Stopgap Spending Bill Signed By Biden https://digitalarizonanews.com/stopgap-spending-bill-signed-by-biden/
The White House in Washington is illuminated at sunset in this undated file photo. (AP/Alex Brandon)
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed into law Friday a short-term spending package that would keep the government open through mid-December, staving off a midnight shutdown and sending about $12.3 billion in military and economic aid to Ukraine.
The House passed the measure less than 12 hours before funding was set to lapse. It would keep the government open through Dec. 16, giving lawmakers time to iron out their considerable differences over the dozen annual spending bills.
The package included a third tranche of aid to Ukraine for its battle with Russia, on top of a total of about $54 billion approved earlier this year. With Friday’s vote, Congress has now committed more military aid to Ukraine than it has to any country in a single year since the Vietnam War.
In the end, support for the bill was unanimous among Democratic lawmakers. Only 10 Republican lawmakers joined them in voting yes. The measure passed on a vote of 230-201.
Later Friday, former President Donald Trump responded to the bill’s passage with a message on his social media platform, Truth Social, attacking Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and his wife, who also served in Trump’s administration as a Cabinet secretary.
Trump ominously wrote that McConnell has a “death wish.”
Passage of the bill met the last legislative deadline facing Congress before the November midterm elections. Lawmakers, eager to return to the campaign trail, vowed to address outstanding disputes in the annual legislation as part of an increasingly packed to-do list for when the House and Senate return in November.
“The investments included in this bill are urgent and necessary to avoid disruptions to vital federal agencies, to help communities get back on their feet, to ensure we have the time needed to negotiate a final funding agreement that meets the needs of hardworking people,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., chair of the Appropriations Committee.
Republican leaders, however, counseled their conference to oppose the package. Although several Senate Republicans supported the package when it passed that chamber Thursday, House Republicans argued that it did little to address their priorities, including providing a substantial increase for the military and shoring up resources at the southern border.
“We know we have a crisis on the southern border. You can turn on the television every night. You can look at the fentanyl pouring into the country. You can see the tragedy of human trafficking,” said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla. “That is a travesty.”
Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, the top GOP member on the Appropriations Committee, chastised Democrats for a bill she said was being “rushed through the House today, with just hours to spare to avoid a government shutdown.”
“It’s deeply unfortunate that we have once again waited to the last minute to fund the government,” Cole, a longtime member of the appropriations panel, added. “We should not be in this situation. Both sides have done this.”
But the desire to avoid a government shutdown and to help Ukraine was enough to rally the support needed to pass the measure. It would allocate $1.5 billion to replenish weapons and equipment previously sent to the country, while allowing Biden to authorize the transfer of up to $3.7 billion of U.S. equipment and weapons.
It will also provide $3 billion for military support, as well as $4.5 billion for the Ukrainian government to continue operating throughout the war.
“This package comes at a critical moment,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., pointing to Ukraine’s recent success in reclaiming land that had been seized by Russia and commitments of support she and the Biden administration had made. “With this supplemental, we take another strong step toward honoring that pledge, our country’s pledge.”
Democrats said passing the bill was important to helping Ukraine as well as victims of recent natural disasters in the U.S., including Hurricane Ian, as it provides a Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster fund with a year’s worth of money up front rather than for 2½ months.
“We cannot leave communities behind that are still picking up the pieces from disastrous floods, wildfires and hurricane — and even basic water system failures,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla.
Domestic needs addressed by lawmakers in the legislation include ensuring the renewal of a five-year “user fee” agreement that the Food and Drug Administration relies on as part of its budget and setting aside $1 billion for a program that will help lower-income families with heating and energy costs in the coming months.
The legislation also allows the federal government more flexibility to spend existing disaster relief funds in the coming weeks, even as lawmakers acknowledged that it was likely that a separate round of emergency aid would be needed in the coming weeks to address the devastation left by hurricanes in southwest Florida and Puerto Rico.
It would transfer $3 billion from a Pentagon aid program to the State Department for continued Afghan resettlement operations.
“This short-term funding bill will keep the government open and meet a range of critical needs — from helping communities recover from extreme weather events, to supporting Ukraine, to helping fulfill our promises and commitments to Afghan allies and partners, and more,” said Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management and Budget.
To ensure there would be enough Republican support for the measure to pass the Senate, however, Democrats agreed to remove billions of dollars in emergency funds to help address the coronavirus pandemic and spread of monkeypox across the country.
Republicans criticized the health spending as unnecessary. The White House said the money would have been used to accelerate the research and development of vaccines and therapeutics, prepare for future covid variants and support the global response.
Democrats also dropped an energy infrastructure plan that had initially been included at the request of Sen. Joe Manchin, a conservative Democrat of West Virginia, as part of an agreement that won his vote in August for the party’s major climate, health and tax package.
Dozens of House Democrats had called for the energy plan to be stripped out and considered separately. Senior lawmakers said they would reconsider it once Congress returned in mid-November.
Information for this article was contributed by Emily Cochrane of The New York Times and by Kevin Freking of The Associated Press.
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Turned On Trump: Here Are The Republicans Backing Democrats Over MAGA Candidates
Turned On Trump: Here Are The Republicans Backing Democrats Over MAGA Candidates https://digitalarizonanews.com/turned-on-trump-here-are-the-republicans-backing-democrats-over-maga-candidates/
October 01, 2022 06:30 AM
Despite not appearing on the November ballot, former President Donald Trump has played a major role in the midterm elections by endorsing a slew of Republican candidates.
But a number of high-profile Republicans in battleground states have placed their support behind the Democratic candidates opposing some of those Trump-endorsed nominees. It’s not clear what effect, if any, the conflicting endorsements will have, but it does show how the Republican Party has fractured, to some extent, over whether to continue embracing the former president.
MAJORITY OF VOTERS HAVE ELECTION DENIERS ON BALLOT FOR POSITIONS THAT OVERSEE ELECTIONS
Here’s a list of Republicans who have backed Democrats over their party’s candidate:
Arizona
State Rep. Joel John (R) turned heads in Arizona after the Republican lawmaker endorsed Democratic candidate Adrian Fontes over Trump-backed state Rep. Mark Finchem (R) in the race for secretary of state.
“Our nation’s history is full of heroes who bravely stood up to do what was right even if it wasn’t popular in their respective camps,” John said in a statement. “We need more people like that today. I am proud to support Adrian Fontes and join noble Republicans and Independents who are willing to put country before party. … His opponent is someone who sought to get rid of voting by mail and has sought to overturn the 2020 election. Arizona deserves better.”
The race took on prominence in the state’s midterm elections after Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who currently holds the position and has staunchly defended the state’s administration of the 2020 election, announced she would not seek reelection and would run for Senate instead. The issue of election integrity has become central to the race, with Finchem backing Trump’s unfounded claims that the 2020 election was riddled with fraud.
Arizona has become ground zero of Trump’s claims of voter fraud, with the state Senate spending months auditing the 2020 election in Maricopa County. Top county officials criticized the effort, stressing a report on the matter offered “no new evidence” that would alter the result of 2020’s presidential election.
Kansas
A handful of former Republican governors have thrown their support behind Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly (D-KS) in her reelection bid against state Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who was endorsed by Trump for his stances on border security and crime.
Former GOP Govs. Mike Hayden, who held office from 1987 to 1991, and Bill Graves, who held office from 1995 to 2003, endorsed Kelly, praising the incumbent for her bipartisan leadership.
“In 50 years in Kansas politics, I’ve seen the good times and the bad,” Hayden said. “The affairs of Kansas are in good shape right now, and I credit the bipartisan approach of Gov. Kelly.”
Former Govs. Kathleen Sebelius and John Carlin, both Democrats, also backed Kelly for reelection.
Oklahoma
Three Oklahoma state lawmakers have endorsed Democratic Senate candidate Kendra Horn in her fight against Trump-backed Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R).
Former Oklahoma House Speaker Kris Steele (R) offered his endorsement of Horn in a video on Wednesday, calling her “the kind of leader that we need to move our state forward in a positive, productive, and healthy direction.”
Horn has also been endorsed by former GOP state party Chairman Stephen Jones as well as Republican Steven Agee, the former chairman of the Oklahoma City Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
Pennsylvania
Several prominent Republicans have publicly endorsed Democratic candidate Josh Shapiro in his race against state Sen. Doug Mastriano for Pennsylvania governor. At least 16 Republicans publicly threw their support behind Shapiro in August after it was reported Mastriano posed for a photo wearing a Confederate uniform in 2014.
The governor’s race in Pennsylvania has become one of the higher-profile races, as it could have implications for how the 2024 presidential election is carried out in a key swing state. Throughout his campaign, Mastriano has backed claims by Trump that the 2020 election was rigged.
Republicans who have backed Shapiro include Michael Chertoff, who served as the secretary of Homeland Security under former President George W. Bush, and former state Rep. Mario Civera.
“[Shapiro is] a staunch defender of our democratic institutions and will lead Pennsylvania with honor and integrity. I am proud to support his campaign for governor,” Chertoff said.
Texas
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is seeking reelection this year, but several high-profile Republicans in the state, including former Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff, have opted to support his Democratic opponent, Mike Collier.
Patrick is endorsed by Trump and touts the support on his website.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“As a former elected Republican, I’m putting partisanship aside and joining the growing number of Republicans voting for the man we think is best for Texas, and that’s Mike Collier,” Ratliff said in a statement.
Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley and state Sen. Kel Seliger, both Republicans, have also endorsed the Democrat.
