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Venezuela Frees Seven Jailed Americans In Swap For Two Maduro Relatives https://digitalalaskanews.com/venezuela-frees-seven-jailed-americans-in-swap-for-two-maduro-relatives/ WASHINGTON, Oct 1 (Reuters) – Venezuela on Saturday freed seven Americans, including five oil executives, in exchange for two relatives of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro jailed in the United States on drug convictions, U.S. officials said. The swap included executives of Citgo Petroleum held for years, in addition to U.S. Marine veteran Matthew Heath and another U.S. citizen named Osman Khan. They were exchanged for two of Maduro’s wife’s nephews, who were arrested in 2015. President Joe Biden said in a statement that the “wrongfully detained” Americans would soon be reunited with their relatives. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com “Today, we celebrate that seven families will be whole once more. To all the families who are still suffering and separated from their loved ones who are wrongfully detained – know that we remain dedicated to securing their release,” Biden said. The prisoner transfer, which one U.S. official said took place at an airport in an unspecified third country, followed months of secretive talks with Maduro’s socialist government, which is under strict U.S. sanctions, including on the OPEC nation’s energy sector. It came at a time when Washington is under growing pressure to do more to secure freedom for dozens of Americans held abroad. Much of the Biden administration’s focus has been on Russia’s detention of WNBA star Brittney Griner and another American, Paul Whelan. Maduro’s government said in a statement that as a result of talks that started in March two young Venezuelans “unjustly” held in the United States were freed, as well as a group of U.S. citizens who were subject to Venezuelan court proceedings and were released for “humanitarian reasons.” The freed Americans were all in stable health and “overjoyed to be heading home,” while the two Venezuelans were en route back to the South American country, a senior Biden administration official told reporters in a telephone briefing. ‘PAINFUL DECISION’ Biden approved the exchange weeks ago, making a “tough decision, a painful decision” that the release of the two Venezuelans was essential to securing the Americans’ freedom. U.S. officials have previously said in private that Maduro wanted to use the detainees as bargaining chips. The swap, which included Biden granting clemency to the two Venezuelans who U.S. authorities had dubbed the “narco nephews,” has not altered Washington’s policy toward Venezuela, a senior administration official said. The Biden administration has only slightly eased Trump-era sanctions on Venezuela, saying it will consider more significant steps if Maduro returns to negotiations with the Venezuelan opposition and there is progress toward free elections. An increased flow of Venezuelan oil to world markets could help replace some of the Russian supplies hit by international sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, experts say. The five employees of Houston-based Citgo, who had been detained in Venezuela in 2017, were Tomeu Vadell, Jose Luis Zambrano, Alirio Zambrano, Jorge Toledo and Jose Pereira. Also released was Heath, a former Marine hospitalized following what his family said was a suicide attempt in June. He had been held since 2020 on terrorism charges, which he denied. Khan was identified as a Florida man who had been arrested in January. In return, the Unites States freed two of Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores’ nephews, Franqui Flores and Efrain Antonio Campo Flores. The two, arrested in Haiti in 2015 in a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration sting operation, were convicted in 2016 on U.S. charges that they tried to carry out a multimillion-dollar cocaine deal. They were each sentenced in 2017 to 18 years in prison. The prisoner handover, the largest since Biden took office in January 2020, occurred in “a country in between Venezuela and the United States” after the men arrived in separate planes, a senior U.S. official said. Citgo welcomed the news that the executives were free, saying in a statement it was “grateful to the leaders in Washington who helped bring about their release.” A Venezuelan court in 2020 sentenced the executives, accused of embezzlement, money laundering and conspiracy, to prison terms ranging from eight to 13 years. They and the company maintained their innocence, and the U.S. State Department called the charges “specious.” “We applaud President Biden for having the courage to make this deal and encourage him and the administration to continue building upon the momentum,” said Jonathan Franks, spokesperson for the Bring our Families Home campaign, which advocates for Americans wrongfully held overseas. At least four other Americans are still detained in Venezuela, including two former U.S. Army Special Forces members, Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who were arrested in 2020 in connection with a botched raid aimed at ousting Maduro. Venezuela released two jailed U.S. citizens in March following a visit to Caracas by the highest-level U.S. delegation in years. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Matt Spetalnick; Aditional reporting by Daphne Psaledakis, Luc Cohen, Kanishka Singh and Gary McWilliams; Editing by Diane Craft, Jonathan Oatis and Daniel Wallis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here

University Of Alaska Responds To UNAC’s Unfair Labor Practice Complaint, Files Own Complaint https://digitalalaskanews.com/university-of-alaska-responds-to-unacs-unfair-labor-practice-complaint-files-own-complaint/ News Home More from News of the North Juneau, Alaska (KINY) – The University of Alaska administration on Friday filed a response to the Unfair Labor Practice complaint previously filed by United Academics, the union representing full time faculty. The university said the response details the facts supporting the reasonableness of the university’s actions and its good faith efforts to negotiate. The university also filed its own complaint with the Alaska Labor Relations Agency, or ALRA, alleging unlawful labor practices by UNAC. “The university did not take this action lightly and has resisted filing a ULP over the course of negotiations with the expectation that UNAC would eventually come to the table in a reasonable manner with the goal of reaching a negotiated agreement,” a release wrote. The university said the complaint is necessary to ensure that the entire context of the negotiations process is before the hearing officer so that the ALRA may fairly decide the issues raised by the parties. The university believes that the ALRA process has become an essential option for finding resolution to a year of negotiations with UNAC. The university maintains that the union engaged in bad faith bargaining. After more than 40 bargaining sessions, it said the UNAC made no meaningful movement in its bargaining positions, proposed illegal subjects of bargaining, and intentionally slowed the bargaining process, which prevented the university from submitting a timely proposal to the state legislature for approval of a budget that would fund faculty compensation increases. “Despite knowing the university’s significant financial and budget constraints, the union continued to press for unrealistic terms that initially cost $93 million in faculty pay and benefits and only came down modestly to $71 million,” the release read. “From the start of initial discussions through the University’s implementation of its best and final offer, United Academics engaged in a pattern of conduct intended to frustrate the negotiating process,” the complaint states. As the ALRA investigates the filings, the university continues to negotiate with the union and said it remains fully committed to reaching a fair contract. The next mediation session is Oct. 10. Here is the UNAC complaint, here is the UA complaint.. More from News of the North 2 recall grounds accepted against Hoonah Mayor Gerald Byers Hoonah, Alaska (KINY) – The municipal attorney and city clerk for Hoonah have accepted a pair of recall grounds against the city’s embattled mayor. Alaska joins 20 states calling for Air Force to accept religious exemptions for vaccine mandates Juneau, Alaska (KINY) – Alaska has joined 20 other states in an amicus brief challenging the U.S. Air Force for violating the constitutional and statutory rights of airmen when it refused religious exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Alaskan reality star injured while cleaning up storm damage Anchorage, Alaska (AP) — A reality television star and Iditarod musher was injured this week while helping clean up storm damage along Alaska’s western coast. Anchorage man facing decades in prison after sex assault conviction Anchorage, Alaska (KINY) – On Sept. 30, an Anchorage jury found 29-year-old Douglas John Michael Sheldon guilty of attempted sexual assault in the first degree, sexual assault in the second degree, two counts of assault in the fourth degree, and criminal mischief in the fourth degree. ADOT closes Montana Creek Bridge until further notice Juneau, Alaska (KINY) – Due to structural damage, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities has closed the Montana Creek Bridge until further notice. Sitka campground to close due to helicopter, gravel operations Sitka, Alaska (KINY) – The Sitka Ranger District is closing Sawmill Creek Campground Road and Beaver Lake Trail Oct. 3, due to helicopter operations. Kwethluk man arrested for attempted murder, attempted sex assault Kwethluk, Alaska (KINY) – On September 28, at approximately 5:30 p.m., Alaska State Troopers were notified of an attempted sexual assault in Kwethluk. CBJ: Flu shot may not be available at COVID-19 booster clinic Juneau, Alaska (KINY) – The City and Borough of Juneau, the Juneau Public Health Center, Bartlett Regional Hospital, and the Juneau School District are sponsoring an updated COVID-19 booster vaccine clinic on Saturday, Oct. 1. Report: Permanent Fund Corp. board will interview three people for top job Juneau, Alaska (Alaska Beacon) – The Alaska Permanent Fund Corp.’s board of trustees has scheduled three interviews Monday with potential candidates to be the corporation’s next CEO. 2022 ‘Day of Caring’ kicks off in Juneau Juneau, Alaska (KINY) – United Way of Southeast Alaska is holding its Fourth Day of Caring today in Juneau. Proposition 4 groups discuss Juneau ballot question on Action Line Juneau, Alaska (KINY) – Protect Juneau Homeowners Privacy, who are advocating a yes vote, and No on prop 4 both appeared on separate Action Line programs this week to discuss their views on the ballot question. Don Young’s bills to be carried by Rep. Peltola in the US House Washington, DC (KINY) – Representative Mary Sattler Peltola has reintroduced eight bills that were championed by her predecessor, the late Congressman Don Young. Read More Here

American Prisoners Are Released From Venezuela And Iran https://digitalalaskanews.com/american-prisoners-are-released-from-venezuela-and-iran/ Caracas freed seven Americans in a trade for two nephews of Venezuela’s first lady who had been convicted on drug charges. Separately, Tehran released its longest-held American captive. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share. The Americans released by Venezuela included several executives of the Citgo oil refining company, who had been detained more than four years ago.Credit…Jorge Arreaza, via Associated Press Oct. 1, 2022Updated 7:10 p.m. ET WASHINGTON — Seven Americans who had been held captive in Venezuela for years were on their way home Saturday after President Biden agreed to grant clemency to two nephews of Cilia Flores, Venezuela’s first lady, officials said. The men had been sentenced in 2017 to 18 years in prison for conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the United States. At the same time, Iran on Saturday released Siamak Namazi, a 51-year-old dual-national Iranian American businessman who had been jailed since 2015, on a temporary furlough and lifted the travel ban on his father, Baquer Namazi, an 85-year-old former official for the United Nations, according to the family’s lawyer. Together, the announcements regarding Venezuela and Iran represented one of the largest mass releases of Americans detained abroad in recent memory, though one American official said the timing was coincidental. For Mr. Biden, freeing seven Americans, some of whom had been held for years in Venezuelan prison, was part of an aggressive push to accelerate such homecomings — an effort that has drawn some criticism for the president’s willingness to exchange convicted criminals. The releases also come at a time of heightened global tensions that has proved dangerous for Americans traveling abroad. Brittney Griner, the professional basketball player, remains jailed in Russia for bringing hashish oil into the country after the United States denounced its president, Vladimir V. Putin, for invading Ukraine earlier in the year. American officials said the two Venezuelans known as the “narco nephews” — Efrain Antonio Campo Flores and Franqui Francisco Flores de Freitas — were flown to a third country on Saturday at the same time that a plane carrying the Americans landed in the same country, which officials would not name. A senior administration official called the president’s action to grant clemency “a tough decision and a painful decision,” but said it was the only way to persuade Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to release the Americans. Officials declined to say whether the prisoner swap represented a thaw in the strained relationship between the United States and the Maduro-led government in Venezuela. The United States has imposed sanctions on Mr. Maduro’s government as it has pressed for negotiations between Mr. Maduro and Juan Guaidó, the former National Assembly leader, whom the United States considers Venezuela’s legitimate interim president. The release of the Namazis comes as negotiations over returning to a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear capabilities have stalled. American officials have long insisted that prisoner talks are not connected to the talks to revive the 2015 deal. Image Siamak Namazi and his father, Baquer Namazi, in a photo provided by their family.Credit…Babak Namazi, via Reuters The White House made no official mention of the actions by Iran on Saturday, and neither did a statement issued by Mr. Biden address the release of the Venezuelan drug smugglers. But Mr. Biden welcomed home the Americans: Jorge Toledo, Tomeu Vadell, Alirio Zambrano, Jose Luis Zambrano, Jose Pereira, Matthew Heath, and Osman Khan. “These individuals will soon be reunited with their families and back in the arms of their loved ones where they belong,” Mr. Biden said in the statement. “Today, we celebrate that seven families will be whole once more.” The last prisoner exchange involving so many people took place in 2010, when the United States agreed to release 10 Russians arrested for spying in exchange for four people detained by Moscow for their contacts with Western intelligence agencies. At the time, the swap — which was approved at a time of warming relations between the United States and Russia — represented the largest spy exchange since the end of the Cold War. In a statement on Saturday, the government of Venezuela said it welcomed the release of the nephews, saying they had been “unjustly imprisoned” and that it had decided to release the Americans “for humanitarian reasons.” The Venezuela announcement had been months in the making, according to senior administration officials, and had been approved by Mr. Biden several weeks ago, setting in motion a series of logistical conversations between officials in both countries. One senior administration official said that both governments spent time on Saturday morning confirming the identities of the people on the planes before they switched places and took off again, this time for home. The exchange was the latest in a series of prisoner swaps that Mr. Biden has agreed to since taking office as his administration seeks to bring home Americans whom the State Department has designated as wrongfully detained abroad. But it is also likely to be another flash point in the debate about releasing criminals convicted of significant crimes in exchange for detained Americans. In 2014, President Barack Obama agreed to swap five Taliban terrorists in exchange for the return of Bowe Bergdahl, an Army soldier who had deserted and been captured by the Haqqani terrorist network. Mr. Obama’s decision to make the exchange for Mr. Bergdahl, who was dishonorably discharged, sparked intense debate about the willingness of the American government to negotiate with terrorists, something presidents from both parties have for decades vowed not to do. In April, Mr. Biden agreed to swap Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot, for Trevor R. Reed, an American held in Russia since 2019. Mr. Biden has authorized officials to release Viktor Bout, a convicted arms dealer known as the “Merchant of Death” who is serving a 25-year prison sentence, in exchange for two detained Americans: Paul N. Whelan, a businessman, and Brittney Griner, a professional basketball player. Officials have said that the Russian government has not indicated whether it will accept that deal. In his statement, Mr. Biden said he was continuing to work for the release of other Americans. “To all the families who are still suffering and separated from their loved ones who are wrongfully detained — know that we remain dedicated to securing their release,” he said. The Americans who had been held in Venezuela included five members of a group known as the “Citgo 6.” They were executives of the Citgo oil refining company who were detained more than four years ago on charges of corruption that their lawyers and American officials said were trumped up. One member of the group and another American being held in Venezuela were released in March after a team of Americans from Mr. Biden’s administration flew to Caracas for discussions, officials said. Citgo said in a tweet that its executives had been detained and convicted “without due process. We welcome the news of the release of the remaining five and are grateful to the leaders in Washington who helped bring about their release.” Two other Americans — Mr. Heath, who was detained in 2020, and Mr. Khan, who was detained at the beginning of this year — were also among those released by Venezuela on Saturday. Asked whether the release of the Venezuelan drug smugglers would prompt Mr. Maduro to detain more Americans, the senior administration official said he hoped that the Venezuelan president and others would realize that the president’s decision was a “rare” action that is not likely to be repeated often. Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, lashed out at the administration on Twitter. “Today Biden released two convicted drug dealer nephews of #Venezuela dictator Maduro in exchange for 7 innocent Americans being held hostage,” said Mr. Rubio, whose state is home to many Venezuelans who fled the socialist governments there. “Another Biden appeasement that will result in more anti-U.S. dictators taking more innocent Americans hostage in the future,” Mr. Rubio wrote. In Iran, it was unclear what had prompted the release of the Namazis. “We’ve been working on a furlough for years, he would be eligible for furlough after he served more than half his term. This has been long coming,” said Jared Genser, the pro bono lawyer for the Namazi family. “We are not there yet, we are not going to rest until all the Namazis are able to return to the U.S. and their long nightmare finally comes to an end.” Mr. Genser said the younger Mr. Namazi’s furlough, while renewable, lasts for just seven days. “He still needs to be able to leave Iran and return to the United States,” Mr. Genser said. “We hope and pray that will happen soon, but there has been no agreement between the U.S. and Iran to release all the American hostages.” António Guterres, the secretary general of the United Nations, said in a statement on Saturday that he was grateful that the elder Mr. Namazi, a former senior official for UNICEF, had been permitted to leave Iran for medical treatment abroad following Mr. Guterres’s appeal to President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran. Mr. Namazi is scheduled to have an operation on Monday to remove a blockage in one of the main arteries in his brain, according to Mr. Genser. “We will continue to engage with the Iranian authorities on a range of important issues, including the regional situation, sustainable development and the promotion and protection of human rights,” a U.N. spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, said in a statement. Iran’s decision to sho...

