Digital Alabama News

UMS-Wright Point Guard Bridges Simmons Commits To Mobile https://digitalalabamanews.com/ums-wright-point-guard-bridges-simmons-commits-to-mobile/ High School Sports Updated: Sep. 23, 2022, 9:38 a.m.| Published: Sep. 23, 2022, 9:31 a.m. UMS-Wright’s Bridges Simmons controls the ball against Lee-Huntsville’s Dexter Smith Jr. during an AHSAA Class 5A semifinal game at BJCC’s Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, Mar. 2, 2022. Simmons committed to the University of Mobile this week. (Marvin Gentry | preps@al.com) UMS-Wright All-State guard Bridges Simmons has committed to play college basketball at the University of Mobile. The 6-foot-3 Simmons led the Bulldogs to the Class 5A final four a year ago. RELATED: Simmons playing to fulfill dream he shared with dad “I’m so excited for him,” UMS coach Michael Napp said. “Really, it’s the perfect fit. I’m just glad personally he will be close to his family and his roots. I’m excited he will get to play for coach (Darnell) Archey. He’s an incredible basketball mind and an incredible man of character. I’m thrilled he will be in Bridges’ life for the next few years.” As a junior, Simmons was a first-team Class 5A All-State selection and first-team Coastal Alabama All-Region selection. He averaged 17 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game as the team’s point guard. “He’s 6-foot-3 and long,” Napp said of Simmons. “His explosiveness, ball-handling and vision are remarkable. He also has that ability to finish around the rim as a guard and can score on all three levels, though we haven’t exploited that middle level a lot at this point. “Bridges has great vision for how a possession is being played and how to get the ball where it needs to be quickly. He thrives in the transition game. He’s so good in the open floor after a steal or defensive rebound.” Napp is hoping for another strong year for Simmons as a senior. The Bulldogs officially start practice on Oct. 17 with the first game scheduled for Nov. 8. “I expect him to be the best player on the floor almost every night we play,” Napp said. “He’s a matchup nightmare. At 6-foot-3, if you put a quick but smaller guard on him, he can exploit that. If you put a taller guy who may be a step closer, he can exploit that as well.” Napp also said Simmons should be able to adjust smoothly to Archey’s style at Mobile. “Coach Archey and I run a lot of the same stuff offensively,” he said. “I get to pick his brain a good bit. They run some Princeton-style stuff like we do, and he thinks Bridges will be able to step right in and be up to speed quickly. Bridges is one of the best I’ve ever coached. He can excel there.” Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…

As Hurricane Fiona Passes Near Bermuda, Canadians On The Atlantic Coast Are On Guard https://digitalalabamanews.com/as-hurricane-fiona-passes-near-bermuda-canadians-on-the-atlantic-coast-are-on-guard/ (CNN)A deadly hurricane that battered multiple island nations in the Caribbean this week is now impacting Bermuda before crashing into Canada this weekend, where residents are being warned to prepare for dangerously high winds and heavy rainfall. Officials in Canada’s Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are urging those in the storm’s path to be on high alert and prepare for the impact of Hurricane Fiona, which has already claimed the lives of at least five people and shut off power for millions this week. “Fiona is projected to be a significant and historical weather event for Nova Scotia,” said John Lohr, the minister responsible for the provincial Emergency Management Office. “It has the potential to be very dangerous. Impacts are projected to be felt across the province. Every Nova Scotian should be preparing today,” Lohr added during an official update Thursday. Residents should brace for damaging winds, high waves, coastal storm surge and heavy rainfall that may lead to prolonged power outages, Lohr said. Emergency officials have encouraged people to secure outdoor items, trim trees, charge cell phones and create a 72-hour emergency kit. The area hasn’t seen a storm this intense for about 50 years, according to Chris Fogarty, manager for Canadian Hurricane Centre. “Please take it seriously because we are seeing meteorological numbers in our weather maps that are rarely seen here,” Fogarty said. Utility company Nova Scotia Power activated an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Friday morning that will serve as the central coordination area for outage restoration and response, according to a news release. The company will also be working closely with the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office. “We are taking every precaution and will be ready to respond to Hurricane Fiona as safely and efficiently as possible,” Sean Borden, the storm lead coordinator for Nova Scotia Power, said in the release. As Friday morning, Fiona was a powerful Category 3 storm, about 125 miles north of Bermuda, according to the National Hurricane Center. It was whipping sustained winds at 125 mph, with gusts up to 155 mph, the center said. “Once Fiona passes by Bermuda, the storm is forecast to impact Nova Scotia by Saturday afternoon. Fiona will become extratropical before impact, but this will do little to hinder the damage that Fiona will cause,” CNN Meteorologist Robert Shackelford explained. Across Atlantic Canada, winds could be around 100 mph (160 kph) as Fiona makes landfall on Nova Scotia, Shackelford said. Bermuda, which is under a tropical storm warning, closed schools and government offices Friday, according to Michael Weeks, the island’s minister of national security. In Canada, hurricane warnings are in place for Nova Scotia from Hubbards to Brule and in Newfoundland from Parson’s Pond to Francois. Prince Edward Island and Isle-de-la-Madeleine are also under warnings. Prince Edward Island officials are imploring residents to prepare for the worst as the storm looms. Tanya Mullally, who serves as the province’s head of emergency management, said one of the most pressing concerns with Fiona is the historic storm surge that it’s expected to unleash. “Storm surge is certainly going to be significant. … Flooding that we have not seen nor can we measure against,” Mullally said Thursday during an update. She added the northern portion of the island stands to bear the brunt of the storm due to the direction of the winds, which will likely cause property damage and coastal flooding. All provincial campgrounds, beaches and day-use parks as well as the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park will close Friday at noon, the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office said. “Safety is our priority as we prepare for significant storm conditions Friday night and Saturday. We are closing provincial park properties for the storm and will reopen when it is safe,” Natural Resources and Renewables Minister Tory Rushton said in a statement announcing the closures. Fiona’s power outages continue Earlier this week, Fiona damaged homes and upended critical power and water infrastructure for millions of people across Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Turks and Caicos. Days after Puerto Rico experienced an island-wide blackout as Fiona made landfall Sunday, only 38% of customers had their power restored Thursday, according to power grid operator LUMA Energy. The mass power outage is happening as much of Puerto Rico endures extreme heat, which caused temperatures to feel as hot as 112 degrees on Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Daniel Hernández, director of renewable projects at LUMA, explained critical places including hospitals will be prioritized before repairs can begin on an individual level. “This is a normal process. The important thing is that everyone is calm … we are working to ensure that 100% of customers have service as soon as possible,” Hernández said. Nearly 360,000 customers were experiencing intermittent water service or no service at all as of Thursday evening, according to the government’s emergency portal system. As of Wednesday, more than 800 people were housed in dozens of shelters across the island, according to Puerto Rico’s housing secretary, William Rodriguez. President Joe Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for the US territory, FEMA said. The move allows residents to access grants for temporary housing and home repairs as well as low-interest loans to cover uninsured property losses. In the Dominican Republic, Fiona affected 8,708 households and destroyed 2,262 homes, according to the nation’s head of emergency operations, Maj. Gen. Juan Méndez García. He said more than 210,000 homes and businesses were still in the dark Thursday morning, and another 725,246 customers were without running water. “This was something incredible that we’ve never seen before,” Ramona Santana in Higüey, Dominican Republic, told CNN en Español this week. “We’re in the streets with nothing, no food, no shoes, clothes, just what’s on your back. … We don’t have anything. We have God, and the hope help will come.” Fiona also menaced parts of the Turks and Caicos Tuesday, and areas of the British territory were still without power earlier this week, namely on Grand Turk, South Caicos, Salt Cay, North Caicos and Middle Caicos, said Anya Williams, acting governor of the islands. CNN’s Allison Chinchar, Melissa Alonso, Ana Melgar Zuniga, and Amanda Musa contributed to this report. Read More…

Alabama Abandons Execution After Failing To Find Vein For Lethal Injection https://digitalalabamanews.com/alabama-abandons-execution-after-failing-to-find-vein-for-lethal-injection/ Prison officials in Alabama abandoned an attempted lethal injection of a man on Thursday after trouble accessing his veins, two months after the state was accused of “cruel and unusual punishment” when it spent three hours executing Joe Nathan James. Alabama halted the execution of Alan Miller, who was convicted of killing three people in a shooting in 1999, after they determined they could not get the lethal injection under way before a midnight deadline. “Due to time constraints resulting from the lateness of the court proceedings, the execution was called off once it was determined the condemned inmate’s veins could not be accessed in accordance with our protocol before the expiration of the death warrant,” John Hamm, Alabama corrections commissioner, said. Hamm said that “accessing the veins was taking a little bit longer than we anticipated”. He did not know how long the team tried to establish a connection, but said there are a number of procedures to be done before the team begins trying to connect the intravenous line. The aborted attempt to kill Miller is the second botched execution in Alabama in recent months. In July it took between three and three and a half hours to carry out the lethal injection of James, an analysis by Reprieve US found. Alan Miller. Photograph: AP “Alabama officials tortured Joe Nathan James to death for over three hours trying to set up an IV line, and then covered it up. Instead of pausing and investigating how their actions led to what may have been the longest recorded execution in our country’s history, they instead rushed Alan Miller to the execution chamber weeks later and tried to kill him in secret,” said Maya Foa, director of Reprieve US. “Officials knew it was likely they would subject Alan Miller to the very same long and agonizing procedure as Joe Nathan James and Doyle Lee Hamm [whose execution was abandoned in 2018 after prison officials spent two and a half hours trying to access his veins] and yet they ploughed ahead anyway – adding to the state’s horrific history of botched executions. “It is hard to see how they can persist with this broken method of execution that keeps going catastrophically wrong, again and again. In its desperation to execute, Alabama is experimenting on prisoners behind closed doors – surely the definition of cruel and unusual punishment.” The attempt to execute Miller came hours after the US supreme court overturned a stay blocking his execution. A federal judge placed a hold on the execution after Alabama said it would not be ready to use nitrogen hypoxia to kill Miller, who had requested nitrogen be used, rather than lethal injection, citing a fear of needles. Miller testified that he turned in paperwork four years ago selecting nitrogen hypoxia as his execution method, a right in Alabama. The judge said the execution should be paused after finding it was “substantially likely” that Miller “submitted a timely election form even though the State says that it does not have any physical record of a form”. Read More…

STOCK MARKET NEWS: Futures Add To Declines, Oil's Losing Week https://digitalalabamanews.com/stock-market-news-futures-add-to-declines-oils-losing-week/ Stocks futures fall on rate hike, recession fears. Mortgages rates highest since 2007. FOX Business is providing real-time updates on the markets, commodities and all the most active stocks on the move. incoming update… Oil prices plunged about 5% to an eight-month low on Friday as the U.S. dollar hit its strongest level in more than two decades and on fears rising interest rates will tip major economies into recession. Brent futures were down $4.35, or 4.8%, to $86.11 a barrel by 10:09 a.m. EDT (1409 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $4.58, or 5.5%, to $78.91. That puts both benchmarks into technically oversold territory and WTI on track for its lowest close since Jan. 10 and Brent on track for its lowest close since Jan. 13. For the week, WTI was down about 7% and Brent down about 6%, the fourth straight week of declines for the benchmarks, the first time this has happened since December. U.S. gasoline and diesel futures were also down more than 5%. Posted by Reuters Symbol Price Change %Change JBLU $6.87 -0.23 -3.31 JetBlue Fleet Service workers want to unionize. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) says there is enough interest among the discount air carrier’s ground operation workers to conduct a union representation election. North America’s largest airline union announced it will file an election application with the National Mediation Board (NMB), the federal agency that conducts union representation elections in the airline and railroad sectors. JetBlue workers have cited below-standard industry pay rates and benefits, poor and unsafe working conditions, unjustified discipline and terminations, among many other issues as reasons to gain IAM representation and a seat at the table, the IAM said. The IAM is the largest airline union in North America and represents airline workers at every major U.S. airline. Posted by FOX Business Team Global government bond losses are on course for the worst year since 1949 and investor sentiment has plummeted to its lowest since the financial crisis, BofA Global Research said in a note on Friday. This year’s dramatic bond tumble threatens credit events and a potential liquidation of the world’s most crowded trades, including bets on the dollar that have taken the greenback to multi-year highs against other currencies and bets on U.S. technology stocks, the bank said. Bond funds recorded outflows of $6.9 billion during the week to Wednesday, while $7.8 billion was removed from equity funds and investors plowed $30.3 billion into cash, BofA said in a research note citing EPFR data. Investor sentiment is the worst it has been since the 2008 global financial crash, the note said. Posted by Reuters U.S. stocks fell for a fourth day, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipping below the key 30,000 level, as investors wind down a choppy week following the Federal Reserve’s 75 basis point rate hike. In commodities, oil fell over 4% to the $79 per barrel level.  Dow Jones Averages. $ 29747.54 Posted by FOX Business Team U.S. equity futures are adding to losses following three days of declines after more rate hikes by the Federal Reserve and other central banks to control persistent inflation spurred fears of a possible global recession. The major futures indexes suggest a decline of 0.8% when Wall Street begins trading. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which influences mortgage rates, was at 3.68% on Friday. Oil prices fell Friday amid recession fears and a stronger U.S. dollar, though losses were capped by supply concerns. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were trading around $83.00. Brent crude futures traded around $89.00 per barrel. For the week the contracts for TWI and Brent were down 2.3% and 1.5% respectively. In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng sank 1.2% and China’s Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.7%. Japanese markets were closed for a holiday. The S&P 500 lost 0.8% on Thursday to 3,757.99. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.4% to 30,076.68 and the Nasdaq composite slid 1.4% to 11,066.81. Posted by Ken Martin This season’s Super Bowl halftime show will have a new sponsor. The National Football League announced on Thursday that Apple Music is the new partner for the Super Bowl Halftime Show. The multi-year partnership will begin with Super Bowl LVII, which will be played on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. Continue reading Posted by Ken Martin Costco shares traded 3% lower in premarket trading as operating expenses rose due to higher labor and freight costs. The big-box retailer beat Wall Street revenue and profit estimates. Fiscal fourth total revenue rose 15% to $72.10 billion. The analysts’ average estimate was $72.04 billion. Comparable sales grew 13.7%, with e-commerce up 7.1%. U.S. sales were 15.8%. Posted by Ken Martin The average price of a gallon of gasoline gained again on Friday to $3.689, according to AAA. Thursday’s price was $3.684, rising for the third day in a row after nearly 100 days of declines. Gas hit a high of $5.016 on June 14.  Diesel’s price slipped to $4.911 per gallon. Posted by Ken Martin Oil prices fell Friday amid recession fears and a stronger U.S. dollar, though losses were capped by supply concerns. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were trading around $83.00. Brent crude futures traded around $89.00 per barrel. For the week the contracts for TWI and Brent were down 2.3% and 1.5% respectively. Central banks around the world raised interest rates this week, raising the risk of economic slowdowns. Posted by Ken Martin Bitcoin was trading at around $19,000, after snapping a four-day losing streak. For the week, Bitcoin was lower by more than 1%. For the month, the cryptocurrency is down more than 4%. Bitcoin is down more than 58% year-to-date. Ethereum was trading at $1,300, after losing 10% in the past week. Dogecoin was trading at 6 cents, gaining just over 1% in the past week. Posted by Ken Martin Live Coverage begins here Read More…

