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Flynn, Gingrich Testimony Sought In Georgia Election Probe https://digitalarizonanews.com/flynn-gingrich-testimony-sought-in-georgia-election-probe-2/ 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. Each of the petitions filed Friday seeks to have the potential witnesses appear in November after the election. But the process for securing testimony from out-of-state witnesses sometimes takes a while, so it appears Willis is putting the wheels in motion for activity to resume after her self-imposed pause. Compelling testimony from witnesses who don’t live in Georgia requires Willis to use a process that involves getting judges in the states where they live to order them to appear. The petitions she filed Friday are essentially precursors to subpoenas. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who’s overseeing the special grand jury, signed off on the petitions, certifying that each person whose testimony is sought is a “necessary and material” witness for the investigation. The petition for Gingrich’s testimony relies on “information made publicly available” by the U.S. House committee that’s investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. It says he was involved along with others associated with the Trump campaign in a plan to run television ads that “repeated and relied upon false claims about fraud in the 2020 election” and encouraged members of the public to contact state officials to push them to challenge and overturn the election results based on those claims. Gingrich was also involved in a plan to have Republican fake electors sign certificates falsely stating that Trump had won the state and that they were the state’s official electors even though Democrat Joe Biden had won, the petition says. The petition seeking Flynn’s testimony says he appeared in an interview on conservative cable news channel Newsmax and said Trump “could take military capabilities” and place them in swing states and “basically re-run an election in each of those states.” He also met with Trump, attorney Sidney Powell and others at the White House on Dec. 18, 2020, for a meeting that, according to news reports, “focused on topics including invoking martial law, seizing voting machines, and appointing Powell as special counsel to investigate the 2020 election,” Willis wrote. Willis in August filed a petition seeking testimony from Powell. Herschmann, who featured prominently in the House committee hearings on the Capitol attack, was a senior adviser to Trump from August 2020 through the end of his term and “was present for multiple meetings between former President Trump and others related to the 2020 election,” Willis wrote in the petition seeking his testimony. She wrote that the House committee also revealed that Herschmann had “multiple conversations” with Eastman, Giuliani, Powell “and others known to be associated with the Trump Campaign, related to their efforts to influence the results of the November 2020 elections in Georgia and elsewhere.” Specifically, he had a “heated conversation” with Eastman “concerning efforts in Georgia,” she added. Willis also filed petitions Friday to compel testimony from Jim Penrose and Stephen Cliffgard Lee. She identified Penrose as “a cyber investigations, operations and forensics consultant” who worked with Powell and others known to be associated with the Trump campaign in late 2020 and early 2021. He also communicated with Powell and others regarding an agreement to hire data solutions firm SullivanStrickler to copy data and software from voting system equipment in Coffee County, about 200 miles southeast of Atlanta, as well as in Michigan and Nevada, Willis wrote. Penrose did not immediately respond to an email and phone message seeking comment. Willis wrote in a petition seeking Lee’s testimony that he was part of an effort to pressure elections worker Ruby Freeman, who was the subject of false claims about election fraud in Fulton County. He could not immediately be reached for comment. Special grand juries are impaneled in Georgia to investigate complex cases with large numbers of witnesses and potential logistical concerns. They can compel evidence and subpoena witnesses for questioning and, unlike regular grand juries, can also subpoena the target of an investigation to appear before it. When its investigation is complete, the special grand jury issues a final report and can recommend action. It’s then up to the district attorney to decide whether to ask a regular grand jury for an indictment. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. 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Most Admired Companies Of 2022: Small Giants – AZ Big Media https://digitalarizonanews.com/most-admired-companies-of-2022-small-giants-az-big-media/ After receiving a record number of nominations, 50 companies have risen from the adversity of the past couple years and earned the right to call themselves Arizona’s Most Admired Companies of 2022. The Most Admired Companies of 2022 includes Small Giants. READ ALSO: Sold-out crowd celebrates the Most Influential Women in Arizona for 2022 Arizona’s Most Admired Companies of 2022 will be celebrated at an awards dinner and ceremony from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, October 13, 2022 at Chateau Luxe, at 1175 E. Lone Cactus Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85024. For sponsorship information, email [email protected]. For information about the event honoring Arizona’s Most Admired Companies, email [email protected] or click here. To buy tickets, click here. Most Admired Companies: Small Giants Most Admired Company: 2017, 2020, 2022   Top Arizona executive: Danielle Feroleto, president and CEO What it does: Full-service creative marketing agency that services the construction industry in Arizona. Admirable trait: Small Giants is a certified woman-owned business and continues to be woman-operated. Of the company’s employees, more than 60% include a diverse pool of women, several of whom hold management positions. Part of Small Giant’s corporate/social responsibility includes elevating awareness that the male-dominated commercial real estate (CRE) industry is an excellent place for women to build careers and have an impact. To increase female influence in CRE, the current 23 female employees are passionately involved with upwards of 15 organizations and associations across the Valley serving the industry. Specialty: In service to clients in the local CRE and architecture, engineering, and construction industries, Small Giants’ portfolio includes 400 companies across Arizona. Many of these companies continue to return yearly as new services are needed in the ever-changing market. Arizona’s Most Admired Companies of 2022 Accenture American Express Arizona Diamondbacks Axon Better Business Bureau Serving the Pacific Southwest Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Blue Yonder Burch & Cracchiolo CBIZ CBRE CHASSE Building Team Canyon State Electric Charles Schwab CopperPoint Insurance Companies Cresa DP Electric Inc. Desert Financial Credit Union Equity Methods Farmers Insurance Fennemore FirstBank Frazer Ryan Goldberg & Arnold Freedom Financial Network Gallagher & Kennedy Gila River Resorts & Casinos GoDaddy Greenberg Traurig Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona Health Information Management Systems (HiMS) Homeowners Financial Group USA Intel JE Dunn KUBRA LAVIDGE Lovitt & Touché, A Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC Company Microchip Technology Mortenson OneAZ Credit Union Quarles & Brady Small Giants Spear Education Sundt Construction Suntec Concrete Terros Health TriWest Healthcare Alliance USAA Voya Financial WaFd Bank Wilde Wealth Management Group Willmeng Construction Read More…

MODERNE Communities Buys 14 Acres In Marana For $4.35M – AZ Big Media https://digitalarizonanews.com/moderne-communities-buys-14-acres-in-marana-for-4-35m-az-big-media/ MODERNE Communities recently closed on its purchase of 14-acres from Gladden Phase II, LLC for $4.35 million. The parcel is situated within the Gladden master planned community in Marana, where MODERNE Communities will develop a build-to-rent community – MODERNE at Gladden Farms. Construction is targeted to begin on the gated community of 182 single-family homes for rent in 2023. READ ALSO: 57.8 acres of land in Marana sells for $14.2 million READ ALSO: Glendale, Tucson among 10 best cities to buy a second home The community will include a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units ranging from approximately 839 to 1,565 square feet. The gated community will include twenty-four-hour security, pocket parks, a community fitness center, clubhouse, resort-style pool, barbecue areas and electric car charging stations. “We are excited to be building a community in Gladden Farms,” states Randy Bury, founder of MODERNE Communities. “The expansion of businesses and new jobs coming from companies like Shamrock, CTI Trucking, Southwest Gas and the new regional headquarters for Roche is prompting a growing demand for housing options in the area.” Bury adds, “It also offers easy access to I-10 within about a 30-minute drive to the U of A and Raytheon in Tucson and to Nikola, Lucid, Kohler and all the new distribution centers being created in Casa Grande.” Will White of Land Advisors Organization represented MODERNE Communities in the purchase of the 14-acre parcel. MODERNE Communities has construction underway on two other build-to-rent communities –  one  near Tucson and one just outside downtown Phoenix in Tolleson. MODERNE at Rocking K will include 224 single-story homes for rent within the Vail master plan. MODERNE at Roosevelt in Tolleson is a gated rental community with 185 homes. Both projects expect to begin leasing in early 2023. For more information on the company and its communities visit modernecommunities.com. Read More Here

Ukraine Police Say Bodies Of More Than 500 Civilians Found In Kharkiv | CNN https://digitalarizonanews.com/ukraine-police-say-bodies-of-more-than-500-civilians-found-in-kharkiv-cnn/ CNN  —  The bodies of more than 500 civilians have been discovered in territory in northeast Ukraine recently retaken from Russian forces, Ukrainian police say. And as Ukrainian forces liberate more land in the northeast, new burial sites are being discovered in Donetsk. Many appear to contain the remains of civilians who lost their lives during several months of shelling and rocket fire. “We found the bodies of 534 civilians from the de-occupied territories” in Kharkiv region alone, said Serhii Bolnivov, head of the investigative department of the regional police. The bodies included 226 women and 19 children, Bolvinov added. Most of those recovered – 447 – were found at what he described as a “mass burial site” in the town of Izium, which Ukrainian forces liberated from Russian occupation in early September. Russian troops had been using Izium as a launchpad for attacks southward into the Donetsk region. CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh visited the site in mid-September. Bolvinov also alleged that more than twenty suspected Russian “torture chambers” have been found in the region. “In almost all large cities and towns, where military units of the Russian army were based, they set up such places of detention of civilians and prisoners of war and tortured them,” he said, mentioning one in the town of Pisky-Radkivski. “This is the 22nd torture chamber which we have found and inspected in the de-occupied territory of the Kharkiv region,” said Bolvinov. He said the most common torture techniques were electric shocks and severe beatings with sticks and other objects. There were also cases of nails being pulled out and the use of gas masks to restrict breathing. Bolvinov said there were also criminal proceedings underway regarding allegations of rape. “We understand that it is very difficult for victims to testify about such facts. However, there are proceedings that we have registered, there are appeals from women who were raped. We have information about the alleged facts of rapes in torture chambers,” Bolvinov added. The Ukrainian investigations in Kharkiv follow the discovery of grave human rights abuses by Russian forces north of Kyiv in March. Russia was accused of a litany of war crimes during its unsuccessful campaign to capture Kyiv in the early months of the war. After retreating from Bucha, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital, reports of emerged of Russian forces carrying out summary executions indiscriminate shelling. Bodies were found shot, tied up and left to rot, some bearing signs of torture. In nearby Borodianka, dead civilians were found strewn along the streets. Homes were reportedly ransacked. Moscow has consistently denied its soldiers are responsible for war crimes. In Bucha, the Kremlin claimed – without evidence – that the atrocities there were staged. However, witnesses who spoke to CNN said the carnage in the town began after its occupation. A report published in July by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe found that found that the patterns of violent acts by Russian forces in Ukraine meet the qualification of crimes against humanity. Read More Here

Straphangers Flee Subway After Passenger Uses Pepper Spray In Fight At Union Square: Police https://digitalarizonanews.com/straphangers-flee-subway-after-passenger-uses-pepper-spray-in-fight-at-union-square-police/ ABC7 New York 24/7 Eyewitness News Stream THE LOOP | NYC Weather and Traffic Cams WATCH LIVE Welcome, Your Account Log Out UNION SQUARE, Manhattan (WABC) — Train service has resumed after pepper spray was used during a fight on a subway car at the Union Square station. The incident was reported Friday morning around 10 a.m. Police say the incident caused passengers to try to flee the train and the station. Police say a 77-year-old male was sitting on a southbound R train when he was pepper sprayed during an unprovoked attack. The suspect, a male, then fled from the station. The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital where he’s expected to survive. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing. MTA Spokesman Michael Cortez released the following statement: “Following a short suspension of service on lines serving Union Square due to FDNY and NYPD response at that station, regular service has resumed. The cause of the incident leading to that response appears isolated.” ALSO READ | Man dies after being stabbed in unprovoked subway attack in New York City ———- * Get Eyewitness News Delivered * More Manhattan news * Send us a news tip * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Follow us on YouTube Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. Copyright © 2022 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved. Read More Here

Trump Super PAC Reserves Millions In Airtime In Pennsylvania, Ohio, Arizona https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-super-pac-reserves-millions-in-airtime-in-pennsylvania-ohio-arizona/ NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump is finally 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. On Friday, 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

