Mercedes Benz Of Scottsdale Is Now Offering Full Detail And Sanitize Interior With Service B For Customers In Scottsdale Arizona
Mercedes Benz Of Scottsdale Is Now Offering Full Detail And Sanitize Interior With Service B For Customers In Scottsdale, Arizona https://digitalarizonanews.com/mercedes-benz-of-scottsdale-is-now-offering-full-detail-and-sanitize-interior-with-service-b-for-customers-in-scottsdale-arizona/
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (PRWEB) October 02, 2022
Customers in Scottsdale, Arizona looking to get their vehicle detailed and a interior sanitization with service B can visit the Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale dealership. Interested parties are requested to visit the dealership’s official website and check out the exclusive offer.
The entire package includes Sanitization, Interior Wash, Exterior Wax, Vacuum and Shampoo with Service B. Shoppers can refer to their vehicle maintenance booklet to understand the factory-required services and specific intervals for their vehicle’s year and model.
Customers can learn about all facets of their vehicle and determine the necessity for preventative maintenance owing to the Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale dealership offering a full list of services in one plan.
In addition to the services, the dealership also has an extensive range of new and used vehicles in its inventory. Interested buyers are encouraged to visit the Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale website https://www.mbscottsdale.com/, or one can directly visit the dealership located at 4725 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85251. Customers can also get in touch with the helpful and knowledgeable customer service staff at the dealership by calling 480-409-0409 for any more information requests or inquiries.
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Brazil Votes In Polarising Presidential Election https://digitalarizonanews.com/brazil-votes-in-polarising-presidential-election/
Voting is under way in the most divisive presidential election in Brazil’s history, with former left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva tipped to beat far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro.
Leftist frontrunner da Silva, who is popularly known as Lula, said he is running for president “to get the country back to normal” after four years under President Bolsonaro’s rule.
“We don’t want more hate, more discord. We want a country at peace,” said the 76-year-old ex-president, who is seeking a comeback after leading Brazil from 2003 to 2010. “This country needs to recover the right to be happy.”
About 156 million people are eligible to cast ballots.
Recent opinion polls have given Lula a commanding lead. The last Datafolha survey published on Saturday found 50 percent of respondents who intended to vote said they would choose Lula versus 36 percent for Bolsonaro.
The polling institute interviewed 12,800 people with a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.
Decked out in Lula stickers, Adriana Schneider was voting at a primary school in Rio de Janeiro. The university professor, 48, said Bolsonaro’s administration had been “catastrophic” for investment in culture, arts, science and education.
“We’re living under a barbaric government,” she said.
In Rio’s Rocinha neighbourhood, Manuel Pintoadinho, a 65-year-old metalworker, said he voted for Bolsonaro and did not blame him for tough economic times.
“The pandemic ruined everything, inflation is really high,” Pintoadinho said. “It’s not his fault.”
Presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva votes at a polling station in Sao Bernardo do Campo, on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil [Mariana Greif/Reuters]
Shift to the left?
Bolsonaro has signalled he may refuse to accept defeat, stoking fears of an institutional crisis or post-election violence. A message projected on Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue ahead of the vote read: “Peace in the Elections”.
Bolsonaro voted in Rio and said he expected to win the election in Sunday’s first round, despite his poor showing in polls. The former army captain does not trust the pollsters, saying their results do not correspond with the support he sees at his campaign events.
“If we have clean elections, we will win today with at least 60 percent of the votes,” Bolsonaro said in a video posted on his social media before voting. “All the evidence we have is favourable to us. The other side has not been able to take to the streets, has not campaigned, has no acceptance, no credibility.”
Al Jazeera’s Monica Yanakiew, reporting from Rio de Janeiro, said “many people are asking today if Lula will win today or whether there will be a second round on October 30th”.
Like several of its Latin American neighbours coping with high inflation and a vast number of people excluded from formal employment, Brazil is considering a shift to the political left.
Presidents Gustavo Petro of Colombia, Gabriel Boric of Chile and Pedro Castillo of Peru are among the left-leaning leaders in the region who have recently assumed power.
‘Victim of a lie’
Lula rose from poverty to the presidency and is credited with building an extensive social welfare programme during his 2003-2010 tenure that helped lift tens of millions out of poverty.
But he is also remembered for his administration’s involvement in vast corruption scandals that entangled politicians and business executives.
Lula’s own convictions for corruption and money laundering led to 19 months of imprisonment, sidelining him from the 2018 presidential race that polls indicated he led against Bolsonaro.
The Supreme Court later annulled Lula’s convictions on the grounds that the judge was biased and colluded with prosecutors.
Voting in São Bernardo do Campo on Sunday, Lula acknowledged the dramatic turnaround in his fortunes after a conviction he said was politically motivated.
“It’s an important day for me,” he said. “Four years ago, I couldn’t vote because I was the victim of a lie … I want to try to help my country to return to normal.”
People stand in line to cast votes outside a polling station in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday [Lucas Landau/Reuters]
Bolsonaro grew up in a family of modest means before joining the army. He eventually turned to politics after being forced out of the military for openly pushing to raise soldiers’ salaries.
During his seven terms as a fringe lawmaker in the lower house of the National Congress of Brazil, he regularly expressed nostalgia for the country’s two-decade military dictatorship.
Vowing to defend “God, country and family”, the president retains the die-hard backing of his base – Evangelical Christians, security hardliners and the powerful agribusiness sector.
However, the 67-year-old has lost moderate voters with his management of the weak economy, his vitriolic attacks on Congress, the courts and the press, a surge in destruction in the Amazon rainforest, and his failure to contain the devastation of COVID-19, which has claimed more than 685,000 lives in Brazil.
Post-results scenario
There is a chance Lula could win in the first round without the need for a runoff election on October 30. For that to happen, he would need more than 50 percent of valid votes, which excludes spoiled and blank ballots.
An outright win would sharpen the focus on Bolsonaro’s reaction to the count given that he has repeatedly questioned the reliability not just of opinion polls, but also of electronic voting machines.
Analysts fear he has laid the groundwork to reject results.
At one point, Bolsonaro claimed to possess evidence of fraud, but never presented any, even after the electoral authority set a deadline to do so. He said as recently as September 18 that if he doesn’t win in the first round, something must be “abnormal”.
Political analyst Adriano Laureno said it is likely Bolsonaro will try to contest the result if he loses.
“But that doesn’t mean he’ll succeed. The international community will recognise the result quickly … There might be some kind of turmoil and uncertainty around the transition, but there’s no risk of a democratic rupture,” said Laureno.
A winner could be announced within hours after polling stations close at 5pm Brasilia time (20:00 GMT).
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Trump Kicks Off Football Weekend With Two Key Catches
Trump Kicks Off Football Weekend With Two Key Catches https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-kicks-off-football-weekend-with-two-key-catches/
While U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands with invisible people and talks to the dead, former U.S. President, who is also an aging man, kicked off the football weekend by making two key catches after a rally in Michigan.
A Trump supporter threw a pen and hat up to the former president for a signature and despite both throws being off, the former president made the catch.
This may seem insignificant but in light of his opponent, President Joe Biden’s apparently dimished cognitive abilities, it’s a major play in the game between two men vying to be President of the United States in 2024.
This summer, Biden fell off a bicycle while vacationing in his home state of Delaware.
“Biden cant bring a fricken bicycle to a stop and Trump is out there catching sharpies out of mid air,” Trump’s son Donald, Jr. commented on the catch.
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Donald Trump Says A Simple Disclaimer Gives Him Immunity From Fraud. Could He Have A Point?
Donald Trump Says A Simple Disclaimer Gives Him Immunity From Fraud. Could He Have A Point? https://digitalarizonanews.com/donald-trump-says-a-simple-disclaimer-gives-him-immunity-from-fraud-could-he-have-a-point/
Trump’s net-worth statements start with disclaimers that essentially warn lenders: “Check my math.”
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The statements were unsealed last week as part of NY AG Letitia James’ fraud lawsuit against Trump.
Trump told Sean Hannity the disclaimers absolve him of responsibility and the AG has “no case.”
Donald Trump hunched forward in his gold-painted, spindle-backed chair under the chandeliers of Mar-a-Lago’s glittering grand ballroom and told Sean Hannity why New York’s attorney general, who’d sued him earlier that day, has “no case.”
“We have a disclaimer,” Trump told the Fox News host.
“Right on the front. And it basically says, you know, get your own people. You’re at your own risk … It may be way off.”
Trump was describing the disclaimer that fills the second and third pages of his annual proclamations of net-worth — the 20-page “Statements of Financial Condition” at the center of AG Letitia James’ massive lawsuit against the former president, his three oldest kids, and his real estate and golf resort empire.
James calls these statements “fraudulent,” and says each one is filled with wildly exaggerated math — implausible numbers that misled banks into lending Trump and the New York-incorporated Trump Organization hundreds of millions of dollars over the past decade.
But Trump told Hannity none of that would matter because each Statement of Financial Condition begins with a warning.
“Be careful,” Trump told Hannity the disclaimers essentially say.
“Because it may not be accurate. It may be way off … get your own people. Use your own lawyers,” Trump added. “Don’t rely on us.”
Former financial crimes prosecutor Armen Morian, who worked for the AGs office from 2006 to 2019 before founding Morian Law, believes Trump has a point.
Sure, the annual Statements of Financial Condition may be filled with real whoppers, including all those years — from 2012 through 2016 — when they tripled the actual square footage of Trump’s triplex atop Manhattan’s Trump Tower, adding as much as $200 million a year to the former president’s net worth.
But each year, the disclaimers put banks on notice to double check the numbers before relying on them in deciding how much to lend and at what rate of interest, Morian said.
And if the banks cut Trump a good deal anyway, despite this warning — as Deutsche Bank did year after year, pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into his Miami golf club, his skyscraper in Chicago and the Old Post Office in DC — then they did so with eyes wide open, he said.
“What the disclaimers are saying is, ‘Beware when you read these financial statements,'” Morian said, after a decade’s worth of the statements were unsealed in court filings last week.
“That’s all it has to do,” he said of their disclaimers, affixed to the front of each year’s statement by longtime Trump accountants Mazars USA.
“And that doesn’t cover just Mazars,” added Morian, whose AG financial fraud cases included the 13-year prosecution of insurance magnate Maurice “Hank” Greenberg.
“It covers Trump.”
The opening paragraphs of the disclaimer for Donald Trump’s 2012 Statement of Financial Condition (highlights added).
Laura Italiano/Insider
Morian noted that these are “robust” disclaimers — set down right in the open, not hidden in fine print.
“We have not audited or reviewed the accompanying financial statement,” their first paragraphs say, in boilerplate language repeated through the years.
And so the accountants at Mazars, “do not express an opinion or provide any assurance about whether the financial statement is in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.”
Deutsche Bank in particular — the largest single lender to the Trump Organization and Donald Trump over the last ten years — is a “sophisticated counterparty,” Morian said.
They well knew Trump’s reputation for puffery in an industry — real estate — already known for puffery.
“All of that,” Morian said, “essentially renders the disclaimer an absolute defense.”
A license to exaggerate? To lie?
So, a business can lie about its worth? And get away with it, just by warning, as Trump put it, “It may not be accurate. It may be way off?”
“There is something unsatisfying about it,” Morian conceded.
“But I have a hard time taking off my hat as a lawyer. This is a legal question, and it turns on facts and the law. That’s the game we’re playing in, and that’s the game the attorney general is playing in also.
“It’s shocking that they brought this case,” Morian added.
But not everyone agrees, least of all the former president’s fixer-turned-critic, Michael Cohen, who turned over Trump’s Statements of Financial Condition for 2011 through 2013 as part of his testimony before Congress in 2019.
“The attorney general was not filing a 200-plus page lawsuit, after three years of investigatory work, to have her case negated by a disclaimer,” Cohen told Insider.
That disclaimer was written and signed by Mazars in order to protect Mazars, not Trump, Cohen noted.
These are not our numbers, Mazars essentially tells would-be lenders, and you’ll get no assurances from us on their accuracy.
Diana Florence, a former Manhattan prosecutor for complex financial fraud cases, agreed.
“Sure, they’re a hurdle,” she told Insider of the disclaimers.
But the AG is alleging some 200 false and misleading valuations involving 23 properties. Deutsche Bank can’t be expected “to literally chase down everything in the statement and verify it,” Florence said.
And while James’ lawsuit shines its widest, brightest spotlight on the Statements of Financial Condition, it suggests that other paperwork could put Trump at greater risk.
Through the years, Trump or his childrens signed multiple documents that personally attest to Mazars and to Deutsche Bank that the Statements of Financial Condition are accurate, or at least “fairly” represent Trump’s worth, the lawsuit alleges.
“Trump could say, ‘Yeah, if Deutsche Bank were really worried they could have asked for more things or could have turned us down. They didn’t do any due diligence,'” Florence said.
“But it doesn’t change what the case is about, which is patterns of fraud.”
The AGs office and lawyers for Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Mazars quit working for Trump in the middle of preparing his and Melania Trump’s tax returns, saying that the last 10 years of Statements of Financial Condition “should no longer be relied upon.”
In declining to comment, a Mazars spokesperson said, “We remain committed to fulfilling all of our professional and legal obligations.”
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Arizona Football Picks Up First Pac-12 Win With Romping Of Colorado
Arizona Football Picks Up First Pac-12 Win With Romping Of Colorado https://digitalarizonanews.com/arizona-football-picks-up-first-pac-12-win-with-romping-of-colorado/
TUCSON, AZ – Following their tough loss to Cal, Arizona Football (3-2, 1-1) was too much for Colorado (0-5, 0-2), picking up their first Pac-12 win.
Arizona Football got back in the win column in a big way as the Wildcats totaled 673 yards of offense (495 passing), en route to the 43-20 win over Colorado.
The win also comes at an opportune time for the Wildcats, especially as they were outmatched by a more physical, and well-prepared Cal team last week in Berkeley.
Bringing the energy from the kick-off, the Wildcats were the first to strike in this one as they went on an 11-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a Jayden de Laura to Michael Wiley touchdown to give the Cats the 7-0 lead.
Unfortunately, Colorado would respond with one of their best offensive series of the season. Going 70 yards in nine plays, the Buffaloes would cap things off with an Owen McCown touchdown scamper to tie it at 7-7.
