Stocks Making The Biggest Moves Premarket: SoFi Nucor Starbucks CSX & More
Stocks Making The Biggest Moves Premarket: SoFi, Nucor, Starbucks, CSX & More https://digitalarizonanews.com/stocks-making-the-biggest-moves-premarket-sofi-nucor-starbucks-csx-more/
Check out the companies making headlines in premarket trading Wednesday.
Starbucks – Shares of Starbucks gained nearly 1% after the company boosted its long-term forecast and said it expects double-digit growth for revenue and earnings per share over the next three years.
Palo Alto Networks – Cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks rose slightly following a three-for-one stock split, which took place on Tuesday. In addition, CEO Nikesh Arora told CNBC that the company is not seeing the same macro impact slowdown on cybersecurity that other sectors are experiencing.
Nucor —Nucor fell 5% after the steel producer issued disappointing third-quarter earnings guidance. The company expects earnings per share to range between $6.30 and $6.40, well below a StreetAccount forecast of $7.56. “We expect the steel mills segment earnings to be considerably lower in the third quarter of 2022 as compared to the second quarter of 2022, due to metal margin contraction and reduced shipping volumes,” Nucor said.
Nikola — Nikola shares rose slightly after BTIG upgraded the EV maker to buy from neutral. BTIG noted that it sees “the potential for increasing demand for green hydrogen driven by increasing wind and solar power generation.”
SoFi Technologies — SoFi rose more than 2% after Bank of America upgraded the fintech stock to buy from neutral. “We see potential for a meaningful catalyst path over the next few quarters as SoFi benefits from the student loan payment moratorium ending and its high-profile NFL-aligned marketing investments drive user growth and engagement,” BofA said.
Moderna – Shares of Moderna rose 0.6% after the company’s CEO said it would be open to supplying covid vaccines to China.
Bristol-Myers Squibb – Shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb slipped 0.7% after Berenberg downgraded the company to hold from buy. The firm said the stock is running out of room to gain.
Merck & Co – Shares of Merck rose 0.7% after Berenberg upgraded it to buy from hold and boosted its price target, signaling it could climb another 17%.
Railroad stocks – Shares of railroad company stocks slumped Wednesday as the sector contends with a potential strike that could limit service. Union Pacific fell 1.9% while CSX, Northern Southern Corp. also slipped ahead of market open.
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'The Majesty Of The United States Is Gone': Trump Lashes Out After FBI Seizes Mike Lindell's Phone
'The Majesty Of The United States Is Gone': Trump Lashes Out After FBI Seizes Mike Lindell's Phone https://digitalarizonanews.com/the-majesty-of-the-united-states-is-gone-trump-lashes-out-after-fbi-seizes-mike-lindells-phone/
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Stock Futures Rise After Major Averages Suffer Worst Day Since June 2020
Stock Futures Rise After Major Averages Suffer Worst Day Since June 2020 https://digitalarizonanews.com/stock-futures-rise-after-major-averages-suffer-worst-day-since-june-2020/
Stock futures traded higher Wednesday after another hot inflation reading sent the major averages tumbling to their worst day since June 2020 and dampened investors’ expectations of a less hawkish Federal Reserve.
Futures tied to the Dow Industrial Average were last up 126 points, or 0.4%, while S&P 500 futures ticked 0.5% higher, and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.6%.
The Dow sank more than 1,200 points Tuesday, or nearly 4%, while the S&P 500 lost 4.3%. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 5.2%.
The market moves came after August’s consumer price index report showed headline inflation rose 0.1% on a monthly basis despite a drop in gas prices.
The hot inflation report left questions over whether stocks could go back to their June lows or fall even further. It also spurred some fears that the Federal Reserve could potentially hike even higher than the 75 basis points markets are pricing in.
“It caught the market off guard,” said LPL Financial’s Quincy Krosby. “The market had been expecting at least that we had leveled off — perhaps not moving downward but certainly not climbing higher. It was the wrong direction and the concern, of course, is always translated into what does this mean for the Fed.”
All 30 Dow stocks and S&P 500 sectors finished the session lower, led to the downside by communications services. The sector fell 5.6% and finished its worst day since February, dragged down by shares of big technology names like Netflix and Meta Platforms, which tumbled about 7.8% and 9.4%, respectively.
A reading of the producer price index is due out Wednesday morning and could offer further clues into the state of inflation before the Fed’s rate-hike meeting next week.
KeyBanc says buy Walmart, Target
Walmart and Target got buy ratings from KeyBanc, which said both stocks could bolster investor portfolios going forward.
“While investors can find better growth potential in smaller companies, we believe both Walmart and Target are in the best competitive positioning of the past decade, given the pandemic’s catalyst of e-commerce becoming significantly more important,” wrote KeyBanc Capital Markets analyst Bradley Thomas.
CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.
— Carmen Reinicke
Traders are now split between a 75 basis point or 100 basis point Fed hike
Some traders are now expecting a full point rate hike from the U.S. Federal Reserve at its September meeting, according to the CME FedWatch tracker of Fed funds futures bets.
The probability of a 100-basis-point rose to 33% from 0%, and the chance for a three-quarter point hike fell to 67% from 91% a day earlier.
Economists at Nomura now also expect to see a full percentage hike.
— Abigail Ng
UK inflation rate unexpectedly dips to 9.9% as fuel prices decline
ONS figures showed that real wages in the U.K. over the three months to May experienced their steepest decline since records began in 2001.
Henry Nicholls | Reuters
U.K. inflation slowed in August on the back of a fall in fuel prices, though food prices continued to rise as the country’s cost-of-living crisis persists.
The consumer price index rose 9.9% annually, according to estimates published Wednesday by the Office for National Statistics, fractionally below a consensus forecast of 10.2% among economists polled by Reuters. It was also down from July’s figure of 10.1%.
“A fall in the price of motor fuels made the largest downward contribution to the change in both the CPIH and CPI annual inflation rates between July and August 2022,” the ONS said in its report.
“Rising food prices made the largest, partially offsetting, upward contribution to the change in the rates.”
Read more here.
– Elliot Smith
European stocks fall slightly as global markets react to latest U.S. inflation data
European markets were slightly lower on Wednesday as investors reacted to the latest inflation data out of the U.S.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 was down 0.3% in early trade, with travel and leisure stocks slipping 0.9% to lead losses while retail stocks bucked the trend to add 1.9%.
– Elliot Smith
Kevin O’Leary says volatility is back, but could be opportunity
Billionaire investor Kevin O’Leary says there are opportunities in today’s volatile market.
“The best thing to do here is — since you can’t guess the bottom — is to take opportunities on days like today and buy stocks that you think are attractive,” the chairman of O’Shares Investments told CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia.”
He added that the bulk of the economy is still robust, and the Fed will continue to raise rates until they see “some kind of slowdown.”
Read the full story here.
— Lee Ying Shan
CNBC Pro: Morningstar says this is ‘one of the best’ value-focused funds
Looking for opportunities after Tuesday’s steep sell-off
Despite Tuesday’s broad sell-off, there are some pockets of opportunity out there for investors looking to play market
Crossmark Global Investments’ Victoria Fernandez told CNBC’s “Closing Bell: Overtime” on Tuesday that investors may want to focus on healthcare and consumer staples, paying particular attention to quality balance sheets, earnings and management.
Oil prices have come down from their highs despite a big run-up earlier in the year. Investors should remain overweight on energy given that many companies are returning capital to their shareholders and focused on dividends, Virtus Investment Partners’ Joe Terranova told “Closing Bell: Overtime.”
Many valuations are certainly attractive at these levels but LPL Financial’s Quincy Krosby says she’s keeping an eye on trading volumes for signs of market strength.
A sell-off on strong volume could indicate more fear in the market, whereas a rally on high volume may signal a healthy one, she points out.
“We didn’t see [high volume] as the market moved higher this week,” Krosby said. “The volume simply wasn’t there to reinforce the notion that the underpinning of the market was stronger.”
— Samantha Subin
Why Gundlach says it’s time to buy long-term Treasuries
Now is a good time for investors to buy long-term Treasuries, DoubleLine Capital’s CEO Jeffrey Gundlach told CNBC’s Scott Wapner at the Future Proof Festival on Tuesday.
“In spite of the fact that the narrative today is exactly the opposite, the deflation risk is much higher today than it’s been for the past two years,” Gundlach said, adding that he expects the assets to outperform next year as deflation becomes a growing threat. “I’m not talking about next month. I’m talking about sometime later next year, certainly in 2023.”
CNBC Pro subscribers can read the full story and about the potential risks ahead from deflation here.
— Samantha Subin, Yun Li
Where the major averages stand
This is where all the major averages stand after Tuesday’s steep sell-off.
Dow Jones Industrial Average:
Down 14.4% this year
15.8% off its 52-week high
S&P 500:
Down 17.4% since the start of the year
Sits 18.4% off its 52-week high
Nasdaq Composite:
Down 25.6% this year
28.2% off its 52-week high
Tuesday’s market moves also put all 11 S&P 500 sectors more than 10% off their 52-week highs, with the exception of utilities. The sector sits 2.7% off its high but is up 5.6% this year.
— Samantha Subin
Stock futures open slightly higher
Stock futures opened slightly higher on Tuesday. Futures tied to Dow Industrial Average rose 60 points, or 0.19%. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.16% and 0.12%, respectively.
— Samantha Subin
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Leavitt Claims Victory In New Hampshire 1st District Race
Leavitt Claims Victory In New Hampshire 1st District Race https://digitalarizonanews.com/leavitt-claims-victory-in-new-hampshire-1st-district-race/
RAY BREWER IS HERE NOW WITH THE DETAILS ON THIS RACE. RIGHT, SEAN, CAROLINE LEVITT CALLS WHAT HAPPENED AT THE POLLS YESTERDAY A BLOWOUT VICTORY. HERE’S A LOOK AT THE LATEST RESULTS. LEVITT PULLED OFF THE PROJECTED WIN DESPITE BEING TOLD A YEAR AGO THAT SHE WAS TOO YOUNG AND COULDN’T RAISE THE MONEY TO WIN THE GOP NOMINEE. THE 25 YEAR OLD FROM ATKINSON SHARING TEARS OF JOY WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND SUPPORTERS AT HER ELECTION NIGHT HEADQUARTERS IN HAMPTON. SHE BELIEVES MUCH OF WHAT RESONATED WITH VOTERS IS THAT SHE’S A HOMEGROWN CANDIDATE AND AMERICAN FIRST CONSERVATIVE WHO WILL BRING A YOUNG PERSPECTIVE TO WASHINGTON. I AM SO HUMBLED AND HONORED TO BE CONSIDERED THE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE FOR MY HOME DISTRICT. THIS WAS A HISTORIC AND EXTRAORDINARY VICTORY TONIGHT. YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID IN MY SPEECH A YEAR AGO, I GOT INTO THIS RACE. NOT MANY PEOPLE BELIEVED IN ME OUTSIDE OF MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS IN THIS DISTRICT. LEVITT SAYS SHE EXPECTS ANOTHER VICTORY IN NOVEMBER BECAUSE IN HER WORDS, WE HAVE A COUNTRY TO SAVE. HER GENERAL ELECTION OPPONENT, INCUMBENT DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN CHRIS PAPPAS, RELEASED A STATEMENT LAST NIGHT SAYING IN PART THAT I WILL FIGHT WITH EVERYTHING I’VE GOT TO STOP EX
AP: Leavitt declared winner in New Hampshire 1st District
The Associated Press has declared Karoline Leavitt the winner in the Republican 1st Congressional District primary race.With 62% of precincts reporting, Leavitt led 2020 Republican nominee Matt Mowers, 33% to 26%. Leavitt declared victory shortly after 11 p.m.”Tonight, our hard work has truly paid off,” Leavitt told a crowd of supporters. “Tonight, Team Karoline, we passed expectations. Tonight, Team Karoline, we defied the odds.”Mowers stopped by his election party in Manchester earlier in the evening but left after speaking individually with supporters. He later released a statement conceding the race.”I got into this race to five a voice to those Granite Staters who felt left behind by the political class in Washington and to restore American strength and leadership around the world,” he said in the written statement. “Unfortunately, tonight’s results did not go our way, but I will never stop fighting for those middle-class families to ensure they are not forgotten.”Leavitt will face Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas.Leavitt and Mowers were competing in a crowded field for the nomination. Gail Huff Brown was running third in the race, followed by former state Sen. Russell Prescott and state Rep. Tim Baxter.Pappas ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
The Associated Press has declared Karoline Leavitt the winner in the Republican 1st Congressional District primary race.
With 62% of precincts reporting, Leavitt led 2020 Republican nominee Matt Mowers, 33% to 26%. Leavitt declared victory shortly after 11 p.m.
“Tonight, our hard work has truly paid off,” Leavitt told a crowd of supporters. “Tonight, Team Karoline, we passed expectations. Tonight, Team Karoline, we defied the odds.”
Mowers stopped by his election party in Manchester earlier in the evening but left after speaking individually with supporters. He later released a statement conceding the race.
“I got into this race to five a voice to those Granite Staters who felt left behind by the political class in Washington and to restore American strength and leadership around the world,” he said in the written statement. “Unfortunately, tonight’s results did not go our way, but I will never stop fighting for those middle-class families to ensure they are not forgotten.”
Leavitt will face Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas.
Leavitt and Mowers were competing in a crowded field for the nomination. Gail Huff Brown was running third in the race, followed by former state Sen. Russell Prescott and state Rep. Tim Baxter.
Pappas ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
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OBITUARY: Christine Lamnek Kokemueller – Rutherford Source https://digitalarizonanews.com/obituary-christine-lamnek-kokemueller-rutherford-source/
Christine Lamnek Kokemueller, age 88 of Murfreesboro, TN, passed away Monday, September 12, 2022, at her home.
A native of Crvenka, Serbia, she was the daughter of the late Peter and Christine Booze Lamnek.
Mrs. Kokemueller was also preceded in death by her husband of 64 years Heinrich Kokemueller and a brother, Daniel Lamnek.
