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Trump Urges Appeals Court To Keep Shielding Records From Justice Department https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-urges-appeals-court-to-keep-shielding-records-from-justice-department/ Washington — Former President Donald Trump’s legal team on Tuesday urged a federal appeals court to turn down a request from the Justice Department to allow investigators to regain access to a tranche of roughly 100 documents with classification markings seized from his Florida estate, claiming the government has “criminalized a document dispute” and is objecting to a “transparent process that simply provides much-needed oversight.”  “This investigation of the 45th President of the United States is both unprecedented and misguided,” James Trusty and Christopher Kise, Trump’s lawyers, wrote in their response. “In what at its core is a document storage dispute that has spiraled out of control, the government wrongfully seeks to criminalize the possession by the 45th President of his own Presidential and personal records.” In their 40-page filing, Trump’s lawyers told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit that the FBI’s seizure of documents from Trump’s South Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, presents “extraordinary circumstances that warrant review by a neutral third party,” and said the Justice Department has not proven that the documents at the crux of its request to the appeals court are classified.  “Ultimately, any brief delay to the criminal investigation will not irreparably harm the government,” Trusty and Kise wrote. “The injunction does not preclude the Government from conducting a criminal investigation, it merely delays the investigation for a short period while a neutral third party reviews the documents in question.” In a late-night filing, Justice Department lawyers called the Trump team’s efforts to raise questions about whether the documents in question are classified a “red herring,” adding that even if Trump’s lawyers could show that Trump had declassified the documents, “there would still be no justification for restricting  the government’s use of evidence at the center of an ongoing criminal investigation.” The department argued that it “is likely to succeed on the merits” of its arguments about the documents’ classified status. A detailed property list from the FBI made public this month shows that federal agents seized 33 items, boxes or containers from a storage room and from desks in Trump’s office that contained 103 documents marked “confidential,” “secret” or “top secret” during the FBI’s Aug. 8 search at the South Florida property. Last Friday, the Justice Department turned to the 11th Circuit after U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon rejected its request to restore access to the tranche of records marked classified that were among the material seized. Cannon barred the Justice Department from using the documents in its ongoing criminal investigation into Trump’s handling of sensitive government records, pending a review by a third-party arbiter known as a special master. In their filing to the 11th Circuit asking the court to stay Cannon’s order keeping the subset of sensitive record off-limits to investigators, federal prosecutors argued the decision “hamstrings” its criminal probe and “irreparably harms the government by enjoining critical steps of an ongoing criminal investigation and needlessly compelling disclosure of highly sensitive records,” including to Trump’s lawyers. By blocking the review and use of the records for investigative purposes, the ruling “impedes the government’s efforts to protect the nation’s security,” Justice Department lawyers wrote in their 29-page filing. In addition to keeping in place her order stopping federal investigators from using the sensitive documents, Cannon, appointed to the federal bench by Trump, also named Judge Raymond Dearie to serve as the special master. Dearie is tasked with reviewing the roughly 11,000 documents recovered by the FBI from a storage room and Trump’s office at Mar-a-Lago for personal items and records, as well as material that may be potentially subject to attorney-client or executive privileges.  Dearie, a longtime judge on the federal district court in Brooklyn, met with Justice Department lawyers and Trump’s legal team Tuesday afternoon. He’d asked the parties to submit proposed agenda items in advance.  In a letter on Monday, federal prosecutors suggested the conference focus on the “precise mechanics” of how the documents should be reviewed, aspects of the order appointing Dearie as special master and future progress reviews. In a separate letter to Dearie, Trump’s lawyers pushed back on the Oct. 7 deadline proposed by Dearie for the two sides to finish sifting through and labeling the documents seized from Mar-a-Lago. They also objected to a request from Dearie that Trump disclose information regarding any potential declassification of the sensitive materials taken from his South Florida residence, arguing that doing so would force Trump to “fully and specifically disclose a defense to the merits of any subsequent indictment without such a requirement being evident in the district court’s order.” Read More Here

An Alternative To Pitcher-Of-Record Wins & Losses https://digitalarizonanews.com/an-alternative-to-pitcher-of-record-wins-losses/ I tip my hat to Jim McLennan because the last paragraph of his AZ Snake Pit Game Preview inspired me to look for a measure that could replace the traditional pitcher-of-record win-loss decisions for starting pitchers. As usual, I will focus on the Diamondbacks. This season’s starters performed better than last season. As a team, starting pitching improved compared to last season. Three of the following measures showed significant improvement per Baseball Savant (data through 15 September): Allowed home runs per PA improved from .040 to .030. Allowed hits per PA improved from 232 to .219. Allowed walks per PA improved from .081 to .075. Strikeouts per PA changed slightly from .203 to .200. This season, defense was important in all games. All but two games had more balls in play (when defense is important) than three true outcomes (strikeouts plus walks plus homers). The two exceptional games were Merrill Kelly on 8 April and Zac Gallen on 21 June. Data from Baseball Savant. Caleb Smith’s 2 inning start was not considered. This season, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly were the best starters, with Davies close behind Their ERAs (2.5 Gallen, 3.01 Kelly, and 4.06 Davies) were better than the 4.43 average ERA (starters and relievers) in the Majors. Data from Baseball Reference through 15 September. Excluding two newly promoted starters (Ryne Nelson and Drey Jameson), only Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly had RA9 better than their RA9average. Gallen’s RA9 was 2.72 vs 4.30 RA9ave and Kelly’s RA9 was 3.11 vs 4.37 RA9ave. RA9ave is total runs a theoretical average pitcher would allow against the opponents faced, in the parks played in, and with the Diamondbacks defense per Baseball Reference. Which pitchers had better average game scores this season compared to last season? Eight pitchers started at least one game for the Diamondbacks in both this season and last season. The following pitchers’ average game scores improved: Zac Gallen improved from 51.7 to 61.5 Merrill Kelly improved from 50.2 to 57.8 Humberto Castellanos improved from 43.8 to 45.2 Corbin Martin improved from 28.7 to 38.3 The following pitchers’ average game scores were less: Madison Bumgarner went from 50.3 to 45.5 Tyler Gilbert went from 54.7 to 45.3 Caleb Smith went from 43.5 to 20.0 Luke Weaver went from 50.4 to 11.6 Game Score is a better performance measure than pitcher-of-record wins and losses. Pitcher-of Record: An over-simplified description. A starting pitcher is charged with a win when he pitches at least 5 innings and his team maintains a lead that it never relinquishes after his last half-inning. A starting pitcher is charged with a loss when he gives up the go-ahead run and the other team never relinquishes the lead. Looking at starting pitchers, several weaknesses of pitchers-of-record wins and losses follow. Looking at all pitchers not named Gallen, Kelly, Davies, or Bumgarner, only 40% of Diamondback starts qualified that pitcher for a pitcher-of-record win due to the 5 inning requirement. When a starter leaves the game with the lead, the bullpen often relinquished the lead. When that happened the bullpen took away a starter’s well-earned pitcher-of-record win. As much as, or more than the starter’s pitching performance, a very large win-loss decider is how many runs the Diamondbacks score, and when they score those runs. That obscures and reduces the value of pitcher-of-record. Only one measure of pitcher performance is incorporated : runs scored. It is a top-level measure. Looking at starting pitchers, the corresponding strengths of game scores follow: Every time a starter pitches, he receives a game score, potentially earning a game score win or loss. Except in the case that the starter leave the game with runners on base, the bullpen cannot take away the starters game score win. Game score wins or losses look at the performance of the pitcher and the batters he faces. Game Score calculates how well a starting pitcher performed. The calculation includes most of the factors we looked at when deciding that the Diamondback starters performed better this season than last season. Examples are homers, hits, walks, and strikeouts. Instead of plate appearances, it looks at innings pitched. For starters, how could game scores be used to decide game score wins and losses? For starting pitchers, I propose a metric to replace pitcher-of-record wins and losses: When a game score is 60 or above, it is a game score win (GS-Win). When a game score is 40 or below, it is a game score loss (GS-Loss). Game score will be the average of three methods: Baseball Reference, FanGraphs, and 538.com. The following table shows wins and losses for the game score method and for the pitcher-of-record method. Diamondbacks’ starters, 2022 through 15 September. Data from Baseball Savant. This season’s game score wins and losses show Diamondbacks starters are very much improved compared to last season. Looking at the totals for this season through 15 September to last season shows: Game score wins increased from 38 to 45. More wins could be added in the last few weeks of the season. Game score losses decreased from 59 to 31. Although more losses could happen, the losses will be much lower than last season. Unintended consequences of using game score to determine wins and losses. Relief pitchers are no longer pitchers of record. That is not a problem two reasons. Relievers are credited with holds and saves, which a starter cannot earn. Holds and saves are important for relievers. Perhaps additional measures, such as Nate Silver’s goose eggs could become more prominent. Who looks at a relief pitcher’s wins and losses? I have not. Is the pitcher-of-record win or loss meaningful for relievers? Both team’s starters could be winners or both team’s starters could be losers. That is not a problem for two reasons. Both starters winning could aptly describe a pitching duel, in which case both pitchers are deserving. Both starters losing could aptly describe a situation where both pitchers would have lost against an average performance, but instead faced a less challenging situation. Summary. This season the Diamondbacks’ starters allowed less homers per PA, hits per PA, and walks per PA. Season average game score improved for Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly Humberto Castellanos, and Corbin Martin. Game score is a better measure than pitcher-of-record wins and losses for the following reasons: In every game the starter gets a game score, the bullpen cannot take away a starters win unless the starter leaves runners on base. Game score looks at the performance of the pitchers and the batters they face without being impacted by runs scored by the Diamondbacks. The calculation of game score includes factors that we looked at in determining the Diamondbacks did better this season than last season. The proposed criteria for wins and losses follows: When a game score is 60 or above, it is a game score win (GS-Win). When a game score is 40 or below, it is a game score loss (GS-Loss). The Diamondback starters’ performances with the proposed alternative were very much improved this season through 15 September compared to last season. Game score wins increased from 38 to 45. Game score losses decreased from 59 to 31. Two consequences of the proposed method follow: Relief pitchers would no longer be pitchers of record. For relief pitchers, perhaps an additional measure could be added to holds and saves. In a single game, both teams’ starting pitchers could earn game score wins, for example in pitching duel games. In a single game, both team’s starting pitchers could earn game score losses. Read More Here

Trump FBI Search Puts Unusual Spotlight On Archives Nominee https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-fbi-search-puts-unusual-spotlight-on-archives-nominee-2/ WASHINGTON (AP) — As a novelist, Colleen Shogan has imagined the most vivid of Washington dramas. Larceny at the Library of Congress. A homicide in the House of Representatives. A stabbing in the U.S. Senate. But Shogan is about to become a protagonist in a storyline too fantastical for fiction — the criminal investigation of a former president — as she prepares to appear before a Senate panel that is considering her nomination to lead the National Archives. The traditionally staid and low-profile National Archives has been thrust into the public arena by the FBI search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, intertwined with a criminal investigation that is testing the nation’s system of justice and raising unprecedented questions about accountability for a former president. Shogan’s path to confirmation could be rocky as Republicans demand more information from the Justice Department. It was the National Archives that set the probe in motion earlier this year with a referral to the FBI after Trump returned 15 boxes of documents that contained dozens of records with classified markings. GOP Sen. Rick Scott, a member of the panel vetting Shogan’s nomination, told Bloomberg he “absolutely will demand answers” about the FBI search as part of her confirmation hearing Wednesday. Other panelists, like Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, have chastised Attorney General Merrick Garland over the investigation and questioned the administration’s motives. It’s a contentious backdrop for an archivist nomination, a position often filled by academics and historians that typically moves through the Senate with little fanfare. “It’s my understanding that it’s never been a political issue before and it’s not a partisan job,” said Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, one of the Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs panel that is handling the nomination. Shogan declined to be interviewed for this story. But interviews with half a dozen current and former colleagues paint a picture of a respected historian and serious-minded political scientist who is not easily fazed and has long been careful to avoid partisan politics. “You’re looking for someone who can sail through the Congress, and not become a lightning rod of controversy. That’s Colleen,” said Anita McBride, a former assistant to President George W. Bush, who works with Shogan at the White House Historical Association. “I think she’s an ideal leader for really such a time as this is,” said Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association and Shogan’s boss. “I am not aware of a partisan bone in her body.” “I still to this day do not know her politics,” said Susan Combs, who served at the Department of the Interior during the Trump administration and chaired the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission with Shogan. Shogan will be introduced at her confirmation hearing by a friend and senator, Republican Shelley Moore Capito. The West Virginia lawmaker said she has great respect for Shogan but cautioned that she doesn’t know how her nomination will shake out. “In these tough times, I don’t think anything’s predictable,” Capito said. Biden nominated Shogan to lead the National Archives in August, just days before the FBI search of Trump’s Florida club. The last archivist, David Ferriero, announced his retirement in April, citing fears about the nation’s political trajectory after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Shogan’s roots in official Washington run deep. She began her career as a congressional aide for former Sen. Joe Lieberman, then worked her way up to a position with the Congressional Research Service, a scholarly operation that churns out nonpartisan analysis for lawmakers and their staff. Shogan also worked for a time at the Library of Congress. Now Shogan is an executive at the White House Historical Association, where she has worked under both the Trump and Biden administrations. As the archivist, Shogan would take the helm of an agency that goes to great lengths to preserve the nation’s records, including treasured documents like the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Their sprawling collection spans 13 billion pages of text and 10 million maps, charts and drawings, as well as tens of millions of photographs, films and other records. Beyond its work in Washington, the Archives oversees 13 presidential libraries and 14 regional archives across the country. But despite the ever-growing volume of government documents since the Archives’ founding in 1934, the agency’s budget has remained stagnant over the years. “The Archives do not have enough money to do their work. And I have to assume that is because Congress does not fully understand what its job is,” Grossman said. “Perhaps the visibility of these confirmation hearings and the recent attention will help more Americans appreciate the role.” Shogan has written a series of Washington-based whodunits, with titles like “Homicide in the House” and “Stabbing in the Senate.” Beyond her work as an author, scholar and historian, she serves as the chair of the board of directors at the Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation. Congress has given that foundation a weighty task: building the first memorial in the nation’s capital for the pioneering suffragists who fought for women’s right to vote. Shogan has a chance to do a little trailblazing of her own. If confirmed, she’ll be the first woman to serve as the archivist. “She’s been a champion for the story of women and their record in our national story, and to be a part of that history too is really special,” McBride said. Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox Read More Here