Luckily for us, that was the closest that Colorado would get in this one as Arizona pulled back in front following a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive after de Laura found Jacob Cowing on a slant route to make it 13-7. Unfortunately, the Cats would miss the extra point.
Holding the Buffaloes to back-to-back-to-back punts, Arizona would extend their lead to 19-7 on a juggling catch from Dorian Singer in the back of the end zone. Unfortunately, Jayden would not be able to convert on the two-point conversion.
On the next offensive series, the Wildcats would drive 65 yards on six plays that was capped by yet another touchdown, this time a pass from de Laura to tight end Tanner McLachlan who broke a tackle near the 10 and scampered into the end zone to make it 26-7.
Unfortunately, Colorado would score one last time before halftime to cut Arizona’s lead to 26-13. The Buffaloes would miss the extra point.
Leaving 1:05 left of the clock, Arizona would have one last chance before halftime to put points on the board, and despite de Laura helping the Cats get down the field to set up a 42-yard attempt for Tyler Loop, the Texas native would miss to the right.
Leading 26-13, a strong second half from the Cats would give Arizona Football the eventual 43-20 win over Colorado.
Leading 26-13, the Wildcats would pick things up right where they left off! Holding Colorado to a quick, three-and-out, Arizona would drive 80 yards on six plays that resulted in a beautiful, double-pass from de Laura to freshman Tetairoa McMillan that resulted in six! The successful extra point after made it 33-13, Cats!
On the ensuing series, the Buffaloes would find the end zone again, this time driving 75 yards on seven plays that resulted in a seven-yard touchdown rush from Colorado’s Anthony Hankerson to make it 33-20.
Luckily for us, that would be the last time Colorado would score in this one! Responding with a 63-yard drive of their own, Arizona would extend its lead to 36-20 after Loop finally connected on a 29-yard field goal at the 1:22 mark in the third quarter.
With the defense standing tall in the fourth quarter, Arizona would get one last touchdown in this one, this time using an 11-play, 57-yard drive following a turnover on downs. Arizona would find the end zone after a quick screen pass from de Laura to Wiley made it 43-20 after the successful extra point.
Holding the Buffaloes scoreless for the remainder of this one, the Wildcats’ defense came up big in the end, forcing a Colorado fumble before the offense was able to run out the clock and come away with a 43-20 win.
With the win, the Wildcats improve to 3-2 (1-1) on the year and return to action next weekend when they take on No. 13 Oregon (4-1, 2-0) at home.
Here’s a recap of the Wildcats’ win over the Buffaloes!
Don’t forget to follow us at @ZonaZealots on Twitter and like our fan page on Facebook for continued coverage of Arizona news, opinions, and recruiting updates!
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KHEMMIS Announces New Bassist https://digitalarizonanews.com/khemmis-announces-new-bassist/
Khemmis parted ways with original bassist Daniel Beiers in 2020 and recruited Glacial Tomb bassist David Small for touring duties in 2021. Khemmis has now announced Small as their new permanent bassist, as he clearly brings the low end thunder needed for those powerful Khemmis riffs!
“WE RIDE ONCE MORE INTO BATTLE! We are so stoked to begin this tour tomorrow night alongside Trivium, Between The Buried And Me, and Whitechapel in Boise at [the Revolution Concert House].
“We are even more excited that this is our first tour with [David Small] as an official member of Khemmis! If you’ve seen us live with Dave, you know he’s a headbanging maniac and an absolute bass wizard. We are honored to call him friend, bandmate, and brother. Give Dave a big ol’ welcome, everybody!”
Catch Khemmis on tour with Trivium, Between The Buried And Me, and Whitechapel starting tonight at one of the dates below.
10/2 — Boise, ID — Revolution Concert House + Event Center [Tickets]
10/3 — Portland, OR — Roseland [Tickets]
10/4 — Vancouver, BC — Vogue [Tickets]
10/6 — Calgary, AB — MacHall [Tickets]
10/8 — Winnipeg, MB — Burton Cummings [Tickets]
10/9 — St. Paul, MN — MYTH [Tickets]
10/11 — Madison, WI — The Sylvee [Tickets]
10/12 — Chicago, IL — Radius [Tickets]
10/14 — Nashville, TN — Marathon Music Hall [Tickets]
10/15 — Atlanta, GA — Buckhead Theatre [Tickets]
10/16 — Orlando, FL — House of Blues [Tickets]
10/18 — Norfolk, VA — The Norva [Tickets]
10/19 — Philadelphia, PA — Franklin Music Hall [Tickets]
10/21 — Cincinnati, OH — The Andrew J Brady Music Center [Tickets]
10/22 — Cleveland, OH — House of Blues [Tickets]
10/23 — Detroit, MI — The Fillmore [Tickets]
10/25 — Toronto, ON — Rebel [Tickets]
10/26 — Montreal, QC — MTELUS [Tickets]
10/28 — Boston, MA — House of Blues [Tickets]
10/29 — New York, NY — Palladium Times Square [Tickets]
10/30 — Silver Spring, MD — The Fillmore [Tickets]
10/31 — Charlotte, NC — The Fillmore [Tickets]
11/2 — St. Louis, MO — The Pageant [Tickets]
11/4 — Houston, TX — House of Blues [Tickets]
11/5 — San Antonio, TX — The Aztec Theatre [Tickets]
11/6 — Dallas, TX — South Side Ballroom [Tickets]
11/8 — Albuquerque, NM — Sunshine Theater [Tickets]
11/9 — Phoenix, AZ — The Van Buren [Tickets]
11/10 — Los Angeles, CA — The Wiltern [Tickets]
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AP News Summary At 9:31 A.m. EDT https://digitalarizonanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-931-a-m-edt/
10 torture sites in 1 town: Russia sowed pain, fear in Izium
IZIUM, Ukraine (AP) — Russian torture in Izium was arbitrary, widespread and absolutely routine for both civilians and soldiers throughout the city, an AP investigation has found. AP journalists located 10 torture sites in the Ukrainian town, including a deep sunless pit in a residential compound, a clammy underground jail that reeked of urine, a medical clinic, and a kindergarten. AP also spoke to 15 survivors of Russian torture and confirmed the deaths of eight men. All but one were civilians. The AP found a former Ukrainian soldier who was tortured three times hiding in a monastery, and connected him with loved ones.
125 die as tear gas triggers crush at Indonesia soccer match
MALANG, Indonesia (AP) — Panic and a chaotic run for exits after police fired tear gas at an Indonesian soccer match has left at least 125 dead, most of whom were trampled upon or suffocated. Attention immediately focused on the police use of tear gas, and witnesses described police beat them with sticks and shields before shooting canisters directly into the crowds. The president of FIFA called the deaths on Saturday “a dark day for all involved in football and a tragedy beyond comprehension,” while President Joko Widodo ordered an investigation of security procedures. While FIFA has no control over domestic games, it has advised against the use of tear gas at stadiums. Violence broke out after the game ended with host Arema FC losing to Persebaya of Surabaya 3-2.
EXPLAINER: What’s behind Indonesia’s deadly soccer match?
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Violence, tear gas and a deadly crush that erupted following a domestic league soccer match Saturday night marked another tragedy in Indonesian football. Emotions often run high for sports fans, and Indonesia is no stranger to soccer violence. Saturday’s chaos occurred when a disappointing loss led to fans throwing objects and swarming the soccer pitch, then to police firing tear gas, which led to a crush of people trying to escape. At least 125 have died. Indonesia’s soccer association has banned host team Arema from hosting matches for the remainder of the season.
Ukraine presses on with counteroffensive; Russia uses drones
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia has attacked the Ukrainian president’s hometown with suicide drones. This comes as Ukraine has pushed ahead with its counteroffensive that has embarrassed the Kremlin. Ukraine took back control of the strategic eastern city of Lyman, which Russia had been using as a transport and logistics hub. That’s a new blow to the Kremlin as it seeks to escalate the war by illegally annexing four regions of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said more Ukrainian flags are flying in what was recently Russian-occupied territory. Pope Francis, meanwhile, on Sunday decried Russia’s nuclear threats against the West and appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop “this spiral of violence and death.”___
Florida deaths rise to 47 amid struggle to recover from Ian
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Rescuers have evacuated stunned survivors cut off by Hurricane Ian on Florida’s largest barrier island, and the state’s death toll has risen sharply amid recovery efforts. Hundreds of thousands of people are still sweltering without power in the state, days after Ian’s rampage from Florida to the Carolinas. Florida now has 47 confirmed deaths. Ian was one of the strongest U.S. hurricanes on record when the Category 4 monster smashed ashore at midweek. Many storm victims were left isolated with limited cellphone service and lacking basic amenities like water and power. As of Saturday night, nearly 1 million customers in Florida still had not had electricity restored.
Brazil holds historic election with Lula against Bolsonaro
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilians are voting in a highly polarized election that could determine if the country returns a leftist to the helm of the world’s fourth-largest democracy or keeps the far-right incumbent in office for another four years. The race pits far-right President Jair Bolsonaro against his political nemesis, leftist former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Recent polls have given da Silva a commanding lead, pointing to a chance that he might win the first round outright, without need for a runoff. Da Silva would have to get more than 50% of the votes cast Sunday, topping the total vote for Bolsonaro and the other nine candidates.
In Brazilian Amazon, a 1,000-mile voyage so people can vote
MANAUS, Brazil (AP) — Sunday is election day in Brazil. In the Amazon region, many Indigenous people live days away from the nearest town where there is a voting center. But the nation addressed that challenge years ago, thanks in large part to Indigenous advocate Bruno Pereira, who was murdered earlier this year. Pereira created a system for voting machines to travel to Indigenous villages, rather than vice versa, after an infamous incident where Indigenous voters were stranded on a riverbank for weeks with insufficient gasoline to motor their boats home, and many got sick. Some died. Today that system continues, with election officials using light aircraft and helicopters to reach remote villages.
Trump: ‘King’ to some in Pennsylvania, but will it help GOP?
MONONGAHELA, Pa. (AP) — The enthusiasm for Donald Trump’s unique brand of nationalist populism has cut into traditional Democratic strongholds in places such as Monongahela in western Pennsylvania. That’s where House Republicans recently outlined their election-year campaign agenda, called “Commitment to America.” They’re hoping they can tap into the same political sentiment Trump used to attract voters. But it’s not clear whether the support that propelled Trump to the White House will be there on Election Day this November. Just as challenging for the Republican Party is whether Trump’s false claims of voter fraud will hurt the GOP if voters decide to sit out the election.
Election officials brace for confrontational poll watchers
GOLDSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Local election officials across the United States are bracing for a wave of confrontations on Election Day in November. Emboldened Republican poll watchers, including many who embrace former President Donald Trump’s falsehoods about the 2020 election, are expected to flood election offices and polling places. The Republican Party and conservative activists have been holding poll watcher training sessions, but in many states they’ve barred the media from observing those sessions. Some Republican-led states passed laws after the 2020 election that require local election offices to allow poll watchers and give them expanded access to observe and challenge ballots.
Biden pledge to make federal fleet electric faces slow start
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden often promises to lead by example by moving quickly to convert the U.S. government fleet to zero-emission electric vehicles. But efforts have lagged in helping meet his ambitious climate goals by eliminating gas-powered vehicles from the federal fleet. Biden last year directed the government to purchase only American-made zero-emission passenger cars by 2027. But the General Services Administration, which buys two-thirds of the federal fleet, says there are no guarantees. It cites big upfront costs and specialized agency needs, such as off-road vehicles for national parks that have limited EV options. About 13% of new light-duty vehicles purchased across the government this year — meaning about 3,550 — were zero emissions.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Election Officials Brace For Confrontational Poll Watchers
Election Officials Brace For Confrontational Poll Watchers https://digitalarizonanews.com/election-officials-brace-for-confrontational-poll-watchers-2/
GOLDSBORO, N.C. (AP) — The situation with the poll watcher had gotten so bad that Anne Risku, the election director in North Carolina’s Wayne County, had to intervene via speakerphone.
“You need to back off!” Risku recalled hollering after the woman wedged herself between a voter and the machine where the voter was trying to cast his ballot at a precinct about 60 miles southeast of Raleigh.
The man eventually was able to vote, but the incident was one of several Risku cited from the May primary that made her worry about a wave of newly aggressive poll watchers. Many have spent the past two years steeped in lies about the accuracy of the 2020 election.
Those fears led the North Carolina State Board of Elections in August to tighten rules governing poll watchers. But the state’s rules review board, appointed by the Republican-controlled Legislature, blocked the new poll watcher regulations in late September, leaving election officials such as Risku without additional tools to control behavior on Election Day, Nov. 8.
“It becomes complete babysitting,” Risku said in an interview. “The back and forth for the precinct officials, having somebody constantly on you for every little thing that you do — not because you’re doing it wrong, but because they don’t agree with what you’re doing.”
Wayne County Elections Director Anne Risku prepares absentee ballots at the Wayne County Board of Elections office on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, in Goldsboro, N.C. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Hannah Schoenbaum
FILE – Polling workers inspect and count absentee ballots as poll watchers sit opposite, Nov. 10, 2020, in New York. Election officials across the country are bracing for a wave of confrontations in November as emboldened Republican poll watchers, many embracing former President Donald Trump’s conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, flood polling places for the general election. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/John Minchillo
The Wayne County Board of Elections sign stands outside their office on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, in Goldsboro, N.C. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Hannah Schoenbaum
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Poll watchers have traditionally been an essential element of electoral transparency, the eyes and ears for the two major political parties who help ensure that the actual mechanics of voting are administered fairly and accurately. But election officials fear that a surge of conspiracy believers are signing up for those positions this year and are being trained by others who have propagated the lie spread by former President Donald Trump and his allies that the 2020 presidential election was riddled with fraud.
In Michigan, groups that have spread falsehoods about that race are recruiting poll watchers. In Nevada, the Republican Party’s nominee for secretary of state, Jim Marchant, denies President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory and was a featured speaker at a party poll watcher training.
Cleta Mitchell, a prominent conservative lawyer and North Carolina resident, is running a group recruiting poll watchers and workers in eight swing states. Mitchell was on the phone with Trump when the then-president called Georgia’s secretary of state in January 2021 and asked that official to “find” enough votes for Trump to be declared the state’s winner.