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Michigan Women Fight To Preserve Abortion 1 Chat At A Time
Michigan Women Fight To Preserve Abortion, 1 Chat At A Time https://digitalarizonanews.com/michigan-women-fight-to-preserve-abortion-1-chat-at-a-time/
Kelly Dillaha, left, talks with Kathy Nitz during a Red Wine and Blue event in Utica, Mich., Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
UTICA, Mich. (AP) — At a wine bar in suburban Detroit, about a dozen women strategized about how to preserve the right to abortion in their state.
This was not a typical political event; there were no microphones, no literature to hand out and few who would consider themselves activists. Among them was a mother of four whose only previous political experience was pushing for later school start times, a busy medical student and a retired teacher who, at 75, has never felt comfortable knocking on doors or cold calling for a candidate.
“But I feel strongly about abortion,” said Mary Ann Messano-Gadula. “Women should be able to take care of their own bodies.”
Messano-Gadula, who attended the late September “Vino the Vote” event with two friends, described herself as the most shy of the bunch. But she said she planned to do what organizers asked of attendees — post some Facebook messages and text some friends to try to get them to support an amendment to the state constitution guaranteeing abortion rights.
“I’m going to give it a shot,” she said.
Across Michigan this year, similar, more intimate events are playing out alongside the larger, traditional get-out-the-vote efforts, with major stakes for both abortion rights and the candidates — mostly Democrats — who support them.
Michigan is one of a handful of places where abortion rights will be on the ballot in November, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June and left the issue to states to decide. A ban approved in 1931 was suspended, then struck down by state court rulings, but it is no guarantee that the procedure won’t one day be outlawed.
That has mobilized people in Michigan, as it has done in previous elections this cycle, including in Kansas and New York. And it could have major implications beyond the state.
Michigan is one of the country’s most competitive presidential battlegrounds. It was also among the states where former President Donald Trump and his allies tried to overturn his 2020 loss to Joe Biden, falsely claiming the election was stolen. Voters this fall also will decide statewide offices, including governor and secretary of state, who will be in place for the 2024 election.
The race for governor already has centered around abortion. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer filed a lawsuit prior to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling seeking to overturn the 1931 ban and said she “will continue using every tool in my toolbox to fight like hell for women and health care providers.” Republican Tudor Dixon, who opposes abortion except to save the life of the mother, has criticized Whitmer for supporting abortion without limits, and suggested voters who support the constitutional amendment could vote in favor of it and still support her campaign for governor.
The issue already has generated intense interest among voters and pushback from Republicans and abortion opponents. Reproductive Freedom for All, the coalition supporting the abortion-rights amendment, collected over 750,000 signatures on petitions to put the question on the ballot — more than any other ballot initiative in Michigan history.
Opponents turned out in force for a meeting of the Board of State Canvassers, the once-staid panel that decides what questions and candidates qualify for the ballot. With anti-abortion protesters outside the building audible inside the hearing room, the board split along party lines, with two Republicans voting no and two Democrats voting yes. That meant the measure didn’t qualify for the ballot, but Reproductive Freedom for All appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court, where justices — a majority of whom were appointed by Democrats — ordered it be put on.
Red, Wine & Blue, the organization that held the wine bar gathering, is among the members of the RFFA coalition in Michigan. Their strategy is to ask suburban women — a key swing demographic in recent elections — to reach out to and talk with friends, family members and other acquaintances and ask them to vote.
The model, known as relational organizing, was used successfully by candidates such as Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, who won a runoff election to help Democrats win control of the U.S. Senate, and Pete Buttigieg, who went from little-known mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to a top candidate for the party’s 2020 presidential nomination.
Greta Carnes, who led the effort for Buttigieg’s campaign, said it is particularly effective in turning out suburban women and on the often sensitive and personal issue of abortion. The approach is also more efficient and effective, because people can contact dozens of people in a matter of minutes via text, and a voter receiving a message from someone they know is more likely to read and consider, rather than delete it.
“Especially on an issue like abortion, we can’t just have activists” knocking on doors, Carnes said.
Lakshmi Vadlamudi, a medical student from Franklin, Michigan, saw firsthand the power of using her personal network when she helped gather signatures to put the abortion question on the ballot this summer. She told a few friends she would be in a parking lot one day collecting signatures, and word spread like wildfire, she said.
Vadlamudi started getting text messages from people wanting her to come to their house so they could sign. Her Indian “aunties” — women with whom she is close but not related — wanted to circulate their own petitions. Some had family members in the medical profession and feared legal repercussions of performing an abortion if the 1931 ban takes effect, while others worried for their daughters or granddaughters. They ended up with 20 filled petitions.
“We got as many as we could get our hands on,” Vadlamudi recalled. “People kept asking,” she said, and interest in the issue hasn’t stopped.
Red, Wine & Blue’s Michigan group is aiming to reach 157,000 voters in the state through these “relational” contacts, according to Katie Paris, the organization’s national director. The group’s leader in Michigan, Kelly Dillaha, said they are recruiting 5,000 women to contact their networks and report back to the group on their progress via an app.
Kathy Nitz, a mother of four from Rochester Hills, started working with Red, Wine & Blue after volunteering at her kids’ schools, leading the PTA and spearheading an effort to start schools later in the morning. Those issues always felt like “safe” topics, she said. Talking about abortion, on the other hand, was a bit like saying the word “Voldemort” — the name that characters in the “Harry Potter” books fear would bring great danger if uttered.
But Nitz has grown more comfortable with the topic, even discussing the nuances with her very Catholic and anti-abortion mother. And she believes these small conversations among women like herself could add up.
“What I’ve come to realize as a suburban woman and mother myself is that we’re undervalued. We are underappreciated and under estimated, but we’re also strong,” Nitz said. “We build communities, we make networks. That’s what we’ve always done.”
___
Associated Press reporters Aaron Kessler in Washington and Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, contributed to this report.
___
For AP’s full coverage of abortion, go to https://apnews.com/hub/abortion
Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics
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Liberty's Bruzon Shines Saguaro Drops Second Straight Game
Liberty's Bruzon Shines, Saguaro Drops Second Straight Game https://digitalarizonanews.com/libertys-bruzon-shines-saguaro-drops-second-straight-game/
Coach John Mohns and the offense look over the film. (photo by Kooper Holman)
Kooper Holman is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Saguaro High School for AZPreps365.
One step forward, two steps back has been the story for Saguaro to begin the 2022 season.
This was the message Saguaro head coach John Mohns told his players following a disappointing 26-17 loss to the undefeated Liberty Lions on Friday night.
“We’re taking steps forward, but tonight, its no more moral victories,” he said. “We have to stop kicking ourselves.”
Saguaro’s rough start has included losses to Bergen Cathloic, the New Jersey state champion, the Chandler Wolves, and now the 4-0 Liberty Wolves, who have lived up to the hype so far this season.
After only allowing 14 points three games, Liberty’s defense continued its dominant play, sending a message with an opening drive stop that showed its would be as good as advertised.
With a fired up sideline, the high-powered Liberty offense took the field and immediately showed how explosive they have been all season. Liberty quarterback Navi Bruzon started the scoring by connecting with wide receiver Jaqua Anderson for a 68-yard touchdown that put the Lions up, 7-0.
After the shaky first drive, Saguaro (2-3) answered the Liberty score with a 19-yard field goal by James Hall. The running back duo of Zaccheus Cooper and Jaedon Matthews found success on the ground as Saguaro would feature the two talented backs throughout the game.
Momentum swung towards Saguaro after a fourth down stop at midfield. The short field led to quarterback Devon Dampier finding wide receiver Mason Whitaker for 26-yard completion to put the Sabercats in the red zone.
Dampier would find the sophomore receiver once again, this time for an 11-yard touchdown pass putting Saguaro up 10-7 to begin the second quarter.
Liberty and Bruzon answered the Saguaro score with a 25-yard touchdown pass which put the Lions back on top, 13-10, with four minutes to go in the first half.
After a clean quarter and a half of football, Saguaro began to unravel as the first half came to a close.
A costly fumble from the Sabercats offense set up a Bruzon’s third touchdown pass of the half, this one to wide receiver Prince Zombo to put Liberty up 19-10 at the end of the first half.
After back-to-back stops by both teams to begin the second half, Saguaro found life with a Mikey Preston fumble recovery that set the Sabercat offense in the red zone.
Dampier found the end zone with a short rushing touchdown on fourth down. Saguaro trailed, 19-17, with two minutes to go in the third.
As the fourth quarter began, Liberty’s offense looked to put the finishing touches on its fourth win of the season. The Lions controlled the clock and finished off their eight-minute drive with a touchdown to cement the win over the defending state champs.
Following the tough loss, the vibe around Saguaro hasn’t changed.
“Our vibe is okay right now,” said senior receiver Deric English. who finished with three receptions for 33 yards. “As a leader, I need to keep all the guys up and it’s hard on me too, but it’s all about staying strong. A game’s a game, win or loss, you still need to stay positive through everything.”
Dampier preached about how the long-term goals are still intact for Saguaro.
“There’s always adversity but it’s how you respond,” Dampier said. “We might have had a tough start to the year but this season is far from over and we believe we’re just getting started.”
Sitting at 2-3, this wasn’t the start Saguaro was expecting following their championship run last season. Nonetheless, with five games left on the schedule, Saguaro has time to right the ship and start playing the kind of winning football Mohns has instilled into this program.
The Sabercats will face Desert Edge Scorpions at home next Friday at 7 p.m.
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Russias Annexation Puts World two Or Three Steps Away From Nuclear War
Russia’s Annexation Puts World ‘two Or Three Steps Away’ From Nuclear War https://digitalarizonanews.com/russias-annexation-puts-world-two-or-three-steps-away-from-nuclear-war/
LONDON — President Vladimir Putin’s declaration of the annexation of four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine signals the onset of a new and highly dangerous phase in the seven-month old war, one that Western officials and analysts fear could escalate to the use of nuclear weapons for the first time in 77 years.
