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W https://digitalalaskanews.com/w-4/ This November’s US elections are called “midterms” because the come in the middle of the president’s four-year term in office. While the president isn’t on the ballot, the midterms are seen as the American voters’ verdict on how the president is going and can have a major impact on their ability to legislate and govern. How many seats are up for grabs? All 435 members of the United States House of Representatives are elected for just two years to represent a particular district in their state. All seats are up for grabs at the midterms. The Senate is 100-strong with two representatives per state. Senators are typically elected to a six-year term, which means that every two years around one-third of the Senate faces re-election. Senators who win ‘special’ elections, such as Georgia Democrat Raphael Warnock, or have been appointed to serve out another senator’s term, may have to face voters sooner. The state of the Senate Heading into November, President Biden’s Democratic party holds fifty Senate seats. This means they often rely on Vice-President Kamala Harris to break a tie and pass laws through a process called reconciliation. They sometimes get support from Republicans, but not much. They are more likely to face a filibuster, which requires a super-majority of 60 votes – making legislating even harder. The other important thing the Senate does is confirm the president’s nominees to become federal and Supreme Court judges. These are lifetime appointments and can affect the course of the nation for generations. If the president’s party loses their Senate majority, their judicial choices will tend to become more centrist and moderate. What’s happening with the House? The US House of Representatives isn’t quite as tight as the Senate, but almost. Biden’s Democrats hold 220 seats, the Republicans hold 211. There are four vacancies after one Democrat and one Republican resigned, and two Republicans died during their term in office. Will history repeat itself? History suggests the Democrats are in real danger of losing their majorities in both the house and senate. In the 19 midterm elections since World War II, the president’s party has improved its share of the House vote just once – and picked up seats just twice. In the aftermath of 9/11 and the ousting of the Taliban from Afghanistan, George W Bush enjoyed a 63 per cent approval rating and his Republican party picked up six House seats. Bill Clinton’s approval was three points higher in 1998, and the Democrats netted five seats. But they were the exception. Every other modern midterm vote has seen the president’s party lose ground, including those with high popularity like Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush And the big worry for Joe Biden is that with around 42 per cent approval, his popularity is close to where Donald Trump’s was four years ago when Republicans lost forty seats. The average midterm loss for the president’s party in the past 50 years is 23 house seats. Historically, the Senate is slightly better for the president’s party. Since World War II they’ve gained ground four times in midterms, held their ground twice – but still lost seats on 13 occasions. What factors are influencing the midterm vote? In a non-compulsory voting system like America’s, elections hinge on who turns up to vote. Often supporters of the out-of-power party get motivated to cast a ballot, while supporters of the party in office can become disillusioned and just stay home. President Biden is facing a potential backlash for decisions such as pushing ahead with the agreement to end the US presence in Afghanistan brokered by his predecessor Donald Trump, clearing the way for a return of the Taliban. Biden has also signed into law several billion dollars’ worth of spending on COVID-19 relief, infrastructure, and climate change measures which some believe helped fuel inflation. On the other hand, outrage at the June decision of the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade – the constitutional right to abortion access in the first trimester – may see Biden’s Democrats defy history. Biden’s personal approval has rebounded nearly five points since the ruling, and the Republicans have lost their two-point lead in the average of generic congressional polls – the Democrats are now 1.5 points ahead. Is Trump still a key player? Another factor may be the Republicans’ choice of candidates. In several key contests which could decide the senate majority, unconventional and inexperienced Trump-backed Republicans – like former footballer Herschel Walker in Georgia, and TV doctor Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania – are struggling in races they were expected to win. These elections are as much a referendum on Donald Trump as they are on Joe Biden – and could decide whether a Trump-Biden rematch is on the cards in 2024. What else do I need to know? There are also elections for governors and other office holders in thirty-six American states and three territories this November. Those contests could have a significant impact on future presidential races, with Democratic governors such as California’s Gavin Newsom and Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer pondering White House bids. Nevertheless, there is good news for President Biden. History also suggests a defeat for Democrats won’t necessarily affect his chances of winning a second term if he runs in 2024. In the last century, almost twice as many sitting presidents who stood for election, won rather than lost, and all but two of them had suffered midterm losses along the way. Watch Planet America with John Barron and Chas Licciardello on ABC News, Mondays at 9.35pm or catch up anytime on ABC iview. Read More Here

Letters To The Editor For Sept. 25 https://digitalalaskanews.com/letters-to-the-editor-for-sept-25/ PA must join the RGGI There is no denying that the impacts of climate change — stronger storms, increased flooding, drought, and other unnatural disasters — are already hitting our state. Millions of people are affected by these events, losing their homes, livelihood, and health. They could be you or me. Carbon pollution from electric power plants is a leading contributor, and Pennsylvania produces more of it than all but four states in the country. But there is good news: solutions to climate change abound and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is one of them. Pennsylvania must be allowed to join. RGGI is an effort among 11 states to reduce CO₂ emissions from power plants within their bounds through a regional cap on carbon pollution. These states have reduced emissions by more than 50% — twice as fast as the national average — and raised over $4 billion to invest into local communities. RGGI would make a major dent in Pennsylvania’s carbon pollution, reducing it by 25% by 2030, while creating over 27,000 jobs and adding nearly $2 billion to our economy (rggi.org and news.bloomberglaw.com). By delaying joining RGGI this year, Pennsylvania missed out on over $250 million in revenue. Currently, RGGI’s fate is in the hands of the courts. If the courts rightfully decide PA can join, I urge our legislators not to further obstruct it — they do their constituents a disservice by not investing in their communities and by denying us this opportunity to be a part of the solution to climate change. Martha Gopal Langhorne Ashley Ehasz for Congress Our congressman is not speaking up or voting for the rights and justice that we believe Americans should demand. He has shown that he does not support women by voting no when the Women’s Health Protection Act passed in the House of Representatives but failed in the Senate not gaining the required 60 votes. He has not done enough about the disgraceful demonizing of the Justice Department and his former colleagues at the FBI as they do their duty. To protect health care for women and defend our laws and national security, make your voice heard loud and clear this Nov. 8 by voting for Ashley Ehasz for PA-01. Say no to Donald Trump’s sycophants. Say no to forced birth. Send West Point graduate and U.S. Army veteran Apache helicopter pilot Ashley Ehasz to speak proud and strong for us in Washington D.C. in 2023. Tinicum Together Leslie Carson Mindy Engle-Friedman Mary Pucci Ros Cahill Triste Longcore Speak out against overdevelopment As a member of a local cycling club, I have the opportunity to ride through the bucolic beauty of Upper Bucks County. Unfortunately, that beauty is being spoiled at an alarming rate due to the seemingly unchecked rate of development. Overdevelopment in the county is leading to strains in infrastructure as well as strains on ecosystems and agriculture. Overdevelopment leads to an increase in the loss of natural habitat crucial to maintaining biodiversity in both plant and animal species. This in turn leads to a loss in vibrant ecosystems that support an overall healthy environment. Maintaining soil and natural vegetation is crucial to clean waterways and critical for flood control. As more hard surfaces are built — roads and parking lots — runoff from storms increase leading to additional urban flooding. This becomes more of an issue as storms have been increasing in intensity due a warming climate. Much in the same way development has led to degradation of ecosystems, agricultural land is also being lost. In the past 50 years, Bucks County has lost nearly 70% of its agricultural land. As I frequently cycle through some of the most idyllic settings in the county, I am saddened by the potential loss of this aesthetic pleasure and irreplaceable resource. Careful thought needs to be given before more development is pursued. Growth is not always beneficial. Growth should not have negative impacts on the environment nor the citizens who may be impacted. The growth in this county does not fulfill either of those requirements. Dave Porigow Hilltown Nonprofits can help navigate gun violence crisis There are two Philadelphia local nonprofit organizations that can help with our current gun violence crisis. Urban Navigation is a community organization developed to help slow down our City of Philadelphia’s gun violence. The methods served are for the youth to build successful and productive violence-free lives. We connect with our youth through their interests to engage them toward better lives, while also reducing crime and improving environments. Urban Navigation provides experiences and training within the youths’ culture, leading to technical skills, entrepreneurial mentorship, life skills training, additionally providing mentorship and guidance to ATV/dirt bike riders. Training and mentorship can be provided at Billy Penn Studios Room 210. This studio accommodates a platform for creative minds such as having podcasts, office space, media/music studio, virtual reality facility, or rest area. Enhancing technical skills can be supplied at Philadelphia Technical Training Institute. The essence of Urban Navigation is people who want to make changes. The Race for Peace Committee is a nonprofit organization formed to reinforce the lives of residents in all communities through programs, resources and activities for the family, and to reach an understanding between law enforcement and the communities they serve. For more information visit websites urbannav.com, billypennstudios.com, and raceforpeace.org. Alim Howell Delaware County Trump’s ‘declassified’ documents Regarding Donald Trump’s desire to “declassify” so many secret documents, I read that Donald Rumsfeld — at or about the time of George W. Bush — scripted the rhetoric for presidential declassifications. Its basic purpose (at the time) was to allow an outgoing president access to more material (juicier) when penning their memoirs. Juicy books or national security? I don’t believe people always consider the greater importance of “sustained” national security. When someone works for the CIA, they’re not permitted to ever reveal anything of substance. The presidency requires honor and surely no less commitment. Lyn Alexander Willow Grove Read More Here

Erickson: Sitting On The Cash https://digitalalaskanews.com/erickson-sitting-on-the-cash/ Erick Erickson The dictionary defines “grift” as “a petty or small-scale swindle.” What is happening to the Republican Party trumps that and jeopardizes the Republican takeover of Congress. Not enough people are willing to discuss it. The financial disclosure numbers are out. Combined, the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee have $80 million. Again, that is the combined amount of both parties. Former President Donald Trump’s Save America PAC has $99 million in cash, more than both major political parties. Unfortunately for Trump’s endorsed candidates like Herschel Walker in Georgia, Adam Laxalt in Nevada, Blake Masters in Arizona and Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, the former president has chosen to pay his legal and travel bills, not fund his preferred candidates. According to the financial disclosure report, Save America PAC spent around $150,000 to beat Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., in her primary, $3.8 million on legal fees and $800,000 on travel and events. Republicans in the Senate, scrambling to take back that house of Congress, have had to make cuts. Masters is one of those candidates from whom the GOP is moving on. Publicly, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says other conservatives are stepping up so McConnell can focus on other races. Privately, Masters has not been a great candidate and Trump has not stepped up to help. McConnell wants to win the Senate, not save Trump’s candidates from themselves. Masters can still win, but he needs Trump and others to help. When the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago, Republicans saw their polling in the generic ballot collapse. They went from leading to trailing Democrats. Even if the polling is wrong, most pollsters agree poll trends are pretty reflective of reality. If so, the more Trump is the center-stage attraction, the worse the GOP performs. In Georgia and Nevada, two states Trump lost, Republicans are ahead of their Democrat rivals. Considering national polls tend to have a bias for Democrats, with Joe Lombardo ahead in Nevada for governor and Adam Laxalt ahead for Senate; Kerri Lake ahead for governor in Arizona; and Brian Kemp ahead for governor in Georgia with Herschel Walker tied, one must wonder how they can do so well in states Democrats managed to steal in 2020. Trump supporters will say, “Just wait,” but of course, if they do win then it is either further evidence it was not stolen, or only Trump is capable of having an election stolen from him. Either way, it is time to move forward and move on. The constant media obsession about Trump is designed to throw the GOP off its game. During August, it worked. But the party regrouped and is set to win the House and likely pick up the Senate. They’ll do so with Trump holding on to his $99 million, undoubtedly still willing to take credit for victories. Republicans have been in a transactional relationship with a man who gave them a lot of good public policy and judges. But that transaction has come at a cost — mostly distraction and self-absorption. As we move past 2022 and head into 2024, the party really must ask itself if it wants a second round with a man who, if he wins, could only serve four years. Literally any other Republican has the potential for eight years. Some Republicans now argue a Trump ticket with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis makes sense. Except Trump moved his residency to Florida. The United States Constitution penalizes presidential tickets where both the presidential and vice-presidential nominees are from the same state. That state’s Electoral College votes do not count. That would start the GOP with a 30-vote deficit in the Electoral College. Trump did a lot of good for the GOP. He saved the country from Hillary Clinton. He eliminated Iran’s terror master. He ensured the nation could move beyond the shadow of Roe v. Wade. He stopped a humanitarian crisis at the border President Joe Biden has recreated. Now, as the GOP fights to win, he sits on $99 million better deployed saving America from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Biden. If Trump won’t use that money to help his own endorsed candidates, it might be time for Republican donors and voters to redirect their attention elsewhere. To find out more about Erick Erickson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com. Newsletter Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter. Read More Here

Is A Beer Shortage On Tap? Inflation And Supply Chain Pressures On Brewers Are Intensifying https://digitalalaskanews.com/is-a-beer-shortage-on-tap-inflation-and-supply-chain-pressures-on-brewers-are-intensifying/ We have endured no shortage of shortages recently. There was toilet paper and computer chips, followed by tampons and baby formula. Could the next shortage involve beer? The potential arises as beer makers, big and small, are under pressure from a confluence of inflation and several supply chain issues. Some breweries have found it challenging to get carbon dioxide (CO2), which is used to clean tanks and carbonate beer. When they do get it, the price is often higher, sometimes twice what they used to pay. Also rising: the price of other ingredients such as malted barley and the cost to ship that and other products. All this could lead to higher beer prices. And, it could result in some of your favorite beers being out of stock or not on tap. “I don’t know if I can think of a scenario where there’d be no beer from a brewery, but I can understand a scenario where there would be a limited or smaller offering, as beer has a short shelf life,” said Chuck Aaron, owner and founder of Jersey Girl Brewing in Hackettstown, N.J. The environment is challenging enough that it could force some breweries to close. “This could certainly be a factor in closures,” Bart Watson, chief economist for the Brewers Association, told USA TODAY. In a mid-year survey of the association’s membership – about 5,600 U.S. small and independent breweries – some brewers’ sentiments amounted to, “we’re selling as much beer as we were pre-pandemic, but making far less on that beer, and we’re unsure how long that is sustainable,” Watson said. Gas prices go up after declines: Here’s where gas is cheapest and most expensive What’s it mean for you?: Fed hikes interest rate 0.75 percentage point to tame inflation Why could there be a beer shortage? Because breweries, which are accustomed to some supply chain struggles, face a growing list of headaches. The price and availability of aluminum cans became increasingly volatile as cans became critical to breweries’ survival. Many had pivoted to curbside pickup and offsite distribution during the national shutdown brought on by COVID-19. Conor Provost of Bluejacket brewery in Washington, D.C., puts beer in a car in April 2020. The brewpub began offering curbside pickup and delivery of beer and food at the onset of the coronavirus shutdown. Similarly, the supply of CO2 has “remained tight since the shortages in the Spring of 2020,” Watson said in a recent report. Breweries have often got less than they ordered – or worse, not had promised amounts delivered at all. Now, inflation has driven up the entire cost of breweries’ shopping list, just as it has for all Americans.  That means breweries are likely paying more for CO2, cans, paper goods, malt (grains needed for making beer), and hops. “What’s unprecedented is the number of areas where we are seeing challenges,” Watson told USA TODAY. Inflation: No more steak. Ordering out less. Here’s how inflation is squeezing American diets. Settle Down Easy Brewing Co. in Falls Church, Virginia hasn’t been hit hard by CO2 price increases, but is paying an additional two cents per can for its canning line, purchased during the pandemic, said co-owner Frank Kuhns. But other price increases have hit harder including $150-$300 “gas travel” fees for each delivery from suppliers, and labor and equipment costs of 30% to 40% more than originally budgeted, for the construction of a second Northern Virginia location a few miles away in Oakton, Virginia. So far, “we have made the decision to hold and not pass these increases onto the customer and instead look for new suppliers or cutting costs without sacrificing quality,” Kuhns said. Frank Kuhns, co-owner of Settle Down Easy Brewery Co., in Falls Church, VA. Despite the dilemma, the nation’s beer taps won’t likely run dry. But they could be tempered, he said. “I’m not sure I’d go so far as to say there will be shortages. Individual producers may have issues, but this isn’t so widespread that you’re going to see empty beer shelves,” Watson said. “I think the beer brand that consumers want occasionally being out of stock is closer to accurate. And brewers might make different or fewer beers.” Why is carbon dioxide needed to make beer? Most beer lovers know that brewers use CO2 to carbonate beer. But CO2 also is used to clean fermentation tanks and keep oxygen out before they are refilled. “Oxygen is the devil of beer and will kill a beer if you have oxygen in it,” Aaron said. But many breweries have had a devil of a time getting the CO2 they need. A main contributor is that a natural source of CO2, the Jackson Dome, an extinct volcano in Mississippi, “is facing a contamination issue with the raw gas from the mine creating a significant decrease in available food grade CO,” Watson told brewers in a July report. High demand and some shutdowns at ammonia plants, which create and capture CO2 to sell to other industries, has compounded the shortage. So have rail disputes, which have disrupted deliveries, wrote Forbes columnist Richard Howells, a supply chain executive. “Yes, you heard right,” Howells wrote. “In this era, of trying to reduce emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere, we are actually going to have a shortage of the CO2 that provides the carbonation so loved by millions of concerned beer drinkers.” How are breweries coping with the CO2 shortage? Most have had to pay more for CO2, while many have had to find alternate suppliers. And if a brewer cannot get enough, that could lead to some beers not getting made, said Tomme Arthur, co-founder and chief operating owner of Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey in San Diego County, California. “I don’t expect the grocery aisles to be missing 18 packs of lager,” he said. “But your local craft brewer is certainly at risk for having to adjust brewing schedules and deliverables based on this lack of CO2 and the need for it in so many of the brewing practices.” At Jersey Girl Brewing, the cost has doubled over the the past year, from about 20 cents a pound to 44 cents. Aaron said he has been “watching the invoice price creep up and up and up as we fill” the brewery’s bulk tanks capable of holding 1,500 pounds of the gas. Aaron has also had to decide not to make some beers, such as a Helles lager, because the German grains needed were too costly with increased shipping prices. And some beers needing New Zealand International hops have not been produced. “Hopefully once the prices come back in line, we’ll be able to reintroduce those into the market,” he said. Chuck Aaron, owner and founder of Jersey Girl Brewing Co., of Hackettstown, N.J., at left, and Mike Bigger, partner and vice president. Earlier this week, Axios reported that a “U.S. beer shortage looms with gap in carbon dioxide supply.” It also noted that some breweries have equipment to capture the CO2 emitted in the brewing process, but it is very expensive. Also vying for CO2: Other industries including carbonated beverage makers and food manufacturers.  “As we have learned, brewers are a relatively small user of CO2 in the grand scheme of things,” Watson said. What’s everyone talking about?: Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day Could beer become more expensive? It already has. The makers of Miller Lite and Coors Light, and Bud Light – as well as Stella Artois – have all raised prices recently. But beer prices are up far less than the cost of production. The price of beer purchased to drink at home had risen about 5% as of August 2022, compared to August 2021, according to the Consumer Price Index. That’s higher than whiskey (3%), wine (2.5%), and other spirits (1.2%). Another barometer of pricing: The average cost to consumers for beer has risen 3.4%, over the past year for the equivalent of a 24-pack of 12 oz. cans, based on prices for the week ending Sept. 10, 2022, according to Nielsen IQ. Beer price increases have also remained below that of other consumer goods – overall, prices increased 8.3% compared to a year ago, and food rose 11.4%. Price hikes have not “stopped consumers from trading up to” craft beers, imported beers or canned cocktails and seltzers, said Bump Williams, a beverage industry consultant. Consumers have also been buying more 12-packs and single-serving cans as they have been “changing their purchase behavior with inflation going up, interest rates going up, gas prices going up, and a declining stock market turning 401k’s into 201k’s,” Williams said. “So folks are managing their affordable luxury expenditures a bit differently today.” The flagship beers of Jersey Girl Brewing Co. in Hackettstown, N.J. Could the price of cans also affect beer supply? Probably indirectly, since aluminum prices are just one of several costs brewers see increasing. Costs of cans “are still much higher than they were and I believe once prices go up the way we’ve experienced them, you tend not to see them come back down,” Aaron said. While there has been less volatility recently, some breweries had to find a new supplier when Ball Corp., one of the nation’s largest can manufacturers, earlier this year raised its minimum requirements for customers, citing unprecedented demand. “We were sent scrambling to find an alternative supplier,” which charges 1.5 cents more per unit, Arthur said. “A truck load of cans is approximately 156,000 units so the pennies add up,”  he said. “I have never seen this level of inflationary pressures combined with outright shortages. It’s bonkers to put it mildly,” Arthur said. “I suspect that nearly every brewery in town is being jammed on the same fronts.” Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Beer: Could there be a shortage? Inflation, supply chain issues...

