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AP News Summary At 4:43 A.m. EDT
AP News Summary At 4:43 A.m. EDT
AP News Summary At 4:43 A.m. EDT https://digitalalabamanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-443-a-m-edt/ Ukraine finds new mass burials, says Russia “leaves death” IZIUM, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian authorities are expected to begin recovering bodies from a newly found mass burial site in a forest recaptured from Russian forces, a delicate task that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said would help show the world “what the Russian occupation has led to.” The burial site, containing hundreds of graves, was discovered close to Izium after a rapid counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces liberated the northeastern city and other swaths of the Kharkiv region, breaking what was largely becoming a military stalemate in the nearly seven-month war. Associated Press journalists who visited the burial site counted hundreds of graves amid the trees, marked with simple wooden crosses — most of them numbered, up to 400 and beyond. Veteran NY judge named as arbiter in Trump Mar-a-Lago probe WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has appointed a veteran New York jurist to serve as an independent arbiter in the criminal investigation into the presence of classified documents at Donald Trump’s Florida home. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has also refused to permit the Justice Department to resume its use of the highly sensitive records seized in an FBI search last month. Cannon on Thursday empowered the newly named special master, Raymond Dearie, to review all the documents taken in the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago and set a November deadline for his work. The sharply worded order from Cannon sets the stage for a challenge to a federal appeals court. LONDON DIARY: Reflections from the queue to mourn the queen LONDON (AP) — Waiting in line to bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II is a singular event — no matter who you are. AP correspondent Samya Kullab was No. 3,017 in the queue one day this week outside Westminster Hall. The line was full of people touched by the queen’s death in different ways. And as they wait in line and chat, they find things they have in common — and realize that they’d have never met if it were not for this singular event. In nearly eight hours in line, Kullab is able to make a bit more sense of the outpouring that the monarch’s death brought to Britain. Charles’ history with US presidents: He’s met 10 of past 14 WASHINGTON (AP) — Hanging out with Richard Nixon’s daughter. Swapping horseback riding stories with Ronald Reagan. Bending the ears of  Donald Trump and Joe Biden on climate change. King Charles III over the years has made the acquaintance of 10 of the 14 U.S. presidents who served during his lifetime. Charles met Dwight Eisenhower when he was just 10 years old. He has recalled his first visit to the Nixon White House in 1970 as the time that “they were trying to marry me off to Tricia Nixon.” Charles met Joe Biden last year. He did not meet four presidents who held office during his lifetime: Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson and John F. Kennedy. Florida, Texas escalate flights, buses to move migrants EDGARTOWN, Mass. (AP) — Republican governors are escalating their practice of sending migrants without advance warning to Democratic strongholds, including a wealthy summer enclave in Massachusetts and the Washington, D.C., home of Vice President Kamala Harris. They are taunting leaders of immigrant-friendly “sanctuary” cities and highlighting their opposition to Biden administration border policies. The governors of Texas and Arizona have sent thousands of migrants on buses to New York, Chicago and Washington in recent months. But the latest surprise moves — which included two flights to Martha’s Vineyard Wednesday paid for by Florida’s governor — were derided by critics as inhumane political theater. EXPLAINER: States scramble as US abortion landscape shifts COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Almost three months after Roe v. Wade was overturned, the landscape of abortion access is still shifting significantly in some states, sometimes very quickly. Changing restrictions and litigation in neighboring Indiana and Ohio this week illustrate the whiplash for providers and patients navigating sudden changes in what is allowed where. As of Thursday, 13 states have current bans on abortion at any point in pregnancy and one more, Georgia, with a ban on abortions after fetal cardiac activity can be detected — usually around six weeks, often before women realize they’re pregnant. Biden, S. African leader to discuss Ukraine, trade, climate WASHINGTON (AP) — Presidents Joe Biden and Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa are set for White House talks on Russia’s war in Ukraine, climate issues, trade and more. Biden will play host to Ramaphosa on Friday. He is among African leaders who have maintained a neutral stance in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with South Africa abstaining from a United Nations vote condemning Russia’s actions and calling for a mediated settlement. South African officials said Ramaphosa would emphasize the need for dialogue to find an end to the conflict during his meeting with Biden and in separate talks with Vice President Kamala Harris. Warming, other factors worsened Pakistan floods, study finds A new study says human-caused climate change juiced the rainfall that triggered Pakistan’s floods by up to 50%. But the authors of Thursday’s study say other societal issues that make the country vulnerable and put people in harm’s way are probably the biggest factor in the ongoing humanitarian disaster. Still, they say climate change made it a lot worse. Researchers used the scientifically accepted technique of comparing what happened to computer simulations of a world without heat-trapping gases from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. The study from World Weather Attribution is not yet peer reviewed. Palestinian farmer discovers rare ancient treasure in Gaza BUREIJ, Gaza Strip (AP) — A Palestinian farmer in the Gaza Strip has discovered a rare mosaic on his property. The man says he stumbled upon it while planting an olive tree last spring and quietly excavated it over several months with his son. Experts say the discovery of the mosaic — which includes 17 well-preserved images of animals and birds — is one of Gaza’s greatest archaeological treasures. They say it’s drawing attention to the need to protect Gaza’s antiquities, which are threatened by a lack of resources and the constant threat of fighting with Israel. The mosaic was discovered just one kilometer, or about half a mile, from the Israeli border. Federer, Serena retire; tennis moves on to Alcaraz, Swiatek The timing of it all hardly could be more symbolic: All within a span of two weeks, Serena Williams plays what is believed to be her last match at age 40, Roger Federer announces he’ll be retiring at 41, Iga Swiatek wins her third Grand Slam title at 21, and Carlos Alcaraz gets his first at 19. After so much handwringing in recent years about what would become of tennis once transcendent superstars such as Williams and Federer leave the game, the sport does seem to be in good hands as it prepares to move on. Federer said Thursday he will exit after the Laver Cup next week. Williams lost in the third round of the U.S. Open on Sept. 2. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More…
·digitalalabamanews.com·
AP News Summary At 4:43 A.m. EDT
Willie James Hames Sr. Obituary (2022) The Citizen
Willie James Hames Sr. Obituary (2022) The Citizen
Willie James Hames Sr. Obituary (2022) The Citizen https://digitalalabamanews.com/willie-james-hames-sr-obituary-2022-the-citizen/ Willie James Hames, Sr. April 13, 1955 – Sept. 12, 2022 A time to be born: Willie James Hames, Sr. “Tawncy” was born in Tampa, FL on April 13, 1955 to the late Harvey Haynes III and Lilly Mae Hill Haynes. He was raised by his grandmother Georgie Hill Rivers, and Rosie Dean-Palmer in Baker Hill, AL, and his three special aunties Louisse White (George White), Georgia L. Deloach (Obie L. Deloach), and Marie Williams (Jack Williams). He was predeceased by his only brother Harvey Haynes III (Rose-Chow Haynes). A time to live: Willie Hames, Sr. attended Baker Hill Elementary School and went on to Clayton High School. He then traveled to upstate New York and resided in Auburn, NY. Willie J. Hames, Sr. loved cutting down trees, and side jobs. He also worked for Bouley’s Construction. During this time, Willie loved being outdoors where he helped many young youth with employment. In his young adult life he loved traveling down south, he also loved cook-outs, where he then would shoot dice enjoying his family and friends. He loved his children. He enjoyed working in his younger days. A time to leave: Willie J. Hames, Sr. passed away at Upstate University on September 12, 2022 with his family by his side. He leaves to cherish his loving memories; a loving and devoted significant other Marilyn Harrington of 34 years. His daughters: Crystal R. Baker (Joeroy J. Baker), Michelle Harrington (Oliver), Amanda Williams, Mica Williams, Jennett Bowman (Brian); his sons: Tavarris Bright, Willie J. Hames, Jr., Tavary Williams (Kristy), Morris J. Bowman (Kim); his grandchildren: Janiyah Wilson, Kayannah Baker, Shartriese Baker, Chammaria (Tammy); his only niece, Annette Haynes; and his only nephew, Harvey Haynes III (Bettina Haynes); and great-nephew, Harrison Haynes; and many, many lifelong friends. There will be a memorial service from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Saturday, September 17, 2022 at Roosevelt Memorial Baptist Church, 101 Fitch Avenue, Auburn. Masks will be required at the church. There will be a gathering at Booker T. Washington Community Center at 2:00 PM following the memorial service. A home going service and burial will take place in Clayton, AL. Condolences may be made www.brewfuneralhome.com. Published by The Citizen on Sep. 16, 2022. 34465541-95D0-45B0-BEEB-B9E0361A315A To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store. Read More…
·digitalalabamanews.com·
Willie James Hames Sr. Obituary (2022) The Citizen
Trump-Picked Judge Named Special Master In Mar-A-Lago Raid Case | World
Trump-Picked Judge Named Special Master In Mar-A-Lago Raid Case | World
Trump-Picked Judge Named Special Master In Mar-A-Lago Raid Case | World https://digitalalabamanews.com/trump-picked-judge-named-special-master-in-mar-a-lago-raid-case-world/ Washington: US district judge Aileen Cannon has rejected the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) request to revive the criminal probe against Donald Trump in the classified documents case and instead appointed a judge picked by the former President as special master to review the documents seized by the FBI on August 8 from his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. Raymond Dearie, a Brooklyn-based federal judge, was selected on Thursday to serve as an independent arbiter to review the materials seized during the surprise search. His name was put forward as a possible candidate for the special master’s role by Trump, CNN reported. The special master will be a Senior Judge who had sued in court to obtain the review. The DOJ also endorsed Dearie’s appointment. Trump claims he declassified Mar-a-Lago docs, but his lawyers avoid making that assertion, CNN said. Judge Cannon’s rejection of the DOJ’s bid to revive its criminal investigation into the classified has set the stage for the Department’s dispute with Trump over the search to move quickly to an appeals court and potentially the Supreme Court. Cannon gave the special master a deadline of November 30 to complete his review. The schedule puts the review ending after the mid-term congressional elections — essentially guaranteeing the Mar-a-Lago investigation will move slowly for the next two months, unless a higher court steps in, CNN said. This means Trump gets a reprieve, unless blocked by a higher court, and enough time to campaign for his candidates for the midterms, a sort of victory for him. Trump backed candidates initially won the primaries but, after President Joe Biden announced the inflation reduction act and signed an Executive Order on abortion rights, the former President’s candidates started losing the primaries in important states. Judge Dearie, a Ronald Reagan appointee and picked by Trump now takes centre stage. He sits on the district court for the Eastern District of Brooklyn, where he has taken senior status — meaning his workload has been lightened significantly as he nears the end of his time on the federal bench. Dearie was appointed as a judge in 1986 and was for a time the chief judge of the Brooklyn-based district court. He also served a seven-year term, concluding in 2019, on the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), CNN said. In his role as a FISC judge, Dearie was one of the judges who approved one of the DOJ’s requests to surveil former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page, as part of the federal inquiry into Russia 2016 election interference.  (IANS) Read More…
·digitalalabamanews.com·
Trump-Picked Judge Named Special Master In Mar-A-Lago Raid Case | World
Queen Lying In State: Queueing Time Passes 11 Hours Ahead Of Princes Evening Vigil Live Updates
Queen Lying In State: Queueing Time Passes 11 Hours Ahead Of Princes Evening Vigil Live Updates
Queen Lying In State: Queueing Time Passes 11 Hours Ahead Of Princes’ Evening Vigil – Live Updates https://digitalalabamanews.com/queen-lying-in-state-queueing-time-passes-11-hours-ahead-of-princes-evening-vigil-live-updates/ Queue reaches nearly five miles and 11.5 hours Members of the public who plan to join the queue to attend the Queen’s lying in state at the Palace of Westminster may expect to wait for at least 11.5 hours. According to the government tracker, the queue is currently approximately 4.9miles long (7.9km). People queue near Tower Bridge to pay their respects. Photograph: Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters People queue near London Bridge to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II. Photograph: Christophe Ena/AP People queue to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II lying in state at the Palace of Westminster. Photograph: Olivier Hoslet/EPA “,”elementId”:”ff354304-e08f-4535-8417-b8af50187534″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:” According to the government tracker, the queue is currently approximately 4.9miles long (7.9km). 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queue near Tower Bridge to pay their respects.”,”caption”:”People queue near Tower Bridge to pay their respects.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters”},”displayCredit”:true,”role”:”inline”,”imageSources”:[{“weighting”:”inline”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0191f7bd77598905b7ab18f85e93a44c”,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0203f4f9b0b3b7ba927e66f9feb9f475″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=68b0584ea7cf586fe8b39ce14abadae7″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0b37ece51aae2473893eefe5bd54d4d6″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=737efe69c05d6e4e362632f8fc5f40d8″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1ef8578e5133f5ba51aaba690b2717fa”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”thumbnail”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=c17c9811131ea31c31422988ec8d7974″,”width”:140},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=140&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=2045f37a059970b14e87620c5e69a028″,”width”:280},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=120&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=c22ec9c6f4fa43d7189d9180c7161591″,”width”:120},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=120&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0be2f85e017750a03fc1bd0b94894ea9″,”width”:240}]},{“weighting”:”supporting”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=380&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=52d39d83a790aab9804b5d31e6f2bcda”,”width”:380},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=380&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1a5d7c2549d67a03b136643e2af4a7fd”,”width”:760},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=b152b6f347672f82e8569c1d183bcc1e”,”width”:300},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=f392d5e165dafeb46e569b59cb8cbd8c”,”width”:600},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0191f7bd77598905b7ab18f85e93a44c”,”width”:620},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=620&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0203f4f9b0b3b7ba927e66f9feb9f475″,”width”:1240},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=605&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=68b0584ea7cf586fe8b39ce14abadae7″,”width”:605},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=605&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0b37ece51aae2473893eefe5bd54d4d6″,”width”:1210},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=445&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=737efe69c05d6e4e362632f8fc5f40d8″,”width”:445},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=445&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=1ef8578e5133f5ba51aaba690b2717fa”,”width”:890}]},{“weighting”:”showcase”,”srcSet”:[{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ee8f8adc9d59f01289e2fe1c525fcaa5″,”width”:860},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=860&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=68ec40ea62be4dbfdf4bc994378b08d9″,”width”:1720},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f07512ff52d4aee83e/0_217_3500_2101/master/3500.jpg?width=780&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=3b6e831620930a06935dc0ff11265ee2″,”width”:780},{“src”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/beb09b0e2403b3569da9d5f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·digitalalabamanews.com·
Queen Lying In State: Queueing Time Passes 11 Hours Ahead Of Princes Evening Vigil Live Updates
AP News Summary At 3:36 A.m. EDT
AP News Summary At 3:36 A.m. EDT