Putin has previously threatened to resort to nuclear weapons if Russia’s goals in Ukraine continue to be thwarted. The annexation brings the use of a nuclear weapon a step closer by giving Putin a potential justification on the grounds that “the territorial integrity of our country is threatened,” as he put it in his speech last week.
He renewed the threat on Friday with an ominous comment that the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki created a “precedent” for the use of nuclear weapons, echoing references he has made in the past to the U.S. invasion of Iraq as setting a precedent for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
U.S. and Western officials say they still think it unlikely that Putin will carry out his threats. Most probably, they say, he is hoping to deter the West from providing ever more sophisticated military assistance to Ukraine while the mobilization of an additional 300,000 troops allows Russia to reverse or at least halt its military setbacks on the battlefield.
But the threats appear only to have strengthened Western resolve to continue sending weapons to Ukraine and the Ukrainian military is continuing to advance into Russian-occupied territory. Even as Putin was announcing the annexation in Moscow on Friday and newly conscripted Russian troops were arriving in Ukraine, Ukrainian troops were in the process of encircling Russian soldiers in the eastern city of Lyman, extending their reach from their recent advances in Kharkiv into the newly annexed region of Donetsk.
In all four regions that Putin said he was annexing — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — Russia only controls part of the territory.
Now that the areas being fought over are regarded by Moscow as Russian, it is possible to chart a course of events toward the first use of a nuclear weapon since the 1945 atomic bombing of Japan.
“It’s a low probability event, but it is the most serious case of nuclear brinkmanship since the 1980s” when the Cold War ended, said Franz-Stefan Gady, a senior fellow with the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. “It is a very dangerous situation and it needs to be taken seriously by Western policymakers.”
U.S. and European officials say they are taking the threats seriously. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that there would be “catastrophic consequences” if Russia resorts to the use of nuclear weapons. He refused to specify what those would be but said the precise consequences had been spelled out privately to Russian officials “at very high levels.”
“They well understand what they would face if they went down that dark road,” he said.
European officials say the threats have only strengthened their resolve to support Ukraine.
“No one knows what Putin will decide to do, no one,” said a European Union official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive subject. “But he’s totally in a corner, he’s crazy … and for him there is no way out. The only way out for him is total victory or total defeat and we are working on the latter one. We need Ukraine to win and so we are working to prevent worst case scenarios by helping Ukraine win.”
The goal, the official said, is to give Ukraine the military support it needs to continue to push Russia out of Ukrainian territory, while pressuring Russia politically to agree to a cease-fire and withdrawal, the official said.
And the pressure is working, “slowly,” the official said, to spread awareness in Russia and internationally that the invasion was a mistake. India, which had seemed to side with Russia in the earliest days of the war, has expressed alarm at Putin’s talk of nuclear war and China, ostensibly Russia’s most important ally, has signaled that it is growing uneasy with Putin’s continuing escalations.
But the annexation and the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of extra troops have also served as a reminder that the Western strategy hasn’t yet worked enough to convince Putin that he can’t win, said Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who was based in Moscow until earlier this year.
The West had been hoping that Ukrainian successes would force Putin to back down, but instead he is doubling down. “Time and again we are seeing that Vladimir Putin sees this as a big existential war and he’s ready to up the stakes if he is losing on the battlefield,” Gabuev said.
“At the same time I don’t think the West will back down, so it’s a very hard challenge now. We are two or three steps away” from Russia failing to achieve its goals and resorting to what was once unthinkable.
Those steps to secure its positions include Russia pushing hundreds of thousands more men onto the battlefield; escalating attacks on civilian targets and infrastructure in Ukraine; and perhaps also embarking on covert attacks on Western infrastructure.
Although the United States and its European allies have refrained from making direct accusations, few doubt that Russia was behind the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea, said the E.U. official.
“I don’t think anyone has doubts. It’s the handwriting of the Kremlin,” he said. “It’s an indication of, ‘look what is coming, look what we are able to do.’ ”
Nuclear weapons would only likely be used after mobilization, sabotage and other measures have failed to turn the tide, and it’s unclear what Putin would achieve by using them, Gady said.
Despite some wild predictions on Russian news shows that the Kremlin would lash out at a Western capital, with London appearing to be a favored target, it is more likely that Moscow would seek to use one of its smaller, tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield to try to gain advantage over Ukrainian forces, said Gady.
The smallest nuclear weapon in the Russian arsenal delivers an explosion of around 1 kiloton, one fifteenth of the size of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, which would inflict massive destruction but on a more limited area.
Because the war is being fought along a vast, 1,500-mile front line, troops are too thinly spread out for there to be an obvious target whose obliteration would change the course of the war. To make a difference, Russia would have to use several nuclear weapons or alternatively strike a major population center such as Kyiv, either of which would represent a massive escalation, trigger almost certain Western retaliation and turn Russia into a pariah state even with its allies, Gady said.
“From a purely military perspective, nuclear weapons would not solve any of Vladimir Putin’s military problems,” he said. “To change the operational picture one single attack would not be enough and it would also not intimidate Ukraine into surrendering territory. It would cause the opposite, it would double down Western support and I do think there would be a U.S. response.”
That’s why many believe Putin won’t carry out his threats. “Even though Putin is dangerous, he is not suicidal, and those around him aren’t suicidal,” said Ben Hodges, a former commander of U.S. Army Europe.
Pentagon officials have said they have seen no actions by Russia that would lead the United States to adjust its nuclear posture.
War in Ukraine: What you need to know
The latest: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees Friday to annex four occupied regions of Ukraine, following staged referendums that were widely denounced as illegal. Follow our live updates here.
The response: The Biden administration on Friday announced a new round of sanctions on Russia, in response to the annexations, targeting government officials and family members, Russian and Belarusian military officials and defense procurement networks. President Volodymyr Zelensky also said Friday that Ukraine is applying for “accelerated ascension” into NATO, in an apparent answer to the annexations.
In Russia: Putin declared a military mobilization on Sept. 21 to call up as many as 300,000 reservists in a dramatic bid to reverse setbacks in his war on Ukraine. The announcement led to an exodus of more than 180,000 people, mostly men who were subject to service, and renewed protests and other acts of defiance against the war.
The fight: Ukraine mounted a successful counteroffensive that forced a major Russian retreat in the northeastern Kharkiv region in early September, as troops fled cities and villages they had occupied since the early days of the war and abandoned large amounts of military equipment.
Photos: Washington Post photographers have been on the ground from the beginning of the war — here’s some of their most powerful work.
How you can help: Here are ways those in the U.S. can support the Ukrainian people as well as what people around the world have been donating.
Read our full coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video.
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Here Is Today https://digitalarizonanews.com/here-is-today-12/
Hot temperatures are predicted today. Temperatures are projected to be a quite blistering high of 90. Today has the makings of a perfect day to hit the pool or find a nice air-conditioned room. 66 degrees is today’s low. The Tucson area should see a light breeze, with winds only reaching 7 miles per hour, coming from Southeast. This report is created automatically with weather data provided by TownNews.com. For more daily forecast information, visit tucson.com.
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The forecast is showing a hot day in Tucson. Temperatures are projected to be a quite blazing high of 95. Today has the makings of a perfect d…
Hot temperatures are predicted today. It looks to reach a warm 88 degrees. Today’s forecasted low temperature is 68 degrees. The Tucson area s…
Tucson folks should be prepared for high temperatures. Temperatures are projected to be a steamy day today with temperatures reaching a high o…
The forecast is showing a hot day in Tucson. Temperatures are projected to be a scorcher today with temperatures reaching a high of 94, though…
Tucson’s evening forecast: A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low 74F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Looking …
For the drive home in Tucson: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 74F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Hot temperatures are predicted tomorrow. Temperatures …
Ian went from tropical storm to Category 4 monster in 36 hours. It’s a dangerous phenomenon that climate change may make more common.
Tonight’s weather conditions in Tucson: A clear sky. Low 74F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Hot temperatures are predicted tomorrow. Temperatures …
Tonight’s weather conditions in Tucson: Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is …
Scientists on planes flying through Hurricane Ian’s center are taking measurements satellites can’t and sending them to hurricane forecasters.
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Homecoming Blues At Chaparral https://digitalarizonanews.com/homecoming-blues-at-chaparral/
The Chaparral homecoming party gets started pregame before it gets spoiled (Dominic Contini / AZ preps)
Dominic Contini is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Chaparral High School for AZPreps365.com.
Mountain View spoiled Chaparral’s 50th anniversary homecoming weekend with a dramatic 29-26 upset win.
In a game Chaparral (2-3) led at halftime 20-7, it seemed like the homecoming party was going to continue into the weekend.
“The mood was too loose in the locker room at halftime,” said Chaparral head coach Brent Barnes. “We got to play like we are down 20-7 at half, not up 20-7.”
In the 4th quarter, the Chaparral defense gave up two 70-yard touchdowns on back-to-back Mountain View (2-3) possessions.
“The easy thing for a 1-3 team coming into this game to do down 20-7 at halftime is to pull up their tents and pack it up,” Mountain View head coach Joe Germaine said. “We did not do that. I am very proud of the character and toughness that our kids showed tonight.”
The game started out slow with Chaparral defensive lineman/kicker Keegan Shank converting field goals of 45 and 27 yards to build an early 6-0 lead in the first quarter.
The Toros were unable to get anything flowing on offense in the first quarter.
After a 21-yard run on senior Firebird quarterback Miles VandenHeuvel, he threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to senior Zachary House in the back corner of the endzone.
The Firebirds held a 13-0 lead with 9:39 left in the half.
