Digital Arizona News

At Least 129 Killed In Stampede After Soccer Game In Indonesia, Police Say https://digitalarizonanews.com/at-least-129-killed-in-stampede-after-soccer-game-in-indonesia-police-say/ MEDAN, Indonesia — At least 129 people were killed and about 180 others were injured in a stampede following a Saturday evening soccer game in Indonesia, police said. They suffered breathing problems and suffocated as they tried to exit the stadium, he said. At least two police officers were among the dead, East Java Police Chief Nico Afinta told reporters. Thirty-four people died at the scene, Afinta said, and the rest died at hospitals. “Mass commotion” followed the match, the soccer league, Liga 1, said in a statement, calling the episode a “heartbreaking incident.” The tramplings occurred after the home team, Arema FC, lost to Persebaya Surabaya at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, at which point dozens of fans stormed the field, according to videos on social media and reports by local media. Videos showed fans charging toward the center of the field before they scattered, beat back by uniformed officers carrying batons and riot shields, as loud bangs and clouds of smoke erupted in the arena. People jumped over barriers and leaped onto railings as they fled, with the officers beating and kicking those on the field, as spectators looked on from the still-crowded stands. Although the stampede was among the deadliest mass-casualty events at a soccer game in the country’s history, violence at matches is common in Indonesia. Stadiums often only allow fans of the home team to attend to prevent fights. “Sampai mati,” or “until death,” is a common refrain among many dedicated Indonesian soccer fans. Violence associated with soccer spectating is so intense in Indonesia that teams often travel to games in armored vehicles to avoid being pelted with rocks and other projectiles. Zainudin Amali, Indonesia’s sports minister, said he was heading to Malang after the incident. He called for a full investigation and said he hoped this “disaster” would be the last of its kind. The Indonesian president’s office and the chairman of the Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI), Yunus Nusi, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Matches were suspended for a week, the league said. “Hopefully this will be a valuable lesson for all of us,” said the head of the league, Akhmad Hadian Lukita. Pietsch reported from Denver. Read More Here

Trump, Michigan Republicans Put Faith In https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-michigan-republicans-put-faith-in/ Warren — Former President Donald Trump encouraged Michigan voters to support his slate of Republican candidates during a rally in Macomb County on Saturday, saying they could “save the day” in the battleground state. Speaking inside the Macomb County Community College Sports and Expo Center in Warren, Trump was briefly joined on stage by Republican candidate for governor Tudor Dixon, attorney general hopeful Matt DePerno and Kristina Karamo, the GOP’s nominee for secretary of state. “These people hate our guts because they are terrified of this political movement,” Karamo said as Trump stood nearby. “There is nothing they can do to stop this MAGA movement,” Karamo added. Trump said his political movement was standing up to “menacing forces.” He spoke in front of a crowd of a few thousand people for about an hour and 40 minutes. He criticized Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, calling her a “radical abortionist,” he targeted a handful of investigations into his actions and he even labeled some fellow Republicans as weak. “Too many Republicans are weak and they’re afraid,” Trump said at one point. “And they better get strong fast, or you’re not going to have a Republican Party.” Trump discussed rising prices, energy costs and crime rates. He drew loud applause from the audience when he mentioned his 2016 victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton and his false claim that he won the 2020 election. “Now, we might just have to do it again,” the former president said, referencing the possibility he could run for the White House again in 2024. Talking to reporters, Dixon said her campaign was “within striking distance” of Whitmer. The event took place 38 days before a pivotal election, in which the GOP is hoping to unseat three Democrats who control the executive branch of state government. Dixon, a political commentator and businesswoman from Norton Shores, spoke for about 25 minutes before Trump took the stage at 7:15 p.m. Dixon used her speech to criticize Whitmer for running what she described as a “basement campaign” and vowed to make Michigan’s schools the best in the nation. “After all of the spending, we’re still within striking distance,” Dixon told reporters afterward. “I think it means that our message is resonating and she doesn’t really have a message.” More:Whitmer, Dixon present voters with diverging visions for Michigan’s schools Karamo said she was planning to use the event with Trump to energize supporters to go out and knock doors and talk to voters in her bid to unseat Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. “It galvanizes the troops,” said Karamo, an educator from Oak Park. “It gets people involved. It helps spread the message.” Karamo, Dixon and DePerno, the Republican candidate facing Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel in the Nov. 8 general election, have all been endorsed by Trump and spoke at Saturday’s rally. The Democratic candidates have maintained leads in public polling. Whitmer was up by 13 percentage points, according to an Aug. 29 through Sept. 1 survey by The Detroit News and WDIV-TV. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. Dixon’s running mate, former state Rep. Shane Hernandez, participated in a tailgate in a parking lot outside the rally Saturday afternoon. Hernandez, R-Port Huron, said Trump’s appearance would bring excitement to the Michigan campaigns and get the grassroots of the party involved. “The message is what people are talking about at their kitchen table: education, public safety, the economy,” Hernandez said. Ads promoting Dixon would ramp up soon, Hernandez predicted. So far, Democrats have spent millions of dollars on TV commercials promoting Whitmer and criticizing Dixon’s opposition to abortion in almost all cases, but Dixon’s side has been relatively quiet. Trump won Michigan by less than 1 percentage point over Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 but lost the state to Democrat Joe Biden by 3 points in 2020. Trump has repeatedly made unproven claims that fraud cost him the 2020 race in Michigan. However, bipartisan boards of canvassers, a series of court rulings and investigation by the GOP-controlled state Senate Oversight Committee have upheld the result. On Saturday night, Trump urged Dixon to be “careful.” He claimed the U.S. was headed toward becoming a third-world country. “If you look at the way they counted the ballots, remember the ballot counter is far more important today in our country than the candidate,” Trump said. In a statement Saturday, the Michigan Democratic Party accused Dixon, whom Trump has endorsed, of having “a long history of pushing baseless lies about the integrity of the 2020 election.” “For years, Dixon has stoked public distrust in the democratic process and spread lies about Michigan’s elections with absolutely no proof to back up her claims,” the party’s statement said. Ammar Moussa of the Democratic National Committee said the event was “a reminder of how beholden today’s Republican Party is to Donald Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) agenda.” “Every single Republican on stage with Trump has endorsed his Big Lie that incited an attack on our Capitol in an attempt to defy the will of nearly 3 million Michiganders,” Moussa said, referencing deniers of the 2020 election outcome. But Jack Lodato of Eastpointe said he came to Saturday’s rally to support Trump, whom he described as “my president.” He was wearing a shirt that suggested Trump would run again, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as his running mate, in 2024. “I believe he’s going to run. And I think he’s going to win,” Lodato said. Also, waiting to enter the venue Saturday was Sharon Anderson, a retiree who traveled from Tennessee. Anderson said it was her 29th Trump rally and she camped outside three nights in anticipation of the event. Anderson said she came to support “the best president in the history of this country.” There were other Trump allies from out of state, including My Pillow founder Mike Lindell and Georgia U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, in Macomb County on Saturday. “I am traveling to as many of these rallies and to as many states as I can to support Republicans because I cannot believe what has happened to our country in less than two years,” Taylor Greene told reporters. DePerno predicted the Trump’s rally would have a “significant impact” on the Michigan races. Trump coming to the state would provide “at least a 4-point swing in terms of public perception or polling,” DePerno said. “It will energize the base to get out there over the next 39 days or so and work very hard, knocking on doors, making phone calls, passing out literature and connecting with the voters,” DePerno said. Trump last visited Michigan on April 2 for a rally in Washington Township. cmauger@detroitnews.com Read More Here

Prescott Badgers Back In The Win Column After Running Over Greenway In Blowout Victory – Signals AZ https://digitalarizonanews.com/prescott-badgers-back-in-the-win-column-after-running-over-greenway-in-blowout-victory-signals-az/ The CAST 11 Podcast Network is made possible by the 2022 Ultimate Holiday Guide. Promote your next event or holiday offering in the Ultimate Holiday Guide by calling Elicia at: 928-642-3552. The Prescott Badgers’ rushing attack continues to be one of the best in the 4A conference as the group had nearly 300 yards and scored all seven touchdowns on the ground in a 52-7 blowout win over the Greenway Demons in Phoenix on Friday night. Senior Cody Leopold rushed for 102 yards on 12 carries and scored four touchdowns. His 38 career touchdowns broke a school record that went back to the 80s. Photo by Torrence Dunham for Talking Glass Media. Fellow senior Maurea Norris led the team with 140 rushing yards on 14 carries and scored two rushing touchdowns, with one of those being on a 70-yard run that helped give Prescott a 28-0 advantage after one quarter of play. Leopold had two of his touchdowns and Uriah Tenette added another touchdown in the opening 12 minutes that put Greenway in a big hole early. “One thing our coaches tell us to do is start fast,” Norris said after the game. “The main goal starting the game is to start fast and we came in and did that.” Prescott was heavily favored to win against a young Greenway team that had blowout losses in their first three games of the season. “We wanted to emphasize that (starting early) because anytime you’re in a situation where you’re the heavy favorite, it’s really important that you come out with the requisite intensity required to win varsity football games,” head coach Cody Collett said. Photo by Torrence Dunham for Talking Glass Media. “There’s a lot of things that go into winning varsity football games and I thought they did that.” Prescott suffered their first defeat of the season last week, a 55-35 loss to ALA – Gilbert North. “Winning feels good, it was good to get back after playing a really good ALA team,” Collett said. “I thought our guys had a really good week of practice and did a good job coming out and dominating.” Photo by Torrence Dunham for Talking Glass Media. Leopold had another touchdown in the second quarter and Cole Gross kicked a 25-yard field goal. Greenway scored their only touchdown of the game in the second quarter as the Badgers held a 38-7 lead after one half. Leopold and Norris would each score a touchdown in the third quarter to put a bow on the victory. Photo by Torrence Dunham for Talking Glass Media. Prescott’s first punt of the game didn’t come until the fourth quarter, which was relatively short as the clock was run considering the Badgers held a 45-point advantage. The Badgers after another good rushing effort are averaging 272.8 yards on the ground per contest and eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the season. “We love the play action pass, we got a number of weapons, but we are always going to try to be a downhill, bloody-your-nose-type of run game and that’s what we pride ourselves on,” Collett said. “Our receivers are excellent, we got some of the best weapons in the state on the outside and I really believe that, but our running game with three quality backs is always going to be very important.” Junior quarterback Jaxon Rice completed 10 of 14 passes for 174 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. The Badgers (3-1, 0-0 4A Grand Canyon) return home on Friday for a matchup against Sierra Linda (3-2, 0-0 4A Southwest) on Homecoming Night. Kickoff is 7 p.m. To listen to the entire game recap including interviews with the coach and players, tune in to Talkin’ Central Arizona Sports with Torrence Dunham on Cast11.  Read more stories in Sports on Signals A Z.com. Promote your event with the Ultimate Holiday Guide! Contact Elicia Morigeau at 928-642-3552 or ads@signalsaz.com. If you like this story, consider subscribing to Signals Updates, Entertainment Events & News! Read More Here

Meta Board Approves Personal Security For Outgoing Executive Sheryl Sandberg https://digitalarizonanews.com/meta-board-approves-personal-security-for-outgoing-executive-sheryl-sandberg/ Former Meta Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg officially stepped down from her post in August, but the company will continue to pay for her personal security into 2023, citing “continuing threats to her safety”. However, the company did not elaborate on the threats that Sandberg, one of the most powerful women in Silicon Valley, faces.  Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Meta, attends the annual Allen and Co. Sun Valley Media Conference, in Sun Valley, Idaho, U.S., July 6, 2022. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo / Fox News) Meta stated that from Oct, 1 through June 30, 2023, it will continue to pay for security services at Sandberg’s residences and when she is on personal business. Sandberg, a close associate of Meta’s Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, said in June she would depart the social media giant after a 14-year stint when she led the company’s often-criticized ads-based business model. META IMPLEMENTS A HIRING FREEZE “Sitting by Mark’s side for these 14 years has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime,” she wrote in a lengthy Facebook post announcing her resignation in June. “Mark is a true visionary and a caring leader. He sometimes says that we grew up together, and we have.” Under Sandberg, the company was also buffeted by revelations in 2018 that U.K. consultancy Cambridge Analytica had improperly acquired data on millions of its U.S. users to target election advertising. Mark Zuckerberg, via video, speaks at the 2022 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Austin Convention Center on March 15, 2022, in Austin, Texas. | Getty Images MARK ZUCKERBERG’S FORTUNE SHEDS $71B AS META PLATFORMS’ STOCK STRUGGLES The same year, U.N. human rights investigators said the use of Facebook had played a key role in spreading hate speech that fueled violence against the Rohingya community in Myanmar. Sandberg will no longer be an employee after Sept. 30 but will remain on Meta’s board and receive compensation as a non-employee director, the Facebook-owner said in a regulatory filing. Previously, Meta has spent heavily on the security of its top executives. In April, the company revealed they paid a $26.8 million for Zuckerberg’s security detail and private aircraft. The estimated total for Sandberg’s security detail is unknown. GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE Meta did not immediately comment on Fox News’ Digitals request for comment. Reuters contributed to this post. Read More Here