Jimmy Fallon Blasts Trump For His Needy Seat Demands At Queen Elizabeth https://digitalarizonanews.com/jimmy-fallon-blasts-trump-for-his-needy-seat-demands-at-queen-elizabeth/ Jimmy Fallon slammed former President Donald Trump for bragging about where he would’ve sat during Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday ― had he been invited. On Tuesday, “The Tonight Show” host brought up the former president’s claim that he wouldn’t have sat in the 14th row, where President Joe Biden sat, during the British monarch’s funeral on Monday. “No respect! However, a good time for our President to get to know the leaders of certain Third World countries. If I were president, they wouldn’t have sat me back there…” Trump wrote on Truth Social. According to reports, the seating arrangement was due to Biden and first lady Jill Biden’s later arrival to Westminster Abbey following traffic hiccups in London. Fallon joked that Trump wanted one of the closest views you can get at a funeral. “At funerals, Trump demands to be seated right on top of the coffin or he won’t show up. I don’t care if it’s open or closed,” Fallon said. Fallon also quipped about Trump’s claim that “LOCATION IS EVERYTHING” in his fantasy about having a better seat than Biden. “Biden was like, ‘He’s right. Whether it’s funerals or classified documents, location is everything,’” Fallon said. Watch Fallon’s full monologue from Tuesday below: Read More Here

Brazil More Isolated After Four Years Of Bolsonaro – Iraqi News https://digitalarizonanews.com/brazil-more-isolated-after-four-years-of-bolsonaro-iraqi-news/ Rio de Janeiro – The video was painful to watch, but spoke volumes to Brazil’s isolation on the world stage: President Jair Bolsonaro awkwardly meandering alone around the room as other G20 leaders chatted amiably in Rome last year. Political analysts say the international influence of Latin American giant Brazil has shrunk under Bolsonaro, the far-right incumbent fighting an uphill battle to win re-election next month. His ideologically driven foreign policy and disregard for diplomatic etiquette have overshadowed Brazil’s one-time role as a heavyweight in the world arena, experts say. “The country is going through a period of relative international isolation and a major reputational crisis,” says Fernanda Magnotta, coordinator of international relations at the FAAP institute in Sao Paulo. “Not many people want to have their picture taken with our leaders these days.” She attributes that to a government where “decision-making is centralized around the administration’s most ideologically driven faction: the president, his sons and closest advisers.” Whether it is a surge of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest or rows with China and the Arab world, Bolsonaro, who has made relatively few trips abroad as president, has managed to alienate a substantial part of the international community since taking office in 2019. His most recent faux pas came Sunday, when he drew criticism for using a visit to London for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral to hold a thinly veiled campaign rally. The Bolsonaro administration’s closest ties are with hardline conservative governments that are themselves isolated on the world stage: Hungary, Poland and especially Russia, which Brazil has chosen not to sanction for its invasion of Ukraine. Brazilian diplomacy has ceased to be seen as “a means for promoting economic ties and become a means for building far-right alliances for internal political gain,” says Rodrigo Goyena Soares, a historian at the University of Sao Paulo (USP). Even in its own neighborhood, Brazil has lost influence with insults aimed at a new wave of left-wing governments — such as Bolsonaro’s put-down of Argentina’s “bad choice” in electing President Alberto Fernandez in 2019. – ‘Unheard of’ – Things got off to a bad start when images of huge wildfires in the Brazilian Amazon sparked international outcry in 2019. France came away particularly incensed, after Bolsonaro got into a spat with counterpart Emmanuel Macron over the environmental destruction — and resorted to mocking First Lady Brigitte Macron’s appearance. Ties have not exactly improved. Just last month, Bolsonaro’s economy minister, Paulo Guedes, said of France: “You better start treating us right, or we’re going to tell you to go fuck yourselves.” “It’s unheard of in Brazilian diplomacy — in diplomacy, period,” says Goyena Soares. Bolsonaro bet all his diplomatic chips on his political role model, former US president Donald Trump. “Bolsonaro’s Brazil aligned itself unprecedentedly with Trump’s United States,” says Felipe Loureiro, of the international relations institute at USP. But “the alignment was with Trump and Trumpism,” he adds. US-Brazilian relations have soured since President Joe Biden took office last year. Bolsonaro was one of the last world leaders to recognize Biden’s win, as the defeated Trump fought in vain to overturn the election result. It was “another bleak departure from Brazil’s foreign policy tradition of non-interference in other states’ affairs,” says Loureiro. – Diplomatic to-do list – The Brazilian foreign ministry, a venerable institution known as “Itamaraty,” after the palace where it is headquartered, got a jolt when Bolsonaro named obscure diplomat Ernesto Araujo, a die-hard supporter, as foreign minister. A Trump-loving, China-bashing, climate change-skeptic, the “anti-globalist” Araujo turned Brazilian diplomacy on its head. Forced out in March 2021 amid a seemingly endless series of imbroglios, Araujo was replaced by the comparatively tame Carlos Franca. But some analysts point to Bolsonaro’s congressman son Eduardo as the real force in Brazilian diplomacy. The man leading Bolsonaro in the polls for the October 2 election, leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2010), is vowing to restore Brazil’s international standing and slash Amazon deforestation if elected. Often more popular abroad than in Brazil, the charismatic but tarnished Lula would have to “reopen dialogue with every country… and resume South-South cooperation between Latin America and Africa,” says Magnotta. Lula would also have to “renegotiate the terms of Brazil’s alliance with the US,” develop a proper China policy and seek “a rapprochement with the European Union around environmental issues,” says Goyena Soares. Read More Here

Celebrities Coming Back To White House After Trump Drought https://digitalarizonanews.com/celebrities-coming-back-to-white-house-after-trump-drought-2/ ap photo Elton John performs during his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road,” tour on July 15 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The White House will become a concert venue Friday when Elton John performs. The event is called “A Night When Hope and History Rhyme,” a reference to a poem by Seamus Heaney that President Joe Biden often quotes. WASHINGTON — Celebrities are back at the White House following a pop-culture backlash during the Trump years, when just about anyone considered high-wattage refused to show up. Rocker Elton John is bringing his farewell tour to the South Lawn on Friday, the White House announced Tuesday, one week after singer James Taylor and hosts Jonathan and Drew Scott, of HGTV’s “Property Brothers,” helped celebrate a new health care and climate change law. John is among a slew of entertainers who refused to perform for then-President Donald Trump. Taylor sang and strummed his guitar to open last week’s event while the Scotts were among hundreds of people in the audience. They also joined second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, to film a snazzy video promoting the law’s climate change provisions. Since taking office during a pandemic, which put a pause on too much togetherness, the 79-year-old Biden has also opened the White House to teen singer Olivia Rodrigo, to talk about young people and COVID-19 vaccinations, and the South Korean boy band BTS, to discuss Asian inclusion and representation. Last year, the Democratic president resumed the tradition of hosting an in-person White House reception for the artists receiving honors from the Kennedy Center. Actor Jennifer Garner accompanied first lady Jill Biden to West Virginia last year to visit a school-based COVID-19 vaccination site in Charleston. Garner also hosted a PBS “In Performance” special celebrating the holidays at the White House. John’s concert is called “A Night When Hope and History Rhyme,” a reference to a poem by Irishman Seamus Heaney that Biden often quotes. The performance is part of a collaboration with A+E Networks and the History Channel that “will celebrate the unifying and healing power of music, commend the life and work of Sir Elton John and honor the everyday history-makers in the audience,” the White House said. Guests will include teachers, medical professionals, students, LGBTQ+ advocates and others. John also has a gig scheduled for Saturday night at Nationals Park in Washington as part of a tour wrapping up his 50-plus-year career. He opened the final leg of his North American farewell series in Philadelphia in July. The 75-year-old British singer is among celebrities who avoided the Trump White House, starting with the Republican’s 2017 inauguration. John had declined an invitation to play at Trump’s inaugural festivities, saying he didn’t think it was appropriate for someone with British heritage to play at the swearing-in of an American president. Trump had included high praise for John in a few of his books and played John’s songs at his presidential campaign rallies, including “Rocket Man” and “Tiny Dancer.” Trump had also nicknamed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “rocket man” because of Kim’s habit of test-firing missiles. Country music singers Toby Keith and Lee Greenwood were among the more notable entertainers who performed to help usher Trump into office. Bigger names from other genres refused or weren’t considered. Hollywood has always leaned heavily Democratic. For the inauguration of Democrat Biden, singers Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks were among those who performed. Aretha Franklin and Beyonce were among celebrities who turned out in a huge show of force for Democrat Barack Obama, from fundraising to his two inaugurations to performances inside the White House or on the grounds. They disappeared under Trump, but are returning for Biden. Biden relied on celebrities during his 2020 presidential campaign, when in-person schmoozing was largely suspended because of the coronavirus. A parade of movie and TV stars, pop icons and sports standouts stepped up to help Biden raise money and energize supporters. Sir Elton — he was knighted in 1998 by Queen Elizabeth II — has sold over 300 million records worldwide, played over 4,000 shows in 80 countries and recorded one of the best-selling singles of all-time, his 1997 reworking of “Candle In The Wind” to eulogize Princess Diana, which sold 33 million copies. Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox Read More Here

Trump's Allies Are Baffled Over His Increasing Support Of The QAnon Movement: Rolling Stone https://digitalarizonanews.com/trumps-allies-are-baffled-over-his-increasing-support-of-the-qanon-movement-rolling-stone/ Some people close to Trump are confused as to why he is suddenly leaning hard towards QAnon. Some sources suggested to Rolling Stone that Trump was trolling for likes among his supporters. Other sources told the outlet that Trump was amused by the QAnon memes and images he reposted. Loading Something is loading. Allies of former President Donald Trump are baffled as to why he is leaning harder than ever into his support of QAnon — a conspiracy-theory-led movement that baselessly claims Trump is fighting a deep-state cabal of pedophiles. Rolling Stone spoke to several people close to Trump, some of whom expressed confusion as to why the former president was suddenly so vocal with promoting QAnon-related messages. The New York Times reported over the weekend that music sounding like a QAnon song had been played at a Trump rally in Youngstown, Ohio. During the rally, the former president’s supporters were also seen pointing their fingers to the sky in a one-finger salute, which experts said might have been a nod to the movement’s slogan, “Where we go one, we go all.” “Fuck if I know,” an unnamed Trump ally told Rolling Stone when asked about the former president’s apparent support for the fringe group. The outlet also spoke to other people close to the former president, some of whom theorized that Trump was trolling for likes from his supporters. “He’s said that he thinks some of their memes and images are ‘funny,'” a source close to Trump said, per Rolling Stone. The same source said Trump also thought it was “hilarious” that the media would get “so mad” whenever the former president would “touch the Q shit.” Another Rolling Stone source, described as a former White House official, said that Trump sometimes thought his QAnon-linked followers had “the right idea” regarding their hatred for the “deep state,” a term used in the movement to refer to shady, secret networks and alliances influencing power at the highest echelons of government. “I do not remember his exact words, but [Trump’s response] was along the lines of: There are plenty of bad and sick people in Hollywood” and among the “liberal elite,” the source told Rolling Stone. A representative at Trump’s post-presidential press office did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. Following the FBI’s raid on the former president’s Mar-a-Lago residence on August 8, Trump — who previously flirted with the idea of QAnon — has started referencing the movement far more intensely than before. In August, Trump shared over a dozen messages on his Truth Social account, some of which referenced QAnon and contained baseless conspiracy theories about the FBI. Other posts by the former president on Truth Social this month have included a reposted image of himself sporting a “Q” lapel pin, along with the movement’s slogan. Former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi said this week that Trump’s embracing of QAnon could be “the last act of a desperate man.” Speaking to Insider on Monday, Figliuzzi said Trump’s support of QAnon was indicative of “increasing desperation,” which could lead to violence within the movement. Read More Here

