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AP News Summary At 10:49 P.m. EDT https://digitalalabamanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-1049-p-m-edt/ Ukrainian troops keep up pressure on fleeing Russian forces KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian troops are piling pressure on retreating Russian forces, pressing deeper into occupied territory and sending more Kremlin troops fleeing ahead of their counteroffensive. The advance has inflicted a stunning blow on Moscow’s military prestige. As the push continued Tuesday, Ukraine’s border guard services said the army took control of Vovchansk — a town just 3 kilometers (2 miles) from Russia seized on the first day of the war. Russian troops were also pulling out of the southern city of Melitopol and heading toward Moscow-annexed Crimea. That’s according to the city’s pre-occupation mayor. His claim could not be verified. Melitopol is the second-largest city in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region. Casket of Queen Elizabeth II arrives at Buckingham Palace LONDON (AP) — The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II has returned to Buckingham Palace, moving through a drizzly London as crowds lined the route for a glimpse of the hearse and to bid her farewell. People parked their cars along a normally busy road, got out and waved as the hearse, with lights inside illuminating the flag-draped coffin, made its way into London. In the city, people pressed in on the road and held their phones aloft as it passed. Thousands outside the palace shouted “God save the queen!” and clapped as the hearse swung around a roundabout in front of the queen’s residence and through the wrought iron gates. King Charles III and other immediate family members waited inside. Close New Hampshire Senate primary tests direction of GOP CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The Republican contest for Senate in New Hampshire is emerging as a tight race between conservative Donald Bolduc and the more moderate Chuck Morse as the final primary night of the midterm season again tests the far right’s influence over the GOP. Republicans see Democratic incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire as beatable in the general election, now just eight weeks away. But a strong competitor in the GOP contest is Bolduc, a retired Army brigadier general who some in the party believe is too far to the right for swing voters in the general election. Bolduc has campaigned on a platform that includes lies that Donald Trump won the 2020 election and conspiracy theories about vaccines. GOP’s Graham unveils nationwide abortion ban after 15 weeks WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham has introduced a bill calling for a nationwide abortion ban. The bill would prohibit abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the physical health of the mother. The legislation introduced Tuesday is sending shockwaves through both parties with just weeks before voters go to the polls. Graham’s own Republican colleagues did not immediately embrace his abortion ban bill, which has almost no chance of becoming law in the Democratic-held Congress. Democrats reject it as extreme and an alarming signal of where Republicans are headed if they win control of the House and Senate in November. Ken Starr, whose probe led to Clinton impeachment, dies Ken Starr, a former federal appellate judge and a prominent attorney whose criminal investigation of Bill Clinton led to the president’s impeachment, died Tuesday at age 76, his family says. A former colleague, attorney Mark Lanier, says Starr died at a hospital of complications from surgery. In a probe that lasted five years during the 1990s, Starr looked into a number of matters involving Clinton, including the president’s sexual encounters with Monica Lewinsky, a former White House intern. House Republicans impeached Clinton, but he was acquitted in a Senate trial. In 2020, Starr was recruited to help represent Donald Trump in the nation’s third presidential impeachment trial. Package explodes on Boston campus; 1 injured, FBI involved BOSTON (AP) — A package has exploded on the campus of Northeastern University in Boston, and the college says a staff member suffered minor injuries. Authorities say another suspicious package was found near a prominent art museum Tuesday evening, and the FBI was assisting with the investigation. Boston’s bomb squad is at the scene of the second package near the city’s prestigious Museum of Fine Arts, on the outskirts of the Northeastern campus. NBC Boston reports that the package that exploded went off as it was being opened near the university’s Holmes Hall, which is home to the university’s creative writing program. The FBI is assisting the investigation. Asian markets open lower after price data slam Wall Street Asian markets have skidded lower after Wall Street fell the most since June 2020 as a report showed inflation has kept a surprisingly strong grip on the U.S. economy. Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 2.7% in early trading Wednesday, while Seoul’s Kospi declined 2.5%. On Tuesday, the Dow lost more than 1,250 points and the S&P 500 sank 4.3%. The hotter-than-expected report on inflation Tuesday has traders bracing for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates still more, adding to risks for the economy. Still, the drop didn’t quite knock out the market’s gains over the past four days. Judge unseals additional portions of Mar-a-Lago affidavit WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has unsealed additional portions of an FBI affidavit laying out the basis for a search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home. The document shows how agents obtained a hard drive after issuing a subpoena for surveillance footage recorded inside Mar-a-Lago. A heavily redacted version of the affidavit was made public last month, but the Justice Department requested permission to show more of it after lawyers for Trump revealed the existence of a June grand jury subpoena that sought video footage from cameras in the vicinity of the Mar-a-Lago storage room. Sandy Hook witnesses testify about Alex Jones’ hoax claims WATERBURY, Conn. (AP) — A sister of a teacher killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre and an FBI agent who responded to the shooting have both emotionally described what it has been like to be accused of being crisis actors by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and others. Carlee Soto Parisi and FBI agent William Aldenberg were the first witnesses to testify Tuesday as a Connecticut jury began hearing statements in a trial to decide how much money Jones owes for spreading the lie that the 2012 mass shooting in Newtown didn’t happen. The trial began Tuesday in Waterbury, only 18 miles from Newtown, where 26 people were killed in 2012. Jones’ attorneys say his comments, which he now admits were wrong, were protected speech. Rapper PnB Rock fatally shot in Los Angeles restaurant LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rapper PnB Rock was fatally shot during a robbery at a South Los Angeles restaurant where police believe a social media post may have tipped the assailant to his location. The Philadelphia artist, whose real name is Rakim Allen, was gunned down Monday at a Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles restaurant while eating with his girlfriend. Los Angeles police say the shooter approached their table and demanded items. A verbal exchange ended when the robber opened fire, striking the rapper multiple times. Police Chief Michel Moore told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday that police are investigating whether a social media post by the rapper’s girlfriend prompted the attack. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More…

Illinois Man Pleads Guilty To Felony Charges From Jan. 6 https://digitalalabamanews.com/illinois-man-pleads-guilty-to-felony-charges-from-jan-6/ An Illinois man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to felony charges for assaulting a law enforcement officer and a reporter during the protests at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ said in a statement that 44-year-old Shane Jason Woods lowered his shoulder and rammed into a Capitol Police officer as she began to chase after an individual who sprayed her with a chemical irritant at around 2:10 p.m. The incident happened in the Lower West Terrace area of the Capitol grounds, the DOJ said. It is not clear if the chemical irritant belonged to the individual or a law enforcement officer. According to court documents, the officer was knocked off her feet by Woods and sent crashing into a downed bicycle barricade. She immediately felt hurt and the next day described her pain as if she had been “hit by a truck,” according to the DOJ. The DOJ said that Woods and others later gathered at around 5 p.m. in the media staging area on the northeast side of the Capitol building. “He walked around some of the piled media equipment that had been and was in the process of being destroyed by other rioters, and he tossed some of it himself,” the DOJ said. “At the same time, a member of the news media attempted to walk away to protect himself and his camera. Woods took a running start and hit the man with a blindside shoulder tackle, knocking him to the ground and causing him to drop the camera.” Capitol Protests and Violence The Jan. 6, 2021, protests took place during a joint session of the United States Congress that had been convened to certify the results of the 2020 general election, which were disputed by former President Donald Trump and his supporters. During this time, a large crowd gathered outside the Capitol building to protest the certification. The protests spilled over the permanent and temporary barricades with some people entering the Capitol building. Thousands of protesters, mostly peaceful, remained outside. The series of events and who was responsible are disputed, with reports of “suspicious actors” who breached the police lines on the east side of the U.S. Capitol. One protester, Ashli Babbitt, was shot and killed by a U.S. Capitol Police officer while inside the building. Another woman, Rosanne Boyland, was crushed and trampled when the crowd of protesters was pushed out of a tunnel, then repeatedly struck by police as she lay unconscious. More than 850 people have been arrested over criminal charges related to the protests at the U.S. Capitol in January 2021, including over 260 people who have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. Five deaths have been linked to the aftermath of the protests, most prominently the death of Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt who was determined to have died from homicide, having been shot and killed by U.S. Capitol Police officer Lt. Michael L. Byrd. Three other people died of what were ultimately determined to be natural causes, including Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick who died on Jan. 7, 2021. At first, his injuries were attributed to protesters but were ultimately found to be due to a stroke. It is unclear how many protesters may have been injured as a result of police actions on Jan. 6. Woods was arrested on June 24 in Springfield, Illinois, and is expected to be sentenced on Jan. 13, 2023. His charges related to the officer carry a statutory maximum of eight years, while the charges related to the reporter carry a maximum of one year. Follow Caden Pearson is a reporter based in Australia. Contact him on caden.pearson@epochtimes.com.au Read More…

Close New Hampshire Senate Primary Tests Direction Of GOP https://digitalalabamanews.com/close-new-hampshire-senate-primary-tests-direction-of-gop-2/ CONCORD, N.H. — (AP) — The Republican contest for Senate in New Hampshire emerged Tuesday as a tight race between conservative Donald Bolduc and the more moderate Chuck Morse as the final primary night of the midterm season again tested the far right’s influence over the GOP. Republicans see Democratic incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire as beatable in the general election, now just eight weeks away. But a strong competitor in the GOP contest is Bolduc, a retired Army brigadier general who some in the party believe is too far to the right for some swing voters in the general election. Morse, the president of the state Senate, has been backed by the Republican establishment. New Hampshire’s Senate seat could prove pivotal for whichever party controls the chamber after November. President Joe Biden carried the state by more than 7 percentage points and Bolduc has campaigned on a platform that includes lies that Donald Trump won the 2020 election and conspiracy theories about vaccines. Hassan clinched her party’s nomination against only token opposition while Gov. Chris Sununu won the Republican party’s nomination for another term. He’s heavily favored against Democrat Tom Sherman, who was unopposed for his party’s governor’s nomination. Sherman, a state senator and physician, was quick to remind voters that Sununu signed a late-term abortion ban into law last year. “As governor I will stand up for our freedoms and protect a woman’s right to choose, not cave to extremists like Chris Sununu,” he said. Sununu countered in a statement that the “stakes are too high this November to change direction now.” Still, a Bolduc victory might reignite disappointment among some national Republicans that Sununu, a relatively popular moderate who likely could have posed more of a threat to Hassan, chose instead to run for reelection. The GOP is grappling with the possibility of again nominating a candidate who is popular with the party’s base but struggles to broaden support ahead of the November general election. Republican primary voters have similarly chosen conservative candidates this year in moderate or Democratic-leaning states including Massachusetts and Maryland, potentially putting competitive races out of the party’s reach. Neil Levesque, director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, said Bolduc is a type of candidate who would have struggled to succeed in GOP politics before Trump’s rise. He’s never held elected office and had just $75,000 in cash on hand last week. Bolduc has nonetheless been able to make inroads by positioning himself as an ally of Trump and his election falsehoods. “That is because the theme of his campaign and messaging is very similar to former President Trump,” Levesque said. “If it mirrors the former president, it’s been effective.” Federal and state officials and Trump’s own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former president’s allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges Trump appointed. Known for kicking off the primary season during presidential campaigns, New Hampshire is instead concluding the nominating process for this year’s midterms. There were also primaries Tuesday in Rhode Island and Delaware, where Biden traveled late Tuesday to cast his ballot. But New Hampshire’s Senate race is perhaps most revealing about the direction of the GOP. Morse has been endorsed by Sununu, who called him “the candidate to beat Sen. Hassan this November and the candidate Sen. Hassan is most afraid to face.” By contrast, Sununu called Bolduc a conspiracy theorist and suggested he could have a tougher time winning the general election. Bolduc wasn’t bothered by Sununu’s criticism, calling the governor “a Chinese communist sympathizer.” Bolduc wasn’t formally endorsed by Trump, who propelled many primary candidates to victory in key races throughout the summer. But the former president has called Bolduc a “strong guy.” The final primary contests unfolded at a dramatic moment in the midterm campaign. Republicans have spent much of the year building their election-year message around Biden and his management of the economy, particularly soaring prices. But Democrats are now entering the final stretch with a sense of cautious optimism as approval of Biden steadies and inflation has slowed for the second straight month, even as it remains high. The Supreme Court’s decision overturning a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion may provide Democrats with the energy they need to turn back the defeats that historically accompany a new president’s first midterms. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged the challenge last month, saying his party may be more likely to end Democrats’ narrow control of the House than the Senate. He bemoaned “candidate quality” as a factor that could sway some outcomes in his chamber. Some Democratic groups, meanwhile, sponsored primary ads promoting Bolduc, predicting he’d make an easier November opponent for Hassan. That’s consistent with Democratic-aligned organizations backing pro-Trump candidates in key races around the country — a strategy some have criticized, arguing that it could backfire if those candidates go on to win their general elections. Republicans in New Hampshire and around the country scoff at the notion that being a Trump loyalist — or not — could be a deciding general election factor, noting that the still unpopular Biden will be a drag on his party regardless. The New Hampshire Republican Party has tweeted that Hassan “votes with Joe Biden 96.4% of the time.” Many of the same dynamics swirling around the former president are at work in New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District, where pro-Trump candidate Bob Burns is among several Republicans vying for the party’s nomination to face five-term incumbent Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster. In New Hampshire’s other congressional district, which encompasses Manchester and the southeastern part of the state, several Republicans are vying to challenge Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, who could also face a potentially close general election reelection contest — once he learns who his opponent will be. The GOP field includes former TV broadcaster Gail Huff Brown, wife of Scott Brown, a former U.S. senator from Massachusetts and ambassador to New Zealand during the Trump administration. Also running is Matt Mowers, who won the district’s congressional 2020 Republican nomination and was a Trump administration State Department adviser. But the candidate closest to Trump may be Karoline Leavitt, who worked in his White House’s press office and has also campaigned with Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. “Her compass always points to Trump,” said Dante Scala, a University of New Hampshire political science professor. He added, in reference to the former president’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan, “She, in a very kind of crisp, sharp, confident way, will say the most MAGA thing that can be said in any situation.” ___ Weissert reported from Washington. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Read More…

