Digital Alabama News

Putin Delays Surprise Speech; Germany's Scholz Says Russia Needs To Understand It Can't Win In Ukraine https://digitalalabamanews.com/putin-delays-surprise-speech-germanys-scholz-says-russia-needs-to-understand-it-cant-win-in-ukraine/ Germany’s Chancellor says Putin must recognize he can’t win in Ukraine German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) addresses the delegates in the general debate at the 77th General Assembly of the U.N. The main topic of the General Assembly is the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. Michael Kappeler | dpa | Picture Alliance | Getty Images Russian President Vladimir Putin will only give up his “imperial ambitions” that risk destroying Ukraine and Russia if he recognizes he cannot win the war, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday. “This is why we will not accept any peace dictated by Russia and this is why Ukraine must be able to fend off Russia’s attack,” Scholz said in his first address to the United Nations General Assembly. The return of imperialism, with Putin’s war on Ukraine, was not just a disaster for Europe but for the global, rules-based peace order, the chancellor said. He called on the U.N. to defend this from those who would prefer a world where the “strong rule the weak”. “Do we watch helpless as some want to catapult us back into a world order where war is a common means of politics, independent nations must join their stronger neighbors or colonial masters, and prosperity and human rights are a privilege for the lucky few?” Scholz asked. —Reuters Blinken calls Russian referenda attempts a ‘sign of weakness’ and a ‘sign of Russian failure’ US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks about US policy towards China during an event hosted by the Asia Society Policy Institute at George Washington University in Washington, DC, on May 26, 2022. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images Secretary of State Antony Blinken slammed the Kremlin’s attempt to hold a referendum in parts of Ukraine and called the move a “sign of Russian failure.” “We’ve seen reports that Russia is now considering proceeding with these sham referenda in Ukraine, something we said that they were going to do for many months,” Blinken told reporters on the sidelines of the 77th United Nations General Assembly in New York City. “That would then lead to them claiming the annexation of Ukrainian territory,” he said, adding that if the referenda proceeds, the United States will never recognize the outcome. “The sham referenda and the potential mobilization of additional forces isn’t a sign of strength. On the contrary, it’s a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of Russian failure,” America’s top diplomat added. — Amanda Macias ‘Polluters must pay,’ U.N. chief says, urging global leaders to tackle climate change Steam rises from cooling towers of the Niederaussem coal-fired power plant by twilight on January 11, 2022 in Niederaussem, Germany. Andreas Rentz | Getty Images News | Getty Images U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said developed economies should impose an additional tax on the profits of fossil fuel firms and those funds should be diverted to countries affected by climate change. “Our world is addicted to fossil fuels, it’s time for an intervention,” Guterres said. “We need to hold fossil fuel companies and their enablers to account. That includes the banks, private equity, asset managers and other financial institutions that continue to invest and underwrite carbon pollution,” he added. Read more here. — Amanda Macias ‘The Russians can do whatever they want. It will not change anything,’ Ukraine’s Kuleba says Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba attends a joint media briefing amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine 14 September 2022. Nurphoto | Getty Images U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on the sidelines of the high-level General Assembly in New York City. The meeting between Thomas-Greenfield and Kuleba, their second since Russia’s war broke out in late February, comes as the Kremlin attempts to hold referendums in Russian-controlled Ukrainian cities. The move is expected to set the groundwork for Russian troops to annex additional parts of the country. The White House said the outcome of the votes in Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk will likely be manipulated in Russia’s favor and will therefore not be acknowledged. “The Russians can do whatever they want. It will not change anything,” Kuleba said alongside Thomas-Greenfield. — Amanda Macias Nine more agricultural vessels approved to leave Ukraine The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni, carrying Ukrainian grain, is seen in the Black Sea off Kilyos, near Istanbul, Turkey August 3, 2022. Mehmet Caliskan | Reuters The organization overseeing the export of agricultural products from Ukraine said it has approved nine more vessels to leave the besieged country. The Joint Coordination Center, an initiative of Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations and Turkey, said that the vessels are carrying a total of 200,701metric tons of grain and other food products. The ships are expected to depart on Tuesday and are destined for Germany, Bangladesh, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Turkey. — Amanda Macias Biden taps Lynne Tracy as next American ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy U.S. State Department President Joe Biden has tapped State Department veteran Lynne Tracy as the next American ambassador to Russia. Tracy, who speaks Russian, currently serves as the U.S. ambassador to Armenia, a neighbor of Russia. She previously served as the second-highest official at the American embassy in Moscow. Tracy will replace John Sullivan as head of the embassy there. – Dan Mangan Putin postpones surprise speech to Russians for unknown reasons Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of government via a video link in Moscow, Russia August 31, 2022. Gavriil Grigorov | Sputnik | via Reuters Russian President Vladimir Putin failed for unknown reasons to deliver a nationally televised speech that would have been his first since the invasion of Ukraine earlier this year. Putin has postponed the speech, which was expected to discuss the situation in Ukraine, until Wednesday, according to a Telegram post by Sergei Markov, a former advisor to the Russian leader, “Go to sleep,” wrote Margarita Simonyan, the editor of RT, a Russian state media outlet, on her own Telegram account. – Dan Mangan Turkey’s Erdogan offers to broker deal between Moscow and Kyiv to secure Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan speaks at the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters on September 20, 2022 in New York City. Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara is willing to help broker negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in order to restore security to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The facility, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, was forcibly taken by Russian troops in the early days of the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. Both Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of shelling and subsequent damage to the facility. Erdogan said that Turkey’s role in the Black Sea Initiative deal, which helped open three Ukrainian ports for agricultural exports, is an example of how Ankara can help address concerns around Zaporizhzhia. “As a result of the intensive efforts we carried out together with the Secretary-General [Antonio Guterres], we made sure that the Ukrainian grain was able to reach the world through the Black Sea,” Erdogan said before the international forum. “A similar approach can also be displayed regarding the crisis at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station, which concerns the safety of the entire humanity,” he said, without providing additional details. — Amanda Macias Mass graves in Izyum, Ukraine, may be ‘worse’ than in Bucha, Biden adviser says U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks to the media about the war in Ukraine and other topics at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 22, 2022. Leah Millis | Reuters White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said his Ukranian counterparts tell him the mass graves discovered in Izyum, Ukraine, after Russian forces were pushed out, are in some ways “worse” than those discovered in Bucha. Sullivan said he was briefed on the situation when he spoke with his counterpart, Ukrainian chief of staff Andriy Yermak. “He gave me a report about what the Ukrainians were discovering around Izyum, and he put it quite bluntly: He said that this is in some ways worse than Bucha, and we will see more of these as we go, as Ukraine de-occupies towns that have previously been occupied by Russian forces. We are finding increasing evidence of these mass atrocities.” — Emma Kinery Ukraine says Russian referendums will destroy possibility of negotiations to end war Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a news conference, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, August 23, 2022. Gleb Garanich | Reuters Any referendums on joining Russia in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories would destroy any remaining window for talks between Kyiv and Moscow, Ukrainian publication Liga.net cited the Ukrainian president’s office spokesman as saying. “Without the referendums, there is still the smallest chance for a diplomatic solution. After the referendums – no,” Liga.net quoted Serhiy Nykyforov as saying. He made the comments in response to Russian-installed officials in four occupied Ukrainian regions announcing plans for referendums over the next week on formally joining Russia. — Reuters Blinken meets with Turkish counterpart, hails work on grain exports Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York, United States on September 20, 2022. Anadolu Agency | Getty Images U....

17-Year-Old Juvenile Faces Murder Charges In Deaths Of Missing NC Teens. What We Know. https://digitalalabamanews.com/17-year-old-juvenile-faces-murder-charges-in-deaths-of-missing-nc-teens-what-we-know/ READ MORE Death investigation of Lyric Woods & Devin Clark Two missing teens were found dead with gunshot wounds in Orange County near Hillsborough. Here is coverage of the investigation. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office announced a suspect Tuesday in the deaths of two teenagers who were found with gunshot wounds outside Hillsborough on Sunday. Court officials have filed a juvenile petition against a 17-year-old who will be charged with two counts of murder, according to a news release. The name of the suspect, who was not yet in custody Tuesday afternoon, has not been released. “Through the hard work of my investigators, along with the assistance of personnel from many other law enforcement agencies, we have identified a suspect in this case,” Sheriff Charles Blackwood said in a statement. “We will now work with local, state, and federal authorities to apprehend and present the suspect to the court system.” First-degree murder is a Class A felony and, in North Carolina, 16- and 17-year-olds who commit this crime are no longer automatically charged as adults. If there is probable cause or an indictment for a juvenile, a district court judge will give the case to the superior court for a ruling. Lyric Woods, 14, and Devin Clark, 18, were found dead in the Buckhorn Road area outside Hillsborough, about 3 p.m. Sunday. The local high school students had gunshot wounds, and the Sheriff’s Office launched a homicide investigation. Investigators are still waiting for the State Medical Examiner’s Office to officially confirm their identities and cause of death. “Although we do not have that confirmation yet, in the absence of any other missing persons matching the descriptions of the individuals located, the tragic but logical conclusion is increasingly clear,” Blackwood said in a news release Monday. A makeshift memorial sits a few yards from the entrance of a gravel road in Orange County Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Monday the two young people found shot and killed Sunday in western Orange County are missing teens Lyric Woods, 14, and Devin Clark, 18. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com What we know When were Lyric and Devin last seen? The two teenagers were reported missing by their families before their bodies were found Sunday. Woods was last seen by her stepfather around 11 p.m. Friday at their house in Efland in western Orange County, according to a missing persons report filed with the Sheriff’s Office around noon Saturday. Her stepfather said he learned Woods was missing around 10 a.m. Saturday when he went to wake her up, according to the report. A copy of Clark’s missing persons report released by the Mebane Police Department said he also was last seen around 11 p.m. Friday but provided few other details. The report was filed Sunday around 11:25 a.m. Who found their bodies? Two men riding four-wheelers found the teens Sunday before 3 p.m., according to the Sheriff’s Office. ABC11, The News & Observer’s newsgathering partner, reported they were found near a power-line easement in the Buckhorn Road area outside Hillsborough. The site is about 2 miles away from the house where Woods was last seen. A memorial with crosses, candles, lights, and other items has been set up at the site by community members, friends and family. On Monday evening, there was a memorial service for Clark at Eastern Alamance High School. How can people help catch the killer(s) or give information? Anyone with possible information about the case is asked to call Investigator Keith Goodwin at the Sheriff’s Office at 919-245-2918. Their office is working with the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office, the Efland Fire Department, the Burlington Police Department, and Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Viper Unit of the State Highway Patrol, according to the Tuesday release. Woods’ grandfather, Stan Dean, is also offering a $10,000 reward for anyone who had information about who is responsible for her death. Stan Dean, the grandfather of Lyric Woods, stands over a makeshift memorial that sits a few yards from the entrance of a gravel road in Orange County Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Monday the two young people found shot and killed Sunday in western Orange County are missing teens Lyric Woods, 14, and Devin Clark, 18. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com Records, including 911 calls and the incident report for the case, will not be released to the public or media until after the approval of the sheriff and the completed investigation, according to Kevin Medlin, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office. Who were Lyric Woods and Devin Clark? What schools did Lyric and Devin attend? Woods was a ninth-grader at Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough, and Clark was a senior at Eastern Alamance High School. The Sheriff’s Office did not say whether the two students knew each other, though several posts from friends and family on social media say the two were friends. Clark was a wide receiver for the Eastern Alamance football team, according to a statement from the Alamance-Burlington School System. In addition to Cedar Ridge, Woods had attended Gravelly Hill Middle and Efland-Cheeks Global Elementary, the school district said. How can people help their families? By Tuesday afternoon, two GoFundMe pages had raised over $40,000 to help the teens’ families pay their funeral costs. Friends of Woods’ family created this confirmed GoFundMe. The aunt of Clark has organized this GoFundMe page for him. This story was originally published September 20, 2022 2:09 PM. Kristen Johnson is a reporter on The News & Observer’s breaking news team. She is an alumna of UNC at Charlotte and American University. Colleen Hammond is a recent graduate of Duquesne University from Ann Arbor, Michigan. She has previously covered breaking news, local government, the COVID-19 pandemic and racial issues for the Pittsburgh City Paper and Pittsburgh Tribune Review. Read More…

