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Oath Keeper Testifies He Was Ready To Die On Jan. 6 To Keep Trump In Office https://digitalalabamanews.com/oath-keeper-testifies-he-was-ready-to-die-on-jan-6-to-keep-trump-in-office/ WASHINGTON — A member of the far-right Oath Keepers who stormed the U.S. Capitol testified that he was ready to fight to keep former President Donald Trump in office and was preparing himself in the weeks before Jan. 6 to say goodbye to his family, he testified in a seditious conspiracy trial on Tuesday. Jason Dolan, a 46-year-old military veteran, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and a count of obstruction of an official proceeding in September and testified in the trial of five other members of the extremist group under a cooperation agreement with the government. Other cooperating defendants are also expected to testify in the trial. Dolan has not pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy, but three other Oath Keepers have. Dolan testified Tuesday that before the Jan. 6 attack, he was drinking — often alone and in his garage — and getting sucked into online conspiracy theories. “I was watching a lot of videos about the election. At the time I felt like the election had been stolen,” he said. Dolan said he was trying to “mentally prepare” at the time for how far he was willing to go to keep the former star of “The Apprentice” in office for a second term. In December 2020 text messages displayed by the government on Tuesday, Dolan wrote that there was “no coming back” from what he was prepared to do and that he would be “lucky” if he got “a prison sentence, tagged with treason, or a bullet” as a result of his actions. “I think my biggest trouble is trying to convince myself to say good bye to my family, after all they had to endure, with the likelihood of never seeing them again,” Dolan wrote in the message to other Florida Oath Keepers. Testifying on Tuesday, Dolan said that he was not just bloviating. “I meant it literally,” Dolan said, adding that he was asking himself, “Is this all just going to be talk or am I willing to back up my words with actions?” Jason Dolan, center, at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida) Dolan testified that he was “pretty pissed” when he heard that Joe Biden had won the election, and said it “didn’t seem possible” that Trump would lose. “As one person, it’s not something that you can do by yourself. You need a group, you need a lot of people,” he testified. “It felt like within the group I was with … that there was a core group that would be willing to fight,” Dolan said, referring to the Florida members of the Oath Keepers organization. Echoing language used by Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, Dolan said he felt he needed to be willing to “conquer or die,” and, if need be, “take up arms and fight back” on Trump’s behalf. Five members of the Oath Keepers, including Rhodes, are on trial for seditious conspiracy. Rhodes has said that the “quick reaction force” (QRF) and stockpile of guns the group set up outside of D.C. would have only been brought in if Trump invoked the Insurrection Act and called upon groups like the Oath Keepers. Dolan said he thought that Trump would be stopping the certification process by invoking the Insurrection Act and that the Oath Keepers would have to do it themselves if Trump didn’t. “I didn’t really go and look into the legalities of the Insurrection Act,” Dolan said. He added he was anticipating “government on government” fighting, and was willing to oppose the incoming Biden administration “by any means necessary.” “That’s why we brought our firearms,” Dolan said. The government introduced photos of Dolan entering the Capitol, and Dolan testified that he was chanting “treason!” along with other members of the pro-Trump mob. “I wanted them to be afraid of me,” he said of members of Congress in the building that day. “If they weren’t going to, in my perspective, do the right thing, maybe they could be scared into doing the right thing.” When asked by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler how he felt about his actions now, Dolan said, “Looking back on it, I think I was pretty naive, downright stupid with some of my decisions.” “I’m thankful that President Trump at the time didn’t do something like invoke the Insurrection Act because there would have been a lot of violence, had he.” “I just feel pretty stupid about the whole thing,” Dolan added. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Read More…

'Nobody's Tougher': Listen To Trump Brag To Woodward About Overcoming His Impeachment Challenges https://digitalalabamanews.com/nobodys-tougher-listen-to-trump-brag-to-woodward-about-overcoming-his-impeachment-challenges/ CONTINUE READING Show less Read More…

Futures Rise On Netflix; Why Musk May Be Extra Bullish On Tesla https://digitalalabamanews.com/futures-rise-on-netflix-why-musk-may-be-extra-bullish-on-tesla/ Dow Jones futures rose overnight, along with S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures, with Netflix (NFLX) subscriber growth in focus and Tesla earnings looming. X The stock market rally attempt added to gains Tuesday but closed well off highs in a volatile session. Reports of Apple (AAPL) iPhone production didn’t help. Apple stock briefly reversed lower but managed to close slightly higher. While the market rally is still underway, it hasn’t confirmed anything yet. Investors should pay close attention and remain cautious. Netflix subscriber growth was much stronger than expected in Q3, with the streaming TV giant also bullish on Q4 customers. Earnings also topped. Netflix stock surged, signaling a breakout. Disney (DIS) and Roku (ROKU) also rose overnight. Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) beat Q3 EPS and revenue forecasts. ISRG stock jumped in overnight action. Intuitive shares are near lows. But results for the maker of robotic surgical systems could be a good sign for other medical gear companies. United Airlines (UAL) delivered strong Q3 earnings and Q4 guidance, following a bullish outlook from Delta Air Lines (DAL) last week. UAL stock leapt in extended trade, with Delta adding to regular-session gains. Chip gear giant ASML (ASML) reports early Wednesday morning, followed by Lam Research (LRCX) Wednesday night. They’ll offer a read on the chip sector, including possible commentary on U.S. controls on chip tech to China. Both ASML stock and LRCX are just above their lowest levels since 2020. Tesla (TSLA) is on tap Wednesday night. The EV giant should deliver strong earnings growth, but investors will want reassurance about the future. Meanwhile, there was new evidence that Elon Musk’s Twitter (TWTR) takeover could be imminent. TWTR stock is not far from the $54.20-a-share buyout price. Dow Jones Futures Today Dow Jones futures rose 0.6% vs. fair value, with DIS stock offering a small lift. S&P 500 futures climbed 0.8%. Nasdaq 100 futures jumped 1.2%. NFLX stock and United Airlines are S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 components. Crude oil futures rose 1%. The U.S. may ramp up Strategic Petroleum Reserve sales over the winter, according to late Tuesday reports. The government would pledge to buy back crude reserves at or below $67-$72 a barrel. Remember that overnight action in Dow futures and elsewhere doesn’t necessarily translate into actual trading in the next regular stock market session. Join IBD experts as they analyze actionable stocks in the stock market rally on IBD Live Stock Market Rally The stock market rally attempt started off strong but fell off highs almost immediately. A volatile session followed, though the major indexes closed with solid to strong gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.1% in Tuesday’s stock market trading. The S&P 500 index climbed 1.15%. The Nasdaq composite advanced 0.9%. The small-cap Russell 2000 gained 1.2%. The 10-year Treasury yield fell 1 basis point to 4%, after dropping to 3.97% soon after the market open, then rising to 4.07%, just below a recent 14-year high. U.S. crude oil prices fell 3.1% to $82.82 a barrel amid reports that the Biden administration will release more crude from the SPR. Natural gas futures sank 4.2% after tumbling 7% on Monday. ETFs Among the best ETFs, the Innovator IBD 50 ETF (FFTY) rose 1.15%, while the Innovator IBD Breakout Opportunities ETF (BOUT) climbed 1.3%. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) advanced 1.7%. The VanEck Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH) closed just above break-even. ASML and LRCX stock are significant SMH holdings. The SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (XME) rose 1.3% and the Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE) added 2%. The U.S. Global Jets ETF (JETS) ascended 2.5%, with United Airlines and DAL stock key components. The SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) added 2.3%. The Energy Select SPDR ETF (XLE) was up 0.9% and the Financial Select SPDR ETF (XLF) tacked on 1.6%. The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) increased 0.6%. Reflecting stocks with more speculative stories, the ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) rose 1.6% and ARK Genomics ETF (ARKG) gained 1.3%. Tesla stock is the top holding across Ark Invest’s ETFs. Five Best Chinese Stocks To Watch Now Apple iPhone Concerns Apple is cutting iPhone 14 Plus production just two weeks after the big-screen handset went on sale. That’s according to The Information, citing sources. That follows earlier reports that the Dow Jones tech giant was reining in overall iPhone 14 production. However, the 14 Plus was not seen as a big seller, with investors’ focus more on the pricier iPhone 14 Pro versions. The iPhone Plus report came as Apple unveiled new iPads. Apple earnings are due on Oct. 27. Apple stock did end up 0.9% to 143.75 on Tuesday. However, shares rose as much as 3.1% intraday, topping their 21-day line. Netflix Subscribers Netflix earnings exceeded estimates as subscribers grew by 2.41 million, vs. analyst views for about 1 million. And the tech giant sees subscribers up by 4.5 million in Q4. The streaming giant on Nov. 3 will launch an ad-supported tier for $6.99 a month. Netflix also is stepping up its efforts to crack down on password sharing in hopes to boost subscriber counts. But the days of easy subscriber growth are long gone. It’s a tough, expensive battle just to hold onto existing customers, with Disney+, Apple+, HBO Max, Paramount+ and many more fighting for viewers’ eyeballs and wallets. NFLX stock shot up 14% to about 274 in extended trade. Shares fell 1.7% to 240.86 on Tuesday after jumping 6.7% on Monday. Netflix stock has a 252.09 buy point from a bottoming base, according to MarketSmith analysis. It should easily clear that level, but could test its long-sliding 200-day line. Disney stock climbed 3% overnight. DIS stock rose 1.2% on Tuesday, below declining 50-day and 200-day lines. Roku stock rose 4% in extended action. Shares have crashed since hitting a record 490.76 in July 2021, but climbed 1.3% on Tuesday. Tesla Earnings Tesla earnings are due late Wednesday. Analysts expect Tesla earnings to jump 76% vs. a year earlier, with revenue up strongly. But demand concerns are growing amid soaring production and declining backlogs. So investors will be eager for commentary about Tesla deliveries in Q4 and next year. Tesla stock edged up 0.4% to 200.19 on Tuesday after rising as high as 229.75 in the morning. Tesla stock hit a 15-month low on Friday. CEO Elon Musk could have an extra reason to be bullish on Wednesday night’s earnings call. Assuming the Twitter deal closes, perhaps by Oct. 28, Musk may need to sell additional Tesla stock in the coming days to help pay for the $44 billion acquisition. Some estimates suggest Musk may need to sell a further $8 billion in TWTR stock. Twitter locked employee stock accounts Tuesday in “anticipation” of a deal, Bloomberg reported. Twitter stock rose just over 2% to 51.78. Tesla Vs. BYD: Which EV Giant Is The Better Buy? Market Rally Analysis At Tuesday’s open, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite gapped above their 21-day moving averages, joining the Dow Jones and Russell 2000. All the major indexes also moved above Friday’s highs, after all had inside days Monday despite big gains. The major indexes slashed or erased gains as Treasury yields neared recent highs, bounced back somewhat, then pulled back again on the Apple iPhone news. The Nasdaq sits well below its 21-day line while the S&P 500 closed slightly above that level, but in the lower half of the range. At one point, the major indexes were signaling a possible follow-through day to confirm the new uptrend. The Dow and S&P 500 closed solidly higher, with volume above Monday’s level. But the gains weren’t quite strong enough to qualify as a follow-through. Closing well off session highs didn’t exactly signal strength. An FTD could happen at any time. A confirmed market rally would be a positive signal, but not a guarantee. Even if it works, it may be another bear market rally that hits resistance at the 50-day or 200-day lines. Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) broke out past a flat-base buy point, closing near session highs. The relative strength line for BAH stock is at a new high, but the consulting firm’s growth is rather modest. Aehr Test Systems (AEHR) cleared a 17.80 entry in heavy volume. The RS line for AEHR stock is at a 2022 peak. But shares are well above the 50-day line and prone to big swings. DoubleVerify (DV) came right up to a buy point and arguably topped some slightly lower entries before slashing gains. Meanwhile, Shockwave Medical (SWAV) and Wolfspeed (WOLF) hit resistance around their 50-day lines. Time The Market With IBD’s ETF Market Strategy What To Do Now This is an interesting time. The market rally attempt has made some headway, but the action has been volatile, with both resistance and support at the 21-day line. Buying stocks is tricky, because if you buy on strength the gains can quickly disappear if the market reverses from intraday highs. So if you do make any moves, step in slowly, and be ready to get out quickly. There’s nothing wrong with staying entirely or nearly all in cash, waiting for more market clarity. But while waiting, stay engaged with the market. And work on those watchlists. Stocks can quickly move into or out of position in the current climate, so make sure your watchlists are up to date. Focus on a select group of actionable or nearly actionable stocks, while also keeping an eye on a broader list of stocks exhibiting strong relative strength. Read The Big Picture every day to stay in sync with the market direction and leading stocks and sectors. Please follow Ed Carson on Twitter at @IBD_ECarson for stock market updates and more. YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Catch The Next Big Winning Stock With ...