Package Explodes On Boston School's Campus, Injuring Staff Member https://digitalalabamanews.com/package-explodes-on-boston-schools-campus-injuring-staff-member/ A Northeastern University staff member is being treated for minor injuries after a package delivered to the Boston campus detonated while they were opening it, according to the school.A spokesperson for Northeastern said the explosion happened shortly after 7 p.m. at Holmes Hall. No students were injured.The Boston Police Department’s Bomb Squad responded to the scene to investigate the incident, according to the spokesperson.”We first saw two policemen kind of walking quickly into the building,” said Northeastern student Jacob Isaacs. “The police started putting up tape.””One of the ladder trucks hoisted a ladder up to the roof of the building and a firefighter, with what I believe was an ax, went up on top of the building,” said student Ryan Dicorpo.The FBI’s Boston Division told NewsCenter 5 that it was aware of the incident and is coordinating with the Boston Police Department.Holmes Hall was evacuated and a notification was sent to the Boston campus at 7:55 p.m. urging people to avoid the area.”We’re also right across the street from a residence hall, so no one has been able to go in and out,” said student Susanna Maize.Shortly after 8:30 p.m., the university notified Northeastern students that evening classes at the Behrakis Health Sciences Center, Shillman Hall, Ryder Hall, Kariotis Hall, Dockser Hall and West Village F are canceled due to the ongoing investigation.Boston police said they received a 911 call regarding two suspicious packages at 39 Leon St., which is the listed address for Holmes Hall — home to Northeastern’s creative writing program.Boston Emergency Medical Services said that multiple units responded to Leon Street for a reported explosion and that one patient was treated and transported to an area hospital by a basic life support ambulance.5 Investigates reporter Mike Beaudet said he was teaching a journalism class at Northeastern University at the time. He said his class was moved outside but that neither he nor any of his students heard any explosions.”I didn’t hear any explosions. I don’t think any of the other students did,” Dicorpo said. “But we heard the fire alarm and so we assumed we should leave.””It’s pretty late at night. Our class was an exception. Most students are home for the day. There’s not a lot of classes going on,” Maize said.At about 10 p.m., NewsCenter 5’s Nathalie Pozo received an alert from the university stating that the scene at Holmes Hall was contained and the campus was secured, and that Northeastern police were working closely with Boston police to secure the area. In the wake of the incident at Northeastern, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both in Cambridge, are urging all members of the campus communities to be cautious and report any suspicious packages.Boston police told NewsCenter 5 that they received a 911 call shortly before 8:30 p.m. regarding a suspicious package behind the Museum of Fine Arts, which is less than a mile away from Holmes Hall. A Massachusetts State Police official said the package behind the MFA was quickly determined to be trash and not a hazard. BOSTON — A Northeastern University staff member is being treated for minor injuries after a package delivered to the Boston campus detonated while they were opening it, according to the school. A spokesperson for Northeastern said the explosion happened shortly after 7 p.m. at Holmes Hall. No students were injured. The Boston Police Department’s Bomb Squad responded to the scene to investigate the incident, according to the spokesperson. “We first saw two policemen kind of walking quickly into the building,” said Northeastern student Jacob Isaacs. “The police started putting up tape.” “One of the ladder trucks hoisted a ladder up to the roof of the building and a firefighter, with what I believe was an ax, went up on top of the building,” said student Ryan Dicorpo. The FBI’s Boston Division told NewsCenter 5 that it was aware of the incident and is coordinating with the Boston Police Department. Holmes Hall was evacuated and a notification was sent to the Boston campus at 7:55 p.m. urging people to avoid the area. “We’re also right across the street from a residence hall, so no one has been able to go in and out,” said student Susanna Maize. Shortly after 8:30 p.m., the university notified Northeastern students that evening classes at the Behrakis Health Sciences Center, Shillman Hall, Ryder Hall, Kariotis Hall, Dockser Hall and West Village F are canceled due to the ongoing investigation. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Boston police said they received a 911 call regarding two suspicious packages at 39 Leon St., which is the listed address for Holmes Hall — home to Northeastern’s creative writing program. Boston Emergency Medical Services said that multiple units responded to Leon Street for a reported explosion and that one patient was treated and transported to an area hospital by a basic life support ambulance. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Active Incident: Multiple #BEMS units responded to Leon St. in Boston for a reported explosion. One patient treated and transported by BLS ambulance to an area hospital. No additional information available at this time. — Boston EMS (@BOSTON_EMS) September 13, 2022 5 Investigates reporter Mike Beaudet said he was teaching a journalism class at Northeastern University at the time. He said his class was moved outside but that neither he nor any of his students heard any explosions. “I didn’t hear any explosions. I don’t think any of the other students did,” Dicorpo said. “But we heard the fire alarm and so we assumed we should leave.” “It’s pretty late at night. Our class was an exception. Most students are home for the day. There’s not a lot of classes going on,” Maize said. At about 10 p.m., NewsCenter 5’s Nathalie Pozo received an alert from the university stating that the scene at Holmes Hall was contained and the campus was secured, and that Northeastern police were working closely with Boston police to secure the area. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Update: Northeastern University confirms a package was delivered to Holmes Hall and it detonated when a staff member opened it. That person suffered minor injuries and is being treated. #wcvb https://t.co/bNrDV2cTf9 — Nathalie Pozo (@NathalieWCVB) September 14, 2022 In the wake of the incident at Northeastern, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both in Cambridge, are urging all members of the campus communities to be cautious and report any suspicious packages. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. MIT Alert: Explosion at Northeastern U. MIT Police are urging all MIT community to be cautious. Please report any suspicious packages 6- — MIT Police (@MITPolice) September 14, 2022 This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Harvard Alert: HUPD is aware of reports of a detonation of a suspicious package at Northeastern. We are working with law enforcement and increasing patrols on Harvard campuses. Out of abundance of caution we urge community members to report anything suspicious to 617-495-1212. — Harvard University (@Harvard) September 14, 2022 Boston police told NewsCenter 5 that they received a 911 call shortly before 8:30 p.m. regarding a suspicious package behind the Museum of Fine Arts, which is less than a mile away from Holmes Hall. A Massachusetts State Police official said the package behind the MFA was quickly determined to be trash and not a hazard. Read More…

Colts Bring Cornerback Tony Brown Back To The 53 https://digitalalabamanews.com/colts-bring-cornerback-tony-brown-back-to-the-53/ The Indianapolis Colts re-signed cornerback Tony Brown for their 53-player active roster on Tuesday, bringing him on a full-circle journey of the NFL transactions report over the past two weeks. A former Alabama defensive back, Brown survived the reduction of the Indianapolis roster from its 80-player preseason size to the 53-man regular-season limit on Aug. 30. MORE NFL: · MONDAY NIGHT: MIKE JACKSON ON THE BALL FOR SEAHAWKS · PATRIOTS QB MAC JONES ON BACK: ‘I THINK I’LL BE FINE’ · JALEN HURTS ‘IN COMPLETE CONTROL’ IN EAGLES’ VICTORY But the next day, the Colts waived Brown after being awarded offensive tackle Luke Tenuta, who had not made it through the same cut with the Buffalo Bills. After Brown cleared waivers, Indianapolis signed him for its practice squad. Under NFL rules, each team can elevate two practice-squad members to the active roster for each game. On Saturday, the Colts announced Brown’s elevation for Sunday’s game. After not appearing in a regular-season game in 2021, Brown was on the field for 23 special-teams plays, tied for the most on the team, in the Colts’ 20-20 season-opening tie with the Houston Texans. When Indianapolis released kicker Rodrigo Blankenship on Tuesday after he missed a 42-yard field-goal attempt in overtime on Sunday, it signed Brown to fill his spot on the active roster. Brown played in 33 NFL games from 2018 through 2020, but his action in 2021 was limited to practice-squad work with the Cincinnati Bengals and Las Vegas Raiders. Brown was among the five players with Alabama football roots who appeared in Tuesday’s NFL transactions report: · The Pittsburgh Steelers signed outside linebacker Ryan Anderson (Daphne, Alabama) for their practice squad. A four-year veteran, Anderson did not play last season. · The Tennessee Titans placed defensive end Da’Shawn Hand (Alabama) on injured reserve. Hand tore a quadriceps muscle in the first game of the season on Sunday. · The New York Jets signed punter Ty Long (UAB) to their practice squad. Long had been the Los Angeles Chargers’ punter for the previous three seasons. He left UAB as the Blazers’ career scoring leader and worked as a punter and kicker in the Canadian Football League in 2017 and 2018, when he was selected the All-CFL punter in each season. · The Cleveland Browns signed wide receiver Chester Rogers (Lee-Huntsville) to their practice squad. Rogers has played in 69 NFL regular-season games and has 141 receptions and 90 punt returns. He was in training camp with the Texans, who released him from injured reserve on Aug. 29 with an injury settlement. 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…

Russia Spent Millions On Secret Global Political Campaign, U.S. Intelligence Finds https://digitalalabamanews.com/russia-spent-millions-on-secret-global-political-campaign-u-s-intelligence-finds/ Russia has secretly funneled at least $300 million to foreign political parties and candidates in more than two dozen countries since 2014 in an attempt to shape political events beyond its borders, according to a new U.S. intelligence review. Moscow planned to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more as part of its covert campaign to weaken democratic systems and promote global political forces seen as aligned with Kremlin interests, according to the review, which the Biden administration commissioned this summer. A senior U.S. official, who like other officials spoke to reporters Tuesday on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence findings, said the administration decided to declassify some of the review’s findings in an attempt to counter Russia’s ability to sway political systems in countries in Europe, Africa and elsewhere. “By shining this light on Russian covert political financing and Russian attempts to undermine democratic processes, we’re putting these foreign parties and candidates on notice that if they accept Russian money secretly we can and we will expose it,” the official said. Countries where such activities were identified included Albania, Montenegro, Madagascar and, potentially, Ecuador, according to an administration source familiar with the matter. Officials pointed to one Asian country, which they declined to name, where they said the Russian ambassador gave millions of dollars in cash to a presidential candidate. They said that Kremlin-linked forces have also used shell companies, think tanks and other means to influence political events, sometimes to the benefit of far-right groups. The senior official said the U.S. government detected an uptick in Russian covert political financing in 2014. The review did not address Russian activities within the United States. Assessments by both U.S. spy agencies and a bipartisan Senate investigation concluded that Russia under President Vladimir Putin launched a campaign to interfere in the 2016 presidential election to assist then-candidate Donald Trump. The publication of details about the Kremlin’s alleged political influence campaign comes as the United States expands its military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, now in its seventh month. Since early this year the White House has taken the unusual step of repeatedly releasing declassified intelligence related to Moscow’s intentions and actions related to Ukraine, part of an attempt to push back on Putin’s ambitions there and counteract what U.S. officials have described as Russian disinformation operations. A State Department démarche Monday to U.S. embassies in more than 100 countries described the alleged Russian activities and suggested steps the United States and its allies can take to push back, including sanctions, travel bans or the expulsion of suspected Russian spies involved in political financing activities. The cable, which officials provided to reporters, said that Russian political financing was sometimes overseen by Russian government officials and legislators, and had been executed by bodies including Russia’s Federal Security Service. The démarche also named Russian oligarchs it said were involved in “financing schemes,” including Yevgeniy Prigozhin and Aleksandr Babakov. Prigozhin, known as “Putin’s chef” after making vast sums in Russian government catering contracts, was charged by U.S. officials in 2018 with attempting to interfere in the 2016 U.S. elections. He has been linked to the private military firm Wagner and is wanted by the FBI. Babakov is a Russian lawmaker allegedly involved in a financing a far-right party in France. Moscow has used cryptocurrency, cash and gifts to shape political events in other countries, often employing accounts and resources of Russian embassies to do so, the cable said. “In the coming months, Russia may increasingly rely on its covert influence toolkit, including covert political financing, in Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia in an attempt to undermine the efficacy of international sanctions and maintain its influence in these regions amid its ongoing war in Ukraine,” it said. U.S. diplomats are briefing counterparts in other countries about the activities, which American officials believe could go far beyond the nations and sums that have been identified. “We think this is just the tip of the iceberg,” the senior official said. “So rather than sit on the sidelines, we are sharing these response measures.” U.S. officials are also asking partner nations to share their own information about Russian financing to help the U.S. government attain a fuller picture of what Russia is doing. While the review did not address Russian influence efforts in the United States, the senior official acknowledged that issue remains a major challenge requiring continued work to safeguard the U.S. political system and elections. “There’s no question that we have this vulnerability as well,” the official said. Paul Sonne in Washington 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 liberating the Russia-occupied Kherson region, and ultimately Crimea, seized by Russia in 2014. Fears of a disaster at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station remain as both sides accuse each other of shelling it. The weapons: Western supplies of weapons are helping Ukraine slow Russian advances. U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) allow Ukrainian forces to strike farther behind Russian lines against Russian artillery. Russia has used an array of weapons against Ukraine, some of which have drawn the attention and concern of analysts. Photos: Washington Post photographers have been on the ground from the very beginning of the war — here’s some of their most powerful work. How you can help: Here are ways those in the U.S. can help support the Ukrainian people as well as what people around the world have been donating. Read our full coverage of the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video. Read More…

Markets Plunge As Inflation Data Undercuts Wall Street’s Optimism https://digitalalabamanews.com/markets-plunge-as-inflation-data-undercuts-wall-streets-optimism/ Stocks plunged, government bond yields soared and the dollar bounced after investors were wrong-footed by a report showing stubbornly high price increases last month. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share. Sept. 12 Sept. 13 3,950 4,000 4,050 4,100 Sept. 13, 2022Updated 10:55 p.m. ET Stocks plummeted and government bond yields soared on Tuesday, as investors were once again caught off guard by the persistence of inflation in the United States and quickly shifted their views on what the Federal Reserve may need to do to combat rising prices. It was the latest in a string of surprises that have undercut investors’ optimism and left them rapidly adjusting to a more gloomy outlook on the path for interest rates and the economy. Consumer prices in the U.S. rose 8.3 percent in the year through August, a report showed on Tuesday, cutting against economists’ expectations and throwing doubt over the belief that inflation had peaked. The S&P 500, which had been trading higher in the hours before the data was released, slumped 4.3 percent by the end of the day, its biggest drop since the depths of the coronavirus pandemic in June 2020. The slide stood in stark contrast to gains in recent days. The index had climbed about 5 percent in the week leading up to the report, as investors had increasingly bet that the Fed would be able to cool inflation without tipping the economy into a severe downturn. But the faster-than-expected inflation numbers showed that broad-based price pressures remain. Every sector in the S&P 500 index fell as investors reconsidered how much the Fed may need to raise interest rates, which makes borrowing more expensive for consumers and companies. The Nasdaq Composite stock index, which is full of tech stocks that are seen as more sensitive to rising interest rates, fell 5.2 percent, its worst day since June 2020. “We are not out of the woods yet,” said Luke Tilley, the chief economist at Wilmington Trust. “We can’t even see the edge of the woods from here.” Following Tuesday’s drop, the S&P 500 sits 17.5 percent below where it started the year and about 7 percent higher than its low point in June. The day’s turmoil was another upset for investors in a summer characterized by choppy trading and shifting expectations. Better-than-expected earnings, along with some signs that inflation may have peaked, had helped lift stock prices in July and early August. Then, Fed officials, including the central bank’s chair, Jerome H. Powell, warned that the fight against inflation was not over and that interest rates still needed to move markedly higher, pulling stock prices lower again. More recently, with a sense that the Fed’s message had been received and that a higher path forward for interest rates had been accounted for, stocks began to rise again. Even before the inflation data was released, investors had come to expect another big rate increase, of three-quarters of a percentage point, when the Fed meets next week. Expectations are shifting again. Some investors are even starting to price in the possibility that the central bank could lift interest rates by a full percentage point, increasing borrowing costs by the most since 1984. Among them is the Japanese bank Nomura, which in just the past week has shifted from predicting the Fed would lift rates by half a percentage point, to three quarters, to a full point on Tuesday. “We continue to believe markets underappreciate just how entrenched U.S. inflation has become and the magnitude of response that will likely be required from the Fed to dislodge it,” the analysts wrote in a research report. The yield on the two-year Treasury note, a measure of government borrowing costs that is sensitive to changes in the expected path of interest rates, shot higher after the inflation numbers were released, rising above 3.75 percent, a fresh high for the year. And the U.S. dollar, which had weakened for days against a basket of currencies representing major U.S. trading partners, swiftly strengthened on Tuesday, gaining 1.4 percent. Stock markets were down across Asia on Wednesday morning. Mike Pond, the head of global inflation-linked research at Barclays, said the surprising inflation data had not altered his view that the Fed would raise rates by three-quarters of a percentage point next week. “But we do think it will change the tone of what they are going to do going forward,” he said. “This will leave the Fed more concerned.” Futures prices that reflect investors’ changing expectations for where interest rates will be at the end of the year have quickly jumped higher. They’re now predicting an upper limit of 4.25 percent, adding an additional quarter-point to previous forecasts and meaning the Fed is expected to raise interest rates another 1.75 percentage points over the next three months. Some bankers and investors clung to expectations that even with a more rapid pace of rate increases, the Fed may yet stick a so-called soft landing, lowering inflation but avoiding recession. Yet there is also acknowledgment that the Fed’s task has been made harder by stubbornly high inflation. Solid data on the labor market earlier this month, which pointed to the resiliency of the economy after several rate increases this year, also highlights the challenge of slowing inflation at the same time as unemployment remains low, bolstering consumer spending. It means that current positive signals for the U.S. economy may perversely foretell more pain to come, said Lauren Goodwin, an economist at New York Life Investments. “The longer the economy holds on, the longer household balance sheets can withstand these high prices, the more aggressive the Fed has to be in the future,” she said. “Investors were getting too comfortable with the idea that inflationary pressures were easing.” Read More…