Stock Futures Are Flat Ahead Of The Federal Reserve's Expected Interest Rate Hike https://digitalalabamanews.com/stock-futures-are-flat-ahead-of-the-federal-reserves-expected-interest-rate-hike/ Stock futures were flat Tuesday evening as traders look ahead to Wednesday’s interest rate hike announcement from the Federal Reserve. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose by 12 points, or 0.04%. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 0.07% and 0.07%, respectively. Stocks fell Tuesday on the first day of the Federal Open Market Committee’s meeting. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 313.45 points, or 1.01%. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 1.13% and 0.95% respectively. Yields also jumped Tuesday. The 2-year U.S. Treasury note yield surged as high as 3.99%, its highest level since 2007. The yield on the 10-year Treasury briefly touched 3.6%, the most since 2011. Investors expect that on Wednesday, the central bank will deliver its third consecutive 0.75 percentage point rate hike to tame high inflation. A higher-than-expected consumer price index reading in August and hawkish comments on rate hikes from Fed leaders have weighed on stocks, with more pressure likely ahead as the central bank continues to fight inflation. “We’ll never truly know whether the equity market lows are in for the year without successfully testing the June lows,” said John Lynch, chief investment officer at Comerica Wealth Management in a Tuesday note. “To be sure, the recent technical weakness in stock prices must now contend with the resolve of monetary policy makers in their fight against inflation.” He added that third-quarter earnings season may also add headwinds for stock prices if they show further margin erosion for U.S. companies. Investors will also be watching for earnings from Lennar, KB Homes, General Mills and Steelcase Wednesday. Existing home sales will also be released Wednesday morning. CNBC Pro: Want to play the EV sector? Analysts say this lithium stock could soar 70% As interest in battery stocks picks up after a tough year so far, CNBC Pro analyzed a number of stocks in the sector that analysts say have serious potential. CNBC Pro screened the Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF on FactSet for stocks that could outperform. One stock that made the list has jumped over 40% this year so far, and analysts say it has further upside of more than 70%. CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here. — Weizhen Tan Fed should prioritize soft landing, says Lazard’s Temple Even though the Federal Reserve is set to deliver its third consecutive 0.75 percentage point rate hike this week – tripling the pace of tightening – they should be careful not to throw the economy into a recession, said Ron Temple, head of U.S. Equity at Lazard Asset Management. “Inflation is unacceptably high, and investors, politicians, and consumers are anxious, but patience is a virtue,” said Temple. “Monetary policy works with long and variable lags.” He added that key drivers of inflation are already falling. “The Fed should avoid the temptation to overreact to recent data and keep their eyes on the goal of achieving the softest landing possible,” he said. —Carmen Reinicke Stitch Fix share falls following report of revenue loss Shares of Stitch Fix fell about 1.5% in post-market trading. The online styling company reported revenue losses in the fourth quarter after the bell Tuesday. Stitch Fix reported a loss of 89 cents per share on a net revenue of $481.9 million, which is down 16% from the same period a year ago. Net revenue for the first quarter of 2023 is expected to be down approximately 20% from the same quarter a year prior, the company said in a release detailing its performance. “Today’s macroeconomic environment and its impact on retail spending has been a challenge to navigate, but we remain committed to working through our transformation and returning to profitability,” said CEO Elizabeth Spaulding. Full-year revenue was down 1.4% compared to the prior year. — Alex Harring Stock futures open flat ahead of key Fed decision Stock futures opened flat Tuesday evening as Wall Street awaits the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee’s interest rate decision Wednesday. The central bank is expected to deliver another 0.75 percentage point interest rate hike to calm inflation. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose by 20 points, or 0.06%. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 0.10% and 0.15%, respectively. —Carmen Reinicke Read More…

BCHS Science Teacher Receives Award From University Of South Alabama https://digitalalabamanews.com/bchs-science-teacher-receives-award-from-university-of-south-alabama/ BAY MINETTE, Ala. (WALA) – A Baldwin County High School science teacher got a big surprise Tuesday morning, September 20, 2022. Each year the University of South Alabama (USA) selects a group of winners for its Extra Yard Award. The winning teachers receive cash awards to go towards classroom projects. Bates’ first period earth and space class was the setting for the USA’s awards team to spring the news. It definitely caught the class by surprise when the Jags cheerleaders and school mascot, Miss Pawla showed up with a big check and announced their teacher, Hunter Bates had been selected as one of this year’s winners. “Yeah. Then I’m like, ‘I won. I won the five-hundred dollars.’ It was a big deal,” Bates said. “Dr. Paige and USA, I just want to thank everybody for coming out because, you…the five-hundred dollars is for the kids.” “The opportunity for our students to engage in authentic learning is really important. It gives them that hands-on experience. They’re doing something that improves their own community,” USA faculty representative, Dr. Paige Vitulli said. Bates entered the contest, hoping to expand on an outdoor project he began with some of his classes last year. There’s been a pond near the entrance to the campus for many years which had fallen into disrepair. BCHS senior, Kareem Stevens and other students cleaned and patched it up last year and brought it back to life. With the help of his $500 award, BCHS science teacher plans on upgrading technology to bring nature into the classroom(Hal Scheurich) “It feels great that we did something to actually get recognized for and everything and then let other classes like you said, do experiments and all that…do projects and get to do like, cool stuff with it,” Stevens said. Now, the pond supports a variety of plant and animal life. Bates often takes his classes outdoors to learn and uses the pond as a centerpiece for environmental stewardship. He said this check for $500.00 will go a long way in helping to do just that. “We just want to make sure that we have everything for them and they’re ready for the real world and for me to do that, I need more income so I can get them more hands-on experience because I can teach them out of this book every day but in reality, the kids are going to learn more whenever they’re outside, getting hands-on,” Bates explained. Most of the money will be spent on technology that will allow Bates to project images from his microscope to the video display board in his classroom. This will bring the microscopic world of the pond to life and be a much more efficient use of time. Other winners here in Mobile County included entries from Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies, Clark-Shaw Magnet School and Williamson High School. All the winners also received a pair of tickets to the Jags home game against LA Tech this weekend. Congratulations to all the winners. — Download the FOX10 Weather App. Get life-saving severe weather warnings and alerts for your location no matter where you are. Available free in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Copyright 2022 WALA. All rights reserved. Read More…

Golden Flake Potato Chip Maker Plans Warehouse; Birmingham Agrees To Improve Road https://digitalalabamanews.com/golden-flake-potato-chip-maker-plans-warehouse-birmingham-agrees-to-improve-road/ News Updated: Sep. 20, 2022, 9:10 p.m.| Published: Sep. 20, 2022, 8:02 p.m. Combined, Home Depot and Utz plan new warehouses that will have about 90 employees, city officials said. The City of Birmingham and Jefferson County have agreed to improve Acipco Industrial Drive to prepare for two new multi-million-dollar warehouses to be built by Home Depot and Utz Brands, which bought Birmingham-based Golden Flake potato chips in 2016. Combined, the Home Depot and Utz warehouses will have about 90 employees, city officials said. Utz plans to build a 90,000-square-foot distribution warehouse. Currently, Acipco Industrial Drive has potholes so large that they require orange cones to warn drivers to steer clear, city officials said. The road work will cost up to $250,000, according to the intergovernmental agreement passed by the Birmingham City Council on Tuesday. “I’m glad that we have an opportunity today to not only fix some of our roads, but also provide some support to companies that want to invest in our city and provide jobs for our residents,” said City Council member LaTonya Tate. Utz Quality Foods, based in Hanover, Penn., purchased Golden Enterprises, Golden Flake’s parent company, in 2016 for $141 million. Golden Flake was founded in 1923 in the basement of a Hill’s Grocery store in north Birmingham. In addition to flavored chips such as Sweet Heat, cheese puffs, cheese curls, tortilla chips and snack crackers are made at the historic Golden Flake factory in Birmingham and shipped throughout the Southeast. In 2011, Utz bought Zapp’s potato chips, a Louisiana brand, known for its regional flavors like Voodoo chips and Cajun Crawtators. The Birmingham City Council also voted to authorize the mayor to sell 28.57 acres for $3.25 million to Consolidated Pipe & Supply Co. Inc. for its corporate headquarters, at 750 Tom Martin Drive and 801 Lakeshore Parkway. The City Council also authorized the mayor to sell 67.4 acres in the Daniel Payne Industrial Park to R.L.R. Investments LLC for about $3.7 million. R.L.R. plans a 130-door transportation terminal with an eight-bay shop, office, truck wash, fuel island and parking. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…

See The Full Team-By-Team 2023 SEC Football Schedule https://digitalalabamanews.com/see-the-full-team-by-team-2023-sec-football-schedule/ The SEC released its full 2023 football schedule on Tuesday. Games begin the weekend of Sept. 2 for every team but Vanderbilt, which opens Aug. 26 vs. Hawaii (consequently, the Commodores are the only SEC team with two open dates). The 2023 SEC championship game is set for Dec. 2 at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. RELATED: See the full week-by-week 2023 SEC football schedule Here is the complete schedule, by team. Kickoff times and television information will be announced at a later date (HOME GAMES IN ALL CAPS): ALABAMA Sept. 2, MIDDLE TENNESSEE Sept 9, TEXAS Sept. 16, at South Florida Sept. 23, OLE MISS Sept. 30, at Mississippi State Oct. 7, at Texas A&M Oct. 14, ARKANSAS Oct. 21, TENNESSEE Oct. 28, open date Nov. 4, LSU Nov. 11, at Kentucky Nov. 18, CHATTANOOGA Nov. 25, at Auburn ARKANSAS Sept. 2, WESTERN CAROLINA (Little Rock) Sept. 9, KENT STATE Sept. 16, BYU Sept. 23, at LSU Sept. 30, vs. Texas A&M (Arlington, Texas) Oct. 7, at Ole Miss Oct. 14, at Alabama Oct. 21, MISSISSIPPI STATE Oct. 28, open date Nov. 4, at Florida Nov. 11, AUBURN Nov. 18, FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL Nov. 25, MISSOURI AUBURN Sept. 2, MASSACHUSETTS Sept. 9, at California Sept. 16, SAMFORD Sept. 23, at Texas A&M Sept. 30, GEORGIA Oct. 7, open date Oct. 14, at LSU Oct. 21, OLE MISS Oct. 28, MISSISSIPPI STATE Nov. 4, at Vanderbilt Nov. 11, at Arkansas Nov. 18, NEW MEXICO STATE Nov. 25, ALABAMA FLORIDA Sept. 2, at Utah Sept. 9, MCNEESE STATE Sept. 16, TENNESSEE Sept. 23, CHARLOTTE Sept. 30, at Kentucky Oct. 7, VANDERBILT Oct. 14, at South Carolina Oct. 21, open date Oct. 28, vs. Georgia (Jacksonville, Fla.) Nov. 4, ARKANSAS Nov. 11, at LSU Nov. 18, at Missouri Nov. 25, FLORIDA STATE GEORGIA Sept. 2, UT MARTIN Sept. 9, BALL STATE Sept. 16, SOUTH CAROLINA Sept. 23, UAB Sept. 30, at Auburn Oct. 7, KENTUCKY Oct. 14, at Vanderbilt Oct. 21, open date Oct. 28, vs. Florida (Jacksonville, Fla.) Nov. 4, MISSOURI Nov. 11, OLE MISS Nov. 18, at Tennessee Nov. 25, at Georgia Tech KENTUCKY Sept. 2, BALL STATE Sept. 9, EASTERN KENTUCKY Sept. 16, AKRON Sept. 23, at Vanderbilt Sept. 30, FLORIDA Oct. 7, at Georgia Oct. 14, MISSOURI Oct. 21, open date Oct. 28, TENNESSEE Nov. 4, at Mississippi State Nov. 11, ALABAMA Nov. 18, at South Carolina Nov. 25, at Louisville LSU Sept. 3 (Sunday), vs. Florida State (Orlando) Sept. 9, GRAMBLING Sept. 16, at Mississippi State Sept. 23, ARKANSAS Sept. 30, at Ole Miss Oct. 7, at Missouri Oct. 14, AUBURN Oct. 21, ARMY Oct. 28, open date Nov. 4, at Alabama Nov. 11, FLORIDA Nov. 18, GEORGIA STATE Nov. 25, TEXAS A&M OLE MISS Sept. 2, MERCER Sept. 9, at Tulane Sept. 16, GEORGIA TECH Sept. 23, at Alabama Sept. 30, LSU Oct. 7, ARKANSAS Oct. 14, open date Oct. 21, at Auburn Oct. 28, VANDERBILT Nov. 4, TEXAS A&M Nov. 11, at Georgia Nov. 18, LOUISIANA-MONROE Nov. 23 (Thursday), at Mississippi State MISSISSIPPI STATE Sept. 2, SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA Sept. 9, ARIZONA Sept. 16, LSU Sept. 23, at South Carolina Sept. 30, ALABAMA Oct. 7, WESTERN MICHIGAN Oct. 14, open date Oct. 21, at Arkansas Oct. 28, at Auburn Nov. 4, KENTUCKY Nov. 11, at Texas A&M Nov. 18, SOUTHERN MISS Nov. 23 (Thursday), OLE MISS MISSOURI Sept. 2, SOUTH DAKOTA Sept. 9, MIDDLE TENNESSEE Sept. 16, KANSAS STATE Sept. 23, TBD Sept. 30, at Vanderbilt Oct. 7, LSU Oct. 14, at Kentucky Oct. 21, SOUTH CAROLINA Oct. 28, open date Nov. 4, at Georgia Nov. 11, TENNESSEE Nov. 18, FLORIDA Nov. 25, at Arkansas SOUTH CAROLINA Sept. 2, vs. North Carolina (Charlotte) Sept. 9, FURMAN Sept. 16, at Georgia Sept. 23, MISSISSIPPI STATE Sept. 30, at Tennessee Oct. 7, open date Oct. 14, FLORIDA Oct. 21, at Missouri Oct. 28, at Texas A&M Nov. 4, JACKSONVILLE STATE Nov. 11, VANDERBILT Nov. 18, KENTUCKY Nov. 25, CLEMSON TENNESSEE Sept. 2, vs. Virginia (Nashville) Sept. 9, AUSTIN PEAY Sept. 16, at Florida Sept. 23, UT SAN ANTONIO Sept. 30, SOUTH CAROLINA Oct. 7, open date Oct. 14, TEXAS A&M Oct. 21, at Alabama Oct. 28, at Kentucky Nov. 4, CONNECTICUT Nov. 11, at Missouri Nov. 18, GEORGIA Nov. 25, VANDERBILT TEXAS A&M Sept. 2, NEW MEXICO Sept. 9, at Miami Sept. 16, LOUISIANA-MONROE Sept. 23, AUBURN Sept. 30, vs. Arkansas (Arlington, Texas) Oct. 7, ALABAMA Oct. 14, at Tennessee Oct. 21, open date Oct. 28, SOUTH CAROLINA Nov. 4, at Ole Miss Nov. 11, MISSISSIPPI STATE Nov. 18, ABILENE CHRISTIAN Nov. 25, at LSU VANDERBILT Aug. 26, HAWAII Sept. 2, ALABAMA A&M Sept. 9, at Wake Forest Sept. 16, at UNLV Sept. 23, KENTUCKY Sept. 30, MISSOURI Oct. 7, at Florida Oct. 14, GEORGIA Oct. 21, open date Oct. 28, at Ole Miss Nov. 4, AUBURN Nov. 11, at South Carolina Nov. 18, open date Nov. 25, at Tennessee Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…