Flynn, Gingrich Testimony Sought In Georgia Election Probe https://digitalarizonanews.com/flynn-gingrich-testimony-sought-in-georgia-election-probe/ ATLANTA — 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 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 did not immediately respond to email and phone messages seeking comment, and his lawyer also did not immediately return an email seeking comment. Gingrich referred questions to his attorney, who did not immediately respond to a text message seeking comment. Herschmann could not immediately be reached for comment. 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. Each of the petitions filed Friday seeks to have the potential witnesses appear in November after the election. But the process for securing testimony from out-of-state witnesses sometimes takes a while, so it appears Willis is putting the wheels in motion for activity to resume after her self-imposed pause. When she wants to compel testimony from witnesses who don’t live in Georgia, Willis has to use a process that involves getting judges in the states where they live to order them to appear. The petitions she filed Friday are essentially precursors to subpoenas. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who’s overseeing the special grand jury, signed off on the petitions, certifying that each person whose testimony is sought is a “necessary and material” witness for the investigation. The petition for Gingrich’s testimony relies on “information made publicly available” by the U.S. House committee that’s investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. It says he was involved along with others associated with the Trump campaign in a plan to run television ads that “repeated and relied upon false claims about fraud in the 2020 election” and encouraged members of the public to contact state officials to push them to challenge and overturn the election results based on those claims. Gingrich wrote an email to people associated with the Trump campaign that said, “The goal is to arouse the country’s anger through new verifiable information the American people have never seen before,” the petition says. That would lead them to pressure state lawmakers and governors, he wrote. Gingrich was also involved in a plan to have Republican fake electors sign certificates falsely stating that Trump had won the state and that they were the state’s official electors even though Democrat Joe Biden had won, the petition says. The petition seeking Flynn’s testimony says he appeared in an interview on conservative cable news channel Newsmax and said Trump “could take military capabilities” and place them in swing states and “basically re-run an election in each of those states.” He also met with Trump, attorney Sidney Powell and others at the White House on Dec. 18, 2020, for a meeting that, according to news reports, “focused on topics including invoking martial law, seizing voting machines, and appointing Powell as special counsel to investigate the 2020 election,” Willis wrote. Willis in August filed a petition seeking testimony from Powell. Read More Here

Biden's Inside Man In Trump Land https://digitalarizonanews.com/bidens-inside-man-in-trump-land/ Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from Allie Bice.   Send tips | Subscribe here| Email Alex | Email Max  PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ll be off on Monday, Oct. 10 for Indigenous Peoples Day but will be back in your inboxes on Tuesday, Oct. 11! We hope absence makes the heart grow fonder.  In the spring of 2020, JOE BIDEN’s transition team viewed CHRIS LIDDELL skeptically. As a deputy chief of staff to DONALD TRUMP, Liddell would be the one in charge of planning the government hand-off if Biden won. But, “no one thought that we’d get cooperation at the level that Liddell was,” former Sen. TED KAUFMAN, who led Biden’s transition, told West Wing Playbook. DAVID MARCHICK, the then-head of the Center for Presidential Transition at the Partnership of Public Service who was working closely with the Biden team, vouched for Liddell after having met him earlier that year. “Liddell wanted Trump to win,” Marchick recalled in an interview ahead of the release of his new book, “The Peaceful Transfer of Power.” But Liddell “also recognized that there was a responsibility to implement the law and to plan for the possibility that Trump lost,” he said. Marchick ultimately became a central backchannel for communication between the Trump White House and the Biden transition team throughout that year and helped establish communication between the senior officials after the General Services Administration recognized that Biden had won the 2020 election. He did so, Kaufman said, at some risk. “David deserves a lot of credit for it,” said Kaufman. “No one knew we were working with Liddell — like half a dozen people — as a protection to him. It was very closely held.” Most of the Biden team came to share Marchick’s assessment that Liddell was earnestly trying to prepare for a transition. Marchick disrupted that quiet communication in September of 2020, however, when he praised Liddell for “doing a good job” in preparing for a potential Biden handover. Longtime Biden confidante JEFF PECK huffed in an email to top Biden aides — with Marchick accidentally copied — that “Marchick knows better than this,” according to the new book. There was fear that Liddell’s cover had been blown. And, afterward, Liddell himself quipped to Marchick that he would “avoid the Oval Office for a few days.” Things came to a head on Jan. 6, 2021, when Liddell considered resigning after the riot at the Capitol. There was fear that if he did so, the transition of power would lose a key cog and be disrupted. “We had a text chain with Chris, [GEORGE W. BUSH chief of staff] JOSH BOLTEN and me. And then I called Josh, and said ‘We got to talk Chris off the ledge,’” Marchick recalled in his interview. Liddell, who declined to speak for this piece, decided to stay. Marchick later joined the Biden administration as chief operating officer of the International Development Finance Corporation, a role he left earlier this year. His book is full of praise for the Biden transition, which “by many measures we must regard as the most effective presidential transition yet.” He believes it will likely be studied by future campaigns as presidential transition efforts become bigger, start earlier, and grow more complicated. Marchick credits the Biden team with focusing on political appointee positions rather than Senate confirmable ones. As a result, the new administration was able to swear in about 1,100 political appointees on Day One — reflecting an unprecedented feat of vetting and organization for a presidential transition. The Senate confirmation process, however, hampered Biden’s first year. By day 100 of his presidency, only 44 top officials had been confirmed out of around 1,200 who require Senate approval. That created its own issues. “I think that one of the consequences of having a lot of non-Senate confirmed people in place is once the Senate confirmed people are in place, they don’t get the chance to bring their own people in,” he said. “There’s a trade off.” MESSAGE US — Are you Josh Bolten? Email us at [email protected]. This one is from Allie. Which president started riding a mechanical horse after the Secret Service made him give up riding real ones? (Answer at the bottom.) TGIF! It’s cartoon feature time! This one’s by DAVID HORSEY. Our very own MATT WUERKER also publishes a selection of cartoons from all over the country. View the cartoon carousel here. BOEHNER APPROVED: Former House Speaker JOHN BOEHNER (R-Ohio), who has become a weed advocate in his post-congressional life, offered his approval of Biden’s announcement Thursday that he would pardon those convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law and push for an expeditious review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law. Boehner was not consulted on the announcements, his spokesman DAVE SCHNITTGER told our SAM STEIN. “But he welcomes the president’s action and believes it is a significant one for the country. His hope is that it helps clear a path for congressional action by the end of the year on other cannabis policy reforms such as the SAFE Banking Act and CLIMB Act that have bipartisan support and are very much needed.” RELATEDLY: We got this dispatch from the pool today, which followed Biden as he walked into the bookstore on the campus of University of Pennsylvania. “Many onlookers noticed the commotion and hung around to see what was up,” the report read. “A couple yelled in the direction of POTUS, ‘Yo Joe! Legalize that weed!’” WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: The latest jobs numbers. AP’s PAUL WISEMAN reports that job growth has remained solid: “America’s employers slowed their hiring in September but still added 263,000 jobs, a solid figure that will likely keep the Federal Reserve on pace to keep raising interest rates aggressively to fight persistently high inflation. Friday’s government report showed that hiring fell from 315,000 in August to the weakest monthly gain since April 2021. The unemployment rate fell from 3.7% to 3.5%, matching a half-century low.” WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: Anything about the investigation of the president’s son. Fox News’ BROOKE SINGMAN and DAVID SPUNT report that “Attorney General MERRICK GARLAND and Deputy Attorney General LISA MONACO are taking a hands-off approach in the HUNTER BIDEN investigation and leaving charging decisions up to DAVID WEISS, the U.S. Attorney for Delaware, tasked with leading the probe. … The investigation is now being conducted by Weiss, a prosecutor appointed by former President DONALD TRUMP.” WESTWARD BOUND: Biden heads to the other coast next week. He’ll be in California from Oct. 12-14, and then in Oregon through Oct. 15, the White House announced Friday. …AND THEN TO EGYPT: The president is also slated to go overseas next month to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as the COP27, according to The Washington Post’s TYLER PAGER and MICHAEL BIRNBAUM. FIRST IN WEST WING PLAYBOOK: KRISTINA COSTA is now deputy assistant to the president for clean energy innovation and implementation, DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. She most recently was senior adviser and speechwriter to Deputy Secretary of State WENDY SHERMAN and is an alum of the Obama White House and the Center for American Progress. ASJIA GARNER has been promoted to associate director of communications to JILL BIDEN, Lippman has also learned. She previously was communications coordinator for the first lady. COMMENT CLEANUP: The U.S. military did a bit of cleanup for Biden after he told a group of donors Thursday night in New York that the world was the closest it had been to “Armageddon” since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Our LARA SELIGMAN noted in a piece Friday that the Pentagon said it “still has seen no indications that VLADIMIR PUTIN is planning to launch nuclear weapons,” despite the president’s warning. Defense Department spokesperson J. TODD BREASSEALE told POLITICO that Biden’s comments reflect how seriously the administration was taking the Russian president’s nuclear threats. “However — and to be clear: 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,” he said. BIG DAY FOR DATA PRIVACY: Biden signed an executive order Friday intended to limit the ability of American national security agencies to access people’s personal information. It was part of a transatlantic data sharing agreement with the European Union. The move comes after lengthy negotiations about data privacy between the U.S. and the EU. Our ALFRED NG, VINCENT MANANCOURT and MARK SCOTT have more details. COVID BOOSTER SLUMP: WaPo’s DAN DIAMOND, MARY BETH GAHAN and MARK JOHNSON report that despite the administration’s best efforts to promote the Covid booster rollout, Americans aren’t getting them. About 105 million U.S. adults have received a third Covid shot and even less have received the bivalent booster doses that have been recently made available. The slump in Covid booster shots comes as the colder fall and winter months approach. White House Tightens Rules on Counterterrorism Drone Strikes (NYT’s Charlie Savage) Mayor Adams Declares State of Emergency to Respond to Migrant Crisis (NYT’s Emma G. Fitzsimmons) A bump and a miss: Saudi oil cut slaps down Biden’s outreach (AP’s Ellen Knickmeyer, Chris Megerian And Kevin Freking) LYNDA TRAN, the Department of Transportation’s director of public engagement and senior adviser, told POLITICO back in 2020 that she’s “terrified of the ocean.” But she found a way to work on her anxiety. She said she “got scuba certified and learned to surf to face my fears.” Congrats, Lynda! CALVIN COOLIDGE swapped in a mechanical horse for a real one while in office. According to a 2018...

What We Know About 2 Teenagers Arrested In Murder Of Star Football Player Outside Gwinnett Mall https://digitalarizonanews.com/what-we-know-about-2-teenagers-arrested-in-murder-of-star-football-player-outside-gwinnett-mall/ GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Police have arrested two teenagers in South Carolina in connection to the shooting death of a star high school football player in Georgia earlier this week. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Elijah DeWitt, 18, was shot and killed outside a Dave & Busters at Sugarloaf Mill mall Wednesday night. TRENDING STORIES: Two arrested in connection to shooting death of star Georgia football player Longtime businesses say they’re being forced out of Marietta Square because of new development DeKalb pastor’s wife critically injured by stray bullet as she slept DeWitt was a star wide receiver at Jefferson High School in Jackson County. On Friday, Gwinnett County police said they arrested 18-year-old Kemare Bryan and 19-year-old Chandler Richardson, both from Lawrenceville, in Anderson, South Carolina. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Both have been charged with felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Both are currently in custody in the Anderson County jail. They will be extradited to Gwinnett County on Monday. Police said detectives are still working to determine a motive behind the murder, but believe the suspects and DeWitt knew each other, and that when they saw each other in the parking lot outside the mall, they got into a fight an DeWitt was shot. Channel 2′s Elizabeth Rawlins talked to DeWitt’s mother, who said she does not believe her son knew the shooters and that he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The investigation is ongoing. Suspect arrested in death of 17-year-old star football player ©2022 Cox Media Group Read More Here

