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US Tightens Policy On Counter-Terrorism Drone StrikesSEXI News https://digitalarizonanews.com/us-tightens-policy-on-counter-terrorism-drone-strikessexi-news/ WASHINGTON: President Biden’s administration has tightened policy regarding counter-terrorism drone strikes, US media reports say. The policy requires presidential approval before adding a suspected terrorist to the list of people who may be targeted in a return to more centralized control of decisions about targeted killing operations. Trump had given commanders in the field more authority to decide who to target. Biden has signed a classified policy limiting drone strikes outside traditional war zones, with former President Donald Trump tightening the rules, according to officials. The policy, which the White House sent to the Pentagon and the CIA, institutionalizes a version of the temporary limits that Biden’s team put in place as a stopgap to reduce risks to civilians while the administration asked Trump Anti-terrorist policies were reviewed. The statement of the policy, along with a classified new counter-terrorism strategy memorandum signed by President Biden, states that the United States intends to launch fewer drone strikes and commando raids from recognized war zones than in recent days. . The Biden administration’s rules apply to attacks in poorly governed locations where terrorists are active but the United States does not consider “areas of active hostilities.” Only Iraq and Syria – where US forces and allies are fighting Islamic State remnants – are currently considered traditional war zones where the new rules will not apply and commanders in the region order counter-terrorist air strikes or raids without demand. Latitude to give. White House approval, the official said. That means the rules will limit such operations in many other countries where the United States has conducted drone strikes in recent years, including Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen as well as Pakistan’s tribal region, according to analysts. The number of counter-terrorist raids and drone strikes in many affected countries has decreased in recent years. The last US drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen were in 2018 and 2019. This summer, a US drone strike in Afghanistan killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahari. notes Read More Here

Jackie Calmes: No Matter What Happens In The Midterms, Republicans Won https://digitalarizonanews.com/jackie-calmes-no-matter-what-happens-in-the-midterms-republicans-won/ Brace yourself: Voting is underway and we’re just one month away from what will likely be the most consequential midterm elections in years. Certainly the most consequential of the 10 cycles I’ve covered over four decades, perhaps second only to the 1994 elections that gave Republicans control of both houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years. Whatever the outcome — whether Republicans win majorities in the House and Senate, one chamber or neither — one thing is all but certain: Win or lose, the result won’t be good for the party’s long-term health or for the country’s. That’s because a loss won’t be the shellacking the Republicans need to reform and turn from their antidemocratic path. And if they win, well, they’ll just triple down. Only voters’ total repudiation might force Republicans to reckon with Trumpism. When a party is humiliated, its partisans look inward and correct course, as Democrats did after the Reagan era. A comeuppance didn’t work to change Republicans after 2020, when President Trump lost, because the party made gains in other contests. (So much for Democrats’ supposed rigging of the election.) By most accounts, Republicans won’t be repudiated this year either. They only need net gains of five seats in House races and one in Senate contests to take over Congress. They’ve been favored from the start to capture the House, though it’s no longer a sure thing. This despite their sorry record during this two-year Congress, which began with nearly two-thirds of Republicans voting against certifying President Biden’s election, even amid the blood and breakage left by Trump’s insurrectionists that day. The Senate is up for grabs. Polls suggest Republicans in swing states have either closed their summer gap against their Democratic rivals (Pennsylvania, Georgia, Colorado) or pulled slightly ahead (Wisconsin, Nevada). The tightening was expected in marquee races with Democratic front-runners — notably John Fetterman’s run in Pennsylvania against Mehmet Oz and Sen. Raphael Warnock’s bid for reelection in Georgia against Herschel Walker. (That was before this week’s reports alleging that the purportedly antiabortion Walker paid a longtime girlfriend, one of four women to have a child with him, to abort a pregnancy.) Overall, Republican voters are falling in line as Nov. 8 approaches. Money is flowing to candidates in tight races, notably from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s fundraising committee. And nasty ads are airing on Republicans’ behalf, many blaming Democrats for crime. A new one in North Carolina unabashedly throws down the race card against Democrat Cheri Beasley, an African American former chief justice of the state Supreme Court who is running against Trumpist Rep. Ted Budd to take a Republican-held seat. Historical trends are at play against Democrats, too, of course. Midterm elections have favored the party out of power for over a century. Several factors potentially make this cycle unique, however, and give Democrats hope: There’s the backlash against the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling overturning Roe vs. Wade and red states’ rush to ban most or all abortions, and then there’s the looming presence of Trump. Republicans are saddled with a defeated president so narcissistic that he can’t stand to have an election that’s not about him. His sore-loser prominence on rally platforms and in the media, together with the record unpopularity of a right-wing Supreme Court he shaped, has Republicans in swing states on the defensive in a way that’s unusual for the party out of power. This week the New York Times’ election data-cruncher, Nate Cohn, wrote that while the likeliest outcome remains a Republican House majority, “the idea that Democrats can hold the House is not as ridiculous, implausible or far-fetched as it seemed before the Dobbs ruling.” The Cook Political Report’s update on Wednesday agreed a Republican House majority was “the likeliest outcome,” yet its more restrained forecast had Republicans picking up barely what they need. As for the Senate, the analysts at FiveThirtyEight.com posted a piece Thursday with the headline “Democrats are slightly favored to win the Senate.” Even the worst-case scenarios for Republicans, however, don’t suggest an outcome that would spur them to break from far-right extremism. Their intransigence reflects more than just polarization. What’s at work is a “calcification” of politics rooted in voters’ racial, national, ethnic and religious outlooks, three political scientists wrote last month in the Washington Post about tribalism in both parties. “Voters are increasingly tied to their political loyalties and values. They have become less likely to change their basic political evaluations or vote for the other party’s candidate,” according to John Sides of Vanderbilt and Chris Tausanovitch and Lynn Vavreck of UCLA. Take Walker — he should be a dead man walking, what with the abortion allegation piled on all the other evidence he’s unfit for the Senate. Yet his party support hasn’t eroded, perhaps because Trump has so discredited accurate media reporting among Republicans that Georgia’s conservative voters simply cannot accept the allegation as anything but fake news. Here’s another belief that has calcified among Republicans: the “Big Lie.” On Thursday the Washington Post reported that a majority of Republican nominees for the House, Senate and key statewide offices — 299 in all, in every region and nearly every state — deny or question Biden’s election. Most are likely to win — they are running for safe Republican seats — giving them some role in certifying future elections, whether as governors, election administrators or members of Congress. That doesn’t bode well for our democracy. Americans have seen this movie. We may see it again. ____ Read More Here

OPEC+ Oil Output Cut Shows Widening Rift Between Biden And Saudi Royals https://digitalarizonanews.com/opec-oil-output-cut-shows-widening-rift-between-biden-and-saudi-royals/ WASHINGTON/LONDON, Oct 8 (Reuters) – The OPEC+ organization’s decision this week to cut oil production despite stiff U.S. opposition has further strained already tense relations between President Joe Biden’s White House and Saudi Arabia’s royal family, once one of Washington’s staunchest Middle East allies, according to interviews with about a dozen government officials and experts in Washington and the Gulf. The White House pushed hard to prevent the OPEC output cut, these sources said. Biden hopes to keep U.S. gasoline prices from spiking again ahead of midterm elections in which his Democratic party is struggling to maintain control of the U.S. Congress. Washington also wants to limit Russia’s energy revenue during the Ukraine war. The U.S. administration lobbied OPEC+ for weeks. In recent days, senior U.S. officials from energy, foreign policy and economic teams urged their foreign counterparts to vote against an output cut, according to two sources familiar with the discussions. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Amos Hochstein, Biden’s top energy envoy, along with national security official Brett McGurk and the administration’s special envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking, traveled to Saudi Arabia last month to discuss energy issues, including the OPEC+ decision. They failed to prevent an output cut, just as Biden did after his own July visit. US officials “tried to position it as ‘us versus Russia,'” said one source briefed on the discussions, telling Saudi officials they needed to make a choice. That argument failed, the source said, adding that the Saudis said that if the United States wanted more oil on the markets, it should start producing more of its own. The United States is the world’s No. 1 oil producer and also its top consumer, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The Saudi government media office CIC did not respond to Reuters emailed requests for comment about the discussions. “We are concerned first and foremost with the interests of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and then the interests of the countries that trusted us and are members of OPEC and the OPEC + alliance,” Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz told Saudi TV Wednesday. OPEC weighs its interests with “those of the world because we have an interest in supporting the growth of the global economy and providing energy supplies in the best way,” he said. Washington’s handling of the Iran nuclear deal and withdrawal of support for a Saudi-led coalition’s offensive military operations in Yemen have upset Saudi officials, as have actions against Russia after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. A U.S. push for a price cap on Russian oil is causing uncertainty, Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told Bloomberg TV after the OPEC cut, noting the “lack of details and the lack of clarity” about how it will be implemented. A source briefed by Saudi officials said the kingdom views it as “a non-market price-control mechanism, that could be used by a cartel of consumers against producers.” A Biden-directed sale of 180 million barrels of oil in March from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve put downward pressure on oil prices. In March, OPEC+ said it would stop using data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), a Western oil watchdog, due to Saudi-led concerns the United States had too much influence. On Thursday, Biden called the Saudi decision “a disappointment”, adding Washington could take further action in the oil market. “Look it’s clear that OPEC Plus is aligning with Russia,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday. She would not elaborate on how the output cut would affect U.S.-Saudi relations. In the U.S. Congress, Biden’s Democrats called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Saudi Arabia and spoke about taking back weapons. “I thought the whole point of selling arms to the Gulf States despite their human rights abuses, nonsensical Yemen War, working against US interests in Libya, Sudan etc, was that when an international crisis came, the Gulf could choose America over Russia/China,” Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, said on Twitter. Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs Adel Al-Jubeir, said in remarks to Fox News on Friday when asked about the U.S. criticism: “Saudi Arabia does not politicize oil or oil decisions.” “With due respect, the reason you have high prices in the United States is because you have a refining shortage that has been in existence for more than 20 years,” he added. CROWN PRINCE AND BIDEN Weeks after Biden took office as president, Washington released a report tying the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The prince, son of King Salman, 86, has denied ordering the killing but acknowledged it took place “under my watch”. The prince became prime minister last month and his lawyers have been arguing in a U.S. court that this makes him immune from prosecution in the Khashoggi death. Biden’s trip to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in July for a Gulf summit was aimed at patching up relations, but he also levied harsh criticism of bin Salman over Khashoggi’s murder. Ben Cahill, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the Saudis hope the production cuts will give OPEC+ control over oil prices and ensure enough oil revenue to protect their country from a recession. “The macroeconomic risk is getting worse all the time, so they have to respond,” Cahill said. “They are aware that a cut will irritate Washington, but they are managing the market.” Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting By Steve Holland, Timothy Gardner and Jarrett Renshaw in Washington; Dmitry Zhdannikov in London, Aziz El Yaakoubi in Riyadh, Ghaida Ghantous in Dubai and Ahmed Tolba in Cairo. Editing by Heather Timmons, David Gregorio and Jane Merriman Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here

‘Favorites – Past And Present’ Commences ProMusica’s 20th Season https://digitalarizonanews.com/favorites-past-and-present-commences-promusicas-20th-season/ ProMusica Arizona is kicking off its 20th performance year with “Favorites — Past and Present,” a concert featuring a variety of well-known and -loved pieces from throughout the ages at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15. The opening concert will feature a full first half of patriotic favorites including “America the Beautiful,” “God Bless America,” toe-tapping John Philip Sousa marches and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” The second half will continue with more favorites including music by John Williams, a medley of songs by Stephen Sondheim, including “Send in the Clowns,” and a Richard Rodgers medley with songs from “The Sound of Music,” “South Pacific” and “Oklahoma,” to name a few. The Oct. 15 performance will be the first in a three-part series for the 2022-2023 season. The season’s concerts feature the orchestra and choir where they will perform sets including patriotic songs, familiar show tunes, holiday music and new tracks. Yvonne Dolby, the executive director of ProMusica Arizona, said there will be “a lot of variety” in the organization’s upcoming season.    “There will be some pieces that are the chorale with an accompanist, and there’ll be some pieces with just the orchestra,” Dolby said. “Then there will be pieces that they do together.”   This season, ProMusica Arizona consists of 50 to 60 choir members and nearly 40 orchestra members. The number of participants is far from the original count that ProMusica Arizona started with when it was founded in 2003.  “Seventeen singers got together and wanted to sing and form a choir,” Dolby said. “So, within a few months, there were 50 people in the choir, and then they added an orchestra the next year.”   Dolby said the ages of the organization’s members range from mid-teens to early 80s. The choir and orchestra are mixed with college students, unpaid community volunteers and paid professionals who are actors and musicians. Although there is no maximum or minimum age to join the organization, Dolby said members are required to audition and perform a piece with the artistic director and concertmaster.   “They need to have an intermediate skill level and ability to read music,” Dolby said.  Members must also have an intermediate or advanced playing level to join the orchestra.  The organization receives funding from grants, donors and ticket sales. ProMusica Arizona is also supported by the Arizona Commission on the Arts, which provides grants to help support the arts community and make it accessible to the public.   “Most of our funding comes from individual donors, but we do get a lot of grants from government agencies,” Dolby said. “The Arizona Commission on the Arts gives us grants and we do get corporate sponsorships as well.”   In addition to its concert series, Dolby said ProMusica Arizona also partakes in outreach performances with its women’s ensemble, Women in Song. The ensemble is directed by Patti Graetz and performs at community events, retirement communities and different meetings.   ProMusica Arizona has performed over 275 times for more than 134,000 people. Although its offices are based out of Anthem, the chorale and orchestra perform in Sun City and north Phoenix. Dolby said the organization was looking to expand and cover more of the north valley when it stumbled upon the American Lutheran Church in Sun City.   “It’s just a fabulous venue there,” Dolby said. “The acoustics are great, and all the equipment is great.”   After uncovering the venue, ProMusica Arizona worked to build an audience and establish its presence in Sun City.  “When we started with the first concert there, we only had 75 people show up,” Dolby said. “We had more people on stage than we did in the audience, and now we attract between 300 and 400 people every time we perform there.” Following “Favorites — Past and Present” in Oct., ProMusica Arizona will perform its holiday concert, “Christmas Through the Ages,” at 7 p.m Saturday, Dec. 17 in north Phoenix. Audience members can sing along to “Carol of the Bells” and other traditional Christmas songs at the holiday concert.    “Christmas is typically the most well attended concert because people are in the mood to go to an event and celebrate the holidays,” Dolby said. “It will be music they recognize and then some special arrangements of other pieces.”    The concert series will conclude with the “20th Anniversary Celebration Concert,” which will include the debut of “Saguaro Song,” a suite of five songs created by Arizona composer Craig Bohmler. The songs feature texts from the Canadian author Marion Adler, who uses a saguaro cactus to depict the seasons of life. “We’ll also do a lot of music that we’ve performed over the years that audiences have really liked,” Dolby said.   The last performances will be held at 7:00 p.m. Saturday, April 1 in north Phoenix.. Dolby said the orchestra and choir have been rehearsing for the upcoming concert series since August. The artistic director of ProMusica Arizona has also been working on the programming for several months. ProMusica Arizona’s “Favorites — Past and Present”  WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15 WHERE: All Saints Lutheran Church 15649 N. 7th Street, Phoenix COST: Children under 15 free with paid adult; $12 for students; $25 for seniors and military; $27.50 for adults INFO: pmaz.org Read More…