Elijah McClain Died Of Ketamine Shot From Medics, Amended Autopsy Says https://digitalalaskanews.com/elijah-mcclain-died-of-ketamine-shot-from-medics-amended-autopsy-says/ Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man whose death in 2019 after an encounter with police helped fuel calls for law enforcement accountability, died because paramedics injected him with a dose of ketamine that was too high for someone his size, according to an amended autopsy report publicly released Friday. The conclusion is a drastic departure from the original autopsy report, released several months after the fatal confrontation in Aurora, Colo., which said there was not enough evidence to determine how McClain died. The new findings are based on evidence, including police body-camera footage and other records, that a pathologist for the county said he requested in 2019 but did not get. Though it still lists the manner of death as “undetermined” — as opposed to a homicide or an accident — the report could bolster the prosecution of the police and first responders charged in McClain’s death and reignite calls for greater accountability from the city. McClain, a massage therapist and self-taught musician, was walking home in August 2019 when he was detained by police responding to a 911 call that someone was acting “sketchy.” Officers tackled him and put him in a carotid chokehold, which restricts blood flow to the brain. Paramedics injected him with ketamine, a powerful sedative. He went into cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital and died several days later. In the amended autopsy report, forensic pathologist Stephen Cina said the ketamine injection was excessive for McClain, who stood about 5-f00t-7 and weighed 140 pounds. A review of body-camera footage that police did not provide during the initial autopsy showed that McClain was “extremely sedated” within minutes, according to Cina. He said he thought McClain was struggling to breathe as he lay on a stretcher and that respiratory arrest was “imminent.” “Simply put, this dosage of ketamine was too much for this individual and it resulted in an overdose, even though his blood ketamine level was consistent with a ‘therapeutic’ blood concentration,” Cina wrote. “I believe that Mr. McClain would most likely be alive but for the administration of ketamine.” It was not clear whether the carotid hold contributed to his death, Cina said, noting that medical literature suggested it would not have. He said that he saw nothing on McClain’s neck that showed he died of asphyxiation and that McClain could speak after the officers let him up. Cina also noted that McClain was “alive and responsive to painful stimuli” up to the point that he received the ketamine shot. “It is my opinion that he likely would have recovered if he did not receive this injection,” he said. Deaths related to ketamine toxicity are usually classified as accidents, according to the report, but Cina said the manner would remain “undetermined” because other factors could have played a role. He added: “I acknowledge that other reasonable forensic pathologists who have trained in other places may have developed their own philosophy regarding deaths in custody and that they may consider the manner of death in this type of case to be either homicide or accident.” In an emailed statement to The Washington Post, an Aurora police spokesman said the department “fully cooperated with the investigation.” A representative for Aurora emergency services did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Saturday morning. Prosecutors initially declined to charge anyone in McClain’s death, citing the lack of evidence in the original autopsy. Some officials, medical experts and criminal justice advocates criticized prosecutors for not seeking a second medical opinion to avoid an “undetermined” manner of death. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) appointed a special prosecutor to reopen the case, and a grand jury was empaneled to consider criminal charges. During the proceedings, the investigation of McClain’s death came under greater scrutiny when Colorado Public Radio reported that the county coroner had met with police before the autopsy was released and that police investigators were present during the examination. In September 2021, charges were announced against three Aurora police officers and two paramedics. The defendants are expected to enter pleas in November. Evidence that emerged during the grand jury proceedings prompted the coroner to alter the original autopsy report, but the changes remained secret for more than a year. The amended version released Friday was made public under a court order after Colorado Public Radio and several other media outlets sued to get access to it. McClain’s case drew little interest outside Colorado until the May 2020 murder of George Floyd by then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. McClain’s death became a rallying cry in the months of protests that followed. Friends and family remembered him as a gentle person who would use his lunch break to play violin for animals at a local shelter. Aurora last year agreed to pay $15 million to settle a lawsuit by McClain’s family. The city also banned the chokehold used in his arrest and is considering a ban on ketamine. Read More Here

US Forecast https://digitalalaskanews.com/us-forecast-81/ 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;68;48;67;55;Afternoon t-storms;SSE;8;69%;95%;2 Albuquerque, NM;82;56;81;58;Mostly cloudy;ESE;10;33%;1%;4 Anchorage, AK;53;43;52;40;A couple of showers;NNE;8;75%;87%;1 Asheville, NC;73;53;74;53;A stray p.m. t-storm;WNW;6;66%;51%;2 Atlanta, GA;81;61;79;61;Mostly cloudy;W;7;60%;31%;4 Atlantic City, NJ;70;61;79;63;Windy with some sun;SW;19;54%;62%;5 Austin, TX;95;72;97;73;Sunny and hot;SSE;2;55%;6%;7 Baltimore, MD;73;60;80;62;A shower and t-storm;W;9;54%;74%;4 Baton Rouge, LA;96;73;95;72;Clouds and sun, warm;S;6;61%;19%;6 Billings, MT;76;50;76;52;Sunny and beautiful;SSE;7;38%;1%;4 Birmingham, AL;86;66;83;61;A shower or two;NNW;7;63%;84%;2 Bismarck, ND;70;48;68;40;Partly sunny, breezy;NW;14;42%;1%;4 Boise, ID;81;52;84;55;Plenty of sunshine;ENE;7;26%;0%;5 Boston, MA;69;52;72;60;A p.m. thunderstorm;S;9;56%;80%;3 Bridgeport, CT;69;53;74;59;A p.m. t-storm;SW;10;61%;82%;2 Buffalo, NY;65;55;64;56;Windy with showers;W;18;82%;100%;1 Burlington, VT;67;48;66;56;A few p.m. showers;SSE;9;65%;96%;2 Caribou, ME;63;44;65;48;Mostly sunny;S;7;59%;90%;4 Casper, WY;74;38;73;40;Nice with sunshine;ESE;5;43%;1%;5 Charleston, SC;81;66;85;71;Sunny and nice;SSW;7;60%;18%;6 Charleston, WV;77;59;77;53;A couple of showers;WSW;10;71%;89%;3 Charlotte, NC;79;58;78;58;A t-storm around;WSW;7;61%;42%;4 Cheyenne, WY;74;42;69;46;Nice with sunshine;SSW;8;34%;1%;5 Chicago, IL;72;59;68;54;A couple of showers;WNW;19;66%;85%;2 Cleveland, OH;67;61;67;57;Windy with showers;W;19;79%;100%;1 Columbia, SC;82;61;86;64;Lots of sun, nice;WSW;8;51%;43%;6 Columbus, OH;70;59;70;52;Windy with a shower;W;18;67%;82%;2 Concord, NH;66;42;69;53;An afternoon shower;SSE;6;67%;89%;3 Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX;97;75;95;68;Partly sunny, warm;NNE;7;47%;12%;6 Denver, CO;81;48;76;50;Sunny and nice;N;6;28%;1%;5 Des Moines, IA;83;55;74;49;Winds subsiding;NNW;16;48%;0%;5 Detroit, MI;65;56;68;52;A couple of showers;W;9;75%;97%;1 Dodge City, KS;87;55;80;50;Sunny and pleasant;NNE;12;42%;0%;5 Duluth, MN;58;52;65;46;Winds subsiding;NW;16;67%;45%;4 El Paso, TX;94;69;87;69;Partly sunny;E;8;33%;9%;6 Fairbanks, AK;50;33;53;34;Partly sunny;N;5;68%;30%;2 Fargo, ND;65;51;64;42;Mostly sunny, breezy;NNW;15;51%;0%;4 Grand Junction, CO;79;49;82;51;Sunny and delightful;ESE;6;29%;0%;5 Grand Rapids, MI;62;54;64;51;A couple of showers;WNW;11;84%;95%;1 Hartford, CT;71;49;73;58;A p.m. t-storm;SSW;8;64%;89%;3 Helena, MT;73;46;77;48;Partly sunny;SW;4;48%;0%;4 Honolulu, HI;88;74;89;75;Partial sunshine;ENE;7;62%;29%;9 Houston, TX;95;75;94;76;Mostly sunny and hot;SSW;5;60%;15%;7 Indianapolis, IN;76;63;72;53;Windy with a shower;WNW;18;56%;43%;3 Jackson, MS;92;71;94;67;Partly sunny;NNE;6;55%;12%;6 Jacksonville, FL;90;68;88;71;Sunlit and pleasant;SSE;6;58%;8%;7 Juneau, AK;54;50;55;52;Rain;E;9;90%;100%;1 Kansas City, MO;87;60;79;53;Mostly sunny, breezy;WNW;13;45%;0%;5 Knoxville, TN;79;62;78;54;A stray p.m. t-storm;W;9;72%;52%;2 Las Vegas, NV;97;72;98;72;Sunny and hot;NW;7;12%;0%;6 Lexington, KY;76;62;79;54;Windy in the p.m.;W;15;64%;30%;5 Little Rock, AR;96;71;93;61;Variable clouds, hot;N;8;44%;13%;5 Long Beach, CA;90;68;87;68;Sunny and warm;S;7;53%;0%;6 Los Angeles, CA;88;67;91;69;Sunny and very warm;SSE;6;49%;0%;6 Louisville, KY;81;64;79;56;Mostly sunny, windy;W;18;54%;17%;5 Madison, WI;60;55;65;49;A couple of showers;WNW;18;74%;85%;2 Memphis, TN;95;72;92;62;More clouds than sun;N;8;56%;19%;5 Miami, FL;88;79;89;79;Partly sunny;ESE;8;69%;85%;8 Milwaukee, WI;65;57;67;52;Windy with a shower;WNW;19;72%;83%;1 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN;69;54;68;50;Mostly sunny, windy;NW;18;54%;0%;4 Mobile, AL;92;72;92;74;More clouds than sun;SW;5;65%;44%;6 Montgomery, AL;86;63;84;66;A shower in the a.m.;SW;6;64%;65%;6 Mt. Washington, NH;37;34;43;37;Windy;SE;26;77%;99%;1 Nashville, TN;87;66;85;54;A t-storm around;NW;8;57%;42%;4 New Orleans, LA;92;75;93;79;Humid;SSW;6;60%;18%;6 New York, NY;71;59;76;62;A p.m. t-storm;SSW;10;52%;80%;4 Newark, NJ;72;54;75;58;A shower and t-storm;SSW;8;57%;84%;3 Norfolk, VA;77;62;86;65;Sun and clouds;SW;12;45%;70%;5 Oklahoma City, OK;94;67;88;57;Mostly sunny, breezy;NNE;13;37%;0%;6 Olympia, WA;74;48;79;48;Mostly sunny, warm;NE;6;60%;3%;4 Omaha, NE;86;54;76;46;Sunny and breezy;NNW;15;48%;0%;5 Orlando, FL;88;74;89;74;A couple of showers;E;7;67%;88%;5 Philadelphia, PA;71;58;78;60;A p.m. t-storm;SSW;10;51%;78%;2 Phoenix, AZ;102;79;103;80;Mostly sunny and hot;NNE;6;23%;0%;6 Pittsburgh, PA;69;56;68;54;A shower and t-storm;WSW;13;78%;96%;1 Portland, ME;65;47;65;56;Clouding up;SE;8;66%;99%;3 Portland, OR;79;53;86;54;Hazy sun and warm;N;7;50%;3%;4 Providence, RI;71;48;71;60;A p.m. thunderstorm;SSW;8;63%;93%;3 Raleigh, NC;73;58;84;60;Partly sunny;SW;9;50%;84%;5 Reno, NV;81;52;84;54;Plenty of sun;WSW;6;26%;0%;5 Richmond, VA;75;60;83;60;A t-storm around;SW;11;50%;55%;5 Roswell, NM;94;64;89;61;Clouds and sun;SE;12;39%;3%;7 Sacramento, CA;93;61;94;62;Plenty of sunshine;SW;6;39%;0%;5 Salt Lake City, UT;80;54;82;56;Plenty of sunshine;ESE;7;30%;0%;5 San Antonio, TX;92;72;94;72;Lots of sun, warm;SSE;6;57%;5%;7 San Diego, CA;80;68;80;69;Mostly sunny, humid;NW;9;69%;0%;6 San Francisco, CA;80;59;74;58;Nice with some sun;WSW;10;64%;0%;5 Savannah, GA;82;64;87;68;Nice with sunshine;S;4;61%;13%;6 Seattle-Tacoma, WA;72;54;75;54;Hazy sun;NNE;8;60%;3%;4 Sioux Falls, SD;72;52;73;43;Mostly sunny, breezy;NNW;14;44%;0%;4 Spokane, WA;75;47;80;47;Clouds and sun;E;1;47%;0%;4 Springfield, IL;83;58;74;50;Partly sunny, breezy;WNW;13;52%;1%;5 St. Louis, MO;85;62;78;55;Partly sunny;WNW;12;46%;9%;5 Tampa, FL;91;72;89;73;A t-storm around;ENE;6;76%;54%;8 Toledo, OH;67;55;66;51;A couple of showers;W;18;79%;88%;1 Tucson, AZ;97;71;98;75;Mostly sunny;ESE;7;37%;16%;7 Tulsa, OK;87;66;86;55;Sunny and warm;NNE;9;41%;2%;6 Vero Beach, FL;85;76;87;74;A t-storm in spots;SE;9;78%;76%;4 Washington, DC;70;57;80;60;A shower and t-storm;SW;9;63%;81%;3 Wichita, KS;90;59;81;50;Plenty of sunshine;NNW;11;39%;0%;5 Wilmington, DE;71;57;78;59;A p.m. t-storm;SSW;11;52%;66%;2 _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather Read More Here

