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NH Primary 2022: Republicans Bolduc, Morse Compete For U.S. Senate Nomination https://digitalalabamanews.com/nh-primary-2022-republicans-bolduc-morse-compete-for-u-s-senate-nomination/ Associated Press and staff reports  |  Portsmouth Herald Former President Donald Trump’s shadow looms large over some key races to be decided Tuesday as Republicans take center stage in the New Hampshire primary. Republican candidates in three primary races are seeking nominations to take on three Demcratic incumbents: Sen. Maggie Hassan, Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas (U.S. House 1st District) and Rep. Annie Kuster (2nd District). These races have the eyes of the nation on them as New Hampshire is one of the last three states to hold its primary. The Republican winners in Tuesday’s primary will attempt to unseat the Democrats in the Nov. 8 general election.  A look at each key Republican primary race is below. This story will be updated with results as they become available. A guide to voter rights in New Hampshire: What you need to know before you cast a ballot 2022 NH primary election:: Seacoast cities’ and towns’ polling times and places on Sept. 13 Bolduc and Morse battle as Republicans scramble for U.S. Senate nomination A crowd of 11 candidates stepped forward to seek the GOP Senate nomination, including state Senate President Chuck Morse, former Londonderry town manager Kevin Smith and cryptocurrency entrepreneur Bruce Fenton. But retired Army Brig. Gen. Donald Bolduc, who lost the GOP primary for New Hampshire’s other Senate seat in 2020, quickly emerged as the front-runner via dogged grassroots campaigning to compensate for his lack of cash. That has made establishment Republicans nervous, with Gov. Chris Sununu calling Bolduc “not a serious candidate” and a conspiracy theorist. Sununu issued a last-minute endorsement for Morse. More: NH Republican race for Congress District 1 looks close: Here are 5 leading candidates Democratic groups, meanwhile, have put up ads promoting Bolduc, hoping he’ll be an easy opponent for Hassan in November. Hassan, seeking a second term in the battleground state, faces two virtually unknown challengers on the Democratic side. Although Democrats hold all four of New Hampshire’s congressional seats, Republicans control the state Legislature, and Hassan’s 2016 win was a narrow one. With Senate control at stake,New Hampshire Republicans are poised to nominate a Trump-like candidate Mid-term Elections: Channeling abortion outrage, Democratic women push for upsets in Senate elections Republicans eye two U.S. House seats for NH Many expected major changes in New Hampshire’s two congressional districts thanks to the once-a-decade redistricting process, but that didn’t happen. Earlier this year, the Republican-controlled Legislature redrew the state’s two districts to give the GOP an advantage in the 1st District. But Sununu vetoed the plans, and the maps were updated by the courts instead with only minor changes. Still, Republicans are bullish about their chances in New Hampshire and are eagerly eyeing both Democratic-held seats as potential pickups in November. New Hampshire’s 1st District flipped five times in seven elections before Democrat Chris Pappas won his first term in 2018. He faces no primary opponent this year, while more than 10 Republicans are competing for a chance to challenge him. The field includes a number of candidates with ties to Trump: Matt Mowers, the district’s 2020 Republican nominee and a former Trump State Department adviser; Karoline Leavitt, a former assistant press secretary in the Trump White House; and former TV broadcaster Gail Huff Brown, who is married to Scott Brown, a former U.S. senator from Massachusetts and the Trump administration ambassador to New Zealand. While Trump hasn’t endorsed in the race, the candidates haven’t been shy about emphasizing their connections to him. In the second district, Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster faces no primary challenge as she seeks a sixth term. Seven Republicans are vying for their party’s nomination to challenge her, including pro-Trump candidate Bob Burns, a former county treasurer who runs a pharmaceutical safety company; the more moderate George Hansel, mayor of Keene; and Lily Tang Williams, who grew up in China and is a former libertarian U.S. Senate candidate in Colorado. Sununu seeks a fourth term as New Hampshire governor Until late last year, Sununu was widely expected to run for the U.S. Senate, taking on Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan. Instead, he opted to seek a fourth two-year term as governor, dealing a major blow to Republicans who had hoped he could help them retake control of the Senate. Although he faced intense pressure to run for the Senate, Sununu insists he can have a bigger and more direct impact as governor than as a senator. And despite efforts by Trump’s former campaign manager to recruit a challenger, none of the other five Republicans on the ballot Tuesday poses a serious threat. More: Sununu faces 5 GOP challengers from right in primary, but none with Trump endorsement Democratic state Sen. Tom Sherman is running unopposed for his party’s nomination for governor. Read More…

Dr. Anthony Fauci Deserves Better From Gov. Ron DeSantis Than Insulting Comments https://digitalalabamanews.com/dr-anthony-fauci-deserves-better-from-gov-ron-desantis-than-insulting-comments/ Bruce Stechmiller and more than 30 others  |  Guest columnists Recently, in a stump speech, Gov. Ron DeSantis said about Dr. Anthony Fauci that “someone needs to grab that little elf and chuck him across the Potomac.” As members of the medical community, we take great offense when such a distinguished leader of our profession is treated in this manner.   DeSantis turned on Dr. Fauci after he fell out of favor with then-president Donald Trump and the MAGA crowd because he refused to comply with Trump’s suggestion of swallowing bleach and using hydroxychloroquine. Hydroxychloroquine is supported only by anecdotal data and a controlled trial showed it to be ineffective. Common sense and emergency room data proves bleach to be a very bad choice. Both President Trump and Gov. DeSantis have promoted a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education during their tenures, but chose to ignore the advice of experts highly educated in those fields.   After receiving his medical degree from Cornell University, Dr. Fauci spent his entire professional career at the National Institute of Health. He was appointed chief of National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases in 1984 when Ronald Reagan was president. He has served four Republican and three Democratic presidents over the past 38 years.  The Washington, D.C., voter registration office states he has had no party affiliation since 1984 and neither he nor the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases have endorsed either party. George W. Bush presented him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor a president can bestow on a civilian.  Dr. Fauci has not politicized COVID-19, but Trump and his followers such as DeSantis have. Fauci has been criticized for changing recommendations on our COVID response such as not recommending masks in February to March 2020, and later recommending masks. Fauci states that masks were scarce at that time, and he wanted to make sure health care workers would have masks. Changes in recommendations were based upon the fact that COVID-19 was largely unknown when it presented, and the response was empirical (i.e., based upon verifiable observations).     More than 1.04 million Americans have died of COVID-19. Before the COVID-19 vaccine was available in December 2020 and patients were dying at an alarming rate, therapy was based on expert opinion and anecdotal data. Controlled trials were performed in record time and their results proved some therapies effective and others ineffective or less effective. These trials pushed previous therapies aside.   Nonscientists accused Fauci of waffling. Medical scientists know this is how science works, i.e. flexibility not waffling. Controlled trials provide the highest level of evidence in science, but take time. Physicians know this but politicians don’t or, if they do, they feign ignorance for political expedience. Dr. Fauci has always recommended the highest level of science and public health available at that time. The medical community trusts Dr. Fauci. Fauci is the ninth most cited author in the field of immunology since 1980, according to the Web of Science. He has made seminal contributions in how HIV destroys the body’s defenses. He led our nation’s response to AIDS and converted it from a certain death to a manageable chronic illness, with survival equal to uninfected cohorts accompanied with lifelong, highly active, antiretroviral therapy. Dr. Fauci deserves better from Gov. DeSantis, and so do the citizens of Florida.   This piece was written by Bruce Stechmiller, MD, and signed by more than 30 other physicians in the Gainesville area: David Aurbach, MD; Mark Barrow, MD, PhD; Carolyn Carter, MD; Jean Cibula, MD; Karen Daily, MD; Kayser Enneking, MD; Melinda Fernandez, MD, FACEP; Ira Gessner, MD; Melanie Hagen, MD; Ann Hatfield, MD, FACOG; John Hiemenz, MD, FACP; Jacqueline Jackson, MD; Amar Kelkar, MD; Cindy Larimer, MD; Ronald Lee, MD; David Lefkowitz, MD; Judy Lew, MD; Larissa Lim, MD; Allan March, MD; Robert Newman, MD; Brandon Parrott, MD, PhD; Nicole Provost, MD; M.K. Punja, MD; Charles Riggs, Jr., MD; Robert Roseman, MD; Michelle Rossi, MD, MACP; Elias Sarkis, MD; Edward Staples, MD; Henry Storch, MD; Joseph Thornton, MD; Mack Tyner, MD; Renata Wajsman, MD; and Cristina Zeretzke-Bien, MD, FAAP, FACEP. Join the conversation Letters to the editor present the opinions of readers on news stories and other pieces published by The Sun. Share your opinion by sending a letter to the editor (up to 200 words) to letters@gainesville.com. Letters must include the writer’s full name and city of residence. Additional guidelines for submitting letters and longer guest columns can be found at bit.ly/sunopinionguidelines. Journalism matters. Your support matters. Get a digital subscription to the Gainesville Sun. Includes must-see content on Gainesville.com and Gatorsports.com, breaking news and updates on all your devices, and access to the eEdition. Visit www.gainesville.com/subscribenow to sign up. Read More…

Kushner, Trump Admin Alums Commemorate Abraham Accords Anniversary https://digitalalabamanews.com/kushner-trump-admin-alums-commemorate-abraham-accords-anniversary/ A who’s who of former Trump administration officials and a coterie of diplomats gathered in a Washington, D.C., downtown office suite on Monday to celebrate the two-year anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords.  The event was jointly hosted by the Abraham Accords Peace Institute, a nonpartisan organization working to build multilateral ties between Accords member nations, and the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-aligned think tank. Speakers praised former President Donald Trump for his accomplishments in the Middle East and bemoaned the media for not giving him adequate credit for the Abraham Accords.  “We knew that we had an amazing opportunity,” keynote speaker and former Trump senior advisor Jared Kushner said of the normalization deals that he helped negotiate with Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. He blamed “Trump derangement syndrome” for the Biden administration’s early tepid response to the Abraham Accords.  “The current administration, it took them a year to really call it by its name,” he added, “and I think now they’ve embraced it, because they see how good it is, and that was because it’s been enduring in the region.”   Kushner spoke about his work negotiating the Accords and shared anecdotes from his White House memoir, Breaking History, copies of which were available for attendees to take home. (When Brooke Rollins, president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute and the director of Trump’s Domestic Policy Council, quoted from Kushner’s book — “page 64!” — members of the audience opened to the page she mentioned as if they were in English class.) The only speaker at the event who had never served in government was Bruce Pearl, the Jewish head coach of the Auburn men’s basketball team, who just returned from taking his players on a trip to Israel. Pearl participated in a panel discussion with former National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates John Rakolta, former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands and Rob Greenway, one of the chief negotiators of the Accords and the president and executive director of the Abraham Accords Peace Institute.  “I’m working on taking college basketball teams next year to UAE, to Dubai, and play some games there, and then get on a plane and go to Tel Aviv and play some games there, and create the Abraham Accords Cup and have it be something that is just normal,” Pearl said to applause. “Bringing ESPN alongside us and just see, yes, this is how it is now, and this is how it can be in the future.”  Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), co-chair of the bipartisan congressional Abraham Accords Caucus, closed out the event with a rousing speech about American global power that also dove into divisive political and cultural issues. “The last 18 and a half months under a feeble commander in chief, a scripted and ill-equipped vice president and a blindly progressive Congress have temporarily clouded American peace and prosperity,” Ernst said. “Make no mistake, the Abraham Accords were the most significant peace agreement of the 21st century, and history will always remember the pioneers of this peace deal.” Ernst made the case for a strong American presence in the Middle East and around the world. “Like many of you, I believe in America first always, but never America alone,” said Ernst.  Everyone who spoke at the event called for the further growth and expansion of the Abraham Accords, but largely refrained from referring to President Joe Biden or senior officials in his administration as partners in those efforts. In her speech, Rollins called the Trump presidency the “Trump first term,” suggesting the speakers gathered at the event think they’ll have another shot at growing the Accords in a couple of years. “I think the biggest disappointment so far is that more countries haven’t been brought into it,” said Kushner, who said the Trump administration had “about six active conversations” ongoing before they had to leave office. He added that the Accords struck at what he described as a long- and deeply held myth among Muslims: that they would not be able to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem until the Israelis and Palestinians made peace.  “The Muslim population viewed the conflict with Israel through the eyes of not being allowed to have access to the mosque,” said Kusher. Now, he added, Muslims from around the world can travel through Dubai to get to Israel, and go visit the mosque in Jerusalem.  “They put it on Instagram, they put on it Facebook, and people are saying, ‘Wait, we thought that we weren’t allowed to pray there. We thought this was under attack,’” Kushner said. (Although roughly 450,000 Israelis are estimated to have visited the UAE in the past two years, the flow of tourists has not gone both ways, with a far smaller number of Emirati visitors to Israel.) “I do hope that the current administration will focus on that and work to do that,” Kushner said, referring to efforts to expand the Accords, “because once the whole Arab-Israeli conflict is over, I think that you will have an era of prosperity and peacefulness in that region that will endure for a very, very long time.” Diplomats in attendance included Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog, UAE Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba, Egyptian Ambassador to the U.S. Motaz Zahran, Finnish ambassador to the U.S. Mikko Hautala, Hungarian Ambassador to the U.S. László Szabó and Romanian Ambassador to the U.S. Andrei Muraru. Other attendees included  Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY), executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad) Rabbi Levi Shemtov, former Trump administration advisor and Abraham Accords negotiator Avi Berkowitz, former USAID deputy administrator Bonnie Glick, former Defense Department senior official and director of the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center William Wechsler and Linda McMahon, former administrator of the Small Business Administration and chair of AFPI. Read More…

Live Updates: Russia's War In Ukraine https://digitalalabamanews.com/live-updates-russias-war-in-ukraine-3/ 1 hr 5 min ago Ukrainian officials say Kharkiv is without electricity due to “insidious shelling” by Russian forces From CNN’s Olga Voitovych and Yulia Kesaieva The entire region of Kharkiv is without electricity, the Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Tymoshenko said Tuesday, citing “insidious shelling by Russian [forces]” as the cause.  “It has just been reported that Kharkiv and the region are without electricity. The backup line that supplied the settlements failed. Now all forces are directed to eliminate the problem. These are the consequences of insidious shelling by the Russians the day before (Monday),” Tymoshenko said on Telegram.   Local authorities in Derhachi, north-east of the city of Kharkiv, also reported electricity outages across its city center and nearby towns.  30 min ago Analysis: The rot runs deep in the Russian war machine. Ukraine is exposing it for all to see From CNN’s Brad Lendon The Ukrainian flag waves after the Ukrainian army liberated the town of Balakliya, on Sunday. (Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) For Russia, the numbers are catastrophic. From Wednesday to Sunday, Vladimir Putin’s military forces saw at least 338 pieces of important military hardware — from fighter jets to tanks to trucks — destroyed, damaged or captured, according to numbers from the open source intelligence website Oryx, as Ukraine’s forces have bolted through Russian-held territory in an offensive that has stunned the Russians in its speed and breadth. Ukraine’s top military commander claimed on Sunday that more than 3,000 square kilometers (1,158 square miles) of territory had been retaken by his country’s forces since the beginning of September. And for more perspective, just “since Wednesday, Ukraine has recaptured territory at least twice the size of Greater London,” the British Defense Ministry said Monday. Ukrainian reports say Putin’s troops are fleeing east to the Russian border in whatever transport they can find, even taking cars from the civilian population in the areas they had captured since the start of the war in February. In their wake they leave hundreds of pieces of the Russian war machine, which since Putin’s so-called “special military operation” commenced, has not come close to living up to its pre-war billing as one of the world’s great powers. These Russian losses are the accumulation of a multitude of existing problems that are now colliding head-on with a Ukrainian military that has been patient, methodical and infused with billions of dollars of the Western military equipment that Russia cannot match. Read more here: 2 hr 4 min ago US Secretary of State calls recent gains by Ukrainians in northeast region “encouraging” From CNN’s Ellie Kaufman US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on August 1. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images/File) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the recent progress Ukrainian forces have made in the northeastern region of their country, taking back land captured by Russians, was “encouraging,” but added “this is early days still.” “So, I think it would be wrong to predict exactly where this will go, and when it will get there and how it will get there, but clearly we’ve seen significant progress by the Ukrainians particularly in the northeast,” Blinken said at a press conference in Mexico City on Monday.  Blinken attributed this progress to both “support” the US and other allies have provided, “but first and foremost, it’s a product of the extraordinary courage and resilience of the Ukrainian armed forces and the Ukrainian people.” “Ukraine does not belong to Russia, it belongs to the Ukrainian people, and that’s the single biggest difference maker, as I’ve said, that I think we’re seeing play out now. Having said all of that, it is too early to tell exactly where this is all going,” he added. Blinken cautioned that Russia still maintains forces and weapons in Ukraine that they continue to use “indiscriminately,” but said he was encouraged by the recent developments. “The brutalization of the country continues by the Russian aggressor, and unfortunately the prospect of this continues to go on, but I think it’s encouraging to see the progress that Ukraine has made,” he said. 2 hr 55 min ago President Zelensky says 6,000 square kilometers of Ukraine liberated since the beginning of September From CNN’s Tim Lister President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces have recaptured 6,000 square kilometers (approximately 2,316 square miles) of land in the east and south of the country since the beginning of the month as he appealed for greater international pressure to isolate Russia. According to analysts, that would amount to nearly 10% of the territory lost to the Russian offensive since it began in February. In his daily video message, Zelensky also asked: “Why can [Russia] wage war so cruelly and cynically? There is only one reason — insufficient pressure on Russia. The response to the terror of this state is insufficient.” One answer, he said, was to “increase aid to Ukraine, and above all speed up the provision of air defense systems.” “There is still no official recognition of Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. Citizens of the terrorist state can still go to Europe to rest and go shopping, they can still get European visas, and no one knows whether there are executioners or murderers among them who have just returned from the occupied territory of Ukraine,” Zelensky said.  Some European countries have enacted bans on tourist visas for Russians; most have not. Zelensky said Russia was to blame for “energy terror. Residents of many countries around the world are suffering due to the painful increase in prices for energy resources — for electricity, for heat. Russia does it deliberately. It deliberately destabilizes the gas market in Europe.” He added: “Yesterday and today, the Russian army struck the Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians found themselves in the dark — without electricity. Houses, hospitals, schools, communal infrastructure… Russian missiles hit precisely those objects that have absolutely nothing to do with the infrastructure of the Armed Forces of our country.” The President described the attacks on Ukrainian electricity supplies as “a sign of the desperation of those who invented this war. This is how they react to the defeat of Russian forces in the Kharkiv region.” 2 hr 19 min ago Ukraine’s nuclear operator says power units at Zaporizhzhia plant remain in cooling mode From CNN’s Julia Kesaieva in Kyiv The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant seen on Sunday. (Stringer/AFP/Getty Images) The president of Ukraine’s state nuclear company — Energoatom — told CNN that the power units at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant remain in a cooling state while work continues to restore power lines from the plant. Speaking to CNN via Skype, Petro Kotin, said all seven lines connecting to the plant were damaged, and it had switched to what he called the “island mode” — where the plant supplied electricity solely for itself. “We tried to prolong the operation of one of our power units for as long as possible, even in the conditions when it was operating in island mode. It worked for us for three days,” he told CNN.  Kotin said just one of the six power units remained working, and was supplying the needs of the plant — the electricity necessary for the pumps that cool the nuclear material. The reactors “are full of nuclear material, fuel and also there are six pools that are located near the reactors at each power unit. They need to be constantly cooled,” he said. “The hazard is that if there is no power supply, the pumps will stop and there will be no cooling, and in about one and a half to two hours you will have a meltdown of this fuel that is in the reactor,” he added.  Kotin reiterated that when there is no external power supply, the diesel generators could kick in. “As of today the diesel generators can work there for ten days.” “We are also doing our best to secure additional supplies. But we understand that it is very difficult to bring anything in there. The railway is damaged, so it can only be done by vehicles,” he said.  “If there is now a loss of external power, then we will have only one option. The diesel generators,” he added.  Kotin said representatives of the United Nation’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), remained at the plant. “They have meetings with the plant management twice a day, so they have all the current information on the plant’s operation,” he said.  As for the IAEA proposal for a safety zone around the plant, Kotin said: “We don’t fully understand what this safety zone means exactly.” He repeated the Ukrainian government’s line that the plant should be returned to Ukrainian control and the power plant itself and zone around it should be demilitarized. 3 hr ago Municipal deputies from Moscow and St. Petersburg call for Putin’s resignation From CNN’s Uliana Pavlova Deputies from 18 municipal districts in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kolpino have called for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s resignation, according to a petition with a list of signatures posted on Twitter on Monday. “We, the municipal deputies of Russia, believe that the actions of its president Vladimir Putin are detrimental to Russia’s and its citizens’ future. We demand Vladimir Putin’s resignation from the post of the President of the Russian Federation,” said the petition posted by Ksenia Thorstrom, a local deputy of the Semenovsky District in Saint Petersburg. The petition follows Russia’s first regional and municipal elections since the start of the war, which brought a sweeping victory for pro-Kremlin candidates. “The petition’s text is concise and doe...

