Digital Arizona News

Thompson Thrift Buys 35 Acres In Gilbert For $225M Development – AZ Big Media https://digitalarizonanews.com/thompson-thrift-buys-35-acres-in-gilbert-for-225m-development-az-big-media/ Thompson Thrift, a full-service nationally recognized real estate company, announced today the acquisition of a 35-acre parcel in the Phoenix suburb of Gilbert where the company plans to develop The Gilmore, a mixed-use project with luxury apartment homes and more than 200,000 square feet of boutique restaurant and retail space. The company expects to break ground on the development in the first half of 2023. The $225 million development will bring boutique restaurants, retail and multifamily to Gilbert. “As Gilbert’s path of growth has extended south in recent years, there is strong demand from residents to have elevated shopping and dining options near where they work and live,” said Ashlee Boyd, managing partner for Thompson Thrift Commercial. “We are excited to collaborate across Thompson Thrift’s commercial, residential and construction business units to bring a high-end, mixed-use project to the community.” READ ALSO: Here’s why Gilbert was named nation’s best place to work from home Located just off Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway on the northwest corner of Val Vista Drive and Germann Road, The Gilmore is located in the heart of the southeast valley and is expected to bring a host of regional and local retailers, restaurants, entertainment-based and service-based tenants to the community. Thompson Thrift has designed The Gilmore to provide a sense of place and will feature a seamless blending of retail, restaurants and residential uses with a Main Street-style entrance, beautiful landscaping, covered walkways, common area seating, local artist murals and multiple outdoor gathering spaces. “Mixed-use developments like The Gilmore are possible for Thompson Thrift because of the synergy between our Commercial and Residential development companies.  This in-house relationship allows us the ability to work with planners and designers to partner with local municipalities to deliver a first-class development that will be well received by local residents,” said Josh Purvis, managing partner for Thompson Thrift Residential. Chris Hake, senior vice president, director of the Southwest region for Thompson Thrift, added, “We expect leasing interest to continue to be robust due to the Gilmore’s proximity to the Val Vista and 202 Loop exchange, strong day time population and the high-end residential neighborhoods that surround the site.” Phoenix Commercial Advisors, an experienced Arizona retail commercial brokerage, will be representing Thompson Thrift in leasing the retail component of the project. “The Gilmore will be a unique, high-density mixed-use project in the southeast Valley. It will include boutique retail, full-service and fast-casual regional and national restaurants along with high-end multifamily residential,” said Zach Pace, senior vice president for Phoenix Commercial Advisors. Gilbert is located southeast of Phoenix in Maricopa County, about 18 miles from Scottsdale. The city’s dedicated attention to nurturing local and regional businesses, its attractive cost of living, economic diversity and a highly ranked public school system helped it earn the title as the best place to live in Arizona as well as the most prosperous large city in the nation. Thompson Thrift is a full-service real estate development company focused on ground-up commercial and mixed-use development across the Midwest, Southeast and Southwest. Since its founding more than 30 years ago, Thompson Thrift has invested more than $3.8 billion into local communities and has become known as a trusted partner committed to developing high-quality, attractive retail and residential projects. Thompson Thrift is well-established throughout Arizona with more than 20 retail, multifamily and industrial projects in development, with an estimated volume of more than $1.5 billion. Read More Here

Breaches Of Voting Machine Data Raise Worries For Midterms https://digitalarizonanews.com/breaches-of-voting-machine-data-raise-worries-for-midterms/ ATLANTA (AP) — Sensitive voting system passwords posted online. Copies of confidential voting software available for download. Ballot-counting machines inspected by people not supposed to have access. The list of suspected security breaches at local election offices since the 2020 election keeps growing, with investigations underway in at least three states — Colorado, Georgia and Michigan. The stakes appeared to rise this week when the existence of a federal probe came to light involving a prominent loyalist to former President Donald Trump who has been promoting voting machine conspiracy theories across the country. While much remains unknown about the investigations, one of the most pressing questions is what it all could mean for security of voting machines with the midterm elections less than two months away. Election security experts say the breaches by themselves have not necessarily increased threats to the November voting. Election officials already assume hostile foreign governments might have the sensitive data, and so they take precautions to protect their voting systems. The more immediate concern is the possibility that rogue election workers, including those sympathetic to lies about the 2020 presidential election, might use their access to election equipment and the knowledge gained through the breaches to launch an attack from within. That could be intended to gain an advantage for their desired candidate or party, or to introduce system problems that would sow further distrust in the election results. In some of the suspected security breaches, authorities are investigating whether local officials provided unauthorized access to people who copied software and hard drive data, and in several cases shared it publicly. After the Georgia breach, a group of election security experts said the unauthorized copying and sharing of election data from rural Coffee County presented “serious threats” to the November election. They urged the state election board to replace the touchscreen devices used throughout the state and use only hand-marked paper ballots. Harri Hursti, a leading expert in voting security, said he is concerned about another use of the breached data. Access to the voting equipment data or software can be used to develop a realistic looking video in which someone claims to have manipulated a voting system, he said. Such a fake video posted online or to social media on or after Election Day could create chaos for an election office and cause voters to challenge the accuracy of the results. “If you have those rogue images, now you can start manufacturing false, compelling evidence — false evidence of wrongdoing that never happened,” Hursti said. “You can start creating very compelling imaginary evidence.” There has been no evidence that voting machines have been manipulated, either during the 2020 election or in this year’s primaries. But conspiracy theories widely promoted among some conservatives have led to calls for replacing the machines with hand-marked and hand-counted ballots and raised concerns that they could be targeted by people working inside election offices or at polling places. The suspected breaches appear to be orchestrated or encouraged by people who falsely claim the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. In several of the cases, employees of local election offices or election boards gave access to voting systems to people who were not authorized to have it. The incidents emerged into public view after the voting system passwords for Mesa County, Colorado, were posted online, prompting a local investigation and a successful effort to replace the county clerk from overseeing elections. MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who has organized or attended forums around the U.S. peddling conspiracy theories about voting machines, said this week that he had received a subpoena from a federal grand jury investigating the breach in Colorado and was ordered to hand over his cellphone to FBI agents who approached him at a fast-food restaurant in Minnesota. “And they told me not to tell anybody,” Lindell said in a video afterward. “OK, I won’t. But I am.” Lindell and others have been traveling the country over the past year, holding events where attendees are told that voting machines have been corrupted, that officials are “selected” rather than elected and that widespread fraud cost Trump the 2020 election. In an interview with the Star Tribune of Minneapolis, Lindell said FBI agents questioned him about the Colorado breach and Dominion Voting Systems. The company provides voting equipment used in about 30 states and has had its machines targeted in the Colorado, Georgia and Michigan breaches. When agents asked him why he flies between different states, Linden told them, “I’m going to attorney generals and politicians, and I’m trying to get them to get rid of these voting machines in our country.” The Justice Department did not respond when asked for details about its investigation. Dominion has sued Lindell and others, accusing them of defamation. In a statement this week, the company said it would not comment about ongoing investigations but said its systems are secure. It noted that no credible evidence has been provided to show that its machines “did anything other than count votes accurately and reliably in all states.” The scope of the federal grand jury probe in Colorado isn’t known, but local authorities have charged Mesa County clerk Tina Peters in what they described as a “deceptive scheme which was designed to influence public servants, breach security protocols, exceed permissible access to voting equipment and set in motion the eventual distribution of confidential information to unauthorized people.” Peters has pleaded not guilty and said she had the authority to investigate concerns that the voting equipment had been manipulated. She has appeared at numerous events with Lindell over the past year, including Lindell’s “cybersymposium” last August in which a digital copy of Mesa County’s election management system was distributed. David Becker, a former U.S. Justice Department attorney who now leads the Center for Election Innovation & Research, notes the irony of those who raise alarms about voting equipment being involved in allegations of breaches of the same systems. “The people who have been attacking the integrity of elections are destroying the actual integrity of elections,” he said. ___ Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo contributed to this report. ___ Follow the AP’s voting coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/voting Read More Here

Trump Openly Embraces, Amplifies QAnon Conspiracy Theories https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-openly-embraces-amplifies-qanon-conspiracy-theories/ After winking at QAnon for years, Donald Trump is overtly embracing the baseless conspiracy theory, even as the number of frightening real-world events linked to it grows. On Tuesday, using his Truth Social platform, the Republican former president reposted an image of himself wearing a Q lapel pin overlaid with the words “The Storm is Coming.” In QAnon lore, the “storm” refers to Trump’s final victory, when supposedly he will regain power and his opponents will be tried, and potentially executed, on live television. FILE – Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Sept. 3, 2022. Trump is increasingly embracing and endorsing the QAnon conspiracy theory, even as the number of frightening real-world incidents linked to the movement increase. Mary Altaffer / AP As Trump contemplates another run for the presidency and has become increasingly assertive in the Republican primary process during the midterm elections, his actions show that far from distancing himself from the political fringe, he is welcoming it. He’s published dozens of recent Q-related posts, in contrast to 2020, when he claimed that while he didn’t know much about QAnon, he couldn’t disprove its conspiracy theory. Pressed on QAnon theories that Trump allegedly is saving the nation from a satanic cult of child sex traffickers, he claimed ignorance but asked, “Is that supposed to be a bad thing?” “If I can help save the world from problems, I’m willing to do it,” Trump said. Trump’s recent postings have included images referring to himself as a martyr fighting criminals, psychopaths and the so-called deep state. In one now-deleted post from late August, he reposted a “q drop,” one of the cryptic message board postings that QAnon supporters claim come from an anonymous government worker with top secret clearance. A Trump spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Even when his posts haven’t referred to the conspiracy theory directly, Trump has amplified users who do. An Associated Press analysis found that of nearly 75 accounts Trump has reposted on his Truth Social profile in the past month, more than a third of them have promoted QAnon by sharing the movement’s slogans, videos or imagery. About 1 in 10 include QAnon language or links in their profile bios. Earlier this month, Trump chose a QAnon song to close out a rally in Pennsylvania. The same song appears in one of his recent campaign videos and is titled “WWG1WGA,” an acronym used as a rallying cry for Q adherents that stands for “Where we go one, we go all.” Online, Q adherents basked in Trump’s attention. “Yup, haters!” wrote one commenter on an anonymous QAnon message board. “Trump re-truthed Q memes. And he’ll do it again, more and more of them, over and OVER, until (asterisk)everyone(asterisk) finally gets it. Make fun of us all you want, whatever! Soon Q will be everywhere!” “Trump Sending a Clear Message Patriots,” a QAnon-linked account on Truth Social wrote. “He Re-Truthed This for a Reason.” The former president may be seeking solidarity with his most loyal supporters at a time when he faces escalating investigations and potential challengers within his own party, according to Mia Bloom, a professor at Georgia State University who has studied QAnon and recently wrote a book about the group. “These are people who have elevated Trump to messiah-like status, where only he can stop this cabal,” Bloom told the AP on Thursday. “That’s why you see so many images (in online QAnon spaces) of Trump as Jesus.” On Truth Social, QAnon-affiliated accounts hail Trump as a hero and savior and vilify President Joe Biden by comparing him to Adolf Hitler or the devil. When Trump shares the content, they congratulate each other. Some accounts proudly display how many times Trump has “re-truthed” them in their bios. By using their own language to directly address QAnon supporters, Trump is telling them that they’ve been right all along and that he shares their secret mission, according to Janet McIntosh, an anthropologist at Brandeis University who has studied QAnon’s use of language and symbols. It also allows Trump to endorse their beliefs and their hope for a violent uprising without expressly saying so, she said, citing his recent post about “the storm” as a particularly frightening example. “The ‘storm is coming’ is shorthand for something really dark that he’s not saying out loud,” McIntosh said. “This is a way for him to point to violence without explicitly calling for it. He is the prince of plausible deniability.” Bloom predicted that Trump may later attempt to market Q-related merchandise or perhaps ask QAnon followers to donate to his legal defense. Regardless of motive, Bloom said, it’s a reckless move that feeds a dangerous movement. A growing list of criminal episodes has been linked to people who had expressed support for the conspiracy theory, which U.S. intelligence officials have warned could trigger more violence. QAnon supporters were among those who violently stormed the Capitol during the failed Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. In November 2020, two men drove to a vote-counting site in Philadelphia in a Hummer adorned with QAnon stickers and loaded with a rifle, 100 rounds of ammunition and other weapons. Prosecutors alleged they were trying to interfere with the election. Last year, a California man who told authorities he had been enlightened by QAnon was accused of killing his two children because he believed they had serpent DNA. Last month, a Colorado woman was found guilty of attempting to kidnap her son from foster care after her daughter said she began associating with QAnon supporters. Other adherents have been accused of environmental vandalism, firing paintballs at military reservists, abducting a child in France and even killing a New York City mob boss. On Sunday, police fatally shot a Michigan man who they say had killed his wife and severely injured his daughter. A surviving daughter told The Detroit News that she believes her father was motivated by QAnon. “I think that he was always prone to (mental issues), but it really brought him down when he was reading all those weird things on the internet,” she told the newspaper. The same weekend a Pennsylvania man who had reposted QAnon content on Facebook was arrested after he allegedly charged into a Dairy Queen with a gun, saying he wanted to kill all Democrats and restore Trump to power. Major social media platforms including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter have banned content associated with QAnon and have suspended or blocked accounts that seek to spread it. That’s forced much of the group’s activities onto platforms that have less moderation, including Telegram, Gab and Trump’s struggling platform, Truth Social. Read More Here

Phony Document Lands On Court Docket In Trump Search Case https://digitalarizonanews.com/phony-document-lands-on-court-docket-in-trump-search-case/ WASHINGTON (AP) — When a government document mysteriously appeared earlier this week in the highest profile case in the federal court system, it had the hallmarks of another explosive storyline in the Justice Department’s investigation into classified records stored at former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate. The document purported to be from the U.S. Treasury Department, claimed that the agency had seized sensitive documents related to last month’s search at Mar-a-Lago and included a warrant ordering CNN to preserve “leaked tax records.” The document remained late Thursday on the court docket, but it is a clear fabrication. A review of dozens of court records and interviews by The Associated Press suggest the document originated with a serial forger behind bars at a federal prison complex in North Carolina. The incident also suggests that the court clerk was easily tricked into believing it was real, landing the document on the public docket in the Mar-a-Lago search warrant case. It also highlights the vulnerability of the U.S. court system and raises questions about the court’s vetting of documents that purport to be official records. The document first appeared on the court’s docket late Monday afternoon and was marked as a “MOTION to Intervene by U.S. Department of the Treasury.” FILE – President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., Aug. 31, 2022. A document purporting to be from the U.S. government and claiming the Treasury Department had information related to the search at Mar-a-Lago was a fabrication. A review of court documents and interviews by The Associated Press shows identical documents were filed in a separate case brought by a federal inmate at a prison medical center in North Carolina.(AP Photo/Steve Helber) Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Steve Helber The document, sprinkled with spelling and syntax errors, read, “The U.S. Department of Treasury through the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Marshals Service have arrested Seized Federal Securities containing sensitive documents which are subject to the Defendant Sealed Search Warrant by the F.B.I. arrest.” It cited a federal statute for collecting financial records in federal investigations. The document also included the two supposed warrants, one that claimed to be sent to CNN in Atlanta and another to a towing company in Michigan. Those supposed warrants, though, are identical to paperwork filed in another case in federal court in Georgia brought by an inmate at the prison medical center in Butner, North Carolina. The case was thrown out, as were the array of other frivolous lawsuits the man has filed from his prison cell. The man has been in custody for several years since he was found not competent to stand trial after an arrest for planting a fake explosive outside the Guardian Building, a skyscraper in Detroit. Since his incarceration, he has filed a range of lawsuits and has impersonated the Treasury Department, claimed to be a federal trustee and claimed to be a lawyer for the Justice Department, a review of court records shows. In the Georgia case, the man alleged that Trump and others had “acquired ‘millions of un- redacted classified tax returns and other sensitive financial data, bank records and accounts of banking and tax transactions of several million’ Americans and federal government agencies,” court documents say. The judge in that case called his suit “fanatic” and “delusional,” saying there was no way to “discern any cognizable claim” from the incoherent filings. The man has repeatedly impersonated federal officials in court records and has placed tax liens on judges using his false paperwork, two people familiar with the matter told the AP. Because of his history as a forger, his mail is supposed to be subjected to additional scrutiny from the Bureau of Prisons. It’s unclear how the documents — the fake motion and the phony warrants — ended up at the court clerk’s office at the courthouse in West Palm Beach, Florida. A photocopy of an envelope, included in the filing, shows it was sent to the court with a printed return address of the Treasury Department’s headquarters in Washington. But a postmark shows a Michigan ZIP code, and a tracking number on the envelope shows it was mailed Sept. 9 from Clinton Township, Michigan, the inmate’s hometown. The AP is not identifying the inmate by name because he has a documented history of mental illness and has not been charged with a crime related to the filing. “There is simply nothing indicating that he has any authorization to act on behalf of the United States,” the judge in the Georgia case wrote. But despite the clear warning signs — including a stamp noting the Georgia case number on the phony warrants — the filing still made its way onto the docket. Spokespeople for the Justice Department and the Treasury Department would not comment. They declined to answer on the record when asked if the document was false and why the government had not addressed it. Representatives in the court clerk’s office and the magistrate judge overseeing the search warrant case did not respond to requests for comment. ___ Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Fatima Hussein in Washington, Kate Brumback in Atlanta and Anthony Izaguirre in Tallahassee, Florida, contributed to this report. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Read More Here