Sunshine State Senate Debate: Marco Rubio And Val Demings Square Off In Florida: Recap https://digitalalabamanews.com/sunshine-state-senate-debate-marco-rubio-and-val-demings-square-off-in-florida-recap/ WASHINGTON – Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic challenger Val Demings jousted Tuesday over abortion, gun control, immigration, and basic qualifications during the first – and only – debate of their hotly contested U.S. Senate race. “The senator, who has never run anything at all but his mouth, would know nothing about helping people,” said Demings, a three-term U.S. House member who is looking to move to the other side of the U.S. Capitol. When Demings scoffed at Rubio’s comment that she had backed a “socialist” budget, the incumbent senator said he didn’t know which term his opponent would prefer: “Socialist … Marxist … crazy … I’m open to suggestions.” During a tense exchange over Rubio’s opposition to gun control, Demings said Florida voters must have wondered: “what in the hell did he just say?” Rubio later mocked Demings over border security by saying “which boots does she want on the ground?” He said the congresswoman “has never passed a single piece of legislation” on her own. The two candidates also clashed over abortion, just months after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Roe vs. Wade ruling. Demings said Rubio wants to ban abortion bans with no exceptions whatsoever; Rubio said Demings supports abortions with no restrictions at all. Each accused the other of lying about their positions on these and other issues. Rubio, seeking a third term in the Senate, leads in the polls, but Democrats are hopeful that Demings – who has significantly raised more campaign funds than the incumbent – has the wherewithal to pull an upset. “Of course it’s hard, but it’s not impossible,” Demings told CNN recently. Every Senate race is crucial as the parties battle for control. The chamber is currently divided 50-50, with Democrats in charge because Vice President Kamala Harris has the power to break tie votes. Demings’ closing remarks: ‘Only in America is my story possible’  In her closing remarks, Demings claimed that Rubio’s comments regarding her past record were “just not true.” Demings said only in America is her story possible, recounting how she was the first in her family to go to college, worked her way up the ranks to serve as chief of police, served in the House and is now running for the Senate.   “I just happen to believe that every person, regardless of who they are, deserves the opportunity to succeed, deserves the opportunity to make it,” she said.   She said the senator will pick and choose winners and losers based on their ability to “pay to play.”   In her last rebuke against Rubio, she said he voted against legislation that would help reduce the cost of prescription drugs and cap the cost of insulin.  – Rachel Looker   Demings: ‘We have to hold China accountable’ During her rebuttal on what the United States’ policy on China should be, Demings said the “bottom line is that we have to hold China accountable.” Demings said that the U.S. needs to make sure Chinese takeover of Taiwan doesn’t happen and, as a member of the House intelligence committee, she and fellow panel members are “studying” ways to make sure it doesn’t occur. – Sarah Elbeshbishi Rubio talks about the “danger involved in drop boxes” Rubio questioned why drop boxes are now the standard of voting when they previously didn’t exist in past elections, touting the danger involved in using drop boxes. “Imagine someone decision there’s a drop box, ‘I’m just going to put some explosives in it and blow it up and burn all of those ballots,’” Rubio said.   – Sarah Elbeshbishi Demings invokes John Lewis on voting rights On a question about election integrity and voting rights, Demings says she’s not the one on the stage that “supports suppressing the right to vote” before quoting former congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis. Deming said that the country needs federal legislation to “keep everybody accountable.”   – Sarah Elbeshbishi Rubio highlights ‘detailed plan’ on China  Rubio, who emphasized how he served as vice chairman of the intelligence committee and was the previous chairman, said he thinks holding China accountable is a talking point.   “It’s a great banner. I’m sure it’s a great bumper sticker, but it’s not a plan,” he said.   Rubio said he has a detailed plan on how to address relationships with China. To hold China accountable, he said the country needs to fix itself first, such as increasing production in America again.   “You think things are bad now, imagine the day you wake up and realize we can’t get medicine because the Chinese have cut us off,” he said.   – Rachel Looker   Rubio touted his record in closing statements  “No U.S. Senator has gotten more done than I have,” Rubio said.  He cited examples of bills he has been a part of, including veteran treatment for exposure to burn pits and helping save small business jobs.  “I have a record of not just identifying the problems but fixing it,” Rubio said.  – Savannah Kuchar Rubio responds on China relations Rubio said he has been a part of every restrictive China policy thus far.  “So much so China has actually sanctioned and banned me,” Rubio said. “And I was very upset about that because I had to cancel my vacation in Wuhan.”  He said China-US relations will be a key issue going forward.  “We don’t need the Pentagon spending all its time producing videos on the proper use of pronouns,” Rubio said. “We need them focused on how to blow up aircraft carriers made by China.” – Savannah Kuchar Demings: ‘We need to hold China accountable’   When asked about U.S. policy with China, Demings said the United States needs to hold China accountable.   She said the United States is the most powerful nation in the world and China has not been the best actor.   “We have to take action,” she said, if there’s serious threats from China.   – Rachel Looker  Rubio against Putin before it was “cool” Rubio said that a United States response to Russia has to be a “unified” one, noting that he’s wary of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has been “before being against Vladimir Putin was cool.” The senator said that the country needs to be wary of Putin’s actions as he’s on the losing the war in Ukraine and is concerned about losing his position. – Sarah Elbeshbishi Rubio: ‘It’s never been easier to vote’   Rubio wrote earlier this year in The Federalist that Democrats’ push for voters’ right is about “exaggerated problems and imaginary fears.”   In Florida, Rubio said it has never been easier to cast a ballot. Sunshine State residents can now vote by mail for any reason and can vote 10 days before the election, he said. Rubio said when people vote, theyu show an ID, adding that he never felt like producing an ID disadvantaged his right to vote.   – Rachel Looker  Demings responds to Rubio claims of Florida’s “wonderful” voting laws Demings said Florida has an “election law police force.”  “If the laws are so wonderful what’s the need for that?” Demings said  She also criticized a statewide decrease in ballot drop boxes.  Demings said her opponent has a responsibility to encourage people to vote, even those that do not plan to vote for him, “although that scares the Senator to death,” she said.  – Savannah Kuchar Rubio turns questions on Medicare to an attack on Demings When asked if he supported fellow Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott’s plan for federal legislation to have to vote on existing legislation every five years, including Medicare and Social Security, Rubio said he wouldn’t before then taking the opportunity to turn her response into an attack on his opponent. “If you want to talk about radical plans Congresswoman Demings supported a radical plan. I already mentioned earlier the people’s budget,” Rubio said.   – Sarah Elbeshbishi Demings: US must ‘do everything within our power’ to protect NATO allies   Demings said the United States has to do everything “within our power” to protect NATO allies.   If Poland is attacked, there has to be an immediate response, she said.  “I believe that that response will be sufficient and swift.” – Rachel Looker   Rubio on “proportional response” to Russian attacks Responding to questions of attacks by Russia on other ally countries, Rubio said the U.S. response needs to be “proportional,” adding that it should “depend on the nature and level of the attack.”  Rubio also said he would argue that “they’ve already attacked NATO.”  – Savannah Kuchar Demings asked about nuclear ‘Armageddon’  “We have to hold those who are not our friends accountable,” Demings said, adding that this includes Russia.  “We have to continue to support Ukraine and our NATO allies,” Demings said.  She said the country should use diplomacy to protect against nuclear war.  Demings said, “we cannot afford to have a nuclear attack,” adding that the U.S. government should do everything in its power to prevent that from happening. – Savannah Kuchar Candidates dispute processors at the border   In his rebuttal, Rubio said Demings has opposed the border wall and supported policies that banned border funding. He added that Demings is arguing for more processors simply to get people through the border faster, not for improved security.   Demings responded that even with more processors, if immigrants do not meet the standard for asylum seekers they will be sent back.   She added that we need to secure our border with more boots on the ground. – Rachel Looker  Demings on immigration: “We are a nation of laws” Demings calls for more resources at the border, including more personnel, technology and processors, to secure the border but also to be able to determine individuals who are seeking asylum and those needing to be arrested. “We’re a nation of laws. We have to enforce the law,...

Explainer: Why Venezuela's Refugee Exodus To The U.S. Has Been Accelerating https://digitalalabamanews.com/explainer-why-venezuelas-refugee-exodus-to-the-u-s-has-been-accelerating/ Maria Victoria, 8, cries because she wants to see her father who is in the United States, during a protest on the banks of the Rio Bravo river, after Venezuelan migrants were expelled from the U.S. with their families and sent back to Mexico under Title 42, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico October 18, 2022. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez Oct 18 (Reuters) – U.S. and Mexican authorities recently announced a new policy that would expel Venezuelans entering the U.S. land border back to Mexico, but allow up to 24,000 people from the country to apply for humanitarian entry into the United States by air. As a result of the new policy, thousands of Venezuelans believed to be en route to the United States are now stranded between the two countries during a year when Venezuelans are arriving at the U.S. border in record numbers. WHY WERE THE NEW MEASURES PUT IN PLACE? The measures respond in part to political pressure on U.S. President Joe Biden to curb record numbers of illegal crossings at the Mexico-U.S. border. Venezuelans have been one of the largest groups of migrants involved in such crossings, in part because Washington granted temporary protection status last year to those who were on U.S. soil. Deporting Venezuelans is also more complicated than with migrants of other nationalities because the two countries broke diplomatic relations in 2019, making it difficult to organize deportation flights. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com More than 150,000 Venezuelans were apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border between October 2021 and August 2022, compared with nearly 48,000 in fiscal-year 2021, according to U.S. government data. In September, over 33,000 Venezuelan individuals were encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border – more than the number of unique crossers from Mexico and more than immigrants from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras combined, according to U.S. government data. WHAT HAPPENS NOW TO VENEZUELANS IN TRANSIT TO THE UNITED STATES? Those in transit may attempt to reach the United States despite the near certainty that they will be sent back to Mexico. Mexican authorities so far have given many of these individuals a deadline of no more than two weeks to leave the country. It is unclear where Venezuelans waiting in Mexico will stay, as Mexico’s migrant shelter system is often overwhelmed. Some may return to Venezuela, while others could settle down in different Latin American countries, where Venezuelan migrants have in some cases faced discrimination, limited job opportunities and restrictions on their migratory status. Half of the Venezuelan refugee and migrant population across Latin America and the Caribbean cannot afford three meals a day and lacks access to housing, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), forcing many to resort to sex work or begging. WHO CAN APPLY FOR THE NEW U.S. PROGRAM? Venezuelans who meet the U.S. requirements may apply for the recently announced U.S. program. Among the requirements is having a U.S.-based supporter and holding a valid passport. The cost of a passport in Venezuela is $200, nearly ten times the country’s minimum wage. Only 1% of 1,591 migrants who left Venezuela between June and August held a passport, according to the Observatory of Social Investigations, a rights group. WHAT TRIGGERED THE VENEZUELAN EXODUS? Under late President Hugo Chavez, who died in 2013, the country with the world’s largest oil reserves weathered corruption and inflation. Then in 2014, Venezuela’s economy buckled as global oil prices tumbled, and living conditions further deteriorated as stringent price controls created widespread shortages. Products began to disappear from store shelves while black markets thrived with goods ranging from cooking oil to corn flour. In 2018, inflation in Venezuela exceeded 1 million percent. Medicines for conditions from headaches to cancer were unavailable. WHY ARE VENEZUELANS STILL MIGRATING? Despite some improvements following a 2019 opening of the economy that included an informal dollarization, most Venezuelans still struggle to afford basic goods and services. Efforts by the government of Chavez’s successor, Nicolas Maduro, to ease economic restrictions have alleviated shortages and fueled consumption in high-income brackets, but left the vast majority of the population making wages that fall well short of the cost of living. The monthly minimum wage in the OPEC-member nation is around $15 while the price of a basket of goods covering the monthly needs of a family of five was around $370 at the end of September, according to the nongovernmental Venezuelan Finance Observatory. Even in the commerce and services sector of relatively wealthy Caracas, employees make an average of only around $130 a month. Meanwhile in the public sector, which employs some 2.2 million, the average monthly salary is about $20 to $30. Economists say at least 30% of the population has not benefited from the new economic measures. Remittances to Venezuelans from relatives in the United States or elsewhere help but are insufficient for most. Just one-fourth of Venezuelan families receive remittances, averaging only $70 a month, according to Caracas-based consultancy Anova. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Vivian Sequera in Caracas and Sarah Kinosian in Mexico City Editing by Matthew Lewis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More…

WATCH: Tide Women's Basketball Coach Kristy Curry At SEC Media Day https://digitalalabamanews.com/watch-tide-womens-basketball-coach-kristy-curry-at-sec-media-day/ TUSCALOOSA, AL — The 2022-23 women’s college basketball season is right around the corner, with teams officially kicking off practice this week and taking to the podium for SEC Media Day on Tuesday. Click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter and breaking news alerts. Here’s everything Crimson Tide coach Kristy Curry had to say during her media availability today, as she enters her 10th season at the helm. Find out what’s happening in Tuscaloosawith free, real-time updates from Patch. The Tide finished 20-14 last year and 6-10 in SEC play, but will return seven players who contributed over 95% of the Crimson Tide’s points from a year ago. Unable to see the video link to Curry’s press conference at the top of the story? Click here to watch her full press conference on YouTube! Find out what’s happening in Tuscaloosawith free, real-time updates from Patch. Alabama men’s basketball and head coach Nate Oats will have their SEC Media Day on Wednesday, so stay tuned for more! Have a news tip or suggestion on how I can improve Tuscaloosa Patch? Maybe you’re interested in having your business become one of the latest sponsors for Tuscaloosa Patch? Email all inquiries to me at ryan.phillips@patch.com Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. The rules of replying: Be respectful. This is a space for friendly local discussions. No racist, discriminatory, vulgar or threatening language will be tolerated. Be transparent. Use your real name, and back up your claims. Keep it local and relevant. Make sure your replies stay on topic. Review the Patch Community Guidelines. Read More…

Tim Michels Says He Will Accept Nov. Election Results After Not Fully Committing https://digitalalabamanews.com/tim-michels-says-he-will-accept-nov-election-results-after-not-fully-committing/ MILWAUKEE Wis. (CBS 58) — Republican governor candidate Tim Michels said he’d “certainly” accept the results of the November election after not fully committing and embracing former President Donald Trump’s falsehoods of widespread voter fraud. Michels, who’s endorsed by Trump, responded to CBS 58’s question on Tuesday whether he’d accept the election results after days earlier declining to answer during a televised debate with his Democratic opponent Governor Tony Evers. “I will accept the results of the November election. Certainty,” Michels said after attending an event at the Rotary Club in Milwaukee. After the event, I asked Michels if he would accept the results of the Nov. election and he said “certainly.” During the Gov. debate on Friday he declined to answer that question. https://t.co/yv54MWyOvu pic.twitter.com/lSY2PtKf6O — Emilee Fannon (@Emilee_Fannon) October 18, 2022 On Friday, both Michels and Evers were asked if they’d accept the election results during their first and only debate. Evers replied “yes,” while Michels didn’t say. Instead, for the first time, Michels answered by committing to certifying the next presidential election after previously stating he wouldn’t rule out decertifying the 2020 election, a move that is legally impossible. In October, a campaign spokesperson for Michels told the Wisconsin State Journal he would accept the Nov. 8 results, “provided the election is conducted fairly and securely.” Shortly after securing Trump’s endorsement ahead of the August primary, Michels told CBS 58 he was unsure whether the election was stolen from the former president. In a statement about Michels’ endorsement, Trump praised him and said he would “end the well-documented fraud in our elections.” Since then, Michels has strictly focused his campaign around election integrity reforms, promising to sign election bills passed by Republicans and vetoed by Gov. Evers that would make a series of changes. Michels has also called for dismantling the state elections commission after previously saying he was in favor of replacing the six members who serve on the bipartisan commission. For months Trump pressured Republican lawmakers, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, to revoke Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes for Joe Biden. Vos has said he told the president in a phone call there’s no legal pathway for decertification. That phone call has caught the attention of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S Capitol. Vos was issued a subpoena seeking information about his call with Trump. Vos is seeking to block the subpoena and a hearing is set for Oct. 24. Read More…

