Digital Arizona News

ALA Gilbert North VB Rolls On https://digitalarizonanews.com/ala-gilbert-north-vb-rolls-on/ September 13, 2022 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365 ALA Gilbert North’s Ella Stanfield (4) sets for the Eagles in their home victory over Greenway on Tuesday evening. (Azpreps365 photo) The girls volleyball season is two weeks old and American Leadership Academy Gilbert North finally got to play a match before its home crowd. The Eagles didn’t disappoint taking down 4A foe Greenway in four sets. Scores were 25-14, 21-25, 25-12 and 25-22. ALA-GN is perfect in power-ranking matches, notching its fourth win in such matches on Tuesday night. Greenway dipped to 3-2 in power-ranking matches, dropping its second in a row. “We hit the ball a lot better tonight than we have,” ALA-GN coach Jeff Bader said.  “We’ve had about 20 matches counting tournaments so far. It was nice to have a home game.” ALA-GN dominated the first two sets it won. The Eagles pulled away from an 11-10 lead in the opening set with its attack leaders for the evening leading the way in the set – juniors Dissy Brinkerhoff and Tana Howard.  Greenway got the upper hand early in the second set in evening the match, building an 11-4 lead. The Demons saw their advantage evaporate to a 14-all tie. A 7-1 run got them back on track. Three consecutive aces from Brynlee Stradling keyed the burst.  Momentum swung back to ALA-GN quickly in the third set. The Eagles jumped out to a 9-0 lead with four aces from Ella Stanfield and a variety of Greenway errors contributing. The fourth set was close the entire way with the teams knotted nine times with no lead larger than two until ALA-GN led 23-20. A Kate Wilson kill and Greenway passing error posted the final two points for ALA-GN. Howard led ALA-GN in kills with 15. Brinkerhoff and Sadie Levesque added seven kills each. Leading the defensive effort for the Eagles was libero Hallie Willis (16 digs). Setter Ella Stanfield collected 27 assists. Serving was fruitful for the Eagles as they posted 19 aces – six from Stanfield and four from Howard topping the chart. Unofficial kill leaders for Greenway were Tatum Peterson (8) and Ryan White (6). ALA-GN hosts two more matches this week – Agua Fria on Wednesday and Arcadia on Thursday. Greenway hosts Arizona College Prep on Thursday to complete its action this week. Read More Here

AP News Summary At 11:45 P.m. EDT https://digitalarizonanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-1145-p-m-edt/ Ukrainian troops keep up pressure on fleeing Russian forces KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian troops are piling pressure on retreating Russian forces, pressing deeper into occupied territory and sending more Kremlin troops fleeing ahead of their counteroffensive. The advance has inflicted a stunning blow on Moscow’s military prestige. As the push continued Tuesday, Ukraine’s border guard services said the army took control of Vovchansk — a town just 3 kilometers (2 miles) from Russia seized on the first day of the war. Russian troops were also pulling out of the southern city of Melitopol and heading toward Moscow-annexed Crimea. That’s according to the city’s pre-occupation mayor. His claim could not be verified. Melitopol is the second-largest city in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region. Casket of Queen Elizabeth II arrives at Buckingham Palace LONDON (AP) — The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II has returned to Buckingham Palace, moving through a drizzly London as crowds lined the route for a glimpse of the hearse and to bid her farewell. People parked their cars along a normally busy road, got out and waved as the hearse, with lights inside illuminating the flag-draped coffin, made its way into London. In the city, people pressed in on the road and held their phones aloft as it passed. Thousands outside the palace shouted “God save the queen!” and clapped as the hearse swung around a roundabout in front of the queen’s residence and through the wrought iron gates. King Charles III and other immediate family members waited inside. Close New Hampshire Senate primary tests direction of GOP CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The Republican contest for Senate in New Hampshire is emerging as a tight race between conservative Donald Bolduc and the more moderate Chuck Morse as the final primary night of the midterm season again tests the far right’s influence over the GOP. Republicans see Democratic incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire as beatable in the general election, now just eight weeks away. But a strong competitor in the GOP contest is Bolduc, a retired Army brigadier general who some in the party believe is too far to the right for swing voters in the general election. Bolduc has campaigned on a platform that includes lies that Donald Trump won the 2020 election and conspiracy theories about vaccines. GOP’s Graham unveils nationwide abortion ban after 15 weeks WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham has introduced a bill calling for a nationwide abortion ban. The bill would prohibit abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the physical health of the mother. The legislation introduced Tuesday is sending shockwaves through both parties with just weeks before voters go to the polls. Graham’s own Republican colleagues did not immediately embrace his abortion ban bill, which has almost no chance of becoming law in the Democratic-held Congress. Democrats reject it as extreme and an alarming signal of where Republicans are headed if they win control of the House and Senate in November. 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, died Tuesday at age 76, his family says. A former colleague, attorney Mark Lanier, says Starr died at a hospital of complications from surgery. In a probe that lasted five years during the 1990s, Starr looked into a number of matters involving Clinton, including the president’s sexual encounters with Monica Lewinsky, a former White House intern. House Republicans impeached Clinton, but he was acquitted in a Senate trial. In 2020, Starr was recruited to help represent Donald Trump in the nation’s third presidential impeachment trial. Asian markets open lower after price data slam Wall Street Asian markets have skidded lower after Wall Street fell the most since June 2020 as a report showed inflation has kept a surprisingly strong grip on the U.S. economy. Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 2.7% in early trading Wednesday, while Seoul’s Kospi declined 2.5%. On Tuesday, the Dow lost more than 1,250 points and the S&P 500 sank 4.3%. The hotter-than-expected report on inflation Tuesday has traders bracing for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates still more, adding to risks for the economy. Still, the drop didn’t quite knock out the market’s gains over the past four days. Judge unseals additional portions of Mar-a-Lago affidavit WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has unsealed additional portions of an FBI affidavit laying out the basis for a search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home. The document shows how agents obtained a hard drive after issuing a subpoena for surveillance footage recorded inside Mar-a-Lago. A heavily redacted version of the affidavit was made public last month, but the Justice Department requested permission to show more of it after lawyers for Trump revealed the existence of a June grand jury subpoena that sought video footage from cameras in the vicinity of the Mar-a-Lago storage room. Package explodes on Boston campus; 1 injured, FBI involved BOSTON (AP) — A package has exploded on the campus of Northeastern University in Boston, and the college says a staff member suffered minor injuries. Authorities say another suspicious package was found near a prominent art museum Tuesday evening, and the FBI was assisting with the investigation. Boston’s bomb squad is at the scene of the second package near the city’s prestigious Museum of Fine Arts, on the outskirts of the Northeastern campus. NBC Boston reports that the package that exploded went off as it was being opened near the university’s Holmes Hall, which is home to the university’s creative writing program. The FBI is assisting the investigation. Sandy Hook witnesses testify about Alex Jones’ hoax claims WATERBURY, Conn. (AP) — A sister of a teacher killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre and an FBI agent who responded to the shooting have both emotionally described what it has been like to be accused of being crisis actors by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and others. Carlee Soto Parisi and FBI agent William Aldenberg were the first witnesses to testify Tuesday as a Connecticut jury began hearing statements in a trial to decide how much money Jones owes for spreading the lie that the 2012 mass shooting in Newtown didn’t happen. The trial began Tuesday in Waterbury, only 18 miles from Newtown, where 26 people were killed in 2012. Jones’ attorneys say his comments, which he now admits were wrong, were protected speech. Ancient skeleton found in Mexico cave threatened by train MEXICO CITY (AP) — A cave-diving archaeologist on Mexico’s Caribbean coast says another prehistoric human skeleton has been found in a cave system that was flooded as seas rose 8,000 years ago. Archaeologist Octavio del Rio says the shattered skull and skeleton collapsed are partly covered by sediment. Given the distance from the cave entrance, it couldn’t have gotten there without modern diving equipment, so it must be over 8,000 years old, Some of the oldest human remains in North America have been discovered in the sinkhole caves that experts say are threatened by the Mexican government’s project to build a high-speed tourist train through the jungle. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More Here

Scoreboard For Tuesday, Sept. 13 https://digitalarizonanews.com/scoreboard-for-tuesday-sept-13/ Professional Results/schedule American Association playoffs Monday, Sept. 12 West Division championship Kansas City 5, Fargo-Moorhead 2 (Kansas City leads 1-0) East Division championship Milwaukee 5, Cleburne 0 (Milwaukee leads 1-0) Wednesday, Sept. 14 West Division championship Fargo-Moorhead at Kansas City, 6:30 p.m. East Division championship Cleburne at Milwaukee, 6:35 p.m. College Results/schedules Saturday, Sept. 17  Missouri Valley Football Conference North Dakota State at Arizona, 10 p.m. North Dakota at Northern Arizona, 10 p.m. Southern Utah at Western Illinois, time TBA Youngstown State at Kentucky, time TBA Southern Illinois at Northwestern, 11 a.m. Montana at Indiana State, noon Cal Poly at South Dakota, 1 p.m. Sacramento State at Northern Iowa, 4 p.m. Missouri State at Arkansas, 6 p.m. Butler at South Dakota State, 6 p.m. Eastern Illinois at Illinois State, 6:30 p.m. Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Augustana at MSU Moorhead, noon Wayne State at Minot State, 1 p.m. Winona State at Bemidji State, 2 p.m. Southwest Minnesota State at UMary, 2 p.m. Minnesota State Mankato at Northern State, 6 p.m. Upper Iowa at Minnesota Duluth, 6 p.m. Sioux Falls at Concordia-St. Paul, 6:30 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference St. Scholastica at Crown, 1 p.m. Minnesota Morris at Carleton, 1 p.m. Wisconsin-Stout at Gustavus, 1 p.m. Augsburg at Martin Luther, 1 p.m. North Star Athletic Association Finlandia at Iowa Wesleyan, 1 p.m. Presentation at Mayville State, 2 p.m. Dickinson at Valley City State, 3 p.m. Dakota State at Waldorf, 4 p.m. Great Plains Athletic Conference Northwestern at Jamestown, 1 p.m. Dordt at Dakota Wesleyan, 1 p.m. Midland at Mount Marty, 1 p.m. Hastings at Concordia, 1 p.m. Briar Cliff at Morningside, 1 p.m. High school Polls North Dakota Class 11AA (First-place votes) 1. Fargo Shanley (16) 3-0 83 2. Fargo Davies 2-1 57 3. Mandan 2-1 45 4. WF Sheyenne (1) 2-1 41 5. Minot 2-1 21 Others receiving votes: Bismarck Legacy (2-1) North Dakota Class 11A (First-place votes) 1. Jamestown (12) 3-0 83 2. Fargo North (2) 3-0 70 3. GF Red River 3-1 42 4. Fargo South 2-1 26 5. Valley City 3-0 21 Others receiving votes: Dickinson (2-1) North Dakota Class 11B (First-place votes) 1. Kindred (15) 3-0 75 2. Velva-DAG 3-0 45 3. Dickinson Trinity 3-0 40 4. Bottineau 3-0 27 5. Shiloh Christian 3-0 22 Others receiving votes: Thompson (3-0), Langdon-Edmore-Munich (2-1), Oakes (3-0) North Dakota Class 9B (First-place votes) 1. LaMoure-LM (15) 3-0 75 2. Cavalier 3-0 49 3. NS-Almont 3-0 44 4. May-Port-CG 3-0 32 5. North Prairie 3-0 7 Others receiving votes: South Border (3-0), Divide County (3-0), Nelson County (3-0), Tioga (3-0) Results/schedules North Dakota Friday, Sept. 16 All games 7 p.m. unless noted Bismarck Century at Minot High Bismarck Legacy at Bismarck High Mandan at Williston Fargo Davies at West Fargo High Shanley at West Fargo Sheyenne Fargo North at St. Mary’s Watford City at Jamestown Grand Forks Red River at Grand Forks Central Fargo South at Devils Lake Valley City at Dickinson High Wahpeton at West Fargo Horace New Town at Turtle Mountain Community Griggs-Midkota at Enderlin, 6 p.m. Sargent County at Central Cass Lisbon at Fargo Oak Grove Tri-State at Hankinson Richland at LaMoure/Litchville-Marion Kindred at Northern Cass Cavalier at Larimore Hatton-Northwood at May-Port CG Rugby at Thompson Linton/HMB at Oakes Saturday, Sept. 17 All games 7 p.m. unless noted Bottineau at Ellendale/Edgeley/Kulm, 7:30 p.m. Minnesota Thursday, Sept. 15 All games 7 p.m. unless noted Mahnomen-Waubun at Warroad, 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16 All games 7 p.m. unless noted Moorhead at Bemidji Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton at Perham, 6 p.m. Moorhead Park Christian at Fertile-Beltrami Barnesville at Pelican Rapids Frazee at Breckenridge Crookston at Hawley Red Lake at Bagley Goodridge-Grygla at Win-E-Mac Lake Park-Audubon at Red Lake County Central Fosston at Climax-Fisher Laporte at Norman County East/Ulen-Hitterdal Ortonville at Bertha-Hewitt West Central at Pillager Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley Ottertail Central at Verndale Sebeka at Brandon-Evansville New York Mills at Wadena-Deer Creek Menahga at Pine River-Backus Detroit Lakes at Thief River Falls, 6 p.m. East Grand Forks at Park Rapids, 6 p.m. Aitkin at Two Harbors, 6 p.m. Pequot Lakes at Fergus Falls Osakis at Staples-Motley Crosby-Ironton at Rush City College men Results/schedules Sunday, Sept. 11 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference University of Chicago 2, St. Olaf 1 Gustavus 3, Loras 1 Luther 1, Macalester 0 St. John’s 3, Wisconsin-Whitewater 0 Tuesday, Sept. 13 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Macalester 4, Concordia 2 Gustavus 3, St. Scholastica 0 St. Olaf 1, Bethel 0 Carleton 3, St. Mary’s 0 Augsburg 4, Hamline 0 College women Results/schedules Wednesday, Sept. 14 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference St. Scholastica at Gustavus, 4 p.m. Bethel at St. Olaf, 4 p.m. St. Benedict at St. Catherine, 4 p.m. Carleton at St. Mary’s, 4 p.m. Macalester at Concordia, 4 p.m. Hamline at Augsburg, 7:30 p.m. High school boys Results/schedules Minnesota Monday, Sept. 12 Moorhead 5, Pelican Rapids 0 North Dakota Tuesday, Sept. 13 All games 7 p.m. unless noted West Fargo Sheyenne 2, Grand Forks Central 0 Grand Forks Red River 2, West Fargo 1 Fargo Davies 5, Fargo North 3 Fargo Shanley 1, Fargo South 1 Minnesota Tuesday, Sept. 13 Moorhead 2, East Grand Forks 0 Crookston at Pelican Rapids, 7 p.m. Bemidji 5, Detroit Lakes 0 Fergus Falls 7, Sauk Rapids-Rice 2 High school girls Results/schedules Minnesota Tuesday, Sept. 13 Bemidji 2, Moorhead 1 Sauk Rapids-Rice at Fergus Falls, 7 p.m. Detroit Lakes at Fergus Falls Hillcrest, 3 p.m. College Results/schedules Tuesday, Sept. 13 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Macalester def. North Central 3-0 Augsburg def. St. Mary’s 3-0 Northwestern (Minn.) def. Gustavus 3-0 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Wayne State def. Peru State 3-0 Wednesday, Sept. 14  Summit League Kansas State at Kansas City, 7 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Martin Luther at Carleton, 7 p.m. St. Benedict at Minnesota Morris, 7 p.m. Hamline at Wisconsin-Superior, 7 p.m. High school Polls NDAPSSA Class A (First-place votes) 1. WF Sheyenne (7) 9-0 38 2. Bismarck Century (1) 8-1 33 3. Fargo North 9-0 16 4. Bismarck (1) 5-4 13 5. Jamestown 9-1 12 Others receiving votes: Fargo Shanley (6-2), Bismarck Legacy (5-4) NDAPSSA Class B (First-place votes) 1. Northern Cass (7) 8-0 79 2. Thompson 2-0 63 3. Kenmare-Bowbells 8-0 52 4. Linton-HMB (1) 6-1 51 4. Langdon-EM 6-1 51 6. Oakes 4-1 22 7. Dickinson Trinity 5-2 20 8. Grant County 6-0 18 9. Our Redeemers 6-2 17 10. Beulah 6-1 16 Others receiving votes: Central Cass (1-0), LaMoure-Litchville-Marion (1-1), May-Port-CG (0-1), Bishop Ryan (5-2), North Border (4-2) Results/schedules North Dakota Tuesday, Sept. 13 All games 7 p.m. unless noted West Fargo def. Fargo North 25-15, 25-13, 25-20 Fargo Davies def. Fargo Shanley 25-19, 25-22, 25-12 Fargo South def. Valley City 25-18, 25-16, 25-14 Grand Forks Red River at West Fargo Horace West Fargo Sheyenne def. Devils Lake 25-5, 25-10, 25-14 Breckenridge def. Wahpeton 25-9, 25-13, 25-21 Central Cass def. Wyndmere-Lidgerwood 3-0 Northern Cass def. Kindred 21-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-14 Richland at Fargo Oak Grove Enderlin def. Hankinson 26-24, 19-25, 25-18, 15-25, 15-13 Lisbon def. Tri-State 25-20, 20-25, 20-25, 25-15, 15-12 Maple River def. Sargent County 19-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-18, 15-12 Harvey-Wells County def. St. John 25-12, 25-10, 25-11 Thompson def. Grafton 25-19, 23-25, 18-25, 25-15, 15-12 Hillsboro/Central Valley at North Border May-Port-CG def. Cavalier 25-20, 25-15, 25-8 Griggs-Midkota def. Barnes County North 25-17, 25-22, 20-25, 25-20 Harvey-Wells County def. St. John 25-12, 25-10, 25-11 Minnesota Monday, Sept. 12 All matches 7:30 p.m. unless noted Ada-Borup def. Frazee 3-0 Swanville def. Bertha-Hewitt 3-1 St. Cloud Apollo def. Crosby-Ironton 3-1 Tuesday, Sept. 13 All matches 7:30 p.m. unless noted Bemidji def. Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 3-0 Breckenridge def. Wahpeton 25-9, 25-13, 25-21 Wadena-Deer Creek def. Barnesville 25-23, 25-18, 25-16 Menahga def. Pelican Rapids 3-0 Perham def. Hawley 3-1 Fosston def. Stephen-Argyle 25-18, 25-11, 17-25, 25-18 Mahnomen-Waubun at Clearbrook-Gonvick Sacred Heart def. Fertile-Beltrami 3-0 Pine River-Backus at Verndale, 7:15 p.m. New York Mills def. Lake Park-Audubon 3-0 Browerville-Eagle Valley def. Pillager 3-0 Sebeka def. Park Rapids 3-0 Pequot Lakes def. Brainerd 3-0 Underwood def. Wheaton-Herman-Norcross 25-11, 25-20, 25-12 High school boys Results/schedules North Dakota Tuesday, Sept. 13 All matches 4 p.m. unless noted Valley City 8, West Fargo 1 Grand Forks Central 7, Fargo North 2 Grand Forks Red River 8, West Fargo Sheyenne 1 Fargo Shanley 6, Wahpeton 3 Fargo South 5, Fargo Davies 4 Grand Forks Red River 8, West Fargo Sheyenne 1 Singles: 1. Schneider, GFRR, def. Raan 6-1, 6-7 (5-7), 10-5; 2. Johnson, GFRR, def. Christensen 6-2, 6-4; 3. Kuenzel, GFRR, def. Angus 6-2, 6-1; 4. Heick, WFS, def. Bydal 6-0, 7-6 (7-5); 5. Green, GFRR, def. Durrani 6-4, 7-5; 6. Skarperud, GFRR, def. Rexin 6-1, 6-1 Doubles: 1. Schneider/Kuenzel, GFRR, def. Raan/Christensen 6-2, 6-4; 2. Johnson/Bydal, GFRR, def. Angus/Durrani 6-2, 6-1; 3. Skarperud/Mallory, GFRR, def. Heick/Rexin 6-2, 6-4 Fargo Shanley 6, Wahpeton 3 Singles: 1. M. Comings, W, def. Anderson 6-4, 7-6 (7-5); 2. Withuski, W, def. Salonen 6-2, 6-4; 3. O’Donnell, SHAN, def. A. Comings 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-3; 4. Froslie, SHAN, def. Kjetland 6-5, 6-7 (5-7), 7-...