Unity Communications, A Certified USPAACC Diverse Supplier – PR.com https://digitalarizonanews.com/unity-communications-a-certified-uspaacc-diverse-supplier-pr-com/ Gilbert, AZ, September 16, 2022 –(PR.com)– The US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation (USPAACC) certifies Unity Communications as a U.S. minority-owned business and a registered member in good standing with USPAACC. Fortune companies and government agencies recognize the USPAACC certification. It requires certified organizations to undergo a rigorous process to ensure minority-owned businesses comply with strict quality standards. Certified members have the advantage of being selected for consideration for prime contract opportunities with fortune corporations and government agencies. Further, the USPAACC certification program opens opportunities to enhance company visibility through networking with trusted clients, sponsorship, hosting events, and more. The USPAACC certification is awarded to companies owned, managed, and operated by an Asian American only after thoroughly reviewing their operations, management, and financial status. “The USPAACC is one of the largest and most impactful organizations that represent all Asian American groups in business. As a minority-owned small business, the certification is a win-win opportunity. It will help Unity Communications gain more prospects to network and grow our client base while delivering our mission of providing superior leadership and quality customer service.” – Patrick Brown, CEO and Founder Founded in 2009 by Patrick Brown, Unity Communications specializes in back-office, customer service, call center outsourcing, and IT operations and has worked with companies across multiple sectors, including e-commerce, technology, sales, and media. The company strongly commits to diversity, workplace culture, and innovation with staff across the globe consisting of professionals with different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences, creating a multicultural and multilingual team altogether. Unity Communications’s USPAACC certification #C22_00054 is registered for NAICS code 561422. The certification is valid for one year and will be renewed annually to ensure the company meets the standard set by the USPAACC. About Unity Communications Unity Communications is an award-winning BPO company focusing on sales support, customer service, accounting, health care, and back-office services. The company specializes in creating processes that make business operations efficient with experience that spans multiple industries, such as e-commerce, technology, retail, financial technology (FinTech), and software as a service (SaaS). Founded by Patrick Brown in 2009, the company has evolved from a startup into an international BPO firm, serving small and medium businesses to Fortune 500 companies across the globe. Unity Communications forms co-innovation partnerships with clients looking to outsource for the first time and need a “white glove” experience. Visit https://unity-connect.com to learn more. Unity Communications Patrick Brown 480-550-8700 https://unity-connect.com/ 1530 E. Williams Field Rd. # 201 Gilbert, Arizona 85295 Contact Categories Awards Read More Here

Migrants Arrive At Cape Cod Shelter After DeSantis ‘stunt’ – Live https://digitalarizonanews.com/migrants-arrive-at-cape-cod-shelter-after-desantis-stunt-live/ ‘Just plain wrong’: White House condemns migrant flight to Martha’s Vineyard A group of migrants flown by Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard have been transported from the island to a large shelter operation supported by state agencies in Cape Cod. Agencies are “coordinating efforts among state and local officials to ensure access to food, shelter and essential services for these men, women and children,” according to Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s office. The governor also plans to activate up to 125 members of the Massachusetts National Guard. Mr DeSantis has faced widespread criticism after arranging flights for 50 migrants, including families with children, most of whom initially fled Venezuela, arriving unnannounced in Massachusetts. In remarks on Thursday, President Joe Biden condemned “reckless” and “unAmerican” GOP governors busing immigrants to other states. “Instead of working with us on solutions, Republicans are playing politics with human beings, using them as props,” he said. Immigration advocates and attorneys have suggested that the governor facilitated their kidnapping. Officials are calling on the US Department of Justice to investigate. Federal officials are reportedly expected to discuss “litigation options” in response. Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists Email Please enter a valid email Please enter a valid email Password Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number First name Please enter your first name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters Last name Please enter your last name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters You must be over 18 years old to register You must be over 18 years old to register Year of birth I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent.  Read our Privacy notice You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. Each email has a link to unsubscribe. Already have an account? sign in Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists Email Please enter a valid email Please enter a valid email Password Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number First name Please enter your first name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters Last name Please enter your last name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters You must be over 18 years old to register You must be over 18 years old to register Year of birth I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent.  Read our Privacy notice You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. Each email has a link to unsubscribe. Already have an account? sign in Read More Here

Tropical Storm Fiona Now Projected To Become Hurricane https://digitalarizonanews.com/tropical-storm-fiona-now-projected-to-become-hurricane/ As Tropical Storm Fiona surges west toward the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean, the National Hurricane Center has issued a tropical storm warning for both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and projects it to become a hurricane next week. Meanwhile, the NHC is keeping track two more tropical systems in the Atlantic. As of the NHC’s 2 p.m. advisory, Fiona was located about 75 miles east of Guadeloupe with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph heading west at 14 mph. Its tropical-storm-force winds extend out 140 miles. The outer band of the Caribbean’s Leeward Islands, though, are preparing for heavy rain today as Fiona should pass over them this afternoon and evening. The system’s updated path forecasts it to travel away from Florida, but also gaining hurricane strength by Wednesday as its center is amid the Turks and Caicos near the southern Bahamas. In the near future, it’s expected to pass south of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands over the weekend before making landfall at near-hurricane strength in the Dominican Republic on the eastern side of Hispaniola on Monday. Tropical storm warnings, which mean a threat within 36 hours, were also in place for the Caribbean islands of Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, Guadeloupe, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin and the British Virgin Islands. Tropical storm watches were in place for Dominica and parts of the Dominican Republic. Following in Fiona’s path, a tropical wave was detected Thursday midway between the west coast of Africa and the Lesser Antilles islands. The weather system is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms, and is predicted to slowly develop late this weekend and early next week when it turns northward over the central subtropical Atlantic. The NHC gives it a 20% of forming in the five days. Also, the NHC is now monitoring a frontal low over the western Atlantic Ocean a few hundred miles west-northwest of Bermuda, which emerged Friday morning. The low is expected to move east to east-southeast at 10 to 15 mph while producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. The system is expected to remain disorganized due to upper-level winds preventing it from developing into a tropical cyclone, the NHC said, only giving it a 10% chance of formation in the next two to five days. The two systems’ recent emergence coincides with Colorado State University’s release of its tropical prediction for the next two weeks, saying the tropics could get much busier with a 50% chance of above-average activity taking place. CSU also gave a 40% chance of normal activity taking place and a 10% chance of below-average activity. The tropical outlook as of 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, 2022 shows Tropical Storm Fiona and two other systems in the Atlantic. (National Hurricane Center) On Wednesday night, Fiona became a tropical storm when satellite data showed Tropical Depression 7 had strengthened, maintaining maximum sustained winds greater than 39 mph. It is not yet known if the tropical storm would impact Florida or the mainland United States. Most projected storm paths show Fiona making a hard bend northeast away from the Sunshine State as it moves across Hispaniola early Monday where it could interact with the Hispaniola mountain range. The mountainous terrain is historically known to weaken tropical storm organization and tear up wind structures. The NHC, though, says once on the other side, it could pick up steam becoming the season’s third hurricane, currently projected to be Category 1 with 75 mph winds, but 90 mph gusts. “However, there are some indications that the environmental conditions could become more conducive for strengthening as the storm moves into the eastern Caribbean this weekend,” said Brad Reinhart, an NHC specialist. Storm predictions show Fiona’s winds growing in power to about 70 mph at around the same time it would finish passing over Hispaniola. Global models suggest Fiona could even become a hurricane, according to CSU’s two-week prediction of the tropics. As for the immediate impact, the Caribbean islands are expected to have heavy rain through the weekend with Hispaniola receiving a maximum total of 12 inches. Showers on the Leeward Islands are expected to accumulate 4 to 6 inches of rain this evening. “This rainfall may produce considerable flood impacts including flash and urban flooding, along with mudslides in areas of higher terrain,” Reinhart said. Read More Here

AP News Summary At 12:57 P.m. EDT https://digitalarizonanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-1257-p-m-edt/ Ukraine’s leader: Atrocities found in Izium mass burial site IZIUM, Ukraine (AP) — Investigators searching through what appears to be one of the largest mass burial sites discovered in Ukraine have found evidence of atrocities, including torture, on land recently recaptured from Russia. That’s according to Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy. In a video he apparently rushed out Friday to underscore the gravity of the discoveries, Zelenskyy said hundreds of civilian adults and children, as well as soldiers, had been found. They were tortured, shot and killed by shelling near Izium’s Pishchanske cemetery. He cited evidence of atrocities, such as a body with a rope around its neck and broken arms. In the video, Zelenskyy said more than 400 graves have been found at the site. Trump openly embraces, amplifies QAnon conspiracy theories Donald Trump is increasingly embracing and endorsing the QAnon conspiracy theory, even as the number of frightening real-world events linked to the movement rises. Using his Truth Social platform, Trump this week reposted an image of himself overlaid with the words “the Storm is Coming.” In QAnon lore, the storm refers to Trump’s final victory, when his opponents supposedly will be tried and possibly executed. It’s among dozens of recent Q-related posts from the Republican former president, who also ended a rally with a QAnon song. Experts who study QAnon say Trump may be trying to rally his most stalwart supporters as investigations into his conduct escalate. Live updates: Wait to see queen’s coffin extends to 24 hours The line organized by British authorities for people to view Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin as she lies in state has reopened after being closed for more than seven hours due to a surge in numbers. But officials said Friday afternoon that people may have to stand in line for more than 24 hours before reaching Westminster Hall. And they say that it will be cold during the night. The line was about 5 miles (8 kilometers) long, snaking along the banks of the River Thames. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to pay their respects before Monday’s state funeral. Putin vows to press attack on Ukraine, courts India’s Modi Read More Here

Fact Check-Image Of Tom Hanks Wearing Anti-Trump T-Shirt Is Digitally Altered https://digitalarizonanews.com/fact-check-image-of-tom-hanks-wearing-anti-trump-t-shirt-is-digitally-altered/ An image that appears to show U.S. actor Tom Hanks wearing an anti-Trump t-shirt is digitally altered. In the original image, published by outlets in August 2022, Hanks can be seen wearing a plain navy t-shirt. One user shared the altered image on Twitter on Sept. 14, 2022, with a caption that reads: “Is that you tome [sic] hanks?…how about we keep america hanksless!!!!…” (here). The tweet had more than 2,000 likes at the time of writing. Other examples of the image shared on social media can be found (here), (here), (here) and (here 0=AZWpKANheehw55A8eswNsICsgVzI_B0P2h3FY_R5aCv5VbbtbMYcfV7eZCbeHJWj_9VbU3nIP7OdWfH-OPhNEDR5gE9mB-uFSEEXTvrz_WQvGbrQzDrzgFJfFYFCDCJQSyBwdNnBxB8JluP9pW8RDuH1&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R). The original photograph was published by various outlets including The Daily Mail (here), with credit to photographer Felipe Ramales of Splash News. Reuters has previously addressed digitally altered images that appear to show celebrities, including Hanks, wearing t-shirts with political messages (here), (here), (here). VERDICT Altered. The original image shows actor Tom Hanks wearing a plain navy t-shirt. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here. for-phone-onlyfor-tablet-portrait-upfor-tablet-landscape-upfor-desktop-upfor-wide-desktop-up Read More Here

Donald Trump Openly Embraces, Amplifies QAnon Conspiracy Theories https://digitalarizonanews.com/donald-trump-openly-embraces-amplifies-qanon-conspiracy-theories/ Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Sept. 3, 2022. (AP Photo / Mary Altaffer, File) After winking at QAnon for years, Donald Trump is overtly embracing the baseless conspiracy theory, even as the number of frightening real-world events linked to it grows. On Tuesday, using his Truth Social platform, the Republican former president reposted an image of himself wearing a Q lapel pin overlaid with the words “The Storm is Coming.” In QAnon lore, the “storm” refers to Trump’s final victory, when supposedly he will regain power and his opponents will be tried, and potentially executed, on live television. As Trump contemplates another run for the presidency and has become increasingly assertive in the Republican primary process during the midterm elections, his actions show that far from distancing himself from the political fringe, he is welcoming it. He’s published dozens of recent Q-related posts, in contrast to 2020, when he claimed that while he didn’t know much about QAnon, he couldn’t disprove its conspiracy theory. Pressed on QAnon theories that Trump allegedly is saving the nation from a satanic cult of child sex traffickers, he claimed ignorance but asked, “Is that supposed to be a bad thing?” “If I can help save the world from problems, I’m willing to do it,” Trump said. Trump’s recent postings have included images referring to himself as a martyr fighting criminals, psychopaths and the so-called deep state. In one now-deleted post from late August, he reposted a “q drop,” one of the cryptic message board postings that QAnon supporters claim come from an anonymous government worker with top secret clearance. A Trump spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Even when his posts haven’t referred to the conspiracy theory directly, Trump has amplified users who do. An Associated Press analysis found that of nearly 75 accounts Trump has reposted on his Truth Social profile in the past month, more than a third of them have promoted QAnon by sharing the movement’s slogans, videos or imagery. About 1 in 10 include QAnon language or links in their profile bios. Earlier this month, Trump chose a QAnon song to close out a rally in Pennsylvania. The same song appears in one of his recent campaign videos and is titled “WWG1WGA,” an acronym used as a rallying cry for Q adherents that stands for “Where we go one, we go all.” Online, Q adherents basked in Trump’s attention. “Yup, haters!” wrote one commenter on an anonymous QAnon message board. “Trump re-truthed Q memes. And he’ll do it again, more and more of them, over and OVER, until (asterisk)everyone(asterisk) finally gets it. Make fun of us all you want, whatever! Soon Q will be everywhere!” “Trump Sending a Clear Message Patriots,” a QAnon-linked account on Truth Social wrote. “He Re-Truthed This for a Reason.” The former president may be seeking solidarity with his most loyal supporters at a time when he faces escalating investigations and potential challengers within his own party, according to Mia Bloom, a professor at Georgia State University who has studied QAnon and recently wrote a book about the group. “These are people who have elevated Trump to messiah-like status, where only he can stop this cabal,” Bloom told the AP on Thursday. “That’s why you see so many images (in online QAnon spaces) of Trump as Jesus.” On Truth Social, QAnon-affiliated accounts hail Trump as a hero and savior and vilify President Joe Biden by comparing him to Adolf Hitler or the devil. When Trump shares the content, they congratulate each other. Some accounts proudly display how many times Trump has “re-truthed” them in their bios. By using their own language to directly address QAnon supporters, Trump is telling them that they’ve been right all along and that he shares their secret mission, according to Janet McIntosh, an anthropologist at Brandeis University who has studied QAnon’s use of language and symbols. It also allows Trump to endorse their beliefs and their hope for a violent uprising without expressly saying so, she said, citing his recent post about “the storm” as a particularly frightening example. “The ‘storm is coming’ is shorthand for something really dark that he’s not saying out loud,” McIntosh said. “This is a way for him to point to violence without explicitly calling for it. He is the prince of plausible deniability.” Bloom predicted that Trump may later attempt to market Q-related merchandise or perhaps ask QAnon followers to donate to his legal defense. Regardless of motive, Bloom said, it’s a reckless move that feeds a dangerous movement. A growing list of criminal episodes has been linked to people who had expressed support for the conspiracy theory, which U.S. intelligence officials have warned could trigger more violence. QAnon supporters were among those who violently stormed the Capitol during the failed Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. In November 2020, two men drove to a vote-counting site in Philadelphia in a Hummer adorned with QAnon stickers and loaded with a rifle, 100 rounds of ammunition and other weapons. Prosecutors alleged they were trying to interfere with the election. Last year, a California man who told authorities he had been enlightened by QAnon was accused of killing his two children because he believed they had serpent DNA. Last month, a Colorado woman was found guilty of attempting to kidnap her son from foster care after her daughter said she began associating with QAnon supporters. Other adherents have been accused of environmental vandalism, firing paintballs at military reservists, abducting a child in France and even killing a New York City mob boss. On Sunday, police fatally shot a Michigan man who they say had killed his wife and severely injured his daughter. A surviving daughter told The Detroit News that she believes her father was motivated by QAnon. “I think that he was always prone to (mental issues), but it really brought him down when he was reading all those weird things on the internet,” she told the newspaper. The same weekend a Pennsylvania man who had reposted QAnon content on Facebook was arrested after he allegedly charged into a Dairy Queen with a gun, saying he wanted to kill all Democrats and restore Trump to power. Major social media platforms including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter have banned content associated with QAnon and have suspended or blocked accounts that seek to spread it. That’s forced much of the group’s activities onto platforms that have less moderation, including Telegram, Gab and Trump’s struggling platform, Truth Social. Read More Here