'Any Means Necessary' To Stop Trump Loss https://digitalalabamanews.com/any-means-necessary-to-stop-trump-loss/ Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and four associates face charges of seditious conspiracy. (AP PHOTO) Oath Keepers extremists were prepared to use “any means necessary” to stop the certification of President Joe Biden’s electoral victory on January 6, 2021, a member of the far-right group has testified. Jason Dolan, a 46-year-old retired Marine who last year pleaded guilty to taking part in the assault on the Capitol, testified on Tuesday at the federal criminal trial of the group’s founder, Stewart Rhodes, and four associates, who face charges of seditious conspiracy for their role in the violence. Dolan told the jury he joined the Oath Keepers out of frustration over Republican Donald Trump’s 2020 loss and he grew willing to “fight” against what he saw was an “illegitimate” government as he drank alcohol and texted with group members for hours each night inside his garage in Florida. Dolan stormed the Capitol with several other Oath Keepers and loudly chanted “treason” in the hopes that Congress would “be afraid of me” and not certify Democrat Joe Biden’s election. “It seemed to me a lot of us were prepared – I was prepared – to stop the certification process one way or the other,” Dolan said. When asked by the prosecutor how they would achieve that goal, Dolan responded: “By any means necessary. That’s why we brought our firearms.” Trump continues to falsely claim his defeat was the result of fraud. Rhodes and his four co-defendants – Jessica Watkins, Thomas Caldwell, Kenneth Harrelson and Kelly Meggs – are charged with seditious conspiracy, a rarely prosecuted crime under a statute dating to the Civil War era defined as attempting “to overthrow, put down or to destroy by force the government of the United States”. On January 6, some of the group’s members, including Dolan, were among the thousands of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol, battling police and sending members of Congress scrambling for cover. Prosecutors say the group planned a “quick reaction force” of armed members who waited at a hotel in northern Virginia with a stash of firearms they could ferry across the Potomac River into the capital if called upon. Dolan testified that he brought his assault-style rifle and a pistol with him from Florida, and stashed them in a Virginia hotel. He pleaded guilty in September 2021 to conspiracy and obstructing an official proceeding and agreed to co-operate with the government in the hope of getting a reduced sentence. Australian Associated Press Read More…

AP News Summary At 7:32 P.m. EDT https://digitalalabamanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-732-p-m-edt/ Biden vows abortion legislation as top priority next year WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is promising that the first bill he sends to Capitol Hill next year will be one that codifies Roe v. Wade — if Democrats control enough seats in Congress for Biden to sign abortion protections into law. In a speech designed to energize his party’s voters just three weeks before the November midterms, Biden said, “If you care about the right to choose, then you gotta vote.” Democrats tried repeatedly in this Congress to enshrine abortion rights into law, only to be thwarted by GOP filibusters and the unwillingness of their own members to change the Senate’s rules. That dynamic is likely to persist no matter what happens in the November elections. Ukraine’s power, water supplies under Russian attack again KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Airstrikes cut power and water supplies to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians. That’s part of what the country’s president called an expanding Russian campaign to drive the nation into the cold and dark and make peace talks impossible. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said nearly a third of Ukraine’s power stations have been destroyed in the past week, causing massive blackouts. The mayor of Zhytomyr said all of the city was without electricity and water after a double missile strike Tuesday on an energy facility. Authorities said missile strikes also hit an energy facility in Kyiv and severely damaged another in the south-central city of Dnipro. Worry grows for Iran athlete who competed without her hijab SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An Iranian competitive climber has left South Korea after competing at an event in which she climbed without her nation’s mandatory headscarf covering. Farsi-language media outside of Iran have warned that she may have been forced to leave early by Iranian officials and could face arrest back home. The decision by climber Elnaz Rekabi comes as protests sparked by the September death of a 22-year-old woman detained by the country’s morality police have entered a fifth week. Iran’s Embassy in Seoul denied “all the fake, false news and disinformation” about Rekabi. A later Instagram post on Rekabi’s account claimed she “unintentionally” didn’t wear it and was rushed, though video of the event showed her relaxed at the time. Biden to release 15M barrels from oil reserve, more possible WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will announce the release of 15 million barrels of oil from the U.S. strategic reserve Wednesday as part of a response to recent production cuts announced by OPEC+ nations. That’s according to senior administration officials who spoke Tuesday on the condition of anonymity to outline Biden’s plans. He will also say more oil sales are possible this winter, as his administration rushes to be seen as pulling out all the stops ahead of next month’s midterm elections. The strategic reserve now contains roughly 400 million barrels of oil, its lowest level since 1984. Analyst acquitted at trial over discredited Trump dossier ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A jury has acquitted on all counts a think tank analyst accused of lying to the FBI about his role in the creation of a discredited dossier about former President Donald Trump. The case decided Tuesday involving Igor Danchenko was the third and possibly final case brought by Special Counsel John Durham as part of his probe into how the FBI conducted its own investigation into allegations of collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Kremlin. The first two cases ended in an acquittal and a guilty plea with a sentence of probation. It was the first of the three cases to delve deeply into the origins of the “Steele dossier.” Everything to know to apply for student loan forgiveness NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan, announced in August, will cancel up to $20,000 in debt per borrower. The application process is now open, and the administration says the forms should take five minutes to complete. Borrowers who apply before mid-November should see forgiveness before Jan. 1, when payments on loans are scheduled to restart after a pause during the pandemic. Some Republican-led states have filed lawsuits to try to stop the cancellation, but the Biden administration says they’re confident the challenges won’t succeed. Wisconsin Republican Michels walks back abortion pledge MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Republican candidate for Wisconsin governor is suggesting he does not support arresting doctors under the state’s near total ban on abortions. Tim Michels is locked in a tight race with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, with abortion a major issue. Michels’ position on abortion has been changing. He used to back the state’s near total ban, but now he supports exceptions for pregnancies arising from rape and incest. And at a Tuesday campaign appearance, he said “I will never arrest a doctor.” His spokesperson later walked back his comment, saying Michels is not a district attorney “or beat cop arresting anyone.” ’70s Show’ actor Danny Masterson on trial on 3 rape charges LOS ANGELES (AP) — Opening statements are set to begin soon in the trial of “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson, who is charged with raping three women about 20 years ago. A Los Angeles County jury is expected to be seated as soon as Tuesday in the trial of the 46-year-old former star of the long-running sitcom. All three women say Masterson raped them at his home between 2001 and 2003. Masterson is a member of the Church of Scientology and all three women are former members, making the church likely to loom large during the trial. Netflix rebounds from recent subscriber losses with 3Q gain SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Netflix has reversed its recent subscriber losses with a summertime gain. Management is hoping to build upon the gains with the upcoming launch of a cheaper version of the video streaming service that will include ads for the first time. The Los Gatos, California, company disclosed Tuesday that it picked up 2.4 million subscribers during the July-September period, a comeback from a loss of 1.2 million customers during the first half of the year. The performance topped analyst estimates and enabled Netflix to  at least temporarily reclaim the mantle as the world’s largest video streaming service ahead of Walt Disney Co. Stanton, Judge bash Yanks to 5-1 win, into ALCS vs Astros NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge staggered Cleveland with early homers, and the New York Yankees beat the Guardians 5-1 in the decisive Game 5 of their AL Division Series to set up another rematch with Houston for the pennant. Yankees manager Aaron Boone won his gamble by starting Nestor Cortes on three days’ rest over Jameson Taillon, making the late switch after Monday night’s rain caused a postponement. Cleveland manager Terry Francona stayed the course with Aaron Civale instead of switching to 2020 Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber on short rest. Civale had trouble throwing strikes. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Read More…

The Louvre Abu Dhabi Is Getting A Big Birthday Gift: A Loan Of Leonardo Da Vinci's 'John The Baptist' | Artnet News https://digitalalabamanews.com/the-louvre-abu-dhabi-is-getting-a-big-birthday-gift-a-loan-of-leonardo-da-vincis-john-the-baptist-artnet-news/ One of Leonardo da Vinci’s most renowned paintings, Saint John the Baptist, is about to make an international trip from its home at the Musée du Louvre in Paris to the Louvre Abu Dhabi. The 16th-century painting will be loaned to the Abu Dhabi museum for a period of two years to celebrate the institution’s fifth anniversary. A prime example of the Renaissance great’s technique, the smoky canvas is punctuated by soft highlights across the figure’s outstretched arm, displaying Leonardo’s mastery of chiaroscuro. In a statement to The National, Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, the chairman of Louvre Abu Dhabi, praised the loan. “Visitors to Louvre Abu Dhabi have an unmissable opportunity to engage with a magnificent artwork that captures an extraordinary moment in history and now represents a monumental chapter in our own grand story,” he said. Al Mubarak added that the Louvre outpost was part of “an unfolding vision for Saadiyat Cultural District” in the United Arab Emirates, which is in the midst of a multi-billion-dollar expansion as part of a larger effort to diversify an economy largely dependent on oil to tourism. The Louvre Abu Dhabi photo by Mohamed Somaji. It is a fine time for Leonardo’s painting to be see afresh. Thanks to a restoration effort unveiled in Paris back in 2016, details of the image, which was unfinished at the time of the artist’s death in 1519, are now more clearly visible. The ringlets of John’s auburn hair, a fur pelt draped around his waist, and other details are all better displayed. It marked the first time since 1802 that the canvas had been cleaned. Around 15 layers of varnish that had accumulated and oxidized were carefully removed. Earlier this week, another Leonardo artwork made headlines when it was suggested that the so-called “Last Leonardo” painting, Salvator Mundi—a work which became art history’s most expensive artwork when it sold for a record-breaking $450 million in 2017—could be the sole focus of a forthcoming museum in Saudi Arabia. More Trending Stories: A French Auction House Fired the Employee Responsible for Pricing a $7.5 Million Qianlong Vase at Just $1,900 Archaeologists Have Found the Fabled Temple to Poseidon Recorded in the Greek Historian Strabo’s Ancient Encyclopedia Has the Figuration Bubble Burst? Abstract Painting Dominates the Booths at Frieze London For Its 30th Anniversary Gala, Robert Wilson’s Fabled Watermill Center Borrowed a Theme from H.G. Wells and Took a ‘Stand’ Jameson Green Won’t Apologize for His Confrontational Paintings. Collectors Love Him for It Follow Artnet News on Facebook: Want to stay ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the breaking news, eye-opening interviews, and incisive critical takes that drive the conversation forward. Read More…

