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Pelosi Condemns Azerbaijan's Attacks On Armenia
Pelosi Condemns Azerbaijan's Attacks On Armenia
Pelosi Condemns Azerbaijan's Attacks On Armenia https://digitalalaskanews.com/pelosi-condemns-azerbaijans-attacks-on-armenia/ U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi makes an announcement at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts in Yerevan, Armenia September 18, 2022. Stepan Poghosyan/Photolure via REUTERS Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Pelosi blames Azerbaijan for starting conflict Azerbaijan says Pelosi endangering peace in Caucasus Azerbaijan says Pelosi’s remarks unacceptable Pelosi lauds Armenia’s ‘Velvet Revolution’ U.S. listening to Armenia on defence, Pelosi says TBILISI, Sept 18 (Reuters) – U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday strongly condemned what she said were “illegal” border attacks by Azerbaijan on Armenia, using a visit to the Russian ally to pledge American support for its sovereignty. Pelosi cast her trip to Armenia, a sliver of land the size of U.S. state of Maryland that is wedged between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Iran, as an attempt to strengthen support for what she cast as a beacon of democracy. Speaking in the ancient city of Yerevan, Pelosi said her trip had significance following the “illegal and deadly attacks by Azerbaijan on Armenian territory” that triggered border clashes in which more than 200 people were killed. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com “We strongly condemn those attacks,” Pelosi said beside Armenian parliamentary speaker Alen Simonyan, who last week expressed unhappiness with the response of a Russian-led military alliance to Yerevan’s request for help. read more Pelosi, who angered China with a trip to Taiwan last month, said it was clear that the border fighting was triggered by Azeri assaults on Armenia and that the chronology of the conflict should be made clear. The fighting “was initiated by the Azeris and there has to be recognition of that,” Pelosi said. Pelosi’s remarks drew an unusually strong rebuke from Baku, which said she was endangering the peace in the Caucasus. “The unsubstantiated and unfair accusations levelled by Pelosi against Azerbaijan are unacceptable,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. “This is a serious blow to the efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the ministry said, casting Pelosi’s remarks as “Armenian propaganda”. Such a definitive apportioning of blame for the conflict goes beyond what the U.S. State Department has so far said in public. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concerns over the fighting and called for calm but did not assign blame. Armenia said Azerbaijan shelled at least six Armenian settlements inside the border shortly after midnight on Sept. 13, attacking civilian and military infrastructure with drones and large calibre guns. Yerevan said it was unprovoked aggression. Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, rejects those claims. Baku says Armenian sabotage units tried to mine Azeri positions, prompting soldiers to respond. Armenia says that narrative is Azeri disinformation. RUSSIA’S BACKYARD Russia, which repeatedly condemned Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, considers the Caucasus as its own sphere of influence and bristles at what it casts as U.S. meddling in the region. Moscow though, is preoccupied by the war in Ukraine which has triggered the biggest confrontation with the West since the height of the Cold War. Russia is Armenia’s major military ally, has a military base in northern Armenia and peacekeepers along the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh, over which Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war in 2020. President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia had enough resources to mediate in the conflict. The latest fighting ended after a Russian-brokered ceasefire. But after appeals for help, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russian-led military alliance of former Soviet republics that includes Armenia but not Azerbaijan, decided on Tuesday to dispatch a monitoring mission. Armenian Parliamentary Speaker Simonyan said he was dissatisfied with the response, likening the CSTO to a pistol that did not shoot bullets. Speaking beside Pelosi, U.S. Representative Frank Pallone said the United States wanted to do whatever it could to be more supportive of Armenia’s security. The United States, Pelosi said, was listening to Armenia about what its defence needs were and said Washington wanted to help and support Armenia in what she cast as a global struggle between democracy and autocracy. “We should be using our influence, our leverage showing that Armenian democracy and sovereignty is a priority,” Pelosi said. “The velvet revolution was cheered globally.” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan rose to power in 2018 after anti-government protests referred to as Armenia’s Velvet Revolution. Pelosi said it was interesting that Armenia was disappointed by the response from Russia. “It is interesting that they were disappointed they got fact finders and not protection from that relationship and we’ll see what happens next,” she said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Writing by Guy Faulconbridge, Editing by William Maclean, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Alex Richardson Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Pelosi Condemns Azerbaijan's Attacks On Armenia
Tsunami Warnings Issued After 6.9-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Taiwan | CNN
Tsunami Warnings Issued After 6.9-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Taiwan | CNN
Tsunami Warnings Issued After 6.9-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Taiwan | CNN https://digitalalaskanews.com/tsunami-warnings-issued-after-6-9-magnitude-earthquake-hits-taiwan-cnn/ CNN  —  Hazardous tsunami waves are possible along coastlines within a 300-kilometer (186-mile) radius of a 6.9-magnitude earthquake that hit southeastern Taiwan on Sunday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has said. The quake hit the Chishang township in rural southeastern Taiwan and had a depth of 10 kilometers. Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for Miyako island in the East China Sea, but the agency later removed the warning. Photos showed collapsed buildings in southern Taiwan following the powerful earthquake. The USGS initially registered it at 7.2, before downgrading it to 6.9. Three people are trapped under the rubble of one building, the island’s official Central News Agency (CNA) reported. A fourth person was rescued. About 20 passengers were evacuated after a train derailed in the area, but there were no casualties from the incident, the Taiwan Railway Administration said. Kolas Yotaka, a former presidential spokeswoman who is running for local elections in Hualien county, said that damages were also reported at a local school. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen activated the island’s Central Emergency Operation Center following the quake. Taiwanese residents have been asked to stay alert to avoid potential aftershocks, Tsai said in a recorded statement. About 110 soldiers have also been deployed in Hualien county, along the island’s eastern coast, to assist with disaster relief efforts, Taiwan’s defense ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang said. Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Tsunami Warnings Issued After 6.9-Magnitude Earthquake Hits Taiwan | CNN
'Welcome To Fascism': Top Arizona Republican Blasts Trump-Backed Candidates Who Might Try To Overturn Future Elections Local News 8
'Welcome To Fascism': Top Arizona Republican Blasts Trump-Backed Candidates Who Might Try To Overturn Future Elections Local News 8
'Welcome To Fascism': Top Arizona Republican Blasts Trump-Backed Candidates Who Might Try To Overturn Future Elections – Local News 8 https://digitalalaskanews.com/welcome-to-fascism-top-arizona-republican-blasts-trump-backed-candidates-who-might-try-to-overturn-future-elections-local-news-8/ By Marshall Cohen, CNN The outgoing Republican speaker of the Arizona House says Trump-backed GOP candidates might send the country “back into the dark ages” if they win key midterm races and help enact laws to make it easier to overturn elections — which he said was tantamount to “fascism.” Rusty Bowers made the comments in an interview for an upcoming CNN special report by Jake Tapper, “American Coup: The January 6th Investigation.” The documentary, which details the major bombshells from Congress’ exhaustive inquiry into the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, premieres on CNN on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. Bowers was a key witness at one of the public hearings this summer of the US House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection. Speaking about an unsuccessful Republican proposal to change how elections are run in Arizona, Bowers expressed alarm over provisions in the bill that would’ve created a pathway for the state legislature to cast aside the popular vote after an election and essentially anoint a winner. “The legislature, after the election, could dismiss the election,” Bowers said in describing the proposal that he ordered all 12 state House committees to consider, virtually ensuring it would never get a vote. “And I said, welcome to fascism.” Overturning or undermining election results is what former President Donald Trump pressured state officials to do in battleground states after he lost the 2020 election, including in Arizona, where Bowers was personally cajoled by Trump himself. Trump failed in his efforts to subvert the election results, but he and his allies have pushed for new voting laws in key states that give partisans more control over elections. Bowers’ use of the “fascism” term is notable, considering the Republican backlash to President Joe Biden‘s recent remark that Trump’s political movement resembles “semi-fascism.” Last month, Bowers lost a Republican primary for an Arizona state Senate seat. His opponent: former state Sen. David Farnsworth, who said that he had “no doubt” that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump and that there was a “conspiracy headed up by the devil himself.” This helped earn him an endorsement from Trump, who posted online that “Bowers must be defeated.” Enough Arizona voters agreed, and Bowers lost by 30 points. Bowers admitted to CNN that he “lost big,” adding that the outcome doesn’t bode well for democracy in the Grand Canyon State. “It is very possible that the bill that I assigned liberally to my committees will be back” if election deniers win in November, Bowers said. “The possibility of that getting a governor signature would just be a disaster. I call it the possibility of going back into the dark ages in Arizona.” The House January 6 committee is expected to resume its public hearings this month, and lawmakers are now also preparing their final report. Bowers testified before the panel in June on Trump’s pressure campaign to get the legislature to reject the Arizona election results. Bowers was formally censured by the Arizona Republican Party executive committee following his appearance. The CNN documentary, “American Coup: The January 6th Investigation,” re-examines the major revelations from the committee’s inquiry, through new interviews with key players and highlights from previous hearings. The major moments include the shocking testimony from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson and admissions from Trump’s inner circle that he knew he had lost. With the midterms looming, the Democratic-run select committee only has a few months before the GOP potentially retakes the House. If Republicans win back control of the chamber, they’re expected to shut down the panel and to investigate the select committee itself. The-CNN-Wire & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
'Welcome To Fascism': Top Arizona Republican Blasts Trump-Backed Candidates Who Might Try To Overturn Future Elections Local News 8
Trump He May Be Able To Help But Investigations Could Hurt GOP Candidates HuntDailyNews.in
Trump He May Be Able To Help But Investigations Could Hurt GOP Candidates HuntDailyNews.in
Trump He May Be Able To Help, But Investigations Could Hurt GOP Candidates – HuntDailyNews.in https://digitalalaskanews.com/trump-he-may-be-able-to-help-but-investigations-could-hurt-gop-candidates-huntdailynews-in/ Trump He may be able to help, but investigations could hurt GOP candidates  HuntDailyNews.in Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Trump He May Be Able To Help But Investigations Could Hurt GOP Candidates HuntDailyNews.in
Once McCain
Once McCain
Once McCain https://digitalalaskanews.com/once-mccain/ JONATHAN J. COOPER, Associated Press Sep. 18, 2022Updated: Sep. 18, 2022 7:16 a.m. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 1of5FILE – Arizona Republican candidate for governor, Kari Lake, gives a thumbs up to the crows as former President Donald Trump speaks at a Save America rally on July 22, 2022, in Prescott, Ariz. Lake, a well-known former television anchor, has delighted the segments of the GOP base that have long been at odds with their party’s establishment and want their leaders to confront Democrats, not compromise with them.Ross D. Franklin/APShow MoreShow Less 2of5FILE – Supporters of former President Donald Trump cheer on Kari Lake, who is running for the Republican nomination for Arizona governor, during her speech at a Save America rally on July 22, 2022, in Prescott, Ariz. Lake, a well-known former television anchor, has delighted the segments of the GOP base that have long been at odds with their party’s establishment and want their leaders to confront Democrats, not compromise with them.Ross D. Franklin/APShow MoreShow Less 3of5 4of5FILE – Supporters of former President Donald Trump cheer on Kari Lake, a candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, during her speech at a Save America rally July 22, 2022, in Prescott, Ariz. Lake, a well-known former television anchor, has delighted the segments of the GOP base that have long been at odds with their party’s establishment and want their leaders to confront Democrats, not compromise with them.Ross D. Franklin/APShow MoreShow Less 5of5 PHOENIX (AP) — Simmering discontent among a segment of Arizona Republicans over John McCain’s famous penchant for bucking his party boiled over in the winter of 2014 with the censure of the longtime U.S. senator. McCain’s allies responded with an all-out push to reassert control over the Arizona Republican Party. Censure proponents were ousted or diminished, and McCain went on to defeat his far-right challenger in a blowout during the 2016 primary. Less than a decade later, the right wing forces that McCain marginalized within the Arizona GOP are now in full control, with profound implications for one of the nation’s most closely matched battlegrounds. Arizona Republicans have traded McCain for Donald Trump. “We drove a stake in the heart of the McCain machine,” Kari Lake, making a dramatic stabbing gesture, said in a speech days after she won the Republican primary for governor in early August. Lake, a well-known former television news anchor, has delighted segments of the state’s GOP base that have long been at odds with their party’s establishment and want their leaders to confront Democrats, not compromise with them. She draws large, enthusiastic crowds that are unusually energized for a midterm election. Her fans erupt in rapturous applause when she takes a shot at the media or pledges to repel the “invasion” at the southern border. “She’s for border control. She’s a MAGA person. She is fighting the establishment. And that, to me, is enough,” said Bob Hunt, a Republican in Tucson who attended a Lake rally this summer. McCain, who died in 2018, never lost a race in his home state. But his maverick brand of Republicanism is in retreat after election-denying allies of the former president swept GOP primaries this month from governor and U.S. Senate down to the state Legislature. Kelli Ward, the primary challenger McCain trounced in his last re-election campaign, was elected state GOP chair in 2019. She broke with precedent for party leaders and campaigned openly for Trump’s slate of candidates ahead of the primary this year. It is in some ways a return to roots for Republicans in Arizona, a state with a long history as a crucible for emerging strands of conservatism. Barry Goldwater, an Arizona senator from the 1950s through the 1980s, pushed the GOP in a new direction, laying the groundwork for conservative and libertarian movements. He gave voice to anti-elite grievances and racial anxieties that have contributed to Trump’s appeal. McCain replaced Goldwater in the Senate, representing an Arizona reshaped by decades of migration. Young families flocked to affordable neighborhoods in and around Phoenix, and retirees escaping the snow settled in new golf communities attracting seniors. McCain eventually built a national profile as a fiscal conservative unafraid — even eager — to buck GOP leadership. He helped pass campaign finance reform legislation and worked on unsuccessful immigration reform and climate change legislation. In one of his last defiant decisions, he gave a dramatic thumbs down vote to kill legislation that would have repealed former President Barack Obama’s health care law. McCain won over independents and some Democrats to overwhelmingly win reelection. But the apostasies that appealed to more moderate voters made him a pariah to many within his own party. Democrats think this year’s slate of Trump-backed nominees gives them a fighting chance to win some of the top offices on the ballot. If the Republicans win, officials who refuse to accept Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election will hold the levers of power with the ability to set election laws and certify results in a state that plays an important role in determining control of Congress and the presidency. Ideological factions are always at tension within political parties, and Arizona Republicans have long hosted a particularly raucous tug-of-war. Pro-business, limited government conservatives — such as McCain, former Sen. Jeff Flake and termed-out Gov. Doug Ducey — are derided as “Republicans in name only” by a base eager to fight culture war battles. Still, a large chunk of Republican voters like the establishment brand. Lake had a tough primary race against Karrin Taylor Robson, a conservative businesswoman and longtime donor to mainstream candidates from both parties. Lake, Finchem and the other successful Trump allies all won their primaries with less than 50% of the vote in multi-candidate fields. “The people we put up are not conservative,” said Kathy Petsas, a Republican activist who backed mainstream Republicans in the primary. “There’s nothing conservative about lying about the results of the 2020 election. When we undermine our democratic institutions, there’s nothing conservative about that.” But rarely have the insurgents been as dominant as they are now in Arizona. The GOP nominees for nearly all statewide offices push lies about the 2020 election. Lake incessantly went after Ducey, McCain, Flake and others she labeled “Republicans in name only” on her way to winning the GOP nomination for governor. She joined with Mark Finchem, who won the primary for secretary of state, in a lawsuit seeking to require hand-counting of ballots; they lost, but filed an appeal this week. U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar was censured by the House and lost his committee assignments for posting a video depicting violence against Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The primary winners represent those who control the Arizona Republican Party today and are fiercely loyal to Trump, who was just the second Republican since the 1940s to lose Arizona. Last year, the party censured McCain’s widow, Cindy McCain, for endorsing Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, along with Flake and Ducey. Flake decided not to run for re-election in 2018 after his criticism of Trump infuriated the base and promised a fierce primary battle. “Unfortunately, all these election deniers were successful here in Arizona, in a swing state,” said Bill Gates, the Republican chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, which has faced vitriolic backlash for defending the 2020 election against Trump’s false claims of fraud. “So we’ll see if those folks are able to win in the general election. I think that will give us a feel on where this party is headed in the future.” Gates was censured by Legislative District 3 Republicans last month for saying election-denying GOP candidates may have to lose for the party to find its way. Rusty Bowers, the staunchly conservative speaker of the state House, also has found himself ostracized by his party for taking a stand against Trump’s lies. He lost the primary in his bid to move to the state Senate. Bowers last month said Trump has “thrashed our party” and that the Arizona GOP faces a “hard reckoning” if it continues to bully those who don’t fall in line with the former president’s demands. For now, the far-right wing of the party is ascendant and sees no need to moderate. Days after Lake won the primary for governor, her campaign shared a video of Goldwater’s speech accepting the 1964 Republican nomination for president. “I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice,” he said. “And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” The crowd erupted. Goldwater went on to win just six states in the second most lopsided defeat in a presidential race in U.S. history, but he remained a hero to many in his home state. Lake’s official campaign Twitter account said a united party would bring “a Conservative revival” to the state in the general election: “The Party of Goldwater has risen like a Phoenix.” ___ Associated Press writer Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report. Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Once McCain
Charisma Fueled Wes Moores Primary Win. Now He Sharpens His Focus On Policy.