Budd Embraces Trump, Abortion Opposition In NC Senate Race https://digitalalabamanews.com/budd-embraces-trump-abortion-opposition-in-nc-senate-race/ Gary D. Robertson and Steve Peoples  |  Associated Press Raleigh, N.C. – In competitive races across the U.S., Republican candidates are distancing themselves from their party’s most controversial policies and people – namely, abortion and former President Donald Trump – as Election Day approaches. Not Ted Budd. The North Carolina GOP Senate nominee is leaning into support for abortion restrictions and amity with the former Republican president as Democrats fight for an elusive victory in the Southern swing state. Democratic optimism remains tempered given the state’s recent red tilt, but Democratic officials believe Budd, a low-profile congressman who emerged as the GOP’s Senate nominee largely because of Trump’s backing, gives them a real chance at flipping a seat – and holding the balance of power in Washington – this fall. Disregarding his critics, Budd is set to appear alongside Trump on Friday night at a rally in Wilmington. The Budd campaign was eager to welcome Trump when the former president’s team called, according to adviser Jonathan Felts. “Trump won North Carolina twice, and an in-person rally is helpful,” Felts said, suggesting Trump would help drive turnout, especially “with unaffiliated and/or undecided voters concerned about the economy.” Others aren’t so sure. “The more Trump emerges, the more Trump is in the news, the better for Democrats,” said David Holian, a political science professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Indeed, Trump remains overwhelmingly popular with Republican voters but is less appealing to the moderates and independents who often decide swing-state elections. Trump’s national favorable ratings have been roughly even with, or worse than, President Joe Biden’s in recent weeks. Still, some North Carolina Democrats are far from confident in a state where they have suffered painful losses in recent years. Democratic skepticism comes despite the apparent strength of their Senate nominee, former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, who has a decided fundraising advantage, a record of outperforming other Democrats in statewide elections and a moderate message. She would be the state’s first Black senator if elected. Yet Beasley is also running against negative perceptions of her party. Trump’s rise has fueled a growing sense among some voters in North Carolina, along with those in many other states, that the national Democratic Party has lost touch with the daily struggles of the working class and similar voting blocs. The Democratic-controlled Congress’ focus on climate change, for example, hasn’t helped inspire voters like Talmage Layton, a 74-year-old farmer from Durham. Layton said he doesn’t know whether a North Carolina Democrat can make a difference on Capitol Hill in lowering gas prices or pushing back against climate change policies that other Democrats have embraced. “That’s not anything against Cheri Beasley,” Layton said after a recent meeting with Beasley. “I’m a registered Democrat, and I would have no problem voting for a Democrat. But they’ve got to think about the little guy here.” Not long ago, it looked as if the Democratic Party was poised to take over North Carolina politics. In 2008, Obama carried the state, becoming the first Democrat to do so since 1976, and Democrat Kay Hagan upset GOP Sen. Elizabeth Dole. Political experts predicted the Democratic Party would step to dominance as a result of increasing urbanization and out-of-state liberals moving in for tech jobs in the Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte regions. But Republicans took over the state legislature for the first time in over 140 years following the 2010 election and retained it thanks to support from exurban and rural voters and favorably drawn districts. A decade later, Trump became a two-time North Carolina winner, though he won the 2020 election by just 1 percentage point. While Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper managed to win reelection in 2020, Beasley was one of the party’s casualties. She lost a bid to remain chief justice to a Republican rival by just 401 votes. Her near-miss turned her into a rising candidate in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Richard Burr. In one sign of strength, Beasley has consistently raised more money than Budd. And she appears to be generating momentum by seizing on abortion to energize women and independents, relying on the same playbook Democrats have used elsewhere. Budd, meanwhile, has been outspoken in his opposition to abortion. He co-sponsored a House version of a national 15-week abortion ban introduced by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham that even Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell distanced himself from. “My opponent has been in Congress for six years, and every opportunity he’s had to vote for North Carolina, he’s voted against us,” Beasley charged after meeting with farmers at a produce market in Durham before Graham’s bill introduction. Meanwhile, Republicans in competitive elections in states like Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada and Arizona have distanced themselves from their rigid anti-abortion stances in recent weeks. Others have stripped their websites of references to Trump or his favorite talking points. In Virginia, a Republican House candidate removed a Trump reference from her Twitter bio. In New Hampshire, Republican Senate nominee Don Bolduc abruptly reversed himself last week when asked about Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. After spending much of the last year echoing Trump’s lies, Bolduc told Fox News he had done more research and concluded, “The election was not stolen.” Meanwhile, Budd’s campaign refused this week to say whether he would accept the 2022 election results, having already voted to block certification of the 2020 election. Such positions will almost certainly appeal to Trump’s base, but political operatives say Budd needs sizable support from moderate, independent voters to be successful. Unaffiliated voters this year surpassed Democrats to become the largest bloc of registered voters in the state. “Regardless of what your faith background is, you’re dealing with skyrocketing energy prices. You’re dealing with high grocery costs. You’re dealing with high crime. You’re dealing with economic uncertainty,” Budd said after speaking to pastors recently in Greenville. “And so I want to make life better for all North Carolinians and people in our country by the things that I support.” As Budd has struggled to keep pace with Beasley’s fundraising, outside groups have come to his aid. The McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund and the National Republican Senatorial Committee have spent $17.3 million combined on advertising opposing Beasley, according to Federal Election Commission filings. The Senate Majority Fund, which supports Democratic candidates, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have spent close to $4 million in North Carolina while investing far more in high-profile contests in states like Pennsylvania and Arizona. “We’re committed to making sure voters continue seeing and hearing the truth about Ted Budd,” Senate Majority Fund spokesperson Veronica Woo said. An arm of the pro-abortion-rights EMILY’s List announced this month spending $2.7 million to criticize Budd on abortion as well. During a recent stop at Perkins Orchard in Durham, Beasley chatted with farmers who gathered around picnic tables and near fresh pumpkins for sale. Some said afterward they were glad to see her interest in their plight. Jason Lindsay, 34, a first-generation Black farmer from Rocky Mount, said he’s been frustrated with the divisive political environment but is encouraged by Beasley. “Her temperament here today gave me the first sign of hope that I’ve had in a long time,” he said. ––– Peoples contributed from New York. We’re offering a great rate on digital subscriptions. Click here. Read More…

Trump Promotes QAnon-Related Posts On His Social Media Platform https://digitalalabamanews.com/trump-promotes-qanon-related-posts-on-his-social-media-platform/ WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump promoted several posts on his social media platform early Friday about the QAnon conspiracy theory. One post highlighted on his Truth Social account, which has more than 4 million followers, is a video clip that begins with an image showing a giant “Q” over his face and text that reads: “Information Warfare. It’s time to wake up.” The video features a compilation of meme-like images of Trump with graphics. It’s yet another example of the former president’s overt promotion of QAnon — a movement that embraces the conspiracy theory that Trump is secretly fighting against evil forces connected to the Democratic Party. “I won. They know it, I know it, you know it,” one post says with a photo of Trump pointing at the camera, falsely suggesting that he won the 2020 presidential election. In one slide, it says that under a Trump presidency, “America comes first” and “not illegals” and “not refugees” and “not foreign workers.” Another image says that the “real insurrection” is “how the Democrats cheated in 2020” and adds, “Never Forget.” The montage then says that people should prepare for a “storm” and then displays a graphic showing the U.S. Capitol: “It’s going to be biblical.” Many of those arrested in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol were QAnon followers. Two other posts he promoted on Truth Social included explicit religious connotations — including one that stated: “I believe God can do it through him.” And another post with a meme of Jesus and the words: “Jesus is the greatest. President @realdonaldtrump is the second greatest.” Trump has posted and reposted QAnon-related material before, but it’s now becoming a consistent embrace for him. The QAnon conspiracy theory was built around Q, an anonymous account that posts periodically on 8kun, often with vague or symbolic language that is then interpreted by followers. The account claims to document a secret battle being waged by Trump against the Democratic Party, which followers of the theory contend is run by satanic, child-eating cannibals who run a pedophile ring filled with celebrities and political elites who have been covertly running the United States government for decades. None of the posts’ concrete predictions has come to fruition. Rebecca Shabad is a politics reporter for NBC News based in Washington. Vaughn Hillyard contributed . Read More…

Embattled Trump Aims Funding Firepower At Loyal Republicans – Live Updates https://digitalalabamanews.com/embattled-trump-aims-funding-firepower-at-loyal-republicans-live-updates/ It’s no secret that Donald Trump would like to run for the White House again. The bigger question is when will he announce a 2024 campaign? Reports in recent weeks emphasize that Democrats would love if he did so before the midterms, so they can once again remind voters of the GOP’s ties to the polarizing former president. The announcement of Maga, Inc, the new Super Pac run by Trump’s allies, doesn’t answer that question, but it does show that the former president is willing to work to get the lawmakers he wants elected in the Senate and elsewhere. That’s welcome news for Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell, the GOP leaders of the House and Senate, respectively, who hope voters will give them a majority following the 8 November midterms. But it would also give Trump the chance to make sure candidates he favors win their elections – potentially putting politicians who support his baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 election in positions of power. “,”elementId”:”f05d4a10-4afa-42e0-9eb0-a5377a11dbde”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:” That’s not all that’s going on today: “,”elementId”:”a3720d79-c682-4c46-8636-690c6c9a06ba”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:” n House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy will debut the party’s “Commitment to America” platform as he hopes for a return to the majority in Congress’s lower chamber. n Trump will hold a rally in North Carolina at 7 pm eastern time, where we could hear more about his plans for the midterms. n Elton John performs at the White House at 8 pm this evening, where president Joe Biden will also give remarks. n “,”elementId”:”d4693f79-c44b-4a9a-b5ae-67e84d661580″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1663937435000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”08.50 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1663936156000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”08.29 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1663937435000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”08.50 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”08.50″,”title”:”Embattled Trump aims funding firepower at loyal Republicans”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Fri 23 Sep 2022 09.39 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Fri 23 Sep 2022 08.50 EDT”}],”filterKeyEvents”:false,”format”:{“display”:0,”theme”:0,”design”:10},”id”:”key-events-carousel-mobile”}” Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Democrats have failed you, elect us instead. That’s the message top House Republican Kevin McCarthy delivers in the video below, which was released ahead of the debut of the party’s Commitment to America platform happening right now in Pennsylvania. The California representative hones in on high inflation, rising crime and migrant and asylum seekers’ arrival at the southern border. Considering the likelihood of Republicans again winning a majority in the House following the midterms, it’s a message worth paying attention to: The platform’s debut can be watched live here. Trump isn’t alone in spending big to get Republicans who deny Joe Biden’s election win into power in November. Peter Stone reports that Pacs controlled by multibillionaire Charles Koch are spending big to support Republicans: Fossil fuel giant Koch Industries has poured over $1m into backing – directly and indirectly – dozens of House and Senate candidates who voted against certifying Joe Biden’s win on 6 January 2021. Koch, which is controlled by multibillionaire Charles Koch, boasts a corporate Pac that has donated $607,000 to the campaigns or leadership Pacs of 52 election deniers since January 2021, making Koch’s Pac the top corporate funder of members who opposed the election results, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks campaign spending. In addition, the Super Pac Americans for Prosperity Action to which Koch Industries has given over $6m since January 2021, has backed some election deniers with advertising and other communications support, as well as a few candidates Donald Trump has endorsed who tried to help him overturn the 2020 election, or raised doubts about the final results. It’s no secret that Donald Trump would like to run for the White House again. The bigger question is when will he announce a 2024 campaign? Reports in recent weeks emphasize that Democrats would love if he did so before the midterms, so they can once again remind voters of the GOP’s ties to the polarizing former president. The announcement of Maga, Inc, the new Super Pac run by Trump’s allies, doesn’t answer that question, but it does show that the former president is willing to work to get the lawmakers he wants elected in the Senate and elsewhere. That’s welcome news for Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell, the GOP leaders of the House and Senate, respectively, who hope voters will give them a majority following the 8 November midterms. But it would also give Trump the chance to make sure candidates he favors win their elections – potentially putting politicians who support his baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 election in positions of power. Good morning, US politics blog readers. It might be hard to believe, but the midterms are about to get even more Trumpier. The former president is poised to spend millions of dollars supporting candidates loyal to his wing of the Republican party through a new super PAC launched by his top allies, Politico reports this morning. It isn’t just an effort to bolster embattled GOP politicians nationwide – it may also be a prelude to Trump’s widely expected announcement of a second run for the White House. That’s not all that’s going on today: House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy will debut the party’s “Commitment to America” platform as he hopes for a return to the majority in Congress’s lower chamber. Trump will hold a rally in North Carolina at 7 pm eastern time, where we could hear more about his plans for the midterms. Elton John performs at the White House at 8 pm this evening, where president Joe Biden will also give remarks. Read More…

