Now A Dean At Belmont, Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Sees Service As A Gift From God – Baptist News Global https://digitalarizonanews.com/now-a-dean-at-belmont-former-attorney-general-alberto-gonzales-sees-service-as-a-gift-from-god-baptist-news-global/ With students walking by in the distance, former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, now dean of the Belmont University College of Law, still understands what life in the spotlight requires. In an exclusive interview with Baptist New Global, the nation’s first Hispanic attorney general speaks with ease to explain some of the toughest cases of the day — including the legal issues facing former U.S. President Donald Trump. Gonzales, who was appointed attorney general by former President George W. Bush, answers even that controversial question with a factual approach, as if teaching a seminar on the law and current events. Alberto Gonzales “The Department of Justice became aware through a series of sources that the former president was engaged in some kind of conduct that (allegedly) constituted a federal crime. There’s a great deal of discretion in the minds of prosecutors. But if they believe that perhaps there’s something there, they then do some investigations,” he explained. “And that means gathering up information; typically, that begins with discussions, phone calls to gather up information. “As things progress, you move to the subpoena stage if you’re not getting any cooperation. But you really have some pretty good idea that perhaps a crime has been committed. Then you do a search, which is the most intrusive, which is what happened at former President Trump’s Florida estate. “At this point, there’s still no decision by the prosecutors as to whether or not they’re going to charge the former president. They have a pretty good idea (that) possible criminal statutes have been violated. But once they get all this information, they make a decision to charge, which goes through the process of convening a grand jury. We’re in the stage now of gathering information.” Then he gives the context based on his own experience. “I only signed off on one search, and that search involved the search of a congressman’s office on Capitol Hill.” “It is extremely rare for the attorney general to personally be involved in a decision relating to a search. There are searches that occur every day all around this country,” he said. “It goes to the U.S. attorney, individual office criminal division, perhaps even the deputy attorney general on major cases. But for the attorney general to be involved in signing off on a search; the three years or so that I was attorney general, I only signed off on one search, and that search involved the search of a congressman’s office on Capitol Hill.” That involved Rep. William Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat under investigation for bribery. “It was a pretty big deal because in the history of our country the FBI had never conducted [a] search on Capitol Hill,” Gonzales said. “We had numerous discussions about it. I asked questions like: What other evidence do we have? Why do we need to do this? Why do we need to do this now? What efforts have we made to get this information in other ways? These are the kinds of questions an attorney general asks, and ones I asked.” In 2009, Jefferson was found guilty on 11 of 16 corruption counts. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison, the longest sentence ever given to a representative for bribery or any charge. But getting to that conviction was a challenge for Gonzales. “After the search was done, I got a call from the chief of staff that the president of the United States wants to talk to me about the search because the speaker of the House at that time was furious. It’s a big deal for the attorney general to approve of a search. The reporting is that Merrick Garland took some time to make this decision, which he should have.” Despite moments of anxiety like signing off on that search warrant, it is clear that Gonzales enjoyed his service and he fondly remembers those days. “God puts us on this earth to make a difference, to serve.” “God puts us on this earth to make a difference, to serve, whether it be in the positions of either White House counsel or attorney general of the United States,” he explained. “It was a great privilege and tremendous responsibility. It is why I went to law school — to make a difference. He doesn’t miss everything about that role, however. “I don’t miss having to deal with the press, I don’t miss having to go to Capitol Hill to defend my decisions, even when I know I’m right. I don’t miss all of that, but I would do it again in a second. My wife wouldn’t let me do it again though.” In 2013, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, r, visits with former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, as he takes part in the investiture of Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht at the Texas Capitol. (Photo by Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Corbis via Getty Images) Now in his role as dean of the law school at Belmont, a historically Baptist school in Nashville, Tenn., Gonzales brings a record of service that informs his view on current events across many topics. Regarding the recent announcement that the Southern Baptist Convention is under investigation by the Department of Justice related to sexual abuse cases, Gonzales admits he doesn’t know much. “I know little beyond what may have been reported in the press. What may have led to this investigation is that authorities have gotten information that there’s been some kind of wrongdoing.” And as with the Trump case, Gonzales believes this investigation will need to play out. There are still too many unknowns. But when it come to the controversial Supreme Court ruling that tossed out the federal right to abortion mandated in 1973 in Roe v. Wade, he’s more decisive: He thinks the court got this one right. “There’s no constitutional right to an abortion now. But then you have to turn to the states. Of course, that then has raised questions about travel and people having to go out of state. Legally it’s really now in the hands of the people, along with their state legislatures acting on behalf of their constituents, (which is) where it should have begun in the first place. There is no right to an abortion in our Constitution.” Yet he also realizes the politics of the situation. “I know this decision has hurt the reputation of the court in certain segments of America.” “I know this decision has hurt the reputation of the court in certain segments of America,” he said. “There is a fundamental change in the composition of the court, and that’s never a good thing. So I think the court has taken a hit, which I think is very unfortunate. However, I think the court had no business weighing in on this in the first place, simply because the right to abortion doesn’t exist in the U.S. Constitution.” These are the kinds of lessons he believes the next generation of lawyers and jurists must understand — which is why he’s in academia now. “I don’t get to teach much because of all the administrative responsibilities I have. I just teach one course this semester. But the thing I like about being at a law school is that I feel like, at least I hope, we’re preparing the next generation of leaders. “Lawyers are champions for those who are needy, for those who are poor,” he said. “Despite all the lawyer jokes, when someone gets in trouble, they’re going to call [a] lawyer.” Related articles: Attorney General Gonzales announces ‘First Freedoms Project’ to SBC leaders Hispanic attorney general draws praise from conservative groups Supreme Court agrees to expand scope of ‘partial-birth abortion’ case Read More Here

Russia's War In Ukraine | CNN https://digitalarizonanews.com/russias-war-in-ukraine-cnn-2/ CNN among the first inside the city of Lyman as Russian forces retreat 04:19 A Ukrainian military spokesman said Kyiv’s forces retook more territory in the Donetsk region on Sunday following the liberation of the key city of Lyman. Ukraine also struck Russian targets during efforts to win back neighboring Luhansk, the spokesman added. Ukraine’s battlefield successes in the east of the country come after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of four occupied areas — including Donetsk and Luhansk — in the largest forcible annexation of land in Europe since 1945. Western governments imposed a new wave of sanctions and vowed not to recognize the regions as part of Russian territory, saying so-called referendums held there are a “sham.” The presidents of nine NATO countries from Central and Eastern Europe issued a joint statement Sunday supporting Ukraine’s bid for membership of the defense alliance as they called for increased military aid to Kyiv.  Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declared Russian diplomat Sergey Ryabokon a “persona non grata.”  Ryabokon, the charge d’affaires at the Russian embassy in Vilnius, has been given “five days to leave the country,” according to a press release published by the foreign ministry on Monday.  Its reasoning was based on “recent actions and statements by Ryabokon” which “were incompatible with his diplomatic status,” and “regarded as an interference in the host state’s internal affairs and, therefore, violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.”  “Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry also strongly protested against the Russian President’s decision of 30 September to illegally annex the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, parts of which were temporarily occupied by Russia,” the statement concluded.  Lithuania has emerged a staunch ally of Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Last week, the Lithuanian president alongside the leaders of eight other NATO countries issued a joint statement supporting Ukraine’s bid for membership of the defense alliance. They also called for increased military aid to Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen on a screen set at Red Square as he addresses a rally and a concert marking the annexation of four regions of Ukraine – Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – in central Moscow on September 30. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images) Moscow will “continue consulting” with the residents of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions to establish the exact borders of the Ukrainian regions claimed to be annexed by Russia. “As for the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia (regions), we will continue consulting with the population of these regions,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, when asked to clarify the borders of the territories annexed by the Russian Federation. In response to questions about what format these consultations will take place, Peskov said he “cannot answer this question at the moment,” but added it will depend on the will of the people living on those territories. He said that no new referendums are planned. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin formally signed a decree to annex nearly a fifth of Ukraine’s territory in blatant violation of international law, following so-called referendums held by Russian-backed officials in eastern and southern Ukraine on joining Russia. The votes are illegal under international law and have been dismissed by Ukraine and Western nations as “a sham.” Part of the territory of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions is currently under control of the Ukrainian military. Peskov declined a comment on whether Russia will consider this as its own land following the ceremony at the Kremlin’s St. George’s Hall on Friday. Talking about the other two regions, Peskov reaffirmed that Russia recognized as part of its territory the entirety of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), within their borders of 2014. On Sunday, the Constitutional Court of Russia recognized the treaties on the admission of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, the DPR and the LPR to the Russian Federation as legal. The treaties published by the government do not specify the exact borders of the new territories. CNN’s Joshua Berlinger, Anna Chernova and Tim Lister contributed reporting. Kyiv has recaptured more territory in the eastern Donetsk region, shortly after liberating the key city of Lyman. Russian forces are pursuing young men of conscription age in occupied areas of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials. Here are the latest developments: Kyiv gains ground in the east: Ukrainian forces retook the village of Torske near Lyman in the Donetsk region on Sunday, according to the Ukrainian military. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are hitting Russian military units in Kreminna “with fire,” according to a military spokesperson, adding that they would also be able to take back Severodonetsk and Lysychansk should they win back control of the city in the Luhansk region. Russian forces look to bolster numbers: The Russian military is carrying out “door-to-door” checks in occupied areas of Ukraine, looking for young men of conscription age, the Ukrainian military said on Monday, adding that Moscow has stepped up document inspections at checkpoints. Ukrainian officials have been warning for some time that Russia planned on using its claimed annexations as a pretext to draft Ukrainians in occupied areas. Nine NATO leaders endorse Ukraine’s membership bid: The presidents of nine NATO countries issued a joint statement Sunday supporting Ukraine’s proposal for membership of the defense alliance as they called for increased military aid to Kyiv. A decision about Ukraine’s application for accelerated NATO membership must be agreed upon by all 30 members of the alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO secretary general, said after Zelensky announced Ukraine’s “accelerated” membership application. US backs Ukraine’s military success: US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin believes Ukrainian forces are “making progress” in the Kherson region of the country as they continue to counter Russia’s invasion, adding there has been a “kind of change in the battlefield dynamics.” Austin told CNN in an exclusive interview that he attributed the change to the skill of Ukrainian soldiers and their strategic use of weapons supplied by US and NATO allies, specifically their use of the high mobility air rocket system, or HIMARS. Service members of pro-Russian troops stand guard on a road in Mariupol in May. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters) Russian forces are carrying out “door-to-door” checks in occupied areas of Ukraine, looking for young men of conscription age, the Ukrainian military said on Monday. “In the temporarily occupied territories, mobilization measures continue, during which the occupying forces carry out door-to-door and make lists of men of conscription age,” Ukraine’s Operational Command South said in a statement. Russian forces have also stepped up document checks at checkpoints, making it “as difficult as possible,” to leave the occupied areas, the statement added Ukrainian officials have been warning for some time that Russia planned on using its claimed annexations as a pretext to draft Ukrainians in occupied areas to use as “cannon fodder.” The Ukrainian military’s sudden and successful counter-attack in the Kharkiv region this month has left Russian forces controlling less Ukrainian land than they did after their first thrust into the country in February, 2022, according to a CNN analysis of exclusive data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Russia’s first massive push, which began on the night of Feb. 23, allowed it to secure or advance on one fifth of Ukrainian territory, or about 119,000 square kilometers (46,000 square miles) of the total 603,500 square kilometers Ukraine claims and considers “temporarily occupied,” the analysis shows. Seven months after launching an invasion — one that Western officials thought would be over in days with an overrun Ukrainian capital — Russia controls roughly 3,000 square kilometers less land than it did in the first five days of the war, CNN found. (Unverified claims are excluded from the analysis.) Read the data analysis: Ukrainian troops pose for a photo in Lyman on October 1. (Courtesy of Oleksiy Biloshytskyi/Reuters) Ukrainian forces liberated the village of Torske near Lyman in the Donetsk region on Sunday, as they inch closer to taking back the Luhansk region, according to the Ukrainian military. Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the Eastern Group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said on national television that Ukrainian forces are hitting Russian military units in Luhansk’s city of Kreminna “with fire.” “For them (Russian occupiers), it is now very important to keep Kreminna. After overcoming Kreminna, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will go to Svatovo, Rubizhne, and further on they will be able to liberate the Luhansk region,” Cherevaty said, adding they would also be able to take back Severodonetsk and Lysychansk should they win back control of Kreminna. Zelensky hails advances: Ukraine’s latest gains come after the key Donetsk city of Lyman was liberated by Ukrainian forces at the weekend. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday that Ukraine’s military successes were not limited to Lyman. In his nightly address to the nation, Zelensky said a substantial part of the war reports he receives are taken up with a growing list of recently liberated Ukrainian settlements. “At least twice a day — in the morning and in the evening — I receive reports from our military. This week, the largest part of the reports is the list of settlements liberated from the enemy as part of our defense operation,” Zelensky said. “The st...

If Google Bans News For The World's Rulers, Elections Are A Scam https://digitalarizonanews.com/if-google-bans-news-for-the-worlds-rulers-elections-are-a-scam/ In a September interview that went viral on social media Sunday, a United Nations operative admitted the U.S. government-funded organization “partnered with Google” to rig the results returned on the world’s dominant search engine for the phrase “climate change.” NEW – UN Secretary for Global Comms says they “own the science” on “climate change,” and opposing viewpoints have now been pushed down in search results through their partnership with Google.pic.twitter.com/fMaPYsHGUT — Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) October 2, 2022 This follows multiple casual disclosures that, yes, politics control the information on monopoly tech platforms. In fact, government officials all the way up to the White House routinely use Big Tech to control what citizens are allowed to say to each other online, as an ongoing lawsuit from several U.S. attorneys general recently divulged. The Biden White House is fighting further disclosures about high-level federal officials’ involvement in this government-pressured censorship regime, including Anthony Fauci and the White House press secretary. The companies involved include Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter, the court documents say. Earlier this year, a clip of Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg — who threw hundreds of millions of dollars obtained from his communications monopoly company into helping Democrat activists embed inside government election offices in 2020 — also went viral. It showed him telling podcaster Joe Rogan that the FBI also controls the information Facebook allows people to share. The FBI’s meddling affected the 2020 presidential election outcome. In other words, it’s not just Communist China where the citizenry’s access to knowledge is controlled by government officials. It’s now a global phenomenon. Google, Facebook, Twitter, and the other Big Tech companies are global monopolies headquartered within the United States whose information monopolies affect elections globally. Again, they admit to limiting and amplifying election-affecting information at the behest of U.S. officials. (No wonder China won’t allow Google or Facebook inside its Great Firewall.) In countries that pretend to be self-governing “democracies” such as the United States, government officials controlling what information is allowed to spread on platforms that government policies help keep dominant is blatant election meddling. It’s controlling elections by controlling the information voters get. Google controls a reported 81 percent of internet searches and, with Facebook, influences perhaps three-quarters of all internet traffic (very recent information about this appears not readily at the top of even DuckDuckGo results). Twitter is much smaller traffic-wise but still very influential, as it has a disproportionate effect on the swamp class. If these entities black out certain topics — and we know they do because they say so publicly! — they could easily swing elections, or almost anything else they wanted, really. Just think about it: How would you find out about important happenings without the internet? Even if we start with personal matters: What if Facebook decided to manipulate your feed just to see how it affects your emotions? Oh, it still does that with teenage girls on Instagram? For political news, how would you get that without using the internet now — would you read a local newspaper? To the extent those exist and report reliable information, which is almost not at all, so-called local newspapers are now Big Tech derivatives themselves, as reporters largely get their information via email and searches, and access to their work is influenced by search engines. Would you get your information via email? Email providers also censor based on politics. Maybe via phone or text? Well, how many people can you talk to or text at one time? Not enough to get really good coverage of national information important to, say, selecting a president. How many good national political reporters can you get on speakerphone? The Zuckerberg and UN official’s recent limited hangouts are also certainly just the iceberg tip. The FBI and other government agencies don’t need to tell Facebook to ban regime-damaging information if the outlets that social media companies don’t choke refuse to cover it. A recent example is the FBI’s out-of-control raid on a pro-life activist dad over a misdemeanor charge that local police dismissed. That raid wasn’t covered by the leftist media that Big Tech’s compromised fact-checkers rate in ways that allow them to spread information faster and farther than conservative outlets. This situation allows government officials to choose what information gets out about their activities. That effectively ends genuine public accountability. Voters can’t vote to stop things they don’t know are happening, or to make things happen they haven’t heard are on offer from a candidate. If a dad gets raided because FBI bigwigs don’t like his politics, and Big Tech’s favored media companies don’t report on it, how would anyone know? If no one knows, no one can hold bad actors accountable. That means if no one except the victims knows, it’s not only going to keep happening, it’s going to get worse. That’s how corruption works. U.S. intelligence agencies in particular have paid precisely zero penalties for using their powers to openly meddle in U.S. elections. The most recent operation they conducted that we know about is the Russia collusion hoax manufactured to keep voters from electing Donald Trump, or, failing that, to make the Electoral College majority of voters’ choice of Trump meaningless. Because officials such as Bill Barr and John Durham, as well as Republicans or anyone else in Congress, have failed to penalize the FBI and Department of Justice’s election interference operations, they’re increasing. RedState, Tucker Carlson, and Steve Bannon say several dozen Trump associates and supporters have been recently raided or subpoenaed by the FBI. The FBI is also meddling in state elections by investigating candidates based on their political positions. It raided a former president’s home on laughable charges similar to those the FBI director dismissed for that president’s election opponent. Also, of course, the FBI and DOJ are hunting down political opponents of Democrats on largely trespassing charges and making sure they’re given maximum punishment, all clearly based on political prejudice, not justice. This is the same FBI that has been proven to hide behind false “national security” claims and to lie to judges and grand juries to authorize spying and raids of Democrats’ political opponents, with no consequences to speak of yet. Fellow government agents are performing similar political prosecutions, such as using courts to harass and eat away at the substance of Trump associates such as Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, and the newly announced New York state prosecution of Trump’s family and business. Federal agencies conduct warrantless mass surveillance on Americans. The Biden administration has formally declared that disagreement with its policies can comprise “domestic terrorism,” giving federal agencies even more license to harass Americans for their speech and ideas under the accountability shield of “national security.” Given the prosecutions we’ve all watched for years now of Trump and any associates using what are later proven to be distorted and fabricated quotes and allegations, does any of us think we’d survive if this Eye of Sauron were turned on us, as it is routinely even on apolitical folks such as small-time farmers? Of course not — and that is part of the point. This is the kind of compliance-inducing terror projected onto citizens, not in self-governing societies, but in police states. Covid-tide proved the conditions are nearly in place for dispensing with the regime’s cover story that we live in an entirely self-governing society. For during those years, Americans were fed lie after lie after misrepresentation after conspiracy after coverup, with strong effects on the election. Just like with the FBI, almost no one has yet been held to account for it. So the information control operations are getting bigger and bolder. We’re even being told about them as an exercise in discouraging what remains of the opposition. Elections are a sham if government officials choose what we can know about things like their use of public offices and whether we can openly debate what comprises a legitimate public emergency and how to respond. Those who wish to operate in darkness do not do so from altruistic motives, no matter what story they spin about their activities. Will any entity effectively stand up to our mafia government and thereby prove we are not already living in a soft-authoritarian police state? Joy Pullmann is executive editor of The Federalist, a happy wife, and the mother of six children. Sign up here to get early access to her next ebook, “101 Strategies For Living Well Amid Inflation.” Her bestselling ebook is “Classic Books for Young Children.” Mrs. Pullmann identifies as native American and gender natural. She is also the author of “The Education Invasion: How Common Core Fights Parents for Control of American Kids,” from Encounter Books. In 2013-14 she won a Robert Novak journalism fellowship for in-depth reporting on Common Core national education mandates. Joy is a grateful graduate of the Hillsdale College honors and journalism programs. Read More Here