Chris Harvey, who was Georgia’s election director in 2020 when Trump claimed the election was being stolen from him, recalled how swarms of Trump backers came as self-appointed poll watchers to observe the state’s manual recounts, harassing election workers and disrupting the process. Harvey fears a repeat this year.
“The whole tension that we’re expecting to see at polling places is something we’re talking to election officials about, something we’re talking to law enforcement about,” said Harvey, who is advising a group of election officials and law enforcement before November.
The laws governing poll watchers vary from state to state. Their role is generally to observe, question any deviations from required procedure and, in some states, lodge formal complaints or provide testimony for objections filed in court.
The worries this year are similar to those during the 2020 election, when Trump began railing against mail voting and the Republican National Committee launched its first national operation in decades. It had recently been freed from a consent decree that limited its poll watching operation after it previously was found to have targeted Black and Latino voters. But voting went smoothly that November.
Mitchell said her organization, the Election Integrity Network, is just trying to ensure that everyone follows the law.
“We are not a threat,” she told The Associated Press during a text message exchange. “Unless you think elections that are conducted according to the rule of law are a threat. We train people to follow the law.”
Risku said there were issues with poll watchers from both parties during the primary in May. But of the 13 incidents she reported to the North Carolina board from Wayne County, all involved Republicans.
In addition to the poll watcher who had to be ejected, Risku said another Republican poll watcher in her district waited after hours in the parking lot of the Mount Olive Train Depot early voting site until Chief Judge Susan Wiley began carrying boxes of marked ballots to her car.
On two occasions, the man tried to follow her back to the elections office in Goldsboro, about a 20-minute drive.
Recognizing that the job has become “a scary ordeal” in the last year, Risku said she has stepped up security before November and offered raises to entice precinct officials to stay. She expects many won’t return after this year.
The North Carolina GOP chairman, Michael Whatley, said that’s not what the party is teaching its poll watchers.
“What we saw in terms of some of the activities that were at play may have been coming from Republicans but were not things that we have been teaching people in our training sessions,” Whatley said. “What we want to do is make sure that we have people that are in the room that are going to be very respectful of the election officials at all times, be very respectful of the voters at all times and, if they see issues, then report them in.”
He has declined to allow reporters to attend the training sessions, which he said have trained 7,000 potential poll watchers so far this year.
As in many states, poll watchers are only permitted in North Carolina if they have been designated by the major parties. But in Michigan, organizations that register with local election offices also can provide poll watchers. A coalition of groups that have questioned the 2020 election are scrambling to get as many of their members in place as possible in the politically critical state.
“The best I can do is put a whole bunch of eyeballs on it to make sure that anything that doesn’t look right gets a further look,” said Sandy Kiesel, executive director of the Michigan Election Integrity Fund and Force, part of a coalition that recruited 5,000 poll watchers for the state’s August primary.
Kiesel said several of her coalition’s poll watchers and poll challengers — Michigan law allows one person to observe and another person to formally lodge challenges at precincts — were prevented from observing or escorted out of polling places in August.
Michigan election officials are bracing for more confrontations in November. Patrick Colbeck, a former Republican state senator and prominent election conspiracy theorist who is part of Kiesel’s coalition, announced this past week that a comprehensive fall push to scrutinize every aspect of voting would be called “Operation Overwatch.”
“They are talking about intimidating people who have the right to vote,” said Barb Byrum, clerk of Michigan’s Ingham County, which includes Lansing, the state capital.
In a sign of the importance the state’s Republicans place on poll watchers, the GOP-controlled Legislature last week agreed to let election offices throughout Michigan start processing mailed ballots two days before Election Day — something most states with mail voting allow long before then — but only if they allow poll watchers to observe. The ballots are not actually counted until Election Day.
In Texas, a new law allows every candidate to assign up to two poll watchers, raising the potential that observers could pack polling locations, particularly around big cities such as Dallas and Houston where ballots are the longest.
According to records from the secretary of state’s office, more than 900 people in Texas already had received poll watching certification in the three weeks after the state opened required training on Sept. 1.
___
Riccardi reported from Denver. Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, Gabe Stern in Reno, Nevada, and Paul Weber in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ap_politics.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Iran Lawmakers Chant 'thank You Police' Despite Growing Public Fury Over Woman's Death
Iran Lawmakers Chant 'thank You, Police' Despite Growing Public Fury Over Woman's Death https://digitalarizonanews.com/iran-lawmakers-chant-thank-you-police-despite-growing-public-fury-over-womans-death/
DUBAI, Oct 2 (Reuters) – Iranian lawmakers chanted “thank you, police” during a parliament session on Sunday, in a show of support for a fierce crackdown on widespread anti-government protests against the death of a young woman in police custody.
The protests, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini from Iranian Kurdistan, have spiralled into the biggest show of opposition to Iran’s authorities in years, with many calling for the end of more than four decades of Islamic clerical rule.
Pledging allegiance to the Islamic Republic’s top authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the lawmakers chanted: “The blood in our veins is a gift to our leader”, a video shared on Iranian state media showed.
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At least 52 people have died in the crackdown, according to a tally by rights group Amnesty International. Iranian authorities say many members of the security forces have been killed by “rioters and thugs backed by foreign foes”.
Khamenei has not commented on the protests, which began at Amini’s funeral on Sept. 17 and quickly spread to Iran’s 31 provinces, with all layers of society, including ethnic and religious minorities, taking part.
Several prominent soccer players who are stars in Iran and around Asia, including the former captain of Iran’s national team, Ali Daei, have criticised the repression of protesters. Some social media posts suggested that Daei has been banned from leaving Iran. Reuters could not confirm the report.
The protests have not abated despite the growing death toll and the crackdown by security forces using tear gas, clubs, and in some cases, according to videos on social media and rights groups, live ammunition.
Videos on social media showed demonstrations in several cities such as Kermanshah, Shiraz and Mashhad on Sunday, with participants chanting “independence, freedom, death to Khamenei”.
Activist Twitter account 1500tasvir, which has more than 160,000 followers, posted a video of protesters in the central city of Isfahan calling for a nationwide strike and setting up a road block to bring truck drivers to their ranks. Reuters could not verify the videos.
Iranian state media shared a video of pro-government students, who gathered at the Ferdowsi university in Mashhad, chanting “the Islamic Republic is our red line”.
DEATH IN COMA
Amini was arrested on Sept. 13 in Tehran for “unsuitable attire” by the morality police who enforce the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code. She died three days later in hospital after falling into a coma.
The lawyer for Amini’s family, Saleh Nikbakht, told the semi-official Etemadonline news website that “respectable doctors” believe she was hit in custody. Amini’s autopsy report and other medical details have not been released, but her father said he saw bruises on her leg and that other women detained with her said she was beaten.
Iran’s police authorities say Amini died of a heart attack and deny she was beaten to death in custody.
The country’s hardline President Ebrahim Raisi has ordered an investigation into Amini’s death. He said last week that a forensic report would be presented in “coming days”.
Amnesty International on Friday reported 52 people killed in the protests, with hundreds injured and thousands arrested. Iranian state media said last week, 41 people, including security forces, had been killed.
Amini’s death and the crackdown have drawn international criticism of Iran’s rulers, who in turn accuse the United States and some European countries of exploiting the unrest to try to destabilise the Islamic Republic.
Iran said last week it had arrested nine people from Germany, Poland, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and other countries for their role in the protests.
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Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Frank Jack Daniel
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda Talks About Why He Isn't All-In On EVs And What Made Him Do A 'happy Dance'
Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda Talks About Why He Isn't All-In On EVs — And What Made Him Do A 'happy Dance' https://digitalarizonanews.com/toyota-ceo-akio-toyoda-talks-about-why-he-isnt-all-in-on-evs-and-what-made-him-do-a-happy-dance/
Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda speaks during a small media roundtable on Sept. 29, 2022 in Las Vegas.
Toyota
LAS VEGAS — Toyota Motor CEO Akio Toyoda last week simply stated what he would like his legacy to be: “I love cars.”
Just how the 66-year-old racer, car enthusiast and company scion will be remembered regarding his approach to all-electric vehicles compared to gas-powered performance cars, like the Supra, or hybrids, like the once-groundbreaking Prius, will play out in the years to come.
Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, plans to invest $70 billion in electrified vehicles over the next nine years. Half of that will be for all-electric battery ones. While it’s a substantial investment in EVs, it’s smaller than some competitors’ plans, and not as much as some would like given Toyota’s global footprint.
Despite criticism from some investors and environmental groups, Toyoda this past week doubled down on his strategy to continue investing in a range of electrified vehicles as opposed to competitors such as Volkswagen and General Motors, which have said they are going all-in on all-electric vehicles.
The plans could arguably cement Toyoda’s “I love cars” legacy or tarnish it, depending on how quickly drivers adopt electric vehicles.
“For me, playing to win also means doing things differently. Doing things that others may question, but that we believe will put us in the winner’s circle the longest,” he said Wednesday during Toyota’s annual dealer meeting in Las Vegas, which, by the way, was called “Playing to Win.”
Akio Toyoda with new Toyota Supra
Paul Eisenstein | CNBC
Toyoda, who described Toyota as a large department store, said the company’s goal “remains the same, pleasing the widest possible range of customers with the widest possible range of powertrains.” Those powertrains will include hybrids and plug-in hybrids like the Prius, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles like the Mirai and 15 all-electric battery models by 2025.
Aside from the EV plans, Toyoda discussed several other aspects of the company’s business last week during the dealer meeting and a small roundtable with U.S. media.
EV regulations and materials
Toyoda reiterated that he does not believe all-electric vehicles will be adopted as quickly as policy regulators and competitors think, due to a variety of reasons. He cited lack of infrastructure, pricing and how customers’ choices vary region to region as examples of possible roadblocks.
He believes it will be “difficult” to fulfill recent regulations that call for banning traditional vehicles with internal combustion engines by 2035, like California and New York have said they will adopt.
“Just like the free autonomous cars that we are all supposed to be driving by now, EVs are just going to take longer to become mainstream than media would like us to believe,” Toyoda said in a recording of the remarks to dealers shown to reporters. “In the meantime, you have many options for customers.”
Toyoda also believes there will be “tremendous shortages” of lithium and battery grade nickel in the next five to 10 years, leading to production and supply chain problems.
Carbon neutrality
Toyota’s goal is carbon neutrality by 2050, and not just through all-electric vehicles. Some have questioned the environmental impact of EVs when factoring in raw material mining and overall vehicle production.
Since the Prius launched in 1997, Toyota says it has sold more than 20 million electrified vehicles worldwide. The company says those sales have avoided 160 million tons of CO2 emissions, which is the equivalent to the impact of 5.5 million all-electric battery vehicles.
“Toyota can produce eight 40-mile plug-in hybrids for every one 320-mile battery electric vehicle and save up to eight times the carbon emitted into the atmosphere,” according to prepared remarks for Toyoda provided to media.
Toyota’s hesitancy to launch all-electric vehicles has been criticized by environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and Greenpeace, which have the Japanese automaker at the bottom of auto-industry decarbonization rankings the past two years.
Standing pat with dealers
Toyota has no plans to overhaul its franchised dealership network as it invests in electrified vehicles, like some competitors have announced.
“I know you are anxious about the future. I know you are worried about how this business will change. While I can’t predict the future, I can promise you this: You, me, us, this business, this franchised model is not going anywhere. It’s staying just as it is,” he told dealers to resounding applause.
The franchised dealer model has been under pressure after Tesla and newer EV startups began selling directly to consumers than rather through traditional dealers.
GM has offered buyouts to Buick and Cadillac dealers that don’t want to invest in EVs, while Ford last month announced dealers that want to sell EVs must become certified under one of two programs — with investments of $500,000 or $1.2 million.
‘Happy dance’
As part of lighthearted and comedic comments to dealers, Toyoda said he danced when the automaker outsold GM last year for the first time ever in the U.S.
Despite Toyota executives saying the accomplishment wasn’t sustainable — GM led through the first half of this year — Toyoda still felt it was cause for celebration.
“At Toyota, we like to keep our head down and not talk about our success,” Toyoda said before reenacting the dance on stage. “But when I heard you became No. 1 in the U.S. last year, I actually did a little happy dance in my office.”
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US Skier Hilaree Nelson Given Sherpa Cremation After Death In Himalayas
US Skier Hilaree Nelson Given Sherpa Cremation After Death In Himalayas https://digitalarizonanews.com/us-skier-hilaree-nelson-given-sherpa-cremation-after-death-in-himalayas/
A famed extreme skier from the United States who was killed after falling from one of the world’s tallest mountains was on Sunday given a traditional funeral at a Sherpa cremation ground.
Buddhist monks officiated at a ceremony attended by family, friends and government officials.
Hilaree Nelson, 49, fell from the 26,775ft summit of the world’s eighth-highest mountain, Mount Manaslu, last week while skiing down with her partner, Jim Morrison.
Nelson’s body was taken to the Sherpa cremation grounds in Kathmandu from a hospital morgue on the back of an open truck, which was decorated a poster of her and decked with garlands of flowers.
Family, friends, mountaineers and government officials gathered at the funeral ground, offering flowers and scarfs that were placed on her remains, which were then rested on a stack of wood. Buddhists monks lit the pyre as they played musical instruments and chanted prayers while mourners lit incense.
Friends and family members mourn Hilaree Nelson in Kathmandu on Sunday. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty
Nelson’s family members had flown to Kathmandu for the funeral.
She disappeared on 26 September and rescuers searching by helicopter located her body two days later, which was flown to Kathmandu. Bad weather had hampered the initial search.
Climbers on Mount Manaslu have been struggling with bad weather and repeated avalanches. On the day Nelson fell, an avalanche at a lower elevation on the same mountain killed a Nepalese man and injured several other climbers.
Hilaree Nelson. Photograph: Nick Kalisz/Facebook
Hundreds of climbers and their local guides have attempted to reach the mountain’s summit during Nepal’s autumn climbing season.
Nelson, from Telluride, Colorado, and Morrison, from Tahoe, California, are extreme skiers who reached the summit of Mount Lhotse, the world’s fourth-highest mountain, in 2018.
Nepal’s government has issued permits to 504 climbers during this year’s autumn climbing season. Most are climbing Mount Manaslu.
