Digital Alaska News

Hardee’s Seizes On Mike Lindell’s FBI Drama To Sell ‘pillowy Biscuits’ https://digitalalaskanews.com/hardees-seizes-on-mike-lindells-fbi-drama-to-sell-pillowy-biscuits/ Hardee-har-har. Fast-food chain Hardee’s seized on being included in headlines about the alleged confiscation of MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s cell phone with an ad promoting something the bombastic businessman might enjoy. “Now that you know we exist… you should really try our pillowy biscuits,” the chicken and burger joint tweeted Wednesday. Now that you know we exist… you should really try our pillowy biscuits. — Hardee’s (@Hardees) September 14, 2022 Lindell — a spirited conspiracy theorist who has worked tirelessly to prove the 2020 election lost by his pal Donald Trump was a hoax — claimed Tuesday night that feds took his cell phone outside a Minnesota Hardee’s. Hardee’s drive-thru (Shutterstock/Shutterstock) “Cars pulled up in front of us, to the side of us, and behind us and I said those are either bad guys or the FBI,” the 61-year-old former crack-addict said on his “Lindell Report” internet program Tuesday night. According to Lindell, it was the latter. [ Donald Trump deliberating fast food chain CEO and anti-immigration congressman for Labor Secretary pick ] The Guardian reports that FBI agents executed a search warrant at the location where Lindell said he had his encounter with the law. According to the beddings executive, feds were interested in his communications with fellow election-deniers. Lindell has still not come to grips with the fact President Biden defeated Trump by 7 million votes in the 2020 election and that dozens of courts, as well as former Trump administration officials, found no evidence of significant malfeasance. Numerous liberal activists applauded Hardee’s for being opportunistic Wednesday. Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. “Well played, Hardee’s,” tweeted Twitter user who goes by JoJoFromJerz. “Well played.” The Lincoln Project also posted a congratulatory message for the savvy social media posting. Another online joker took a picture of a Hardee’s bag and joked that unlike Lindell, she pulled away from the eatery’s drive-thru with her meal and her cell phone. Former FBI assistant director Frank Figluzzi wondered, “What if someone wants to call-in an order but seems to have ‘misplaced’ their cellphone?” One person who wasn’t amused by the situation is fast-food enthusiast and former president Trump, who complained on his own social media platform that “THE Pillow Guy was just raided by the FBI.” [ MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell banned from Twitter yet again ] While in office, the 45th president tapped former Hardee’s CEO Andrew Puzder to be his Secretary of Labor, though the 72-year-old businessman withdrew his name from consideration amid reports of domestic violence made, then withdrawn, by his ex-wife. Lindell’s estimated worth is $50 million. Two voting technologies companies filed defamation suits against him due to his claims of voting irregularities allegedly involving their services. Read More Here

A Historic PFD Still Leaves Work To Be Done  https://digitalalaskanews.com/a-historic-pfd-still-leaves-work-to-be-done/ A uniquely Alaskan event – the distribution of the annual Permanent Fund Dividend – is coming up on Sept. 20 and I’m pleased to announce that it will be the largest in state history. The 2022 PFD, at $3,284, is being sent out a couple weeks early this year as Alaskans bear the brunt of inflation we haven’t seen since the first dividend was paid in 1982. For a family of four, a total of more than $13,000 can go a long way in offsetting the record-high costs of energy and food we’re experiencing, preparing for winter, paying off debt, saving for college, or any number of other purposes. We are sending out the PFD early this year because of the difficult times Alaskans are going through, but it is important to remember the dividend is not, and has never been, a welfare payment. Rather, the PFD is each Alaskan’s share of our collective resource wealth. It is ours to use as we see fit, and I have always maintained that the people know how to spend their money better than the government does. I also recognize that despite this year’s historic amount, it is the seventh year in a row in which the statutory dividend formula that remains on the books has not been followed. For those who remain frustrated by this situation, be assured that it is frustrating for me as well. As we’ve known since 2016 when this 40-year-old system was broken, Governors can only reduce the PFD; they can’t increase it. Like my belief that Alaskans, and not government, know how best to spend their money, my position on the statutory PFD formula has also been consistent: the Legislature needs to either follow the law or change the law, and if the law is changed, it must be done with the consent of the people. The only sustainable solution is to trust the people, and to let their voices be heard. Trust in government is earned; it is not owed. Our governments at the local, state, and federal level are formed to serve the people, not the other way around. All too often, elected representatives forget that once the campaign ends and governing begins. I have not forgotten who I work for, and each year in office I’ve worked to deliver the biggest PFD possible under the constraints of the 2017 Supreme Court decision that ruled neither the Governor nor the Legislature is bound by the statutory formula. In that respect, I’m glad that Alaskans are receiving a PFD of historic size this year. At the same time, a tremendous amount of work remains to solve this issue by returning to a predictable formula that takes Juneau politics out of the equation once and for all. I’m committed to working with the people and Legislature to get it done. Mike Dunleavy, 12th Governor of Alaska Juneau, AK Charlie Pierce – Candidate for Governor now on the Yukon to meet folks Charlie Pierce his wife Vonnie are headed down the Yukon the next week or so. September 9, 2022 My last official day as mayor of the Kenai Peninsula Borough will be September 30th, 2022. In the August primary, I was honored to be voted in the top 4 candidates for governor. Now I must devote my full attention to that contest. Ideally, the 5-week notice I provided the borough assembly will be enough to ensure a smooth transition to an interim mayor. As I leave the office of mayor, my reflections on the past five years are coupled with feelings of accomplishment and gratitude. It has been an incredible time to serve as your mayor. Over the past 5 years, the Kenai Peninsula Borough has successfully navigated through at least 9 disaster  declarations, including floods, earthquakes, landslides, the Swan Lake Fire, and Covid-19. Despite these challenges, my team and I are pleased to have the following achievements to highlight for you today: • In 2017, we came to office facing a budget deficit of $4.5 million. Now, the fund balance for fiscal year 2023 is in the black almost $24 million ($23,954,000). Even more, this positive balance does not include a couple “Christmas presents” that are also coming your way. First is a prior debt reimbursement of $6 million now earmarked in the state’s budget; second is $4 million in underestimated sales tax collections from August 2022. The net result will increase the Kenai Peninsula Borough fund balance to $35 million as I leave office. • As mayor, I proposed no increases in property tax mil rates. The previous administration under Mike Navarre had planned a property tax increase of one mil. That proposed increase would have taken $8 million away from borough homeowners and out of our economy. I would like to especially recognize the contributions of Brandi Harbaugh, the borough’s Finance Officer. With Ms. Harbaugh’s assistance, we developed realistic and conservative budgets through 2026. The gains can be lost. Be vigilant. I encourage all Kenai Peninsula residents to become familiar with the budgeting process, get involved, and hold your representatives accountable to use these public funds wisely. Budget documents are available online at FY 23 Assembly Adopted Budget. • The Kenai Peninsula Land Trust was developed under my administration, and now we look forward to receiving dividends from it. I would like to especially acknowledge the efforts of Marcus Mueller, KPB’s Land Management Officer, for his vision and for personally spear-heading this project. Two previous mayors had passed on making Mueller’s vision a reality. It took a lot of planning, hard work, and then convincing nine assembly members to agree. Congratulations, Marcus, and thank you. • My administration oversaw the adoption of a safety culture for our borough employees. When I took office, the 10-year cost of workman’s comp claims was $18 million. To date, we have reduced this expense by 60%. Most importantly, of course, our employees are experiencing fewer injuries. • Employee Leadership Training is funded through the 2023 Budget. It teaches and gives our borough employees the skills to lead with confidence. • We transitioned to a borough-run Emergency Dispatch Center. Formerly run by the State of Alaska, it is now staffed by borough employees and funded by the users. The result is increased efficiency and faster response times to Police, EMS, and Fire calls. When you are waiting for help, those reduced minutes mean lives saved. • My focus has been to get a paramedic on every ambulance leaving the station. These are the specialists that can administer medication on site, increasing patient survival. My administration has added 18 emergency-response positions. When I first came to office, our first responders were burned out, emergency calls were up, overtime was high, and volunteerism was down. We have addressed these problems head-on by hiring more highly skilled staff. • We now have a reliable tsunami warning system. 5 years ago, we didn’t get alarms until three hours after the event was over. A $700,000 system has been secured to fix this issue. • We initiated the borough use of social media. Its use has proven invaluable for keeping the public informed, especially during disasters. • Nikiski now has a new fire station, Station #3, without any added borough debt. The station operates 24/7 with staff and volunteers. I am heartened to know that families in that area will have faster responses. • My administration structured a $65,000,000 bond package for school facilities, and a $16,000,000 bond package for a new Soldotna fire station. These items will be presented to voters in October. We are confident the bond packages serve the borough’s best interests. Now is the time to make these investments in our communities. • Construction for a new Kachemak-Silo School building is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2024. The K-Silo needed a new school building for years and I am happy to move that project off my desk as it was inherited from the Navarre administration. The fiscal year 2023 budget already includes $3,000,000 for this stand-alone project (not included in the bond). There should be no further delays for families and children there. • School security was enhanced. Six of our most vulnerable schools now use key card access. Soon the borough building will, as well. • My administration invested in our Information Technology Department. That team was instrumental during the remodel of the Assembly Chambers. We can now support public participation in meetings from anywhere via Zoom. I highly encourage borough residents to attend assembly meetings. More information can be found on the borough’s website at Kenai Peninsula Borough Meeting Calendar. • Long-standing housekeeping issues are now being addressed. There were unauthorized structures on borough lands, and now a fair process is in place to achieve resolution. Junk cars had been in the public right of ways. Today they are hauled off at the owner’s expense. This list a sampling to show I have been a faithful steward of the office entrusted to me. I applaud the 300 Kenai Peninsula Borough employees for all these achievements; working with them is what I enjoyed most about my job. I give special thanks to my former Chiefs of Staff Aaron Rhoades, James Baisden and John Quick. I wish the assembly and the new administration the best. Try to be nice to each other. We have so many blessings bestowed on us in the Kenai Peninsula Borough. It has truly been my honor to serve. Mayor Charlie Pierce Kenai Peninsula Borough 2017-2022 Read More Here

'Shocking' New Book Claims Trump Offered West Bank To Jordan’s King Abdullah II https://digitalalaskanews.com/shocking-new-book-claims-trump-offered-west-bank-to-jordans-king-abdullah-ii/ Former President Donald Trump caused panic when he offered to give away one of the most contested pieces of land in the Middle East. On Wednesday, The Washington Post reported, “President Trump once offered what he considered ‘a great deal’ to Jordan’s King Abdullah II: control of the West Bank, whose Palestinian population long sought to topple the monarchy. ‘I thought I was having a heart attack,’ Abdullah II recalled to an American friend in 2018, according to a new book on the Trump presidency being published next week. ‘I couldn’t breathe. I was bent doubled-over.'” The book also documents Trump’s difficulties with his own cabinet. “Several top officials ‘were on the verge of quitting en masse,’ according to the book, citing an October 2018 message Kirstjen Nielsen, the homeland security secretary, wrote to a top aide over the encrypted app Signal,” the newspaper reported. “Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke ‘all’ wanted to quit, Nielsen wrote, according to the book.” The book also details Trump’s efforts to punish his perceived enemies, including CNN, Jeff Bezos, James Clapper, John Brennan, and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. “Let’s just cancel it,” Trump reportedly told Nielsen. Read the full report. ALSO IN THE NEWS: ‘DOJ, if you’re listening’: MAGA conspiracy to commit election fraud laid out on MSNBC Read More Here

J https://digitalalaskanews.com/j-2/ Credit: NPCA September 14, 2022 – LOS ANGELES— A federal judge has vacated a U.S. Bureau of Land Management decision that would have allowed Cadiz Inc. to repurpose a mothballed oil-and-gas pipeline to drain a large aquifer in the Mojave Desert. Tuesday’s order from U.S. District Judge George H. Wu responds to a BLM motion seeking to vacate and remand the agency’s December 2020 approval of the pipeline, issued in the Trump administration’s final days. The approval violated several federal laws by failing to conduct needed environmental and historic preservation analysis for the project or consider its potential harm to federal public lands. The right-of-way would have facilitated Cadiz’s groundwater-mining scheme to drain ancient aquifers under the Mojave Desert with a pipeline crossing Mojave Trails National Monument and other protected public land in southeastern California. The same decision was filed in a related case brought by the Native American Land Conservancy and the National Parks Conservation Association. “We’re pleased the court vacated this illegal Trump-era decision, which would have allowed this massive water pipeline to move forward without the necessary environmental review,” said Lisa Belenky, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Cadiz’s water-privatization scheme would dry up irreplaceable desert springs and seeps that are crucial to wildlife, even more so now because of climate change. These public lands and resources must be protected.” Cadiz’s project would pump water from a fragile aquifer under the Mojave Trails National Monument and near the Mojave National Preserve. In March 2021 conservation groups sued in to challenge BLM’s approval of the right-of-way to facilitate the pipeline project. Hydrologists from the U.S. Geological Survey have found the pipeline’s water use unsustainable. They also found that Cadiz’s privately funded study vastly overstates the aquifer’s recharge rate. “Today’s decision will give the BLM the opportunity to do the right thing and prevent disruptive pumping and transport of groundwater — precious water that our fragile desert ecosystem and the species who call it home depend upon for their survival,” said Jeff Aardahl, a senior California representative for Defenders of Wildlife. “The court’s decision will give wildlife a fighting chance in the face of our ongoing, historic drought.” The water-pumping project threatens to dry up life-sustaining desert springs in the monument and the preserve, hurting vegetation and key habitat for iconic desert wildlife, including desert tortoises, bighorn sheep, Mojave fringe-toed lizards and kit foxes. “This project should never have been given a pass,” said Joan Taylor, vice chair of Sierra Club’s California/Nevada Desert Committee. “The BLM now acknowledges that pumping and exporting 16 billion gallons a year from a desert groundwater basin requires some environmental scrutiny, and today’s decision means that careful environmental review will be required before any new decision is made.” “The Trump administration’s decision to give Cadiz these rights-of-way without any environmental review was clearly illegal,” said Greg Loarie, an attorney at Earthjustice representing the conservation groups. “The court did the right thing in granting the Bureau of Land Management’s request to undo the flawed decision that would have devastating impacts on the Mojave Desert.” Conservation groups have filed several lawsuits challenging the Cadiz water project, including one challenging San Bernardino County for failing to provide environmental review and violating its own groundwater ordinance. In 2019 the groups won a lawsuit challenging an earlier Interior Department approval of an existing railroad right-of-way for the pipeline. The judge ruled that the Trump administration had broken the law when it reversed two Obama administration decisions and had wrongly concluded the 43-mile pipeline did not require BLM permits or approvals. Read More Here