When Will Student Loans Be Forgiven? What To Know About Debt Relief Applications. https://digitalarizonanews.com/when-will-student-loans-be-forgiven-what-to-know-about-debt-relief-applications/ Applications for student debt forgiveness will be available soon. Borrowers should start preparing now to apply to ensure there’s no delay in getting debt relief. Some 8 million people won’t have to do anything to get their debt canceled. Find out if you’re one. On your marks, get set.   Federal student debt forgiveness applications are about to drop, and you don’t want to be caught flat-footed.  People who earned $125,000 or less (or $250,000 for households) in 2020 or 2021 are eligible for at least $10,000 in federal student loan debt forgiveness. Recipients of Pell Grants – usually awarded to low-income undergrads – can receive up to $20,000 in relief.  Roughly 40 million borrowers are eligible for some student debt relief, with about 20 million expected to have their entire balance canceled, the White House says. If you’re one of the lucky ones, here is what you should do to ensure some or all of your debt is forgiven before repayments restart in January. When will the application for student debt forgiveness go live?  The federal government has said early October. On Friday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said there was “no date set yet” for the release of the application form, but confirmed it would still be released in October. “We’re trying to give relief to everyday Americans,” Jean-Pierre said.  Ensure you’re qualified for student debt forgiveness  Only borrowers with federal loans are eligible for relief if their individual income is less than $125,000 or $250,000 for households. Pell Grant recipients can get up to $20,000 canceled, and everyone else up to $10,000. Public service workers (people working for federal, state, local, tribal government, military, or a non-profit organization) with at least 10 years of service (It doesn’t need to be consecutive.) may be eligible to have all their debt canceled.    The government recently tweaked the requirements for the program to allow more borrowers to qualify for forgiveness, but it’s a limited time offer. Interested borrowers must apply before Oct. 31 if they want to take advantage of the temporary flexibility.   Want student loan forgiveness?: Millions of jobs qualify for updated program — and yours might be one of them. A parent with parent PLUS loans for their child may qualify for debt relief if they meet the income eligibility criteria.  Private loans aren’t eligible for any forgiveness.  How can I tell if I had a Pell Grant?   Create an account (an FSA ID) at StudentAid.gov or log in if you already have one. Make sure your contact information is accurate. If you’ve forgotten your log in information, use the Forgot My Username or Forgot My Password links or go to the tips page for help.  You’re not required to have an FSA ID to apply for forgiveness, but this can be extremely helpful. It’s where for example, you’ll find if you received a Pell Grant while in college. It will also show your loan servicer(s), types of loans you have and what you owe. (If you received a Pell Grant before 1994, that information won’t display in StudentAid.gov, but you’ll still receive the full benefit. The Department of Education has a record of every Pell Grant award.)  The government will send you updates by email and text message, so make sure to sign up to receive text alerts.   At what cost?: Biden’s student loan forgiveness will cost US about $400 billion, CBO estimates Legal landmine: Legal challenges stack up for Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan Alert your loan servicer  Make sure your loan servicer has your most current contact information so they can reach you. If you don’t know who your servicer is, you can log into your StudentAid.gov account and see your servicer(s) in your account dashboard.  Your servicer(s) will process the relief and notify you when the relief has been applied to your account. The White House says most borrowers will see the forgiveness reflected in their accounts within six weeks.  If you still have a balance after debt forgiveness, your monthly payment will be recalculated based on your new balance, potentially reducing your monthly payment. Your loan servicer will let you know what your new payment amount is. The White House says borrowers should apply by mid-November to receive relief before the payment pause expires on Dec. 31. However, the application window will stay open through 2023.   Complete and submit the application  The application for student debt relief is expected to be available this month. Once it is ready, you should receive an email alerting you or you can keep checking StudentAid.gov for updates.   Borrowers won’t need to upload any documentation or have an FSA ID to submit their application. Initially, the application will be available only online. A paper version will be made available later.  As many as 8 million borrowers will receive automatic forgiveness because the federal government already has their income and loan information – if they don’t opt-out. The department uses Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and income-driven repayment application information to identify those borrowers – or, as appropriate, parents – who have submitted income data for tax years 2020 or 2021.    Not enough: President Biden grants some student debt relief. Advocates worry it’s not enough. Too much: ‘Excessive’: Sen. Joe Manchin criticizes Biden student loan forgiveness plan as too much Can I get a refund of past student loan payments?  Yes, borrowers may be eligible for refunds, but only if they made payments during the pandemic that brought their balance below the relief they would be eligible to receive. So if you had $11,000 in debt before March 13, 2020 and paid it down to $9,000, you could receive a $1,000 refund.  Relief for some workers: Want student loan forgiveness? Millions of jobs qualify for updated program — and yours might be one of them. More time for fun: Lazy rivers and college costs: How Biden’s loan forgiveness subsidizes students’ play time Which loans are eligible for forgiveness?  Federally held subsidized loans, unsubsidized loans, parent PLUS loans, and graduate PLUS loans are eligible. Consolidated loans also qualify for relief as long as all the combined loans that are federally held were taken out on or before June 30. Last week, the Education Department said borrowers with Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) that are commercially held can no longer apply for debt relief by consolidating their loans into the Direct Loan program. But they will be eligible if the loans were consolidated before Sept. 29.  When asked about the FFEL borrowers who no longer qualify for the program, Jean-Pierre said the goal has always been to get relief to borrowers as fast as possible.  “This change helps us achieve that,” she said. Asking forgiveness: Do you have student debt? Here are ways to get loan forgiveness under new federal rules It’s complicated: Student loan forgiveness reality check: Paperwork hurdles, legal challenges could complicate relief Is this for real?  Several lawsuits claim the loan forgiveness plan is harmful or that the president is overstepping his authority. Any one of them has the potential to block the plan or delay it.  Jean-Pierre said she couldn’t say if there would be additional changes to the program that would further winnow the pool of eligible borrowers (and serve to circumvent a lawsuit). She did say it was “unfortunate” that some people in Republican states were making it more difficult to give “a little bit of a breathing room to working Americans.” Read More Here

Obituaries: Mauro & Mateo Diaz https://digitalarizonanews.com/obituaries-mauro-mateo-diaz/ Mauro & Mateo Diaz Mauro E. Diaz, age 52, and Mateo Diaz, age 8, both of Casper, died on September 24, 2022, in a car accident near Thermopolis, WY. Mauro, born April 21, 1970 in northern Mexico to Mauro and Guadalupe Diaz, had a life defined and influenced by the outdoors. He grew up as a Boy Scout, cyclist, Little Leaguer, and overall athlete. After his youth in Silver City, NM, he received a BA in English at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, TX. Mauro moved to Wyoming in 1995 to work with a childhood friend in Laramie. He found many friends through his adventures and truly fell in love with the state, ultimately receiving a BS in Biology from UW and finding his calling to make a difference in Wyoming as a teacher. Mauro and Angela Haiar, married 19 years, moved from Laramie to New York City in 2002 where Mauro served as a NYC Teaching Fellow and began his teaching experience in the Bronx while earning a MS in Secondary Science Education. Mauro, Angela, and their 1st born son, Jack, made their way back to Wyoming in 2005 where Mauro began teaching at Dean Morgan MS and Natrona County HS in Casper from 2005 to his death. He was always committed to his students and felt a deep obligation to make them better individuals. Mauro was instrumental in bringing FIRST LEGO robotics to Wyoming, served as a National Board Certified Teacher, US Department of Education Teaching Ambassador Fellow, founder of the Wyoming Education Summit, and board member of several national education foundations. Mauro’s relationship with the wilderness, the outdoors, and his pledge of being true to himself and his words were the biggest drivers in his life. He was committed to passing these principles on to his three sons: Jack, Diego, and Mateo. He was beyond proud of them, their accomplishments, and their backpacking journeys together in Wyoming’s mountains. Mauro had a special, carefree relationship with his youngest son, Mateo, born June 13, 2014 in Casper, WY, and 3rd grader at Park Elementary School. Mateo’s joy for life and his family was infectious. He knew how good life was with two teenage brothers and wanted nothing more than to “do everything Jack and Diego do.” Mateo cherished his time with his family and valued the relationships he had with his cousins and friends. Mateo grew up at the ice rinks, soccer fields, and cross-country courses throughout Wyoming and was never without a smile on his face. He had an appetite for building things: LEGOs, inventions, and art. His current passions were to complete the Harry Potter book series, become a Level 5 swimmer, and be a soccer and hockey champion. Mateo and Mauro are greatly missed. They are survived by mother/wife Angela Haiar and brothers/sons Jack (18) and Diego (16) Diaz of Casper. Uncle/ Brother-in-Law Keith (Sherry) Haiar and children Lauren, Owen, and Hayes of Beulah, WY. Aunt/ Sister-in-Law Sonya (Ben) Gruner and children Andrew, Nathan, and Ellison of Casper, WY. Grandparents/ In-laws Lee and Betty Haiar of Beulah, WY. They are also survived by Mauro’s caring mother, Guadalupe Diaz, 82, of Silver City, NM, sisters Julietta (Luis) Nolasco of Phoenix, AZ, Lydia Diaz of Silver City, NM, and Amalia Castellanos of Tucson, AZ. Nephew Alejandro (Rosanna) Nolasco and son Noah of Las Cruces, NM. Niece Daniella (Jacob) Aguilar and children Avery, Isla, and Mila of Phoenix, AZ. Niece Adriana (Jacob) Silva and children Audrina and Andres of Las Cruces, NM. Nephew Gregory Castellanos and niece Elizabeth Honey Castellanos of Tucson, AZ. As well as many aunts, uncles, and cousins who have been an important part of his youth and adulthood contributing to who he was as a person. A celebration of Mauro and Mateo’s lives will be held at 4 p.m., Tuesday, October 4, 2022, at Highland Park Community Church, Casper, WY. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Mauro and Mateo Diaz Memorial Fund at Jonah Bank of Casper. Arrangements are under the direction of Newcomer Casper Chapel Read More…

Strong New-Car Demand Collides With Rising Interest Rates https://digitalarizonanews.com/strong-new-car-demand-collides-with-rising-interest-rates/ Supply chain woes, parts shortages and inflation is making it costlier for automakers like Ford to manufacture vehicles. Is this trend here to stay, and does this mean that cars are going to be more expensive? WSJ’s George Downs explains. Illustration: George Downs Auto executives for months have expressed confidence there will be eager buyers for all the vehicles they can build. A worsening economic picture is putting that theory to the test. The U.S. auto industry is expected to report flat new-car sales for the third-quarter, despite earlier predictions that this year’s depressed selling pace would accelerate in the second half, analysts predict. Most auto makers are scheduled to report third-quarter sales results Monday. Read More Here

AP News Summary At 5:38 A.m. EDT https://digitalarizonanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-538-a-m-edt/ Russia smuggling Ukrainian grain to help pay for Putin’s war BEIRUT (AP) — An investigation by The Associated Press and the PBS series “Frontline” has documented a sophisticated Russian-run smuggling operation that has used falsified manifests and seaborne subterfuge to steal Ukrainian grain worth at least $530 million. The AP and “Frontline” used satellite imagery and marine radio transponder data to track three dozen ships making more than 50 voyages carrying grain from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine to ports in the Middle East. The ongoing theft is being carried out by wealthy businessmen and state-owned companies in Russia and Syria. Some of them already face financial sanctions from the United States and European Union. Legal experts say the theft is a potential war crime. Indonesian police probe tear gas firing at soccer match MALANG, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian police are investigating over a dozen officers responsible for firing tear gas that set off a crush that killed 125 people at a soccer match. At least 17 children are among the dead and seven are being treated in hospitals. National Police spokesperson says 18 officers responsible for firing tear gas are being investigated. He says police are questioning witnesses and analyzing footage from security cameras and victims’ cellphones as part of the investigation to also identify suspected vandals. Most of the deaths occurred when riot police fired tear gas to prevent fans from protesting their home team’s loss. It triggered the disastrous crush of spectators making a panicked run for the exits. Most of the victims were trampled upon or suffocated. UK scraps tax cut for wealthy that sparked market turmoil BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — The British government has dropped plans to cut income tax for top earners. The move was part of a package of unfunded cuts that sparked turmoil on financial markets and sent the pound to record lows. Treasury chief Kwasi Kwarteng said Monday that he would abandon plans to scrap the top 45% rate of income tax paid on earnings above 150,000 pounds a year. The announcement comes as more lawmakers from the governing Conservative Party turn on government tax plans. The announcement of 45 billion pounds in tax cuts sent the pound tumbling to a record low against the dollar. The Bank of England had to step in to stabilize the bond markets. Ukrainian troops continue offensive, claim new gains KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian troops have continued to push on with their offensive that has embarrassed Moscow, with Kyiv officials and foreign observers hinting at new gains in the southern strategic region of Kherson. The area has been one of the toughest battlefields for the Ukrainians, with slower progress when compared to Kyiv’s breakout offensive around Kharkiv that began last month. Ukrainian media outlets also highlighted an image of Ukrainian troops displaying flags at a marker for the village of Khreshchenivka, which is in the same area of Kherson where troops apparently have broken through Russian lines. Russian military bloggers have increasingly acknowledged Ukrainian superiority of manpower in the area. Nobel prize in medicine awarded for research on evolution STOCKHOLM (AP) — This year’s Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to Swedish scientist Svante Pääbo for his discoveries on human evolution. Thomas Perlmann, secretary of the Nobel Committee, announced the winner Monday at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. The medicine prize kicked off a week of Nobel Prize announcements. It continues Tuesday with the physics prize, with chemistry on Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The 2022 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday and the economics award on Oct. 10. Brazil’s Bolsonaro and the right outperform, defying polls RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Jair Bolsonaro considerably outperformed expectations in Brazil’s presidential election, proving that the far-right wave he rode to the presidency remains a force and providing the world with yet another example of polls missing the mark. The most-trusted opinion polls had indicated leftist former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was far out front, and potentially even clinching a first-round victory. In the end, Bolsonaro surprised to the upside and came within just 5 percentage points – less than half the margin several surveys showed before the election. He will face da Silva in a high-stakes Oct. 30 presidential runoff. In Hurricane Ian’s wake, dangers persist, worsen in parts FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Days after Hurricane Ian carved a path of destruction from Florida to the Carolinas, the dangers persisted, and even worsened in some places. And it was clear the road to recovery from the monster storm will be long and painful. And Ian still is not done. The storm doused Virginia with rain Sunday. It was dissipating as it moved offshore, but officials warned there still was the potential of severe flooding along Virginia’s coast, beginning overnight Monday. Ian was one of the strongest storms to make landfall in the United States. ‘We’re with you,’ Biden tells Puerto Rico ahead of visit WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says the U.S. government will be with Puerto Rico for the long haul as it cleans up and rebuilds after Hurricane Fiona. Biden was flying to the U.S. territory on Monday to survey some of the damage after the Category 1 hurricane hit on Sept. 18. Fiona caused catastrophic flooding, tore apart roads and bridges, and unleashed more than 100 landslides. Biden will visit amid widespread anger and frustration over continued power outages. Tens of thousands of people continue to struggle without power and water two weeks after the storm. Jurors to begin hearing Jan. 6 Oath Keepers sedition case WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors are preparing to lay out their case against the founder of the Oath Keepers’ extremist group and four associates. They are charged in the most serious case to reach trial yet in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack. Opening statements are expected Monday in Washington’s federal court in the trial of Stewart Rhodes and others charged with seditious conspiracy. Prosecutors allege a weekslong plot to stop the transfer of power from Republican Donald Trump to Democrat Joe Biden. The Oath Keepers are the first to stand trial for seditious conspiracy, which carries up to 20 years behind bars. Black representation in Alabama tested before Supreme Court MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Congressional districts that a federal court panel said were unconstitutional because they dilute representation for Black voters in Alabama are nevertheless being used for the November election after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed them. The high court hears arguments in the case on Tuesday. The packing of Black voters into just one of the state’s seven congressional districts leaves many of them without a voice and gives Republicans one more seat than they should have based on the state’s demographics and voting patterns. Gerrymandering has reduced the influence of Black voters for decades in a state that is synonymous with the civil rights movement. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. For Related Stories: Hurricane Ian Read More Here

