NFL Fines Bucs Cornerback Carlton Davis $13,261 https://digitalalabamanews.com/nfl-fines-bucs-cornerback-carlton-davis-13261/
Sports
Published: Sep. 24, 2022, 6:20 p.m.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis grabs the New Orleans Saints’ Tony Jones Jr. during an NFL game on Sept. 18, 2022, in New Orleans, La.(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
The NFL has fined Tampa Bay cornerback Carlton Davis $13,261 for unsportsmanlike conduct in the Buccaneers’ 20-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
The game included a skirmish centered on Bucs receiver Mike Evans and Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
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Evans received a one-game suspension and Lattimore was one of the four players who received NFL fines, along with Davis and Tampa Bay running back Leonard Fournette and linebacker Devin White.
Davis was not penalized during the game, and the former Auburn standout didn’t seem involved in the pushing and shoving that ensued after Evans pushed down Lattimore. Later in the fourth quarter, Davis had a brief end-zone encounter with Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas
Davis received the standard fine for unsportsmanlike conduct for a first-time offender.
Off to a 2-0 start, Tampa Bay will square off against the Green Bay Packers at 3:25 p.m. CDT Sunday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
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.
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Investors Fleeing Company That Plans To Merge With Trump
Investors Fleeing Company That Plans To Merge With Trump https://digitalalabamanews.com/investors-fleeing-company-that-plans-to-merge-with-trump/
There’s more bad news for the company that’s supposed to merge with Donald Trump’s Truth Social to take it public: Investors are beginning to jump ship.
Digital World Acquisition Corp. — the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that Truth Social needs to go public — revealed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Friday that investors have backed out of $139 million in commitments of the $1 billion previously announced by the company.
There’s likely more to come. Investors, who agreed to put up the money nearly a year ago, can now drop their commitments because Digital World missed its initial Sept. 20 deadline to merge with Truth Social.
DWAC is extending the time frame for the deal by three months after shareholders refused to approve its bid for a 12-month extension. But investors can still back out.
It’s just the latest trouble for Digital World and Truth Social.
A key vendor complained last month that Truth Social bills were going unpaid. A major web-hosting operator said Truth Social owed about $1.6 million in contractually obligated payments, an allegation suggesting the operation’s finances are in “significant disarray,” Fox Business News reported.
In another setback, Truth Social’s application for a trademark was turned down last month because its name was too similar to other operations.
Truth Social is hardly the juggernaut some investors had hoped. The social media platform is largely a forum for Trump, who repeatedly posts messages touting himself and reposts articles from right-wing media praising him each day.
Responding comments mostly involve QAnon conspiracies, over-the-top pro-Trump and anti-Joe Biden memes, and cringey comments like: “Ode to the greatest President ever.”
Comments lack the back-and-forth of social media platforms like Twitter that make them more of a dialogue. Most negative comments on Truth Social are buried or vanish from the site, which organizers had promised would be censorship free.
Trump launched Truth Social after he was booted off Twitter in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Trump has been using the platform much as he did with Twitter — to rail against enemies, complain he’s being victimized and falsely insist he won the 2020 presidential election.
Last month, Digital World warned in an SEC filing that a dip in Trump’s popularity could hurt the business. The filing noted that Truth Social’s success hinges on the “reputation and popularity” of the investigation-plagued Trump, who chairs the Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns and operates the social media platform.
“In order to be successful, TMTG will need millions of those people to register and regularly use TMTG’s platform,” the filing warned. “If President Trump becomes less popular or there are further controversies that damage his credibility or the desire of people to use a platform associated with him,” the planned merger with Digital World “could be adversely affected,” it warned.
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Act Blue Small-Donor Fundraising Accelerates Sharply In August. Democratic Passion Clearly Evident
Act Blue Small-Donor Fundraising Accelerates Sharply In August. Democratic Passion Clearly Evident https://digitalalabamanews.com/act-blue-small-donor-fundraising-accelerates-sharply-in-august-democratic-passion-clearly-evident/
Fundraising is basic to political campaigns- and Dems are killing it!
Note#1: Temp. deleted
Note#2: This post is Number 7 in a series of reports on small-donor fundraising, as reported by the nonprofit Act Blue.
August fundraising by Act Blue surged again from strong reports in May-July of 2022. Once again, the monthly giving in Aug. was roughly double that of the 2018 midterm election cycle. This gives the lie to Republican gospel that they will achieve a Red Wave in the November midterms. As one political storm after another has washed away the rhetoric of Repug invincibility, their fundraising has faltered at the small-donor level as well as the PAC level. As a reminder to readers of the series, I am not following PAC giving, nor their fundraising.
It is now axiomatic among Democrats that the Dobbs decision by SCOTUS in June, which overturned the Roe V Wade decision, has had an explosive effect on our fundraising. That fateful decision has unleashed a firestorm of controversy, helping to unite Dems at the same time it’s dividing the Rep. Party. As most Kos readers are aware, an early primary in Kansas, in which a thinly-disguised anti-abortion measure, brough out an unexpected army of pro-choice voters in one of the reddest states in the US. Behind that turnout was very heavy voter registration with a strong advantage to women.
In short- women are pissed, and so are a lot of progressives.
“The total number of women registering to vote in KS, PA, OH, OK, FL, NC, ID, AL, NM, and ME rose by 35% this summer.
Women will lead the charge in fighting back against the MAGA autocratic movement in November.
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) September 12, 2022 (Borrowed shamelessly from a chloris creator GNR) Thank you, chloris!!
My point in posting this series is that there is an intimate connection between how much money Democrats raise for an election and their level of enthusiasm and/or concern. Ultimately, that comes down to how people vote. So the issues pushing the fundraising include abortion rights at number 1, the economy & inflation at number 2, defending democracy (probably 3rd), gun safety/gun violence, climate change, war in Ukraine and innumerable others.
It’s also worth noting that this is the first election since the Jan 1st Insurrection (2021) in the fading days of the Trump Administration. While TDFG is still in the news almost daily, a majority of the news items are (arguably) related to criminal actions of the former precedent (sic) and his family. Again, that is favorable to Dems in the sense that is creating more friction in the Rep. Party, and it helps remind voters that TDFG did severe damage to the institution of democracy.
TOPLINE NUMBERS
Aug 2018 Aug 2020 Aug 2022
Contributions 2,537,230 10,654,586 4,751,970
Dollars Raised $117,738,770 $485,400,544. $213,422,315
Average Cont. Size $46.40 $45.56 $44.91
Unique Donors 1,087,742 4,038,806 1,608,995
Unique Campaigns, Comms,
and Organizations 7,567 11,577 13,772
CYCLE-TO-CYCLE COMPARISON
(I.E. Jan 1 of prev. year thru current month)
Contributions 30,521,114 87,079,942 65,173,088
Dollars Raised $1,113,153,932 $3,019,731,229 $2,522,534,179
Average Contrib. $36.47 $34.68 $38.71
Unique Donors 4,031,072 12,495,647 6,465,848
Unique Campaigns, Comms.,
and Organizations 13,458 20,239 25,475
* One final note. The cycle-to-cycle numbers illustrate that the 2022 dollars raised are well over double those of the 2018 cycle. They are also almost 84% of the 2020 general election cycle. That’s a Lot of heavy lifting. Both the political rhetoric and the closeness of many House & Senate races almost guarantees continued hefty donations to Dem candidates and ballot measures this year.
As usual, your comments and questions are welcome! Fire away- in a Kos-compliant manner, s’il vous plait!
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NHC Forecasts Tropical Storm Ian Will Hit Florida As Category 3 Hurricane
NHC Forecasts Tropical Storm Ian Will Hit Florida As Category 3 Hurricane https://digitalalabamanews.com/nhc-forecasts-tropical-storm-ian-will-hit-florida-as-category-3-hurricane-2/
Tropical Depression Nine strengthened into Tropical Storm Ian Friday night. This system is forecast to hit Florida as a Category 3 hurricane next week.As of 5 p.m. Saturday, Tropical Storm Ian was expected to strengthen rapidly throughout the weekend.Ian had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was located 255 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica, and 445 miles southeast of Grand Cayman. The system was moving west at 16 mph. “Tropical Storm Ian is expected to intensify into a Category 4 hurricane Tuesday/Wednesday then weaken on Thursday as a cold front moves into the deep, creating a much more hostile environment for this storm,” WESH 2’s Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi said. See the latest maps, models and paths here Below: WESH 2’s Tony Mainolfi and Alex Alecci discuss the latest models”Ian is expected to remain a major hurricane when it moves generally northward across the eastern Gulf of Mexico during the middle of next week, but uncertainty in the track forecast is higher than usual,” the National Hurricane Center wrote. “Regardless of Ian’s exact track, there is a risk of dangerous storm surge, hurricane-force winds, and heavy rainfall along the west coast of Florida and the Florida Panhandle by the middle of next week, and residents in Florida should ensure they have their hurricane plan in place, follow any advice given by local officials, and closely monitor updates to the forecast.”The NHC advises hurricane conditions are possible in the Cayman Islands by early Monday. The Florida Keys and South Florida can expect heavy rains to begin as early as Monday. Some flash and urban flooding is possible with this rainfall, according to the NHC.”On the forecast track, the center of Ian is forecast to pass well southwest of Jamaica on Sunday, and pass near or west of the Cayman Islands Sunday night and early Monday. Ian will then move near or over western Cuba late Monday and emerge over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday,” the National Hurricane Center said. WESH 2 Hurricane Survival Guide 2022Surviving the season: Everything you need to know this hurricane season in Florida SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:A Hurricane Warning is in effect for…* Grand CaymanA Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for…* Little Cayman and Cayman BracA Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous.A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours. The National Weather Service has urged Florida residents and visitors to gather supplies and keep tracking the forecast.Prepping for the storm: Related: DeSantis declares State of Emergency for all of FloridaRelated: Seminole County begins sandbag preps ahead of tropical storm arrivalRelated: Where to get sandbags in Central FloridaKNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN A HURRICANE WATCH IS ISSUEDStay tuned to WESH 2 News, WESH.COM, or NOAA Weather Radio for storm updates.Prepare to bring inside any lawn furniture, outdoor decorations or ornaments, trash cans, hanging plants, and anything else that can be picked up by the wind.Understand hurricane forecast models and cones.Prepare to cover all windows of your home. If shutters have not been installed, use precut plywood.Check batteries and stock up on canned food, first-aid supplies, drinking water, and medications.The WESH 2 First Warning Weather Team recommends you have these items ready before the storm strikes.Bottled water: One gallon of water per person per dayCanned food and soup, such as beans and chiliCan opener for the cans without the easy-open lidsAssemble a first-aid kitTwo weeks’ worth of prescription medicationsBaby/children’s needs, such as formula and diapersFlashlight and batteriesBattery-operated weather radioWHAT TO DO WHEN A HURRICANE WARNING IS ISSUEDListen to the advice of local officials. If you are advised to evacuate, leave.Complete preparation activitiesIf you are not advised to evacuate, stay indoors, away from windows.Be alert for tornadoes. Tornadoes can happen during a hurricane and after it passes over. Remain indoors, in the center of your home, in a closet or bathroom without windows.HOW YOUR SMARTPHONE CAN HELP DURING A HURRICANEA smartphone can be your best friend in a hurricane — with the right websites and apps, you can turn it into a powerful tool for guiding you through a storm’s approach, arrival and aftermath.Download the WESH 2 News app for iOS | AndroidEnable emergency alerts — if you have an iPhone, select settings, then go into notifications. From there, look for government alerts and enable emergency alerts.If you have an Android phone, from the home page of the app, scroll to the right along the bottom and click on “settings.” On the settings menu, click on “severe weather alerts.” From the menu, select from most severe, moderate-severe, or all alerts.PET AND ANIMAL SAFETYYour pet should be a part of your family plan. If you must evacuate, the most important thing you can do to protect your pets is to evacuate them too. Leaving pets behind, even if you try to create a safe space for them, could result in injury or death.Contact hotels and motels outside of your immediate area to see if they take pets.Ask friends, relatives and others outside of the affected area whether they could shelter your animal.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Tropical Depression Nine strengthened into Tropical Storm Ian Friday night.
This system is forecast to hit Florida as a Category 3 hurricane next week.
As of 5 p.m. Saturday, Tropical Storm Ian was expected to strengthen rapidly throughout the weekend.
Ian had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was located 255 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica, and 445 miles southeast of Grand Cayman. The system was moving west at 16 mph.
“Tropical Storm Ian is expected to intensify into a Category 4 hurricane Tuesday/Wednesday then weaken on Thursday as a cold front moves into the deep, creating a much more hostile environment for this storm,” WESH 2’s Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi said.
See the latest maps, models and paths here
Below: WESH 2’s Tony Mainolfi and Alex Alecci discuss the latest models
“Ian is expected to remain a major hurricane when it moves generally northward across the eastern Gulf of Mexico during the middle of next week, but uncertainty in the track forecast is higher than usual,” the National Hurricane Center wrote. “Regardless of Ian’s exact track, there is a risk of dangerous storm surge, hurricane-force winds, and heavy rainfall along the west coast of Florida and the Florida Panhandle by the middle of next week, and residents in Florida should ensure they have their hurricane plan in place, follow any advice given by local officials, and closely monitor updates to the forecast.”
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Now is the time to think about your plans & it is not a bad idea to make sure your hurricane kit is stocked. If we’re still in the cone Sun, start executing that plan. Mon get the preps around the house going. IF the track is still heading our way Tues, have the preps done. pic.twitter.com/KsVlr6uGoW
— Alex Alecci (@AlexAlecciWESH) September 24, 2022
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
How does the latest cone work in compared to the models? Here’s a look…
The models will constantly shift, which is why you can’t just focus on them. The forecast cone is your best idea, knowing that it’s a discussed, worked on forecast taking many many things into account; pic.twitter.com/sFmXvLSHA4
— Eric Burris (@EricBurrisWESH) September 24, 2022
The NHC advises hurricane conditions are possible in the Cayman Islands by early Monday. The Florida Keys and South Florida can expect heavy rains to begin as early as Monday. Some flash and urban flooding is possible with this rainfall, according to the NHC.
“On the forecast track, the center of Ian is forecast to pass well southwest of Jamaica on Sunday, and pass near or west of the Cayman Islands Sunday night and early Monday. Ian will then move near or over western Cuba late Monday and emerge over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday,” the National Hurricane Center said.
WESH 2 Hurricane Survival Guide 2022
Surviving the season: Everything you need to know this hurricane season in Florida
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for…
* Grand Cayman
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for…
* Little Cayman and Cayman Brac
A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous.
A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.
The National Weather Service has urged Florida residents and visitors to gather supplies and keep tracking the forecast.
Prepping for the storm:
Related: DeSantis declares State of Emergency for all of Florida
Related: Seminole County begins sandbag preps ahead of tropical storm arrival
Related: Where to get sandbags in Central Florida
KNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN A HURRICANE WATCH IS ISSUED
Sta...
Halestorm At Mars Music Hall In Huntsville AL Loud Hailer Magazine
Halestorm At Mars Music Hall In Huntsville, AL – Loud Hailer Magazine https://digitalalabamanews.com/halestorm-at-mars-music-hall-in-huntsville-al-loud-hailer-magazine/
Mars Music Hall was packed to the brim on Wednesday when Halestorm kicked off their fall tour, playing to a sold-out Huntsville crowd.
Fans may have been expecting three bands on the bill heading into the concert, but New Years Day was not in attendance during Wednesday’s night showcase. The band is scheduled to join Halestorm for the remainder of their fall tour.
