Trump Plays Sad Old Hits At Mar-A-Lago As Spies Descend On The Resort
Trump Plays Sad Old Hits At Mar-A-Lago As Spies Descend On The Resort https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-plays-sad-old-hits-at-mar-a-lago-as-spies-descend-on-the-resort/
To the cavalcade of terrors that is each new report from Mar-a-Lago, let us add the nightly dance floor rein of one DJ Donald Trump.
A new report from The Guardian quotes a member of the former president’s private Palm Beach club cum spy magnet, whose eyewitness account of 45’s penchant for playing social director paints a scene somewhere between My Super Sweet Sixteen, the Stanford Prison Experiment and the “It’s a Good Life” episode of The Twilight Zone.
“At about 9.30pm every night, he’s sitting at his table, whether on the patio or inside, and they bring a laptop over and he starts picking songs, and he starts being a DJ for the night,” says the club member. “But it’s sort of funny because he picks like the same 10 songs every night.”
The member described Trump’s shift towards dance commander as a relatively new development, though the likely same ten songs selections rhyme with the regressive drift he brought our politics: Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All,” some pre-gay Elton John, the inevitable Village People “YMCA,” and other songs from mid-to-late-period Studio 54, which the maestro frequented when he was but an heir to a modest real-estate fortune, stacking up bankruptcies like Whitney stacked hits.
“Sometimes he dances to it,” the lucky witness says of “YMCA.” “He will be at his table and he’ll dance while sitting.” Free free to take a moment with that.
Later in the evening, DJ Trump’s set waxes maudlin and then ends with his perennial closer “How Great Thou Art,” a hymn popularized by Elvis Presley and a noted favorite of Trump’s dad, Fred Trump, whose own father changed the family name from Trumpf after emigrating from Bavaria, site of that era’s Mar-a-Lago, sprawling chalet The Berghof.
Fave music of presidents is a matter of record—from Kennedy’s damn Stravinsky to Obama’s oddly sucker-free playlists—but no one generated the chilling accounts of listening habits that emerge from the Trump White House. Such as former press secretary Stephanie Grisham’s recent tell-all which describes a staffer called “The Music Man” (later revealed to be Max Miller) who was assigned to play show tunes to soothe an aggrieved POTUS, including his, favorite “Memory” from Cats.
While the proprietor dances in his seat, Mar-a-Lago draws foreign spies like Aqua Net draws flies, experts say.
“[Trump]’s brought in really questionable people with various skeletons in their closets, financial or personal or political, who have vulnerabilities a foreign intelligence service could exploit,” 34-year CIA clandestine service vet Douglas London told The Guardian. And beyond the chill ambience of the dance floor, as buzzed guests wander to and fro, any number of top-secret government documents might drift in and out with them, the crooning of The Village People echoing through Spanish-Moorish tiles.
“Without any question, the former president, and those in his circle will be very important targets for any foreign intelligence service,” London said. “They will be looking at: how do we get into that circle?”
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Calls To Oust Trump-Appointed World Bank Chief After Vague Answers On Climate Change
Calls To Oust Trump-Appointed World Bank Chief After Vague Answers On Climate Change https://digitalarizonanews.com/calls-to-oust-trump-appointed-world-bank-chief-after-vague-answers-on-climate-change/
David Malpass dodged questions on climate change and the effect of burning fossil fuels
David Malpass, president of the World Bank, was nominated to his five-year term in 2019 by US president Donald Trump. Reuters
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Pressure to oust World Bank president David Malpass is increasing after he dodged questions on climate change and the effects of burning fossil fuels.
The controversy kicked off on Tuesday when former US vice president Al Gore labelled him a climate denier and called for a change of leadership.
Asked about the criticism during the same event in New York, Mr Malpass, installed three years ago by president Donald Trump, avoided questions on the effects of man-made emissions on climate change before saying: “I don’t know. I’m not a scientist.”
Activists and Wall Street were already calling on the World Bank and other multilateral lenders, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to do more to accelerate clean energy ventures and halt funding for fossil fuel projects, because burning oil, gas and coal unleashes heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change.
“You don’t need to be a scientist to understand climate science — the facts are clear, and there’s no alternative but to act,” said Sonia Dunlop, who is with E3G, an environmental research group.
“The World Bank is critical to the global fight against climate change.”
Mr Malpass’s comments contrast with a stronger climate stance from President Joe Biden’s administration. The US is the World Bank’s biggest shareholder and most influential voice when it comes to choosing the bank’s leadership.
“We expect the World Bank Group to be a global leader of climate ambition and the mobilisation of significantly more climate finance for developing countries,” the Treasury Department said in a statement on Wednesday.
“We have — and will continue — to make that expectation clear to World Bank leadership. The World Bank must be a full partner in delivering on this global agenda.”
Quote
We expect the World Bank Group to be a global leader of climate ambition and the mobilisation of significantly more climate finance for developing countries
US Treasury Department
A senior administration official on Wednesday night said reports of Mr Malpass’s climate change stance raised eyebrows in the White House and that the administration was planning to look more closely at the matter.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has labelled climate change an “existential threat” and called on US regulators to address the risk it poses to financial markets.
She has championed the newly enacted climate law signed by Mr Biden last month, saying it will help the US meet its emissions reduction goals. Earlier this year, Ms Yellen called on the World Bank to step up its efforts to fight climate change.
Tensions between the Biden administration and Mr Malpass come down to politics as much as climate science. Mr Malpass, a former Treasury official and World Bank critic, was nominated to his five-year term in 2019 by Mr Trump.
By tradition, the US chooses the head of the World Bank, while Europe selects the head of the IMF, a custom dating to the origins of the twin Bretton Woods institutions.
The World Bank on Tuesday released a statement defending Mr Malpass’s record. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
For Mr Malpass to be dismissed before his term ends in 2024, he would either need to be removed by the board, which has never happened, or he could potentially be forced to step down if his position became untenable.
“Having a climate denier at the helm of one of the world’s most powerful international financial institutions is unconscionable,” said Luisa Abbott Galvao, a senior international policy campaigner with Friends of the Earth.
The group, along with other activists, said they plan to unveil a banner calling for Mr Malpass to be replaced at the World Bank’s headquarters in Washington.
“President Biden and other shareholders must push the board to fire him immediately,” she said.
Updated: September 22, 2022, 6:37 AM
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AP News Summary At 2:25 A.m. EDT https://digitalarizonanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-225-a-m-edt/
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy lays out his case against Russia to UN
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Ukraine’s president has laid out his case against Russia’s invasion at the United Nations and demanded punishment from world leaders. Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s speech was delivered just hours after Moscow made an extraordinary announcement that it would mobilize some reservists for the war effort. Buoyed by a counteroffensive that has retaken swaths of territory that the Russians had seized, Zelenskyy vowed in a video address that his forces would not stop until they had reclaimed all of Ukraine. Video addresses by Zelenskyy in an olive green T-shirt have become almost commonplace. But this speech was one of the most keenly anticipated at the U.N. General Assembly, where the war has dominated.
Steel plant defenders, Putin ally exchanged in prisoner swap
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine has completed a high-profile prisoner swap that culminated months of efforts to free many of the Ukrainian fighters who defended a steel plant in the port of Mariupol during a months-long Russian siege. In exchange, Ukraine gave up an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin it was holding. President Volodymr Zelenskky says his government won freedom from Russian custody for 215 Ukrainian and foreign citizens. He says many were soldiers and officers who had faced the death penalty in Russian-occupied territory. Of the total, 200 Ukrainians were exchanged for just one man — pro-Russian opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk. The 68-year-old oligarch escaped from house arrest in Ukraine several days before Russia’s invasion Feb. 24 but was recaptured in April.
Trump docs probe: Court lifts hold on Mar-a-Lago records
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court has lifted a judge’s hold on the Justice Department’s ability to use classified records seized from former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate in its ongoing criminal investigation. The ruling Wednesday from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta clears the way for investigators to continue scrutinizing the documents as they evaluate whether to bring criminal charges over the storage of top-secret government records at Mar-a-Lago. The court notes that Trump presented no evidence that he had declassified the sensitive records. And it is rejecting the possibility that Trump could have an “individual interest in or need for” the roughly 100 documents marked as classified.
Powell’s stark message: Inflation fight may cause recession
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Hurricane Fiona Intensifies To Category 4 As Puerto Rico Contends With Aftermath
Hurricane Fiona Intensifies To Category 4 As Puerto Rico Contends With Aftermath https://digitalarizonanews.com/hurricane-fiona-intensifies-to-category-4-as-puerto-rico-contends-with-aftermath/
Hurricane Fiona intensified into a Category 4 storm overnight after battering the Turks and Caicos Islands and leaving major destruction in its wake in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
Meanwhile, a new tropical storm, Gaston, gained strength in the Atlantic Ocean, with maximum sustained winds increasing to nearly 50 mph with higher gusts as of early Wednesday.
The National Hurricane Center warned that swells generated by Gaston could affect the Azores, an archipelago in the mid-Atlantic, later this week, causing life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
By late Wednesday, Fiona was about 550 miles southwest of Bermuda, and is expected to pass to the west of the British island territory Thursday night, according to the hurricane center.
The storm had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph and was moving north at 10 mph, it said.
A hurricane watch and tropical storm warning is in effect for Bermuda, which could see 2 to 4 inches of rain, the center said in an update late Wednesday.
“A storm surge will cause elevated water levels along the coast of Bermuda in areas of onshore winds beginning Thursday night,” the center said. “Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves.”
Multiple deaths have been reported so far in Fiona’s wake, as Puerto Rico continues to grapple with widespread devastation, including sweeping power outages and water supply issues.
A 78-year-old man was found dead and a 70-year-old woman was apparently affected by gas emitted from a generator in a home in the Las Granjas neighborhood, a fire department on the island said in statements. A dead dog was also found on scene, officials said. The home, officials said, had all of its windows and a canopy gate closed.
As of late Tuesday, more than 1.1 million customers across the U.S. territory were still without power, according to the online tracker Poweroutage.us. That’s almost a third of the population.
Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said during a news conference Tuesday that he expected a steady and gradual improvement of power restoration throughout the island.
He warned, however, that more rain had increased the likelihood for some areas to see additional flooding and landslides. On average, he said, the island had seen 10 to 16 inches of rainfall, with the hardest-hit areas seeing more than 25 inches.
Pierluisi said he had signed an executive order so residents would have access to food all over the island.
The devastating impact of the storm came as Puerto Rico marked the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Maria, the deadliest natural disaster on U.S. territory in a century, from which the island is still recovering.
It also unfolded on the anniversary of Hurricane Hugo, which hit Puerto Rico 33 years ago as a Category 3 storm.
As the territory now grapples with the aftermath of a new storm, some residents have expressed concerns about the response effort.
“Puerto Rico is not prepared for this, or for anything,” Mariangy Hernández, a 48-year-old homemaker, told The Associated Press.
She said she had doubts her community of some 300 would receive long-term support from the government, despite ongoing efforts to clear streets and restore power.
“This is only for a couple of days and later they forget about us,” she said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been assisting with the response to Fiona after President Joe Biden declared a federal emergency for Puerto Rico on Sunday.The head of FEMA visited the territory Tuesday to survey the damage as the agency announced it would be sending hundreds more personnel to supplement response efforts.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency on the island as it dispatched teams to the territory.