Authorities Investigating Whether Northeastern Explosion Was Staged, Sources Say https://digitalalaskanews.com/authorities-investigating-whether-northeastern-explosion-was-staged-sources-say/ Multiple law enforcement sources tell 5 Investigates that authorities are now looking into whether the Northeastern University employee who reported that a Pelican-style case exploded when he opened it staged the incident.Those sources also told 5 Investigates that there was no explosive material found at the scene inside Holmes Hall and that the employee’s injuries were not consistent with those typically suffered during an explosion.A federal official who spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity said investigators identified inconsistencies in the employee’s statement and became skeptical.As 5 Investigates reported earlier, sources confirm that a note was found inside that case referencing virtual reality and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. The Holmes Hall lab where the incident happened is an “Immersive Media Lab” on Northeastern’s campus that focuses on the exploration of virtual worlds, including virtual reality and augmented reality.Boston police, the FBI and the ATF are all involved in this investigation. All of the agencies declined official comment, calling this an active investigation. Authorities have said the employee involved, a 45-year-old man, suffered minor injuries. He was not identified. NewsCenter 5 was outside a home in Medford on Wednesday when federal agents arrived. A woman let them inside. The home is listed as a previous residence of the university employee, although neighbors say he hasn’t lived there in years. The current resident is the man’s ex-wife. The woman who lives inside the home told NewsCenter 5 that she did not have any comment on the situation.Boston police said they responded to Holmes Hall, at 39 Leon St., shortly before 7:20 p.m. Tuesday. Boston firefighters also responded to the scene and helped police evacuate some of the buildings on campus, according to Boston police Commissioner Michael Cox.A search revealed a second similar package that was ultimately handled by the Boston Police Department’s bomb squad.In a message posted to its website Wednesday, Northeastern University said its Boston campus is safe.“Events such as the incident that took place on our Boston campus last night can create or heighten anxiety for many of us,” said the post, credited to Provost David Madigan and Chancellor Kenneth Henderson. “We would like to underscore what was communicated to our community last night: Multiple law enforcement agencies have determined that the campus is safe and secure.”The campus opened normally for classes and other activities Wednesday. Counseling and other support services were made available for students, faculty and staff.Shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday, alarms were going off in several Northeastern buildings near Holmes Hall and students were evacuated. Evening classes in some of those buildings were canceled.”It was definitely very scary because there were so many rumors going around,” said Northeastern student Connor Martin. “I heard as many as eight devices and, obviously, that wasn’t true. But you don’t know what’s real and what’s not.”In the wake of the incident at Northeastern, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both in Cambridge, all urged members of the campus communities to be cautious and report any suspicious packages. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. BOSTON — Multiple law enforcement sources tell 5 Investigates that authorities are now looking into whether the Northeastern University employee who reported that a Pelican-style case exploded when he opened it staged the incident. Those sources also told 5 Investigates that there was no explosive material found at the scene inside Holmes Hall and that the employee’s injuries were not consistent with those typically suffered during an explosion. A federal official who spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity said investigators identified inconsistencies in the employee’s statement and became skeptical. As 5 Investigates reported earlier, sources confirm that a note was found inside that case referencing virtual reality and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. The Holmes Hall lab where the incident happened is an “Immersive Media Lab” on Northeastern’s campus that focuses on the exploration of virtual worlds, including virtual reality and augmented reality. Boston police, the FBI and the ATF are all involved in this investigation. All of the agencies declined official comment, calling this an active investigation. Authorities have said the employee involved, a 45-year-old man, suffered minor injuries. He was not identified. NewsCenter 5 was outside a home in Medford on Wednesday when federal agents arrived. A woman let them inside. The home is listed as a previous residence of the university employee, although neighbors say he hasn’t lived there in years. The current resident is the man’s ex-wife. The woman who lives inside the home told NewsCenter 5 that she did not have any comment on the situation. Boston police said they responded to Holmes Hall, at 39 Leon St., shortly before 7:20 p.m. Tuesday. Boston firefighters also responded to the scene and helped police evacuate some of the buildings on campus, according to Boston police Commissioner Michael Cox. A search revealed a second similar package that was ultimately handled by the Boston Police Department’s bomb squad. In a message posted to its website Wednesday, Northeastern University said its Boston campus is safe. “Events such as the incident that took place on our Boston campus last night can create or heighten anxiety for many of us,” said the post, credited to Provost David Madigan and Chancellor Kenneth Henderson. “We would like to underscore what was communicated to our community last night: Multiple law enforcement agencies have determined that the campus is safe and secure.” The campus opened normally for classes and other activities Wednesday. Counseling and other support services were made available for students, faculty and staff. Shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday, alarms were going off in several Northeastern buildings near Holmes Hall and students were evacuated. Evening classes in some of those buildings were canceled. “It was definitely very scary because there were so many rumors going around,” said Northeastern student Connor Martin. “I heard as many as eight devices and, obviously, that wasn’t true. But you don’t know what’s real and what’s not.” In the wake of the incident at Northeastern, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both in Cambridge, all urged members of the campus communities to be cautious and report any suspicious packages. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Read More Here

Letter: Bad Homeless Solution https://digitalalaskanews.com/letter-bad-homeless-solution/ By Judy Robinson Updated: 49 minutes ago Published: 49 minutes ago The homeless population should be served, but not in the Fairview and Spenard recreation centers. Fairview Rec Center is in the heart of a residential area with many children. Spenard is similarly situated.   Fairview Rec borders a large, low-income apartment complex and two parks. The elementary school is five blocks away. Northwood borders the elementary school and a park. I am unaware of any shelter, past or present, within a residential area. Children in these neighborhoods lack the resources to replace the much-needed social and recreational opportunities provided by the rec centers. The municipal administration believes that replacement programs can be provided by the Anchorage School District. Replacement programs are unlikely given the district’s budget shortfall of $68 million and a major shortage of bus drivers. Replacements for many other community services would be needed, such as voting locations. Most important of all are the children. Surely, we can solve the shelter crisis without exposing already fragile children to an unstable population of adults, largely made up of “low barrier,” walk-in clients who are difficult to house. — Judy Robinson Anchorage Have something on your mind? Send to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Letters under 200 words have the best chance of being published. Writers should disclose any personal or professional connections with the subjects of their letters. Letters are edited for accuracy, clarity and length. Read More Here

Patagonia Founder Just Donated The Entire Company, Worth $3 Billion, To Fight Climate Change https://digitalalaskanews.com/patagonia-founder-just-donated-the-entire-company-worth-3-billion-to-fight-climate-change/ Yvon Chouinard, founder and owner of Patagonia. Courtesy of Jeff Johnson and Patagonia Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, his spouse and two adult children are giving away their ownership in the apparel maker he started some 50 years ago, dedicating all profits from the company to projects and organizations that will protect wild land and biodiversity and fight the climate crisis. The company is worth about $3 billion, according to the New York Times. related investing news In a letter about the decision, published on the Patagonia website on Wednesday, Choiunard wrote of “reimagining capitalism,” and said: “While we’re doing our best to address the environmental crisis, it’s not enough. We needed to find a way to put more money into fighting the crisis while keeping the company’s values intact. One option was to sell Patagonia and donate all the money. But we couldn’t be sure a new owner would maintain our values or keep our team of people around the world employed. Another path was to take the company public. What a disaster that would have been. Even public companies with good intentions are under too much pressure to create short-term gain at the expense of long-term vitality and responsibility. Truth be told, there were no good options available. So, we created our own.” The privately held company’s stock will now be owned by a climate-focused trust and group of nonprofit organizations, called the Patagonia Purpose Trust and the Holdfast Collective respectively, the company said in a statement, noting “every dollar that is not reinvested back into Patagonia will be distributed as dividends to protect the planet.” The trust will get all the voting stock, which is 2% of the total, and will use it to create a “more permanent legal structure to enshrine Patagonia’s purpose and values.” It will be overseen by members of the family and close advisors. The Holdfast Collective owns all the non-voting stock of Patagonia, which amounts to 98%. Patagonia expects to generate and donate about $100 million annually depending on the health of the business. The company now sells new and used outdoor apparel, gear for outdoor activities like camping, fishing and climbing, and food and beverages made from sustainable sources. As a certified B-Corp and California Benefit Corporation, Patagonia was already donating one percent of its sales each year to grassroots activists, and it intends to keep doing so. Fewer than 6,000 companies around the world are certified as B-Corp businesses. They have to meet strict environmental, social and governance standards and benchmarks set by B Labs to gain certification. Ryan Gellert will continue to serve as Patagonia’s CEO, and the Chouinard family will remain on Patagonia’s board following the apparel maker’s expanded philanthropic strategy. After informing its employees on Wednesday about this move, the company updated its website to state that “Earth is now our only shareholder.” Read More Here

U.S. Senators Introduce Bill To Designate Russia State Sponsor Of Terrorism https://digitalalaskanews.com/u-s-senators-introduce-bill-to-designate-russia-state-sponsor-of-terrorism/ U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) speak during an interview with Reuters, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 7, 2022. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com WASHINGTON, Sept 14 (Reuters) – Democratic and Republican U.S. senators introduced legislation on Wednesday that would designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, a label pushed for by Ukraine but opposed by President Joe Biden’s administration. “The need for this measure is more pressing now than ever before,” Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, one of the bill’s sponsors, told a news conference, citing the killings of civilians and other “brutal, cruel oppression” in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, another bill sponsor, said the designation would send a strong signal of support for Ukraine to Kyiv but also to U.S. allies, while imposing stiff penalties on Russia like allowing it to be sued in U.S. courts for its actions in Ukraine and tightening sanctions. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com It was not immediately clear when or whether the measure might come up for a vote. But the two senators have been advocating for the designation for months, visiting Kyiv in July to promote it. read more They have been joined by other lawmakers in voicing support for the idea. Democratic House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in July the designation was “long overdue.” Biden has said he does not plan such a designation for Russia. Administration officials say they do not feel that the designation is the most effective way to hold Russia accountable and that it could hinder deliveries of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. State Department spokesman Ned Price told a news briefing that the administration was discussing with lawmakers measures “analogous” to those that would be imposed on Russia’s economy by the designation. read more “We have to take into account the consequences, intended and unintended” by such a designation, he said. “We are engaging with Congress on tools that would continue to have analogous implications for the Russian economy, for the Russian government, that would not have those unintended consequences.” Moscow has told Washington that diplomatic ties would be badly damaged and could even be broken off if Russia were added to the State Sponsor of Terrorism list, which currently includes Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Syria. Blumenthal and Graham’s bill includes a provision that would allow a U.S. president to waive the designation for national security reasons after certifying to Congress that Russia is no longer supporting acts of international terrorism. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; additional reporting by Jonathan Landay and Simon Lewis; Editing by Bill Berkrot Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here

