Digital Arizona News

Government: Hungary, US Relations ‘best-Ever’ During Trump Administration https://digitalarizonanews.com/government-hungary-us-relations-best-ever-during-trump-administration/ Hungary had the “best-ever political relationship” with the United States during the administration of former President Donald Trump, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó told Fox News Digital in an interview in New York on Friday. “Definitely, we work together with those who are elected here in the US,” Szijjártó said. “Well, but we have to be honest: If you look at the relationship, the political relationship under conservative or Republican administration and under Democratic administration, there’s a big change,” he said. Szijjártó said the two countries had enjoyed “the best-ever political relationship”, “the best-ever relationship,” under the Trump administration, adding he was “pretty sure” the same “best” relationship between the US and Hungarian governments would resume if the former US president runs and wins in 2024. Szijjártó deflected claims by western foreign nations that after winning his fourth term as Hungary’s prime minister in the spring, Viktor Orban is eroding democracy. The European Union only defines democracy as “in case the liberals are governing,” the minister said. “Since this is not the case in Hungary, because we are a patriotic centre-right, Christian democratic government, definitely against the liberal mainstream, they hate us and you know, since we are successful, we are a kind of proof that it’s not only the liberal mainstream which can be progressive and successful. A conservative political strategy can be successful as well. And they hate this fact,” Szijjártó said. Read also PHOTOS: senior advisor of Trump received the Hungarian Order of Merit The minister referred to “revolutionary changes” to the automotive industry such as establishing electric battery manufacturing in Hungary – one of the “five biggest investments in Europe” over the past decade – as well as being the first EU country to approve the Paris Climate Agreement. Szijjártó expressed agreement with other leaders who addressed the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) this week that it is “not a question” that climate crisis is “among top priorities”. He noted that Hungary reduced its emissions in a bid to go carbon-neutral by 2050 while expanding its GDP. “It’s a very important issue for us, though we approach this matter on a pragmatic basis,” Szijjártó said. “So, for us, economy, competitiveness and environmental protection must go hand in hand. If this balance between the two is broken, then it endangers the credibility of the efforts. Read alsoDo Hungarians really eat unhealthier than people in the US? In connection with sanctions on Russia, the minister said “the sanctions are more harmful to us, Europeans than to the Russians”. “The security of energy supply in Europe is just basically gone. There is a crisis of energy supply, not only from the perspective of price, but from the perspective of volume as well, not to speak about inflation, not to speak about the food prices .,” he said. “So the sanction policy has not delivered those results, which were expected by the European Union and the institutions in Brussels,” he said. Source: MTI Read More Here

Georgia Voting Equipment Breach At Center Of Tangled Tale https://digitalarizonanews.com/georgia-voting-equipment-breach-at-center-of-tangled-tale-3/ ATLANTA — The tale of breached voting equipment in one of the country’s most important political battleground states involves a bail bondsman, a prominent attorney tied to former President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and a cast of characters from a rural county that rarely draws notice from outsiders. How they all came together and what it could mean for the security of voting in the upcoming midterm elections are questions tangled up in a lawsuit and state investigations that have prompted calls to ditch the machines altogether. Details of the unauthorized access of sensitive voting equipment in Coffee County, Georgia, became public last month when documents and emails revealed the involvement of high-profile Trump supporters. That’s also when it caught the attention of an Atlanta-based prosecutor who is leading a separate investigation of Trump’s efforts to undo his loss in the state. Since then, revelations about what happened in the county of 43,000 people have raised questions about whether the Dominion Voting Systems machines used in Georgia have been compromised. The public disclosure of the breach began with a rambling phone call from an Atlanta-area bail bondsman to the head of an election security advocacy group involved in a long-running lawsuit targeting the state’s voting machines. According to a recording filed in court earlier this year, the bail bondsman said he’d chartered a jet and was with a computer forensics team at the Coffee County elections office when they “imaged every hard drive of every piece of equipment.” That happened on Jan. 7, 2021, a day after the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and two days after a runoff election in which Democrats swept both of Georgia’s U.S. Senate seats. The trip to Coffee County, about 200 miles south of Atlanta, to copy data and software from elections equipment was directed by attorney Sidney Powell and other Trump allies, according to deposition testimony and documents produced in response to subpoenas. Later that month, security camera footage shows, two men who have participated in efforts to question the results of the 2020 election in several states spent days going in and out of the Coffee County elections office. The footage also shows local election and Republican Party officials welcoming the visitors and allowing them access to the election equipment. The video seems to contradict statements some of the officials made about their apparent involvement. The new information has made Coffee County, where Trump won nearly 70% of the vote two years ago, a focal point of concerns over the security of voting machines. While there is no evidence of widespread problems with voting equipment in 2020, some Trump supporters have spread false information about machines and the election outcome. Election security experts and activists fear state election officials haven’t acted fast enough in the face of what they see as a real threat. The copying of the software and its availability for download means potential bad actors could build exact copies of the Dominion system to test different types of attacks, said University of California, Berkeley computer scientist Philip Stark, an expert witness for the plaintiffs in the voting machines lawsuit. “This is like bank robbers having an exact replica of the vault that they’re trying to break into,” he said. Stark said the risks could be minimized by using hand-marked paper ballots and rigorous audits. Dominion says its equipment remains secure. Marilyn Marks, executive director of the Coalition for Good Governance, the group that sued over the state’s voting machines, said the state has been slow to investigate. She was on the receiving end of the phone call from the bail bondsman. The state, she said, has been “repeatedly looking the other way when faced with flashing red lights of serious voting system security problems.” State officials say they’re confident the election system is safe. All Coffee County election equipment that wasn’t already replaced will be swapped out before early voting begins next month, the secretary of state’s office said Friday. State officials also noted they were deluged by false claims after the 2020 election. “In retrospect, you can say, well what about this, this and this,” said Gabriel Sterling, a top official in the Georgia secretary of state’s office. “In real time, no, there was no reason to think that.” In late January 2021, a few weeks after the computer forensics team visited, security video shows a secretary of state’s office investigator arriving at the Coffee County elections office. He and the elections supervisor walk into the room that houses the election management system server. Seconds later, Jeff Lenberg, who has been identified by Michigan authorities as being part of an effort to gain access to voting machines there, is seen walking out of that room. Asked whether Lenberg’s presence in the room with sensitive election equipment raised concerns for the investigator, secretary of state’s office spokesperson Mike Hassinger said the investigator was looking into an unrelated matter and didn’t know who Lenberg was. Security video also showed another man, Doug Logan, at the office in mid-January. Logan founded a company called Cyber Ninjas, which led a discredited review of the 2020 election in Maricopa County, Arizona. In May 2021, Coffee County’s new elections supervisor raised concerns with the secretary of state’s office after finding Logan’s business card by a computer. The election supervisor’s concerns were referred to an investigator, but he testified that no one ever contacted him. Hassinger said the secretary of state’s office responds to allegations when they are raised but that “information about unauthorized access to Coffee County’s election equipment has been kept hidden” by local officials and others. Much of what is known was uncovered through documents, security camera video and depositions produced in response to subpoenas in the lawsuit filed by individual voters and the election security advocacy group. The suit alleges Georgia’s touchscreen voting machines are not secure and seeks to force the state to use hand-marked paper ballots instead. The recently produced evidence of a breach wasn’t the first sign of problems in Coffee County, which caused headaches for state election officials in the hectic weeks following the 2020 election. It’s likely that turmoil helped opened the door for Trump’s allies. In early December 2020, the county elections board declined to certify the results of a machine recount requested by Trump, saying the election system had produced inaccurate results. A video posted online days later showed the former county elections supervisor saying the elections software could be manipulated; as she spoke, the password to the county election management system server was visible on a note stuck to her computer. At the end of December, Cathy Latham, the Coffee County Republican Party chair who also was a fake elector for Trump, appeared at a state legislative committee hearing and made further claims that the voting machines were unreliable. Within days of that hearing, Latham said, she was contacted by Scott Hall, the bail bondsman, who had been a Republican observer during an election recount. Latham testified in a deposition that Hall asked her to connect him with the Coffee County elections supervisor (who later was accused of falsifying timesheets and forced to resign). A few days later, on Jan. 7, Hall met with a computer forensics team from data solutions firm SullivanStrickler at the Coffee County elections office. The team copied the data and software on the election management system server and other voting system components, a company executive said in a deposition. The company said it believed its clients had the necessary permission. Invoices show the data firm billed Powell $26,000 for the day’s work. “Everything went smoothly yesterday with the Coffee County collection,” the firm’s chief operating officer wrote to Powell in an email. “Everyone involved was extremely helpful.” Copyright © 2022 The Washington Times, LLC. Read More Here

Magazine Industry In Midst Of ‘death Spiral’ Over Evolving Consumer Habits, Influx Of Woke Politics: Experts https://digitalarizonanews.com/magazine-industry-in-midst-of-death-spiral-over-evolving-consumer-habits-influx-of-woke-politics-experts/ NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! There was a time when eagerly anticipating the mailman’s arrival to drop off beloved periodicals was a key facet of American culture, but a change in consumption habits and perceived liberal agendas have resulted in a “death spiral for the magazine industry,” according to media watchdogs.  “What magazine industry? Twenty-five years ago the big three were TIME, Newsweek and U.S. News. Today one is gone, and the other two are irrelevant leftist rags best used to line parakeet cages,” Media Research Center president Brent Bozell told Fox News Digital.  Indeed, U.S. News & World report stopped publishing hard copies, and essentially lost its relevancy in the process, in 2010. TIME and Newsweek, on the other hand, are still around, but many consider them a shell of their former selves as their influence and place in the cultural zeitgeist dwindles.  VOGUE DECLARES JILL BIDEN ‘FIRST LADY FOR ALL OF US’ IN COVER FEATURE: ‘A JOY MULTIPLIER TIME, already known for its liberal slant, spent years mocking former-President Trump with a variety of disparaging cover images featuring everything from his face melting, his hair on fire, him towering over a migrant child, and him drowning in the Oval Office. The same magazine blended Trump’s face with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of a summit between the world leaders and went on to publish a flattering image of President Biden wearing sunglasses ahead of his meeting with Putin. Earlier this month, TIME was ridiculed when reporter Madeleine Carlisle interviewed Maia Kobabe over the controversy surrounding the book “Gender Queer,” and used “e/em/eir pronouns” to describe the author.  A change in consumption habits and the influx of a liberal agenda have resulted in a “death spiral for the magazine industry,” according to media watchdogs.  (TIME) Fox News contributor Joe Concha used to be an avid TIME reader.  “I revered, I was kind of a dork in my teens and my twenties, but ‘Man of the Year,’ they used to call it ‘Man of the Year,” I actually looked forward to that and would read that particular profile word for word,” Concha told Fox News Digital.  TIME changed the once-lofty honor to Person if the Year in 1999 to be more inclusive, but Concha has noticed others changes, too.  “It used to be so much thicker,” he said. “That I remember most, and now I see it, and it’s just a shell of itself, and I don’t even mean in terms of quantity, I mean in terms of quality. It’s gone so far to the left.” ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ MOCKED FOR GQ MAGAZINE FEATURE: ‘WAIT, WHAT?!’ TIME was widely mocked when the magazine unveiled its cover image ahead of the 2021 summit between a sunglasses-wearing President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin after the publication spent years publishing unflattering illustrations of former President Donald Trump. (TIME) Another magazine that has turned Concha off because of its politics is GQ, which famously hired former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann to host a far-left, anti-Trump video series.  “It’s just gone completely off the rails,” Concha said “When you hire Keith Olbermann, that’s a problem, right?”  The magazine industry even plays favorites when it comes to fashion, as Melania Trump was famously snubbed only to see “First Lady for all of us” Jill Biden land the cover of Vogue, and GQ recently fawned over Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. Concha is a passionate sports fan, but feels Sports Illustrated has also gone “woke,” and didn’t even notice when ESPN the Magazine ceased paper publishing in 2019.  “It’s a classic case of ‘go woke, get broke,’” he said.  CRITICS BLAST TIME FOR MORE FAVORABLE PROFILE OF CHINESE PRESIDENT XI COMPARED TO TRUMP A longtime media executive who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of friends in the industry called the state of magazines “very sad.”  “I love magazines, but it’s a depressing graveyard… just no reason for them anymore,” the executive told Fox News Digital.  “Despite there being some excellent long-form talent out there now, the top magazines are just shadows of what they used to be. The New Yorker, which used to be a must-read, is incredibly boring. Sometimes there’s nothing good in an entire issue. Vanity Fair died by wokeness,” the executive continued. “Probably the best magazine out there now, article for article, is New York magazine and not sure how long it will survive. It’s all very sad.” The once-prestigious Newsweek has been plagued with errors in recent years, having changed 10 different stories in September 2022 alone, according to its own website. In August, Newsweek issued over 30 corrections and the concerning trend has been an ongoing problem for the publication that issued 26 corrections in July.  But not every magazine is losing influence and importance simply because of woke politics or sloppy editing, as many companies have blamed a combination of COVID, poor ad sales or a pivot to digital content for the failure of print publications. “People are just reading things on phones in such a fast-food manner. They’re getting their news from Twitter or from a Facebook post, and a lot of people just don’t have the patience anymore to read the big, long profile or feature or investigative report,” Concha said. “So, it’s as much on the readers as it is on the magazines… but there is no turning back. This is a death spiral for the magazine industry.” A plethora of other magazines have shuttered their print editions in recent memory, including EatingWell, Entertainment Weekly, Health, In Style, Martha Stewart Living, OK! Weekly, Parents and Shape.   TIME MAGAZINE RIDICULED FOR USING ‘CRAZY’ PRONOUNS IN PIECE ON ‘GENDER QUEER’ AUTHOR “It’s always been my philosophy that when you’re through changing, you’re through,” Martha Stewart said earlier this year when it was announced her magazine would stop printing, so resources could be put toward her website. “As consumers continue to search digital platforms for information, I am thrilled to be building Martha.com into the kind of e-commerce digital experience I’ve always wanted for my readers.”  Circulation for roughly 75 of America’s top magazines dropped -9.1% from June 2021 compared to June 2022, according to Alliance for Audited Media, and that is only the decline over the past year. The industry had already seen circulation erode over recent decades as more and more news consumers find their information on the internet.  Fourth Watch editor Steve Krakauer, a devoted media junkie, recently noted that New York magazine is the only print publication he still receives in the mail when covering a deep dive the publication did into Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop. In the modern era, magazines generating news is increasingly rare, but Krakauer believes New York accomplished it this month with an “exhaustive, meticulous” cover story about the scandalous laptop. Krakauer feels “the entire legacy media is in trouble overall, for reasons both in its control and outside of it,” and the magazine industry is no exception.  “In some ways, the magazine industry is a victim of the overall changing habits of its audience — going more digital and finding more specialized and niche routes to get the information and entertainment they want and need,” Krakauer told Fox News Digital. “I used to subscribe to about five magazines and newspapers, now I get one in the mail.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Brian Flood is a media reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to brian.flood@fox.com and on Twitter: @briansflood.  Read More Here