New Mexico Previously Bused Migrants During Trump Years https://digitalalabamanews.com/new-mexico-previously-bused-migrants-during-trump-years/ MORGAN LEE, Associated Press Sep. 20, 2022Updated: Sep. 20, 2022 7:53 p.m. FILE – Migrants walk along concertina wire toward Border Patrol officers after illegally crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into the U.S. at Eagle Pass, Texas, Friday, Aug. 26, 2022. The number of Venezuelans, Cubans and Nicaraguans taken into custody at the U.S. border with Mexico soared in August as migrants from Mexico and traditional sending countries were stopped less frequently, authorities said Monday.Eric Gay/AP SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — When migrants overwhelmed cities and shelters in New Mexico in 2019, Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham moved several dozen of them by bus from border communities to Denver, where Christian congregations volunteered to provide shelter and aid. Fast forward to 2022 and there is little, if any, talk of transporting migrants away from the border by Lujan Grisham — or Republican nominee for governor Mark Ronchetti. Lujan Grisham and Ronchetti declined this week to answer questions about whether they would approve any new efforts to transport migrants from the border region of New Mexico to other states and under what circumstances. Ronchetti, a former television meteorologist, has campaigned on promises to intervene against cross-border smuggling of migrants and illicit drugs by deploying soldiers and police to the state’s border with Mexico. He also has denounced recently enacted laws that provide public benefits to migrants. Still, that approach steers clear of the controversial campaigns by Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida to ship thousands of immigrants from Texas to Democratic-led states and cities as they campaign for reelection. “Governors in Texas, Arizona, and Florida are doing everything they can to bring attention to the border crisis created by Joe Biden and made worse by politicians like Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham,” said Ronchetti spokesman Ryan Sabel in an email. Ronchetti, who lost an open race for U.S. Senate in 2020, campaigned alongside DeSantis at an August rally in Carlsbad. Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Maddy Hayden described Republican efforts to transport migrants as a distraction. “Gov. DeSantis is using this opportunity to distract Americans from the fact that his far-right colleagues are trying to pass a national abortion ban, a position he supports,” Hayden said in a statement Tuesday. New Mexico in 2019 struggled to accommodate a surge in the number of migrants arriving from Central America, as immigration authorities dropped asylum seekers off at small border communities. The governor’s office at one point paid to bus several dozen migrants to Colorado. The state also sued federal immigration officials, claiming they were shirking their duties. The case was dismissed by a federal judge. In August of this year alone, U.S. authorities stopped migrants about 29,000 times along the U.S. border near El Paso and New Mexico’s 180-mile (290 kilometer) border with Mexico, amid a surge in immigration from Venezuela. Read More…

Ex-Trump Official Criticizes Probe Into Misconduct Claims – KOAM https://digitalalabamanews.com/ex-trump-official-criticizes-probe-into-misconduct-claims-koam/ September 20, 2022 6:50 PM By JOSHUA GOODMAN – Associated Press Posted: September 20, 2022 6:50 PM Updated: September 20, 2022 7:45 PM Juan Karita – staff, AP FILE – Mauricio Claver-Carone, deputy assistant to President Donald Trump and senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs, right, arrives to meet with Bolivia’s Foreign Minister Karen Longaric in La Paz, Bolivia, Jan. 15, 2020. Claver-Carone a former Trump official who heads the Inter-American Development Bank, criticized on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, an external investigation into an anonymous complaint that he carried on a romantic relationship with a subordinate. MIAMI (AP) — A former Trump official who heads Latin America’s largest development lender on Tuesday criticized an external investigation into an anonymous complaint that he carried on a romantic relationship with a subordinate. The investigation’s findings have not been made public, but Mauricio Claver-Carone said in a statement that it did not substantiate the “false and anonymous allegations” about his activities as president of the Inter-American Development Bank. Claver-Carone, who previously served as the White House’s top national security adviser on Latin America, also harshly criticized the manner in which the probe was conducted, saying he was never given an opportunity to officially respond to the accusations. “It is important to note the investigative process failed to meet international standards of integrity that both the IDB and the region strive to exemplify,” he said. “In clear and direct contravention of IDB ethics rules, neither I nor any other IDB staff member has been given an opportunity to review the final investigative report, respond to its conclusions, or correct inaccuracies.” It is not known what steps, if any, the bank’s board will take next. Executive directors representing Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and other countries did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment. The probe, carried out by the law firm Davis Polk, was launched by the bank’s board after it received an email in March requesting an investigation into possible misconduct by Claver-Carone. The email, which was shown to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the probe on the condition of anonymity, was sent from a Gmail address referencing “corruption” at the IADB, as the bank is also known. “It is widely known, inside and outside of the IADB, that the President has a romantic and inappropriate relationship with one of his subordinates,” according to the email, which is signed by “A Friend of the IADB.” Among other irregularities. the email accuses Claver-Carone and the person he directly managed of inflating expenses and booking adjacent hotel rooms when traveling together for work. While offering no evidence, the sender provided a list of possible witnesses to corroborate the accusations, including Claver-Carone’s former wife and a former driver. A bank official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, said the employee has denied having an affair with her boss. As part of the probe, Claver-Carone’s ex-wife also signed an affidavit denying the anonymous email’s claim she told bank staff that her marriage ended as a result of his affair with the woman. Claver-Carone has been a lightning rod for criticism from Democrats ever since he was elected as president of the bank in the waning months of the Trump administration. The Miami native is the first U.S. citizen to head the Washington-based bank and some in the region, especially on the left, complained that his selection broke the longstanding tradition of having a Latin American at the helm. Joshua Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman Read More…

Hurricane Fiona Blasts Turks And Caicos Islands As A https://digitalalabamanews.com/hurricane-fiona-blasts-turks-and-caicos-islands-as-a/ Hurricane Fiona blasted the Turks and Caicos Islands on Tuesday as a Category 3 storm after devastating Puerto Rico, where most people remained without electricity or running water. Hurricane conditions slammed Grand Turk, the small British territory’s capital island, on Tuesday morning after the government imposed a curfew and urged people to flee flood-prone areas. By Tuesday evening, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC), the storm was centered about 50 miles north of North Caicos Island, with hurricane-force winds extending up to 35 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extending up to 150 miles. The storm was moving in a north-northwest direction at about 8 mph.  Turks and Caicos will continue to see “heavy rains” throughout the evening hours with “life-threatening flooding,” the NHC said. Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic could see another 1 to 2 inches of rain from Fiona, the NHC forecasted, bringing the potential for even more flooding. In total, parts of Puerto Rico could receive as much as 35 inches of rain from the storm, while some portions of the Dominican Republic could see 20 inches. Fiona was expected to approach Bermuda late Thursday, the NHC said, and is expected to strengthen over the next few days.   “Storms are unpredictable,” Premier Washington Misick said in a statement from London, where he was attending the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. “You must therefore take every precaution to ensure your safety.” A man wades through a flooded street in Nagua, Dominican Republic, on Sept. 19, 2022, after the passage of Hurricane Fiona.  ERIKA SANTELICES/afp/AFP/Getty Images Fiona was forecast to weaken before running into easternmost Canada over the weekend. It was not expected to threaten the U.S. mainland. Fiona triggered a blackout when it hit Puerto Rico’s southwest corner on Sunday, the anniversary of Hurricane Hugo, which slammed into the island in 1989 as a Category 3 storm. By Tuesday morning, authorities said they had restored power to nearly 300,000 of the island’s 1.47 million customers. Power was also restored to San Jorge Children and Women’s Hospital in San Juan Tuesday afternoon, Puerto Rico power distribution company Luma reported. Puerto Rico’s governor warned it could take days before everyone has electricity.  Water service was cut to more than 760,000 customers — two-thirds of the total on the island — because of turbid water at filtration plants or lack of power, officials said. The storm was responsible for at least two deaths in Puerto Rico. A 58-year-old man died after police said he was swept away by a river in the central mountain town of Comerio. Another death was linked to a power blackout — a 70-year-old man was burned to death after he tried to fill his generator with gasoline while it was running, officials said. In the Dominican Republic, authorities also reported two deaths: a 68-year-old man hit by a falling tree and an 18-year-old girl who was struck by a falling electrical post while riding a motorcycle. The storm forced more than 1,550 people to seek safety in government shelters and left more than 406,500 homes without power. The hurricane left several highways blocked, and a tourist pier in the town of Miches was badly damaged by high waves. At least four international airports were closed, officials said. The Dominican president, Luis Abinader, said authorities would need several days to assess the storm’s effects. In the central Puerto Rico mountain town of Cayey, where the Plato River burst its banks and the brown torrent of water consumed cars and homes, overturned dressers, beds and large refrigerators lay strewn in people’s yards Tuesday. “Puerto Rico is not prepared for this, or for anything,” said Mariangy Hernández, a 48-year-old housewife, who said she doubted the government would help her community of some 300 in the long term, despite ongoing efforts to clear the streets and restore power. “This is only for a couple of days and later they forget about us.” She and her husband were stuck in line waiting for the National Guard to clear a landslide in their hilly neighborhood. “Is it open? Is it open?” one driver asked, worried that the road might have been completely closed. Other drivers asked the National Guard if they could swing by their homes to help cut trees or clear clumps of mud and debris. Hurricane Fiona slams Puerto Rico, leaving most of the island without power or clean water 05:07 Michelle Carlo, a medical adviser for Direct Relief in Puerto Rico, told CBS News on Tuesday that conditions on the island were “eerily similar” to 2017, when Hurricane Maria caused nearly 3,000 deaths.  “Despite Fiona being categorized as only a Category 1 hurricane, the water damage in Puerto Rico has been in some places as bad or even worse than when Maria hit us five years ago,” Carlo said. Five years later, more than 3,000 homes on the island are still covered by blue tarps.   National Guard Brig. Gen. Narciso Cruz described the resulting flooding as historic. “There were communities that flooded in the storm that didn’t flood under Maria,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like this.” Cruz said that 670 people have been rescued in Puerto Rico, including 19 people at a retirement home in the north mountain town of Cayey that was in danger of collapsing. “The rivers broke their banks and blanketed communities,” he said. Some were rescued via kayaks and boats while others nestled into the massive shovel of a digger and were lifted to higher ground. He lamented that some people refused to leave their home, adding that he understood them. “It’s human nature,” he said. “But when they saw their lives were in danger, they agreed to leave.” A member of the Puerto Rico National Guard wades through water searching for people in need of rescue from flooded streets in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona in Salinas, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 19, 2022. Reuters/Ricardo Arduengo Jeannette Soto, a 34-year-old manicurist, worried it would take a long time for crews to restore power because a landslide swept away the neighborhood’s main light post. “It’s the first time this happens,” she said of the landslides. “We didn’t think the magnitude of the rain was going to be so great.” Gov. Pedro Pierluisi requested a major disaster declaration on Tuesday and said it would be at least a week before authorities have an estimate of the damage that Fiona caused. He said the damage caused by the rain was “catastrophic,” especially in the island’s central, south and southeast regions. “The impact caused by the hurricane has been devastating for many people,” he said. The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency traveled to Puerto Rico on Tuesday as the agency announced it was sending hundreds of additional personnel to boost local response efforts. On Tuesday evening, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra declared a public health emergency for Puerto Rico. This comes after President Biden issued an emergency declaration Monday. HHS has deployed 25 personnel to the island so far, the agency said in a news release. “We will do all we can to assist officials in Puerto Rico with responding to the impacts of Hurricane Fiona,” Becerra said in a statement. “We are working closely with territory health authorities and our federal partners and stand ready to provide additional public health and medical support.” U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday he would push for the federal government to cover 100% of disaster response costs — instead of the usual 75% — as part of an emergency disaster declaration. “We need to make sure this time, Puerto Rico has absolutely everything it needs, as soon as possible, for as long as they need it,” he said. On the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico still faces power challenges 08:03 In: Hurricane Fiona Read More…

E. Jean Carroll To Sue Trump For Battery Under New Sexual Misconduct Law https://digitalalabamanews.com/e-jean-carroll-to-sue-trump-for-battery-under-new-sexual-misconduct-law/ E. Jean Carroll, the author who alleges that former President Trump raped her in the mid-1990s, plans to sue him for battery under a new state law, according to court filings made public Tuesday. Why it matters: Carroll, who is in the middle of a high-profile defamation suit against Trump, had been unable to pursue legal action for the actual alleged assault due to the state’s statute of limitations. Now the Adult Survivors Act, which gives adult survivors of sexual misconduct a one-year window to sue their abusers regardless of when the incident occurred, could give her another chance against her alleged abuser. Driving the news: Carroll’s lawyer Roberta A. Kaplan wrote in an August letter to a New York federal judge that she will sue Trump for battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress “on the earliest possible date,” which is Nov. 24. Carroll’s team has requested a deposition to question Trump under oath. He “remains unwilling to produce” any court-mandated evidence, Kaplan said. Kaplan has asked to consolidate Carroll’s defamation case with her expected suit under the Adult Survivors Act. Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba responded by asking the judge to reject the request, which she said would be “extraordinarily prejudicial” to Trump. She also denied that Trump has failed to produce evidence and defended his use of “executive privilege” — a recurring tactic of his — to avoid handing over documents related to his verbal attacks on her character while he was president. The big picture: The former president has maintained that he did not rape Carroll, who sued him for defamation in 2019 after he branded her a liar. Trump, who faced a litany of sexual misconduct allegations during his campaign run in 2016, lost his bid to countersue earlier this year. Representatives for Carroll and Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Read More…

