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AP News Summary At 5:36 A.m. EDT https://digitalarizonanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-536-a-m-edt-2/ Justice Dept. seeks end to arbiter’s review of Trump docs WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to overturn a judge’s appointment of an independent arbiter to review documents seized during an FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate. The appeal is the latest salvo in weeks of litigation over the scope of duties of the arbiter, also known as a special master. He was assigned last month by a judge to inspect the thousands of records taken in the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago and weed out from the investigation any that may be protected by claims of legal privilege. Putin calls his actions in Ukraine ‘correct and timely’ KYIV, UKRAINE (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin expects his troop mobilization for combat in Ukraine to end in about two weeks. That would allow him to end the unpopular and chaotic call-up meant to counter Ukrainian battlefield gains and solidify his illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. Putin faces domestic discontent and military setbacks in a neighboring country increasingly armed with advanced Western weapons. He told reporters Friday he “did not set out to destroy Ukraine” and doesn’t regret starting the conflict. Russia’s difficulties in achieving its war aims are becoming apparent in the illegally annexed Kherson region. Anticipating an advance by Ukrainian forces, Moscow-installed authorities there urged residents to flee Friday. Ukrainian deminers remove deadly threats to civilians HRAKOVE, Ukraine (AP) — A group of Ukrainian deminers with the country’s territorial defense forces is working to clear an area in the Kharkiv region of dozens of deadly mines and pieces of unexploded ordnance. The brigade is pushing to restore a semblance of safety to the cities, towns and countryside in a region that spent months under Russian occupation. The deminers swept a remote area with metal detectors, searching for mines left behind by Russian forces that retreated from the region at the beginning of September. While many settlements in the region have finally achieved some measure of safety after fierce battles reduced many of them to rubble, Russian land mines remain an ever-present threat in both urban and rural environments. Kemp vs. Abrams II: Republican has incumbent advantage now ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia governor’s race is a rematch of 2018, when Republican Brian Kemp narrowly defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams. But circumstances have changed. This time, it is Kemp who holds a lot of advantages as he seeks reelection. Abrams is trying to rekindle the star power that had people talking about her being president one day. Kemp became the target of Donald Trump’s wrath when the defeated president threatened retribution after Kemp certified Democrat Joe Biden’s slate of presidential electors in Georgia. But not only did Kemp maintain support among most Republican voters while defying Trump, he seems to have only grown stronger heading into his rematch with Abrams. US shift on Venezuelan migrants fuels anxiety in Mexico TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — The Biden administration’s policy shift on Venezuelan migrants may pose an enormous challenge to overstretched Mexican shelters. The U.S. has coupled plans to let up to 24,000 Venezuelans apply online to fly to the U.S. for temporary stays with a pledge to immediately turn back Venezuelans who cross the border illegally from Mexico. The rapid expulsions expand a Trump-era policy that denies rights to seek asylum on grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19. Venezuelans have suddenly become the second-largest nationality at the U.S. border after Mexicans, a growing challenge to President Joe Biden and neighboring allies. Is Alex Jones verdict the death of disinformation? Unlikely NEW YORK (AP) — The award of nearly $1 billion to parents of Sandy Hook shooting victims to compensate for harmful lies spread by fabulist Alex Jones isn’t likely to do much to curb disinformation, experts say. Conspiracy theories have roots too deep in American history and, as Jones proved, there’s a lot of money to be made now in spreading them. Because the ruling involved private citizens and not public figures, many purveyors of disinformation will be able to get around it. Media experts are next looking to a potential trial or settlement in the lawsuit by the Dominion voting system against Fox News for spreading disinformation about the 2020 election. Trump’s subpoena and what’s next for the Jan. 6 panel WASHINGTON (AP) — In an extraordinary step, the House Jan. 6 committee has voted unanimously to subpoena former President Donald Trump – a final effort to get the full story of the Capitol insurrection as the panel wraps up its work by the end of the year. Trump has been relentlessly hostile to the investigation, calling it a “charade and a witch hunt” in a letter to the committee on Friday. But he has not said whether he will comply with the demand for his appearance.  Even if he does, there’s no guarantee the committee would get anything different from the broadsides Trump sends out periodically. Death toll rises to 40 in Turkey coal mine explosion AMASRA, Turkey (AP) — The death toll from a coal mine explosion in northern Turkey rose to at least 40 people Saturday, officials said. There were 110 miners working in the shaft when the explosion occurred Friday evening at the state-owned TTK Amasra Muessese Mudurlugu mine in the town of Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin. Officials said 11 miners were injured and hospitalized, while 58 others managed to get out of the mine on their own or were rescued unharmed. The status of one remaining miner was unclear. Parkland shooter’s life sentence could bring changes to law FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The life sentence about to be imposed on Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz could bring changes to the state’s death penalty law. Until recently, Florida law allowed the imposition of a death sentence if a majority of the jury agreed. But after the U.S. and state supreme courts rejected those laws, the Florida Legislature in 2017 voted to require jury unanimity for a death sentence to be imposed. That’s why Cruz will get life without parole, even though his jury voted 9-3 Thursday to support his execution. Relatives of Cruz’s victims and others say the law should now be changed. Cruz murdered 17 people at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018. Mel Gibson can testify at Harvey Weinstein trial, judge says LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge has ruled that Mel Gibson can testify about what he learned from one of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers. The 66-year-old actor and director Gibson was one of many trial witnesses whose identities were revealed in court Friday. Weinstein is accused of sexual battery against the woman, who is a masseuse and friend of Gibson’s. The judge and lawyers took a break from jury selection to argue over which witnesses and evidence will be allowed during the eight-week trial. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More Here

Black Leaders Rebuke Tuberville Stance On Reparations, Crime https://digitalarizonanews.com/black-leaders-rebuke-tuberville-stance-on-reparations-crime/ Jeremy Ellis poses for a photo, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022, in Marietta , Ga. Ellis is concerned, Republican Tommy Tuberville should know or learn more about the long history and struggles of the Black Alabama residents he represents in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) As far as Jeremy Ellis is concerned, Republican Tommy Tuberville should know or learn more about the long history and struggles of the Black Alabama residents he represents in the U.S. Senate. Tuberville told people Nov. 8 at an election rally in Nevada that Democrats support reparations for the descendants of enslaved people because “they think the people that do the crime are owed that.” His remarks — seen by many as racist and stereotyping Black Americans as people committing crimes — cut deeply for some, especially in and around Africatown, a community in Mobile, Alabama, that was founded by descendants of Africans who were illegally smuggled into the United States in 1860 aboard a schooner called the Clotilda. The 2019 discovery of the vessel in the muddy waters near Mobile offers the best argument for reparations of some type to the descendants of the enslaved people who survived the long and arduous Atlantic crossing. “I think that Sen. Tuberville’s comments were misinformed, ignorant in nature and an embarrassment for the state of Alabama,” said Ellis, who now lives in Marietta, Georgia, and is president of the Clotilda Descendants Association. Before running for the U.S. Senate, Tuberville spent four decades in coaching, including 11 years as the head coach at Auburn University, which is about a three-hour drive northeast of Mobile. Ellis graduated in 2003 from Auburn’s engineering school and said he attended all of the football team’s home games while at Auburn. Ellis also said he served as a student assistant for the team under Tuberville. “I think it would suit Sen. Tuberville to visit Africatown,” Ellis said. “It’s an area he is extremely familiar with since he recruited a number of his players there when he was head football coach.” Tuberville’s remarks about the Democratic Party’s response to perceived rising crime across the nation come just weeks before the Nov. 8 general election, as Republicans seek to regain control of Congress. “They’re not soft on crime,” Tuberville said of Democrats. “They’re pro-crime. They want crime. They want crime because they want to take over what you got. They want to control what you have. They want reparation because they think the people that do the crime are owed that.” The first-term senator has not publicly responded to backlash from his words, which have revived the national debate about reparations. In April 2021, a House panel approved legislation that would create a commission to study the issue. President Joe Biden’s White House said earlier that he backs studying reparation s for Black Americans. “When they illegally brought my ancestors to the Mobile, Alabama, area a crime was committed,” Ellis told the Associated Press on Tuesday. “And now that we have the actual artifacts, evidence of the crime, I think this is a clear and perfect case study.” Tuberville’s statements “are the words of a man who is trying to lead a desperation effort to discredit and discount the fact that reparations are owed,” said Darron Patterson, past president of the Clotilda Descendants Association and Ellis’ cousin. Patterson, who lives in Mobile and says his great-great-grandfather was a slave aboard the Clotilda, criticized Tuberville’s assertions. “Are you saying the descendants of slaves are the only ones doing crime in this country?” Patterson said. “We’ve got people in Washington that really don’t understand what their job is. We sent you there to do the job. The job is to have America’s best interest at heart. How in the world is America’s best interest at heart when you make a statement that Democrats are for crime and the ones doing the crimes are the ones hollering for reparations?” Patterson said he plans to meet next week with Tuberville. Tuberville’s message was directed at the base of MAGA Republicans seeking office and supporters of former President Donald Trump, an ally of Tuberville, according to Ron Daniels, convener of the National African American Reparations Commission. The remarks present “an Emancipation Proclamation moment” for Biden, a Democrat, to embrace the federal study on reparations and say, “‘I stand on the side of racial justice and racial healing,'” Daniels said. But Frederick Gooding Jr., an African American studies and honors college professor at Texas Christian University, believes Tuberville was simply “testing the waters.” “I think this is quite strategic,” Gooding said. “Let’s see where it goes. He’s in a small town in Nevada. We’re a couple years away from the next major national election. He’s leveraging time, pulling some of the rhetoric out piecemeal and in small dosages. Being a successful football coach for so long, strategy literally is his game.” But what Tuberville said about reparations and crime “doesn’t make any sense,” Gooding added. “The idea that ‘they want to take over what you got, then control what you have’ stokes fearmongering,” Gooding said. “Then he throws in reparations. Reparations has to do with repairing the human crimes that were committed.” Data compiled by the FBI shows that crime has slowed in the last year and most crimes are committed by white people, who make up more than 75 percent of the U.S. population, according to the Census Bureau. The data was released Oct. 5. It showed violent and property crime generally remained consistent between 2020 and 2021, with a slight decrease in the overall violent crime rate and a 4.3 percent rise in the murder rate. That’s an improvement over 2020, when the murder rate in the U.S. jumped 29 percent. Figures from some of the nation’s largest police departments weren’t included in the FBI report. An analysis of crime data by The Brennan Center for Justice also shows that the murder rate grew nearly 30 percent in 2020, rising in cities and rural areas alike. FILE – Traffic passes a mural of the slave ship Clotilda along Africatown Boulevard, in Mobile, Ala., May 30, 2019. Republican Tommy Tuberville told people Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, at an election rally in Nevada that Democrats support reparations for the descendants of enslaved people because “they think the people that do the crime are owed that.” His remarks cut deeply for some, especially in and around Africatown, a community in Mobile, Alabama, that was founded by descendants of Africans smuggled in 1860 to the United States aboard a schooner called the Clotilda. (AP Photo/Kevin McGill, File) FILE – Barbara Martin looks at a display about slavery in Mobile, Ala., on Monday, Aug. 26, 2019. Republican Tommy Tuberville told people Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, at an election rally in Nevada that Democrats support reparations for the descendants of enslaved people because “they think the people that do the crime are owed that.” His remarks cut deeply for some, especially in and around Africatown, a community in Mobile, Alabama, that was founded by descendants of Africans smuggled in 1860 to the United States aboard a schooner called the Clotilda. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves, File) FILE – Homes line Richardson Drive in Africatown on Jan. 29, 2019, in Mobile, Ala. Republican Tommy Tuberville told people Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, at an election rally in Nevada that Democrats support reparations for the descendants of enslaved people because “they think the people that do the crime are owed that.” His remarks cut deeply for some, especially in and around Africatown, a community in Mobile, Alabama, that was founded by descendants of Africans smuggled in 1860 to the United States aboard a schooner called the Clotilda. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett, File) U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is introduced at a rally for former President Donald Trump at the Minden Tahoe Airport in Minden, Nev., Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022. Tuberville says that Democrats support reparations for the descendants of enslaved people because “they think the people that do the crime are owed that.” (AP Photo/Jose Luis Villegas) FILE – Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., listens to question during a news conference March 30, 2022, in Washington. Tuberville told people at an election rally Saturday, Oct. 8, in Nevada that Democrats support reparations for the descendants of enslaved people because “they think the people that do the crime are owed that.” His remarks — seen by many as racist and stereotyping Black Americans as people committing crimes — cut deeply for some, especially in and around Africatown, a community in Mobile, Ala., that was founded by descendants of Africans who were illegally smuggled into the United States in 1860 aboard a schooner called the Clotilda. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File) Read More Here

China's Communist Party Congress To Run Oct. 16-22 – Spokesman https://digitalarizonanews.com/chinas-communist-party-congress-to-run-oct-16-22-spokesman/ AdSBA Business Loans – Top Lenders. One Application At least 6 months in business & monthly revenue of $8k? Come get your loan! The Daily Beast British Government Close to Collapse as Chancellor Fired After 38 Disastrous Days in Office HANNAH MCKAY/ReutersOn Thursday, just 37 days after being appointed British finance minister, Kwasi Kwarteng was asked if, in a month’s time, he would still be in his job and Liz Truss would still be prime minister. “Absolutely, 100 percent,” Kwarteng answered. “I’m not going anywhere.”Less than a day later, he was gone. Truss’ Friday removal of Kwarteng—her closest ideological ally—from the second most powerful role in government so soon after choosing him to run the British economy is easily t AdWhat if the US had not entered WW2? This strategy simulates alternative history. The Hill Five takeaways from the Warnock-Walker debate in Georgia SAVANNAH, Ga. – Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) and his Republican opponent, former football star Herschel Walker, faced off on Friday night for their first and likely only debate, using the face-to-face meeting to make their cases to voters just a few weeks before Election Day. The debate came amid a hectic final push by the… Rolling Stone Trump’s Executive Privilege Push Is Collapsing The Washington Post reported on Friday that a judge overruled the former president’s effort to prevent a former White House aide from testifying in the Jan. 6 investigation AdGoodbye Phone, Hello VoIP (See Why Many Switch) Honestly, this technology could have you trading in your phone faster than you think. Check out VoIP now! Reuters Putin says no need for massive new strikes on Ukraine ASTANA (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday there was no need for massive new strikes on Ukraine and that Russia was not looking to destroy the country. Putin told a news conference at the end of a summit in Kazakhstan that his call-up of Russian reservists would be over within two weeks and there were no plans for a further mobilisation. He also repeated the Kremlin position that Russia was willing to hold talks, although he said they would require international mediation if Ukraine was prepared to take part. The Hill Trump lashes out at Jan. 6 committee vote to subpoena him Former President Trump on Thursday dismissed a House committee’s vote to subpoena him for testimony about the events of Jan. 6, 2021, as a publicity stunt. “Why didn’t the Unselect Committee ask me to testify months ago?” Trump posted on Truth Social shortly after the House panel investigating the Capitol riots on Jan. 6 voted… Ad7 Ways to Retire Comfortably With $500k For those with a $500k portfolio, download this guide to learn ways to grow your wealth and generate income from your portfolio. The Hill Ocasio-Cortez mocks Fox News contributor’s $28 Taco Bell lunch Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday evening mocked a Fox News contributor after he said high inflation made his lunch at Taco Bell total $28. “You want to know how bad inflation is?” said Scott Martin, who is also the chief investment officer at Kingsview Partners. “Yesterday, yes, I had a nice lunch at Taco… AdA Regular Mistake For Cars Used Under 50 Miles/Day Florida drivers are surprised they never knew this new tip. If you live in Florida, you better read this. AdSurprisingly Cheap Senior Living In Naples (see prices) These luxury senior living houses are now available at incredibly low prices. Search your options! Read More Here

