1 hurricane on Thursday in the Atlantic Ocean. Rescue crews were wading through water and using boats to rescue Florida residents stranded in the wake of Hurricane Ian. The Orange County fire department posted photos of crews in a flooded neighborhood in the Orlando area. At least four people in Florida were confirmed dead on the state’s eastern coast. Forecasters have issued a hurricane warning for coastal South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina ahead of another landfall Friday. Russia to annex more of Ukraine on Friday at the Kremlin KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia is planning to annex more of Ukraine on Friday. The move represents an escalation of the seven-month war that is expected to isolate the Kremlin further, draw more international punishment and bring extra support to Ukraine. An annexation ceremony is planned in the Kremlin. The annexation would come just days after voters supposedly approved Moscow-managed “referendums” that Ukrainian and Western officials have denounced as illegal, forced and rigged. In an apparent response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called an emergency meeting Friday of his National Security and Defense Council. Russia opens more border draft offices amid call-up exodus Russian authorities are opening more military enlistment offices near Russia’s borders in an apparent effort to intercept Russian men of fighting age who are trying to avoid getting called up to fight in Ukraine. Saratov regional officials said a new draft office opened Thursday at a checkpoint on Russia’s border with Kazakhstan. Another military enlistment center was to open at a crossing in the Astrakhan region, also on the border with Kazakhstan. Earlier this week, makeshift Russian draft offices were set up near a border crossing into Georgia and on Russia’s border with Finland. Russian officials say they would hand call-up notices to all eligible men who were trying to leave the country. 1/6 chairman: Ginni Thomas reiterates false election claims WASHINGTON (AP) — Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has stood by the false claim that the 2020 election was fraudulent during an interview with the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. That is according to Rep. Bennie Thompson, the panel’s Democratic chairman. The committee has for months sought an interview with Thomas in an effort to know more about her role in trying to help former President Donald Trump overturn his election defeat. She texted with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and contacted lawmakers in Arizona and Wisconsin after the election. Thomas’ attorney says his client was solely focused on ensuring reports of voter fraud and irregularities were investigated. Hurricane Ian sweeps away homes, memories on barrier islands FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Cars are left abandoned where they stalled on the road into Fort Myers Beach when Hurricane Ian’s storm surge flooded their engines and their drivers couldn’t continue. Broken trees, boat trailers and other debris litter the path. It’s even worse in the seaside tourist town, much of which was flattened by the fierce winds and powerful storm surge generated by the Category 4 hurricane. The barrier islands along the southwest Florida coast are famed for their seashells, fishing and laid-back lifestyle. They took major hits from Ian when it came ashore Wednesday and residents tried to salvage what they could Thursday. Trump records probe: Tensions flare over special master WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI search of Donald Trump’s Florida estate has spawned a parallel “special master” process that has slowed the Justice Department’s criminal investigation and exposed simmering tensions between department prosecutors and lawyers for the former president. The probe into the presence of top secret information at Mar-a-Lago continues. But barbed rhetoric in the past week’s court filings has laid bare deep disagreements related to the special master’s work and made clear that a process the Trump team initially sought has not been playing to the president’s advantage. The special master, Raymond Dearie, is a former federal prosecutor and served as a U.S. District judge in Brooklyn. Biden vows US commitment to Pacific Islands at summit WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has told visiting leaders from more than a dozen Pacific Island countries that the U.S. is committed to bolstering its presence in their region and becoming a more collaborative partner as they face the “existential threat” of climate change. The president on Thursday addressed the leaders who gathered in Washington for a summit as the White House looks to improve relations in the Pacific amid heightened U.S. concern about China’s growing economic and military influence. Biden hosted the leaders for a dinner at the White House on Thursday evening. GOP states sue Biden administration over student loan plan WASHINGTON (AP) — Six Republican-led states are suing the Biden administration to try and halt its plan to forgive student loan debt for millions of Americans. They’re accusing it of overstepping its executive powers. It’s at least the second legal challenge this week to the sweeping proposal laid out by President Joe Biden in late August, when he said his administration would cancel up to $20,000 in education debt for millions of borrowers. As the lawsuit was being filed, the administration quietly scaled back eligibility rules for the debt relief, eliminating a relatively small group of borrowers who are the subject of legal debate in the suit. ALS drug wins FDA approval despite questionable data WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials have approved a much-debated drug to treat the deadly illness known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The approval Thursday follows an intense lobbying campaign by patients