House To Vote On Election Law Overhaul In Response To Jan. 6 | News Channel 3-12 https://digitalarizonanews.com/house-to-vote-on-election-law-overhaul-in-response-to-jan-6-news-channel-3-12/ By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The House will vote on an overhaul of a centuries-old election law, an effort to prevent future presidential candidates from trying to subvert the popular will. The legislation under consideration Wednesday is a direct response to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and former President Donald Trump’s efforts to find a way around the Electoral Count Act, an arcane 1800s-era law that governs, along with the U.S. Constitution, how states and Congress certify electors and declare presidential election winners. While that process has long been routine and ceremonial, Trump and a group of his aides and lawyers tried to exploit loopholes in the law in an attempt to overturn his defeat. The bill would set new parameters around the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress that happens every four years after a presidential election. The day turned violent last year after hundreds of Trump’s supporters interrupted the proceedings, broke into the building and threatened the lives of then-Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress. The rioters echoed Trump’s false claims of widespread fraud and wanted Pence to block Democrat Joe Biden’s victory as he presided over the joint session. The legislation intends to ensure that future Jan. 6 sessions are “as the constitution envisioned, a ministerial day,” said Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican who co-sponsored the legislation with House Administration Committee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif. Both Cheney and Lofgren are also members of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack. “The American people are supposed to decide an election, not Congress,” Lofgren said. The bill, which is similar to legislation moving through the Senate, would clarify in the law that the vice president’s role presiding over the count is only ceremonial and also sets out that each state can only send one certified set of electors. Trump’s allies had unsuccessfully tried to put together alternate slates of illegitimate pro-Trump electors in swing states where Biden won. The legislation would increase the threshold for individual lawmakers’ objections to any state’s electoral votes, requiring a third of the House and a third of the Senate to object to trigger votes on the results in both chambers. Currently, only one lawmaker in the House and one lawmaker in the Senate has to object. The House bill would set out very narrow grounds for those objections, an attempt to thwart baseless or politically motivated challenges. The legislation also would require courts to get involved if state or local officials want to delay a presidential vote or refuse to certify the results. The House vote comes as the Senate is moving on a similar track with enough Republican support to virtually ensure passage before the end of the year. After months of talks, House Democrats introduced the legislation on Monday and are holding a quick vote two days later in order to send the bill across the Capitol and start to resolve differences. A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation this summer and a Senate committee is expected to vote on it next week. While the House bill is more expansive than the Senate version, the two bills cover similar ground and members in both chambers are optimistic that they can work out the differences. While few House Republicans are expected to vote for the legislation — most are still allied with Trump — supporters are encouraged by the bipartisan effort in the Senate. “Both sides have an incentive to want a set of clear rules, and this is an antiquated law that no one understands,” said Benjamin Ginsburg, a longtime GOP lawyer who consulted with lawmakers as they wrote the bill. “All parties benefit from clarity.” House GOP leaders disagree, and are encouraging their members to vote against the legislation. They say the involvement of courts could drag out elections and that the bill would take rights away from states. Illinois Rep. Rodney Davis, Lofgren’s GOP counterpart on the House Administration Committee, said Tuesday that the bill would trample on state sovereignty and is “opening the door to mass litigation.” Democrats are “desperately trying to talk about their favorite topic, and that is former president Donald Trump,” Davis said. Cheney, a frequent Trump critic who was defeated in Wyoming’s GOP primary last month, says she hopes it receives votes from some of her Republican colleagues. The bill would “ensure that in the future our election process reflects the will of the people,” she said. ___ AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report. Read More Here

Horizon Honors Pushes Through The Heat For Strong Finish At Erin Botma Invitational https://digitalarizonanews.com/horizon-honors-pushes-through-the-heat-for-strong-finish-at-erin-botma-invitational/ Trey Costello, Maya Wells, and Liam Proctor (Erin Hjerpe photo/ AZPreps365) Erin Hjerpe is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Horizon Honors through AZPreps365.com Horizon Honors had three runners Trey Costello, Liam Proctor and freshman Mya Wells medaled for their the top-15 finishes in the boys and girls races at the Erin Botma Invitational in Chandler on Tuesday. In the meet hosted by Valley Christian, the Eagles’ top runner Costello finished 11th with an unofficial time of 19 minutes and 11 seconds. He was followed by Liam Proctor at 19:50. “I challenged them to run under 20 minutes this meet,” Horizon Honors head coach Dave Sheveland said. After Well placed at 14th, she said, “I’m glad I medaled, but I could have gone faster.” Sheveland described Wells as an “insane athlete.” The afternoon heat scorched the Eagles, who normally do not practice during that part of day. Costello was also sore following the team’s appearance at the Ojo Rojo Invitational last Saturday. “I figured today was the day he struggled,” Sheveland said. “We don’t normally run in the afternoons so I’m OK with that. The Horizon Honors boys finished 29th overall with 772 points at Ojo Rojo, in which Costello had a 17:16.6 time followed by Liam Proctor at 181st at 19:57.3. Wells placed 60th at 21:57.1 and her only other female teammate Madelyn Longstreet’s 25.49.9 time to finish 158th Ojo Rojo. Because there are just two girls on the Horizon Honors team, they are unable to compete in girls race team divisions, but can still compete as individuals in the varsity division. Horizon Honors will be at the Western Equinox meet September 24th at Gilbert Freestone Park. Seven of the nine boys, as well as Well and Longstreet, will be varsity competitors and two boys will run in the open race.  The team in pushing into fall break when its meet schedule becomes busier. The Eagles’ most important meet is the Titan Invite in Queen Creek on October 13th.  Sheveland said his goal for this season is to “take a team to state and put a banner in their gym.” While they had individual boys go, there has never been a full Horizon Honors team qualify for the state team championship in 26 years.  Sheveland added that this year’s team is the best he’s had in his six years as head coach. Read More Here

Asia Markets Trade Lower Ahead Of Federal Reserve’s Expected Rate Hike https://digitalarizonanews.com/asia-markets-trade-lower-ahead-of-federal-reserves-expected-rate-hike/ Opportunities in Chinese equities as Fed prepares to hike rates, analyst says With markets expecting the U.S. Federal Reserve to hike interest rates by another 75 basis points this week, Bank of Singapore’s head of investment strategy Eli Lee said that aside from investing in U.S. bonds and the dollar, there may be value in other areas such as Chinese equities. “We think that the Chinese equity space continues to look very interesting, and it is a valuation game there right now,” Lee told CNBC’s “Capital Connection.” “We haven’t reached the lows that we’ve seen in March earlier this year,” he said. “The economic pain that we’re seeing in China right now are pretty much self imposed. The zero-Covid policy is a straitjacket but we are seeing some signs and we are optimistic that post the [Chinese Communist] Party Congress, we could see the authorities start to reconsider that policy.” “So we’re slightly optimistic on that front.” — Su-Lin Tan Oil prices rise as investors brace for more Fed rate hikes Oil prices rose slightly after shedding in earlier trade on Wednesday ahead of an expected aggressive rate hike by the Federal Reserve. Brent crude futures rose 0.23% to stand at $90.83 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate also gained 0.17% to $84.10 per barrel. “The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects oil output in the seven major U.S. oil and gas basins to lift modestly in September,” Commonwealth Bank of Australia analyst Vivek Dhar wrote in a note. — Lee Ying Shan CNBC Pro: FedEx warned of a bleak outlook — should investors be worried? FedEx’s bleak preliminary earnings and revised outlook sent stocks tumbling last week, but is it as bad as it looks? CNBC Pro asked investment experts who weighed in on what the announcement means for the global economy and for investors. Pro subscribers can read more here. — Zavier Ong European businesses are rethinking their China plans European businesses in China increasingly face an environment in which “ideology trumps the economy,” the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said in its annual position paper released Wednesday. Joerg Wuttke, president of the business group, said this year’s Covid controls have turned China into a “closed” and “distinctively different” country that might prompt companies to leave. Earlier this month, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the country has “continued to respond to Covid-19 and promote economic and social development in a well-coordinated way,” according to a paraphrase of his remarks shared by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. — Evelyn Cheng Tencent Music Entertainment shares rise on Hong Kong debut Hong Kong-listed shares of Tencent Music Entertainment ticked higher in early trade after its debut in the city. It was last at 18.12 Hong Kong dollars ($2.31), up from its issue price of 17.98 Hong Kong dollars. The company’s New York-listed shares closed 0.44% lower at $4.56 on Tuesday. Tencent Music chose to list by way of introduction, a shorter way to trade on a new exchange without raising more funds. The company joins the number of U.S.-listed Chinese companies that have debuted in Hong Kong as delisting risks rise due to tensions between Washington and Beijing. — Abigail Ng Asia shows signs of recovery but is slowed by China, Asian Development Bank says The Asian Development Bank now sees growth of 4.3% in 2022 and 4.9% in 2023 for emerging Asian economies, according to the latest updates in its report. The Manila-based lender slashed its forecasts for China to 3.3% in 2022 from its previous prediction of 4% revised in July, dragging down the wider region’s growth prospects. Taiwan and South Korea, in particular, are likely to see a decline in export demand, Asian Development Bank Chief Albert Park told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia.” Read the full story here. —Jihye Lee CNBC Pro: Want to play the EV sector? Analysts say this lithium stock could soar 70% As interest in battery stocks picks up after a tough year so far, CNBC Pro analyzed a number of stocks in the sector that analysts say have serious potential. CNBC Pro screened the Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF on FactSet for stocks that could outperform. One stock that made the list has jumped over 40% this year so far, and analysts say it has further upside of more than 70%. CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here. — Weizhen Tan Fed should prioritize soft landing, says Lazard’s Temple Even though the Federal Reserve is set to deliver its third consecutive 0.75 percentage point rate hike this week – tripling the pace of tightening – they should be careful not to throw the economy into a recession, said Ron Temple, head of U.S. Equity at Lazard Asset Management. “Inflation is unacceptably high, and investors, politicians, and consumers are anxious, but patience is a virtue,” said Temple. “Monetary policy works with long and variable lags.” He added that key drivers of inflation are already falling. “The Fed should avoid the temptation to overreact to recent data and keep their eyes on the goal of achieving the softest landing possible,” he said. —Carmen Reinicke Read More Here