Iran Demands Make Nuclear Deal 'unlikely' For Now, Says Blinken https://digitalalabamanews.com/iran-demands-make-nuclear-deal-unlikely-for-now-says-blinken/ Washington accuses Tehran of taking ‘step backward’ in negotiations, as prospects of breakthrough continue to narrow Iran and the US looked close to a deal until recent days (Reuters) Published date: 13 September 2022 07:44 UTC | Last update: 6 sec ago An agreement over a revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal is “unlikely” for now because Tehran has taken “a step backward” in recent negotiations, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday.  “What we’ve seen over the last week or so in Iran‘s response to the proposal put forward by the European Union is clearly a step backward and makes prospects for an agreement in the near-term, I would say, unlikely,” Blinken told reporters during a press conference in Mexico City.  The assessment is the most-senior level indication from a Western official of the agreement’s faltering prospects, following similar comments by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier on Monday.   In 2018, then-President Donald Trump reneged on the nuclear agreement reached by his predecessor Barack Obama three years earlier, calling it too soft on Iran.  The Trump administration reimposed harsh sanctions, spurring Tehran to breach the limits on uranium enrichment the agreement had set out. Last month, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell put forward what he called a final text to restore the 2015 accord, calling on both the US and Iran to provide a “yes or no” answer to the proposal. ‘Serious doubts’ The two sides had appeared to be inching closer to an agreement, but prospects of a breakthrough have since narrowed significantly. Over the weekend, Britain, France and Germany said they had “serious doubts” about Iran’s intentions after it tried to link a revival of the deal – which seek to tame its nuclear ambitions – with a closure of UN watchdog probes into uranium traces at three of its nuclear sites. Tehran called the European statement “unconstructive”. “I can’t give you a timeline except to say, again, that Iran seems either unwilling or unable to do what is necessary to reach an agreement,” said Blinken.  “They continue to try to introduce extraneous issues to the negotiation that make an agreement less likely.” Further complicating efforts to revive the deal, the UN nuclear watchdog said in a report last week that it “cannot assure” the peaceful nature of Tehran’s nuclear programme. Iran on Monday reaffirmed its “readiness” to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Read More…

AP News Summary At 3:44 A.m. EDT https://digitalalabamanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-344-a-m-edt/ Ukraine piles pressure on retreating Russian troops KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian troops continue to pile unrelenting pressure on retreating Russian forces. They are seeking to hold on to their sudden momentum that has produced major territorial gains. Fresh yellow-and-blue flags are fluttering from buildings in the partly destroyed towns around Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv, while Ukrainian soldiers inspect charred Russian tanks left along the way. Meanwhile, British intelligence said Tuesday that one of Russia’s premier forces, the 1st Guards Tank Army, had been “severely degraded” during the invasion and that “Russia’s conventional force designed to counter NATO is severely weakened. It will likely take years for Russia to rebuild this capability.” US leaders avoid victory dance in Ukraine combat advances WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. leaders from President Joe Biden on down are being careful not to declare a premature victory after a Ukrainian offensive forced Russian troops into a messy retreat in the north. Instead, military officials are looking toward the fights yet to come, laying out plans to provide Ukraine more weapons and expand training, while warily awaiting Russia’s response to the sudden, stunning battlefield losses. Although there was widespread celebration of Ukraine’s gains over the weekend, U.S. officials know Russian President Vladimir Putin still has troops and resources to tap, and his forces still control large swaths of the east and south of Ukraine. Queen hailed in Scotland as a ‘constant in all our lives’ EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — As Queen Elizabeth II’s four children walked silently behind, a hearse carried her flag-draped coffin along a crowd-lined street in the Scottish capital to St. Giles’ Cathedral. There, a service of thanksgiving hailed the late monarch as a “constant in all of our lives for over 70 years.”  Crowds lined the street for the solemn procession, just as they did a day earlier when the queen’s coffin was slowly driven down from Balmoral Castle. King Charles III, dressed in an army uniform, was accompanied by Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. The coffin will remain at the cathedral until Tuesday so the public in Scotland can pay their respects to Elizabeth, who died last week at 96. Anger over past, indifference meets queen’s death in India NEW DELHI (AP) — Just hours before news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death spread, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a fiery speech urging India to shed its colonial ties in a ceremony to rename a boulevard that once honored King George V.  It was a clear sign that once the largest of Britain’s colonies that endured two centuries of imperial rule has moved on. The queen’s death provoked sympathies from some while for a few others, it jogged memories of a bloody history under the British crown. Among most regular Indians, the news was met with an indifferent shrug. Colonial rule is remembered for the extraordinary violence and suffering, from famines and economic exploitation to ultimately an unprecedented level of bloodshed in the partition of India and Pakistan. Trump’s PAC faces scrutiny amid intensifying legal probes WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is sitting on top of more than $115 million across several political committees. He’s positioned himself as a uniquely indomitable force in the GOP and would almost certainly have the resources to swamp his rivals if he launched another presidential campaign. But that massive pile of money is also emerging as a potential vulnerability. His chief fundraising vehicle, Save America PAC, is under new legal scrutiny after the Justice Department issued a round of grand jury subpoenas that have included questions about the political action committee’s fundraising practices. Cheaper gas likely slowed high US inflation for a 2nd month WASHINGTON (AP) — A sign that the painful inflation of the past 18 months may be gradually easing could come Tuesday, when the government is expected to report that the acceleration in U.S. prices slowed in August compared with a year ago for a second straight month. Economists have forecast that the report will show that prices jumped 8.1% from 12 months earlier, down from a four-decade high of 9.1% in June and 8.5% in July. Sharply lower gas prices are behind much of the decline, along with the costs of used cars, air fares and clothing. Injuries in crush at stadium as Kenya inaugurates president NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A number of people have been crushed and injured as Kenyans forced their way into a stadium where William Ruto will be inaugurated as president on Tuesday. It is not clear how many people were hurt, but local broadcaster KTN reported hundreds at a Red Cross tent. There are no reports of deaths. Ruto narrowly won the Aug. 9 election in East Africa’s most stable democracy over longtime opposition figure Raila Odinga, and the Supreme Court last week rejected challenges to the official results. Ruto has been the deputy to outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta but had a bitter split with Kenyatta that left the two not speaking for months at a time. Kenyatta on Monday publicly congratulated Ruto for the first time on his win. Emmy Moments: A winner’s joy — in song — lifts Emmy night Sheryl Lee Ralph was already in tears on the pre-show red carpet, when presented with a video of support from a beloved aunt. But then came her victory as best supporting actress in a comedy. In the feel-good moment of the night, the 66-year-old first time winner sang the opening of an empowering song, “Endangered Species.” It was an Emmy show that rewarded previous winners in several major categories: “Succession” and “Ted Lasso,” the big winners in drama and comedy, were repeat winners, as were a number of actors. Still, there were new and groundbreaking wins like that of actor Lee Jung-jae of “Squid Game,” the first Asian to win the award. Mass firing at UAE newspaper raises question of censorship DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A state-linked newspaper in the United Arab Emirates published a story this summer about a hot-button issue in the country: How Emiratis are coping with high fuel prices. Editors, accustomed to the UAE’s strict press laws, thought it safe. Instead, it unleashed a firestorm. Within days, top editors were interrogated. Within weeks, dozens of employees were fired and the print paper declared dissolved. The purge at Al Roeya reflects the intense challenges facing local journalists in the autocratic UAE, even as it courts Western media companies. The newspaper’s publisher, International Media Investments, insisted Al Roeya’s closure stems only from its transformation into a new Arabic language business outlet with CNN. Sailor killed at Pearl Harbor to be laid to rest, at last CHICAGO (AP) — A 21-year-old sailor is being laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery more than 80 years after he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Scientific testing that started in 2015 on remains of men whose bodies were pulled from the USS Oklahoma after the attack has led to the identification of Herbert “Bert” Jacobson and more than 350 others. The service scheduled for Tuesday ends decades of questions from survivors of the sailor from Grayslake, Illinois. Nephew Brad McDonald says the burial will give his family closure, knowing “where he is and that he’s being finally laid to rest after being listed as an unknown for so long.” Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More…

Obamas, Trump, Putin And Queen's Beloved Corgis May Not Make It To The Funeral, Here's Why https://digitalalabamanews.com/obamas-trump-putin-and-queens-beloved-corgis-may-not-make-it-to-the-funeral-heres-why/ The royal fans will also keep an eye on whether Meghan Markle will make an appearance at the Queen’s funeral Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Barack and Michelle Obama may not attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral along with the monarch’s beloved corgis (Matthew Stockman, John Stillwell – WPA Pool, Brandon Bell, Ross Land, Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) LONDON, ENGLAND: The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II will be held on September 19 at Westminster Abbey, London, and some of the top world leaders will be marking their attendance. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern, Japan’s Emperor Naruhito, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan are some of the leaders who will be seen at the Queen’s funeral.  However, there will be a few who won’t be seen at the state honor of the Queen. According to reports, former US President Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama, former US President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin have reportedly not got an invite to the Queen’s funeral. The royal fans will also keep an eye on whether Meghan Markle will make an appearance at Queen’s funeral or not. For the unversed, the Queen will lie-in-state in Westminster Hall for four days to allow the common public to pay their respects. The Queen died on September 8 at the age of 96.  READ MOREQueen Elizabeth II funeral details: Buckingham Palace reveals date, time, and monarch’s final resting place ADVERTISEMENT Medical treatments delayed as hospitals cancel appointments for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral Barack Obama and Michelle Obama The former President Barack Obama and the former first lady Michelle Obama might not make it to the state funeral of the Queen. According to USA Today, the Obamas have not received an official invite for D-Day. Barack’s close pal and US President Joe Biden will be marking his attendance with his wife Jill Biden.  The Daily Beast reported that the UK government has decided only to extend invites to current heads of state and their spouses or partners, as opposed to letting each country send a delegation featuring members of their own choosing. Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W Bush have also not got the invitation.  ADVERTISEMENT Former U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama participate in the unveiling of their official portraits during a ceremony at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, on February 12, 2018 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) Donald Trump Donald Trump is another former world leader who might not be seen at the Queen’s funeral. Rumors are rife that he has been expecting an invite since he paid his condolences to the Queen after she died on September 8. However, just like other former US presidents, Trump too may not get an invitation. On his website, he wrote, as reported by the New York Post, “Queen Elizabeth’s historic and remarkable reign left a tremendous legacy of peace and prosperity for Great Britain. Her leadership and enduring diplomacy secured and advanced alliances with the United States and countries around the world.”   ADVERTISEMENT The State Funeral of Her Majesty The Queen will take place at Westminster Abbey on Monday 19th September. Prior to the State Funeral, The Queen will Lie-in-State in Westminster Hall for four days, to allow the public to pay their respects. — The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 10, 2022 Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Hilton Anatole on August 06, 2022 in Dallas, Texas. CPAC began in 1974, and is a conference that brings together and hosts conservative organizations, activists, and world leaders in discussing current events and future political agendas. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) ADVERTISEMENT Vladimir Putin It is not official whether Putin has been extended an invite for the Queen’s funeral or not, but he is likely to miss it due to Russia being at war with Ukraine since February 2022. Also, there have been reports of him facing severe health issues. As for UK leaders, PM Liz Truss and Labour party leader Keir Starmer are expected to attend. The state funeral will also include members of the royal families of Spain, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands. ADVERTISEMENT Vladimir Putin, President of Russia arrives during the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at the Beijing National Stadium on February 04, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) Meghan Markle An expert via Fox News shared that Meghan Markle might not attend the Queen’s funeral. Prince Harry and Meghan were already in the UK when the Queen died and Harry rushed to be with the rest of his family at Balmoral Castle.  The royal expert believes that Meghan may return to California ahead of the funeral to be with their children, Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1. “Harry will likely stay in the UK until the funeral. I can’t imagine Meghan won’t attend, but again from a human perspective, Meghan was expecting to leave the kids for six days, not weeks, so [it] may not be possible for her to stay the whole time,” said the expert.   ADVERTISEMENT Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, leaves after attending the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations on June 3, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Toby Melville – WPA Pool/Getty Images) Queen’s corgis According to Sky News, the adorable corgis of the late Queen Elizabeth won’t be able to attend the funeral to be held on September 19. Unfortunately, the ‘no-dog’ rule at Westminster Abbey will not allow the adorable pets to bid their Queen the final goodbye. It has been reported that dogs at the event will not be even permitted to walk on the grounds. ADVERTISEMENT Speaking of the Queen’s funeral, King Charles III will host a reception for all the overseas leaders on the evening before the funeral services at Buckingham Palace. The leaders of the state will be able to attend the lying-in-state of the queen’s body and sign the condolence book at Lancaster House. Leaders and their spouses have been advised to arrive on commercial flights. They are banned from using private state vehicles due to high security. ADVERTISEMENT Read More…