Ukrainians Struggle To Conserve Energy After Strikes Damage Power Stations https://digitalalabamanews.com/ukrainians-struggle-to-conserve-energy-after-strikes-damage-power-stations/ Image A grocery store without electricity in Lviv, Ukraine, after a Russian missile attack last week.Credit…Reuters KYIV, Ukraine — From towns near frontline battlefields to high-rises in the capital, Ukrainians were trying to conserve energy as President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Tuesday that Russian attacks over the past eight days had destroyed 30 percent of Ukraine’s power stations and caused “massive blackouts across the country.” The latest strikes have increased the likelihood of a miserable winter, with residents having to do without basic services such as heat and water. The World Health Organization has warned of the potential for a spiraling humanitarian crisis, given that a lack of access to fuel or electricity “could become a matter of life or death if people are unable to heat their homes.” The United Nations’ human rights body has said that deliberate strikes on such civilian targets could constitute a war crime. Mr. Zelensky urged Ukrainians in his nightly address on Monday to reduce their electricity use during peak hours to “enable the whole country to go through this period more stably,” and many residents and businesses have been doing their part. In his statement on Tuesday, he did not specify which power stations had sustained significant damage. On Tuesday, blasts hit a district on the eastern shore of the Dnipro River in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, according to the mayor, along with cities in the north and center of the country. The strikes on Ukraine in recent weeks have targeted both electrical infrastructure and thermal power plants. Many cities and towns rely on a centralized system to heat homes, pumping water from these thermal plants though pipes that reach houses and large apartment complexes across the region. If the plants are damaged — or the pipes — it could threaten heating across a wide area. Those who rely on electric heaters also risk facing a winter without proper warmth in their houses because of rolling blackouts. The attack on Kyiv killed three people and knocked out electricity and water in parts of the city, officials said, and came one day after Russia struck the city with exploding Iranian-made drones, apparently targeting electricity and heating facilities. In Kyiv, lights flickered just after 9 a.m., and residents living in the city’s eastern reaches said they had heard an explosion. The mayor, Vitaly Klitschko, said that an “object of critical infrastructure” had been struck. Kyrylo Tymoshenko, a senior official in Mr. Zelensky’s office, said that at least three strikes had hit an energy site, resulting in “serious damage,” without elaborating. Video Video showed smoke rising near power plants in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian attacks in recent days have destroyed 30 percent of the nation’s power stations, causing large-scale blackouts.CreditCredit…Unknown via Storyful By midmorning, people in Kyiv were lining up at stores to fill bottles with fresh water, and electricity suppliers warned that the city would experience blackouts while repairs were underway. Russia’s Defense Ministry said that it had launched long-range strikes on Tuesday targeting “the military control and energy systems of Ukraine” and depots storing foreign-supplied military weapons and equipment, and that “all the assigned targets had been neutralized.” It was not possible to verify the claim. Even as Russia’s forces lose ground on the battlefield to Ukrainian counteroffensives in the east and south, Moscow has stepped up its aerial bombardment of Ukrainian cities, including many, like Kyiv, that lie far from the front lines. On social media, shops, banks and other major retailers have posted photos of the measures that they are taking to reduce energy use, such as turning off illuminated signs. In the capital, some billboards are no longer lit up at night, and streetlights are being partly turned off. Still, towns and cities across Ukraine are dealing with rolling blackouts or going without power entirely. In Washington, Brig. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said on Tuesday that, with its latest airstrikes on Ukraine’s electrical grid, the Kremlin was “obviously trying to inflict pain on the civilian society as well as try to have an impact on Ukrainian forces.” “But what we’ve seen so far is Ukraine be very resilient and their ability to get things like their power grids back up online quickly,” General Ryder told reporters. Oleksandra Mykolyshyn and Eric Schmitt contributed reporting. Image A destroyed Russian military vehicle near Mykolaivka in Ukraine’s Kherson region earlier this month.Credit…Nicole Tung for The New York Times The commander of the Russian invasion said on Tuesday that his army may face “hard decisions” about its tenuous hold over the strategically important region of Kherson, just minutes after a top Moscow-appointed official there announced an evacuation of civilians from four occupied districts. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the top Russian commander in Ukraine, acknowledged in a rare interview that the situation in the Kherson region has been “difficult” after the Ukrainian army damaged two key connections to other Russian occupied territory. For weeks, Ukrainian forces have been advancing slowly toward the regional capital, the city of Kherson, in a counteroffensive aimed at driving the Russians back across the Dnipro River. In a video statement, Vladimir Saldo, the head of the regional occupation administration, said that residents would be evacuated from four districts on the west side of the Dnipro River. Mr. Saldo — who was appointed governor of the Kherson region by the Kremlin shortly after Russia formally annexed the territory at the end of September — cited the risk of shelling and the need for Russia to build defensive lines to repel an expected Ukrainian attack. General Surovikin, in his first public remarks since he was appointed as head of the Russian military force in Ukraine on Oct. 8, said that the Russian Army would assist the evacuation and stressed the challenging conditions his forces face — with a tacit acknowledgment that a retreat from the city of Kherson might be necessary. “Our future plans and actions regarding the city of Kherson will depend on the unfolding military-tactical situation,” he said in a televised statement. “I repeat — today it is already quite difficult.” The announcements underscored Russia’s precarious hold on the strategically important swath of Ukrainian land that allows the Russian forces to operate on the western side of the Dnipro River, which divides the country into two halves. That control allows Russia to threaten the rest of the Ukrainian-controlled Black Sea coast, including the symbolic city of Odesa. Ukraine has coveted the liberation of Kherson since the first weeks of the war, when the city became the first — and so far only — regional capital to fall to Russian forces since the invasion began. But as Ukrainian forces push closer to the city limits, they face a conundrum: Unlike the Russian military, which has no apparent qualms about targeting infrastructure and killing civilians to achieve its war aims, Ukraine would like to avoid destroying Kherson in the process of recapturing it. If Russian forces put up a concerted fight to keep the city, Ukraine might hesitate to use all its firepower. Pro-Russian military bloggers — an increasingly vocal group in Russia — praised Gen. Surovikin for being honest about the challenges in Kherson. Many interpreted his statement as a sign that Russia might be preparing for a large-scale battle, while others said it could be a sign of a coming retreat. “There are three options here: either our forces would dig in where they are, or they would retreat to the city of Kherson, trying to engage the enemy in street fighting,” said Vladlen Tatarsky, a popular blogger. “Or they would evacuate.” Image A protest outside the Iranian Embassy in Kyiv on Monday.Credit…Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times WASHINGTON — Iran has sent trainers to occupied Ukraine to help Russians overcome problems with the fleet of drones that they purchased from Tehran, according to current and former U.S. officials briefed on the classified intelligence, a further signal of the growing closeness between Iran and Russia since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The Iranian trainers are operating from a Russian military base in Crimea where many of the drones have been based since being delivered from Iran. The trainers are from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, a branch of the Iranian military designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. In recent days, the Iranian drones have become an important weapon for Russia, which has used them as part of the broad strikes across Ukraine against electrical infrastructure and other civilian targets. The deployment of the Iranian trainers appears to coincide with the stepped-up use of the drones in Ukraine and indicates a deeper involvement by Iran in the war. “Sending drones and trainers to Ukraine has enmeshed Iran deeply into the war on the Russian side and involved Tehran directly in operations that have killed and injured civilians,” said Mick Mulroy, a former senior Pentagon official and retired C.I.A. officer. “Even if they’re just trainers and tactical advisers in Ukraine, I think that’s substantial,” Mr. Mulroy said. The United Nations’ human rights body has said that deliberate strikes on such civilian targets could constitute war crimes. When Iran deployed the first batch of drones to Russia, errors by Russian operators rendered them ineffective. Mechanical issues also grounded the planes and limited their utility, according to American officials. Originally, Russia had sent its pers...

Court Of The Judiciary Convicts Jefferson County Judge On Ethics Charge https://digitalalabamanews.com/court-of-the-judiciary-convicts-jefferson-county-judge-on-ethics-charge/ News Updated: Oct. 18, 2022, 5:43 p.m.| Published: Oct. 18, 2022, 5:34 p.m. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Tracie Todd (AL.com) The Alabama Court of the Judiciary has found Jefferson County Circuit Judge Tracie Todd guilty on one charge of violating judicial ethics and suspended her without pay for 120 days. The nine-member court handed down the ruling today. The court held a trial in Montgomery that ended on Friday. The COJ found that Todd did not fully comply with its order from a previous ethics conviction, an order to work for 90 days without pay beginning on Dec. 6. That order was a penalty for violations of the canons of judicial ethics in Todd’s case before the COJ last year. Testimony at the COJ trial in Montgomery showed that Todd was in Chicago, where her husband lives, on Dec. 6 and did not return to Alabama until about Feb. 23, meaning that she was not in Alabama for almost 80 days of the 90 days she was ordered to work without pay. Todd, who testified in her defense, claimed that she did return to work as ordered despite being in Chicago, communicating with her staff, issuing orders through her judicial assistant, and preparing to hear cases. Todd said illness and illnesses in her family delayed her return to Alabama. It takes agreement from at least six of the nine members of the COJ to convict. The ruling today said that more than six of the nine judges voted to convict Todd on the one charge, although the vote was not unanimous. The COJ did not convict Todd on a second charge, that she made false and misleading statements about her compliance with the order to return to work on Dec. 6. The COJ said a third charge, that Todd failed to make provisions for her cases while she claimed to be ill, was redundant to the first charge and did not consider it. Todd is a criminal court trial judge. She was elected in 2012 and reelected without opposition in 2018. This story will be updated. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Read More…

How Will Kanye, Elon, And Trump’s Social Media Moves Shake Out? https://digitalalabamanews.com/how-will-kanye-elon-and-trumps-social-media-moves-shake-out/ Elon Musk, who appears to be moving forward with his precarious deal to buy Twitter, seemed to be basking in the prospect of a changing social media landscape, with himself, Donald Trump, and Kanye West at the helm. On Tuesday, he shared a meme of their heads superimposed on the Three Musketeers: “In retrospect, it was inevitable,” he captioned the now deleted image. And in a since deleted tweet from Monday, Musk shared a meme depicting himself and West using Twitter and Parler to combine their powers: “Fun times ahead!” West, a star rapper, producer, and fashion mogul who now goes by Ye, said Monday that he is planning to buy Parler, the minor Rebekah Mercer–funded social media network that launched in 2018 as a safe space for the Trump wing of the Republican Party, and has become an online home for anti-government militia groups, QAnon fanatics, and the like. The announcement came days after West himself was temporarily banned from Twitter for a series of antisemitic remarks. The news, while surprising, can be rationalized; George Farmer, the CEO of Parler’s parent company, is married to right-wing influencer Candace Owens, who has been by West’s side throughout his yearslong evolution into a conservative champion. Owens seems to pop up whenever West sparks controversy. (Like earlier this month, when the two posed in “White Lives Matter” T-shirts during Paris Fashion Week or when Owens defended West saying he would go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” among other things.) But more unclear is what will come of West’s ownership of Parler. Parler received roughly 1.3 million visits over the month of August, according to traffic-monitoring site Similarweb, a minuscule amount of traffic even in the already niche world of conservative social platforms, as noted by tech blogger Jay McKenzie. For comparison, data accumulated by Similiarweb showed Trump’s Truth Social—the Twitter alternative he founded after his expulsion from Twitter and Facebook—was up to 9 million visits the same month, and Gab, perhaps the most extreme Twitter alternative, logged 12.8 million in that span. On Parler, even the platform’s prospective owner has only accrued about 18,000 followers, despite being an A-list celebrity. (West has 31.5 million followers on Twitter.) Moreover, Musk’s memes of the trio taking the internet by storm aside, if the Tesla and SpaceX CEO follows through with the Twitter deal and his promises to do away with some of the content restrictions that led conservatives to build their own platforms, would Parler have a raison d’être? Surely, West would find his way back onto Twitter if his old friend were running things. The rationale behind Musk and Trump’s investments in social media seems clear as day: Both heavily depend on their online persona to boost their standing as celebrities. Musk’s tweets have even influenced the stock market and are instrumental in building the Tesla brand. Likewise, Trump needs a social media outlet to rebuild the online following that helped propel him to the White House in 2016. Maybe, a celebrity face like West can turn around the Parler operation, but it seems far more likely that he will be stuck with a dud product—one he can at least use to shout into the online void without fear of reprisal. That said, the planned acquisition has seemingly strengthened West’s friendship with Trump. Pitching Parler as a safe space for those who have been “bullied by the thought police,” the rapper told Bloomberg News on Monday that he plans to have dinner with the former president to ask him to join the platform, despite it being an obvious competitor to Truth Social. While conservative platforms might only appeal to a small corner of the market—a corner that is far more crowded than it was a couple of years ago—a new Pew Research study found that some 15% of accounts on alternative social media sites like Gettr, Telegram, and Truth Social joined those networks after being suspended, banned, or demonetized by one of the mainstream platforms. So there is a notable number of social media exiles who remain reliant on Parler and Truth Social for their posting fix—at least until the Musk revolution comes to Twitter. Read More…

Mobile Fire-Rescue Urges Fire Safety Ahead Of Cold Weather https://digitalalabamanews.com/mobile-fire-rescue-urges-fire-safety-ahead-of-cold-weather/ MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — As the temperature drops dramatically Tuesday night, many will be pulling out their space heaters and other heating devices to keep warm. Many for the first time since last year. Mobile Fire Rescue officials are asking people to use caution as they start to pull out their heating equipment. “We get some colder conditions again if it’s something you and your family can prevent, make sure that you’re doing everything you can to keep yourself safe. For everything else, call 911 and we’re happy to help,” said Steven Millhouse, with Mobile Fire-Rescue. Mobile Fire-Rescue officials said they’re prepared to respond to any call any day any time, but said it’s best to try to prevent fires from starting. “Have a home fire safety plan, have a working smoke alarm, know how to properly use the space heaters, having your chimney swept. Those sorts of things, cooking, and staying in the kitchen while you’re cooking, those sorts of things to prevent fires in your home and protect yourselves and your families,” said Millhouse. According to the National Fire Protection Association, heating is the second leading cause of house fires and injuries in the US, and the third leading cause of home fire deaths. Space heaters are the equipment most often involved in heating equipment fires, more than two of every five fires. Firefighters want to remind you, space heaters aren’t used to heat an entire room. “If you can prevent it, we recommend you do. For everything else, just give us a call. We’re here to help, that’s why we’re here,” said Millhouse. Some other tips from Mobile Fire-Rescue, make sure you always plug a space heater directly into a wall outlet never an extension cord or surge protector, keep the space heater on a flat surface, and make sure you keep anything flammable at least three feet away from a heat source. Stay ahead of the biggest stories, breaking news and weather in Mobile, Pensacola and across the Gulf Coast and Alabama. Download the WKRG News 5 news app and be sure to turn on push alerts. Read More…