Charisma Fueled Wes Moores Primary Win. Now He Sharpens His Focus On Policy.
Charisma Fueled Wes Moore’s Primary Win. Now He Sharpens His Focus On Policy. https://digitalalaskanews.com/charisma-fueled-wes-moores-primary-win-now-he-sharpens-his-focus-on-policy/ Talk to most top Democratic officials in Maryland about Wes Moore and many are almost giddy about what the future could hold if the state elects a Democratic governor for the first time in eight years. Big investments in transit and clean energy. Fully funding and implementing a multibillion-dollar plan to reform public education. Ensuring residents have health care, housing and good-paying jobs, women have access to abortions, and communities are cleansed of violent crime. Moore, 43, is heavily favored to win in the deeply blue state, which would return Annapolis to the one-party dominance Democrats enjoyed for most of the past 50 years. He’s a best-selling author and former nonprofit chief who lacks a record in public office, a political newcomer who bested nine candidates in the July primary on the strength of his charisma and personal story. On the campaign trail and in debates, he was never forced to lay out plans in detail because there were few policy differences between them. In the ramp-up to Election Day, he’s sharpening policy pitches to voters and targeting lofty goals, including ending child poverty and closing the racial wealth gap, systemic problems that have long been intractable not only in Maryland, but across the country. His proposals span the political spectrum, weighing tax cuts alongside big initiatives. He spells out particular — and potentially costly — ways to meet his goals: implementing Maryland’s $15 minimum wage two years earlier than scheduled; creating a “baby bonds” program that deposits an amount, based on family income, into an account for each baby born; turning Morgan State University into a top-flight doctoral research institute; routing more state contracts to minority and women-owned businesses; aggressively ending discriminatory housing appraisals that undervalue Black-owned homes; and pouring cash into a long-underfunded affordable housing program, among many other particulars in 15 annotated policy documents on his website. He’s outlined, in similar detail, ideas for climate change, transit, education, LGBTQ+ issues, the economy, public safety and civil rights, saying in a recent interview: “There’s a cost to not doing these things.” Decisions will be made to “prioritize certain investments,” he said, noting some elements of his platform already have money earmarked to pay for them. For others, he plans to work with lawmakers and local leaders to “invest” (he doesn’t use the word spend) in the programs and would likely use some of the state’s surplus, federal funds and discretionary state funds. He said he does not anticipate raising taxes. “For our state to be able to win we have to be more competitive and also make it more equitable,” Moore said. “Gone should be the days of people who are working, and in some cases working multiple jobs, and still living below the poverty line. That’s a leave no one [behind] agenda,” referring to his political slogan and an idea he said is rooted in his military service in Afghanistan. His political philosophy, however, is more of a convener than a progressive ideologue. In the interview, he said he wants to examine eliminating either the estate or inheritance tax, since perhaps the state doesn’t need both and he wants Maryland to become more attractive to retirees. His Trump-endorsed Republican opponent, Del. Dan Cox, casts him as a “socialist,” a label Moore rejects, noting his military service and his stint as an investment banker working on Wall Street. At age 28, Moore described himself in an interview as “probably one of the more independent people that you’ll ever find. … I’m a social moderate, a strong fiscal conservative. … I have a little bit of Democrat in me and a little bit of Republican in me.” Sixteen years later, the former Rhodes Scholar and White House fellow under George W. Bush said he would have phrased his position on fiscal issues differently. “I’m fiscally responsible,” he said. Liberal and moderate Democrats nonetheless say they are eager to have Moore. Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) said the caucus doesn’t have specific policies waiting in the wings they need a Democratic governor to pass. But with Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in office for the past eight years, Ferguson said, the Democratic-controlled General Assembly has been able to attack few complex, systemic problems. With Moore, Ferguson said, that changes. “We’re able to tackle big questions that we don’t have answers to right now,” Ferguson said of the prospect of a Moore administration working with a Democratic legislature. ” … We can start putting together bigger plans.” Moore said his agenda and approach as convener means “everyone’s voice should be heard. I don’t believe in the idea that when I walk into a room, I should ask people to separate themselves by their political party.” While Moore gained the endorsement of the teachers union and many members of the establishment during the primary, he was not the choice of most unions or other progressive groups. (He has since gained their backing.) He’s promised to glean data and ideas from lawmakers, members of the public, private and nonprofit sectors and that includes, he said, people he may not necessarily agree with. To the chagrin of some of the liberal members of the Democratic Party, Moore said that also includes giving the state Fraternal Order of Police, whose endorsement he received after his primary win, a seat at the table. “I don’t think that you can be serious about actually implementing reforms if the agencies that have to be reformed are not part of process,” said Moore, adding that he told the organization the same thing he has previously said about policing: “We need to have a police force that moves with appropriate intensity and absolute integrity and full accountability.” Zakiya Sankara Jabar, co-founder of Racial Justice Now, a grass-roots, parent-led organization in Montgomery County, said she knew Moore was not promoting a progressive agenda, in her view, after learning early in the primary that he was not firmly opposed to police officers in schools. “He sounds a lot like President Biden did during his State of the Union” when he talks about policing, Sankara Jabar said. “It’s disappointing. … The problem is the other side is worse.” Sankara Jabar said she doesn’t see people in her organization overly excited about Moore. Members of other progressive groups, who are more reliant on the establishment, are quietly grumbling, she said. “I think the motivation is more so we can’t let this other guy in, who Trump endorsed,” she said. But Jared Schablein, an ardent Sen. Bernie Sanders supporter in his 2016 presidential bid and one of the founders of the Lower Shore Progressive Caucus, said he trusts Moore on issues important to the progressive movement — jobs that provide a livable wage, accessible health care and schools where teachers are highly paid and students learn skills that prepare them for college or careers. Moore’s poverty-fighting plan includes free pre-K for every child in need, larger investments in apprenticeship and trade programs, having a more diverse teaching pool and closing the racial wealth gap by, among other things, addressing the “unfair appraisal values in historically redlined neighborhoods” and “fixing the broken procurement policies” affecting minority businesses trying to obtain state contracts. Moore has said his tenure at the nonprofit Robin Hood Foundation, where he was chief executive, informed his commitment to targeting child poverty. The rate of children living in poverty varies widely across Maryland, from more than 1 in 4 children in Baltimore City and Eastern Shore’s Somerset County to just over 1 in 20 children in Howard and Calvert counties, according to 2020 data from the Annie B. Casey Foundation. He sees an intersection between it and his plans to expand transportation options, increase affordable housing units and improve public education, among other things. Cheryl Bost, the president of the Maryland Education Association, which endorsed Moore in the primary, said teachers are thrilled to know that with Moore they would have a pro-public-education governor in Annapolis. Bost said Gov. Larry Hogan (R) never met with MSEA in his eight years in office. “With Wes Moore as governor and Aruna Miller as lieutenant governor, educators will have a voice at the table. We’ve seen that through the campaign. … Our members have met and talked to Wes and they then see that come out in speeches or as part of his platform. So they’re saying he’s listening to what we’re saying.” Moore said he plans to work with the legislature at what he described as the state’s “upside-down taxation system. … We have to make sure that people are paying their share, their fair wages when it comes to taxes … “It’s something that I intend to be able to do in partnership with local jurisdictions and with the legislature,” he said. “It’s not really simple, but it’s something that I know is eminently doable and it’s the way we’re going to think about our government.” House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore), who routinely stays out of primary contests, endorsed Moore in the spring because she said he “gets it.” She said she considered his background and asked herself: “What does the state need?” Jones, who is the first Black person and first woman to serve as a presiding officer in the legislature, said Moore, who could become the first Black governor in Maryland, is a candidate who has used his own experiences and the experiences of others to help guide him on policy positions. “I have met with various persons and they would be telling me ABC but their body language and facial expressions tells me XYZ,” she said. “I can attest your cha...
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Charisma Fueled Wes Moores Primary Win. Now He Sharpens His Focus On Policy.
Can The Sunday Morning Talk Show Be Saved?
Can The Sunday Morning Talk Show Be Saved?
Can The Sunday Morning Talk Show Be Saved? https://digitalalaskanews.com/can-the-sunday-morning-talk-show-be-saved/ For the past few months, viewers of “This Week” — ABC’s Sunday-morning public-affairs program — have watched anchors Martha Raddatz and Jonathan Karl roam far beyond the studio, doing interviews with newsmakers in places like Lviv, Ukraine, and Arizona’s border with Mexico. Remote broadcasts are hardly a new concept in TV news, but they’re unusual for Sunday morning panel shows — a genre built around the concept of a cozy Washington-insiders conclave. These on-the-road segments reflect a bit of rethinking and tweaking after years of drift and decline. For decades, Sunday morning’s Big Four — NBC’s “Meet the Press,” CBS’s “Face the Nation,” ABC’s “This Week” and “Fox News Sunday” — were an integral part of the Beltway news ecosystem. Leading political figures, hungry for the big soapbox and establishment cred the shows conveyed, clamored for bookings and sometimes made agenda-setting news. The conventional wisdom was that no pol could launch a viable presidential campaign without first passing “the Russert Primary,” a lengthy grilling by the late Tim Russert on “Meet the Press.” In their day, Bob Schieffer and David Brinkley commanded similarly powerful positions as moderators on what insiders liked to call “Face” and “Week,” respectively. Washington’s most newsworthy VIPs once scored bragging rights by achieving what became known as a “Full Ginsburg” — an honorific named for William Ginsburg, Monica Lewinsky’s lawyer during the scandal leading up to President Bill Clinton’s impeachment, who set a new standard for media exposure by appearing on five major Sunday news broadcasts on the same day. But while the four most highly-rated shows still reach a relatively large audience — a combined average of about 9.3 million per week over the past year — there’s not nearly as much clamoring. Producers of the programs acknowledge that they often struggle to book the people who were once regulars in the greenroom on Sunday. The programs’ shifting fortunes tell a tale about the changing media landscape, and about politics, too. Political leaders now have multiple opportunities to deliver their message — cable-news live hits, podcasts, talk radio, social media — and they don’t have to wait until Sunday. “Trump established the reality that he could address a very large audience very quickly just by using his thumbs alone” on Twitter, says Mark Lukasiewicz, a former ABC and NBC News executive who is now dean of Hofstra University’s communication school. “The Sunday shows are no longer the gatekeepers for political conversations on TV. They were born at a time when politicians needed TV to reach their audience. That’s far less true today.” There are friendlier forums for a politician to deliver a message, with sympathetic moderators and like-minded viewers, he said. That leaves little incentive for a newsmaker to face probing questions from tough, seasoned interviewers. And the message doesn’t travel as far as it once did. Although the Big Four programs increased their audiences during the first two years of the Trump administration, the trend has been downward since then. The four broadcasts collectively lost about 16 percent of their viewers during 2021-22 compared with four years earlier, according to Nielsen figures. The number of younger viewers — the 25-54 age group valued highly by advertisers — has dropped by one-third, weakening the shows’ financial viability. The smaller audience creates a kind of self-perpetuating downward cycle, said another former TV executive: Leading political figures have less incentive to show up, creating fewer compelling interviews and thus even less incentive to watch. (When Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia achieved a Full Ginsburg this summer, it barely made a ripple in Washington.) “It used to be, if you were Sen. X or Y and you had big news on Wednesday, you kept your mouth shut until Sunday,” said this individual, who asked not to be identified to preserve relationships with former colleagues. “Who does that now?” Hence, the need for a little re-invention. “I think our show has become less stuffy,” said Dax Tejera, the ABC program’s executive producer. The point of having Raddatz and Karl, who share rotating hosting duties with George Stephanopoulos, do more segments from outside the studio “is to make the show more accessible. We don’t have to stick with the old norms of what a Sunday show is supposed to look like. We want to offer a wider aperture on the news.” “Fox News Sunday” and “Meet the Press,” which each lost about a quarter of their audience over the past four years, have both been doing some tinkering, too. “Fox News Sunday,” which airs live on Fox broadcast affiliates before being repeated on the Fox cable channel, lost its longtime moderator Chris Wallace to CNN in December. Last month, Fox tapped its chief legal correspondent Shannon Bream — a former late-night news anchor a generation younger than Wallace — to take over. She debuted in her new role last week with a roster of guests including Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Jane Hartley, the U.S. ambassador to Britain, and former Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte — and ratings that the network touted as a promising increase over the year to date. “Meet the Press” has been virtually synonymous with NBC News since its debut in 1947, the longest continuously aired program on network television. Hosted since 2014 by Chuck Todd, it has spun off a variety of brand extensions in recent years, including single-topic specials (“Meet the Press Reports”), a podcast, a blog and a newsletter. There’s even a Meet the Press film festival. But efforts to expand its Sunday franchise have lately taken a few swerves. After launching a weekday version of the program on MSNBC in 2015 with Todd, NBC News last year demoted “Meet the Press Daily” from late afternoons to a less-watched midday timeslot — and then in June moved it to the NBC News Now streaming service. Carrie Budoff Brown, hired last year from Politico to become NBC’s senior vice president of “Meet the Press,” says the move was designed to extend the franchise to a younger audience, and as a hedge against the ongoing decline of traditional “linear” TV. “The audience is in many places, not just in front of the TV on Sunday morning,” she said. “There’s a lot of competition, but I’d rather be in our place, with a familiar and trusted brand, than where our competitors are.” But streaming news has yet to catch on with audiences in a big way, which suggests that “Meet the Press Daily” now has a far smaller audience and lower profile than it did on MSNBC. (NBC News does not break out audience numbers for its streaming platform.) The shift triggered new speculative headlines that Todd’s tenure is in jeopardy; NBC has publicly expressed its support for him. The Sunday morning shows were also jolted by the pandemic, which for months placed limits on the traditional mingling of VIPs in news studios. “Face the Nation,” which has aired on CBS since 1954 and is currently hosted by Margaret Brennan, suspended its weekly roundtable discussions with Washington journalists and pundits. Executive producer Mary Hager said that format may return as the news demands. But in the meantime, the new ease of connecting with guests remotely has expanded the pool of interview subjects — allowing the show to reach beyond Washington, and to address an array of topics beyond politics, such as climate change. “We do less political analysis, but we are still looking at what are the politics that have gone into policy and what are the politics that have come out of the policy,” Hager said. Despite the various headwinds, Hager believes the Sunday shows are a durable and necessary part of television. “There’s always going to be an audience for making sense of the noise,” with experienced anchors leading the proceedings, she said. Lukasiewicz isn’t so sure. “I don’t want to suggest less [news and political] dialogue on TV is a good thing, so I hope they have a reason to live,” he said. “But the jury is out.” Elahe Izadi contributed to this story. Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Can The Sunday Morning Talk Show Be Saved?