Trump Is 'king' To Some In Pennsylvania, But Will It Help GOP On Election Day? https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-is-king-to-some-in-pennsylvania-but-will-it-help-gop-on-election-day/ The Trump-Pence sign still hangs on the older building off Main Street in this historic town, a lasting vestige of the campaign fervor that roused voters, including many who still believe the falsehood that the former president didn’t lose in 2020 and hope he’ll run in 2024. The enthusiasm for Donald Trump’s unique brand of nationalist populism has cut into traditional Democratic strongholds like Monongahela, about 25 miles south of Pittsburgh, where brick storefronts and a Slovak fellowship hall dot Main Street and church bells mark the hours of the day. Republicans are counting on political nostalgia for the Trump era as they battle Democrats this fall in Pennsylvania in races for governor, the U.S. Senate and control of Congress. “Trump just came along and filled the empty space,” said Matti Gruzs, who stitches old blue jeans into tote bags, place mats and other creations she sells at the weekly Farmer’s Market downtown. “He’s still the king, and the kingmaker.” Against the backdrop of this picturesque place, House Republicans recently released their campaign agenda, hoping their “Commitment to America” can tap into the same political sentiment Trump used to attract not just Republican but independent and former Democratic voters. But it’s unclear whether the support that propelled Trump to the White House will be there on Election Day, Nov. 8. Perhaps even more challenging for the GOP is whether Trump’s false claims of voter fraud will cost the party if people believe, as the defeated president claims without evidence, the elections are rigged. Some may just decide to sit out the election. “It started out as a low-enthusiasm race,” said Dave Ball, the Republican Party chairman in Washington County, which includes much of western Pennsylvania. Ball said enthusiasm has been “building rapidly” — his main metric for voter interest in the elections is the demand for lawn signs. “We were wondering, at one point, you know, we were going to see any,” he said. “Right now, I can’t get my hands on enough.” But Amy Michalic, who was born and raised in Monongahela and works the polls during elections, said she hears skepticism from some voters, particularly Trump supporters, “who think my vote doesn’t count.” Trump’s claims of fraud have no basis in fact. Dozens of court cases filed by Trump and his supporters have been dismissed or rejected by judges across the nation, but he continues to challenge Joe Biden’s victory. In every state, officials have attested to the accuracy of their elections, and Trump’s own attorney general at the time, Bill Barr, said in 2020 there was no voter fraud on a scale to change the outcome. Michaelic reminds skeptical voters in her hometown of the importance of voting and notes that in 2016, no one thought Trump could win. “Look what he did, he took Pennsylvania,” she said. At the Farmer’s Market on a recent afternoon, voters shared concerns that many people in the United States voice this election year — about the high prices of everything, about finding workers and good-paying jobs, about the culture wars. Lisa Mascaro / AP Michelle DeHosse poses for a photo at the farmer’s market in downtown Monongahela, Pa., Sept. 23, 2022. DeHosse runs a custom screen-print and embroidery shop on Main Street but said she has had trouble hiring employees since the COVID-19 crisis. While she said just can’t afford the $20 an hour and health care benefits many applicants demand, she understands that many workers need both. “It’s the economy that’s the biggest concern,” she said. “Where do you start?” said Michelle DeHosse, wearing an American flag shirt as she helped vendors set up stands. DeHosse, who runs a custom-screen print and embroidery shop on Main Street, said she has had trouble hiring employees since the pandemic. While she said just cannot afford the $20 an hour and health care benefits many applicants demand, she understands that many workers need both. “It’s the economy that’s the biggest concern,” she said. Democrats were sparse among the voters, who didn’t seem to have strong feelings for their choices this fall for either of the Senate candidates, Democrat John Fetterman or the Trump-backed Republican Mehmet Oz. Several said they probably would vote party line. “I don’t like either one of them,” said Carolyn McCuen, 84, a Republican enjoying sunset with friends and McDonald’s coffee at a picnic table by the river. “Me either,” said another Republican, Sam Reo, 76, a retired mechanical engineer, playing oldies from the portable speaker he sets up for the group. Both still plan to vote. Support for the GOP candidate for governor, Doug Mastriano, who was outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, can be seen in the giant signs along Lincoln Highway, an east-west route across the state. Mastriano is a “folk hero around here,” said Gruzs, who recalled his regular updates broadcast during the pandemic. A history buff who homes-schooled her children, Gruzs hasn’t missed a vote since she cast her first presidential ballot for Ronald Reagan. The same goes for her husband, Sam, a plumber. They moved here two decades ago from Baltimore, for a better life. Now a grandmother, she spends her days working on her crafts and listening to far-right broadcasts – Steve Bannon, Charlie Kirk and others. She is not a fan of House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. and isn’t convinced he has the toughness needed to push the party’s ideas forward. But she did attend the event at a nearby manufacturing facility where lawmakers outlined the GOP agenda. She was heartened to see far-right Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene at the event with McCarthy, and made sure to shake Greene’s hand. “If she’s behind him,” she said, trailing off. “It looked today he had enough behind him, pushing him.” Trump remains popular, and the sign hanging on the building off Main Street from his 2020 campaign was far from the only one still visible in the state, two years since that election. Several of the voters dismissed the investigations against Trump as nothing more than a “witch hunt” designed to keep him from running again office, despite the potentially serious charges being raised in state and federal inquiries. Some voters said they didn’t believe the attack on the Capitol was an insurrection, despite the violence waged by pro-Trump supporters trying to overturn Biden’s election. Those views stand in contrast to the hard facts of Jan. 6: More than 850 people have been arrested and charged in the insurrection, some given lengthy sentences by the courts for their involvement. Hours before the siege, Trump told a rally crowd to “fight like hell” for his presidency. Loyalists soon broke into the Capitol, fighting in hand-to-hand combat with police, interrupting Congress as it was certifying the election results. Five people, including a Trump supporter shot by police, died in the immediate aftermath. And if Trump runs again? “I wish he would,” said McCuen, a retired church secretary. “But I don’t know if he will.” Read More Here

Brazil Election: Why Was Sunday’s Result So Disappointing For The Left? https://digitalarizonanews.com/brazil-election-why-was-sundays-result-so-disappointing-for-the-left/ Brazil’s left went into Sunday’s election hoping for an outright majority for their candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva over Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right figurehead who has been Brazil’s president for the last four years. At the very least, they hoped for a commanding margin and a sense of momentum going into a run-off between the two. And progressives around the world were watching for an emphatic repudiation of Bolsonaro’s presidency that would signal that the forces of extremism were in retreat. But it hasn’t worked out that way. Instead, Lula won 48% of votes, roughly in line with polls – but Bolsonaro did much better than expected, taking 43%, and his supporters also outperformed polls in state and senate races. Lula is expected to take most votes from the minor candidates who now drop out, and should be favourite to win in the second round on 30 October – but the road to victory looks rockier than it did on Sunday. The stakes could hardly be higher. Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro trample on a flag carrying the face of his rival, Lula. Photograph: Wagner Meier/Getty Images So what just happened? And why does the result matter so much, for Brazil and for the world? We look at six key questions after the first round of voting with our Latin America correspondent Tom Phillips. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – widely known as Lula – is the charismatic leader of the PT (Workers’ party), the dominant left-of-centre force in Brazilian politics. His presidency from 2003-2010 is remembered by many in the country as an era of economic growth and declining inequality. In 2018, when he was unable to run because of a corruption conviction that has since been overturned, the far-right populist Jair Bolsonaro came to power. Backed by Donald Trump and Viktor Orbán, Bolsonaro has arguably been as cartoonishly incompetent and malevolent a figure as either – presiding over the devastation of the Amazon, massive increases in poverty, and the deaths of more than 685,000 Brazilians from coronavirus. “The mood among his opponents had been one of cautious optimism,” said Tom Phillips. “It’s been quite emotional for them – the idea that Bolsonaro’s presidency could be over, or nearly over. It’s been a long slog. They feel that so much damage has been done.” What happened on Sunday? The catharsis that Lula’s supporters had hoped for failed to materialise. “It’s massively dispiriting for the left,” said Tom. “And really surprising – not in terms of Lula’s vote, which is in line with what everyone thought, but in terms of Bolsonaro’s, which is significantly higher. The pollsters got that badly wrong. I went to Lula’s rally, and people were crying, or in a state of shock.” That mood of disappointment for the left was heightened by victory for Bolsonaro’s allies in 19 of the 27 available Senate seats, as well as a strong showing in the lower house. Bolsonaro’s former environment minister, who presided over huge increases in deforestation, won his congressional election; so did Eduardo Pazzuelo, the health minister who oversaw Brazil’s catastrophic handling of coronavirus at the height of the pandemic. “Nearly 700,000 people died here, and his management of Covid was demonstrably incompetent,” Tom said. “But that doesn’t seem to have impacted his support.” Lula supporters shout slogans at the end of the general election day in Rio de Janeiro. Photograph: Buda Mendes/Getty Images What kind of a campaign has it been? “It’s been pretty toxic,” Tom said. “I first covered an election here in 2006, and I’ve never seen this level of bitterness before. Bolsonaro treats elections as wars. A lot of people on the left have been frightened – one Lula supporter said to me on Saturday that it’s the first time in my life I’ve been scared to put a sticker on my car.” Those fears are not idle: a Lula supporter was brutally murdered by a Bolsonaro supporter last month, one of a string of violent attacks by supporters of a candidate who has demanded leftists “be eradicated from public life”. And the murders in June of Guardian contributor Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira have also come at a time when Bolsonaro has made relentless verbal attacks on advocates for the rainforest. Lula has sought to frame his campaign as the strongest possible contrast with that of Bolsonaro, and his message of unity is just one of the ways the race has echoed the Trump-Biden contest in the US of 2020. On Sunday, he told reporters: “We want no more hatred, no more quarrelling, we want a country that lives in peace.” How important is this election for Brazil? The vote comes against a backdrop of terrible damage during Bolsonaro’s presidency, as this piece from Tom yesterday made clear. Bolsonaro’s authoritarian tendencies and contempt for any obligation to protect the worst-off have left Brazil facing a cost-of-living crisis and a lurch to the right on social issues. While Bolsonaro authorised a welfare package worth billions of dollars during the campaign, he has also promised to privatise the state-owned oil company, pass pro-gun legislation, cut corporation taxes, and toughen restrictions on abortion. One voter told Tom: “So many of the advances that took decades to achieve have been destroyed over the last four years.” What does it mean for the Amazon? Under Bolsonaro’s presidency, the destruction of Brazil’s rainforest reached a record high in the first half of this year; Lula has promised to put a stop to the deforestation. That is of global importance given the Amazon’s role as a store for carbon dioxide. Damian Carrington, the Guardian’s environment editor, wrote on Friday that almost a million hectares of the Amazon have been burned in the last year, with fires at their highest level in a decade. “Bolsonaro has dragged Brazil back to the wild west days we thought we’d left behind,” one expert told him. “It’s no exaggeration, then, to say that the Amazon’s fate rests on the outcome of our election.” While the identity of the next president remains crucial, last night’s results appear to be bad news for advocates for the rainforest whatever happens. Jonathan Watts, the Guardian’s global environment editor and former Latin America correspondent, noted on Twitter that congressional success for Bolsonaro’s supporters will make it hard for Lula to pass Amazon protection legislation even if he wins. Was this result a repudiation of Bolsonaro? Lula has drawn support from a broad coalition of voters. “A lot of the people who’ve voted for him are not leftists,” said Tom. “People in the centre and on the centre right viewed this as an emergency election. They want a hard stop to this period, and hopefully next time a normal election with normal candidates.” That looks further away now. Cas Mudde, a leading expert on populism and the radical right, wrote in a sobering thread on Twitter last night that the result was the “worst possible Lula victory”, and that while he still expects Lula to prevail, the margin is likely to be small – or could be reversed if anything unexpected happens that favours Bolsonaro in the next few weeks. Comparing the prospect of a Bolsonaro defeat to Donald Trump’s in the US, he said that both men would have lost “very narrowly, and mostly because of a freak cause (the pandemic) … moreover, based on US experience, expect the right to further radicalise rather than moderate. And to be very competitive again in four years.” What happens next? Bolsonaro has long been planting the seeds of election denialism: “He’s been paving the way for the ‘big lie’ for years,” Tom said. In July, as one example, he made baseless claims that Brazil’s electronic voting system was vulnerable to subversion. The fact that the result now looks likely to be narrower than expected even if Lula wins “significantly increases the credibility of [the] “stolen elections” narrative among Bolsonaro supporters and thus the possibility of post-electoral violence,” Mudde wrote. Many in Brazil are fearful that Bolsonaro may stoke an anti-democratic mood among his supporters – though, perhaps scenting the possibility of a revival, he was noticeably quieter on his baseless fraud claims last night than he has recently been. “I don’t think we quite know what happens now,” Tom said. “If he does lose, there are people who fear a January 6 style assault on government institutions. And the most radical of his supporters are in many cases armed.” It’s worth emphasising that Lula remains the favourite – and that while Bolsonaro did better than expected, he is still the first sitting Brazilian president to go into a second round running behind since the 1980s. But after a deflating night for progressives, predictions about what might happen after a Lula victory risk being premature. “If people thought Bolsonaro and Bolsonarism were down and out they were wrong,” Tom said. “The far right is absolutely here to stay.” Read More Here

Ukraine's Forces Make Gains After Recapturing Lyman; Pro-Kremlin Voices Criticize Defeats And Mobilization https://digitalarizonanews.com/ukraines-forces-make-gains-after-recapturing-lyman-pro-kremlin-voices-criticize-defeats-and-mobilization/ Russian-installed official admits Ukraine has made ‘breakthroughs’ in Kherson region Pro-Ukraine volunteers from Chechnya train near Kyiv. The Zelenskyy government has displayed growing confidence in recent weeks, increasingly taking the initiative in a conflict that the Kremlin itself has admitted is stalled. Genya Savilov | Afp | Getty Images Ukrainian forces appear to be making progress in a counteroffensive in the southern Kherson region, one of four regions that Moscow “annexed” last week, with one Russian-installed official conceding that Kyiv’s forces were making gains around Kherson. “It’s tense, let’s put it that way,” Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed head of Ukraine’s Kherson region, said on state television, Reuters reported. He said Ukraine’s forces had made some breakthroughs in the region and taken control of some settlements. Ukraine has continued to make advances in both the northeast of the country, in the Kharkiv region, and around Kherson in the south, seemingly undaunted by President Putin’s announcement last week that Moscow was “annexing” four regions in Ukraine: Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and the separatist and pro-Russian Donetsk and Luhansk self-proclaimed “republics” in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine and its allies condemned the move, calling it illegitimate and illegal. — Holly Ellyatt Pro-Russian groups are raising funds in crypto to prop up paramilitary operations Pro-Russian groups are raising funds in cryptocurrency to prop up paramilitary operations and evade U.S. sanctions as the war with Ukraine wages on, a research report published Monday revealed. As of Sept. 22, these fundraising groups had raised $400,000 in cryptocurrency since the start of the invasion on Feb. 24, according to TRM Labs, a digital asset compliance and risk management company. The research revealed that groups, using encrypted messaging app Telegram, are offering ways for people to send funds which are used to supply Russian-affiliated militia groups and support combat training at locations close to the border with Ukraine. Russian paramilitary groups are raising funds in cryptocurrency using messaging app Telegram, according to research published by TRM Labs. Matt Cardy | Getty Images News | Getty Images One group TRM Labs identified raising funds is Task Force Rusich which the U.S. Treasury describes as a “neo-Nazi paramilitary group that has participated in combat alongside Russia’s military in Ukraine.” The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFCA) has sanctioned Task Force Rusich. On a Telegram channel, TRM Labs discovered this group was looking to raise money for items such as thermal imaging equipment and radios. Read more on the story here The only way to end the war is on the battlefield, lawmaker says Ukraine will not negotiate with Russia unless it agrees to withdraw all its troops from Ukrainian territory — but with that increasingly unlikely, the resolution to the conflict currently lies on the battlefield, one Ukrainian lawmaker told CNBC. “Ukraine is ready for negotiations at any moment, but negotiations about what? About the retreat of Russian troops from our territory? Sure,” Oleksiy Goncharenko, a Ukrainian MP, told CNBC Monday. “But Putin is not going to do this. He claimed that the territories he invaded are Russian … so clearly he has chosen the way of escalation and that’s why the only answer is on the battlefield and Ukraine is doing this.” Goncharenko noted that Putin’s partial military mobilization, in which 300,000 men are expected to be called up to fight in Ukraine, would only prolong the war instead of enabling Moscow to win it. Likening Russia’s army and the state to a dinosaur, he said: “[It has] a massive body, tiny head and very tiny brains inside this head.” “When Russia will realize [it can’t win] we’re ready to negotiate but it looks like Putin will never do it,” he said. — Holly Ellyatt Russian mobilization marked by dysfunction and disorganization, UK says The “partial military mobilization” announced by President Putin two weeks ago is showing itself to be dysfunctional and disorganized, according to Britain’s Ministry of Defense. President Putin announced the call-up on Sept. 21, leading to thousands of eligible fighting men trying to flee the country. Other reports have suggested the men going to fight in Ukraine are poorly trained and ill-equipped for war. There have been multiple reports of men being mistakenly conscripted. Britain’s Ministry of Defense said that even Putin had acknowledged problems with the draft, telling his National Security Council on Sept. 29 that “a lot of questions are being raised during this mobilization campaign, and we must promptly correct our mistakes and not repeat them.” Reservists drafted during the partial mobilization attend a departure ceremony in Sevastopol, Crimea, on Sept. 27, 2022. Stringer | Afp | Getty Images “Putin’s unusually rapid acknowledgement of problems highlights the dysfunction of the mobilisation over its first week. Local officials are likely unclear on the exact scope and legal rationale of the campaign,” the ministry said on Twitter. “They have almost certainly drafted some personnel who are outside the definitions claimed by Putin and the Ministry of Defence. As drafted reservists continue to assemble at tented transit camps, Russian officials are likely struggling to provide training and in finding officers to lead new units,” the ministry added. — Holly Ellyatt Criticism of Ukraine invasion grows in Russia, even from pro-Kremlin figures Ukrainian troops pose for a photo in Lyman, Ukraine, in this picture released on social media Oct. 1, 2022. Oleksiy Biloshytskyi | Oleksiy Biloshytskyi Via Reuters The Russian defeat in Lyman in northeast Ukraine and other parts of the Kharkiv region, combined with the Kremlin’s failure to conduct a partial military mobilization effectively and fairly, “are fundamentally changing the Russian information space,” according to analysts at the Institute for the Study of War. “The Russian information space has significantly deviated from the narratives preferred by the Kremlin and the Russian Ministry of Defense that things are generally under control,” analysts at the defense and foreign affairs think tank said Sunday, noting that Ukraine’s recapturing of Lyman in northeast Kharkiv this weekend is leading to mounting criticism of President Putin’s regime, top officials and the so-called “special military operation” (as Russia calls it) in Ukraine. “Kremlin-sponsored media and Russian milbloggers – a prominent Telegram community composed of Russian war correspondents, former proxy officials, and nationalists – are grieving the loss of Lyman while simultaneously criticizing the bureaucratic failures of the partial mobilization,” the analysts noted in their latest assessment of the war. Ukraine recaptures Lyman, a key logistics hub for Russian forces. Institute for the Study of War “Kremlin sources and milbloggers are attributing the defeat around Lyman and Kharkiv Oblast to Russian military failures to properly supply and reinforce Russian forces in northern Donbas and complaining about the lack of transparency regarding the progress of war,” they added. The ISW noted that it’s becoming more common for even the most pro-Kremlin TV shows in Russia to host guests that are critical of how the conflict is progressing and some have even criticized Putin’s decision to annex four Ukrainian regions last Friday “before securing their administrative borders or even the frontline, expressing doubts about Russia’s ability ever to occupy the entirety of these territories.” “Kremlin propagandists no longer conceal their disappointment in the conduct of the partial mobilization, frequently discussing the illegal mobilization of some men and noting issues such as alcoholism among newly mobilized forces,” the ISW said.  “Some speaking on live television have expressed the concern that mobilization will not generate the force necessary to regain the initiative on the battlefield, given the poor quality of Russian reserves.” — Holly Ellyatt Successes of Ukrainian soldiers not limited to Lyman, Zelenskyy says “This week, the largest part of the reports is the list of settlements liberated from the enemy within the scope of our ongoing defensive operation. The story of the liberation of Lyman in the Donetsk region has now become the most popular in the media. But the successes of our soldiers are not limited to Lyman,” said Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Valentyn Ogirenko | Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that the success of Ukraine’s soldiers is not limited to the recapture of Lyman in the northeast of the country, with more towns around Kherson being liberated. “This week, the largest part of the reports is the list of settlements liberated from the enemy within the scope of our ongoing defensive operation. The story of the liberation of Lyman in the Donetsk region has now become the most popular in the media. But the successes of our soldiers are not limited to Lyman,” he said in his nightly address. Ukrainian forces are also liberating the small Arkhanhelske and Myrolyubivka settlements in the Kherson region, he said. Ukraine is continuing its counteroffensive in the northeast of the country as it tries to reclaim more occupied land from Russia, which last Friday announced it was annexing four regions in Ukraine, a move branded as illegitimate and farcical by the international community. Over the weekend, Ukraine announced that its forces had fully taken back control of the town of Lyman, which had been used as a key logistics hub by Russian forc...