Scoreboard For Tuesday, Sept. 20 https://digitalarizonanews.com/scoreboard-for-tuesday-sept-20/ American Association playoffs Championship series Best of five Saturday, Sept. 17 Milwaukee 7, Fargo-Moorhead 1 Sunday, Sept. 18 Fargo-Moorhead 7, Milwaukee 3 Tuesday, Sept. 20 Fargo-Moorhead 7, Milwaukee 2 (F-M leads 2-1) Wednesday, Sept. 21 Milwaukee at Fargo-Moorhead, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22 (if necessary) Milwaukee at Fargo-Moorhead, 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17  Missouri Valley Football Conference Saturday, Sept. 24  Missouri Valley Football Conference North Dakota State at South Dakota, 1 p.m. South Dakota State at Missouri State, 2 p.m. North Dakota at Southern Illinois, 2 p.m. Northern Iowa at Western Illinois, 3 p.m. Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Northern State at Augustana, 1 p.m. MSU Moorhead at Winona State, 1 p.m. Minnesota Duluth at Sioux Falls, 1 p.m. UMary at Minnesota State Mankato, 2 p.m. Bemidji State at Upper Iowa, 3 p.m. Minot State at Southwest Minnesota State, 5 p.m. Concordia-St. Paul at Wayne State, 6 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Gustavus at Concordia, 1 p.m. St. John’s at Bethel, 1 p.m. Carleton at Hamline, 1 p.m. St. Scholastica at Augsburg, 1 p.m. St. Olaf at Macalester, 7 p.m. North Star Athletic Association Waldorf at Ferris State, 2 p.m. Mayville State at Dickinson, 2 p.m. Iowa Wesleyan at Dakota State, 4 p.m. Valley City State at Presentation, 7 p.m. Great Plains Athletic Conference Concordia at Northwestern, 1 p.m. Dakota Wesleyan at Hastings, 1 p.m. Jamestown at Midland, 1 p.m. Doane at Dordt, 1 p.m. Mount Marty at Briar Cliff, 1 p.m. Polls North Dakota Class 11AA (First-place votes) 1. Fargo Davies (11) 3-1 80 2. WF Sheyenne (6) 3-1 74 3. Mandan (1) 3-1 49 4. Fargo Shanley (16) 3-1 48 5. Minot (1) 3-1 25 Others receiving votes: Bismarck Legacy (3-1) North Dakota Class 11A (First-place votes) 1. Jamestown (17) 4-0 93 2. Fargo North (2) 4-0 78 3. GF Red River 4-1 53 4. Fargo South 3-1 31 5. Valley City 4-0 30 Others receiving votes: None North Dakota Class 11B (First-place votes) 1. Kindred (15) 4-0 79 2. Dickinson Trinity (1) 4-0 54 3. Velva-DAG 4-0 51 4. Bottineau 4-0 33 T5. Oakes 4-0 8 T5. Thompson 4-0 8 Others receiving votes: Langdon-Edmore-Munich (3-1) North Dakota Class 9B (First-place votes) 1. LaMoure-LM (16) 4-0 80 2. NS-Almont 4-0 54 3. Cavalier 4-0 51 4. May-Port-CG 4-0 37 5. North Prairie 4-0 13 Others receiving votes: South Border (3-1), Divide County (4-0) North Dakota Friday, Sept. 23 All games 7 p.m. unless noted Bismarck High at West Fargo High Bismarck Century at Shanley Minot High at Fargo Davies St. Mary’s at Mandan Williston at Bismarck Legacy West Fargo Sheyenne at Grand Forks Red River Jamestown at Wahpeton Watford City at Turtle Mountain Community Devils Lake at Dickinson High Fargo North at Fargo South Valley City at West Fargo Horace Grand Forks Central-BYE Central Cass at Linton/HMB Hankinson at Wyndmere-Lidgerwood Enderlin at Maple River Northern Cass at Sargent County Tri-State at Richland LaMoure/Litchville-Marion at May-Port CG Thompson at Langdon Larimore at North Border Oakes at Kindred Fargo Oak Grove at Ellendale/Edgeley/Kulm Minnesota Friday, Sept. 23 All games 7 p.m. unless noted Alexandria at Moorhead, 7 p.m. Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton at East Grand Forks, 6 p.m. Hawley at West Centra Pelican Rapids at Parkers Prairie Osakis at Barnesville Underwood at Breckenridge Frazee at Crookston Perham at Detroit Lakes Climax-Fisher at Bagley Ada-Borup at Mahnomen-Waubun Fosston at Lake Park-Audubon Fertile-Beltrami at Nevis Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal at Cass Lake-Bena Win-E-Mac at Stephen-Argyle Roseau at Ottertail Central, 6 p.m. Verndale at Ortonville Pine River-Backus at New York Mills Staples-Motley at Pillager Menahga at Walker-Hackensack-Akeley Sebeka at Rothsay Bertha-Hewitt at Hillcrest Wadena-Deer Creek at Red Lake Moose Lake-Willow River at Crosby-Ironton Proctor at Aitkin Staples-Motley at Pillager Park Rapids at Pequot Lakes Saturday, Sept. 24 All games 7 p.m. unless noted Blackduck at Moorhead Park Christian, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Nebraska Wesleyan at Gustavus, canceled Augsburg 11, Martin Luther 0 Luther at St. Olaf, postponed St. Scholastica 4, Crown 0 Wisconsin-Superior at Macalester, suspended, lightning Wednesday, Sept. 21 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Central at Carleton, 4 p.m. Hamline at Viterbo, 4 p.m. Simpson at St. Mary’s, 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Wisconsin-La Crosse 4, St. Scholastica 0 Wisconsin-Eau Claire 1, St. Catherine 1 Bethel 2, Wisconsin-Stout 0 Wednesday, Sept. 21 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coe at St. Olaf, 4 p.m. Central at Gustavus, 4 p.m. Hamline at Wisconsin-River Falls, 4 p.m. St. Mary’s at Luther, 7 p.m. Wartburg at Augsburg, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Bethel at Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 7:30 p.m. North Dakota Monday, Sept. 19 Grand Forks Central 3, East Grand Forks 2 Tuesday, Sept. 20 All games 7 p.m. unless noted Fargo North 2, Grand Forks Central 0 Fargo Davies 3, Grand Forks Red River 2 West Fargo 3, Fargo Shanley 0 West Fargo Sheyenne 3, Fargo South 1 Thursday, Sept. 22  All games 7 p.m. unless noted Grand Forks Central at Grand Forks Red River West Fargo Sheyenne at West Fargo Fargo North at Fargo South Fargo Davies at Fargo Shanley Minnesota Tuesday, Sept. 20 Pelican Rapids at Hillcrest, 4 p.m. Detroit Lakes 5, Crookston 0 Brainerd 0, Fergus Falls 0 (OT) Thursday, Sept. 22  Bemidji at Moorhead, 7 p.m. Pelican Rapids at St. Cloud Cathedral, 7 p.m. Detroit Lakes at Sauk Rapids-Rice, 5 p.m. Fergus Falls at Willmar, 5 p.m. Minnesota Tuesday, Sept. 20 Brainerd 7, Fergus Falls 0 Bemidji 4, Crookston 0 Thursday, Sept. 22  Moorhead at Buffalo, 6 p.m. Willmar at Fergus Falls, 7 p.m. Sauk Rapids-Rice at Detroit Lakes, 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Bethel def. Concordia 27-25, 25-21, 25-18 Thursday, Sept. 22  Summit League North Dakota at Western Illinois, 6 p.m. North Dakota State at St. Thomas, 7 p.m. Denver at South Dakota State, 7 p.m. Omaha at South Dakota, 7 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Wisconsin-Eau Claire at Bethel, 7 p.m. NDAPSSA Class A (First-place votes) 1. WF Sheyenne (13) 13-0 69 2. Bismarck Century (1) 12-1 57 3. Fargo North 13-1 36 4. Jamestown 11-2 24 5. Bismarck Legacy 9-4 19 Others receiving votes: Fargo South (9-4), West Fargo (8-5), Bismarck (7-6) NDAPSSA Class B (First-place votes) 1. Northern Cass (13) 17-0 130 2. Kenmare-Bowbells 18-0 117 3. Linton-HMB 14-1 104 4. Langdon-EM 13-3 70 5. Thompson 8-2 62 6. May-Port-CG 13-3 56 7. Dickinson Trinity 8-2 39 8. Oakes 13-5 26 9. Central Cass 11-4 25 10. Beulah 14-2 22 Others receiving votes: LaMoure-Litchville-Marion (10-5), Bishop Ryan (12-3), North Border (10-3), Our Redeemers (14-7), North Star (8-2), Grant County (10-5), Rugby (7-3) North Dakota Monday, Sept. 19  All games 7 p.m. unless noted Fargo North def. Fargo Oak Grove 21-25, 25-19, 25-18, 22-25, 15-5 Maple River def. Barnes County North 25-21, 25-21, 26-24 Hillsboro/Central Valley def. Richland 19-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-18 Tuesday, Sept. 20 All games 7 p.m. unless noted West Fargo def. Fargo Davies 25-17, 25-23, 25-17 Fargo South def. Devils Lake 25-8, 25-5, 25-7 Grand Forks Red River def. Wahpeton 25-18, 25-14, 26-24 West Fargo Sheyenne def. Grand Forks Central 25-13, 25-17, 25-12 Fargo North def. Valley City 25-16, 25-15, 25-18 Fargo Shanley def. West Fargo Horace 25-11, 26-24, 21-25, 25-17 Central Cass def. Lisbon 25-12, 25-16, 25-9 Northern Cass def. Sargent County 25-15, 23-25, 25-11, 25-15 Fargo Oak Grove def. Tri-State 25-11, 25-12, 25-21 Kindred def. Hankinson 25-23, 25-111, 25-20 Wyndmere-Lidgerwood def. Enderlin 25-21, 25-17, 25-11 Maple River def. Richland 25-23, 25-14, 23-25, 26-24 Thompson def. Midway-Minto 25-17, 25-10, 25-9 Hatton-Northwood def. North Border 25-22, 25-13, 25-19 Oakes def. Ellendale 21-25, 25-16, 20-25, 27-25, 15-12 Washburn def. Harvey-Wells County 25-12, 26-24, 26-28, 27-25 Thursday, Sept. 22  All games 7 p.m. unless noted West Fargo at Fargo South Fargo Davies at Wahpeton Devils Lake at Grand Forks Red River Grand Forks Central at West Fargo Horace Fargo North at West Fargo Sheyenne Valley City at Fargo Shanley Central Cass at LaMoure/Litchville-Marion Maple River at Fargo Oak Grove Hankinson at Wyndmere-Lidgerwood Enderlin at Barnes County North Tri-State at Wilmot (S.D.) Thompson at North Border Hatton-Northwood at Hillsboro/Central Valley Griggs-Midkota at May-Port CG Minnesota Monday, Sept. 19  All matches 7:30 p.m. unless noted Moorhead def. Detroit Lakes 25-21, 19-25, 25-22, 25-22 Fertile-Beltrami def. Crookston 25-8, 25-9, 25-13 Browerville-Eagle Valley def. Sebeka 3-0 Thief River Falls def. East Grand Forks 3-1 Tuesday, Sept. 20 All matches 7:30 p.m. unless noted Hawley def. Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 3-0 Barnesville def. Underwood 25-20, 25-18, 22-25, 25-22 Pelican Rapids at Battle Lake Park Rapids at Perham Frazee def. Bertha-Hewitt 3-0 Ada-Borup def. Bagley 25-18, 25-15, 25-18 Fergus Falls Hillcrest def. Moorhead Park Christian 25-17, 26-24, 25-23 Fosston at Roseau Willmar def. Fergus Falls 25-8, 25-13, 25-16 Win-E-Mac at Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal Henning def. Brandon-Evansville 25-17, 25-18, 25-20 Pequot Lakes def. Pillager 25-7, 25-10, 25-12 Menahga at Staples-Motley Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley def. Wheaton-Herman-Norcross 25-23, 21-25, 25-19, 25-23 Thursday, Sept. 22  All matches 7:30 p.m. unless noted Barnesville at Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton Breckenridge at Perham Hawley at Fr...

Allen James Steinbauer https://digitalarizonanews.com/allen-james-steinbauer/ Allen James Steinbauer, age 86, of Farmville, died Wednesday, September 14, 2022, surrounded in love by his wife and sons. Allen was born in Browerville, MN but lived in Milwaukee, WI until he turned 18 and enlisted in the US Army. During his 22 years of service his various assignments were in the Military Police, Infantry, Field Artillery, and Signal Company. He served in Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and 2 tours in Germany. He advanced through the ranks and retired as a First Sergeant. His many awards include the Bronze Star, CIB (Combat Infantry Badge), Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Good Conduct Medal with clasp, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Overseas Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, and Expert Badge in Rifle and Pistol Marksmanship. Although he called Colorado Springs home, he met and married Mary Allen and they moved to Farmville, NC in September 1995. During that time he worked for the Enterprise Car Rental Agency and Home Systems Audio Video which he really enjoyed. He loved going to the movies with his friends and watching football. He attended the First Christian Church in Farmville where he and his wife were married in 1987. He joined the church on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014, which was also his 78th birthday. Allen was preceded in death by a son, Ryan, and his parents. Surviving is his loving wife of 35 years, Mary; sons, Ricky Steinbauer (Sarah) of Clayton, NC and Randy Steinbauer (Monique) of Gilbert, AZ. Also surviving are his four grandchildren, Bradley (Lauren), Brittany, Brandi, Christin; two great grandchildren, Dianna and Amelia; 2 special nieces, Ginger Davis (Patton) and Elizabeth Trenbeath (Mike); great-nephews, Tripp and Joseph; great-niece, Megan (Matt); additional family son, David Johnson (Ashley); with 2 step -grandchildren, Eliza and Dalton. He loved God and his country. He was concerned about the loss of traditional values in America. He was firm in his beliefs but was also a polite and gentle person and had a great sense of humor. Allen will be missed by all who knew him. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, September 24 at the First Christian Church of Farmville. A graveside service with military honors will be held following the service at the church, with visitation following after the graveside. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Farmville Fire Department, Farmville EMS, or the First Christian Church of Farmville. Online condolences may be made at www.farmvillefh.com. Read More Here

Takeaways From The First Hearing With The Mar-A-Lago Search Special Master – ABC17NEWS https://digitalarizonanews.com/takeaways-from-the-first-hearing-with-the-mar-a-lago-search-special-master-abc17news-2/ By Tierney Sneed and Kara Scannell, CNN A court hearing in Brooklyn on Tuesday gave the public its first glimpse of how Judge Raymond Dearie, a senior judge who’s been tapped to serve as a special master in the Mar-a-Lago search dispute, will approach the job of reviewing materials seized from former President Donald Trump’s Florida home. Dearie, a seasoned and widely respected jurist, showed skepticism of Trump’s arguments about how the review should proceed, while stressing a desire to move quickly. His appointment order — issued by US District Judge Aileen Cannon in Florida — said he must finish his review by the end of November. Cannon ordered the third-party review after Trump filed a lawsuit claiming that the review was necessary to filter out materials covered by attorney client privilege, as well personal items that do not belong in the hands of the investigators. While Dearie gets going on sifting through the approximately 11,000 documents seized in Mar-a-Lago, the Justice Department is asking an appeals court to revive its criminal investigation into the materials marked as classified, as Cannon blocked investigators from using the seized materials during the special master review. Here are the takeaways from the hearing in front of Dearie: Dearie puts Trump on notice that he will need to put up or shut up on declassification Dearie — who served for several years on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court — indicated that he would not have much patience for Trump trying to muddy the waters around the classification status of documents marked as classified, particularly if Trump wasn’t willing to lay out why the records should not be treated as classified. “If the government gives me prima facia evidence that these are classified documents, and you, for whatever reason, decide not to advance any claim of declassification, I’m left with a prima facia case of classified documents, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s the end of it,” Dearie told Trump’s lawyers at the hearing. The Justice Department is asking an appeals court to exclude those 100 or so documents from Dearie’s review and has said that those documents should be presumed classified until the government can assess them. Trump’s lawyers, meanwhile, have argued that the court should not make any assumptions about the classification status of the documents, while vaguely implying the documents may have been declassified. But Trump’s attorneys have stopped well short of asserting in court that Trump himself declassified them, and in a Monday letter to the special master, Trump’s lawyers indicated that they did not want to make such disclosures about declassification at this stage of the review. They telegraphed that could be a part of Trump’s defense if he is indicted. Trump attorney Jim Trusty on Tuesday said that, until they see the documents, Trump’s legal team was not in a position to fully disclose their defense or specifically address the declassification issue. Dearie acknowledged that there was a legal strategy at play, but he also noted there was the practical issue of what recommendations he would need to make to Cannon. “My view of it is you can’t have your cake and eat it,” Dearie told the Trump team. Dearie emphasizes need for speed, putting any Trump delay tactics in jeopardy Dearie made clear that the review was going to need to move quickly to hit the pre-December deadline mandated by Cannon. “I’m not going to hurry, but we have a lot to do and a relatively short period of time,” he said. The comments came after the Trump team had, in their letter to the special master Monday, sought to push back some of the interim deadlines proposed in a draft plan circulated among the parties. Specifically, Trump’s attorneys objected to a proposed October 7 deadline for them to inspect and categorize the materials Dearie has been tapped to review. The draft plan Dearie had offered is not yet public, so it’s not clear what other intermediary deadlines the judge has in mind. At the hearing, Trusty denied that they were seeking to rework the schedule as a delay tactic. “It’s not to be in favor of delay, we want resolution on these things, too,” Trusty said, though Dearie did not seem to buy their arguments on the timeline. There was tension over whether Trump or the judge should even see the sensitive materials Dearie stressed that he took seriously the need to protect government secrets, and he pointed to the “very strong obligation” that the government has to ensure that highly sensitive information does not get out. He remarked that if he can make his recommendation to Cannon about certain classified documents without exposing himself or Trump’s lawyers to the material, he would do so. “It’s a matter of need to know,” Dearie said, referring to the standard in court cases that is used to determine when even those with a security clearance can view classified materials. The Justice Department picked up on Dearie’s point, with attorney Julie Edelstein noting that some of the department’s own investigators don’t yet have the special clearances they need to view the particularly sensitive documents. Trump’s team pushed back on the idea that they could be cut out from looking at some of the sensitive materials themselves. Trusty said that it is “kind of astounding to hear the government say that the (former) President’s lawyers don’t have a need to know.” Dearie brings a serious and focused approach to the job From the moment he stepped into the courtroom, there were signals that Dearie was viewing the job seriously and had thought through the task at hand. He took the bench not wearing a judicial robe, but a dark navy pinstripe suit; in the role, he is not serving as a judge, but as an adviser to the district court in Florida. As the hearing got going, Dearie cut directly to the chase, not belaboring any points. “I am going to do the best I can with the time available to us,” he told the parties. He also indicated he saw his role as limited, as he stressed that he would follow closely the instructions from the judge in Florida who appointed him. He told the parties he was tasked with making a “discrete” number of legal judgments. DOJ hints it may go to SCOTUS if it needs to The planning around the special master review is playing out as the Justice Department has also asked the 11th Circuit to intervene in the dispute, and on Tuesday, the government’s attorneys signaled they’d turn to the Supreme Court if need be. The Justice Department is asking for the appeals court to lift the hold Cannon placed blocking the use of the materials marked as classified in the Justice Department’s criminal probe. The DOJ is also asking that those documents be excluded from the special master review. If the department lost at the 11th Circuit, Edelstein suggested, it would “most likely consider other appellate options at that point,” raising the possibility the Justice Department could ask the Supreme Court to intervene. Much still unsettled about the next steps The hearing wrapped up with much still unsettled around the timing of the review’s next steps. Dearie gave Trump’s lawyers until Friday to say which vendor, among the options put forward by the Justice Department, should be used for scanning and hosting copies of the records for the parties to access through the review, but the rest of the timeline has yet to be set. After the documents are scanned and made available to the parties, the next step would be for the documents to be logged according to the four categories set out by Cannon, with any disagreements between the parties about how records should be logged then brought to Dearie for his take. From there, Dearie will make recommendations to Cannon for how those disagreements should be resolved. The four categories Cannon has laid out are personal documents that are claimed as privileged, personal documents that are not privileged, presidential records that are claimed as privileged, and presidential records that are claimed as not privileged. The-CNN-Wire & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Read More Here