US Forecast https://digitalalaskanews.com/us-forecast-43/ City/Town, State;Yesterday’s High Temp (F);Yesterday’s Low Temp (F);Today’s High Temp (F);Today’s Low Temp (F);Weather Condition;Wind Direction;Wind Speed (MPH);Humidity (%);Chance of Precip. (%);UV Index Albany, NY;77;51;67;47;Plenty of sun;WNW;9;53%;1%;5 Albuquerque, NM;77;60;82;60;Mostly sunny;ESE;6;39%;0%;7 Anchorage, AK;55;47;53;47;A little p.m. rain;ESE;12;82%;100%;1 Asheville, NC;77;52;78;54;Mostly sunny, nice;ESE;5;60%;2%;7 Atlanta, GA;83;62;84;60;Mostly sunny;E;7;54%;6%;7 Atlantic City, NJ;80;66;76;59;Sunny and beautiful;NNW;10;56%;4%;6 Austin, TX;93;67;92;73;Mostly sunny;SSE;4;55%;42%;8 Baltimore, MD;83;68;80;62;Plenty of sunshine;N;9;49%;3%;6 Baton Rouge, LA;87;63;90;66;Sunny and pleasant;ESE;7;55%;8%;8 Billings, MT;72;54;76;55;Mostly cloudy;ESE;8;52%;45%;4 Birmingham, AL;84;62;86;64;Sunny and pleasant;E;6;53%;2%;7 Bismarck, ND;88;58;65;53;Cloudy and cooler;NNE;11;84%;27%;2 Boise, ID;82;60;78;55;A thundershower;SE;7;40%;81%;5 Boston, MA;79;58;71;53;Not as warm;WNW;13;41%;2%;5 Bridgeport, CT;79;59;72;52;Sunny and nice;NNW;11;47%;3%;5 Buffalo, NY;74;51;65;51;Hazy sun;SE;7;56%;0%;5 Burlington, VT;76;49;62;48;Cooler;WNW;12;53%;0%;5 Caribou, ME;73;47;59;42;Windy and cooler;WNW;18;53%;2%;4 Casper, WY;73;46;63;44;A stray p.m. t-storm;SSE;5;84%;72%;2 Charleston, SC;86;69;86;70;Mainly cloudy;NE;9;56%;9%;6 Charleston, WV;76;53;81;55;Fog in the morning;ENE;4;70%;4%;6 Charlotte, NC;81;58;84;61;Mostly sunny;ENE;7;51%;2%;7 Cheyenne, WY;79;53;68;49;A t-storm around;N;9;54%;45%;3 Chicago, IL;74;63;81;67;Fog in the morning;S;8;57%;5%;5 Cleveland, OH;73;60;71;62;Hazy sunshine;SE;8;66%;0%;5 Columbia, SC;85;62;86;63;Clouds and sun;ENE;6;47%;5%;7 Columbus, OH;78;57;80;57;Fog in the morning;ESE;5;64%;2%;6 Concord, NH;79;50;66;45;Cooler;NW;13;49%;1%;5 Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX;87;67;90;71;Mostly sunny;SE;8;43%;4%;7 Denver, CO;83;56;75;54;A stray t-shower;W;6;50%;48%;4 Des Moines, IA;87;63;85;65;Partly sunny, breezy;S;14;52%;42%;5 Detroit, MI;84;55;74;59;Hazy sun;SSE;7;58%;2%;5 Dodge City, KS;94;65;89;60;A t-storm or two;S;20;50%;93%;6 Duluth, MN;63;55;75;58;Rain and a t-storm;ESE;11;66%;99%;1 El Paso, TX;87;64;91;65;Plenty of sunshine;SSE;7;38%;2%;8 Fairbanks, AK;53;42;59;42;A thick cloud cover;NNE;6;65%;35%;1 Fargo, ND;78;64;77;57;Rain and a t-storm;NW;11;75%;99%;1 Grand Junction, CO;71;55;76;54;Clouds and sun;E;8;61%;24%;6 Grand Rapids, MI;76;55;78;63;Fog in the morning;S;8;69%;2%;5 Hartford, CT;79;57;70;49;Sunny and pleasant;WNW;9;46%;3%;5 Helena, MT;77;50;73;51;A p.m. t-storm;SSW;4;56%;88%;2 Honolulu, HI;89;74;88;74;Showers around;ENE;8;58%;72%;10 Houston, TX;89;71;89;73;Mostly sunny;ESE;8;62%;36%;8 Indianapolis, IN;80;60;82;61;Hazy sun;SE;5;61%;5%;6 Jackson, MS;87;63;89;65;Sunny and delightful;SE;4;53%;5%;7 Jacksonville, FL;90;73;87;74;A shower and t-storm;NE;10;72%;97%;3 Juneau, AK;57;48;55;45;A couple of showers;S;8;82%;97%;1 Kansas City, MO;89;66;87;67;Plenty of sun;SSE;11;46%;44%;6 Knoxville, TN;80;57;84;59;Sunny and pleasant;NE;6;59%;3%;7 Las Vegas, NV;89;71;91;69;Plenty of sun;SSW;8;27%;0%;7 Lexington, KY;79;57;83;59;Hazy sunshine;E;6;67%;3%;6 Little Rock, AR;90;61;90;64;Plenty of sunshine;SE;6;50%;6%;7 Long Beach, CA;80;67;80;68;Clearing;SSW;7;57%;0%;7 Los Angeles, CA;82;65;81;65;Partly sunny;S;7;53%;0%;6 Louisville, KY;80;60;85;61;Hazy sunshine;E;6;64%;3%;6 Madison, WI;75;56;78;63;Partly sunny, nice;S;8;64%;6%;5 Memphis, TN;91;66;91;68;Sunny;SE;6;48%;5%;7 Miami, FL;83;79;87;79;Heavy p.m. t-storms;ENE;7;76%;93%;4 Milwaukee, WI;69;61;79;66;Partly sunny;SSW;10;69%;4%;5 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN;80;65;84;66;A t-storm around;SSW;14;52%;55%;5 Mobile, AL;89;67;91;70;Plenty of sunshine;NE;8;52%;2%;8 Montgomery, AL;87;62;85;64;Sunny and pleasant;E;7;55%;4%;7 Mt. Washington, NH;45;27;36;31;Very windy, colder;WNW;34;78%;0%;5 Nashville, TN;82;59;87;62;Plenty of sun;E;6;55%;3%;7 New Orleans, LA;87;72;88;76;Sunny and pleasant;E;9;54%;5%;8 New York, NY;82;62;75;57;Sunny and nice;NW;10;43%;3%;5 Newark, NJ;82;60;75;52;Sunny and nice;NW;9;46%;4%;5 Norfolk, VA;80;64;82;65;Sunny intervals;NE;9;56%;1%;6 Oklahoma City, OK;90;65;89;66;Partly sunny, warm;S;13;44%;10%;7 Olympia, WA;72;52;70;50;Mostly cloudy;SW;6;68%;13%;2 Omaha, NE;90;66;86;63;Increasingly windy;S;17;48%;71%;5 Orlando, FL;91;73;87;73;Heavy p.m. t-storms;NE;7;77%;90%;4 Philadelphia, PA;82;65;77;57;Plenty of sunshine;NNW;9;46%;4%;6 Phoenix, AZ;96;77;97;78;Brilliant sunshine;WNW;6;33%;0%;7 Pittsburgh, PA;77;58;76;55;Patchy morning fog;ESE;7;56%;4%;5 Portland, ME;81;54;67;49;Mostly sunny, breezy;WNW;15;46%;1%;5 Portland, OR;74;56;73;55;Some sun, pleasant;NNW;5;59%;5%;4 Providence, RI;78;58;71;49;Nice with sunshine;WNW;10;44%;1%;5 Raleigh, NC;81;58;84;60;Sunshine, pleasant;NE;6;54%;1%;7 Reno, NV;78;49;77;47;Sunshine;W;7;31%;0%;6 Richmond, VA;81;60;83;58;Sunny;NE;7;58%;1%;6 Roswell, NM;86;63;89;63;Mostly sunny;S;7;48%;7%;8 Sacramento, CA;79;59;81;56;Abundant sunshine;S;7;49%;1%;6 Salt Lake City, UT;72;60;77;58;Heavy p.m. t-storms;S;7;65%;99%;3 San Antonio, TX;94;68;92;75;Partly sunny, humid;ESE;8;59%;44%;8 San Diego, CA;74;66;76;65;Low clouds, then sun;WSW;9;59%;0%;7 San Francisco, CA;71;62;70;59;Breezy in the p.m.;W;14;62%;3%;6 Savannah, GA;86;66;86;68;Turning cloudy;ENE;9;59%;10%;8 Seattle-Tacoma, WA;72;57;69;54;Mostly cloudy;W;6;68%;17%;2 Sioux Falls, SD;92;68;83;61;A couple of t-storms;SW;15;55%;96%;4 Spokane, WA;73;50;77;51;Partly sunny, nice;SSE;2;56%;2%;4 Springfield, IL;82;57;84;61;Partly sunny;SSE;7;60%;6%;6 St. Louis, MO;84;58;85;60;Plenty of sunshine;SE;7;56%;10%;6 Tampa, FL;85;73;86;73;Heavy p.m. t-storms;ENE;6;85%;93%;3 Toledo, OH;82;58;73;56;Fog in the morning;N;4;67%;2%;5 Tucson, AZ;93;68;95;68;Plenty of sunshine;S;7;33%;0%;8 Tulsa, OK;90;63;90;65;Mostly sunny;SSE;9;42%;10%;7 Vero Beach, FL;90;72;86;72;Heavy p.m. t-storms;ESE;7;82%;92%;3 Washington, DC;81;65;81;59;Sunny;NNE;8;51%;3%;6 Wichita, KS;92;65;89;64;Breezy;S;16;43%;89%;5 Wilmington, DE;81;64;78;55;Plenty of sunshine;NNW;10;52%;4%;6 _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather Read More Here

“We Are Currently Being Harmed” By Trump’s Info Breach: Andrew Weissmann Breaks Down The Case Against The Ex-POTUS https://digitalalaskanews.com/we-are-currently-being-harmed-by-trumps-info-breach-andrew-weissmann-breaks-down-the-case-against-the-ex-potus/ Never has there been a time in U.S. history when lawyers were as in the foreground as they have been during the era of Donald Trump. Many of them have ended up under the bus, from Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort to Rudy Giuliani. But the many twists and investigatory turns over the last half-decade have also made household names of a number of bright legal minds. Andrew Weissmann is chief among them. As a lead member of Robert Mueller’s special counsel’s office and a professor, Weissmann knows how to meticulously break down the facts when it comes to all the president’s messes. On this week’s episode of Inside the Hive, he explains just how significant Trump’s national security breach was, without even knowing what’s in the documents that were secreted away at Mar-a-Lago. And what’s Attorney General Merrick Garland poised to do? Weissmann has an idea. Below is a transcript of the highlights, edited for length and clarity. Emily Jane Fox: Can you explain what we know about the investigation into former president Trump’s handling of classified documents? Andrew Weissmann: Let’s assume the best-case scenario on these facts, which is that Donald Trump has not disseminated any of the top-secret information to a third party and he has not disseminated any of the information in those documents. We don’t know if that’s true. But let’s assume the best-case scenario. We are currently being harmed by the fact that these documents are in an unsecured location. We rely so much in the intelligence community on very strong relations with our allies and intelligence communities and our allies—England, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and with other partners, some of whom cooperate with us, but don’t want it to be made public because they share the same national security concerns. There’s no way on God’s green earth that those intelligence communities are not looking at this and saying, we need to think long and hard before we start sharing information with the United States, because it’s no longer the case that from administration to administration, intelligence communities will operate the same way. It used to be whether it was the Bush administration, the Carter administration, the Clinton administration, the Obama administration, the intelligence communities had one voice, and were consistent. And for countries like Britain or Israel to see how insecure and erratic an administration can be, is having deleterious effects right now. That information saves American lives. It is vital to our national security interests to have that really strong relationship with our allies, and with countries who are willing to take that step of cooperating with us, but doing it quietly. And that, I think, is very much at risk. The consequences are so clearly grave. But we’re talking about a man who has said he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it. And honestly, it seems like he was accurate when he said that over the last five years. He hasn’t faced any consequences for any of the destabilizing, antidemocratic, norm-erasing, law-skating things he has done. Do you feel that he is finally going to face the music at all? I actually do think he will face consequences. I guess this is somebody who has spent a lifetime of either committing crimes or certainly going up to the line. In the special counsel investigation, we obviously were part of the Department of Justice, and we had this rule that we had to follow, which was we were not able to indict the sitting president. I think that the conduct here, both on January 6, and at Mar-a-Lago, are so egregious, and I also think are not that complicated. I’ve done a lot of complicated criminal cases. Enron, for example. This is just not that complicated. They’ve been stealing a bunch of top-secret documents and lying about it, not returning them. And there’s enormous precedent for many lower-level people being prosecuted in similar circumstances or less egregious circumstances. Also, remember: We have at the head of the Justice Department, somebody who was a longtime judge, who is going to be looking at precedent. He’s going to look very hard at making sure that Donald Trump is treated no better and no worse than other cases. And the one thing I really would like to stress about Merrick Garland is—and this is just a prediction—but I think he has what is really necessary to this job, which is he has the backbone to make this decision, and that it really can’t be underestimated how important that is. And I think that if he thinks it’s the right thing, given his background and his upbringing in the law, and also sort of his age—you know, he’s not looking for another job. Assuming that the investigation is done competently, I think that he will have the backbone to charge. Read More Here

T https://digitalalaskanews.com/t-3/ Letters from our readers Last updated 9/14/2022 at 1:04pm From the time Trump came down the escalator to run for President, 99% of the news media ran very derogatory cartoons of Trump. The Star right along with them. But when he beat the establishment’s chosen one Hillary then the establishment went complete crazy. President Trump was one of the best Presidents in a large percentage of the population view. Yes, his tweets and some comments were not presidential. But remember he was not a politician he was a business man. He made promises and kept them, not like Politicians’ that promise but never do what they said they would. The lowest illegal immigration ever, energy independent, built up the military after the disaster of Obama, & gave his salary to charities. I could go on but I want to get everyone to consider what he accomplished with a lot of Republicans and all Democrats fighting him every step. Hundreds of law suits on everything he tried to do. Now we have the worst President and cabinet in the 246 years of the Republic and The Star just can’t help themselves. Sept. 7th another nasty cartoon on Trump. But with the worst President in history you would think The Star could find at least one derogatory cartoon on Biden?? But No their bias & hate will not let them. I don’t know about you but I get very tired of the Star Bias. Carl Russell Read More Here