AP News Summary At 9:32 P.m. EDT https://digitalarizonanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-932-p-m-edt/ 129 dead after fans stampede to exit Indonesian soccer match MALANG, Indonesia (AP) — Panic at an Indonesian soccer match after police fired tear gas to stop brawls left 129 dead, mostly trampled to death. Police said Sunday that several brawls between supporters of the two rival soccer teams were reported inside the stadium after the Indonesia premier league game ended with Persebaya beating Arema 3-2. East Java’s police chief says the fighting prompted riot police to fire tear gas, causing panic among supporters. Hundreds ran to an exit gate in an effort to avoid the tear gas. Some suffocated in the chaos and others were trampled. More than 300 have been rushed to nearby hospitals for their injuries. But many of them died on the way and during a treatment. Russia withdraws troops after Ukraine encircles key city KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — After being encircled by Ukrainian forces, Russia has pulled troops out from an eastern Ukrainian city that it had been using as a front-line hub. It was the latest victory for the Ukrainian counteroffensive that has humiliated and angered the Kremlin. The city of Lyman was a key transportation hub for the Russian front line. A day earlier Moscow had annexed as part of Russia. Kyiv has retaken vast swaths of territory beginning in September. With Lyman recaptured, Ukraine can now push further into the occupied Luhansk region, one of the four regions that Russia annexed Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his military have vowed to keep fighting to liberate all regions from Russian control. Ian leaves dozens dead as focus turns to rescue, recovery FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Dozens of Florida residents left their flooded and splintered homes by boat and by air as rescuers continued to search for survivors in the wake of Hurricane Ian. In South Carolina and North Carolina, authorities were surveying the damage on Saturday from Ian’s blow. The death toll from the storm grew to nearly three dozen, with deaths reported in Cuba, Florida and North Carolina. The storm has since weakened as it rolled into the mid-Atlantic, but not before it washed out bridges and piers. It also hurdled massive boats into buildings onshore and sheared roofs off of homes, leaving hundreds of thousands without power. Pine Island residents recount horror, fear as Ian bore down PINE ISLAND, Fla. (AP) — Emergency responders are seeking to evacuate residents from the largest barrier island off Florida’s Gulf Coast, and survivors there spoke of the terror of riding out Hurricane Ian in flooded homes and howling winds. A volunteer group, Medic Corps, was flying residents off Pine island by helicopter on Saturday. The bridge to Pine Island was heavily damaged by the hurricane, leaving it reachable only by boat or air. Some residents said they hadn’t seen anyone from outside the island for days and spoke of being trapped in flooded homes as boats and other debris crashed around their houses in the storm surge. Some feared they wouldn’t make it. Ian shows the risks and costs of living on barrier islands SANIBEL ISLAND, Fla. (AP) — Experts say that Hurricane Ian is shining a spotlight once again on the vulnerability of the nation’s barrier islands and the increasing cost of people living on them. Florida’s Sanibel Island was hard hit by the storm. Homes were destroyed. Two people have been confirmed dead. And Sanibel’s lone bridge to the mainland collapsed. Barrier island communities like Sanibel anchor tourist economies that provide crucial tax dollars. But the cost of rebuilding them is often high because they’re home to many high-value properties. Jesse Keenan is a real estate professor at Tulane University. He questions whether such communities can keep rebuilding as hurricanes become more and more destructive from climate change. Russia blindfolds, detains Ukraine nuclear plant chief KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s nuclear power provider says Russian forces blindfolded and detained the head of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant hours after Moscow illegally annexed a swath of Ukrainian territory. In a possible attempt to secure Moscow’s hold on the newly annexed territory, Russian forces seized the director-general of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Ihor Murashov, around 4 p.m. Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed treaties to absorb Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, including the area around the nuclear plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency said Saturday that Russia told it that “the director-general of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was temporarily detained to answer questions.” Venezuela swaps 7 jailed Americans for Maduro relatives WASHINGTON (AP) — Venezuela’s government has freed seven Americans imprisoned in the South American country in exchange for the release of two nephews of President Nicolás Maduro’s wife who had been jailed for years by the United States on drug smuggling convictions. The swap of the Americans, including five oil executives imprisoned for nearly five years, is the largest trade of detained citizens that the Biden administration has ever carried out. It amounts to an unusual gesture of goodwill by Maduro as he looks to rebuild relations with the U.S. after vanquishing most of his opponents and follows months of secretive talks, including repeated visits to Venezuela over the last year by Washington’s top hostage negotiator. Trump at center of Oath Keepers novel defense in Jan. 6 case WASHINGTON (AP) — The defense team in the Capitol riot trial of the Oath Keepers leader is relying on an unusual strategy with Donald Trump at the center. Lawyers for Stewart Rhodes are poised to argue that jurors cannot find him guilty of seditious conspiracy because all the actions he took before the riot were in preparation for orders he anticipated from the then-president. But those orders never came. Rhodes and four associates are accused of plotting for weeks to stop the transfer of presidential power, culminating with Oath Keepers in battle gear storming the Capitol alongside hundreds of other Trump supporters on Jan. 6, 2021. Opening statements in the trial are set to begin Monday. Supreme Court poised to keep marching to right in new term WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court begins a new term on Monday at a time of diminished public confidence and justices sparring openly over the institution’s legitimacy. The court seems poised to push American law to the right on issues of race, voting and the environment. Back in June, the conservative majority overturned nearly 50 years of constitutional protections for abortion rights. Now, the court is diving back in with an aggressive agenda that appears likely to split the six conservative justices from the three liberals. Joining the nine-member court is new Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the court’s first Black woman. GOP attacks Georgia’s Abrams on voting as judge rejects suit ATLANTA (AP) — Republicans are using the defeat of a voting suit brought by a group founded by Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams to attack her legitimacy as a voting rights advocate. They say a judge’s rejection on Friday of the last remaining claims in a suit brought by Fair Fight Action shows that Abrams was wrong all along to claim that she lost the 2018 Georgia governor’s race to Republican Brian Kemp because of voter suppression by Kemp. But Abrams is far from backing down from her position, and says she won a number of victories that made elections fairer. Her advocacy has also helped make voting rights a defining issue for Black voters in Georgia. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More Here

Lewandowski Takes Plea In Nevada Case https://digitalarizonanews.com/lewandowski-takes-plea-in-nevada-case/ Published: 10/1/2022 9:30:32 PM Modified: 10/1/2022 9:26:13 PM 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 earlier this month involving a charge of misdemeanor battery, according to online Clark County records. While he does not admit to any wrongdoing, Lewandowski will undergo eight hours of impulse control counseling and 50 hours of community service. Court documents dated Monday state that the charge will be dismissed if he satisfies these 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 in a statement. “The court set conditions that Mr. Lewandowski will fulfill, and the case will ultimately be dismissed.” The plea agreement was first reported by Politico. Trump donor Trashelle Odom publicly alleged Lewandowski repeatedly touched her without her permission, made lewd comments and stalked her throughout a September 2021 fundraising event. Odom is the wife of Idaho construction executive John Odom. The allegations led to several Republican figures cutting ties with him. Read More Here

Trump Attacks Those Who Lie, Cheat, Steal And Spread Disinfo In 103-Minute Rally Speech https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-attacks-those-who-lie-cheat-steal-and-spread-disinfo-in-103-minute-rally-speech/ President Trump concludes his campaign speech at the rally in the Bojangle’s Coliseum. (Jeffery Edwards / Shutterstock.com) Donald Trump briefly sounded like a traditional politician at his Saturday speech in Michigan, that quickly veered into red meat and conspiracy theories as he repeated his rally schtick. Daily Beast reporter Zachary Petrizzo noted, “no big arena or field for today’s Trump rally in Warren, Michigan, instead it’s inside a community college gymnasium with a seating capacity of 3,500.” Taking the stage to “God Bless America” by Lee Greenwood, as is his tradition, Trump started with perfunctory remarks on Hurricane Ian after stating his love for Michigan. “Before we begin, I want to send our profound sympathy and our immense support to everyone back in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas who are struck by this brutal wrath of the hurricane,” Trump said. “Not a good hurricane, this was a big one.” “We’ll all stay strong together and pull through it. That was a bad, bad couple of days. Six weeks from now the people of Michigan are going to vote to fire your radical left Democrat (sic) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer,” Trump said as he veered into brief comments on the GOP slate. Trump was campaigning for Tudor Dixon for governor, Matt DePerno for attorney general, and Kristina Karamo for secretary of state — all of whom are election deniers. Trump went on to repeat his lies about the 2020 election, refer to Democrats as “communists,” and repeat typical stump speech. Trump lashed out at the FBI after it executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, referred to Capitol rioters as “political prisoners,” and complain about the House Select Committee Investigating the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol. “I think they would like to see me in prison,” Trump said. “You know why, you know why? Because they are sick, sick people.” And he implored his supporters to vote, but also said, “I don’t believe we’ll ever have a fair election again.” Trump praised Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, for continuing to believe the lie the 2020 election was stolen. “As we talk about and think of the rigged and stolen of 2020 — presidential election, rigged and stolen — I would like to thank a great woman named Ginni Thomas,” the former president said. “Do you know Ginni Thomas? Great woman.” Trump said, “she said that she still believes the 2020 election. She didn’t wilt under pressure like so many others that are weak people and stupid people, because once they wilt, they end up being a witness for a long time.” And then he introduced election denier Mike Lindell. Nearly one hour into the speech, Trump teased a 2024 comeback attempt, telling the crowd, “I think you’re going to be happy” about his decision. Paul Egan of the Detroit Free Press reported, “There’s also been a steady stream of attendees heading for the exits since about the 15-minute mark of this now hour-long and ongoing speech.” Trump attacked his enemies using much of the same language critics and prosecutors have used against him. “Despite great outside dangers, our greatest threats remain the sick, sinister, and evil people from within our country,” Trump said. “From within. You know the people I’m talking about, you see them all the time lie, disinformation, cheat, steal.” As occurred at his Sept. 3 rally in Pennsylvania, Sept. 17 rally in Ohio, and Sept. 23 rally in North Carolina, dark music began playing gymnasium as Trump concluded his remarks. The song has been linked to QAnon. Watch below or at this link: Trump Warren Rally www.youtube.com Read More Here

CPAC Backpedals On Pro-Russia Tweet As Some U.S. Conservatives Back Putin https://digitalarizonanews.com/cpac-backpedals-on-pro-russia-tweet-as-some-u-s-conservatives-back-putin/ Prominent Republicans are digging in against American support for Ukraine despite Russia’s threats to use nuclear weapons and evidence of mass graves and war crimes facilitated by Moscow. The Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday tweeted — and then hours later deleted — a message that called on Democrats to “end the gift-giving to Ukraine” while featuring a fluttering Russian flag. The tweet also referred to “Ukraine-occupied territories,” appearing to legitimize Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims to annex provinces based on a referendum that the U.S. and allies view as illegal. CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp on Saturday said the tweet did not clear the normal approval process because he was traveling for a conference in Australia. “Due to my travel into a distant time zone it was never approved per usual,” he said in a text message. In a statement, CPAC expressed support for Ukraine but maintained opposition to American aid for the embattled country. “We must oppose Putin, but American taxpayers should not be shouldering the vast majority of the cost,” the statement said. “The tweet belittled the plight of the innocent Ukrainian people.” CPAC has repeatedly flirted with pro-Putin views in recent years, including hosting pro-Russian Hungarian prime minister Victor Orban at a Dallas conference in August. CPAC is not alone among American conservatives in opposing Ukrainian aid despite Putin’s invasion. Fox News host Tucker Carlson has alleged U.S. sabotage for leaks in a Russian gas pipeline to Europe, baseless claims that have earned him airtime on Russian state television. Former president Donald Trump also posted a message on his Truth Social platform offering himself as a negotiator for the conflict. At a Trump rally in Michigan on Saturday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) reiterated her opposition to U.S. aid to Ukraine and said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should negotiate a peace settlement with Russia. “We have so many problems here at home, I cannot even think about sending our money over to fund a proxy war with Russia,” she said in an interview. “Zelensky doesn’t run the United States government. He is not our president, but for some reason Joe Biden bends over every single time. … The American people don’t care about that war over there.” Many Republicans have followed Trump’s lead in waffling on Putin, whom Trump avoided condemning and sided with over his own intelligence agencies in doubting Russian interference in the 2016 election. Relations with Ukraine became partisan during Trump’s first impeachment, after he tried to use U.S. aid to Ukraine to pressure Zelensky to announce an investigation into Biden and his son Hunter’s business dealings in the country. Read More Here

Republican Hopefuls Bash Democratic Opponents Ahead Of Trump Speech In Warren https://digitalarizonanews.com/republican-hopefuls-bash-democratic-opponents-ahead-of-trump-speech-in-warren/ WARREN − Tudor Dixon, the Republican nominee for governor, used her platform at a Saturday rally headlined by former President Donald Trump to hammer on hot-button cultural issues that have been a centerpiece of her campaign. At the Macomb County rally in which allies of the president rehashed debunked conspiracies about the 2020 election, Dixon joined GOP secretary of state candidate Kristina Karamo and attorney general candidate Matt DePerno to bolster their electoral prospects this fall. The trio of candidates vying for Michigan’s top statewide offices cast the incumbent Democrats they face — and the policies championed by their opponents — as an existential threat to the country to the crowd of Trump supporters. All three have embraced false claims that fraud and other misconduct affected the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. They also oppose abortion rights, seen as a top issue among Michigan voters this fall. Trump took the stage at 7:18 p.m. At the beginning of his remarks, he criticized Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other Democrats as extreme and said their agenda and that of President Joe Biden has led to record inflation. “If you want to save the American dream, you have to vote Republican,” he said. “I don’t think you have a choice.” He went on to attack Democrats for being weak on border security and increasing government spending. “You may never recover,” he said, if Democrats retain control in Michigan and in Congress. “We will save the day.” Go to www.freep.com for more details. During a lengthy speech, Dixon attempted to partially defuse the issue surrounding her own hard-line stance on abortion rights — one that has many Republican and independent women saying they are reluctant to vote for her. Dixon, a Norton Shores businesswoman and former conservative TV commentator, favors an abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest, or the health of the pregnant person. Dixon has said the only abortion she would condone is one to save the life of the pregnant person. Millions of dollars in Democratic TV ads have pilloried Dixon over that position in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, labeling the mother of four as far too extreme to govern Michigan. On Saturday, Dixon attempted to shift the significance of the issue, saying the Whitmer campaign is lying when it suggests abortion is an issue that Dixon, as governor, would be in a position to do something about. “You all know it’s on the ballot,” Dixon said, referring to Proposal 3, a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot this fall that would enshrine abortion rights in the Michigan Constitution. If Proposal 3 is defeated, Michigan could be subject to a 1931 law, still on the books but currently unenforceable under a judge’s order, that criminalizes most abortions. Even if Michigan voters adopt Proposal 3, the Legislature could pass new abortion restrictions, which the governor would be asked to sign into law. Dixon kicked off her speech blasting Whitmer’s COVID-19 policies as she called on the crowd to remember when Whitmer suggested Michiganders Google how they could cut their hair when businesses were ordered to shut down. “Maybe she can Google the job listings because I think she’s going to be out of work soon,” Dixon said. She smiled as the crowd chanted “lock her up.” Karamo’s speech also prompted “lock her up” chants when she accused Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson of corrupting Michigan’s election system despite court rulings and reviews that undermine GOP claims alleging misconduct by Benson. Karamo gained national prominence for leveling unfounded allegations about the vote count in Detroit in 2020. Karamo told the crowd that secretary of state offices have “never before in American history been so inextricably linked to our liberty.” “We are our last hope,” she said. “History is screaming to us that if we don’t step up and fight now, we will lose the greatest country in human history.” She called it “humbling” to return to Macomb County Community College where she said she graduated and first became politically active as a member of the college Republicans. DePerno followed Karamo, walking on stage to German composer Carl Orff’s dramatic “Carmina Burana.” He began his remarks nicknaming Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel “dirty Dana,” calling her “an embarrassment to the office,” for drinking too much at a college football game. He said policies favored by Biden, Whitmer and Nessel are “destroying this great state.” He said Nessel “has prioritized criminals instead of victims” and “politicians instead of every one of you.” GOP congressional candidates Paul Junge and John James also spoke Saturday. Junge, a GOP candidate for Michigan’s 8th Congressional District against Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee of Flint Township, highlighted inflation and promised to “protect our borders” during his speech Saturday. James, who is facing retired judge Carl Marlinga in the 10th Congressional District accused Democrats of putting Americans’ public safety and freedom at risk. “They put America last when we put America first,” he said, during a speech that drew loud applause. More:Gretchen Whitmer’s lead over Tudor Dixon grows to 16 percentage points in new poll More:Benson, Nessel up big in new poll as GOP challengers struggle with name recognition Dixon, DePerno and Karamo currently lag behind their Democratic opponents in fundraising and name recognition. An EPIC-MRA poll commissioned by the Free Press last month showed the three Democratic incumbents in the lead and that more than three-quarters of voters surveyed hadn’t heard of DePerno or Karamo. Trump announced his endorsements of DePerno and Karamo over a year ago and endorsed Dixon just days before the GOP gubernatorial primary in August. She won just under 40% of the vote in a crowded field. This fall will mark the first time any of the three candidates have appeared on a statewide ballot. An estimated 5,000 people were in the crowd in the Macomb Community College Sport and Expo Center in Warren while the candidates spoke, close to two hours ahead of an expected speech by Trump. The college said there was seating for a little over 4,000 people and the Warren fire marshal said the room had a capacity of 6,600 for the event. The seats were full but there was still considerable standing room. Becky Bensett, of Clinton Township, was standing near the end of a lengthy line to enter the Trump rally Saturday afternoon. She said she has never seen Trump in person before and was excited about hearing him speak and hoping she didn’t arrive too late. In 2024, “he will run,” and have her support, she said. As for the Michigan governor’s race, Bensett said she will be voting for Dixon. Asked about Whitmer’s performance, Bensett said: “I never had a problem with her; everybody else did.” However, “it’s time for somebody new,” she said. The speakers Saturday repeatedly spoke out against schools that allow transgender girls to compete on sports teams consistent with their gender identity and educate children about LGBTQ issues. U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Bruce Township, said “let’s make sure our kids learn their ABCs before they learn their LGBTQs.” DePerno pointed to a quip from Nessel saying “drag queens make everything better.” “She said she wants to put a drag queen in every classroom,” DePerno said, prompting a loud boo from the crowd. “Do you think we need drag queens in every classroom? No people, not just no, hell no.” Dixon accused Michigan teachers of assisting students in gender-related decisions, which is an allegation the Department of Education denies, and repeated her opposition to school athletes competing based on their gender identities. Macomb County — long seen as a kind of bellwether of national political trends — voted for Trump in 2020 and 2016. But the incumbent Democrats running for reelection to Michigan’s top statewide offices outperformed Democratic presidential candidates in the last two cycles in Macomb. Four years ago, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Benson won the county and while Attorney General Nessel lost it, she garnered a greater share of the vote than either Biden in 2020 or Hillary Clinton in 2016. Trump last held a rally in Michigan in April, when he praised Dixon and touted DePerno and Karamo, promising his supporters that they “will protect us from a corrupt election.” Michigan voters have already begun requesting and returning absentee ballots. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 8. Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4. Read More Here