Close New Hampshire Senate Primary Tests Direction Of GOP https://digitalalabamanews.com/close-new-hampshire-senate-primary-tests-direction-of-gop/ CONCORD, N.H. — The Republican contest for Senate in New Hampshire emerged Tuesday as a tight race between conservative Donald Bolduc and the more moderate Chuck Morse as the final primary night of the midterm season again tested the far right’s influence over the GOP. Republicans see Democratic incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire as beatable in the general election, now just eight weeks away. But a strong competitor in the GOP contest is Bolduc, a retired Army brigadier general who some in the party believe is too far to the right for some swing voters in the general election. Morse, the president of the state Senate, has been backed by the Republican establishment. The state’s senate seat could prove pivotal for whichever party controls the chamber after November. President Joe Biden carried New Hampshire by more than 7 percentage points and Bolduc has campaigned on a platform that includes lies that Donald Trump won the 2020 election and conspiracy theories about vaccines. Hassan clinched her party’s nomination against only token opposition while Gov. Chris Sununu won the Republican party’s nomination for another term. He’s heavily favored against Democrat Tom Sherman, who was unopposed for his party’s governor’s nomination. Sherman, a state senator and physician, was quick to remind voters that Sununu signed a late-term abortion ban into law last year. “As governor I will stand up for our freedoms and protect a woman’s right to choose, not cave to extremists like Chris Sununu,” he said. Sununu countered in a statement that the “stakes are too high this November to change direction now.” Still, a Bolduc victory might reignite disappointment among some national Republicans that Sununu, a relatively popular moderate who likely could have posed more of a threat to Hassan, chose instead to run for reelection. The GOP is grappling with the possibility of again nominating a candidate who is popular with the party’s base but struggles to broaden support ahead of the November general election. Republican primary voters have similarly chosen conservative candidates this year in moderate or Democratic-leaning states including Massachusetts and Maryland, potentially putting competitive races out of the party’s reach. Neil Levesque, director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, said Bolduc is a type of candidate who would have struggled to succeed in GOP politics before Trump’s rise. He’s never held elected office and had just $75,000 in cash on hand last week. Bolduc has nonetheless been able to make inroads by positioning himself as an ally of Trump and his election falsehoods. “That is because the theme of his campaign and messaging is very similar to former President Trump,” Levesque said. “If it mirrors the former president, it’s been effective.” Federal and state officials and Trump’s own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former president’s allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges Trump appointed. Known for kicking off the primary season during presidential campaigns, New Hampshire is instead concluding the nominating process for this year’s midterms. There are also primaries Tuesday in Rhode Island and Delaware, where President Joe Biden traveled late Tuesday to cast his ballot. But New Hampshire’s Senate race is perhaps most revealing about the direction of the GOP. Morse has been endorsed by Sununu, who called him “the candidate to beat Sen. Hassan this November and the candidate Sen. Hassan is most afraid to face.” By contrast, Sununu called Bolduc a conspiracy theorist and suggested he could have a tougher time winning the general election. Bolduc wasn’t bothered by Sununu’s criticism, calling the governor “a Chinese communist sympathizer.” Bolduc wasn’t formally endorsed by Trump, who propelled many primary candidates to victory in key races throughout the summer. But the former president has called Bolduc a “strong guy.” The final primary contests unfolded at a dramatic moment in the midterm campaign. Republicans have spent much of the year building their election-year message around Biden and his management of the economy, particularly soaring prices. But Democrats are now entering the final stretch with a sense of cautious optimism as approval of Biden steadies and inflation has slowed for the second straight month, even as it remains high. The Supreme Court’s decision overturning a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion may provide Democrats with the energy they need to turn back the defeats that historically accompany a new president’s first midterms. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged the challenge last month, saying his party may be more likely to end Democrats’ narrow control of the House than the Senate. He bemoaned “candidate quality” as a factor that could sway some outcomes in his chamber. Some Democratic groups, meanwhile, have sponsored primary ads promoting Bolduc, predicting he’ll make an easier November opponent for Hassan. That’s consistent with Democratic-aligned organizations backing pro-Trump candidates in key races around the country — a strategy some have criticized, arguing that it could backfire if those candidates go on to win their general elections. Republicans in New Hampshire and around the country scoff at the notion that being a Trump loyalist — or not — could be a deciding general election factor, noting that the still unpopular Biden will be a drag on his party regardless. The New Hampshire Republican Party has tweeted that Hassan “votes with Joe Biden 96.4% of the time.” Many of the same dynamics swirling around the former president are at work in New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District, where pro-Trump candidate Bob Burns is among several Republicans vying for the party’s nomination to face five-term incumbent Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster. In New Hampshire’s other congressional district, which encompasses Manchester and the southeastern part of the state, several Republicans are vying to challenge Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, who could also face a potentially close general election reelection contest — once he learns who his opponent will be. The GOP field includes former TV broadcaster Gail Huff Brown, wife of Scott Brown, a former U.S. senator from Massachusetts and ambassador to New Zealand during the Trump administration. Also running is Matt Mowers, who won the district’s congressional 2020 Republican nomination and was a Trump administration State Department adviser. But the candidate closest to Trump may be Karoline Leavitt, who worked in his White House’s press office and has also campaigned with Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. “Her compass always points to Trump,” said Dante Scala, a University of New Hampshire political science professor. He added, in reference to the former president’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan, “She, in a very kind of crisp, sharp, confident way, will say the most MAGA thing that can be said in any situation.” ___ Weissert reported from Washington. Read More…

Houston Parents Faced Anxiety, Confusion After A False School Shooting Report https://digitalalabamanews.com/houston-parents-faced-anxiety-confusion-after-a-false-school-shooting-report/ Shannon Velasquez burst into tears on Tuesday afternoon as she waited on the sidewalk near Height High School, where her daughter and hundreds more students were locked down in their classrooms after someone made a false report about a mass shooting.  The mother knew her daughter was fine — she had spoken with the sophomore student on FaceTime as she sped to school from work. Still, she could not shake a horrible feeling, and her frustration bubbled over as she heard conflicting information from parents and officers about where she should go to reunite with her child.   “As if this isn’t bad enough?” she said. “I just can’t wait to put my arms around my kid.”  MORE: Hoax call of 10 people shot at Heights High School prompted active shooter scare, Finner says Anxiety, panic and confusion erupted on Tuesday afternoon in the residential streets surrounding Heights High School. Personnel from at least eight law enforcement agencies sped to the scene with lights and sirens. Panicked parents rushed from jobs and lunch appointments. Some drivers ditched their cars on the grassy median along Heights Boulevard, and walked or ran several blocks to the school. Parents gathered information from their children, other parents, news reports and officials, eventually learning that their kids were safe and the massive frenzy actually stemmed from a false alarm.  Still, some parents said they were frustrated by sparse communication from the school, district or law enforcement agencies, although HISD and law enforcement agencies have defended their response.  Julie Osterman learned about the situation from her daughter, who thought the lock down was a drill until helicopters and law enforcement officers swarmed the school.  Osterman said she got more updates from a group text with other parents before the school district sent a call and email with minimal information. “I found out more information from the news than I did from the school,” she said.   Another parent, Angel Perez, said she first learned about the situation from family members and news reports.  “The alert was so late,” she said about the school’s notification. “Their response should be a whole lot better in letting the parents know what’s going on.” EDITORIAL: The Heights active shooter call was fake. The fear was real. Luis Morales, HISD spokesman, said notifications went out to parents 23 minutes after the district became aware of the situation. “We were able to get that out a quicker than we have before,” Morales said, adding that the district must verify information before sending out notifications. Chief Troy Finner said during a news briefing on Tuesday afternoon that he sympathized with parents who were frustrated. But safety comes before notifications, he said. “We have to search the school. That is the most important thing — to stop the threat if there’s a threat,” he said. “We don’t have time to call. Once we make it safe, we start making those calls.” Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena said more than two dozen units from HFD responded to the scene. The first unit arrived two minutes after HFD received the call, he said, and quickly began coordinating a rescue team with police.  “The community expects the first responders to get on scene quickly, to get on scene and coordinate and start taking action as soon as they get on scene,” he said. “That’s exactly what we did.”  False reports are “not acceptable,” said Pena, because of the strain on resources and emotional toll on parents and community members.  Officials said the person who made the false report will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Police believe the call came from outside the school.  “We’re going to trace it down and we’re going to hold them accountable,” Finner said.  YOUTH GUN VIOLENCE: As Texas reels from Uvalde, these 19 Houston-area kids are a reminder gun violence happens every day The situation began shortly after 1 p.m. when someone called Precinct 1 dispatch and falsely reported that ten people had been shot in a classroom at Heights High School, the police chief said.  Law enforcement agencies arrived within minutes, breached a locked door at the school and began searching the building. They found no shooter or injured persons.  Meanwhile, HISD police, which has its own dispatch, initially received a call about a fight in progress, not an active shooter, said assistant police chief Lucretia Rogers. On-campus officers immediately started searching the building and were soon joined by other law enforcement agencies.  Officials confirmed that there there was a fight between two students but no one was injured. Schools have a responsibility to treat all threats seriously and investigate them thoroughly – even if they seem like possible hoaxes, said Ken Trump, a school security and emergency preparedness expert. Types and methods of threat-making have grown in number over the years, and safety officials have to assess all of them to completely ensure that children are safe, he said. The panic that understandably results can cause issues in communicating with parents, Trump added. Administrators typically use mass notification systems to inform parents about unfolding situations, he said, and multiple people should be trained in how to use them in the event the designated person isn’t available. While administrators need to be quick to inform parents, Trump said there’s no magic number on how fast information should be disseminated. Schools are simultaneously trying to protect their children, and administrators are usually trained to release information as they get it. In unfolding situations, principals should typically send an initial email about the threat or shooting, with updates pushed out as quickly and reasonably as possible, Trump said. “Because of our digital world, parents feel that messaging has been delayed if they don’t get it within two minutes after it occurred,” he said. “You have the potential crisis incident itself … and you have the communications crisis. The pressure is on administrators and school safety officials to manage those simultaneously, and that’s a very difficult tightrope to walk.” SCHOOL SAFETY: HISD board OKs the purchase of gear for district police expected to help in active shooter scenario Other parents, meanwhile, were pleased with the response to the situation and the communication from officials.  Victor Aceves learned that his freshman daughter was OK after exchanging texts with her. He encountered a heavy police presence at the school, and said the quick law enforcement response made him feel better. “I’m concerned about my daughter’s safety, but I understand that in the situation that they’re not able to communicate,” he said.  As students trickled out of the school and hugged their waiting parents, Chasidy Moren stood with her wedge sandals in her hand on the sidewalk across from the school. At last, her daughter came walking across the street, and she was felt absolute relief.  It was a scary day, Moren said, but she was happy with the law enforcement presence and flow of communication from the school, district, parents and her daughter.  “I don’t think they could’ve handled this any better,” she said. “They did a great job.”  Read More…

AP News Summary At 9:36 P.m. EDT https://digitalalabamanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-936-p-m-edt/ Ukrainian troops keep up pressure on fleeing Russian forces KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian troops are piling pressure on retreating Russian forces, pressing deeper into occupied territory and sending more Kremlin troops fleeing ahead of their counteroffensive. The advance has inflicted a stunning blow on Moscow’s military prestige. As the push continued Tuesday, Ukraine’s border guard services said the army took control of Vovchansk — a town just 3 kilometers (2 miles) from Russia seized on the first day of the war. Russian troops were also pulling out of the southern city of Melitopol and heading toward Moscow-annexed Crimea. That’s according to the city’s pre-occupation mayor. His claim could not be verified. Melitopol is the second-largest city in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region. Casket of Queen Elizabeth II arrives at Buckingham Palace LONDON (AP) — The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II has returned to Buckingham Palace, moving through a drizzly London as crowds lined the route for a glimpse of the hearse and to bid her farewell. People parked their cars along a normally busy road, got out and waved as the hearse, with lights inside illuminating the flag-draped coffin, made its way into London. In the city, people pressed in on the road and held their phones aloft as it passed. Thousands outside the palace shouted “God save the queen!” and clapped as the hearse swung around a roundabout in front of the queen’s residence and through the wrought iron gates. King Charles III and other immediate family members waited inside. New Hampshire caps primaries with fresh test of GOP’s future CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire Republicans are picking their party’s candidate to face off with incumbent Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan in a key midterm race the GOP has long seen as winnable and which could ultimately decide control of the chamber after November. But a strong competitor in the GOP contest is retired Army Brig. Gen. Donald Bolduc, a staunch conservative who Democrats — and even some top Republicans — believe is too far to the right for some swing voters. Bolduc has campaigned on a platform that includes lies that Donald Trump won the 2020 election and conspiracy theories about vaccines. Contests are also being held in Rhode Island and Delaware as the nationwide primary season wraps. GOP’s Graham unveils nationwide abortion ban after 15 weeks Read More…