Scamming The Taxpayer: How Big Defense Budgets Make Us Less Safe – Responsible Statecraft https://digitalalabamanews.com/scamming-the-taxpayer-how-big-defense-budgets-make-us-less-safe-responsible-statecraft/ Congress has spoken when it comes to next year’s Pentagon budget and the results, if they weren’t so in line with past practices, should astonish us all. The House of Representatives voted to add $37 billion and the Senate $45 billion to the administration’s already humongous request for “national defense,” a staggering figure that includes both the Pentagon budget and work on nuclear weapons at the Department of Energy. If enacted, the Senate’s sum would push spending on the military to at least $850 billion annually, far more — adjusted for inflation — than at the height of the Korean or Vietnam wars or the peak years of the Cold War. U.S. military spending is, of course, astronomically high — more than that of the next nine countries combined. Here’s the kicker, though: the Pentagon (an institution that has never passed a comprehensive financial audit) doesn’t even ask for all those yearly spending increases in its budget requests to Congress. Instead, the House and Senate continue to give it extra tens of billions of dollars annually. No matter that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has publicly stated the Pentagon has all it needs to “get the capabilities… to support our operational concepts” without such sums. It would be one thing if such added funding were at least crafted in line with a carefully considered defense strategy.  More often than not, though, much of it goes to multibillion dollar weapons projects being built in the districts or states of key lawmakers or for items on Pentagon wish lists (formally known as “unfunded priorities lists”). It’s unclear how such items can be “priorities” when they haven’t even made it into the Pentagon’s already enormous official budget request. In addition, throwing yet more money at a department incapable of managing its current budget only further strains its ability to meet program goals and delivery dates. In other words, it actually impairs military readiness. Whatever limited fiscal discipline the Pentagon has dissipates further when lawmakers arbitrarily increase its budget, despite rampant mismanagement leading to persistent cost overruns and delivery delays on the military’s most expensive (and sometimes least well-conceived) weapons programs. In short, parochial concerns and special-interest politics regularly trump anything that might pass as in the national interest, while doing no favors to the safety and security of the United States. In the end, most of those extra funds simply pad the bottom lines of major weapons contractors like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies. They certainly don’t help our servicemembers, as congressional supporters of higher Pentagon budgets routinely claim. A Captured Congress The leading advocates of more Pentagon spending, Democrats and Republicans alike, generally act to support major contractors in their jurisdictions. Representative Jared Golden (D-ME), a co-sponsor of the House Armed Services Committee proposal to add $37 billion to the Pentagon budget, typically made sure it included funds for a $2 billion guided-missile destroyer to be built at General Dynamics’ shipyard in Bath, Maine.  Similarly, his co-sponsor, Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA), whose district abuts Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipyard, successfully advocated for the inclusion of ample funding to produce aircraft carriers and attack submarines at that complex. Or consider Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee and a dogged advocate of annually increasing the Pentagon budget by at least 3% to 5% above inflation. He serves a district south of Huntsville, Alabama, dubbed “rocket city” because it’s the home to so many firms that work on missile defense and related projects. There are even special congressional caucuses devoted solely to increasing Pentagon spending while fending off challenges to specific weapons systems. These range from the House shipbuilding and F-35 caucuses to the Senate ICBM Coalition. That coalition has been especially effective at keeping spending on a future land-based intercontinental ballistic missile dubbed the Sentinel on track, while defeating efforts to significantly reduce the number of ICBMs in the U.S. arsenal. Such “success” has come thanks to the stalwart support of senators from Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming, all states with ICBM bases or involved in major ICBM development and maintenance. The jobs card is the strongest tool of influence available to the arms industry in its efforts to keep Congress eternally boosting Pentagon spending, but far from the only one. After all, the industrial part of the military-industrial-congressional complex gave more than $35 million in campaign contributions to members of Congress in 2020, the bulk of it going to those on the armed services and defense appropriations committees who have the most sway over the Pentagon budget and what it will be spent on. So far, in the 2022 election cycle, weapons firms have already donated $3.4 million to members of the House Armed Services Committee, according to an analysis by Open Secrets.org, an organization that tracks campaign spending and political influence. Weapons-making corporations also currently employ nearly 700 lobbyists, more than one for every member of Congress, while spending additional millions to support industry-friendly think tanks that regularly push higher Pentagon spending and a more hawkish foreign policy. The arms industry has another lever to pull as well when it comes to the personal finances of lawmakers. There are scant, if any, restrictions against members of Congress owning or trading defense company stocks, even those who sit on influential national-security-related committees. In other words, it’s completely legal for them to marry their personal financial interests to those of defense contractors. The Cost of Coddling Contractors Legislators arbitrarily inflate Pentagon spending despite clear evidence of corporate greed and repeated failures when it comes to the development of new weapons systems. Under the circumstances, it should be no surprise that weapons acquisitions are on the Government Accountability Office’s “High Risk List,” given their enduring vulnerability to waste and mismanagement. In fact, overfunding an already struggling department only contributes to the development of shoddy products. It allows the Pentagon to fund programs before they’ve been thoroughly tested and evaluated. Far from strengthening national defense, such lawmakers only reinforce the unbridled greed of weapons contractors. In the process, they ensure future acquisition disasters. In fact, much of the funding Congress adds to the Pentagon budget will be wasted on price gouging, cost overruns, and outright fraud. The most notorious recent case is that of the TransDigm Group, which overcharged the government up to 3,850% for a spare part for one weapons system and 10 to 100 times too much for others. The total lost: at least $20.8 million. And those figures were based on just a sampling of two-and-a-half years of that company’s sales to the government, nor was it the first time TransDigm had been caught price gouging the Pentagon.  Such practices are, in fact, believed to be typical of many defense contractors.  A full accounting of such overcharges would undoubtedly amount to billions of dollars annually. Then there are weapons systems like Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter aircraft and that same company’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). Both are costly programs that have proven incapable of carrying out their assigned missions. The F-35 is slated to cost the American taxpayer a staggering $1.7 trillion over its life cycle, making it the most expensive single weapons program ever. Despite problems with its engine performance, maintenance, and basic combat capabilities, both the House and the Senate added even more of them than the Pentagon requested to their latest budget plans. House Armed Services Committee Chair Adam Smith (D-WA) famously remarked that he was tired of “throwing money down that particular rat hole,” but then argued that the F-35 program was too far along to cancel. Its endurance has, in fact, forced the Pentagon to restart older jet fighter production lines like the F-15, developed in the 1970s, to pick up the slack. If the U.S. is going to be forced to buy older fighters anyway, cutting the F-35 could instantly save $200 billion in procurement funding. Meanwhile, the LCS, a ship without a mission that can’t even defend itself in combat, nonetheless continues to be protected by advocates like Representative Joe Courtney (D-CT), co-chair of the House shipbuilding caucus. The final House and Senate authorization bills prevented the Navy from retiring five of the nine LCS’s that the service had hoped to decommission on the grounds that they would be useless in a potential military faceoff with China (a conflict that should be avoided in any case, given the potentially devastating consequences of a war between two nuclear-armed powers). No surprise, then, that a substantial part of the tens of billions of dollars Congress is adding to the latest Pentagon budget will directly benefit major weapons contractors at the expense of military personnel. In the House version of the military spending bill, $25 billion — more than two-thirds of its additional funding — is earmarked for weapons procurement and research that will primarily benefit arms contractors. Only $1 billion of the added funds will be devoted to helping military personnel and their families, even as many of them struggle to find affordable housing or maintain an adequate standard of living. In fact, one in six military families is no...

Mary Elizabeth Robertson Obituary (2022) https://digitalalabamanews.com/mary-elizabeth-robertson-obituary-2022/ The funeral service for Mary Elizabeth Grantham Robertson, 86, of White Plains, will be held at 11:00 am, Saturday, September 17, 2022 at Jacksonville First United Methodist Church with Rev. Steve West, Ruth Tubb, Rev. Stephen B. Grantham officiating. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the church. She is preceded in death by her late husband, Rev. Dr. Rudolph E. Grantham; and parents, Raymond and Lula Bordon. Mrs. Robertson was a graduate of White Plains High School Class of 1953. After high school she attend Auburn University and graduated with a BS degree in Home Economics in 1957. She also attend Armstrong State College and received a Master of Education degree in Early Elementary Education in 1987. She was a member of Jacksonville First United Methodist Church. Mary Elizabeth was a devoted preacher’s wife, a loving mother, grandmother, sister and friend. She will be greatly missed. Survivors include her husband, Alvin Robertson of White Plains; children, Rev. Stephen Grantham (Sheri) of Statesboro GA, Mark Grantham (Renee) Thomasville NC and Ruth Tubb (Alan) Virginia Beach VA; step-daughter, Leigh Clements Birmingham; grandchildren, Sarah, Rebecca, Madison, Jared, Joshua, Elizabeth, Cameron, and Davis; step grandchildren, Heather and Amy; great grandson, Matthew; step great grandchildren, Mitchell, Charleigh and Harper; and sister, Barbara Clark. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Jacksonville First United Methodist Church. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.klbrownfuneralhome.com. K.L. Brown Funeral Home & Crematory 322 Nisbet Street NW Jacksonville, AL 36265 256.435.7042 To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary, please visit our floral store. Published by K.L. Brown Funeral Home and Crematory – Jacksonville on Sep. 13, 2022. Read More…

AP News Summary At 2:36 A.m. EDT https://digitalalabamanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-236-a-m-edt/ Putin’s Russia struggles for response to Ukrainian blitz Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the northeastern part of the country seemed to catch Russia by surprise in the nearly 7-month-old war. The rapid and reportedly chaotic troop withdrawal in the Kharkiv region, in which some weapons and ammunition were left behind, was a huge blow to Russian prestige. It was its largest military defeat in Ukraine since Moscow pulled back its forces from areas near Kyiv after a botched attempt to capture the capital early in the invasion. The Ukrainian blitz appears to have left the Kremlin and President Vladimir Putin struggling for a response. That has angered Russian military bloggers and nationalists, and even exposed some internal political rifts. US leaders avoid victory dance in Ukraine combat advances WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. leaders from President Joe Biden on down are being careful not to declare a premature victory after a Ukrainian offensive forced Russian troops into a messy retreat in the north. Instead, military officials are looking toward the fights yet to come, laying out plans to provide Ukraine more weapons and expand training, while warily awaiting Russia’s response to the sudden, stunning battlefield losses. Although there was widespread celebration of Ukraine’s gains over the weekend, U.S. officials know Russian President Vladimir Putin still has troops and resources to tap, and his forces still control large swaths of the east and south of Ukraine. Queen hailed in Scotland as a ‘constant in all our lives’ EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — As Queen Elizabeth II’s four children walked silently behind, a hearse carried her flag-draped coffin along a crowd-lined street in the Scottish capital to St. Giles’ Cathedral. There, a service of thanksgiving hailed the late monarch as a “constant in all of our lives for over 70 years.”  Crowds lined the street for the solemn procession, just as they did a day earlier when the queen’s coffin was slowly driven down from Balmoral Castle. King Charles III, dressed in an army uniform, was accompanied by Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. The coffin will remain at the cathedral until Tuesday so the public in Scotland can pay their respects to Elizabeth, who died last week at 96. Anger over past, indifference meets queen’s death in India NEW DELHI (AP) — Just hours before news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death spread, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a fiery speech urging India to shed its colonial ties in a ceremony to rename a boulevard that once honored King George V.  It was a clear sign that once the largest of Britain’s colonies that endured two centuries of imperial rule has moved on. The queen’s death provoked sympathies from some while for a few others, it jogged memories of a bloody history under the British crown. Among most regular Indians, the news was met with an indifferent shrug. Colonial rule is remembered for the extraordinary violence and suffering, from famines and economic exploitation to ultimately an unprecedented level of bloodshed in the partition of India and Pakistan. Trump’s PAC faces scrutiny amid intensifying legal probes WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is sitting on top of more than $115 million across several political committees. He’s positioned himself as a uniquely indomitable force in the GOP and would almost certainly have the resources to swamp his rivals if he launched another presidential campaign. But that massive pile of money is also emerging as a potential vulnerability. His chief fundraising vehicle, Save America PAC, is under new legal scrutiny after the Justice Department issued a round of grand jury subpoenas that have included questions about the political action committee’s fundraising practices. Cheaper gas likely slowed high US inflation for a 2nd month WASHINGTON (AP) — A sign that the painful inflation of the past 18 months may be gradually easing could come Tuesday, when the government is expected to report that the acceleration in U.S. prices slowed in August compared with a year ago for a second straight month. Economists have forecast that the report will show that prices jumped 8.1% from 12 months earlier, down from a four-decade high of 9.1% in June and 8.5% in July. Sharply lower gas prices are behind much of the decline, along with the costs of used cars, air fares and clothing. Russia’s war in Ukraine the backdrop to pope’s Kazakh visit NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan (AP) — Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Holy See’s strained relations with China are the backdrop to Pope Francis’ visit to Kazakhstan. Francis was flying Tuesday to the Kazakh capital to meet with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. He also will be ministering to a tiny Catholic community and participating in an interfaith conference during his three-day visit. Another noteworthy aspect of his visit will be the missed opportunity: Francis was supposed to have met with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church on the sidelines of the conference. But Patriarch Kirill, who has justified the war in Ukraine, cancelled his trip last month. Mass firing at UAE newspaper raises question of censorship DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A state-linked newspaper in the United Arab Emirates published a story this summer about a hot-button issue in the country: How Emiratis are coping with high fuel prices. Editors, accustomed to the UAE’s strict press laws, thought it safe. Instead, it unleashed a firestorm. Within days, top editors were interrogated. Within weeks, dozens of employees were fired and the print paper declared dissolved. The purge at Al Roeya reflects the intense challenges facing local journalists in the autocratic UAE, even as it courts Western media companies. The newspaper’s publisher, International Media Investments, insisted Al Roeya’s closure stems only from its transformation into a new Arabic language business outlet with CNN. ‘Succession,’ ‘Ted Lasso’ top Emmys; 1st time winners shine LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Emmy Awards have spread honors around repeat winners – Zendaya, Jason Sudeikis and Jean Smart – and some first timers, like Sheryl Lee Ralph and Quinta Brunson of “Abbott Elementary.” Zendaya and Sudeikis won their second acting Emmys Monday, while Smart won back-to-back trophies for “Hacks.” So did Sudeikis’ comedy “Ted Lasso,” which claimed the top comedy prize and “Succession,” which took home the top drama honor. Ralph gave a rousing speech after winning supporting comedy actress on her first nomination. Brunson, who created “Abbott Elementary”  also took home a trophy, with the best comedy series still to come. Lee Jung-jae of “Squid Game” won best drama actor. Sailor killed at Pearl Harbor to be laid to rest, at last CHICAGO (AP) — A 21-year-old sailor is being laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery more than 80 years after he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Scientific testing that started in 2015 on remains of men whose bodies were pulled from the USS Oklahoma after the attack has led to the identification of Herbert “Bert” Jacobson and more than 350 others. The service scheduled for Tuesday ends decades of questions from survivors of the sailor from Grayslake, Illinois. Nephew Brad McDonald says the burial will give his family closure, knowing “where he is and that he’s being finally laid to rest after being listed as an unknown for so long.” Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More…

Trump's PAC Faces Scrutiny Amid Intensifying Legal Probes https://digitalalabamanews.com/trumps-pac-faces-scrutiny-amid-intensifying-legal-probes-3/ A page from the affidavit by the FBI in support of obtaining a search warrant for former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate is photographed Aug. 26, 2022. Trump’s fundraising vehicle, Save America PAC, is under new legal scrutiny after the Department of Justice issued a round of grand jury subpoenas that have included questions about the political action committee’s fundraising practices. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick, File) WASHINGTON (AP) — Sitting on top of more than $115 million across several political committees, Donald Trump has positioned himself as a uniquely indomitable force in the GOP who would almost certainly have the resources to swamp his rivals if he launched another presidential campaign. But that massive pile of money is also emerging as a potential vulnerability. His chief fundraising vehicle, Save America PAC, is under new legal scrutiny after the Justice Department issued a round of grand jury subpoenas that sought information about the political action committee’s fundraising practices. The scope of the probe is unclear. Grand jury subpoenas and search warrants issued by the Justice Department in recent days were related to numerous topics, including Trump’s PAC, according to people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. The subpoenas seek records as well as testimony and ask at least some of the recipients about their knowledge of efforts to engage in election fraud, according to one of the people. The subpoenas also ask for records of communication with Trump-allied lawyers who supported efforts to overturn the election results and plotted to line up fake electors in battleground states. A particular area of focus appears to be on the “Save America Rally” that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the person said. The investigation is one of several criminal probes Trump currently faces, including scrutiny of how documents with classified markings wound up at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago club. Regardless of Save America’s ultimate role in the investigations, the flurry of developments has drawn attention to the PAC’s management, how it has raised money and where those funds have been directed. Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich slammed the subpoenas, saying a “weaponized and politicized Justice Department” was “casting a blind net to intimidate and silence Republicans who are fighting for his America First agenda.” Representatives for the Justice Department have declined to comment. While Trump has more than $115 million held across various committees, the vast majority of it is stored at Save America. The PAC ended July with more than $99 million cash-on-hand, according to fundraising records — more than the Republican and Democratic national campaign committees combined. Trump has continued to shovel up small-dollar donations in the months since, frustrating other Republicans who have been struggling to raise money ahead of the November midterm elections. Save America is set up as a “leadership PAC” designed to allow political figures to fundraise for other campaigns. But the groups are often used by would-be candidates to fund political travel, polling and staff as they “test the waters” ahead of potential presidential runs. The accounts can also be used to contribute money to other candidates and party organizations, helping would-be candidates build political capital. Much of the money Trump has amassed was raised in the days and weeks after the 2020 election. That’s when Trump supporters were bombarded with a nonstop stream of emails and texts, many containing all-caps lettering and blatant lies about a stolen 2020 election, soliciting cash for an “election defense fund.” But no such fund ever existed. Instead, Trump has dedicated the money to other uses. He’s financed dozens of rallies, paid staff and used the money to travel as he’s teased an expected 2024 presidential run. Other expenses have been more unusual. There was the $1 million donated last year to the Conservative Partnership Institute, a nonprofit that employs Cleta Mitchell and former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, both of whom encouraged Trump’s failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election. There was the $650,000 “charitable contribution” in July to the Smithsonian Institution to help fund portraits of Trump and the former first lady that will one day hang in the National Portrait Gallery, according to the Smithsonian spokesperson Linda St. Thomas. Much of the money has also funded a different sort of defense fund — one that has paid the legal expenses of Trump confidants and aides who have been called to testify before the Jan. 6 committee. Overall, Trump’s sprawling political operation has spent at least $8 million on “legal consulting” and “legal expenses” to at least 40 law firms since the insurrection, according to an analysis of campaign finance disclosures. It’s unclear how much of that money went to legal fees for staffers after a congressional committee started investigating the origins of the attack. But at least $1.1 million has been paid to Elections LLC, a firm started by former Trump White House ethics lawyer Stefan Passantino, according to campaign finance and business records. An additional $1 million was paid to a legal trust housed at the same address as Passantino’s firm. Passantino did not respond to a request for comment Monday night. Payments have also been made to firms that specialize in environmental regulation and real estate matters. As of July, only about $750,000 had been doled out to candidates for Congress, with an additional $150,000 given to candidates for state office, records show. Trump is expected to ramp up his political spending now that general-election season has entered full swing, though it remains unclear exactly how much the notoriously thrifty former president will ultimately agree to spend. Trump has long played coy about his 2024 plans, saying a formal announcement would trigger campaign finance rules that would, in part, force him to create a new campaign committee that would be bound by strict fundraising limits. In the meantime, Trump aides have been discussing the prospect of creating a new super PAC or repurposing one that already exists as gets he closer to an expected announcement. While Trump could not use Save America to fund campaign activity after launching a run, aides have discussed the possibility of moving at least some of that money into a super PAC, according to people familiar with the talks. Campaign finance experts are mixed on the legality of such a move. Some, like Richard Briffault, a professor at Columbia Law School and an expert in campaign finance, said he didn’t see a problem. “There may be some hoops he has to jump through,” he said. But “I don’t see a problem with it going from one PAC to another … I don’t see what would block it.” Others disagree. “It is illegal for a candidate to transfer a significant amount of money from a leadership PAC to a super PAC. You certainly can’t do $100 million,” said Adav Noti, a former Federal Election Commission attorney who now works for the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington-based good governance group focused on money and politics. And whether or not Trump would face any consequences is a different matter. For years, the FEC, which polices campaign finance laws, has been gridlocked. The commission is split evenly between Republicans and Democrats, and a majority vote is needed to take any enforcement action against a candidate. Indeed, legal experts say Trump has repeatedly flouted campaign finance law since launching his 2016 White House run, with no consequence. More than 50 separate complaints alleging Trump broke campaign finance laws have been filed against him since his 2016 campaign. In roughly half of those instances, FEC lawyers have concluded that there was reason to believe that he may have broken the law. But the commission, which now includes three Trump-appointed Republicans, has repeatedly deadlocked. The list of dismissed complaints against Trump is extensive. In 2021, Republicans on the commission rejected the claim, supported by the FEC’s staff attorneys, that a Trump orchestrated hush-money payment by his former lawyer to pornographic film star Stormy Daniels amounted to an unreported in-kind contribution. In May, the commission similarly deadlocked over whether his campaign broke the law by hiding how it was spending cash during the 2020 campaign. And over the summer, the commission rejected complaints stemming from Trump’s threat to withhold $391 million in aid for the Ukraine unless the Ukrainian officials opened an investigation into the relationship President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden had with a Ukrainian gas company called Burisma, which the FEC’s attorney’s determined was a potential violation of campaign finance law. “There is no legal basis whatsoever for believing that Congress intended the FEC to police official acts of the government that may be intended to assist an officeholder’s reelection,” the commission’s three Republicans said in a written statement late last month. That means any enforcement action would likely have to come from the Justice Department. “He has nothing to fear from the Federal Election Commission until either its structure is changed or there is turnover among the FEC Commissioners,” said Brett G. Kappel, a longtime campaign finance attorney who works at the Washington-based firm Harmon Curran and has represented both Republicans and Democrats. “That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have anything to fear from the Justice Department, which is already apparently investigating Save America. From what I can see, there are multiple wire fraud allegations that could be the subject of a Justice Departme...