Forum: Before Nov. 8, Hone Your Skills For Detecting Crap | HeraldNet.com https://digitalarizonanews.com/forum-before-nov-8-hone-your-skills-for-detecting-crap-heraldnet-com/ By Ken W. White / Herald Forum On Nov. 8, there will be nearly 300 election deniers on ballots nationwide who claim that Trump was robbed of victory in 2020. Some are up for key jobs in at least five states that could likely determine the outcome of the next presidential race. Bloomberg.com reports that sycophants of former president Donald Trump are set up for critical positions that could throw the 2024 election into chaos. So more than two years after Joe Biden won the election, Trump still pushes — without evidence — that the election was counterfeit. Despite Trump’s lies, the Associated Press found fewer than 475 potential instances of election fraud out of more than 25 million votes. Why, then, the racket? Eugene Kiely of FactCheck.org suggests that false molehills can become disinformation mountains because of voter apathy, a growing number of social media users pay little attention to the national election. Apathy does help spread lies, but the problem is not just indifference. There are radical Trump voters who are willingly open to being misled and who keep the “big lie” alive. People generally are disposed to accepting what they agree with, but MAGA extremists choose to believe proven lies. They follow Trump no matter what. They are lost. More moderate people voted for Trump because he is “Republican,” or a “rich television celebrity” or a “man of action” who would bring some sort of change. They follow Trump conditionally and are not lost. They are teachable. One attitude most Trump voters share — lost or conditional — and as expressed by one former supporter, is that they are “tired of all the crap.” Thus the main challenge is giving all voters, but especially moderate Trump voters who are confused or unclear about what crap actually is, a means for distinguishing real information from crap. The late Neil Postman, American author, educator, media theorist and cultural critic, offered a means. He argued for crap-detecting to be a part of critical thinking. For Postman, such skills would promote basic literacy for decoding social and traditional media, and confront technology’s growing capacity to spread false information. Crap-detecting gives thinking a means for critically judging and identifying messages (and messengers) — on social media, television or streaming, radio or internet, and in print — that dishonestly manipulate information. One approach points out four fraudulent characteristics of CRAP: CRAP is Cunning: Like a Fox. Fox News promotes crap and only reports awkward facts when forced. In 2020, Fox paid a settlement of millions to the family of a murdered Democratic National Committee staff member and admitted that the network repeatedly hyped false talking points that the young man leaked Democratic Party emails during the 2016 presidential campaign. In fact, Russia hacked and leaked the emails. But Fox didn’t report the settlement or Russian hacking, and viewers were left with the lie. Most importantly, cunning is not about “left” or “right” bias (that can be transparent) but about surreptitiously dictating what is newsworthy. CRAP is Reactive: When not delivered in a calm and thoughtful response, but in an emotive, unthinking, and knee-jerk reaction. The technique heightens strong emotions about minor issues in order to deflect away from more important matters. CRAP is often more worked up over transient topics like imaginary “immigrant caravans” or “The Little Mermaid” being a Black character than about indispensable concerns like an ex-president hoarding classified information or the dismantling of democracy. CRAP is Angry: When it fumes with over-the-top ranting and raving. The best example, of course, is Alex Jones who unleashes homophobic rants against Democratic congressmen, throws tantrums about the next lawsuit he’s facing and whines about an order to pay nearly $1 billion in defamation trials. He relentlessly deflects and distracts from the lies he’s told about the Sandy Hook shooting being a hoax,and hoping that people confuse anger with honesty, ignoring that anger is not honest when it is a pretense. CRAP is Predatory: When it pounces on opponents with extreme name-calling, threats and insults. For example, while even some Republican leaders stepped up to defend Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman against personal attacks by Trump and his allies, Fox pundit Laura Ingraham derided the patriotism and personal integrity of Vindman — a decorated U.S. veteran — when she made the insulting innuendo: “Here we have a U.S. national security official who is advising Ukraine while working inside the White House, apparently against the president’s interest, and usually they spoke in English. Isn’t that kind of an interesting angle to this story?” CRAP attacks the person with predatory ad hominem charges rather than addressing the issue. Trump has conned America for over 30 years. Today, we continue to deal with his election deniers and insurrection, but reason and the rule of law may be catching up. Yet many ask: Why did it take so long? Well, maybe it’s been a failure of crap-detecting. But maybe some, as The Seattle Times reports, like moderate Cary Condotta, chair of the Chelan County Republican Party, are calling out claims of widespread election fraud as “a bunch of crap.” And maybe some deniers who don’t trust the vote-counting could visit a county auditor’s office and take a tour of the ballot verification and counting process. Maybe then, actual research and crap-detecting could still save democracy on Nov. 8. Ken W. White lives in Marysville. Read More Here

Mine Explosion In Northern Turkey Kills 28 https://digitalarizonanews.com/mine-explosion-in-northern-turkey-kills-28/ Eight others critically injured after a blast hundreds of metres below ground tore through a mine in Amasya. Published On 14 Oct 202214 Oct 2022 An explosion inside a coal mine in northern Turkey killed at least 28 people, Turkish officials said, while rescuers were trying to bring dozens of others trapped inside the mine to the surface. The blast occurred on Friday at the state-owned TTK Amasra Muessese Mudurlugu mine in the town of Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter on Friday that 28 people had lost their lives in the incident. Eleven of the 58 rescued miners were still getting treatment in hospitals, Koca also said, adding that it was not clear how many people were still trapped due to the blast that occurred as 110 people were working inside. Energy Minister Fatih Donmez, who went to Amasra after the blast, said a preliminary assessment indicated the explosion was likely caused by firedamp – a reference to flammable gases found in coal mines. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu also travelled to Amasra to coordinate the rescue operation. Soylu also would not provide a number for those still trapped. Several rescue teams were dispatched to the area, including from neighbouring provinces, Turkey’s disaster management agency, AFAD, said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would cancel all his other arrangements and fly to the scene of the accident on Saturday. “Our hope is that the loss of life will not increase further, that our miners will be found alive,” Erdogan said in a tweet. “All of our efforts are aimed in this direction.” The explosion occurred 300 metres (985 feet) below the entrance of the mine at around 15:15 GMT, the Bartin governor’s office said. Television images showed hundreds of people, some with tears in their eyes, congregating around a damaged white building near the entrance to the pit. Earlier, Turkey’s Maden-Is mining workers’ union attributed the blast to a build-up of methane gas, but other officials said it was premature to draw conclusions about the cause of the accident. In Turkey’s worst mine disaster, a total of 301 people died in 2014 in a fire inside a coal mine in the town of Soma, western Turkey. Read More Here

‘I’m Sorry … Mr. Snowflake’: Trump Gets Stark Reality Check From Rep. Jamie Raskin https://digitalarizonanews.com/im-sorry-mr-snowflake-trump-gets-stark-reality-check-from-rep-jamie-raskin/ Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on Friday dismantled former President Donald Trump’s 14-page response to a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the deadly U.S. Capitol riot. Raskin, a member of the committee, told MSNBC’s Chris Hayes that Trump was already “playing his silly games” with his reply. “I mean, that letter, including the use of the royal ‘we,’ which was pretty jarring, is just an outrageous distraction from the reality to the extent that there’s anything substance or substantive there,” he continued. Raskin reality-checked Trump over his claim that Republicans “feel” the election was rigged, saying MAGA Republicans have as yet been unable to pinpoint to him how the vote was actually stolen. “They can’t say. They just have a feeling. And in fact, Trump uses that too in this enormously revealing letter, where he says lots of people ‘feel’ that there was fraud,” he added. “I’m sorry. Your feelings, Mr. Snowflake, cannot dictate the course of the future of the republic. No, your feelings cannot dictate our elections.” This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related… GOP Sen. Ron Johnson Booed After Debate Answer Backfires Rep. Lauren Boebert Ripped By GOP Primary Rival In Withering Op-Ed Trevor Noah Jokes What The ‘J’ In Donald J. Trump Really Stands For Read More Here

Lorna Shore Premiere New Single & Music Video https://digitalarizonanews.com/lorna-shore-premiere-new-single-music-video-2/ Lorna Shore Premiere New Single & Music Video “Pain Remains III: In A Sea Of Fire” Deathcore outfit Lorna Shore conclude their ‘The Pain Trilogy’ with the premiere of the band’s new single and new official music video “Pain Remains III: In A Sea Of Fire“. The song is taken from the Lorna Shore’s new studio full-length “Pain Remains“, out in stores now. Check out now “Pain Remains III: In A Sea Of Fire” streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you below. The first and second entries in the trilogy can be seen HERE (Pt. I) and HERE (Pt. II). Comment Lorna Shore: “Finally, the trilogy ends with the last song, ‘In a Sea of Fire‘, which focuses with not just acceptance but also anger. Anger at not just himself, but the world around him. The song ends with the main character choosing to wake up by igniting the world. As the fires grow, he is absolved in a sea of fire so that he too may finally disappear.” The band’s headlining tour starts next week. Aborted, Ingested, AngelMaker and Ov Sulfur will join them as support acts, performing on the below booked dates: 10/21 Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts 10/22 New York, NY – The Gramercy Theatre 10/23 Worcester, MA – The Palladium 10/24 Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage 10/25 Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre 10/26 Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl Nashville 10/27 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade (Heaven) 10/28 Tampa, FL – The Orpheum 10/29 Orlando, FL – The Abbey 10/31 Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall 11/01 San Antonio, TX – Vibes Event Center 11/02 Fort Worth, TX – Ridglea Theater 11/04 Mesa, AZ – Nile Theater 11/05 Los Angeles, CA – 1720 11/06 Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post 11/08 Seattle, WA – El Corazon 11/09 Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre 11/11 Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex 11/12 Denver, CO – Summit 11/13 Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck 11/15 Chicago, IL – The Bottom Lounge 11/16 Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall 11/17 Cleveland, OH – House of Blues 11/18 Mckees Rocks, PA – Roxian Theatre 11/19 Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre 11/20 Montreal, QC – L’astral Read More Here

Could Trump Testify? Subpoena Sets Up Prospect Of Dramatic Political Spectacle https://digitalarizonanews.com/could-trump-testify-subpoena-sets-up-prospect-of-dramatic-political-spectacle/ The House January 6 select committee’s unanimous move to subpoena Donald Trump, demanding that he testify about his knowledge of the Capitol attack, sets up the prospect of a political spectacle as the congressional investigation races towards what could be an explosive conclusion. The former US president may decide to ignore the subpoena and decide not to cooperate with the inquiry, or alternatively, believing that he is his own best spokesman and can answer for his actions to anyone, may agree to a dramatic deposition. But whatever path Trump chooses, the decision of constitutional consequence appears certain to also become a pitched political spectacle – with each side seeking to achieve their own goals as the congressional investigation into the Capitol attack prepares to finish its work. The driving factor pushing Trump to want to testify has centered around a reflexive belief that he can convince investigators that their own inquiry is a supposed witch-hunt and convince them that he committed no crimes over January 6, according to sources familiar with the matter. Trump has previously expressed an eagerness to appear before the select committee and “get his pound of flesh” as long as he can appear live before an audience, the sources said – a thought he reiterated to close aides on Thursday after the panel voted to issue him a subpoena. But Trump also appears to have become more aware about the pitfalls of testifying in investigations, with lawyers warning him about mounting legal issues in criminal inquiries brought by the justice department and a civil lawsuit brought by the New York state attorney’s office. The former president invoked his fifth amendment right against self-incrimination more than 440 times in a deposition with the New York state attorney’s office before it filed a fraud lawsuit against him, three of his children, and senior Trump Organization executives. Trump also ultimately took the advice of his lawyers during the special counsel investigation into ties between his 2016 campaign and Russia, submitting only written responses to investigators despite initially telling advisers he wanted to testify in person to clear his name. The issue for Trump with the select committee remains whether the panel would accept a demand to testify live. The select committee has rejected testimony with conditions for virtually all witnesses, with the exception of former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson. If Trump does make his appearance contingent on conditions that the select committee cannot countenance, it is not clear what options are available to compel his testimony given his position as a former president. The chairman of the select committee, congressman Bennie Thompson, said in advance of the vote to issue Trump a subpoena that chief among the reasons the panel sought his testimony was because his singular role in driving events towards January 6 necessitated full accountability. Members on the select committee believe securing Trump’s testimony could answer several unresolved issues – such as his contacts with political operatives at the Trump war room at the Willard hotel, sources say – but Thompson added it went beyond evidence-gathering. “He must be accountable. He is required to answer for his actions,” Thompson said. But the select committee is expected to face difficulty should it seek to enforce its subpoena through the courts, with Trump’s lawyers focusing on the justice department’s office of legal counsel opinions contending that former presidents have absolute immunity from testifying to Congress. The panel’s previous attempts to force Trump White House officials to comply with subpoenas have resulted in protracted legal battles over executive privilege that were mostly resolved through some partial cooperation, such as with Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows. Attempts to seek judicial enforcement against Trump would be even more time-consuming and given the justice department’s internal position on absolute immunity – a stronger protection than executive privilege – the effort might be wholly unsuccessful, legal experts said. The select committee could alternatively refer the former president to the justice department for contempt of Congress as it did with former aides Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, but the justice department would probably decline to prosecute on the immunity standard, the experts said. The calculus appears to leave Trump with a political prisoner’s dilemma, one person directly familiar with the investigation said – adding that they believed the panel will be perceived in history as having done as much as it could to uncover Trump’s connection to the Capitol attack. Read More Here