N.Y. Leaders Seek To Criminalize The Spread Of Violent Videos https://digitalalabamanews.com/n-y-leaders-seek-to-criminalize-the-spread-of-violent-videos/ Following the mass shooting this year in Buffalo, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James are urging legislators to punish those who make and distribute videos of extreme violence. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share. A memorial in Buffalo for the victims of the May 14 mass shooting.Credit…Mustafa Hussain for The New York Times Oct. 18, 2022Updated 6:28 p.m. ET Making or sharing videos of mass shootings or other extreme violence online should be illegal under state and federal law, New York’s leaders said on Tuesday as they released a new report on the livestreamed racist massacre in Buffalo. The 49-page report, compiled by the state’s attorney general, Letitia James, after a request from Gov. Kathy Hochul, described how internet platforms influenced the suspect, who is accused of killing 10 people, all of them Black, during the mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket on May 14. The suspect had written that he planned to livestream the killings to spread the white supremacist ideology that motivated his massacre, and hoped to inspire others to follow with other racist attacks. The report emphasized that, under the law as it stands, anyone wishing to hold the internet platforms responsible would have little legal recourse. Instead, Ms. James, a Democrat, recommended that New York lawmakers introduce criminal penalties for creating images or videos of a murder — a measure that would be the first of its kind in the United States were lawmakers to take it up — and that those who shared such videos online be held liable for disseminating violent content. Ms. Hochul, also a Democrat, signed on to that recommendation when the report was released on Tuesday, saying it offered “a road map toward greater accountability.” In a statement, Ms. James noted the danger of insufficiently regulated online platforms, which she called “breeding grounds for white supremacy.” The report said that as many as 28 people had watched at least some portion of the attack as it was shown live on Twitch, the popular video streaming platform. The report also found that Twitch stopped the livestream two minutes “after the first person was shot,” but that a version of the video that spread most widely online was uploaded by a single user in Washington State, who put it on 4chan, an anonymous message board, on the night of the attack. Within days, the link had been posted and reposted thousands of times, the report said. Few details were provided as to how a criminal statute might work — other than to note that any legislation should avoid covering videos created passively, “such as those captured by police officers’ body-worn cameras. The suggestion drew skepticism from former prosecutors. “It makes little if any sense,” said Jack Ryan, a veteran of the Queens district attorney’s office. “If you’ve committed a homicide, it’s not going to deter you that it’s against the law to tape it, and if you’re an accomplice to a homicide you’re as guilty of the murder as the person who pulled the trigger. I quite frankly don’t understand what they’re trying to do.” But the effort to stem the flow of such videos was met with approval from gun control advocates like David Pucino, the deputy chief counsel at the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Mr. Pucino said such laws could help counteract what is known as the “contagion” effect of shootings, where mass killers draw inspiration from other mass killers, while also broadcasting their own acts to gain fame. Indeed, the Buffalo suspect, Payton Gendron, said he had been drawn to the violence of other mass shooters, particularly the Australian man who murdered 51 people in an attack on two mosques in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019, while livestreaming. The attorney general’s report acknowledged significant obstacles to holding platforms accountable. Companies that host content online are broadly protected from liability, both by the First Amendment and by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which Ms. James also recommended be reformed. The law is also at the heart of a case that the Supreme Court agreed to hear this month, which may change the way the measure has been understood. Ms. James “is right that the first step is that you would need to change Section 230,” said Jeff Kosseff, an associate professor at the United States Naval Academy who studies the legal protections for online speech. But, he added, even if those changes were made, there would still be First Amendment barriers to imposing civil liability on both platforms and the people who distributed content on them. Mr. Gendron, now 19, is an avowed white supremacist who had displayed signs of mental instability before the attack, including detailing racist musings and plans for an attack in a diary he kept on the chat application Discord. While Discord has said it uses “advanced tooling” and “machine learning” to root out violent content, Ms. James’s office found that its tools “either did not scan his writing, or else were not calibrated to develop any assessment about the profusion of popular racist memes, inflammatory rhetoric and precise details about a planned mass shooting.” Other platforms were similarly flat-footed when it came to registering Mr. Gendron’s intentions. He streamed on Twitch, the platform that he ultimately used to broadcast the attack, three times before the day of the shooting, but did not appear to have violated any of the platform’s rules. The video of the attack itself lasted approximately 24 minutes, including the two minutes that ran after the first person was shot. The suspect said in his online writings that he had traveled to Buffalo’s East Side with the intention of “killing as many Blacks as possible.” He chose that neighborhood because it was the most predominantly African American area near his home in the Southern Tier town of Conklin, N.Y., about 200 miles to the southeast. Wearing camouflage, a ballistic helmet and body armor, the suspect is accused of shooting 13 people using a semiautomatic Bushmaster rifle. Three people survived the shooting. He is currently facing murder and domestic terrorism charges, leveled by state authorities, in addition to more than two dozen charges under federal gun and hate crime laws. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Even with her recommendations for state legislation, Ms. James acknowledged that “the national problem of gun violence demands national solutions.” That sentiment was echoed by Garnell Whitfield Jr., who lost his 86-year-old mother, Ruth, in the attack, and has since been vocal about the need for federal action on guns and social media sites. On Tuesday, Mr. Whitfield repeated those calls for new legislation, but said the report still had value. “They’re shining light on this,” said Mr. Whitfield. “Whether anything comes of it or not, that can’t be the determining factor whether you call it out, and call it what it is.” Read More…

‘Where’s The Beef?’: Special Master Says Trump’s Mar-A-Lago Records Claims Lack Substance https://digitalalabamanews.com/wheres-the-beef-special-master-says-trumps-mar-a-lago-records-claims-lack-substance/ Donald Trump’s assertions of executive and attorney-client privilege over certain documents that the FBI seized from his Mar-a-Lago resort appeared to lack evidence sufficient for him to rule in the former US president’s favor, the special master reviewing the records suggested on Tuesday. The special master, senior US district court judge Raymond Dearie, complained during a conference call in the case that the log of documents Trump is trying to withhold from the justice department did not give enough information about the validity of the privilege claims. Dearie encouraged Trump’s lawyers to elaborate on why they believed the documents could be excluded from the justice department’s criminal investigation into the potential willful retention of national defense information, removal of government records and obstruction of justice. “It’s a little perplexing as I go through the log,” Dearie said. “What’s the expression – ‘Where’s the beef?’ I need some beef.” The discussion on the conference call was the latest development in the ongoing review that is examining whether any of the 11,000 documents without classified markings seized from Mar-a-Lago are legally privileged and cannot be used by prosecutors in the criminal investigation. Trump sought the appointment of a special master and argued to US district court judge Aileen Cannon in Florida – a Trump appointee – that the justice department should not itself decide whether some of the documents were potentially protected by executive or attorney-client privilege. The request was granted in an unprecedented ruling – partly because of Trump’s status as a former president, Cannon said – that also prevented federal investigators from examining both the 11,000 documents and an additional 103 documents bearing classified markings. That prompted the justice department to seek to reverse elements of Cannon’s ruling in order to regain access to the 103 documents, which the US court of appeals for the 11th circuit granted and the US supreme court last week upheld over Trump’s objections. The conference call touched only on privilege disagreements concerning a small subset of the seized materials that remains, for now, in the special master’s purview. The justice department has since appealed the appointment of the special master in its entirety. The dispute could foreshadow what could be a messy argument between Trump’s lawyers seeking to limit what documents can be used in the criminal inquiry, and the justice department, which is trying to keep as many records in play. The Guardian has previously reported that Trump is seeking to withhold from federal prosecutors letters and signing sheets with the National Archives, among a number of documents that were scooped up by the FBI that appear germane to the criminal investigation. On the call, Dearie specifically asked Trump’s lawyers to give him a better sense of how one document, for instance, could both be subject to executive privilege – a designation applying to presidential records – and simultaneously be a non-governmental, personal document. “Unless I’m wrong, and I’ve been wrong before, there’s certainly an incongruity there,” Dearie said, appearing to cast doubt on the notion that a document could carry both characterizations. The special master also asked Trump’s lawyers to provide more details on documents they asserted were protected by attorney-client privilege, as he suggested that some of the documents in question had been seen by a third party, which would make the communications no longer confidential. Dearie also grew frustrated that the two sides were unable to resolve more disagreements among themselves, at one stage criticizing the government for not saying whether one of the documents, concerning the 2017 special counsel investigation, had been sent to the justice department. The conference call, however, did resolve why Trump’s legal team had been told at one stage that there could be 200,000 pages to examine but the actual number was 21,792 pages: a company hired to digitize the seized materials for the special master review had overestimated the page count. Read More…

Pelosi Says She Doesn't Regret Threatening To Punch Trump | News Channel 3-12 https://digitalalabamanews.com/pelosi-says-she-doesnt-regret-threatening-to-punch-trump-news-channel-3-12/ By Annie Grayer and Aaron Pellish, CNN House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday that she does not regret threatening to punch then-President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021, if he came to the Capitol, but “he wouldn’t have had the courage to come to the Hill. He is all talk.” “That’s right,” Pelosi told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell when asked to address her comments about Trump on January 6. “I would have punched him out. I said I would have punched him out. I would have gone to jail. And I would have been happy to do so.” When Mitchell followed up to ask if she would have punched Trump, Pelosi said: “He wouldn’t have had the courage to come to the Hill. He is all talk.” Last week, CNN revealed previously unseen documentary footage of Pelosi captured by her daughter on January 6 showing the speaker reacting to her staff sharing reports that Trump was trying to come to the Capitol. “If he comes, I’m going to punch him out. I’ve been waiting for this. For trespassing on the Capitol grounds, I’m going to punch him out. And I’m going to go to jail, and I’m going to be happy,” Pelosi said in the footage. When asked if she would a support a criminal referral of Trump if he refuses to comply with the committee’s subpoena, Pelosi said, “That’s going to be up to the committee. Again, I keep my distance.” In the footage that aired on CNN last week, Pelosi’s chief of staff notifies her that the Secret Service “dissuaded (Trump) from coming to Capitol Hill.” It’s unclear how the aide learned this. But the footage backs up the testimony of  Trump White House official Cassidy Hutchinson, who told the January 6 committee about Trump’s attempts to force his security detail to take him to the Capitol, but they overruled him. The footage was captured by Alexandra Pelosi, a documentary filmmaker and daughter of the Democratic speaker of the House. Alexandra Pelosi has released documentaries on HBO for decades. CNN and HBO are both owned by the same parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. Nancy Pelosi was also asked in the Tuesday interview with MSNBC to address members of her own party who are calling for a new generation of Democratic leadership as they campaign ahead of the November midterms. “I say, just win baby. Just win. If that’s what you have to say to win, fine. And we will not, in any way, do anything but totally supportive, mobilization-wise, message-wise, money-wise, for those people to win their races,” she said. “Yes, we need generational change, of course we do. But, in some cases, there’s no substitute for experience” Pelosi added. The-CNN-Wire & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. CNN’s Marshall Cohen contributed to this report. Read More…

2 More Suspects In Alabama Double Murder Plead Guilty; ‘We Will Continue To Work Until All Five Of Those Responsible Face Justice,’ DA Says https://digitalalabamanews.com/2-more-suspects-in-alabama-double-murder-plead-guilty-we-will-continue-to-work-until-all-five-of-those-responsible-face-justice-da-says/ Birmingham Real-Time News Published: Oct. 18, 2022, 5:14 p.m. Lazaro Moran and Lindettia Lowery (Contributed) Two more suspects in a double murder case from 2018 have pleaded guilty. Lazaro Moran, 35, of New Jersey, and Lindettia Lowery, 36, of Fairfield, entered their guilty pleas Friday in the slayings of Hernan Antonio Padilla and Allen Clifford Sandlin in west Alabama, 24th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Andy Hamlin. Moran will serve two life sentences, and Lowery will serve two concurrent 25-year sentences. Michael Even Council pleaded guilty in July and is servicing two life sentences. Michael Evan Council (Contributed) Padilla, 55, and Sandlin, 56, were found shot to death at Padilla’s home outside Carbon Hill on May 1, 2018. Someone called 911 about 7:30 a.m. that Tuesday asking for help at the County Highway 63 home in the Studdards Crossroads community, which is near the Walker County line. When lawmen arrived on the scene, they found the two victims dead inside. An extensive investigation led to capital murder charges against the suspects. Charges against Brandon Dewayne Lowery and Brittany Bell-Spates are still pending. The initial charges were capital because the killings happened during a robbery. “I’m pleased we were able to put two more violent offenders in prison for this heinous crime,” Hamlin said. “We will continue to work until all five of those responsible face justice.” Allen Sandlin (Contributed) Sandlin’s daughter, Katie, spoke with AL.com in 2019. She said Padilla had just moved to town and his home needed renovations. Sandlin was the at the home doing construction for Padilla when the men were killed. “I know a lot of people say this, but he was at the wrong place at the wrong time,’’ she said. “I don’t think anybody that knew my dad will ever forget him,’’ Katie said. “As my cousin said, my dad had the ability to make an ordinary day extraordinary.” “He had a heart for people,’’ she said, “regardless of their situation.” The Alabama State Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. The New Jersey State Police assisted with locating and taking the suspects into custody. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Read More…

Food Box Giveaways In The Tennessee Valley https://digitalalabamanews.com/food-box-giveaways-in-the-tennessee-valley/ Need help with food for yourself or your family? See where you can get free groceries in the Tennessee Valley. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Need help with food for yourself or your family? These events may be able to help. Every Wednesday OUC Food Giveaway Oakwood University Church, 5500 Adventist Blvd NW, Huntsville, AL 35896 Every Wednesday at 11:00am, rear parking lot of the Family Life Center. New Life Worship Center Huntsville Free food, fresh produce, clothing 3912 Pulaski Pike NW Huntsville, AL 35810-2659 Every Wednesday 1:00pm-3:00pm Every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday Manna House Food Distribution 2110 S Memorial Pkwy, Huntsville, AL 35801 Every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 3:00-6:00pm Every Saturday House of Harvest, 9144 Wall Triana HWY, Harvest, AL Saturday 7:30am-9am Grocery distribution and hot breakfast October 29 Arab: At the former Scofield Plymouth lot on North Brindlee Mountain Parkway in Arab, One Generation Away hosts a free mobile pantry on October 29 from 9:00am until all food has been given out. The pantry offers fresh produce, dry goods, and more to anyone in need — no questions asked!  Athens: Drive-thru diaper giveaway starts at 9:00am on Saturday, October 29. Each vehicle receives 2 packs of diapers and a pack of wipes! We will have sizes newborn – size 6!  Refuge Church Athens – 1412 Lindsay Lane  November 12 Milton Frank Stadium 2801 15th Avenue SW, Huntsville, AL, 9:00 am – 10:30 am One Generation Away Mobile Pantry offers fresh produce, dry goods, and more to anyone in need — no questions asked!  DeKalb County VFW Fair Grounds 151 18th Street NE, Fort Payne, AL, 9:00 am – 10:30 am  One Generation Away Mobile Pantry offers fresh produce, dry goods, and more to anyone in need — no questions asked!  Read More…

Obituary: Harvey Golden Jones Jr. (January 22, 1941 – October 16, 2022) https://digitalalabamanews.com/obituary-harvey-golden-jones-jr-january-22-1941-october-16-2022/ With extreme sadness, we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, Harvey Golden Jones, Jr. Harvey, 81, was an Auburn resident and member of Auburn United Methodist Church. His loving family was by his side. Harvey Golden Jones Jr. Harvey was born on January 22, 1941, in Montgomery, Alabama, to the late Harvey Golden Jones, Sr., and Ann Coleman Jones. He graduated from Auburn University in 1964 with an art degree. His talent and creativity were illustrated in his career of 40 years in the Creative Advertising industry. He retired as Creative Advertising and Marketing Director at WestPoint Stevens. Harvey is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Sara Broughton Jones; his daughter, Heather Sims (Jody Corbitt), his son, Christopher Broughton Jones; and two grandchildren, Parker and Sarah Grace – all of whom he loved dearly. He is also survived by his uncle, Byron Coleman. Harvey loved God and his family with all his heart, mind, and spirit until his last breath. He was honest, loyal, loving, and selfless, and he gave his heart and soul to his family and friends. On a sunny afternoon, you would find Harvey at the golf club, and on Saturday afternoons in the fall, he cheered on the Auburn Tigers. A celebration of life and memorial will be held on Friday, October 21, 2022, beginning at noon. The memorial service will follow at 1 p.m. at the Auburn United Methodist Church, 137 South Gay St, Auburn, AL 36830. In place of flowers, the family has asked donations to be made in Harvey’s memory to the Bethany House, 1171 Gatewood Drive, Building 100, Auburn, AL 36830, or to The CJD Foundation by visiting www.cjdfoundation.org/donate. Read More…