Feeding Our Future Founder Among 48 People Charged In $250 Million Federal Food Aid Fraud Scheme https://digitalalabamanews.com/feeding-our-future-founder-among-48-people-charged-in-250-million-federal-food-aid-fraud-scheme/ The director of the Feeding Our Future nonprofit and 47 other people were charged Tuesday in what federal prosecutors say was a “massive scheme” to defraud the government of more than $250 million meant to feed needy children during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a news conference, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger described the scheme as the largest pandemic fraud in the country and the charges amount to one of the largest federal fraud cases ever brought in Minnesota. “These 47 defendants engaged in a brazen scheme of staggering proportions,” Luger said, hours before charges against another defendant were unsealed. “Their goal was to make as much money for themselves as they could while falsely claiming to feed children during the pandemic.” The defendants were charged with crimes including wire fraud, conspiracy, money laundering and bribery. The indictments allege that conspirators shelled out tens of thousands of dollars to join the criminal enterprise, and later tried to cover their tracks by submitting fake invoices and enrollment forms with fictitious names pulled from such places as www.listofrandomnames.com. Luger described the wave of indictments unsealed Tuesday as “the first set of charges” in the continuing investigation. Several defendants were arrested Tuesday, but Luger said some have left the country. Prosecutors allege the leader of the scheme was Aimee Bock, executive director of Feeding Our Future, who they accuse of personally recruiting many of the conspirators and knowingly submitting more than 125 million false meal claims. Bock appeared in court Tuesday afternoon and pleaded not guilty. She was released with conditions. She and her attorney, Kenneth Udoibok, did not respond to requests for comment. Co-conspirators are accused of using tens of millions of dollars to fund international travel, buy luxury cars and purchase homes in Minnesota, Ohio, Kentucky and along the coasts of Kenya and Turkey. Tuesday’s arrests mark the latest high-profile chapter in a federal probe that started more than a year ago and included a sweeping FBI search warrant operation in January that spilled into public view. According to charges, the alleged scheme exploited changes in the federal child nutrition program that were intended to make sure needy children received adequate nutrition amid the pandemic. As part of the changes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture allowed for-profit restaurants to participate in the federal food aid program. Regulators also let parents bring meals home instead of requiring children to eat on site. Prosecutors said the rule changes made it more difficult to oversee the meals program, rendering it vulnerable to fraud and abuse. After becoming an approved sponsor in 2018, Feeding Our Future battled state regulators over its explosive growth plans, filing a lawsuit that ultimately forced the department to approve dozens of sites that had been held up in the approval process for months. Luger said the conspiracy began in March 2020, in the early days of the pandemic, when the conspirators saw an opportunity to defraud the government. As part of a “pay-to-play” scheme, Bock and other company employees solicited and received bribes from people and companies seeking to join the fast-growing criminal enterprise, according to the charges. Many of the bribes were paid directly to Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, a Feeding Our Future employee who was accused of receiving kickbacks ranging from $49,000 to $225,000, the charges say. Eidleh could not be reached for comment and court records indicate he does not have an attorney yet. Eidleh is accused of depositing more than $5 million in kickbacks, bribes and other fraud proceeds into bank accounts opened in the name of his shell companies. Many of the kickbacks were paid in cash or disguised as “consulting fees” paid to shell companies created by Feeding Our Future employees to conceal the true nature of the payments and make them appear legitimate, the indictment alleges. Bock benefitted from the expanding fees collected by Feeding Our Future, which typically kept 10 to 15% of all reimbursement payments for administrative purposes, according to the charges. In 2021, when Feeding Our Future collected nearly $200 million in reimbursements, its share of the money amounted to $18 million, the charges say. The indictment says Feeding Our Future also opened its own federal food aid sites in Minneapolis and Burnsville that allegedly falsely claimed to serve meals to thousands of children a day, seven days a week. Altogether, Bock’s nonprofit sponsored more than 200 federal food program sites throughout Minnesota, according to charges. “The sites fraudulently claimed to be serving meals to thousands of children a day within just days or weeks of being formed and despite having few, if any, staff and little to no experience serving this volume of meals,” the indictment reads. Bock told the Star Tribune earlier this year that she never stole money or saw evidence of fraud among her subcontractors. The scheme was so lucrative that some conspirators were able to rent out restaurants at exorbitant prices just to create additional meal sites, according to the charges. In Willmar, for instance, conspirators paid more than $570,000 to rent the Faafan Restaurant for 11 months, almost three times the restaurant’s annual sales before the pandemic. The site received more than $4 million in reimbursements, half of which was pocketed by the conspirators, according to the charges. “No one participating in this program legitimately would ever imagine they could … make millions of dollars,” Luger said. “It is not possible.” Prosecutors said the conspirators did a sloppy job of concealing their crimes, submitting fake attendance rosters that were filled with hundreds of made-up names that could not be verified by local schools. Typically, Luger said, just 1-2% of the names appeared to be legitimate. In some cases, conspirators consulted websites to find names. But investigators found impossible fluctuations in the ages of the students listed on the rosters, noting that some kids went from 8 to 12 years old in a matter of months. The meal sites allegedly submitted fake invoices purporting to document their food purchases. Some did purchase and serve small amounts of food but inflated the numbers, the indictment alleges. The indictment charging Bock also includes charges against three men — Salim Ahmed Said, Abdulkadir Nur Salah and Abdirahman Mohamud Ahmed — who run the Safari Restaurant in Minneapolis. They claimed to have served 3.9 million meals to children between April 2020 and November 2021, propped up by fake attendance rosters, prosecutors allege. Said, Salah and Ahmed could not be reached for comment. According to charges, Safari received more than $16 million in federal money based on claims that they were feeding needy children. The charges noted that the restaurant generated no more than $600,000 in annual sales prior to the pandemic. Said and Salah sent much of the $16 million to co-conspirators via shell companies used to launder proceeds, according to the charges. Safari’s ownership also paid more than $350,000 in bribes and kickbacks to Bock and Eidleh for sponsorship, the charges allege. Minnesota Department of Education [MDE] officials began questioning Bock about the sudden boom in sites that her organization sponsored in 2020. Feeding Our Future sued the state and claimed the education department was discriminating against a nonprofit that worked with racial minorities after the department halted payments to the nonprofit by early 2021. The FBI’s investigation into Feeding Our Future began in May 2021, after state education officials brought information to the bureau. Though some state legislators have faulted MDE for not acting more aggressively on its fraud suspicions, Luger declined to assess the department’s oversight. “That is not for me to say,” Luger said. “We are pleased by the thorough cooperation we got from MDE throughout this investigation.” Feeding Our Future’s three board members voted in February to dissolve the organization in part because its bank accounts had been frozen as part of the federal probe. According to court documents, the government has seized more than $3.5 million from a Feeding Our Future bank account and more than $185,000 held in Bock’s personal bank accounts. Authorities also took $13,462 in cash and a 2013 Porsche Panamera during the Jan. 20 search warrant operation at Bock’s home. Luger said that the government has so far seized $50 million in property tied to the scheme, including 60 bank accounts, 45 parcels of real property, 14 vehicles, jewelry and other items. At least one defendant — Fahad Nur — is accused of fleeing the United States shortly after the January FBI raids. Nur is charged with four others in one indictment that alleged a $25 million fraud scheme. Nur’s The Produce LLC was sponsored by Feeding Our Future and took in more than $11 million in federal funds as a vendor and food supplier to sites involved in the program. Nur could not be reached for comment. Prosecutors say he did not make any significant food-related purchases between initiating food operations around March 2021 through September of that year, yet received $3.5 million for food he claimed to have provided through the program. Days before registering the company with the state of Minnesota, Nur submitted fraudulent invoices to Feeding Our Future claiming to have provided 3,635 gallons of milk and more than 7,000 packed lunches to another co-defendant, the indictment alleges. Most defendants did not yet have an attorney. Others charged include: • Abdiaziz Shafii Farah and Mohamed ...

More Hot Weather And More Action In The Tropics https://digitalalabamanews.com/more-hot-weather-and-more-action-in-the-tropics/ It’s the hottest weather in months even though we are one day from the start of Fall; temperatures soar to the mid-90s again Wednesday, but a heat-breaking cold front arrives Thursday! Check the video forecast for the latest.SUMMER HEAT STILL GOING STRONGBirmingham hit 94°F, Tuscaloosa got to 95°F, and the temperature soared as high as 98°F in Muscle Shoals Tuesday afternoon. We get two more days of blazing hot, dry late summertime heat before the first of two near-future cold fronts arrives Thursday.High temperatures through midweek look like this:WEDNESDAY: 95ºF (record 98ºF in 2010)THURSDAY: 94ºF (record 100ºF in 1925)Outside of the brief showers that developed Tuesday, rain remains practically non-existent through at least Saturday.TROPICAL ATLANTICHurricane Fiona became a major hurricane Tuesday, and that storm keeps churning and growing stronger through Thursday: potentially up to Category Four status just west of Bermuda late Thursday. Upper-air steering currents increase and kick the storm northeast toward Canada this weekend: away from the US coastline.Tropical Storm Gaston formed in the North Atlantic Tuesday afternoon; it is no threat to land and is not expected to be a threat. The next area to watch is the Caribbean over the next five days. That’s where a significant tropical cyclone could develop, and if it does, it would likely get the name Hermine (pronounced her-MEEN).That future storm is the one we expect to threaten the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf Coast around September 29th to October 1st. It’s far too early to know the specific when’s and how bad’s, but we will keep you up to date on that situation as it becomes clear.SEVEN DAY FORECASTBlazing late-summer heat breaks by Friday with a push of cooler, drier air that sets up a fantastic Friday: great night for high school football after a warm, dry day.Saturday stays dry and warm, but another front approaching Sunday brings a scattering of showers and a few thunderstorms Sunday afternoon to Monday morning. A few spots get appreciable rainfall; most of us get a fraction of an inch if anything at all before the drier air takes over again Monday.Once the front passes, we see more seasonable weather for early Autumn: highs in the 70s/80s, lows in the 50s.STAY WEATHER AWAREGet the free WVTM 13 app and turn on the alerts for the latest weather updates.For the latest Birmingham weather information and central Alabama’s certified most accurate forecast, watch WVTM 13 News.Current Weather ConditionsHourly Forecast | 10-Day ForecastInteractive RadarBirmingham SkycamsLive Doppler RadarSign Up For Email Weather AlertsDownload the WVTM 13 AppDon’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It’s the hottest weather in months even though we are one day from the start of Fall; temperatures soar to the mid-90s again Wednesday, but a heat-breaking cold front arrives Thursday! Check the video forecast for the latest. SUMMER HEAT STILL GOING STRONG Birmingham hit 94°F, Tuscaloosa got to 95°F, and the temperature soared as high as 98°F in Muscle Shoals Tuesday afternoon. We get two more days of blazing hot, dry late summertime heat before the first of two near-future cold fronts arrives Thursday. High temperatures through midweek look like this: WEDNESDAY: 95ºF (record 98ºF in 2010) THURSDAY: 94ºF (record 100ºF in 1925) Outside of the brief showers that developed Tuesday, rain remains practically non-existent through at least Saturday. TROPICAL ATLANTIC Hurricane Fiona became a major hurricane Tuesday, and that storm keeps churning and growing stronger through Thursday: potentially up to Category Four status just west of Bermuda late Thursday. Upper-air steering currents increase and kick the storm northeast toward Canada this weekend: away from the US coastline. Tropical Storm Gaston formed in the North Atlantic Tuesday afternoon; it is no threat to land and is not expected to be a threat. The next area to watch is the Caribbean over the next five days. That’s where a significant tropical cyclone could develop, and if it does, it would likely get the name Hermine (pronounced her-MEEN). That future storm is the one we expect to threaten the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf Coast around September 29th to October 1st. It’s far too early to know the specific when’s and how bad’s, but we will keep you up to date on that situation as it becomes clear. SEVEN DAY FORECAST Blazing late-summer heat breaks by Friday with a push of cooler, drier air that sets up a fantastic Friday: great night for high school football after a warm, dry day. Saturday stays dry and warm, but another front approaching Sunday brings a scattering of showers and a few thunderstorms Sunday afternoon to Monday morning. A few spots get appreciable rainfall; most of us get a fraction of an inch if anything at all before the drier air takes over again Monday. Once the front passes, we see more seasonable weather for early Autumn: highs in the 70s/80s, lows in the 50s. STAY WEATHER AWARE Get the free WVTM 13 app and turn on the alerts for the latest weather updates. For the latest Birmingham weather information and central Alabama’s certified most accurate forecast, watch WVTM 13 News. Current Weather Conditions Hourly Forecast | 10-Day Forecast Interactive Radar Birmingham Skycams Live Doppler Radar Sign Up For Email Weather Alerts Download the WVTM 13 App Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Read More…

Real Estate Firm Announces Second Round Of Layoffs https://digitalalabamanews.com/real-estate-firm-announces-second-round-of-layoffs/ A sign is posted in front of a home Compass listed for sale in San Francisco.  Justin Sullivan/Getty Images In an effort to cut company costs amid a housing market downturn, the New York-based real estate firm Compass is undergoing a round of layoffs that will primarily affect its technology team.  News of the layoffs was made public through a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Tuesday, in which Compass called its upcoming workforce reduction a “significant action” made necessary by cost reduction efforts highlighted in an earnings report from mid-August.  “A significant portion of the Workforce Reduction involves reductions in headcount on the Company’s product and engineering team,” Compass said in the SEC filing.  About 3,000 of the company’s 21,636 employees are based in the Bay Area, according to LinkedIn. It’s unclear how many employees will be affected by this round of layoffs, and Compass declined SFGATE’s request for comment.  Compass is known for fusing the tech and real estate industries by using technology to simplify the process of buying or selling property — a platform that is now advanced enough to warrant layoffs across the company’s tech department. The filing said the company expects costs of $23 million to $26 million related to severance benefits and other expenses associated with terminating affected employees.  This is Compass’ second round of layoffs in recent months — the company laid off about 450 people in June, mainly due to “clear signals of slowing economic growth,” a Compass spokesperson previously told SFGATE. Redfin also laid off hundreds of employees around that time, and Realtor.com laid off an undisclosed number of employees earlier this month as a result of slowing sales volume in the real estate market.  Read More…