US Forecast https://digitalalaskanews.com/us-forecast-80/ 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;68;48;67;55;Afternoon t-storms;SSE;8;69%;95%;2 Albuquerque, NM;82;56;81;58;Mostly cloudy;ESE;10;33%;1%;4 Anchorage, AK;53;43;52;40;A couple of showers;NNE;8;75%;87%;1 Asheville, NC;73;53;74;53;A stray p.m. t-storm;WNW;6;66%;51%;2 Atlanta, GA;81;61;79;61;Mostly cloudy;W;7;60%;31%;4 Atlantic City, NJ;70;61;79;63;Windy with some sun;SW;19;54%;62%;5 Austin, TX;95;72;97;73;Sunny and hot;SSE;2;55%;6%;7 Baltimore, MD;73;60;80;62;A shower and t-storm;W;9;54%;74%;4 Baton Rouge, LA;96;73;95;72;Clouds and sun, warm;S;6;61%;19%;6 Billings, MT;76;50;76;52;Sunny and beautiful;SSE;7;38%;1%;4 Birmingham, AL;86;66;83;61;A shower or two;NNW;7;63%;84%;2 Bismarck, ND;70;48;68;40;Partly sunny, breezy;NW;14;42%;1%;4 Boise, ID;81;52;84;55;Plenty of sunshine;ENE;7;26%;0%;5 Boston, MA;69;52;72;60;A p.m. thunderstorm;S;9;56%;80%;3 Bridgeport, CT;69;53;74;59;A p.m. t-storm;SW;10;61%;82%;2 Buffalo, NY;65;55;64;56;Windy with showers;W;18;82%;100%;1 Burlington, VT;67;48;66;56;A few p.m. showers;SSE;9;65%;96%;2 Caribou, ME;63;44;65;48;Mostly sunny;S;7;59%;90%;4 Casper, WY;74;38;73;40;Nice with sunshine;ESE;5;43%;1%;5 Charleston, SC;81;66;85;71;Sunny and nice;SSW;7;60%;18%;6 Charleston, WV;77;59;77;53;A couple of showers;WSW;10;71%;89%;3 Charlotte, NC;79;58;78;58;A t-storm around;WSW;7;61%;42%;4 Cheyenne, WY;74;42;69;46;Nice with sunshine;SSW;8;34%;1%;5 Chicago, IL;72;59;68;54;A couple of showers;WNW;19;66%;85%;2 Cleveland, OH;67;61;67;57;Windy with showers;W;19;79%;100%;1 Columbia, SC;82;61;86;64;Lots of sun, nice;WSW;8;51%;43%;6 Columbus, OH;70;59;70;52;Windy with a shower;W;18;67%;82%;2 Concord, NH;66;42;69;53;An afternoon shower;SSE;6;67%;89%;3 Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX;97;75;95;68;Partly sunny, warm;NNE;7;47%;12%;6 Denver, CO;81;48;76;50;Sunny and nice;N;6;28%;1%;5 Des Moines, IA;83;55;74;49;Winds subsiding;NNW;16;48%;0%;5 Detroit, MI;65;56;68;52;A couple of showers;W;9;75%;97%;1 Dodge City, KS;87;55;80;50;Sunny and pleasant;NNE;12;42%;0%;5 Duluth, MN;58;52;65;46;Winds subsiding;NW;16;67%;45%;4 El Paso, TX;94;69;87;69;Partly sunny;E;8;33%;9%;6 Fairbanks, AK;50;33;53;34;Partly sunny;N;5;68%;30%;2 Fargo, ND;65;51;64;42;Mostly sunny, breezy;NNW;15;51%;0%;4 Grand Junction, CO;79;49;82;51;Sunny and delightful;ESE;6;29%;0%;5 Grand Rapids, MI;62;54;64;51;A couple of showers;WNW;11;84%;95%;1 Hartford, CT;71;49;73;58;A p.m. t-storm;SSW;8;64%;89%;3 Helena, MT;73;46;77;48;Partly sunny;SW;4;48%;0%;4 Honolulu, HI;88;74;89;75;Partial sunshine;ENE;7;62%;29%;9 Houston, TX;95;75;94;76;Mostly sunny and hot;SSW;5;60%;15%;7 Indianapolis, IN;76;63;72;53;Windy with a shower;WNW;18;56%;43%;3 Jackson, MS;92;71;94;67;Partly sunny;NNE;6;55%;12%;6 Jacksonville, FL;90;68;88;71;Sunlit and pleasant;SSE;6;58%;8%;7 Juneau, AK;54;50;55;52;Rain;E;9;90%;100%;1 Kansas City, MO;87;60;79;53;Mostly sunny, breezy;WNW;13;45%;0%;5 Knoxville, TN;79;62;78;54;A stray p.m. t-storm;W;9;72%;52%;2 Las Vegas, NV;97;72;98;72;Sunny and hot;NW;7;12%;0%;6 Lexington, KY;76;62;79;54;Windy in the p.m.;W;15;64%;30%;5 Little Rock, AR;96;71;93;61;Variable clouds, hot;N;8;44%;13%;5 Long Beach, CA;90;68;87;68;Sunny and warm;S;7;53%;0%;6 Los Angeles, CA;88;67;91;69;Sunny and very warm;SSE;6;49%;0%;6 Louisville, KY;81;64;79;56;Mostly sunny, windy;W;18;54%;17%;5 Madison, WI;60;55;65;49;A couple of showers;WNW;18;74%;85%;2 Memphis, TN;95;72;92;62;More clouds than sun;N;8;56%;19%;5 Miami, FL;88;79;89;79;Partly sunny;ESE;8;69%;85%;8 Milwaukee, WI;65;57;67;52;Windy with a shower;WNW;19;72%;83%;1 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN;69;54;68;50;Mostly sunny, windy;NW;18;54%;0%;4 Mobile, AL;92;72;92;74;More clouds than sun;SW;5;65%;44%;6 Montgomery, AL;86;63;84;66;A shower in the a.m.;SW;6;64%;65%;6 Mt. Washington, NH;37;34;43;37;Windy;SE;26;77%;99%;1 Nashville, TN;87;66;85;54;A t-storm around;NW;8;57%;42%;4 New Orleans, LA;92;75;93;79;Humid;SSW;6;60%;18%;6 New York, NY;71;59;76;62;A p.m. t-storm;SSW;10;52%;80%;4 Newark, NJ;72;54;75;58;A shower and t-storm;SSW;8;57%;84%;3 Norfolk, VA;77;62;86;65;Sun and clouds;SW;12;45%;70%;5 Oklahoma City, OK;94;67;88;57;Mostly sunny, breezy;NNE;13;37%;0%;6 Olympia, WA;74;48;79;48;Mostly sunny, warm;NE;6;60%;3%;4 Omaha, NE;86;54;76;46;Sunny and breezy;NNW;15;48%;0%;5 Orlando, FL;88;74;89;74;A couple of showers;E;7;67%;88%;5 Philadelphia, PA;71;58;78;60;A p.m. t-storm;SSW;10;51%;78%;2 Phoenix, AZ;102;79;103;80;Mostly sunny and hot;NNE;6;23%;0%;6 Pittsburgh, PA;69;56;68;54;A shower and t-storm;WSW;13;78%;96%;1 Portland, ME;65;47;65;56;Clouding up;SE;8;66%;99%;3 Portland, OR;79;53;86;54;Hazy sun and warm;N;7;50%;3%;4 Providence, RI;71;48;71;60;A p.m. thunderstorm;SSW;8;63%;93%;3 Raleigh, NC;73;58;84;60;Partly sunny;SW;9;50%;84%;5 Reno, NV;81;52;84;54;Plenty of sun;WSW;6;26%;0%;5 Richmond, VA;75;60;83;60;A t-storm around;SW;11;50%;55%;5 Roswell, NM;94;64;89;61;Clouds and sun;SE;12;39%;3%;7 Sacramento, CA;93;61;94;62;Plenty of sunshine;SW;6;39%;0%;5 Salt Lake City, UT;80;54;82;56;Plenty of sunshine;ESE;7;30%;0%;5 San Antonio, TX;92;72;94;72;Lots of sun, warm;SSE;6;57%;5%;7 San Diego, CA;80;68;80;69;Mostly sunny, humid;NW;9;69%;0%;6 San Francisco, CA;80;59;74;58;Nice with some sun;WSW;10;64%;0%;5 Savannah, GA;82;64;87;68;Nice with sunshine;S;4;61%;13%;6 Seattle-Tacoma, WA;72;54;75;54;Hazy sun;NNE;8;60%;3%;4 Sioux Falls, SD;72;52;73;43;Mostly sunny, breezy;NNW;14;44%;0%;4 Spokane, WA;75;47;80;47;Clouds and sun;E;1;47%;0%;4 Springfield, IL;83;58;74;50;Partly sunny, breezy;WNW;13;52%;1%;5 St. Louis, MO;85;62;78;55;Partly sunny;WNW;12;46%;9%;5 Tampa, FL;91;72;89;73;A t-storm around;ENE;6;76%;54%;8 Toledo, OH;67;55;66;51;A couple of showers;W;18;79%;88%;1 Tucson, AZ;97;71;98;75;Mostly sunny;ESE;7;37%;16%;7 Tulsa, OK;87;66;86;55;Sunny and warm;NNE;9;41%;2%;6 Vero Beach, FL;85;76;87;74;A t-storm in spots;SE;9;78%;76%;4 Washington, DC;70;57;80;60;A shower and t-storm;SW;9;63%;81%;3 Wichita, KS;90;59;81;50;Plenty of sunshine;NNW;11;39%;0%;5 Wilmington, DE;71;57;78;59;A p.m. t-storm;SSW;11;52%;66%;2 _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather Read More Here

US Forecast https://digitalalaskanews.com/us-forecast-79/ 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;68;48;67;55;Afternoon t-storms;SSE;8;69%;95%;2 Albuquerque, NM;82;56;81;58;Mostly cloudy;ESE;10;33%;1%;4 Anchorage, AK;53;43;52;40;A couple of showers;NNE;8;75%;87%;1 Asheville, NC;73;53;74;53;A stray p.m. t-storm;WNW;6;66%;51%;2 Atlanta, GA;81;61;79;61;Mostly cloudy;W;7;60%;31%;4 Atlantic City, NJ;70;61;79;63;Windy with some sun;SW;19;54%;62%;5 Austin, TX;95;72;97;73;Sunny and hot;SSE;2;55%;6%;7 Baltimore, MD;73;60;80;62;A shower and t-storm;W;9;54%;74%;4 Baton Rouge, LA;96;73;95;72;Clouds and sun, warm;S;6;61%;19%;6 Billings, MT;76;50;76;52;Sunny and beautiful;SSE;7;38%;1%;4 Birmingham, AL;86;66;83;61;A shower or two;NNW;7;63%;84%;2 Bismarck, ND;70;48;68;40;Partly sunny, breezy;NW;14;42%;1%;4 Boise, ID;81;52;84;55;Plenty of sunshine;ENE;7;26%;0%;5 Boston, MA;69;52;72;60;A p.m. thunderstorm;S;9;56%;80%;3 Bridgeport, CT;69;53;74;59;A p.m. t-storm;SW;10;61%;82%;2 Buffalo, NY;65;55;64;56;Windy with showers;W;18;82%;100%;1 Burlington, VT;67;48;66;56;A few p.m. showers;SSE;9;65%;96%;2 Caribou, ME;63;44;65;48;Mostly sunny;S;7;59%;90%;4 Casper, WY;74;38;73;40;Nice with sunshine;ESE;5;43%;1%;5 Charleston, SC;81;66;85;71;Sunny and nice;SSW;7;60%;18%;6 Charleston, WV;77;59;77;53;A couple of showers;WSW;10;71%;89%;3 Charlotte, NC;79;58;78;58;A t-storm around;WSW;7;61%;42%;4 Cheyenne, WY;74;42;69;46;Nice with sunshine;SSW;8;34%;1%;5 Chicago, IL;72;59;68;54;A couple of showers;WNW;19;66%;85%;2 Cleveland, OH;67;61;67;57;Windy with showers;W;19;79%;100%;1 Columbia, SC;82;61;86;64;Lots of sun, nice;WSW;8;51%;43%;6 Columbus, OH;70;59;70;52;Windy with a shower;W;18;67%;82%;2 Concord, NH;66;42;69;53;An afternoon shower;SSE;6;67%;89%;3 Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX;97;75;95;68;Partly sunny, warm;NNE;7;47%;12%;6 Denver, CO;81;48;76;50;Sunny and nice;N;6;28%;1%;5 Des Moines, IA;83;55;74;49;Winds subsiding;NNW;16;48%;0%;5 Detroit, MI;65;56;68;52;A couple of showers;W;9;75%;97%;1 Dodge City, KS;87;55;80;50;Sunny and pleasant;NNE;12;42%;0%;5 Duluth, MN;58;52;65;46;Winds subsiding;NW;16;67%;45%;4 El Paso, TX;94;69;87;69;Partly sunny;E;8;33%;9%;6 Fairbanks, AK;50;33;53;34;Partly sunny;N;5;68%;30%;2 Fargo, ND;65;51;64;42;Mostly sunny, breezy;NNW;15;51%;0%;4 Grand Junction, CO;79;49;82;51;Sunny and delightful;ESE;6;29%;0%;5 Grand Rapids, MI;62;54;64;51;A couple of showers;WNW;11;84%;95%;1 Hartford, CT;71;49;73;58;A p.m. t-storm;SSW;8;64%;89%;3 Helena, MT;73;46;77;48;Partly sunny;SW;4;48%;0%;4 Honolulu, HI;88;74;89;75;Partial sunshine;ENE;7;62%;29%;9 Houston, TX;95;75;94;76;Mostly sunny and hot;SSW;5;60%;15%;7 Indianapolis, IN;76;63;72;53;Windy with a shower;WNW;18;56%;43%;3 Jackson, MS;92;71;94;67;Partly sunny;NNE;6;55%;12%;6 Jacksonville, FL;90;68;88;71;Sunlit and pleasant;SSE;6;58%;8%;7 Juneau, AK;54;50;55;52;Rain;E;9;90%;100%;1 Kansas City, MO;87;60;79;53;Mostly sunny, breezy;WNW;13;45%;0%;5 Knoxville, TN;79;62;78;54;A stray p.m. t-storm;W;9;72%;52%;2 Las Vegas, NV;97;72;98;72;Sunny and hot;NW;7;12%;0%;6 Lexington, KY;76;62;79;54;Windy in the p.m.;W;15;64%;30%;5 Little Rock, AR;96;71;93;61;Variable clouds, hot;N;8;44%;13%;5 Long Beach, CA;90;68;87;68;Sunny and warm;S;7;53%;0%;6 Los Angeles, CA;88;67;91;69;Sunny and very warm;SSE;6;49%;0%;6 Louisville, KY;81;64;79;56;Mostly sunny, windy;W;18;54%;17%;5 Madison, WI;60;55;65;49;A couple of showers;WNW;18;74%;85%;2 Memphis, TN;95;72;92;62;More clouds than sun;N;8;56%;19%;5 Miami, FL;88;79;89;79;Partly sunny;ESE;8;69%;85%;8 Milwaukee, WI;65;57;67;52;Windy with a shower;WNW;19;72%;83%;1 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN;69;54;68;50;Mostly sunny, windy;NW;18;54%;0%;4 Mobile, AL;92;72;92;74;More clouds than sun;SW;5;65%;44%;6 Montgomery, AL;86;63;84;66;A shower in the a.m.;SW;6;64%;65%;6 Mt. Washington, NH;37;34;43;37;Windy;SE;26;77%;99%;1 Nashville, TN;87;66;85;54;A t-storm around;NW;8;57%;42%;4 New Orleans, LA;92;75;93;79;Humid;SSW;6;60%;18%;6 New York, NY;71;59;76;62;A p.m. t-storm;SSW;10;52%;80%;4 Newark, NJ;72;54;75;58;A shower and t-storm;SSW;8;57%;84%;3 Norfolk, VA;77;62;86;65;Sun and clouds;SW;12;45%;70%;5 Oklahoma City, OK;94;67;88;57;Mostly sunny, breezy;NNE;13;37%;0%;6 Olympia, WA;74;48;79;48;Mostly sunny, warm;NE;6;60%;3%;4 Omaha, NE;86;54;76;46;Sunny and breezy;NNW;15;48%;0%;5 Orlando, FL;88;74;89;74;A couple of showers;E;7;67%;88%;5 Philadelphia, PA;71;58;78;60;A p.m. t-storm;SSW;10;51%;78%;2 Phoenix, AZ;102;79;103;80;Mostly sunny and hot;NNE;6;23%;0%;6 Pittsburgh, PA;69;56;68;54;A shower and t-storm;WSW;13;78%;96%;1 Portland, ME;65;47;65;56;Clouding up;SE;8;66%;99%;3 Portland, OR;79;53;86;54;Hazy sun and warm;N;7;50%;3%;4 Providence, RI;71;48;71;60;A p.m. thunderstorm;SSW;8;63%;93%;3 Raleigh, NC;73;58;84;60;Partly sunny;SW;9;50%;84%;5 Reno, NV;81;52;84;54;Plenty of sun;WSW;6;26%;0%;5 Richmond, VA;75;60;83;60;A t-storm around;SW;11;50%;55%;5 Roswell, NM;94;64;89;61;Clouds and sun;SE;12;39%;3%;7 Sacramento, CA;93;61;94;62;Plenty of sunshine;SW;6;39%;0%;5 Salt Lake City, UT;80;54;82;56;Plenty of sunshine;ESE;7;30%;0%;5 San Antonio, TX;92;72;94;72;Lots of sun, warm;SSE;6;57%;5%;7 San Diego, CA;80;68;80;69;Mostly sunny, humid;NW;9;69%;0%;6 San Francisco, CA;80;59;74;58;Nice with some sun;WSW;10;64%;0%;5 Savannah, GA;82;64;87;68;Nice with sunshine;S;4;61%;13%;6 Seattle-Tacoma, WA;72;54;75;54;Hazy sun;NNE;8;60%;3%;4 Sioux Falls, SD;72;52;73;43;Mostly sunny, breezy;NNW;14;44%;0%;4 Spokane, WA;75;47;80;47;Clouds and sun;E;1;47%;0%;4 Springfield, IL;83;58;74;50;Partly sunny, breezy;WNW;13;52%;1%;5 St. Louis, MO;85;62;78;55;Partly sunny;WNW;12;46%;9%;5 Tampa, FL;91;72;89;73;A t-storm around;ENE;6;76%;54%;8 Toledo, OH;67;55;66;51;A couple of showers;W;18;79%;88%;1 Tucson, AZ;97;71;98;75;Mostly sunny;ESE;7;37%;16%;7 Tulsa, OK;87;66;86;55;Sunny and warm;NNE;9;41%;2%;6 Vero Beach, FL;85;76;87;74;A t-storm in spots;SE;9;78%;76%;4 Washington, DC;70;57;80;60;A shower and t-storm;SW;9;63%;81%;3 Wichita, KS;90;59;81;50;Plenty of sunshine;NNW;11;39%;0%;5 Wilmington, DE;71;57;78;59;A p.m. t-storm;SSW;11;52%;66%;2 _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather Read More Here

‘Let’s Have Some Music’: Elton John Plays White House https://digitalalaskanews.com/lets-have-some-music-elton-john-plays-white-house/ By COLLEEN LONG, Associated Press Published: September 24, 2022, 1:15pm 6 Photos Elton John performs on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. John is calling the show “A Night When Hope and History Rhyme,” a reference to a poem by Irishman Seamus Heaney that President Joe Biden often quotes. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Photo Gallery WASHINGTON (AP) — “God bless you, let’s have some music,” said Elton John. With that, the White House South Lawn was transformed into a musical lovefest Friday night as John played a farewell gig to honor everyday “heroes” like teachers, nurses and AIDS activists. But as it turns out, the event was also to honor the 75-year-old British songwriter — President Joe Biden surprised him with the National Humanities Medal for being a “tidal wave” who helped people rise up for justice. John seemed almost overcome by the accolades, telling the audience of 2,000 people: “I don’t know what to say. … I don’t know how to take a compliment very well but it’s wonderful to be here amongst so many people who have helped my AIDS foundation and my heroes, that ones that work day to day on the front line.” He said he’d played some beautiful venues before, but the stage in front of the White House, beneath a massive open-air tent on a perfect autumn night, was “probably the icing on the cake.” He kicked off the show with “Your Song,” his first big international hit. The intimate guest list included teachers, nurses, frontline workers and LGBTQ advocates, plus former first lady Laura Bush, civil rights advocate Ruby Bridges, education activist Malala Yousafzai and Jeanne White-Ginder, an AIDS activist and mother of Ryan White, who died from AIDS-related complications in 1990. Biden and first lady Jill Biden talked about the British singer’s activism, the power of his music and his all-around goodness. The event was dreamed up and paid for by A+E and the History Channel. “Seamus Heaney once wrote, and I quote, ’Once in a lifetime, the longed-for tidal wave of justice can rise up, and hope and history rhyme,” Biden said. “Throughout his incredible career, Sir Elton John has been that tidal wave, a tidal wave to help people rise up and make hope and history rhyme.” The night, in fact, was called “A Night When Hope and History Rhyme,” a reference to the poem Biden quoted by Ireland’s Heaney. Sir Elton — he was knighted in 1998 by Queen Elizabeth II — has sold over 300 million records worldwide, played over 4,000 shows in 80 countries and recorded one of the best-selling singles of all time, his 1997 reworking of “Candle In The Wind” to eulogize Princess Diana, which sold 33 million copies. John punctuated the hits Friday with emotional tidbits of his history, including a shoutout to Laura Bush and former president George W. Bush for his administration’s emergency plan for AIDS relief, and a story of how a dying Ryan White and his mother pushed him into advocacy in the first place, and helped him get sober. “I wouldn’t be here talking tonight,” he said. “They saved my life.” He then dedicated “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” to Ryan. Despite the presence of plenty of lawmakers, the political speak was kept to a minimum, except for when John said, “I just wish America would be more bipartisan on everything.” It was his first White House gig since he performed with Stevie Wonder at a state dinner in 1998 honoring British Prime Minister Tony Blair. John is on a farewell tour that began in July after performing for more than 50 years. The show came together after A+E Networks and the History Channel asked the White House and John if they’d be up for a collaboration honoring “everyday history-makers” as well as John himself. It’s not clear whether the show will be broadcast. John has worked with A+E in the past on his global HIV/AIDS charity, the Elton John Foundation, which has raised more than $525 million to combat the virus around the world. John is sticking around to play a sold-out show at Nationals Park Saturday. The president and first lady are big fans. Biden wrote in a 2017 memoir about singing “Crocodile Rock” to his two young boys as he drove them to school, and again later to son Beau before he died of cancer at age 46. “I started singing the lyrics to Beau, quietly, so just the two of us could hear it,” Biden wrote. “Beau didn’t open his eyes, but I could see through my own tears that he was smiling.” The Columbian is becoming a rare example of a news organization with local, family ownership. Subscribe today to support local journalism and help us to build a stronger community. John played the song Friday, saying someone told him Biden used to sing it to his little boys. “I can’t imagine him singin’ it,” John quipped before suggesting the president come up on stage. He did not. But the whole crowd did do the “La-La-Las” from their seats. Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, was also a fan of John. He tried to get John to perform at his 2017 inauguration but John declined, saying he didn’t think it was appropriate for a Brit to play at the swearing-in of an American president. The White House insisted Friday’s show wasn’t an effort to troll Trump, who has praised John in his books and has often featured John’s music — including “Rocket Man” and “Tiny Dancer” — in his pre-rally playlists over the years. Trump nicknamed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “rocket man” for his record of test-firing missiles. John played both Friday, to thunderous applause. Read More Here