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Arthur Horning Obituary (1927 2022) Clarinda Herald-Journal
Arthur Horning Obituary (1927 – 2022) Clarinda Herald-Journal https://digitalarizonanews.com/arthur-horning-obituary-1927-2022-clarinda-herald-journal/
Arthur Lowell Horning Lowell Horning, 94, passed away on September 7, 2022. Lowell was born in College Springs, Page County, Iowa, on November 17, 1927. College Springs was home to Amity College, where Lowell’s Great Grandfather Beals was on the Board of Trustees. When the college closed, its building housed the town’s grade school and high school that Lowell attended. Lowell’s Grandfather Isaac Horning was on the School Board. While still in high school, Lowell spent at summer living on his own and paying his own rent in Clarinda. Upon graduation, Lowell apprenticed in his uncle Claire Horning’s jewelry shop in Shenandoah repairing clocks, which became a lifetime hobby. Lowell enlisted in the army in 1946. He was assigned to teletype repair in the Signal Corps, and stationed in Manila, Philippines. After being honorably discharged in 1947, Lowell attended Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, Phoenix College, Arizona State College as it was known then, and the University of Omaha, often parttime while working. In 1949, Lowell started his banking career at Valley National Bank in Phoenix. Lowell and Lola Ryan were married in 1953 at Lowell’s grandparents’ home in College Springs, Iowa. They settled in Omaha, where their two children, Diane Elmore and Duane Horning were born. Lowell grew up in the Methodist Church, and served in many capacities. Lowell’s faith continued lifelong in the Methodist community. He loved its music, worship, and messages. Lowell and his family moved to Phoenix in 1960. He returned to working at Valley National Bank, where he worked primarily in the personnel department. In 1972, Lowell moved to the Arizona Bank and became a bank trust officer in Sun City. In 1978, Lowell joined one of the first classes of the University of Phoenix, where he earned a Bachelors of Arts degree in Business Administration, and a Masters of Management Arts. He left the bank and become the hospital administrator in Payson, Arizona. He and Lola lived fulltime in Payson until retiring in Scottsdale. Lowell loved and cared for his family and many others, with a generous heart and warm hospitality. Lowell served and led in many community organizations including the United Methodist Church, Boy Scouts of America, YMCA, American Heart Association, Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, and others. Lowell loved camping throughout the Southwest. Lowell and Lola were married for 67 years when Lola passed in 2020. Lowell is preceded in death by his wife Lola (Ryan) Horning, his parents, Isaac Leon Horning and Nova (Griffith) Horning, his siblings Donald Horning, Paul Horning, and Ruth (Horning) Lesher. He is survived by his Daughter Diane Elmore, Son Duane Horning, Duane’s wife Cathy, two sisters in law Pat Ryan and Phylis Lowe, six grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to Ezra International Ukraine Child Rescue, rescuing Ukrainian children who are abandoned or orphaned including many displaced by the war, at https://ukrainechildrescue.org/. In “Message” please write “In memory of Lowell Horning.” Lowell’s memorial service will be September 15, 2022, 3:00 pm, at Paradise Valley United Methodist Church, 4455 E Lincoln Dr Paradise Valley, AZ 85253. The service will be live streamed at Live.pvumc.org, and recorded.
Published by Clarinda Herald-Journal on Sep. 22, 2022.
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How AOC Inadvertently Sparked The New York Attorney Generals Trump Lawsuit
How AOC Inadvertently Sparked The New York Attorney General’s Trump Lawsuit https://digitalarizonanews.com/how-aoc-inadvertently-sparked-the-new-york-attorney-generals-trump-lawsuit/
On Wednesday, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced her $250m civil lawsuit against former president Donald Trump, she specifically cited former Trump attorney Michael Cohen’s testimony in 2019 where he revealed that the former president fraudulently inflated the value of his assets.
“I will remind everyone that this investigation only started after Michael Cohen, the former lawyer, his former lawyer testified before Congress shed light on this misconduct,” she said.
The question that triggered Mr Cohen’s response came in 2019 from Ms James’s fellow New Yorker, Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
In 2019, Mr Cohen testified against his former before the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee. At the time, Ms Ocasio-Cortez, who the previous year had beaten former House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley in a primary in New York’s 14th District, asked questions about whether Mr Trump ever provided inflated assets to an insurance company.
“Yes,” Mr Cohen said in response. When Ms Ocasio-Cortez asked who else knew that Mr Trump did this, he said “Allen Weisselberg, Ron Lieberman and Matthew Calamari.”
The lawsuit also named Mr Lieberman, the former chief financial officer for the Trump Organization. Specifically, it said that Mr Weisselberg helped Mr Trump make fraudulent statements of financial condition regarding his properties.
“Mr Trump made known through Mr. Weisselberg that he wanted his net worth on his statements to increase every year, and the statements were the vehicle by which his net worth was fraudulently inflated by billions of dollars year after year,” Ms James’s office said in a statement.
“And where would the committee find more information on this, do you think we need to review his financial statements and his tax returns,” she said.
“Yes, and you’d find it at the Trump Org,” Mr Cohen said.
The lawsuit alleges that Mr Trump fraudulently inflated his net worth by millions of dollars so that banks could lend him and his businesses money on more favorable terms that would otherwise not be available.
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Ohio GOP House Candidate Has Misrepresented Military Service
Ohio GOP House Candidate Has Misrepresented Military Service https://digitalarizonanews.com/ohio-gop-house-candidate-has-misrepresented-military-service/
WASHINGTON (AP) — Campaigning for a northwestern Ohio congressional seat, Republican J.R. Majewski presents himself as an Air Force combat veteran who deployed to Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, once describing “tough” conditions including a lack of running water that forced him to go more than 40 days without a shower.
Military documents obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request tell a different story.
They indicate Majewski never deployed to Afghanistan but instead completed a six-month stint helping to load planes at an air base in Qatar, a longtime U.S. ally that is a safe distance from the fighting.
Majewski’s account of his time in the military is just one aspect of his biography that is suspect. His post-military career has been defined by exaggerations, conspiracy theories, talk of violent action against the U.S. government and occasional financial duress.
Still, thanks to an unflinching allegiance to former President Donald Trump — Majewski once painted a massive Trump mural on his lawn — he also stands a chance of defeating longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur in a district recently redrawn to favor Republicans.
Majewski is among a cluster of GOP candidates, most running for office for the first time, whose unvarnished life stories and hard-right politics could diminish the chances of a Republican “red wave” on Election Day in November. He is also a vivid representation of a new breed of politicians who reject facts as they try to emulate Trump.
“It bothers me when people trade on their military service to get elected to office when what they are doing is misleading the people they want to vote for them,” Don Christensen, a retired colonel and former chief prosecutor for the Air Force, said of Majewski. “Veterans have done so much for this country and when you claim to have done what your brothers and sisters in arms actually did to build up your reputation, it is a disservice.”
Majewski’s campaign declined to make him available for an interview and, in a lengthy statement issued to the AP, did not directly address questions about his claim of deploying to Afghanistan. A spokeswoman declined to provide additional comment when the AP followed up with additional questions.
“I am proud to have served my country,” Majewski said in the statement. “My accomplishments and record are under attack, meanwhile, career politician Marcy Kaptur has a forty-year record of failure for my Toledo community, which is why I’m running for Congress.”
With no previous political experience, Majewski is perhaps an unlikely person to be the Republican nominee taking on Kaptur, who has represented the Toledo area since 1983. But two state legislators who were also on the ballot in the August GOP primary split the establishment vote. That cleared a path for Majewski, who previously worked in the nuclear power industry and dabbled in politics as a pro-Trump hip-hop performer and promoter of the QAnon conspiracy theory. He was also at the U.S. Capitol during the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.
Throughout his campaign Majewski has offered his Air Force service as a valuable credential. The tagline “veteran for Congress” appears on campaign merchandise. He ran a Facebook ad promoting himself as “combat veteran.” And in a campaign video released this year, Majewski marauds through a vacant factory with a rifle while pledging to restore an America that is “independent and strong like the country I fought for.”
More recently, the House Republican campaign committee released a biography that describes Majewski as a veteran whose “squadron was one of the first on the ground in Afghanistan after 9/11.” A campaign ad posted online Tuesday by Majewski supporters flashed the words “Afghanistan War Veteran” across the screen alongside a picture of a younger Majewski in his dress uniform.
A biography posted on his campaign website does not mention Afghanistan, but in an August 2021 tweet criticizing the U.S. withdraw from the country, Majewski said he would “gladly suit up and go back to Afghanistan.”
He’s been far less forthcoming when asked about the specifics of his service.
“I don’t like talking about my military experience,” he said in a 2021 interview on the One American Podcast after volunteering that he served one tour of duty in Afghanistan. “It was a tough time in life. You know, the military wasn’t easy.”
A review of his service records, which the AP obtained from the National Archives through a public records request, as well as an accounting provided by the Air Force, offers a possible explanation for his hesitancy.
Rather than deploying to Afghanistan, as he has claimed, the records state that Majewski was based at Kadena Air Base in Japan for much of his active-duty service. He later deployed for six months to Qatar in May 2002, where he helped load and unload planes while serving as a “passenger operations specialist,” the records show.
While based in Qatar, Majewski would land at other air bases to transfer military passengers, medics, supplies, his campaign said. The campaign did not answer a direct question about whether he was ever in Afghanistan.
Experts argue Majewski’s description of himself as a “combat veteran” is also misleading.
The term can evoke images of soldiers storming a beachhead or finding refuge during a firefight. But under the laws and regulations of the U.S. government, facing live fire has little to do with someone earning the title.
During the Persian Gulf War, then-President George H.W. Bush designated, for the first time, countries used as combat support areas as combat zones despite the low-risk of American service members ever facing hostilities. That helped veterans receive a favorable tax status. Qatar, which is now home to the largest U.S. air base in the Middle East, was among the countries that received the designation under Bush’s executive order — a status that remains in effect today.
Regardless, it rankles some when those seeking office offer their status as a combat veteran as a credential to voters without explaining that it does not mean that they came under hostile fire.
“As somebody who was in Qatar, I do not consider myself a combat veteran,” said Christensen, the retired Air Force colonel who now runs Protect Our Defenders, a military watchdog organization. “I think that would be offensive to those who were actually engaged in combat and Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Majewski’s campaign said that he calls himself a combat veteran because the area he deployed to — Qatar — is considered a combat zone.
Majewski also lacks many of the medals that are typically awarded to those who served in Afghanistan.
Though he once said that he went more than 40 days without a shower during his time in the landlocked country, he does not have an Afghanistan campaign medal, which was issued to those who served “30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days” in the country.
He also did not receive a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, which was issued to service members before the creation of the Afghanistan campaign medal if they deployed overseas in “direct service to the War on Terror.”
Matthew Borie, an Air Force veteran who worked in intelligence and reviewed Majewski’s records at AP’s request, said it’s “odd” that Majewski lacks many of the “medals you would expect to see for someone who deployed to Afghanistan.”
There’s also the matter of Majewski’s final rank and reenlistment code when he left active duty after four years of service.
Most leave the service after four years having received several promotions that are generally awarded for time served. Majewski exited at a rank that was one notch above where he started. His enlistment code also indicated that he could not sign up with the Air Force again.
Majewski’s campaign said he received what’s called a nonjudicial punishment in 2001 after getting into a “brawl” in his dormitory, which resulted in a demotion. Nonjudicial punishments are designed to hold service members accountable for bad behavior that does not rise to the level of a court-martial.
Majewski’s resume exaggeration isn’t limited to his military service, reverberating throughout his professional life, as well as a nascent political career that took shape in an online world of conspiracy theories.
Since gaining traction in his campaign for Congress, Majewski has denied that he is a follower of the QAnon conspiracy theory while playing down his participation in the Capitol riot.
The baseless and apocalyptic QAnon belief is based on cryptic online postings by the anonymous “Q,” who is purportedly a government insider. It posits that Trump is fighting entrenched enemies in the government and also involves satanism and child sex trafficking.
“Let me be clear, I denounce QAnon. I do not support Q, and I do not subscribe to their conspiracy theories,” Majewski said in his statement to the AP.
But in the past Majewski repeatedly posted QAnon references and memes to social media, wore a QAnon shirt during a TV interview and has described Zak Paine, a QAnon influencer and online personality who goes by the nom de guerre Redpill78, as a “good friend.”
During a February 2021 appearance on a YouTube stream, Majewski stated, “I believe in everything that’s been put out from Q,” while characterizing the false posts as “military-level intelligence, in my opinion.” He also posted, to the right-wing social media platform Parler, a photo of the “Trump 2020” mural he painted on his lawn that was modified to change the zeros into “Q’s,” as first reported by CNN.
Then there’s Majewski’s participation in the Jan. 6 insurrection. Majewski has said that he raised about $25,000 to help dozens of people attend the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the attack on the Capitol...
Zelenskyy Vows Ukraine Will Win As Russia Redoubles Effort
Zelenskyy Vows Ukraine Will Win As Russia Redoubles Effort https://digitalarizonanews.com/zelenskyy-vows-ukraine-will-win-as-russia-redoubles-effort/
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Ukraine’s president implored the world Wednesday to punish Russia for its invasion, even as the leader vowed his forces would win back every inch of territory despite Moscow’s decision to redouble its war effort.
In a much-anticipated video address to the U.N. General Assembly hours after Russia announced it would mobilize some reservists, Volodymyr Zelenskyy portrayed the declaration as evidence the Kremlin wasn’t ready to negotiate an end to the war — but insisted his country would prevail anyway.
“We can return the Ukrainian flag to our entire territory. We can do it with the force of arms,” the president said. “But we need time.”
Putin’s decree Wednesday about the mobilization was sparse on details. Officials said as many as 300,000 reservists could be tapped. It was apparently an effort to seize momentum after a Ukrainian counteroffensive this month retook swaths of territory that Russians had held.
But the first such call-up in Russia since World War II also brought the fighting home in a new way for Russians and risked fanning domestic anxiety and antipathy toward the war. Shortly after Putin’s announcement, flights out of the country rapidly filled up, and more than 1,000 people were arrested at rare antiwar demonstrations across the country.
A day earlier, Russian-controlled parts of eastern and southern Ukraine announced plans for referendums on becoming parts of Russia. Ukrainian leaders and their Western allies consider the votes illegitimate.