What Penn State Coach James Franklin Said About Facing Auburn, Bryan Harsin https://digitalalabamanews.com/what-penn-state-coach-james-franklin-said-about-facing-auburn-bryan-harsin/ Auburn’s first big game of the season is just days away, as Bryan Harsin’s team welcomes No. 22 Penn State to Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday. The Tigers (2-0) and Nittany Lions (2-0) will square off at 2:30 p.m. on CBS in what will be the second game of the programs’ home-and-home series. The two teams met last September in State College, Penn., with Auburn falling 28-20 on the road to Penn State during its annual “White Out” game. Read more Auburn football: Auburn names Rich McGlynn as interim AD, starts national search for full-time replacement to Allen Greene “We owe them one”: Auburn eager for shot at payback against Penn State Orange jerseys? Auburn captains push for change from traditional uniforms for Penn State game Now Auburn will look for payback as Penn State makes its first-ever trip to the Plains. For the Tigers, it will be a level up in competition after opening the season against Mercer (an FCS program) and San Jose State (a Mountain West team). Penn State coach James Franklin on Tuesday held his weekly press conference to preview the matchup at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Here’s everything the ninth-year coach had to say about facing Auburn, his team and the trip to Jordan-Hare Stadium. JAMES FRANKLIN, Penn State coach JAMES FRANKLIN: Like always, appreciate you guys coming out and covering Penn State football. I don’t want to take that for granted. Quick summary of the Ohio game. The turnover battle was even. Offensively doing a pretty good job securing the football. We have to continue to do that. Penalties was essentially even when you talk about yards. I think we did a pretty good job of that overall, but I still think we can be better there. Drive start has been a positive so far this year, and that’s without a whole lot of turnovers. So Barney Amor has had a big part in that. The sack battle is an area we got to get better. We did lose that battle. And then the explosive play battle, we did win that both offensively and defensively, as well as overall. So those things are real positive. You talk about players of the game, on offense, Nicholas Singleton; on defense Chop Robinson, on special teams, Devyn Ford. And then we talk about our D-squad, developmental squad players of the week who have a huge impact on getting us prepared to play while they’re also being evaluated. On offense was Grayson Kline and Robert Rossi; of defense was Jake Wilson and Stephen Ripka; and then on special teams was Tyler Holzworth. Obviously the Big 10 freshmen of the week was Nick Singleton, so that was great to see there. Few other things. You know, positives, obviously we won the game. Again, I don’t want to take that for granted either. We need to celebrate and enjoy winning. I think I said this to you guys before, I don’t want to become one of those coaches that you don’t appreciate the wins. I want to make sure we’re doing as a program, because a lot of programs were not able to do that Saturday and not able to enjoy Sunday the way we did. We played a lot of guys. 34 on offense. 36 on defense for a total of 70 players in the game. Obviously opportunities for growth on offense, third down, and on defense just being more disruptive. Talk about tackles for loss and turnovers. On special teams, punting, the times that we punted, that’s been a real positive for us. And then kickoff return, we need to be better in PAT field goal protection and production overall. So that’s Ohio. Getting into Auburn just briefly, obviously got a ton of respect for that program as well as that conference. Obviously I got some familiarity. Been a head coach in that conference for three years. I’ve known Bryan Harsin for a long time, more from a distance. Respected his year, what he did at Auburn, as well as other places. You talk about Auburn, still early in the season, and I think it makes sense to still talk about returning starters from last year. They had seven on offense, seven on defense, and returned all of their specialists, all four specialists. So have an experienced team coming back. Their offensive coordinator, Eric Kiesau, I’ve known for a long time. Bryan is back kind of in a position where most of his relationships and history with his coaching staff for the most part now, his most trusted assistants, are all guys that he’s got history with, and Eric Kiesau is running the offense for him. Guys that we have been impressed with is obviously Tank Bigsby, but you could even mention their backs in general. Their wide receiver No. 6, Ja’Varrius Johnson, guy that can really run, a 10.3 100-meter guy. And then obviously the changing-of-pace quarterback, Robby Ashford, who we recruited out of high school who’s an explosive athlete. Defensively, Jeff Schmedding, again, back to a guy that was Coach Harsin’s defensive coordinator when they were at Boise, so spent a lot of time going back and studying their tape and what they did defensively at Boise, as well as what they have done in their first two games. And then guys we been impressed with, their defensive tackle, No. 25 Colby Wooden, their D-end, No. 29 Derick Hall, their Will linebacker, No. 13, Cam Riley, and then their Sam/strong safety, Donovan Kaufman, No. 1. Guys that stand out, their front obviously defensively is I think the thing that really stands out to us. On special teams, Roc Bellantoni. His first year taking over as special teams coordinator, so most of our stuff is based on what they’ve done this year, our studies on their special teams. Their kick returner, No. 27, who is also the backup tailback, is from Philadelphia, Mississippi, just to be clear. Not Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Punt returner, No. 6, Ja’Varrius Johnson we already talked about, then their punter, No. 91 Oscar Chapman. He is an Australian punter; does a nice job for them. It’s going to be a challenge. Obviously, this is their Orange Out. Kind of listen to all their press conferences and watched all those things, talked to a lot of people that have played there and been a part of that environment. I’ve been there before as well and played there before. So, getting our players prepared for what that will look like and what that’s going to be. Open up to questions. Q. Good afternoon, Coach. Drew Allar, can you talk to me just a little bit about the progress he’s made since spring, maybe even since the beginning of camp? How drastic has it been? What does that say about him going forward? JAMES FRANKLIN: Yeah, you know, spring ball is invaluable for these guys that are able to come early, obviously if it makes sense for them both from an academic perspective, as well as just from a maturity standpoint. So having him here early as well as our other quarterbacks to learn the system, to study the system, get comfortable, get familiar so they have a chance to truly compete. But obviously we all knew that he had the physical traits and skills to be successful, but I think he’s done a really good job of how to prepare, how to study the game. I think Sean has had a big impact on that as well; obviously Coach Yurcich. But he’s done a nice job. I think he’s already at a point where the game has slowed down to him a little bit and he’s able to anticipate what’s going to happen from a coverage perspective or from a pressure perspective. He’s doing some nice things that we have been able to build on, and we’re going to need to continue to build on. I thought we did a good job of getting all four of those guys reps in spring and early in camp, and now obviously once we made the decision to move him to the No. 2 spot, his rep count has obviously increased which is important. Invaluable. And then obviously him being able to get reps in the first two games for different reasons has been valuable as well. So still got a lot of areas, a lot of room for growth, which is exciting, but obviously he’s doing some really good things. Q. How do you prepare for a tough environment? Is that easier thought of than actually accomplished? And how do you compare what you see of Jordan Hare to what you see at the Big 10, or anywhere else in the SEC since you’ve done it a lot? JAMES FRANKLIN: Yeah, I think it’s going to be similar to some of better environments in the country. There is no doubt about it. Obviously they take a ton of pride in their program and their university and their community. Obviously football is really important there, in that region of the country. So we know it’s going to be challenging and got a ton of respect for it, but we didn’t wait until this week to get started. We did it during training camp, but really did it last week. The guys are looking at me like I was crazy. The staff and the players. Like we went all silent count all last week in practice with, as everybody knows, the music as loud as possible. Everybody is like, well, we’re at home this week. Well, obviously we were starting our preparation a week ahead for that without telling anybody that’s what we were doing. We’ll show them some pictures of what the locker room will look like, what the stadium will look like, show some videos. Obviously the War Eagle before the game. You know, the band. The scoreboard side of the end zone has been problematic. You watch obviously San Jose State last week. They were able to get down into the low red zone and I think have three penalties in a row that knocked them out of there. So it’s going to be challenging, and we are going to try it prepare for it the best we can. At the end of the day, we still have to go out and execute it. And that’s not just with our starters. That’s with whoever could possibly be in the game. Q. How would you assess your run defense and your linebacker play through the first two games, knowing, A, you haven’t really faced team that’s a run-orien...

Reuters US Domestic News Summary | Law-Order https://digitalalabamanews.com/reuters-us-domestic-news-summary-law-order/ Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Smugglers put migrants in suitcases, empty water tanks, U.S. prosecutors allege U.S. authorities unveiled indictments on Tuesday of a lucrative human smuggling operation that allegedly included moving migrants in suitcases and water tanks from the U.S.-Mexico border, as the Biden administration cracks down on groups fueling a record number of border crossings. Eight people, mostly U.S. citizens, were indicted for their roles in smuggling hundreds of people, some hidden in wooden crates on tractor-trailers with little ventilation, according to U.S. officials and related court documents. Another six co-conspirators were cited in the court record. Alex Jones’ lies about Sandy Hook driven by profits, victims’ lawyer says at trial A lawyer for families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting told a Connecticut jury on Tuesday that conspiracy theorist Alex Jones would never stop profiting from destructive falsehoods unless he pays for his lies about the massacre. The lawyer, Christopher Mattei, made his assessment during opening statements on Tuesday, nearly a decade after 20 children and six staff members were killed on Dec. 14, 2012, at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Analysis-Despite U.S. inflation’s bite, Democratic voters are energized for midterms The unexpected rise in inflation reported on Tuesday was an unwelcome blow for President Joe Biden’s Democrats, but a new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Democratic voters just as enthusiastic as their Republican counterparts, pointing to a potentially close contest in November’s elections. Republicans remain favored to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives – with the Senate on a knife-edge – amid widespread dissatisfaction with Biden’s presidency and months of sharp price increases that the poll showed remain the top concern for Republican and Democratic voters alike. U.S. lawmakers ask National Archives for accounting of Trump records A congressional panel on Tuesday sought an urgent review by the U.S. National Archives after agency staff members acknowledged that they did not know if all presidential records from Donald Trump’s administration had been turned over. House of Representatives Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney also asked the Archives, the federal agency charged with preserving government records, to seek a written certification from the Republican former president that he has handed over all presidential records and classified materials. Republican Graham proposes national ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham proposed new national restrictions on abortion on Tuesday, saying he wanted to help define Republicans on an issue seen as a potential albatross for his party in the Nov. 8 midterm elections. With control of the Senate up for grabs, and some jittery Republican candidates softening their positions on abortion, Graham announced legislation that would ban the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy nationwide. Ken Starr, prosecutor in Clinton-Lewinsky investigation, dead at 76 Ken Starr, the prosecutor whose investigation led to the impeachment of former U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1998, has died at age 76, his family said in a statement on Tuesday. Starr died on Tuesday in Houston from complications from surgery, his family said. Biden celebrates ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ as food, rent prices climb President Joe Biden celebrated his climate change and drug pricing law, The Inflation Reduction Act, on Tuesday on the White House lawn, highlighting Democrats’ commitment to progressive priorities even as high consumer prices continue to bite. Biden signed the $430 billion bill, seen as the biggest climate change package in U.S. history, into law last month in a low-key ceremony. The Tuesday event on the White House South Lawn brought together lawmakers, cabinet members, activists and interest groups who supported it, and gave Biden an opportunity to tout drug price caps, electric vehicle grants and a minimum corporate tax, key issues for his political base. U.S. government makes contingency plans for rail shutdown President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday made contingency plans aiming to ensure deliveries of critical goods in the event of a shutdown of the U.S. rail system while pressing railroads and unions to reach a deal to avoid a work stoppage affecting freight and passenger service. The potential shutdown, which could come as early as Friday, could freeze almost 30% of U.S. cargo shipments, stoke inflation, impede supplies of food and fuel, cost the U.S. economy about $2 billion per day and cause transportation woes. Trump ally wins bid to bar photos of ‘lavish properties’ from foreign agent trial A U.S. judge on Tuesday ruled that prosecutors cannot show pictures of “lavish properties” owned by Tom Barrack, a former top fundraiser for Donald Trump, at Barrack’s upcoming trial on charges of acting as an illegal foreign agent. Barrack, a former private equity executive who prosecutors say acted as an agent of the United Arab Emirates, asked U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan last week to exclude evidence of his wealth, spending and lifestyle, arguing prosecutors were seeking to appeal to jurors’ “class bias” against wealthy people. U.S. Senator thinks Twitter and Facebook may need a license to operate U.S. Senator Lindsay Graham, a Republican critic of social media companies like Meta’s Facebook and Twitter, said on Tuesday that he wants create a way to regulate, and perhaps license, social media companies. Graham said that he was working on a measure — he did not say what form it would take — with Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, and Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican. Graham could not be reached for further comment and Warren and Hawley did not immediately return a call for comment. (This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Read More…

Paranoid Trump Meets With Lawyers On Golf Course https://digitalalabamanews.com/paranoid-trump-meets-with-lawyers-on-golf-course/ There is some explanation now for Donald Trump’s recent surprise visit to the DC area, and it appears that he made the trip to meet with lawyers on his golf course. A video of Trump on the course was shot at a distance and showed the former president and his entourage riding around on golf carts. Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen tweeted: “Many are asking me why Mr. Mushroom Putter was at his DC Golf Course (which is really in Virginia)? He says to play golf. My sources say he was meeting with 2 lawyers in secrecy and didn’t trust being at their offices. Notice there are no golf clubs on the cart!!!” It’s now becoming clear that Trump made the trip to DC not because an indictment against him was imminent, but it still seems very much related to the investigation and suggests the ex-president is extremely paranoid about the consequences he could be facing. The David Pakman Show is a news and political talk program, known for its controversial interviews with political and religious extremists, liberal and conservative politicians, and other guests. Missed an episode?  Check out David Pakman on our Youtube Channel  anytime or visit the show page for the latest clips. #FreeSpeechTV is one of the last standing national, independent news networks committed to advancing progressive social change.  #FSTV is available on Dish, DirectTV, AppleTV, Roku, Sling and online at freespeech.org  #davidpakmanshow DC area DC Golf Course Donald Trump Former Trump Michael Cohen Mr. Mushroom Putter The David Pakman Show Read More…

Judge Unseals More Of FBI Affidavit On Search Of Trump https://digitalalabamanews.com/judge-unseals-more-of-fbi-affidavit-on-search-of-trump/ ERIC TUCKER  |  The Associated Press WASHINGTON — A federal judge Tuesday unsealed additional portions of an FBI affidavit laying out the basis for a search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home, showing that agents earlier obtained a hard drive after issuing a subpoena for surveillance footage recorded inside Mar-a-Lago. A heavily redacted version of the affidavit was made public last month, but the Justice Department requested permission to show more of it after lawyers for Trump revealed the existence of a June grand jury subpoena that sought video footage from cameras in the vicinity of the Mar-a-Lago storage room. “Because those aspects of the grand jury’s investigation have now been publicly revealed, there is no longer any reason to keep them sealed (i.e. redacted) in the filings in this matter,” department lawyers wrote. More: Trump team dismisses records probe, opposes arbiter picks More: 70 Pennsylvania school board members have signed letter against Mastriano’s public education plan More: Doug Mastriano’s security bubble insulates him from prying eyes and dissenting views The newly visible portions of the FBI agent’s affidavit show that the FBI on June 24 subpoenaed for the records in June after a visit weeks earlier to Mar-a-Lago in which agents observed between 50 to 55 boxes of records in the storage room at the property. The Trump Organization provided a hard drive on July 6 in response to the subpoena, the affidavit says. The footage could be an important piece of the investigation, including whether anyone has sought to obstruct the probe. The Justice Department has said in a separate filing that it has “developed evidence that government records were likely concealed and removed from the Storage Room and that efforts were likely taken to obstruct the government’s investigation.” The Justice Department has been investigating the holding of top-secret information and other classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after Trump left the White House. FBI agents during their Aug. 8 search of the home and club said they recovered more than 11,000 documents, including over 100 with classification markings. Separately Tuesday, the Justice Department again urged U.S. District Aileen Cannon to lift her hold on core aspects of the investigation. Cannon last week granted the Trump team’s request for an independent arbiter to review the seized documents and weed out from the investigation any records that may be covered by claims of executive or attorney-client privilege. She also ordered the department to halt its review of the records pending any further court order or the completion of a report by the yet-to-be-named special master. The department urged Cannon last week to put her order on hold and told the judge Tuesday that its investigation would be harmed by a continued delay of its ability to scrutinize the classified documents. “The government and the public unquestionably have an interest in the timely enforcement of criminal laws, particularly those involving the protection of highly sensitive information, and especially where, as here, there may have been efforts to obstruct its investigation,” the lawyers wrote. The Trump team on Monday urged the judge to leave her order in place. His lawyers raised questions about the documents’ current classification status and noted that a president has absolute authority to declassify information, though it pointedly did not say that Trump had actually declassified anything. Please consider subscribing to support local journalism. Read More…