and advocates, though it’s also likely to raise questions about the standards used to review experimental medicines. The Food and Drug Administration approved the medication from Amylyx Pharmaceuticals based on results from one small, mid-stage study. The agency’s internal scientists repeatedly said the company’s results were not convincing. But thousands of patients have urged the FDA to be flexible and grant patients’ access. Lou Gehrig’s disease has no cure and most patients die within five years of initial symptoms. Cubans suffer as hurricane-caused power outage drags on HAVANA (AP) — Ivette Garrido hurried last week to get the 6 kilograms of subsidized chicken allotted to her family by Cuba’s government and put it in the freezer, happy to have meat to get through Hurricane Ian. Now she is considering giving the chicken to her three dogs before it goes bad, as a huge power blackout caused by the storm extends beyond two days and everything in her freezer thaws amid scorching temperatures. Cuban authorities have not said what percentage of the population remains without electricity or when things will return to normal, but the Electric Union says only 10% of Havana’s 2 million people have power. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More…

Tropical Storm Ian Regains Hurricane Strength – Live https://digitalalabamanews.com/tropical-storm-ian-regains-hurricane-strength-live-2/ Hurricane Ian: Waves flood roads in Key West as storm strengthens to category 4 After spending most of Thursday as a tropical storm, Ian was upgraded to a hurricane again as it takes aim at the South Carolina coastline. The National Hurricane Center stated in its 5pm ET update that Hurricane Ian was “taking aim at the Carolinas and Georgia with life-threatening flooding, storm surge and strong winds.” The hurricane is now moving north-northwest at around 10 mph with maximum sustained winds increasing to 75 mph with strong gusts. “Ian could slightly strengthen before landfall tomorrow, and is forecast to rapidly weaken over the southeastern United States late Friday into Saturday,” the advisory said. Dozens of rescue operations have been taking place across Florida after unprecedented flooding from one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the United States. Thousands of people are stranded across the state as coastguard helicopters were seen plucking people from roofs after several feet of water surged into neighorboods. Some 2.5million people were currently without power. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the hurricane as a “500-year flood event” and said that major infrastructure had been badly damaged including the Sanibel Causeway in southwest Florida and the bridge to Pine Island, near Fort Myers. President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Florida following the catastrophic impacts. “This could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida history,” he said later during a briefing at the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters. Read More…

Trump Mar-A-Lago Records Probe: Tensions Rise Over Special Master https://digitalalabamanews.com/trump-mar-a-lago-records-probe-tensions-rise-over-special-master/ The FBI search of Donald Trump’s Florida property has spawned a parallel “special master” course of that has slowed the Justice Department’s legal investigation. WASHINGTON — The parallel special master course of spawned by the FBI search of Donald Trump’s Florida estate has slowed the Justice Department’s criminal investigation and uncovered simmering tensions between division prosecutors and legal professionals for the previous president. As the probe into the presence of top-secret information at Mar-a-Lago continues, barbed feedback in current courtroom filings have laid naked deep disagreements associated to the special master’s work — not simply amongst legal professionals however judges, too. And the filings have made clear that a course of the Trump group initially requested for has not constantly performed to the ex-president’s benefit. A have a look at the place issues stand: WHO IS THE SPECIAL MASTER AND WHAT IS HIS ROLE? A federal choose in Florida appointed at the Trump team’s request an unbiased arbiter to examine the hundreds of paperwork seized from Mar-a-Lago and to weed out from the investigation any that is likely to be protected by claims of both attorney-client privilege or govt privilege. That arbiter, formally generally known as a special master, is Raymond Dearie. He’s a former federal prosecutor who was appointed a U.S. District choose in Brooklyn by then-President Ronald Reagan. He additionally has served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. He was initially tasked by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, with reviewing all the records taken from Mar-a-Lago. But a federal appeals courtroom shrunk the scope of his duties final week, ruling that the Justice Department didn’t must share with him the roughly 100 paperwork with categorized markings that have been taken through the Aug. 8 search. That leaves for his analysis the roughly 11,000 other, unclassified documents — which a Trump lawyer stated really complete roughly 200,000 pages — recovered by the FBI. Cannon, in the meantime, has additionally reined in a few of Dearie’s work. WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE THEN REGARDING CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS? The previous week has revealed stark divisions in how each side envision the method taking part in out, in addition to the exact function the special master ought to have. An early trace surfaced when the Trump team resisted Dearie’s request for any information to help the concept the paperwork had been declassified, as Trump has repeatedly asserted. A lawyer for Trump, James Trusty, stated that inquiry was “premature” and “slightly past” what Cannon had in thoughts on the time she appointed the special master. The