Zelenskyy didn’t discuss the developments in detail. But he suggested that any Russian talk of negotiations was only a delaying tactic, and that Moscow’s actions speak louder than its words.
“They talk about the talks but announce military mobilization. They talk about the talks but announce pseudo-referendums in the occupied territories of Ukraine,” he said.
Russia hasn’t yet had its turn to speak at the gathering.
Putin, who is not attending the event, has said he sent his armed forces into Ukraine because of risks to his country’s security from what he considers a hostile government in Kyiv; to liberate Russians living in Ukraine — especially its eastern Donbas region — from what he views as the Ukrainian government’s oppression; and to restore what he considers to be Russia’s historical territorial claims on the country.
Zelenskyy’s speech was striking not only for its contents but also its context. It took place after the extraordinary mobilization announcement. It was the first time he addressed the world’s leaders gathered together since Russia invaded in February.
It wasn’t delivered at the august rostrum where other presidents, prime ministers and monarchs speak — but instead by video from a nation at war after Zelenskyy was granted special permission to not come in person.
He appeared as he has in many previous video appearances — in an olive green T-shirt. He sat at a table with a Ukrainian flag behind his right shoulder and large image of the U.N. flag and Ukraine’s behind his left shoulder.
Zelenskyy’s speech was one of the most keenly anticipated at international diplomacy’s most prominent annual gathering, which has dwelled this year on the war in his country. Officials from many countries are trying to prevent the conflict from spreading and to restore peace in Europe — though diplomats do not expect any breakthroughs this week.
Still, the topic popped up in speeches by leaders from all over the world. Overwhelmingly, the sentiment was similar: Russia’s invasion was not consistent with the cornerstone principles of the United Nations — including peace, dialogue and respect for sovereignty.
“It’s an attack on this very institution where we find ourselves today,” said Moldovan President President Maia Sandu, whose country borders Ukraine.
U.S. President Joe Biden’s address, too, focused heavily on the war in Ukraine.
“This war is about extinguishing Ukraine’s right to exist as a state, plain and simple, and Ukraine’s right to exist as a people. Whoever you are, wherever you live, whatever you believe, that should make your blood run cold,” he said. “If nations can pursue their imperial ambitions without consequences, then we put at risk everything this very institution stands for. Everything.”
Zelenskky opined that Moscow wants to spend the winter preparing its forces in Ukraine for a new offensive, or at least preparing fortifications while mobilizing more troops in the largest military conflict in Europe since the Second World War.
“Russia wants war. It’s true. But Russia will not be able to stop the course of history,” he said, declaring that “mankind and the international law are stronger” than what he called a “terrorist state.”
Laying out various “preconditions for peace” in Ukraine that sometimes reached into broader prescriptions for improving the global order, he urged world leaders to strip Russia of its vote in international institutions and U.N. Security Council veto, saying that aggressors need to be punished and isolated.
The fighting has already prompted some moves against Russia in U.N. bodies, particularly after Moscow vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have demanded a stop to its attack on Ukraine days after it began.
The veto galled a number of other countries and led to action in the broader General Assembly, where resolutions aren’t binding but there are no vetoes.
The assembly voted overwhelmingly in March to deplore Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, call for an immediate cease-fire and withdrawal of all Russian forces, and urge protection for millions of civilians. The next month, members agreed by a smaller margin to suspend Russia from the U.N. Human Rights Council.
Despite the attention he drew, Zelenskyy was just one of dozens of leaders speaking Wednesday — among them Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Kenya’s newly elected president, William Ruto. Nearly 150 heads of state and government are set to appear during six days of speeches.
It also wasn’t the first time the Ukrainian leader has been in the spotlight at the assembly’s annual meeting.
His 2019 debut speech came as Zelenskyy suddenly found himself embroiled in a political scandal that was absorbing the U.S. — then-President Donald Trump’s effort to get the Ukrainian to investigate his eventual rival Biden and his son Hunter.
Zelenskyy steered clear of the affair in his speech that year, but he was barraged with questions about it at a news conference with Trump. The episode ultimately led to Trump’s first impeachment.
At last year’s General Assembly, Zelenskyy memorably compared the U.N. to “a retired superhero who’s long forgotten how great they once were” as he repeated appeals for action to confront Russia over its 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and its support for the separatists.
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Trump Slams Fraud Lawsuit As A ‘witch Hunt’ https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-slams-fraud-lawsuit-as-a-witch-hunt/
Former United States President Donald Trump dismissed a fraud lawsuit against him and his family as “another witch hunt” and claims the black New York Attorney General is a racist.
The 76 year old former US president and three of his children, Donald Jr, Ivanka and Eric, were hit by the lawsuit after an investigation into the Trump Organisation alleged they lied by billions of dollars in order to pay less tax and get loans. The lawsuit is the culmination of a three-year investigation by prosecutors who allege the Trump Organization committed a number of fraudulent acts between 2011 to 2021.
Prosecutors put together a 222-page document which alleges that Trump and three of his children lied about the value of his properties, including hotels and golf courses, so they could secure better loans and lower tax rates.
The Trump family is also accused of making more than 200 false valuations on financial statements which enriched the Trump household to the tune of at least US$250m and the US tax office wants that money back.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is leading the lawsuit and has referred the alleged criminal wrongdoing to federal prosecutors and to the Internal Revenue Service.
She said…
“With the help of his children and senior executives at the Trump Organization, Donald Trump falsely inflated his net worth by billions of dollars to unjustly enrich himself and cheat the system.”
James stated that a number of Trump’s properties have been wrongly valued, including his US$327 million apartment in Trump Tower.
She said…
“No apartment in New York City has ever sold for close to that amount. White-collar financial crime is not a victimless crime.
“When the well-connected break the law to take in more money than they are entitled to, it reduces resources available to working people, to regular people, to small businesses and to all taxpayers.”
The attorney general recommends the court bans Trump and his children from serving as directors in any New York business or engaging in any real estate business for five years.
Trump responded in his usual crass, abrasive style.
“Another witch hunt by a racist Attorney General Letitia James, who failed in her run for Governor, getting almost zero support from the public.”
Trump and James have history.
The Trump family accused James of pursuing a political vendetta in the past after James said Trump was an “illegitimate president.”
Donald Trump Jr claims James is “weaponising her office to go after her political opponents.”
Last month Trump refused to answer questions in connection with the investigation at the attorney general’s office. The former president just repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right to not self-incriminate, and only confirmed his name.
In an out of court testimony Eric Trump did the same more than 500 times.
It could take a year before the lawsuit goes to trial which would hinder Trump’s ability to conduct any business in New York or run for presidential office again. He is still a popular figure in the Republican Party and has hinted he will have another go in 2024.
The former president is also under investigation by the FBI.
The FBI searched his home in Mar-a-Lago on August 8 as part of an investigation into his handling of classified records. This is on top of being investigated for trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Trump denied any wrongdoing in those investigations.
SOURCE: BBC
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2 Petrified Forest National Park Employees Shot At While Driving In Remote Area
2 Petrified Forest National Park Employees Shot At While Driving In Remote Area https://digitalarizonanews.com/2-petrified-forest-national-park-employees-shot-at-while-driving-in-remote-area/
HOLBROOK, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — The National Park Service and other agencies are investigating after two Petrified Forest National Park employees were shot at while driving in the park on Tuesday morning near Holbrook. Officials say the two employees were driving in a remote area of the park when their car was hit by a bullet. Luckily, they were not hurt.
Officials say that the Blue Mesa Loop Road and all trails in the Blue Mesa area are closed until further notice. The main park road will be open during regular business hours. No descriptions of potential suspects have been released.
National Park Service and local law enforcement agencies are investigating a shooting incident that happened yesterday morning 9/20 in Petrified Forest National Park. While driving into a remote area of the park, an unmarked park vehicle carrying two employees was hit by a bullet
— Petrified Forest NP (@PetrifiedNPS) September 21, 2022
Copyright 2022 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
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HOME FLIPPING DIPS ACROSS U.S. DURING SECOND QUARTER OF 2022 WHILE PROFITS GROW
HOME FLIPPING DIPS ACROSS U.S. DURING SECOND QUARTER OF 2022 WHILE PROFITS GROW https://digitalarizonanews.com/home-flipping-dips-across-u-s-during-second-quarter-of-2022-while-profits-grow/
Nationwide Home-Flipping Rate Declines Following Year of Increases;
Raw Profits on Home Flips Jump to New High;
Typical Profit Margins on Flips Reverse Extended Downturn but Remain Low
, /PRNewswire/ — ATTOM, a leading curator of real estate data nationwide for land and property data, today released its second-quarter 2022 U.S. Home Flipping Report showing that 115,198 single-family houses and condominiums in the United States were flipped in the second quarter. Those transactions represented 8.2 percent of all home sales in the second quarter of 2022, or one in 12 transactions. The latest portion was down from 9.7 percent, or one in every 10 home sales, in the nation during the first quarter of 2022, but still up from 5.3 percent, or one in 19 sales, in the second quarter of last year.
Powering Innovation with Property Data (PRNewsfoto/ATTOM Data Solutions)
Despite the decline, the home-flipping rate during the second quarter of this year still stood at the third-highest level since 2000, below the high point registered in the first quarter of 2022.
Q2 2022 Historical U.S. Home Flipping Trends
“The second quarter was another strong showing for fix-and-flip investors. The total number of properties flipped was the second-highest total we’ve recorded in the past 22 years, and the median sales price of a flipped property – $328,000 – was the highest ever,” said Rick Sharga, executive vice president of market intelligence for ATTOM. “The big question is whether the fix-and-flip market will begin to lose steam as overall home sales have declined dramatically over the past few months, and the cost of financing has virtually doubled over the past year.”
Among all flips nationwide, the gross profit on typical transactions (the difference between the median purchase price paid by investors and the median resale price) hit $73,700 in the second quarter of 2022. That was up 10 percent from $67,000 in the first quarter of 2022 and up 10.1 percent from $66,944 in the second quarter of 2021.
Typical profit margins, meanwhile, rose during the second quarter of this year after six straight periods when they had fallen or virtually stayed the same. The typical gross-flipping profit of $73,700 in the second quarter of 2022 translated into a 29 percent return on investment compared to the original acquisition price. While that remained down from 33 percent a year earlier – and far below the peak of 53.1 percent this century, which hit in 2016 – the latest margin was up from 25.8 percent in the first quarter of 2022.
Q2 2022 Historical U.S. Home Flipping Profit Trends
Profit margins improved in the second quarter of 2022 as median resale prices trends on flipped homes improved compared to what was happening when investors were buying homes.
Specifically, in the second quarter of 2022, the typical resale price on flipped homes reached another all-time high of $328,000. That was up slightly from $327,000 in the first quarter of 2022 and 21.5 percent from $270,000 a year earlier.
The quarterly gain, while tiny, was better than the 2 percent decline in prices that investors were seeing when they originally bought their properties. The price-change gap between buying and selling resulted in profit margins going up from the first to the second quarter of 2022.
The latest trends reflect a segment of the housing market that remained busier than usual in the second quarter but also continued to earn relatively weak profits that fell well beneath the broader market’s performance.
Home flipping rates drop in 80 percent of local markets
Home flips as a portion of all home sales decreased from the first quarter of 2022 to the second quarter of 2022 in 161 of the 202 metropolitan statistical areas around the U.S. analyzed for this report (80 percent). Rates mostly were down by less than percentages points. (Metro areas were included if they had a population of 200,000 or more and at least 50 home flips in the second quarter of 2022.)
Among those metros, the largest flipping rates during the second quarter of 2022 were in Tucson, AZ (flips comprised 14.5 percent of all home sales); Phoenix, AZ (14.1 percent); Jacksonville, FL (13.8 percent); Atlanta, GA (13.6 percent) and Gainesville, GA (13.5 percent).
Aside from Tucson, Phoenix, Jacksonville and Atlanta, three other metro areas with a population of more than 1 million ranked in the top 10 for highest flipping rates in the second quarter. They were Charlotte, NC (13.1 percent); Tampa, FL (12.2 percent) and San Antonio, TX (11.9 percent).
The smallest home-flipping rates among metro areas analyzed in the second quarter were in Honolulu, HI (1.7 percent); Hilo, HI (3.1 percent); Wichita, KS (3.5 percent); Bremerton, WA (4 percent) and Seattle, WA (4.3 percent).
“Fix-and-flip activity is mirroring overall housing market trends, with much of the activity, and the highest returns largely coming from the West and Southeast,” Sharga noted. “In fact, even though the highest gross profits came from the most expensive states, 14 of the 18 states where flips accounted for a higher percentage of overall home sales than the national average were in the South, Southeast, and Western states.”