AP News Summary At 4:02 P.m. EDT https://digitalalaskanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-402-p-m-edt/ ‘Fighting fit’: Trial to show Oath Keepers’ road to Jan. 6 It’s been a long road to the upcoming Capitol riot trial of the the leader of the extremist group Oath Keepers. But the prosecution’s case against Stewart Rhodes covers a lot more than just the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. Rhodes and four co-defendants are facing the difficult-to-prove charge of seditious conspiracy. Prosecutors will try to show that for the Oath Keepers, the siege wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment protest but that it was part of a weekslong plot to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power from election-denier Donald Trump to Joe Biden. Jury selection begins Tuesday in federal court in the nation’s capital. The trial is expected to last several weeks. Kremlin stages votes in Ukraine, sees protests in Russia KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces launched new strikes on Ukrainian cities as Kremlin-orchestrated votes took place in occupied regions of Ukraine to create a pretext for their annexation by Moscow. In Russia, hundreds were arrested on Saturday while trying to protest President Vladimir Putin’s order to mobilize more troops to fight in Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western allies say the votes underway in four regions of Ukraine are a sham with no legal force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged residents to undermine “this farce.” He also encouraged people called up to fight to desert or sabotage the Russian military. Ukraine’s presidential office said the latest Russian shelling killed at least three people and wounded 19. West works to deepen sanctions after Putin heightens threats WASHINGTON (AP) — How will American leaders and their allies respond if President Vladimir Putin seeks to escalate his way out of his bad situation on Ukraine’s battlefields? Putin this week renewed threats of claiming more Ukrainian territory, and even using nuclear weapons. U.S. and European leaders have made clear they will try to double down on the same tactics that have helped put Russia in a corner in Ukraine. That means more financial penalties and international isolation for Russia, more arms and other backing for Ukraine. There’s no sign of the United States and NATO matching Putin’s intensified nuclear threats with the same bluster, which could raise the risks of escalating the conflict. Dissident: ‘Iranian women are furious’ over headscarf death NEW YORK (AP) — Iranian activist Masih Alinejad says the videos and messages she’s been receiving in recent days from women in Iran are showing how angry they are following a young woman’s death in police custody over a violation of the country’s strict religious dress code. The spur for this latest explosion of outrage was the death earlier this month of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The young woman was detained for allegedly wearing her hijab too loosely in violation of strictures demanding women wear the Islamic headscarves in public. She died in custody. Protests have been going on around the country for days. Alinejad would love to see more support from those in the West, as well. Fiona washes houses away, knocks out power in Canada TORONTO (AP) — Strong rain and winds are lashing the Atlantic Canada region as Fiona hits as a powerful post-tropical cyclone. Canadian forecasters are warning it could be one of the most severe storms in the country’s history. Fiona made landfall in Nova Scotia before dawn Saturday after transforming from a hurricane into a post-tropical cyclone. Forecasters caution that despite the change, Fiona still has hurricane-strength winds and will bring drenching rains and huge waves. More than 500,000 customers in Atlantic Canada are affected by outages. Ocean waves pounded the town of Channel-Port Aux Basques on the southern coast of Newfoundland, where entire structures were washed into the sea. DeSantis declares emergency as storm expected to hit Florida TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in Florida as Tropical Storm Ian gathers strength over the Caribbean and is expected to bring heavy rains and intense hurricane winds to the state next week. DeSantis initially issued the emergency order for two dozen counties but on Saturday expanded the warning to the entire state. He is encouraging residents and local governments to prepare for a storm that could lash large swaths of Florida as forecasters track its path. The National Hurricane Center said Ian is forecast to rapidly strengthen in the coming days before moving over western Cuba and approach Florida in the middle of next week with major hurricane force. Georgia voting equipment breach at center of tangled tale ATLANTA (AP) — A breach of sensitive voting equipment data from a rural county in Georgia spilled into the public light last month when documents and emails produced in response to subpoenas revealed the involvement of high-profile supporters of former President Donald Trump. Since then, a series of revelations about what happened in Coffee County have raised questions about whether the Dominion Voting Systems machines used throughout Georgia have been compromised. The tale involves a bail bondsman, a prominent attorney tied to Trump and a cast of characters from an area that rarely draws notice from outsiders. Biden administration launches environmental justice office WARRENTON, N.C. (AP) — Forty years after a predominantly Black community in Warren County, North Carolina, rallied against hosting a hazardous waste landfill, President Biden’s top environment official has returned to what is widely considered the birthplace of the environmental justice movement to unveil a national office that will distribute $3 billion in block grants to underserved communities burdened by pollution. Joined by civil rights leaders and participants from the 1982 protests, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan announced Saturday that he is dedicating a new senior level of leadership to the environmental justice movement they ignited. The Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights will merge three existing EPA programs . Sri Lankans describe abuse as Russian captives in Ukraine KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — Seven Sri Lankans held captive by Russian forces in an agricultural factory in eastern Ukraine say they were beaten and tortured for months before escaping on foot as the Russians withdrew from the Kharkiv region. One said he was shot in the foot; another says he had his head slammed with the butt of a rifle. The Sri Lankans recounted their ordeal to reporters on Saturday. Four of the seven were medical students in the city of Kupiansk and three were working there when Russian forces poured across the border in late February. They said they were captured at a checkpoint and held in the factory near the Russian border with around 20 Ukrainians. As Ukraine worries UN, some leaders rue what’s pushed aside UNITED NATIONS (AP) — In speech after speech, world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly are spotlighting Russia’s war in Ukraine. A few are prodding the world not to forget everything else. While no one is dismissing the importance of the conflict, some comments quietly speak to some unease about the international community’s absorption in Ukraine. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, for one, says the ongoing war in Ukraine is making it more difficult to tackle other longstanding issues including inequality, nuclear disarmament and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More Here

Column: The Archives, Where History Comes To Rest https://digitalalaskanews.com/column-the-archives-where-history-comes-to-rest/ Archives and history go together like a horse and carriage. Archives and history are two words we’re hearing around the clock at present. They’re two words that have been linked to two people who are the extreme opposites of humankind – former US president Donald Trump and Queen Elizabeth II. The media has been going full speed with its reports concerning the mostly classified documents Trump took with him upon leaving the White House, which are government documents that belong in the National Archives. As for history – since 8 September, when Queen Elizabeth died, the press has never tired of saying that with her death, we are watching history in the making. History, according to its Latin root “historia”, is a narrative of past events. In English, it wasn’t until the 16th century that the terms history and story were differentiated, and in German, “Geschichte” still means both history and story, as in fiction. The history that we are watching ‘in the making’ has an immediacy that few of us have ever experienced. We’ll need a bit more time before we can get a ‘historical’ perspective on all that’s happened between 8 September, the day Queen Elizabeth died, and 19 September, the day of her funeral. Trump’s reprehensible behaviour in carting off something that was not his property is also a kind of ‘history in the making’ or ongoing history – which has all the elements of a successful Hollywood movie, perhaps already ‘in the planning.’ Given that they are documents of the US federal government, the material that Trump re-routed to his home in Florida should have been routed directly to the National Archives in Washington DC, which calls itself “the nation’s record keeper.” The word archives comes from the late Latin “archiva” which refers to both the written records and the place where they are stored. The documents held by the National Archives UK range in chronology from the Domesday Book (completed 1086) to modern government papers. In addition to the National Archives, the UK has the Royal Archives, housed in the Round Tower of Windsor Castle, which preserves material relating to the past 250 years of the British monarchy, including the private papers of the monarchs. So, eventually, by the time the history we’ve been seeing ‘in the making’ has been digested and scrutinized, it will have generated a mountain of records that will find their way to Windsor Castle’s Round Tower. But also kept in the Royal Archives are papers of a personal nature, and let’s not forget that the Queen was a person as well as a monarch. She was Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, who after 96 years, on 8 September, passed on to eternal life. For 70 of those years she was Queen Elizabeth II, whose office did not die with her but was passed on to her heir, the former Prince of Wales, now King Charles III. Archives the world over are the repositories of histories, and stories, from which we can gain facts and statistics, insights and ideas, learn something we had never even thought about. They are places where the words and numbers recording what has been, what has happened, find a safe haven. I spent decades in the State Archives of Florence, reading the personal papers of a 16th-century Italian family who ruled the Duchy of Urbino. It let me glimpse what their private lives were like and taught me more than I could ever have learned from a history book. While perusing the documents, I also came across a variety of insects, flattened between the pieces of paper where they’d been trapped for centuries – providing an excitement of a different sort. We have an archive here in Richmond, which has a collection of written records that measures more than one kilometre (a strange way to measure documents, I’ve always thought), 170,000 photographs, 20,000 maps and plans, to mention just some of their holdings. Have you ever thought of creating your own archive? It’s easy. Take a solid container, such as a rectangular metal cookie tin and place treasured mementos in it – diaries, letters, autograph books, photographs and so forth. You’ll be building a veritable Aladdin’s Cave, replete with exciting surprises. And as your memories fade, you may even be surprised at what your history has been. Sabine Eiche is a local writer and art historian with a PhD from Princeton University. She is passionately involved in preserving the environment and protecting nature. Her columns deal with a broad range of topics and often include the history (etymology) of words in order to shed extra light on the subject. Read More Here

Adam Schiff Criticizes Slow Pace Of Justice Department Investigation Into Broader January 6 Plot | News Channel 3-12 https://digitalalaskanews.com/adam-schiff-criticizes-slow-pace-of-justice-department-investigation-into-broader-january-6-plot-news-channel-3-12/ By Annie Grayer, CNN US Rep. Adam Schiff, who serves on the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection, expressed his frustration Saturday with the slow pace of the various criminal investigations conducted by the Department of Justice into the attack on the US Capitol. “They have been very slow, though, on the much more comprehensive, and I believe, even more significant investigation of January 6,” the California Democrat said here at the Texas Tribune Festival. Schiff criticized the DOJ’s overall strategy, saying he believes it was a mistake for the department to start its investigation from the ground up — with those who broke into the Capitol — because “that works when you have one plot, one conspiracy. It doesn’t work when there are multiple lines of effort to overturn an election, multiple plots, that may be all part of the same whole, but nonetheless each operating independently.” He also questioned how the various investigations have been delegated, saying he doesn’t understand why the DOJ has left Fulton County, Georgia, to investigate on its own former President Donald Trump‘s efforts to overturn the 2020 election result in the state. “That may be changing too, but it’s a long time coming” Schiff said. The longtime lawmaker reflected Saturday on how the process for sharing information between the January 6 committee and the DOJ developed, saying he found it “breathtaking” that the initial ask from the DOJ was for all of the committee’s work product. “It would be equally breathtaking if we were to say to the Justice Department, ‘Turn over all of your files,’” he said. “My first reaction when we got the request — ‘Turn over all your files to us’ — was: ‘Why don’t you have your own damn files? Why haven’t you been conducting your own investigation? Why do you need us to do it?’” Despite his criticism, Schiff acknowledged that the DOJ’s investigation was ramping up, telling the crowd, “It does appear now that they have interviewed many of the same significant witnesses that we have.” Schiff’s comments come as CNN has learned that Trump’s attorneys are fighting a secret court battle to block a federal grand jury from gathering information from an expanding circle of close aides to the former President about his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The high-stakes legal dispute — which included the appearance of three attorneys representing Trump at the Washington, DC, federal courthouse on Thursday — is the most aggressive step taken by the former President to assert executive and attorney-client privileges in order to prevent some witnesses from sharing information in the criminal investigation into events surrounding January 6. The DOJ is now conducting a wide-ranging criminal investigation into the January 6 attack and attempts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election. Federal prosecutors have issued grand jury subpoenas, executed search warrants and seized devices as part of the probe. The-CNN-Wire & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Read More Here

AP News Summary At 3:05 P.m. EDT https://digitalalaskanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-305-p-m-edt/ ‘Fighting fit’: Trial to show Oath Keepers’ road to Jan. 6 It’s been a long road to the upcoming Capitol riot trial of the the leader of the extremist group Oath Keepers. But the prosecution’s case against Stewart Rhodes covers a lot more than just the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. Rhodes and four co-defendants are facing the difficult-to-prove charge of seditious conspiracy. Prosecutors will try to show that for the Oath Keepers, the siege wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment protest but that it was part of a weekslong plot to stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power from election-denier Donald Trump to Joe Biden. Jury selection begins Tuesday in federal court in the nation’s capital. The trial is expected to last several weeks. Kremlin stages votes in Ukraine, sees protests in Russia KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces launched new strikes on Ukrainian cities as Kremlin-orchestrated votes took place in occupied regions of Ukraine to create a pretext for their annexation by Moscow. In Russia, hundreds were arrested on Saturday while trying to protest President Vladimir Putin’s order to mobilize more troops to fight in Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western allies say the votes underway in four regions of Ukraine are a sham with no legal force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged residents to undermine “this farce.” He also encouraged people called up to fight to desert or sabotage the Russian military. Ukraine’s presidential office said the latest Russian shelling killed at least three people and wounded 19. West works to deepen sanctions after Putin heightens threats WASHINGTON (AP) — How will American leaders and their allies respond if President Vladimir Putin seeks to escalate his way out of his bad situation on Ukraine’s battlefields? Putin this week renewed threats of claiming more Ukrainian territory, and even using nuclear weapons. U.S. and European leaders have made clear they will try to double down on the same tactics that have helped put Russia in a corner in Ukraine. That means more financial penalties and international isolation for Russia, more arms and other backing for Ukraine. There’s no sign of the United States and NATO matching Putin’s intensified nuclear threats with the same bluster, which could raise the risks of escalating the conflict. As Ukraine worries UN, some leaders rue what’s pushed aside UNITED NATIONS (AP) — In speech after speech, world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly are spotlighting Russia’s war in Ukraine. A few are prodding the world not to forget everything else. While no one is dismissing the importance of the conflict, some comments quietly speak to some unease about the international community’s absorption in Ukraine. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, for one, says the ongoing war in Ukraine is making it more difficult to tackle other longstanding issues including inequality, nuclear disarmament and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Georgia voting equipment breach at center of tangled tale ATLANTA (AP) — A breach of sensitive voting equipment data from a rural county in Georgia spilled into the public light last month when documents and emails produced in response to subpoenas revealed the involvement of high-profile supporters of former President Donald Trump. Since then, a series of revelations about what happened in Coffee County have raised questions about whether the Dominion Voting Systems machines used throughout Georgia have been compromised. The tale involves a bail bondsman, a prominent attorney tied to Trump and a cast of characters from an area that rarely draws notice from outsiders. Fiona washes houses away, knocks out power in Canada TORONTO (AP) — Strong rain and winds are lashing the Atlantic Canada region as Fiona hits as a powerful post-tropical cyclone. Canadian forecasters are warning it could be one of the most severe storms in the country’s history. Fiona made landfall in Nova Scotia before dawn Saturday after transforming from a hurricane into a post-tropical cyclone. Forecasters caution that despite the change, Fiona still has hurricane-strength winds and will bring drenching rains and huge waves. More than 500,000 customers in Atlantic Canada are affected by outages. Ocean waves pounded the town of Channel-Port Aux Basques on the southern coast of Newfoundland, where entire structures were washed into the sea. DeSantis declares emergency as storm expected to hit Florida TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in Florida as Tropical Storm Ian gathers strength over the Caribbean and is expected to bring heavy rains and intense hurricane winds to the state next week. DeSantis initially issued the emergency order for two dozen counties but on Saturday expanded the warning to the entire state. He is encouraging residents and local governments to prepare for a storm that could lash large swaths of Florida as forecasters track its path. The National Hurricane Center said Ian is forecast to rapidly strengthen in the coming days before moving over western Cuba and approach Florida in the middle of next week with major hurricane force. China on Taiwan: ‘External interference’ won’t be tolerated UNITED NATIONS (AP) — China has underscored its commitment to its claim on Taiwan. Its foreign minister told world leaders that anyone who gets in the way of its determination to reunify with the self-governing island would be “crushed by the wheels of history.” The language was forceful but well within the realm of normal for Chinese leadership. China vehemently defends its claim on Taiwan. The island separated from the mainland after a 1949 civil war and now functions with its own government. A recent visit to Taiwan by the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives markedly ratcheted up tensions between Washington and Beijing. Interview: New UN climate chief takes the fight personally UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations official now in charge of the fight to curb climate change has a personal stake in the battle to reduce emissions. Simon Stiell is from a small island flattened twice by hurricanes. He’s seen sea level rise around his ankles and poor nations like his have their economies wiped out by disasters juiced by global warming. Now his job is to get action so that heat-trapping emissions are cut in half in just eight years. And he’s trying to get rich polluting nations pay for the damage their emissions have done to poorer countries. Dissident: ‘Iranian women are furious’ over headscarf death NEW YORK (AP) — Iranian activist Masih Alinejad says the videos and messages she’s been receiving in recent days from women in Iran are showing how angry they are following a young woman’s death in police custody over a violation of the country’s strict religious dress code. The spur for this latest explosion of outrage was the death earlier this month of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. The young woman was detained for allegedly wearing her hijab too loosely in violation of strictures demanding women wear the Islamic headscarves in public. She died in custody. Protests have been going on around the country for days. Alinejad would love to see more support from those in the West, as well. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More Here