While that news might have disappointed some in attendance, opener The Warning took advantage. There was no subtleness to the band, as the trio of sisters from Monterrey, Mexico, delivered a full-on message that they were there to rock, and that’s precisely what they did for their 45-minute set. The energy was palpable from the second The Warning stepped on stage as the Villarreal siblings got the Mars Music Hall crowd into a frenzy. Though it was their first-ever show in Alabama, judging from the crowd’s reaction, it certainly won’t be their last.
Each member got time to shine during the performance, as the group’s setlist contained a majority of original tracks. However, it was a cover song that caught most people’s attention that included a slight twist. Fans instantly recognized the opening notes of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” The Warning then slowed the tempo down a bit to add their own flair, which created a unique and appreciated version of the tune.
It didn’t take Halestorm long to showcase their power when it was time for the headliner to perform. The show opened with short instrumentals before lead singer Lzzy Hale proclaimed, “I’m back from the dead!” The group headed straight into the track “Back From The Dead,” which shares the same name as the band’s latest record, released in May. It was a powerful way to open the show, and the crowd fed off that energy during the nearly two-hour performance. Throughout the showcase, Halestorm made sure to perform several newer tracks. However, the band did a solid job incorporating the older tunes into their setlist, making it a fun set for both longtime and new fans alike.
Halestorm does an excellent job of allowing each member to get their time to shine. One of the more enjoyable parts of the set was watching drummer Arejay Hale get nearly a 10-minute drum solo. During that stretch, Arejay excited the crowd, showcasing his skills as he quickly switched up the tempo on his kit, as the audience cheered wildly. While that performance was fun, there was one thing that was clear throughout the entirety of the performance. While Halestorm’s sound is loaded with heavy instrumentals, their lead singer packs the most powerful punch, taking over each track where she is featured. That was never more present than when Lzzy performed a medley of three tracks on the piano, which included “Break In,” “Dear Daughter,” and “Raiser Your Horns.” The lack of heavy instrumentals highlighted her voice even more as she showcased her vocal talents.
At the end of that medley, Lzzy and lead guitarist Joe Hottinger performed an acoustic version of “Terrible Things” for what appeared to be the first time. Before the track started, Lzzy joked with the crowd, stating, “This is a terrible idea.” In retrospect, it was anything but that as the duo shined together, making it one of the standout performances of the evening.
During the evening, the band pointed out the fact that it had been a while since they had played Huntsville, last headlining a small club, Sammy T’s, back in 2009. Since that time, the band has graduated to larger venues. With Huntsville’s music scene continuing to grow and the ovation that the group received, fans may not have to wait 13 years before Halestorm returns to The Rocket City.
HALESTORM
Website Facebook Twitter
THE WARNING
Website Facebook Twitter
MARS MUSIC HALL
Website Facebook Twitter
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Elijah McClain Died Of Ketamine Shot From Medics Amended Autopsy Says
Elijah McClain Died Of Ketamine Shot From Medics, Amended Autopsy Says https://digitalalabamanews.com/elijah-mcclain-died-of-ketamine-shot-from-medics-amended-autopsy-says/
Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man whose death in 2019 after an encounter with police helped fuel calls for law enforcement accountability, died because paramedics injected him with a dose of ketamine that was too high for someone his size, according to an amended autopsy report publicly released Friday.
The conclusion is a drastic departure from the original autopsy report, released several months after the fatal confrontation in Aurora, Colo., which said there was not enough evidence to determine how McClain died. The new findings are based on evidence, including police body-camera footage and other records, that a pathologist for the county said he requested in 2019 but did not get.
Though it still lists the manner of death as “undetermined” — as opposed to a homicide or an accident — the report could bolster the prosecution of the police and first responders charged in McClain’s death and reignite calls for greater accountability from the city.
McClain, a massage therapist and self-taught musician, was walking home in August 2019 when he was detained by police responding to a 911 call that someone was acting “sketchy.” Officers tackled him and put him in a carotid chokehold, which restricts blood flow to the brain. Paramedics injected him with ketamine, a powerful sedative. He went into cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital and died several days later.
In the amended autopsy report, forensic pathologist Stephen Cina said the ketamine injection was excessive for McClain, who stood about 5-f00t-7 and weighed 140 pounds.
A review of body-camera footage that police did not provide during the initial autopsy showed that McClain was “extremely sedated” within minutes, according to Cina. He said he thought McClain was struggling to breathe as he lay on a stretcher and that respiratory arrest was “imminent.”
“Simply put, this dosage of ketamine was too much for this individual and it resulted in an overdose, even though his blood ketamine level was consistent with a ‘therapeutic’ blood concentration,” Cina wrote. “I believe that Mr. McClain would most likely be alive but for the administration of ketamine.”
It was not clear whether the carotid hold contributed to his death, Cina said, noting that medical literature suggested it would not have. He said that he saw nothing on McClain’s neck that showed he died of asphyxiation and that McClain could speak after the officers let him up.
Cina also noted that McClain was “alive and responsive to painful stimuli” up to the point that he received the ketamine shot.
“It is my opinion that he likely would have recovered if he did not receive this injection,” he said.
Deaths related to ketamine toxicity are usually classified as accidents, according to the report, but Cina said the manner would remain “undetermined” because other factors could have played a role.
He added: “I acknowledge that other reasonable forensic pathologists who have trained in other places may have developed their own philosophy regarding deaths in custody and that they may consider the manner of death in this type of case to be either homicide or accident.”
In an emailed statement to The Washington Post, an Aurora police spokesman said the department “fully cooperated with the investigation.” A representative for Aurora emergency services did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Saturday morning.
Prosecutors initially declined to charge anyone in McClain’s death, citing the lack of evidence in the original autopsy.
Some officials, medical experts and criminal justice advocates criticized prosecutors for not seeking a second medical opinion to avoid an “undetermined” manner of death.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) appointed a special prosecutor to reopen the case, and a grand jury was empaneled to consider criminal charges.
During the proceedings, the investigation of McClain’s death came under greater scrutiny when Colorado Public Radio reported that the county coroner had met with police before the autopsy was released and that police investigators were present during the examination.
In September 2021, charges were announced against three Aurora police officers and two paramedics. The defendants are expected to enter pleas in November.
Evidence that emerged during the grand jury proceedings prompted the coroner to alter the original autopsy report, but the changes remained secret for more than a year.
The amended version released Friday was made public under a court order after Colorado Public Radio and several other media outlets sued to get access to it.
McClain’s case drew little interest outside Colorado until the May 2020 murder of George Floyd by then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. McClain’s death became a rallying cry in the months of protests that followed. Friends and family remembered him as a gentle person who would use his lunch break to play violin for animals at a local shelter.
Aurora last year agreed to pay $15 million to settle a lawsuit by McClain’s family. The city also banned the chokehold used in his arrest and is considering a ban on ketamine.
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AP News Summary At 6:33 P.m. EDT https://digitalalabamanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-633-p-m-edt/
‘Fighting fit’: Trial to show Oath Keepers’ road to Jan. 6
It’s been a long road to the upcoming Capitol riot trial of the the leader of the extremist group Oath Keepers. But the prosecution’s case against Stewart Rhodes covers a lot more than just the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. Rhodes and four co-defendants are facing the difficult-to-prove charge of seditious conspiracy. Prosecutors will try to show that for the Oath Keepers, the siege wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment protest but that it was part of a weekslong plot to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power from election-denier Donald Trump to Joe Biden. Jury selection begins Tuesday in federal court in the nation’s capital. The trial is expected to last several weeks.
Kremlin stages votes in Ukraine, sees protests in Russia
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces launched new strikes on Ukrainian cities as Kremlin-orchestrated votes took place in occupied regions of Ukraine to create a pretext for their annexation by Moscow. In Russia, hundreds were arrested on Saturday while trying to protest President Vladimir Putin’s order to mobilize more troops to fight in Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western allies say the votes underway in four regions of Ukraine are a sham with no legal force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged residents to undermine “this farce.” He also encouraged people called up to fight to desert or sabotage the Russian military. Ukraine’s presidential office said the latest Russian shelling killed at least three people and wounded 19.
West works to deepen sanctions after Putin heightens threats
WASHINGTON (AP) — How will American leaders and their allies respond if President Vladimir Putin seeks to escalate his way out of his bad situation on Ukraine’s battlefields? Putin this week renewed threats of claiming more Ukrainian territory, and even using nuclear weapons. U.S. and European leaders have made clear they will try to double down on the same tactics that have helped put Russia in a corner in Ukraine. That means more financial penalties and international isolation for Russia, more arms and other backing for Ukraine. There’s no sign of the United States and NATO matching Putin’s intensified nuclear threats with the same bluster, which could raise the risks of escalating the conflict.
Dissident: ‘Iranian women are furious’ over headscarf death
NEW YORK (AP) — Iranian activist Masih Alinejad says the videos and messages she’s been receiving in recent days from women in Iran are showing how angry they are following a young woman’s death in police custody over a violation of the country’s strict religious dress code. The spur for this latest explosion of outrage was the death earlier this month of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The young woman was detained for allegedly wearing her hijab too loosely in violation of strictures demanding women wear the Islamic headscarves in public. She died in custody. Protests have been going on around the country for days. Alinejad would love to see more support from those in the West, as well.
Fiona sweeps away houses, knocks out power in eastern Canada
TORONTO (AP) — Fiona washed houses into the sea, tore the roofs off others and knocked out power to the vast majority of two Canadian provinces as it made landfall as a big, powerful post-tropical cyclone Saturday. Fiona transformed from a hurricane into a post-tropical storm late Friday, but it still had hurricane-strength winds and brought drenching rains and huge waves as it hit Nova Scotia. There was no confirmation of fatalities or injuries. Ocean waves pounded the town of Channel-Port Aux Basques on the southern coast of Newfoundland, where entire structures were washed into the sea. Fiona has weakened to tropical storm strength as it moves across the Gulf of St. Lawrence
DeSantis declares emergency as storm expected to hit Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in Florida as Tropical Storm Ian gathers strength over the Caribbean and is expected to bring heavy rains and intense hurricane winds to the state next week. DeSantis initially issued the emergency order for two dozen counties but on Saturday expanded the warning to the entire state. He is encouraging residents and local governments to prepare for a storm that could lash large swaths of Florida as forecasters track its path. The National Hurricane Center said Ian is forecast to rapidly strengthen in the coming days before moving over western Cuba and approaching Florida in the middle of next week with major hurricane force.
Saudi Arabia’s triumphant week reclaims the West’s embrace
NEW YORK (AP) — Saudi Arabia appears to be leaving behind the stream of negative coverage the killing of Jamal Khashoggi elicited since 2018. Once again enthusiastically welcomed back into polite and powerful society, it is no longer as frowned upon to seek their investments and accept their favor. Saudi Arabia’s busy week of triumphs included brokering a prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia, holding a highbrow summit on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, marking the country’s national day, hosting the German chancellor and discussing energy supply with top White House officials. The pivot is drawing focus back to the crown prince’s ambitious re-branding of Saudi Arabia and its place in the world.
GOP quiet as Arizona Democrats condemn abortion ruling
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Democrats are vowing to fight for women’s rights after a court reinstated a law first enacted during the Civil War that bans abortion in nearly all circumstances. Democrats on Saturday looked to capitalize on an issue they hope will have a major impact on the midterm elections. Top Democrats implored women not to sit on the sidelines this year, saying the ruling sets women back to an era when only men had the right to vote. Republican candidates have been silent since the ruling, which said the state can prosecute doctors and others who assist with an abortion unless it’s necessary to save the mother’s life.
‘We got our miracle’: Freed Americans back home in Alabama
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Two U.S. military veterans who disappeared three months ago while fighting with Ukrainian forces have arrived in their home state of Alabama. The men were greeted Saturday by hugs and cheers at the airport in Birmingham, Alabama. Alex Drueke, and Andy Huynh had gone missing June 9 in northeastern Ukraine near the Russian border. The Alabama residents were released by Russian-backed separatists as part of a recent prisoner exchange mediated by Saudi Arabia. Also freed were five British nationals and three others — from Morocco, Sweden and Croatia. Smiling but looking tired, the two were pulled into long emotional hugs by family members before being taken to a waiting car.
CIA unveils model of al-Qaida leader al-Zawahri’s hideout
MCLEAN, Virginia (AP) — The CIA has revealed the scale model of the safe house where it found and killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri in Afghanistan. The model is now on display at the CIA Museum, newly refurbished for the agency’s 75th anniversary. Intelligence officials used the model to brief President Joe Biden in the White House Situation Room in July. The house shows several balconies, which officials used to show Biden where and how al-Zawahri liked to sit. The museum is not open to the public and generally restricted to agency employees and guests, but it allowed journalists in on Saturday to see its newest exhibits.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Saudi Arabia's Triumphant Week Reclaims The West's Embrace
Saudi Arabia's Triumphant Week Reclaims The West's Embrace https://digitalalabamanews.com/saudi-arabias-triumphant-week-reclaims-the-wests-embrace/
Yasir al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, known as the Public Investment Fund, speaks at an event organized by the fund and the Future Investment Initiative Institute in New York on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022. Saudi Arabia appears to be leaving behind the stream of negative coverage that the killing of Jamal Khashoggi elicited since 2018. The kingdom is once again enthusiastically welcomed back into polite and powerful society and it is no longer as frowned upon to seek Saudi investments or accept their favor. (AP Photo/Aya Batrawy) The Associated Press
By AYA BATRAWY, AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Saudi Arabia appears to be leaving behind the stream of negative coverage that the killing of Jamal Khashoggi elicited since 2018. The kingdom is once again being enthusiastically welcomed back into polite and powerful society, and it is no longer as frowned upon to seek Saudi investments or accept their favor.
Saudi Arabia’s busy week of triumphs included brokering a prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia, holding a highbrow summit on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, marking the country’s national day with pomp and pageantry, hosting the German chancellor and discussing energy supply with top White House officials.
The kingdom is able to draw focus back to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious rebranding of Saudi Arabia and his goals to build both the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund and pull the kingdom up from the G-20 to the more exclusive G-7 nations representing the biggest economies.
It’s a mission that’s often characterized as waking up a sleeping giant. Except it’s happening even as human rights reforms remain off the agenda.
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As the crown prince embarks on sensitive social and economic reforms, he’s simultaneously overseen a far-reaching crackdown on dissent that his supporters say is necessary to ensure stability during this period. Among those detained or banned from leaving the country are women’s rights activists, moderate preachers, conservative clerics, economists and progressive writers. Even top princes and Saudi billionaires have not been spared. Many were rounded up and held in the capital’s Ritz-Carlton in a purported anti-corruption sweep that netted over a $100 billion in assets.
The clampdown, however, drew its strongest international rebuke following the killing of Khashoggi by Saudi agents inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul four years ago.
And just last month, staggeringly long prison terms were handed down against two women for their Twitter and social media activity. A Saudi court sentenced a woman to 45 years in prison in August for allegedly damaging the country through her social media activity. It came on the heels of a 34-year-long prison sentence for another Saudi woman convicted of spreading “rumors” and retweeting dissidents. Both women were handed down the unusually long sentences on appeal.
The Associated Press asked Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Farhan bin Faisal about these sentences. “Those cases are still in process. They are not yet at the final appeal,” he said, adding that the cases lie with the judiciary, which he said operates independently. He spoke at the exclusive Yale Club during an event in New York this week. He would not discuss the cases further.
Saudi Arabia’s strength lies not only in its top position as the world’s biggest oil exporter, but also as the home of Islam’s holiest site and its birthplace.