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National Archives Says Trump White House Records Still Missing
National Archives Says Trump White House Records Still Missing https://digitalarizonanews.com/national-archives-says-trump-white-house-records-still-missing/
President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in Washington, on Nov. 5, 2020. Credit: Evan Vucci / AP
The National Archives said it still doesn’t have all of the records from White House staffers that it should have received at the end of former President Donald Trump’s administration and will continue to pursue missing material.
“While there is no easy way to establish absolute accountability, we do know that we do not have custody of everything we should,” Debra Steidel Wall, the Acting Archivist of the United States, said in a letter dated Friday to Representative Carolyn Maloney of New York.
On whether Trump himself has surrendered all of his presidential records besides those already turned over or seized by authorities from his Florida estate, Wall “respectfully” referred Maloney to the U.S. Justice Department, citing its pending investigation.
Maloney, chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, asked the National Archives and Records Administration on Sept. 13 to review whether it has obtained the complete collection of Trump administration records and report back.
In a response Saturday to Wall’s letter, Maloney said, “Presidential records are the property of the American people, and it is outrageous that these records remain unaccounted for 20 months after former President Trump left office.”
The Presidential Records Act mandates that all presidential records must be properly preserved by each administration so that a complete set is transferred to the National Archives at the end of an administration.
Wall said the Archives “has identified” that some members of the Trump White House staff conducted official business using non-official electronic messaging accounts that were not copied or forwarded into their official electronic messaging accounts, as required by that Act. She did not identify the staffers.
“NARA has been able to obtain such records from a number of former officials and will continue to pursue the return of similar types of Presidential records from former officials,” she wrote.
Wall said the agency will consult with DOJ on whether “to initiate an action for the recovery of records unlawfully removed,” as established under the Federal Records Act. She cited a DOJ lawsuit in August against former Trump White House trade adviser Peter Navarro seeking the return of his official email records from his personal email account.
FBI agents searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida in August, seizing some two dozen boxes of documents he hadn’t returned to the National Archives after months of negotiations. Those boxes contained highly classified material, including some marked with the highest rating, TS/SCI, or “Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information.”
Maloney, in her statement Saturday, said she’ll do what she can to ensure that all of the Trump White House’s presidential records return to the custody of the government “and to make sure these abuses never happen again.”
Billy House, Bloomberg News
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Trump: King To Some In Pennsylvania But Will It Help GOP?
Trump: ‘King’ To Some In Pennsylvania, But Will It Help GOP? https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-king-to-some-in-pennsylvania-but-will-it-help-gop/
MONONGAHELA, Pa. (AP) — The Trump-Pence sign still hangs on the older building off Main Street in this historic town, a lasting vestige of the campaign fervor that roused voters, including many who still believe the falsehood that the former president didn’t lose in 2020 and hope he’ll run in 2024.
The enthusiasm for Donald Trump’s unique brand of nationalist populism has cut into traditional Democratic strongholds like Monongahela, about 25 miles south of Pittsburgh, where brick storefronts and a Slovak fellowship hall dot Main Street and church bells mark the hours of the day. Republicans are counting on political nostalgia for the Trump era as they battle Democrats this fall in Pennsylvania in races for governor, the U.S. Senate and control of Congress.
“Trump just came along and filled the empty space,” said Matti Gruzs, who stitches old blue jeans into tote bags, place mats and other creations she sells at the weekly Farmer’s Market downtown. “He’s still the king, and the kingmaker.”
Against the backdrop of this picturesque place, House Republicans recently released their campaign agenda, hoping their “Commitment to America” can tap into the same political sentiment Trump used to attract not just Republican but independent and former Democratic voters. But it’s unclear whether the support that propelled Trump to the White House will be there on Election Day, Nov. 8.
Perhaps even more challenging for the GOP is whether Trump’s false claims of voter fraud will cost the party if people believe, as the defeated president claims without evidence, the elections are rigged. Some may just decide to sit out the election.
“It started out as a low-enthusiasm race,” said Dave Ball, the Republican Party chairman in Washington County, which includes much of western Pennsylvania.
Ball said enthusiasm has been “building rapidly” — his main metric for voter interest in the elections is the demand for lawn signs. “We were wondering, at one point, you know, we were going to see any,” he said. “Right now, I can’t get my hands on enough.”
But Amy Michalic, who was born and raised in Monongahela and works the polls during elections, said she hears skepticism from some voters, particularly Trump supporters, “who think my vote doesn’t count.”
Trump’s claims of fraud have no basis in fact. Dozens of court cases filed by Trump and his supporters have been dismissed or rejected by judges across the nation, but he continues to challenge Joe Biden’s victory. In every state, officials have attested to the accuracy of their elections, and Trump’s own attorney general at the time, Bill Barr, said in 2020 there was no voter fraud on a scale to change the outcome.
Michaelic reminds skeptical voters in her hometown of the importance of voting and notes that in 2016, no one thought Trump could win. “Look what he did, he took Pennsylvania,” she said.
At the Farmer’s Market on a recent afternoon, voters shared concerns that many people in the United States voice this election year — about the high prices of everything, about finding workers and good-paying jobs, about the culture wars.
“Where do you start?” said Michelle DeHosse, wearing an American flag shirt as she helped vendors set up stands.
DeHosse, who runs a custom-screen print and embroidery shop on Main Street, said she has had trouble hiring employees since the pandemic. While she said just cannot afford the $20 an hour and health care benefits many applicants demand, she understands that many workers need both. “It’s the economy that’s the biggest concern,” she said.
Democrats were sparse among the voters, who didn’t seem to have strong feelings for their choices this fall for either of the Senate candidates, Democrat John Fetterman or the Trump-backed Republican Mehmet Oz. Several said they probably would vote party line.
“I don’t like either one of them,” said Carolyn McCuen, 84, a Republican enjoying sunset with friends and McDonald’s coffee at a picnic table by the river.
“Me either,” said another Republican, Sam Reo, 76, a retired mechanical engineer, playing oldies from the portable speaker he sets up for the group.
Both still plan to vote. Support for the GOP candidate for governor, Doug Mastriano, who was outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, can be seen in the giant signs along Lincoln Highway, an east-west route across the state.
Mastriano is a “folk hero around here,” said Gruzs, who recalled his regular updates broadcast during the pandemic.
A history buff who homes-schooled her children, Gruzs hasn’t missed a vote since she cast her first presidential ballot for Ronald Reagan. The same goes for her husband, Sam, a plumber. They moved here two decades ago from Baltimore, for a better life. Now a grandmother, she spends her days working on her crafts and listening to far-right broadcasts – Steve Bannon, Charlie Kirk and others.
She is not a fan of House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. and isn’t convinced he has the toughness needed to push the party’s ideas forward. But she did attend the event at a nearby manufacturing facility where lawmakers outlined the GOP agenda. She was heartened to see far-right Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene at the event with McCarthy, and made sure to shake Greene’s hand.
“If she’s behind him,” she said, trailing off. “It looked today he had enough behind him, pushing him.”
Trump remains popular, and the sign hanging on the building off Main Street from his 2020 campaign was far from the only one still visible in the state, two years since that election.
Several of the voters dismissed the investigations against Trump as nothing more than a “witch hunt” designed to keep him from running again office, despite the potentially serious charges being raised in state and federal inquiries. Some voters said they didn’t believe the attack on the Capitol was an insurrection, despite the violence waged by pro-Trump supporters trying to overturn Biden’s election.
Those views stand in contrast to the hard facts of Jan. 6: More than 850 people have been arrested and charged in the insurrection, some given lengthy sentences by the courts for their involvement. Hours before the siege, Trump told a rally crowd to “fight like hell” for his presidency. Loyalists soon broke into the Capitol, fighting in hand-to-hand combat with police, interrupting Congress as it was certifying the election results. Five people, including a Trump supporter shot by police, died in the immediate aftermath.
And if Trump runs again?
“I wish he would,” said McCuen, a retired church secretary. “But I don’t know if he will.”
—-
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Election Officials Brace For Confrontational Poll Watchers
Election Officials Brace For Confrontational Poll Watchers https://digitalarizonanews.com/election-officials-brace-for-confrontational-poll-watchers/
GOLDSBORO, N.C. (AP) — The situation with the poll watcher had gotten so bad that Anne Risku, the election director in North Carolina’s Wayne County, had to intervene via speakerphone.
“You need to back off!” Risku recalled hollering after the woman wedged herself between a voter and the machine where the voter was trying to cast his ballot at a precinct about 60 miles southeast of Raleigh.
The man eventually was able to vote, but the incident was one of several Risku cited from the May primary that made her worry about a wave of newly aggressive poll watchers. Many have spent the past two years steeped in lies about the accuracy of the 2020 election.
Those fears led the North Carolina State Board of Elections in August to tighten rules governing poll watchers. But the state’s rules review board, appointed by the Republican-controlled Legislature, blocked the new poll watcher regulations in late September, leaving election officials such as Risku without additional tools to control behavior on Election Day, Nov. 8.
“It becomes complete babysitting,” Risku said in an interview. “The back and forth for the precinct officials, having somebody constantly on you for every little thing that you do — not because you’re doing it wrong, but because they don’t agree with what you’re doing.”
Wayne County Elections Director Anne Risku prepares absentee ballots at the Wayne County Board of Elections office on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, in Goldsboro, N.C. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Hannah Schoenbaum
FILE – Polling workers inspect and count absentee ballots as poll watchers sit opposite, Nov. 10, 2020, in New York. Election officials across the country are bracing for a wave of confrontations in November as emboldened Republican poll watchers, many embracing former President Donald Trump’s conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, flood polling places for the general election. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/John Minchillo
The Wayne County Board of Elections sign stands outside their office on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, in Goldsboro, N.C. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Hannah Schoenbaum
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Poll watchers have traditionally been an essential element of electoral transparency, the eyes and ears for the two major political parties who help ensure that the actual mechanics of voting are administered fairly and accurately. But election officials fear that a surge of conspiracy believers are signing up for those positions this year and are being trained by others who have propagated the lie spread by former President Donald Trump and his allies that the 2020 presidential election was riddled with fraud.
In Michigan, groups that have spread falsehoods about that race are recruiting poll watchers. In Nevada, the Republican Party’s nominee for secretary of state, Jim Marchant, denies President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory and was a featured speaker at a party poll watcher training.
Cleta Mitchell, a prominent conservative lawyer and North Carolina resident, is running a group recruiting poll watchers and workers in eight swing states. Mitchell was on the phone with Trump when the then-president called Georgia’s secretary of state in January 2021 and asked that official to “find” enough votes for Trump to be declared the state’s winner.
Chris Harvey, who was Georgia’s election director in 2020 when Trump claimed the election was being stolen from him, recalled how swarms of Trump backers came as self-appointed poll watchers to observe the state’s manual recounts, harassing election workers and disrupting the process. Harvey fears a repeat this year.
“The whole tension that we’re expecting to see at polling places is something we’re talking to election officials about, something we’re talking to law enforcement about,” said Harvey, who is advising a group of election officials and law enforcement before November.
The laws governing poll watchers vary from state to state. Their role is generally to observe, question any deviations from required procedure and, in some states, lodge formal complaints or provide testimony for objections filed in court.
The worries this year are similar to those during the 2020 election, when Trump began railing against mail voting and the Republican National Committee launched its first national operation in decades. It had recently been freed from a consent decree that limited its poll watching operation after it previously was found to have targeted Black and Latino voters. But voting went smoothly that November.
Mitchell said her organization, the Election Integrity Network, is just trying to ensure that everyone follows the law.
“We are not a threat,” she told The Associated Press during a text message exchange. “Unless you think elections that are conducted according to the rule of law are a threat. We train people to follow the law.”
Risku said there were issues with poll watchers from both parties during the primary in May. But of the 13 incidents she reported to the North Carolina board from Wayne County, all involved Republicans.
In addition to the poll watcher who had to be ejected, Risku said another Republican poll watcher in her district waited after hours in the parking lot of the Mount Olive Train Depot early voting site until Chief Judge Susan Wiley began carrying boxes of marked ballots to her car.
On two occasions, the man tried to follow her back to the elections office in Goldsboro, about a 20-minute drive.
Recognizing that the job has become “a scary ordeal” in the last year, Risku said she has stepped up security before November and offered raises to entice precinct officials to stay. She expects many won’t return after this year.
The North Carolina GOP chairman, Michael Whatley, said that’s not what the party is teaching its poll watchers.
“What we saw in terms of some of the activities that were at play may have been coming from Republicans but were not things that we have been teaching people in our training sessions,” Whatley said. “What we want to do is make sure that we have people that are in the room that are going to be very respectful of the election officials at all times, be very respectful of the voters at all times and, if they see issues, then report them in.”
He has declined to allow reporters to attend the training sessions, which he said have trained 7,000 potential poll watchers so far this year.
As in many states, poll watchers are only permitted in North Carolina if they have been designated by the major parties. But in Michigan, organizations that register with local election offices also can provide poll watchers. A coalition of groups that have questioned the 2020 election are scrambling to get as many of their members in place as possible in the politically critical state.
“The best I can do is put a whole bunch of eyeballs on it to make sure that anything that doesn’t look right gets a further look,” said Sandy Kiesel, executive director of the Michigan Election Integrity Fund and Force, part of a coalition that recruited 5,000 poll watchers for the state’s August primary.
Kiesel said several of her coalition’s poll watchers and poll challengers — Michigan law allows one person to observe and another person to formally lodge challenges at precincts — were prevented from observing or escorted out of polling places in August.
Michigan election officials are bracing for more confrontations in November. Patrick Colbeck, a former Republican state senator and prominent election conspiracy theorist who is part of Kiesel’s coalition, announced this past week that a comprehensive fall push to scrutinize every aspect of voting would be called “Operation Overwatch.”
“They are talking about intimidating people who have the right to vote,” said Barb Byrum, clerk of Michigan’s Ingham County, which includes Lansing, the state capital.
In a sign of the importance the state’s Republicans place on poll watchers, the GOP-controlled Legislature last week agreed to let election offices throughout Michigan start processing mailed ballots two days before Election Day — something most states with mail voting allow long before then — but only if they allow poll watchers to observe. The ballots are not actually counted until Election Day.
In Texas, a new law allows every candidate to assign up to two poll watchers, raising the potential that observers could pack polling locations, particularly around big cities such as Dallas and Houston where ballots are the longest.
According to records from the secretary of state’s office, more than 900 people in Texas already had received poll watching certification in the three weeks after the state opened required training on Sept. 1.