Shane Clanton Tops Night No. 1 Of The Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals https://digitalarizonanews.com/shane-clanton-tops-night-no-1-of-the-lucas-oil-late-model-knoxville-nationals/ KNOXVILLE — Shane Clanton went wire to wire to win on night No. 1 of the 18th Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville Raceway Thursday night. It was the Zebulon, Georgia native’s second career win at the famous half-mile, as he pocketed $7,000. Jonathan Davenport emerged as the high point getter on the night. Drivers will take the best of their two point totals on Thursday and Friday qualifying nights. Clanton led from his pole position from the outset of the 25-lap main event ahead of Hudson O’Neal, Earl Pearson Jr., Tad Pospisil and Tim McCreadie. Jonathan Davenport jumped from sixth to fourth on lap two, and then claimed third from Pearson on the third circuit. Chris Madden slowed to the bottom of turn one to bring a caution three laps in. Clanton led O’Neal, Davenport, Pearson and McCreadie back to green. On lap five, Pearson used the high side of two to get back by Davenport for third. One more caution appeared 11 laps in when O’Neal’s strong second place run ended with rear-end issues. Brandon Sheppard shot by McCreadie to the fourth spot on that restart. Clanton entered lapped traffic with just five laps to go, but never wavered to the checkers. Pearson followed Clanton to the stripe, with Davenport, Sheppard and Kyle Strickler in tow. McCreadie, Jimmy Owens, Ryan Gustin, Brian Shirley and Chase Junghans rounded out the top ten.  Spencer Hughes and Brandon Overton set quick time over their respective groups. Clanton, Madden, Gustin, Junghans, Aaron Marrant and Stormy Scott won heat races. Mike Marlar and Garrett Alberson won B mains. “The car was phenomenal in the race there,” said Clanton in Victory Lane. “We made some changes, because of what we did to (teammate) Tyler’s (Bruening) car there. If it wasn’t for him, and the changes we made for him, I may not have won the race. We just adjusted the shocks. We just tweaked it here and there. Our car was fast to begin the night, and we made the right adjustments.” “We qualified good and run good in our heat,” said Pearson. “The car was good there. It was kind of top dominant tonight. Hopefully, the track will be different tomorrow where we can move around a little bit. Hudson broke there, and Davenport drove me clean. Second was good enough…we’ll try again tomorrow, but we had a good points night, and good starting spot for Saturday anyway.” “We had a really fast racecar there,” said Davenport. “The top was definitely the place to be in that race, but I felt like I could move around the middle and bottom too. I felt really comfortable, so hopefully, we can carry that through the rest of the weekend. The goal was to be there at the end on Saturday, and I think we have a good starting spot. It’s all about having a good balance. It’s a lot of fun and one of my favorite racetracks to be at.” Join us for night No. 2 of the 18th Annual Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals on Thursday. For more information, visit or check Knoxville Raceway’s website at www.KnoxvilleRaceway.com or on Facebook and Twitter. 18th Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals Results Time Trials Group A (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 11, Spencer Hughes, Meridian, MS (13), 17.557; 2. 62, Justin Zeitner, Malvern, IA (15), 17.599; 3. 39, Tim McCreadie, Watertown, NY (3), 17.744; 4. 32, Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL (16), 17.814; 5. 20RT, Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, AZ (2), 17.828; 6. 18S, Jesse Sobbing, Glenwood, IA (4), 17.833; 7. 32S, Chris Simpson, Marion, IA (14), 17.905; 8. 71, Hudson O’Neal, Martinsville, IN (20), 17.953; 9. 29D, Spencer Diercks, Davenport, IA (17), 17.973; 10. 25C, Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA (8), 18.004; 11. 157, Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN (1), 18.004; 12. 7W, Ricky Weiss, Headingley, MB, Can. (6), 18.010; 13. 7, Ross Robinson, Georgetown, DE (24), 18.030; 14. 44, Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC (12), 18.183; 15. 19R, Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, IA (5), 18.203; 16. 3S, Brian Shirley, Chatham, IL (19), 18.256; 17. 40B, Kyle Bronson, Brandon, FL (18), 18.365; 18. 48, Tim Lance, Brimfield, IL (21), 18.416; 19. 1T, Tyler Erb, Houston, TX (9), 18.533; 20. 22, Charlie McKenna, Clear Lake, IA (7), 18.555; 21. 53, Andrew Kosiski, La Vista, NE (22), 18.626; 22. 15, Justin Duty, Molalia, OR (11), 18.781; 23. 14M, Reid Millard, Jefferson City, MO (23), 19.633; 24. 10, Junior Coover, Norfolk, NE (10), 21.002 Time Trials Group B (Qualifying Order), 2 laps: 1. 76, Brandon Overton, Evans, GA (10), 17.494; 2. 20, Jimmy Owens, Newport, TN (8), 17.585; 3. 49, Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA (12), 17.627; 4. 46, Earl Pearson Jr., Trinity, NC (24), 17.885; 5. 04, Tad Pospisil, Norfolk, NE (15), 17.928; 6. 1, Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL (3), 18.075; 7. 8, Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, NC (14), 18.079; 8. 21, Billy Moyer, Batesville, AR (9), 18.116; 9. 58, Garrett Alberson, Las Cruces, NM (7), 18.137; 10. 1ST, Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, NM (11), 18.140; 11. 18D, Daulton Wilson, Fayetteville, NC (5), 18.146; 12. 99JR, Frank Heckenast Jr., Orland Park, IL (22), 18.268; 13. 22H, Daniel Hilsabeck, Earlham, IA (13), 18.292; 14. 1X, Aaron Marrant, Orrick, MO (1), 18.320; 15. 33, Nick Marolf, Moscow, IA (23), 18.362; 16. 18J, Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS (21), 18.385; 17. 56, Chris Spieker, Massena, IA (4), 18.411; 18. 2S, Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, NM (20), 18.422; 19. 42, Johnathan Huston, Columbus Junction, IA (16), 18.422; 20. 16, Tyler Bruening, Decorah, IA (18), 18.479; 21. 51, Matt Furman, Iowa City, IA (6), 18.557; 22. 25, Chad Simpson, Mount Vernon, IA (19), 18.869; 23. 6H, Al Humphrey, Giltner, NE (2), 19.309; 24. 14W, Dustin Walker, Polk, MO (17), 19.568 Heat one (started), 12 Laps, NT: 1. Shane Clanton (3); 2. Ross Robinson (2); 3. Brian Shirley (1) / 4. Bobby Pierce (5); 5. Spencer Hughes (6); 6. Chris Simpson (4); 7. Tyler Erb (7); 8. Justin Duty (8) Heat two (started), 12 Laps, 3:47.0: 1. Chris Madden (2); 2. Hudson O’Neal (4); 3. Justin Zeitner (6) / 4. Mike Marlar (3); 5. Ricky Thornton Jr. (5); 6. Charlie McKenna (7); 7. Kyle Bronson (1); 8. Reid Millard (8) Heat three (started), 12 Laps, NT: 1. Ryan Gustin (2); 2. Ricky Weiss (3); 3. Tim McCreadie (6) / 4. Jesse Sobbing (5); 5. Andrew Kosiski (7); 6. Tim Lance (1); 7. Junior Coover (8); 8. Spencer Diercks (4) Heat four (started), 12 Laps, 3:46.0: 1. Chase Junghans (1); 2. Kyle Strickler (4); 3. Earl Pearson Jr. (5) / 4. Brandon Overton (6); 5. Daniel Hilsabeck (2); 6. Johnathan Huston (7); 7. Johnny Scott (3); 8. Chad Simpson (8) Heat five (started), 12 Laps, NT: 1. Aaron Marrant (2); 2. Tad Pospisil (5); 3. Jimmy Owens (6) / 4. Tyler Bruening (7); 5. Daulton Wilson (3); 6. Chris Spieker (1); 7. Billy Moyer (4); 8. Al Humphrey (8) Heat six (started), 12 Laps, 3:51.0: 1. Stormy Scott (1); 2. Jonathan Davenport (6); 3. Brandon Sheppard (5) / 4. Frank Heckenast Jr. (3); 5. Garrett Alberson (4); 6. Nick Marolf (2); 7. Matt Furman (7); 8. Dustin Walker (8) B main one (started), 15 Laps, NT: 1. Mike Marlar (6); 2. Ricky Thornton Jr. (3); 3. Spencer Hughes (1) / 4. Chris Simpson (5); 5. Tyler Erb (10); 6. Kyle Bronson (11); 7. Charlie McKenna (7); 8. Andrew Kosiski (8); 9. Reid Millard (12); 10. Jesse Sobbing (4); 11. Bobby Pierce (2); 12. Junior Coover (9) DNS – 13. Spencer Diercks 14. Justin Duty 15. Tim Lance B main two (started), 15 Laps, NT: 1. Garrett Alberson (2); 2. Daniel Hilsabeck (5); 3. Chris Spieker (7) / 4. Frank Heckenast Jr. (4); 5. Matt Furman (10); 6. Dustin Walker (12); 7. Tyler Bruening (9); 8. Brandon Overton (1); 9. Nick Marolf (6); 10. Al Humphrey (11); 11. Daulton Wilson (3); 12. Johnathan Huston (8) DNS – 13. Johnny Scott 14. Billy Moyer 15. Chad Simpson A main (started), 25 Laps, NT: 1. Shane Clanton (1); 2. Earl Pearson Jr. (4); 3. Jonathan Davenport (6); 4. Brandon Sheppard (9); 5. Kyle Strickler (11); 6. Tim McCreadie (5); 7. Jimmy Owens (7); 8. Ryan Gustin (14); 9. Brian Shirley (16); 10. Chase Junghans (15); 11. Aaron Marrant (13); 12. Mike Marlar (18); 13. Garrett Alberson (19); 14. Ricky Weiss (8); 15. Spencer Hughes (22); 16. Stormy Scott (17); 17. Ross Robinson (10); 18. Chris Spieker (23); 19. Tad Pospisil (2); 20. Daniel Hilsabeck (21); 21. Hudson O’Neal (3); 22. Ricky Thornton Jr. (20); 23. Justin Zeitner (24); 24. Chris Madden (12). Lap Leader: Clanton 1-25. Hard-charger: Shirley. Read More Here

Mark Finchem Criticized For Using Antisemitic Trope https://digitalarizonanews.com/mark-finchem-criticized-for-using-antisemitic-trope/ Oro Valley Republican Representative and candidate for Secretary of State Mark Finchem is being criticized for his continued use of an antisemitic trope in an attack on his Democratic opponent Adrian Fontes. The trope is connected to a QAnon conspiracy theory In a tweet Wednesday, Finchem said that Democratic politicians are all “liars and deceivers” who are loyal to George Soros and Mike Bloomberg and implored his audience to “not be deceived.”  Soros, a wealthy Hungarian-born businessman and philanthropist, has become the boogeyman of the right-wing due to his financing of many left-leaning causes and politicians. This has led to a large number of conspiracy theories around the man which have been debunked but still persist to this day, some of which are rooted in QAnon and antisemitism.   Both Soros and Bloomberg are Jewish.  “I think it is fair to say that context is everything,” Tim Eckstein, board chair with the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix said to the Arizona Mirror. “An attack on George Soros for some specific thing he has done or said is fine, or at least not on its face antisemitic.” Finchem has invoked Soros’ name 24 times on his Telegram channel, often saying he is going up against the “Soros machine” or his “Soros funded opponent” or claiming that the media is funded by Soros. On his Gab, a hotspot for antisemitism, he has also pushed the Soros conspiracy theory, among others, such as that the media is controlled by the CIA.  “If you don’t show up, you cant win the office. It is an inconvenient truth in politics. And, I might add, the corrupt mockingbird media cartel HATES me,” Finchem said in one comment referring to the belief that the media is a propaganda arm of the CIA referring to a long defunct program.  “The invocation of his name, however, as a stand-in for Jewish financier/elitist who is part of a broad conspiracy aimed at world domination, is rooted in antisemitic ideology going back to the 19th Century,” Eckstein said, adding that the repeated use of Soros’ name by a candidate with a track record of conspiratorial thinking is “deeply troubling.”  Finchem did not respond to a request for comment for this story but shortly after the Arizona Mirror reached out to him, he shared a post on social media saying that his statements were not antisemitic.  “Calling out Soros and Bloomberg and their political objectives is not anti-Semitic,” Finchem said in a post shared across his social media platforms. “This is a political discussion, not a religious one. I love the Jewish people. I do not love Marxists who hate America. The gaslighting of patriots must end NOW.” Earlier this year Finchem received the endorsement of two known antisemite conspiracy theorists, Andrew Torba and Jarron Jackson.  “[I]t is hard to conclude anything other than that Rep. Finchem seems to believe that trafficking in antisemitic tropes enhances his chances of getting elected,” Eckstein said.  Finchem has also appeared at a QAnon conspiracy theory conference where the opening video showed antisemitic images and debunked conspiracy theories.  The Arizona Mirror found one video, created by the same company used for the event, that claimed the Titanic disaster was a hoax, Adolf Hitler faked his death and baby blood is being harvested as part of a popular QAnon conspiracy about Hollywood elites. Another video also superimposed the Star of David among images of the 9/11 attacks. At the same conference Finchem compared the murder of six million people in Holocaust to cancel culture.  “You know what happened in the 1940s, right? Six million Jews were exterminated because they were dehumanized. (Kurt Tucholsky) said, ‘A country is not just what it does, it’s what it tolerates.’ We have become far too tolerant of those who would try to ‘cancel culture’ us, of those who would tell us to sit down and shut up,” he said. “And Aristotle, another notable, said tolerance is the last virtue left of a failing society.” The JCRC denounced Finchem’s tweet saying his “reliance on #antisemitic tropes to spearhead” his campaign are “an embarrassment to the majority of #Arizona residents and serves to reinforce that you cannot be trusted to serve as our Secretary of State.”  Read More…