Mike Lindell Is Running More MyPillow Ads Than Ever On Fox News https://digitalalaskanews.com/mike-lindell-is-running-more-mypillow-ads-than-ever-on-fox-news/ Just a year ago, MAGA pillow maven Mike Lindell had angrily pulled his MyPillow commercials from Fox News after the conservative cable giant refused to air promos for his then-upcoming election-denying “cyber symposium.” Fast forward to the present, and not only are MyPillow ads back on Fox News—but they are running at their highest clip yet. According to liberal media watchdog Media Matters for America, following the weeks-long pause last autumn, MyPillow commercials have spiked on the network over the past year. Per Media Matters’ data, some recent months have seen over 700 individual ads run on the channel, and last month saw more than 600 commercials on Fox News. Media Matters Considering Lindell is heavily featured throughout his company’s ads, he has, in essence, become the most visible person on Fox News, all despite the fact that he hasn’t sat down for an on-air interview with the network in years. In the wake of Tuesday night’s breaking news that the FBI seized his cellphone at a Hardee’s restaurant, Lindell’s ubiquitousness on Fox News airwaves was fully on display. Tucker Carlson, whose primetime show runs the most MyPillow ads of any Fox News program, groused about the seizure on Tuesday night—naturally likening it to authoritarianism. “We told you last night that the Biden administration has politicized law enforcement to the point where it feels Soviet—and we were not overstating it,” Carlson exclaimed. “The FBI has just raided the guy who sells pillows on this channel, not because the pillows were bad, but because they didn’t like who he voted for.” (Fellow Fox News primetime host Laura Ingraham would also bemoan the seizure that evening, claiming it was the action of President Joe Biden’s “vindictive Justice Department.”) Immediately following Carlson’s segment on the Lindell raid, a MyPillow commercial aired. Furthermore, Media Matters reported that since January 2017, Tucker Carlson Tonight has run nearly 3,500 MyPillow commercials. The network’s two other primetime shows—Hannity and The Ingraham Angle—have both aired more than 2,000 ads during that same period. While the MyPillow CEO has claimed that FBI agents were looking for information about another election conspiracy theorist, the search warrant he shared on social media is actually tied to a federal probe of a voting-machine breach in Colorado. Requesting “all records and information on the LINDELL CELLPHONE that constitute fruits, evidence, or instrumentalities of violations” relating to purposeful damage to a protected computer, identity theft, and conspiracy, the warrant also claims the violating parties involve “Tina Peters, Conan James Hayes, Belinda Knisley, Sandra Brown, Sherronna Bishop, Michael Lindell, and/or Douglas Frank, among other co-conspirators known and unknown to the government.” As The Daily Beast reported, the case appears to be related to an alleged 2021 voting-machine breach by Mesa County County Clerk Tina Peters, who attended Lindell’s “cyber symposium” last year to promote voter fraud claims regarding the stolen data. After Peters was arrested this spring over the breach, Lindell doubled down on his support for the pro-Trump clerk while claiming Dominion Voting Systems and an array of Democrats were “all going to end up in jail when this is all over.” While Lindell’s business relationship with Fox News is in full bloom, he remains less than thrilled with the network’s unwillingness to fully embrace his bizarre and unfounded claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump by Dominion’s voting machines. After yelling “shame on Fox News” over the network’s refusal to promote his farcical election-fraud event, and then using that conference to call Fox “disgusting,” he eventually slunk back to Fox last September (after claiming he was losing $1 million a week in sales). Yet even with his ads running nonstop on the network he continues to slam Fox News. Last October, for instance, he accused the right-wing channel of asking Dominion to sue them for defamation just so they could fire Trump-boosting host Lou Dobbs, who was one of Fox’s loudest election deniers. (Lindell, like Fox News, faces billion-dollar lawsuits from voting-machine firms Smartmatic and Dominion.) Additionally, Lindell also planned a protest outside of Fox News headquarters in November, saying the network was “controlled opposition” and a “big part of our country being taken from us.” And during a Trump rally this winter, he grumbled that the “biggest problem” Trump supporters face is conservative media that won’t devote itself to election conspiracies. “One of them rhymes with Fox. OK? Disgusting. They’re disgusting,” he yelled. “They won’t talk about anything. When was the last time you’ve seen anybody on Fox talk about the 2020 election? You’re not going to see it.” Fox News and Lindell did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Read More Here

Anti-Immigrant Party Helps Defeat Sweden’s Government https://digitalalaskanews.com/anti-immigrant-party-helps-defeat-swedens-government/ GOTHENBURG, Sweden — A loose coalition of right-wing parties has narrowly defeated Sweden’s center-left government in a general election, a victory that promises to upend Swedish politics and the country’s reputation as a haven for progressive, pluralistic ideals. Victory for the right came after strong support for the Sweden Democrats, a once-fringe anti-immigrant party that will now be the second-largest party in the legislature and the strongest voice from the right. The SD, led by 43-year-old lawmaker Jimmie Akesson, and the Moderate, Christian Democrat and Liberal parties won 176 seats, according to the latest tally, giving them a three-seat lead over the Social Democrats of Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and their Left, Center and Environment allies. Andersson conceded Wednesday evening ahead of the final results. It could still take weeks to form a government. “It is time to make Sweden good again,” Akesson wrote on Facebook. The closely watched election has already reshaped Sweden’s political discourse, pushing anti-immigrant and tough-on-crime rhetoric into the political mainstream and deepening fears here about the polarization — or “Americanization” — of Swedish politics. The European far right has welcomed the SD’s strong showing. “Everywhere in Europe, people aspire to take their destiny back into their own hands!” tweeted Marine Le Pen, France’s far-right firebrand, this week. The result could also shape Sweden’s standing on the world stage as the country works with partners to respond to the war in Ukraine, seeks NATO membership and takes up the rotating presidency of the European Union in 2023. “When you are holding on to power with one seat, it’s a cause of instability,” said Eric Adamson, a Stockholm-based project manager at the Atlantic Council’s Northern Europe office. “This may make it harder for Sweden to take on a leadership role in northern Europe, in the E.U. or in NATO.” The SD gained support by taking a tougher stance on crime, particularly against the rising rates of gun violence in Sweden, and publishing a 30-point plan aimed at making Sweden’s immigration rules among the most restrictive in the E.U. They want to be able to reject asylum seekers based on religion, for instance, or based on gender or sexual identity. A decade ago, Sweden’s liberal immigration policies were not a major political issue. The influx of migrants to Europe in 2015 started to change this. At that time, Sweden took more than 150,000 asylum seekers, including many newcomers from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. In the years since, concerns about immigration and their integration have come to the fore. The Social Democrats maintain that they have reduced asylum claims by making it harder for migrants to get into the country and apply, stepped up the deportation of asylum seekers whose applications were rejected and insisted that Sweden receive no more asylum seekers than other E.U. countries. Party leaders also pledged to dilute the numbers of “non-Nordic” immigrants in areas where large numbers of immigrants live, promising an end to “Somalitowns,” “Chinatowns” and “Little Italies.” Even a few years ago, the Sweden Democrats’ ascent would have seemed far-fetched. Formed in 1988 by right-wing extremists and neo-Nazis, the Sweden Democrats did not manage enough votes to win seats in parliament until 2010. After that breakthrough, leaders began to exclude the most extreme members from the party. Other parties and the media have kept their distance from the SD, refusing to talk to it or give it a platform. But support for the party grew rapidly over the past dozen years, culminating in its election showing Sunday. Boycotted for so long by the mainstream media, the party has developed its own online news sites and is extremely effective on social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. The Moderates, the largest of the center-right parties, once shunned the SD. But it eventually opted to establish ties, with the aim of upending the political status quo and unseating the Social Democrats. “If you want a government that is not based on the Social Democrats you need to cooperate with the SD,” said Anders Borg, a former finance minister for the Moderates. “I cannot see any other viable election strategy.” “In Sweden,” he said, “we isolated the SD and yet they grew to 20 percent as a lot of ordinary voters drifted towards them. At the same time, the SD has moved away from a fringe position towards being a more ordinary political party.” Whether the SD is now an “ordinary party” is up for debate. Though the party has distanced itself from its neo-Nazi roots and has stepped away from some of its previous positions, its platform remains exclusionary. Members want to end immigration from outside Europe and return Muslims to their countries of origin. A month before the election, an SD spokesman tweeted a photo of a subway train in the party’s blue and yellow colors with the words: “Welcome aboard the repatriation express. Here’s a one-way ticket. Next stop, Kabul!” “They don’t include Islam in Swedishness,” said Andrej Kokkonen, a professor of politics at Gothenburg University who studies anti-immigrant parties. “You don’t get to be a Swede and a Muslim at the same time.” Sweden Democrat voters tend to live in small towns and rural areas, and most are men, according to Ann-Cathrine Jungar, a professor at Sodertorn University who studies populist radical right parties. They are less educated than the average voter, Jungar said, but many are small-scale entrepreneurs. The party has also attracted votes from the traditional working class and is increasing its support among the young. “These voters have lower trust in the media — they believe there is biased information on their core issue of immigration,” Jungar said. “The SD use the populist rhetoric that there is a ‘left-liberal establishment,’ an elite that doesn’t understand the people.” The party has cultivated links with Trump supporters and the alt-right in the United States, she said: “Previously it was the Moderates who had contacts with the Republicans, but now it is the SD who has taken over and the Moderates are connected with the Democrats.” “There is concern here that we are becoming more like America with polarization and intense rhetoric,” said Adamson, of the Atlantic Council. “Where every battle becomes an existential one.” Rauhala reported from Brussels Read More Here

Nasdaq Closes Higher On Wednesday As Stocks Stabilize Following Massive Sell-Off https://digitalalaskanews.com/nasdaq-closes-higher-on-wednesday-as-stocks-stabilize-following-massive-sell-off/ Stocks rally in final minutes, major averages close higher Stocks bounced in the final minutes of trading on Wednesday, pushing all the three major averages into positive territory. The Nasdaq remained the leader, gaining about 0.7%. The Dow squeaked out a gain of roughly 30 points. — Jesse Pound Stocks slip in final hour The stock market weakened in afternoon trading, with the Dow’s losses extending past 200 points. The Nasdaq, which had held above the flatline for most of the day, also turned negative. — Jesse Pound Nasdaq clings to gains in afternoon trading With just over an hour left in the trading session, the Nasdaq Composite is holding on to a gain of 0.2% for the day. The S&P 500 is down about 0.1%, and has held above the 3,920 level during several dips intraday. The Dow, which has spent most of the day swinging in a 300-point range, was last down about 100 points. — Jesse Pound CFRA’s Sam Stovall expects the June low will hold CFRA’s Sam Stovall expects that the June low will hold in spite of a hot inflation report that renewed investor fears of greater interest rate hikes for longer. Stocks are now digesting the likelihood of a more rapid pace of tightening from the Federal Reserve, which is broadly expected to hike rates by 75 basis points next week, as well as weaker gross domestic product growth in 2022, according to a Wednesday note from CFRA. Gross domestic product is currently expected to grow by 1.8% in the third quarter, down from 2% previously, read the note. It’s expected to jump 1.4% in the fourth quarter, down from expectations of 1.6%. That’s going to add pressure to earnings per share growth in the S&P 500, which has already seen estimates trimmed to 6.9% in 2022, down from 8.9%, read the note. Still, Sam Stovall said: “Despite the possibility of an additional near-term decline in prices, we still think the June low will hold.” — Sarah Min Investors Intelligence bullish newsletter editors had edged higher in latest week Going in to Tuesday’s August CPI report, the number of bullish investment newsletter editors surveyed by Investors Intelligence had risen to 32.4% from 29.7% the week before. The reading two weeks ago was close to the mid-June number of 26.5% that accompanied the bear market low in the S&P 500, and the fewest since early 2016. Bearish newsletter editors dropped to 28.2% last week from 29.7% the prior week, while the percentage who forecast a correction also retreated, falling to 39.4% from 40.6%. The so-called “bull-bear spread” widened to +4.2 from 0.0 the week before. Higher bull-bear spreads can sometimes serve as a contrarian signal for more risk, while lower readings are associated with less risk. — Scott Schnipper Netflix rises to session highs, advertising plans in focus Shares of Netflix jumped to session highs following a Wall Street Journal report that the streaming giant projects advertising-supported tier would reach 40 million viewers by the third quarter of 2023. Netflix announced plans to create an ad-supported subscription plan earlier this year as subscriber growth slowed and even reversed. The company is partnering with Microsoft to build the product, which has not launched yet. Shares of Netflix were last up 2.9%. — Jesse Pound Energy stocks outperform Energy is the top performing sector in the S&P 500 as oil prices perked up on Wednesday. Shares of Coterra Energy and APA have jumped more than 7% each. Devon, EOG and ConocoPhillips are also among the top performers in the S&P 500. Overall, the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund is up 3.4%, easily outpacing the broader market. — Jesse Pound Rails stocks dip as strike fears mount Rail stocks moved lower on Wednesday after a labor union that represents railroad workers said its members voted against a tentative contract agreement aimed at preventing a potential labor strike. Workers have threatened to halt work if their demands aren’t met for vacation, sick days and several other quality-of-life issues. The Dow Jones U.S. Railroads Index slumped 3.4%, with shares of CSX Corporation, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern down 2.3%, 4.4% and 2.5%, respectively. — Samantha Subin Major averages hold onto slight gains in aftermath of massive sell-off Stocks are holding on to modest gains in midday trading. The Nasdaq Composite is in the lead, with a gain of about 0.6%. Notable movers include Moderna, up 6.6%, and Starbucks, up more than 5%. Tesla has also added a healthy 3.8% on the session. “Stocks are trying to stabilize, but the whole tape is on edge after the Tues decimation, and few people have much confidence in an immediate rebound,” Adam Crisafulli of Vital Knowledge said in a note. — Jesse Pound These are the stocks hitting fresh lows A slew of stocks notched fresh 52-week lows early in Wednesday’s trading session. That included Meta Platforms, which fell about 1.5% and stooped to levels not seen since March 2020. Chipmaker Nvidia also hit a fresh low back dating back to March 2021. These are some other stocks that made 52-week lows: Paramount trading at lows not seen since July 2020 CarMax trading at lows not seen since May 2020 Whirlpool trading at lows not seen since July 2020 Tyson Foods trading at levels not seen since August 2021 Qorvo trading lows not seen since April 2020 Western Digital trading at lows not seen since November 2020 Dow Inc trading at lows not seen since November 2020 Mohawk Industries trading at lows not seen since October 2020 Whirlpool trading at lows not seen since July 2020 Church & Dwight trading at lows not seen since March 2021 Charter Communications trading at lows not seen since March 2020 Lumen Technologies trading at lows not seen since November 2020 Eastman Chemical trading at lows not seen since October 2020 International Paper Company trading at lows not seen since October 2020 LyondellBasell trading at lows not seen since November 2020 Digital Realty Trust trading at lows not seen since March 2020 Meanwhile, shares of Corteva moved slightly higher to trade at an all-time high back to its spin-off from DowDuPont in May 2019. — Christopher Hayes, Samantha Subin 2-year yield moves higher as market prices in more rate hiking The 2-year Treasury yield is rising, along with market expectations for what level the Federal Reserve will take its fed funds rate to before it stops raising rates. The terminal rate is the point where the Fed is expected to end its rate hiking. In the futures market, expectations for where that level will be went from just under 4% ahead of Tuesday’s consumer inflation report to 4.38% Wednesday morning. The 2-year yield topped 3.80% Wednesday, the highest since November, 2007. The yield was at 3.78% in mid-morning trading. The 2-year closely reflects Fed policy moves. Treasury yields quickly ramped up after Tuesday’s report of the August consumer price index, which showed inflation rising instead of falling. BMO’s Ben Jeffery said the 2-year and 3-year yields have been rising with the market’s expectations of a higher terminal rate. “That’s definitely why we have the 2-year yields at 3.8%, versus 3.5% a few days ago,” said Jeffery. — Patti Domm U.S. oil futures move back toward $90 per barrel Oil prices advanced Wednesday, making back losses from the prior session that saw broad-based selling across assets. West Texas Intermediate crude futures, the U.S. oil benchmark, advanced 2.18%, or $1.90, to $89.16 per barrel. International benchmark Brent crude added 1.85%, or $1.72, to trade at $94.89 per barrel. U.S. natural gas prices advanced 5.6% to $8.748 per million British thermal units. The International Energy Agency lowered its forecast for 2022 oil demand growth Wednesday. The firm now expects this year’s demand growth to be 2 million barrels per day, down 110,000 barrels per day from prior forecasts. But the Paris-based agency said the recent decline in fuel prices is also beginning to support demand, according to early indicators. — Pippa Stevens Twilio announces layoffs Twilio is laying off 11% of its workforce as part of a broader restructuring plan, the company announced Wednesday. The company, which reported 7,867 employees at the end of 2021, has been aiming for profitability in 2023. Several major tech companies have announced layoffs or slowed hiring over the summer, as recession fears and the drop in the stock market have made companies tighten their belts. Shares of Twilio were up 1.5% in early trading. — Jesse Pound, Ashley Capoot Stocks open slightly higher Stocks rose modestly at 9:30 a.m., with the Dow gaining less than 100 points. However, the major averages drifted back toward the flatline in the opening minutes of trading. — Jesse Pound U.S. 10-year yield trades near key level where it could break higher Treasury yields continue their inflation-driven move higher, with the benchmark 10-year moving toward a key technical level. The 10-year yield touched 3.48% earlier Wednesday, just a shade below the 3.5% level that would put it just above this year’s high, set in June. The 10-year was at 3.43% in morning trading. Bank of America strategists say if 3.5% is broken, the next levels could be 3.69%, 3.88% and possibly 3,98% to 4.05%. Katie Stockton, founder of Fairlead Strategies, said the 10-year broke above another key level this week. “10-year Treasury yields have extended higher above long-term resistance (~3.25%), leaving a breakout pending this Friday’s close. If confirmed, the breakout would support upside follow-through toward secondary resistance near 4.00%, more likely in 2023,” she wrote. — Patti Domm A 4% one-day decline historically points to better gains, Jeff Hirsch says A one-day decline of 4% or more may be brutal, but history s...