Chandler Twins Fall In Rankings https://digitalarizonanews.com/chandler-twins-fall-in-rankings/ Fans gather at the finish line for the end of the boys 5K Sweepstakes race at the Coyote Run Golf Course in Mesa on Friday. (Beatriz Martinez/AZPreps365) Beatriz Martinez is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism graduate student assigned to cover Chandler for AZPreps365.com. Senior twin brothers Francis and Gibson Kibia got knocked down to third and fourth in state rankings for all divisions after senior Christian Groendyk from Fort Collins (Colo.) High School earned a personal best of 15:10.10 at the Desert Twilight Festival in Mesa on Friday.  The twins were the only two runners for the Chandler Wolves competing in the 5K Sweepstakes race, putting them up against the highest level of competition in high school cross-country. Teams from Texas, Colorado, New Mexico and San Diego traveled to Arizona to compete against the best talent in the nation. “Gibson was 12th at the mile at 4:39 and then Francis was about 40th at 4:45,” Chandler coach Matt Lincoln said. “So, probably a little too fast for what we’d like to be going out in but it was also a good chance to just be aggressive and see how it feels.” Gibson finished 34th overall with a time of 16:08.20, missing his career best by 48 seconds. Gibson’s mile splits were 4:39.70, 5:17.30 and his one and one tenth mile split was 6:11.20.  “The first mile was fast but I felt comfortable,” Gibson said. “The second mile I could feel the lactic acid building. We were going fast down the hills and going fast up the hills, so the third mile was just bad.”  Gibson and Francis feel the hours of sitting in the sun and inhaling the dust from previous races didn’t help them perform to their full potential.  “If I stayed home, it would’ve been better,” Gibson said. “I’m not moving as much. I’m in my bed relaxing and not thinking so much about the race because you do get anxious. You’re watching other people run the race and you’re thinking, when am I going to race?” Lincoln also believes the long hours of waiting prior to race affected their performance. He said a lot of the other schools that competed in the Sweepstakes race didn’t arrive at the course until one to two hours prior.  “Francis and Gibson have been here since three o’clock and didn’t race until 10,” Lincoln said. “It’s hard because they can’t drive themselves here, so if they don’t have a ride they have to come on the bus.” Francis finished 46th overall with a time of 16:14.10. His mile splits were 4:45.70, 5:22.6, and 6:05.80. He said if runners didn’t fall going down the hill in the first mile, he wouldn’t have exerted so much energy jumping over them. “That put me in a very bad place,” Francis said. “When I tried to catch up with the people in front, people just started blocking me and shoving me so I couldn’t get there.” Gibson and Francis felt this meet was great preparation for the State Championships in October.  “We’re practicing everything we should do at state, like staying in the front and pacing.” Gibson said. “We can learn from this experience.”  Chandler will compete next at the 40th Annual Asics Southern Cal Invitational in California on Oct. 8th.  Read More Here

Americans Captured By Russia Detail Months Of Beatings, Interrogation https://digitalarizonanews.com/americans-captured-by-russia-detail-months-of-beatings-interrogation/ Andy Tai Huynh, left, and Alex Drueke were released from captivity Sept. 21. In their first extensive media interview since their release, the pair say they were interrogated, subjected to physical and psychological abuse, and given little food or clean water. (William DeShazer/For The Washington Post) In their first extensive interview since being freed, Alex Drueke and Andy Tai Huynh recount the physical and psychological abuse they endured over 104 days in captivity October 1, 2022 at 6:36 p.m. EDT TRINITY, Ala. — Alex Drueke and Andy Tai Huynh evaded Russian forces for hours, slogging through pine forests and marshes in Ukraine to avoid detection. The U.S. military veterans were left behind — “abandoned,” they said — after their Ukrainian task force was attacked, and determined that their best chance of survival was to hike back to their base in Kharkiv. What followed was an excruciating, often terrifying 104 days in captivity. They were interrogated, subjected to physical and psychological abuse, and given little food or clean water, Drueke and Huynh recalled. Initially, they were taken into Russia, to a detention complex dotted with tents and ringed by barbed wire, they said. Their captors later moved them, first to a “black site” where the beatings worsened, Drueke said, and then to what they called a more traditional prison run by Russian-backed separatists in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. Drueke, 40, and Huynh, 27, met with The Washington Post for three hours at the home of Huynh’s fiancee, Joy Black, in this rural town of about 2,500 outside Huntsville. It was their first extensive media interview since being freed on Sept. 21 as part of a sprawling prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Each man lost nearly 30 pounds during the ordeal, they said, suffering injuries most evident in the red and purple welts still present where their wrists were bound. Their account provides disturbing new insight into how Russia and its proxy forces in Ukraine treat those taken off the battlefield. The Russian embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment. Drueke and Huynh, who met in Ukraine, went to the country despite stern warnings from the U.S. State Department that taking up arms against Russian forces was unsafe and ill-advised. They joined the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, a force comprising hundreds of Americans, Europeans and other foreign nationals who responded to public entreaties from the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Drueke and Huynh said they are grateful to be alive and free, and to have had each other’s support and friendship through their captivity. They expressed no regret. Their goals now, they said, are to draw attention to Ukraine’s military needs, and raise awareness about another American veteran with whom they were imprisoned, Suedi Murekezi, who shared a cell with them for weeks but was not included in the prisoner swap. He’s among the handful of U.S. citizens detained by Russia for whom a diplomatic breakthrough has so far proved elusive. “Alex and I never did this to become famous,” Huynh said. “We never wanted to become famous.” Drueke, a U.S. Army veteran, and Huynh, who served in the Marines, said they were compelled to act after seeing images, early in the war, of Ukrainian families fleeing their homes as Russian forces leveled cities in their savage but ultimately failed bid to seize the capital, Kyiv, and topple Zelensky’s Western-backed government. Drueke had been living with family members in Tuscaloosa, Ala., after being diagnosed as a 100-percent combat disabled veteran with post-traumatic stress, he said. He’d grown enthusiastic about long-distance mountain hiking. Huynh, a California native, had moved to northern Alabama to be with his fiancee, taking community college classes and working as a delivery driver for O’Reilly Auto Parts. Huynh left the United States on April 8 to join a humanitarian group helping in Ukraine, he said. Drueke left four days later, believing that his experience during the Iraq War and familiarity with Western weapons could prove helpful to Ukrainian forces, he said. Within days, they signed contracts with the foreign legion in Lviv, in western Ukraine near Poland’s border, joining the same battalion and receiving AK-74 rifles for training far from the fighting. They had brought their own camouflage uniforms and other equipment. Both adopted noms de guerre. Drueke was named “Bama,” in honor of his home state. Huynh went by “Hate,” a shortened version of “Reaper of Hate,” a moniker he used in online video games. “It was kind of a satire name because I’m not really a hateful person,” Huynh said. “Quite the opposite.” “We called him Care Bear,” Drueke interjected with a laugh. The men decided that “their skills could be better applied elsewhere” in the war, and requested a release from the contract they had signed with their first unit, Drueke said. For the next few weeks, they traveled the country by bus and train in what they called “vacation mode,” meeting with Ukrainian military officials about possible opportunities and marveling as civilians returned to their homes in and around the capital. With time running out on their 90-day visas, they connected in Kyiv with a representative from Task Force Baguette, a military unit affiliated with the foreign legion that included French soldiers and other Westerners. The unit promised a Ukrainian military contract, allowing them to stay in the country and fight. This time, they were sent east and issued Czech-made CZ 208 rifles, to a base close to Russia’s border. Their first mission, on June 9, would be their last. That morning, the unit left Kharkiv in a pickup truck and two small sport-utility vehicles, heading north. Their assignment was to launch small drones, watch for Russian military forces and report what they saw, Drueke said. But the unit was ambushed, and in the ensuing firefight everyone scattered, the Americans said. Drueke, Huynh and their team leader began searching for a machine-gunner and sniper who’d gone missing, only to learn that other members of the unit had taken their vehicles — and most of their food and water — and returned to base without them, Drueke said. A representative for Task Force Baguette denied that Drueke and Huynh were left behind, saying the team scattered in five groups and that each had to make it back to safety on their own “as nobody knew what happened to the others.” He declined to elaborate. In a tweet, the unit celebrated the Americans’ release, thanking them for their service and calling Drueke and Huynh “heroes.” Drueke and Huynh declined to detail the precise location or nature of their capture, but acknowledged opening fire during the ambush. After they were taken into custody, they were stripped of their gear and weapons, and bound. As they crossed the border into Russia, Drueke said, their captors noted their new location, slugged them in the gut, and said “Welcome to Russia.” The Americans were blindfolded for most of the next few days, they said. Occasionally, their captors would take the blindfolds off, allowing them to catch a glimpse of their surroundings. The Russians hid their faces behind tan balaclavas. The camp, the Americans said, was a “tent city,” with six or seven prisoners of war held in each tent, Huynh said. Twin chain-link fences and barbed wire surrounded the compound. The interrogations there, Drueke said, were “horrible.” The Russians appeared to doubt that they were rank-and-file members of a Ukrainian military unit. They asked Drueke and Huynh repeatedly if they were with the CIA, the Americans recalled. They ordered them onto their hands and knees, leaving them like that until their feet grew numb. If they moved, they were beaten, they recalled. At night, Drueke and Huynh were forced to remain on their feet for hours at a time to prevent them from sleeping. “They really thought that we had been sent by our government, or had a large amount of government support,” Drueke said. “They really wanted to make sure we weren’t lying about that — and they had their ways of doing that.” Most of the prisoners appeared to be Ukrainian, the Americans said. One who spoke English appeared to possibly be a British national. In the Sept. 21 prisoner swap, five British citizens also were freed, along with individuals from Morocco, Sweden and Croatia, more than 200 Ukrainians, 55 Russian troops and a close acquaintance of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Four days later, the Americans were on the move again, they said, taken to a black site detention center in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, where Russian separatists have power. The prisoners traveled for hours with bags over their heads, the Americans said, and swapped vehicles four times. Drueke realized Huynh was with him only because he was tossed on top of him in one of the vehicles, prompting Huynh to respond with an “ouch” that Drueke recognized, he said. In such a dire situation, it was a relief. Their treatment worsened at the next location, they said. Most of the detainees were kept in a cold basement divided into tiled cells, each about 5 feet long and 2 feet wide, Huynh recalled. They received a loaf of bread each day, along with water that often appeared to be contaminated. Huynh said he could hear screams — and cries of pain — as interrogations were conducted. “That was one of the worst parts,” Huynh said. “Hearing people being hurt and not being able to do anything about it.” Upstairs, a slightly larger room was used for solitary confinement. Huynh spent the first two days there before Drueke was put there for several weeks. About 80 songs of popular music, including from the rapper Eminem and the German ...