World’s Best Connectors’ Conference Will Explore What It Takes To Be Successful In 2023 https://digitalarizonanews.com/worlds-best-connectors-conference-will-explore-what-it-takes-to-be-successful-in-2023/ WBC is a virtual community for C-Suite Executives. WBC’s 4th annual conference–Leading…From the Top–presented by Arizona State University will explore how being a successful CEO in 2023 is different than being one in 2019. A conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, on October 27 will re-imagine the C-suite in a post-COVID, post-George Floyd, post-January 6 era. LEADING…FROM THE TOP will benefit any CEO, business owner or government official trying to regroup for uncertain times ahead, now that everything is open, but everybody and everything are not back” — Denise Meridith PHOENIX, AZ, USA, September 24, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — Since mask restrictions have been lessened in most places, many people feel the COVID-19 pandemic is over. But the repercussions of the past 2+ years will plague those that lived through it, for the rest of their lives, as The Depression did to The Silent Generation. The long-term effects will be different for different generations. Pre-schoolers and kindergarten children may remember it as the period they spent the most time ever with their parents. Gen Z’ers and Millennials may always regret not having the senior prom for which they had already bought those dresses or tuxedos. Gen X and Baby Boomers, who were riding high and thought they had it all figured out, may still be in shock (and newly in debt). For its fourth annual conference, The World’s Best Connectors (WBC), with its Presenting Sponsor Arizona State University, will host “Leading…From the Top.” This event will explore how being a successful CEO in 2023 differs from being one in 2019, at SkySong Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, on October 27, 2022. WBC is a virtual community and think tank of CEOs, who help other executives do what they do not have the capacity or interest in doing but need to. WBC members act as consultants (helping executives enhance their connections with family, employees, clients, government, and the media). The organization offers workshops and conferences on topics that business owners should know more about but may not have had the time or access to expertise to learn about. For example, on October 6, there is a live workshop in Phoenix: “How to Enhance Your Security: An Introduction for Arizona Business Leaders,” which will provide a quick introduction to cybersecurity and physical security threats for everyone from bookkeepers to schools and police forces. “Leading…From the Top would benefit any CEO, business owner, or government official,” says Denise Meridith, CEO of WBC, “Who is trying to regroup for the uncertain times ahead, now that everything is open, but everybody and everything are not back.” Attendees will first begin networking during a continental breakfast and be welcomed by government officials, such as Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Scottsdale Vice Mayor Solange Whitehead, a representative from Senator Mark Kelly’s office, and ASU Director of Social Embeddedness Christina Ngo. A panel on “Government and Business: Can We Still be Friends?” will provide participants a rare moment to hear about how that is possible from Shannon Smith, the Regional Engagement Office of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco; Arizona Congressman Greg Stanton; Tempe Mayor Corey Woods; and City of Chandler Councilman OD Harris. The challenge and methods of regaining market share will be discussed by master networkers, like David Cogan, CEO of Eliances and the panel moderator; Robert Theobald of the Arizona Commerce Authority; Tricia Benn of the C-Suite Network; and Charlene Ignacio, the CMO Guru, in “Recapturing Partners, Clients, and Customers.” A common post-pandemic issue among seemingly all industries is how to recruit and retain employees while wrestling with cultural changes, such as rewards, dress codes, valuing diversity, and working from home. Juliette Young of ISOutsource will moderate the “Employees: Where Are They Hiding Now” panel with Dr. Ryan Starzyk of the BlueFire Group and Joanna deShay of the Black Russian Line. There will be a special talk on “Fostering Inclusive Excellence” by Rhonda Todd of Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, who will be joining us from Ithaca, New York, by Zoom. Should a CEO still try to invest in network television ads or switch to some newer methodology like reels, streaming TV, or podcasts? How can business owners best use newspapers? What’s a metaverse anyway? Finally, there will be a lively group of experts addressing “The Future of Media in Business: How to Effectively Communicate in the Future, ” moderated by Phoenix Business Journal Publisher Ray Schey. Speakers, including Battinto Batts, the new Dean of ASU’s Cronkite School of Journalism, Eric Sperling of STN TV, and Larry Witherspoon of Connect to Your City, will provide knowledgeable predictions about the changes in, and how to now best use, media. Some CEOs did not seem to realize they had families until COVID forced them to live with spouses and children 24 hours a day. WBC thought it necessary to spend some quality time on these relationships. So, the luncheon—“Keeping CEO’s Families Healthy Physically, Mentally and Economically” will feature Gerran Bettison-Clark, author of the new book Baby Boomers Blueprint to the 21st Century; Jonathan Mason, Director of Project NILO, a new initiative for college athletes, and their parents; and Tanya Best of Keats Coaching. Moderator Lucy Howell, co-founder of The Force for Health, will introduce another new initiative–My Healthy Arizona—which uses social media and gamification to enhance family members’ knowledge of health issues. This will be a unique and exciting opportunity for attendees to acquire resources, referrals, and references from top leaders in many fields and network with many other executives during breakfast, lunch, and the post-event happy hour. There will also be a special get-together, before the conference starts, for WBC Advisors and sponsors, which is hosted by WBC partners, such as the Arizona Commerce Authority and JM Arbour Wealth Management. This is a live event. CEOs, business owners, and community leaders need to register quickly as there is limited seating in the beautiful SkySong Center ballroom in Scottsdale. But WBC encourages its national members, partners, and clients, as well as any other business, government, or community leaders and their teams, who cannot attend in person or for the whole day to purchase tickets to the live Zoom coverage of the event. For more information, readers can go to the WBC website (www.thewbcs.com) or register now. Denise Meridith World’s Best Connectors LLC +1 602-763-9900 email us here Visit us on social media: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn You just read: EIN Presswire’s priority is source transparency. We do not allow opaque clients, and our editors try to be careful about weeding out false and misleading content. As a user, if you see something we have missed, please do bring it to our attention. Your help is welcome. EIN Presswire, Everyone’s Internet News Presswire, tries to define some of the boundaries that are reasonable in today’s world. Please see our Editorial Guidelines for more information. Submit your press release Read More…

Georgia Plans To Replace Voting Gear After Breach https://digitalarizonanews.com/georgia-plans-to-replace-voting-gear-after-breach/ This image from the Coffee County, Ga., Elections Office shows unidentified people around voting equipment in a storage room at the elections office after the 2020 election. (The New York Times/Coffee County Elections Office) ATLANTA — Georgia’s secretary of state announced plans Friday to replace election equipment in one county following “unauthorized access” to the equipment that happened two months after the 2020 election. A computer forensics team hired by allies of then-President Donald Trump traveled Jan. 7, 2021, to Coffee County, about 200 miles southeast of Atlanta. A company representative has said they made complete copies of the election management system server and other election system components. Later that month, two men who have been involved in efforts to discredit the 2020 election results spent hours inside the elections office with access to the equipment. Trump and his supporters pushed false claims about certain voting machines after he lost his bid for reelection. Authorities have said there was no evidence of widespread problems with voting equipment. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said an investigation into the unauthorized access to the equipment by former Coffee County election officials continues. “Anyone who broke the law should be punished to its full extent,” Raffensperger said in a news release. “But the current election officials in Coffee County have to move forward with the 2022 election, and they should be able to do so without this distraction.” Footage from security cameras shows “former election officials in Coffee County permitting access by unauthorized individuals to equipment that under Georgia law should have been secured,” the release stated. The footage was produced in response to subpoenas issued by plaintiffs in a long-running lawsuit against state election officials that claims the state’s touchscreen voting machines aren’t secure. The county’s election management server and central scanner workstation were previously replaced in June 2021, officials have said. The county will receive 100 new touchscreen voting machines, 100 printers, 10 precinct scanners, 21 tablets used to check in voters and new flash cards and thumb drives to be installed and tested before early voting begins next month. Marilyn Marks, executive director of the Coalition for Good Governance, a plaintiff in the voting machine lawsuit, said the election management server and central scanner workstation should also be replaced. She said that’s because they were used with the other potentially contaminated equipment in elections since their replacement last year. Separately, election officials in the state’s most populous county, in and around Atlanta, said Friday that they had fired a worker after learning that “personally identifiable information was shared with an individual outside the organization,” news outlets reported. “The individual responsible for the incident no longer works with Fulton County,” the county said in a news release. “Fulton County is committed to the safety and security of all citizens and employees. Each individual affected by this incident will be notified and will receive credit monitoring services.” Read More Here

Donald Trump Inadvertently Says 'we Need To Keep Our Country Gay' https://digitalarizonanews.com/donald-trump-inadvertently-says-we-need-to-keep-our-country-gay/ Former President Donald Trump speaks at a Save America Rally at the Aero Center Wilmingto. (Allison Joyce/Getty) Donald Trump became an accidental queer ally for a few embarrassing seconds after he mistakenly said “we need to keep our country gay.” The former president malfunctioned at a North Carolina campaign rally on Friday (23 September) where he spoke to a bored-looking crowd in a hodge-podge of buzzwords that he seemed to be reading from an autocue. “Remember I was going to say, I was going to use an expression, ‘We have to keep our country gay, but, uh, but it’s not, I mean for some reason, it’s not great anymore,” a befuddled Trump said. Trump just malfunctioned again. Yikes. pic.twitter.com/4sFvCGdxnT — MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) September 24, 2022 Twitter, of course, jumped at the chance to congratulate the new queer ally in a wave of hilarious tweets, with one user saying: “Donald Trump, welcome to the LGBTQ+ community.” “Finally, I agree with Trump on something!” another user said, with those agreeing, saying “Keep our country gay? Werk!” Others joked that the Republican was showing signs that he was a robot, with one saying: “Here’s their guy with a programming glitch.” As well as mistakenly sending his overwhelming support for the queers, Trump was also at the rally in Wilmington to support senate candidate Ted Budd, who is currently serving as the US representative for North Carolina’s 13th district. But Trump used a large portion of his time at the rally to complain about the lawsuit filed against him and his family business by New York attorney general Letitia James for allegedly overvaluing his assets by billions of dollars. “There’s no better example of the chilling obsession with targeting political opponents than the baseless, abusive, and depraved lawsuit against me, my family, my company, by… the attorney general of New York state,” Trump said, managing to say all the words correctly. His words against James then became increasingly personal and insulting, saying that she was a “raging maniac” and that he thought, “boy, that woman is angry.” Trump also didn’t skip out on his usual talking points, including the lie that he won the 2020 election despite having factually lost. He then reiterated his call for ending early voting and claiming that votes should only take place in person on election day in an effort to fix what he perceives as a broken electoral system. “We’re going to continue to work on that,” he said. “What’s the best thing you can do? How about this? A real complex idea – require the people to vote on election day, in person, with a photo ID. That makes it easy to vote and hard to cheat.” Leaders have made similar blunders in the past In a similarly dire mixup of words, former prime minister Boris Johnson mistakenly thanked Vladimir Putin instead of Volodymyr Zelensky during his second Commons address as a backbench MP. The Conservative minister for Uxbridge and South Ruislip made the slip-up while noting Ukraine’s successful counter-offensive against Russia and urging the government to “double down in our defence of the Ukrainians.” He then intended to thank Ukrainian president Zelensky for his “inspirational leadership”, but instead said Vladimir Putin’s name. “Thanks to the heroism of the Ukrainian armed forces, thanks in part to the weapons that we are proud to be offering,” he said. “Thanks, also, of course, to the inspirational leadership of Vladimir Putin… Volodymyr Zelensky. Forgive me.” Read More Here

Breyer: Supreme Court Leaker Still Appears To Be A Mystery https://digitalarizonanews.com/breyer-supreme-court-leaker-still-appears-to-be-a-mystery/ WASHINGTON — It’s a Washington mystery that no one seems able to unravel. The Supreme Court apparently still hasn’t found the person who leaked a draft of the court’s major abortion decision earlier this year. In a television interview airing this weekend, retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who left the court in June when the justices began their summer break, says he hasn’t heard that the person’s identity has been determined. Breyer, 84, was speaking with CNN anchor Chris Wallace. According to a transcript provided by the network, Wallace asked about the leak, which happened in May: “Within 24 hours the chief justice ordered an investigation of the leaker. Have they found him or her?” “Not to my knowledge, but … I’m not privy to it,” Breyer responds. Wallace presses: “So in those months since, the chief justice never said, ‘Hey, we got our man or woman?’” “To my knowledge, no,” again responded Breyer, who despite being retired maintains an office at the Supreme Court. The interview is to air Sunday on “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” Other justices have also suggested recently that the identity of the leaker remains unknown to the court. At a conference in Colorado this month Justice Neil Gorsuch said it is “terribly important” to identify the leaker and he is expecting a report on the progress of the investigation, “I hope soon.” Justice Elena Kagan also said recently she does not know if the investigation Roberts ordered has determined the source of the leak. Breyer, a liberal appointed to the court by President Bill Clinton, also spoke on a range of other topics with Wallace. He was a about Virginia Thomas, a conservative activist and the wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, and her involvement in helping former President Donald Trump try to overturn his election defeat. Thomas has faced criticism for texting with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and contacting lawmakers in Arizona and Wisconsin in the weeks after the election. She recently agreed to participate in a voluntary interview with the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. “I strongly believe that women who are wise, including wives of Supreme Court justices, have to make the decisions about how to lead their lives, careers, what kind of career etc., for themselves. So on this sort of issue, I understand where you’re going, but I’m not going there. … I’m not going to criticize Ginni Thomas, whom I like. I’m not going to criticize Clarence whom I like. And there we are,” Breyer said. Breyer, who watched his liberal colleague Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg opt not to retire when President Barack Obama could have named a like-minded replacement, said he would miss being on the court but that it was time to leave. Ginsburg died near the end of former President Donald Trump’s term, and he named the conservative Justice Amy Coney Barret to replace her. Barrett was confirmed just days before the presidential election that ousted Trump from office. “I’ve done this for a long time. Other people should have a chance. The world does change. And we don’t know, frankly, what would happen, if I just stayed there and stayed there. How long would I have to stay there? … I owe loyalty to the court, which means don’t muck things up. Do things in a regular order,” Breyer said. Read More Here