The Shortest SEC Football Coaching Tenures Of Modern Era https://digitalalabamanews.com/the-shortest-sec-football-coaching-tenures-of-modern-era/ If Bryan Harsin fails to make it through his second season as Auburn’s head football coach, he’d add his name to a dubious list. Since World War II, only 17 SEC football coaches have lasted less than three full seasons. They left their jobs for a variety of reasons — some were fired, some took other jobs, some resigned due to health. (We’re using World War II as a cutoff here, because coaches were much more itinerant during and before the war). RELATED: Alabama’s 10 biggest SEC blowout victories since World War II Here are the shortest coaching tenures in SEC football history, ranked by number of games coached. Where Harsin might fall on this list — or if he will at all — will be decided in the next several weeks. (NOTE: This list does not include interim coaches, those that coached either a partial season or a full season. So you won’t find Joe Kines, Joe Lee Dunn, John L. Smith or Bill Oliver, among others, here). Joe Moorhead went 14-12 in two seasons as head coach at Mississippi State. He was fired at the end of the 2019 season. (Rogelio V. Solis/AP photo)AP 17. Joe Moorhead, Mississippi State, 2018-19 (26 games) Much like Harsin at Auburn, Moorhead’s hiring seemed curious even at the time. Moorhead was a successful offensive coordinator at Penn State, but was a Northeasterner who had never coached or recruited in the Deep South. His first Mississippi State team went 8-5, but things fell apart at the end of his second season amid player discipline problems. Beating Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl bought Moorhead some time, and he told reporters the following day “You’ll have to drag my Yankee ass out of here.” Moorhead was in fact fired after the Bulldogs lost to Louisville in the Music City Bowl, ending his two-year tenure with a 14-12 record. He’s now in his first season as head coach at Akron. 16. Billy Kinard, Ole Miss, 1971-73 (25 games) Legendary Rebels coach John Vaught retired after suffering a heart attack during the 1970 season, and former Ole Miss All-American Frank “Bruiser” Kinard was tapped as his successor as athletics director. Kinard hired his younger brother Billy, also a one-time Rebels star, to become head football coach. The 36-year-old Kinard led Ole Miss to a 10-2 record and a Peach Bowl victory in his first season, but the Rebels slipped to 5-5 in 1972. After Ole Miss lost two of its first three games in 1973, the school fired Billy Kinard, reassigned Bruiser Kinard to a different department and lured Vaught out of retirement to finish the season. Billy Kinard latched on the next year as an assistant with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, and later coached one season on the small-college level at Gardner-Webb. Dennis Franchione went 17-8 in two seasons at Alabama, but had the gall to leave the Crimson Tide for Texas A&M at the end of the 2002 season. (Press-Register file photo by Chip English) 15. Dennis Franchione, Alabama, 2001-02 (25 games) Franchione claimed he didn’t know it, but he took over an Alabama program that was on the verge of being hit with crippling NCAA sanctions. The former TCU head coach went 7-5 (including a 31-7 win in the Iron Bowl) in his first season, then led a bowl-ineligible Alabama team to a 10-3 mark in Year 2. Franchione seemingly had one foot out the door early on in his tenure, and left shortly after the 2002 season finale at Hawaii for Texas A&M. That move not only earned him permanent derision among Alabama fans, but didn’t turn out well on the field either. The Aggies went just 32-28 in his five seasons, and he was fired in late 2007. 14. Steve Sloan, Vanderbilt, 1973-74 (23 games) Sloan, a star Alabama quarterback in the mid-1960s, was just 29 years old when he was hired to lead the Commodores after one season each as offensive coordinator at Florida State and Georgia Tech. Vanderbilt improved from 3-8 to 5-6 in Sloan’s first season, then jumped to 7-3-2 with a Peach Bowl berth — the Commodores’ first postseason game since 1955 — in his second year. That drew the attention of Texas Tech, whom he rewarded with three straight winning seasons and a 23-12 overall record. Sloan then moved on to less-successful tenures at Ole Miss and Duke, and was later athletics director at Alabama and several other schools. Guy Morriss coached two seasons at Kentucky before taking an ill-advised leap to Baylor in 2003. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Allsport)Getty Images 13. Guy Morriss, Kentucky, 2001-02 (23 games) Like Franchione, Morriss took over a program about to get hammered by the NCAA for violations that occurred during Hal Mumme’s tenure. Morriss, a longtime NFL lineman and Kentucky’s offensive line coach under Mumme, was named interim coach in 2001 and posted a 2-9 record. Elevated to permanent head coach the following year, the Wildcats finished 7-5 (memorably losing on the final play to LSU in a game dubbed the “Bluegrass Miracle”) but were ineligible for the postseason. A Texas native and TCU graduate, Morriss left Kentucky for Baylor prior to the 2003 season. He went just 18-40 with the Bears, never winning more than five games in any of his five seasons. 12. Rod Dowhower, Vanderbilt, 1995-96 (22 games) Dowhower hadn’t coached in college in 15 years when he took over the Commodores, having gone 5-5-1 as Bill Walsh’s replacement at Stanford in 1979 before heading back to the NFL. Along with several assistant coaching jobs, he spent two brutal years as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, going 5-24 before getting fired 13 games into the 1986 season. He seemed like a strange fit at Vanderbilt from the beginning, and went just 4-18 (with only one SEC win) in two seasons before he resigned under pressure. He was replaced by defensive coordinator Woody Widenhofer, who wasn’t much more successful in five seasons on the job. Chad Morris is one of the few coaches in SEC history who was fired after fewer than two complete seasons. He was let go late in the 2019 season after winning just four of 22 games. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)Getty Images 11. Chad Morris, Arkansas, 2018-19 (22 games) Morris had a solid enough resume when he was hired by the Razorbacks, having been offensive coordinator at Clemson and reasonably successful in three seasons as head coach at SMU. Arkansas had made a run at Auburn’s Gus Malzahn, an Arkansas native and like Morris a coach who made his entrée to the college game after making his name on the high school level. Morris’ first Arkansas team went 2-10 and 0-8 in the SEC, losing its last two games to Mississippi State and Missouri by a combined score of 90-6. A home loss to San Jose State in the fourth game of Year 2 was the beginning of the end, and Morris was fired after a loss to Western Kentucky dropped the Razorbacks to 2-8. Morris became the rare modern-era SEC coach to not even get two complete seasons on the job. 10. Harvey Robinson, Tennessee, 1953-54 (21 games) Robinson had the great misfortune of replacing a legend, as he stepped in when Robert Neyland retired for health reasons after winning 173 games and four national championships in 21 seasons. The Volunteers went 6-4-1 in Robinson’s debut season, then 4-6 in Year 2. That was enough for the powers that be in Knoxville to fire Robinson and replace him with former Tennessee star Bowden Wyatt, who left Arkansas to return to his alma mater. Robinson spent the next five seasons as an assistant at Florida before returning to Tennessee and working as Wyatt’s backfield coach, the same position he’d held under Neyland. Best known for his 20-year tenure at Texas, Darrell Royal got his first college head-coaching job at Mississippi State in 1954. (AP Photo)AP 9. Darrell Royal, Mississippi State, 1954-55 (20 games) Royal became so anonymous with Texas that many don’t realize he got his first college head-coaching job in Starkville after spending one year in the CFL. Royal’s Maroons (as they were then known) posted back-to-back 6-4 records before he left to take over at Washington. In doing so, he was the last Mississippi State head football coach to leave for another job until Dan Mullen headed to Florida more than 60 years later. Royal lasted just one year at Washington (going 5-5) before he was on the move again, this time for Texas, where he spent 20 seasons as Longhorns head coach and won three national championships and 11 Southwest Conference titles. 8. Raymond Wolf, Tulane, 1952-53 (20 games) Wolf was in the middle of a highly successful tenure at North Carolina when World War II broke out, and he coached the legendary 1942 Georgia Navy Pre-Flight team (which went 7-1-1 and beat both Auburn and Alabama) before landing at Florida as head coach and athletics director following the war. He was fired after four poor seasons and landed a job as line coach at Tulane (which was then a member of the SEC) in 1950. Green Wave head coach Henry Frnka resigned suddenly at the end of the 1951 season, and Wolf was elevated to the head position. Tulane went 5-5 in Wolf’s first season, but followed that up with a 1-8-1 mark in 1953. He resigned the following spring to take an administrative job at TCU, his alma mater. Before becoming an institution at Minnesota, Murray Warmath, left, spent the 1952 and 1953 seasons as head coach at Mississippi State. (Birmingham News file) 7. Murray Warmath, Mississippi State, 1952-53 (19 games) Say this for Mississippi State — they did a good job of identifying up-and-coming coaches in the 1950s. Warmath had been a respected line coach at Tennessee and Army before being hired to his first head-coaching job with the Maroons. Mississippi State went 5-4 and 5-2-3 before Warmath was on the move to Minnesota, where he became an institution. In 18 seasons, his Golden Gophers won 87 games, a pair of Big Ten titles and a national championship in 1960 (that might not sound like much, but Minnes...

Live Updates Of Donald Trump Visit: People Arrive At Wilmington Airport https://digitalalabamanews.com/live-updates-of-donald-trump-visit-people-arrive-at-wilmington-airport/ 8:30 a.m.: Vendors at the venue More than 10 hours before former president Donald Trump was set to take the stage at Wilmington’s Aero Center, a line more than 50 people deep had formed to get into the venue. Meanwhile, vendors walked up and down the strip of road that served as the event’s main staging area.  Jonas Williams had traveled to Wilmington from his home in Greensboro to sell hats of all kinds embroidered with Trump’s name. Williams said he’s been selling Trump merchandise since “he came down that elevator” to announce his first presidential bid. What to know:From tickets to security, what to know ahead of Donald Trump’s visit to Wilmington Past visits:Trump’s past Wilmington visits: From viral news clips to ‘the proudest day of my life’ He said he follows Trump across the country, selling merchandise at his rallies. Elsewhere on the grounds, a man dressed as Uncle Sam rode a motorized hoverboard in the staging area while waving a large flag adorned with Trump’s face and the words “Trump’s front row Joes.” Trump is scheduled to appear to campaign for U.S. Senate candidate Ted Budd. Alongside Trump and Budd, other Republicans are scheduled to speak. Doors are scheduled to open at 2 p.m. as entertainment begins at the Aero Center. At 4, guest speakers will deliver remarks, such as local U.S. Representative David Rouzer and Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson. Trump is then set to speak at 7. StarNews will cover the event live throughout the day and have updates here. Emma Dill Read More…

Five Things To Know About The NY AG's New Lawsuit Against Trump https://digitalalabamanews.com/five-things-to-know-about-the-ny-ags-new-lawsuit-against-trump/ (The Hill) – Attorney General (D) on Wednesday announced a civil lawsuit against former , the and three of his adult children, alleging over a decade of fraud. The attorney general’s lawsuit alleges that the former president’s company falsely inflated and deflated the value of assets in order to pay lower taxes and get better insurance coverage. The civil lawsuit is seeking in financial penalties and asking the in to bar Trump and his children named in the suit from serving as an officer or director of any corporation registered or licensed in the state. It also asks the court to bar Trump and the from any real estate acquisition in or from applying for loans from any financial institution in the state for five years. Here are five things to know amid the lawsuit announcement. The lawsuit comes after a three-year civil investigation James has been leading a three-year investigation into the former president’s family business and finances in the state. James at a press conference Wednesday said her office had interviewed more than 65 witnesses and reviewed millions of documents throughout the probe. The attorney general said Trump “falsely inflated his net worth by billions of dollars to unjustly enrich himself and to cheat the system, thereby cheating all of us,” and that he did so with the help of his children and with two named former executives, and . The lawsuit alleges that the group engaged in a conspiracy to violate state laws, including falsifying business records, issuing false financial statements and committing insurance fraud, James argued. Alleged federal crimes, including bank fraud, are being referred to federal prosecutors and the . For Trump, is close to home The former president began his career in and started building his business empire there in 1976. is a real estate development company that owns and operates a number of resorts, hotels, golf clubs and other businesses in . The famed looms on , but toward the end of his four-year stint, Trump announced he was switching his primary residence from to . The then-president had retreated often to his private Mar-a-Lago club in during his time in office, and has since made the resort his primary home — a move rumored to have been made for tax purposes. But even after turning his back on , Trump has maintained a large footprint in . Trump’s two adult sons now run the Trump Organization, which he turned over in 2017 as he assumed the presidency. Trump’s children are involved The lawsuit names ., , and alongside their father and alleges they engaged in a conspiracy to commit the fraud crimes. was questioned back in 2020 and reportedly pleaded the Fifth to over 500 questions related to his work within the Trump Organization. James subpoenaed Trump, and . earlier this year, and all three were deposed. Trump sat for questioning last month and invoked his Fifth Amendment rights to all inquiries. Trump’s children have played prominent roles in their father’s business orbit. . and both currently serve as executive vice presidents at the Trump Organization. When served as a adviser to her father during his presidential term, her business connections to the Trump Organization raised concerns about conflicts of interest. . and decried the lawsuit on social media after the announcement, accusing James of a “witch hunt” and arguing that the lawsuit is politically motivated to boost James’ reelection bid ahead of this year’s midterms. “This is all about politics. Weaponizing her office to go after her political opponents!” . said on Twitter after the announcement. He and both shared video clips of James vowing to go after Trump as attorney general. Former Attorney General on Wednesday critiqued James for trying “to drag the children into this.” The fight between James and Trump has been intense Like his sons, Trump has long dismissed the probe and argued that the investigation was politically motivated against him. “Attorney General Letitia “Peekaboo” James, a total crime-fighting disaster in , is spending all of her time fighting for very powerful and well-represented banks and insurance companies, who were fully paid, made a lot of money, and never had a complaint about me, instead of fighting murder and violent crime, which is killing ,” Trump said on Truth Social shortly after the lawsuit was announced. “She is a failed A.G. whose lack of talent in the fight against crime is causing record numbers of people and companies to flee . Bye, bye!” James has been vocal about her inquiry into the former president, a fact that has fueled the Trumps’ arguments that her inquiry is politically motivated. But the attorney general has consistently hit back at the criticisms. “My office will follow the facts of any case, wherever they lead. Make no mistake: No one is above the law, not even the President,” James wrote on Twitter back in 2019. She echoed the same sentiment after the lawsuit was announced Wednesday. “There aren’t two sets of laws for people in this nation: former presidents must be held to the same standards as everyday Americans,” James wrote on Twitter. It’s not the only legal battle Trump is facing As the longstanding investigation turns into a lawsuit, Trump continues to face a slate of other legal challenges, including probes and lawsuits over his presidential campaign, his time in office and his business practices. The lawsuit comes in the wake of last month’s FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. Agents executing a search warrant at the , resort found over 100 classified documents and dozens of empty folders marked classified, taken from the and stored at Trump’s home after the end of his time in office. Court records revealed investigators suspected Trump of multiple violations of the Espionage Act for his mishandling of the materials, and Trump’s legal team is now engaged in a battle to block the from reviewing the seized materials. and a House select committee also continue to investigate the riot at the . Members of the House committee have pushed for the , which has the power to prosecute that the committee lacks, to home their probe in on Trump and criminally investigate the former president. The Jan. 6’s committee’s Vice Chairwoman (R-Wyo.), who has been the target of much ire from her former party leader for her work on the panel, said the investigation had gathered evidence of “a supreme dereliction of duty.” In Georgia, a special grand jury is investigating the efforts of Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. Georgia’s District Attorney (D) has subpoenaed a number of prominent figures in Trump’s sphere as part of the inquiry, including Sen. (R-S.C.), Rep. (R-Ga.), (R) and lawyers , , and . Close Modal Suggest a Correction Suggest a Correction Read More…

Rutgers’ Shameen Jones Hopes Big Ten Opener Vs. Iowa Trumps Previous Night Game Memories | Q&A https://digitalalabamanews.com/rutgers-shameen-jones-hopes-big-ten-opener-vs-iowa-trumps-previous-night-game-memories-qa/ It has been a long, long time since Rutgers last hosted a night game in Big Ten play. Just ask Shameen Jones. The fifth-year wide receiver is one of just three players on the current roster — walk-ons Rani Abdulaziz and Parker Day being the others — who was a Scarlet Knight during the 2017 season, when Rutgers welcomed Ohio State to SHI Stadiium. He did not play in the 56-0 loss that marked the last prime-time game played in Piscataway — he redshirted that season — but he remembers the stadium being packed. “I feel like it was more Ohio State (fans) than it was Rutgers,” he said this week, “but it was exciting.” BUY RUTGERS FOOTBALL TICKETS: STUBHUB, VIVID SEATS, TICKETSMARTER, TICKETMASTER It should be different this Saturday when the Scarlet Knights host Iowa in a highly-anticipated home opener, the first Big Ten home night game since the beatdown from the Buckeyes. If Rutgers pulls out a win, it would snap a record 19-game losing streak in Big Ten home games for Rutgers. Jones was a Scarlet Knight for the last Big Ten home win, too, but he does not remember much about that 31-24 win over Maryland in November of 2017, either. “That was a long time ago,” he said. “Those (memories) fade fast.” Jones spoke about those early-career experiences, what he’s looking forward to in Saturday’s game and what he expects from the Hawkeyes in a question-and-answer session with local media earlier this week: Question: You’re one of two players on the current roster who were around for the 2017 season. I know it was your redshirt year, but you were at the Ohio State night game, correct? Jones: Yes, I was. Q: What do you remember about it? Jones: Not much, to be honest. It was a pretty packed stadium. I feel like it was more Ohio State (fans) than it was Rutgers. But it was exciting, those (Saturday) night lights. It felt good to be out there. Q: That same year was the last time you guys won a Big Ten home game. It was against Maryland. Do you remember anything about that day? The postgame locker room celebration? Any memories. Jones: Nah, that’s a long time ago. Those fade away fast. Q: So what are you looking forward to on Saturday, then? Hosting Iowa, a Big Ten game with a lot of people expected to come. Jones: Really being in front of our fans, seeing SHI Stadium packed out, getting that Friday night lights feeling even though it’s a Saturday. That atmosphere, that energy from Rutgers fans. Q: What do you tell younger players about that type of environment? Jones: Really, just stay focused. Have tunnel vision. Things like that bottle up inside you, but when you get on the field, you got to stay calm, stay poised and focus on the task at hand. Q: Is this the type of environment you guys hope to create regularly at Rutgers? Jones: Most definitely. We want to get as much support as we can and constantly keep the ball rolling. Get as many people out there, get our support and keep winning games. Want to bet on College Football? See the best NJ Sports Betting sites Q: What have you seen from Iowa on film? Jones: They’re a very good defense, very technically sound. A lot of older, veteran guys on that defense, so we’re playing guys who are very advanced, up to speed with what’s going on, know what they’re doing and know how that works for them. Good competition. Q: What do you make of your Rutgers career so far? You’re a veteran, a captain, how would you summarize your Rutgers experience? Jones: Inspiring. I’ve taken on a role as a leaders, working my way up. I didn’t have the most success coming up, but I feel like I’ve kept improving. Q: The pass offense has struggled a bit this season. How can you guys improve? Jones: I feel like everybody has to look themselves in the mirror, take part in what they did wrong. Can’t really point fingers with what went wrong and what didn’t, just have to take every play and execute better. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription. Brian Fonseca may be reached at bfonseca@njadvancemedia.com. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…