New Hampshire Primary Election Results https://digitalalabamanews.com/new-hampshire-primary-election-results/ Read More… Belknap 1 Dem. Belknap 1 (D) Uncontested Belknap 1 Rep. Belknap 1 (R) Uncontested Belknap 2 Dem. Belknap 2 (D) Belknap 2 Rep. Belknap 2 (R) 0% Belknap 3 Dem. Belknap 3 (D) Uncontested Belknap 3 Rep. Belknap 3 (R) 0% Belknap 4 Dem. Belknap 4 (D) Uncontested Belknap 4 Rep. Belknap 4 (R) 0% Belknap 5 Dem. Belknap 5 (D) Belknap 5 Rep. Belknap 5 (R) 0% Belknap 6 Dem. Belknap 6 (D) Belknap 6 Rep. Belknap 6 (R) 14% Belknap 7 Dem. Belknap 7 (D) Belknap 7 Rep. Belknap 7 (R) 0% Belknap 8 Dem. Belknap 8 (D) Belknap 8 Rep. Belknap 8 (R) Carroll 1 Dem. Carroll 1 (D) Carroll 1 Rep. Carroll 1 (R) 0% Carroll 2 Dem. Carroll 2 (D) Carroll 3 Dem. Carroll 3 (D) Carroll 3 Rep. Carroll 3 (R) 0% Carroll 4 Dem. Carroll 4 (D) Carroll 4 Rep. Carroll 4 (R) Carroll 5 Dem. Carroll 5 (D) Uncontested Carroll 5 Rep. Carroll 5 (R) Uncontested Carroll 6 Dem. Carroll 6 (D) Carroll 6 Rep. Carroll 6 (R) 0% Carroll 7 Dem. Carroll 7 (D) Uncontested Carroll 7 Rep. Carroll 7 (R) Uncontested Carroll 8 Dem. Carroll 8 (D) Carroll 8 Rep. Carroll 8 (R) Cheshire 1 Dem. Cheshire 1 (D) Uncontested Cheshire 1 Rep. Cheshire 1 (R) Uncontested Cheshire 2 Dem. Cheshire 2 (D) Uncontested Cheshire 2 Rep. Cheshire 2 (R) Uncontested Cheshire 3 Dem. Cheshire 3 (D) Uncontested Cheshire 3 Rep. Cheshire 3 (R) Uncontested Cheshire 4 Dem. Cheshire 4 (D) Uncontested Cheshire 4 Rep. Cheshire 4 (R) 0% Cheshire 5 Dem. Cheshire 5 (D) Uncontested Cheshire 5 Rep. Cheshire 5 (R) Uncontested Cheshire 6 Dem. Cheshire 6 (D) Cheshire 6 Rep. Cheshire 6 (R) Cheshire 7 Dem. Cheshire 7 (D) 0% Cheshire 7 Rep. Cheshire 7 (R) Uncontested Cheshire 8 Dem. Cheshire 8 (D) Uncontested Cheshire 9 Dem. Cheshire 9 (D) Uncontested Cheshire 9 Rep. Cheshire 9 (R) 0% Cheshire 10 Dem. Cheshire 10 (D) Cheshire 10 Rep. Cheshire 10 (R) Cheshire 11 Dem. Cheshire 11 (D) Uncontested Cheshire 11 Rep. Cheshire 11 (R) 0% Cheshire 12 Dem. Cheshire 12 (D) Uncontested Cheshire 12 Rep. Cheshire 12 (R) Uncontested Cheshire 13 Dem. Cheshire 13 (D) Uncontested Cheshire 13 Rep. Cheshire 13 (R) 0% Cheshire 14 Dem. Cheshire 14 (D) Uncontested Cheshire 14 Rep. Cheshire 14 (R) Uncontested Cheshire 15 Dem. Cheshire 15 (D) 8% Cheshire 15 Rep. Cheshire 15 (R) 4% Cheshire 16 Dem. Cheshire 16 (D) Uncontested Cheshire 16 Rep. Cheshire 16 (R) Uncontested Cheshire 17 Dem. Cheshire 17 (D) Uncontested Cheshire 17 Rep. Cheshire 17 (R) Uncontested Cheshire 18 Dem. Cheshire 18 (D) Cheshire 18 Rep. Cheshire 18 (R) Coos 1 Dem. Coos 1 (D) Uncontested Coos 1 Rep. Coos 1 (R) Coos 2 Dem. Coos 2 (D) Uncontested Coos 2 Rep. Coos 2 (R) Uncontested Coos 3 Rep. Coos 3 (R) 0% Coos 4 Dem. Coos 4 (D) Uncontested Coos 4 Rep. Coos 4 (R) Uncontested Coos 5 Dem. Coos 5 (D) Coos 5 Rep. Coos 5 (R) Coos 6 Dem. Coos 6 (D) 0% Coos 6 Rep. Coos 6 (R) Uncontested Coos 7 Dem. Coos 7 (D) Uncontested Coos 7 Rep. Coos 7 (R) Uncontested Grafton 1 Dem. Grafton 1 (D) Grafton 1 Rep. Grafton 1 (R) Grafton 2 Dem. Grafton 2 (D) Uncontested Grafton 2 Rep. Grafton 2 (R) 0% Grafton 3 Dem. Grafton 3 (D) Uncontested Grafton 3 Rep. Grafton 3 (R) 0% Grafton 4 Dem. Grafton 4 (D) Uncontested Grafton 4 Rep. Grafton 4 (R) Uncontested Grafton 5 Rep. Grafton 5 (R) Grafton 6 Dem. Grafton 6 (D) Uncontested Grafton 6 Rep. Grafton 6 (R) Uncontested Grafton 7 Dem. Grafton 7 (D) Uncontested Grafton 7 Rep. Grafton 7 (R) Uncontested Grafton 8 Dem. Grafton 8 (D) Grafton 8 Rep. Grafton 8 (R) Grafton 9 Dem. Grafton 9 (D) Uncontested Grafton 9 Rep. Grafton 9 (R) Uncontested Grafton 10 Dem. Grafton 10 (D) Uncontested Grafton 10 Rep. Grafton 10 (R) 0% Grafton 11 Dem. Grafton 11 (D) Uncontested Grafton 11 Rep. Grafton 11 (R) Uncontested Grafton 12 Dem. Grafton 12 (D) 0% Grafton 13 Dem. Grafton 13 (D) Uncontested Grafton 14 Dem. Grafton 14 (D) Uncontested Grafton 15 Dem. Grafton 15 (D) Uncontested Grafton 16 Dem. Grafton 16 (D) Uncontested Grafton 17 Dem. Grafton 17 (D) Uncontested Grafton 18 Dem. Grafton 18 (D) Uncontested Grafton 18 Rep. Grafton 18 (R) 0% Hillsborough 1 Dem. Hillsborough 1 (D) Hillsborough 1 Rep. Hillsborough 1 (R) 0% Hillsborough 2 Dem. Hillsborough 2 (D) Hillsborough 2 Rep. Hillsborough 2 (R) 0% Hillsborough 3 Dem. Hillsborough 3 (D) Hillsborough 3 Rep. Hillsborough 3 (R) Uncontested Hillsborough 4 Dem. Hillsborough 4 (D) Hillsborough 4 Rep. Hillsborough 4 (R) Hillsborough 5 Dem. Hillsborough 5 (D) Hillsborough 5 Rep. Hillsborough 5 (R) 0% Hillsborough 6 Dem. Hillsborough 6 (D) Hillsborough 6 Rep. Hillsborough 6 (R) 0% Hillsborough 7 Dem. Hillsborough 7 (D) Hillsborough 7 Rep. Hillsborough 7 (R) Hillsborough 8 Dem. Hillsborough 8 (D) Hillsborough 8 Rep. Hillsborough 8 (R) Hillsborough 9 Dem. Hillsborough 9 (D) Hillsborough 9 Rep. Hillsborough 9 (R) Hillsborough 10 Dem. Hillsborough 10 (D) Hillsborough 10 Rep. Hillsborough 10 (R) Hillsborough 11 Dem. 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Hillsborough 23 (D) Hillsborough 24 Dem. Hillsborough 24 (D) Hillsborough 24 Rep. Hillsborough 24 (R) Hillsborough 25 Dem. Hillsborough 25 (D) Hillsborough 25 Rep. Hillsborough 25 (R) Uncontested Hillsborough 26 Dem. Hillsborough 26 (D) Hillsborough 26 Rep. Hillsborough 26 (R) Uncontested Hillsborough 27 Dem. Hillsborough 27 (D) Uncontested Hillsborough 27 Rep. Hillsborough 27 (R) Uncontested Hillsborough 28 Dem. Hillsborough 28 (D) Hillsborough 28 Rep. Hillsborough 28 (R) Hillsborough 29 Dem. Hillsborough 29 (D) 0% Hillsborough 29 Rep. Hillsborough 29 (R) 0% Hillsborough 30 Dem. Hillsborough 30 (D) Hillsborough 30 Rep. Hillsborough 30 (R) Hillsborough 31 Dem. Hillsborough 31 (D) Uncontested Hillsborough 31 Rep. Hillsborough 31 (R) Uncontested Hillsborough 32 Dem. Hillsborough 32 (D) Hillsborough 32 Rep. Hillsborough 32 (R) 0% Hillsborough 33 Dem. Hillsborough 33 (D) 0% Hillsborough 33 Rep. Hillsborough 33 (R) Hillsborough 34 Dem. Hillsborough 34 (D) Hillsborough 34 Rep. Hillsborough 34 (R) Hillsborough 35 Dem. Hillsborough 35 (D) Hillsborough 35 Rep. Hillsborough 35 (R) Hillsborough 36 Dem. Hillsborough 36 (D) Hillsborough 36 Rep. Hillsborough 36 (R) Hillsborough 37 Dem. Hillsborough 37 (D) Uncontested Hillsborough 37 Rep. Hillsborough 37 (R) Uncontested Hillsborough 38 Dem. Hillsborough 38 (D) Hillsborough 38 Rep. Hillsborough 38 (R) Hillsborough 39 Dem. Hillsborough 39 (D) Hillsborough 39 Rep. Hillsborough 39 (R) Hillsborough 40 Dem. Hillsborough 40 (D) 0% Hillsborough 40 Rep. Hillsborough 40 (R) 0% Hillsborough 41 Dem. Hillsborough 41 (D) 0% Hillsborough 41 Rep. Hillsborough 41 (R) Hillsborough 42 Dem. Hillsborough 42 (D) Hillsborough 42 Rep. Hillsborough 42 (R) 0% Hillsborough 43 Dem. Hillsborough 43 (D) Hillsborough 43 Rep. Hillsborough 43 (R) 0% Hillsborough 44 Dem. Hillsborough 44 (D) Hillsborough 44 Rep. Hillsborough 44 (R) Hillsborough 45 Dem. Hillsborough 45 (D) Uncontested Hillsborough 45 Rep. Hillsborough 45 (R) 0% Merrimack 1 Dem. Merrimack 1 (D) Uncontested Merrimack 1 Rep. Merrimack 1 (R) Uncontested Merrimack 2 Dem. Merrimack 2 (D) Uncontested Merrimack 2 Rep. Merrimack 2 (R) Uncontested Merrimack 3 Dem. Merrimack 3 (D) Merrimack 3 Rep. Merrimack 3 (R) 0% Merrimack 4 Dem. Merrimack 4 (D) Merrimack 4 Rep. Merrimack 4 (R) 0% Merrimack 5 Dem. Merrimack 5 (D) Merrimack 5 Rep. Merrimack 5 (R) Merrimack 6 Dem. Merrimack 6 (D) Uncontested Merrimack 6 Rep. Merrimack 6 (R) Uncontested Merrimack 7 Dem. Merrimack 7 (D) Merrimack 7 Rep. Merrimack 7 (R) 0% Merrimack 8 Dem. Merrimack 8 (D) Merrimack 8 Rep. Merrimack 8 (R) 0% Merrimack 9 Dem. Merrimack 9 (D) Merrimack 9 Rep. Merrimack 9 (R) 0% Merrimack 10 Dem. Merrimack 10 (D) Merrimack 10 Rep. Merrimack 10 (R) 0% Merrimack 11 Dem. Merrimack 11 (D) Uncontested Merrimack 11 Rep. Merrimack 11 (R) Uncontested Merrimack 12 Dem. Merrimack 12 (D) Merrimack 12 Rep. Merrimack 12 (R) Merrimack 13 Dem. Merrimack 13 (D) 0% Merrimack 13 Rep. Merrimack 13 (R) 0% Merrimack 14 Dem. 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Ukraine Has Recaptured Over 2,300 Square Miles Of Territory; Risks To Putin's Regime Rise After Defeats https://digitalalabamanews.com/ukraine-has-recaptured-over-2300-square-miles-of-territory-risks-to-putins-regime-rise-after-defeats/ German Chancellor Scholz tells Putin to end the war in Ukraine during phone call Olaf Scholz, Germany’s chancellor speaks at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for 90 minutes about the ongoing war in Ukraine. “Given the seriousness of the military situation and the consequences of the war in Ukraine, the Chancellor urged the Russian President to find a diplomatic solution as soon as possible, based on a ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of Russian troops, and respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,” wrote German federal government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit. Scholz warned that any further Russian annexations “would not go unanswered and would not be recognized under any circumstances.” The two leaders agreed to remain in contact. Scholz spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week. — Amanda Macias 80% of NATO allies have approved Sweden and Finland’s entry into the alliance NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg talks speaks during a joint press with Sweden and Finland’s Foreign ministers after their meeting at the Nato headquarters in Brussels on January 24, 2022. John Thys | AFP | Getty Images Six NATO member countries have yet to sign ratification protocols for Finland and Sweden to join the military alliance. Out of NATO’s 30 member countries, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Turkey are the last holdouts to grant Sweden and Finland membership. In May, both nations began the formal process of applying to NATO as Russia’s war in Ukraine raged. All 30 members of the alliance have to ratify the countries’ entry into the group. Last month, U.S. President Joe Biden signed ratification documents following a 95-1 Senate vote to bring Finland and Sweden into NATO. — Amanda Macias Pentagon closely monitoring reports of Iranian drones used by Russians in Ukraine Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder speaks during a news briefing at the Pentagon September 6, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia. Brig. Gen. Ryder held a news briefing to answer questions from members of the press. Alex Wong | Getty Images The Pentagon said that it was not able to determine the impact of Russia’s use of Iranian drones on the battlefield in Ukraine. Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the U.S. was closely monitoring the situation but declined to confirm press reports that Russia had begun using the drones in Ukraine. Last month, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed that Russia had received the drones but said it was “too soon to tell” how the new weapons would shape the combat. “It remains to be seen what the overall impact is going to be on those drones, but it’s not going to change the kinds of capabilities we continue to provide,” Kirby told reporters on a conference call. “We know of some difficulties that the Russians have been having with some of those drones,” Kirby added, but declined to elaborate. — Amanda Macias Ukrainian officials said they found a Russian-made torture chamber for civilians in Kharkiv region Rescuers stand next to burnt cars after a Russian rocket strike in one of the districts of the second largest Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on July 21, 2022 amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Sergey Bobok | Afp | Getty Images Ukrainian officials said they discovered a prison equipped with a makeshift torture chamber made by Russian forces in a city in the Kharkiv region. Serhii Bolvinov, chief of Kharkiv’s region police force, wrote on Facebook that Russian troops were looking for civilians that helped Ukrainian forces. He said that Russian forces took Ukrainian civilians living in Balaklia to a converted local police department and integrated those individuals. “In the basement of the police department, the Russian soldiers made a prison and a torture chamber for local residents,” according to an NBC News translation of Bolvinov’s statement. The Kremlin has previously said that it does not target civilians, which mounts to war crimes under international law. — Amanda Macias More than 300 villages in Kharkiv region liberated from Russian occupation, Ukraine says Ukrainian flags placed on statues in a square in Balakliya, Kharkiv region, on Sept. 10 , 2022. Juan Barreto | AFP | Getty Images Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Hanna Malyar said that the counter-offensive carried out by Ukrainian troops in Kharkiv over several days resulted in the liberation of more than 300 villages from Russian occupation. “The operation will continue until the area is wholly liberated,” Malyar said during a national telethon update, according to an NBC News translation. She said that approximately 150,000 people living in a region spanning about 3,800 square kilometers are back under Ukrainian leadership. — Amanda Macias White House hints at new security package amid recent gains in Ukraine John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, speaks during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 21, 2022. Nicholas Kamm | AFP | Getty Images The White House said another U.S. security assistance package for Ukraine installment would be announced in the coming days, but declined to elaborate on the details. U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the next package would be tailored “in lockstep” with Kyiv’s requests and hailed recent Ukrainian advances to seize back territory from Russian forces. “At least in the Donbas, there is a sense of momentum,” Kirby told reporters at the White House. “Certainly in the north, we have seen Russians retreat from the Kharkiv oblast. They’ve left fighting positions, they’ve left supplies and they’re calling it a repositioning,” Kirby said, adding that Russian forces are still facing a slew of logistical challenges. “It’s still a very large and very powerful military and Mr. Putin still has an awful lot of military capacity left at his disposal, not just to be used in Ukraine but potentially elsewhere,” Kirby added. — Amanda Macias Ukrainians prepare for winter in Ukraine Ukrainians begin to prepare for winter as the Russian invasion drags on. A Ukrainian man prepares for the cold winter and stocking up on firewood in Lviv, Ukraine, September 11, 2022. Olena Znak | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Ukrainians are preparing for the cold winter and stocking up on firewood in Lviv, Ukraine on September 11, 2022. Olena Znak | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images A Ukrainian man prepares for the cold winter and stocking up on firewood in Kharkiv, Ukraine, September 13, 2022. Metin Atkas | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images A Ukrainian woman prepares for the cold winter and stocking up on firewood in Kharkiv, Ukraine, September 13, 2022.  Metin Atkas | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Ukrainians are prepare for the cold winter and stocking up on firewood in Kharkiv, Ukraine, September 13, 2022. Metin Atkas | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Getty Images Blinken says U.S. will continue to send weapons to Kyiv, hails advances made by Ukrainian forces U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a news conference about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, at the State Department in Washington, March 17, 2022. Saul Loeb | Pool | Reuter U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed Ukraine’s lightning advances made over the weekend but cautioned that Russian forces still maintain “very significant forces in Ukraine.” “As we’ve seen, the brutalization of the country continues by the Russian aggressor and there’s, I think, unfortunately, the prospect of this continues to go on, but I think it’s encouraging to see the progress that Ukraine has made,” Blinken told reporters alongside Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in Mexico City. Blinken said the U.S. would continue to provide Kyiv with additional military aid packages. “We will continue to do, what is necessary to support Ukraine to maintain pressure on Russia so that it ends its aggression,” Blinken added. — Amanda Macias Celebrity chef and humanitarian Jose Andres shares a video of food deliveries to Zaporizhzhia Spanish celebrity chef and restaurateur Jose Andres shared a video on Twitter of his team delivering food to Ukrainian villages in the Zaporizhzhia region. “Only one road where people can officially evacuate from the occupied region. Its called the “road of life,” wrote Andres. The two-star Michelin chef brought the World Central Kitchen to Ukraine to address the mounting food crisis triggered by Russia’s war. He has previously said that more than 2 million food kits have been delivered to those affected by the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. — Amanda Macias U.N. says at least 5,827 killed in Ukraine since start of war This photograph taken on July 15, 2022, shows recently made graves at a cemetery in the Vinogradnoe district, Donetsk region, amid the ongoing Russian military action in Ukraine. – | Afp | Getty Images The United Nations has confirmed 5,827 civilian deaths and 8,421 injuries in Ukraine since Russia invaded its ex-Soviet neighbor on Feb. 24. The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said the death toll in Ukraine is likely higher, because the armed conflict can delay fatality reports. The international organization said most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as missiles and airstrikes. — Amanda Macias Ukraine has exported 2.7 million metric tons of grains and othe...