Mrs. Kokemueller is survived by her sons, Peter Henry Kokemueller and his wife Doris of Jacksonville, FL and Henry Scott Kokemueller and his wife Suzanne of Bethel, CT; grandchildren, Kirsten Ann Kokemueller of Minneapolis, MN and Erica Lynne Kokemueller of Gilbert, AZ; and many nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Life for Mrs. Kokemueller will be held at 2:00 PM Saturday, December 3, 2022, at Advent Lutheran Church, 1700 Irby Lane, Murfreesboro, TN 37127, with Pastor Michelle Kuhlman officiating. Visitation will follow the service at the church.
Mrs. Kokemueller was a retired Accountant and an active and faithful member of Advent Lutheran Church.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Advent Lutheran Church.
An online guestbook for the Kokemueller family may be made at www.woodfinchapel.com.
Woodfin Memorial Chapel. (615) 893-5151.
For more obituaries visit https://rutherfordsource.com/obituaries/
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Live Updates: Russia's War In Ukraine https://digitalarizonanews.com/live-updates-russias-war-in-ukraine-5/
1 min ago
Zelensky visits newly liberated city of Izium in Kharkiv, following months of Russian occupation
From CNN’s Yulia Kesaieva
“I want to thank you for saving our people, our hearts, children and future,” Zelensky said as he visited Izium on Wednesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited newly liberated Izium in the northeastern region of Kharkiv on Wednesday, five days after the country’s forces recaptured the city.
Photographs on the Facebook page of an army unit showed Zelensky at a ceremony in the main square to raise the Ukrainian flag over the city’s administrative building. Hanna Maliar, the Deputy Minister of Defense, was also present.
“Earlier, when we looked up, we always looked for the blue sky. Today, when we look up, we are looking for only one thing — the flag of Ukraine,” Zelensky said in a post on the presidential Telegram channel.
“Our blue-yellow flag is already flying in the de-occupied Izium. And it will be so in every Ukrainian city and village. We are moving in only one direction — forward and towards victory.”
“I want to thank you for saving our people, our hearts, children and future,” Zelensky said, according to a statement released on the Presidential website.
“It has been extremely difficult for you in recent months. Therefore, I ask you to take care of yourselves, because you are the most valuable asset we have,” he said.
“It may be possible to temporarily occupy the territories of our state. But it is definitely impossible to occupy our people, the Ukrainian people,” he said.
There was a minute’s silence at the ceremony to remember those who had been lost during military operations.
Ukrainian forces took back control of Izium on Saturday, marking a huge strategic blow to Russia’s military assault in the east.
Izium, which sits near the border between the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, was under Russian occupation for over five months and became an important hub for the invading military.
Moscow was using Izium as a launching pad for attacks southward into the Donetsk region and Kupyansk, some 30 miles to the north of Izium, as a rail hub to resupply its forces.
Russia’s collapse in northeastern Ukraine sparked fury from Putin loyalists, who condemned the Kremlin’s abandonment of Kharkiv in a rare display of stinging criticism.
CNN’s Ivana Kottasová, Tim Lister, Yulia Kesaieva, Denis Lapin, Josh Pennington and Victoria Butenko contributed reporting.
21 min ago
Kharkiv region’s electricity restored following Russian strike, says Ukraine energy operator
From CNN’s Yulia Kesaieva
A power substation is seen destroyed by a Russian missile strike in Kharkiv on September 12. (Vyacheslav Madiyevskyi/Ukrinform/Abaca/Sipa/Associated Press)
Two of the main electricity lines supplying part of Kharkiv region have been restored, Ukraine’s energy supplier said Wednesday, following a Russian strike on a local facility that left many without power.
“Repair crews of NPC Ukrenergo have already restored the operation of two main lines supplying Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region. Work on other lines continues and will continue until complete,” the post from Ukrainian state energy company Ukrenergo read.
According to Ukrenergo, which operates the nation’s high-voltage transmission lines, energy supply was restored across the Kharkiv region late on Tuesday. CNN cannot independently verify the claim.
The entire region of Kharkiv was without electricity after the backup power line supplying settlements “failed,” the Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Tymoshenko said on Tuesday, citing “insidious shelling by Russian (forces)” as the cause.
Last week, Ukrainian forces ruptured Russian defenses and recaptured swathes of territory in the east, marking a colossal blow for Moscow.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia responded on Sunday with missile strikes that hit large parts of eastern Ukraine including the Kharkiv power and heating plant, killing one employee and damaging critical infrastructure.
1 hr 10 min ago
Putin needs Xi Jinping’s help more than ever after his setbacks in Ukraine
Analysis from CNN’s Luke McGee
In early February, Russian President Vladimir Putin touched down in Beijing to a warm welcome from Chinese leader Xi Jinping, as the two strongmen put on a show of unity for the world at the Winter Olympics.
The summit, in which the pair touted their ever-growing ties and railed against NATO expansion, was held three weeks before Putin ordered his tanks into Ukraine. While it is not known if the topic of war came up during their conversations, one thing is clear now: seven months in, the invasion has gone anything but to plan.
Putin has just suffered perhaps his worst week since the early days of the war, when his troops were routed in Kyiv and forced to retreat.
Ukraine’s recapture in recent days of more territory than Russia has taken in all their operations since April is another humiliating loss for Putin, who has watched as his invasion falters and his list of friends on the global stage dwindles.
Criticism of Putin is growing even among his supporters in Russia, and he could, bluntly, do with a win. Fortunately for Putin, an opportunity presents itself on Thursday, when he holds his first face-to-face meeting with Xi since the invasion began, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan.
Much is made of the relationship between Russia and China, which has only strengthened since the beginning of the war. Experts say Putin will likely be counting on Beijing more than ever after his setbacks on the battlefield.
Read the full story:
2 hr 36 min ago
EU Commission President vows solidarity with Ukraine, will travel to Kyiv Wednesday
From CNN’s Zayn Nabbi
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told lawmakers at the European Parliament in Strasbourg that “Europe’s solidarity with Ukraine will remain unshakeable,” and that she would be visiting Kyiv on Wednesday.
Von der Leyen said European sanctions against Russia would remain in place and that the European Union’s (EU) 27-nation bloc would continue to offer financial support to Ukraine.
Speaking during her annual State of the Union address, with Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska in attendance, she said: “The sanctions are here to stay, this is the time for us to show resolve, not appeasement.”
This is not only a war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine, this is a war on energy, it’s a war on our economy, it’s a war on our values, it is a war on our future,” Von der Leyen said.
“It is about autocracy against democracy and I stand here with a conviction that with the necessary courage, and with the necessary solidarity (Vladimir) Putin will fail and Ukraine and Europe will prevail. Today courage has a name and that name is Ukraine.”
“This is why today (Wednesday), I am going to Kyiv, to discuss all this with President (Volodymyr) Zelensky – and to show him what the single market is as a potential for Ukraine’s future, too,” she said.
Addressing the energy crisis Von der Leyen said the EU will propose measures to cap revenues and force fossil fuel firms to share the profits.
“In these times it is wrong to receive extraordinary record revenues and profits benefiting from war and on the back of our consumers,” the EU chief said.
“In these times, profits must be shared and channelled to those who need it most,” she said.
3 hr 8 min ago
Zelensky says Ukraine has liberated 8,000 square kilometers of territory
From CNN’s Yulia Kesaieva and Hannah Ritchie
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said approximately 8,000 square kilometers (3,088 square miles) of territory has now been liberated by Ukrainian forces so far this month, with roughly half the area still undergoing “stabilization” measures.
“Remnants of occupiers and sabotage groups are being detected, collaborators are being detained and full security is being restored. It is very important that together with our troops, with our flag, ordinary normal life comes to the de-occupied territory,” Zelensky said in his daily address Tuesday.
In a statement Monday, Zelensky said most of the liberated territory retaken by Ukrainian forces since the start of September was concentrated in the country’s northeast and south.
Zelensky promised to immediately resume pension payments to all Ukrainians living in recently reclaimed areas in his message Tuesday.
“As an example, in Balakliya, in Hrakove, the payment of pensions for five months at once, for the time when we simply could not make payments due to the occupation, has already been started,” he said, adding that “Ukraine always fulfills its social obligations to people.”
3 hr 13 min ago
At least two dead and six injured in Mykolaiv shelling Wednesday, Ukrainian official reports
From CNN’s Yulia Kesaieva
Russian shelling killed at least two people and injured six in Ukraine’s southern port city of Mykolaiv near the Black Sea on Wednesday, according to the head of the region’s civil military administration Vitalii Kim.
“At approximately 01:10 a.m. Mykolaiv was shelled. According to preliminary data, these were S-300 missiles. An educational institution, infrastructure facilities and residential buildings were damaged,” Kim said in a post on Telegram, claiming that a fire had broken out at a factory due to the attack.
“According to preliminary data, two people were killed, three were injured, and three more citizens were treated on an outpatient basis. Detailed information is being clarified,” Kim added.
Kim also urged citizens to stay away from power stations, due to possible shelling in their vicinity.
The city’s mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych also posted about the shelling on Telegram.
“After 1 a.m. this night Mykolaiv was massively shelled. Residential houses were da...
Karoline Leavitt Wins Republican Primary In New Hampshire
Karoline Leavitt Wins Republican Primary In New Hampshire https://digitalarizonanews.com/karoline-leavitt-wins-republican-primary-in-new-hampshire/
Former Trump press staffer Karoline Leavitt has won the Republican primary in New Hampshire’s first congressional district, according to a race call by The Associated Press.
Leavitt, 25, is only the second member of Generation Z to win a House primary and the first Republican. The 2022 midterm season is the first time the eldest Gen Zers are eligible to run for the U.S. House of Representatives, where 25 is the minimum age to serve.
Leavitt will now face off against incumbent Democrat Chris Pappas, 42, to represent the district – a toss-up seat Republicans hope to flip as part of their goal of winning back the majority of seats in the House.
“They said I was too young, we could never raise the money to compete, and that we could never beat a former Republican nominee,” Leavitt said in her victory speech Tuesday night.
“Over the last year we were outspent but we were not outworked,” she exclaimed. “No way!”
Leavitt defeated former Trump state department official Matt Mowers, 33, who ran for the seat in 2020 and lost to Pappas by five percentage points.
Mowers released a statement in which he pledged to “never stop fighting” for middle class families.
Though Mowers narrowly led in polls against Leavitt ahead of the primary, the most recent University of New Hampshire survey added uncertainty, finding that nearly a fourth of respondents were still undecided just two weeks from the election.
The two candidates also ran with similar platforms, branding themselves as staunch conservatives and political outsiders – while simultaneously promoting their time working in the Trump administration.
Where they differ is on the result of the 2020 election – Leavitt openly trumpeted the former president’s lie that he won, while Mowers has not directly addressed it.
Trump did not endorse a candidate in the primary race, but the matchup divided support among Republican leaders in Congress.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, the two highest-ranking House Republicans, threw their support behind Mowers. While New York Rep. Elise Stefanik – ranking third – backed Leavitt, who previously served as her spokeswoman in Congress.
Leavitt’s connection to Stefanik partially links back to her historic start in Congress, when the New York Congresswoman made history in 2014 as the youngest woman ever elected to the House when she took office.
“[Stefanik] was one of the few people, frankly, in Washington that believed in me to do this,” Leavitt told NPR in an interview earlier this summer.
“I know Elise received that same condemnation when she wanted to run, so she really believed in me and believed that I had what it took,” she added.
Throughout her campaign, Leavitt framed her youth as an asset rather than a deterrent – arguing that younger voters need to hear from more conservative voices – even though a majority of those voters lean towards Democratic candidates.
Matt Mowers speaks during the final primary debate before Tuesday’s race. (Mary Schwalm/AP)
“It’s a very one-sided culture that we live in,” Leavitt told NPR, “How do we break through that mold? It’s by electing young people to office that can resonate with these voters, have a platform at the national stage, that can show them ideas, policies, values that they’re not hearing elsewhere.”
But for Mowers, who’s 33 years old and would easily be considered a younger member of Congress, in this race, Leavitt is nearly a decade younger, putting generational differences in the political spotlight.
Leavitt’s win comes less than a month after Democratic candidate Maxwell Frost made history as the first member of Gen Z to win a congressional primary.
Copyright NPR 2022.
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House To Get Census Bill https://digitalarizonanews.com/house-to-get-census-bill/
FILE – Then-Census Bureau Director nominee Robert Santos, testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee, Thursday, July 15, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Santos, now the Census Bureau director, said Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022, in an interview with The Associated Press that the statistical agency was starting its outreach efforts with hard-to-reach communities earlier, rather than just before the next count, which is in 2030. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
Democratic lawmakers intent on making sure that efforts by the Trump administration to politicize the 2020 census never happen again are moving forward with plans for safeguards they say will help the U.S. head count stay free of future interference.
Democratic House members are preparing this week to send legislation to the House floor that would put in place roadblocks against political meddling in the U.S. census, which determines political power and federal funding.
The House legislation getting a hearing this week in front of the Committee on Rules would require new questions on a census form to be vetted by Congress and mandate that a U.S. Census Bureau director couldn’t be fired without cause.
The proposed legislation vests the Census Bureau director with all technical, operational and statistical decisions and says a deputy director has to be a career staffer with experience in demographics, statistics or related fields. If approved by the committee, it will be sent to the House floor for a vote later this week.
The Biden administration said Tuesday it supported the legislation but indicated it may want to change provisions in the bill requiring that the Census Bureau’s annual budget include estimated costs over five years. Those provisions were added after preparations for the 2020 Census faced budget cuts and funding delays.
The Biden administration wants to make sure the bill doesn’t circumvent the Office of Management and Budget’s role in formulating budget requests and avoids “impinging on the President’s authority over Executive Branch agencies,” the office said in a statement.
The legislation’s goals overlap with recommendations made Tuesday by the Brennan Center for Justice that would limit interference from the executive branch and increase congressional oversight of the census. The think tank, which opposed the Trump administration’s efforts to end the U.S. head count early, recommends making the U.S. Census Bureau more independent.
The once-a-decade census determines how many congressional seats each state gets and the distribution of $1.5 trillion in federal spending each year. Its results are used for redrawing political districts.
The 2020 Census was one of the most challenging in recent memory not only because of the attempts at political interference but also because of the covid-19 pandemic and natural disasters.
In the years leading up to the 2020 Census, the Trump administration unsuccessfully tried to add a citizenship question to the census questionnaire — a move that advocates feared would scare off Hispanics and immigrants from participating, whether they were in the country legally or not. The Supreme Court blocked the question.