Facts Matter: Hurricane Warning Shared On Social Media Really Is From 2016 https://digitalalaskanews.com/facts-matter-hurricane-warning-shared-on-social-media-really-is-from-2016/ Shortly before Hurricane Ian hit Florida, social media users were sharing video of Fox News anchor Shepard Smith standing in front of a weather map while delivering a hurricane warning. “This moves 20 miles to the west, and you and everyone you know are dead — all of you — because you can’t survive it,” Smith said. “It’s not possible unless you’re very, very lucky. And your kids die, too.” Postings of the clip, which was viewed more than 7 million times, included concern for those facing Hurricane Ian. “To my friends and fam in Florida/South Carolina. Y’all be safe and don’t take any chance of trying to push thru this one,” one user wrote. But the video has nothing to do with Hurricane Ian, according to Reuters. It’s actually footage of a 2016 broadcast with Smith warning about Hurricane Matthew. Smith left Fox News three years ago. Hurricane Matthew, which briefly reached Category 5 intensity, was active in September and October 2016 and killed hundreds of people in Haiti and more than 30 in the U.S. Barron Trump still in school Former President Donald Trump, along with three of his adult children, was named in a lawsuit brought last month by the New York attorney general, accusing him of fraudulent business dealings. At about the same time, a social media post claimed Trump’s youngest son Barron was no longer attending his private school due to an inability to pay the tuition. “URGENT. Barron Trump has been KICKED OUT of school for fees, staggering amount they had to pay,” read the Sept. 21 Facebook post. But this claim is false, according to PolitiFact. Barron Trump, 16, remains enrolled at Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida. The school’s advancement director Scott Siegfried told PolitiFact the post is fake. “We are pleased to state that Barron Trump continues to attend Oxbridge Academy and is a member of the Class of 2024,” Siegfried said. The post includes a video with a voice-over saying the clip will show the “truth about his fees in school.” However, the video talks only about how Barron changed schools after his father’s loss in the 2020 presidential election. Tuition at Oxbridge Academy is $35,000 for the 2022-23 school year. Trump can’t impeach Pelosi A recent post claims former President Donald Trump is impeaching House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “Nancy Pelosi set to resign from Congress as Trump files impeachment lawsuits against her,” reads a Sept. 12 Facebook post with video, viewed more than 13,000 times. This claim is false in many ways, according to USA Today. From the beginning, this statement said Pelosi is going to resign. There is no evidence of this. In fact, the speaker is running for reelection as a Democratic representative from California. Also, an impeachment lawsuit doesn’t exist. University of Missouri law professor Frank Bowman told USA Today the claim is “nonsense.” “There is no such thing as an ‘impeachment lawsuit.’ Courts have no role to play in initiating an impeachment or reviewing it once it’s done,” he said. Next, members of Congress cannot be impeached. However, representatives and senators can be expelled by other members of each legislative house. Lastly, Trump can’t impeach Pelosi. According to the Constitution, only the House of Representatives has the power to impeach. The subject of the impeachment has historically been limited to officials of the executive and judicial branches. The video included with the post is unrelated and mostly shows Trump talking about crime and critical race theory. North Korea choir didn’t cover Rage Against Machine song A video circulating online shows North Korea’s military choir covering the Rage Against the Machine song “Killing in the Name.” The clip was first posted in a Facebook group called Punk & more. It has since been viewed more than 1 million times and racked up thousands of shares. Some commenters took issue with what the post was showing. “Great vibrant music sadly under a regime of oppression,” one user wrote. But the video isn’t real, according to Reuters. It has been digitally manipulated. The actual footage of North Korea’s choir and band, playing different songs, was reworked by editing various pieces of the video and matching clips to the music. The audio of “Killing in the Name” was taken from video of a 2019 event called Rockin’1000, in which 1,000 musicians came together in Frankfurt, Germany, to perform. The protest song “Killing in the Name” was released by rock band Rage Against the Machine in 1992. • Bob Oswald is a veteran Chicago-area journalist and former news editor of the Elgin Courier-News. Contact him at boboswald33@gmail.com. Read More Here

Stormy Relations: DeSantis And Biden Put Mutual Loathing Aside To Deal With Hurricane Response https://digitalalaskanews.com/stormy-relations-desantis-and-biden-put-mutual-loathing-aside-to-deal-with-hurricane-response/ US Politics Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis, who likes to be known as ‘Trump with a brain’, and the US president know that competence in dealing with natural disasters can win swing voters in the contest to be next US president Since Joe Biden became US president, Florida governor Ron DeSantis has positioned himself as one of his chief antagonists. It’s a strategy that is as calculated as it is combative. Political stunts, like flying immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard, the summer playground of choice for wealthy Democrats, obscure Donald Trump’s social media diatribes while elevating DeSantis to the national political arena. He wants the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and he reasons the best way of securing … Read More Here

Letters For Oct. 2: Youngkin’s Transgender Polices Will Compound The Teacher Shortage https://digitalalaskanews.com/letters-for-oct-2-youngkins-transgender-polices-will-compound-the-teacher-shortage/ Re “Protesting Youngkin’s new transgender policies, Hampton Roads students join statewide walkout” (Sept. 27): First, how is asking someone to use a different pronoun constitute going “against their ideological beliefs”? Second, at the beginning of each school year teachers usually ask for students’ preferred names or nicknames. Creating a rule that it must be something regularly associated with the name on the school record is absurd. In addition, teachers shouldn’t have to police which nicknames are allowed. Third, referring to anti-transgender faculty and students as having their “constitutionally protected rights” infringed on is an interesting argument. What about transgender students’ constitutional rights? Being a child or adult who is transgendered is not fun; it’s not a joke; it’s not to sneak into bathrooms. It’s a hard, often painful path, and codifying rules like these is the most unreligious and cruel thing I’ve seen in education since segregation. The Youngkin administration is causing a culture war over a fractional part of the student population instead of elevating Virginia’s education system. Public schools don’t have a chance. The added burden on teachers and administrators will result in less of them. Shame on Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the people who crafted the Virginia Department of Education 2022 Model Policies. Amy Birdsong, Suffolk Re “Rising crime becomes flash point of Norfolk’s Ward 5 City Council race” (Sept. 19): An old friend reminds me occasionally that money talks, baloney walks. I find it interesting that crime has become a focus of Norfolk City Council races. I guess better late than never, although the proposals fall short in really addressing the root causes of crime. One of the biggest problems is the lack of police presence due to the extreme shortage of personnel. The starting salary for police officers in Norfolk is around $52,000 a year. Although in line with surrounding cities, we are asking the police to put their lives on the line for little remuneration. Some must seek second jobs to support their families. If we really want to “take a bite out of crime,” the city needs to “show them the money.” To obtain competent police officers, we must raise their salaries to at least the national median $61,100 or more. Closing down clubs, bars and restaurants is not the answer. If you’re looking to restrict alcohol sales, let’s start with our ABC stores. Besides, alcohol is not the only contributing factor to crime. The city needs to set its priorities and take action rather than just talking about it. A council member recently stated our recreation centers, a good alternative to crime, are not staffed or operational. The money is in the budget. Move it. Look for other budget line items that could be diverted. I would also suggest you have a full complement of police before the casino opens with its propensity for corruption and vice, prostitution, drugs and crime. Tazewell Hubard, Norfolk Re “You take from the poor and give to the rich” (Sept. 25): How outraged I was to read about Mississippi and the mismanagement of welfare funds. Where were the religious voters in Mississippi when the Department of Human Services was staffed? How blind can well-off leaders be to the needy in their midst? The excuse given in the article was “‘They probably thought that it was funny to be using money that was supposed to go — in their minds — to people who didn’t deserve it,’” said Oleta Garrett Fitzgerald, director of the Southern Regional Office of the Children’s Defense Fund. The article lists many leading citizens of Mississippi who were allegedly involved in this selfish and unkind manipulation. Shame on Mississippi for being “47th among U.S. states in the amount of money it spends” on basic assistance. Daywatch Weekdays Start your morning with today’s local news I ask then, what about us here in Virginia? Are we taking care of our neighbors? Are our religious affiliates encouraging our efforts to correct systematic injustice or are we blinded by self-interest like some people and turning a blind eye to our area’s health, education and housing needs? Let us be mindful of this scandal when we choose who to vote for this November. Maureen Marroni, Norfolk Individuals who will be receiving up to $20,000 free from their student loans thanks to the Democrats and President Joe Biden are now whining and suing because some states will tax the money as income. They’re getting $10,000 to $20,000 in free money they don’t deserve and complaining about paying taxes on it? If they had won the lottery, which they kind of did, they’d have to pay taxes on that. There is an easy fix. If they don’t want to pay the taxes, then don’t take the handout. It seems they, like many Americans, don’t understand what is meant when they hear someone say that America is “the land of the free.” Michael Harp, Virginia Beach Re “Divisive Biden” (Your Views, Sept. 27): The writer defines Webster’s definition of a demagogue as “a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power.” Sounds like our former, and hopefully never again, President Donald Trump to me. Richard DeSilver, Manteo, North Carolina Read More Here

National Archives Says It Still Doesn't Have All Trump White House Records – Local News 8 https://digitalalaskanews.com/national-archives-says-it-still-doesnt-have-all-trump-white-house-records-local-news-8/ By Whitney Wild and Katelyn Polantz, CNN The National Archives has told the House Oversight Committee that certain presidential records from the Trump administration remain outstanding, citing information that some White House staff used non-official electronic systems to conduct official business. In a Friday letter to the panel’s chairwoman, New York Democrat Carolyn Maloney, the National Archives and Records Administration, or NARA, said it had been unable to obtain records from a number of former officials and will continue to pursue the return of similar types of Presidential records from former officials. But, “while there is no easy way to establish absolute accountability, we do know that we do not have custody of everything we should,” NARA said. Last month, Maloney requested in a letter that NARA seek a “personal certification” from former President Donald Trump that he has turned over all presidential records he “illegally removed” from the White House. The letter from the Archives is the latest development in the years-long pursuit from NARA to reclaim all records that belong to the federal government that were created during the Trump administration. NARA’s back-and-forth with Trump and his liaisons led earlier this year to the return by former administration officials and lawyers of boxes and envelopes full of records. NARA’s findings in one of those collections prompted a Justice Department investigation into the mishandling of classified records and a search in August at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida beach club. In its letter to Maloney, NARA cited a lawsuit filed last summer by the Justice Department asking a judge to order former Trump White House trade adviser Peter Navarro to return federal records the DOJ says he wrongfully kept after leaving the administration. The DOJ said Navarro used a private mail account for presidential business, “such as the need for ventilators, the creation and deployment of National-Guard based rapid response teams, and the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID,” the DOJ filing said. According to the lawsuit, the National Archives learned of Navarro’s private account from the House committee investigating the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. “It is outrageous that these records remain unaccounted for 20 months after former President Trump left office,” Maloney said in a statement Saturday. “Former President Trump and his senior staff have shown an utter disregard for the rule of law and our national security by failing to return presidential records as the law requires.” In Friday’s letter, NARA referred questions about whether it intends to pursue criminal charges to the Justice Department. The-CNN-Wire & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Read More Here