Donald Trump Calls CNN's Don Lemon The 'Dumbest Man On Television' As Network Makes Big Changes https://digitalarizonanews.com/donald-trump-calls-cnns-don-lemon-the-dumbest-man-on-television-as-network-makes-big-changes/ Former President Donald Trump seemingly has nothing but biting words for longtime CNN anchor Don Lemon as the news network undergos massive shake-ups. Amid news that the television staple would be moved from his titular primetime spot — Don Lemon Tonight — into the network’s newly revamped morning program, the ex-POTUS took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to slam the star, dubbing Lemon the “dumbest man on television.” “A small step for television, a giant step for mankind,” Trump mused on Monday, September 19. “Don Lemon, often called ‘the dumbest man on television’ having made even LeBron James look smart during their interview two years ago, has been FIRED from his prime time evening spot on CNN – extremely low ratings – and will be thrown into their ‘Death Valley’ morning show.” Read More Here

Mayors Aim To Restore Faith In Elections At Bipartisan Conference https://digitalarizonanews.com/mayors-aim-to-restore-faith-in-elections-at-bipartisan-conference/ The conference headliners emphasized the leading role of local governments in elections as partisan gridlock in Congress has impeded reforms at the national level. HOUSTON (CN) — Moved by a raft of legislation meant to diminish turnout at the ballot box, a bipartisan group of U.S. mayors laid out a goal Tuesday of making voting in America as easy as getting a glass of water. “It’s about voting, period. … When the basic question of voting comes up, it’s not about Democrat or Republican. It’s about the fact that you’re a United States citizen,” Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said Tuesday at the National Nonpartisan Conversation on Voting Rights. “We’re not supporting any initiative or any candidate. It’s about voting.” Backed by the National League of Cities, a group comprising leaders from 2,700 U.S. municipalities, Hancock launched the conference last year to counter what he saw as an alarming trend: In 2021’s legislative sessions, more than 400 bills were introduced in 49 states to restrict voter access, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Many of them passed in Republican-led states and statehouse efforts to curtail voting have continued this year. Hancock said he believes voting is an obligation, not a right, because his Black ancestors marched, bled and died for the right to vote.  “It is our foundational value and anything that impedes our full exercise thereof needs to be obliterated as fast as possible,” said the three-term Denver mayor. Municipal, faith and business leaders joined with the heads of LGBTQ, youth voting and disability rights organizations, sharing ideas on how to increase voter registration, education and turnout in panel discussions for the three-day conference, with many emphasizing the leading role of local government as partisan gridlock in Congress has impeded reforms at the national level. Headlining the event are three Democratic mayors: Hancock, Sylvester Turner of Houston and Regina Romero of Tucson, Arizona. Beside them stand three Republican mayors: David Holt of Oklahoma City, John Giles of Mesa, Arizona, and Acquanetta Warren of Fontana, California. Warren said she came to learn ways to increase voter turnout from her peers. “Best practices are something that every local person always looks at,” she said Tuesday at a press conference touting the gathering. “Why reinvent the wheel when you can steal from great mayors right here? So these types of discussions become best practices and before you know it, the entire nation is on one page,” she added. Warren might have oversold the prospects for national unity, as the conference takes place at a time of deep distrust in U.S. elections. Polls show about two-thirds of Republican voters — influenced by former President Donald Trump’s conspiracy theories — do not believe that Joe Biden legitimately defeated Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Despite their professed wariness of the system, many of Trump’s acolytes are running for office and have prevailed in primary elections. In this year’s midterms, 60% of American voters will have an election denier running for Congress or a statewide office on their ballots, reports the statistical analysis news site FiveThirtyEight. Expressing puzzlement at how U.S. elections became so partisan, Turner, the conference host, noted that two Texans from opposing parties had a hand in the country’s landmark voting legislation: President Lyndon Baines Johnson, a Democrat, convinced Congress in 1965 to pass the Voting Rights Act, and George W. Bush, a Republican, signed a bill reauthorizing the act in 2006. Though Trump’s effect on the electorate loomed large over the conference, none of the speakers said his name Tuesday. Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers avoided saying it even as he described Trump contacting him after Biden won the Grand Canyon State by around 10,000 votes in the 2020 election. Bowers said he got a call from “the president and Rudy” Giuliani, then Trump’s attorney, who together asked him to convene an Arizona House hearing for lawmakers to hear evidence of voter fraud and to back Trump’s efforts to replace the state’s Electoral College electors so they would support him instead of Biden. Read More Here

Gage Baker, Emiliano Berthely, Chase Brown, Cayden Gibson, Dax Hall & Ca'lil Valentine Earn Ed Doherty Nominations https://digitalarizonanews.com/gage-baker-emiliano-berthely-chase-brown-cayden-gibson-dax-hall-lil-valentine-earn-ed-doherty-nominations/ September 20, 2022 by Andy Morales, AZPreps365 Gage Baker – Jr. QB – Paradise Honors Baker led the Panthers to a 52-26 win over Bourgade Catholic completing 26 of 35 passes for 334 yards and 5 TDs. Emiliano Berthely – Jr. RB – Douglas Playing his first game of the season, Berthely rumbled for 308 yards on 22 carries, with 4 TDs in a 56-49 win over Cholla. Chase Brown – Fr. QB – Flagstaff Making his first varsity start for the Eagles, Brown completed 15 of 18 passes for 405 yards and a school-record 6 TDs in a 56-12 win over Rio Rico. Cayden Gibson – Jr. DE – Arizona College Prep In a 28-20 win over Waldon Grove, Gibson recorded 6 sacks for the second consecutive game (12 total on the season), equaling the record he set last week. He also tallied 8 tackles for the Knights in the victory. Dax Hall – Jr. RB – Higley Hall amassed 224 yards and 3 TDs on 12 carries, while adding 8 receptions for 105 yards and 2 TDs in the Knights’ 57-35 win over previously undefeated Sunnyslope. Ca’lil Valentine – Jr. RB – Chandler Valentine led the Wolves in a 35-0 road win over Notre Dame Prep with his third straight 100 plus rushing effort totaling 224 yards on 17 carries with 4 TDs. WEEK 4 NOMINATIONS Read More Here

House Jan. 6 Committee Chairman Confirms Date For The Likely Final Hearing https://digitalarizonanews.com/house-jan-6-committee-chairman-confirms-date-for-the-likely-final-hearing/ (WASHINGTON) — The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on Capitol Hill will hold another hearing next week, the group’s chairman said Tuesday, suggesting that it could be the last time they convene publicly. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., told reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday that the committee will hold its final hearing on Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. ET. “I can say that unless something else develops, this hearing at this point is the final hearing. But it’s not in stone because things happen,” Thompson said. He added that the committee hearing will feature “substantial footage” of the riot and “significant witness testimony” that hasn’t previously been released, but he declined to divulge any details or the topic. The hearing, should it be the last one, could mark a crescendo of the panel’s work before it releases a final investigative report, which is expected later this year. The hearings so far have already featured multiple startling moments, including an array of former aides and associates of President Donald Trump recounting his state of mind after he lost the 2020 election and before and during the Jan. 6 riot by his supporters. According to testimony at the hearing, Trump knew protesters in Washington were armed that day but still urged them to march to the Capitol and reacted angrily when he was barred from joining the group. (Trump has denied wrongdoing and said the committee is politically motivated.) The panel is racing to finish its work before the next Congress starts up amid speculation that a House GOP majority would scrap the investigation entirely. Outstanding questions remain over what witnesses may be called and whether committee investigators will press Trump or former Vice President Mike Pence to testify. The committee has also sent a letter to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich seeking information and records over communications with Trump’s team before and after the attack on the Capitol. The committee has interviewed several people linked to Trump or who served in his administration, including several former Cabinet secretaries, whose testimonies have not yet been seen publicly. Next week’s hearing will be the committee’s first since the FBI searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort over his possession of what the government says was highly classified documents. Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read More Here

Trump's Legal Woes Deepen As Woman Who Accused Him Of Rape To Sue For Sexual Battery – Digital World Acq (NASDAQ:DWAC) https://digitalarizonanews.com/trumps-legal-woes-deepen-as-woman-who-accused-him-of-rape-to-sue-for-sexual-battery-digital-world-acq-nasdaqdwac/ Donald Trump’s legal troubles are likely to mount higher after journalist E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of rape, said through her attorney that she plans to sue the former president for sexual battery and infliction of emotional distress. What Happened: Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, said in a letter dated Aug. 8, to Judge Lewis Kaplan of the Southern District of New York that the journalist plans to file a lawsuit under the New York’s Adult Survivors Act (ASA) when it goes into effect on Nov. 24. The letter from Carroll’s Lawyers Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP was first noted on CBS News and was filed on Sept. 20 The lawyers said that the ASA provides a one-year “look back” period in which survivors of sexual misconduct can bring civil claims, which would otherwise be time-barred. See Also: How To Buy TMTG IPO Stock  Why It Matters: Carroll will assert causes of action for battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress, according to the letter. The lawyer said since the allegations in the ASA complaint will be “nearly identical” to allegations contained in Carroll’s existing defamation lawsuit the two cases should be tried together beginning Feb. 6, 2023. The existing defamation lawsuit pertains to allegations that Trump sexually assaulted Carroll in the mid-1990s in the Bergdorf Goodman department store’s dressing room. Carroll sued Trump while he was still president in 2019, following his denial of her sexual assault allegations, according to CBS News. It was reported earlier that Trump’s 2024 presidential run could be delayed due to legal troubles related to a raid on his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, which reportedly led to the recovery of government papers. The former president earlier shared a poll on Truth Social that indicated he was ahead of President Joe Biden in three states. Truth Social is owned by Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) — a company set to go public through a merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp. DWAC. Read Next: ‘Orange Jesus’ Trump Put Above The Law By Republicans, Says Liz Cheney: ‘As If He Were King’ © 2022 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Read More Here

Slate Journalist: 2016 Abortion Case Marked The 'last Truly Great Day For Women And The Legal System' https://digitalarizonanews.com/slate-journalist-2016-abortion-case-marked-the-last-truly-great-day-for-women-and-the-legal-system/ NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Slate journalist Dahlia Lithwick claimed on Tuesday that 2016 was the last “great” time for women and the legal system, prior to the election of Donald Trump. She appeared on MSNBC’s “The ReidOut” to promote her new book “Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America” which host Joy Reid described as an account of “extraordinary women” like Stacey Abrams and Sally Yates who worked to fight against “Trumpism.” “In a constitutional democracy, enduring power lies in the people who step into the fight and by that yardstick, the women who stood up to defend the Constitution in the Trump era and who remain in the fight for democracy and equality today held the line,” Reid quoted. Reid also quoted another section of the book which claimed that oral arguments for the 2016 Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt case was “the last truly great day” for women in America. Abortion rights activist rally at the Washington Monument before a march to the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, May 14, 2022. (Photo by JOSE LUIS MAGANA/AFP via Getty Images) (JOSE LUIS MAGANA/AFP via Getty Images) AMERICA NOW WORSE THAN ‘MAKE BELIEVE’ ‘HANDMAID’S TALE’ BECAUSE OF ABORTION, ACTRESS CLAIMS  “I sometimes think of the Supreme Court’s oral arguments in Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt decision on March 2nd, 2016, as the last truly great day for women and the legal system in America. It has become at least for me a marker of the end of history, but completely in the wrong direction,” Lithwick wrote. In Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt, the Supreme Court ruled 5-3 in June 2016 that Texas could not place restrictions on abortion services that created an undue burden on women. Following Trump’s election in November 2016, however, the Supreme Court changed until a new conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade this June, returning abortion restrictions and rights decisions back to the states.  Despite female Trump-appointed Justice Amy Coney Barrett voting to overturn the 1973 abortion case, Reid insisted that Barrett is arguing on “the other side” of progress while Lithwick claimed she has a “very theology-inflected view” of the Constitution. Further on, Lithwick lamented the liberal female justices who are continuing to fight for “progress.” Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett poses during a group photo of the Justices at the Supreme Court in Washington, April 23, 2021.  (Erin Schaff/Pool via REUTERS) ‘ULTRACONSERVATIVE’ SUPREME COURT UNDERMINES SCIENCE, NATURE MAGAZINE REPORTS  “Here we are, a few days from the first Monday of October, for the first time in history, we’re going to have three women consistently on the descending side of the supermajority, two of them are women of color. What does this say that you have two women of color who are going to spend, as best as I can tell, years and years and years writing the kind of plaintiffs dissents we’ve heard from Justice Sotomayor, the kind of plaintiff dissents we heard from Justice Kagan, as you say, not just crying out for the legitimacy of the institution or regard for the institution, but simply begging that the majority, the supermajority in this case, see women as autonomous, as viable, as worthy of dignity?” Lithwick commented. She insisted, “The optics of that could not be more troubling in a time when the courts approval ratings are in the 30s.” Protesters hold up signs during an abortion rights demonstration, Saturday, May 14, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon) (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon) CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Lithwick was previously criticized in 2021 for calling for “due process” to be given to then-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo after sexual harassment allegations against him emerged. This came after she had warned readers in 2018 to “be very afraid” of Justice Brett Kavanaugh following unsubstantiated sexual assault claims against him. Lindsay Kornick is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to lindsay.kornick@fox.com and on Twitter: @lmkornick. Read More Here