The prince’s efforts to shed the yoke of decades of ultraconservative Wahhabi control over every aspect of life are popular among young Saudis. From movie theaters and concerts, to women driving and curtailing the morality’s police’s authority, the face of Saudi Arabia is changing. The latter stands in stark contrast to the protests in rival Iran’s cities this week over the death of a woman in the custody of that country’s morality police.
At the other end of these changes is a reorienting of Saudi Arabia’s identity from a chiefly religious focus to one of cultural and national pride.
At a swanky daylong forum this week at one of New York’s premier Upper East Side addresses, the kingdom’s $620 billion wealth fund drew some of the city’s Who’s Who to mingle and network on the sidelines of the United Nations’ annual gathering of world leaders. While the kingdom never stopped drawing investors or forging partnerships in the years since Khashoggi’s death, or amid its ongoing war in Yemen, those ties were less forward-facing among U.S. elites.
The Public Investment Fund has significant stakes in Uber, Lucid Motors, the cruise operator Carnival, Live Nation, Nintendo, Microsoft and a range of other companies. The aim of these investments is to grow Saudi Arabia’s oil wealth and use it to establish world-class tourism, entertainment and luxury industries in the country. In doing so, the kingdom is create a resilient economy as the world looks to a future powered by green energy rather than fossil fuels.
The PIF’s biggest undertaking is Neom, a futuristic megaproject along the kingdom’s northwestern Red Sea coast that envisions flying cars and a 105 mile-long (170 kilometer) zero carbon emissions city that’s entirely enclosed and powered by Artificial Intelligence.
The crown prince oversees the PIF, but the man who runs its day-to-day investments is Yasir al-Rumayyan. He spoke at the so-called “Priority Summit” to a monied elite that included Jared Kushner, a former White House advisor and Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Kushner recently secured a $2 billion investment from the PIF to jump start his new private equity firm.
The fund is key to the 37-year-old prince’s race against time to create at least 1.8 million jobs for young Saudis coming of age and entering the workforce.
“It’s not only the figures that we are looking at, but the quality of these jobs, the quality of our offering to our society — and at the same time, making money while we’re doing it,” al-Rumayyan said.
The PIF’s wealth is fueled by the kingdom’s oil earnings. Al-Rumayyan is also chairman of Saudi Aramco. The state-owned oil and gas company had a record second-quarter this year with profits that topped $48 billion — a figure more than Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon’s same-quarter earnings combined.
The summit, organized by the PIF’s Foreign Investment Initiative Institute that puts on the annual “Davos in the Desert” in Riyadh, drew more than just people seeking opportunities and a morsel of Saudi Arabia’s offerings. It also attracted intellectuals and artists — the kind of soft power that money can’t always buy.
Despite a shift in tone in the West, the shadow of Khashoggi’s killing still looms.
The crown prince was notably absent from Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, which drew royals from around the globe to London this month. Sources close to Prince Mohammed said he would not attend the funeral, the optics of which would have been a distraction. But they did say he would fly to London to offer condolences to the new King Charles III. That never transpired.
And after the crown prince helped negotiate the prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, a move that drew international praise, the headline of the New York Post read: “White House thanks killer crown prince.”
Fernando Javier Sulichin, an Argentine film producer who’s collaborated on projects with Oliver Stone, said he was drawn to the PIF’s event because he wanted to hear new ideas and brainstorm.
“Instead of being cynical and just reading the newspapers, it’s like, what’s going on in the world?,” he said, adding that none of the sessions and discussions “are edited by any editorial board.” He likened it to sourcing water from the river rather than the tap.
No longer pulled by the tide, the kingdom is riding its own wave. ___
Aya Batrawy, an AP journalist based in Dubai, is on assignment covering the U.N. General Assembly. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ayaelb and for more AP coverage of the U.N. General Assembly, visit https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations-general-assembly
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Why Everyone Pays Attention To FedEx | The Motley Fool
Why Everyone Pays Attention To FedEx | The Motley Fool https://digitalalabamanews.com/why-everyone-pays-attention-to-fedex-the-motley-fool/
In this podcast, Motley Fool senior analysts Emily Flippen and Ron Gross discuss:
FedEx shares having a historically bad day amid talk of a recession.
Adobe spending $20 billion for a start-up software-design firm.
Optimism around Starbucks after an impressive (and detailed) investor day.
Twilio laying off 11% of employees.
Two business leaders and their legacies.
John Ourand from the Sports Business Journal discusses Amazon‘s investments in NFL programming, Disney‘s thinking about ESPN, college football playoff expansion, and storylines for the MLB playoffs.
Ron and Emily share two stocks on their radar: Union Pacific and Costco.
To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool’s free podcasts, check out our podcast center. To get started investing, check out our quick-start guide to investing in stocks. A full transcript follows the video.
This video was recorded on September 16, 2022.
Chris Hill: How bad is it for FedEx? How much does Amazon have riding on Thursday Night Football? And who gives away an entire company? Motley Fool Money starts now.
From Fool global headquarters, this is Motley Fool Money. Some Motley Fool Money radio show. I’m Chris Hill joining me in studio senior analysts Emily Flippen and Ron Gross. Good to see both. Hey, we’ve got the latest headlines from Wall Street. We’ll talk NFL prime time with John Ourand from the Sports Business Journal. And as always, we’ve got a couple of stocks on our radar.
But we begin with another rough week for the markets, the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all down again this week, punctuated by shares of FedEx falling more than 20% on Friday. First-quarter profits and revenue for the bellwether company were lower than expected. Ron will get to FedEx itself in a minute. But this was another rough week where it was hard to find optimism anywhere. If you can buy shares of pessimism, I feel like that is a stock.
Ron Gross: That’s fair. I didn’t enjoy this week. I’ll be honest with you. The bottom line is that we got some inflation data. The numbers came in hotter, higher than expected or even hoped for, which caused investors to believe that the Fed would have to continue to aggressively raise interest rates, and that sent the market down. At the same time, as you mentioned with FedEx, the economy’s starting to show signs of weakness, which is, after all, the desired outcome of the Fed. We shouldn’t be surprised; that’s what they’re trying to do. I think we’re likely to see companies start to miss their earnings estimates or actually bring estimates down over the next quarter or two as the economy does in fact start to slow, and then we’ll see if we actually slip into a recession or we manage to avoid one.
Chris Hill: Emily, normally, I get excited for earnings season, and this was one of those weeks that makes me think maybe when earnings season kicks into high gear next month, it’s not going to be pretty.
Emily Flippen: Yeah, FedEx is a bellwether stock for the global economy because you can think about the thousands of businesses that use their services to run their own businesses. It’s almost like a canary here saying, “Hey, headed into the holiday season, things might not be that great.”
Although I will say a lot of the headwinds that FedEx is experiencing in the quarter were things that were very prevalent last quarter as well. They didn’t make a lot of cuts decreasing their cost structure in order to meet guidance that they had set out previously. It just got my head scratching about why they weren’t a bit more proactive with this last quarter.
Chris Hill: Ron, in terms of FedEx itself, obviously, the profits and revenue were not great. They appear to be taking a pretty aggressive approach to cost savings. They’re talking about shutting down offices, deferring hiring, and more.
Ron Gross: Yes, out of necessity, quite frankly. When you have revenue up only 5% and earnings actually down 6% and margins getting smacked around due to weakness. Quite frankly, everywhere they highlighted — Asia and Europe, but domestically was no treat either — you have to look at rightsizing the business. They’re going to do things like close 90 office locations, close five corporate office facilities, defer hiring, reduce flights, cancel projects. They’re going to reduce their capex budget for the year by $500 million. It’s still $6.3 billion, but half a billion dollar cut to that.
They’re doing what they can. They withdrew their full-year guidance. One of the reasons the stock is down so much because investors and analysts just don’t like when companies are forced to do that because it shows that they don’t have visibility into their own business. If they don’t have visibility than why should an investor feel that they have any visibility?
Chris Hill: I was going to say, is that something we should expect more of as we get into earnings season next month? Or maybe not expect, should we not be surprised if other companies follow suit and just pull back guidance altogether?
Ron Gross: I think it’s fair to say yes. The more that do it then it easier becomes for others to do it. Companies are hesitant to do it because even though we’d prefer they worry about their business and not their stock price, they do worry about the stock price and the analyst community, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we start to see a lot of guidance being pulled.
Emily Flippen: Oh, here’s my confusion. They talk about this impending recession, and certainly they’re seeing the impacts in their business today. But everywhere I look. Chris, we’re talking earlier, we’re seeing lines outside of Apple stores for their new iPhones. We’re seeing unemployment still really low. So part of it just has me confused, because we’re getting one narrative from companies right now saying look, earnings are going to be bad, headed into next earnings season. Shipments are down. But at the same time, American consumers still seem to be spending money.
Ron Gross: They should do sending money, and employment is still quite robust. But as earnings come down, that’s when companies will, you’ll see the lag, companies will start to say where can we cut? Just like FedEx is. Then we’ll probably see the employment picture change a bit. That’s where you probably either enter a recession, hopefully a mild one, or maybe just skirt around it, but clearly the economy will weaken.
Chris Hill: Well, not every company is cutting back on spending money. On Thursday, Adobe announced third-quarter results that got completely overshadowed by their other announcement, which is that Adobe is buying Figma, a software design firm, in a cash-and-stock deal worth $20 billion. Shares of Adobe fell 17% on Thursday.
Emily, safe to assume that absolutely everyone thinks they overpaid for Figma?
Emily Flippen: Well, this is just chump change. Who can’t reach into their couch and pull out a good $20 billion and change?
No, this is a huge deal and it led to Adobe’s largest drop in over a decade. So investors are very scared. Unfortunately, it overshadowed what was a pretty strong quarter otherwise. Revenue rose 12% for the business. Margins expanded. And while guidance was predictably weak, the business itself still remains very stable.
But there were two main things that were contributing to, I think the investor response to this acquisition. First being, obviously, the price tag; $20 billion is a lot. It’s double Figma evaluation that they had this time last year, and that’s at a time when other tech valuations have dramatically fallen over the course of the year. It values the company at around 50 times annualized recurring revenue, extremely lofty valuation. Part of the response we’re seeing is in regard to the price tag.
But secondarily, it’s in regards to Adobe strategy here. I mean, this is a big departure for Adobe in the past. They’ve always been acquisitive, but acquisitions to this point have largely been tuck-ins and at reasonable multiples. It shows how disciplined the management team has been with capital allocation to this point.
But clearly, there is something about this deal that is reactive and not proactive, in my opinion. They’re looking, in my opinion, to take out what is probably a really formidable competitor, which does leave me confused about what potential regulatory impact there could be as regulators take a look at this massive deal. But it’s certainly rubbing investors wrong way this week.
Chris Hill: You think if Microsoft made this exact same deal, they would get not the same level of scrutiny? You would like to thank any deal gets scrutinized by regulators, but would they have a better chance of having an approved?
Emily Flippen: I definitely think they would, in part because their offerings aren’t as directly competitive as Figma is with Adobe’s offerings today. They also have a bit of a better budget, I suppose, for purchases of this size. More importantly, it’s not completely different strategy for Microsoft. I still think it’d be scrutinized in terms of the price. There’s no reason why a valuation should double in a year when other valuations have come back down to earth. But in this case, I think it’s a combination of both that price tag and Adobe’s past strategy.
Chris Hill: Shares of Adobe are at their lowest point in almost three years. You’ll look at that and think, oh, this might be an opportunity to buy? Or still too many question marks around this deal.
Emily Flippen: I still have too many question marks around this deal. Large acquisitions like this rarely pay off, especially when they’re made out of necessity instead of desire.
Chris Hill: Shares of Starbucks up this week. On Tuesday, the coffee giant held an investor day presentation. Among the highlights, the company will be investing $450 million to improve coffee machines and stores with t...
AP News Summary At 5:49 P.m. EDT https://digitalalabamanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-549-p-m-edt/
‘Fighting fit’: Trial to show Oath Keepers’ road to Jan. 6
It’s been a long road to the upcoming Capitol riot trial of the the leader of the extremist group Oath Keepers. But the prosecution’s case against Stewart Rhodes covers a lot more than just the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. Rhodes and four co-defendants are facing the difficult-to-prove charge of seditious conspiracy. Prosecutors will try to show that for the Oath Keepers, the siege wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment protest but that it was part of a weekslong plot to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power from election-denier Donald Trump to Joe Biden. Jury selection begins Tuesday in federal court in the nation’s capital. The trial is expected to last several weeks.
Kremlin stages votes in Ukraine, sees protests in Russia
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces launched new strikes on Ukrainian cities as Kremlin-orchestrated votes took place in occupied regions of Ukraine to create a pretext for their annexation by Moscow. In Russia, hundreds were arrested on Saturday while trying to protest President Vladimir Putin’s order to mobilize more troops to fight in Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western allies say the votes underway in four regions of Ukraine are a sham with no legal force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged residents to undermine “this farce.” He also encouraged people called up to fight to desert or sabotage the Russian military. Ukraine’s presidential office said the latest Russian shelling killed at least three people and wounded 19.
West works to deepen sanctions after Putin heightens threats
WASHINGTON (AP) — How will American leaders and their allies respond if President Vladimir Putin seeks to escalate his way out of his bad situation on Ukraine’s battlefields? Putin this week renewed threats of claiming more Ukrainian territory, and even using nuclear weapons. U.S. and European leaders have made clear they will try to double down on the same tactics that have helped put Russia in a corner in Ukraine. That means more financial penalties and international isolation for Russia, more arms and other backing for Ukraine. There’s no sign of the United States and NATO matching Putin’s intensified nuclear threats with the same bluster, which could raise the risks of escalating the conflict.
Dissident: ‘Iranian women are furious’ over headscarf death
NEW YORK (AP) — Iranian activist Masih Alinejad says the videos and messages she’s been receiving in recent days from women in Iran are showing how angry they are following a young woman’s death in police custody over a violation of the country’s strict religious dress code. The spur for this latest explosion of outrage was the death earlier this month of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The young woman was detained for allegedly wearing her hijab too loosely in violation of strictures demanding women wear the Islamic headscarves in public. She died in custody. Protests have been going on around the country for days. Alinejad would love to see more support from those in the West, as well.
Fiona sweeps away houses, knocks out power in eastern Canada
TORONTO (AP) — Fiona washed houses into the sea, tore the roofs off others and knocked out power to the vast majority of two Canadian provinces as it made landfall as a big, powerful post-tropical cyclone Saturday. Fiona transformed from a hurricane into a post-tropical storm late Friday, but it still had hurricane-strength winds and brought drenching rains and huge waves as it hit Nova Scotia. There was no confirmation of fatalities or injuries. Ocean waves pounded the town of Channel-Port Aux Basques on the southern coast of Newfoundland, where entire structures were washed into the sea. Fiona has weakened to tropical storm strength as it moves across the Gulf of St. Lawrence
DeSantis declares emergency as storm expected to hit Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in Florida as Tropical Storm Ian gathers strength over the Caribbean and is expected to bring heavy rains and intense hurricane winds to the state next week. DeSantis initially issued the emergency order for two dozen counties but on Saturday expanded the warning to the entire state. He is encouraging residents and local governments to prepare for a storm that could lash large swaths of Florida as forecasters track its path. The National Hurricane Center said Ian is forecast to rapidly strengthen in the coming days before moving over western Cuba and approaching Florida in the middle of next week with major hurricane force.