Samara Joy Makes Her “Glowing, Auspicious” (NPR) Verve Records Debut With Linger Awhile https://digitalarizonanews.com/samara-joy-makes-her-glowing-auspicious-npr-verve-records-debut-with-linger-awhile/ Read More Here At just 22 years old, Samara Joy has dazzled crowds at jazz clubs, festivals, and cultural institutions across the globe, garnered millions of likes on TikTok, made her national television debut with a performance on the Today Show, and earned glowing public endorsements from the likes of Regina King, LaKeith Stanfield, and many others. Samara comes from a strong musical heritage and has relished the process of digging through music history from an early age. She fell in love with jazz while attending Fordham High School for the Arts, where she performed regularly with the jazz band and eventually won Best Vocalist at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington competition. Samara took home the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition prize while earning her degree from SUNY Purchase’s jazz studies program. Now, a year after graduating college as the Ella Fitzgerald Scholar, Samara has added a new credential to her impressive resume: Verve recording artist.  Throughout the remainder of 2022, Samara will perform across North America and Europe. This holiday season, she’ll join the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as a special guest on their Big Band Holidays tour, followed by a handful of her own holiday shows the week before Christmas. Full touring schedule below. Linger Awhile Tracklist 01. Can’t Get Out of This Mood (3:42) 02. Guess Who I Saw Today (4:09) 03. Nostalgia (The Day I Knew) (3:31) 04. Sweet Pumpkin (3:55) 05. Misty (4:54) 06. Social Call (4:30) 07. I’m Confessin’ That I Love You(5:04) 08. Linger Awhile (1:47) 09. ‘Round Midnight (5:42) 10. Someone To Watch Over Me feat. Pasquale Grasso (4:04) Additional Praise for Linger Awhile: “A young vocalist creating the standards of today… embodying vocalists like Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae, while creating a distinct style of her own.” – NPR Jazz Night in America “It sounds like the greats reached out and touched her vocal cords and anointed her as the next in line.” – NPR/WBUR Here & Now “Her instincts are the kind that can’t be taught… [Samara] is able to capture the mood of the great vocalists that preceded her, channeling Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald with her rich, textured takes on a sentimental genre.” – Consequence “Strikingly warm vocal timbre, keen phrasing, and superb song selection… youthful exuberance with an old soul.” – WRTI, Fall Preview 2022 “A jazz purist who embodies generations of great Black female singers across idioms.” – Andscape “Perhaps the love child of Ella Fitzgerald and Jon Hendricks…with a mastery of phrasing and vocalese that made this demanding technique seem easy.” – NYC Jazz Record Samara Joy 2022 Tour Dates September 16 – Boston, MA – Sculler’s September 17 – Lake George, NY – Lake George Jazz Festival September 18 – Pittsburgh, PA – August Wilson September 20 – Berkeley, CA – Freight & Salvage September 23 – Monterey, CA – Monterey Jazz Festival September 24 – Chicago, IL – Rockefeller Memorial Chapel (duo w/Pasquale Grasso) September 26 – New York, NY – The Blue Note September 28 – Albuquerque, NM – Outpost September 29 – College Station, TX – Rudder Theatre September 30 – Phoenix, AZ – MIM October 1 – Costa Mesa, CA – Segerstrorm Center October 2 – Half Moon Bay, CA – Bach Dancing & Dynamite October 7 – Azroes, Portugal – Angra Jazz October 11-12 – Cologne, Germany – King George Jazz Club October 14 – Toulouse, FR – Jazz Sur Son 31 October 15 – Nancy, FR – Nancy Jazz Pulsations October 17 – Bordeaux, FR – L’Auditorium de Bordeaux October 18 – Comeilles-en-Parisis, FR – Theater duComier October 20 – Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, FR – Culture House October 21 – Occitanie, FR – Saint-Mamert-du-gard October 22 – Lisbon, Port – Seixal Jazz Festival October 24 – Barcelona, Spain – Barcelona Jazz Festival October 25 – Paris, FR – New Morning November 3 – Indianapolis, IN – Shelton Auditorium November 4 – Appleton, WI – Lawrence University November 6 – Bronx, NY – Wave Hill Public Garden November 10-13 – Chicago, IL – Jazz Showcase November 18 – Storrs, CT – Jorgensen PAC November 20 – Blue Bell, PA – Montgomery County CC November 27-28 – Minneapolis, MN – Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra November 20 – Eau Claire, WI – Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra December 2 – Raleigh, NC – Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra December 3 – York, PA – Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra December 5 – St. Louis, MO – Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra December 7 – Austin, TX – Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra December 9 – Phoenix, AZ – Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra December 14-18 – New York, NY – Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra December 20 – Alexandria, VA – The Birchmere (HOLIDAY SHOW) December 21 – Philadelphia, PA – The Ardmore (HOLIDAY SHOW) December 22 – Arlington, MA – Regent Theater (HOLIDAY SHOW) December 23 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Universal Preservation Hall (HOLIDAY SHOW)

Trump’s Cronies Are Getting Slammed With Subpoenas https://digitalarizonanews.com/trumps-cronies-are-getting-slammed-with-subpoenas/ U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a “Save America Rally” near the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images This content comes from the latest installment of our weekly Breaking the Vote newsletter out of VICE News’ D.C. bureau, tracking the ongoing efforts to undermine the democratic process in America. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday. The Jan. 6 criminal investigations got a hell of a lot more real this week. Suddenly it seems like the feds are everywhere. Some 40 subpoenas were blasted out at top MAGA-world figures by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., which is reportedly seeking answers on practically every aspect of the insurrection.  The feds want to know about the so-called fake electors scheme, sure. But they’re also poking around to learn more about the planning of former President Donald Trump’s rally on the Ellipse, and even fundraising for Trump’s Save America political action committee.  In other words, the first whiff of autumn is in the air—and so is that faint, burnt-leaf smell of accountability. The Department of Justice’s upshift into a higher gear comes after critics spent months lambasting Attorney General Merrick Garland for moving too slowly. That chatter now seems likely to subside. Federal agents seized the cellphones of top Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn and campaign strategist Mike Roman. Subpoenas were served on former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik and Trump’s former social media director Dan Scavino.  Mike Lindell, aka “the pillow guy,” did not escape the dragnet.   FBI agents pounced on the MyPillow CEO and prominent election conspiracy theorist in the drive-thru lane of a Minnesota Hardee’s and ordered him to turn over his phone. (Imagine, for a moment, that a genie let you travel back in time to warn your past self about our discordant future—but you could only transmit that one, bizarre sentence.)  Hardee’s capitalized on its trending moment with a pillow pun on Twitter: “Now that you know we exist… you should really try our pillowy biscuits.” Lindell—never one to sit quietly, even under legal scrutiny—also made much of the incident, discussing every detail in frenetic media appearances and even posting his warrant on social media.   Judging from the document, Lindell’s run-in with the feds appears linked to an investigation that’s formally separate from the big Jan. 6 subpoena blast. Instead, it’s tied to the widening investigation of a breach of election voting systems in Colorado and the prosecution of former Colorado election official and regular BtV cast member Tina Peters.  Peters, you might recall, has been charged with state-level crimes and pleaded not guilty. She is specifically named in the seizure warrant for Lindell’s phone, which was approved by a federal grand jury in Colorado and posted online by Lindell. What happens next, after all this frothy action? Some lawyers and former prosecutors say they expect the DOJ may tamp down overt investigative or prosecutorial activity during the run-up to November’s midterm elections. The recent spurt might have been an attempt to make headway before the DOJ’s so-called “60-day rule” sets in. Ditto, perhaps, for the FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club for sensitive secret government documents in August. After all, nothing focuses the mind like a deadline.  That reasoning also suggests that officials will be unlikely to announce criminal charges against Trump himself before the Nov. 8 elections.  By the same token, prosecutors won’t want to make big moves right before the next round of presidential campaign primaries officially begin, likely in very early 2024, either. In other words, it’s plausible the next two months will be relatively quiet, from a strictly prosecutorial point of view. After that, if officials feel indictments are warranted, they’ll have an incentive not to sit on their hands too long.  Trump, for his part, was asked by radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday whether picking up a criminal charge would stop him from running for president. Trump replied with his usual reserve: “It would not.”  Gettin’ the band back together The Jan. 6 Congressional committee is talking about at least one more gig. The committee is eyeing Sept. 28 for one more hearing, but that date is not yet confirmed. The team received “significant” new information from the Secret Service, according to Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), including a lot of text messages from Jan. 5 and 6.  Thompson said this week that the committee is contemplating sharing more information with the Department of Justice, now that the DOJ is getting more serious about its investigations. But a committee spokesperson said the decision wouldn’t be made until October or November. Berman’s revelations We don’t have a VICE News–branded crystal ball that could show the future of a second Trump term. But let’s pretend we do. Inside, you’d see something that looks a lot like the pages of a new memoir released by Geoffrey Berman, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Berman’s new book, Holding the Line, details his efforts to resist political pressure to prosecute more Democrats, including former Democratic presidential nominee and ex-Secretary of State John Kerry. Berman’s revelations prompted the Senate Judiciary Committee to launch an investigation.  Trump 3 Q  Just in case there was any lingering doubt about Trump’s return embrace of the Trump-worshiping QAnon conspiracy movement, the former president posted a picture of himself literally wearing a Q lapel pin on his Truth Social account.  David Gilbert has the story. The image was overlaid with QAnon slogans “The Storm is Coming” and “WWG1WGA.” In QAnon lore, the “storm” is the moment Trump reveals his master plan to take down his cowering enemies. And “WWG1WGA” is a phrase that refers to the group’s collective hive-mind vibe, meaning “Where We Go One, We Go All.”  All the president’s lawyers I wrote about Trump’s lawyer problem this week. His attorneys have racked up an impressive range of legal trouble over the years, like Michael Cohen’s criminal conviction for financial crimes and the recent news that Rudy Giuliani is a target in the Fulton County DA’s investigation into the Trump team’s attempt to reverse Trump’s 2020 election defeat in Georgia.  All this drama now appears to be catching up with Trump, who seems to be having a hard time adding heavy hitters to his legal lineup. This is a problem for a guy facing this many investigations, because he’s going to need sober, competent representation. And the recent performance of his team in the Mar-a-Lago scandal, when outside lawyers have openly mocked their baffling arguments and substandard legal briefs, hasn’t exactly inspired confidence. Box-a-Lago — Reporter Andrea Bernstein wrote about one of the big, unsolved questions of our time: WHY Trump tookmay have taken documents at Mar-a-Lago. “He knows the value of hoarding secret information and wielding it for his own ends.” Virginia ham — Virginia’s Republican Attorney General announced the creation of an “Election Integrity Unit” to prosecute election law violations, despite the lack of credible evidence that such violations are a problem.  “The FBI seized Mike Lindell’s phone! Fight back by shopping RUDY at mypillow.com to support.” —Rudy Giuliani on Twitter  CLICK  In Doug Mastriano’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, a chilling template for future races https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/doug-mastriano-donald-trump-2020-election-overturn-20220914.html How a spreader of voter fraud conspiracy theories became a star https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/14/technology/catherine-engelbrecht-voter-fraud-conspiracy-theories.html House members roll out bipartisan plan to stop future coups https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-members-roll-bipartisan-election-bill-aimed-preventing-future-co-rcna47725 Read More Here

DoJ Asked To ‘investigate’ DeSantis For Kidnapping For Martha’s Vineyard Stunt – Live https://digitalarizonanews.com/doj-asked-to-investigate-desantis-for-kidnapping-for-marthas-vineyard-stunt-live/ Migrant families are being offered move to Cape Code shelter, state lawmaker reports State Rep Dylan Fernandes, who represents Martha’s Vineyard at the state House, reports that families are being offered a move to the newly announced shelter at Cape Code. Alex Woodward16 September 2022 16:30 ‘Playing politics with human beings’: Biden slams GOP governors’ migrant flights Speaking at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s annual gala on Thursday night, Joe Biden slammed GOP governors less than a day after Greg Abbott sent two busloads of South and Central American asylum seekers to Washington and Ron DeSantis funded a planeload of migrants’ transportation from Texas to Massachusetts. “Republicans are playing politics with human beings, using them as props,” Biden said. The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg on White House reaction: Biden slams GOP governors’ migrant flights: ‘Playing politics with human beings’ ‘The children … deserve better than being left on the streets of DC or being left in Martha’s Vineyard’ Alex Woodward16 September 2022 16:15 Republicans sent migrants to Martha’s Vineyard to stoke panic. Instead, residents reacted with kindness The arrival of 50 migrants on Martha’s Vineyard – known as a summer getaway for wealthier Americans with a relatively small, tight-knit community of permanent residents – has galvanised communities across the island off the coast of Massachusetts, providing immediate shelter and relief for a group of people and families deceptively collected into planes out of Texas, more than 2,000 miles away, at taxpayers’ expense. The effort, of course, intends to paint the perceived liberal elitism on the nation’s East Coast as hypocritical, in protest of what the American right characterises as an “open border” that facilities “illegal” immigration into the US, while casting President Biden as responsible for the cruelty on the southern side of the US-Mexico border because he has invited migrants to it. But advocacy groups and attorneys have criticised the administration not because it allegedly invites migrants into the US but because of a byzantine process to seek aslyum or legal entry, with thousands of people denied from having their cases heard. Republican governors “manufacture chaos” and ignore asylum seekers in a broken immigration system, advocates tell The Independent’s Alex Woodward: A ‘depraved’ stunt reveals the GOP’s self-created migrant crisis, advocates say The arrival of 50 migrants galvanised communities on the island while Republican governors ‘manufacture chaos’ and ignore asylum seekers in a broken immigration system, advocates tell Alex Woodward Alex Woodward16 September 2022 15:45 Massachusetts governor to activate National Guard Governor Charlie Baker announced plans to activate the National Guard among relief efforts his administration is supplying to support 50 migrants who were flown into Martha’s Vineyard by Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis. “The island communities are not equipped to provide sustainable accommodation, and state officials developed a plan to deliver a comprehensive humanitarian response,” Mr Baker’s office said in a statement released Friday. The response includes the opening of a shelter with meals, medical and counseling services at Joint Base Cape Code, located on the mainland north of the island. The Independent’s Johanna Chisholm reports: National Guard activated to assist migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard by DeSantis Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said his administration plans to activate up to 125 members of the state’s National Guard as part of a relief effort Alex Woodward16 September 2022 15:34 DeSantis could be charged with kidnap after moving migrants to Martha’s Vineyard The Department of Justice has been tapped by California Governor Gavin Newsom to investigate whether Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s controversial decision to send two flights of migrants north would amount to “kidnapping”. “I strongly urge the U.S. Department of Justice (US DOJ) to open an investigation into possible criminal or civil violations of federal law based on this alleged fraudulent scheme,” Gov Newsom wrote in a 15 September letter addressed to US Attorney General Merrick Garland. The Democratic governor, who many speculate could make a run for president in 2024, quickly turned his emotional response to the new story into a political one by flagging his concerns to the Department of Justice that the Republican governor’s actions might be not just “morally reprehensible” but “illegal”. “Several of the individuals who were transported to Martha’s Vineyard have alleged that a recruiter induced them to accept the offer of travel based on false representations that they would be transported to Boston and would receive expedited access to work authorization,” wrote Mr Newsom. Read the full report from The Independent’s Johanna Chisholm here: DeSantis could be charged with kidnap after moving migrants to Martha’s Vineyard California Governor Gavin Newsom asks DoJ to ‘investigate whether the alleged fraudulent inducement would support charges of kidnapping under relevant state laws’ Johanna Chisholm16 September 2022 15:15 Massachusetts to open new shelter at Joint Base Cape Cod Massachusetts will open a new shelter with additional humanitarian aid at Joint Base Cape Cod to help house the group of migrants who were sent by Ron DeSantis to Martha’s Vineyard this week. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency “is coordinating efforts among state and local officials to ensure access to food, shelter and essential services for these men, women and children,” according to a statement from Governor Charlie Baker’s office. The governor also plans to activate up to 125 members of the Massachusetts National Guard. Individuals and families will be housed in dormitory-style spaces at the base, which has historically served as an emergency response shelter. Families will not be separated, according to the governor’s office. “Wrapound” services will include “accommodation, clothing and hygiene kits, nutrition, needs assessment, and access to health care, mental health, and crisis counseling services,” and “all services will be available in the recipient’s native language through interpreters,” the office announced. Alex Woodward16 September 2022 15:03 Hispanic Republicans say DeSantis migrant flights exposes US border issues House Republican Tony Gonzales said while appearing on Fox Business that he believes Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ decision to send two flights of migrants north to Martha’s Vineyard is helping to highlight the issues at the US southern border. “I will tell you, House Republicans have highlighted all the problems, and I think America knows these problems,” said Rep Gonzales, a Hispanic House Republican who represents Texas’s 23rd Congressional District. “I say now it’s time for House Republicans to show action. We’re going to win back the majority here in November.” “You’re gonna see us roll out this commitment to America on the 23rd, part of that commitment to America is gonna have in there what we are going to do to secure the border, and that starts with ending catch and release,” the congressman, who is up for reelection, added. Republican Marío Elvira Salazar, who represents Florida, saw the pushback from Democrats about the migrants arriving in sanctuary cities as evidence of their so-called “hypocrisy”. “He’s flying and he’s busing people to some of the states. So it’s the same thing,” said the Republican congressman in an interview with The Hill. “What is the problem?” he told reporters. “If this is good, and then — and these communities should be welcoming — should be welcoming this from happening.” Rep Carlos Gimenez, also representing Florida, said the busing program being carried out by DeSantis and Governor Greg Abbott is just highlighting the Biden administration’s foundational issues with immigration. “What it needs to demonstrate is that the Biden administration needs to get control of the border, and I think that’s what the governor is trying to do,” said the Republican from Florida. “The Biden administration is failing America by not controlling the border. That’s — I think that’s the point that the governor is trying to make.” Johanna Chisholm16 September 2022 14:45 Massachusetts officials call Florida governor’s ‘secret plot’ to send migrants ‘like cattle’ a ‘depraved thing to do’ ICYMI: Massachusetts elected officials were quick to call out Florida Gov Ron DeSantis’ plot to send two unannounced planes carrying 50 migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, labelling the Republican’s actions an “incredibly inhumane and depraved thing to do”. “The Governor of one of the biggest states in the nation has been spending time hatching a secret plot to round up & ship people-children, families-lying to them about where theyre going just to gain cheap political points on Tucker Calrson and MAGA twitter,” tweeted state Sen Dylan Fernandes, who represents Martha’s Vineyard, on Wednesday night. “It’s f***ing depraved.” In a separate interview with NPR, the Democrat described how angry the community was with the Florida governor for treating the people he shipped onto planes north “like cattle”. “[He] never alerted local officials and people on the ground here that they were coming. It is an incredibly inhumane and depraved thing to do,” Sen Fernandes said to the news outlet. Early the next day, the state senator shared on his Twitter how proud he was of his community for enveloping the newcomers with compassion, rather than the chaos that they were sent off in. “This is a community rallying to support immigrants children and families. It is the best of America,” he s...