QAnon Influencers Believe Donald Trump Gave Them A Signal At Ohio Rally
QAnon Influencers Believe Donald Trump Gave Them A Signal At Ohio Rally
QAnon Influencers Believe Donald Trump Gave Them A Signal At Ohio Rally https://digitalalaskanews.com/qanon-influencers-believe-donald-trump-gave-them-a-signal-at-ohio-rally/ QAnon influencers have suggested that Donald Trump gave a signal to the online conspiracy movement during his speech at a rally in Ohio on Saturday evening. Trump spoke at a rally for Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance in Youngstown in a bid to shore up support ahead of the upcoming midterms. An instrumental track could be heard in the background as Trump told the audience that the U.S. was a nation in decline. As the music played several people in the crowd could be seen holding their index fingers in the air. The song heard sounds not dissimilar to 2020 track WWG1WGA by a musician under the name Richard Feelgood. WWG1WGA, meaning “where we go one we go all,” is a common slogan used by members of the QAnon conspiracy movement. Newsweek has contacted a Trump spokesperson and QAnon analysts for comment. The debunked QAnon conspiracy theory holds the former president is a messianic figure and claims he will expose Democrats, celebrities and business owners as being part of a global network of Satanic cannibalistic pedophiles. Those in the movement have made numerous Trump has given coded signals and have made predictions that have failed to come true, such as the arrest of President Joe Biden during his inauguration. A split image of Donald Trump and a QAnon follower. QAnon followers celebrated Trump’s choice of music online, believing it to be a signal to the movement. Getty Media Matters For America, a left-leaning media analysts, noted Trump had previously used the song in an August 9 post on his social media platform Truth Social. It added the video featured visual imagery of thunderstorms, which are regularly cited by QAnon followers who wait for an event called “The Storm” in which members of a supposed global cabal will be arrested and sent to be executed. Trump spokesperson Taylor Budowich previously told Vice News the song was not Feelgood’s, but a song called “Mirrors” by TV and film composer Will Van De Crommert. But Media Matters claimed the audio profiles of both songs were “virtually identical” after it analyzed them using the audio editing software Audacity. Following Trump’s speech, QAnon influencers took to the social media platform Telegram to celebrate the ex-president’s music choice and believed he had sent a signal to them. Influencers shared images of the crowd holding their index fingers up and said QAnons, the conspiracy’s followers, could even expect Trump himself to declare himself to be “Q.” “Q” refers to the person behind the online account who spread the conspiracy on internet forums while claiming to be a figure inside the U.S. government. There has been no evidence to suggest Trump or his team have been behind the account. Stormy Patriot Joe, who has 114,730 subscribers on their Telegram channel, said: “DJT (Donald J. Trump) played the WWG1WGA music without the thunder and rain tonight at the rally. Could this mean we in the eye of the storm?” The channel Ultra Pepe Lives Matter shared a photo of the rally with the WWG1WGA slogan and told their 208,490 followers: “Trump played the WWG1WGA song behind his speech yet again. I would like a formal apology from all the haters. Anons were right this entire time.” “Now would be a great time for another Q drop. My body is ready. Trump should just walk out on stage, tell everyone he’s Q+, drop the mic, go board his plane and see what happens.” QAnon influencer Jordan Sather told his 84,610 subscribers: “Everyone in the front row of the crowd is holding up a ‘1’ – (finger emoji) – while the WWG1WGA song plays in the background.” Truth Hammer, who has 71,675 followers, posted: “Trump playing clips from the WWG1WGA song again is a direct (middle finger emoji) to anybody upset by doing so. “He’s doing nothing less than identifying with a bottom-up grassroots take-over of the corrupt government, using a movement he helped start.” QAnon influencers have managed to gain influence among Republicans, with some GOP candidates even attending conventions hosted by members of the conspiracy movement. Last year, several Republican State lawmakers and candidates attended the “For God and Country: Patriot Double Down,” an event organized by John Sabal, who was previously known by his Telegram moniker QAnon John. Among them was Ron Watkins, accused of at one time being behind the ‘Q; account, who went on to run a failed campaign to represent Arizona for the GOP in the House of Representatives. Former New York City mayor and Trump’s former personal lawyer Rudy Giuiliani has also been listed as a speaker at Sabal’s upcoming For God and Country: Victory Roundup scheduled to be held in Dallas between November 18 and 20. Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
QAnon Influencers Believe Donald Trump Gave Them A Signal At Ohio Rally
Russia Advances On Key City In Eastern Ukraine
Russia Advances On Key City In Eastern Ukraine
Russia Advances On Key City In Eastern Ukraine https://digitalalaskanews.com/russia-advances-on-key-city-in-eastern-ukraine/ Image A Ukrainian armored vehicle rolled through the streets of Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Thursday as the town remained under assault by Russian forces.Credit…Juan Barreto/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Image Despite Ukraine’s recent advances in the northeastern front, Russian troops have inched closer to Bakhmut, a city in the Donetsk region of Ukraine with a prewar population of 70,000 people.Credit…Tyler Hicks/The New York Times Image Bakhmut became the latest target of Russia’s Donbas offensive after the fall of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk in early July.Credit…Juan Barreto/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images BAKHMUT, Ukraine — The steady rattle of machine-gun fire resonated across the outskirts of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on Saturday morning. The sound, interspersed with the shriek of rockets and mortar fire, indicated one thing: The Russian troops were getting closer. Bakhmut, a city with a prewar population of 70,000, is critical to Russia’s objective of taking the rest of the mineral-rich Donbas region. When Russian forces captured the industrial city of Lysychansk in early July and cemented their control of Luhansk, one of two provinces in the Donbas, Bakhmut soon became the focus of Russia’s slow advance. And even after Russia took a crippling defeat in Ukraine’s northeast last week, when its troops lost dozens of villages and roughly a thousand square miles of territory around the city of Kharkiv, its forces still continued to attack Bakhmut. Ukrainian soldiers and commanders believe Bakhmut is in an increasingly tenuous position as Russian forces press from the east and southeast in an attempt to cut off the country’s supplies. Soldiers on the front line around the city have claimed that Russian forces in the area are mainly composed of troops from the Wagner Group, a private military company with ties to the Kremlin. Wagner troops have fought in places such as Syria and Libya — countries with a history of Russian intervention — and Ukrainian soldiers say they are deploying Russian prisoners onto the front lines. That the Ukrainian forces were being attacked by inmates — and not just regular Russian ranks — suggested a reason there seemed an unending supply of soldiers around Bakhmut attacking them, Ukrainian troops said. On Tuesday, a video posted online and analyzed by The New York Times shows the Wagner Group promising convicts that they will be released from prison in return for a six-month combat tour in Ukraine. It is unclear when the video was filmed. After Russia’s humiliating defeat around Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, in the spring, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said that capturing the Donbas, a region roughly the size of New Hampshire, would be one of the war’s primary aims. At a regional summit in Uzbekistan on Friday, Mr. Putin reiterated that the “main goal” of his “special military operation” was to seize the Donbas, despite losses in the northeast and Ukraine’s ongoing offensive in the south, near the port city of Kherson. Russian troops currently control much of the Donbas, a region of rolling hills, mining towns and sunflower fields that seem to scrape against the sky. Moscow’s dominance there stems from military advances earlier this summer and the creation of the Donetsk and Luhansk breakaway republics by Russian-backed separatists in 2014. In the southeastern corner of the Donbas, Russian forces recently made small advances farther west, all but capturing the village of Pisky near the Donetsk airport. But Moscow’s troops have encountered well-manned secondary and tertiary Ukrainian defensive lines that have been in place for years. As winter approaches, Ukrainian forces are in a position to reclaim some of Russia’s summer gains in the Donbas, especially around the small city of Lyman, an important railway juncture. It has been further isolated from Russian resupply following Ukraine’s recent capture of Izium and Kupyansk in the northwest. Lyman sits on the northeastern side of the Seversky Donets, a river that has given the Russian forces a de facto defensive boundary for much of the war. If Lyman falls under Ukrainian control, commanders and soldiers said, they will be in a far more advantageous position to repel future Russian offensives. — Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Natalia Yermak Image A motorcade transporting experts with the International Atomic Energy Agency arrived at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant outside the Russian-controlled city of Enerhodar, Ukraine.Credit…Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters After nearly a week offline, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine resumed receiving electricity from the country’s power grid, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, said on Saturday. The restoration came after engineers finished repairing a high-voltage line damaged by shelling. The restored line, one of four primary external connections at the sprawling nuclear power plant, will furnish the station with the electricity needed to cool its six nuclear reactors and perform other critical safety functions, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement. Before the line was fixed on Friday, the plant — the largest in Europe — had been relying on three backup power lines, as well as electricity that it had produced, to power the essential equipment dedicated to cooling spent fuel rods. Ukraine turned off the final reactor at the plant on Sept. 11 as a safety measure after determining that keeping it going as fighting continued nearby could lead to nuclear catastrophe. The plant, at full operation, provided about a fifth of Ukraine’s electricity supply. While the return of power is a positive development, the facility itself remains in a precarious state near the front lines in southern Ukraine. Even though shelling in the plant’s vicinity has waned in recent days, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the agency, said in the statement that it continues farther afield. Mr. Grossi and other nuclear inspectors from the agency visited the plant earlier this month after weeks of negotiations with Russia and Ukraine to be allowed entry. Two inspectors from the agency have remained at the plant to monitor it full time. For months, Ukrainian nuclear engineers, who are running the operations at the plant after it was seized by Russian forces in March, have been working to address one crisis after another to prevent a nuclear accident. The agency has called for the establishment of a “safety and security protection zone” around the facility, but it does not have the authority to order a cease-fire or to demand that Russian forces leave the plant. On Monday, Mr. Grossi said there were active negotiations with Ukraine and Russia to end military actions in and around the plant. Image In a photo provided by the Armenian government, Speaker Nancy Pelosi was greeted by Alen Simonyan, the president of the National Assembly, on Saturday outside Yerevan, Armenia’s capital.Credit…PHOTOLURE, via Associated Press LONDON — Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Armenia on Saturday, leading a congressional delegation in a show of support for the small nation after an outbreak of fighting with neighboring Azerbaijan. The clashes resulted in the deaths of more than 200 people this week. Ms. Pelosi said that she would meet with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the capital, Yerevan, as well as with other officials to convey “the strong and ongoing support of the United States” for Armenia and for a lasting settlement to the conflict between the two neighbors over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Ms. Pelosi is the highest-ranking American official to visit Armenia since it gained independence 30 years ago with the end of the Soviet Union, her office said in a statement. She was accompanied by Representatives Jackie Speier and Anna G. Eshoo, both Armenian Americans from California, where there is a large Armenian community. The visit, Ms. Pelosi’s latest effort to demonstrate the capabilities of the legislative branch, comes amid an eruption of war in Europe and points to the shifting balance of power around the former Soviet empire where the United States has long sought to build influence. The recent fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh is the worst since a full-scale war there killed thousands in 2020, and it has made Armenia appear particularly vulnerable. Russia, Armenia’s longtime protector, has been weakened by an unexpectedly difficult war in Ukraine, and Azerbaijan has aggressively pushed Mr. Pashinyan to agree to a peace deal that would recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over the disputed territory. Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Russia Advances On Key City In Eastern Ukraine
Opinion: Dems Talk Hiking Taxes On Private Equity & Hedge Fund Managers; GOP Has Done It
Opinion: Dems Talk Hiking Taxes On Private Equity & Hedge Fund Managers; GOP Has Done It
Opinion: Dems Talk Hiking Taxes On Private Equity & Hedge Fund Managers; GOP Has Done It https://digitalalaskanews.com/opinion-dems-talk-hiking-taxes-on-private-equity-gop-has-done-it/ Patrick Gleason  |  OPINION COLUMNIST Politicians from both sides of the aisle have talked for years about wanting to raise taxes on the income generated by hedge fund and private equity managers commonly referred to as carried interest, which is taxed at the capital gains tax rate. Despite what Wall Street had feared, it turns out unified Democratic control of the federal government will not translate into a tax hike on hedge funds and private equity firms. That’s because removal of a tax increase on carried interest from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was the cost of getting Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s (D-Ariz.) vote for the bill. “We did not raise taxes. We’ve closed loopholes. … I made sure there were no tax increases in this whatsoever,” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) said of the IRA, which is a verifiably false statement. Not only does the IRA include hundreds of billions of dollars in federal tax hikes, the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation reported that the IRA will result in a higher federal tax burden for households of all income levels, even for those making less than $10,000 annually.  The IRA stands in contrast to The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), the tax reform bill passed by a GOP-led Congress and signed into law by then-President Donald Trump in 2017. The TCJA resulted in a net tax cut of $1.65 trillion over a decade. The TCJA facilitated broad tax relief for all income levels, in part, by offsetting it with tax increases that generally fall on high earners.  Among the TJCA tax hikes was the new $10,000 cap on the state and local tax deduction, limiting a tax break disproportionately utilized by high income filers. That wasn’t the only tax increase on the wealthy included in the TCJA.  The TCJA also increased the tax burden on carried interest by requiring investments to be held for at least three years, up from one, in order to be taxed as long-term capital gains. The TCJA’s carried interest holding period change raised taxes on private equity managers to help pay for broad income tax relief.  President Biden and other Democrats portray the TCJA as a “give-away to the rich.” Yet such attacks are contradicted by actual IRS data, which show a greater share of the TCJA’s relief went to low- and middle-income households. The TCJA made the federal tax code more progressive. Despite that, the effort to mislead Americans about the TCJA has been effective.  “A recent Gallup survey revealed that 43% of Americans were unsure whether tax reform affected their federal tax bill, even though a majority of those Americans had their taxes lowered,” Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote in 2019. “Worse, 21% believe that their taxes increased, even though fewer than 6% were projected.” The carried interest tax hike included in the initial version of the IRA was replaced with a different tax increase more than five times larger than the abandoned carried interest tax hike. The bigger tax increase that replaced the carried interest tax hike is a 1% excise tax on the value of corporate stock buybacks, which will harm state and local pension funds, union retirement plans, and the nest eggs of the 58% of American households who own stock. “When Congress slaps additional toll taxes on defined contribution retirement plans, defined benefit plans, mutual funds, IRAs, 529s, etc. they make middle class investing more difficult,” said Ryan Ellis, president of the Center for a Free Economy and an IRS-enrolled agent. “The 1% stock buyback tax will result in less capital for shareholders—which means lower dividends and lower stock prices. It hurts anyone counting on the stock market to help pay for their retirement or their kids’ college tuition.” National Public Radio’s Planet Money recently broadcast an episode focused on taxation of carried interest, during which the hosts claimed federal lawmakers have never raised taxes on carried interest. That’s not true and it demonstrates how many people, even those in the media, are simply unaware that private equity and hedge fund managers have been hit with a tax hike in recent years. It is news to many Americans that not only have taxes been raised on carried interest recently, but that it was imposed by conservative Republicans, not the progressive Democrats who are now declining to end the “loophole” when they have the chance to do so. Patrick Gleason, a Haywood County resident, is vice president of state affairs at Americans for Tax Reform and a senior fellow at the Beacon Center of Tennessee Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Opinion: Dems Talk Hiking Taxes On Private Equity & Hedge Fund Managers; GOP Has Done It
Trump Compares His Own Senate Candidate To Kim Jong-Un In Bizarre Rally Speech
Trump Compares His Own Senate Candidate To Kim Jong-Un In Bizarre Rally Speech
Trump Compares His Own Senate Candidate To Kim Jong-Un In Bizarre Rally Speech https://digitalalaskanews.com/trump-compares-his-own-senate-candidate-to-kim-jong-un-in-bizarre-rally-speech/ Donald Trump gave a rambling speech to an under-capacity crowd of 6,000 people in Ohio’s Youngstown on Saturday, during which he dished out a series of humiliating jibes to mock venture capitalist JD Vance, his own pick for the state’s tight US Senate race. The former president compared the Republican candidate to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at one point and said “JD is kissing my a**” now for support. “This is a very important race,” Mr Trump said to a crowd at the Youngstown Covelli Centre. “This is a great person who I’ve really gotten to know. “Yeah, he said some bad things about me, that was before he knew me and then he fell in love,” Mr Trump said. “Remember, I said that about Kim Jong-un, he fell in love, and they said Trump is saying he fell in love – actually he did if you want to know the truth.” The two world leaders’ relationship brought optimism for a breakthrough in denuclearisation talks between North Korea and the US after Mr Trump once said that he and Mr Kim “fell in love”. They met three times and exchanged letters and envoys on many occasions since 2018, although talks ultimately bore little fruit before Mr Trump was voted out in 2020. Mr Trump was referring to Mr Vance’s reported remarks from six years ago, when the candidate had called Mr Trump “America’s Hitler”. The venture capitalist and “Hillbilly Elegy” author said at the time: “I go back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical a**hole like Nixon who wouldn’t be that bad … or that he’s America’s Hitler,” according to his former Yale Law School roommate. Mr Vance reportedly deleted this criticism from his Twitter feed before announcing his Senate campaign bid against Democratic Senate candidate Tim Ryan. Former President Donald Trump speaks at a Save America Rally to support Republican candidates running for state and federal offices in the state at the Covelli Centre (Getty Images) Mr Trump’s bizarre speech also included a reference to the Chinese president. He reiterated his call for the death penalty for all drug dealers, repeating an anecdote of a conversation he had with Xi Jinping. One of the most applause-garnering lines of the bizarre speech came when the ex-president insisted that far-left radicals were “teaching transgender” to American students, the latest attempt by the right to smear teachers as agents of a leftist agenda. His speech delved into what is now a familiar litany of grievances, grudges, and complaints about the myriad investigations into his conduct by federal and state prosecutors in Washington DC, Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere. Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Trump Compares His Own Senate Candidate To Kim Jong-Un In Bizarre Rally Speech
Callers Issue Criticism And Praise Of Gov. Ron DeSantis More In This Week
Callers Issue Criticism And Praise Of Gov. Ron DeSantis More In This Week