NHC Forecasts Tropical Storm Ian Will Hit Florida As Category 3 Hurricane https://digitalarizonanews.com/nhc-forecasts-tropical-storm-ian-will-hit-florida-as-category-3-hurricane-2/ Tropical Depression Nine strengthened into Tropical Storm Ian Friday night. This system is forecast to hit Florida as a Category 3 hurricane next week.As of 5 a.m. Saturday, Tropical Storm Ian had strengthened while moving west over the Central Caribbean and was moving west at 14 mph.Ian had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was located 315 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and 600 miles east-southeast of Grand Cayman. See the latest maps, models and paths hereThe NHC advises hurricane conditions are possible in the Cayman Islands by early Monday.The Florida Keys and South Florida can expect heavy rains to begin as early as Monday. Some flash and urban flooding is possible with this rainfall, according to the NHC.”Rapid intensification is forecast Monday through Wednesday over some very warm water,” WESH 2 Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi said. “GFS model continues to be slower and west of Euro with the forecast cone between these two models tonight. Intensity forecasts remain very impressive in the Category 2 – Category 4 range.”The National Weather Service has urged Florida residents and visitors to gather supplies and keep tracking the forecast. SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:A Hurricane Watch is in effect for…* Cayman IslandsA Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for…* JamaicaA Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous.A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours. Related: Seminole County begins sandbag preps ahead of tropical storm arrivalKNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN A HURRICANE WATCH IS ISSUEDStay tuned to WESH 2 News, WESH.COM, or NOAA Weather Radio for storm updates.Prepare to bring inside any lawn furniture, outdoor decorations or ornaments, trash cans, hanging plants, and anything else that can be picked up by the wind.Understand hurricane forecast models and cones.Prepare to cover all windows of your home. If shutters have not been installed, use precut plywood.Check batteries and stock up on canned food, first-aid supplies, drinking water, and medications.The WESH 2 First Warning Weather Team recommends you have these items ready before the storm strikes.Bottled water: One gallon of water per person per dayCanned food and soup, such as beans and chiliCan opener for the cans without the easy-open lidsAssemble a first-aid kitTwo weeks’ worth of prescription medicationsBaby/children’s needs, such as formula and diapersFlashlight and batteriesBattery-operated weather radioWHAT TO DO WHEN A HURRICANE WARNING IS ISSUEDListen to the advice of local officials. If you are advised to evacuate, leave.Complete preparation activitiesIf you are not advised to evacuate, stay indoors, away from windows.Be alert for tornadoes. Tornadoes can happen during a hurricane and after it passes over. Remain indoors, in the center of your home, in a closet or bathroom without windows.HOW YOUR SMARTPHONE CAN HELP DURING A HURRICANEA smartphone can be your best friend in a hurricane — with the right websites and apps, you can turn it into a powerful tool for guiding you through a storm’s approach, arrival and aftermath.Download the WESH 2 News app for iOS | AndroidEnable emergency alerts — if you have an iPhone, select settings, then go into notifications. From there, look for government alerts and enable emergency alerts.If you have an Android phone, from the home page of the app, scroll to the right along the bottom and click on “settings.” On the settings menu, click on “severe weather alerts.” From the menu, select from most severe, moderate-severe, or all alerts.PET AND ANIMAL SAFETYYour pet should be a part of your family plan. If you must evacuate, the most important thing you can do to protect your pets is to evacuate them too. Leaving pets behind, even if you try to create a safe space for them, could result in injury or death.Contact hotels and motels outside of your immediate area to see if they take pets.Ask friends, relatives and others outside of the affected area whether they could shelter your animal. ORLANDO, Fla. — Tropical Depression Nine strengthened into Tropical Storm Ian Friday night. This system is forecast to hit Florida as a Category 3 hurricane next week. As of 5 a.m. Saturday, Tropical Storm Ian had strengthened while moving west over the Central Caribbean and was moving west at 14 mph. Ian had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was located 315 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and 600 miles east-southeast of Grand Cayman. See the latest maps, models and paths here The NHC advises hurricane conditions are possible in the Cayman Islands by early Monday. The Florida Keys and South Florida can expect heavy rains to begin as early as Monday. Some flash and urban flooding is possible with this rainfall, according to the NHC. “Rapid intensification is forecast Monday through Wednesday over some very warm water,” WESH 2 Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi said. “GFS model continues to be slower and west of Euro with the forecast cone between these two models tonight. Intensity forecasts remain very impressive in the Category 2 – Category 4 range.” This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. So, let’s talk rain. How much are we talking next week through Friday? Colors say some good soaking rain… and the ground is already really saturated… Live team coverage next over on CW18! Join the team! pic.twitter.com/hXTKihXTO5 — Eric Burris (@EricBurrisWESH) September 24, 2022 The National Weather Service has urged Florida residents and visitors to gather supplies and keep tracking the forecast. SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT: A Hurricane Watch is in effect for… * Cayman Islands A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for… * Jamaica A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous. A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours. Related: Seminole County begins sandbag preps ahead of tropical storm arrival KNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN A HURRICANE WATCH IS ISSUED Stay tuned to WESH 2 News, WESH.COM, or NOAA Weather Radio for storm updates. Prepare to bring inside any lawn furniture, outdoor decorations or ornaments, trash cans, hanging plants, and anything else that can be picked up by the wind. Understand hurricane forecast models and cones. Prepare to cover all windows of your home. If shutters have not been installed, use precut plywood. Check batteries and stock up on canned food, first-aid supplies, drinking water, and medications. The WESH 2 First Warning Weather Team recommends you have these items ready before the storm strikes. Bottled water: One gallon of water per person per day Canned food and soup, such as beans and chili Can opener for the cans without the easy-open lids Assemble a first-aid kit Two weeks’ worth of prescription medications Baby/children’s needs, such as formula and diapers Flashlight and batteries Battery-operated weather radio WHAT TO DO WHEN A HURRICANE WARNING IS ISSUED Listen to the advice of local officials. If you are advised to evacuate, leave. Complete preparation activities If you are not advised to evacuate, stay indoors, away from windows. Be alert for tornadoes. Tornadoes can happen during a hurricane and after it passes over. Remain indoors, in the center of your home, in a closet or bathroom without windows. HOW YOUR SMARTPHONE CAN HELP DURING A HURRICANE A smartphone can be your best friend in a hurricane — with the right websites and apps, you can turn it into a powerful tool for guiding you through a storm’s approach, arrival and aftermath. Download the WESH 2 News app for iOS | Android Enable emergency alerts — if you have an iPhone, select settings, then go into notifications. From there, look for government alerts and enable emergency alerts. If you have an Android phone, from the home page of the app, scroll to the right along the bottom and click on “settings.” On the settings menu, click on “severe weather alerts.” From the menu, select from most severe, moderate-severe, or all alerts. PET AND ANIMAL SAFETY Your pet should be a part of your family plan. If you must evacuate, the most important thing you can do to protect your pets is to evacuate them too. Leaving pets behind, even if you try to create a safe space for them, could result in injury or death. Contact hotels and motels outside of your immediate area to see if they take pets. Ask friends, relatives and others outside of the affected area whether they could shelter your animal. Read More Here

How To Watch Utah Vs. Arizona State Live Online On September 24, 2022: TV Channels/Streaming https://digitalarizonanews.com/how-to-watch-utah-vs-arizona-state-live-online-on-september-24-2022-tv-channels-streaming/ On Saturday, September 24, 2022 at 10:30 PM EDT, the Arizona State Sun Devils face the #7 Utah Utes from Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, AZ. The game is airing exclusively on ESPN, which you can stream with a Live TV Streaming Service. Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Utah Utes When: Saturday, September 24, 2022 at 10:30 PM EDT TV: ESPN Stream: Watch with 5-Day Free Trial of DIRECTV STREAM 5-Day Free Trial Get $20 OFF Your First Two Months of DIRECTV STREAM + Get HBO Max For Free for 3 Months. The Arizona State vs. Utah game will be streaming on ESPN, which is available with a 5-Day Free Trial of DIRECTV STREAM. You can also stream ESPN on fuboTV, Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, and YouTube TV. Can you stream Arizona State vs. Utah on DIRECTV STREAM? You can watch the Arizona State vs. Utah game on ESPN with a 5-Day Free Trial of DIRECTV STREAM + $20 OFF your First 2 Months. You will also be able to stream ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPNU, and SEC Network. 5-Day Free Trial Get $20 OFF Your First Two Months of DIRECTV STREAM + Get HBO Max For Free for 3 Months. Can you stream Arizona State vs. Utah on Sling TV? You can watch the Arizona State vs. Utah game on ESPN with Sling TV’s Orange Plan. You can get 50% OFF your First Month for a limited time. You will also be able to stream ACC Network, ACC Network Extra, Big Ten Network, ESPNU, Longhorn Network, Pac-12 Network, and SEC Network. Get 50% OFF Limited Time: Get 50% OFF Your First Month of Sling TV (JUST $17.50) Can you stream Arizona State vs. Utah on fuboTV? You can watch the Arizona State vs. Utah game on ESPN with a 7-Day Free Trial of fuboTV. You will also be able to stream ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPNU, Pac-12 Network, and SEC Network. 7-Day Free Trial Can you stream Arizona State vs. Utah on Hulu Live TV? You can watch the Arizona State vs. Utah game on ESPN with a subscription to Hulu + Live TV, which has $20 OFF your First 3 Months. You will also be able to stream ACC Network, ACC Network Extra, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPNU, and SEC Network. Get $20 OFF Get $20 OFF your first three months of Hulu + Live TV Can you stream Arizona State vs. Utah on YouTube TV? You can watch the Arizona State vs. Utah game on ESPN with YouTube TV. You will also be able to stream ACC Network, ACC Network Extra, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPNU, and SEC Network. Sign Up Can you stream Arizona State vs. Utah on ESPN+? Unfortunately, ESPN+ doesn’t offer a simulcast of college football games that air on ESPN so you won’t be able to stream the Arizona State vs. Utah game on the streaming service. Sign Up Now All Live TV Streaming Options Price: $69.99 Includes: ESPN + 33 Top Cable Channels 5-Day Free Trial Get $20 OFF Your First Two Months of DIRECTV STREAM + Get HBO Max For Free for 3 Months. Price: $69.99 Includes: ESPN + 26 Top Cable Channels 7-Day Free Trial Price: $35 Includes: ESPN + 15 Top Cable Channels Get 50% OFF Limited Time: Get 50% OFF Your First Month of Sling TV (JUST $17.50) Price: $69.99 Includes: ESPN + 31 Top Cable Channels Get $20 OFF Get $20 OFF your first three months of Hulu + Live TV Price: $64.99 Includes: ESPN + 31 Top Cable Channels Sign Up Utah vs. Arizona State Game Preview: No. 13 Utah big favorite on road against reeling Arizona St TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona State would have a tough task beating No. 13 Utah this weekend even in ideal circumstances. Nothing about the past week has been ideal. The Sun Devils will play their first game with interim coach Shaun Aguano in charge when they host the Utes on Saturday night. The school fired coach Herm Edwards on Sunday after the team’s embarrassing 30-21 loss to Eastern Michigan. Aguano called the opportunity to lead the Sun Devils a “dream” even though he considers Edwards a good friend. Now it’s his job to help the Sun Devils (1-2) salvage a season that’s quickly gone south, starting with the their Pac-12 opener on Saturday. “Our kids and coaches have been through a lot in the last 24 hours,” Aguano said earlier this week. “My focus is the next nine conference games. How do I inspire these guys to play fast, physical football?” The Sun Devils will face a Utah team that has bounced back from a season-opening loss to Florida with consecutive lopsided wins against Southern Utah and San Diego State. The Utes (2-1) are still considered one of the favorites to win the Pac-12 title, even after losing to the Gators. Utah enters the game as a two-touchdown road favorite. Cameron Rising has completed 67% of his passes for 694 yards, eight touchdowns and just one interceptions. The Utes are also averaging 216.5 yards on the ground per game, which leads the Pac-12. Even though just everything about Saturday’s game seems to favor Utah, veteran coach Kyle Whittingham remains wary of the Sun Devils. “Arizona State has a lot of good players and when you look at film there isn’t a shortage of talent,” Whittingham said. “They had a tough game on Saturday night, but they have some guys.” Later he added: “It’s like a wounded animal. It’s dangerous. … You take it for granted, they’ll beat you, I promise you that.” The Utes are just 4-7 in conference openers since joining the Pac-12. EMORY’S PROGRESS Arizona State quarterback Emory Jones has played fairly well in his first three games since transferring from Florida during the offseason. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder has thrown for 557 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while also running for three touchdowns. He also has some playmakers around him: Xazavian Valladay ran for 127 yards and a touchdown against Eastern Michigan while Elijhah Badger caught seven passes for 88 yards. TAVION’S TROUBLES It’s been a tough couple weeks for Utah running back Tavion Thomas, who Whittingham said is still grieving the death of a close family member. Thomas still opted to play last weekend against San Diego State and finished with 59 yards rushing a touchdown. Thomas ran for more than 1,100 yards last season and 21 touchdowns. He’s had a slightly slower start this year with 222 yards rushing and four touchdowns. He’s averaging 4.4 yards per carry. SOELLE CAN TACKLE Arizona State linebacker Kyle Soelle had a whopping 18 tackles against Eastern Michigan. He has 39 tackles this season, which ranks fourth in the nation. UTAH’S RISE Whittingham said he was very pleased with the play of Utah’s defensive line during the team’s 35-7 win over San Diego State last weekend. The Utes allowed just 173 total yards in the victory. “The defensive tackles have made an impact. Junior Tafuna has really come back in his own,” Whittingham said. “He started the season off a little slow but he is now playing with a great deal of confidence and explosiveness. If you watch the tape and focus on him, he’s dominant.” AGUANO’S CHANCE Aguano was born and raised in Kapaa, Hawaii, but eventually became one of the most decorated high school coaches in Arizona history, leading Chandler High to four state 6A titles. Aguano joined Edwards’ staff in 2019, helping turn the Sun Devils into one of the nation’s top rushing teams. “We are 0-0 in Pac-12 play and all our goals still lay ahead of us and within reach,” Aguano said. “I still believe in this team. Our coaches believe in this team. And most important of all, our players still believe in this team. As the leader of this program, I know that I must embrace them, coach them, mentor them, but also — and most importantly — love them.” Read More Here

Top Meta Official To Decide If Trump Can Return To Facebook & Instagram In 2023 https://digitalarizonanews.com/top-meta-official-to-decide-if-trump-can-return-to-facebook-instagram-in-2023/ In the aftermath of the chaotic events of January 6, 2021, former US President Donald Trump was barred from most social media platforms. Nearly two years down the line, Meta (more colloquially known as Facebook) is expected to decide on whether to reinstate the Republican leader on the platform or not.  Reportedly, Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs has been charged with the duty to decide if Trump can return to Facebook and Instagram in 2023. The top Meta official, at a recent public event, stated he will make the final call in consultation with CEO Mark Zuckerberg.  “It’s not a capricious decision. We will look at the signals related to real-world harm to make a decision whether at the two-year point which is early January next year whether Trump gets reinstated to the platform.” said Clegg.  It is pertinent to note that Trump was banned from nearly every major social media platform in the aftermath of the January 6 Capitol riots where Trump supporters allegedly attempted to overturn the election results. The Republican leader was accused of posting messages online to incite violence. While Twitter banned the Republican leader for perpetuity, Facebook imposed a two-year ban to be later re-evaluated. However, since the ban was imposed, much water has flown under the bridge. Trump has formed his own social media platform called Truth Social where he routinely gives an unabridged piece of his mind. While Trump has not commented on a return to Facebook, he has made it clear that he is not returning to Twitter, the microblogging platform.  “I am not going on Twitter, I am going to stay on Truth. I hope Elon buys Twitter because he’ll make improvements to it and he is a good man, but I am going to be staying on Truth. The bottom line is, no, I am not going back to Twitter.” Trump said in an interview earlier this year. Read more: Is Donald Trump’s social media platform in financial trouble? (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:   Read More Here