following day, in a setback for the Trump group, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the eleventh Circuit overruled an order from Cannon that had briefly halted the Justice Department’s potential to make use of the seized categorized paperwork in its probe. Besides restoring the department’s access, the order additionally lifted Cannon’s mandate that investigators give the special master these records. More battle adopted, this time associated to the scanning and processing of non-classified authorities records that have been seized. Government legal professionals revealed in a letter Tuesday that not one of the 5 document-review distributors that they had really useful for the job was “willing to be engaged” by the Trump group. The Justice Department stated it was assured it might be capable of safe the preparations by itself whereas noting that it continued to anticipate the Trump group to pay. But Trusty responded with his own letter Wednesday attributing the problem in securing a vendor to the sheer amount of paperwork, which he stated totaled roughly 200,000 pages — a quantity the Justice Department has not itself said in courtroom filings. He stated the division’s deadlines for the manufacturing of paperwork was overly “aggressive” — “It would be better to base deadlines on actual data and not wistful claims by the Government,” he noted at one point — and scolded the department for what he said were “antagonistic” feedback. “DOJ continues to mistake itself as having judicial authority. Its comments are not argument, but proclamations designed to steamroll judicial oversight and the Plaintiff’s constitutional rights,” Trusty wrote. WHAT IS LIKELY TO HAPPEN NEXT? The FBI’s investigation took a significant step ahead when the appeals courtroom lifted Cannon’s maintain on its potential to scrutinize the seized categorized paperwork because it evaluates whether or not Trump or anybody else ought to face legal prices. Dearie’s work as special master will proceed alongside that probe, although there’s little likelihood any motion he takes at this level might considerably alter the result of the FBI investigation or have an effect on main selections that lie forward. But early disagreements between Cannon and Dearie over the scope of his duties additionally bear watching. For occasion, Cannon on Thursday overturned a directive from the special master that might have required the Trump group to say whether or not it had any objections to an in depth FBI property stock cataloging all the gadgets brokers faraway from the house. That response might have been illuminating provided that Trump and a few of his allies have raised unsupported recommendations that the brokers who searched his residence might have planted proof. If his legal professionals have been to affirm the stock’s accuracy, they might possible be contradicting their very own consumer’s claims whereas additionally acknowledging the presence of categorized supplies within the residence. The Justice Department this week made what it called minor revisions to the inventory, however stated it was an in any other case full and correct accounting of what was taken. Yet newly disclosed correspondence confirmed the Trump group balking at being compelled to evaluate the stock’s accuracy. Trusty stated in a letter Sunday that the directive that it achieve this goes past what Cannon had envisioned when she appointed Dearie. Cannon herself agreed, canceling Dearie’s requirement Thursday and writing that her “appointment order did not contemplate that obligation.” The Justice Department, for its half, had earlier recommended that the Trump group shouldn’t be capable of keep away from stating its place on the document or following different of Dearie’s directives. “The Special Master needs to know that he is reviewing all of the materials seized from Mara-Lago on August 8, 2022 — and no additional materials — before he categorizes the seized documents and adjudicates privilege claims,” the division stated in a single submitting. The letter Tuesday ended with this tart reminder to Trump and his legal professionals: “Plaintiff introduced this civil, equitable continuing. He bears the burden of proof.” Read More…

AP News Summary At 9:41 P.m. EDT https://digitalalabamanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-941-p-m-edt-2/ Floods trap many in Florida as Ian heads to South Carolina PUNTA GORDA, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Ian has regained some strength after exiting Florida and taking aim at South Carolina. The National Hurricane Center said the storm spent only a few hours as a weakened tropical storm over Florida before it spun up into a Category 1 hurricane on Thursday in the Atlantic Ocean. Rescue crews were wading through water and using boats to rescue Florida residents stranded in the wake of Hurricane Ian. The Orange County fire department posted photos of crews in a flooded neighborhood in the Orlando area. At least four people in Florida were confirmed dead on the state’s eastern coast. Forecasters have issued a hurricane warning for coastal South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina ahead of another landfall Friday. Russia to annex more of Ukraine on Friday at the Kremlin KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia is planning to annex more of Ukraine on Friday. The move represents an escalation of the seven-month war that is expected to isolate the Kremlin further, draw more international punishment and bring extra support to Ukraine. An annexation ceremony is planned in the Kremlin. The annexation would come just days after voters supposedly approved Moscow-managed “referendums” that Ukrainian and Western officials have denounced as illegal, forced and rigged. In an apparent response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called an emergency meeting Friday of his National Security and Defense Council. Russia opens more border draft offices amid call-up exodus Russian authorities are opening more military enlistment offices near Russia’s borders in an apparent effort to intercept Russian men of fighting age who are trying to avoid getting called up to fight in Ukraine. Saratov regional officials said a new draft office opened Thursday at a checkpoint on Russia’s border with Kazakhstan. Another military enlistment center was to open at a crossing in the Astrakhan region, also on the border with Kazakhstan. Earlier this week, makeshift Russian draft offices were set up near a border crossing into Georgia and on Russia’s border with Finland. Russian officials say they would hand call-up notices to all eligible men who were trying to leave the country. 