Russia’s Annexation Puts World ‘two Or Three Steps Away’ From Nuclear War https://digitalalaskanews.com/russias-annexation-puts-world-two-or-three-steps-away-from-nuclear-war/ LONDON — President Vladimir Putin’s declaration of the annexation of four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine signals the onset of a new and highly dangerous phase in the seven-month old war, one that Western officials and analysts fear could escalate to the use of nuclear weapons for the first time in 77 years. Putin has previously threatened to resort to nuclear weapons if Russia’s goals in Ukraine continue to be thwarted. The annexation brings the use of a nuclear weapon a step closer by giving Putin a potential justification on the grounds that “the territorial integrity of our country is threatened,” as he put it in his speech last week. He renewed the threat on Friday with an ominous comment that the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki created a “precedent” for the use of nuclear weapons, echoing references he has made in the past to the U.S. invasion of Iraq as setting a precedent for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. U.S. and Western officials say they still think it unlikely that Putin will carry out his threats. Most probably, they say, he is hoping to deter the West from providing ever more sophisticated military assistance to Ukraine while the mobilization of an additional 300,000 troops allows Russia to reverse or at least halt its military setbacks on the battlefield. But the threats appear only to have strengthened Western resolve to continue sending weapons to Ukraine and the Ukrainian military is continuing to advance into Russian-occupied territory. On Saturday, the Ukrainian army seized control of the eastern city of Lyman in an area ostensibly annexed by Russia on Saturday. The collapse of another Russian front line was greeted by calls for nuclear strikes by some military bloggers and political figures in Russia, including the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a close ally of Putin. “More drastic measures should be taken, up to the declaration of martial law in the border areas and the use of low-yield nuclear weapons,” Kadyrov wrote in a comment on his Telegram channel. In all four regions that Putin said he was annexing — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — Russia only controls part of the territory. Now that the areas being fought over are regarded by Moscow as Russian, it is possible to chart a course of events toward the first use of a nuclear weapon since the 1945 atomic bombing of Japan. “It’s a low probability event, but it is the most serious case of nuclear brinkmanship since the 1980s” when the Cold War ended, said Franz-Stefan Gady, a senior fellow with the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. “It is a very dangerous situation and it needs to be taken seriously by Western policymakers.” U.S. and European officials say they are taking the threats seriously. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that there would be “catastrophic consequences” if Russia resorts to the use of nuclear weapons. He refused to specify what those would be but said the precise consequences had been spelled out privately to Russian officials “at very high levels.” “They well understand what they would face if they went down that dark road,” he said. European officials say the threats have only strengthened their resolve to support Ukraine. “No one knows what Putin will decide to do, no one,” said a European Union official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive subject. “But he’s totally in a corner, he’s crazy … and for him there is no way out. The only way out for him is total victory or total defeat and we are working on the latter one. We need Ukraine to win and so we are working to prevent worst case scenarios by helping Ukraine win.” The goal, the official said, is to give Ukraine the military support it needs to continue to push Russia out of Ukrainian territory, while pressuring Russia politically to agree to a cease-fire and withdrawal, the official said. And the pressure is working, “slowly,” the official said, to spread awareness in Russia and internationally that the invasion was a mistake. India, which had seemed to side with Russia in the earliest days of the war, has expressed alarm at Putin’s talk of nuclear war and China, ostensibly Russia’s most important ally, has signaled that it is growing uneasy with Putin’s continuing escalations. But the annexation and the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of extra troops have also served as a reminder that the Western strategy hasn’t yet worked enough to convince Putin that he can’t win, said Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who was based in Moscow until earlier this year. The West had been hoping that Ukrainian successes would force Putin to back down, but instead he is doubling down. “Time and again we are seeing that Vladimir Putin sees this as a big existential war and he’s ready to up the stakes if he is losing on the battlefield,” Gabuev said. “At the same time I don’t think the West will back down, so it’s a very hard challenge now. We are two or three steps away” from Russia failing to achieve its goals and resorting to what was once unthinkable. Those steps to secure its positions include Russia pushing hundreds of thousands more men onto the battlefield; escalating attacks on civilian targets and infrastructure in Ukraine; and perhaps also embarking on covert attacks on Western infrastructure. Although the United States and its European allies have refrained from making direct accusations, few doubt that Russia was behind the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea, said the E.U. official. “I don’t think anyone has doubts. It’s the handwriting of the Kremlin,” he said. “It’s an indication of, ‘look what is coming, look what we are able to do.’ ” Nuclear weapons would only likely be used after mobilization, sabotage and other measures have failed to turn the tide, and it’s unclear what Putin would achieve by using them, Gady said. Despite some wild predictions on Russian news shows that the Kremlin would lash out at a Western capital, with London appearing to be a favored target, it is more likely that Moscow would seek to use one of its smaller, tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield to try to gain advantage over Ukrainian forces, said Gady. The smallest nuclear weapon in the Russian arsenal delivers an explosion of around 1 kiloton, one fifteenth of the size of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, which would inflict massive destruction but on a more limited area. Because the war is being fought along a vast, 1,500-mile front line, troops are too thinly spread out for there to be an obvious target whose obliteration would change the course of the war. To make a difference, Russia would have to use several nuclear weapons or alternatively strike a major population center such as Kyiv, either of which would represent a massive escalation, trigger almost certain Western retaliation and turn Russia into a pariah state even with its allies, Gady said. “From a purely military perspective, nuclear weapons would not solve any of Vladimir Putin’s military problems,” he said. “To change the operational picture one single attack would not be enough and it would also not intimidate Ukraine into surrendering territory. It would cause the opposite, it would double down Western support and I do think there would be a U.S. response.” That’s why many believe Putin won’t carry out his threats. “Even though Putin is dangerous, he is not suicidal, and those around him aren’t suicidal,” said Ben Hodges, a former commander of U.S. Army Europe. Pentagon officials have said they have seen no actions by Russia that would lead the United States to adjust its nuclear posture. Robyn Dixon contributed to this report from Riga, Latvia War in Ukraine: What you need to know The latest: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees Friday to annex four occupied regions of Ukraine, following staged referendums that were widely denounced as illegal. Follow our live updates here. The response: The Biden administration on Friday announced a new round of sanctions on Russia, in response to the annexations, targeting government officials and family members, Russian and Belarusian military officials and defense procurement networks. President Volodymyr Zelensky also said Friday that Ukraine is applying for “accelerated ascension” into NATO, in an apparent answer to the annexations. In Russia: Putin declared a military mobilization on Sept. 21 to call up as many as 300,000 reservists in a dramatic bid to reverse setbacks in his war on Ukraine. The announcement led to an exodus of more than 180,000 people, mostly men who were subject to service, and renewed protests and other acts of defiance against the war. The fight: Ukraine mounted a successful counteroffensive that forced a major Russian retreat in the northeastern Kharkiv region in early September, as troops fled cities and villages they had occupied since the early days of the war and abandoned large amounts of military equipment. Photos: Washington Post photographers have been on the ground from the beginning of the war — here’s some of their most powerful work. How you can help: Here are ways those in the U.S. can support the Ukrainian people as well as what people around the world have been donating. Read our full coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video. Read More Here

Carroll https://digitalalaskanews.com/carroll/ Carroll’s Lawyer Complains Trump Is Stalling on Lawsuit  TDS-Net Read More Here

Here’s Why Ian’s Track Was Hard To Predict, And Harder To Communicate https://digitalalaskanews.com/heres-why-ians-track-was-hard-to-predict-and-harder-to-communicate/ When Justin Smith checked the weather on Tuesday, he wasn’t worried. The report from WINK News on DirecTV said Hurricane Ian was a threat to Tampa, some 100 miles to the north of Fort Myers Beach, where he was honeymooning with his wife, Karinna Smith. As someone who remembers riding out Hurricanes Ike and Harvey, the 38-year-old southeast Texas resident said he was confident they could ride out the storm at their hotel, the Lovers Key Resort. “We were there on our honeymoon,” Smith said. “We were trying to have a good time, not be glued to the TV watching the weather.” But that meant they missed messages that much of southwest Florida, not just Tampa, was under threat of hurricane conditions as Ian approached. Their first warning that the hurricane was making a turn directly toward Fort Myers Beach was a note posted in the empty hotel lobby Tuesday night, indicating that the hotel was being evacuated. As conditions became catastrophic on Wednesday, the Smiths survived by taking refuge in a hotel stairwell. The danger faced by the couple and many others who did not evacuate underscores the challenges of communicating forecasts for storms like Ian. Research shows people often cling to an initial version of forecasts, often missing key updates and changing threats. And meteorologists can struggle to convey the uncertainty in their predictions of a storm’s path and potential, in part because hurricane forecast cones and other tools of communication aren’t as useful as they could be for storms like Ian, whose track toward Florida was difficult to pin down even a day ahead of landfall. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is working to improve communication of uncertain, fast-changing threats, but the task is not straightforward. It involves refining messages and optimizing graphical information to simplify the complex for very diverse audiences and keeping them apprised of important changes. The latter was critical in the case of Ian since small deviations in the predicted track would significantly alter which communities would be affected. “There were a lot of alternate futures that were possible,” said Kim Klockow-McClain, a research scientist at NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory. “Communication is not as simple when there are a lot of possible outcomes.” Asked to review how well it communicated storm risks and uncertainties with Ian, National Hurricane Center officials deferred comment to NOAA risk communication experts. Gina Eosco, a program manager and social scientist at the agency, said it can be a challenge for forecasters to overcome what she called “optimistic bias,” when people focus too much on early forecasts suggesting low risks of storm impacts, and miss updates signaling new and changing hazards. “It can trick your brain into thinking you can relax and you may not pay as much attention to the forecast,” Eosco said. “And so it’s possible people didn’t hear that message.” Along with that bias toward optimism, past experiences when dire forecasts did not come to pass can also prevent people from properly interpreting the realities of forecasts and storm conditions, she added. Laura Myers, a senior research scientist at the University of Alabama who studies communication around disasters, applauded the Hurricane Center’s work tracking the storm and broadcasting its threats. And she echoed Eosco, saying people often “anchor” their expectations to early forecasts and then are caught unaware when storm predictions change. “[Forecasters] know that people are going to cling to that and then walk away and not come back to the information,” Myers said. People form their own “scale of risk aversion” and go back to their daily lives despite broadcast meteorologists encouraging them to check back in for updates, according to Myers. “If they are shocked about impact, it’s because they anchored,” she said. That said, the Hurricane Center’s archive of Ian forecasts shows that, as its predictions of the storm’s path shifted, meteorologists did not begin to emphasize risks to the area around the eventual landfall point until about a day in advance. It wasn’t until Tuesday morning, while Ian was passing over western Cuba — that the Hurricane Center extended a hurricane warning southward to cover the stretch of southwestern Florida coastline that would soon be devastated. Even then, the centerline for the predicted storm track passed through Tampa and wasn’t over Fort Myers until 11 p.m. that night. In the days before that, what would become ground zero for Ian’s devastation was at the edge of areas the Hurricane Center warned were in the storm’s path. Areas to its south, including Naples — which endured a record ocean surge — were left out. That meant some, like the Smiths, were caught unaware by Ian’s intensity. Smith said he received none of the National Weather Service text alerts that are supposed to broadcast imminent hazards to any cellphones in their path. And he said he got no alarm from hotel staff. “They didn’t knock on our door,” Justin Smith told The Washington Post. “They didn’t call that room. They didn’t do anything. By the time that we found out we didn’t have a rental car or anything like that, so we were kind of stuck.” While some meteorologists suggested it was a failure of the Hurricane Center, others stressed that that represents a misunderstanding of what the forecast cone actually means. There is a 60 to 70 percent chance a storm’s eye will remain within the cone’s boundaries — meaning in about one out of three cases, the storm will move outside of the cone. For the sake of completeness, here is EVERY cone from Advisory 1 at 5am Friday morning to Advisory 24 at 11am Wednesday morning. #Ian‘s landfall point is the red dot. It was ALWAYS in the likely (67%) area for landfall. [1/2] pic.twitter.com/sHNVN20L44 — Brian McNoldy (@BMcNoldy) September 30, 2022 The problem is that the forecast cone is not well-designed for unpredictable storms like Ian, Klockow-McClain said. The width of the cone is based on the Hurricane Center’s past error in storm forecast track predictions, but with Ian, that meant an underestimation of potential error. “The problem is, with that graphic, we’re communicating about how we’ve done in the past. We’re not saying a whole lot about the uncertainty of the current situation,” Klockow-McClain said. Researchers say the challenge is engaging with the public so that people understand the broader potential for hurricane impacts even outside the forecast cone. Both Eosco and Myers suggested that more localized warnings could better help people evaluate their personal risk. “Our research has indicated that most people appreciate the worst-case scenario,” Myers said. “They appreciate knowing there is a chance that they would be included in the impacts and what the impacts might be.” Myers said more should be done to educate the public about hurricane meteorology and risks outside of active weather events, so that when storms strike, they aren’t overwhelmed with too much information. “If you don’t do that in advance and don’t do it in as many different ways as you possibly can, you’re going to have issues with understanding,” Myers said. Even then, it is not guaranteed that the warnings will be properly interpreted. NOAA has invested heavily in efforts to narrow gaps in communication and improve public perception and understanding of forecasts, Eosco said. Before and after storms, NOAA conducts a multi-wave project to increase their understanding of how well people understood risks and what actions they took during a hurricane, she said. And that goes along with Hurricane Center work to improve graphics and messaging around hurricane risks, including adjusting forecast cone images to include wind field sizes so people understand how far dangerous conditions will extend. And the Center has moved to stress that forecast cones are fallible, and that risks extend throughout them and beyond them, though that message doesn’t always get across to the wider public. “I’m thrilled that if there has to be a hurricane, that we have the ability to learn something from it so that we should improve our communication for future storms,” Eosco said. “If we can find an opportunity of hope here to learn something from it so we can improve such situations and reduce societal impact, that is the type of opportunity NOAA wants to take.” Meena Venkataramanan contributed to this report. Read More Here