The Trump administration also unsuccessfully tried to get the Census Bureau to exclude people in the country illegally from population figures used for divvying up congressional seats among the states, also called the apportionment numbers.
Critics claimed the citizenship question was inspired by a Republican redistricting expert who believed using citizen voting-age population instead of the total population for the purpose of redrawing of congressional and legislative districts could be advantageous to Republicans and non-Hispanic whites.
“Existing law leaves too much room for political actors to override the best statistical science and manipulate the census,” the Brennan Center report said.
The Brennan Center was among several groups and local governments that sued in 2020 to prevent the Trump administration from ending door-knocking operations a month earlier than planned under a revised schedule put out by the Census Bureau in response to the covid-19 pandemic.
Critics feared the Trump administration wanted to end data collection and processing early to make sure President Donald Trump was still in office during the release of apportionment figures. The apportionment numbers were released in April 2021, four months after President Joe Biden took office and Trump left.
The Brennan Center report recommends making the Census Bureau entirely independent of the Commerce Department and giving the Census Bureau director, rather than political appointees at Commerce, final decision-making power over the census. The current director, Robert Santos, was appointed by Biden.
“Pulling the Census Bureau out from under the Commerce Department would be a major first step toward insulating the bureau against executive interference,” the report said.
The Brennan Center also recommends a change that’s not in the House legislation — creating permanent House and Senate committees or subcommittees dedicated to keeping track of the census. The current congressional committees that provide oversight have broad portfolios and can’t dedicate the time needed on the census, according to the report.
Even though many of the Trump administration’s political efforts ultimately failed, some advocates believe they did have an impact, with significantly larger undercounts of most racial and ethnic minorities in the 2020 Census compared to the 2010 Census.
The Black population in the 2020 Census had a net undercount of 3.3%, while it was almost 5% for Hispanics and 5.6% for American Indians and Native Alaskans living on reservations. Those identifying as some other race had a net undercount of 4.3%.
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Ken Starr Whose Probe Led To Clinton Impeachment Dies
Ken Starr, Whose Probe Led To Clinton Impeachment, Dies https://digitalarizonanews.com/ken-starr-whose-probe-led-to-clinton-impeachment-dies/
Ken Starr, a former federal appellate judge and a prominent attorney whose criminal investigation of Bill Clinton led to the president’s impeachment and put Starr at the center of one of the country’s most polarizing debates of the 1990s, has died at age 76, his family said Tuesday.
Starr died at a hospital Tuesday of complications from surgery, according to his former colleague, attorney Mark Lanier. He said Starr had been hospitalized in an intensive care unit in Houston for about four months.
For many years, Starr’s stellar reputation as a lawyer seemed to place him on a path to the Supreme Court. At age 37, he became the youngest person ever to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, where Chief Justice John Roberts and justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia also had served. From 1989-93, Starr was the solicitor general in the administration of President George H.W. Bush, arguing 25 cases before the Supreme Court.
Roberts said Tuesday: “Ken loved our country and served it with dedication and distinction. He led by example, in the legal profession, public service, and the community.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell remembered Starr Tuesday as “a brilliant litigator, an impressive leader, and a devoted patriot.”
Despite his impressive legal credentials, nothing could have prepared him for the task of investigating a sitting president.
In a probe that lasted five years, Starr looked into fraudulent real estate deals involving a long-time Clinton associate, delved into the removal of documents from the office of deputy White House counsel Vincent Foster after his suicide and assembled evidence of Clinton’s sexual encounters with Monica Lewinsky, a former White House intern. Each of the controversies held the potential to do serious, perhaps fatal, damage to Clinton’s presidency.
In a Tuesday tweet, Lewinsky expressed mixed emotions on the news of Starr’s death. “As I’m sure many can understand, my thoughts about ken starr bring up complicated feelings,” she tweeted. “But of more importance, is that i imagine it’s a painful loss for those who love him.”
As Clinton’s legal problems worsened, the White House pilloried Starr as a right-wing fanatic doing the bidding of Republicans bent on destroying the president.
“The assaults took a toll” on the investigation, Starr told a Senate committee in 1999. “A duly authorized federal law enforcement investigation came to be characterized as yet another political game. Law became politics by other means.”
In a bitter finish to his investigation of the Lewinsky affair that engendered still more criticism, Starr filed a report, as the law required, with the U.S. House of Representatives. He concluded that Clinton lied under oath, engaged in obstruction of justice and followed a pattern of conduct that was inconsistent with the president’s constitutional duty to faithfully execute the laws. House Republicans used Starr’s report as a roadmap in the impeachment of the president, who was acquitted in a Senate trial.
In 2020, he was recruited to help represent Trump in his first impeachment trial. In a memorable statement to Congress, Starr said “we are living in what I think can aptly be described as the ‘age of impeachment.’” He said that “like war, impeachment is hell, or at least presidential impeachment is hell.”
In a post to his Truth Social account, Trump paid tribute to Starr as “a true American Patriot who loved our Country and the Law. I so appreciated his support and his thoughts that our cause against fascists and other mentally sick people in our Country is just.”
Clinton’s legal problems began during the 1992 presidential campaign. Questions arose over the candidate’s ties to the owner of a failed Arkansas savings and loan. The issue faded quickly. But it caught the attention of federal regulators, who began looking into whether money from the S&L had been diverted to a real estate venture called Whitewater in which Bill and Hillary Clinton and the S&L’s owner, Jim McDougal, shared a financial interest.
Bowing to intense political pressure from Republicans and some members of his own party, Clinton called for appointment of a special counsel to investigate Whitewater. A three-member appeals court for independent counsels selected Starr.
On the Whitewater front, Starr’s prosecutors investigated Mrs. Clinton’s legal work for Jim McDougal’s S&L. Both she and the president were questioned by Starr’s prosecutors and their videotaped depositions were played for juries in criminal trials of McDougal and his ex-wife Susan. Neither of the Clintons was ever charged in connection with Whitewater.
The investigation of Clinton’s intimate relationship with Lewinsky was a Washington spectacle.
In 1995, Lewinsky went to work at the White House as an intern. During the government shutdown late that year, she and Clinton had a sexual encounter in a hallway near the Oval Office, the first of 10 sexual encounters over the next year and a half. Lewinsky confided the affair to a co-worker, Linda Tripp, who tape-recorded some of their conversations and brought the tapes to Starr’s prosecutors. Lewinsky was granted immunity from prosecution in the case that brought Starr celebrity and thrust a presidential sex scandal into America’s living rooms. She became Starr’s chief witness against the president, who had denied having sexual relations with her.
Putting the investigation behind him, Starr embarked on a career in academia, first as dean of the law school at Pepperdine University where he taught constitutional issues and civil procedures, then as president of Baylor University in his home state of Texas. He also became an author, writing “First Among Equals: The Supreme Court in American Life.”
Starr was demoted from the presidency at Baylor in 2016 amid a sex assault scandal that rocked the Big 12 school and its football program, as women alleged campus leaders at the nation’s largest Baptist school bungled or ignored their assault complaints. Baylor eventually settled with several women who filed a cascade of lawsuits, including a case where the victim of a 2015 attack accused Baylor of fostering a “hunting ground for sexual predators.”
The school’s board of regents allowed Starr to stay on as chancellor and law school professor, jobs that carried no “operational” duties at Baylor. He resigned altogether a few months later. Football coach Art Briles also was fired.
A review commissioned by the school found that under Starr, school administrators discouraged students from reporting or participating in student conduct reviews, and even contributed to or accommodated a “hostile” environment against the alleged victims.
In a statement, Starr apologized to “those victims who were not treated with the care, concern, and support they deserve.”
Starr was born in Vernon, a small Texas town near the Oklahoma state, and raised in San Antonio. He earned his B.A. from George Washington University in 1968, his M.A. from Brown University in 1969 and his J.D. degree from Duke University Law School in 1973. He was a law clerk to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger from 1975 to 1977.
As a young attorney at the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles, Starr worked with William French Smith, who became attorney general in the administration of President Ronald Reagan. Starr became counselor to Smith, and from there was nominated by Reagan to the federal appeals court.
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Letters To The Editor | Sept. 14, 2022 https://digitalarizonanews.com/letters-to-the-editor-sept-14-2022/
Biden’s speech was not divisive
After reading Jennifer Stefano’s screed against President Joe Biden in the paper, I had to go back and reread the president’s recent speech here in Philadelphia to see if I misheard or misremembered. No, I didn’t. The transcript says he denounced MAGA Republicans. Not all Republicans. In fact, he said, “I want to be very clear … Not every Republican, not even the majority of Republicans, are MAGA Republicans.” Who are MAGA Republicans? Those who “do not respect the Constitution. … [who] refuse to accept the results of a free election.” Donald Trump is the only president who tried to interfere with a peaceful transfer of power and has hailed those who stormed our U.S. Capitol and attempted to prevent Congress from doing its job as “patriots,” and he has vowed to consider pardoning all of them if reelected. If Stefano agrees with those Republicans who see that attack on democracy as “a legitimate form of protest,” then yes, she is a MAGA Republican, and yes, Biden was talking about her. If fully half the country, as she suggests, believes that what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, should not be condemned, then we’re in more trouble than Biden imagines.
Aaron Spiezer, Cherry Hill
I was disappointed to see both a letter to the editor and an op-ed criticizing President Joe Biden for condemning MAGA Republicans (Trump Republicans). Donald Trump refused to accept the results of a fair election, tried every scheme his lawyers could think of to try to stay in power, and when everything else failed, instigated an assault on the U.S. Capitol to prevent the transfer of power. Worse still, he watched the assault for hours and did nothing to stop it. MAGA Republicans have supported the lie of a stolen election, which presents a grave danger to our democracy — or, if you prefer, our democratic republic. Biden’s attack was not about differences in political views, but about saving our form of government. Biden’s purpose was to highlight that belief in our elections is necessary for our democracy to survive, and perpetuating the lie of a stolen election threatens this. If you want to find divisiveness, look no further than Trump’s frequent rallies, where he demonized the press, Democrats, and everyone who disagreed with him.
William J. Owens, Hammonton
Even if we buy the city’s feeble excuse for delays in mailing property tax notices — “an envelope shortage,” as you report — why doesn’t City Council step in to assist homeowners as we feverishly race to unravel assessment data, make informed decisions about appeals, and assemble the documents an appeal requires? Assessments were available online in May, but many homeowners, including elderly and low-income neighbors, may not have regular online access to this crucial information. Owning a computer or smartphone is costly. Public libraries, where many Philadelphians use computers for online services, have cut hours and staff, further limiting access to this information. Extending the appeal deadline by a few weeks or a month, and delaying the March 2023 tax implementation, likely would work no great hardship on the city’s ability to bill for the new taxes, and added time would go a long way to demonstrating that the city has taxpayers’ interests at heart.
Beth Z. Palubinsky, Philadelphia
In her recent op-ed “In Central Bucks schools, it doesn’t ‘get better,’” Lily Freeman, a trans student at Central Bucks High School East, courageously describes identity hate directed at her. It is alarming that our local school system refuses to publicly oppose this vitriol. The silence is an especially ironic rejection of a warning declared nearly seventy-five years ago by two famous Bucks county residents: Oscar Hammerstein II and James A. Michener. Hammerstein almost single-handedly invented the American musical as we know and love it. One of his many hits was the 1949 Broadway play South Pacific, based on Michener’s book, Tales of the South Pacific. A pointed song is “You’ve got to be taught.” A key line makes the entire play’s point: “You’ve got to be carefully taught to hate and fear.” How sad that today’s schools decline to fight this sort of bigotry.
Steven Miller, Doylestown, stevenmiller0470@gmail.com
Pro-turbines for South Jersey
I direct the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club, which strongly supports the development of substantial wind resources for electricity generation. Wind power is a reliable, clean, renewable resource that can help reduce our dependence on polluting fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) and nuclear power for electricity.
New Jersey, especially, has some of the worst air quality issues in the country, partly due to refineries and industrial facilities that release millions of pounds of chemicals into the air.Offshore wind is one of the most important ways New Jersey can move forward to deal with climate change while growing our economy. The project will power more than 500,000 homes, will create thousands of jobs over the project’s 25-year life span, and generate $1.2 billion in economic growth. Each proposed offshore wind project will help New Jersey to achieve 100% clean energy by 2050.
Once the offshore turbines are installed, their pylons create artificial reefs that can benefit several species of marine life, including mussels and demersal fish.
The windmills for Ocean Wind 1 will be placed in locations that have the best available wind and with the least environmental impact. With adequate site planning, the benefits of offshore wind power substantially outweigh the negative impacts associated with it.
Anjuli Ramos, Lawrence Township
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Gun Advocates Fight For Bump Stocks In Latest Court Hearing
Gun Advocates Fight For Bump Stocks In Latest Court Hearing https://digitalarizonanews.com/gun-advocates-fight-for-bump-stocks-in-latest-court-hearing/
News
A Trump administration ban on devices that enable a shooter to fire multiple rounds from semi-automatic weapons with a single trigger pull is back before a federal appeals court in New Orleans.
By KEVIN McGILL
Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court was told Tuesday that there is no basis in federal law for a Trump administration ban on bump stocks — devices that enable a shooter to fire multiple rounds from semi-automatic weapons with a single trigger pull.
The ban was instituted after a sniper using bump stock-equipped weapons massacred dozens in Las Vegas in 2017. Gun rights advocates are challenging it in multiple federal courts.
At issue is not the Second Amendment but whether bump stocks qualify as illegal “machine guns” under federal law. The rule banning the devices issued by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said that they do — a reversal, attorneys said, of a position held prior to the Las Vegas killings.
Opponents of the ban say the ATF’s rule doesn’t comply with federal law, and that it would take an act of Congress to ban bump stocks nationally.
So far, the ban, now being defended by the Biden administration, has survived challenges at the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the Denver-based 10th Circuit. Decisions on whether the Supreme Court will hear appeals in those cases are pending. It has also survived a challenge at the federal circuit court in Washington.
A panel of three judges at the 5th Circuit in New Orleans also issued a ruling in favor of the ban, but the full New Orleans-based court, currently with 16 active members, opted to hear new arguments. It’s unclear how quickly the full court will issue a ruling. Some judges raised the possibility in questions that they could await Supreme Court action in the other cases.