King Charles Visits Wales, Miles-Long Line To See Queen Lying In State Paused https://digitalarizonanews.com/king-charles-visits-wales-miles-long-line-to-see-queen-lying-in-state-paused/ King Charles visits Wales, last stop of UK tour King and siblings to stand vigil on Friday night Police mount huge security operation ahead of funeral LONDON, Sept 16 (Reuters) – As tens of thousands of people poured into London ahead of Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral on Monday, the miles-long queue of mourners waiting to see her lying in state was temporarily closed on Friday after it swelled to capacity. People of all ages and from all walks of life have paid their respects to the late queen, joining a well-organised line that stretches along the south bank of the Thames then over the river to parliament’s Westminster Hall. But by mid-morning, the line was just too big – a testimony to the public’s respect and affection for the queen, who died in Scotland on Sept. 8 at the age of 96 after a 70-year reign. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com “Entry will be paused for at least 6 hours,” Britain’s culture department said shortly before 10 a.m. (0900 GMT) “Please do not attempt to join the queue until it re-opens.” It warned of waiting times of up to 12 hours. Some 750,000 people in total are expected to file past the queen’s coffin. On Friday night, King Charles, who was visiting Wales on Friday, and his sister Princess Anne and brothers Princes Andrew and Edward will keep a silent vigil around the coffin, joining the ceremonial guard for a 15-minute period. “I’ve no sensation in my knees at all or my legs,” said Hyacinth Appah, a mourner from London who was in the queue. “But it’s been fine. Most of the people have been lovely and we’ve had quite a nice time.” Another mourner from London, Naomi Brown, said she waited for nearly 11 hours after joining the queue on Thursday night after work. “I just thought, I’m never going to do it again. I have so much respect for the queen, not once did she ever falter,” 29-year-old Brown said, speaking to Reuters as she neared the front of the queue. “She has been such a good symbol for our country. It feels like we have lost a family member.” The coffin stands in the ancient Westminster Hall on a purple-clad catafalque, draped in the Royal Standard and with the bejewelled Imperial State Crown placed on top. Soldiers in ceremonial uniform and other officials are keeping vigil around it as people walk past to pay homage after their long wait. Many have been in tears, and others have saluted or bowed their heads. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, in London for the funeral, was among those who visited Westminster Hall on Friday, stopping to curtsy as she filed past the coffin. London’s police force said the state funeral would be the biggest security operation it had ever undertaken as prime ministers, presidents and royals come together to pay their respects. The force was preparing for events ranging from terrorism threats to protests and crowd crushes, senior police official Stuart Cundy told reporters. U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron are among the guests from overseas who have confirmed they will be attending. VISIT TO WALES King Charles, who acceded to the throne on his mother’s death, meanwhile was visiting Wales, the last stage of a tour of the United Kingdom to acknowledge his status as the new monarch and head of state and to greet the public. Charles and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, attended a service at Cardiff’s Llandaff Cathedral service then talked with cheering well-wishers outside. Wales has a particular significance for the new king, who for five decades preceding last week’s accession had the title Prince of Wales. Speaking at the Welsh parliament, Charles said: “Through all the years of her reign, the land of Wales could not have been closer to my mother’s heart. I know she took immense pride in your many great achievements – even as she also felt with you deeply in time of sorrow.” “I am resolved to honour that selfless example,” he said, speaking in Welsh and English. “I take up my new duties with immense gratitude for the privilege of having been able to serve as Prince of Wales. That ancient title … I now pass to my son William.” There were a few anti-monarchy protesters outside Cardiff Castle, where Charles met Welsh First Minster Mark Drakeford. One man held a banner saying “Cancel Royals” and a placard saying “End Prince of Wales Title”. Another man held a sign saying: “No to Monarchy, No to Charles, Great Reset”. Another read: “Not My King”. Similar small protests have been held outside parliament and in Edinburgh over the past days, although King Charles has enjoyed a surge in support since he succeeded Elizabeth. read more SILENT SKIES The new Prince of Wales, William, and his brother Prince Harry and the queen’s six other grandchildren will stand vigil at the coffin on Saturday evening, a royal spokesman said. In an adjustment to protocol, both Harry and his uncle Prince Andrew will be allowed to wear military uniform when they take their turns at vigil, royal officials said. Andrew will perform the duty with his siblings on Friday evening. Both are war veterans, Andrew having served as a Royal navy helicopter pilot in the Falklands War and Harry serving two tours of duty with the British Army in Afghanistan. But so far they have appeared in processions in morning suits as they lost their honorary military titles when they stepped back from public royal duties. The state funeral is likely to be one of the grandest ceremonies ever seen in the British capital, involving thousands of military personnel. Earl Marshal, Edward Fitzalan-Howard, the Duke of Norfolk, who is in charge of state occasions, said he hope the funeral “will unite people across the globe”. London’s Heathrow Airport has said it will cancel 15% of its flight schedule on Monday to reduce noise over the city and guarantee that the skies will be quiet during a two-minute silence at the end of the funeral. read more Monday has been declared a national holiday. Many shops will be closed and a range of other economic activities will grind to a halt. Thousands of people face cancelled doctor appointments or operations under the state health service. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Additional reporting by Alistair Smout and Farouq Suleiman; Writing by Angus MacSwan; Editing by Kate Holton and Alison Williams Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here

How Latinx Voters Could Influence The 2022 Midterms https://digitalarizonanews.com/how-latinx-voters-could-influence-the-2022-midterms/ The countdown to the 2022 midterm elections is on. As the clock winds down to Nov. 8, political campaigns are pulling out all the stops to get support. No, we’re not talking about campaign yard signs, door knocking, or rallies. But about efforts to connect with one of the fastest-growing voting blocs in the country: Latinx voters.  One in five Americans identify as Latinx. And in 2020, Latinx voters represented the second-largest electorate in the country, with an estimated 16.6 million people casting ballots. But that’s only about half of all eligible Latinx voters in the US. Meaning, there’s a lot more voting power this group can flex to influence legislation on everything from education, to gun control, to the economy.  Ahead of Election Day, experts talked to theSkimm about who the Latinx voting bloc represents, recent voting trends, and the important issues and states on the radar.  Who does the Latinx voting bloc represent? There’s no simple answer. Latinx voters aren’t a monolith — aka a uniform or singular group. Mark Hugo Lopez, the director of Race and Ethnicity Research at Pew Research Center, said this group represents diverse backgrounds. People have origins from South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico. Some are immigrants, and many have been in the US for generations. That’s on top of the differences in age, sexuality, education, political ideology, and economic status.  All of this info may or may not be new to you. But repeatedly, journalists, politicians, and analysts have portrayed the estimated more than 62  million Latinx people living in the US as one group — failing to explore their differences. Equis Research is working to change that narrative. The org has been working to learn and highlight the different experiences and political identities within the Latinx bloc. “One of the ways in which Latino voters are not a monolith is in language,” Maria Isabel Di Franco Quinonez, who’s a research manager at Equis Research, said. “Across the states that we are polling in, Spanish-speaking voters tend to be more undecided, less familiar with the candidates, and — in some states — report lower levels of [voting] motivation.” In other words, it’s important for campaigns to meet Latinx voters where they’re at — and acknowledge the issues that they care about. But candidates have historically used a unified message or issue to try to appeal to this group — a tactic that can fall flat given that Latinx voters don’t vote as a monolith.  Political advocacy groups have also pointed the finger at campaigns’ lack of Latinx voter outreach and education efforts. And how outreach typically happens late in an election cycle — something that can make the Latinx population feel as an afterthought. But the strategy to gain Latinx support has started to change among some political parties (read: the GOP), and that’s got many asking… Will Latinx voters ride the blue or red wave in 2022? It’s too early to tell. Democrats have historically counted on Latinx voters to ride the blue wave. And that remained true in the 2020 presidential election. Then-candidate Joe Biden won 61% of the bloc’s vote. But that’s also a drop for a Democratic candidate when compared to 2016. Meanwhile, former President Trump gained Latinx support between the two election cycles.  The results may have come as a surprise to some people. Especially given Trump’s history of disparaging comments about Mexican immigrants and others. But it’s another example of the diversity among this group, according to Lopez. Still, Trump’s support in 2020 has political analysts asking, ‘are Latinx voters jumping from the Dem ship?’  Over the years, the GOP has embedded itself in Latinx communities across the country, including in Wisconsin and Florida. Republican organizers have focused on the issues important to these communities and have gotten a boost in support. Still, experts want you to keep a few things in mind before drawing any conclusions about how Latinx voters align politically, including… Latinx support for the GOP isn’t new: “In some ways, Trump’s support is within the range you would expect given what we’ve seen historically all the way back to the 1980s,” Lopez said. Note: Cuban Americans in particular have leaned Republican for decades. Trump continued to appeal to this group with his anti-socialist messaging.  The impact of Latinx evangelicals: 19% of Latinx in the US identify as evangelical Christians. And among the American evangelical community, the Latinx population is the fastest-growing group. “That’s a group that tends to be more conservative [and] leans more toward the Republican Party than other groups of Latinos,” Lopez said.  The Latinx gender gap: Trump’s popularity saw a boost in Latinx support in part due to Latinas. The reasons for that aren’t entirely clear. Equis Research is monitoring if it’s a trend that continues among GOP candidates this year.  Overall Latinx turnout: Each year, there are about 1 million Latinos who turn 18 and become eligible to vote. But despite this consistent boost, they still vote at lower rates than white, Black, and AAPI voters. Why? One major reason, a lot of these voters are young and still figuring out where they stand along the political spectrum. Quinonez said polling isn’t revealing a clear national trend on whether the Latinx population is shifting to the right. And added that, “It’s not fair to discount the importance of the candidates in each state and how they relate to the Latino electorate.” Meaning, how things play out for Latinx voters across the country still has a lot of room to change between now and Nov.  The states where Latinx voters could make an impact Reminder: The fate of the US House and Senate hangs in the balance. And statewide elections are also on watch as 36 states hold gubernatorial elections. For some political analysts, Latinx voters could make all the difference in determining whether Republicans or Democrats take control.  “If it’s a close election, Latinos could be very important. For example, where there might be a need for a recount or the margin of victory looks to be very close for a particular race,” Lopez said.  One analysis estimated that at least 11.6 million Latinx voters will turn out to cast ballots in November — mirroring their historic turnout in 2018. But that’s less than half of the eligible Latinx electorate. Still, don’t count out efforts to get out the vote. Especially in battleground states with a high Latinx electorate or toss-up races. Including: Arizona: Political pundits are keeping close tabs on the Senate and governor’s race. Reminder: Biden narrowly won the state in 2020 — where more than 1 in 5 eligible voters are Latinx. More than 644,000 Latinx voters in AZ are expected to hit the polls in Nov.  Colorado: One of the eight congressional seats on the ballot is a toss-up. Meet: Colorado’s 8th congressional district. Latinx voters are expected to play a big role, especially since they make up 39% of the electorate in the district. Overall, an estimated 280,000 Latinx voters in CO are expected to turn out. Georgia: Latinx voters helped turn the Peach State blue in 2020. But TBD if the 5% Latinx electorate can help swing another Democratic win. The US Senate race between Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) and Republican Herschel Walker is said to be very close.  Nevada: More than 165,000 Latinx voters in the state are estimated to turn out. Important because Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D) — the only Latina in the US Senate — is up for reelection this year. And could play a role in whether Dems hang on to the upper chamber.  New Mexico: More than 40% of the eligible voting population is Latinx — the highest in the US. And Republicans have been working to recruit voters to go red. But despite all that, one study found that the state will see a nearly 10% drop in Latinx voter turnout compared to 2018. The reasons why aren’t clear.  Other states that pundits and civic orgs are keeping a close eye on include: Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin. And part of what happens in those states may hang on the issues they see on the ballot.  What issues are Latinx voters paying attention to? Polls have shown that Latinx voters are putting the economy and cost of living front and center. This summer, UnidosUS and Mi Familia Vota — Latinx advocacy and civic engagement orgs — found that inflation is the No. 1 issue. Here’s a closer look at the top-ranking issues: The economy: Equis Research found that while this has been a top issue since December, the percentage of voters who are reporting it as the No. 1 issue has increased to over 50% in states like Arizona and Nevada. It comes as some Latinx communities — among the hardest hit in terms of job losses during the pandemic — still try to recover. Note: In 2020, Latinx voters embraced the Republican Party’s take on the economy amid COVID-19. And that’s something that could continue into the midterms, depending on the candidates on the ballot.   Gun violence: Mi Familia Vota found this ranked as the second most important issue. Researchers from Equis Research also found Latinx communities are backing Dems’ views on gun reform. “This has been an issue where we have seen a gender gap in every state we’ve polled in — except for Pennsylvania,” Quinonez said. “We’re just seeing Latinas resonate with this issue and the Democratic stances at really high rates.” Abortion: For the first time in polling, abortion is a top five issue for Latinos. “It really makes us think that we’re no different than any other electorate,” Irving Zavaleta, Mi Familia Vota national programs manager, said. But abortion doesn’t rank high in all states, according to Equis Research. Arizona and Florida were two states where abortion ranked ...