Arbiter In Trump Docs Probe Signals Intent To Move Quickly – ABC17NEWS https://digitalalabamanews.com/arbiter-in-trump-docs-probe-signals-intent-to-move-quickly-abc17news/ By ERIC TUCKER and MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The independent arbiter tasked with inspecting documents seized in an FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home said Tuesday he intends to push briskly through the review process and appeared skeptical of the Trump team’s reluctance to say whether it believed the records had been declassified. “We’re going to proceed with what I call responsible dispatch,” Raymond Dearie, a veteran Brooklyn judge, told lawyers for Trump and the Justice Department in their first meeting since his appointment last week as a so-called special master. The purpose of the meeting was to sort out next steps in a review process expected to slow by weeks, if not months, the criminal investigation into the retention of top-secret information at Mar-a-Lago after Trump left the White House. As special master, Dearie will be responsible for sifting through the thousands of documents recovered during the Aug. 8 FBI search and segregating those protected by claims of executive privilege or attorney-client privilege. Though Trump’s lawyers had requested the appointment of a special master to ensure an independent review of the documents, they have resisted Dearie’s request for more information about whether the seized records had been previously declassified — as Trump has maintained. His lawyers have consistently stopped short of that claim, even as they have asserted that a president has absolute authority to declassify information. They said in a separate filing Tuesday that the Justice Department had not proven that the records remained classified. “In the case of someone who has been president of the United States, they have unfettered access along with unfettered declassification authority,” one of Trump’s lawyers, James Trusty, said in court Tuesday. But Dearie said that if Trump’s lawyers will not actually assert that the records have been declassified, and the Justice Department instead presents an acceptable case that they remain classified, then he would be inclined to regard them as classified. “As far as I’m concerned,” he said, “that’s the end of it.” In a letter to Dearie on Monday night, the lawyers said the declassification issue might be part of Trump’s defense in the event of an indictment. Trusty said in court Tuesday that the Trump team should not be forced at this point to disclose a possible defense based on the idea the records had been declassified. He denied that the lawyers were trying to engage in “gamesman-like” behavior but instead believed it was a process that required “baby steps.” He said the right time for the discussion is whenever Trump presses forward with a claim to get any seized property back. Dearie said he understood the position but observed: “I guess my view of it is, you can’t have your cake and eat it” too. The resistance to the judge’s request was notable because it was Trump’s lawyers, not the Justice Department, who had requested the appointment of a special master and because the recalcitrance included an acknowledgment that the probe could be building toward an indictment. Despite the focus on whether the seized documents are classified or not, the three statutes the Justice Department listed on a warrant as part of its investigation do not require that the mishandled information be classified in order to initiate a prosecution. The Trump team has also questioned the feasibility of some of the deadlines for the special master’s review. That work includes inspecting the roughly 11,000 documents, including about 100 marked as classified, that were taken during the FBI’s search. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who granted the Trump team’s request for a special master, had set a Nov. 30 deadline for Dearie’s review and instructed him to prioritize his inspection of classified records. The Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to halt Cannon’s order requiring it to provide him with classified documents for his review. That appeal is pending. Dearie, a Ronald Reagan appointee whose name is on the atrium of his Brooklyn courthouse, made clear during Tuesday’s meeting that he intended to meet the deadlines, saying there was “little time” to complete the assigned tasks. Julie Edelstein, a Justice Department lawyer, said she was hopeful that the department could get the documents digitized and provided to Trump’s lawyers by early next week. She noted that the department had given the legal team a list of five vendors approved by the government for the purposes of scanning, hosting and otherwise processing the seized records. After some haggling, Dearie instructed Trusty’s lawyers to choose a vendor by Friday. Earlier Tuesday, the Trump legal team urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to leave in place Cannon’s order temporarily barring the Justice Department’s use of the classified records for its criminal investigation while Dearie completes his review. The department has said that order has impeded its investigation into the presence of top-secret information at Mar-a-Lago. Trump’s lawyers called those concerns overblown, saying investigators could still do other work on the probe even without scrutinizing the seized records. “Ultimately, any brief delay to the criminal investigation will not irreparably harm the Government,” Trump’s lawyers wrote. “The injunction does not preclude the Government from conducting a criminal investigation, it merely delays the investigation for a short period while a neutral third party reviews the documents in question.” _____ Sisak reported from New York. Follow AP’s coverage of the search at Mar-a-Lago at https://apnews.com/hub/mar-a-lago Read More…

Trump Rape Accuser Plans Suit Under New NY 'survivors' Law https://digitalalabamanews.com/trump-rape-accuser-plans-suit-under-new-ny-survivors-law/ NEW YORK —  A writer who accused former President Donald Trump of raping her in a department store dressing room intends to file another lawsuit against him under a new New York law letting sexual assault victims sue over attacks that happened decades ago. A lawyer for the columnist, E. Jean Carroll, notified a federal judge of her intent to sue in an August letter entered in the public record Tuesday. The suit would allege sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. In the letter, the lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, also said she plans to depose Trump in the defamation case that Carroll already had pending against the former president. The deposition would have to occur by Oct. 19, when discovery in the case must be completed for a planned February trial. Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In an Aug. 11 letter to the court that was also posted in the public file Tuesday, she objected to the new lawsuit. Habba wrote that letting Carroll file the new claim now “would be extraordinarily prejudicial” to Trump, given the looming trial deadlines in the defamation case. “To permit Plaintiff to drastically alter the scope and subject matter of this case at such time would severely prejudice Defendant’s rights. Therefore, Plaintiff’s request must be disregarded in its entirety,” Habba said. Kaplan declined to comment. Carroll, a longtime advice columnist for Elle magazine, wrote in a 2019 book that Trump raped her during a chance encounter at a Bergdorf Goodman store in the mid-1990s. Trump denied it and questioned Carroll’s credibility and motivations. Because the alleged attack happened so long ago, Carroll would ordinarily have missed legal deadlines to sue Trump. So she initially sued him instead for defamation, saying he smeared her reputation while denying the rape allegation. Last spring, however, New York lawmakers passed the Adult Survivor’s Act, which provides a one-year “look back” that enables adult survivors of sexual attacks to bring civil claims when they otherwise would be barred. The law, signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in May, was modeled after the Child Victims Act, which provided a similar window to bring lawsuits for people who had been sexually assaulted when they were children. That law expired a year ago. A deposition would require Trump to answer questions from Carroll’s lawyers under oath about her allegations. Carroll’s legal team in February had said they were willing to skip a deposition in order to get the lawsuit to trial more quickly. Kaplan, in her letter to the court, said she now needed to question Trump because his lawyers had turned over so few documents relevant to the case. In her letter to the court, Habba made no mention of the plans to depose Trump, but she did complain that Kaplan’s letter was “filled with misrepresentations and inflammatory statements.” Read More…

Celebrities Coming Back To White House After Trump Drought https://digitalalabamanews.com/celebrities-coming-back-to-white-house-after-trump-drought-4/ Elton John performs during his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road,” tour, Friday, July 15, 2022, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The White House will become a concert venue Friday, Sept. 23, when Elton John performs. The event is called “A Night When Hope and History Rhyme,” a reference to a poem by Seamus Heaney that President Joe Biden often quotes. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) WASHINGTON (AP) — Celebrities are back at the White House following a pop-culture backlash during the Trump years, when just about anyone considered high-wattage refused to show up. Rocker Elton John is bringing his farewell tour to the South Lawn on Friday, the White House announced Tuesday, one week after singer James Taylor and hosts Jonathan and Drew Scott, of HGTV’s “Property Brothers,” helped celebrate a new health care and climate change law. John is among a slew of entertainers who refused to perform for then-President Donald Trump. Taylor sang and strummed his guitar to open last week’s event while the Scotts were among hundreds of people in the audience. They also joined second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, to film a snazzy video promoting the law’s climate change provisions. Since taking office during a pandemic, which put a pause on too much togetherness, the 79-year-old Biden has also opened the White House to teen singer Olivia Rodrigo, to talk about young people and COVID-19 vaccinations, and the South Korean boy band BTS, to discuss Asian inclusion and representation. Last year, the Democratic president resumed the tradition of hosting an in-person White House reception for the artists receiving honors from the Kennedy Center. Actor Jennifer Garner accompanied first lady Jill Biden to West Virginia last year to visit a school-based COVID-19 vaccination site in Charleston. Garner also hosted a PBS “In Performance” special celebrating the holidays at the White House. John’s concert is called “A Night When Hope and History Rhyme,” a reference to a poem by Irishman Seamus Heaney that Biden often quotes. The performance is part of a collaboration with A+E Networks and the History Channel that “will celebrate the unifying and healing power of music, commend the life and work of Sir Elton John and honor the everyday history-makers in the audience,” the White House said. Guests will include teachers, medical professionals, students, LGBTQ+ advocates and others. John also has a gig scheduled for Saturday night at Nationals Park in Washington as part of a tour wrapping up his 50-plus-year career. He opened the final leg of his North American farewell series in Philadelphia in July. The 75-year-old British singer is among celebrities who avoided the Trump White House, starting with the Republican’s 2017 inauguration. John had declined an invitation to play at Trump’s inaugural festivities, saying he didn’t think it was appropriate for someone with British heritage to play at the swearing-in of an American president. Trump had included high praise for John in a few of his books and played John’s songs at his presidential campaign rallies, including “Rocket Man” and “Tiny Dancer.” Trump had also nicknamed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “rocket man” because of Kim’s habit of test-firing missiles. Country music singers Toby Keith and Lee Greenwood were among the more notable entertainers who performed to help usher Trump into office. Bigger names from other genres refused or weren’t considered. Hollywood has always leaned heavily Democratic. For the inauguration of Democrat Biden, singers Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks were among those who performed. Aretha Franklin and Beyonce were among celebrities who turned out in a huge show of force for Democrat Barack Obama, from fundraising to his two inaugurations to performances inside the White House or on the grounds. They disappeared under Trump, but are returning for Biden. Biden relied on celebrities during his 2020 presidential campaign, when in-person schmoozing was largely suspended because of the coronavirus. A parade of movie and TV stars, pop icons and sports standouts stepped up to help Biden raise money and energize supporters. Sir Elton — he was knighted in 1998 by Queen Elizabeth II — has sold over 300 million records worldwide, played over 4,000 shows in 80 countries and recorded one of the best-selling singles of all-time, his 1997 reworking of “Candle In The Wind” to eulogize Princess Diana, which sold 33 million copies. He has scored over 70 top 40 hits, including nine No. 1s, and released seven No. 1 albums in the 3 1/2-year period from 1972 to 1975, a pace second only to that of the Beatles. John has five Grammy awards, a Tony award for “Aida,” and Academy Awards for songs from “The Lion King” and “Rocketman.” He has played at the White House in the past. John and Stevie Wonder performed together at a 1998 state dinner hosted by Democratic President Bill Clinton honoring British Prime Minister Tony Blair. They performed under a tent on the West Colonnade roof. John was critical of Republican President George W. Bush, telling a British magazine in November 2004 that Bush and his administration “are the worst thing that has ever happened to America.” But he was more diplomatic at a reception at the White House in December 2004 for a group of Kennedy Center honorees that included himself. The rock legend said receiving the honor “is about the icing on the cake. … It’s incredible for someone who’s British to be given such an accolade from America, which has given me so much already in my career.” ___ Associated Press writer Chris Megerian in Washington and AP News Researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report. Read More…

Sources: T.J. Finley Out For Missouri Game https://digitalalabamanews.com/sources-t-j-finley-out-for-missouri-game/ Auburn Football Updated: Sep. 20, 2022, 5:55 p.m.| Published: Sep. 20, 2022, 5:37 p.m. Auburn quarterback T.J. Finley throws a pass against Penn State during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)AP Auburn starting quarterback T.J. Finley is out with an injury for Saturday’s 11:00 a.m. game against Missouri, according to sources. Finley got sacked four times during last week’s loss against Penn State at Jordan-Hare. CBS cameras caught Finley favoring his non-throwing shoulder as the team headed into the locker room down 14-6 at halftime. Finley didn’t return to Saturday’s loss after a strip sack in the third quarter. Head coach Bryan Harsin told reporters the injury wasn’t why Finley sat for the remaining quarter and a half of the 29-point loss. Backup quarterback Robby Ashford finished the game. “He got banged up a little bit in the game. I think some of their guys did as well,” Harsin said. “That’s football; that happens during games and all that, and so guys, I don’t think that impacted too much of the decision to go with Robby at that point. But T.J. was trying to make plays, and Robby came in and did some good things for us.” Harsin reiterated during Monday’s press conference that Finley and Ashford could play on Saturday, but he didn’t name a starter. “We’ll see. Like I said, we’ll let guys compete this week. It’s Monday,” Harsin said. We haven’t decided what we’re going to do. Through the week of practice it’ll be decided. We’ll let guys compete, and we’ll put the best guys out there on Saturday to go play.” Finley won the starting quarterback battle over Ashford, Zach Calzada, and freshman Holden Geriner after fall camp. Finley has a 62.3% completion rate and threw 431 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions through three games. He added a rushing touchdown against San Jose State and ran for 40 yards. Ashford has completed 51.7% of his passes for 245 yards and one touchdown compared to two interceptions. He also ran for 158 yards. Could Calzada make his debut this week? Will Harsin continue his plans of a two-quarterback system? Would Auburn go with the true freshman Geriner? There will be lots more questions as the week builds toward the Missouri game. “Yeah, he’s (Calzada) competing like everybody else,” Harsin said. “Those guys, every single week, those guys get opportunities. We try to play the best players. That’s what happens from Sunday through Friday. Finley’s status after the Missouri game remains undetermined. Nubyjas Wilborn covers Auburn for Alabama Media Group. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…