Dr. Oz Supports Biden's Federal Marijuana Pardons, Says Sending People To Jail For Pot Is 'not A Wise Move' https://digitalarizonanews.com/dr-oz-supports-bidens-federal-marijuana-pardons-says-sending-people-to-jail-for-pot-is-not-a-wise-move/ GOP Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz said President Biden’s decision to pardon people convicted federally for simple marijuana possession was a “rational move,” just weeks ahead of the election. Oz’s comments mirror the stance held by his Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman. A Fox News poll conducted last month has Fetterman leading 45% to 41%. “Going to jail for marijuana is not a wise move for the country. I think folks who have used marijuana, and that’s the only reason they’re in jail, should not have those criminal — those rulings held against them,” Oz said in a TV interview on Thursday. Biden announced last week he would pardon people in federal prison for simple marijuana possession and called on governors to pardon those convicted of the same at the state level. The move by Biden clears the records of roughly 6,500 people convicted in federal court of simple marijuana possession. FOX NEWS POLL: PENNSYLVANIA SENATE RACE NARROWS GOP Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz said President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon people convicted federally for simple marijuana possession was a “rational move,” just weeks ahead of the election. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) Oz also said in the interview that he opposes federal mandatory minimum prison sentences, a contrast to Fetterman’s remarks from earlier this month in which the Democrat expressed support for applying the mandatory minimums when it comes to fentanyl dealers. Oz has criticized his opponent for being too soft on crime. “I really think judges should be empowered to make the difficult decisions, and they generally do it well,” Oz said. “When we tie their hands by making laws at the federal level, it hinders their ability to do what needs to be done.” The Trump-endorsed Republican was also asked about his stance on the death penalty for drug dealers, which the former president has pushed for. “I think an appropriate — potentially death penalty, but an appropriate harsh penalty for people especially bringing fentanyl into this country — it might be the death penalty,” Oz said. LIBERALS RUSH TO DEFEND FETTERMAN AS REPORTERS QUESTION HIS MENTAL FITNESS FOLLOWING NBC INTERVIEW Biden announced last week he would pardon people in federal prison for simple marijuana possession and called on governors to pardon those convicted of the same at the state level.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Fetterman, who suffered a stroke in May and has since struggled with auditory processing issues and speaking clearly, has used closed captioning during interviews to be able to understand a reporter’s questions. Oz has repeatedly called out Fetterman for not being transparent about his health and has pressured his opponent to release his medical records. Oz, a former heart surgeon and talk show host, recently released his medical records in which Dr. Rebecca Kurth in New York City wrote a four-page letter saying he is in “excellent health.” The Republican said he has “tremendous compassion” for what Fetterman has experienced and that he believes people with disabilities can and should serve. FETTERMAN STILL HAS ‘A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING’ CONVERSATIONS, NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT REPORTS Pennsylvania Senate Democratic nominee John Fetterman and Pennsylvania Senate GOP nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz. (Mark Makela, Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images) CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The issue for me is the voters of Pennsylvania deserve transparency,” Oz said. “When you were asking questions of John Fetterman about his medical records, I was watching his responses and thinking he probably does want to release his records. But he’s not. So why not?” Fetterman said earlier this month when pressed on why he has failed to release his medical records that he is not aware of any undisclosed symptoms and that he has been open with the public about his health and recovery. The two candidates are scheduled to participate in their one and only debate on Oct. 25. Oz has requested for more than one debate. Read More Here

Observations And Expectations On Brazil S Presidential Election https://digitalarizonanews.com/observations-and-expectations-on-brazil-s-presidential-election/ “The enemy is the unphilosophical spirit which knows nothing and wants to know nothing of truth.“- Karl Jaspers, Reason and Anti-Reason in our Time (1971) For the most part, Americans loath mind-challenging excursions into philosophy. At times, certain other forms of intellectual activity are judged more-or-less tolerable, but only to the extent that they are conducted in pursuit of practical academic certifications or job-related advancements. To be sure, many Americans do remain conspicuously proud of their specific educational accomplishments and associations, but only rarely because of any connections to genuine learning.                In general, these university-based relationships are valued for presumed personal status and income enhancements.[1]                Still, in the final analysis, core origins of America’s intellectual decline are best explained by philosophy. Reasoning as an educated European in the late 20th century, German philosopher Karl Jaspers observes succinctly in Reason and Anti-Reason in our Time (1971): “The enemy is the unphilosophical spirit which knows nothing and wants to know nothing of truth.” Though there is nothing tangible about such a spirit – and while the philosopher’s subtle indictment would soar indecipherably over the heads of most Americans – this demeaning spirit has palpable consequences.                Inter alia, it is anything but benign.                We should begin at the beginning. What does it really mean for a nation to be “anti-intellectual”? On its face, intellect is “elitist.” Always. At a minimum, intellect seems impractical, contrived, “highfalutin.” Typically, in the United States, from its very beginnings, the most casual mention of “intellect” or “intellectual” has been met with opprobrium. In essence, such mention has elicited precious little in the way of curiosity. Instead, it has brought forth variously acrimonious cries of disapproval, an openly belligerent rancor and abundantly witless howls of execration.                So what (if anything) has changed?[2] Credo quia absurdum, exclaimed the ancient philosopher Tertullian, “I believe because it is absurd.”                 Significantly, with few discernible exceptions, the United States celebrates pragmatic accomplishments and “common sense.” Don’t bother with abstract or speculative learning, we are instructed early on, especially when any dedicated citizen excursions into literature, philosophy, art and poetry “don’t pay?” This command becomes still more worrisome when the broadest meanings of Jaspers’ “enemy” is uncovered and understood. Far worse than “merely” knowing nothing of truth, the philosopher already understood, is “wanting to know nothing of truth.”                This distinction is more than a matter of degree. It is vastly meaningful per se.                There are assorted pertinent details. Truth is exculpatory, always, and a proper answer ought always to be prompt, unhesitant and unambiguous. Accordingly, there are times for every nation when history, science and intellect will deserve an absolute pride of place. Recalling Plato’s parable of the cave in The Republic,[3] our American politics and Realpolitik-driven[4] foreign policies are just “reflection.” Inevitably, they are mere “shadows” of reality, epiphenomenal and misleading.[5]                In the United States, politics still offers only a deformed reflection of what lies below. This American  politics also reveals a problematic vacancy of “soul.”[6] Sometimes, such wearying vacancies warrant even closer analytic attention than usual. Today, especially after Trump-led efforts at seditious conspiracy and cultivated criminality, we are in one of those dissembling times.                 Donald J. Trump is gone from the White House,[7] but there are compelling reasons to fear his return (directly, or by obeisant surrogates) in 2024. The crudely retrograde and simplifying sentiments that first brought him to presidential power still endure unabated. Now, still lacking the refined intellectual commitments of mind necessary for dignified democratic governance, We the people ought not to display incredulity at the unprecedented breadth or depth of our political failures.                And the next time could be much worse. Too-many American debilities remain rooted in a presumptive “common sense.” Over the years, it remains difficult too contest, American well-being and political freedom have sprung from variously orchestrated postures of engineered consumption. But in this steeply confusing derivation, our national marching instructions have stayed clear and demeaning:  “You are what you buy.” It follows from such planned misdirection that the country’s ever-growing political scandals and failures represent the predictable product of a society where anti-intellectual and unheroic lives are routinely encouraged. Even more insidious, American success is measured not by any rational criteria of mind,  compassion or “soul,” but dolefully, mechanically, without commendable purpose and without any “collective will.”[8] There is more, much more. What most energetically animates American politics today is not any valid interest in progress or survival, but steadily-escalating fears of personal insignificance. Though most apparent at the presidential level, such insignificance can be experienced collectively, by an entire nation. Either way, its precise locus of origin concerns certain deeply-felt human anxieties about not being valued, about not “belonging,”[9] about not being “wanted at all.”[10]                 For any long-term intellectual renaissance to become viable, an unblemished candor must first be encouraged. Ground down by the demeaning babble of half-educated pundits and jabbering politicos, We the people are rarely motivated by any elements of real insight or recognizable courage. We are just now learning to understand how badly our Constitution was recently battered by dissembling voices of anti-reason, of assaults by a law-violating head of state who “loved the poorly educated,”[11]  proudly read nothing (nothing at all) and who yearned not to serve his country,[12] but only to receive plaudits (and monetary “donations”) from its self-deceiving citizens.                Truth is exculpatory. Donald J. Trump abhorred any challenging considerations of law, intellect or independent thought. For the United States, it became a lethal and unforgivable combination.                At the chaotic end of his incoherent tenure, the former president’s personal defeat was paralleled by near-defeat of the entire nation. Lest anyone forget, the catastrophic events at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 were designed to undermine or overthrow the rule of Constitutional order in the United States. The once-unimaginable plan failed not because it lacked criminal intent (mens rea), but because its backers lacked all relevant intellectual and historical understandings. If there hadn’t been such an evident lack, leaders of the American insurrection would have readily understood that an SA-style (Sturmabteilung) para-military force would need augmentation by a more seemingly “respectable” infrastructure of field commanders and organizational bureaucrats.                There is more. To understand the Trump presidency’s self-induced declensions, we must learn to look beyond “reflections,” beyond transient personalities and beyond the daily news. Even now, in these United States, a willing-to-think individual is little more than a quaint artifact of some previously imagined narrative. Even now, more refractory than ever to courage, intellect and learning, much of our American “mass” displays no decipherable intentions of  taking itself seriously.[13]                Quite the contrary.                “Headpieces filled with straw…” is the way poet T S Eliot would have characterized present-day American citizens. He would have observed, further, an embittered American “herd” marching insistently backward, cheerlessly, wittingly senseless, in pitiful lockstep toward still impending collective declensions.                 What’s next for America’s increasingly-imperiled Republic? For the moment, whatever our specific political leanings or party loyalties, We the people have at least restored a basic normalcy to the White House.[14] At the same time, our self-battering country still imposes upon its exhausted people the hideously breathless rhythms of a vast and uncaring machine.Once again, we witness, each and every day, an endless line of trains, planes and automobiles transporting weary Americans to yet another robotic workday, a day too-often bereft of any pleasure or reward, and a day filled with yet another inexplicable inventory of mass shootings.                  Let us be candid.  Even for those who can “work from home,” the cumulative outlook for happiness is dreary at best.                “I think therefore I am,” announced Descartes, but what exactly do Americans “think?” Answers should come quickly to mind. But even now, We the people lack any unifying sources of national cohesion except for celebrity sex scandals, local sports team loyalties, inane conspiracy theories and the hideously murderous brotherhoods of gratuitous violence.                As for the more than seven million people stacked cheek to jowl in our medieval prisons, two-thirds of those released will likely return to lives of crime and mayhem. Simultaneously, the most senior and recognizable white collar criminals – in part, those Trump-era sycophants who managed to transform their humiliating personal cowardice into a religion – can look forward to lucrative book contracts and to far-reaching immunity from criminal prosecutions. Ironically, these contract agreements, pri...

At Debate, Walker Denies Past Support For US Abortion Ban https://digitalarizonanews.com/at-debate-walker-denies-past-support-for-us-abortion-ban/ Meg Kinnard / AP Georgia GOP Senate nominee Herschel Walker speaks during a campaign stop at Battle Lumber Co., Oct. 6, 2022, in Wadley, Ga. By Bill Barrow and Russ Bynum, Associated Press Friday, Oct. 14, 2022 | 11:35 p.m. SAVANNAH, Ga. — Georgia’s Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker on Friday denied his previous support for an outright national ban on abortion, though he has insisted at various points throughout the campaign that it was a proposal he endorsed. Walker, a staunch anti-abortion politician recently accused by a former girlfriend of encouraging and paying for her 2009 abortion, was asked during a debate with Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock about his support for “a complete ban on a national level.” He said the moderator had misstated his position. Walker’s claim contradicted statements he had made repeatedly on the campaign trail, including in July when he said “that’s a problem” that there is no national ban. Walker said Friday that his position is the same as Georgia’s state law, the so-called heartbeat bill that bans abortion at six weeks, before many women know they’re pregnant. That law went into effect this year after the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortions nationwide. The debate in Georgia’s marquee Senate contest was held just days before in-person early voting begins Monday. The outcome will help determine which party controls the Senate for the next two years of President Joe Biden’s term. The heated exchange on abortion was one of many that highlighted stark differences between the two men on policy, personality and governing philosophy. The debate covered a wide range of topics, including abortion, personal integrity, crime and student loans, and forced both men to answer attacks that have flooded voters’ television screens and social media feeds for months. Walker, a Georgia football icon making his first bid for public office, leaned heavily on assertions that Warnock is a puppet of President Joe Biden, saying the Nov. 8 midterm election is about what those two “had done to you and your family” in an inflationary economy. Warnock, who is senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, answered that the election is a choice about “who is ready to represent Georgia.” Warnock never directly brought up the recent allegations about Walker paying for an abortion, leaving that to moderators, who elicited another flat denial from the Republican nominee. Trying to shift the discussion, Walker blasted Warnock for being a Baptist pastor who supports abortion rights and suggested he doesn’t care about abortions in the Black community. Both men are Black. “Instead of aborting those babies, why aren’t you baptizing those babies?” Walker asked. Warnock insisted he can support abortion rights as a Christian and a pastor. “God gave us a choice and I respect the right of women to make a decision,” Warnock said, adding that Walker “wants to arrogate more power to politicians than God has.” Warnock and fellow Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff won their Senate seats in a January 2021 special election two months after Biden won Georgia by fewer than 12,000 votes out of 5 million cast. That was the first time in two decades Democrats won federal elections in the historically conservative state, raising questions about whether Warnock can replicate his victory in a midterm election, especially with Biden’s popularity down among Georgia voters. Walker repeatedly blamed Warnock and Biden for inflation, thought he offered little when pressed for details about what he would do to fix it. Walker said the first step to a more stable economy is “getting back” to energy independence rather than depending “on our enemies.” The U.S. has, in actuality, never been completely free from depending on fossil fuel imports from other countries, including some with whom Washington has tense relationships, such as Russia. In his defense, Warnock highlighted Democrats’ “Inflation Reduction Act,” with a focus on provisions he sponsored capping insulin and other health care costs for Medicare recipients, Democrats’ extension of the child tax credit and infrastructure provisions that Warnock shepherded with Republican colleagues. But Warnock also offered few specifics about any additional steps Congress could take. Warnock also declined to engage on whether Biden should seek reelection in 2024, arguing that Georgia’s immediate choice for the Senate is more important. Senate Democratic candidates around the country have distanced themselves from Biden during the fall campaign. Walker deviated from his friend, former President Donald Trump, by acknowledging that Biden won legitimately in 2020. But Walker wasted no time saying he’d support Trump in 2024, calling it an act of loyalty. Trump encouraged Walker to run and has endorsed him. Both Walker and Warnock said they would accept the outcome of their Senate election. Debate moderators drew both men into discussions of their personal lives. Recent reporting by The Daily Beast disclosed records of an abortion receipt and a subsequent personal check from Walker to a woman who said the celebrity football icon paid for her abortion when they were dating. Walker’s denials have continued even after the woman identified herself as the mother of one of his four children. Other reports, including from The Associated Press, have detailed how Walker has exaggerated his academic achievements, business success and philanthropic activities, as well as accusations that he threatened the life of his ex-wife that go beyond details Walker himself acknowledged in a 2008 memoir and subsequent media interviews. Walker also acknowledged three of his children publicly for the first time only after earlier Daily Beast reporting. Before his Senate bid, he’d spoken publicly only of Christian Walker, his adult son by his first wife. Warnock, in perhaps his most searing move against Walker, alluded to that cascade of stories. “We will see time and time again tonight, as we’ve always seen, that my opponent has a problem with the truth,” said Warnock, dismissing reports that a foundation tied to Ebenezer Baptist Church had evicted tenants from its real estate holdings. He said Walker was trying to “sully the name of Martin Luther King’s church.” When Walker accused Warnock of being anti-police, Warnock brought up Walker’s myriad suggestions that he’s worked in law enforcement. “One thing I’ve never done, I’ve never pretended to be a police officer, and I’ve never threatened a shootout with the police,” the senator said. Walker has never been a trained law enforcement officer, though he has a litany of law enforcement endorsements and pulled out what appeared to be a police badge, prompting a rebuke from moderators who reminded him of debate rules forbidding props. Walker pushed back at the notion that his past should be disqualifying by pointing to a 2008 memoir in which he detailed being diagnosed with dissociative personality disorder. Walker said he’s “been transparent.” “I continue to get help if I need help, but I don’t need any help. I’m doing well,” he said. “I’m ready to lead today.” The Savannah debate was the two rivals’ only meeting because Walker declined to accept the three fall debates typical in Georgia campaigns. The Friday debate did not include Libertarian Chase Oliver, who did not meet organizers’ polling threshold. Warnock will meet Oliver in a Sunday forum sponsored by the Atlanta Press Club. In that debate, Walker will be represented by an empty podium because he declined the invitation. Early voting begins Monday and runs through Nov. 4. Election Day is Nov. 8. ___ Barrow reported from Atlanta. Read More Here