AP News Summary At 3:36 A.m. EDT https://digitalalabamanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-336-a-m-edt/ Ukrainian president: Mass grave found near recaptured city IZIUM, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian authorities have found a mass burial site near a recaptured northeastern city previously occupied by Russian forces. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the discovery late Thursday in his nightly address to the nation. The grave was found close to Izium in the Kharkiv region. Associated Press journalists saw the site in a forest. Amid the trees were hundreds of graves with simple wooden crosses, most of them marked only with numbers. A larger grave bore a marker saying it contained the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers. Investigators with metal detectors were scanning the site for hidden explosives. Zelenskyy said more information would be made public Friday. Veteran NY judge named as arbiter in Trump Mar-a-Lago probe WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has appointed a veteran New York jurist to serve as an independent arbiter in the criminal investigation into the presence of classified documents at Donald Trump’s Florida home. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has also refused to permit the Justice Department to resume its use of the highly sensitive records seized in an FBI search last month. Cannon on Thursday empowered the newly named special master, Raymond Dearie, to review all the documents taken in the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago and set a November deadline for his work. The sharply worded order from Cannon sets the stage for a challenge to a federal appeals court. LONDON DIARY: Reflections from the queue to mourn the queen LONDON (AP) — Waiting in line to bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II is a singular event — no matter who you are. AP correspondent Samya Kullab was No. 3,017 in the queue one day this week outside Westminster Hall. The line was full of people touched by the queen’s death in different ways. And as they wait in line and chat, they find things they have in common — and realize that they’d have never met if it were not for this singular event. In nearly eight hours in line, Kullab is able to make a bit more sense of the outpouring that the monarch’s death brought to Britain. Charles’ history with US presidents: He’s met 10 of past 14 WASHINGTON (AP) — Hanging out with Richard Nixon’s daughter. Swapping horseback riding stories with Ronald Reagan. Bending the ears of  Donald Trump and Joe Biden on climate change. King Charles III over the years has made the acquaintance of 10 of the 14 U.S. presidents who served during his lifetime. Charles met Dwight Eisenhower when he was just 10 years old. He has recalled his first visit to the Nixon White House in 1970 as the time that “they were trying to marry me off to Tricia Nixon.” Charles met Joe Biden last year. He did not meet four presidents who held office during his lifetime: Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson and John F. Kennedy. Florida, Texas escalate flights, buses to move migrants EDGARTOWN, Mass. (AP) — Republican governors are escalating their practice of sending migrants without advance warning to Democratic strongholds, including a wealthy summer enclave in Massachusetts and the Washington, D.C., home of Vice President Kamala Harris. They are taunting leaders of immigrant-friendly “sanctuary” cities and highlighting their opposition to Biden administration border policies. The governors of Texas and Arizona have sent thousands of migrants on buses to New York, Chicago and Washington in recent months. But the latest surprise moves — which included two flights to Martha’s Vineyard Wednesday paid for by Florida’s governor — were derided by critics as inhumane political theater. EXPLAINER: States scramble as US abortion landscape shifts COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Almost three months after Roe v. Wade was overturned, the landscape of abortion access is still shifting significantly in some states, sometimes very quickly. Changing restrictions and litigation in neighboring Indiana and Ohio this week illustrate the whiplash for providers and patients navigating sudden changes in what is allowed where. As of Thursday, 13 states have current bans on abortion at any point in pregnancy and one more, Georgia, with a ban on abortions after fetal cardiac activity can be detected — usually around six weeks, often before women realize they’re pregnant. Biden, S. African leader to discuss Ukraine, trade, climate WASHINGTON (AP) — Presidents Joe Biden and Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa are set for White House talks on Russia’s war in Ukraine, climate issues, trade and more. Biden will play host to Ramaphosa on Friday. He is among African leaders who have maintained a neutral stance in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with South Africa abstaining from a United Nations vote condemning Russia’s actions and calling for a mediated settlement. South African officials said Ramaphosa would emphasize the need for dialogue to find an end to the conflict during his meeting with Biden and in separate talks with Vice President Kamala Harris. Warming, other factors worsened Pakistan floods, study finds A new study says human-caused climate change juiced the rainfall that triggered Pakistan’s floods by up to 50%. But the authors of Thursday’s study say other societal issues that make the country vulnerable and put people in harm’s way are probably the biggest factor in the ongoing humanitarian disaster. Still, they say climate change made it a lot worse. Researchers used the scientifically accepted technique of comparing what happened to computer simulations of a world without heat-trapping gases from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. The study from World Weather Attribution is not yet peer reviewed. Palestinian farmer discovers rare ancient treasure in Gaza BUREIJ, Gaza Strip (AP) — A Palestinian farmer in the Gaza Strip has discovered a rare mosaic on his property. The man says he stumbled upon it while planting an olive tree last spring and quietly excavated it over several months with his son. Experts say the discovery of the mosaic — which includes 17 well-preserved images of animals and birds — is one of Gaza’s greatest archaeological treasures. They say it’s drawing attention to the need to protect Gaza’s antiquities, which are threatened by a lack of resources and the constant threat of fighting with Israel. The mosaic was discovered just one kilometer, or about half a mile, from the Israeli border. Federer, Serena retire; tennis moves on to Alcaraz, Swiatek The timing of it all hardly could be more symbolic: All within a span of two weeks, Serena Williams plays what is believed to be her last match at age 40, Roger Federer announces he’ll be retiring at 41, Iga Swiatek wins her third Grand Slam title at 21, and Carlos Alcaraz gets his first at 19. After so much handwringing in recent years about what would become of tennis once transcendent superstars such as Williams and Federer leave the game, the sport does seem to be in good hands as it prepares to move on. Federer said Thursday he will exit after the Laver Cup next week. Williams lost in the third round of the U.S. Open on Sept. 2. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More…
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AP News Summary At 3:36 A.m. EDT
Video Appears To Show Marjorie Taylor Greene Kicking A Gen Z Activist
Video Appears To Show Marjorie Taylor Greene Kicking A Gen Z Activist
Video Appears To Show Marjorie Taylor Greene Kicking A Gen Z Activist https://digitalalabamanews.com/video-appears-to-show-marjorie-taylor-greene-kicking-a-gen-z-activist/ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) appeared to kick an unarmed demonstrator during a confrontation outside the Capitol on Thursday afternoon. Videos posted to Twitter by Greene and the Gen Z activist group Voters of Tomorrow show Greene leaving a news conference while being questioned by activists about gun violence. As Greene approaches a crosswalk, she appears to kick one of the activists, who was walking in front of her. These foolish cowards want the government to take away guns & the rights of parents to defend their children in schools. You have to be an idiot to think gun control will create a utopian society where criminals disarm themselves and obey the law. “Gun-free” zones kill people. pic.twitter.com/1T37HH8jEO — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) September 15, 2022 “Excuse me,” Greene says while at first appearing to step on demonstrator Marianna Pecora’s foot. “Excuse me,” Greene says again, this time after appearing to intentionally draw back her foot and aim for Pecora’s leg. “Oh my God,” Pecora, 18, is seen saying in the videos. “You can’t block members of Congress,” Greene’s communications director, Nick Dyer, told Pecora, even though Greene was engaging her in conversation. In a statement to The Washington Post, Dyer voiced objections to the description of the video and described a version of events unsubstantiated by video evidence. The confrontation began around 5 p.m. Eastern, when the House’s conservative Freedom Caucus, of which Greene is a member, held a news conference to discuss a government funding bill being debated in the Senate. As the legislators left the event, Santiago Mayer, the 20-year-old founder of Voters of Tomorrow, approached Greene and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), another member of the caucus, asking to take a photo and claiming to be a “big fan,” a Washington Post reporter at the event observed. But both members quickly recognized Mayer as an activist. Boebert pushed Mayor’s smartphone away and quickly exited. Greene instead jousted with the group of activists — and accused Mayer of abusing children. Mayer told The Washington Post that accusation came after he asked her whether she had a plan to protect children from school shootings. “You’re helping kids get shot in school,” Mayer said to Greene. The lawmaker, who has been critical of gun-control regulations to prohibit firearms in certain public places, responded by saying he should just “move to another country.” “I asked her if her official stance as a member of Congress was that I should just move to another country if I didn’t want kids to get shot,” Mayer said. He said Greene refused to answer that query. That’s when Pecora stepped in, and the videos appear to show the incident taking a physical turn. The congresswoman, Mayer said, also called the group of activists “cowards.” Mayer, who is a Mexican immigrant, said he does not know if his slight accent tipped off Greene, leading to her suggestion that he move to another country. After the incident, however, Greene targeted Mayer and his nationality on Twitter, calling him a “paid political activist, who just so happens to be blessed to have immigrated to our great country.” “He should respect and be grateful for American freedoms, like our 2A, instead of trying to destroy them,” she said. “If he doesn’t like it, he can go back.” Mayer is a grass-roots organizer who founded Voters of Tomorrow at age 17 to encourage his American peers to vote and be more civically engaged. He said he, Pecora and other members of the Gen Z-run group were at the Capitol on Thursday to “talk to members of Congress about what Gen Z’s priorities are.” They had just left a meeting with the House Rules Committee when they ran into the Freedom Caucus. Pecora, a freshman in college, told The Post that the altercation with Greene was unlike any other interaction she’s had with sitting lawmakers, whom she spent the week meeting with to discuss Gen Z’s priorities. Those lawmakers, she said, took her group of young activists seriously and treated them with respect. “It’s honestly, like, really disheartening to think that a bunch of kids can hold themselves with better composure than a sitting member of Congress,” Pecora said. “We’ve been sitting in meetings all week with both Democrats and Republicans. Nobody has been anything but respectful. Everybody has been just so incredibly attentive, and taken us seriously and had, like, really productive conversations with us. Except for Marjorie Taylor Greene.” Mayer said he and Pecora have not yet discussed whether they will press charges against Greene. Pecora, he said, was physically okay after being kicked, if slightly shaken. “It’s kind of just been chaos,” Mayer said. “She’s … just kind of shocked that a member of Congress would try to kick her.” Greene has a history of heated confrontations around the Capitol. In 2019, before she was elected to Congress, she harassed David Hogg, a then-teenage gun-control activist and survivor of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting, while he walked the grounds to meet with legislators. Greene followed Hogg for several blocks while repeating falsehoods about the events at his high school, where 17 people were killed in the 2018 attack. As Hogg crossed a street, Greene turns toward another person filming the encounter and called Hogg “a coward.” In 2021, Greene accosted Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) in a Capitol hallway and accused her of supporting “terrorists.” Two Post journalists witnessed the interaction, which led Ocasio-Cortez to call on congressional leadership to review its security posture to protect elected officials. “You don’t care about the American people,” Greene shouted. “Why do you support terrorists and antifa?” Ocasio-Cortez did not stop to answer Greene, only turning around once and throwing her hands in the air in an exasperated motion. House Democrats have chastised Greene for her behavior, and voted in 2021 to strip her of committee assignments. Greene previously said Black people “are held slaves to the Democratic Party” and claimed that Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) — the first two Muslim women elected to Congress — represented “an Islamic invasion into our government offices.” She also has repeatedly compared liberal lawmakers to Nazis, and continued to do so even after warnings from Republican leaders to cease. Marianna Sotomayor contributed to this report. Read More…
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Video Appears To Show Marjorie Taylor Greene Kicking A Gen Z Activist
Armani Toni Woodfox Obituary (2022) The Times-Picayune
Armani Toni Woodfox Obituary (2022) The Times-Picayune
Armani Toni Woodfox Obituary (2022) The Times-Picayune https://digitalalabamanews.com/armani-toni-woodfox-obituary-2022-the-times-picayune/ Armani Toni Woodfox went to heaven on September 7, 2022, at the age of 25. Armani is the inspiration behind the nonprofit foundation “Armani’s Heroes Incorporated”, www.armanisheroes.org, which specializes in helping adults and children with special needs (heroes) and their families. She leaves to cherish in loving memories her parents – Anthony & Clintal Nicole Woodfox, four siblings – Shanlavell (Gabrielle) James, Hattiesburg, MS; Quaz’Jun, Donald and Derrick Williams, Conyers, GA; two uncles – William (Keyah) Shaw III, Chalmette, LA and Brian (Shedrika) Smith, New Orleans, LA; three aunts – Natashia(Troy Jefferson) Williams, LeQuana J. Shaw, New Orleans, LA and Brittany C. Brown, Honolulu, HI; four nephews: DeAngelo Turner, Rodney Wooten, Karter Williams and Kashmere Ward; four nieces: Meyah Williams, Leilani Wooten, Avianna Williams and Na’Ava Williams; devoted grandfather William Shaw, II, New Orleans, LA; devoted grandmother Theresa Trass, New Orleans, LA, special great aunt Mona Lisa Woodfox, New Orleans, LA, loving Godmother Penelope Howard, Montgomery, AL; awesome Godbrothers & sisters and a host of other relatives, friends and heroes. Armani was preceded in death by her paternal grandfather, Leroy Anthony Woodfox III; maternal grandmothers, Barbara Ann Williams and Debra Shaw; her Godfather, Larry Howard; and two uncles, Sherman Smith, and Lavell L. Williams. Family and friends are invited to attend the Celebration of Life Service on Saturday September 17, 2022, for 12:00 p.m. at Holy Trinity Christian Baptist Church, 1727 Erie Street, New Orleans, LA 70114. Visitation will begin at 10:30 a.m., Bishop Patrick L. Leonard officiating. Interment will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery, 4000 Norman Mayer Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70122. Due to COVID-19, the family requests that all attendees wear a face mask. Guestbook Online: www.anewtraditionbegins.com (504) 282-0600. Linear Brooks Boyd and Donavin D. Boyd Owners/Funeral Directors. Published by The Times-Picayune on Sep. 16, 2022. 34465541-95D0-45B0-BEEB-B9E0361A315A To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store. Read More…
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Armani Toni Woodfox Obituary (2022) The Times-Picayune
Germany Promised Ukraine Weapons But Hasn't Delivered. Now Anger Toward Berlin Is Rising
Germany Promised Ukraine Weapons But Hasn't Delivered. Now Anger Toward Berlin Is Rising
Germany Promised Ukraine Weapons But Hasn't Delivered. Now, Anger Toward Berlin Is Rising https://digitalalabamanews.com/germany-promised-ukraine-weapons-but-hasnt-delivered-now-anger-toward-berlin-is-rising/ Soldiers drive a “Marder” infantry fighting vehicle of the German armed forces Bundeswehr during the informative educational practice “Land Operation Exercise 2017” at the military training area in Munster, northern Germany. Afp Contributor | Afp | Getty Images Ukraine’s relations with Germany have soured this week, with Kyiv asking why Berlin reneged on its promise to provide heavy weaponry. Tensions over Germany’s provision of Leopard tanks and infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine — or lack thereof — came to a head this week when Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba publicly asked why Berlin was backtracking on a pledge made to send these weapons to Ukraine. “Disappointing signals from Germany while Ukraine needs Leopards and Marders now — to liberate people and save them from genocide,” Kuleba said on Twitter, adding that there was “not a single rational argument on why these weapons can not be supplied, only abstract fears and excuses.” “What is Berlin afraid of that Kyiv is not?” he added. The Marder is a German infantry fighting vehicle designed to be used alongside Leopard battle tanks in combat. Kuleba’s comments came as Ukraine launches counterattacks against Russian forces in both the south and northeast of the country. Ukraine’s counterattack in the northeast Kharkiv region was hailed as a particular success, with Russian forces withdrawing from towns and villages across the region, almost completely de-occupying it. A new Leopard 2 A7V heavy battle tank Bundeswehr’s 9th Panzer Training Brigade stands during a visit by German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht to the Bundeswehr Army training grounds on February 07, 2022 in Munster, Germany. Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty Images Ukraine is largely reliant on Western weapons systems to fight Russian forces. And its allies in the West, NATO members essentially, have individually sent Ukraine a vast range of military hardware. In April, Germany promised to give Leopard tanks and Marders to Ukraine. Rather than deliver them directly, it proposed a swap scheme. The intention was that NATO members, Poland or Slovakia for example, could send Ukraine older Soviet-era tanks (such as Leopard 1s), and Germany would then replenish their stocks with its own more modern equivalent weapons (such as Leopard 2s). Germany justified the proposal to send older weapons by saying Ukraine’s forces were used to Soviet-era weapons, and that it should only supply weapons they know how to use. The only problem with the plan is that this exchange of weapons has largely failed to materialize and Germany is now facing a backlash from critics, both within Germany and externally — and not least of all, from a disappointed Ukraine. One of the arguments is that they are afraid of further escalation — but that’s an invalid argument because it’s like, an escalation to what? It’s bad enough as it is. Yuri Sak Ukrainian defense ministry official Yuriy Sak, an advisor to Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, told CNBC on Wednesday that Kyiv doesn’t understand Berlin’s reluctance to send it weapons that could prove decisive on the battlefield. “It’s difficult to read their minds, but Germany’s words, during the last seven months on a number of occasions, have not been matched by their actions. And this is disappointing because there was a moment in time when they made this commitment that they would provide Ukraine with these tanks, it was a moment of hope and promise that we looked forward to,” he noted. “If they’re afraid of some nuclear strikes or some other attacks on the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, which could result in major tragedy, it’s another story but as far as the situation on the battlefield is concerned, we don’t understand the logic behind it. It could be some internal political games as well,” he noted. Kyiv wants weapons, Germany has them Ukraine’s need for more weapons comes as the war enters what could be a definitive phase in which the balance shifts in Kyiv’s favor. Russia was seen to have been taken by surprise by Ukraine’s latest counterattacks, having redeployed some of its most effective fighting units to southern Ukraine after Kyiv signaled over the summer it would launch a counteroffensive to retake Kherson. After what seemed like a brief period of stunned silence as it took in Ukraine’s rapid victories and advances in the northeast, Russian forces have begun their response to those wins, launching an intense series of attacks on energy infrastructure in the northeast, as well as missile strikes on the south. All the while, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on Ukraine’s international allies to continue sending weapons to Ukraine, saying this is when it needs them most to maintain the momentum. And it’s weapons like Germany’s Leopard tanks, and Marder infantry fighting vehicles, that Ukraine says could change the balance of the war definitively. Among Ukraine’s NATO allies, Germany — the self-professed “leader of Europe” — has attracted criticism and even ridicule for its military assistance to Ukraine. Just before Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24, Germany’s offer to send thousands of helmets to Ukraine was met with derision. Analysts say that criticism is not entirely deserved, however, noting that after the U.S. and U.K., Germany has been one of the biggest donors of weapons to Ukraine. Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans run a Dutch open-source intelligence defense analysis website and keep a tally of weapons Germany has delivered to Ukraine. They note on their site that, to date, these deliveries include a number of Gepard SPAAGs (self-propelled anti-aircraft guns), man-portable air-defense systems (known as MANPADS, they’re portable surface-to-air missiles), howitzers and anti-tank weapons, as well as hundreds of vehicles and millions of rounds of ammunition. The German government has also published a list of the military equipment it has sent to Ukraine, right down to 125 pairs of binoculars it has donated. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz observes damages as he visits with French President Emmanuel Macron, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 16, 2022. Viacheslav Ratynskyi | Reuters But when it comes to German tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, Germany has ostensibly dragged its feet, with no decision on the supply of such hardware, let alone deliveries, made despite Ukraine’s specific requests from Kuleba and other officials since March. Analysts say Germany’s good intentions have just not come to fruition. “Germany has … attempted to entice other countries to send their heavy weaponry to Ukraine in a programme known as ‘Ringtausch’ (‘exchange’). Under this policy, countries can receive German armament free of charge in exchange for delivering tanks and infantry fighting vehicles from own stocks to Ukraine,” Mitzer and Oliemans noted in an article in early September. “Although a promising scheme at first, the ‘Ringtausch’ programme has largely failed to live up to expectations as most countries expect to have their Soviet-era systems replaced by larger numbers of modern weapon systems than what Berlin is currently able (or willing) to offer,” they noted. What does Germany say? Pressure has been mounting on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to make a decision on sending such weapons to Ukraine, but there appears to be reluctance at the top to take that decision. On Monday, Germany’s Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said sending more heavy weaponry to Ukraine was “not so simple.” “It’s not so simple just to say: I’ll just risk that we won’t be able to act, the defense of the country, by giving everything away. No, I won’t do that,” she said. “But we have other possibilities, from industry, with our partners,” Deutsche Welle reported. CNBC contacted the German defense ministry for more comment, and a response to Kuleba’s comments, and is yet to receive a response. Chancellor Scholz defended Germany’s record over weapons deliveries on Wednesday, however, telling reporters that “it can be said that the very weapons that Germany has now provided to Ukraine are decisive to the development of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, and they have also made the difference” in battle. Germany’s reticence over certain arms deliveries has prompted some critics to look for ulterior motives for its reluctance, with some even suggesting that Germany does not like the idea of German tanks facing Russian tanks on the battlefield, as they did in World War II. “We have no alternative. It is about our independence, about our future, about the fate of the entire Ukrainian people,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (pictured here on June 16). Ludovic Marin | Reuters Rafael Loss, a defense expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), told CNBC Wednesday that the German government has put forward various explanations for not sending the weapons. “The German government itself has put forward explanations for why not to do so, essentially, since the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine and even before that. We’ve heard concerns about the potential for escalation, that Russia might see the transfer of such weapons as some kind of red line.” “We see concerns, mostly from the SPD (Scholz’s Social Democratic Party) about the images that German Leopard tanks might produce going toe to toe with Russian tanks in Ukraine. And we’ve also heard in the past arguments about the tight timeline as a reason for sending the Soviet-produced materiel first. I think that that is a legitimate argument. But it only holds up so long,” he said. “At some point, Ukraine — and th...
·digitalalabamanews.com·
Germany Promised Ukraine Weapons But Hasn't Delivered. Now Anger Toward Berlin Is Rising
AP News Summary At 2:26 A.m. EDT
AP News Summary At 2:26 A.m. EDT
AP News Summary At 2:26 A.m. EDT https://digitalalabamanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-226-a-m-edt/ Ukrainian president: Mass grave found near recaptured city IZIUM, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian authorities have found a mass burial site near a recaptured northeastern city previously occupied by Russian forces. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the discovery late Thursday in his nightly address to the nation. The grave was found close to Izium in the Kharkiv region. Associated Press journalists saw the site in a forest. Amid the trees were hundreds of graves with simple wooden crosses, most of them marked only with numbers. A larger grave bore a marker saying it contained the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers. Investigators with metal detectors were scanning the site for hidden explosives. Zelenskyy said more information would be made public Friday. Veteran NY judge named as arbiter in Trump Mar-a-Lago probe WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has appointed a veteran New York jurist to serve as an independent arbiter in the criminal investigation into the presence of classified documents at Donald Trump’s Florida home. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has also refused to permit the Justice Department to resume its use of the highly sensitive records seized in an FBI search last month. Cannon on Thursday empowered the newly named special master, Raymond Dearie, to review all the documents taken in the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago and set a November deadline for his work. The sharply worded order from Cannon sets the stage for a challenge to a federal appeals court. LONDON DIARY: Reflections from the queue to mourn the queen LONDON (AP) — Waiting in line to bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II is a singular event — no matter who you are. AP correspondent Samya Kullab was No. 3,017 in the queue one day this week outside Westminster Hall. The line was full of people touched by the queen’s death in different ways. And as they wait in line and chat, they find things they have in common — and realize that they’d have never met if it were not for this singular event. In nearly eight hours in line, Kullab is able to make a bit more sense of the outpouring that the monarch’s death brought to Britain. Charles’ history with US presidents: He’s met 10 of past 14 Read More…
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AP News Summary At 2:26 A.m. EDT
Charles' History With US Presidents: He's Met 10 Of Past 14
Charles' History With US Presidents: He's Met 10 Of Past 14
Charles' History With US Presidents: He's Met 10 Of Past 14 https://digitalalabamanews.com/charles-history-with-us-presidents-hes-met-10-of-past-14/ WASHINGTON (AP) — Hanging out with Richard Nixon’s daughter Tricia at a White House “supper-dance.” Swapping stories with Ronald Reagan about horseback riding. Bending the ears of Donald Trump and Joe Biden about climate change. King Charles III, who became head of state following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, has made the acquaintance of 10 of the 14 U.S. presidents who have held office since he was born in 1948. He was just 10 when he checked off his first president in 1959. That was when Dwight Eisenhower visited the queen and her family at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where she died on Sept. 8 after a 70-year-reign. “I guess you can’t start too early,” said Barbara A Perry, director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. She noted that Charles’ grandson, Prince George, was a toddler when Kensington Palace released a photograph of him shaking hands with Barack Obama during the president’s trip to London in 2016. Charles never met Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson and John F. Kennedy, Perry said. His encounters with U.S. presidents included what he recalled as an “amusing” weekend visit to Nixon White House in 1970 with his sister Anne, when the 20-year-old future king — one of the world’s most eligible bachelors — sensed there was an effort afoot to set him up. “That was the time when they were trying to marry me off to Tricia Nixon,” he later recalled. The king has chatted up presidents on his visits to the U.S. and met others when they traveled in the United Kingdom. He was in the company of Donald Trump, Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush when he represented the British monarchy at the state funeral for former President George H.W. Bush in 2018 in Washington. Charles met President Joe Biden last year at a climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland. The royal has visited America about 20 times since that memorable first trip in the Nixon years, he told CNN last year. The royal siblings had been invited to Washington by Nixon’s daughters and son-in-law, Tricia Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower and her husband, David Eisenhower, grandson of President Eisenhower, for that three-day visit in July 1970. The young VIPs had a packed schedule that included frolicking at the Camp David presidential retreat, a nighttime tour of Washington’s monuments, museum visits, a luncheon cruise down the Potomac River to George Washington’s estate at Mount Vernon, Virginia, a dance on the South Lawn for 700 guests, and a Washington Senators baseball game. Charles and Nixon also met in the Oval Office. But if the president had his heart set a union between his family and the royals, it wasn’t meant to be. In June 1971, less than a year after Charles’ visit, Tricia married longtime beau Edward Cox in the White House Rose Garden. A decade later, in July 1981, Charles married Lady Diana Spencer. They divorced in 1996. Nixon, himself, had pushed for Charles to visit the U.S. for the perceived public relations bonanza, according to a January 1970 memo he sent his national security adviser, Henry Kissinger. “I think this could do an enormous amount of good for U.S.-British relations,” Nixon said. He wrote that he’d been told that Charles “is the real gem” of the royal family and “makes an enormously favorable impression wherever he goes.” Charles returned the praise in a thank-you note. “The kindness shown to us at the White House was almost overwhelming and for that we are immensely grateful,” the prince wrote to Nixon. “Both my sister and I take back to Britain the most heartwarming evidence of what is known as the special relationship between our two countries and of the great hospitality shown to us by you and your family.” Many of the former Prince of Wales’ conversations with recent U.S. presidents centered on his interest in tackling climate change. Charles has campaigned for the environment for 50 years, but he acknowledged after becoming king that his new role requires that he set aside his activism on that and other issues. Charles, 73, and Biden, 79, discussed global cooperation on the climate crisis last year while both attended a summit in Glasgow, Scotland. They also met at Buckingham Palace in June 2021 at a reception the queen hosted before a world leaders’ summit in Cornwall. Biden rejoined the 2015 Paris climate agreement after Trump as president withdrew the U.S. from the accord. Biden and the king spoke on Wednesday, with Biden offering his condolences over the queen. Trump has said that during his visit with Charles, the former prince “did most of the talking” and pressed him on climate during a scheduled 15-minute meeting that stretched to 90 minutes in 2019 at Charles’ residence in London. During a three-day visit to Washington in 2011, Charles, an advocate of environmentally friendly farming, met with President Obama. In a speech, he praised Michelle Obama’s campaign against childhood obesity and hunger, and U.S. manufacturers’ efforts to produce healthier foods. He criticized U.S. government subsidies for large-scale agriculture and encouraged increased business and government support for organic and environmentally friendly food production. In his toast at a White House dinner in 2005, the future king told President George W. Bush that the world looks to the United States “for a lead on the most crucial issues that face our planet and, indeed, the lives of our grandchildren. “Truly, the burdens of the world rest on your shoulders,” he said. In the remarks, Charles also said the trip reminded him of his first visit to America, “when the media were busy trying to marry me off to Tricia Nixon.” Visiting with Reagan in the Oval Office in 1981, the two discussed their interest in horseback riding as a steward brought tea. But it was not served the British way. Of the experience, Reagan later wrote in his diary: “The ushers brought him tea — horror of horrors they served it our way with a tea bag in the cup. It finally dawned on me that he was just holding the cup and finally put it down on the table. I didn’t know what to do,” Reagan confessed. ___ AP News Researcher Rhonda Shafner 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…
·digitalalabamanews.com·
Charles' History With US Presidents: He's Met 10 Of Past 14
Charles History With US Presidents: Hes Met 10 Of Past 14 WTOP News
Charles History With US Presidents: Hes Met 10 Of Past 14 WTOP News
Charles’ History With US Presidents: He’s Met 10 Of Past 14 – WTOP News https://digitalalabamanews.com/charles-history-with-us-presidents-hes-met-10-of-past-14-wtop-news/ Britain_Royals_Charles_US_Presidents_10254 FILE – President Donald Trump and Britain’s Prince Charles toast, during the Return Dinner in Winfield House, the residence of the Ambassador of the United States of America to the UK, in Regent’s Park, part of the president’s state visit to the UK, in London, June 4, 2019. Chris Jackson/Pool Photo via AP, File Britain_Royals_Charles_US_Presidents_14177 FILE – First lady Pat Nixon leads Princess Anne Thursday, July 16, 1970, from welcoming ceremonies at the White House. President Richard Nixon and Prince Charles walk with them. In the background are Julie and David Eisenhower. AP Photo, File Britain_Royals_Charles_US_Presidents_39072 FILE – President Barack Obama meets with Britain’s Prince Charles, March 19, 2015, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File Britain_Royals_Charles_US_Presidents_31867 FILE – President George W. Bush, right, greets Britain’s Prince Charles on Nov. 2, 2005, on the South Portico of the White House in Washington. AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File Britain_Royals_Charles_US_Presidents_58128 FILE – President Ronald Reagan and Britain’s Prince Charles talk as the two meet in the Oval Office at the White House May 1, 1981. AP Photo/Ira Schwarz, File Britain_Royals_Charles_US_Presidents_08771 FILE – Prince Charles and Tricia Nixon lead the way to join guests at a White House supper-dance, July 17, 1970. Following are Princess Anne, left, and Julie Nixon, hidden, and David Eisenhower. AP Photo, File WASHINGTON (AP) — Hanging out with Richard Nixon’s daughter Tricia at a White House “supper-dance.” Swapping stories with Ronald Reagan about horseback riding. Bending the ears of Donald Trump and Joe Biden about climate change. King Charles III, who became head of state following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, has made the acquaintance of 10 of the 14 U.S. presidents who have held office since he was born in 1948. He was just 10 when he checked off his first president in 1959. That was when Dwight Eisenhower visited the queen and her family at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where she died on Sept. 8 after a 70-year-reign. “I guess you can’t start too early,” said Barbara A Perry, director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. She noted that Charles’ grandson, Prince George, was a toddler when Kensington Palace released a photograph of him shaking hands with Barack Obama during the president’s trip to London in 2016. Charles never met Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson and John F. Kennedy, Perry said. His encounters with U.S. presidents included what he recalled as an “amusing” weekend visit to Nixon White House in 1970 with his sister Anne, when the 20-year-old future king — one of the world’s most eligible bachelors — sensed there was an effort afoot to set him up. “That was the time when they were trying to marry me off to Tricia Nixon,” he later recalled. The king has chatted up presidents on his visits to the U.S. and met others when they traveled in the United Kingdom. He was in the company of Donald Trump, Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush when he represented the British monarchy at the state funeral for former President George H.W. Bush in 2018 in Washington. Charles met President Joe Biden last year at a climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland. The royal has visited America about 20 times since that memorable first trip in the Nixon years, he told CNN last year. The royal siblings had been invited to Washington by Nixon’s daughters and son-in-law, Tricia Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower and her husband, David Eisenhower, grandson of President Eisenhower, for that three-day visit in July 1970. The young VIPs had a packed schedule that included frolicking at the Camp David presidential retreat, a nighttime tour of Washington’s monuments, museum visits, a luncheon cruise down the Potomac River to George Washington’s estate at Mount Vernon, Virginia, a dance on the South Lawn for 700 guests, and a Washington Senators baseball game. Charles and Nixon also met in the Oval Office. But if the president had his heart set a union between his family and the royals, it wasn’t meant to be. In June 1971, less than a year after Charles’ visit, Tricia married longtime beau Edward Cox in the White House Rose Garden. A decade later, in July 1981, Charles married Lady Diana Spencer. They divorced in 1996. Nixon, himself, had pushed for Charles to visit the U.S. for the perceived public relations bonanza, according to a January 1970 memo he sent his national security adviser, Henry Kissinger. “I think this could do an enormous amount of good for U.S.