According to the ATF, bump stocks harness the recoil energy of a semiautomatic firearm so that a trigger “resets and continues firing without additional physical manipulation of the trigger by the shooter.” The shooter must maintain constant forward pressure on the weapon with the non-shooting hand, and constant pressure on the trigger with the trigger finger, according to Tuesday’s arguments.
But, opponents of the ATF rule argue that the trigger itself functions multiple times when a bump stock is used, so therefore bump stock weapons do not qualify as machine guns under federal law. They site language in the law that defines a machine gun as one that fires multiple times with a “single function of the trigger.”
“The trigger is going to function multiple times,” Richard Samp, arguing for a Texas gun owner, told the judges.
U.S. Department of Justice lawyer Mark Stern said the key is the action of the shooter.
“You only have to do one thing,” Stern told the judges. “Your trigger finger isn’t doing anything other than sitting still.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Trumps Pick To Run AZ Elections Accuses Pence Of Coup
Trump’s Pick To Run AZ Elections Accuses Pence Of ‘Coup’ https://digitalarizonanews.com/trumps-pick-to-run-az-elections-accuses-pence-of-coup/
Mark Finchem, the Republican nominee for secretary of state in Arizona, has enthusiastically championed a number of conspiracy theories—none more so than the conspiracy of a stolen 2020 election, which is the animating force behind his campaign to run Arizona’s elections.
But in a recent campaign speech, Finchem pushed the envelope, even by his own standards.
Just days before he won the August primary, Finchem was caught on tape blaming former Vice President Mike Pence for everything from orchestrating a “coup” to unseat Donald Trump after Jan. 6, to allegedly spying on the Trump campaign in 2016, to scheming to “steal” the presidency in 2024.
Finchem delivered the incendiary remarks on July 27 during a meeting of the far-right group United Patriots in Mesa. Video showing a portion of Finchem’s speech was quietly posted on YouTube on Monday and had racked up just 16 views as of Wednesday morning.
Wearing a cowboy hat and a red shirt that said “#ProveIt”—a reference to his demand that Maricopa County “prove” that the 2020 election wasn’t stolen—Finchem unspooled to a friendly crowd his unfounded allegations of a grand conspiracy involving the former vice president and a number of other supposedly nefarious actors.
First came the theory that Pence “seized power over an existing president”—Trump—following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. Finchem claimed he had usurped the authority to give orders to the Department of Defense and Department of Justice.
“How long has he been ordering those folks around?” Finchem said. “Apparently from January 6 to January 20. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s a coup.”
Then, Finchem claimed “it is now believed” that Pence was responsible for any federal law enforcement surveillance of Trump’s campaign in 2016, amid concerns about his team’s contact with Russian officials.
Although he did not elaborate on who believes this or why, Finchem linked the spying allegation to former Trump Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and former Speaker Paul Ryan, who he said “foisted Pence into the VP position to represent the interests of the establishment.”
Finally, Finchem accused Pence of a conspiracy to steal the 2024 nomination for president, and the presidency, by endorsing supporters of his for governors’ offices in key states. This year, Pence endorsed Gov. Brian Kemp, who refused Trump’s calls to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, as well as Karin Taylor Robson, who ran for governor in Arizona against Kari Lake, a staunch election denier herself.
Rattling off the number of electoral votes in each state where Pence endorsed a governor candidate, Finchem charged that Pence had “his people placed to steal 2024,” even though governors—famously—have no legal power to change the election results or the party nominating process.
Finchem returned to Ryan, noting he was on the board of Fox News—which Finchem pronounced first as “Faux News,” a reflection of the MAGA base’s increasing distaste and distrust of the right-wing media giant.
Bizarrely, Finchem noted the planned site of the 2024 GOP convention—in Ryan’s home state of Wisconsin—to somehow drive home the nefarious extent of the former Speaker’s plot to install Pence as president.
“Could it be that this is the coverup of the coup that happened in the first place?” Finchem said. “Especially since the RNC committee is going to be in Milwaukee, Wisconsin? Ladies and gentlemen, this is an indictment against the individuals who betrayed a president at the very moment they should have stood beside him.”
The Finchem campaign did not respond to a request for comment and to supply more information backing up his claims. A spokesperson for Pence did not respond to a request for comment.
While Pence has teased potential plans to run for president in 2024, public polls routinely show he has dramatically less GOP support than his former boss, Trump, or MAGA figures like Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. And of the Pence-endorsed candidates Finchem warned about, only Kemp ended up winning their primary.
Still, conspiracies about an all-powerful Pence have seized the right-wing fever swamps ever since the former veep became MAGA persona non grata, thanks to his refusal to illegally derail the process of certifying the 2020 election results.
Increasingly, these kinds of outlandish theories are being propagated not just by rank-and-file Trump supporters but by aspirants for powerful offices in key states, like Finchem.
A state legislator who is a member of the far-right Oath Keepers militia group, Finchem has made his campaign for Arizona secretary of state a vehicle to relitigate debunked claims of election fraud.
In August, Finchem comfortably won a crowded primary. He is now competing against Democrat Adrian Fontes for the chance to oversee elections—including the 2024 presidential contest—in Arizona, which has become one of the nation’s premier battleground states.
If he loses in November, Finchem has already promised not to concede.
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Richard Vincent Ric Richter Obituary (2022) Missoulian
Richard Vincent “Ric” Richter Obituary (2022) Missoulian https://digitalarizonanews.com/richard-vincent-ric-richter-obituary-2022-missoulian/
Richard “Ric” Vincent Richter
September 28, 1944- April 21, 2022
Richard “Ric” Richter left this world in April 2022 at his home in Oro Valley, AZ., where he lived with his loving wife, Jane, of 40 years. He was born in Glasgow, MT in 1944, and grew up in Big Sandy and Havre. One of his favorite memories, as the sixth man on the Big Sandy High School Basketball team, was swishing the winning basket in the state championship game in the 60’s. Ric went to the University of Montana, where he was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity, and graduated with a degree in pharmacy in the tradition of his father Vern and his brother Clarke. He married Georgane Edington, and they had two sons together before divorcing.
Ric owned and operated the Chester Clinic Pharmacy for 20 years before moving to Arizona with his wife Jane and family. He worked for Bashas’ Pharmacies in the Tucson area, where he opened more than five stores and was sought out by patients for his excellent counseling. Ric wore many hats including rock star, trickster, and amateur carpenter, adventurer, and outdoor enthusiast. His cabin built with friends and family in the Dearborn River area, has been an off-grid mecca for many years. He left a strong impression on all of us who knew him, from patients to band mates, friends, and family.
An avid musician from a young age, Ric played in more than ten different bands. In 1964, he became a member of the Legendary Montana Band: The Chosen Few, where he shared the front man duties with Mojo Collins. Ric was an electrifying performer, singer and musician. His band, The Chosen Few had a celebrated history playing from the beaches in North Carolina, in the “Village” in New York City and the major ballrooms in Washington and Oregon. In the 60’s there were very few performers and lead singers that could hold up on the same stage as Ric Richter. Another fond memory was performing as the front band for the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. One of his true passions was playing the “highline” in small towns in his native Montana. When Ric took the stage it was chaos and beauty combined with a style unmatched by few. Ric’s fans in Montana, now in their 70’s and 80’s, will never forget the dances they went to celebrating the early days of rock and roll. Some of his early recordings were recently released on vinyl-Long Time Comin’ (Lost Sounds from the Treasure State Vol. 1- 1958-1969). Roadmap by Ric Richter and the Double R Band is a CD he released in 2001.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Vaughn and Vern Richter and brothers, Clarke and Mike. He is survived by his wife Jane; step-mother, Helen; brothers, Rhett (Pearl) and Doug (Sarah); sister, Jan Holmquist (Stan); children, Jeremy (Maya, Amy, Kate), Jesse (Roan), Kristin Hertzog (Kerry McClellan), Liesl Norris (Stephen), and Ahren (Caitlin); grandchildren, Elliot, Tristan, Jackson, McKenna, Augustus, Ianassa, Kya, Kruz, Caden, Ezekiel, Jayden, Jonah, and Aria, numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A memorial service was held at Christ the King Episcopal Church in Tucson, AZ on July 1, 2022 and can be viewed on YouTube. Celebration of life memorial parties (pot luck & music) will be held in Kalispell on September 17 and at the family cabin in Big Belt Mountains on October 8. For more information you can contact www.flatheadvalleyblues.org, or [email protected], or (520) 404-9363
Published by Missoulian on Sep. 14, 2022.
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Helmuth Nitsch Obituary (2022) Lake Geneva Regional News
Helmuth Nitsch Obituary (2022) Lake Geneva Regional News https://digitalarizonanews.com/helmuth-nitsch-obituary-2022-lake-geneva-regional-news/
Helmuth Nitsch
Oct. 20, 1939 – Aug. 12, 2022
PHOENIX, AZ – Helmuth Nitsch – End of Hike – August 12, 2022 – at the age of 83 in Phoenix, AZ.
Helmuth is survived by his wife Karen also of Phoenix, AZ; four children: Wolfgang (Kathy) Nitsch, Tanya (Tom) Nolan, Angela (Jason) Christenson and Klaus Nitsch all residing in WI; as well as five step-children: Linda (Stan) Laing, Jacqueline Voss, Jon (Jill) Voss, Valerie Parkes, Terri (Dan) Boylan; and several grandchildren; and great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, brother and sister all of whom lived in Germany.
After his Apprenticeship in the Hotel Strauss, Bavaria, Helmuth’s adventures lead him to numerous countries aboard ships where he worked as a steward and waiter leading him to migrate to the United States of America. As a Restaurant Manager he transformed a variety of restaurants into first class establishments, providing the finest of dining pleasures.
Helmuth”s meticulous and intense devotion to perfection also included kayaking, camping, construction, cross country skiing, hiking and ultimately his total love and dedication to our lord and savior as well as the love of family.
Private funeral services were held in Phoenix, AZ shortly after Helmuth’s passing and a celebration of life will be held locally in WI with a date and place of ceremony to be announced in the near future.
The family would truly like to thank the Arizona Mayo Valley Hospice Center and their staff for the care and comfort they provided to our father the last days of his life.
Published by Lake Geneva Regional News on Sep. 14, 2022.
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Ukraine Has Recaptured Over 2300 Square Miles Of Territory; Risks To Putin's Regime Rise After Defeats
Ukraine Has Recaptured Over 2,300 Square Miles Of Territory; Risks To Putin's Regime Rise After Defeats https://digitalarizonanews.com/ukraine-has-recaptured-over-2300-square-miles-of-territory-risks-to-putins-regime-rise-after-defeats/
German Chancellor Scholz tells Putin to end the war in Ukraine during phone call
Olaf Scholz, Germany’s chancellor speaks at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for 90 minutes about the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“Given the seriousness of the military situation and the consequences of the war in Ukraine, the Chancellor urged the Russian President to find a diplomatic solution as soon as possible, based on a ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of Russian troops, and respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,” wrote German federal government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.
Scholz warned that any further Russian annexations “would not go unanswered and would not be recognized under any circumstances.”
The two leaders agreed to remain in contact. Scholz spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week.
— Amanda Macias
80% of NATO allies have approved Sweden and Finland’s entry into the alliance
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg talks speaks during a joint press with Sweden and Finland’s Foreign ministers after their meeting at the Nato headquarters in Brussels on January 24, 2022.
John Thys | AFP | Getty Images
Six NATO member countries have yet to sign ratification protocols for Finland and Sweden to join the military alliance.
Out of NATO’s 30 member countries, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Turkey are the last holdouts to grant Sweden and Finland membership.
In May, both nations began the formal process of applying to NATO as Russia’s war in Ukraine raged. All 30 members of the alliance have to ratify the countries’ entry into the group.
Last month, U.S. President Joe Biden signed ratification documents following a 95-1 Senate vote to bring Finland and Sweden into NATO.
— Amanda Macias
Pentagon closely monitoring reports of Iranian drones used by Russians in Ukraine
Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder speaks during a news briefing at the Pentagon September 6, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia. Brig. Gen. Ryder held a news briefing to answer questions from members of the press.
Alex Wong | Getty Images
The Pentagon said that it was not able to determine the impact of Russia’s use of Iranian drones on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said the U.S. was closely monitoring the situation but declined to confirm press reports that Russia had begun using the drones in Ukraine.
Last month, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed that Russia had received the drones but said it was “too soon to tell” how the new weapons would shape the combat.
“It remains to be seen what the overall impact is going to be on those drones, but it’s not going to change the kinds of capabilities we continue to provide,” Kirby told reporters on a conference call.
“We know of some difficulties that the Russians have been having with some of those drones,” Kirby added, but declined to elaborate.
— Amanda Macias
Ukrainian officials said they found a Russian-made torture chamber for civilians in Kharkiv region
Rescuers stand next to burnt cars after a Russian rocket strike in one of the districts of the second largest Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on July 21, 2022 amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Sergey Bobok | Afp | Getty Images
Ukrainian officials said they discovered a prison equipped with a makeshift torture chamber made by Russian forces in a city in the Kharkiv region.
Serhii Bolvinov, chief of Kharkiv’s region police force, wrote on Facebook that Russian troops were looking for civilians that helped Ukrainian forces.
He said that Russian forces took Ukrainian civilians living in Balaklia to a converted local police department and integrated those individuals.
“In the basement of the police department, the Russian soldiers made a prison and a torture chamber for local residents,” according to an NBC News translation of Bolvinov’s statement.
The Kremlin has previously said that it does not target civilians, which mounts to war crimes under international law.
— Amanda Macias
More than 300 villages in Kharkiv region liberated from Russian occupation, Ukraine says
Ukrainian flags placed on statues in a square in Balakliya, Kharkiv region, on Sept. 10 , 2022.
Juan Barreto | AFP | Getty Images
Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Hanna Malyar said that the counter-offensive carried out by Ukrainian troops in Kharkiv over several days resulted in the liberation of more than 300 villages from Russian occupation.
“The operation will continue until the area is wholly liberated,” Malyar said during a national telethon update, according to an NBC News translation.
She said that approximately 150,000 people living in a region spanning about 3,800 square kilometers are back under Ukrainian leadership.
— Amanda Macias
White House hints at new security package amid recent gains in Ukraine
John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, speaks during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 21, 2022.
Nicholas Kamm | AFP | Getty Images
The White House said another U.S. security assistance package for Ukraine installment would be announced in the coming days, but declined to elaborate on the details.