Capitol Riot Oath Keepers https://digitalalaskanews.com/capitol-riot-oath-keepers/ FILE – Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers, speaks during a rally outside the White House in Washington, June 25, 2017. In his trial in the violent Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, attorneys for the leader of the Oath Keepers extremist group will mount an unusual defense with former President Donald Trump at its center. Defense attorneys are poised to argue that Rhodes can’t be found guilty of seditious conspiracy because everything he did was in preparation for orders he anticipated coming down from the Republican president. Susan Walsh – staff, AP Home delivery and Digital Access customers of the Gloucester Daily Times get deals for restaurants, hotels, attractions and other businesses, locally and across the country. See our e-edition for a full replica of today’s newspaper. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, see our special entertainment pages with TV listings, comics and puzzles. Read More Here

US Forecast https://digitalalaskanews.com/us-forecast-102/ 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;66;47;60;38;Mostly cloudy;N;7;60%;4%;1 Albuquerque, NM;79;57;77;57;Periods of sun, nice;SE;9;43%;42%;4 Anchorage, AK;50;41;48;41;An afternoon shower;NNE;6;78%;88%;0 Asheville, NC;58;48;59;50;Cloudy and cool;NW;8;82%;83%;1 Atlanta, GA;76;53;74;53;Mostly sunny;N;8;62%;5%;5 Atlantic City, NJ;67;61;63;53;Windy with rain;NNE;26;92%;99%;1 Austin, TX;88;55;88;57;Mostly sunny;ENE;5;36%;2%;6 Baltimore, MD;63;56;58;48;Rain;NNE;14;85%;99%;1 Baton Rouge, LA;84;51;84;55;Sunny and pleasant;N;7;45%;4%;6 Billings, MT;56;47;61;48;A thundershower;WSW;7;82%;88%;1 Birmingham, AL;79;51;78;54;Mostly sunny;NNE;9;52%;7%;6 Bismarck, ND;73;49;75;53;Thickening clouds;NE;10;56%;87%;4 Boise, ID;74;50;77;50;Sunny and pleasant;ENE;8;39%;0%;4 Boston, MA;58;50;57;47;Mostly cloudy, windy;NE;22;64%;15%;1 Bridgeport, CT;57;51;59;44;Periods of rain;NNE;18;71%;98%;1 Buffalo, NY;65;49;57;40;Breezy with some sun;NE;14;59%;9%;4 Burlington, VT;65;43;57;32;Partly sunny;N;10;49%;4%;4 Caribou, ME;63;33;53;27;Mostly sunny;NNW;9;48%;3%;4 Casper, WY;63;38;71;41;Warmer;WSW;12;57%;34%;4 Charleston, SC;77;60;76;58;Increasing clouds;NNW;8;65%;10%;6 Charleston, WV;56;51;60;50;Rain and drizzle;N;7;90%;98%;1 Charlotte, NC;68;50;66;54;Cloudy;N;8;71%;83%;1 Cheyenne, WY;66;45;67;46;A t-storm around;W;10;60%;48%;3 Chicago, IL;68;56;66;51;Partly sunny, breezy;ENE;15;64%;8%;4 Cleveland, OH;64;56;61;48;Windy;NE;19;69%;11%;4 Columbia, SC;72;54;74;57;Clouds and sun;N;6;65%;9%;4 Columbus, OH;66;53;68;46;Sunny intervals;NNE;10;59%;5%;3 Concord, NH;61;45;57;31;Partly sunny;NNE;10;55%;3%;4 Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX;80;56;86;57;Plenty of sunshine;ESE;7;32%;1%;6 Denver, CO;75;48;69;50;Rather cloudy;SSW;6;55%;28%;2 Des Moines, IA;71;51;76;52;Sunlit and pleasant;SE;7;45%;9%;4 Detroit, MI;69;51;65;43;Mostly sunny;NE;11;53%;12%;4 Dodge City, KS;86;51;86;52;Mostly sunny;SSE;13;29%;1%;5 Duluth, MN;57;51;59;53;Low clouds may break;ENE;9;83%;83%;3 El Paso, TX;87;63;85;61;Mostly sunny;ESE;10;34%;31%;6 Fairbanks, AK;50;37;47;36;Rain and drizzle;N;5;75%;82%;0 Fargo, ND;72;52;77;56;Mostly sunny, breezy;SSE;15;48%;31%;3 Grand Junction, CO;68;53;71;52;A t-storm around;SE;9;68%;83%;4 Grand Rapids, MI;71;49;66;39;Mostly sunny;ENE;9;63%;11%;4 Hartford, CT;62;50;60;43;A little a.m. rain;NNE;17;64%;73%;1 Helena, MT;55;47;60;49;Cloudy with a shower;SE;6;77%;96%;1 Honolulu, HI;88;74;85;74;A couple of showers;NE;7;75%;98%;2 Houston, TX;84;57;87;60;Partly sunny;NE;6;42%;5%;6 Indianapolis, IN;73;52;71;48;Sunny and pleasant;NE;10;59%;5%;4 Jackson, MS;82;49;84;55;Sunny and beautiful;N;7;45%;3%;6 Jacksonville, FL;86;59;83;62;Sunny and pleasant;NNE;7;56%;9%;6 Juneau, AK;56;44;53;41;Decreasing clouds;NE;5;76%;34%;2 Kansas City, MO;78;51;81;53;Plenty of sunshine;ESE;6;39%;5%;5 Knoxville, TN;61;52;64;52;Mostly cloudy;NNE;7;75%;83%;1 Las Vegas, NV;95;71;95;71;Partly sunny and hot;NNW;8;27%;4%;5 Lexington, KY;73;52;70;50;Sun and some clouds;NNE;11;63%;4%;4 Little Rock, AR;83;50;85;54;Sunny and nice;NNE;7;41%;1%;5 Long Beach, CA;75;63;76;64;Low clouds breaking;WSW;6;66%;0%;5 Los Angeles, CA;78;62;77;63;Turning sunny;SW;7;74%;1%;5 Louisville, KY;76;52;74;50;Mostly sunny;NNE;8;55%;3%;5 Madison, WI;68;48;69;46;Partly sunny;E;6;66%;8%;4 Memphis, TN;77;54;83;57;Sunny and pleasant;NNE;9;38%;1%;5 Miami, FL;83;73;85;70;A couple of showers;S;7;66%;90%;7 Milwaukee, WI;66;53;63;49;Partly sunny;ENE;10;75%;12%;4 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN;72;53;74;55;Turning sunny;SE;9;50%;10%;4 Mobile, AL;84;54;85;58;Sunny and pleasant;N;8;44%;8%;6 Montgomery, AL;84;52;80;54;Mostly sunny, nice;NNE;7;50%;11%;6 Mt. Washington, NH;49;30;35;27;Colder;NE;14;56%;6%;3 Nashville, TN;78;49;78;51;Mostly sunny;NE;9;49%;1%;5 New Orleans, LA;83;63;83;65;Sunny and pleasant;N;8;43%;4%;6 New York, NY;62;53;58;48;Occasional rain;NNE;20;80%;98%;1 Newark, NJ;59;53;58;45;Periods of rain;NNE;20;76%;98%;1 Norfolk, VA;77;60;70;58;Rain and drizzle;N;7;82%;99%;1 Oklahoma City, OK;85;52;85;54;Sunny and warm;SE;7;33%;1%;5 Olympia, WA;79;49;80;49;Brilliant sunshine;NE;6;66%;5%;4 Omaha, NE;79;51;81;52;Sunshine, pleasant;SE;10;43%;8%;4 Orlando, FL;84;66;86;65;Sunny and pleasant;WNW;7;55%;7%;7 Philadelphia, PA;61;55;58;48;Occasional rain;NNE;19;80%;99%;1 Phoenix, AZ;96;77;97;77;Mostly sunny, warm;NNE;6;36%;18%;6 Pittsburgh, PA;55;51;62;46;Rain and drizzle;NNE;7;66%;68%;1 Portland, ME;61;46;56;38;Windy in the morning;NNE;16;55%;2%;4 Portland, OR;83;56;84;56;Sunny and very warm;NNE;6;53%;5%;4 Providence, RI;56;50;57;43;A little a.m. rain;NNE;19;71%;72%;1 Raleigh, NC;66;54;66;52;Cloudy;N;7;78%;86%;1 Reno, NV;77;45;80;45;Mostly sunny;WSW;6;33%;0%;5 Richmond, VA;71;58;62;50;Rain at times;N;7;93%;100%;1 Roswell, NM;86;56;83;53;Periods of sun;S;9;42%;3%;6 Sacramento, CA;88;56;86;56;Brilliant sunshine;SSW;6;52%;1%;5 Salt Lake City, UT;69;50;74;51;Mostly sunny;ESE;8;44%;0%;5 San Antonio, TX;89;56;86;59;Partly sunny;ENE;7;46%;1%;6 San Diego, CA;72;65;75;68;Low clouds may break;NW;8;69%;1%;4 San Francisco, CA;65;58;68;57;Low clouds breaking;W;10;66%;1%;4 Savannah, GA;82;58;79;58;Mostly sunny;NNW;7;65%;2%;6 Seattle-Tacoma, WA;77;56;79;56;Sunny;NNE;8;57%;5%;3 Sioux Falls, SD;80;53;78;54;Breezy;SSE;13;39%;10%;4 Spokane, WA;78;49;79;50;Partly sunny, warm;SE;5;53%;1%;4 Springfield, IL;74;46;75;48;Sunny and nice;NE;6;53%;2%;4 St. Louis, MO;74;47;77;50;Sunny and pleasant;NNE;7;48%;2%;5 Tampa, FL;84;65;87;63;Mostly sunny, nice;NW;6;60%;5%;7 Toledo, OH;70;51;67;43;Mostly sunny;NNE;8;58%;11%;4 Tucson, AZ;90;69;92;70;Mostly sunny;ESE;7;39%;27%;6 Tulsa, OK;84;49;85;51;Plenty of sunshine;E;6;40%;4%;5 Vero Beach, FL;84;67;87;64;Mostly sunny;WSW;8;63%;18%;7 Washington, DC;62;57;60;49;Rain;NNE;10;84%;99%;1 Wichita, KS;85;51;85;52;Plenty of sunshine;ESE;8;32%;3%;5 Wilmington, DE;62;55;58;48;Rain;NNE;19;85%;99%;1 _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather Read More Here