GOP quiet as Arizona Democrats condemn abortion ruling
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Democrats are vowing to fight for women’s rights after a court reinstated a law first enacted during the Civil War that bans abortion in nearly all circumstances. Democrats on Saturday looked to capitalize on an issue they hope will have a major impact on the midterm elections. Top Democrats implored women not to sit on the sidelines this year, saying the ruling sets women back to an era when only men had the right to vote. Republican candidates have been silent since the ruling, which said the state can prosecute doctors and others who assist with an abortion unless it’s necessary to save the mother’s life.
‘We got our miracle’: Freed Americans back home in Alabama
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Two U.S. military veterans who disappeared three months ago while fighting with Ukrainian forces have arrived in their home state of Alabama. The men were greeted Saturday by hugs and cheers at the airport in Birmingham, Alabama. Alex Drueke, and Andy Huynh had gone missing June 9 in northeastern Ukraine near the Russian border. The Alabama residents were released by Russian-backed separatists as part of a recent prisoner exchange mediated by Saudi Arabia. Also freed were five British nationals and three others — from Morocco, Sweden and Croatia. Smiling but looking tired, the two were pulled into long emotional hugs by family members before being taken to a waiting car.
CIA unveils model of al-Qaida leader al-Zawahri’s hideout
MCLEAN, Virginia (AP) — The CIA has revealed the scale model of the safe house where it found and killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri in Afghanistan. The model is now on display at the CIA Museum, newly refurbished for the agency’s 75th anniversary. Intelligence officials used the model to brief President Joe Biden in the White House Situation Room in July. The house shows several balconies, which officials used to show Biden where and how al-Zawahri liked to sit. The museum is not open to the public and generally restricted to agency employees and guests, but it allowed journalists in on Saturday to see its newest exhibits.
Soldier who went missing during Korean War accounted for
BOSTON (AP) — A soldier from Massachusetts who went missing during the Korean war and was later reported to have died in a prisoner of war camp has been accounted for. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says Army Cpl. Joseph J. Puopolo, of East Boston, was just 19 when he was reported missing in December 1950. It was later reported he had died in a prisoner of war camp. Military officials say remains disinterred in 2019 were identified as Puopolo through dental and anthropological analysis, mitochondrial DNA analysis and circumstantial evidence. Puopolo’s grandnephew says his family, including the soldier’s sister who is now 99 years old, has not forgotten him.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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US Forecast https://digitalalabamanews.com/us-forecast-40/
City/Town, State;Yesterday’s High Temp (F);Yesterday’s Low Temp (F);Today’s High Temp (F);Today’s Low Temp (F);Weather Condition;Wind Direction;Wind Speed (MPH);Humidity (%);Chance of Precip. (%);UV Index
Albany, NY;68;48;67;55;Afternoon t-storms;SSE;8;69%;95%;2
Albuquerque, NM;82;56;81;58;Mostly cloudy;ESE;10;33%;1%;4
Anchorage, AK;53;43;52;40;A couple of showers;NNE;8;75%;87%;1
Asheville, NC;73;53;74;53;A stray p.m. t-storm;WNW;6;66%;51%;2
Atlanta, GA;81;61;79;61;Mostly cloudy;W;7;60%;31%;4
Atlantic City, NJ;70;61;79;63;Windy with some sun;SW;19;54%;62%;5
Austin, TX;95;72;97;73;Sunny and hot;SSE;2;55%;6%;7
Baltimore, MD;73;60;80;62;A shower and t-storm;W;9;54%;74%;4
Baton Rouge, LA;96;73;95;72;Clouds and sun, warm;S;6;61%;19%;6
Billings, MT;76;50;76;52;Sunny and beautiful;SSE;7;38%;1%;4
Birmingham, AL;86;66;83;61;A shower or two;NNW;7;63%;84%;2
Bismarck, ND;70;48;68;40;Partly sunny, breezy;NW;14;42%;1%;4
Boise, ID;81;52;84;55;Plenty of sunshine;ENE;7;26%;0%;5
Boston, MA;69;52;72;60;A p.m. thunderstorm;S;9;56%;80%;3
Bridgeport, CT;69;53;74;59;A p.m. t-storm;SW;10;61%;82%;2
Buffalo, NY;65;55;64;56;Windy with showers;W;18;82%;100%;1
Burlington, VT;67;48;66;56;A few p.m. showers;SSE;9;65%;96%;2
Caribou, ME;63;44;65;48;Mostly sunny;S;7;59%;90%;4
Casper, WY;74;38;73;40;Nice with sunshine;ESE;5;43%;1%;5
Charleston, SC;81;66;85;71;Sunny and nice;SSW;7;60%;18%;6
Charleston, WV;77;59;77;53;A couple of showers;WSW;10;71%;89%;3
Charlotte, NC;79;58;78;58;A t-storm around;WSW;7;61%;42%;4
Cheyenne, WY;74;42;69;46;Nice with sunshine;SSW;8;34%;1%;5
Chicago, IL;72;59;68;54;A couple of showers;WNW;19;66%;85%;2
Cleveland, OH;67;61;67;57;Windy with showers;W;19;79%;100%;1
Columbia, SC;82;61;86;64;Lots of sun, nice;WSW;8;51%;43%;6
Columbus, OH;70;59;70;52;Windy with a shower;W;18;67%;82%;2
Concord, NH;66;42;69;53;An afternoon shower;SSE;6;67%;89%;3
Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX;97;75;95;68;Partly sunny, warm;NNE;7;47%;12%;6
Denver, CO;81;48;76;50;Sunny and nice;N;6;28%;1%;5
Des Moines, IA;83;55;74;49;Winds subsiding;NNW;16;48%;0%;5
Detroit, MI;65;56;68;52;A couple of showers;W;9;75%;97%;1
Dodge City, KS;87;55;80;50;Sunny and pleasant;NNE;12;42%;0%;5
Duluth, MN;58;52;65;46;Winds subsiding;NW;16;67%;45%;4
El Paso, TX;94;69;87;69;Partly sunny;E;8;33%;9%;6
Fairbanks, AK;50;33;53;34;Partly sunny;N;5;68%;30%;2
Fargo, ND;65;51;64;42;Mostly sunny, breezy;NNW;15;51%;0%;4
Grand Junction, CO;79;49;82;51;Sunny and delightful;ESE;6;29%;0%;5
Grand Rapids, MI;62;54;64;51;A couple of showers;WNW;11;84%;95%;1
Hartford, CT;71;49;73;58;A p.m. t-storm;SSW;8;64%;89%;3
Helena, MT;73;46;77;48;Partly sunny;SW;4;48%;0%;4
Honolulu, HI;88;74;89;75;Partial sunshine;ENE;7;62%;29%;9
Houston, TX;95;75;94;76;Mostly sunny and hot;SSW;5;60%;15%;7
Indianapolis, IN;76;63;72;53;Windy with a shower;WNW;18;56%;43%;3
Jackson, MS;92;71;94;67;Partly sunny;NNE;6;55%;12%;6
Jacksonville, FL;90;68;88;71;Sunlit and pleasant;SSE;6;58%;8%;7
Juneau, AK;54;50;55;52;Rain;E;9;90%;100%;1
Kansas City, MO;87;60;79;53;Mostly sunny, breezy;WNW;13;45%;0%;5
Knoxville, TN;79;62;78;54;A stray p.m. t-storm;W;9;72%;52%;2
Las Vegas, NV;97;72;98;72;Sunny and hot;NW;7;12%;0%;6
Lexington, KY;76;62;79;54;Windy in the p.m.;W;15;64%;30%;5
Little Rock, AR;96;71;93;61;Variable clouds, hot;N;8;44%;13%;5
Long Beach, CA;90;68;87;68;Sunny and warm;S;7;53%;0%;6
Los Angeles, CA;88;67;91;69;Sunny and very warm;SSE;6;49%;0%;6
Louisville, KY;81;64;79;56;Mostly sunny, windy;W;18;54%;17%;5
Madison, WI;60;55;65;49;A couple of showers;WNW;18;74%;85%;2
Memphis, TN;95;72;92;62;More clouds than sun;N;8;56%;19%;5
Miami, FL;88;79;89;79;Partly sunny;ESE;8;69%;85%;8
Milwaukee, WI;65;57;67;52;Windy with a shower;WNW;19;72%;83%;1
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN;69;54;68;50;Mostly sunny, windy;NW;18;54%;0%;4
Mobile, AL;92;72;92;74;More clouds than sun;SW;5;65%;44%;6
Montgomery, AL;86;63;84;66;A shower in the a.m.;SW;6;64%;65%;6
Mt. Washington, NH;37;34;43;37;Windy;SE;26;77%;99%;1
Nashville, TN;87;66;85;54;A t-storm around;NW;8;57%;42%;4
New Orleans, LA;92;75;93;79;Humid;SSW;6;60%;18%;6
New York, NY;71;59;76;62;A p.m. t-storm;SSW;10;52%;80%;4
Newark, NJ;72;54;75;58;A shower and t-storm;SSW;8;57%;84%;3
Norfolk, VA;77;62;86;65;Sun and clouds;SW;12;45%;70%;5
Oklahoma City, OK;94;67;88;57;Mostly sunny, breezy;NNE;13;37%;0%;6
Olympia, WA;74;48;79;48;Mostly sunny, warm;NE;6;60%;3%;4
Omaha, NE;86;54;76;46;Sunny and breezy;NNW;15;48%;0%;5
Orlando, FL;88;74;89;74;A couple of showers;E;7;67%;88%;5
Philadelphia, PA;71;58;78;60;A p.m. t-storm;SSW;10;51%;78%;2
Phoenix, AZ;102;79;103;80;Mostly sunny and hot;NNE;6;23%;0%;6
Pittsburgh, PA;69;56;68;54;A shower and t-storm;WSW;13;78%;96%;1
Portland, ME;65;47;65;56;Clouding up;SE;8;66%;99%;3
Portland, OR;79;53;86;54;Hazy sun and warm;N;7;50%;3%;4
Providence, RI;71;48;71;60;A p.m. thunderstorm;SSW;8;63%;93%;3
Raleigh, NC;73;58;84;60;Partly sunny;SW;9;50%;84%;5
Reno, NV;81;52;84;54;Plenty of sun;WSW;6;26%;0%;5
Richmond, VA;75;60;83;60;A t-storm around;SW;11;50%;55%;5
Roswell, NM;94;64;89;61;Clouds and sun;SE;12;39%;3%;7
Sacramento, CA;93;61;94;62;Plenty of sunshine;SW;6;39%;0%;5
Salt Lake City, UT;80;54;82;56;Plenty of sunshine;ESE;7;30%;0%;5
San Antonio, TX;92;72;94;72;Lots of sun, warm;SSE;6;57%;5%;7
San Diego, CA;80;68;80;69;Mostly sunny, humid;NW;9;69%;0%;6
San Francisco, CA;80;59;74;58;Nice with some sun;WSW;10;64%;0%;5
Savannah, GA;82;64;87;68;Nice with sunshine;S;4;61%;13%;6
Seattle-Tacoma, WA;72;54;75;54;Hazy sun;NNE;8;60%;3%;4
Sioux Falls, SD;72;52;73;43;Mostly sunny, breezy;NNW;14;44%;0%;4
Spokane, WA;75;47;80;47;Clouds and sun;E;1;47%;0%;4
Springfield, IL;83;58;74;50;Partly sunny, breezy;WNW;13;52%;1%;5
St. Louis, MO;85;62;78;55;Partly sunny;WNW;12;46%;9%;5
Tampa, FL;91;72;89;73;A t-storm around;ENE;6;76%;54%;8
Toledo, OH;67;55;66;51;A couple of showers;W;18;79%;88%;1
Tucson, AZ;97;71;98;75;Mostly sunny;ESE;7;37%;16%;7
Tulsa, OK;87;66;86;55;Sunny and warm;NNE;9;41%;2%;6
Vero Beach, FL;85;76;87;74;A t-storm in spots;SE;9;78%;76%;4
Washington, DC;70;57;80;60;A shower and t-storm;SW;9;63%;81%;3
Wichita, KS;90;59;81;50;Plenty of sunshine;NNW;11;39%;0%;5
Wilmington, DE;71;57;78;59;A p.m. t-storm;SSW;11;52%;66%;2
_____
Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
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'It Is Surreal': Canada's Atlantic Coast Residents Describe Devastation As Fiona Wipes Away Homes And Knocks Out Power For Thousands
'It Is Surreal': Canada's Atlantic Coast Residents Describe Devastation As Fiona Wipes Away Homes And Knocks Out Power For Thousands https://digitalalabamanews.com/it-is-surreal-canadas-atlantic-coast-residents-describe-devastation-as-fiona-wipes-away-homes-and-knocks-out-power-for-thousands/
(CNN)Fiona is ripping through Canada’s eastern seaboard at hurricane strength after making landfall in Nova Scotia on Saturday, slamming the area with fierce winds and storm surge, sapping power for hundreds of thousands and washing away or collapsing some coastal homes.
Fiona, now a post-tropical cyclone, had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph — the power of a Category 1 hurricane — around 2 p.m. ET Saturday, with its center over the Gulf of St. Lawrence and heading toward eastern Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, the US National Hurricane Center said.
Some coastal homes collapsed, and a few toppled structures even fell into the sea or were surrounded by floodwater in Newfoundland and Labrador, pictures sent from the province Saturday morning showed.
In the province’s coastal Channel-Port aux Basques town, “We’ve already had houses … and things that are washed away,” Mayor Brian Button said in a Facebook video Saturday morning. Dangerous storm surges — ocean water pushed onto land — had been expected, forecasters said.
René Roy, editor-in-chief of Wreckhouse Press, a local news publication, described a scene of carnage in the storm: uprooted trees, at least eight nearby homes vanished in the wake of a violent storm surge, cabins floating by, a boat carried by floodwaters into the middle of a local playground.
“I’ve lived through Hurricane Juan and that was a foggy day compared to this monster,” Roy, 50, told CNN. Hurricane Juan battered the Canadian coast as a Category 2 storm in 2003, knocking down power lines and trees and leaving behind extensive damage. “It is surreal what is happening here,” Roy added.
Roy told CNN he evacuated from his home and staying with a cousin on higher ground. He has no idea if his home is still standing and emergency personnel stopped him from driving over to check. It was unsafe to do so, they warned.
Pictures by another area resident, Terry Osmond, showed a collapsed building in Channel-Port aux Basques surrounded by seawater at the shoreline, and splintered wood and other debris were scattered across town.
“Never in my lifetime” has there been “so much destruction … in our area,” Osmond, 62, wrote to CNN.
A woman in town was rescued from water Saturday afternoon after her home collapsed, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said. She was taken to a hospital; the extent of her injuries wasn’t immediately known, police said.
About a 30-minute drive to the east, several buildings were blown apart In the coastal Newfoundland community of Burnt Islands, video posted to Facebook by Pius Scott showed. Homes — or parts of them — collapsed in heaps, and debris littered the ground and seawater.
Devastation is ‘breathtaking,’ mayor says
Power outages were reported for more than half a million utility customers in Atlantic Canada on Saturday afternoon, including more than 364,000 in Nova Scotia and more than 85,000 on Prince Edward Island, according to Poweroutage.com.
Restoring power was among officials’ biggest priorities, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said during a Saturday news conference, describing “shocking” damage across the province, including communities whose roads had been washed out and littered with downed trees and power lines.
But weather conditions were still too severe in many areas for crews to begin assessing and repairing damage, said Nova Scotia Power President and CEO Peter Gregg. More than 900 power technicians are on their way to the area, but with parts of the province still experiencing storm conditions, Gregg added some customers may experience power outages for several days.