Elton John, A Trump Favorite, Sings At White House On Biden's Invite https://digitalarizonanews.com/elton-john-a-trump-favorite-sings-at-white-house-on-bidens-invite/ WASHINGTON: Elton John on Friday sang at the White House at the invitation of President Joe Biden, after declining invitations from his predecessor Donald Trump. Dressed in a glittering black suit and wearing orange glasses, the 75-year-old pop icon sat down at the piano on the South Lawn of the White House, with the US presidential residence lit up in the background. “I don’t know what to say, what a dump,” John joked as he took the stage to perform his 1970 hit “Your Song.” “I’ve played in some beautiful places before, but this is probably the icing on the cake.” About 2,000 guests were invited to the event, including activists, LGBTQ campaigners, nurses, teachers and others. Also in attendance were Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and former tennis champion and activist Billie Jean King, the White House said in a statement. Photo: AFP Britney Spears makes musical comeback with Elton John duet “It’s clear Elton John’s music has changed our lives,” Biden said. The singer spoke of the importance of fighting HIV/AIDS and thanked the United States for its role in battling the virus. According to the White House, Friday’s event was meant to celebrate the unifying power of music. But as John performed his hits ‘Tiny Dancer’ and ‘Rocket Man,’ which were often played at Trump rallies, they were a reminder of the deep divisions in US politics. John, who was on a marathon global farewell tour, thanked Biden for the invitation and also praised former US President George W. Bush. “I just wish America could be more bipartisan on everything,” John said. At the end of the night, Biden surprised John by presenting him with the National Humanities Medal for empowering people to fight for justice. “I’m never flabbergasted,” said a visibly emotional John. “But I’m flabbergasted.” Read More Here

Gravette Man Wants Capitol Riot Case Dismissed; His Attorney Says Biden, Congress Have ‘poisoned’ The Jury Pool https://digitalarizonanews.com/gravette-man-wants-capitol-riot-case-dismissed-his-attorney-says-biden-congress-have-poisoned-the-jury-pool/ Richard Barnett (Washington County sheriff’s office & special to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette/AFP via Getty Images/Saul Loeb) A Gravette man’s Capitol riot case should be dismissed because President Joe Biden and the congressional Jan. 6 Committee have “intentionally and irreparably poisoned the jury pool,” according to a motion filed Friday in federal court in the District of Columbia. Alternatively, Richard “Bigo” Barnett, 62, of Gravette, wants his Dec. 12 trial to be moved to the Western District of Arkansas, which is “the only place where he has any chance of selecting a fair and impartial jury of his peers,” according to the motion filed by Barnett’s attorney, Joseph D. McBride. “Mr. Barnett respectfully submits that President Biden’s continued defamatory statements about January 6th Defendants and MAGA Republicans in conjunction with the actions of the January 6th Committee, have prejudiced him to the extent that dismissal of his indictment is warranted,” wrote McBride. “The President has incited the entire nation to hate the January 6th defendants as a patriotic duty,” wrote McBride. “The President, the holder of National Command Authority, has charged the American Public with protecting democracy against MAGA Republicans, at any cost. He has made it clear, ‘it’s us against them.'” Barnett moves to dismiss the case in its entirety because it is no longer possible for him to receive a fair trial, according to the motion. “Both the legislative branch and executive branch have declared him to be an enemy of the state,” wrote McBride. “… jurors were given the duty by the President’s message to find Mr. Barnett guilty.” In a separate brief filed Thursday, McBride said Barnett has become “the most iconic face of the January Sixth defendants.” Barnett faces seven charges, including felony charges for taking a dangerous weapon — a stun gun — into the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. He became widely known after photographs circulated of him sitting with his foot propped on a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office suite. The Jan. 6 riot escalated from a “Stop the Steal” rally in which some supporters of then-President Donald Trump entered the Capitol and attempted to stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote indicating that Joe Biden had won the presidential election. [MOTION: Read the request to dismiss Barnett’s case » arkansasonline.com/924bigo/]     In Friday’s filing, Barnett said he was “swept inside with a mass wave of people” and he wound up in Pelosi’s office because he was looking for a restroom. Barnett said a reporter invited him to sit at the desk in Pelosi’s offices and “act natural.” Barnett realized he had bled on an envelope there, so he took it with him “for sanitary reasons,” leaving 27 cents as compensation, according to McBride’s brief. Friday’s motion cites a speech Biden made on Sept. 1. In that speech, Biden made 31 statements regarding MAGA Republicans, according to McBride. “Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic,” Biden said during the speech. “Now, I want to be very clear — very clear up front: Not every Republican, not even the majority of Republicans, are MAGA Republicans. Not every Republican embraces their extreme ideology.” “I know because I’ve been able to work with these mainstream Republicans,” said Biden. “But there is no question that the Republican Party today is dominated, driven, and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans, and that is a threat to this country.” In Thursday’s brief, McBride wrote that Biden was referring to Barnett and other Jan. 6 defendants when the president said, “They promote authoritarian leaders, and they fan the flames of political violence that are a threat to our personal rights, to the pursuit of justice, to the rule of law, to the very soul of this country. They look at the mob that stormed the United States Capitol on January 6th — brutally attacking law enforcement — not as insurrectionists who placed a dagger to the throat of our democracy, but they look at them as patriots.” Potential jurors heard the president’s words and similar statements from the Jan. 6 Committee and national news media, according to McBride. “Over 94% of D.C. voters cast ballots for this President and almost as large a percent either work for the federal or D.C. government or have family and friends who do,” McBride wrote in Friday’s motion. “The President’s words are akin to an order for D.C. juries to find the defendants guilty of any and every charge because they are insurrectionists and terrorists. The January 6th Select committee has mirrored those remarks.” McBride filed a separate motion on Thursday saying certain language should be excluded from Barnett’s trial, including “terrorism,” “terrorist,” “insurrection,” “insurrectionist,” “mob,” “rioter,” “treason,” “traitor,” “sedition,” “conspiracy,” “attack on the Capitol,” “attack on democracy,” “threat to democracy,” “attack on Congress,” “white supremacy/supremacists,” “police were killed,” “stun gun” and “other inflammatory language related to groups such as the ‘Proud Boys’ and ‘Oath Keepers,’ as well as references to places on the grounds or in the Capitol where he did not go.” “These are terms whose value, if any, is significantly outweighed by their proclivity to provoke an emotional response from the jury, as well as the entirely foreseeable prejudice that is certain to occur from their admission,” wrote McBride. “Mr. Barnett requests also that this Honorable Court order the exclusion of any news reports during and after January 6, 2021, that mention police personnel that died,” according to McBride’s motion. “No police were killed by events at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and Mr. Barnett was not involved in any violence.” Three police officers died in the days after the riot, according to The New York Times. Officer Brian D. Sicknick of the Capitol Police, who was attacked by the mob, died the following day of natural causes — multiple strokes that occurred hours after his confrontation at the Capitol, according to the Washington medical examiner’s office. Two other officers died by suicide. “Mr. Barnett is not charged with insurrection, seditious conspiracy, terrorism (where there is no U.S. statute for domestic terrorism as a crime) or inciting a riot,” wrote McBride. “He is not a member of the ‘Proud Boys’ or ‘Oathkeepers,’ or any militia. He is not a white supremacist or member of any revolutionary group (such as Black Lives Matter which espoused the overthrow of the U.S. Government with no repercussions). He did not enter the House or Senate Chamber. None of the imagery that the media and Government always superimpose over January 6th Defendants should be used in this Honorable Court. He did not bring a firearm to the U.S. Capitol.” Besides Barnett, Peter Francis Stager, 43, of Conway also faces felony charges in connection with the riot. Stager remains in the District of Columbia jail. He is the only Jan. 6 defendant from Arkansas still incarcerated. Jon Thomas Mott, 39, of Yellville faces misdemeanor charges in connection with the Jan. 6 breach. All three have pleaded not guilty. Robert Thomas Snow, 78, of Heber Springs pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for “parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol building.” He was sentenced to probation and community service. Read More Here

James C. Barnett Jr. Obituary (2022) The Rock Island Dispatch Argus https://digitalarizonanews.com/james-c-barnett-jr-obituary-2022-the-rock-island-dispatch-argus/ James C. Barnett, Jr. October 2, 1961-August 16th, 2022 MARICOPA, AZ-James C. Barnett, Jr. of Maricopa, Arizona, died unexpectedly on August 16th, 2022. He was 60 years old. He was born on October 2, 1961 in Madera, California. Jim is survived by his wife, Leslie; children, Michael (Alicia) Barnett of Geneseo, Illinois, Erica (Dan) Anderson of Annawan, Illinois, Bryan Barnett of Davenport, Iowa, Brandon (Melanie) Barnett of Davenport, Iowa and Bryce Barnett of East Moline, Illinois; mother, Janeen Scroggins of Auxvasse, Missouri; step-mother, Alice Barnett of Rancho Santa Fe, California; brother, Kevin Barnett of Hanford, California; sisters, Jeri (Willie) Guerrero of Hanford, California and Pam (Don) Ingalls of Port Bryon, Illinois; 12 grandchildren and many more family and friends. He was preceded in death by his father, James C. Barnett, Sr. and a brother, David Noel. Jim spent his childhood in both California and Illinois. He attended Piedmont Hills High School in San Jose, California. After High School he joined the Marines. Jim was very proud of his accomplishments in the Marines, especially boxing in England where he won many bouts. He was extremely hard working and owned and operated his own trucking company in his early years. Jim spent most of his career working on various pipelines for Murphy Brothers, Midwest Underground and Precision Pipeline. He was a proud member of the Teamsters Union and the International Union of Operating Engineers. He had currently been employed by Updike Distribution Logistics in Phoenix, Arizona. Jim enjoyed life immensely, always looking for the next adventure. He loved working in the yard, barbecuing, boating, cars and most of all his motorcycles. He loved feeling free and riding. “I just want to ride, baby, ride.” He also loved to spend time in his garage/ man cave piddling with his bikes. Music was a big part of his life; he could sing every word to all the songs of his generation – he was a walking juke box. Jim was loved and will be missed by many. Arrangements are private and a celebration of life will be held at a later date. If you wish to honor Jim a contribution can be made to your favorite charity. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.AdvantageMaryvale.com for the Barnett family. Published by The Rock Island Dispatch Argus on Sep. 24, 2022. 34465541-95D0-45B0-BEEB-B9E0361A315A To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store. Read More…

Fiona Makes Landfall, Slams Canada's Atlantic Coast With Severe Winds And Rain https://digitalarizonanews.com/fiona-makes-landfall-slams-canadas-atlantic-coast-with-severe-winds-and-rain/ (CNN)Hurricane Fiona, now referred to as a post-tropical cyclone, has made landfall in Nova Scotia, racing through Canada’s Atlantic seaboard early Saturday in what could be a “landmark” weather event for the country. An unofficial barometric pressure of 931.6 mb was recorded at Hart Island, which would make Fiona the lowest pressure land-falling storm on record in Canada, according to the Canadian Hurricane Centre. Wind observations on Beaver Island in eastern Nova Scotia were recorded at 94 mph (152 km/h). Parts of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island started to feel the storm’s arrival Saturday morning as winds and rains extending far from the storm’s center knocked out utilities. More than 376,000 customers across Nova Scotia have lost power so far, according to the region’s power outage center. Residents in New Brunswick, southern Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador additionally face severe weather as Fiona tracks north at more than 40 mph (65 km/h) following its landfall between Canso and Guysborough in eastern Nova Scotia. Fiona is expected to pass through Cape Breton Island on Saturday morning and reach the southeastern Labrador Sea by evening. “The storm is producing severe winds and very heavy rainfall,” the Canadian Hurricane Centre said before landfall. “Wide spread gusts of 80-110 km/h (50-68 mph) have been so far reported over Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Iles-de-la-Madeleine, with a peak gust to 144km/h (90 mph) over Beaver Island, Nova Scotia.” Fiona weakened slightly on Friday to a Category 2 storm yet is still expected to bring damaging storm surges, heavy rain and severe wind. Fiona had been a Category 4 storm early Wednesday over the Atlantic after passing the Turks and Caicos and remained so until Friday afternoon. Officials along the Atlantic seaboard have urged those in Fiona’s path to be on high alert and prepare for the impact of the storm, which has already claimed the lives of at least five people and shut off power for millions as it battered multiple Caribbean islands this week. Homes and water infrastructure across Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Turks and Caicos were heavily damaged and many residents are still trying to recover. Fiona is on track to be an “extreme weather event” in eastern Canada, threatening with about two months’ worth of rainfall, forecasters in Canada said Friday. “This could be a landmark event for Canada in terms of intensity of a tropical cyclone,” and it could even become Canada’s version of Superstorm Sandy, said Chris Fogarty, Canadian Hurricane Centre manager. Sandy in 2012 affected 24 states and all of the eastern seaboard, causing an estimated $78.7 billion in damage. Fiona became post-tropical before making landfall, arriving at the same time as a trough of low pressure and cold air to the north — much like Sandy did, according to Bob Robichaud of the Canadian Hurricane Centre. “What these things tend to do, they tend to grow in size tremendously, which is again what Fiona is doing as well,” he said Friday. “Sandy was larger than Fiona is expected to be even. But the process is essentially the same — where you have two features kind of feeding off each other to create one strong storm like we’re going to see overnight and into tomorrow.” Hurricane-force winds can extend up to 185 miles out from Fiona’s center and tropical-storm-force winds up to 345 miles out, according to CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam. Storm surge will be ‘significant,’ officials say In the days leading up to Fiona’s expected arrival, officials ramped up services to assist those in need and implored residents to take caution. “It has the potential to be very dangerous,” said John Lohr, the minister responsible for the Emergency Management Office for Nova Scotia, on Thursday. “Impacts are projected to be felt across the province.” Residents should brace for damaging winds, high waves, coastal storm surge and heavy rainfall, which may lead to prolonged power outages, Lohr said. Emergency officials have encouraged people to secure outdoor items, trim trees, charge cell phones and create a 72-hour emergency kit. Shelters for residents have been established throughout Nova Scotia, including multiple in Halifax County, according to officials. The area has not seen a storm this intense for about 50 years, according to Fogarty. “Please take it seriously because we are seeing meteorological numbers in our weather maps that are rarely seen here,” Fogarty said. Prince Edward Island officials also implored residents to prepare for the worst as the storm looms. Tanya Mullally, who serves as the province’s head of emergency management, said one of the most pressing concerns with Fiona is the historic storm surge it is expected to unleash. “Storm surge is certainly going to be significant. … Flooding that we have not seen nor can we measure against,” Mullally said Thursday during an update. Canadian Hurricane Center modeling suggests the surge “depending on the area, could be anywhere from 1.8 to 2.4 meters (6-8 feet),” said Robichaud. The northern portion of the island stands to bear the brunt of the storm due to the direction of the winds, which will likely cause property damage and coastal flooding, Mullally said. All provincial campgrounds, beaches and day-use parks as well as the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park were closed Friday, the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office said. CNN’s Derek Van Dam, Haley Brink, Aya Elamroussi, Theresa Waldrop and Christina Maxouris contributed to this report. Read More Here