-British relations,” Nixon said. He wrote that he’d been told that Charles “is the real gem” of the royal family and “makes an enormously favorable impression wherever he goes.” Charles returned the praise in a thank-you note. “The kindness shown to us at the White House was almost overwhelming and for that we are immensely grateful,” the prince wrote to Nixon. “Both my sister and I take back to Britain the most heartwarming evidence of what is known as the special relationship between our two countries and of the great hospitality shown to us by you and your family.” Many of the former Prince of Wales’ conversations with recent U.S. presidents centered on his interest in tackling climate change. Charles has campaigned for the environment for 50 years, but he acknowledged after becoming king that his new role requires that he set aside his activism on that and other issues. Charles, 73, and Biden, 79, discussed global cooperation on the climate crisis last year while both attended a summit in Glasgow, Scotland. They also met at Buckingham Palace in June 2021 at a reception the queen hosted before a world leaders’ summit in Cornwall. Biden rejoined the 2015 Paris climate agreement after Trump as president withdrew the U.S. from the accord. Biden and the king spoke on Wednesday, with Biden offering his condolences over the queen. Trump has said that during his visit with Charles, the former prince “did most of the talking” and pressed him on climate during a scheduled 15-minute meeting that stretched to 90 minutes in 2019 at Charles’ residence in London. During a three-day visit to Washington in 2011, Charles, an advocate of environmentally friendly farming, met with President Obama. In a speech, he praised Michelle Obama’s campaign against childhood obesity and hunger, and U.S. manufacturers’ efforts to produce healthier foods. He criticized U.S. government subsidies for large-scale agriculture and encouraged increased business and government support for organic and environmentally friendly food production. In his toast at a White House dinner in 2005, the future king told President George W. Bush that the world looks to the United States “for a lead on the most crucial issues that face our planet and, indeed, the lives of our grandchildren. “Truly, the burdens of the world rest on your shoulders,” he said. In the remarks, Charles also said the trip reminded him of his first visit to America, “when the media were busy trying to marry me off to Tricia Nixon.” Visiting with Reagan in the Oval Office in 1981, the two discussed their interest in horseback riding as a steward brought tea. But it was not served the British way. Of the experience, Reagan later wrote in his diary: “The ushers brought him tea — horror of horrors they served it our way with a tea bag in the cup. It finally dawned on me that he was just holding the cup and finally put it down on the table. I didn’t know what to do,” Reagan confessed. ___ AP News Researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report. Copyright © 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. More from WTOP Read More…
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Charles History With US Presidents: Hes Met 10 Of Past 14 WTOP News
NFL Thursday Night: Chiefs Slip Past Chargers
NFL Thursday Night: Chiefs Slip Past Chargers
NFL Thursday Night: Chiefs Slip Past Chargers https://digitalalabamanews.com/nfl-thursday-night-chiefs-slip-past-chargers/ Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert connected with tight end Gerald Everett for a 26-yard gain to the Kansas City Chiefs 3-yard line with about 11 minutes remaining in a tie game on Thursday night. But when Herbert sought to go back to the former South Alabama standout on the next snap, Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson intercepted the pass, and the seventh-round rookie went 99 yards for a touchdown in his second NFL game. The interception sparked the Chiefs to a 27-24 victory in an early season showdown in the AFC West. MORE NFL: · SHAUN ALEXANDER TO JOIN SEAHAWKS RING OF HONOR · NEXT GEN JULIO JONES STILL AMONG NFL’S FASTEST · WITH 1 WEEK OF PRACTICE, O.J. HOWARD PRODUCES 2 TOUCHDOWNS Herbert completed 33-of-48 passes for 334 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes went 24-of-35 for 235 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. After Watson’s touchdown with 10:29 to play, the Chiefs added a field goal while the Chargers managed one first down during two possessions. Herbert got Los Angeles back into the end zone with 1:11 remaining, but Kansas City recovered the onside kick and kneeled out the clock. RELATED: NFL WEEK 2: SCHEDULE, TV, ODDS Six players from Alabama high schools and colleges were involved in the Los Angeles-Kansas City game: · Gerald Everett (UAB/South Alabama) started at tight end for the Chargers. Everett caught six passes for 71 yards. He has 10 receptions for 125 yards in his two games with Los Angeles. · Chargers long snapper Josh Harris (Auburn) handled the snaps for six punts, three extra-point kicks and one field-goal attempt. · Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross (Central-Phenix City) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play. · Chargers punter JK Scott (Alabama) averaged 40.5 yards, with a 39.5-yard net, on six punts. Scott had a 39-yard punt for a fair catch at the Kansas City 8-yard line, a 35-yarder downed at the Kansas City 13, a 38-yarder for a fair catch at the Kansas City 29, a 34-yarder for a fair catch at the Los Angeles 36, a 44-yarder returned 4 yards to the Kansas City 34 (but moved back to the 15 because of a penalty) and a 53-yarder returned 6 yards to the Kansas City 15. · Chiefs defensive tackle Taylor Stallworth (Murphy) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play. · Chiefs offensive tackle Prince Tega Wanogho (Edgewood Academy, Auburn) played but did not record any stats. The Chiefs improved to 2-0. The Chargers went to 1-1. In Week 3 on Sept. 25, Kansas City visits the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles hosts the Jacksonville Jaguars. FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…
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NFL Thursday Night: Chiefs Slip Past Chargers
Charles' History With US Presidents: He's Met 10 Of Past 14 KION546
Charles' History With US Presidents: He's Met 10 Of Past 14 KION546
Charles' History With US Presidents: He's Met 10 Of Past 14 – KION546 https://digitalalabamanews.com/charles-history-with-us-presidents-hes-met-10-of-past-14-kion546/ By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Hanging out with Richard Nixon’s daughter Tricia at a White House “supper-dance.” Swapping stories with Ronald Reagan about horseback riding. Bending the ears of Donald Trump and Joe Biden about climate change. King Charles III, who became head of state following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, has made the acquaintance of 10 of the 14 U.S. presidents who have held office since he was born in 1948. He was just 10 when he checked off his first president in 1959. That was when Dwight Eisenhower visited the queen and her family at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where she died on Sept. 8 after a 70-year-reign. “I guess you can’t start too early,” said Barbara A Perry, director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. She noted that Charles’ grandson, Prince George, was a toddler when Kensington Palace released a photograph of him shaking hands with Barack Obama during the president’s trip to London in 2016. Charles never met Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson and John F. Kennedy, Perry said. His encounters with U.S. presidents included what he recalled as an “amusing” weekend visit to Nixon White House in 1970 with his sister Anne, when the 20-year-old future king — one of the world’s most eligible bachelors — sensed there was an effort afoot to set him up. “That was the time when they were trying to marry me off to Tricia Nixon,” he later recalled. The king has chatted up presidents on his visits to the U.S. and met others when they traveled in the United Kingdom. He was in the company of Donald Trump, Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush when he represented the British monarchy at the state funeral for former President George H.W. Bush in 2018 in Washington. Charles met President Joe Biden last year at a climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland. The royal has visited America about 20 times since that memorable first trip in the Nixon years, he told CNN last year. The royal siblings had been invited to Washington by Nixon’s daughters and son-in-law, Tricia Nixon, Julie Nixon Eisenhower and her husband, David Eisenhower, grandson of President Eisenhower, for that three-day visit in July 1970. The young VIPs had a packed schedule that included frolicking at the Camp David presidential retreat, a nighttime tour of Washington’s monuments, museum visits, a luncheon cruise down the Potomac River to George Washington’s estate at Mount Vernon, Virginia, a dance on the South Lawn for 700 guests, and a Washington Senators baseball game. Charles and Nixon also met in the Oval Office. But if the president had his heart set a union between his family and the royals, it wasn’t meant to be. In June 1971, less than a year after Charles’ visit, Tricia married longtime beau Edward Cox in the White House Rose Garden. A decade later, in July 1981, Charles married Lady Diana Spencer. They divorced in 1996. Nixon, himself, had pushed for Charles to visit the U.S. for the perceived public relations bonanza, according to a January 1970 memo he sent his national security adviser, Henry Kissinger. “I think this could do an enormous amount of good for U.S.-British relations,” Nixon said. He wrote that he’d been told that Charles “is the real gem” of the royal family and “makes an enormously favorable impression wherever he goes.” Charles returned the praise in a thank-you note. “The kindness shown to us at the White House was almost overwhelming and for that we are immensely grateful,” the prince wrote to Nixon. “Both my sister and I take back to Britain the most heartwarming evidence of what is known as the special relationship between our two countries and of the great hospitality shown to us by you and your family.” Many of the former Prince of Wales’ conversations with recent U.S. presidents centered on his interest in tackling climate change. Charles has campaigned for the environment for 50 years, but he acknowledged after becoming king that his new role requires that he set aside his activism on that and other issues. Charles, 73, and Biden, 79, discussed global cooperation on the climate crisis last year while both attended a summit in Glasgow, Scotland. They also met at Buckingham Palace in June 2021 at a reception the queen hosted before a world leaders’ summit in Cornwall. Biden rejoined the 2015 Paris climate agreement after Trump as president withdrew the U.S. from the accord. Biden and the king spoke on Wednesday, with Biden offering his condolences over the queen. Trump has said that during his visit with Charles, the former prince “did most of the talking” and pressed him on climate during a scheduled 15-minute meeting that stretched to 90 minutes in 2019 at Charles’ residence in London. During a three-day visit to Washington in 2011, Charles, an advocate of environmentally friendly farming, met with President Obama. In a speech, he praised Michelle Obama’s campaign against childhood obesity and hunger, and U.S. manufacturers’ efforts to produce healthier foods. He criticized U.S. government subsidies for large-scale agriculture and encouraged increased business and government support for organic and environmentally friendly food production. In his toast at a White House dinner in 2005, the future king told President George W. Bush that the world looks to the United States “for a lead on the most crucial issues that face our planet and, indeed, the lives of our grandchildren. “Truly, the burdens of the world rest on your shoulders,” he said. In the remarks, Charles also said the trip reminded him of his first visit to America, “when the media were busy trying to marry me off to Tricia Nixon.” Visiting with Reagan in the Oval Office in 1981, the two discussed their interest in horseback riding as a steward brought tea. But it was not served the British way. Of the experience, Reagan later wrote in his diary: “The ushers brought him tea — horror of horrors they served it our way with a tea bag in the cup. It finally dawned on me that he was just holding the cup and finally put it down on the table. I didn’t know what to do,” Reagan confessed. ___ AP News Researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report. Read More…
·digitalalabamanews.com·
Charles' History With US Presidents: He's Met 10 Of Past 14 KION546
'Special Master' Appointed To Review Docs Taken During FBI's Search Of Mar-A-Lago
'Special Master' Appointed To Review Docs Taken During FBI's Search Of Mar-A-Lago
'Special Master' Appointed To Review Docs Taken During FBI's Search Of Mar-A-Lago https://digitalalabamanews.com/special-master-appointed-to-review-docs-taken-during-fbis-search-of-mar-a-lago/ A Florida court has appointed a “Special Master” to review documents taken when the FBI searched Donald Trump‘s Mar-a-Lago estate. In court documents seen by PEOPLE, the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Florida’s West Palm Beach Division appointed Honorable Raymond J. Dearie on Thursday as the Special Master in Trump’s case. Per the court, Dearie will “review all of the materials seized” during the FBI’s Aug. 8 search. His duties include verifying that documents taken and labeled “Detailed Property Inventory” accurately reflect the “property seized.” He will also do a “privilege review” of the items taken and tell the court if there are any potential “privilege disputes between the parties.” The government will also provide the Special Master with “the Seized Materials” taken, along with the “redacted public versions,” the doc says. Trump will be responsible for paying for the Special Master and any related fees. The former president asked the court to select a Special Master last month. In papers filed in the U.S. District Court’s Southern District of Florida, the former president, through his counsel, asked that the government not be allowed to look at the documents until then. After roughly two dozen FBI agents searched Trump’s home, his lawyers suggested it is a political move against Trump amid his possible bid for president in the upcoming 2024 race. RELATED VIDEO: Mike Pence Says He Didn’t Keep Classified White House Docs, Calls for Transparency in DOJ’s Investigation of Trump They accused the government of refusing to “provide even the most basic information about what was taken, or why,” and said that the information they did provide sparks concern over Fourth Amendment rights — which protects citizens from unreasonable searches of their homes, documents, and possessions. The filing said that the government told Trump’s lawyers that “privileged and/or potentially privileged documents” were seized, but specifics of what exactly was taken have yet to be provided. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The FBI executed the search amid the National Archives and Records Administration’s (NARA) attempt to recover documents that were potentially at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, which is where he returned after leaving the White House at the end of his presidency, per the filing. Arguing that the documents seized were created when Trump was president, his lawyers stated that they are ” ‘presumptively privileged’ until proven otherwise,” and a Special Master is the only one who can protect their “sanctity.” U.S. prosecutors have argued that “efforts were likely taken to obstruct the government’s investigation,” according to a filing the Justice Department submitted to a federal judge recently. That filing outlines the government’s previous attempts, over a span of 18 months, to have Trump and his attorneys return documents, including classified material, from Mar-a-Lago. More than 180 boxes were sent to the National Archives from Mar-a-Lago in January. After the National Archives followed up for more records, Trump’s team handed over 38 documents in June, along with a signed document stating that no other classified documents remained on site. Despite those assurances, more than 100 additional classified papers were found when the FBI entered the property in August. Trump has said documents stored at Mar-a-Lago had been declassified by him, though it’s unclear if he undertook any formal process to declassify them. The claim has also been refuted by more than a dozen former Trump administration officials. Read More…
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'Special Master' Appointed To Review Docs Taken During FBI's Search Of Mar-A-Lago
Watch: Trump Announces New Hindi Slogan Ahead Of November Elections
Watch: Trump Announces New Hindi Slogan Ahead Of November Elections