US Forecast https://digitalalaskanews.com/us-forecast-103/ 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;66;47;60;38;Mostly cloudy;N;7;60%;4%;1 Albuquerque, NM;79;57;77;57;Periods of sun, nice;SE;9;43%;42%;4 Anchorage, AK;50;41;48;41;An afternoon shower;NNE;6;78%;88%;0 Asheville, NC;58;48;59;50;Cloudy and cool;NW;8;82%;83%;1 Atlanta, GA;76;53;74;53;Mostly sunny;N;8;62%;5%;5 Atlantic City, NJ;67;61;63;53;Windy with rain;NNE;26;92%;99%;1 Austin, TX;88;55;88;57;Mostly sunny;ENE;5;36%;2%;6 Baltimore, MD;63;56;58;48;Rain;NNE;14;85%;99%;1 Baton Rouge, LA;84;51;84;55;Sunny and pleasant;N;7;45%;4%;6 Billings, MT;56;47;61;48;A thundershower;WSW;7;82%;88%;1 Birmingham, AL;79;51;78;54;Mostly sunny;NNE;9;52%;7%;6 Bismarck, ND;73;49;75;53;Thickening clouds;NE;10;56%;87%;4 Boise, ID;74;50;77;50;Sunny and pleasant;ENE;8;39%;0%;4 Boston, MA;58;50;57;47;Mostly cloudy, windy;NE;22;64%;15%;1 Bridgeport, CT;57;51;59;44;Periods of rain;NNE;18;71%;98%;1 Buffalo, NY;65;49;57;40;Breezy with some sun;NE;14;59%;9%;4 Burlington, VT;65;43;57;32;Partly sunny;N;10;49%;4%;4 Caribou, ME;63;33;53;27;Mostly sunny;NNW;9;48%;3%;4 Casper, WY;63;38;71;41;Warmer;WSW;12;57%;34%;4 Charleston, SC;77;60;76;58;Increasing clouds;NNW;8;65%;10%;6 Charleston, WV;56;51;60;50;Rain and drizzle;N;7;90%;98%;1 Charlotte, NC;68;50;66;54;Cloudy;N;8;71%;83%;1 Cheyenne, WY;66;45;67;46;A t-storm around;W;10;60%;48%;3 Chicago, IL;68;56;66;51;Partly sunny, breezy;ENE;15;64%;8%;4 Cleveland, OH;64;56;61;48;Windy;NE;19;69%;11%;4 Columbia, SC;72;54;74;57;Clouds and sun;N;6;65%;9%;4 Columbus, OH;66;53;68;46;Sunny intervals;NNE;10;59%;5%;3 Concord, NH;61;45;57;31;Partly sunny;NNE;10;55%;3%;4 Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX;80;56;86;57;Plenty of sunshine;ESE;7;32%;1%;6 Denver, CO;75;48;69;50;Rather cloudy;SSW;6;55%;28%;2 Des Moines, IA;71;51;76;52;Sunlit and pleasant;SE;7;45%;9%;4 Detroit, MI;69;51;65;43;Mostly sunny;NE;11;53%;12%;4 Dodge City, KS;86;51;86;52;Mostly sunny;SSE;13;29%;1%;5 Duluth, MN;57;51;59;53;Low clouds may break;ENE;9;83%;83%;3 El Paso, TX;87;63;85;61;Mostly sunny;ESE;10;34%;31%;6 Fairbanks, AK;50;37;47;36;Rain and drizzle;N;5;75%;82%;0 Fargo, ND;72;52;77;56;Mostly sunny, breezy;SSE;15;48%;31%;3 Grand Junction, CO;68;53;71;52;A t-storm around;SE;9;68%;83%;4 Grand Rapids, MI;71;49;66;39;Mostly sunny;ENE;9;63%;11%;4 Hartford, CT;62;50;60;43;A little a.m. rain;NNE;17;64%;73%;1 Helena, MT;55;47;60;49;Cloudy with a shower;SE;6;77%;96%;1 Honolulu, HI;88;74;85;74;A couple of showers;NE;7;75%;98%;2 Houston, TX;84;57;87;60;Partly sunny;NE;6;42%;5%;6 Indianapolis, IN;73;52;71;48;Sunny and pleasant;NE;10;59%;5%;4 Jackson, MS;82;49;84;55;Sunny and beautiful;N;7;45%;3%;6 Jacksonville, FL;86;59;83;62;Sunny and pleasant;NNE;7;56%;9%;6 Juneau, AK;56;44;53;41;Decreasing clouds;NE;5;76%;34%;2 Kansas City, MO;78;51;81;53;Plenty of sunshine;ESE;6;39%;5%;5 Knoxville, TN;61;52;64;52;Mostly cloudy;NNE;7;75%;83%;1 Las Vegas, NV;95;71;95;71;Partly sunny and hot;NNW;8;27%;4%;5 Lexington, KY;73;52;70;50;Sun and some clouds;NNE;11;63%;4%;4 Little Rock, AR;83;50;85;54;Sunny and nice;NNE;7;41%;1%;5 Long Beach, CA;75;63;76;64;Low clouds breaking;WSW;6;66%;0%;5 Los Angeles, CA;78;62;77;63;Turning sunny;SW;7;74%;1%;5 Louisville, KY;76;52;74;50;Mostly sunny;NNE;8;55%;3%;5 Madison, WI;68;48;69;46;Partly sunny;E;6;66%;8%;4 Memphis, TN;77;54;83;57;Sunny and pleasant;NNE;9;38%;1%;5 Miami, FL;83;73;85;70;A couple of showers;S;7;66%;90%;7 Milwaukee, WI;66;53;63;49;Partly sunny;ENE;10;75%;12%;4 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN;72;53;74;55;Turning sunny;SE;9;50%;10%;4 Mobile, AL;84;54;85;58;Sunny and pleasant;N;8;44%;8%;6 Montgomery, AL;84;52;80;54;Mostly sunny, nice;NNE;7;50%;11%;6 Mt. Washington, NH;49;30;35;27;Colder;NE;14;56%;6%;3 Nashville, TN;78;49;78;51;Mostly sunny;NE;9;49%;1%;5 New Orleans, LA;83;63;83;65;Sunny and pleasant;N;8;43%;4%;6 New York, NY;62;53;58;48;Occasional rain;NNE;20;80%;98%;1 Newark, NJ;59;53;58;45;Periods of rain;NNE;20;76%;98%;1 Norfolk, VA;77;60;70;58;Rain and drizzle;N;7;82%;99%;1 Oklahoma City, OK;85;52;85;54;Sunny and warm;SE;7;33%;1%;5 Olympia, WA;79;49;80;49;Brilliant sunshine;NE;6;66%;5%;4 Omaha, NE;79;51;81;52;Sunshine, pleasant;SE;10;43%;8%;4 Orlando, FL;84;66;86;65;Sunny and pleasant;WNW;7;55%;7%;7 Philadelphia, PA;61;55;58;48;Occasional rain;NNE;19;80%;99%;1 Phoenix, AZ;96;77;97;77;Mostly sunny, warm;NNE;6;36%;18%;6 Pittsburgh, PA;55;51;62;46;Rain and drizzle;NNE;7;66%;68%;1 Portland, ME;61;46;56;38;Windy in the morning;NNE;16;55%;2%;4 Portland, OR;83;56;84;56;Sunny and very warm;NNE;6;53%;5%;4 Providence, RI;56;50;57;43;A little a.m. rain;NNE;19;71%;72%;1 Raleigh, NC;66;54;66;52;Cloudy;N;7;78%;86%;1 Reno, NV;77;45;80;45;Mostly sunny;WSW;6;33%;0%;5 Richmond, VA;71;58;62;50;Rain at times;N;7;93%;100%;1 Roswell, NM;86;56;83;53;Periods of sun;S;9;42%;3%;6 Sacramento, CA;88;56;86;56;Brilliant sunshine;SSW;6;52%;1%;5 Salt Lake City, UT;69;50;74;51;Mostly sunny;ESE;8;44%;0%;5 San Antonio, TX;89;56;86;59;Partly sunny;ENE;7;46%;1%;6 San Diego, CA;72;65;75;68;Low clouds may break;NW;8;69%;1%;4 San Francisco, CA;65;58;68;57;Low clouds breaking;W;10;66%;1%;4 Savannah, GA;82;58;79;58;Mostly sunny;NNW;7;65%;2%;6 Seattle-Tacoma, WA;77;56;79;56;Sunny;NNE;8;57%;5%;3 Sioux Falls, SD;80;53;78;54;Breezy;SSE;13;39%;10%;4 Spokane, WA;78;49;79;50;Partly sunny, warm;SE;5;53%;1%;4 Springfield, IL;74;46;75;48;Sunny and nice;NE;6;53%;2%;4 St. Louis, MO;74;47;77;50;Sunny and pleasant;NNE;7;48%;2%;5 Tampa, FL;84;65;87;63;Mostly sunny, nice;NW;6;60%;5%;7 Toledo, OH;70;51;67;43;Mostly sunny;NNE;8;58%;11%;4 Tucson, AZ;90;69;92;70;Mostly sunny;ESE;7;39%;27%;6 Tulsa, OK;84;49;85;51;Plenty of sunshine;E;6;40%;4%;5 Vero Beach, FL;84;67;87;64;Mostly sunny;WSW;8;63%;18%;7 Washington, DC;62;57;60;49;Rain;NNE;10;84%;99%;1 Wichita, KS;85;51;85;52;Plenty of sunshine;ESE;8;32%;3%;5 Wilmington, DE;62;55;58;48;Rain;NNE;19;85%;99%;1 _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather Read More Here

Trump Likely To Announce His 2024 Presidential Run Within Weeks – Social News XYZ https://digitalalaskanews.com/trump-likely-to-announce-his-2024-presidential-run-within-weeks-social-news-xyz/ By Ashe O Washington, Oct 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) Former President Donald Trump “wants his old job back” and will announce within weeks his run for the presidency in 2024. Trump is eager to get back to the White House, and wants to announce his 2024 run in the coming weeks. Stating this, Kellyanne Conway, his 2016 campaign manager and close ally, said she had advised him to wait until after the midterms in November, according to Business Insider. . Speaking on Friday with CBS News, Conway was asked whether Trump would announce his candidacy after the midterm elections and before Thanksgiving. “Well, he would like to,” said Conway, as per CBS News. “He’s as active as anybody in these midterm elections. That’s important to the calculus also, Catherine, because we have the most ironic, if not unprecedented situation right now,” Conway continued. “We have a president, a current president, whose party doesn’t really want him to campaign with them.” Trump will assess the timing of his announcement after the midterms, which take place on November 8, Conway said. “I will tell you why he wants to run for president,” she said. “Donald Trump wants his old job back.” In July, Conway described Trump as “champing at the bit” to announce his third presidential bid. Speaking to CBS News, she said she advised him to wait until right after the midterms. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy also said he lobbied the former president not to announce a 2024 presidential run before the midterms. “My point to him has always (been), ‘Let’s go win ’22,'” McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol in July. That same month, a top Republican strategist told Insider that a pre-midterm announcement from Trump would be a “train wreck for the party” and “a complete mess.” Meanwhile, how Democrats, who aren’t named Joe Biden, are running for president – without running for president. Joe Biden plans to seek reelection in 2024, even though voters are souring on him. Democrats aren’t expected to primary Biden, but questions linger about a backup plan. Would-be candidates have been seeking the national spotlight. President Joe Biden has been clear that he plans to run for a second term in 2024. His political team is even getting ready for a spring reelection announcement, according to the Washington Post. But that hasn’t stopped the “will he really?” chatter, particularly after a New York Times poll found that 61 per cent of Democrats said they hoped someone other than Biden would be their nominee in 2024, largely because of his age and job performance. Democratic insiders are questioning whether Biden, 79, can mount a vigorous campaign in 2024 – especially if former President Donald Trump decides to run again. Despite the doubts, Biden is not expected to face a primary challenge given that it would alienate other people in the party as well as the donor class, said Mark Jones, Rice University (Houston, Texas) political science professor and Baker Institute fellow, the Insider said. “The norm is that you do not challenge a sitting president from your party,” Jones said. “That’s a major political faux pas. It either isn’t done, or if it is done it’s done more for political ambition – not to actually win, but to put the spotlight on yourself for other reasons.” A key factor helping Biden’s staying in power is Trump. The New York Times poll found that Biden would be favoured to win in another contest against Trump. “The belief is that if Biden beat Trump before, he can beat him again,” Jones said. If a Democrat were to try to primary Biden – and weaken him in the process – then that person would be blamed if a Republican, even Trump, were to win in 2024. But none of these factors rule out politicians’ making under-the-radar moves. If Biden somehow reverses his plans, that’ll mean the party will need to find a backup. Some ways that candidates begin to test the field through “invisible primaries” are by campaigning for other Democrats to build loyalty, particularly in swing districts. They also may appear at events in potential early voting states and offer noncommittal responses about whether they’ll support Biden in 2024, said Shawn Donahue, a University at Buffalo (New York) assistant professor of political science. Other ways are through grabbing headlines through weighing in on national debates, holding leadership roles in the party, and raising huge sums particularly from out-of-staters. In the case of governors interested in the White House, they’ll need to crush the opposition if they’re up for reelection this year, in November, the Insider said. “There will be a host of people who want to be waiting in the wings so the moment Biden says he’s not running they can sort of jump in,” Jones said. Even if Biden doesn’t change his mind, 2028 isn’t much further off. There are 15 politicians who are taking actions or gaining interest that might position them for a 2024 White House run if Biden changes his mind. And this includes the three top contenders, VP Kamala Harris, Florida Governor Gavin Newsom and senator Elizabeth. Source: IANS About Gopi Gopi Adusumilli is a Programmer. He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc. He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources. When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any. He can be reached at gopi@socialnews.xyz Read More Here