JD Vance Is Struggling To Hold On To Republicans’ Senate Seat In Close Ohio Race https://digitalalaskanews.com/jd-vance-is-struggling-to-hold-on-to-republicans-senate-seat-in-close-ohio-race/ JD Vance’s deadlocked race against Democrat Tim Ryan for a U.S. Senate seat in Republican-leaning Ohio exemplifies the struggles besetting the GOP seven weeks before the midterm elections, where the party’s once-strong chances of taking the chamber have ebbed. Vance has been outraised and outspent by Ryan in the race to replace retiring two-term Republican Rob Portman, forcing the party to marshal resources to his campaign after his main benefactor, billionaire Peter Thiel, stopped funding a super PAC backing Vance following the GOP primary. Former President Donald Trump staged a rally in Ryan’s district last week to stoke excitement around Vance’s candidacy. Copyright 2022 Tribune Content Agency. Read More Here

Russia Expands Use Of Iranian Combat Drones In Ukraine https://digitalalaskanews.com/russia-expands-use-of-iranian-combat-drones-in-ukraine/ By Stephen Kalin in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Evan Gershkovich in Moscow Updated Sept. 24, 2022 3:02 pm ET Ukraine shot down more than a dozen Iranian combat drones across the front lines this week as Russia expands the use of a foreign-weapons system that Ukrainian commanders say has inflicted serious damage on their forces. In his nightly address on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country’s antiaircraft forces had shot down Iranian drones in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region and the southern city of Odessa, including the nearby Pivdennyi port, used for exporting grain. Continue reading your article with a WSJ membership View Membership Options Already a member? Sign In Read More Here

Tropical Storm Ian Strengthens In The Caribbean And Tracks Toward Florida https://digitalalaskanews.com/tropical-storm-ian-strengthens-in-the-caribbean-and-tracks-toward-florida/ (CNN)The ninth named tropical storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season has formed across the central Caribbean Sea, and is forecast to turn into a hurricane before hitting Florida next week. If it does, it will be the first major hurricane to impact the state since 2018. Tropical Storm Ian was located about 270 miles south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, as of 2 p.m. Saturday and moving west at 16 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. “Significant strengthening is forecast during the next few days,” the center said. The forecast shows Ian “as a major hurricane over the eastern Gulf when it is approaching the west coast of Florida,” after briefly passing over Cuba at or near major hurricane strength, the center said Friday. Much of the Gulf Coast of Florida, including the eastern Panhandle, could be at risk. Forecast models on Saturday afternoon vary on where Ian may make landfall on Florida’s coast. The European model shows landfall near Tampa on Thursday morning, while the American model shows landfall near Pensacola Friday morning. The official hurricane center track splits the difference between the models, showing landfall north of Tampa on Thursday morning. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday expanded an emergency order from 24 counties to include the whole state, citing “foregoing conditions, which are projected to constitute a major disaster.” “The Florida Division of Emergency Management, working together with the National Hurricane Center to evaluate weather predictions, has determined there is a continuing risk of dangerous storm surge, heavy rainfall, flash flooding, strong winds, hazardous seas, and isolated tornadic activity for Florida’s Peninsula and portions of the Florida Big Bend, North Florida, and Northeast Florida,” the order states. Tropical storm-force winds could begin to affect southwest Florida early Tuesday, with landfall possible on Wednesday or Thursday. After strengthening overnight, the storm — earlier known as Tropical Depression Nine — has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 km/h) and is forecast to reach hurricane status within the next two days as it approaches the Cayman Islands by early Monday. Further strengthening is anticipated as the system approaches and crosses western Cuba by Monday evening. “Ian is likely to be near major hurricane intensity when it approaches western Cuba,” the hurricane center said. “Since Ian is not expected to remain over Cuba long, little weakening is expected due to that land interaction.” If it strengthens to a Category 3 or higher before reaching Florida, it would be the first major hurricane to make landfall there since Hurricane Michael in 2018, which was a monster Category 5 storm when it collided with the Florida panhandle. Michael also underwent rapid intensification before it made landfall, a phenomenon which has been made more likely as ocean temperatures warm due to the climate crisis. A hurricane warning was issued for Grand Cayman, and a tropical storm watch is in effect for Little Cayman and Cayman Brac in the Cayman Islands and for Jamaica. DeSantis on Friday requested federal emergency assistance in anticipation of the threat when he declared the state of emergency for two dozen counties. Under the state-level emergency order, members of the Florida National Guard will be activated and on standby awaiting orders. The governor urged those in the potential path of the storm to prepare. “This storm has the potential to strengthen into a major hurricane and we encourage all Floridians to make their preparations,” DeSantis said in a news release. “We are coordinating with all state and local government partners to track potential impacts of this storm.” Forecasters urge for residents to prepare It has been a slow start to what was forecast to be an above-average hurricane season. Only one storm has made landfall in a US territory, and no hurricane has made landfall or threatened the contiguous states. Now, a week past the peak of hurricane season, the tropics seem to have woken up, and forecasters are concerned people have let down their guard. “After a slow start, the Atlantic hurricane season has ratcheted up quickly,” Phil Klotzbach, research scientist at Colorado State University, tweeted. “People tend to lower their guard and think, oh, yeah, we’re out of the woods,” Maria Torres, hurricane center spokesperson, told CNN. “But in reality, the season continues. We are still in September; we still have October to go. Anything that forms over either the Atlantic or the Caribbean is something that we need to keep monitoring very closely.” The Atlantic hurricane season ends November 30. No matter what, if you live in the Caribbean, Florida and other states along the Gulf Coast, pay attention to the updated forecasts this weekend into early next week. Read More Here

Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller Talks Accomplishments, Politics, And Trump At Pecan Valley Republican Women’s Club. https://digitalalaskanews.com/texas-ag-commissioner-sid-miller-talks-accomplishments-politics-and-trump-at-pecan-valley-republican-womens-club/ Sid Miller Sid Miller was introduced by the Pecan Valley Republican Women’s Club. Sid Miller has been our Texas Agriculture Commissioner for two four year terms and has broad authority over food, drugs, commercial products, and the like. Miller spoke about his origins. He is from Comanche country, and a graduate of Tarleton State University with a degree in vocational agriculture. He was an ag teacher for 5 years in Gustine and there he learned, in his words, “Our greatest natural resource we have here in the state of Texas is not oil and gas, it’s our youth,” said Miller. “And we put a big emphasis on that at the Texas department of agriculture because the average age of the Texas farmer and rancher is 59 ½ and only 2% of us live on those farms and ranches and feed the rest of us so we’ve got to have these younger people coming along and so we work really hard to bring those people into agriculture,” says Miller. Miller talked about how Texas leads the nation in agriculture, in all forms: cotton, cattle, wool, horses, sheep, pecans, and so on. He spoke on several categories that he runs, such as the Consumer Protection Agency, pesticides, weights, and measures for all commerce in the state, and corrupt convenient store practices involving card readers and dumping of cheap fuel. Miller stated that they even inspect ping pong balls for the Texas Lottery. Miller has worked heavily for school nutrition reform. Every day he is responsible for 5 million school meals. Miller talked about how he repealed many of the federal and state mandates. Miller focused on putting local products into public schools and set up a system called MEGACon where they bring in schools and farmers to build relationships with each other. Miller said he was able to get 65% of schools to start voluntarily buying 65 million dollars of local products to serve kids. Miller also focused on reformulated lunchrooms to have multiple options and to allow parents to bring desserts when that was mandated against. During Covid they had to figure out how to feed kids at home and Miller talked about how the TDA implemented box lunch programs which would be a weeks’ worth of food and the Hemp program. Miller then moved to rural healthcare. According to Miller, the TDA draws down federal dollars and tries to recruit doctors and nurses and pharmacists. He talked about how Covid was very hard on rural healthcare during Covid, and rural hospitals almost went bankrupt. Miller worked with the office of emergency management, brought in masks and gowns, got Go Texan partners in distilled spirits to make hand sanitizer, and sent trucks to distribute it to rural hospitals. They were able to keep rural hospitals afloat during Covid. Miller discussed what being Ag. The Commissioner has allowed him to do. One initiative Miller took during Covid was trying to make every business in agriculture, related to agriculture, or supported agriculture, to be an essential business. Miller then discussed his Go Texan program. Miller started a national and global outreach initiative that was able to get the label on every continent on the globe. When the tariff war against China was happening, 49 states had exports go down, but Texas’ went up. Later in his speech Miller discussed their livestock export facilities that ship to Mexico, South and Latin America, and Southeast Asia to give them better livestock genetics Another thing that Miller is trying to get done is having beef and pork labeled on country of origin. Everything that comes into this country must have a sticker on it that says what country it comes from, except beef and pork. Companies can label it a product of the USA even if it is not. That is something he wants to change. One of Millers’ bigger projects that he plans to go forth with this coming legislative session is to prevent the Chinese Communist Party from buying up Texas lands. Miller notes that 8 states outlaw it and 37 have restrictions. But Texas has nothing. Miller brought up one example of a former Chinese officer buying 140,000 acres next to Laughlin Airforce Base in Del Rio along with a 15,000 acre wind farm on it. Miller has worked with the legislature to stop China from putting up a wind farm along with Russia, Iraq, and North Korea. They can’t put wind farms in Texas. Miller then talked about how he was going to be in Trump’s cabinet as Secretary of Agriculture if Trump gained the presidency in 2020. He was interviewed the first time when Trump ran in 2016, but someone else was picked. Then, as changes were being made to the president’s cabinet in 2020, Miller was selected to be interviewed for the new Secretary of Agriculture prior to the 2020 election which he passed. On the Texas midterm elections, Miller says it is going to be a very competitive election for several reasons. Miller explained that Beto O Rourke will be a formidable opponent that Governor Abbott has never really had before while running for Governor. Miller also said that the power grid failure in February 2021, and Uvalde, will not be in the Governor’s favor. Miller says that Abbott is riding the ship and doing good, and shipping migrants across the nation, something polls show that Texas have been finding favorably, has been helping his campaign. Miller was honest to the Pecan Valley Republican Women’s club by stating that Dan Patrick and Ken Paxton are in trouble, and Glen Hager and other elected officials are in tough elections. Miller says that the Republicans cannot just do good in rural Texas. They must win by at least 75% in rural areas to offset those big metropolitan areas. After this a Q/A was conducted. They asked Miller his opinion on Abbott declaring an invasion for the whole state, in response to the border crisis. Miller was asked if he would ever run for Governor, but he said there are things he believes he needs to finish at the TDA. Miller was asked how much oil and gas rights and lands that the Chinese own in Texas. Miller did not know the exact number. Miller was asked about a potential food shortage coming to America and how much the war in Ukraine is affecting wheat, and contaminated food items. Miller was able to give clarity to the crowd and give explanations for all their questions, and things that they should not be worried about. At the end of the event, Miller left the crowd with one statement, “every day for the rest of your life, three times a day, you’re going to need a farmer.” [Story by Jacob Lehrer] Read More Here

‘Fighting Fit’: Trial To Show Oath Keepers’ Road To Jan. 6 https://digitalalaskanews.com/fighting-fit-trial-to-show-oath-keepers-road-to-jan-6-2/ Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers, center, speaks during a rally outside the White House in Washington, June 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) The voting was over and almost all ballots were counted. News outlets on Nov. 7, 2020, had called the presidential race for Joe Biden. But the leader of the Oath Keepers extremist group was just beginning to fight. Convinced the White House had been stolen from Donald Trump, Stewart Rhodes exhorted his followers to action. “We must now … refuse to accept it and march en-mass on the nation’s Capitol,” Rhodes declared. Authorities allege Rhodes and his band of extremists would spend the next several weeks after Election Day, Nov. 3, amassing weapons, organizing paramilitary training and readying armed teams with a singular goal: stopping Biden from becoming president. Their plot would come to a head on Jan. 6, 2021, prosecutors say, when Oath Keepers in battle gear were captured on camera shouldering their way through the crowd of Trump supporters and storming the Capitol in military-style stack formation. Court documents in the case against Rhodes and four co-defendants — whose trial opens Tuesday with jury selection in Washington’s federal court — paint a picture of a group so determined to overturn Biden’s victory that some members were prepared to lose their lives to do so. [Judge rules Wasilla lawmaker likely ineligible for office due to Oath Keepers membership, delaying election certification until trial concludes] It’s the biggest test for the Justice Department’s efforts to hold accountable those responsible for the Capitol attack. Rioters temporarily halted the certification of Biden’s victory by sheer force, pummeling police officers in hand-to-hand fighting as they rammed their way into the building, forcing Congress to adjourn as lawmakers and staff hid from the mob. Despite nearly 900 arrests and hundreds of convictions in the riot, Rhodes and four Oath Keeper associates — Kelly Meggs, Jessica Watkins, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell — are the first to stand trial on the rare and difficult-to-prove charge of seditious conspiracy. The Oath Keepers accuse prosecutors of twisting their words and insist there was never any plan to attack the Capitol. They say they were in Washington to provide security at events for figures such as Trump ally Roger Stone before Trump’s big outdoor rally near the White House on Jan. 6. Their preparations, training, gear and weapons were to protect themselves against potential violence from left-wing antifa activists or to be ready if Trump invoked the Insurrection Act to call up a militia. Rhodes’ lawyers have signaled their defense will focus on his belief that Trump would take that action. But Trump never did, so Rhodes went home, his lawyers have said. man wearing an Oath Keepers shirt stands outside the Kenosha County Courthouse, Nov. 19, 2021 in Kenosha, Wis. The trial of the founder of the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, and four associates charged with seditious conspiracy in the attack on the U.S. Capitol is set to begin next week. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File) Members of the Oath Keepers stand on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. The trial of the founder of the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, and four associates charged with seditious conspiracy in the attack on the U.S. Capitol is set to begin next week. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) On Nov. 9, 2020, less than a week after the election, Rhodes held a conference call and rallied the Oath Keepers to go to Washington and fight. He expressed hope that antifa (anti-fascist) activists would start clashes because that would give Trump the “reason and rationale for dropping the Insurrection Act.” “You’ve got to go there and you’ve got to make sure that he knows that you are willing to die to fight for this country,” Rhodes told his people, according to a transcript filed in court. By December, Rhodes and the Oath Keepers had set their sights on Congress’ certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, prosecutors say. On Dec. 23, he published an open letter on the Oath Keepers website declaring that “tens of thousands of patriot Americans, both veterans and nonveterans” would be in Washington. He warned they might have to “take to arms in defense of our God given liberty.” As 2021 approached, Rhodes spent $7,000 on two night-vision devices and a weapon sight and sent them to someone outside Washington, authorities say. Over several days in early January, he would spend an additional $15,500 on guns, magazines, mounts, sights and other equipment, according to court documents. • • • Rhodes had instructed Oath Keepers to be ready, if asked, to secure the White House perimeter and “use lethal force if necessary” against anyone, including the National Guard, who might try to remove Trump from the White House, according to court documents. On Jan. 5, Meggs and the Florida Oath Keepers brought gun boxes, rifle cases and suitcases filled with ammunition to the Virginia hotel where the “quick reaction force” teams would be on standby, according to prosecutors. A team from Arizona brought weapons, ammunition, and supplies to last 30 days, according to court papers. A team from North Carolina had rifles in a vehicle parked in the hotel lot, prosecutors have said. Rioters loyal to President Donald Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. The trial of the founder of the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, and four associates charged with seditious conspiracy in the attack on the U.S. Capitol is set to begin next week. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) At the Capitol, the Oath Keepers formed two teams, military “stacks,” prosecutors say. Some members of the first stack headed toward the House in search of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., but couldn’t find her, according to court documents. Members of the second stack confronted officers inside the Capitol Rotunda, prosecutors allege. Rhodes isn’t accused of going inside the Capitol but was seen huddled with members outside after the riot. Rhodes and others then walked to the nearby Phoenix Park Hotel, prosecutors say. In a private suite there, Rhodes called someone on the phone with an urgent message for Trump, according to an Oath Keeper who says he witnessed it. Rhodes repeatedly urged the person on the phone to tell Trump to call upon militia groups to fight to keep the president in power, court papers say. The person denied Rhodes’ request to speak directly to Trump. “I just want to fight,” Rhodes said after hanging up, according to court papers. Authorities have not disclosed the name of the person they believe Rhodes was speaking to on the call. That night, Rhodes and other Oath Keepers went to dinner in Virginia. In messages over the course of the evening, they indicated their fight was far from over. “Patriots entering their own Capitol to send a message to the traitors is NOTHING compared to what’s coming,” Rhodes wrote. Rhodes returned to Texas after the Jan. 6 attack and remained free for a year before his arrest in January 2022. In interviews before he was jailed, he sought to distance himself from Oath Keepers who went inside the Capitol, saying that was a mistake. He also continued to push the lie the election was stolen and said the Jan. 6 investigation was politically motivated. Read More Here

Most Americans Felt Safer During Last Year Of Trump https://digitalalaskanews.com/most-americans-felt-safer-during-last-year-of-trump/ The majority of Americans have said they felt safer in 2020 when former President Donald Trump was in office compared to now under President Joe Biden, a new poll has found. The survey, conducted by the Trafalgar Group, found that nearly 68 percent of Americans don’t feel as safe in the United States as they did two years ago, while 27 percent said they do feel as safe. In addition, 5 percent of people said they weren’t sure. The poll was broken down along party lines, with the vast majority of Republicans (86.8 percent) reporting that they don’t feel as safe, with Democrats showing that they are nearly split on the matter. Most Democrats—47.8 percent— said they feel as safe in 2022 as they did in 2020. However, an almost equal number, 44.9 percent, said they do not. Just over 7 percent of Democratic voters were undecided on the matter. Among independents, 64.1 percent said they don’t feel as safe, and 30.9 percent said they felt just as safe. A Newark police car patrols on the corner of Clinton Pl. on June 30, 2022 in Newark, New Jersey. The majority of Americans felt safer in 2020 when Former President Donald Trump was in office compared to now under President Joe Biden, a poll has found. Stephanie Keith The poll surveyed 1,079 people between September 17 and September 20 and has a margin of error of 2.9 percent. The pollster says that 39.3 percent of those contacted for the survey were Democrats, 35.6 percent were Republicans, and 25.1 percent were “non-partisan/other.” Newsweek has reached out to the White House for comment. According to the nonprofit law and public policy institute Brennan Center for Justice, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, violent crime rates rose. “Amid a series of interlocking crises, violent crime and some types of property crime rose across the country in 2020 in communities of all types,” the center states on its website. “It is too soon to talk with precision about national crime trends in 2021, as the FBI has yet to publish national data. However, preliminary information suggests that increases in murder rates may have begun to slow.” The center said that as gun violence surged in 2020, the murder rate in the U.S. rose by nearly 30 percent and assaults rose by more than 10 percent. It also added that despite “politicized claims that this rise was the result of criminal justice reform in liberal-leaning jurisdictions,” the murders increased equally in cities controlled by Democrats and Republicans. “This data makes it difficult to pin recent trends on local policy shifts and reveals the basic inaccuracy of attempts to politicize a problem as complex as crime,” the Brennan Center states. In a report released in August, the Major Cities Chiefs Association found that a number of major U.S. cities and counties have seen an uptick in homicides. In a press release, the association said that since 2019, its member cities “have experienced a 50% increase in homicides and a roughly 36% increase in aggravated assaults.” “These shocking numbers demonstrate how the sustained increase in violent crime has disproportionately impacted major urban areas,” the report added. After facing attacks from Republicans claiming that Democrats are soft on crime, House Democrats passed a criminal justice package on Thursday to bolster the budgets of small local police departments around the country. “This is smart investment, smart policy,” Virginia Democratic Representative Abigail Spanberger said before Thursday’s vote. “And at this moment, we should have the common commitment to keeping America’s communities safe.” While the legislation likely won’t gain momentum in a deadlocked Senate, the timing of the package could be critical for Democrats stuck fighting off GOP accusations of wanting to “defund” the police with less than 50 days until the 2022 midterm elections. Read More Here