The Toros responded with a 80-yard drive capped with a 13-yard rushing touchdown by senior running back Wilson Kerr, trimming the Firebirds lead to 13-6 with 5:30 remaining in the half.
Mountain View continued to gain momentum as Toros sophomore defensive back Beckham Barney came up with an interception right outside the red zone with just under four minutes remaining in the half.
However, Toros junior kicker Mason Lindberg missed a 35-yard field goal with 1:57 left. The Firebirds were unable to score on the ensuing possession, but sophomore Jayden Ridley recovered a fumble on the punt at Mountain View’s 16-yard line with 15 seconds left in the first half..
The Firebirds offense quickly took advantage of the Mountain View turnover as VandenHeuvel found a 13-yard passing touchdown in taking a 20-7 halftime lead.
Chaparral once again forced a turnover inside Mountain View’s red zone with coming up with his second fumble recovery of the game with just under seven minutes to go in the third quarter.
The Firebirds returned the favor as Toros sophomore defensive lineman Tavita Ta’ase recovered a fumble. Mountain View kept gaining momentum after the Chaparral fumble as Kerr picked up his second rushing touchdown of the game, this one from three yards out with 1:32 left in the third.
The Kerr score made it a one possession game with Chaparral holding a 20-14 lead at the end of the quarter. Both teams were forced to punt on the following two possessions.
Then the visiting Mountain View crowd came alive after junior quarter Jack Germaine’s 73-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Zack Gaumont gave Mountain View a 21-20 lead with 7:46 left in the game.
“It’s just somebody not doing their job, it’s literally that simple.” said Barnes on the momentum changing play.
VandenHeuvel continued the offensive fireworks with a 66-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Plas Johnson, but Chaparral was unable to convert the two-point conversion that kept the score, 26-21, with 6:10 remaining.
Mountain View quickly answered with Germaine connecting with Gaumont once again, this time for a 74-yard touchdown.
“All I gotta do is get the ball in Zack’s hands.” said Germaine on his connection with his receiver.
Mountain View converted the two-point conversion giving them a 29-26 lead with 5:21 remaining.
After a controversial unnecessary roughness penalty on Mountain View senior defensive back Judah Cabrera, the defensive back was ejected from the game, but Toros defense had their teammates back on the next play.
Mountain View senior defensive back DJ Cesar picked up a Gavin Mesa fumble, giving the Toros possession with 2:57 remaining in the game.
A pin drop could’ve been heard in the Chaparral stands after the crucial error.
Things do not get any easier for the Firebirds as they have to play Queen Creek and Saguaro the next two weeks.
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Death Toll Rises From Post-Tropical Cyclone Ian; Storm Crawls Across Carolinas Virginia
Death Toll Rises From Post-Tropical Cyclone Ian; Storm Crawls Across Carolinas, Virginia https://digitalarizonanews.com/death-toll-rises-from-post-tropical-cyclone-ian-storm-crawls-across-carolinas-virginia/
A weakened Ian continues traveling north through the Carolinas, where it is expected to dissipate over Virginia late Saturday. Fox News is updating with the latest news surrounding the storm, its impact, travel and emergency updates.
incoming update…
The U.S. death toll from Hurricane Ian and its subsequent weather effects rose to at least 27 late Friday night as authorities have been able to confirm additional drownings and other fatalities.
Just hours earlier, the death toll was recorded as 17, but the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said later that evening that other deaths in the state have been confirmed.
One of the deaths was a 22-year-old woman who was fatally ejected from an ATV because of a road washout and a 68-year-old woman who drowned after she was swept into the ocean by a wave. An elderly couple died after their oxygen machines shut off when they lost power, authorities said.
Authorities expect the death toll to rise further as emergency officials are able to assess damages properties.
Hundreds of rescues have already taken place across the state.
Three people reportedly died to the storm in Cuba.
Ian, officially a post-tropical cyclone with 55 mph sustained wind speeds, is estimated to be one of the costliest hurricanes ever to hit the U.S.
According to the disaster modeling firm Karen Clark & Company, the storm has likely caused “well over $100 billion’’ in damage, including $63 billion in privately insured losses.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Posted by Lawrence Richard
The latest update from Dominion Energy, which serves electricity to several states including Virginia and North Carolina, shows as of 5:15 a.m. Saturday morning that over 44,000 Virginia customers are without power in its service area. The outages include:
Chesapeake — 908 customers
City of Richmond — 146 customers
Henrico — 110 customers
Chesterfield — 893 customers
Dinwiddie — 132 customers
James City — 234 customers
Gloucester — 1,578 customers
Halifax — 2,371 customers
Hampton — 4,445 customers
Isle of Wight — 1,243 customers
Matthews — 245 customers
Newport News — 4,658 customers
Norfolk — 11,336 customers
Portsmouth — 427 customers
Suffolk — 676 customers
Virginia Beach — 7,711 customers
York — 1,633 customers
According to Poweroutage.us, nearly 98,000 Virginians in total are without power.
Posted by Lawrence Richard
The National Hurricane Center released an advisory early Saturday morning warning of flash flooding risks over portions of North Carolina and Virginia still posed by post-tropical cyclone Ian.
The center of the storm is about 50 miles south-southeast of Greensboro, North Carolina, the weather service said.
Ian, once a Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph wind speed, maintains a maximum sustained wind speed of 40 mph. It continues to travel north at 13 mph.
Ian’s remnants are expected to continue weakening as it moves further inland across central North Carolina on Saturday. It will then enter Virginia, where it is expected to dissipate by early Sunday.
Posted by Lawrence Richard
After making its final U.S. landfall, Ian will continue to bring tropical storm-force winds and torrential rain to the I-95 corridor through the weekend.
Ian made landfall in South Carolina Friday afternoon as a Category 1 hurricane. The storm brought 85 mph winds to Georgetown, South Carolina, around 2 p.m.
And while Ian no longer holds hurricane strength, the storm’s lasting effects will be felt through the weekend.
The remnants of Hurricane Ian will bring widespread rain and strong winds along the I-95 corridor from North Carolina to Rhode Island.
The storm is expected to weaken to an extratropical low-pressure system over North Carolina before dissipating Saturday night.
Between 3 and 6 inches of rain is possible along the Appalachian Mountains from North Carolina into the Virginias. Persistent rain will also lead to rainfall totals between 2 and 4 inches from the Delmarva Peninsula to parts of New Jersey.
On Sunday, soaking rains will continue to be the issue for a wide swath of the mid-Atlantic as the remnants of Ian slowly move away from the U.S.
Between 2 and 4 inches of rain is possible in this region, with some places potentially receiving up to 5 inches.
Click here to read more on Ian’s potential path from FOX Weather: Ian to impact I-95 corridor after leaving behind path of destruction from Florida to South Carolina
Posted by Lawrence Richard
A South Florida healthcare system is stepping up to assist the smallest patients at a Fort Myers hospital significantly affected by Hurricane Ian.
On Friday, Memorial Healthcare System in Broward County announced three of its Neonatal Intensive Care Units will be accepting NICU patients from Lee Health.
The system is expecting to receive 22 newborns over the next few days. The most critical patients will be transferred by helicopter and the rest will travel via ambulance, FOX 7 Miami reported.
The babies will be placed in the care of Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Memorial Hospital West or Memorial Hospital Miramar.
“It’s bad enough to have the stress of a sick baby in the hospital, and then with having a catastrophe of this size on top of that, it’s unthinkable,” Dr. Ronald Ford, the chief medical officer at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, told FOX 7 Miami.
Posted by Elizabeth Pritchett
President Joe Biden declared that an emergency exists in the state of North Carolina on Saturday, following Ian’s impact and has ordered federal agencies to help in state and local disaster relief efforts.
The president authorized the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help alleviate the “hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in all 100 North Carolina counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians,” the White House said in a statement.
“FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency,” the White House added.
Nearly 360,000 people are without power in North Carolina due to Ian, now a post-tropical cyclone.
Posted by Lawrence Richard
Posted by Lawrence Richard
Posted by Lawrence Richard
A steeple blew off a church in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Friday as Ian, now a post-tropical cyclone, battered the Hampton Roads area with 45-55 mph winds Friday.
The steeple of Galilee Episcopal Church, located on 41st Street and Pacific Avenue, is currently wedged between facility and the neighboring Holly Hill Apartment complex, WAVY reported.
Some scattered power outages and other minor damage has been reported across the area.
High wind warnings remain in effect for Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Suffolk, Newport News, Hampton, Portsmouth, and Chesapeake through Saturday morning.
Posted by Lawrence Richard
Post-tropical Cyclone Ian continues to weaken as it crosses the Carolinas and weather models predict it will continue traveling north before it wholly dissipates over Virginia late Saturday.
After regaining strength over the Atlantic, Ian made landfall near Charleston, South Carolina on Friday as a Category 1. The storm’s 60 mph winds and major flooding continues to impact local communities and about 2 million people across Florida, the Carolinas, and Virginia are without power.
As of 11 p.m. Friday, just under 1.4 million energy consumers in Florida are without power — a sizeable decline from the 2.7 million people that were without power earlier this week.
About 400,000 people in North Carolina, about 80,000 people in South Carolina and 100,000 people in Virginia are without power.
Extreme flash flood warnings are in place for several North Carolina cities including Lexington, Asheboro, Sanford, Raleigh, and parts of Dunn.
High surf advisories or coastal flood warnings are still in place along the East Coast, from Conway, South Carolina to Long Branch, New Jersey.
Posted by Lawrence Richard
Live Coverage begins here
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Kellyanne Conway Says Trump 'wants His Old Job Back' And Would Like To Announce 2024 Run Within Weeks
Kellyanne Conway Says Trump 'wants His Old Job Back' And Would Like To Announce 2024 Run Within Weeks https://digitalarizonanews.com/kellyanne-conway-says-trump-wants-his-old-job-back-and-would-like-to-announce-2024-run-within-weeks/
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Former President Donald Trump, left, and Kellyanne Conway, right, in a composite image.