Prosecutors Allege Oath Keepers Leader Stewart Rhodes Engaged In A Weeks-Long Plan To Resist Biden https://digitalarizonanews.com/prosecutors-allege-oath-keepers-leader-stewart-rhodes-engaged-in-a-weeks-long-plan-to-resist-biden/ Washington – In the months before the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, prosecutors say Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes’ rhetoric grew more desperate and more violent, calling on then-President Donald Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act to enable an armed resistance against a rogue government.  “It will be 1776 all over again,” Rhodes allegedly wrote in an Oath Keepers leadership message group. “Force on force is the way to go.” Invoking the act would have meant that Trump could temporarily use the military for civilian law enforcement — which otherwise has been banned since the post-Civil War Reconstruction period. In the eyes of the Oath Keepers, the rogue government to be stopped was the incoming Biden administration. Rhodes, the founder of the far-right group, and four codefendants stand accused of seditious conspiracy, a broad charge that in this case applies the use of force to resist the peaceful transfer of power from Trump to Joe Biden. The defendants are on trial in Washington, D.C., for other crimes related to the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, too. To secure a conviction on seditious conspiracy, prosecutors must be able to convince the jury that the defendants willfully conspired to forcibly halt the functioning of government, a task they say will take weeks.  FBI Special Agent Byron Cody, who started investigating the Oath Keepers soon after the attack, testified about Rhodes’ weeks-long plan for him and his followers, and ultimately Trump, to resist Mr. Biden’s lawful election. There has been no evidence at trial that this alleged plan made its way to the former president. “I told you the Dems would steal it,” Rhodes allegedly wrote in another message, “Trump has one and only one option left,” alluding to the Insurrection Act.  Rhodes’ alleged scheme, which was never carried out, involved declaring President-elect Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris to be illegitimate and using community organizers and sheriff”s associations throughout the country to fight if needed, Cody alleged.  “Trump had one last chance to act. He must use the Insurrection act,” Rhodes is accused of writing on Dec. 14, 2020.  In an open letter to the former president penned on December 23, 2020 — the second of two letters — prosecutors say Rhodes urged Trump to follow the example of George Washington during the Revolutionary War and “attack.”  “Recognize you are already in a war,” the letter posted on the Oath Keepers’ website read, “You must act like a wartime president.”  Rhodes advised the president to purge the government of what he said were corrupt politicians and judges of all political stripes who meant Trump harm — an unfounded conspiracy theory commonly circulating in certain circles of extremist groups — and install a “true patriot” as acting attorney general.  The date of the certification of the electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021, Rhodes told Trump in the letter, would be too late. Many of Rhodes’ alleged calls to action spanned numerous dates – as early as November 2020 in the days after the election – and the government contends Rhodes ultimately saw Jan. 6 as a “hard constitutional limit.” Much of the evidence presented at trial so far predates the day of the attack.  “If you fail to do your duty, you will leave We the People no choice but to walk in the Founders’ footsteps,” Rhodes allegedly wrote in that December open letter, “We will take to arms in defense of our God given liberty.”  “Keep your promise. Drain the Swamp. Do it now! We will help you every step of the way.”  Prosecutors also presented the jury with a Dec. 30, 2020 text from Rhodes to other members of the Oath Keepers in which he claimed to have been trying to advise Trump by establishing possible “back channels” to the then-president. There has been no evidence so far presented at trial that Rhodes succeeded in reaching him, but a one-time Oath Keepers leader from North Carolina admitted as part of a plea agreement earlier this year that he had heard Rhodes on the phone with someone on the evening of Jan. 6, imploring the individual to tell Trump to call upon groups like the Oath Keepers to forcibly oppose the transfer of power. Rhodes’ defense disputes that claim.  Trump never invoked the Insurrection Act, but the five members of the Oath Keepers on trial, all of whom have pleaded not guilty, are also accused of amassing weapons outside of Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6 and coordinating their movements during the attack, some of them ultimately making their way inside the building.  Defense attorneys have told the jury at trial that the group was not as organized as prosecutors suggest, and that the defendants engaged in “bravado.” The amassing of weapons and supplies ahead of Jan. 6 in Virginia – where gun laws are less restrictive –  was allegedly undertaken in case some sort of defensive action was needed. The defendants, they said, were mostly in D.C. to provide aid and security during the rally.  Defense attorneys have also implied that the Insurrection Act would be a key part of their defense, arguing that preparation for a call to action that never comes does not amount to seditious conspiracy The jury on Friday also heard from U.S. Capitol Police Special Agent Ryan McCanley, a veteran of the force, who testified that on December 12, 2020, he saw a group of Oath Keepers – including Rhodes – demonstrating in Washington, D.C. while on duty as a plainclothes officer. McCanley said he took a picture of Rhodes to share with his fellow officers and make them aware of the Oath Keepers founder’s presence.  During cross-examination, McCanley testified that Rhodes did not engage in any violent acts that day and, to his knowledge, was not accused of any violent acts of protest in the past. Rhodes and his codefendants are not accused of any violent crimes on Jan. 6.  Still, the government has alleged throughout the week that Rhodes and other Oath Keepers discussed the use of violence in the days after the election. The thrust of their evidence thus far has focused on text messages, social media videos, and a recorded meeting from November 2020, in which Rhodes called on his audience to be prepared to “fight” during a pro-Trump protest in D.C. later that month.  The man who recorded that meeting, Abdullah Rasheed, was called as a government witness on Thursday and said that although he once served as leader of the West Virginia Oath Keepers chapter, he grew concerned about Rhodes’ rhetoric.  “It was scary what was being brought to the table,”  said Rasheed, who later under cross-examination testified that he was previously convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child.  Speaking under his breath and moving nervously in his chair, he said, “it sounded like we were going to war with the United States government.”  In: United States Capitol oath keepers Trial Read More Here

Trump Super PAC Reserves Millions In Airtime In Key States https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-super-pac-reserves-millions-in-airtime-in-key-states/ NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is finally 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. On Friday, 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.” Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Read More Here

Ye Tells A Giggling Tucker Carlson Why He Thinks Trump Is 'The Sh*t' In Unhinged Interview https://digitalarizonanews.com/ye-tells-a-giggling-tucker-carlson-why-he-thinks-trump-is-the-sht-in-unhinged-interview/ Musician and one-time 2020 presidential candidate Ye told Fox News personality Tucker Carlson former Republican President Donald Trump is “the sh*t” in an unhinged interview that has gone viral for his slew of incoherent remarks on different topics. Ye sat down with Carlson shortly after the controversy that erupted after he and far-right commentator Candace Owens were photographed wearing “White Lives Matter” T-shirts during his Yeezy Season 9 show during Paris Fashion Week. Several models of color were also required to wear the shirts in the show. u201cPHOTOS: Ye Kanye West makes his models and Lauryn Hill’s daughter Selah Marley wear ‘White Lives Matter’ shirt at his YZYSZN9 fashion show in Paris.n#KanyeWest nhttps://t.co/HcF2oPzIFSu201d — Mega Bounce Nation (@Mega Bounce Nation) 1664887121 Ye decided to go on Fox News to address the widespread backlash from friends and foes alike. During his appearance he praised Trump and joked about his support for him in a way that had Carlson—one of the biggest mouthpieces for Trump, his former administration, and his policies—giggling. You can hear what Ye said in the video below. u201cTucker Carlson: “Why did you like [Trump]?”nnKanye West: “Trump’s the shit. What do you mean?”nnTucker Carlson: *giggles*u201d — The Recount (@The Recount) 1665103413 When asked by Carlson to explain why he liked Trump “early on,” Ye responded: “Trump’s the sh*t man, what do you mean?” “I keep telling this joke. If people say Trump was the first Black president, I’m gonna be the first Latino president because all the values, the conservative values, just line up, come on, man.” “Trump said, ‘What do you mean has his own buildings? We talked about, like, Ralph Lauren. Yeah, he made Ivanka.” Ye’s remarks opened him and Carlson up to immediate criticism. u201cu201c He has his own buildingu2026he made Ivanka.u201d ohu2026myu2026Gerdu2026this is the mentality of a Trump follower!u201d — pam_cee52 (@pam_cee52) 1665147410 u201cHalf the country and their TV station and its hosts have absolutely, totally and completely, lost their minds. They exist in this delusional world where no one believes anything and anyone says anything.nnIt’s the weirdest gd thing I’ve seen in my lifetime.u201d — SFDB (@SFDB) 1665143709 u201cI donu2019t even comprehend him. I feel dumber listening to this.u201d — Lance McMillan (@Lance McMillan) 1665144093 u201cTucker Carlson giggling is one of the most unsettling sounds Iu2019ve ever heard.u201d — Pepper (@Pepper) 1665144908 u201c”If people say Trump was the first Black President, then Imma be the first Latino president.” — Kanye CarlsonnnWHO SAID THAT?!u201d — u2728TheStarsAtNight u2728 (@u2728TheStarsAtNight u2728) 1665130379 u201cThis is just weird.u201d — Rico (@Rico) 1665140860 u201cI donu2019t even understand what heu2019s saying.u201d — uche k… (@uche k…) 1665123416 u201cwatching this i feel insaneu201d — kt (@kt) 1665124180 u201cThis man needs help. ASAPu201d — Mwana wa Jena (@Mwana wa Jena) 1665129705 Later, when asked why he wore a “White Lives Matter” shirt, Ye said that he does “certain things from a feeling… using a gut instinct, connection with God and just brilliance.” He went on to accuse the media of having “a godless agenda” and said he thought it would be “funny” to wear the shirt. Carlson also wrote an op-ed defending Ye, asking that his viewers “be the judge” of Ye’s behavior, which critics have often said is erratic. Carlson said that Ye often projects his “rawest emotions” into what he says and that the “effect can be jarring and it’s often used as ammunition against him in the battle for influence over the minds of America’s young people.” Read More Here

Mayor Adams Declares State Of Emergency Over NYC Migrant Crisis, Seeks Help From Feds, State https://digitalarizonanews.com/mayor-adams-declares-state-of-emergency-over-nyc-migrant-crisis-seeks-help-from-feds-state/ Mayor Adams declared a state of emergency Friday over the city’s migrant crisis and pleaded for financial and legislative assistance from the federal government and state lawmakers. The declaration will suspend certain land-use requirements so the city can more rapidly set up emergency housing for migrants, such as the controversial tent camp set to be constructed on Randalls Island, Adams said in a speech from City Hall. Mayor Eric Adams delivers an address at City Hall on asylum seekers in lower Manhattan, New York on Friday, October 7, 2022. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office) But the declaration only goes so far. With more than 17,000 South and Central American migrants currently in the city, the homeless shelter system is nearly at 100% capacity and social services are being strained to the brink of collapse, Adams said. [ Cold, hungry, isolated. Migrants facing troubling conditions in Hell’s Kitchen hotel ] “It is burning through our budget,” he said, predicting that the city will spend more than $1 billion on the crisis in this fiscal year alone. “This is unsustainable.” As a result, Adams demanded that President Biden’s administration and Albany lawmakers do what they can to help, including allocating emergency funding and passing legislation that would expedite work permits for the migrants. “This is an all-hands-on-deck moment,” he said. Mayor Eric Adams (center) delivers an address at City Hall on asylum seekers in lower Manhattan, New York on Friday, October 7, 2022. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office) The massive influx of migrants has placed a big burden on the city’s homeless shelter system. That pressure has led to several apparent violations of the state’s right-to-shelter law, which requires the city to provide housing to anyone who seeks it within a proscribed timeframe. To relieve the burden on shelters, Adams signaled last week that he planned to house some migrants in tents at an Orchard Beach parking lot in the Bronx. But earlier this week, he reversed himself over concerns of flooding there. Instead, he opted to move the tent encampments to Randalls Island. An NYC Emergency Management employee and others prepare to survey the parking lot at Iachn Statium at Randalls Island Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022 in the Bronx. (Barry Williams/for New York Daily News) In a statement released by the Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless, which act as watchdogs regarding the right to shelter law, the groups slammed Adams for failing to invest more adequately in affordable housing, which would also ease the burden on shelters. “It is the city’s historic shameful failure to adequately invest in affordable housing that has continued to fuel mass homelessness,” they said in the statement. “We reaffirm our call on the city to abandon its plan to construct tent cities, and to instead focus on high-quality indoor shelter options and permanent housing.” [ Thousands of migrants are pouring into NYC from Texas, straining a shaky shelter system. When will it hit a tipping point? ] Also at play on Friday are the politics of the situation — both here and in other states. Many of the migrants streaming into the city have come from Texas. That state’s governor, Greg Abbott, who’s running for re-election, has directed buses filled with asylum seekers to the Big Apple as a way to criticize Biden’s border policies. Biden is also seeking a referendum on his effectiveness in the coming November midterm elections. And Gov. Hochul is also seeking re-election. President Joe Biden speaks as from left, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, and New York City mayor Eric Adams listen during a meeting at the FEMA Region 2 office in New York, Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022. (Evan Vucci/AP) The mayor said he is not concerned about politically putting Democratic allies in a tight spot. “[Biden] understood the urgency of the moment,” Adams said, referring to his most recent conversation with the president. “Speaking with the governor’s office, they understand the urgency of the situation. There was never a time that they stated, ‘Eric, you know, we don’t want to engage in this conversation because it’s too political.’ Nope, they did not do that at all.” He would not offer specifics regarding exactly how the state might help as far as providing locations to house asylum seekers, but noted that “there are plenty of locations that are under state control that I believe we should look at.” “Right now, I’m not going to disclose exact locations,” he said. “As soon as we get the approval from them — the inspections that state that they’re suitable for people to be inside — we’re going to make a formal announcement.” Migrants arrive on a bus at the Port Authority from Texas to Manhattan, New York on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022. (Barry Williams/for New York Daily News) During a press conference after his speech, Adams offered few details on which aspects of the city’s land use laws his administration intends to tweak. He did say the city does not plan to suspend its Uniform Land Use Review Procedure as part of the process, though. Bronx Councilman Rafael Salamanca, who chairs the Council’s Land Use Committee, said he has “no idea” which specific land use requirements the mayor is targeting, but speculated that the changes could involve rezoning industrial and commercial areas to house the asylum seekers. That could mean retrofitting vacant warehouses to help ease the city’s burden, he said. “My team is looking into it and we’re reaching out to [the mayor] because we want to understand: What are you suspending?” Salamanca said. New York City Corporation Counsel Sylvia Hinds-Radix also did not offer much in the way of specifics when it comes to suspending land-use requirements. “It does not suspend all our city laws, but just the land-use laws,” she said, adding that more details would be “forthcoming.” On Wednesday, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and several other Council members put out a statement urging Hizzoner to consider vacant hotels as an option for housing migrants. The Daily News at the time requested a list of the hotels they were referring to, but the Council still has not made it public. Before taking questions from reporters, Adams urged them to inquire with the Council as to why it has not yet released a list of potential hotels to house migrants. “Can you ask the City Council where’s the list?” he said. “Cause we can’t get it. They said there were ten hotels that were available and we should be using them … People need to stop criticizing. They need to step up.” Without calling out anyone by name, Adams also slammed Council members for demanding the city house migrants in hotels while at the same time telling his administration that they don’t want to house migrants in their Council districts. “I cannot tell you how many Council people, local electeds that are yelling, ‘house people,’ but are saying ‘not in my district,’” the mayor said. “You can’t have it both ways.” Newly arrived migrants are pictured in a closed holding area at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, New York on Sept. 19, 2022. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/for New York Daily News) When asked about cooperation with the City Council and complaints that he provided little notice to Council members Diana Ayala and Marjorie Velazquez, who represent Randalls Island and Orchard Beach, respectively, Adams again appeared to point his finger back toward lawmakers, saying that his administration has been “communicating with them all the time on this.” “There’s a deafening silence that’s coming from other parts of government,” he said. “This is not one of these operations where we can sit down and analyze what’s taking place. We had nine buses yesterday. We have eight buses today. We’re getting hundreds of people that are coming here, and it’s going to take real-time movement.” In an ironic twist, the city’s Immigration Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro suggested that many of the migrants in New York City could end up in Florida. That state’s governor, Ron DeSantis, also made waves weeks ago when he sent migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. About one-third of the asylum seekers coming into the city want to be re-settled in other parts of the country, according to Castro. Many of those coming into the city began their journey from Venezuela. “The largest population of Venezuelans in the country are in Florida, and that’s where most people indicated where they wish to be,” he said. “It really is up to the individuals. We want to make sure that we support people getting to where they wish to go.” Read More Here