The storm made landfall in the darkness of early Saturday as a powerful post-tropical cyclone in eastern Nova Scotia, between Canso and Guysborough, and crossed over the province’s Cape Breton Island. Officials in the Cape Breton area declared an emergency and asked people to shelter in place.
The Cape Breton Regional Municipality wrote on Twitter Saturday afternoon telecommunications systems were making it difficult for officials to receive information ad urged residents to remain sheltered and not to travel.
“There are more than 70 road closures and hazards,” it warned.
West of landfall, in Nova Scotia’s capital, Halifax, an apartment complex’s roof collapsed, forcing about 100 people to leave for a shelter, Mayor Mike Savage told CNN Saturday.
“The magnitude of this storm has been breathtaking,” Savage later said in Saturday’s news conference. “It turned out to be everything predicted.”
In the Prince Edward Island capital of Charlottetown, police tweeted photos of damage including a home’s collapsed ceiling.
“Conditions are like nothing we’ve ever seen,” Charlottetown police tweeted early Saturday.
Fiona could become Canada’s Superstorm Sandy
After passing through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Fiona should reach Quebec’s lower north shore and Newfoundland and Labrador by late Saturday, the Canadian Hurricane Centre said.
Hurricane-force gusts were reported Saturday morning across parts of Maritime Canada, generally ranging from 70 to 95 mph (110 to more than 150 kph). A top gust as of midmorning was 111 mph (179 kph) in Arisaig, Nova Scotia, according to Environment Canada.
Rainfall could total up to 10 inches in some places, and significant flooding is possible, forecasters said.
The storm already claimed the lives of at least five people and shut off power for millions as it battered islands in the Caribbean and the Atlantic earlier this week.
Fiona could become Canada’s version of Superstorm Sandy, Chris Fogarty, Canadian Hurricane Centre manager, said before Fiona hit. Sandy in 2012 affected 24 states and all of the eastern seaboard, causing an estimated $78.7 billion in damage.
An unofficial barometric pressure of 931.6 mb was recorded Saturday at Hart Island, which would make Fiona the lowest pressure landfalling storm on record in Canada, according to the Canadian Hurricane Centre.
Similarities with 2012’s Superstorm Sandy
Fiona had been a Category 4 storm early Wednesday over the Atlantic after passing the Turks and Caicos and remained so until Friday afternoon, when it weakened on approach to Canada.
It became post-tropical before making landfall, meaning instead of a warm core, the storm now had a cold core. It does not affect the storm’s ability to produce intense winds, rain and storm surge, it just means the storm’s interior mechanics have changed.
Fiona approached Canada at the same time as a trough of low pressure and cold air to the north, much like Sandy did, according to Bob Robichaud of the Canadian Hurricane Centre.
“Sandy was larger than Fiona is expected to be even. But the process is essentially the same, where you have two features kind of feeding off each other to create one strong storm like we’re going to see,” he said Friday.
As of 2 p.m. Saturday, hurricane-force winds extended up to 115 miles out from Fiona’s center, while tropical-storm-force winds reached up to 405 miles out, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
Large swells generated by Fiona could cause life-threatening surf and rip currents along not only Atlantic Canada, but also the US Northeast coast and Bermuda, the hurricane center said.
CNN’s Allison Chinchar, Hannah Sarisohn, Sharif Paget, Derek Van Dam, Haley Brink, Aya Elamroussi, Theresa Waldrop and Christina Maxouris contributed to this report.
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Sunday Shows Preview: Putin Orders Partial Military Call-Up; Jan. 6 Panel To Hold First September Hearing
Sunday Shows Preview: Putin Orders Partial Military Call-Up; Jan. 6 Panel To Hold First September Hearing https://digitalalabamanews.com/sunday-shows-preview-putin-orders-partial-military-call-up-jan-6-panel-to-hold-first-september-hearing/
In this image taken from video released by the Russian Presidential Press Service, Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he addresses the nation in Moscow, Russia, Sept. 21, 2022. (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech announcing a partial military call-up in Russia’s war with Ukraine and the upcoming hearing of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol are expected to dominate this week’s Sunday shows circuit.
Putin announced on Wednesday that he would be drafting up to 300,000 Russian reservists into the military as the country falters in its now seven-month long conflict with Ukraine.
Many Russians scrambled to leave the country following the announcement, rapidly selling out flights to the countries still accepting planes from Russia. Anti-war demonstrations also swept the country, with Russian authorities detaining more than 1,300 protesters on the day of the announcement.
Amid the backlash, Russia on Friday announced exemptions to the call-up for citizens with higher education who work in banking, information technology and telecommunications.
The call-up of additional Russian soldiers comes after Ukrainian forces have made several major gains in eastern Ukraine. Russia pulled its forces out of the areas around Kharkiv earlier this month as Ukrainian forces advanced.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who will appear on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, called Putin’s move a “frank admission” that the Russian military is struggling.
“Russia’s decision on mobilization is a frank admission that their regular army, which has been prepared for decades to take over a foreign country, did not withstand and crumbled,” Zelensky said in an address on Thursday.
Putin also threatened to deploy Moscow’s nuclear arsenal in Wednesday’s address, raising concerns in the West.
“This is not a bluff,” Putin said. “And those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the weathervane can turn and point towards them.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Putin to end his “reckless nuclear threats” at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan will appear on ABC’s “This Week,” CBS’ “Face the Nation” and NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
The House Jan. 6 Committee’s first fall hearing will also likely be a subject of discussion on Sunday’s shows. The committee announced this week that it plans to hold a hearing on Sept. 28, the first since its explosive series of hearings this summer.
Members of the committee recently said that they have made progress in their investigation into the Secret Service’s actions on the day of the Capitol attack, after it was revealed that the agency lost its communications from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6 in a migration to a new software.
Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has also agreed to sit before the committee, her lawyer told The Hill on Wednesday. The committee asked Thomas, who has faced scrutiny following
revelations that she communicated with top Trump allies leading up to Jan. 6 and pressured state lawmakers to overturn election results, to testify in June.
Several members of the committee are set to make appearances on Sunday. Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) will be on
CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Rep.
Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on
NBC’s “Meet the Press” and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows:
ABC’s “This Week” — White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan; Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)
NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sullivan; Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Nancy Mace (R-S.C.)
CBS’s “Face the Nation” — Sullivan; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky; Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.); Raphael Bostic, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
CNN’s “State of the Union” — British Prime Minister Liz Truss; Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)
“Fox News Sunday” — Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.); Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)
Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” — Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.); Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.); Kari Lake, Republican nominee for Arizona governor
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AP News Summary At 4:38 P.m. EDT https://digitalalabamanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-438-p-m-edt/
‘Fighting fit’: Trial to show Oath Keepers’ road to Jan. 6
It’s been a long road to the upcoming Capitol riot trial of the the leader of the extremist group Oath Keepers. But the prosecution’s case against Stewart Rhodes covers a lot more than just the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. Rhodes and four co-defendants are facing the difficult-to-prove charge of seditious conspiracy. Prosecutors will try to show that for the Oath Keepers, the siege wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment protest but that it was part of a weekslong plot to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power from election-denier Donald Trump to Joe Biden. Jury selection begins Tuesday in federal court in the nation’s capital. The trial is expected to last several weeks.
Kremlin stages votes in Ukraine, sees protests in Russia
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces launched new strikes on Ukrainian cities as Kremlin-orchestrated votes took place in occupied regions of Ukraine to create a pretext for their annexation by Moscow. In Russia, hundreds were arrested on Saturday while trying to protest President Vladimir Putin’s order to mobilize more troops to fight in Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western allies say the votes underway in four regions of Ukraine are a sham with no legal force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged residents to undermine “this farce.” He also encouraged people called up to fight to desert or sabotage the Russian military. Ukraine’s presidential office said the latest Russian shelling killed at least three people and wounded 19.
West works to deepen sanctions after Putin heightens threats
WASHINGTON (AP) — How will American leaders and their allies respond if President Vladimir Putin seeks to escalate his way out of his bad situation on Ukraine’s battlefields? Putin this week renewed threats of claiming more Ukrainian territory, and even using nuclear weapons. U.S. and European leaders have made clear they will try to double down on the same tactics that have helped put Russia in a corner in Ukraine. That means more financial penalties and international isolation for Russia, more arms and other backing for Ukraine. There’s no sign of the United States and NATO matching Putin’s intensified nuclear threats with the same bluster, which could raise the risks of escalating the conflict.
Dissident: ‘Iranian women are furious’ over headscarf death
NEW YORK (AP) — Iranian activist Masih Alinejad says the videos and messages she’s been receiving in recent days from women in Iran are showing how angry they are following a young woman’s death in police custody over a violation of the country’s strict religious dress code. The spur for this latest explosion of outrage was the death earlier this month of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The young woman was detained for allegedly wearing her hijab too loosely in violation of strictures demanding women wear the Islamic headscarves in public. She died in custody. Protests have been going on around the country for days. Alinejad would love to see more support from those in the West, as well.
Fiona washes houses away, knocks out power in Canada
TORONTO (AP) — Strong rain and winds are lashing the Atlantic Canada region as Fiona hits as a powerful post-tropical cyclone. Canadian forecasters are warning it could be one of the most severe storms in the country’s history. Fiona made landfall in Nova Scotia before dawn Saturday after transforming from a hurricane into a post-tropical cyclone. Forecasters caution that despite the change, Fiona still has hurricane-strength winds and will bring drenching rains and huge waves. More than 500,000 customers in Atlantic Canada are affected by outages. Ocean waves pounded the town of Channel-Port Aux Basques on the southern coast of Newfoundland, where entire structures were washed into the sea.
DeSantis declares emergency as storm expected to hit Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in Florida as Tropical Storm Ian gathers strength over the Caribbean and is expected to bring heavy rains and intense hurricane winds to the state next week. DeSantis initially issued the emergency order for two dozen counties but on Saturday expanded the warning to the entire state. He is encouraging residents and local governments to prepare for a storm that could lash large swaths of Florida as forecasters track its path. The National Hurricane Center said Ian is forecast to rapidly strengthen in the coming days before moving over western Cuba and approach Florida in the middle of next week with major hurricane force.
Georgia voting equipment breach at center of tangled tale
ATLANTA (AP) — A breach of sensitive voting equipment data from a rural county in Georgia spilled into the public light last month when documents and emails produced in response to subpoenas revealed the involvement of high-profile supporters of former President Donald Trump. Since then, a series of revelations about what happened in Coffee County have raised questions about whether the Dominion Voting Systems machines used throughout Georgia have been compromised. The tale involves a bail bondsman, a prominent attorney tied to Trump and a cast of characters from an area that rarely draws notice from outsiders.
‘We got our miracle’: Freed Americans back home in Alabama
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Two U.S. military veterans who disappeared three months ago while fighting with Ukrainian forces have arrived in their home state of Alabama. The men were greeted Saturday by hugs and cheers at the airport in Birmingham, Alabama. Alex Drueke, and Andy Huynh had gone missing June 9 in northeastern Ukraine near the Russian border. The Alabama residents were released by Russian-backed separatists as part of a recent prisoner exchange mediated by Saudi Arabia. Also freed were five British nationals and three others — from Morocco, Sweden and Croatia. Smiling but looking tired, the two were pulled into long emotional hugs by family members before being taken to a waiting car.
As Ukraine worries UN, some leaders rue what’s pushed aside
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — In speech after speech, world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly are spotlighting Russia’s war in Ukraine. A few are prodding the world not to forget everything else. While no one is dismissing the importance of the conflict, some comments quietly speak to some unease about the international community’s absorption in Ukraine. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, for one, says the ongoing war in Ukraine is making it more difficult to tackle other longstanding issues including inequality, nuclear disarmament and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Soldier who went missing during Korean War accounted for
BOSTON (AP) — A soldier from Massachusetts who went missing during the Korean war and was later reported to have died in a prisoner of war camp has been accounted for. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says Army Cpl. Joseph J. Puopolo, of East Boston, was just 19 when he was reported missing in December 1950. It was later reported he had died in a prisoner of war camp. Military officials say remains disinterred in 2019 were identified as Puopolo through dental and anthropological analysis, mitochondrial DNA analysis and circumstantial evidence. Puopolo’s grandnephew says his family, including the soldier’s sister who is now 99 years old, has not forgotten him.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Nearly Three-Quarters Of Americans Don't Want President Biden To Run For Reelection
Nearly Three-Quarters Of Americans Don't Want President Biden To Run For Reelection https://digitalalabamanews.com/nearly-three-quarters-of-americans-dont-want-president-biden-to-run-for-reelection/
President Joe Biden speaks to the members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One in Washington, D.C., US, on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022.Yuri Gripas/CNP via ZUMA Press Wire
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In response to a question this summer, Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota said he didn’t want 79-year-old President Joe Biden to run for reelection in 2024, at which point Biden would be 81.
“I think he’s a man of decency, of good principle, of compassion, of empathy, and of strength. But to answer your question directly, which I know is quite rare, uh no, I don’t,” Phillips said of a potential second presidential run for Biden.
Rep. Angie Craig, another Minnesota Democrat, shared a similar sentiment: “I would say we need new leaders in Washington up and down the ballot in the Democratic Party.”
Their public stances represent an uncommon split from the broader Democratic party, which has largely punted the question of another run to Biden himself. At least six US Senators and nine members of the House have dodged answering the question entirely, according to an August tally by Axios. Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York, who said during a primary debate that she didn’t think Biden would run again, was pilloried by Republicans, who highlighted her opinion as an example of Democratic disarray. Within days, she issued a public apology. “Mr. President, I apologize. I want you to run. I happen to think you won’t be running, but when you run or if you run, I will be there 100 percent,” she said on CNN.
But now, there’s evidence that nearly three-quarters of Americans agree with Reps. Phillips and Craig: They don’t want the presidential incumbent to try for a second term. According to a national poll released Thursday by Marquette Law School, a whopping 72 percent of Americans don’t support Biden running for reelection.
An unsurprising 12 percent of Republicans who answered the poll want Biden to run again, while roughly half of Democrats do. Just 21 percent of independent voters, who tend to be more ideologically centrist than people who register as Democrats or Republicans, support Biden running for reelection—a figure that is staggering, considering Biden positioned himself as a moderate during the 2020 presidential primaries against more progressive candidates like Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
The lack of fervor for the President is not because Democrats think Biden is doing a terrible job. In fact, the President’s overall approval rating across Americans of all political affiliations increased from 36 percent in July to 45 percent in September, according to the same Marquette survey. Among Democrats, a whopping 82 percent think his performance is satisfactory.
Thursday’s poll did not break down why the vast majority of respondents don’t want to see “Biden 2024” yard signs. But it might have something to do with voters from all ideologies wanting fresh faces to enter politics, having attributed some of the nation’s stagnation on major issues like worsening climate change and staggering student debt to career politicians’ tendency to maintain the status quo.
“My hunch is that we need new leadership across the board—Democrats, Republicans, I think it’s time for a generational move,” Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, who is running for Senate in Ohio, said in September.
Age, though, isn’t deterring as many Republicans from hoping for a Donald Trump run at reelection in 2024. In fact, Marquette’s survey found that Republicans have more excitement for Trump to run again than Democratic voters feel for Biden: while 52 percent of Democratic respondents said they supported Biden vying for a second term, 66 percent of Republicans respondents said they want to see Trump try again, at which point the embattled former president would be 78.
The poll also envisioned a 2024 presidential election that turned into a repeat of the 2020 one. In a hypothetical match-up between the same two contenders, Biden would have the support of 40 percent of the poll respondents, while Trump would get 36 percent.