Typical home flipping returns rise in more than half of metro areas
The median $328,000 resale price of homes flipped nationwide in the second quarter of 2022 generated a gross flipping profit of $73,700 above the median investor purchase price of $254,300. That resulted in a typical 29 percent profit margin.
Profit margins increased from the first quarter of 2022 to the second quarter of 2022 in 122 of the 202 metro areas with enough data to analyze (60 percent), although they remained down since the second quarter of last year in 57 percent of the markets analyzed.
The biggest quarterly increases in profit margins came in Huntsville, AL (ROI up from 18.2 percent in the first quarter of 2022 to 84.5 percent in the second quarter of 2022); Tallahassee, FL (up from 42.1 percent to 94.6 percent); Buffalo, NY (up from 88.2 percent to 133.3 percent); Canton, OH (up from 22.8 percent to 63.9 percent) and Fort Smith, AR (up from 38.7 percent to 76.6 percent).
Markets with the largest returns on investment for typical home flips completed during the second quarter of 2022 were Buffalo, NY (133.3 percent return); Pittsburgh, PA (127.3 percent); Lake Charles, LA (125.5 percent); Scranton, PA (109.9 percent) and Harrisburg, PA (96 percent).
Aside from Buffalo and Pittsburgh, the largest investment returns in the second quarter among metro areas with a population of at least 1 million were in Philadelphia, PA (82.1 percent); Detroit, MI (77.8 percent) and Baltimore, MD (73.5 percent).
Metro areas with the smallest profit margins on typical home flips in the second quarter of 2022 were Tyler, TX (1.4 percent return); Jackson, MS (1.9 percent); Boise, ID (4.5 percent); Medford, OR (8.6 percent) and Lafayette, LA (9.7 percent).
Raw profits remain highest in western and northeastern regions, lowest in the South and Midwest
The highest raw profits on median-priced home flips in the second quarter of 2022, measured in dollars, remained concentrated in the West and Northeast. Sixteen of the top 20 were in those regions, led by San Jose, CA (typical gross profit of $292,500); San Francisco, CA ($250,000); Salinas, CA ($203,125); San Diego, CA ($177,000) and Seattle, WA ($174,999).
At the opposite end of the range, 17 of the 20 lowest raw profits on typical home flips were spread across the South and Midwest. The smallest were in Tyler, TX ($4,000); Jackson, MS ($5,223); Lafayette, IN ($15,518); Boise, ID ($20,133) and Lexington, KY ($23,500).
All-cash investing dips, but remains a majority of the flipping market
Nationwide, 60.3 percent of homes flipped in the second quarter of 2022 had been purchased by investors with cash. That figure was down from 63.2 percent in the first quarter of 2022 and from 60.9 percent in the second quarter of 2021. Meanwhile, 39.7 percent of homes flipped in the second quarter of 2022 had been bought with financing. That was up from 36.8 percent in the prior quarter and from 39.1 percent a year earlier.
Among metropolitan areas with a population of 1 million or more and sufficient data to analyze, those with the highest percentage of flips in the second quarter of 2022 that had been purchased with cash were in Buffalo, NY (80 percent), Detroit, MI (77.7 percent); Tucson AZ (76.4 percent); Cincinnati, OH (74.7 percent) and Cleveland, OH (74.5 percent).
Average time to flip nationwide rises slightly again
The average time it took from purchase to resale on home flips rose to 165 days in the second quarter, marking the third quarterly increase in a row. While the latest figure was less the historical averages, it was up from 162 days in the first quarter of 2022 and from 150 in the second quarter of 2021.
Q2 2022 Historical U.S. Avg Days to Flip Chart
Investor resales to FHA buyers drop to 15-year low
Of the 115,198 U.S. homes flipped in the second quarter of 2022, only 7.5 percent were sold to buyers using loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). That was down from 7.9 percent in the prior quarter and from 7.6 percent in the second quarter of 2021, to the lowest quarterly mark since late 2007.
Among the 202 metro areas with a population of at least 200,000 and at least 50 home flips in the second quarter of 2022, those with the highest percentage of flipped properties sold to FHA buyers — typically first-time home purchasers — were Modesto, CA (27.9 percent); Visalia, CA (25.9 percent); Lake Charles, LA (21.1 percent); Springfield, MA (19.9 percent) and Fort Smith, AR (18.1 percent).
One in five counties have home-flipping rate of at least 10 percent
Home flips accounted...
Trump Says U.S. Presidents Can Declassify Documents even By Thinking About It
Trump Says U.S. Presidents Can Declassify Documents “even By Thinking About It” https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-says-u-s-presidents-can-declassify-documents-even-by-thinking-about-it/
Former President Trump insisted in a Fox News interview broadcast Wednesday night that he declassified government documents before taking them to his Mar-a-Lago residence.
Why it matters: The Department of Justice launched a major investigation after the FBI seized a raft of government papers at Trump’s property in Palm Beach, Florida, some of which were labeled “top secret.”
What he’s saying: “There doesn’t have to be a process, as I understand it,” Trump said in the pre-recorded interview on Fox News’ “Hannity.”
“If you’re the president of the United States, you can declassify just by saying, ‘it’s declassified,'” he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
“Even by thinking about it, because you’re sending it to Mar-a-Lago or to wherever you’re sending it. … There can be a process, but there doesn’t have to be.”
Worth noting: A federal appeals court panel ruled earlier on Wednesday that the DOJ could resume reviewing the classified documents.
The judges noted while Trump had suggested he had declassified documents when he was president, there’s no record of that and he didn’t provide evidence to prove this before the special master reviewing the case.
Go deeper: Presidential Records Act and Trump search explained
Editor’s note: This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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Michael Cohen Says New York Investigation Will 'ultimately Terminate' The Trump Organization: 'This Is Going To Put An End To The Entire Company'
Michael Cohen Says New York Investigation Will 'ultimately Terminate' The Trump Organization: 'This Is Going To Put An End To The Entire Company' https://digitalarizonanews.com/michael-cohen-says-new-york-investigation-will-ultimately-terminate-the-trump-organization-this-is-going-to-put-an-end-to-the-entire-company/
Michael Cohen said the New York probe into the Trump Organization would “end to the entire company.”
Cohen said investigators have what they need to “ultimately terminate” the company.
Cohen predicted that one or two of Trump’s children may have to “fall on the sword for him.”
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Former President Donald Trump’s one-time personal lawyer Michael Cohen believes the investigation into possible fraudulent practices in the Trump Organization would be what puts “an end” to the company.
Cohen, who worked for Trump and was his fixer and confidante for a decade, spoke to MSNBC’s Chris Hayes on Wednesday, weighing in on the ongoing probe in New York into the Trump Organization.
In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to felonies, including tax evasion, campaign finance violations, and bank fraud. He was sentenced in December that year to three years in prison and was disbarred in February 2019 by the New York Supreme Court.
Cohen told MSNBC that the investigation sparked by New York Attorney General’s $250 million civil lawsuit against the Trump family would “ultimately terminate the Trump Organization — Donald, Don Jr., Ivanka, Eric, Weisselberg, McConney, and the rest of them.”
“This is going to put an end to the entire company,” he added.
Cohen made reference to Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization’s former chief financial officer, who in August admitted to orchestrating a payroll tax-dodge scheme at the organization, and Jeff McConney, Weisselberg’s right-hand man.
“I’ve been sitting on the mountaintops yelling for three-and-a-half, four years, which is that the Trump Organization is a criminal enterprise and that I got thrown under the bus by dear old Donald,” he said.
Cohen also posited that one or two of Trump’s children might have to “fall on the sword” for their father. Trump’s three eldest children — Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Eric Trump — are listed in James’ lawsuit.
Recalling the shoutout he received from James when she announced the suit on Wednesday, Cohen said he felt that he was “finally getting recognition” for his role in the probe. James is also seeking to bar the Trumps from conducting business in New York and has accused the former president of inflating his net worth by billions.
Representatives at Trump’s post-presidential press office and the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.
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Yen Weakens After Bank Of Japan Holds Rates; Asian Markets Sink On Hawkish Fed
Yen Weakens After Bank Of Japan Holds Rates; Asian Markets Sink On Hawkish Fed https://digitalarizonanews.com/yen-weakens-after-bank-of-japan-holds-rates-asian-markets-sink-on-hawkish-fed/
Oil prices climb after Fed’s rate hikes, demand fears linger
Oil prices climbed following the Fed’s third consecutive rate hike.
Reuters also reported Chinese refiners are expecting the nation to release up to 15 million tonnes worth of oil products export quotas for the rest of the year, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
Brent crude futures rose 0.45% to stand at $90.24 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate also gained 0.45% to $83.3 per barrel.
— Lee Ying Shan
Fed hike likely to keep Asian risk assets under pressure, JPMorgan says
Asian risk assets, especially export-oriented companies, will remain under pressure in the short term following the Fed’s rate hike, according to Tai Hui, chief APAC market strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management.
Tai added that a strong U.S. dollar is likely to persist, but tightening monetary policy in most Asian central banks — with the exception of China and Japan — should help limit the extent of Asian currency depreciation.
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, strengthened sharply and last stood at 111.697.
— Abigail Ng
Bank of Japan holds steady, stands by yield curve control policy – yen weakens past 145
The Bank of Japan kept its interest rates on hold, according to an announcement posted on its website – meeting expectations forecasted by economists in a Reuters poll.
The Japanese yen weakened to 145 against the greenback shortly after the decision.
“Japan’s economy has picked up as the resumption of economic activity has progressed while public health has been protected from Covid-19, despite being affected by factors such as a rise in commodity prices,” the central bank said in the statement.
–Jihye Lee
CNBC Pro: This fund manager is beating the market. Here’s what he’s betting against
Stock markets are down but the fund managed by Patrick Armstrong at Plurimi Wealth is continuing to deliver positive returns. The fund manager has a number of short positions to play the market volatility.
Pro subscribers can read more here.
— Zavier Ong
Asian currencies weaken after Fed’s third-straight big hike
Currencies in the Asia-Pacific weakened further after the U.S. Federal Reserve delivered its third consecutive rate hike of 75 basis points.
China’s onshore yuan weakened past 7.09 per dollar, hovering near levels not seen since June 2020.
The Japanese yen weakened to 144.51, while the Korean won also surged past 1,409 against the greenback – the weakest since March 2009.
Australia’s dollar fell to $0.6589.
–Jihye Lee
U.S. 2-year Treasury yield inches toward 2007 highs
British pound slides further to hover around 37-year low
The British pound fell further in Asia’s morning trade, hitting $1.1217 — its lowest level since 1985.
The currency has been losing ground against the U.S. dollar this year as economic concerns rise.
Analysts are split over whether the U.K. central bank will hike rates by 50 basis points or 75 basis points later today.
Sterling last traded at $1.1223.
— Abigail Ng
CNBC Pro: Morgan Stanley’s Mike Wilson names the key attribute he likes in stocks
Morgan Stanley’s Mike Wilson is staying defensive amid the persistent market volatility this year. He names the key attribute he’s looking for in stocks.
Stocks with this attribute have been “rewarded” this year, with the trend likely to persist until the market turns more bullish, according to Wilson.
Pro subscribers can read more here.
— Zavier Ong
Bank of Japan likely to maintain yield curve control for rest of 2022: DBS
Substantial adjustments to the Bank of Japan’s policies are likely to happen only after the central bank’s leadership changes in mid-2023, DBS Group Research said in a note Tuesday.
But the BOJ may consider some “policy finetuning,” such as widening the target band by 10 basis points, in response to market pressures, analysts wrote.
It added that “regardless of intervention,” the dollar-yen could test 147.66 last seen in August 1998, adding they are not ruling out USD/JPY pushing above 150 “without a hard landing in the U.S. prompting Fed cuts.”
— Abigail Ng
Stock futures open lower
U.S. stock futures fell on Wednesday night following a volatile session in the major averages as traders weighed another large rate hike from the Federal Reserve.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures declined by 16 points, or 0.05%. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures dipped 0.19% and 0.31%, respectively.
— Sarah Min
Stocks slide, Dow closes 522 points lower in volatile trading session
Stocks wavered on Wednesday but finished the session deep in the red after the Federal Reserve announced another 75 basis point rate hike.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 522.45 points, or 1.7%, to close at 30,183.78. The S&P 500 slid 1.71% to 3,789.93 and the Nasdaq Composite dove 1.79% to 11,220.19.
— Samantha Subin
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Raw Pork Brains Stored Above Garlic Among Health Violations For Arizona Restaurants
Raw Pork Brains Stored Above Garlic Among Health Violations For Arizona Restaurants https://digitalarizonanews.com/raw-pork-brains-stored-above-garlic-among-health-violations-for-arizona-restaurants/
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — Every week, Arizona’s Family looks up restaurants that have been recently been inspected by Maricopa County’s Environmental Services Department. Restaurants with some of the highest numbers of “risk factors,” considered as major health code violations by inspectors, are selected for our Dirty Dining Report. For more details on the restaurant inspection scoring system, visit Maricopa County’s website.