AP News Summary At 11:43 A.m. EDT https://digitalarizonanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-1143-a-m-edt/ Ukraine combs mass burial site, says signs of torture found IZIUM, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian authorities are unearthing bodies from a mass burial site in an area recently recaptured from Russian forces. They say some bore hallmarks of torture. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cited the site as an example of “what the Russian occupation has led to.” Workers hauled body after body out of the sandy soil Friday. They worked in a pine forest near Izium that police said contained 445 graves. Ukrainian forces got access to the site after recapturing the northeastern city and much of the wider Kharkiv region in a counteroffensive that suddenly shifted the momentum in the nearly seven-month war. A prosecutor said some of the bodies pulled from the sandy soil had their hands tied behind their backs and ropes around their necks. Trump openly embraces, amplifies QAnon conspiracy theories Donald Trump is increasingly embracing and endorsing the QAnon conspiracy theory, even as the number of frightening real-world events linked to the movement rises. Using his Truth Social platform, Trump this week reposted an image of himself overlaid with the words “the Storm is Coming.” In QAnon lore, the storm refers to Trump’s final victory, when his opponents supposedly will be tried and possibly executed. It’s among dozens of recent Q-related posts from the Republican former president, who also ended a rally with a QAnon song. Experts who study QAnon say Trump may be trying to rally his most stalwart supporters as investigations into his conduct escalate. Queue for queen’s coffin ‘paused’ as wait hits 14 hours LONDON (AP) — A surging tide of people — ranging from London retirees to former England soccer captain David Beckham — have lined up to file past Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin as it lies in state at Parliament, so many that authorities on Friday had to call a temporary halt to more people joining the miles-long queue. A live tracker of the queue said it was “at capacity” and entry was being “paused” for six hours. King Charles III, who for decades before his accession to the throne was the Prince of Wales, visited Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff for a service of prayer and reflection in honor of his late mother. Charles and his siblings will be standing vigil around the flag-draped coffin on Friday evening. China’s Xi calls for effort to prevent ‘color revolutions’ Read More Here

News: Senses Fail Announce Hell Is In Your Head US Tour https://digitalarizonanews.com/news-senses-fail-announce-hell-is-in-your-head-us-tour/ Following the release of their highly anticipated eighth album, Senses Fail have announced the Hell Is In Your Head Tour. Support comes from Like Moths To Flames, Magnolia Park, Oxymorrons, and Can’t Swim on select dates. Hell Is In Your Head released this past July on Pure Noise Records and is streaming everywhere. Hell Is In Your Head Tour w/ Like Moths To Flames, Magnolia Park, Oxymorrons, and Can’t Swim: 4-Nov Denver, CO Summit Like Moths to Flames / Can’t Swim 5-Nov Lawrence, KS The Bottleneck Like Moths to Flames / Can’t Swim 6-Nov Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge Like Moths to Flames / Can’t Swim 7-Nov Detroit, MI St. Andrew’s Hall Like Moths to Flames / Can’t Swim 9-Nov Toronto ON The Phoenix Concert Theatre Like Moths to Flames / Can’t Swim 10-Nov Asbury Park, NJ The Stone Pony Like Moths to Flames / Can’t Swim 11-Nov Brooklyn, NY Elsewhere Like Moths to Flames / Can’t Swim 12-Nov Boston, MA Crystal Ballroom Magnolia Park / Can’t Swim 13-Nov New York, NY (Le) Poisson Rouge Magnolia Park / Can’t Swim 15-Nov Pittsburgh, PA Enclave Magnolia Park / Can’t Swim 16-Nov Richmond, VA The Broadberry Magnolia Park / Can’t Swim 17-Nov Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle Magnolia Park / Can’t Swim 18-Nov Atlanta, GA Terminal West Magnolia Park / Can’t Swim 19-Nov Orlando, FL House of Blues Magnolia Park / Can’t Swim 13-Dec Austin, TX Mohawk Oxymorrons / Can’t Swim 15-Dec Mesa, AZ Nile Theatre Oxymorrons / Can’t Swim 16-Dec Pomona, CA The Glass House Oxymorrons / Can’t Swim 17-Dec Los Angeles, CA Troubadour Oxymorrons / Can’t Swim 18-Dec Sacramento, CA Goldfield Trading Post Oxymorrons / Can’t Swim UK/EU Tour w/ Silverstein, Comeback Kid, and Koyo: 24- Nov Munster, DE, Skater’s Palace 25- Nov Eindhoven, N, Dynamo 26- Nov Stuttgart, DE, Im Wizemann 27-Nov Hamburg, D, Fabrik 29-Nov Schweinfurt, DE, Alter Stattbahnhof 30-Nov Munich, DE, Backstage Werk 01-Dec Frankfurt, DE, Batschkapp 02- Dec Cologne, DE, Live Music Hall 03-Dec Berlin, DE, SO36 05-Dec Prague, CZ, Meet Factory 06-Dec Vienna, AT, Flex 07-Dec Leipzig, DE, Conne Island 08-Ded Antwerp, BE, Trix 10-Dec Birmingham, UK, O2 Institute 11-Dec London, UK, Electric Ballroom __ Watch the video for “Hell Is In Your Head” here: For tickets and other Senses Fail merch, click here. Read More Here

Greta Van Fleet Cancel Hometown Shows, Resume Rest Of Tour https://digitalarizonanews.com/greta-van-fleet-cancel-hometown-shows-resume-rest-of-tour/ Rock band Greta Van Fleet announced that they had to cancel their shows in Flint and Ypsilanti September 13-14. The Michigan natives spiked the… Rock band Greta Van Fleet announced that they had to cancel their shows in Flint and Ypsilanti September 13-14. The Michigan natives spiked the dates due production issues after having to originally postpone them in March due to health concerns. They will proceed as scheduled with the remaining dates on their tour, according to their statement. Happily welcomed by classic rock and rock’n’roll audience with their break-out debut single Highway Tune five years ago, and releasing two studio albums and several EPs so far, Greta Van Fleet has been through an active year, touring across the nation and abroad since February. The band has performed at numerous stages as part of their Dreams in Gold tour which was launched in support of its second album, The Battle at Garden’s Gate. “We truly wish the circumstances were different. Thank you for your long-standing support.” they wrote. The rest of the Dreams in Gold tour 2022 is stated to be unaffected. Refunds for the cancelled Flint and Ypsilanti shows will be available at point of purchase. pic.twitter.com/fYxzE39QpN — Greta Van Fleet (@GretaVanFleet) September 9, 2022 The band will visit Fargo, Toledo, Charlottesville, Albany, Hollywood, New Orleans, San Antonio, Sacramento, and more in the upcoming weeks until concluding the tour in Atlantic City, NJ on December 10. See the tour schedule and tickets links of Greta Van Fleet below. Greta Van Fleet Ticket Links Greta Van Fleet tickets at Tickets at MEGASeats.com | No Service Charge/Free Shipping – 10% Off Using Code TICKETNEWS Greta Van Fleet tickets at Event Tickets Center Greta Van Fleet tickets at Scorebig Greta Van Fleet tickets at StubHub Greta Van Fleet tickets at Ticket Club | Free Membership Offer Greta Van Fleet tickets at TicketNetwork Greta Van Fleet tickets at TickPick Greta Van Fleet tickets at TicketSmarter Greta Van Fleet tour schedule Sat, SEP 17, Bourbon & Beyond 2022, Louisville, KY Tue, SEP 20, Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, IN Wed, SEP 21, Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, IA Fri, SEP 23, Fargodome, Fargo, ND Sat, SEP 24, Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, SD Tue, SEP 27, Huntington Center, Toledo, OH Wed, SEP 28, Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, TN Fri, SEP 30, John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA Sat, OCT 1, PPL Center, Allentown, PA Tue, OCT 4, SNHU Arena, Manchester, NH Wed, OCT 5, MVP Arena, Albany, NY Fri, OCT 7, Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT Sat, OCT 8, Cross Insurance Center, Bangor, ME Tue, OCT 18, PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC Wed, OCT 19, Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, SC Fri, OCT 21, VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, FL Sat, OCT 22, Hertz Arena, Estero, FL Tue, OCT 25, Hard Rock Live (in Seminole Hard Rock), Hollywood, FL Wed, OCT 26, Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL Fri, OCT 28, Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC Sat, OCT 29, Legacy Arena at the BJCC, Birmingham, AL Tue, NOV 1, Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA Wed, NOV 2, Simmons Bank Arena, North Little Rock, AR Fri, NOV 4, Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK Sat, NOV 5, AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX Tue, NOV 8, Don Haskins Center, El Paso, TX Wed, NOV 9, Tucson Arena, Tucson, AZ Fri, NOV 11, Honda Center, Anaheim, CA Sat, NOV 12, Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA Fri, DEC 9, Mark G Etess Arena, Atlantic City, NJ Sat, DEC 10, Mark G Etess Arena, Atlantic City, NJ Last Updated on September 16, 2022 by Dave Clark Read More Here

Phony Document Lands On Court Docket In Trump Search Case | Maryland Daily Record https://digitalarizonanews.com/phony-document-lands-on-court-docket-in-trump-search-case-maryland-daily-record/ When a government document mysteriously appeared earlier this week in the highest profile case in the federal court system, it had the hallmarks of another explosive storyline in the Justice Department’s investigation into classified records stored at former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate. The document purported to be from the U.S. Treasury Department, claimed that the agency had seized sensitive documents related to last month’s search at Mar-a-Lago and included a warrant ordering CNN to preserve “leaked tax records.” The document remained late Thursday on the court docket, but it is a clear fabrication. A review of dozens of court records and interviews by The Associated Press suggest the document originated with a serial forger behind bars at a federal prison complex in North Carolina. The incident also suggests that the court clerk was easily tricked into believing it was real, landing the document on the public docket in the Mar-a-Lago search warrant case. It also highlights the vulnerability of the U.S. court system and raises questions about the court’s vetting of documents that purport to be official records. The document first appeared on the court’s docket late Monday afternoon and was marked as a “MOTION to Intervene by U.S. Department of the Treasury.” The document, sprinkled with spelling and syntax errors, read, “The U.S. Department of Treasury through the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Marshals Service have arrested Seized Federal Securities containing sensitive documents which are subject to the Defendant Sealed Search Warrant by the F.B.I. arrest.” It cited a federal statute for collecting financial records in federal investigations. The document also included the two supposed warrants, one that claimed to be sent to CNN in Atlanta and another to a towing company in Michigan. Those supposed warrants, though, are identical to paperwork filed in another case in federal court in Georgia brought by an inmate at the prison medical center in Butner, North Carolina. The case was thrown out, as were the array of other frivolous lawsuits the man has filed from his prison cell. The man has been in custody for several years since he was found not competent to stand trial after an arrest for planting a fake explosive outside the Guardian Building, a skyscraper in Detroit. Since his incarceration, he has filed a range of lawsuits and has impersonated the Treasury Department, claimed to be a federal trustee and claimed to be a lawyer for the Justice Department, a review of court records shows. In the Georgia case, the man alleged that Trump and others had “acquired ‘millions of un- redacted classified tax returns and other sensitive financial data, bank records and accounts of banking and tax transactions of several million’ Americans and federal government agencies,” court documents say. The judge in that case called his suit “fanatic” and “delusional,” saying there was no way to “discern any cognizable claim” from the incoherent filings. The man has repeatedly impersonated federal officials in court records and has placed tax liens on judges using his false paperwork, two people familiar with the matter told the AP. Because of his history as a forger, his mail is supposed to be subjected to additional scrutiny from the Bureau of Prisons. It’s unclear how the documents — the fake motion and the phony warrants — ended up at the court clerk’s office at the courthouse in West Palm Beach, Florida. A photocopy of an envelope, included in the filing, shows it was sent to the court with a printed return address of the Treasury Department’s headquarters in Washington. But a postmark shows a Michigan ZIP code, and a tracking number on the envelope shows it was mailed Sept. 9 from Clinton Township, Michigan, the inmate’s hometown. The AP is not identifying the inmate by name because he has a documented history of mental illness and has not been charged with a crime related to the filing. “There is simply nothing indicating that he has any authorization to act on behalf of the United States,” the judge in the Georgia case wrote. But despite the clear warning signs — including a stamp noting the Georgia case number on the phony warrants — the filing still made its way onto the docket. Spokespeople for the Justice Department and the Treasury Department would not comment. They declined to answer on the record when asked if the document was false and why the government had not addressed it. Representatives in the court clerk’s office and the magistrate judge overseeing the search warrant case did not respond to requests for comment. Michael Balsamo reports for The Associated Press. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Fatima Hussein in Washington, Kate Brumback in Atlanta and Anthony Izaguirre in Tallahassee, Florida, contributed to this report. × Enjoy This Free Article. We Have 2 More For You. All You Need To Do Is Register To Receive Your 2 Additional Free Articles. Read More Here

AP News Summary At 10:41 A.m. EDT https://digitalarizonanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-1041-a-m-edt/ Ukraine combs mass burial site, says signs of torture seen IZIUM, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian authorities have begun unearthing bodies from a mass burial site in a forest recaptured from Russian forces. A prosecutor said Friday that some said bore signs of torture. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the site was an example of “what the Russian occupation has led to.” Police said the site contained 445 graves. It was discovered close to Izium after a rapid counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces retook the northeastern city and much of the Kharkiv region. Veteran NY judge named as arbiter in Trump Mar-a-Lago probe WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has appointed a veteran New York jurist to serve as an independent arbiter in the criminal investigation into the presence of classified documents at Donald Trump’s Florida home. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has also refused to permit the Justice Department to resume its use of the highly sensitive records seized in an FBI search last month. Cannon on Thursday empowered the newly named special master, Raymond Dearie, to review all the documents taken in the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago and set a November deadline for his work. The sharply worded order from Cannon sets the stage for a challenge to a federal appeals court. Trump openly embraces, amplifies QAnon conspiracy theories Donald Trump is increasingly embracing and endorsing the QAnon conspiracy theory, even as the number of frightening real-world events linked to the movement rises. Using his Truth Social platform, Trump this week reposted an image of himself overlaid with the words “the Storm is Coming.” In QAnon lore, the storm refers to Trump’s final victory, when his opponents supposedly will be tried and possibly executed. It’s among dozens of recent Q-related posts from the Republican former president, who also ended a rally with a QAnon song. Experts who study QAnon say Trump may be trying to rally his most stalwart supporters as investigations into his conduct escalate. Queue for queen’s coffin ‘paused’ as wait hits 14 hours Read More Here