Paul's Note – October 7, 2022 https://digitalarizonanews.com/pauls-note-october-7-2022/ Coach Roland LaVetter passed away last week. He had a shelf full of honors coaching basketball at both Pueblo and Rincon-University High Schools. He was such a well-respected coach (a two-time state champion, by the way) that Lute Olson brought him in for his early basketball camps.   He was also my coach and teacher.  Coach was my government teacher and student council advisor. As student council advisor, he encouraged me to run for student body president. I played basketball at Rincon during his time as coach as well.  He was always encouraging to me. Growing up with an example like him had a lot to do with my getting into both politics and teaching. He was a great leader in our community.  –  The Ward 2 office will be moving.  Not right away, but my colleagues and I formalized the city’s acquisition of Centre East, a complex south of the corner of Broadway and Pantano.  My hope is that other city services, including police, can have offices there as well. My staff has already been working with facilities to talk about what we need there. A priority for us has been making sure that there is accessible public meeting space in the new location. The public meeting space, which our constituents use for everything from quilting groups to homeowners association board meetings, is a valuable public good that we can offer and I want to make sure that can continue.  Another thing that I hope can happen in the new location is a return of the recycling center. We had a lot of issues with the center in our current parking lot, and with a bit more room and attention to design, I think a lot of those problems can be solved.  There are still a lot of details to be worked out and preparation needs to be done at the new location. The move will likely not happen until next spring. I’ll keep you up to date.  –  Tucson Meet Yourself is this weekend. It’s your chance to sample the cultures that make up our Tucson community.  It’s also been called “Tucson Eat Yourself” because of all the different kinds of food that’s available. It is, however, a full “folklife” festival. That means it’s a chance to learn about music, dance and folk art of our various communities, from Yaqui to Vietnamese to Polish and everything in between.  The festival was started in 1974 by certified National Heritage Treasure Big Jim Griffith. Unfortunately, this will be the first festival since his passing, but his vision lives on.  Tucson Meet Yourself starts today and runs through Sunday. It can be found at Jácome Plaza downtown and surrounding streets.  Read More Here

Binance-Linked Blockchain Hit By $570 Million Crypto Hack https://digitalarizonanews.com/binance-linked-blockchain-hit-by-570-million-crypto-hack/ A logo of Binance is seen at its booth, at the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups, at Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France June 17, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo LONDON, Oct 7 (Reuters) – A blockchain linked to Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, has been hit by a $570 million hack, a Binance spokesperson said on Friday, the latest in a series of hacks to hit the crypto sector this year. Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao said in a tweet that tokens were stolen from a blockchain “bridge” used in the BNB Chain, known until February as Binance Smart Chain. Blockchain bridges are tools used to transfer cryptocurrencies between different applications. Criminals have increasingly targeted them, with some $2 billion stolen in 13 different hacks, mostly this year, researcher Chainalysis said in August. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com The hackers stole around $100 million worth of crypto, Zhao said in his tweet. BNB Chain later said in a blog post that a total of 2 million of the BNB cryptocurrency – worth around $570 million – was withdrawn by the hacker. The majority of the BNB remained in the hacker’s digital wallet address, while about $100 million worth was “unrecovered,” the Binance spokesperson said by email. BNB Chain supports BNB, formerly known as Binance Coin, which is the world’s fifth-largest token with a market value of over $45 billion, according to data site CoinGecko. Elliptic, a London-based crypto blockchain researcher, told Reuters that the hacker had minted 2 million new BNB tokens before transferring most of the funds to other cryptocurrencies including Tether and USD Coin. BNB Chain suspended its blockchain for several hours before resuming at around 0630 GMT, it said in a tweet. BNB Chain was “able to stop the incident from spreading” by contacting the blockchain’s “validators,” – entities or individuals who verify blockchain transactions, it said in its blog post. There are 44 validators across several different time zones, it added without elaborating. BNB Chain, described by Binance as a “community-driven, open-sourced and decentralized ecosystem,” said it would introduce a new “governance mechanism” to counter future hacks, as well as expand the number of validators. In March, hackers stole around $615 million from a blockchain bridge called Ronin Bridge, in one of the largest crypto heists on record, ter linked by the United States to North Korean hackers. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft; Editing by Tom Wilson, Ana Nicolaci da Costa and Louise Heavens Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Elizabeth Howcroft Thomson Reuters Reports on the intersection of finance and technology, including cryptocurrencies, NFTs, virtual worlds and the money driving “Web3”. Read More Here

🌱 Public Land Closures Announced + Maricopa County Election Lawsuit https://digitalarizonanews.com/%f0%9f%8c%b1-public-land-closures-announced-maricopa-county-election-lawsuit/ Skip to main content Tempe, AZ Phoenix, AZ Tucson, AZ Yuma, AZ Palm Desert, CA Las Vegas, NV Ramona, CA Banning-Beaumont, CA Santee, CA Poway, CA Arizona Top National News See All Communities Hello, everybody! It’s me, Helen Eckhard, your host of the Scottsdale Daily. Follow along for the most important things going on in town these days. But first, today’s weather: An afternoon thunderstorm. High: 87 Low: 68. Find out what’s happening in Scottsdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch. I’m looking for business owners and marketers in Scottsdale who want to build awareness, connect with customers and increase sales. I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our Scottsdale Daily readers to local businesses they need to know about. If that’s you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now. Find out what’s happening in Scottsdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch. Here are the top three stories today in Scottsdale: The Bureau of Land Management has announced some public land closures in Maricopa County. The closures will be for the upcoming Vulture Mine Off-Road Challenge off-highway vehicle races and will be from Friday, Nov. 4 through Sunday, Nov. 6. The Bureau reports that the closures will improve safety for the race participants and the general public. The closure maps will be available at the Hassayampa Field Office. (BLM.gov) The Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer forecasts high voter turnout for the Nov. 8 General Election. Richer has reason to believe that the General Election turnout will double the Primary Election turnout. If Richer’s forecast is correct, Maricopa County will have about 70 percent voter turnout – about 1.6 million ballots. (KJZZ.org) The Republican Party of Arizona and the Republican National Committee (RNC) have sued Maricopa County. The two entities allege that Maricopa Count has violated election law regarding poll worker staffing during the Aug. 2022 Primary Election. According to the lawsuit, more Democrats were selected as poll workers compared to Republicans. The entities also claim that the county failed to provide requested records regarding staffing figures. (The Hill) Today in Scottsdale: Shred-It Shredding Event At Walmart Parking Lot (7:00 AM) The Art of Wine and Tastes of the Season At The Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts Atrium (1:00 PM) Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical JR At Desert Stages (3:00 PM) Flamenco Intimo At Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts (8:00 PM) From my notebook: The Scottsdale Police Department is currently hiring. Click to view open positions and apply today. (City of Scottsdale) Maricopa County is encouraging the community to get involved in the county’s elections. Click to learn more. (Maricopa County) Scottsdale’s WestWorld will be hosting the Body Art Expo from Friday, Oct. 21 through Sunday, Oct. 23. Click to get tickets today. (WestWorld) More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news! Featured businesses: Phoenix Online Media — (Visit website) Add your business here You’re all caught up for today. I’ll see you around! — Helen Eckhard About me: Helen Eckhard is a marketing assistant at Lightning Media Partners. She is a self-professed logophile who is currently pursuing her master’s degree in library science. Outside of work, you can find Helen constructing crossword puzzles, knitting, or devising increasingly crafty ways to kill off characters in her mystery novels. Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. The rules of replying: Be respectful. This is a space for friendly local discussions. No racist, discriminatory, vulgar or threatening language will be tolerated. Be transparent. Use your real name, and back up your claims. Keep it local and relevant. Make sure your replies stay on topic. Review the Patch Community Guidelines. Read More…

Putin's Disastrous War In Ukraine Has Pushed Him Into The 'most Precarious Moment' Of His Decades In Power, Top Russia Expert Says https://digitalarizonanews.com/putins-disastrous-war-in-ukraine-has-pushed-him-into-the-most-precarious-moment-of-his-decades-in-power-top-russia-expert-says/ Putin faces the “most precarious moment” of his time in power, Angela Stent told Insider. Stent, a top Russia expert, said Putin’s grip on power has slipped because of Russia’s mounting failures in Ukraine. The Russian army appears “incompetent,” Stent said, and the situation “looks bad” for Putin. Loading Something is loading. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ruled over his country with an iron fist for more than two decades, brutally cracking down on dissent while cementing his control over the levers of power in Russia. Those who’ve opposed the Russian leader have often landed behind bars or wound up dead. But Russia’s mounting failures in Ukraine have presented novel challenges to Putin’s authority. Angela Stent, a top Russia expert who served in the Office of Policy Planning at the State Department from 1999 to 2001 and as a national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia at the National Intelligence Council from 2004 to 2006, told Insider that “his grip on power is clearly not as strong as it was on February 23,” the day before Putin launched Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The war hasn’t gone Putin’s way. The Pentagon said in August that Russian casualties could be as high as 80,000, and that number has likely risen in recent months. In an effort to address Russia’s manpower problems, Putin recently announced a partial military mobilization, as well as various stop-loss measures, but things are not going well. There’s been local resistance to the draft, and tens of thousands of Russians have fled the country.  Putin also announced the annexation of four Ukrainian regions last week, despite the fact that Russia does not fully control or occupy these regions. In the time since, Ukrainian forces have recaptured territory in these areas. Recent reporting suggests that even members of Putin’s inner circle have begun to openly criticize the botched invasion, an action that can be dangerous and even deadly.   The Russian army appears “incompetent,” Stent said, and the situation “looks bad” for Putin. “This is definitely the most precarious moment” in Putin’s 22 years in power, she said, adding that what is happening is entirely “self-inflicted.” “He didn’t have to go in and invade Ukraine in February, but obviously he made the decision that this was the right time to do it,” Stent, now a Georgetown professor and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said.  Even though the war hasn’t gone as planned for the Russian leader, that does not necessarily mean Putin’s downfall is imminent. “He still projects the image of someone who’s self-confident,” Stent said, pointing to Putin’s “fiery” speech on the annexations. And there hasn’t been a mass public uprising against Putin, showing how effective his efforts to quash dissent have been. Putin’s most prominent critic, Alexey Navalny, is imprisoned on charges widely decried as politically motivated. Protesting the war could mean prison time for some Russians, and Putin signed a vague law criminalizing spreading so-called “fake news” about the military shortly after the invasion began. “The problem is Putin has created the system with increasing repression,” Stent said, “It’s a huge disincentive to protest.” “There’s no one single individual or even small group of individuals who would mobilize people,” she added, “In Russia if you want to have change, it has to happen in Moscow and probably St. Petersburg, and you just haven’t seen the willingness to galvanize people.”  Stent also said that the recent decision by the OPEC+ alliance to significantly cut oil production at a time when Russia’s war in Ukraine is causing an energy crisis seems to point to Putin’s ongoing geopolitical influence. The Saudis and other members of the coalition are essentially “supporting Putin’s war effort,” Stent said. “Even though his situation doesn’t look good, there a large number of countries all around the world that still support Russia.” But there are also signs that countries like India and China, which tend to side with Moscow on the global stage but haven’t taken an overtly supportive stance with regard to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are “wary” about what Putin is doing, Stent said. Last month, Putin acknowledged that both countries have concerns about the war in Ukraine as he met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a summit in Uzbekistan. Modi criticized the conflict directly to Putin’s face, stating, “Today’s era is not an era of war, and I have spoken to you on the phone about this.” Putin’s repeated nuclear threats since the war began likely “mitigates” the possibility of such countries offering full-throated support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, Stent said.  ‘The nuclear threats are not helping Putin’ A Russian nuclear missile rolls along Red Square during the military parade marking the 75th anniversary of Nazi defeat, on June 24, 2020 in Moscow, Russia. Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images With Russia struggling in Ukraine and Putin facing perhaps the worst predicament of his time in power, many leaders, officials, Russia watchers, and military experts in Ukraine and in the West have expressed concerns that the Russian leader might resort to the use of nuclear weapons.  In late September, national security advisor Jake Sullivan said the US has privately communicated to Russia that there would be “catastrophic consequences” if nuclear weapons are used.  A number of analysts have suggested that Putin’s nuclear threats are largely a bluff designed to intimidate the West and push it away from continuing support for Kyiv. The US has provided Ukraine with billions in security aid, including weapons that have played a key role on the battlefield. If this is Putin’s goal, it’s not working, Stent said, adding that “the nuclear threats are not helping Putin vis-à-vis the West.” Putin’s nuclear rhetoric should be taken “seriously,” she said, but that there has been “exaggeration of the imminent threat.” “I don’t think anybody thinks that the use of a tactical nuclear weapon is something that’s going to happen soon,” Stent said, emphasizing that Putin wants to wait and see if the mobilization works before taking escalatory steps beyond attacks on infrastructure such as power plants and dams.  But that doesn’t mean Putin’s nuclear threats can be entirely dismissed. “Putin said he wasn’t bluffing, and some of our political leaders have said we have to have to take this seriously,” Stent said. “That’s why the administration is clearly communicating with the Kremlin — telling them that if they were to do something like that, there would be very serious consequences.” Read More Here