What's Left As Jan. 6 Panel Sprints To Year-End Finish https://digitalalabamanews.com/whats-left-as-jan-6-panel-sprints-to-year-end-finish-2/ Al Drago/Pool via AP A video of President Donald Trump recording a statement on Jan. 7, 2021, is played, as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol holds a hearing at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, July 21, 2022. By Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press Monday, Sept. 12, 2022 | 11:20 p.m. WASHINGTON — With only three months left in the year, the House Jan. 6 committee is eyeing a close to its work and a final report laying out its findings about the U.S. Capitol insurrection. But the investigation is not over. The committee has already revealed much of its work at eight hearings over the summer, showing in detail how former President Donald Trump ignored many of his closest advisers and amplified his false claims of election fraud after he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden. Witnesses interviewed by the panel — some of them Trump’s closest allies — recounted in videotaped testimony how the former president declined to act when hundreds of his supporters violently attacked the Capitol as Congress certified Biden’s victory on Jan. 6, 2021. Lawmakers say there is more to come. The nine-member panel — seven Democrats and two Republicans — interviewed witnesses through all of August, and they are planning at least one hearing this month. Members are expected to meet and discuss some of their next steps on Tuesday. Because the Jan. 6 panel is a temporary, or “select,” committee, it expires at the end of the current Congress. If Republicans take the majority in November’s elections, as they are favored to do, they are expected to dissolve the committee in January. So the panel is planning to issue a final report by the end of December. What’s left for the committee in 2022: HEARINGS The committee is expected to hold at least one hearing, maybe more, before the end of the month. Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the Republican vice chairwoman, said the committee “has far more evidence to share with the American people and more to gather.” “Doors have opened, new subpoenas have been issued and the dam has begun to break,” Cheney said at a July 21 hearing that was held in prime time and watched by 17.7 million people. “We have considerably more to do.” It’s unclear if the next hearings will provide a general overview of what the panel has learned or if they will be focused on new information and evidence. The committee conducted several interviews at the end of July and into August with Trump’s Cabinet secretaries, some of whom had discussed invoking the constitutional process in the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office after the insurrection. WITNESSES The panel has already interviewed more than 1,000 people, but lawmakers and staff are still pursuing new threads. The committee just recently spoke to several of the Cabinet secretaries, including former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in July and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao in August. The committee also wants to get to the bottom of missing Secret Service texts from Jan. 5-6, 2021, which could shed further light on Trump’s actions during the insurrection, particularly after earlier testimony about his confrontation with security as he tried to join supporters at the Capitol. “We anticipate talking to additional members of the president’s Cabinet,” Cheney said at the beginning of August. “We anticipate talking to additional members of his campaign. Certainly, we’re very focused as well on the Secret Service.” The committee has also pursued an interview with conservative activist Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, who’s married to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Lawmakers want to know more about her role in trying to help Trump overturn the election. She contacted lawmakers in Arizona and Wisconsin as part of that effort. FINAL REPORT The committee must shut down within a month after issuing a final report, per its rules. But lawmakers could issue some smaller reports before then, perhaps even before the November elections. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the panel’s chairman, has said there may be an interim report in the fall. The release of the final report will likely come close to the end of the year so the panel can maximize its time. While much of the findings will already be known, the report is expected to thread the story together in a definitive way that lays out the committee’s conclusions for history. TRUMP AND PENCE Members of the committee are still debating how aggressively to pursue testimony from Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence. Some have have questioned whether calling Pence — he resisted Trump’s pressure to try and block Biden’s certification on Jan. 6 — is needed since many of his closest aides have already testified. His top lawyer at the White House, Greg Jacob, testified at one of the committee’s hearings in June and characterized much of Pence’s thought process during the time when Trump was pressuring him. The panel has been in discussions with Pence’s lawyers for months, without any discernible progress. Still, the committee could invite Pence for closed-door testimony or ask him to answer written questions. The calculation is different for the former president. Members have debated whether they need to call Trump, who is the focus of their probe but also a witness who has railed against the investigation, denied much of the evidence and who has floated the idea of presidential pardons for Jan. 6 rioters. He is also facing scrutiny in several other investigations, including at the Justice Department and over the classified documents he took to his private club. HOUSE REPUBLICANS Another bit of unfinished business is the committee’s subpoenas to five House Republicans, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. In May the panel subpoenaed McCarthy, R-Calif., and Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Mo Brooks of Alabama. The panel has investigated McCarthy’s conversations with Trump the day of the attack and meetings the four other lawmakers had with the White House beforehand as Trump and his aides worked to overturn his election defeat. The five Republicans, all of whom have repeatedly downplayed the investigation’s legitimacy, have simply ignored the request to testify. But the Jan. 6 committee seems unlikely to meet their defiance with contempt charges, as they have with other witnesses, in the weeks before the November elections. Not only would it be a politically risky move, but it is unclear what eventual recourse the panel would have against its own colleagues. LEGISLATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS The committee is expected to weigh in on possible legislative changes to the Electoral Count Act, which governs how a presidential election is certified by Congress. A bipartisan group of senators released proposed changes over the summer that would clarify the way states submit electors and the vice president tallies the votes. Trump and his allies tried to find loopholes in that law ahead of Jan. 6 as the former president worked to overturn his defeat to Biden and unsuccessfully pressured Pence to go along. The Jan. 6 panel’s final report is expected to include a larger swath of legislative recommendations. ___ Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report. Read More…

Asia-Pacific Markets Rise Ahead Of U.S. Inflation Report; South Korea's Kospi Up 2% On Return After Holiday https://digitalalabamanews.com/asia-pacific-markets-rise-ahead-of-u-s-inflation-report-south-koreas-kospi-up-2-on-return-after-holiday/ A man looks at an electronic quotation board displaying stock prices on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo on August 2, 2022. Kazuhiro Nogi | AFP | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets were higher on Tuesday as investors look ahead to the U.S. inflation report for the month of August. South Korea’s Kospi rose 2.62% on its return to trade after a holiday Monday – led by Samsung Electronics which advanced 4.5% and SK Hynix that rose 3.87%. The Nikkei 225 in Japan gained 0.15%, and the Topix index ticked 0.21% higher. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.6%. Mainland China’s Shanghai Composite advanced 0.33%, while the Shenzhen Component added 0.633%. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong was 0.41% higher. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 0.72%. Headline inflation in the U.S. is expected to decline in August, according to a Dow Jones survey. But core inflation, excluding energy and food, is projected to rise. Headline CPI is expected to come in at 8%, compared with 8.5% in July. — CNBC’s Jesse Pound, Carmen Reinicke and Patti Domm contributed to this report. China’s tourism revenue is still running well below 2019 levels, data shows National tourism revenue for the Mid-Autumn Festival reached 28.68 billion yuan ($4.16 billion) — just 60.6% of the 2019 pre-pandemic levels, according to official data. The revenue has remained below 2019 levels since the pandemic hit in early 2020. Movie-ticketing site Maoyan showed the long-weekend box office came in at 370 million yuan ($53.44 million), the lowest since 2017. Online shopping, meanwhile, held up in terms of value, according to data from China’s postal authority. Read the story here. –Evelyn Cheng Ramsay Health Care shares plunge 14% after takeover talks hit roadblock Australian hospital operator Ramsay Health Care’s shares dropped as much as 14.6% after the company announced a KKR-led consortium is “not in a position to improve the terms” of a takeover proposal. Ramsay Health rejected the proposal earlier this year, saying the offer was “meaningfully inferior.” The company’s shares later recovered slightly but were still 11% lower. — Abigail Ng Nio jumps more than 20% at open after Deutsche Bank report Hong Kong-listed shares of Chinese electric vehicle-maker Nio jumped as much as 21% at the open following a bullish report by Deutsche Bank. Reiterating his buy rating, analyst Edison Yu made minor changes to forecasts and said Nio remains Deutsche Bank’s top China EV pick in a note dated Sept. 12. “The company’s efforts around user experience, battery swapping, overseas expansion, and internal battery cell development go very much underappreciated and will eventually show clear differentiation as the local Chinese market gets increasingly competitive,” Yu wrote. The company’s shares were last 17% higher. –Jihye Lee CNBC Pro: Forget oil — coal is hot right now. Here are 2 stocks to play it, according to the pros Coal mining in Wyoming. Brian Brainerd | The Denver Post | Getty Images Coal prices are at record highs and market watchers see prices going even higher as a global energy crisis looms. “It’s almost like any or all companies are a buy,” analyst Peter O’Conner said of the booming coal sector, and reveals his favorite stock. CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here. — Zavier Ong Nintendo shares jump 5% ahead of games announcement livestream Squid Game-related stock up 10% at the open over Emmys hopes Bucket Studio Co., which holds a stake in a private company that represents “Squid Game” lead actor Lee Jung-jae, jumped more than 10% as the show eyed a historic victory in the drama series race. The company’s shares jumped more than 20% immediately after Netflix in June posted a letter from the director, Hwang Dong-hyuk, announcing the series will return with a second season. Other content-related stocks CJ ENM and CJ CGV were also up more than 2.5% in the morning session, and Showbox rose 1.5%. –Jihye Lee CNBC Pro: Want to invest in real estate? These REITs are among analysts’ favorites Real estate investment trusts — or REITs — are coming back to the spotlight after a volatile year for many asset classes. Analysts from Morgan Stanley and Citi highlight REITs from two sectors that they say could outperform the wider market, and remain resilient in a recession. CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here. — Weizhen Tan Sign up for CNBC’s newsletter here: Read More…

Tribal Spies In Syria Help U.S. Win Drone War Against Islamic State https://digitalalabamanews.com/tribal-spies-in-syria-help-u-s-win-drone-war-against-islamic-state/ Memory of Islamic State’s massacres drives informants Human intelligence crucial as militants shun phones Hundreds of Islamic State fighters still in eastern Syria AMMAN, Sept 13 (Reuters) – When the U.S. military targeted Islamic State commander Maher al-Agal with a drone strike in northern Syria in July, there was little chance it would miss. The reason? Revenge. With Islamic State’s last battle-hardened forces holed up in remote areas, the United States is turning to the aid of tribesmen burning to exact revenge for the atrocities unleashed by the group when it ruled over swathes of Syria and Iraq. Still thirsty for vengeance eight years after the group, which is also known as Daesh, massacred hundreds of their clan, Sheitaat tribesmen in Syria had planted a tracking device on the motorbike Agal was riding when he was killed, one of the people who tracked him down said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com The tribesman, whose account was confirmed by a Western intelligence officer in the region, said tribal relatives in contact with the Islamic State commander’s immediate family had secretly been keeping tabs on him for months in northern Syria. “I exacted revenge in blood for those of my tribe whom Daesh crucified, executed and beheaded without mercy,” the person, who declined to identified for security reasons, told Reuters by phone from Syria. “It has healed the burning in our hearts.” In one of its bloodiest atrocities, Islamic State massacred more than 900 members of the Sheitaat tribe in three towns in Syria’s eastern Deir al-Zor region in 2014 when they rebelled against jihadist rule. While Islamic State is a shadow of the group that ruled over a third of Syria and Iraq in a Caliphate declared in 2014, hundreds of fighters are still camped in desolate areas where neither the U.S.-led coalition nor the Syrian army, with support from Russia and Iranian-backed militias, exert full control. The Arab tribesmen in Syria seeking vengeance are now part of a growing network of tribal spies playing a significant role in the U.S. military’s campaign to further degrade the group, three Western intelligence sources and six tribal sources said. “These networks of informants are working with the Americans who are planting them everywhere,” said Yasser al Kassab, a tribal chief from the town of Gharanij in the Deir al-Zor area. “Informants from the same tribe are tipping off about their own cousins in Islamic State,” he said. Asked about the role of tribal informants in Syria, a U.S. military official said that in the operation against Agal, the targeting was almost entirely based on human intelligence. “This is something that required a deep network in the region,” said the official, who declined to be named as he was not authorised to speak publicly about the matter. A DEEP NETWORK The Western intelligence officer who confirmed the account of Agal’s assassination, and the lengthy period of tracking by tribesmen before the strike, has been briefed on tribal support for counter-insurgency activities by the U.S.-led coalition. The U.S. military, which has about 900 troops in northeastern Syria, said Agal was one of the group’s top five leaders and had been responsible for developing Islamic State networks outside Iraq and Syria. U.S. Central Command said at the time that the strike against Agal followed extensive planning. read more With many of Islamic State’s foreign commanders killed or detained, Syrians have become increasingly significant in its leadership, making the militants more vulnerable to penetration by fellow Syrians keen to settle scores, Western and regional intelligence sources and three senior tribal figures said. While four sources familiar with the intelligence gathering operation say money is sometimes paid for information, many informants are driven by revenge for the atrocities committed by the group at the peak of its power. Some informants were being recruited by tribal intermediaries who were already part of the network. Others were contributing directly via a phone line set up by the coalition to receive tips, Sheitaat tribal chief Kassab said. The U.S. military officer confirmed that informants were paid but did not elaborate. The U.S.-financed tribal networks have penetrated Islamic State sleeper cells and compiled data on new recruits, who include fellow tribesmen in some cases, five tribal sources said. The three Western intelligence officers and a regional security official corroborated their accounts. Many of the spies come from the Sheitaat tribe, an offshoot of Syria’s biggest tribe, the Akaidat, who fought with U.S.-backed forces to drive Islamic State from swathes of northeast Syria, taking the city of Raqqa after a long battle in 2017. “They want revenge so they resort to cooperating with their relatives to leak information and give locations of leaders of IS. They use the tribal links,” said Samer al Ahmad, an expert on jihadist groups who comes from the region. HUMAN INTELLIGENCE One of the Western intelligence officers said human intelligence – as opposed to information gathered from devices such as mobile phones – was now crucial because the militants increasingly avoid means of communication prone to surveillance. “Most of the new operatives do not use mobile or gadgets that were behind the major past hits of foreign jihadists,” said the officer, who is familiar with some of the covert effort. Such human intelligence has been “critical” in the drive to kill and detain top militants in Syria since the start of the year and played a key role in Agal’s case, the U.S. military official said. “A lot of times, human intelligence is going to complement your other forms of intelligence, information you pick up from there or from voice signals and you can supplement it. In that case it really led the collection,” the official said. Agal had been hiding in plain sight in northern Syria, spending most of his time in territory held by Sunni Arab insurgents backed by Turkey and mostly steering clear of areas closer to his home town where he might be recognised, two of his relatives said. His death marked one of several blows against Islamic State in Syria this year. In February, the group’s leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi died during a U.S. special forces raid in northern Syria, while in June U.S. forces seized another senior leader, Ahmad al Kurdi. read more Agal, Kurdi and the other militants who were targeted had slipped back into normal life, mingling among inhabitants of a heavily populated area along the Turkish border away from areas controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). HIT-AND-RUN ATTACKS The successful U.S. strikes have heartened Ahmad Assad al Hassouni, a senior figure in the Sheitaat tribe who is still searching for the remains of two of his four sons beheaded by Islamic State in 2014. “They slaughtered my sons and burnt our hearts,” he said. “I swear by God I won’t sleep until the last criminal is dead,” Although Islamic State increasingly lacks the capacity to stage large spectacular attacks, its presence is growing in remote areas of Deir al-Zor where control by the Kurdish-led SDF is shaky, residents said. At night, masked men set up checkpoints sowing fear in villages near Busayrah along the Euphrates river, five tribal sources said. Hit-and-run attacks on SDF checkpoints, meanwhile, have also increased in recent months, tribal chief Sheikh Basheer Dandal said, and the militants have also inflicted heavy casualties on pro-Iranian militias around Palmyra. It was fear of a resurgence of Islamic State that spurred 32-year-old Abdullah al Omar to inform on his own relatives. “I tipped the coalition about five people, including two cousins among my tribe whom we found out had been with Daesh, running checkpoints, burning homes,” said Omar, who comes from Abu Hamam by the Euphrates south of Busayrah. “We cannot sleep peacefully at night because we know they are still there just waiting for the right time to take revenge and slaughter those who survived their massacres.” Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Editing by Tom Perry, Dominic Evans and David Clarke Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More…