Storm Fiona Hammers Canada's East Coast, Forcing Evacuations https://digitalalaskanews.com/storm-fiona-hammers-canadas-east-coast-forcing-evacuations/ HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Sept 24 (Reuters) – Powerful storm Fiona slammed into eastern Canada on Saturday with hurricane-force winds, forcing evacuations, blowing over trees and powerlines, and leaving hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without electricity. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the center of the storm, downgraded to Post-Tropical Cyclone Fiona, was now in the Gulf of St. Lawrence after racing through Nova Scotia. After taking its toll on Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, the storm battered Newfoundland, but is now likely to weaken, the NHC said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Port aux Basques on the southwest tip of Newfoundland declared a state of emergency and is evacuating parts of the town that suffered flooding and road washouts, according to Mayor Brian Button and police. “First responders are dealing with multiple electrical fires, residential flooding and washouts. Residents are asked to obey evacuation orders and to find a safe place to weather the storm,” the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Newfoundland said on Twitter. “This is hitting us really, really hard right now,” Button said in a Saturday morning video posted on Facebook in which he urged residents to stay indoors or, if asked, to evacuate. “We have a fair bit of destruction in town… We do not need anyone else injured or hurt in during this.” Homes along the coastline were destroyed by the storm surge, CBC reported, showing images of debris and extensive damage in the town. Fiona, which nearly a week ago battered Puerto Rico and other parts of the Caribbean, made landfall between Canso and Guysborough, Nova Scotia, where the Canadian Hurricane Centre said it recorded what may have been the lowest barometric pressure of any storm to hit land in the country’s history. Ian Hubbard, meteorologist for the Canadian Hurricane Centre, told Reuters it appears Fiona lived up to expectations that it would be a “historical” storm. “It did look like it had the potential to break the all-time record in Canada, and it looks like it did,” he said. “We’re still not out of this yet.” Storms are not uncommon in the region and typically cross over rapidly, but Fiona is expected to impact a very large area. Hubbard said Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island still have many hours of strong winds, rain and storm surge to go, and the west coast of Newfoundland would be pounded throughout the day. While scientists have not yet determined whether climate change influenced Fiona’s strength or behavior, there is strong evidence that these devastating storms are getting worse. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS WITHOUT POWER Some 79% of customers, or 414,000, were without power in Nova Scotia, and 95%, or 82,000, had lost power on Prince Edward Island, utility companies said. The region was also experiencing spotty mobile phone service. Police across the region reported multiple road closures. “She was a wild ride last night, sounded like the whole roof was going to blow off,” said Gary Hatcher, a retiree who lives in Sydney, Nova Scotia, near where the storm made landfall. A maple tree was toppled in his back yard but did not damage his house. Sydney recorded wind gusts of 141 kph (88 mph), Hubbard said. The storm weakened somewhat as it traveled north. As of 11 a.m. (1500 GMT), it was over the Gulf of St. Lawrence about 100 miles (160 km) west-north-west of Port aux Basques, carrying maximum winds of 80 miles per hour (130 kph) and barreling north at around 25 mph (41 kph), the NHC said. Fiona is expected to maintain hurricane-force winds until Saturday afternoon, the NHC said. As a powerful hurricane when it lashed Caribbean islands earlier in the week, Fiona killed at least eight and knocked out power for virtually all of Puerto Rico’s 3.3 million people during a sweltering heat wave. Nearly a million people remained without power five days later. No casualties have yet been reported in Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delayed Saturday’s departure for Japan, where he was to attend the funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, to receive briefings and support the government’s emergency response, Press Secretary Cecely Roy said on Twitter. Canadian authorities sent emergency alerts in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, warning of severe flooding along shorelines and extremely dangerous waves. People in coastal areas were advised to evacuate. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting Eric Martyn in Halifax and John Morris in Stephenville; Additional reporting by Ivelisse Rivera in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Ismail Shakil and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; Writing by Steve Scherer; Editing by Frances Kerry and Bill Berkrot Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here

At The Courthouse https://digitalalaskanews.com/at-the-courthouse/ All offenses in addition to $49 court fees. County Court Speeding Gina M. Moulas, 56, Omaha, $200; Teri A. Zimmerman, 33, Wymore, $25; Natasha A. Wolf, 36, Beatrice, $75; Gerard S. Vadi, 49, Sterling, $75; Monica R. Ullman, 54, Wymore, $75; Charles E. Persinger, 52, Beatrice, $25; Robert L. Knarr, 60, Wymore, $200; Daniel F. Hadland, 38, Lincoln, $75; Lucas G. Traylor, 28, Bellevue, $125; Emily E. Thornburg, 26, DeWitt, $75; Benjamin G. Wissink, 44, Beatrice, $25; Kathryn E. Milius, 74, Beatrice, $75; Kiaya K. Myers, 19, Beatrice, $75; Alesha A. Meyer, 42, Diller, $125. No operator’s license Luis A. Martinez Castro, 30, Beatrice, $75; Pedro P. Lopez, 31, Cape Coral, Fla., $75; Zachary C. Hawkins, 26, Beatrice, $75; Henry P. Kagy, 27, Blaine, Minn., $75; Jeffrey L. Tiemersma, 53, Jansen, $75; Jesse Henry, 41, Beatrice, $75; Michael D. Vanover, 45 Lincoln, $75. No valid registration Shayna L. Jaramino, 32, Beatrice, $25; Benjamin G. Wissink, 44, Beatrice, $25. No turn signal Ricky A. Paulson, 57, Bennet, $25. Fictitious plates Zachary C. Hawkins, 26, Beatrice, $50. Failure to yield Zachary C. Hawkins, 26, Beatrice, $100. One way violation Henry P. Kagy, 27, Blaine, Minn., $25. CMV HOS log Chester L. Wilkerson, 73, Desoto, Texa, $200. Arraignments James Eggert, 61, 3721 N. Sixth St. Driving under suspension. No contest plea entered. Sentencing set for Nov. 22. Kyle A. Schoen, 28, 429 N. Eighth St. Driving under the influence. Not guilty plea entered. Pretrial set for Oct. 28. Henry Solorzano-Alvarez, 27, 1215 Linden Ave., Crete. First offense DUI, no operator’s license, open container violation, driving left of center. Not guilty plea entered. Hearing set for Nov. 7. Rose M. Bartak, 39, 211 N. Sumner St. Two counts attempt of a class 4 felony. No contest plea entered. Sentencing set for Oct. 25. Daniel L. Boosinger, 38, 621 Arthur St. Attempt of a class 1 misdemeanor, disturbing the peace, obstructing a peace officer. Guilty plea entered. Sentencing set for Nov. 7. Chance G. Siebrandt, 26, 71065 566th Ave., Fairbury. First offense DUI. Guilty plea entered. Sentencing set for Oct. 11. Aaron B. Swanson, 38, 841 W. Sumner St., Lincoln. Criminal mischief, theft, attempt of a class 4 felony. Not guilty plea entered. Pretrial set for Nov. 7. Sentencings Scott A. Goin, 38, 621 Arthur St. 365 days jail for third-degree domestic assault, 180 days concurrent for protection order violation. James L. Rivers, 31, 416 N. 16th St. $100 for theft. Steven L. Dean, 73, 12086 E. State Highway 41, Adams. $50 for CMV brake violation, $100 for violating farm registration use, $25 for no valid registration. Noel R. Gronewald, 51, 2858 N. 2400th Ave., Golden, Ill. $50 for CMV HOS log violation, $100 for no fuel carry permit, $100 for UCR no registration. Eliuc Conejo Ramirez, 34, 2025 N. Sixth St., Kansas City, Kan. $100 for UCR no registration, $100 for driving commercial vehicle without CDL, $50 for CMV brake violation, $25 for CMV wheel violation. Katelin R. Sturdivant, 18, 1312 Scott St. $100 for no proof of insurance, $50 for no registration in vehicle. Jasmine C. Higgs, 34, 515 N. 13th St. $100 for no proof of insurance, $50 for no registration. Alex S. Donald, 32, 6052 E. Apple Road, Cortland. $100 for no proof of insurance, $25 for no valid registration. James L. Rivers, 31, 416 N. 16th St. $100 for theft. Kevin D. Morris, 49, 540 E. Broad St., Blue Springs. $250 for driving during revocation. Jeffrey W. Parker, 47, 1108 Ella St. $50 for fictitious plates, $25 for no valid registration, $75 for no proof of insurance. Justice L. Wolbert, 24, 4012 N.W. 49th St., Lincoln. $75 for no proof of insurance. Ronald W. Volle, 72, 326 W. Thayer St. $500, license revoked six months, 10 days jail for first offense DUI. Jamie E. Reiber, 26, 1119 Garfield St. $100 for driving under suspension. Kevin D. Morris, 49, 540 E. Broad St., Blue Springs. $1,000, 30 days jail, license revoked three years for third-offense DUI, $500 for refuse to submit to a test. Dismissed Victoria Carney, 33, 417 Seventh St., Fairbury. Possession of a controlled substance. Dismissed with prejudice. Continued Broderick H. Cooper, 24, 605 Wayne St., Liberty. Possession of a short shotgun, improper vehicle lighting, no license on person. Continued to Oct. 11. Christopher L. Volle, 31, 326 Thayer St. Possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia. Continued to Sept. 29. Jasmine J. Cronin, 28, 3032 N. 97th St. Distribution of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia. Continued to Sept. 27. Alexis M. Wieskamp, 25, 515 N. Ninth St. Possession of a controlled substance, two counts driving under suspension. Continued to Sept. 27. Alexis M. Wieskamp, 25, 515 N. Ninth St. Driving under suspension. Continued to Sept. 27. Alyssa M. Kearn, 24, 221 N. 11th St., Wymore. Distribution of a controlled substance to a minor, contributing to the delinquency of a child, negligent child abuse, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia. Continued to Sept. 27. Jacinto G. Brown, 38, 1800 Scott St. Driving under suspension, no proof of insurance, no valid registration. Continued to Oct. 11. Jacinto G. Brown, 38, 1800 Scott St. Third-degree domestic assault, contempt of court. Continued to Oct. 11. Paul F. Reese, 46, 1318 N. 11th St. Driving while revoked. Continued to Oct. 31. Edgar M. Alonzo, 32, 300 N. Linden Ave., Davenport. Driving while revoked, no valid registration, illegal U turn. Continued to Oct. 31. Cassandra R. Lovgren, 25, 6231 S. 28th St., Lincoln. Distribution of a controlled substance, possession of drug money, possession of marijuana. Continued to Oct. 31. Brittany E. Roberts, 32, 1429 N. 14th St. Second offense DUI. Continued to Oct. 4. Travis A. Privett, 28, 412 N. Market St. Driving during revocation. Continued to Oct. 4. Melvin D. Lear, 45, 303 Denton St., Ong. Possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia. Continued to Oct. 4. Tayha C. Eppens, 19, 106 S. Sumner St. Third-degree assault. Continued to Oct. 11. Angela B. Alano, 35, 210 N. Graham St. Third-degree assault. Continued to Oct. 11. Jesse L. Henry, 41, 337 Cheyenne Drive. Fugitive from justice. Continued to Sept. 29. Dalton J. Johnson, 22, 9106 E. Olive Road, Blue Springs. Leaving the scene of an accident, open container violation. Continued to Oct. 21. Jorge L. Orta, 45, Beatrice. Theft valued at over $5,000. Continued to Oct. 21. Christopher N. Glover, 24, 107 N. Columbus Ave., Plymouth. First offense DUI. Continued to Oct. 11. Kerrick M. Wilhelm, 44, 1109 Market St. Third-degree domestic assault. Continued to Oct. 27. Kilynn Riekenberg, 21, 408 S. 11th St. Driving under suspension, speeding. Continued to Oct. 25. Bryan T. Neal, 40, 428 N. Eighth St. Second offense DUI. Continued to Oct. 4. William A. Fischer, 24, 1109 Market St. Carrying a concealed weapon. Continued to Oct. 4. Roger D. Powell, 63, 212 N. 11th St. Possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of explosives, possession of marijuana. Continued to Oct. 11. Brandee N. Freauf, 47, 1413 Union Ave. First offense DUI. Continued to Nov. 10. Amber R. Deras, 40, 1236 L St., Geneva. Possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person, carrying a concealed weapon, failure to appear. Continued to Oct. 4. Thomas A. Phillips, 28, 720 Elk St. Possession of a controlled substance, obstructing a peace officer, possession of drug paraphernalia. Continued to Sept. 29. Jordan M. Ward, 29, 417 Lincoln Ave., Hebron. Obstructing a peace officer, second-degree trespassing, theft by receiving stolen property. Continued to Sept. 29. Jordan M. Ward, 29, 417 Lincoln Ave., Hebron. Possession of a controlled substance, obstructing an officer, possession of drug paraphernalia. Continued to Sept. 29. Marriage Licenses Teagan J. Gydesen, 23, Odell to Michelle L. Cary, 23, Odell. David A. Penner, 38, Beatrice to Charollet K. Roschewski, 41, Beatrice. Christopher Barton, 36, Beatrice to Angela D. Larimore, 40, Beatrice. Tyler J. Keyes, 26, Beatrice to Alyssa K. Sanford, 29, Beatrice. Titus W. McGhee, 21, Homer, Alaska to Indiana L. Rash, 24, Beatrice. James D. Perry, 56, Beatrice to June A. Kreft, 48, Beatrice. Travis J. Munstermann, 24, Beatrice to Jordan E. Hanshaw, 23, Beatrice. Transfers Larry W. and Karla J. Shelley to Jerry and Beverly Kreuzberg. Lots 4, 5, Wildhabers subdivision of Beatrice. $138,000-$139,000. Nicholas A. and Jennifer R. Sutphin to Husker Properties LLC. Part of lot 1 in block 53, original town of Beatrice. $69,000-$70,000. Black Reef Trust to Brandon Crounse. Part of lots 12, 13 in block 3, Northridge Manor addition of Beatrice. $86,000-$87,000. Cynthia Price, Lila Papke to Paradox Properties LLC. Lots 1-3 in block 2, East Cortland. $131,000-$132,000. Dale and Phyllis Papke to Jason and Brittany Papke. Part of section 7, Nemaha township. $12,000-$13,000. Daniel R. Koperski to Charles and Laureen Riedesel. Lots 7, 8 in block 1, Smith Bros. Addition of Beatrice. $64,000-$65,000. Allen O. and Linda K. Grell to Blake L. and Jami L. Meints. Part of block 3, Lincoln Heights addition of Beatrice. $50,000-$60,000. Ricardo Silva Jr. and Cynthia Rojas to Brantley and Madison Eklund. Lots 1, 2, Fairview addition of Adams. $162,000-$163,000. Venus J. Crandall to Janalee Seibert. Part of lots 7, 8 in block 3, Grable and Beachleys second addition of Beatrice. $159,000-$160,000. Dennis L. and Vicki L. Busboom to Jeffrey L. and Jennifer Busboom. Part of section 7, Filley township. $309,000-$310,000. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Read More Here

Elton John ‘flabbergasted’ And Teary After Biden Surprises Him With Medal https://digitalalaskanews.com/elton-john-flabbergasted-and-teary-after-biden-surprises-him-with-medal/ LONDON — British singer Elton John was left teary eyed and “flabbergasted” after being awarded a surprise national humanities medal by President Biden, following a concert at the White House on Friday night. John, 75, who was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, is a world-renowned singer, pianist and songwriter. He has also championed numerous charities and humanitarian causes, especially those tackling HIV/AIDS. Flanked by the president and first lady, John, wearing his signature red-tinted spectacles, looked visibly shocked as he first spotted the medal, covering his face with his hands in disbelief. “I’m never flabbergasted, but I’m flabbergasted and humbled and honored by this incredible award from the United States of America,” he said, overcome, moments after clutching Jill Biden’s hand and hugging her husband. “I will treasure this so much.” The Grammy-winning singer praised “America’s kindness to me as a musician,” calling it “second to none,” and vowed that the medal would push him to redouble his efforts to help eradicate the illness that impacts more than 38 million people globally, according to the World Health Organization. Biden, a big fan, described John as a “tidal wave,” quoting Irish poet Seamus Heaney, and praised his “incredible career.” With the White House as his backdrop, John opened with “Your Song,” followed by classics including “Tiny Dancer,” “Rocket Man” and “Crocodile Rock.” He closed with the jaunty “I’m Still Standing.” The concert on the South Lawn, titled “A Night When Hope and History Rhyme,” was part of his farewell tourafter a glittering 50-year career. It was also an event to honor “everyday history-makers in the audience,” according to the White House, among them teachers, military families and LGBT+ advocates. John dedicated “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” to Ryan White and his mother, Jeanne White-Ginder, who attended the concert. Her son lost his life to AIDS-related complications after a blood transfusion and died in 1990, just a month before his high school graduation. The legendary singer launched the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992, which has raised over $450 million and funded programs across four continents. In between songs, John spoke to the audience about his hope to help eradicate the virus by 2030. Among the estimated 2,000 guests were former first lady Laura Bush, tennis champion Billie Jean King, British Ambassador to the United States Karen Elizabeth Pierce, and John’s husband, David Furnish. Members of Biden’s administration including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also attended. John previously performed at the White House in 1998 alongside Stevie Wonder at a state dinner for British Prime Minister Tony Blair. He has sold more than 300 million records worldwide, according to his official website, and held more than 4,000 performances in over 80 countries. He became Sir Elton John after being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998 and has been a close ally of Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, defending them in the press after the criticism they received for stepping back from senior royal duties. John reworked “Candle In The Wind” after the death of Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, in 1997, which went on to break records, selling over 33 million copies. John told fans while onstage in Canada this past week that he had been “very sad” to learn of the death of the queen, praising her decency and noting that she had for decades “worked bloody hard.” His medal from Biden will sit alongside his Legion d’Honneur, given to him by French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019. Read More Here