Can Nitrogen Be Used At Next Execution? Judge Wants State https://digitalalabamanews.com/can-nitrogen-be-used-at-next-execution-judge-wants-state/ A federal judge has ordered Alabama officials to answer definitively by Thursday evening whether it could execute a man via an untested method, nitrogen hypoxia, in time for his scheduled execution on Sept. 22. An attorney representing the Alabama Department of Corrections and Attorney General Steve Marshall indicated during a hearing on Monday that there was a “very good chance” that the state would be ready to execute Alan Eugene Miller by nitrogen hypoxia on Sept. 22. Miller has asked the court to stop the state from using lethal injection to execute him, accusing officials of losing a form he submitted to prison staff in 2018 electing nitrogen hypoxia as his preferred method of execution. The attorney would not answer firmly on Monday whether the state would be ready, maintaining that it was ADOC Commissioner John Hamm’s decision. A human being has never been executed by nitrogen hypoxia, wherein a person would be forced to breathe nitrogen gas, depriving the body of oxygen until the person dies. Previous coverage:AL ‘very likely’ ready to execute by nitrogen hypoxia by Sept. 22, ADOC attorney says OPINION:Nitrogen gas execution: An abomination in Alabama R. Austin Huffaker Jr., U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Alabama, ordered Hamm, Marshall or another “appropriate official with personal knowledge” to file an answer in court by 5 p.m. Thursday “definitively setting forth whether or not the Defendants can execute the Plaintiff by nitrogen hypoxia on September 22, 2022.” Gov. Kay Ivey in 2018 authorized nitrogen hypoxia for use in executions. Mississippi and Oklahoma are the only other states that have authorized nitrogen hypoxia as a method of execution, although neither have used it or, as far as the public knows, come up with a way to use it, leaving Alabama to create a method of execution. At the hearing, James Houts, attorney for the defendants, said that ADOC had developed a protocol for carrying out an execution by nitrogen hypoxia but had not finalized it or incorporated it into the existing lethal injection and electrocution protocol. No protocol has been filed in court or been made public. Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanMealins. Your subscription makes our journalism possible. Subscribe today.  Read More…

Driver For Massive Human Trafficking Organization Arrested In Alabama: Feds https://digitalalabamanews.com/driver-for-massive-human-trafficking-organization-arrested-in-alabama-feds/ News Published: Sep. 13, 2022, 6:41 p.m. A 45-year-old man whom federal prosecutors allege was a driver for a massive human trafficking organization that smuggled hundreds of people across the U.S. border and within the country was arrested Tuesday in Alabama as authorities dismantled the group. Jeremy Dickens, 45, was among eight people detained Tuesday in a crackdown on the organization that smuggled Mexican, Guatemalan and Colombian nationals across the border and kept them in deplorable conditions, according to the Justice Department and court filings. Dickens was arrested in southwest Alabama, according to the filings in Mobile federal court, and is awaiting transfer to Texas to face a charge of conspiracy to transport and move an alien. The indictment against Dickens alleged he was a driver for the human trafficking organization. Victims were hidden in suitcases placed in pickup trucks, stored in the back of tractor-trailers, concealed in the beds of pick-up truck beds, hidden in empty water tankers and put in empty boxes strapped to flatbed trailers, according to the indictment. The methods used to transport the victims “placed the aliens in danger, as they were frequently held in contained spaces with little ventilation, which became overheated, and they were driven at high speeds with no vehicle safety devices,” the filing went on to say. Drivers like Dickens were allegedly paid $2,500 “for each alien they transported.” Once moved across the border, victims were placed in “stash houses” in Texas and later transported to other areas within the United States. The indictment did not say where the victims were moved inside the country. Authorities dismantled the operation through Joint Task Force Alpha, which was formed last year in an effort to combat human trafficking. “The charges announced today are just the latest example of these efforts’ success,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “The Justice Department will continue to bring our full resources to bear to combat the human smuggling and trafficking groups that endanger our communities, abuse and exploit migrants, and threaten our national security.” Besides Alabama, the seven other alleged human smugglers were arrested in Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…

James Richard Campbell Obituary (2022) https://digitalalabamanews.com/james-richard-campbell-obituary-2022/ James Richard Campbell, 80, a Troy native whose artistic talent brought him notoriety in the local community and beyond, passed away at Flowers Hospital in Dothan, AL, on Sunday, September 4, 2022. Visitation in his memory will be held on Saturday, September 17, 2022, at Green Hills Funeral Home, located at 1621 South U.S. Highway 29, Troy, AL 36079 from 1-2pm. He will be laid to rest beside his parents at Oakwood Cemetery in Troy following the visitation. The son of James Claude Richard Campbell and Estelle Adcock Campbell, he grew up assisting his grandfather, a local sign painter, in the 1950s. After one year at Troy University followed by service in the Air Force, James attended Art Center College of Design, in Los Angeles, and painted portraits at Disneyland and the Queen Mary. Upon graduating in 1972, he moved to Connecticut and worked as one of the top commercial illustrators in the country. His paintings appeared on magazine covers, including Time, and in numerous other publications. Among his other clients were Reader s Digest, Random House Books, Home Box Office and 20th Century Fox, for which he was commissioned to illustrate a poster for the film Star Wars in 1976. In the 1990s, James returned to Troy and focused on portrait painting. A retrospective of his artwork was held at Troy s Johnson Center for the Arts in 2021. James is survived by his brothers Steven Campbell (Brenda) of Troy, AL, and Harold Campbell of Memphis, TN, as well as his five children: Scott Campbell of Bonita Springs, FL; Megan (Bruce) Chavez of Arlington, TX, and her three children, Andrea (Kendrick) Wilson, Paige (Jose) Garcia, and Brittney Chavez; James Campbell (Elisa) of Richmond, RI, and his children, Aubrey, Brynne, and Chace; Christopher Campbell (Jennifer) of Woodstock, GA, and his children, Atticus and Edith; and Brandon Campbell (Nicole) of Decatur, GA; plus 11 great-grandchildren. Published by Green Hills Funeral Home – Troy on Sep. 13, 2022. Read More…

Jeffrey T. Jewell, 51 | Port City Daily https://digitalalabamanews.com/jeffrey-t-jewell-51-port-city-daily/ HAMPSTEAD — Jeffrey Jewell, 51 of Hampstead, NC has passed from metastatic colon cancer. Happily married for 25 years and father to three children, he cherished his family. He was a man of deep faith, and strong convictions, and his commitment to God and family was evident in the way he lived his life. An avid reader, outdoor enthusiast, and a faithful runner, Jeff was especially loved for his dry, witty sense of humor. As president of Overhead Door Company of Wilmington, Jeff led the family-owned business for the last two decades. To him, the employees were an extension of his family. Jeff leaves behind his beloved wife Cristi and his three children, Rachel, Aly, and Luke. In addition, he is survived by his parents Thomas & Sue Jewell of Wilmington, NC; his siblings Mary (& Joel) Welch of Goldsboro, NC; William (& Laura) Jewell of Wilmington, NC; and Lori (& Ronn) Shank of Lenoir, NC as well as nieces and nephews: James Welch, Sarah Welch, Michaela (& Tyler) Warwick, Katie (& Sam) Manifold, and their son Aaron; Ross (& McLaren) Jewell and their daughter Josie; Ean Shank, and Eli Shank. Additional family members are his in-laws James & Lottie Martin of Pocomoke, MD, and his brother-in-law Greg (& Andrea) Martin and their children Cooper, Beckett, and Dax of Birmingham, AL as well as numerous cousins. A visitation for Jeffrey will be held on Wednesday, September 14, 2022 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Christ the King Presbyterian Church, 500 Kenwood Ave, Wilmington, North Carolina 28405, followed by a Funeral Service at 2:00 PM. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared here for the Jewell family. Read More…

Auburn Names Rich McGlynn As Interim AD, Launches National Search https://digitalalabamanews.com/auburn-names-rich-mcglynn-as-interim-ad-launches-national-search/ Auburn Football Updated: Sep. 13, 2022, 3:22 p.m.| Published: Sep. 13, 2022, 3:12 p.m. Jordan-Hare Stadium shines in the sun during Auburn A-Day Auburn has named Rich McGlynn as its interim athletics director as it begins a national search for the school’s 16th all-time AD. McGlynn will take over AD duties “effective immediately,” Auburn president Dr. Chris Roberts announced Tuesday. McGlynn takes over for Auburn athletics chief operating officer Marcy Girton, who served as acting athletics director the last two weeks following the resignation of Allen Greene from his post at the end of August. “I am confident in Rich’s ability to lead us forward during this transition period as he has tremendous experience in the field and at Auburn University,” Roberts said in a release. Read more Auburn sports: “We owe them one”: Auburn eager for shot at payback against Penn State Orange jerseys? Auburn captains push for change from traditional uniforms for Penn State game Auburn expects to have starting wide receiver back for Penn State game McGlynn has worked inside Auburn’s athletics department since 2006, joining the university after spending five years working at the NCAA. During his time at Auburn, McGlynn has overseen the compliance department, and he played an integral role in guiding Bruce Pearl and the men’s basketball program through the NCAA investigation stemming from the 2017 FBI investigation that ensnared former assistant coach Chuck Person. He was also instrumental in helping the program navigate the Cam Newton eligibility saga during the 2010 BCS national championship season. While with the NCAA, McGlynn served as a student-athletes reinstatement representative within the organization’s enforcement services arm, as well as the NCAA’s assistant director of membership services before being named the NCAA’s associate director of membership services. Prior to working with the NCAA, McGlynn served as commissioner of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference from 2000-01 and as a legal specialist for the New Jersey general assembly majority office from 2000-01. He also served as a legal specialist to the Office of Counsel to the Governor to the State of New Jersey from 1999-2000. A graduate of Florida Southern, where he studied business administration, McGlynn received his Juris Doctorate from Seton Hall’s School of Law in 1999. According to Robert, McGlynn will serve as Auburn’s interim athletics director while the university begins “a competitive national search” for a full-time replacement. Additional details about the search process and Roberts’ approach will be announced in the coming weeks, he added. “Over the past three decades, I’ve developed a rich appreciation of the importance of our athletics programs to the university as well as to our alumni and friends,” Roberts said. “As President, I am fully committed to building and sustaining nationally competitive athletics programs. As such, my goal is to find the very best person to lead Auburn Athletics – someone who understands our storied history, has a proven track record leading a large-scale athletics enterprise, values the importance of our student-athletes’ accomplishments – both on and off the field – and someone who will lead our programs to even greater levels of success. “I look forward to your support as we move ahead with our search for an Athletics Director who will continue our tradition of excellence.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…

Panel: Archives Still Not Certain It Has All Trump Records https://digitalalabamanews.com/panel-archives-still-not-certain-it-has-all-trump-records/ Nation & World Posted 5:49 PM Updated 2 mins ago increase font size The House Committee on Oversight and Reform is asking the agency to conduct an ‘urgent review’ of all the seized documents. By FARNOUSH AMIRIAssociated Press WASHINGTON — The National Archives is still not certain that it has custody of all Donald Trump’s presidential records even after the FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago club, a congressional committee said in a letter Tuesday. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform revealed that staff at the Archives on an Aug. 24 call could not provide assurances that they have all of Trump’s presidential records. The committee in the letter asked the Archives to conduct an assessment of whether any Trump records remain unaccounted for and potentially in his possession. “In light of revelations that Mr. Trump’s representatives misled investigators about his continued possession of government property and that material found at his club included dozens of ‘empty folders’ for classified material, I am deeply concerned that sensitive presidential records may remain out of the control and custody of the U.S. Government,” Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., the chairwoman of the Oversight Committee, wrote in the letter. The House committee has jurisdiction over the Presidential Records Act, a 1978 law that requires the preservation of White House documents as property of the U.S. government. The request is the latest development in a monthslong back-and-forth between the agency and the committee, which has been investigating Trump’s handling of records. The request also comes weeks after the FBI recovered more than 100 documents with classified markings and even more than 10,000 other government documents from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. The search came after lawyers for Trump provided a sworn certification that all government records had been returned. Maloney and other Democratic lawmakers on the panel have been seeking a briefing from the National Archives, but haven’t received one due to the Justice Department’s ongoing criminal investigation into the matter. But the letter notes a call between Archives staff and the committee on Aug. 24, where lawmakers were informed that documents could still be missing. As a result, Maloney wrote, the committee is asking the agency to conduct an “urgent review” of all of the government records that have been recorded from the Trump White House to determine whether any additional records remain unaccounted for and potentially in the possession of the former president. In addition, the committee also asked for the Archives to get a personal certification from Trump “that he has surrendered all presidential records that he illegally removed from the White House after leaving office.” The committee is asking the Archives to provide an initial assessment of this review by Sept. 27. Invalid username/password. Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration. Use the form below to reset your password. When you’ve submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code. Read More…