Watch: Trump Announces New Hindi Slogan Ahead Of November Elections https://digitalalabamanews.com/watch-trump-announces-new-hindi-slogan-ahead-of-november-elections/ Former US president speaks the Indian language in the video; this follows the success of his 2016 slogan “Abki Baar Trump Sarkar” By PTI Published: Fri 16 Sep 2022, 8:43 AM Former US president Donald Trump has coined an India-US friendship slogan in Hindi as part of his efforts to woo the influential Indian-American community before the mid-term elections in November. “Bharat and America Sabse Achhe Dost,” Trump is seen rehearsing and saying in a video released by the Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC). The slogan in English means “India and the United States are best friends”. In the short 30-second video, Trump is seen seated with his supporter Chicago-based businessman Shalabh Kumar from the Republican Hindu Coalition. The new slogan is inspired by the phenomenal success of the 2016 slogan of Trump in Hindi “Abki Baar Trump Sarkar”, which had caught the imagination of the Indian Americans then and had played a key part in his victories in some of the key swing states. Kumar who has been instrumental in both Trump’s slogans “Abki Baar Trump Sarkar” and “Bharat and America sabse achhe dost” told PTI in an interview this week that he and the RHC plan to run the former president’s latest slogan in the ethnic Indian media to gain Indian-American support and vote for the November 8 mid-term elections. Political observers and the latest polls indicate that Republicans are most likely to regain the majority in the House of Representatives. “The end goal is to heavily support five (GOP) candidates for Senate” where the margin of victory is going to be “less than 50,000 votes. Some might be even 10,000 votes or 5,000 votes,” Kumar said. These Senate races are in the States of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia, he said, adding that the small Hindu community in these States can make that difference. “The Hindu vote will make the difference. That’s the biggest block of independent voters,” Kumar said in response to a question. “We are going to have a (national) campaign (with focus on these states) which is going to be close to what the 2016 campaign was,” he said. Kumar and the RHC were an important part of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. However, the two fell apart in the 2020 presidential elections. ALSO READ: Judge unseals additional portions of Mar-a-Lago affidavit Biden’s midterm self-edit: Less talk about inflation woes Kumar says early this year, he met Trump at the latter’s initiative at Mar-a-Lago on March 21. There have been a few meetings after that as well. Indian-Americans comprise slightly more than 1 per cent of the total US population-and less than 1 per cent of all registered voters. Read More…
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Watch: Trump Announces New Hindi Slogan Ahead Of November Elections
Huntsville Upsets Class 7A No. 8 Bob Jones
Huntsville Upsets Class 7A No. 8 Bob Jones
Huntsville Upsets Class 7A No. 8 Bob Jones https://digitalalabamanews.com/huntsville-upsets-class-7a-no-8-bob-jones/ Carlin Long ran for three touchdowns as Huntsville toppled Class 7A No. 8-ranked Bob Jones 28-24 at Madison City Schools Stadium on Thursday night. Long scored the game winner from 10 yards with 1:34 left for the visiting Panthers (2-2, 2-1 in Class 7A, Region 4). He scored on a 66-yarder in the first quarter and from 36 in the second. “The O-line was great up front,” the junior said. “I ran 10 times harder than I did last week.” Jacks McClung, junior quarterback, had a 5-yard touchdown run and the Panthers led 21-17 at halftime. Dylan Willingham threw two touchdowns passes for Bob Jones (3-2, 2-1), a 22-yarder to Kelly Fields and a 15-yarder to Ray Hardy. Braden Sinn kicked a 26-yard field goal for the Patriots. Bob Jones took a 24-21 lead with 4:19 left after Rowan Jones scored on a 1-yard run. But Huntsville responded with the winning drive. The Patriots took the ensuing kickoff and started at the Panthers 48 with 1:25 left. But Hardy was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1 at 38 seconds. Huntsville took over on downs and ran out the clock. “We put points on the board, we drove the ball and we kept the ball away from them,” Huntsville coach Mark Fleetwood said. Star of the game: Long had 18 carries for 197 yards and three touchdowns. Play of the game: Long’s decisive run capped a seven-play drive that covered 52 yards. Key sequence: On Bob Jones final offensive series, the Patriots gained eight yards on a first down pass, one yard on a second down run and were then stopped for no gain on consecutive runs. Stat sheet: Huntsville – McClung had three carries for 16 yards and a touchdown. Defensive end Todd Whitmire, a senior, had 4.5 tackles, two for losses, and four quarterback hurries. Bob Jones – Hardy had a touchdown catch and intercepted a pass. He had 28 carries for 141 yards. Fields had four catches for 53 yards and a touchdown. By the numbers: 359 – Huntsville total yards with 240 rushing and 119 passing. 318 – Bob Jones total yards with 226 rushing and 92 passing. 3 – Huntsville turnovers on intercepted passes. 15 – Huntsville wins against Bob Jones, but the Patriots lead the all-time series 19-15. Coachspeak: “Our back was against the wall and our offense went down the field and we moved the ball down to the end zone. That’s not easy to do.” – Fleetwood “I thought we played hard. But in the end, Huntsville made the plays they had to make. It went back and forth. Both teams played hard.” – Bob Jones’ Kelvis White They said it: “It really started in practice. Just had to come out here and work hard from the jump and not give up.” – Long “It ain’t about me, it’s about the team. We stopped them, that’s all that matters. It’s about the team.” – Whitmire “Our defense came up big in the second half. I kind of put us in a bad spot and our defense stepped up, played good in the second half.” – McClung What’s next? Bob Jones has a bye while Huntsville hosts Mae Jemison. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…
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Huntsville Upsets Class 7A No. 8 Bob Jones
Williamson Dominates B.C. Rain For 20-0 Victory
Williamson Dominates B.C. Rain For 20-0 Victory
Williamson Dominates B.C. Rain For 20-0 Victory https://digitalalabamanews.com/williamson-dominates-b-c-rain-for-20-0-victory/ Jeremy Williams is a senior on Williamson’s football roster. “But he’s a freshman at quarterback,” Lions’ coach Antonio Coleman said. The 5-foot-10 Williams didn’t play like a freshman on Thursday night, running for one TD and throwing for two more in the Lions’ 20-0 shutout of B.C. Rain at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. RELATED: 5 Mobile Games to watch in Week 5 RELATED: ASWA prep rankings “He’s never played the position,” Coleman said of Williams. “He’s learning from one of the best to ever do it (former Williamson and LSU star Jamarcus Russell) so I expect him to get better week in and week out, and that’s what he’s doing.” Williams, who had 15 sacks at defensive end for the Lions a year ago, was 15-of-26 passing Thursday night for 116 yards. He threw TD passes of 4 yards to Keith Donald and 11 yards to Jeremiah Owens. “He just has to trust himself,” Coleman said. “When he gets overconfident and does too much, we kind of shoot ourselves in the foot. But I pulled him in the office and I talked with him and said, ‘You are the guy, man. Just relax and make the throws.’ It’s the same reads, the same game plan we put in. We want to make it simple for him so he can get the ball out to the playmakers we have.” Williamson improved to 4-1 overall, 3-1 in 5A, Region 1 play. B.C. Rain fell to 1-3, 1-2 with its second straight shutout loss. “They outplayed us in every aspect of the game,” Red Raiders coach L.T. Yelding said. “You have to show up in this type of game – a big rivalry game for both communities – and you have to be able to match their intensity. We didn’t do that tonight. We just got outplayed. It’s that simple.” Williamson marched 79 yards in 11 plays in the first quarter to take the lead. Williams hit Owens on a 39-yard pass play on third-and-12 that moved the Lions inside the B.C. Rain 5. Williams scored on a 1-yard sneak two plays later. The Lions increased their lead on the next possession, this time moving 53 yards in 9 plays. Williams converted another long third down, covering 18 yards on a scramble on third-and-14. He connected with Donald for the TD. Darryon Pough converted the two-point play for a 14-0 lead at the half. Williamson tacked on one more score in the second half for good measure. Jermaine McCree intercepted an Amari Yelding pass and returned it to the Rain 11. On the next play, Williams hit Owens for the final score of the game. “Great way to bounce back,” Coleman said. “We had a tough loss last week (6-0 to Vigor). The kids came back and showed what they can do, and that’s what I expect out of these guys. They work hard for me. Ever since I took this job, they’ve done everything I’ve asked. We never speak on the next opponent. We always speak on ourselves. Tonight showed that.” The Lions also dominated on defense, holding B.C. Rain to 121 total yards, including 17 yards rushing on 23 attempts. Red Raiders junior running back Bryce Dowdlan, who torched Vigor for 259 yards on the same field earlier this season, finished with just 28 yards on 12 carries Thursday night. “That’s just playing defense,” Coleman said. “My linebackers have been with me since they’ve been in the seventh grade. Yusef Clark is probably going to be the next top linebacker to come out. They love football, and they love to fly around and hit.” In the second half, Williamson held B.C. Rain to 36 total yards and one first down. The Red Raiders mounted two first-half scoring threats, but both ended on downs – one at the Williamson 21 and the other at the 27. It was the third shutout of the season for Williamson, which has allowed just 26 points in 2022. “Their defense is pretty good,” Yelding said. “We thought we had a solid plan going into it, but we just didn’t execute like we needed to execute. The players in this game have to make plays, and we didn’t have enough players making plays. “I thought we played decently defensively. We were able to hold up a little bit, but we had some busts there as well. You have to prepare every week. I don’t think we had a great week of preparation, and it showed. We will take it as a learning lesson and get ready for the next one.” B.C. Rain will play Davidson in a non-region game next week, while Williamson plays at Blount. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…
·digitalalabamanews.com·
Williamson Dominates B.C. Rain For 20-0 Victory
U.S. Expects Months Of Intense Fighting In Ukraine-Russia War
U.S. Expects Months Of Intense Fighting In Ukraine-Russia War
U.S. Expects Months Of Intense Fighting In Ukraine-Russia War https://digitalalabamanews.com/u-s-expects-months-of-intense-fighting-in-ukraine-russia-war/ Despite Ukrainian forces’ startling gains in the war against Russia, the Biden administration anticipates months of intense fighting with wins and losses for each side, spurring U.S. plans for an open-ended campaign with no prospect for a negotiated end in sight. The surprise success by Ukrainian forces in areas of the country occupied by Russian troops during the weekend generated euphoria among Ukrainians sapped by months of fighting. It also fueled hopes among many of Kyiv’s foreign backers that its scrappy military might be able to expel Russia’s larger, better-armed force. President Volodymyr Zelensky, raising his country’s blue-and-yellow flag Wednesday over the liberated city of Izyum, promised it would be “definitely impossible to occupy our people, the Ukrainian people.” Officials in Kyiv said forces recaptured some 3,000 square kilometers in the Kherson and Kharkiv regions. Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry described its forces’ disorderly withdrawal as a tactical “regroup.” U.S. officials, providing a quiet check to Ukrainian exuberance, said that while Ukraine troops have performed better in offensive operations than even their American backers had anticipated, those forces will encounter a period of intense fighting in the lead-up to winter as part of what they expect to be a “nonlinear” trajectory for the war. A senior State Department official, who like other officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning, said Thursday that while Ukrainian forces had proven they can reverse advances made by Russia following President Vladimir Putin’s Feb. 24 invasion, Russia retained a potent force. “They have significant equipment and arms and munitions positioned in the occupied territories, not to mention what they have in Russia,” the official said. “And so it is far from over, despite the momentum.” Those expectations undergird a U.S. strategy of attempting to hold together international support and gradually expanding American military aid without the immediate injection of heavier weaponry that might trigger a wider war. The advances in Izyum and other areas — which allowed shellshocked local residents to venture out of their homes, sharing stories of occupation and abuse — were all the more rousing following Ukrainian setbacks, including the withdrawal from the city of Lysychansk in July. After the weekend advances around Kherson, Russia hit electricity plants and other infrastructure, illustrating its willingness to strike civilian targets in an attempt to weaken Ukrainian resolve. U.S. officials expect intense fighting for the remainder of the fall, as both sides attempt to put themselves in the best possible position before the onset of winter makes transport and combat more difficult. Russian forces still control vast sections of Ukraine — including the cities of Kherson, Melitopol, Mariupol and Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014 — and U.S. officials anticipate Putin may use the coldest months to refit his spent, demoralized military before launching a renewed campaign in the spring. Putin has remained defiant, threatening to cut off gas supplies to Europe even as hints of public dissent raise questions about how long he can keep Russia behind what the Kremlin has dubbed its “special military operation.” Pentagon officials have said they are looking at ways to assist Ukraine’s evolving defense needs, focusing on areas including air defenses, surveillance and fighter capability. So far, the total of U.S. security aid to Ukraine amounts to some $15 billion since Russia’s invasion. Despite Ukraine’s ongoing calls for new, more sophisticated military hardware, U.S. officials don’t plan to immediately expand the array of weaponry they are providing, which has included High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems armed with midrange Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems. So far, the officials have stopped short of authorizing systems with much longer ranges, including the Army Tactical Missile Systems. Russia’s Foreign Ministry illustrated the stakes of such decisions on Thursday when it warned that supplying longer-range missiles to Ukraine would cross a red line for Russia and make nations providing them a “party to the conflict,” reinforcing earlier suggestions that Russia could strike NATO nations if they authorized shipments of more potent arms. Russia’s setback in Kharkiv has prompted speculation about whether Putin would be forced to resort to a general mobilization to fuel his war — a possibility the Kremlin has dismissed for now — or even use a nuclear device as Russia seeks to compensate for its defeat. Samuel Charap, a Russia expert at at Rand Corp., said the counteroffensive success was shaping the dynamics around the conflict, in part by illustrating Ukraine’s ability to successfully conduct complete offensive operations. “We had no evidence of that before,” Charap said. “That very fact is likely to disincentivize them to seeking compromise because they think they can do more of that.” To date, the U.S. strategy has been informed partly by what U.S. officials see as the remoteness of any possible negotiations to halt the fighting. A flurry of attempts to kindle substantive talks early in the fighting fizzled out as each side embraced a harder line. “Right now the Ukrainians do not have a viable map from which to negotiate. Twenty percent of their territory has gone; something like 30 percent of their industrial and agricultural potential is gone,” a senior State Department official said last week. “That’s why we’re supporting this counteroffensive.” U.S. officials expect it would be difficult for Zelensky to negotiate a settlement even if he wanted to do so, after Russian abuses have hardened public opinion against possible concessions to Moscow’s war aims. Moreover, officials say, Russia remains an untrustworthy negotiating partner and Putin’s war aims have shifted repeatedly as the tactical situation has evolved. The U.S. goal remains helping Ukraine make battlefield advances that will strengthen its negotiating position should eventual negotiations with Russia occur. The current moment draws attention to a tension that underlies America’s strategy for the war, as officials channel massive military support to Ukraine, fueling a war with global consequences, while attempting to remain agnostic about when and how Kyiv might strike a deal to end it. President Biden has vowed to support Ukraine in asserting its independence and sovereignty, promising in an opinion piece this spring to do so without pressuring Kyiv to make territorial concessions. He did not however explicitly back the goal of recovering all territory occupied by Russia, including areas taken or contested since 2014. The first senior State Department official said another key part of the Biden administration’s plan for propelling the conflict toward a settlement was its efforts to weaken Russia’s economic and technological edge through sanctions and other means. “But telling a sovereign country what success looks like for them, or what a negotiated solution looks like, that just isn’t where we want to be,” the official said. So far, U.S. officials appear to have kept to that pledge, taking a hands-off approach that marks a sharp contrast to U.S. actions in places where officials have at times adopted a much more expansive approach in dealing with foreign leaders supported by U.S. aid. “For both political and strategic reasons, they’ve been uninterested in drawing lines on the map and I think they’re absolutely justified in that reluctance,” Daniel Fried, a veteran diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Poland, said this week. Biden will attempt to stiffen international support for Ukraine’s self-defense at the United Nations next week, seizing the annual General Assembly meetings as a chance to smooth over friction caused by global inflation and food insecurity linked to the war. The resolve of European nations in particular, which have been among Ukraine’s biggest backers, will be tested this winter by high energy prices. But experts including Alexander Vershbow, who served as U.S. ambassador to Russia and deputy secretary general of NATO, say that tension may eventually come to a head, for example if Ukraine faces a choice between settling for territory it controlled before Feb. 24 and embracing a longer conflict with the goal of recapturing all areas under Russian control since 2014. “The Ukrainians are right now adamant that they would say we won’t concede one inch, but at some point difficult choices will be needed,” Vershbow said Thursday. Right now, however, “the administration doesn’t want to take a position.” Fried said the Biden administration was right to approach the months ahead with caution, but said Ukraine was different than other recent U.S. conflicts. “We’ve been so traumatized by our failures in Afghanistan and, partially, in Iraq. This is a situation where an actual success is possible — not inevitable — and it’s not a long shot,” Fried said. “Leaning into that prospect is in our national interest.” ​ Dan Lamothe and Alex Horton contributed to this report. War in Ukraine: What you need to know The latest: Grain shipments from Ukraine are gathering pace under the agreement hammered out by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations in July. Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports had sent food prices soaring and raised fears of more hunger in the Middle East and Africa. At least 18 ships, including loads of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, have departed. The fight: The conflict on the ground grinds on as Russia uses its advantage in heavy artillery to pummel Ukrainian forces, which have sometimes been able to put up stiff resistance. In the south, Ukrainian hopes rest on...