Companies Ditch Europe To Shift Manufacturing To The United States https://digitalalaskanews.com/companies-ditch-europe-to-shift-manufacturing-to-the-united-states/ Companies Ditch Europe to Shift Manufacturing to the United States  Firstpost You really don’t understand how bad it could get in Europe this year  Fortune Analysis | The European ‘Way of Life’ Isn’t Looking Too Sweet  The Washington Post Europe’s Wartime Economy, Energy Crisis Will Last Beyond the Winter  Bloomberg Europe’s dark, expensive winter  Financial Times View Full Coverage on Google News Read More Here

‘Let’s Have Some Music’: Elton John Plays White House | 870 AM 97.7FM News Talk WHCU https://digitalalaskanews.com/lets-have-some-music-elton-john-plays-white-house-870-am-97-7fm-news-talk-whcu/ Elton John performs on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. John is calling the show “A Night When Hope and History Rhyme,” a reference to a poem by Irishman Seamus Heaney that President Joe Biden often quotes. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) Photo: Associated Press By COLLEEN LONG Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — “God bless you, let’s have some music,” said Elton John. With that, the White House South Lawn was transformed into a musical lovefest Friday night as John played a farewell gig to honor everyday “heroes” like teachers, nurses and AIDS activists. But as it turns out, the event was also to honor the 75-year-old British songwriter — President Joe Biden surprised him with the National Humanities Medal for being a “tidal wave” who helped people rise up for justice. John seemed almost overcome by the accolades, telling the audience of 2,000 people: “I don’t know what to say. … I don’t know how to take a compliment very well but it’s wonderful to be here amongst so many people who have helped my AIDS foundation and my heroes, that ones that work day to day on the front line.” He said he’d played some beautiful venues before, but the stage in front of the White House, beneath a massive open-air tent on a perfect autumn night, was “probably the icing on the cake.” He kicked off the show with “Your Song,” his first big international hit. The intimate guest list included teachers, nurses, frontline workers and LGBTQ advocates, plus former first lady Laura Bush, civil rights advocate Ruby Bridges, education activist Malala Yousafzai and Jeanne White-Ginder, an AIDS activist and mother of Ryan White, who died from AIDS-related complications in 1990. Biden and first lady Jill Biden talked about the British singer’s activism, the power of his music and his all-around goodness. The event was dreamed up and paid for by A+E and the History Channel. “Seamus Heaney once wrote, and I quote, ‘Once in a lifetime, the longed-for tidal wave of justice can rise up, and hope and history rhyme,” Biden said. “Throughout his incredible career, Sir Elton John has been that tidal wave, a tidal wave to help people rise up and make hope and history rhyme.” The night, in fact, was called “A Night When Hope and History Rhyme,” a reference to the poem Biden quoted by Ireland’s Heaney. Sir Elton — he was knighted in 1998 by Queen Elizabeth II — has sold over 300 million records worldwide, played over 4,000 shows in 80 countries and recorded one of the best-selling singles of all time, his 1997 reworking of “Candle In The Wind” to eulogize Princess Diana, which sold 33 million copies. John punctuated the hits Friday with emotional tidbits of his history, including a shoutout to Laura Bush and former president George W. Bush for his administration’s emergency plan for AIDS relief, and a story of how a dying Ryan White and his mother pushed him into advocacy in the first place, and helped him get sober. “I wouldn’t be here talking tonight,” he said. “They saved my life.” He then dedicated “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” to Ryan. Despite the presence of plenty of lawmakers, the political speak was kept to a minimum, except for when John said, “I just wish America would be more bipartisan on everything.” It was his first White House gig since he performed with Stevie Wonder at a state dinner in 1998 honoring British Prime Minister Tony Blair. John is on a farewell tour that began in July after performing for more than 50 years. The show came together after A+E Networks and the History Channel asked the White House and John if they’d be up for a collaboration honoring “everyday history-makers” as well as John himself. It’s not clear whether the show will be broadcast. John has worked with A+E in the past on his global HIV/AIDS charity, the Elton John Foundation, which has raised more than $525 million to combat the virus around the world. John is sticking around to play a sold-out show at Nationals Park Saturday. The president and first lady are big fans. Biden wrote in a 2017 memoir about singing “Crocodile Rock” to his two young boys as he drove them to school, and again later to son Beau before he died of cancer at age 46. “I started singing the lyrics to Beau, quietly, so just the two of us could hear it,” Biden wrote. “Beau didn’t open his eyes, but I could see through my own tears that he was smiling.” John played the song Friday, saying someone told him Biden used to sing it to his little boys. “I can’t imagine him singin’ it,” John quipped before suggesting the president come up on stage. He did not. But the whole crowd did do the “La-La-Las” from their seats. Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, was also a fan of John. He tried to get John to perform at his 2017 inauguration but John declined, saying he didn’t think it was appropriate for a Brit to play at the swearing-in of an American president. The White House insisted Friday’s show wasn’t an effort to troll Trump, who has praised John in his books and has often featured John’s music — including “Rocket Man” and “Tiny Dancer” — in his pre-rally playlists over the years. Trump nicknamed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “rocket man” for his record of test-firing missiles. John played both Friday, to thunderous applause. Read More Here

Some Republicans Feel Uneasy About DeSantis Migrant Strategy https://digitalalaskanews.com/some-republicans-feel-uneasy-about-desantis-migrant-strategy/ Some Republican senators are privately expressing misgivings over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) provocative decision to ship migrants from Texas to liberal enclaves such as Martha’s Vineyard.   GOP lawmakers acknowledge sending planeloads of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, where former President Obama recently bought a house, plays well on Fox News and will likely ingratiate the Florida governor with Republican primary voters if he runs for president in 2024.   But the idea of shipping migrants thousands of miles across the country to Martha’s Vineyard — an island off of Massachusetts with only 17,000 year-round resident and hardly enough housing even for seasonal summer workers — without any advance notice to local authorities, to make a political point, leaves some GOP lawmakers feeling uncomfortable.   One Senate Republican critic who requested anonymity to comment candidly on DeSantis’s Martha’s Vineyard gambit said it shows how much politics has changed since then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush (R) made his brand “compassionate conservativism” before the 2000 election.   “It plays well to the base, but I just think of the humanity of it,” said the GOP senator. “It fires up a certain set of voters, but it turns another set of voters off.” “The immediate media focus is on the shipping of people,” added the senator, referring to the critical media coverage of DeSantis and other Republican governors such as Texas Gov. Greg Abbot and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who have sent migrants to Chicago and Washington, D.C.   A Reuters-Ipsos poll published Friday showed that only a third of Americans think it’s appropriate for Republican governors to fly or bus migrants to other states. Half of the Republicans polled and only 1 in 6 Democrats said it was OK.  Twenty-nine percent of Republicans and 55 percent of Democrats say they opposed the practice, according to the survey of 1,005 adults.  Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.), a leading voice in Congress on immigration issues, said DeSantis’s aggressive tack would wind up turning off middle-of-the-road voters.  He said laws may have been broken and that he would monitor how Republican governors are treating the migrants.   “More information is coming out. In fact, a lawsuit has been filed against him for alleged misrepresentations to these people. I’m just going to stay tuned and let the facts develop before making any legal conclusion,” he said.   “This is exploitation at its worse,” he added. “The MAGA Republicans will glory in this kind of outrageous conduct but normal, sensible, independent [people] I’m sure will see through it.”  Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), another leader on immigration issues, said there may be cause for Congress to investigate whether DeSantis improperly used federal COVID-19 relief money to fly migrants around the country.   A second Republican senator called DeSantis’s decision to ship migrants from Texas “a little strange” because they were outside his state’s jurisdiction.  The senator added that Abbott, the Texas governor, who is also seen as a potential presidential candidate, “has been more cautious,” because he’s only sent migrants from his own state and hasn’t sent them any of them to Martha’s Vineyard, a destination that seemed designed to provoke liberals.  The discomfort felt by some Senate Republicans was voiced publicly by former Trump White House senior advisor Jared Kushner, the former president’s son-in-law, who said it was “very troubling” to see DeSantis use 48 Venezuelan migrants as “political pawns.”  “I personally watch what’s happening and it’s very hard to see at the southern border. I also — we have to remember these are human beings, they’re people,” Kushner told Fox News. “So seeing them being used as political pawns one way or the other is very troubling to me.”   The growing controversy over whether it’s appropriate to ship migrants to Martha’s Vineyard or to Vice President Harris’s official residence in Northwest Washington, D.C., — as Abbott recently did — is creating some tensions in the Senate Republican Conference.   Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) praised the gambit last week as “a good idea.”   The GOP leader seemed pleased that the intense media focus on DeSantis had shifted some public attention to the huge influx of migrants at the southern border, an issue on which Republicans want to focus on ahead of the election, and away from the abortion debate, which has energized Democratic voters.   But other Republicans are stopping short of praising DeSantis, Abbott or Ducey in the same way.   Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she understands the frustration felt by border-state governors but that she’s proposing to pass legislation to allow migrants seeking asylum to work legally in the United States while their cases make their way through the courts, instead of sending them to states around the country with no clear way of supporting themselves.   “I understand the frustration of border state governors because the border is completely out of control. We have 2 million unauthorized crossings in a year’s time. The administration really needs to take control of this issue and figure out how we can appropriately care for those who are crossing because they are fearing in their own country,” she said.   She said allowing migrants seeking asylum to work while the legal process plays out would ease the burden on nonprofit groups and communities that are now caring for them. It takes nearly five years, on average, for an asylum case to clear the legal backlog.   A third Senate Republican who requested anonymity to discuss how DeSantis’s entry into the Texas border fray might play out politically and legally predicted the Florida governor would wind up with big legal bills.   “Obviously to be in politics today you have to have enough campaign money to pay for lawsuits and lawyers,” the senator noted.   Alianza Americas, a Chicago-based advocacy group representing migrants, this past week filed a lawsuit against DeSantis accusing him of organizing “a premeditated, fraudulent and illegal scheme” to advance his own political interests. The group is seeking to elevate the suit to class-action status.   DeSantis is also facing a criminal investigation by the sheriff of Bexar County, the home of San Antonio, who says the Florida governor’s allies “lured” Venezuelan migrants onto the plane to Martha’s Vineyard “under false pretenses.”   Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who is eyeing a potential run for president in 2024, defended DeSantis by accusing Sheriff Javier Salazar, a Democrat who was elected to his office in 2016, of playing politics.   “I think it’s silliness. Sheriffs are elected in Texas. It’s not the first time someone is looking for a headline, but it is not remotely criminal at all for someone to offer a private jet, a flight to fly someone voluntarily to a billionaire’s paradise,” he said, referring to Martha’s Vineyard.   Other Senate Republicans are cheering on DeSantis and Abbott for putting Democrats on the political defensive. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said DeSantis doesn’t face any political risk over his gambit on migrants, even though he is already facing a criminal investigation and a civil suit.   “None, zero,” he said of the chance the politics might backfire on the Florida governor. “There are a bunch of liberals pushing back.” “It’s good for him. The public’s with him. The public finds this, ‘Everybody, come into the country,’ insane,” he added. “I said in December of 2020 that immigration would be a bigger issue in 2022 than it was in 2020. Why? Because these policies are insane. There is no deterrence to coming by the millions now, with no end in sight. What Ron and Abbott are doing is trying to make this real to the most liberal groups in the country.”   Read More Here

'Fighting Fit': Trial To Show Oath Keepers' Road To Jan. 6 https://digitalalaskanews.com/fighting-fit-trial-to-show-oath-keepers-road-to-jan-6/ The voting was over and almost all ballots were counted. News outlets on Nov. 7, 2020, had called the presidential race for Joe Biden. But the leader of the Oath Keepers extremist group was just beginning to fight. Convinced the White House had been stolen from Donald Trump, Stewart Rhodes exhorted his followers to action. What You Need To Know Authorities allege Stewart Rhodes and his band of extremists would spend the next several weeks after Election Day, Nov. 3, amassing weapons, organizing paramilitary training and readying armed teams with a singular goal: stopping Biden from becoming presiden Rioters temporarily halted the certification of Biden’s victory by sheer force Rhodes and four Oath Keeper associates — Kelly Meggs, Jessica Watkins, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell — are the first to stand trial on the rare and difficult-to-prove charge of seditious conspiracy “We must now … refuse to accept it and march en-mass on the nation’s Capitol,” Rhodes declared. Authorities allege Rhodes and his band of extremists would spend the next several weeks after Election Day, Nov. 3, amassing weapons, organizing paramilitary training and readying armed teams with a singular goal: stopping Biden from becoming president. Their plot would come to a head on Jan. 6, 2021, prosecutors say, when Oath Keepers in battle gear were captured on camera shouldering their way through the crowd of Trump supporters and storming the Capitol in military-style stack formation. Court documents in the case against Rhodes and four co-defendants — whose trial opens Tuesday with jury selection in Washington’s federal court — paint a picture of a group so determined to overturn Biden’s victory that some members were prepared to lose their lives to do so. It’s the biggest test for the Justice Department’s efforts to hold accountable those responsible for the Capitol attack. Rioters temporarily halted the certification of Biden’s victory by sheer force, pummeling police officers in hand-to-hand fighting as they rammed their way into the building, forcing Congress to adjourn as lawmakers and staff hid from the mob. Despite nearly 900 arrests and hundreds of convictions in the riot, Rhodes and four Oath Keeper associates — Kelly Meggs, Jessica Watkins, Kenneth Harrelson and Thomas Caldwell — are the first to stand trial on the rare and difficult-to-prove charge of seditious conspiracy. The Oath Keepers accuse prosecutors of twisting their words and insist there was never any plan to attack the Capitol. They say they were in Washington to provide security at events for figures such as Trump ally Roger Stone before Trump’s big outdoor rally near the White House on Jan. 6. Their preparations, training, gear and weapons were to protect themselves against potential violence from left-wing antifa activists or to be ready if Trump invoked the Insurrection Act to call up a militia. Rhodes’ lawyers have signaled their defense will focus on his belief that Trump would take that action. But Trump never did, so Rhodes went home, his lawyers have said. ___ On Nov. 9, 2020, less than a week after the election, Rhodes held a conference call and rallied the Oath Keepers to go to Washington and fight. He expressed hope that antifa (anti-fascist) activists would start clashes because that would give Trump the “reason and rationale for dropping the Insurrection Act.” ”You’ve got to go there and you’ve got to make sure that he knows that you are willing to die to fight for this country,” Rhodes told his people, according to a transcript filed in court. By December, Rhodes and the Oath Keepers had set their sights on Congress’ certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, prosecutors say. On Dec. 23, he published an open letter on the Oath Keepers website declaring that “tens of thousands of patriot Americans, both veterans and nonveterans” would be in Washington. He warned they might have to “take to arms in defense of our God given liberty.” As 2021 approached, Rhodes spent $7,000 on two night-vision devices and a weapon sight and sent them to someone outside Washington, authorities say. Over several days in early January, he would spend an additional $15,500 on guns, magazines, mounts, sights and other equipment, according to court documents. ___ Rhodes had instructed Oath Keepers to be ready, if asked, to secure the White House perimeter and “use lethal force if necessary” against anyone, including the National Guard, who might try to remove Trump from the White House, according to court documents. On Jan. 5, Meggs and the Florida Oath Keepers brought gun boxes, rifle cases and suitcases filled with ammunition to the Virginia hotel where the “quick reaction force” teams would be on standby, according to prosecutors. A team from Arizona brought weapons, ammunition, and supplies to last 30 days, according to court papers. A team from North Carolina had rifles in a vehicle parked in the hotel lot, prosecutors have said. At the Capitol, the Oath Keepers formed two teams, military “stacks,” prosecutors say. Some members of the first stack headed toward the House in search of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., but couldn’t find her, according to court documents. Members of the second stack confronted officers inside the Capitol Rotunda, prosecutors allege. Rhodes isn’t accused of going inside the Capitol but was seen huddled with members outside after the riot. Rhodes and others then walked to the nearby Phoenix Park Hotel, prosecutors say. In a private suite there, Rhodes called someone on the phone with an urgent message for Trump, according to an Oath Keeper who says he witnessed it. Rhodes repeatedly urged the person on the phone to tell Trump to call upon militia groups to fight to keep the president in power, court papers say. The person denied Rhodes’ request to speak directly to Trump. “I just want to fight,” Rhodes said after hanging up, according to court papers. Authorities have not disclosed the name of the person they believe Rhodes was speaking to on the call. That night, Rhodes and other Oath Keepers went to dinner in Virginia. In messages over the course of the evening, they indicated their fight was far from over. “Patriots entering their own Capitol to send a message to the traitors is NOTHING compared to what’s coming,” Rhodes wrote. Rhodes returned to Texas after the Jan. 6 attack and remained free for a year before his arrest in January 2022. In interviews before he was jailed, he sought to distance himself from Oath Keepers who went inside the Capitol, saying that was a mistake. He also continued to push the lie the election was stolen and said the Jan. 6 investigation was politically motivated. Read More Here