'They Hated Him.' Former Subordinate Recalls Serving Under Russia's New Top Commander In Ukraine | CNN https://digitalarizonanews.com/they-hated-him-former-subordinate-recalls-serving-under-russias-new-top-commander-in-ukraine-cnn/ Putin’s new Ukraine war commander has a history of brutality 02:33 – Source: CNN CNN  —  Russian President Vladimir Putin’s devastating war on Ukraine is faltering. Now, there’s a new general in charge – with a reputation for brutality. After Ukraine recently recaptured more territory than Russia’s army took in the last six months, Russia’s Ministry of Defense last Saturday named Sergey Surovikin as its new overall commander for operations in the war. Notably, he previously played an instrumental role in Russia’s operations in Syria – during which Russian combat aircraft caused widespread devastation in rebel-held areas – as Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces. CNN spoke to a former Russian air force lieutenant, Gleb Irisov, who served under him in Syria. He said Surovikin was “very close to Putin’s regime” and “never had any political ambitions, so always executed a plan exactly as ​the government wanted.” Analysts say Surovikin’s appointment is highly unlikely to change how Russian forces are carrying out the war but that it speaks to Putin’s dissatisfaction with previous command operations. It is also, in part, likely meant to “mollify” the nationalist and pro-war base within Russia itself, according to Mason Clark, Russia Lead at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think-tank. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who has called for Russia to “take more drastic measures​” ​including the use of “low-yield nuclear weapons” in Ukraine following recent setbacks, welcomed the appointment of Surovikin, who first saw service in Afghanistan in the 1980s before commanding a unit in the Second Chechen War ​in 2004. Praise from Kadyrov, who is ​a key Putin ally, is significant, perhaps, as he himself is notorious for crushing all forms of dissent. “I personally ​have know​n Sergei very well for almost 15 years. I can definitely say he is a real general and warrior, experienced, headstrong and foresighted commander who always takes patriotism, honor and respect above all,” Kadyrov posted on social media, following news of Surovikin’s appointment last Saturday. “The united army group is now in safe hands,” he added. Irisov, Surovikin’s former subordinate, left his five-year career in the armed forces after his time in Syria because his own political views conflicted with what he experienced. “Of course, you understand, who is right and who is wrong,” Irisov said. “I witnessed a lot of stuff, being inside the system.” Irisov then began what he hoped would be the start of a career as an international journalist, as a military reporter with Russian state news agency TASS. His wife worked there and he felt at the time it was “the only main information agency” that tried to ​cover news in an “unbiased” way, with “some opportunity of freedom of speech,” he said. “Everything changed” on February 24, 2022, when Putin’s invasion of Ukraine began and TASS received orders from the FSB security service and defense ministry “that everyone will be prosecuted if they don’t execute the propaganda scheme,” Irisov said. He had family in Kyiv, hiding in bomb shelters, and told CNN he knew “nothing could justify this war.” He also knew from his military contacts that there were already many casualties in the first days of the war. “For me it was obvious from the beginning,” Irisov recalled. “I tried to explain to people this war will lead to the collapse of Russia… it will be a great tragedy not only for Ukrainians but also for Russia.” Irisov fled Moscow with his pregnant wife and young child on March 8, 2022, after standing against the invasion. He had quit his job at TASS and signed petitions and an open letter against the war, he told CNN. After traveling to Armenia, Georgia, Turkey and finally Mexico, where they contacted the US embassy to ask for help, they are now working to start a new life in West Virginia. While serving at Latakia air base in Syria in 2019 and 2020, the 31-year-old says he worked on aviation safety and air traffic control, coordinating flights with Damascus’ civilian airlines. He ​says he saw Surovikin several times during some missions and spoke to high-ranking officers under him. “He made a lot of people very angry – they hated him,” Irisov said, describing how the “direct” and “straight” general was disliked at headquarters because of the way he tried to implement his infantry experience into the air force. Irisov says he understands Surovikin had strong connections with Kremlin-approved private military company the Wagner group​, which has operated in Syria. The Kremlin denies any connections to Wagner and insists that private military companies are illegal in Russia. Surovikin, whose military career began in 1983, has a checkered history, to say the least. In 2004, according to Russian media accounts and at least two think tanks, he berated a subordinate so severely that the subordinate took his own life. And a book by the think tank the Washington DC-based Jamestown Foundation says that during the unsuccessful coup attempt against former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in August 1991, soldiers under Surovikin’s command killed three protesters, leading to Surovikin spending at least six months in prison. CNN has reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment on Surovikin’s appointment and regarding allegations about his harsh leadership. In a 2020 report, Human Rights Watch named him as “someone who may bear ​command responsibility” for the dozens of air and ground attacks on civilian objects and infrastructure in violation of the laws of war​” during the 2019-2020 Idlib offensive in Syria. ​The attacks killed at least 1,600 ​civilians and forced the displacement of an estimated 1.4 million people, according to HRW​​, which cites UN figures. During his time in Syria, the ​now-56-year-old was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation. In February this year, Surovikin was sanctioned by the European Union in his capacity as head of the Aerospace Forces “for actively supporting and implementing actions and policies that undermine and threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine as well as the stability or security in Ukraine.” Irisov believes there are three reasons why he has been put in charge in Ukraine now: his closeness to the government and Putin; his interbranch experience with both the infantry and air force; and his experience since the summer commanding Russian forces in the southern Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea. These are areas that Putin is trying to control “at any cost,” said Irisov. Just two days after Surovikin’s appointment on Saturday, Russia launched its heaviest bombardment of Ukraine since the early days of the war. Surovikin is “more familiar with cruise missiles, maybe he used his connections and experience to organize this chain of devastating attacks,” Irisov said​, referencing the reports that cruise missiles have been among the weapons deployed by Russia in this latest surge of attacks. But Clark, from the ISW, suggests the general’s promotion is “more of a framing thing to inject new blood into the Russian command system” and “put on this tough nationalist face.” His appointment “got widespread praise from various Russian military bloggers as well as Yevgeny (Prigozhin), who’s the financier of the Wagner Group,” Clark said. He believes what’s happening now is a reflection of what happened in April, when another commander, Alexander Dvornikov, was appointed overall commander of the operations in Ukraine. “Similarly, he before then was a commander of one of the groupings of Russian forces and had sort of a master reputation in Syria much like Surovikin for brutality, earning this sort of name of the ‘butcher of Aleppo,’” Clark said. Dvornikov was also seen at the time as the commander “that was going to turn things around in Ukraine and get the job done,” he added. “But an individual commander is not going to be able to change how tangled Russian command and control is at this point in the war, or the low morale of Russian forces.” Andrea Kendall-Taylor, director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, also told CNN this week that Surovikin’s appointment “reflects the ascendancy of a lot of hardline voices inside Russia… calling on Putin to make changes, and to bring in someone who would be willing to execute these ruthless attacks.” Clark reasons that “from what we’ve seen, it’s highly ​probable that Putin is involved in decision-making down to a very tactical level and in some cases bypassing the senior Russian military officers to interact directly on the battlefield.” Surovikin personally signed Irisov’s resignation papers from the air force, he says. Now, Irisov sees him put in charge of operations in Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine – but what impact the general will or can have is not yet clear. According to Clark, “there isn’t a good Kremlin option if Surovikin doesn’t perform or if Putin decides that he is also not up to the task. There aren’t many other senior Russian officers and it’s just going to lead to a further degradation of the Russian war effort.” Read More Here

Blake Masters Is Already Claiming His Election Will Be Stolen https://digitalarizonanews.com/blake-masters-is-already-claiming-his-election-will-be-stolen/ In his campaign to unseat Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Republican Blake Masters has consistently amplified skepticism and conspiracy theories surrounding the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. But during the final stretch of his own 2022 race, Masters is starting to cast doubt on the outcome of this election—before the votes are even counted. At a campaign stop on Tuesday in a small town north of Phoenix, Masters was confronted with one voter’s concern that he could win by a “landslide” but that voting machines would “flip the vote” in Kelly’s favor, according to audio of the event obtained by The Daily Beast. “Unfortunately, we still have the machines in this election,” Masters replied. The “machines” refer to Dominion Voting Systems’ machines, which were used in Arizona and have been the subject of countless unfounded conspiracies. Maricopa County, home to Phoenix, used paper ballots in the 2020 election; audits found no evidence of fraud. Masters expanded on the voter’s concern by recounting a conversation he had with his father before launching his campaign. In Masters’ telling, his father said he didn’t want him to run because he couldn’t beat Kelly, because of voter fraud. “But say you beat Mark Kelly by 30,000 votes,” Masters said. To which his father responded: “I’m worried they’ll just find 40,000 for Mark Kelly.” “He invited me to prove him wrong,” Masters continued. “I said, ‘Dad, I can’t prove you wrong. All I know is, if those are the numbers, I’ve got to win by 80,000.” At that line, the crowd exploded in applause. A spokesperson for Masters did not respond to The Daily Beast’s questions asking Masters to explain his exact concerns about voting machines. Sarah Guggenheimer, a spokesperson for Kelly, said in a statement that Masters is “dabbling in conspiracy theories” and “has made it clear that he is willing to threaten our democracy because he believes his baseless lies matter more than Arizonans’ right to vote.” The GOP hopeful’s comments on Tuesday mark at least the second time he has publicly cast doubt on the upcoming November election. In June, before his primary election, Masters told a crowd about 2020, “whatever their cheating capacity is, I’m pretty sure they pulled out all the stops… And the question is, will that happen again?” These days, in the pro-Trump right, the idea that Republicans candidates need to win by wide margins so that they can overcome systemic pro-Democrat voter fraud is prevalent. Candidates have struggled to carefully validate continued baseless suspicion of voter fraud while not sowing so much doubt in the system that they turn off GOP voters. The failure of that balancing act arguably cost Republicans control of the Senate in 2020. In the pivotal Georgia runoffs, former Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler amplified suspicion in the state’s election system and called for the resignation of the GOP Secretary of State while urging the party faithful to vote anyway. They didn’t, and both lost, with turnout noticeably lower in conservative areas. Like Georgia, Arizona has been at the forefront of 2020 election conspiracies and continues to produce Republican leaders who put fixation on Trump’s loss at the center of their political agenda. Mark Finchem, the GOP candidate for Secretary of State, has premised his candidacy on the lie of a stolen election, causing widespread alarm about how he might handle the 2024 election if elevated to the position. Masters, the 36-year old protege of conservative tech billionaire Peter Thiel, launched his GOP primary campaign as a hardline election denier. “I think Trump won in 2020,” begins one Masters video posted to Twitter last November. After his primary win, Masters backed away from that position slightly, scrubbing his campaign website to soften his rhetoric around 2020. But he has since shifted again, telling Fox News last week that he still believes Trump should be in power now. The contest between Kelly and Masters is expected to be among the closest in the country and could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. In 2020, Kelly defeated former Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) by roughly 80,000 votes, while President Joe Biden defeated Trump by a mere 10,500-vote margin. Read More…

Herschel Walker Denies Abortion Ban Support And Brandishes ‘police Badge’ In Georgia Debate https://digitalarizonanews.com/herschel-walker-denies-abortion-ban-support-and-brandishes-police-badge-in-georgia-debate/ The Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker, a staunch anti-abortion politician accused by a former girlfriend of encouraging and paying for her abortion in 2009, used his only debate against the Democratic senator Raphael Warnock on Friday to deny his previous support for an outright national abortion ban. The former college football and NFL star, who is endorsed by Donald Trump, was asked about his support for “a complete ban on a national level”. He said the moderator misstated his position. That contradicted statements made repeatedly on the campaign trail, including in July when Walker said it was “a problem” that no national ban existed. Walker also answered an attack from Warnock about his past claims about being a law enforcement officer by producing what he said was a police badge. Warnock said: “You can support police officers as I’ve done … while at the same time holding police officers, like all professions, accountable. One thing I have not done, I’ve never pretended to be a police officer. And I’ve never, I’ve never threatened a shootout with the police.” Saying “I have to respond to that”, Walker produced his badge. Walker has never been a trained law enforcement officer, though he has law enforcement endorsements. As Walker brandished his badge, the debate moderator said: “Mr Walker, Mr Walker – excuse me, Mr Walker. I need to let you know, Mr Walker, you are very well aware of the rules tonight. And you have a prop that is not allowed. Sir, I asked you to put that prop away.” Walker did not do so immediately. The moderator said: “Excuse me, sir. You’re very well aware of the rules, aren’t you?” Walker said: “Well, let’s talk about the truth.” Walker’s apparent battle with the truth over abortion has become a theme of the midterm elections. On Friday, he said his position was the same as Georgia’s state law, a so-called heartbeat bill that bans abortion at six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant. That law went into effect this year after the US supreme court overturned the right to abortion. The heated exchange on abortion was one of many that highlighted stark differences between Warnock and Walker. Warnock did not directly bring up the allegation about Walker paying for an abortion, leaving moderators to elicit a flat denial. Walker blasted Warnock for being a Baptist pastor who supports abortion rights. “Instead of aborting those babies, why aren’t you baptizing those babies?” he said. Warnock said “God gave us a choice and I respect the right of women to make a decision”, adding that Walker “wants to arrogate more power to politicians than God has”. Warnock and his fellow Democrat Jon Ossoff won their Senate seats in a January 2021 special election, two months after Joe Biden beat Trump in Georgia by fewer than 12,000 votes. It was the first time in two decades Democrats won federal elections in the state, raising questions about whether Warnock can win again as Biden’s popularity falls. In-person voting begins on Monday. The outcome will help determine control of the Senate, currently split 50-50. Onstage, Walker claimed Warnock was a Biden puppet, saying the election was about what they “had done to you and your family” in an inflationary economy. Warnock said the election was about “who is ready to represent Georgia”. Walker blamed Warnock and Biden for inflation but offered little when asked what he would do to fix it. Walker said the first step was “getting back” to energy independence rather than depending “on our enemies”. The US had never been free from fossil fuel imports, some from countries such as Russia. Warnock highlighted Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, focusing on provisions he sponsored capping insulin and other healthcare costs, the extension of the child tax credit and infrastructure provisions he shepherded with Republicans. He offered few specifics about further steps. Warnock declined to say if Biden, nearing 80, should seek re-election in 2024. Walker deviated from Trump by saying Biden won legitimately in 2020. But he said he would support Trump if he ran in 2024. Both Walker and Warnock said they would accept the outcome of their election. Both men discussed their personal lives. Recent reporting by the Daily Beast disclosed records of an abortion receipt and personal check from Walker to a woman who said he paid for her abortion. Walker’s denials have continued even after the woman identified herself as the mother of one of his four children. Walker acknowledged three children publicly for the first time only after Beast reporting. Other reports have detailed how Walker has exaggerated academic achievements, business success and philanthropic activities, as well as accusations he threatened the life of his ex-wife beyond details acknowledged in a 2008 memoir. In perhaps his most effective debate move, Warnock alluded to such stories. “We will see time and time again tonight, as we’ve always seen, that my opponent has a problem with the truth,” said Warnock. Dismissing reports that a foundation tied to Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he is senior pastor, had evicted tenants from real-estate holdings, Warnock said Walker was trying to “sully the name of Martin Luther King’s church”. Walker pointed to his memoir, in which he detailed a diagnosis of dissociative personality disorder. Walker said he had “been transparent” and “continue[d] to get help if I need help, but I don’t need any help. I’m doing well. I’m ready to lead today.” Walker declined three debates typical in Georgia campaigns. The Savannah debate did not include the libertarian Chase Oliver, who did not meet a polling threshold. Warnock will meet Oliver in a Sunday debate sponsored by the Atlanta Press Club. Walker will be represented by an empty podium. Read More Here