Callers Issue Criticism And Praise Of Gov. Ron DeSantis, More In This Week https://digitalalaskanews.com/callers-issue-criticism-and-praise-of-gov-ron-desantis-more-in-this-week/ What’s on your mind? Call Sound Off, our weekly column of community comments, at 352-337-0368 to share your opinions.  • Gov. DeSantis has gone to Williston, Gilchrist County [and] Newberry to hand out big checks for various projects, which is great, but what he fails to tell the people is that this money came from the federal government — various bills that were passed with entirely Democrat votes. Our Sens. Rubio and Scott voted against these bills, as did our Rep. Kat Cammack. If it weren’t for the Democrats, Gov. DeSantis would not have this money to distribute. He needs to be forthcoming and tell people exactly why he has this money to distribute. • I think it’s amusing that the Democratic governors of New York and California are so obsessed with our great governor, Ron DeSantis. They need to focus on their crime-ridden states and leave our great state of Florida alone.  • As I read Gail Johnson’s article in the Issues section of Sunday’s Sun, she talks about heartbreaking stories where GRU bills have doubled or tripled while usage has stayed the same. That is an out-and-out lie! All anybody has to do is look at the rates on their bill. Yes, rates are increasing, but they are nowhere near doubling or tripling. So, if there is no increased usage, there is no doubling or tripling. More Sound Off: What’s the plan for the old Terwilliger school? Callers comment on this and other issues Callers question lack of GOP ballots in Alachua County, offer opinions on other issues Callers comment on addressing the teacher shortage, Florida prisons and more • I just don’t understand the brouhaha over plastic bags. I’m 99.9% sure scientists have discovered a way to make bags like that that are not plastic — like from old tires.  • I’m hoping that this will make it to Sound Off. It’s important for everybody to see it maybe in writing: the top voters’ issues. The first one is threats to our democracy came in first with 21%. Cost of living was next at 16%. Jobs and the economy was at 14%. Immigration and situation at the border was 13%. Climate change is at 9%. Guns, 8%. Abortion, 8%. Crime, 6%.  Coronavirus, last one, at 1%. I think all of us have to look at that in the order … of what the people are really concerned about, and I, for one, am the one at that top list: the threat to our democracy. It is scary to see what’s going on in the United States of America.  • Donald Trump knows he broke the law. When he criticized other people for mishandling classified information, he said it was illegal and that those people should be in jail. I’m fed up with Republicans who keep trying to defend Trump’s criminal behavior.  • Let’s talk about our president’s excellent record. He got the Inflation Reduction Bill passed, which will not do that for several years, they say. He told us when we left Afghanistan that was an excellent way to leave even though we hadn’t told our military partners — France, Germany, you name it. Now we have, for the last year and a half, the southern border, which we’re having over 200,000 people cross illegally each month, which we’re giving them health care, college, telephones, you name it — things that I’ve never gotten for free but I’m paying for.  • Trump incited an attempted coup and is now promising to pardon the insurrectionists and even “apologize to them” if re-elected. And congressional Republicans are supporting him. Is that the kind of America you want? MAGA — Make America Generate Anarchy!  • The first two years, the Brazilian president has destroyed 18,000 square miles of rainforest, which is crucial to our climate change in the entire world. China is the largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, and he does nothing to change it. Mr. Putin is the largest skeptic of climate change. He blames it on progress and does nothing but nothing to make any changes. So here, now, in the Unted States, we asked Joe Manchin to stop lining his pockets with the coal industry that he has financial ties with and interest that he should be made to recuse himself. Why has this not happened?  • Our survival depends on healing the Earth. One way to do this is to buy less stuff. A lot of raw materials for the many things we buy must be mined. Mining depletes water, destroys land and uses lots of energy, and there are lots of mines on this planet. Please, first reuse, repair and recover material. When you must buy new, buy less. Journalism matters. Your support matters. Get a digital subscription to the Gainesville Sun. Includes must-see content on Gainesville.com and Gatorsports.com, breaking news and updates on all your devices, and access to the eEdition. Visit www.gainesville.com/subscribenow to sign up. Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Callers Issue Criticism And Praise Of Gov. Ron DeSantis More In This Week
The Islamic Republics morality Murder And US Appeasement
The Islamic Republics morality Murder And US Appeasement
The Islamic Republic’s ‘morality’ Murder And US Appeasement https://digitalalaskanews.com/the-islamic-republics-morality-murder-and-us-appeasement/ (September 18, 2022 / JNS) The killing of Mahsa Amini in Tehran last week should serve as a reminder to the United States about the regime that it’s desperate to enrich with tens of billions of dollars in exchange for another disastrous nuclear deal. And the angry street protests that have erupted around the Islamic Republic since then should signal to the P5+1 that now is the time to help weaken, not strengthen, the grip of the ayatollahs on the populace. Amini, a 22-year-old woman from Saqez in Iran’s Kurdistan Province, was on a trip with her family to the country’s capital on Tuesday, when she was arrested by the “morality police” for not having her head covered properly. According to eyewitnesses, she was beaten as soon as she entered the van that was transporting her to the station for “education.” By Friday, she was dead. One can only imagine the kind of torture she endured before she was taken to the Kasra Hospital in northern Tehran. Photos that emerged of her lying in a coma matched the medical center’s statement that when she was admitted on Sept. 13, she showed “no vital signs.” This notice was removed from the hospital’s social media pages after hardliners called its staff “anti-regime agents.” In parallel, police denied having beaten Amini to death, insisting that she had passed away from a heart attack. Compounding the lie that nobody bought—least of all her family, who said that she had been perfectly healthy and never suffered from cardiac problems—President Ebrahim Raisi, as much of an Islamist extremist as his mullah handlers, reportedly requested that the Iranian Interior Ministry open an investigation into the incident. The charade would be laughable if it weren’t so typically evil. Subscribe to The JNS Daily Syndicate by email and never miss our top stories Ditto for the response of the regime—a member of the U.N. Women’s Rights Council—to the demonstrations that ensued upon news of Amini’s demise and continued throughout her burial in Saqez on Saturday. During the funeral, women removed their hijabs and mourners chanted “Death to the dictator,” referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ironically, reports that Khamenei was severely ill with a bowel obstruction, along with rumors that he may even have died, were countered on Saturday with an appearance by the octogenarian cleric at a religious ceremony. Meanwhile, Iranian security forces were busy trying to nip the unrest in the bud, with mass arrests and other means. These included firing on the crowds at Amini’s gravesite, where her tombstone was engraved with the message: “You didn’t die. Your name will be a code word [rallying cry].” Whether Amini becomes a symbol like Neda Soltan—the young woman gunned down in Tehran on June 20, 2009, during a mass demonstration against the rigged results of the presidential election that had taken place a week earlier—remains to be seen. But the similarity is inescapable. Though the 26-year-old aspiring musician was not a political activist, she had shed her chador in defiance of the Islamic dress code. She was shot by a rooftop sniper, a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps militia. Photos of her lifeless body, with her eyes open and blood trickling from her nose and mouth, became a symbol for the so-called “Green Revolution.” Before it fizzled out—thanks to then-U.S. President Barack Obama’s deference to the powers-that-be in Iran—the internationally viral phrase “We Are All Neda” seemed to indicate a crack in the regime’s armor. Given the current circumstances, with Obama’s political and literal successors following the same old blueprint with Tehran, it’s unlikely that Amini’s death will have any more of an impact than Neda’s, however. If there was any hope to the contrary, U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley put it to rest on Friday through a pathetic post. “Mahsa Amini’s death after injuries sustained in custody for an ‘improper’ hijab is appalling,” he tweeted. “Our thoughts are with her family. Iran must end its violence against women for exercising their fundamental rights. Those responsible for her death should be held accountable.” No, he wasn’t joking; and he’s still bent on filling their coffers. He doesn’t have to worry about Khamenei being out of commission, though, since the ayatollah-in-chief gave Raisi the authority to make decisions on the nuclear pact in his absence. Nor is it true, as a senior Israeli official told reporters last Monday, that the administration in Washington has “sidelined” Malley, a key architect of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) from which then-U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018. A “conflict resolution” expert and advocate of engagement with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, Malley has been so eager to appease Tehran that his second-in-command, Richard Nephew, quit his team, and others followed suit. “Rob [Malley] … is still very much in charge of … our efforts,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price in his press briefing on Tuesday. “[He] is deeply engaged day-to-day on the substance of this. He is leading a team here at the [State] Department. He is regularly engaging with our counterparts at the White House, the Treasury Department, the intelligence community and elsewhere regarding our efforts to achieve a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA and our contingency planning, as well.” Asked during his briefing on Friday about what’s holding up the deal, Price replied, “What I can offer is our assessment, and there is only one reason that we have not yet reached an understanding on a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA, and that is because Tehran has not yet accepted the reasonable basis presented by the E.U. as coordinator of the JCPOA talks.” He went on, “As we’ve said repeatedly, gaps remain between the United States and Iran, or between Iran and the rest of the P5+1 … And it’s clear from Iran’s response that these gaps still remain. Iran’s response did not put us in a position to close a deal, but we continue to contend that it’s not too late to conclude [one].” In other words, the ball is in Raisi’s court. And Amini’s murder—for the crime of exposing too much of her face—is as meaningless as Malley’s mealy-mouthed criticism of it. Ruthie Blum is an Israel-based journalist and author of “To Hell in a Handbasket: Carter, Obama, and the ‘Arab Spring.’ ”  Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
The Islamic Republics morality Murder And US Appeasement
'Zuckerbucks 2.0: Lawmakers Eye Private Money In Milwaukee Elections
'Zuckerbucks 2.0: Lawmakers Eye Private Money In Milwaukee Elections
'Zuckerbucks 2.0’: Lawmakers Eye Private Money In Milwaukee Elections https://digitalalaskanews.com/zuckerbucks-2-0-lawmakers-eye-private-money-in-milwaukee-elections/ Two dozen states banned the use of private money to finance election operations in response to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s pouring part of his $400 million fortune into the 2020 election process.  Wisconsin wasn’t one of them.  Now, an initiative to boost voter turnout called Milwaukee Votes 2022 involves some private partners, including a Democrat-aligned political communications company known as GPS Impact. A spokesman for Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson told The Daily Signal that GPS Impact is “one of several” partners in the initiative, which Johnson announced this week at a press conference.  However, Wisconsin state lawmakers have more questions.  “This is Zuckerbucks 2.0,” said state Rep. Janel Brandtjen, a Republican who chairs the Wisconsin State Assembly’s Campaigns and Elections Committee. Republicans in both the Assembly and the state Senate are seeking documents showing communications between the city of Milwaukee and GPS Impact. No lawmaker is alleging that Zuckerberg is funding Milwaukee’s get-out-the-vote program. Rather, “Zuckerbucks” or “Zuck Bucks” have become nicknames for private money that pays for local or state election operations.  A special counsel appointed by the Wisconsin State Assembly issued a report finding that jurisdictions getting Zuckerberg dollars may have conducted an illegal get-out-the-vote operation and violated other state laws.  Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, vetoed a measure to ban private dollars and private actors from infiltrating election administration offices in the Badger State.  The presidential election results in Wisconsin were among the closest in the country in 2020, with Joe Biden defeating Donald Trump by about 20,000 votes. However, Biden got 79% of the vote in Milwaukee.  Various nonprofit groups in 2020 orchestrated a “well-oiled machine of knowing what ballots are outstanding, who voted, who hasn’t voted” that allowed them “to do a real-time system of turning out the vote,” Brandtjen told The Daily Signal in a phone interview.  “When we heard that they were using this group, this GPS Impact, if you look at the website it clearly is not nonpartisan,” the Republican lawmaker said. “They work for Democrats and progressives to win in states, including Wisconsin. That’s a complete set of red flags.” She also said it is improper for cities to be working to turn out voters.  “Municipalities are not supposed to be in the business of getting out the vote,” Brandtjen said. “Certainly, say [that] today is voting day and publicize that information. But to know which people have voted and not voted, that’s not the job of municipalities. That’s the job of political parties.”  GPS Impact’s Twitter account includes tweets touting Democrat politicians it works for at the federal and state level, and boasts of work more recently in helping to defeat a pro-life amendment to the Kansas Constitution.  GPS Impact should not be confused with the Washington-based opposition research group Fusion GPS that figured in the false Trump-Russia allegations. GPS Impact did not respond to phone and email inquiries from The Daily Signal for this report.  The Milwaukee Votes 2022 initiative began in May. But on Monday, the city’s mayor announced bigger plans for the program.  “We’re doing more, and I’m going to be embracing outreach and engagement through what we’re calling ‘Milwaukee Votes 2022,’” Johnson, a Democrat, said during the press conference. “As part of that, you will soon see a new website widget on many Milwaukee.gov website pages.” The planned activity potentially is illegal, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said in a joint statement with other Republican leaders.  And these Republicans aren’t standing for it. Their statement says: We are demanding that the city of Milwaukee immediately cease assisting a privately funded, liberal group in their efforts to only engage with and turn out certain voters. The city of Milwaukee’s promotion and coordination of potentially illegal activities under the guise of canvassing is why Wisconsin voters have lost confidence in our elections. It is inappropriate for any municipality to support a get-out-the-vote campaign. Jeff Fleming, the mayor’s spokesman, said in an email Wednesday  to The Daily Signal that the city of Milwaukee neither receives nor provides money to support the Milwaukee Votes 2022 initiative. “All the work is nonpartisan; none of the efforts support individual candidates or causes,” Fleming said. “The mayor wants all eligible Milwaukee residents to cast ballots in upcoming elections. He supports democracy, and he wants voices in Milwaukee to be heard. The city works with any nonpartisan effort that encourages eligible voters to cast ballots.” Fleming said he didn’t have specifics about the cost of the initiative or the funding sources, but elaborated that partners other than GPS Impact are involved. He noted that plans began in May.  “I do not have information about individuals, corporations, or foundations that are funding nonpartisan voter outreach,” Johnson’s spokesman said. “On May 24th, the mayor first announced this partnership—and that event was supported by the two largest business associations in the region, the Greater Milwaukee Committee and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. Also at the event were a representative of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a group called ‘Souls to the Polls,’ and the League of Women Voters.” In speaking to reporters, Johnson said the effort will involve going door to door.  “Milwaukee Votes 2022 will also have door-to-door canvassers that will be underway, funded by the private sector,” Johnson said. “Dozens of canvassers will be face to face with eligible voters, encouraging them to exercise their right to vote for the November election. I’m not asking anybody to cast their ballots for one party or another or one candidate or another.” When asked about it by The Daily Signal, Fleming said: “I am not familiar with the specifics of the work of the door-to-door outreach, other than they are not paid by the city.” A city-endorsed effort to go door to door to get out the vote is still concerning, Brandtjen said.  “There is no oversight of the going door-to-door that we know of,” the Republican state lawmaker said. “Can you imagine someone shows up from the city at your door to ask you if you’ve voted yet, or says, ‘I know you haven’t voted’? That could be perceived as massive intimidation.”  Dan O’Donnell, a conservative talk radio host in Milwaukee, says that the city referred his questions to a GPS Impact staffer. When he contacted the staffer, he said, she told him that she was only an informal adviser to the get-out-the-vote initiative.  “This doesn’t pass the smell test at all,” O’Donnell said in a phone interview with The Daily Signal.  “It’s private money going into election operations in a city. I would classify this as extremely similar to Zuckerbucks,” the talk show host added. “The city working with a Democratic firm on a get-out-the-vote effort is pretty obviously a Democratic get-out-the-vote effort. The city shouldn’t be doing this.” Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.  Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
'Zuckerbucks 2.0: Lawmakers Eye Private Money In Milwaukee Elections
Ken Burns: Revisiting A Dark Moment In American History
Ken Burns: Revisiting A Dark Moment In American History
Ken Burns: Revisiting A Dark Moment In American History https://digitalalaskanews.com/ken-burns-revisiting-a-dark-moment-in-american-history/ KEN BURNS, LYNN NOVICK AND SARAH BOTSTEIN KEN BURNS, LYNN NOVICK AND SARAH BOTSTEIN ARE DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKERS. September 18, 2022, 12:04AM Today, in America, we stand at a peculiar and frightening crossroads. We are witnessing the rising appeal of authoritarianism abroad and at home, we are bombarded by social media outlets that spread divisive falsehoods and hatred, and, a mere two months before midterm elections, we find our democracy itself under attack. We have spent our careers as filmmakers looking at our nation’s past to deepen our understanding of who we are as Americans and trying to build a stronger version of what we hope to become. This endeavor now seems in peril. As a country, we seem unwilling, even uninterested, in nurturing from the tangled roots of our past a better future. How else can we describe a time when many Americans cling to blind and unexamined notions of the nation’s “greatness” yet lash out at schools and teachers, fearing what a thoughtful look at our country’s history might uncover? The battles we are fighting today are battles about whether as a society we choose honest understanding of the past over willful blindness. “Part of our national mythology is that we are a good people, we are a democracy,” the historian Nell Irvin Painter told us in an interview. “But that’s not all there is to this story, and I think if we are going to congratulate ourselves on our democracy, which I think we should, we also need to face up to the other side.” In six years of research for a documentary about the U.S. and the Holocaust, we were not looking for parallels to the present, though we knew they were there, even before Donald Trump came to office. But now these dark moments in our history echo all too clearly. Our country faced a similar crisis of belief in the lead-up to World War II, a period marked by a swell of homegrown, right-wing extremism, isolationism, xenophobia and racism. These impulses reflected fundamental challenges within a society that had not yet resolved the contradictions of its own self-image. In the 1920s, desperate to restrict immigration to preserve the “racial” makeup of the country, Americans justified their intolerance by championing the burgeoning field of eugenics, which provided a rationale for limiting the ability of certain “races,” including Jews, to move to the U.S. The result was a series of restrictive quota laws that immediately slammed the door on waves of immigrants, even though previous waves had built America’s greatness in prior decades. This same intolerance later established insurmountable obstacles for thousands of refugees seeking to flee to America from the Reich. In the 1930s, as the Nazis were trying to force German Jews to emigrate through a program of physical terror and legal subjugation, Germans could look to the U.S. not as a counter-model, but as a societal prototype that embraced racism and exclusion. When Nazi jurists sought statutes on which to base their own antisemitic laws, they turned to the Jim Crow South. Race laws in the U.S. revealed the hypocrisy of any American outrage against Germany and undermined our credibility against Nazism on the international stage. Likewise, some Americans, including mainstream and powerful figures, found kinship in belief with Nazi Germany. Henry Ford’s widely read weekly newspaper, the Dearborn Independent, regularly printed antisemitic bile — including a tract known as “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” that espoused a false conspiracy theory. Father Charles Coughlin, a Catholic priest with a radio show reaching millions, advocated for fascist dictatorships. And the world-renowned aviator Charles Lindbergh, who lent his fame to the isolationist America First Committee, openly declared, “It is the European race we must preserve; political progress will follow.” Many American businesses — including Ford Motor, General Motors and Woolworths — continued to operate in Nazi Germany until the war, even when doing so meant firing Jewish workers and aiding German militarization. And while some members of the American press bravely challenged Nazi falsehoods — Dorothy Thompson and Edgar Mowrer stand out — too often American reporters seemed enamored of Nazi society, accepting of Nazi propaganda and no doubt sympathetic to the common tropes that Jews constituted a “problem” that needed to be solved. From 1933 to 1945, the United States admitted some 225,000 refugees from Nazi terror — more than any other sovereign nation took in — but that was just a fraction of the people who were trying to escape. Despite our ultimate victory on the battlefield, our response to Nazism was hindered by our own fears and prejudices, an indictment that points blame at no single group or individual but should give all of us reason to reflect on our collective responsibility and what we might do differently in the future. Examining uncomfortable truths about American complicity in the Holocaust doesn’t settle a grand question like whether Americans of the last century were good or evil. Instead, the doubt that can be resolved is: Do Americans today have the courage to look at the mistakes of our past for the sake of our improvement? Courage, in this case, includes our willingness to teach our entire history, to confront the difficult along with celebrating the positive. Courage would mean recognizing that those less fortunate, at home and abroad, are not a threat to our existence but people in search of something better for their families, whether that is security or economic opportunity. “If we’re going to be a country in the future, then we have to have a view of our own history which allows us to see what we were,” historian Timothy Snyder told us. “And then we have to become something different if we’re going to make it.” Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein are documentary filmmakers. Their film “The U.S. and the Holocaust” premieres at 8 p.m. Sunday on KQED-TV. From the Los Angeles Times. You can send letters to the editor to letters@pressdemocrat.com. Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Ken Burns: Revisiting A Dark Moment In American History