U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the next package would be tailored “in lockstep” with Kyiv’s requests and hailed recent Ukrainian advances to seize back territory from Russian forces.
“At least in the Donbas, there is a sense of momentum,” Kirby told reporters at the White House.
“Certainly in the north, we have seen Russians retreat from the Kharkiv oblast. They’ve left fighting positions, they’ve left supplies and they’re calling it a repositioning,” Kirby said, adding that Russian forces are still facing a slew of logistical challenges.
“It’s still a very large and very powerful military and Mr. Putin still has an awful lot of military capacity left at his disposal, not just to be used in Ukraine but potentially elsewhere,” Kirby added.
— Amanda Macias
Ukrainians prepare for winter in Ukraine
Ukrainians begin to prepare for winter as the Russian invasion drags on.
A Ukrainian man prepares for the cold winter and stocking up on firewood in Lviv, Ukraine, September 11, 2022.
Olena Znak | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Ukrainians are preparing for the cold winter and stocking up on firewood in Lviv, Ukraine on September 11, 2022.
Olena Znak | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
A Ukrainian man prepares for the cold winter and stocking up on firewood in Kharkiv, Ukraine, September 13, 2022.
Metin Atkas | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
A Ukrainian woman prepares for the cold winter and stocking up on firewood in Kharkiv, Ukraine, September 13, 2022.
Metin Atkas | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Ukrainians are prepare for the cold winter and stocking up on firewood in Kharkiv, Ukraine, September 13, 2022.
Metin Atkas | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
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Blinken says U.S. will continue to send weapons to Kyiv, hails advances made by Ukrainian forces
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a news conference about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, at the State Department in Washington, March 17, 2022.
Saul Loeb | Pool | Reuter
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed Ukraine’s lightning advances made over the weekend but cautioned that Russian forces still maintain “very significant forces in Ukraine.”
“As we’ve seen, the brutalization of the country continues by the Russian aggressor and there’s, I think, unfortunately, the prospect of this continues to go on, but I think it’s encouraging to see the progress that Ukraine has made,” Blinken told reporters alongside Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in Mexico City.
Blinken said the U.S. would continue to provide Kyiv with additional military aid packages.
“We will continue to do, what is necessary to support Ukraine to maintain pressure on Russia so that it ends its aggression,” Blinken added.
— Amanda Macias
Celebrity chef and humanitarian Jose Andres shares a video of food deliveries to Zaporizhzhia
Spanish celebrity chef and restaurateur Jose Andres shared a video on Twitter of his team delivering food to Ukrainian villages in the Zaporizhzhia region.
“Only one road where people can officially evacuate from the occupied region. Its called the “road of life,” wrote Andres.
The two-star Michelin chef brought the World Central Kitchen to Ukraine to address the mounting food crisis triggered by Russia’s war. He has previously said that more than 2 million food kits have been delivered to those affected by the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.
— Amanda Macias
U.N. says at least 5,827 killed in Ukraine since start of war
This photograph taken on July 15, 2022, shows recently made graves at a cemetery in the Vinogradnoe district, Donetsk region, amid the ongoing Russian military action in Ukraine.
– | Afp | Getty Images
The United Nations has confirmed 5,827 civilian deaths and 8,421 injuries in Ukraine since Russia invaded its ex-Soviet neighbor on Feb. 24.
The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said the death toll in Ukraine is likely higher, because the armed conflict can delay fatality reports.
The international organization said most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as missiles and airstrikes.
— Amanda Macias
Ukraine has exported 2.7 million metric tons of grains and othe...
Australia News LIVE: Queen Elizabeth IIs Coffin Arrives At Buckingham Palace; PM Extends Pandemic Leave Beyond September
Australia News LIVE: Queen Elizabeth II’s Coffin Arrives At Buckingham Palace; PM Extends Pandemic Leave Beyond September https://digitalarizonanews.com/australia-news-live-queen-elizabeth-iis-coffin-arrives-at-buckingham-palace-pm-extends-pandemic-leave-beyond-september/
Key posts
1 of 5
5.45pm
Australia could revive its car industry with EV, says Tesla chair
By David Crowe
Tesla chair Robyn Denholm says Australia should revive its auto industry by making batteries and electric vehicles to meet soaring global demand and help speed up the transition from petrol and diesel cars.
Denholm said Tesla and others needed more batteries as soon as possible to support the shift to electric vehicles and renewable power projects. The demand gives Australia a chance to build a new industry on its supply of raw materials, she added.
Robyn Denholm: “We have the know-how, we have the skills, and an abundance of mineral resources.”Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
The Australian tech executive, whose net worth is estimated to be $688 million from her position on the board of the world’s biggest electric vehicle company, said the shift to the new industry could be achieved without government incentives to subsidise manufacturing.
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“Australia is in a unique position because we have the minerals here that other countries don’t have,” she told the National Press Club on Wednesday.
“The supply chains for the electric vehicle and the lithium-ion storage batteries that are key for renewable energy are being formed now. That’s why I think it’s a unique opportunity.
“I do think the private sector and government need to work together. I don’t think that incentives are required because most business people will see the exponential growth that’s going to happen over the next period of time in those minerals.
“And moving up the value chain is important for job creation but it’s also important in terms of the economics that can be yielded with that. And that’s why, from my perspective, the time to act on that is now.”
Read more here.
5.35pm
The Queen’s favourite ‘classy cocktail’ sells out
By Jessica Yun
Dan Murphy’s and BWS are scrambling to restock a key ingredient used to make Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite cocktail as people raise a glass in memory of the British monarch.
Sales of Dubonnet Rouge, a French apéritif, jumped 465 per cent at Australia’s largest drinks retailer in the three days between Friday and Sunday compared with a typical seven-day trading week. The late Queen’s favourite cocktail is said to be two parts Dubonnet, one part gin, poured over ice with a lemon twist.
Dan Murphy’s is scrambling to restock Dubonnet, a French liqueur and crucial ingredient in the Queen’s favourite cocktail.Credit:Flavio Branceleone/SMH
“It’s certainly an acquired taste. It’s predominantly a fortified liqueur with spices, so it’s quite niche, quite popular in Europe – obviously very popular with the Queen,” Endeavour Group director of buying and merchandise Tim Carroll said.
The $13 billion beverages group is stocking up on the liqueur after several Dan Murphy’s and BWS stores ran out over the weekend.
Read more here.
5.21pm
‘A plaza for our people’: Sydney to get a new public square honouring Queen Elizabeth II
A new public square near Macquarie Street will be named after Queen Elizabeth II and feature a monument in her honour, as the NSW government pushes ahead with plans to reinvent the precinct.
The modern block adjoining the historic Registrar General’s Building in the centre of Sydney will be bulldozed later this year to make space for the outdoor plaza beside Hyde Park Barracks.
The NSW government wants to transform the Macquarie Street precinct east of Sydney’s CBD into a thriving arts and cultural hub.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced the royal tribute on Wednesday, and said the commemorative square would be named Queen Elizabeth II Place.
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Perrottet said the square and monument would “remember the service and dedication of Queen Elizabeth to the great people of NSW”.
The outdoor plaza will connect The Domain’s sprawling park lands to the heritage-listed Macquarie Street east precinct, which the government intends to transform into an arts and cultural district.
Perrottet said the space would not just be a place for reflection, but a space for recreation.
“It will be a plaza for our people, and it’ll be open space [with] cafés, and the like. This is a place to gather and also connect with each other, both through the urban side and the garden side,” Perrottet said.
Read more here.
5.10pm
ASX posts worst decline in 3 months as inflation shock hits home
By Colin Kruger and Carla Jaeger
Welcome to your five-minute recap of the trading day and how the experts saw it.
The numbers: Almost $63 billion was wiped off the value of the Australian sharemarket this morning, with the S&P/ASX 200 plunging as much as 2.9 per cent at the open, after shock inflation figures in the US tanked sentiment on Wall Street.
The benchmark index recovered slightly to close 2.58 per cent lower at 6828.60 points -its worst decline in almost three months.
The ASX has tumbled by 2.8 per cent in early trade.Credit:Louie Douvis
The lifters: There were very few stocks to come out of today’s bloodbath unscathed: Stock transfer company Computershare added 1.02 per cent; Whitehaven Coal gained 0.71 per cent; and investment company Infratil gained a modest 0.36 per cent.
The laggards: Lynas Rare Earth lost around 5 per cent; Bathroom supplies company Reece dropped 4.98 per cent; accounting software Xero slipped 4.88 per cent; and PC software company Altium shed 4.71 per cent.
Elsewhere, Lithium company Lake Resources’ shares sunk 16.54 per cent amid news of a dispute with its collaborator for its Kachi Pilot plant.
The lowdown: Sharemarkets tumbled across the globe on Wednesday amid a realisation that inflation in the world’s largest economy isn’t slowing as much as hoped. US inflation data for August came in higher than the market expected overnight, which triggered investor fears of more drastic interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve, triggering the biggest drop on Wall Street since June 2020.
All 11 sectors on the local bourse closed in the red on Wednesday, with real estate providing the main drag, down around 4.16 per cent. Financial stocks also fell 2.86 per cent, with all four big banks declining for the first time in five days.
“Everyone’s a bit worried,” said Elio D’Amato, founder of investor advice service Spotee Connect.
“It’s just the shoot first, ask questions later … The biggest fall in three months is always going to be unnerving on market open.”
Read more here.
4.53pm
Victorian health minister: ‘miscommunication’ made mother go to Adelaide for urgent scan
By Lachlan Abbott
Circling back to the Victorian health minister’s press conference, Mary-Anne Thomas also said a hospital miscommunication caused a mother to travel to South Australia for an urgent medical scan.
Mother of two Kylie Hennessy, who needed the scan ahead of surgery on a brain tumour, was forced to travel to Adelaide last week after being told she faced a months-long wait for a “functional MRI” scan in Melbourne.
However, Thomas told reporters two of Victoria’s four specialist FMRI machines were fully functional and arrangements were previously being made to provide Hennessy with access to another machine at the Florey Institute in Melbourne.
“Unfortunately due to miscommunication from the hospital to Ms Hennessy, the work that was being done to ensure that Ms Hennessy could receive the FMRI at the Florey Institute was not communicated to her in a timely way,” she said.
Thomas also said she had spoken with Victorian Education Minister Natalie Hutchins, who has apologised after she responded to a question about Hennessy’s experience earlier today and said that sometimes equipment is not available and that, from her own personal experience in the healthcare system, patients sometimes had to “roll with the punches”.
Thomas said Hutchins’s comment was based on her own personal experience in caring for her late husband through cancer and treatment.
“I don’t want anyone leaving this press conference thinking that we have anything but great sympathy for the experience Ms Hennessy has had during what is already an incredibly stressful time,” Thomas said.
4.48pm
Albanese’s bid to host UN climate conference ‘hypocritical’: Pacific statesmen
By Mike Foley
The Albanese government would look hypocritical leading a Pacific nations bid to host a United Nations climate conference, according to regional statesmen, as Australia’s own emissions’ reduction target falls short of what is needed to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees.
Former Kiribati president Anote Tong and former Palau president Thomas Remengesau, who represent the Pacific Elders Voice group, said the Australian government’s target to cut greenhouse gases 43 per cent by 2030 didn’t meet the standard required of a signatory of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Former Kiribati president Anote Tong and former Palau president Thomas Remengesau at parliament in Canberra on Wednesday.Credit:Alex Ellinghausen.
Australia has pledged emissions reduction levels consistent with limiting global warming as close as possible to 1.5 degrees. Labor’s 43 per cent target, passed into law on September 8, is consistent with 2 degrees warming or more.
The Albanese government has said it would support new coal and gas projects if the economic and environmental cases stack up.
Warnings from Pacific leaders follow a report from the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organisation on Wednesday that said the current emissions reduction commitments from nations around the world must be seven times higher to get global warming on track to be limited to 1.5 degrees.
Pacific nations will need to endorse the Albanese government’s bid to the UN to host the next...
For The Very Rich $3200 A Night Is A Prototypical New York Experience
For The Very Rich, $3,200 A Night Is A ‘Prototypical’ New York Experience https://digitalarizonanews.com/for-the-very-rich-3200-a-night-is-a-prototypical-new-york-experience/
Good morning. It’s Wednesday. We’ll get a glimpse of a $3,200-a-night hotel room. We’ll also look at the ethics complaint that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo filed against the state attorney general, Letitia James.
Image
Credit…Katherine Marks for The New York Times
But the owner of the Aman New York is not just any hotel chain. Its hotels have members-only clubs that cost $200,000 to join. And the Aman New York is tiny in comparison with a chain hotel like, say, the 1,878-room New York Hilton Midtown. The Aman New York has only 83 guest rooms. The bathrooms in some of them seem larger than some New York apartments, our reporter Heather Murphy told me.
The Aman New York — on Fifth Avenue at 57th Street, diagonally across from Trump Tower — also has 22 apartments. They are reached through an entrance that is separate from the one to the hotel and “looks kind of like a vault in a James Bond movie — all bronze and solid,” she told me. “I went to go look at the door and was told to please step back.”
Upstairs is a five-level penthouse that real estate news sites have reported was in contract for $180 million, a price that the New York real estate appraiser Jonathan Miller said would make it the third most expensive home ever sold in the United States.
As for the hotel, Heather wanted to experience “the Amanness of it all” — to understand why billionaires and celebrities are so devoted to the Aman brand and its resorts, which are scattered across 20 countries.
She found that at the Aman New York, the $3,200 rooms have at least 745 square feet of space, along with gas fireplaces, retractable flat-screen televisions and oak floors. From the room a guest can go to the Aman’s jazz club, its greenery-filled terrace or its cryotherapy chamber, where the noise levels are podcast-studio quiet — although, as one staff member acknowledged, most podcasters cannot afford the Aman.
“What I found by hanging out and talking to people about it is international visitors, when they come to New York, they want that sense of a prototypical New York experience,” she said. “They’re intrigued by being close to Central Park. The Museum of Modern Art is nearby, and people with tons of money like being near all the shopping. Bergdorf’s is there, and Louis Vuitton.”
But views from the hotel rooms at the Aman New York? She said they won’t take your breath away. Unlike Aman resorts overseas that look out on UNESCO heritage sites, “the primary view that these people get for their several thousand dollars is the Trump Tower. And traffic.”