Just What Is Trump’s Legacy? https://digitalarizonanews.com/just-what-is-trumps-legacy/ Editor, News-Register: How is it that former President Donald J. Trump remains as the unquestioned leader of the Republican Party, when while in office it had been documented that he was personally responsible for no fewer than 30,573 false statements, and with his egotism and hypocrisy being quite beyond compare, along with his multitude of misdeeds, and divisive rhetoric, have, seemingly, done little to curb his popularity within his current political party?  Recall also that, for decades, Mr. Trump had been a staunch Democrat, before becoming an independent politically, and only recently becoming a Republican when he, near 70 years of age, decided to run for the office of president in the 2016 election. He has sadly transformed the once proud Republican party into little more than the Trump personality cult.  Examples of Mr. Trump’s hypocrisy include the fact that he constantly derided his Democratic opponent in the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton, as “Crooked Hillary” and led the chant to “lock her up” as a result of her inappropriate sending of government emails as secretary of state on her private email server. However, Mr. Trump, upon his leaving the White House, illegally took more than 100 classified documents, and secretly stored them at his Mar-A-Lago property in Florida, which were finally recovered over a year and a half later by authorized officials from the US Justice Department.  Should Mr. Trump himself not be referred to as “Crooked Donald,” accompanied by the chant to “lock him up?” In addition, Mr. Trump has often stated that anyone who pleads the 5th Amendment, to refuse to answer pertinent questions in a court of law is, without question, guilty of what he/she had been charged.  Well then, how is it that Mr. Trump recently invoked the 5th Amendment, when forced to testify before the New York Attorney General, for his being charged that he allegedly made false statements on his assets to tax officials for his personal benefit? Does this, as a result of his previous claim, confirm his guilt as well? Also, before running for president in 2016, Mr. Trump had oftentimes stated that “anyone who runs for public office that refuses to release their income tax returns for public scrutiny, should be barred from running for office.” However, Mr. Trump did just that when he ran for president in 2016, and again in 2020, and only recently the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee has legally been granted approval to review Mr. Trump’s tax returns from 2015-2020. Mr. Trump also continues to refuse, in spite of all actual evidence to the contrary, to concede the 2020 presidential race to the rightful winner and current president, Joe Biden. This will be an essential and lasting part of the Trump legacy. Richard Hord Martins Ferry Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox Read More Here

Kemp Vs. Abrams II: Republican Has Incumbent Advantage Now https://digitalarizonanews.com/kemp-vs-abrams-ii-republican-has-incumbent-advantage-now/ ATLANTA (AP) — In 2018, Brian Kemp spent much of his campaign for Georgia governor in Stacey Abrams’ shadow as the Democratic Party star tried to become the nation’s first Black female governor. In the end, he won narrowly anyway. Then, halfway through his term, the Republican governor became the target of Donald Trump’s wrath when the defeated president threatened retribution after Kemp certified Democrat Joe Biden’s slate of presidential electors in Georgia. But not only did Kemp maintain support among most Republican voters while defying Trump, he seems to have only grown stronger heading into his rematch with Abrams. Now he wields the power of incumbency and a record that includes tax cuts and teacher pay raises. He has also drawn the praise of national Republicans for the campaign he has run while Abrams has struggled to capitalize on the star power that once had her as a possible running mate for Biden or even a candidate for president herself. FILE – Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks during an election-night watch party May 24, 2022, in Atlanta. The Georgia governor’s race is a rematch of 2018, when Brian Kemp narrowly defeated Stacey Abrams. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File) Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/John Bazemore FILE – Democratic candidate for Georgia Governor Stacey Abrams poses for a portrait in front of the State Seal of Georgia on Aug. 8, 2022, in Decatur, Ga. The Georgia governor’s race is a rematch of 2018, when Brian Kemp narrowly defeated Stacey Abrams. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File) Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/John Bazemore FILE – Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks during a Get Out the Vote Rally on the eve of gubernatorial and other primaries in the state on May 23, 2022, in Kennesaw, Ga. The Georgia governor’s race is a rematch of 2018, when Brian Kemp narrowly defeated Stacey Abrams. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File) Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Brynn Anderson FILE – Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams talks to the media during Georgia’s primary election on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Atlanta. The Georgia governor’s race is a rematch of 2018, when Brian Kemp narrowly defeated Stacey Abrams. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File) Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Brynn Anderson PreviousNext “A lot of people didn’t know who I was,” in 2018, “and I was defined by a candidate who had twice as much money as I did and had the national media in her pocket,” Kemp said after one fall campaign stop. “I never could really fight through that. It’s a different story now.” The result is a confident candidate who hopes to win more than 50 percent of the vote and build substantially on the 55,000-vote margin he held in 2018, enough to avoid a runoff by fewer than 20,000 votes. “Four years ago, Democrats were almost staging a revolution for the first African American woman governor,” said Mark Rountree, a Republican pollster, describing a campaign fought on Abrams’ terms. Now, he said, she must react to Kemp: “I’d argue that it makes Stacey Abrams very small compared to who she was and how she ran four years ago.” Abrams, who remains an unquestioned party leader in Georgia and influential Democrat nationally, is still a powerful draw. She’s outraised Kemp $85 million to $60 million through the end of September. But her inner circle acknowledges a fundamental shift from 2018. “We’re in a midterm with a Democratic president, a climate that is really brutal,” campaign manager Lauren Groh-Wargo said in an interview. “People are exhausted. This is a powerful incumbent who’s gotten a boatload of federal money.” The only way to run against an incumbent, she said, is “running scared.” Kemp blends a sales job on his record with withering attacks on Abrams. He promotes the multiple tax cuts he’s signed and the multibillion-dollar surplus on the state’s balance sheet. He claims vindication for his decision to resist mask mandates, school closures and business lockdowns early in the pandemic, making sure to blast “Ms. Abrams and the radical Democrats” for taking a different approach. The governor even embraces Abrams’ national brand and fundraising prowess, reminding supporters that his rival considered the possibility of becoming Biden’s running mate in 2020. One of his most reliable applause lines: “Make sure that Stacey Abrams is not going to be our governor — or our next president.” For her part, Abrams has a broad menu of ideas for spending the state surplus. She wants more raises for law enforcement and teachers. As in 2018, she proposes expanding Medicaid under the 2010 national health insurance overhaul. Georgia remains one of the few states, all Republican-led, not to expand the program, forgoing billions of dollars for its public and private health care systems over time. Abrams criticizes Kemp’s tax cuts for being tilted to the wealthy. “Millions … for them. A debit card for you,” one of her latest ads says. Her campaign aides note, sometimes with frustration, that Kemp takes credit for a Georgia economy boosted by ample federal spending during the pandemic. Trump and Biden each signed packages that steered direct support to businesses and individuals. Notably, Kemp singled out Democrats’ March 2021 measure as wasteful. Similarly, Kemp dismisses Abrams’ spending plans as excessive and certain to require tax hikes, though independent analysis confirms that Abrams’ could deliver her promised agenda under the existing tax laws. As a rejoinder to Kemp’s talk of “radical Democrats,” Abrams has tagged her opponent as an “extremist” on guns and abortion. She cites Kemp signing a 2022 law making it legal to carry a concealed weapon without a permit and a 2019 law banning abortions in the state after the sixth week of pregnancy, before many women know they’re pregnant. The latter statute, which Kemp signed in 2019, went into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned Roe v. Wade, a nearly 50-year precedent that legalized abortion nationwide. And she continues to criticize Kemp for signing a sweeping overhaul of state election law that she once characterized as “Jim Crow 2.0″ because it could make it harder for some Georgia voters to cast ballots. Rountree, the Republican pollster, said Abrams should distill her assertions into a clear reason voters should change governors. “She’s quibbling over how to spend a state surplus and then reacting to national issues like abortion that are presented to her,” Rountree said. But Groh-Wargo said the campaign’s research shows that abortion is an animating issue for voters, particularly among Democrats who are normally unlikely to vote and even Republicans who favor abortion rights. Groh-Wargo said also Abrams faces the burden of trying to break two historic barriers in a state that has known nothing but white men in the governor’s chair. “We’re not only doing the work to confront those biases, we’re giving voters what they want and need to make a decision,” Groh-Wargo said, explaining why Abrams explains in detail what she’d do with the job. If Kemp has a hidden vulnerability, it would be the Republicans who won’t forgive him for his opposition to Trump. Trump endorsed former U.S. Sen. David Perdue over Kemp in the GOP primary, trying to make good on his post-2020 threats. Kemp thrashed Perdue with 74% of the primary vote, and Trump has been silent on Kemp since. The question is how many of Perdue’s 262,000 primary supporters refuse to back Kemp over Abrams, either sitting out the governor’s race or giving their votes to the Libertarian Party nominee, potentially forcing a runoff by pulling Kemp below a majority. “There are plenty of Republicans still mad at Kemp,” said Debbie Dooley, an early tea party organizer and Trump ally. “I’ll never vote for him.” But Dooley conceded that Abrams herself is a coalescing force for Kemp. So much so that some Republicans marvel that Kemp, once expected to have a bruising primary fight, could be the heavyweight who carries the GOP ticket, rather than the beloved-but-embattled former University of Georgia football star Herschel Walker, who is running for the Senate against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock. “There’s a whole lot of people who are glad their kids were in school not wearing masks,” said Martha Zoller, a conservative radio host in north Georgia. “I think we’re going to see how strong Brian really is.” ___ For more information on the midterm elections, go to: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Read More Here

AP News Summary At 12:17 A.m. EDT https://digitalarizonanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-1217-a-m-edt/ Trump’s subpoena and what’s next for the Jan. 6 panel WASHINGTON (AP) — In an extraordinary step, the House Jan. 6 committee has voted unanimously to subpoena former President Donald Trump – a final effort to get the full story of the Capitol insurrection as the panel wraps up its work by the end of the year. Trump has been relentlessly hostile to the investigation, calling it a “charade and a witch hunt” in a letter to the committee on Friday. But he has not said whether he will comply with the demand for his appearance.  Even if he does, there’s no guarantee the committee would get anything different from the broadsides Trump sends out periodically. EXPLAINER: What to expect from China’s party congress BEIJING (AP) — China’s ruling Communist Party is holding its twice-a-decade national congress starting Sunday. That’s where President Xi Jinping is expected to receive a third five-year term as the uncontested head of the party, government and military of the world’s second-largest economy. The event proceedings are shrouded in secrecy, as is typical in China’s authoritarian one-party state. But the congress, the 20th in its more than 100-year history, is expected to produce a new set of leaders handpicked by Xi. Xi faces no term limits and has yet to indicate a successor after a decade in the top spot. The 96 million-member party is led by a Central Committee and Politburo. Their top cadres, who now number seven, form the powerful Politburo Standing Committee. Los Angeles mystery: Who taped meeting with racist rants? LOS ANGELES (AP) — An anonymously leaked recording of crude, racist remarks and political scheming that led to the resignation of the Los Angeles City Council president and a powerful labor leader left behind a mystery: Who made the tape and why? Five days after the disclosure of the year-old tape, it remains unknown who recorded it and posted it to the website Reddit, or even how many people are involved. The recording of the racist language led to the resignations of then-Council President Nury Martinez and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, and two other Council members who attended are facing pressure to resign. Putin calls his actions in Ukraine ‘correct and timely’ KYIV, UKRAINE (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin expects his troop mobilization for combat in Ukraine to end in about two weeks. That would allow him to end the unpopular and chaotic call-up meant to counter Ukrainian battlefield gains and solidify his illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. Putin faces domestic discontent and military setbacks in a neighboring country increasingly armed with advanced Western weapons. He told reporters Friday he “did not set out to destroy Ukraine” and doesn’t regret starting the conflict. Russia’s difficulties in achieving its war aims are becoming apparent in the illegally annexed Kherson region. Anticipating an advance by Ukrainian forces, Moscow-installed authorities there urged residents to flee Friday. Parkland shooter’s life sentence could bring changes to law FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The life sentence about to be imposed on Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz could bring changes to the state’s death penalty law. Until recently, Florida law allowed the imposition of a death sentence if a majority of the jury agreed. But after the U.S. and state supreme courts rejected those laws, the Florida Legislature in 2017 voted to require jury unanimity for a death sentence to be imposed. That’s why Cruz will get life without parole, even though his jury voted 9-3 Thursday to support his execution. Relatives of Cruz’s victims and others say the law should now be changed. Cruz murdered 17 people at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018. US shift on Venezuelan migrants fuels anxiety in Mexico TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — The Biden administration’s policy shift on Venezuelan migrants may pose an enormous challenge to overstretched Mexican shelters. The U.S. has coupled plans to let up to 24,000 Venezuelans apply online to fly to the U.S. for temporary stays with a pledge to immediately turn back Venezuelans who cross the border illegally from Mexico. The rapid expulsions expand a Trump-era policy that denies rights to seek asylum on grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19. Venezuelans have suddenly become the second-largest nationality at the U.S. border after Mexicans, a growing challenge to President Joe Biden and neighboring allies. Police: 15-year-old boy kills 5 in Raleigh shooting rampage RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Police say a 15-year-old boy fatally shot five people in an attack that stretched from the streets of a Raleigh neighborhood to a nearby walking trail. Two others were also injured in the Thursday evening attack, which led police on an hours-long manhunt before the teen was arrested. Raleigh police Chief Estella Patterson said Friday that the teen is hospitalized in critical condition. The motive for the shooting is still not known. Some of the victims were going about their daily routines when they died. They ranged in age from 16 to their late 50s. The dead include off-duty Raleigh police Officer Gabriel Torres, who was on his way to work. Mel Gibson can testify at Harvey Weinstein trial, judge says LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge has ruled that Mel Gibson can testify about what he learned from one of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers. The 66-year-old actor and director Gibson was one of many trial witnesses whose identities were revealed in court Friday. Weinstein is accused of sexual battery against the woman, who is a masseuse and friend of Gibson’s. The judge and lawyers took a break from jury selection to argue over which witnesses and evidence will be allowed during the eight-week trial. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty. Kemp vs. Abrams II: Republican has incumbent advantage now ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia governor’s race is a rematch of 2018, when Republican Brian Kemp narrowly defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams. But circumstances have changed. This time, it is Kemp who holds a lot of advantages as he seeks reelection. Abrams is trying to rekindle the star power that had people talking about her being president one day. Kemp became the target of Donald Trump’s wrath when the defeated president threatened retribution after Kemp certified Democrat Joe Biden’s slate of presidential electors in Georgia. But not only did Kemp maintain support among most Republican voters while defying Trump, he seems to have only grown stronger heading into his rematch with Abrams. Officials: 25 dead, many trapped in Turkish coal mine blast ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish officials say an explosion inside a coal mine in northern Turkey has killed at least 25 people and dozens remain trapped underground. The explosion occurred Friday at a state-owned mine in the town of Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin. The country’s energy minister says a preliminary assessment indicates the blast was caused by firedamp — a reference to flammable gases found in coal mines. There were 110 people in the mine at the time of the explosion. Most were able to evacuate the mine following the blast, but the interior minister says 49 people were caught in a higher risk area of the mine. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More Here