Celebrities Coming Back To White House After Trump Drought https://digitalalabamanews.com/celebrities-coming-back-to-white-house-after-trump-drought-3/ WASHINGTON (AP) — Celebrities are back at the White House following a pop-culture backlash during the Trump years, when just about anyone considered high-wattage refused to show up. Rocker Elton John is bringing his farewell tour to the South Lawn on Friday, the White House announced Tuesday, one week after singer James Taylor and hosts Jonathan and Drew Scott, of HGTV’s “Property Brothers,” helped celebrate a new health care and climate change law. John is among a slew of entertainers who refused to perform for then-President Donald Trump. Taylor sang and strummed his guitar to open last week’s event while the Scotts were among hundreds of people in the audience. They also joined second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, to film a snazzy video promoting the law’s climate change provisions. Since taking office during a pandemic, which put a pause on too much togetherness, the 79-year-old Biden has also opened the White House to teen singer Olivia Rodrigo, to talk about young people and COVID-19 vaccinations, and the South Korean boy band BTS, to discuss Asian inclusion and representation. James Taylor sings during an event about the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Andrew Harnik Last year, the Democratic president resumed the tradition of hosting an in-person White House reception for the artists receiving honors from the Kennedy Center. Actor Jennifer Garner accompanied first lady Jill Biden to West Virginia last year to visit a school-based COVID-19 vaccination site in Charleston. Garner also hosted a PBS “In Performance” special celebrating the holidays at the White House. John’s concert is called “A Night When Hope and History Rhyme,” a reference to a poem by Irishman Seamus Heaney that Biden often quotes. The performance is part of a collaboration with A+E Networks and the History Channel that “will celebrate the unifying and healing power of music, commend the life and work of Sir Elton John and honor the everyday history-makers in the audience,” the White House said. Guests will include teachers, medical professionals, students, LGBTQ+ advocates and others. John also has a gig scheduled for Saturday night at Nationals Park in Washington as part of a tour wrapping up his 50-plus-year career. He opened the final leg of his North American farewell series in Philadelphia in July. The 75-year-old British singer is among celebrities who avoided the Trump White House, starting with the Republican’s 2017 inauguration. John had declined an invitation to play at Trump’s inaugural festivities, saying he didn’t think it was appropriate for someone with British heritage to play at the swearing-in of an American president. Trump had included high praise for John in a few of his books and played John’s songs at his presidential campaign rallies, including “Rocket Man” and “Tiny Dancer.” Trump had also nicknamed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “rocket man” because of Kim’s habit of test-firing missiles. Country music singers Toby Keith and Lee Greenwood were among the more notable entertainers who performed to help usher Trump into office. Bigger names from other genres refused or weren’t considered. Hollywood has always leaned heavily Democratic. For the inauguration of Democrat Biden, singers Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks were among those who performed. Aretha Franklin and Beyonce were among celebrities who turned out in a huge show of force for Democrat Barack Obama, from fundraising to his two inaugurations to performances inside the White House or on the grounds. They disappeared under Trump, but are returning for Biden. Biden relied on celebrities during his 2020 presidential campaign, when in-person schmoozing was largely suspended because of the coronavirus. A parade of movie and TV stars, pop icons and sports standouts stepped up to help Biden raise money and energize supporters. Sir Elton — he was knighted in 1998 by Queen Elizabeth II — has sold over 300 million records worldwide, played over 4,000 shows in 80 countries and recorded one of the best-selling singles of all-time, his 1997 reworking of “Candle In The Wind” to eulogize Princess Diana, which sold 33 million copies. He has scored over 70 top 40 hits, including nine No. 1s, and released seven No. 1 albums in the 3 1/2-year period from 1972 to 1975, a pace second only to that of the Beatles. John has five Grammy awards, a Tony award for “Aida,” and Academy Awards for songs from “The Lion King” and “Rocketman.” He has played at the White House in the past. John and Stevie Wonder performed together at a 1998 state dinner hosted by Democratic President Bill Clinton honoring British Prime Minister Tony Blair. They performed under a tent on the West Colonnade roof. John was critical of Republican President George W. Bush, telling a British magazine in November 2004 that Bush and his administration “are the worst thing that has ever happened to America.” But he was more diplomatic at a reception at the White House in December 2004 for a group of Kennedy Center honorees that included himself. The rock legend said receiving the honor “is about the icing on the cake. … It’s incredible for someone who’s British to be given such an accolade from America, which has given me so much already in my career.” ___ Associated Press writer Chris Megerian in Washington and AP News Researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Read More…

DeSantis Says He 'can't Confirm' Reports Of Migrants Being Taken To Delaware https://digitalalabamanews.com/desantis-says-he-cant-confirm-reports-of-migrants-being-taken-to-delaware/ A week after Gov. Ron DeSantis transported nearly 50 Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, all eyes were on the skies again after speculation that Florida’s governor may be making good on his promise to transport more migrants.”We have a whole infrastructure in place now because of what the legislature did,” DeSantis said. “It’s not just flights. We have ground. We have other things that we can do. And I’ll tell you this: It’s already made more of an impact than anyone thought it could possibly make. But we’re going to continue to make more of an impact.On Tuesday morning, the governor addressed speculation about whether he was sending another plane of migrants to President Joe Biden’s home in Delaware. “I cannot confirm that. I can’t,” DeSantis said. Meanwhile, the state’s budget transparency website shows the Florida Department of Transportation paid $950,000 to an aviation company on Monday for the “relocation program of unauthorized aliens.”The website also shows a $615,000 payment FDOT made to the same company nearly a week before the first migrant flight.On Tuesday afternoon, President Biden responded to reports that DeSantis could be sending migrants his way.”He should come visit. We have a beautiful shoreline,” the President said. Also Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed they are in contact with Delaware state officials preparing for the possibility of receiving migrant families. “What I can tell you that our heads up did not come from Gov. DeSantis, because his only goal, as he’s made it really clear, is to create chaos and use immigrants fleeing communism as political pawns. So it’s about creating political theater for him,” Jean-Pierre said.While another group of migrants has not arrived at the Delaware Coastal Airport, Jill Fredel, a spokeswoman with the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, said they are ready. “We have heard and seen the reports that all of you have seen. And we are here as a state to support people who might arrive in Delaware,” Fredel said. Fredel added that Delaware’s governor has not received word from Florida or Texas about migrants arriving. Before his refusal to confirm the reports, DeSantis answered a different reporter’s question about the choice to transport a group of migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard.“Those migrants were being treated horribly by Biden. They were hungry, homeless. They had no opportunity at all,” he said. “If you believe in open borders, it’s the sanctuary jurisdictions that should have bear the brunt of the open borders.” DeSantis said the migrants were provided the opportunity to “be in the most posh sanctuary jurisdiction maybe in the world.” He added that it is sad that the migrants were deported the next day because Martha’s Vineyard “could have absorbed the cost.”San Antonio’s Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the migrants being taken to Martha’s Vineyard. Watch DeSantis’ full news conference below: BRADENTON, Fla. — A week after Gov. Ron DeSantis transported nearly 50 Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, all eyes were on the skies again after speculation that Florida’s governor may be making good on his promise to transport more migrants. “We have a whole infrastructure in place now because of what the legislature did,” DeSantis said. “It’s not just flights. We have ground. We have other things that we can do. And I’ll tell you this: It’s already made more of an impact than anyone thought it could possibly make. But we’re going to continue to make more of an impact. On Tuesday morning, the governor addressed speculation about whether he was sending another plane of migrants to President Joe Biden’s home in Delaware. “I cannot confirm that. I can’t,” DeSantis said. Meanwhile, the state’s budget transparency website shows the Florida Department of Transportation paid $950,000 to an aviation company on Monday for the “relocation program of unauthorized aliens.” The website also shows a $615,000 payment FDOT made to the same company nearly a week before the first migrant flight. On Tuesday afternoon, President Biden responded to reports that DeSantis could be sending migrants his way. “He should come visit. We have a beautiful shoreline,” the President said. Also Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed they are in contact with Delaware state officials preparing for the possibility of receiving migrant families. “What I can tell you that our heads up did not come from Gov. DeSantis, because his only goal, as he’s made it really clear, is to create chaos and use immigrants fleeing communism as political pawns. So it’s about creating political theater for him,” Jean-Pierre said. While another group of migrants has not arrived at the Delaware Coastal Airport, Jill Fredel, a spokeswoman with the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, said they are ready. “We have heard and seen the reports that all of you have seen. And we are here as a state to support people who might arrive in Delaware,” Fredel said. Fredel added that Delaware’s governor has not received word from Florida or Texas about migrants arriving. Before his refusal to confirm the reports, DeSantis answered a different reporter’s question about the choice to transport a group of migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard. “Those migrants were being treated horribly by Biden. They were hungry, homeless. They had no opportunity at all,” he said. “If you believe in open borders, it’s the sanctuary jurisdictions that should have bear the brunt of the open borders.” DeSantis said the migrants were provided the opportunity to “be in the most posh sanctuary jurisdiction maybe in the world.” He added that it is sad that the migrants were deported the next day because Martha’s Vineyard “could have absorbed the cost.” San Antonio’s Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the migrants being taken to Martha’s Vineyard. Watch DeSantis’ full news conference below: Read More…

Cowboys For Trump Cofounder Appeals Ban From Public Office https://digitalalabamanews.com/cowboys-for-trump-cofounder-appeals-ban-from-public-office/ FILE – Otero County, New Mexico Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks to reporters as he arrives at federal court in Washington, Friday, June. 17, 2022. A New Mexico state district court judge has disqualified Griffin from holding public office. State District Court Judge Francis Mathew issued a ruling Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, that permanently prohibits Griffin from holding or seeking local or federal office. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe, File) (Gemunu Amarasinghe, Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) SANTA FE, N.M. – A New Mexico politician and Trump supporter who was removed and barred from elected office for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, is attempting to appeal that decision to the state Supreme Court. Cowboys for Trump cofounder and former county commissioner Couy Griffin on Tuesday notified the high court of his intent to appeal. The ruling against Griffin this month from a Santa Fe-based District Court was the first to remove or bar an elected official from office in connection with the attack on the U.S. Capitol building that disrupted Congress as it was trying to certify President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. Griffin was previously convicted in federal court of a misdemeanor for entering the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, without going inside the building. He was sentenced to 14 days and given credit for time served. Griffin has invoked free speech guarantees in his defense and says his banishment from public office disenfranchises his political constituents in Otero County. He was barred from office under provisions of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which holds that anyone who has taken an oath to uphold the Constitution can be barred from office for engaging in insurrection or rebellion. The provisions were put in place shortly after the Civil War. A flurry of similar lawsuits around the country are seeking to use the provision to punish politicians who took part in Jan. 6. Griffin says he continues to act as his own legal counsel in the case. “Honestly I have felt very abandoned by many,” Griffin said. Conservative activists aligned with Griffin have urged supporters to file disciplinary complaints against the judge who barred Griffin from office. Griffin, a 48-year-old former rodeo rider and former pastor, helped found Cowboys for Trump in 2019. The promotional group staged horseback parades to spread President Donald Trump’s conservative message about gun rights, immigration controls and abortion restrictions. This year, Griffin voted twice as a county commissioner against certifying New Mexico’s June 7 primary election, in a standoff over election integrity fueled by conspiracy theories about the security of voting equipment in the Republican-dominated county. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Read More…