Judge Unseals Additional Portions Of Mar-A-Lago Affidavit https://digitalalabamanews.com/judge-unseals-additional-portions-of-mar-a-lago-affidavit/ Former President Donald Trump gestures while playing golf at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) Manuel Balce Ceneta AP WASHINGTON A federal judge Tuesday unsealed additional portions of an FBI affidavit laying out the basis for a search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home, showing that agents earlier obtained a hard drive after issuing a subpoena for surveillance footage recorded inside Mar-a-Lago. A heavily redacted version of the affidavit was made public last month, but the Justice Department requested permission to show more of it after lawyers for Trump revealed the existence of a June grand jury subpoena that sought video footage from cameras in the vicinity of the Mar-a-Lago storage room. “Because those aspects of the grand jury’s investigation have now been publicly revealed, there is no longer any reason to keep them sealed (i.e. redacted) in the filings in this matter,” department lawyers wrote. The newly visible portions of the FBI agent’s affidavit show that the FBI on June 24 subpoenaed for the records in June after a visit weeks earlier to Mar-a-Lago in which agents observed between 50 to 55 boxes of records in the storage room at the property. The Trump Organization provided a hard drive on July 6 in response to the subpoena, the affidavit says. The footage could be an important piece of the investigation, including whether anyone has sought to obstruct the probe. The Justice Department has said in a separate filing that it has “developed evidence that government records were likely concealed and removed from the Storage Room and that efforts were likely taken to obstruct the government’s investigation.” The Justice Department has been investigating the holding of top-secret information and other classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after Trump left the White House. FBI agents during their Aug. 8 search of the home and club said they recovered more than 11,000 documents, including over 100 with classification markings. Separately Tuesday, the Justice Department again urged U.S. District Aileen Cannon to lift her hold on core aspects of the investigation. Cannon last week granted the Trump team’s request for an independent arbiter to review the seized documents and weed out from the investigation any records that may be covered by claims of executive or attorney-client privilege. She also ordered the department to halt its review of the records pending any further court order or the completion of a report by the yet-to-be-named special master. The department urged Cannon last week to put her order on hold and told the judge Tuesday that its investigation would be harmed by a continued delay of its ability to scrutinize the classified documents. “The government and the public unquestionably have an interest in the timely enforcement of criminal laws, particularly those involving the protection of highly sensitive information, and especially where, as here, there may have been efforts to obstruct its investigation,” the lawyers wrote. The Trump team on Monday urged the judge to leave her order in place. His lawyers raised questions about the documents’ current classification status and noted that a president has absolute authority to declassify information, though it pointedly did not say that Trump had actually declassified anything. _____ Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP Read More…

Justice Department Can Move Forward With Investigation On Document Trump Still Has: Former US Attorney https://digitalalabamanews.com/justice-department-can-move-forward-with-investigation-on-document-trump-still-has-former-us-attorney/ CONTINUE READING Show less Read More…

Jefferson County Sheriff, Pleasant Grove Police Feud Over SWAT Team https://digitalalabamanews.com/jefferson-county-sheriff-pleasant-grove-police-feud-over-swat-team/ A public feud between the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Pleasant Grove Police Department continues after allegations that the sheriff’s office SWAT team refused to help police during a standoff last week. Sheriff Mark Pettway on Tuesday held a news conference to refute allegations against his office, claiming they received erroneous reports of a hostage situation and then offered to use their negotiators to peacefully talk out the barricaded burglary suspect rather than “kick in’’ the front door which he said Pleasant Grove police officials requested. Pettway called public statements by Pleasant Grove police a “character assassination” and said he believes politics is coming into play. Following the standoff, Pleasant Grove Police Chief Corky Knight publicly questions the sheriff’s office response in interviews with AL.com and WVTM 13. “We’re going to make sure don’t end up in a Breonna Taylor situation,’’ Pettway said. “There was no warrant. We don’t do no-knock warrants.” Following the press conference, Pleasant Grove police Capt. Danny Reid refuted some of what Pettway said. “They came with a standing order not to engage. They didn’t get on the scene and make a tactical decision not to engage,’’ Reid said. “I don’t want anyone calling into question that we were out there just looking for someone to kick a door without legal process. We had that.” Reid said they’ve always been able to call on the county’s SWAT team but said whatever politics are coming into play may force them to looking into forming their own SWAT team. “We need to know that we have them as our button to call and we don’t know that we have that right now,’’ Reid said. The ordeal began last Wednesday when Pleasant Grove police responded to a burglary after a citizen called to report a man – later identified as 50-year-old Darryl Demetrius Miles – breaking into a home and leaving with guns. An officer made contact with Miles but was unable to safely apprehend him before Miles ran into his own house, locking himself inside. As back-up units arrived on scene, a perimeter was set up and detectives immediately went to work on a search warrant. Pleasant Grove police requested SWAT assistance since Miles was armed and barricaded. Jefferson County’s SWAT team and helicopter Star 1 responded to the scene. Pettway on Tuesday said that after assessing the circumstances surrounding the request, sheriff’s office patrol command determined that the appropriate response would be to attempt to negotiate with the suspect, as there were no outstanding warrants on Miles. It was also determined that there was no legal justification to force entry into the suspect’s based on the information they had at the time, Pettway said. After the search warrant was obtained, Vestavia Hills negotiators were able to ultimately talk Miles into surrendering without incident. A gun that had been stolen in the burglary was recovered. “Once Pleasant Grove refused the services offered by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, excess personnel were released from the scene,’’ according to a sheriff’s office written statement. “Two SWAT commanders and two negotiators remained at the scene until the replacement agency (The Vestavia Hills Police Department SWAT team) requested by Pleasant Grove Police arrived on the scene.” “At no time did the Jefferson County sheriff’s Office ever refuse services to the Pleasant Grove Police Department,’’ according to the sheriff’s statement. “Ironically, the services that were performed by the agency who was requested by Pleasant Grove were the exact services offered by the sheriff’s office.” “The SWAT team leader told Pleasant Grove we could not breach the door but that our negotiator was on the way to talk the suspect out of his house. When it was told to Pleasant Grove Police Department that we could not breach the door, they said, ‘We don’t need you,’’’ Pettway said. Reid agreed said there was no arrest warrant yet but said they had obtained a search warrant from a Bessemer Cutoff judge which allowed them to go in to get the suspect. Formal charges usually come later. “We told them we needed help conducting a search warrant, ‘’ Reid said. “We told them exactly what it was. This whole yelling out ‘hostage,’ never did that come out of our mouths.” “To say we didn’t have any legal means to go in there, we had a search warrant,’’ Reid said. “That’s exactly the right way.” Reid said Pleasant Grove has their own crisis negotiators. “I need the ability, if it becomes necessary, to be able to go in, hit the house and conduct the search warrant,’’ he said. “They said, ‘We can’t do that,’ and I said, ‘Fair enough. Not mad at you.” Reid said that is when they decided to call Vestavia Hills to come help them instead. Vestavia Hills PD SWAT also brought negotiators because the negotiators work with their SWAT team. “I have been in law enforcement over 30 years, and I have never heard nor seen any agency openly criticize another agency,’’ Pettway said. “What I have stated here are the facts of the case. I will not let this deter me nor will it stop me from rendering aid to any agency that calls. It just seems like it’s some type of character assassination.” Reid’s response to that was, “I’ve never seen an agency get there and see they can’t do anything and then kind of throw us under the bus and say we didn’t have a legal means to go in.’’ Miles, Reid said, presented a possible danger beyond that of a property crime because he has a lengthy criminal history, he’s on probation with the potential to go back to prison, and armed. “We had to take it to the next level,’’ he said. “There was a very good chance this property crime would turn into something else and so we called for backup.” Pettway said he stands by the actions of his deputies that day. “They made the right call,’’ he said. The standoff ended peacefully shortly before 6:30 p.m. Miles is charged with third-degree burglary, second-degree theft of property and resisting arrest. He was booked into the Jefferson County Jail at 10:10 p.m. Friday and released the following day after posting $16,500 bond. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…

Tommy’s Tunes: Mayor Battle Shares His Personal Music Playlist https://digitalalabamanews.com/tommys-tunes-mayor-battle-shares-his-personal-music-playlist/ Though he’s led the Rocket City as Mayor since 2008, Tommy Battle may soon be known as Alabama’s “Music Mayor.” An increasingly visible presence at music events around Huntsville, he believes music is as much a quality-of-life amenity as an economic driver. Mayor Battle’s Music Initiative, which kicked off in 2018, provided a note-for-note score for the future. The score included several movements, such as a comprehensive music audit and the creation of a Music Board and Music Office. Mayor Tommy Battle speaks at the grand opening of The Orion. The world-class venue, recommended by a comprehensive music audit, appeared in the September 2022 edition of Rolling Stone. The audit also outlined the need for a multipurpose outdoor concert venue, which culminated with the construction of the world-class Orion Amphitheater at Apollo Park. The project landed the Rocket City on page 46 of the September 2022 edition of Rolling Stone with the headline, “Rocket town Huntsville shoots for the stars with the new Orion Amphitheater.” Battle has enjoyed several shows at the new venue and is particularly excited about Stevie Nicks’ visit on Halloween night. It’s no surprise she holds a firm spot among the Mayor’s favorite artists and songs with “Gypsy” by Fleetwood Mac. An early appreciation The Mayor’s love of music dates to his childhood. If he didn’t have the money to buy records, he’d record his favorite songs off the radio using a portable tape recorder. “One of my first songs I remember hearing and loving was ‘Crimson & Clover’ by Tommy James,” he says. “I’d listen to it over and over, just like the song says.” Through the years, he’s listened to music across all mediums. Today, he mostly streams tunes on his iPhone. “I listen to music when I’m out in the yard working, or sometimes I like to just take a break and listen a while,” he says. “It really recharges you for the rest of the day. … I couldn’t imagine a world without music.” Mayor Battle’s playlist Check out Mayor Battle’s playlist of favorite songs below: Read More…

Misapplied Herbicide To Temporarily Close Ross Bridge Golf Course https://digitalalabamanews.com/misapplied-herbicide-to-temporarily-close-ross-bridge-golf-course/ The Robert Trent Jones golf course at the Ross Bridge resort in Hoover will close temporarily because a mixture of chemicals was mistakenly applied to most of the greens and is expected to kill the grass. John Cannon, chairman of Sunbelt Golf Corporation, which operates the Robert Trent Jones Trail, described what happened today at a meeting of the Retirement Systems of Alabama, which owns the RTJ. Cannon said Sunbelt Golf is working to notify golfers who have booked visits to Ross Bridge and reschedule them for Oxmoor Valley in Birmingham or one of the other resorts on the 11-site trail. Cannon said a 1,000-pound bag of a herbicide-fertilizer mixture was wrongly placed alongside other bags containing a green sand mixture that is used as a top dressing on the greens at Ross Bridge. That led to a mix-up two weeks ago that resulted in the herbicide-fertilizer being applied to 14 of the 18 greens instead of the green sand. Cannon said the herbicide-fertilizer mixture should have been in a locked building with restricted access. He said it was meant for the bermuda fairways and not for the bentgrass greens. “You’ve applied not only the wrong application at the wrong time, but too much of it.” Cannon said. “So what it does is a slow burn of the turf grass.” Cannon said he and Sunbelt President Mike Beverly were at the course Monday and said the greens were still playable but does not expect that to last. Experts have taken samples of the soil and the turf to determine the level of the chemicals. “They actually putt all right but you could see them slowly dying,” Cannon said. Sunbelt is planting test plots of cool-weather grass on two of the greens to see if it is feasible for a stopgap fix. Sunbelt will try what Cannon described as a dry injection of charcoal to absorb some of the chemicals and limit the damage. The course will close at some point but Cannon said it is not yet clear when that will be. “It could be anytime between next week and next April,” Cannon said. “We don’t know yet until we get through this process of trying to reverse the damage or grow a new temporary surface on top of what we have.” Sunbelt was already planning to replace the bentgrass greens with ultra-dwarf bermudagrass in 2024. Cannon said the conversion will be moved to next year. He said the conversion will be an improvement. “We know we can create a much more consistent playable surface as the new bermuda grasses are just spectacular,” Cannon said. In the meantime, he said maintenance of the course will continue. Sunbelt is considering a plan to use the four holes that were not affected by the mix-up to provide an opportunity for golfers who live nearby to play for an hour or so. Sunbelt is using social media, email blasts, phone calls and news interviews to try to get the word out to golfers planning a visit to Ross Bridge. “We’re trying to get them moved to Oxmoor Valley or somewhere else along the trail,” Cannon said. “And we’ve been able to do that with 95 percent of the people we’ve contacted.” The RTJ has faced damage to its courses caused by nature before, but Cannon said this was the first time from human error. “If you’ve been in the business long enough, you’ve heard about it happening somewhere,” Cannon said. “First time it’s ever happened on the trail. And it’s devastating. It really is.” The mishap came during what has been a year of record-setting levels of play on the RTJ, according to a presentation by Cannon and Beverly, who succeeded Cannon as president and CEO of Sunbelt, a job Cannon had held since 2004. There were about 580,000 rounds played on RTJ courses last year. That was an 18.7 percent increase over 2020, which was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The RTJ increase far exceeded the 5.5 percent national increase in rounds played last year as compared to 2020. The RTJ is on track for about 606,000 rounds this year, Sunbelt has projected. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…