Oil Jumps Nearly $4 As OPEC+ Weighs Biggest Output Cut Since 2020 https://digitalarizonanews.com/oil-jumps-nearly-4-as-opec-weighs-biggest-output-cut-since-2020/ OPEC+ considers cut of more than 1 mln bpd -sources Interest rate hikes, strong dollar weigh on markets EU ban on Russian maritime oil trader due for Dec. 5 LONDON, Oct 3 (Reuters) – Oil prices jumped almost $4 on Monday as OPEC+ considers reducing output by more than 1 million barrels per day (bpd) to buttress prices with what would be its biggest cut since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brent crude futures rebounded $3.46, or 4.1%, to $88.60 a barrel by 0915 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up 4.3%, or $3.39, at $82.88. Oil prices have tumbled for four straight months since June, as COVID-19 lockdowns in top energy consumer China hurt demand while rising interest rates and a surging U.S. dollar weighed on global financial markets. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com To support prices, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, known collectively as OPEC+, is considering an output cut of more than 1 million bpd ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, OPEC+ sources told Reuters. read more If agreed, it will be the group’s second consecutive monthly cut after reducing output by 100,000 bpd last month. “The backdrop for this week’s meeting is precarious, but the fundamentals of oil are relatively healthy,” said Peter McNally, global lead for energy at investment research firm Third Bridge. “The two biggest question marks are the demand outlook (especially in China) and what happens to Russian supply after the EU ban goes into effect on Dec. 5.” OPEC+ missed its production targets by nearly 3 million bpd in July, two sources from the producer group said, as sanctions on some members and low investment by others stymied its ability to raise output. read more While prompt Brent prices could strengthen further in the immediate short term, concerns over a global recession are likely to limit the upside, consultancy FGE said. “If OPEC+ does decide to cut output in the near term, the resultant increase in OPEC+ spare capacity will likely put more downward pressure on long-dated prices,” it said in a note on Friday. The dollar index fell for a fourth consecutive day on Monday after touching its highest in two decades. A cheaper dollar could bolster oil demand and support prices. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Noah Browning Additional reporting by Florence Tan and Muyu Xu Editing by David Goodman Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here

Meet 2 Football-Loving José Romeroses Who Help Tell The Cardinals https://digitalarizonanews.com/meet-2-football-loving-jose-romeroses-who-help-tell-the-cardinals/ José y José: A football conversation José Romero and José Romero sit down to talk about their love for the NFL, how they fell in love with the game and what the sport means to the Latino community. Patrick Breen, Arizona Republic The name — my name — might be sort of common throughout Latin America, even Spain. But there is nothing common about two guys with the same first and last name, José Romero, being involved in telling the story of the Arizona Cardinals.  In 2022, that’s where we are. One José Romero is the Cardinals first-year Spanish language broadcast analyst. The other José Romero is me, an Arizona Republic sports reporter assigned to cover the team.  We’re both new to our positions, but neither of us are new to American football despite very different backgrounds. José was born in Cancún, Mexico, and moved to the U.S. as a teenager to continue a football experience that took him from Phoenix-area high school ball to playing in community college to walking on at Arizona and playing in the Pac-12.  Now he teaches Spanish and coaches at Phoenix Desert Vista. On Sundays he is on the radio alongside play-by-play announcer Luis Hernandez.  I’m Chicano, Mexican American to some, born in Oregon to parents from Southern California. Tony Dorsett and Jim Plunkett, then the late Junior Seau, were my favorite NFL players. Part of my first three years working for the Seattle Times was spent covering high school football. I freelanced games for almost a decade and I’m on my second NFL team as a beat writer, after seven seasons covering the Seattle Seahawks earlier this millennium.  José Romero, Cardinals commentator (L) and José Romero, Arizona Republic sports reporter, pose for pictures at the Cardinals Training facility in Tempe on Sept. 13, 2022. Patrick Breen/The Republic I met José at this year’s Cardinals training camp. He replaced the person who eventually helped land him the broadcasting gig, Rolando Cantú, a former Cardinals player and native of Mexico. Cantú joined Telemundo Deportes as the new lead NFL analyst for its Sunday Night Football broadcasts. Cantú called more than 300 Cardinals games on radio and at least 65 Thursday Night Football games, plus four Super Bowls. The torch has been passed. “First game was rough, kind of getting used to the timing between me and Luis and when does he talk and when he stops and when do I start, when do I have to stop before he comes back in,” Romero said after calling the Kansas City game earlier this month. “Second week felt better, third week felt even better and I think this first game, even though I was more nervous because it’s the real deal, first regular season game, I think it was better than the last (preseason) game in Tennessee for sure.” Romero said his broadcasting career happened by accident, with Cantú in his corner and the Cardinals choosing him for the job. His plan had been to go into coaching, starting in high school with hopes of moving up the ranks in the game. He didn’t think he was going to enjoy being on the air as much as he does.  “He’s a good guy who has the desire to develop. He’s always learning something new,” said Hernandez in Spanish, via text message, when asked about Romero. “He’s always ready to listen to critiques so he can get better at his job. I’m really glad he is working with me on Arizona Cardinals Spanish radio.” José and I, we’re just two guys, proud of our Mexican heritage, sitting less than 100 feet apart in the State Farm Stadium press box on Sundays watching a great sport, with the same first and last name on our media credentials. We’re both very much looking forward to the Cardinals’ November game in Mexico City, José in no small part because he looks forward to seeing family, and me, because it’s a place of great historical significance that I’ve always wanted to visit, as someone with roots in the country. As football fans and observers, we’re eager to continue telling the story of Los Cardenales and the NFL continuing efforts to cultivate and embrace the passion of Latino football fans, all season long.  Get in touch with Jose Romero at Jose.Romero@gannett.com. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM.  Read More…

Quebec Votes, Sex Workers Challenging Criminal Code : In The News For Oct. 3 https://digitalarizonanews.com/quebec-votes-sex-workers-challenging-criminal-code-in-the-news-for-oct-3/ Legault is facing off against a crowded field including the Quebec Liberals, Quebec solidaire, the Parti Québécois and the Quebec Conservative Party, all of which are polling in the teens. The party leaders spent the weekend criss-crossing the province to make a final pitch to undecided voters and ensure their party’s supporters make it out to vote in today’s general election. Legault voted in advance polls last week, while the remaining party leaders will cast their ballots and wait for the results to come in after polls close at 8 p.m. As the legislature broke for the summer, Legault’s party had 76 seats, while the Quebec Liberals had 27, Québec solidaire had 10 and the Parti Québécois had seven. The Conservative Party of Quebec held one seat and there were four Independents. Legault’s win in the 2018 provincial election marked the start of a new era in Quebec politics after nearly 50 years of federalist-versus-separatist two-party rule.  With tight two and three-way races in several ridings, voter turnout could prove crucial. Turnout for Quebec’s last provincial election in 2018 was 66.45 per cent, a drop of nearly five per cent compared to the previous election. — Also this … An alliance of sex worker rights groups is in Ontario Superior Court today asking for several sections of the Criminal Code to be deemed unconstitutional.  The Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform says sections of the law that criminalize advertising sexual services and communicating to buy or sell sexual services violate workers’ Charter rights. Group coordinator Jenn Clamen says it also forces sex workers to work in unsafe, isolated conditions. She says there shouldn’t be any criminal laws specific to sex work, and has dozens of recommendations to create a more regulated industry. The Supreme Court of Canada struck down the prohibition on prostitution in 2013, saying the laws were disproportionate and overbroad.  But advocacy groups maintain the laws that were later put in place by the Harper government have failed to make things better for sex workers.  — And this too … A union representing thousands of education workers in Ontario is expected to announce today whether its members support going on strike amid contract talks with the province. Members with the Canadian Union of Public Employees have been voting on a potential strike mandate from Sept. 23 to Oct. 2, and the union plans to unveil the results at a news conference this morning. CUPE has asked the province for annual raises of 11.7 per cent, equal to about $3.25 per hour, arguing workers’ wages have been restricted over the last decade and are not enough to keep up with inflation. It says the Ford government is offering a two- per-cent raise to education workers making less than $40,000 a year and a 1.25- per cent wage hike to everyone else, which it says amounts to between 33 and 53 cents an hour. CUPE represents 55,000 workers including early childhood educators, school administration workers, bus drivers and custodians. Labour deals for Ontario’s five major education unions expired on Aug. 31, and CUPE is scheduled to resume bargaining talks with the province on Thursday. — What we are watching in the U.S. … WASHINGTON _ Federal prosecutors will lay out their case against the founder of the Oath Keepers extremist group and four associates charged in the most serious case to reach trial yet in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack. Opening statements are expected Monday in Washington’s federal court in the trial of Stewart Rhodes and others charged with seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors say was a weekslong plot to stop the transfer of power from Republican Donald Trump to Democrat Joe Biden. Defence attorneys will also get their first chance to address jurors, who were chosen last week after days of questioning over their feelings about the insurrection, Trump supporters and other matters. The stakes are high for the Justice Department, which last secured a seditious conspiracy conviction at trial nearly 30 years ago. About 900 people have been charged and hundreds convicted in the Capitol attack. Rioters stormed past police barriers, engaged in hand-to-hand combat with officers, smashed windows and halted the certification of Biden’s electoral victory. But the Oath Keepers are the first to stand trial on seditious conspiracy, a rare Civil War-era charge that carries up to 20 years behind bars. The trial is expected to last several weeks. Prosecutors will tell jurors that the insurrection for the antigovernment group was not a spontaneous outpouring of election-fuelled rage but part of a drawn-out plot to stop Biden from entering the White House. On trial with Rhodes, of Granbury, Texas, are Kelly Meggs, leader of the Florida chapter of the Oath Keepers; Kenneth Harrelson, another Florida Oath Keeper; Thomas Caldwell, a retired U.S. Navy intelligence officer from Virginia; and Jessica Watkins, who led an Ohio militia group. They face several other charges as well. — What we are watching in the rest of the world … BIRMINGHAM, England _ The British government has dropped plans to cut income tax for top earners, part of a package of unfunded cuts that sparked turmoil on financial markets and sent the pound to record lows. In a dramatic about-face, Treasury chief Kwasi Kwarteng said Monday that he will not scrap the top 45 per cent rate of income tax paid on earnings above 150,000 pounds a year. “We get it, and we have listened,” he said in a statement. He said “It is clear that the abolition of the 45p tax rate has become a distraction from our overriding mission to tackle the challenges facing our country.” The U-turn came after a growing number of lawmakers from the governing Conservative Party turned on government tax plans announced 10 days ago. It also came hours after the Conservatives released advance extracts of a speech Kwarteng is due to give later Monday at the party’s annual conference in the central England city of Birmingham. He had been due to say: “We must stay the course. I am confident our plan is the right one.” Prime Minister Liz Truss defended the measures on Sunday, but said she could have “done a better job laying the ground” for the announcements. Truss took office less than a month ago, promising to radically reshape Britain’s economy to end years of sluggish growth. But the government’s Sept. 23 announcement of a stimulus package that includes 45 billion pounds in tax cuts, to be paid for by government borrowing, sent the pound tumbling to a record low against the dollar. The Bank of England was forced to intervene to prop up the bond market, and fears that the bank will soon hike interest rates caused mortgage lenders to withdraw their cheapest deals, causing turmoil for homebuyers. The cuts were unpopular, even among Conservatives. Reducing taxes for top earners and scrapping a cap on bankers’ bonuses while millions face a cost-of-living crisis driven by soaring energy bills was widely seen as politically toxic. — On this day in 2008 … Former NFL star O.J. Simpson was convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery and 10 other charges after an incident in which he and five men stormed a Las Vegas hotel room to seize sports-memorabilia at gunpoint from two dealers. Simpson was later sentenced to nine to 33 years in prison. He was released on parole in October 2017. — In entertainment … Movie-going audiences chose the horror movie over the romantic comedy to kick off the month of October. Paramount’s “Smile” topped the North American charts with $22 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday, leaving Billy Eichner’s rom-com “Bros” in the dust. Universal’s “Bros” launched with an estimated $4.8 million to take fourth place behind “Don’t Worry Darling” ($7.3 million) and “The Woman King” ($7 million). But opening weekends likely aren’t the final word on either “Bros” or “Smile.” Horror movie audiences are generally front-loaded, dropping off steeply after the first weekend, while something like “Bros,” which got great reviews and an A CinemaScore, suggesting strong word of mouth potential, is a movie that could continue finding audiences through the fall. It is not unusual for R-rated comedies to open modestly and catch on later. “Everyone who sees it absolutely loves it,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution. “Billy Eichner, (director) Nick Stoller and Judd Apatow have created a movie that’s heartwarming and hysterically funny.” “Bros” is significant for being the first gay rom-com given a wide theatrical release by a major studio, as well as the first studio movie starring and co-written by an openly gay man. Since premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival last month, the film has gotten stellar reviews from critics and also been the target of “review bombs” on IMDB. The site last week removed hundreds of one-star reviews for “Bros” that were logged before the film was released. It’s also hard to compete with a new horror movie in October. “Smile,” written and directed by Parker Finn in his directorial debut, stars Sosie Bacon as a therapist haunted by smiling faces after a traumatic event. According to exit polls, 52 per cent of the audience was male and 68 per cent were ages 18-34 for the R-rated film. Playing in 3,645 locations, “Smile” started strong with $2 million from Thursday night previews, too, and had a four per cent uptick Saturday, which is almost unheard of for genre films that usually decline after the first night. — Did you see this? EDMONTON _ The Alberta government is providing $20.8 million over the next four years to implement recommendations from a star-led task force on human trafficking. Country singer Paul Brandt, chair of t...

A New Justice At The U.S. Supreme Court, And An Idaho Wetlands Case Up First – Ohio Capital Journal https://digitalarizonanews.com/a-new-justice-at-the-u-s-supreme-court-and-an-idaho-wetlands-case-up-first-ohio-capital-journal/ When the U.S. Supreme Court opens its fall term today, Monday, a few things will be different. A Black woman, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, will hear oral arguments for the first time ever. And the public will be allowed into the room for the first time since early 2020. The content of the term’s first case, though, will be familiar to many who have followed federal water policy for the past several years. The case is a challenge to the definition of “waters of the United States,” which delineates which wetlands the federal government can regulate under the Clean Water Act. The case, brought by an Idaho couple, could further restrict the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate environmental protections, just as one of the last decisions by the conservative majority in the most recent term curbed the agency’s power to regulate greenhouse gases. A history-making day Today will be the first day Jackson joins the ritual of oral arguments in the ornate chamber as one of nine Supreme Court justices. Jackson, a Harvard Law School grad and former federal judge who grew up in Miami, took the oath of office in June following an often–contentious Senate confirmation process. On Friday, she took part in an investiture ceremony, which mirrors stylistic aspects of the swearing-in. The investiture, though, is purely symbolic. Jackson has been a member of the court since taking her oath of office. Although the event was only symbolic, President Joe Biden and a handful of top White House staff members, along with several members of Congress, including Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia and Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Cory Booker of New Jersey, all Democrats, attended the six-minute event. Booker, who is Black, brought tears to Jackson’s eyes at a fraught time in the confirmation hearing when he spoke of the importance of Jackson’s role in history and as a role model to young Black people. U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, a Nebraska Republican who sits on the Judiciary Committee, was the only senator who voted against Jackson’s confirmation to attend Friday’s ceremony. His presence seemed intended to make a point about the need to respect institutions, even amid good-faith disagreement with individuals. In a statement, Sasse, who is white, said that he disagreed with Jackson’s judicial philosophy but that their disagreement was respectful and impersonal. He urged members of both parties not to attack the court itself. “Right now, there’s a lot of sound and fury about whether or not the Supreme Court has lost legitimacy,” Sasse said in the statement. “It’s a load of bunk. The Court’s legitimacy comes from its constitutional role, not the popularity of its opinions. I’m certain that I won’t agree with all of Justice Jackson’s opinions, but I’m not going to attack the credibility of the Court when we see things differently, and I wish more of my colleagues would take a similar approach.” During the March hearings at the Judiciary Committee, Sasse avoided the most salacious attacks on Jackson launched by other Republicans and bemoaned publicity-seeking “jackassery” in the chamber. Court’s legitimacy Jackson is not expected to affect the court’s ideological balance, as she replaced Stephen Breyer, who’d been among the court’s liberal minority before his retirement. With three justices appointed by former President Donald Trump, the court’s last term was its most conservative in decades, culminating with a ruling overturning Roe. v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that guaranteed the right to an abortion nationally. The three liberal justices, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and the since-retired Breyer, wrote a scathing dissent that the decision “undermines the Court’s legitimacy.” The court’s departure from its own precedent in the Dobbs case “calls into question this Court’s commitment to legal principle,” they wrote. “It makes the Court appear not restrained but aggressive, not modest but grasping. In all those ways, today’s decision takes aim, we fear, at the rule of law.” Americans’ opinions of the court have declined over the past two years, along with its rightward shift. A nationwide Marquette Law School poll conducted in September found 60% of respondents disapproved of the court, while only 40% approved. The results represented a 53-point drop in net favorability from the same survey in 2020, when twice as many respondents held favorable views as those with unfavorable views. Other events have also threatened the court’s reputation. Justice Clarence Thomas did not recuse himself from a case about the House Jan. 6 committee’s access to presidential records and was the sole justice to vote in favor of restricting those records. The records later showed that his wife, Nebraska native Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, had exchanged several texts with then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows spreading false claims that the election was stolen. Additionally, a draft of the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked to news media months before it was published in what several experts said was an “unprecedented” breach of the court’s protocol that launched an internal investigation. New court rules, old issue Monday will mark the first time since March 2020 that the court will allow the public to attend oral arguments. Masks will be optional. The court will continue to live-stream audio from oral arguments, a practice the staid court only adopted while it limited attendance during the pandemic. The first oral arguments made under the new rules involve the EPA’s authority under the Clean Water Act to regulate “waters of the United States.” The 1972 law changed the criteria for what constituted a federally protected waterway away from one that is navigable to any “waters of the United States.” That definition has shifted since the law was passed, and particularly as the last three presidential administrations have enacted rules to define it. In 2015, President Barack Obama’s administration issued a definition that some, especially Republicans, viewed as expanding federal jurisdiction. His successor, Donald Trump, took steps to loosen the definition in 2020, but a federal court vacated that move in 2021. Last year, under Biden, the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers said they would interpret the phrase consistent with a pre-2015 definition while they worked on updating a more permanent version. A Supreme Court ruling will likely come before that rule is finalized. An Idaho couple, the Sacketts, own a parcel of land near Priest Lake in the state’s panhandle. Their land is within 30 feet of a tributary to the lake. The EPA has claimed that parcel is within its jurisdiction to regulate as a navigable waterway, and the Sacketts disagree. The Sacketts are among the many farmers and other private landowners seeking a reprieve from federal regulation of wetlands on their property. A federal appeals court ruled last year in favor of the federal agency, but the Supreme Court’s decision to hear the case could mean it will overturn the lower court’s ruling. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics. Read More Here