Homes Of LA County Officials Searched As Part Of 'corruption Investigation,' LASD Says https://digitalalaskanews.com/homes-of-la-county-officials-searched-as-part-of-corruption-investigation-lasd-says/ SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) — A search warrant was served at the homes of Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl and other county officials in connection to an “ongoing public corruption investigation,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced. According to LASD, the homes of Kuehl and L.A. County Civilian Oversight Commissioner Patricia “Patti” Giggans were searched Wednesday morning. The search warrant, signed by Judge Craig Richman, who reportedly has close ties to LASD’s Public Corruption Unit, doesn’t explicitly state what investigators are looking for. The warrant doesn’t require that information. This reportedly stems from a dispute over a contract several years ago involving a METRO sexual harassment hotline. Peace Over Violence, the nonprofit organization in charge of running it, is led by Higgins, who is close friends with Kuehl. There are allegations that there was a conflict of interest in awarding the contract and how the hotline was run. Kuehl denies those claims, including whether she was aware of an investigation to begin with. “Everybody’s going to say, ‘Well she must’ve done something or they wouldn’t have come to her house. No.,” said Kuehl in front of her Santa Monica home as deputies continued their search. “This is all about a contract, which I had nothing to do, and there’s no ongoing investigation. The sheriff should have better control of his department.” The supervisor, who represents L.A. County’s 3rd District, said deputies took some electronic devices among other items. Giggans, who also denies any wrongdoing, had her vehicle taken during Wednesday morning’s search at her home. In addition, deputies searched the L.A. County Hall of Administration, the Peace Over Violence’s headquarters and the METRO headquarters. “The investigation has been shared with a federal agency and they continue to monitor,” LASD said in a statement. “This remains an active investigation and we are unable to comment further at this time, although in full transparency the search warrant has been posted online at LASD.org.” Sheriff Alex Villanueva has not personally issued a formal statement regarding the search warrants. This is a developing story. This article will continue to be updated as more information becomes available. Copyright © 2022 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved. Read More Here

How An Anchorage Woman Is Spreading Awareness Of FASD By Painting Rocks – Alaska Public Media https://digitalalaskanews.com/how-an-anchorage-woman-is-spreading-awareness-of-fasd-by-painting-rocks-alaska-public-media/ Karen Lomack holds up a painted rock for for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness Month on Thursday, Sep. 1, 2022. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media) Karen Lomack walked around Midtown Anchorage on a recent Thursday afternoon with a stack of rocks painted to look like red shoes. She tucked one next to a bunch of gravel, its bright crimson shine standing out among a sea of gray and white.  Lomack painted many of the rocks herself, some taking hours. Her favorite of the bunch is about the size of a discus, painted to look like a red sneaker.  “I cannot bring it back with me,” Lomack said as she set the rock down. “I need to hide it. It’s too beautiful. I don’t want to keep it for myself. I want to share it with others.” The rocks have a deeper meaning. On the flip side of them, Lomack has written several hashtags: #RedShoesRock and #FASDAlaska. Plus, #StoneSoupGroup, Lomack’s employer that specializes in working with special needs children. Lomack’s rock project is part of a unique national effort, called Red Shoes Rock, to bring awareness and reduce stigma over fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, or FASD, an umbrella term for a list of symptoms that can result from prenatal alcohol exposure. The idea being a bright red shoe is pretty hard to miss. For Lomack, the project hits close to home. Karen Lomack hides a painted rock at the Sears parking lot. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media) Lomack is Yup’ik, from the Yukon-Kuskokwim community of Akiachak. She said she grew up with FASD, but didn’t know for years. When her aunt finally told her that her mother had consumed alcohol when she was pregnant, she said it explained a lot. “I had meltdowns, whether they were in the home, in the school, in the community,” she said. “It happened wherever. And I did not have the skills to calm myself down.” Lomack said prenatal exposure to alcohol can lead to a host of impacts to children.  “Executive function,” she listed. “Attention, focus, sensory, adaptive living and communication, social skills, visual perception, fine motor skills.” While there isn’t a lot of solid research into how widespread FASD is, the state of Alaska estimates that, conservatively, up to 50 in every 1,000 U.S. children has some form of it. And it’s estimated Alaska’s rate is a little higher because the state has a higher rate of alcohol misuse.  Lomack said growing up, she didn’t receive a lot of information about how serious prenatal alcohol exposure could be for children. She noted that some medical providers previously believed that a glass of wine was fine for pregnant mothers.  An assortment of rocks painted as red shoes by Lomack to help draw attention to FASD. (Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media) Lomack’s personal connection to FASD became more prominent when two of her children ended up showing signs of the condition, too. She said explaining to them that they were exposed to alcohol while in the womb was the hardest thing she’s ever had to do.  “Telling them that, ‘I did consume alcohol when I was pregnant with you,’ and explaining that I did not do it on purpose — I did not know that I was pregnant,” Lomack said. “And it came with a lot of anger. It came with a lot of resentment. It came with guilt.” Lomack has been sober for just shy of 12 years, and said she’s been able to work with her children, not only to address how FASD impacts them, but also to confront the negative stigma associated with it.  “One of them is able to say, ‘I’m impacted by FASD’ and not have any embarrassment, no shame,” Lomack said. “And it’s a really good feeling.” Now, Lomack works with community members to spread awareness of FASD. For those not immediately impacted, it means describing how alcohol can affect pregnant people and those trying to become pregnant. For others, it means accepting that FASD will always be a part of who they are.  “It’s a forever thing. It never goes away,” Lomack said. “But with the right support in place for the individuals who they care for, or if they are the individual who is impacted, they can be successful.” Part of that outreach means getting those Red Rock Shoes out into the public for community members to find. This is the second year Lomack has done the project. She said there are dedicated Red Rock pages on social media where people can post about where they’re placing rocks, showing how widespread the outreach is.  “I’m hoping that they do not keep the rock for themselves,” Lomack said. “What I hope that they do is they re-hide the rock. And take a picture of the rock that they’re re-hiding and they post it in their community’s rock group page.” September is the national FASD Awareness Month. Lomack said Stone Soup Group is hosting a community rock painting party this Saturday, Sept. 17, at the Fairview Rec Center in Anchorage from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The group is also hosting an FASD Support and Discussion group on Sept. 29. [Sign up for Alaska Public Media’s daily newsletter to get our top stories delivered to your inbox.] Read More Here

Elaine Williams Parker, 81, Of Peachtree City, Ga. – The Citizen https://digitalalaskanews.com/elaine-williams-parker-81-of-peachtree-city-ga-the-citizen/ On September 11, 2022, Elaine Williams Parker peacefully passed away at home in Peachtree City, GA at the age of 81. A wife to Norm for nearly 56 years and mother to Linda and Gayle, her life of travel and adventure began on June 13, 1941 when she was born into an Army family in Anchorage, AK. Elaine Parker As an infant, doctors determined she was born with ventricular septal defect, a hole in her heart, but open heart surgery was not yet a medical option. Despite this health constraint, she lived a full childhood moving throughout the United States, and most of her high school years were in Taipei, Taiwan where she graduated high school. As a young adult in the midst of college, Elaine was amongst the first generation of open heart surgery patients. Following the surgery’s success, she graduated from the University of Texas and began her teaching career. For most of the next 40 years Elaine taught elementary school children. With every class she met her students where they were and brought her love and respect for them to the classroom each day. As was her way, most students and parents became dear friends. Meeting in Okinawa, Elaine married Norm in 1966 becoming an Air Force wife. And, so continued being on the move and collecting lifelong friends along the way. Linda and Gayle were fortunate to have a front row seat as Elaine consistently lived out her beliefs and priorities. And, she adored time spent with her grandchildren — at the beach, cooking and baking, or doing puzzles. While she ultimately spent many years living in Louisiana and Georgia, her love for travel remained. She and Norm enjoyed spending much of their retirement visiting friends. Elaine is survived by her husband Norman Parker. Brother Terry Williams of Scottsdale, AZ. Sister Linda McKinney of Lakewood, WA. Daughters Linda Parker Damodaran (Ashwin Damodaran) of Milton, GA and Gayle Parker Gerdes (Eric Gerdes) of Dayton, MD. Grandchildren Raina Damodaran, Neena Damodaran, Robert Gerdes, Michael Gerdes, & Anna Gerdes. She is, not surprisingly, also survived by many friends who more accurately feel like family. Elaine was an avid reader, and as we celebrate her life, the words of John Donne come to mind. “When one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language.” A memorial service will be held at 2:00 on Sunday, September 25th at St. Andrew’s of the Pines in Peachtree City, GA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart Association or your local hospice organization. Read More Here

Analysis | The Most Important Component Of Oz’s Campaign? The R Next To His Name. https://digitalalaskanews.com/analysis-the-most-important-component-of-ozs-campaign-the-r-next-to-his-name/ If you are a campaign consultant trying to get someone elected to the Senate from Pennsylvania, you would much rather be working for Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) at the moment than Mehmet Oz (R). Since each man secured his party’s nomination, Fetterman’s had an advantage in polling — and often a robust one. Fetterman’s campaign made hay from questions about Oz’s residency over the course of the summer, helping define Oz negatively in the eyes of Pennsylvania voters. New polling conducted by YouGov for CBS News reinforces how wide the gap in perceptions is between the two candidates. When supporters of either candidate were asked whether they were glad their candidate won the nomination, three-quarters of Fetterman supporters said yes — 40 points more than said the same about Oz. Fetterman also has a 27-point advantage when supporters were asked whether they’re very enthusiastic about voting for him. It goes on. Fetterman has a 30-point advantage on having the right experience among all respondents. A 14-point advantage when respondents were asked whether they liked how the candidates handled themselves. Nearly a 30-point advantage on saying what he really believes. But on the most important question — who people plan to vote for — Fetterman’s advantage is far more modest. In the CBS-YouGov poll, he leads by only 5 points. Why? Well, consider the responses when pollsters asked what was spurring the respondents’ support. Most Fetterman voters said they liked Fetterman. Most Oz voters said … they didn’t like Fetterman. That’s a great example of negative partisanship: casting a vote not for a candidate but against one. This tendency was enormously useful for Democrats in the past two election cycles, with the party gaining a majority after 2018 and the White House after 2020 largely because Americans were frustrated with Donald Trump. Now, it’s probably helping keep Oz afloat. There’s some good old-fashioned regular partisanship in there too, of course. About a third of Oz supporters say they back him because he’s the Republican. (About a fifth of Fetterman supporters also point to party.) Clearly, though, the distinction between “voting for him because he’s a Republican” and “voting for him because he’s not the Democrat” is often subtle. What do Oz voters not like about Fetterman that makes them want to vote against him? Is it extricable from his policy positions? One of the most important questions about the November election is who will come out to vote. (I mean, obviously, but bear with me.) If Fetterman supporters are far more excited about voting for him, that might mean that some sliver of them turn out who might not otherwise — and if Oz voters are less enthusiastic, the opposite dynamic might be at play. But while Democrats and Republicans often make up about the same share of the possible voter pool, Republicans have in recent elections made up less of the pool of nonvoters. In other words, Republicans tend to be more reliable voters than Democrats, so they might justifiably be less concerned about any drop-off in enthusiasm. In 2016, Trump won in large part because in enough places enough people who didn’t really like him came out to vote for him anyway, often because they disliked Hillary Clinton that much. None of which is to suggest that Fetterman isn’t in the enviable position here. In general, you want to be winning and not losing (again: obviously) but support for Fetterman goes a bit deeper than that. Republican hopes for victory in the state might understandably depend at this point on hoping that partisanship — positive or negative — inspires people to go to the polls and vote for Oz. At this point, this poll suggests, the biggest thing Oz has going for him is that he’s a Republican running against John Fetterman. Read More Here