Live Updates: New Hampshire In Spotlight As Returns Flow In On Last Primary Night https://digitalarizonanews.com/live-updates-new-hampshire-in-spotlight-as-returns-flow-in-on-last-primary-night/ For weeks, anti-abortion activists and their Republican allies have been quietly seeking to rally their party around a single platform on abortion, hoping to settle divisions and blunt political damage from an issue with growing potency in the midterm elections. But when Senator Lindsey Graham came ahead on Tuesday with a proposed 15-week national abortion ban intended to unite his party, the result was only more division. Mr. Graham’s Senate allies swiftly distanced themselves from the plan, reflecting a lack of consensus in the party, as well as deep resistance to being drawn into any debates over abortion while economic issues hold more sway with swing voters. The rapid rejection of Mr. Graham’s gambit was the latest misfire in the party’s struggle to unite behind a clear strategy on an issue that has reshaped campaigns across the country. Despite decades of Republican efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade, when the Supreme Court ultimately took that step in June, the G.O.P. was caught flat-footed, with no unified national abortion strategy ready to put into place. While Democrats have been energized in the months since, vowing to fight for access and firing up their voters in the process, Republicans have offered a wide range of proposals and battled in state legislatures to enact them. “The Republican response has been disastrous,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, who pushed for Mr. Graham’s bill. But now, she said, “They are finding their voice.” Ms. Dannenfelser is now urging Senate candidates to endorse Mr. Graham’s federal ban, which includes exceptions for rape, incest and the life or physical health of the mother. While the policy is more restrictive than previous Senate proposals, it falls well short of the six-week national ban some social conservatives have wanted. A 15-week limit could allow the vast majority of abortions to continue. (In 2019, 93 percent of abortions happened before 13 weeks of pregnancy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.) Some Republicans in the Senate greeted the idea dismissively. Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, who has previously said that his party was unlikely to pursue an abortion ban, told reporters on Tuesday that he thought the issue should be left up to the states and that most members of his conference agreed. When pressed on the details of Mr. Graham’s bill, Mr. McConnell sought to distance himself, saying, “You’ll have to ask him about it.” Senator John Cornyn of Texas told CNN that he preferred to “have each state handle those issues.” Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin demurred, and Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina told the network that he wanted to focus on inflation. There were no signs of G.O.P. division later Tuesday night at a gala hosted by Ms. Dannenfelser’s group. Several senators toasted the demise of Roe. In his remarks, Mr. Graham promised to “rally the Republican Party” to “protect the unborn.” Since the court decision in June, candidates, activists and elected officials have championed a range of positions, from near-total bans and fetal personhood to restrictions as late as 20 weeks. At the same time, they have been battered by headlines highlighting the medical crises of pregnant women and girls, including stories of child rape and severe fetal abnormalities. On Tuesday, West Virginia legislators passed new legislation banning nearly all abortions, but only after weeks of debate. An effort to advance hard-line restrictions has stalled in Republican-dominated South Carolina. Voters in Kansas overwhelmingly rejected an attempt to remove the right to abortion from the State Constitution, and Democrats who support abortion rights have outperformed expectations in recent special elections. An earlier push from some anti-abortion activists to introduce Senate legislation banning the procedure at around six weeks failed to gain traction. The pushback prompted some Republican candidates to distance themselves from the abortion issue, scrubbing their websites of their previous, hard-line positions. Others published op-eds and released ads reversing their previous stances. Many stopped mentioning the issue on the campaign trail, keeping the focus on inflation, gas prices and public safety that they believed could help them win over swing voters. The backpedaling has worried some social conservatives, who fear that Republicans are not only ceding what they believe is a winning political issue but could be jeopardizing the push for further restrictions. “There’s no doubt that there are a lot of G.O.P. consultants encouraging candidates to not talk about the issue,” said Marc Short, who served as chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, one of the country’s highest-profile allies of the anti-abortion movement. “It is the wrong approach.” Polls consistently show that a significant national majority back a federal right to abortion. Yet just as many Americans say they support banning most abortions in the second trimester, after about 12 weeks. Until this summer, the Roe v. Wade decision barred states from restricting access before about 23 weeks. Some anti-abortion groups are urging Republicans to try to use abortion to their advantage. The Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Candidate Fund has privately circulated new talking points to Senate candidates who oppose abortion, advising them to use a 15-week restriction to contrast themselves with Democrats. The memo argued that the position would allow “pro-life states to enact more aggressive limits,” while also setting a “baseline” in Democratic-controlled states like California, New York and Illinois. Officials in those states are moving to dramatically expand abortion access to accommodate women traveling from states where the procedure is restricted. In a separate letter to Congress on Monday, S.B.A. Pro-Life America and about 100 state anti-abortion groups urged federal lawmakers to “find consensus” and pass a federal limit. Some strategists argue that Republicans can flip the script by defining Democrats as the extremists who support abortion until the last moment of pregnancy. Many Democrats have declined to support a specific time limit, arguing that abortion is a right that should be protected by federal law and is a health care decision that should be between a woman and her doctor. On Tuesday, Mr. Graham called his proposal a “late-term” abortion ban, a political term with no precise medical definition and that is frequently used by Republicans. Representative Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, has falsely suggested that legislation codifying abortion rights would lead to forced abortions. “If they want to make that the central focus of their campaigns, they can do that. But they do it at their own risk,” he said in an interview. The language carried echoes of the inflammatory rhetoric used by anti-abortion groups and President Trump, who in 2019 falsely claimed that abortion rights allowed mothers and doctors to decide to “execute” a baby. “You have to fight the issue out,” said Brad Todd, a Republican political consultant who is urging many of the party’s Senate candidates to forcefully rebut Democratic attacks on abortion. “And if you fight the issue out, you can win on it. But you can’t just put your head in the sand and act like it’s going to go away.” Democrats counter that a Republican strategy can’t erase decades of G.O.P. messaging that has cast abortion as murder and that has argued that life begins at conception. Already, Democrats have spent millions on ads attacking their opponents for supporting national bans with no exceptions for rape and incest. In a meeting with civil rights and abortion rights advocates on Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris said the administration plans to increase its focus on the issue in the final weeks of the campaign, according to someone briefed on the event who asked not to be named, discussing private conversations. Within hours of Mr. Graham’s introducing his proposal, Democrats across the country attempted to tie their opponents to the plan, saying that if elected, they would be “automatic votes” for a national ban in Congress. “We can look at all the differences between where they have been, things that have been said, but at the end of the day what is being proposed is a national ban on abortion, and that stands in direct contrast with the will of the American people,” said Laphonza Butler, the head of Emily’s List, the largest funder of female Democratic candidates who support abortion rights. For decades, abortion was an easy rallying call for the Republican Party. Politicians and party officials united with the active conservative base behind the broad, and somewhat vague, “pro-life” label. But the court’s ruling forced politicians to confront the far messier specifics of abortion policy. In a debate in Indiana over the summer, Republican lawmakers viciously fought over how far a total ban should go, wrestling under the national spotlight with questions about child rape, ectopic pregnancy and life-threatening medical complications from pregnancy. Some Republican political strategists are urging candidates to avoid talking about abortion as much as possible, saying that economic issues remain the number one concern for voters — particularly swing voters. “My advice is, don’t take the bait. If you are pro-life, say you are pro-life,” said Kristin Davison, a G.O.P. strategist who worked on Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s upset win in Virginia last year. “Then, get back to the kitchen table.” Some candidates have simply tried to avoid the issue. During an April p...

Mowers Concedes To Leavitt In New Hampshire House G.O.P. Primary https://digitalarizonanews.com/mowers-concedes-to-leavitt-in-new-hampshire-house-g-o-p-primary/ Politics|Mowers Concedes to Leavitt in New Hampshire House G.O.P. Primary https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/13/us/politics/karoline-leavitt-nh-house-gop-primary.html Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share. If she wins in November, Karoline Leavitt could be the youngest person elected to Congress.Credit…Brian Snyder/Reuters Sept. 13, 2022, 11:36 p.m. ET Matt Mowers, 33, a veteran of the State Department and of Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, conceded the race for New Hampshire’s First Congressional District late Tuesday to Karoline Leavitt, a 25-year-old hard-right Republican who served as an assistant in Mr. Trump’s White House press office. The Associated Press had not yet called the race, which had devolved into a nasty battle over who carried the mantle of Trumpism. “Unfortunately, tonight’s results did not go our way,” Mr. Mowers posted in a statement on Twitter at 11:25 p.m. Ms. Leavitt will face off in November against Representative Chris Pappas, the two-term Democratic congressman representing the highly competitive district in the eastern and southern parts of the state. Mr. Pappas is one of the most vulnerable Democrats this cycle, with his re-election race considered a tossup. If she wins this fall, Ms. Leavitt could be the youngest person ever elected to Congress. The Constitution requires House members to be at least 25 years old to serve. Ms. Leavitt turned 25 last month. Mr. Mowers entered the race a year ago as the presumed Republican front-runner and benefited from an infusion of cash from an outside PAC aligned with Representative Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader, who is campaigning to become speaker. The candidates have few discernible differences on policy, and the race ultimately turned less on any ideological divide than on style and tone. It divided the House Republican leadership, exposing lingering rifts inside the party over Mr. Trump’s influence. Ms. Leavitt, who adopted Mr. Trump’s brash style and taste for inflammatory statements, was backed by a host of hard-right Republicans in Congress, most notably Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, the No. 3 Republican, who has also styled herself in the former president’s image. In her campaign, Ms. Leavitt unequivocally repeated Mr. Trump’s lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Ms. Leavitt leaned into the attacks and the money pouring into the district to defeat her, positioning herself as the America First candidate fighting “the swamp” and claiming that if “establishment Republicans” were spending so much to defeat her then “I must be doing something right.” Tucker Carlson, the Fox News host, also elevated her as the anti-establishment candidate in the race. The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Mr. McCarthy, spent more than $1.3 million supporting Mr. Mowers. Another super PAC that supports moderate Republicans, Defending Main Street, spent over $1.2 million to attack Ms. Leavitt. The apparent victory for Ms. Leavitt also represented a win for Ms. Stefanik, who harbors ambitions to rise in the party. Her outside group E-Pac, which supports conservative female candidates, spent the legal maximum, $10,000, supporting Ms. Leavitt’s campaign. Ms. Stefanik also served as an informal adviser to Ms. Leavitt, who previously worked as her communications director. If Republicans win back control of the House of Representatives and Ms. Leavitt wins her seat in November, she could be a wild card for Mr. McCarthy in the mold of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and other hard-right lawmakers who have sometimes proved a thorn in the minority leader’s side. But Ms. Leavitt enters the general election bruised by the bitter primary. Mr. Mowers’s campaign operated a website branding her “fake MAGA Karoline.” It accused her of having “never held a real job outside the swamp,” attending private school in Massachusetts and being registered to vote from the “penthouse” apartment where she lived in Washington before moving back to New Hampshire to run for office. And Ms. Leavitt’s brash style may make for an easier target for Democrats in a general election. “I think she is more beatable because Democrats can portray her as an inexperienced ideologue,” said David Wasserman, an election expert with the Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan newsletter that analyzes elections. Read More Here