Weak Rural Turnout Could Hurt GOP In November https://digitalarizonanews.com/weak-rural-turnout-could-hurt-gop-in-november/ “Republicans are not as energized as they want or expected, and Democrats are very energized right now,” said Chris Walsh, Ryan’s campaign manager. In four congressional special elections that have been held since June to fill vacant House seats — in Nebraska, Minnesota and New York — the portion of registered voters who cast ballots averaged 27 percent in suburban and urban counties, compared to 22 percent in rural counties, according to the analysis. Ahead of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned Roe, those three groups had turnout numbers similar to each other. Not coincidentally, in each of the contests that saw lower rural turnout, Democratic candidates overperformed compared to President Joe Biden’s 2020 results. Democrats’ higher turnout numbers have given the party hope that voter anger over the elimination of abortion rights would turn an anticipated red wave in the midterms into more a ripple. “The suburban voters who Republicans thought were just anti-Trump are now kind of coming to realize they’re anti-Republican,” Walsh said. “With the Dobbs decision, it really fired them up that this is still an existential fight for their lives.” The GOP is still the odds-on favorite to win a majority in the House, and inflation and dissatisfaction with Biden continue to be a drag on every Democrat running for office. Republicans said the recent special elections had distinct circumstances that they believed benefited Democrats — for instance, New York’s special election was held on the same day as a handful of contested Democratic primaries. “Democrats played politics, they knew having competitive primaries in [Ryan’s district] would boost turnout for the special election, and it would create this false narrative that the election was a referendum on Dobbs,” said Will Dawson, campaign manager for Marc Molinaro, Ryan’s Republican opponent in August. “The midterm elections are and always have been a referendum on the White House.” There are plenty of examples over the years of special elections that did not prove to be predictive of November’s results, and the races only reflect a small share of the electorate. But unusually high turnout in special congressional elections in 2017 and 2018 also foretold some of the surge in Democratic voters coming out to the polls for the 2018 midterms. Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster for Biden’s 2020 campaign, said rural voters may have felt complacent after the conservative movement’s decades-long effort to strike down Roe v. Wade was successful. “A lot of rural voters, they’re more conservative religiously and they were very mobilized by abortion and now they think they’ve won,” she said. “Whenever you see a kind of falling-off of pro-life voters because they’re less engaged, you’re going to see that particularly in rural areas.” Steve Bullock, the former Democratic governor of Montana and co-chair of the liberal super PAC American Bridge 21st Century, offered an alternative theory about the recent special election results: The end of abortion rights is actually turning off some rural voters, he said. “Unfortunately, the Republicans have been doing a lot better in rural areas over these last few cycles. And they finally kind of caught the car bumper. Urban and rural folks didn’t necessarily think that Roe would be overturned or they’d work on a nationwide abortion ban,” said Bullock. “I think it’s suppressing some of the Republican interest in rural areas.” He added that “in rural areas where access to affordable and quality health care is already challenged, when you turn around and say that you’ll have no reproductive health care in many states, I think that’s in part why we’re seeing what we’re seeing.” This cycle’s special congressional elections got off to a typical start. In 2021 and the first half of 2022, turnout in the races was low in rural, suburban and urban areas, measuring 18 percent, 19 percent and 20 percent, respectively, according to a POLITICO analysis of elections across Texas, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico and Ohio. That likely reflected, in part, the lack of interest in contests so far in advance of the midterms. Most of the elections over that period were also not in swing districts. After the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision, however, voters came out in higher numbers. That was true across the board, but the jump was the largest in suburban and especially urban counties, where turnout rose 10 percentage points. (POLITICO’s analysis excluded one special election, Alaska’s at-large district, because it used a ranked-choice voting system and the state’s geography does not correlate with the rural-urban divide seen in many other states.) Still, even post-Dobbs, turnout this year has not matched what Democrats saw ahead of the 2018 midterms when they flipped the House. For example, 58 percent of voters that year cast a ballot in the expensive special election in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District where Democrat Jon Ossoff narrowly lost to Republican Karen Handel. No special election this year has neared that level of participation. At least some in the GOP are uneasy about the flagging rural participation in recent contests. Ryan Girdusky, a Republican political consultant, is concerned enough about the low rural turnout numbers in this year’s special elections that he can rattle them off by memory. He blamed the results on messaging by the GOP that didn’t appeal to rural voters. Trump’s success in exciting those voters, he said, showed that they are motivated by issues such as crime, immigration, homelessness and education. He pointed to Molinaro’s TV commercials in the New York race that tied crime to Democrats as an example of what not to do. “They were horrible. And I like Marc Molinaro a lot. But the ad was like the word ‘crime’ across the TV screen,” Girdusky said. “That doesn’t exactly inspire anxiety, fear, motivation, anger, anything. ”In recent weeks, though, Girdusky said the picture has improved somewhat, with more aggressive crime ads leading to tightening polls in Senate races. Interestingly, few strategists in either party said that rural voters had dropped off because Trump isn’t on the ticket this year. Though he isn’t running, they pointed out, the former president has fully immersed himself in the midterms, endorsing candidates and holding rallies in major battleground states. He has also been a constant fixture in the news because of his legal troubles. Like many others in the GOP, Michael McAdams, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, dismissed the post-Dobbs special election results, saying the races are “rarely predictive of what’s going to happen in generals.” McAdams also said rural voters have more than enough reasons to come to the polls this November. “You look at gas prices, that hurts rural voters the most,” he said. “You look at what’s going on with inflation, rural voters tend to be less affluent, and inflation impacts people making less than $100,000 far more than people who make over $100,000.” The party out of power is virtually always more motivated in midterm elections. And after Democrats enjoyed a summertime high in which they notched legislative victories and watched as gas prices dropped, there are some signs that the political winds are blowing in the GOP’s direction again. For instance, 60 percent of Americans said inflation is getting worse in a September poll by Yahoo News/YouGov, compared to 51 percent in mid-August. Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults in the survey said inflation is a very important issue, while just over half who said the same thing about abortion. John Couvillon, a pollster who typically works for Republicans, argued that a better gauge of party enthusiasm than special elections is primary turnout. According to his findings, 52 percent of voters in this year’s primaries participated in GOP races, compared to 48 percent who cast ballots in Democratic contests. The gap between rural and urban turnout was also not as apparent this cycle in primaries in states such as Pennsylvania, which took place before the Dobbs decision, according to POLITICO’s analysis. One especially good measure of voter mood ahead of November, Couvillon said, is Washington State’s all-party primary, which was held in early August. That’s because it’s a kind of a test-run of the general election, and swings in the primary have usually aligned with the fall results in the last decade. Democrats performed relatively well in the top-two primary, which took place after Dobbs. But in a cycle that has often sent wildly different signals about what to expect this fall, Washington cast another one: There were no major differences in turnout between rural areas and bigger counties there. “Even though the special elections are giving the Democrats psychologically a little bit of a lift, to me it’s not the same test environment as, say, an all-party primary in Washington,” said Couvillon. Read More Here

Arizona Teen Denied Lifesaving Medication Due To State https://digitalarizonanews.com/arizona-teen-denied-lifesaving-medication-due-to-state/ A 14-year-old girl in Tucson, Arizona, was denied refill of a lifesaving drug—methotrexate (MTX)—she had been taking for years over fears that she would use the medication for abortion purposes. For years, Emma Thompson has been relying on low, weekly doses of MTX to treat her juvenile idiopathic arthritis, a form of the condition in children that can cause serious complications, including growth problems and joint damage, which MTX slows down. In this combination image, a stock image of a pharmacy desk and the drug Methotrexate. A 14-year-old girl from Tucson was denied a refill of MTX, which she had been taking for years. iStock / Getty Images But at higher doses, MTX can be used to end ectopic pregnancies, where a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus. This is why the girl’s doctor, Deborah Jane Power, thinks Thompson was denied her prescribed medication, only three days after Arizona’s new abortion law had taken into effect. “We think she was denied by the pharmacist because, three days before, a judge in Pima County, Arizona, lifted the injunction on a law from 1864 when Arizona was a territory, which bans all abortions unless the mother is dying and makes it a crime to perform/assist,” Power told Newsweek. “The pharmacist said the patient is 14, so we feel she was worried the patient could be pregnant and using methotrexate for abortion purposes.” As per a rule that preceded Roe v. Wade and has come back into force since the landmark ruling was overturned, almost all abortions are now banned across Arizona after the 15th week of pregnancy, except in case of danger to the mother’s life. There is no exception for rape or incest. After the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade on June 24, alarm was raised over the way pre-existing abortion bans in several states could have a negative impact on access to lifesaving drugs for women with serious health conditions, including cancer and arthritis. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) had issued a statement on June 30 tweeting about being aware “of the emerging concerns surrounding access to needed treatments such as #MTX after the recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.” The ACR wrote it had assembled a task force of medical and policy experts to “decide the best course of action for ensuring our patients keep access to treatments they need.” But while the risks were clear for adult women, not the same could be said about teenage girls. “Older women in Arizona have had delays in getting medication since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade,” Power said. “We anticipated difficulties but not with adolescents.” Power said Thompson was her first underage patient to be denied a refill of MTX. “She was my first pediatric patient denied,” Power said. “It was the first Monday after the decision by the judge made on Friday. If she doesn’t get the methotrexate, her other medication to control her disease may become ineffective.” What happened led Power to write on Twitter: “Welcome to Arizona. Today a pharmacist denied the MTX refill for my adolescent patient.” Power tweeted that she was “livid.” Welcome to AZ. Today a pharmacist denied the MTX refill for my adolescent patient. She’s on 5 mg/wk to prevent AHCA Ab production. MTX denied purely because she’s a female, barely a teenager. Livid! No discussion, just a denial. Now to fight for what’s best for this pt. — Deborah Jane Power (@bonespower) September 27, 2022 On Twitter, she argued that the dosage of MTX her patient needed was “so low it would take months to ‘collect’ enough for that purpose [an abortion].” In this case, the dose is so low it would take months to “collect” enough for that purpose yet not having MTX will allow underlying condition to flare. And to not communicate with the prescriber? — Deborah Jane Power (@bonespower) September 27, 2022 Power fought for her patient to get the lifesaving drug, and eventually Thompson got her refill—at least for this month. “The pharmacy technician pushed the pharmacist to eventually refill for this month,” Power said. But this is not the only way Thompson and Power are challenging the impact of Arizona’s abortion law on MTX. “We’ve filed complaints with the State Board of Pharmacy,” Power said. “We will notify the American College of Rheumatology. We will write to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Congress and the Senate.” Walgreens, the pharmacy that denied the prescription of MTX to Thompson, wrote a statement to KOLD News 13 saying that the focus of the company is “meeting the needs” of patients but that “trigger laws in various states require additional steps for dispensing certain prescriptions.” Power described the ramifications of the state’s abortion law as “horrifying.” “I’m trying to protect our patients,” she said. “But it’s very frightening.” Newsweek has reached out to Thompson’s family for comment. Read More Here

Gas Prices Today, October 3, 2022: Check The Cheapest Gas Stations Today https://digitalarizonanews.com/gas-prices-today-october-3-2022-check-the-cheapest-gas-stations-today/ In the United States and across the world, gas prices have soared in recent months. The market is still tough to predict, with some days seeing an improvement and others seeing a sharp rise. A number of factors have contributed to this, such as exhaustive COVID-19 restrictions which brought the economy to its knees in combination with the decision to apply widespread sanctions on Russia. These and others have led to a dire situation and although things are appearing to stabilise, workers and families are quite literally having to pay the price for these policies. Our aim here is to lend a hand and provide our readers with the latest updates on the latest gas prices in the U.S., and the cheapest places to refill your tanks in the ten most populated cities across the country. What state has the highest gas prices? The state of California, as is often the case, has the highest average price of gas currently at $6.377. Mississippi has the lowest prices of the day, at an average price of $3.065. Where are the cheapest gas stations in the US? In terms of the cheapest gas stations in the US, these are the lowest-priced places to get gas in the top 10 most populated cities in the country: New York, New York ($2.91): Gulf, 1979 Veterans Mem Hwy Islandia, NY. Los Angeles, California ($4.93): Ramco, 1104 E Palmdale Blvd Palmdale, CA. Chicago, Illinois ($3.29): Lou Perrine, 8004 22nd Ave Kenosha, WI. Houston, Texas ($2.25): Chevron, 2117 Pasadena Fwy Pasadena, TX. Phoenix, Arizona ($3.55): Circle K, 307 AZ-77 Mammoth, AZ. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ($2.99): Gulf, 874 Mantua Pike Woodbury Heights, NJ. San Antonio, Texas ($2.79): Costco, 15330 IH-35 N Selma, TX. San Diego, California ($5.04): Son’s, 445 W 5th Ave Escondido, CA. Dallas, Texas ($2.69): Chevron, 1005 E Ennis Ave Ennis, TX. San Jose, California ($4.97): Safeway, 5780 Cottle Rd San Jose, CA. Read More…

European Stocks Slump, Following Gloomy Sentiment In Asia-Pacific; Credit Suisse Down 9% https://digitalarizonanews.com/european-stocks-slump-following-gloomy-sentiment-in-asia-pacific-credit-suisse-down-9/ European stocks fell on Monday as markets entered the last quarter of the year. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index dropped 1% in early trade, with financial services stocks shedding 1% to lead losses while oil and gas stocks added 1.3%. The decline in Europe comes after a gloomy trading session in Asia-Pacific markets, with sharp moves in the price of oil. Brent crude futures and West Texas Intermediate futures jumped after reports that OPEC+ is considering an oil output cut of more than a million barrels per day, citing sources. Such a move would be the biggest taken by the organization to address weakness in global demand. Stocks on the move: Credit Suisse down 9%, Accelleron down 12% on debut Credit Suisse shares plunged 9% on Monday as market jitters over the Swiss bank’s capital position persist after a spike in credit-default swaps. Reuters reported on Friday that Credit Suisse CEO Ulrich Koerner told staff in an internal memo that capital and liquidity were solid. Credit Suisse is due to announce the outcome of its strategic review on Oct. 27. At the bottom of the Stoxx 600, Accelleron sank more than 12% on its market debut on the SIX Swiss Exchange in Zurich, after the former ABB turbocharging unit was spun off by the Swiss automation company. – Elliot Smith British pound jumps on reports UK government will U-turn on cut to top tax rate The British pound jumped on Monday morning on reports that the U.K. government will reverse plans to scrap the top rate of income tax. Sterling gained 0.8% against the dollar to trade at around $1.1250 shortly after 7 a.m. London time, taking the pound back to the level seen before Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng’s announcement of a raft of widely criticized tax cuts on Sept. 23. – Elliot Smith ANZ sees significant chance of an OPEC+ cut as large as 1 million barrels per day Ahead of an OPEC+ meeting on Oct. 5, ANZ sees a “significant chance of a cut” as large as 1 million barrels per day, analysts at the firm said in a note. That move is likely to be made “to counteract the excessive bearishness in the market.” The note added that any production cuts below 500,000 barrels per day, however, would be “shrugged off by the market.” –Jihye Lee CNBC Pro: Investment pro says ETFs are a $10 trillion opportunity — and reveals areas of ‘tremendous’ value Exchange-traded funds offer the benefit of diversification, says Jon Maier, chief investment officer at Global X ETFs. He said the ETF market is “growing exponentially” and estimates it to be worth $10 trillion. He names several opportunities for ETF investors in this volatile market. Pro subscribers can read more here. — Zavier Ong Oil prices jump on reports of OPEC+ mulling production cut Fri, Sep 30 20229:06 AM EDT CNBC Pro: The five global stocks experiencing the de-globalisation trend, according to HSBC New research from HSBC says supply chains, geopolitical tensions, and worsening financial conditions have forced many global companies to “substantially” turn inward in search of resilient revenue and growth. In a tough economic environment with recessionary pressures, the bank said turning inwards is “probably helpful” for these stocks. The report titled ‘A de-globalisation wave?’ said European firms’ foreign sales dipped below 50% in 2021, the lowest level in the last five years. Wed, Aug 17 202212:29 AM EDT European markets: Here are the opening calls European stocks are expected to open in negative territory on Wednesday as investors react to the latest U.S. inflation data. The U.K.’s FTSE index is expected to open 47 points lower at 7,341, Germany’s DAX 86 points lower at 13,106, France’s CAC 40 down 28 points and Italy’s FTSE MIB 132 points lower at 22,010, according to data from IG. Global markets have pulled back following a higher-than-expected U.S. consumer price index report for August which showed prices rose by 0.1% for the month and 8.3% annually in August, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday, defying economist expectations that headline inflation would fall 0.1% month-on-month. Core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, climbed 0.6% from July and 6.3% from August 2021. U.K. inflation figures for August are due and euro zone industrial production for July will be published. — Holly Ellyatt Read More Here