Election Denier Bolduc Wins New Hampshire GOP Senate Race https://digitalalaskanews.com/election-denier-bolduc-wins-new-hampshire-gop-senate-race/ CONCORD, N.H. — (AP) — Retired Army Brig. Gen. Donald Bolduc won New Hampshire’s Senate Republican primary on Wednesday and will face potentially vulnerable Democratic incumbent Maggie Hassan in November — setting up another test of whether a fierce conservative can appeal to more moderate general election voters. Bolduc wasn’t formally endorsed by former President Donald Trump but has said he believes Trump won the 2020 election and has espoused conspiracy theories about vaccines. The former president called him a “strong guy, tough guy.” Two other pro-Trump candidates won their U.S. House primaries in New Hampshire — Karoline Leavitt in the 1st Congressional District and Bob Burns in the 2nd Congressional District — leaving some in the party questioning whether they will be able to broaden their appeal beyond the GOP base in November. “Nice! The “Trumpiest” people ALL won in New Hampshire last night. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday. Primaries in New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Delaware on Tuesday capped the nation’s primary season just eight weeks before Election Day, when majorities in both chambers of Congress, key governorships and scores of important state offices will be up for grabs. Dozens of candidates around the country who were openly championed by Trump — or at least hewed closely to his brand — helped extend his hold on the national GOP. They notched primary wins up and down the ballot from Maryland to Arizona, Florida to Michigan. Some defeated Republican incumbents who had been open Trump antagonists. The former president and the larger movement of Trumpism, which President Joe Biden and other top Democrats have decried as presenting a major threat to American democracy, didn’t win every major race of the primary cycle. But those candidates who used the former president’s support to win GOP nominations now will likely have to prove they can appeal to a broader swath of the electorate in general elections, where larger numbers of voters tend to be more moderate than those who turn out for primaries. The results of Tuesday’s primaries mean the general election for Senate in New Hampshire should provide another such test. Biden carried the state by more than 7 percentage points. Republican primary voters also picked conservative candidates this year in moderate or Democratic-leaning states including Massachusetts, potentially putting competitive races out of the party’s reach. Bolduc’s victory likely reignites disappointment among some in the national party that Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, a relatively popular moderate who might have posed more of a threat to Hassan, chose instead to run for reelection. In his primary, Bolduc defeated New Hampshire state Senate President Chuck Morse, a mainstream Republican endorsed by Sununu, who called Morse “the candidate to beat Sen. Hassan this November and the candidate Sen. Hassan is most afraid to face.” By contrast, Sununu called Bolduc a conspiracy theorist and suggested he would have a tougher time in the general election. Bolduc wasn’t bothered by Sununu’s criticism, calling the governor “a Chinese communist sympathizer.” Some Democratic groups, meanwhile, sponsored primary ads promoting Bolduc, predicting he’d make an easier opponent for Hassan. That’s consistent with Democratic-aligned organizations backing pro-Trump candidates in key races around the country — a strategy some have criticized, arguing that it could backfire if those candidates go on to win their general elections. “Our campaign overcame the odds and millions of dollars in spending from outside special interest groups because we built a true bottom-up grassroots campaign,” Bolduc tweeted in the wee hours of Wednesday. “Throughout the primary, I have felt the concerns of the voters, and heard time and again we need to send an outsider to Washington.” New Hampshire, known for kicking off the primary season during presidential campaigns, instead concluded the nominating process for this year’s midterms. The races were less high profile in Rhode Island and Delaware, where Biden traveled late Tuesday to cast his ballot. The final primary contests unfolded at a dramatic moment in the midterm campaign. Republicans have spent much of the year building their election year message around Biden and his management of the economy, particularly soaring prices. But Democrats are now entering the final stretch with a sense of cautious optimism as Biden’s approval rating steadies and inflation has slowed for the second straight month, even as it remains high. The Supreme Court’s decision overturning a constitutional right to an abortion may provide Democrats with the energy they need to turn back the defeats that historically accompany a new president’s first midterms. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged the challenge last month, saying his party may be more likely to end Democrats’ narrow control of the House than the Senate. He bemoaned “candidate quality” as a factor that could sway some outcomes in his chamber. Many of the same dynamics swirling around the former president were also at work Tuesday in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District, where Leavitt, who worked in the Trump White House’s press office, topped some more experienced Republicans with ties to the former president. She’ll square off against Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas in another November contest that could be close. Leavitt, who just turned 25 and could be among the first members of Gen Z in Congress, said she was “sending a strong and clear message to the Washington, D.C., establishment, and our Democratic opponent that our votes cannot be bought, our conservative voices can not be silenced.” She also laced into Pappas, saying he “has campaigned his entire political career as a moderate, bipartisan voice for our district. But he has voted as a far left socialist Democrat.” Pappas also wasted little time going on the offensive against Leavitt, saying, “I will fight with everything I’ve got to stop extreme politicians like Karoline from hijacking our democracy.” In New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District, the pro-Trump Burns won the Republican nomination to face five-term incumbent Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster in a general election race the GOP sees as potentially very competitive. ___ Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Kathy McCormack in Concord, N.H., contributed to this report. ___ Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2022 midterm elections at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Read More Here

Special Counsel John Durham’s Probe Into ‘origins’ Of Trump-Russia Collusion Investigation Peters Out: Report https://digitalalaskanews.com/special-counsel-john-durhams-probe-into-origins-of-trump-russia-collusion-investigation-peters-out-report/ The special counsel probe of the so-called “origins” of the investigation into ties between Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia has reportedly fizzled out without any major breakthrough. Three years after John Durham was appointed by the Trump administration, a grand jury that was “investigating the investigators” has folded its tent and another one is not expected to be empaneled, the New York Times reported. Special counsel John Durham, the prosecutor appointed to investigate potential government wrongdoing in the early days of the Trump-Russia probe, leaves federal court in Washington, May 16, 2022. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP) The move appears to dash the hopes of Trump and his supporters that Durham would unearth any evidence of a vast liberal conspiracy to improperly investigate the then-Republican candidate over his campaign’s extensive ties to Russia. Trump’s MAGA supporters believe that top FBI investigators used half-baked evidence to gin up a probe against Trump in the hope of derailing his underdog campaign. But far from exposing evidence of a deep state anti-Trump cabal, the Durham probe uncovered mostly minor missteps by the FBI and prosecutors. And it never showed there was any impropriety or political bias in the decision to investigate the Trump campaign. Durham brought only one criminal case to trial, charging Democratic attorney Michael Sussman with lying to the feds. It took a jury just six hours to toss the case. An FBI lawyer accused of doctoring an email to win renewal of a wiretap pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and avoided jail time. A third case against a Russian analyst who helped compile information for the checkered Steele dossier of half-baked claims about Trump is expected to go to trial next month on similar charges of lying to investigators. Durham has been mostly tight-lipped about the paltry results of his once much-heralded probe. He is expected to submit a report on his findings by the end of the year. It will be up to Attorney General Merrick Garland whether to publicly release it. The investigation into Trump’s Russia ties led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller uncovered broad evidence that Russia hoped to help Trump beat Clinton, although it fell short of proving Trump’s campaign coordinated with Kremlin agents. Read More Here

FBI Seizes Mike Lindell’s Phone In Probe Of Colo. Voting Machine Breach https://digitalalaskanews.com/fbi-seizes-mike-lindells-phone-in-probe-of-colo-voting-machine-breach/ FBI agents seized a cellphone belonging to Mike Lindell, the MyPillow founder and prominent election denier, as part of a federal investigation into an alleged breach of voting machines in Colorado, according to Lindell. The agents served Lindell with a search warrant and grand jury subpoena Tuesday afternoon in the drive-through area of a Hardee’s restaurant in Mankato, Minn., he said on his online TV show. Lindell said the agents questioned him about Tina Peters, the Mesa County, Colo., clerk who was indicted in March on charges that she helped an outsider copy sensitive data from the county’s elections systems in May 2021. The FBI acknowledged that a warrant was served but declined to elaborate. “Without commenting on this specific matter, I can confirm that the FBI was at that location executing a search warrant authorized by a federal judge,” a spokesperson for the bureau’s Denver field office said in an email. Lindell said the FBI agents also asked him about an image copied from a Mesa County voting machine that was published on his website, Frank Speech. In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Lindell told The Washington Post that he was not involved in the copying of Mesa County’s election management system and did not meet Peters until she attended a “cyber symposium” he held in South Dakota in August 2021. “I have no idea what went on then,” Lindell said. “I have nothing to do with it.” The FBI’s action against Lindell, who has used his multimillion-dollar pillow fortune to finance high-profile films, conferences and other media promoting disinformation about elections, points to a widening of the federal investigation into the alleged breach in Mesa County. The probe is one of multiple investigations underway into alleged security breaches of local elections offices in states also including Michigan and Georgia. Efforts to access sensitive voting equipment — in some cases with the help of like-minded local officials — were aimed at finding evidence that the machines were used to rig the 2020 election. Access to such equipment is intended to be tightly controlled. Other Trump allies have recently received subpoenas from federal investigators who are conducting investigations into events surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and efforts to overturn the election. Lindell told The Post he has not received any subpoena from a grand jury investigating Jan. 6. A document that Lindell displayed on his show, which he said was a copy of the search warrant, stated that the FBI was seeking information relating to tampering with Dominion Voting Systems equipment, the type used in Mesa and many other counties nationwide. Dominion has come under attack from former president Donald Trump and others promoting false conspiracy theories about election fraud. The company is suing Lindell, Fox News and prominent election deniers for defamation. The document said authorities were seeking evidence of possible violations by Lindell, Peters and several others of federal laws against identity theft and intentional damage to a protected computer. Lindell also displayed a grand jury subpoena, dated Sept. 7, which he said the FBI agents gave him. The subpoena called for testimony before a federal grand jury in Grand Junction, Colo., on Nov. 3, but it was not clear from the document whether Lindell was required to testify or to merely provide his phone. Lindell also showed The Post a copy of the subpoena. Peters and two other Mesa officials were previously indicted by a state grand jury on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges, including conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation. Prosecutors accuse them of participating in a scheme to allow Conan Hayes, a former pro-surfer who reinvented himself as a data expert, to gain access to Mesa County election systems and copy sensitive files in May 2021. Peters has pleaded not guilty while her former deputy, Belinda Knisley, agreed to plead guilty to lesser charges and testify “at any trials in any venue” involving Peters or others involved in the alleged Mesa County breach, according to the plea agreement. Speaking on his show, Lindell said he had advised the FBI agents to check his website for the voting machine image. “They wanted to know about the image. I said, ‘You guys can see the image right here on Frank Speech — we’ve got the whole evidence right up here for you,’ ” Lindell said. In the interview on Wednesday morning, Lindell claimed he was being targeted because of his efforts to get rid of electronic voting machines. “Do you think I’m going to quit now?” he said, scoffing. He said he would welcome the chance to speak with the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, but claimed “they won’t have me because I’d bring the evidence … that the election was stolen.” Dozens of judges rejected post-election challenges by Trump and his allies, while multiple local, state and federal officials said that claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election were baseless. Lindell sent his private plane last year to pick up Peters in Colorado and take her to his symposium, according to an email Peters wrote. Lindell previously told The Post that he had paid for Peters’s lodging, security and lawyers after her appearance at the event triggered an investigation by state and federal officials. Hayes, who has not been charged, was among the five people named on the federal search warrant served on Lindell. A phone number listed for Hayes in law enforcement documents is no longer working. He did not respond to several requests for comment from The Post in recent months about his alleged involvement in the Mesa scheme and alleged breaches of voting machines in other states. The document displayed by Lindell also named Douglas Frank, a longtime math and science teacher in Ohio who claims to have discovered secret algorithms used to rig the 2020 election. Frank met with Peters at her office in April 2021 and “showed her how her election was hacked,” The Post has previously reported. He told her that an upcoming Dominion software update could erase data needed to show that the election was stolen and relayed to others her request for technical help copying that data. “I did nothing illegal,” Frank told The Post via text message Wednesday morning. He said the FBI has not served him with a search warrant. On his show, Lindell also displayed a grand jury subpoena dated Sept. 7, which he said the FBI agents gave him. The subpoena sought “documents/objects” for a federal grand jury hearing in Grand Junction, Colo., on Nov. 3. Lindell showed The Post a copy of the subpoena and said his understanding was that it did not require him to testify. “As a subpoena recipient, you are not under an obligation of secrecy,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Teitelbaum wrote. “However, we request that you not disclose the existence of this subpoena for an indefinite period of time.” Bryan Pietsch and Devlin Barrett contributed to this report. Read More Here