Trump's PAC Faces Scrutiny Amid Intensifying Legal Probes – KTVZ https://digitalalabamanews.com/trumps-pac-faces-scrutiny-amid-intensifying-legal-probes-ktvz/ By JILL COLVIN, BRIAN SLODYSKO and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Sitting on top of more than $115 million across several political committees, Donald Trump has positioned himself as a uniquely indomitable force in the GOP who would almost certainly have the resources to swamp his rivals if he launched another presidential campaign. But that massive pile of money is also emerging as a potential vulnerability. His chief fundraising vehicle, Save America PAC, is under new legal scrutiny after the Justice Department issued a round of grand jury subpoenas that sought information about the political action committee’s fundraising practices. The scope of the probe is unclear. Grand jury subpoenas and search warrants issued by the Justice Department in recent days were related to numerous topics, including Trump’s PAC, according to people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. The subpoenas seek records as well as testimony and ask at least some of the recipients about their knowledge of efforts to engage in election fraud, according to one of the people. The subpoenas also ask for records of communication with Trump-allied lawyers who supported efforts to overturn the election results and plotted to line up fake electors in battleground states. A particular area of focus appears to be on the “Save America Rally” that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the person said. The investigation is one of several criminal probes Trump currently faces, including scrutiny of how documents with classified markings wound up at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago club. Regardless of Save America’s ultimate role in the investigations, the flurry of developments has drawn attention to the PAC’s management, how it has raised money and where those funds have been directed. Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich slammed the subpoenas, saying a “weaponized and politicized Justice Department” was “casting a blind net to intimidate and silence Republicans who are fighting for his America First agenda.” Representatives for the Justice Department have declined to comment. While Trump has more than $115 million held across various committees, the vast majority of it is stored at Save America. The PAC ended July with more than $99 million cash-on-hand, according to fundraising records — more than the Republican and Democratic national campaign committees combined. Trump has continued to shovel up small-dollar donations in the months since, frustrating other Republicans who have been struggling to raise money ahead of the November midterm elections. Save America is set up as a “leadership PAC” designed to allow political figures to fundraise for other campaigns. But the groups are often used by would-be candidates to fund political travel, polling and staff as they “test the waters” ahead of potential presidential runs. The accounts can also be used to contribute money to other candidates and party organizations, helping would-be candidates build political capital. Much of the money Trump has amassed was raised in the days and weeks after the 2020 election. That’s when Trump supporters were bombarded with a nonstop stream of emails and texts, many containing all-caps lettering and blatant lies about a stolen 2020 election, soliciting cash for an “election defense fund.” But no such fund ever existed. Instead, Trump has dedicated the money to other uses. He’s financed dozens of rallies, paid staff and used the money to travel as he’s teased an expected 2024 presidential run. Other expenses have been more unusual. There was the $1 million donated last year to the Conservative Partnership Institute, a nonprofit that employs Cleta Mitchell and former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, both of whom encouraged Trump’s failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election. There was the $650,000 “charitable contribution” in July to the Smithsonian Institution to help fund portraits of Trump and the former first lady that will one day hang in the National Portrait Gallery, according to the Smithsonian spokesperson Linda St. Thomas. Much of the money has also funded a different sort of defense fund — one that has paid the legal expenses of Trump confidants and aides who have been called to testify before the Jan. 6 committee. Overall, Trump’s sprawling political operation has spent at least $8 million on “legal consulting” and “legal expenses” to at least 40 law firms since the insurrection, according to an analysis of campaign finance disclosures. It’s unclear how much of that money went to legal fees for staffers after a congressional committee started investigating the origins of the attack. But at least $1.1 million has been paid to Elections LLC, a firm started by former Trump White House ethics lawyer Stefan Passantino, according to campaign finance and business records. An additional $1 million was paid to a legal trust housed at the same address as Passantino’s firm. Passantino did not respond to a request for comment Monday night. Payments have also been made to firms that specialize in environmental regulation and real estate matters. As of July, only about $750,000 had been doled out to candidates for Congress, with an additional $150,000 given to candidates for state office, records show. Trump is expected to ramp up his political spending now that general-election season has entered full swing, though it remains unclear exactly how much the notoriously thrifty former president will ultimately agree to spend. Trump has long played coy about his 2024 plans, saying a formal announcement would trigger campaign finance rules that would, in part, force him to create a new campaign committee that would be bound by strict fundraising limits. In the meantime, Trump aides have been discussing the prospect of creating a new super PAC or repurposing one that already exists as gets he closer to an expected announcement. While Trump could not use Save America to fund campaign activity after launching a run, aides have discussed the possibility of moving at least some of that money into a super PAC, according to people familiar with the talks. Campaign finance experts are mixed on the legality of such a move. Some, like Richard Briffault, a professor at Columbia Law School and an expert in campaign finance, said he didn’t see a problem. “There may be some hoops he has to jump through,” he said. But “I don’t see a problem with it going from one PAC to another … I don’t see what would block it.” Others disagree. “It is illegal for a candidate to transfer a significant amount of money from a leadership PAC to a super PAC. You certainly can’t do $100 million,” said Adav Noti, a former Federal Election Commission attorney who now works for the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington-based good governance group focused on money and politics. And whether or not Trump would face any consequences is a different matter. For years, the FEC, which polices campaign finance laws, has been gridlocked. The commission is split evenly between Republicans and Democrats, and a majority vote is needed to take any enforcement action against a candidate. Indeed, legal experts say Trump has repeatedly flouted campaign finance law since launching his 2016 White House run, with no consequence. More than 50 separate complaints alleging Trump broke campaign finance laws have been filed against him since his 2016 campaign. In roughly half of those instances, FEC lawyers have concluded that there was reason to believe that he may have broken the law. But the commission, which now includes three Trump-appointed Republicans, has repeatedly deadlocked. The list of dismissed complaints against Trump is extensive. In 2021, Republicans on the commission rejected the claim, supported by the FEC’s staff attorneys, that a Trump orchestrated hush-money payment by his former lawyer to pornographic film star Stormy Daniels amounted to an unreported in-kind contribution. In May, the commission similarly deadlocked over whether his campaign broke the law by hiding how it was spending cash during the 2020 campaign. And over the summer, the commission rejected complaints stemming from Trump’s threat to withhold $391 million in aid for the Ukraine unless the Ukrainian officials opened an investigation into the relationship President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden had with a Ukrainian gas company called Burisma, which the FEC’s attorney’s determined was a potential violation of campaign finance law. “There is no legal basis whatsoever for believing that Congress intended the FEC to police official acts of the government that may be intended to assist an officeholder’s reelection,” the commission’s three Republicans said in a written statement late last month. That means any enforcement action would likely have to come from the Justice Department. “He has nothing to fear from the Federal Election Commission until either its structure is changed or there is turnover among the FEC Commissioners,” said Brett G. Kappel, a longtime campaign finance attorney who works at the Washington-based firm Harmon Curran and has represented both Republicans and Democrats. “That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have anything to fear from the Justice Department, which is already apparently investigating Save America. From what I can see, there are multiple wire fraud allegations that could be the subject of a Justice Department investigation.” In the meantime, Trump and Save America continue to rake in contributions from grassroots supporters, blasting out fundraising solicitations with aggressive demands like “this needs to be taken care of NOW” and threatening donors that their “Voter Verification” canvass surveys are “OUT OF DATE,” even as some of the Republican Senate...

Trump's PAC Faces Scrutiny Amid Intensifying Legal Probes https://digitalalabamanews.com/trumps-pac-faces-scrutiny-amid-intensifying-legal-probes-2/ By JILL COLVIN, BRIAN SLODYSKO and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Sitting on top of more than $115 million across several political committees, Donald Trump has positioned himself as a uniquely indomitable force in the GOP who would almost certainly have the resources to swamp his rivals if he launched another presidential campaign. But that massive pile of money is also emerging as a potential vulnerability. His chief fundraising vehicle, Save America PAC, is under new legal scrutiny after the Justice Department issued a round of grand jury subpoenas that sought information about the political action committee’s fundraising practices. The scope of the probe is unclear. Grand jury subpoenas and search warrants issued by the Justice Department in recent days were related to numerous topics, including Trump’s PAC, according to people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. The subpoenas seek records as well as testimony and ask at least some of the recipients about their knowledge of efforts to engage in election fraud, according to one of the people. The subpoenas also ask for records of communication with Trump-allied lawyers who supported efforts to overturn the election results and plotted to line up fake electors in battleground states. A particular area of focus appears to be on the “Save America Rally” that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the person said. The investigation is one of several criminal probes Trump currently faces, including scrutiny of how documents with classified markings wound up at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago club. Regardless of Save America’s ultimate role in the investigations, the flurry of developments has drawn attention to the PAC’s management, how it has raised money and where those funds have been directed. Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich slammed the subpoenas, saying a “weaponized and politicized Justice Department” was “casting a blind net to intimidate and silence Republicans who are fighting for his America First agenda.” Representatives for the Justice Department have declined to comment. While Trump has more than $115 million held across various committees, the vast majority of it is stored at Save America. The PAC ended July with more than $99 million cash-on-hand, according to fundraising records — more than the Republican and Democratic national campaign committees combined. Trump has continued to shovel up small-dollar donations in the months since, frustrating other Republicans who have been struggling to raise money ahead of the November midterm elections. Save America is set up as a “leadership PAC” designed to allow political figures to fundraise for other campaigns. But the groups are often used by would-be candidates to fund political travel, polling and staff as they “test the waters” ahead of potential presidential runs. The accounts can also be used to contribute money to other candidates and party organizations, helping would-be candidates build political capital. Much of the money Trump has amassed was raised in the days and weeks after the 2020 election. That’s when Trump supporters were bombarded with a nonstop stream of emails and texts, many containing all-caps lettering and blatant lies about a stolen 2020 election, soliciting cash for an “election defense fund.” But no such fund ever existed. Instead, Trump has dedicated the money to other uses. He’s financed dozens of rallies, paid staff and used the money to travel as he’s teased an expected 2024 presidential run. Other expenses have been more unusual. There was the $1 million donated last year to the Conservative Partnership Institute, a nonprofit that employs Cleta Mitchell and former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, both of whom encouraged Trump’s failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election. There was the $650,000 “charitable contribution” in July to the Smithsonian Institution to help fund portraits of Trump and the former first lady that will one day hang in the National Portrait Gallery, according to the Smithsonian spokesperson Linda St. Thomas. Much of the money has also funded a different sort of defense fund — one that has paid the legal expenses of Trump confidants and aides who have been called to testify before the Jan. 6 committee. Overall, Trump’s sprawling political operation has spent at least $8 million on “legal consulting” and “legal expenses” to at least 40 law firms since the insurrection, according to an analysis of campaign finance disclosures. It’s unclear how much of that money went to legal fees for staffers after a congressional committee started investigating the origins of the attack. But at least $1.1 million has been paid to Elections LLC, a firm started by former Trump White House ethics lawyer Stefan Passantino, according to campaign finance and business records. An additional $1 million was paid to a legal trust housed at the same address as Passantino’s firm. Passantino did not respond to a request for comment Monday night. Payments have also been made to firms that specialize in environmental regulation and real estate matters. As of July, only about $750,000 had been doled out to candidates for Congress, with an additional $150,000 given to candidates for state office, records show. Trump is expected to ramp up his political spending now that general-election season has entered full swing, though it remains unclear exactly how much the notoriously thrifty former president will ultimately agree to spend. Trump has long played coy about his 2024 plans, saying a formal announcement would trigger campaign finance rules that would, in part, force him to create a new campaign committee that would be bound by strict fundraising limits. In the meantime, Trump aides have been discussing the prospect of creating a new super PAC or repurposing one that already exists as gets he closer to an expected announcement. While Trump could not use Save America to fund campaign activity after launching a run, aides have discussed the possibility of moving at least some of that money into a super PAC, according to people familiar with the talks. Campaign finance experts are mixed on the legality of such a move. Some, like Richard Briffault, a professor at Columbia Law School and an expert in campaign finance, said he didn’t see a problem. “There may be some hoops he has to jump through,” he said. But “I don’t see a problem with it going from one PAC to another … I don’t see what would block it.” Others disagree. “It is illegal for a candidate to transfer a significant amount of money from a leadership PAC to a super PAC. You certainly can’t do $100 million,” said Adav Noti, a former Federal Election Commission attorney who now works for the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington-based good governance group focused on money and politics. And whether or not Trump would face any consequences is a different matter. For years, the FEC, which polices campaign finance laws, has been gridlocked. The commission is split evenly between Republicans and Democrats, and a majority vote is needed to take any enforcement action against a candidate. Indeed, legal experts say Trump has repeatedly flouted campaign finance law since launching his 2016 White House run, with no consequence. More than 50 separate complaints alleging Trump broke campaign finance laws have been filed against him since his 2016 campaign. In roughly half of those instances, FEC lawyers have concluded that there was reason to believe that he may have broken the law. But the commission, which now includes three Trump-appointed Republicans, has repeatedly deadlocked. The list of dismissed complaints against Trump is extensive. In 2021, Republicans on the commission rejected the claim, supported by the FEC’s staff attorneys, that a Trump orchestrated hush-money payment by his former lawyer to pornographic film star Stormy Daniels amounted to an unreported in-kind contribution. In May, the commission similarly deadlocked over whether his campaign broke the law by hiding how it was spending cash during the 2020 campaign. And over the summer, the commission rejected complaints stemming from Trump’s threat to withhold $391 million in aid for the Ukraine unless the Ukrainian officials opened an investigation into the relationship President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden had with a Ukrainian gas company called Burisma, which the FEC’s attorney’s determined was a potential violation of campaign finance law. “There is no legal basis whatsoever for believing that Congress intended the FEC to police official acts of the government that may be intended to assist an officeholder’s reelection,” the commission’s three Republicans said in a written statement late last month. That means any enforcement action would likely have to come from the Justice Department. “He has nothing to fear from the Federal Election Commission until either its structure is changed or there is turnover among the FEC Commissioners,” said Brett G. Kappel, a longtime campaign finance attorney who works at the Washington-based firm Harmon Curran and has represented both Republicans and Democrats. “That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have anything to fear from the Justice Department, which is already apparently investigating Save America. From what I can see, there are multiple wire fraud allegations that could be the subject of a Justice Department investigation.” In the meantime, Trump and Save America continue to rake in contributions from grassroots supporters, blasting out fundraising solicitations with aggressive demands like “this needs to be taken care of NOW” and threatening donors that their “Voter Verification” canvass surveys are “OUT OF DATE,” even as some of the Republican Senate contender...

What's Left As Jan. 6 Panel Sprints To Year-End Finish | News Channel 3-12 https://digitalalabamanews.com/whats-left-as-jan-6-panel-sprints-to-year-end-finish-news-channel-3-12/ By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — With only three months left in the year, the House Jan. 6 committee is eyeing a close to its work and a final report laying out its findings about the U.S. Capitol insurrection. But the investigation is not over. The committee has already revealed much of its work at eight hearings over the summer, showing in detail how former President Donald Trump ignored many of his closest advisers and amplified his false claims of election fraud after he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden. Witnesses interviewed by the panel — some of them Trump’s closest allies — recounted in videotaped testimony how the former president declined to act when hundreds of his supporters violently attacked the Capitol as Congress certified Biden’s victory on Jan. 6, 2021. Lawmakers say there is more to come. The nine-member panel — seven Democrats and two Republicans — interviewed witnesses through all of August, and they are planning at least one hearing this month. Members are expected to meet and discuss some of their next steps on Tuesday. Because the Jan. 6 panel is a temporary, or “select,” committee, it expires at the end of the current Congress. If Republicans take the majority in November’s elections, as they are favored to do, they are expected to dissolve the committee in January. So the panel is planning to issue a final report by the end of December. What’s left for the committee in 2022: HEARINGS The committee is expected to hold at least one hearing, maybe more, before the end of the month. Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the Republican vice chairwoman, said the committee “has far more evidence to share with the American people and more to gather.” “Doors have opened, new subpoenas have been issued and the dam has begun to break,” Cheney said at a July 21 hearing that was held in prime time and watched by 17.7 million people. “We have considerably more to do.” It’s unclear if the next hearings will provide a general overview of what the panel has learned or if they will be focused on new information and evidence. The committee conducted several interviews at the end of July and into August with Trump’s Cabinet secretaries, some of whom had discussed invoking the constitutional process in the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office after the insurrection. WITNESSES The panel has already interviewed more than 1,000 people, but lawmakers and staff are still pursuing new threads. The committee just recently spoke to several of the Cabinet secretaries, including former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in July and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao in August. The committee also wants to get to the bottom of missing Secret Service texts from Jan. 5-6, 2021, which could shed further light on Trump’s actions during the insurrection, particularly after earlier testimony about his confrontation with security as he tried to join supporters at the Capitol. “We anticipate talking to additional members of the president’s Cabinet,” Cheney said at the beginning of August. “We anticipate talking to additional members of his campaign. Certainly, we’re very focused as well on the Secret Service.” The committee has also pursued an interview with conservative activist Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, who’s married to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Lawmakers want to know more about her role in trying to help Trump overturn the election. She contacted lawmakers in Arizona and Wisconsin as part of that effort. FINAL REPORT The committee must shut down within a month after issuing a final report, per its rules. But lawmakers could issue some smaller reports before then, perhaps even before the November elections. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the panel’s chairman, has said there may be an interim report in the fall. The release of the final report will likely come close to the end of the year so the panel can maximize its time. While much of the findings will already be known, the report is expected to thread the story together in a definitive way that lays out the committee’s conclusions for history. TRUMP AND PENCE Members of the committee are still debating how aggressively to pursue testimony from Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence. Some have have questioned whether calling Pence — he resisted Trump’s pressure to try and block Biden’s certification on Jan. 6 — is needed since many of his closest aides have already testified. His top lawyer at the White House, Greg Jacob, testified at one of the committee’s hearings in June and characterized much of Pence’s thought process during the time when Trump was pressuring him. The panel has been in discussions with Pence’s lawyers for months, without any discernible progress. Still, the committee could invite Pence for closed-door testimony or ask him to answer written questions. The calculation is different for the former president. Members have debated whether they need to call Trump, who is the focus of their probe but also a witness who has railed against the investigation, denied much of the evidence and who has floated the idea of presidential pardons for Jan. 6 rioters. He is also facing scrutiny in several other investigations, including at the Justice Department and over the classified documents he took to his private club. HOUSE REPUBLICANS Another bit of unfinished business is the committee’s subpoenas to five House Republicans, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. In May the panel subpoenaed McCarthy, R-Calif., and Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Mo Brooks of Alabama. The panel has investigated McCarthy’s conversations with Trump the day of the attack and meetings the four other lawmakers had with the White House beforehand as Trump and his aides worked to overturn his election defeat. The five Republicans, all of whom have repeatedly downplayed the investigation’s legitimacy, have simply ignored the request to testify. But the Jan. 6 committee seems unlikely to meet their defiance with contempt charges, as they have with other witnesses, in the weeks before the November elections. Not only would it be a politically risky move, but it is unclear what eventual recourse the panel would have against its own colleagues. LEGISLATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS The committee is expected to weigh in on possible legislative changes to the Electoral Count Act, which governs how a presidential election is certified by Congress. A bipartisan group of senators released proposed changes over the summer that would clarify the way states submit electors and the vice president tallies the votes. Trump and his allies tried to find loopholes in that law ahead of Jan. 6 as the former president worked to overturn his defeat to Biden and unsuccessfully pressured Pence to go along. The Jan. 6 panel’s final report is expected to include a larger swath of legislative recommendations. ___ Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report. Read More…