The remaining respondents said they would refuse to vote for either: A whopping 19 percent said they’d cast a ballot for somebody else in a Trump vs. Biden rematch. The remaining 6 percent wouldn’t cast a ballot at all.
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SEC Fans Have No Use For ESPN Cutting In With Aaron Judge Coverage During Auburn-Mizzou Game
SEC Fans Have No Use For ESPN Cutting In With Aaron Judge Coverage During Auburn-Mizzou Game https://digitalalabamanews.com/sec-fans-have-no-use-for-espn-cutting-in-with-aaron-judge-coverage-during-auburn-mizzou-game/
Auburn Football
Updated: Sep. 24, 2022, 2:01 p.m.|
Published: Sep. 24, 2022, 1:57 p.m.
New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge flies out during the third inning of the team’s baseball game against the Boston Red Sox on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)AP
SEC fans aren’t happy with ESPN.
Throughout the Auburn-Missouri game, the network went split screen to bring live updates of New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who has 60 home runs, chasing a record-tying 61 against the Boston Red Sox.
SEC fans watched as Judge struck out on three pitches, then later saw him take a full-count walk during Auburn’s 14-14 home game in the fourth quarter against Missouri.
The SEC isn’t the only one, though. In the slugger’s quest to tie Roger Maris for the most homers in a single season in American League history, the network cut in on the Clemson and Wake Forest fans, too.
Since connecting for No. 60 on Tuesday night against Pittsburgh, the closest Judge has come to matching Maris’ 1961 mark was a 404-foot drive caught right in front of the center field fence Thursday.
The slugger has two games left to catch Maris on New York’s current homestand — Saturday afternoon and Sunday night versus the rival Red Sox. After that, the Yankees head to Toronto and have just three home games remaining: Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 against Baltimore.
On Friday, Judge laced a hard single in the seventh and has reached base safely in a season-high 22 consecutive games.
Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.
Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.
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AP News Summary At 3:29 P.m. EDT https://digitalalabamanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-329-p-m-edt-2/
‘Fighting fit’: Trial to show Oath Keepers’ road to Jan. 6
It’s been a long road to the upcoming Capitol riot trial of the the leader of the extremist group Oath Keepers. But the prosecution’s case against Stewart Rhodes covers a lot more than just the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. Rhodes and four co-defendants are facing the difficult-to-prove charge of seditious conspiracy. Prosecutors will try to show that for the Oath Keepers, the siege wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment protest but that it was part of a weekslong plot to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power from election-denier Donald Trump to Joe Biden. Jury selection begins Tuesday in federal court in the nation’s capital. The trial is expected to last several weeks.
Kremlin stages votes in Ukraine, sees protests in Russia
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces launched new strikes on Ukrainian cities as Kremlin-orchestrated votes took place in occupied regions of Ukraine to create a pretext for their annexation by Moscow. In Russia, hundreds were arrested on Saturday while trying to protest President Vladimir Putin’s order to mobilize more troops to fight in Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western allies say the votes underway in four regions of Ukraine are a sham with no legal force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged residents to undermine “this farce.” He also encouraged people called up to fight to desert or sabotage the Russian military. Ukraine’s presidential office said the latest Russian shelling killed at least three people and wounded 19.
West works to deepen sanctions after Putin heightens threats
WASHINGTON (AP) — How will American leaders and their allies respond if President Vladimir Putin seeks to escalate his way out of his bad situation on Ukraine’s battlefields? Putin this week renewed threats of claiming more Ukrainian territory, and even using nuclear weapons. U.S. and European leaders have made clear they will try to double down on the same tactics that have helped put Russia in a corner in Ukraine. That means more financial penalties and international isolation for Russia, more arms and other backing for Ukraine. There’s no sign of the United States and NATO matching Putin’s intensified nuclear threats with the same bluster, which could raise the risks of escalating the conflict.
Dissident: ‘Iranian women are furious’ over headscarf death
NEW YORK (AP) — Iranian activist Masih Alinejad says the videos and messages she’s been receiving in recent days from women in Iran are showing how angry they are following a young woman’s death in police custody over a violation of the country’s strict religious dress code. The spur for this latest explosion of outrage was the death earlier this month of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The young woman was detained for allegedly wearing her hijab too loosely in violation of strictures demanding women wear the Islamic headscarves in public. She died in custody. Protests have been going on around the country for days. Alinejad would love to see more support from those in the West, as well.
Fiona washes houses away, knocks out power in Canada
TORONTO (AP) — Strong rain and winds are lashing the Atlantic Canada region as Fiona hits as a powerful post-tropical cyclone. Canadian forecasters are warning it could be one of the most severe storms in the country’s history. Fiona made landfall in Nova Scotia before dawn Saturday after transforming from a hurricane into a post-tropical cyclone. Forecasters caution that despite the change, Fiona still has hurricane-strength winds and will bring drenching rains and huge waves. More than 500,000 customers in Atlantic Canada are affected by outages. Ocean waves pounded the town of Channel-Port Aux Basques on the southern coast of Newfoundland, where entire structures were washed into the sea.
DeSantis declares emergency as storm expected to hit Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in Florida as Tropical Storm Ian gathers strength over the Caribbean and is expected to bring heavy rains and intense hurricane winds to the state next week. DeSantis initially issued the emergency order for two dozen counties but on Saturday expanded the warning to the entire state. He is encouraging residents and local governments to prepare for a storm that could lash large swaths of Florida as forecasters track its path. The National Hurricane Center said Ian is forecast to rapidly strengthen in the coming days before moving over western Cuba and approach Florida in the middle of next week with major hurricane force.
Georgia voting equipment breach at center of tangled tale
ATLANTA (AP) — A breach of sensitive voting equipment data from a rural county in Georgia spilled into the public light last month when documents and emails produced in response to subpoenas revealed the involvement of high-profile supporters of former President Donald Trump. Since then, a series of revelations about what happened in Coffee County have raised questions about whether the Dominion Voting Systems machines used throughout Georgia have been compromised. The tale involves a bail bondsman, a prominent attorney tied to Trump and a cast of characters from an area that rarely draws notice from outsiders.
Biden administration launches environmental justice office
WARRENTON, N.C. (AP) — Forty years after a predominantly Black community in Warren County, North Carolina, rallied against hosting a hazardous waste landfill, President Biden’s top environment official has returned to what is widely considered the birthplace of the environmental justice movement to unveil a national office that will distribute $3 billion in block grants to underserved communities burdened by pollution. Joined by civil rights leaders and participants from the 1982 protests, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan announced Saturday that he is dedicating a new senior level of leadership to the environmental justice movement they ignited. The Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights will merge three existing EPA programs .
Sri Lankans describe abuse as Russian captives in Ukraine
KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — Seven Sri Lankans held captive by Russian forces in an agricultural factory in eastern Ukraine say they were beaten and tortured for months before escaping on foot as the Russians withdrew from the Kharkiv region. One said he was shot in the foot; another says he had his head slammed with the butt of a rifle. The Sri Lankans recounted their ordeal to reporters on Saturday. Four of the seven were medical students in the city of Kupiansk and three were working there when Russian forces poured across the border in late February. They said they were captured at a checkpoint and held in the factory near the Russian border with around 20 Ukrainians.
As Ukraine worries UN, some leaders rue what’s pushed aside
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — In speech after speech, world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly are spotlighting Russia’s war in Ukraine. A few are prodding the world not to forget everything else. While no one is dismissing the importance of the conflict, some comments quietly speak to some unease about the international community’s absorption in Ukraine. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, for one, says the ongoing war in Ukraine is making it more difficult to tackle other longstanding issues including inequality, nuclear disarmament and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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AP News Summary At 3:29 P.m. EDT https://digitalalabamanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-329-p-m-edt/
‘Fighting fit’: Trial to show Oath Keepers’ road to Jan. 6
It’s been a long road to the upcoming Capitol riot trial of the the leader of the extremist group Oath Keepers. But the prosecution’s case against Stewart Rhodes covers a lot more than just the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. Rhodes and four co-defendants are facing the difficult-to-prove charge of seditious conspiracy. Prosecutors will try to show that for the Oath Keepers, the siege wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment protest but that it was part of a weekslong plot to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power from election-denier Donald Trump to Joe Biden. Jury selection begins Tuesday in federal court in the nation’s capital. The trial is expected to last several weeks.
Kremlin stages votes in Ukraine, sees protests in Russia
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces launched new strikes on Ukrainian cities as Kremlin-orchestrated votes took place in occupied regions of Ukraine to create a pretext for their annexation by Moscow. In Russia, hundreds were arrested on Saturday while trying to protest President Vladimir Putin’s order to mobilize more troops to fight in Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western allies say the votes underway in four regions of Ukraine are a sham with no legal force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged residents to undermine “this farce.” He also encouraged people called up to fight to desert or sabotage the Russian military. Ukraine’s presidential office said the latest Russian shelling killed at least three people and wounded 19.
West works to deepen sanctions after Putin heightens threats
WASHINGTON (AP) — How will American leaders and their allies respond if President Vladimir Putin seeks to escalate his way out of his bad situation on Ukraine’s battlefields? Putin this week renewed threats of claiming more Ukrainian territory, and even using nuclear weapons. U.S. and European leaders have made clear they will try to double down on the same tactics that have helped put Russia in a corner in Ukraine. That means more financial penalties and international isolation for Russia, more arms and other backing for Ukraine. There’s no sign of the United States and NATO matching Putin’s intensified nuclear threats with the same bluster, which could raise the risks of escalating the conflict.
Dissident: ‘Iranian women are furious’ over headscarf death
NEW YORK (AP) — Iranian activist Masih Alinejad says the videos and messages she’s been receiving in recent days from women in Iran are showing how angry they are following a young woman’s death in police custody over a violation of the country’s strict religious dress code. The spur for this latest explosion of outrage was the death earlier this month of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The young woman was detained for allegedly wearing her hijab too loosely in violation of strictures demanding women wear the Islamic headscarves in public. She died in custody. Protests have been going on around the country for days. Alinejad would love to see more support from those in the West, as well.
Fiona washes houses away, knocks out power in Canada
TORONTO (AP) — Strong rain and winds are lashing the Atlantic Canada region as Fiona hits as a powerful post-tropical cyclone. Canadian forecasters are warning it could be one of the most severe storms in the country’s history. Fiona made landfall in Nova Scotia before dawn Saturday after transforming from a hurricane into a post-tropical cyclone. Forecasters caution that despite the change, Fiona still has hurricane-strength winds and will bring drenching rains and huge waves. More than 500,000 customers in Atlantic Canada are affected by outages. Ocean waves pounded the town of Channel-Port Aux Basques on the southern coast of Newfoundland, where entire structures were washed into the sea.
DeSantis declares emergency as storm expected to hit Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in Florida as Tropical Storm Ian gathers strength over the Caribbean and is expected to bring heavy rains and intense hurricane winds to the state next week. DeSantis initially issued the emergency order for two dozen counties but on Saturday expanded the warning to the entire state. He is encouraging residents and local governments to prepare for a storm that could lash large swaths of Florida as forecasters track its path. The National Hurricane Center said Ian is forecast to rapidly strengthen in the coming days before moving over western Cuba and approach Florida in the middle of next week with major hurricane force.
Georgia voting equipment breach at center of tangled tale
ATLANTA (AP) — A breach of sensitive voting equipment data from a rural county in Georgia spilled into the public light last month when documents and emails produced in response to subpoenas revealed the involvement of high-profile supporters of former President Donald Trump. Since then, a series of revelations about what happened in Coffee County have raised questions about whether the Dominion Voting Systems machines used throughout Georgia have been compromised. The tale involves a bail bondsman, a prominent attorney tied to Trump and a cast of characters from an area that rarely draws notice from outsiders.
Biden administration launches environmental justice office
WARRENTON, N.C. (AP) — Forty years after a predominantly Black community in Warren County, North Carolina, rallied against hosting a hazardous waste landfill, President Biden’s top environment official has returned to what is widely considered the birthplace of the environmental justice movement to unveil a national office that will distribute $3 billion in block grants to underserved communities burdened by pollution. Joined by civil rights leaders and participants from the 1982 protests, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan announced Saturday that he is dedicating a new senior level of leadership to the environmental justice movement they ignited. The Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights will merge three existing EPA programs .
Sri Lankans describe abuse as Russian captives in Ukraine
KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — Seven Sri Lankans held captive by Russian forces in an agricultural factory in eastern Ukraine say they were beaten and tortured for months before escaping on foot as the Russians withdrew from the Kharkiv region. One said he was shot in the foot; another says he had his head slammed with the butt of a rifle. The Sri Lankans recounted their ordeal to reporters on Saturday. Four of the seven were medical students in the city of Kupiansk and three were working there when Russian forces poured across the border in late February. They said they were captured at a checkpoint and held in the factory near the Russian border with around 20 Ukrainians.
As Ukraine worries UN, some leaders rue what’s pushed aside
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — In speech after speech, world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly are spotlighting Russia’s war in Ukraine. A few are prodding the world not to forget everything else. While no one is dismissing the importance of the conflict, some comments quietly speak to some unease about the international community’s absorption in Ukraine. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, for one, says the ongoing war in Ukraine is making it more difficult to tackle other longstanding issues including inequality, nuclear disarmament and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Tropical Storm Ian Strengthens In The Caribbean And Tracks Toward Florida | CNN
Tropical Storm Ian Strengthens In The Caribbean And Tracks Toward Florida | CNN https://digitalalabamanews.com/tropical-storm-ian-strengthens-in-the-caribbean-and-tracks-toward-florida-cnn/
CNN —
The ninth named tropical storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season has formed across the central Caribbean Sea, and is forecast to turn into a hurricane before hitting Florida next week. If it does, it will be the first major hurricane to impact the state since 2018.
Tropical Storm Ian was located about 270 miles south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, as of 2 p.m. Saturday and moving west at 16 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. “Significant strengthening is forecast during the next few days,” the center said.
The forecast shows Ian “as a major hurricane over the eastern Gulf when it is approaching the west coast of Florida,” after briefly passing over Cuba at or near major hurricane strength, the center said Friday. Much of the Gulf Coast of Florida, including the eastern Panhandle, could be at risk.
Forecast models on Saturday afternoon vary on where Ian may make landfall on Florida’s coast. The European model shows landfall near Tampa on Thursday morning, while the American model shows landfall near Pensacola Friday morning.
The official hurricane center track splits the difference between the models, showing landfall north of Tampa on Thursday morning.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday expanded an emergency order from 24 counties to include the whole state, citing “foregoing conditions, which are projected to constitute a major disaster.”
“The Florida Division of Emergency Management, working together with the National Hurricane Center to evaluate weather predictions, has determined there is a continuing risk of dangerous storm surge, heavy rainfall, flash flooding, strong winds, hazardous seas, and isolated tornadic activity for Florida’s Peninsula and portions of the Florida Big Bend, North Florida, and Northeast Florida,” the order states.
Tropical storm-force winds could begin to affect southwest Florida early Tuesday, with landfall possible on Wednesday or Thursday.
After strengthening overnight, the storm – earlier known as Tropical Depression Nine – has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) and is forecast to reach hurricane status within the next two days as it approaches the Cayman Islands by early Monday. Further strengthening is anticipated as the system approaches and crosses western Cuba by Monday evening.
“Ian is likely to be near major hurricane intensity when it approaches western Cuba,” the hurricane center said. “Since Ian is not expected to remain over Cuba long, little weakening is expected due to that land interaction.”