End Of COVID Pandemic Is 'in Sight' -WHO Chief https://digitalalaskanews.com/end-of-covid-pandemic-is-in-sight-who-chief/ A woman walks past a mural depicting a frontline worker amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Dublin, Ireland, January 12, 2022. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Sept 14 (Reuters) – The world has never been in a better position to end the COVID-19 pandemic, the head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, his most optimistic outlook yet on the years-long health crisis which has killed over six million people. “We are not there yet. But the end is in sight,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at a virtual press conference. That was the most upbeat assessment from the UN agency since it declared an international emergency in January 2020 and started describing COVID-19 as a pandemic three months later. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com The virus, which emerged in China in late 2019, has killed nearly 6.5 million people and infected 606 million, roiling global economies and overwhelming healthcare systems. The rollout of vaccines and therapies have helped to stem deaths and hospitalisations, and the Omicron variant which emerged late last year causes less severe disease. Deaths from COVID-19 last week were the lowest since March 2020, the U.N. agency reported. Still on Wednesday, he again urged nations to maintain their vigilance and likened the pandemic to a marathon race. “Now is the time to run harder and make sure we cross the line and reap the rewards of all our hard work.” Countries need to take a hard look at their policies and strengthen them for COVID-19 and future viruses, Tedros said. He also urged nations to vaccinate 100% of their high-risk groups and keep testing for the virus. The WHO said countries need to maintain adequate supplies of medical equipment and healthcare workers. “We expect there to be future waves of infections, potentially at different time points throughout the world caused by different subvariants of Omicron or even different variants of concern,” said WHO’s senior epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove. With over 1 million deaths this year alone, the pandemic remains an emergency globally and within most countries. “The COVID-19 summer wave, driven by Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, showed that the pandemic is not yet over as the virus continues to circulate in Europe and beyond,” a European Commission spokesperson said. WHO’s next meeting of experts to decide whether the pandemic still represents a public health emergency of international concern is due in October, a WHO spokesperson said. GLOBAL EMERGENCY “It’s probably fair to say most of the world is moving beyond the emergency phase of the pandemic response,” said Dr Michael Head, senior research fellow in global health at Southampton University. Governments are now looking at how best to manage COVID as part of their routine healthcare and surveillance, he said. Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States have approved vaccines that target the Omicron variant as well as the original virus as countries prepare to launch winter booster campaigns. In the United States, COVID-19 was initially declared a public health emergency in January 2020, and that status has been renewed quarterly ever since. The U.S. health department is set to renew it again in mid-October for what policy experts expect is the last time before it expires in January 2023. U.S. health officials have said that the pandemic is not over, but that new bivalent vaccines mark an important shift in the fight against the virus. They predict that a single annual vaccine akin to the flu shot should provide a high degree of protection and return the country closer to normalcy. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Manas Mishra, Khushi Mandowara in Bengaluru, Ahmed Aboulenein in Washington and Jennifer Rigby in London; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta, William Maclean, Josephine Mason, Elaine Hardcastle Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here

SoftBank Considers Launching A Third Vision Fund https://digitalalaskanews.com/softbank-considers-launching-a-third-vision-fund/ From the Archives: SoftBank’s longtime strategy of dumping mountains of cash on promising young companies to create big winners failed dramatically at WeWork and is inviting scrutiny into the fund’s other investments. Here’s a look at Vision Fund’s structure, and how its fast-paced investment strategy could make it risky. Updated Sept. 14, 2022 11:47 am ET Global tech investor SoftBank Group Corp. is considering the launch of a new giant startup fund after ill-timed bets and massive losses weighed down two earlier attempts to dominate startup investing, according to people familiar with discussions at the company. The Tokyo-based tech conglomerate, by far the world’s largest startup investor in recent years, would likely use its own cash for what would be the third SoftBank Vision Fund if it moves ahead with the plan, some of the people said. Read More Here

Questions Linger About Police Shooting In Hotel. Kids Were In Room, Bullets Cut Through Walls https://digitalalaskanews.com/questions-linger-about-police-shooting-in-hotel-kids-were-in-room-bullets-cut-through-walls-2/ MIAMI — In less than 24 hours last month, Miami-Dade police shot and killed two men. One was a suspected armed robber, Jeremy Willie Horton, who led police on a chase in Liberty City before he fatally shot a young Miami-Dade police detective, then was killed himself by other officers. The shooting the following day of Jaime Robles got far less attention but has raised more questions about the department’s action. Robles, 34, was killed after Miami-Dade’s specialized tactical unit burst in to serve a search warrant in room 239 of the Extended Stay America in Miami Springs where Horton was believed to have stayed with him. Both men were on police radar in connection with an armed robbery in Broward County but Robles played no role in the shootout the night before that killed Detective Cesar Echaverry. After the shooting, police reported that Robles had been armed with an AK-47-style rifle. But one month later, investigators have revealed little else about the operation that left Robles dead in a small room with his two young children inside. Police bullets also penetrated walls or the floor, ripping into at least one adjacent and occupied room. “I do have a lot of questions myself,” said Robles’ fiancée who was at the hotel that day but not inside the room where the shooting happened. “I just can’t understand how the babies got out safe and Jaime did not.” Detectives haven’t said whether they’ve confirmed Robles was part of the earlier armed robbery that sparked the tragic chain of events. Citing an ongoing investigation, county and state investigators have declined to say whether Robles was actually holding the rifle, or fired, when he was shot. They’ve declined requests by the Miami Herald to release police body-camera footage of the shooting. They also haven’t said whether the SRT commanders considered other tactics — like luring Robles outside with a ruse — that would not have put his children or other hotel guests at risk. Robles’ fiancée, who asked not to be named because she fears retaliation from police, told the Herald that a Broward detective asked if she might call Jaime and have him come out of the room. She said she agreed, but they never took her up on the idea. And the department has also declined to name the Special Response Team member who fired, citing a state law aimed at protecting crime victims — although officials won’t say what crime was committed against the officer. But multiple law enforcement sources have told the Herald the SRT officer was Anthony Jimenez, who has been involved in at least two previous fatal shootings involving armed gunmen during the past four years. “He works in a highly dangerous unit that goes after the worst of the worst,” said Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association. “They had information that he was armed. You never know what’s waiting on the other side of the door for you.” Both police shootings are being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which will eventually present its case to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office to consider if any criminal laws were broken. Police officers in Florida are rarely prosecuted for on-duty shootings — state law gives them wide latitude to use deadly force, including shooting at a fleeing suspected felon. The Store Robbery This is what is known about the Miami Springs shooting and what led up to it, according to court documents, police reports and sources with knowledge of the case: The robbery that started the chain of events happened on Aug. 15, at 3:39 p.m. at the 911 Food Store, 450 E. Dania Beach Blvd. The clerk, Mohammed Khan, said two masked men — one with a handgun, the other with a long rifle — walked into the store and pointed their weapons at him, according to court documents. “Give me the money!” yelled the man with the handgun. Khan gave the men $800, which he stuffed into one of the men’s bags. The two robbers ran out of the store and jumped into a white Hyundai. Although the store did not have a video surveillance system, Khan snapped a photo of the Hyundai and its tag. Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives ran the number several ways and it came back to a Hyundai Sonata with the tag JCDY02, according to a search warrant. Khan’s photo showed that the Hyundai Sonata had a distinct mark on the back bumper. A police license plate reader later showed that the Hyundai — with the same bumper mark — had last been tracked the morning of the robbery to the Extended Stay, at 101 Fairway Drive in Miami Springs, on a stretch of hotels just north of Miami International Airport. BSO reached out to Miami-Dade’s Robbery Intervention Detail, which located the car at the hotel, followed it and tried to pull it over in Liberty City. Behind the wheel was Horton, 32, who police pulled over on Northwest 62nd Street and 17th Avenue in Liberty City about 8:21 p.m. that night. That’s where Horton, surrounded by police cars, refused to come out, and after a standoff he drove off, striking several officers’ vehicles, according to the department. A short car chase ended when the Hyundai plowed into a passing car, and then a utility pole at Northwest 62nd Street and Seventh Avenue. The people in the passing car were not seriously hurt. Horton got out of the car and ran off, with Echaverry and other detectives chasing. That’s when Echaverry was shot in the head, and Horton was killed by police gunfire. The Aftermath Echaverry, 29, clung to life for several days before he was pronounced dead. Multiple law enforcement sources say Miami-Dade Police’s crime lab has since matched the bullet that killed Echaverry to Horton’s handgun. Less than a day after the killing, BSO and Miami-Dade investigators rushed to the Miami Springs hotel. Staff and a manager helped them identify where Horton, who hailed from Georgia, had been staying: in room 239, according to search warrants. Robles’ fiancée later told reporters that she and her boyfriend had met Horton one week before, lent him the Hyundai and he never returned. “We thought he stole the car,” she told the Herald, adding that they did not know Horton had been involved in the shooting of the officer. The Broward Sheriff’s Office, which is handling the robbery probe, declined to comment, saying the case remains open. Investigators, seeking evidence to help solve the Dania Beach armed robbery, obtained a search warrant for the room. Robles’ fiancée said that officers stopped her in the hallway, took her to another part of the hotel and began questioning her. That’s when a Broward detective floated the idea about calling Robles. “I said yes. I kept telling them he’s not dangerous. Why didn’t they give me the opportunity to do so?” she said. “Later, they told me they had him in custody. I’m thinking Jaime is safe. I didn’t know Jaime was dead until like 10 hours later.” She said she also told police that Robles’ two sons — ages 2 and 3 — were in the room. She also claimed she never saw a gun in the room. Miami-Dade SRT, the heavily tactical unit called upon for dangerous situations, was called in to serve the warrant. What unfolded next is not entirely clear. SRT did not use any kind of ruse or negotiations to try and get Robles out, sources said, instead bursting down the door to try and surprise Robles. Jimenez, the firing officer, was holding a shield and was the first person to enter. A law enforcement source said one body-worn camera’s footage shows Jimenez barking out commands for Robles to show his hands as he was exiting the shower. It did not appear as if he had anything in his hands, the source said, but it’s unclear from the partially obstructed footage if Robles ever tried to reach for the weapon that was on the bathroom sink. The wailing of a child elsewhere in the room is also heard on the video, the source said. Tactical experts say such situations — in a closed room, in a hotel with many people — is challenging because officers have to weigh the element of surprise and the safety of bystanders. “They knew he had a high-powered weapon in the room,” said Keith Taylor, a former New York City police assistant commissioner and current assistant professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. “They could have easily become hostages. They could easily have become victims. He’s a bad dude. And they’re there, unfortunately.” Two earlier fatal shootings According to public records, Jimenez has been involved in at least two earlier fatal shootings since 2018, both involving armed suspects. He was one of two officers who shot and killed Leonardo Cano, who was wanted for the earlier armed kidnapping of his fiancée. After a car chase, Cano crashed in Hialeah, then got out and fired at least 10 rounds at officers — wounding Miami-Dade Officer Paul Fluty, in the back. He survived. SRT and K9 officers were called to search for Cano, who had been wounded in the gunfight. He was found hiding in a garbage dumpster and Jimenez jumped in to try and arrest him. In the struggle, FDLE agents later determined, Jimenez fired four rounds, while two other officers fired a combined 12 bullets. Then-Miami-Dade Medical Examiner Emma Lew found bruising “consistent with boot marks” that were “consistent” with Jimenez’s boots on Cano’s face, although she determined it did not contribute to his death. Officers had yelled out that Cano had a pistol in the dumpster, but it was later found in the grass about four feet away from the bin. Since the the firing officers — Jimenez, Quintero and Sanchez — did not give statements to investigators, “it cannot be determined how the pistol was moved from the dumpster to the grass,” according to a State Attorney’s memo on the case. Because the firin...