Kenneth Starr, Who Led Whitewater Probes Into Clinton, Dies At 76 https://digitalarizonanews.com/kenneth-starr-who-led-whitewater-probes-into-clinton-dies-at-76/ Kenneth Starr, a former U.S. solicitor general who led the Whitewater investigation into the Clinton administration that began with probes into allegedly improper real estate transactions but mushroomed into wider investigations that led to President Bill Clinton’s impeachment in the House, died Sept. 13 in Houston. He was 76. The death was from complications from a surgery at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in Houston, according to a statement from his family. Mr. Starr, a former solicitor general in the first Bush administration and federal appeals court judge, was seen as a reliably conservative Republican as U.S. political rifts began to widen in the early 1990s. A federal appeals panel in 1994 named Mr. Starr as replacement for the independent counsel in the Whitewater inquiry, Robert B. Fiske Jr., who was selected by Attorney General Janet Reno. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist rejected Reno’s request to reappoint Fiske, saying that Reno should not have selected the independent counsel because Clinton nominated her to her post. The probe into the Whitewater Development Corp. looked into real estate investments by Bill and Hillary Clinton and associates Jim McDougal and Susan McDougal. The Clintons did not face charges from the Whitewater dealings, but Mr. Starr significantly expanded his mandate. His team later disclosed allegations against Clinton of sexual harassment by former Arkansas state employee Paula Jones (the case was settled out of court). Mr. Starr’s investigation also revealed Clinton’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky and subsequent claims that Clinton lied under oath about the sexual nature of their encounters. Clinton was impeached in December 1998 by the House of Representatives, but he was acquitted by the Senate. After the Clinton impeachment, Mr. Starr would become president of Baylor University in Waco, Texas. But in May 2016, Baylor removed Mr. Starr as president of the university after an investigation found that the college had mishandled accusations of sexual assault against its football players. Mr. Starr remained as chancellor and professor of law. The university also fired its football coach, Art Briles. A statement from Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone made no mention of his dismissal. “Judge Starr was a dedicated public servant and ardent supporter of religious freedom that allows faith-based institutions such as Baylor to flourish,” she said. To the Clintons’ defenders, Whitewater became shorthand for an ever-widening effort by political opponents to find evidence of wrongdoing using the powers of an independent counsel. But Mr. Starr’s investigation did bring convictions at a lower level, including a prison sentence for Susan McDougal for contempt of court after refusing to answer questions about Whitewater-related investments. The Whitewater probe fueled a divide between the Clintons — who believed they needed to take special precautions to defend themselves against a hostile Washington establishment — and their critics, who saw Clinton’s defensiveness as obvious proof that something was awry. Lewinsky, in a tweet Tuesday, wrote that thoughts of Mr. Starr “bring up complicated feelings,” but acknowledged that it was a “painful loss for those who love him.” In 2010, Mr. Starr became the 14th president of Baylor. The university said that in his six years at the helm of the prominent Baptist institution, Mr. Starr oversaw the establishment of the Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, renovations of three residence halls, and the construction of McLane Stadium for football games as well as an equestrian center, a track and field stadium, and an indoor tennis center. But Mr. Starr’s tenure ended abruptly in a scandal over the university’s response to sexual assault allegations involving football players and others. An independent report from a law firm found in May 2016 that the university had showed too much deference to players accused of sexual assault and indifference or hostility to their alleged victims. The report found that football coaches and staff had conducted “untrained internal inquiries” that deprived the victims of the right to a fair and impartial investigation. It also found that in some cases, university athletic and football officials failed to report sexual violence incidents to administrators outside the athletic department. There was a perception, the report found, that “rules applicable to other students are not applicable to football players.” In addition to the dismissal of the football coach, the governing board apologized to the school community and demoted Mr. Starr, stripping him of the position of president but letting him remain in the position of chancellor. Within a few days, Mr. Starr resigned that position, too. Richard Willis, chair of the Baylor Board of Regents at the time, declared that the board was “shocked and outraged” over the mishandling of sexual violence reports. Mr. Starr, at the time, said he felt “heartfelt contrition for the tragedy and sadness that has unfolded.” He added: “To those victims who were not treated with the care, concern and support they deserve, I am profoundly sorry.” Kenneth Winston Starr, the youngest of three children, was born in Vernon, in north Texas, on July 21, 1946, getting his middle name from his parents’ admiration of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. His father was a Church of Christ minister and part-time barber. His parents were children of farmers, and family life centered around the church and Sunday school teachings. Mr. Starr, whose boyhood nickname was Joe-boy, grew up mostly in San Antonio. Widely described as an earnest straight arrow who carried himself with understated confidence, he excelled in all high school endeavors save for athletics and was elected president of his class. He said he was first electrified by national politics during the 1960 presidential campaign and identified in particular with Richard M. Nixon because of their shared hardscrabble background, although he said he later became a member of Young Democrats and a supporter of Hubert H. Humphrey in the 1968 presidential election. He sold Bibles door-to-door to pay his tuition at what is now Harding University, a Church of Christ school in Searcy, Ark., and threw himself into student activities before transferring to George Washington University after two years. He recalled the transition as a shock, seeing students protesting the war in Vietnam that he supported (even though he reportedly flunked his physical for the draft). He stood out on campus in other ways, preferring suit and tie as his classroom attire, at an institution where blue jeans prevailed as the sartorial choice of his peers. He graduated in 1968, then received a master’s degree in political science the next year at Brown University. He completed his law studies at Duke University in 1973 and began his rapid ascent in legal apprenticeships, ultimately becoming a law clerk to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger. He married Alice Mendell Starr in 1970. In addition to his wife, survivors include three children; a sister and brother; and nine grandchildren, the family said. In 1977, he joined the Los Angeles firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher to practice corporate law and impressed one of the partners, William French Smith, who became attorney general after Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980. His protege followed him to the Justice Department and distinguished himself on high-profile matters that shaped conservative policy on social issues, including reversing federal opposition to organized prayer in school and seeking voluntary paths other than busing to promote school desegregation. His trajectory was astonishing. At 37, he became the youngest person ever named as a judge to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, a bench viewed as a steppingstone to the Supreme Court. Making the 400-plus-page Starr Report public in 1998 — an early attempt to use the internet for widespread access — was not easy. Mr. Starr’s team wrote the document in WordPerfect, but the congressional officials converted it to HTML, “the format used on the internet,” The Washington Post reported at the time. That process resulted in an array of “mostly insubstantial” errors that “did not alter the meaning of Starr’s report.” But the report also became a must-read for other reasons: its unusually lurid departure from the normally dry bureaucratic language of the Capitol. “The prose, far from a dry, factual recitation, contained rich, erotic details of the sort we expect from a book-club romance,” Daniel M. Filler, a prominent law professor, wrote in a California Law Review article. “En route to the restroom at about 8 p.m., she passed George Stephanopoulos’s office. The President was inside alone, and he beckoned her to enter,” said one passage about Lewinsky from the Starr Report. “She told him that she had a crush on him. He laughed, then asked if she would like to see his private office. Through a connecting door in Mr. Stephanopoulos’s office, they went through the President’s private dining room toward the study off the Oval Office. Ms. Lewinsky testified: ‘We talked briefly and sort of acknowledged that there had been a chemistry that was there before and that we were both attracted to each other and then he asked me if he could kiss me,’ ” it continued. “Ms. Lewinsky said yes.” In January 2020, Mr. Starr was back on the Hill — this time on the legal team defending President Donald Trump in impeachment proceedings. During the Clinton impeachment, Trump had mocked Mr. Starr as “a total wacko” and “totally off his rocker.” Mr. Starr’s bottom line on the Clinton investigation? “Much of the drama was tragically unnecessary, a self-inflict...

Asia-Pacific Markets Drop Around 2% Following Wall Street Plunge On Hot Inflation Report https://digitalarizonanews.com/asia-pacific-markets-drop-around-2-following-wall-street-plunge-on-hot-inflation-report/ A pedestrian walks past an electronic quotation board displaying share prices of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo on June 16, 2020. Kazuhiro Nogi | AFP | Getty Images The U.S. 2-year Treasury yield also reached 3.79%, the highest level since 2007. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1,276.37 points, or 3.94%, to close at 31,104.97. The S&P 500 shed 4.32% to 3,932.69, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 5.16% to end the session at 11,633.57. “What is perhaps most disconcerting in all this is that the strength in core inflation is very much service sector-led categories,” said Ray Attrill, National Australia Bank’s head of FX strategy, wrote in a note, adding the sector is primarily wage inflation-driven. — CNBC’s Jeff Cox, Jesse Pound and Carmen Reinicke contributed to this report. Japan’s machinery orders grow again in July, beats expectations Core machinery orders in Japan jumped 5.3% in July from the previous month, beating expectations for a 0.8% contraction in a Reuters poll. That figure grew 0.9% in June. Compared to July 2021, core orders increased more than 12%, beating a 6.6% growth prediction forecast by economists in a Reuters poll. — Abigail Ng CNBC Pro: Morningstar says this is ‘one of the best’ value-focused funds 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 Sign up for CNBC’s newsletter here: Read More Here

Russia Spent Millions On Secret Global Political Campaign, U.S. Intelligence Finds https://digitalarizonanews.com/russia-spent-millions-on-secret-global-political-campaign-u-s-intelligence-finds/ Russia has secretly funneled at least $300 million to foreign political parties and candidates in more than two dozen countries since 2014 in an attempt to shape political events beyond its borders, according to a new U.S. intelligence review. Moscow planned to spend hundreds of millions of dollars more as part of its covert campaign to weaken democratic systems and promote global political forces seen as aligned with Kremlin interests, according to the review, which the Biden administration commissioned this summer. A senior U.S. official, who like other officials spoke to reporters Tuesday on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence findings, said the administration decided to declassify some of the review’s findings in an attempt to counter Russia’s ability to sway political systems in countries in Europe, Africa and elsewhere. “By shining this light on Russian covert political financing and Russian attempts to undermine democratic processes, we’re putting these foreign parties and candidates on notice that if they accept Russian money secretly we can and we will expose it,” the official said. Countries where such activities were identified included Albania, Montenegro, Madagascar and, potentially, Ecuador, according to an administration source familiar with the matter. Officials pointed to one Asian country, which they declined to name, where they said the Russian ambassador gave millions of dollars in cash to a presidential candidate. They said that Kremlin-linked forces have also used shell companies, think tanks and other means to influence political events, sometimes to the benefit of far-right groups. The senior official said the U.S. government detected an uptick in Russian covert political financing in 2014. The review did not address Russian activities within the United States. Assessments by both U.S. spy agencies and a bipartisan Senate investigation concluded that Russia under President Vladimir Putin launched a campaign to interfere in the 2016 presidential election to assist then-candidate Donald Trump. The publication of details about the Kremlin’s alleged political influence campaign comes as the United States expands its military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, now in its seventh month. Since early this year the White House has taken the unusual step of repeatedly releasing declassified intelligence related to Moscow’s intentions and actions related to Ukraine, part of an attempt to push back on Putin’s ambitions there and counteract what U.S. officials have described as Russian disinformation operations. A State Department démarche Monday to U.S. embassies in more than 100 countries described the alleged Russian activities and suggested steps the United States and its allies can take to push back, including sanctions, travel bans or the expulsion of suspected Russian spies involved in political financing activities. The cable, which officials provided to reporters, said that Russian political financing was sometimes overseen by Russian government officials and legislators, and had been executed by bodies including Russia’s Federal Security Service. The démarche also named Russian oligarchs it said were involved in “financing schemes,” including Yevgeniy Prigozhin and Aleksandr Babakov. Prigozhin, known as “Putin’s chef” after making vast sums in Russian government catering contracts, was charged by U.S. officials in 2018 with attempting to interfere in the 2016 U.S. elections. He has been linked to the private military firm Wagner and is wanted by the FBI. Babakov is a Russian lawmaker allegedly involved in a financing a far-right party in France. Moscow has used cryptocurrency, cash and gifts to shape political events in other countries, often employing accounts and resources of Russian embassies to do so, the cable said. “In the coming months, Russia may increasingly rely on its covert influence toolkit, including covert political financing, in Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia in an attempt to undermine the efficacy of international sanctions and maintain its influence in these regions amid its ongoing war in Ukraine,” it said. U.S. diplomats are briefing counterparts in other countries about the activities, which American officials believe could go far beyond the nations and sums that have been identified. “We think this is just the tip of the iceberg,” the senior official said. “So rather than sit on the sidelines, we are sharing these response measures.” U.S. officials are also asking partner nations to share their own information about Russian financing to help the U.S. government attain a fuller picture of what Russia is doing. While the review did not address Russian influence efforts in the United States, the senior official acknowledged that issue remains a major challenge requiring continued work to safeguard the U.S. political system and elections. “There’s no question that we have this vulnerability as well,” the official said. Paul Sonne in Washington contributed to this report. War in Ukraine: What you need to know The latest: Grain shipments from Ukraine are gathering pace under the agreement hammered out by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations in July. Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports had sent food prices soaring and raised fears of more hunger in the Middle East and Africa. At least 18 ships, including loads of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, have departed. The fight: The conflict on the ground grinds on as Russia uses its advantage in heavy artillery to pummel Ukrainian forces, which have sometimes been able to put up stiff resistance. In the south, Ukrainian hopes rest on liberating the Russia-occupied Kherson region, and ultimately Crimea, seized by Russia in 2014. Fears of a disaster at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station remain as both sides accuse each other of shelling it. The weapons: Western supplies of weapons are helping Ukraine slow Russian advances. U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) allow Ukrainian forces to strike farther behind Russian lines against Russian artillery. Russia has used an array of weapons against Ukraine, some of which have drawn the attention and concern of analysts. Photos: Washington Post photographers have been on the ground from the very beginning of the war — here’s some of their most powerful work. How you can help: Here are ways those in the U.S. can help support the Ukrainian people as well as what people around the world have been donating. Read our full coverage of the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video. Read More Here