Two Kids Made Their Own Metallica Video In 1989 And Thinking About It, We https://digitalalabamanews.com/two-kids-made-their-own-metallica-video-in-1989-and-thinking-about-it-we/ Home Features (Image credit: Eric and Darrell |YouTube) It’s 1989. Your name is Eric Fullerton, you’re 11 and live in Huntsville, Alabama. Your  best friend is Darrell Hazelrig and you both love rock and metal.  The internet is a few years away from being made available to the public and drinking in bars won’t even be an option for another decade, whether you want to or not.  Luckily, you have a camcorder and spend your time documenting everything: family events, trips to the record shop, and, hell, you even make a video for Metallica’s 1986 classic Battery because it doesn’t exist. Like a young Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar, you film yourselves playing along to the opening song from Master of Puppets on tennis racquets on your parent’s sofa, even if it’s piled high with blankets and duvets. There are no rules. Those ripped snow washed jeans and fledgling mullets are testament to this.  Their five-minute clip isn’t just confined to the living room. There’s some sort of loose narrative thread involving a punch-up next to the swimming pool, a toy pistol – at least we hope it’s a toy, but it’s America – handfuls of batteries and lots of head banging. It was a truly different time.  “It’s my nostalgic getaway,” Fullerton told AL.com. “I find immense enjoyment in watching other people’s home movies from the ’80s as well, so I think of it as a way to pay it forward. I still have a few videos that are set to private because they didn’t pass other people’s approval. I’m sitting on some gold right now, and hopefully one day they’ll let me post ’em.” Check out the video below and the many other clips on Eric & Darrell’s YouTube channel.  Founded in 1983, Metal Hammer is the global home of all things heavy. We have breaking news, exclusive interviews with the biggest bands and names in metal, rock, hardcore, grunge and beyond, expert reviews of the lastest releases and unrivalled insider access to metal’s most exciting new scenes and movements. No matter what you’re into – be it heavy metal, punk, hardcore, grunge, alternative, goth, industrial, djent or the stuff so bizarre it defies classification – you’ll find it all here, backed by the best writers in our game. Read More…

Georgia Secretary Of State Candidates Spar Over Their Records And Impact Of Controversial Voting Law In Debate – KVIA https://digitalalabamanews.com/georgia-secretary-of-state-candidates-spar-over-their-records-and-impact-of-controversial-voting-law-in-debate-kvia/ By Fredreka Schouten, CNN The candidates running for election chief in the battleground state of Georgia sparred Tuesday over the impact of the state’s controversial 2021 election law and their records defending the right to vote. The contest features one of the country’s best-known secretaries of state — Republican Brad Raffensperger, who famously rebuffed Donald Trump’s request to “find” the votes needed to overturn his loss in the Peach State. His refusal — and later star turn as a witness before the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol — has burnished his reputation as a defender of election integrity as he seeks a second term. “I’ve had to stand up to incredible pressure,” the Republican said during Tuesday’s debate, sponsored by the Atlanta Press Club. “Many people buckled and folded. I didn’t, and I won’t.” His Democratic challenger, state Rep. Bee Nguyen, argued that Georgia’s controversial election law, SB202 — which Raffensperger supports — has erected new hurdles for the state’s voters and election workers. This midterm marks the first major election carried out in the state since the law was enacted. It prompted denunciations from civil rights groups and corporate leaders, including a decision by Major League Baseball to relocate its All-Star Game from Atlanta. Among other things, the law added new voter identification requirements to cast ballots by mail, imposed limits on the availability of ballot drop boxes and made it a crime for third-party groups to hand out food and water to voters as they wait in line at polling places. SB202 also made it explicit that any individual voter could challenge the eligibility of an unlimited number of other Georgians, unleashing tens of thousands of voter challenges from conservative activists in recent months. And although most have been dismissed, they have consumed election workers’ time and attention as they also tried to prepare for the general election. On Tuesday, Nguyen said she would work to repeal the provisions of the law that “have added additional burden on our election workers,” including the mass challenges. She said she also would develop a plan to protect poll workers and their family members from harassment. Raffensperger said the legislature should “reform” that provision to avert “frivolous challenges” that “just gum up the works.” But he also defended efforts to ensure the state’s voting rolls are accurate and pointed to strong turnout during Georgia’s first day of early voting Monday to rebut claims that the law had suppressed voting in the state. He said nearly double the number of voters had cast ballots on the first day of early in-person voting than had done so during the last midterm election four years ago. In an election year in which GOP voters in several key states have rallied behind secretary of state nominees who back Trump’s falsehoods about a stolen election, Raffensperger is one of the few politicians to buck Trump and survive to the general election. In May, he pulled off a major political upset by beating his Trump-endorsed challenger, Georgia Rep. Jody Hice, outright in the primary without needing to win a runoff. That national profile has made him a tougher target for Nguyen, who has been a rising political star in her own right. She has put expanding access to the ballot at the center of her candidacy. The daughter of Vietnamese refugees also is seeking to make history by becoming the first Asian American elected to a statewide political office in this increasingly racially and ethnically diverse state. On the stump and again on the debate stage Tuesday, Nguyen seized on Raffensperger’s views on abortion in an attempt to gain ground. When he was a state lawmaker, Raffensperger sponsored a resolution that proposed a constitutional amendment to recognize “the paramount right to life of all human beings as persons at any stage of development.” The measure failed, and Raffensperger argues his position on abortion is not relevant to the job he now holds. During the televised face-off with Raffensperger and libertarian Ted Metz, Nguyen said: “I’m the only candidate on this stage who is both pro-choice and pro-democracy.” She also cast Raffensperger’s office as mishandling an investigation into a breach of the election office in Coffee County, Georgia. As previously reported by CNN, recently released surveillance video shows a Republican county official escorted two operatives working with an attorney for Trump into the county’s election offices on the same day a voting system there had been breached. Raffensperger’s office initially expressed skepticism about the breach. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is now investigating, and Raffensperger last month said his office would replace voting equipment in the county. “It’s been 21 months and no one has been held criminally accountable,” Nguyen said Tuesday. Raffensperger said he believes that “what happened in Coffee County will have a thorough investigation and people that broke the law should be held accountable and sent to jail.” The-CNN-Wire & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Read More…

‘Buckle Up’: US Backers Of Just Stop Oil Vow More Van Gogh-Style Protests https://digitalalabamanews.com/buckle-up-us-backers-of-just-stop-oil-vow-more-van-gogh-style-protests/ The US funders of a climate activist group that poured tomato soup over Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at the National Gallery in London have vowed similar attention-grabbing stunts will take place in various countries in the weeks ahead. On Friday, two young activists from the Just Stop Oil group entered the gallery, opened two tins of Heinz tomato soup and hurled them over the painting, which is protected by a pane of glass. As onlookers exclaimed “Oh my gosh!”, the activists glued themselves to the wall beneath the painting. “What is worth more, art or life?” said Phoebe Plummer, one of the activists. The protest, which has drawn applause and sharp criticism, is just the latest one bankrolled by the Climate Emergency Fund, a US network set up in 2019 to fund dramatic forms of protest in an attempt to spur action on the climate crisis. The organization said it will seek to build on the shock of the Van Gogh souping to support further protests across Europe and the US. “More protests are coming, this is a rapidly growing movement and the next two weeks will be, I hope, the most intense period of climate action to date, so buckle up” said Margaret Klein Salamon, executive director of the Climate Emergency Fund. “In terms of press coverage, the Van Gogh protest may be the most successful action I’ve seen in the last eight years in climate movement. It was a breakthrough, it succeeded in breaking through this really terrible media landscape where you have this mass delusion of normalcy. It’s time to wake up.” The Climate Action Fund has handed out more than $4m to dozens of climate organizations this year (Just Stop Oil is the biggest recipient, receiving $1.1m), helping trigger a wave of unusual protests across Europe. Activists have glued themselves to The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci in London and an Umberto Boccioni statue in Milan, damaged fuel pumps, rushed on to the track of the British Grand Prix and even been zip-tied to a goal post during a Premier League game between Everton and Newcastle. These striking protests are even more remarkable in that they have been funded in part by an oil heiress. Aileen Getty, a philanthropist whose grandfather was the tycoon J Paul Getty, co-founded the Climate Action Fund and has gifted it $1m to be used by activists. Among thousands of other smaller donors to the fund, several other prominent figures have made major contributions – Abigail Disney, scion of the Disney family, has given $200,000 and Adam McKay, director of the darkly satirical climate film Don’t Look Up, has pledged $4m. The money is used to pay and help train people via the activists groups, seeding acts of civil disobedience that Salamon argues are echoes of previous eras, such as the civil rights movement or the suffragettes. “We are helping wealthy people who are freaked out by climate change, because we all live on this planet, to fund the most effective activism possible,” she said. “The activists have forced millions of people who don’t want to think about the climate emergency to think about it. No-one is protesting art or sports, but the point is the house is on fire, this is an emergency. We can’t just enjoy beauty and fun and continue as we are while doing nothing about it, because at the moment we are accelerating off a cliff.” Just Stop Oil’s dousing of Sunflowers has attracted plenty of criticism, with some decrying it as vandalism (although only the frame was slightly damaged) or questioning the relevance of the painting to the need to shift away from fossil fuels. Tucker Carlson, the rightwing Fox News host, called the protestors “radicals” and “religious extremists”. “Merely getting publicity for a cause doesn’t automatically translate into generating support for it,” tweeted Paul Graham, the prominent investor. “If you get publicity for a cause in an obnoxious way, you’ll generate opposition to it.” Theories have even been spread on social media that the stunt was aimed at discrediting climate activists, as part of an elaborate ruse concocted by Getty. “That just seems unfair to me,” said Salamon of Getty’s involvement. “You can’t hold someone responsible for the sins of their deceased grandfather. She’s doing everything to make it right – what would you rather her do, just go off and live a life of luxury?” Supporters of this funded activism point to research showing that disruptive tactics can motivate those more moderately supportive of a cause, while causing little backlash from others, a so-called “radical flank effect” that has seen a youth climate movement blossom amid everything from school strikes, spearheaded by the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, to the mass deflation of SUV tires. “This was the tomato toss heard around the world,” said Dana R Fisher, a sociologist at the University of Maryland who studies climate protest. “The target wasn’t art. It was using art as a platform, and it caught the attention because it used a tactical innovation: tomato soup.” Climate activists protest at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. Photograph: Allison Bailey/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock Fisher said it was uncertain yet how effective the protest will be. “I’m sure it will turn some people off,” she said. “But the idea isn’t to win over hearts and minds, it’s to grab media attention and mobilize people who are sympathetic to the cause.” Climate campaigners often complain that holding the public’s focus on global heating can be challenging, despite a growing parade of climate-driven disasters and an increasing sense of despair, particularly among younger people, over inaction by governments. Since 2019, two American men have self-immolated in separate incidents aimed at raising awareness of the climate crisis, although neither act gained as much attention as the Van Gogh incident. The latest stunt by Just Stop Oil has “revealed that a huge number of people feel more outrage at a painting getting splattered with soup than they do with the irreversible and intensifying destruction of life on Earth,” according to Peter Kalmus, a Nasa climate scientist who handcuffed himself to a bank in Los Angeles earlier this year. “It’s really quite remarkable,” he said. “It shows the huge strength of social norms of business as usual, and it shows that the reason we aren’t treating this as an emergency is because people still don’t think it’s an emergency, despite the clear science and despite recent catastrophic climate events.” Salamon said she is optimistic, however, that activists could help rouse voters for the US midterm elections, or force countries such as the UK to call an end to oil and gas drilling. “I just want everyone to think about climate,” she said. “Even those who are mad at the climate activists. It’s better to be mad than to just keep ignoring them.” Read More…