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Former President Donald Trump would like to announce his 2024 run within weeks, Kellyanne Conway told CBS News.
He “wants his old job back,” Conway, a top advisor to the former president, said.
GOP figureheads, including Kellyanne Conway, have advised him to wait until after the midterms.
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Former President Donald Trump is eager to get back into the White House, and wants to announce his 2024 run in the coming weeks, said his 2016 campaign manager and close ally Kellyanne Conway.
Speaking on Friday with CBS News, Conway was asked by senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge whether Trump would announce his candidacy after the midterm elections and before Thanksgiving.
“Well, he would like to,” said Conway, per CBS News.
“He’s as active as anybody in these midterm elections. That’s important to the calculus also, Catherine, because we have the most ironic, if not unprecedented situation right now,” Conway continued. “We have a president, a current president, whose party doesn’t really want him to campaign with them.”
Trump will assess the timing of his announcement after the midterms, which take place on November 8, Conway said. “I will tell you why he wants to run for president,” she said. “Donald Trump wants his old job back.”
In July, Conway described Trump as “champing at the bit” to announce his third presidential bid. Speaking to CBS News, she said she advised him to wait until right after the midterms.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy also said he lobbied the former president not to announce a 2024 presidential run before the midterms. “My point to him has always (been), ‘Let’s go win ’22,'” McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol in July.
That same month, a top Republican strategist told Insider that a pre-midterm announcement from Trump would be a “train wreck for the party” and “a complete mess.”
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Kellyanne Conway Says Trump 'wants His Old Job Back' And Would Like To Announce 2024 Run Within Weeks
Kellyanne Conway Says Trump 'wants His Old Job Back' And Would Like To Announce 2024 Run Within Weeks https://digitalarizonanews.com/kellyanne-conway-says-trump-wants-his-old-job-back-and-would-like-to-announce-2024-run-within-weeks-2/
Former President Donald Trump would like to announce his 2024 run within weeks, Kellyanne Conway told CBS News.
He “wants his old job back,” Conway, a top advisor to the former president, said.GOP figureheads, including Kellyanne Conway, have advised him to wait until after the midterms.
Former President Donald Trump is eager to get back into the White House, and wants to announce his 2024 run in the coming weeks, said his 2016 campaign manager and close ally Kellyanne Conway.
Speaking on Friday with CBS News, Conway was asked by senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge whether Trump would announce his candidacy after the midterm elections and before Thanksgiving.
“Well, he would like to,” said Conway, per CBS News.
“He’s as active as anybody in these midterm elections. That’s important to the calculus also, Catherine, because we have the most ironic, if not unprecedented situation right now,” Conway continued. “We have a president, a current president, whose party doesn’t really want him to campaign with them.”
Trump will assess the timing of his announcement after the midterms, which take place on November 8, Conway said. “I will tell you why he wants to run for president,” she said. “Donald Trump wants his old job back.”
In July, Conway described Trump as “champing at the bit” to announce his third presidential bid. Speaking to CBS News, she said she advised him to wait until right after the midterms.
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When just Friends Kanye West And Donald Trump Met Post 2016 Elections Im Taking His Lead Netflix Junkie
When “just Friends” Kanye West And Donald Trump Met Post 2016 Elections – “I’m Taking His Lead” – Netflix Junkie https://digitalarizonanews.com/when-just-friends-kanye-west-and-donald-trump-met-post-2016-elections-im-taking-his-lead-netflix-junkie/
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Why Most Twitter Users Don't Follow Political 'elites' But Celebrities | Www.lokmattimes.com
Why Most Twitter Users Don't Follow Political 'elites' But Celebrities | Www.lokmattimes.com https://digitalarizonanews.com/why-most-twitter-users-dont-follow-political-elites-but-celebrities-www-lokmattimes-com/
By IANS | Published: October 1, 2022 01:57 PM 2022-10-01T13:57:02+5:30 2022-10-01T14:05:22+5:30
New York, Oct 1 Most Twitter users don’t follow political elites and they are much more likely to follow celebrities than an elected official, suggest researchers.
Despite the prominence and impact of presidents, congressmen, journalists, pundits and the news media, researchers found that only 40 per cent of Twitter users follow one or more political “elites” and the remaining 60 per cent follow no political actors at all, according to the study published in the journal Science Advances.
“Those users who do follow political accounts on Twitter, however, stick to insular online communities and mostly follow and share information from their political in-group,” said Magdalena Wojcieszak, lead author and professor of communication at the University of California, Davis, and the University of Amsterdam.
In other words, speaking to ongoing debates about so-called “echo chambers” on social media platforms, the small group of users who do follow political elites display clear political biases and engage with these elites in a very one-sided way.
The findings come after researchers analysed four years’ worth of data from a sampling of 1.5 million Twitter users.
Researchers concluded that even though the group of social media users who display political biases in their online behaviours is small, it is nevertheless consequential.
“Given that we analysed over 2,500 American political elite accounts including Donald Trump, Joe Biden, prominent pundits including Rachel Maddow and Sean Hannity, and the most popular media outlets such as MSNBC and Fox News, the fact that only 23 per cent of the representative sample of over 1.5 million users follow three of more of such elite accounts is revealing,” Wojcieszak informed.
The research also reveals important ideological asymmetries: conservative users are roughly twice as likely as liberals to share in-group versus out-group content, as well as to add negative commentary to out-group shares.
“Overall, the majority of American Twitter users are not sufficiently interested in politics to follow even a single political or media elite from our list,” Wojcieszak said.
Given a growing radicalisation in America, decreasing support for democratic norms, and rising support for political violence, concerns about political biases on social media platforms are valid, no matter how small the groups displaying those biases may be.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
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2020 U.S. Election Conspiracy Theorists Could Soon Oversee Voting
2020 U.S. Election Conspiracy Theorists Could Soon Oversee Voting https://digitalarizonanews.com/2020-u-s-election-conspiracy-theorists-could-soon-oversee-voting/
Two far-right U.S. politicians who want to upend the way votes are cast and counted are tied or leading in races to become the top election administrators in their states, according to recent polls.
Republicans Jim Marchant of Nevada and Mark Finchem of Arizona promote wild conspiracy theories about how the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. A victory in November could allow them, as secretaries of state, to restrict voting access or seek to block certification of results in these two critical battlegrounds for presidential elections.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
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Fans In The Stands: ALA Queen Creek Vs ALA Gilbert North
Fans In The Stands: ALA Queen Creek Vs ALA Gilbert North https://digitalarizonanews.com/fans-in-the-stands-ala-queen-creek-vs-ala-gilbert-north/
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Eliav Gabay Posted October 1, 2022 at 1:05 am
VIDEO – ALA Queen Creek and ALA Gilbert North faced off in a rivalry showdown.
It was a sold out crowd so we dove into the student sections to see what it was like to be one of the fans in the stands.
While the game was a back n’ forth bout in the first half, the Patriots blew the game wide open in the second half, winning 40-19.
ALA Gilbert-NorthALA Queen CreekArizona high school footballEaglesPatriots
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Ukraine Troops Approach City That Lies In A Region Putin Illegally Annexed
Ukraine Troops Approach City That Lies In A Region Putin Illegally Annexed https://digitalarizonanews.com/ukraine-troops-approach-city-that-lies-in-a-region-putin-illegally-annexed/
Image
Ukrainian soldiers near the city of Lyman in the eastern Donetsk region. The Ukrainian administrative leader of Donetsk said on Friday that the city was “half encircled.”Credit…Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
Even as President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia illegally moved to gobble up sovereign land in four territories of Ukraine on Friday, Ukrainian forces appeared to be edging closer to encircling Lyman, a strategic rail hub in the country’s east that lies within the territory Mr. Putin is claiming.
Denis Pushilin, the leader of Russia’s proxy administration in the Donetsk People’s Republic, where Lyman is located, said on Friday that the town was “half encircled.”
“This is very unpleasant news, but we must look soberly at the situation and draw conclusions from our mistakes,” he said. Mr. Pushilin also said on Telegram that Russia had lost control of Yampil and Dobryshev, villages north and east of Lyman.
The advance of Ukrainian forces in disregard of Mr. Putin’s attempt to redraw the map of Ukraine underscored the huge challenges he faces to solidify Russia’s control over Russian-occupied territory. It also appeared to illustrate that for all of Mr. Putin’s nuclear saber-rattling, Ukraine remained unbowed and that the fronts in the war had not altered.
The Ukrainian military has closed in on Lyman from the west and south, aiming to envelop the city and cut off the remaining Russian troops, according to the Institute for the Study of War, an American analytical group. The routes out of Lyman appear to be controlled by Ukraine or within its artillery range, complicating a potential Russian withdrawal.
Control of Lyman is seen as a test of whether Ukraine can build on military gains made in recent weeks, but the exact status of the battle was not immediately clear. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, said on Telegram that Russian forces “will have to ask for an exit” from Lyman.
Donetsk Province, where Russia holds significant territory, is one of four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine that Russia is illegally annexing after staged referendums in recent days that Ukraine and Western governments have denounced as fraudulent. On Friday, Mr. Putin signed decrees to declare the four regions part of Russia.
Fighting for Lyman, which is in the northern part of Donetsk Province, has intensified over the past few weeks after Ukraine made a series of gains during a rapid counteroffensive in Kharkiv Province in the country’s northeast.