DC BLOX Hires Melih Ileri As SVP Of Capital Markets And Strategy https://digitalalabamanews.com/dc-blox-hires-melih-ileri-as-svp-of-capital-markets-and-strategy-2/ News and research before you hear about it on CNBC and others. Claim your 1-week free trial to StreetInsider Premium here. DC BLOX continues to build a strong leadership team to support its growth ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)– DC BLOX, a provider of multi-tenant data centers, dark fiber, and connectivity solutions that delivers the infrastructure essential to power today’s digital business, announces today that the company hired seasoned finance executive, Melih Ileri, as Senior Vice President of Capital Markets and Strategy. In this newly created position, Mr. Ileri will lead DC BLOX’s efforts for securing new debt and equity investments along with driving financial strategies and partnerships to fuel the company’s next phase of growth. This move further demonstrates DC BLOX’s commitment to accelerating its strategic growth plan and enhancing the value of the company’s data centers, regional network, and fiber assets across the Southeast. “I’ve been impressed with the team at DC BLOX for creating a tremendous platform for growth with owned assets, land for expansion, and a community-first approach,” said Mr. Ileri. “With an increasing market of hyperscale, cloud providers and large-scale enterprises in the region, I am very excited for the exponential growth opportunity that lies ahead of us.” Melih Ileri brings to DC BLOX an impressive track record of executing complex financial transactions across the data center sector and creating strategic partnerships on a global scale with hyperscale, cloud and content providers. Before joining DC BLOX, Mr. Ileri spent 10 years in Corporate Development at EdgeConnex where he was responsible for raising equity and debt financing, developing strategic partnerships, and driving mergers and acquisitions. Through his tenure, Mr. Ileri helped EdgeConnex build and finance over 40 data centers in 33 markets across North America, Europe, South America, and Asia deploying several billion dollars in capital globally. “I am very proud of the team that we are building at DC BLOX to drive the execution of our company’s strategy. Melih’s deep capital markets experience, industry relationships and global expertise is greatly desired by our board, investors and leadership team to accelerate our ambitious plans across the Southeast,” said Jeff Uphues, CEO of DC BLOX. “Our strategy to address the digital infrastructure needs of underserved markets across the Southeast is working well and adding top-tier talent like Melih to execute on our rapid expansion plans is an exciting step in our journey.” The Southeast is brimming with opportunity requiring investment in digital infrastructure including data centers, network connectivity and dark fiber. Hyperscale cloud providers, enterprises, governments, universities, healthcare organizations and many others have the same need to digitally transform their organizations to stay ahead of their competition and to meet increasing customer demands for new digital services. Ensuring that the digital infrastructure required is available locally is essential to the region’s growth and prosperity. To learn more about DC BLOX visit www.dcblox.com. About DC BLOX DC BLOX owns and operates interconnected multi-tenant data centers and dark fiber solutions that deliver the infrastructure and connectivity essential to power today’s digital business. DC BLOX’s private network fabric and robust connectivity ecosystem enable access to built-in carriers, Internet exchanges, public cloud providers, and DC BLOX data centers to businesses across the Southeast. DC BLOX’s data centers are located in Atlanta, GA; Birmingham, AL; Huntsville, AL; Chattanooga, TN; Greenville, SC, and a future cable landing station in Myrtle Beach, SC. For more information, please visit www.dcblox.com, call +1. 877.590.1684, and connect with DC BLOX on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220923005084/en/ Media Contact for DC BLOX: iMiller Public Relations Tel: +1.866.307.2510 Email: [email protected] Source: DC BLOX Read More…

Opinion | Alabama AG Is Chasing Right-Wing Media Instead Of Defending Workers https://digitalalabamanews.com/opinion-alabama-ag-is-chasing-right-wing-media-instead-of-defending-workers/ Alabama is rife with corporate abuse: six deaths at an Amazon facility, a grueling coal strike, child labor in auto plants. State attorney general Steve Marshall seems uninterested in weighing in on any of these fights, seeking kudos from Fox News instead. Go to Alabama incumbent attorney general’s campaign website, and you’ll immediately read the loud proclamation, next to a very serious headshot, that Steve Marshall is “Fighting for Alabama.” Sounds good — working people in Alabama have no shortage of fights on their hands and could always use another ally. At the Bessemer, Alabama, Amazon facility, at least six workers have died at the warehouse since workers first began their union campaign in 2020, and workers say management has continued to flagrantly violate the law by retaliating against union supporters. Starbucks workers in Scottsboro say they similarly faced illegal retaliation, that two members of the store’s organizing committee were firedbecause of their union activity. Coal miners in Brookwood have been on strike for a year and a half now. Incredibly, children as young as twelve years old have been found to be working at multiple Hyundai facilities in the state. And there are any number of other fights Alabama workers are facing every day both in and out of the public eye. Unfortunately, Marshall is not pursuing any of these fights. Instead, he is spending his time chasing right-wing media hits by any means necessary. He recently promised to prosecute Alabama veterans hospital doctors in response to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announcing that it would offer abortion services to veterans or qualifying dependents in cases of rape, incest, or where the life or health of the individual is threatened. Providing doctors at least this much extra freedom from liability is crucial given the extreme risks forced on pregnant women in states that have implemented abortion restrictions or bans, and federal enclavesare exempt from state law. A Koch–funded right-wing propaganda state outlet reporting on Marshall’s announcement even admitted as much, saying, “It is still unclear what recourse a state AG has in preventing a federal agency from operating in defiance of the laws of that state.” This isn’t Marshall’s only attempt to restrict women’s bodily autonomy. A mere eighty-two minutes after Roe v. Wade was overturned, he released a press statement saying that his office was immediately filing motions to remove injunctions against Alabama’s abortion ban. He has also said that he would step in to prosecute doctors in areas where the citizens have elected a district attorney that would not. And he has said his office would pursue prosecuting those who support women trying to seek abortions out of state under Alabama’s criminal conspiracy law. Marshall would say that his stances are rooted in his dedication to protecting children, even in the womb. But he appears uninterested in protecting out-of-the-womb children working in dangerous manufacturing plants. Reuters reported in July that they had uncovered and confirmed at minimum several children working at a wholly owned Hyundai subsidiary outside of Montgomery, including children as young as twelve. Worker reports allege dozens more children were employed at the facility. Only a month after the initial story, Reuters again broke news: court documents were made public showing a second Hyundai facility using what the federal Department of Labor this time called “oppressive” child labor, though the news agency couldn’t confirm the specific terms of the children’s employment at either location. During the time that the story has been public, Alabama’s attorney general hasn’t said one word about the situation. He knew about this situation long before it was public, though — since at least February, when local law enforcement — which does not have the authority to enforce Alabama’s child labor laws — notified the office. During the five months between his discovery of the situation and when the public learned of it, he took no action to alert the public or pursue charges against the executives responsible. Marshall was content to leave the public in the dark and let the people responsible go unpunished — and presumably to continue exploiting children in facilities that have been fined almost $50,000 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for, among other things, amputation and crush hazards for workers. When I asked his office about his refusal to enforce Alabama’s child labor law and hold bosses who endanger children accountable, their spokesperson said, “It is the long-standing policy of the Alabama Attorney General’s Office not to comment on the possibility of criminal investigations.” That didn’t stop him from promising to criminally investigate doctors at VA hospitals though. Marshall is also committed to fighting what he calls the “woke mob.” He created a form through which citizens can let the government know if they feel they have been the subject of suppression, censorship, or deplatforming, in line with recent, incessant right-wing complaints about such things. He sent a letter to Google warning that he might use public money to sue the company if it didn’t show crisis pregnancy centers to women who search online for abortion services, saying it would be censorship for Google not to include them. The latest in his “war on woke” is his tussle with BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager. BlackRock is the largest owner of Warrior Met Coal, the company that is responsible for an ongoing strike, the longest in state history. Eighteen months ago, over a thousand coal miners walked off the job to try to reverse the concessions they made in 2015: a $7 per hour pay cut, a 20 percent reduction in employer contributions for health insurance, and allowing the company to implement mandatory overtime and seven-day workweeks. The workers made these concessions after the CEO drove the company into bankruptcy, leading a consortium of private equity firms — including BlackRock — to buy the company. Despite leading the company off a financial cliff, the CEO, Walter Scheller, kept his job and did not make similar concessions on his own compensation to save the company. In his remarks to the US Senate Budget Committee, the international president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), Cecil Roberts, made it a point to emphasize that no one asks the coal miner for help making financial decisions. Yet, it is the coal miner who pays the price when such decisions go awry. While they’ve been on strike, workers tell me that Alabama cops have acted as company thugs, ticketing miners for going the speed limit in front of their scab escorts, and standing by as scabs and bosses attack strikers on the picket line. Scabs have increased pollution in a nearby river because their lack of familiarity with the job led to errors that produced spills. With BlackRock being the largest investor in the company, and the strike being such an important issue for so many working Alabamians, what else could be more important for the Alabama attorney general to discuss with BlackRock? Well, it turns out the letter he recently sent to BlackRock focused on criticizing the firm for stating it would consider social responsibility in investment decisions. The striking coal miners were not mentioned. While none of these actions have made the lives of working Alabamians better, they have gotten Marshall a couple Fox News hits and an inordinate amount of praise in Alabama’s right-wing media. His name has been on the digital pages of the two main oligarch-funded right-wing outlets and on the lips of shock jocks across the state probably more often than any other statewide official. If Attorney General Marshall is fighting for anyone, it’s them. First published by Jacob Morrison in Jacobin. Read More…

DC BLOX Hires Melih Ileri As SVP Of Capital Markets And Strategy https://digitalalabamanews.com/dc-blox-hires-melih-ileri-as-svp-of-capital-markets-and-strategy/ ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–DC BLOX, a provider of multi-tenant data centers, dark fiber, and connectivity solutions that delivers the infrastructure essential to power today’s digital business, announces today that the company hired seasoned finance executive, Melih Ileri, as Senior Vice President of Capital Markets and Strategy. In this newly created position, Mr. Ileri will lead DC BLOX’s efforts for securing new debt and equity investments along with driving financial strategies and partnerships to fuel the company’s next phase of growth. This move further demonstrates DC BLOX’s commitment to accelerating its strategic growth plan and enhancing the value of the company’s data centers, regional network, and fiber assets across the Southeast. “I’ve been impressed with the team at DC BLOX for creating a tremendous platform for growth with owned assets, land for expansion, and a community-first approach,” said Mr. Ileri. “With an increasing market of hyperscale, cloud providers and large-scale enterprises in the region, I am very excited for the exponential growth opportunity that lies ahead of us.” Melih Ileri brings to DC BLOX an impressive track record of executing complex financial transactions across the data center sector and creating strategic partnerships on a global scale with hyperscale, cloud and content providers. Before joining DC BLOX, Mr. Ileri spent 10 years in Corporate Development at EdgeConnex where he was responsible for raising equity and debt financing, developing strategic partnerships, and driving mergers and acquisitions. Through his tenure, Mr. Ileri helped EdgeConnex build and finance over 40 data centers in 33 markets across North America, Europe, South America, and Asia deploying several billion dollars in capital globally. “I am very proud of the team that we are building at DC BLOX to drive the execution of our company’s strategy. Melih’s deep capital markets experience, industry relationships and global expertise is greatly desired by our board, investors and leadership team to accelerate our ambitious plans across the Southeast,” said Jeff Uphues, CEO of DC BLOX. “Our strategy to address the digital infrastructure needs of underserved markets across the Southeast is working well and adding top-tier talent like Melih to execute on our rapid expansion plans is an exciting step in our journey.” The Southeast is brimming with opportunity requiring investment in digital infrastructure including data centers, network connectivity and dark fiber. Hyperscale cloud providers, enterprises, governments, universities, healthcare organizations and many others have the same need to digitally transform their organizations to stay ahead of their competition and to meet increasing customer demands for new digital services. Ensuring that the digital infrastructure required is available locally is essential to the region’s growth and prosperity. To learn more about DC BLOX visit www.dcblox.com. About DC BLOX DC BLOX owns and operates interconnected multi-tenant data centers and dark fiber solutions that deliver the infrastructure and connectivity essential to power today’s digital business. DC BLOX’s private network fabric and robust connectivity ecosystem enable access to built-in carriers, Internet exchanges, public cloud providers, and DC BLOX data centers to businesses across the Southeast. DC BLOX’s data centers are located in Atlanta, GA; Birmingham, AL; Huntsville, AL; Chattanooga, TN; Greenville, SC, and a future cable landing station in Myrtle Beach, SC. For more information, please visit www.dcblox.com, call +1. 877.590.1684, and connect with DC BLOX on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook Read More…