Two Dead Within Minutes: Police Investigating Early-Morning Southwest Fresno Shootings
Two Dead Within Minutes: Police Investigating Early-Morning Southwest Fresno Shootings
Two Dead Within Minutes: Police Investigating Early-Morning Southwest Fresno Shootings https://digitalalaskanews.com/two-dead-within-minutes-police-investigating-early-morning-southwest-fresno-shootings/ BREAKING NEWSFresno Co. deputy shoots and kills suspect WATCH LIVE Welcome, Your Account Log Out FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Detectives are investigating two homicides that happened within minutes of each other early Saturday morning in Southwest Fresno. Fresno Police say the first call came in at 2:09 am after multiple gunshots were heard along South Teilman Avenue, near Highway 180. When officers arrived, they found a man in his 20s who had been shot in his upper body. Fire and EMS crews tried to save the man’s life, but were unsuccessful and he was declared dead at the location. The next shooting happened just 15 minutes later at 2:24 am. The Shot Spotter system alerted dispatchers to seven rounds fired near East Tower and South Fairview Avenues. After searching the area, officers found a man in his 30s near the entrance to the parking lot of the Hinton Community Center. He had been shot multiple times and was declared dead by American Ambulance when they arrived. Fresno Police say the homicide unit is investigating the shootings. Copyright © 2022 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved. Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Two Dead Within Minutes: Police Investigating Early-Morning Southwest Fresno Shootings
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N https://digitalalaskanews.com/n-44/ During a campaign stop in New York City on Friday, the Republican nominee for governor in the Empire State Lee Zeldin called for a probe into sitting Gov. Kathy Hochul’s apparent dodgy dealings. In 2021, Hochul’s administration inked a deal to buy 52 million Covid-19 Carestart tests for $637 million. At the same time, the state of California made a similar purchase but paid 45 percent less than New York, according to the Albany Times Union.  The report says that the price increase was because Hochul went through a campaign donor’s company to facilitate the purchase. Whereas California went straight through the manufacturer, AccessBio. The middleman company involved in the deal is named Digital Gadgets, which is based in northern New Jersey. The company was founded in 2007 by Brooklyn native Charlie Tebele. In this election cycle, Digital Gadgets has donated $300,000 to the governor’s campaign.  Republican candidate Lee Zeldin told the media on Friday: ‘Kathy Hochul’s approach to this job is one of selling access in a way that even Andrew Cuomo would never even think of. This crosses all sorts of lines. And it must be investigated’ The official line from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office is that the governor was unaware that Digital Gadgets was a campaign donor Digital Gadget was founded in 2007 by Brooklyn native Charlie Tebele, pictured here Zeldin, who is currently in the House of Representatives, is taking on Hochul in the November general election and has the backing of Donald Trump. His campaign made headlines last month when a man walked on stage during one of Zeldin’s events with supporters and tried to stab him. Zeldin was unhurt and his attacker was arrested. Tebele, along with family members, donated $70,000 prior to the contract being awarded and then another $227,000 after the deal went through.  Zeldin told the media during an appearance in Manhattan: ‘Kathy Hochul’s campaign receives $300,000 from a donor, and then going around and circumventing New York’s competitive bidding laws, they end up agreeing to an over $600 million contract, paying over twice the going rate.’ Zeldin warned that it’s not the first time that Hochul has engaged in such behavior.  He said: ‘Kathy Hochul’s approach to this job is one of selling access in a way that even Andrew Cuomo would never even think of. This crosses all sorts of lines. And it must be investigated.’ Zeldin added: ‘There are so many aspects of this $600 million COVID deal that I absolutely would not have signed off on.’ The official line from Hochul’s office is that the governor was unaware that Digital Gadgets was a campaign donor when the contract was awarded.  Digital Gadgets said that the higher price was due to the timing of the deal with the supplier, which came three weeks before California’s deal.  Digital Gadgets offered to sell 26 million tests to New York State at a rate of $13 per test on December 20, the deal was approved on December 21  Zeldin appears during New York’s Republican gubernatorial debate at the studios of Spectrum News NY1 on June 20, 2022, in New York The company said in a statement, via spokesman John Gallagher: ‘The company made nowhere near $286 million in profit and any implication to the contrary is misleading and willfully disregards the fact that Digital Gadgets paid more per unit for AccessBio tests than the state of California did because of the size and the date of the order, risked hundreds of millions of dollars in capital costs to fill an order of this size, incurred millions of dollars in costs to charter aircraft and cover overtime for employees over Christmas and New Year’s, and then also had to meet the State’s subsequent requirement for tests to have an extended expiration date – requiring the additional sourcing of materials.’ Digital Gadgets offered to sell 26 million tests to New York State at a rate of $13 per test on December 20, the deal was approved on December 21.  On January 4, another 26 million tests were ordered through Digital Gadgets.  Hochul’s behavior was also questioned by state assembly Minority Leader William Barclay. The Republican from Oswego, New York, said in a statement: ‘This is negligence, incompetence or blatant corruption — maybe all three. Either way, it demands answers.’  He went on: ‘Where are the Legislature’s investigative bodies? Where is the attorney general? The governor needs to be held accountable. The longer her political allies stay silent, the more this looks like Democrats covering up for one of their own.’  The executive director of government watchdog group, Reinvent Albany, John Kaehny, told the New York Post that his group is expecting a federal investigation into Hochul’s behavior.  He said: ‘Yes, New York was in a crisis, but so was the rest of the country, and other states and the federal government paid nowhere near what New York did for the same test.’  While state senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt told the Post: ‘Even though she promised an open and transparent administration, this apple didn’t fall far from the corrupt Cuomo tree.’  Senior fellow for health policy at the Empire Center for Public Policy Bill Hammond told the Times Union: ‘The price is just way off the map, and we still haven’t heard anything close to a convincing explanation for why the price was so high, and why the Hochul administration not only accepted a price that was so high, but made this their primary supplier.’ He continued: ‘If the tests were being sold to another state at the same time — at a better price — New York should have been able to get something closer to that price, even if the state was snapping up the last tests available.’ ‘ Recently, Hochul, has upped her attacks on Republicans and told some to ‘go back to Florida.’ She also attacked DeSantis at an event marking the Holocaust by saying: ‘I just want to say to the 1.77 million Jews who call New York home: Thank you for calling New York home. Don’t go anywhere or to another state. Florida is overrated.’ New York is one of the Democrat states actively protecting abortion rights ahead of the crucial midterms.  Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
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Trump Accused Biden Of Scheming To Keep Gas Prices Down But They've Been In Steady Decline For Months: 'Right After The Election It's Going To Double'
Trump Accused Biden Of Scheming To Keep Gas Prices Down But They've Been In Steady Decline For Months: 'Right After The Election It's Going To Double'
Trump Accused Biden Of Scheming To Keep Gas Prices Down But They've Been In Steady Decline For Months: 'Right After The Election It's Going To Double' https://digitalalaskanews.com/trump-accused-biden-of-scheming-to-keep-gas-prices-down-but-theyve-been-in-steady-decline-for-months-right-after-the-election-its-going-to-double/ Former President Donald Trump takes the stage at a campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio., Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022.AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar Former President Donald Trump slammed President Joe Biden for lowering gas prices. Trump claimed the decrease was a politically motivated scheme. “Right after the election, it’s going to double up and go higher than anybody ever believed,” Trump claimed. Former President Donald Trump, while in Ohio to rally support for Republican Senate candidate JD Vance, slammed President Joe Biden for the recent decline in national gas prices. Speaking at the 7,000-seat Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Trump — who himself schemed in an effort to overturn the 2020 election — claimed that shrinking gas prices are a ploy Biden is using for political gain. In a tweet, the White House recognized Saturday as the 95th day in which gas prices have steadily declined since reaching record highs earlier this year. According to the White House, the national average for a gallon of gas sits at $3.68. The administration — and Biden himself — have claimed that the drop in prices is the steepest decline in more than a decade. Insider was unable to independently verify the claim. Trump slammed Biden for going into the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve to release crude in an effort to ease overpriced gas despite the reserve being “only for war.” But Trump did the same during his administration when Saudi Arabia’s crude production drastically decreased following attacks on its production facilities, per CNBC. “He’s using that to keep prices down as much as he can just before the election and right after the election, it’s going to double up and go higher than anybody ever believed,” Trump claimed at the rally on Saturday. Trump claimed the current average is still “double and triple” what it was during his administration. The Associated Press reported the national average was as low as $1.87 per gallon during May 2020, but the outlet attributed the low cost mostly to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. While the crowd cheered during Trump’s rant on the current status of gas prices, some supporters didn’t seem too bothered. When an interviewer from Right Side Broadcasting Network pushed a woman clad in a pro-Trump hat to say the gas prices for her 5.5-hour drive were bad, the woman didn’t agree. “Wasn’t too bad,” the supporter said of the gas prices. A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Trump Accused Biden Of Scheming To Keep Gas Prices Down But They've Been In Steady Decline For Months: 'Right After The Election It's Going To Double'
Thunderous Trump Rocks Area Faithful
Thunderous Trump Rocks Area Faithful
Thunderous Trump Rocks Area Faithful https://digitalalaskanews.com/thunderous-trump-rocks-area-faithful/ Staff photo / R. Michael Semple Supporters rally as former President Donald Trump speaks at the Save America Rally Saturday at the Covelli Centre in downtown Youngstown. YOUNGSTOWN — Former President Donald Trump took aim at U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, calling him a “militant left winger who is lying to your faces” during a Youngstown rally for J.D. Vance, the Republican candidate for the seat. Ryan is “pretending to be a moderate so he can get elected and betray everything that you believe in,” Trump said Saturday at the Covelli Centre. “He is not a moderate. He’s radical left.” Trump spent most of his speech airing past grievances, including falsely claiming the 2020 presidential election was “stolen” from him. Trump was in Youngstown primarily as part of a rally to support Vance while also backing Republicans running for House seats throughout Ohio. Trump said when he was president, “I was always fighting (Ryan). I never liked him that much.” Trump said Ryan’s moderate approach during this Senate campaign is a lie as the congressman has voted 100 percent of the time with President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Trump said when he was president, Ryan voted with him only 16 percent of the time. Trump urged those in attendance to back Vance, calling him a “tough cookie.” Trump said of Vance: “This is a very important race. This is a great person who’ve I’ve really gotten to know. Yeah, he said some bad things about me, but that was before he knew me and then he fell in love.” He criticized Ryan for saying he’d end the filibuster, for supporting abortions and for “being an energy extremist.” Trump spent much of his speech complaining about the 2020 election falsely contending he didn’t lose to Biden and that the election was “rigged and stolen.” He also went after Biden, saying he was a terrible president who doesn’t know what he’s doing and if Trump was running the country, there wouldn’t have been a Russian invasion of Ukraine, high gas prices and inflation. The only reason gas prices are going down, Trump said, is that Biden and other Democrats are doing that to win the Nov. 8 election and that those prices will rise after that. There were about 5,500 people at Saturday’s rally with most of the back section of the Covelli Centre empty though there was a full crowd at the front of the facility. The last time Trump campaigned at the arena, on July 25, 2017, there were about 7,000 people in attendance. During his Saturday speech, Vance said: “We need to get back to the policies of the real Donald Trump, not fake Tim Ryan pretending he’s someone he’s not.” Vance said Ryan tries to come across as a moderate in his “nonstop fraudulent television commercials,” but it’s a lie. Vance said there’s “two Tims out there. A D.C. Tim that votes 100 percent of the time with Joe Biden, and there’s campaign Tim who pretends he’s a moderate.” “We need to kick D.C. Tim to the curb, make him go back home and get a real job for once.” Polls indicate a close race between Vance, a venture capitalist and author of “Hillbilly Elegy” and Ryan, a 10-term House member who represents much of Mahoning and Trumbull counties. In a campaign fundraising email after the rally, Ryan wrote: “Republicans are panicking about losing here. And Trump knows how important winning Ohio is. Him wading into our race means more attack ads, more dark money and a tougher environment in an already competitive race.” At a Youngstown event Friday, Ryan criticized Vance for having a rally Saturday at the same time as the Ohio State-University of Toledo football game, saying it shows his opponent is out of touch with Ohioans. As for the rally in the heart of his congressional district, Ryan said: “They’re trying to cut into my vote, which is a political tactic. The fact is J.D. Vance can’t carry his own political message.” In addition to the Saturday rally with Trump, Vance had Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a leading potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate, campaign Aug. 19 at the Metroplex Expo Center in Liberty, also in Ryan’s district. “He needs Ron DeSantis, he needs Donald Trump and he needs everybody else to come in and make the case for him because he can’t make the case for himself,” Ryan said. Ryan added: “Ohioans don’t want someone who’s got to rely on someone else to carry their message for him or to buttress or support them in some way I’m out here. I’m scrapping. I’m clearly the underdog here with all this money coming at us.” Asked to comment after Saturday’s rally, Jordan Fuja, a campaign spokeswoman, said: “I was too busy watching football, but I’m sure whatever San Francisco phony J.D. Vance and his out-of-state allies tried to talk about in a half-empty stadium would’ve rang hollow with all the Ohioans who were also busy tuning into the Ohio State-Toledo game.” Though Trump failed to win re-election in 2020, he was only the third Republican presidential candidate since 1936 to win Mahoning County. He beat Democrat Joe Biden by 1.9 percent. Trump did even better in Trumbull County. He was the first Republican candidate to win that county in two consecutive presidential elections since Herbert Hoover in 1928 and 1932 before Trumbull and Mahoning counties started consistently voting for Democrats in 1936. He beat Biden by 10.56 percent in Trumbull two years ago and beat Democrat Hillary Clinton by 6.22 percent. Trump’s victories were key parts of a changing political trend in Mahoning and Trumbull counties.His success helped some Valley Republicans win elections and made a number of other races a lot more competitive than they had been in previous years. Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Thunderous Trump Rocks Area Faithful
US Asks Appeals Court To Lift Judge
US Asks Appeals Court To Lift Judge
US Asks Appeals Court To Lift Judge https://digitalalaskanews.com/us-asks-appeals-court-to-lift-judge-2/ Pages from the Justice Department’s motion to the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta are photographed Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. The Justice Department asked the federal appeals court to lift a judge’s order that temporarily barred it from reviewing a batch of classified documents seized during an FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home last month. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick) By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court Friday to lift a judge’s order that temporarily barred it from reviewing a batch of classified documents seized during an FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home last month. The department told the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta that the judge’s hold, imposed last week, had impeded the “government’s efforts to protect the nation’s security” and interfered with its investigation into the presence of top-secret information at Mar-a-Lago. It asked the court to remove that order so work could resume, and to overturn a judge’s directive forcing the department to provide the seized classified documents to an independent arbiter for his review. “The government and the public would suffer irreparable harm absent a stay,” department lawyers wrote in their brief to the appeals court. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s appointment of a so-called special master to review the documents, and the resulting legal tussle it has caused, appear certain to slow by weeks the department’s investigation into the holding of classified documents at the Florida property after Trump left office. It remains unclear whether Trump, who has been laying the groundwork for a potential presidential run, or anyone else might be charged. The FBI says it took about 11,000 documents, including roughly 100 with classification markings found in a storage room and an office, while serving a court-authorized search warrant at the home on Aug. 8. Weeks after the search, Trump lawyers asked a judge to appoint a special master to perfrom an independent review of the records. Cannon last week directed the department to halt its use of the records until further court order, or until the completion of a report of an independent arbiter who is to do his own inspection of the documents and weed out any covered by claims of attorney-client privilege or executive privilege. On Thursday night, she assigned Raymond Dearie, the former chief judge of the federal court based in Brooklyn, to serve as the arbiter — also known as a special master. She also declined to lift an order that prevented the department from using for its investigation about 100 seized documents marked as classified, citing ongoing disputes about the nature of the documents that she said merited a neutral review. “The Court does not find it appropriate to accept the Government’s conclusions on these important and disputed issues without further review by a neutral third party in an expedited and orderly fashion,” she wrote. The Justice Department on Friday night told the appeals court that Cannon’s injunction “unduly interferes with the criminal investigation,” prohibiting investigators from “accessing the seized records to evaluate whether charges are appropriate.” Cannon has said investigators were free to do other investigative work that did not involve a review of the documents, but the department said Friday that was largely impractical. Noting the discovery of dozens of empty folders at Mar-a-Lago marked classified, it said the judge’s hold appeared to bar it from “further reviewing the records to discern any patterns in the types of records that were retained, which could lead to identification of other records still missing.” The department also asked the appeals court to reject Cannon’s order that it provide the newly appointed special master with the classified documents, suggesting there was no reason for the arbiter to review highly sensitive records that did not raise questions of legal privilege. “Plaintiff has no claim for the return of those records, which belong to the government and were seized in a court-authorized search,” department lawyers wrote. “The records are not subject to any possible claim of personal attorney-client privilege. And neither Plaintiff nor the court has cited any authority suggesting that a former President could successfully invoke executive privilege to prevent the Executive Branch from reviewing its own records.” Cannon has directed Dearie to complete his work by Nov. 30 and to prioritize the review of classified documents. She directed the Justice Department to permit the Trump legal team to inspect classified records with “controlled access conditions” — something government lawyers said Friday was needless and harmful. On Friday, Dearie, a former federal prosecutor, scheduled a preliminary conference with Trump lawyers and Justice Department lawyers for Tuesday afternoon. ———- Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report. Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