Former U.S. Secretary Of State To Be Called As Witness In Trump Ally’s Foreign Agent Trial – National | Globalnews.ca https://digitalarizonanews.com/former-u-s-secretary-of-state-to-be-called-as-witness-in-trump-allys-foreign-agent-trial-national-globalnews-ca/ Former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will be called as a witness by federal prosecutors in the trial of Tom Barrack, a one-time fundraiser for former President Donald Trump, on charges of illegally acting as a foreign agent for the United Arab Emirates, a court filing showed on Saturday. Barrack’s defense revealed the plans in a letter to U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan in which it requested that Tillerson take the stand on Monday. The defense said prosecutors had confirmed that they would be calling Tillerson, but informed the defense he would be unavailable after Oct. 4 due to “personal plans.” Having Tillerson testify on Monday would ensure that the defense has enough time to cross-examine him, Barrack’s lawyers said. Story continues below advertisement Barrack’s lawyers have said the U.S. State Department, and Trump himself, knew of his contacts with Middle East officials, showing that Barrack did not intend to be a foreign agent. Tillerson could not immediately be reached for comment. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office in Brooklyn, where Barrack is being tried, declined to comment. Trending Stories Barrack has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers have said his interactions with Emirati officials were part of his role running private equity firm Colony Capital, now known as DigitalBridge Group Inc Tillerson, the former chief executive of ExxonMobil XOM.N, served as Trump’s secretary of state for slightly more than a year from 2017 to 2018. The trial began with jury selection on Sept. 19. During the first week, prosecutors presented emails and text messages from Barrack and an associate that showed UAE officials provided input on what then-candidate Trump should say in a 2016 energy policy speech. Prosecutors have said Barrack never told the U.S. attorney general he was acting as UAE agents, as required under federal law. 1:44 New York’s attorney general suing Trump over fraud allegations New York’s attorney general suing Trump over fraud allegations – Sep 21, 2022 In opening statements, Barrack’s lawyer Michael Schachter said there was no evidence that Barrack agreed to act under the UAE’s direction. The defense has not yet had the chance to cross-examine the FBI agent who read the emails and texts to the jury. Story continues below advertisement (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Richard Chang) Read More Here

A G.O.P. Test In Michigan: Is Trump A Help Or A Hindrance? https://digitalarizonanews.com/a-g-o-p-test-in-michigan-is-trump-a-help-or-a-hindrance/ Tudor Dixon, the party’s nominee for governor, has ground to make up in her race against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. She is hoping the former president can rally their party’s base. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share. Tudor Dixon won the Republican primary for governor of Michigan days after being endorsed by former President Donald J. Trump.Credit…Emily Elconin for The New York Times Oct. 1, 2022Updated 8:05 p.m. ET CLARKSTON, Mich. — As she runs to lead a narrowly divided swing state, Tudor Dixon is pursuing a hazardous strategy in the Michigan governor’s race: embracing Donald J. Trump, and at times emulating his no-holds-barred political style. She hit the campaign trail recently with the former president’s son Donald Trump Jr. and Kellyanne Conway, the onetime Trump White House adviser — and, in Trumpian fashion, made headlines for mocking her Democratic opponent, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, over a 2020 kidnapping plot hatched against her by right-wing militia members. In other appearances, Ms. Dixon called for a ban on transgender girls playing in girl’s and women’s sports. And on a recent afternoon at an athletic club in an affluent suburb northwest of Detroit, where a life-size cutout of Mr. Trump stood by the doors, she promoted his so-called America First business policies. “‘America First’ — Michigan First — will bring Michigan back together,” she said. The governor’s race between Ms. Dixon and Ms. Whitmer carries high stakes for abortion rights, schools and the future of elections. It is historic — the first time two women have ever gone head-to-head for the position in the state. The contest also serves as a test of whether Ms. Dixon and other Republican candidates can win their general elections by harnessing the grass-roots energy of Trump supporters that propelled them to the top of crowded and chaotic primaries. That approach — which entails a close association with Mr. Trump’s election denialism and other political baggage — worries some Michigan Republicans who believe Ms. Dixon is failing to win over the kinds of suburban and independent voters who are crucial in tight races. But it might be the only option she has. Early voting began on Thursday, and with time running out, Ms. Dixon is short on cash, well behind in polls, still working to shore up support among her Republican base and being pummeled by Democrats on the television airwaves. “Uphill, on icy roads,” said Dennis Darnoi, a longtime Republican strategist in Michigan, describing her path to victory. “It is a challenge, with a month left, for her to make up the kind of ground that she is going to need.” Image Ms. Dixon has struggled to compete financially with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat. Credit…Emily Elconin for The New York Times Ms. Dixon, who joined Mr. Trump at a rally on Saturday in Macomb County, has appeared unfazed, arguing that her recent fund-raising numbers have been high and that her message will ultimately resonate with voters more than Ms. Whitmer’s. Onstage on Saturday afternoon, Ms. Dixon pledged to protect women’s sports and attacked Ms. Whitmer’s pandemic and economic policies, suggesting the governor was hiding from voters. Her remarks at times elicited thunderous chants of “Lock her up.” Asked about the challenges ahead for her campaign after she spoke, her team pointed to a new poll from a Republican-aligned firm that put her within six points of Ms. Whitmer. “We feel great about it — it means that their message is not resonating,” Ms. Dixon said. “She spent millions of dollars to try to take us out and still people are going to vote red in November.” Not all Republicans who closely aligned themselves with Mr. Trump have struggled to pivot from the primary election to the general. In Arizona, the Republican nominee for governor, Kari Lake, has taken a similar approach, and has narrowed her race to a dead heat — but unlike Ms. Dixon, she is not facing an incumbent governor like Ms. Whitmer. 5 Takeaways From the Campaign Trail Jonathan WeismanTracking elections from Chicago 5 Takeaways From the Campaign Trail Jonathan WeismanTracking elections from Chicago Dustin Franz for The New York Times The elections are less than 40 days away, and our reporters are across the country following candidates and analyzing the campaigns. Early voting and mail voting have already started in a handful of states. Here’s a look at the week in political news → 5 Takeaways From the Campaign Trail Jonathan WeismanTracking elections from Chicago Hannah Beier for The New York Times The Democrats’ best opportunity to take a Republican seat in the Senate is looking unsure. The Democratic lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, John Fetterman, has seen his lead shrink over the celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, who is consolidating support among Republican voters and excoriating his opponent as a “soft on crime.” 5 Takeaways From the Campaign Trail Jonathan WeismanTracking elections from Chicago Democratic nominee Tina Kotek.Pool photo by Jamie Valdez Oregon never used to be a battleground. But a poll by The Oregonian found a dead heat between the Republican governor candidate, Christine Drazen, and the Democrat, Tina Kotek, with Betsy Johnson, an independent, at 18 percent. The Fifth Congressional District is a toss-up; two other Democratic seats are in play. Republicans say Portland chaos is the reason. 5 Takeaways From the Campaign Trail Jonathan WeismanTracking elections from Chicago Hannah Beier for The New York Times A bright spot for Democrats may be the crucial governor’s race in Pennsylvania, where the Republican nominee, Doug Mastriano, appeared recently to be flailing. His campaign is airing no advertising, and events in Harrisburg and Philadelphia attracted fairly sparse crowds. 5 Takeaways From the Campaign Trail Jonathan WeismanTracking elections from Chicago Johnny Milano for The New York Times Former Senator William Cohen, a Republican, once said, “Government is the enemy until you need a friend.” After Hurricane Ian, government critics in Florida, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, found themselves pleading for federal support. Natural disasters tend to give presidents and their parties a chance to show compassion. 5 Takeaways From the Campaign Trail Jonathan WeismanTracking elections from Chicago Former Representative Beto O’Rourke of Texas, a Democrat, could not best Senator Ted Cruz in 2018 or win the presidential nomination. So it may be now or never as O’Rourke tries to unseat Gov. Greg Abbott. Their only debate was Friday. Though Mr. Abbott was on the defensive about electricity, property taxes and the Uvalde shootings, neither man had a breakthrough. Catch up on more political news. Other candidates backed by Mr. Trump, like Blake Masters in Arizona’s Senate race and Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania’s contest for governor, have fallen behind their Democratic opponents as they have struggled to raise money. Another Republican Senate hopeful, J.D. Vance, is facing a closer-than-expected race in Ohio. Mr. Trump has maintained a keen interest in Michigan. He eked out a victory in the state in 2016 by fewer than 11,000 votes before losing to Joseph R. Biden Jr. in 2020 by more than 154,000 votes. “Six weeks from now the people of Michigan are going to vote to fire your radical left Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and you are going to send a very good person, a very, very good woman, Tudor Dixon, to the governor’s mansion,” he said on Saturday in Warren, Mich., to cheers from the audience. In a statement released after Ms. Dixon’s remarks, Lavora Barnes, the chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, called her appearance “divisive and desperate.” “Tonight, Michiganders saw a schoolyard bully on stage — not a leader,” Ms. Barnes said. “Tudor Dixon hurled insults and rattled off a litany of grievances because she knows that her dangerous agenda to ban abortion and throw nurses in jail, dismantle public education and slash funding for law enforcement is out-of-step.” Days before the Republican primary in early August, Mr. Trump endorsed Ms. Dixon, a conservative media personality backed by Michigan’s powerful DeVos family. Ms. Dixon, 45, a breast cancer survivor, worked as a steel industry executive until 2017, when she helped create Lumen Student News, a company that produces conservative TV news and history lessons for middle and high school students. In a December 2021 radio interview, she said she aimed to restore students’ faith in the country and combat what she described as “indoctrination” in schools. After helping found Lumen, Ms. Dixon went on to host a news show, “America’s Voice Live,” on weekday afternoons. Image Ms. Dixon, a former conservative media personality, is allied with Michigan’s powerful DeVos family. Credit…Emily Elconin for The New York Times Image A cutout of Mr. Trump was on display at a town-hall event where Ms. Dixon spoke on Thursday in Clarkston, Mich. Credit…Emily Elconin for The New York Times On the stump, Ms. Dixon says she became a vocal critic of Ms. Whitmer’s coronavirus restrictions as she witnessed their negative impact on Michigan’s economy. The safety measures “took a deeply personal turn,” Ms. Dixon’s website states, after her grandmother died in a Norton Shores nursing home that prohibited visits during the pandemic. Ms. Dixon, who has the delivery of someone comfortable in front of an audience, has generated criticism for spreading unfounded claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election and for some of her stances on L.G.B.T.Q. issues, including calling for “severe criminal penalties for adults who involve children in drag shows.” On her website, she calls for a ban to prevent school employees from talking t...

Archives: Records From Trump WH Staffers Remain Missing – KION546 https://digitalarizonanews.com/archives-records-from-trump-wh-staffers-remain-missing-kion546/ By FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Archives has informed congressional lawmakers that a number of electronic communications from Trump White House staffers remain missing, nearly two years since the administration was required to turn them over. The nation’s record-keeping agency cited the records’ status in a letter Friday to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. The acting U.S. archivist, Debra Steidel Wall, writes that despite an ongoing effort by staff, electronic communications between certain unidentified White House officials are still not in their custody. The letter went on to specify that the National Archives would consult with the Justice Department about how to recover “the records unlawfully removed.” BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION KION 46 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation. Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here. Read More Here

Why Brazil’s Election Could End In Violence https://digitalarizonanews.com/why-brazils-election-could-end-in-violence/ To roars of approval from whipped-up followers, Jair Bolsonaro declared at a campaign rally: “This will end one of three ways, prison, victory or death – and I will not go to prison.” Victory appears to be slipping from him as Brazil draws closer to election day.  But behind the bombast, the hard-right president still has the power to unleash destructive forces that could seriously imperil the democratic future of South America’s largest nation. Bolsanaro is trailing by as much as 17 percentage points behind rival candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in opinion polls. It means the leftist former president, more widely known as Lula, may win outright on Sunday by securing over 50 per cent of votes, avoiding the need for a second round on 30 October. Read More Here

Supreme Court’s Top Cases For New Term, New Justice Jackson https://digitalarizonanews.com/supreme-courts-top-cases-for-new-term-new-justice-jackson-2/ The Supreme Court opens its new term Monday, hearing arguments for the first time after a summer break and with new Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Already the court has said it will decide cases on a range of major issues including affirmative action, voting rights and the rights of LGBTQ people. The justices will add more cases to their docket in coming months. A look at some of the cases the court has already agreed to hear. The justices are expected to decide each of the cases before taking a summer break at the end of June: AFFIRMATIVE ACTION In cases from Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, the court could end any consideration of race in college admissions. If this seems familiar, it’s because the high court has been asked repeatedly over the past 20 years to end affirmative action in higher education. In previous cases from Michigan and Texas, the court reaffirmed the validity of considering college applicants’ race among many factors. But this court is more conservative than those were. ——— VOTING RIGHTS The court could further reduce protections for minority voters in its third major consideration in 10 years of the landmark Voting Rights Act, which was enacted to combat enduring racial discrimination in voting. The case the justices are hearing involves Alabama, where just one of the state’s seven congressional districts has a Black majority. That’s even though 27% of the state’s residents are Black. A three-judge panel that included two appointees of President Donald Trump agreed that the state should have to create a second district with a Black majority, but the Supreme Court stopped any changes and said it would hear the case. A ruling for the state could wipe away all but the most obvious cases of intentional discrimination on the basis of race. ——— ELECTIONS Republicans are asking the justices to embrace a novel legal concept that would limit state courts’ oversight of elections for Congress. North Carolina’s top court threw out the state’s congressional map that gave Republicans a lopsided advantage in a closely divided state and eventually came up with a map that basically evenly divided the state’s 14 congressional districts between Democrats and Republicans. The state GOP argues that state courts have no role to play in congressional elections, including redistricting, because the U.S. Constitution gives that power to state legislatures alone. Four conservative justices have expressed varying levels of openness to the “independent state legislature” theory. ——— CLEAN WATER This is yet another case in which the court is being asked to discard an earlier ruling and loosen the regulation of property under the nation’s chief law to combat water pollution. The case involves an Idaho couple who won an earlier high court round in their bid to build a house on property near a lake without getting a permit under the Clean Water Act. The outcome could change the rules for millions of acres of property that contain wetlands. ——— IMMIGRATION The Biden administration is back at the Supreme Court to argue for a change in immigration policy from the Trump administration. It’s is appealing a ruling against a Biden policy prioritizing deportation of people in the country illegally who pose the greatest public safety risk. Last term, the justices by a 5-4 vote paved the way for the administration to end the Trump policy that required asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for their court hearing. In July, also by a 5-4 vote, the high court refused to allow the administration to implement policy guidance for deportations. A Trump-era policy favored deporting people in the country illegally regardless of criminal history or community ties. ——— LGBTQ RIGHTS A new clash involving religion, free speech and the rights of LGBTQ people will also be before the justices. The case involves Colorado graphic and website designer Lorie Smith who wants to expand her business and offer wedding website services. She says her Christian beliefs would lead her to decline any request from a same-sex couple to design a wedding website, however, and that puts her in conflict with a Colorado anti-discrimination law. The case is a new chance for the justices to confront issues the court skirted five years ago in a case about a baker objected to making cakes for same-sex weddings. The court has grown more conservative since that time. ——— NATIVE AMERICAN ADOPTION In November, the court will review a federal law that gives Native Americans preference in adoptions of Native children. The case presents the most significant legal challenges to the Indian Child Welfare Act since its 1978 passage. The law has long been championed by Native American leaders as a means of preserving their families and culture. A federal appeals court in April upheld the law and Congress’ authority to enact it. But the judges also found some of the law’s provisions unconstitutional, including preferences for placing Native American children with Native adoptive families and in Native foster homes. ——— BACON LAW BACKLASH Also on the menu for the justices: a California animal rights law. The case stems from a 2018 ballot measure where California voters barred the sale of pork in the state if the pig it came from or the pig’s mother was raised in confined conditions preventing them from laying down or turning around. Two agricultural associations challenging the law say almost no farms satisfy those conditions. They say the “massive costs of complying” with the law will “fall almost exclusively on out-of-state farmers” and that the costs will be passed on to consumers nationwide. ——— ART WORLD The court’s resolution of a dispute involving pieces by artist Andy Warhol could have big consequences in the art world and beyond. If the Warhol side loses a copyright dispute involving an image Warhol made of the musician Prince, other artworks could be in peril, lawyers say. But the other side says if Warhol wins, it would be a license for other artists to blatantly copy. Read More Here