In recent weeks, the Aman chain has put the building up for sale. Bloomberg said it could go for around $600 million. In confirming the report, Anna Nash, Aman’s chief commercial officer, said a sale would be subject to a long-term management contract with Aman. “The hotel, club and residences will remain as they are,” she said.
Meaning, expensive — so expensive that it’s impossible not to be troubled by the contrasts that exist almost side by side in New York. “I took the subway home” after one visit, Heather told me, “and when I got off the subway in my neighborhood in Brooklyn, there was a bunch of homeless people sleeping outside. It’s startling to imagine the discrepancies in wealth.”
And the gap may only widen. “People who are used to going and spending $30,000 a day, they haven’t been able to do that” in the pandemic, she said. Now, according to several luxury travel agents she interviewed, “they’re not only ready to spend it, they’re excited to.”
One item they could buy at the Aman New York is a custom-created New York fragrance. “It didn’t smell like any New York smell that I have smelled before,” she said, “but New York is a city full of smells and I am not a member of $200,000 clubs, so it’s possible that the smell in $200,000 clubs has more of this undertone of cement intersecting with cinnamon that I detected.”
Weather
Enjoy a sunny day with highs in the low 80s. Tonight will be clear with lows in the mid-60s.
ALTERNATE-SIDE PARKING
In effect until Sept. 26 (Rosh Hashana).
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Credit…Justin Lane/EPA, via Shutterstock
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Credit…Victor J. Blue for The New York Times
Not quite 13 months after he left Albany, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo filed a state ethics complaint against Attorney General Letitia James, who oversaw the inquiry into sexual harassment claims that led to his resignation.
In 48 pages, Cuomo told the courts’ committee that disciplines lawyers who violate rules of professional conduct that James had “her own politically motivated and self-interest-driven agenda.” He said the rules she had broken included one barring lawyers from engaging in conduct “involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.”
The filing with the attorney grievance committee was Cuomo’s latest move in his drive to salvage his reputation. Cuomo, who earlier in the year spent millions on television commercials that sought to rehabilitate his image, recently emailed supporters an opinion article from The Daily News and spent $60,000 promoting it in Facebook ads aimed at reframing the narrative about why he left office. The article raised questions about some of the claims James had made against him. It also suggested that he may have been the victim of excessive #MeToo zeal.
He won a court battle last month when a judge in Albany said he could keep $5.1 million from a book deal that a state ethics board wanted him to hand over.
James’s six-month investigation detailed multiple instances in which women accused Cuomo of inappropriate and illegal behavior, including unwanted touching and an unsolicited kiss; in one instance, he was said to have groped a former aide’s breast.
He apologized for making any of the women feel uncomfortable but has repeatedly denied touching anyone inappropriately, while his lawyers have sought to undermine the women’s accounts.
Five district attorneys began investigations after James’s report was issued. All five concluded that there were insufficient legal grounds to bring criminal charges against Cuomo, though several said they had found the women to be credible.
Delaney Kempner, a spokeswoman for James, said in a statement that Cuomo had “resigned after an independent investigation revealed that he preyed on multiple women who worked for him.
“New Yorkers are ready to move forward and close this sordid chapter in our state’s history,” Kempner added.
The committee works in private, often at a sluggish pace. Last year, it temporarily suspended former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who served as a lawyer for President Trump before and after he left the White House, while it considers disciplinary charges for his role in misleading the public about the results of the 2020 election.
METROPOLITAN diary
Playground problem
Dear Diary:
I grew up in an apartment building across the street from Queens College. The playground was a marvel, with monkey bars, a wooden corral and benches ringing the base of the giant oak where older women passed the day in the shade.
There was one boy who liked to throw a tennis ball as high into the air as he could while the rest of us played around him.
Once, a praying mantis landed on the asphalt. Everyone ran to look at it.
One kid said it was a $50 fine if you killed a mantis. Fifty dollars was all the money in the world to us, so we gave that insect plenty of room, all the while marveling at its alien-ish features.
The inevitable happened, of course: The tennis ball, flying up toward the moon, came down squarely on the bug.
Read More Here
Asian Shares Extend Global Rout Yen Perks Up On Intervention Hints
Asian Shares Extend Global Rout, Yen Perks Up On Intervention Hints https://digitalarizonanews.com/asian-shares-extend-global-rout-yen-perks-up-on-intervention-hints/
An electronic stock quotation board is displayed inside a conference hall in Tokyo, Japan November 1, 2021. REUTERS/Issei Kato
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Nikkei tumbles 2.3%, S&P 500 futures stabilise
Dollar falls 0.6% on yen on news of rate check from BoJ
2-yr U.S. yields scale new 15-yr high of 3.8040%
U.S. yield curve remains deeply inverted
SYDNEY, Sept 14 (Reuters) – Asian stocks tumbled on Wednesday as U.S. data dashed hopes for an immediate peak in inflation, although the dollar paused its relentless run against the yen as Japan gave its strongest signal yet it was unhappy with the currency’s sharp declines.
Data on Tuesday showed the headline U.S. consumer price index gained 0.1% on a monthly basis versus expectations for a 0.1% decline. In particular, core inflation, stripping out volatile food and energy prices, doubled to 0.6%. read more
Wall Street saw its steepest fall in two years, the safe-haven dollar posted its biggest jump since early 2020, and two-year Treasury yields, which rise with traders’ expectations of higher Fed fund rates, jumped to the highest level in 15 years.
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The stock rout is set to hit European markets, with the pan-region Euro Stoxx 50 futures , German DAX futures and FTSE futures off more than 0.7%.
In Asia, MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) fell 2.2% on Wednesday, dragged lower by a 2.4% plunge in resources-heavy Australia (.AXJO), a 2.5% drop in Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index (.HSI) and a 1.5% fall in Chinese bluechips (.CSI300).
Japan’s Nikkei (.N225) tumbled 2.6%.
After a heavy equity selloff overnight, both the S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures rose 0.2%.
“Markets have reacted violently to what I would consider to be a modest miss in U.S. CPI,” said Scott Rundell, chief investment officer at Mutual Limited.
“Futures have stabilised, so we might see a dead-cat bounce tonight.”
Financial markets now have fully priced in an interest rate hike of at least 75 basis points at the conclusion of the Fed’s policy meeting next week, with a 38% probability of a super-sized, full-percentage-point increase to the Fed funds target rate, according to CME’s FedWatch tool.
A day earlier, the probability of a 100 bps hike was zero.
“USD rates are now pricing in a Fed funds rate of 4.25% by end-2022 (75bps, 75bps, 25bps for the remaining three meetings). Decent odds of a 4.5% peak early 2023 is also reflected,” said Eugene Leow, senior rates strategist at Deutsche Bank.
“While resilient growth and slowing inflation can make for a better risk taking environment, the U.S. economy now looks too hot still. With no clear signs of the labour market slowing and inflation still problematic, a downshift from the Fed looks set to be delayed again.”
The strength of the U.S. dollar had pressured the rate sensitive Japanese yen close to its 24-year low at 149.96 yen before giving up some of the gains on news that the Bank of Japan has conducted a rate check in apparent preparation for currency intervention. read more
Yen-buying intervention is rare. The last time Japan intervened to support its currency was in 1998, when the Asian financial crisis triggered a yen sell-off and rapid capital outflows.
Earlier in the day, Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said that currency intervention was among options the government would consider. read more
The dollar now hovered at 143.7 yen , down 0.6% for the day.
Many traders remained doubtful that intervention was imminent, but the jump in the yen pointed to rising nerves. The timing of the BOJ’s move also suggests that 145 per dollar will be an important level for markets and the authorities.
The two-year U.S. Treasury yield scaled a new 15-year high of 3.8040% on Friday before retreating to 3.7629%, and its curve gap with the benchmark 10-year yields widened to around 34 basis points, compared with just 16 basis points a week ago.
The yield curve inversion is usually treated as a warning of recession.
The 10-year Treasury note yield held steady at 3.4178%.
Oil prices edged lower on Friday. U.S. crude settled down 0.6% at $86.82 per barrel and Brent eased by a similar margin at $92.65.
Gold was slightly higher. Spot gold was traded at $1703.02 per ounce.
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Reporting by Stella Qiu; Editing by Stephen Coates, Ana Nicolaci da Costa and Sam Holmes
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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Package Explodes On Boston School's Campus Injuring Staff Member
Package Explodes On Boston School's Campus, Injuring Staff Member https://digitalarizonanews.com/package-explodes-on-boston-schools-campus-injuring-staff-member/
A Northeastern University staff member is being treated for minor injuries after a package delivered to the Boston campus detonated while they were opening it, according to the school.A spokesperson for Northeastern said the explosion happened shortly after 7 p.m. at Holmes Hall, home to the university’s creative writing program.No students were injured in the explosion, according to the university.Boston police said they responded to 39 Leon St., the listed address for Holmes Hall, shortly before 7:20 p.m. after being notified of the package explosion.”We first saw two policemen kind of walking quickly into the building,” said Northeastern student Jacob Isaacs. “The police started putting up tape.”Boston firefighters also responded to the scene and helped police evacuate some of the buildings on campus, according to Boston police Commissioner Michael Cox.”One of the ladder trucks hoisted a ladder up to the roof of the building and a firefighter, with what I believe was an ax, went up on top of the building,” said student Ryan Dicorpo.Responding police officers and Boston Emergency Medical Services personnel found the staff member, a 45-year-old man, suffering from minor hand injuries. That man was transported to an area hospital for treatment.”I take very seriously that this city is home to everyone’s young people, from our littlest learners up to our college students and university staff,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. “So we want to make sure we emphasize that this is of the utmost priority: the safety and well-being of all of our young people here.”A search revealed a second similar package that was ultimately rendered safe by the Boston Police Department’s bomb squad.Cox said the Boston Police Department is working with its law enforcement partners at Boston Regional Intelligence, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).”We are going to be working and continue to work with all our campus security partners, as well, to make sure all the students here are safe — as well as the rest of the residents in the city,” the commissioner said.The FBI’s Boston Division confirmed that it is offering its full support to its partners, especially Boston police, including the full resources of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, evidence response team and special agent bomb technicians.”We’re fully integrated with our partners and remain committed to resolving the incident safely,” said FBI Boston Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie.Holmes Hall was evacuated and a notification was sent to the Boston campus at 7:55 p.m. urging people to avoid the area.”We’re also right across the street from a residence hall, so no one has been able to go in and out,” said student Susanna Maize.Shortly after 8:30 p.m., the university notified Northeastern students that evening classes at the Behrakis Health Sciences Center, Shillman Hall, Ryder Hall, Kariotis Hall, Dockser Hall and West Village F are canceled due to the ongoing investigation. 5 Investigates reporter Mike Beaudet said he was teaching a journalism class at Northeastern University at the time. He said his class was moved outside but that neither he nor any of his students heard any explosions.”I didn’t hear any explosions. I don’t think any of the other students did,” Dicorpo said. “But we heard the fire alarm and so we assumed we should leave.””It’s pretty late at night. Our class was an exception. Most students are home for the day. There’s not a lot of classes going on,” Maize said.At about 10 p.m., NewsCenter 5’s Nathalie Pozo received an alert from the university stating that the scene at Holmes Hall was contained and the campus was secured.Pozo then received an alert at about 11:30 p.m. that stated Northeastern’s Boston campus is expected to be open and fully operational on Wednesday.”It’s very important to note that our campus is secure and we will maintain a secure campus in perpetuity,” said Northeastern University police Chief Michael Davis. “That’s our work and that’s what we continue to do, and we’ll be working with our partners here to get this resolved.”In the wake of the incident at Northeastern, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both in Cambridge, are urging all members of the campus communities to be cautious and report any suspicious packages.Boston police told NewsCenter 5 that they received a 911 call shortly before 8:30 p.m. regarding a suspicious package behind the Museum of Fine Arts, which is less than a mile away from Holmes Hall. A Massachusetts State Police official said the package behind the MFA was quickly determined to be trash and not a hazard.Boston University, meanwhile, notified its students late Tuesday night that deliveries from BU Mail Services have been suspended following the Northeastern package explosion. BU said direct courier deliveries are still allowed, but campus police reminded all members of the school community to be cautious about deliveries.No arrests have been announced in connection with the package explosion at Northeastern University. Boston police, Northeastern police and FBI Boston continue to investigate the incident.
BOSTON —
A Northeastern University staff member is being treated for minor injuries after a package delivered to the Boston campus detonated while they were opening it, according to the school.
A spokesperson for Northeastern said the explosion happened shortly after 7 p.m. at Holmes Hall, home to the university’s creative writing program.
No students were injured in the explosion, according to the university.
Boston police said they responded to 39 Leon St., the listed address for Holmes Hall, shortly before 7:20 p.m. after being notified of the package explosion.
“We first saw two policemen kind of walking quickly into the building,” said Northeastern student Jacob Isaacs. “The police started putting up tape.”
Boston firefighters also responded to the scene and helped police evacuate some of the buildings on campus, according to Boston police Commissioner Michael Cox.
“One of the ladder trucks hoisted a ladder up to the roof of the building and a firefighter, with what I believe was an ax, went up on top of the building,” said student Ryan Dicorpo.
Responding police officers and Boston Emergency Medical Services personnel found the staff member, a 45-year-old man, suffering from minor hand injuries. That man was transported to an area hospital for treatment.
“I take very seriously that this city is home to everyone’s young people, from our littlest learners up to our college students and university staff,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. “So we want to make sure we emphasize that this is of the utmost priority: the safety and well-being of all of our young people here.”
A search revealed a second similar package that was ultimately rendered safe by the Boston Police Department’s bomb squad.
Cox said the Boston Police Department is working with its law enforcement partners at Boston Regional Intelligence, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
“We are going to be working and continue to work with all our campus security partners, as well, to make sure all the students here are safe — as well as the rest of the residents in the city,” the commissioner said.
The FBI’s Boston Division confirmed that it is offering its full support to its partners, especially Boston police, including the full resources of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, evidence response team and special agent bomb technicians.
“We’re fully integrated with our partners and remain committed to resolving the incident safely,” said FBI Boston Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie.
Holmes Hall was evacuated and a notification was sent to the Boston campus at 7:55 p.m. urging people to avoid the area.