McCarthy Signals GOP-Led House Likely To Oppose More Aid To Ukraine https://digitalalabamanews.com/mccarthy-signals-gop-led-house-likely-to-oppose-more-aid-to-ukraine/ House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is signaling that if Republicans win the House majority in next month’s midterm elections, the GOP is likely to oppose more aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia. Since the invasion in February the majority of congressional Republicans and Democrats have united in authorizing billions of dollars in U.S. military and humanitarian assistance to Kyiv as a geopolitical and moral stand against Vladimir Putin’s aggression. McCarthy, who could be House speaker if Republicans triumph, indicated that that could end in a GOP-led House. “I think people are gonna be sitting in a recession and they’re not going to write a blank check to Ukraine,” he recently told Punchbowl News. “They just won’t do it.” McCarthy suggested that Americans want Congress to focus on issues closer to home. “There’s the things [the Biden administration] is not doing domestically,” he said. “Not doing the border, and people begin to weigh that. Ukraine is important, but at the same time, it can’t be the only thing they do, and it can’t be a blank check.” The United States has authorized upward of $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, with more than $18.2 billion in security assistance given since January 2021. The Senate voted to finalize more than $40 billion in new military and humanitarian assistance in May, with Republicans being the only lawmakers voting against that package — the largest investment in Ukraine thus far. Eleven Republican senators and 57 House GOP members opposed the legislation, arguing that more needs to be done to account for how the money is spent and to trace weapons and equipment sent to the battlefield. On Friday, the United States announced an additional $725 million in security assistance for Ukraine, including more ammunition for high mobility rocket systems, or HIMARS, as well as precision-guided artillery rounds, antitank weapons and Humvees, according to a Pentagon statement. Although most of the congressional leadership, most notably Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), have been steadfast in support for Ukraine, voters in several states in January could send Republicans to Washington who are eager to oppose aid. The number of those wary of foreign aid and adherents of former president Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda are expected to grow in the next Congress. In September, J.D. Vance, the venture capitalist and author who is locked in a close race for a U.S. Senate seat representing Ohio, said he wants “the Ukrainians to be successful” but not because of continued U.S. funding. “I do think that we have to get to a point, and this is where we do disagree, we’ve got to stop the money spigot to Ukraine eventually,” he told the ABC affiliate in Toledo. “We cannot fund a long-term military conflict that I think ultimately has diminishing returns for our own country.” Vance added, “I think we’re at the point where we’ve given enough money in Ukraine, I really do. … The Europeans need to step up. And frankly, if the Ukrainians and the Europeans, more importantly, knew that America wasn’t going to foot the bill, they might actually step up.” Europe has provided a significant amount of military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. In Arizona, Republican Senate nominee Blake Masters criticized the additional funding for Ukraine in May, claiming that the money should be used instead to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. “Under Joe Biden, it’s always America last,” he said in a video he tweeted. “Let’s be clear about what this means. It means no cease-fire. It means another foreign war where we pay for everything. Many more thousands of people will die. There’s no resolution, no end in sight. The risk of course is that a proxy war can escalate into an all-out nuclear war between nuclear powers.” In New Hampshire, Republican Senate candidate Don Bolduc said last week that more spending is not the answer to improving conditions in Ukraine. “We must hold the administration accountable,” he told New Hampshire’s ABC affiliate. “We just can’t print this money. It’s money we don’t have, and it’s equipment that’s being thrown at a problem without any strategy, without any policy, and it’s not going to get the job done.” These Republicans could join Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who in May temporarily held up $40 billion of aid to Ukraine, saying, “you can’t save Ukraine by dooming the U.S. economy.” Nevada Republican Senate nominee Adam Laxalt tweeted in May that the $40 billion U.S. aid to Ukraine was a “shockingly abhorrent proposal.” The loudest voices on the right on the issue, such as Fox News’s Tucker Carlson, have been outspoken in questioning aid to Ukraine. The Conservative Political Action Conference in September posted, then deleted, a tweet that echoed Kremlin language and called for a halt to “gift-giving to Ukraine.” It later issued a statement reaffirming its stance on U.S. assistance. “We must oppose Putin, but American taxpayers should not be shouldering the vast majority of the cost,” it said. A September Pew Research poll found that most Republicans and Democrats say that the U.S. is providing “about right” or “not enough” support to Ukraine, though 32 percent of Republicans said the U.S. is providing “too much,” a figure that has more than tripled since March (9 percent). Relatedly, Americans’ concern about Ukraine being defeated and taken over by Russia dropped from 55 percent in May to 38 percent in September. McCarthy’s comments to Punch Bowl News drew an incredulous response from Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), who tweeted at McCarthy, “What in the absolute bloody hell is happening to @GOPLeader.” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has warned that if the GOP wins the House, help for Ukraine would be in jeopardy. “I just see a freight train coming, and that is Trump and his operation turning against aid for Ukraine,” he said on MSNBC. “House Republicans, if they were to take the majority, being preternaturally against anything Joe Biden is for — including the war in Ukraine — and there being a real crisis where the House Republican majority would refuse to support additional aid to Ukraine.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that she did not want to engage in hypotheticals about what could happen if Republicans gained control of the House, but she said the president would continue to support the Ukrainian people’s efforts to defend themselves. “We will continue to work with Congress and continue to monitor those conversations on these efforts and support Ukraine as long as it takes,” she said. “We are going to keep that promise that we’re making to the brave Ukrainians who are fighting every day to fight for their freedom and their democracy.” Scott Clement and Azi Paybarah contributed to this report. Read More…

Oz Closing In On Fetterman In Pennsylvania Senate Race https://digitalalabamanews.com/oz-closing-in-on-fetterman-in-pennsylvania-senate-race/ Fetterman’s image has sunk since June, though it is still right side up by a hair. Forty-six percent of likely voters view him favorably, compared with 45 percent who see him unfavorably. In June, the same number of voters looked at him favorably, but only 36 percent perceived him unfavorably. Oz, meanwhile, has boosted his favorability ratings since June, when he was emerging from a brutal GOP primary in which his opponents drubbed him as a carpetbagger and faux Republican. He remains underwater, though: He is seen favorably by 38 percent, while 50 percent view him unfavorably. In June, those figures were 30 percent and 63 percent, respectively. The poll was conducted from Oct. 4 to Oct. 12 by Fabrizio Ward, a Republican firm, and Impact Research, a Democratic company. Four percent of respondents were undecided in the Senate race, while 2 percent said they would vote for someone other than Fetterman or Oz. “The good news for Fetterman is he’s still ahead,” said John Anzalone, a founder of Impact Research and pollster for President Joe Biden. “But I would also say that it’s not only good to be ahead, it’s good to be ahead with an opponent who still has a net-unfavorable in terms of how people perceive him. And that goes a long way in the last three weeks.” Tony Fabrizio, a founder of Fabrizio Ward who is a longtime pollster for former President Donald Trump, said there is an opportunity for Oz among voters who haven’t made up their minds. “When you look at the undecideds in the Senate race, they want to vote Republican in the generic ballot. They are net positive towards Trump’s job approval, and they are net negative towards Biden’s job approval,” he said. “They’re more interested in economic issues than they are in social issues. So those things hold some glimmer of hope for, obviously, Oz.” In the AARP poll, Fetterman is outpacing Oz among suburbanites, a key voting bloc that often determines elections in Pennsylvania. Oz, however, is outrunning Fetterman among independents, another critical group of voters that can swing elections. Fetterman is only somewhat performing better among Democrats than Oz is among Republicans, a sign that the GOP base has largely come home to the celebrity doctor after the grueling primary. Oz is winning men, men aged 50 and older, rural voters, and voters who do not have a college degree. Fetterman is up with women, women aged 50 and older, urban voters, and college-educated voters. Oz is preferred by white voters who are at least 50 years old. Fetterman, meanwhile, has expanded his lead among Black voters 50 years old and up. He is winning 84 percent of those voters, a jump from 76 percent in June. In the AARP poll, Democrats lead Republicans in the generic ballot, 47 percent to 45 percent. That is the opposite of the June survey, when Republicans were ahead 47 percent to Democrats’ 45 percent. Forty-three percent of likely voters currently approve of Biden’s job performance, while 55 percent disapprove. That is an improvement for him compared to June, when only 36 percent approved and 61 percent disapproved. In the October survey, 47 percent of likely voters said they approve of Trump, while 51 percent disapprove. The state’s gubernatorial race is much less of a nail-biter than the Senate contest, according to the poll: Democrat Josh Shapiro is outrunning Republican Doug Mastriano 53 percent to 42 percent. Shapiro has widened his lead since June, when an AARP survey showed him up by three percentage points. Mastriano has aired few TV ads as Shapiro has battered him with commercials calling him an extremist. Shapiro’s favorable-unfavorable rating is 50 percent to 33 percent. For Mastriano, it is 37 percent to 47 percent, only a slight change since June. Four percent of respondents were undecided in the gubernatorial race, while 1 percent said they would vote for someone other than Shapiro or Mastriano. Four percent of likely voters in the poll are ticket-splitters, backing both Shapiro and Oz, and they are primarily older, white men. Meanwhile, both Democratic nominees are doing better among voters without college degrees compared to how candidates are performing in other states, according to the pollsters. Fabrizio said that is likely due “to how the candidates themselves are positioned,” noting that the Republican candidates are below water in their favorability ratings. Anazlone said Fetterman “has an appeal to a universe of voters that is unique for Democrats.” Though the Democratic candidates are ahead in the gubernatorial and Senate races, they are battling strong headwinds. Three-quarters of likely voters in the poll said the country is headed in the wrong direction, while almost two-thirds are very or somewhat worried about their personal financial situation. Inflation and rising prices, as well as Social Security and Medicare, are the top issues for voters aged 50 and up in the Senate race. In the governor’s race, inflation and abortion are the most important issues to those voters. According to the AARP poll, 16 percent of voters 50 and over are “persuadable” in the Senate race, meaning they are not definitely voting for Fetterman or Oz. Five percent are leaning toward or probably voting for Fetterman, while the same is true for 7 percent with regard to Oz. One percent are casting a ballot for someone else, and the rest are undecided. Nineteen percent of voters 50 and older are persuadable in the governor’s race, with 7 percent leaning toward or probably voting for Shapiro and 9 percent leaning toward or probably voting for Mastriano. One percent are supporting someone else, and the rest are undecided. Nearly 1,400 likely voters were interviewed for the poll over landlines, cell phones, and SMS-to-web, including an oversampling of voters 50 and up as well as Black voters 50 and older. The margin of error for the statewide voters is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. Read More…

The Fed, Staring Down Two Big Choices, Charts An Aggressive Path https://digitalalabamanews.com/the-fed-staring-down-two-big-choices-charts-an-aggressive-path/ Federal Reserve officials are barreling toward another three-quarter-point increase in November, and they may decide to do more next year. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share. The Federal Reserve is poised to raise interest rates three-quarters of a point next month.Credit…Al Drago for The New York Times Oct. 18, 2022Updated 3:58 p.m. ET Federal Reserve officials have coalesced around a plan to raise interest rates three-quarters of a point next month as policymakers grow alarmed by the staying power of rapid price increases — and increasingly worried that inflation is now feeding on itself. Such concerns could also prompt the Fed to raise rates at least slightly higher next year than previously forecast as officials face two huge choices at their coming meetings: when to slow rapid rate increases and when to stop them altogether. Central bankers had expected to debate slowing down at their November meeting, but a rash of recent data suggesting that the labor market is still strong and that inflation is unrelenting has them poised to delay serious discussion of a smaller move for at least a month. The conversation about whether to scale back is now more likely to happen in December. Investors have entirely priced in a fourth consecutive three-quarter-point move at the Fed’s Nov. 1-2 meeting, and officials have made no effort to change that expectation. Officials may also feel the need to push rates higher than they had expected as recently as September, as inflation remains stubborn even in the face of substantial moves to try to wrestle it under control. While the central bank had penciled in a peak rate of 4.6 percent next year, that could nudge up depending on incoming data. Rates are now set around 3.1 percent, and the Fed’s next forecast will be released in December. Fed officials have grown steadily more aggressive in their battle against inflation this year, as the price burst sweeping the globe has proved more persistent than just about anyone expected. And for now, they have little reason to let up: A report last week showed that Consumer Price Index prices climbed by 6.6 percent over the year through September even after food and fuel prices were stripped out — a new 40-year high for that closely watched core index. “It’s a little bit hard to slow down without an apparent reason,” said Alan Blinder, a former Fed vice chair who is now at Princeton University. Mr. Blinder expects the Fed to make another big move at this coming meeting. “If you were Jay Powell and the Fed and slowed to 50, what would you say?” he said. “They can’t say we’ve seen progress on inflation. That would be laughed out of court.” Policymakers came into the year expecting to barely lift interest rates in 2022, forecasting that they would close out the year below 1 percent, up from around zero. But as inflation ratcheted steadily higher and then plateaued near the quickest pace since the early 1980s, they became more determined to stamp it out, even if doing so comes at a near-term cost to the economy. Image Consumer prices continue to increase rapidly month after month. Those increases are driven by a broad array of goods and services and have been stubborn even in the face of the Fed’s policy moves.Credit…John Taggart for The New York Times Officials are afraid that if they allow fast inflation to linger, it will become a permanent feature of the American economy. Workers might ask for bigger wage increases each year if they think that costs will steadily increase. Companies, anticipating higher wage bills and feeling confident that consumers will not be shocked by price increases, might increase what they’re charging more drastically and regularly. “The longer the current bout of high inflation continues, the greater the chance that expectations of higher inflation will become entrenched,” Mr. Powell, the Fed chair, warned at his news conference last month. Inflation F.A.Q. Card 1 of 5 What is inflation? Inflation is a loss of purchasing power over time, meaning your dollar will not go as far tomorrow as it did today. It is typically expressed as the annual change in prices for everyday goods and services such as food, furniture, apparel, transportation and toys. What causes inflation? It can be the result of rising consumer demand. But inflation can also rise and fall based on developments that have little to do with economic conditions, such as limited oil production and supply chain problems. Is inflation bad? It depends on the circumstances. Fast price increases spell trouble, but moderate price gains can lead to higher wages and job growth. Can inflation affect the stock market? Rapid inflation typically spells trouble for stocks. Financial assets in general have historically fared badly during inflation booms, while tangible assets like houses have held their value better. There are mounting signs in the data that today’s inflation is less and less the result of one-off trends that are likely to fade on their own over time. Supply chains are healing, and shipping costs that had spiked have come back down, but consumer prices continue to increase rapidly month after month. Those increases are driven by a broad array of goods and services, including climbing housing costs, pet care services and dental visits. In their latest meeting minutes, officials acknowledged that “inflation was declining more slowly than they had previously been anticipating” and that price pressures “had persisted across a broad array of product categories.” Since then, inflation has only shown signs of deepening: Even measures of inflation that try to strip out noise in the data are unusually firm. And there is little evidence, so far, that the Fed’s policy is working to tamp down price increases. Fed moves take time to play out, but their effects are already pretty clear in overall economic data: The housing market is slowing sharply, demand is beginning to pull back and people are eating into their savings stockpiles. Yet prices have shown little reaction to those trends. “We haven’t yet made meaningful progress on inflation,” Christopher Waller, a Fed governor, said during a recent speech. If that continues, it could force Fed officials to do more next year to constrain rate increases. James Bullard, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and a voter on policy this year, signaled in an interview with Reuters last week that he might favor another big three-quarter-point rate increase in December — taking the policy rate to around 4.6 percent — and then further moves next year. It’s “very possible” that incoming data could push officials “higher on the policy rate,” Mr. Bullard said. He said it was also possible that price increases would begin to fade, however, allowing for a pause. Nathan Sheets, global chief economist at Citi, expects that Fed officials will slow their rate increases in line with their most recent economic projections: moving by three-quarters of a point in November, half a point in December and a quarter-point early in 2023 before pausing. But he said there were notable risks that they end up raising rates by more. “The Fed has struggled to explain that even if it hikes by less than three-quarters of a point, it remains determined to fight against inflation,” Mr. Sheets said. Image Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair, said last month, “The longer the current bout of high inflation continues, the greater the chance that expectations of higher inflation will become entrenched.”Credit…Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images The central bank does not want investors to believe that its dedication to fighting inflation is beginning to crack. If market players think that, financial conditions might ease, making credit cheaper and more available and working at cross-purposes to the Fed’s goals. That happened after Mr. Powell’s July news conference, when the chair hinted that rate increases might soon slow and investors incorrectly began to expect an imminent central bank retreat. “When he opened the door to it, the market said, ‘Aha! The Fed’s pivoting,’” Mr. Sheets said. “It’s been a tricky message so far.” Of course, there are some reasons to hope that the inflation picture could change, which would give the Fed a more clear-cut reason to slow down. Used car prices are coming down at a wholesale level, and that could begin to more fully feed into consumer prices. Retailers are announcing discounts as inventories pile up. Companies, which continue to rake in unusually high profits as they manage to charge more than their goods and services cost to produce, are expected to slash their profit guidance as consumers begin to pull back. There are also some nascent signs that the labor market is cooling back to something more normal. Job openings have begun to come down, and average hourly earnings have shown signs of moderating. But hiring has persisted at an unusually rapid pace, and a quarterly measure of wages and benefit compensation that the Fed puts greater stock in — the Employment Cost Index — has continued to climb rapidly. That could keep pressure on service prices, as restaurants and health care providers try to cover rising labor bills, and higher pay could help consumers to keep spending. At the same time, new problems could emerge: Gas prices have risen again this month, for instance, and their future trajectory is uncertain. Recent history offers plenty of reasons for caution. The Fed has spent 18 months hoping that inflation would soon abate, only to have that expectation repeatedly dashed by reality. But with an outlook that is so uncertain, officials have emphasized in recent speeches that policy will be made on a meeting-by-meeting basis...