___
Riccardi reported from Denver. Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, Gabe Stern in Reno, Nevada, and Paul Weber in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ap_politics.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Here's How 'quiet Quitting' Is Impacting Arizona Businesses AZ Big Media
Here's How 'quiet Quitting' Is Impacting Arizona Businesses – AZ Big Media https://digitalarizonanews.com/heres-how-quiet-quitting-is-impacting-arizona-businesses-az-big-media/
It has become more of a talking point since the last year and a half, it is a reference to people now spending and taking the time to focus on their work/life balance front and center, versus spending most of their time at work.” “It” is known as Quiet Quitting. The recently discovered term is understood to be a trend that a large majority of employees in the workforce have since started participating in, beginning after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a recent public meeting, the City of Phoenix’s Business and Workforce Development board referenced this specific issue, encouraging the topic to be discussed more openly amongst employers both at a local, state, and national level, as the trend is likely to continue.
READ ALSO: Here’s how construction industry is building a sustainable workforce
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A graph listed in an article by Jim Harter; Is Quiet Quitting Real? The Gallup, shows the trends in U.S. employees engaged vs. actively disengaged, showing that the rise of disengaged workers rose to its highest point, of 18 percent, in relation to only the 32 percent actively engaged group (Harter, 2022).
Statistically speaking, according to a poll by Axios and Generation lab, (Bienasz, 2022), research shows that Generation Z and Millennials, (anyone 35 and below) are most likely to participate in the action, as the generation prioritizes their mental health and personal well-being, over a work environment that may assume expectations above their original job contract/ or agreement.
Tyler Keeney, who is a manager at the Pueblo Athletic Center located in Pueblo Colorado, stated his concern for the movement, as it has greatly decreased the number of staff available for scheduling. Keeney stated,
“What the staff don’t realize is that the entire system is a domino effect. If one worker chooses to step back, others follow, and the work still must be done, meaning it is all left for those picking up the slack and unfortunately more work on one individual can be overwhelming which ultimately means the quality is not as high.”
Similarly, the fear is shared with Aquatics Manager Haley Alexander, at a local gym facility in Central Phoenix, Arizona. Alexander stated,
“As someone who is a part of Gen Z, I completely understand prioritizing and finding balance, however I think there is a disconnect between this and simply lacking respect or professionalism. I have employees who just don’t show up, or who work on their terms, not even meeting the bare minimum of the job standards listed in the description when they were hired on. There has to be a happy medium… If they work with me, I would be happy to work with them.”
However, as perspectives differ based on position, others don’t view quiet quitting negatively.
Michelle Ellis, of Omaha Nebraska, who was working two jobs, but recently stepped down to one, feels that it allowed her to find a positive balance between work and home life, and decreased her stress levels. Ellis said,
“I have more freedom to focus on my personal well-being, as well as my happier professional self, I don’t see this as a detriment, it has had an improvement in the quality of my life.”
In light of all perspectives, Samuel Wolo of the the City of Phoenix’s Business and Workforce Development Board said, “It was a controversial topic today, depending on the culture of the environment of a company. So, it’s great to have that discussion, and sharing those datapoints.”
The conversation is just beginning, but bridging the gap between employees and management staff, will create a better environment and provide answers for the frustrations they all share.
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Justice Thomas Goes Toe-To-Toe With The Legal chimpanzee
Justice Thomas Goes Toe-To-Toe With The Legal ‘chimpanzee’ https://digitalarizonanews.com/justice-thomas-goes-toe-to-toe-with-the-legal-chimpanzee/
Justice Clarence Thomas has been on the Supreme Court for more than three decades, and his judicial philosophy rooted in adhering to the original meaning of the Constitution is finally controlling big rulings.
Yet he’s still cranking out opinions just like his days wandering in the legal desert of the liberal “living Constitution” era.
“He’s always been one to kind of identify problems that maybe the court hasn’t grappled with, or issues that need to be brought up,” said Carrie Severino, who clerked for the justice 15 years ago. “It’s taken decades, he’s been on the court over 30 years now, but the court has ultimately been like ‘Oh, yeah, that is an issue we need to look at.’”
The difference between then and now, she said, is “you now see a majority of justices joining him.”
Justice Thomas will take the bench Monday for the start of the 2022-2023 term after his most influential year yet. He led colleagues in forcefully asserting Second Amendment gun rights and First Amendment religious free-exercise rights, and of course, defenestrating Roe v. Wade.
That 1973 decision had been the guide star of liberal legal scholarship for decades, yet it succumbed to Justice Thomas’s brand of originalism last year. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote the chief opinion, saying it was time to undo years of wrong legal reasoning that had led to — and flowed from — Roe.
Justice Thomas joined the ruling, but wrote a concurring opinion to warn his colleagues that their job is not done. He said the same “substantive due process” right that Roe had relied on to establish a national right to abortion has been the basis for other decisions, on federal constitutional guarantees of access to contraception and same-sex marriage.
Ms. Severino said that’s typical Thomas.
She said he likens the court’s use of precedent to justify later decisions with engineers adding more cars to a train.
“He’s like, ‘Look, you want me to add another car to this long train. I don’t even know where this train is going, who’s driving this train. So what we need to do is trace it back, go forward one car at a time until we get to the very beginning, we find out what is going on,’” she said.
“Sometimes, he says, you’ll find there’s a chimpanzee driving it. We should not be adding more cases to this line of reasoning.”
That’s one reason why, at a time when his philosophy is controlling more of the court’s opinions, he’s still writing prolifically.
Adam Feldman, who runs Empirical SCOTUS, said Justice Thomas writes a separate opinion for every five cases on which he votes. That’s a full opinion ahead of the runner-up, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the closest thing that the liberal wing of the court has to Justice Thomas.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., by contrast, writes a separate opinion just once in every 14.5 cases he votes on, according to Mr. Feldman’s data.
“Even when [Justice Thomas] agrees with the outcome, he will go further in asserting his own points of view,” Mr. Feldman said.
That’s particularly true when it comes to the use of stare decisis, the legal concept of fealty to precedent.
In the hands of many justices, it can be a shield to defend a position, or a weapon to attack a colleague’s position, depending on the needs of the moment. For Justice Thomas, it’s usually just an academic question to be surmounted.
“Thomas will go out and say, ‘I don’t think it’s just overturning the law in this case, I don’t think there’s a distinct place for stare decisis in our jurisprudence that requires our respect. If I don’t agree with it, I’m going to overturn it,’” Mr. Feldman said. “He takes it a step further.”
Over the last term, Justice Thomas wrote eight concurring opinions where he agreed with the outcome, but wanted to make his particular points, as in the abortion ruling. He had the highest concurrence rate on the court.
In the upcoming term, court-watchers figure Justice Thomas will play a significant role in looming cases involving voting rights, election procedures, affirmative action in college admissions and First Amendment challenges to laws that require service for same-sex marriages even when it conflicts with a business owner’s religious dictates.
“I could see him having, just because where he sits on these issues of religious liberty and the right to exclude based on a religious perspective, I could see him having some further-reaching opinion than the court’s willing to go,” Mr. Feldman said.
That the 6-3 conservative court has tilted toward Justice Thomas is mostly a matter of math.
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy’s retirement and Ginsburg’s death opened up slots that have been filled by more conservative-leaning members, tilting a court from moderately originalist to aggressively originalist.
Justice Thomas has found a new voice in oral argument during the pandemic.
He was famously reticent to take part in the back-and-forth during oral arguments, and once went a decade without asking a question.
The New York Times sniffed that he’d given various explanations for his silence, but seemed to settle on one that it was rude to the litigants to interrupt and preen and prod, as has been the practice for oral argument in recent years.
When the pandemic struck, the court went to virtual hearings, and Chief Justice Roberts carved out specific time for each justice to ask questions, since talking over each other remotely would be a disaster. Justice Thomas, as the senior member of the court, got the first crack, and he began to engage again.
The court has gone back to in-person argument, but Chief Justice Roberts has maintained the structured format for each member to have a dedicated chance at questions, and Justice Thomas remains engaged.
“I think his colleagues recognized the value that added,” Ms. Severino said.
His success on the bench has led to a rocky summer.
George Washington University’s law school, where he has co-taught a constitutional law seminar for years, faced a rebellion of sorts from students who demanded he be fired.
The school rejected those calls, saying that while the justice’s views didn’t represent the school’s beliefs, an open debate was part of the point of education. But Justice Thomas himself then withdrew from teaching the class.
Meanwhile, an online petition circulated over the summer demanding the justice’s impeachment garnered more than a million backers, though Democrats on Capitol Hill dismissed the idea as a non-starter.
His wife Virginia “Ginni” Thomas has also been under scrutiny for communications surrounding the 2020 election and her attendance at the pro-Trump rally on Jan. 6, 2021. She testified Thursday to the House committee probing the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol later that day, reportedly telling lawmakers she believes the election was stolen.
She also said Justice Thomas doesn’t discuss his court work with her.
His detractors wonder whether the 74-year-old jurist will call it quits soon.
Ms. Severino doubts it.
“No way,” she said. “On the Supreme Court, the mid-70s is like the new 40s.”
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Opinion | Bidens Not Yet The Undertow Republicans Expected
Opinion | Biden’s Not Yet The Undertow Republicans Expected https://digitalarizonanews.com/opinion-bidens-not-yet-the-undertow-republicans-expected/
The most unsettling moment of this week came when President Biden gave a shoutout to the late Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) during a White House hunger conference, forgetting that she died in a car accident this summer. As he looked around the crowd on Wednesday, he asked: “Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie?”
It was a rare break for Republicans who desperately want to keep Biden front and center after the rollback of abortion rights and former president Donald Trump’s legal troubles hogged the spotlight all summer. Biden’s lapse led to fresh rounds of stories about the 79-year-old president’s mental sharpness. Conservative outlets such as National Review sent push alerts on the topic, and commentators on Newsmax said the Cabinet should invoke the 25th Amendment. The gaffe broke through in a way few Biden gaffes do.
But it also served as a reminder that Biden, contrary even to his own expectations, has benefitted from a low profile this summer. The less voters hear from him, the more popular other Democratic candidates seem to be.
Republicans are working hard, of course, to reverse this dynamic. They spent $67 million starting at the end of July into September to air 152,669 commercials that linked Biden to Democrats who will appear on the ballot in November, according to the tracking firm AdImpact. By contrast, Democrats spent $30 million to air 68,000 ads invoking Trump over the same period before the 2018 midterms.
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Yet, despite the river of GOP spending, Democrats across the map continue to outrun Biden and stay competitive in key races. The president’s approval rating is 39 percent in the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll. But the same survey found that 46 percent of registered voters favor Democratic candidates, just one point behind Republicans. Thirteen percent of voters who disapprove of Biden still plan to support Democrats. Other reliable polls show similar divergences.
Biden isn’t — at least so far — the undertow Republicans had been counting on. The Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in June galvanized suburban women who were previously focused on inflation and the economy. And the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in August, which included the biggest investment ever in combatting climate change, energized younger voters. Meanwhile, revelations from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and the recovery of classified material from Mar-a-Lago reminded many independents of why they turned on Trump two years ago.
Democratic candidates, meanwhile, have kept their distance from the president. It spoke volumes that Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) didn’t join the Atlanta Braves when they celebrated their World Series win with Biden at the White House on Monday. The National Republican Senatorial Committee is spending seven figures to run an ad in Georgia that says Warnock votes with Biden 96 percent of the time. In the spot, the senator looks into a mirror and sees Biden. Ads like this are playing from coast to coast. In Wisconsin, for example, you might think from his commercials that Republican Tim Michels is running against Biden and not Gov. Tony Evers (D), who is more popular than the president.
Biden has long argued that Democrats screwed up in the 2010 midterms by failing to aggressively tout what they accomplished. He has often recounted how he urged Barack Obama to take a victory lap after the Affordable Care Act passed, but the then-president said he didn’t have time. “As a consequence, no one knew what the detail of the legislation was,” Biden said during a January news conference. “The difference is, I’m going to be out on the road a lot, making the case around the country, with my colleagues who are up for reelection.”
But Biden has not traveled extensively. He’s not holding as many rallies as his predecessors or giving as many interviews. The Walorski gaffe shows why this approach might be prudent.
The president postponed a planned political trip to Florida this week because of Hurricane Ian. He is planning one or two trips a week in the run-up to the election and will focus on the industrial Midwest, from Pennsylvania to Michigan and Wisconsin. Whether he’ll go West to stump in Nevada and Arizona is an open question.
But if it’s up to the candidates themselves, Biden might help them most by staying home.
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Republicans Abandon Obamacare Repeal https://digitalarizonanews.com/republicans-abandon-obamacare-repeal/
WASHINGTON — Republicans are abandoning their long crusade to repeal the Affordable Care Act, making the 2022 election the first in more than a decade that won’t be fought over whether to protect or undo President Barack Obama’s signature achievement.
The diminished appetite for repeal means the law — which has extended health care coverage to millions of people and survived numerous near-death experiences in Congress and the courts — now appears safer than ever.
With just more than a month before the next election, Republicans in Congress and on the campaign trail aren’t making an issue of Obamacare. None of the Republican Senate nominees running in eight key battleground states have called for unwinding the ACA on their campaign websites, according to an NBC News review. The candidates scarcely mention the 2010 law or health insurance policy in general. And in interviews on Capitol Hill, key GOP lawmakers said the desire for repeal has faded.
“I think it’s probably here to stay,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a close ally of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and a former chair of the GOP’s campaign arm.
The new “Commitment to America” from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., which outlines the agenda of a potential GOP majority, makes no mention of the ACA, issuing vague calls to “personalize care” and “lower prices through transparency, choice and competition.”
At least one Republican running in a contested race this fall is praising core components of the far-reaching health care law, which passed with only Democratic votes.
“I’m opposed to repealing the Affordable Care Act,” said Joe O’Dea, the Republican candidate facing Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet in blue-leaning Colorado. “There were real problems with Obamacare the way it was originally enacted, but a lot of those problems have been addressed by Congress and the courts, and the ACA’s protection for individuals with pre-existing conditions was one of the most important reforms passed in a generation.”