If Ukraine were to recapture Lyman, it would not only increase its chances of regaining more land in Luhansk and Donetsk, but also put additional pressure on the Kremlin as it has been facing blowback at home over its conscription of hundreds of thousands of men to fight in Ukraine.
Mr. Putin’s war of words against Ukraine and the West escalated on Friday, when he criticized the United States for “Satanism.”
Even by Mr. Putin’s increasingly antagonistic standards, the speech he gave in announcing the annexation of the Ukrainian regions was an extraordinary combination of bluster and menace. He mixed conspiratorial riffs against an American-led “neocolonial system” with an appeal to the world to see Russia as the leader of an uprising against American power.
He referred to “the ruling circles of the so-called West” as “the enemy.” And he again raised the specter of nuclear weapons, which the Kremlin has made veiled threats about using, noting in a cryptic aside that the atomic bombs the United States dropped on Japan in 1945 had “created a precedent.”
Marco Hernandez and Josh Holder contributed reporting.
Image
Residents casting their votes in a referendum on Sunday in Donetsk, a province of eastern Ukraine that Russia has claimed as part of its territory.Credit…Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
WASHINGTON — President Biden condemned Russia’s claimed annexation of captured Ukrainian territory on Friday, responding to Moscow’s latest escalation with a range of sanctions and a warning to President Vladimir V. Putin that the United States would defend “every single inch” of NATO territory from a potential attack.
Hours after Mr. Putin gave a speech asserting Russian control over four eastern Ukrainian regions, Mr. Biden called the action a “fraudulent” violation of international law that showed “contempt for peaceful nations everywhere.”
“The United States is never going to recognize this, and quite frankly the world is not going to recognize it either,” Mr. Biden said from the White House. “He can’t seize his neighbor’s territory and get away with it. It is as simple as that.”
World leaders rallied around Mr. Biden in a forceful collective denunciation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
President Emmanuel Macron of France said Russia had committed a “serious violation of international law and Ukrainian sovereignty” and vowed on Twitter to help Ukraine “recover its full sovereignty over its entire territory.”
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s secretary general, called Mr. Putin’s move “an illegal and illegitimate land grab” and pledged to continue assisting Ukraine until it defeated the aggressor.
Even among Russia’s traditional allies, no country stepped forward to recognize the annexation. Uzbekistan, a former Soviet republic in Central Asia, issued a statement before Mr. Putin’s speech calling for “respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and the noninterference in the internal affairs of other states.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine responded to Russia’s claims by announcing that he was fast-tracking his country’s application to NATO. In a video, he accused the Kremlin of trying to “steal something that does not belong to it.”
“Ukraine will not allow that,” he said.
But Mr. Zelensky’s request to join the alliance drew a less resounding response.
“Right now, our view is that the best way for us to support Ukraine is through practical, on-the-ground support in Ukraine,” said Jake Sullivan, Mr. Biden’s national security adviser.
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The leaks from the Nord Stream undersea pipelines, hit by explosions in recent days, could be among the largest-ever human-caused releases of planet-warming methane gas into the atmosphere, scientists say — equal to the size of a whole year’s emissions from a city the size of Paris, or a country like Denmark.
Now, researchers at the Integrated Carbon Observation System, a Europe-wide research network that runs air monitoring stations across the continent have taken readings of methane gas from the leaks and combined them with weather and other atmospheric patterns to model the path of the plume. The gas curled its way north over the Baltic Sea to the Finnish archipelago before swinging west toward Sweden and Norway and reaching the British Isles.
The researchers say that the modeling is preliminary; it shows the emissions ending, for example, though methane continues to surge from the damaged pipelines, causing a mass of bubbles on the water’s surface. And estimating an exact reading of the amount of methane released is still tricky, said Alex Vermeulen, an atmospheric scientist who heads the European network’s carbon monitoring effort.
There was no direct safety or health risk to regions directly below the methane plume, Dr. Vermeulen said. Concentrations of methane at that point in time after the explosions would be far below levels where the gas would be explosive, or pose direct health hazards.
Still, the ground-based observations from measuring stations in Scandinavia and in the United Kingdom were proving valuable in tracking the release, especially because satellites, blocked by cloudy weather in the region, have struggled to get a clear picture of the leaks. GHGSat, a company that uses satellites to measure greenhouse gas emissions from space, said Friday that one of the leaks was releasing 23 tons of methane an hour — the equivalent of burning 630,000 tons of coal every hour.
Even a leak of this magnitude is just a fraction of overall global emissions. But methane is a particularly potent if short-lived greenhouse gas, warming the atmosphere about 30 times more than carbon dioxide over a period of 100 years, helping to worsen climate change. Just Thursday, scientists said that the oil and gas industry was likely releasing more methane into the atmosphere than previously estimated.
“All these leaks together, we have gas going into the atmosphere at an unprecedented rate,” Dr. Vermeulen said. “That’s a big concern.”
Image
Kadri Simson, the European commissioner for energy, and Deputy Prime Minister Jozef Sikela of the Czech Republic at a news conference after a European Union Energy Ministers meeting on high energy prices, in Brussels, on Friday.Credit…Yves Herman/Reuters
BRUSSELS — Energy ministers in the European Union agreed on Friday to tax the profits of energy companies as part of a set of emergency measures aimed at softening the impact of soaring energy prices on businesses and consumers.
Europe’s energy crisis, aggravated by Russia’s periodically cutting off parts of the bloc’s energy supply to punish it for supporting Ukraine, has led to historically high heating and electricity bills in the 27-member bloc.
Last month, tens of thousands of Europeans took to the streets in at least four countries — the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Belgium — to protest against spiraling energy prices and record inflation. With winter approaching, governments have been under mounting pressure to shield Europeans from blackouts and bankruptcy, while at the same time ensuring a continued energy flow from alternative suppliers.
The measures approved by the bloc’s energy ministers focused on taxing energy-company profits — the proceeds of which would be used to fund subsidies for struggling ...
A Killer’s Confession Premiere New Single & Video https://digitalarizonanews.com/a-killers-confession-premiere-new-single-video/
A Killer’s Confession (Ex-Mushroomhead) Premiere New Single & Music Video “Be My Witness”
A Killer’s Confession – led by former Mushroomhead frontman Waylon Reavis – premiere a new single and music video named “Be My Witness“, streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below.
A Killer’s Confession are presently out touring with Bloodywood. The remaining dates read as follows:
10/01 New York, NY – The Gramercy Theater
10/03 Chicago, IL – Beat Kitchen
10/04 St. Paul, MN – The Turf Club
10/06 Denver, CO – Marquis Theater
10/09 Sacramento, CA – Aftershock Festival
10/10 Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room
10/11 Mesa, AZ – The Nile Theater
10/13 Dallas, TX – Studio at The Factory
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Gas Prices Today October 1 2022: Check The Cheapest Gas Stations Today
Gas Prices Today, October 1, 2022: Check The Cheapest Gas Stations Today https://digitalarizonanews.com/gas-prices-today-october-1-2022-check-the-cheapest-gas-stations-today/
Gas prices across the United States and the wider global community had soared in recent months but things are starting to change, with the cost of fuel dropping in many states now.
The toll of COVID-19 restrictions which brought the economy to its knees in combination with the decision to apply sanctions on major global gas supplier Russia have caused 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 $6.29.
Mississippi has the lowest prices of the day, at an average price of $3.067.
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 ($2.93): Fuel4, 596 Grove St Jersey City, NJ.
Los Angeles, California ($4.93): Ramco, 1104 E Palmdale Blvd Palmdale, CA.
Chicago, Illinois ($3.94): Lou Perrine, 8004 22nd Ave Kenosha, WI.
Houston, Texas ($2.62): Exxon, 28015 Southwest Fwy Rosenberg, TX.
Phoenix, Arizona ($3.55): Circle K, 307 AZ-77 Mammoth, AZ.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ($3.09): Gulf, 874 Mantua Pike Woodbury Heights, NJ.
San Antonio, Texas ($2.75): Costco, 15330 IH-35 N Selma, TX.
San Diego, California ($5.09): San Diego Gasoline in Spring Valley, 2615 Sweetwater Springs Blvd Spring Valley, CA.
Dallas, Texas ($2.75): Charlie’s, 501 E Ennis Ave Ennis, TX.
San Jose, California ($5.07): Safeway, 5780 Cottle Rd San Jose, CA.
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New Leadership At Realty ONE Group https://digitalarizonanews.com/new-leadership-at-realty-one-group/
Scottsdale, AZ, October 01, 2022 –(PR.com)– Realty ONE Group, a modern, purpose-driven lifestyle brand and one of the fastest growing franchisors today, is announcing that one of its tenured and beloved office managers for the Scottsdale office is stepping down after more than 12 years with the global real estate brand.
KC Cyga has announced that she is stepping down from her management position with Realty ONE Group, but will remain with the popular brand now as a real estate professional. Cyga embarked on her real estate career more than 35 years ago and will continue helping local buyers and sellers. Over the years, Cyga has served on various committees and state boards, was the President of the local WeMAR (now WeSERVE) Board in 2015 and in 2016 she was named Broker of the Year by the Arizona Journal of Real Estate and Business.
Brian Juris, with nearly two decades of experience in the Valley of the Sun as a residential and commercial real estate professional and owning and operating a real estate firm, will take over as the Managing Broker for Realty ONE Group’s Scottsdale location. Juris has served on several real estate committees and is a hands-on real estate coach and mentor.
Realty ONE Group now has more than 18,000 real estate professionals in more than 400 offices in 49 states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and now the countries of Bolivia, Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Italy, Portugal, Singapore and Spain.
Learn more at www.OwnAOne.com.