“We’re also right across the street from a residence hall, so no one has been able to go in and out,” said student Susanna Maize.
Shortly after 8:30 p.m., the university notified Northeastern students that evening classes at the Behrakis Health Sciences Center, Shillman Hall, Ryder Hall, Kariotis Hall, Dockser Hall and West Village F are canceled due to the ongoing investigation.
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5 Investigates reporter Mike Beaudet said he was teaching a journalism class at Northeastern University at the time. He said his class was moved outside but that neither he nor any of his students heard any explosions.
“I didn’t hear any explosions. I don’t think any of the other students did,” Dicorpo said. “But we heard the fire alarm and so we assumed we should leave.”
“It’s pretty late at night. Our class was an exception. Most students are home for the day. There’s not a lot of classes going on,” Maize said.
At about 10 p.m., NewsCenter 5’s Nathalie Pozo received an alert from the university stating that the scene at Holmes Hall was contained and the campus was secured.
Pozo then received an alert at about 11:30 p.m. that stated Northeastern’s Boston campus is expected to be open and fully operational on Wednesday.
“It’s very important to note that our campus is secure and we will maintain a secure campus in perpetuity,” said Northeastern University police Chief Michael Davis. “That’s our work and that’s what we continue to do, and we’ll be working with our partners here to get this resolved.”
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Update 10:15pm: Northeastern says the scene is contained & the campus is secured. One staff member sustained minor injuries due to an explosion. ...
Yankee Ingenuity: Ukraine’s Powerful Weapon https://digitalarizonanews.com/yankee-ingenuity-ukraines-powerful-weapon/
Authoritarians control their flock with flattery about their inborn goodness and fear-mongering about the outside forces threatening it. There’s an underlying laziness to all this. It frees the followers from thinking things through since the strongman is going to protect them. And it frees the strongman from winning them over with real improvements.
Vladimir Putin railed that the West was using gay rights to weaken Russia, a charge moderns find laughable. Putin would have better spent that time investigating the debased state of his military. But leaders running on hot air tend not to burden themselves with details.
Putin accused Ukrainians of “mindlessly emulating foreign models.” A more accurate word would have been “mindfully.” Ukraine’s growing affinity with the West is why its people — softened by consumerism, according to the mythology — have so far beaten back Russia’s far bigger brute forces. And contrary to the stories Putin keeps telling his public and probably himself, Ukrainians’ desire to unite with their Russian brethren appears close to nonexistent.
West-facing Ukrainians are outmaneuvering the Russian invaders with technology and inventiveness, what some would call Yankee ingenuity. The term originally referred to New Englanders’ ability in the 19th century to marry know-how with the materials at hand. The result, the Industrial Revolution, was forced on a region with few natural resources other than resourcefulness.
Though Ukraine enjoys enormous support from the United States and others, military experts are astounded at how its fighters jury-rigged slow Turkish-made Bayraktar attack drones to drop grenades on Russian assets. They gussied up an old Soviet anti-ship missile design by adding modern electronics. They loaded the renamed “Neptune” missiles on a truck, drove it within range of Russia’s flagship, and down went the Moskva to the bottom of the Black Sea.
U.S. military experts have updated the concept of Yankee ingenuity with a reference to the ’80s TV series “MacGyver.” They said Ukrainians had “MacGyvered” these weapons systems. In the show, action hero Angus MacGyver gets out of close scrapes by cleverly putting ordinary things to new uses. His “weapons” were a Swiss Army knife and his brains, not a gun. In one episode, he blew through a stone wall using steam pressure and spare pipe that was lying around. (A plumber friend tells me that this, actually, would not work.)
One recalls the native ingenuity of U.S. soldiers in World War II. A famous scene in “Saving Private Ryan” shows Americans just landed on Omaha Beach creating a makeshift periscope by attaching a shaving mirror to a bayonet blade with chewing gum.
Shortly after the landing, American tanks suffered losses as they rolled over the hedgerows lining roads in Normandy, thus exposing their undersides to attack. Then tank commander Curtis Culin fixed sheets of steel to the front of the tanks, creating a hedge cutter that could plow right through the dense growth. Where did he get the steel? From a German roadblock.
No discussion about brain-freezing authoritarianism should leave out Donald Trump. When Putin first invaded Ukraine, Trump called him a “genius” and declared with trademark childlike wonder, “There were more army tanks than I’ve ever seen!” Trump didn’t bother with deeper analysis, so busy he was trying to undermine American democracy.
Authoritarian blowhards talk much the same way. “No matter who tries to stand in our way,” Putin said with Trumplike fire and fury, “must know that Russia will respond immediately, and the consequences will be such as you have never seen in your entire history.”
Ukraine’s leaders, meanwhile, are enjoying real-world victories by working their creative thoughts rather than their mouths. Yankee ingenuity could be Ukraine’s most powerful weapon.
Follow Froma Harrop on Twitter @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com.
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Commentary: Elwood Watson Biden Angers But He Isnt Wrong
Commentary: Elwood Watson — Biden Angers, But He Isn’t Wrong https://digitalarizonanews.com/commentary-elwood-watson-biden-angers-but-he-isnt-wrong/
Predictably, many Republicans melted into volcanic spasms and hissy fits after President Biden delivered his speech in Philadelphia a few weeks ago.
In one of his rare prime time addresses to the nation, Biden declared in clear and no uncertain terms that the American democratic experiment is in serious danger due to Donald Trump and those in the GOP who remain his steadfast allies.
Former South Carolina governor and ex-U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley said she was disturbed by the “dark imagery” surrounding the president. The habitually shameful Marjorie Taylor Greene referred to Biden as “demented.” Equally horrendous Fox News host Tucker Carlson compared the background accompanying the president’s message to Nazism. Monica Crowley, a former Fox News contributor and Trump administration official, referred to the event as “nothing short of satanic.”
No one should be surprised by such juvenile political histrionics coming from the more extreme corners. After all, such routine overzealousness is their stock and trade.
For all the chest thumping and disingenuous ranting and raving, did Biden say anything that was false? For those who claim the speech was angry, divisive, or hateful, the reality is that many extremists epitomize those same traits. By and large, these extremists do not have any genuine regard for the Constitution, spit in the face at the rule of law, disregard the will of the American people and refused to accept the results of a free, fair and equitable election.
Indeed, many of their faithful — from politicians to ordinary citizens — were supportive of Trump’s determination to overturn his election defeat in November 2020. Who doesn’t remember many rioters (I will not call them protesters) ferociously yelling chilling chants to “Hang Mike Pence!”
Trump, in ever Machiavellian fashion, said in a radio interview that if he was elected again in 2024, he would “look very, very favorably” at pardoning the Capitol insurrectionists. Let’s not forget, Trump-worshiping sycophant Lindsey Graham promised there will be “riots in the streets” if Trump is criminally charged for hoarding top-secret documents at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago. Relatedly, you have Republican elected officials in numerous states aiming to place themselves in positions of power to manipulate and control voting machines and other equipment in future elections in an effort to potentially disregard any Democratic wins as null and void.
In response, a number of prominent historians met with president Biden earlier this summer and discussed their concerns over what they see as a democracy potentially teetering on the brink of collapse. As someone who is a historian by training, not since the 1850s has this nation been so politically and culturally volatile or vulnerable.
To be sure, the president made it clear he was not speaking of all Republicans — just the right-wing MAGA types. In the true bipartisan fashion that has been one his primary attributes, Biden proudly discussed how he has productively worked with a number of those on the other side of the political aisle, crafting and passing legislation for the betterment of the nation. Such an image is a far cry from the wanton, retrograde MAGA forces that currently dominate and control the party.
There was considerable talk across the political spectrum of Biden having two uniformed Marines in the background as he delivered his speech. Such imagery seemed ominous, but given the theme of his speech, their inclusion seemed most fitting and appropriate. Biden unequivocally stated, “We are in a battle for the soul of this nation,” pitting democracy against autocracy. I concur with such sentiment.
Most rational minded people can probably only shudder at the prospect of a 2024 presidential election in which a MAGA-controlled Congress propels the reactionary agenda of a dictator-in-waiting, whether it be Trump or some wannabe MAGA clone. Such a situation would likely make martial law seem benign in comparison.
Elwood Watson is a professor of history, Black studies, and gender and sexuality studies at East Tennessee State University. He is also an author and public speaker.
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Why Are We Surprised Barr Covered-Up Trump's Treason When He Did The Same For Bush And Reagan
Why Are We Surprised Barr Covered-Up Trump's Treason When He Did The Same For Bush And Reagan https://digitalarizonanews.com/why-are-we-surprised-barr-covered-up-trumps-treason-when-he-did-the-same-for-bush-and-reagan/
Geoffrey Berman has a new book out, Holding the Line: Inside the Nation’s Preeminent US Attorney’s Office and Its Battle with the Trump Justice Department, laying out chapter and verse of how Bill Barr corrupted the Department of Justice on behalf of Donald Trump. Barr’s coverups for Trump range, in my read, from criminal activity to treason.
It shouldn’t surprise us.
There was also a time when George HW Bush and Ronald Reagan were facing the possibility of treason charges, much like Trump. Who did they call? Bill Barr.
That was in the ’80s and early ’90s, but now we discover that Bill Barr really, truly, definitely also lied to America about presidential treason this decade. Shocking.
Mueller laid out 10 prosecutable incidents of Donald Trump committing felony obstruction of justice, all to cover up the assistance he was seeking and receiving from Russian oligarchs and the Russian government that ultimately helped him win the 2016 election.
Looking back now, seeing the actual documents from the time, Federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson noted that Barr’s lies to the American people, to Congress, and to federal judges were “so inconsistent with evidence in the record, they are not worthy of credence.”
In other words, Barr lied through his teeth.
And he did it to avoid prosecuting Trump, who we can now see had clearly committed crimes — particularly reaching out to a foreign power for help — that would’ve landed any other American in prison for decades.
Berman’s book details Barr’s attempts to stop prosecutions of Trump’s friends and co-conspirators, to fire prosecutors with integrity and replace them with toadies who corrupted the Justice Department, and even to focus the police power of government against people Trump considered enemies.
For example, when Trump got pissed at John Kerry, he tweeted that he should be investigated and prosecuted. Immediately Barr jumped into action, as Berman told Joe Scarborough on Morning Joe today:
“[T]he statute they wanted us to use was enacted in 1799 and had never been successfully prosecuted. So for about 220 years, this criminal statute had been on the books, and not a single conviction, so we investigated it and John Kerry was entirely innocent, and yet the Justice Department pushed us and pushed us and pushed us and when I declined, Bill Barr did not take no for an answer.”
Barr succeeded in getting Trump’s role in a variety of the felony crimes ignored, including the crime of campaign fraud for paying off Stormy Daniels to keep her mouth shut about Trump having sex with her. The list in Berman’s book is mind-boggling.
The corruption of law enforcement and the courts is a cardinal characteristic of fascism, which is what Trump and — it turns out, Barr — were actively trying to do to America.
But this is not Bill Barr‘s first time playing cover-up for a Republican president who had committed crimes that rise to treason against America.
Back in 1992, the first time Bill Barr was U.S. Attorney General, iconic New York Times writer William Safire referred to him as “Coverup-General Barr” because of his role in burying evidence of then-President George H.W. Bush’s involvement in “Iraqgate” and “Iron-Contra.”
Christmas day of 1992, the New York Times featured a screaming all-caps headline across the top of its front page: Attorney General Bill Barr had covered up evidence of crimes by Reagan and Bush in the Iran-Contra scandal.
Earlier that week of Christmas, 1992, George H.W. Bush was on his way out of office. Bill Clinton had won the White House the month before, and in a few weeks would be sworn in as president.
But Bush’s biggest concern wasn’t that he’d have to leave the White House to retire back to Connecticut, Maine, or Texas (where he had mansions) but, rather, that he may end up embroiled even deeper in the Iran-Contra treason.
In other words, George HW Bush’s concern was that he and his colleagues may face time in a federal prison after he left office.
Independent Counsel Lawrence Walsh was closing in fast on him and Reagan, and Bush’s private records, subpoenaed by the independent counsel’s office, were the key to it all.
Walsh had been appointed independent counsel in 1986 to investigate the Iran-Contra activities of the Reagan administration and determine if crimes had been committed.
Was the Iran-Contra criminal conspiracy limited, as Reagan and Bush insisted (and Reagan said on TV), to later years in the Reagan presidency, in response to a hostage-taking in Lebanon?
Or had it started in the 1980 presidential campaign against Jimmy Carter with treasonous collusion with the Iranians, as the then-president of Iran asserted? Who knew what, and when? And what was George H.W. Bush’s role in it all?
In the years since then, the President of Iran in 1980, Abolhassan Bani-Sadr, has gone on the record saying that the Reagan campaign reached out to Iran to hold the hostages in exchange for weapons.
“Ayatollah Khomeini and Ronald Reagan,” President Bani-Sadr told the Christian Science Monitor in 2013, “had organized a clandestine negotiation, later known as the ‘October Surprise,’ which prevented the attempts by myself and then-US President Jimmy Carter to free the hostages before the 1980 US presidential election took place. The fact that they were not released tipped the results of the election in favor of Reagan.”
That wouldn’t have been just an impeachable crime: it was treason.
Walsh had zeroed in on documents that were in the possession of Reagan’s former defense secretary, Caspar Weinberger, who all the evidence showed was definitely in on the deal, and President Bush’s diary that could corroborate it.
Elliott Abrams had already been convicted of withholding evidence about it from Congress, and he may have even more information, too, if it could be pried out of him before he went to prison. But Abrams was keeping mum, apparently anticipating a pardon.
Weinberger, trying to avoid jail himself, was preparing to testify that Bush knew about it and even participated, and Walsh had already, based on information he’d obtained from the investigation into Weinberger, demanded that Bush turn over his diary from the campaign. He was also again hot on the trail of Abrams.
So Bush called in his attorney general, Bill Barr, and asked his advice.
Barr, along with Bush, was already up to his eyeballs in cover-ups of shady behavior by the Reagan administration.
Safire ultimately came refer to Barr as “Coverup-General” in the midst of another scandal — one having to do with Bush selling weapons of mass destruction to Saddam Hussein — because the Attorney General was already covering up for Bush, Weinberger, and others from the Reagan administration in “Iraqgate.”