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., the party’s campaign chief, avoids the ACA in his otherwise aggressive governing agenda. Asked whether he wants to undo the 2010 law, Scott said, “I don’t think about any one bill out there.” He said Republicans should do “a variety of things” about health care, like reining in Medicare spending.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., listens as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaks to the media in Washington on May 12, 2021.Nicholas Kamm / AFP via Getty Images file
Even the most hard-core conservatives, who still want to roll back parts of the law, want to reframe the debate away from the ACA, a major shift after years of leaning into such rhetoric.
“No offense, that’s an old question,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a member of the hard-right Freedom Caucus, said when he was asked about repealing Obamacare.
“Why don’t we go on offense as Republicans and not get trapped into the question about repealing the ACA? Our health care system was garbage by government regulation before the ACA. The ACA just made it worse,” Roy said.
A budget plan released in June by Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, who chairs the conservative Republican Study Committee, proposes to “unwind the ACA’s Washington-centric approach” and consider other solutions for pre-existing conditions. But when asked whether repealing the law should be part of the Republican agenda if the party recaptures the House this fall, Banks said, “I’ll defer to Leader McCarthy on what that agenda will look like.”
Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, a member of the Republican Study Committee, was blunter when he was asked whether he expects a new Republican House majority to pursue ACA repeal.
“I don’t think that’s on the table,” he said.
Gallagher said the “lesson” from Democrats’ passage of the ACA in 2010 and the failed GOP attempt to repeal it in 2017 — both of which generated public backlash — “is to not do comprehensive” health care bills and instead focus on narrow, “targeted” changes.
The pivot away from Obamacare comes after Republicans suffered a backlash in 2018 for trying to undo popular provisions, like protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Donald Trump ran on repealing Obamacare in his winning presidential 2016 campaign and in his unsuccessful 2020 re-election bid.
But Republicans did achieve one goal in a separate 2017 bill: neutering the individual mandate, which required people to have health insurance, by zeroing out the tax penalty.
As of March, 55% of U.S. adults had favorable views of the ACA, while 42% had unfavorable views, according to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll.
Former President Barack Obama speaks about the Affordable Care Act at an event in the East Room of the White House on April 5.Al Drago / Bloomberg via Getty Images file
Still, Democrats say they are taking nothing for granted.
“We also thought Roe v. Wade was here to stay,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. “So my view is: Always remain vigilant.”
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., who faces re-election this fall, argued that the ACA hasn’t been fully implemented as some Republican-led states block Medicaid expansion, which the Supreme Court made optional. “Georgia needs to expand Medicaid,” he said.
“What I have done is to try to create a path for the 600,000 Georgians who are in the coverage gap. They are political pawns for being forced to subsidize health care in other states,” Warnock said. “The Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. And it’s past time for the folks in states like mine to benefit from that law.”
Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., who sits on the Ways and Means Committee and is making a bid to become the chair of its health subcommittee, said he wants to move past the ACA repeal conversation.
He instead called for promoting new technologies and automation to lower the cost of health care, which might mean “replacements of substantial portions of the ACA to legalize alternative plans” — but with a focus on delivering care, not financing insurance.
“We’re screwed unless we change the cost of health care,” he said.
Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., narrowly lost her upstate New York seat in 2018 in the backlash to Trump and ACA repeal before she won it back in 2020. Asked whether she favors another attempt at repealing the ACA under a Republican majority, Tenney gave a terse response.
“Oh, God,” she said. “Let’s see if we’re in the majority.”
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More Than 130 Killed In Indonesia Soccer Stadium Stampede | CNN
More Than 130 Killed In Indonesia Soccer Stadium Stampede | CNN https://digitalarizonanews.com/more-than-130-killed-in-indonesia-soccer-stadium-stampede-cnn/
CNN —
At least 131 people are dead after chaos and violence erupted during an Indonesian league soccer match into the early hours of Sunday, according to East Java’s Governor, in what is one of the world’s deadliest stadium disasters of all time.
Supporters of Arema FC and rival Persebaya Surabaya, two of Indonesia’s biggest soccer teams, clashed in the stands after home team Arema FC was defeated 3-2 at a match in the city of Malang in East Java, police said.
Supporters from the losing team then “invaded” the pitch and police fired tear gas, triggering a stampede that led to cases of suffocation, East Java police chief Nico Afinta said during a press conference following the event.
Two police officers were also among the dead, the police chief said, adding that the crush occurred when fans fled for an exit gate.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, also known as Jokowi, on Sunday ordered all league matches to be halted until investigations were completed.
“I have specially requested the police chief to investigate and get to the bottom of this case,” Jokowi said in a televised speech. “Sportsmanship, humanity and brotherhood should be upheld in Indonesia.”
“I regret this tragedy and hope that it will be the last to occur in Indonesian football. We cannot have anymore (of this) in the future.”
Videos filmed from inside the stadium late into the night and shared on social media showed fans, dressed in red and blue – the home team’s colors – storming the field and clashing with Indonesian security forces, who appeared to be wearing riot gear.
Video footage broadcast on local news channels also showed images of body bags, Reuters reported.
Smoke, which appeared to be tear gas, was also seen later in videos, with several people shown being carried into a building. Officials said that many had been admitted to nearby hospitals, suffering from “lack of oxygen and shortness of breath.”
Located in East Java, the Kanjuruhan Stadium is used mostly for soccer matches – with its full capacity estimated at 38,000 spectators.
But 42,000 tickets were issued for Saturday’s game, according to ministry officials.
“We had anticipated the (large) numbers and suggested that the game be held in the afternoon instead but it went on in the evening,” Indonesian Chief Security Minister Mahfud MD said in a post shared on his official social media accounts.
He added that the stadium had been “filled beyond its maximum capacity.”
“Our proposals were not met. I also would like to emphasize that supporters in the field were Arema FC’s.”
There have been previous outbreaks of trouble at matches in Indonesia, with a strong rivalry between clubs sometimes leading to violence among supporters.
“All sports clubs (in Indonesia) that compete between the cities are always intense,” Indonesian football analyst Dex Glenniza told CNN, who noted that it was “forbidden” for supporters to visit each other’s stadiums.
“(This is) in order to avoid friction and clashes between supporters,” he said. “But there are still many incidents between the supporters, most of which off the field.”
With Indonesia set to host next year’s FIFA Under-20 World Cup and staging a bid for the 2023 Asian Cup, there is now global scrutiny on the country.
Observers note that the death toll from the Kanjuruhan Stadium disaster has surpassed that of other global soccer disasters like the 1989 Hillsborough Stadium tragedy in Sheffield, England, which saw 96 Liverpool supporters being crushed to death.
Criticism is also growing over the police’s handling of Saturday’s event. In a statement released on Sunday, watchdog group Indonesian Police Watch (IPW) called for accountability and the “removal” of Malang Police Chief Ferli Hidayat.
“This is the worst event in Indonesian soccer. The police chief should be ashamed and resign,” IPW said.
“The death toll must be thoroughly investigated and President Jokowi must pay attention,” it added.
Exiled Indonesia rights advocate Veronica Koman of Amnesty International condemned the police’s use of tear gas.
“This instance of abuse of tear gas by police is unlawful and amounts to torture,” she said.
“Tear gas is illegal in warfare – but why is it still legal for domestic use?”
The Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) has suspended matches next week as a result of the deadly tragedy, and banned Arema FC from hosting games for the rest of the season.
“PSSI regrets the actions of Aremania supporters at the Kanjuruhan Stadium,” the association’s chairman, Mochamad Iriawan, said in a statement issued on Sunday.
He added that the incident had “tarnished the face of Indonesian football” and they were supporting official investigations into the event.
“We are sorry and apologize to the families of the victims and all parties for the incident,” he said.
“For that PSSI immediately formed an investigation team and immediately left for Malang,” he added.
FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, extended their condolences to the families and friends of the victims, calling the incident “a dark day for all involved in football and a tragedy beyond comprehension.”
“Together with FIFA and the global football community, all our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, those who have been injured, together with the people of the Republic of Indonesia, the Asian Football Confederation, the Indonesian Football Association, and the Indonesian Football League, at this difficult time,” a statement from FIFA president Gianni Infantino read.
Meanwhile, the host team Arema FC apologized to all involved in the tragedy in a statement posted to its website.
“As the President of Arema FC, I apologize to all residents of Malang who were affected by this incident, I am very concerned and strongly condemn the riots at the Kanjuruhan stadium which resulted in more than one hundred deaths,” the statement said, quoting club president Gilang Widya Pramana.
Persebaya also released a statement expressing their condolences, saying: “Persebaya’s big family expresses their deepest condolences for the loss of life after the Arema FC vs. Persebaya match. No life is worth football.”
“Alfatihah for the victims and may the family left behind be given fortitude.”
Condolences poured in for victims and family, with the English Premier League also sharing a message of condolence. “The thoughts of everyone at the Premier League are with those affected by the tragic events at Kanjuruhan Stadium last night.”
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Asked And Answered: Oct. 2 https://digitalarizonanews.com/asked-and-answered-oct-2/
Let’s get to it:
KLINT SIMMEL FROM HOLT, MI: I was wondering about the history behind Gabe Rivera? I remember he was in a very bad car accident, but did he ever play in the regular season? What ever happened to him if you know?
ANSWER: Gabe Rivera was the Steelers No. 1 pick in the 1983 Draft, and he played his college football at Texas Tech, where as a senior in 1982 he was a consensus All-American and was voted Southwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year. For the Steelers, Rivera played in six games as a rookie during which he recorded two sacks. On Oct. 20, 1983, Rivera was involved in a one-car accident that left him paralyzed. Rivera died on July 16, 2018, from complications associated from a perforated bowel.
WES PLANTHABER FROM HUNTINGDON, PA: A question in a recent Asked and Answered about slow starts brought back a memory, but I am not sure when it was from. Do you remember the slogan, “Joe put the ‘0’ in offense?” I remember it was the offensive coordinator’s first name, but I do not remember the last name or the year. I was wondering if you could help me with this one?
ANSWER: The sign you describe was directed at offensive coordinator Joe Walton, who was hired by Chuck Noll after Tom Moore left for a job with the Minnesota Vikings following the 1989 season. My memory is a bit foggy, but my remembrance of the sign was that it read something along the lines of: “Hey, J?e, where’s the ‘O’?” The sign debuted at Three Rivers Stadium during the early part of the 1990 season because the Steelers went through the first four games of that season without scoring a single offensive touchdown. When Noll retired following the 1991 season, Walton was not brought back to be part of Bill Cowher’s inaugural staff of assistants.
ANDY GARBER FROM WHEELING, WV: What are the length and terms of Mitchell Trubisky’s contract?
ANSWER: Shortly after the start of free agency in March, Mitch Trubisky reportedly signed a two-year contract worth $14.285 million, which included a $5.25 million signing bonus and salaries of $1 million in 2022 and $8 million in 2023.
OWEN KELLY FROM CORK, IRELAND: You’ve seen a lot of changes to the game over the years I’d imagine, not only rules but with equipment and facilities. Is there anything you’d like to see changed now in terms of bringing more accuracy to the game during play to help with officials’ calls and ball placement after a down?
ANSWER: It has always seemed absurd to me that the on-field officials most often responsible for spotting the ball after an offensive play begin the play at the line of scrimmage and then are expected run downfield to know whether, for example, a running back gained 6 or 7 yards and then place the ball at a spot that sometimes determines whether it’s a first down or third-and-short. That should be changed, because the official who’s spotting the ball has a terrible angle to view where the runner or receiver actually was down. And then the other thing I always mention when asked this kind of a question is I would be strongly in favor of abolishing the use of instant replay as an officiating tool. It doesn’t work, and it has made the on-field officials tentative.
MARLIN COBB FROM PITTSBURGH, PA: George Pickens’ catch in Cleveland was great and all that. My question is why does he have to make these kinds of catches? Is it the quarterback or is he not getting open?
ANSWER: On that play, George Pickens was “NFL open,” and the ball was thrown in a spot where he either made the catch or the pass was incomplete. That’s the way it’s done in the NFL these days.
DUSTIN RANKIN FROM HAGERSTOWN, MD: Your answer in a recent Asked and Answered about teams videotaping games on their own raises a question about replay: Do the coaches in the booth rely on the network feeds when deciding whether to throw the red flag, or do they use their own video?
ANSWER: The only video that teams can reference in a challenge situation during a game is the network feed.
TIMOTHY SAMONI FROM NORTHLAKE, TX: Footage of T.J. Watt hammering a sled and doing some running/agility drills surfaced on the internet this week. Given that he is on the injured reserve list, and it appears his condition is improving, when is the earliest Watt could return to the lineup?
ANSWER: T.J. Watt was placed on the injured reserve list after the first game of the regular season, and he has to miss at least four games. That would mean Watt would be eligible to return to practice on the day after the Oct. 9 game in Buffalo vs. the Bills and technically could play as early as the Oct. 16 game vs. Tampa Bay at Acrisure Stadium.
JAMIE EWEN FROM BOURNE, UNITED KINGDOM: I know that we have our offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator who call the plays on game day, but, in your experience, how much does Coach Mike Tomlin get involved with this (either in terms of game-planning prior to the game or on game day)?
ANSWER: As the head coach, Mike Tomlin is heavily involved in all aspects of the team’s preparation on a weekly basis, from the evaluation of the previous week’s performance to the formulation of the offensive, defensive, and special teams game plans for the upcoming opponent, to everything that happens on game day, including vetoing calls made by the coordinators or calling plays instead of the coordinators. And I know for a fact that Bill Cowher was as involved and as prone to changing/making calls on game days as Tomlin.
ROBERT YEAGER FROM CANYON COUNTRY, CA: I read your list in the Sept. 29 Asked and Answered about the jersey numbers not assigned anymore. Why have Lynn Swann’s No. 88 and John Stallworth’s No. 82 been constantly assigned? Aren’t they considered some of the all-time greats of the team? It seems a little disrespectful to them, especially after all their accomplishments in their Super Bowls.
ANSWER: Only recently has the NFL decided to allow wide receivers to wear jerseys in the single-digits or in the teens and tight ends to wear jerseys in the 40s, so there was a period where there weren’t enough numbers in the 80s for all of the receivers and tight ends on a 53-man roster if No. 82 and No. 88 were kept out of circulation.
CHRIS BALMER FROM ALLENTOWN, PA: With the switch at nose tackle from Tyson Alualu starting to Montravius Adams starting, do you feel the run defense can improve? What are your thoughts on the defensive line overall?