US Asks Appeals Court To Lift Judge
Cancer-Free Sanders Says After Operation
Cancer-Free Sanders Says After Operation
Cancer-Free, Sanders Says After Operation https://digitalalaskanews.com/cancer-free-sanders-says-after-operation/ Republican gubernatorial candidate Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Friday she had surgery to remove her thyroid and surrounding lymph nodes after cancer was found in the area. Sanders, 40, said in a news release that during a check-up earlier this month her doctor ordered a biopsy on an area of concern in her neck which revealed she had thyroid cancer. “Today, I underwent a successful surgery to remove my thyroid and surrounding lymph nodes and by the grace of God I am now cancer-free,” Sanders said in the news release. “I want to thank the Arkansas doctors and nurses for their world-class care, as well as my family and friends for their love, prayers and support. I look forward to returning to the campaign trail soon.” Judd Deere, a spokesman for Sanders’ campaign, declined to go into further detail Friday afternoon when contacted by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “I would refer to the doctor’s statement that says she is cancer-free and expects a full recovery and for her to be back on her feet in short order,” Deere said. “I am not going to speculate or put a timetable on that, but she expects to be back on the campaign trail very soon.” Dr. John Sims, a head and neck oncologic and microvascular reconstructive surgeon at CARTI Cancer Center in Little Rock, said in the news release that Sanders is recovering from the surgery. Sims said the surgery went “extremely well” and that he expects Sanders to be back on her feet within the next 24 hours. “This is a Stage I papillary thyroid carcinoma, which is the most common type of thyroid cancer and has an excellent prognosis,” Sims said. “While she will need adjuvant treatment with radioactive iodine, as well as continued long-term follow up, I think it’s fair to say she’s now cancer-free, and I don’t anticipate any of this slowing her down.” Sanders, of Little Rock, is a former White House press secretary for President Donald Trump and the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. She said in the news release that the experience is a reminder not to lose heart in whatever battle someone may be facing. “As governor, I will never quit fighting for the people of our great state,” she said. Stage 1 papillary or follicular thyroid cancer is used to describe any small tumor with no spread to the lymph nodes and no metastasis, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology website cancer.net. The American Cancer Society states on its website that most papillary cancers are treated with the removal of the thyroid gland, and if lymph nodes are enlarged or show signs of cancer spread, they will be removed as well. The organization also states that even if lymph nodes aren’t enlarged, some doctors recommend the surgical removal of lymph nodes next to the thyroid along with the removal of the thyroid. The American Cancer Society also notes that radioactive iodine treatment is sometimes used after thyroidectomy for early stage cancers, but the cure rate with surgery alone is excellent. People who have had a thyroidectomy will need to take daily thyroid hormone pills, according the American Cancer Society’s website. Cancer Research UK, the world’s largest independent cancer research organization, states on its website that generally it takes a few weeks after surgery before a person is able to get back to doing all the things they were doing before surgery. The organization states most people are able to go back to work about two weeks after undergoing the operation, depending on how strenuous their work is. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Jones and his wife Dr. Jerrilyn Jones said Friday afternoon that their hearts go out to the Sanders family and that they wish her a successful recovery. “Our family is thinking of you and praying for you and your family,” the Jones family said in a statement sent to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “It’s truly a blessing that you caught this cancer early and were able to receive world-class treatment so quickly. From one family of Arkansans to another, we send you hope, love and healing. “Our family has been on this journey before and, while it’s not easy, we know personally the power of prayer, the healing hand of God, and the strength that comes from being surrounded by community,” Jones said. “May you have an abundance of all in this season.” Ricky Dale Harrington, the Libertarian candidate for governor, also offered prayers for Sanders’ recovery. He said Friday afternoon he didn’t want to speculate about what this means for the campaign, and that he hopes Sanders will make a full recovery and continue participating in the governor’s race. “I pray for her and her family,” Harrington said. “Cancer sucks.” Sanders is the second former Trump administration official to publicly acknowledge they had thyroid cancer. Former senior White House adviser Jared Kushner revealed earlier this year he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2019 while serving in the White House. Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Cancer-Free Sanders Says After Operation
Voter Challenges Records Requests Swamp Election Offices
Voter Challenges Records Requests Swamp Election Offices
Voter Challenges, Records Requests Swamp Election Offices https://digitalalaskanews.com/voter-challenges-records-requests-swamp-election-offices/ Gwinnett County elections supervisor Zach Manifold looks over boxes of voter challenges on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, in Lawrenceville, Ga. Manifold estimated his office has a month to log and research the challenges, before mail ballots go out for the November elections. “It is a tight window to get everything done,” he said. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) By NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press Spurred by conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election, activists around the country are using laws that allow people to challenge a voter’s right to cast a ballot to contest the registrations of thousands of voters at a time. In Iowa, Linn County Auditor Joel Miller had handled three voter challenges over the previous 15 years. He received 119 over just two days after Doug Frank, an Ohio educator who is touring the country spreading doubts about the 2020 election, swung through the state. In Nassau County in northern Florida, two residents challenged the registrations of nearly 2,000 voters just six days before last month’s primary. In Georgia, activists are dropping off boxloads of challenges in the diverse and Democratic-leaning counties comprising the Atlanta metro area, including more than 35,000 in one county late last month. Election officials say the vast majority of the challenges will be irrelevant because they contest the presence on voting rolls of people who already are in the process of being removed after they moved out of the region. Still, they create potentially hundreds of hours of extra work as the offices scramble to prepare for November’s election. “They at best overburden election officials in the run-up to an election, and at worse they lead to people being removed from the rolls when they shouldn’t be,” said Sean Morales-Doyle of The Brennan Center for Justice, which has tracked an upswing in voter challenges. The voter challenges come as activists who believe in the election lies of former President Donald Trump also have flooded election offices across the country with public records requests and threats of litigation, piling even more work on them as they ready for November. “It’s time-consuming for us, because we have to consult with our county attorneys about what the proper response is going to be,” said Rachel Rodriguez, an elections supervisor in Dane County, Wisconsin, which includes Madison, the state capital. She received duplicate emails demanding records about two weeks ago: “It’s taking up valuable time that we don’t necessarily have as election officials when we’re trying to prepare for a November election.” Michael Henrici, the Democratic commissioner of elections in New York’s Otsego County, received a single-line email last week warning of unspecified “election integrity” litigation, then a follow-up complaining he hadn’t responded. “These aren’t people with specific grievances,” Henrici said. “They’re getting a form letter from someone’s podcast and sometimes filling in the blanks.” Multiple investigations and reviews, including one by Trump’s own Department of Justice, found no significant fraud i n the 2020 presidential election, and courts rejected dozens of lawsuits brought by Trump and his allies. But Trump has continued to insist that widespread fraud cost him re-election. That has inspired legions of activists to become do-it-yourself election sleuths around the country, challenging local voting officials at every turn. In Linn County, Iowa, which includes the city of Cedar Rapids, Miller said he and the auditors who run elections in the state’s other 98 counties have been deluged with both records requests and voter challenges. “The whole barrage came in a two-week period,” Miller said, following the tour by Frank, who uses mathematical projections to make claims of a vast conspiracy to steal the election from Trump, “and it’s happening to auditors across the state.” Election offices routinely go through their voter rolls and remove those who have moved or died. Federal law constrains how quickly they can drop voters, and conservative activists have long complained that election officials do not move swiftly enough to clean up their rolls. The recent challenges stem from activists comparing postal change-of-address and other databases to voter rolls. Election officials say this is redundant, because they already take the same steps. Sometimes the challenges come after election conspiracists go door-to-door, often in heavily minority neighborhoods, seeking evidence that votes were cast improperly in 2020. Texas’ heavily Democratic Harris County, which includes Houston, received nearly 5,000 challenges from a conservative group that went door-to-door checking voter addresses. The election office said it dismissed the challenges it legally had to review before the election and will finish the remainder after Nov. 8. Activists in Gwinnett County, which stretches across the increasingly Democratic northern Atlanta suburbs, spent 10 months comparing change-of-address and other databases with the county’s voter rolls. They submitted eight boxes of challenges last month. About 15,000, they said, were complaints that specific voters improperly received mail ballots in 2020. Another 22,000 were for voters they contend are no longer at their registered address. There are so many challenges that election officials have yet to even count them all. But Zach Manifold, Gwinnett’s election supervisor, said that, in every single mail ballot complaint the office has sampled, the voter properly received a mailed ballot. But if any of the address-challenged voters do try to cast a ballot in November, the county’s elections board will need to decide whether that vote should count. They’ll only have six days to make a decision, as they have to certify their vote total by the Monday after Election Day under Georgia law. Manifold estimated his office has a month to log and research the challenges, before mail ballots go out for the November elections: “It is a tight window to get everything done,” he said. Many of the large counties facing voter roll challenges are places where President Joe Biden beat Trump in 2020, including Gwinnett and Harris. Yet those behind the effort dispute the notion that they are targeting Democratic-leaning counties and say they’re working on behalf of all voters. In Florida’s Nassau County, for example, Trump won with more than 72% of the vote. “They should be glad that the voter rolls are being cleaned up so they can make sure their votes count,” said Garland Favorito, a conservative activist who has teamed up with supporters of Trump’s election lies and is helping with voter challenges in Georgia. Favorito said more challenges are coming in other Georgia counties. Under legislation passed last year by the Republican-controlled Legislature, there are no limits on the number of voter challenges that can be filed in Georgia. Most states implicitly set restraints on challenges, said Morales-Doyle of the Brennan Center. They require a complainant to have specific, personal information about the voters they target and establish penalties for making frivolous challenges. Florida is an example. Its voter challenge law only permits the filing of challenges 30 days before an election, requiring election officials to contact each voter challenged before Election Day. It is a misdemeanor to file a “frivolous” challenge. But voter challenges almost derailed Florida’s primary last month in heavily-Republican Nassau County, in the northeastern part of the state. Two women who belonged to a conservative group, County Citizens Defending Freedom, dropped off the nearly 2,000 challenges at the county elections office six days before the Aug. 23 primary. Luckily for the office, the challenges were filed in an incorrect format. Elections Supervisor Janet Adkins told the activists they would review them, anyway — after the primary. “To take away a person’s right to vote is a very serious thing,” Adkins said. — Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report. Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Voter Challenges Records Requests Swamp Election Offices
Biden Arrives In London To Mourn The Queen
Biden Arrives In London To Mourn The Queen
Biden Arrives In London To Mourn The Queen https://digitalalaskanews.com/biden-arrives-in-london-to-mourn-the-queen/ (CNN)President Joe Biden arrived in London late Saturday for a two-day visit honoring Queen Elizabeth II, the long-reigning monarch he says “defined an era.” Biden is joining leaders from dozens of other nations to pay their respects to the late sovereign, whom he met last year and declared afterward reminded him of his own mother. On Sunday afternoon, the President and first lady Jill Biden will pay their respects to the Queen, whose coffin has been lying in state at Westminster Hall, before signing a book of condolence and attending a reception for visiting leaders hosted by Britain’s new king, Charles III. For Biden, it is a moment to reflect on a monarch who embodied a commitment to public service and whose life charted the major historical events of the last 100 years. Biden and the Queen first met in 1982, when as a young senator, Biden’s own Irish American mother instructed him: “Don’t you bow down to her.” He didn’t bow down then, or when he met the Queen as President last year while attending a Group of 7 summit in England. But his respect for a woman whose constancy on the world stage over the last century was unparalleled has been plain. “She was a great lady. We’re so delighted we got to meet her,” Biden said on the day that she died. The Queen’s surprise decision last year to travel to the Cornish coast to meet world leaders at the G7 summit was a signal of her desire to remain engaged in global affairs. Later that week, when she hosted Biden and first lady Jill Biden for tea at Windsor Castle, she inquired about two authoritarian leaders, Presidents Xi Jinping of China and Vladimir Putin of Russia, the President told reporters afterward. “She had such curiosity. She wanted to know all about American politics, what was happening. So, she put us at ease,” Jill Biden said recently in an interview with NBC. At Sunday evening’s reception, Biden will see Charles for the first time since he became King. The two men have met previously and spoke last week by phone. As Prince of Wales, Charles was a passionate campaigner for certain issues Biden has also championed, including combating climate change. It remains to be seen how involved the new King will be on those issues going forward. Relatively close in age — Charles is 73, Biden is 79 — the two men have a shared experience of being in the public eye for decades before assuming their current roles as heads of state. On his call with the King, Biden “conveyed the great admiration of the American people for the Queen, whose dignity and constancy deepened the enduring friendship and special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom,” the White House said. “President Biden conveyed his wish to continue a close relationship with the King.” Security in the British capital is at its highest level in memory as Biden and dozens of other world leaders convene to remember the late Queen, who met 13 sitting US Presidents during her reign. White House aides have declined to provide specific security details for the President’s visit but say they are working well with their British counterparts to ensure the demands of presidential security are met. Plans for the Queen’s funeral have been in place for years, allowing US advisers greater insight into precisely what will happen over the coming days as they make security arrangements. The White House said it received an invitation only for the President and first lady, making for a slimmed-down American footprint. Biden traveled with his national security adviser, communications director and other personal aides aboard Air Force One to London. When reports emerged last week that world leaders would be required to ride on a bus to the funeral, US officials were skeptical and shot down the suggestion Biden that would travel to Westminster Abbey in a coach. In 2018, when other world leaders traveled together in a bus to a World War I memorial in Paris, then-US President Donald Trump traveled separately in his own vehicle. The White House explained at the time that the separate trip was “due to security protocols.” The Queen’s death came at a moment of economic and political turmoil for the United Kingdom. A new prime minister, Liz Truss, entered office after months of uncertainty following the decision of her predecessor, Boris Johnson, to step down. Truss invited several visiting world leaders to meet individually at 10 Downing Street this weekend. In the role for only a little more than a week, it will be Truss’ first time meeting face to face with many of her foreign counterparts. While her office initially said Biden would be among the leaders visiting Downing Street, it was later announced that Truss and the President would meet for formal bilateral talks on Wednesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. A host of issues are currently testing the US-UK “special relationship,” which has been heralded repeatedly in the days since the Queen’s death. It was only two days after Truss traveled to Balmoral Castle in Scotland to formally accept the Queen’s appointment as prime minister that the long-reigning monarch passed away. Since then, the country has been in a formal period of mourning. Truss inherited a deep economic crisis, fueled by high inflation and soaring energy costs, that has led to fears the UK could soon enter a prolonged recession. The challenges have been aggravated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has caused volatility in oil and gas markets. While few in the Biden administration shed tears at Johnson’s resignation– Biden once described him as the “physical and emotional clone” of Trump — the US and the UK were deeply aligned in their approach to Russia under his leadership. White House officials expect that cooperation will continue under Truss, even as she comes under pressure to ease economic pressures at home. Less certain, however, is whether Truss’s hard-line approach to Brexit will sour relations with Biden. The President has taken a personal interest in the particular issue of the Northern Ireland Protocol, a post-Brexit arrangement that requires extra checks on goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. The rules were designed to keep the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland open and avoid a return to sectarian violence. But Truss has moved to rewrite those rules, causing deep anxiety in both Brussels and Washington. Biden, who makes frequent references to his Irish ancestry, has made his views clear on the issue, even though it does not directly involve the United States. Congressional Democrats have similarly expressed concern over any steps that could reignite the Northern Ireland conflict. In their first phone call as counterparts earlier this month, Biden raised the matter with Truss, according to the White House. A US readout of their conversation said they discussed a “shared commitment to protecting the gains of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and the importance of reaching a negotiated agreement with the European Union on the Northern Ireland Protocol.” Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Biden Arrives In London To Mourn The Queen
Phillip GUMM Obituary (1932 2022) Spokesman-Review
Phillip GUMM Obituary (1932 2022) Spokesman-Review