European Stocks Slide 2.8% After Weak Euro Zone Data, New UK Economic Plan https://digitalalabamanews.com/european-stocks-slide-2-8-after-weak-euro-zone-data-new-uk-economic-plan/ European stocks were sharply lower on Friday, as investors digested a raft of central bank decisions and a new economic plan from the U.K. The Stoxx 600 was down 2.8% in early afternoon trading, with all sectors and major bourses trading in the red. Oil and gas stocks and basic resources were the biggest fallers, both down more than 4%. Thursday’s market moves come after the U.K. government announced a raft of tax cuts as the country prepares for a recession. Sterling was down 1.8% against the dollar around midday to trade at $1.1048 following the news. The Bank of England also hiked rates by 50 basis points Thursday — its seventh consecutive increase — and said it believed the U.K. economy was already in a recession. Also Thursday, the Swiss National Bank hiked its benchmark rate to 0.5%, a shift that brings an end to an era of negative rates in Europe. The U.S. Federal Reserve, meanwhile, hiked by another three-quarters of a percentage point Wednesday, and indicated that the hikes will keep on coming. U.S. stocks closed lower Thursday, their third consecutive daily decline, and futures were also lower on Friday. Asia markets, meanwhile, were in the red, with Australian stocks down 2%. Italian election: A likely victory for the far-right? Italy’s voters will elect the country’s next prime minister on Sunday, with polls suggesting a shift to the right. The snap election is likely to mark the country’s biggest political shift for decades, as the nation continues to wrestle with economic instability. Read CNBC’s look-ahead to the election in full here. — Hannah Ward-Glenton Pound hits fresh 37-year low, down to $1.11 The British pound hit a new 37-year low against the dollar to $1.11, down 1.41%, following an economic announcement from U.K. Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng. — Hannah Ward-Glenton UK stocks fall, sterling rises on new economic plan UK scraps plans for corporation tax rise British Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng confirmed the U.K. government would not increase corporation tax to 25% as planned. The rate will stay at 19% in an attempt to jumpstart economic growth. — Hannah Ward-Glenton UK government announces $67 billion energy package and tax cuts Britain’s Finance Minister has announced a raft of measures to help with the increasing cost of living and boost the country’s economy, including a £60 billion ($67 billion) energy package. The package will subsidize gas and electricity bills for households and businesses over the next six months. The government also announced tax cuts for businesses in designated sites, financial services reforms and scrapping bankers’ bonus caps. — Hannah Ward-Glenton Euro zone likely entering recession as price rises hit demand The euro zone will likely enter a recession as the downturn in business activity across the region deepened this month, according to S&P Global. S&P Global’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 48.2 in September, down from 48.9 in August. High energy costs hit manufacturers hard after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and soaring prices have contributed to worsening business conditions. September is the third consecutive month that the PMI has fallen below 50 —the benchmark separating growth and contraction. — Hannah Ward-Glenton FTSE muted ahead of the U.K.’s mini-budget The U.K.’s FTSE 100 is fairly flat this morning as investors await a mini-budget from the country’s Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng. Measures laid out in the fiscal announcement are expected to boost the slowing British economy. Tax cuts, energy subsidies and planning reforms are expected to make up the £200 billion ($225 billion) package. — Hannah Ward-Glenton HSBC warns investors to avoid European stocks Investors should avoid allocating to Europe in the hunt for value stocks, as the continent’s energy crisis means the risk-reward is still not there, according to Willem Sels, global CIO at HSBC Private Banking and Wealth Management. “I would caution against buying Europe because of the cheaper valuations and interest rate movements,” said Willem Sels from HSBC Private Banking. Read more here. Here’s how the pan-European Stoxx 600 has traded year-to-date: — Elliot Smith Credit Suisse shares hit record low Credit Suisse leads the market downturn early morning after a report of a possible capital raise. Shares of the investment bank hit a record low of 4.335 francs in early trade. — Hannah Ward-Glenton European markets: Here are the opening calls European stocks are expected to open in positive territory on Friday, as investors react to central bank rate hikes and U.S. recession signals. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 index is expected to open around 25 points higher at 7,172, Germany’s DAX is seen 38 points higher at 12,581, France’s CAC 40 is expected to open up 13 points and Italy’s FTSE MIB is seen 42 points higher, according to data from IG. CNBC Pro: Is it time to buy Treasurys? Here’s how to allocate your portfolio, according to the pros CNBC Pro: Back hedge funds to outperform equities and bonds this year, UBS says As both stocks and bond prices fall simultaneously, hedge funds have broadly outperformed and are “well placed to navigate current market volatility,” according to a new report by UBS. As market volatility persists, the Swiss bank shared the types of hedge funds it prefers. Pro subscribers can read more here. — Ganesh Rao Nomura downgrades China’s 2023 growth outlook Nomura downgraded its forecast for China’s 2023 annual growth to 4.3% from 5.1%. Analysts cited a potentially prolonged Covid-zero policy or a spike in the nation’s infections after a possible reopening in March. The latest downgrade comes after Goldman Sachs lowered its outlook earlier this week to 4.5% from 5.3%. William Ma of Grow Investment Group told CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia” he’s optimistic on policy changes he sees coming after the People’s Party Congress in mid-October. —Jihye Lee Futures start flat in post-market trading Stock futures were flat after another tumultuous day, as investors continue grappling with the Federal Reserve’s decision to up rates and worries about the health of the economy. Dow Jones Futures went up 41 points, or .14%, to 30,190. The S&P 500 was up 4 points, which translates to .11%, at 3,776. The Nasdaq 100 rose 10 points, .09%, to 11,575,50. — Alex Harring Read More…

Grading The 2022 HS Football Season In Alabama At The Midway Point https://digitalalabamanews.com/grading-the-2022-hs-football-season-in-alabama-at-the-midway-point/ This is an opinion piece. It’s hard to believe, but we’re already at the mid-point of the 2022 high school football regular season. That means it is time for my annual mid-season report. Here’s what you need to know if you’ve been out of touch since August. Tight race in 7A The race to the Class 7A state title seems a little more open than it has in recent years. Three-time reigning champ Thompson is likely still the favorite, though the Warriors enter their Week 6 matchup against Class 6A No. 1 Clay-Chalkville ranked No. 5 in the state after early losses to a pair of quality out-of-state teams. Keith Etheredge’s Auburn team is undefeated and currently ranked No. 1, though the Tigers still must play rivals Opelika and Central-Phenix City, both of whom should be considered title contenders. The surprise team of the bunch is Fairhope. Tim Carter’s Pirates are undefeated and ranked No. 2 with a playmaker at quarterback in senior Caden Creel. Remember that name. Hoover has won four straight since a narrow loss to Auburn to open the season, and Hewitt-Trussville is one of the most talented teams in the state. Which two teams make it to Jordan-Hare Stadium in December? Same old, same old in 6A Since the AHSAA went to seven classifications in 2014, Class 6A has been the deepest and most competitive class year-in and year-out. This year is no exception. This class is stacked at the top with reigning champ Clay-Chalkville (winners of 20 straight games), consistently tough Mountain Brook and sophomore-laden Saraland all undefeated and vying for the top spot. There are plenty of other contenders to Chalkville’s throne as well including – but not limited to — 2021 semifinalist Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, 6A newcomer Theodore, Hartselle, Pinson Valley and Muscle Shoals. Can Drew Gilmer’s Cougars fend off those teams and repeat as champs? Still the 1s You could probably leave our state for a few years, lose all track of high school football and come back and find UMS-Wright, Piedmont and Fyffe near the top of their respective classifications. That’s true again this year. UMS (5A) and Fyffe (2A) are undefeated and ranked No. 1 in their classes. Piedmont is the top team in 3A despite a loss earlier in the season. I don’t think the road to a title will be easy for any of the three. Leeds, Ramsay, Gulf Shores, Guntersville, Moody, Arab and Pleasant Grove all look to be legitimate contenders in 5A; Piedmont will have to deal with Mars Hill, St. James, Gordo and Mobile Christian among others; Highland Home appears to be a huge obstacle for Fyffe in 2A. Good Knights Has any team in the state been more consistently impressive over the last two years than Montgomery Catholic? The Knights have won 18 of their 19 games during that span and outscored opponents 915-85. The only loss came in last year’s Class 3A state semifinals, 10-7 to rival Montgomery Academy. The beat has continued for Kirk Johnson’s team in the move up to 4A this year. In their last two games, the Knights have outscored their opponents 120-0. They play at Pike Liberal Arts tonight. UMS-Wright head coach Terry Curtis and the Bulldogs prepare to play Gulf Shores in a prep football game Friday, Sept. 9, 2022, in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell | preps@al.com) Chasing the record UMS-Wright’s Terry Curtis continues to chase down Buddy Anderson to become the state’s all-time winningest high school football coach. Anderson retired from Vestavia Hills following the 2020 season with 346 victories. Curtis, in his 24th year at UMS, stands at 341 after a perfect 5-0 start for his Bulldogs. UMS is idle this week. If the Bulldogs win out in the regular season, Curtis would tie Anderson in the regular-season finale against Williamson and could break the record in the first round of the playoffs. He’s not the only one chasing Anderson’s record, however. Central-Clay County’s Danny Horn has 334 victories, while Fyffe’s Paul Benefield has 326. Sophomore studs Are there four better sophomore playmakers in the state than the four at Saraland? Quarterback KJ Lacey, running back Santae McWilliams and wide receivers Ryan Williams and C.D. Gill have driven the Spartans to a 5-0 record despite the fact neither of the four can even drive to school yet. “I know they are young, but they don’t act young, practice young or play young,” Saraland coach Jeff Kelly said. “They have a desire to be great in a way you don’t see everyday in high school kids.” RELATED: Meet the Saraland 2025 WR who plays at a “different speed” Montgomery Catholic’s Jeremiah Cobb runs through the McGill-Toolen defense during Friday night’s game in Montgomery. (Jason Caldwell | 247 sports) Who is Mr. Football? The race is wide open at the mid-point of the season. Last year’s runner-up and Class 6A Back of the Year Earl Woods entered the season as possibly the favorite, but his Hueytown team has struggled out of the gate. That has opened the door for other contenders, including Montgomery Catholic RB Jeremiah Cobb, emerging Saraland WR Ryan Williams, UMS-Wright RB Cole Blaylock, Piedmont QB Jack Hayes, Oneonta ATH Fluff Bothwell, Randolph QB Andrew Hunter, Handley RB Jay Haynes, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa QB Ethan Crawford, Hartselle QB Jack Smith and Briarwood QB Christopher Vizzina. If you are looking for a defensive Mr. Football, there are plenty of choices there as well – James Smith and Qua Russaw of Carver-Montgomery, Peter Woods and Tony Mitchell of Thompson, Hunter Osborne of Hewitt-Trussville, Jahlil Hurley of Florence, Tomarrion Parker and AJ Harris of Central-Phenix City and Kelby Collins of Gardendale. Tradition tells us that the winner most likely will be a player who carries his team to a state title or at least deep into the playoffs. The last four winners (Thompson’s Ryan Peppins, Pinson Valley’s Kool-Aid McKinstry, Lanett’s Kristian Story and Pinson Valley’s Bo Nix) all led their teams to the state title. The last non-state champion winner was Asa Martin of Austin in 2017. His team lost to Pinson Valley 51-50 in the quarterfinals. If I voted right now, my vote would likely go to Cobb. However, unlike the Heisman, the ASWA prep committee doesn’t vote on Mr. Football until all games, including the championships, have been played. Best mid-season coaching job A lot of candidates to choose from here. Off the top of my head, here are some contenders: Rico White (Anniston), Phil Phillips (Oneonta), Jake Ganus (Moody), Phil Lazenby (Bayside Academy), Tim Carter (Fairhope), Jere Adcock (Decatur), Smitty Grider (Benjamin Russell), Gus Smith (Gordo), Scott Basden (Muscle Shoals), Bryan Moore (Hartselle). Thought for the Day “What comes out of our mouths is an advertisement for what’s going on in our hearts.” – Dr. Joe Stringer, Jubilee Baptist Church. 80s quote of the week “Do or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Ben Thomas is the high school sportswriter at AL.com. He has been named one of the 50 legends of the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Follow him on twitter at @BenThomasPreps or email him at bthomas@al.com. His weekly column is posted each Wednesday and Friday on AL.com. He can be heard weekly on the Cooper Restaurants “Inside High School Sports” on SportsTalk 99.5 FM in Mobile or on the free IHeart Radio App at 2 p.m. Wednesdays. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…

Tropical Depression Nine Forms, Could Hit Florida As Hurricane Hermine Next Week https://digitalalabamanews.com/tropical-depression-nine-forms-could-hit-florida-as-hurricane-hermine-next-week/ Tropical Depression Nine formed in the Caribbean on Friday with a path that could bring it to Florida next week as Hurricane Hermine. In its 5 a.m. update, the National Hurricane Center said the storm is moving west-northwest at 13 mph. Experts expect it will move more westward over the next day or so before turning back west-northwest and then northwest over the weekend. “The system already possessed a well-defined circulation for the last 12 to 18 hours, but it was only overnight that the ongoing convective activity was able to persist long enough near the center to be considered a tropical cyclone,” said NHC hurricane specialist Phillipe Papin. Tropical Depression Nine path according to 5 a.m. update on Friday, 9/23. (National Hurricane Center) Maximum sustained wind speeds are close to 35 mph with a higher gusts. There will be a slow intensification over the weekend projected to become Tropical Storm Hermine later today and grow into hurricane strength by Monday morning with its center south of Cuba near the Cayman Islands and Jamaica. An estimate at the storm-force win speed probabilities of Tropical Depression Nine as of a 5 a.m. update on Friday, 9/23. (National Hurricane Center) The five-day path has it hooking north by Tuesday over Cuba and then parked off Florida’s southwest coast as a Category 2 hurricane with 110 mph winds and gusts of 130 mph by Wednesday morning. “There is still a healthy amount of uncertainty in the track forecast at the day 4-5 timeframe,” Papin said. There are no coastal watches or warnings at this time. Tropical Depression Nine will likely drop heavy rainfall, flash flooding, and possible mudslides in Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, with heavy rains in Jamaican and the Cayman Islands coming in the next few days. An Air Force Reserve Reconnaissance flight will investigate the system later this morning. Already in Central Florida, which has seen a lot of rainfall of late, the Seminole County Office of Emergency Management has started its sandbag service and are preparing shelters in the event they’re needed. Shelter locations are not announced until the shelters are fully set up and staffed. Elsewhere in the tropics, Hurricane Fiona has passed Bermuda and is now headed toward Canada while Tropical Storm Gaston has started to turn and is headed toward the Azores islands in the Atlantic. The NHC is also tracking two more systems with the potential to form into the next tropical storm or depression. The tropical outlook as of 8 a.m. Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. (National Hurricane Center) The most likely is an area of low pressure with shower and thunderstorm activity located between the west coast of Africa and the Cabo Verde Islands showing signs of organization. The NHC said a tropical depression is likely to form while the system moves north at about 10 mph parallel to the African coast. The NHC gives it an 80% chance to form in the next two to five days. If it forms with sustained winds of 39 mph or more, it would take the name Tropical Storm Ian. In the central tropical Atlantic is a broad area of low pressure several hundred miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands that continues to produce some disorganized thunderstorm activity. The NHC said some development is possible as it drifts northwestward or northward in the central Atlantic. The NHC gives it a 20% chance to form in the next two days and 30% in the next five. Hurricane Fiona cone of uncertainty as of 8 a.m. Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. (National Hurricane Center) Hurricane Fiona has dropped in intensity from Category 4 to Category 3 with 125 mph sustained winds as it speeds north toward the coast of Nova Scotia. As of 8 a.m. its center was located about 125 miles north of Bermuda, which is no longer under a hurricane warning, but still a tropical storm warning. It’s moving north-northeast at 25 mph projected to make landfall later today a large and powerful post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds, then, move across Nova Scotia and into the Gulf of St. Lawrence on Saturday, and then across Labrador and over the Labrador Sea on Sunday. The system’s wind field is expanding as it migrates moves out of the tropics with hurricane-force winds extending out 115 miles and tropical-storm-force winds extending out 345 miles. The Canadian Hurricane Centre has issues hurricane warnings for parts of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Isle-de-la-Madeleine and parts of Newfoundland with tropical storm warnings for parts of New Brunswick, Quebec, Anticosti Island and other areas of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. While not a threat to Florida, the swells from Fiona are still causing surf and boating issues, with strong rip current conditions on the U.S. East Coast including Florida as well as the Bahamas. Tropical Storm Gaston cone of uncertainty as of 8 a.m. Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. (National Hurricane Center) As of 8 a.m., Tropical Storm Gaston also dropped in strength slightly now with sustained winds of 60 mph as its center was located about 135 miles north-northwest of Faial Island in the Central Azores moving east-southeast at 7 mph. “A slower southeastward motion is forecast today followed by a southward, and then southwestward, motion tonight and early Saturday. On the forecast track, the center of Gaston will move near or over portions of the Azores today through early Saturday,” NHC forecasters said. The system’s tropical-storm-force winds extend out 115 miles, but it’s expected to become post-tropical by Saturday as it moves back west in the Atlantic. Since Sept. 1, the tropics have begun to play catchup churning out four named storms in three weeks after nearly two months of quiet. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in early August updated its season prediction that 2022 would still be above-average with 14 to 21 named storms, although not a single named storm formed in the month of August. The 2020 hurricane season set a record with 30 named systems, while 2021′s season was the third most active with 21 named systems. An average year calls for 14 named storms. Through Gaston, 2022 has produced seven named systems. Sun-Sentinel staff writers contributed to this report. Read More…