ANSWER: As of this week, the Steelers ranked last in the NFL against the run, so the run defense MUST improve, but I’m not willing to assign all of the blame for that to the nose tackle. Based on the additions of Larry Ogunjobi as a veteran free agent and the drafting of DeMarvin Leal, plus the retention of Tyson Alualu and Montravius Adams, I believe the 2022 defensive line is a better version of the one the Steelers had during the 2021 season.
TODD WALTER FROM CARY, NC: You left out Jack Ham’s No. 59 in answering the question about jersey numbers no longer assigned to players. I’d clean that up to avoid a disrespect scenario towards a great linebacker.
ANSWER: You might want to check your facts before accusing me of disrespecting Jack Ham’s career. In the third round of the 1983 NFL Draft, the Steelers used their pick on linebacker Todd Seabaugh from San Diego State. Seabaugh wore No. 59 during his rookie season with the Steelers, which turned out to be his only year as an NFL player.
LARRY LININGER FROM MESA, AZ: I was working in Greenland during the 1972 season listening to Steelers games on AFRN. When they made the playoffs, I asked a friend to get a couple of tickets to a playoff game. (I was coming home for Christmas.) I had meant for me and him to go together, but he got me one ticket to the Divisional Round Game (vs. Oakland) and one for the AFC Championship Game (which turned out to be vs. Miami). It was a thrill to witness the Immaculate Reception in person and is a memory I treasure. The Steelers were leading Miami in the AFC Championship Game until the Larry Seiple fake punt and subsequent Miami touchdown. But this was the AFC Championship Game, and it was during Miami’s perfect season. Why wasn’t that game played in Miami?
ANSWER: The NFL didn’t begin using teams’ regular season records to determine homefield advantage in the playoffs until the 1975 season. Before that, the league used a rotational system to determine which team got the home game during the playoffs. In 1972, it was the AFC Central Division that had priority in hosting playoff games as long as one of its teams remaining in the postseason, which is why the Steelers hosted the undefeated Dolphins in the Conference Championship Game.
TIM CROWLEY FROM ST. CLAIRSVILLE, OH: I read John Stasko’s submission in a recent Asked and Answered about watching the Immaculate Reception on television and what a great memory it was. One would think that being at the game in which the Immaculate Reception occurred would have produced an even better memory. Well, not necessarily … The only Steelers game my Dad ever attended was the Immaculate Reception game. Sadly, the historic play transpired while he was in the men’s room. I just thought I would share that little anecdote. Thank you so much for the great work you do. I always find it informational and entertaining.
ANSWER: I sympathize with your Dad, because my bladder has let me down in some critical situations, too, but thankfully not to the extent where it caused me to miss history being made. Thanks for sharing.
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Shying From Trump Ex-Maine Gov. Paul LePage Seeks Job Back
Shying From Trump, Ex-Maine Gov. Paul LePage Seeks Job Back https://digitalarizonanews.com/shying-from-trump-ex-maine-gov-paul-lepage-seeks-job-back-3/
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is welcomed to the stage by Maine Gov. Paul LePage at campaign stop in Portland, Maine, in this March 3, 2016 file photo. LePage, who moved to Florida after his second term, has returned to Maine to challenge Democratic Gov. Janet Mills. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
YARMOUTH, Maine (AP) — When then-Maine Gov. Paul LePage endorsed Donald Trump in 2016, he credited himself as a prototype for the insurgent presidential candidate.
“I was Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular, so I think I should support him since we are one of the same cloth,” said LePage, whose two terms in office were punctuated by brash behavior and frequently offensive comments.
Now, as LePage is running for a third term after a brief retirement to Florida, he rarely talks about Trump in public, and his advisers say LePage’s hiatus from politics changed him. He’s eager to show he’s smoothed over some of his own rough edges, though flashes of his fiery personality broke through recently at an event at a riverfront boatyard in Yarmouth, where he pledged to take on Democratic “elitists.”
“I came from the streets. I was a fighter all my life,” LePage told workers. “I had to scrimp and save to eat and survive. I am a fighter.”
As LePage seeks to unseat Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and become the longest-serving governor in Maine history, he is banking on an approach familiar to other Republican candidates in liberal- and moderate-leaning states who are trying not to alienate swing voters they would need to win a general election. LePage’s efforts at putting distancing from Trump are particularly notable given LePage once invited comparisons to Trump — and made them himself.
Democrats aren’t going to let voters forget LePage’s tumultuous time in office, when he occasionally acted and sounded a lot like Trump. LePage attracted national headlines when he told the Portland chapter of the NAACP to “kiss my butt,” made racist remarks about drug dealers who impregnate “white” girls and accused a lawmaker of screwing over state taxpayers “without providing Vaseline.”
His critics point to a recent campaign event in which LePage threatened to “deck” a Democratic staffer who got too close to him — an incident, they say, that illustrates LePage hasn’t changed at all.
The race is shaping up to be among a dozen or so competitive contests for governor this election year. The way in which the campaign plays out with voters weary of political ugliness may be a harbinger for Trump’s White House aspirations in 2024.
LePage and Mills’ adversarial relationship goes back years.
Mills, a 74-year-old moderate and the first woman elected governor of Maine, is a former two-term attorney general whose stint as the state’s top prosecutor coincided with LePage’s time as governor. The two clashed publicly, with Mills declining to represent LePage’s administration on some matters, forcing LePage to seek outside counsel to represent his interests in litigation.
Her supporters portray her as a steady leader whose cautious COVID-19 policies helped guide the state through the worst pandemic in a century, with fewer coronavirus deaths per capita than most others. She expanded Medicaid — something LePage had blocked — and presided over the largest budget surplus in Maine history, which allowed the state to send $850 relief checks to most residents.
Raised in poverty and homeless for a time as a boy, LePage, 73, is an unabashed conservative whose past controversies often overshadowed his political achievements, such as lowering the tax burden, shrinking welfare rolls, overhauling the pension system and paying back millions of dollars of hospital debt.
He attacked Mills’ executive orders during the pandemic, including mandatory vaccines for health care workers, calling it a “reign of terror.” He’s called for a parental bill of rights in education, claimed Mill has allowed crime and drugs to proliferate and accused her of budgetary gimmicks that will cause problems in the future. He has promised to try again to eliminate the state’s income tax.
When LePage left office in 2019, prevented from seeking a third consecutive term by the Maine Constitution, he declared he was decamping for Florida, where the taxes were lower, and leaving politics behind.
He didn’t stay away long. Soon, he was headed back to Maine for what supporters described as “LePage 2.0.”
LePage’s senior adviser Brent Littlefield said LePage was astounded when Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and that LePage fears the country is in danger of tearing itself apart. LePage issued a statement amid the violence supporting law enforcement and telling those involved in the riot “to leave and go home.”
LePage served as Trump’s honorary state chairman and once sought a job in his administration, but he now won’t say whether he would vote for Trump for president if Trump runs again in 2024. Despite any private misgivings, however, LePage hasn’t condemned Trump. He declined an Associated Press interview request.
The former governor made no reference to Trump while touring Yankee Marina & Boatyard, even though Trump remains popular in rural Maine, where he twice won an electoral vote while losing the statewide vote.
Boatyard president Deborah Delp said LePage is needed at a time when her workers are suffering from high inflation and worried about the future.
She said she can “handle some rough language” from LePage if he puts the economy on track. “Politicians are politicians. And he’s not a politician. He’s a businessman. He says what he thinks,” Delp said.
Maria Testa, a Democrat from Portland, disagrees. “He’s bombastic and has a cruel temper. He’s such a big no for me,” Testa said.
While campaigning, LePage largely tries to steer clear of Trump’s lies of a rigged 2020 election. LePage acknowledges that Biden is president but declines to address whether he thinks the election was legitimate. LePage also avoids the issue of abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion.
Mills has pledged to fight to ensure women continue to have a right to a legal abortion in Maine.
A third candidate for governor, independent Sam Hunkler, isn’t expected to play much of a role in the race, unlike deep-pocketed independent Eliot Cutler, who did in 2010 and 2014, when LePage won each election without a majority.
Maine’s ranked-choice voting system won’t be a factor. It is used in federal congressional races but not in the governor’s contest because it runs afoul of the Maine Constitution.
Betsy Martin, a retired health care administrator from Biddeford, said residents are feeling drained by the corrosive partisanship in a rural state with a tradition of moderate politics and independent voters. Some are tuning out altogether, she said.
“They’re exhausted. They’re extremely fatigued. We’re worn out,” she said.
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Follow David Sharp on Twitter @David_Sharp_AP
___
Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Op-Ed: As A New Supreme Court Term Begins Prepare For The Law To Move Even More To The Right
Op-Ed: As A New Supreme Court Term Begins, Prepare For The Law To Move Even More To The Right https://digitalarizonanews.com/op-ed-as-a-new-supreme-court-term-begins-prepare-for-the-law-to-move-even-more-to-the-right/
As the Supreme Court begins its new term on Monday, it’s clear that the court’s majority is determined to move the law much further to the right. The last term ended with the court overruling Roe vs. Wade, dramatically expanding gun rights, rejecting the separation of church and state and limiting the power of administrative agencies.
About half the docket for the new term is set, and what is striking is how the court is reaching out to take and decide cases to further its conservative vision of the Constitution. Traditionally the justices have focused on granting review in cases where there is a disagreement among the lower courts — with the Supreme Court’s role being to resolve these conflicts. Often in the past, the justices have stressed that they want to wait until many lower courts have ruled — until the issue has “percolated,” before weighing in.
But in many of the high-profile cases for this coming term, the court has stepped in even though there is no disagreement among the lower courts.
For example, on Oct. 31, the Supreme Court will hear two cases about whether to end affirmative action by colleges and universities, Students for Fair Admissions vs. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions vs. Harvard College. In decisions in 1978, 2003 and 2016, the court held that colleges and universities have a compelling interest in having a diverse student body and may use race as one factor in admissions decisions in carrying out their educational mission.
This is settled law. Affirmative action, like abortion, has long been a target of conservatives. The widespread expectation is that here, too, the activist conservatives on the court will overrule more than 40 years of precedents they oppose politically.
Nothing about the law in this area or how it has been interpreted by the lower courts calls for reopening this issue. All that has changed since 2016 is that three Trump-appointed justices — Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — have joined the court.
Two voting cases of potentially great significance also are before the court. Merrill vs. Milligan, which will be argued on Tuesday, involves the application of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to racial discrimination in the drawing of congressional districts. A three-judge court in Alabama — with two judges who were appointed by President Trump and one by President Clinton — found that the districts drawn in Alabama were racially discriminatory. Black individuals make up 27% of the population in Alabama, but only one out of seven congressional districts in Alabama had a likelihood of electing a Black representative.
The three-judge court ordered new districts be drawn, but the Supreme Court, by a 5-4 vote, stopped this in an emergency order and chose to hear the case.
The court, in its prior rulings over the last decade, has already greatly weakened the Voting Rights Act. There is good reason to fear that the conservative justices will make it harder to prove that election districts are drawn in a racially discriminatory manner — or perhaps even rule that considering the race of the people in the district in detecting discrimination is unconstitutional.
Some observers worry that the court might go so far as to rule that any law that prohibits racially discriminatory effects is unconstitutional. Such a ruling would eviscerate many civil rights laws that create liability on proof of disparate impact in employment, housing and voting.
The other election case, expected to be argued in November, is Moore vs. Harper. The North Carolina Supreme Court found that the state Legislature violated the North Carolina Constitution by engaging in partisan gerrymandering to ensure that Republicans win 10 of 14 congressional seats even though the state is almost evenly split between the two parties.
That court decision was rooted in law and good sense. Yet the Roberts court took review of the case even though there was no special or unusual action by the North Carolina court. The GOP challengers argue that under the U.S. Constitution only the state legislature can decide matters concerning congressional elections. This stance has never been validated and would eliminate any form of state judicial review in such cases.
If the court embraces this bizarre argument, known as the “independent state legislature” theory (Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Gorsuch have already indicated their support), then state courts would be powerless to stop even the most egregious violations of the law.
Even more frightening, if the justices accept this theory regarding congressional elections, they could well apply the same reasoning to another constitutional provision — Article II, Section 1 — which addresses state legislatures’ role in the selection of presidential electors. That provision is not relevant to the gerrymandering dispute and is not before the Supreme Court. But if the court adopts the “independent state legislature” theory, a state legislature would have the power to award the state’s presidential electors to the candidate that lost the popular vote — even in violation of state law — and change the outcome of the presidential election.
303 Creative LLC vs. Elenis is another discrimination case that will be heard by the Supreme Court even though there is no controversy among the appeals courts. The issue in this case is whether a business owner may violate state anti-discrimination law on account of her religious beliefs. Lorie Smith has a business in Colorado designing websites and wants to do that for weddings, but she says she won’t do it for same-sex weddings, even though such discrimination violates Colorado law. The question is whether she can use free speech as a defense against the state law. If the justices rule in her favor, they could open the door to discrimination by business based on sexual orientation, sex and even race simply by claiming their discrimination is protected by the 1st Amendment.
This will be the first term for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first African American woman on the court, a milestone in American history. Her voice will be greatly valued, but there remain six staunchly conservative justices who are willing to change the course of constitutional law as it has developed over the past five decades. Voting rights, racial equity and the power of states to ban discrimination are all on the line, and this is with less than half the docket set for the new term.
Erwin Chemerinsky is a contributing writer to Opinion and dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law. His latest book is “Worse than Nothing: The Dangerous Fallacy of Originalism.”
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Here Is Today https://digitalarizonanews.com/here-is-today-13/
The forecast is showing a hot day in Tucson. The forecast calls for it to be a warm 89 degrees. Today’s forecasted low temperature is 67 degrees. The area will see gentle winds today, with forecast showing winds from Southeast, clocking in at 7 mph. This report is created automatically with weather data provided by TownNews.com. Keep an eye on tucson.com for forecast information and severe weather updates.
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Hot temperatures are predicted today. It looks to reach a warm 88 degrees. Today’s forecasted low temperature is 68 degrees. The Tucson area s…
The forecast is showing a hot day in Tucson. Temperatures are projected to be a quite blazing high of 95. Today has the makings of a perfect d…
Ian went from tropical storm to Category 4 monster in 36 hours. It’s a dangerous phenomenon that climate change may make more common.