U.S. Justice Dept Seeks Fast Ruling In Trump Case https://digitalalaskanews.com/u-s-justice-dept-seeks-fast-ruling-in-trump-case/ U.S. Justice Dept seeks fast ruling in Trump case The Justice Department has asked an appeals court for an accelerated filing schedule. The government says it can’t access the 11,000 non-classified documents found during the search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Those documents could shed light on how the documents were sent to or stored. The U.S. Justice Department took steps to speed up its appeal of an order that put a special master in charge of reviewing the records the FBI took from the Florida estate of former President Donald Trump. In a court filing late Friday, the Justice Department said that it still can’t get to the non-classified documents, which is slowing down important parts of its investigation into why Trump kept government records at his Mar-a-Lago estate. The Justice Department has asked the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to make sure that all papers in the case are filed by November 11 and to hold any hearings that are needed as soon as the briefing is done. The government said that Trump’s lawyers are against the request. Taylor Budowich, a spokesperson for Trump, said in an email, “After having weeks to prepare their arguments, the DOJ is now picking a fight over a nine-day difference in filing deadlines that isn’t necessary.” The Justice Department said that it can’t look at the documents that were stored with the classified materials because it can’t access the about 11,000 non-classified documents that were found during the search. The government said that these non-classified records “may shed light” on how the documents were sent to or stored at the Mar-a-Lago estate and who might have gotten to them. According to a filing made on Friday, the records could also be used to prove that federal laws on obstruction and hiding or removing government records were broken. The Justice Department said that an accelerated schedule could help the government, if it wins the appeal, “resume its full investigation more quickly without limits on how it can look at and use evidence found with a legal search warrant.” The government lawyers also said that if the appeals court in Atlanta rules in favour of the Justice Department, it would end the lawsuits over the materials found during the search and the outside review of those documents. This review, which is being done by Senior U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie as a special master, is set to end on Dec. 16. This month, the appeals court sided with the Justice Department and overturned parts of U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s ruling that had stopped the department from using classified materials found during the search as part of its investigation. For example, the department couldn’t talk about the contents of the sensitive records in interviews with witnesses or present charges to a grand jury based on the sensitive records. As part of his case, the 11th Circuit also stopped Dearie from getting to the classified records. Even though the Justice Department didn’t agree, Cannon gave Trump’s request for a third party to look over the seized documents on September 5. This process has already been slowed down because Trump and the government haven’t been able to sign a contract with an outside vendor to host the documents as part of the review. Cannon also turned down Dearie’s request that Trump check the list of documents that were taken from the property. The former president’s lawyers said that this request went beyond what the special master could do. Trump has said, without proof, that FBI agents planted evidence when they searched his resort on August 8, but his lawyers have not made the same claims in court. Also Read Donald Trump urges Joe Biden to be ‘calm, cool, and dry’ in Nord Stream situation US President-elect Donald Trump has urged Vice President Joe Biden to be… Read More Here

National Archives Tells Congress Some Trump Records Still Unaccounted For https://digitalalaskanews.com/national-archives-tells-congress-some-trump-records-still-unaccounted-for/ The National Archives and Records Administration told the House Oversight Committee in a letter released Saturday that some Trump administration records have yet to be recovered. Why it matters: The disclosure comes as Trump’s legal team and the Justice Department wage a protracted legal battle over the ex-president’s alleged possession of documents he was meant to turn over to the Archives upon leaving office. Driving the news: In a letter to Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) dated Sept. 30, acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall wrote, “While there is no easy way to establish absolute accountability, we do know that we do not have custody of everything we should.” Wall specifically cited official business that was conducted “using non-official electronic messaging accounts that were not copied or forwarded into their official electronic messaging accounts” as an area of particular concern. “NARA has been able to obtain such records from a number of former officials and will continue to pursue the return of similar types of Presidential records from former officials,” Wall said. The letter comes in response to a Sept. 13 letter Maloney sent to Wall seeking an “urgent review” of “whether presidential records remain unaccounted for and potentially in the possession of the former president.” Yes, but: With regards to the specific documents Trump took to Mar-a-Lago, Wall deferred to the DOJ. “With respect to the second issue concerning whether former President Trump has surrendered all presidential records, we respectfully refer you to the Department of Justice in light of its ongoing investigation,” she wrote to Maloney. She also said the Archives will consult with the DOJ on whether to “initiate an action for the recovery of records unlawfully removed” – as in the case of the DOJ’s lawsuit against former White House adviser Peter Navarro in August. What they’re saying: “The National Archives has confirmed to the Oversight Committee that they still have not received all presidential records from the Trump White House,” Maloney said in a statement about the letter. “I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure that all presidential records from the Trump White House are returned to the custody of the government and to make sure these abuses never happen again.” Read More Here

Tudor Dixon Seeks A Culture War In Campaign Against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer https://digitalalaskanews.com/tudor-dixon-seeks-a-culture-war-in-campaign-against-michigan-gov-gretchen-whitmer/ By Eric Bradner and Donald Judd, CNN (CNN) — Tudor Dixon, the Republican taking on Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in November’s midterm election, is turning to tactics that have worked for other Republican winners in competitive governor’s races as she seeks to turn the race into a cultural battle over education, transgender athletes and more. But her clash with a well-funded Democratic incumbent governor — one taking place in a state where a referendum that would enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution has emerged as a dominant issue — is showcasing the limits of those efforts at cultural appeals to the moderate, suburban voters who could decide the race’s outcome. National Republicans have largely abandoned Dixon in the race’s closing weeks, leaving her outspent and floundering in one of the nation’s most important swing states. She’ll seek to change the race’s trajectory on Saturday when former President Donald Trump travels to Michigan for a rally in Warren with Dixon and other GOP candidates, including Matthew DePerno, who is challenging Attorney General Dana Nessel, and Kristina Karamo, who is taking on Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. Dixon, DePerno and Karamo have all parroted Trump’s lies about widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Dixon, a conservative commentator and first-time candidate, emerged from a crowded primary after receiving the financial support of former Trump education secretary Betsy DeVos’ family. The Michigan GOP megadonors funded a super PAC bolstering Dixon’s campaign. And Trump waded into the race in the closing days of the primary with a Dixon endorsement that came after a handwritten letter from DeVos urged him to back Dixon, as reported by The New York Times. “The Dixon campaign is seeking to get its name ID up and MAGA base fully engaged to close the polling gap and that is what they hope to gain from a Trump rally in Macomb County,” said John Sellek, a Republican public relations adviser and head of Harbor Strategic Public Affairs in Lansing. However, she has struggled to raise money and gain traction since her August primary victory. Whitmer’s campaign and her supporters have dwarfed Dixon in television advertising spending — and Dixon’s campaign is currently off the air in Michigan, underscoring the reality that major Republican donors have shifted their focus to other races they view as more winnable. Since the primary on August 2, Democrats have spent about $17.6 million on ads in the governor’s race, while Republicans have spent just $1.1 million, according to data from the firm AdImpact. And over the next month through election day, Democrats have $23.4 million booked while GOP has just $4.3 million booked. Early voting is already underway in Michigan. And in the governor’s race, Whitmer is widely viewed as the favorite by nonpartisan analysts. The race is rated as one that “tilts Democratic” by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales. The Cook Political Report and University of Virginia Center for Politics director Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball rate it as “likely Democratic.” “The battle has been fought on the Democrats’ terms with millions and millions of dollars, and there’s been essentially no effort to fight back,” Michigan-based Republican strategist John Yob said on the Michigan Information & Research Service Inc.’s “MIRS Monday” podcast this week. “On the Republican side, we’ve never faced this before. And, you know, it doesn’t look very good in terms of a way out unless some serious money gets on TV pretty quickly.” Dixon looks to shift focus away from abortion battle The most dominant issue in the governor’s race has been abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Court’s June decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Michigan’s Republican-led legislature has refused to change a 1931 law that would prohibit abortion in nearly all instances. Whitmer and other pro-abortion rights groups sued to block that law. And a Democratic-backed referendum that would amend Michigan’s constitution to guarantee abortion rights is on November’s ballot in the state. Dixon, who opposes abortion except when necessary to protect the life of the mother, has struggled to redirect the race’s focus. “You can vote for Gretchen Whitmer’s position without having to vote for Gretchen Whitmer again,” she told reporters last week, explaining that voters could support the referendum but oppose the incumbent governor. In an effort to shift the contest’s focus, Dixon’s campaign has borrowed tactics from Republican governors who have won in battleground states in recent years. For months, she has focused on parental control of schools’ curriculum, as well as school choice. It’s a message built on that of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, the Republican whose 2021 victory was an early harbinger of a potentially favorable political landscape for the GOP in this year’s midterm elections. “That’s why Gov. Youngkin’s message resonated,” Dixon said in an August interview on Fox News alongside Youngkin, who was campaigning in Michigan. “He said, ‘I’m listening to you. I want parents involved. And I’m going to bring you back into the schools,'” Dixon said. “That’s what people want to hear right now.” In her latest move to redefine the race, Dixon this week proposed two policies aimed at the LGBTQ community and schools. In Lansing on Tuesday, Dixon proposed a policy modeled after the controversial measure Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law earlier this year that critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law. “This act will require school districts to ensure that their schools do not provide classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in grades K through three, or in any manner that has not age- or developmentally appropriate,” Dixon told reporters, blasting what she called “radical sex and gender instruction.” Florida’s HB 1557, the Parental Rights in Education bill, passed earlier this year effectively bans teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms for young students. LGBTQ advocates say the measure has led to further stigmatization of gay, lesbian and transgender children, causing more bullying and suicides within an already marginalized community. Then, on Wednesday in Grand Rapids, she unveiled her proposal for a “Women’s Sports Fairness Act,” which wound ban transgender girls from competing in sports with the gender they identify with. “As a mother of four girls, nothing infuriates me more than the prospect of my daughters losing their friends and their teammates, losing opportunities in sports or otherwise, because some radically progressive politicians decided one day that they should have to compete against biological men,” she said. “Gretchen Whitmer has embraced the trans-supremacist ideology, which dictates that individuals who are born as men can be allowed to compete against our daughters.” Whitmer’s campaign has largely ignored Dixon’s proposals, and did not respond to a request for comment on them. Instead, Whitmer has in recent days emphasized her economic message and her support for abortion rights. Whitmer is leaning into policies enacted by Democrats in Washington in recent months, including the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden in August. Whitmer in September signed an executive directive capping insulin costs at $35 per month and out-of-pocket costs at $2,000 a year for Medicare recipients. And last week, Whitmer announced that student loan borrowers will not be taxed on the debt relief that Biden had ordered. Dixon jokes about Whitmer kidnapping plot What has dominated media coverage of the race in recent days, though, are a series of jokes Dixon has made about the 2020 kidnapping plot against Whitmer. A federal jury in August convicted two men of conspiring to kidnap Whitmer at her vacation home in 2020. They were also convicted of one count of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction after prosecutors detailed their plans to blow up a bridge to prevent police from responding to the kidnapping of the governor. The men now face a maximum sentence of life in prison. “The sad thing is that Gretchen will tie your hands, put a gun to your head, and ask if you’re ready to talk,” Dixon said at an event last week in Troy alongside Kellyanne Conway, a former Trump White House aide. “For someone so worried about being kidnapped, Gretchen Whitmer sure is good at taking business hostage and holding it for ransom.” After her comment drew backlash, Dixon joked again about the kidnapping plot at a second event Friday, this time with Donald Trump Jr., the son of the former President. She told a crowd that, at a stop with President Joe Biden at the Detroit Auto Show last week, Whitmer looked like she’d “rather be kidnapped by the FBI.” “Yeah, the media is like, ‘Oh my gosh, she did it again,'” Dixon said, anticipating the reaction to her second reference of the day to the 2020 kidnapping plot. As she told the crowd that her earlier remarks about the plot to kidnap Whitmer had been characterized as a joke, Dixon said: “I’m like, ‘No, that wasn’t a joke.’ If you were afraid of that, you should know what it is to have your life ripped away from you.” Whitmer’s campaign and Democratic groups condemned Dixon’s remarks Friday. “Threats of violence and dangerous rhetoric undermine our democracy and discourage good people on both sides of the aisle at every level from entering public service,” Whitmer campaign spokesperson Maeve Coyle said in a statement. “Governor Whitmer has faced serious threats to her safety and her life, and she is grateful to the law enforcement and prosecutors for their tireless work,” Coyle said. “Threats of violence — whether to Governor...

E-Paper Highlights: Read Headlines From The Echo Journal E-Editions Sept. 22-28, 2022 https://digitalalaskanews.com/e-paper-highlights-read-headlines-from-the-echo-journal-e-editions-sept-22-28-2022/ Take a look at just some of what was on the Echo Journal’s e-paper pages in the last week at www.pineandlakes.com Find Echo Journal e-editions at www.pineandlakes.com. Echo Journal Screenshot October 01, 2022 01:01 PM We are part of The Trust Project. Subscribers, be sure to activate your online access that is free as part of your print subscription by visiting pineandlakes.com/activate. For those who haven’t yet subscribed, consider doing so by visiting pineandlakes.com or calling 218-855-5897 to keep up not only with local news, but so much more offered in our daily e-papers. Here are highlights of what was published in the Echo Journal e-papers online in the past week. Each e-paper is seven to nine pages of bonus news from around the world, including national, state, business, entertainment and sports news. Thursday, Sept. 22: Vladimir Putin shocks Russian citizens with act of desperation. Federal Reserve goes big again with new rate hike. Queen Elizabeth’s funeral watched by 11.4 million people in the United States. Farewell to tennis star Roger Federer. Friday, Sept. 23: Powerless Puerto Rico swelters. Democrats score bipartisan win on public safety bills.  Saturday, Sept. 24: “All in the Family” would be impossible to pull off today. Tips to help you love where you live.  Sunday, Sept. 25: North Korea fires missile ahead of Vice President Harris’ visit. The effort to dim light pollution. Minnesota writer turned fascination with state revolutionary into a book. Here are 10 cost-saving tips for thrifty travelers. Monday, Sept. 26: Poll: Democrats say ditch Biden in 2024 while Trump is still the GOP favorite. Canadians clean up after Hurricane Fiona. A pro shares eight thrift store tips. NFL roundup of Sunday games. Tuesday, Sept. 27: Florida residents in the path of Hurricane Ian are urged to flee immediately. Former President Trump’s troubles worsen as he faces six legal landmines. This Federal Reserve policy you’ve never heard of could have the biggest effect on your wallet. Wednesday, Sept. 28: Find this week’s Echo Journal pages, along with extra pages of state, national, world, sports, business and entertainment news. Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “Pineandlakes Echo Journal.” Often, the “Pineandlakes Echo Journal” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story. Send us your news or story ideas by emailing nancy.vogt@pineandlakes.com or calling 218-855-5877. Be sure to leave a message! Read More Here