AP News Summary At 7:41 A.m. EDT https://digitalalabamanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-741-a-m-edt/ Ukraine: 436 bodies exhumed from mass site; 30 show torture KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say 436 bodies have been exhumed from a mass burial site in the eastern city of Izium, 30 of them with visible signs of torture. The governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Synyehubov, and the region’s police chief, Volodymyr Tymoshko, told reporters in Izium on Friday that three more grave sites have been located in areas retaken by Ukrainian forces in a counteroffensive this month. World opinion shifts against Russia as Ukraine worries grow NEW YORK (AP) — The tide of international opinion appears to have decisively shifted against Russia, as a number of non-aligned countries joined the United States and its allies in condemning Russia’s war in Ukraine and its threats to the principles of the international rules-based order. In what many believed earlier this year was Western wishful thinking, much of the international community spoke out against the conflict in rare displays of unity at the often fractured United Nations. The coalescing condemnation picked up steam earlier in the week when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the mobilization of some additional 300,000 troops to Ukraine, signaling the unlikelihood of a quick end to the war and suggested that nuclear weapons may be an option. Trump’s legal woes mount without protection of presidency WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s latest legal troubles — sweeping fraud allegations by New York’s attorney general and a stark repudiation by federal judges he appointed — have laid bare the challenges piling up as the former president operates without the protections afforded by the White House. The bluster and bravado that served him well in the political arena are less handy in a legal realm dominated by verifiable evidence, where judges this week have looked askance at his positions. This week alone, he has been sued in New York and a federal appeals court has sharply rejected his legal team’s arguments about documents seized from his Florida home. US aircraft carrier arrives in South Korea for joint drills Read More…

Post Politics Now: Hoyer, McCarthy To Deliver Dueling Speeches On Why Their Parties Should Win https://digitalalabamanews.com/post-politics-now-hoyer-mccarthy-to-deliver-dueling-speeches-on-why-their-parties-should-win/ Today, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) are delivering dueling speeches on why their parties should prevail in the November midterm elections. Both addresses will be delivered in the Pittsburgh area. McCarthy is expected to talk up the House Republicans’ “Commitment to America” agenda, while Hoyer is set to highlight a string of recent legislative victories for Democrats. In Washington, President Biden is appearing at the latest in a series of Democratic National Committee fundraisers before hosting a concert at the White House by Elton John. Biden is expected to speak at the event, which has been dubbed “A Night When Hope and History Rhyme.” Your daily dashboard 8:15 a.m. Eastern time: Hoyer speaks in Pittsburgh. Watch live here. 9:30 a.m. Eastern: McCarthy speaks in Monongahela, Pa. Watch live here. 1 p.m. Eastern: Biden delivers remarks at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser at the National Education Association headquarters in Washington. 2:30 p.m. Eastern: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a briefing. Watch live here. 7 p.m. Eastern: Former president Donald Trump hosts a “Save America” rally in Wilmington, N.C. 8 p.m. Eastern: Biden hosts a musical performance at the White House by Elton John. Got a question about politics? Submit it here. After 3 p.m. weekdays, return to this space and we’ll address what’s on the mind of readers. Take a look: The Fetterman-Oz meme campaign, illustrated Return to menu A banner towed by an airplane over the Jersey Shore. A troll website with a doctored image of a shirtless candidate. The rivals for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat are turning to uncommon tactics to paint their opponent as unqualified or unfit, The Post’s Hannah Dormido and Dylan Moriarty write in a piece that includes illustrations of the sparring. Per our colleagues: Since emerging from the primaries, Democratic nominee John Fetterman has waged a relentless trolling offensive, creating moments that often went viral on social media portraying Republican rival Mehmet Oz as an out-of-state elitist. Oz began countering with his own posts questioning Fetterman’s health and willingness to debate, as well as his policy positions. The contentious race is unfolding one meme at a time. But behind the eye-catching — sometimes eye-rolling — visuals, there are strategic messages each candidate is pushing with voters as they try to define the opponent’s personality and experience. You can read (and see) the full piece here. On our radar: House GOP ‘Commitment to America’ purposely short on specifics Return to menu The House Republican conference entered this week preparing to promote its “Commitment to America” pledge, a one-page memo of principles unveiled to members Thursday. GOP leaders hope it will persuade voters to hand them control of the House, and serve as the guiding touchstone that holds the group together when legislative divisions inevitably emerge. The Post’s Marianna Sotomayor and Leigh Ann Caldwell report that the document is purposely short on policy specifics, according to aides familiar with the drafting process — an acknowledgment that the conference remains divided on which legislative proposals would be the best prescription for a number of political issues. The latest: White House announces $1.5 billion to target opioid crisis Return to menu The White House on Friday announced $1.5 billion in grants aimed at addressing the opioid crisis and supporting individuals in recovery. The funding is part of a federal program that aims to help states increase access to treatment for substance abuse, make medications such as naloxone more widely available and expand access to recovery support services. The funding will also allow states to increase investments in overdose education and other programs, the White House said. The announcement of the funding coincides with what President Biden has proclaimed as National Recovery Month. On our radar: Trump faces growing legal peril as he seeks to raise profile ahead of 2024 Return to menu The legal dangers facing former president Donald Trump rose this week, after the New York attorney general filed a fraud lawsuit that could effectively shutter the Trump Organization and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit allowed federal investigators to continue their probe into classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago. At least a half-dozen additional legal efforts are proceeding against Trump and his allies — committing him to months of legal wrangling as he seeks to raise his political profile for a possible 2024 bid while increasing the prospect of becoming the first former U.S. president to face indictment after leaving office, The Post’s Michael Scherer, Josh Dawsey, Devlin Barrett and Perry Stein report. Noted: How a Trump soundtrack became a QAnon phenomenon Return to menu Earlier this week, close advisers to former president Donald Trump grappled with a question: what to do about the QAnon song. The Post’s Isaac Arnsdorf, Josh Dawsey and Michael Scherer report that the melody — an orchestral theme featuring swelling strings, gentle bell tones and brooding piano harmonies — was the soundtrack to a campaign-style video Trump released in August. But it wasn’t until Saturday’s rally in Youngstown, Ohio, when the tune closed Trump’s nearly two-hour speech, inspiring the crowd to respond with raised arms and pointed index fingers, that it broke through as a phenomenon. Analysis: Biden’s unwarranted bragging about reducing the budget deficit Return to menu In his recent “60 Minutes” interview, President Biden claimed that “we’ve … reduced the deficit by $350 billion my first year.” Writing in The Fact Checker, The Post’s Glenn Kessler notes that in just the week before the interview aired, the president mentioned having reduced the budget deficit by $350 billion six times, sometimes saying he wants to counter accusations that he is running up the federal tab. Per Glenn: Biden never quite says his policies reduced the deficit. But when he says things like “I lowered your deficit,” he certainly signals that. The president is playing a rhetorical shell game. He’s trying to dazzle listeners with impressive-sounding numbers. But the reality is he’s increased the budget deficit, not reduced it. Budget deficit numbers are complicated — and often dull. So we will try to keep this as simple as possible. The best way to determine a president’s impact on budget deficits is to look at what was predicted before he arrived — and then what happened after his policies have been enacted. You can read Glenn’s full analysis here. The latest: U.S. has sent private warnings to Russia against using a nuclear weapon Return to menu The United States for several months has been sending private communications to Moscow warning Russia’s leadership of the grave consequences that would follow the use of a nuclear weapon, according to U.S. officials, who said the messages underscore what President Biden and his aides have articulated publicly. The Post’s Paul Sonne and John Hudson report that the Biden administration generally has decided to keep warnings about the consequences of a nuclear strike deliberately vague, so the Kremlin worries about how Washington might respond, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive deliberations. Per our colleagues: Read More…

Biden Rips Republicans Threatening ‘Blood In The Streets’ If Trump Indicted In Speech To Small Private Fundraiser https://digitalalabamanews.com/biden-rips-republicans-threatening-blood-in-the-streets-if-trump-indicted-in-speech-to-small-private-fundraiser/ By Tommy ChristopherSep 23rd, 2022, 7:42 am MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images President Joe Biden tore into Republicans at a small private DNC fundraiser, ripping the threat of “blood in the streets” if former President Donald Trump is criminally indicted. On Thursday afternoon, the president spoke to a small gathering of around 40 people at the home of Henry Laufer and Marsha Laufer, during which he took aim at “MAGA Republicans” as has become his habit. The chunk included a reference to threats of varying explicitness — from the likes of Sen. Lindsey Graham and Trump himself — if Trump is charged: And one of the things that I think is really important is that — you know, the press is here, and they sometimes, legitimately — legitimately criticize me a lot, legitimately. But one of the things they talk about — when I talk about MAGA Republicans, I’m not just talking about Trump, I’m talking about those folks who have a different view of how the institutions should function. They’re very much up for grabs right now, the institutions — whether or not the Supreme Court — what legitimacy it has, what it should have; what the Congress can and can’t do. And, you know, we ta- — when I talked about there are some extremes within the other party — and this is not your father’s Republican Party. This is a different party than when you started helping me years ago. It’s a very different party. And, you know, when you — when you defend people who broke down doors in the Capitol and tried to turn around an election and ended up with some police being dead, and when you defend them as patriots, there’s something different about what’s out there. When you hear Republicans talking about “if certain things happen, there’ll be riots in the street and there’ll be blood on the streets,” it — it’s just — it’s not consistent with who we are as a democracy. And when you see the continuation of the notion of failing to recognize the legitimacy of an election when there’s not a single thread of evidence to suggest it was anything other than legitimate, it’s — it’s a dangerous trend. And the fact of the matter is that, you know, the MAGA Republicans have a very different view of where they want to take the country. The bulk of Biden’s speech focused on his administration’s agenda and accomplishments and featured many familiar beats. Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com Read More…

Away Crowd Motivates Nittany Lions https://digitalalabamanews.com/away-crowd-motivates-nittany-lions-3/ AUBURN, AL (WTAJ) — At the Corner of Magnolia Street and College Avenue stands one of the south’s greatest football traditions, Toomer’s Oaks. After wins Auburn fans “roll the trees” with toilet paper. It’s a tradition that dates back 50-years. “It’s always fun to come and get the different vibe of the schools, you know?” said Chuck Toth, a Penn State fan from New Jersey. Toth is one of many Penn State fans in Alabama for the Auburn game. Some came from as far as Alaska to experience this rare SEC roadtrip. “Oh, man, this has been on the calendar for years here since they scheduled it,” said Shawn Pecora. “I think this is also a school deep in history and tradition, and you can see even the way that the town and campus is around the stadium,” said Toth. “So the fan bases seem to be great and that I think is always fun.” Penn State fans filled downtown Friday. On Saturday Penn State flags waived in the tailgate lots. It was easy to find Nittany Lion fans, and good thing too because getting to the game became a problem for some. “We knew we were going to end up at the game, we just didn’t know how,” said Mick Knott. Knott and his friend Scott Charnoff flew into Atlanta Friday. But with rental cars out of stock at the airport, they needed a Uber to travel to Auburn, and needed a little more help to get to the stadium. “I heard them talking early this morning of breakfast, I said, ‘We Are.’ And the said, ‘Penn State!’ Penn State fan Rob Crane came to the rescue giving the two a lift the stadium. A long time fan, he hopes he was paying it forward. “I was at the Miami Penn State national championship game in Tempe, and people took care of me when I was there as a young guy,” he said. Inside Jordan-Hare stadium the Nittany Lions awaited the Tigers. In a sea of orange, white shirts stood out in the crowd. It’s a common site away from Happy Valley, one that players say they don’t tire of. It’s the kind of site that makes you want to beat Auburn 41-12. “Any time we’re at an away game, one of the first things we say on the sideline is, wow, there’s a lot of Penn State people here. And, you know, sometimes it’s a little repetitive because we travel so well” said junior offensive linemen, Bryce Effner. “It’s a huge motivator to see, you know, just that trickle away in whatever stadium we’re in. So it’s it’s awesome.” Read More…