Brian Chartrand Quartet Returns – Signals AZ https://digitalarizonanews.com/brian-chartrand-quartet-returns-signals-az/ The CAST 11 Podcast Network is made possible by the 2022 Ultimate Holiday Guide. Promote your next event or holiday offering in the Ultimate Holiday Guide by calling Elicia at: 928-642-3552. Roll into your autumn on a tide of folk and rock harmonies, sung in an intimate setting with close companions, table beverages and four of the finest musicians around. Yavapai College Performing Arts Center invites you to enjoy the Brian Chartrand Quartet, in the second session of its critically acclaimed Cabaret Series, Friday night, October 21, at 7 p.m. Favorites of the Phoenix club scene and YCPAC’s own Concerts on the Green, the Brian Chartrand Quartet – Chartrand on guitar, with drummer Todd Chuba, keyboardist Lamar Gaines and bassist Mario Mendivil – deftly blends soulful original songs with an extensive rock/folk set list that has captivated crowds everywhere from the Crescent Ballroom to Carnegie Hall. “I was very fortunate to be exposed to a lot of different styles growing up.” Chartrand said. “James Taylor had a huge influence on me. I loved all the music and the harmony singing of that late 60’s-70’s scene: Crosby, Stills & Nash, Simon & Garfunkel, Jackson Browne, the Eagles. “With the Quartet, we mix original songs and covers from previous bands. A lot of early 70’s singer/songwriter songs; some Rock ‘n Roll, and some stuff with a jazzier feel. We cover a lot of great artists and songs, and one leads to pretty easily to the other.” The Brian Chartrand Quartet has a love of live performance and an impressive versatility that has taken them from the bar band circuit to Scottsdale’s Musical Instrument Museum to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. After dialing up their skills to fill Prescott Valley’s open-air amphitheater, the Quartet brings a nuanced show to the bistro-like environs of YCPAC’s 120-seat Cabaret. “The Cabaret Series has been my most favorite concert experience on our stage.” Dr. Craig Ralston, YC Performing Arts Director of Programming & Development, said. “We bring our audiences close to the artists in an intimate atmosphere that allows for a truly unique experience.” By turning its 1,100-seat auditorium into a 120-seat Bistro, YCPAC invites Cabaret audiences to join the Brian Chartrand Quartet onstage. Watching comfortably from tables with coffee, drinks or hors d’oeuvres, audiences can catch every chord and nuance from four truly compelling performers. Tickets for The Brian Chartrand Quartet are $55 general admission, which includes seating at a table onstage, appetizers, desserts, coffee/tea and a cash bar. The Yavapai College Performing Arts Center is located at 1100 E. Sheldon Street, in Prescott. The YCPAC Ticket Office is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; and Thursdays and Fridays, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. For reservations or more information, please call: (928) 776.2000 or visit us online at: www.ycpac.com. Find out what else is happening in the state with more stories from the Recreation Section on Signals A Z.com! Coming soon to Talking Glass Media and featured in your Winter Editions of Badger Nation, Cougar Country, and Prescott Valley Recreation Guide featuring Bear Nation! If you like this story, consider subscribing to Signals Updates, Entertainment Events & News! Read More Here

Agent Saw Oath Keepers Leader With 90s-Era Badge To Access US Capitol ‘unescorted’ https://digitalarizonanews.com/agent-saw-oath-keepers-leader-with-90s-era-badge-to-access-us-capitol-unescorted/ WASHINGTON (CN) — The man accused of spearheading a seditious conspiracy last year had unescorted badge access to the Capitol building from his work as a legislative assistant in the 1990s, a Capitol Police special agent testified Friday. One decade before he founded the Oath Keepers, and two before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes had unfettered access to the building from July 1998 until January 1999 while employed by then-Rep. Ron Paul, Texas Republican. Rhodes, 63, of Granbury, Texas, is accused of orchestrating the insurrection with his Oath Keepers associates, four of whom are standing trial alongside him, as part of a larger plan to “oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power.” Although Rhodes did not physically enter the Capitol building on Jan. 6, prosecutors say he spent months planning, recruiting and stocking up on weapons with his co-defendants. Five people were killed in the insurrection, which delayed Congress’ certification of the 2020 election results. Ryan McCamley, an 18-year veteran with the U.S. Capitol Police and the government’s sixth witness, told jurors Friday that he was doing covert countersurveillance in Washington on Dec. 12, 2020, the day of the pro-Trump Million MAGA March, when he noticed Rhodes giving the speech at the so-called “Jericho” rally wearing a now-expired congressional badge. McCamley described how he recognized Rhodes — who was wearing a gray suit with a black cowboy hat and an eye patch — after having read about him and the Oath Keepers less than two weeks prior in Defense One magazine. While he may have heard of the Oath Keepers prior to reading the article, McCamley told jurors he did not “know much about them.” McCamley worked his way up to special agent status within the intelligence operations division in 2015, having started as a uniformed officer, At the Million MAGA March, McCamley snapped a photo of Rhodes with what he described as a “small” group of Oath Keepers, the antigovernment group Rhodes founded in 2009. Prosecutors displayed the photo to the jury, which the agent said he sent to his intelligence team that day as part of their efforts to prevent clashes between various demonstrators in the city. On cross-examination, Rhodes’ attorney James Bright tried to establish that the Capitol Police special agent did not see Rhodes and his associates do anything illegal while he was surveilling them in plain clothes on Dec. 12. Bright asked what drew his attention to the rally, aside from his covert duties. McCamley explained that he saw a cameraman trying to take a photo and, when the “media gets stirred up about something, we kind of want to see what’s going on, too.” The defense attorney probed further, asking two more times if there was anything else that drew his attention. But the agent did not budge and repeatedly said no. And when the defense questioned if he saw any illegal behaviors or illegal confrontations, the agent conceded that he did not and that he would describe the Jericho rally as “peaceful.” Rhodes is a veteran but his eye patch is said to have been a self-inflicted injury from 1993, after his military service, when he dropped a loaded gun and shot himself in the face. Jurors also heard testimony Friday from FBI Agent Byron Cody, who testified about messages Rhodes sent to fellow Oath Keepers on the eve of the Jericho rally, including several discussing Rhodes’ desire for then-President Donald Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act. Rhodes said in the letter that the Insurrection Act was the “only option” Trump had to stop Joe Biden from claiming what Rhodes erroneously insisted was an illegitimate victory. “That’s all he has left,” Rhodes told his compatriots. And if Trump does not act, Rhodes said they will have to fight against an “illegitimate Biden regime,” and that it will be a “bloody and desperate fight.” The agent also testified about two open letters Rhodes published on the Oath Keepers’ website before the Capitol riot in which he called for Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act. Rhodes posted his first open letter on Dec. 14, the day that the electoral college voted to certify Biden’s victory. He urged Trump to declare a coup was being undertaken by known and unknown foreign enemies and to call on the Oath Keepers as his militia. In the second letter, posted days later on Dec. 23, the Oath Keepers’ founder implored Trump to uphold his oath to the Constitution and to “act now” as a “wartime president.” “Please don’t do it,” Rhodes pleaded, “do not concede.” He urged Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act and said this could not wait until Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, 2021; Rhodes insisted he should instead “strike now.” U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, an Obama appointee, is presiding over the trial, which is expected to resume Tuesday and may last another five weeks. Rhodes’ alleged co-conspirators set to stand trial alongside him in the Washington federal courthouse are Thomas Caldwell, 68; Kelly Meggs, 53; Kenneth Harrelson, 41 and Jessica Watkins, 40.  A seditious conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. It requires prosecutors to prove to the jury that an actual agreement — to “overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force” the U.S. government — existed among the accused Oath Keepers.   The Justice Department has so far charged more than 870 people in connection with the Capitol riot. As of last month, about 300 people have pleaded guilty to misdemeanors, 80 have pleaded guilty to felonies. Approximately 132 people have been sentenced to a period of incarceration, at least 21 of whom have been sentenced to prison.  Read the Top 8 Sign up for the Top 8, a roundup of the day’s top stories delivered directly to your inbox Monday through Friday. Read More Here