What The Inflation Reduction Act Means For Arizona Families https://digitalarizonanews.com/what-the-inflation-reduction-act-means-for-arizona-families/ PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — Despite falling fuel prices, a disappointing inflation report Tuesday showed the consumer price index inching up 0.1% in August. On the same day, there was a celebration touting the Inflation Reduction Act at the White House. “The American people won,” President Joe Biden told the crowd gathered on the North Lawn of the White House. “We’re going to lower prescription drug costs, lower health insurance costs, lower energy costs for millions of families, and we’re going to take the most aggressive action ever, ever, ever to confront the climate crisis and increase our energy security.” The Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law a month ago without Republican support. As a result, new discounts for new and used electric vehicles will be available. “For most of us, this is a big deal,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told On Your Side. “One of the biggest barriers to adopting an EV and getting the savings that come with it is that upfront cost.” There will also be credits and rebates for energy-efficient appliances and solar panels. The White House estimates that 150,000 households in Arizona will install solar panels as a result of the incentives. EPA Director Michael Regan says the goal is to save money and energy. “We finally have the resources we need to tackle not only the climate crisis,” Regan told AZ Family, “It will create billions of dollars of grants and investments for communities that have been disenfranchised for so many years.” The new law also targets high prescription drug costs. Medicare will be allowed to negotiate drug prices on some of the most common medications, and by 2025, out-of-pocket costs for Medicare Part D will be capped at $2,000. “They cannot pay a penny more than $2,000 a year, no matter how high their drug costs are,” President Biden vowed. Despite its name, according to an analysis by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the Inflation Reduction Act will do little to move the needle on inflation in the near term. In Arizona, the Chamber of Commerce is critical of several pieces of the law, including the provisions about medication costs. “It does nothing to address the pressure put on everyday Arizonans right now as they’re buying goods, buying houses, paying rent. This bill does not address that. In fact, it could likely make it worse,” said Danny Seiden, the President and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “We’ll see less new drugs hit the market. We’ll see less of an incentive for drug companies to invest in new research and development because they just don’t have the same profits that they did before.” On Your Side took that concern right to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who countered the argument. “We believe this is going to spur innovation because it’s now going to be easier for others to compete because there are too many manufacturers that have a corner on the market,” Becerra said. Copyright 2022 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved. Read More…

Trump Had Returned More Documents To Government Than Reported, Mar-A-Lago Search Affidavit Shows https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-had-returned-more-documents-to-government-than-reported-mar-a-lago-search-affidavit-shows/ By Jeff Mordock – The Washington Times Tuesday, September 13, 2022 A federal judge on Tuesday unsealed new portions of the affidavit used by the FBI to justify its search of former President Trump’s residence, revealing for the first time that he had returned more documents to the government than originally reported. But it also revealed that the FBI had “probable cause to believe” that it would find additional classified materials, including national defense information, at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence beyond what he had already turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration. The newly unredacted portions show that Mr. Trump handed over additional documents with classification markings in response to a grand jury subpoena. Those materials were in addition to the original 15 boxes of records that Mr. Trump provided the National Archives in January. “Since the fifteen boxes were provided to [National Archives], documents bearing classifications markings, which appear to contain [national defense information] and were stored at the premises in an unauthorized location, have been produced to the government in response to a grand jury subpoena,” the unredacted portion of the affidavit says. The affidavit also revealed that some of those classified documents contained files marked, “HCS, SI, and FISA,” some of the U.S. government’s highest security designations. “HCS” refers to confidential human sources, or spies, and the information they’ve gathered; “SI” refers to work done by the National Security Agency; and “FISA” deals with domestic surveillance and wiretapping of potential foreign threats to the U.S. The 15 boxes of materials that Mr. Trump voluntarily returned to the National Archives in January had similar markings. Also revealed Tuesday was that a grand jury subpoena was served to Mr. Trump’s team on June 24. The subpoena demanded that the Trump Organization turn over “any and all surveillance records” from the basement in Mar-a-Lago — where some of the sensitive documents allegedly had been stored since Jan. 10. Mr. Trump’s legal team complied with the subpoena on July 6, handing the FBI a hard drive, according to the affidavit. U.S. Magistrate Bruce Reinhart signed off on the FBI’s search warrant for the Aug. 8 search at Mar-a-Lago based on the affidavit. Currently, Mr. Trump’s legal team and the Justice Department are sparring over having a special master review the documents seized by the FBI. While the Justice Department and Mr. Trump have agreed on one candidate, it is up to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to decide how many candidates should serve as special masters. The Justice Department is asking her to appoint three candidates. Copyright © 2022 The Washington Times, LLC. Read More Here

AP News Summary At 9:36 P.m. EDT https://digitalarizonanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-936-p-m-edt/ Ukrainian troops keep up pressure on fleeing Russian forces KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian troops are piling pressure on retreating Russian forces, pressing deeper into occupied territory and sending more Kremlin troops fleeing ahead of their counteroffensive. The advance has inflicted a stunning blow on Moscow’s military prestige. As the push continued Tuesday, Ukraine’s border guard services said the army took control of Vovchansk — a town just 3 kilometers (2 miles) from Russia seized on the first day of the war. Russian troops were also pulling out of the southern city of Melitopol and heading toward Moscow-annexed Crimea. That’s according to the city’s pre-occupation mayor. His claim could not be verified. Melitopol is the second-largest city in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region. Casket of Queen Elizabeth II arrives at Buckingham Palace LONDON (AP) — The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II has returned to Buckingham Palace, moving through a drizzly London as crowds lined the route for a glimpse of the hearse and to bid her farewell. People parked their cars along a normally busy road, got out and waved as the hearse, with lights inside illuminating the flag-draped coffin, made its way into London. In the city, people pressed in on the road and held their phones aloft as it passed. Thousands outside the palace shouted “God save the queen!” and clapped as the hearse swung around a roundabout in front of the queen’s residence and through the wrought iron gates. King Charles III and other immediate family members waited inside. New Hampshire caps primaries with fresh test of GOP’s future CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire Republicans are picking their party’s candidate to face off with incumbent Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan in a key midterm race the GOP has long seen as winnable and which could ultimately decide control of the chamber after November. But a strong competitor in the GOP contest is retired Army Brig. Gen. Donald Bolduc, a staunch conservative who Democrats — and even some top Republicans — believe is too far to the right for some swing voters. Bolduc has campaigned on a platform that includes lies that Donald Trump won the 2020 election and conspiracy theories about vaccines. Contests are also being held in Rhode Island and Delaware as the nationwide primary season wraps. GOP’s Graham unveils nationwide abortion ban after 15 weeks Read More Here

Package Explodes At Northeastern University, Injuring 1, School Officials Say https://digitalarizonanews.com/package-explodes-at-northeastern-university-injuring-1-school-officials-say/ One person was taken to the hospital Tuesday evening after a package delivered to a building at Northeastern University exploded when it was opened, school officials confirmed. Northeastern University said the package was delivered to Holmes Hall on Leon Street around 7 p.m. and detonated when a staff member opened it. That person suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital. The Boston Bomb Squad, Boston police, Boston fire and Boston EMS have all responded and the building has been evacuated. Additionally, an FBI spokesperson says they are assisting the Boston Police Department in an investigation at Northeastern University. Boston police are also responding to a report of another suspicious package on Huntington Avenue, in the area of the Museum of Fine Arts. Jacob Isaacs said he was in class in the building, Holmes Hall, when they were evacuated. “We were in class and then we saw two policemen walk through the building and then as soon as we look out the window, we see a fire truck with the lights on blazing, and then our teacher is like “I gotta see what’s going on,’ and he sees that the fire truck is going and there’s a police car outside and as that happened, instantly the fire alarm starts going off,” he said. Isaacs added that they did not hear anything that sounded like an explosion before they saw first responders arrive. Local In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area. Evening classes at Behrakis, Shillman, Ryder, Kariotis, Dockser and West F at Northeastern have all been canceled. The scene remains active and people are warned to avoid the area. NBC10 Boston & NECN have a crew on scene and will provide updates as they come into the newsroom. Read More Here

Asian Markets Open Lower After Price Data Slam Wall Street https://digitalarizonanews.com/asian-markets-open-lower-after-price-data-slam-wall-street/ Asian markets skidded lower on Wednesday after Wall Street fell the most since June 2020 as a report showed inflation has kept a surprisingly strong grip on the U.S. economy. Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 2.8% in early trading Wednesday, to 27,816.58, while Sydney’s S&P/ASX 200 declined 2.5% to 6,834.80. In Seoul, the Kospi lost 2.6% to 2,386.29. U.S. futures edged higher, with the contracts for the Dow industrials and the S&P 500 up 0.1%. European futures also declined. On Tuesday, the Dow lost more than 1,250 points and the S&P 500 sank 4.3%. Tuesday’s hotter-than-expected report on inflation has traders bracing for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates still more, adding to risks for the economy. The steep sell-off didn’t quite knock out the market’s gains over the past four days, but it ended a four-day winning streak for the major U.S. indexes and erased an early rally in European markets. The S&P 500 sank 4.3% to 3,932.69. The Dow fell 3.9% to 31,104.97 and the Nasdaq composite closed 5.2% lower, at 11,633.57. Bond prices also fell sharply, sending their yields higher, after a report showed inflation decelerated only to 8.3% in August, instead of the 8.1% economists expected. The yield on the two-year Treasury, which tends to track expectations for Fed actions, soared to 3.74% from 3.57% late Monday. The 10-year yield, which helps dictate where mortgages and rates for other loans are heading, rose to 3.42% from 3.36%. The hotter-than-expected reading has traders bracing for the Federal Reserve to ultimately raise interest rates more than expected to combat inflation, with all the risks for the economy that entails. “Right now, it’s not the journey that’s a worry so much as the destination,” said Brian Jacobsen, senior investment strategist at Allspring Global Investments. “If the Fed wants to hike and hold, the big question is at what level. All but six of the stocks in the S&P 500 fell. Technology and other high-growth companies fell more than the rest of the market because they’re seen as most at risk from higher rates. Most of Wall Street came into the day thinking the Fed would hike its key short-term rate by a hefty three-quarters of a percentage point at its meeting next week. But the hope was that inflation was falling back to more normal levels after peaking in June at 9.1%. Such a slowdown might let the Fed reduce the size of its rate hikes through the end of this year and then potentially hold steady through early 2023. Tuesday’s report dashed some of those hopes. Many of the data points were worse than economists expected, including some the Fed pays particular attention to, such as inflation outside of food and energy prices. Markets honed in on a 0.6% rise in such prices during August from July, double what economists expected, said Gargi Chaudhuri, head of investment strategy at iShares. Traders now see a one-in-three chance the Fed will hike the benchmark rate by a full percentage point next week, quadruple the usual move. No one in the futures market was predicting such a hike a day earlier. The Fed has already raised its benchmark interest rate four times this year, with the last two increases by three-quarters of a percentage point. The federal funds rate is currently in a range of 2.25% to 2.50%. Higher rates hurt the economy by making it more expensive to buy a house, a car or anything else bought on credit. Mortgage rates have already hit their highest level since 2008, creating pain for the housing industry. The hope is that the Fed can pull off the tightrope walk of slowing the economy enough to snuff out high inflation, but not so much that it creates a painful recession. Tuesday’s data casts doubt on hopes for such a “soft landing.” Higher rates also hurt prices for stocks, bonds and other investments. Investments seen as the most expensive or the riskiest are the ones hardest hit by higher rates. Bitcoin tumbled 9.4%. Expectations for a more aggressive Fed also helped the dollar add to its already strong gains for this year. The dollar has been surging against other currencies in large part because the Fed has been hiking rates faster and by bigger margins than many other central banks. The dollar bought 144.59 Japanese yen, up from 144.57 yen late Tuesday. The euro rose to 0.9973 cents, up from 0.9969 cents. Oil prices rose. U.S. benchmark crude added 38 cents to $87.69 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It lost 47 cents to $87.31 on Tuesday. Brent crude, the international pricing standard, climbed 38 cents to $93.55 per barrel. ___ AP Business Writers Stan Choe, Alex Veiga and Damian J. Troise contributed. Read More Here

Man Who Pinned D.C. Police Officer In Door Frame During Jan. 6 Riot Convicted Of 7 Felonies https://digitalarizonanews.com/man-who-pinned-d-c-police-officer-in-door-frame-during-jan-6-riot-convicted-of-7-felonies/ More Trump allies subpoenaed More than 30 people subpoenaed in Jan. 6 probe 01:23 A man who was seen crushing a Metropolitan Police Department officer in a door frame during the January 6 Capitol riot has been convicted of nine offenses, seven of them felonies, the Justice Department said Tuesday. Patrick McCaughey III, 25, of Ridgefield, Connecticut, and two others were convicted on multiple charges in a bench trial by U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, an appointee of former President Trump. Tristan Chandler Stevens, 26, of Pensacola, Florida, and David Mehaffie, 63, of Kettering, Ohio, were found guilty of five felony charges and two felony charges, respectively. On Jan. 6, 2021, “the three defendants attempted to break into the building by directing other rioters, participating in heave-hos against the police line, using riot shields stolen from the Capitol Police, and assaulting three specific officers,” the Justice Department said. “Mehaffie hung from an archway and shouted direction from above, and McCaughey and Stevens were key players in the melee below. McCaughey grabbed a riot shield and used it as a weapon. Even after officers finally cleared the tunnel area, the three defendants illegally remained on Capitol grounds.” All three men were convicted of assault charges, however, McFadden only agreed to add a dangerous weapon enhancement, which could increase the eventual prison sentence, to McCaughey’s convictions, according to CBS affiliate WUSA-TV. McFadden ruled that the riot shields the three men stole were not inherently dangerous weapons, but that it become one the way McCaughey used it, WUSA-TV reports. McCaughey was captured on video using a riot shield to pin MPD officer Daniel Hodges in a doorway during the riot. Hodges could be seen screaming out in pain as he was being crushed in the doorway as rioters attempted to enter the Capitol building. In an interview with CBS News, Hodges said that in videos, you can see McCaughey grabbing his gas mask, beating his head against the door, and ripping it away.  You’ve seen images of Ofc Hodges crushed in the doorway during the insurrection at the US Capitol. Now we need your help finding the suspect who used a police shield to pin him against the door jam. Have info? Call the FBI’s Tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) @FBIWFO pic.twitter.com/AZt2lylfj9 — DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) January 16, 2021 “I definitely considered that that might be it,” Hodges said. “I might not be able to make it out of there.” Hodges, along with several other law enforcement officers, also testified before the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot in 2021. He repeatedly called the rioters “terrorists” throughout his opening statement. He said that as his head was being “bashed” by a rioter, he feared that “at best” he might collapse and become a liability to his colleagues. “At worst,” he added, “be dragged down into the crowd and lynched.” He said, “I did the only thing I could do and screamed for help.”  The seven felonies McCaughey was convicted of are: three counts of aiding or abetting or assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers, including one involving a dangerous weapon; one count of obstruction of an official proceeding; one count of interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder; one count of disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, and one count of engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.   He faces decades in prison. Stevens and Mehaffie were each acquitted of obstruction charges. McCaughey, who was 23 at the time, was arrested Jan. 19, 2021 in South Salem, New York, according to The Associated Press. McCaughey, who has both U.S. and German citizenship, was unemployed and lived with his mother in Ridgefield, an affluent town along the New York border, public defender Jason Ser said at the time. He was arrested at his father’s second home, where he was quarantining, the AP reported. McCaughey will be sentenced on Jan. 26, 2023, according to the Justice Department. Cassidy McDonald contributed reporting. In: United States Capitol Capitol Hill Thanks for reading CBS NEWS. Create your free account or log in for more features. Please enter email address to continue Please enter valid email address to continue Read More Here