Thousands Attend Final Bolsonaro, Lula Rallies Ahead Of Brazil Vote https://digitalarizonanews.com/thousands-attend-final-bolsonaro-lula-rallies-ahead-of-brazil-vote/ Brazilian leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva maintains a solid lead going into Sunday’s presidential race against far-right incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro and is within sight of an outright victory, a fresh poll shows. Some fear a possible Brazilian version of unrest that rocked US last year after Bolsonaro’s political role model, Donald Trump, refused to accept electoral defeat. (Reuters) Far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and leftist front-runner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have attracted thousands of supporters to their final campaign rallies in a last-ditch bid for votes on the eve of Brazil’s polarising presidential election. Bolsonaro, the 67-year-old president known for his gloves-off style, led one of his trademark motorcycle rallies from the north side of Sao Paulo to the city’s Ibirapuera park on Saturday. He grinned and waved at the head of a battalion of bikers decked out in black leather and the yellow and green of the flag as the crowd chanted: “Lula, thief, your place is in prison!” About five kilometres from there, Lula, the 76-year-old ex-president who left office in 2010 with an unprecedented 87-percent approval rating, held his own rally on the economic capital’s main avenue, Avenida Paulista. A sea of red-clad supporters waved banners reading “Lula 2022” and shouting: “Jair, time to go!” In line with campaigning rules, neither man addressed their supporters. Both rallies dispersed without incident. A CNT/MDA poll published on Saturday said Lula would win 48.3 percent of the valid votes in Sunday’s election, putting him statistically within reach of taking half of the votes, which would avoid a bruising run-off. The poll has a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points. READ MORE: Football star Neymar backs Bolsonaro ahead of Brazil election READ MORE: Thousands rally in Brazil in ‘defence of democracy’ High tensions ahead of Sunday election  With the country deeply divided, tension is running high heading into the election which Lula is gunning to win outright, without the need for a runoff on October 30. A poll from the Datafolha institute released on Thursday put the charismatic but tarnished leftist on the cusp of a first-round win, with 50 percent of valid votes to 36 percent for Bolsonaro. To win outright, he would need 50 percent plus one vote. Bolsonaro has repeatedly signalled he could challenge an election loss, saying “only God” can remove him from office and alleging, without evidence, fraud in Brazil’s electronic voting system. “We’re going to win in the first round — 64 percent of the vote,” Bolsonaro’s congressman son Eduardo said at Sunday’s rally, repeating his father’s claims that polls showing Lula in the lead are fake. Former metalworker Lula, who governed Brazil from 2003 to 2010, said Friday he feared the incumbent would create “turmoil” if he lost. Some fear a possible Brazilian version of the unrest that rocked the United States last year after Bolsonaro’s political role model, Donald Trump, refused to accept electoral defeat. “You always have to brace for trouble with Bolsonaro — he’s capable of anything,” 52-year-old retiree Anderson Momesso told the AFP news agency at the Lula rally. But 29-year-old teacher Ully Kotler said she was confident the “complete tragedy” of Bolsonaro’s government had left him so isolated that “all he can do is stomp his feet and threaten a coup — it won’t go much beyond that.” Bolsonaro’s popularity has been dented by a weak economy and his chaotic management of Covid-19. READ MORE: Brazil judge restricts gun access as fears grow of violence in elections READ MORE: Bolsonaro backer ‘axes’ Lula fan to death as Brazil election nears Source: AFP Read More Here

Carter, Longest Living President, Marks 98th Birthday In Georgia Hometown https://digitalarizonanews.com/carter-longest-living-president-marks-98th-birthday-in-georgia-hometown/ Former president Jimmy Carter is celebrating his 98th birthday Saturday by seeing family members and taking calls in his modest living room in Plains, Ga., the small town where he began his improbable campaign for the nation’s highest office nearly half a century ago. “Friends are calling, and family are around,” Jill Stuckey, the superintendent of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park and a family friend, said after visiting the former president Saturday morning. “He is remarkable.” Carter, who left the White House in 1981 after one term, has lived longer than any other U.S. president. He and his wife, Rosalynn, 95, greeted well-wishers in public last weekend during the annual Peanut Festival in Plains. A Secret Service agent drove the Carters around in a red convertible. The Carter family still owns farmland where peanut grows. “It was a gorgeous day. Everything came together,” said Stuckey, describing the event with the Carters’ children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren walking behind the car. “Some people’s jaws dropped when they saw them. People were clapping and some had tears.” Friends said that Carter is following the news about Hurricane Ian and praying for those who are suffering because of the storm. For decades, the Carters worked with Habitat for Humanity, which builds affordable housing and helped rebuild destroyed homes after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Carter’s post-presidency stands apart for how simply he continues to live in his hometown of fewer than 800 people. After leaving Washington, he spent decades promoting human rights and democracy around the world, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. The Nobel committee cited “his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” Until recently, he taught Sunday school in his local church. Carter has overcome serious health problems, including in 2015 when he was diagnosed with melanoma that had spread to his liver and brain. After treatment, doctors said he defied the odds and announced later that year that he was cancer-free. To mark his birthday, thousands of people posted personal messages to an online “Happy Birthday, President Carter!” site set up by the Carter Center. “What strikes me is the depth of feeling people have for him,” said Matthew Degalan, a spokesman for the Atlanta-based Carter Center. “People look at him as a person of values and principles, and they miss that in politics today.” Many admirers note that Carter was a visionary for putting solar panels on the White House, even as some criticized him for it at the time. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who served on a submarine, Carter was expected to spend part of his birthday watching the Navy-Air Force football game and maybe his favorite baseball team, the Atlanta Braves, according to friends. Last year, the Carters celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary. The two are rarely apart, and they were in their living room, together, speaking with family and friends on his birthday. Read More Here

Last-Minute Game Information For Arizona Football Vs Colorado https://digitalarizonanews.com/last-minute-game-information-for-arizona-football-vs-colorado/ BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 24: Tight end Tanner McLachlan #84 of the Arizona Wildcats makes a diving catch against the California Golden Bears in the second half at FTX Field at California Memorial Stadium on September 24, 2022 in Berkeley, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) TUCSON, AZ – Fresh off of a humbling loss to Cal, Arizona Football (2-2, 0-1) returns to action in search of their first conference win against Colorado (0-4, 0-1).   We are moving right along in the 2022 Arizona Football season, as the Wildcats are now into week five. And with the year quickly rolling along, Arizona will continue their Pac-12 action as they return home to take on the Colorado Buffaloes. Coming in, the Wildcats are heavily favored, and perhaps rightfully so, after all, Colorado is winless this year, and statistically, they are one of the worst teams this year in college football. However, based on how Arizona played last week, the Cats can’t overlook anyone, and this is one of the few matchups left that are left on the Wildcats’ schedule that are truly winnable. Nonetheless, the Cats have to take care of business, and overall, we should be in store for a good one! With that said, here is how you can watch and follow Arizona Football as they take on the Colorado Buffaloes. Arizona Football / Colorado game information and details: Date: Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022 Time: 6:30 p.m. PST Television: Pac-12 Network Radio: 107.5 FM (Tucson) | Arizona IMG Sports Network Location: Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Ariz. The Temperature at Kickoff: 84° Line: Arizona -17.5 (Don’t forget to use WynnBet or FanDuel to enhance your overall betting experience) Arizona Game Preview: Arizona enters this game fresh off of a tough loss to Pac-12 Conference foe, California. And in that game, the Wildcats were overmatched as the Golden Bears ran for 354 yards rushing and four touchdowns en route to the dominant, 49-31 win. The Wildcats will look to get things back on track as they welcome the lowly Colorado Buffaloes to Tucson as Arizona resumes Pac-12 Football action. Hopefully, the Cats can pick up their third win of the season. Arizona will need another huge performance with Jayden de Laura at quarterback, as well as the rest of the offense. On defense, the Wildcats will have to play much better than they have been, otherwise, they run the risk of Colorado hanging around and perhaps even scoring the upset. Don’t forget to follow us at @ZonaZealots on Twitter and like our fan page on Facebook for continued coverage of Arizona news, opinions, and recruiting updates! Read More Here

Wilma Kresl https://digitalarizonanews.com/wilma-kresl/ A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial for 85-year old Wilma Kresl will be Tues, Oct 4, 2020 at 10:00 at St Bridget Catholic Church in Hemingford, NE, with Father Matt Koperski officiating. A Rosary will be recited prior to the Mass at 9:15 Interment will be in the Hemingford Cemetery.  Family and friends are all invited to the Hemingford American Legion for snacks and memories directly after the service. Memorials may be given to the Hemingford Volunteer Firefighters Association. Online condolences may be left at www.batesgould.com. Wilma A Kresl was born October 17, 1936. to Mike and Tillie Hafenbreadl in Loyal, WI, and passed away Thursday, September 29, 2022. Wilma grew up on a farm in Hafenbreadl with her parents, brother Armond, and sister Judy.  In 1951, the family moved to Woodruff, WI. Wilma was a princess for the Million Penny Parade where a geometry class made the largest penny as a fundraiser for the local hospital.    After graduating in 1954, she started working at the local bank for 3 years, then moved to Hemingford, met Alvin Kresl, and married him October 11, 1958. To this union were born a daughter, Toni and a son, Mike. Wilma farmed with Alvin until his death in 2017 and continued to live on the homeplace until her passing. Wilma loved the outdoors and was a big part in the farm life they made together. She loved mowing the yard, tending to the garden, flowers, and all the animals that came and went throughout her life. Wilma was very active in clubs in the community and was a member of St Bridget’s Catholic Church in Hemingford.   Her hobbies kept her busy during the winter months knitting, and crocheting; she also loved to cook and bake for family and friends. She was an avid Green Bay Packers fan, so everytime they were playing, you didn’t dare interrupt her game. Wilma is survived by son Mike (Julie) of Hemingford, daughter Toni (Dave) Buskirk of Deadwood, SD, grandsons Andy (Samantha) Kresl  of Hemingford,  Tim (Kristen) Buskirk) of Chadron, and Travis (Courtney) Buskirk of Fargo, ND, and 8 great-grandchildren: Joei, Rhett, and Reid Kresl, Caden and Brynn Buskirk, Jack, Barrett, and Kate Buskirk.  She is also survived by her brother Armond Hafenbread (Charlene Nixon) of Mesa AZ, and her sister, Judy Warthern (Dave) of Prescott Valley AZ.   Wilma was preceded in death by her parents Mike &Tillie Hafenbreadl and her husband Alvin Kresl Bates Gould Funeral Home of Alliance, NE, is in charge of arrangements for Wilma Kresl. Read More Here