Former President Trump Campaigns In Warren For Michigan GOP Candidates https://digitalalaskanews.com/former-president-trump-campaigns-in-warren-for-michigan-gop-candidates/ Former President Trump campaigns in Warren for Michigan GOP candidates  WWMT-TV Read More Here

Truss Says Nord Stream Gas Pipeline Damage ‘clearly Sabotage’ https://digitalalaskanews.com/truss-says-nord-stream-gas-pipeline-damage-clearly-sabotage/ Liz Truss has said a series of explosions that severely damaged Russia’s undersea Nord Stream gas pipelines were an act of sabotage. In a joint report delivered to the United Nations last week, the Danish and Swedish governments have claimed that the leaks in the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which can carry gas to Germany, were caused by blasts equivalent to the power of “several hundred kilograms of explosive”. The UK prime minister was updated on developments in the situation unfolding in the Baltic Sea as she engaged in talks with her Danish counterpart, Mette Frederiksen, in Downing Street on Saturday. Suspicions have been rising in western capitals that the explosions on the pipelines were attacks carried out by Russia as a means of intensifying pressure in western governments over energy supplies. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has dismissed any such claims and said in a speech on Friday that “Anglo Saxons” were responsible. Calling the explosions a “terror attack”, Putin said the blasts were an attempt to “destroy the European energy infrastructure”. However, the US state department has called Putin’s comments “preposterous” and an act of “Russian disinformation”. Following the meeting between Truss and Frederiksen, a No 10 spokesperson said the leaders had stressed the importance of staying “united against Russia’s despicable action in Ukraine”. The spokesperson confirmed that the prime minister and her Danish counterpart had agreed that the incidents were “clearly an act of sabotage”, with Truss offering the UK’s support for the ongoing investigation. While neither leader sought to attribute responsibility for the incident, speaking to reporters outside No 10, Frederiksen said: “One of the reasons why I’m here today is because of the situation in the Baltic Sea, with Nord Stream 1 and 2. “I was able to give some details about what has happened in Denmark, or just outside Denmark. Of course, it has been very important for me to underline that the Danish authorities have said that this is not an accident. “This is sabotage and it is critical infrastructure. So of course, this is a very serious situation.” Neither of the Nord Stream pipelines is in operation although both still contain gas. Nord Stream 1 has not transported any gas since late August, when Russia closed it down for maintenance; Nord Stream 2 was halted after Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Read More Here

Before, After Images Show Hurricane Ian Storm Surge Completely Destroyed Some Sanibel Island, Florida Hotels | CNN https://digitalalaskanews.com/before-after-images-show-hurricane-ian-storm-surge-completely-destroyed-some-sanibel-island-florida-hotels-cnn/ CNN  —  Many beach cottages that lined the shores of Sanibel Island were wiped away by Hurricane Ian’s storm surge, new aerial imagery from NOAA shows. Most homes on Sanibel and Captiva islands are still standing, but appear to have sustained some form of roof damage, in addition to certain storm surge and flooding damage. Near the Casa Ybel Beach Resort, large scars in the sands are seen – the surge eroded much of the beach and dunes. An aerial view of beach erosion near Casa Ybel Beach Resort on Sanibel Island, Florida, before and after Hurricane Ian. NOAA If you are unable to see the images, click here. Shalimar Cottages & Motel is gone, too. Its 14 cottages and entire motel building were wiped away by the storm. At least four cottages – or what remains of them – are sitting in the street. An aerial view of the Shalimar Cottages & Motel on Sanibel Island, Florida, before and after Hurricane Ian. NOAA Mitchell’s SandCastles has also been completely destroyed. There are no buildings left and the property is covered in sand. An aerial view of Mitchell’s SandCastles on Sanibel Island, Florida, before and after Hurricane Ian. NOAA Only one building remains of the Waterside Inn on the Beach. The only thing remaining of the eight buildings on the property, which encircle the swimming pool, is debris. An aerial view of the Waterside Inn on Sanibel Island, Florida, before and after Hurricane Ian. NOAA The roofs of the four buildings that comprise Ocean’s Reach have sustained significant damage. It’s unclear how things fared inside the buildings, but a significant debris field is seen behind the buildings. The covered parking structure behind the buildings has been destroyed as well. An aerial view of the Ocean’s Reach on Sanibel Island, Florida, before and after Hurricane Ian. NOAA Even though storm surge is no longer covering Sanibel, a number of homes remain underwater located on the Sanibel Island Golf Club. An aerial view of Sanibel Island Golf Club, Florida, before and after Hurricane Ian. NOAA Read More Here

Mass. Man Breaks Topsfield Fair Giant Pumpkin Record https://digitalalaskanews.com/mass-man-breaks-topsfield-fair-giant-pumpkin-record/ But soon as I did that. Okay. Really? No, Okay. Massachusetts man breaks Topsfield Fair giant pumpkin record A Massachusetts man broke the Topsfield Fair giant pumpkin record with the size of his gourd, measured as part of the annual New England Giant Pumpkin Growers Contest. Jamie Graham of Tyngsborough had his pumpkin top the scales at 2,480 pounds. The previous record was 2,294.5 pounds, set by Alex Noel of Abington, Connecticut. The Salem News reports that Graham’s children dubbed the monster pumpkin Bear Swipe. Graham has been posting the pumpkin’s journey on his social media channels, including Instagram, YouTube and Tik Tok accounts.Graham won $6,500 for first place and received a $2,022 bonus for breaking the fair’s record, the Salem News reported. Noel came in second place in this year’s contest with a pumpkin weighing 2,234 pounds.The New England Giant Pumpkin weigh-off began at Topsfield Fair in 1984. That year the winning pumpkin, grown by Wayne Hackney of New Milford, Connecticut, weighed 433 pounds. TOPSFIELD, Mass. — A Massachusetts man broke the Topsfield Fair giant pumpkin record with the size of his gourd, measured as part of the annual New England Giant Pumpkin Growers Contest. Jamie Graham of Tyngsborough had his pumpkin top the scales at 2,480 pounds. The previous record was 2,294.5 pounds, set by Alex Noel of Abington, Connecticut. The Salem News reports that Graham’s children dubbed the monster pumpkin Bear Swipe. Graham has been posting the pumpkin’s journey on his social media channels, including Instagram, YouTube and Tik Tok accounts. Graham won $6,500 for first place and received a $2,022 bonus for breaking the fair’s record, the Salem News reported. Noel came in second place in this year’s contest with a pumpkin weighing 2,234 pounds. The New England Giant Pumpkin weigh-off began at Topsfield Fair in 1984. That year the winning pumpkin, grown by Wayne Hackney of New Milford, Connecticut, weighed 433 pounds. Read More Here

Minister To Open State-Level Wildlife Week Observance In Wayanad https://digitalalaskanews.com/minister-to-open-state-level-wildlife-week-observance-in-wayanad/ Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran will inaugurate the State-level wildlife week observance at Mary Matha Arts and Sciences College at Mananthavady at 3 p.m. on Sunday. Entry will be free for all visitors to zoos and wildlife sanctuaries in the State till October 8 as part of the observance, organisers said. The department will organise events such as bicycle rally, photo exhibition, exhibition of minor forest produce, and cultural programmes. The valedictory ceremony will be held at Holiday Home Auditorium at Kumily in Idukki district at 3. p.m. on October 8. Printable version | Oct 1, 2022 9:56:55 pm | https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/minister-to-open-state-level-wildlife-week-observance-in-wayanad/article65959026.ece © THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. Read More Here

Shying From Trump, Ex-Maine Gov. Paul LePage Seeks Job Back https://digitalalaskanews.com/shying-from-trump-ex-maine-gov-paul-lepage-seeks-job-back/ Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is welcomed to the stage by Maine Gov. Paul LePage at campaign stop in Portland, Maine, in this March 3, 2016 file photo. LePage, who moved to Florida after his second term, has returned to Maine to challenge Democratic Gov. Janet Mills. Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press YARMOUTH — When then-Maine Gov. Paul LePage endorsed Donald Trump in 2016, he credited himself as a prototype for the insurgent presidential candidate. “I was Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular, so I think I should support him since we are one of the same cloth,” said LePage, whose two terms in office were punctuated by brash behavior and frequently offensive comments. Now, as LePage is running for a third term after a brief retirement to Florida, he rarely talks about Trump in public, and his advisers say LePage’s hiatus from politics changed him. He’s eager to show he’s smoothed over some of his own rough edges, though flashes of his fiery personality broke through recently at an event at a riverfront boatyard in Yarmouth, where he pledged to take on Democratic “elitists.” “I came from the streets. I was a fighter all my life,” LePage told workers. “I had to scrimp and save to eat and survive. I am a fighter.” As LePage seeks to unseat Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and become the longest-serving governor in Maine history, he is banking on an approach familiar to other Republican candidates in liberal- and moderate-leaning states who are trying not to alienate swing voters they would need to win a general election. LePage’s efforts at putting distancing from Trump are particularly notable given LePage once invited comparisons to Trump – and made them himself. Democrats aren’t going to let voters forget LePage’s tumultuous time in office, when he occasionally acted and sounded a lot like Trump. LePage attracted national headlines when he told the Portland chapter of the NAACP to “kiss my butt,” made racist remarks about drug dealers who impregnate “white” girls and accused a lawmaker of screwing over state taxpayers “without providing Vaseline.” His critics point to a recent campaign event in which LePage threatened to “deck” a Democratic staffer who got too close to him — an incident, they say, that illustrates LePage hasn’t changed at all. The race is shaping up to be among a dozen or so competitive contests for governor this election year. The way in which the campaign plays out with voters weary of political ugliness may be a harbinger for Trump’s White House aspirations in 2024. LePage and Mills’ adversarial relationship goes back years. Mills, a 74-year-old moderate and the first woman elected governor of Maine, is a former two-term attorney general whose stint as the state’s top prosecutor coincided with LePage’s time as governor. The two clashed publicly, with Mills declining to represent LePage’s administration on some matters, forcing LePage to seek outside counsel to represent his interests in litigation. Her supporters portray her as a steady leader whose cautious COVID-19 policies helped guide the state through the worst pandemic in a century, with fewer coronavirus deaths per capita than most others. She expanded Medicaid – something LePage had blocked — and presided over the largest budget surplus in Maine history, which allowed the state to send $850 relief checks to most residents. Raised in poverty and homeless for a time as a boy, LePage, 73, is an unabashed conservative whose past controversies often overshadowed his political achievements, such as lowering the tax burden, shrinking welfare rolls, overhauling the pension system and paying back millions of dollars of hospital debt. He attacked Mills’ executive orders during the pandemic, including mandatory vaccines for health care workers, calling it a “reign of terror.” He’s called for a parental bill of rights in education, claimed Mill has allowed crime and drugs to proliferate and accused her of budgetary gimmicks that will cause problems in the future. He has promised to try again to eliminate the state’s income tax. When LePage left office in 2019, prevented from seeking a third consecutive term by the Maine Constitution, he declared he was decamping for Florida, where the taxes were lower, and leaving politics behind. He didn’t stay away long. Soon, he was headed back to Maine for what supporters described as “LePage 2.0.” LePage’s senior adviser Brent Littlefield said LePage was astounded when Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and that LePage fears the country is in danger of tearing itself apart. LePage issued a statement amid the violence supporting law enforcement and telling those involved in the riot “to leave and go home.” LePage served as Trump’s honorary state chairman and once sought a job in his administration, but he now won’t say whether he would vote for Trump for president if Trump runs again in 2024. Despite any private misgivings, however, LePage hasn’t condemned Trump. He declined an Associated Press interview request. The former governor made no reference to Trump while touring Yankee Marina & Boatyard, even though Trump remains popular in rural Maine, where he twice won an electoral vote while losing the statewide vote. Boatyard president Deborah Delp said LePage is needed at a time when her workers are suffering from high inflation and worried about the future. She said she can “handle some rough language” from LePage if he puts the economy on track. “Politicians are politicians. And he’s not a politician. He’s a businessman. He says what he thinks,” Delp said. Maria Testa, a Democrat from Portland, disagrees. “He’s bombastic and has a cruel temper. He’s such a big no for me,” Testa said. While campaigning, LePage largely tries to steer clear of Trump’s lies of a rigged 2020 election. LePage acknowledges that Biden is president but declines to address whether he thinks the election was legitimate. LePage also avoids the issue of abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion. Mills has pledged to fight to ensure women continue to have a right to a legal abortion in Maine. A third candidate for governor, independent Sam Hunkler, isn’t expected to play much of a role in the race, unlike deep-pocketed independent Eliot Cutler, who did in 2010 and 2014, when LePage won each election without a majority. Maine’s ranked-choice voting system won’t be a factor. It is used in federal congressional races but not in the governor’s contest because it runs afoul of the Maine Constitution. Betsy Martin, a retired health care administrator from Biddeford, said residents are feeling drained by the corrosive partisanship in a rural state with a tradition of moderate politics and independent voters. Some are tuning out altogether, she said. “They’re exhausted. They’re extremely fatigued. We’re worn out,” she said. Invalid username/password. Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration. Use the form below to reset your password. When you’ve submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code. « Previous Read More Here