NHC Forecasts Tropical Storm Ian Will Hit Florida As Category 3 Hurricane https://digitalarizonanews.com/nhc-forecasts-tropical-storm-ian-will-hit-florida-as-category-3-hurricane/ LET US GET THE LATEST UPDATE AS WE TRACK TROPICAL STORM AND. CAM TRAN AND ERIC BURRIS ARE IN THE BUILDING. WHERE THE STORM AT HOW STRONG IS IT? ERIC: IT IS NOT CARIBBEAN SEA WITH WIND AT 45 MILES AN HOUR. IT IS EXPECTED TO GET STRONGER OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS AND WE ARE ENTERING INTO SOME OF THE ABSOLUTE HOTTEST WATERS IN THE ATLANTIC BASIN. WATER TEMPERATURE IS RUNNING 87 TO 88 DEGREES. EXPECT THAT INTENSITY TO BUILD. HERE IS A LOOK AT THE FORECAST CONE. OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS GETTING STRONGER AND BECOMING A HURRICANE AS IT PASSES THE ATTICA MAN’S AS IT APPROACHES CUBA — PASSES THE CAYMANS AND AS IT APPROACHES CUBA IT BECOMES CATEGORY 2. WEDNESDAY AT 2:00 A.M., WIND AT 200 MILES AN HOUR. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT HOW THIS REMINDS THEM OF CHARLIE AND IF THERE IS ONE LESSON FROM CHARLIE IS NOT TO FOCUS ON THE LINE, BUT THE CONE ITSELF. AFTER IT PROGRESSES IT MOVES INLAND AND GRADUALLY WEAKENS. THURSDAY SUMMER AND WEAKENING AS IT MOVES OVER LAND. THE FORECAST MODELS ARE IN AGREEMENT OVER CUBA AND THEN THEY SPREAD OUT OVER FLORIDA. WE HAVE NOT KAIDEN ON A LAND FAR — KEYED IN ON A LAND POINT. THE REASON IT IS NOT KEYED IN HAS TO DO WITH A BIGGER WEATHER PATTERN. WE HAVE IAN LIFTING UP AND THERE IS A BIG DRAW FROM CANADA AND AS THE TWO OF THEM INTERACT WE START TO FINE TUNE THE FORECAST. BUT THE TROUGH IS A LITTLE STRONGER OR WEAKER AND IN A LITTLE QUICKER — IAN A LITTLE QUICKER OR SLOWER DEPENDS. ONE KEY INGREDIENT WILL BE TO HURRICANE HUNTERS. YOU’RE WATCHING THEM TAKING OFF INTO THE STORM SYSTEM. AS THAT PLAYS OUT WE WILL GET MORE INFORMATION AND MORE INFORMATION INTO THE COMMUNITY MODELS. — COMPUTER MODELS. CAM TRAN GIVES US MORE ON WHAT THE MODELS ARE SAYING. CAM: WE ARE WATCHING FOR POTENTIAL IMPACTS AND ONE OF THE BIG ONES WAY THINGS WILL BE THE BRAIN. IT DEPENDS ON THE TRACK SYSTEM. EUROPEAN MODEL HAS BEEN MORE BULLISH HUGGING THE WEST COAST AND THE PLANS THAT THE PENINSULA BRINGING MY RAINFALL. AN EASTERN TRACK RAINFALL. THIS IS REALLY FRIDAY MORNING AND YOU CAN SAY THAT SOME ABOUT, THE DARK RED AFTER THE WEST OF THE METRO IN ANYWHERE BETWEEN EIGHT TO 12 INCHES PROBABLY AMERICAN J.A. HAPP HAS A MORE WESTERLY TRACK MEANING LESS IMPACT AT HOME. MAMMA CAN GFS HAZMAT AREAS TALKING ABOUT THREE TO FIVE INCHES AS MUCH AS FIVE TO EIGHT INCHES. SOME OF THE COASTLINES HAVE EIGHT INCHES. WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT WE ARE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THE SYSTEMS AND MODELS. WE ARE ALSO — MATH — ALSO WATCHING THE CHANCELLOR HURRICANE FORCE WIND AND SOME AREAS COULD FEEL THEM AS EARLY AS WEDNESDAY MORNING AND POSSIBLY OVER CENTRAL FLORIDA UNTIL THURSDAY MORNING. BACK AT HOME WE ARE TRACKING SEVERAL THINGS BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT NOW IS THE TIME TO PREPARE AND TODAY IS THE DAY TO GET SUPPLIES. TOMORROW AND MONDAY WE SHOULD BE DONE WITH SUPPLIES AND HURRICANE KIDS. TUESDAY IS WHEN WE ARE EXPECTING THE HYBRIDS. BACK AT HOME IT IS QUIET. IT IS LOOKING QUIET THROUGH THE DAY SO TODAY IS THE DAY TO GET THE HURRICANE KIDS READY SO RAIN CHANCES ARE LOWER. TEMPERATURES LOOKING AT 70. 76 AND ORLANDO. — IN ORLANDO. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 80’S THANKS TO MICHAEL FRONT. THE CURRENT RISK IS — BIRTHDAYS ARE NOT LOOKING BAD. TOMORROW A 30% RANGE CHANCE AND THEN WE UP THE INTO MIDWEEK AS WE TRACK POSSIBLE IMPACTS. LOOKING AT THE EXTENDED WEATHER FORECASTS. USE THESE DAYS TO GET YOURSEL NHC forecasts Tropical Storm Ian will hit Florida as Category 3 hurricane Tropical Depression Nine strengthened into Tropical Storm Ian Friday night. This system is forecast to hit Florida as a Category 3 hurricane next week.As of 5 a.m. Saturday, Tropical Storm Ian had strengthened while moving west over the Central Caribbean and was moving west at 14 mph.Ian had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was located 315 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and 600 miles east-southeast of Grand Cayman. See the latest maps, models and paths hereThe NHC advises hurricane conditions are possible in the Cayman Islands by early Monday.The Florida Keys and South Florida can expect heavy rains to begin as early as Monday. Some flash and urban flooding is possible with this rainfall, according to the NHC.”Rapid intensification is forecast Monday through Wednesday over some very warm water,” WESH 2 Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi said. “GFS model continues to be slower and west of Euro with the forecast cone between these two models tonight. Intensity forecasts remain very impressive in the Category 2 – Category 4 range.”The National Weather Service has urged Florida residents and visitors to gather supplies and keep tracking the forecast. SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:A Hurricane Watch is in effect for…* Cayman IslandsA Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for…* JamaicaA Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous.A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours. Related: Seminole County begins sandbag preps ahead of tropical storm arrivalKNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN A HURRICANE WATCH IS ISSUEDStay tuned to WESH 2 News, WESH.COM, or NOAA Weather Radio for storm updates.Prepare to bring inside any lawn furniture, outdoor decorations or ornaments, trash cans, hanging plants, and anything else that can be picked up by the wind.Understand hurricane forecast models and cones.Prepare to cover all windows of your home. If shutters have not been installed, use precut plywood.Check batteries and stock up on canned food, first-aid supplies, drinking water, and medications.The WESH 2 First Warning Weather Team recommends you have these items ready before the storm strikes.Bottled water: One gallon of water per person per dayCanned food and soup, such as beans and chiliCan opener for the cans without the easy-open lidsAssemble a first-aid kitTwo weeks’ worth of prescription medicationsBaby/children’s needs, such as formula and diapersFlashlight and batteriesBattery-operated weather radioWHAT TO DO WHEN A HURRICANE WARNING IS ISSUEDListen to the advice of local officials. If you are advised to evacuate, leave.Complete preparation activitiesIf you are not advised to evacuate, stay indoors, away from windows.Be alert for tornadoes. Tornadoes can happen during a hurricane and after it passes over. Remain indoors, in the center of your home, in a closet or bathroom without windows.HOW YOUR SMARTPHONE CAN HELP DURING A HURRICANEA smartphone can be your best friend in a hurricane — with the right websites and apps, you can turn it into a powerful tool for guiding you through a storm’s approach, arrival and aftermath.Download the WESH 2 News app for iOS | AndroidEnable emergency alerts — if you have an iPhone, select settings, then go into notifications. From there, look for government alerts and enable emergency alerts.If you have an Android phone, from the home page of the app, scroll to the right along the bottom and click on “settings.” On the settings menu, click on “severe weather alerts.” From the menu, select from most severe, moderate-severe, or all alerts.PET AND ANIMAL SAFETYYour pet should be a part of your family plan. If you must evacuate, the most important thing you can do to protect your pets is to evacuate them too. Leaving pets behind, even if you try to create a safe space for them, could result in injury or death.Contact hotels and motels outside of your immediate area to see if they take pets.Ask friends, relatives and others outside of the affected area whether they could shelter your animal. ORLANDO, Fla. — Tropical Depression Nine strengthened into Tropical Storm Ian Friday night. This system is forecast to hit Florida as a Category 3 hurricane next week. As of 5 a.m. Saturday, Tropical Storm Ian had strengthened while moving west over the Central Caribbean and was moving west at 14 mph. Ian had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was located 315 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and 600 miles east-southeast of Grand Cayman. See the latest maps, models and paths here The NHC advises hurricane conditions are possible in the Cayman Islands by early Monday. The Florida Keys and South Florida can expect heavy rains to begin as early as Monday. Some flash and urban flooding is possible with this rainfall, according to the NHC. “Rapid intensification is forecast Monday through Wednesday over some very warm water,” WESH 2 Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi said. “GFS model continues to be slower and west of Euro with the forecast cone between these two models tonight. Intensity forecasts remain very impressive in the Category 2 – Category 4 range.” This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. So, let’s talk rain. How much are we talking next week through Friday? Colors say some good soaking rain… and the ground is already really saturated… Live team coverage next over on CW18! Join the team! pic.twitter.com/hXTKihXTO5 — Eric Burris (@EricBurrisWESH) September 24, 2022 The National Weather Service has urged Florida residents and visitors to gather supplies and keep tracking the forecast. SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT: A Hurricane Watch is in effect for… * Cayman Islands A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for… * Jamaica A Hurricane Watch means t...

‘I Am Not A Terrorist’, Says Donald Trump At Rally Amid Legal Battles https://digitalarizonanews.com/i-am-not-a-terrorist-says-donald-trump-at-rally-amid-legal-battles/ Former US president Donald Trump at a scoffed rally in North Carolina on Friday scoffed at the suggestion that he and his supporters are dangerous and extreme. “They want to call us domestic terrorists,” Donald Trump said. “Can you believe it? I’m not a terrorist”, he added. Embroiled in multiple criminal investigations, Donald Trump accused the Joe Biden administration of using FBI resources and taking them “away from fighting crime and using them for partisan political investigations.” Fuming, Donald Trump also said that there is now “great anger” in US because of multiple investigations against him and his supporters following the January 6 2021 Capitol riot. “Never forget all of this torment. persecution and oppression is not happening because of anything we’ve done wrong,” Trump said. Read more: Trump slams New York state attorney general after fraud lawsuit filed Donald Trump’s remarks came after President Joe Biden’s recent speech in Philadelphia, during which he described Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) movement as extreme and dangerous. “Too much of what’s happening in our country today is not normal. Maga Republican represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our Republic”, Biden had said. ABOUT THE AUTHOR When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, “What is the purpose of journalism in society?” Subscribe to our best newsletters Read More Here

Trump Allies Create A New Super PAC Called MAGA Inc. https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-allies-create-a-new-super-pac-called-maga-inc-2/ Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, in Youngstown, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar) NEW YORK — Top allies of former President Donald Trump are creating a new super PAC that’s expected to serve as the main vehicle for his midterm spending and could become a key part of his campaign infrastructure should he move forward with a 2024 White House run. The political action committee, called MAGA Inc., will supersede Trump’s existing super PAC, Politico first reported. Paperwork for the new committee was filed Friday morning with the Federal Election Commission. The buildout comes as Trump, a Republican, is under mounting legal pressure on multiple fronts. The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into how hundreds of documents with classified markings ended up at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, and state and federal officials are probing his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. And in New York, Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit this week claiming Trump’s namesake company engaged in decades of fraudulent bookkeeping, padding his net worth by billions of dollars and habitually misleading banks. News of the new super PAC also comes less than two months before the Nov. 8 midterm elections and as many Republican candidates have been struggling to raise money against well-funded Democrats. “President Trump is committed to saving America, and Make America Great Again, Inc. will ensure that is achieved at the ballot box in November and beyond,” said Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich, who will serve as the group’s executive director. Others joining the committee include Republican strategist Chris LaCivita, longtime Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio and communications aides Steven Cheung and Alex Pfeiffer. Until now, Trump’s Save America leadership PAC, which must abide by far stricter fundraising and spending limits and has come under its own scrutiny, has served as his chief political vehicle. Super PACs can raise unlimited money and spend it freely but are barred from coordinating directly with campaigns. Trump officials declined to say how much the notoriously thrifty former president intends to spend on his midterm efforts or how much he might try to transfer from his Save America PAC, which ended August with more than $90 million. The Associated Press previously reported that aides had been discussing the possibility of moving at least some of that money to a new or repurposed super PAC, though campaign finance experts are mixed on the legality of such a move. While Trump has been a prolific fundraiser since leaving office, vacuuming up small-dollar donations, his existing super PAC — Make America Great Again, Again! — has not been a major midterm player. Trump has been under growing pressure to open his war chest and start spending on midterm races as Republicans have been outraised by Democrats heading into the final campaign stretch. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, in particular, has urged candidates with Trump’s support to ask him to open his wallet. In the meantime, candidates, including some who presented themselves as McConnell antagonists during their primaries, have had to grovel to him and the Senate Leadership Fund, the super PAC he controls, which had $100 million in reserve at the end of June. Trump played a highly visible role during the GOP primaries, endorsing hundreds of candidates up and down the ballot, from Senate to governor to county commissioner. But some of those contenders are now struggling in their general election races, putting control of the evenly divided Senate up in the air. Trump is widely expected to launch another presidential run, but the timing of an announcement remains unclear. While he had once been keen to announce before the midterm elections, in part to try to stave off a long list of potential rivals who have been circling, some aides have urged him to wait, warning that announcing early could leave him open to blame if Republicans perform poorly in November. Print Headline: Trump allies create a new super PAC called MAGA Inc. Read More Here