Opinion | A Georgia Republican’s Takedown Of Trump And Herschel Walker Nails It https://digitalarizonanews.com/opinion-a-georgia-republicans-takedown-of-trump-and-herschel-walker-nails-it/ The crisis that has engulfed Herschel Walker’s Senate candidacy in Georgia raises a question: After this is all over, what sort of space will be left in the GOP for people like Geoff Duncan? Duncan, the lieutenant governor of Georgia, has been all over the national media offering withering criticism of Walker. But Duncan has gone even further: He’s exposed the truly corrupt nature of the bargain with Trump that fellow Republicans made in nominating Walker. “Unfortunately, Republicans looked around to see who Trump supported,” Duncan told CNN Thursday night, adding: “Now we’re paying the price.” Duncan: We didn’t ask who was the best leader. We didn’t ask who had the best resume. Unfortunately, Republicans looked around to see who Trump supported and he was a famous football player and so he became our nominee and now we’re paying the price pic.twitter.com/ddaISLpyZ1 — Acyn (@Acyn) October 7, 2022 Duncan may endorse Walker in the end, as Republicans in his position often do. But for now, what makes Duncan’s criticism noteworthy is not just that he’s blaming Trump for the Walker disaster, now that Walker is reeling from allegations that he paid for an abortion in 2009 (which he denies). It’s also that Duncan locates the problem in the GOP’s ongoing and active embrace of Trump. “I think every Republican knew that there was baggage out there,”Duncan said Wednesday, noting this baggage has become “unbearable.” Walker won the nomination, Duncan added, because he was Donald Trump’s “friend.” Follow Greg Sargent’s opinionsFollow Add Republicans have insisted all these revelations about Walker — which include his son Christian Walker’s scalding attacks on him as an absentee father and serial philanderer — are all a big nothingburger. Or they’ve blamed Democrats or the Fake News. Some have leaked word that they felt opposing Walker was futile once Trump backed him. But in Duncan’s diagnosis, the problem is more fundamental: Republicans saw picking the candidate backed by Trump as an opportunity. Walker won because he was Trump’s friend and because Republicans “looked around” for Trump’s cues before deciding on their nomination. The Post’s detailed reconstruction of this backstory confirms the point. When Walker approached Republicans last year about running, they knew of spousal abuse allegations in his past. When they raised such things, he accused them of being Democratic stooges in a way that raised concerns about his stability. There was even a rumor of an abortion, one GOP opposition researcher told The Post, adding: “Republicans in the state knew about it and decided they didn’t care.” Despite initial concerns, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) backed Walker for the nomination, believing he could command media attention, raise big bucks and unite the party, specifically because of Trump’s backing. In short, Republicans endorsed him not just because they had no choice but because Trump’s backing carried affirmative attributes that could harness the energy Trump has unleashed. They did this despite being well aware of his obvious unfitness. This is what Duncan is calling out. It’s no accident that Duncan announced his retirement last year. What many Republicans who are disappearing into private life have in common is exactly this: They’ve stood for the proposition that the GOP must purge itself of Trump and Trumpism, unambiguously and with finality. They have either voted to impeach Trump or demanded complete and unequivocal renunciation of Trump’s insurrectionism from the party. Or they’ve insisted Republicans must stop making corrupt bargains with him and his chosen candidates, as Duncan has now done. “The fact that he’s not running for reelection tells you all you need to know about Trump’s influence on the Republican Party,” longtime GOP pollster Whit Ayres told me, noting that Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) is expected to resign. “The kinds of people I’ve worked for my entire career are bailing,” Ayres continued, singling out long-gone Republican senators such as Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander, both of Tennessee. “They’re saying they don’t want to be involved anymore.” Of course, Trump doesn’t really represent an aberration from some sort of noble, vanished normalcy within GOP and conservative politics once represented by those figures. Trump was more an exacerbation of ongoing pathologies, as conservatives like Bill Kristol have admitted. But it’s also true that in some sense, figures like those no longer have a place in the party precisely because Trump is dictating that Republicans must nominate people who are slavishly loyal to him or deeply in thrall to his insurrectionism or (like Walker) simply have his blessing, because he said so. This doesn’t always work out: Trump couldn’t block Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp from the nomination. But in a way this confirms the point: As Jonathan V. Last notes, when you think about the future of the Republican Party, you absolutely do not think of Kemp, despite his formidable political success, because Kemp does not “belong to Trump.” By contrast, an empty vessel like Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters is widely regarded as someone who will represent the future of the GOP, should he win. His chief qualification, as Amanda Carpenter explains, is that he’s “wholly and only conversant in the tongue of Trump.” In coming days, Trump will do a rally for Walker. Rather than put the revelations aside, Trump will likely dwell on them at great length as proof of the persecution Walker has endured and compare it to his own supposed persecution. Walker is taking on the liberal Fake News and winning, just like I did, Trump will say. This is already working: As one GOP operative argued without irony, Walker is simply following in the footsteps of Trump, who after all survived the “Access Hollywood” scandal, didn’t he? He did indeed. As figures like Duncan are relegated to private life, before long in GOP politics such revelations will become a badge of honor. Read More Here

Elon Musk Slams Trump https://digitalarizonanews.com/elon-musk-slams-trump/ Tesla CEO Elon Musk dropped a ‘Truth’ bomb on Friday, calling former President Donald Trump’s social media platform a “right-wing echo chamber.” Musk, who is in the process of purchasing the rival social media platform Twitter, made his statement in an interview with the Financial Times. “[Truth Social] is essentially a right-wing echo chamber,” Musk said. “It might as well be called Trumpet.” LIBERALS FEAR BEING TREATED LIKE CONSERVATIVES IF ELON MUSK CONTROLS TWITTER The multibillionaire shared his thoughts on Truth Social when discussing his purchase of Twitter, claiming that he was not making the purchase for the money. Musk stated that people need to have “a maximally trusted and inclusive means” to share their thoughts and conversations and that such a platform “should be as trusted and transparent as possible.” Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has experienced a high amount of turbulence since he initiated his attempt to buy the platform in April. On Thursday, Delaware Court of Chancery Judge Kathaleen McCormick, the judge overseeing the acquisition deal, ruled that the trial is on hold until Oct. 28 after Musk’s legal team requested a stay to finalize funding. The two parties have until that date at 5 p.m. to complete a deal. If they fail, they will have to appear in court in November. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER In May, Musk expressed interest in reinstating Trump’s Twitter account if he successfully purchases the social media platform. The former president had his account suspended following the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Original Location: Elon Musk slams Trump’s Truth Social as ‘right-wing echo chamber’ Washington Examiner Videos Read More Here

Russia Strikes Annexed Area; More Bodies Found In Kharkiv https://digitalarizonanews.com/russia-strikes-annexed-area-more-bodies-found-in-kharkiv/ KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia concentrated attacks Friday in its increasingly troubled invasion of Ukraine on areas it illegally annexed as the death toll from earlier missile strikes on apartment buildings in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia rose to 12. 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. Berit Reiss-Andersen, the committee’s chair, said the honor went to “three outstanding champions of human rights, democracy and peaceful coexistence.” Putin this week illegally claimed four regions of Ukraine as Russian territory, including the Zaporizhzhia region that is home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, whose reactors were shut down last month. Fighting near the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has alarmed the U.N.’s atomic energy watchdog, which on Friday doubled to four the number of its inspectors monitoring plant safeguards. An accident there could release 10 times more potentially lethal radiation than the world’s worst nuclear disaster at Chernobyl in Ukraine 36 years ago, Ukrainian Environmental Protection Minister Ruslan Strilets said Friday. “The situation with the occupation, shelling, and mining of the Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants by Russian troops is causing consequences that will have a global character,” Strilets told The Associated Press. The city of Zaporizhzhia is located 53 kilometers (33 miles) away from the nuclear plant as a crow flies and remains under Ukrainian control. To cement Russia’s claim to the region, Russian forces bombarded the city with S-300 missiles on Thursday, with more attacks reported Friday. Ukrainian authorities said the death toll from the strikes on apartment buildings rose to 12 on Friday, while another 12 people wounded in the bombardment remained hospitalized. Missiles also struck the city overnight, wounding one person, Zaporizhzhia Gov. Oleksandr Starukh said. Russia also used Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones there for the first time and damaged two infrastructure facilities, he said. With its army losing ground to a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south and east, Russia has deployed unmanned, disposable Iranian-made drones that are cheaper and less sophisticated than missiles but still can damage targets on the ground. The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Russia’s use of the explosives-packed drones was unlikely to affect the course of the war. “They have used many drones against civilian targets in rear areas, likely hoping to generate nonlinear effects through terror. Such efforts are not succeeding,” analysts at the think tank wrote. In other Moscow-annexed areas, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported Friday that its forces had repelled Ukrainian advances near the city of Lyman and retaken three villages elsewhere in the eastern Donetsk region. The ministry also claimed that Russian forces had prevented Ukrainian troops from advancing on several villages in the southern Kherson region. Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address Friday that this week alone, his military has recaptured 776 square kilometers (300 square miles) of territory in the east and 29 settlements, including six in the Luhansk region, which Putin has annexed. In total, Ukrainian forces have liberated 2,434 square kilometers (940 square miles) of land and 96 settlements since the beginning of its counteroffensive, he said. In Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian troops shelled the city of Nikopol overnight, killing one person, wounding another and damaging buildings, natural gas pipelines and electricity systems, the region’s governor reported. Nikopol lies along the Dnieper River across from Russian-held territory near the nuclear plant. The city has been shelled constantly for weeks. The trail of Russia’s devastation and death from areas where its troops retreated became clearer Friday. A report by Ukrainian First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Yevhen Yenin revealed that 530 bodies of civilians have been found in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region since Sept. 7. The residents killed during the Russian occupation included 257 men, 225 women and 19 children, with 29 people unidentified, Yenin said. Most of the bodies were found in a previously disclosed mass grave in the city of Izium. According to Yenin, the recovered bodies bore signs of gunshots, explosions and torture. Some people had ropes around their necks, hands tied behind their back, bullet wounds to their knees and broken ribs. Authorities have identified 22 torture sites in parts of the Kharkiv region that Ukrainian forces recently liberated, said Serhiy Bolvinov, a regional police official. Some Russian military equipment and weapons, meanwhile, are getting into the Ukrainian military’s hands. Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Friday that Ukrainian forces have captured at least 440 tanks and about 650 armored vehicles since the Russian invasion on Feb. 24. “The failure of Russian crews to destroy intact equipment before withdrawing or surrendering highlights their poor state of training and low levels of battle discipline,” the British ministry said. “With Russian formations under severe strain in several sectors and increasingly demoralized troops, Russia will likely continue to lose heavy weaponry.” Putin ordered a partial mobilization of Russian army reservists last month to reinforce manpower on the front lines in Ukraine. Mistakes have dogged the military call-up, however, and tens of thousands of men have fled Russia, unwilling to fight Putin’s war. That has left Russia desperate for troop reinforcements. The Ukrainian military said Friday that 500 former criminals have been mobilized to reinforce Russian ranks in the eastern Donetsk region, where Ukrainian forces have retaken some territory. Officers drawn from law enforcement are commanding the new units, the military said. Russia’s state news agency Tass reported Friday that a court in the Russian city of Penza had dismissed the first case against a Russian man called up to serve but who refused. The 32-year-old man’s lawyers had argued that the law under which he was charged applies only to conscription evaders, not those subject to the partial mobilization. In another sign of trouble, reports have surfaced of poor training and few supplies for the new Russian troops. At least two Russian cities — St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod — announced Friday they were canceling their Russian New Year’s and Christmas celebrations and redirecting that money to buy supplies for Russian troops. Under increasing pressure from his own supporters as well as critics, Putin continued to reshuffle his military’s leadership, putting a new commander into Russia’s eastern military district. ___ Associated Press writer Hanna Arhirova in Ukraine contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine Read More Here

Donald Trump Seeks To Withhold Two Folders Seized At Mar-A-Lago https://digitalarizonanews.com/donald-trump-seeks-to-withhold-two-folders-seized-at-mar-a-lago/ Donald Trump is seeking to withhold from the justice department two folders marked as containing correspondence with the National Archives and signing sheets that the FBI seized from his Mar-a-Lago resort, according to court filings in the special master review of the confiscated documents. The former US president’s privilege assertions over the folders, which appear to have direct relevance to the criminal investigation into whether he retained national defense information and obstructed justice, are significant as they represent an effort to exclude the items from the inquiry and keep them confidential. Most notably, Trump asserted privilege over the contents of one red folder marked as containing “NARA letters and other copies” and a second, manilla folder marked as containing “NARA letters one top sheet + 3 signing sheets”, a review of the court filings indicated. The former president also asserted privilege over 35 pages of documents titled “The President’s Calls” that included the presidential seal in the upper left corner and contained handwritten names, numbers, notes about messages and four blank pages of miscellaneous notes, the filings showed. Trump additionally also did the same over an unsigned 2017 letter concerning former special counsel Robert Mueller, pages of an email about election fraud lawsuits in Fulton County, Georgia, and deliberations about clemency to a certain “MB”, Ted Suhl and former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The documents the former president is attempting to withhold from the criminal investigation by asserting some sort of privilege – it was not clear whether he asserted executive or attorney-client privilege over the two folders, for instance – became clear after a Friday ruling by the special master. In the three-page order, US district court judge Raymond Dearie – appointed as the special master with a mandate to screen the seized materials for potential privilege issues – made public the unique identifier numbers for documents for which Trump is not claiming privilege. Ordinarily, the exact nature of the documents being claimed as protected would remain private. But an apparent docketing error by the court earlier in the week revealed the seized materials that the justice department’s “filter team” identified as potentially privileged. By comparing the unique identifier numbers for which Trump was not claiming privilege with the inadvertently unsealed list of potentially privileged documents, the Guardian was able to identify which documents the former president was seeking to withhold from the department. The special master directed that the “filter team” should transfer the documents not deemed to be privileged by Trump to the “case team” conducting the criminal investigation before 10 October, the ruling showed. Once the documents are transferred, the special master wrote, Trump’s lawyers and the department should confer and attempt to resolve any disputes about executive privilege over the remaining records before 20 October – and then submit any outstanding issues to him to decide. Read More Here

50 Pounds Of Meth Found In Backpacks During Traffic Stop Near San Miguel https://digitalarizonanews.com/50-pounds-of-meth-found-in-backpacks-during-traffic-stop-near-san-miguel/ U.S. Border Patrol Tucson Sector Meth found in car near San Miguel Posted at 11:50 AM, Oct 07, 2022 and last updated 2022-10-07 14:50:47-04 A U.S. citizen is facing charges after agents found 50 pounds of meth near San Miguel, according to U.S. Border Patrol Tucson Sector Chief John R. Modlin. Agents stopped a white car near San Miguel and found concealed meth hidden inside backpacks. The smuggler was arrested and agents will be working with the Drug Enforcement Administration of Phoenix in the investigation, says Chief Modlin. ——- Marcos Icahuate is a digital content producer for KGUN 9. Marcos joined the KGUN team in September 2022. He previously worked on digital content in Southern California’s Imperial County where he was raised. Share your story ideas and important issues with Marcos by emailing marcos.icahuate@kgun9.com. Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Sign up for the Headlines Newsletter and receive up to date information. Read More Here