Trump: McConnell Has 'death Wish' For Support For 'democracy-Sponsored Bills' – The Bharat Express News https://digitalalaskanews.com/trump-mcconnell-has-death-wish-for-support-for-democracy-sponsored-bills-the-bharat-express-news/ Former President Donald Trump is upping the ante in his attacks on Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, accusing the Kentucky Republican of having a “death wish” for supporting “democracy-sponsored bills”. On his Truth Social website on Friday, Trump also mocked McConnell’s Taiwan-born wife Elaine Chao — calling her McConnell’s “China-loving wife, Coco Chow!” Chao was Trump’s Secretary of Transportation but resigned after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in January 2021. Trump’s attacks on McConnell and his wife came hours after Congress approved and President Joe Biden signed an emergency funding bill to prevent a federal government shutdown, CNN reported. “Does McConnell approve all these trillions of dollars in Democrat-sponsored bills without the slightest negotiation, because he hates Donald J. Trump, and he knows I am strongly against it, or is he doing it because he believes in the false and very destructive Green New Deal, and is he willing to take the country down with him?” Trump wrote. “In any case, neither of these reasons is unacceptable. He has a DEATH WISH. Must immediately seek help and advice from his Chinese loving wife, Coco Chow!” The attack on McConnell comes less than a month before the midterm elections, and early voting is already underway in some states. Trump-backed candidates in Georgia, Arizona and other key states could play a big role in whether McConnell becomes the Senate majority leader if Republicans win the House in November. It was not clear which bills Trump criticized, or what he meant by accusing McConnell of backing the Green New Deal. McConnell has said he would support legislation to make it more difficult to undo certified presidential elections, a move that increases the chances of passage and puts him in direct conflict with Trump. Neither McConnell’s office nor Trump representatives were available for comment. The post Trump: McConnell has ‘death wish’ for backing ‘Democrat sponsored bills’ appeared first on New York Post. Read More Here

Chris Wallace Laughs It Up With Obama Jokewriter Judd Apatow Over ‘Your Beatdown Of Donald Trump And The Scars That It Left’ https://digitalalaskanews.com/chris-wallace-laughs-it-up-with-obama-jokewriter-judd-apatow-over-your-beatdown-of-donald-trump-and-the-scars-that-it-left/ CNN anchor Chris Wallace shared laughs with filmmaker Judd Apatow over the “beatdown” of then-mogul Donald Trump by President Barack Obama at the WHCD — that Apatow helped engineer. New episodes of Wallace’s series Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace premiered on HBO Max Friday, featuring in-depth interviews with filmmaker Judd Apatow, Chef José Andrés, and baseball great Alex Rodriguez. In the Apatow episode, Wallace dissected the filmmaker’s oeuvre, talked “cancel culture,” and covered a variety of other topics. He wrapped up by asking about that fateful 2011 dinner, which some wags peg as the moment Trump decided to seek the presidency: WALLACE: Finally, it has been suggested that you are responsible for Donald Trump becoming president of the United States. APATOW: How dare you? How dare you. WALLACE: And, you know, the the the allegation, the assertion, which I think even David Axelrod made, which was that you participated in writing jokes for Barack Obama for the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner, where he famously went after a fellow in the audience named Donald Trump and we have some of that. [CLIP] APATOW: There’s a funny part of that shot that I just noticed, it looks like Rick Scott but it might not be WALLACE: No, it was Rick Scott. I noticed that for the first time too, the Senator from… APATOW: With a sycophant looks like he’s literally doing this the whole time. Like, is he laughing? WALLACE: And this was, this is for a real estate mogul. He’s not anything in terms of politics at that point. You know, a lot of people say it was because of that beat down and that humiliation that Trump finally decided after flirting with it for a long time. Yeah, I’m gonna run. So my question is, Judd, has that been hard to live with? APATOW: I don’t believe that history is true. That was more. That was the night that they had Bin Laden was killed. WALLACE: The next night. APATOW: So what year was that? WALLACE: 2011. APATOW: 2011. So it was five years before it happened. And I think that he always was flirting with it. I saw the Roger Stone documentary and I think every four years, he almost got into the game. And I think his calculation to get into the game was not like, oh, four years ago, somebody made a joke. I think he’s certainly, as we’ve seen wanted to be in power. WALLACE: I think you are underestimating the power of your beatdown of Donald Trump and the scars that it left. Judd, Thank you. This has been a joy, keep making funny stuff. APATOW: Thank you and I will try to rock these endings a little bit harder. Okay, knowing you’re in your pajamas watching. Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace drops full episodes each Friday, and CNN airs a version recapping highlights of the episodes Sundays at 7 pm. Watch above via HBO Max and CNN. Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com Read More Here

Pa. Supreme Court Chief Justice Max Baer Dies At 74 https://digitalalaskanews.com/pa-supreme-court-chief-justice-max-baer-dies-at-74/ 12:14PM Obituaries PGe PG Store Archives Classifieds Classified Events Jobs Real Estate Legal Notices Pets MENU SUBSCRIBE LOGIN REGISTER LOG OUT MY PROFILE Home News Local Sports Opinion A&E Life Business Contact Us NEWSLETTERS ACCOUNT Subscribe Login Register Log out My Profile Subscriber Services Search SECTIONS HOME Homepage This Just In Chats Weather Traffic Event Guide PG Store PGe Video Photos The Digs RSS Feeds NEWS News Home Crimes & Courts Election 2022 Politics Education Health & Wellness COVID-19 Transportation State Nation World Weather News Obituaries News Obituaries Portfolio Science Environment Faith & Religion Social Services LOCAL Local Home City Region East North South West Washington Westmoreland Obituaries Classifieds Legal Notices Real Estate SPORTS Sports Home Steelers Penguins Pirates Sports Columns Gene Collier Ron Cook Joe Starkey Paul Zeise Pitt Penn State WVU North Shore Drive Podcast Riverhounds Maulers NFL NHL MLB NBA NCAA College Sports High School Sports OPINION Opinion Home Editorials Letters Op-Ed Columns PG Columnists Insight A&E A&E Home Celebrities Movies TV & Radio Music Concert Listings Theatre & Dance Art & Architecture Books Events LIFE Life Home Food Dining Recipes Drinks Buying Here Homes & Gardens goodness Random Acts of Kindness Seen Outdoors Style & Fashion Travel Holidays BUSINESS Business Home Building PGH Your Money Business Health Powersource Workzone Tech News Business / Law Other Business Consumer Alerts Business of Pittsburgh Top Workplaces OTHER PGe NEWSLETTERS PG STORE ARCHIVES CLASSIFIEDS OBITUARIES JOBS LEGAL NOTICES REAL ESTATE CLASSIFIEDS EVENTS PETS CONTACT US / FAQ CONTACT US ADVERTISING CAREER OPPORTUNITIES TOP Email a Story Your e-mail: Friends e-mail: Read More Here

Burkina Faso Coup: Gunshots In Capital And Roads Blocked https://digitalalaskanews.com/burkina-faso-coup-gunshots-in-capital-and-roads-blocked/ By Natasha Booty BBC News Image source, Radio Télévision du Burkina Image caption, World powers have criticised the soldiers behind the coup (pictured) Burkina Faso’s self-declared leader says the man he ousted a day ago in a coup is plotting a counter-attack. Col Ibrahim Traoré has also accused the French army of harbouring Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba at one of their bases – which French diplomats have denied. Gunshots have been heard in Burkina Faso’s capital city Ouagadougou and helicopters are circling overhead. Witnesses say troops have blocked main roads around the city and shops that had opened earlier are now shut. Friday’s apparent takeover had been announced on national TV and was the second time this year that the country’s army had seized power. On both occasions the coup leaders said they had to step in because national security was so dire. Burkina Faso controls as little as 60% of its territory, experts say, and Islamist violence is worsening. Since 2020 more than a million people have been displaced in the country due to the violence. The African Union has demanded the return of constitutional order by July 2023 at the latest, agreeing with the regional group Ecowas that the ousting of leader Lt Col Damiba was “unconstitutional”. Ecowas earlier said it was “inappropriate” for army rebels to seize power when the country was working towards civilian rule. Flanked by rebel soldiers in fatigues and black facemasks, army captain Col Traoré announced on national TV on Friday evening that they were kicking out Lt Damiba, dissolving the government and suspending the constitution. Ibrahim Traoré said Lt Col Damiba’s inability to deal with an Islamist insurgency was to blame. “Our people have suffered enough, and are still suffering”, he said. Little is known about Col Traoré, the 34-year-old soldier who led an anti-jihadist unit in the north called Cobra. His statement effectively declared himself the interim leader of Burkina Faso. But in Friday’s announcement came the promise that the “driving forces of the nation” would in time be brought together to appoint a new civilian or military president and a new “transitional charter”. Lt Col Damiba’s junta overthrew an elected government in January citing a failure to halt Islamist attacks, and he himself told citizens “we have more than what it takes to win this war.” But his administration has also not been able to quell the jihadist violence. Analysts told the BBC recently that Islamist insurgents were encroaching on territory, and military leaders had failed in their attempts to bring the military under a single unit of command. On Monday, 11 soldiers were killed when they were escorting a convoy of civilian vehicles in Djibo in the north of the country. The African Union has urged the military to “immediately and totally refrain from any acts of violence or threats to the civilian population, civil liberties, human rights”. The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) earlier condemned the move too, stating it “reaffirms its unreserved opposition to any taking or maintaining of the power by unconstitutional means”. The United States said it was “deeply concerned” by events in Burkina Faso and encouraged its citizens to limit movements in the country. France issued a similar warning to its more than 4,000 citizens living in the capital city Ouagadougou. “We call for a return to calm and restraint by all actors,” a US State Department spokesperson said. Image source, Reuters Image caption, Lt Col Damiba urged the population to remain calm after heavy gunfire was heard in parts of the capital on Friday In January, Lt Col Damiba ousted President Roch Kaboré, saying that he had failed to deal with growing militant Islamist violence. But many citizens do not feel any safer and there have been protests in different parts of the country this week. On Friday afternoon, some protesters took to the capital’s streets calling for the removal of Lt Col Damiba. The Islamist insurgency broke out in Burkina Faso in 2015, leaving thousands dead and forcing an estimated two million people from their homes. The country has experienced eight successful coups since independence in 1960. Read More Here

Tharoor-Kharge Contest Unlikely To Be A Close Race In Kerala https://digitalalaskanews.com/tharoor-kharge-contest-unlikely-to-be-a-close-race-in-kerala/ A.K. Antony’s support for Kharge could prove to be a game changer, say insiders; KPCC president says members can vote as per their will; Tharoor may get youngsters’ backing A.K. Antony’s support for Kharge could prove to be a game changer, say insiders; KPCC president says members can vote as per their will; Tharoor may get youngsters’ backing The contest between Shashi Tharoor, MP, and Mallikarjuna Kharge for the presidentship of the Congress party is yet to assume the contours of a narrow race in Kerala. Congress veteran A.K. Antony has seconded Mr. Kharge’s nomination, signalling that the veteran Dalit leader from Karnataka has the imprimatur of the Gandhi family. Many Congress insiders view Mr. Antony’s endorsement as a possible game changer that could buoy Mr. Kharge’s chances in Kerala. They believe that the lingering loyalty to the Gandhi family will sway the organisational elections in Mr. Kharge’s favour. Both contestants will likely spend the next fortnight fishing for votes in the 281-strong electoral college comprising Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) members. The political combat will unfold in a narrow battlefield circumscribed by the arguably inflexible framework of factional politics in the Congress in Kerala, triggering inner-party worry about another bitter grudge match between groups vying for ascendancy in the party. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor | Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA Many leaders identified with powerful factions in the KPCC have openly taken sides in the fixture. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said he would campaign for Mr. Kharge’s victory given the latter’s political credentials and Dalit background. Congress veteran Ramesh Chennithala and KPCC working president Kodikunnil Suresh have thrown their weight behind Mr. Kharge. KPCC president K. Sudhakaran has attempted to remain above the fray. He echoed the AICC’s stated position that KPCC members could exercise franchise as per their free will. Mr. Tharoor has cast the presidential race as a contest between change and continuity. His call to refashion Congress into a robust and contemporary election-winning machine has found political resonance among many leaders. Tharoor supporters M.K. Raghavan and Hiby Eden, both MPs, have pitched for Mr. Tharoor. So has K.S. Sabarinadhan, ex-MLA. The Tharoor camp has claimed the support of party veteran Thampanoor Ravi and former Minister V.S. Sivakumar. Both have not made their position public. Speculation was rife that many other youthful faces in the KPCC general body would flock to Mr. Tharoor’s banner. He had claimed that the election campaign would reveal the quantum of support he enjoyed in the party. Read More Here

Elon Musk Unveils Prototype Of Tesla’s Humanoid Robot Optimus, Says It Will Cost Less Than A Car https://digitalalaskanews.com/elon-musk-unveils-prototype-of-teslas-humanoid-robot-optimus-says-it-will-cost-less-than-a-car/ Elon Musk unveiled a prototype of Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus, part of an effort to shape perception of the company as more than just a car maker. The Tesla CEO said the robot is expected to cost less than a car. Photo: Tesla Updated Oct. 1, 2022 10:46 am ET Elon Musk showed off a new humanoid robot Friday at a Tesla artificial-intelligence event, part of the chief executive’s effort to shape public perception of the company as more than an electric-vehicle maker. Mr. Musk first laid out the vision for the robot, called Optimus, a little more than a year ago at Tesla’s first-ever AI day. At the time, a dancer in a costume appeared onstage. This time, Mr. Musk presented a prototype at the gathering that unfolded late Friday in Palo Alto, Calif. Read More Here