·digitalalabamanews.com·
U.S. Expects Months Of Intense Fighting In Ukraine-Russia War
Mountain Brook Dominates In Shutout Of Jackson-Olin
Mountain Brook Dominates In Shutout Of Jackson-Olin
Mountain Brook Dominates In Shutout Of Jackson-Olin https://digitalalabamanews.com/mountain-brook-dominates-in-shutout-of-jackson-olin/ Mountain Brook rolled up more than 360 total yards of offense against Jackson-Olin, but its defense was even better. The Spartans allowed a mere 16 yards and a single first down to remain undefeated in Class 6A, including a perfect mark in region action. The sixth-ranked Spartans punted only twice while forcing nine consecutive three-and-outs in their 48-0 victory over Jackson-Olin. Mountain Brook (5-0, 3-0) received the opening kickoff and went straight to work in taking a lead it would not relinquish. The Spartans forced two offside penalties and capped a 9-play, 63-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown run by Jack King. A failed possession sandwiched between defensive three-and-outs followed, but Mountain Brook extended the lead on its third possession with King’s second scoring run of the night, a 1-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. Mountain Brook took a 17-0 lead on a 35-yard field goal by Reed Harradine following another defensive three-and-out and extended the margin to 24-0 on a blocked punt by Bo Currie that was recovered in the end zone by Alexander Horn. Harradine added a 32-yard field goal near the end of the first half to give the Spartans a 27-0 lead at halftime. The Spartans scored three more times in the second half while Jackson-Olin (2-3, 1-2) achieved its first first-down of the game on a 14-yard run by Dekarrius Richardson during the Mustangs’ final possession. Cole Gamble, who led the Mountain Brook rushing attack, scored on a 36-yard touchdown run on the first play of the Spartan’s second third quarter drive and Will Waldrop pushed the lead to 41-0 on a 1-yard run at the end of the quarter. A running clock was initiated in the final quarter and John Cooper capped the scoring with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Beatty. Star(s) of the game: Gamble. The junior running back was the primary producer for the Mountain Brook offense. He carried the ball 10 times for 92 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 35 yards. “We came in and did what we were supposed to do on offense. Our defense is who really showed up and showed out tonight,” he said. By the numbers: 11, Jackson-Olin was 0-for-11 on third-down conversions in the game. …9, the number of consecutive three-and-outs forced by the Mountain Brook defense. …1, the number of first downs by Jackson-Olin. Stat sheet: Mountain Brook – John Colvin was solid for the Spartans, finishing 8-of-12 passing for 90 yards, and Cooper was 2-of-2 passing for 37 yards and a score. King finished with 6 carries for 19 yards and 2 touchdowns and Waldrop added 10 carries for 51 yards and a score. Beatty had 3 receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown. Jackson-Olin – La’marius Byrd finished 5-of-13 passing for 9 yards and Kendrid Jones, Dekarrius Richardson and Jabari Poellnitz combined for 22 yards on 11 rushing attempts. The Mustangs were held to only 16 yards of offense and had only one play that gained more than 10 yards. Coachspeak: “I felt like the defense played probably their best game of the year. We were a little bit inconsistent on offense, we made some managing the game issues but we had some guys make some big plays. But the defense played suffocating tonight. They were flying around, getting to the ball and always seemed one step ahead of them.” — Mountain Brook’s Chris Yeager What’s next? The Spartans host Hoover in a non-region contest while the Mustangs travel to Helena. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…
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Mountain Brook Dominates In Shutout Of Jackson-Olin
Vapes Laced With Fentanyl Reportedly Passed Around Semmes School
Vapes Laced With Fentanyl Reportedly Passed Around Semmes School
Vapes Laced With Fentanyl Reportedly Passed Around Semmes School https://digitalalabamanews.com/vapes-laced-with-fentanyl-reportedly-passed-around-semmes-school/ Mobile Real-Time News Published: Sep. 15, 2022, 10:00 p.m. Adrianna Taylor, 15, died last week after a suspected fentanyl exposure, according to officials. Taylor, just shy of her 16th birthday, was a student at a Mobile-area high school. (Photo courtesy of Taylor’s Facebook page) The 15-year-old Alabama girl who died of a fentanyl overdose late last month reportedly told her parents that vapes laced with the drug were passed around her high school. Adrianna Taylor died just shy of her 16th birthday after she was found unresponsive in her Semmes home Aug. 31. Capt. Paul Burch with the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office said the 15-year-old girl told her family that fentanyl-laced vapes were being passed around Mary G. Montgomery High School in Semmes, where she was a student, WKRG reported Thursday. Burch could not immediately be reached by AL.com to confirm the report. While a 17-year-old boy has been charged as an adult in connection with Adrianna’s death, no arrests have been made so far based on the tip about fentanyl-laced vapes at the school, Burch told WKRG. Earlier, authorities suggested Adrianna may have been unaware that she was ingesting fentanyl when she died from overdosing on the potent drug. “They crushed up what they thought were opioids and were snorting them,” Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran told AL.com last Thursday. “After the fact, we determined the pills were laced with fentanyl … that led to her overdose.” Adrianna’s death drew anger across Alabama. An Alabama state representative from the area suggested increasing penalties for fentanyl traffickers in light of Adrianna’s death and other overdoses across the state. “When you talk about these deaths and what is going on, we have to do something,” said state Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, who introduced legislation to do just that. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…
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Vapes Laced With Fentanyl Reportedly Passed Around Semmes School
DeSantis Gave GOP Donors A Glimpse Of Plans For Migrant Flights
DeSantis Gave GOP Donors A Glimpse Of Plans For Migrant Flights
DeSantis Gave GOP Donors A Glimpse Of Plans For Migrant Flights https://digitalalabamanews.com/desantis-gave-gop-donors-a-glimpse-of-plans-for-migrant-flights/ Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told the Republican Party’s top donors last weekend he was considering transporting migrants to places like Martha’s Vineyard — just days before he secretly started the flights to the Massachusetts island. “I do have this money. I want to be helpful. Maybe we will go to Texas and help. Maybe we’ll send to Chicago, Hollywood, Martha’s Vineyard. Who knows?” he said to applause in a speech Friday evening at the Four Seasons in Orlando, where hundreds of the party’s top donors gathered to hear him, according to a detailed account by a person in the room. The account was confirmed by a second person present for the speech. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose details of the private event. DeSantis sent two planes full of migrants Wednesday to Martha’s Vineyard, a tony island enclave in Massachusetts, where several prominent Democrats, including former president Barack Obama, have homes. This followed similar efforts by the Republican governors of Texas and Arizona to offer migrants free bus rides to more liberal parts of the country. Flying immigrants from Florida to Martha’s Vineyard is the latest move by DeSantis to seize the national spotlight and solidify his place among conservative supporters. The 51-minute speech to the donor retreat gave a clear outline of how he might sell himself to Republican base voters during a potential 2024 presidential bid. The remarks were full of grievance and culture war pugilism, casting the nation’s political future as a battle against a conspiracy by leftists to impose their ideology and turn dissenters into “second-class citizens.” His message, according to the people in the room, was that America should become more like Florida — and that he would be a culture warrior. “We’re not just arguing about tax rates. We’re not just arguing about normal policies. You know, we’re arguing about whether people that dissent from leftist ideology should have any voice in our government, in society at all,” DeSantis said, according to the people in the room. Of liberals, he said: “And they’ve been winning this fight for, I would say, the last five or ten years.” DeSantis has built a massive political operation in recent months, raising more than $100 million as he zigzags the country to elite fundraisers. He is leading in his reelection race this year, and advisers want him to win by a large margin to send a signal to the national party, according to people familiar with the matter. He has repeatedly declined to rule out running against Trump, who has increasingly paid attention to DeSantis and his surge in the Republican primary polls, Trump advisers say. DeSantis said in the speech that the point of sending migrants to Martha’s Vineyard and other enclaves was to send a political message, the people at the event said, and called similar efforts by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) “brilliant.” “I think it’s been very effective,” he said of flooding liberal cities with migrants. The Trump administration — led by immigration adviser Stephen Miller — originally floated such a plan but concerns within Immigration and Customs Enforcement led them to scuttle the idea, which drew considerable backlash at the time. Much of the speech was spent on his response to the coronavirus, where he bragged that Florida had stayed open and favorably contrasted his response with most scientific experts. He bragged about not allowing “vaccine passports” and not mandating the use of the vaccine in Florida, though the state initially promoted vaccine distribution and ran advertisements encouraging people to take it. He also raised questions about the safety of coronavirus vaccines. DeSantis did not joke with the crowd, or thank his hosts, or even wait for applause at times as the audience cheered him, according to multiple people familiar with the gathering. In a private roundtable with top donors, he mainly gave the same speech he gave to the larger group. He was at the retreat for about three hours. Several people familiar with the event said he received mixed reactions from donors, who liked his broader message but wished he would connect more personally. Much of the speech seemed focused on national culture wars. He complained about statues of historical figures being taken down and attacked Disney for being too liberal over their feud with him over a Florida law restricting what teachers can say about gender and sexual orientation, which has been nicknamed the “don’t say gay” law by critics. “You know, sad to say, we’ve had a lot of Republican governors over the years who have caved to the corporate pressure,” DeSantis said. “Well, here I stand. I didn’t budge any. I stood for what was right.” He stoked fears about voter fraud and attacked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg for funding election administrators in 2020; Democratic billionaire donor George Soros for supporting more lenient prosecutors; and teachers who raise with young students the idea that gender is a choice. He criticized the New York Times’ “1619 Project” and the way race and racism is taught in many schools. “We need to be focusing on teaching these young kids to read and write and add and subtract and not have ideology shoved down their throat,” he said. He also warned the crowd that Democrats planned to change the structure of the governing system in the U.S. if they continued to hold power. He included, as he described, efforts by liberals to add justices to the Supreme Court, add congressional representation for the District of Columbia, replace the electoral college with a popular vote system and loosen voter identification laws. Most Democrats are not united behind those efforts and lack the votes to pass them in the current Congress. “Unless you bend the knee to their leftist agenda, they want to make you a second-class citizen,” he said. “Unity for them is to take everybody in the majority that disagrees with them, make them second-class citizens, and then unify whatever is left standing.” He said the only solution was to fight back, and to be ready to withstand criticism from both Democrats and the media. “We have strapped on the full armor of God,” he said. “We are standing strong.” Read More…
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DeSantis Gave GOP Donors A Glimpse Of Plans For Migrant Flights
Nick Saban Misses hateful Competitors Road Mentality
Nick Saban Misses hateful Competitors Road Mentality
Nick Saban Misses ‘hateful Competitors’ Road Mentality https://digitalalabamanews.com/nick-saban-misses-hateful-competitors-road-mentality/ Alabama Football Published: Sep. 15, 2022, 8:05 p.m. Almost a week after the 20-19 win at Texas, Nick Saban used his radio show to dive a little deeper into what led to such a close game. Mentioning a few times the practice level was not where it should have been and noting his concern entering Saturday as a result, Saban continued to challenge his players’ mindset. He had a message for Crimson Tide players this week. “We used to play better on the road than what we played at home,” Saban said, “because we had some hateful competitors on our team and when they played on the road, they were mad at 100,000 people and not the 11 guys they were playing against. And they wanted to prove something to everybody.” Some of that has slipped in recent years. “As time has gone on, “Saban said. “I think that maybe just winning the game is the focus.” He listed the narrow escapes last year at Florida and Auburn and Saturday’s win at Texas as games that fell into this category. “So you can’t be a team that lets the other team think they have a chance to beat you just because of the circumstances that you’re in,” Saban said. Alabama is at home the next two Saturdays against Louisiana-Monroe and Vanderbilt before heading to a hostile environment Oct. 1 at No. 10 Arkansas. Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…
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Nick Saban Misses hateful Competitors Road Mentality
Judge Says She Can't Accept DOJ's Claim That Trump 'could Not Possibly Have A Possessory Interest' In Some Documents Seized From Mar-A-Lago Until 3rd Party Looks At Them
Judge Says She Can't Accept DOJ's Claim That Trump 'could Not Possibly Have A Possessory Interest' In Some Documents Seized From Mar-A-Lago Until 3rd Party Looks At Them