Mr. Pickle’s Sandwich Shop Brings HQ To Scottsdale – AZ Big Media https://digitalarizonanews.com/mr-pickles-sandwich-shop-brings-hq-to-scottsdale-az-big-media/ Mr. Pickle’s Sandwich Shop, a beloved and crave-worthy, mom-and-pop family of quick-service restaurants in northern California, has officially moved its headquarters to Scottsdale, with plans to open locations across Arizona, California and nationwide over the next five years. “Since 1995, Mr. Pickle’s has been a premier full service-sandwich shop specializing in innovative sandwiches, salads and catering,” says Mike Nelson, chief executive officer and long-time customer who purchased the brand in 2020 when founders/owners Frank and Michele Fagundes decided to retire. “During its first three decades, thanks to its company culture, incredible recipes, and all its fans, the brand grew from one to 56 locations across northern California,” Nelson adds. “We look forward to growing nationwide, perhaps even beyond.” READ ALSO: Portico North Scottsdale is 60% reserved before groundbreaking The Arizona headquarters is located 9332 Raintree Suite #120 Scottsdale AZ 85260. Nelson as well as president and fellow restaurant veteran Dean Johnson will work from that locale while the team in already in place in northern California will continue working virtually from home and the California franchisee support center, which is located at 6960 Destiny Drive Suite 117 Rocklin California 95677. “Mr. Pickle” stands next to Mike Nelson, chief executive officer of Mr. Pickle’s Sandwich Shop. “The brand is unique in that it doesn’t turn to big-box vendors for its core ingredients,” Nelson says, “instead partnering with artisan bakers, regional farms and ranches to source its products, making every item unique to us.” Nelson has spent the past year bringing the business into the digital age, investing in technology that will propel the brand forward nationwide. “You will not see six-inch and footlong options from us, more specialty breads than uniform options,” he says. In addition to launching the Scottsdale headquarters, Nelson — a veteran of the restaurant business with more than 30 years of experience as an owner and operator of Wingstop, Subway Restaurants, and Carl’s Jr. franchises nationwide — will open six Mr. Pickles locations across the Valley over the next 18 months in Scottsdale, Chandler, Laveen, Surprise and Queen Creek, including: October 2022 14696 N Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd , STE 32 Scottsdale, AZ 85260 November 2022 10701 N. Scottsdale Rd , Ste 101 Scottsdale , AZ 85254 December 2022 1949 W. Ray Road , Suite 36 Chandler, AZ 85224 5885 West Baseline Road Suite #6 Laveen Arizona 85339 13732 West Bell Road , B-04 Surprise , AZ 85374 2023 Northwest corner of Gantzel Road & Combs Road in Queen Creek Once open, both Scottsdale locations will also serve as training restaurants when key team members and franchisees sign on in coming months. Each new location will feature all the most popular hot and cold sandwiches, notably the Mr. Pickle, which is chicken breast, bacon, Monterey jack, avocado and the works as it relates to veggies; the Santa Maria Tri-Tip, which is actual tri-tip sourced from the famed Santa Maria region topped with specialty barbecue sauce and the works; and Big Jake, a turkey sandwich with cream cheese, avocado and the works. The brand now also has two new sandwiches of note. The first is Listen Linda, named after Nelson’s wife of 36 years. The second, honoring Johnson’s wife, is the Della’s Deli. Mr. Pickle’s will continue to its close-knit relationships with vendors as it grows, notably Frito-Lay, Dirty Chip, Pepsi, Foster Farms, Max’s Artisan Breads, Best Foods and Hidden Valley. A leader in online ordering technology, Mr. Pickle’s partners with DoorDash and invested in Paytronix Systems, Inc., the most advanced digital guest experience platform, in the past year. Through the partnership Mr. Pickle’s uses the full Paytronix Platform for its loyalty, order, delivery, mobile and gift system. Since announcing its franchise plans, Mr. Pickles has already signed its first new franchisee in Hungry Hospitality. Headquartered in San Jose, Hungry Hospitality purchased the brand’s Fresno location and will open 15 to 20 locations across Los Angeles and the Fresno/Bakersfield area in the next seven years. “And yes, we do have an actual Mr. Pickle — in our logo, as a character and even on merch available for sale. We are out to show the world that the brand can be a very big dill,” Nelson says. Read More Here

Advocates For Migrants Who Were Sent To Martha’s Vineyard Sue Ron DeSantis https://digitalarizonanews.com/advocates-for-migrants-who-were-sent-to-marthas-vineyard-sue-ron-desantis/ Attorneys representing the Venezuelan migrants and refugees allegedly duped into flying to the wealthy island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts have filed a class-action civil rights lawsuit against the Florida governor and other state officials. Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR), a Boston-based legal advocacy group, filed the lawsuit on Tuesday challenging what it called the “fraudulent and discriminatory” scheme to charter private planes to transport almost 50 vulnerable people, including children as young as two, from San Antonio, Texas, via Florida, to Martha’s Vineyard last week without liaising to arrange shelter and other resources. The two charter flights cost about $615,000 – $12,300 per person – of taxpayers’ money, according to the legal filing. The civil rights suit is against the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis; the Florida transport secretary, Jared Perdue, the state of Florida, and their unidentified accomplices – who allegedly helped find and lure the asylum seekers on to the flights. “No human being should be used as a political pawn in the nation’s highly polarized debate over immigration,” said Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, executive director of LCR, which is providing pro bono legal assistance and accompanied the migrants to a military base on Cape Cod for shelter. The lawsuit is seeking to stop the Florida Republican officials from duping migrants and refugees into crossing state lines – and damages of at least $75,000 per person for the harm suffered. The plaintiffs include a woman known in the filing as Yolanda Doe, who boarded the flight with her husband and 11-year-old son, among other Venezuelans, and Alianza Americas, a national network of grassroots organizations supporting refugees and migrants. According to the complaint, seen by the Guardian, the Venezuelan plaintiffs “fled to the United States in a desperate attempt to protect themselves and their families from gang, police, and state-sponsored violence and the oppression of political dissent”. It goes on: “In or around September 2022, the defendants and their unidentified accomplices designed and executed a premeditated, fraudulent, and illegal scheme centered on exploiting this vulnerability for the sole purpose of advancing their own personal, financial and political interests.” According to the legal filing, the scheme included looking for vulnerable people by “trolling streets around a migrant shelter in Texas … pretending to be good Samaritans offering humanitarian assistance.” It said they were given $10 McDonald’s gift certificates and lured away from the shelter to a hotel on the promise that they would receive employment, housing, and educational opportunities if they would board a plane to another state. They stayed at the “free” hotel until enough people had been gathered to fill the planes. On the day of the flight, the complaint says, the Venezuelans were falsely told they were flying to Boston or Washington DC. The planes took off from a private airstrip. Just before landing, the Venezuelans were all given a shiny, red folder that included other official-looking material including a brochure titled Massachusetts Refugee Benefits. The brochure, it is alleged, was manufactured by defendants – not an official Massachusetts or immigration agency. The brochure echoed false promises made before the flights, including statements such as: “During the first 90 days after a refugee’s arrival in Massachusetts, resettlement agencies provide basic needs support including … assistance with housing … furnishings, food, and other basic necessities … clothing, and transportation to job interviews and job training.” When they disembarked on Martha’s Vineyard, there was no food or shelter. And no one on the island – or anywhere in Massachusetts – knew they were coming, the lawsuit states. Defendants who had been on the flight allegedly disappeared and stopped answering their phones. The next day, DeSantis claimed responsibility for the scheme. The Martha’s Vineyard case is part of a series of legally and ethically controversial moves by southern border state Republican governors to transport migrants and asylum seekers to so-called liberal cities to supposedly embarrass the Biden administration in the run-up to the midterm elections. The governors of Texas, Arizona and Florida, who say they are protesting against what they describe as the failure by the federal government to secure the US-Mexico border, have spent millions of taxpayer dollars – including funds allocated for Covid-19 relief – in bussing thousands of migrants and refugees to Washington, New York and Chicago in recent months. The strategy, which has been condemned by the White House, Democratic officials, immigration lawyers and rights groups, has caused further stress and upheaval for many of the migrants and refugees, who are often trying to reunite with relatives while their legal asylum claims are processed in court. According to the complaint, the Venezuelans, who are pursuing the proper channels for lawful immigration status in the US, “experienced cruelty akin to what they fled in their home country. Defendants manipulated them, stripped them of their dignity, deprived them of their liberty, bodily autonomy, due process, and equal protection under law, and impermissibly interfered with the federal government’s exclusive control over immigration in furtherance of an unlawful goal and a personal political agenda.” “This cowardly political stunt has placed our clients in peril. Numerous laws were brazenly violated to secure media headlines,” said Oren Sellstrom, litigation director for LRC. Millions of Venezuelans have fled the once-prosperous South American country amid an unprecedented exodus caused by the country’s economic and political crises. According to Amnesty International, “human rights violations, including politically motivated arbitrary detentions, torture, extrajudicial executions and excessive use of force, have been systematic and widespread [in Venezuela]”. Read More Here

Hurricane Fiona Slams Turks And Caicos As Category 3 Storm, Heads For Bermuda https://digitalarizonanews.com/hurricane-fiona-slams-turks-and-caicos-as-category-3-storm-heads-for-bermuda/ SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Sept 20 (Reuters) – Hurricane Fiona slammed into the Turks and Caicos Islands as a powerful Category 3 storm on Tuesday, dumping heavy rains and triggering floods on the Caribbean archipelago after cutting a path of destruction through the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. U.S. officials said the storm had claimed four lives in Puerto Rico. A fifth person was killed in Guadeloupe earlier in the week. U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra declared a public health emergency for Puerto Rico on Tuesday night, freeing up federal funds and equipment to assist the island. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com The storm slammed Grand Turk, the Turks and Caicos’s biggest island on Tuesday morning, before hitting its main cluster of islands several hours later. Strengthening with wind speeds of 125 mph (201 kmh), Fiona was heading north towards Bermuda on Tuesday night and was expected to strike as a Category 4 storm on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Canadian officials warned of powerful post-tropical conditions hitting Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Price Edward Island by Saturday. Turks and Caicos Deputy Governor Anya Williams said power outages had hit five islands but no deaths had yet been reported. “Shutting the country down early is what helped us save lives,” Williams told Reuters. She said her government was communicating with the British Royal Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, with the British Navy patrol vessel HMS Medway expected to arrive on Tuesday night to help with rescue efforts. Jaquan Harvey, 37, a businessman who lives on Grand Turk, said wind drove rain water through the seams of the windows and doors as his house shook. “It was very loud, like there were giants outside shouting and roaring,” Harvey said. “You could feel the pressure of the air as everything rattled.” To the south, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico were stunned by the storm’s intensity and were struggling to cope with the aftermath. Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), arrived in Puerto Rico – a U.S. territory – on Tuesday to assess the damage, agency officials said. Officials said multiple FEMA teams, including two search and rescue units, were being deployed and several hundred FEMA personnel were already on the island. PAINFUL ANNIVERSARY Aerial view of the river Soco in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona, in El Seibo, Dominican Republic, September 20, 2022. REUTERS/Jesus Frias Hurricane Fiona was a painful reminder of Puerto Rico’s vulnerability. Tuesday marked the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 storm which killed about 3,000 people and destroyed its power grid. Thousands of Puerto Ricans still live under tarpaulin roofs. Fiona made landfall in Puerto Rico on Sunday afternoon, dumping up to 30 inches (76.2 cm) of rain in some areas and triggering catastrophic flooding. Nearly 80% of Puerto Rico remained without power on Tuesday, according to Poweroutage.us. Officials said it would take days to reconnect the whole island of 3.3 million people. “It knocked down many trees, there are downed poles and here in the house we got water where it had never happened before,” said Asbertly Vargas, a 40-year-old mechanic in Yauco, a town along the island’s southern coast. Puerto Rico power provider LUMA Energy said it had restored electricity to 100,000 customers but that it would take days for full restoration. On the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory with a population of about 40,000 about 700 miles (1,125 km) southeast of Florida, the government told residents to shelter in place until further notice, and ordered businesses to close. Foreign governments issued travel alerts for the islands, a popular tourist destination. Similar preparations were under way in the eastern Bahamas, which the storm could skirt on Wednesday. It could mushroom into a Category 4 storm in coming days, reaching Canada’s Atlantic coast by late Friday, the NHC said. Hurricanes are deemed “major” by the NHC once they reach Category 3 status, which is wind speeds of between 111mph and 129mph (178kmh-208kmh). A Category 4 storm has “catastrophic” wind speeds of between 130mph and 156mph. The most powerful Category 5 hurricane has wind speeds exceeding 157mph. In the Dominican Republic, severe flooding limited road access to villages, forced 12,500 people from their homes and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people. Fiona was the first hurricane to score a direct hit on the Dominican Republic since Jeanne left severe damage in the east of the country in 2004. As of Monday night, the country’s emergency center counted more than 1.1 million people without drinking water and more than 700,000 without electricity. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Ivelisse Rivera, Ezequiel Abiu Lopez and Rich McKay in Atlanta; Additional reporting by Tim Reid and Brad Brooks; Writing by Tyler Clifford; Editing by Richard Chang and Stephen Coates Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here