Ukraine To Germany: Send Armored Vehicles To Keep Pressure On Russia https://digitalarizonanews.com/ukraine-to-germany-send-armored-vehicles-to-keep-pressure-on-russia/ KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s ability to expel Russian forces from its country as soon as possible now depends largely on Germany and its willingness to send desperately needed armor, a senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday. But Germany is balking, causing deep frustration in Kyiv. It is an echo of the earliest days of the invasion, when Berlin was derided for offering helmets when Ukraine needed heavy weapons. “Germany needs to understand that the timeline for the end of the war is dependent on its position,” Mykhailo Podolyak, a top adviser to Zelensky, told The Washington Post in an interview on Tuesday. A sweeping counteroffensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region has forced Russian soldiers into a hasty retreat and returned more than 1,100 square miles to Ukrainian control, a potential turning point more than six months into the war. Kyiv believes the requested heavy armor — including battle tanks and personnel carriers — could help shift that turning point into a tipping point. Ukrainian officials are now urging their Western partners to provide them with more weapons immediately. “The faster we receive this or that weapon from Germany, the faster Germany finally breaks this feeling of closeness with Russia, the faster the war will end,” Podolyak said. He said that Ukraine is specifically asking for armored personnel vehicles and tanks to be able to support its battlefield momentum. But Germany, so far, has been unwilling to grant the request. The German government did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday night, but has emphasized it is coordinating its response with allies. “No country has delivered Western-built infantry fighting vehicles or main battle tanks so far,” German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said in an event in Berlin this week. “We have agreed with our partners that Germany will not take such action unilaterally.” In a Monday news conference with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Chancellor Olaf Scholz listed what he called “extensive” German weaponry already supplied, saying it had been crucial in the success of the counteroffensive. Virtually no outside nations have provided tanks to Ukraine, instead sending aging models such as the M113, an armored personnel carrier with tracks that was first fielded by the United States in the 1960s. Denmark provided 54 M113s that were upgraded by Germany and then sent to Ukraine, according to the German defense ministry. Poland and the Czech Republic have sent a few hundred Soviet-era T-72 tanks to Ukraine, with Germany promising to backfill their supplies. There is little doubt now that Ukraine could make use of more modern equipment, even if it would require further training. On Monday, a senior U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the Pentagon, said that the Ukrainians have shown in their counteroffensive that they are “quite effective” while using armored vehicles. “So clearly, that kind of capability is important,” the defense official said, adding that the United States does not have any “specific plans about a specific capability at this point.” Since the first days of Russia’s military offensive, Germany has been accused of dragging its feet on arms deliveries to Kyiv. Initially, as Russian troops massed on Ukraine’s borders, Berlin said its unique world war history, and long-standing policy, meant it could not send weapons. Days after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion, as part of what was seen as a sea-change in the country’s defense policy, Germany said it would send arms. But the government, led by Scholz, a social democrat, has still agonized over sending heavier weapons, and since then has been criticized for the speed and scope of deliveries. Under public and political pressure, Berlin in April announced that it had approved shipping German-made self-propelled antiaircraft guns to Ukraine, with 24 sent so far. But it has resisted calls to send tanks, including the German-made Leopard 2. According to German media reports, the manufacturer has 100 ready to send. During a visit to Kyiv on Saturday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told the Yalta European Strategy conference that Germany is “150 percent at the side of Ukraine and the people of Ukraine.” But in a joint news conference with her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, Baerbock did not commit to supplying the equipment that Kyiv has been requesting. “As the situation on the ground changes, we are reexamining our support and will discuss further steps,” she said. In a tweet on Tuesday, Kuleba echoed Podolyak, adding that Ukraine was also hoping for Marder infantry fighting vehicles. The Leopard is a tank operated by numerous NATO allies, including Canada, Poland and Turkey, while the Marder is an armored vehicle with tracks that carries infantrymen and does not have a large-caliber “main gun.” “Disappointing signals from Germany while Ukraine needs Leopards and Marders now — to liberate people and save them from genocide,” Kuleba wrote. “Not a single rational argument on why these weapons cannot be supplied, only abstract fears and excuses. What is Berlin afraid of that Kyiv is not?” Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats have historically espoused a policy of detente toward Russia, while the chancellor himself is known for an extremely cautious public style. His government has voiced various arguments for resisting pressure to expand arms deliveries — from not wanting to trigger World War III, to saying Ukrainian troops would need training in order to operate modern weaponry. But often the statements have been contradictory. Germany had initially said it could not spare any of its Marder infantry fighting vehicles, but later pursued a deal to send them to Slovenia so the eastern European country could send its own Soviet-era tanks onto Ukraine. Berlin entered into a similar arrangement with Poland and the Czech Republic, a swap system meant to get tanks to Ukrainian forces more quickly, but those efforts have largely stalled. Scholz says he is carefully coordinating deliveries with western partners. And in a 90-minute call with Putin on Tuesday, Scholz said he stressed that Russia must withdraw its troops and respect Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty. But even among NATO allies there appears to be some frustration with Berlin. In an interview with German television station ZDF on Monday, U.S. Ambassador to Germany Amy Gutmann said she welcomed Germany’s efforts in support of Ukraine but “my expectations are even higher.” The war in Ukraine has posed a challenge to Germany’s standing in Europe. In the early days of the war, Germany, long dependent on Russian fossil fuel, was a notable sanctions holdout, particularly on energy. The Baltic nations and Poland called for a full and immediate energy embargo. Germany and others opposed the idea, arguing it would hurt Europe more than the Kremlin. Though evidence of Russian atrocities in Bucha helped get Germany and the rest of the bloc to phase out most oil imports from Russia, frustration with Berlin has lingered, particularly in Ukraine and among central and eastern European states. In April, Zelensky rebuffed the offer of a visit from German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who has a complicated history with Ukraine because of his role in the failed Minsk peace accords. In a recent interview with Der Spiegel, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called out German energy policy and said that on Ukraine, “Berlin’s hesitation, its inaction, seriously calls into question the value of the alliance with Germany.” “And we are not the only ones saying that,” he continued. “I am hearing this from quite a few other heads of government in Europe as well.” Ukraine’s current pressure campaign on Germany comes after the latest meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a coalition of dozens of nations organized by the Pentagon. Ukrainian officials, including Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, attended and briefed the group, according to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Germany has defended its record and called attention to its financial and military assistance to Ukraine. In diplomatic and policy circles, however, there is still much talk of Germany’s fading leadership within the European Union and in European security more broadly. The question now is whether Ukraine’s most recent offensive will change Berlin’s calculus, spurring another major foreign policy shift. “I understand that there is still a certain conservative thinking, there are certain fears, and there is a certain regret about the missed opportunities in the energy sector with the Russian Federation,” Podolyak said. “We all understand this, but there will be no return to the past. And now, in my opinion, is coming a critical moment for Germany when it is necessary to express its real position, the position of the European leader.” Morris reported from Berlin, Rauhala from Brussels and Lamothe from Washington. Karen DeYoung in Washington contributed to this report. War in Ukraine: What you need to know The latest: Grain shipments from Ukraine are gathering pace under the agreement hammered out by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations in July. Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports had sent food prices soaring and raised fears of more hunger in the Middle East and Africa. At least 18 ships, including loads of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, have departed. The fight: The conflict on the ground grinds on as Russia uses its advantage in heavy artillery to pummel Ukrainian forces, which have sometimes been able to put up stiff resistance. In the south, Ukrainian hopes rest on liberating the Russia-occupied Kherson region, and ultimately Crim...

Walk-On To Starting Wide Receiver: Giovanni Sanders Moving Up With ASU Football https://digitalarizonanews.com/walk-on-to-starting-wide-receiver-giovanni-sanders-moving-up-with-asu-football/ Giovanni Sanders believes in signs. So the 6-foot, 185-pound wide receiver knows Tempe is where he was meant to be. Sanders arrived as a preferred walk-on but was still questioning if he had made the right move because he had passed up an actual scholarship offer from one smaller school. Then one day he was driving around with a friend and the two found themselves behind another car with a license plate from “Cali 2 AZ.” He took that as an affirmation that he was indeed where he was meant to be. Sanders played for a year on the scout team, doing whatever he could to prove himself. In May of 2020, he was on a break at his favorite vacation spot on Encinitas beach celebrating his 21st birthday with his closest friends when he got word he was being put on scholarship. “I couldn’t stop smiling. They were smiling too. It was like a dream come true,” he said, after the Sun Devils wrapped up practice Tuesday morning. Sanders is one of six players on the current roster who came to the school as walk-ons. The others are fullback Case Hatch, running back George Hart, quarterback Trenton Bourguet, defensive lineman B.J. Green and defensive back Alijah Gammage. Coach Herm Edwards says Sanders wasn’t unlike the others. “He was a guy that just wanted an opportunity and that’s what life’s about, giving an opportunity, and he took advantage of it,” the coach said. “He’s really done a nice job. And he’s got some moxie to him. The game’s not too big for him.” Sanders’ story is one of resiliency. He posted noteworthy statistics at Murrieta Mesa High School in the Inland Empire Region of Southern California, racking up 143 receptions for 2,388 yards and 30 touchdowns, along with 148 tackles and 14 interceptions. He played on a team that reached the CIF Southern Section playoff semifinal where it lost to San Bernardino Cajon, then quarterbacked by Jayden Daniels with whom Sanders would later team at ASU. Yet, Sanders drew little interest from major colleges. University of San Diego came calling, but he ended up going to Dixie State (now called Utah Tech) instead. He managed 19 receptions for 295 yards. Those modest numbers didn’t do much to raise his stock. So Sanders made a second stop, this one closer to home — Riverside Community College. “I definitely felt people were sleeping on me. At that point there was nothing I could do but keep building on what I was doing before. I just tired to do everything I could do to put myself in the best position I could. Overall that was their perspective of me and I had a different perspective of me. I knew if I never stopped grinding, things would work out for me,” he said. He excelled at Riverside, making 59 catches for 854 yards and eight touchdowns for a team that went 13-0 and won a state championship. Still, no takers. He admitted being puzzled at the lack of interest. Was it his size? Maybe he wasn’t quite fast enough. It certainly wasn’t an academic issue since he had always maintained a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. More: Sun Devils insistence on running the ball gave them no chance to upset Oklahoma State More: Eno Benjamin’s confidence on display in earning Arizona Cardinals’ backup running back spot Sanders wasn’t sure what to do next. He was working at a  Stater Bros. bagging groceries and rounding up loose carts during the COVID pandemic, hoping for an opportunity somewhere.   He checked his phone one day after his shift to find multiple messages from his community college coach who knew then-ASU receivers coach Prentice Gill. That paved the way for Sanders’ arrival in Tempe as a preferred walk-on. He was going to have to prove himself again but he felt up to the challenge. “I told my parents I think it was an opportunity I had to take I was going to gamble on myself to come here,” he said. It may be early but Sanders appears on the verge of a breakthrough.  He caught three passes for 94 yards in ASU’s 34-17 loss at Oklahoma State on Saturday. It marked the highest yardage total for an ASU receiver Since Ricky Pearsall had 132 yards last October against UCLA. Sanders’ longest catch went for 73 yards and set up a 1-yard run by Xazavian Valladay early in the third quarter that cut the Cowboys lead to 17-10. “Once I saw that and (quarterback) Emory (Jones) put it in the air I knew it was pretty much playmaker on playmaker,” he said. “I wish I could have kept going but it was  an unreal moment. Definitely my first big-time catch so it felt good.” With four receptions for 115 yards through two games, Sanders is second on the team in that department to Elijhah Badger. He’s more grateful to be in the position he is in now because of the road he has traveled. “It really makes me grateful for everything,” he said. “Just from junior college to here. It really makes me grateful. A lot of people have rooted for me so I have a good support cast behind me but it makes me feel unreal. I wake up every day just thinking, Dang, one, two years ago I was in a different position but now I’m where I really want to be at. My dreams really came true.” Sanders showed some flashes of potential in the spring. He chalks up his progress to work on route running as well as dedication on the strength and conditioning part of the equation. Edwards likes what he has seen. “He made that one catch going in there and, you know, leaving his feet and you can trust him and the quarterback’s starting to trust him. He’s in the slot. He’s a nifty guy,” Edwards said. “He can read coverage. He works his way open. He’s a really good football player and he’s earned a scholarship. There’s no doubt about it, and now, all of a sudden, the ball’s coming to him.” Wide receivers coach Bobby Wade, who replaced Gill, likes what he has seen too. “I think what you’re seeing is the opportunity presented. He’s a person that in the off season has taken accountability as to what he needs to to to get better at,” Wade said. “We’ve had a lot of talks about specific things he needed to work on and he took that personally and took that as a challenge. He put that work in during the offseason and what you’re seeing is that opportunity presented. He’s not skipping a beat when it comes to preparation and it is paying off. Odds and ends — Add starting corner back Ro Torrence to the growing injury list. Torrence was hurt Saturday. He left it briefly but returned and finished out the contest but did not practice Tuesday with his spot on the first team defense taken by Keon Markham. Gharin Stansbury (hamstring) has been out for the last month and while he did not participate in active drills he was dressed out for the first time. Defensive end Michael Matus was at practice for the first time since having surgery for a torn ACL. — Athletic director Ray Anderson was on hand at practice, which was held inside the Verde Dickey Dome. Reach the reporter at Michelle.Gardner@gannett.com or 602 444-4783.  Follow her on Twitter @MGardnerSports. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. Read More Here