Voters To Clarify Separation Of Powers With Amendment 1 https://digitalarizonanews.com/voters-to-clarify-separation-of-powers-with-amendment-1/ — Members of the West Virginia Senate were prepared to sit as the court of impeachment in 2018 when articles were presented against state Supreme Court justices, but the proceedings were halted by court order. CHARLESTON – West Virginia voters will decide on a constitutional amendment in November that could make it clear that impeachment powers lie exclusively with the Legislature, but opponents believe it could provide no recourse for future political retributions. Voters have four state constitutional amendments on the ballot when early voting starts on Oct. 26 and on election day on Nov. 8, including Amendment 1. Amendment 1 would add language to the Constitution stating “courts have no authority or jurisdiction to intercede or intervene in or interfere with impeachment proceedings of the House of Delegates or the Senate.” Amendment 1 also clarifies that no judgements rendered by the Senate in an impeachment trial can be appealed or reviewed by circuit courts, the new Intermediate Court of Appeals or the state Supreme Court of Appeals. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Trump, R-Morgan, said Amendment 1 was a response by the Legislature to actions taken in 2018 by an appointed panel of judges acting as the Supreme Court after former justice Margaret Workman filed a lawsuit to halt her impeachment trial in the Senate after the House of Delegates filed articles of impeachment against all the justices of the high court at that time. “I and many others always thought the Constitution was clear…it was never in anyone’s imagination that the judiciary could intervene or intercede in that process,” Trump said. “It is critically important that we maintain the constitutional checks and balances…and that we don’t create a super-authority in a single branch of government that has authority over the other two in all cases.” Isaac Sponaugle is an attorney and a former Democratic member of the House of Delegates from Pendleton County. He led the opposition in the House to the articles of impeachment against Workman, Davis, and Walker. He is concerned Amendment 1 would insulate lawmakers from scrutiny if they decide to violate an official’s due process rights in future impeachment proceedings. “In essence, the amendment would strip away due process rights for an individual going through the impeachment process,” Sponaugle said. Gov. Jim Justice called a special session June 2018 for the Legislature to start impeachment proceedings after months of reports and audits showing waste, fraud and abuse by several justices, including former justices Loughry and Menis Ketchum, both of whom were charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Ketchum resigned in July 2018 and pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud prior to impeachment proceedings. Loughry was convicted of 11 charges in U.S. District Court in October 2018. In August 2018, the House adopted 11 articles of impeachment against Loughry, Workman, Davis and Walker. Davis resigned the day after impeachment before she could be tried in the Senate. Only Walker, who now serves as chief justice, faced an impeachment trial at the beginning of October 2018. She was acquitted and censured in the one catch-all impeachment charge that accused all four justices of maladministration. Workman, who was next to be tried before the Senate on her impeachment charges, filed suit before the Supreme Court. An all-appointed Supreme Court panel made up of circuit court judges put a stop to Workman’s impeachment trial in a 3-2 decision in October 2018. The judges stated in their ruling that the House did not follow its own impeachment rules it adopted to impeach Workman, Walker and the other justices. The court also argued the House violated the separation of powers by citing the Canons of Judicial Ethics in several of the impeachment charges. The Senate and House appealed the Supreme Court decision to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2019. After arguments by both Workman and the Legislature were submitted, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the state Supreme Court’s ruling on the constitutional issues raised by its halting of the impeachment trials. Trump said Workman’s attorneys also filed motions before the Senate acting as the impeachment court raising issues with how the House conducted itself when crafting the articles of impeachment. Those arguments were valid to make, but they should have been made during the impeachment trial instead of the state Supreme Court, he said. “There were arguments that were raised by then-justice Workman that I would characterize as non-frivolous arguments about whether or not there were defects in the way the articles of impeachment were adopted in the House of Delegates,” Trump said. “But the place to make those arguments – and the only place to make those arguments – was the West Virginia Senate, which has the sole constitutional authority to try impeachments.” But Sponaugle said that future impeachment proceedings would benefit from having third-party scrutiny to step in. While he believes that the courts can’t overrule the Senate if it rules in favor of an article of impeachment, Sponaugle does believe the courts have a right to step in if the House violates its own rules it uses to come up with articles of impeachment. “The whole point of due process is when the state acting here, it would be the Legislature, the proceedings have to be fair,” Sponaugle said. “The state can set whatever rules it wants to set, but they need to follow the rules. If you don’t follow your own rules, that’s when due process kicks in.” Trump also cited a 2010 state Supreme Court decision in Holmes v. Clawges, where justices ruled in favor of the Legislature in a matter where a circuit court tried to force the Legislature to remove mention of a pardon from its official journals. Trump believes the appointed Supreme Court in 2018 ignored prior precedents upholding the Legislature’s authority over its own procedures. “It is a fundamental principle of constitutional law that under the Separation of Powers doctrine, courts have no authority– by mandamus, prohibition, contempt or otherwise — to interfere with the proceedings of either house of the Legislature,” Ketchum wrote in the majority opinion at the time. “That is the standing syllabus point…that governs the question of whether or not the judiciary can just interject itself into those proceedings,” Trump said. “The court itself eight years before said absolutely not under any circumstances. That’s what separation of powers requires, that the three branches of government stay in their own lane.” Sponaugle agrees with Trump that the courts can’t interfere with the internal rules of the House and Senate. It’s when the House and Senate act outside of those rules when the courts should have jurisdiction. “There are checks and balances on all three branches of government,” Sponaugle said. “There would be no checks and balances with Amendment 1. There would just be one body that would be weighing in on it. I think the judiciary has a very limited check in regards to impeachment proceedings and judgements, but I do think it’s a good check. At the end of the day, you want to make sure these are good checks on the proceedings. If you eliminate that and if there are no guardrails, then anything can happen.” Regardless of what happens with Amendment 1, Trump does not want to go through another impeachment process of state elected officers anytime soon. “I hope with all my heart that no future legislature or the citizens of West Virginia never again have to go through a situation where high judicial officials of the state are impeached and have to undergo impeachment trials,” Trump said. “I hope there is never any future circumstances when this occurs.” (Adams can be contacted at sadams@newsandsentinel.com) Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox Read More Here

How Ukrainians, Targeting By Drone, Attacked Russian Artillery In Kherson https://digitalarizonanews.com/how-ukrainians-targeting-by-drone-attacked-russian-artillery-in-kherson/ October 8, 2022 at 1:00 a.m. EDT A Ukrainian soldier who goes by the call name ”Viter” carries a Leleka-100 drone about to be launched, and carefully navigates his way through a field on Thursday in the Kherson region, Ukraine, seeded with Russian mines. (Heidi Levine for The Washington Post) KHERSON REGION, Ukraine — The discovery was made by two Ukrainian soldiers staring wide-eyed at their laptop screens, set up in the trunk of their SUV. They sat on a makeshift bench, the large plastic case for their drone. What they were looking at was some 25 miles away, deep into Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. It was a Russian artillery battery positioned in a thin slice of tree line. The drone operator, Leonid Slobodian, started counting out loud as he zoomed in and took screenshots of the findings. He saw at least five guns, trucks that probably carried ammunition inside and counterbattery radar. This was what the Ukrainian military calls a “fat” target. Beside him, Oleksandr Kapli fired off a voice message to the members of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade also watching a live stream of the drone camera. “We need to smash this from front to back,” Kapli said into his phone. Then the expletive-ridden response: “Send all of the footage and we’ll [mess] it up.” Drone video obtained by The Washington Post shows Russian forces coming under fire from Ukrainian artillery on Oct. 6, 2022. (Video: Courtesy of “Falcon” unit of the Kryvyi Rih Territorial Defense Forces) Russian forces in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region are attempting to hold the front line near the town of Dudchany after a strategic retreat along the Western bank of the Dnieper River. Ukraine’s military, meanwhile, is trying to take back even more ground before reinforcements from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s mobilization arrive. The “Falcon” unit of the Kryvyi Rih Territorial Defense Forces on Thursday allowed Washington Post journalists a rare look at a day of battle here through the lens of their Ukrainian-made Leleka-100 drone, which looks like a small, gray plane. Moscow has more weapons than Kyiv, so strikes on “fat” targets — armored vehicles, ammunition reserves and artillery — like the one the Falcon unit identified on Thursday is how Ukraine can weaken its enemy and advance. In the Kherson region, where the terrain is flat with wide-open fields, hiding that sort of equipment from reconnaissance drones is a challenge for each side — one that will only increase as the leaves fall and winter arrives. On Thursday, the Falcon unit was able to see through the trees. It located the Russian artillery battery, helped Ukraine’s own artillery target it, and then watched as parts of it were destroyed. “Our task is to determine how many reserves are coming in, how strong these Russian fortifications now are, and to track all of the military equipment,” Kapli said. “Then we convey all of that to artillery forces, and they shell everything possible.” Russian forces are now massing near the town of Mylove, Kapli said, to defend their stronghold in the occupied town of Nova Kakhovka, on the opposite bank of the river. There, Moscow has seized a hydroelectric power plant that controls a vital water supply to Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014. The artillery battery the Falcon unit spotted was near the neighboring village of Chervonyi Yar. A second drone flight confirmed the equipment was still in place, and Slobodian passed along more screenshots of the site, reading out its coordinates. Neither he, Kapli, nor most of the rest of their unit had any combat experience before Russia’s full-scale invasion. Slobodian and Garry Wagner, who operates the drone with him, were cameramen for Ukrainian television channels before the war. After collecting donations, Falcon’s commander, Oleh Lyadenko, in April purchased the Leleka drone, which can fly about 25 miles and stay in the air for two hours before it needs a battery change. Sometimes, the 128th brigade asks for Falcon to check certain locations, or to follow a Russian column of tanks to see where they go. Other times, the drone operators make their own finds. The recent Russian retreat allowed the unit to move forward into recently liberated villages and fly over territory previously out of their camera’s range. On Thursday, they launched their drone from a trench line the Russians had used for themselves until this week. While the drone was flying, some of the soldiers took careful steps around the neighboring field, shooting at still unexploded mines. During one of the Leleka’s flights, they noticed on the screen a second, longer trench line nearby. Two of the soldiers went to explore it, returning with souvenirs — baseball caps with patches of the Russian flag and a “Z,” the symbol for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The retreating Russians left crates of pear juice behind, which the unit has been drinking with smirks on their faces. With the help of a Starlink satellite internet system, they worked from 8 a.m. until sunset. Around 2:45 p.m., they launched the drone for its penultimate flight of the day. Within minutes, it spotted smoke on the horizon, near where they identified the enemy artillery battery for the 128th brigade. But as it got closer, Slobodian realized it was a neighboring tree line. The Russians had attempted to hide their equipment there, too, and a different reconnaissance drone had spotted it. Ideally, this is how it should work, Kapli said — one drone following another so coverage is never lost and more targets are marked. As long as something was burning, everyone in the unit was happy. Falcon’s job now was to keep its camera trained on the area and confirm that the U.S.-provided artillery was striking accurately as shells landed along the tree line. Soldiers crowded around the computer screen and cheered as they watched the explosions in real time. “At least we have something to be happy about today,” Kapli said in a voice note to his comrade in the 128th brigade. “Grilled meat,” Slobodian deadpanned as another explosion flashed across the screen. Then one strike hit a Russian Ural truck, creating a massive mushroom cloud over the spot. It had been filled with ammunition. The men watching the screen erupted, too. Now the enemy had fewer shells to attack with — and fewer guns to fire them. “That was a nuclear explosion,” Kapli exclaimed between laughs. “We’ve been fighting for a while now, but an explosion like that, I haven’t seen.” Slobodian rubbed his hands together. The “fat” position they discovered would be next. Smoke rose over the trees again. At least one of the Russian 152-mm guns were damaged, they suspected. Their drone was running out of battery power and needed to turn back, but the day had been successful. By Friday, they had moved on to new targets, recording overhead video of a Russian tank burning on the side of a different field. War in Ukraine: What you need to know The latest: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees Friday to annex four occupied regions of Ukraine, following staged referendums that were widely denounced as illegal. Follow our live updates here. The response: The Biden administration on Friday announced a new round of sanctions on Russia, in response to the annexations, targeting government officials and family members, Russian and Belarusian military officials and defense procurement networks. President Volodymyr Zelensky also said Friday that Ukraine is applying for “accelerated ascension” into NATO, in an apparent answer to the annexations. In Russia: Putin declared a military mobilization on Sept. 21 to call up as many as 300,000 reservists in a dramatic bid to reverse setbacks in his war on Ukraine. The announcement led to an exodus of more than 180,000 people, mostly men who were subject to service, and renewed protests and other acts of defiance against the war. The fight: Ukraine mounted a successful counteroffensive that forced a major Russian retreat in the northeastern Kharkiv region in early September, as troops fled cities and villages they had occupied since the early days of the war and abandoned large amounts of military equipment. Photos: Washington Post photographers have been on the ground from the beginning of the war — here’s some of their most powerful work. How you can help: Here are ways those in the U.S. can support the Ukrainian people as well as what people around the world have been donating. Read our full coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video. Read More Here