Why Christian Nationalists Are Into “Jumbo-Sized” Shofars Now https://digitalalabamanews.com/why-christian-nationalists-are-into-jumbo-sized-shofars-now/ “));var m=y[i.size_id].split(“x”).map(function(e){return Number(e)}),v=(0,r.Z)(m,2);f.width=v[0],f.height=v[1]}f.rubiconTargeting=(Array.isArray(i.targeting)?i.targeting:[]).reduce(function(e,t){return e[t.key]=t.values[0],e},{rpfl_elemid:p.adUnitCode}),t.push(f)}else(0,a.logError)(“Rubicon: bidRequest undefined at index position:”.concat(s),n,e);return t},[]).sort(function(e,t){return(t.cpm||0)-(e.cpm||0)})},getUserSyncs:function(e,t,n,r){if(!C&&e.iframeEnabled){var i={};return n&&(“boolean”==typeof n.gdprApplies&&(i.gdpr=Number(n.gdprApplies)),”string”==typeof 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New York AG Sues Trump, Insurance Fraud One Of Many Allegations https://digitalalabamanews.com/new-york-ag-sues-trump-insurance-fraud-one-of-many-allegations/ New York’s attorney general sued former President Donald Trump and his company for fraud on Wednesday, alleging they padded his net worth by billions of dollars by lying about the value of prized assets including golf courses, hotels and his homes at Trump Tower and Mar-a-Lago. Attorney General Letitia James dubbed it: “The art of the steal.” James’ lawsuit, filed in state court in New York, is the culmination of a three-year civil investigation of Trump and the Trump Organization. Trump’s three eldest children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric Trump, were also named as defendants, along with two longtime company executives, Allen Weisselberg and Jeffrey McConney. The lawsuit strikes at the core of what made Trump famous, taking a blacklight to the image of wealth and opulence he’s embraced throughout his career – first as a real estate developer, then as a reality TV host on “The Apprentice” and “Celebrity Apprentice,” and later as president. James wants Trump and the other defendants to pay at least $250 million, which she said was the approximate worth of the benefits it got through fraudulent practices. James, a Democrat, announced details of the lawsuit at a news conference on Wednesday. She said her office filed the case – which is civil, not criminal in nature – after rejecting settlement offers made by lawyers for the defendants. The alleged scheme was intended to burnish Trump’s billionaire image and the value of his properties when doing so gave him an advantage, such as in obtaining favorable loan terms, while playing down the value of assets at other times for tax purposes, James’ office said. “This investigation revealed that Donald Trump engaged in years of illegal conduct to inflate his net worth, to deceive banks and the people of the great state of New York,” James said at the news conference. “Claiming you have money that you do not have does not amount to the art of the deal. It’s the art of the steal.” James said her investigation uncovered potential criminal violations, including falsifying business records, issuing false financial statements, insurance fraud, conspiracy and bank fraud. She said her office is referring those findings to federal prosecutors and the Internal Revenue Service. In a statement posted to his Truth Social platform, Trump called the lawsuit “Another Witch Hunt by a racist Attorney General” and called James, who is Black, “a fraud who campaigned on a ‘get Trump’ platform, despite the fact that the city is one of the crime and murder disasters of the world under her watch!” Trump lawyer Alina Habba said the lawsuit “is neither focused on the facts nor the law – rather, it is solely focused on advancing the Attorney General’s political agenda,” accusing James of abusing her authority “by prying into transactions where absolutely no wrongdoing has taken place.” Habba said the allegations in the lawsuit are “meritless.” James is seeking to remove the Trumps from businesses engaged in the alleged fraud and wants an independent monitor appointed for no less than five years to oversee the Trump Organization’s compliance, financial reporting, valuations and disclosures to lenders, insurers and tax authorities. She is seeking to replace the current trustees of Trump’s revocable trust, which controls his business interests, with independent trustees, to bar Trump and the Trump Organization from entering into commercial real estate acquisitions for five years, from obtaining loans from banks in New York for five years and permanently bar Trump and three of his adult children from serving as an officer or director in any New York corporation or similar business entity registered and/or licensed in New York State. She also seeks to permanently bar Weisselberg and McConney from serving in the financial control function of any New York corporation or similar business entity registered and/or licensed in New York State. James’ lawsuit comes amid a swirl of unprecedented legal challenges for a former president, including an FBI investigation into Trump’s handling of classified records and inquiries into his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The Trump Organization is set to go on trial in October in a criminal case alleging that it schemed to give untaxed perks to senior executives, including its longtime finance chief Weisselberg, who alone took more than $1.7 million in extras. Weisselberg, 75, pleaded guilty Aug. 18. His plea agreement requires him to testify at the company’s trial before he starts a five-month jail sentence. If convicted, the Trump Organization could face a fine of double the amount of unpaid taxes. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been conducting a parallel criminal investigation of the same business practices at the heart of James’ civil lawsuit. That probe lost momentum earlier this year after Bragg raised questions internally about whether a criminal case was viable, but the Democrat has said it has not been abandoned. At the same time, the FBI is continuing to investigate Trump’s storage of sensitive government documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, and a special grand jury in Georgia is investigating whether Trump and others attempted to influence state election officials. All of the legal drama is playing out ahead of the November midterm elections, where Republicans are trying to win control of one or both houses of Congress. Meanwhile, Trump has been laying the groundwork for a potential comeback campaign for president in 2024 and has accused President Joe Biden’s administration of targeting him to hurt his political chances. State law allows a broad range of civil remedies against companies committing commercial fraud, including revoking licenses to conduct business in the state, removing company officers and forcing the payment of restitution or disgorgement of ill-gotten gains. James’ office could also seek to ban Trump from being involved in certain types of businesses, as happened in January when a judge barred ex-drug company CEO Martin Shkreli from the pharmaceutical industry for life. In a previous clash with Trump, James oversaw the closure of his charity, the Trump Foundation, after her predecessor in the attorney general’s office, Barbara Underwood, filed a lawsuit alleging he misused its assets to resolve business disputes and boost his run for the White House. A judge ordered Trump to pay $2 million to an array of charities to settle the matter. James, who campaigned for office as a Trump critic and watchdog, started scrutinizing his business practices in March 2019 after his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen testified to Congress that Trump exaggerated his wealth on financial statements provided to Deutsche Bank when he was trying to obtain financing to buy the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. Since then, James’ office and Trump’s lawyers have repeatedly sparred over the direction of the investigation and Trump’s unwillingness to comply with subpoenas for his testimony and records. Trump spent months fighting the subpoena that led to his August deposition, his lawyers unable to convince courts that he should be excused from testifying because his answers could be used in Bragg’s criminal probe. In May, Trump paid $110,000 in fines after he was held in contempt of court for being slow to respond to a subpoena James’ office issued seeking documents and other evidence. The contempt finding was lifted in June after Trump and his lawyers submitted paperwork showing they had made a good faith effort to find relevant documents. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More…

Latin America And US Agree To Sack IDB President, A Trump Appointment https://digitalalabamanews.com/latin-america-and-us-agree-to-sack-idb-president-a-trump-appointment/ Friday, September 23rd 2022 – 09:44 UTC The move comes after an independent investigation confirmed misconduct allegations against Claver-Carone, nominated for the job in 2020 by Trump The fourteen governors on the board of the multilateral Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) have voted unanimously to recommend firing President Mauricio Claver-Carone, Latin American sources revealed on Thursday. The move comes after an independent investigation confirmed misconduct allegations against Claver-Carone, who was nominated for the job in 2020 by then US president Donald Trump. His fate now lies in the hands of the governing board of the IDB representing all 48 of the bank’s member nations. The appointment of Claver-Carmona by Trump was strongly questioned at the time by Latin American bank members, arguing it was against long established tradition that the top job at the bank had to go to a Latin American. A US Treasury spokesperson said Washington backed Claver-Carone’s removal from office and urged “swift resolution” by the IDB’s governors. ”His creation of a climate of fear of retaliation among staff and borrowing countries has forfeited the confidence of the (IDB’s) staff and shareholders and necessitates a change in leadership,” the spokesperson said. The US is the bank’s largest shareholder, with 30% of its voting shares. An independent probe was set up against Claver-Carone after a complaint that he allegedly had an intimate relationship with an employee in violation of the bank’s rules. According to a report in Washington media, the investigation found that he had favored this top aide with whom he had had a romantic relationship. In a statement, Claver-Carone slammed the US Treasury’s comments. “It’s shameful the US commented to the press before notifying me and that it is not defending two Americans against what is clearly fabricated information,” he said. He also claimed that Washington was “handing” the IDB to China by backing his removal from office. The Claver-Carone affair comes as World Bank president David Malpass, another ex president Trump appointment, is also under investigation after he failed to state that he accepts the scientific consensus on climate change. Read More…

Retired Educator, Anna S. Bright, Vying For District 4 School Board Seat https://digitalalabamanews.com/retired-educator-anna-s-bright-vying-for-district-4-school-board-seat-2/ PRESS RELEASE- Anna S. Bright’s lifelong motto, If I can help somebody, then my living shall not be in vain, speaks for itself. A personal goal that Mrs. Bright has had for a long time is to become a member of the local school board. Consequently, she is a candidate in District 4 of Colleton County. The election will be held on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. She comes with four decades of experience in the public schools of South Carolina and Alabama, with the majority of them being in Colleton County. When asked why she is vying to become a member of the school board, Mrs. Bright says, “There are two main reasons why I am running. First of all, I want to make a significant difference in the Colleton County School District. Secondly, I want to give back to the county that was more than good enough to educate my family and me. Having served 40 successful years in the classroom as a teacher, I feel that I have gained a wealth of knowledge and expertise that will guide me to be more understanding of what our students, teachers, support staff and administrators need to educate our children. Teaching was not just a job for me; it was a career of passion. Therefore, serving on our school board would be no different!” Communication, Collaboration, Accessibility/Visibility, and Building Relationships are the four key components of her campaign platform. Mrs. Bright is a 1973 honor graduate of Walterboro High School where she was selected by the faculty as one of the ten most outstanding seniors, out of a class of 324. The highlight of her high school years was being selected to sing in the 1972 South Carolina Allstate Chorus, held that year in Greenville, SC. She highly applauds the late Mrs. Dorothy Graham Buckner for that accomplishment. After high school, she matriculated at Claflin University in Orangeburg, SC where she pursued a major in English and a minor in Education. In 1977 she graduated magna cum laude from Claflin with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Further educational pursuits include study at several other well-known universities in both Alabama and South Carolina. Mrs. Bright says “I have never regretted being a part of this honorable profession called teaching. Once a teacher—always a teacher!” In June 2018, she retired as an English teacher from the Colleton County School District where she was actively involved in several school activities over the years and served on several school, district, and state committees. Previously, she taught in the public schools of Hurtsboro and Montgomery, AL and Dorchester School District 4 in St. George, SC. The student body of Russell High School in Hurstboro, AL unanimously dedicated their yearbook to her in 1982, one of the many highlights of her career. In 1995 Mrs. Bright received the Principal’s Service Award under the leadership of Dr. Queenie L. Crawford at Ruffin High School in Ruffin, SC. Mrs. Bright was chosen as the 1997 Teacher of the Year in the Colleton County School District. During her years as a teacher, she was a workshop presenter on numerous occasions and served as chairman of the English Department. For several years, she was an advisor for the graduation speakers at both Ruffin and Colleton County High Schools. Writing, one of her avid passions, has been a rewarding experience for her over the years. Six years ago, she became a columnist for The Press and Standard, writing a weekly article on the “Faith and Values” page. Many have been led to Christ by reading her articles. Recently, she has returned to this ministry for Jesus Christ in this community, and she is very excited about it. Even though Mrs. Bright attends Isaiah United Methodist Church where her husband is an active member, her membership still remains at Friendship Liberty Ministries in Walterboro, SC, where her nephew, the Reverend Keith G. Stevens, is the Pastor. She received her license in the ministry under the leadership of her dear mother, the Reverend Dr. Evelyn Gelzer Stevens. At Friendship, she served in the following capacities: youth minister, corresponding secretary, treasurer, Bible study teacher, vocal soloist, and a sponsor of countless programs. Mrs. Bright has been delivering “soul-stirring” messages locally and in many other places since 1984. Currently, Mrs. Bright is a part-time teacher at Colleton Academy for Success, the school district’s alternative program. Further, she is very active in her community. She is a member of CTS/CHS Alumni Association, Inc., where she served as the secretary for eight years; Xi Omega Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Colleton Branch of the NAACP, Colleton County Chapter of Claflin University International Alumni Association, Colleton Section of the National Council of Negro Women, and Lowcountry Silhouettes Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. She is a member of the advisory board of Latrice D. Ferguson School of Nursing Assistants. Formerly, Mrs. Bright served as the president, vice president, and secretary of the Colleton County Education Association. She is a past board member of the South Carolina Education Association, where she was recognized and rewarded for her outstanding efforts to coordinate the Race to Read Program in the Colleton County School District several years ago. Mrs. Bright is married to Mr. Herman G. Bright, a retired educator and veteran of the United States Army National Guard. She is the oldest daughter of the late Deacon Kalip and Rev. Dr. Evelyn Gelzer Stevens; and the devoted, loving, and praying mother of three sons, one stepdaughter, and one stepson. She is the grandmother of five grandchildren. Mrs. Bright has played a key role in organizing and coordinating family reunions for the Gelzer Family (her mother’s side) over the past several years. She firmly believes that “Family Matters” and praying together will keep a family together. Because she is an avid lover of reading and writing, one of Mrs. Bright’s goals is to one day publish a best seller, preaching Christ, which will appeal to the masses of the people. She is getting very close to completing this goal. The public is cordially invited to attend a Meet and Greet honoring her at Neyles Community Center, 445 Featherbed Road in Walterboro, on Thursday, September 29, 2022, from 6:30 p.m-8:00 p.m. For further information, Mrs. Bright can be contacted at annaforkids22@gmail.com. Her campaign manager is Mr. Herman G. Bright. Read More…

Major Covid Holdouts In Asia Drop Border Restrictions https://digitalalabamanews.com/major-covid-holdouts-in-asia-drop-border-restrictions/ Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan have relaxed their pandemic rules, as they look to bolster their economies and play catch-up with much of the world. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share. Tourists in the Asakusa district of Tokyo earlier this month.Credit…Kimimasa Mayama/EPA, via Shutterstock Sept. 23, 2022Updated 4:59 a.m. ET HONG KONG — After two and a half years of tight pandemic controls, some of Asia’s last holdouts are finally opening their borders, as they move to bolster their economies and play catch-up with a world that has largely learned to live with Covid. Hong Kong said on Friday that it would abandon mandatory hotel quarantine for people coming to the city starting next week, following a similar move by Taiwan. Japan said it would drop its daily limit on arrivals and fully open its doors to tourists on Oct. 11. The flurry of moves this week has left just one major country with strict border controls: China, where the ruling Communist Party still clings to its “zero Covid” policy. Those who travel to China, mainly residents, still face 10 days of hotel quarantine at their own expense. When the pandemic swept across the world in early 2020, many governments in Asia were quick to shut their borders, with most places locking out anyone who wasn’t a resident. Reopening has been a grinding and slow process, as officials fretted over the vulnerability of their older populations and feared their health systems would buckle. Image At Haneda airport near Tokyo in June.Credit…Franck Robichon/EPA, via Shutterstock But the isolation has become difficult to bear, especially as much of the rest of the world has fully reopened. Cut off from big-spending tourists and facing economic headwinds, business leaders have increasingly pressured officials in Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan to rethink their policies. Last week, the World Health Organization chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the end of the pandemic was “in sight,” underscoring the collective readiness of many governments to begin to imagine a world beyond Covid-19. “I’m conscious of the fact that, while we need to control the spread of Covid, we also need to ensure that there will be maximum activities in society and economic activities for society to carry on,” John Lee, Hong Kong’s top leader, said this week before the relaxation of the rules on Friday. It was the starkest admission yet that the strict rules, tied closely to mainland China’s pandemic policy, had come at a cost that officials were no longer willing to tolerate. Image Hong Kong’s top official, John Lee, at a press briefing this month.Credit…Isaac Lawrence/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, acknowledged the importance of international tourists for the country’s survival. “People around the world have been asking, ‘When can we travel to Japan?’” Mr. Kishida said on Wednesday, before the new rules were announced, according to the public broadcaster NHK. “Now, I hope they’ll make plans to visit Japan and get a taste of Japanese cuisine.” In Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen said people were ready to reconnect to the rest of the world. “It has finally come to the final moment of the pandemic,” Ms. Tsai wrote on her Facebook page. “Now, we must make every effort to revive tourism, stimulate the economy and lead Taiwan’s economy to develop by leaps and bounds.” Over the past two years, Japan and Hong Kong have missed out on hosting important global gatherings, the type that are central to their identities as important hubs in the region. The Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled for August 2020, were held a year later, but only for domestic spectators. Big, splashy events in Hong Kong like Art Basel, the Rugby Sevens and regional financial conferences were canceled as the city remained closed off to nonresidents and tourists. Image The arrivals hall at Hong Kong International Airport in March.Credit…Jerome Favre/EPA, via Shutterstock Hong Kong had one of the strictest quarantine requirements at one point, with 21 days of mandatory hotel quarantine for arrivals. On Friday, officials announced a new policy to take effect next week, which would only require visitors to do several days of P.C.R. testing and health monitoring. With borders restricted, tourism has been slow to come back in much of the region. Once a top aviation hub, Hong Kong was “effectively off the map now,” Willie Walsh, the director general of the International Air Transport Association, said in April. While Hong Kong’s relaxation of Covid restrictions goes further than any at any other point in the pandemic, the new rules will still prevent visitors from going to restaurants and bars during their period of health monitoring, raising questions about whether it will be enough to attract tourists on short visits. In 2019, Japan took in around $46.1 billion from foreign tourism, according to the Japan External Trade Organization. Virtually all of that disappeared after the pandemic began. Before its latest move, Japan had tried in fits and starts to get tourism going, without much luck. In June, the government changed the border rules, letting in tourists who agreed to participate in guided tours booked through travel agencies. In September, it changed the rules again, but still kept visitors on a tight leash. Things got off to a slow start: Only 12,405 tourists entered the country in June, according to the most recent government data. Japan’s reopening could unleash a flood of pent-up travel demand, providing a much-needed boost to the country’s travel and hospitality sectors. Almost 32 million international tourists visited Japan in 2019, triple the number from six years before, according to government data. Image Sensoji Temple, a popular tourist attraction in Tokyo.Credit…Yuichi Yamazaki/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images But inbound tourism is unlikely to approach prepandemic levels anytime soon. Chinese visitors, who accounted for around 30 percent of Japan’s inbound traffic in 2019, are severely limited in their ability to travel under Beijing’s strict Covid policies. Domestically, Japan plans to encourage tourism by offering government-subsidized discounts to Japanese residents for hotels, restaurants and some kinds of entertainment, Mr. Kishida said. It is a revival of a plan, known as “Go to Travel,” that his predecessor introduced in an effort to increase domestic tourism after it was wiped out in the pandemic’s early months. The Asian governments are all in need of the economic help. Japan’s economy has slowly begun to bounce back, with shoppers filling malls and families eating out. But the plunge in the yen, which is hovering around its weakest level in nearly a quarter-century, has been painful for domestic consumers. In Hong Kong, thousands of small businesses have closed their doors, unable to recover from several rounds of social distancing measures that forced restaurants and bars to remain shut for weeks or months. The tough measures, together with a crackdown on the former British colony’s legacy of free speech, have prompted young Hong Kongers, expatriates and multinational companies to leave the city permanently. Image Cleaning windows at the 54th-floor viewing deck of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building this month.Credit…Kimimasa Mayama/EPA, via Shutterstock While Taiwan’s economy has remained relatively healthy due to its semiconductor industry, tourism has suffered. Taiwan capped the number of arrivals during the pandemic, and for a while, nonresidents couldn’t go there at all. “The dark days of waiting to travel abroad have finally come to an end,” said April Lin, 36, a Taiwanese tour guide in the central city of Taichung. “It’s a much-needed rain for many in the tourism industry.” Alexandra Stevenson reported from Hong Kong, and Ben Dooley from Tokyo. Hisako Ueno contributed reporting from Tokyo, and Amy Chang Chien from Taipei, Taiwan. Read More…