AP News Summary At 10:41 A.m. EDT https://digitalarizonanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-1041-a-m-edt-2/ Ukraine combs mass burial site, says signs of torture seen IZIUM, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian authorities have begun unearthing bodies from a mass burial site in a forest recaptured from Russian forces. A prosecutor said Friday that some said bore signs of torture. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the site was an example of “what the Russian occupation has led to.” Police said the site contained 445 graves. It was discovered close to Izium after a rapid counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces retook the northeastern city and much of the Kharkiv region. Veteran NY judge named as arbiter in Trump Mar-a-Lago probe WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has appointed a veteran New York jurist to serve as an independent arbiter in the criminal investigation into the presence of classified documents at Donald Trump’s Florida home. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has also refused to permit the Justice Department to resume its use of the highly sensitive records seized in an FBI search last month. Cannon on Thursday empowered the newly named special master, Raymond Dearie, to review all the documents taken in the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago and set a November deadline for his work. The sharply worded order from Cannon sets the stage for a challenge to a federal appeals court. Trump openly embraces, amplifies QAnon conspiracy theories Donald Trump is increasingly embracing and endorsing the QAnon conspiracy theory, even as the number of frightening real-world events linked to the movement rises. Using his Truth Social platform, Trump this week reposted an image of himself overlaid with the words “the Storm is Coming.” In QAnon lore, the storm refers to Trump’s final victory, when his opponents supposedly will be tried and possibly executed. It’s among dozens of recent Q-related posts from the Republican former president, who also ended a rally with a QAnon song. Experts who study QAnon say Trump may be trying to rally his most stalwart supporters as investigations into his conduct escalate. Queue for queen’s coffin ‘paused’ as wait hits 14 hours LONDON (AP) — The U.K. government says it is temporarily stopping people from joining the line to file past the queen’s coffin as the wait for those at the back hit 14 hours. A live tracker of the queue said it was “at capacity” and entry was being “paused” for six hours. King Charles III, who for decades before his accession to the throne was the Prince of Wales, visited Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff for a service of prayer and reflection in honor of his late mother. After the service he and Camilla, the queen consort, got out of their car to greet crowds of well wishers including flag-waving school children as people chanted “God save the king!” Wall Street slips as FedEx warning adds to market woes Stocks fell broadly on Wall Street, putting the market on track for another week of sizable losses, as a stark warning from FedEx about rapidly worsening trends in the economy gave investors more to worry about. The S&P 500 fell 1.1% in morning trading Friday. FedEx lost a quarter of its value after saying a sharp dropoff in its business, particularly in Asia and Europe, worsened in recent weeks. Markets were already on edge because of stubbornly high inflation as well as the higher interest rates being used to fight it, which will slow the economy. China’s Xi calls for effort to prevent ‘color revolutions’ SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned his Central Asian neighbors against allowing outsiders to destabilize them with “color revolutions.” It is a reference to protests that toppled regimes in the former Soviet Union and the Middle East. Xi’s comments at a security summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and leaders from Central Asia, India and Iran reflect official Chinese anxiety that Western support for pro-democracy and human rights activists is a plot to undermine authoritarian governments. Xi said governments need to prevent attempts by “external forces to provoke a color revolution.” Xi was at a meeting of the eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization. LONDON DIARY: Reflections from the queue to mourn the queen LONDON (AP) — Waiting in line to bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II is a singular event — no matter who you are. AP correspondent Samya Kullab was No. 3,017 in the queue one day this week outside Westminster Hall. The line was full of people touched by the queen’s death in different ways. And as they wait in line and chat, they find things they have in common — and realize that they’d have never met if it were not for this singular event. In nearly eight hours in line, Kullab is able to make a bit more sense of the outpouring that the monarch’s death brought to Britain. Charles’ history with US presidents: He’s met 10 of past 14 WASHINGTON (AP) — Hanging out with Richard Nixon’s daughter. Swapping horseback riding stories with Ronald Reagan. Bending the ears of  Donald Trump and Joe Biden on climate change. King Charles III over the years has made the acquaintance of 10 of the 14 U.S. presidents who served during his lifetime. Charles met Dwight Eisenhower when he was just 10 years old. He has recalled his first visit to the Nixon White House in 1970 as the time “they were trying to marry” him off to Tricia Nixon. Charles met Joe Biden last year. He did not meet four presidents who held office during his lifetime: Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Lyndon Johnson and John F. Kennedy. Palestinian farmer discovers rare ancient treasure in Gaza BUREIJ, Gaza Strip (AP) — A Palestinian farmer in the Gaza Strip has discovered a rare mosaic on his property. The man says he stumbled upon it while planting an olive tree last spring and quietly excavated it over several months with his son. Experts say the discovery of the mosaic — which includes 17 well-preserved images of animals and birds — is one of Gaza’s greatest archaeological treasures. They say it’s drawing attention to the need to protect Gaza’s antiquities, which are threatened by a lack of resources and the constant threat of fighting with Israel. The mosaic was discovered just one kilometer, or about half a mile, from the Israeli border. Oktoberfest is back but inflation hits brewers, cost of beer MUNICH (AP) — Oktoberfest is on tap again in Germany after two years of pandemic cancellations. The beer will be just as cold and the roast pork knuckle just as crispy. Mayor Dieter Reiter says the return of the city’s hallmark tourist event on Saturday is “beautiful.” But brewers and visitors are under pressure from inflation in ways they could hardly imagine in 2019. Energy, barley, hops, even paper and glue for labels, cardboard for cases and steel barrels have all gone up in price as record inflation has taken hold across Europe. The price of one of the hefty mugs that revelers will hoist has gone up by 15%, with the brewing industry under pressure from rising costs. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More Here

Post Politics Now: Biden To Meet With South African Leader, Relatives Of Americans Detained In Russia https://digitalarizonanews.com/post-politics-now-biden-to-meet-with-south-african-leader-relatives-of-americans-detained-in-russia/ On our radar: House GOP holding training sessions as it readies for multiple Biden investigations Return to menu House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has begun talks with top House Republicans on how to coordinate investigations across committees if the party is successful in taking over the House next year. The Post’s Jacqueline Alemany reports that McCarthy has encouraged ranking Republicans on committees to send letters to agencies throughout the Biden administration, asking that they turn over or preserve documents, with more than 500 requests issued already. Per our colleague: McCarthy has also started holding regular training sessions for members and staff. One session held earlier this summer for House GOP attorneys, titled “Oversight Education Series: Investigations 101,” laid out strategies for how such probes should be run. … Roughly two months before midterm elections that may hand the GOP control of the House, McCarthy and other Republicans are well into mapping out an expansive list of probes that will translate the party’s grievances with Democratic policies and hot-button figures into investigative priorities. House Republicans have so far pledged to investigate President Biden’s son Hunter’s business dealings and art sales, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the Biden administration’s military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the origins of the novel coronavirus, coronavirus-related school closures, the administration’s deliberations over weapons sales to Ukraine, and the spending of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Most recently, in the wake of widespread Republican outrage over the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, McCarthy vowed to investigate the Justice Department. You can read the full story here. Read More Here

Judge Blocks Justice Department From Trump Documents As Legal Fight Continues – Live https://digitalarizonanews.com/judge-blocks-justice-department-from-trump-documents-as-legal-fight-continues-live/ What’s a special master, and why has Donald Trump asked for one in the Mar-a-Lago case? As the Guardian reported yesterday, a special master can best be described as “an independent arbiter to vet records”, specifically for the two types of privilege Trump is worried about: “attorney-client confidentiality or … a legal principle called executive privilege”. The winning candidate is Raymond Dearie, a veteran federal judge with long experience handling sensitive matters, including terrorism and other national security cases. But the biggest impact of the ruling from judge Aileen Cannon is that the justice department can’t continue reviewing documents taken from Mar-a-Lago while the special master does his work, greatly complicating their investigation into what was going on at Trump’s Florida resort. That ruling sets the stage for the government to take the matter to a higher court. Don’t be surprised if we hear more about that today. “,”elementId”:”c4a68313-db80-4643-a222-2323a7c79fe2″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:” It’s a busy day otherwise: “,”elementId”:”fa778678-b9e2-41cb-9824-ca9bdb97ea96″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:” n Joe Biden is meeting with the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, at the White House at 2.15pm ET. n Fury is growing over Republican governors’ campaign to bring migrants from the souther border to Democratic-run areas, which has attracted the attention of the justice department. n The deputy secretary of state, Wendy Sherman, will discuss the Biden administration’s efforts to free Americans held hostage abroad in a Washington Post event at 10.30 am ET. n “,”elementId”:”6b02e89a-0ea8-4829-853c-a3960b556306″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1663332253000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”08.44 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1663333445000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”09.04 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1663332253000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”08.44 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”08.44″,”title”:”Judge continues to block DoJ from reviewing Trump documents as legal fight goes on”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Fri 16 Sep 2022 09.42 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Fri 16 Sep 2022 08.44 EDT”}],”filterKeyEvents”:false,”format”:{“display”:0,”theme”:0,”design”:10},”id”:”key-events-carousel-mobile”}” Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Mobsters, corruption and now Trump: Raymond Dearie, the senior federal judge selected yesterday as special master in the Mar-a-Lago case, certainly has had an interesting career. Politico published a profile of the 78-year-old juror who will be tasked with figuring out which documents taken by the FBI from the south Florida resort are privileged: Lawyers and litigants who have appeared before Dearie describe him as independent, thorough and even-handed jurist who is fit to wrangle the dueling sides. As much as any judge put in this difficult position, they say he’s up to the task. “He’s one of the few judges who both sides want to appear in front of. He is held in the highest regard by attorneys. He’s someone who actually listens to the lawyers and considers what they have to say before he makes a decision,” said Lindsay Gerdes, a former Brooklyn federal prosecutor. Sean Hecker, an attorney at Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP who has had several cases before Dearie (including one pending) said much the same. “He’s independent-minded, extremely smart and wise. Hard to imagine a more qualified person for this challenging assignment.” Trump may be getting his way – for now – in the Mar-a-Lago case, but the former president could face legal peril from several other investigations nationwide. A reminder of what’s at stake came yesterday, when Fani Willis, the Georgia district attorney who empaneled a special grand jury to investigate the campaign of meddling aimed at overturning the state’s election results in 2020, said her investigation could lead to people facing charges. “The allegations are very serious. If indicted and convicted, people are facing prison sentences,” Willis told the Washington Post in an interview. She said her office has credible evidence that the law had been broken in the course of the effort by Trump’s allies, which drew in well-known figures like his attorney Rudy Giuliani and senator Lindsey Graham. But, this is the legal world, where matters play out over long timelines. Willis couldn’t say when indictments are to be expected, and would not discuss who she may be targeting. What’s a special master, and why has Donald Trump asked for one in the Mar-a-Lago case? As the Guardian reported yesterday, a special master can best be described as “an independent arbiter to vet records”, specifically for the two types of privilege Trump is worried about: “attorney-client confidentiality or … a legal principle called executive privilege”. The winning candidate is Raymond Dearie, a veteran federal judge with long experience handling sensitive matters, including terrorism and other national security cases. But the biggest impact of the ruling from judge Aileen Cannon is that the justice department can’t continue reviewing documents taken from Mar-a-Lago while the special master does his work, greatly complicating their investigation into what was going on at Trump’s Florida resort. That ruling sets the stage for the government to take the matter to a higher court. Don’t be surprised if we hear more about that today. Judge continues to block DoJ from reviewing Trump documents as legal fight goes on Good morning, US politics blog readers. It was good news for Donald Trump and bad news for the justice department yesterday, when the judge assigned to referee the legal wrangling over the FBI’s search of Mar-a-Lago extended her block on the government reviewing the documents it had seized. Instead, she appointed a special master to go through them and weed out any that are under legal privilege rules. This is certainly not the last word on the matter, legally speaking – the justice department is expected to appeal the decision to a higher court. It’s a busy day otherwise: Joe Biden is meeting with the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, at the White House at 2.15pm ET. Fury is growing over Republican governors’ campaign to bring migrants from the souther border to Democratic-run areas, which has attracted the attention of the justice department. The deputy secretary of state, Wendy Sherman, will discuss the Biden administration’s efforts to free Americans held hostage abroad in a Washington Post event at 10.30 am ET. Read More Here

Germany Takes Control Of Russian-Owned Refinery Amid Energy Crisis https://digitalarizonanews.com/germany-takes-control-of-russian-owned-refinery-amid-energy-crisis/ Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com German energy industry reeling since war in Ukraine German regulator now has control of Schwedt refinery Schwedt refinery is a main fuel source for Berlin PKN interested in controlling stake in refinery – sources BERLIN, Sept 16 (Reuters) – Germany took control of a major Russian-owned oil refinery on Friday, risking retaliation from Moscow as Berlin strives to shore up energy supplies and meet its European Union commitment to eliminate Russian oil imports by the end of the year. The economy ministry said it was putting a unit of Russian oil firm Rosneft (ROSN.MM) under the trusteeship of the industry regulator and taking over the business’ Schwedt refinery, which supplies 90% of Berlin’s fuel. “This is a far-reaching energy policy decision to protect our country,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz told a news conference to present the government’s plans to put the Schwedt refinery under the control of the Federal Network Agency regulator. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com The plans included a “package for the future” with more than 1 billion euros ($996.10 million) in federal and state government investments over several years in eastern German states, with 825 million euros earmarked for Schwedt alone. “Russia, we have known for some time, is no longer a reliable energy supplier,” Scholz said. “We did not take this decision lightly, but it was unavoidable.” Governments across Europe have been racing to prop up their power providers and secure fuel deliveries as they ratchet up sanctions on major supplier Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has retaliated by reducing gas flows and has threatened to shut off all the taps, sending prices soaring and raising the prospect of energy rationing in Europe this winter. The Schwedt refinery has posed a dilemma for Berlin for several weeks, as it has received all of its crude from Russia, but Germany is resolved to eliminate imports of oil from Russia by the end of the year under European Union sanctions. Taking over Schwedt, however, risks retaliatory measures from Moscow. Scholz said Germany had gamed out a possible sudden stop in crude supplies from Russia, adding: “That is why we are prepared.” A policy document released by Berlin on Friday showed that it is in talks with the government of Kazakhstan on securing oil deliveries for Schwedt. Poland said earlier this year that ending Russian ownership of the refinery was a condition for potentially supplying it with seaborne oil via a terminal in Gdansk and via Polish pipelines to replace Russian crude. TRUSTEESHIP, FOR NOW The company logo hangs at the PCK refinery’s, which is majority-owned by Russia’s Rosneft, in Schwedt, Brandenburg, Germany, June 9, 2022. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi/File Photo Under Friday’s deal, Rosneft Deutschland, which was majority owned by the Russian oil group and accounts for about 12% of German oil processing capacity, is being placed under the trusteeship of the Federal Network Agency. The regulator said the original owner no longer had authority to issue instructions. Rosneft Deutschland and Rosneft did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Polish refiner PKN Orlen (PKN.WA) is interested in taking a controlling stake in the Schwedt refinery, which is Germany’s fourth-largest and also supplies parts of western Poland, sources in Berlin and Warsaw familiar with the matter told Reuters. read more Asked about the Polish interest, Scholz replied: “At the moment, we’re doing a trusteeship.” Shell , which owns a 37.5% stake in Schwedt, has wanted to sell that for some time. Shell said on Friday it was “unaffected” by the German move to take control of the refinery. Germany’s move on Rosneft Deutschland is its latest attempt to stabilise the energy market. The government said this week it would step up lending to companies at risk of being crushed by soaring gas prices, and power utility Uniper said the state could take a controlling stake, adding a government rescue package worth 19 billion euros ($19 billion) was no longer enough. read more The government has also put SEFE, formerly known as Gazprom Germania, under trusteeship after Russian energy giant Gazprom (GAZP.MM) ditched it in April. Berlin is grappling with Russia’s move to halt flows of gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which had been the biggest gas supply route powering Europe’s biggest economy. As a result of Friday’s decision, the Federal Network Agency will also take Rosneft Deutschland’s shares in the MiRo refinery in Karlsruhe and Bayernoil refinery in Vohburg. ($1 = 1.0019 euros) Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Markus Wacket, Rachel More and Miranda Murray in Berlin, Paul Carrel in Geneva and Shadia Nasralla in London; Editing by Edmund Blair, Mark Potter and Louise Heavens Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here