Arizona Judge Rules State Can Enforce Near-Total Abortion Ban | CNN Politics https://digitalalaskanews.com/arizona-judge-rules-state-can-enforce-near-total-abortion-ban-cnn-politics/ CNN  —  An Arizona Superior Court judge ruled Friday that a 1901 ban on nearly all abortions in that state can be enforced, a decision that is likely to see an appeal and is all but certain to galvanize female voters to turn out in greater numbers in the state’s closely contested US Senate and governor’s races. In ruling that Arizona’s near-total ban on abortion could take effect, Pima County Superior Court Judge Kellie Johnson granted a request by the state’s Republican attorney general to lift a court injunction that had barred enforcement of Arizona’s pre-statehood ban on abortion after the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade in 1973. “The court finds that because the legal basis for the judgment entered in 1973 has now been overruled, it must vacate the judgment in its entirety,” Johnson wrote in the ruling released Friday. The case has thrust the issue of how restrictive abortion law should be in Arizona, a swing state that President Joe Biden carried by fewer than 11,000 votes. It’s a controversial topic that has divided Republicans in Arizona and is reflective of a pitched debate nationwide in the wake of the US Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in late June, with many GOP-led states passing increasingly restrictive measures that run the risk of alienating moderate voters. The judge’s ruling effectively outlaws all abortions in Arizona except when the procedure is necessary to save the mother’s life. The decision came a day before a 15-week ban on abortion was slated to go into effect in Arizona. That law was passed by Arizona lawmakers before the US Supreme Court decision. Conservative Arizona lawmakers included language in the bill banning abortion after 15 weeks stating that the new legislation would not override the 1901 law – which was passed before Arizona became a state and can be traced back to as early as 1864. In addition to barring abortion in all cases except when “it is necessary to save (the mother’s) life,” the pre-statehood law carries a prison sentence of two to five years for abortion providers. While fighting the attorney general’s move to allow the 1901 abortion ban to be enforced, abortion rights groups had argued that if both laws were to go into effect, it would create significant confusion for both abortion providers and women seeking care. But the judge said in her ruling that she was not weighing in on how the conflict between Arizona’s abortion laws would be settled. “While there may be legal questions the parties seek to resolve regarding Arizona statutes on abortion, those questions are not for this Court to decide here,” Johnson wrote in the decision. The ruling drew a swift rebuke from several Democratic groups that favor abortion rights and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Katie Hobbs, who said she was “outraged and devastated” by the decision. “There’s no doubt in my mind that this draconian 1901 law will have dire consequences on the health and well-being of Arizona women and their families,” Hobbs said in a statement. “This cruel law effectively outlaws abortion in Arizona — with no exceptions for rape or incest — and risks women’s fundamental freedom to make their own health care decisions. … To make matters worse, this law mandates jail time for abortion providers. Medical professionals will now be forced to think twice and call their lawyer before providing patients with oftentimes necessary, lifesaving care.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre criticized the Arizona court ruling as “catastrophic, dangerous and unacceptable.” “Make no mistake: this backwards decision exemplifies the disturbing trend across the country of Republican officials at the local and national level dead-set on stripping women of their rights, including through (South Carolina Sen. Lindsey) Graham’s proposed national abortion ban,” she said in a statement. Arizona GOP Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who led the legal process to try to get the state’s pre-statehood ban on abortion put back into effect after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in late June, tweeted that he was pleased by the decision: “We applaud the court for upholding the will of the legislature and providing clarity and uniformity on this important issue. I have and will continue to protect the most vulnerable Arizonans,” he tweeted. The disagreement over Arizona’s abortion laws has created a confusing legal landscape in Arizona for much of the summer that has unfolded against the backdrop of a shifting national political mood ahead of November’s midterm elections. While both historical trends and the nation’s sour mood about inflation had initially appeared to favor Republicans in their quest to take control of the US House and Senate this November, the Supreme Court’s decision on abortion has energized female voters all over the country – a dynamic that led to the surprising victory for proponents of abortion rights in Kansas and better-than-expected performances for Democrats in special elections for the US House since the Dobbs ruling. The ruling injects a new uncertainty into the marquee statewide races. Republicans, who need a net gain of just one seat to flip the Senate, are trying to unseat Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly as he runs for a full six-year term. And Democrats are trying to flip the governor’s mansion, currently held by term-limited Republican Gov. Doug Ducey. In the Arizona governor’s race, Hobbs has portrayed GOP opponent Kari Lake as “extreme” on abortion. Lake has repeatedly said she is opposed to the procedure and in an August news conference said that she would “uphold the laws that are on the books.” But she did not specify which laws she meant. “If people don’t like the laws on the books, then they need to elect representatives who will change the laws. I’m running for governor, not for God. So I don’t get to write the laws,” she said. Her campaign has not responded to CNN’s requests for clarification on her view of the pre-statehood law. Both Lake and GOP Senate nominee Blake Masters, who is challenging Kelly, have argued that their Democratic opponents have adopted positions that are too far out of the mainstream in favor of abortion rights. Masters removed language from his campaign website expressing support for a “federal personhood law” and other conservative anti-abortion stances after winning the GOP nomination last month. His campaign told CNN that Masters does support Graham’s proposal for a federal ban on abortion at 15 weeks, which would provide exceptions to protect the life of the mother and in cases of rape or incest. But before the ruling, Masters’ campaign did not respond to questions about his position on the pre-statehood law or the court case to enforce it. In a statement Friday, Kelly said the decision would “have a devastating impact on the freedom Arizona women have had for decades: to choose an abortion if they need one. Let’s be clear, this is exactly what Blake Masters wants, to completely ban abortions in Arizona and across the country – without even an exception for rape or incest. I will never stop fighting to restore these rights for Arizona women.” Planned Parenthood Federation of America fought Brnovich’s move in Pima County Superior Court – the court that handled the 1973 injunction. The group’s lawyers had argued that the court had a duty to “harmonize all of the Arizona Legislature’s enactments as they exist today.” In the post-Dobbs era, the group argued that the pre-statehood law could “be enforceable in some respects” but that it should not apply to abortions provided by licensed physicians – and instead that the ban should apply to anyone other than a licensed physician who attempts to provide abortion services. In a statement, Brittany Fonteno, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Arizona, said Friday’s ruling “has the practical and deplorable result of sending Arizonans back nearly 150 years. No archaic law should dictate our reproductive freedom and how we live our lives today.” This story has been updated with a statement from the White House on Saturday. Read More Here

This Iconic Bar Of Soap, With Two Weird Claims To Fame, Has Stuck Around For Nearly 150 Years | CNN Business https://digitalalaskanews.com/this-iconic-bar-of-soap-with-two-weird-claims-to-fame-has-stuck-around-for-nearly-150-years-cnn-business/ New York CNNBusiness  —  Walk into a Walmart, Target, any drugstore chain in your neighborhood or a corner bodega for New York City dwellers, and chances are you’ll find an Ivory Soap bar, or a pack of 10 bars for under $5, sitting on the shelf. This iconic cake of soap, invented almost 150 years ago, has become a part of Americana largely by advertising its two strange merits: “It Floats” and it’s “99+44⁄100% Pure.” The original product is a no-frills, plain white, mild-scented bar soap with the name “IVORY” etched into it in script. Impressively, it has stayed exactly that way for 143 years – barring the addition of an Aloe scented variety, and is also still around. Ivory soap’s longevity flies in the face of a notoriously fickle market for personal beauty products where new trends can appear and disappear in a flash. So why has Ivory Soap stood the test of time? One theory is because of its clever advertising and branding. Ivory Soap packaging famously, and relentlessly, touts the attributes of purity and buoyancy. “That’s brilliant execution,” said David Placek, founder of Lexicon Branding, a branding expert who has helped name such popular consumer products as “Swiffer,” “Blackberry” and “Dasani.” “Just think about it. How many other soaps can you think of that tout an attribute that’s analogous to “It Floats?” said Placek. “I can’t think of another. It makes you remember it because it also makes you think about other soaps that don’t float.” Because Ivory Soap’s taglines have remained consistent and endured for over a century and through generations of consumers, they’ve seeped into the subconscious, said Placek. “Even if you’ve not used Ivory Soap you know about it and you remember it,” he said. Ivory Soap is the brainchild of Procter & Gamble. Not the huge multinational consumer brands conglomerate that it is today, but of two individuals – Harley Procter (son of P&G cofounder William Procter) and James N. Gamble (son of P&G’s other cofounder, James Gamble). It was in the late 19th century, a period when river bathing was prevalent among large swaths of the population. Now imagine losing your grip on a bar of soap when you’re immersed waist-deep in murky water. But what if there was a soap bar that could float? An AdAge article about Ivory Soap’s invention explained how Gamble at the time was trying to create a new type of gently formulated soap. The R&D process inadvertently created a batch of soap that was found to float because air bubbles got trapped inside. Gamble, according to P&G’s website, recognized the “floating soap” could revolutionize the washing experience in more ways than one. He initially thought the floating soap could be used both for laundry and for washing up. Over time, the soap bar primarily became a bath soap. Naming the soap was another story. According to P&G legend, Harley Procter came upon the word “ivory” while attending church and thought it perfectly fit the new soap’s look and feel and both men adopted “Ivory Soap” as the name. P&G launched the soap in 1879 hyping it not only as a soap bar that floated but for its purity. That claim, according to the company, hinged on a study of the soap by chemistry professors at the request of the inventors. One study showed the soap had only a small amount of impurities – 56/100 of a percent – of a non soap material in it. So they decided to play that up in Ivory Soap’s advertising, rounding it up to create its second iconic tagline – “99 and 44-100% pure.” P&G maintains that while it continues to innovate its Ivory Soap, the product is still made with a simple formula free of dyes and parabens meant to gently cleanse the skin. It has, however, extended the brand to other products. In the 1950s, according to the AdAge article, P&G launched a light-duty dishwashing detergent under the Ivory brand, followed by liquid hand soaps in the 1980s and moisturizing body washes in 1996 with the introduction of Ivory Moisture Care. Today, the Ivory personal care portfolio also includes baby care products, hair and body washes and deodorant. Ivory soap has become so iconic that in 2001 P&G donated a collection of its Ivory Soap artifacts to the Smithsonian Institution, including its earliest advertising and a bar of unused soap from the 1940s. Lexicon Branding’s Placek said Ivory Soap is a product way ahead of its time. “It was ‘pure’ before pure, clean and simple products became as popular as they are with consumers today,” he said. Read More Here

Donald Trump Has Already Lost Everything He Wanted From A 'special Master' https://digitalalaskanews.com/donald-trump-has-already-lost-everything-he-wanted-from-a-special-master/ At this point, Trump may be talking up the National Archives as his latest “radical left wing” villains when it comes to interviews with Sean Hannity, but the truth is that Trump has pretty much zero concern for the 11,000 documents taken from Mar-a-Lago and destined to come under control of the Presidential Records Act. Will those documents contain examples of his greed, vanity, and disdain for the nation? Of course they will. And it won’t change a thing. It’s the 103 classified documents that really concern Trump. Because “Donald Trump took this Top Secret document describing secrets of the [insert nation here] nuclear program and refused to give it back, even under subpoena” is exactly the kind of charge that a grand jury can easily understand when raising their hands in favor of an indictment. And that’s assuming that all those empty folders don’t represent classified documents that have gone completely missing, because that’s an even simpler charge. What’s happening with the Jan. 6 investigation, and the broader investigation of attempts to overturn the 2020 election is difficult to discern, because so much of that investigation has happened under seal or behind closed doors. What’s happening with the document search at Mar-a-Lago is very public. It’s also very simple: Trump stole documents. He lied about them to federal agents. He refused to return them. He’s lying about them still.  What we can see of the investigation into classified documents recovered from Mar-a-Lago represents the greatest single chance that Donald Trump will be indicted on criminal charges within the next few months. How good the odds of the FBI showing up at Mar-a-Lago to retrieve something other than documents might be is hard to tell, but it is a non-zero chance. And Trump knows it. Which points immediately back to that decision by the court appeals. By overturning the, at best, misguided ruling of Judge Cannon, the 11th Circuit switched the criminal investigation into those documents back to “on.” And you can bet that there is are a metric ton of attorneys and investigators at the DOJ burning the midnight oil on this, even over the weekend, because they understand that Trump—or Cannon—could put the brakes on tomorrow with some other appeal, or half-assed ruling, that sends this all trundling toward the Supreme Court.  The other thing that happened to kneecap Trump this week was a triple play by Judge Dearie. First, Dearie challenged the idea that Trump had declassified any of the documents involved, whether that occurred by telepathy or something that looked like an official process. When Trump’s attorneys once again tried the “maybe he did, maybe he didn’t” play that Trump has used so long, Dearie did what any reasonable judge should have done at the outset — put that down as a “no.” All the documents the government says are classified, are to be treated as classified. Done and dusted. Next, Dearie laid out a timeline that has all of this wrapping up before the mid-terms. Trump’s not on the ballot, and whether this goes before or after is unlikely to make much difference (Unless the press can spend the last week before the election pinning down Republican candidates and making them give a statement on how the feel about the outcome, which sounds … not at all like the modern national press.) But in any case, Dearie’s timeline sucked back over a month from Trump’s delay machine, and that has to have Trump fuming. Finally, Dearie directly challenged Trump’s team over public statements hinting (heavily) that the FBI had planted documents in the material. Now Trump’s attorneys are going to have to go through the list and say yea or nay to everything that the FBI carried away. If Trump says the FBI planted something, he’ll get a chance to prove that — against a search in which you better bet the FBI carefully documented each step. If Trump admits that a document was in his desk drawer to begin with, then he’s admitting to having in his possession a document that was both illegal to remove and the object of a federal subpoena. That’s going to be fun. Really, when the 11th Circuit made its ruling, the whole special master process might as well have been over for Trump. What he wanted out of the whole thing was already gone. Dearie’s rulings just made the next month more painful. Now Trump has to set through a process that can’t do a thing to help him. And he also gets to pay for it. Read More Here

Georgia Voting Equipment Breach At Center Of Tangled Tale https://digitalalaskanews.com/georgia-voting-equipment-breach-at-center-of-tangled-tale-2/ By: KATE BRUMBACK, Associated Press ATLANTA — The tale of breached voting equipment in one of the country’s most important political battleground states involves a bail bondsman, a prominent attorney tied to former President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and a cast of characters from a rural county that rarely draws notice from outsiders. How they all came together and what it could mean for the security of voting in the upcoming midterm elections are questions tangled up in a lawsuit and state investigations that have prompted calls to ditch the machines altogether. Details of the unauthorized access of sensitive voting equipment in Coffee County, Georgia, became public last month when documents and emails revealed the involvement of high-profile Trump supporters. That’s also when it caught the attention of an Atlanta-based prosecutor who is leading a separate investigation of Trump’s efforts to undo his loss in the state. Since then, revelations about what happened in the county of 43,000 people have raised questions about whether the Dominion Voting Systems machines used in Georgia have been compromised. The public disclosure of the breach began with a rambling phone call from an Atlanta-area bail bondsman to the head of an election security advocacy group involved in a long-running lawsuit targeting the state’s voting machines. According to a recording filed in court earlier this year, the bail bondsman said he’d chartered a jet and was with a computer forensics team at the Coffee County elections office when they “imaged every hard drive of every piece of equipment.” That happened on Jan. 7, 2021, a day after the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and two days after a runoff election in which Democrats swept both of Georgia’s U.S. Senate seats. The trip to Coffee County, about 200 miles south of Atlanta, to copy data and software from elections equipment was directed by attorney Sidney Powell and other Trump allies, according to deposition testimony and documents produced in response to subpoenas. Later that month, security camera footage shows, two men who have participated in efforts to question the results of the 2020 election in several states spent days going in and out of the Coffee County elections office. The footage also shows local election and Republican Party officials welcoming the visitors and allowing them access to the election equipment. The video seems to contradict statements some of the officials made about their apparent involvement. The new information has made Coffee County, where Trump won nearly 70% of the vote two years ago, a focal point of concerns over the security of voting machines. While there is no evidence of widespread problems with voting equipment in 2020, some Trump supporters have spread false information about machines and the election outcome. Election security experts and activists fear state election officials haven’t acted fast enough in the face of what they see as a real threat. The copying of the software and its availability for download means potential bad actors could build exact copies of the Dominion system to test different types of attacks, said University of California, Berkeley computer scientist Philip Stark, an expert witness for the plaintiffs in the voting machines lawsuit. “This is like bank robbers having an exact replica of the vault that they’re trying to break into,” he said. Stark said the risks could be minimized by using hand-marked paper ballots and rigorous audits. Dominion says its equipment remains secure. Marilyn Marks, executive director of the Coalition for Good Governance, the group that sued over the state’s voting machines, said the state has been slow to investigate. She was on the receiving end of the phone call from the bail bondsman. The state, she said, has been “repeatedly looking the other way when faced with flashing red lights of serious voting system security problems.” State officials say they’re confident the election system is safe. All Coffee County election equipment that wasn’t already replaced will be swapped out before early voting begins next month, the secretary of state’s office said Friday. State officials also noted they were deluged by false claims after the 2020 election. “In retrospect, you can say, well what about this, this and this,” said Gabriel Sterling, a top official in the Georgia secretary of state’s office. “In real time, no, there was no reason to think that.” In late January 2021, a few weeks after the computer forensics team visited, security video shows a secretary of state’s office investigator arriving at the Coffee County elections office. He and the elections supervisor walk into the room that houses the election management system server. Seconds later, Jeff Lenberg, who has been identified by Michigan authorities as being part of an effort to gain access to voting machines there, is seen walking out of that room. Asked whether Lenberg’s presence in the room with sensitive election equipment raised concerns for the investigator, secretary of state’s office spokesperson Mike Hassinger said the investigator was looking into an unrelated matter and didn’t know who Lenberg was. Security video also showed another man, Doug Logan, at the office in mid-January. Logan founded a company called Cyber Ninjas, which led a discredited review of the 2020 election in Maricopa County, Arizona. In May 2021, Coffee County’s new elections supervisor raised concerns with the secretary of state’s office after finding Logan’s business card by a computer. The election supervisor’s concerns were referred to an investigator, but he testified that no one ever contacted him. Hassinger said the secretary of state’s office responds to allegations when they are raised but that “information about unauthorized access to Coffee County’s election equipment has been kept hidden” by local officials and others. Much of what is known was uncovered through documents, security camera video and depositions produced in response to subpoenas in the lawsuit filed by individual voters and the election security advocacy group. The suit alleges Georgia’s touchscreen voting machines are not secure and seeks to force the state to use hand-marked paper ballots instead. The recently produced evidence of a breach wasn’t the first sign of problems in Coffee County, which caused headaches for state election officials in the hectic weeks following the 2020 election. It’s likely that turmoil helped opened the door for Trump’s allies. In early December 2020, the county elections board declined to certify the results of a machine recount requested by Trump, saying the election system had produced inaccurate results. A video posted online days later showed the former county elections supervisor saying the elections software could be manipulated; as she spoke, the password to the county election management system server was visible on a note stuck to her computer. At the end of December, Cathy Latham, the Coffee County Republican Party chair who also was a fake elector for Trump, appeared at a state legislative committee hearing and made further claims that the voting machines were unreliable. Within days of that hearing, Latham said, she was contacted by Scott Hall, the bail bondsman, who had been a Republican observer during an election recount. Latham testified in a deposition that Hall asked her to connect him with the Coffee County elections supervisor (who later was accused of falsifying timesheets and forced to resign). A few days later, on Jan. 7, Hall met with a computer forensics team from data solutions firm SullivanStrickler at the Coffee County elections office. The team copied the data and software on the election management system server and other voting system components, a company executive said in a deposition. The company said it believed its clients had the necessary permission. Invoices show the data firm billed Powell $26,000 for the day’s work. “Everything went smoothly yesterday with the Coffee County collection,” the firm’s chief operating officer wrote to Powell in an email. “Everyone involved was extremely helpful.” (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) 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