Brazil Election Enters Runoff As Bolsonaro Dashes Lula's Hope Of Quick Win https://digitalarizonanews.com/brazil-election-enters-runoff-as-bolsonaro-dashes-lulas-hope-of-quick-win/ Brazil’s President and presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro speaks after the results of the first round of Brazil’s presidential election, at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia , Brazil October 2, 2022. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino SAO PAULO/BRASILIA, Oct 3 (Reuters) – The second round of Brazil’s presidential campaign kicked off Monday after right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro outperformed polling and robbed leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of an outright victory in the first round of voting. The unexpectedly strong showing by Bolsonaro on Sunday dashed hopes for a quick resolution to the deeply polarized election in the world’s fourth-largest democracy. With 99.9% of electronic votes counted, Lula had taken 48.4% of votes versus 43.2% for Bolsonaro. As neither got a majority of support, the race goes to a runoff vote on Oct. 30. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com The race has proven tighter than most surveys suggested, revitalizing Bolsonaro’s campaign after he insisted that polls could not be trusted. If he pulls off a comeback, it would break with a wave of victories for leftists across the region in recent years, including Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Chile. Adding to tensions in Brazil, Bolsonaro has made baseless attacks on the integrity of Brazil’s electronic voting system and suggested he may not concede if he loses. On Sunday night, he sounded confident victory was within reach and avoided criticism of the voting system. “I plan to make the right political alliances to win this election,” he told journalists, pointing to significant advances his party made in Congress in the general election. Bolsonaro’s right-wing allies won 19 of the 27 seats up from grabs in the Senate, and initial returns suggested a strong showing for his base in the lower house. The strong showing for Bolsonaro and his allies, which added to pressure on Lula to tack to the center, led bankers and analysts to expect a boost for Brazilian financial markets on Monday after Sunday’s surprising result. Lula put an optimistic spin on the result, saying he was looking forward to another month on the campaign trail and the chance to debate Bolsonaro head-to-head. Inside his campaign, however, there was clear frustration that he had fallen short of the narrow majority forecast in some polls, along with weak results in state races outside of his party’s traditional northeastern stronghold. “There was a clear movement of votes in the southeast, beyond what the surveys and even the campaign managed to detect,” a campaign source said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. Support for distant third- and fourth-place finishers also fell short of recent surveys, suggesting some of their backers may have shifted to Bolsonaro when it came time to vote. Centrist Senator Simone Tebet, who got 4% of votes, and center-left former lawmaker Ciro Gomes, who got 3%, both said on Sunday night they would announce decisions about endorsements in the coming days. With the momentum in Bolsonaro’s favor, Lula may need all the help he can get. “Clearly Bolsonarismo was underestimated,” said Senator Humberto Costa, a compatriot of Lula’s Workers Party. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu in Sao Paulo and Maria Carolina Marcello in Brasilia Additional repoting by Eduardo Simoes in Sao Paulo and Ricardo Brito in Brasilia Writing by Anthony Boadle. Editing by Gerry Doyle Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here

Badgers Rebound With 52-7 Win Over The Demons – PHS Sports Roundup | Prescott ENews https://digitalarizonanews.com/badgers-rebound-with-52-7-win-over-the-demons-phs-sports-roundup-prescott-enews/ Photo: 24 Cody Leopold rushed for four touchdowns at Greenway, giving him 11 on the season, plus dished a shovel pass for a TD as well Prescott at Greenway Cody Leopold and Maurea Norris rushed for a combined 247 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Prescott Badgers to a 52-7 blowout win over the Greenway Demons in Phoenix. Prescott scored on all four possessions in the opening quarter to lead 28-0.  Leopold scored on a one yard run and Cole Gross added the extra point for a 7-0 lead. Greenway’s punt was blocked by Landen Francis and Jake Wright, setting up the Badgers at the Greenway three yard line. Uriah Tenette took a shovel pass from Leopold in from three yards out and it was quickly 14-0. Maurea Norris had the longest rush of the night, rambling 70 yards for a touchdown and a 21-0 advantage. Leopold closed out the first quarter with a two yard run. After a disastrous start, Greenway found the end zone for the only time in the contest, when quarterback Connor Berg connected with Christian Shetler for a four yard touchdown play. Leopold added his third TD of the night on another one yard blast. The Badgers were primed to add one more TD to end the half, but a penalty forced Prescott to settle for a 23-yard Cole Gross field goal and a big 38-7 halftime lead. The Badger defense was solid all night keeping the Demons from scoring in the entire second half. Two more Prescott touchdowns in the third quarter, an eight yard run by Leopold (his fourth of the game), and 2 yard carry by Norris (his second), turned the scoreboard to a running clock, which sped up what was a really slow game up to that point due to a lot of laundry on the field (flags/penalties). Offensively, Norris ran for 140 yards and Leopold had 107 yards for a Badgers rushing attack of nearly 300 yards. Jaxon Rice completed 10-14 for 174 yards to set up some scoring drives. Uriah Tenette caught five passes for 79 yards, including a shovel pass from Leopold. Ruben Solano four receptions, 48 yards, and Jake Hilton had three catches for 57 yards. Cody Leopold led all tacklers with ten. Landen Francis had seven, including one sack. Alex Vaughan had an interception to set up a touchdown in the first quarter. Prescott (3-1) will host Sierra Linda on homecoming Friday while Greenway (0-4) will look for their first win at Gila Ridge. Kickoff is set for 7 pm. PRESCOTT BADGERS 52, GREENWAY DEMONS 7 Score by Quarters-    1        2      3      4    –    T Prescott                      28     10    14     0    –   52 Greenway                    0       7      0      0    –    7 Scoring Summary P-Leopold 2 yard run (Gross kick) P-Tenette 3 yard pass from Leopold (Gross kick) P-Norris 70 yard run (Gross kick) P-Leopold 2 yard run (Gross kick) G-Shetler 4 yard pass from Berg (Johanson kick) P-Leopold 1 yard run (Gross kick) P-Gross 23 yard FG P-Leopold 8 yard run (Gross kick) P-Norris 2 yard run (Gross kick) Snowflake at Bradshaw Mountain Photo: 11 Tanner Mitchell comes down with the ball in between 4 Payton Papa and 20 Lance Christensen It was a tough homecoming night for the Bradshaw Mountain Bears in a 19-3 loss to the Snowflake Lobos.  The Lobos used over six minutes after the opening kickoff with an 11 play, 80-yard opening drive to jump on top 7-0  on a one yard run by JJ Lerma. The Bears responded with a drive that stalled at the Snowflake 23. Tanner Mitchell drilled a 43 yard field goal for what would turn out to be the only points on the evening by the home team. The Bears gave away two points on a bad snap over the punter and through the end zone to make it 9-0 with 4:26 left in the second quarter. The Lobos added a 40 yard field goal by Sam Brown late in the half to lead 12-3 at the break. Snowflake held the Bears to three and out in their opening possession in the third quarter, and a blocked punt set the Lobos up at the Bears four yard line. Jett McCray crossed the goal line form one yard out to make the score 19-3. That would be all she wrote for both squads. The Bears (1-3) have now lost three straight after a season opening win at Mica Mountain. Snowflake (4-1) will host a very talented ALA-Gilbert North. The Eagles QB Adam Damante lit up the Prescott Badgers for 464 yards and seven touchdown passes two weeks ago. SNOWFLAKE LOBOS 19, BRADSHAW MOUNTAIN BEARS 3 Score by Quarters-       1        2       3       4   –   T Snowflake                      7        5       7       0   –  19 Bradshaw Mountain    3        0       0       0   –   3 Scoring Summary S-Lerma 1 yard run (Brown kick) P-Mitchell 43 yard FG S-Safety, ball snapped out of end zone S-Brown 40 yard FG S-McCray 1 yard run (Brown kick) GRAND CANYON REGION STANDINGS School-                            W-L      W-L PRESCOTT                      0-0        3-1 Lee Williams                  0-0        3-1 Mingus                            0-0        3-1 Coconino                        0-0        2-2 Bradshaw Mountain    0-0        1-3 Flagstaff                          0-0        1-3 FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS SCOREBOARD ALA-Queen Creek 40, ALA-Gilbert North 19 Boulder Creek 38, Sunrise Mountain 21 Camp Verde 1, North Pointe Prep 0, Forfiet Central 48, Alhambra 0 Coconino 28, Apache Junction 21 Desert Heights Prep 60, Bagdad 14 Glendale 42, Estrella Foothills 16 Lake Havasu 47, Youngker 7 Marcos de Niza 30, Flagstaff 12 Mayer 50, Baboquivari 42 NW Christian 36, Canyon View 31 Paradise Valley 52, Washington 7 Payson 19, Arizona Lutheran 0 Salome 66, Anthem Prep 0 Valley Christian 69, Tempe 6 Williams 48, Joseph City 0 Badminton Photo: Megan Townsend continues to thrive in the top spot for the undefeated Badgers The #1 Badgers earned themselves a big road win on Thursday, knocking off the #6 Horizon Huskies 9-0 in Scottsdale. Prescott remains undefeated and on top of the Division 2, Northwest League standings, and will host Saguaro on Tuesday at 4 pm. SINGLES RESULTS #1 Megan Townsend 21-10, 21-3 over Kate Ruttenberg #2 Riley Crockett won 21-18, 21-11 over Emily Chang #3 Elle Long won 21-13, 21-12 over Sydnie Dilema #4 Lindsay Carter won 21-17, 21-14 over Katie Cohen #5 Lauren Farley won 21-13, 12-21, 21-12 over Kylie Dilema #6 Calli Naylor won 22-20, 15-21, 21-9 over Aidi Mannan DOUBLES RESULTS #1 Crockett/Long won 24-22, 21-10 over Ruttenberg/S.Dilema #2 Townsend/Carter won 21-14, 21-8 over Cohen/Chang #3 Farley/Naylor won 21-12, 21-12 over Mannan/K. Dilema DIVISION II NORTHWEST STANDINGS School-                      W-L        W-L PRESCOTT                 5-0         10-0 Chaparral                  6-1         11-1 Horizon                      4-2         9-2 Paradise Valley        4-2        7-4 Deer Valley              3-3         7-4 Shadow Mountain   2-3        7-3 North Canyon           2-4        4-7 Barry Goldwater      0-5        2-9 Saguaro                     0-6        2-9 SCOREBOARD Chaparral 9, Deer Valley 0 Greenway 5, Thunderbird 4 Apollo 9, Glendale 0 Paradise Valley 5, Saguaro 4 Volleyball The Badgers fell 3-0 on the road to the first place Flagstaff Eagles.  The loss drops Prescott to (1-5) in the Grand Canyon Region and (1-10) overall. Next up is Mingus, who comes to town for a 6 pm match on Tuesday, in the Badger Dome. FLAGSTAFF EAGLES 3, PRESCOTT BADGERS 0 Games-                   1            2          3 Prescott                 19         17        16 Flagstaff                25         25        25 GRAND CANYON REGION STANDINGS School-                           W-L        W-L Flagstaff                         5-0          6-5 Bradshaw Mountain    4-1          6-4 Lee Williams                 3-2          5-3 Coconino                        3-3         5-6 Mingus                            2-3         4-5 Mohave                          1-5         1-6 PRESCOTT                      1-5         1-10 SCOREBOARD Bradshaw Mountain 3, Coconino 0 North Phoenix Prep 3, Mayer 0 Williams 3, Ash Fork 0 Read More Here

AM Prep-Cooler Copy https://digitalarizonanews.com/am-prep-cooler-copy/ DEATH TOLL, NUMBER OF PEOPLE W/O POWER FROM HURRICANE IAN BOTH RISE FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — With the death toll from Hurricane Ian rising and hundreds of thousands of people without power in Florida and the Carolinas, U.S. officials are vowing to provide a huge amount of federal disaster aid. Meanwhile crews continue efforts to rescue those stranded by the storm. Even as the storm passed north after tearing through Florida and the Carolinas, water levels continued to rise in some flooded areas. Storm water has inundated homes and streets that were passable just a day or two earlier. Yesterday, fewer than 700,000 homes and businesses in Florida were still without electricity, down from a peak of 2.6 million. SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES MAY SLOW REBUILD EFFORT IN FLORIDA AFTER IAN UNDATED (AP) — Crews are beginning to repair — and in some cases, rebuild — Florida’s power grid after the state was pummeled by Hurricane Ian. Florida Power & Light says it has enough poles, generators and wire to get juice flowing again to those affected by the storm. But power industry officials warn that kinks in the nation’s supply chain could slow the process. They fear if damage from Ian along the Atlantic coast is worse than expected — or if another natural disaster strikes elsewhere in the U.S. — recovery efforts in Florida could be delayed. COMBATANTS FOR NEVADA’S GOVERNOR’S RACE DEBATE RENO, Nev. (AP) — Nevada’s Republican gubernatorial candidate, Joe Lombardo, sought in a debate yesterday to distance himself from former President Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 election. But Lombardo said Trump’s policies were better than those of President Joe Biden, which he blames for a rise in inflation and rising interest rates. Lombardo’s decision to back away from Trump’s false election claims is likely to produce an awkward meeting next weekend, when Trump is to campaign for Lombardo in Nevada. 3 DIE WHEN PLANE CRASHES INTO HOUSE IN MINNESOTA HERMANTOWN, Minn. (AP) — Three people aboard a small airplane died when it crashed into a house near a northern Minnesota airport. But the two people sleeping inside the house — and their cat — were unhurt. Police in the town of Hermantown say a Cessna 172 hit the second floor of the house late Saturday — and ended up in the backyard. Jason Hoffman tells Minnesota Public Radio he and his wife were asleep when the plane tore through their roof. Hoffman says after grabbing a flashlight, he and and his wife saw an airplane wheel at the end of their bed. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. For Related Stories: Hurricane Ian Read More Here

Federal Efforts To Boost Voting Access “better Than Nothing” https://digitalarizonanews.com/federal-efforts-to-boost-voting-access-better-than-nothing/ Advocacy groups and researchers are expecting high voter turnout among college students during the midterm elections this fall, but they will still have to overcome skepticism among younger voters who question the impact of their vote and who face a series of logistical hurdles imposed by several Republican-led states. College students turned out en masse during the 2020 election, voting at record levels. As Election Day, Nov. 8, approaches, advocacy groups on campuses nationwide and college officials are working to register students to vote and boost turnout during what’s historically an election cycle with lower turnout. In the 2018 midterms, nearly 40 percent of college-aged adults voted, while 66 percent voted in 2020. The midterms come as the Biden administration has worked to make voting more accessible to eligible Americans, while Republican-led states across the country are putting limits on how people can vote and where. A spate of recently passed laws in Florida, Georgia, Texas and several other states impose additional requirements on early voting sites, shorten the time frame in which voters can request and mail in absentee ballots, and restrict the availability of ballot drop boxes—all of which can make it harder for college students to vote. Some of the states are facing lawsuits over the new restrictions, preventing them from going into effect. “Students are generally younger, and a lot of them are the newest members of our democracy,” said Mike Burns, national director of the Campus Vote Project, a student-focused division of the nonpartisan Fair Elections Center. “They’ve maybe never voted before, or this might be, like, their second election, so it’s really a lot easier for them to get derailed by missing a voter registration deadline … There’s a lot of opportunities for something to go wrong.” Burns said student voters often aren’t a priority for local and state election administrators despite being a large population with specific needs. “There’s some amazing places where we’ve seen the institutions and the local election officials build great partnerships,” he said. “Unfortunately, there are a lot of places where it’s, you know, almost antagonistic.” For example, Texas A&M University won’t have an early voting location on campus this year despite students’ effort to restore the site, The Texas Tribune reported. The Brazos County Commissioners Court decided over the summer to remove the polling location in part because of concerns about low voter turnout and complaints from nonstudent voters about navigating the campus. The university will still have a voting site on Election Day. Congressional Democrats have tried unsuccessfully to pass a national voting rights act over the last two years, which would set standards for voter registration and expand the role of higher ed institutions and organizations in the voting process, among other changes aimed at addressing the challenges facing college students who want to vote. In lieu of congressional action, President Biden signed an executive order in March 2021 to promote voting access. Changes from that order include making it easier to register to vote, designating two tribal colleges run by the federal government as a voter registration agency and providing resources in many different languages about voting laws for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Because of that order, the U.S. Department of Education sent colleges and universities a Dear Colleague letter in April outlining the requirements in the Higher Education Act of 1965 with regards to voting, including that institutions have to “make a good faith effort” to distribute voter registration forms to students. The department also encouraged colleges and universities to work with local officials to set up drop-box locations and polling places on campuses. Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, said that the department hadn’t sent a letter like that in some time. “We were really excited that the Department of Education released a Dear Colleague letter to campuses in April reminding them of their responsibility to do nonpartisan voter registration efforts and that they can use federal work-study dollars to support students doing on-campus, nonpartisan voter registration,” she said. “We’ve definitely leaned into that and [have] used the information in that Dear Colleague letter to remind campuses of their responsibilities.”’ The ALL IN challenge works with more than 930 colleges and universities to improve civic learning, political engagement and voter participation. That effort includes creating campus action plans that outline goals and strategies to register students to vote and then remind them to actually turn out to vote. But in a country where elections are run by the states, the federal government can only do so much. Domagal-Goldman said the varying state laws for voting can pose an obstacle to those goals. Since 2020, she said, 19 states have passed 34 laws restricting access to voting. In the 2021 legislative session, more than 440 bills were introduced in 49 states that would have restricted access in some way. In Florida, ballot drop boxes must be supervised in person and voters have to request mail-in ballots more regularly, under new laws adopted last year. Georgia’s Election Integrity Act of 2021 shortened the time frame in which a voter can request a mail-in ballot and moved up the deadline as well as prohibited the use of mobile polling sites. The federal government sued Georgia over its new voting laws. “We know that in states that have increased early voting or same-day voter registration … they get more voters and more younger voters to register and turn out,” Domagal-Goldman said. “We know, therefore, the opposite is the case—that you don’t see as high turnout in states that don’t have some of those pieces.” ALL IN and other voter advocacy organizations are participating in National Voter Education Week this week, during which they’ll try to make sure students understand the rules to vote in their respective states. Burns, who praised the Education Department’s letter when it was sent, said campuses tend to have newer and more accessible facilities that could serve as polling locations, but “we see that really be underutilized across the country.” A study of campus voting access from the Campus Vote Project, Duke University and the MTV Entertainment Group conducted earlier this year found that in 2020, 74 percent of colleges in 45 states with the available data did not have an on-campus polling location either on Election Day or during early voting. ‘Better Than Nothing’ The Biden administration’s efforts are “certainly better than nothing, and it’s certainly better than working to actively suppress voting rights,” said Adam Gismondi, the director of impact for the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education at Tufts University. The Institute for Democracy & Higher Education runs the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement, which started about a decade ago and is considered to be the best measure of whether students vote. The study also highlights colleges and universities with high voter turnouts to share strategies and tactics. Gismondi said he’ll be watching this fall to see if the uptick in turnout in 2018 and 2020 will become a trend or a temporary increase. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, racial equity concerns and other factors motivating younger voters, he’s expecting voter turnout to be high even without former president Trump directly involved. “He’s not technically on the ballot this time, but a lot of divisive political figures are on the ballot this election season,” Gismondi said. “There’s also a lot of heated discussions happening on campus and off campus. The question is, is that dialogue sustained? We generally suspect that it is.” Gismondi is also concerned about states’ efforts to limit voter access. “What you don’t want is that in 2020, we opened up voter access and made it more equitable and more of a democratic system, and then in 2022, students find that it’s harder to vote,” he said. “We do not want that, and I think we as a society should not want that.” Any effort to boost turnout has to overcome a “healthy dose of skepticism” from younger adults who don’t think their vote will make a difference, said Burns with the Campus Vote Project. That skepticism makes it more important to help students overcome logistical barriers associated with voting in addition to the motivation barrier, said Burns, who added that turnout rates could “go either way.” “We’re really making sure that we are out there and doing everything we can to remove both of those barriers: that we’re helping students get through all that logistical information but also helping them see especially the amount of impact that it did have collectively when we saw such high student and youth turnout in 2018 and in 2020,” Burns said. Lack of Education Teresa Cornacchione, civic engagement coordinator for the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida, is working to sign up new voters and educate them about the process before Election Day. Contests among student organizations to register students and between students at the University of Florida and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville have helped to boost interest in the election. Success in those contests is gauged by the number of students who sign up in TurboVote to receive election reminders. TurboVote is an online service used by colleges and universities to help students vote by providing information about registration and sending text reminders. “We really focused on the election reminders portion, because there are studies in political science th...