DeSantis To Face Trial For Suspension Of Prosecutor Who Defied Abortion Ban Law https://digitalalabamanews.com/desantis-to-face-trial-for-suspension-of-prosecutor-who-defied-abortion-ban-law/ A Florida prosecutor suspended by Ron DeSantis for defying a new 15-week abortion law says a federal judge’s decision to send his reinstatement appeal to trial means a reckoning is coming for the state’s Republican governor. Andrew Warren, a Democrat, was removed as Hillsborough county state attorney on 4 August after saying he would not enforce the abortion ban or prosecute providers of gender transition treatment for young people. DeSantis cited Warren’s alleged “woke agenda” in reasons for his decision. At a hearing in Tallahassee on Monday, Judge Robert Hinkle denied motions from DeSantis to dismiss Warren’s lawsuit, and another by Warren seeking an immediate return to office, instead requesting their differences be settled at a trial in the coming weeks. “The governor now has to answer it to a court of law where facts matter and where you have to tell the truth,” Warren said in an interview with the Guardian. “It’s a victory for the truth. A federal judge has ruled that the governor has to come into court to explain the reasons behind my suspension, to show that it wasn’t political, to show that it wasn’t in violation of my free speech rights, to show that it wasn’t in violation of the voters’ rights to have the state attorney of their choice.” The closely watched case is expected to give clarity to DeSantis’s power to purge elected officials who disagree with him. In recent weeks, the governor has also removed four members of a school board in Broward county that defied him over Covid-19 mask mandates. “The governor is entrusted by the people of Florida to utilize his constitutional powers and may suspend elected officials in Florida who refuse to enforce the law,” DeSantis’s office said in a statement following Monday’s hearing. Critics, however, have accused the governor of selective application of the principle. The Orlando Sentinel noted that DeSantis has taken no action against so-called “constitutional” sheriffs who say they won’t enforce certain gun laws. But he did act in 2019, suspending the Broward county sheriff, Scott Israel, a Democrat, for “neglect of duty”. Warren said he believed a trial, which could begin as early as next month, would cut through any political posturing. “This has always been a fight for democracy, and rule of law, and for elections,” he said. “This is our fight for the truth. And now the people will get the truth because the governor is being forced to explain himself. “Ultimately, he may be called to testify in court. The court was pretty clear that it wants to hear from the governor in terms of the explanations about the suspension to make sure that the reasons why I was suspended are consistent with Florida law, and with federal law.” Warren said his reinstatement was not the sole objective of his lawsuit. “I would have liked to be back in office already but there’s more at stake than just my job,” he said. “Regardless of what party you belong to, or who you vote for, yours always matters. No elected official has the right to throw out anyone’s vote. And the governor here has tried to throw out the votes of hundreds of thousands of Floridians and overturn an election. “If he gets away with it, what’s left of our democracy? What’s the point of having elections?” Warren ran as a progressive when he unseated long-term incumbent Republican Mark Ober as Hillsborough county state attorney in 2016, and was re-elected with 53% of the vote four years later. He immediately set about enacting policies that upset conservatives, the Tampa Bay Times reported, including a pledge to introduce programs to rehabilitate convicts and prevent recidivism. According to Tampa’s Fox13, Susan Lopez, whom DeSantis appointed in Warren’s place, has already reversed several of his policies, including the reinstatement of a controversial law enforcement “bike-stop” measure that critics say unfairly targets minorities. Read More…

Mar-A-Lago Special Master Orders Trump Team To Back Up Any Claims Of FBI 'planting' Evidence – ABC17NEWS https://digitalalabamanews.com/mar-a-lago-special-master-orders-trump-team-to-back-up-any-claims-of-fbi-planting-evidence-abc17news/ By Marshall Cohen The special master overseeing the Mar-a-Lago documents investigation has ordered former President Donald Trump’s lawyers to back up out-of-court assertions that the FBI may have planted evidence at the property during their search last month. Judge Raymond Dearie, the court-appointed special master, said in a filing Thursday that Trump’s team needs to submit a sworn declaration saying if they believe the Justice Department included any items on their “inventory” of materials taken from Mar-a-Lago that were not actually seized during the search. The declaration must include “a list of any specific items set forth in the Detailed Property Inventory that Plaintiff asserts were not seized from the Premises on August 8, 2022,” Dearie wrote in the order. This has come up as an issue in the case because Trump himself, some of his attorneys, and several of his outside Republican allies have publicly claimed that the FBI planted evidence at Mar-a-Lago during the August 8 search. However, they have offered no evidence to support these accusations. Thursday’s new order from Dearie came two days after he held his first in-person hearing with Trump’s lawyers and federal prosecutors, and it spells out his plan for how the special master review will move forward. On Wednesday night, Trump suggested that the FBI planted evidence during the search. He asked Fox News’ Sean Hannity, “Did they drop anything into those piles” of materials taken from Mar-a-Lago, “or did they do it later?” When asked by Hannity if there is video of that, Trump said, “Nah, I don’t think so.” The judge set a September 30 deadline for Trump’s lawyers to submit this sworn declaration. He also asked the Justice Department to submit declarations attesting to key facts regarding the search. The FBI has previously declined to comment on allegations of impropriety during its search. Asked last month by a reporter about the claim federal agents could have planted evidence, FBI Director Christopher Wray said, “I’m sure you can appreciate that’s not something that I can talk about so I’d refer you to the (Justice) Department.” Dearie opens door to witness testimony about documents Dearie opened the door in a Thursday order to holding a hearing where “witnesses with knowledge of the relevant facts” could be called to testify about the Mar-a-Lago search and the materials that were seized. If this happens, it could become a put-up-or-shut-up moment for the Trump side, which has made a wide array of statements about alleged government improprieties out of court, but has been much more restrained in court, where it would be a crime to knowingly lie. The Justice Department also is required to provide Trump’s lawyers with “copies of all seized materials” — except those marked classified — by Monday. This is needed so Trumps’ side can figure out exactly what was taken from Mar-a-Lago and determine which materials they believe should be shielded under attorney-client or executive privilege. The deadline for Trump’s team to finish reviewing all the documents for potential privilege designations is October 14, though they’ll be required to send “rolling” batches of their designations along the way. Dearie ordered both sides to finish their reviews and send their final designations to him by October 21. The judge also signaled that there might be some documents that are covered by executive privilege but can still be reviewed by the Justice Department, which is part of the executive branch. This would be a more nuanced view than what Trump’s team has offered — which is essentially that federal prosecutors shouldn’t be allowed to look at these privileged documents or to use them as part of the investigation. Dearie also raised the possibility of sending some of the proceedings back to Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, who approved the search warrant after finding there was probable cause of multiple crimes taking place at Mar-a-Lago. That judge has since become the target of death threats and online vitriol from Trump supporters, and Trump has publicly pushed several false claims about him. Retired judge asked to assist review Dearie has also hired a retired federal judge from the Eastern District of New York to assist his review and will also rely on staff from that district to work on the review of materials. Dearie said the judge, James Orenstein, “has experience with complex case management, privilege review, warrant procedures” and other relevant topics, and that he currently has a top-secret security clearance. The biography page at the law firm where Orenstein formerly worked says he served “on the prosecution team in the Oklahoma City bombings trials.” Attorney General Merrick Garland played a leading role earlier in his career in the Oklahoma City investigation. Dearie said he won’t seek any additional compensation for serving as the special master because he’s currently on the US government payroll as a federal judge. But he proposed that Orenstein get paid $500 an hour, which would be covered by Trump, based on a prior court ruling in the case. The-CNN-Wire & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. CNN’s Josh Campbell contributed to this report. Read More…

Donald Trump Lawyers Spotted At D.C. Courthouse Amid Mounting Legal Woes https://digitalalabamanews.com/donald-trump-lawyers-spotted-at-d-c-courthouse-amid-mounting-legal-woes/ Three lawyers representing former President Donald Trump were spotted leaving a federal courthouse in Washington, D.C. on Thursday and were reportedly there to represent him in a case related to January 6, 2021. NBC News Associate Producer Daniel Barnes shared a photo of the attorneys on Twitter, writing: “Spotted this afternoon at the DC federal courthouse: Trump lawyers Evan Corcoran, John Rowley and Timothy Parlatore. Also in the building was prosecutor Thomas Windom.” Windom, an assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., has been involved in investigating efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in relation to January 6, 2021. In July, Windom obtained a warrant to search the contents of attorney John Eastman’s phone. Eastman is alleged to have played a major role in a plan to have GOP-led state legislatures appoint alternative slates of pro-Trump electors. Those electors could then have been used to overturn the former president’s election defeat. Former President Donald Trump speaks at a Save America Rally to support Republican candidates running for state and federal offices in the state at the Covelli Centre on September 17, 2022 in Youngstown, Ohio. Three of Trump’s lawyers were spotted at courthouse in Washington, D.C. on Thursday. Jeff Swensen/Getty Images “It’s unclear why all were in attendance—Corcoran, Rowley and Parlatore did not respond to questions,” Barnes wrote. Jacqueline Alemany of The Washington Post retweeted Barnes’ photo and said of the three attorneys: “They were present in capacity representing Trump, RE the Jan. 6 investigation, per person familiar.” Newsweek has asked former President Trump’s office for comment. The photo of Trump’s lawyers leaving the D.C. courthouse sparked some speculation about a potential indictment of the former president. Trump has not been charged with any crime. Responding to Barnes, Twitter user @supernovagirlie wrote: “Discussing a possible Trump indictment? *Fingers crossed*” Another user, Lyla Lane, responded to the photo by saying that she would put “my money on indictments.” However, talk about potential indictments of the former president is highly speculative and he is not facing criminal charges at this time. There has long been speculation from some quarters that Trump could be subject to prosecution. Trump is facing a slew of legal cases, including an ongoing federal investigation into the handling of White House documents stored at this Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. A panel of three judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled on Wednesday that the FBI can access around 100 documents bearing classification markings seized in an August 8 raid, putting on hold a decision by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon that prevented the FBI from reviewing the documents. Also on Wednesday, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a $250 million suit against the former president, the Trump Organization and his children Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump, alleging they inflated Trump’s net worth in order to “unjustly enrich himself and cheat the system.” Though James is bringing a civil lawsuit, she has also said she will be making a criminal referral to federal prosecutors and the IRS. Read More…

Government And Bank Of Japan Intervene In Currency Exchange, Effectiveness Of Trump Card Is Uncertain https://digitalalabamanews.com/government-and-bank-of-japan-intervene-in-currency-exchange-effectiveness-of-trump-card-is-uncertain/ The Yomiuri Shimbun A board showing ¥140 per dollar at Gaitame.com Co. in Minato-Ward, Tokyo, Thursday night. Mayumi Terashima and Taku Mukoyama / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers 17:37 JST, September 23, 2022 The government and the Bank of Japan intervened the currency market by buying the yen and selling the dollar on Thursday for the first time in 24 years in an effort to correct the yen’s historic depreciation against the dollar. They played the trump card amid the increasing burden on households and businesses due to the rising import prices caused by the weak yen. A battle of nerves between the government, the BOJ, and the market is likely to continue while speculators will try to test the seriousness of the intervention. “We are on standby.” The Vice-Minister of Finance for International Affairs Masato Kanda, in charge of international finance at the Finance Ministry, made an unusual remark to contain the sharp fluctuations in the yen against the dollar when asked by reporters at noon on Thursday about the timing of the intervention. Four hours later, the government and the BOJ intervened to buy the yen. The intervention took place because the yen weakened by about ¥1 when the Federal Reserve decided to raise interest rates significantly while the Bank of Japan announced that it would continue its massive monetary easing program. Since Fed Chairman Jerome Powell expressed his positive stance on interest rate hikes in late August, dollar buying gained momentum in anticipation of a Fed rate hike, and the yen weakened. Since the beginning of September, the government has been nervous about the yen’s depreciation. After his meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sept. 9, BOJ Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda told his concern about the yen to reporters, saying, “It is a drastic change to see the yen move ¥2 or ¥3 a day.” The government has also repeatedly intervened verbally, saying that it would “take appropriate measures when necessary” in response to sudden fluctuations. When the BOJ conducted a “rate check” on Sept. 14, asking major banks about the appropriate exchange rate for their transactions, the market took this as a sign of preparation to intervene. In the market, the move was called “the ultimate verbal warning.” The Yomiuri Shimbun However, verbal intervention alone was not enough. From Wednesday to Thursday, when Japan and the U.S. each set monetary policy, the yen weakened significantly in the foreign exchange market. This was due to the view that it would be difficult for Japan to obtain consent from the U.S. over the intervention, as the U.S. prioritizes inflationary measures, and a weak dollar could lead to higher prices. While market was aware of the widening interest rate gap between Japan and the U.S., and the Japanese government was seen as reluctant to intervene. Therefore, the timing of the intervention just after a press conference by Kuroda following the BOJ’s monetary policy meeting was a surprise to the market. Masahiro Ichikawa, chief market strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management, said “The intervention was surprise because it came at a time when most of the yen selling by investors was over and trading volume had declined.” As a result of the intervention, the yen appreciated temporarily to the level of ¥140 per dollar in the foreign exchange market. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether the intervention will have a lasting effect. As of the end of August, the government held $1.292 trillion (about ¥190 trillion) in foreign currency reserves. Of this amount, only about ¥20 trillion is in “foreign currency deposits” that can be spent immediately. Selling U.S. Treasury bonds, which account for the majority of foreign exchange reserves, to increase the resources for intervention could lead to a rise in U.S. interest rates, which would cause further yen depreciation. In the past, most of the intervention to the foreign exchange market were dollar-buying and yen-selling to correct the sharp appreciation of the yen triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake and financial crisis. During the period from April to June 1998, when the previous yen-buying intervention was conducted, about 3 trillion yen was spent to buy the yen and sell the dollar, but against the backdrop of the Asian currency crisis, the yen depreciated to the ¥147 per dollar level. The market is focusing on the scale of foreign exchange intervention to be announced by the Finance Ministry at the end of the month. Read More…