Fiona Swipes Turks And Caicos, Puerto Rico Faces Big Cleanup https://digitalalabamanews.com/fiona-swipes-turks-and-caicos-puerto-rico-faces-big-cleanup/ CAYEY, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Fiona blasted the Turks and Caicos Islands on Tuesday as a Category 3 storm after devastating Puerto Rico, where most people remained without electricity or running water and rescuers used heavy equipment to lift survivors to safety. The storm’s eye passed close to Grand Turk, the small British territory’s capital island, on Tuesday morning after the government imposed a curfew and urged people to flee flood-prone areas. Storm surge could raise water levels there by as much as 5 to 8 feet above normal, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Late Tuesday afternoon, the storm was centered about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of North Caicos Island, with hurricane-force winds extending up to 30 miles (45 kilometers) from the center. Premier Washington Misick urged people to evacuate. “Storms are unpredictable,” he said in a statement from London, where he had attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. “You must therefore take every precaution to ensure your safety.” Fiona had maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph) and was moving north-northwest at 8 mph (13 kph), according to the Hurricane Center, which said the storm was likely to strengthen into a Category 4 hurricane as it approaches Bermuda on Friday. Rain was still lashing parts of Puerto Rico Tuesday, where the sounds of people scraping, sweeping and spraying their homes and streets echoed across rural areas as historic floodwaters began to recede. In the central mountain town of Cayey, where the Plato River burst its banks and the brown torrent of water consumed cars and homes, overturned dressers, beds and large refrigerators lay strewn in people’s yards Tuesday. “Puerto Rico is not prepared for this, or for anything,” said Mariangy Hernández, a 48-year-old housewife, who said she doubted the government would help her community of some 300 in the long term, despite ongoing efforts to clear the streets and restore power. “This is only for a couple of days and later they forget about us.” She and her husband were stuck in line waiting for the National Guard to clear a landslide in their hilly neighborhood. “Is it open? Is it open?” one driver asked, worried that the road might have been completely closed. Other drivers asked the National Guard if they could swing by their homes to help cut trees or clear clumps of mud and debris. The cleanup efforts occurred on the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Maria, which hit as a Category 4 storm in 2017 and knocked out power for a year in parts of Cayey. Jeannette Soto, a 34-year-old manicurist, worried it would take a long time for crews to restore power because a landslide swept away the neighborhood’s main light post. “It’s the first time this happens,” she said of the landslides. “We didn’t think the magnitude of the rain was going to be so great.” Gov. Pedro Pierluisi requested a major disaster declaration on Tuesday and said it would be at least a week before authorities have an estimate of the damage that Fiona caused. He said the damage caused by the rain was “catastrophic,” especially in the island’s central, south and southeast regions. “The impact caused by the hurricane has been devastating for many people,” he said. The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency traveled to Puerto Rico on Tuesday as the agency announced it was sending hundreds of additional personnel to boost local response efforts. The broad storm kept dropping copious rain over the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, where a 58-year-old man died after police said he was swept away by a river in the central mountain town of Comerio. Another death was linked to a power blackout — a 70-year-old man was burned to death after he tried to fill his generator with gasoline while it was running, officials said. Parts of the island had received more than 25 inches (64 centimeters) of rain and more was falling Tuesday. National Guard Brig. Gen. Narciso Cruz described the flooding as historic. “There were communities that flooded in the storm that didn’t flood under Maria,” he said, referring to the 2017 hurricane that caused nearly 3,000 deaths. “I’ve never seen anything like this.” Cruz said 670 people have been rescued in Puerto Rico, including 19 people at a retirement home in Cayey that was in danger of collapsing. “The rivers broke their banks and blanketed communities,” he said. Some people were rescued via kayaks and boats while others nestled into the massive shovel of a digger and were lifted to higher ground. He lamented that some people initially refused to leave their homes, adding that he understood why. “It’s human nature,” he said. “But when they saw their lives were in danger, they agreed to leave.” The blow from Fiona was made more devastating because Puerto Rico has yet to recover from Hurricane Maria, which destroyed the power grid in 2017. Five years later, more than 3,000 homes on the island are still covered by blue tarps. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday he would push for the federal government to cover 100% of disaster response costs — instead of the usual 75% — as part of an emergency disaster declaration. “We need to make sure this time, Puerto Rico has absolutely everything it needs, as soon as possible, for as long as they need it,” he said. Authorities said Tuesday that at least 1,220 people and more than 70 pets remained in shelters across the island. Fiona triggered a blackout when it hit Puerto Rico’s southwest corner on Sunday, the anniversary of Hurricane Hugo, which slammed into the island in 1989 as a Category 3 storm. By Tuesday morning, authorities said they had restored power to nearly 300,000 of the island’s 1.47 million customers. Puerto Rico’s governor warned it could take days before everyone has electricity. Water service was cut to more than 760,000 customers — two thirds of the total on the island — because of turbid water at filtration plants or lack of power, officials said. Fiona was forecast to weaken before running into easternmost Canada over the weekend. It was not expected to threaten the U.S. mainland. In the Dominican Republic, authorities reported two deaths: a 68-year-old man hit by a falling tree and an 18-year-old girl who was struck by a falling electrical post while riding a motorcycle. The storm forced more than 1,550 people to seek safety in government shelters and left more than 406,500 homes without power. The hurricane left several highways blocked, and a tourist pier in the town of Miches was badly damaged by high waves. At least four international airports were closed, officials said. The Dominican president, Luis Abinader, said authorities would need several days to assess the storm’s effects. Fiona previously battered the eastern Caribbean, killing one man in the French territory of Guadeloupe when floodwaters washed his home away, officials said. ___ Associated Press reporters Martín Adames in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and Maricarmen Rivera Sánchez in San Juan, Puerto Rico, contributed. Read More…

Tuscaloosa City Attorney Warns Businesses About Overcrowding During Football Season https://digitalalabamanews.com/tuscaloosa-city-attorney-warns-businesses-about-overcrowding-during-football-season/ TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) – A bombshell of a threat from the city of Tuscaloosa to bars and other businesses. The city attorney issued a warning recently for those businesses to crack down on overcrowding issues now that football season is here. City Attorney Scott Holmes said in the letter distributed September 16 that Tuscaloosa police have already had to deal with multiple businesses exceeding their occupancy limit and we’re only two weeks into the football season. Holmes didn’t say which businesses had violated the code. Innisfree owner Tripp Rogers was astounded by the warning from city attorney. “It kinda came out of the blue last week and we didn’t anticipate anything like that happening,” said Innisfree owner Tripp Rogers. In the letter warning businesses there would a zero-tolerance policy for overcrowding, Holmes goes on to say: “If a business is determined to have more people than its permitted occupancy limit, the business will be immediately closed for 24 hours.” The notice continued to say; “Tuscaloosa police will begin arresting business owners, managers or staff deemed to be responsible for the overcrowding.” “I don’t know if it’s fair or not, but it sounds like an extreme measure,” said Rogers. Rogers says his capacity is 325 and is constantly on guard to make sure his bar occupancy rate doesn’t exceed that number. “We have security that work the doors and every establishment has people counters,” said Rogers. Tuscaloosa City Council President Kip Tyner supports Scott Holmes’ letter, calling it a safety issue. “It would be a significant loss of revenue for the business. We want everybody to make lots of money and have a good time. The more they make, the more the city makes, but safety first,” said Tyner. WBRC reached out for a comment from the city attorney, but we were told Holmes was not doing interviews on the matter. CLICK HERE TO GET THE WBRC FOX6 NEWS APP Subscribe to our WBRC newsletter and receive the latest local news and weather straight to your email. Copyright 2022 WBRC. All rights reserved. Read More…

Arbiter In Trump Documents Investigation Signals Intent To Move Quickly https://digitalalabamanews.com/arbiter-in-trump-documents-investigation-signals-intent-to-move-quickly/ Former President Donald Trump’s attorneys Linsey Halligan, James Trusty, and Chris Kise arrive at Brooklyn Federal Court on Tuesday. The lawyers are resisting arbiter Raymond Dearie’s request for information about whether the seized records had been declassified, as Trump has maintained. Brittainy Newman/Associated Press WASHINGTON — The independent arbiter tasked with inspecting documents seized in an FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home said Tuesday he intends to push briskly though the review process and appeared skeptical of the Trump team’s reluctance to say whether it believed the records had been declassified. “We’re going to proceed with what I call responsible dispatch,” Raymond Dearie, a veteran Brooklyn judge, told lawyers for Trump and the Justice Department in their first meeting since his appointment last week as a so-called special master. The purpose of the meeting was to sort out next steps in a review process expected to slow by weeks, if not months, the criminal investigation into the retention of top-secret information at Mar-a-Lago after Trump left the White House. As special master, Dearie will be responsible for sifting through the thousands of documents recovered during the Aug. 8 FBI search and segregating those protected by claims of executive privilege or attorney-client privilege. Though Trump’s lawyers had requested the appointment of a special master to ensure an independent review of the documents, one of the former president’s attorneys, James Trusty, made clear they were concerned that Dearie’s proposed deadlines were too ambitious. The lawyers are also resisting Dearie’s request for information about whether the seized records had been declassified, as Trump has maintained. In a letter to Dearie on Monday night, the lawyers said that issue could be part of Trump’s defense in the event of an indictment. But Dearie appeared unsatisfied with that position. He said if Trump’s lawyers will not actually assert that the records have been declassified and the Justice Department instead makes an acceptable case that they remain classified, then “as far as I’m concerned, that’s the end of it.” Trusty said the Trump team should not be forced at this point to disclose a possible defense based on the idea that the records had been declassified. He denied that the lawyers were trying to engage in “gamesman-like” behavior but instead believed it was a process that required “baby steps.” But Dearie at one point observed: “I guess my view of it is, you can’t have your cake and eat it” too. Trump has maintained without evidence that all of the records were declassified; his lawyers have not echoed that claim, though they have repeatedly asserted that a president has absolute authority to declassify information, and they said in a separate filing Tuesday that the Justice Department had not proven that the records remained classified. “In the case of someone who has been president of the United States, they have unfettered access along with unfettered declassification authority,” Trusty said Tuesday. The resistance to the judge’s request was notable because it was Trump’s lawyers, not the Justice Department, who had requested the appointment of a special master and because the recalcitrance included an acknowledgment that the probe could be building toward an indictment. In the letter, Trump’s lawyers said the time for addressing that question would be if they pressed forward with demands for the Justice Department to return some of the property taken from Mar-a-Lago. “Otherwise, the Special Master process will have forced the Plaintiff to fully and specifically disclose a defense to the merits of any subsequent indictment.” they wrote. The Trump team also asked the judge to consider pushing back all of the deadlines for his review. That work includes inspecting the roughly 11,000 documents, including about 100 marked as classified, that were taken during the FBI’s search. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who granted the Trump team’s request for a special master, had set a Nov. 30 deadline for Dearie’s review and instructed him to prioritize his inspection of classified records. The Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to halt Cannon’s order requiring it to provide him with classified documents for his review. That appeal is pending. Dearie, a Ronald Reagan appointee whose name is on the atrium of his Brooklyn courthouse, made clear during Tuesday’s meeting that he intended to meet the deadlines, saying there was “little time” to complete the assigned tasks. Julie Edelstein, a Justice Department lawyer, said she was hopeful that the department could get the documents digitized and provided to Trump’s lawyers by early next week. She noted that the department had given the legal team a list of five vendors approved by the government for the purposes of scanning, hosting and otherwise processing the seized records. After some haggling, Dearie instructed Trusty’s lawyers to choose a vendor by Friday. Earlier Tuesday, the Trump legal team urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to leave in place Cannon’s order temporarily barring the Justice Department’s use of the classified records for its criminal investigation while Dearie completes his review. The department has said that order has impeded its investigation into the presence of top-secret information at Mar-a-Lago. Trump’s lawyers called those concerns overblown, saying investigators could still do other work on the probe even without scrutinizing the seized records. “Ultimately, any brief delay to the criminal investigation will not irreparably harm the Government,” Trump’s lawyers wrote. “The injunction does not preclude the Government from conducting a criminal investigation, it merely delays the investigation for a short period while a neutral third party reviews the documents in question.” Invalid username/password. Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration. Use the form below to reset your password. When you’ve submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code. « Previous Next » Read More…

2-Year-Old Boy Found Dead In Hot Car Outside Blount County Daycare https://digitalalabamanews.com/2-year-old-boy-found-dead-in-hot-car-outside-blount-county-daycare/ Birmingham Real-Time News Updated: Sep. 20, 2022, 5:43 p.m.| Published: Sep. 20, 2022, 4:48 p.m. A child was found dead in a hot car Tuesday afternoon in Blount County. The child – a 2-year-old boy – was discovered in his grandparents’ vehicle in the afternoon. The discovery was made at Kids Campus daycare on Alabama 75 in Oneonta. Authorities initially reported the child to be 3 years old, but later updated that information. Oneonta police Chief Charles Clifton said family members of the toddler found the child at 3:06 p.m. Though the car was at the daycare, he said, the child was not under the supervision of the daycare. “A family member transported/found him deceased around 3 p.m. at the local facility,’’ Clifton said. “The child may have been inside the car for an extended time throughout the day.” The investigation is ongoing by Oneonta police, the Blount County Sheriff’s Office and Blount County DHR. District Attorney Pamela Casey said her office will review findings to determine whether charges will be filed in the case. “It’s horrible,’’ Moon said. “It affects everybody, not just the family and the victim but all first responders.” “It’s catastrophic,’’ the sheriff said. “It’s the worse of the worst anytime there’s a child death.” According to Kidsandcars.org, the boy is the 27th child to die in a hot car in the U.S. in 2022, and the first confirmed in Alabama this year. Tuesday’s temperature was in the low 90s. Experts said at that temperature, the inside air temperature of the car could have been in excess of 135 degrees. Objects or a person inside the car in direct sunlight would have been significantly hotter, Jan Null, adjunct professor of meteorology at San Jose University and a “hot car” death expert, has previously said. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…

Ex-Trump Official Criticizes Probe Into Misconduct Claims https://digitalalabamanews.com/ex-trump-official-criticizes-probe-into-misconduct-claims/ MIAMI (AP) — A former Trump official who heads Latin America’s largest development lender on Tuesday criticized an external investigation into an anonymous complaint that he carried on a romantic relationship with a subordinate. The investigation’s findings have not been made public, but Mauricio Claver-Carone said in a statement that it did not substantiate the “false and anonymous allegations” about his activities as president of the Inter-American Development Bank. Claver-Carone, who previously served as the White House’s top national security adviser on Latin America, also harshly criticized the manner in which the probe was conducted, saying he was never given an opportunity to officially respond to the accusations. “It is important to note the investigative process failed to meet international standards of integrity that both the IDB and the region strive to exemplify,” he said. “In clear and direct contravention of IDB ethics rules, neither I nor any other IDB staff member has been given an opportunity to review the final investigative report, respond to its conclusions, or correct inaccuracies.” It is not known what steps, if any, the bank’s board will take next. Executive directors representing Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and other countries did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment. The probe, carried out by the law firm Davis Polk, was launched by the bank’s board after it received an email in March requesting an investigation into possible misconduct by Claver-Carone. The email, which was shown to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the probe on the condition of anonymity, was sent from a Gmail address referencing “corruption” at the IADB, as the bank is also known. “It is widely known, inside and outside of the IADB, that the President has a romantic and inappropriate relationship with one of his subordinates,” according to the email, which is signed by “A Friend of the IADB.” Among other irregularities. the email accuses Claver-Carone and the person he directly managed of inflating expenses and booking adjacent hotel rooms when traveling together for work. While offering no evidence, the sender provided a list of possible witnesses to corroborate the accusations, including Claver-Carone’s former wife and a former driver. A bank official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, said the employee has denied having an affair with her boss. As part of the probe, Claver-Carone’s ex-wife also signed an affidavit denying the anonymous email’s claim she told bank staff that her marriage ended as a result of his affair with the woman. Claver-Carone has been a lightning rod for criticism from Democrats ever since he was elected as president of the bank in the waning months of the Trump administration. The Miami native is the first U.S. citizen to head the Washington-based bank and some in the region, especially on the left, complained that his selection broke the longstanding tradition of having a Latin American at the helm. ___ Joshua Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman Read More…