He’s Not Even Running — But US Midterms Could Make Or Break Trump https://digitalarizonanews.com/hes-not-even-running-but-us-midterms-could-make-or-break-trump/ In this file photo former US President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in support of Doug Mastriano for Governor of Pennsylvania and Mehmet Oz for US Senate at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania September 3, 2022. — AFP pic Follow us on Instagram, subscribe to our Telegram channel and browser alerts for the latest news you need to know. Saturday, 08 Oct 2022 2:36 PM MYT WASHINGTON, Oct 8 — After losing the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump could have worked on his golf swing or produced another book by the pool at his south Florida beach club. Instead he threw himself into the midterm election campaign with unprecedented gusto, staking his kingmaker reputation on a slew of controversial candidates in key primary races. His US Senate picks in open races — mostly anti-abortion hardliners, backers of his election fraud conspiracy theories or out-of-towners with tenuous local ties — have been struggling however. And with exactly a month to go until Election Day, many Republicans are laying the blame at the gates of Mar-a-Lago. “Donald Trump is not on any ballot in 2022, but his political future is,” John Hudak, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, wrote in a recent blog post. Trump’s project to reshape the Republican Party in his image via the midterms will likely “either make Donald Trump an also-ran or the commanding force in party politics for years to come,” Hudak argued. Many of Trump’s primary endorsements have been seen as undermining more electable, mainstream alternatives, and potentially squandering easy victories in key battlegrounds seen as ripe for flipping from the Democrats. Among his controversial picks are celebrity physician Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania — seen by many as an out-of-touch “carpetbagger,” prone to rhetorical gaffes — and Ohio’s J.D. Vance, a venture capitalist who has spent most of his adult life in Silicon Valley and faces similar issues. The story is the same in Georgia, where ex-football star Herschel Walker faces questions over domestic abuse, dishonesty about his past and mental fitness. And in Arizona, Blake Masters is struggling in what should be a winnable seat with a campaign that Politico has described as “hardline nationalist.” ‘Little to gain’ Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — who needs just one gain to take the upper chamber from the Democrats — has offered oblique hints that he sees “candidate quality” as a problem. Hudack put it more starkly. “(If) Senate candidates like Walker, Oz, Vance or Blake Masters ultimately lose in numbers that maintains Democrats’ Senate majority, Trump will be widely blamed,” he said. A poor election night for Trump candidates would be chum in the water for his 2024 rivals, a list that potentially includes outspoken anti-Trumpist Liz Cheney, Florida’s firebrand governor Ron DeSantis and ex-vice president Mike Pence. Cheney aside, Republican presidential hopefuls have largely continued to genuflect to Trump through his post-presidency. But figures such as ex-secretary of state Mike Pompeo, estranged Trump ally Chris Christie and one-time UN ambassador Nikki Haley could be emboldened by poor results on November 8. David Greenberg, a media and history professor at Rutgers University, said the former president — for now the clear frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination — had “little to gain” in the midterms. “But Trump has a lot to lose because if his candidates flame out, then he will be seen as having lost his magic,” Greenberg told AFP. “Some primary voters in 2024 may think twice about supporting him again, especially if a popular alternative such as DeSantis also runs.” A note of caution: the polls are expected to tighten before November and all of Trump’s most divisive candidates could yet triumph in photo finishes. ‘Clear leader’ Expect some of the circling sharks to back off if this happens — and for Trump to look suddenly like a political genius with a bold vision rather than a liability. Trump watchers often point out that much of the former president’s die-hard base cares little about the Senate or Washington politics in any case. “Despite losing reelection, two impeachments, nearly a dozen serious criminal probes, and countless scandals that would have long ago sunk most any other politician, Trump remains the clear leader of the Republican Party,” said political analyst Nicholas Creel, of Georgia College and State University. “Trump’s support in the Republican Party is far too resilient to be damaged by a poor showing by the party this November.” Other observers though expect the tycoon’s many legal woes, including the mushrooming scandal over his mishandling of classified government secrets, to be as a big a drag on his political prospects as the performance of his midterm picks. Irina Tsukerman, a New York-based national security lawyer and geopolitical analyst, said Trump was increasingly perceived as a “political liability” — incapable of winning a future presidential election even against a weak Democrat. “Overall, it looks like he will be strongly discouraged from running in 2024, which he may not do for his own reasons — such as avoiding embarrassment and keeping the money he is currently raising,” she told AFP. Trump’s office did not respond to a request for comment. — AFP Read More Here

Johnson, Barnes Debate In Wisconsin Senate Race https://digitalarizonanews.com/johnson-barnes-debate-in-wisconsin-senate-race/ U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., left, and his Democratic challenger Mandela Barnes shake hands before a televised debate, Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican Sen. Ron Johnson and his Democratic challenger Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes stuck to their scripts — and their time limits — as they met for a debate Friday evening in a hotly contested race that could determine party control of the U.S. Senate. In battleground Wisconsin, it was a welcome chance for both candidates to clarify their positions on a variety of issues, and though they disagreed on most subjects, their comments were similar to those they’ve made on the campaign trail. Here are the key takeaways: THE ECONOMY Inflation is one of the issues most felt by voters this midterm, with noticeable increases in the prices of everyday expenses like groceries, rent and utilities. It’s also among the top issues Wisconsin voters are concerned about, recent polling has shown. Johnson was hesitant to commit to supporting increases in the minimum wage, saying he would “possibly consider it.” The incumbent also blamed Democrats for inflation, saying jobs and the economy were better under former President Donald Trump. Barnes reiterated his support for a $15 minimum wage as well as an approach to job creation that includes technical and trade education. Johnson questioned several references Barnes made to his working-class background, saying he was unaware of what experience the lieutenant governor has in the private sector other than his parents’ jobs as a schoolteacher and a factory worker. ABORTION Barnes, who has made support for abortion rights central to his campaign, said he would “absolutely vote to codify Roe v. Wade” into federal law as a senator. Johnson again voiced support for a statewide referendum on abortion — an option that seems unlikely after the state Legislature quickly ended a special session called by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers earlier this week to consider allowing ballot measures. Barnes accused Johnson of running from his record of supporting anti-abortion legislation, saying the senator knows a referendum won’t happen. A 173-year-old law bans abortions in Wisconsin except to save the life of the mother. Doctors stopped providing abortions after the Supreme Court handed down its decision overturning Roe v. Wade in June. Polling has shown that a majority of people in Wisconsin support abortion rights. CRIME A flurry of attack ads have from Johnson and other Republicans have branded Barnes as “dangerous” and displayed the lieutenant governor against footage of violent crime. Such ads are a likely reason the lead Barnes held over Johnson in midsummer has since eroded. Barnes supports ending cash bail, but he was clear Friday night that his plan would not allow dangerous offenders out of jail. “Senator Johnson may not have encountered a problem he can’t buy his way out of, but that’s not the case for the majority of people in Wisconsin,” said Barnes, sneaking a jab in at the incumbent, who is also a multimillionaire and former businessman. Johnson hit back by highlighting Barnes’ statements on police funding and accusing him of inciting riots during protests against racism in 2020. “He says it pains him to see fully funded police budgets,” said Johnson. Barnes doesn’t support defunding the police, but he has expressed support for redirecting police funding towards alternative community safety programs. The candidates also addressed gun control. “If gun control were the solution, it would’ve already been solved,” said Johnson, who pinned the blame for gun violence on a lack of social and religious values. Barnes, a Milwaukee native, took the opportunity to decry gun violence and talk about his personal connections to victims. CLIMATE CHANGE “The climate has always changed, always will change,” said Johnson, denying that climate change is an issue. The senator also said the federal government should worry less about carbon emissions and more about “real pollution” like the state’s ongoing issues with a group of chemicals known as PFAS. Barnes accused Johnson of protecting special interests in the fossil fuel industry and referenced his conversations with local farmers. Rural voters are a key group in Wisconsin that Barnes has been struggling to gain the support of. When speaking about renewable energy, Johnson said wind and solar energy “make our grid very unreliable” and instead suggested, “If you’re concerned about climate change, you should be supporting nuclear power.” JAN. 6 ATTACK The incumbent senator has downplayed the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, saying it “didn’t seem like an insurrection to me.” On Friday, Johnson also downplayed his role in attempting to deliver a slate of false electors to former Vice President Mike Pence after the 2020 election. “From my standpoint, this is a non-issue,” Johnson said, claiming he had no knowledge of an alternate slate of electors. Both candidates said they believed Pence did the right thing while certifying the results of the 2020 election. ____ Harm Venhuizen is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox Read More Here

Last-Minute Game Information For Arizona Football Vs Oregon https://digitalarizonanews.com/last-minute-game-information-for-arizona-football-vs-oregon/ TUCSON, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 01: Running back Michael Wiley #6 of the Arizona Wildcats is tackled by safety Trevor Woods #43 of the Colorado Buffaloes during the first half of the NCAA football game between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium on October 01, 2022 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images) TUCSON, AZ – Fresh off of earning their first conference win over Colorado, Arizona Football (3-2, 1-1) returns to action against No. 12 Oregon (4-1, 2-0).   We are officially into week six of the 2022 Arizona Football season, and as the Wildcats are quickly rolling along this year, Arizona will continue their Pac-12 action as they take on the No. 12 Oregon Ducks. Coming in, the Wildcats are considered double-digit underdogs, and perhaps rightfully so, as Oregon, is one of the best teams in college football, and has been playing well in the early parts of this season. Beyond that, the Ducks provide several challenges for this Wildcat defense, and Arizona will have to play very well if they hope to the upset. With that said, here is how you can watch and follow Arizona Football as they take on the No. 12 Oregon Ducks. Arizona Football / Oregon game information and details: Date: Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022 Time: 6:00 p.m. PST Television: Pac-12 Network Radio: 107.5 FM (Tucson) | Arizona IMG Sports Network Location: Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Ariz. The Temperature at Kickoff: 73°with a 10% chance of Rain Line: Arizona +13.5 (Don’t forget to use WynnBet or FanDuel to enhance your overall betting experience) Arizona Game Preview: Arizona enters this game fresh off of a big win over Pac-12 Conference foe, Colorado. And in that game, the Wildcats outgained the Buffaloes 673 to 340 yards en route to the dominant, 43-20 win. The Wildcats will look to continue their winning ways as they welcome the No. 12 Oregon Ducks to Tucson. However, Arizona will be challenged greatly as they play a terrific opponent in the Ducks. If Arizona is to win, they will need another huge performance with Jayden de Laura at quarterback, as well as the rest of the offense. On defense, the Wildcats will have to play much better than they have been, otherwise, it could be a long day. Hopefully, with the sellout in Arizona Stadium, the Wildcats will be able to score the big upset this weekend! Don’t forget to follow us at @ZonaZealots on Twitter and like our fan page on Facebook for continued coverage of Arizona news, opinions, and recruiting updates! Read More Here

Witnesses Report Shots Fired Outside High School Football Game In Phoenix https://digitalarizonanews.com/witnesses-report-shots-fired-outside-high-school-football-game-in-phoenix/ PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — Video shared with Arizona’s Family shows players and spectators ducking for cover after reports of gunshots outside a high school football game at Carl Hayden High School on Friday night. Witnesses say they heard the shots during the fourth quarter as Carl Hayden was playing the Douglas High School Bulldogs around 9 p.m. Video shows some students and players lying on the field and underneath tables. Meanwhile, in the stands, spectators were lying on the bleachers. Witnesses say everyone had to go into the auditorium for safety and were moved away from the windows. The game was officially called shortly after the incident. Brittany Bowyer was at the game and described the terrifying moments. “So I actually just got released from the auditorium. They’re letting people go in little bouts. Right now in the parking lot, there’s police everywhere; police have a whole perimeter set up around the school,” she said. Bowyer said she was standing on the visitor’s side of the field when shots rang out. “Right when we heard the first two go off, dads said ‘get down.’ Douglas head coach said ‘get down.’ Everyone just kind of dove for cover. It took a minute for the announcer to realize what was going on, but then once he realized, he told people to get down.” Bowyer said everyone had to stay on the ground for at least two minutes before they were ushered inside the auditorium. She said everyone was inside for at least an hour. “It was really unexpected. They were on the field and it was a lot of shots. It just kept going and going,” she said. “It’s been a wild night over here.” Arizona’s Family crew was at the school and saw parents and students lingering in the parking lot. Several police cars were lined up around the school. Phoenix police say no injuries have been reported and officers are still at the school. It’s unknown what led up to the incident or if police are searching for suspects. SCARY situation when everyone in the stadium is ordered to the ground after a ton of gunfire went off in a drive by shooting here at Carl Hayden on the road behind the school. pic.twitter.com/ua8j008na2 — Brittany Bowyer (@LittWithBritt) October 8, 2022 Copyright 2022 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved. Read More…

Benson A Better Choice For Michigan SOS https://digitalarizonanews.com/benson-a-better-choice-for-michigan-sos/ Trump Republicans are only interested in taking away freedoms they disagree with — like reproductive rights, marriage equality, and the freedom to choose our own leaders. Look no further than secretary of state candidate Kristina Karamo. Karamo has quickly become a darling of the MAGA crowd due to her outrageous comments and fringe policy positions. She’s called abortion a “satanic practice” akin to human sacrifice, said LGBT Americans “violate God’s creative design,” and promoted conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. Putting our elections in her hands is a risk we cannot afford. To protect our freedoms, every Michigander must make their voice in this election. We must re-elect pro-choice, pro-democracy Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and defeat anti-choice election deniers like Kristina Karamo this November. MARY O’NEILL, Presque Isle Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox Read More Here