Carolyn Ruth Hooper Hovik Obituary (2022) https://digitalalabamanews.com/carolyn-ruth-hooper-hovik-obituary-2022/ Carolyn Hovik passed away Sunday in Huntsville, AL at the age of 90. Carolyn was preceded in death by her husband, Oscar Emanuel Hovik; parents, Thelma Sortore Hooper and Albert William Hooper, and son, William Alan Bill Hovik. Carolyn is survived by; brother, Roger Hooper (Cherry); grandchildren, Melody Rae Young (Matt) and Ryan Hovik (Natalie); great-grandson, Robert Alan Young; and daughter-in-law, Mary Ellen Hovik and her son, John Canaan Emmons. Born in Bradford, PA, Carolyn s family moved to Muscle Shoals, AL in 1932 where Grandfather Hooper had purchased residential lots when he sold his oil lease at the end of the oil boom in Pennsylvania. Dad Hooper would re-survey the lots for purchasers for the city to be The Detroit of The South . This development did not happen so Dad Hooper was hired by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The family moved to Florence, AL, in 1941 where Carolyn graduated from Coffee High School in 1949. Carolyn attended Otterbein College in Westerville, OH, where several cousins had attended. She graduated in elementary education in 1953 and returned to the family which had moved to Huntsville, AL, where Dad Hooper was now working for the Army Ballistic Missile Agency. Carolyn was hired by the Huntsville City Schools beginning a career of teaching where she would teach in five of the city s elementary schools before retiring in 1989 when the Airport Road tornado destroyed Jones Valley School. While at Jones Valley School, Carolyn installed the pilot program which established kindergarten schooling in the Huntsville City School system. Carolyn met Oscar Emanuel Hovik in 1953, who was serving his service time at Redstone Arsenal and was attending First Methodist Church where Carolyn was a member. In October 1955, Carolyn and Oscar were married until Oscar s death in 1965. A son, William Alan Hovik was born in 1961, who carried on his father s music talent until his death in 2015. At First Methodist Church, Carolyn was a member of the Sanctuary Choir, and numerous church committees. She was a founder of the present-day Joanna Servers UMW Circle and received the Special Mission Award. She was always ready to bake goodies for church activities, take food to others, visit in the hospital, and help in any way she could. She was a loving caregiver for both her parents. She and her parents were known for their hospitality toward others, making new friends, and keeping in touch with life-long friends. She went the extra mile to reach out to others with her special gift for friendship. She was a loving mother to son, Bill, and supported him in all of his activities in every way through his school years, as well as throughout his adult musical career. Carolyn s other interests were family, friends, hospitality, music, and church activities. She always said that she had a special relationship with the Lord. Many dear friends were the recipients of her special hospitality. She was especially grateful to her brother, Roger, and to friends Patricia, Jamie, and Dottie for their faithful caregiving. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday at Laughlin Service Funeral Home. The funeral will immediately follow in the chapel with the Rev. Coy Hallmark officiating. Burial will be in Maple Hill Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Sanctuary Choir at First United Methodist Church, 120 Greene St. SE, Huntsville, AL 35801, or to your favorite charity. Published by Laughlin Service Funeral Home & Crematory – Huntsville on Sep. 13, 2022. Read More…

What's Left As Jan. 6 Panel Sprints To Year-End Finish https://digitalalabamanews.com/whats-left-as-jan-6-panel-sprints-to-year-end-finish/ WASHINGTON (AP) — With only three months left in the year, the House Jan. 6 committee is eyeing a close to its work and a final report laying out its findings about the U.S. Capitol insurrection. But the investigation is not over. The committee has already revealed much of its work at eight hearings over the summer, showing in detail how former President Donald Trump ignored many of his closest advisers and amplified his false claims of election fraud after he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden. Witnesses interviewed by the panel — some of them Trump’s closest allies — recounted in videotaped testimony how the former president declined to act when hundreds of his supporters violently attacked the Capitol as Congress certified Biden’s victory on Jan. 6, 2021. Lawmakers say there is more to come. The nine-member panel — seven Democrats and two Republicans — interviewed witnesses through all of August, and they are planning at least one hearing this month. Members are expected to meet and discuss some of their next steps on Tuesday. Because the Jan. 6 panel is a temporary, or “select,” committee, it expires at the end of the current Congress. If Republicans take the majority in November’s elections, as they are favored to do, they are expected to dissolve the committee in January. So the panel is planning to issue a final report by the end of December. What’s left for the committee in 2022: HEARINGS The committee is expected to hold at least one hearing, maybe more, before the end of the month. Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the Republican vice chairwoman, said the committee “has far more evidence to share with the American people and more to gather.” “Doors have opened, new subpoenas have been issued and the dam has begun to break,” Cheney said at a July 21 hearing that was held in prime time and watched by 17.7 million people. “We have considerably more to do.” It’s unclear if the next hearings will provide a general overview of what the panel has learned or if they will be focused on new information and evidence. The committee conducted several interviews at the end of July and into August with Trump’s Cabinet secretaries, some of whom had discussed invoking the constitutional process in the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office after the insurrection. WITNESSES The panel has already interviewed more than 1,000 people, but lawmakers and staff are still pursuing new threads. The committee just recently spoke to several of the Cabinet secretaries, including former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in July and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao in August. The committee also wants to get to the bottom of missing Secret Service texts from Jan. 5-6, 2021, which could shed further light on Trump’s actions during the insurrection, particularly after earlier testimony about his confrontation with security as he tried to join supporters at the Capitol. “We anticipate talking to additional members of the president’s Cabinet,” Cheney said at the beginning of August. “We anticipate talking to additional members of his campaign. Certainly, we’re very focused as well on the Secret Service.” The committee has also pursued an interview with conservative activist Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, who’s married to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Lawmakers want to know more about her role in trying to help Trump overturn the election. She contacted lawmakers in Arizona and Wisconsin as part of that effort. FINAL REPORT The committee must shut down within a month after issuing a final report, per its rules. But lawmakers could issue some smaller reports before then, perhaps even before the November elections. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the panel’s chairman, has said there may be an interim report in the fall. The release of the final report will likely come close to the end of the year so the panel can maximize its time. While much of the findings will already be known, the report is expected to thread the story together in a definitive way that lays out the committee’s conclusions for history. TRUMP AND PENCE Members of the committee are still debating how aggressively to pursue testimony from Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence. Some have have questioned whether calling Pence — he resisted Trump’s pressure to try and block Biden’s certification on Jan. 6 — is needed since many of his closest aides have already testified. His top lawyer at the White House, Greg Jacob, testified at one of the committee’s hearings in June and characterized much of Pence’s thought process during the time when Trump was pressuring him. The panel has been in discussions with Pence’s lawyers for months, without any discernible progress. Still, the committee could invite Pence for closed-door testimony or ask him to answer written questions. The calculation is different for the former president. Members have debated whether they need to call Trump, who is the focus of their probe but also a witness who has railed against the investigation, denied much of the evidence and who has floated the idea of presidential pardons for Jan. 6 rioters. He is also facing scrutiny in several other investigations, including at the Justice Department and over the classified documents he took to his private club. HOUSE REPUBLICANS Another bit of unfinished business is the committee’s subpoenas to five House Republicans, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. In May the panel subpoenaed McCarthy, R-Calif., and Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Mo Brooks of Alabama. The panel has investigated McCarthy’s conversations with Trump the day of the attack and meetings the four other lawmakers had with the White House beforehand as Trump and his aides worked to overturn his election defeat. The five Republicans, all of whom have repeatedly downplayed the investigation’s legitimacy, have simply ignored the request to testify. But the Jan. 6 committee seems unlikely to meet their defiance with contempt charges, as they have with other witnesses, in the weeks before the November elections. Not only would it be a politically risky move, but it is unclear what eventual recourse the panel would have against its own colleagues. LEGISLATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS The committee is expected to weigh in on possible legislative changes to the Electoral Count Act, which governs how a presidential election is certified by Congress. A bipartisan group of senators released proposed changes over the summer that would clarify the way states submit electors and the vice president tallies the votes. Trump and his allies tried to find loopholes in that law ahead of Jan. 6 as the former president worked to overturn his defeat to Biden and unsuccessfully pressured Pence to go along. The Jan. 6 panel’s final report is expected to include a larger swath of legislative recommendations. ___ Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Read More…

Midterm Primaries Wrap Up With Fresh Test Of GOP's Future https://digitalalabamanews.com/midterm-primaries-wrap-up-with-fresh-test-of-gops-future/ CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A staunchly conservative retired Army general is vying for the chance to take on Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire in a contest many Republicans hoped would be among their best chances to flip a Senate seat this year. But the prospect of Don Bolduc winning Tuesday’s GOP Senate primary has dampened those ambitions. In a state that President Joe Biden carried by more than 7 percentage points, Bolduc has campaigned on a platform that includes lies that Donald Trump won the 2020 election and conspiracy theories about vaccines. That underscores the sense of disappointment among some national Republicans that Gov. Chris 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. Still, Bolduc has been able to make inroads by positioning himself as an ally of Trump and his election falsehoods. FILE – Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., listens during a hearing March 14, 2022, in Manchester, N.H. Republican candidate Don Bolduc, staunchly conservative, retired Army general is favored to win New Hampshire’s Republican Senate nomination and face potentially vulnerable Hassan. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File) Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Charles Krupa “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 marking the conclusion of the nominating process for this year’s midterms. There are also contests on Tuesday in Delaware and Rhode Island. But the U.S. Senate race in New Hampshire is perhaps most revealing about the direction of the GOP. Bolduc is competing in a crowded field that includes Chuck Morse, the more moderate president of the New Hampshire state Senate, who has been endorsed by Sununu. The governor called Morse “the candidate to beat Sen. Hassan this November and the candidate Sen. Hassan is most afraid to face.” Sununu feels differently about Bolduc, whom he’s called a conspiracy theorist while warning that Bolduc could have a harder time winning the general election. Bolduc doesn’t seem bothered by Sununu’s criticism. He’s called the governor “a Chinese communist sympathizer.” Bolduc hasn’t been 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 are unfolding 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 shows signs of easing. 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. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Read More…

Trump's PAC Faces Scrutiny Amid Intensifying Legal Probes https://digitalalabamanews.com/trumps-pac-faces-scrutiny-amid-intensifying-legal-probes/ WASHINGTON (AP) — Sitting on top of more than $115 million across several political committees, Donald Trump has positioned himself as a uniquely indomitable force in the GOP who would almost certainly have the resources to swamp his rivals if he launched another presidential campaign. But that massive pile of money is also emerging as a potential vulnerability. His chief fundraising vehicle, Save America PAC, is under new legal scrutiny after the Justice Department issued a round of grand jury subpoenas that sought information about the political action committee’s fundraising practices. The scope of the probe is unclear. Grand jury subpoenas and search warrants issued by the Justice Department in recent days were related to numerous topics, including Trump’s PAC, according to people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. The subpoenas seek records as well as testimony and ask at least some of the recipients about their knowledge of efforts to engage in election fraud, according to one of the people. The subpoenas also ask for records of communication with Trump-allied lawyers who supported efforts to overturn the election results and plotted to line up fake electors in battleground states. A particular area of focus appears to be on the “Save America Rally” that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the person said. The investigation is one of several criminal probes Trump currently faces, including scrutiny of how documents with classified markings wound up at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago club. Regardless of Save America’s ultimate role in the investigations, the flurry of developments has drawn attention to the PAC’s management, how it has raised money and where those funds have been directed. Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich slammed the subpoenas, saying a “weaponized and politicized Justice Department” was “casting a blind net to intimidate and silence Republicans who are fighting for his America First agenda.” Representatives for the Justice Department have declined to comment. While Trump has more than $115 million held across various committees, the vast majority of it is stored at Save America. The PAC ended July with more than $99 million cash-on-hand, according to fundraising records — more than the Republican and Democratic national campaign committees combined. Trump has continued to shovel up small-dollar donations in the months since, frustrating other Republicans who have been struggling to raise money ahead of the November midterm elections. Save America is set up as a “leadership PAC” designed to allow political figures to fundraise for other campaigns. But the groups are often used by would-be candidates to fund political travel, polling and staff as they “test the waters” ahead of potential presidential runs. The accounts can also be used to contribute money to other candidates and party organizations, helping would-be candidates build political capital. Much of the money Trump has amassed was raised in the days and weeks after the 2020 election. That’s when Trump supporters were bombarded with a nonstop stream of emails and texts, many containing all-caps lettering and blatant lies about a stolen 2020 election, soliciting cash for an “election defense fund.” But no such fund ever existed. Instead, Trump has dedicated the money to other uses. He’s financed dozens of rallies, paid staff and used the money to travel as he’s teased an expected 2024 presidential run. Other expenses have been more unusual. There was the $1 million donated last year to the Conservative Partnership Institute, a nonprofit that employs Cleta Mitchell and former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, both of whom encouraged Trump’s failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election. There was the $650,000 “charitable contribution” in July to the Smithsonian Institution to help fund portraits of Trump and the former first lady that will one day hang in the National Portrait Gallery, according to the Smithsonian spokesperson Linda St. Thomas. Much of the money has also funded a different sort of defense fund — one that has paid the legal expenses of Trump confidants and aides who have been called to testify before the Jan. 6 committee. Overall, Trump’s sprawling political operation has spent at least $8 million on “legal consulting” and “legal expenses” to at least 40 law firms since the insurrection, according to an analysis of campaign finance disclosures. It’s unclear how much of that money went to legal fees for staffers after a congressional committee started investigating the origins of the attack. But at least $1.1 million has been paid to Elections LLC, a firm started by former Trump White House ethics lawyer Stefan Passantino, according to campaign finance and business records. An additional $1 million was paid to a legal trust housed at the same address as Passantino’s firm. Passantino did not respond to a request for comment Monday night. Payments have also been made to firms that specialize in environmental regulation and real estate matters. As of July, only about $750,000 had been doled out to candidates for Congress, with an additional $150,000 given to candidates for state office, records show. Trump is expected to ramp up his political spending now that general-election season has entered full swing, though it remains unclear exactly how much the notoriously thrifty former president will ultimately agree to spend. Trump has long played coy about his 2024 plans, saying a formal announcement would trigger campaign finance rules that would, in part, force him to create a new campaign committee that would be bound by strict fundraising limits. In the meantime, Trump aides have been discussing the prospect of creating a new super PAC or repurposing one that already exists as gets he closer to an expected announcement. While Trump could not use Save America to fund campaign activity after launching a run, aides have discussed the possibility of moving at least some of that money into a super PAC, according to people familiar with the talks. Campaign finance experts are mixed on the legality of such a move. Some, like Richard Briffault, a professor at Columbia Law School and an expert in campaign finance, said he didn’t see a problem. “There may be some hoops he has to jump through,” he said. But “I don’t see a problem with it going from one PAC to another … I don’t see what would block it.” Others disagree. “It is illegal for a candidate to transfer a significant amount of money from a leadership PAC to a super PAC. You certainly can’t do $100 million,” said Adav Noti, a former Federal Election Commission attorney who now works for the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington-based good governance group focused on money and politics. And whether or not Trump would face any consequences is a different matter. For years, the FEC, which polices campaign finance laws, has been gridlocked. The commission is split evenly between Republicans and Democrats, and a majority vote is needed to take any enforcement action against a candidate. Indeed, legal experts say Trump has repeatedly flouted campaign finance law since launching his 2016 White House run, with no consequence. More than 50 separate complaints alleging Trump broke campaign finance laws have been filed against him since his 2016 campaign. In roughly half of those instances, FEC lawyers have concluded that there was reason to believe that he may have broken the law. But the commission, which now includes three Trump-appointed Republicans, has repeatedly deadlocked. The list of dismissed complaints against Trump is extensive. In 2021, Republicans on the commission rejected the claim, supported by the FEC’s staff attorneys, that a Trump orchestrated hush-money payment by his former lawyer to pornographic film star Stormy Daniels amounted to an unreported in-kind contribution. In May, the commission similarly deadlocked over whether his campaign broke the law by hiding how it was spending cash during the 2020 campaign. And over the summer, the commission rejected complaints stemming from Trump’s threat to withhold $391 million in aid for the Ukraine unless the Ukrainian officials opened an investigation into the relationship President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden had with a Ukrainian gas company called Burisma, which the FEC’s attorney’s determined was a potential violation of campaign finance law. “There is no legal basis whatsoever for believing that Congress intended the FEC to police official acts of the government that may be intended to assist an officeholder’s reelection,” the commission’s three Republicans said in a written statement late last month. That means any enforcement action would likely have to come from the Justice Department. “He has nothing to fear from the Federal Election Commission until either its structure is changed or there is turnover among the FEC Commissioners,” said Brett G. Kappel, a longtime campaign finance attorney who works at the Washington-based firm Harmon Curran and has represented both Republicans and Democrats. “That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have anything to fear from the Justice Department, which is already apparently investigating Save America. From what I can see, there are multiple wire fraud allegations that could be the subject of a Justice Department investigation.” In the meantime, Trump and Save America continue to rake in contributions from grassroots supporters, blasting out fundraising solicitations with aggressive demands like “this needs to be taken care of NOW” and threatening donors that their “Voter Verification” canvass surveys are “OUT OF DATE,” even as some of the Republican Senate contenders Trump endorsed and helped drag across the finish line in primaries...