US Forecast https://digitalarizonanews.com/us-forecast-27/ City/Town, State;Yesterday’s High Temp (F);Yesterday’s Low Temp (F);Today’s High Temp (F);Today’s Low Temp (F);Weather Condition;Wind Direction;Wind Speed (MPH);Humidity (%);Chance of Precip. (%);UV Index Albany, NY;66;47;60;38;Mostly cloudy;N;7;60%;4%;1 Albuquerque, NM;79;57;77;57;Periods of sun, nice;SE;9;43%;42%;4 Anchorage, AK;50;41;48;41;An afternoon shower;NNE;6;78%;88%;0 Asheville, NC;58;48;59;50;Cloudy and cool;NW;8;82%;83%;1 Atlanta, GA;76;53;74;53;Mostly sunny;N;8;62%;5%;5 Atlantic City, NJ;67;61;63;53;Windy with rain;NNE;26;92%;99%;1 Austin, TX;88;55;88;57;Mostly sunny;ENE;5;36%;2%;6 Baltimore, MD;63;56;58;48;Rain;NNE;14;85%;99%;1 Baton Rouge, LA;84;51;84;55;Sunny and pleasant;N;7;45%;4%;6 Billings, MT;56;47;61;48;A thundershower;WSW;7;82%;88%;1 Birmingham, AL;79;51;78;54;Mostly sunny;NNE;9;52%;7%;6 Bismarck, ND;73;49;75;53;Thickening clouds;NE;10;56%;87%;4 Boise, ID;74;50;77;50;Sunny and pleasant;ENE;8;39%;0%;4 Boston, MA;58;50;57;47;Mostly cloudy, windy;NE;22;64%;15%;1 Bridgeport, CT;57;51;59;44;Periods of rain;NNE;18;71%;98%;1 Buffalo, NY;65;49;57;40;Breezy with some sun;NE;14;59%;9%;4 Burlington, VT;65;43;57;32;Partly sunny;N;10;49%;4%;4 Caribou, ME;63;33;53;27;Mostly sunny;NNW;9;48%;3%;4 Casper, WY;63;38;71;41;Warmer;WSW;12;57%;34%;4 Charleston, SC;77;60;76;58;Increasing clouds;NNW;8;65%;10%;6 Charleston, WV;56;51;60;50;Rain and drizzle;N;7;90%;98%;1 Charlotte, NC;68;50;66;54;Cloudy;N;8;71%;83%;1 Cheyenne, WY;66;45;67;46;A t-storm around;W;10;60%;48%;3 Chicago, IL;68;56;66;51;Partly sunny, breezy;ENE;15;64%;8%;4 Cleveland, OH;64;56;61;48;Windy;NE;19;69%;11%;4 Columbia, SC;72;54;74;57;Clouds and sun;N;6;65%;9%;4 Columbus, OH;66;53;68;46;Sunny intervals;NNE;10;59%;5%;3 Concord, NH;61;45;57;31;Partly sunny;NNE;10;55%;3%;4 Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX;80;56;86;57;Plenty of sunshine;ESE;7;32%;1%;6 Denver, CO;75;48;69;50;Rather cloudy;SSW;6;55%;28%;2 Des Moines, IA;71;51;76;52;Sunlit and pleasant;SE;7;45%;9%;4 Detroit, MI;69;51;65;43;Mostly sunny;NE;11;53%;12%;4 Dodge City, KS;86;51;86;52;Mostly sunny;SSE;13;29%;1%;5 Duluth, MN;57;51;59;53;Low clouds may break;ENE;9;83%;83%;3 El Paso, TX;87;63;85;61;Mostly sunny;ESE;10;34%;31%;6 Fairbanks, AK;50;37;47;36;Rain and drizzle;N;5;75%;82%;0 Fargo, ND;72;52;77;56;Mostly sunny, breezy;SSE;15;48%;31%;3 Grand Junction, CO;68;53;71;52;A t-storm around;SE;9;68%;83%;4 Grand Rapids, MI;71;49;66;39;Mostly sunny;ENE;9;63%;11%;4 Hartford, CT;62;50;60;43;A little a.m. rain;NNE;17;64%;73%;1 Helena, MT;55;47;60;49;Cloudy with a shower;SE;6;77%;96%;1 Honolulu, HI;88;74;85;74;A couple of showers;NE;7;75%;98%;2 Houston, TX;84;57;87;60;Partly sunny;NE;6;42%;5%;6 Indianapolis, IN;73;52;71;48;Sunny and pleasant;NE;10;59%;5%;4 Jackson, MS;82;49;84;55;Sunny and beautiful;N;7;45%;3%;6 Jacksonville, FL;86;59;83;62;Sunny and pleasant;NNE;7;56%;9%;6 Juneau, AK;56;44;53;41;Decreasing clouds;NE;5;76%;34%;2 Kansas City, MO;78;51;81;53;Plenty of sunshine;ESE;6;39%;5%;5 Knoxville, TN;61;52;64;52;Mostly cloudy;NNE;7;75%;83%;1 Las Vegas, NV;95;71;95;71;Partly sunny and hot;NNW;8;27%;4%;5 Lexington, KY;73;52;70;50;Sun and some clouds;NNE;11;63%;4%;4 Little Rock, AR;83;50;85;54;Sunny and nice;NNE;7;41%;1%;5 Long Beach, CA;75;63;76;64;Low clouds breaking;WSW;6;66%;0%;5 Los Angeles, CA;78;62;77;63;Turning sunny;SW;7;74%;1%;5 Louisville, KY;76;52;74;50;Mostly sunny;NNE;8;55%;3%;5 Madison, WI;68;48;69;46;Partly sunny;E;6;66%;8%;4 Memphis, TN;77;54;83;57;Sunny and pleasant;NNE;9;38%;1%;5 Miami, FL;83;73;85;70;A couple of showers;S;7;66%;90%;7 Milwaukee, WI;66;53;63;49;Partly sunny;ENE;10;75%;12%;4 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN;72;53;74;55;Turning sunny;SE;9;50%;10%;4 Mobile, AL;84;54;85;58;Sunny and pleasant;N;8;44%;8%;6 Montgomery, AL;84;52;80;54;Mostly sunny, nice;NNE;7;50%;11%;6 Mt. Washington, NH;49;30;35;27;Colder;NE;14;56%;6%;3 Nashville, TN;78;49;78;51;Mostly sunny;NE;9;49%;1%;5 New Orleans, LA;83;63;83;65;Sunny and pleasant;N;8;43%;4%;6 New York, NY;62;53;58;48;Occasional rain;NNE;20;80%;98%;1 Newark, NJ;59;53;58;45;Periods of rain;NNE;20;76%;98%;1 Norfolk, VA;77;60;70;58;Rain and drizzle;N;7;82%;99%;1 Oklahoma City, OK;85;52;85;54;Sunny and warm;SE;7;33%;1%;5 Olympia, WA;79;49;80;49;Brilliant sunshine;NE;6;66%;5%;4 Omaha, NE;79;51;81;52;Sunshine, pleasant;SE;10;43%;8%;4 Orlando, FL;84;66;86;65;Sunny and pleasant;WNW;7;55%;7%;7 Philadelphia, PA;61;55;58;48;Occasional rain;NNE;19;80%;99%;1 Phoenix, AZ;96;77;97;77;Mostly sunny, warm;NNE;6;36%;18%;6 Pittsburgh, PA;55;51;62;46;Rain and drizzle;NNE;7;66%;68%;1 Portland, ME;61;46;56;38;Windy in the morning;NNE;16;55%;2%;4 Portland, OR;83;56;84;56;Sunny and very warm;NNE;6;53%;5%;4 Providence, RI;56;50;57;43;A little a.m. rain;NNE;19;71%;72%;1 Raleigh, NC;66;54;66;52;Cloudy;N;7;78%;86%;1 Reno, NV;77;45;80;45;Mostly sunny;WSW;6;33%;0%;5 Richmond, VA;71;58;62;50;Rain at times;N;7;93%;100%;1 Roswell, NM;86;56;83;53;Periods of sun;S;9;42%;3%;6 Sacramento, CA;88;56;86;56;Brilliant sunshine;SSW;6;52%;1%;5 Salt Lake City, UT;69;50;74;51;Mostly sunny;ESE;8;44%;0%;5 San Antonio, TX;89;56;86;59;Partly sunny;ENE;7;46%;1%;6 San Diego, CA;72;65;75;68;Low clouds may break;NW;8;69%;1%;4 San Francisco, CA;65;58;68;57;Low clouds breaking;W;10;66%;1%;4 Savannah, GA;82;58;79;58;Mostly sunny;NNW;7;65%;2%;6 Seattle-Tacoma, WA;77;56;79;56;Sunny;NNE;8;57%;5%;3 Sioux Falls, SD;80;53;78;54;Breezy;SSE;13;39%;10%;4 Spokane, WA;78;49;79;50;Partly sunny, warm;SE;5;53%;1%;4 Springfield, IL;74;46;75;48;Sunny and nice;NE;6;53%;2%;4 St. Louis, MO;74;47;77;50;Sunny and pleasant;NNE;7;48%;2%;5 Tampa, FL;84;65;87;63;Mostly sunny, nice;NW;6;60%;5%;7 Toledo, OH;70;51;67;43;Mostly sunny;NNE;8;58%;11%;4 Tucson, AZ;90;69;92;70;Mostly sunny;ESE;7;39%;27%;6 Tulsa, OK;84;49;85;51;Plenty of sunshine;E;6;40%;4%;5 Vero Beach, FL;84;67;87;64;Mostly sunny;WSW;8;63%;18%;7 Washington, DC;62;57;60;49;Rain;NNE;10;84%;99%;1 Wichita, KS;85;51;85;52;Plenty of sunshine;ESE;8;32%;3%;5 Wilmington, DE;62;55;58;48;Rain;NNE;19;85%;99%;1 _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather Read More…

AP News Summary At 4:39 P.m. EDT https://digitalarizonanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-439-p-m-edt/ Russia withdraws troops after Ukraine encircles key city KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — After being encircled by Ukrainian forces, Russia has pulled troops out from an eastern Ukrainian city that it had been using as a front-line hub. It was the latest victory for the Ukrainian counteroffensive that has humiliated and angered the Kremlin. The city of Lyman was a key transportation hub for the Russian front line. A day earlier Moscow had annexed as part of Russia. Kyiv has retaken vast swaths of territory beginning in September. With Lyman recaptured, Ukraine can now push further into the occupied Luhansk region, one of the four regions that Russia annexed Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his military have vowed to keep fighting to liberate all regions from Russian control. Ian leaves dozens dead as focus turns to rescue, recovery FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Rescuers continue to search for survivors in flooded homes in Florida after Hurricane Ian’s passage earlier this week. Meanwhile, authorities in South Carolina began the long process of assessing damage Saturday. The powerful storm terrorized millions of people for most of the week and officials say it’s blamed for at least 34 deaths overall, 27 of them in Florida, four in North Carolina and three in Cuba. But authorities say they expect the death toll to rise further. As of Saturday, more than 1,000 people had been rescued from flooded homes near Florida’s southwestern coast alone. Ian shows the risks and costs of living on barrier islands SANIBEL ISLAND, Fla. (AP) — Experts say that Hurricane Ian is shining a spotlight once again on the vulnerability of the nation’s barrier islands and the increasing cost of people living on them. Florida’s Sanibel Island was hard hit by the storm. Homes were destroyed. Two people have been confirmed dead. And Sanibel’s lone bridge to the mainland collapsed. Barrier island communities like Sanibel anchor tourist economies that provide crucial tax dollars. But the cost of rebuilding them is often high because they’re home to many high-value properties. Jesse Keenan is a real estate professor at Tulane University. He questions whether such communities can keep rebuilding as hurricanes become more and more destructive from climate change. Despite Ian’s punch, wedding day saved on wet Pawleys Island PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Hurricane Ian almost derailed plans for one couple to wed in South Carolina on Saturday. Two families traveled to the island from Texas and North Carolina and were staying in neighboring Pawleys Island homes when Ian barreled toward the coast. Everyone gathered for a rehearsal dinner on Friday off the island but then couldn’t come back to retrieve bridesmaids dresses and other gear after the storm shut off access to the beach town. A Good Samaritan on Saturday was able to bring the dresses, tuxedos and some decor to the waiting families. Russia blindfolds, detains Ukraine nuclear plant chief KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s nuclear power provider says Russian forces blindfolded and detained the head of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant hours after Moscow illegally annexed a swath of Ukrainian territory. In a possible attempt to secure Moscow’s hold on the newly annexed territory, Russian forces seized the director-general of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Ihor Murashov, around 4 p.m. Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed treaties to absorb Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, including the area around the nuclear plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency said Saturday that Russia told it that “the director-general of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was temporarily detained to answer questions.” Venezuela releases 7 jailed Americans; US frees 2 prisoners WASHINGTON (AP) — Venezuela’s government has freed seven Americans imprisoned in the South American country in exchange for the release of two nephews of President Nicolás Maduro’s wife who had been jailed for years by the United States on drug smuggling convictions. The swap of the Americans, including five oil executives imprisoned for nearly five years, is the largest trade of detained citizens that the Biden administration has ever carried out. It amounts to an unusual gesture of goodwill by Maduro as he looks to rebuild relations with the U.S. after vanquishing most of his opponents and follows months of secretive talks, including repeated visits to Venezuela over the last year by Washington’s top hostage negotiator. Trump at center of Oath Keepers novel defense in Jan. 6 case WASHINGTON (AP) — The defense team in the Capitol riot trial of the Oath Keepers leader is relying on an unusual strategy with Donald Trump at the center. Lawyers for Stewart Rhodes are poised to argue that jurors cannot find him guilty of seditious conspiracy because all the actions he took before the riot were in preparation for orders he anticipated from the then-president. But those orders never came. Rhodes and four associates are accused of plotting for weeks to stop the transfer of presidential power, culminating with Oath Keepers in battle gear storming the Capitol alongside hundreds of other Trump supporters on Jan. 6, 2021. Opening statements in the trial are set to begin Monday. GOP attacks Georgia’s Abrams on voting as judge rejects suit ATLANTA (AP) — Republicans are using the defeat of a voting suit brought by a group founded by Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams to attack her legitimacy as a voting rights advocate. They say a judge’s rejection on Friday of the last remaining claims in a suit brought by Fair Fight Action shows that Abrams was wrong all along to claim that she lost the 2018 Georgia governor’s race to Republican Brian Kemp because of voter suppression by Kemp. But Abrams is far from backing down from her position, and says she won a number of victories that made elections fairer. Her advocacy has also helped make voting rights a defining issue for Black voters in Georgia. Supreme Court poised to keep marching to right in new term WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court begins a new term on Monday at a time of diminished public confidence and justices sparring openly over the institution’s legitimacy. The court seems poised to push American law to the right on issues of race, voting and the environment. Back in June, the conservative majority overturned nearly 50 years of constitutional protections for abortion rights. Now, the court is diving back in with an aggressive agenda that appears likely to split the six conservative justices from the three liberals. Joining the nine-member court is new Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the court’s first Black woman. Fortunes reverse for ex-judge and Brazil president he jailed CURITIBA, Brazil (AP) — When federal judge Sergio Moro resigned to enter politics, many in Brazil believed the anti-corruption crusader who jailed a popular former president could someday occupy the nation’s most powerful office. But on the eve of Brazil’s general election Sunday, the once-revered magistrate was fighting what polls showed was a losing battle for a Senate seat. And the leftist leader he jailed, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, wasn’t just walking free — he was expected to waltz back into the presidential palace. Their reversal of fortunes underscores Brazilians’ shifting priorities since Moro oversaw the massive graft investigation that landed da Silva behind bars. The head of Transparency International in Brazil says voters are more concerned  jobs, income and inflation. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More Here