Paxton Files Amicus Brief Defending President Trump’s Constitutional Rights After Biden DOJ’s Unprecedented Raid https://digitalalabamanews.com/paxton-files-amicus-brief-defending-president-trumps-constitutional-rights-after-biden-dojs-unprecedented-raid/ Attorney General Paxton is leading a multistate coalition in filing an amicus brief in the Atlanta-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in support of President Donald Trump, seeking to ensure the return of privileged documents taken during the Biden Administration’s unprecedented raid.   After President Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) ransacked the home of a former—and potential future—political opponent, President Trump requested a special master to determine if items protected by attorney-client privilege and executive privilege were taken. A federal district court subsequently appointed a special master and prevented the Biden Administration from using potentially privileged materials in the interim.   The Biden Administration is now seeking an appeal of the decision, in order to review and potentially use privileged materials to further their investigation of President Trump.   “Joe Biden’s commitment to weaponizing the DOJ to go after political opponents should deeply concern all Americans,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Given Biden’s track record, combined with his rhetoric demonizing anyone he disagrees with, the courts must be on high alert to the ways in which DOJ may abuse its power to punish President Donald Trump. At a bare minimum, the Eleventh Circuit should ensure that any privileged information taken from President Trump is returned and the special master stays in place.”  The brief notes the multitude of ways in which the Biden Administration has leveraged its power to engage in questionable political gamesmanship, as opposed to working to advance the interests of the American people. In particular, the brief highlights multiple examples of federal judges determining that the Biden Administration failed to act “in good faith” and took “inequitable” action, in addition to blatant and public misrepresentations surrounding the extent of federal involvement in “gain of function” research and the status of illegal immigration policies. Because of the Administration’s track record, and the extraordinary circumstances of this case, the Eleventh Circuit should uphold the district court’s decision.    As the brief explains: “At a minimum, this Court should view the Administration’s assertions of good-faith, neutrality, and objectivity through jaundiced eyes. Consequently, this Court should reject the Administration’s request to stay the district court’s order pending appeal and instead permit this document dispute to proceed before a neutral special master.”    To read the full amicus, click here.   Read More…

Trump Rape Accuser E. Jean Carroll Plans New Lawsuit Against Former President https://digitalalabamanews.com/trump-rape-accuser-e-jean-carroll-plans-new-lawsuit-against-former-president/ FILE PHOTO – U.S. President Donald Trump rape accuser E. Jean Carroll departs from her hearing at federal court during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., October 21, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com NEW YORK, Sept 20 (Reuters) – A writer who accused Donald Trump of raping her more than a quarter-century ago plans to file a new lawsuit against the former U.S. president, whose lawyer called the effort “extraordinarily prejudicial.” In a letter made public on Tuesday, a lawyer for former Elle magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll said she plans to sue Trump for battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress under New York state’s Adult Survivors Act. That law, recently signed by Governor Kathy Hochul, gives adult accusers a one-year window to bring civil claims over alleged sexual misconduct regardless of how long ago it occurred. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Trump has denied raping Carroll and accused her of concocting the rape claim to sell her book. Carroll’s lawyer Roberta Kaplan said her client plans to sue Trump on Nov. 24 when the state law takes effect, and that the claims and Carroll’s existing defamation case against Trump could be tried together in February 2023. Alina Habba, a lawyer for Trump, said the former president “adamantly” objected to combining both cases, which would occur after both sides finished gathering evidence for trial, and that it was “extraordinarily prejudicial” to add the new claims. “To permit plaintiff to drastically alter the scope and subject matter of this case at such time would severely prejudice defendant’s rights,” Habba wrote. “Plaintiff’s request must be disregarded in its entirety.” Kaplan’s letter is dated Aug. 8 and Habba’s is dated Aug. 11. They were made public on Tuesday afternoon. The case is Carroll v Trump, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 20-07311. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Chris Reese and Howard Goller Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More…

T.J. Finley’s Not-So-Subtle Retweet Offers Explanation Into Auburn’s Passing-Game Woes https://digitalalabamanews.com/t-j-finleys-not-so-subtle-retweet-offers-explanation-into-auburns-passing-game-woes/ Auburn Football Published: Sep. 20, 2022, 3:45 p.m. Penn State safety Jaylen Reed hits Auburn quarterback T.J. Finley forcing an interception during the first quarter on Sept. 17, 2022. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com There’s plenty to be critical of and unpack from Auburn’s 41-12 loss to Penn State on Saturday. Auburn quarterback T.J. Finley was 11 of 19 passing for 152 passing yards, an interception and a lost fumble before being replaced in the second half by Robby Ashford. The benching certainly was a main topic of conversation in the aftermath of the loss. On Tuesday, Finley retweeted the CFB Film Room’s interesting statistic. “Auburn QBs were pressured on 61.8 percent of their dropbacks vs. Penn State, the 4th highest pressure rate allowed by an SEC team over the last five season,” the tweet reads. Auburn’s T.J. Finely retweeted some numbers that show quarterback play against Penn State wasn’t just impacted by the quarterback. (Twitter) You can’t help but think Finley’s retweet was a not-so-subtle attempt at an explanation that the passing woes are not solely on him. In fact, the insinuation is he is calling out the offensive line. “We went three-and-out on that (first) drive (of the second half) there, and that was one that hurt us, just from a momentum standpoint,” Auburn coach Bryan Harsin told reporters after the game. “But even at that point, the score (14-6) is not out of hand. It comes back to us executing, but the decision for that was not necessarily off of, you know, him not being able to go. T.J.’s a tough guy. He showed toughness tonight, too, and we felt like Robby had some plays in there and that he could get some things going, and he did.” Ashford, from a statistical standpoint, didn’t fare much better, though, he did have the touchdown pass. Ashford finished the game 10-of-19 for 144 yards, the score and an interception. Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…

Atlanta Braves: Roster For Fourth Annual 44 Classic Presented By Nike At Truist Park September 24-25 – AllOnGeorgia https://digitalalabamanews.com/atlanta-braves-roster-for-fourth-annual-44-classic-presented-by-nike-at-truist-park-september-24-25-allongeorgia/ The Atlanta Braves will host their fourth annual 44 Classic presented by Nike at Truist Park on Saturday, September 24 and Sunday, September 25. This showcase, with participating sponsor Truist, will feature the top diverse high school baseball talent from the Southeast. The top 44 players from the Braves’ RBI Fall Development League presented by Nike were selected to participate in an exclusive pro-style workout on Saturday, September 24 at 1:30 p.m. On Sunday, September 25 at 1 p.m., the athletes will be split into two teams to play in a showcase game in front of professional baseball scouts. Players will be coached by Braves alumni Marquis Grissom, Marvin Freeman, and Johnny Estrada. The 44 Classic presented by Nike — named in honor of Henry “Hank” Aaron’s number — furthers his legacy to increase diversity in baseball. It serves as a platform to provide access and exposure for rising sophomore, junior, and senior minority baseball talent to help them reach the next level. The showcase game on Sunday, September 25 is free and open to the public. Tickets must be reserved in advance at www.Braves.com/44classic. The full roster of participating student-athletes includes: Name Position Hometown (City, State) High School Antonio Anderson SS Atlanta, GA North Atlanta High School Ali Banks OF Stone Mountain, GA Parkview High School Corey Battey LHP Clermont, FL TNXL Academy Tysen Benford RHP Acworth, GA Georgia Premier Academy Michael Bright MIF Lithia Springs, GA New Manchester High School Clarence Callaway III C Conyers, GA Dutchtown High School Wesley Calloway 1B Atlanta, GA Whitefield Academy Montrell Christian OF Forest Park, GA Forest Park High School Kanious Davis RHP Atlanta, GA Maynard Jackson High School Jacen Davis MIF Atlanta, GA Dunwoody High School Evan Duncan OF Millbrook, GA Stanhope Elmore High Lj Estrada C Newnan, GA The Heritage School Jamie Howze OF Ellenwood, GA Redan High School Ira Jefferies 3B Marietta, GA Hillgrove High School Malachi Jeffries SS Buford, GA Seckinger High School Adrian Jimenez SS Sugar hill, GA Lanier High School Terrence Kiel II OF Atlanta, GA Pace Academy Trey Lawrence SS Palmetto, FL Palmetto High School Nathaniel Leverettte C Atlanta, GA Westlake High School Trey Majette 1B Lawrenceville, GA Peachtree High School Adriel Martinez C Stone Mountain, GA Redan High School Denver Matthews OF New Rochelle, NY New Rochelle High School Bernard Moon SS Stone Mountain, GA Redan High School Rodney Mudd II OF Snellville, GA Shiloh High School Sam Parker 1B Marietta, GA Kennesaw Mountain High school Tyshon Patty SS Lawrenceville, GA Mountain View High School Andwele Pittman RHP Decatur, GA Decatur High School Ezra Poole RHP Buford, GA Buford High School Ethan Pulliam SS Starkville, MI Starkville High School Carson Ray SS Atlanta, GA Woodward Academy Brent Sims RHP Stockbridge, GA Stockbridge High School Adonis Smith RHP Stockbridge, GA Georgia Premier Academy Nicholas Spry RHP Snellville, GA Shiloh High School Brandon Stephens RHP Decatur, GA Decatur High School Mason Sutherland 1B Marietta, GA Marietta High School Travyon Taylor 1B Riverdale, GA Forest Park High School Quaterrion Walton SS Fairburn, GA Langston Hughes High School DeVante Wells C Pinson, AL Pinson Valley High School Chase Williams OF Montgomery, AL Stanhope Elmore High School Desean Williams OF Hampton, GA Georgia Premier Academy Tyrell Wyatt 2B Stone Mountain, GA Redan High School Bruce Wyche OF McDonough, GA Union Grove High School Ryan Wynn SS Douglasville, GA Chapel Hill High School Ashton Yelder 3B Montgomery, AL Lowndes Academy MLB / Atlanta Braves Read More…

Maddie & Tae To Appear On NBC https://digitalalabamanews.com/maddie-tae-to-appear-on-nbc/ Award-winning Mercury Nashville duo Maddie & Tae will hit the stage tomorrow (9/21) on NBC’s TODAY with Hoda & Jenna, performing their recent release “Every Night Every Morning.” Penned by Maddie & Tae with Jonathan Singleton and Brock Berryhill, “Every Night Every Morning” is the lead track from their upcoming eight song collection, Through The Madness Vol. 2, out this Friday and available for pre-order now. With a harmony-drenched song cycle and a clear-eyed measure of two young women coming into their own, the eight-time CMA Vocal Duo of the Year nominees embrace the best of everything life hands them on the second half of their 1-2 punch, following their acclaimed Through The Madness Vol. 1, released earlier this year. Maddie & Tae kicked off their headlining CMT Next Women of Country Tour Presents: All Song No Static Tour last weekend (9/15), bringing their hit songs and new music to their home states of Texas and Oklahoma. Next up, the pair will hit the East Coast for back-to-back shows in Boston, MA (9/21), New York, NY (9/22), Warrendale, PA (9/23) and Baltimore, MD (9/24). 2022 “CMT Next Women of Country Tour Presents: All Song No Static Tour” Dates Sept 21 – Brighton Music Hall – Boston, MA Sept 22 – The Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY Sept 23 – Jergel’s Rhythm Grille – Warrendale, PA Sept 24 – Baltimore Soundstage – Baltimore, MD Sept 28 – Moonshine Beach – San Diego, CA Sept 29 – The Roxy – West Hollywood, CA Sept 30 – Club Rodeo Rio – San Jose, CA Oct 1 – Goldfield Trading Post – Roseville, CA Oct 5 – Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville, TN Oct 6 – Buckhead Theatre – Atlanta, GA Oct 7 – Von Braun Center – Mars Music Hall – Huntsville, AL Oct 13 – The Castle Theater – Bloomington, IL Oct 14 – The Bluestone – Columbus, OH Oct 15 – Elevation at The Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI Award-winning duo Maddie & Tae channel their unbreakable bond, honest songwriting and “some of the tightest harmonies on Music Row” (Rolling Stone) into their new collection of songs Through The Madness Vol. 2, out September 23. Together as longtime friends and music collaborators, Maddie Font and Taylor Kerr co-wrote each of the project’s tracks, as well as all 8 songs on Through The Madness Vol. 1, including their most recent single, “Woman You Got,” plus fan-favorite songs “Strangers” and “Madness.” The pair drew praise for their No. 1 debuting The Way It Feels album, including the Double Platinum-certified No. 1 hit, “Die From A Broken Heart.” With “Die From A Broken Heart” topping the country airplay charts, Maddie & Tae became the first and only female twosome with multiple No. 1s. Maddie & Tae first broke out in 2013 with their brilliant counter to bro-country, the Platinum-selling smash, “Girl In A Country Song,” which took Country radio by storm, skyrocketing to the top of the charts and establishing them as only the third female duo in 70 years to top the Country Airplay charts. They recently took home Group/Duo Video of the Year (“Woman You Got”) at the CMT Music Awards, and were nominated a seventh time for Vocal Duo of the Year at the 55th CMA Awards. They have earned trophies from the Radio Disney Music Awards and CMA Awards, along with multiple ACM, Billboard and CMT Award nominations. Maddie & Tae have received widespread praise from Associated Press, Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, The Tennessean, The Washington Post, Glamour and others. The celebrated duo has toured with country music’s hottest stars including Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, and Brad Paisley, and recently wrapped The Weekends Tour with Brett Young. They are set to headline the CMT Next Women of Country Tour Presents: All Song No Static Tour in 2022, hitting major markets coast-to-coast. Read More…