Here are the Valley restaurants that did not make the grade for September 21, 2022:
Cuisine and Wine Bistro – 4991 S. Alma School Road Chandler, AZ
4 violations, including:
Green and black organic growth in tomato paste
Food kept past its discard date
Orginal Cuisine – 1853 W. Broadway Road Mesa, AZ
4 violations, including:
Raw pork brains stored above garlic and chili oil
Food debris left on a meat slicer
Papa Johns Pizza – 4645 E. Broadway Road Phoenix, AZ
4 violations, including:
Pre-cooked chicken wings not kept cold enough
Windex and liquid sanitizer not stored properly
Desert Jade Restaurant – 3215 E. Indian School Road Phoenix, AZ
4 violations, including:
Raw shrimp and cream cheese stored at unsafe temperature
Raw beef stored in trash bags
Mariscos El Rey – 830 W. Southern Ave Mesa, AZ
6 violations, including:
Worker using bare hands to prep ready-to-eat foods
Raw fish and shrimp stored above ham
Cheese and eggs not kept at proper temperature
Valley restaurants with perfect health inspection scores, making the Dean’s List:
Mesa Golfland – 155 W. Hampton Ave Mesa, AZ
Moose Lodge – 9550 W. Peoria Ave Peoria, AZ
Brothers Pizza – 10720 W. Indian School Road Phoenix, AZ
McDonalds – 774 S. Val Vista Drive Gilbert, AZ
Cactus Café – 2115 E. Buckeye Road Phoenix, AZ
In N Out Burger – 7050 W. Ray Road Chandler, AZ
Copyright 2022 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
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Fat Leonard' Fugitive Defense Contractor Convicted In Navy Bribery Case Arrested In Venezuela
‘Fat Leonard,' Fugitive Defense Contractor Convicted In Navy Bribery Case, Arrested In Venezuela https://digitalarizonanews.com/fat-leonard-fugitive-defense-contractor-convicted-in-navy-bribery-case-arrested-in-venezuela/
Leonard Glenn Francis, better known as “Fat Leonard,” a defense contractor who disappeared weeks before he was set to be sentenced for one of the largest bribery scandals in the nation’s military history, was taken into custody Wednesday in Venezuela, the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed.
Francis was taken into custody by Venezuelan authorities as he was boarding a plane to another country, Marshals Service spokesperson Omar Castillo said. Carlos Garate Rondon, the Director General of INTERPOL Venezuela, stated Francis flew from Mexico to Ve Cuba, and his final destination was supposed to be Russia.
Francis will be handed over to federal authorities.
In 2018, before his escape, a judge warned Francis was a flight risk. NBC 7’s Dave Summers has the story.
The U.S. government posted a $40,000 reward last Friday for information leading to the arrest of the Malaysian defense contractor.
Francis cut off his ankle monitoring bracelet around 7:35 a.m. Sunday at a San Diego home where he was being held, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Neighbors reported seeing U-Haul trucks coming and going from the home days before he disappeared.
Francis had been allowed to remain in home confinement to receive medical care while he cooperated with the prosecution. With his help, prosecutors secured convictions of 33 of 34 defendants, including more than two dozen Navy officers.
‘Fat Leonard’ Case
Francis pleaded guilty in 2015 to offering prostitution services, luxury hotels, cigars, gourmet meals, and more than $500,000 in bribes to Navy officials and others to help his Singapore-based ship servicing company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd. or GDMA. Prosecutors said the company overcharged the Navy by at least $35 million for servicing ships, many of which were routed to ports he controlled in the Pacific.
Ten U.S. agencies are searching for Francis. U.S. authorities also issued a red notice, which asks law enforcement worldwide to provisionally arrest someone with the possibility of extradition. Malaysia and Singapore both have extradition agreements with the United States.
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Russia Frees 215 Ukrainians Held After Mariupol Battle Ukraine Says
Russia Frees 215 Ukrainians Held After Mariupol Battle, Ukraine Says https://digitalarizonanews.com/russia-frees-215-ukrainians-held-after-mariupol-battle-ukraine-says/
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Sept 21 (Reuters) – Russia has released 215 Ukrainians it took prisoner after a protracted battle for the port city of Mariupol earlier this year, including top military leaders, a senior official in Kyiv said on Wednesday.
The freed prisoners include the commander and deputy commander of the Azov battalion that did much of the fighting, said Andriy Yermak, the head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office.
The move is unexpected, since Russian-backed separatists last month said there would be a trial of Azov personnel, who Moscow describes as Nazis. Ukraine denies the charge.
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In a statement, Yermak said the freed prisoners included Azov commander Lieutenant Colonel Denys Prokopenko and his deputy, Svyatoslav Palamar.
Also at liberty is Serhiy Volynsky, the commander of the 36th Marine Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Commanders of defender of the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol Denys Prokopenko, Serhii Volynskyi, Sviatoslav Palamar, Denys Shleha, Oleh Homenko together with Ukraine’s Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi and Military Intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy via video link after prisoners of war (POWs) swapping, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in location given as Turkey, in this handout picture released September 22, 2022. Press service of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERS
The three men had helped lead a dogged weeks-long resistance from the bunkers and tunnels below Mariupol’s giant steel works before they and hundreds of Azov fighters surrendered in May to Russian-backed forces.
Yermak said that in return, Kyiv had freed 55 Russian prisoners as well as Viktor Medvedchuk, the leader of a banned pro-Russian party who was facing treason charges.
Public broadcaster Suspline said the exchange had happened near the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv.
Earlier in the day, Saudi Arabia said Russia had released 10 foreign prisoners of war captured in Ukraine following mediation by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. read more
Last month, the head of the Russian-backed separatist administration in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk said a trial of captured Azov personnel would take place by the end of the summer. read more
The Azov unit, formed in 2014 as a militia to fight Russian-backed separatists, denies being fascist, and Ukraine says it has been reformed from its radical nationalist origins.
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Reporting by David Ljunggren Editing by Alistair Bell and Rosalba O’Brien
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
David Ljunggren
Thomson Reuters
Covers Canadian political, economic and general news as well as breaking news across North America, previously based in London and Moscow and a winner of Reuters’ Treasury scoop of the year.
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Jan. 6 Committee Racing Year-End Clock Expects Final Hearing Next Week
Jan. 6 Committee, Racing Year-End Clock, Expects Final Hearing Next Week https://digitalarizonanews.com/jan-6-committee-racing-year-end-clock-expects-final-hearing-next-week/
WASHINGTON — A House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol attack is seeking to reclaim some of the spotlight lost to other blockbuster legal developments around Donald Trump with what could be its final hearing next week.
Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson told reporters Tuesday that a hearing scheduled for Sept. 28 would be the last for the committee, “unless something else develops.”
The panel is also planning to release an interim report of its investigative conclusions in early October, just weeks before the Nov. 8 elections that will determine control of Congress.
“It won’t be a quiet period,” Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, said last week.
The panel will need to crank up the volume to regain attention seized by the FBI’s raid of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and the dozens of subpoenas issued by federal and state grand juries. Since its last hearing, on July 21, the committee’s vice chair, Republican Liz Cheney, suffered a deflating primary loss to a Trump-backed candidate in Wyoming.
With the committee’s charter sunsetting at the end of the year, some of the loftier investigative pursuits — such as seeking testimony from the ex-president — may simply run out of time. And efforts to enforce subpoenas served on Trump’s congressional allies will probably remain unresolved.
The panel does intend on continuing its gumshoe work as long as possible, and is not planning to release its final report until December. But such end-of-year timing risks delivering too much, too late, given that Republicans could simply ignore any legislative recommendations come January if they win the House majority.
Committee members are still deciding on the topic or topics of the Sept. 28 hearing, and whether live witnesses will be called. One idea is to focus on security lapses at the Capitol tied to Jan. 6 and the reasons for delays in deployment of the National Guard — a subject explored already by other congressional committees.
Another would be to focus on Trump’s actions after the Jan. 6 insurrection. The hearing will be at 1 p.m. local time, not in prime time as a few of the previous ones have been.
Thompson said the committee would go over some findings or conclusions that will be contained in the final report, as well as some recommendations. “We have substantial footage of what occurred and we have significant witness testimony that we haven’t used in other hearings,” he said.
While it is expected to be the final hearing, Thompson said that is not set in stone, “because things happen.”
FINAL REPORT
The committee recently received a substantial tranche of additional subpoenaed material from the U.S. Secret Service — including chat messages and radio traffic among Secret Service personnel from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, that could solve mysteries involving Trump’s interactions with his security detail on the day of the attack.
“We’re taking in documents every day, we’re working, we’re reading, we’re going to do our best to put together a product the United States House can be proud of in this final report that will have some historical significance,” said panel member Pete Aguilar, a California Democrat.
The final, full report is expected to be voluminous, jam-packed with testimony gleaned from more than 1,000 witnesses, while providing conclusions, exhibits and recommendations to enact new election protections and other reforms.
“And that’s not lost on any of us — how important this work is to make sure that this doesn’t happen again and make sure we tell the full and complete story,” Aguilar said.
Undecided is whether there could also be referrals to the Justice Department recommending criminal prosecutions. Multiple grand juries in Washington and Georgia are already scrutinizing efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Meanwhile, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed suit Wednesday in state court, naming Trump, the Trump Organization, and three of his children for allegedly inflating the value of his real estate company’s assets in order to obtain more favorable loan terms and other benefits.
PENCE TESTIMONY
In deference to the limited time left, there is less talk of the committee calling former Vice President Mike Pence or even Trump himself, to voluntarily testify, though that hadn’t been considered probable. It is also growing unlikely that several of Trump’s subpoenaed Republican allies in Congress will ever be forced to appear, or former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino.
Even the committee’s plans to recommend reforms to the electoral counting procedures has found itself overtaken by events. Cheney and Zoe Lofgren, a Democratic panel member, introduced a bill this week to strengthen the Electoral College Act, which is endorsed by the committee.
The House passed the legislation Wednesday on a 229-203 vote. A similar bill is working its way through the Senate, and any final action to merge the two versions for final passage won’t happen until after the November midterm elections, in which there are at least 45 Republican candidates on the ballot for the House and Senate who have either said the 2020 election was stolen or cast doubt on its legitimacy.
“I want to be very clear that this is to prevent future attacks during election processes,” Cheney said of her bill during an appearance Monday evening at the American Enterprise Institute. But Cheney said no one should misconstrue efforts to overhaul the Election Count Act as suggesting that Trump did not violate existing law.
Panel members say they know that critics will accuse them of trying to affect the Nov. 8 election with the additional hearing and an early report, but insist they need to start releasing some committee information in coherent chunks that are digestible by the public.
“There are those partisans of former President Trump who will denounce anything we do. So, you know, we’re not going to jump through hoops to please people who will call whatever we’re doing partisan,” committee member Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, said.
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Appeals Court Lifts Hold On Mar-A-Lago Records In Donald Trump Investigation
Appeals Court Lifts Hold On Mar-A-Lago Records In Donald Trump Investigation https://digitalarizonanews.com/appeals-court-lifts-hold-on-mar-a-lago-records-in-donald-trump-investigation/
In a stark repudiation of Donald Trump’s legal arguments, a federal appeals court on Wednesday permitted the Justice Department to resume its use of classified records seized from the former president’s Florida estate as part of its ongoing criminal investigation.
The ruling from a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit amounts to an overwhelming victory for the Justice Department, clearing the way for investigators to continue scrutinizing the documents as they consider whether to bring criminal charges over the storage of of top-secret records at Mar-a-Lago after Trump left the White House. In lifting a hold on a core aspect of the department’s probe, the court removed an obstacle that could have delayed the investigation by weeks, if not months.
The appeals court also pointedly noted that Trump had presented no evidence that he had declassified the sensitive records, as he has repeatedly maintained, and rejected the possibility that Trump could have an “individual interest in or need for” the roughly 100 documents with classification markings that were seized by the FBI in its Aug. 8 search of the Palm Beach property.
The government had argued that its investigation had been impeded, and national security concerns swept aside, by an order from U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon that temporarily barred investigators from continuing to use the documents in its inquiry. Cannon, a Trump appointee, had said the hold would remain in place pending a separate review by an independent arbiter she had appointed at the Trump team’s request to review the records.
The appeals panel agreed with the Justice Department’s concerns.
A judge released a redacted affidavit Friday, outlining the Justice Department’s probable cause for the Aug. 8 search of former President Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago.
“It is self-evident that the public has a strong interest in ensuring that the storage of the classified records did not result in ‘exceptionally grave damage to the national security,’” they wrote. “Ascertaining that,” they added, “necessarily involves reviewing the documents, determining who had access to them and when, and deciding which (if any) sources or methods are compromised.”