New Woodward Audiobook Shows Trump Knew Kim Letters Were Classified https://digitalalabamanews.com/new-woodward-audiobook-shows-trump-knew-kim-letters-were-classified/ In December 2019, after then-President Donald Trump had shared with journalist Bob Woodward the fawning letters that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had written to him, the U.S. leader seems to acknowledge he should not be showing them around. After urging Woodward to “treat them with respect,” Trump warns in an interview, “and don’t say I gave them to you, okay?” “But I’ll let you see them,” Trump adds. “I don’t want you to have them all.” A month later, in January 2020, Woodward pressed Trump in a phone call to let him also see the letters that Trump wrote to Kim. “Oh, those are so top secret,” Trump says, according to notes of the call taken by Woodward and highlighted in a new audiobook: “The Trump Tapes: Bob Woodward’s Twenty Interviews with President Trump.” In hindsight, the comments by Trump show he was well aware that the 27 letters exchanged between himself and Kim were classified, despite his repeated claims that none of the documents he improperly took from the White House when leaving office, including the Kim letters, were in that category. The FBI and Justice Department this year executed a court-authorized search of Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago Club and residence — turning up 103 documents marked classified and roughly 11,000 not marked classified as part of an ongoing criminal probe into Trump’s handling of sensitive material. The new details also provide further evidence of Trump’s abiding obsession with the Kim letters, which he often bragged about and would show off to friends. The English translations of the letters, which Woodward includes as an appendix to a written transcript of the audiobook, shows page after page of pen-pal niceties — birthday tidings, “best wishes” for friends and family — between the then-president and the autocratic leader of one of the world’s most repressive regimes. The audiobook, which comes out next Tuesday, contains 19 raw and lengthy interviews Woodward conducted with Trump between fall of 2019 through August 2020 for his book, “Rage,” as well as one interview he conducted with Washington Post reporter Robert Costa in 2016. The interviews, Woodward says in his introduction, were edited only for clarity. During the December 2019 interview, Trump asks Woodward what he did with the letters he had provided him at that point, asking if he made “a Photostat of them or something” — apparently referring to a photocopy. “No, I dictated them into a tape recorder,” Woodward replies, to Trump’s amusement. In an interview with The Post ahead of the audiobook’s release, Woodward said Trump helped set him up with an aide in the West Wing, who supervised as Woodward — who had been given both the English translations and original Korean versions of Kim’s letters to Trump — handled the documents and dictated them all into his tape recorder. Later, after Trump agreed to share his letters to Kim, Woodward said he returned to a West Wing office, where an aide again watched as he read the new set of letters into his tape recorder. In the interview, Woodward also said he observed no classified markings on any of the letters he was given, though U.S. officials have indicated that they were classified documents. In an aside in the audio book, Woodward describes “the casual, dangerous way that Trump treats the most classified programs and information, as we’ve seen now in 2022 in Mar-a-Lago, where he had 184 classified documents, including 25 marked ‘Top Secret.’” That was in reference to Trump implying there was a secretive weapons system he controlled. “I have built a weapons system that nobody’s ever had in this country before,” Trump said in an interview, before referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. “We have stuff that you haven’t even seen or heard about. We have stuff that Putin and Xi have never heard about before.” Trump’s long obsessions with strongmen leaders — and Kim in particular — comes through in the interviews. Throughout their conversations, Trump repeats the false claim that former president Barack Obama tried 11 times to reach Kim with no success. Woodward points out that Trump’s own military advisers have warned him that Kim “lies through his teeth to you,” and that Obama made no attempts to speak with Kim himself. “Kim Jong Un gave you bad information on that,” Woodward tells Trump at one point. “I don’t think that’s true.” But Trump is not persuaded, choosing to believe Kim over his own advisers. “Obama called 11 times,” Trump insists. “They showed me the records in Korea. I’m very close to this man. Very close.” In a later interview, Trump boasts that he averted a war with North Korea, again repeating his false claim about Obama and choosing to believe Kim over his own military team: “Obama wanted, 11 times he tried,” Trump says. “Kim Jong Un told me. Eleven times.” Elahe Izadi contributed to this report. Read More…

Lettuce Expands 'Unify Tour' With January 2023 Dates Featuring Kiefer https://digitalalabamanews.com/lettuce-expands-unify-tour-with-january-2023-dates-featuring-kiefer/ Lettuce has expanded its Unify Tour with a stretch of new dates in January 2023. The newly announced shows include stops in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and California. Grammy-winning pianist/producer Kiefer will provide support on select dates. Upon returning from its ongoing tour of Europe, Lettuce will traverse the eastern half of the United States and Texas in the remainder of 2022 starting with an appearance at Suwannee Halloween in Live Oak, FL on October 29th. In November, the band will head to Texas for shows in Dallas (11/11) and Austin (11/12), followed by stops in Oklahoma City, OK (11/13); Fayetteville, AR (11/15); and Memphis, TN (11/16). After finishing the November run with shows in Atlanta, GA (11/17); Mobile, AL (11/18); and New Orleans, LA (11/19), Lettuce will return to Florida in December for North Beach Music Festival in Miami Beach on the 11th and a New Year’s Eve show in St. Petersburg on the 31st. The newly announced dates will then kick off on January 13th in Fort Collins, CO. Lettuce will then head to Belly Up Aspen for a two-night run on the 15th and 16th before moving on to Salt Lake City, UT on the 17th. After a detour to Jackson, WY on the 18th, the band will shoot over to the Pacific Northwest for a two-night run in Seattle, WA on the 20th an 21st with Kiefer on as support. Following shows in Eugene, OR on the 22nd and Bend, OR on the 24th, Lettuce will play two more two-night runs at Crystal Bay Club in Crystal Bay, NV on the 25th and 26th and The Fillmore in San Francisco, CA on the 27th and 28th. Kiefer will provide support for the Bend, Crystal Bay, and San Francisco shows, but not Eugene. Related: Brooklyn Comes Alive 2022: STS9, Lettuce, Medeski Martin & Wood, Cool Cool Cool [Recap/Photos/Videos] A presale for tickets to Lettuce’s newly announce Unify Tour dates will begin on Thursday, October 20th. Sign up to get the password here. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, October 21st at 10 a.m. local venue time. View a full list of dates below, and for more information and tickets, visit the band’s website. Read More…

Caterpillar Dealers From The Southeast Serve On SGTC Advisory Committee – Americus Times-Recorder https://digitalalabamanews.com/caterpillar-dealers-from-the-southeast-serve-on-sgtc-advisory-committee-americus-times-recorder/ Published 3:11 pm Tuesday, October 18, 2022 From Staff Reports AMERICUS – South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford met with representatives from six Caterpillar Dealers from across the Southeastern United States, during the “ThinkBIG” Heavy Equipment Dealers Service Technology Advisory Committee meeting at South Georgia Technical College recently.  The group met in the SGTC John M. Pope Industrial Technology Center. The purpose of the conglomerate meeting was to discuss student learning outcomes, admission requirements, competency tests and instructional materials, industry specific equipment, program purpose and goals, program of work, donations, AED accreditation, and additional items as well as financial and equipment loans. Chairman Jeff Cornwell of Yancey Brothers, presided over the meeting. The Heavy Equipment Dealer’s Service Technology Program is a unique program in which students are sponsored by a participating dealer to attend SGTC in eight-week increments of college training and on the job training.  Upon graduation, students receive an Associate of Technology Degree and are eligible to obtain full employment with their sponsoring Caterpillar dealer. Dealers participating in the meeting included: Chairman Jeff Cornwell along with Jacob Pope and Chris Morle from Yancey Brothers of Austell, GA; Brad Manis and Kevin Human, Stowers Machinery of Knoxville, Tennessee; Matt Bass and McKenzie Baine of Ring Power in St. Augustine, FL; Will Ring of Thompson Tractor in Birmingham, AL, Kevin Upton and Tony Tice of Thompson Machinery Corp in LaVergne, TN; and Dwayne Crooker of Blanchard Machinery in West Columbia, SC. Representatives from Puckett Machinery in Flowood, MS; were unable to attend. South Georgia Technical College staff present included:  SGTC President Dr. John Watford; SGTC Vice President of Academic Affairs David Kuipers, SGTC Vice President of Institutional Advancement and SGTC Foundation Executive Director Su Ann Bird, Partnerships Coordinator Tami Blount, and SGTC Heavy Equipment Dealer Service Technology instructor Don Rountree and Heavy Equipment Dealer Service Power Generation instructor Keith McCorkle. SGTC is currently registering students for Spring Semester.  Spring semester classes begin January 11th.  An in-person registration is set for Tuesday, November 8th at 9:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. in the John M. Pope Center on the Americus campus and at 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the Crisp County Center campus. SGTC offers students the “Complete College Experience” with on-campus housing and nationally recognized academics, student activities, and intercollegiate athletics. There are over 200 associate degree, diploma, and technical certificate of credit programs of study available. Learn more at www.southgatech.edu.  Financial aid is available. Read More…

These Photos Of Future Vets And Their Pets Are So Inspiring https://digitalalabamanews.com/these-photos-of-future-vets-and-their-pets-are-so-inspiring/ Tracy McDaniel, a photographer based in Opelika, wasn’t sure why her gallery of photos of veterinary students at Tuskegee University went viral on social media last week. She had posted some of her favorites – the ones she thought would be “eye-catching” – and by the following morning, they’d been shared 200 times. Within days, the gallery had been shared upwards of 21,000 times. But then the comments brought to her attention the fact that seeing Black veterinary students is somewhat unusual, and definitely inspiring. McDaniel’s photographs depict students enrolled in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee – the only historically Black college or university (HBCU) in the country with a veterinary medical professional program. More than 70 percent of all Black veterinarians are educated there. “My 12yo wants to be a vet and this representation is unmatched!” one mother wrote in the comments. “I want to say how amazing it is to see so many POC following in the vet field. It is something so desperately needed and it makes my heart smile to see so many in these photos!” enthused someone else. A fundraising project for Tuskegee’s Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA), the photos show 50-plus veterinary students, some in white coats and all with stethoscopes around their necks, posing with their own pets. Each picture is filled with personality, and the thousands of comments they inspired – unlike so many on social media – are overwhelmingly positive. Comments praise the students (their smiles, their hair), the pets (their smiles, their coats) and the quality of the photos themselves. “10/10 would trust this vet,” wrote one. “He’s gonna be the top of his class,” another wrote of a male student photographed with his dog. “He’s got it! Best wishes.” The students hold snakes, iguanas and ferrets, as well as cats and dogs – including one wearing a strand of pearls to match her owner. McDaniel, who specializes in child and pet photography, spent only about five minutes with each subject over the course of the four-and-a-half-hour photo shoot. “I’ve got it down,” she says of shooting people with their pets, adding that she has “tricks that work,” like saying a pet’s favorite word or grabbing their attention with a squeaky toy. The snakes didn’t bother her at all. “I love them,” she says. “I had a pet snake growing up. We’re pet people.” Of all the pets, though, her favorite was a schnauzer named Lola, who had an angry expression in her portrait. “She was so sweet,” she says. “It was just her haircut, I guess.” For several years, McDaniel has done the same thing each semester for the VBMA at Auburn University’s vet school, which led to the gig at Tuskegee. She photographed a different group of Tuskegee students earlier this year. “I posted them in the spring,” she says, “and they got a lot of love, but not like this.” Some of the students have messaged her to say they’ve read the comments, which are “so uplifting,” she says. “They’re showing children that yes, you can be a vet.” Originally from Homewood, McDaniel lives in Opelika with her husband, Frank, and their four home-schooled children. Three of their children play soccer, and McDaniel teaches Spanish to a small group of children once a week. A professional photographer for 12 years, she met her engineer husband when they were both photographing the same train. [To read more good news about Alabama, sign up for our This is Alabama Newsletter.] Photographer Tracy McDaniel is seen with her husband, Frank, and their youngest child, Max. (Photo courtesy Tracy McDaniel) If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Read More…