GOP Attacks Georgia's Abrams On Voting As Judge Rejects Suit https://digitalarizonanews.com/gop-attacks-georgias-abrams-on-voting-as-judge-rejects-suit/ ATLANTA (AP) — When Democrat Stacey Abrams narrowly lost the Georgia governor’s race to Republican Brian Kemp four years ago, she didn’t go quietly. She ended her campaign with a nonconcession that acknowledged she wouldn’t be governor, while spotlighting her claims that Kemp had used his post as secretary of state to improperly purge likely Democratic voters. Abrams founded Fair Fight Action, a group focused on fair elections, which within weeks filed a wide-ranging federal lawsuit alleging “gross mismanagement” of Georgia’s elections. That lawsuit sputtered out Friday with Fair Fight losing its last remaining arguments, more than a year after the judge had tossed most earlier claims. People are already voting by mail in a Georgia governor’s race that again pits Abrams and Kemp against each other, with fewer than 40 days remaining before voting ends on Nov. 8. And Republicans are now using the loss to attack what they see as the “big lie” that underlies Abrams’ career. They label her claims that Georgia’s election system has been discriminatory as a fraud she used to enrich herself and aggrandize her political career after her 2018 loss. FILE – This combination of 2022 and 2021 file photos shows Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, left, and gubernatorial Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams. Republicans are using the defeat of a voting suit brought by a group founded by Abrams to attack her legitimacy as a voting rights advocate. They say a judge’s Friday rejection of the last remaining claims in a suit brought by Fair Fight Action shows that Abrams was wrong all along to claim that she lost the 2018 Georgia governor’s race to Kemp because of voter suppression by Kemp. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File) Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Brynn Anderson “This is existential to who Stacey Abrams has become as a public and political figure,” Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican who defended the case, told The Associated Press on Saturday. “She put herself in the political spotlight nationally, potentially globally, all over the narrative that she lost the governor’s race because of voter suppression. And here you have a federal judge saying, it’s all untrue. It didn’t happen.” Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger are among a faction of Georgia Republicans who say that Democratic President Joe Biden beat Donald Trump fair and square in 2020 for Georgia’s 16 electoral votes and that Kemp also beat Abrams fairly in 2018. They argue that Trump’s claims about voter fraud in 2020 and Abrams’ claims about voter suppression in 2018 both corrode faith in democracy. “Stolen election and voter suppression claims by Stacey Abrams were nothing but poll-tested rhetoric not supported by facts and evidence,” Raffensperger said Friday in a statement. Abrams, though, has said from the dawn of her current campaign that her actions in 2018 are not equivalent to what Trump did. “I will never ever say that it is OK to claim fraudulent outcomes as a way to give yourself power,” Abrams told news outlet The 19th last month. “That is wrong. I reject it and will never engage in it. But I do believe that it is imperative, especially those who have the platform and the microphone, to talk about the access.” She is far from backing down from her position, and says she won a number of victories that made elections fairer. In 2019, less than six months after the Fair Fight lawsuit was filed, legislators passed a law that addressed some of the issues. The law’s biggest change was to replace the state’s antiquated, paperless touchscreen voting machines with a new system that uses touchscreen machines to print paper ballots that are scanned. The plaintiffs also count as wins the reinstatement of 22,000 voters who were removed from the rolls in 2019, an end to people being excluded from voting rolls if their records didn’t exactly match their driver’s license, an audit that identified people wrongly excluded because of incorrect citizenship information, and improvements to a voter’s ability to cancel a mailed ballot and vote in person. “As the judge says in his first sentence, ‘This is a voting rights case that resulted in wins and losses for all parties,’” Abrams said in a Friday statement. “However, the battle for voter empowerment over voter suppression persists, and the cause of voter access endures. I will not stop fighting to ensure every vote can be cast, every ballot is counted and every voice is heard.” And despite the loss, the idea that Republicans are trying to restrict voting is a powerful current running through the most bitter disputes in Georgia politics — not only Abrams’ 2018 loss, but also a 2021 Republican election law that shortened the period to request an absentee ballot and limited ballot drop boxes, and harsh clashes over redrawing election districts this year that led one Democrat to accuse Republicans of seeking to preserve “white power.” Jermaine House, director of communications for political research firm HIT Strategies, said that “because there’s been so much energy and excitement and conversation” around voting rights in Georgia, it’s an issue that drives Democrats, especially African Americans, to the polls. His firm has done work for liberal voter mobilization group New Georgia Project, the NAACP and Democratic efforts to reelect Sen. Raphael Warnock. “If you look at polls across the country about voter suppression, you may find that voter suppression may not reach the top 10 issues among Black voters,” House said. “But one exception that is the case is definitely Georgia. Georgia voters are well aware of voter suppression efforts, very attuned to it, and Black voters are really mobilized by the issue.” ___ Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Read More Here

Trump At Center Of Oath Keepers Novel Defense In Jan. 6 Case https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-at-center-of-oath-keepers-novel-defense-in-jan-6-case/ The defense team in the Capitol riot trial of the Oath Keepers leader is relying on an unusual strategy with Donald Trump at the center. Lawyers for Stewart Rhodes, founder of the extremist group, are poised to argue that jurors cannot find him guilty of seditious conspiracy because all the actions he took before the siege on Jan. 6, 2021, were in preparation for orders he anticipated from the then-president — orders that never came. Rhodes and four associates are accused of plotting for weeks to stop the transfer of presidential power from the Republican incumbent to Democrat Joe Biden, culminating with Oath Keepers in battle gear storming the Capitol alongside hundreds of other Trump supporters. Opening statements in the trial are set to begin Monday. Rhodes intends to take the stand to argue he believed Trump was going to invoke the Insurrection Act to call up a militia to support him, his lawyers have said. Trump didn’t do that, but Rhodes’ team says that what prosecutors allege was an illegal conspiracy was “actually lobbying and preparation for the President to utilize” the law. It’s a novel legal argument in a trial that’s one of the most serious cases coming out of the Capitol attack. “This is an incredibly complicated defense of theory and I don’t think that it’s ever played out in this fashion in American jurisprudence,” one of Rhodes’ lawyers, James Lee Bright, told The Associated Press. The Insurrection Act gives a president broad authority to call up the military and decide what shape that force will take. Trump did float that kind of action at other points in his presidency. To succeed with this line of defense, Bright would have to convince a jury that Rhodes was waiting on the go-ahead from the president, which could be a major hurdle. Rhodes’ lawyers have argued Trump could have called up a militia in response to “what he perceived as a conspiracy to deprive a class of persons in several states of their voting rights.” Rhodes published an open letter on the Oath Keepers’ website in December 2020 urging Trump to use the Insurrection Act to “‘stop the steal’ and defeat the coup.” If Rhodes testifies, he could face intense questioning from prosecutors, who say his own words show the Oath Keepers would act no matter what Trump did. Bright said Rhodes, a Yale Law School graduate, understands the risks of testifying but has insisted since the first day they met that he be able to “speak his piece.” Rhodes and his associates — Kelly Meggs, Thomas Caldwell, Jessica Watkins and Kenneth Harrelson — are the first Jan. 6 defendants to be tried on seditious conspiracy, a rarely used Civil War-era charge that can be difficult to prove. The defense would have to convince the jury that the Oath Keepers really intended to defend the government, not use force against it, said David Alan Sklansky, a former federal prosecutor who’s now a professor at Stanford Law School. “If you think you are plotting to help protect the government, there is an argument that that means you don’t have the required guilty mindset that’s necessary in order to be guilty of seditious conspiracy,” he said. Court records show the Oath Keepers repeatedly warning of the prospect of violence if Biden were to become president. The Oath Keepers amassed weapons and stationed armed “quick reaction force” teams at a Virginia hotel in case they were needed, prosecutors say. Among those likely to testify against Rhodes are three of his former followers, including one who has said Rhodes instructed them to be ready to use lethal force if necessary to keep Trump in the White House. Defense lawyers say the quick reaction force teams were defensive forces only to be used if Trump invoked the Insurrection Act. If Rhodes really wanted to lead a revolution, his lawyers say there was no better opportunity to deploy the quick reaction force than when hundreds of people were storming the Capitol. But the Oath Keepers never did. “The conditions would never be better. Yet, Rhodes and the others left the Capitol grounds and went to Olive Garden for dinner,” they’ve written in court papers. Rhodes never went into the Capitol and has said that the Oath Keepers who did acted on their own. From taking no action to adding “fuel to the flames,” the House select committee laid out former President Donald Trump’s movements during the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The Insurrection Act is shorthand for a series of statutes that Congress passed between 1792 and 1871 defining when military force can be used in the United States by the federal government, said University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladeck. The Act does give the president wide discretion to decide when military force is necessary, and what qualifies as military force, Vladeck said. The last time the Insurrection Act was used was in May of 1992, by President George H.W. Bush to call out the military to respond to Los Angeles riots after the acquittal of white police officers accused in the beating of Black motorist Rodney King. Even if Trump had acted, prosecutors would still have a strong case that the Oath Keepers tried to keep Congress from carrying out its responsibilities as part of the transfer of presidential power, Vladeck said. Even if the president could authorize their actions, the Oath Keepers could still have been — as the law puts it — forcibly opposing other elements of the government, he said. “The government of the United States is more than just the president,” Vladeck said. Michael Weinstein, a former Justice Department prosecutor, agreed that Rhodes’ argument is not likely to win over a jury. But that may not be his only goal. “I think it’s going to be a little bit of a show trial for him,” said Weinstein, now a criminal defense lawyer in New Jersey. “This is his opportunity to really promote himself and his philosophy and make himself out to be a bit of a martyr.” Trump did talk about sending in U.S. troops to American cities in summer 2020 as protesters filled the streets in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a police officer, an action that would have come under the Insurrection Act. He never did. Los Angeles-based defense lawyer Nina Marino said the Insurrection Act defense could work. “I think it’s a great defense from the 1800s resurrected into 2022,” she said. But she added: “If there’s evidence that they would have done it anyway, then I think that really, really damages the defense.” Prosecutors have already pointed to a message from December 2020 that Rhodes wrote, saying Trump “needs to know that if he fails to act, then we will.” Days before the riot, Rhodes warned that the “final nail” would be put in the “coffin of this Republic,” unless they fought their way out. “With Trump (preferably) or without him, we have no choice,” Rhodes wrote in a chat, according to court papers. He added: “Be prepared for a major let down on the 6-8th. And get ready to do it OURSELVES.” ___ This story has been corrected to show the Insurrection Act is shorthand for a series of statutes that Congress passed between 1792 and 1871, not 1872. ____ Richer reported from Boston. Associated Press writer Michael Kunzelman contributed to this report. ___ For full coverage of the Capitol riot, go to https://www.apnews.com/capitol-siege Read More Here

Day 2 Of Tournament Focused On Team Bonding For Westwood Warriors https://digitalarizonanews.com/day-2-of-tournament-focused-on-team-bonding-for-westwood-warriors/ Westwood’s Jocelyn Phillips tees off at the par-3 fourth hole on Friday. (Taylyn Hadley photo/AZpreps365) Taylyn Hadley is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Westwood High School for AZPreps365.com. Mesa – The Westwood Warriors let loose on Friday afternoon at Dobson Ranch Golf Course and took the opportunity of playing a round of golf scramble to not only bond with the other Division One teams, but to also let out some pre-state jitters. “Yeah, look at it go,” junior Jessica Deiter cheered as she chipped a perfect shot onto the green.  These words would define the atmosphere of day two of the Girls Mesa City Championship very well. A day that was mostly scratched and focused around getting all the Division One players together and playing a round of relatively stress-free golf. “This was just a fun day to get all the girls together to bond,” Westwood Coach Ellie Reiks said. “This did not count for anything, it was just a fun day.” For Friday’s match, teams consisted of four to five players with one or two girls from each school on a team. They played a nine-hole round of golf scramble and the team that finished their round the closest to par were deemed the champions, much like standard stroke golf. However, the foundation of golf scramble is quite different from standard stroke golf. In teams of four to five, each player gets the opportunity to tee off. Then as a group, they decide which ball was played the best to take their next shot from. Everybody shoots from each ball placement. This continues until the first person puts their ball in the hole.  Although no technical scores were accounted for regarding state placement, Westwood senior Jocelyn Phillips was the only Warrior on the five-girl team that won Friday’s scramble. The team ended the round shooting even par. The front nine at Dobson Ranch Golf Course is a par 37. “(Playing scramble) is much easier,” Phillips said. “If you hit a bad shot then you can rely on your teammates.” Coming off of her Senior Night on Monday where she shot a 49 against Perry and Highland, Phillips sank one of her longest putts of the season at 25 feet to assist in her team’s victory.  “She (Jocelyn) was definitely a leader in her group,” Reiks said.  As the girls participated in what could be a few of their last matches of the season, they were glad to be able to bring it to a close in such an enjoyable manner. Westwood’s Desiree Hall tees off at the par-4 eighth hole on Friday. (Taylyn Hadley photo/AZpreps365) The rest of the Westwood team who played on Friday was made up of juniors Jessica Deiter, Desiree Hall and Zoe Hernandez,  who were all smiles after finishing.  Deiter had high praise for Hall, who was one of her four teammates. “She (Desiree) hit really far, which was really convenient for me,” Deiter said. “You know, teamwork makes the dream work.”  While Friday was focused a lot on destressing for the girls after a hard-fought season, those who qualified for the Division One Championship is to be determined and on a few of the girls’ minds.  While it does not look like the Warriors as a team will qualify for state, Deiter and Phillips are still in the hunt to qualify as singles and are hoping to get the good news in the next couple of weeks.  The official standings come out Oct. 19. The Division One Championship will take place at Omni Tucson National Golf Resort on Oct. 24-25. Read More Here