U.S. Aims To Hobble China's Chip Industry With Sweeping New Export Rules https://digitalarizonanews.com/u-s-aims-to-hobble-chinas-chip-industry-with-sweeping-new-export-rules/ FILE PHOTO – Hi1710 BMC management chip is seen on a Kunpeng 920 chipset designed by Huawei’s Hisilicon subsidiary is on display at Huawei’s headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China May 29, 2019. Picture taken May 29, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee Oct 7 (Reuters) – The Biden administration on Friday published a sweeping set of export controls, including a measure to cut China off from certain semiconductor chips made anywhere in the world with U.S. equipment, vastly expanding its reach in its bid to slow Beijing’s technological and military advances. The rules, some of which go into effect immediately, build on restrictions sent in letters earlier this year to top toolmakers KLA Corp (KLAC.O), Lam Research Corp (LRCX.O) and Applied Materials Inc (AMAT.O), effectively requiring them to halt shipments of equipment to wholly Chinese-owned factories producing advanced logic chips. The raft of measures could amount to the biggest shift in U.S. policy toward shipping technology to China since the 1990s. If effective, they could hobble China’s chip manufacturing industry by forcing American and foreign companies that use U.S. technology to cut off support for some of China’s leading factories and chip designers. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com “This will set the Chinese back years,” said Jim Lewis, a technology and cybersecurity expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington D.C.-based think tank, who said the policies harken back to the tough regulations of the height of the Cold War. “China isn’t going to give up on chipmaking … but this will really slow them (down).” In a briefing with reporters on Thursday previewing the rules, senior government officials said many of the measures were aimed at preventing foreign firms from selling advanced chips to China or supplying Chinese firms with tools to make their own advanced chips. They conceded, however, that they had not secured any promises that allied nations would implement similar measures and that discussions with those nations are ongoing. “We recognize that the unilateral controls we’re putting into place will lose effectiveness over time if other countries don’t join us,” one official said. “And we risk harming U.S. technology leadership if foreign competitors are not subject to similar controls.” The expansion of U.S. powers to control exports to China of chips made with U.S. tools is based on a broadening of the so-called foreign direct product rule. It was previously expanded to give the U.S. government authority to control exports of chips made overseas to Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd (HWT.UL) and later to stop the flow of semiconductors to Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. On Friday, the Biden administration applied the expanded restrictions to China’s IFLYTEK, Dahua Technology, and Megvii Technology, companies added to the entity list in 2019 over allegations they aided Beijing in the suppression of its Uyghur minority group. The rules published on Friday also block shipments of a broad array of chips for use in Chinese supercomputing systems. The rules define a supercomputer as any system with more than 100 petaflops of computing power within a floor space of 6,400 square feet, a definition that two industry sources said could also hit some commercial data centers at Chinese tech giants. Eric Sayers, a defense policy expert at the American Enterprise Institute, said the move reflects a new bid by the Biden administration to contain China’s advances instead of simply seeking to level the playing field. “The scope of the rule and potential impacts are quite stunning but the devil will of course be in the details of implementation,” he added. Companies around the world began to wrestle with the latest U.S. action, with shares of semiconductor manufacturing equipment makers falling. The Semiconductor Industry Association, which represents chipmakers, said it was studying the regulations and urged the United States to “implement the rules in a targeted way – and in collaboration with international partners – to help level the playing field.” Earlier on Friday, the United States added China’s top memory chipmaker YMTC and 30 other Chinese entities to a list of companies that U.S. officials cannot inspect, ratcheting up tensions with Beijing and taking aim at a firm that has long troubled the Biden administration. read more The “unverified list” is a potential precursor to tougher economic blacklists, but companies that comply with U.S. inspection rules can come off the list. On Friday, U.S. officials removed nine such firms, including a unit of China’s Wuxi Biologics, which makes ingredients for AstraZeneca Plc’s (AZN.L) COVID-19 vaccine. The new regulations will also severely restrict export of U.S. equipment to Chinese memory chip makers and formalize letters sent to Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) and Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) (AMD.O) restricting shipments to China of chips used in supercomputing systems that nations around the world rely on to develop nuclear weapons and other military technologies. Reuters was first to report key details of the new restrictions on memory chip makers, including a reprieve for foreign companies operating in China and the moves to broaden restrictions on shipments to China of technologies from KLA, Lam, Applied Materials, Nvidia and AMD. read more read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco and Karen Freifeld in New York Additional reporting by David Shepardson in Washington Editing by Alexandra Alper, Chris Sanders, Matthew Lewis and Richard Chang Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here

Sedona Gallerist Shanin Renee Dockrey To Present Charles Malcolm Campbell Exhibition https://digitalarizonanews.com/sedona-gallerist-shanin-renee-dockrey-to-present-charles-malcolm-campbell-exhibition/ Sedona News – The first time she saw the work of Artist Charles Malcolm Campbell, Sedona Gallerist Shanin Renee Dockrey fell in love. “The heart in each of his pieces resonated with me,” she says. “There is a haunting humanness in his vibrant and creative, very eclectic, Picassoesque style.” Shanin Renee Dockrey Now, she wants the world to be re-introduced to Campbell (a long-time Arizona resident born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1905 and died in Phoenix in 1985), who has been hailed as one of the distinctive and imaginative contemporary American painters of the 20th century. From October 7 and daily through October 17, Dockrey’s Shanin Renee Art Gallery will be presenting (in conjunction with Sacred Spirit Gallery) the Charles Malcolm Campbell Exhibition: A Remembered Morning at the Hozho Building (431 AZ-179, 2nd floor) on Sedona’s Gallery Row. The gallerist will present more than 20 pieces of Campbell’s work from the private collection of Sedona resident Harvey Grady, Founder of Cornucopia Community Advocates and the Center for Human Potential. These select Campbell paintings will include enamels/oils on panels, ink on paper, and monotypes, and will be framed by Marc DuCharme Framing in Sedona. The “First Friday Art Walk” opening on October 7 will offer champagne and hors d’oeuvres for visitors. While Campbell’s work was inspired by iconic artists such as Picasso, Renoir, El Greco, and Daumier, his highly individualized style combined rich, vibrant colors with elaborate textures and composition. In reviews of his exhibitions, the Arizona Republic wrote: “The colorful paintings of Charles Malcolm Campbell are bright as jewels . . . they set the eye tingling first; then they challenge the imagination.” After a Campbell exhibition in Scottsdale, The Arizonian raved: “The finest modern art show that has come to Scottsdale since the Picasso drawings.” Dockrey became aware of Campbell’s work two years ago when Harvey Grady asked her to photograph the 123 paintings in his personal collection for potential sale through her Shanin Renee Art Gallery website (www.shaninrenee.com). Grady, an Arizona native, had met Campbell and his wife Julia in Phoenix in 1958 while Grady was in college. The Campbells had moved to Phoenix from New Orleans, where they had been living in a community of fellow artists. “I was fascinated by how they were able to eke out a living from their art,” Grady recalls. “They exhibited a sense of personal freedom and aliveness that appealed to me.” Grady began purchasing Campbell’s art works “as I could afford them,” and they were close friends until Campbell’s death in 1985. Grady calls his vast collection of Campbell’s work “varied examples of his 60 years of creativity” that includes “exquisite masterful drawings where he explored innovative techniques.” Grady is thrilled that Shanin Renee will be presenting his dear friend’s art at her October exhibition. “I appreciate and applaud her efforts to celebrate Campbell’s work and bring it to the attention of the art world and the public,” he says. In addition to the art displayed at the exhibition, all of the Charles Malcolm Campbell pieces from the Harvey Grady Private Collection are available for purchase online at www.shaninrenee.com. ABOUT SHANIN RENEE: Shanin Renee Dockrey has lived in Sedona for more than five years and been heavily involved in the local art scene as a Gallerist, Gallery Director, Art Dealer, and Artist Representative. She currently serves as the Gallery Director for Rumi Tree Art Gallery in West Sedona, where she has executed Rumi Tree’s curation and many art exhibitions. Read More Here

Analysis | Did Trump Not Return All Documents? Here Are The Reasons That’s Plausible. https://digitalarizonanews.com/analysis-did-trump-not-return-all-documents-here-are-the-reasons-thats-plausible/ It’s a question that has lingered ever since the historic search of Donald Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago two months ago: Is it possible he still hasn’t returned all of the government documents, even after the search? Multiple developments since then suggest the Justice Department is quite preoccupied with precisely that. The New York Times on Thursday night reported that the Justice Department has told Trump’s legal team that it believes he hasn’t returned all the documents he took when he left the White House. The report says the top Justice Department official pursuing the matter, Jay I. Bratt, said as much during a recent phone call. As the story acknowledges, it’s not like this concern came out of nowhere. There has been myriad evidence not only that Trump sought to obscure the documents for more than a year, but that the Justice Department suspected there might be more even shortly after the search. It’s worth consulting the excellent timeline my colleague Rosalind S. Helderman has constructed. The first thing to note is that Trump has clearly resisted turning over all the documents. The back and forth with the National Archives dates back to the spring of last year, and Trump spent the next several months resisting its demands. Trump then turned over 15 boxes in January, and he handed over another set in June after a subpoena. The August search of Mar-a-Lago allowed agents to review the documents Trump had, but only in parts of the property the search warrant allowed them to venture. The second is that, through it all, there’s plenty of evidence that Trump and his advisers have falsely claimed — and that Trump himself sought to have his lawyers falsely claim — that all such documents had been turned over: The most prominent example is a sworn statement signed by Trump lawyer Christina Bobb in June, when Trump’s legal team handed over some documents. It said that a “diligent search was conducted” and that “any and all responsive documents accompany this certification.” Dawsey and Alemany also reported this week that Trump in early 2022 asked his lawyer Alex Cannon to tell the Archives that all materials sought by the agency had been returned. But Cannon refused. Trump later released a public statement that didn’t include the assertion that everything had been returned. The Post’s Jacqueline Alemany, Josh Dawsey and Helderman reported last month that former Trump deputy White House counsel Pat Philbin had provided a similar assurance to the Archives as far back as September 2021. Philbin said that former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows had told him none of the material Trump took was sensitive or classified, and that Trump only had 12 boxes of news clippings. Philbin’s language — i.e. citing Meadows — and Cannon’s refusal both point to the prospect that Trump’s own lawyers don’t fully trust the people they are dealing with. And part of that could be that Trump hasn’t been terribly forthcoming. For example, The Post reported in recent weeks that, when some documents were turned over in January, Trump personally oversaw the packing of the boxes himself “and did so with great secrecy, declining to show some items even to top aides.” Thirdly is something else that the Times reported in its story Thursday night: that one of Trump’s more recently installed lawyers, Christopher Kise, advised him to hire a forensics team to conduct a voluntary search for any additional documents. Trump was reportedly initially on board at first, but was later talked out of it. A fourth is that Trump’s document-retention habits were notoriously bad, including ripping up documents and reportedly putting them in the toilet — and that haphazard treatment extended, The Post reported this week, to classified documents. We already know the classified records found at Mar-a-Lago were mixed together with all kinds of other documents. And even if you don’t believe Trump deliberately continues to retain additional documents from the White House, there’s the prospect that some might have been destroyed or lost. The final key point is that the Justice Department has been pointing in this direction for a while now. Questions about potential other documents first cropped up in earnest after a district court unsealed an inventory list of documents seized in the August search. The most conspicuous inclusion: the presence of 48 folders that were described as “empty folders with ‘CLASSIFIED’ banners.” While it wasn’t clear whether those folders had contained documents seized in the search or handed over elsewhere, it raised the prospect of whether the documents could be traced to specific folders and help determine if everything had been handed over. (Archives officials had previously described “unfoldered” classified documents as being among things that were “of most significant concern.”) Shortly thereafter, the Justice Department made clear the prospect of unreturned documents was a priority. A week after the inventory list was released, the Justice Department said in a court filing that it needed access to the seized materials in order to determine whether materials stored in the folders “may have been lost or compromised.” It also cited “efforts to identify the existence of any additional classified records that are not being properly stored.” In another filing to an appeals court, it reiterated the need for the documents, saying reviewing them “could lead to identification of other records still missing.” That could’ve been interpreted as a ploy to get access to the documents, by floating a worst-case scenario and daring judges to deprive them of the records needed to investigate. But the Justice Department reportedly raising the issue with Trump’s own lawyers — and stating it so directly as that it believed Trump hadn’t returned everything — takes things to another level. And one that wouldn’t seem like a huge stretch, if past is precedent. Read More Here