If it strengthens to a Category 3 or higher before reaching Florida, it would be the first major hurricane to make landfall there since Hurricane Michael in 2018, which was a monster Category 5 storm when it collided with the Florida panhandle. Michael also underwent rapid intensification before it made landfall, a phenomenon which has been made more likely as ocean temperatures warm due to the climate crisis.
A hurricane warning was issued for Grand Cayman, and a tropical storm watch is in effect for Little Cayman and Cayman Brac in the Cayman Islands and for Jamaica.
DeSantis on Friday requested federal emergency assistance in anticipation of the threat when he declared the state of emergency for two dozen counties. Under the state-level emergency order, members of the Florida National Guard will be activated and on standby awaiting orders.
The governor urged those in the potential path of the storm to prepare.
“This storm has the potential to strengthen into a major hurricane and we encourage all Floridians to make their preparations,” DeSantis said in a news release. “We are coordinating with all state and local government partners to track potential impacts of this storm.”
It has been a slow start to what was forecast to be an above-average hurricane season. Only one storm has made landfall in a US territory, and no hurricane has made landfall or threatened the contiguous states.
Now, a week past the peak of hurricane season, the tropics seem to have woken up, and forecasters are concerned people have let down their guard.
“After a slow start, the Atlantic hurricane season has ratcheted up quickly,” Phil Klotzbach, research scientist at Colorado State University, tweeted.
“People tend to lower their guard and think, oh, yeah, we’re out of the woods,” Maria Torres, hurricane center spokesperson, told CNN. “But in reality, the season continues. We are still in September; we still have October to go. Anything that forms over either the Atlantic or the Caribbean is something that we need to keep monitoring very closely.”
The Atlantic hurricane season ends November 30.
No matter what, if you live in the Caribbean, Florida and other states along the Gulf Coast, pay attention to the updated forecasts this weekend into early next week.
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Mobile County Chemical Plant Settles serious Air Pollution Allegations With $60K Fine
Mobile County Chemical Plant Settles ‘serious’ Air Pollution Allegations With $60K Fine https://digitalalabamanews.com/mobile-county-chemical-plant-settles-serious-air-pollution-allegations-with-60k-fine/
News
Published: Sep. 24, 2022, 1:44 p.m.
Richard Rowe, president and CEO of Arkema Inc., speaks in Axis on March 25, 2019, as the company celebrates the opening of a unit producing PEKK plastic.
Arkema, Inc. has agreed to pay $60,000 to resolve air pollution allegations reported at its Axis, Ala. chemical manufacturing plant in Mobile County.
According to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Arkema submitted results from air quality tests conducted on April 13 and 14 that showed the company exceeded its permit limits for emissions of particulate matter at its facility, as well as “failure to maintain control equipment to minimize emissions.”
A consent order resolving the alleged violations, negotiated between ADEM and the company, states that the company discovered in a May 2022 inspection that its baghouse pollution control devices were not functioning properly.
The order states that six of the company’s 81 baghouse “socks” were damaged, including one with a 12-inch slit. The order states that the damaged equipment had been repaired.
ADEM said it considered the air pollution violations to be “serious” and increased the fine by $5,000 because of a previous air pollution violation by the company. In 2020, Arkema settled with ADEM over failure to meet required flow rates in an air scrubber at the plant.
The Axis plant – located on U.S. Highway 43, about 20 miles north of the city of Mobile – manufactures chemical additives used in making many plastics as well as its own PEKK plastic, a lightweight, high-performance thermoplastic used for aerospace or other demand applications.
According to the company’s website, the Axis plant had 146 employees last year with a local economic impact of $18 million.
To comply with the consent order, which was negotiated between Arkema and ADEM, the company will pay a $60,000 civil fine to the state and submit updated repair and maintenance plans for the equipment that malfunctioned.
By agreeing to the consent order, Arkema is not admitting to the alleged violations, but is agreeing to resolve them without further legal or enforcement action.
ADEM says it agreed to settle the violations “in an effort to resolve the alleged violations cited herein without the unwarranted expenditure of State resources in further prosecuting the alleged violations.”
“The Department has determined that the terms contemplated in the Special Order by Consent are in the best interests of the citizens of Alabama,” the order states.
The full text of the consent agreement is available on the ADEM website.
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Even Russias Friends Are Getting Upset Over Its War
Even Russia’s Friends Are Getting Upset Over Its War https://digitalalabamanews.com/even-russias-friends-are-getting-upset-over-its-war/
But for now, it’s more a shift in tone than anything tangible that could add pressure to the Kremlin economically or militarily — many countries still rely on Russia for oil and gas supplies. Lavrov, for one, seemed to realize this, and so the veteran diplomat did not hold back in his speech Saturday.
He insisted that Moscow’s war was just and that Russia was defending itself and Ukraine-based Russian speakers against a neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv — a claim not based in reality. He blamed U.S. and European sanctions for rising food insecurity — an allegation the West denies — not, for instance, Russia’s efforts to block Ukrainian grain shipments. He also cast the expansion of NATO as a threat the Kremlin could not ignore.
“I’m convinced that any sovereign, self-respecting state would do the same in our stead, a state which understands his responsibility to his own people,” said Lavrov, a man often described by foreign affairs observers as “wily.” In particular, he slammed the United States, Ukraine’s most critical backer, for its role as a “hegemon” that undermines the global rules it claims to uphold. “Name a country where Washington interfered by force and where, as a result of that, life improved,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov’s defiance, nonetheless, doesn’t change the uncomfortable reality for Russia that is growing increasingly apparent: Some of its staunchest allies are questioning the wisdom of its war in Ukraine, which has handed Russia a series of major territorial losses in recent days.
The shift in tone became obvious in the days before the U.N. gathering of world leaders in New York.
During a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan earlier this month, Putin met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Russian leader acknowledged that fellow autocrat Xi — whose nation is arguably Russia’s most important friend — had raised “questions and concerns” about the Ukraine war. The Indian leader, meanwhile, reportedly told Putin that “today’s era is not an era of war,” which some took to be a careful rebuke.
Then came UNGA, which offered even more countries a platform to express their frustration. “The timing was fortuitous,” a senior U.S. diplomat said of the annual meeting, which usually is held in September.
Some countries didn’t want to avoid the topic of Ukraine, especially those with populations hit by food and energy shortages and price hikes resulting from the war, not to mention from climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic. Latin American and African countries, in particular, have suffered but, for historical and economic reasons, many of those same countries are keen to avoid openly taking sides between Russia and the West when it comes to Ukraine.
So they often emphasized the negative global fallout of the fighting instead.
“The continuation of the hostilities endangers the lives of innocent civilians and jeopardizes the food and energy security of millions of families in other regions, especially in developing countries,” warned Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos Alberto França.
Putin’s physical absence from UNGA was not a surprise, but he alarmed those gathered by announcing Wednesday that he was mobilizing hundreds of thousands more troops, supporting referendums to “annex” some Ukrainian territories, and might even use nuclear weapons in his effort to defeat Kyiv. The latter in particular angered many foreign leaders and drew especially strong pushback from U.S.-allied countries that have supported Ukraine from the start.
Putin is engaging in “saber-rattling threats,” said Liz Truss, the new British prime minister. “This will not work.”
For now, there were no major tangible breaks with Moscow from countries such as India and China that continue to fill the Kremlin’s coffers by purchasing Russian energy supplies. Whether Russia keeps getting that level of income could depend on whether European states that also still rely on Russia for energy can agree to price caps currently under discussion. Even if they do, that doesn’t mean major purchasers like in New Delhi or Beijing will go along.
That said, in the world of diplomacy, shifts in tone and talk are often critical steps toward more serious moves, including reducing economic ties, officials and analysts said.
“I think there has been tremendous progress,” said Jonathan Katz, a senior fellow with The German Marshall Fund of the United States. “It is incredibly hard to get countries even diplomatically to shift course, especially when they have direct interest, current or longstanding relations.”
Charles Kupchan, a former White House National Security Council official, pointed out that not only is Putin facing more global discontent, he’s facing growing anger at home over what he still calls a “special military operation.”
“More Russians are taking to the streets to protest the war — and leaving the country to avoid military service,” Kupchan said.
The United States, its European partners, as well as Ukraine itself, seized virtually every opportunity they could during UNGA to make the case that Ukraine was the right side in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as a fight between “good and evil, light and dark.”
Ukraine was the primary focus of President Joe Biden’s UNGA speech, which he delivered hours after Putin unveiled his escalation plans. Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised Ukraine at every turn during an endless series of meetings with global counterparts, including China’s foreign minister. Blinken’s schedule remained punishing even after it was adjusted so Blinken could deal with the death of his 96-year-old father on Thursday. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, also was omnipresent throughout UNGA.
Lavrov had meetings, too, but — at least from what was publicly available — it was a relatively lean schedule. Those countries whose delegates at UNGA met with Lavrov were typically ones with poor U.S. relations, such as Cuba.
Lavrov also seemed intent on avoiding direct encounters with U.S. and Ukrainian counterparts. During a major U.N. Security Council meeting about Ukraine on Thursday, Lavrov came in only to deliver his remarks — which were defiant — and left quickly afterward. U.S. officials said it was just more evidence of growing Russian isolation.
Another event that U.S. officials saw as a good omen was the overwhelming vote by U.N. member states in favor of letting Zelenskyy address UNGA via a video recording. The rules usually require that a world leader appear in person to speak. If they don’t appear, their foreign ministers may speak, though after heads of state.
Dan Baer, a former U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said the Biden team was smart to spend much of its time at UNGA focusing on transnational issues. For instance, the United States hosted a conference on global food security on the sidelines of UNGA and announced billions of dollars in new U.S. funding to help resolve the crisis.
“This was not a ‘you’re either with us or against us’ approach,” said Baer, now with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “It was a ‘we’re concerned about the repercussions on the global system — tell us what you’re seeing’ approach.”
Of course, one of the lingering frustrations about this past week was with the United Nations itself.
The world body, especially the U.N. Security Council, is not living up to its promise of serving as a forum to resolve global disputes. Russia’s role as a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council has made that body increasingly irrelevant, a fact hard to escape when Putin rattles the proceedings by announcing he’s escalating the war in Ukraine.
“When a permanent member of the Security Council takes the opportunity to double-down on violating the U.N. Charter during the General Assembly with what feels like impunity, I would not say this strengthens the U.N.’s effectiveness,” said Heather Conley, president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. “It reinforces its weakness as an enforcement body.”
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South Carolina Vs. Charlotte 2022 Live Stream (9/24)
South Carolina Vs. Charlotte 2022 Live Stream (9/24) https://digitalalabamanews.com/south-carolina-vs-charlotte-2022-live-stream-9-24/
Sports
Published: Sep. 24, 2022, 12:30 p.m.
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer takes the field before an NCAA college football game against Georgia on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022 in Columbia, S.C. Georgia won 48-7. (AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr.)AP
The South Carolina Gamecocks host the Charlotte 49ers in SEC football 2022 action Saturday, September 24, at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. The game will be live streamed via DirecTV Stream.
South Carolina is 1-2 this season, while Charlotte is 1-3. The two teams have never met in football.
The South Carolina vs. Charlotte game starts at 6:30 p.m. Central (7:30 p.m. Eastern) and will be live streamed on DirecTV Stream, which is available for $49.99 for the first two months, $69.99 after that. ESPNU will broadcast the game nationally.
Preview
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
A chance for South Carolina to regroup and find some rhythm after losing its first two Southeastern Conference games to Arkansas and Georgia by a combined score of 92-37 the past two weeks. Charlotte of Conference USA looks for its first win over an SEC team in its third try.
KEY MATCHUP
South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler vs. Charlotte pass defense. Rattler has had his ups and downs in his first Gamecock season since transferring from Oklahoma. He’s thrown for 721 yards, but is completing less than 60% of his throws with five interceptions. The 49ers, though, are last in Conference USA, allowing 320 yards passing per game this season. If there’s a team for Rattler and Gamecock receivers to find their footing, this could be it.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Charlotte: WR Grant Dubose leads Conference USA with five TD catches and 314 yards in receptions. His 25 catches rank second in the conference as the dynamic, 6-foot-3 junior has been a key playmaker for the 49ers.
South Carolina: S Nick Emmanwori has been a bright spot for a team ranked 113th nationally in total defense. The freshman leads the Gamecocks with 28 tackles, which is fourth in the SEC. Emmanwori’s play has bolstered a group where five starters were out last week in the Georgia loss and three of those are questionable for Charlotte.
FACTS & FIGURES
The schools are separated by 107 miles down Interstate 77. … South Carolina is paying $1.4 million to Charlotte to visit Williams-Brice Stadium. … Charlotte QB Chris Reynolds had his sixth game-winning drive of his career last week in the 42-41 win at Georgia State. … Charlotte is 1-7 all-time against Power Five teams. The victory came at Duke, 31-28, last season. … South Carolina is 11-0-1 against teams currently in Conference USA. … There was not a sack recorded last week in Georgia’s 48-7 win at South Carolina by either team. The last time the Gamecocks were involved in a sack-less contest was in 2014, a 42-35 loss at Auburn.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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AP News Summary At 1:37 P.m. EDT https://digitalalabamanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-137-p-m-edt/
‘Fighting fit’: Trial to show Oath Keepers’ road to Jan. 6
It’s been a long road to the upcoming Capitol riot trial of the the leader of the extremist group Oath Keepers. But the prosecution’s case against Stewart Rhodes covers a lot more than just the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. Rhodes and four co-defendants are facing the difficult-to-prove charge of seditious conspiracy. Prosecutors will try to show that for the Oath Keepers, the siege wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment protest but that it was part of a weekslong plot to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power from election-denier Donald Trump to Joe Biden. Jury selection begins Tuesday in federal court in the nation’s capital. The trial is expected to last several weeks.
Kremlin stages votes in Ukraine, sees protests in Russia
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces launched new strikes on Ukrainian cities as Kremlin-orchestrated votes took place in occupied regions of Ukraine to create a pretext for their annexation by Moscow. In Russia, hundreds were arrested on Saturday while trying to protest President Vladimir Putin’s order to mobilize more troops to fight in Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western allies say the votes underway in four regions of Ukraine are a sham with no legal force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged residents to undermine “this farce.” He also encouraged people called up to fight to desert or sabotage the Russian military. Ukraine’s presidential office said the latest Russian shelling killed at least three people and wounded 19.
West: More sanctions, isolation if Putin carries out threats
WASHINGTON (AP) — How will American leaders and their allies respond if President Vladimir Putin seeks to escalate his way out of his bad situation on Ukraine’s battlefields? Putin this week renewed threats of claiming more Ukrainian territory, and even using nuclear weapons. U.S. and European leaders have made clear they will try to double down on the same tactics that have helped put Russia in a corner in Ukraine. That means more financial penalties and international isolation for Russia, more arms and other backing for Ukraine. There’s no sign of the United States and NATO matching Putin’s intensified nuclear threats with the same bluster, which could raise the risks of escalating the conflict.
As Ukraine worries UN, some leaders rue what’s pushed aside
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Inside Trump's Plot To Send Rapists And Killers To 'Destabilize' Liberal Cities
Inside Trump's Plot To Send Rapists And Killers To 'Destabilize' Liberal Cities https://digitalalabamanews.com/inside-trumps-plot-to-send-rapists-and-killers-to-destabilize-liberal-cities/
Years before Ron DeSantis’ Martha’s Vineyard stunt, the then-president asked his team to take migrants suspected of violence and bus them to blue states and metropolitan areas
Donald Trump is privately fuming over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flying migrants from the Texas border to Martha’s Vineyard, telling confidants the potential 2024 rival stole “my idea” for weaponizing immigrants. Turns out, Trump was right — but his plans were more extreme than anything DeSantis has come up with to date.