An injunction that delayed or prevented the criminal investigation “from using classified materials risks imposing real and significant harm on the United States and the public,” they wrote.
Two of the three judges who issued Wednesday’s ruling — Britt Grant and Andrew Brasher — were nominated to the 11th Circuit by Trump. Judge Robin Rosenbaum was nominated by former President Barack Obama.
Lawyers for Trump did not return an email seeking comment on whether they would appeal the ruling. The Justice Department did not have an immediate comment.
The FBI last month seized roughly 11,000 documents, including about 100 with classification markings, during a court-authorized search of the Palm Beach club. It has launched a criminal investigation into whether the records were mishandled or compromised, though is not clear whether Trump or anyone else will be charged.
Cannon ruled on Sept. 5 that she would name an independent arbiter, or special master, to do an independent review of those records and segregate any that may be covered by claims of attorney-client privilege or executive privilege and to determine whether any of the materials should be returned to Trump. Raymond Dearie, the former chief judge of the federal court based in Brooklyn, has been named to the role and held his first meeting on Tuesday with lawyers for both sides.
The Justice Department had argued that a special master review of the classified documents was not necessary. It said Trump had no plausible basis to invoke executive privilege over the documents, nor could the records be covered by attorney-client privilege because they do not involve communications between Trump and his lawyers.
It had also contested Cannon’s order requiring it to provide Dearie and Trump’s lawyers with access to the classified material. The court sided with the Justice Department on Wednesday, saying “courts should order review of such materials in only the most extraordinary circumstances. The record does not allow for the conclusion that this is such a circumstance.”
Trump Coverage:
Trump’s lawyers had argued that an independent review of the records was essential given the unprecedented nature of the investigation. The lawyers have also said the department had not yet proven that the seized documents were classified, though they have notably stopped short of asserting — as Trump repeatedly has — that the records were previously declassified.
The Trump team this week resisted providing Dearie with any information to support the idea that the records might have been declassified, signaling the issue could be part of their defense in the event of an indictment.
But the appeals court appeared to scoff at that argument.
“Plaintiff suggests that he may have declassified these documents when he was President. But the record contains no evidence that any of these records were declassified,” they wrote. “In any event, at least for these purposes, the declassification argument is a red herring because declassifying an official document would not change its content or render it personal.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James has sued former president Donald Trump and his three adult children, Don Jr., Eric, Ivanka and top executives at the Trump Organization for fraud.
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Trump Accused Of Vast Fraud In Suit By N.Y. Attorney General
Trump Accused Of Vast Fraud In Suit By N.Y. Attorney General https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-accused-of-vast-fraud-in-suit-by-n-y-attorney-general/
Donald Trump, right, sits with his children, from left, Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Ivanka Trump during a groundbreaking ceremony for Trump International Hotel on July 23, 2014, in Washington. New York’s attorney general filed a lawsuit against Trump and his company Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, alleging business fraud involving some of their most prized assets, including properties in Manhattan, Chicago and Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
NEW YORK — New York’s attorney general sued former President Donald Trump and his company for fraud on Wednesday, alleging they padded his net worth by billions of dollars by lying about the value of prized assets including golf courses, hotels and his homes at Trump Tower and Mar-a-Lago.
Attorney General Letitia James dubbed it: “The art of the steal.”
James’ lawsuit, filed in state court in New York, is the culmination of a three-year civil investigation of Trump and the Trump Organization. Trump’s three eldest children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric Trump, were also named as defendants, along with two longtime company executives, Allen Weisselberg and Jeffrey McConney.
The lawsuit strikes at the core of what made Trump famous, taking a blacklight to the image of wealth and opulence he’s embraced throughout his career — first as a real estate developer, then as a reality TV host on “The Apprentice” and “Celebrity Apprentice,” and later as president.
James wants Trump and the other defendants to pay at least $250 million, which she said was the approximate worth of the benefits it got through fraudulent practices.
James, a Democrat, announced details of the lawsuit at a news conference on Wednesday. She said her office filed the case — which is civil, not criminal in nature — after rejecting settlement offers made by lawyers for the defendants.
The alleged scheme was intended to burnish Trump’s billionaire image and the value of his properties when doing so gave him an advantage, such as in obtaining favorable loan terms, while playing down the value of assets at other times for tax purposes, James’ office said.
“This investigation revealed that Donald Trump engaged in years of illegal conduct to inflate his net worth, to deceive banks and the people of the great state of New York,” James said at the news conference. “Claiming you have money that you do not have does not amount to the art of the deal. It’s the art of the steal.”
James said her investigation uncovered potential criminal violations, including falsifying business records, issuing false financial statements, insurance fraud, conspiracy and bank fraud. She said her office is referring those findings to federal prosecutors and the Internal Revenue Service.
In a statement posted to his Truth Social platform, Trump called the lawsuit “Another Witch Hunt by a racist Attorney General” and called James, who is Black, “a fraud who campaigned on a ‘get Trump’ platform, despite the fact that the city is one of the crime and murder disasters of the world under her watch!”
Trump lawyer Alina Habba said the lawsuit “is neither focused on the facts nor the law — rather, it is solely focused on advancing the Attorney General’s political agenda,” accusing James of abusing her authority “by prying into transactions where absolutely no wrongdoing has taken place.”
Habba said the allegations in the lawsuit are “meritless.”
James is seeking to remove the Trumps from businesses engaged in the alleged fraud and wants an independent monitor appointed for no less than five years to oversee the Trump Organization’s compliance, financial reporting, valuations and disclosures to lenders, insurers and tax authorities.
She is seeking to replace the current trustees of Trump’s revocable trust, which controls his business interests, with independent trustees, to bar Trump and the Trump Organization from entering into commercial real estate acquisitions for five years, from obtaining loans from banks in New York for five years and permanently bar Trump and three of his adult children from serving as an officer or director in any New York corporation or similar business entity registered and/or licensed in New York State.
She also seeks to permanently bar Weisselberg and McConney from serving in the financial control function of any New York corporation or similar business entity registered and/or licensed in New York State.
James’ lawsuit comes amid a swirl of unprecedented legal challenges for a former president, including an FBI investigation into Trump’s handling of classified records and inquiries into his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The Trump Organization is set to go on trial in October in a criminal case alleging that it schemed to give untaxed perks to senior executives, including its longtime finance chief Weisselberg, who alone took more than $1.7 million in extras.
Weisselberg, 75, pleaded guilty Aug. 18. His plea agreement requires him to testify at the company’s trial before he starts a five-month jail sentence. If convicted, the Trump Organization could face a fine of double the amount of unpaid taxes.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been conducting a parallel criminal investigation of the same business practices at the heart of James’ civil lawsuit. That probe lost momentum earlier this year after Bragg raised questions internally about whether a criminal case was viable, but the Democrat has said it has not been abandoned.
At the same time, the FBI is continuing to investigate Trump’s storage of sensitive government documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, and a special grand jury in Georgia is investigating whether Trump and others attempted to influence state election officials.
All of the legal drama is playing out ahead of the November midterm elections, where Republicans are trying to win control of one or both houses of Congress.
Meanwhile, Trump has been laying the groundwork for a potential comeback campaign for president in 2024 and has accused President Joe Biden’s administration of targeting him to hurt his political chances.
State law allows a broad range of civil remedies against companies committing commercial fraud, including revoking licenses to conduct business in the state, removing company officers and forcing the payment of restitution or disgorgement of ill-gotten gains.
James’ office could also seek to ban Trump from being involved in certain types of businesses, as happened in January when a judge barred ex-drug company CEO Martin Shkreli from the pharmaceutical industry for life.
In a previous clash with Trump, James oversaw the closure of his charity, the Trump Foundation, after her predecessor in the attorney general’s office, Barbara Underwood, filed a lawsuit alleging he misused its assets to resolve business disputes and boost his run for the White House. A judge ordered Trump to pay $2 million to an array of charities to settle the matter.
James, who campaigned for office as a Trump critic and watchdog, started scrutinizing his business practices in March 2019 after his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen testified to Congress that Trump exaggerated his wealth on financial statements provided to Deutsche Bank when he was trying to obtain financing to buy the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.
Since then, James’ office and Trump’s lawyers have repeatedly sparred over the direction of the investigation and Trump’s unwillingness to comply with subpoenas for his testimony and records. Trump spent months fighting the subpoena that led to his August deposition, his lawyers unable to convince courts that he should be excused from testifying because his answers could be used in Bragg’s criminal probe.
In May, Trump paid $110,000 in fines after he was held in contempt of court for being slow to respond to a subpoena James’ office issued seeking documents and other evidence. The contempt finding was lifted in June after Trump and his lawyers submitted paperwork showing they had made a good faith effort to find relevant documents.
New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, in New York. The AG’s office is suing former President Donald Trump and his company, alleging business fraud involving some of their most prized assets, including properties in Manhattan, Chicago and Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)
Seven Springs, a property owned by former U.S. President Donald Trump is shown covered in snow Feb. 23, 2021, in Mount Kisco, N.Y. New York’s attorney general sued former President Donald Trump and his company on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, alleging business fraud involving some of their most prized assets, including properties in Manhattan, Chicago and Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
Print Headline: Trump accused of vast fraud in suit by N.Y. attorney general
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4 Mesa Homes Evacuated After Driver Slams Into Block Wall Hitting Gas Line
4 Mesa Homes Evacuated After Driver Slams Into Block Wall, Hitting Gas Line https://digitalarizonanews.com/4-mesa-homes-evacuated-after-driver-slams-into-block-wall-hitting-gas-line/
MESA, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — Police say four homes in a Mesa neighborhood were evacuated after a driver slammed into a block wall and hit a gas line on Wednesday evening. The crash happened near Broadway Road and Val Vista Drive around 7 p.m.
According to Det. Brandi George with Mesa police, two cars crashed and one hit the block wall. Police then got everyone out of their homes near the crash, but it’s unknown when they’ll be able to go back inside. George said at least one person was hurt but didn’t give details about their injuries or if anyone else was hurt.
No gas leaks have been reported. Police are investigating what led up to the incident.
Copyright 2022 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
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U.S. Appeals Court Says Trump Criminal Probe Can Resume Classified Records Review
U.S. Appeals Court Says Trump Criminal Probe Can Resume Classified Records Review https://digitalarizonanews.com/u-s-appeals-court-says-trump-criminal-probe-can-resume-classified-records-review/
Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, U.S., September 3, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
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WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department can resume reviewing classified records seized by the FBI from former President Donald Trump’s Florida home pending appeal, a federal appellate court ruled on Wednesday, giving a boost to the criminal investigation into whether the records were mishandled or compromised.
The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a request by federal prosecutors to block U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s stay barring them from using the classified documents in their probe until an independent arbiter, called a special master, vets the materials to weed out any that could be deemed privileged and withheld from investigators.
The appeals court also said it would agree to reverse a portion of the lower court’s order that required the government to hand over records with classification markings for the special master’s review.
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“We conclude that the United States would suffer irreparable harm from the district court’s restrictions on its access to this narrow—and potentially critical—set of materials, as well as the court’s requirement that the United States submit the classified records to the special master for review,” the three-judge panel wrote.
The decision is “limited in nature,” the panel wrote, as the Justice Department had asked only for a partial stay pending appeal, and that the panel was not able to decide on the merits of the case itself.
The three judges who made the decision were Robin Rosenbaum, an appointee of Democratic former President Barack Obama, and Britt Grant and Andrew Brasher, both of whom were appointed by Trump.
Trump’s lawyers could potentially ask the U.S. Supreme Court, whose 6-3 conservative majority includes three justices appointed by him, to intervene in the matter.
In filings on Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers urged the court to keep the stay in place and to allow them under the supervision of the special master, U.S Judge Raymond Dearie, to review all of the seized materials, including those marked classified.
A Justice Department spokesperson did not have an immediate comment. Attorneys for Trump could not be immediately reached for comment.
In an interview on Fox News Wednesday night, Trump repeated his claim without evidence that he declassified the documents and said he had the power to do it “even by thinking about it.”
The FBI conducted a court-approved search on Aug. 8 at Trump’s home at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, seizing more than 11,000 documents including about 100 marked as classified.
The search was part of a federal investigation into whether Trump illegally removed documents from the White House when he left office in January 2021 after his failed 2020 re-election bid and whether Trump tried to obstruct the probe.
Cannon, a Trump appointee herself, appointed Dearie to serve as special master in the case at Trump’s request, despite the Justice Department’s objections about a special master.
Cannon tasked Dearie with reviewing all of the materials, including classified ones, so that he can separate anything that could be subject to attorney-client privilege or executive privilege – a legal doctrine that shields some White House communications from disclosure.
However, Trump’s lawyers have not made such claims in any of their legal filings, and during a hearing before Dearie on Tuesday, they resisted his request to provide proof that Trump had declassified any records. read more
Although the appeals court stressed its ruling was narrow in scope, it nevertheless appeared to sharply rebuke Cannon’s ruling from top to bottom and many of Trump’s legal arguments.