Takeaways From The First Hearing With The Mar-A-Lago Search Special Master – ABC17NEWS https://digitalarizonanews.com/takeaways-from-the-first-hearing-with-the-mar-a-lago-search-special-master-abc17news/ By Tierney Sneed and Kara Scannell, CNN A court hearing in Brooklyn on Tuesday gave the public its first glimpse of how Judge Raymond Dearie, a senior judge who’s been tapped to serve as a special master in the Mar-a-Lago search dispute, will approach the job of reviewing materials seized from former President Donald Trump’s Florida home. Dearie, a seasoned and widely respected jurist, showed skepticism of Trump’s arguments about how the review should proceed, while stressing a desire to move quickly. His appointment order — issued by US District Judge Aileen Cannon in Florida — said he must finish his review by the end of November. Cannon ordered the third-party review after Trump filed a lawsuit claiming that the review was necessary to filter out materials covered by attorney client privilege, as well personal items that do not belong in the hands of the investigators. While Dearie gets going on sifting through the approximately 11,000 documents seized in Mar-a-Lago, the Justice Department is asking an appeals court to revive its criminal investigation into the materials marked as classified, as Cannon blocked investigators from using the seized materials during the special master review. Here are the takeaways from the hearing in front of Dearie: Dearie puts Trump on notice that he will need to put up or shut up on declassification Dearie — who served for several years on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court — indicated that he would not have much patience for Trump trying to muddy the waters around the classification status of documents marked as classified, particularly if Trump wasn’t willing to lay out why the records should not be treated as classified. “If the government gives me prima facia evidence that these are classified documents, and you, for whatever reason, decide not to advance any claim of declassification, I’m left with a prima facia case of classified documents, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s the end of it,” Dearie told Trump’s lawyers at the hearing. The Justice Department is asking an appeals court to exclude those 100 or so documents from Dearie’s review and has said that those documents should be presumed classified until the government can assess them. Trump’s lawyers, meanwhile, have argued that the court should not make any assumptions about the classification status of the documents, while vaguely implying the documents may have been declassified. But Trump’s attorneys have stopped well short of asserting in court that Trump himself declassified them, and in a Monday letter to the special master, Trump’s lawyers indicated that they did not want to make such disclosures about declassification at this stage of the review. They telegraphed that could be a part of Trump’s defense if he is indicted. Trump attorney Jim Trusty on Tuesday said that, until they see the documents, Trump’s legal team was not in a position to fully disclose their defense or specifically address the declassification issue. Dearie acknowledged that there was a legal strategy at play, but he also noted there was the practical issue of what recommendations he would need to make to Cannon. “My view of it is you can’t have your cake and eat it,” Dearie told the Trump team. Dearie emphasizes need for speed, putting any Trump delay tactics in jeopardy Dearie made clear that the review was going to need to move quickly to hit the pre-December deadline mandated by Cannon. “I’m not going to hurry, but we have a lot to do and a relatively short period of time,” he said. The comments came after the Trump team had, in their letter to the special master Monday, sought to push back some of the interim deadlines proposed in a draft plan circulated among the parties. Specifically, Trump’s attorneys objected to a proposed October 7 deadline for them to inspect and categorize the materials Dearie has been tapped to review. The draft plan Dearie had offered is not yet public, so it’s not clear what other intermediary deadlines the judge has in mind. At the hearing, Trusty denied that they were seeking to rework the schedule as a delay tactic. “It’s not to be in favor of delay, we want resolution on these things, too,” Trusty said, though Dearie did not seem to buy their arguments on the timeline. There was tension over whether Trump or the judge should even see the sensitive materials Dearie stressed that he took seriously the need to protect government secrets, and he pointed to the “very strong obligation” that the government has to ensure that highly sensitive information does not get out. He remarked that if he can make his recommendation to Cannon about certain classified documents without exposing himself or Trump’s lawyers to the material, he would do so. “It’s a matter of need to know,” Dearie said, referring to the standard in court cases that is used to determine when even those with a security clearance can view classified materials. The Justice Department picked up on Dearie’s point, with attorney Julie Edelstein noting that some of the department’s own investigators don’t yet have the special clearances they need to view the particularly sensitive documents. Trump’s team pushed back on the idea that they could be cut out from looking at some of the sensitive materials themselves. Trusty said that it is “kind of astounding to hear the government say that the (former) President’s lawyers don’t have a need to know.” Dearie brings a serious and focused approach to the job From the moment he stepped into the courtroom, there were signals that Dearie was viewing the job seriously and had thought through the task at hand. He took the bench not wearing a judicial robe, but a dark navy pinstripe suit; in the role, he is not serving as a judge, but as an adviser to the district court in Florida. As the hearing got going, Dearie cut directly to the chase, not belaboring any points. “I am going to do the best I can with the time available to us,” he told the parties. He also indicated he saw his role as limited, as he stressed that he would follow closely the instructions from the judge in Florida who appointed him. He told the parties he was tasked with making a “discrete” number of legal judgments. DOJ hints it may go to SCOTUS if it needs to The planning around the special master review is playing out as the Justice Department has also asked the 11th Circuit to intervene in the dispute, and on Tuesday, the government’s attorneys signaled they’d turn to the Supreme Court if need be. The Justice Department is asking for the appeals court to lift the hold Cannon placed blocking the use of the materials marked as classified in the Justice Department’s criminal probe. The DOJ is also asking that those documents be excluded from the special master review. If the department lost at the 11th Circuit, Edelstein suggested, it would “most likely consider other appellate options at that point,” raising the possibility the Justice Department could ask the Supreme Court to intervene. Much still unsettled about the next steps The hearing wrapped up with much still unsettled around the timing of the review’s next steps. Dearie gave Trump’s lawyers until Friday to say which vendor, among the options put forward by the Justice Department, should be used for scanning and hosting copies of the records for the parties to access through the review, but the rest of the timeline has yet to be set. After the documents are scanned and made available to the parties, the next step would be for the documents to be logged according to the four categories set out by Cannon, with any disagreements between the parties about how records should be logged then brought to Dearie for his take. From there, Dearie will make recommendations to Cannon for how those disagreements should be resolved. The four categories Cannon has laid out are personal documents that are claimed as privileged, personal documents that are not privileged, presidential records that are claimed as privileged, and presidential records that are claimed as not privileged. The-CNN-Wire & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Read More Here

House Jan. 6 Committee Chairman Confirms Date For The Likely Final Hearing – Deltaplex News https://digitalarizonanews.com/house-jan-6-committee-chairman-confirms-date-for-the-likely-final-hearing-deltaplex-news/ (WASHINGTON) — The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on Capitol Hill will hold another hearing next week, the group’s chairman said Tuesday, suggesting that it could be the last time they convene publicly. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., told reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday that the committee will hold its final hearing on Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. ET. “I can say that unless something else develops, this hearing at this point is the final hearing. But it’s not in stone because things happen,” Thompson said. He added that the committee hearing will feature “substantial footage” of the riot and “significant witness testimony” that hasn’t previously been released, but he declined to divulge any details or the topic. The hearing, should it be the last one, could mark a crescendo of the panel’s work before it releases a final investigative report, which is expected later this year. The hearings so far have already featured multiple startling moments, including an array of former aides and associates of President Donald Trump recounting his state of mind after he lost the 2020 election and before and during the Jan. 6 riot by his supporters. According to testimony at the hearing, Trump knew protesters in Washington were armed that day but still urged them to march to the Capitol and reacted angrily when he was barred from joining the group. (Trump has denied wrongdoing and said the committee is politically motivated.) The panel is racing to finish its work before the next Congress starts up amid speculation that a House GOP majority would scrap the investigation entirely. Outstanding questions remain over what witnesses may be called and whether committee investigators will press Trump or former Vice President Mike Pence to testify. The committee has also sent a letter to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich seeking information and records over communications with Trump’s team before and after the attack on the Capitol. The committee has interviewed several people linked to Trump or who served in his administration, including several former Cabinet secretaries, whose testimonies have not yet been seen publicly. Next week’s hearing will be the committee’s first since the FBI searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort over his possession of what the government says was highly classified documents. Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read More Here

Trump Can’t Go Away At This Point: Former Cruz Speechwriter Warns The ‘beast Has Become Self-Operational’ https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-cant-go-away-at-this-point-former-cruz-speechwriter-warns-the-beast-has-become-self-operational/ Donald Trump flashing a peace or victory sign / Shutterstock. Republicans are stuck with the MAGA base Donald Trump created, which no longer needs the former president to dominate the GOP, a former top conservative strategist explained on Tuesday. “Donald Trump cost Republicans the House in 2018, the Senate in 2020 and is poised now to help Democrats hang on to both chambers in 2022,” S.V. Dáte reported for HuffPost. “While the former president successfully made a willingness to spread his lies about a “stolen” election a litmus test for getting through the GOP primaries, that precise quality in many cases is a detriment in the November general election — an election Republicans had assumed for months would give them control of at least the House and possibly also the Senate.” Trump successfully pushed first-time GOP candidates to win U.S. Senate nominations, recruiting Hershell Walker in Georgia, along with backing Blake Masters in Arizona, Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania, and J.D. Vance in Ohio. “Instead, exactly seven weeks before election night, even recapturing the House is no longer a certainty, thanks to those weak general election candidates, Trump’s insistence on putting himself in the spotlight, and a fundraising operation that has locked away more than $100 million in small-dollar GOP donations into what is effectively his personal slush fund and will not be used in campaigns this fall,” HuffPost reported. The GOP is not doing as well as expected in the midterms. With seven weeks before election day, Michigan State political scientist Matt Grossmann wrote there was “no sign turnout or vote choice are trending toward the presidential out-party as they often do. If the polling is not systematically biased toward Democrats in a big way, Democrats will have a much better than normal midterm.” Amanda Carpenter, a former speechwriter for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), told HuffPost the GOP is stuck with the dilemma. “Even if Trump had gone away, these problems wouldn’t have ceased to exist,” Carpenter said. “The beast is self-operational, at this point … The incentives that steer the candidates toward crazy are still there.” READ: Inside the night Fox News was in ‘turmoil’ Read the full report. Read More Here

Ex-Trump Official Criticizes Probe Into Misconduct Claims – KOAM https://digitalarizonanews.com/ex-trump-official-criticizes-probe-into-misconduct-claims-koam/ September 20, 2022 6:50 PM By JOSHUA GOODMAN – Associated Press Posted: September 20, 2022 6:50 PM Updated: September 20, 2022 7:45 PM Juan Karita – staff, AP FILE – Mauricio Claver-Carone, deputy assistant to President Donald Trump and senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs, right, arrives to meet with Bolivia’s Foreign Minister Karen Longaric in La Paz, Bolivia, Jan. 15, 2020. Claver-Carone a former Trump official who heads the Inter-American Development Bank, criticized on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, an external investigation into an anonymous complaint that he carried on a romantic relationship with a subordinate. MIAMI (AP) — A former Trump official who heads Latin America’s largest development lender on Tuesday criticized an external investigation into an anonymous complaint that he carried on a romantic relationship with a subordinate. The investigation’s findings have not been made public, but Mauricio Claver-Carone said in a statement that it did not substantiate the “false and anonymous allegations” about his activities as president of the Inter-American Development Bank. Claver-Carone, who previously served as the White House’s top national security adviser on Latin America, also harshly criticized the manner in which the probe was conducted, saying he was never given an opportunity to officially respond to the accusations. “It is important to note the investigative process failed to meet international standards of integrity that both the IDB and the region strive to exemplify,” he said. “In clear and direct contravention of IDB ethics rules, neither I nor any other IDB staff member has been given an opportunity to review the final investigative report, respond to its conclusions, or correct inaccuracies.” It is not known what steps, if any, the bank’s board will take next. Executive directors representing Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and other countries did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment. The probe, carried out by the law firm Davis Polk, was launched by the bank’s board after it received an email in March requesting an investigation into possible misconduct by Claver-Carone. The email, which was shown to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the probe on the condition of anonymity, was sent from a Gmail address referencing “corruption” at the IADB, as the bank is also known. “It is widely known, inside and outside of the IADB, that the President has a romantic and inappropriate relationship with one of his subordinates,” according to the email, which is signed by “A Friend of the IADB.” Among other irregularities. the email accuses Claver-Carone and the person he directly managed of inflating expenses and booking adjacent hotel rooms when traveling together for work. While offering no evidence, the sender provided a list of possible witnesses to corroborate the accusations, including Claver-Carone’s former wife and a former driver. A bank official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, said the employee has denied having an affair with her boss. As part of the probe, Claver-Carone’s ex-wife also signed an affidavit denying the anonymous email’s claim she told bank staff that her marriage ended as a result of his affair with the woman. Claver-Carone has been a lightning rod for criticism from Democrats ever since he was elected as president of the bank in the waning months of the Trump administration. The Miami native is the first U.S. citizen to head the Washington-based bank and some in the region, especially on the left, complained that his selection broke the longstanding tradition of having a Latin American at the helm. Joshua Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman Read More Here