Massachusetts Spends More On The Lottery Than Any Other State, See How Much https://digitalalaskanews.com/massachusetts-spends-more-on-the-lottery-than-any-other-state-see-how-much/ Massachusetts residents love to gamble. According to Masslottery.com, the Commonwealth’s lottery broke records in 2019 hitting an all-time $5.509 billion in revenue, yielding a net profit of $1.104 billion. Between nine games (The Numbers Game, Keno, Jackpot Poker, All or Nothing, Mass Cash, Megabucks Doubler, Lucky for Life, Mega Millions, Powerball) and countless ever changing scratch tickets, the Bay State’s lottery is thrieving. As whole, the United States spent $81.6 billion in state lotto tickets in 2019 across the 45 states where games are avaialable, plus Washignton D.C., Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Utah and Nevada do not have state lotteries. How Much Does the Average American Spend on the Lottery Every Year? According to a study from 24/7 Wall St on average American adults spent about $320 on lottery tickets, however it varies dramtically from state to state. What U.S. State Spends the Most On Lottery Tickets? Massachusetts adults on average spend the most annually on the lottery. How Much Does the Average Massachusetts Resident Spend on the Lottery Every Year? Residents in the Bay State spent a whopping $951.92 per adult, which is more than any other state in the U.S. That’s just over $600 for than the national average. Massachusetts do however have a higher than average return percentage with the average Massachusetts adult winning $701.50 annually. While this isn’t great for the individual player, it it good news for the states revenue. Lottery ticket sales of brought is around $5.09 billion, about 20 percent of which is distributed back to the state’s municipalities. Massachusetts revenue from its residents gambling will continute to increase as sports betting goes live in early 2023. Gov Charlie Baker’s administration first proposed the legalization of sports betting in 2019, a bill which finally passed in August of 2022. According to the American Gaming Association, the new law makes Massachusetts the 36th state in the U.S. to legalize sports betting. KEEP READING: See the richest person in every state Read More Here

Watch Live: Queen Elizabeth II Moved To Westminster Hall To Lie In State https://digitalalaskanews.com/watch-live-queen-elizabeth-ii-moved-to-westminster-hall-to-lie-in-state/ Queen Elizabeth II‘s coffin was processed through central London on Wednesday from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where the late monarch will lie in state for four days until her funeral on Monday. Members of the public will be able to visit the queen’s coffin at Westminster Hall to pay their respects. Crowds had already gathered early Wednesday morning to view the procession, and a line had begun to form of people waiting to file past the queen’s coffin. The doors of the ancient hall on the bank of the River Thames were to open to the public from 5 p.m. local time. The coffin carrying Queen Elizabeth II makes its way along The Mall during the procession for the Lying-in State of Queen Elizabeth II on September 14, 2022 in London, England. LEON NEAL / Getty Images On person in the crowd, Sharon Stapleton, told CBS News she had “met lots of interesting different people you wouldn’t meet normally — all brought together and united in their grief for the queen, and excited about being able to go through and see her lying in state.”  “It’s been a long night. It’s been raining, very wet, a bit cold,” added Stapleton, who said she started waiting in the line at 9 p.m. Tuesday night. “But it’s worth every minute of it.”  Britain’s King Charles III, at left, William, Prince of Wales, background left, and Prince Harry, at right, walk behind the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II during a procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall in London, September 14, 2022. Daniel Leal/AP The most senior members of the royal family took part in the procession — a roughly 40-minute walk — from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, including the new monarch King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew. William, Prince of Wales and Harry, Duke of Sussex marched in a row behind the queen’s children. The procession included the tolling of the bells of Big Ben, the iconic clock tower in Parliament Square, and a gun salute at Hyde Park nearby. As the procession passed, the gathered crowd broke out into applause at various points along the route. A short service began after the coffin reached Westminster Hall, conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, which the royal family — including the Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex — attended. The coffin will rest on a raised platform that will be guarded around the clock for the full four-day lying in state period by members of various British military regiments assigned to royal protection duty. Read More Here

The Fed Could Crash The Housing Market | CNN Business https://digitalalaskanews.com/the-fed-could-crash-the-housing-market-cnn-business/ A version of this story first appeared in CNN Business’ Before the Bell newsletter. Not a subscriber? You can sign up right here. You can listen to an audio version of the newsletter by clicking the same link. New York CNN business  —  Investors are getting spooked that the Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate hikes could damage the US economy (just look at Tuesday’s selloff).  One area of growing concern: housing. Interest rate hikes can lead to higher mortgage rates, which could cause people to think twice about buying a home. So far, sales are slipping, while prices are holding steady. But some economists warn continued historic rate hikes by the Fed could risk crashing the housing market, underscoring the difficult task ahead for the central bank. What’s happening: According to Tuesday’s Consumer Price Index report, housing costs rose 0.7% in August and are up 6.2% year-over-year, the largest increase since 1991.  That increase was largely responsible for August’s higher-than-expected pace of inflation. Combined with a tight labor market, those high prices give the Fed reason to continue to go hard at its policy meeting next week and beyond, Marvin Loh, senior strategist at State Street, told me.  The Fed needs to see housing costs ease by about half a percentage point to reach its ultimate inflation goal, Loh added.  The job won’t be easy. Housing prices can remain stubbornly high, even as the Fed works to counteract them.  Housing prices are “the type of sticky inflation that will not ease anytime soon,” Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM US, told me. “It’s why the Fed will need to demonstrate a show of resolve by increasing the policy rate by 75 basis points at its September meeting despite the encouraging declines in transportation and energy.” The risks: Some economists are noting weakness in the housing market starting to peek through. Home sales declined in July for the sixth month in a row. Housing starts, a measure of new home construction, also plunged that month as the cost of building supplies remained high and prospective buyers were priced out of the market.  So should the Fed keep up its historic hikes? The central bank must walk a careful line — a housing slowdown has preceded nine out of the past 12 recessions, and investors haven’t forgotten America’s catastrophic housing crisis in 2008. Keep in mind: Although there are some reasons to suggest the CPI report on housing lags what’s actually going on in the market, and that housing prices could already be on their way down, we’re nowhere near a market collapse.  Still, Federal Reserve officials will face a tough decision in the coming months. Do they use the housing market’s resilience as a mandate to push forward with aggressive rate hikes and risk a crash? Gas prices are easing in the US. But winter is coming and the CEO of Chevron, one of the world’s largest energy companies, is warning that relief at the pump could soon be offset by sweat-inducing heating bills. Chevron Chairman and CEO Mike Wirth said in an interview with CNN’s Poppy Harlow “there’s certainly a risk that costs will go up” for American consumers. Wirth is not predicting a rise of the magnitude seen in Europe, where natural gas prices have skyrocketed as Russia has limited exports, reports my colleague Paul R. La Monica. But in an interview that aired Tuesday, Wirth warned that US prices could be “significantly higher” this winter. Oil prices are still up more than 15% so far this year. That has helped boost sales, earnings and the stock prices of companies like Chevron. Shares of the oil producer are up 36% year-to-date, while the broader S&P 500 is 17.5% lower. Wirth acknowledged that his company is making large profits while Americans struggle. “I recognize that high energy prices are difficult for consumers. That’s why we’ve talked about increasing production, trying to increase supply to markets in a commodity business,” he said. “You go through these cycles. Two years ago, we were losing billions of dollars a quarter. Now we’re making strong profits.” In more doom and gloom on Wall Street, pessimistic fund managers are selling stocks and piling into cash, according to a Bank of America survey published Tuesday. “Investors’ perception of the outlook for the global economy remains bleak in September,” Michael Hartnett, Bank of America’s chief investment strategist, wrote in the report, which surveyed 212 fund managers with more than half a trillion dollars of assets under management in September. About 72% of respondents expected a weaker economy in the next 12 months, up 5 percentage points from August. The share of investors saying recession is likely also increased in September to 68%, the highest since May 2020. Unsurprisingly, Wall Street is bracing for corporate profits to soften and equities to continue to crash, the survey showed. The cash levels investors are holding jumped from 5.7% last month to 6.1%, their highest level since the September 11 attacks in 2001. The August Producer Price Index, another key measure of US inflation, is released at 8:30 a.m. ET.  Join CITIZEN by CNN at 2 p.m. ET for a panel on inflation, jobs, and the economy featuring reporters Paul LaMonica, Phil Mattingly, Christine Romans and Vanessa Yurkevich. RSVP here. Coming tomorrow: Attention will turn to a meeting between Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping. Read More Here

Louisiana Woman Carrying Skull-Less Fetus Forced To Travel To New York For Abortion https://digitalalaskanews.com/louisiana-woman-carrying-skull-less-fetus-forced-to-travel-to-new-york-for-abortion/ An expectant Louisiana woman who was carrying a skull-less fetus that would die within a short time from birth ultimately traveled about 1,400 miles to New York City to terminate her pregnancy after her local hospital denied her an abortion amid uncertainty over the procedure’s legality. Nancy Davis, 36, told the Guardian that she had her pregnancy terminated on 1 September after traveling from her home town of Baton Rouge to a clinic in Manhattan whose staff had agreed to complete the procedure. Davis’s trek was necessary because Louisiana has outlawed abortion with very few exceptions after the US supreme court’s decision in June to eliminate federal abortion rights which were established by its 1973 Roe v Wade ruling. New York is among the states where abortion remains legal. Davis was about 10 weeks pregnant in late July when an ultrasound at Woman’s hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s capital, showed that her fetus was missing the top of its skull, a rare but fatal condition known as acrania that kills babies within days – and sometimes minutes – of birth. Louisiana’s abortion ban contains a general exception for fetuses that cannot survive outside their mothers’ wombs, and the law’s author – state senator Katrina Jackson – has insisted that Davis could have legally obtained an abortion without having to go across the country. But Louisiana’s list of conditions justifying an exception from the state’s abortion ban did not explicitly include acrania. So officials at the hospital where Davis had her ultrasound refused to provide an abortion for her, apparently fearing that they could be exposed to prison time, fines and forfeiture of their licenses to practice if they performed the procedure. “Basically … I [would have] to carry my baby to bury my baby,” Davis has previously said. After Davis spoke out in the media about her ordeal, more than a thousand people donated nearly $40,000 to an online GoFundMe campaign for Davis to travel to a state where it was certain that she could legally get an abortion. She had initially planned to go to North Carolina, but during a brief telephone conversation on Tuesday, she said she ended up going to a Planned Parenthood facility in Manhattan. Davis is only one member of a group of women or girls who have been forced to take gut-wrenching actions in the aftermath of the elimination of nationwide abortion rights. A Florida court recently blocked a pregnant 16-year-old girl from having an abortion, deeming her too immature to decide whether she should have an abortion and instead requiring the teenager to give birth to a baby. Meanwhile, earlier in the summer, a 10-year-old Ohio girl who was raped and impregnated had to travel to neighboring Indiana to terminate her pregnancy because her state had banned most abortions. Most abortions are set to become illegal in Indiana as of Thursday, too. Davis appeared outside Louisiana’s capitol building in late August alongside the civil rights attorney Ben Crump and called on the state’s lawmakers to at least clarify the wording of their abortion ban – if not repeal it entirely – so that no one else would have to endure what she has. Crump said Davis – who is raising a daughter and two stepchildren with her partner – suffered “unspeakable pain, emotional damage and physical risk” because of the poorly worded law. Lawmakers, Crump added, “replaced care with confusion, privacy with politics and options with ideology”. For her part, Davis said: “This [was] not fair to me. And it should not happen to any other woman.” Read More Here

Former Independent Counsel Ken Starr, 76, Dies https://digitalalaskanews.com/former-independent-counsel-ken-starr-76-dies/ HeadlineSep 14, 2022 Former independent counsel Ken Starr has died at the age of 76. In the 1990s, the right-wing judge headed an investigation of President Bill Clinton that led to Clinton’s impeachment in 1998. Starr later served as president of Baylor University. He resigned in 2016 over the university’s cover-up of rape and sexual assault by football players. He also served on the defense team for sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and for Blackwater mercenaries accused of killing civilians in Iraq. In 2020, Ken Starr joined Donald Trump’s defense team during Trump’s first impeachment trial. The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us. Read More Here

25-Year-Old Former Trump Aide Wins GOP Primary In New Hampshire https://digitalalaskanews.com/25-year-old-former-trump-aide-wins-gop-primary-in-new-hampshire/ Karoline Leavitt takes part in a debate in Henniker, N.H., just days before the primary. Image: Mary Schwalm/AP Former Trump press staffer Karoline Leavitt has won the Republican primary in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District, according to a race call by The Associated Press. Leavitt, 25, is only the second member of Generation Z to win a House primary and the first Republican. The 2022 midterm season is the first time the eldest Gen Zers are eligible to run for the U.S. House of Representatives, where 25 is the minimum age to serve. Leavitt will now face off against incumbent Democrat Chris Pappas, 42, to represent the district — a toss-up seat Republicans hope to flip as part of their goal of winning back the majority of seats in the House. “They said I was too young, we could never raise the money to compete, and that we could never beat a former Republican nominee,” Leavitt said in her victory speech Tuesday night. “Over the last year we were outspent but we were not outworked,” she exclaimed. “No way!” Leavitt defeated former Trump State Department official Matt Mowers, 33, who ran for the seat in 2020 and lost to Pappas by 5 percentage points. Mowers released a statement in which he pledged to “never stop fighting” for middle class families. Though Mowers narrowly led in polls against Leavitt ahead of the primary, the most recent University of New Hampshire survey added uncertainty, finding that nearly a fourth of respondents were still undecided just two weeks from the election. Karoline Leavitt takes part in a debate in Henniker, N.H., just days before the primary. Image: Mary Schwalm/AP The two candidates also ran with similar platforms, branding themselves as staunch conservatives and political outsiders — while simultaneously promoting their time working in the Trump administration. Where they differ is on the result of the 2020 election — Leavitt openly trumpeted the former president’s lie that he won, while Mowers has not directly addressed it. Trump did not endorse a candidate in the primary race, but the matchup divided support among Republican leaders in Congress. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, the two highest-ranking House Republicans, threw their support behind Mowers. While New York Rep. Elise Stefanik — ranking third — backed Leavitt, who previously served as her spokeswoman in Congress. Matt Mowers speaks during the final primary debate before Tuesday’s race. Image: Mary Schwalm/AP Leavitt’s connection to Stefanik partially links back to her historic start in Congress, when the New York Congresswoman made history in 2014 as the youngest woman ever elected to the House when she took office. “[Stefanik] was one of the few people, frankly, in Washington that believed in me to do this,” Leavitt told NPR in an interview earlier this summer. “I know Elise received that same condemnation when she wanted to run, so she really believed in me and believed that I had what it took,” she added. Throughout her campaign, Leavitt framed her youth as an asset rather than a deterrent — arguing that younger voters need to hear from more conservative voices — even though a majority of those voters lean towards Democratic candidates. “It’s a very one-sided culture that we live in,” Leavitt told NPR, “How do we break through that mold? It’s by electing young people to office that can resonate with these voters, have a platform at the national stage, that can show them ideas, policies, values that they’re not hearing elsewhere.” But for Mowers, who’s 33 years old and would easily be considered a younger member of Congress, in this race, Leavitt is nearly a decade younger, putting generational differences in the political spotlight. Leavitt’s win comes less than a month after Democratic candidate Maxwell Frost made history as the first member of Gen Z to win a congressional primary. Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. Missing some content? Care to comment? Check the source: NPR Copyright(c) 2022, NPR Read More Here