Judge Says She Can't Accept DOJ's Claim That Trump 'could Not Possibly Have A Possessory Interest' In Some Documents Seized From Mar-A-Lago Until 3rd Party Looks At Them https://digitalalabamanews.com/judge-says-she-cant-accept-dojs-claim-that-trump-could-not-possibly-have-a-possessory-interest-in-some-documents-seized-from-mar-a-lago-until-3rd-party-looks-at-them/ Former President Donald Trump gestures while playing golf at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, on September 13, 2022.Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP The DOJ’s appeal to continue to review classified documents for its probe was rejected on Thursday. A federal judge was not convinced that Trump couldn’t have “possessory interest” in the documents. The judge could not accept DOJ’s claim until a special master review was completed. A federal judge said she could not accept the Justice Department’s claim that Donald Trump does not “have a possessory interest” in some documents that were seized from Mar-a-Lago just because they’re classified government records without further review by a third party. On Thursday, Judge Aileen M. Cannon of the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida appointed a special master to review more than 11,000 documents seized from Mar-a-Lago in August and rejected the DOJ’s appeal that would have allowed the department to continue to use a set of classified records as part of its criminal investigation during that review. As part of her reasoning, Judge Cannon wrote in her decision that her court can’t accept the department’s claims that Trump should not have had the classified documents until the review by a special master is completed. “The Court does not find it appropriate to accept the Government’s conclusions on these important and disputed issues without further review by a neutral third party in an expedited and orderly fashion,” Cannon wrote. Raymond Dearie, a former Chief Judge of the US District Court for the Eastern District Court of New York, was appointed to be the third-party reviewer. Cannon has given a deadline of November 30 to complete the review. In her decision, Cannon, who was appointed by Trump, also wrote that she couldn’t accept the Justice Department’s argument that Trump doesn’t have a “plausible claim of privilege” of the classified documents without a third-party review. Legal experts have previously raised doubts around Cannon’s judgment that Trump may have executive privilege over the records since the government owns the documents and since the Biden administration has declined to assert privilege over them. Cannon’s order does however allow for the government to continue to review the documents “for purposes of intelligence classification and national security assessments.” Read the original article on Business Insider Read More…
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Judge Says She Can't Accept DOJ's Claim That Trump 'could Not Possibly Have A Possessory Interest' In Some Documents Seized From Mar-A-Lago Until 3rd Party Looks At Them
New York Judge Raymond Dearie Appointed As Special Master In Trump Mar-A-Lago Case
New York Judge Raymond Dearie Appointed As Special Master In Trump Mar-A-Lago Case
New York Judge Raymond Dearie Appointed As Special Master In Trump Mar-A-Lago Case https://digitalalabamanews.com/new-york-judge-raymond-dearie-appointed-as-special-master-in-trump-mar-a-lago-case/ A former veteran chief federal judge from Brooklyn, New York has been appointed as the special master to review documents seized at former President Trump‘s Florida estate in Mar-a-Lago. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon appointed Raymond Dearie after Trump requested an independent review of thousands of documents marked classified that were recovered by law enforcement. Cannon, a Trump appointee, also refused a Justice Department request to lift her temporary prohibition on the department’s use of the roughly 100 classified records that were taken during the Aug. 8 search. The Justice Department is expected to contest the judge’s order to a federal appeals court. It had given Cannon until Thursday to put on hold her order barring the continued review of classified records, and said it would ask the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to intervene if she did not do so then. TRUMP MEDICAL RECORDS, TAX DOCUMENTS SEIZED IN FBI RAID: JUDGE Dearie will be tasked with reviewing and segregating out any documents covered by claims of privilege. It is not clear how long the review will take. The special master process has already delayed the investigation, with Cannon directing the Justice Department to temporarily pause core aspects of its probe. The Justice Department is investigating the hoarding of top-secret materials and other classified documents at the Florida property after Trump left office. The FBI says it recovered more than 11,000 documents from the home during its search, including roughly 100 with classification markings. Dearie, who was nominated by Ronald Reagan in 1986, also served as the top federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York in the 1970s. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Read More…
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New York Judge Raymond Dearie Appointed As Special Master In Trump Mar-A-Lago Case
World News | Ahead Of Nov Mid-Term Trump Coins India-US Friendship Slogan In Hindi | LatestLY
World News | Ahead Of Nov Mid-Term Trump Coins India-US Friendship Slogan In Hindi | LatestLY
World News | Ahead Of Nov Mid-Term, Trump Coins India-US Friendship Slogan In Hindi | LatestLY https://digitalalabamanews.com/world-news-ahead-of-nov-mid-term-trump-coins-india-us-friendship-slogan-in-hindi-latestly/ Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Former US president Donald Trump has coined an India-US friendship slogan in Hindi as part of his efforts to woo the influential Indian-American community before the mid-term elections in November. Agency News PTI| Sep 16, 2022 08:16 AM IST Washington, Sep 16 (PTI) Former US president Donald Trump has coined an India-US friendship slogan in Hindi as part of his efforts to woo the influential Indian-American community before the mid-term elections in November. “Bharat and America sabse achhe dost” Trump is seen rehearsing and saying in a video released by the Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC). The slogan in English means “India and the United States are best friends”. Also Read | Russian Forces Tortured Ukrainian Detainees, Often to Death, Captured Medic Tells US Lawmakers. In the short 30-second video, Trump is seen seated with his supporter Chicago-based businessman Shalabh Kumar from the Republican Hindu Coalition. The new slogan is inspired by the phenomenal success of the 2016 slogan of Trump in Hindi “Abki Baar Trump Sarkar” which had caught the imagination of the Indian Americans then and had played a key part in his victories in some of the key swing states. Also Read | Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton May Wear Veils to Queen Elizabeth’s Funeral, Here’s Why!. Kumar who has been instrumental in both Trump’s slogans “Abki Baar Trump Sarkar” and “Bharat and America sabse achhe dost” told PTI in an interview this week that he and the RHC plan to run the former president’s latest slogan in the ethnic Indian media to gain Indian-American support and vote for the November 8 mid-term elections. Political observers and the latest polls indicate that Republicans are most likely to regain the majority in the House of Representatives. “The end goal is to heavily support five (GOP) candidates for Senate” where the margin of victory is going to be “less than 50,000 votes. Some might be even 10,000 votes or 5,000 votes,” Kumar said. These Senate races are in the States of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia, he said, adding that the small Hindu community in these States can make that difference. “The Hindu vote will make the difference. That’s the biggest block of independent voters,” Kumar said in response to a question. “We are going to have a (national) campaign (with focus on these states) which is going to be close to what the 2016 campaign was,” he said. Kumar and the RHC were an important part of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. However, the two fell apart in the 2020 presidential elections. Kumar says early this year he met Trump at the latter’s initiative at Mar-a-Lago on March 21. There have been a few meetings after that as well. Indian-Americans comprise slightly more than 1 per cent of the total US population-and less than 1 per cent of all registered voters. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Read More…
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World News | Ahead Of Nov Mid-Term Trump Coins India-US Friendship Slogan In Hindi | LatestLY
A Teen Who Killed Her Alleged Rapist Must Pay His Family. Donors Raised It All.
A Teen Who Killed Her Alleged Rapist Must Pay His Family. Donors Raised It All.
A Teen Who Killed Her Alleged Rapist Must Pay His Family. Donors Raised It All. https://digitalalabamanews.com/a-teen-who-killed-her-alleged-rapist-must-pay-his-family-donors-raised-it-all/ A Des Moines teenager convicted of killing a man she said raped her got what the judge described as a second chance: a sentence of probation and the possibility of having her record cleared. But there was one major hitch. Due to an Iowa law, Polk County District Judge David M. Porter said he could not avoid requiring Pieper Lewis to pay $150,000 to the man’s family. This week, supporters raised it for her — and then some. A GoFundMe started by one of Lewis’s former teachers, Leland Schipper, topped $400,000 as of Thursday. More than 10,000 donors contributed, mostly in small amounts, raising the sum within a matter of days of the teen’s Tuesday sentencing hearing. “I am overjoyed with the prospect of removing this burden from Pieper,” Schipper wrote in an update on the site. Lewis, now 17, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and willful injury in the 2020 killing of 37-year-old Zachary Brooks. In her plea, she laid out a harrowing series of events that led her to that night. She said she ran away from an unstable home life and was then taken in by a 28-year-old man. He portrayed himself as her boyfriend, but forced the then-15-year-old to have sex with men. Brooks, she said, was one of them. She said that after he sexually assaulted her repeatedly between May 30 and June 1, 2020, and then fell asleep, she became overcome with rage. “I suddenly realized that Mr. Brooks had raped me yet again,” Lewis wrote in her plea. She grabbed a knife from his bedside table and stabbed him dozens of times. Prosecutors did not dispute her allegations that she was trafficked, and a Polk County judge wrote that evidence existed that seemed to support her claims. Yet no charges have been filed against the man she accused of trafficking her. The Des Moines Police Department did not respond to an inquiry from The Washington Post into whether investigators looked into her account. In court this week, Lewis faced up to 20 years in prison. But Porter chose probation to be completed at a women’s facility. He also deferred her judgment, meaning that if she completes probation, her record will be expunged. “Ms. Lewis, this is the second chance that you’ve asked for,” he said. He added, “I wish you the best of luck.” Watching from inside the courthouse, Schipper was heartened by the ruling. He told the Des Moines Register that he felt the judge made a fair decision, “giving compassionate justice, and using the system for what it should be designed for.” But he was stunned at the payment required of her. “I think that people are in shock that Iowa has this law the way we do regarding the $150,000,” Schipper told the newspaper. “This is a clear example of where it’s completely unjust.” The law mandates that a person convicted of a felony that results in the death of another person must pay at least $150,000 to the victim’s estate. Matthew Sheeley, one of Lewis’s lawyers, had argued in court that Brooks was more than 51 percent responsible for his death. Because of that, he said, she should not have to pay. He called the requirement cruel and unusual. “I don’t believe that the Iowa Legislature intended to require a 15-year-old girl … to pay her rapist’s estate $150,000,” he said. While acknowledging that Lewis and her supporters would be frustrated, Porter said he had no discretion to waive restitution. The Des Moines Register noted that he cited a 2017 case in which the Iowa Supreme Court ruled it was not unconstitutional to require juveniles found guilty of homicide to make the payment. “This court is presented with no other option, other than which is dictated by the law of this state,” he said. After the hearing, Sheeley told told the local NBC affiliate that the judge’s ruling was overall a victory and that restitution was not Lewis’s most important concern. He said she wanted to move on with her life, adding that “she has got her entire life ahead of her. She has all these opportunities ahead of her.” Schipper, her former teacher, was eager to ease the burden and thrilled that the fundraiser may be able to do so. Lewis’s lawyers told the Register they want to look into the legality of using donated money to pay the restitution. Robert Rigg, a criminal law professor at Drake University Law School, said it was unclear what steps the court would want Lewis or the fundraiser’s organizers to take to allow the money to cover her restitution payment. He said the organizers were free to gift the money to Lewis, but they may encounter hurdles if they try to make the payment directly from the fund itself. “I would definitely recommend that her defense counsel get guidance from the court. Then the court could say, ‘This is how we’re going to do this,’ ” Rigg told The Post. “That way you’ve got a buffer. You’re acting at the direction in a judge, and that way you’re covered,” Rigg said. After the first $150,000 paid toward the restitution, the fund’s organizer can decide what to do with the rest of the money. Rigg said they could set up a nonprofit corporation to gift the money to Lewis, or create a trust in her name “to be distributed for her health, welfare and education.” In an earlier interview with The Post, Sheeley and another member of Lewis’s defense team, Paul White, described her as full of limitless potential. She has dreams of becoming a designer, telling her story and advocating for other girls like her. “I have no doubt in my mind that whatever obstacles are thrown in her path, she’ll step right over them,” Sheeley said. “She is not going to let anything get in the way. In my core, that’s how I feel.” Read More…
·digitalalabamanews.com·
A Teen Who Killed Her Alleged Rapist Must Pay His Family. Donors Raised It All.