“[Trump]has not even attempted to show that he has a need to know the information contained in the classified documents,” the judges wrote. “Nor has he established that the current administration has waived that requirement for these documents.”
The Justice Department previously also raised strong objections to Cannon’s demand that Dearie review the seized records for documents possibly covered by executive privilege, noting that Trump is a former president and the records do not belong to him.
While it voiced disagreement, however, the Justice Department did not appeal that portion of Cannon’s order. It is not clear if prosecutors may separately seek to appeal other parts of Cannon’s ruling on the special master appointment.
“We decide only the traditional equitable considerations, including whether the United States has shown a substantial likelihood of prevailing on the merits, the harm each party might suffer from a stay, and where the public interest lies,” the appeals court said.
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Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; additional reporting by Eric Beech, Mike Scarcella and Jacqueline Thomsen; Editing by Leslie Adler & Shri Navaratnam
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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Asia Markets Sink On Hawkish Fed; Yen Weakens Ahead Of Bank Of Japan Decision
Asia Markets Sink On Hawkish Fed; Yen Weakens Ahead Of Bank Of Japan Decision https://digitalarizonanews.com/asia-markets-sink-on-hawkish-fed-yen-weakens-ahead-of-bank-of-japan-decision/
Pedestrians walk past the Exchange Square complex, which houses the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, in Hong Kong, China, on Tuesday, March 23, 2021.
Paul Yeung | Bloomberg via Getty Images
The U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to continue hiking interest rates to as high as 4.6% in 2023, according to its median forecast.
— CNBC’s Jeff Cox, Samantha Subin, Carmen Reinicke and Yun Li contributed to this report.
Asian currencies weaken after Fed’s third-straight big hike
Currencies in the Asia-Pacific weakened further after the U.S. Federal Reserve delivered its third consecutive rate hike of 75 basis points.
China’s onshore yuan weakened past 7.09 per dollar, hovering near levels not seen since June 2020.
The Japanese yen weakened to 144.51, while the Korean won also surged past 1,409 against the greenback – the weakest since March 2009.
Australia’s dollar fell to $0.6589.
–Jihye Lee
U.S. 2-year Treasury yield inches toward 2007 highs
British pound slides further to hover around 37-year low
The British pound fell further in Asia’s morning trade, hitting $1.1217 — its lowest level since 1985.
The currency has been losing ground against the U.S. dollar this year as economic concerns rise.
Analysts are split over whether the U.K. central bank will hike rates by 50 basis points or 75 basis points later today.
Sterling last traded at $1.1223.
— Abigail Ng
CNBC Pro: Morgan Stanley’s Mike Wilson names the key attribute he likes in stocks
Morgan Stanley’s Mike Wilson is staying defensive amid the persistent market volatility this year. He names the key attribute he’s looking for in stocks.
Stocks with this attribute have been “rewarded” this year, with the trend likely to persist until the market turns more bullish, according to Wilson.
Pro subscribers can read more here.
— Zavier Ong
Bank of Japan likely to maintain yield curve control for rest of 2022: DBS
Substantial adjustments to the Bank of Japan’s policies are likely to happen only after the central bank’s leadership changes in mid-2023, DBS Group Research said in a note Tuesday.
But the BOJ may consider some “policy finetuning,” such as widening the target band by 10 basis points, in response to market pressures, analysts wrote.
It added that “regardless of intervention,” the dollar-yen could test 147.66 last seen in August 1998, adding they are not ruling out USD/JPY pushing above 150 “without a hard landing in the U.S. prompting Fed cuts.”
— Abigail Ng
Stock futures open lower
U.S. stock futures fell on Wednesday night following a volatile session in the major averages as traders weighed another large rate hike from the Federal Reserve.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures declined by 16 points, or 0.05%. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures dipped 0.19% and 0.31%, respectively.
— Sarah Min
Stocks slide, Dow closes 522 points lower in volatile trading session
Stocks wavered on Wednesday but finished the session deep in the red after the Federal Reserve announced another 75 basis point rate hike.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 522.45 points, or 1.7%, to close at 30,183.78. The S&P 500 slid 1.71% to 3,789.93 and the Nasdaq Composite dove 1.79% to 11,220.19.
— Samantha Subin
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Trump Children Sued For incredible Fraud In New York
Trump, Children Sued For ‘incredible’ Fraud In New York https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-children-sued-for-incredible-fraud-in-new-york/
Donald Trump and family members lied to tax collectors, lenders and insurers for years in a scheme that routinely misstated the value of his properties to enrich themselves, according to a suit filed by New York’s attorney general on Wednesday.
Top state prosecutor Letitia James said that with the help of his children and others at the Trump Organization, the former president provided fraudulent statements of his net worth and false asset valuations “to obtain and satisfy loans, get insurance benefits, and pay lower taxes.”
“In short, he lied to gain massive financial benefits for himself.”
The sweeping investigation is one of many criminal, civil and congressional probes into Trump, who is eyeing another run for the White House in 2024.
Trump repeated his oft-used defense that the suit is “another witch hunt” against him, while his spokesperson denounced it as a political move by Democrats against the Republican businessman.
James’ office requested that the former president pay at least $250 million in penalties — a sum she says he made from the fraud — and that his family be banned from running businesses in the state.
She also urged that Trump along with his children Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump be barred from purchasing property in the state for five years.
“The very foundation of his purported net worth is rooted in incredible fraud and illegality,” James said in a statement.
Referring the title of Trump’s book “The Art of Deal,” she said that “Mr. Trump thought he could get away with the art of the steal, but today, that conduct ends.”
– ‘Staggering’ overvaluations –
James said her office, which lacks authority to file criminal charges, was making a criminal referral to the US Justice Department as well as the Internal Revenue Service based on the three-year investigation.
The lawsuit filed with the New York State Supreme Court includes allegations that Trump’s annual financial statements for at least a decade grossly inflated property values across his assets — from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to Manhattan’s Trump Tower — to a “staggering” degree.
He did so to obtain favorable loans with lower interests and premiums, said James, who is running to be re-elected to her post in November.
The suit details tactics used by Trump and his associates, saying they would represent that he had cash on hand when he didn’t, change valuation properties wildly, and use “objectively false numbers to calculate property values” including at his famous triplex on Fifth Avenue.
“White collar financial crime is not a victimless crime,” James said.
“When the well-connected break the law to take in more money than they are entitled to, it reduces resources available to working people, to regular people, to small businesses and to all tax payers.”
James’ lawsuit requests that a judge appoint an independent authority to monitor the Trump Organization’s financial practices, and remove the Trumps from their own family business.
– Web of investigations –
New York authorities have been probing Trump and his family business since 2018, when the Manhattan district attorney opened a probe into the then-president who has long vied to present himself as a self-made billionaire.
James’ civil inquiry began the next year, after Trump’s former lawyer gave testimony that indicated the company had engaged in misconduct.
The DA’s criminal probe has not resulted in any charges as of yet.
Last month Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization’s long-time finance chief, pleaded guilty to tax fraud and agreed to testify at an upcoming criminal trial of the former US president’s real estate company.
He is to serve five months in prison contingent on his testifying truthfully at the October criminal trial of the Trump Organization on tax fraud charges, the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said last month.
FBI agents separately searched Trump’s palatial Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on August 8 and seized numerous boxes of documents, including some marked “Top Secret,” “Secret” and “Confidential.”
His lawyers have tried to block the government’s access to those files, requesting that an independent arbiter sort through the documents to determine if any fall under special legal privileges.
A federal judge sided with Trump and allowed the appointment of a so-called special master, though the government appealed her decision to block their access to those documents marked as classified.
A three-judge appellate panel, two of whom were nominated by Trump, agreed on Wednesday that government should regain access to the classified documents.
Trump is also facing legal scrutiny for his efforts to overturn the results of the November 2020 election and over the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by his supporters.
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Trump Is Now Claiming He Can Declassify Documents Telepathically
Trump Is Now Claiming He Can Declassify Documents Telepathically https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-is-now-claiming-he-can-declassify-documents-telepathically/
The very desperate former president went on Fox News to vent to Sean Hannity about his legal woes, and offer a new defense of his document-hoarding
Donald Trump went on Fox News Wednesday night to vent to Sean Hannity about the civil fraud lawsuit New York Attorney General Letitia James slapped on him and three of his children earlier in the day. The former president didn’t exactly clear his name, instead claiming repeatedly that he has plenty of cash, very little debt, and that James’ investigation is nothing more than a political stunt..
The conversation eventually turned to another of Trump’s myriad legal quandaries: the Justice Department’s investigation into the material he was — and maybe still is — hoarding at Mar-a-Lago. Trump has long argued that he declassified all of the highly sensitive classified documents the FBI retrieved from his Palm Beach estate last month, a claim so dubious that his lawyers have refused to make it in court.
Trump told Hannity not to worry, though. There need not be any physical or even anecdotal evidence that he declassified the documents, as the president has the power to do it with nothing more than his mind.
“If you’re the president of the United States, you can declassify just by saying it’s declassified — even by thinking about it,” Trump said. “Because you’re sending it to Mar-a-Lago or wherever you’re sending it. There doesn’t have to be a process. There can be a process, but there doesn’t have to be.”
Presidents are able to declassify documents, but there is typically a procedure for doing so. It’s up for debate whether presidents are required to follow any such procedure, but the idea that they can declassify sensitive material just by thinking about it is, of course, absurd.
“Hypothetical questions like, ‘What if a president thinks to himself that something is declassified? Does that change its status?’ are so speculative that their practical meaning is negligible,” Steven Aftergood, a secrecy specialist with the Federation of American Scientists, recently told The New York Times. “It’s a logical mess. The system is not meant to be deployed in such an arbitrary fashion.”
The legal system isn’t likely to buy Trump’s claim, either. Judge Raymond Dearie told the former president’s legal team on Tuesday that unless they provide some concrete evidence that Trump declassified the documents clearly labeled as classified, he will treat them as if they are, indeed, classified.
Dearie last week was designated a “special master” to review the documents seized by the FBI in order to flag any privilege issues. The hearing on Tuesday was a blow to Trump’s defense, especially considering it was his own legal team that recommended Dearie for the position. Trump tried to distance himself from the appointment when pressed by Hannity on Wednesday. “I didn’t know any of the people involved,” he said.
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Appeals Court: Justice Dept. Can Use Mar-A-Lago Documents In Criminal Probe
Appeals Court: Justice Dept. Can Use Mar-A-Lago Documents In Criminal Probe https://digitalarizonanews.com/appeals-court-justice-dept-can-use-mar-a-lago-documents-in-criminal-probe/
An appeals court sided with the Justice Department in a legal fight over classified documents seized in a court-authorized search of former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, ruling Wednesday that the FBI may use the documents in its ongoing criminal investigation.
The decision by a three-judge panel of the appeals court marks a victory, at least temporarily, for the Justice Department in its legal battle with Trump over access to the evidence in a high-stakes investigation to determine if the former president or his advisers mishandled national security secrets, or hid or destroyed government records.
It was the second legal setback of the day for Trump, who was sued Wednesday morning by New York Attorney General Letitia James. The lawsuit said Trump and his company flagrantly manipulated property and other asset valuations to deceive lenders, insurance brokers and tax authorities to get better rates and lower tax liability.
In Wednesday night’s ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta found fault with Trump’s rationale that the classified documents seized on Aug. 8 might be his property, rather than the government’s. The appeals court also disagreed with the rationale used by U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon in agreeing to have the classified documents reviewed by a special master to see if they should be shielded from investigators because of executive or attorney-client privilege.
“For our part, we cannot discern why [Trump] would have an individual interest in or need for any of the one-hundred documents with classification markings,” the court wrote, noting that the stay it issued is temporary and should not be considered a final decision on the merits of the case.
The lower court “abused its discretion in exercising jurisdiction … as it concerns the classified documents,” the panel wrote in a 29-page opinion. Two judges on the panel were appointed by Trump; the third was appointed by President Barack Obama.
A Trump spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In an interview Wednesday with Fox News that was recorded before the appeals court issued its ruling, Trump claimed he had declassified the documents, and he suggested there would not have to be any written record of such an action.
“I declassified the documents when they left the White House,” Trump said. “There doesn’t have to be a process as I understand it. You’re the president of the United States, you can declassify … even by thinking about it.”
The panel found particularly unpersuasive the repeated suggestions by Trump’s legal team that he may have declassified the documents — citing an appearance by Trump’s attorneys on Tuesday before special master Raymond Dearie, who pressed them to say whether the former president had acted to declassify the materials in question.