Turkish Mine Explosion Kills 28 And Leaves Dozens Trapped https://digitalarizonanews.com/turkish-mine-explosion-kills-28-and-leaves-dozens-trapped/ Image source, Getty Images By Merlyn Thomas & Elsa Maishman BBC News At least 28 people have died and dozens remain trapped underground after an explosion in a coal mine in northern Turkey’s Bartin province. Around 110 people were in the mine at the time of the blast on Friday, almost half of them at over 300 metres deep. Turkey’s health minister Fahrettin Koca said 11 people had been rescued and were being treated. Emergency crews worked through the night, digging through rock to try to reach more survivors. Video footage shows miners emerging blackened and bleary-eyed accompanied by rescuers at the facility in Amasra, on the Black Sea coast. The family and friends of the missing could also be seen at the mine, anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones. The explosion is believed to have occurred at around 300m deep. Some 49 people were working in the “risky” zone between 300 and 350m (985 to 1,150ft) underground, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said. “There are those whom we were not able to evacuate from that area,” Mr Soylu told reporters at the scene. The cause of the blast is not yet known, and the local prosecutor’s office has begun an investigation. Turkey’s energy minister said there were initial indications that the blast was caused by firedamp, which is methane forming an explosive mixture in coal mines. “We are facing a truly regretful situation”, he said. There were partial collapses inside the mine, he said, adding that there were no ongoing fires, and that ventilation was working properly. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit the site on Saturday. Amasra’s mayor Recai Cakir said many of those who survived had suffered “serious injuries”. One worker who managed to escape on his own said: “There was dust and smoke and we don’t know exactly what happened.” The mine belongs to the state-owned Turkish Hard Coal Enterprises. Turkey witnessed its deadliest coal mining disaster in 2014, when 301 people died after a blast in the western town of Soma. Read More Here

North Carolina: Suspect,15, In Custody After Raleigh Shooting Spree https://digitalarizonanews.com/north-carolina-suspect15-in-custody-after-raleigh-shooting-spree/ Image source, EPA Image caption, The shooting occurred near the Neuse River Greenway, a popular trail in the area A boy suspected of a mass shooting in North Carolina on Thursday began the rampage by fatally shooting a relative at home, police have said. Five people including an off-duty police officer were killed and two injured in the attack in Raleigh. The 15-year-old suspect is in a critical condition in hospital, but it is not clear how he was injured. The Gun Violence Archive says there have been 533 mass shootings (four or more shot) in the US this year. Thursday’s attack unfolded in a residential neighbourhood near the Neuse River Greenway, a popular trail on the outskirts of the state capital. The unnamed suspect’s motive is yet to be established, said police. He is white, and the victims were all of different races. After shooting a relative at home, the boy went out into the street and shot two women in the neighbourhood, Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson said on Friday morning. The suspect then allegedly ran towards the local river trail, fatally shooting 29-year-old police officer Gabriel Torres, who was on his way to work. Once on the trail the attacker killed two more people and wounded two others, said the police chief. A nearby primary school was locked down and two community centres were pre-emptively evacuated. “My heart is heavy, because we don’t have answers as to why this tragedy occurred,” Chief Patterson said. The shooting – which spanned over two miles – began just after 17:00 EDT (21:00 GMT) on Thursday. A police dog tracked the suspect to a shed, where he was taken into custody about four-and-a-half hours later. The two wounded victims included another police officer, Casey Clark, 33, who has since been released from hospital, and a 59-year-old woman, who was in a critical condition. Along with Officer Torres, the deceased victims were identified by officials as Nicole Connors, 53, Susan Karnatz, 49, Mary Marshall, 34, and James Thompson,16. Ms Connors’ husband told the Associated Press news agency she had been chatting to a neighbour on the porch when she was shot. Ms Marshall was walking her dog, Scruff, her sister told NBC. Ms Karnatz’s husband, Tom, posted a tribute to the mother-of-three on Facebook, writing: “We had plans together for growing old. Always together.” Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said on Friday the teen suspect would be charged as an adult. More than 34,000 people have died in shootings in the US in 2022, more than half of which were from suicide, according to the Gun Violence Archive website. “We must stop this mindless violence in America,” said North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, after the shooting. “We must address gun violence. We have much to do, and tonight we have much to mourn.” Read More Here

Arizona Attorney General https://digitalarizonanews.com/arizona-attorney-general/ Republican candidates for top statewide offices in Arizona have said they believe what they saw in the election-conspiracy movie “2000 Mules.” Now, the state Attorney General’s Office is asking the FBI and IRS for investigations of the group behind the movie, True the Vote, noting that it has repeatedly rebuffed all requests to share the documentary’s alleged evidence and has raised “considerable sums of money” based on claims of having that evidence. “Given TTV’s status as a nonprofit organization, it would appear that further review of its financials may be warranted,” wrote Reginald “Reggie” Grigsby, chief special agent of the office’s Special Investigations Section. The film, released in May and thoroughly debunked by experts and media organizations, claims mobile-phone data obtained by the group shows a coordinated effort by hundreds of people around the country — deemed “mules” — to stuff election drop boxes with ballots for candidate Joe Biden in 2020. True the Vote’s representatives said they would use their findings to make elections more secure. But the moviemakers have since refused to release any of their supposed data to law enforcement groups even after promising to do so, the Attorney General’s Office said in the two-page letter Friday. Grigsby’s letter accuses True the Vote founder Catherine Engelbrecht and its contractor Gregg Phillips of providing misleading information to his office and other law enforcement groups. He also mentions some of the bogus information the group has previously put out related to the movie, such as the false claims that the group helped solve a murder in Atlanta and break a ballot-harvesting case in San Luis, Arizona. In sum, the information points to “potential violations” of tax code given True the Vote’s 501(c)3 nonprofit status, the letter states. True the Vote didn’t respond to an email Friday from The Arizona Republic seeking comment. Candidates promoted film’s claims Many Republican politicians have pointed to the movie as proof that fraud caused former President Donald Trump to lose in 2020, despite the lack of verification of any of its claims. Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has said the movie’s producer, right-wing activist Dinesh D’Souza, is a “patriot” and that the movie showed how the conspiracy worked. “There’s no way they can discount what is in this movie,” she said on Newsmax in May. “It is in black and white.” Lake said in the same interview she believes the May leak of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was a conspiracy timed to turn the public’s attention away from what she called the “shocking” facts of the movie. During the only televised debate in the race for secretary of state, Republican candidate Mark Finchem pointed to “2000 Mules” as one example of election fraud, noting that it provided “visual evidence” of ballots being stuffed into drop boxes. Abe Hamadeh, the Republican candidate for state attorney general, has also portrayed the film as truthful. “Isn’t it sad that it required a documentary filmmaker to expose the crimes and fraud of 2020?” he told Trump lawyer Christina Bobb in July. Numerous other candidates and lawmakers have either praised the film or publicly shown interest in it. In late May, about 200 people attended a presentation on the film at a state Senate committee room by Phillips and Engelbrecht. The event featured a panel of state senators and other politicians, including Congresswoman Debbie Lesko and Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb. The next month, Finchem hosted a screening of the film and question-and-answer session in Sedona. Critics have ridiculed the movie, which claims to have video evidence it never shows and fictionalized some scenes. Group refuses to share data Phillips, who claimed publicly — and falsely — in 2017 that “millions” of noncitizens voted in 2016, told the Arizona Senate panel in May that the group turned over a “disk” of its findings to the state. However, as The Republic reported last month, records obtained from the Attorney General’s Office show that officials tried repeatedly to obtain the alleged findings, but True the Vote never followed through. In Friday’s letter, Grigsby said Phillips’ claim that he turned over the findings was “patently false.” True the Vote representatives subsequently told the Attorney General’s Office that it turned over its findings to the Phoenix FBI office and that since the FBI now considered the conservative activists’ “informants,” they didn’t think they could give the state the same information. That wasn’t true, either, according to Grigsby. Phoenix FBI officials told the state investigators that the representatives were not informants and that they had only turned over an audio and video recording of someone alleging ballot harvesting in San Luis. The group also told another unnamed law enforcement agency that it had turned over its findings to the state Attorney General’s Office, Grigsby reported.  The San Luis case involves real ballot harvesting; the small town’s former mayor was sentenced to 30 days in jail Thursday for collecting four ballots that weren’t hers. Though the case dealt only with the 2020 primary election, conspiracy theorists have misleadingly tied it to the general election that Trump lost. Reach the reporter at rstern@arizonarepublic.com or 480-276-3237. Follow him on Twitter @raystern. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. Read More…

Scandals Immaterial To Walker's Supporters Seeking Senate Control https://digitalarizonanews.com/scandals-immaterial-to-walkers-supporters-seeking-senate-control/ The Daily Beast British Government Close to Collapse as Chancellor Fired After 38 Disastrous Days in Office HANNAH MCKAY/ReutersOn Thursday, just 37 days after being appointed British finance minister, Kwasi Kwarteng was asked if, in a month’s time, he would still be in his job and Liz Truss would still be prime minister. “Absolutely, 100 percent,” Kwarteng answered. “I’m not going anywhere.”Less than a day later, he was gone. Truss’ Friday removal of Kwarteng—her closest ideological ally—from the second most powerful role in government so soon after choosing him to run the British economy is easily t Reuters Putin says no need for massive new strikes on Ukraine ASTANA (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday there was no need for massive new strikes on Ukraine and that Russia was not looking to destroy the country. Putin told a news conference at the end of a summit in Kazakhstan that his call-up of Russian reservists would be over within two weeks and there were no plans for a further mobilisation. He also repeated the Kremlin position that Russia was willing to hold talks, although he said they would require international mediation if Ukraine was prepared to take part. The Daily Beast Roger Stone Melts Down as Jan. 6 Committee Hearing Unfolds Drew Angerer/GettyAs the Jan. 6 committee showed video of Roger Stone’s closed-door deposition, Stone did what he does best: He complained. Stone took to Telegram and repeatedly responded to the Jan. 6 panel’s footage.“In 2000, when the Bush v. Gore election was still in doubt James A. Baker III urged Bush to claim victory, which he did and was hailed as a genius,” the longtime Trump adviser wrote on Telegram. “When I said Trump should do the same thing (in public but to not to either Trump or a The Hill Five takeaways from the Warnock-Walker debate in Georgia SAVANNAH, Ga. – Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) and his Republican opponent, former football star Herschel Walker, faced off on Friday night for their first and likely only debate, using the face-to-face meeting to make their cases to voters just a few weeks before Election Day. The debate came amid a hectic final push by the… The Hill These four countries sided with Russia in UN vote on Ukraine annexations The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday voted to condemn Russia’s annexation of four occupied areas of Ukraine amid the ongoing war, but four countries sided with Russia in the vote. Of the U.N.’s 193-member body, 143 voted in favor of the resolution criticizing Russia’s “illegal so-called referendums,” with 35 abstaining, according to an… Read More Here

Arizona AG Seeks Probe Of Election Integrity Group https://digitalarizonanews.com/arizona-ag-seeks-probe-of-election-integrity-group/ FILE – Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich gestures and smiles during his visit to the Yuma Sun in Yuma, Ariz., Thursday morning, June 2, 2022. Arizona’s Republican attorney general, Mark Brnovich, on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022 asked the FBI and IRS to look into an election integrity group that claimed to have uncovered widespread fraud in the 2020 election but never provided evidence. (Randy Hoeft/The Yuma Sun via AP, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Randy Hoeft] PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona’s Republican attorney general, Mark Brnovich, on Friday asked the FBI and IRS to look into an election integrity group that claimed to have uncovered widespread fraud in the 2020 election but never provided evidence. True the Vote, a nonprofit organization, has raised “considerable sums of money” on its claim that it had evidence of widespread fraud and may have broken federal tax laws, Reggie Grigsby, a criminal investigator in Brnovich’s office, wrote to federal authorities. Leaders from True The Vote promised repeatedly over the course of a year to provide data supporting their claim that people illegally collected ballots and delivered them to drop boxes during the 2020 election, Grigsby wrote. The claim was at the center of “2,000 Mules,” a debunked film that was aggressively promoted by former President Donald Trump to back up his claim he lost the presidency because of fraud. But True the Vote Founder Catherine Engelbrecht and contractor Gregg Phillips never provided the data they promised to the attorney general’s office despite claiming publicly that they had, Grigsby wrote. In June, they told state investigators they had given their data to the FBI while telling the FBI that the materials were given to the attorney general’s office. Representatives from the organization did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday evening. Promises to investigate and expose fraud are a big fundraising draw among Trump supporters who believe the former president’s lies about the 2020 election. Several groups, for example, raised more than $5 million for a discredited audit of the 2020 election in Maricopa County, Arizona. That audit was conducted by Trump supporters on behalf of state Senate Republicans. Federal and state election officials and Trump’s own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the 2020 election was tainted. Trump’s allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges he appointed. The referral to federal investigators is notable from Brnovich, who put his election investigations at the center of his unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate. Brnovich’s campaign struggled after Trump assailed him for failing to arrest people based on discredited claims from the Maricopa County audit and the “2,000 Mules” film. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Read More Here