Phillip GUMM Obituary (1932 – 2022) Spokesman-Review https://digitalalaskanews.com/phillip-gumm-obituary-1932-2022-spokesman-review/ Pullman – Phillip Arnold Gumm passed away on September 8, 2022 in Pullman, Washington. He was born March 11, 1932 in the back bedroom of the Gumm Homestead, near Seltice, Washington, to William Ford Gumm and Florence Smith Gumm. After spending first grade in Farmington, Phil transferred to the Tekoa School District. He lettered in football and basketball, graduating from Tekoa High School in 1950. He met his future wife, Gail Louise Schalock, on a blind date in Spokane Washington. She was 15 years old, and Phil was 18. Love blossomed a little too slow for Phil, but the wait was worth it since it lasted 70+ years. After a year at Washington State College and a semester at Spokane Trade School, Phil went active in the Naval Reserve. He spent two years in the Korean Conflict on the USS Merapi-38. While on leave, he and Gail married in Spokane’s Hayes Park Methodist Church on June 21, 1953. After completing his naval service, Phil returned to Farmington where he began farming with his father, Ford, and brother, Dean. Throughout his 60+ years of farming Gumm land, Phil developed many other interests. He loved to design, build, and repair anything on the farm. Phil was an active community member, serving on the Tekoa School Board and on the Amer- ican Stabilization and Conser- vation Service Committee. He was also a member of the Tekoa Jaycees and received the coveted JCI award. He earned the District Conservation Award for Pine Creek District in 1965 and Farmer of the Year, in 1972, from the Tekoa FFA. Phil and Gail were co-chairmen of the Washington State Junior Miss Program and were recognized nationally for the outstanding state program. Phil and Gail had many adventures. His love for travel took them to every state in the union, Mexico, Canada and many countries abroad. Phil lovingly maintained the fifth wheel and motor home that brought them to their destinations. He also had a private pilot’s license that carried them to many more. Some things never changed throughout Phil’s life: his love of his land; his love of driving the tractor, the combine and the motor home; always a friend, sharing interests and hobbies with his children and grandchildren; and most importantly, his love for his wife, Gail. Phil is survived by his wife Gail of Pullman, WA; his children: Terry (Evie) Gumm of Farmington, WA; Darlene Gardner of Worley, ID; Kim (Roy) Schulz of Tekoa, WA; Brian (Shannon) Gumm of Tucson, AZ; and Stacey Harris of Selah, WA. He leaves behind eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren. He is also survived by his siblings: Carol Sturman of Tekoa, WA; Neil (Sharon) Gumm, Green Forest, AK; Linley (Cecil- ia) Gumm, Beaverton, OR; and sister-in-law Donna Gumm, Spokane, WA. He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings Joyce and Warren Nelson, Dean Gumm, and Gary Sturman. The family would like to thank the staff of Bishop Place, Pullman WA, for their loving care of Phil during his final days. Memorial services will be Saturday, September 24th at 11:00 A.M. at Mountain View Cemetery in Farmington, WA. Please join us in celebration of Phil’s life at the Tekoa Community Center (next to the Empire Theater) immediately after the ceremony. In lieu of flowers, please consider sending memorials to Tekoa Community Church, P.O. Box 846, Tekoa, WA 99033. Published by Spokesman-Review on Sep. 18, 2022. 34465541-95D0-45B0-BEEB-B9E0361A315A To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store. Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Phillip GUMM Obituary (1932 2022) Spokesman-Review
In Ohio Trump Mocks Senate Candidate He Endorsed: J.D. Vance
In Ohio Trump Mocks Senate Candidate He Endorsed: J.D. Vance
In Ohio, Trump Mocks Senate Candidate He Endorsed: J.D. Vance https://digitalalaskanews.com/in-ohio-trump-mocks-senate-candidate-he-endorsed-j-d-vance/ YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio —  Former President Trump drew more than 6,000 fans for a rally Saturday evening in this industrial northeast Ohio city — and mocked venture capitalist J.D. Vance, his pick in the state’s surprisingly tight U.S. Senate race, in the process. “J.D. is kissing my ass. Of course he wants my support,” Trump told the crowd. “The entire MAGA movement is for J.D. Vance,” he added. Trump has intervened in dozens of Republican primaries across the country this year. Many of the candidates he backed, including Vance, went on to win their party’s nomination. But some Republicans in Washington have questioned whether Trump’s picks, who often have strong appeal to his base, can succeed in November, when they will have to compete for swing voters. “Candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome” of statewide races, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the GOP leader in the Senate, said last month. Many election forecasters believe that Democrats are likely to maintain control of the Senate. Trump won Ohio twice, both times by more than 8 percentage points. But Vance, who was once a Trump critic, has been struggling to build a lead on Rep. Tim Ryan, his Democratic opponent for the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Rob Portman. Trump backed Vance in part because he thought the “Hillbilly Elegy” author and Marine veteran had the best chance to win, he said earlier this year. “He’s a guy that said some bad s— about me. He did,” Trump told the crowd at an April rally in Cleveland. “But I have to do what I have to do. We have to pick somebody that can win.” Some at Saturday’s rally evinced little affection for Republicans not named Trump. “I love Trump. He is the best president in my lifetime,” Patricia Delwiche, 65, of Missouri, who traveled nearly 12 hours to attend Saturday’s event, told The Times. Delwiche believes Trump needs to do more to push Republicans in Name Only — RINOS — out of the party. “There are RINOs out there. They need to get out, like Kevin McCarthy and Lindsey Graham,” she said, referring to the Bakersfield Republican who leads the House GOP and the longtime senator from South Carolina. Delwiche was one of nearly 1,000 rallygoers who waited outside the venue from the early-morning hours as music blasted from the arena’s outdoor speakers. Some attendees tailgated in the parking lots. Like most Trump rallies, Saturday’s gathering also featured appearances by a variety of Trumpworld celebrities. Vincent Fusca — the QAnon figure who many Q followers believe is John F. Kennedy Jr., was in attendance. Uncle Jam, an older man dressed as Uncle Sam who sings Trump inspired-renditions of popular songs, sang “Facebook Prison Blues” to the tune of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” Mike Lindell, the owner of the company My Pillow, made an appearance on a small stage in the parking lot. “They had Jan. 6 planned out,” Lindell told the crowd before the event without specifying who “they” were. The two days after the attack on the U.S. Capitol will be remembered as some of the darkest days in our country’s history, Lindell said. “They tried to kill your voice that day. They canceled 1.2 million voices from across social media,” he said. As rallygoers waited to enter the building, Lindell paced back and forth across his outdoor stage for nearly an hour, spouting debunked election claims. Earlier this year, Dominion Voting Systems sued Lindell for defamation over his evidence-free claims that the company’s former director of product strategy and security had committed treason and rigged election machines in President Biden’s favor. After rally attendees filed in, the first person to take the stage was J.R. Majewski, a former nuclear energy worker who’s locked in a tight race against Democrat Marcy Kaptur, the longest-tenured woman in the House. Kaptur’s home turf, like much of northern Ohio, used to be solidly Democrat, full of union workers who backed candidates with long histories of supporting labor. But that started to change after many manufacturing jobs were outsourced and some unions started to back Trump. Redistricting recently made Kaptur’s district more competitive, and she’s a top target for Republicans this fall. Majewski’s dad used to be a “true blue Democrat until 2015, when he saw Donald Trump coming down the escalator and he spoke to his heart,” the candidate told The Times in an interview. “Donald Trump didn’t create the MAGA movement,” Majewski said. “He just taught us how to listen and gave us some insight of what our elected officials were doing, and it motivated people to get more involved.” If elected, Majewski said, he would focus on energy policy and stopping the Democrats from “trying to force the Green New Deal, wind turbines, solar panels, down the throat of the American people. We just got to keep the lobbyists and big-business money out of the picture.” Majewski’s speech took a more radical tone. He thanked Florida Gov. Ron Desantis for sending unwitting migrants to Martha’s Vineyard and falsely claimed that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. “This Ohio caucus is excited to work together as a team for Ohio,” he said. “We are going to lead the way, no more empty promises, no more locking us down, no more masks, no more grooming our children.” If Republicans have their way, the Ohio caucus will be led by Vance. In his speech, Vance attacked Ryan for voting too often with Biden and for supporting “rioters and looters” and the “defund the police” movement. Ryan never supported defunding the police; he said the criminal justice system is racist and believes it is “the new Jim Crow.” Vance also attacked Ryan for wanting to eventually ban gas-powered vehicles, which Ryan suggested during his 2020 presidential run. “Is that going to benefit the Youngstown autoworker? Of course not,” Vance said. Trump closed out the night by painting a dark vision of Ohio. He said the cities of Cincinnati, Cleveland and Dayton — all led by Democratic mayors — are some of the deadliest in the country and are being taken over by drug dealers. “I’m calling for the death penalty for drug dealers and human traffickers,” Trump said. The three Ohio cities Trump mentioned had some of the highest murder rates in the nation in 2019, according to FBI data. Trump criticized Ryan for saying he wanted to “kill and confront” the extremist movement within the Republican party. Trump also attacked Ryan for trying to appeal to moderate Republicans. “I think he is running on a ‘I love Donald Trump’ policy,” Trump said of the Democrat. “He is a militant left-winger, pretending to be a moderate.” Trump continued to push bogus claims about the 2020 election. “We won [the presidency] in two landslides, and now, we have to give J.D. a landslide,” he said. “The radical left Democrats have been fighting tooth and nail to stop me because they know I will never be loyal to them and will only be loyal to you.” Ohioans have to vote Republican for the entire ballot or risk the election being stolen, Trump added. “We need a landslide so big that the radical left can’t steal it or rig it,” Trump said. “This is the year we are going to take back the House, we are going to take back the Senate, and we are going to take back America. And in 2024, most important, we are going to take back our magnificent White House.” Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
In Ohio Trump Mocks Senate Candidate He Endorsed: J.D. Vance
Biden Arrives In London To Mourn The Queen Local News 8
Biden Arrives In London To Mourn The Queen Local News 8
Biden Arrives In London To Mourn The Queen – Local News 8 https://digitalalaskanews.com/biden-arrives-in-london-to-mourn-the-queen-local-news-8/ By Kevin Liptak, CNN President Joe Biden arrived in London late Saturday for a two-day visit honoring Queen Elizabeth II, the long-reigning monarch he says “defined an era.” Biden is joining leaders from dozens of other nations to pay their respects to the late sovereign, whom he met last year and declared afterward reminded him of his own mother. On Sunday afternoon, the President and first lady Jill Biden will pay their respects to the Queen, whose coffin has been lying in state at Westminster Hall, before signing a book of condolence and attending a reception for visiting leaders hosted by Britain’s new king, Charles III. For Biden, it is a moment to reflect on a monarch who embodied a commitment to public service and whose life charted the major historical events of the last 100 years. Biden and the Queen first met in 1982, when as a young senator, Biden’s own Irish American mother instructed him: “Don’t you bow down to her.” He didn’t bow down then, or when he met the Queen as President last year while attending a Group of 7 summit in England. But his respect for a woman whose constancy on the world stage over the last century was unparalleled has been plain. “She was a great lady. We’re so delighted we got to meet her,” Biden said on the day that she died. The Queen’s surprise decision last year to travel to the Cornish coast to meet world leaders at the G7 summit was a signal of her desire to remain engaged in global affairs. Later that week, when she hosted Biden and first lady Jill Biden for tea at Windsor Castle, she inquired about two authoritarian leaders, Presidents Xi Jinping of China and Vladimir Putin of Russia, the President told reporters afterward. “She had such curiosity. She wanted to know all about American politics, what was happening. So, she put us at ease,” Jill Biden said recently in an interview with NBC. At Sunday evening’s reception, Biden will see Charles for the first time since he became King. The two men have met previously and spoke last week by phone. As Prince of Wales, Charles was a passionate campaigner for certain issues Biden has also championed, including combating climate change. It remains to be seen how involved the new King will be on those issues going forward. Relatively close in age — Charles is 73, Biden is 79 — the two men have a shared experience of being in the public eye for decades before assuming their current roles as heads of state. On his call with the King, Biden “conveyed the great admiration of the American people for the Queen, whose dignity and constancy deepened the enduring friendship and special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom,” the White House said. “President Biden conveyed his wish to continue a close relationship with the King.” Security in the British capital is at its highest level in memory as Biden and dozens of other world leaders convene to remember the late Queen, who met 13 sitting US Presidents during her reign. White House aides have declined to provide specific security details for the President’s visit but say they are working well with their British counterparts to ensure the demands of presidential security are met. Plans for the Queen’s funeral have been in place for years, allowing US advisers greater insight into precisely what will happen over the coming days as they make security arrangements. The White House said it received an invitation only for the President and first lady, making for a slimmed-down American footprint. Biden traveled with his national security adviser, communications director and other personal aides aboard Air Force One to London. When reports emerged last week that world leaders would be required to ride on a bus to the funeral, US officials were skeptical and shot down the suggestion Biden that would travel to Westminster Abbey in a coach. In 2018, when other world leaders traveled together in a bus to a World War I memorial in Paris, then-US President Donald Trump traveled separately in his own vehicle. The White House explained at the time that the separate trip was “due to security protocols.” The Queen’s death came at a moment of economic and political turmoil for the United Kingdom. A new prime minister, Liz Truss, entered office after months of uncertainty following the decision of her predecessor, Boris Johnson, to step down. Truss invited several visiting world leaders to meet individually at 10 Downing Street this weekend. In the role for only a little more than a week, it will be Truss’ first time meeting face to face with many of her foreign counterparts. While her office initially said Biden would be among the leaders visiting Downing Street, it was later announced that Truss and the President would meet for formal bilateral talks on Wednesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. A host of issues are currently testing the US-UK “special relationship,” which has been heralded repeatedly in the days since the Queen’s death. It was only two days after Truss traveled to Balmoral Castle in Scotland to formally accept the Queen’s appointment as prime minister that the long-reigning monarch passed away. Since then, the country has been in a formal period of mourning. Truss inherited a deep economic crisis, fueled by high inflation and soaring energy costs, that has led to fears the UK could soon enter a prolonged recession. The challenges have been aggravated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has caused volatility in oil and gas markets. While few in the Biden administration shed tears at Johnson’s resignation– Biden once described him as the “physical and emotional clone” of Trump — the US and the UK were deeply aligned in their approach to Russia under his leadership. White House officials expect that cooperation will continue under Truss, even as she comes under pressure to ease economic pressures at home. Less certain, however, is whether Truss’s hard-line approach to Brexit will sour relations with Biden. The President has taken a personal interest in the particular issue of the Northern Ireland Protocol, a post-Brexit arrangement that requires extra checks on goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. The rules were designed to keep the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland open and avoid a return to sectarian violence. But Truss has moved to rewrite those rules, causing deep anxiety in both Brussels and Washington. Biden, who makes frequent references to his Irish ancestry, has made his views clear on the issue, even though it does not directly involve the United States. Congressional Democrats have similarly expressed concern over any steps that could reignite the Northern Ireland conflict. In their first phone call as counterparts earlier this month, Biden raised the matter with Truss, according to the White House. A US readout of their conversation said they discussed a “shared commitment to protecting the gains of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and the importance of reaching a negotiated agreement with the European Union on the Northern Ireland Protocol.” The-CNN-Wire & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Read More Here
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Biden Arrives In London To Mourn The Queen Local News 8
Today In History: September 18 Ruth Bader Ginsburg Died
Today In History: September 18 Ruth Bader Ginsburg Died
Today In History: September 18, Ruth Bader Ginsburg Died https://digitalalaskanews.com/today-in-history-september-18-ruth-bader-ginsburg-died/ Today is Sunday, Sept. 18, the 261st day of 2022. There are 104 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Sept. 18, 2020, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a towering women’s rights champion who became the court’s second female justice, died at her home in Washington at the age of 87 of complications from pancreatic cancer; her death set off a battle over whether President Donald Trump should nominate a successor, or the seat should remain vacant until the outcome of the election six weeks away. (Trump would nominate Amy Coney Barrett, who was confirmed by the Republican-led Senate days before the election.) On this date: In A.D. 14, the Roman Senate officially confirmed Tiberius as the second emperor of the Roman Empire, succeeding the late Augustus. In 1793, President George Washington laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol. In 1850, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act, which created a force of federal commissioners charged with returning escaped slaves to their owners. In 1851, the first edition of The New York Times was published. In 1947, the National Security Act, which created a National Military Establishment and the position of Secretary of Defense, went into effect. In 1961, United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold (dahg HAWM’-ahr-shoold) was killed in a plane crash in northern Rhodesia. In 1970, rock star Jimi Hendrix died in London at age 27. In 1975, newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst was captured by the FBI in San Francisco, 19 months after being kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army. In 1987, the psychological thriller “Fatal Attraction,” starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close, was released by Paramount Pictures. In 2001, a week after the Sept. 11 attack, President George W. Bush said he hoped to “rally the world” in the battle against terrorism and predicted that all “people who love freedom” would join. Letters postmarked Trenton, N.J., that later tested positive for anthrax were sent to the New York Post and NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw. In 2005, “Everybody Loves Raymond” won the Emmy for best comedy in its final season; first-year hit “Lost” was named best drama. In 2014, voters in Scotland rejected independence, opting to remain part of the United Kingdom in a historic referendum. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews, Scotland, ended years of male-only exclusivity as its members voted overwhelmingly in favor of inviting women to join. Ten years ago: Chicago teachers voted to suspend their strike and return to the classroom after more than a week on picket lines, ending a combative stalemate with Mayor Rahm Emanuel over evaluations and job security. Five years ago: Hurricane Maria intensified into a dangerous Category 5 storm, surging into the eastern Caribbean on a path that would take it near many of the islands recently devastated by Hurricane Irma. Toys R Us, the pioneering big box toy retailer, announced that it was filing for bankruptcy protection, but that it would continue its normal business operations. (The company announced in March of 2018 that it would be liquidating its U.S. business.) One year ago: Police were deployed in large numbers outside the U.S. Capitol over concerns that a rally in support of jailed Jan. 6 rioters would turn violent; the crowd for the rally was sparse, and there were few incidents. Four space tourists safely ended their trailblazing three-day flight to orbit with a splashdown in the Atlantic, off the Florida coast; the all-amateur crew – a billionaire and his three guests – aboard the SpaceX capsule was the first to circle the world without a professional astronaut. Today’s Birthdays: Actor Robert Blake is 89. Gospel singer Bobby Jones is 84. Singer Frankie Avalon is 82. Actor Beth Grant is 73. Rock musician Kerry Livgren is 73. Actor Anna Deavere Smith is 72. Former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, is 71. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino is 70. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is 68. College Football Hall of Famer and retired NFL player Billy Sims is 67. Movie director Mark Romanek is 63. Baseball Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg is 63. Alt-country-rock musician Mark Olson is 61. Singer Joanne Catherall (Human League) is 60. Actor Holly Robinson Peete is 58. R&B singer Ricky Bell (Bell Biv Devoe and New Edition) is 55. Actor Aisha Tyler is 52. Former racing cyclist Lance Armstrong is 51. Opera singer Anna Netrebko is 51. Actor Jada Pinkett Smith is 51. Actor James Marsden is 49. Actor Emily Rutherfurd is 48. Actor Travis Schuldt is 48. Rapper Xzibit is 48. Comedian-actor Jason Sudeikis is 47. Actor Sophina Brown is 46. Actor Barrett Foa is 45. Talk show host Sara Haines (TV: “GMA3: Strahan, Sara & Keke”) is 45. Actor/comedian Billy Eichner is 44. Actor Alison Lohman is 43. Designer Brandon Maxwell is 38. Congressman and former NFL player Anthony Gonzalez, R-Ohio, is 38. Actors Brandon and Taylor Porter are 29. Actor Patrick Schwarzenegger is 29. Country singer Tae Kerr (Maddie and Tae) is 27. Actor C.J. Sanders is 26. Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Today In History: September 18 Ruth Bader Ginsburg Died
To The Editor: Can We Take A Break From Trump News?