Ex-GOP Strategist Slams Trump For ‘assassination Instructions’ Against McConnell: ‘It’s Beyond The Pale. Every Republican Ought To Be Able To Say So.’ – MsnNOW https://digitalarizonanews.com/ex-gop-strategist-slams-trump-for-assassination-instructions-against-mcconnell-its-beyond-the-pale-every-republican-ought-to-be-able-to-say-so-msnnow/ Ex-GOP strategist slams Trump for ‘assassination instructions’ against McConnell: ‘It’s beyond the pale. Every Republican ought to be able to say so.’  msnNOW Read More Here

Florida Faces An 'emotional Roller Coaster' As The Search For Survivors Of Hurricane Ian Continues And The Death Toll Rises | CNN https://digitalarizonanews.com/florida-faces-an-emotional-roller-coaster-as-the-search-for-survivors-of-hurricane-ian-continues-and-the-death-toll-rises-cnn/ CNN  —  Days after Hurricane Ian tore through Florida, wiping out neighborhoods and turning streets into rivers, rescue crews searching for survivors are reporting more deaths as recovery efforts continue. Officials confirmed Ian has killed at least 76 people in Florida after it made landfall last week as a Category 4 storm, decimating coastal towns, flooding homes, collapsing roofs, flinging boats into buildings and sending cars floating. Four other people died in storm-related incidents as Ian churned into North Carolina. More than 1,600 people have been rescued from Hurricane Ian’s path in parts of southwest and central Florida since last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office said Sunday. Now, as blue skies return, Floridians who took shelter while the hurricane raged have emerged to find unrecognizable communities and face the daunting task of rebuilding; many of them still without power or clean drinking water. More than 689,000 homes, businesses and other customers in Florida still did not have power as of Sunday evening, according to PowerOutage.us. Many are without clean tap water, with well over 100 boil-water advisories in places around the state, according to Florida Health Department data. In Naples, Hank DeWolf’s 4,000-pound boat dock was carried through a condo complex by the powerful hurricane, landing in his neighbor’s yard. And the water brought someone’s car into his own backyard. He doesn’t know who it belongs to or how to remove it. As crews in Naples comb through the wreckage to make sure no one is still trapped, residents are experiencing an “emotional roller coaster” as they face the enormous task ahead to clean up and restore the city, Jay Boodheshwar, city manager of Naples told CNN. “People need to take care of their emotional and mental health, because we’re really going to need to work together on this,” Boodheshwar acknowledged. Naples received record-high storm surge, when the hurricane sent rising ocean water flooding into the city’s streets and tearing through its infrastructure. “The amount of water that we received and the height of the surge affected a lot of the infrastructure,” Boodheshwar explained. “So there are transformers that are fried. It is not simply rehanging lines. There are things that may need to be replaced.” Similar scenes are playing out in other communities. Hurricane Ian – expected to be the most expensive storm in Florida’s history – devastated neighborhoods from the state’s western coast to inland cities like Orlando. In some cases, emergency workers out searching for signs of life are at the same time contending with losing their own homes. “Some of the guys on Pine Island, they lost everything, but they’re doing what they can,” said emergency physician Dr. Ben Abo, who was preparing to join first responders on a rescue mission Sunday near decimated Sanibel Island and Pine Island. And the flooding isn’t over yet. Seminole County continues to experience significant flooding in certain neighborhoods, with families being rescued from waist-high waters over the weekend. Days after the hurricane left, flooding continues to increase in areas near the St. Johns River, Lake Monroe, and Lake Harney, with an additional 100 homes suffering floodwater damage over the last 24 hours, Seminole County emergency management officials told CNN affiliate WESH. FEMA alone cannot rebuild and provide assistance to all the communities impacted by Hurricane Ian, former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate told CNN Sunday. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development, otherwise known as HUD, can provide grants to communities impacted by hurricanes and other natural disasters to help people get back on their feet, Fugate added. “It’s just not the coast of Florida that’s been impacted. We’ve got impacts all the way through Orlando, up to the East Coast. Places like St. Augustine had devastating flooding,” Fugate stressed. Hurricane Ian wiped away parts of the Sanibel Causeway, which connects Sanibel Island to the mainland, stranding residents as their only link became impassable. Responders were going door-to-door searching properties for anyone who may need to be evacuated. About 400 people evacuated from Sanibel Island over the weekend, City Manager Dana Souza reported Sunday evening, adding authorities will begin turning their attention to providing medical services to the people who are choosing to stay on the island, rather than evacuations. Abo told CNN he “wouldn’t be surprised” if the death toll significantly increases as rescue and recovery efforts continue on Sanibel Island. US Coast Guard Commander Rear Admiral Brendan McPherson offered a stark assessment of the damage to Sanibel Island. “That area is going to be out of commission for some time,” McPherson remarked. “It was hit very hard, it does not have water, it doesn’t have the basic infrastructure.” Amy Lynn was at her friend’s home on Sanibel Island when Ian hit, forcing her to hide in a closet with seven dogs, praying and holding the door shut as the hurricane roared outside. When she came out, the home had been badly damaged, with walls blown off, video showed. “I prayed for 6 solid hours and came to peace that it may be my time to go. It wasn’t. God is good. We made it out alive,” Lynn wrote on Facebook. “We lost everything. My car is gone. I haven’t seen my home on Sanibel, i’ve been told it’s destroyed.” Lynn said she was thankful to be alive, but wrote, “This is so much more than devastating. The heart of the swfl coast is forever changed.” Many of the Ian-related deaths – 42 fatalities – have been reported in southwestern Florida’s Lee County, which includes Fort Myers and Sanibel Island. Lee County officials have been facing criticism about why the first mandatory evacuations weren’t ordered until a day before Ian’s landfall, despite an emergency plan which suggests evacuations should have happened earlier. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Lee County officials acted appropriately when they issued their first mandatory evacuations on Tuesday, less than 24 hours before Hurricane Ian made landfall on the state, and a day after several neighboring counties issued their orders. Lee County Commissioner Kevin Ruane also defended the timing of the orders, calling reports about a possible delay in issuing a mandatory evacuation “inaccurate.” “As soon as we saw the model shift northeast, we did exactly what we could to encourage people to” evacuate, Ruane said Sunday. Ruane added people became “complacent” and many didn’t evacuate to shelters. “I think the most important thing that most people need to understand is we opened up 15 shelters. During Irma there were 60,000 people in our shelters. There’s 4,000 people in the shelters right now,” Ruane said. In addition to the 42 deaths in Lee County, Hurricane Ian also contributed to the deaths of 12 people in Charlotte County, eight in Collier County, five in Volusia County, three in Sarasota County, two in Manatee County, and one each in Polk, Lake, Hendry and Hillsborough counties, officials said. Around 65% of all power outages in Florida from the storm had been restored as of early Sunday, according to PowerOutage.us. But some residents and businesses in storm-damaged counties may not be back on the grid for “weeks or months” because of the structural damage caused by the hurricane, said Eric Silagy, president and CEO of Florida Power & Light Company. In Cape Coral, just southwest of Fort Myers, 98% of the city’s power structure was “obliterated” and will need complete reconstruction, Fire Department Chief and Emergency Management Director Ryan Lamb told CNN’s Jim Acosta. Florida is also working with Elon Musk and Starlink satellite to help restore communication in the state, according to DeSantis. “They’re positioning those Starlink satellites to provide good coverage in Southwest Florida and other affected areas,” DeSantis said. Read More Here

Minneapolis: November 1 To November 2 https://digitalarizonanews.com/minneapolis-november-1-to-november-2/ 11/01 Michigander with Abby Holliday at Turf Club Read More Michigander Rising indie rock artist Michigander (the stagename for Jason Singer) will be heading out on tour in support of his third EP Everything Will Be Ok Eventually. This is Singer’s biggest tour yet, and he’ll be bringing various support …. 11/01/2022 Tuesday Michigander with Abby Holliday at Turf Club first-avenue.com Buzzworthy indie rock artist Michigander (Jason Singer) is on tour in support of It Will Never Be The Same (C3 Records). “I’m beyond excited to announce my fourth EP, It Will Never Be The Same,” shares Singer. “I wrote these songs about the feelings I’ve had over the last two years. Socially, politically, and economically, things are different, and on a more personal level, my life will never be what it was. I got married, I moved to a new city and state, and I turned 30. I think there are two ways to look at seasons of change like these. You can either be afraid, which usually results in hostility and frustration, or you can accept the situation for what it is and adapt and grow. Either option is very hard, but I like to think I’ve chosen the latter.” Tour dates: Thursday, October 13 – Little Rock, AR @ Stickyz Sunday, October 16 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits ^ Tuesday, October 18 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge Wednesday, October 19 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah Friday, October 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo Saturday, October 22 – Oakland, CA @ Starline Social Club Monday, October 24 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall Tuesday, October 25 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza Thursday, October 27 – Boise, ID @ The Olympic Friday, October 28 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court Saturday, October 29 – Boulder, CO @ The Fox Theater Monday, October 31 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Club David Tuesday, November 1 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club Wednesday, November 2 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall Friday, November 4 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom Saturday, November 5 – Albany, NY @ Empire Underground Sunday, November 6 – Washington, DC @ DC9 Nightclub Tuesday, November 8 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall Thursday, November 10 – Columbus, OH @ Rumba Cafe Friday, November 11 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop Saturday, November 12 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall ^ indicates festival appearance 11/01 Alex G with Hatchie at First Avenue Read More (Sandy) Alex G Alex G (Alex Giannascoli – not to be confused with singer/songwriter Alex G) just released Beach Music… his seventh full-length album, and his first Domino release. He’s obviously not used to recording in a studio, saying, “I was … 11/01/2022 Tuesday Alex G with Hatchie at First Avenue first-avenue.com Alex G (Alex Giannascoli) is probably the most famous musician you’ve never heard of. We saw him in April 2016 and mentioned how confusing his stage name was: “Philadelphia’s Alex G (Alex Giannascoli) and Porches were co-headliners, but Alex G closed out the night. The main problem with him is that he shared the same name as pop girl singer Alex G and producer Alex Greggs – who often use Alex G as credit…. Although, doing research on his name, apparently he also goes under as Sandy Alex G, but the billing was simply listed as Alex G for this show.” Having said that, he has such a cult fanbase. A few years ago we went to see 100 Gecs, an ad for an Alex G showed up on the screen and literally every young people at the show went absolutely nuts, clapping and hooing. Hatchie will open the show. We like Hatchie, having just saw her in May 2022 and wrote, “With Hatchie’s new album Giving the World Away (Secretly Canadian) out now and we heard the songs performed live, it would seem that she’s mixing shoegazing elements with a little electronica dance. She mentioned that she was inspired by St Etienne, and even Kylie Minogue, so perhaps Giving the World Away might be her most accessible album yet.” Tour dates: Oct 6 Carrboro, NC, US Cat’s Cradle Oct 6 Saxapahaw, NC, US Haw River Ballroom Oct 7 Asheville, NC, US The Orange Peel Oct 8 Atlanta, GA, US Variety Playhouse Oct 9 Nashville, TN, US Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville Oct 10 St Louis, MO, US Off Broadway Oct 12 Denver, CO, US Ogden Theatre Oct 14 Salt Lake City, UT, US Soundwell Oct 16 Seattle, WA, US Showbox at the Market Oct 17 Portland, OR, US McMenamins Crystal Ballroom Oct 19 San Francisco, CA, US The Fillmore Oct 21 Los Angeles (LA), CA, US The Wiltern Oct 22 San Diego, CA, US The Observatory North Park Oct 23 Pomona, CA, US Glass House Oct 24 Phoenix, AZ, US The Van Buren Oct 26 Austin, TX, US Emo’s Austin Oct 27 Fort Worth, TX, US Tulips Nov 1 Minneapolis, MN, US First Avenue Nov 2 Chicago, IL, US Thalia Hall Nov 3 Chicago, IL, US Thalia Hall Nov 4 Detroit, MI, US Majestic Theatre Nov 5 Toronto, ON, Canada The Danforth Music Hall Nov 6 Montreal, QC, Canada Théâtre Corona Nov 8 Boston, MA, US Paradise Rock Club Nov 9 Boston, MA, US Paradise Rock Club Nov 10 Brooklyn, NY, US Brooklyn Steel Nov 11 Brooklyn, NY, US Brooklyn Steel Nov 12 Brooklyn, NY, US Brooklyn Steel Nov 14 Boston, MA, US Paradise Rock Club Nov 16 Washington, DC, US 9:30 Club Nov 17 Washington, DC, US 9:30 Club Nov 18 Philadelphia, PA, US Union Transfer Nov 19 Philadelphia, PA, US Union Transfer Nov 20 Philadelphia, PA, US Union Transfer Mar 16 2023 Dublin, Ireland Vicar Street Mar 17 2023 Glasgow, UK TV Studio SWG3 Mar 18 2023 Manchester, UK O2 Ritz Manchester Mar 20 2023 Leeds, UK Stylus Mar 21 2023 Nottingham, UK Rescue Rooms Mar 22 2023 Bristol, UK SWX Mar 25 2023 Amsterdam, Netherlands Tolhuistuin Apr 1 2023 Berlin, Germany Columbia Theater Apr 6 2023 Paris, France Le Trabendo 11/02 Flo Milli with Monaleo at Amsterdam Bar Read More Flo Milli You Still Here, Ho ? Flo Milli July 19, 2022 Intro HBIC (Tiffany Pollard Speaks) Come Outside [Clean] Bed Time [Clean] by Flo Milli …. 11/02/2022 Wednesday Flo Milli with Monaleo at Amsterdam Bar & Hall first-avenue.com Alabama’s very own princess of rap Flo Milli will headline the Amsterdam Bar & Hall in St Paul on November 2nd. The tour sponsor will be from Monster drinks, which Flo adds, “The best partnership to match my energy is that of a MONSTER. For me and the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour to join forces this fall is going to be a party that you don’t want to miss.” Expect to hear hit single “Conceited” and “Bed Time” on this tour. The tour will feature support from Monaleo. Tour dates: October 18 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade October 21 – Washington D.C. – The Howard Theatre October 25 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom October 26 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall October 28 – Montreal, QC – Le Studio TD October 29 – Toronto, ON – The Axis Club October 31 – Detroit, MI – The Shelter November 1 – Chicago – Avondale Music Hall November 2 – Minneapolis, MN – Amsterdam November 4 – Denver, CO – Cervantes Ballroom November 5 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex November 7 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre November 8 – Seattle, WA – Neumos November 9 – Vancouver, BC – Fortune Sound Club November 11 – Oakland, CA – Starline Social Club November 15 – Santa Ana, CA – Observatory OC November 16 – Los Angeles, CA – Roxy Theatre 11/02 Kevin Morby with Coco at Fine Line Read More Kevin Morby Former bassist for Woods and frontman of The Babies, Kevin Morby is back with his third solo album Singing Saw, out now on Dead Oceans Records. … 11/02/2022 Wednesday Kevin Morby with Coco at Fine Line first-avenue.com Kevin Morby is headlining the Fine Line Music Cafe in support of his new album This Is A Photograph (Dead Oceans). We caught Morby in Jan 2014 and wrote, “Kansas City native Kevin Morby, who plays in Vivian Girls side project The Babies, as well as is the bassist for Woods, opened with a 40 min. pensive set of songs culled from his solo debut, Harlem River (Woodsist Records), which he describes as a homage to New York City. Most of the set was similarly mid-tempo’d and intimate in their storytelling lyrics, with Cate LeBon herself guesting on stage midway through, on “Slow Train”, reprising their duet from the record.” Show up early to check out Coco, the project from Maia Friedman (The Dirty Projectors), Dan Molad (Lucius), and Oliver Hill (Pavo Pavo). Tour Dates Sun. Oct. 2 – Dana Point, CA @ Ohana Festival Mon. Oct. 3 – Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole Wed. Oct. 5 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf Mon. Oct. 10 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Beer City Music Hall Tue. Oct. 11 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway Nightclub Wed. Oct. 12 – Bloomington, IN @ Buskirk-Chumley Theater Fri. Oct. 14 – Memphis, TN @ The Bluff Sat. Oct. 15 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East Sun. Oct. 16 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West Tue. Oct. 18 – Jacksonville, FL @ Intuition Ale Works Thu. Oct. 20 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel Fri. Oct. 21 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall Sat. Oct. 22 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club Mon. Oct. 24 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair Tue. Oct. 25 – Ardmore, PA @ Ardmore Music Hall Wed. Oct. 26 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall Fri. Oct. 28 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall Sat. Oct. 29 – Ferndale, MI @ The Magic Bag Mon. Oct. 31 – Chicago, IL @ The Vic Theatre Tue. Nov. 1 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom Wed. Nov. 2 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe Thu. Nov. 3 – Kansas City, MO @ Knuckleheads Saloon Sat. Nov. 5 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre Sun. Nov. 6 – Fort Collins, CO @ Washington’s Tue. Nov. 8 – Salt Lake City, UT @ CommonWealth Room Thu. Nov. 10 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall Fri. Nov. 11 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox Sat. Nov. 12 – Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre Sun. Nov. 13 – Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to vu@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time. Thank you. Read More…