Trump Embraces QAnon Conspiracy Theories https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-embraces-qanon-conspiracy-theories/ Trump embraces QAnon Conspiracy Theories Newslooks-(AP) After winking at QAnon for years, Donald Trump is overtly embracing the baseless conspiracy theory, even as the number of frightening real-world events linked to it grows. On Tuesday, using his Truth Social platform, the Republican former president reposted an image of himself wearing a Q lapel pin overlaid with the words “The Storm is Coming.” In QAnon lore, the “storm” refers to Trump’s final victory, when supposedly he will regain power and his opponents will be tried, and potentially executed, on live television. As Trump contemplates another run for the presidency and has become increasingly assertive in the Republican primary process during the midterm elections, his actions show that far from distancing himself from the political fringe, he is welcoming it. FILE – A QAnon conspiracy theory button sits affixed to the purse of an attendee of the Nebraska Election Integrity Forum on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022, in Omaha, Neb. Former President Donald Trump is increasingly embracing and endorsing the QAnon conspiracy theory, even as the number of frightening real-world incidents linked to the movement increase. On Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, using his Truth Social platform, Trump reposted an image of himself — wearing a Q lapel pin — overlaid with the words “The Storm is Coming.” (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz, File) He’s published dozens of recent Q-related posts, in contrast to 2020, when he claimed that while he didn’t know much about QAnon, he couldn’t disprove its conspiracy theory. Pressed on QAnon theories that Trump allegedly is saving the nation from a satanic cult of child sex traffickers, he claimed ignorance but asked, “Is that supposed to be a bad thing?” “If I can help save the world from problems, I’m willing to do it,” Trump said. Trump’s recent postings have included images referring to himself as a martyr fighting criminals, psychopaths and the so-called deep state. In one now-deleted post from late August, he reposted a “q drop,” one of the cryptic message board postings that QAnon supporters claim come from an anonymous government worker with top secret clearance. A Trump spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Even when his posts haven’t referred to the conspiracy theory directly, Trump has amplified users who do. An Associated Press analysis found that of nearly 75 accounts Trump has reposted on his Truth Social profile in the past month, more than a third of them have promoted QAnon by sharing the movement’s slogans, videos or imagery. About 1 in 10 include QAnon language or links in their profile bios. Earlier this month, Trump chose a QAnon song to close out a rally in Pennsylvania. The same song appears in one of his recent campaign videos and is titled “WWG1WGA,” an acronym used as a rallying cry for Q adherents that stands for “Where we go one, we go all.” Online, Q adherents basked in Trump’s attention. “Yup, haters!” wrote one commenter on an anonymous QAnon message board. “Trump re-truthed Q memes. And he’ll do it again, more and more of them, over and OVER, until (asterisk)everyone(asterisk) finally gets it. Make fun of us all you want, whatever! Soon Q will be everywhere!” “Trump Sending a Clear Message Patriots,” a QAnon-linked account on Truth Social wrote. “He Re-Truthed This for a Reason.” The former president may be seeking solidarity with his most loyal supporters at a time when he faces escalating investigations and potential challengers within his own party, according to Mia Bloom, a professor at Georgia State University who has studied QAnon and recently wrote a book about the group. “These are people who have elevated Trump to messiah-like status, where only he can stop this cabal,” Bloom told the AP on Thursday. “That’s why you see so many images (in online QAnon spaces) of Trump as Jesus.” On Truth Social, QAnon-affiliated accounts hail Trump as a hero and savior and vilify President Joe Biden by comparing him to Adolf Hitler or the devil. When Trump shares the content, they congratulate each other. Some accounts proudly display how many times Trump has “re-truthed” them in their bios. By using their own language to directly address QAnon supporters, Trump is telling them that they’ve been right all along and that he shares their secret mission, according to Janet McIntosh, an anthropologist at Brandeis University who has studied QAnon’s use of language and symbols. It also allows Trump to endorse their beliefs and their hope for a violent uprising without expressly saying so, she said, citing his recent post about “the storm” as a particularly frightening example. “The ‘storm is coming’ is shorthand for something really dark that he’s not saying out loud,” McIntosh said. “This is a way for him to point to violence without explicitly calling for it. He is the prince of plausible deniability.” Bloom predicted that Trump may later attempt to market Q-related merchandise or perhaps ask QAnon followers to donate to his legal defense. Regardless of motive, Bloom said, it’s a reckless move that feeds a dangerous movement. A growing list of criminal episodes has been linked to people who had expressed support for the conspiracy theory, which U.S. intelligence officials have warned could trigger more violence. QAnon supporters were among those who violently stormed the Capitol during the failed Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. In November 2020, two men drove to a vote-counting site in Philadelphia in a Hummer adorned with QAnon stickers and loaded with a rifle, 100 rounds of ammunition and other weapons. Prosecutors alleged they were trying to interfere with the election. Last year, a California man who told authorities he had been enlightened by QAnon was accused of killing his two children because he believed they had serpent DNA. Last month, a Colorado woman was found guilty of attempting to kidnap her son from foster care after her daughter said she began associating with QAnon supporters. Other adherents have been accused of environmental vandalism, firing paintballs at military reservists, abducting a child in France and even killing a New York City mob boss. On Sunday, police fatally shot a Michigan man who they say had killed his wife and severely injured his daughter. A surviving daughter told The Detroit News that she believes her father was motivated by QAnon. “I think that he was always prone to (mental issues), but it really brought him down when he was reading all those weird things on the internet,” she told the newspaper. The same weekend a Pennsylvania man who had reposted QAnon content on Facebook was arrested after he allegedly charged into a Dairy Queen with a gun, saying he wanted to kill all Democrats and restore Trump to power. Major social media platforms including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter have banned content associated with QAnon and have suspended or blocked accounts that seek to spread it. That’s forced much of the group’s activities onto platforms that have less moderation, including Telegram, Gab and Trump’s struggling platform, Truth Social. Read more U.S. news Read More Here

Uber Investigating 'cybersecurity Incident' After Report Of Breach https://digitalarizonanews.com/uber-investigating-cybersecurity-incident-after-report-of-breach/ An Uber office is shown in Redondo Beach, California, U.S., March 16, 2022. REUTERS/Mike Blake Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Sept 16 (Reuters) – Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N) said on Thursday it was investigating a cybersecurity incident, after a report that its network was breached, forcing the company to shut several internal communications and engineering systems. A hacker compromised an employee’s account on workplace messaging app Slack and used it to send a message to Uber employees announcing that the company had suffered a data breach, according to a New York Times report on Thursday that cited an Uber spokesperson. Cybersecurity has been an issue for Uber in the past. It suffered a significant hack in 2016 that exposed the personal information of about 57 million of its customers and drivers. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Shares of the ride-hailing firm were down 5% on Friday, amid broader U.S. market declines. It appeared the hacker was able to gain access to other internal systems, posting an explicit photo on an internal information page for employees, the Times report added. “We are in touch with law enforcement and will post additional updates here as they become available,” Uber said in a tweet, without providing further details. Uber employees were instructed to not use Slack, which is owned by Salesforce Inc , according to the report. Other internal systems were inaccessible too. Slack said in a statement to Reuters that the company was investigating the incident and that there was no evidence of a vulnerability inherent to its platform. “I announce I am a hacker and Uber has suffered a data breach,” the message read, and went on to list several internal databases that were allegedly compromised, the report added. A person assumed responsibility for the hack and told the paper that he had sent a text message to an Uber employee claiming to be a corporate IT person. The worker was persuaded to hand over a password that allowed the hacker to gain access to Uber’s systems, the report said. Uber Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi, who took charge a year after the 2016 hack, fired the then chief security officer, who was later charged with trying to cover up the breach. A U.S. judge last month dismissed the three wire fraud charges against Joseph Sullivan although he still faces two charges of obstructing a U.S. Federal Trade Commission proceeding and failing to report a felony. read more Uber’s HackerOne account that the company uses for its bug bounty program, through which the hacker reportedly gained access, appeared to be disabled. A bounty program is generally seen as a tool to improve security and provide an incentive for hackers to stay within the law. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Shubham Kalia, Maria Ponnezhath and Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; editing by Uttaresh.V, Rashmi Aich, Saumyadeb Chakrabarty, Kirsten Donovan Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here

Metro Phoenix’s Things To Do This Weekend: David Spade, Third Friday https://digitalarizonanews.com/metro-phoenixs-things-to-do-this-weekend-david-spade-third-friday/ You worked hard this week and deserve to play even harder this weekend. Over the next 72 hours or so, you can attend a hometown performance by one-time Arizona resident David Spade, get an eyeful of art at Third Friday, learn how to make zines, or meet famed voice actors. For more things to do in the Valley from Friday, September 16, to Sunday, September 18, visit Phoenix New Times’ online calendar. Modified/Arts in downtown Phoenix.   Modifed/Arts” href=”https://media1.phoenixnewtimes.com/phx/imager/u/original/14468612/ra-modifiedarts2.jpg” rel=”contentImg_gal-14468065″ title=”Modified/Arts in downtown Phoenix. – Modifed/Arts” click to enlarge Modified/Arts in downtown Phoenix. Modifed/Arts Third Friday One of the main appeals of the Third Friday art walk in downtown Phoenix is the lack of crowds. Sure, there are groups of local culture vultures about during the monthly event, but nowhere near the hordes attending First Fridays. In other words, you can check out local works at the galleries of Roosevelt Row and Grand Avenue without having others jostling you or staring daggers your way. One of the highlights of this month’s event on Friday, September 16, includes Belarus-born painter Lola Panco’s exhibition “Internal Forces” at Modified/Arts, 407 East Roosevelt Street. Over at Five15Arts, 1301 Grand Avenue, printmaker and designer Harold Lohner will present his solo show “Prints of Men.” Hours for both galleries are from 6 to 9 p.m. Admission is free. Benjamin Leatherman David Spade Years before he spent six seasons in the cast of Saturday Night Live, tag-teamed with the late Chris Farley in Tommy Boy and Black Sheep, or starred in sitcoms like Just Shoot Me, actor and comedian David Spade was an Arizona State University student working the local stand-up scene in the mid-to-late 1980s. So whenever the Emmy and Golden Globe nominee returns to his old stomping grounds for a hometown gig, it feels like a big deal. He’s scheduled to bring his Catch Me Inside tour to Celebrity Theatre, 440 North 32nd Street, on Friday, September 16. We’re guessing Spade will slip in multiple references (or digs) about the Valley between his usual sarcasm-laden bits and quips during the performance. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $40 to $50 via the Celebrity Theatre’s website. Benjamin Leatherman Vintage paradise.   Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market” href=”https://media1.phoenixnewtimes.com/phx/imager/u/original/14468616/junk_vintage.jpg” rel=”contentImg_gal-14468065″ title=”Vintage paradise. – Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market” click to enlarge Vintage paradise. Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market Around since 2011, Junk in the Trunk is for the professional flea market shopper, or at least the ambitious ones. One of the biggest flea markets you’ll find in Phoenix happens a couple of times a year, but it makes a big impact. The market attracts thousands to WestWorld of Scottsdale, 16601 North Pima Road in Scottsdale, and brings together vendors carrying everything from decor and trinkets to surprisingly expensive empty alcohol bottles. You’ll also find food trucks and caterers on-site, so come hungry. It’s worth noting that parking costs change with each event. Junk in the Trunk’s latest Scottsdale Market event is from Friday, September 16, to Sunday, September 18. Advance tickets are $50 for Friday night from 4 to 9 p.m.; $25 for Saturday’s early bird session from 8 to 10 a.m.; $8 for Saturday’s general session from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and $8 for Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Phoenix New Times Writers Keith Silverstein and Phil LaMarr Signing If you’ve been watching cartoons or anime since the ’90s, you’ve heard the vocal talents of Keith Silverstein and Phil LaMarr. Both are esteemed voice actors who have played hundreds of roles during their respective careers. Silverstein is a well-known name in anime, having been featured in the Americanized versions of Monster, Bleach, Attack on Titan, Sailor Moon Crystal, and One-Punch Man, just to name a few. LaMarr is best known for voicing Hermes Conrad from Futurama and the titular protagonist of Samurai Jack, but has more than 250 credits on his resume, including roles in Invader Zim, Hey Arnold!, Kim Possible, and BoJack Horseman. Both actors are scheduled for a signing appearance from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 17, at the Arrowhead Mall location of Toy Temple, 7700 West Arrowhead Towne Center, Suite 2238, in Glendale. It’s free to attend the event, but people are asked to sign up for designated time slots. Silverstein and LaMarr will also charge various prices for autographs or pictures. Click here for more information. Benjamin Leatherman The exterior of Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West.   Bill Timmerman” href=”https://media1.phoenixnewtimes.com/phx/imager/u/original/14468339/western_spirit_scottsdale_s_museum_of_the_west_exterior.jpg” rel=”contentImg_gal-14468065″ title=”The exterior of Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West. – Bill Timmerman” click to enlarge The exterior of Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West. Bill Timmerman Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day Writer and illustrator Maira Kalman once described visiting a museum as “a search for beauty, truth, and meaning in our lives.” And on Saturday, September 17, metro Phoenix residents can engage in such high-minded hunts during this year’s Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day. A handful of local museums will offer free admission to the general public, including the Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum, 2017 North Greenfield Road in Mesa, and Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, 3830 North Marshall Way. You can spend the day strolling through a particular spot while soaking up history, culture, and some of the aforementioned concepts on the cheap. Operating hours vary. Free tickets and a list of participating museums are available on Smithsonian Magazine’s website. Benjamin Leatherman Cult Classics: The Evil Dead Long before he helmed a trilogy of Spider-Man films or brought Xena to life on television, director Sam Raimi created The Evil Dead, the low-budget horror film that’s widely considered to be a masterpiece. Rife with gore, mayhem, and Raimi’s particularly kooky visual style, the 1981 flick starring a young Bruce Campbell involves a group of college students staying at a cabin deep in the Tennessee woods and running afoul of supernatural forces. More gruesome and less comedic than its two sequels (particularly the ultra-quotable Army of Darkness), The Evil Dead became a favorite of movie geeks and horror fans after its release and helped spawn the careers of Raimi and Campbell. Local repertory film series Cult Classics will feature the flick on Saturday, September 17, at Landmark Theatres Scottsdale Quarter, 15257 North Scottsdale Road, Suite 230. The 9 p.m. showing is sold out but tickets are still available for the 9:30 p.m. screening. General admission is $15 and various VIP packages (which include perks like commemorative shirts and art prints) are $25 to $200. Benjamin Leatherman Throwback to Phx Zine Fest 2018.   Jose Romero” href=”https://media2.phoenixnewtimes.com/phx/imager/u/original/14468072/20_zinefest_–_jose_romero.jpg” rel=”contentImg_gal-14468065″ title=”Throwback to Phx Zine Fest 2018. – Jose Romero” click to enlarge Throwback to Phx Zine Fest 2018. Jose Romero Phx Zine Fest If you missed out on the first weekend of this year’s Phx Zine Fest, which featured virtual workshops and panels, the good news is the second half of the annual event will take place on Saturday, September 17, and Sunday, September 18, at The Nile Theater, 105 West Main Street in Mesa, and include in-person activities. As with previous editions of the fest, which is put on by the Valley’s Wasted Ink Zine Distro, it will offer advice and tips on how to make your own DIY publications from dozens of local zine creators, artists, punks, indie publishers, and others. Hours are from noon to 5 p.m. each day. More details can be found here. Admission is free. Benjamin Leatherman Read More…

Trump FBI Phony Document https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-fbi-phony-document/ Steve Helber – staff, AP Sep 16, 2022 Sep 16, 2022 Updated 1 hr ago 0 FILE – President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., Aug. 31, 2022. A document purporting to be from the U.S. government and claiming the Treasury Department had information related to the search at Mar-a-Lago was a fabrication. A review of court documents and interviews by The Associated Press shows identical documents were filed in a separate case brought by a federal inmate at a prison medical center in North Carolina. Steve Helber – staff, AP Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Topics Read More Here