Tucson folks should be prepared for high temperatures. Temperatures are projected to be a steamy day today with temperatures reaching a high o…
Hot temperatures are predicted today. Temperatures are projected to be a quite blistering high of 90. Today has the makings of a perfect day t…
The forecast is showing a hot day in Tucson. Temperatures are projected to be a scorcher today with temperatures reaching a high of 94, though…
Tonight’s weather conditions in Tucson: Mostly clear. Low 66F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Saturday, Tucson folks should be prepared for high tem…
Tonight’s weather conditions in Tucson: Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is …
For the drive home in Tucson: Clear to partly cloudy. Low 74F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Hot temperatures are predicted tomorrow. Temperatures …
Tucson’s evening forecast: A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Partly cloudy skies. Low 74F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Looking …
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Gas Prices Today October 2 2022: Check The Cheapest Gas Stations Today
Gas Prices Today, October 2, 2022: Check The Cheapest Gas Stations Today https://digitalarizonanews.com/gas-prices-today-october-2-2022-check-the-cheapest-gas-stations-today/
Gas prices across the United States and the wider global community had soared in recent months but things are starting to change, with the cost of fuel dropping in many states now.
The toll of COVID-19 restrictions which brought the economy to its knees in combination with the decision to apply sanctions on major global gas supplier Russia have caused a dire situation and although things are appearing to stabilise, workers and families are quite literally having to pay the price for these policies.
Our aim here is to lend a hand and provide our readers with the latest updates on the latest gas prices in the U.S., and the cheapest places to refill your tanks in the ten most populated cities across the country.
What state has the highest gas prices?
The state of California, as is often the case, has the highest average price of gas currently at $6.358.
Mississippi has the lowest prices of the day, at an average price of $3.068.
Where are the cheapest gas stations in the US?
In terms of the cheapest gas stations in the US, these are the lowest-priced places to get gas in the top 10 most populated cities in the country:
New York, New York ($2.93): Fuel4, 596 Grove St Jersey City, NJ.
Los Angeles, California ($4.93): Ramco, 1104 E Palmdale Blvd Palmdale, CA.
Chicago, Illinois ($3.29): Lou Perrine, 8004 22nd Ave Kenosha, WI.
Houston, Texas ($2.59): Buc-cee’s, 4080 East Fwy Baytown, TX.
Phoenix, Arizona ($3.55): Circle K, 307 AZ-77 Mammoth, AZ.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ($2.99): Gulf, 874 Mantua Pike Woodbury Heights, NJ.
San Antonio, Texas ($2.79): Costco, 15330 IH-35 N Selma, TX.
San Diego, California ($5.04): Son’s, 445 W 5th Ave Escondido, CA.
Dallas, Texas ($2.74): Shell, 3201 N IH-45 Ennis, TX.
San Jose, California ($4.97): Safeway, 5780 Cottle Rd San Jose, CA.
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The Nation In Brief: Judge Upholds Georgia Election Laws
The Nation In Brief: Judge Upholds Georgia Election Laws https://digitalarizonanews.com/the-nation-in-brief-judge-upholds-georgia-election-laws/
Max Baer, the chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Baer has died at age 74 only months before he was set to retire. The court confirmed Saturday that Baer died overnight at his home near Pittsburgh. (AP/Administrative office of Pennsylvania Courts)
Judge upholds Georgia election laws
ATLANTA — A federal judge upheld Georgia’s election laws in a ruling issued Friday evening in a blow to Fair Fight Action, the voting-rights group founded by Stacey Abrams, now the state’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee.
Abrams’ group filed a lawsuit against Georgia’s secretary of state soon after her 2018 election defeat, arguing that the state’s absentee ballot policies — which require an “exact match” for names and addresses between voters’ IDs and voter registration records — represented “gross mismanagement” of the state’s election systems that violated Georgia voters’ constitutional rights.
A federal judge ruled in favor of the state, however, saying the law was valid and that the “burden on voters is relatively low.”
“Although Georgia’s election system is not perfect, the challenged practices violate neither the constitution nor the [Voting Rights Act],” U.S. District Judge Steve Jones wrote in his decision.
“The Court finds that plaintiffs have failed to prove that the burdens imposed by [exact match] outweigh the State’s interests in preventing fraud,” said Jones, an appointee of President Barack Obama.
Georgia’s “exact match” system placed nearly 50,000 Georgians’ registrations on hold before the 2018 election. Abrams’ group argued that the law was racially discriminatory because 70 percent of those people were Black.
New firm’s rocket deploys satellites
VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. — A new aerospace company reached orbit with its second rocket launch and deployed multiple small satellites Saturday.
Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket lifted off from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base in early morning darkness and arced over the Pacific.
“100% mission success,” tweeted Firefly, based in Cedar Park, Texas.
A day earlier, an attempt to launch abruptly ended when the countdown reached zero. The first-stage engines ignited, but the rocket automatically aborted.
The rocket’s payload includes multiple small satellites designed for a variety of technology experiments and demonstrations as well as educational purposes.
The mission, dubbed “To The Black,” was the company’s second demonstration flight of its entry into the market for small satellite launchers. The first Alpha was launched in September 2021 but did not reach orbit.
Baer, Pennsylvania’s chief justice, dies
PITTSBURGH — Max Baer, chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, has died only months before he was set to retire, the court confirmed Saturday. He was 74.
Baer died overnight at his home near Pittsburgh, the court said. It didn’t give a cause of death but called his “sudden passing” a “tremendous loss for the court and all of Pennsylvania.” The court also said Justice Debra Todd becomes chief “as the justice of longest and continuous service on the court.”
“Chief Justice Baer was an influential and intellectual jurist whose unwavering focus was on administering fair and balanced justice,” Todd said. “He was a tireless champion for children, devoted to protecting and providing for our youngest and most vulnerable citizens.”
Gov. Tom Wolf ordered flags at government facilities, public buildings and grounds lowered to half-staff, saying he was “extremely saddened” by the death of such a “respected and esteemed jurist with decades of service to our courts and our commonwealth.”
Baer, a Duquesne Law graduate, was an Allegheny County family court judge and an administrative judge in family court before being elected to the high court in 2003 and became chief justice last year. He was deputy attorney general for Pennsylvania from 1975 to 1980 and was in private practice before entering the judiciary.
Earlier this year, Baer was part of the 5-2 majority as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld a wide expansion of mail-in voting in the state.
Trump ex-adviser enters into plea deal
LAS VEGAS — An ex-adviser to former President Donald Trump has taken a plea deal to resolve allegations that he made unwanted sexual advances to a GOP donor at a Las Vegas event.
Corey Lewandowski entered into a plea agreement last month involving a charge of misdemeanor battery, according to online Clark County, Nev., records.
While he did not admit to any wrongdoing, Lewandowski will undergo eight hours of impulse control counseling and 50 hours of community service. The charge is to be dismissed if he satisfies the requirements and stays out of trouble for one year.
“A misdemeanor case was filed but we are pleased to say the matter has been resolved,” defense attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld said. “The court set conditions that Mr. Lewandowski will fulfill and the case will ultimately be dismissed.”
Trump donor Trashelle Odom alleged that Lewandowski repeatedly touched her without her permission, made lewd comments and stalked her throughout a September 2021 fundraising event. The allegations led to several Republican figures cutting ties with him.
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Nagy: The Harsh World Of 2022 As Seen From Central Europe
Nagy: The Harsh World Of 2022 As Seen From Central Europe https://digitalarizonanews.com/nagy-the-harsh-world-of-2022-as-seen-from-central-europe/
By Tibor Nagy | Special to the Avalanche-Journal
Each year my wife Jane and I go back to Hungary to see the family I left behind as a refugee and to get an appreciation of how different the world looks when seen from Budapest as opposed to Washington, D.C. (or Lubbock).
The change from 2021 to 2022 has been the most dramatic since the Iron Curtain came down in 1989, and this time it’s not for the better. Russia’s invasion of next-door Ukraine has had a monumental impact on all facets of Hungarian life, as it has on other Central European states. While Americans may feel like the Ukraine war has made our lives more difficult, our hardships have been miniscule compared to what Central Europeans are facing.
(Much like the difference between how the chicken and pig are affected by being included in bacon and eggs!)Imagine your utility bill next month increasing by a factor of four or more.
For members of my family, this means paying up to 50% of their monthly income for gas and electricity. And forrestaurants and other businesses it means turning off grills when not in use and every otherdevice which uses energy.
Meanwhile, overall inflation is running at well over 20% making many essentials simply unaffordable. Business owners told me there is no way they can pass all costs on to customers and may just have to close.
Governments are already mandating strict temperature controls for winter, and people are prepping for the worst – those who can are stockpiling wood in case there are periods when no energy is available.
Some apartment blocks are even planning for communal cooking fires if electricity fails.
But so far the hardships have not dimmed Central Europe’s determination to help Ukrainians. Each day some 5,000 to 10,000 Ukrainians – mostly women and children, as men remain to fight the Russians – arrive in Hungary, having quite an impact on a population of 9 million.
In response, Hungary and other Central European nations have established strong support systems to make the refugees as comfortable as possible while they await an end to the war so they can go home.During Trump’s presidency, the U.S. and Hungary enjoyed mutually collaborative relations.Unfortunately, the Biden administration, instead of applauding the support Hungary is giving to Ukrainians, is focused on criticizing Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban and his “illiberal” policies and accommodationist approach to Russia – to the extent that current bilateral relations can best be described as toxic. US liberals are apoplectic over Hungary’s conservative and traditionalist views, without fully understanding Central Europe’s complex history.
Unlike the U.S., Central European nations have had to fight numerous wars to maintain their national existence and save their national identities, and some – like Poland – simply disappeared from the map for long periods. And much of the region endured occupation by the Ottoman Turks for long periods, which included forced conversions to Islam – so wanting to safeguard a JudeoChristian heritage is understandable.
Thus, while a socially progressive, multi-cultural, multiethnic, non-sectarian society might make sense for the US (and not all Americans even agree with that), that does not mean that it’s the default setting for all the world. If Hungarians – and others – want to pursue another model, they should have the freedom to do so.Hungary’s cooperative relations with Russia are more problematic (and I’m not objective, having lived and suffered under Russian occupation as a child).
But here again, as with many African countries which have not supported US sanctions against Russia, nations choose their own relationships based on their own interests – not those of America. If the US really wants Hungary to cut its ties with Russia, most especially in the energy sector, then the correct and most effective approach would be to work collaboratively and offer alternatives, instead of simply shouting displeasure through a megaphone. And let’s remember, it was our ally Germany’s decades-long cozy relations with Russia and willingness to become hooked onRussian energy which is a major cause of Europe’s current energy crisis.So, Central Europe, given its proximity to the war, enters the Fall with a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety. This became observable in mid-September when temperatures plunged over 24 hours from the balmy 80s to the chilly and wet 50s, with the reality of the coming cold winter on the horizon. Everyone hopes for a quick end to the war, but also accepts that Russia cannot be allowed to win – else Putin will go for an even bigger goal in the next round.
Europeans also fear Putin’s willingness to use battlefield nuclear weapons and the potential spread of radiation but hope that his generals will not execute such orders, or that Russian nukes – given years of neglect and corruption – will simply not function. Meanwhile, for the US to support Central Europe’s will to hold as “frontline” states against Putin’sexpansionist goals, we must focus on areas of mutual interest, instead of on what we don’t like.
Ambassador Tibor Nagy was most recently Assistant Secretary of State for Africa after serving as Texas Tech’s Vice Provost for International Affairs and a 30-year career as a US Diplomat. Follow him on Twitter @TiborPNagyJr
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Printed Letters: Oct. 2, 2022 https://digitalarizonanews.com/printed-letters-oct-2-2022/
Am I really the biggest threat to this country?
I have a confession to make. I am “unwoke.” I am a MAGA white American male. I have been called a “deplorable” a “smelly Walmart,” “a Bible thumping gun toting racist” who voted for Donald Trump and Loren Boebert. According to our current President I am the biggest threat to America.
Sun Sunday
68°/52°
Showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 60s and lows in the low 50s.
Chance of Rain: 99%
Sunrise: 07:11:24 AM
Sunset: 06:54:59 PM
Humidity: 76%
Wind: SE @ 12 mph
UV Index: 5 Moderate
Sunday Night
Scattered thunderstorms. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 52F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Mon Monday
71°/50°
Isolated thunderstorms. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the low 50s.
Chance of Rain: 31%
Sunrise: 07:12:21 AM
Sunset: 06:53:24 PM
Humidity: 68%
Wind: SE @ 8 mph
UV Index: 6 High
Monday Night
A few clouds from time to time. Low near 50F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
Tue Tuesday
73°/48°
Abundant sunshine. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the upper 40s.
Chance of Rain: 13%
Sunrise: 07:13:19 AM
Sunset: 06:51:49 PM
Humidity: 58%
Wind: ESE @ 8 mph
UV Index: 6 High
Tuesday Night
Clear skies. Low 48F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
Wed Wednesday
72°/48°
Sunshine. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the upper 40s.
Chance of Rain: 4%
Sunrise: 07:14:16 AM
Sunset: 06:50:15 PM
Humidity: 47%
Wind: E @ 7 mph
UV Index: 6 High
Wednesday Night
A mostly clear sky. Low 48F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
Thu Thursday
74°/48°
Sunny. Highs in the mid 70s and lows in the upper 40s.
Chance of Rain: 3%
Sunrise: 07:15:15 AM
Sunset: 06:48:41 PM
Humidity: 44%
Wind: ESE @ 8 mph
UV Index: 6 High
Thursday Night
Clear. Low 48F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
Fri Friday
73°/48°
Plenty of sun. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the upper 40s.
Chance of Rain: 15%
Sunrise: 07:16:13 AM
Sunset: 06:47:08 PM
Humidity: 43%
Wind: ESE @ 8 mph
UV Index: 6 High
Friday Night
Mostly clear. Low 48F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
Sat Saturday
74°/50°
Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 70s and lows in the low 50s.
Chance of Rain: 3%
Sunrise: 07:17:12 AM
Sunset: 06:45:35 PM
Humidity: 46%
Wind: SE @ 8 mph
UV Index: 5 Moderate
Saturday Night
Clear to partly cloudy. Low near 50F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
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