Wisconsin Republicans Still Fixated On 2020 Election In 2022 https://digitalarizonanews.com/wisconsin-republicans-still-fixated-on-2020-election-in-2022/ Elections For nearly two years, many Republican officeholders, candidates and voters around the state have cast doubt on the previous presidential vote and promote conspiracy theories on how it was conducted. By Zac Schultz | Here & Now October 7, 2022 “We know what happened in 2020,” said state Rep. Janel Brandtjen, a Republican from Menomonee Falls. “Powerful and rich forces are aligned against me,” said Michael Gableman, a former state Supreme Court Justice. “Was it rigged? Was it fixed? I’m going to stop it!” said Tim Michels, the 2022 Republican nominee for governor. Republicans in Wisconsin have been amplifying Donald Trump’s debunked election conspiracy theories for nearly two years. Rachel Rodriguez has heard them all. “There is absolutely no glamor in elections,” said Rodriguez, an elections specialist in the Dane County Clerk’s Office. “Every time you think you have put one conspiracy theory to bed, it seems like another different one just pops up in its place.” She knows every step of the process, so when Republicans in the Legislature started holding invitation-only hearings to give an official platform to election conspiracy theorists, she followed them closely. “It was readily apparent that within minutes that the experts that they were trotting out had absolutely no expertise in actual elections,” said Rodriguez. She started fact-checking the hearings over Twitter. Soon, Rodriguez was being retweeted by the chair of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, and gained an audience looking for the truth. “I think people were really looking for that other side of it — the actual expert side — because that wasn’t happening at the hearings,” she said. Republicans hired the former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman to lead an investigation on the 2020 election, but what he produced was open records violations, a contempt of court order and a million-dollar bill for taxpayers. Gableman was fired after endorsing the primary opponent of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, the man who hired him. “Mike Gableman is an embarrassment to the state,” said Vos. Rodriguez said the cumulative effect was the truth around election conspiracies started to look like partisan politics. “Where the problem is right now is that when you have one party — and it is one party who is driving all of this misinformation and all of the conspiracies and all of the doubt — when you take the side of actual facts and truth, which is opposite to that, it’s going to look like it’s one party over the other,” she said. “I’m going to get rid of the Wisconsin Elections Commission,” declared Michels at an Aug. 5 rally in Waukesha where he appeared with the former president. Michels is the Republican candidate for governor, and while he doesn’t outright say the 2020 election was stolen, he does campaign with those that do. Michels even saluted Republican state Rep. Tim Ramthun, a full-on election conspiracist who wanted to somehow “reclaim” Wisconsin’s 2020 electoral votes. “I see my friend out here, ran a spirited primary — Tim Ramthun was very big on election integrity as well,” Michels said at a Sept. 18 rally in Green Bay with Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis . At one event, Michels told a supporter in order to win, he had to overcome a cheating percentage. “What’s the cheating percentage? It’s probably a point or two. I think we’re going to come out ahead,” said Michels at the Chicken Burn, an annual conservative gathering in Wauwatosa held on Aug. 28. Tim Michels did not agree to an interview for this story. “For people to continue harboring that ‘Big Lie’ — that’s not good for democracy. It’s not good for democracy at all,” said Wisconsin’s Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. Evers vetoed a series of Republican bills that would have changed how elections are run in Wisconsin. “Senate Bill 292: not approved — there we go, folks,” said Evers while delivering his veto message for SB 292 on Aug. 10. MIchels has said he would sign those bills, and Democrats fear as governor, Michels could overturn Wisconsin’s presidential electoral votes in 2024. “If they are in power and Trump comes calling asking them to change an election result, we’ve seen that they’re willing to do anything to get Trump’s approval,” said Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. “This is a very serious moment in the history of our country, and it’s hard to think of words that would be too strong to express the stakes in this fall’s election,” added Wikler. “You know, when you look at it, election integrity has been a great topic for everybody to get some fodder both ways,” said Paul Farrow, chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. “When I look back at the 2020 election, there are some challenges. We know there are issues that are there that we have to figure out how to regulate and how to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” added Farrow. “How can you lead the state if you’re afraid to tell the base of our party the truth? asked Rohn Bishop, former chair of the Republican Party of Fond du Lac County. Bishop is concerned the GOP’s obsession with 2020 will hurt them in 2022. “Republicans should be looking at a tidal wave election. The one way to screw it up is to keep focusing on 2020. And we keep doing that. We just can’t turn the page and focus on 2022,” he said. Bishop was attacked by his own party members for pointing out Trump lost in Wisconsin because enough Republicans voted, but not for Trump. “The election’s not stolen when Glenn Grothman’s getting more votes than Donald Trump in the 6th Congressional District,” said Bishop. “There was just a falloff. There were people who wanted to vote for Republican conservative principles, but not Trump.” Bishop said when Michels campaigns with Gableman and Trump, he risks alienating those same voters. “Coming into 2022, Tim Michaels has to figure out how to get those 50,000 Republicans who voted Republican but not for Donald Trump,” said Bishop. Since the 2020 election, Bishop left party politics and in April 2022 was elected mayor of Waupun, a non-partisan office. “I just really want to focus on this job and give it all that I have,” said Bishop. He’s still a Republican, but worries others might have left the party for good. “Because of the hyper-partisan nature of it and the negativity, we’re busy trying to always kick people out. That’s a term that they use in our party of the RINO: Republican in Name Only. I’ve been called that by people because I didn’t think the election was stolen. Well, if you kick me out and I don’t vote for you, you’re in a lot of trouble,” said Bishop. So what impact will these conspiracy theories have on the 2022 election? For one, there will be a lot more people in the room when voters cast their ballots. Paul Farrow said in 2020, Republicans had about 1,300 election observers at the polls statewide. “We are well over 5,000 this time around,” he said about the party’s 2022 plans. “We’ve got a lot more eyes that are watching the process.” People like Christopher Bossert, a Republican from West Bend: “I had concerns about election integrity. And the best way to resolve those concerns one way or the other is to get involved. So I chose to volunteer for the Republican Party as a poll worker.” Bossert said he still has concerns about voter fraud elsewhere in Wisconsin, but is no longer worried about the Dominion voting machines used in his hometown, even if his neighbors aren’t convinced. “I have constituents who believe Dominion is a problem,” said Bossert, “and even though I’ve told them from what I can see, Dominion’s not a problem, they still believe it. Read More Here

Experts Say Trump, Election Deniers Eroding Trust In Democracy. Can It Be Restored? https://digitalarizonanews.com/experts-say-trump-election-deniers-eroding-trust-in-democracy-can-it-be-restored/ (WASHINGTON) — The nation’s democratic process has been dangerously tested after the 2020 presidential race and the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, polls show and experts warn, leaving many Americans with little faith in the election system. Heading into the consequential midterm elections, when voters will decide which party will control Congress next year, more than two-thirds of Americans think our democracy is in danger of collapse, according to an August poll from Quinnipiac University. An ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted in January — more than a year after the insurrection — found only 20% of those surveyed saying they’re very confident about the election system. Even fewer Republicans, just 13%, said they were very confident in the process. “After every election, especially a presidential election, there is some sense among the people who voted for the losing candidate that the election was not quite fair,” Barry Burden, the director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told ABC News. “But 2020 is different,” Burden continued. “Republican voters have been stuck with very low levels of support.” That’s in large part due to Donald Trump, Burden and other elections observers said, as well as his GOP allies who continue to emphatically spread falsehoods about the integrity of the 2020 election. In fact, 60% of Americans will have an election denier on the ballot this November. Out of 541 total Republican nominees running for office, FiveThirtyEight found 199 who’ve fully denied the legitimacy of the 2020 election. So, what can be done to restore trust in the system? The path forward is unclear, experts ABC News spoke with said. “It’s a very hard problem,” Burden acknowledged. The most effective solution? What would be the most successful fix is also the thing least likely to happen: for Trump and his allies to change their message. “Donald Trump, as somebody who knows how to bring a crowd, whenever he leans into some of this election conspiracy stuff, he is tapping into a very, very animated part of the Republican base,” explained Eli Yokley, a senior reporter at the data firm Morning Consult, which also tracks confidence in U.S. institutions. Yokley said it will be “incumbent on policymakers not to lean into voters’ worst instincts” for trust to be restored. Because Republicans are also generally more skeptical of mainstream media and traditional news sources, it’s going to be most impactful for those lacking faith in the system to hear it straight from the former president and his closest associates. “Those kinds of authoritative voices for Trump’s followers have to be what’s going to deliver the message because other sources like the current president or the mainstream media or fact checkers just aren’t trusted in the same way,” Burden said. But Trump, as recently as Oct. 1, at a rally in the battleground state of Michigan, continued to call the 2020 election “stolen” and said Democrats “cheat like dogs” to win. “I don’t believe we’ll ever have a fair election again,” Trump said, prompting boos and shouts of agreement from his crowd. “I don’t believe it,” he repeated. Combatting disinformation While Trump and his allies continue to spread lies about the 2020 election, state and local elections offices are picking up the slack to combat disinformation. Arizona’s Maricopa County — the largest county in the battleground state and the site of intense scrutiny both during and after the 2020 election — launched a campaign in 2021 titled “Just the Facts” in response to the increase of misinformation spreading about elections administration. The website and an accompanying newsletter answers questions about how elections are administered, how officials build the ballot, how they count the ballots and ensure accuracy of the equipment used. This cycle, the campaign will also provide information about the upcoming races and how to participate successfully, according to Maricopa County Elections Department spokesperson Megan Gilbertson. “It’s imperative for election experts to provide a trusted source of information to voters about the you know, the facts about elections administration,” Gilbertson told ABC News. “And so I think that initiatives like this are attainable for elections offices.” The city of Atlanta has launched the Atlanta Votes initiative, a similar online tool aimed at educating voters and increasing turnout. The Connecticut legislature has provided $2 million for internet, TV and mail education efforts on the election process, and to hire an election information security officer. Colorado has also hired a team called the “Rapid Response Election Security Cyber Unit” to monitor sites for misinformation. The U.S. Elections Assistance Commission, a national clearinghouse for information regarding election administration, similarly revamped the information on its site to make it more digestible to everyday Americans, Chairman Thomas Hicks told ABC News. “I always say that election officials are public servants,” Hicks said. “None of us are doing this to get rich, and so we’re doing this for the love of our country and for our democracy.” Hicks said the commission has also worked with other organizations and has spoken to Twitter and Facebook about combating misinformation. The tech platforms took some steps to tackle misinformation in 2020 but some experts said the actions weren’t enough. YouTube, Google and TikTok have announced election plans for 2022 that include bolstering trusted news sources and flagging or removing posts containing falsehoods about the process. But it’s difficult to stop individuals who are spreading disinformation, Burden said. “We have the First Amendment in the United States that protects people’s right to say things they believe, even if they’re factually incorrect,” Burden said. “If they think they don’t trust the system, they’re certainly allowed to say that. So it’s a difficult problem to solve.” Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read More Here

Herschel Walker Fires His Campaign's Political Director For Allegedly Leaking To The Press During The Trump-Backed Candidate's Messiest Week To Date: Report https://digitalarizonanews.com/herschel-walker-fires-his-campaigns-political-director-for-allegedly-leaking-to-the-press-during-the-trump-backed-candidates-messiest-week-to-date-report/ Senate GOP candidate Herschel Walker has fired his political director during a raging scandal.  Republican aide Taylor Crowe was reportedly let go for leaking to the press. Walker is battling headlines about an alleged abortion and attacks from his disillusioned son. Loading Something is loading. Embattled Senate hopeful Herschel Walker has fired his political director for reportedly leaking stories to the press during the Georgia Republican’s most grueling week yet.  Taylor Crowe, who announced that he was joining Walker’s campaign just three months ago on LinkedIn, is now gone according to reports from CNN. The short-lived stint is attributed to Crowe sharing unauthorized information with the media while Walker is reeling from a barrage of negative press. The Walker campaign did not respond to Insider’s request for comment about what, specifically, sparked the sudden departure.  Walker, who is vying to unseat incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, remains engulfed in controversy with just weeks to go before election day.  The family-related fracas includes swirling allegations that Walker, who espouses family values on the campaign trail and has endorsed adopting a nationwide abortion ban, paid for an ex-girlfriend’s abortion in 2009. He’s also come under attack from his 23-year-old son, Christian Walker, a conservative culture warrior who has been bashing his absentee father on social media.  Herschel Walker continues to dispute the abortion story but has only added to the confusion. The fallout has been so damaging, that even scandal-plagued former President Donald Trump has decided to keep his distance for now.  Read More Here