In Mexico https://digitalarizonanews.com/in-mexico/ By SUMAN NAISHADHAM and GREGORY BULL Associated Press MEXICALI — When Gilbert Quintana, a farmer in the Mexicali Valley, learned he would soon lose 15% of his water supply, he did what he’s done before in a pinch: buy water from other growers in northern Mexico. But Quintana worries that such workarounds won’t always be possible. The water used to irrigate his 2,000 acres of Brussel sprouts, green onions, and lettuce comes from the over-tapped Colorado River, which a megadrought in the American West due in part to climate change is rapidly depleting. Buying water from other farmers is often the only way to grow the same acreage anymore, Quintana said, “but it’s short term.” By the time the Colorado River reaches Mexico, just a fraction of its water is left for the fields of the Mexicali Valley and millions of people in northwestern desert cities. Now, that supply is more at risk than ever. Water experts and scientists say Mexico, at the end of the river, will need to find other water for the two northwestern states that depend on it. They say the country will also have to use its supply more efficiently. But Mexico has been slow to act. “This hit us so fast that it took us a while to understand that it’s not a drought, it’s a new era. It’s a new regime,” said Carlos de la Parra, an urban and environmental studies professor at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte in Tijuana. The National Water Commission declared an emergency in four northern states in July. Roughly 65% of the country was facing drought. A swath stretching from Tijuana to Matamoros, more than 1,500 miles, is still bone dry, with water shutoffs common in cities and towns and key reservoirs near all-time lows. Tijuana, the sprawling border city of 2 million people, is especially dependent on the Colorado. About 90% of its water comes from the river. Parts of the city have baked this summer as taps ran dry — sometimes due to mismanagement — with local water authorities blaming it on the drought. “It’s mismanagement linked with drought,” said Mario López Pérez, a consultant at the World Bank who previously worked for Mexico’s national water commission. To fill the gap, the government has sent water tankers, a common sight in Mexican cities, to neighborhoods without running water. People have also bought water from private sellers. PLANS FOR DESALINATION, WATER RECYCLING For more than a decade, officials in Baja California talked about building a large, desalination plant in a beach town near Tijuana. In 2016, state officials finalized a plan only to shelve it four years later, citing its high cost. The energy-intensive technology works by removing impurities from seawater. Mexico has other, small desalination plants elsewhere in the state and country. Roberto Salmón helped oversee U.S.-Mexico treaties on borders and rivers as Mexico’s representative to the International Boundary and Water Commission between 2009 and 2020. He said a desalination plant would help Tijuana considerably. “But discussions had been going on ever since I came into the commission,” Salmón said, “and there is no plant yet.” A single aqueduct that crosses the state, including a rugged 4,000 feet mountain pass, brings Colorado River water into Tijuana. “It’s a one-source city,” Salmón said. Officials and companies have similarly talked about using treated recycled wastewater to boost the city’s water supply for years, but the city has little to show for it. UNCERTAINTY FOR FARMERS Maria-Elena Giner, the U.S. representative to the IBWC, said the U.S. is looking at projects that could help Mexico conserve more Colorado River water with about $32 million that became available in 2017. The money could go toward lining leaking canals, helping farmers switch to water-efficient drip irrigation, and paying others to leave fields unplanted, she said. But getting Mexico to use significantly less water — and fast — will be hard. “We did a lot of the low-hanging fruit,” Giner said. “Our problem right now is how we do the more difficult projects in Mexico.” Mexican officials, meanwhile, say water conservation should be balanced with needs. “We need to evaluate how we can contribute,” said Francisco Bernal, who directs the National Water Commission in Baja California. “But we also have to see that there isn’t a severe impact on our allocation.” Since 1944, Mexico has received slightly more than a third of what California can take each year from the Colorado River. Next year, it will lose 7% of that, or more than what the industrial border city of Mexicali — population 1 million — uses in a year, according to Alfonso Cortez-Lara, an environmental professor at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte in Mexicali who researches transboundary water issues. Nicolás Rodriguez, the director of an irrigation district in the Mexicali Valley, said water shortages (this year, Mexico lost 5% of its overall supply from the river) are starting to cause friction between irrigation district managers and farmers. Farmers in the Mexicali Valley produce an almost identical range of crops — most for U.S. export — as what’s grown just north of the border in California’s Imperial Valley. Leafy greens, broccoli, alfalfa, and wheat are common. The farms tend to be much smaller. Rodriguez said he has encouraged farmers for years to grow more drought-resistant crops and plant tighter rows to use less water, which some farmers have taken up. Eventually, he thinks the government could restrict how much alfalfa and cotton Mexicali Valley farmers can grow. According to a recent study, the state of Baja California could need nearly 30% more than it gets now from the Colorado River by 2030 to not be water stressed. Cortez-Lara, the study’s author, said that while cities should reduce their water use, coming up with that much water would involve significantly cutting how much alfalfa and cotton is grown in the Mexicali Valley. But doing so would come at an enormous cost, he said, adding that Mexico’s federal government should play a role in funding and enforcing water efficiency. Absent such action, water managers, experts and farmers like Quintana, who bought his way out of trouble this year, agree that shortages will only get worse. “The less water there is,” Quintana said, “the more farmers in the Mexicali Valley will have to fight.” Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Read More Here

Arizona Court Rejects Election Rerun https://digitalarizonanews.com/arizona-court-rejects-election-rerun/ Originally Published: September 13, 2022 5:08 p.m. PHOENIX – The Arizona Supreme Court has rejected the latest effort by a group of election deniers – the fourth from members of “We The People” – to void and rerun the 2020 vote. And the justices spurned their requests to let an out-of-state lawyer not licensed to practice here represent them despite their claim no Arizona lawyer is willing to take the job. In a new order, Justice Ann Scott Timmer, writing for the court, said the challengers want not only to recall the state’s 11 electors who voted for Biden but also to order Maricopa County to have another presidential election. But that’s not all. They want this new election on paper ballots only, counted by hand, without “no excuse” mail-in ballots. That is based, at least in part, that the equipment used to count the ballots had not been lawfully certified and tested, making any election conducted with them void from the start. And they want no “Zuckerbucks,” a references to grants to several counties from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, funded largely by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, to help them with additional costs of the 2020 election. What’s lacking in the latest legal filing, Timmer said, is any legal basis for seeking to rescind a prior election or remove elected officials, which electors are, from office. It starts, she said, with the fact that the challenge comes far too late. “The laws of Arizona set forth processes for contesting an election — a process that requires the filing of a contests within five days after the canvass of the election,” Timmer wrote. And that occurred at the end of November 2020. “The failure of a contestant to an election to strictly comply with the statutory requirements is fatal to his right to have the election contested,” she said. “The rationale for requiring strict compliance with the time provisions for initiating a contest is the strong public policy favoring stability and finality of election results.” Nor were the justices any more impressed by the arguments, prepared with the assistance of a Florida attorney, that they have the power to ignore the law. “This court … observes that petitioners have cited no authority for the proposition that they or anyone else may overturn the Arizona statutes that govern both the conduct of elections and the challenges to the results of such elections,” Timmer said. “Likewise, they cannot dictate the terms of a proposed effort to ‘rerun the 2020 presidential election’ which was certified almost two years ago.” The new order represents the latest in what is becoming a string of defeats for We The People to alter past elections. It started in May 2021 with a bid to oust several officials elected not just in 2020 but also in 2018, ranging from the governor and some legislators to the sheriffs of Pima and Maricopa counties. Here, too, were arguments of untested election equipment. But the often rambling 26 pages of legal arguments and 116 pages of exhibits went a step beyond. They argued that once the offices were declared vacant, the state’s high court should install the 20 of them as replacements, at least until a properly run election could be called. And it even asked the justices to overturn the 2019 Tucson city election, specifically naming Mayor Regina Romero as holding office illegally. It took the court only days to toss the case, and not only for failing to file a challenge on time. Justice John Lopez, writing that ruling, said there is nothing in Arizona law that allows an individual to argue that the person holding the office is not doing so lawfully. That right, Lopez said, rests solely with the attorney general. But the challengers said they didn’t ask Mark Brnovich to act because, as someone who was elected in 2018 at an election they contend was illegally conducted, he has a conflict of interest. Undeterred, group members went back to the Supreme Court in April 2021 with similar claims, only to have them thrown out for not complying with legal procedures. And in October 2021 they were back again, alleging that the certificates of election of the presidential electors were “invalid and void.” That, too, met with the same legal result. After the three legal losses, the challengers apparently recognized they could not handle the legal proceedings by themselves. So they asked the justices to allow Russell A. Newman, an attorney from Florida to represent them even though he is not licensed to practice law in Arizona. “Over the last six months we have attempted to obtain local counsel here in Arizona but we have been unsuccessful,” wrote three members of the group in the latest legal filing. “The main reason we were denied counsel, was because of fear of losing their bar license or being sanctioned for filing a case involving the 2020 election.” They did not explain. But there is precedent for attorneys to be hit with legal fees – and even find themselves under investigation – if a court finds they filed an entirely frivolous lawsuit. And there’s something else. “Most of the Arizona lawyers lack the ability to defend our case,” the challengers said, saying they lack knowledge of the claims in the lawsuit while Newman, who is listed as providing “assistance” in preparing the claim, does have that knowledge. Timmer tossed the request, saying the court’s decision that the latest claim has no merit makes moot the claim of needing help for the rest of the case. Read More…

Q&A: Get To Know The Arizona Senate Candidates For Legislative District 4 https://digitalarizonanews.com/qa-get-to-know-the-arizona-senate-candidates-for-legislative-district-4/ Scottsdale school teacher Christine Marsh, D-Phoenix, is facing off against Nancy Barto, R-Phoenix, for the state senator seat in Legislative District 4. Leading up to the Tuesday, Nov. 8, … Read More…

Judge Unseals Additional Portions Of Mar-A-Lago Affidavit https://digitalarizonanews.com/judge-unseals-additional-portions-of-mar-a-lago-affidavit/ WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge Tuesday unsealed additional portions of an FBI affidavit laying out the basis for a search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home, showing that agents earlier obtained a hard drive after issuing a subpoena for surveillance footage recorded inside Mar-a-Lago. A heavily redacted version of the affidavit was made public last month, but the Justice Department requested permission to show more of it after lawyers for Trump revealed the existence of a June grand jury subpoena that sought video footage from cameras in the vicinity of the Mar-a-Lago storage room. “Because those aspects of the grand jury’s investigation have now been publicly revealed, there is no longer any reason to keep them sealed (i.e. redacted) in the filings in this matter,” department lawyers wrote. The newly visible portions of the FBI agent’s affidavit show that the FBI on June 24 subpoenaed for the records in June after a visit weeks earlier to Mar-a-Lago in which agents observed between 50 to 55 boxes of records in the storage room at the property. The Trump Organization provided a hard drive on July 6 in response to the subpoena, the affidavit says. The footage could be an important piece of the investigation, including whether anyone has sought to obstruct the probe. The Justice Department has said in a separate filing that it has “developed evidence that government records were likely concealed and removed from the Storage Room and that efforts were likely taken to obstruct the government’s investigation.” Pages from the FBI affidavit laying out the basis for a search warrant for former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, is photographed Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. A federal judge unsealed additional portions of the heavily redacted affidavit that shows how agents obtained a hard drive after issuing a subpoena for surveillance footage recorded inside Mar-a-Lago. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick) Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Jon Elswick A page from the FBI affidavit laying out the basis for a search warrant for former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, is photographed Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. A federal judge unsealed additional portions of the heavily redacted affidavit that shows how agents obtained a hard drive after issuing a subpoena for surveillance footage recorded inside Mar-a-Lago. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick) Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Jon Elswick PreviousNext The Justice Department has been investigating the holding of top-secret information and other classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after Trump left the White House. FBI agents during their Aug. 8 search of the home and club said they recovered more than 11,000 documents, including over 100 with classification markings. Separately Tuesday, the Justice Department again urged U.S. District Aileen Cannon to lift her hold on core aspects of the investigation. Cannon last week granted the Trump team’s request for an independent arbiter to review the seized documents and weed out from the investigation any records that may be covered by claims of executive or attorney-client privilege. She also ordered the department to halt its review of the records pending any further court order or the completion of a report by the yet-to-be-named special master. The department urged Cannon last week to put her order on hold and told the judge Tuesday that its investigation would be harmed by a continued delay of its ability to scrutinize the classified documents. “The government and the public unquestionably have an interest in the timely enforcement of criminal laws, particularly those involving the protection of highly sensitive information, and especially where, as here, there may have been efforts to obstruct its investigation,” the lawyers wrote. The Trump team on Monday urged the judge to leave her order in place. His lawyers raised questions about the documents’ current classification status and noted that a president has absolute authority to declassify information, though it pointedly did not say that Trump had actually declassified anything. _____ Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Read More Here

Poll: Stitt, Trump (& Especially Biden) Get 'Very Unfavorable' Marks From Oklahomans https://digitalarizonanews.com/poll-stitt-trump-very-unfavorable-marks-from-oklahomans/ Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and former President Donald Trump are both polarizing to Oklahoma voters, according to an exclusive News 9 / News On 6 poll released this week. When asked whether they have a “favorable or unfavorable opinion” of the governor or former president, Oklahomans polled mostly voted alike. Stitt got a ‘very favorable’ rating of 20.1 percent and a ‘somewhat favorable’ rating of 26.1 percent, but he also got a ‘very unfavorable’ rating of 40.6 percent. Former President Trump’s ‘very unfavorable’ came in at 43.3 percent. His ‘very favorable’ and ‘somewhat favorable’ ratings were 26.8 and 21.8 percent, respectively. However, current President Joe Biden had an even higher ‘very unfavorable’ rating among Oklahoma voters — 56.1 percent. The poll has a margin of error at 4.89 percent. Of those polled, 57.4 percent identified as Republican. Read More Here

New Hampshire Caps Primaries With Fresh Test Of Republican Future https://digitalarizonanews.com/new-hampshire-caps-primaries-with-fresh-test-of-republican-future/ CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire Republicans on Tuesday were picking their party’s candidate to challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan in a key midterm contest the GOP has long seen as winnable and which could ultimately decide control of the chamber after November. But a strong competitor in the GOP contest, which is capping primary season nationwide, is retired Army Brig. Gen. Donald Bolduc, a staunch conservative who Democrats — and even some top Republicans — believe is too far to the right for some swing voters in the general election. President Joe Biden carried New Hampshire by more than 7 percentage points, Bolduc has campaigned on a platform that includes lies that Donald Trump won the 2020 election and conspiracy theories about vaccines. New Hampshire Republican U.S. Senate candidate Don Bolduc speaks during a debate, Sept. 7, 2022, in Henniker, N.H. Mary Schwalm/Associated Press A Bolduc victory might reignite disappointment among some national Republicans that Gov. Chris Sununu, a relatively popular moderate who likely could have posed more of a threat to Hassan, chose instead to run for reelection. The GOP is grappling with the possibility of again nominating a candidate who is popular with the party’s base but struggles to broaden support ahead of the November general election. Republican primary voters have similarly chosen conservative candidates this year in moderate or Democratic-leaning states including Massachusetts and Maryland, potentially putting competitive races out of the party’s reach. Neil Levesque, director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, said Bolduc is a type of candidate who would have struggled to succeed in GOP politics before Trump’s rise. He’s never held elected office and had just $75,000 in cash on hand last week. Still, Bolduc has been able to make inroads by positioning himself as an ally of Trump and his election falsehoods. “That is because the theme of his campaign and messaging is very similar to former President Trump,” Levesque said. “If it mirrors the former president, it’s been effective.” Federal and state officials and Trump’s own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former president’s allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges Trump appointed. Known for kicking off the primary season during presidential campaigns, New Hampshire is instead concluding the nominating process for this year’s midterms. There are also primaries Tuesday in Rhode Island and Delaware, where President Joe Biden traveled late Tuesday to cast his ballot. But New Hampshire’s Senate race is perhaps most revealing about the direction of the GOP. Bolduc is competing in a crowded field that includes Chuck Morse, the more moderate president of the New Hampshire state Senate, who has been endorsed by Sununu. The governor called Morse “the candidate to beat Sen. Hassan this November and the candidate Sen. Hassan is most afraid to face.” Sununu feels differently about Bolduc, whom he’s called a conspiracy theorist while warning that Bolduc could have a harder time winning the general election. Bolduc doesn’t seem bothered by Sununu’s criticism. He’s called the governor “a Chinese communist sympathizer.” Bolduc hasn’t been formally endorsed by Trump, who propelled many primary candidates to victory in key races throughout the summer. But the former president has called Bolduc a “strong guy.” The final primary contests are unfolding at a dramatic moment in the midterm campaign. Republicans have spent much of the year building their election-year message around Biden and his management of the economy, particularly soaring prices. But Democrats are now entering the final stretch with a sense of cautious optimism as approval of Biden steadies and inflation has slowed for the second straight month, even as it remains high. The Supreme Court’s decision overturning a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion may provide Democrats with the energy they need to turn back the defeats that historically accompany a new president’s first midterms. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged the challenge last month, saying his party may be more likely to end Democrats’ narrow control of the House than the Senate. He bemoaned “candidate quality” as a factor that could sway some outcomes in his chamber. Some Democratic groups, meanwhile, have sponsored primary ads promoting Bolduc, predicting he’ll make an easier November opponent for Hassan. That’s consistent with Democratic-aligned organizations backing pro-Trump candidates in key races around the country — a strategy some have criticized, arguing that it could backfire if those candidates go on to win their general elections. Republicans in New Hampshire and around the country scoff at the notion that being a Trump loyalist — or not — could be a deciding general election factor, noting that the still unpopular Biden will be a drag on his party regardless. The New Hampshire Republican Party has tweeted that Hassan “votes with Joe Biden 96.4% of the time.” Many of the same dynamics swirling around the former president are at work in New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District, where pro-Trump candidate Bob Burns is among several Republicans vying for the party’s nomination to face five-term incumbent Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster. In New Hampshire’s other congressional district, which encompasses Manchester and the southeastern part of the state, several Republicans are vying to challenge Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, who could also face a potentially close general election reelection contest — once he learns who his opponent will be. The GOP field includes former TV broadcaster Gail Huff Brown, wife of Scott Brown, a former U.S. senator from Massachusetts and ambassador to New Zealand during the Trump administration. Also running is Matt Mowers, who won the district’s congressional 2020 Republican nomination and was a Trump administration State Department adviser. But the candidate closest to Trump may be Karoline Leavitt, who worked in his White House’s press office and has also campaigned with Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. “Her compass always points to Trump,” said Dante Scala, a University of New Hampshire political science professor. He added, in reference to the former president’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan, “She, in a very kind of crisp, sharp, confident way, will say the most MAGA thing that can be said in any situation.” Invalid username/password. Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration. Use the form below to reset your password. When you’ve submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code. Read More Here