AP News Summary At 10:34 P.m. EDT https://digitalarizonanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-1034-p-m-edt-2/ Trump’s subpoena and what’s next for the Jan. 6 panel WASHINGTON (AP) — In an extraordinary step, the House Jan. 6 committee has voted unanimously to subpoena former President Donald Trump – a final effort to get the full story of the Capitol insurrection as the panel wraps up its work by the end of the year. Trump has been relentlessly hostile to the investigation, calling it a “charade and a witch hunt” in a letter to the committee on Friday. But he has not said whether he will comply with the demand for his appearance.  Even if he does, there’s no guarantee the committee would get anything different from the broadsides Trump sends out periodically. Putin calls his actions in Ukraine ‘correct and timely’ KYIV, UKRAINE (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin expects his troop mobilization for combat in Ukraine to end in about two weeks. That would allow him to end the unpopular and chaotic call-up meant to counter Ukrainian battlefield gains and solidify his illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. Putin faces domestic discontent and military setbacks in a neighboring country increasingly armed with advanced Western weapons. He told reporters Friday he “did not set out to destroy Ukraine” and doesn’t regret starting the conflict. Russia’s difficulties in achieving its war aims are becoming apparent in the illegally annexed Kherson region. Anticipating an advance by Ukrainian forces, Moscow-installed authorities there urged residents to flee Friday. Police: 15-year-old boy kills 5 in Raleigh shooting rampage RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Police say a 15-year-old boy fatally shot five people in an attack that stretched from the streets of a Raleigh neighborhood to a nearby walking trail. Two others were also injured in the Thursday evening attack, which led police on an hours-long manhunt before the teen was arrested. Raleigh police Chief Estella Patterson said Friday that the teen is hospitalized in critical condition. The motive for the shooting is still not known. Some of the victims were going about their daily routines when they died. They ranged in age from 16 to their late 50s. The dead include off-duty Raleigh police Officer Gabriel Torres, who was on his way to work. Justice Dept. seeks end to arbiter’s review of Trump docs WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to overturn a judge’s appointment of an independent arbiter to review documents seized during an FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate. The appeal is the latest salvo in weeks of litigation over the scope of duties of the arbiter, also known as a special master. He was assigned last month by a judge to inspect the thousands of records taken in the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago and weed out from the investigation any that may be protected by claims of legal privilege. At debate, Walker denies past support for US abortion ban SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Georgia’s Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker is denying his previous support for an outright national ban on abortion, though he has insisted at various points throughout the campaign that it was a proposal he endorsed. Walker, a staunch anti-abortion politician, was recently accused by a former girlfriend of encouraging and paying for her 2009 abortion. He was asked during a debate Friday with Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock about his support for “a complete ban on a national level.” He said the moderator had misstated his position. Walker’s claim contradicted statements he had made repeatedly on the campaign trail. In July he said it’s “a problem” that there is no national ban. Mel Gibson can testify at Harvey Weinstein trial, judge says LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge has ruled that Mel Gibson can testify about what he learned from one of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers. The 66-year-old actor and director Gibson was one of many trial witnesses whose identities were revealed in court Friday. Weinstein is accused of sexual battery against the woman, who is a masseuse and friend of Gibson’s. The judge and lawyers took a break from jury selection to argue over which witnesses and evidence will be allowed during the eight-week trial. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty. EXPLAINER: What to expect from China’s party congress BEIJING (AP) — China’s ruling Communist Party is holding its twice-a-decade national congress starting Sunday. That’s where President Xi Jinping is expected to receive a third five-year term as the uncontested head of the party, government and military of the world’s second-largest economy. The event proceedings are shrouded in secrecy, as is typical in China’s authoritarian one-party state. But the congress, the 20th in its more than 100-year history, is expected to produce a new set of leaders handpicked by Xi. Xi faces no term limits and has yet to indicate a successor after a decade in the top spot. The 96 million-member party is led by a Central Committee and Politburo. Their top cadres, who now number seven, form the powerful Politburo Standing Committee. Los Angeles mystery: Who taped meeting with racist rants? LOS ANGELES (AP) — An anonymously leaked recording of crude, racist remarks and political scheming that led to the resignation of the Los Angeles City Council president and a powerful labor leader left behind a mystery: Who made the tape and why? Five days after the disclosure of the year-old tape, it remains unknown who recorded it and posted it to the website Reddit, or even how many people are involved. The recording of the racist language led to the resignations of then-Council President Nury Martinez and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, and two other Council members who attended are facing pressure to resign. Officials: 25 dead, many trapped in Turkish coal mine blast ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish officials say an explosion inside a coal mine in northern Turkey has killed at least 25 people and dozens remain trapped underground. The explosion occurred Friday at a state-owned mine in the town of Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin. The country’s energy minister says a preliminary assessment indicates the blast was caused by firedamp — a reference to flammable gases found in coal mines. There were 110 people in the mine at the time of the explosion. Most were able to evacuate the mine following the blast, but the interior minister says 49 people were caught in a higher risk area of the mine. 5 years on, key #MeToo voices take stock of the movement Once again, disgraced mogul Harvey Weinstein sits in a courtroom, on trial in Los Angeles while the reckoning the accusations against him launched marks a significant milestone this month. It’s been five years since a brief hashtag galvanized a broad social movement. It’s been five years of #MeToo. The Associated Press went back to Weinstein accuser Louisette Geiss, Bill Cosby accuser Andrea Constand, and “Me Too” founder Tarana Burke about how their lives have changed, how hopeful they feel and the challenges ahead. Both Geiss and Constand said that coming forward was the right things to do. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More Here

LGBTQ Bill On Child Abuse Creates Uproar In Virginia And Beyond https://digitalarizonanews.com/lgbtq-bill-on-child-abuse-creates-uproar-in-virginia-and-beyond/ RICHMOND — A Northern Virginia legislator found herself at the center of the nation’s LGBTQ culture wars after saying she would reintroduce a bill that barely made a stir when she first submitted it two years ago. The measure proposed by Del. Elizabeth R. Guzman (D-Prince William) would expand the definition of child abuse to include inflicting “physical or mental injury” on children due to their gender identity or sexual orientation. Democrats scrapped the bill in 2020 on grounds that it was redundant; child abuse was already illegal in state code for any reason. The bill got a very different description Thursday in a TV report, which said Guzman wanted parents to face criminal charges if “they do not affirm their child’s sexual orientation and gender identity.” That description, which Guzman called inaccurate, led Republicans and Democrats alike to object. Some Republicans took the TV report’s use of “affirm” to mean parents who deny gender-affirming medical treatments to their children would be guilty of child abuse — something that is not in the bill. Guzman and other Virginia Democrats “want to set the POLICE on you and charge you with a FELONY if you refuse to give your kids puberty blockers and irreversible sex change surgery,” the Republican Party of Virginia tweeted. Guzman’s measure speaks only to physical or mental abuse inflicted on a child. There is no mention of gender-affirming medical treatments, although some Republicans suggested that parents might be accused of inflicting emotional abuse if they are not supportive of their child’s LGBTQ identity. The Republican claims caught fire just over three weeks before midterm congressional elections, as many Republican candidates stress the parental-rights theme that helped Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) win the Executive Mansion last year. The issue was already at a boiling point, amid efforts by Youngkin to roll back transgender rights in K-12 schools. Republicans in Virginia and across the country lambasted Guzman. Her fellow Democrats in the legislature and beyond made it known they were not on board. And the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia issued a statement against what it described as “the proposed gender affirming care bill.” “Utterly horrifying,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) declared on Twitter. “These zealots think they are your children’s parents, and they’ll put you in jail if you disagree.” Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), in a tight reelection campaign against Republican Yesli Vega in the state’s redrawn 7th District, said she opposed the bill. “I don’t support this legislation, and it does not have a path forward in the General Assembly,” Spanberger said in a written statement. “It’s unclear how this proposed legislation intends to actually help transgender children and their families, which is what we should focus on.” Guzman did not respond to an interview request but defended herself on Twitter Friday, saying reporter Nick Minock of WJLA-TV in Washington misrepresented the legislation in his news report. “The 2020 bill was a child safety bill that would have simply protected children from ‘physical or mental injury on the basis of the child’s gender identity or sexual orientation,’ ” she tweeted. “The way the bill was presented in the article was patently wrong.” A WJLA representative returned a message seeking comment from Minock, declining to comment on behalf of the station. Minock did not immediately respond to a message sent through Twitter. On Friday night, the station posted Guzman’s entire interview with Minock on its website, about 20 minutes of unedited video. It shows one exchange, not shown in the original report, in which Guzman flatly disputes the notion that a parent’s refusal to “affirm” a child’s LGBTQ identity could be grounds for prosecution. “Are you saying non-affirming parents are committing abuse against their children if they don’t affirm their gender identity or sexual orientation?” Minock asked. “No,” Guzman said, “I’m not saying that.” Minock used the word “affirm” several times when referring to the bill, and Guzman never pointed out that the word is not in the bill. But she said nothing about seeking criminal charges for anything other than the physical or mental abuse described in her original bill. “So this law is telling you, ‘Do not abuse your children because they are LGBTQ,’ ” she said at one point. Garren Shipley, spokesman for the House GOP leadership, disputed the idea that Guzman’s bill or words had been misrepresented. “If that bill was misrepresented then she misrepresented it when she spoke to that reporter,” he said, noting that she did not correct Minock when he repeatedly used the word “affirm.” House Minority Leader Don L. Scott Jr. (D-Portsmouth) said he had spoken with Guzman and she assured him she had no intention of introducing the bill. “She said her comments were taken out of context and that she does not want to criminalize any parents,” Scott said. “She has assured me that that bill will not be introduced.” If such a bill were introduced, he added, “it would be dead on arrival.” State law already protects children against abuse, Scott said; there’s no need for further legislation. Scott pointed out that the bill Guzman introduced in 2020 died in a House subcommittee at a time when Democrats controlled the House, Senate and Executive Mansion. “I don’t remember it,” said Del. Mark D. Sickles (D-Fairfax), who was chairman of the Health Welfare and Institutions Committee in 2020 when the bill was introduced. “It never made it to the full committee so that’s not much of a splash.” “Obviously this is a rich target for our Republican friends to exploit,” Sickles said of the bill. Scott accused Republicans of twisting Guzman’s position and using the topic to try to sow division because “they have nothing else to talk about.” “Anyone trying to use these kids as fodder in culture wars — it’s wrong, on either side,” Scott said. “It angers me that we’re putting the most vulnerable kids in the crosshairs for our culture wars. It’s shameful, it’s sad.” Meagan Flynn contributed to this report. This article was updated to include that the station had posted the entire 20-minute video of the unedited Guzman interview Friday night. Read More Here

Rupert Murdoch Considering Merging Fox And News Corp Once Again https://digitalarizonanews.com/rupert-murdoch-considering-merging-fox-and-news-corp-once-again/ The two parts of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire are discussing a merger nearly a decade after they split. The merger would combine Murdoch’s Fox News and TMZ assets with News Corp’s newspaper and online news operations, including the Times and the Sun in the UK, the Wall Street Journal and New York Post in the US, and the Australian. In a press release, News Corp confirmed that following instructions from Murdoch and the Murdoch Family Trust, the companies have formed a special committee “composed of independent and disinterested members of the board” to begin exploring a potential combination. The Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that the News Corp chief executive, Robert Thomson, had informed staff about the potential merger. “At News Corp, we are constantly pursuing ways to enhance our performance and expand our businesses, and the upheaval in media presents both challenges and opportunities,” he wrote in a memo. “However, I would like to stress that the Special Committee has not made any determination at this time, and there can be no certainty that any transaction will result from its evaluation.” After years of expansion globally, Murdoch split his empire in 2013, placing the print business in a newly created public entity, News Corp, and the TV and entertainment under 21st Century Fox. Murdoch said at the time that his vast media holdings had become “increasingly complex” and that a new structure would simplify operations. The split also shielded Fox’s entertainment assets from any potential financial fallout from a phone hacking scandal involving the media conglomerate’s now-defunct News of the World publication in the United Kingdom. The thinking at the time was that separating the companies ultimately would generate value for shareholders, according to one person familiar with the decision-making. That vision was realized as Fox sold the bulk of its film and television assets to Walt Disney for $71bn in 2019. The sale left Fox focused on live events such as news and sports, rather than “disruptable” scripted entertainment content on the streaming platforms, Wall Street analysts observed at the time. The major streaming services, however, have begun breaching the protective moat. Apple and Amazon, two technology giants with deep financial resources, have begun bidding for sports, securing rights to stream Major League Baseball, soccer and football games. Fox recently renewed a long-term deal with the NFL to continue broadcasting Sunday afternoon games, but relinquished Thursday Night Football to Amazon. Reuniting Fox and News Corp would give the combined companies greater scale to compete, and complement their assets, the person familiar with the proposal said. The combined companies would have about $24bn in revenue. Murdoch, 91, currently has near-controlling stakes in both the companies. His son Lachlan Murdoch is chairman and CEO of Fox Corp. Companies that adopt such arrangements typically make subsequent mergers subject to approval by a majority of shareholders not affiliated with their controlling shareholder, though it’s not clear whether this will be the case in this instance. As of market-close on Friday, News Corp had a market cap of $9.31bn and Fox Corp was $16.84bn. News Corp shares surged 5% and Fox rose about 1% in after-market trade. Reuters contributed to this story Read More Here

In Arizona, Kroger-Albertsons Merger Would Create A Supermarket Behemoth https://digitalarizonanews.com/in-arizona-kroger-albertsons-merger-would-create-a-supermarket-behemoth/ Two of Arizona’s supermarket giants plan to combine forces in a deal affecting more than 250 stores and in excess of 35,000 workers around the state. A merger also would mean that just one company would control nearly half of the market for grocery stores in Arizona. There’s a greater store overlap here than in many other states, which could raise anticompetitive concerns for regulators. Kroger, which operates Fry’s Food & Drug and other brands, said it will purchase Albertsons Cos. for $24.6 billion in a transaction announced Oct. 14 and expected to close in 2024. Albertsons operates Albertsons, Safeway and other grocery brands. Both companies rank among the state’s largest nongovernmental employers. Kroger ranked fourth overall in this year’s Republic 100 report with more than 21,000 workers in Arizona, while Albertsons placed tied for sixth with 14,500. Top executives of the two corporations cited a combination of synergistic cost savings, supply-chain efficiencies, broader product selections, expanded customer choices and other factors as catalysts behind the proposed combination. The companies didn’t cite specific impacts on particular states or overlapping locations. However, they said divestitures are likely with between 100 and 375 stores, yet to be identified, to be transferred to a spin-off company — “a new, agile competitor with quality stores, experienced management, operational flexibility (and) a strong balance sheet.” Acquisitions: Kroger to acquire Albertsons for $24.6 billion deal Broad Arizona reach for both stores Albertsons operates 134 stores around Arizona, compared with 124 for Kroger. Among all states, Arizona’s store count places it fifth in the Albertsons network behind California, Washington, Texas and Illinois. For Kroger, Arizona ranks ninth in the number of stores by state. The combined companies would have nearly a 44% share of the Arizona grocery market, according to a 2019 analysis by Chain Store Guide. Walmart and Costco were the two next largest grocery competitors, with nearly a 26% share combined. The combined Kroger and Albertsons heft nationally might raise concerns among the Federal Trade Commission which, among various actions, forced a downsized merger between Walgreens and Rite-Aid in 2017 and derailed a proposed merger between Rite-Aid and Albertsons the following year. In addition to a substantial grocery presence in Arizona, Kroger and Albertsons also operate pharmacies, gasoline stations, distribution centers and food-processing manufacturing centers. The proposed acquisition could have outsized relevance in Arizona, where prices for supermarket food and overall inflation have rung hotter than at the national level. Metro Phoenix led the nation in inflation among big cities with a 13% rate over the 12 months through August, the most recent measurement date for Phoenix. Prices for food purchased at grocery stores have risen even faster here, up 15.7%, reported the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.  New eats: 33 new restaurants and bars opened in metro Phoenix Impact on customers, employees In the merger announcement, top executives emphasized the mission to provide more fresh and affordable foods to a broader swath of Americans. Along with Fry’s, Kroger operates under supermarket brands that include Ralphs, Fred Meyer and Smith’s, while Albertsons’ other brands include Safeway, Vons and Jewel-Osco. Kroger operates in 35 states, compared to 34 for Albertsons. That would expand to 48 states once the merger concludes. Combined, Albertsons and Kroger currently employ more than 710,000 workers in just under 5,000 stores, 66 distribution centers, 52 manufacturing plants, 3,972 pharmacies and 2,015 fuel centers. The companies also pledged a “more personalized and convenient omnichannel experience including in-store shopping, enhanced pickup capabilities, faster delivery times and stronger digital capabilities,” with a broader array of private-label brands. In addition, they announced plans to invest $500 million to reduce prices and $1.3 billion to upgrade stores in the Albertsons network. In 2021, Cincinnati-based Kroger earned a profit of nearly $1.7 billion on $138 billion in sales. Albertsons, headquartered in Boise, Idaho, generated net income of $1.6 billion on nearly $72 billion in sales. Business as usual, for now Until the transaction closes, the two corporations will remain separate entities with no perceived changes from the standpoint of customers. That includes business as usual as it pertains to loyalty programs, gift cards, promotions, coupons and so on.  “We encourage you to continue earning and using your points at our stores, fuel centers, pharmacies as well as online,” Kroger said. For now, rewards and other programs offered by the two companies “remain separate, and you cannot use your Kroger customer program at Albertsons Cos. stores or on their digital platforms.” Once combined, the companies plan to  invest $1 billion to continue raising employer wages and improving benefits following close of the transaction. The companies said the merger “secures union jobs” and will result in “new and exciting career opportunities.” With an eventual customer base of roughly 85 million households, the combined company expects to have greater opportunities to use Kroger’s data-science capabilities to offer more relevant and personalized recommendations and promotions. Reach the reporter at russ.wiles@arizonarepublic.com. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. Read More…