GOP Steps Up Crime Message In Midterm’s Final Stretch https://digitalarizonanews.com/gop-steps-up-crime-message-in-midterms-final-stretch-2/ NEW YORK — The graphic surveillance video shows a man on a sidewalk suddenly punching someone in the head, knocking them to the ground. With muted screams and gunshots in the background, the video stitches together other surveillance clips of shootings and punching on streets and subway trains as a voiceover says, “You’re looking at actual violent crimes caught on camera in Kathy Hochul’s New York.” That’s not exactly true. The ad from Rep. Lee Zeldin, the Republican challenging New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in next month’s election, included video of an assault in California. Some of the footage depicted crimes that took place before Hochul took office last year. While acknowledging a mistake, Zeldin’s campaign defended the ad and said the message was clear: violent crime is out of control. That’s a theme GOP candidates across the U.S. are sounding in the final month of the critical midterm elections. The issue of crime is dominating advertising in some of the most competitive Senate races, including those in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Nevada, along with scores of House and governors campaigns such as the one in New York. The rhetoric is sometimes alarmist or of questionable veracity, closely echoing the language of former President Donald Trump, who honed a late-stage argument during the 2020 campaign that Democratic-led cities were out of control. That didn’t help Trump avoid defeat, but experts say Democrats would be wrong to ignore the potency of the attacks. “When violence is going up, people are concerned, and that’s when we tend to see it gain some traction as a political issue,” said Lisa L. Miller, professor of political science at Rutgers University, who focuses on crime as a political issue in countries across the world. The FBI released annual data this week that found violent crime rates didn’t increase substantially last year, though they remained above pre-pandemic levels. The report presents an incomplete picture, in part because it doesn’t include some of the nation’s largest police departments. More broadly, rates of violent crime and killings have increased around the U.S. since the pandemic, in some places spiking after hitting historic lows. Non-violent crime decreased during the pandemic, but the murder rate grew nearly 30% in 2020, rising in cities and rural areas alike, according to an analysis of crime data by The Brennan Center for Justice. The rate of assaults went up 10%, the analysis found. The rise defies easy explanation. Experts have pointed to a number of potential causes from worries about the economy and historically high inflation rates to intense stress and the pandemic that has killed more than 1 million people in the U.S. There is a history of candidates relying on racist tropes when warning of rising crime rates. During the 1988 presidential campaign, supporters of George H.W. Bush released the so-called Willie Horton ad that has become one of the most prominent examples of race-baiting in politics. In this year’s elections, Republicans often blame crime on criminal justice reforms adopted after George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police, including changes to bail laws that critics had long contended disproportionately impacted communities of color, along with accusations that Democrats have not been sufficiently supportive of law enforcement. Some GOP candidates are trying to make their case in communities of color. Zeldin, for instance, has delivered his anti-crime message while speaking at buildings and bodegas in diverse New York City neighborhoods. In Pennsylvania, the Republican nominee for Senate, heart surgeon-turned-TV talk show host Dr. Mehmet Oz, has toured the state holding “safe streets” forums in Black communities. Asked by a reporter about his focus on crime, Oz pointed to a conversation he had with Black Republican ward leaders in Philadelphia that turned from economic issues to struggling Black-owned businesses. “The African Americans in the group said, ‘Well, the deep problem is … people don’t feel safe,” Oz said in an interview. Malcolm Kenyatta, a Democratic state lawmaker from Philadelphia, said Oz is using crime victims to get votes but rejects steps like limiting the availability of firearms that would reduce gun violence. “Oz does not live in a community that is struggling with this kind of crime and nobody, nobody believes that he actually cares and would actively advance policy solutions that would help deal with this problem,” Kenyatta said. Despite the GOP messaging, it’s not clear that crime is a top priority for voters. In an AP-NORC poll conducted in June that allowed U.S. adults to name up to five issues they consider most important for the government to be working on in the next year, 11% named crime or violence, unchanged since December and well below the percentage naming many of the other top issues for Americans. A September Fox News poll asking people to name one issue motivating them to vote this year found just 1% named crime, even as most said they were very concerned about crime when asked directly. Still, Democrats are responding to Republican efforts to portray them as soft on crime. Hochul in recent days announced the endorsement of several law enforcement unions and released her own ad with a public safety message titled, “Focused on it,” to remind voters that she toughened the state’s gun laws. During a debate last week in Colorado, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis responded to his Republican opponent Heidi Ganahl, who has repeatedly portrayed him as soft on crime, by suggesting her plan to cut taxes would “defund the police” by cutting prison and police budgets. Ganahl denied that, calling herself a “law-and-order girl,” and blamed Polis for rising crime rates. In Oregon, the Republican candidate for governor is making crime a top issue in a three-person race, where an independent candidate who is a former Democratic state lawmaker could take enough votes from the Democratic nominee to help the GOP win the top office in a blue state. Democrat Tina Kotek has joined her opponents in pledging to increase police funding but has also backed tougher gun laws as part of a plan to tackle crime. That approach is one embraced by gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund, which is spending $2.4 million combined on ads in Wisconsin and Georgia to convince voters that Republicans who don’t support tougher gun laws are actually the ones “soft” on crime. “We can reset this narrative and neutralize the GOP’s, what I would call, artificial advantage on the issue,” said Charlie Kelly, a senior political advisor to Everytown. In some states, candidates are raising alarm about crime rates that remain relatively low or have even fallen. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, said in a recent debate as he runs for reelection that the state’s crime is “going down despite some of the fearmongering you hear.” State data shows violent crime rates in Connecticut dropped 9% in 2021 from 2020, which Lamont pointed out in a recent debate with his Republican challenger, Bob Stefanowski, who has made “out of control” crime a central plank of his campaign. When asked how he can keep making the argument that crime is on the rise when the numbers tell a different story, Stefanowski said people are afraid of rising crime, but he denied stoking those fears. “If we weren’t highlighting this, we wouldn’t be doing our job. I can tell you when we’re out there, people are afraid. I’m not trying to make them afraid,” he said. “They’re coming to me afraid and saying, ‘What are you going to do about it?’” Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox Read More Here

AP News In Brief At 12:04 A.m. EDT https://digitalarizonanews.com/ap-news-in-brief-at-1204-a-m-edt-2/ Biden’s ‘Armageddon’ talk edges beyond bounds of US intel WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s warning that the world is at risk of a nuclear “Armageddon” was designed to send an unvarnished message that no one should underestimate the extraordinary danger if Russia deploys tactical nuclear weapons in its war against Ukraine, administration officials said Friday. The president’s grim assessment, delivered during a Democratic fundraiser on Thursday night, rippled around the globe and appeared to edge beyond the boundaries of current U.S. intelligence assessments. U.S. security officials continue to say they have no evidence that Vladimir Putin has imminent plans for a nuclear strike. Biden veered into talk about Ukraine at the end of his standard fundraising remarks, saying that Putin was “not joking when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons.” “We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis,” he added. He suggested the threat from Putin is real “because his military is — you might say — significantly underperforming.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Friday did not directly respond to a question about whether Biden had gone into the event intending to invoke Armageddon, as the White House sought to clarify the president’s off-the-cuff comments. Multiple explosions rock eastern Ukraine city of Kharkiv KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A series of explosions rocked the eastern Ukraine city of Kharkiv early Saturday, sending towering plumes of illuminated smoke into the sky and triggering a series of secondary explosions. There were no immediate reports of casualties The blasts came hours after Russia concentrated attacks in its increasingly troubled invasion of Ukraine on areas it illegally annexed, while the death toll from earlier missile strikes on apartment buildings in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia rose to 14. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram that the early-morning explosions were the result of missile strikes in the center of the city. He said that the blasts sparked fires at one of the city’s medical institutions and a nonresidential building. In a rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his conduct of Europe’s worst armed conflict since World War II, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to human rights organizations in his country and Ukraine, and to an activist jailed in Russia’s ally Belarus. Michael Flynn’s ReAwaken roadshow recruits ‘Army of God’ BATAVIA, N.Y. (AP) — By the time the red, white and blue-colored microphone had been switched off, the crowd of 3,000 had listened to hours of invective and grievance. “We’re under warfare,” one speaker told them. Another said she would “take a bullet for my nation,” while a third insisted, “They hate you because they hate Jesus.” Attendees were told now is the time to “put on the whole armor of God.” Then retired three-star Army general Michael Flynn, the tour’s biggest draw, invited people to be baptized. Scores of people walked out of the speakers’ tent to three large metal tubs filled with water. While praise music played in the background, one conference-goer after another stepped in. Pastors then lowered them under the surface, welcoming them into their movement in the name of Jesus Christ. One woman wore a T-shirt that read “Army of God.” Flynn warned the crowd that they were in the midst of a “spiritual war” and a “political war” and urged people to get involved. ReAwaken America was launched by Flynn, a former White House national security adviser, and Oklahoma entrepreneur Clay Clark a few months after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol failed to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Attendees and speakers still insist — against all evidence and dozens of court rulings — that Donald Trump rightfully won. Uvalde schools suspend entire police force after outrage AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Uvalde’s school district suspended its entire police force Friday amid fresh outrage over the hesitant law enforcement response to the gunman who massacred 21 people at Robb Elementary School. The extraordinary move follows the revelation that the district hired a former state trooper who was among hundreds of officers who rushed to the scene of the May 24 shooting. School leaders also put two members of the district police department on administrative leave, one of whom chose to retire instead, according to a statement released by the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District. Remaining officers will be reassigned to other jobs in the district. Uvalde school leaders’ suspension of campus police operations one month into a new school year in the South Texas community underscores the sustained pressure that families of some of the 19 children and two teachers killed have kept on the district. Brett Cross, the uncle of 10-year-old victim Uziyah Garcia, had been protesting outside the Uvalde school administration building for the past two weeks, demanding accountability over officers allowing a gunman with an AR-15-style rifle to remain in a fourth-grade classroom for more than 70 minutes. Appeals court ruling allows Arizona abortions to restart PHOENIX (AP) — Abortions can take place again in Arizona, at least for now, after an appeals court on Friday blocked enforcement of a pre-statehood law that almost entirely criminalized the procedure. The three-judge panel of the Arizona Court of Appeals agreed with Planned Parenthood that a judge should not have lifted the decades-old order that prevented the older law from being imposed. The brief order written by Presiding Judge Peter J. Eckerstrom said Planned Parenthood and its Arizona affiliate had shown they are likely to prevail on an appeal of a decision by the judge in Tucson to allow enforcement of the old law. Planned Parenthood had argued that the lower court judge should have considered a host of laws restricting abortions passed since the original injunction was put in place following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade that said women have a constitutional right to an abortion. Those laws include a new one blocking abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy that took effect last month. The previous limit was 24 weeks, the viability standard established by now-overruled U.S. Supreme Court cases. Haiti’s leader requests foreign armed forces to quell chaos PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s government has agreed to request the help of international troops as gangs and protesters paralyze the country and supplies of water, fuel and basic goods dwindle, according to a document published Friday. The document, signed by Prime Minister Ariel Henry and 18 top-ranking officials, states that they are alarmed by “the risk of a major humanitarian crisis” that is threatening the life of many people. It authorizes Henry to request from international partners “the immediate deployment of a specialized armed force, in sufficient quantity,” to stop the crisis across the country caused partly by the “criminal actions of armed gangs.” “It is imperative to restart activities to avoid a complete asphyxiation of the national economy,” the document states. It wasn’t clear if the request had been formally submitted, to whom it would be submitted and whether it would mean the activation of United Nations peacekeeping troops, whose mission ended five years ago after a troubled 11 years in Haiti. Flynn, Gingrich testimony sought in Georgia election probe ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia prosecutor investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to interfere in the 2020 election filed paperwork Friday seeking to compel testimony from a new batch of Trump allies, including former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis filed petitions in court seeking to have Gingrich and Flynn, as well as former White House lawyer Eric Herschmann and others, testify next month before a special grand jury that’s been seated to aid her investigation. They join a string of other high-profile Trump allies and advisers who have been called to testify in the probe. Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor and Trump attorney who’s been told he could face criminal charges in the probe, testified in August. Attorneys John Eastman and Kenneth Chesebro have also appeared before the panel. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s attempt to fight his subpoena is pending in a federal appeals court. And paperwork has been filed seeking testimony from others, including former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Flynn didn’t immediately respond to email and phone messages seeking comment, and his lawyer also didn’t immediately return an email seeking comment. Gingrich referred questions to his attorney, who declined to comment. Herschmann could not immediately be reached. Willis has said she plans to take a monthlong break from public activity in the case leading up to the November midterm election, which is one month from Saturday. Nobel Peace Prize to activists from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Human rights activists from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, a strong rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose invasion of Ukraine ruptured decades of nearly uninterrupted peace in Europe, and to the Belarusian president, his authoritarian ally. The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2022 prize to imprisoned Belarus activist Ales Bialiatski, the Russian group Memorial and the Ukrainian organization Center for Civil Liberties. Bialiatski is the fourth laureate to be honored while in detention. Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the panel was honoring “three out...

Judge Won't Block Jan. 6 Panel Subpoena To Arizona GOP Chair – KESQ https://digitalarizonanews.com/judge-wont-block-jan-6-panel-subpoena-to-arizona-gop-chair-kesq/ By BOB CHRISTIE Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — A federal judge in Phoenix on Friday refused to put on hold her order requiring phone records of the Arizona Republican Party leader to be turned over to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, pending an appeal. U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa said state GOP Chair Kelli Ward had failed to show that she would suffer irreparable harm if congressional investigators for the records. And she again rejected Ward’s claims that her First Amendment rights would be chilled if investigators were able to learn whom she spoke with while trying to challenge former President Donald Trump’s 2020 election defeat. Humetewa said she found Ward’s “alleged concern speculative — and in light of disclosures made during oral argument — dubious.” She noted that Ward’s lawyers pointed out at a Tuesday hearing that she had written a book about sending an alternate slate of fake presidential electors to Congress and filmed multiple videos of her actions and posted them on YouTube. “These actions belie Ms. Ward’s concern that her communications with her constituents or colleagues will be chilled by (the phone company’s) possible disclosure of who she spoke with during that time,” Humetewa wrote. The House committee investigating the Capitol attack is seeking phone records from just before the November 2020 election to Jan. 31, 2021. That would include a period when Ward was pushing for Trump’s election defeat to be overturned and Congress was set to certify the results in favor of Democrat Joe Biden. Kelli Ward and her husband, Michael Ward, were presidential electors who would have voted for Trump in the Electoral College had he won Arizona. Both signed a document falsely claiming they were Arizona’s true electors, despite Biden’s victory in the state. During Tuesday’s hearing, the attorney representing the congressional committee noted that Kelli Ward had refused to answer questions during a deposition, citing her Fifth Amendment not to incriminate herself. Ward’s attorney urged the judge to briefly block the subpoena while her appeal is pending. But Humetewa noted that the appeals court won’t get to the case until after the committee must dissolve when the current Congress ends Jan. 3, 2023. Ward is a staunch Trump ally who has aggressively promoted the false claim that the election was stolen from him. In the days after the election, she pressured Republicans on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to investigate unsupported claims of fraud before election results were certified, according to text messages released by the county. Read More Here