Realty ONE Group
Cory Vasquez
303-489-6818
https://realtyonegroup.com
Contact
Media Alert
KC Cyga has announced that she is stepping down from her management position with Realty ONE Group but will remain with the brand. Brian Juris, with nearly two decades of experience in the Valley of the Sun as a residential and commercial real estate professional, will be her successor.
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Brazil Kit Becomes Key Issue In Bolsonaro https://digitalarizonanews.com/brazil-kit-becomes-key-issue-in-bolsonaro/
Brazilians will vote tomorrow with supporters of the incumbent president accused of co-opting famous shirts and making it a symbol of far-right politics
(
Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Brazilians head to the polls tomorrow for the opening round of a polarising presidential election in which left wing candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, is expected to secure a victory over the incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.
But football, the South American country’s greatest passion, finds itself locked in the middle of a divisive campaign with the national team’s iconic yellow jersey at the heart of it and flashiest player Neymar backing far-right Bolsonaro in a TikTok video on Thursday.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward’s post, featuring a dance to a Bolsonaro jingle, arrived 24 hours after the current president visited a charitable institute near Sao Paulo belonging to the footballer.
Neymar was widely criticised online for his support but doubled down with a response on Friday afternoon. “They talk about democracy and a lot of things, but when someone has a different opinion he is attacked by the very people who talk about democracy,” he said. “Go figure.”
But the divisive debate around the meaning of the famous yellow shirt is even more significant with Bolsonaro’s supporters accused of co-opting it as a symbol of far-right nationalism.
Jair Bolsonaro presents Donald Trump with a Brazil shirt in Washington in 2019. (
Image:
Chris Kleponis-Pool/Getty Images)
“Football is something iconic for Brazil, it is what brings everybody together most of the time,” a 25-year-old named Isabela Guedes told Al Jazeera about the fight for the shirt’s identity.
“When they [right-wing supporters] take something so meaningful for the country and use it with political intentions, it is like they are stealing it from us. I don’t feel comfortable hanging a flag on my window during the World Cup because I will be mistaken for people with completely different political views. They have taken the flag and yellow jersey and turned them into political symbols.”
When the Selecao’s new shirt for November’s World Cup was released, sales were below what would normally be expected but the blue away strip sold out.
Some football fans have said they feared going to buy the new strip because they do not want to appear associated with Bolsonaro but his backers claim they are also concerned about wearing the kit – because of a supposed fear of violence from Lula’s supporters.
Bolsonaro has long used football as a campaigning tool. A Palmeiras fan, he has regularly appeared at stadiums and gifted a Brazil kit to US president Donald Trump during a visit to Washington DC in 2019.
Critics fear Bolsonaro could take a similar approach to Trump if he loses the election by making baseless fraud claims. His supporters last year trying to occupy the Supreme Court in a move inspired by the 2021 assault on the US Capitol. He was also one of the last world leaders to recognise Joe Biden as the new American president.
Several other footballers have publicly backed Bolsonaro in the past, including Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
“We have lived years where the left-wing has economically sunk the country,” Alisson said in 2020. “They did good things, they mainly helped the poorest, but what was the goal? What they did badly was much more serious than the positive things.
“You don’t have to put it on a scale. He did something wrong, he stole, but he helped so-and-so, the poor. It’s not like this.
“I see people who didn’t vote for Bolsonaro hoping he does something wrong to be right. It’s not a question of being right. If he’s a good president, it will be good for everyone, even those who didn’t vote for him.”
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Jill Biden: GOP Leaders Underestimate The Power Of Women
Jill Biden: GOP Leaders Underestimate The Power Of Women https://digitalarizonanews.com/jill-biden-gop-leaders-underestimate-the-power-of-women/
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden told a Democratic women’s group Friday that Republicans underestimated the power of women but that, together, they will “make sure that they never make that mistake again.”
The first lady said that when “extremists attack rights that a vast majority of Americans support, like a woman’s right to choose, or when they stand in the way of affordable prescriptions or clean energy, they are letting down all Americans.”
She also said “it makes me angry” to see politicians who “treat government like a sport” and “perform political stunts” to score a few more points against the other side.
“There are no teams to root for or against. Just people,” Biden said at a luncheon during the Democratic National Committee’s Women’s Leadership Forum’s annual conference.
“There are real lives at stake here. You know that, and I know that it makes you angry. It should make you angry,” she said. She described new laws enacted by President Joe Biden as “some of the most transformational legislation in generations.”
“And we did it with only 50 votes in the Senate,” the first lady said. “Just imagine what Joe and his administration could do with just a few more partners in the House and the Senate.”
“We could restore women’s rights to make our own choices about our own bodies,” she said, referencing the decision by the Supreme Court’s conservative majority to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion, leaving individual states to decide the issue.
In response, the Republican Party said women are suffering in “Joe Biden’s America.”
“From skyrocketing crime, to a rainbow fentanyl crisis, to historic inflation and a baby formula shortage, women cannot afford Joe Biden’s America,” said Emma Vaughn, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee.
Vaughn said the party has been working to empower women voters and recruit a record number of female candidates, and that the party, which is led by a woman, Ronna McDaniel, “stands for all women and we look forward to earning their vote in less than 40 days.”
Biden said Democrats can’t decide what Republicans do, “but we can decide what we’re going to do, and what women do is win.”
She said women helped elect her husband “and we will decide what happens in November in races up and down the ballot, because we don’t just get angry, we get to work.”
Women voting in 2020 broke for Democrat Biden over Republican Donald Trump, 55% to 43%, according to AP VoteCast.
“Republican leaders have underestimated the power of women, but we’re going to make sure that they never make that mistake again,” Jill Biden said.
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With Inflation Soaring AZ State Fair Finds Way To Cut Cost For Families
With Inflation Soaring, AZ State Fair Finds Way To Cut Cost For Families https://digitalarizonanews.com/with-inflation-soaring-az-state-fair-finds-way-to-cut-cost-for-families/
PHOENIX — Whether you’re indulging in something deep fried and covered in bacon, carelessly spinning through the air buckled in a ride, or spending your parents’ money on a game so you can win stuff that may not fit in the car — going to the Arizona state fair has a different feel these days.
Especially for your wallet.
With inflation soaring like one of the rides at the fair, you may not want to count how much you spent.
ABC15 spoke with AJ who paired his turkey leg with bacon-wrapped pork belly on a stick.
“To give you an example these two items cost us $36,” he said.
Chris Lopez is the VP with Ray Cammack Shows. He admits inflation has had its impact on getting the Arizona State Fair up and running.
They provide all the rides, games and food vendors.
He says when rising costs hit families, they hope families avoid big trips out of town and consider a night at the fair instead.
“Like a staycation,” he said.
The latest Consumer Price Index for the Valley shows food away from home — like eating out — is costing 2.5% more in recent months.
To move all the big equipment, Diesel prices are now over $5 a gallon after being closer to $2.50 just two years ago.
To offset costs, the State Fair opened a week earlier this year, kids under 8 years old are free and on Friday, if you bring ten canned food items you get in for free.
There’s a reading inventive for grade school kids to get in for free after completing a book report, as well as other cost-saving measures on the Arizona State Fair website.
Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Staunton Trumps Laloifi In AFLW Showdown https://digitalarizonanews.com/staunton-trumps-laloifi-in-aflw-showdown/
GWS key forward Cora Staunton took the plaudits in a captivating showdown against defender Vaomua Laloifi as the Giants’ beat Carlton in the AFLW.
Irish powerhouse Staunton proved crucial as the Giants bounced back from last weekend’s 96-point thumping by the Crows to get the better of the Blues 4.5 (29) to 1.6 (12).
The 40-year-old contributed two goals, three marks inside 50, and six disposals.
The Blues struggled to counter the Giants’ master of the ball but were bolstered by the powerful Laloifi, who spoiled crucial moments to keep GWS from claiming the game early.
Laloifi rose to the occasion with 16 disposals matched by a 91 per cent kicking efficiency, with Staunton admitting she had been looking forward to the match-up as game day approached.
“It played on my mind going into this week,” she told AAP post-match.
“Last week, (Laloifi) had 14 intercept marks. She plays hard.
“She’s probably been Carlton’s best this year.”
GWS coach Cam Bernasconi said the Giants were unsure whether Laloifi would play deep in their 50 but knew Staunton was up to the task.
“When (Laloifi) went to Cora, we sat back, ate our popcorn and watched the show,” Bernasconi said.
“They went punch, punch, punch today.
“Cora was quite clinical. We knew she would love to take that challenge.”
Staunton, the Giants’ consecutive leading goal-kicker since 2020, hopes her side can finish the season with momentum after a tough start with injuries and some “embarrassing” losses, including last week’s humbling by the Crows.
“We don’t want to use excuses,” she said.
“We didn’t compete hard enough against Adelaide so we needed to come out today.
“Our first job is to compete and try to win our battles.”
Australian Associated Press
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Trump Intensifies Attacks On McConnell With 'death Wish' Remark On His Social Media Platform
Trump Intensifies Attacks On McConnell With 'death Wish' Remark On His Social Media Platform https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-intensifies-attacks-on-mcconnell-with-death-wish-remark-on-his-social-media-platform-2/
Former President Donald Trump raised the specter of political violence Friday with a fresh attack on Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, suggesting that the GOP leader had “a death wish” because he had voted to approve legislation sponsored by Democrats.
In a post on his Truth Social website, Trump asked if McConnell had supported the unspecified bills “because he hates Donald J. Trump, and he knows I am opposed to them.”
“He has a DEATH WISH,” Trump added.
While Trump did not specify which Democratic-sponsored bills McConnell supported, the Senate on Thursday passed a bill to keep the government funded in a 72-25 vote that included support from McConnell and other Republicans. Earlier in the week, McConnell said he would back a bipartisan legislation aimed at protecting against election subversion — putting him at loggerheads with Trump.