From Obama To Trump, Who Is And Isn't Among 500 Attending Queen's Funeral https://digitalalabamanews.com/from-obama-to-trump-who-is-and-isnt-among-500-attending-queens-funeral/ AROUND 500 world leaders and other dignitaries are set to attend the Queen’s funeral. Invites to Britain’s biggest international event in decades have been sent almost everywhere — except Russia, Belarus and Myanmar. 10 Around 500 world leaders and other dignitaries are set to attend the Queen’s funeralCredit: PA The guest list for Monday’s ceremony is still being finalised, but it will include US President Joe Biden. His predecessors did not attend Sir Winston Churchill’s state funeral in 1965 or George VI’s in 1952. Beleaguered Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky is thought to have been invited but is highly unlikely to attend. Each head of state can bring one other person. But Aussie PM Anthony Albanese yesterday revealed he was also asked to bring ten who have made “extraordinary contributions to their communities”. It is possible a handful of celebs might attend, such as Sir David Attenborough. Guests have also been invited to a reception at Buckingham Palace on Sunday evening, where they will meet King Charles. The Foreign Office is reported to have switched an extra 300 staff to planning. 10 Sir Winston Churchill’s state funeral in 1965Credit: PA One aide compared it to organising “hundreds of state visits” in days, as opposed to the usual two or three a year. The public was also warned of travel chaos, with rail operators fearing the city could “reach bursting point” before Monday. Trains are set to run through the night with 200 extra daytime services. Meanwhile, hotel prices are soaring with the cheapest room at the Park Plaza County Hall London rocketing from £269 last Sunday to £1,299 this weekend. FOREIGN ROYALS 10 King Felipe of Spain and his wife Queen Letizia will be attendingCredit: Goff 10 King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden are also likely to be members of the congregationCredit: Getty ROYALS from across Europe are expected to attend the Queen’s funeral on Monday. King Felipe of Spain and his wife, Queen Letizia, will be joined by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium. King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden are also likely to be members of the congregation. As are King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and wife Queen Maxima — whose style has been likened to Kate. And Japan’s Emperor Naruhito is also expected — his first overseas trip since taking the throne in May 2019. BRITISH ROYALS 10 All of the Royal Family is expected to be present for the Queen’s historic funeralCredit: AP THE entire Royal Family is expected to be present for the Queen’s historic final goodbye. Her Majesty’s children, Charles, Anne, Edward and Andrew will all be there, along with their children. That list includes Princes William and Harry and their cousins Peter and Zara Phillips, Beatrice and Eugenie and Louise and James. It is not clear how many of the Queen’s great-grandchildren — including Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — will be there given the length and nature of the event. WORLD LEADERS 10 Former US President Barack Obama and several other former world leaders are believed to be on a standby list in case numbers are freed upCredit: AFP 10 US President Joe Biden is understood to be among world leaders who will attend Her Majesty’s funeral on MondayCredit: PA 10 French President Emmanuel Macron is also on the list of attendeesCredit: Jack Hill/The Times US President Joe Biden — who met the Queen last year — is understood to be among world leaders who will attend Her Majesty’s funeral on Monday. Others likely to accept the invitation are Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, New Zealand Premier Jacinda Ardern and Australian PM Anthony Albanese. Former US President Barack Obama and several other former world leaders are believed to be on a standby list in case numbers are freed up by current dignitaries who have been invited not being able to attend. Chinese President Xi Jinping is unlikely to travel, having not left his nation for two years due to the pandemic. Vice President Wang Qishan could attend on his behalf. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi may also be there as will Brazil’s controversial President Jair Bolsonaro. French President Emmanuel Macron, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany are also on the list of attendees. Israeli President Isaac Herzog will also be there, and is likely to be permitted to do so in a secure convoy. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Council, is expected. A representative of rogue state North Korea is also likely to have been invited. BRITISH POLITICIANS 10 Ex-PMs Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Boris Johnson, David Cameron, Theresa May and Sir John Major are all believed to be attendingCredit: Splash NEW Prime Minister Liz Truss heads Britain’s political line-up including all the Queen’s surviving former PMs who will be at Westminster on Monday. Boris Johnson, Theresa May, David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and Sir John Major are all believed to be certain to attend. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is also expected to be there along with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford. NOT INVITED 10 Ex-US president Donald Trump will miss out on the Queen’s funeralCredit: Getty RUSSIAN president Vladimir Putin was not invited following the invasion of Ukraine. Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei will also not be there. Its state-run TV this week compared the Queen to Adolf Hitler. Belarus, which has supported Russia on Ukraine, is also not on the guest list along with Myanmar, run by a military junta. A limit on numbers means several former world leaders will miss out, including ex-US president Donald Trump. RULES FOR GUESTS THERE is a strict protocol in place for those attending Monday morning’s state funeral — and heads of state are not exempt. Each world leader will be allowed to bring only one other person. Guests have been asked to travel on commercial flights and not to use helicopters or private jets to fly into the capital. They have also been asked not to travel to the Westminster Abbey service by car, and to leave their vehicle elsewhere due to tight security and road restrictions. Instead the world leaders and dignitaries are likely to be bussed to the funeral for logistical reasons. But US President Joe Biden will be an exception — and is expected to arrive in his bomb-proof Cadillac, dubbed The Beast. Read More…

FBI Hired Steele Dossier Source As Secret Informant, Court Filings Say – Washington Free Beacon https://digitalalabamanews.com/fbi-hired-steele-dossier-source-as-secret-informant-court-filings-say-washington-free-beacon/ Latest News Igor Danchenko (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Chuck Ross • September 13, 2022 4:34 pm The Russia analyst charged with lying to the FBI about his role in crafting the infamous Steele dossier was on the bureau’s payroll as a confidential informant, according to an explosive new court filing released Tuesday. Special Counsel John Durham revealed the FBI hired Igor Danchenko in March 2017, months after the bureau first interviewed him about his work on the dossier. Durham charged Danchenko last year with repeatedly lying to the FBI about his work on the dossier, and his sources for the discredited document. Durham alleges that Danchenko “fabricated” allegations in the dossier that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 election. Danchenko worked at the time for dossier author Christopher Steele, who investigated Donald Trump on behalf of the Clinton campaign. The filing is likely to raise questions about the FBI’s relationship with Danchenko, which ended in October 2020. The FBI opened a counterintelligence investigation against Danchenko in 2009, when he worked as an analyst at the Brookings Institution, a liberal think tank in Washington, D.C. One of Danchenko’s colleagues claimed that Danchenko asked whether he would be willing to sell him classified information. The FBI closed the investigation after Danchenko left the United States in 2011 but did not reopen the probe when he returned. Danchenko began working for Steele’s private intelligence firm, Orbis, after leaving the Brookings Institution. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Steele, a former British intelligence officer, used Danchenko to collect information about Trump’s possible links to Russia. Steele compiled 17 memos based on Danchenko’s claims in what is now known as the dossier. He provided some of the information to the Clinton campaign, the FBI, the State Department, and numerous media outlets. It is unclear whether the FBI used Danchenko to provide information about the Steele dossier, or as part of the investigation into the Trump campaign. The FBI first interviewed Danchenko in January 2017, shortly after BuzzFeed News published the dossier. Danchenko downplayed the allegations in the salacious document, telling FBI agents that Steele had embellished claims that the Trump campaign conspired with Russia. Though Danchenko undermined aspects of the dossier in those interviews, the FBI failed to disclose the information to the federal court that granted surveillance warrants against the Trump campaign. The Justice Department’s inspector general blasted the FBI for failing to verify the dossier before relying on it to obtain the surveillance warrants. The inspector general also found that FBI agents withheld exculpatory evidence that undercut the collusion theory. The FBI did not return a request for comment. Read More…

US Forecast https://digitalalabamanews.com/us-forecast-28/ City/Town, State;Yesterday’s High Temp (F);Yesterday’s Low Temp (F);Today’s High Temp (F);Today’s Low Temp (F);Weather Condition;Wind Direction;Wind Speed (MPH);Humidity (%);Chance of Precip. (%);UV Index Albany, NY;78;57;75;52;Breezy;WNW;14;68%;3%;3 Albuquerque, NM;84;59;77;60;A stray t-shower;E;7;53%;44%;6 Anchorage, AK;55;46;55;47;An afternoon shower;SSW;3;82%;67%;1 Asheville, NC;75;53;77;55;Mostly sunny;NNW;6;61%;1%;7 Atlanta, GA;80;59;84;62;Abundant sunshine;ENE;6;53%;3%;7 Atlantic City, NJ;85;64;80;66;Sunshine, less humid;W;9;54%;4%;6 Austin, TX;95;71;94;68;Mostly sunny;SE;4;56%;3%;8 Baltimore, MD;83;64;83;67;Mostly sunny;WNW;8;50%;3%;6 Baton Rouge, LA;85;63;88;64;Sunny, low humidity;ENE;7;52%;5%;8 Billings, MT;86;60;76;56;Some brightening;ESE;9;39%;8%;4 Birmingham, AL;82;59;85;63;Mostly sunny;NE;5;52%;2%;7 Bismarck, ND;77;51;86;57;Breezy;NE;14;51%;88%;3 Boise, ID;80;58;83;59;Variable cloudiness;NE;7;42%;27%;4 Boston, MA;72;62;80;58;Sunshine and breezy;W;15;53%;5%;5 Bridgeport, CT;79;60;80;61;Mostly sunny;WNW;9;56%;3%;5 Buffalo, NY;72;61;74;51;Hazy sun;NNW;12;67%;28%;5 Burlington, VT;76;61;73;49;Breezy with a shower;NNW;14;68%;82%;3 Caribou, ME;77;61;70;47;A couple of showers;WNW;14;80%;86%;1 Casper, WY;84;56;74;50;A p.m. t-shower;WNW;14;55%;81%;2 Charleston, SC;87;70;85;69;Some sun, less humid;NE;7;47%;10%;7 Charleston, WV;74;55;79;54;Mostly sunny;ESE;5;68%;4%;6 Charlotte, NC;85;59;82;60;Mostly sunny;NE;7;52%;2%;7 Cheyenne, WY;83;57;73;54;A stray p.m. t-storm;WNW;10;46%;55%;2 Chicago, IL;75;61;76;63;Hazy sun;NE;8;56%;1%;5 Cleveland, OH;67;63;75;60;Hazy sunshine;NE;10;72%;2%;5 Columbia, SC;86;62;86;62;Sunny, low humidity;NNE;6;48%;6%;7 Columbus, OH;70;57;79;57;Hazy and warmer;WNW;6;64%;2%;6 Concord, NH;74;58;77;50;Partly sunny, breezy;WNW;13;65%;5%;4 Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX;91;68;91;67;Plenty of sunshine;ESE;9;42%;4%;7 Denver, CO;88;60;78;56;A t-storm around;W;7;40%;55%;3 Des Moines, IA;80;59;87;63;Hazy sunshine;SSE;9;53%;4%;5 Detroit, MI;76;58;80;55;Hazy sun;NNE;8;60%;0%;5 Dodge City, KS;94;64;92;65;Breezy and very warm;SSE;19;41%;19%;5 Duluth, MN;83;56;62;56;Winds subsiding;E;15;78%;27%;4 El Paso, TX;88;65;87;68;Mostly sunny;SSE;6;52%;4%;8 Fairbanks, AK;64;45;55;42;A couple of showers;SSW;5;78%;88%;1 Fargo, ND;73;52;80;64;Breezy in the p.m.;SSE;14;59%;43%;5 Grand Junction, CO;76;58;70;55;A t-shower in spots;ENE;7;74%;76%;2 Grand Rapids, MI;73;57;76;54;Hazy sun;ENE;7;71%;0%;5 Hartford, CT;81;59;79;58;Breezy with sunshine;WSW;14;61%;3%;5 Helena, MT;74;54;77;51;A t-storm around;W;4;56%;48%;4 Honolulu, HI;88;75;89;74;Partly sunny;ENE;11;56%;12%;10 Houston, TX;91;69;90;72;Mostly sunny;ESE;7;51%;11%;8 Indianapolis, IN;70;57;81;60;Sunny and warmer;SE;4;62%;2%;6 Jackson, MS;84;61;88;64;Sunny and less humid;E;5;50%;5%;8 Jacksonville, FL;85;73;86;74;Clouds, a t-storm;E;8;63%;88%;4 Juneau, AK;57;50;55;47;Rain;SE;13;90%;100%;1 Kansas City, MO;88;65;89;66;Mostly sunny;SSE;9;44%;5%;6 Knoxville, TN;80;57;82;58;Mostly sunny;NE;5;63%;2%;7 Las Vegas, NV;91;68;88;69;Mostly sunny;ESE;8;44%;25%;7 Lexington, KY;74;57;81;58;Mostly sunny;ENE;6;65%;2%;6 Little Rock, AR;89;61;91;63;Sunny and warm;ENE;6;44%;5%;7 Long Beach, CA;82;71;81;68;Turning sunny;ESE;7;59%;26%;7 Los Angeles, CA;84;67;81;65;Clouds, then sun;S;7;57%;26%;7 Louisville, KY;75;60;83;60;Sunshine, pleasant;NE;5;62%;3%;6 Madison, WI;73;53;74;56;Hazy sun;ESE;6;67%;1%;5 Memphis, TN;89;64;90;67;Plenty of sunshine;ENE;6;44%;2%;7 Miami, FL;91;78;87;78;A t-storm in spots;E;7;75%;66%;5 Milwaukee, WI;78;60;73;61;Hazy sun;NE;9;72%;1%;5 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN;80;57;81;65;Hazy sunshine;SE;10;55%;16%;5 Mobile, AL;87;64;90;67;Sunny, low humidity;NNE;8;46%;4%;8 Montgomery, AL;83;60;84;63;Sunny, low humidity;ENE;5;52%;3%;8 Mt. Washington, NH;52;42;45;29;A couple of showers;NW;25;99%;90%;1 Nashville, TN;82;57;84;59;Sunny, low humidity;NE;6;60%;2%;7 New Orleans, LA;86;72;87;73;Sunny, low humidity;E;9;51%;5%;8 New York, NY;83;63;82;63;Mostly sunny;W;10;49%;2%;5 Newark, NJ;83;60;81;62;Mostly sunny;W;9;52%;2%;5 Norfolk, VA;89;67;80;64;Mostly sunny;SSW;8;50%;8%;6 Oklahoma City, OK;90;67;90;65;Mostly sunny, warm;SSE;12;42%;6%;7 Olympia, WA;70;50;72;49;Low clouds breaking;SW;4;71%;7%;4 Omaha, NE;87;62;91;66;Breezy and very warm;SSE;14;53%;8%;5 Orlando, FL;90;76;89;74;Heavy p.m. t-storms;N;6;76%;94%;4 Philadelphia, PA;84;63;82;65;Mostly sunny;W;8;48%;3%;6 Phoenix, AZ;96;77;97;75;Mostly sunny;W;6;31%;0%;7 Pittsburgh, PA;69;56;78;57;Mostly sunny;WNW;6;63%;5%;5 Portland, ME;71;61;76;54;Partly sunny, breezy;WNW;14;65%;6%;4 Portland, OR;72;56;74;54;Low clouds breaking;NNW;5;59%;3%;4 Providence, RI;75;60;79;59;Breezy with sunshine;W;14;58%;4%;5 Raleigh, NC;84;60;82;59;Mostly sunny;NNE;6;50%;6%;7 Reno, NV;80;49;78;48;Clouds and sun;WNW;7;36%;2%;6 Richmond, VA;82;58;81;60;Mostly sunny;SW;6;53%;4%;6 Roswell, NM;90;64;85;62;A p.m. t-storm;S;8;62%;74%;6 Sacramento, CA;82;59;80;59;Brilliant sunshine;SSW;8;52%;1%;6 Salt Lake City, UT;79;62;76;59;Heavy p.m. t-storms;S;6;63%;98%;2 San Antonio, TX;95;72;94;69;Warm with sunshine;SE;8;53%;3%;8 San Diego, CA;77;69;75;66;Turning sunny;W;9;68%;1%;7 San Francisco, CA;70;62;72;61;Low clouds breaking;W;12;60%;9%;4 Savannah, GA;88;65;87;68;Partly sunny;NNE;5;55%;12%;8 Seattle-Tacoma, WA;69;56;71;56;Low clouds breaking;NNW;6;69%;10%;4 Sioux Falls, SD;85;60;91;68;Breezy and very warm;SSE;14;53%;43%;5 Spokane, WA;82;54;77;50;A morning shower;ENE;3;59%;65%;5 Springfield, IL;78;53;83;57;Sunny and pleasant;SE;3;54%;8%;6 St. Louis, MO;82;55;85;58;Sunny and nice;ESE;6;52%;2%;6 Tampa, FL;88;74;87;73;Heavy thunderstorms;E;6;81%;99%;4 Toledo, OH;73;53;80;55;Hazy sun and warmer;ENE;4;65%;0%;5 Tucson, AZ;90;69;92;68;Mostly sunny;SW;6;39%;0%;8 Tulsa, OK;91;62;91;62;Sunny and very warm;S;9;40%;5%;7 Vero Beach, FL;91;73;88;73;Humid with a t-storm;NE;7;79%;88%;6 Washington, DC;80;61;82;64;Mostly sunny;WNW;8;52%;2%;6 Wichita, KS;93;67;92;65;Breezy and very warm;SSE;16;45%;8%;6 Wilmington, DE;81;61;81;64;Mostly sunny;W;9;53%;3%;6 _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather Read More…