On October 19, 1992, Safire wrote in The New York Times of Barr’s unwillingness to appoint an independent counsel to look into Iraqgate:
“Why does the Coverup-General resist independent investigation? Because he knows where it may lead: to Dick Thornburgh, James Baker, Clayton Yeutter, Brent Scowcroft and himself [the people who organized the sale of WMD to Saddam]. He vainly hopes to be able to head it off, or at least be able to use the threat of firing to negotiate a deal.”
Now, just short of two months later, Bush was asking Barr for advice on how to avoid another very serious charge in the Iran-Contra crimes. How, he wanted to know, could they shut down Walsh’s investigation before Walsh’s lawyers got their hands on Bush’s diary?
In April of 2001, safely distant from the swirl of D.C. politics, the University of Virginia’s Miller Center was compiling oral presidential histories, and interviewed Barr about his time as AG in the Bush White House. They brought up the issue of the Weinberger pardon, which put an end to the Iran-Contra investigation, and Barr’s involvement in it.
Turns out, Barr was right in the middle of it.
“There were some people arguing just for [a pardon for] Weinberger, and I said, ‘No, in for a penny, in for a pound,’” Barr told the interviewer. “I went over and told the President I thought he should not only pardon Caspar Weinberger, but while he was at it, he should pardon about five others.”
Which is exactly what Bush did, on Christmas Eve when most Americans were with family instead of watching the news. The holiday notwithstanding, the result was explosive.
America knew that both Reagan and Bush were up to their necks in Iran-Contra, and Democrats had been talking about treason, impeachment or worse. The independent counsel had already obtained one conviction, three guilty pleas, and two other individuals were lined up for prosecution. And Walsh was closing in fast on Bush himself.
The second paragraph of the Times story by David Johnston laid it out:
“Mr. Weinberger was scheduled to stand trial on Jan. 5 on charges that he lied to Congress about his knowledge of the arms sales to Iran and efforts by other countries to help underwrite the Nicaraguan rebels, a case that was expected to focus on Mr. Weinberger’s private notes that contain references to Mr. Bush’s endorsement of the secret shipments to Iran.” (emphasis added)
History shows that when a Republican president is in serious legal trouble, Bill Barr is the go-to guy.
For William Safire, it was déjà vu all over again. Four months earlier, referring to Iraqgate (Bush’s selling WMDs to Iraq), Safire opened his article, titled “Justice [Department] Corrupts Justice,” by writing:
“U.S. Attorney General William Barr, in rejecting the House Judiciary Committee’s call for a prosecutor not beholden to the Bush Administration to investigate the crimes of Iraqgate, has taken personal charge of the cover-up.”
Safire accused Barr of not only rigging the cover-up, but of being one of the ...
Robert Dee “Bob” Andrew Obituary (2022) https://digitalarizonanews.com/robert-dee-bob-andrew-obituary-2022/
Robert Dee Bob Andrew, 88, of Amarillo rode his chariot home on Friday, September 9, 2022.
Bob was the oldest of the three sons born to Forest Dee and Bethel Brown Andrew on February 6, 1934, in Stillwater, OK. After graduating from Stillwater High School, Bob attended Oklahoma A&M, where he played football and baseball. After two years, he was drafted into the Army. While serving, he was a member of the Guard of Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. After his military service, he returned to the now Oklahoma State University. During his time at OSU, he played on the National Championship baseball team in 1959. During his time at OSU, he met and married the love of his life, Cathy Jones. They were married on June 6, 1959, in Cushing, OK. The next year found him in Amarillo, TX where his first teaching/coaching job was at Austin Junior High School. After a few years at Bowie Junior High School, he was hired as a biology teacher, assistant football coach, and head baseball coach at Caprock High School. He would eventually be an assistant principal at Caprock until his retirement in 1991. Bob always had a smile and positive word for everyone around him.
Bob and Cathy enjoyed sixty years of marriage before her death in 2019. He was a faithful member of First Baptist Church, having served as a deacon as well as other positions in the church. He also served his community as a Gideon.
Bob and Cathy had two daughters and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
He also was preceded in death by his parents, in-laws, his brother, Bruce.
Left to honor his memory are daughters, Lisa Schlenker and husband David, of El Paso, and Linda York and husband Sean, of Amarillo; his youngest brother, Gale and wife Barbara of Stillwater, OK; brothers-in-law, Mike Jones of Oklahoma City, OK, and John Jones and wife Jeanne of Bella Vista, AR; sister-in-law, Sandy Andrew, of Hilton Head, SC; grandchildren, Dallas York and wife Emily of Phoenix, AZ, Justin York and wife Cinamon of Scottsdale, AZ, Jennifer Bonner and husband Adam of Salem, VA, Robert York and wife Allie of Ridgefield, WA, McKinney York of Amarillo, TX, Jacob Schlenker and wife Sarah of Metarie, LA, and Mason Schlenker of El Paso, TX.
Visitation with the family will be from 5-6:30 p.m., Wednesday, September 14, 2022, at Boxwell Brothers Funeral Home, 2800 Paramount Blvd.
Private family burial will be on Thursday, September 15, 2022, with a public memorial service at 11:00 a.m., in the sanctuary at First Baptist Church with the Rev. Dr. Howard K. Batson presiding.
The family would like to extend their deepest gratitude to the nursing staff at BSA and Drs. Steans, Carlisle, and Errington for their dedication to his care. Also, to the staff, nurses, and physical therapists at The Arbors and the nursing staff at BSA Hospice Care of the Southwest for their compassionate and supportive care.
In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to First Baptist Church of Amarillo, Loft Building Fund, Gideons International, or the charity of your choice.
Sign the online guestbook at www.boxwellbrothers.com.
Published by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors – Amarillo on Sep. 14, 2022.
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John Lopez Huerta Jr. Obituary (2022) https://digitalarizonanews.com/john-lopez-huerta-jr-obituary-2022/
Obituary of John Lopez Huerta, Jr.
John Lopez Huerta Jr. was born in Tucson, Arizona at University Medical Center on June 6, 1952 to John Lopez Huerta Senior and Nancy Shipman. Nancy went into labor at that days University of Arizona baseball game. Known as Sporty to his immediate family and friends he soon become a fixture in the Tucson community, working as a life guard for a local pool and park on the west side, as a soda jerk, in the family grocery store, at their local west side beauty shop, and as a Mariachi for Los Changuitos Feos. He had an ear for music and his band The New Sounds had regular shows covering Rolling Stones songs around town.
With his head up and his heart in his hand he travelled to Paris, France to apprentice with some of the greatest chefs in the country and become a trained sommelier. He was always a greatly independent person. He was adventurous, an explorer. He was always ready for a new challenge, a new opportunity. Always hungry for more. More experiences, more knowledge or wisdom, more books, more laughing and living. John was also long time, long distance runner, a passion he passed on, and shared with, his son.
Of all the words one can used to describe him, the most accurate is passionate. He was driven by deep emotions and an unquenchable thirst for all life had to offer. He worked in the U.S. House of Representatives, met several U.S. presidents and was in a class taught by James Baldwin, all while participating in Vietnam war protests and going to school at The American University for political science. At the same time he met one of his best friends for the rest of his life, and earned his M.P.A. He married for the second time in 1983 to Bobbi Jane Cerny. They produced two progeny, John Lopez Huerta III and Julia Marie Huerta.
He eventually found his way back home to Tucson, starting his own advertising agency, Huerta Marketing Group. John and HMG gained such notoriety he was offered a position at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Florida as Vice President for External Affairs.
In his retirement he returned home to Arizona and helped to take care of his ailing parents and support his son s graduate school career. After a stroke and a bout with kidney and brain cancer his mobility became more limited. He would take a walk around his neighborhood every morning, come home, have lunch and take a nap before watching the news. In early 2022 his cancer came back and had metastasized throughout his body. On July 21st 2022 in the wee hours of the morning he passed away with his son at his side.
To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of John Huerta, Jr., please visit our Tree Store
Published by Bring’s Broadway Chapel – Tucson on Sep. 14, 2022.
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Phoenix Police Detective On Road To Recovery After 4 Heart Attacks And Stroke. Here's How You Can Help
Phoenix Police Detective On Road To Recovery After 4 Heart Attacks And Stroke. Here's How You Can Help https://digitalarizonanews.com/phoenix-police-detective-on-road-to-recovery-after-4-heart-attacks-and-stroke-heres-how-you-can-help/
Doctors believed there was a 98% chance she would be in a vegetative state for the rest of her life, but Jen proved them wrong.
PHOENIX — After nearly 30 years of fighting to help victims of violent crimes in Phoenix get justice, Detective Jen Smith is battling her biggest fight yet – regaining full function of her body.
In August 2021, Smith suffered a bilateral pulmonary embolism that led to four consecutive heart attacks, a stroke, and a severe anoxic brain injury.
Doctors believed there was a 98% chance she would be in a vegetative state for the rest of her life, but Jen proved them wrong.
While in various nursing facilities for over ten months, the detective’s body and brain healed, but her arms and legs lost function.
“Many of us would not survive just one of those events,” said Commander Mark Heimall. “I walked in the room the other day, and she immediately recognized me and said, ‘Hey Mark, how you are doing?’”
Heimall was Smith’s supervisor for about three years while she worked with the Fugitive Apprehensions and Investigations Detail, also known as FAID. The unit helps locate and arrest criminals of violent crimes in and around the city of Phoenix.
Smith served as FAID detective for more than 20 years.
“They’re the best of the best, and Jen is one of the reasons why that unit is at that level,” Heimall said. “She didn’t really do [this job] for herself, it was all about the victims of violent crimes and their families.”
Throughout her time in the department, Smith was directly responsible for getting thousands of dangerous criminals off the streets, Heimall added.
“She’s a high-performing detective in a male dominant environment,” the commander said.
Smith is currently at an advanced therapy hospital where therapists are helping her regain the ability to do basic tasks like eating and bathing.
Although she’s made significant progress, the road to full recovery will require months of specialized treatment and eventually modifications to her home to accommodate her limited mobility.
Friends and family have created a GoFundMe account to help pay for the necessary services Smith will need.
“I fully expect in a couple of years she’ll come bouncing into my office with all her energy in the world that I knew her as a detective, excited about the direction of her case or frustrated with my decision about the direction of her case, and I look forward to that day,” Heimall said.
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Fortunate To Share Last 24 Hours: Princess Anne's Note For Queen
“Fortunate To Share Last 24 Hours…”: Princess Anne's Note For Queen https://digitalarizonanews.com/fortunate-to-share-last-24-hours-princess-annes-note-for-queen/
“I offer my thanks to each and everyone who shares our sense of loss,” Princess Anne said.
London:
Anne, The Princess Royal, only daughter of the longest serving monarch of the UK Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Philip, wrote a heartfelt note for her mother, as she accompanied her coffin back to Buckingham Palace.
Grieving the loss of her mother, the Queen’s second child, The Princess Royal wrote that she was fortunate to share the last 24 hours of her dearest mother’s life, as the coffin of the Queen travels from Balmoral to London for the final rites.
“It has been an honour and a privilege to accompany her on her final journeys. Witnessing the love and respect shown by so many on these journeys has been both humbling and uplifting,” she wrote.
“We will all share unique memories. I offer my thanks to each and everyone who shares our sense of loss,” she added.
Princess Royal thanked the countrymen for extending support to her brother Charles III, who ascended the throne as King after the demise of Queen Elizabeth II.
“We may have been reminded how much of her presence and contribution to our national identity we took for granted. I am also so grateful for the support and understanding offered to my dear brother Charles as he accepts the added responsibilities of The Monarch,” The Princess Royal wrote.
Born on August 15, 1950, Anne, The Princess Royal is 16th in the line of succession to the British throne after the death of her mother on September 8, 2022. The eldest daughter of Queen Elizabeth II was granted the title of ‘Princess Royal’ in 1987.
Meanwhile, the coffin of Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday II arrived at Buckingham Palace from Edinburgh and will rest overnight in the Bow Room of the palace.
“Her Majesty The Queen’s coffin has arrived at Buckingham Palace, where it will rest overnight in the Bow Room. Tomorrow the coffin will be borne in Procession on a Gun Carriage of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery to the Palace of Westminster,” The Royal Family wrote on Twitter.
The British queen Elizabeth II breathed her last in Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8. The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II began a six-hour journey from her home in the Scottish Highlands to Edinburgh on Monday.
It arrived at the Palace of Holyroodhouse and was at rest in a Church in Edinburgh for people to pay their last respects to the queen.
On the afternoon of Monday, a Procession was formed on the forecourt of the Palace of Holyroodhouse to convey the Coffin to St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh.
It was flanked by the Bearer Party from the Royal Regiment of Scotland and escorted by the King’s Body Guard for Scotland and the Queen’s children at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
The Queen’s children on Tuesday held a Vigil beside her coffin in St Giles’ Cathedral church.
“The people of Scotland bid their final farewells to Her Majesty The Queen as her coffin travels from Edinburgh to Buckingham Palace,” The Royal Family said.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, the Coffin will be borne in Procession on a Gun Carriage of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster, where The Queen will Lie-in-State in Westminster Hall until the morning of the State Funeral.
The Procession will travel via Queen’s Gardens, The Mall, Horse Guards and Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall, Parliament Street, Parliament Square, and New Palace Yard. After the coffin arrives at Westminster Hall, The Archbishop of Canterbury will conduct a short service assisted by The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, and attended by The King and Members of the Royal Family, after which the Lying-in-State will begin.
During the Lying-in-State, members of the public will have the opportunity to visit Westminster Hall to pay their respects to The Queen. On the morning of Monday 19th September, the Lying-in-State will end and the Coffin will be taken in procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey, where the State Funeral Service will take place at 1100 hrs BST.
Following the state funeral, the coffin will travel in procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch. From Wellington Arch, the coffin will travel to Windsor, and once there, the State Hearse will travel in procession to St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle via the Long Walk. A Committal Service will then take place in St George’s Chapel.
The death of the 96-year-old Queen ended a generation-spanning, seven-decade reign that made her a beacon of stability in a tumultuous world. The UK has entered a period of official mourning, with tributes pouring in worldwide.
King Charles-III was proclaimed as the new monarch of England on Saturday after his mother Queen Elizabeth II passed away. Moreover, the national anthem of Britain will now again shift back to “God Save the King” as the British Queen is now no more.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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