Electoral College Act Fixes Advance https://digitalarizonanews.com/electoral-college-act-fixes-advance/ WASHINGTON — The U.S. Congress took its first major steps last week to pass legislation to revise the antiquated Electoral Count Act of 1887 as members of both parties said they wanted to avoid repetition of the 2020 presidential election. Lawmakers expressed a sense of urgency in fixing the 135-year-old act after former President Donald Trump tried to exploit its ambiguous language to stay in power and his supporters’ attacked the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021 to disrupt certification of President Joe Biden’s victory. Last Wednesday, the U.S. House, in a largely partisan 229-203 vote, passed a bill favored by Democrats that tightens the act. Nearly all Republicans voted against it because Democrats excluded them from the process and pushed it through to boost their chances in the midterm elections Nov. 8. Many Republicans prefer the Senate’s version. Last Thursday, the bipartisan Senate legislation picked up two more sponsors ahead of a Senate Rules Committee working session and vote scheduled for Tuesday. That sets it up for consideration on the Senate floor, which could happen before or after the Nov. 8 elections. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is working with supporters of the Senate version, including sponsors Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Schumer spokesman Angelo Roefero told Newsday. For the past two years, members of Congress, constitutional scholars and advocacy groups have identified at least four weaknesses in the Electoral Count Act, and both the House and Senate bills attempt to address them. Here are questions and answers about the act and proposals to fix it. What is the Electoral Count Act? The law controls the process for appointing electors for president, certifying and transmitting electoral votes to Congress, opening and counting the votes and resolutions of disputes, according to the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School a nonpartisan policy and law institute. Congress passed the act to create a process to settle disputes a decade after Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel Tilden deadlocked in the 1876 presidential vote amid controversies about some states’ slates of electors. Hayes won by offering to remove troops from the South, which began the Jim Crow era of racial segregation and oppression. What is wrong with the Electoral Count Act? Its language is archaic, convoluted and unclear. One sentence is 275 words long with 21 commas and two semicolons. The ambiguities had not mattered as long as losing presidential candidates conceded defeat, even if they complained about voting irregularities. Trump, in his refusal to accept defeat and insisting that Democrats stole the election, exposed the act’s flaws. What key fixes do the House and Senate bills propose? While the bills have differences, both focus on four main aspects of the Electoral Count Act: the role of the vice president, objections by members of Congress to electoral slates, eliminating “fake electors” and limiting the circumstances for declaring “failed elections” in states. Defining the Vice President’s Role The 12th Amendment says the vice president, who serves as president of the Senate, shall “open all certificates and the votes shall then be counted.” The Electoral Count Act says that after tellers count the votes, the vice president shall “announce the state of the vote.” But based on an interpretation by former law professor John Eastman that the vice president could toss electors, Trump and top aides pressured Pence to use his role as president of the Senate to throw out contested state slates of electors. Pence refused. Both bills state clearly that the vice president performs only a “ministerial role” in overseeing the certification of the electoral vote, and nothing more. Limiting Lawmakers’ Objections Under the Electoral Count Act, both a House member and a senator can jointly raise an objection to a state’s slate of electors based on whether it was certified lawfully. Some lawmakers have tried to raise objections in many of the past certifications of the presidential vote, often as protests. Yet Republican Trump supporters planned to object to six state slates, enough to tie up the certification, After the riot, they objected to two slates. Both bills would make it harder to raise objections, narrowing the grounds and increasing the number of lawmakers needed. The Senate bill sets the threshold at one-fifth of each chamber; the House puts it at one-third of each. Blocking “Fake Electors” Trump supporters created an alternative slate of electors — dubbed “fake electors” because they had no legal standing — to the slates legally elected in a bid to tie up the electoral vote count in at least four states. The Electoral Count Act has a process for determining the officially approved slate of electors. But the House and Senate bills would ensure only Congress counts the electoral votes — and, as the Senate measure puts it, ensures the existence of one “single, conclusive slate of electors.” Both bills require each state’s governor to submit the electors, and creates a legal process if a governor refuses to submit a slate or if a presidential candidate challenges it. Defining “Failed Elections” Although Trump did not try to use it, lawmakers and experts said they feared a candidate could exploit an 1845 federal law allowing state legislatures to override the popular vote by declaring a “failed election.” To fix that flaw, the Senate bill requires a state to appoint electors on Election Day, and provides flexibility for state laws to extend voting because of “extraordinary and catastrophic” events. The House bill also requires Election Day appointment of electors. But it allows a state to extend voting for five days in case of a “catastrophic event,” defined as “a major natural disaster, an act of terrorism, or a widespread power outage.” A panel of judges must OK the extension. The Core Concept “The core concept is the peaceful transfer of power,” Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) said at a Senate hearing on the legislation earlier this year. “And underlying that is a clear set of rules and principles that people can all understand and accept in advance,” he said. “And then it’s a mechanical process of counting the votes, determining who gets the electoral votes in a particular state, and then having Congress meet and count those votes, as has been done in the past, more or less routinely.” Tom Brune covers the White House, Congress, the Supreme Court and the federal government from Washington, D.C. Read More Here

In-Person Voting Starts In Minnesota, 3 Other Early States https://digitalarizonanews.com/in-person-voting-starts-in-minnesota-3-other-early-states/ By Steve Karnowski and Christina A. Cassidy – Associated Press Friday, September 23, 2022 MINNEAPOLIS — In-person voting for the midterm elections opened Friday in Minnesota, South Dakota, Virginia and Wyoming, kicking off a six-week sprint to Election Day in a landscape that has changed much since the pandemic drove a shift to mail balloting in the 2020 presidential contest. Twenty people voted in the first hour as Minneapolis opened its early voting center, taking advantage of generous rules that election officials credit with making Minnesota a perennial leader in voter turnout. First in when the doors opened was Conrad Zbikowski, a 29-year-old communications and digital consultant who said he has voted early since at least 2017. “I like to vote early because you never know what might happen on Election Day,” said Zbikowski, displaying his civic pride with a T-shirt that bore the sailboat logo of the City of Lakes. “You might get sick, you might get COVID, you might get in a car crash, there’s many things that can happen. But what you do have control over is being able to vote early and getting that ballot in.” The start of in-person voting comes as the nation continues to grapple with the fallout from nearly two years of false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from former President Donald Trump due to widespread fraud and manipulation of voting machines. Those conspiracy theories, promoted by a constellation of Trump allies in the campaign, on social media and at conferences held across the country, have taken a toll on public confidence in U.S. elections. They’ve also led to tightening of rules that govern mail ballots in several Republican-led states as well as an exodus of experienced election workers, who have faced an onslaught of harassment and threats since the 2020 election. But nearly two years since that election, no evidence has emerged to suggest widespread fraud or manipulation while reviews in state after state have upheld the results showing President Joe Biden won. PHOTOS: In-person voting starts in Minnesota, 3 other early states Saturday also is the deadline by which election officials must send ballots to their military and overseas voters. North Carolina started mailing out absentee ballots Sept. 9. Early in-person voting is offered in 46 states and the District of Columbia, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. States may use different ways to describe it, with some calling it in-person absentee voting or advanced voting. In some cases, it mirrors Election Day voting with polling locations equipped with poll workers and voting machines. Elsewhere, it involves voters requesting, completing and submitting an absentee ballot in person at their local election office. Early voting periods vary by state, with some offering as few as three days and others extending to 46 days. The average is 23 days, according to the conference of legislatures. This year, voting will unfold in a much different environment than two years ago, when the coronavirus prompted a major increase in the use of mail ballots as voters sought to avoid crowded polling places. States adopted policies to promote mail voting, with a few states opting to send mail ballots to all registered voters and others expanding the use of drop boxes. While some have made those changes permanent, others have rolled back them back. For instance, Georgia will have fewer drop boxes this year and has added ID requirements to mail ballots under legislation pushed by Republican state lawmakers. In Wyoming, a steady stream of voters filed into the lone early polling place in Cheyenne, which offered a refuge from winds that toppled a “Vote Here” sign. About 60 people had voted there by midday, Laramie County Clerk Debra Lee said. “It’s less people and we don’t have to worry,” said one early voter, Brent Dolence of Cheyenne. “Things move faster and you don’t have to wait so much.” Unlike elsewhere in the U.S., poll workers in Laramie County haven’t been subjected to threats and harassment, Lee said, but they’ve received plenty of questions from voters about machines and the county’s lone ballot drop box. “They’re really looking at things and asking questions,” Lee said. “In a good way. You know, wanting information. They’re curious.” Minnesota’s ballot includes races for governor and other statewide offices, with control of the Legislature at stake, too. Zbikowski declined to say for whom he voted. But he said he doesn’t take the right to vote for granted, given that his family came to America from Russia when it didn’t have free elections. As a part-time poll worker – he was off-duty Friday- he said he’s seen Minnesota’s safeguards firsthand and has full confidence in the integrity of the process. Other early voters included first-timers Ronald Johnson and his wife, Judith Weyl, who voted on Election Day in 2020. They both said they voted a straight Democratic ticket. “It just feels like this election is so important, life is so busy, I just wanted to have closure on this as quickly as possible,” Johnson said. Johnson, a 74-year-old mental health counselor, said he wanted to support candidates who will preserve a Minnesota election system that he said has integrity. He said he “absolutely” supports the state’s chief elections officer, Secretary of State Steve Simon, over GOP challenger Kim Crockett, who has called the 2020 election a “train wreck” and has advocated for a return to voting mostly on Election Day. Simon, in contrast, calls the 2020 election “fundamentally fair, honest, accurate and secure,” and defends the changes that he oversaw to make voting safer in the pandemic. “We really care about protecting democracy,” said Weyl, 73. Aaron Bommarito, a 48-year-old teacher who also said he voted a straight Democratic ticket, said he has no concerns about his votes being counted properly and has “absolute confidence in the system.” He said voting early was a spur-of-the moment decision. He just happened to be driving by the voting center and seized the moment. “I dropped my two kids off at school, and the ‘Vote Here’ sign was the next thing I saw,” he said. Copyright © 2022 The Washington Times, LLC. Read More Here

CAMPAIGN ALMANAC: Grassley, Franken Argue Tax Policy Claims In New Grassley Ad https://digitalarizonanews.com/campaign-almanac-grassley-franken-argue-tax-policy-claims-in-new-grassley-ad/ COURIER DES MOINES BUREAU A new ad from incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley’s campaign targets Democratic candidate Mike Franken’s tax positions, saying the retired Navy admiral would raise taxes if elected. The ad mentions several areas where it claims Franken would raise taxes, including income, the estate tax, capital gains, and Social Security. In a press release, Franken’s campaign said several of the claims in the ad are false. “At a time of record-breaking inflation contributing to Iowans’ soaring cost of living, Iowans need a senator who will provide tax relief, not tax hikes,” Grassley’s campaign spokesperson Michaela Sundermann said in a statement. The ad points to comments Franken made in an Iowa PBS debate for several of the claims, including saying he would repeal tax breaks passed under President Donald Trump in 2017. All income brackets saw tax cuts from that law, but the cuts were more concentrated with higher earners. It says those comments show Franken is in favor of raising the estate tax and cutting the Child Tax Credit, which were both included in Trump’s tax law. In a press release, Franken’s campaign said the candidate is in favor of making sure the estate tax is not “used as a tax dodge for massive inheritances.” But, he would not increase the estate tax “on regular Iowans, including our farmers, by one penny.” On the Child Tax Credit, Franken’s campaign said the candidate is not in favor of cutting that tax credit. He said on Iowa Press that after cutting the Trump tax cuts he would “piecemeal some of the other leftover ones that were in the Build Back Better.” Franken said in Cedar Rapids this week he is in favor of removing the cap on Social Security tax, requiring everyone to pay the same rate for Social Security, regardless of income. Workers and their employers are currently required to contribute 6.2 percent of their income to Social Security up to $147,000. On increasing income taxes, Grassley’s campaign pointed to a quote from a Winterset campaign event, in which Franken said, “Remember the ‘70s where those that made a lot of money paid 70 percent tax? Now, it’s not that. And the write-offs are ridiculous. We can do this.” Franken’s campaign said the comments stem from support for a Medicare for All system. The system, they said, would save taxpayers money because they would not have to pay for health insurance premiums. “No matter how much Senator Grassley tries to mislead Iowans to cover up his own record, the truth is clear: Adm. Franken’s tax plan will lower costs for working Iowans, while ensuring the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share to strengthen our economy, improve our infrastructure, and create better schools,” Franken’s spokesperson C.J. Petersen said. REYNOLDS GUEST SPEAKER: Wesley Hunt, a U.S. Army veteran and candidate for the U.S. House in Texas, will be the special guest speaker at Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ fifth annual Harvest Festival, her campaign fundraiser. “Wesley loves this country and he has been on the front lines of defending freedom during his time in the U.S. Army,” Reynolds said in a campaign news release. “Now he’s running for Congress and fighting to build and grow the future of our nation’s conservative movement.” Hunt is running for Congress in a Texas district that leans strongly toward Republicans. Reynolds’ Harvest Festival is scheduled for 4 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Paul R. Knapp Animal Learning Center at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. Tickets for the event, which start at $50, can be purchased at reynoldsharvestfestival.com. Photos: 2022 Cedar Falls Homecoming Pep Rally A member of the Cedar Falls boys’ golf team hypes up the crowd at a pep rally. Cedar Falls High School held its 2022 homecoming pep rally on Friday ahead of the Tigers upcoming football game against Muscatine. Ethan Petrik, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier A Cedar Falls senior high fives Cedar Falls cross country team member Colin Johnson after he spoke during the homecoming pep rally. Cedar Falls High School held its 2022 homecoming pep rally on Friday ahead of the Tigers upcoming football game against Muscatine. Ethan Petrik, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier Cedar Falls High School held its 2022 homecoming pep rally on Friday ahead of the Tigers upcoming football game against Muscatine. Ethan Petrik, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier Cedar Falls seniors participate in a school spirit cheer. Cedar Falls High School held its 2022 homecoming pep rally on Friday ahead of the Tigers upcoming football game against Muscatine. Ethan Petrik, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier Cedar Falls High School held its 2022 homecoming pep rally on Friday ahead of the Tigers upcoming football game against Muscatine. Ethan Petrik, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier Cedar Falls High School held its 2022 homecoming pep rally on Friday ahead of the Tigers upcoming football game against Muscatine. Ethan Petrik, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier Cedar Falls High School held its 2022 homecoming pep rally on Friday ahead of the Tigers upcoming football game against Muscatine. Ethan Petrik, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier Cedar Falls High School held its 2022 homecoming pep rally on Friday ahead of the Tigers upcoming football game against Muscatine. Ethan Petrik, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier Cedar Falls High School held its 2022 homecoming pep rally on Friday ahead of the Tigers upcoming football game against Muscatine. Ethan Petrik, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Read More Here

Comment: One Vote Shows Little Seperates GOP And Its Fringe | HeraldNet.com https://digitalarizonanews.com/comment-one-vote-shows-little-seperates-gop-and-its-fringe-heraldnet-com/ By Jonathan Bernstein / Bloomberg Opinion The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed its updated version of the Electoral Count Act, the archaic and loophole-filled law governing how Congress certifies presidential elections. The Senate has yet to act on its own version, which is similar, but with 10 co-sponsors from each party, it appears to be well on its way to passage, and there’s every possibility that a reconciled bill will be signed into law later this year. So much for the good news. The less good news is what the House passage of the bill — on close to a party-line vote, with only nine Republicans joining all Democrats — says about the state of the Republican Party. As it turns out, when it comes to defending democracy, so-called mainstream Republicans may not be so different from extremist Republicans. This difference was the topic of intense debate in the Democratic Party this year. The party supported some extreme candidates in Republican congressional primaries, on the theory that they would be easier to defeat in the general election. Critics said the practice was irresponsible and risked the possibility of putting people who would be a threat to U.S. democracy in Congress. Wednesday’s vote doesn’t completely end that debate. But it does demonstrate that most mainstream Republicans are not interested in defending the Constitution; either because they are radicals themselves, or because they won’t stand up to those who are. The House debate of the Electoral Count Act demonstrated exactly why Democrats may have been justified in their meddling. With only a handful of exceptions, most notably Wyoming’s Liz Cheney, a cosponsor of the bill, Republicans rejected the bill. Indeed, the party whipped against it, indicating that opposing this reform — opposing a key defense against a future coup — was an official party position. Why? Few Republicans who participated in the House debate cited anything about the bill itself. Most of them talked more about inflation, crime, migrants and how President Biden was ruining the nation. This bill, they said, was an attempt to distract Americans from their real problems. Earlier reporting by Axios offered a more plausible reason: It quoted Republicans who opposed the bill because Cheney supported it. And their problem with Cheney is that she voted to impeach Donald Trump, and has participated in the Jan. 6 committee. If that’s really their reason, what does that say about them? The obvious implication is that some of those Republicans are perfectly happy with a vulnerable election process; and the rest aren’t willing to fight for one. Not against Trump; not against Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene and the other radicals who are the real leaders of the House Republicans; not against Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson and Mark Levin and the other leaders of the Republican Party. So the problem isn’t just the extremists; it’s the rank-and-file Republican politicians. It means that there’s just not much of a difference between a House Republican conference with a few more radicals and one with a few more mainstream members. During the floor debate, many Republicans questioned why the bill was being rushed. The answer is obvious: There’s a very good chance that Republicans will have a House majority in January, and no one expects them to move similar legislation. Yes, things are different on the Senate side, where more Republicans may vote for it. Still, there’s a good argument that the more House Republicans are elected, the more U.S. democracy is in danger. (And for whatever it’s worth, in all six districts where Democrats meddled and the more extreme Republican was nominated, the Democrat is likely to win.) Meanwhile, it remains absolutely critical that House Democrats and the bipartisan Senate group resolve their differences and pass a bill quickly. Well-written laws may not be able to completely stop coup plotters. But there’s no excuse for not making it as difficult as possible for them. Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. A former professor of political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio and DePauw University, he wrote A Plain Blog About Politics. Read More Here