Trump: ‘King’ To Some In PA, But Will It Help The GOP? https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-king-to-some-in-pa-but-will-it-help-the-gop/ AP Photo/Lisa Mascaro Trump-Pence sign hangs on a building off of Main Street in Monongahela, Pa., on Sept. 23. The sign is a lasting vestige of the campaign fervor that roused voters to the polls, including many who still believe the falsehood that the former president didn’t lose the 2020 election and hope he will run again in 2024. MONONGAHELA, Pa. (AP) — The Trump-Pence sign still hangs on the older building off Main Street in this historic town, a lasting vestige of the campaign fervor that roused voters, including many who still believe the falsehood that the former president didn’t lose in 2020 and hope he’ll run in 2024. The enthusiasm for Donald Trump’s unique brand of nationalist populism has cut into traditional Democratic strongholds like Monongahela, about 25 miles south of Pittsburgh, where brick storefronts and a Slovak fellowship hall dot Main Street and church bells mark the hours of the day. Republicans are counting on political nostalgia for the Trump era as they battle Democrats this fall in Pennsylvania in races for governor, the U.S. Senate and control of Congress. “Trump just came along and filled the empty space,” said Matti Gruzs, who stitches old blue jeans into tote bags, place mats and other creations she sells at the weekly Farmer’s Market downtown. “He’s still the king, and the kingmaker.” Against the backdrop of this picturesque place, House Republicans recently released their campaign agenda, hoping their “Commitment to America” can tap into the same political sentiment Trump used to attract not just Republican but independent and former Democratic voters. But it’s unclear whether the support that propelled Trump to the White House will be there on Election Day, Nov. 8. Perhaps even more challenging for the GOP is whether Trump’s false claims of voter fraud will cost the party if people believe, as the defeated president claims without evidence, the elections are rigged. Some may just decide to sit out the election. “It started out as a low-enthusiasm race,” said Dave Ball, the Republican Party chairman in Washington County, which includes much of western Pennsylvania. Ball said enthusiasm has been “building rapidly” — his main metric for voter interest in the elections is the demand for lawn signs. “We were wondering, at one point, you know, we were going to see any,” he said. “Right now, I can’t get my hands on enough.” But Amy Michalic, who was born and raised in Monongahela and works the polls during elections, said she hears skepticism from some voters, particularly Trump supporters, “who think my vote doesn’t count.” Trump’s claims of fraud have no basis in fact. Dozens of court cases filed by Trump and his supporters have been dismissed or rejected by judges across the nation, but he continues to challenge Joe Biden’s victory. In every state, officials have attested to the accuracy of their elections, and Trump’s own attorney general at the time, Bill Barr, said in 2020 there was no voter fraud on a scale to change the outcome. Michalic reminds skeptical voters in her hometown of the importance of voting and notes that in 2016, no one thought Trump could win. “Look what he did, he took Pennsylvania,” she said. At the Farmer’s Market on a recent afternoon, voters shared concerns that many people in the United States voice this election year — about the high prices of everything, about finding workers and good-paying jobs, about the culture wars. “Where do you start?” said Michelle DeHosse, wearing an American flag shirt as she helped vendors set up stands. DeHosse, who runs a custom-screen print and embroidery shop on Main Street, said she has had trouble hiring employees since the pandemic. While she said just cannot afford the $20 an hour and health care benefits many applicants demand, she understands that many workers need both. “It’s the economy that’s the biggest concern,” she said. Democrats were sparse among the voters, who didn’t seem to have strong feelings for their choices this fall for either of the Senate candidates, Democrat John Fetterman or the Trump-backed Republican Mehmet Oz. Several said they probably would vote party line. “I don’t like either one of them,” said Carolyn McCuen, 84, a Republican enjoying sunset with friends and McDonald’s coffee at a picnic table by the river. “Me either,” said another Republican, Sam Reo, 76, a retired mechanical engineer, playing oldies from the portable speaker he sets up for the group. Both still plan to vote. Support for the GOP candidate for governor, Doug Mastriano, who was outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, can be seen in the giant signs along Lincoln Highway, an east-west route across the state. Mastriano is a “folk hero around here,” said Gruzs, who recalled his regular updates broadcast during the pandemic. A history buff who home-schooled her children, Gruzs hasn’t missed a vote since she cast her first presidential ballot for Ronald Reagan. The same goes for her husband, Sam, a plumber. They moved here two decades ago from Baltimore, for a better life. Now a grandmother, she spends her days working on her crafts and listening to far-right broadcasts – Steve Bannon, Charlie Kirk and others. She is not a fan of House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. and isn’t convinced he has the toughness needed to push the party’s ideas forward. But she did attend the event at a nearby manufacturing facility where lawmakers outlined the GOP agenda. She was heartened to see far-right Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene at the event with McCarthy, and made sure to shake Greene’s hand. “If she’s behind him,” she said, trailing off. “It looked today he had enough behind him, pushing him.” Trump remains popular, and the sign hanging on the building off Main Street from his 2020 campaign was far from the only one still visible in the state, two years since that election. Several of the voters dismissed the investigations against Trump as nothing more than a “witch hunt” designed to keep him from running again office, despite the potentially serious charges being raised in state and federal inquiries. Some voters said they didn’t believe the attack on the Capitol was an insurrection, despite the violence waged by pro-Trump supporters trying to overturn Biden’s election. Those views stand in contrast to the hard facts of Jan. 6: More than 850 people have been arrested and charged in the insurrection, some given lengthy sentences by the courts for their involvement. Hours before the siege, Trump told a rally crowd to “fight like hell” for his presidency. Loyalists soon broke into the Capitol, fighting in hand-to-hand combat with police, interrupting Congress as it was certifying the election results. Five people, including a Trump supporter shot by police, died in the immediate aftermath. And if Trump runs again? “I wish he would,” said McCuen, a retired church secretary. “But I don’t know if he will.” Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox Read More Here

Election Officials Brace For Confrontational Poll Watchers https://digitalarizonanews.com/election-officials-brace-for-confrontational-poll-watchers-3/ AP Photo/David Goldman, File A Republican election challenger at right watches over election inspectors as they examine a ballot as votes are counted into the early morning hours, Nov. 4, 2020, at the central counting board in Detroit. GOLDSBORO, N.C. (AP) — The situation with the poll watcher had gotten so bad that Anne Risku, the election director in North Carolina’s Wayne County, had to intervene via speakerphone. “You need to back off!” Risku recalled hollering after the woman wedged herself between a voter and the machine where the voter was trying to cast his ballot at a precinct about 60 miles southeast of Raleigh. The man eventually was able to vote, but the incident was one of several Risku cited from the May primary that made her worry about a wave of newly aggressive poll watchers. Many have spent the past two years steeped in lies about the accuracy of the 2020 election. Those fears led the North Carolina State Board of Elections in August to tighten rules governing poll watchers. But the state’s rules review board, appointed by the Republican-controlled Legislature, blocked the new poll watcher regulations in late September, leaving election officials such as Risku without additional tools to control behavior on Election Day, Nov. 8. “It becomes complete babysitting,” Risku said in an interview. “The back and forth for the precinct officials, having somebody constantly on you for every little thing that you do — not because you’re doing it wrong, but because they don’t agree with what you’re doing.” Poll watchers have traditionally been an essential element of electoral transparency, the eyes and ears for the two major political parties who help ensure that the actual mechanics of voting are administered fairly and accurately. But election officials fear that a surge of conspiracy believers are signing up for those positions this year and are being trained by others who have propagated the lie spread by former President Donald Trump and his allies that the 2020 presidential election was riddled with fraud. In Michigan, groups that have spread falsehoods about that race are recruiting poll watchers. In Nevada, the Republican Party’s nominee for secretary of state, Jim Marchant, denies President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory and was a featured speaker at a party poll watcher training. Cleta Mitchell, a prominent conservative lawyer and North Carolina resident, is running a group recruiting poll watchers and workers in eight swing states. Mitchell was on the phone with Trump when the then-president called Georgia’s secretary of state in January 2021 and asked that official to “find” enough votes for Trump to be declared the state’s winner. Chris Harvey, who was Georgia’s election director in 2020 when Trump claimed the election was being stolen from him, recalled how swarms of Trump backers came as self-appointed poll watchers to observe the state’s manual recounts, harassing election workers and disrupting the process. Harvey fears a repeat this year. “The whole tension that we’re expecting to see at polling places is something we’re talking to election officials about, something we’re talking to law enforcement about,” said Harvey, who is advising a group of election officials and law enforcement before November. The laws governing poll watchers vary from state to state. Their role is generally to observe, question any deviations from required procedure and, in some states, lodge formal complaints or provide testimony for objections filed in court. The worries this year are similar to those during the 2020 election, when Trump began railing against mail voting and the Republican National Committee launched its first national operation in decades. It had recently been freed from a consent decree that limited its poll watching operation after it previously was found to have targeted Black and Latino voters. But voting went smoothly that November. Mitchell said her organization, the Election Integrity Network, is just trying to ensure that everyone follows the law. “We are not a threat,” she told The Associated Press during a text message exchange. “Unless you think elections that are conducted according to the rule of law are a threat. We train people to follow the law.” Risku said there were issues with poll watchers from both parties during the primary in May. But of the 13 incidents she reported to the North Carolina board from Wayne County, all involved Republicans. In addition to the poll watcher who had to be ejected, Risku said another Republican poll watcher in her district waited after hours in the parking lot of the Mount Olive Train Depot early voting site until Chief Judge Susan Wiley began carrying boxes of marked ballots to her car. On two occasions, the man tried to follow her back to the elections office in Goldsboro, about a 20-minute drive. Recognizing that the job has become “a scary ordeal” in the last year, Risku said she has stepped up security before November and offered raises to entice precinct officials to stay. She expects many won’t return after this year. The North Carolina GOP chairman, Michael Whatley, said that’s not what the party is teaching its poll watchers. “What we saw in terms of some of the activities that were at play may have been coming from Republicans but were not things that we have been teaching people in our training sessions,” Whatley said. “What we want to do is make sure that we have people that are in the room that are going to be very respectful of the election officials at all times, be very respectful of the voters at all times and, if they see issues, then report them in.” He has declined to allow reporters to attend the training sessions, which he said have trained 7,000 potential poll watchers so far this year. Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox Read More Here

Supreme Court’s Top Cases For New Term, New Justice Jackson https://digitalarizonanews.com/supreme-courts-top-cases-for-new-term-new-justice-jackson-3/ By The Associated Press The Supreme Court opens its new term Monday, hearing arguments for the first time after a summer break and with new Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Already the court has said it will decide cases on a range of major issues including affirmative action, voting rights and the rights of LGBTQ people. The justices will add more cases to their docket in coming months. A look at some of the cases the court has already agreed to hear. The justices are expected to decide each of the cases before taking a summer break at the end of June: AFFIRMATIVE ACTION In cases from Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, the court could end any consideration of race in college admissions. If this seems familiar, it’s because the high court has been asked repeatedly over the past 20 years to end affirmative action in higher education. In previous cases from Michigan and Texas, the court reaffirmed the validity of considering college applicants’ race among many factors. But this court is more conservative than those were. VOTING RIGHTS The court could further reduce protections for minority voters in its third major consideration in 10 years of the landmark Voting Rights Act, which was enacted to combat enduring racial discrimination in voting. The case the justices are hearing involves Alabama, where just one of the state’s seven congressional districts has a Black majority. That’s even though 27% of the state’s residents are Black. A three-judge panel that included two appointees of President Donald Trump agreed that the state should have to create a second district with a Black majority, but the Supreme Court stopped any changes and said it would hear the case. A ruling for the state could wipe away all but the most obvious cases of intentional discrimination on the basis of race. ELECTIONS Republicans are asking the justices to embrace a novel legal concept that would limit state courts’ oversight of elections for Congress. North Carolina’s top court threw out the state’s congressional map that gave Republicans a lopsided advantage in a closely divided state and eventually came up with a map that basically evenly divided the state’s 14 congressional districts between Democrats and Republicans. The state GOP argues that state courts have no role to play in congressional elections, including redistricting, because the U.S. Constitution gives that power to state legislatures alone. Four conservative justices have expressed varying levels of openness to the “independent state legislature” theory. CLEAN WATER This is yet another case in which the court is being asked to discard an earlier ruling and loosen the regulation of property under the nation’s chief law to combat water pollution. The case involves an Idaho couple who won an earlier high court round in their bid to build a house on property near a lake without getting a permit under the Clean Water Act. The outcome could change the rules for millions of acres of property that contain wetlands. IMMIGRATION The Biden administration is back at the Supreme Court to argue for a change in immigration policy from the Trump administration. It’s is appealing a ruling against a Biden policy prioritizing deportation of people in the country illegally who pose the greatest public safety risk. Last term, the justices by a 5-4 vote paved the way for the administration to end the Trump policy that required asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for their court hearing. In July, also by a 5-4 vote, the high court refused to allow the administration to implement policy guidance for deportations. A Trump-era policy favored deporting people in the country illegally regardless of criminal history or community ties. LGBTQ RIGHTS A new clash involving religion, free speech and the rights of LGBTQ people will also be before the justices. The case involves Colorado graphic and website designer Lorie Smith who wants to expand her business and offer wedding website services. She says her Christian beliefs would lead her to decline any request from a same-sex couple to design a wedding website, however, and that puts her in conflict with a Colorado anti-discrimination law. The case is a new chance for the justices to confront issues the court skirted five years ago in a case about a baker objected to making cakes for same-sex weddings. The court has grown more conservative since that time. NATIVE AMERICAN ADOPTION In November, the court will review a federal law that gives Native Americans preference in adoptions of Native children. The case presents the most significant legal challenges to the Indian Child Welfare Act since its 1978 passage. The law has long been championed by Native American leaders as a means of preserving their families and culture. A federal appeals court in April upheld the law and Congress’ authority to enact it. But the judges also found some of the law’s provisions unconstitutional, including preferences for placing Native American children with Native adoptive families and in Native foster homes. Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox Read More Here

2 Berkeley High School Students Dead Following Oakland Shooting https://digitalarizonanews.com/2-berkeley-high-school-students-dead-following-oakland-shooting/ The Oakland Police Department is investigating a shooting that left two people dead and two others injured, authorities said. The shooting took place in the 950 block of Apgar Street just before 10 p.m. where officers tried to help two injured victims, but they died at the scene. The other two victims were taken to a hospital for medical treatment but no details have been released about their condition. Witnesses told NBC Bay Area the shooting unfolded during a house party where most of the people there were teenagers from Berkeley High School. A GoFundMe identified the two deceased victims as a 15 and 17-year-old brothers. Berkeley High School officials said they were both students there. Martin Opsahl, who lives in the area, said that he noticed young people were hanging out at the home. As the evening went on, more people came. “Kind of gathering and started breaking out into bickering and hostility, And before you know it, two guys just go upstairs and started shooting at each other,” he said. Local Opsahl said the gunshots were unmistakable. “About 19, 20. I counted actually,” he said. Opsahl called 911 and told NBC Bay Area that another neighbor tried to help someone who was hurt as police arrived at the home, apparently rented just for the night. “You never think it will get so close to home,” he said. The Berkeley Unified School District released a statement saying they “are deeply saddened to have learned that two Berkeley High School students and beloved members of the BUSD family lost their lives.” In the statement, the district said counselors, district and school leaders will have resources available for students returning to school Monday. A grassroots community group called “Latinos Unidos” said its members have actually worked with these two teens and their family very closely throughout the years. The group also said it’s asking the Berkeley Unified School District to provide mental health support for students in Spanish for students as well. NBC Bay Area asked the district Sunday night about that and it confirmed there will be counselors at Berkeley High School, who can speak Spanish and bilingual staff in their parent resource center. There will also be a vigil Monday at 7 p.m. at Longfellow Middle School in Berkeley. The public is invited to bring candles, flowers and respect. The shooting is under investigation. NBC Bay Area’s Christie Smith and Alyssa Goard contributed to the report. Editor’s Note: NBC Bay Area has made a decision to not identify the two victims yet, as a consideration to the families, since they may not have notified all of the relatives yet. Read More Here

Asia-Pacific Markets Mixed, Hang Seng Index At Lowest Levels In 11 Years; Oil Rises https://digitalarizonanews.com/asia-pacific-markets-mixed-hang-seng-index-at-lowest-levels-in-11-years-oil-rises/ Pedestrians cross a road in front of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), operated by Japan Exchange Group Inc. (JPX), in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020. Kiyoshi Ota | Bloomberg via Getty Images Shares in the Asia-Pacific mostly fell on Monday as markets enter the last quarter of the year. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was 1.19% down, reaching the lowest levels since October 2011, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 gave up early gains to fall 0.12%. The Nikkei 225 in Japan fell more than 1% in early trade, but recovered slightly and was last up 0.5%, while the Topix index was 0.1% higher. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slipped 0.8%. Brent crude futures and West Texas Intermediate futures jumped on reports of a possible OPEC+ supply cut. Later in the week, Australia’s central bank will announce its interest rate decision, while several countries in Asia will report inflation data. China markets are closed for the Golden Week holiday, and South Korea’s market is also closed. ANZ sees significant chance of an OPEC+ cut as large as 1 million barrels per day Ahead of an OPEC+ meeting on Oct. 5, ANZ sees a “significant chance of a cut” as large as 1 million barrels per day, analysts at the firm said in a note. That move is likely to be made “to counteract the excessive bearishness in the market.” The note added that any production cuts below 500,000 barrels per day, however, would be “shrugged off by the market.” –Jihye Lee CNBC Pro: Investment pro says ETFs are a $10 trillion opportunity — and reveals areas of ‘tremendous’ value Exchange-traded funds offer the benefit of diversification, says Jon Maier, chief investment officer at Global X ETFs. He said the ETF market is “growing exponentially” and estimates it to be worth $10 trillion. He names several opportunities for ETF investors in this volatile market. Pro subscribers can read more here. — Zavier Ong Business confidence of Japan’s large manufacturers worsens Sentiment of Japan’s large manufacturers worsened in the July-to-September quarter, according to the Bank of Japan’s latest quarterly tankan business sentiment survey. The headline index for large manufacturers’ sentiment came in at 8, a decline from the previous quarter’s reading of 9. Economists polled by Reuters expected a print of 11. “Our expectation and market expectations were for the manufacturing reading to pick up — supply conditions had improved, you’ve seen fading supply impact from zero-Covid policies in China, commodity prices came down a little bit,” said Stefan Angrick, a senior economist at Moody’s Analytics. “The fact that the manufacturing side of the economy isn’t doing so well certainly isn’t great for the outlook,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia.” But the non-manufacturing index ticked up slightly, which could mean Japan’s late Covid recovery is getting underway, he added. — Abigail Ng Fri, Sep 30 20229:06 AM EDT CNBC Pro: The five global stocks experiencing the de-globalisation trend, according to HSBC New research from HSBC says supply chains, geopolitical tensions, and worsening financial conditions have forced many global companies to “substantially” turn inward in search of resilient revenue and growth. In a tough economic environment with recessionary pressures, the bank said turning inwards is “probably helpful” for these stocks. The report titled ‘A de-globalisation wave?’ said European firms’ foreign sales dipped below 50% in 2021, the lowest level in the last five years. Oil prices jump on reports of OPEC+ mulling production cut CNBC Pro: Should investors flee stocks? Strategists give their take — and reveal how to trade the volatility With monetary policy set to tighten further in the months ahead, and Wall Street mired in the depths of a bear market abyss, many investors are beginning to wonder if now’s the time to exit the stock market and put their money in other asset classes. CNBC Pro spoke to market watchers and scoured through research from investment banks to find out what the pros think. Pro subscribers can read more here. — Zavier Ong Read More Here