Hurricane Fiona Blasts Turks And Caicos Islands As A https://digitalarizonanews.com/hurricane-fiona-blasts-turks-and-caicos-islands-as-a/ Hurricane Fiona blasted the Turks and Caicos Islands on Tuesday as a Category 3 storm after devastating Puerto Rico, where most people remained without electricity or running water. Hurricane conditions slammed Grand Turk, the small British territory’s capital island, on Tuesday morning after the government imposed a curfew and urged people to flee flood-prone areas. By Tuesday evening, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC), the storm was centered about 50 miles north of North Caicos Island, with hurricane-force winds extending up to 35 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extending up to 150 miles. The storm was moving in a north-northwest direction at about 8 mph.  Turks and Caicos will continue to see “heavy rains” throughout the evening hours with “life-threatening flooding,” the NHC said. Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic could see another 1 to 2 inches of rain from Fiona, the NHC forecasted, bringing the potential for even more flooding. In total, parts of Puerto Rico could receive as much as 35 inches of rain from the storm, while some portions of the Dominican Republic could see 20 inches. Fiona was expected to approach Bermuda late Thursday, the NHC said, and is expected to strengthen over the next few days.   “Storms are unpredictable,” Premier Washington Misick said in a statement from London, where he was attending the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. “You must therefore take every precaution to ensure your safety.” A man wades through a flooded street in Nagua, Dominican Republic, on Sept. 19, 2022, after the passage of Hurricane Fiona.  ERIKA SANTELICES/afp/AFP/Getty Images Fiona was forecast to weaken before running into easternmost Canada over the weekend. It was not expected to threaten the U.S. mainland. Fiona triggered a blackout when it hit Puerto Rico’s southwest corner on Sunday, the anniversary of Hurricane Hugo, which slammed into the island in 1989 as a Category 3 storm. By Tuesday morning, authorities said they had restored power to nearly 300,000 of the island’s 1.47 million customers. Power was also restored to San Jorge Children and Women’s Hospital in San Juan Tuesday afternoon, Puerto Rico power distribution company Luma reported. Puerto Rico’s governor warned it could take days before everyone has electricity.  Water service was cut to more than 760,000 customers — two-thirds of the total on the island — because of turbid water at filtration plants or lack of power, officials said. The storm was responsible for at least two deaths in Puerto Rico. A 58-year-old man died after police said he was swept away by a river in the central mountain town of Comerio. Another death was linked to a power blackout — a 70-year-old man was burned to death after he tried to fill his generator with gasoline while it was running, officials said. In the Dominican Republic, authorities also reported two deaths: a 68-year-old man hit by a falling tree and an 18-year-old girl who was struck by a falling electrical post while riding a motorcycle. The storm forced more than 1,550 people to seek safety in government shelters and left more than 406,500 homes without power. The hurricane left several highways blocked, and a tourist pier in the town of Miches was badly damaged by high waves. At least four international airports were closed, officials said. The Dominican president, Luis Abinader, said authorities would need several days to assess the storm’s effects. In the central Puerto Rico mountain town of Cayey, where the Plato River burst its banks and the brown torrent of water consumed cars and homes, overturned dressers, beds and large refrigerators lay strewn in people’s yards Tuesday. “Puerto Rico is not prepared for this, or for anything,” said Mariangy Hernández, a 48-year-old housewife, who said she doubted the government would help her community of some 300 in the long term, despite ongoing efforts to clear the streets and restore power. “This is only for a couple of days and later they forget about us.” She and her husband were stuck in line waiting for the National Guard to clear a landslide in their hilly neighborhood. “Is it open? Is it open?” one driver asked, worried that the road might have been completely closed. Other drivers asked the National Guard if they could swing by their homes to help cut trees or clear clumps of mud and debris. Hurricane Fiona slams Puerto Rico, leaving most of the island without power or clean water 05:07 Michelle Carlo, a medical adviser for Direct Relief in Puerto Rico, told CBS News on Tuesday that conditions on the island were “eerily similar” to 2017, when Hurricane Maria caused nearly 3,000 deaths.  “Despite Fiona being categorized as only a Category 1 hurricane, the water damage in Puerto Rico has been in some places as bad or even worse than when Maria hit us five years ago,” Carlo said. Five years later, more than 3,000 homes on the island are still covered by blue tarps.   National Guard Brig. Gen. Narciso Cruz described the resulting flooding as historic. “There were communities that flooded in the storm that didn’t flood under Maria,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like this.” Cruz said that 670 people have been rescued in Puerto Rico, including 19 people at a retirement home in the north mountain town of Cayey that was in danger of collapsing. “The rivers broke their banks and blanketed communities,” he said. Some were rescued via kayaks and boats while others nestled into the massive shovel of a digger and were lifted to higher ground. He lamented that some people refused to leave their home, adding that he understood them. “It’s human nature,” he said. “But when they saw their lives were in danger, they agreed to leave.” A member of the Puerto Rico National Guard wades through water searching for people in need of rescue from flooded streets in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona in Salinas, Puerto Rico, on Sept. 19, 2022. Reuters/Ricardo Arduengo Jeannette Soto, a 34-year-old manicurist, worried it would take a long time for crews to restore power because a landslide swept away the neighborhood’s main light post. “It’s the first time this happens,” she said of the landslides. “We didn’t think the magnitude of the rain was going to be so great.” Gov. Pedro Pierluisi requested a major disaster declaration on Tuesday and said it would be at least a week before authorities have an estimate of the damage that Fiona caused. He said the damage caused by the rain was “catastrophic,” especially in the island’s central, south and southeast regions. “The impact caused by the hurricane has been devastating for many people,” he said. The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency traveled to Puerto Rico on Tuesday as the agency announced it was sending hundreds of additional personnel to boost local response efforts. On Tuesday evening, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra declared a public health emergency for Puerto Rico. This comes after President Biden issued an emergency declaration Monday. HHS has deployed 25 personnel to the island so far, the agency said in a news release. “We will do all we can to assist officials in Puerto Rico with responding to the impacts of Hurricane Fiona,” Becerra said in a statement. “We are working closely with territory health authorities and our federal partners and stand ready to provide additional public health and medical support.” U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday he would push for the federal government to cover 100% of disaster response costs — instead of the usual 75% — as part of an emergency disaster declaration. “We need to make sure this time, Puerto Rico has absolutely everything it needs, as soon as possible, for as long as they need it,” he said. On the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico still faces power challenges 08:03 In: Hurricane Fiona Read More Here

Video Special Master Prods Trump Legal Team Over Declassification Claims https://digitalarizonanews.com/video-special-master-prods-trump-legal-team-over-declassification-claims/ The special master put in charge of reviewing the classified documents retrieved from Mar-a-Lago criticized former President Donald Trump’s legal team over their requests. Read More Here

From Xeriscaping To Rainwater Harvesting, Five Things You Can Do To Use Less Water https://digitalarizonanews.com/from-xeriscaping-to-rainwater-harvesting-five-things-you-can-do-to-use-less-water/ TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Since the mid-90s, Tucson Water users have managed to cut their home water use by 32.2%, bringing the average daily water used by Tucson residents lower than the national average. That’s a positive thing for Tucson as water supplies dwindle in the west. The City of Tucson has shared that it’s “the most water resilient city in the desert southwest,” as a result of a diversified water supply and incentives that encourage residents to conserve, among other things. You may already be actively engaged in water-saving techniques in your home, but if you’re looking for some tips to getting started on a water conservation journey, here are five ideas that can help you use less of this precious resource and save money on your water bill. Xeriscaping Xeriscaping is the practice of landscaping around a home using native drought-tolerant plants that use less water. This landscaping technique has the added benefit of encouraging pollinators like butterflies, and helping sustain the unique biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert region. As part of the city’s conservation efforts, xeriscaping is actually written into city code: Since February 1991, the City of Tucson requires new multifamily, commercial and industrial developments to use approved drought-tolerant plants and landscape in a way that takes advantage of storm runoff. If you’re interested in getting started with xeriscaping on your property, there are number of resources to help you plan. Tohono Chul’s “The Great Xeriscape” presentation contains tips on planning, design and maintenance Pima County’s Native Plant Nursery offers tours and volunteer opportunities to learn more about native plants View the Arizona Department of Water Resources official “Drought Tolerant Plant List” Get landscaping ideas from Arizona Municipal Water Users Association Get a free water conservation kit Steps to conserve water at home can be as simple as reducing shower time to five minutes or installing hardware to prevent you from wasting water. Tucson Water is offering customers these materials for free: Low-flow showerhead, which mixes air into the water stream, reducing consumption 5-minute shower timer, which can help children, teens and adults keep showers short Toilet tank bag, which displaces water in the tank. This helps the toilet use less water with every flush Toilet leak detection dye tablets, which can help you figure out if your tank flapper needs replacing Bathroom faucet aerator, which will conserve water in a similar way to a low-flow showerhead Sign up for your free kit at this website. The website also contains videos to help install the kit components. Install a grey water system According to the City of Tucson’s website, 31% of wastewater homes—generated by clothes washers, faucets and showers—can be re-used as grey water for watering landscape plants. Tucson Water offers a program that will reimburse 50% of qualifying costs, up to $1000, for permanent in-home grey water installation systems. Applicants must attend a Grey Water Rebate Workshop and contact the City of Tucson Planning Department to find out if a permit is necessary. Visit the Tucson Water website for application materials. Call (520) 791-4331, or email pico@tucsonaz.gov for more information. Rainwater Harvesting “Rainwater is such an amazing resource, and so why let it run away down the street? Capture it and use it for the plants you want,” says Tucson Water Harvesters Member Sara Birtalan. Those interested in getting started may be eligible for rebates from Tucson Water if they: are Tucson Water customers with active service attend an approved Rainwater Harvesting Incentives Program Workshop Information about the rebate program are available at the Tucson Water website. Low Income residents could also qualify for an additional harvesting grant/loan program. The City of Tucson, Pima County and the University of Arizona offer a number of workshops and demonstration sites to get started. Calculate your water use! Can’t commit right now to making big changes to your home? Even making a small effort to track your home water use can make an impact when it comes to water conservation. You can find your water footprint using this online calculator. The site also contains tips and teaching tools that help you better understand how use of tap water is only one measure of your water use. Monitoring activities such as the food you eat to the products you buy can also help conserve water. RELATED: Creating a sustainable landscape with native plants Tucsonans use less water at home than the daily national average ——- Anne Simmons is a digital content producer for KGUN 9. Anne got her start in television while still a student at the University of Arizona. Before joining KGUN, she managed multiple public access television stations in the Bay Area and has worked as a video producer in the non-profit sector. Share your story ideas and important issues with Anne by emailing anne.simmons@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram or LinkedIn. Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Sign up for the Headlines Newsletter and receive up to date information. 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Contour Breaks Ground On 1.55M SF Sossaman Park 202 In Mesa – AZ Big Media https://digitalarizonanews.com/contour-breaks-ground-on-1-55m-sf-sossaman-park-202-in-mesa-az-big-media/  Contour, a leading privately-held real estate and development company, announced yesterday the start of Phase I construction of Sossaman Park 202, a 1.55-million square foot industrial park in Mesa, Arizona. The announcement comes just days after Contour closed on a $99M construction loan towards the first phase of the development with Pacific Western Bank. The project is among one of the first major ground-up developments around Sossaman and Warner roads and will serve as a catalyst for future growth in the surrounding area for years to come. READ ALSO: Virgin Galactic will bring spaceship manufacturing facility to Mesa A ceremonial groundbreaking held Wednesday, September 14 at 11:00 AM, featured City of Mesa’s District 6 Councilmember Kevin Thompson as a speaker, along with Stream Realty Managing Director Rusty Kennedy, ARCO/Murray Director of Business Development Patrick Clay, and Contour executives, Founder and CEO David Daneshforooz and President Ted Fentin. Attendees included city officials and capital partners. Construction for the approximately $150M Phase I development of Sossaman Park 202 will be managed by ARCO. The initial site plan includes a mix of five industrial, warehouse and distribution buildings spread over more than 828,000 square feet, which is set for completion in the second half of 2023. “We’re thrilled to officially begin construction of this industrial campus in Mesa,” says Daneshforooz. “Contour is among one of the first developers to get in the ground in this pocket of Mesa, a budding site for industrial development with its ideal location adjacent to Arizona State Route 202 and a one-day drive from more than 11% of the U.S. population via Interstate 10.” During the ceremony, Contour’s Ted Fentin described future plans for Sossaman Park 202 that includes a Phase II of development that will bring three new buildings spread over an additional 722,000 square feet, inclusive of a cross-dock warehouse/distribution facility at approximately 500,000 square feet. Together, both phases will bring Sossaman Park 202’s size to 1.55 million square feet once both are brought to completion. “It has been a pleasure working with Contour and the tremendous team they assembled to bring Sossaman Park 202 to life,” said Stream Realty Managing Director Rusty Kennedy. “The Phoenix Mesa Gateway submarket has experienced tremendous growth over the past several years, which is a testament to the business friendly and thoughtful approach of the City of Mesa. Demand from manufacturers, technology companies, distributors and service companies remain at an all-time high in this submarket and we are ecstatic to be under construction with a very well-designed, freeway fronting and flexible project. As of today, we are officially open for business, and we are both thrilled and prepared to help companies of all kinds solve their real estate needs by making Sossaman Park 202 their new home.” Contour acquired 112 acres of land in December 2021 for industrial development. JLL Capital Markets secured the construction loan for Phase I of the project on behalf of the joint venture led by Contour. Stream Realty is leading tenant leasing for Sossaman Park 202. Contour continues to rapidly expand its industrial presence in the Western U.S, with three large-scale industrial developments currently underway in the Phoenix Metro Area, including Sossaman Park 202. The three developments will total more than 3.6 million square feet of industrial space, two of which are set for completion in 2023. For more information about the development of Sossaman Park 202 or Contour, visit https://www.contourre.com/. Read More Here