When asked about Trump’s comments on Friday, Trump spokesperson Taylor Budowich said it was “absurd” to suggest the former president’s post could be construed as dangerous.
“Mitch McConnell is killing the Republican Party through weakness and cowardice. He obviously has a political death wish for himself and Republican Party, but President Trump and the America First champions in Congress will save the Republican Party and our nation,” Budowich said in a email to NBC News.
Trump has frequently lambasted McConnell, with the attacks intensifying after the Senate Republican leader rebuked Trump following the Capitol riot. More recent attacks have included derogatory comments about McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, who served as transportation secretary during the Trump administration.
On Truth Social last month, Trump called Chao “crazy,” while referring to McConnell as a “broken down hack politician.”
Chao resigned a day after the attack on the Capitol, when a pro-Trump mob chanted “hang Mike Pence” while storming the building. She later sat for a videotaped interview with the House Jan. 6 committee.
On Friday, Trump said McConnell must “immediately seek help and advise from his China loving wife, Coco Chow!”
Chao was born in Taipei.
NBC News has reached out to McConnell’s office for comment.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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Letters To The Editor Immigration Election Reform Act Divisiveness
Letters To The Editor — Immigration, Election Reform Act, Divisiveness https://digitalarizonanews.com/letters-to-the-editor-immigration-election-reform-act-divisiveness/
Soldiers as travel agents
Re: “Immigration crisis has bipartisan solution — Proposed bill will deliver reforms U.S. has needed for long time,” by John Cornyn, Sunday Opinion.
Sen. Cornyn’s column could not have been more on point. The taxpayer money we are spending on stunts like sending immigrants on planes to northern Democratic cities is a tremendous waste. The taxpayer money for walls is also wasteful beyond a point.
To say that better processing is the solution is correct. There will always be people who suffer and see the U.S. as a haven. We must increase our ability to make the entry process more useful to both the immigrant and the U.S.
My one objection with Cornyn is that he makes the crisis seem as though it was caused by President Joe Biden, which doesn’t sound too bipartisan to me. This crisis has been going on for years through many presidents.
I believe Gov. Greg Abbott ran on the promise he would provide more processing centers and hire more people to run them. Instead, we have become coyotes sending immigrants farther north, which probably leads to an increase in countries sending them since they have more information on how to get closer to their relatives. Now our soldiers are becoming travel agents instead of keeping the border safe.
Mary Veasey, McKinney
Set up migrant employment agency
Re: ”How should U.S. handle immigration?” Sunday Letters.
There is little wonder why politicians can’t solve the immigration problem when the Sunday letters offered so many opinions. I mostly am curious about those who opposed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ busing of the migrants to sanctuary cities but never offered any solution as to what to do with 2.5 million immigrants.
My solution is if there are 11 million jobs available today and there is a 3.5% unemployment rate and there are 2.5 million migrants looking for work, then set up an employment agency in all of the border cities. Each migrant would fill out an application stating his education, training and experience in a vocation. Also, what type of work he/she is looking for.
The companies that want to hire would file their opportunities and the agency would match up the employer and the migrant who qualified. Transportation to employment should be shared in good faith by both parties. This procedure would cost a hundredth of today’s cost of transporting the migrants. And could be the first step in solving the DACA controversy.
Larry Huddleston, Cedar Hill
Election reform vote mind-boggling
Re: “Bills would curtail result objections — Measures moving through House, Senate are intended to prevent another Jan. 6,” Tuesday news story.
The House passed a bill this week, the Presidential Election Reform Act, which, if it becomes law, would safeguard the peaceful transfer of power of the presidency. The legislation, designed to make it harder to overthrow a presidential election by modernizing the 135-year-old flawed Electoral Count Act of 1887, passed mostly along party lines. Not one Texas Republican lawmaker voted for it.
The fact that 24 Texas Republican House members failed to protect our electoral process should send shivers down the spines of their constituents. By voting against shoring up the system, these elected representatives are sending a clear message — we are prepared to devalue democracy if it serves our political interests.
Responsibility for overseeing federal elections lies at the state level, where several Republican legislatures are enacting election restrictions which may make it possible to sway elections. This congressional electoral reform aims to nip that in the bud. Why any lawmaker would be opposed to that is mind-boggling.
Jim Paladino, Tampa, Fla.
Formerly reliable Republicans
Re: “Tarrant judge says he’s backing Democrat — Republican leader cites hopeful’s background, stance on ‘local control,’” Sept. 5 Metro story.
So, I’m not alone after all regarding Tarrant County Glen Whitley and others’ inability to support members of the state Republican Party. I myself came to this conclusion quite some time ago. I don’t know what ever happened to the so-called broad bent of the Republican Party.
I’m old enough to remember when the Democrats ran Texas. There came a point when it was assumed they could elect a yellow dog as long as it was a Democrat. I think we have reached the other extreme with the Republicans in control. One thing’s for sure, my once reliable Republican vote is nowhere to be found.
Daniel Eckberg, Grapevine
Move away from the grifters
The name-calling and divisiveness has got to stop. Too often the norm has become calling any Democrat a socialist or a communist and any Republican a fascist.
Yet, in order for our country to continue to be a democracy, certain truths need to be valued by all. Donald Trump is not a Republican. John McCain, Mitt Romney and many others who for years supported conservative values like lowering the debt and traditional family values have been replaced by conspiracy theorists and race-baiting charlatans.
Trump has stroked up his base, and some supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol and have threatened anyone who doesn’t worship at the MAGA altar. It has truly become more of a cult than a political movement.
It’s time for the entire country to move back to the center and away from grifters who would shout about civil war when their idolatry for a dishonest man has led them so far astray from normality.
Darryl Smyers, Dallas/Lake Highlands
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Bill Maher Defends Biden From Complaints Of His Age Following 'Where's Jackie?' Gaffe
Bill Maher Defends Biden From Complaints Of His Age Following 'Where's Jackie?' Gaffe https://digitalarizonanews.com/bill-maher-defends-biden-from-complaints-of-his-age-following-wheres-jackie-gaffe/
“Real Time” host Bill Maher went to bat for President Biden following his latest gaffe involving him calling out for a deceased congresswoman at a White House event this week.
At Wednesday’s Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health, Biden seemingly searched the crowd for Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind.
“Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie? She must not be here,” Biden looked around before continuing his speech.
Walorski died in a car accident in early August along with two staffers, which Biden himself acknowledged in a statement released after her passing. She had been a legislative champion of a bipartisan bill that tackles nutrition and hunger. A video tribute honoring her memory played at the event.
BILL MAHER SUGGESTS BIDEN BUMPS KAMALA HARRIS FROM DEM TICKET IN 2024: ‘I JUST THINK SHE’S A BAD POLITICIAN’
US President Joe Biden speaks at the White House Conference On Hunger, Nutrition And Health in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. (Yuri Gripas/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
During Friday’s monologue, Maher said Republicans “lost their s—” over the gaffe, “the kind he’s made for 50 years.”
“There’s 535 members of Congress, OK?… I’m not saying it was a great moment. Again, 535 members. He forgot she was dead. The last guy forgot we were a democracy! Can we have a little perspective?” Maher excused Biden before railing former President Donald Trump for one of his memorable gaffes.
‘WHERE’S JACKIE?’ BIDEN’S LATEST GAFFE IGNORED ON-AIR BY CNN, MSNBC, CBS, NBC
Later during the panel discussion, Maher clashed with one of his guests, The Atlantic staff writer Caitlin Flanagan, who suggested Biden shouldn’t seek re-election in 2024 because he’s “super old.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being old, there’s no shame to it… but there are natural processes that happen and it certainly seems like he’s losing his acuity, which a lot of older men do,” Flanagan said.
“I’m so disappointed that you, like me, not so young, would say this. It’s such bulls—,” Maher reacted.
“Real Time” host Bill Maher pushed back at the notion that President Biden is too old to seek reelection, calling the argument “bulls—.” (HBO)
“First of all, the same week that he did this, Kamala Harris was over in Korea saying ‘our longtime ally North Korea,’” Maher continued.
“Again, the bar is low,” Flanagan stressed. “But I’m just saying that he is — nobody is wrong to say — “
“He’s the same guy. He was always a gaffe machine,” Maher pushed back. “He’s actually more disciplined than he used to be.”
BILL MAHER TORN ON BIDEN’S ANTI-MAGA SPEECH: I LIKE THAT HE GAVE IT, ‘BUT THE WAY HE DID IT? NOT GOOD’
CNN contributor Van Jones chimed in, saying, “When Biden’s strong, he’s very strong. And when he’s weak, he’s very weak,” which is “what people are responding to.”
“If the public in 2024 sees what they perceive to be a weak insider versus a scary outsider, a Trump or a DeSantis — that’s a perception… I do think that people have a reason to be concerned if he continues to be perceived to be weak, but the reality is, what’s the alternative to Biden?” Jones asked.
U.S. President Joe Biden looks out at attendees as he speaks at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health in Washington, U.S., September 28, 2022. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
“You don’t see, at all, any concerns at all?” Flanagan asked.
“Concerned? Compared to what?” Maher shot back. “Would I like to have great wisdom in the body of a 20-year-old? Yes, everybody would, but that’s not life. And it doesn’t matter.”
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“I admit he is going to have trouble in the debates, debates are gonna look bad. Prepare for it now. There’s gonna be some senior moments. He could show up without pants… But it doesn’t matter. It has nothing to do with running the country. You run the country behind the scenes. It’s all show. It’s all bulls—,” Maher added.
Joseph A. Wulfsohn is a media reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to joseph.wulfsohn@fox.com and on Twitter: @JosephWulfsohn.
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