“Plaintiff suggests that he may have declassified these documents when he was President. But the record contains no evidence that any of these records were declassified. And before the special master, Plaintiff resisted providing any evidence that he had declassified any of these documents,” the panel wrote. “In any event, at least for these purposes, the declassification argument is a red herring because declassifying an official document would not change its content or render it personal.”
Last week, the Justice Department filed papers asking the appeals court to quickly assess part of Cannon’s decision in which she appointed a special master to review the seized documents.
Prosecutors have said that two parts of her order — allowing the special master to review the roughly 100 documents that were marked classified and halting the criminal investigation surrounding those documents while the special master conducts a review — jeopardize national security interests.
Cannon, a federal judge in Florida, appointed Dearie, a federal judge in New York City, to serve as special master and review the roughly 11,000 documents and items seized in the FBI’s search.
The Justice Department had previously asked Cannon to reconsider those two elements of her order, but she declined in a written order that repeatedly expressed skepticism of the government’s claims about the case.
In particular, Cannon said that a risk assessment of the case, conducted by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, could continue, while the criminal investigators were not allowed to use the classified documents for the time being.
The Justice Department said such a distinction was impractical because much of the DNI’s work would necessarily be done by FBI agents, and the two tasks were “inextricably intertwined.” Cannon did not accept that characterization and held to her original determination.
But the appeals court rejected her reasoning on that issue, writing: “This distinction is untenable.” The panel also used its ruling to offer a public primer on how the government classifies and declassifies government secrets, and why that process is important.
“For example, information that could reveal the identity of a confidential human source or that relates to weapons of mass destruction is exempted from automatic disclosure,” the judges wrote.
Prosecutors have said in court papers that some papers seized from Mar-a-Lago contained information related to programs that involve intelligence gleaned from human sources. The Washington Post has reported that one document recovered by FBI agents described a foreign government’s military defenses, including its nuclear capabilities.
The Justice Department told the appeals court that it disagrees with Cannon’s decision, but it asked the court to issue a stay of “only the portions of the order causing the most serious and immediate harm to the government and the public,” calling the scope of its request “modest but critically important.”
Trump’s lawyers countered with their own filing, urging the appeals court not to intercede, suggesting that the documents marked classified may not in fact be classified and arguing that if they are, it is up to the government to prove it.
The appeals court decision simplifies the special master’s work, removing the classified documents from the equation — though Dearie had signaled at a meeting Tuesday that he would probably avoid reviewing the classified documents if he could.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Justice Department lawyers had indicated that they might appeal the issue to the Supreme Court if they lost at the 11th Circuit; it is unclear if Trump’s legal team would file such an appeal now that the panel has ruled against them.
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Crews Rescue Overheated Dog At Toms Thumb In Scottsdale
Crews Rescue Overheated Dog At Tom’s Thumb In Scottsdale https://digitalarizonanews.com/crews-rescue-overheated-dog-at-toms-thumb-in-scottsdale/
SCOTTSDALE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — It’s not just humans that can be overcome by the heat while enjoying the trails in the Phoenix area. Dogs can too, and that’s what happened on Wednesday afternoon in Scottsdale. A woman was three-quarters of the way up Tom’s Thumb with her two dogs when the heat got too much for one pup. The dog is a 125 lbs German shepherd named Diego. 911 was called, and Scottsdale paramedics showed up and helped cool him down. Crews then carried Diego down a steep part of the trail. The hiker and her two dogs were taken the rest of the way down on a utility vehicle. Diego was doing much better after five bottles of water, firefighters said, and got into the car under his own power.
Firefighters want to remind dog owners to walk their dogs in the cooler part of the day and limit their pup’s exercise if it’s above 85 degrees. You should also check the temperature of the asphalt or sidewalk. If it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot for your dog’s paws. Hikers should also give their pets plenty of water before leaving the house. While on the trail, try and get in the shade as much as possible.
Copyright 2022 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
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Ruinous Hurricane Fiona Reaches Category 4 As It Moves North Leaving Disaster-Stricken Areas On Slow Road To Recovery | CNN
Ruinous Hurricane Fiona Reaches Category 4 As It Moves North, Leaving Disaster-Stricken Areas On Slow Road To Recovery | CNN https://digitalarizonanews.com/ruinous-hurricane-fiona-reaches-category-4-as-it-moves-north-leaving-disaster-stricken-areas-on-slow-road-to-recovery-cnn/
CNN —
With Category 4 Hurricane Fiona poised to sideswipe Bermuda later this week, people in the storm’s deadly wake still faced days without basic utilities late Wednesday – including much of Puerto Rico, where most were left without power and running water.
More than a million people in Puerto Rico still had no power by Wednesday afternoon, according to the island’s emergency portal system. And more than 450,000 people across the island were without water service or with intermittent service as of Wednesday night, according to the website.
Water is the top concern for residents like Carlos Vega, whose town of Cayey in the mountains of east-central Puerto Rico faced not only utility outages but also partially collapsed roads – an effect of the major flooding and more than 2 feet of rain that parts of Puerto Rico were hit with.
“(Being without) power … we can face that and we can deal with that. The biggest concern is with our water. Can’t live without water,” Vega told CNN on Tuesday.
Fiona killed at least five people in the Caribbean as it tore through the region last weekend and into this week, including one in Guadeloupe, two in Puerto Rico and two in the Dominican Republic.
Fiona also whipped parts of the Turks and Caicos islands on Tuesday with sustained winds of almost 125 mph, officials said. That left many areas without power, including on Grand Turk, South Caicos, Salt Cay, North Caicos and Middle Caicos, said Anya Williams, the acting governor of the islands. Authorities were able to begin visiting several islands and begin repairs.
No deaths had been reported in Turks and Caicos as of Wednesday evening, Williams said in an update.
Fiona’s flooding especially left critical infrastructure damage in Puerto Rico and then the Dominican Republic, which the storm crossed Monday. More than 1 million utility customers in the Dominican Republic had no water service as of Wednesday morning, and more than 349,000 customers were without power, according to Maj. Gen. Juan Méndez García, director of the country’s emergency operations center.
Meanwhile, parts of Puerto Rico, where hundreds of thousands remained without power, reached heat indices – what the air feels like when combining temperature and humidity – of 105 to 109 degrees Wednesday, according to CNN meteorologist Rob Shackelford.
The landfall in Puerto Rico on Sunday came nearly five years after Hurricane Maria devastated the island, leaving thousands dead and cutting power to and water service to more than 1 million people for what would become months.
Fiona, after its center passed the Turks and Caicos as a Category 3 storm, strengthened to Category 4 – sustained winds of at least 130 mph – early Wednesday over the Atlantic.
By around 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, it was centered about 605 miles southwest of Bermuda, heading north with sustained winds of 130 mph, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.
Fiona is expected to strengthen some through Wednesday night and approach Bermuda late Thursday, potentially still as a Category 4 storm, forecasters said.
“Fiona is forecast to be a hurricane-force cyclone through Saturday,” the hurricane center said.
Fiona’s powerful center is currently expected to pass west of Bermuda, sparing the British island territory its worst winds. But sustained winds of at least tropical-storm force – 39 to 73 mph – are expected to reach Bermuda by late Thursday or early Friday, the center said.
The US State Department issued a travel advisory Tuesday urging US citizens to reconsider travel to Bermuda because of the storm. The department also authorized family members of US government personnel to leave the island in anticipation of the storm.
Though the storm isn’t expected to track near the US East Coast, it could generate onshore waves of 8 to 10 feet there over the weekend, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said Wednesday.
“It’s not a good weekend to go to the shore and get in the water – it’s time to stay out of the water,” Myers said of the East Coast.
Fiona could affect portions of Atlantic Canada as a powerful hurricane-force cyclone late Friday and Saturday, potentially hammering the region with high winds, storm surge and heavy rainfall. A storm surge is expected to bring up water levels along Bermuda’s coast starting late Thursday.
“Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves,” the hurricane center said.
The storm has strengthened over the past few days – it made landfall in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic as a Category 1 hurricane before battering both with outer bands as it moved over water and toward the Turks and Caicos as a storm in Categories 2 and 3.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
Ricardo Hernandez/AP
Nicasio Gil walks through the stagnant water left by the swollen Duey River while grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona in Higuey, Dominican Republic, on Tuesday, September 20.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
Maxar Technologies/Reuters
A satellite image shows flooded fields and buildings in Cerrillos, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
Jose Jimenez/Getty Images
A damaged plantain crop field is seen Tuesday in Guanica, Puerto Rico.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
Stephanie Rojas/AP
A photo album belonging to Luis Ramos Rosario lies in the mud inside his flooded home in Cayey, Puerto Rico.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
Ricardo Hernandez/AP
Residents work to recover belongings after flooding in the Los Sotos neighborhood of Higuey on Tuesday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
Ricardo Rojas/Reuters
A man in El Seibo, Dominican Republic, looks at his damaged house on Tuesday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
Alejandro Granadillo/AP
Streets are flooded on Salinas Beach after Hurricane Fiona moved through Salinas, Puerto Rico, on Monday, September 19.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters
Members of the Puerto Rico National Guard rescue a woman stranded at her house in Salinas on Monday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters
A member of the Puerto Rico National Guard searches for people in Salinas on Monday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
Stephanie Rojas/AP
Residents affected by Hurricane Fiona rest at a storm shelter Monday in Salinas.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters
Children swim in a flooded street in Salinas on Monday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
Jose Rodriguez/AFP/Getty Images
A woman stands outside her flooded house in Salinas on Monday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
-/AFP/AFP via Getty Images
A person cooks in the dark Monday after losing power in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
Alejandro Granadillo/AP
A woman clears debris on her flooded property in Salinas on Monday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
Alejandro Granadillo/AP
Nelson Cirino looks at his bedroom after the winds of Hurricane Fiona tore the roof off his house in Loíza, Puerto Rico, on Sunday, September 18.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters
People clear a road from a fallen tree in Yauco, Puerto Rico, on Sunday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
NOAA/AP
This satellite image shows Hurricane Fiona in the Caribbean on Sunday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
Alejandro Granadillo/AP
Nelson Cirino secures the windows of his home as the winds of Hurricane Fiona blow in Loíza on Sunday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
Ricardo Rojas/Reuters
Workers of the Social State Plan prepare food rations in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Sunday.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
Alejandro Granadillo/AP
Jetsabel Osorio stands in her house in Loíza on Saturday, September 17. It was damaged five years ago by Hurricane Maria.
Photos: Hurricane Fiona slams the Caribbean
Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters
Boats sit secured to mangroves as Fiona approaches Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, on Saturday.
Many in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico still are grappling with Fiona’s aftermath and will likely face a prolonged relief and recovery process.
In Nizao, a small city in southern Dominican Republic, a woman tearfully told CNN affiliate Noticias SIN that Fiona’s winds destroyed her home.
“Thank God my girls (are) safe. I managed to cover them with something and block them with a washing machine,” she told Noticias SIN this week.
Another woman in Nizao who was clearing mud from belongings told Noticias SIN that she was frustrated because flooding frequently damages the region. This week, she left all belongings behind when floodwater encroached, she said.
“We can’t take it any longer. Every year we lose our bed, clothes, food, everything,” the second woman told Noticias SIN.
More than 610 homes in the Dominican Republic have been destroyed, and some communities were cut off from aid due to the storm, said García, the nation’s emergency operations center director.
Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said on Twitter Wednesday that the federal government has approved a major disaster declaration request for the island, which ensures additional help from FEMA.
Though US President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration Sunday, a major disaster declaration will bring additional resources – primarily individual assistance in the form of funding for housing and other needs, as well as public assistance to provide for the permanent rebuilding of damaged infrastructure.
The governor expected “a large portion of...
Patricia Ann Waddington https://digitalarizonanews.com/patricia-ann-waddington/
Patricia Ann Waddington, 93, of Scottsville, KY passed away Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at Cal Turner Rehab and Specialty Care. The Barberton, OH native was a homemaker, former member of the Great Dane Kennel Club in Arizona and member of Christ Episcopal Church and Christ Church Guild. She was a daughter of the late Glen Deloss Willoughby and Marguerite Luella Grey Willoughby and wife of the late William Davies Waddington.
She is survived by 2 daughters: Shanna Waddington Paul and husband, Robert, Bowling Green, KY and Cindy Howard and husband, Kirk, Fountain Run, KY;
1 sister: Suzanne Willoughby Young, Phoenix, AZ;
4 grandchildren: Corey William Paul (Mary), Allison Paul, Morgan Howard (Neleigh) and Justin Howard (Annie);
5 great grandchildren: Paisley, Kelan, Jude, Pierce and Tage Howard;
Several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by 1 sister: Jean Willoughby Givler and 1 grandson: Owen Davies Paul.
Memorial service will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Christ Episcopal Church with Rev. Steve Pankey officiating and entombment in Christ Episcopal Church Columbarium. Visitation will be 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Christ Episcopal Church.
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