Trump Responds To Committee https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-responds-to-committee/ AFP A video is shown of former US President Donald Trump at the US House Select Committee hearing to Investigate the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on October 13, 2022. Former US President Donald Trump has released a lengthy response to the January 6 committee’s vote to subpoena him over the Capitol riot last year. “This memo is being written to express our anger, disappointment, and complaint,” Trump wrote in a letter to Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House select committee investigating the incident. The Republican doubled down on his unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 US presidential election was “rigged and stolen” but didn’t say whether he would comply with the subpoena. The January 6 committee voted Thursday to subpoena Trump for documents and testimony in connection with the attack on the US Capitol. “He is required to answer for his actions,” Thompson said in the House panel’s 10th public hearing on Thursday afternoon. Members of the committee have argued Trump was directly involved in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. On January 6, 2021, thousands of individuals – mostly Trump’s supporters – stormed the Capitol in Washington, D.C., and disrupted a joint session of Congress to affirm the 2020 presidential election results. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is also investigating the mayhem, which led to the injuries of more than 140 police officers and has been linked to at least five deaths. More than 880 defendants have been arrested in nearly all 50 states and Washington, D.C., according to the DOJ. The Capitol breach was the worst attack on the US Congress in more than 200 years and led to Trump’s second impeachment by the House of Representatives shortly before his term officially ended. Read More Here

Social Security COLA 2023, Live Online Today: Increase, Benefits And Adjustment | SSA Latest News https://digitalarizonanews.com/social-security-cola-2023-live-online-today-increase-benefits-and-adjustment-ssa-latest-news-2/ 2023 Social Security COLA live: latest news What are Social Security retirement benefits? More than 52 million of the 70 million who claim Social Security, do so through their retirement benefits. For nearly every worker in the United States, a proportion of their lifetime wages will have been contributed to the Social Security pay pot to ensure that they have a source of income in retirement. When you reach retirement age, or at least when you start claiming retirement benefits, the SSA will calculate your entitlement from your 35 highest-earning years. The point at which you can claim your maximum payment is known as full entitlement age and it varies between 66 and 67 years old, depending on your year of birth. 2023 COLA for the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) More than 2.6 million people received civil service annuity payments, both employees and survivors, in 2018 according to government data. Over two thirds of them received benefits earned under CSRS and will see their monthly payments jump by 8.7 percent when the first are issued for January 2023. Meanwhile the remaining third will get the 2023 COLA for FERS, which will be 7.7 percent. Those on FERS are more recent government employees who began having their retirement covered under the new program since 1 January 1987. The slightly smaller increase to their annuity payments is due to how FERS was established when Congress created the pension scheme in 1986. The retirement plan provides benefits from three different sources: a Basic Benefit Plan, Social Security and the Thrift Savings Plan. How to get Social Security help? The best way for people with access to the internet to get help from Social Security is online at ssa.gov. For those unable to use the website, an 800 Number is available (1-800-772-1213) or call your local Social Security office for help. For quicker access to a representative at the National 800 Number, try calling early in the day (between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. local time) or later in the afternoon (between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time). “The higher-than-expected COLA costs could have long term implications for Social Security solvency, and could potentially move the insolvency date, currently around 2034, forward.” “A recession would put additional strain on program solvency by reducing the payroll tax revenues received by the Trust Funds.” COLA announcement If you like to hear your communications straight from the financial benefits horse’s mouth, then here you go… “Medicare premiums are going down and Social Security benefits are going up in 2023, which will give seniors more peace of mind and breathing room. “This year’s substantial Social Security cost-of-living adjustment is the first time in over a decade that Medicare premiums are not rising and shows that we can provide more support to older Americans who count on the benefits they have earned.” White House highlights SS payments Earlier this morning the official White House twitter account shared information over the new payments being made to Americans. ‘Seniors are about to see their Social Security checks go up on average by $140 every month,” it wrote.  ‘And, for the first time in a decade, Medicare costs are going down as Social Security benefits are going up.’ Mixed bag of COLA across federal retirees For the second year in a row, federal retirees will see the largest annual increase in benefits payments in decades, as the Social Security Administration announced Thursday that the annual Social Security cost-of-living adjustment for 2023 will be 8.7%. Not all federal retirees will get the full 8.7%, however, prompting renewed calls for parity between the federal government’s retirement systems. Social Security cost-of-living increases are calculated based on the annual change in the third quarter consumer price index for workers. The Civil Service Retirement System also calculates enrollees’ annual annuity increases on that basis, meaning retirees enrolled in CSRS will see an 8.7% increase to their annuity payments in 2023, the largest COLA since 1981. Erich Wagner looks at the increase for Gov ex. How will I know that I have to pay social security? It’s a question that we’re hearing a lot. The Social Security Administration (SSA) will send a benefit statement each year in January to beneficiaries called Form SSA-1099. This form shows the total amount of benefits you received from Social Security in the previous year. With it, you will be able to “complete your federal income tax return to find out if your benefits are subject to tax.” Additionally, the SSA allows beneficiaries to report their incomes quarterly to avoid a surprise at the end of the year. This may be beneficial to those on a fixed income, as coming up with additional funds can be quite difficult. We bring you more on when social security becomes taxable and other useful info. SOCIAL SECURITY How can you check your COLA notice online and when will I see the increase in my Social Security checks? The Social Security Administration announces annually its cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to benefits so that they keep pace with inflation. With prices rising at a clip not seen in four decades many beneficiaries will be anxious to see what the boost to their monthly checks will be in 2023. While the agency mails out letters throughout the month of December, but they request not to contact them until January, the first month when beneficiaries will see payments with the higher amount, as the notice could take time to reach you. However, you may not need to wait for the mail to know how much your payments will increase based on the 2023 COLA. Most beneficiaries can access the notice online. Only three COLAs have been bigger than 2023’s Since it was first implemented in 1975, the Social Security Administrations’s cost-of-living adjustment has only been larger than in 2023 on three occasions, all over 40 years ago. In 1979, it was 9.9 percent; in 1980, a record 14.3; and in 1981, it was 11.2. You can take a look at each year’s COLA on the SSA website. MEDICARE PREMIUMS Medicare Premiums Part A: How much will it cost and what will be the impact of COLA 2023 on it? The Social Security Administration announced its fourth largest COLA increase since they began in 1975 increasing the average amount that a beneficiary receives each month by over $140. While inflation is still taking a bite out of household finances, Medicare premiums in general are set to decrease next year. While the vast majority of Medicare beneficiaries do not have to pay any premiums for Part A coverage, one of four parts of the government subsidized healthcare program, those that are required to pay will see a slight increase in 2023 to buy into this portion of Medicare. Deductibles and coinsurance amounts will also rise somewhat next year. Here’s a rundown the costs you can expect. 2023 COLA based on CPI-W beats inflation for index based on elederly spending habits There has been a push to change the way that the annual automatic increase, if any, is calculated through the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). The Social Security Administration currently uses the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). This broad basket of goods and services that consumers spend their money on is said not to reflect properly what seniors are spending their money on and causing retirees to lose purchasing power.  There have been calls for the Consumer Price Index for Americans 62 years of age and older (CPI-E) to be used instead. While the data hasn’t been published yet, the 8.7 percent COLA announced Tuesday beat the August-to-August CPI-E by a full percentage point according to Jaime Hopkins from the Carson Group. Despite record 8.7% COLA for 2023, “Still more work to do to help seniors” The Social Security Administration announced a historic 8.7 percent COLA increase for benefits in 2023. The extra money each month will help recipients cope with inflation to a degree when it arrives with January’s payments. However, there are concerns that more needs to be done especially in the case of seniors to make the COLA more responsive to the expenses they face that aren’t used in the current calculation. The current COLA uses inflation figures from the CPI-W, a broad basket of consumer goods and services. There are calls to use the CPI-E which targets goods and services that “would more accurately measure spending patterns of seniors.” The Senior Citizens League reported recently that since the early 2000s, those on Social Security have lost forty percent of their purchasing power. Without SSA COLA beneficiaries would lose purchasing power Prices continually rise over time but Social Security benefits didn’t always adjust to the increased cost of living recipients faced on a daily basis. Prior to 1975 it took an Act of Congress to give benefits a boost. Since then monthly checks paid out by the Social Security Administration have been adjusted automatically each year to reflect general inflation being experienced by consumers for goods and services. Social Security Administration announces historic 8.7% COLA 2023 increase The Social Security Administration has announced a nearly 9% cost-of-living adjustment, the biggest increase since 1981, affecting the benefits received by over 70m Americans. Welcome to AS USA 2023 COLA increase updates Hello and welcome to AS USA’s live blog on the 2023 Social Security COLA increase for Friday, 14 October.  The Social Security Adminstration announced the 2023 Cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for social security benefits, for programs like Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance....

Justice Dept. Asks Appeals Court To End Mar-A-Lago Special Master https://digitalarizonanews.com/justice-dept-asks-appeals-court-to-end-mar-a-lago-special-master/ The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court to reverse a Florida judge’s order appointing a special master to review documents seized from Donald Trump’s home and club, arguing that the former president had no right to possess the seized materials after he left office and that there was no legal basis for an outside review. While prosecutors had already appealed portions of U.S. District Court Judge Aileen M. Cannon’s special master appointment, Friday was the first time they appealed the entire court order. If the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit sides with the government, the special master’s review would stop — and criminal investigators once again would be permitted to access thousands of unclassified documents that FBI agents took from Mar-a-Lago in August. The government said in its appeal that those unclassified documents are critical to its ongoing criminal probe of possible mishandling of classified material, obstruction and destruction of government records, and could help them conduct witness interviews and corroborate evidence. “In short, the unclassified records that were stored collectively with records bearing classification markings may identify who was responsible for the unauthorized retention of these records, the relevant time periods in which records were created or accessed, and who may have accessed or seen them,” the filing reads. The Atlanta-based appeals court said Trump’s lawyers have until Nov. 10 to file their response. As part of their appeal, Justice Department lawyers updated the number of documents taken from Mar-a-Lago, which was earlier said to be about 11,000 but now is about 13,000. Trump’s lawyers asked two weeks after the search for an outside expert to sift through the seized materials — including 103 documents marked classified — to determine whether any are protected by attorney-client or executive privilege, and should be shielded from criminal investigators. Prosecutors argued in Friday’s 53-page filing that Trump has no right to assert either form of privilege over the government documents, rendering the review by a Brooklyn-based federal judge, Raymond J. Dearie, unnecessary. Cannon had originally ordered the special master to review both the classified and nonclassified materials and barred the Justice Department from using any of the documents in its criminal investigation until that review was done. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit overturned part of that decision, which removed the classified materials from Dearie’s review and allowed investigators to use those documents right away. On Thursday, the Supreme Court rejected a petition from Trump’s lawyers that asked it to review part of the appeals court’s decision on narrow, technical grounds. Cannon has said Dearie would have until December to complete his review of the nonclassified documents. Read More Here

Justice Dept. Seeks End To Arbiter's Review Of Trump Docs – KESQ https://digitalarizonanews.com/justice-dept-seeks-end-to-arbiters-review-of-trump-docs-kesq/ By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court on Friday to shut down the work of an independent arbiter who was appointed last month to review documents seized during an FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate. The appeal is the latest salvo in weeks of litigation over the scope of duties of the arbiter, also known as a special master, who was assigned to inspect the records taken in the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago and weed out any that may be protected by claims of legal privilege. The special master process has caused some delays to the Justice Department’s investigation into the holding of top-secret documents at the home. But a major hurdle was cleared last month when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit lifted a temporary bar on the department’s ability to use the seized classified documents as part of its criminal probe. The move permitted a core aspect of the probe to resume, greatly reducing the odds that the process could have a significant impact on the investigation. Even so, department lawyers returned to the court Friday to ask for the entire special master review to be shut down, saying the judge who made the appointment had no basis for doing so and that Trump was not entitled to an independent review of the seized records or to claim privilege over them. “Plaintiff has no plausible claim of executive privilege as to any of the seized materials and no plausible claim of personal attorney-client privilege as to the seized government records — including all records bearing classification markings,” according to the department’s brief. “Accordingly,” they added, ”the special-master review process is unwarranted.” The Justice Department says it seized about 13,000 records, including roughly 100 with classification markings, during its court-authorized search in August. The department is conducting a criminal investigation into the retention of those records as well as into whether anyone obstructed its probe. As part of the investigation, the FBI has interviewed multiple Trump aides, including a lawyer for him who served as a custodian of the records and who in June presented investigators with a signed letter asserting that all the classified records the Justice Department had asked for in a subpoena had been located and turned over. Agents believed more records remained at the house, returned in August with a search warrant and removed 33 boxes of documents, including material classified at the top-secret level. Weeks later, the Trump team asked a judge in Florida, Aileen Cannon, to appoint a special master to do an independent review of the records. Cannon agreed, naming a veteran Brooklyn judge, Raymond Dearie, to inspect the records and segregate from the rest of the investigation any documents that could possibly be covered by claims of executive privilege or attorney-client privilege. The 11th Circuit subsequently lifted Cannon’s prohibition on the department’s use of the classified documents for its investigation pending Dearie’s review, as well as a requirement that the Justice Department provide those specific records to Dearie for his review. The Supreme Court on Thursday declined a request from Trump’s lawyers to intervene in the dispute. The Justice Department has repeatedly rejected the idea that a special master review was needed, and though it has been able to resume its review of the classified records, it said its investigation remains slowed by its inability to use the much larger set of non-classified documents as part of its probe. “The district court’s injunction barring review and use of the other seized records harms the government and the public as well,” the department said. “A magistrate judge has already found probable cause to believe that those records may constitute evidence of crimes, and the government has demonstrated a clear need for them.” _____ Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP Read More Here