To The Editor: Can We Take A Break From Trump News?
To The Editor: Can We Take A Break From Trump News? https://digitalalaskanews.com/to-the-editor-can-we-take-a-break-from-trump-news/ Enter-To-Win Obituaries Events Jobs Classifieds MENU SUBSCRIBE LOGIN REGISTER LOG OUT MY PROFILE Home Local News Sports A&E Business Opinion Contact Us eBlade NEWSLETTERS ACCOUNT Subscribe Login Register Log out My Profile Subscriber Services Search SECTIONS HOME Homepage LOCAL Local Home Courts Daily Log Dogs for Adoption Education Gift Guide Homicides Most Wanted Police Fire Politics School Closings NEWS News Home Deaths Medical Nation NewsSlide Religion World SPORTS Sports Home Amateur BGSU Cavaliers College Dana Open Fishing Report Golf Guardians High School Lourdes Michigan Mud Hens Ohio State Olympics Outdoors Owens Pistons Pro Red Wings Tigers UT Walleye A&E A&E Home Art Culture Food Gardening Living Movies Music, Theater, & Dance Peach Weekender Restaurant Reviews Toledo Magazine TV & Radio BUSINESS Business Home Automotive Energy Labor Real Estate Restaurant Retail Stock Market Technology OPINION Opinion Home Columnists Editorial Cartoons Editorials Keith Burris Letters to the Editor Submit a Letter HEALTH & WELL-BEING Health & Well-Being Home B PARTNERS B Partners Home Ability Center Arrowhead Behavioral Balance & Mobility Black Diamond Blue Ribbon Hemp Epworth Church Fair Housing Center Fulton Cty Health Center Glass City Academy GTCF Holiday Gift Guide Homes HOPE Toledo Hylant Imagination Station JustCBD Kapios Kids of Character La-Z-Boy Leadership Toledo Levis Commons Lourdes University Luther Home of Mercy McLaren St. Luke’s Ministry of Hemp Mission Lean MVCDS Phoenix Investors ProMedica Readers’ Choice Awards Restaurants Ronald McDonald House Shumaker Solheim Cup Spengler Nathanson TARTA Ternion Toledo Clinic Toledo Museum of Art Toledo Public Library United Way University of Toledo UT Physicians UTMC USA Insulation Zenobia Shriners OTHER EBLADE ENTER-TO-WIN BLADE REWARDS BLADE VAULT / REPRINTS CLASSIFIEDS OBITUARIES JOBS CLASSIFIEDS BLADE HOMES HOMES WEEKLY ADS EVENTS CONTACT US / FAQ CONTACT US SUBSCRIBER GUIDE ADVERTISING CAREER OPPORTUNITIES &nbsp &nbsp TOP Email a Story Your e-mail: Friends e-mail: Read More Here
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To The Editor: Can We Take A Break From Trump News?
Rep. Gaetz Sought Trump Pardon Former White House Aide Testifies To Jan 6 Committee | News Channel 3-12
Rep. Gaetz Sought Trump Pardon Former White House Aide Testifies To Jan 6 Committee | News Channel 3-12
Rep. Gaetz Sought Trump Pardon, Former White House Aide Testifies To Jan 6 Committee | News Channel 3-12 https://digitalalaskanews.com/rep-gaetz-sought-trump-pardon-former-white-house-aide-testifies-to-jan-6-committee-news-channel-3-12/ By Annie Grayer, CNN An aide to former President Donald Trump testified to the House Select Committee investigating January 6 that GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida sought a preemptive presidential pardon relating to a Justice Department investigation examining whether Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws, a source familiar with the aide’s testimony tells CNN. John McEntee, who served as director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office in the Trump Administration, told the committee that Gaetz spoke with him about his process for seeking a pardon relating to the DOJ’s investigation in a short meeting. McEntee told the committee he could not remember if his brief meeting with Gaetz was before or after the attack on the Capitol. Gaetz has not been charged with any crimes, and the investigation is ongoing. An associate of Gaetz, former Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg, pleaded guilty to federal charges including a count of sex trafficking of a child, after striking a plea deal with federal prosecutors for a reduced criminal case after agreeing to give “substantial assistance” to the sprawling investigation. The assistance included an agreement to testify at trials or in federal grand juries if needed and to turn over all documents that could help the federal inquiry. Gaetz has claimed the allegations stemmed from an extortion plot against him and his family, saying in a statement to CNN in 2021 that “no part of the allegations against me are true.” His spokesman also said that Gaetz has never paid for sex, nor has he had sex with a 17-year-old as an adult.​ The new information McEntee told the select committee provides more context into Gaetz’s concern about the investigation and provides fresh insight into the specific kind of pardon Gaetz was seeking. The Justice Department has been investigating Gaetz since early 2021 over allegations involving sex trafficking and prostitution, including whether Gaetz had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl. McEntee relayed to the committee that Gaetz said at the time “they are launching an investigation into him or that there’s an investigation into him,” without mentioning the Justice Department as the entity investigating him explicitly. But when committee investigators asked McEntee if he interpreted Gaetz’s request for a pardon to be in the context of the DOJ investigation, McEntee said “I think that was the context, yes.” McEntee also testified that Gaetz told him that “he did not do anything wrong but they are trying to make his life hell, and you know, if the president could give him a pardon, that would be great.” The details of McEntee’s testimony were first reported by The Washington Post. McEntee also told the committee that Gaetz shared he had asked Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows for a pardon, which the panel has already revealed in previous testimony. A spokesperson for Meadows did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Gaetz told CNN, “Congressman Matt Gaetz discussed pardons for many other people publicly and privately at the end of President Donald Trump’s first term. As for himself, President Trump addressed this malicious rumor more than a year ago stating, ‘Congressman Matt Gaetz has never asked me for a pardon.’ Rep. Gaetz continues to stand by President Trump’s statement.” The panel had already revealed some of McEntee’s testimony in one of its June hearings. McEntee testified to the committee that Gaetz said he asked Meadows explicitly for a pardon, though it was not clear at the time what the pardon request was for. CNN reached out to a phone number and an email address believed to belong to McEntee for comment but has not received a response. When an investigator asked McEntee how he knew Gaetz had asked Meadows for a pardon, McEntee replied, “he told me he had asked Meadows for a pardon.” The committee also revealed testimony from McEntee where he said he was aware of conversations about the possibility of a blanket pardon relating to January 6. The committee had also previously revealed that a group of Republican lawmakers, including Gaetz, had sought preemptive presidential pardons. A spokesperson for the House select committee declined to comment. During a June hearing, the panel revealed an email sent from GOP Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama to the White House “pursuant to a request from Matt Gaetz,” requesting a pardon for Gaetz, himself, and others who were unnamed. Former Meadows aide Cassidy Hutchinson also testified to the committee that “Mr. Gaetz was personally pushing for a pardon, and he was doing so since early December, I’m not sure why. Mr. Gaetz had reached out to me to ask if he could have a meeting with Mr. Meadows about receiving a presidential pardon.” Hutchinson said that Gaetz was not the only GOP member to contact her about a blanket presidential pardon. She said GOP Reps. Brooks, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Louie Gohmert of Texas, and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania all contacted her about receiving pardons. She testified that she heard GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, “had asked White House Counsel’s Office for a pardon from Mr. Philbin, but I didn’t frequently communicate with Ms. Green.” She said GOP Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio “talked about congressional pardons, but he never asked me for one.” Former Trump White House lawyer Eric Herschmann testified to the committee, “I believe so” when asked if Gaetz sought a presidential pardon. “The general tone was we may get prosecuted because we were defensive of the president’s positions on these things. The pardon that he was discussing, requesting was as broad as you could describe. From beginning — I remember he said, from the beginning of time up until today for any and all things. He had mentioned Nixon, and I said Nixon’s pardon was never nearly that broad,” Herschmann testified, which the committee revealed during its hearing. None of the lawmakers ever received pardons from Trump. The-CNN-Wire & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Read More Here
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Rep. Gaetz Sought Trump Pardon Former White House Aide Testifies To Jan 6 Committee | News Channel 3-12
Justice Department Asks Appeals Court To Revive Its Criminal Probe Into Classified Mar-A-Lago Documents
Justice Department Asks Appeals Court To Revive Its Criminal Probe Into Classified Mar-A-Lago Documents
Justice Department Asks Appeals Court To Revive Its Criminal Probe Into Classified Mar-A-Lago Documents https://digitalalaskanews.com/justice-department-asks-appeals-court-to-revive-its-criminal-probe-into-classified-mar-a-lago-documents/ By Tierney Sneed and Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — The Justice Department on Friday asked an appeals court to put on hold parts of a judge’s order requiring a third-party review of the materials seized last month at Mar-a-Lago. In its request with the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals, the Justice Department said the lower court’s move to block criminal investigations from reviewing the seized documents marked as classified would cause irreparable harm, writing that the “criminal investigation is itself essential to the government’s effort to identify and mitigate potential national-security risks.” The department sought the intervention after District Judge Aileen Cannon on Thursday rejected prosecutors’ request that they be allowed to restart their criminal investigation into the classified documents. “The court’s order hamstrings that investigation and places the FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ) under a Damoclean threat of contempt should the court later disagree with how investigators disaggregated their previously integrated criminal-investigative and national-security activities,” the Justice Department wrote. The Justice Department is also asking the appeals court to exclude the documents marked as classified from the so-called special master review Cannon has ordered. Noting that Cannon’s order would require those documents be provided to Trump’s lawyers, the prosecutors said there was “no basis for disclosing such sensitive information,” and that the order required them to make “disclosure of highly sensitive material to a special master and to Plaintiff’s counsel—potentially including witnesses to relevant events—in the midst of an investigation, where no charges have been brought.” The Justice Department on Friday asked for the 11th Circuit to take action “as soon as practicable.” The new filing with the 11th Circuit fast-tracks the dispute over the Mar-a-Lago search up to the appeals court and raises the possibility that the US Supreme Court will be asked to weigh in as well in the coming weeks. The Justice Department originally sought the warrant to search Mar-a-Lago after months of negotiations with Trump’s team over documents that were brought from his White House to the Florida resort after he left office. The FBI is investigating at least three potential crimes in its probe: violations of the Espionage Act, illegal handling of government records and obstruction of justice. In her Thursday night order rejecting the Justice Department’s bid to resume its criminal investigation, Cannon cast doubt that the 100 or more documents in question were actually classified, concluding that the question was in dispute and one best reviewed by an independent party. She also blew off Justice Department arguments that the hold she had put on its criminal probe was putting national security at risk. That approach is at odds with the deference courts normally show to government assertions about classification and national security. In their request to the 11th Circuit, the prosecutors said that the lower court had disregarded the evidence they had put forward about the risks posed by how the government records were bring stored. The record, they said Friday, “makes clear that the materials were stored in an unsecure manner over a prolonged period, and the court’s injunction itself prevents the government from even beginning to take necessary steps to determine whether improper disclosures might have occurred or may still occur.” The prohibitions on the criminal investigation, the prosecutors said, was undercutting the intelligence community assessment’s ability to “evaluate the harm that would result from disclosure of the seized records.” “The court’s injunction restricts the FBI—which has lead responsibility for investigating such matters in the United States—from using the seized records in its criminal-investigative tools to assess which if any records were in fact disclosed, to whom, and in what circumstances,” the Justice Department told the appeals court. Cannon also concluded that the classification designations were in doubt without the Trump team putting forward the type of evidence — such as declarations — that would suggest the materials weren’t in fact classified. Trump has claimed in media appearances he declassified the documents he took to Mar-a-Lago, but his lawyers have yet to make that assertion in court filings. Cannon has repeatedly acknowledged in court decisions that her rationale is based in part on Trump’s status as a former president, writing Thursday that the “principles of equity” required her “to consider the specific context at issue, and that consideration is inherently impacted by the position formerly held by Plaintiff.” In their appeal to the 11th Circuit, the Justice Department wrote that none of the 100 documents marked as classified could possibly be Trump’s personal records — a type of claim he’s trying to make to keep some of the documents out of the evidence. “None of those rationales applies to the records bearing classification markings: The markings establish on the face of the documents that they are not [Trump]’s personal property,” the department writes. The case now lands before a circuit court where six of the 11 active judges are Trump-appointees. It will go to a panel of three randomly selected judges from the court. A panel that includes some of the appellate judges picked by the former President could still be sympathetic to the Justice Department, given the deference the government is usually given when it says national security is at risk. There is also skepticism among outside legal observers about Cannon’s decision to intervene in the first place, given that a separate magistrate judge in Florida approved the warrant for the search and the investigation itself is being run out of a grand jury in DC. Cannon — a 2020 appointee of then-President Trump — was randomly assigned the lawsuit that Trump filed two weeks after the FBI executed the search warrant. Documents marked as classified aren’t Trump’s property, DOJ says The Justice Department argued that Trump’s attempts to assert privileges are weak — if he’s even made them at all. “Neither [Trump] nor the court has suggested that they might be subject to attorney-client privilege. [Trump] has never even attempted to make or substantiate any assertion of executive privilege. Even if he did, no such assertion could justify restricting the Executive Branch’s review and use of these records for multiple independent reasons.” The Justice Department also takes issue with both Trump going to court to try to block investigators from being able to access classified records seized from Mar-a-Lago and with Cannon stepping in. Trump “lacks standing at least as to the discrete set of records with classification markings because those records are government property, over which the Executive Branch has exclusive control and in which Plaintiff has no property interest,” the DOJ writes. The government attorneys say that the courts can only get involved in exceptional circumstances, such as when constitutional rights are disregarded in a search or when a search subject has a special need to keep seized material, and that “cannot extend to these records.” “The district court reasoned that other materials in which Plaintiff [Trump] might have a cognizable interest cannot readily be separated from those in which he does not. But that rationale is inapplicable to records with classification markings, which are easily identifiable and already segregated from the other seized materials,” the department writes. This story has been updated with additional details. The-CNN-Wire & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Read More Here
·digitalalaskanews.com·
Justice Department Asks Appeals Court To Revive Its Criminal Probe Into Classified Mar-A-Lago Documents