Fort Braden Community Petition To Save Big Oak Tree From Being Cut Down https://digitalarizonanews.com/fort-braden-community-petition-to-save-big-oak-tree-from-being-cut-down/ The Daily Beast Putin’s Own Allies Turn On Him as Ukraine Unleashes Hell in Stolen Russian Tanks Sergei Karpukhin/ReutersHot on the heels of embarrassing reports of Russian recruits fighting each other and Moscow loyalists calling for Kremlin ministers to kill themselves, it seems the rage against Vladimir Putin’s handling of his invasion of Ukraine is now openly being conveyed to the man himself by members of his own inner circle.A report Friday—which is Putin’s 70th birthday—said that one of the despot’s closest allies had openly challenged the disastrous way the war was being conducted. Associated Press Texas officer fired after shooting hamburger-eating teenager A Texas police officer who shot and wounded a teenager who had been sitting in his car eating a hamburger has been fired, police said. San Antonio Officer James Brennand was fired after shooting Erik Cantu, 17, on Oct. 2 in a fast food restaurant parking lot, police training commander Alyssa Campos said in a video statement released Wednesday. Brennand had responded to an unrelated disturbance at the fast-food restaurant when he saw the Cantu inside the car, which had evaded him a day earlier, Campos said. The Daily Beast Court Screwup Reveals Mar-a-Lago Judge’s Latest Legal Absurdity in Trump Case Photo Illustration by Erin O’Flynn/The Daily BeastFirst, she stopped FBI special agents from even glancing at the classified documents they recovered from Mar-a-Lago. Then she appointed a special court referee that former President Donald Trump wanted to slow down the investigation over his mishandling of classified documents.But now, it’s clear District Court Judge Aileen Cannon already knew the Department of Justice was ready to hand Trump back a ton of personal records six days before she cla The Root Maybe It’s Time to Rethink Thursday Night Football As a rule, the NFL’s Thursday Night Football games are awful. Players are generally lethargic after playing just four days earlier in their usual Sunday slots. Coaches, also lacking the typical prep time, haven’t had enough bandwidth to install more than generic offensive or defensive schemes. What typically follows is what we got in last night’s 12-9 snoozer between the Indianpolis Colts and the Denver Broncos, where the most interesting part of the action came on the third play of the game. Th Bloomberg Judge to Trump Lawyers Over Deposition: ‘Stop Wasting Time’ (Bloomberg) — Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers were told by a federal judge to “stop wasting time” after they tried halting the deposition of former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham in a defamation lawsuit minutes after it began, citing her painkiller medication. Most Read from BloombergBiden Says Putin Threats Real, Could Spark Nuclear ‘Armageddon’Biden Should Hit Saudi Arabia Where It Really HurtsStock Traders Hit Sell Button on Hawkish Fed Bets: Markets WrapFacebook Is Wa The Daily Beast Top Putin Ally Threatens ‘Cruel’ Attacks on New Country Mikhail Svetlov/Getty ImagesTop officials in Belarus, a key Russian ally, are growing increasingly on edge this week about what they see as provocations—and warning that they might soon be forced into a harsh response. The head of the border committee of Belarus, Anatoly Lappo, claimed that Poland was acting “provocatively,” and that if any Polish attack takes place against Belarusian border officials, Belarus will not hold back.“[If] there will be at least one bullet in our border guards, the a Read More Here

“Mark Kelly Won The Debate For Me.” – Northeast Valley News https://digitalarizonanews.com/mark-kelly-won-the-debate-for-me-northeast-valley-news/ “I don’t trust Blake Masters…he says one thing and then another—he seems desperate.” —Registered Independent, Thomas Jarvis, when asked who won the debate between Sen. Mark Kelly and his GOP opponent, Blake Masters on Thursday Nicole White, Reporter October 7, 2022 In a heated debate for the Az. U.S. Senate seat, GOP candidate Blake Masters attacked Sen. Mark Kelly (D) right out of the gate and steered to the very issue that has plagued the Master’s campaign since his virulent description of abortion rights advocates. Ever since Blake Master’s described pro-abortion rights advocates as participating in “a religious sacrifice” and abortion as “demonic” his campaign has tried to reframe its stance…but his on the record words and militant attack on abortion rights in his early campaign remain a strong image in the minds of many Arizona voters. Masters tried to flip that perception during the Thursday night debate by accusing Sen. Kelly of being the “extreme” one on abortion—but Kelly’s stance on abortion rights have remained consistent since he took office. Northeast Valley News spoke to several registered independent voters in the Valley— post-debate— and the remarks were similar. Masters was seen as “on the attack of Mark Kelly…Blake Masters looked like he was going to run out of breath” according to Phoenix resident, Kacey Upton. Upton has decided her vote largely over Masters extreme anti-abortion stance. Upton was also unmoved by Master’s claim that Kelly is tied to the hip with President Biden. For Upton, Sen. Kelly has been the “most independent and fair minded” elected official in Arizona. Another Valley registered independent, Thomas Jarvis of Tempe, has kept up on the U.S. senate race and early on was leaning Republican—but based on a video where he saw Master’s speech about privatizing Social Security…and then backed off that stance once it became clear how unpopular it was, Jarvis became “suspicious of Masters.” When Northeast Valley News asked, “Who won the debate?” Jarvis quipped, “Mark Kelly won the debate for me—I don’t trust Blake Masters…he says one thing and then another—he seems desperate.” Jarvis referred to several flip flops in the Masters campaign, but specifically his harsh stance on abortion rights even though the Valley independent voter considers himself pro-life, Jarvis has two daughters and does not want their personal rights saddled by government interference. Jarvis was also swayed against the GOP candidate after Master’s declared that Social Security should be privatized. Masters has also been a staunch election denier. During the primary in Arizona, rhetoric about the 2020 presidential election on the Blake Masters campaign website was listed as “a rotten mess” and, “If we had a free and fair election, President [Donald] Trump would be sitting in the Oval Office today.” But according to CNN, Master’s election denials were removed. This is one of several of the hardline stances that have vanished from the Master’s campaign website. Softening and even making some stark about-face statements over issues that Master’s has voraciously asserted, on the record, appear to be his new campaign strategy. But Mr. Masters may simply be taking a page from other GOP candidates that are veering off their own hardline lanes after losing ground on issues like federal mandates against abortion rights and even criminalizing birth control. Blake Master’s references to pro-abortion rights as “demonic” came after Masters responded to a question posed to him on a podcast regarding banning abortion on a national level…when asked by the host, “Would you support a similar statue?” Masters replied, “Yeah—it’s a religious sacrifice to these people, I think it’s demonic.” Master’s campaign website, according to NBC News, has been overhauled, “rewriting or erasing five of his six positions” including a now deleted stance on the site that once stated support for “a federal personhood law (ideally a Constitutional Amendment) that recognized that unborn babies are human beings that may not be killed.” Also removed, according to NBC News, the language that said, “I am 100% pro-life.” Even though much of Master’s hardline rhetoric is nowhere to be found on his campaign website, the “demonic” statement regarding abortion rights, the privatizing of Social Security speech, the offensive references to affirmative action found within tweets and blaming Black people for America’s gun violence…remain on that early and rigid campaign map and—widely reported online. The Masters campaign has not responded to Northeast Valley News request for an interview. Read More Here

Arizona Court Halts Enforcement Of Near-Total Abortion Ban https://digitalarizonanews.com/arizona-court-halts-enforcement-of-near-total-abortion-ban/ An Arizona appellate court halted enforcement of the state’s near-total abortion ban late Friday, staying a lower court’s decision to reinstate an older law which only allows the procedure if it is needed to save the life of a pregnant person. The order by the Arizona Court of Appeals came after Planned Parenthood Arizona, a reproductive health organization, appealed the September ruling by Pima County Superior Court Judge Kellie Johnson. The stay is in place until the appellate court can hear the appeal. Johnson had lifted a decades-long injunction on the near-total restrictions, which are rooted in an 1864 law that has no exceptions for victims of rape or incest and threatens abortion providers with imprisonment for as long as five years. Judge Peter J. Eckerstrom, writing for the three appellate judges that issued the stay, said the lower court may have erred in resurrecting the Civil War-era law, because it conflicts with more recent laws that provide abortion seekers with more leeway. A law that permits abortions for up to 15 weeks took force last month, putting it in conflict with the 1864 ban. State Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R), who opposes abortion rights and has said he plans to enforce the older law, had urged the courts to provide clarity on the issue. Johnson, the Pima County judge, had ruled that the older law, which was updated and codified in 1901, supersedes the 15-week ban enacted this year. She said in her order that the state legislature had expressly written the 2022 law so that it does not “repeal” the older ban. But the three appellate judges said that Planned Parenthood’s attorneys had “demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success” for their legal challenge against the stricter prohibitions. “Arizona courts have a responsibility to attempt to harmonize all of this state’s relevant statutes,” Eckerstrom wrote in a one-page order, adding that the “acute need of [health care] providers, prosecuting agencies, and the public for legal clarity” had prompted the order. The stay brings “temporary respite to Arizonans,” said Planned Parenthood Arizona president and chief executive Brittany Fonteno in a statement. “Planned Parenthood Arizona is committed to defending reproductive freedom for all and continuing this fight until this 150-year-old law is taken off the books for good,” she said. A Brnovich spokeswoman, Brittni Thomason, said in a statement that his office “understands this is an emotional issue, and we will carefully review the court’s ruling before determining the next step.” A decision by the appeals court on the 19th century prohibitions could still be appealed to the Arizona Supreme Court. Reproductive rights have been in flux in many states since June, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which established a nationwide right to abortion in 1973. The reversal returned that decision to Congress and the states, though it has occasionally resulted in legal chaos. Several states did not update their abortion laws after Roe, meaning conflicting regulations may be on the books. In Arizona, Brnovich and abortion rights activists both recently called for the state legislature to hold a special session to address the confusion, the Arizona Republic reported. In Ohio — another state where reproductive rights have been curtailed since the overturn of Roe — a judge on Friday issued a preliminary injunction on a six-week abortion ban while a constitutional challenge is heard, citing individual liberty. The procedure is now permitted up to the 22nd week of a pregnancy. Read More Here

Putin Orders Seizure Of Exxon-Led Sakhalin 1 Oil And Gas Project https://digitalarizonanews.com/putin-orders-seizure-of-exxon-led-sakhalin-1-oil-and-gas-project/ MOSCOW/HOUSTON, Oct 7 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Friday that establishes a new operator for the Exxon Mobil Corp-led (XOM.N) Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project in Russia’s Far East. Putin’s move affecting Exxon’s largest investment in Russia mimics a strategy he used to seize control of other energy properties in the country. The decree gives the Russian government authority to decide whether foreign shareholders can retain stakes in the project. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Exxon holds a 30% operator stake in Sakhalin-1, with Russian company Rosneft (ROSN.MM), India’s ONGC Videsh (ONVI.NS) and Japan’s SODECO as partners. Oil production at the Sakhalin-1 project fell to just 10,000 barrels per day (bpd) in July from 220,000 bpd before Russia invaded Ukraine. NAVIGATING AN EXIT Exxon has been trying to exit its Russia operations and transfer its role in Sakhalin-1 to a partner since March, after international sanctions imposed on Moscow. Russia’s government and Exxon have clashed, with the oil producer threatening to take the case to international arbitration. Exxon declined to comment on Friday’s decree. Japan’s SODECO was not immediately available to comment, but an official of the industry ministry, which owns a 50% stake in the firm, said it was gathering information and talking with partners. Japan has stopped buying crude from Russia since June. read more Exxon took an impairment charge of $4.6 billion in April for its Russian activities and said it was working with partners to transfer Sakhalin-1’s operation. It also reduced energy production and moved staff out of the country. In August, Putin issued a decree that Exxon said made a secure and environmentally safe exit from Sakhalin-1 difficult. The U.S. producer then issued a “note of difference,” a legal step prior to arbitration. Friday’s decree said the Russian government was establishing a Russian company, managed by Rosneft subsidiary Sakhalinmorneftegaz-shelf, that will own investors’ rights in Sakhalin-1. Foreign partners will have one month after the new company is created to ask the Russian government for shares in the new entity, the decree said. Putin used a similar strategy in a July decree to seize full control of Sakhalin-2, another gas and oil project in the Russian Far East, with Shell (SHEL.L) and Japanese companies Mitsui & Co (8031.T) and Mitsubishi Corp as partners. Russia has approved applications by the two Japanese trading houses seeking to transfer their stakes to a new operator. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Reuters; Additional reporting by Yoshifumi Takemoto, Yuka Obayashi in Tokyo, Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Clarence Fernandez Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here

DOJ Asking If Trump Kept Sensitive Documents At Any Other Properties After Mar-A-Lago Seizure: Report https://digitalarizonanews.com/doj-asking-if-trump-kept-sensitive-documents-at-any-other-properties-after-mar-a-lago-seizure-report/ DOJ is looking into whether Trump kept documents at any of his other properties beyond Mar-a-Lago. Rolling Stone on Friday said investigators have asked witnesses about Trump Tower and his golf club. The FBI has been questioning former Trump associates after its August raid at Mar-a-Lago. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. The Justice Department is asking witnesses whether former President Donald Trump was known to keep sensitive government documents at any of his other properties after federal investigators seized 11 sets of classified records from his Mar-a-Lago residence in August, according to Rolling Stone. The outlet on Friday cited two people familiar with the matter who said federal investigators are also asking witnesses if the former president had a habit of moving classified documents from Mar-a-Lago to other Trump properties, including Trump Tower in Manhattan and his private golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. “It was obvious they wanted to know if this went beyond just Mar-a-Lago,” an anonymous source told Rolling Stone.  The agency’s questions — directed to multiple witnesses in recent months — could indicate the DOJ thinks Trump’s shoddy handling of important documents went beyond his stash at Mar-a-Lago, according to the outlet, though it’s unclear if the agency has uncovered any proof.  Neither the Justice Department nor representatives for Trump immediately responded to Insider’s request for comment.  The FBI has been questioning several former Trump associates in the aftermath of the August 8 raid as part of its probe into Trump’s retention of highly sensitive documents. Rolling Stone reported that investigators have specifically zeroed in on Trump’s New York and New Jersey property in regard to the possibility of additional documents.  The New York Times on Thursday reported that DOJ believes Trump still has documents from his time in the White House that he has yet to return, despite the ongoing investigation into the matter. According to the outlet, Trump and his legal team have opted to take a combative approach to the Justice Department in response. As a special master continues a review of the documents retrieved in August, Trump this week suggested that the legal saga has actually had a positive effect on his businesses. “They’ve given us about $5 billion of free publicity,” Trump said of his Mar-a-Lago resort during a Wednesday speech. Read More Here