Miami Coordinators Discuss How Hurricanes Are Preparing For Hungry (And Noisy) Texas A&M https://digitalalabamanews.com/miami-coordinators-discuss-how-hurricanes-are-preparing-for-hungry-and-noisy-texas-am/ CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Texas A&M’s stunning 17-14 loss to Appalachian State at Kyle Field Saturday has turned the spotlight away from Miami’s first road game of the season. Well, at least a little bit anyway. Instead of facing the sixth-ranked team in the country with ESPN’s College GameDay crew in town, the 13th-ranked Hurricanes (2-0) now get a deeply talented but young 1-1 Aggies team. Texas A&M is desperate to get its season back on track after falling 18 spots in the Associated Press Top 25. The Aggies are probably a little angry, too, considering they’ve been getting made fun of on social media for the way they played and were dished some pregame trash-talking done by the 12th man. The college football ER was very busy this weekend. pic.twitter.com/Ao09MssXpR — SEC Shorts (@SECShorts) September 12, 2022 Yes, it kind of stinks Mario Cristobal’s team may not end up reaping all the rewards it could if it manages to hand the fourth-most talented team in the country according to the 247Sports Team Talent Composite rankings back-to-back home losses for the first time since 2019. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be a tall order to quiet the more than 102,733 fans expected for the 8 p.m. local kickoff. Oddsmakers have the Aggies as a six-point favorite, and regardless of what happened last weekend, Miami’s coaches are expecting it to be very hard to communicate. “It gets so loud on the sideline with headsets that you can’t hear in the headsets,” said Hurricanes defensive coordinator Kevin Steele, who coached Auburn’s defense to a 28-20 win at College Station in 2019 and a 42-27 win there in 2017. “I’ve been in the box there when it was so loud you couldn’t hear on the headsets.” How did Steele deal with it? “The best way you can,” Steele said. “Scream a lot in the headsets.” Receiver Michael Redding said the Hurricanes practiced with speakers blaring crowd noise at them at high decibel levels for several weeks to prepare for the environment they’ll face in College Station. Players and coaches have used hand signals to communicate knowing they won’t be able to hear each other well, if at all, on the field. “If you’ve never seen it before, never practiced with noise before and let it get in your head, it will affect you tremendously,” Cristobal said. “But if you practice in it, stress the importance of how you signal, how you communicate without having to verbally correct it … we train it. I’m sure the residents of Coral Gables are happy about speakers blasting all the time. But it’s part of our process.” Here are takeaways from Monday’s news conference with Cristobal and Miami’s coordinators: Defense: Playing time shifts, Smith and Bissainthe working toward bigger roles • Fans that were worried Miami might have lost one of its most talented players to the transfer portal over the weekend can breathe a little easier now. Safety Avantae Williams hasn’t left yet. The former four-star and top 50-recruit in the 2020 cycle spoke with Cristobal over the weekend after he deleted all references to the Hurricanes on his Instagram account. Williams was clearly disgruntled; he only played nine snaps on special teams and none on defense. “Avantae (Williams) didn’t play much on Saturday and that’s obvious,” Cristobal said. “He’s a good dude. I’ve known him for a long time. I recruited him at (Oregon). “We’re always going to be straightforward and blunt and honest. We’re not going to create drama or narratives. That just ain’t it. We’re not going to have that here. He’s a good young man and we’ve got to get to work and continue to get better and better. He wants to be good. He has a bright future. But we’re not going to choose to create narratives and drama out there in our program.” Miami started James Williams and Kamren Kinchens for the second game in a row and played them 50 snaps each. Al Blades played 14 snaps off the bench. Brian Balom played three snaps at the end. Asked about playing time in general, Cristobal said he expects “a competitive response” from his players and “not pouting.” Said Steele: “I had a son play football. You care about him, nurture him just like you would your own son. It’s a process. I’ve had guys that didn’t get their pants dirty the first five games of the year and started the next six games. I’ve had guys that didn’t get their pants dirty their first three years on campus and play five years in the NFL. It’s different for everybody.” • Cristobal said he expects defensive end Akheem Mesidor to start practicing at full speed on Tuesday. Mesidor missed the Southern Miss game with a foot injury after starting, and standing out, in the opener. • Steele called Miami’s effort on defense against Southern Miss “a step in the right direction.” The Hurricanes had just five missed tackles against Southern Miss (Kinchens, defensive end Mitchell Agude, linebacker Corey Flagg Jr., and cornerbacks Te’Cory Couch and Tyrique Stevenson each had one) after combining for 10 missed tackles against Bethune-Cookman. Miami shut down the Golden Eagles’ run game (24 yards on 23 carries) after preparing all week to stop Frank Gore Jr. and the Southern Miss super back attack. Texas A&M running back Devon Achane – a 5-9, 185-pound speedster who averaged 7 yards per carry last season – played all 39 offensive snaps in the loss to Appalachian State and had 10 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown. He produced 20 yards after contact but had only one missed tackle forced.  He scored on an RPO from about 28 yards out and later displayed his straight line speed when returning a kickoff for a score. Appalachian State’s defensive coordinator Dale Jones played for Steele at Tennessee. Asked if he could take something from Jones’ game plan, Steele grinned. “That game unfolded in a unique and different way,” Steele said. “(Thirty-nine) plays? App State could play Texas A&M nine more times, and it probably wouldn’t be (39) plays. So you can’t take a lot from that.” • Miami was credited with creating pressure on 20 of 35 dropbacks by Golden Eagles freshman quarterback Zach Wilcke. He was 9 of 15 for 140 yards and a touchdown under pressure. Miami blitzed him four times according to PFF. Individually, Miami’s rotation stayed deep on the defensive line with 13 players seeing action. Jahfari Harvey started for the second week in a row and led the way with 36 snaps. He created four pressures but didn’t get a sack. Elijah Roberts started for the first time and also created four pressures without a sack. Darrell Jackson started for the second game in a row and played 20 snaps. Jared Harrison-Hunte started and played 19 snaps. Jackson produced two pressures. Harrison-Hunte had one. Jacob Lichtenstein played only nine snaps, but had three pressures and a sack. Freshman Nyjalik Kelly once again saw significant work with 10 snaps and produced two pressures and a sack late in the game. Leonard Taylor didn’t start, but played 20 snaps off the bench and had a sack and another tackle for loss. Antonio Moultrie was Miami’s highest-graded defensive player. He played just 13 snaps, but was credited with two pressures. “We’re getting pressure on the quarterback. We’re getting a good pass rush,” Steele said. “We’re tackling. Tackling is really, really improved. Our effort to get to the ball has really improved. We’re playing really well on first down defense.” “It’s not gosh awful, but we’re leaving a lot on the table on third down. We’re just average there. But those things are all correctable — containing the quarterback here or there or the right fit or the right peel on a six-man pressure. Those kinds of things have cost us a little bit. We’ve got to get that corrected real quick.” Aggies quarterback Haynes King was 13 of 20 for 97 yards in the loss to Appalachian State. He was under pressure on only three of his 24 dropbacks and not blitzed once according to PFF. King was 0-for-2 on deep balls (20-yards plus) and 1 of 4 on medium passes (10 to 19 yards). King ran four times for 27 yards and fumbled twice. • It’s clear coaches are eager for Chase Smith and Wesley Bissainthe to take on bigger roles and they’re getting closer to doing that. “Their ability to quarterback the defense, make checks, make adjustments on the field, they’ve really made a lot of progress in the last two weeks on that,” Steele said. Bissainthe played nine snaps for the second week in a row, and Smith saw his workload increase from four snaps to eight. Eight linebackers saw action for Miami against Southern Miss. Flagg and Waynmon Steed started for the second week in a row and led the way with 27 and 21 snaps, respectively. Keontra Smith was next with 15 snaps and UCLA transfer Caleb Johnson played 10. Gilbert Frierson was in on 10 snaps after playing 23 in the opener with a pick six. • At cornerback, the Hurricanes had seven play against Southern Miss, but it was really a three-man rotation featuring starters DJ Ivey (50 snaps) and Tyrique Stevenson (43 snaps), with Couch (44 snaps) coming off the bench. West Virginia transfer Daryl Porter Jr. played only four snaps. True freshman Malik Curtis started and played four snaps but gave up a 33-yard touchdown pass. Isaiah Dunson came off the bench and played three snaps. “Technique, man,” Cristobal said of Curtis, a standout in preseason camp, and what he did wrong Saturday. “That’s what you want to show up in the game. We’ve got to get Malik to play to the best of his ability — see a little to see a lot.” Ivey and Stevenson were each targeted seven times in coverage. Ivey gave up four catches for 57 yards. Stevenson allowed three catches for 17 yards and had an interception. Couch gave up one catch on two targets for 6 yards. He was flagged for pass interference. Porter Jr. allowed a 33-...

Man From New York City And Woman From Alabama Plead Guilty To Trying To Support ISIS Materially https://digitalalabamanews.com/man-from-new-york-city-and-woman-from-alabama-plead-guilty-to-trying-to-support-isis-materially/ Today in the Southern District of New York, Arwa Muthana, 30, of Hoover Alabama, pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, aka ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. On Friday, her husband James Bradley, aka Abdullah, 21, of the Bronx, entered a guilty plea to the same charge. According to court documents, Bradley and Muthana are ISIS supporters who attempted to travel to the Middle East to join and fight for ISIS. Bradley expressed violent extremist views since at least 2019, including his desire to support ISIS by traveling overseas to join the group or committing a terrorist attack in the United States. In May 2020, Bradley stated to an undercover law enforcement officer (UC-1) that he believed that ISIS may be good for Muslims because ISIS was establishing a caliphate. Bradley further expressed his desire to conduct a terrorist attack in the United States and discussed potentially attacking the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. Bradley explained that if he could not leave the United States, he would do “something” in the United States instead, referring to carrying out an attack. In June 2020, Bradley reaffirmed his interest to UC-1 in attacking a military base, and that doing so would be his contribution to the cause of jihad. In January 2021, Bradley mentioned to UC-1 another university in New York State where he frequently saw Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets training. Bradley stated that he could use his truck in an attack, and that he along with Muthana could take all of the ROTC cadets “out.” In late January 2021, Bradley married Muthana in an Islamic marriage ceremony. Beginning before and continuing after their marriage, Bradley and Muthana discussed, planned and ultimately attempted to travel to the Middle East together to join and fight with ISIS. In or about early March 2021, Bradley traveled from New York to Alabama to visit Muthana, and Bradley and Muthana traveled back to New York together, to travel from New York to join ISIS in the Middle East. Thereafter, Bradley raised the possibility of UC-1 helping Bradley and Muthana get on a cargo ship to travel to Asia or Africa for the purpose of ultimately joining and fighting for ISIS. UC-1 subsequently put Bradley in contact with a purported associate who could assist Bradley in making arrangements for Bradley and Muthana to travel to the Middle East via cargo ship. In reality, the purported facilitator was a law enforcement officer acting in an undercover capacity (UC-2). Later in March 2021, Bradley met with UC-2 and expressed his desire to travel via cargo ship and to “fight among the rank[s] of the Islamic State.” Bradley subsequently provided UC-2 $1,000 in cash as travel costs for Bradley and Muthana to take a cargo ship to Yemen. Bradley told UC-2 that he and Muthana both planned to be “fighting” after arriving in the Middle East. Bradley also told UC-2 that he had a dream that he had given “bay’ah,” an Arabic term meaning the oath of allegiance, to Abu Ibrahim al-hashimi al-Qurashi, the former leader of ISIS. On March 25, 2021, UC-2 told Bradley that the cargo ship would be leaving on March 31, from a seaport in Newark, New Jersey. Bradley praised Allah and confirmed he and Muthana planned to travel on the ship. On March 31, 2021, Bradley and Muthana met with UC-2 on the way to the seaport. During this meeting, Muthana confirmed to UC-2 that she was traveling to the Middle East to fight for ISIS. Bradley and Muthana were arrested as they walked on a gangplank to board the cargo ship. After Muthana was arrested, she waived her Miranda rights and stated during an interview that she was willing to fight and kill Americans if it was for Allah. Also on March 31, 2021, in connection with a court-authorized search, the FBI seized from a bedroom previously used by Bradley what appears to be a hand-drawn image of a jihadi flag commonly used by ISIS and a hand-drawn map of the Pakistan region. In the months and years prior to their arrests, Bradley and Muthana also accessed, posted and distributed extremist online content, including materials indicative of their support for ISIS. Such material included Bradley’s postings of images of ISIS fighters, Usama Bin Laden, and terrorist attacks, and his distribution to UC-1 of videos of ISIS fighters, a 2020 stabbing attack against a New York City Police Department officer, and extremists shooting a uniformed soldier. Content on Muthana’s cellphone, which was searched pursuant to a court-authorized search warrant, included images of an ISIS flag with Arabic writing, firearms, ISIS propaganda, and quotations of the deceased extremist preacher and former al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula member Anwar al-Awlaki, including, for example, a copy of the cover of a book authored by al-Awlaki and titled “44 Ways to Support Jihad.” Bradley and Muthana each pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Bradley is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Engelmayer on Feb. 2, 2023, and Muthana is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Engelmayer on Feb. 3, 2023. The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the New York City Police Department, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew J. Defilippis, Kaylan E. Lasky, and Jason A. Richman are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Trial Attorney Jennifer Burke of the Counterterrorism Section. Read More…

Asia-Pacific Markets Rise Ahead Of U.S. Inflation Report; South Korea Stocks Up 2% On Return After Holiday https://digitalalabamanews.com/asia-pacific-markets-rise-ahead-of-u-s-inflation-report-south-korea-stocks-up-2-on-return-after-holiday/ A man looks at an electronic quotation board displaying stock prices on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo on August 2, 2022. Kazuhiro Nogi | AFP | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets were higher on Tuesday as investors look ahead to the U.S. inflation report for the month of August. The Nikkei 225 in Japan gained 0.29%, and the Topix index ticked 0.27% higher. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.38%. South Korea’s Kospi rose 2.14% on its return to trade after a holiday Monday, and the Kosdaq jumped 2.09%. Mainland China’s Shanghai Composite advanced 0.23%, while the Shenzhen Component added 0.516%. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong was little changed in early trade. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 0.51%. Headline inflation in the U.S. is expected to decline in August, according to a Dow Jones survey. But core inflation, excluding energy and food, is projected to rise. Headline CPI is expected to come in at 8%, compared with 8.5% in July. — CNBC’s Jesse Pound, Carmen Reinicke and Patti Domm contributed to this report. Ramsay Health Care shares plunge 14% after takeover talks hit roadblock Australian hospital operator Ramsay Health Care’s shares dropped as much as 14.6% after the company announced a KKR-led consortium is “not in a position to improve the terms” of a takeover proposal. Ramsay Health rejected the proposal earlier this year, saying the offer was “meaningfully inferior.” The company’s shares later recovered slightly but were still 11% lower. — Abigail Ng Nio jumps more than 20% at open after Deutsche Bank report Hong Kong-listed shares of Chinese electric vehicle-maker Nio jumped as much as 21% at the open following a bullish report by Deutsche Bank. Reiterating his buy rating, analyst Edison Yu made minor changes to forecasts and said Nio remains Deutsche Bank’s top China EV pick in a note dated Sept. 12. “The company’s efforts around user experience, battery swapping, overseas expansion, and internal battery cell development go very much underappreciated and will eventually show clear differentiation as the local Chinese market gets increasingly competitive,” Yu wrote. The company’s shares were last 17% higher. –Jihye Lee CNBC Pro: Forget oil — coal is hot right now. Here are 2 stocks to play it, according to the pros Coal mining in Wyoming. Brian Brainerd | The Denver Post | Getty Images Coal prices are at record highs and market watchers see prices going even higher as a global energy crisis looms. “It’s almost like any or all companies are a buy,” analyst Peter O’Conner said of the booming coal sector, and reveals his favorite stock. CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here. — Zavier Ong Nintendo shares jump 5% ahead of games announcement livestream Squid Game-related stock up 10% at the open over Emmys hopes Bucket Studio Co., which holds a stake in a private company that represents “Squid Game” lead actor Lee Jung-jae, jumped more than 10% as the show eyed a historic victory in the drama series race. The company’s shares jumped more than 20% immediately after Netflix in June posted a letter from the director, Hwang Dong-hyuk, announcing the series will return with a second season. Other content-related stocks CJ ENM and CJ CGV were also up more than 2.5% in the morning session, and Showbox rose 1.5%. –Jihye Lee CNBC Pro: Want to invest in real estate? These REITs are among analysts’ favorites Real estate investment trusts — or REITs — are coming back to the spotlight after a volatile year for many asset classes. Analysts from Morgan Stanley and Citi highlight REITs from two sectors that they say could outperform the wider market, and remain resilient in a recession. CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here. — Weizhen Tan Sign up for CNBC’s newsletter here: Read More…