QB Adam Damante Throws For 7 TDs In 55-35 Win Over Prescott https://digitalarizonanews.com/qb-adam-damante-throws-for-7-tds-in-55-35-win-over-prescott/ September 24, 2022 by Brian M. Bergner Jr., AZPreps365 ALA-Gilbert North quarterback Adam Damante (8) gets ready to take the snap against Prescott on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. Damante threw seven touchdown passes in a 55-35 win over the Badgers. (Brian M. Bergner Jr./AzPreps365) PRESCOTT — Quarterback Adam Damante threw for seven touchdowns and ran for another to lead American Leadership Academy-Gilbert North past Prescott 55-35 on Friday night. Despite a lengthy 27-minute opening kickoff delay due to half the stadium lights refusing to turn on at Bill Shepard Field, the Eagles (3-1, 0-0 4A East Sky) used a 21-point offensive outburst in the first quarter to set the tone early and stay one step ahead of a Prescott. “Let me tell you, that’s a good football team,” ALA-Gilbert North head coach Randy Ricedorff said of Prescott after the game. “That’s a big, physical team with a lot of backs who just run hard. They have a lot of spirit; they didn’t quit, and they kept coming at us.” McKay Beardall heads for the end zone as Prescott linebacker Cody Leopold tries to tackle him. Beardall scored on the play for ALA-Gilbert North in a 55-35 victory Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, in Prescott. (Brian M. Bergner Jr./AzPreps365) HANGING TOUGH The Badgers (2-1, 0-0 4A Grand Canyon) came within a few plays of potentially tying the ball game midway through the third quarter. Junior linebacker Wyatt Rewerts recovered a rare fumble from Damante and Prescott capitalized. Cody Leopold scored a 2-yard touchdown to cut the Eagles’ lead to seven, 35-28, with 8:09 to play in the third quarter. Leopold rushed for nearly 100 yards and three touchdowns in the loss Friday. On the ensuing possession, Prescott’s defense forced the Eagles to punt for only the second time all night, but a few plays later, Austin Izydorczyk picked off quarterback Jaxon Rice to kill Badger hopes of tying the ball game. Damante followed up the quick turn of fate for his ball club and didn’t miss this time, finding Brandon Phelps on a 30-yard touchdown strike after a 67-yard drive following the turnover, giving ALA-Gilbert North a 42-28 lead with 2:56 to play in the third quarter and they never looked back. “They made a few more plays than us. Really, I think there’s six or seven plays, if they go the other way, you never know,” Prescott head coach Cody Collett said. “It comes down to the end, there. Credit to [ALA]. They are very well coached; they have a very good team, and they did enough to beat us tonight. We’ll get back to the drawing board and keep working at it.” MORE ON DAMANTE Damante, who reportedly has already committed to play football for Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff in 2023, answered Prescott’s game-opening score with his legs instead of his arms. Badgers quarterback Jaxon Rice found Alex Vaughn on a 44-yard touchdown pass to put Prescott up 7-0 early, but Damante answered with a 17-yard touchdown run of his own to tie the game. Prescott wide receiver Alex Vaughn celebrates a 44-yard touchdown catch that put the Badgers up 7-0 with 9:02 to play in the first quarter against ALA-Gilbert North on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, in Prescott. The Eagles won, 55-35. (Brian M. Bergner Jr./AzPreps365) After finding Slade on a 5-yard touchdown throw, the receiver’s first of three scoring catches, Damante hooked up with Phelps on a 15-yard toss to make it 21-7 with 18 ticks left in the first quarter. Damante hit five different receivers four touchdowns Friday night. He now has 19 passing touchdowns in just four games this fall. “We’re pretty good throwing the ball, no question about that. We have a lot of weapons. Adam is a special quarterback, certainly one of Arizona’s best with his speed, elusiveness, and ability to extend plays,” Ricedorff said. “It was a challenge, they really came after him tonight and he got hit a couple of times, so hats off to him for staying composed and keeping his head in the game.” Damante said it was a “team win.” “Everyone was just doing their job. For me to throw [seven] touchdowns … all my receivers doing their job, my o-line blocking, because they were bringing pressure all night. We had to get the ball out quick, get it to the receivers and doing their job,” Damante said. Slade mirrored his teammates response. “It’s a team effort. We want to get the defense off the field, and we want to get the ball in Adam’s hands. We all trust each other; we have chemistry going,” Slade said. UP NEXT ALA-Gilbert North travels to ALA-Queen Creek on Friday, Sept. 30. The Patriots (3-1, 0-0 5A San Tan) lost 27-17 to Queen Creek after starting the fall 3-0. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Prescott heads into Week 5 with a road trip to Greenway (0-3, 0-0 4A Skyline). The Demons lost 58-27 to Thunderbird on Friday night, and were outscored 99-14 in the first two games of the season against Sunnyslope (Sept. 2, 51-7) and Walden Grove (Sept. 9, 48-7). Kickoff at Greenway is set for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30. Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on Twitter @AzPreps365Brian. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com. Read More Here

Zelensky Calls On Ukrainians In Occupied Territory To Resist Russian Draft https://digitalarizonanews.com/zelensky-calls-on-ukrainians-in-occupied-territory-to-resist-russian-draft/ Image Cheering at passing military vehicles on Friday in Chuhuiv, in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine.Credit…Yasuyoshi Chiba/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images With Russia laying the groundwork to formally annex areas it is occupying, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine directly asked Ukrainians to help the nation’s war effort even from within the occupied territory. Russian-backed officials in eastern and southern Ukraine continued carrying out referendums that began on Friday and that were widely viewed as staged to establish a pretext for Moscow to incorporate those areas into the Russian Federation. That would allow the Kremlin to conscript people from the region for its war effort and frame attacks on the territory as attacks on Russia. Mr. Zelensky, in his nightly address on Friday, asked those living in regions under partial Russian control — Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizka and Kherson — to avoid Russian mobilization efforts “by any means” and to try to make it to Ukraine-held lands. If they cannot, and end up in the Russian military, Mr. Zelensky asked that they assist Ukraine’s fight from the inside. “Sabotage any activity of the enemy, hinder any Russian operations, provide us with any important information about the occupiers — their bases, headquarters, warehouses with ammunition,” he said. “And at the first opportunity, switch to our positions. Do everything to save your life and help liberate Ukraine.” Ukrainian partisans have played a major role in the war from behind enemy lines. They were credited with taking part in a strike on a Russian air base in Crimea, an area that has been under Moscow’s control since 2014, and attacks on Russian-appointed officials in occupied cities. As the referendums on joining Russia began this week, partisans targeted election infrastructure, blowing up warehouses containing ballots or buildings where officials were meeting in preparation for the vote. An explosion rocked the Russian-controlled southern city of Melitopol on Friday morning before voting started. Mr. Zelensky said in his speech that Ukraine’s stunning advance in recent weeks, which has forced a Russian retreat in the country’s northeast, was enabled by the collaboration of Ukrainians living under Russian rule there. Praising their efforts, he said, “Please do everything to increase such help.” After President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia announced a mobilization this week that could draft about 300,000 people into the military, Ukrainians in occupied lands expressed fears of the same fate. Olha, a Ukrainian who spoke on Thursday night to friends in Enerhodar, a Russian-controlled city in southeastern Ukraine near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, said men ages 18 to 35 were being prevented from leaving the city. She said she was nervous that annexation would force young men to join the Russian military and fight against fellow Ukrainians. Mr. Zelensky called such mobilization efforts “criminal” and called on outside governments to condemn the draft and “sham” referendums in occupied Ukraine. — Victoria Kim and Maria Varenikova Image Residents of Luhansk, Ukraine, voted in a referendum organized by Russian authorities on Friday. Polling stations were installed across Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory for referendums on annexation by Russia.Credit…EPA, via Shutterstock Russian soldiers, wearing balaclavas and wielding guns, flanked election workers. Ukrainians were forced to vote while Russian officials or their proxies stood guard. Some residents even hid in their homes, terrified that voting against Russia’s annexation would lead to their being abducted, or worse. As Russia began orchestrating staged voting in referendums across Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine on Friday, Ukrainians in those areas expressed a mix of anger, defiance and fear that their homeland was being usurped by force in what they called a sham vote. The aim of the hastily called referendums — supported by pro-Russian residents and their proxies — was apparent: to give President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia a legally bogus pretext to gobble up their country. And they brought back memories of staged votes in 2014 in Crimea that were swiftly followed by Russia’s annexation of the peninsula. BELARUS POLAND RUSSIA Kyiv UKRAINE Luhansk Donetsk MOLDOVA Zaporizka ROMANIA Kherson CRIMEA 200 miles RUSSIA Kyiv UKRAINE Luhansk Donetsk MOLDOVA Zaporizka Kherson ROMANIA CRIMEA 200 miles Tina, 27, a freelance journalist who was visiting her fiancé’s parents in Beryslav, in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine, said that she drove through the streets on Friday morning and saw Russian officials standing in a neighbor’s yard, waiting for him to fill the ballot before passing it on to someone in a nearby vehicle. Russian officials were going door to door, she said, to deliver ballots, peering into the windows of homes that did not answer their call. “We are against these occupiers,” Tina said, “but we do not have a right to say no — we cannot refuse.” Tina, who said she has participated in protests against the Russian occupation, said that her fiancé’s relatives had locked their gates and doors and turned off their lights, as Ukrainian authorities had advised. But she was worried that their address would be noted and there would be negative repercussions if they refused to answer the door. “After living side by side with them for more than six months now, we have learned that any refusal could result in a direct ticket to the basement,” she said, using a phrase Ukrainians under occupation in Kherson, a port city in the country’s south, have started using to describe abductions by occupying forces. Olha, a Ukrainian who spoke on Thursday night to friends in Enerhodar, a Russian-controlled city in southeastern Ukraine near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, said men aged 18 to 35 were being prevented from leaving the city. Echoing the concerns of many Ukrainians, she said she was nervous that Russian annexation would force young men to join the Russian military and fight against fellow Ukrainians. That has already happened in parts of Luhansk and Donetsk occupied by Russia since 2014. “They want to conscript them to the Russian armed forces,” Olha said. “And Ukrainians will have to fight against Ukrainians,” she said, stopping as she broke into tears. Like others interviewed for this article, she did not want to use her full name out of concern for her safety. Andriy, 44, who has friends and relatives in Kherson, said he had spoken to them in recent days and they had told him that it wasn’t possible to leave the city because of the referendum. “You know, those who are smart, they sit at home and don’t go anywhere,” he said by phone from Kyiv. Image Residents of Luhansk, Ukraine, waited to vote at a polling station set up for this week’s referendum on whether to be annexed by Russia. Credit…Associated Press In Russian-occupied Melitopol, in southeastern Ukraine, Natalia, 73, a pensioner, said that the referendums had shocked her. “The scariest thing is that after the referendum, if Ukraine tries to liberate my city, it will be considered as an attack on Russia,” she said. She said the Russians had set up information booths about the referendum across Melitopol, and had hung banners with pro-Russian slogans. The city, she said, was covered with Russian flags, and patriotic Russian music played. On Friday, she said, she looked out the window of her apartment and saw two pro-Russian referendum workers entering the building. She remained inside, far from the window, to avoid being seen. But she managed to spot two soldiers, each wearing a balaclava and clutching a gun, escorting three referendum workers. She said that a polling station had been set up in the gym of a school. “I will not go to vote,” Natalia said. “Only if they point a gun at me, and even then I will vote for Ukraine.” Diana Poladova contributed reporting. Image Construction workers lineup to cast ballots at a mobile polling station in Russian-controlled Mariupol in eastern Ukraine on Friday. The referendum has been called a sham by the G7.Credit…Associated Press President Biden and leaders of the Group of 7 nations on Friday condemned Russia’s hastily called referendums in occupied parts of Ukraine, a possible prelude to annexation of those territories, calling the votes a flagrant violation of international law. “These sham referenda initiated today by Russia and its proxies have no legal effect or legitimacy, as demonstrated by Russia’s hasty methods of organization, which in no way respect democratic norms, and its blatant intimidation of local populations,” the leaders of the group, which includes the United States, Britain and other Western powers, said in a statement released on Friday afternoon. “These referenda in areas that have been forcibly put under Russia’s temporary control in no way represent a legitimate expression of the will of the Ukrainian people, who have consistently resisted Russian efforts to change borders by force,” the leaders continued. “We will never recognize these referenda which appear to be a step toward Russian annexation and we will never recognize a purported annexation if it occurs.” The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, told reporters on Friday that the Biden administration was “prepared to impose additional swift and severe economic costs on Russia along with our allies and partners in response to these actions if they move forward with annexation.” Nodding to the Group of 7 statement, Ms. Jean-Pierre said the United States would “never recognize this territory or as anything other than part of Ukraine, because we stand with our partners around the world in rejecting whatever f...