West Virginia Becomes 2nd State To Pass Strict Abortion Ban Post-Roe https://digitalarizonanews.com/west-virginia-becomes-2nd-state-to-pass-strict-abortion-ban-post-roe/ The West Virginia legislature Tuesday passed a bill to prohibit nearly all abortions, making it the second state to pass a new ban since the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade in June. The state Senate passed the bill 22-7, after a brief debate Tuesday. The state House concurred and passed the bill in a 78-17 vote. The ban will take effect 90 days after passage. West Virginia Republicans moved forward with the strict ban despite signs in other parts of the country that many American voters do not support the Supreme Court’s ruling and largely oppose the harshest restrictions on abortion. A similar effort to pass a near-total abortion ban in South Carolina fizzled out last week, and voters resoundingly rejected a ballot measure in Kansas that would have stripped abortion protections from the state constitution. Abortion had been legal up to 20 weeks in West Virginia since July, when a state judge blocked a pre-Roe ban that dated back to the 19th century. The state borders several antiabortion strongholds in the Midwest and South, including Ohio and Kentucky. Abortion is legal east of the state line in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. In West Virginia, the Republican-controlled legislature reached a compromise over penalties for doctors who perform illegal abortions that had been a sticking point for some conservative lawmakers. The bill they passed, which now goes to Republican Gov. Jim Justice’s desk, bars abortion from implantation with narrow exceptions to save the pregnant person’s life or in cases of rape or incest, so long as the victim reports the crime. Justice has indicated that he will sign a bill tightening state restrictions on abortion. The exceptions for victims of rape or incest limit the procedure to before eight weeks of pregnancy, or 14 weeks for people who are under 18 years old. Doctors who violate the law may lose their medical licenses but will not face criminal penalties. Anyone other than a licensed physician with hospital admitting privileges who performs an abortion faces felony charges and up to five years in prison. Those who receive abortions do not face any penalties. West Virginians support putting restrictions on abortion more than voters in most other states. A 2018 referendum on a constitutional amendment affirming that “nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires funding of abortions” passed with the support of about 52 percent of voters. But some lawmakers raised concerns that harsh criminal penalties could drive doctors, especially obstetricians, out of the state at a time when some regions are known to be “maternity deserts” that already face physician shortages. “You’re not concerned we could lose docs who are practicing OB because of this?” state Senate Minority Leader Stephen Baldwin (D) asked after the amended version of the bill was introduced, referring to obstetrics. He also questioned why the Senate was choosing to vote on the new language without giving physicians a chance to weigh in. “We’ve had a lot of time where we could have involved docs, but now, today, we’re going to vote on this … and they haven’t had time to read it,” Baldwin said. State Sen. Tom Takubo (R), who opposed the earlier version of the bill and advocated to remove criminal penalties for doctors, said he believed the new language addressed physicians’ fears that they could be prosecuted for trying to save the life of a patient suffering from a life-threatening pregnancy complication. “I think once they read what is in this amendment, they will feel comfortable,” he said. “I feel this protects those physicians who are not trying to violate the law.” Some antiabortion Republican senators opposed the amended bill because they felt it did not go far enough in limiting abortion. “I’m confident that this bill shuts down the abortion clinic,” said state Sen. Eric Tarr (R), who urged his colleagues to vote no on the new language because he said it carved out too many exceptions. “I’m also torn and disappointed that my vote now is to decide when do you execute an innocent,” he added. “If life is sacred, when does it become sacred?” About 100 protesters gathered outside the Senate chamber Tuesday to oppose the bill and could be heard inside the state Capitol as senators discussed the bill. Some observers in the Senate gallery briefly disrupted the body after the amended bill was introduced, shouting their dissent. Even though West Virginians broadly support some restrictions on abortion, advocates for abortion access say the bill is still at odds with the will of the state’s voters. “West Virginia lawmakers are working to ban abortion in our state, dragging us back to the 19th century,” said Margaret Chapman Pomponio, executive director of WV Free, the state’s largest abortion rights advocacy organization. “They’re plowing ahead, despite recent polls showing that nearly half of West Virginians identify as pro-choice, and a strong majority oppose this draconian legislation.” Some members of the state House proposed backing away from the bill and instead posing the question directly to voters. They brought up the ballot measure rejected in Kansas last month and suggested West Virginia voters might surprise lawmakers at the polls. West Virginia’s governor has dismissed suggestions that voters should decide the state’s abortion laws directly. “Coming down from the U.S. Supreme Court, this is the responsibility of our legislature and our attorney general,” Justice said in August. Justice called legislators back to the West Virginia Capitol for a special session to consider more stringent abortion restrictions in July. Days later, the state House passed an initial version of a near-total ban. But the bill stalled after the state Senate became gridlocked over criminal penalties for doctors performing illegal abortions that included fines and prison time. The Senate eventually passed a bill that stripped away many of the penalties for doctors, but the House refused to concur. State senators and House delegates spent more than a month trying to reach a compromise that could get the bill passed in both chambers. Ultimately, the two chambers managed to find common ground and Tuesday passed the new version of the bill, without criminal penalties for doctors. Earlier this year, Indiana lawmakers passed the first new abortion ban since the fall of Roe. Read More Here

Russia Secretly Gave $300 Million To Political Parties And Officials Worldwide, U.S. Says https://digitalarizonanews.com/russia-secretly-gave-300-million-to-political-parties-and-officials-worldwide-u-s-says/ Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share. U.S. intelligence officials found that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia authorized a campaign to try to hurt the candidacy of Joseph R. Biden Jr. in 2020.Credit…Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik Sept. 13, 2022Updated 7:12 p.m. ET WASHINGTON — Russia has covertly given at least $300 million to political parties, officials and politicians in more than two dozen countries since 2014, and plans to transfer hundreds of millions more, with the goal of exerting political influence and swaying elections, according to a State Department summary of a recent U.S. intelligence review. Russia has probably given even more that has gone undetected, the document said. “The Kremlin and its proxies have transferred these funds in an effort to shape foreign political environments in Moscow’s favor,” the document said. It added, “The United States will use official liaison channels with targeted countries to share still classified information about Russian activities targeting their political environments.” The State Department document was sent as a cable to American embassies around the world on Monday to summarize talking points for U.S. diplomats in conversations with foreign officials. Ned Price, the State Department spokesman, confirmed at a news conference on Tuesday that the findings on Russia were the result of work by U.S. intelligence agencies. He added that Russian election meddling was “an assault on sovereignty,” similar to Russia’s war on Ukraine. “In order to fight this, in many ways we have to put a spotlight on it,” he said. The State Department cable and release of some of the intelligence findings amount to an initial effort by the Biden administration to use intelligence material to expose the scope of Russian interference in global political processes and elections, and to rally other nations to help combat it. U.S. intelligence agencies have determined that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election in favor of Donald J. Trump, the Republican candidate who defeated Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee. Its methods included the use of cyberoperations to spread online disinformation. U.S. intelligence officials also found that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia authorized a campaign to try to hurt the candidacy of Joseph R. Biden Jr. when he ran for office against Mr. Trump in 2020. The new document says that a range of Russian agencies and individuals carry out the global operations, including the Federal Security Service and other security agencies, as well as business figures. The document named two men, Yevgeny Prigozhin and Aleksandr Babakov, both close associates of Mr. Putin, as involved in the influence or interference campaigns. In April, the Justice Department charged Mr. Babakov, who is also a Russian lawmaker, and two other Russian citizens with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions and conspiring to commit visa fraud while running an “international foreign influence and disinformation network to advance the interests of Russia.” The Russians pay in cash, cryptocurrency, electronic funds transfers and lavish gifts, the document said. They move the money through a wide range of institutions to shield the origins of the financing, a practice called using cutouts. Those institutions include foundations, think tanks, organized crime groups, political consultancies, shell companies and Russian state-owned enterprises. The money is also given secretly through Russian Embassy accounts and resources, the document said. In one Asian country, the Russian ambassador gave millions of dollars in cash to a presidential candidate, the document said. U.S. agencies have also found that Russia has used false contracts and shell companies in several European countries in recent years to give money to political parties. “Some of Russia’s covert political financing methods are especially prevalent in certain parts of the world,” the document said. It added, “Russia has relied on state-owned enterprises and large firms to move funds covertly across a number of regions including Central America, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, and on think tanks and foundations that are especially active across Europe.” As of last year, the document said, a Russian business figure was trying to use pro-Russian think tanks in Europe to support far-right nationalist parties. The document warned that in the coming months, Russia might use its “covert influence tool kit,” including secret political financing, across broad swaths of the globe to try to undermine the American-led sanctions on Russia and to “maintain its influence in these regions amid its ongoing war in Ukraine.” Although U.S. intelligence agencies have been studying Russian global election interference and influence for years, the intelligence review was ordered by senior administration officials this summer, U.S. officials said. Some of the findings were recently declassified so they could be shared widely. The review did not examine Russian interference in U.S. elections, which intelligence agencies had been scrutinizing in other inquiries, a U.S. official said. Officials say one aim of the U.S. campaign to reveal details about Russian political interference and influence is to strengthen democratic resilience around the world, a pillar of President Biden’s foreign policy. Administration officials are focused on ensuring that nations that took part in last year’s Summit for Democracy, which Mr. Biden held in Washington, can buttress their democratic systems. The administration plans to convene a second summit soon. The State Department summary listed measures that the United States and partner nations could take to mitigate Russia’s political interference campaigns, including imposing economic sanctions and travel bans on known “financial enablers” and “influence actors.” The department also recommended that countries coordinate intelligence sharing, improve foreign investment screening, strengthen investigative capabilities into foreign financing of political parties and campaigns, and enforce and expand foreign agent registration rules. It said governments should also expel Russian intelligence officers found to be taking part in related covert financing operations. The State Department said in the summary that it was urging governments to guard against covert political financing “not just by Russia, but also by China and other countries imitating this behavior.” Julian E. Barnes contributed reporting. Read More Here

Matt Brimhall, Navi Bruzon, Cam Hackworth, Dylan Lee & Mac Molander Earn Ed Doherty Nominations https://digitalarizonanews.com/matt-brimhall-navi-bruzon-cam-hackworth-dylan-lee-mac-molander-earn-ed-doherty-nominations/ September 13, 2022 by Andy Morales, AZPreps365 Matt Brimhall – Sr. DB – Snowflake In a huge 20-14 rivalry game win for the Lobos over Show Low, Brimhall tallied 17 tackles (11 solo) and recovered a fumble. Brimhall has 30 tackles in the first two games of the season. Navi Bruzon – Jr. QB – Liberty The Lions QB was perfect in Saturday’s rain-delayed 49-7 victory over Pinnacle, completing all 18 passes for 331 yards and 4 TDs. Cameron Hackworth – Jr. QB/DB – Sabino In a 41-20 win over Saguaro, Hackworth was 21 of 28 for 319 yards passing and 4 TDs, while adding another 80 yards and 2 TDs on the ground. He also made a key interception on defense. Dylan Lee – Jr. RB – Williams Field Lee set the 6A rushing record in a 49-28 Blackhawks win over Chaparral.  He amassed 518 yards on 24 carries and scored 5 TDs, becoming the first 6A player to surpass the 500-yard mark in a game. His total rushing yards on the night were the second most ever in Arizona high school football history. Mack Molander – Sr. QB – Eastmark Down by 23 points at halftime to ALA-Gilbert North, Molander rallied the Firebirds to a 36-33 come-from-behind win in overtime. He finished the night 27 of 40 for 253 yards passing and 2 TDs, and he added another 113 yards rushing and a TD. ED DOHERTY WATCH LIST From release. Read More Here