Over 30 Trump Associates Subpoenaed By Grand Jury Over Alleged Efforts To Influence 2020 Election Results https://digitalalabamanews.com/over-30-trump-associates-subpoenaed-by-grand-jury-over-alleged-efforts-to-influence-2020-election-results/ More than 30 people associated with former President Donald Trump and alleged efforts to influence the 2020 election results have received federal grand jury subpoenas, four sources told CBS News.  The subpoenas, many of which were issued last week, mark a significant escalation in the Justice Department’s investigation into origins of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot and other alleged attempts to stop the transfer of power to then-President-elect Joe Biden. One source familiar with the case characterized the investigation as huge.  The Justice Department is examining how money was raised and spent on alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election; efforts to submit fake “alternate” electors to Congress from states lost by Trump; and the “Stop The Steal” rally held at the Ellipse, adjacent to White House grounds, on Jan. 6, just before the Capitol riot. The Justice Department’s inquiry into potential mishandling of presidential and classified records found at Trump’s Florida estate is a separate matter. Those who were served subpoenas included employees and contractors for the Trump campaign and Republican National Committee — including poll watchers — according to two sources familiar with the subpoenas. The sources said the identities of those subpoenaed range from household names to mostly unknown, low-level field staffers. CBS News has confirmed that close Trump aide Will Russell received a subpoena by email last week. And The New York Times reported last week that former White House senior aides Stephen Miller and Brian Jack also received subpoenas. Jack and an attorney for Russell did not respond to a request for comment. Miller declined to comment through an intermediary. FBI personnel served several of the subpoenas early in the morning last Wednesday and Thursday, the sources said, adding that in at least two instances, agents executed search warrants that allowed them to seize individuals’ cell phones. Virginia-based attorney David A. Warrington, who said he represents approximately a dozen clients who have been issued subpoenas, said the FBI was “very professional” when serving his clients. He added that the subpoenas his clients received are nearly identical, describing them as lengthy documents divided into sections and subsections. They cover issues related to “alternate” electors and election certification deadlines on December 14 and January 6, fundraising by the Save America PAC and the January 6 “Stop the Steal” rally — but not the ensuing riot. The subpoenas require individuals provide documents and any communication between themselves and Trump allies like Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Sidney Powell and Bernie Kerik, Warrington said. The subpoenas also demand recipients to provide any communication with dozens of individuals who appeared on slates of fake electors. At least some of the subpoenas compel recipients to appear before a grand jury on September 23 at the Washington, D.C., district courthouse, Warrington said.  Mother and daughter Amy and Kylie Kremer were served subpoenas last week, according to Warrington. They are listed as “host(s)” on the National Park Service permit for the Ellipse rally on January 6, 2021. Both are part of Women for America First, which on its website tells visitors to “Help us fight back against the January 6th Committee and the DOJ!” Warrington said the Kremers are not connected to the riot at the capitol that ensued after the rally.  In: subpoena Donald Trump Read More…

Fresh Clashes Erupt Between Azerbaijan, Armenia https://digitalalabamanews.com/fresh-clashes-erupt-between-azerbaijan-armenia/ Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Sept 13 (Reuters) – Clashes erupted between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, Russian news agencies reported early on Tuesday, in a resumption of decades-old hostilities linked to the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan, which re-established full control over the territory in a six-week conflict in 2020, acknowledged casualties among its forces. Armenia made no mention of losses, but said clashes persisted overnight. The Yerevan government said it would invoke a cooperation agreement with Russia and appeal to a Russia-led security bloc, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, as well as the United Nations Security Council, Interfax reported. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com In addition to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has called French President Emmanuel Macron and United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the situation. Blinken urged an immediate end to hostilities for which each side has blamed the other. read more “Several positions, shelters and reinforced points of the Azerbaijan armed forces … came under intense shelling from weapons of various calibres, including mortars, by units of the Armenian army,” the agencies quoted a statement by Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry as saying. “As a result, there are losses in personnel and damage to military infrastructure.” Azerbaijani statements said Armenian forces had been engaged in intelligence activity on its border, moved weapons into the area and on Monday night had conducted mining operations. It said its actions were “strictly local in nature aimed at military targets.” Armenia’s Defence Ministry said: “Intensive shooting is continuing – started as a result of a large-scale provocation by the Azerbaijani side. Armenia’s armed forces have launched a proportionate response.” Conflict first broke out in the late 1980s when both sides were under Soviet rule and Armenian forces captured swathes of territory near Nagorno-Karabkah – long recognised internationally as Azerbaijan’s territory, but with a large Armenian population. Azerbaijan regained those territories in the 2020 fighting, which ended with a Russian-brokered truce and thousands of residents returning to homes from which they had fled. The leaders of both countries have since met several times to hammer out a treaty intended to establish a lasting peace. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Ron Popeski, Chris Reese and Sam Holmes Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More…

Homewood PD Searching For Shooter, SUV In Killing Of Birmingham Man At Bank ATM https://digitalalabamanews.com/homewood-pd-searching-for-shooter-suv-in-killing-of-birmingham-man-at-bank-atm/ A Birmingham man was found shot to death next to a Wells Fargo ATM in Homewood on Sunday. Learn more in the video above.The Homewood Police Department said officers responded to the bank on West Valley Avenue at 12:43 p.m. and arrived to find the victim on the ground next to a freestanding ATM. The man was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later. The Jefferson County coroner identified the victim as 35-year-old Justin Jamond Hendrix.Police said the killing appears to be a “targeted attack” and there was no danger to the public. So far, no arrests have been made and investigators are now asking for the public’s help in tracking down the shooter.”Hendrix was conducting a transaction at the stand-alone ATM when he was gunned down,” police stated in a news release on Monday. “The ambush style attack was captured on video. The video shows a black 2013 Volvo XC90 pull up behind Hendrix. An unknown suspect exited the passenger side of the vehicle and fired multiple shots into Hendrix.”Anyone with information is asked to please call HPD at 205-332-6200 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.Get the WVTM 13 app for the latest updates.— HOMEWOOD, Ala. — A Birmingham man was found shot to death next to a Wells Fargo ATM in Homewood on Sunday. Learn more in the video above. The Homewood Police Department said officers responded to the bank on West Valley Avenue at 12:43 p.m. and arrived to find the victim on the ground next to a freestanding ATM. The man was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later. The Jefferson County coroner identified the victim as 35-year-old Justin Jamond Hendrix. Police said the killing appears to be a “targeted attack” and there was no danger to the public. So far, no arrests have been made and investigators are now asking for the public’s help in tracking down the shooter. “Hendrix was conducting a transaction at the stand-alone ATM when he was gunned down,” police stated in a news release on Monday. “The ambush style attack was captured on video. The video shows a black 2013 Volvo XC90 pull up behind Hendrix. An unknown suspect exited the passenger side of the vehicle and fired multiple shots into Hendrix.” Anyone with information is asked to please call HPD at 205-332-6200 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Get the WVTM 13 app for the latest updates. — Read More…

Things You Should Never Do At A College Football Tailgate https://digitalalabamanews.com/things-you-should-never-do-at-a-college-football-tailgate/ The SEC has some of the best tailgating scenes in college football, especially in Tuscaloosa and Auburn, and it only takes walking a few steps past a handful of tents on campus to see why. Fans setting up on Saturdays this fall must mentally prepare for the logistical planning and physical undertaking of tailgating before and after an Alabama or Auburn football game. It takes a toll, and weekly guests (invited and otherwise) can often make or break the experience. Luckily, the good vibes of the Crimson Tide and Tiger fan bases usually create an ultimately positive atmosphere all day long, but it’s important to point out ways you can hinder your fellow fans from having the best possible time under the tents. Below, we look at ways you could ruin someone’s tailgate experience this season if you’re not careful. We should note that this behavior is rare for Alabama and Auburn fans who traditionally want to help their fellow Tide and Tiger faithful putting in the hard work. It might sound like too many rules for such a casual occasion, but people put in a lot of hard work to make it fun for you, so do your best to show the proper appreciation with this simple tailgating etiquette. Alabama fans hit the Quad, Strip and Walk of Champions for tailgating and more ahead of Tennessee kickoff in Tuscaloosa Oct. 19, 2019. (Ben Flanagan / AL.com) Don’t show up uninvited Don’t intentionally come unannounced to avoid being a contributor when your host would have otherwise invited you. If you don’t feel like contributing to the production, that’s fine. But if you want to avoid making steam come out of the ears of those responsible for the tailgate, maybe skip that tent on that particular day. No one necessarily invites you to a tailgate or party expecting to you work with them to set up or clean, but it’s a simple courtesy that makes their day that much easier. Auburn tailgates make your visit to the Plains that much more special. (AL.com) Don’t mooch You’ll notice that as a common theme here. If you and the host know you’re coming, offer to help — physically and financially. It’s common sense and courtesy, y’all. If you can’t pitch in any dollars, don’t feel bad. Avoid the stress and enjoy yourself, but offer to do some of the heavy lifting or run an errand if necessary. Those kinds of favors can sometimes go a longer way than money. But if you can, money’s also good. Tailgating brings people together on gameday. (Ben Flanagan / AL.com) Don’t be obnoxious Gamedays are meant for fans to cut loose and enjoy themselves. Heck, it’s Saturday. Time to escape the real world, chug some beer and stuff pork into our faces. But keep your cool and represent your tent the right way. Try not to overindulge in whatever food or drink you’re engorging and instead remain the fun person folks want around the site. That’s why you’re there after all, not to get into heated arguments over hypothetical nonsense that don’t go well with anyone’s chips and dip. Put simply, take it down a notch and show some manners. The Quad is the perfect tailgate space. (Ben Flanagan / AL.com) Don’t bring surprise guests Don’t bring your entire extended family and let them dive in to the host’s spread as if it’s a buffet. Look, it’s fine to bring an unexpected friend or two. Most tailgaters welcome any and every friend of friends who happen to drop in to visit. They’ll usually offer food or drink to those they’ve just met. But anything they offer is typically meant for someone else and counted well before they bothered to set up. Tailgaters don’t mind making sacrifices and love to show good southern hospitality. Just don’t take advantage of it. Do your best to follow easy tailgating etiquette on Saturdays this fall. (Ben Flanagan / AL.com) Don’t eat and run Offer to help tear down after you’ve enjoyed a full day under a shaded tent, in a comfy chair, in front of a television. Breaking down one tent and a couple of chairs is one thing. But even the smaller tailgates sometimes have multiple tents, chairs, tables, lights, coolers and other equipment that requires manpower to break down and transport back to the car. And that’s before you even hit traffic. The tailgater’s night is far from over when the final whistle blows in Bryant-Denny Stadium, so alleviate some of their stress by taking an extra 15 minutes or so to fold a chair or carry a cooler. Whatever you do, absolutely do not no-show if you’ve spent more than an hour or two at that tailgate prior to breakdown. Not cool, y’all. If Alabama and Auburn fans can co-exist anywhere, it’s a pregame tailgate. (Ben Flanagan / AL.com) Don’t take someone’s seat Don’t sit in a chair if people higher up in the food chain are without one. Most likely, you didn’t bring that chair anyway. No one will bar you from sitting in an empty chair. By all means, take a load off. Just keep in mind that the organizer had a specific number in mind when they packed that many chairs, and make sure you were one of those people before you take a seat from someone who actually needs to get off of his or her feet. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. Read More…

The Justice Department Consents To Support A Special Master Candidate Endorsed By Trump In The Mar-A-Lago Case https://digitalalabamanews.com/the-justice-department-consents-to-support-a-special-master-candidate-endorsed-by-trump-in-the-mar-a-lago-case/ The Justice Department rejected one of the four candidates put out by Donald Trump as not having the necessary expertise, and on Monday listed three retired judges that they would accept as an impartial arbiter in the inquiry into top-secret materials discovered at Mar-a-Lago. On September 9, Trump’s team submitted its choices for the position of special master, and the Justice Department replied on Monday. They said that they would consider Raymond J. Dearie, Thomas B. Griffith, or Barbara S. Jones for the position. The Trump campaign staff suggested using Dearie. The administration has offered two new names, Jones and Griffith. They said all three retired judges ‘have substantial judicial experience, during which they have presided over federal criminal and civil cases, including federal cases involving national security and privilege concerns’. A fourth candidate, Paul Huck, was rejected by the Justice Department, with the government saying he ‘does not appear to have similar experience’. They said their chosen three have suitable staff to assist them with the task. Raymond J. Dearie Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida Jones served on the federal bench in Manhattan and has performed the same role in prior high-profile investigations. She reviewed materials seized in FBI raids on Trump’s one-time personal lawyers Michael Cohen, in an investigation related to hush-money payments, and Rudy Giuliani, in a probe of his dealings in Ukraine. Griffith was a federal appeals court jurist in the District of Columbia. He was named to the federal appeals court in Washington in 2005 by then-president George W Bush, and previously represented the institutional interests of the Republican-led Senate during the impeachment case of former president Bill Clinton. Dearie was the former top federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York. He was nominated in 1986 by then-president Ronald Reagan to the federal court based in Brooklyn. He has also served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Huck was a prominent Florida lawyer who served as general counsel to Charlie Crist when Crist was the Republican governor of Florida. He is married to Barbara Lagoa, a judge on the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which would hear any appeal in the Trump case from Florida. He is listed on the Federalist Society website as a contributor to the conservative legal group. Lawyers for Trump said they believe the so-called special master should review all documents seized by the FBI during its search last month of Mar-a-Lago, including records with classification markings, and filter out any that may be protected by claims of executive privilege. The Justice Department, by contrast, said it does not believe the arbiter should be permitted to inspect classified records or resolve potential claims of executive privilege. A page from the Justice Department’s motion to appeal against a judge’s decision to name an independent arbiter District Judge Aileen Cannon had given both sides until September 9 to submit potential candidates for the role of a special master, as well as proposals for the scope of the person’s duties and the schedule for his or her work. The back-and-forth over the special master is playing out amid an FBI investigation into the retention of several hundred classified documents recovered from Mar-a-Lago within the past year. Though the legal wrangling is unlikely to have major long-term effects on the investigation or knock it significantly off course, it will almost certainly delay the probe by potentially months and has already caused the intelligence community to temporarily pause a separate risk assessment. The Justice Department proposed an October 17 deadline for the special master to complete the review process, while the Trump team said the work could take as long as three months. Though both sides met Judge Cannon’s deadline to provide potential candidates, their filings made clear that they have core disagreements about the job of special master. That is not surprising given that the Justice Department had strenuously objected to the Trump team’s desire for such an arbiter, and gave notice on Thursday that it would appeal against the judge’s decision to grant the ex-president’s request. Central to the dispute is precisely what documents the yet-to-be-named special master should be tasked with reviewing. Roughly 11,000 documents – including more than 100 with classified markings, some at the top-secret level – were recovered during the FBI’s August 8 search. In granting the request for a special master, Judge Cannon directed the department to temporarily pause its use of the seized records for investigative purposes. The Justice Department had said a special master was unnecessary in part because it had already completed its own review of the seized documents, locating a limited subset that possibly involve lawyer-client privilege. It has maintained that executive privilege does not apply in this investigation because Trump, no longer president, had no right to claim the documents as his. Though the government does not believe the special master should inspect documents with classification markings, the Trump team maintains the arbiter should have access to the entire tranche of seized records. According to a summary of its position outlined in a filing on Friday night, it disputes the idea that the Justice Department’s ‘separation of these documents is inviolable’ or that a document with classification markings should be forever regarded as classified. And, the lawyers say, if any document is a presidential document then Trump has an ‘absolute right of access to it’. ‘Thus, President Trump (and/or his designee) cannot be denied access to those documents, which in this matter gives legal authorization to the Special Master to engage in first-hand review,’ the filing states. Pages from the decree approving former president Donald Trump’s request for the appointment of a special master to examine records found by the FBI during a search of his Mar-a-Lago estate. While there are certain restrictions, executive privilege typically refers to the president’s ability to withhold information from the press and public in order to maintain the secrecy of presidential decision-making. The costs and fees of the special master are the subject of a different controversy. The Trump campaign has proposed paying the Justice Department an equal share of the expenditures. According to the government, the Trump campaign should pay for it. After Mr. Trump departed the White House, the agency began looking into whether any attempts were made to hinder the investigation as well as the illegal retention of top-secret data at Mar-a-Lago. It is not clear if Mr Trump or anyone else will be charged. Read More…

Trump Organization Is Seeking To Stall Its Fraud Trial, Prosecutors Allege – Deltaplex News https://digitalalabamanews.com/trump-organization-is-seeking-to-stall-its-fraud-trial-prosecutors-allege-deltaplex-news/ (NEW YORK) — It’s “starting to look like” the Trump Organization is trying to stall its upcoming criminal trial in New York until after the midterm elections, a judge said Monday during a pre-trial hearing. Former President Donald Trump’s family real estate firm is scheduled to stand trial starting Oct. 24 for fraud and tax evasion. “We are not delaying” the start of the trial, Judge Juan Merchan said Monday. A prosecutor, Joshua Steinglass, had accused attorneys for the Trump Organization of “gamesmanship” by failing to disclose the names of expert witnesses the defense will call to testify, as required under the rules of discovery. “The name of the game has been ‘Delay,”” Steinglass said. Defense attorney Susan Necheles said she was “sandbagged” by the accusation, and explained that the defense’s approach to the case had changed after last month’s guilty plea by longtime Trump Organization CFO Allan Weisselberg. Weisselberg pleaded guilty last month to all 15 counts in an indictment that accused him of failing to pay taxes on nearly $2 million in fringe benefits the Trump Organization allegedly paid him off the books. As part of his plea deal, he agreed to testify against the Trump Organization in next month’s trial. “We are now restructuring our defense,” Necheles said. “This is all a result of Mr. Weisselberg pleading guilty.” “The case against the Trump Organization is dramatically strengthened,” by the guilty plea, Steinglass claimed. The judge gave the defense until next Monday to provide the names of the experts they would call to testify, what they would testify to, and how that testimony is relevant to the case. The judge also told the defense not to make arguments to the jury that imply the company was charged by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office merely because it is owned by the former president. “No selective prosecution,” Merchan said, adding he would also preclude arguments at trial that suggest this is a “novel” prosecution. “Those are not defenses,” Merchan said. “I will have very little patience at trial.” The trial is expected to last about a month. Weisselberg’s plea agreement contains no requirement for the longtime CFO to cooperate in the criminal fraud case against Trump himself, which is separate from the case against the Trump Organization. Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read More…