City Council Reviews Mayor's Proposed Budget For Fiscal Year 2023
City Council Reviews Mayor's Proposed Budget For Fiscal Year 2023
City Council Reviews Mayor's Proposed Budget For Fiscal Year 2023 https://digitalalabamanews.com/city-council-reviews-mayors-proposed-budget-for-fiscal-year-2023/ Published on September 15, 2022 Huntsville City Council reviewed Mayor Tommy Battle’s proposed FY 2023 budget during a work session on Sept. 15. The Mayor proposed a balanced budget, which includes $281 million in general fund operations and $104.5 million in capital projects. Public safety, road resurfacing, infrastructure and quality of life improvements remain a priority. Mayor Battle’s Remarks “Good afternoon Council Members, and thank you for taking the time to examine the 2022-2023 Budget for the City of Huntsville. This is the 14th budget this administration has tendered for the City of Huntsville, going all the way back to 2009. This budget addresses the needs of a growing city filled with opportunity, challenges, and promise. We’ve added new businesses, jobs, housing and entertainment – for residents and for our tax base. There is opportunity – for a job and for a better job to earn more money. Opportunity offers the citizens of Huntsville the chance to be part of our prosperity. We’ve grown our road network. The City of Huntsville now has 3,451 miles of City roads to maintain, and this does not count the large number of local lane miles maintained by the state and federal government. We’ve added more people. The largest city in the State of Alabama by population, we now have approximately 227,000 citizens. Most important is that we have planned for the growth our city is experiencing, and this budget reflects our preparedness to handle it. We have faced challenges head-on in the past 14 years of budgets, and we’ve done so successfully to make our city a better place. First and foremost is the challenge of a balanced budget. This year is no different from the rest. We have always had excess demand for funding over our ability to pay. We, the government, should have to make tough choices in budgets – and prioritize spending for what is essential for the city. Our administration has worked hard to do just that.” “Council Members, I am proud to present to you a balanced budget this year. If there are additions, there must be deletions – please keep this in mind as we have our budget discussions. In this balanced budget, we address and highlight public safety, infrastructure, and employee retention. Three critical areas for the city. Of tantamount importance is keeping the streets of our city safe. We provide the means to achieve that goal in this budget. In the area of Public Safety, we are adding 24 positions to the 791 officers and civilian personnel in the Huntsville Police Department and 18 firefighters in Fire & Rescue who work together daily to keep our city safe. To the citizens of Huntsville – you are in a safe place. Another area that figures into public safety and infrastructure is Public Works. Through this budget, we’re able to add 29 workers to their ranks. Ten are for increasing sanitation workers to fill those ever-expanding sanitation and debris pick-up routes – to keep our city clean. The other 19 will be used to open another service area for Public Works, to have a dedicated crew to each section of town to patch roads, clear easements/ right of ways, and take care of drainage. On the infrastructure side of the budget, we are starting to fund Restore our Roads 2. This road program is a partnership between the City of Madison, Madison County, Alabama Highway Department and the Governor’s office to build, widen and improve seven roadways in the Huntsville, Madison and Madison County area. These include: Highway 72 East from I-565 to Shields Jordan Lane/Highway 53 widening from Tauras Drive to Old RR Bed I-565 six laned from Countyline Road to Wall-Triana Hwy I-565 and Memorial Parkway Interchange improvements Highway 72 West Providence Main to Countyline Road Resolute Way Interchange (just west of Research Park Blvd) East Arsenal Connector (Sparkman Drive Exit to Patton Road) Additional infrastructure expenditures over $19 million in street maintenance and repaving and $800,000 for sidewalks. This is the most funding the City has ever budgeted for road maintenance. Infrastructure also covers many other needs and amenities:  parks, greenways, utilities, bike paths, retail and recreational offerings. All are addressed in this document. You have a healthy and robust budget addressing infrastructure. One of the final challenges we’ve addressed in this ordinance is our City of Huntsville workforce. During the last year, we achieved many accolades and rankings that reflect well on our city. These rankings and accolades don’t come about without a dedicated municipal workforce. This is the same workforce, while COVID-19 was running rampant during the pandemic, that came to work day in and day out. Our workforce made sure the public knew Huntsville was open for business. With inflation cutting into the purchasing power of every dollar and fierce competition for workers, some City employees are moving elsewhere for higher wages. In turn, the search for that experienced team member is much harder. This year we are requesting a 5% cost of living pay increase (COLA) in the budget for our workforce. Five percent is in comparison to 1-, 2- and 3% COLA in the past – but these are extraordinary times.  This budget also reflects a new Grade 24 salary schedule. This allows the top six employees in the city to participate at a level to start at $121,339 per year to a top-out rate of $205,938. Many other cities are watching the City of Huntsville. When you get a number one ranking, others see your top management as a cure for their ills; poaching is active. If we are giving our top management team members the job of managing millions of dollars and directing thousands of people, we must pay competitively. The city that can attract and maintain the best employees will be the competitive city of the future. We have to be that city. In summary, in this balanced budget, we address and highlight public safety, infrastructure, and employee retention. Three critical areas for the city. There are many other areas that are important, and I will ask Penny Smith, our Finance Director, to take us through a deeper dive into the budget.” WATCH ON DEMAND:  Huntsville City Council Budget Work Session, Sept. 15, 2022 RELATED LINKS:  Mayor Battle introduces FY23 budget to City Council Read More…
·digitalalabamanews.com·
City Council Reviews Mayor's Proposed Budget For Fiscal Year 2023
Suspended Jefferson County Judge Takes Stand In Her Trial Before Alabama Court Of The Judiciary
Suspended Jefferson County Judge Takes Stand In Her Trial Before Alabama Court Of The Judiciary
Suspended Jefferson County Judge Takes Stand In Her Trial Before Alabama Court Of The Judiciary https://digitalalabamanews.com/suspended-jefferson-county-judge-takes-stand-in-her-trial-before-alabama-court-of-the-judiciary/ Suspended Jefferson County Circuit Judge Tracie Todd took the stand for two and a half hours today in her ethics trial and said illness that struck her and her family was part of a unfortunate set of events that caused her to stay in Chicago for more than two months after she was ordered to return to work. Todd testified that she did resume work even though she remained at her husband’s home in Chicago with their two sons, and maintains she did her best to perform her job under difficult circumstances. Todd is on trial for the second time before the Alabama Court of the Judiciary, a nine-judge panel that hears ethics complaints against judges. Last year, the COJ found Todd guilty of violating six canons of judicial ethics, partly for not following the rulings of appeals courts. The COJ ordered Todd, who had been suspended, to return to work Dec. 6 to begin a 90-day period without pay. The Judicial Inquiry Commission, the agency that investigates judges, filed a new complaint against Todd in March, accusing her of refusing to fully comply with COJ’s order, making false or misleading statements about her return to work, and failing to make provisions for her cases when she said she was ill. The JIC presented its case in August and the trial was put on hold until today because of the schedules of the nine judges. Todd’s defense team called 10 witnesses today before calling Todd, who took the stand about 3:30 p.m. and testified until about 6. In response to questions from one of her attorneys, Edward J. Ungvarsky, Todd said she resumed work on Dec. 6, followed the COJ’s order, and was truthful about all the circumstances of her return to work. Attorneys for the Judicial Inquiry Commission are expected to cross-examine Todd on Friday morning. Judge Christy Edwards, the chief judge of the COJ for the case, said each side would have 30 minutes for closing arguments. The COJ could impose a range of sanctions if it finds Todd guilty, including removing her from the bench. Todd was elected circuit judge in 2012 and re-elected in 2018. She is a former prosecutor with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office and a former municipal judge. Todd wiped away tears at times during her testimony. In response to questions from Ungvarsky, Todd explained the long-distance relationship with her husband, a technology consultant she met at a Chicago Bulls game in 2011. They married in 2014. Todd lives in Birmingham, where she grew up, and her husband lives in Chicago. Todd said they are together on weekends as often as possible. Todd said she was in Chicago with her husband and their two sons, ages 7 and 5, when the COJ’s ruling came out on Dec. 3 finding her guilty of ethics violations and ordering her to return to work Dec. 6, a Monday. Todd said she began with phone calls to her staff members and emails to other judges to begin her return to duty. “I was actively working with my staff and doing what I needed to do to get my office up and running,” Todd testified. Todd said she initially intended to return to Birmingham in December. But she said Alabama Supreme Court rules were in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic that gave judges authority to work remotely and conduct virtual hearings. Also, Todd noted she did not have cases to handle immediately upon her return to work. Todd had been suspended for almost nine months because of the JIC complaint and her cases had been transferred to other judges. Todd said she expected case assignments in December, but those did not come until early January, when she was assigned about 490. Todd said she instructed her judicial assistant to organize those and to begin the process of establishing a docket. Todd said illness and exposure to COVID forced her family to quarantine in Chicago in January. Todd said she is cautious about the virus because she has asthma. She said she developed a violent cough and fatigue that forced her to use an inhaler just to go from the bed to the bathroom. Todd said she had a telehealth visit with her doctor in Birmingham and the doctor concluded she had COVID pneumonia based on her symptoms. Todd said her recovery was slow and her husband took her to an ER in February but faced an eight-hour wait. Todd said they went to an urgent care clinic the next day, where an X-ray showed she had bronchitis. Todd testified she finally felt well enough to return to Birmingham about Feb. 23. Todd held hearings in her courtroom on Feb. 24 and Feb. 25 and again on March 14, 15, and 16. Todd testified that more were scheduled but JIC filed its complaint on March 16 and she was automatically suspended. The JIC complaint notes that Todd did not hold any hearings, virtual or in-person, from Dec. 6 until the Feb. 24 hearings. The complaint said Todd met only once a week with her staff between Dec. 6 and Feb. 4, a total of no more than five meetings. It says that as of Feb. 3, Todd did not even have a plan to start scheduling the cases that she had been assigned a month earlier. Todd said she wished she could have returned to Birmingham sooner because her absence from the courthouse fueled speculation from some that she was not working. But she said that was not true. “Some people believe that I did not return to service because they didn’t see me,” Todd said. “This was the confluence of a series of unfortunate events,” Todd said. She acknowledged she could have handled the situation better but said doing the job Jefferson County voters elected her for is her highest priority. “It is my utmost,” Todd said. “It is extremely important to me because they have given me two opportunities to serve.” Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…
·digitalalabamanews.com·
Suspended Jefferson County Judge Takes Stand In Her Trial Before Alabama Court Of The Judiciary
Ukrainian President: Mass Grave Found Near Recaptured City
Ukrainian President: Mass Grave Found Near Recaptured City
Ukrainian President: Mass Grave Found Near Recaptured City https://digitalalabamanews.com/ukrainian-president-mass-grave-found-near-recaptured-city/ IZIUM, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian authorities found a mass burial site near a recaptured northeastern city previously occupied by Russian forces, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Thursday night. The grave was discovered close to Izium in the Kharkiv region. “The necessary procedures have already begun there. More information — clear, verifiable information — should be available tomorrow,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly televised address. Associated Press journalists saw the site Thursday in a forest outside Izium. Amid the trees were hundreds of graves with simple wooden crosses, most of them marked only with numbers. A larger grave bore a marker saying it contained the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers. Investigators with metal detectors were scanning the site for any hidden explosives. Oleg Kotenko, an official with the Ukrainian ministry tasked with reintegrating occupied territories, said videos that Russian soldiers posted on social media indicated there were likely more than 17 bodies in the grave. “We haven’t counted them yet, but I think there are more than 25 or even 30,” he said. Izium resident Sergei Gorodko said that among the hundreds buried in individual graves were dozens of adults and children killed in a Russian airstrike on an apartment building. He said he pulled some of them out of the rubble “with my own hands.” Zelenskyy invoked the names of other Ukrainian cities where authorities said retreating Russian troops left behind mass graves of civilians and evidence of possible war crimes. “ Bucha, Mariupol, now, unfortunately, Izium. … Russia leaves death everywhere. And it must be held accountable for it. The world must bring Russia to real responsibility for this war,” he said in the address. Sergei Bolvinov, a senior investigator for Ukrainian police in the eastern Kharkiv region, told British TV broadcaster Sky News that a pit containing more than 440 bodies was discovered near Izium after Kyiv’s forces swept in. He described the grave as “one of the largest burial sites in any one liberated city.” Some of the people buried in the pit were shot. Others died from artillery fire, mines or airstrikes. Many of the bodies have not been identified yet, Bolvinov said. Russian forces left Izium and other parts of the Kharkiv region last week amid a stunning Ukrainian counteroffensive. On Wednesday, Zelenskyy made a rare trip outside the capital to watch the national flag being raised over Izium’s city hall. Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Enin said Thursday night that other evidence found after Kyiv’s sweeping advance into the Kharkiv region included multiple “torture chambers” where both Ukrainian citizens and foreigners were detained “in completely inhuman conditions.” “We have already come across the exhumation of individual bodies, not only with traces of a violent death, but also of torture — cut off ears, etc. This is just the beginning,” Enin said in an interview with Ukraine’s Radio NV. He claimed that among those held at one of the sites were students from an unspecified Asian country who were captured at a Russian checkpoint as they tried to leave for Ukrainian-controlled territory. Enin did not specify where the students were held, although he named the small cities of Balakliya and Volchansk as two locations where torture chambers were found. His account could not be independently verified. “All these traces of war crimes are now carefully documented by us. And we know from the experience of Bucha that the worst crimes can only be exposed over time,” Enin said, in a reference to a Kyiv suburb where the bodies of hundreds of civilians were discovered following the Russian army’s withdrawal from the area in March. Earlier Thursday, Zelenskyy said that during the five months the Russians occupied the region, they “only destroyed, only deprived, only took away.” “They left behind devastated villages; in some of them there is not a single undamaged house. The occupiers turned schools into garbage dumps and churches — shattered, literally turned into toilets.” In other developments Thursday, Zelenskyy worked to add political momentum to Ukraine’s recent military gains, while missile strikes that caused flooding near his hometown demonstrated Moscow’s determination to reclaim the battlefield advantage. A week after the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Zelenskyy met with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen during her third wartime visit to Kyiv. Von der Leyen publicly conveyed the wholehearted support of the 27-nation bloc and wore an outfit in Ukraine’s national colors. “It’s absolutely vital and necessary to support Ukraine with the military equipment they need to defend themselves. And they have proven that they are able to do this, if they are well equipped,” she said. Air raid sirens blared twice in Kyiv during von der Leyen’s meeting with Zelenskyy, a reminder that Russia has long-range weapons that can reach any location in Ukraine even though the capital has been spared attacks in recent weeks. Ukrainian officials said Russian missiles late Wednesday struck a reservoir dam near Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s birthplace and the largest city in central Ukraine. The strikes flooded over 100 homes. Russian military bloggers said the attack was intended to flood areas downstream where Ukrainian forces made inroads as part of their counteroffensive. The head of the local government on Thursday reported a new attack on the dam and said emergency crews were working to prevent more water from escaping. The first attack so close to his roots angered Zelenskyy, who said the strikes had no military value. “In fact, hitting hundreds of thousands of ordinary civilians is another reason why Russia will lose,” he said. ___ Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv and Joanna Koslowska in London contributed reporting. ___ Follow AP war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Read More…
·digitalalabamanews.com·
Ukrainian President: Mass Grave Found Near Recaptured City
Rep. Maloney Introduces Bills To Curb Future Trump-Like Presidents
Rep. Maloney Introduces Bills To Curb Future Trump-Like Presidents
Rep. Maloney Introduces Bills To Curb Future Trump-Like Presidents https://digitalalabamanews.com/rep-maloney-introduces-bills-to-curb-future-trump-like-presidents/ WASHINGTON — A package of bills that Democrats hope will curb any future Trump-like presidents passed the House Thursday, advancing measures that could stand as a legacy to departing Rep. Carolyn Maloney. The bills aim to shield the U.S. Census from White House manipulation, protect federal workers who blow the whistle on renegade administrations, and prevent presidents from easily removing career civil service in favor of political appointees. The Census bill in particular has been a focus for Maloney, whose office raised concerns early in Donald Trump’s presidency about how his administration was preparing for the decennial count of Americans. Among other things, Trump’s commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, attempted to add a citizenship question to the survey outside of the normal process. Career Census officials warned that step could cause problems, including causing an over-count of white Americans. The Supreme Court ultimately barred the question over improper process after lower courts ruled it had been sparked by “racial animus.” “The previous administration took steps that undermined the bipartisan nature of the Census,” Maloney said in a debate ahead of the votes, pointing to unprecedented numbers of political appointees Trump named to the Census, as well as the procedural irregularities. “Partisan manipulation of the census is simply wrong.” The whistleblower bill would plug a loophole in federal law after a judge ruled in 2020 that agencies are allowed to investigate employees who allege wrongdoing in certain circumstances, rather than the wrongdoing itself. A third bill, called the “Preventing a Patronage System Act,” would bar the White House from reclassifying whole classes federal civil servants as eligible to be removed at the whim of a president to be replaced by political appointees. “Blind loyalty and ideological purity tests must never determine who we trust with securing our nation’s borders, fortifying federal IT systems, caring for seniors and veterans, fighting public health threats, or responding to natural disasters,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va. “As one former federal human resource expert said, do we really think a government of political hacks and psychophants is in the best interest of the American people?” Although some Republicans supported the bills, most GOP lawmakers ripped the measures as an attempt to entrench federal bureaucrats and a reflection of Democrats’ obsession with Trump. “Our founding fathers never envisioned a massive unelected, unaccountable federal government with the power to create policies that impact Americans’ everyday lives, but that’s currently the state of today’s federal bureaucracy,” said Rep. James Comer, R-Ky. “President Trump sought to take on this bureaucracy and restore power to the people by draining the swamp.” Connolly fired back that a lot had changed since the founders drafted the Constitution. “I remind my friend from Kentucky, neither did they ever envision the state of Kentucky. As a matter of fact, what is now Kentucky was claimed and owned by my home state, Virginia,” Connolly said. “There are a lot of things that weren’t envisioned back in the 1780s that we have to deal with in the 21st century, and that’s what we’re doing here today.” The bills’ fates are uncertain in the Senate. With time running out on this session of Congress, the Senate’s calendar is already crowded with bills. In order to pass, Maloney’s bills would likely have to be attached to a larger one, such as a government funding bill. ——- Read More…
·digitalalabamanews.com·
Rep. Maloney Introduces Bills To Curb Future Trump-Like Presidents