Twitter Shareholders Vote Overwhelmingly In Favor Of Elon Musk's $44 Billion Takeover Deal | CNN Business https://digitalarizonanews.com/twitter-shareholders-vote-overwhelmingly-in-favor-of-elon-musks-44-billion-takeover-deal-cnn-business/ Featured Fear & Greed Index Something isn’t loading properly. Please check back later. Latest in tech The highly anticipated trial between Elon Musk and Twitter starts in October. CNN’s Clare Duffy tells “Nightcap’s” Jon Sarlin how a recent court hearing offered a preview of the legal showdown. For more, watch the full Nightcap episode here. ” data-duration=”03:05″ data-editable=”settings” data-headline=”Newly-revealed text from Musk to his banker may help Twitter’s case against him” data-index=”idx-0″ data-show-name=”” data-show-url=”” data-source=”CNN Business” data-uri=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_79c95b289c68f1dd72621c943a2f03a3-h_a8603fc0fbdea3dcdd351bedb97b5b1a@published” data-video-id=”business/2022/09/08/nightcap-elon-musk-twitter-clip-orig-jg.cnn-business” data-video-instance=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_79c95b289c68f1dd72621c943a2f03a3-h_a8603fc0fbdea3dcdd351bedb97b5b1a@published” Now playing Newly-revealed text from Musk to his banker may help Twitter’s case against him Apple unveiled its iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro lines, which include a larger screen, the perennial camera updates, and a redesign of the black notch on the top of the screen. ” data-duration=”01:59″ data-editable=”settings” data-headline=”See Apple’s new iPhone 14″ data-index=”idx-1″ data-show-name=”” data-show-url=”” data-source=”CNN Business” data-uri=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_1bb93549d6e832a29c8143e4e9735be3″ data-video-id=”business/2022/09/07/iphone-14-max-pro-apple-mc-orig.cnn-business” data-video-instance=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_1bb93549d6e832a29c8143e4e9735be3″ Now playing See Apple’s new iPhone 14 Authorities in Michigan are investigating how a missing voting machine from the state wound up for sale on eBay last month for $1,200. CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan reports. ” data-duration=”03:49″ data-editable=”settings” data-headline=”A Dominion voting machine ended up on eBay. Here’s how much it sold for” data-index=”idx-2″ data-show-name=”Erin Burnett Out Front” data-show-url=”https://www.cnn.com/shows/erin-burnett-out-front” data-source=”CNN” data-uri=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_1994d8487330cad300a995bf3fe0c1e5″ data-video-id=”business/2022/09/02/dominion-voting-machine-michigan-sold-ebay-goodwill-osullivan-pkg-ebof-vpx.cnn” data-video-instance=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_1994d8487330cad300a995bf3fe0c1e5″ Now playing A Dominion voting machine ended up on eBay. Here’s how much it sold for For the first time in 50 years, a spacecraft is preparing to launch on a journey to the moon. The Artemis I mission, including the Space Launch System Rocket and Orion spacecraft, is targeting liftoff on August 29 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CNN speaks with NASA administrator Bill Nelson, who lays out what to expect. ” data-duration=”04:30″ data-editable=”settings” data-headline=”What to expect on NASA’s upcoming Artemis I mission to the moon” data-index=”idx-3″ data-show-name=”New Day” data-show-url=”https://www.cnn.com/shows/new-day” data-source=”CNN” data-uri=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_39677942f1b54ee4a216e68b3694e706″ data-video-id=”business/2022/08/26/nasa-artemis-1-launch-bill-nelson-intv-collins-newday-ldn-vpx.cnn” data-video-instance=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_39677942f1b54ee4a216e68b3694e706″ Now playing What to expect on NASA’s upcoming Artemis I mission to the moon Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke to Joe Rogan about how dealing with controversial content on Facebook has “trade-offs all the way down.” ” data-duration=”02:32″ data-editable=”settings” data-headline=”Rogan grills Zuckerberg on how Facebook moderates controversial content” data-index=”idx-4″ data-show-name=”” data-show-url=”” data-source=”CNN Business” data-uri=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_e446f498708c7cb06125de54bcf1e786″ data-video-id=”business/2022/08/25/joe-rogan-mark-zuckerberg-podcast-meta-misinfo-hunter-biden-orig.cnn-business” data-video-instance=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_e446f498708c7cb06125de54bcf1e786″ The Joe Rogan Experience Now playing Rogan grills Zuckerberg on how Facebook moderates controversial content Former Twitter Head of Security Peiter “Mudge” Zatko says the company has major security vulnerabilities that threaten national security. In an exclusive video interview, he tells CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan why he’s coming forward as a whistleblower. ” data-duration=”05:53″ data-editable=”settings” data-headline=”He was a famous hacker. Now, he’s detailing his main concern with Twitter” data-index=”idx-5″ data-show-name=”” data-show-url=”” data-source=”CNN Business” data-uri=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_76e49cc1a8c677c924159d854619339d” data-video-id=”business/2022/08/23/twitter-whistleblower-peiter-mudge-zatko-wrap-explainer-jg-orig.cnn-business” data-video-instance=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_76e49cc1a8c677c924159d854619339d” Now playing He was a famous hacker. Now, he’s detailing his main concern with Twitter A software CEO is asking Tesla to ban their ‘self-driving’ feature until they can prove the software will detect children. In defense of the company, some Tesla enthusiasts used their children as props to show that the feature really works. CNN’s Jake Tapper reports. ” data-duration=”00:34″ data-editable=”settings” data-headline=”Some Tesla drivers use kids as a prop to test ‘full self-driving’ feature” data-index=”idx-6″ data-show-name=”The Lead” data-show-url=”https://www.cnn.com/shows/the-lead” data-source=”CNN” data-uri=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_799da19b2c56bf730cb315a26b8fac2f” data-video-id=”business-money/2022/08/22/tesla-driver-uses-kids-as-prop-full-self-driving-tapper-sot-vpx.cnn” data-video-instance=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_799da19b2c56bf730cb315a26b8fac2f” Carmine Cupani/Sunday Now playing Some Tesla drivers use kids as a prop to test ‘full self-driving’ feature CNN’s Christine Romans and Rahel Solomon says Apple is urging users to update their device immediately to prevent hackers from taking complete control of their devices. ” data-duration=”01:57″ data-editable=”settings” data-headline=”Apple issues emergency security alert: Update your device now” data-index=”idx-7″ data-show-name=”New Day” data-show-url=”https://www.cnn.com/shows/new-day” data-source=”CNN” data-uri=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_7bcee11b25823a5f97dc53fc5e5c8516″ data-video-id=”tech/2022/08/19/apple-security-warning-update-software-romans-solomon-newday-vpx.cnn” data-video-instance=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_7bcee11b25823a5f97dc53fc5e5c8516″ Now playing Apple issues emergency security alert: Update your device now At DEF CON in Las Vegas, hackers took apart voting machines to test vulnerabilities. They tell CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan conspiracy theories, not software, are the biggest threats to democracy. ” data-duration=”04:10″ data-editable=”settings” data-headline=”Misinformation, not machines, biggest election vulnerability, hackers say” data-index=”idx-8″ data-show-name=”” data-show-url=”” data-source=”CNN” data-uri=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_2b0513d08eae7634036acf18437c6a02″ data-video-id=”business/2022/08/16/defcon-voting-machines-election-conspiracy-gr-orig.cnn” data-video-instance=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_2b0513d08eae7634036acf18437c6a02″ Now playing Misinformation, not machines, biggest election vulnerability, hackers say CNN’s Allison Morrow explains to “Nightcap’s” Vanessa Yurkevich the struggles of Peloton and SoulCycle as the pandemic fitness boom collapses. For more, watch the full Nightcap episode here. ” data-duration=”02:10″ data-editable=”settings” data-headline=”Pandemic-era bike boom goes bust” data-index=”idx-9″ data-show-name=”” data-show-url=”” data-source=”CNN Business” data-uri=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_18cb297a26a25a08279462b6abbc00f2″ data-video-id=”business/2022/08/18/nightcap-peloton-soulcycle-layoffs-closures-clip-orig-jg.cnn-business” data-video-instance=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_18cb297a26a25a08279462b6abbc00f2″ Now playing Pandemic-era bike boom goes bust Xiaomi, the Beijing-based tech giant, debuted its humanoid robot prototype. While the lifelike robot’s abilities are far from those in the film “Ex Machina,” it marks the company’s ambition to integrate AI in its product designs. ” data-duration=”01:23″ data-editable=”settings” data-headline=”Chinese tech company reveals robot weeks before Tesla” data-index=”idx-10″ data-show-name=”” data-show-url=”” data-source=”CNN Business” data-uri=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_d5bf1e2840c50dd08d80252c7db8fa5e” data-video-id=”tech/2022/08/16/cyberone-xiaomi-tesla-humanoid-robots-orig-fj.cnn-business” data-video-instance=”archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/video-resource/instances/h_d5bf1e2840c50dd08d80252c7db8fa5e” Xiaomi Now playing Chinese tech company reveals robot weeks before Tesla YouTuber and engineer Allen Pan built four robotic legs for a snake so it can walk. His video shows how he set about undoing millions of years of evolution to give snakes their legs back. ” data-duration=”01:14″ data-editable=”settings” data-headline=”Watch snake walk using robotic legs” data-index=”idx-11″ data-show-name=”” data-show-url=”” data-s...

Frog & Firkin Football Frenzy: A Look At Week 5 | ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com https://digitalarizonanews.com/frog-firkin-football-frenzy-a-look-at-week-5-allsportstucson-com/ A LOOK BACK TO WEEK FOUR Salpointe 35, Boulder Creek 22 Marana 35, Buena 0 Cactus Shadows 17, Sunnyside 14 Paradise Valley 37, Flowing Wells 0 Higley 49, Mountain View 7 Skyline 47, Tucson 28 Copper Canyon 12, Rincon/UHS 6 (OT) Cholla 14, Sahuarita 11 Pueblo 35, Safford 27 Sabino 41, Sahuaro 20 Walden Grove 48, Greenway 7 Bradshaw Mountain 41, Mica Mountain 14 Pusch Ridge 34, Catalina Foothills 9 Pima 43, Tanque Verde 0 Benson 55, Bisbee 18 Tombstone 47, Globe 8 Willcox 49, Sequoia Pathway 0 St. David 52, Duncan 0 Baboquivari 24, Valley Union 16 San Manuel 48, Mohave Accelerated 0 Phoenix Cortez over Catalina (forfeit) Palo Verde over Santa Rita (forfeit) A LOOK AT WEEK FIVE THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 Mica Mountain (1-1) at San Tan Valley Poston Butte (1-1) Catalina (0-3) at Kingman Academy (1-3) FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 Basha (1-0) at Salpointe (1-1) Desert View (0-1) at Canyon del Oro (1-0) Goodyear Millennium (2-0) at Cienega (1-0) Buena (1-1) at Nogales (0-1) Douglas (1-0) at Cholla (1-1) Rincon/UHS (0-2) at Phoenix Alhambra (0-2) Phoenix Thunderbird (1-1) at Amphitheater (0-1) Walden Grove (1-1) at Chandler AZ College Prep (1-1) Phoenix Sierra Linda (2-0) at Empire (1-0) Rio Rico (1-0) at Flagstaff (0-2) Sabino (3-0) at Palo Verde (2-2) Benson (3-1) at Pusch Ridge (4-0) Santa Rita (0-3) at Phoenix Cortez (2-1) Willcox (3-0) at Morenci (3-0) Tombstone (1-2) vs. St. John Paul II at Sierra Linda (0-3) Gilbert San Tan Charter (3-1) at Tanque Verde (1-2) Bisbee (1-2) at Phoenix Veritas Prep (1-3) Baboquivari (2-2) at Kearney Ray (1-3) Heber Mogollon (3-1) at St. David (4-0) San Manuel (3-1) at Valley Union (0-4) BYES: Flowing Wells (1-1), Marana (2-0), Sunnyside (1-1), Ironwood Ridge (0-1), Mountain View (0-2), Tucson (1-1), Catalina Foothills (0-2), Sahuarita (0-2), Sahuaro (1-1), Pueblo (2-0). A LOOK AHEAD TO WEEK SIX FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 Salpointe at Cienega Sunnyside at Waddell Canyon View Ironwood Ridge at Goodyear Desert Edge Phoenix South Mountain at Tucson Canyon del Oro at Marana Catalina Foothills at Mica Mountain Mesa Red Mountain at Mountain View Safford at Sabino Pusch Ridge at Thatcher Nogales at Sahuaro Amphitheater at Tempe Marcos de Niza Cholla at Buena Sahuarita at Rincon/University Rio Rico at Douglas Pueblo at Walden Grove Flowing Wells at Avondale Agua Fria Morenci at Tombstone Empire at Glendale Deer Valley Pima at Willcox Phoenix North Pointe Prep at Tanque Verde Santa Rita at Whittmann Mountainside Globe at Catalina Palo Verde at Benson Phoenix NFL Yet at Bisbee St. David at Valley Union Duncan at Baboquivari BYE: Desert View. Read More Here

Ernst Supports Effort To Remove Regulatory Roadblocks, Reform Permitting Process | U.S. Senator Joni Ernst Of Iowa https://digitalarizonanews.com/ernst-supports-effort-to-remove-regulatory-roadblocks-reform-permitting-process-u-s-senator-joni-ernst-of-iowa/ Published: September 13, 2022 The Simplify Timelines and Assure Regulatory Transparency (START) Act would provide regulatory certainty and expedite the permitting of key projects across the U.S. WASHINGTON— U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, is supporting the Simplify Timelines and Assure Regulatory Transparency (START) Act, an effort led by Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), to reform current federal regulatory permitting processes after repeated delays, postponements, and roadblocks to key infrastructure projects. “This effort provides certainty to states, expedites permitting and review processes, and codifies important environmental regulatory reforms put in place under the previous administration. It’s a commonsense solution that gets bureaucrats in Washington out of the way,” said Ernst. The legislation includes all of the reforms from Sen. Capito’s amendment to the Inflation Reduction Act, which would have made key reforms to America’s antiquated and convoluted permitting system, without diminishing environmental protections. The Biden administration has chosen to address project delays, inflation, and rising energy costs through presidential orders, federal regulations, and simply throwing money at the problem. This bill would include reforms to current government programs. Full text of the legislation can be found here. More information about the START Act can be found below. Codification of NEPA Regulations Codifies the Trump Administration’s modernized National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations. Providing Regulatory Certainty Codifies the Trump Administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule’s definition of “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act.  Codifies the Trump Administration’s Section 401 Certification Rule under the Clean Water Act to prevent state actions that unreasonably block energy projects.  Codifies Nationwide Permits issued in 2021 that streamline Section 404 permitting for the development of critical energy projects and other activities under the Clean Water Act. Lengthens the available approval term of permits issued under delegated state water permit programs from 5 to 10 years. Limiting New Red Tape and Costs for Gasoline and Other Fuels Prohibits the use and adoption of the Biden Administration’s interim estimates for the “social cost of greenhouse gases” and any other estimates that may raise gasoline prices. Expediting Permitting and Review Processes Codifies key elements of the One Federal Decision framework for energy projects, including timely approvals for projects, permitting review schedules for projects that are no longer than two years, and limitations on the page length of environmental documents. Provides litigation certainty on the timing of judicial challenges to energy project approvals.  Allows agencies to share and use one another’s categorical exclusions for energy projects under NEPA.  Federal Lands Freedom Act Grants states the right to develop energy resources on the federal lands located within their borders. This section gives states the ability to proactively and responsibly develop energy on federal lands. Allows a state to develop a regulatory program governing the leasing and permitting of energy activities on its federal land. ### Read More Here

Ken Starr, Whose Inquiry Led To Clinton Impeachment, Dies https://digitalarizonanews.com/ken-starr-whose-inquiry-led-to-clinton-impeachment-dies/ Washington —  Ken Starr, a former federal appellate judge and a prominent attorney whose criminal investigation of Bill Clinton led to the president’s impeachment, died Tuesday at age 76, his family said. 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 to 1993, Starr was the solicitor general in the administration of President George H.W. Bush, arguing 25 cases before the Supreme Court. 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. 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 the nation’s third impeachment trial. In a memorable statement to Congress during the Trump impeachment trial, 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.” FILE – Independent counsel Kenneth Starr holds a copy of his report while testifying on Capitol Hill, Nov. 19, 1998, before the House Judiciary Committee’s impeachment hearing during the Clinton presidency. 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 Hillary 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 and became Starr’s chief witness against the president, who had denied having sexual relations with Lewinsky. 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. Born in Vernon and raised in San Antonio, Starr 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. Read More Here

Biden Heads To Delaware To Vote In Person For Primaries https://digitalarizonanews.com/biden-heads-to-delaware-to-vote-in-person-for-primaries/ WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President Biden is making a surprise visit to his home state on Tuesday to vote in Delaware’s primary, which is part of the last round of contests ahead of the November elections. Delaware allows for vote by mail, but presidents often return to their home states to cast their ballot in person. In October 2020, Donald Trump voted early at his West Palm Beach, Florida, precinct before a full day of campaigning in key swing states for his failed reelection bid. Barack Obama did the same in Illinois during the 2014 midterms as he campaigned for the state’s incumbent governor and Democratic senator. Biden returns regularly to Wilmington, as well as Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, for weekends and vacation, but he rarely visits during the work week. Rhode Island and New Hampshire also are holding primary contests on Tuesday. The sole competitive statewide contest in heavily Democratic Delaware is for state auditor, where incumbent Kathleen McGuiness is running for reelection despite being convicted of conflict of interest and other misdemeanor charges in July. Under Delaware law, McGuiness — who is awaiting sentencing — was allowed to stay on the ballot. The conviction, stemming from the hiring of McGuiness’s daughter in her office, made the auditor the first statewide elected official in Delaware’s history to be convicted of criminal charges. She is being challenged by Lydia York, a lawyer who has the backing of the state’s Democratic Party and would be the first Black person in that role if elected. Read More Here