AP News Summary At 2:35 P.m. EDT https://digitalarizonanews.com/ap-news-summary-at-235-p-m-edt/ Russia withdraws troops after Ukraine encircles key city KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia says it has withdrawn its troops from the once-occupied city of Lyman, as Ukraine’s eastern counteroffensive recaptures more territory. Russia’s Tass and RIA news agencies, citing the Russian defense ministry, made the announcement. Lyman is 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. Ukrainian forces had pushed across the Oskil River as part of a counteroffensive that saw Kyiv retake vast swathes of territory beginning in September. Lyman, a key transportation hub, had been an important site in the Russian front line for both ground communications and logistics. Now Ukraine can push further potentially into the occupied Luhansk region, which is one of four regions that Russia annexed Friday. Ian leaves dozens dead as focus turns to rescue, recovery FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Rescuers continue to search for survivors in flooded homes in Florida after Hurricane Ian’s passage earlier this week. Meanwhile, authorities in South Carolina began the long process of assessing damage Saturday. The powerful storm terrorized millions of people for most of the week and officials say it’s blamed for at least 27 deaths in Florida, three deaths in Cuba and one in North Carolina. But authorities say they expect the death toll to rise further. As of Saturday, more than 1,000 people had been rescued from flooded homes near Florida’s southwestern coast alone. Ian shows the risks and costs of living on barrier islands SANIBEL ISLAND, Fla. (AP) — Experts say that Hurricane Ian is shining a spotlight once again on the vulnerability of the nation’s barrier islands and the increasing cost of people living on them. Florida’s Sanibel Island was hard hit by the storm. Homes were destroyed. Two people have been confirmed dead. And Sanibel’s lone bridge to the mainland collapsed. Barrier island communities like Sanibel anchor tourist economies that provide crucial tax dollars. But the cost of rebuilding them is often high because they’re home to many high-value properties. Jesse Keenan is a real estate professor at Tulane University. He questions whether such communities can keep rebuilding as hurricanes become more and more destructive from climate change. Russia blindfolds, detains Ukraine nuclear plant chief KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s nuclear power provider says Russian forces blindfolded and detained the head of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant hours after Moscow illegally annexed a swath of Ukrainian territory. In a possible attempt to secure Moscow’s hold on the newly annexed territory, Russian forces seized the director-general of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Ihor Murashov, around 4 p.m. Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed treaties to absorb Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, including the area around the nuclear plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency said Saturday that Russia told it that “the director-general of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was temporarily detained to answer questions.” Venezuela releases 7 jailed Americans; US frees 2 prisoners WASHINGTON (AP) — Venezuela’s government has freed seven Americans imprisoned in the South American country in exchange for the release of two nephews of President Nicholas Maduro’s wife who had been jailed for years by the United States on drug smuggling convictions. The swap of the Americans, including five oil executives imprisoned for nearly five years, is the largest trade of detained citizens that the Biden administration has ever carried out. It amounts to a rare gesture of goodwill by Maduro as he looks to rebuild relations with the U.S. after vanquishing most of his opponents and follows months of secretive talks, including repeated visits to Venezuela over the last year by Washington’s top hostage negotiator. Trump at center of Oath Keepers novel defense in Jan. 6 case WASHINGTON (AP) — The defense team in the Capitol riot trial of the Oath Keepers leader is relying on an unusual strategy with Donald Trump at the center. Lawyers for Stewart Rhodes are poised to argue that jurors cannot find him guilty of seditious conspiracy because all the actions he took before the riot were in preparation for orders he anticipated from the then-president. But those orders never came. Rhodes and four associates are accused of plotting for weeks to stop the transfer of presidential power, culminating with Oath Keepers in battle gear storming the Capitol alongside hundreds of other Trump supporters on Jan. 6, 2021. Opening statements in the trial are set to begin Monday. Supreme Court poised to keep marching to right in new term WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court begins a new term on Monday at a time of diminished public confidence and justices sparring openly over the institution’s legitimacy. The court seems poised to push American law to the right on issues of race, voting and the environment. Back in June, the conservative majority overturned nearly 50 years of constitutional protections for abortion rights. Now, the court is diving back in with an aggressive agenda that appears likely to split the six conservative justices from the three liberals. Joining the nine-member court is new Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the court’s first Black woman. Gunfire erupts again in Burkina Faso day after 2nd coup OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Gunshots rang out in Burkina Faso’s capital and soldiers deployed in the streets as tensions lingered a day after military officers overthrew the man who had seized power in a coup only nine months earlier in the West African nation. Uncertainty prevailed Saturday amid signs of lingering tensions in Ouagadougou, the capital. Roads remained blocked off and a helicopter could be heard flying overhead. The international community, meanwhile, condemned the ouster of Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba. The officers who seized control late Friday said Damiba had failed to improve the security situation in Burkina Faso, which has been struggling to tamp down violence by Islamic extremists. Ole Miss honors James Meredith 60 years after integration JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The University of Mississippi is paying tribute to James Meredith 60 years after integration. White protesters erupted into violence in 1962 as he became the first Black student to enroll in what was then a bastion of Deep South segregation. A local resident and a French journalist were killed in the violence on the Oxford campus. The 89-year-old Meredith was honored Saturday at an Ole Miss football game. The university is having several other events to mark six decades of integration. Meredith spoke at a celebration Wednesday, saying it was the best day he ever lived. But he also said problems remain and he wants people to abide by the Ten Commandments. Shying from Trump, ex-Maine Gov. Paul LePage seeks job back YARMOUTH, Maine (AP) — When then-Gov. Paul LePage endorsed Donald Trump for president in 2016, LePage credited himself as a prototype for the insurgent candidate. Now, with LePage running for a third term after a brief retirement to Florida, he rarely talks about Trump in campaign events and media interviews, and LePage’s advisers say his hiatus from politics changed him. LePage’s efforts at distancing himself from Trump are particularly notable because LePage once invited comparisons to Trump — and made them himself. LePage is seeking to unseat Democratic Gov. Janet Mills in November and become the longest-serving governor in Maine’s history. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More Here

Toddler In SUV Killed In Drive-By Shooting In Chicago https://digitalarizonanews.com/toddler-in-suv-killed-in-drive-by-shooting-in-chicago/ CHICAGO — A 3-year-old boy was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting, Chicago police said. The boy was riding in an SUV with his mother and three other children around 8:40 p.m. Friday on Chicago’s southwest side when someone in the rear seat of a car opened fire, striking the boy in the head, police said. The boy was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead hours later, police said. No other injuries were reported. No arrests have been made in the case, police said. Today in history: Oct. 1 1910: The Los Angeles Times In 1910, the offices of the Los Angeles Times were destroyed by a bomb explosion and fire; 21 Times employees were killed. AP 1961: Roger Maris In 1961, Roger Maris of the New York Yankees hit his 61st home run during a 162-game season, compared to Babe Ruth’s 60 home runs during a 154-game season. (Tracy Stallard of the Boston Red Sox gave up the round-tripper; the Yankees won 1-0.) AP 1996: Unabomber In 1996, a federal grand jury indicted Unabomber suspect Theodore Kaczynski in the 1994 mail bomb slaying of advertising executive Thomas Mosser. (Kaczynski was later sentenced to four life terms plus 30 years.)  AP 2011: Occupy Wall Street Ten years ago: More than 700 Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested after they swarmed the Brooklyn Bridge and shut down a lane of traffic for several hours in a tense confrontation with police. AP 2015: Umpqua Community College In 2015, a gunman opened fire at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, killing nine people and then himself. AP 2016: Donald Trump Five years ago: The New York Times reported that Donald Trump had reported losses of more than $900 million on his 1995 income tax returns that experts said could have allowed him to forgo paying federal income taxes for nearly two decades; Hillary Clinton’s campaign seized upon the report as evidence of “the colossal nature of Donald Trump’s past business failures.” AP 2017: Las Vegas In 2017, a gunman opened fire from a room at the Mandalay Bay casino hotel in Las Vegas on a crowd of 22,000 country music fans at a concert below, leaving 58 people dead and more than 800 injured in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history; the gunman, 64-year-old Stephen Craig Paddock, killed himself before officers arrived. AP 2019: Amber Guyger In 2019, a white former Dallas police officer, Amber Guyger, was convicted of murder in the shooting death of her Black neighbor, Botham Jean; Guyger said she had mistaken his apartment for hers. AP 2019: Bernie Sanders In 2019, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was diagnosed with a heart attack at a Las Vegas hospital, where he’d been taken after experiencing chest discomfort at a campaign event; doctors inserted two stents to open up a blocked artery.  AP 2020: Donald Trump One year ago: President Donald Trump attended a fundraiser at his New Jersey golf club hours before announcing that he had the coronavirus.  AP 2020: Hope Hicks One year ago: White House aide Hope Hicks tested positive for the coronavirus; she was among those who accompanied Trump to Minnesota for a fundraiser the previous day.  AP 2021: Pat Robertson The Christian Broadcasting Network said Pat Robertson was stepping down as host of the long-running daily television show the “700 Club”; the 91-year-old televangelist said his son, Gordon, was taking over as full-time host. Steve Helber 2021: Sonia Sotomayor Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied an emergency appeal from a group of teachers to block New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for public school teachers and other staff from going into effect.  Bebeto Matthews Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Read More Here

Police Defunding ‘stupidest Idea In The History Of Politics,’ Says County Judge Candidate https://digitalarizonanews.com/police-defunding-stupidest-idea-in-the-history-of-politics-says-county-judge-candidate/ Marchers cross the Seventh Street bridge on the way to the Tarrant County Courthouse on Saturday to show their support for first responders. Bob Booth Bob Booth FORT WORTH A group of around 30 marched from the Fort Worth Police and Firefighters Memorial to the steps of the Tarrant County Courthouse Saturday morning in the name of law enforcement and first responder support. The event was held by the Frederick Douglass Republicans of Tarrant County. From the get-go, those waiting to march down Fort Worth’s West Seventh Street to Throckmorton Street and onto West Weatherford Street were met by a set of three counter protesters. One pair held a set of two signs that called former president Donald Trump a “LOSER, LIAR, TRAITOR” and told the Texas GOP to “STOP Lying! DAMN WELL… BIDEN WON/TRUMP LOST.” Across the street, another man wearing a shirt for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rouke held a large white sign with red font that read “PRESERVE, PROTECT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.” Those making the walk to the courthouse arrived to the march with American flags. Another carried a flag calling the Second Amendment “America’s original homeland security.” Waiting for the marchers at the end of the route were speeches from Republicans seeking county political offices, as well as Republican office holders. All expressed their commitment to working with law enforcement if elected. Phil Sorrells, Tarrant County’s Republican candidate for criminal district attorney, said that even with his 25 years of experience as a judge, he was still in awe of how first responders did their job. Republican Precinct 2 commissioner candidate Andy Nguyen told the crowd, which had grown to around 40 people by the time the rally began, that he had recently had coffee with a pair of police officers. He said he mostly sat and listened to their stories about near-death experiences, late nights and frustrations. “Know that freedom is not free,” Nguyen said. “Know that security and safety is not free. So this morning, let us renew our commitment to be true to our first responders, to know that they are not doing it for money because no amount of dollars is enough to sacrifice their own lives and their own families for it.” Tarrant County Judge candidate Tim O’Hare asked those in the crowd to raise their hands if they, a relative or a friend had a first responder save their life. O’Hare said he believed the idea to defund of law enforcement “may go down as the dumbest idea in the history of politics.” The event also featured speeches from Republican Sheriff Bill Waybourn and Taylor Mondick, Republican candidate for Texas House District 95. One of the final speeches came from Porsha Jackson of the Frederick Douglass Republicans. She told the crowd it filled her heart to see “red-blooded patriots coming together” for law enforcement. Jackson centered her speech on what she called Democrats’ negative impact on the Black community. “Democrats have told you that police can only exist in affluent neighborhoods,” she said. “Democrats have told you to hate the police. Democrats have told you that you’re not worthy of justice nor that you are worthy of peace.” At one point in her speech, Jackson called Black Lives Matter a monster like the Netflix show “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” starring Evans Peters. Jackson said the county had “watched the emasculation of black men at the hands of Democrats” and she criticized former President Barack Obama’s support of former Miami Heat basketball player Dwayne Wade’s daughter Zaya. “This isn’t hate speech,” she said. “This is facts speech.” Those who attended the rally said they like the messages they heard. Chris Sims, who attended the event with his wife, Julie, agreed with what candidates and officials said about law enforcement. Sims said they were glad to be there to support. And on Jackson’s speech? “She’s speaking truth,” Sims said. “There’s a lot of truth.” Abby Church covers Tarrant County government and a little bit of everything for the Star-Telegram. She has a degree in journalism and creative writing from James Madison University. Abby comes to Texas after telling stories across Virginia and in North Carolina. Send news tips via email, on Twitter, by phone or text. Read More Here

Great AZ Puppet Theater To Present DR. ZOMBIE https://digitalarizonanews.com/great-az-puppet-theater-to-present-dr-zombie/ ALL THINGS EQUAL – THE LIFE AND TRIALS OF RUTH BADER GINSBURG to Launch 2022-23 National Tour Next Month September 30, 2022 All Things Equal – The Life and Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a new play by multiple-Tony Award winning playwright Rupert Holmes, will launch its 16 city, 2022-2023 National Tour on Oct. 5th in St. Petersburg, FL.   Soweto Gospel Choir and Vienna Boys Choir To Bring Global Vocals To Scottsdale September 30, 2022 Soweto Gospel Choir and Vienna Boys Choir will bring the best vocal music from around the world to Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts this fall. Aida Cuevas will Celebrate More Than 45 Years As The ‘Queen Of Mariachi’ in Scottsdale September 29, 2022 Aida Cuevas will present “45th Anniversary / Yo Creo Que Es Tiempo,” an unforgettable and emotional concert celebrating a long-lasting career as the “Queen of Mariachi,” on Oct. 15 at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL Opens The 2022/23 Theatre Season At The UArizona School Of Theatre, Film & Television September 29, 2022 The University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film & Television (TFTV) opens the 2022/23 theatre season with Legally Blonde the Musical, the light-hearted and award-winning musical based on the much-adored movie of the same name. Single Tickets to All Four Broadway Shows at the Orpheum Theatre Available Today September 28, 2022 The American Theatre Guild has announced that  single tickets to all four engagements in the  22–23 BROADWAY AT THE ORPHEUM THEATRE SERIES will go on sale Wednesday, September 28 at 10 a.m. Read More…

Trump Escalates Attacks On McConnell With ‘DEATH WISH’ Post https://digitalarizonanews.com/trump-escalates-attacks-on-mcconnell-with-death-wish-post-2/ Former president Donald Trump is facing blowback for an inflammatory online message attacking Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that many viewed as a threat. “He has a DEATH WISH,” Trump posted late Friday on his Truth Social platform, criticizing McConnell for agreeing to a deal to fund the government through December. He also disparaged McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, who served as Trump’s transportation secretary and was born in Taiwan, in racist terms, calling her “his China loving wife, Coco Chow!” The post marked a further escalation in an increasingly strained relationship between the two Republican leaders. Trump has repeatedly impugned McConnell’s negotiating positions and called on GOP senators to replace him as their leader. They often had a tense working relationship during Trump’s presidency and fell out in the aftermath of the 2020 election, when Trump refused to concede and tried to overturn the results, and the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. McConnell’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday. A Trump spokesman said it was “absurd” to interpret the post as a threat or call for violence, suggesting the reference to a death wish was “political” rather than literal. “Mitch McConnell is killing the Republican Party through weakness and cowardice,” spokesman Taylor Budowich wrote in a statement. “He obviously has a political death wish for himself and Republican Party, but President Trump and the America First champions in Congress will save the Republican Party and our nation.” Incendiary statements from Trump have repeatedly inspired his supporters to turn to violence. Jan. 6 rioters, in the moment and in court proceedings, have said they believed they were acting on Trump’s wishes. Lawmakers of both parties have faced increasing threats after crossing Trump. More recently, following Trump’s attacks on the FBI in response to a search of his Mar-a-Lago resort, a gunman tried to breach the bureau’s Cincinnati office while posting about it on Truth Social. He was later killed by police. “He knows exactly what he’s doing, and his recklessness knows no bounds,” prominent Republican lawyer Robert Kelner wrote on Twitter, responding to Trump’s latest post about McConnell. “Despicable.” Chao resigned from Trump’s Cabinet shortly after the Jan. 6 attack, saying the assault “deeply troubled me in a way I simply cannot set aside.” McConnell, in a speech after the following month’s impeachment trial, condemned Trump as “practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of that day,” although he did not vote to convict. In this year’s primaries, McConnell tried unsuccessfully to recruit moderate Republican governors such as Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, Larry Hogan of Maryland and Doug Ducey of Arizona to run for the Senate. McConnell’s allies intervened in some races to oppose pro-Trump candidates, such as Eric Greitens in Missouri and Don Bolduc in New Hampshire, but did not weigh in against Trump-endorsed candidates such as Blake Masters in Arizona and Herschel Walker in Georgia. McConnell has publicly lamented that some of the party’s nominees are making it harder to win back control of the chamber, although he has lately expressed more confidence in the party’s chances. Read More Here