‘Armageddon’ Warning Reflects Biden’s Instincts About Putin https://digitalarizonanews.com/armageddon-warning-reflects-bidens-instincts-about-putin/ President Biden’s warning this week that Russia’s threats to use nuclear weapons amounted to the most serious “prospect of Armageddon in 60 years” was not based on any new intelligence or information collected by the government, U.S. officials said Friday, but rather Biden’s own assessment of what Russian President Vladimir Putin could be capable of. Biden and other U.S. officials have harbored concerns in recent weeks that as the war continues to go poorly for Moscow, Putin would resort to increasingly drastic measures, said a senior administration official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. U.S. officials stressed on Friday that they had seen no evidence that Russia had taken the measures necessary to use its nuclear arsenal and that the United States has no reason to change its nuclear posture. But several officials said they are taking Putin’s threats seriously and have said the United States is engaged in direct back-channel conversations with the Russians about the repercussions of taking steps such as the use of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. “We have not seen any reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear posture, nor do we have indications that Russia is preparing to imminently use nuclear weapons,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Friday. She added, “The kind of irresponsible rhetoric we have seen is no way for the leader of a nuclear-armed state to speak, and that’s what the president was making very clear about.” Biden startled many Americans by saying at a fundraiser Thursday night that Putin, who he knows “fairly well,” was “not joking when he talks about potential use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons.” He added, “I don’t think there’s any such thing as the ability to easily [use] a tactical nuclear weapon and not end up with Armageddon.” Biden suggested that the threat was reminiscent of the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, when the United States and Soviet Union came close to nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. “My sense is this is clearly weighing really heavily on President Biden, and we can all say intellectually the risk of the use of nuclear weapons is low, but the reality is the risk has gone up,” said Andrea Kendall-Taylor, senior fellow and director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. “At a very human level, he now has the potential to be a president who has to manage nuclear use for the first time in 70 years,” Kendall-Taylor said. “I maybe would have preferred he didn’t use the phrase ‘nuclear … Armageddon,’ but I think it’s useful for the president and the administration to be having a conversation with the public about the risk.” Biden’s comments were reflective of the long-held distrust he has harbored against Putin and his understanding of what Putin is willing to do to carry out his goals, U.S. officials and outside experts said. His skepticism about Putin began long before he became president — and long before Putin became one of the United States’ biggest adversaries. Biden’s bleak assessment of Putin dates back at least to 2001, when President George W. Bush met the Russian leader for the first time shortly after he had come to power. While Bush heaped praise on him — describing him as “very straightforward and trustworthy” — Biden, then a senator from Delaware, disagreed, stating that he did not trust Putin. Biden, who has focused on foreign policy throughout his career and chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, places a high value on his own instincts and assessments when it comes to evaluating foreign leaders and landscapes. During his presidential campaign, he often spoke of how many foreign leaders he had met personally, for example citing the long travels he took with Chinese President Xi Jinping. While Biden’s mention of “Armageddon” was his most vivid warning yet, the president has been raising the alarm for weeks about Putin’s actions in Ukraine, including his staging of sham referendums in four Ukrainian territories and then annexing them. In a speech at the U.N. General Assembly last month, Biden addressed the referendums and nuclear threats directly, saying Moscow had “shamelessly” violated the core of the U.N. charter by forcefully invading its neighbor. “Just today, President Putin has made overt nuclear threats against Europe, in a reckless disregard for the responsibilities of the nonproliferation regime,” Biden said. “A nuclear war cannot be won. And must never be fought.” Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons since the beginning of the conflict in February, but officials said they have long recognized that the threat of such a strike would rise if Putin’s military position became imperiled in Ukraine. In recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have launched a counteroffensive and made significant gains on the battlefield. But U.S. officials were at pains Friday to stress that nothing they have seen on the ground in recent days has prompted them to expect a potential nuclear strike in the short term. “We have been doing contingency planning for a wide range of scenarios throughout the conflict,” a senior State Department official said. “But have not seen reason to adjust our strategic nuclear posture.” State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel added, “We’ve not seen any reason to adjust our own nuclear posture, nor do we have any indications that Russia is preparing to imminently use weapons.” Other senior U.S. officials said they believe any movement of Russian nuclear warheads would not only be detected through various monitoring methods, but would require detectable internal coordination and could be observed by U.S. surveillance in real time. Still, a range of officials acknowledged that such methods are never 100 percent certain. Asked Sunday whether the United States would actively enter the war if Putin used a nuclear weapon, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN, “I have said before that we have had the opportunity to communicate directly to Russia a range of consequences for the use of nuclear weapons and the kinds of actions the United States would take. I have also said before that we are not going to telegraph these things publicly.” Some leaders suggested Friday that Biden’s comments were needlessly provocative. French President Emmanuel Macron said that “we must speak with prudence” on issues like nuclear weapons. Jeffrey Lewis, a nuclear weapons expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, also questioned Biden’s tone, saying it would be better for U.S. officials to make limited, calm statements in response to Putin’s nuclear threats. “When you get into this kind of language of ‘Armageddon’ and ‘World War III’ as an official, I think you are raising the anxiety without actually conveying the deterrent threat,” Lewis said. “The primary message that the White House should be conveying at this point is strength and confidence.” Still, he added, Putin could always miscalculate even if the White House messaging was flawless. “Even if they were doing it perfectly, there is going to be a risk that he misreads them, because he already did it with Zelensky,” Lewis said. Other European officials noted that Putin is unpredictable and dangerous, saying Russian losses on the battlefield are creating a kind of pressure he has rarely faced before. For months, the war has not gone according to plan for Putin, and he has resorted to ever more brazen and far-reaching measures to try to stem his losses. After making a failed run at Kyiv, the Russian military retreated from the Ukrainian capital in early April and refocused its efforts on taking more territory in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, an area known as Donbas. The regroup shifted the conflict into more of a traditional artillery war. Russian troops seized a string of new cities and towns in June and July in a dispiriting moment for Ukrainian forces, which found themselves outgunned by Russia’s longer-range artillery. But the United States and other European allies armed the Ukrainians with more sophisticated weapons, including the U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), and found ways to alleviate some ammunition shortages, helping to level the playing field. By the time Kyiv launched its counteroffensive in late August, Putin’s forces had suffered significant losses and lacked the personnel to defend such a wide swath of territory. Russia’s front-line defenses in the Kharkiv region swiftly collapsed, and Ukrainian forces retook thousands of square miles in a rapid advance that has thrown Moscow off-balance. In recent weeks, as Ukrainian forces have pushed farther, Putin resorted to a move U.S. intelligence sources had said he would try to avoid at all costs: ordering a partial military mobilization of up to 300,000 reservists. Putin had been reluctant to take the step earlier, cognizant that it could hamper domestic support of the war, and since the announcement, many Russian men have tried to flee the country to avoid conscription. At the same time, Putin moved up the timeline for the sham referendums and annexations, declaring that the people living in the annexed regions would “be our citizens forever” and warning that the land now belonged to Russia and would be defended as if it were any other part of the country. These urgent — some say desperate — actions form the backdrop for Putin’s escalation of his nuclear threats. Some analysts say the Russian president may see the threats as a way to make the United States and Europe think twice about letting Ukraine advance far enough to provoke the Kremlin into potentially using a weapon of mass destruction. “If the territorial integr...

Can Newhouse Hold On To Washington's Most Conservative Congressional District In Test Of Republicans' Willingness To Forgive Trump Impeachment Vote? https://digitalarizonanews.com/can-newhouse-hold-on-to-washingtons-most-conservative-congressional-district-in-test-of-republicans-willingness-to-forgive-trump-impeachment-vote/ Oct. 7—WASHINGTON — In his nearly eight years representing central Washington in the House, Dan Newhouse has fended off challengers from across the political spectrum and carved out a niche as a pragmatic lawmaker more interested in policy than bluster. But this year’s general election presents the Republican from Sunnyside with a new kind of challenge: convincing voters in the state’s reddest district to look past his vote to impeach former President Donald Trump and give him the support they largely withheld in the August primary. Newhouse and his Democratic opponent, Yakima businessman Doug White, each received roughly 25% of votes in the primary, enough to advance from the top-two contest only because six other GOP candidates who aligned themselves with Trump split the remaining half of votes. What that pro-Trump voting bloc does in the general election will play a big role in determining the outcome. “It’s the most conservative district in the state of Washington,” Newhouse said in an interview, “so my strategy and my message has been to appeal to those people that have supported me in the past and to remind them that I’m still the same conservative Republican that I’ve always been.” The Cook Political Report rates Washington’s 4th Congressional District “R+11,” meaning Republican candidates are expected to perform 11 percentage points better than the national average and making it the most heavily GOP-leaning district in the state. Newhouse bested Democratic challengers in 2018 and 2020 by a roughly 2-to-1 margin while his closest races came in 2014 and 2016 against fellow Republican Clint Didier, now a Franklin County commissioner. But White, a first-time candidate who returned home to Yakima after a 20-year career in international business, thinks right-wing voters’ lingering resentment toward Newhouse makes the incumbent vulnerable. Pitching himself as a solutions-oriented moderate, White said in an interview he hopes to assemble a coalition of reliable Democratic voters, independents and conservatives who want to see Newhouse gone. “Obviously, it’s an uphill battle,” White said, before citing a recent internal poll his campaign commissioned that makes him optimistic. The survey’s most important finding, he said, is that 40% of Republicans in the district “would vote for a Democrat if that Democrat had the profile that I do.” “This is a completely different game,” White said. “We’ve literally never seen this in this district before. My message is resonating well with people. They’re fed up with Dan Newhouse and we’re going to see a change.” A spokesman for the White campaign, John Wyble, declined to share the full poll results but said it shows that Newhouse is “a divisive figure,” even among Republicans, and the race narrows to within the margin of error “after voters hear about Doug White.” There has been no independent polling this year in the district, which national political analysts consider safely in GOP hands. But White isn’t the only one who thinks the pro-Trump electorate could throw a wrench in Newhouse’s re-election bid. “I’ve heard a lot of people say that they’re going to vote for White because they cannot get over what Newhouse did, and I’ve heard a lot of people say they’re not going to vote at all,” said Teagan Levine, chair of the Okanogan County GOP. Levine said when she has told those voters to “take Newhouse’s name out of it” and “look at the bigger picture,” they have usually agreed to vote for the Republican, but she is concerned that not every disaffected voter in the district will get that message before casting their ballots. If GOP voters can’t get over Newhouse’s impeachment vote, Levine said, she worries they will jeopardize the party’s chances of taking control of the House — and in turn the odds of a Republican winning the presidency in 2024. None of the Republicans Newhouse bested in the primary have formally endorsed the incumbent although some said they plan to vote for him. “Newhouse is in trouble, for sure, just talking to people,” said Jerrod Sessler, a former NASCAR driver from Prosser who took 12.3% of votes in the primary, adding that he has encouraged others to vote for Newhouse. “There’s a lot of people voting for Doug White, or they’re going to abstain.” Jacek Kobiesa, an engineer from Pasco who entered the race late and received just 490 votes, called the race “a huge mess” but said he would vote for Newhouse. Corey Gibson, a marketing entrepreneur from Selah who won 3.4% of votes, said he has received “so many calls” from conservatives who say they are considering voting for White, “not because they align with him, but because there’s this energy out there of wanting to be heard, wanting to be able to show that people want something different.” Gibson said he expects Newhouse to win the general election, but said he worries having such a “wildly unpopular” candidate could depress voter turnout in the district and hurt other Republicans, like Senate candidate Tiffany Smiley. Loren Culp, a former Republic police chief who won Trump’s endorsement and 21.6% of votes in the primary, said he doesn’t plan to vote for either Newhouse or White. “They’re both Democrats,” Culp said. “One of them just lies to us and tells us he’s a Republican.” With the 50% of primary voters who backed neither Newhouse nor White theoretically up for grabs, there is a potential opening for a write-in candidate to enter the race. State law prevents a losing primary candidate from running a write-in campaign for the same office, but some voters have encouraged Didier, the Franklin County commissioner who ran for the seat in 2014 and 2016, to mount a write-in campaign. In a text message, Didier confirmed he has had “an incredible amount of people want me to run as a write in,” but said he had no plans to do so. Mike Massey, chair of the Benton County GOP, said he estimates as many as one-third of conservatives “can’t put the clothes pin over their nose” and vote for Newhouse. “I’m going to vote for Dan because I have learned in the past that if you don’t support your party, it can really damage things,” Massey said, recalling how he voted in the 1992 presidential race for independent Ross Perot, whose candidacy helped Democrat Bill Clinton defeat Republican George H.W. Bush. Mike McKee, chair of the Grant County GOP, said he expects Newhouse to prevail but also worries many Republicans will not vote for him. “I just tell them, ‘Dan may not have been your first, second, third or fourth selection, but he’s won fair and square and now it’s time to fire (House speaker Nancy) Pelosi,'” McKee said, adding with a chuckle, “I can guarantee that Dan Newhouse is not going to vote to impeach another Republican president in the next two years.” The Washington State Republican Party didn’t endorse a candidate ahead of the August primary, but officially “nominated” him as the party’s candidate after he won the primary, party spokesman Ben Gonzalez said. For his part, Newhouse is counting on most of the district’s Republican-leaning voters forgiving him for the impeachment vote. In an interview, he alluded to a quote attributed to conservative icon Ronald Reagan, who reportedly said, “The person who agrees with you 80% of the time is a friend and an ally, not a 20% traitor.” In that spirit, Newhouse said, he hopes his conservative constituents who have supported him in the past will see the race against White as a clear choice between Republican and Democratic platforms. “I think if they sit down and think about that, even though they’re angry with me for one vote, that’s still better than the other choice that they have in front of them,” he said. “So we’re doing the best that we can to communicate that message.” When a new Congress is sworn in at the start of 2023, Newhouse may be the only remaining member of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The only other pro-impeachment Republican who survived the primaries, Rep. David Valadao of California, is in a tight race the Cook Political Report rates as a toss-up. He will also be among a dwindling number of House Republicans who are interested in working with Democrats on bipartisan legislation as the GOP conference is increasingly dominated by hardline members who say their top priority in the next two years is investigating and even impeaching members of the Biden administration. Newhouse, a third-generation Yakima Valley farmer, is one of the leading advocates for bipartisan immigration reform to create a reliable, legal supply of U.S. agricultural workers, about half of whom are unauthorized immigrants, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That effort has drawn the ire of anti-immigration hardliners, but Newhouse said he believes 4th District voters want solutions to problems that affect the region. “The fact that I’m pragmatic, solutions-oriented, willing to work with people on both sides of the aisle in order to find those solutions, I don’t see that as a negative,” he said. “I think that’s what people expect of me.” As chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, a group of House Republicans focused on rural issues and limited government, Newhouse said he tries to cultivate an interest in conservative policy — rather than political grandstanding — among fellow GOP lawmakers. “Certainly you have those that want to just get headlines or become famous on social media and those kinds of things,” he said, “but there actually are a good number of members of Congress that want to get things done for their const...