In early 2019, three people familiar with the matter tell Rolling Stone, the then-president workshopped a plan to bus migrants suspected of violent crime from the border to liberal metropolitan areas. The plan, two of the sources say Trump explicitly told staff, was to “punish” his political rivals in Democratic controlled areas.
“I was in the Oval Office for a meeting in March, 2019 in which [Trump] got more specific than just dump[ing] them in blue states,” says former Department of Homeland Security official Miles Taylor.
“He said, ‘I want you to get the worst of the worst’ — criminals, actual ‘murderers,’ and actual ‘rapists’ — who cross the [southern] border, and round them up. He did not want to expel them, which is what you’re supposed to do in those situations,” Taylor says. “He specifically said that he wanted us to put them on buses … to, and I quote, ‘destabilize’ those sanctuary cities.”
Taylor recounts the then-president listing Los Angeles, Portland, Chicago, and New York City among the metropolitan areas Trump wanted his administration to target.
A Trump spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
Taylor is the former administration official who wrote the famous Trump-bashing “Anonymous” op-ed in The New York Times. His account of Trump’s plan elaborates on a comment he made on CNN this week. Taylor is a persistent Trump critic, but even people still in good standing in Trumpworld recall the president proposing plans to target his political enemies with suspected violent migrants.
A former top Trump aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in part to preserve their standing with the former president, recalls Trump raising the proposal at a dinner circa early 2019.
“I don’t remember the [former] president mentioning ‘rapists’ and ‘murderers,’ but I do remember him saying we should load buses up with ‘MS-13,’” the source says, referencing the violent gang with roots in Los Angeles and El Salavador. Trump, the source says, wanted to take MS-13 members “crossing the border and send them to cities like San Francisco [where Nancy Pelosi lives, and also to]…New York.”
These ideas largely went nowhere, because administration lawyers and other officials could not stomach, nor legally justify, such actions.
Trump’s aides also noted at the time that bringing in violent people was the exact opposite of Trump’s stated goal of keeping “immigrant crime” out of the country. Trump launched his first presidential campaign with a speech claiming, “They’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists.” He, along officials such as policy adviser Stephen Miller and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, worked for four years to convert that xenophobia into government action.
On the plans to bus allegedly violent migrants, staff in the White House and DHS generally predicted (or hoped) that the mercurial president, with the extremely limited attention span, would forget about it and move on.
On that day in March 2019 when he first heard Trump talk about his horrifying plan to “destabilize” these American cities, Taylor says he remembers the mood in the room being one of “total exasperation” from officials who were mostly content to “let Trump cry it out.” The then-president would be “spitting, screaming, repeating himself, and you would let him go through all of that,” Taylor says.
Despite never enacting his plan to sicc “the worst” foreign and violent criminals on the people living in blue states, Trump did talking about his more general migrant bussing plans in public.
And in the post-Trump years, Republican governors took up his mantle. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has now spent more than $12 million bussing migrants from Texas to democratic enclaves like New York and Washington D.C., and DeSantis has set aside an equivalent amount within Florida’s budget to transport migrants out of the state.
The programs however, have drawn legal and ethical scrutiny, including following this month’s attempt by DeSantis to troll the residents of Martha’s Vineyard by unceremoniously dumping fifty asylum seekers on the island resulted in allegations that the migrants had been lied to about the destination of the transport they were offered, and what resources would be available to them if they accepted the flights.
The migrant transportation programs — and the more grotesque iteration of them imagined by Trump — represent one of the central pillars guiding the GOP’s attitude toward immigration. The officials portray migrants as an undesirable, destabilizing force, rather than as people seeking sanctuary or opportunity after leaving places that provided neither. Under the GOP vision of migrants as an inherent threat, those who welcome them should be punished.
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AP News Summary At 1:37 P.m. EDT https://digitalalabamanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-137-p-m-edt-2/
‘Fighting fit’: Trial to show Oath Keepers’ road to Jan. 6
It’s been a long road to the upcoming Capitol riot trial of the the leader of the extremist group Oath Keepers. But the prosecution’s case against Stewart Rhodes covers a lot more than just the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. Rhodes and four co-defendants are facing the difficult-to-prove charge of seditious conspiracy. Prosecutors will try to show that for the Oath Keepers, the siege wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment protest but that it was part of a weekslong plot to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power from election-denier Donald Trump to Joe Biden. Jury selection begins Tuesday in federal court in the nation’s capital. The trial is expected to last several weeks.
Kremlin stages votes in Ukraine, sees protests in Russia
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces launched new strikes on Ukrainian cities as Kremlin-orchestrated votes took place in occupied regions of Ukraine to create a pretext for their annexation by Moscow. In Russia, hundreds were arrested on Saturday while trying to protest President Vladimir Putin’s order to mobilize more troops to fight in Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western allies say the votes underway in four regions of Ukraine are a sham with no legal force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged residents to undermine “this farce.” He also encouraged people called up to fight to desert or sabotage the Russian military. Ukraine’s presidential office said the latest Russian shelling killed at least three people and wounded 19.
West: More sanctions, isolation if Putin carries out threats
WASHINGTON (AP) — How will American leaders and their allies respond if President Vladimir Putin seeks to escalate his way out of his bad situation on Ukraine’s battlefields? Putin this week renewed threats of claiming more Ukrainian territory, and even using nuclear weapons. U.S. and European leaders have made clear they will try to double down on the same tactics that have helped put Russia in a corner in Ukraine. That means more financial penalties and international isolation for Russia, more arms and other backing for Ukraine. There’s no sign of the United States and NATO matching Putin’s intensified nuclear threats with the same bluster, which could raise the risks of escalating the conflict.
As Ukraine worries UN, some leaders rue what’s pushed aside
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — In speech after speech, world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly are spotlighting Russia’s war in Ukraine. A few are prodding the world not to forget everything else. While no one is dismissing the importance of the conflict, some comments quietly speak to some unease about the international community’s absorption in Ukraine. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, for one, says the ongoing war in Ukraine is making it more difficult to tackle other longstanding issues including inequality, nuclear disarmament and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Georgia voting equipment breach at center of tangled tale
ATLANTA (AP) — A breach of sensitive voting equipment data from a rural county in Georgia spilled into the public light last month when documents and emails produced in response to subpoenas revealed the involvement of high-profile supporters of former President Donald Trump. Since then, a series of revelations about what happened in Coffee County have raised questions about whether the Dominion Voting Systems machines used throughout Georgia have been compromised. The tale involves a bail bondsman, a prominent attorney tied to Trump and a cast of characters from an area that rarely draws notice from outsiders.
Fiona washes houses away, knocks out power in Canada
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) — Strong rain and winds are lashing the Atlantic Canada region as Fiona hits as a powerful post-tropical cyclone. Canadian forecasters are warning it could be one of the most severe storms in the country’s history. Fiona made landfall in Nova Scotia before dawn Saturday after transforming from a hurricane into a post-tropical cyclone. Forecasters caution that despite the change, Fiona still could have hurricane-strength winds and will bring drenching rains and huge waves. More than 500,000 customers in Atlantic Canada are affected by outages. Ocean waves pounded the town of Channel-Port Aux Basques on the southern coast of Newfoundland, where entire structures were washed into the sea.
DeSantis declares emergency as storm expected to hit Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for 24 counties as Tropical Storm Ian gathers strength over the Caribbean and is expected to bring heavy rain and hurricane-force winds to the state next week. DeSantis issued the order Friday encouraging residents and local governments to make preparations as the storm moves toward the state. He has also requested a federal pre-landfall emergency declaration. The National Hurricane Center said Ian is forecast to approach southern Florida early next week with major hurricane strength.
China on Taiwan: ‘External interference’ won’t be tolerated
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — China has underscored its commitment to its claim to Taiwan. Its foreign minister told world leaders that anyone who gets in the way of its determination to reunify with the self-governing island would be “crushed by the wheels of history.” The language was forceful but well within the realm of normal for Chinese leadership. China vehemently defends its claim on Taiwan. The island separated from the mainland after a 1949 civil war and now functions with its own government. A recent visit to Taiwan by the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives markedly ratcheted up tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Dissident: ‘Iranian women are furious’ over headscarf death
NEW YORK (AP) — Iranian activist Masih Alinejad says the videos and messages she’s been receiving in recent days from women in Iran are showing how angry they are following a young woman’s death in police custody over a violation of the country’s strict religious dress code. The spur for this latest explosion of outrage was the death earlier this month of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The young woman was detained for allegedly wearing her hijab too loosely in violation of strictures demanding women wear the Islamic headscarves in public. She died in custody. Protests have been going on around the country for days. Alinejad would love to see more support from those in the West, as well.
South Dakota investigation weighs Noem’s use of state plane
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is under investigation for using a state-owned airplane to fly to political events and bring family members with her on trips. But the decision on whether to prosecute the Republican governor likely hinges on how a county prosecutor interprets an untested law that was passed by voters in 2006. State law allows the aircraft only to be used “in the conduct of state business.” But Noem attended events hosted by political organizations. State plane logs also show that Noem often had family members join her on in-state flights in 2019. It blurred the lines between official travel and attending family events, including her son’s prom and her daughter’s wedding.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Tropical Storm Ian Forecast To https://digitalalabamanews.com/tropical-storm-ian-forecast-to/
Tracking the Tropics: Tropical Storm Ian forms in the Caribbean
Tracking the Tropics: Tropical Storm Ian forms in the Caribbean 05:12
Tropical Storm Ian is expected to “rapidly strengthen” this weekend and could hit Florida early next week as a major hurricane, according to forecasters. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Tropical Storm Ian is moving across the central Caribbean Sea Saturday. By late morning, it was located 270 miles south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, moving west at 15 mph. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph — and is expected to become a hurricane on Sunday.
“Early next week, Ian is forecast to move near or over western Cuba as a strengthening hurricane and then approach the Florida peninsula at or near major hurricane strength, with the potential for significant impacts from storm surge, hurricane-force winds, and heavy rainfall,” the National Hurricane Center said.
“Significant strengthening is forecast during the next few days,” it said.
On Friday, DeSantis signed an executive order issuing a state of emergency for 24 Florida counties that could be in the storm’s path. On Saturday, the state of emergency was expanded to cover the entire state.
The storm, forecast to make landfall along Florida’s West coast, poses risk of “dangerous storm surge, heavy rainfall, flash flooding, strong winds, hazardous seas, and isolated tornadic activity for Florida’s Peninsula and portions of the Florida Big Bend, North Florida, and Northeast Florida,” DeSantis said in an executive order Saturday.
He encouraged all Floridians “to make their preparations.”
On Saturday, a hurricane watch was is in effect for the Cayman Islands and a tropical storm watch was in effect for Jamaica.
“On the forecast track, the center of Ian is forecast to move across the central Caribbean Sea today, pass southwest of Jamaica on Sunday, and pass near or over the Cayman Islands Sunday night and early Monday. Ian will then approach western Cuba late Monday and emerge over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday,” said the National Hurricane Center.
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Perspective | In 1979 Area Girl Scouts Fought To Save One Of Their Favorite Camps
Perspective | In 1979, Area Girl Scouts Fought To Save One Of Their Favorite Camps https://digitalalabamanews.com/perspective-in-1979-area-girl-scouts-fought-to-save-one-of-their-favorite-camps/
Camping is an integral part of Girl Scouting, a way to learn independence and self-sufficiency. Taking part in a class-action lawsuit can teach a lesson, too. It was the prospect of losing a beloved Montgomery County Girl Scout camp that mobilized a group of green jumper-clad scouts to stride into the Rockville courthouse on a January day in 1979.
They were there to support nine plaintiffs who were suing the Girl Scouts of the USA: seven adults and two of their Girl Scout peers. The field trip to the courthouse would count toward their Active Citizenship badge.
That’s one of the details in a new book from Ann Robertson called “Rescue Rockwood: How a Group of Determined Girl Scouts Rallied to Save a Beloved National Camp.” It’s a messy tale from the Carter/Reagan years that still rankles some in the Girl Scout community.
Robertson is the volunteer historian of the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital, the group that oversees local troops. It was local Girl Scouts who were most upset about losing Rockwood, a 67-acre site off MacArthur Boulevard near Great Falls, when the national Girl Scouts announced they were selling it to a developer.
The national group had been bequeathed the property after the 1936 death of its owner, eccentric society dame Carolyn Gangwer Caughey. Carolyn may have pronounced her last name “coy” but there was nothing coy about her.
“She was really a character,” said Robertson. “She could twist arms and get almost anything out of anybody.”
Caughey was born in 1864. She was married to John Caughey, son of a Pittsburgh industrialist, though she had her own income from savvy speculation in Washington real estate. Well, she probably had her own income. In 1915, John sued Carolyn, claiming he provided the funds for various properties that were in her name.
He later dropped the case and, oddly, they didn’t get divorced. They did live pretty much separate lives after that, Carolyn at Rockwood, her country house.
The Caugheys had no children and as Carolyn grew older she had decisions to make about her estate. She liked plucky women, being one herself, and she was moved by the story of Helen Hopkins, a survivor of the Knickerbocker Theatre disaster of 1922.
Hopkins, 26, was among theatergoers who were trapped when the snow-covered roof collapsed. She was a Girl Scout leader and her calm demeanor and the way she helped other victims made her a heroine of the disaster, which killed 98. Caughey was a friend of Hopkins’s mother and in her last will — she wrote several — she left Rockwood to the national Girl Scouts for use as a “character building center.” Wouldn’t it be nice to have more Helen Hopkinses?
After some internal discussion, the Girl Scouts accepted the property. Scouts camped there. They explored the property, hiking its trails, fording the stream that ran through it. The mansion Caughey had lived in hosted programs for adult scout leaders. Troops came from around the country, using Rockwood as base camp for trips into Washington.
Almost from the start there was a certain tension.
“The locals thought, yes, it’s a national camp, but it’s a little more ours than anybody else’s,” said Robertson.
Why hadn’t Caughey just left Rockwood to the local council?
“I think the reason she went to the national organization is that by being national instead of local, the camp would be integrated,” said Robertson. The local Girl Scout council wasn’t integrated until 1955.
A property like Rockwood is expensive to maintain. Girl Scouts of the USA had another camp — Macy, in Westchester County, N.Y. — that served a similar purpose. It didn’t need both. In 1978, the national group announced Rockwood was being sold to developers Berger/Berman, which hoped to build nearly 200 homes on it.
Some Washingtonians wondered why they were being asked to buy Thin Mints and Samoas when the Girl Scouts were getting a $4 million for Rockwood. The public didn’t understand the difference between the local troops and the national umbrella organization, Robertson said.
The class-action lawsuit was filed by individuals, not the Washington council. They raised money with bake sales and garage sales. They were buoyed when Maryland’s attorney general, Stephen Sachs, joined the suit, making Maryland a plaintiff. Sachs said the state had an interest in making sure the terms of charitable trusts were maintained.
But in 1981, before Maryland et al. v. GSUSA went to trial, a resolution was reached. Part of the camp, including its two main buildings, would be given to the Montgomery County parks department for public use. And the national scouting group would pay the legal fees of the plaintiffs.
The now-smaller housing development went through. Its name — Woodrock — infuriated boosters of the camp.
Today, Caughey’s mansion and a cottage remain. Both are rented out for events, including weddings. Robertson said some brides give a nod to Rockwood’s history by offering Girl Scout cookies at the reception.
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