1/6 chairman: Ginni Thomas reiterates false election claims WASHINGTON (AP) — Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has stood by the false claim that the 2020 election was fraudulent during an interview with the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. That is according to Rep. Bennie Thompson, the panel’s Democratic chairman. The committee has for months sought an interview with Thomas in an effort to know more about her role in trying to help former President Donald Trump overturn his election defeat. She texted with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and contacted lawmakers in Arizona and Wisconsin after the election. Thomas’ attorney says his client was solely focused on ensuring reports of voter fraud and irregularities were investigated. Hurricane Ian sweeps away homes, memories on barrier islands FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Cars are left abandoned where they stalled on the road into Fort Myers Beach when Hurricane Ian’s storm surge flooded their engines and their drivers couldn’t continue. Broken trees, boat trailers and other debris litter the path. It’s even worse in the seaside tourist town, much of which was flattened by the fierce winds and powerful storm surge generated by the Category 4 hurricane. The barrier islands along the southwest Florida coast are famed for their seashells, fishing and laid-back lifestyle. They took major hits from Ian when it came ashore Wednesday and residents tried to salvage what they could Thursday. Trump records probe: Tensions flare over special master WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI search of Donald Trump’s Florida estate has spawned a parallel “special master” process that has slowed the Justice Department’s criminal investigation and exposed simmering tensions between department prosecutors and lawyers for the former president. The probe into the presence of top secret information at Mar-a-Lago continues. But barbed rhetoric in the past week’s court filings has laid bare deep disagreements related to the special master’s work and made clear that a process the Trump team initially sought has not been playing to the president’s advantage. The special master, Raymond Dearie, is a former federal prosecutor and served as a U.S. District judge in Brooklyn. Biden vows US commitment to Pacific Islands at summit WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has told visiting leaders from more than a dozen Pacific Island countries that the U.S. is committed to bolstering its presence in their region and becoming a more collaborative partner as they face the “existential threat” of climate change. The president on Thursday addressed the leaders who gathered in Washington for a summit as the White House looks to improve relations in the Pacific amid heightened U.S. concern about China’s growing economic and military influence. Biden hosted the leaders for a dinner at the White House on Thursday evening. GOP states sue Biden administration over student loan plan WASHINGTON (AP) — Six Republican-led states are suing the Biden administration to try and halt its plan to forgive student loan debt for millions of Americans. They’re accusing it of overstepping its executive powers. It’s at least the second legal challenge this week to the sweeping proposal laid out by President Joe Biden in late August, when he said his administration would cancel up to $20,000 in education debt for millions of borrowers. As the lawsuit was being filed, the administration quietly scaled back eligibility rules for the debt relief, eliminating a relatively small group of borrowers who are the subject of legal debate in the suit. ALS drug wins FDA approval despite questionable data WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials have approved a much-debated drug to treat the deadly illness known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The approval Thursday follows an intense lobbying campaign by patients and advocates, though it’s also likely to raise questions about the standards used to review experimental medicines. The Food and Drug Administration approved the medication from Amylyx Pharmaceuticals based on results from one small, mid-stage study. The agency’s internal scientists repeatedly said the company’s results were not convincing. But thousands of patients have urged the FDA to be flexible and grant patients’ access. Lou Gehrig’s disease has no cure and most patients die within five years of initial symptoms. Cubans suffer as hurricane-caused power outage drags on HAVANA (AP) — Ivette Garrido hurried last week to get the 6 kilograms of subsidized chicken allotted to her family by Cuba’s government and put it in the freezer, happy to have meat to get through Hurricane Ian. Now she is considering giving the chicken to her three dogs before it goes bad, as a huge power blackout caused by the storm extends beyond two days and everything in her freezer thaws amid scorching temperatures. Cuban authorities have not said what percentage of the population remains without electricity or when things will return to normal, but the Electric Union says only 10% of Havana’s 2 million people have power. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More…