Johnson, Barnes To Debate In Tight Wisconsin Senate Race – WTOP News https://digitalarizonanews.com/johnson-barnes-to-debate-in-tight-wisconsin-senate-race-wtop-news/ MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican Sen. Ron Johnson and his Democratic challenger Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes stuck to their scripts — and their time limits — as they met for a debate Friday evening in a hotly contested race that could determine party control of the U.S. Senate. In battleground Wisconsin, it was a welcome chance for both candidates to clarify their positions on a variety of issues, and though they disagreed on most subjects, their comments were similar to those they’ve made on the campaign trail. Here are the key takeaways: THE ECONOMY Inflation is one of the issues most felt by voters this midterm, with noticeable increases in the prices of everyday expenses like groceries, rent and utilities. It’s also among the top issues Wisconsin voters are concerned about, recent polling has shown. Johnson was hesitant to commit to supporting increases in the minimum wage, saying he would “possibly consider it.” The incumbent also blamed Democrats for inflation, saying jobs and the economy were better under former President Donald Trump. Barnes reiterated his support for a $15 minimum wage as well as an approach to job creation that includes technical and trade education. Johnson questioned several references Barnes made to his working-class background, saying he was unaware of what experience the lieutenant governor has in the private sector other than his parents’ jobs as a schoolteacher and a factory worker. ABORTION Barnes, who has made support for abortion rights central to his campaign, said he would “absolutely vote to codify Roe v. Wade” into federal law as a senator. Johnson again voiced support for a statewide referendum on abortion — an option that seems unlikely after the state Legislature quickly ended a special session called by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers earlier this week to consider allowing ballot measures. Barnes accused Johnson of running from his record of supporting anti-abortion legislation, saying the senator knows a referendum won’t happen. A 173-year-old law bans abortions in Wisconsin except to save the life of the mother. Doctors stopped providing abortions after the Supreme Court handed down its decision overturning Roe v. Wade in June. Polling has shown that a majority of people in Wisconsin support abortion rights. CRIME A flurry of attack ads have from Johnson and other Republicans have branded Barnes as “dangerous” and displayed the lieutenant governor against footage of violent crime. Such ads are a likely reason the lead Barnes held over Johnson in midsummer has since eroded. Barnes supports ending cash bail, but he was clear Friday night that his plan would not allow dangerous offenders out of jail. “Senator Johnson may not have encountered a problem he can’t buy his way out of, but that’s not the case for the majority of people in Wisconsin,” said Barnes, sneaking a jab in at the incumbent, who is also a multimillionaire and former businessman. Johnson hit back by highlighting Barnes’ statements on police funding and accusing him of inciting riots during protests against racism in 2020. “He says it pains him to see fully funded police budgets,” said Johnson. Barnes doesn’t support defunding the police, but he has expressed support for redirecting police funding towards alternative community safety programs. The candidates also addressed gun control. “If gun control were the solution, it would’ve already been solved,” said Johnson, who pinned the blame for gun violence on a lack of social and religious values. Barnes, a Milwaukee native, took the opportunity to decry gun violence and talk about his personal connections to victims. CLIMATE CHANGE “The climate has always changed, always will change,” said Johnson, denying that climate change is an issue. The senator also said the federal government should worry less about carbon emissions and more about “real pollution” like the state’s ongoing issues with a group of chemicals known as PFAS. Barnes accused Johnson of protecting special interests in the fossil fuel industry and referenced his conversations with local farmers. Rural voters are a key group in Wisconsin that Barnes has been struggling to gain the support of. When speaking about renewable energy, Johnson said wind and solar energy “make our grid very unreliable” and instead suggested, “If you’re concerned about climate change, you should be supporting nuclear power.” JAN. 6 ATTACK The incumbent senator has downplayed the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, saying it “didn’t seem like an insurrection to me.” On Friday, Johnson also downplayed his role in attempting to deliver a slate of false electors to former Vice President Mike Pence after the 2020 election. “From my standpoint, this is a non-issue,” Johnson said, claiming he had no knowledge of an alternate slate of electors. Both candidates said they believed Pence did the right thing while certifying the results of the 2020 election. ____ Harm Venhuizen is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Venhuizen on Twitter. Copyright © 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. More from WTOP Read More Here

The US Midterm Election For Dummies https://digitalarizonanews.com/the-us-midterm-election-for-dummies/ Neither man is on the ballot, but the popularity of Democratic President Joe Biden (left) and his predecessor Donald Trump will weigh heavily on the 2022 midterm elections ANGELA WEISS, MANDEL NGAN Text size It is only two years since US President Joe Biden was swept to power in one of the most fraught elections Washington has witnessed, but all eyes are already on the next nationwide vote. Biden isn’t up for re-election until 2024, but candidates vying for positions large and small — from county commissioner or tribal chief to US senator — will be sweating the outcome of Election Day on November 8. As Democratic and Republican nominees duke it out in the final weeks of the campaign trail, here is a guide to what’s at stake. US voters decide every two years who gets the majority in both chambers of Congress — and whether the president will get any new policies passed or if the opposition will be able to frustrate the agenda. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are on the ballot, as well as 35 of the 100 Senate seats. Governors’ mansions are also up for grabs in 36 states, and there are elections for state-level lawmakers, secretaries of state and attorneys general. Those more local contests will affect state policies on a range of issues from abortion access to voting rights and Covid-19 restrictions. In a typical midterm, the party in the White House suffers double-digit losses in the House — 26 on average since World War II — and around four Senate seats as voters seek a check on the president’s power. For much of 2022 the traditional indicators were pointing to business as usual, with Biden’s approval rating hovering around 40 percent, the pandemic dragging into a third year and inflation at a 40-year high. But Democrats have been emboldened by a summer sea-change in the political outlook, buoyed by a spate of legislative achievements, unpopular Republican curbs on abortion and falling gas prices. Neutral analysts expect a modest gain for House Republicans of 10 to 20 seats — enough to win back control of the chamber but not enough for a commanding majority. The Senate remains a toss-up. Analysts see a continued 50-50 split as the most likely outcome, meaning Democrats would keep control with Vice President Kamala Harris’s tie-breaking vote. Both parties acknowledge that reproductive rights have animated Democratic engagement like no other issue since the Supreme Court’s June withdrawal of the federally guaranteed right to abortion. Some Republicans have floated plans to consider a nationwide abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy should they retake Congress. This is despite 85 percent of Americans believing abortion should be legal in all or some circumstances, according to a long-running survey by Gallup. The issue’s salience has diminished since the summer, though, and it now trails behind inflation, crime and immigration among voters’ stated priorities. Economic issues are also a bigger factor than concerns about voting rights and democracy, according to the latest Monmouth University Poll. Republicans are focusing on portraying Democrats as “soft on crime” in many of the tightest swing states, and are reminding voters of record immigration figures and stubbornly high inflation, despite a cooling in gas prices. Democrats are banking on getting credit for the White House finally clinching legislation boosting domestic manufacturing, tackling climate change and lowering prescription drug prices. Like Biden, former president Donald Trump is not on the ballot but he remains a headache for Republicans — both for his mushrooming legal woes and his endorsements. The issue that has sucked much of the oxygen out of the room in the final months is the hoard of government secrets that were found at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in a search by the FBI. A civil investigation of his family’s finances, a criminal probe of his attempts to overturn his election defeat and the barrage of misconduct allegations from the 2021 US Capitol insurrection hearings could discourage moderate Republicans from turning out. Meanwhile, Trump has inserted himself front and center in the election, making more than 200 endorsements, often of election conspiracy theorists and far right candidates in swing states. Senior Republicans have privately bemoaned the quality of Trump-backed Senate candidates in several tight races. Read More Here

Obituaries In Phoenix, AZ | The Arizona Republic https://digitalarizonanews.com/obituaries-in-phoenix-az-the-arizona-republic-47/ Nurkka, Glen Ray was born in Oolo, WI on August 1, 1935 to Ray and Lillian Nurkka and raised in Nashwauk, MN. Graduated Greenway HS in 1953, Colraine, MN. Graduated from the university of Minnesota in 1957 where he earned his teaching degree and played football and track. Glen married Lois (Rustvold) in Nashwauk Lutheran Church in 1957. Glen taught and coached HS football in Leadville, CO, Nucla, CO, Arvada, CO and Minneapolis, MN. Glen and Lois moved to Phoenix, AZ in 1965 and then to Scottsdale in 1967 where he joined Lutheran Brotherhood eventually becoming the General Agent in the Southwest. He married Sandy (Tanner) in 1978 at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church and moved to Fountain Hills. Glen enjoyed playing golf, flying planes and watching the Phoenix Suns as much as possible. Glen is survived by his wife Sandy, his children Hal, Rick (Diana), Stacia, stepdaughter Margo Sands (John), stepson Michael Tanner, Granddaughter Kristyn Nurkka and numerous nieces and nephews. Glen was dearly loved and will be deeply missed. Memorial service will be held on October 15th at Messingers Mortuary at 11:00AM. Located at 8555 E Pinnacle Peak Rd, Scottsdale 85255. Reception to follow. Posted online on October 07, 2022 Published in The Arizona Republic Read More…

New Fry Bread Restaurant To Open In Mesa https://digitalarizonanews.com/new-fry-bread-restaurant-to-open-in-mesa/ New fry bread restaurant to open in Mesa  FOX 10 News Phoenix Read More Here

Testimony Sought From Michael Flynn And Newt Gingrich In Georgia 2020 Election Probe – KVIA https://digitalarizonanews.com/testimony-sought-from-michael-flynn-and-newt-gingrich-in-georgia-2020-election-probe-kvia/ By Jason Morris The prosecutor leading an investigation into efforts by Donald Trump to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia is seeking testimony from an additional batch of his allies, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former US House speaker Newt Gingrich. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is leading the investigation into 2020 election interference, filed additional court petitions on Friday seeking to secure testimony from the out-of-state witnesses in front of the special grand jury meeting in Atlanta. Willis says Flynn, Trump’s onetime national security advisor, is a “necessary and material witness” and wants the grand jury to hear from him specifically about a December 18, 2020, meeting he had with Trump, attorney Sidney Powell, and others associated with the Trump campaign, according to Friday’s court filing. During the heated Oval Office meeting, CNN previously reported, Flynn and Powell floated outrageous suggestions about overturning the election, three weeks after Trump pardoned Flynn. Prosecutors are interested in hearing from Gingrich about his role working with Trump’s campaign after the 2020 election, including the scheme to send “fake electorate” certificates to the National Archives and encouraging the then-President’s campaign “to air advertisements promoting the false narrative that election workers had smuggled suitcases containing fake ballots at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta,” according to the filing. CNN reported last month that the House select committee investigating the January, 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol sent a letter to Gingrich seeking his voluntary cooperation to discuss his role promoting false claims that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen. CNN has reached out to Flynn and Gingrich for comment. Willis also filed court paperwork on Friday to attempt to issue subpoenas to former Trump White House lawyer Eric Herschmann and at least two other individuals who she says have valuable insight to share with the grand jury. CNN previously reported that the district attorney aims to quickly wrap up the grand jury’s work after the midterm elections and could begin issuing indictments as early as December, according to sources familiar with the situation. The Georgia probe — set off by an hour-long January 2021 phone call from Trump to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger asking him to “find” the votes necessary for Trump to win the Peach State — has steadily expanded. It now covers presentations on unfounded election fraud claims to state lawmakers, the fake elector scheme, efforts by unauthorized individuals to access voting machines in one Georgia county and a campaign of threats and harassment against lower-level election workers. The-CNN-Wire & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Read More Here

NC Senate Nominees Parry Over Abortion, Inflation In Debate https://digitalarizonanews.com/nc-senate-nominees-parry-over-abortion-inflation-in-debate/ RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The major-party candidates to succeed retiring North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr parried over inflation, abortion and election integrity Friday night in what’s expected to be their only debate. Democratic nominee Cheri Beasley and Republican U.S. Rep. Ted Budd met at a Raleigh cable television studio for nearly an hour of questions. This election outcome in North Carolina, where statewide elections are usually evenly divided but where Democrats haven’t won a Senate race since 2008, could decide which party takes a majority in the current 50-50 Senate. Mail-in absentee voting started last month, and early in-person voting begins Oct. 20. Democratic hopes this time are in Beasley, a former chief justice of the state Supreme Court who would be the first Black senator for North Carolina if elected. Budd, a gun shop and range owner first elected to Congress in 2016, relied heavily of President Donald Trump’s endorsement and outside spending to win the Republican primary in May. Budd welcomed Trump again to the state for a rally two weeks ago. Beasley, who came out quickly as an aggressor in the debate, said Trump “represents the most extremist policies and ideology … the reality is Congressman Budd has aligned himself with somebody who is truly extremist in this race, and that’s a reflection on him.” Budd defended accepting Trump’s help, pointing to the low unemployment and low inflation during the former president’s term in office and Trump’s victories in North Carolina in 2016 and 2020 — compared with higher inflation today. Trump “had a lot of wins here in this state, including for our economy,” Budd said. In turn, Budd said Beasley was running away from President Joe Biden, and that she “would be a rubber stamp” for his policies if elected. Beasley refused to answer directly the moderator’s question about whether she would appear with Biden if he agreed to campaign for him: “President Biden is certainly welcome to be here … We want him to know and meet folks and hear from folks here in the state.” Beasley also criticized Budd for voting in the House in early 2021 to attempt to block certification of the 2020 election. He defended that action, saying “the core of that vote … was to inspire more debate because. I think debate is healthy for democracy.” Budd also said he would accept the results of next month’s election. Beasley said it was “outrageous” that Budd has tried to compare the 2020 presidential election challenge to her 2020 campaign for chief justice, which questioned the counting or rejection of thousands of specific absentee ballots. Beasley ended up losing by 401 votes from 5.4 million ballots cast. Beasley said she requested “a free and fair recount and legal recount to make sure that every single vote was counted.” Beasley continued to pound on Budd for his opposition to abortion, which has taken on great importance in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade. Budd co-sponsored a measure last month that would ban abortion nationally after 15 weeks of pregnancy He previously backed bills that would ban abortions after cardiac activity is detected, which is usually around six weeks of fertilization. “The bottom line is Congressman Budd wants to be in between a woman and her doctor, and there is no place in the exam room for Congressman Budd,” she said. Budd said “I’ve always been pro-life.” When asked what his abortion bill would look like, he responded: “I’ve always been about protecting the life of the mother. I want to save as many unborn lives as possible.” He accused Beasley of being extreme on abortion for supporting a federal bill that would codify the previous Supreme Court standard. While Beasley’s campaign has outraised Budd throughout the campaign entering the summer, national Senate Republican groups have neutralized that advantage already spending over $26 million against her, according to campaign reports. National Democrats, in turn, have spent a small fraction of that amount for Beasley or against Budd. Beasley’s supporters hoped her debate performance Friday would attract more outside help. Beasley, who has tried to attract votes from rural areas that have shifted to the right, said Budd has repeatedly voted against the needs of North Carolina residents. She says that includes opposing bills that would have capped the cost of insulin for seniors and allowed the federal government to negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare. Budd and Beasley have tried to portray themselves as an ally of law enforcement, although Budd has received the lion’s share of endorsement from groups representing troopers, police officers and border patrol agents. Budd declined to participate in any of the four GOP primary debates. In the Democratic primary, the field had been cleared of Beasley’s leading competitors during the last five months of the race. The Libertarian and Green party candidates didn’t participate in Friday’s debate but were interviewed beforehand by Spectrum 1 News. Read More Here