Chandler Wins Round Three Against Saguaro https://digitalarizonanews.com/chandler-wins-round-three-against-saguaro/ The Chandler Wolves took down the reigning Open Division champion Saguaro Sabercats, 31-21 at home. After falling to them in the title gamer last season, this game was circled on the calendar all offseason by the Wolves. Claudia Collins and Jordan Spurgeon caught up Chandler head coach Rick Garretson and some players after the game. Read More Here

Elton John In Tears As President Biden Surprises Him With Medal At White House Gig https://digitalarizonanews.com/elton-john-in-tears-as-president-biden-surprises-him-with-medal-at-white-house-gig/ Sir Elton John has played for Joe Biden and about 2,000 fans on the White House lawn as part of his farewell tour, with the singer in tears as the president awarded him a medal. Introducing the star, Mr Biden said: “Like so many Americans, our family loves his music. It’s clear Elton John’s music has changed our lives.” The president said in his 2017 book that he sang Crocodile Rock to his son Beau when he was a child, and again when he was dying of cancer. Sir Elton performed the song at Friday’s gig, as well as tracks such as Tiny Dancer, Rocketman and Your Song. Nurses, teachers, emergency services workers and LGBTQ activists were among the audience at the show, intended to honour what the White House called “everyday heroes”. The singer, 75, said the performance was the “icing on the cake” of his decades-long career. Elton had previously declined to play for former president Donald Trump’s inauguration but appeared in his element at Friday’s gig. And there was a surprise too – with President Biden awarding him the National Humanities Medal. “I’m flabbergasted,” said a tearful Sir Elton. “I will treasure this.” “I don’t know how to take a compliment very well,” he added. “But it’s wonderful to be here amongst so many people who have helped my AIDS foundation and my heroes, the ones that work day to day on the front line.” Image: It was an emotional night for the 75-year-old singer. Pic: AP Image: Pic: AP In between songs, Elton gave shout-outs to the likes of ex-president George W Bush for his administration’s plan to tackle AIDS – and former first lady Laura Bush was in the audience. The singer’s foundation has raised more than £400m to combat the virus around the world since being set up in 1992. Elton is in the middle of a farewell tour that includes a show in Washington on Saturday and gigs across America until mid-November. It heads to Australia and New Zealand at the end of the year before heading to Europe in March – where dates include nine days at London’s O2 Arena. Read More Here

After Declaring That He's 'not A Terrorist' Trump Uses North Carolina Rally To Vilify New York Attorney General Letitia James https://digitalarizonanews.com/after-declaring-that-hes-not-a-terrorist-trump-uses-north-carolina-rally-to-vilify-new-york-attorney-general-letitia-james/ Former President Donald Trump bashed the NY AG who filed a suit against him and his family business. His remarks came at a Friday rally where he also lifted up his children, who were named in the suit. Trump called Letitia James “racist” and said her actions were “gross prosecutorial misconduct.”  Loading Something is loading. At a Friday rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, former President Donald Trump took the time to lift up three of his children in response to a new fraud suit filed against him. During the rally in support of GOP Senate candidate Rep. Ted Budd, Trump said he and his fellow MAGA Republicans are not “terrorists” and claimed President Joe Biden “is cognitively impaired and in no condition to lead our country, which may very well end up in World War III.”  But Trump spent more time berating New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has filed a massive fraud lawsuit against the Trump Organization. The James’ office said “Trump falsely inflated his net worth by billions of dollars to further enrich himself and cheat the system” and “repeatedly and persistently manipulated the value of assets to induce banks to lend money to the Trump Organization.” The suit follows a three-year probe into Trump and his business dealings. Trump on Friday called James “racist” — an accusation he’s also made on multiple other occasions — and referred to her actions as “gross prosecutorial misconduct.”  The attorney general is accusing him, his children, and the Trump Organization of years of financial fraud. The case is just one of many legal problems Trump faces, including the investigation into mishandled classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and the probe into the January 6 insurrection.  At the rally, Trump defended his children who were named in the suit, apparently reading off a teleprompter: “Ivanka, Ivanka is a very good person. Don Jr., he’s a good person. Eric. Eric. These are good people.” He added: “This crazy radical leftist nutjob James should be going after the killers, the gangbangers, the drug dealers.” James’ office did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. Read More Here

Hillary Clinton Compares Trump To Hitler In Disturbing Interview https://digitalarizonanews.com/hillary-clinton-compares-trump-to-hitler-in-disturbing-interview/ In a stinging interview Friday one-time presidential candidate Hillary Clinton compared Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, and his political rallies to Nazi gatherings. She zeroed in on Trump’s rally last week in Youngstown, Ohio, where members of the crowd raised a stiff-armed, one-finger QAnon salute to the former president in a gesture chillingly reminiscent of the “heil Hitler” salute. The QAnon gesture stands for WWG1WGA, or: “Where We Go One We Go All.” Donald Trump disciples raise a disturbing stiff-armed one-finger salute to the former president at his his Ohio rally last week. Gaelen Morse via Reuters “I remember as a young student, you know, trying to figure out how people get basically brought in by Hitler. How did that happen?” Clinton asked during an onstage interview at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin. “I’d watch newsreels and I’d see this guy standing up there ranting and raving, and people shouting and raising their arms. I thought, ‘What’s happened to these people?’” she added. “You saw the rally in Ohio the other night,” Clinton noted. “Trump is there ranting and raving for more than an hour, and you have these rows of young men with their arms raised. What is going on?”POh She added: “I think it is fair to say we’re in a struggle between democracy and autocracy.” Clinton was hardly the only one to see similarities between Trump and Hitler rallies. Retired four-star U.S. Army General Barry McCaffrey also compared Trump’s Ohio rally to a 1936 rally held by Hitler in Nuremberg, Germany. “The crowd is similar to a Nuremberg rally 1936,” McCaffrey tweeted after the rally. “A lawless Trump in office in [the] 2024 election would slide us into autocracy and deny our Constitutional safeguards. This is our greatest danger as a nation since 1860.” Astonishing Trump language. The crowd is similar to a Nuremberg rally 1936. A lawless Trump in office in 2024 election would slide us into autocracy and deny our Constitutional safeguards. This is our greatest danger as a nation since 1860. VOTE. https://t.co/XVGK0yYKdv — Barry R McCaffrey (@mccaffreyr3) September 18, 2022 Read More Here

Shapiro Wages Drama-Free Pa. Campaign Amid Big Personalities https://digitalarizonanews.com/shapiro-wages-drama-free-pa-campaign-amid-big-personalities/ CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. (AP) — Doug Mastriano, the Republican nominee for governor in Pennsylvania, is perhaps best known as an election denier who was at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. John Fetterman, the Democrat hoping to flip the state’s Senate seat, has revolutionized how campaigns use social media. And Dr. Mehmet Oz was a TV celebrity long before he launched a GOP Senate campaign. And then there’s Josh Shapiro. In one of the most politically competitive states in the U.S., the Democratic contender for governor is waging a notably drama-free campaign, betting that a relatively under the radar approach will resonate with voters exhausted by a deeply charged political environment. But Shapiro faces a test of whether his comparatively low-key style will energize Democrats to rally against Mastriano, who many in the party view as an existential threat. The GOP candidate, who worked to keep Donald Trump in power and overturn President Joe Biden’s victory in 2020, supports ending abortion rights and would be in position to appoint the secretary of state, who oversees elections in this state that is often decisive in choosing presidents. The tension of Shapiro’s strategy was on display during a recent swing through this small city, a dot in deeply Republican south central Pennsylvania. He spent 10 minutes ticking through his record as a two-term attorney general and his policy goals if he becomes governor, such as expanding high-speed internet and boosting school funding. But he also acknowledged that he knew what was on the minds of audience members, noting how his wife gives him a simple reminder every morning: “You better win.” The 49-year-old Shapiro then became more explicit about the implications of a Mastriano win. “This guy is the most dangerous, extreme person to ever run for governor in Pennsylvania and by far the most dangerous, extreme candidate running for office in the United States of America,” Shapiro told the crowd in Chambersburg, Mastriano’s home base in his conservative state Senate district. Shapiro is managing something of a two-pronged campaign, one built for a conventional election year and another aimed at the tense political environment in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and the overturning of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision guaranteeing abortion rights. Last month, Shapiro released a TV ad statewide that discussed a case he brought as attorney general against a contractor who agreed to repay wages after Shapiro’s office accused it of stealing from workers. Then, he’s also aired TV ads describing Mastriano as a threat to democracy, pointing out that Mastriano watched at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as pro-Trump demonstrators attacked police. “It was there that day that my opponent sided with the angry mob, marched to the Capitol, breached the police lines, and he did so with one purpose, all of them: they didn’t want your votes to count,” Shapiro told an audience in Gettysburg, prompting one woman to call out, “He’s a traitor.” That message isn’t lost on the Democrats who go see Shapiro. “I think this is just a critical election,” said Marissa Sandoe, 29. “I think this election will determine whether we still have a democracy in this nation.” Shapiro later shrugs off suggestions that, for his supporters, the grist of normal-year gubernatorial politics is being drowned out by existential issues, like saving democracy. “I’m focused like a laser beam on making Pennsylvanians’ lives better,” Shapiro said. The first midterm of a new administration is often challenging for the president’s party. But for now, polls suggest Shaprio is leading Mastriano and he also has a significant fundraising advantage. Shapiro has run more than $20 million worth of TV ads, while Mastriano has run hardly anything, and nothing since the primary. Campaigning in the state where Biden was born, Shaprio may benefit from a recovery in Biden’s approval. The president’s popularity nationally has improved to 45% from 36% in July, although concerns about his handling of the economy persist, according to a September poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Republican Party leaders who initially criticized Mastriano as being too extreme to win the fall general election say he could still win, despite his flaws, if the electorate is angry enough over inflation to check every box against Democrats as a vote against Biden. But Republicans acknowledge Mastriano is running a race focused largely on his right-wing base, instead of reaching out to the moderates who often put winners over the top in one of America’s most politically divided states. Mastriano has gotten institutional fundraising help, including events headlined by state party leaders, Donald Trump Jr. and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, but Republican strategists have whispered that the fundraisers aren’t well-attended and Mastriano went on Facebook this week to complain about a lack of support from “national-level Republican organizations.” “We haven’t seen much assistance coming from them and we’re 49 days out,” Mastriano said. At campaign events, Mastriano promises to be a pro-energy governor and bus migrants to Biden’s home in Delaware, and he warns that Shapiro is pursuing an extreme agenda. “If we’re extreme about anything, it’s about loving our constitution,” Mastriano told a rally crowd in nearby Chambersburg earlier this month. For his part, Shapiro is gamely going about the campaign, taking advantage of Mastriano’s weaknesses. The Democrat will be a guest in early October at the annual dinner of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, a group accustomed to endorsing Republicans for governor. Mastriano hasn’t accepted even its invitation to speak to its board, something Shapiro already did. Building-trades unions that work on power plants, pipelines and refineries in a coal and natural gas powerhouse haven’t heeded Mastriano’s promises that “we’re going to drill and dig like there’s no tomorrow.” Instead, they have accepted Shapiro’s middle-of-the-road stance on energy and attacked Mastriano’s support for right-to-work policies as anathema even to rank-and-file members who vote Republican. “Here’s one thing my members get: They’ll never, ever be with someone who is for right-to-work, ever,” said James Snell, the business manager of Steamfitters Local 420 in Philadelphia. Shapiro is also taking centrist positions that might help inoculate himself against Mastriano’s attacks. The race got personal, with Mastriano repeatedly criticizing Shapiro’s choice of a private school for his children — a Jewish day school — as “one of the most privileged, entitled schools in the nation.” Shapiro, a devout conservative Jew, responded that Mastriano — who espouses what scholars call Christian nationalist ideology — wants to impose his religion on others and “dictate to folks where and how they should worship and on what terms.” Shapiro dug deeper on Mastriano, saying he speaks in “anti-Semitic, racist and homophobic tropes every day.” Mastriano calls those distractions from Shapiro’s record as attorney general and failure to stem rising homicides in Philadelphia. Still, Shapiro is drawing crowds on Mastriano’s turf, far from his power base in Philadelphia’s upscale suburbs. It is fertile ground, said Marty Qually, a Democratic county commissioner in Adams County, which includes Gettysburg, because Democrats are riled up like he’s never seen before and even Republicans there tell him they cannot accept Mastriano’s Christian nationalism or hard-line abortion stance. It speaks volumes that Shapiro is campaigning in small towns, and not in Democratic strongholds: It means that he’s comfortable with where the race is, Qually said. “Some folks here said: ‘Why do you want to go to Franklin County? That’s where the other guy’s from,’” Shapiro told the crowd in Chambersburg. “Let me tell you something. I’m glad I came. Ya’ll are making me feel at home.” ___ Follow Marc Levy on Twitter: twitter.com/timelywriter. ___ Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Read More Here

Trump Rally Staffers Reportedly Tell People To Drop One-Finger QAnon Salute https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-rally-staffers-reportedly-tell-people-to-drop-one-finger-qanon-salute/ Staff members at Donald Trump’s North Carolina political rally Friday night told members of the audience to drop their controversial QAnon one-finger salute, a journalist for NPR reported. Those attending Trump’s rally in Youngstown, Ohio, last week sparked a controversy after many raised their arms pointing skyward in a gesture chillingly evocative of the stiff-armed “heil Hitler” salute honoring the late Nazi leader. Donald Trump disciples raise a disturbing stiff-armed one-finger salute to the former president at his his Ohio rally last week. Gaelen Morse via Reuters “You saw the rally in Ohio the other night: Trump is there ranting and raving for more than an hour, and you have these rows of young men with their arms raised,” she said at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin. The comparisons may also have been worrisome for the Trump rally organizers in North Caroline because one man in the crowd at Wilmington told NPR’s Lisa Desjardins that a rally staffer told him to put his hand down when he raised the one-finger salute. Other staff members could be seen telling others in the crowd the same, according to Desjardins. “Clearly,” they “had been directed to watch for this kind of gesture and to shut it down,” she tweeted. Those attending the rally said the index-finger gesture stands for the QAnon sign WWG1WGA, or: “Where We Go One We Go All.” THIS. Confirmed w people at Trump rally who held 1 finger up that they meant it as a symbol of QAnon’s “Where We Go One We Go All” and further… Security staff here fanned out and told people to take down their fingers. That is a reason why – maybe main reason – we saw fewer 1/ — Lisa Desjardins (@LisaDNews) September 24, 2022 When the crowd holds up their fingers again at the Trump rally tonight to give the QAnon sign, security moves through them and has them put it down. pic.twitter.com/FQVJVrJ1FX — Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) September 24, 2022 But there were plenty of other conservative signifiers, such as Trump’s rally songs “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and Elvis Presley singing “Dixie.” The former president also flashed from the stage an “OK” sign, a gesture often used to communicate white supremacy and frequently employed by QAnon disciples. In addition, Trump closed his lengthy speech over instrumental music linked to the QAnon movement similar to what was played during a segment of his speech in Ohio, the Raleigh News & Observer noted. Trump promoted local candidates he has endorsed, and took the opportunity to bash investigations into his political and business practices. He repeatedly attacked New York Attorney General Letitia James, bizarrely referring to her as “Peekaboo” several times, and calling her “disgusting,” “racist” and a “raging maniac” for investigating his business. A lawsuit (which Trump referred to as “depraved”) filed by her office earlier this week accuses Trump and his three oldest children of vastly misrepresenting the value of their assets to obtain loans and favorable insurance payouts, and undercut taxes. Read More Here

On Right Track https://digitalarizonanews.com/on-right-track/ Dear Editor, Listening to Donald Trump at a recent rally for gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, I was reminded of Trump’s strengths as our president. He cares about this country, he cares about the average American, he cares about unborn babies. And his policies showed that his actions backed up his words. Under Trump’s leadership America was energy independent, deregulation encouraged small businesses, low gas prices helped the working class, unemployment was low, and the southern border was being secured. We need men like Mastriano and Trump. Men who want what is good for the nation and “we the people.” Also, women like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Winsome Sears who understand our need for justice and free and fair elections and our constitution-given rights as American citizens(read the Bill of Rights. America has lost her way and I pray we will seek God’s truth and wisdom. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life”) to restore our nation to a path of goodness and rightness, and return to William Penn’s vision for a “holy experiment.” Catherine Hagberg, Warren Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox Read More Here