500 Children Reunited With Families By Biden-Harris Task Force, Nearly 200 Still In Process – Deltaplex News https://digitalarizonanews.com/500-children-reunited-with-families-by-biden-harris-task-force-nearly-200-still-in-process-deltaplex-news/ (NEW YORK) — More than 500 children have been reunited by the Biden administration’s task force to find families separated as a result of the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy at the border, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Friday. “This is a significant milestone that reflects the tireless dedication of the many public servants in the Department of Homeland Security and across the federal government, including those in the Departments of Health and Human Services, State, and Justice,” Mayorkas said in a statement. “It is a milestone that we could not have achieved without the partnership and critical work of several incredibly committed non-governmental organizations.” Nearly 200 other children who have yet to be reunited and are in the process, Mayorkas said. The administration had previously identified 3,855 total children who would qualify for government-assisted reunification, according to the last formal progress report from the task force in July. Since then, the administration has now reached out to about 150 families who are eligible but have not responded. Prior to the establishment of the task force, some 2,260 known children were reunified. The work is done in connection with international non-governmental organizations including the International Organization for Migration and the UN Refugee Agency. Human rights workers have fanned out across Central America, traveling over 62,000 miles to find separated parents. “We will continue to work tirelessly to deliver on President Biden’s commitment to reunite children separated from their families at the United States-Mexico border,” Mayorkas said Friday. Those admitted for reunification receive humanitarian parole for three years to live and work in the U.S. The status is similar to those who have fled Afghanistan and Ukraine over the past year. The administration continues to operate two websites — Together.gov and Juntos.gov — where families can register to check their eligibility. So far, the government has registered about 1,700. Once found eligible, families then submit documentation to receive parole, allowing them to enter the U.S. The government is also providing families access to mental health services as part of the reunification effort. Last month, the Justice Department asked a federal judge to approve a new round of psychological evaluations for those separated and a part of an ongoing lawsuit in Arizona federal court. Five mothers who were separated from their kids are seeking compensation for mental health damages from the U.S. government. Lee Gelernt, the lead ACLU attorney representing migrant families said in a statement to ABC News that the progress was notable, but much more work needs to be done, noting they continue to look for 150 separated families. “The task force should be given credit for reunifying 500 families, but unfortunately there is still a long way to go to remedy the historic wrong committed by the Trump administration,” Gelernt said. “Beyond reunification, these families deserve comprehensive relief, including a chance to remain in the United States.” Armando Garcia and Luke Barr contributed to this report. Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read More Here

Trump's Arizona Slate Risks Turning Off Independent-Minded Voters In Key Senate And Governor's Races – ABC17NEWS https://digitalarizonanews.com/trumps-arizona-slate-risks-turning-off-independent-minded-voters-in-key-senate-and-governors-races-abc17news/ By Maeve Reston, CNN Megan Lindsay, a 48-year-old teacher, had a recurring thought as she surveyed the Donald Trump-backed candidates in Arizona’s Senate and governor’s races: she is a voter who no longer feels at home in either party. It was a common refrain in interviews with more than two-dozen voters in the Phoenix suburbs — an area that could play a pivotal role in determining control of the governor’s mansion and a Senate seat that will shape the balance of power in Washington, DC. The nomination of polarizing candidates aligned with the former President in key swing states, including Georgia, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, has complicated the GOP’s ability to appeal to more moderate and independent voters in Senate and governors races across the country. The potential for disaffected Republicans to cast ballots for Democrats may be especially prevalent here — as is the possibility for ticket-splitters, once a dying breed — in a state where Trump’s imprimatur elevated a full slate of election deniers for the top four offices in the state. The former President, who lost the state by less than 11,000 votes, plans to campaign with them Sunday at a rally in Mesa. “I felt like my party left me,” Lindsay said after a recent weekend grocery shopping trip, explaining her reaction to Trump-aligned Republicans exerting control in Arizona over the past few years. Though she is still registered as a Republican, she now thinks of herself as one of the unaffiliated voters in the state who comprise about a third of the electorate. Those independent voters, along with disaffected GOP voters repelled by the MAGA message, are likely to be a powerful force in November in a longtime conservative state that President Joe Biden flipped in 2020. Given the extent to which Arizona once valued politicians who were willing to buck their party, Lindsay and her husband were dismayed to see the enduring power of Trump’s influence in elevating gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake and Senate nominee Blake Masters. Both won their August primaries, in part, by echoing Trump’s lies about the 2020 election and his hard-right rhetoric on immigration. “It seems like it has become less about what they actually stand for and who they are as human beings — and a lot more about (Trump’s) name,” Lindsay said. Many of Arizona’s independents live in the suburbs around the Loop 101 that rings Phoenix. They are often the White college-educated women who abandoned the Republican Party nationally in droves during the Trump years. Republicans hoped that dissatisfaction with Biden and concerns about inflation and crime would help them reverse that trend here, but the strident breed of candidates Trump advanced has complicated that equation. The Republican Party in Arizona is now largely controlled by Trump allies who have often censured his critics. Lindsay was just one of many who said she was wrestling with her choices in November and confronting the possibility of splitting her ticket. She has no patience for Lake’s scorched-earth rhetoric and is alarmed by the former news anchor’s lack of government experience. But she said she would “have a hard time” supporting Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, Lake’s Democratic opponent, because she thinks Hobbs is too liberal on issues like abortion. As for Masters: “God, that hurt,” Lindsay said describing the moment he became the Senate nominee. Lindsay and her husband are leaning toward Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, because she said they cannot support “anybody who does not understand the need to treat people as human beings when they are running for their lives” — a reference to Masters’ harsh rhetoric on immigration during the GOP primary. Mariette Ketchum, an independent who lives in Phoenix, said she could not vote for Lake. “I feel that if Lake’s our governor, then Trump is our governor.” Hobbs, the 67-year-old hair stylist said, “is addressing more of what matters to us as citizens of the state,” while Lake has been focused on “fraud in the election, which I don’t believe in.” Lake has repeated Trump’s falsehood that the 2020 election was stolen. “I’m so tired of hearing about it,” Ketchum said. “Enough already. Putting it in my face one more time is not going to change my mind.” “It just seems like it’s not the Republican Party anymore, it’s the Trump party,” said Ketchum as she unloaded groceries from her cart in the Phoenix suburbs. “It’s the MAGA party and I just cannot go there on any level. I see no peace in it.” The pursuit of independent voters Trump’s close association with Lake and Masters has made it difficult for the GOP to woo Arizona’s independent voters, who have been a pivotal force for years in electing figures like former Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano, the late Republican Sen. John McCain, current Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, who is term-limited, and Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, whose campaign tagline was “independent, just like Arizona.” (Sinema, along with West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, has become one of the biggest thorns in the sides of Washington Democrats.) “We have a name for those voters — they are Ducey-Sinema voters,” quipped one GOP strategist, who requested anonymity to speak freely about the challenge facing the party. “Republicans need to be able to appeal to them. They have successfully in previous cycles. The question is whether they are going to or not this cycle — whether some of the vernacular in the primary was disqualifying.” Like Trump in 2020, Lake and Masters have both struggled to pivot toward the general electorate after devoting their energy to supercharging the GOP base during the primary. Kirk Adams, former speaker of the Arizona House and former chief of staff to Ducey, noted that Trump lost Arizona in 2020 in part because “professional women in the suburbs — in the Loop 101 corridor — personally found the president distasteful, and were open-minded to voting for Joe Biden — voting for a Democrat, which they had not done very often.” The MAGA messaging embraced by Trump’s slate continues to turn off some of those voters, even though the GOP is benefiting from Biden’s unpopularity, inflation and Democrats’ perceived mishandling of border security. “We’re going to find out that candidates matter,” Adams said. “You can get away with running on the extremes on both sides in some of the legislative districts or congressional districts,” Adams said, “but statewide, I don’t believe that’s the case.” New polling from CNN reflects the GOP’s challenge in Arizona. Kelly is holding a narrow lead over Masters even though the economy and inflation — issues that have created a favorable political climate for the GOP — were cited as voters’ top concerns. The polling showed that Masters’ connections to Trump were serving as a drag on his support — about half of Arizona voters (48%) said Masters is too supportive of the former President, while 37% said his support was about right. Kelly’s edge stemmed in part from his lead among independents: 53% backed the Democrat while 38% backed Masters. There was no clear leader in the race between Lake and Hobbs. In the governor’s race, about 51% of independents said they were supporting Hobbs, while 39% were supporting Lake. About a quarter of Arizona voters said they were undecided or could change their mind before November in the Senate race, while about 20% said they’d made no choice yet or might change their mind in the governor’s race. CNN’s polling showed that abortion ranked as a distant second-place concern for Arizona voters. On the ground in the Phoenix suburbs, women of all political persuasions expressed concern that the GOP nationally and many of the candidates in their state have become too extreme on that issue, even if they did not list it as their top issue. Abortion rights has been at the fore in the Grand Canyon state after the Supreme Court struck down the Roe v. Wade decision amid a heated debate over which of Arizona’s laws should take precedence — a 15-week ban passed by the state legislature this year and signed by Ducey or a pre-statehood law banning nearly all abortions. The pre-statehood ban was enjoined in 1973 after the Roe decision, but a Pima County Superior Court judge recently ruled that it could go back into effect at the urging of the state’s GOP attorney general. Masters’ campaign has said he is “100% pro-life,” but many voters here took note in August when he attempted to moderate his stance on abortion by editing his website to remove the mention of his support for a “federal personhood law” and other anti-abortion rights positions. The GOP Senate candidate says he would also support a national abortion ban at 15 weeks as a “federal backstop.” Interviews with female voters, however, suggest there is significant confusion about Lake’s position on abortion. Lake described herself as “pro-life” during the primary and has called abortion “the ultimate sin.” But she has also repeatedly said recently that she would uphold state law on abortion without specifying which one. When she was pressed by an NBC reporter this week to clarify whether she supports the 15-week ban or the near-total ban enshrined in the pre-statehood law, she replied: “We don’t really know what the law is right now. We are trying to figure that out. And I will uphold the law — whatever that law may be.” A familiar face One of the advantages that Lake has over Masters is that some voters in Arizona feel like they know her, because of her long career in local television — even if they aren’t exactly sure what positions she holds. Alisa Johnson, a 51-year-old purchasing manager from Peoria, Arizona, who leans Republican, said Lake “seems l...

Trump Super PAC Reserves Millions In Airtime In Key Midterm Election States https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-super-pac-reserves-millions-in-airtime-in-key-midterm-election-states/ NEW YORK Former President Donald Trump is opening his checkbook, reserving millions of dollars in airtime for ads to bolster his endorsed candidates in key midterm races just one month before Election Day. Trump’s newly-formed MAGA Inc. super PAC has so far placed reservations in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Arizona, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact. Additional spending is planned in Nevada and Georgia, according to a person familiar with the effort who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the buys before they were made public. The Georgia spending is particularly notable, coming as Trump’s hand-picked Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker’s campaign has been rocked by reports alleging he encouraged and paid for a woman’s 2009 abortion. Walker, a longtime football icon, backed a national ban on abortion during his primary, and has said he does not believe in exceptions even in cases of rape, incest or when the health of a pregnant woman is at risk. Toay, the super PAC booked $1 million worth of airtime in Arizona, with ads set to begin airing Saturday, according to AdImpact. That follows reservations of $1.34 million in Ohio and $829,000 in Pennsylvania placed Thursday, AdImpact said in a tweet. MAGA Inc. spokesman Steven Cheung declined to say how much additional spending Trump had planned beyond the initial reservations. “We’re not going to telegraph our spending but it’s a significant buy,” he said. The super PAC’s first two ads are negative spots aimed at turning voters off the Democratic rivals of Trump-endorsed candidates. The first attacks Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman, who is running against Republican nominee Mehmet Oz, by portraying Fetterman as soft on crime. “John Fetterman wants ruthless killers, muggers and rapists back on our streets,” it charges, labeling the lieutenant governor “dangerous.” The second targets Ohio Democratic Senate candidate Tim Ryan for voting with his party as a member of Congress, using footage from a speech in which he joked that he would “suck up a little bit” to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, “his future boss.” Ryan, who is running against Trump-endorsed Republican JD Vance, has run as centrist trying to win back the Rust Belt voters who have soured on the party in recent years. The ads released so far notably do not feature or even mention Trump, who remains a deeply divisive figure, but one who is extremely popular with the Republican base. Trump had been under growing pressure to finally start spending on midterm races after playing an outsize role in the primaries and pushing his favored candidates. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, in particular, had urged candidates with Trump’s support to ask him to open his checkbook heading into the race’s final stretch. The notoriously thrifty former president’s Save America PAC, his main fundraising vehicle since leaving office, ended August with more than $90 million in the bank. Trump aides have discussed transferring a portion of that money to MAGA Inc., which could later be used to support a presidential campaign should Trump decide to run again, though campaign finance experts are divided on the legality of such a move. Trump has continued to tease another presidential run, telling supporters at a rally in Warren, Michigan, last weekend, “We’ll be talking about great things hopefully in the not so distant future.” “Oh I think you’re going to be happy,” he went on to say. “But first we have to win a historic victory for the Republican Party this November.” Read More Here