Arestovich Told Why Russia Is So Desperate For Negotiations | Odessa-Journal.com
Arestovich Told Why Russia Is So Desperate For Negotiations | Odessa-Journal.com https://digitalarkansasnews.com/arestovich-told-why-russia-is-so-desperate-for-negotiations-odessa-journal-com/
According to the adviser to the OP, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have nothing to do with the explosions in the Belgorod region of Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes that Republican Donald Trump or his supporters will again win in the next US elections. Aleksey Arestovich, the adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine, spoke about this during a broadcast on the Feygin LIVE.
According to him, this is precisely why Russia is looking for ways to negotiate in order to drag out time until the power in the United States changes again.
“Negotiations are needed to play for time until the victory of the Trumpists in the United States. Hitler hoped for the Walther Wenck army, and Putin for Trump. They feverishly hold on to this chance as if for the last miracle,” Arestovich said.
In addition, during the same broadcast, he commented on the explosions in the Belgorod region of Russia. According to the adviser to the Presidential Office, the Ukrainian military does not shoot at the territory of the Russian Federation but simply observes what is happening there.
In an ironic manner, Arestovich said that the Belgorod People’s Republic was at war with the Kursk and Voronezh People’s Republics.
“There is a feeling that the Belgorod People’s Republic is at war with the Kursk and Voronezh People’s Republics. We condemn the clash and want to mediate so that these three fraternal peoples do not destroy each other,” Arestovich said.
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Other Days https://digitalarkansasnews.com/other-days-4/
100 years ago
Oct. 15, 1922
• The Gazette yesterday received a formal card announcing the birth of “Arkansas Gazette.” The Arkansas Gazette newspaper is more than a century old, but Arkansas Gazette at Algoa, Ark., is only nine days old. He is a boy, the son of Mr. and Mrs. M.H. Gazette of Algoa, and was born October 5, 1922. On behalf of the “Old Lady,” the Gazette staff extends congratulations to the paper’s namesake and hopes he will live to be as old as the Gazette now is.
50 years ago
Oct. 15, 1972
EL DORADO — Dr. George C. Burton of El Dorado was injured Saturday when his small homemade airplane crashed in an apparent landing attempt at the local airport… Authorities said he had been flying the single-engined plane around the field before the crash. They said Dr. Burton had built the plane himself.
25 years ago
Oct. 15, 1997
• Alvin Ailey’s name alone has the power to make heads turn in Little Rock. And when word got out that the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble was coming to the city, tickets sold out — in a day, according to one report. … Not surprisingly, Revelations, one of the best-known performances by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, was the highlight of the show. But it came close to being bested by To Have and To Hold, a poignant celebration of the life cycle. The dancers proved they were more than up to the complicated piece, which incorporated three wooden benches in its choreography of both fluid and precise movements — including some scary-looking slide-and-tumble moments with the benches. … The costumes also provided a good backdrop; apparel ranged from the graceful dresses in Escapades (flesh-colored insets made the young women appear a lot more scantily clad than they were) to the white, mental-patient-looking, unisex ensembles in To Have and To Hold and the Caribbean-like white costumes and church outfits in “Rocka My Soul.”
10 years ago
Oct. 15, 2012
• Just a generation ago, a Sunday bike tour of community gardens in downtown Little Rock might have sounded novel, but a century ago? In 1912, garbage collection was just getting started in the Capital City, which had yet to live up to its name (the Capitol was finished in 1914). Pulaski Heights was its own town. And there were plenty of small gardening operations on virtually every city block — residents’ diet was composed of produce and animals farmed in or near Pulaski County. Not so today, and that fact precipitated Sunday’s first-ever Little Rock Local Food Tour. Those curious about their locally grown options shelled out $25 to make a circuit of four community gardens and the Governor’s Mansion grounds… The day was an education for any city dweller accustomed to finding his produce under the misters in the cool, aisle-less kiosks at the grocery store.
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Liz Truss Is In Big Trouble After Her Biggest U-Turn Yet | CNN
Liz Truss Is In Big Trouble After Her Biggest U-Turn Yet | CNN https://digitalarkansasnews.com/liz-truss-is-in-big-trouble-after-her-biggest-u-turn-yet-cnn/
UK PM Liz Truss calls for ‘even more special’ relationship with US
02:51 – Source: CNN
London CNN —
Liz Truss has sacrificed her finance minister and closest political ally just weeks into her premiership in order to save her own skin.
On Friday morning, Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng, was summoned a day early back to London from the United States straight to Downing Street, where he was relieved of his duties.
The move came three weeks after Kwarteng announced a controversial mini-budget full of unfunded tax-cutting measures that sent financial markets into meltdown. At one point, the pound sank to its lowest level against the dollar in decades.
Markets have settled somewhat since, though only after major intervention from the Bank of England, leaked rumors that the mini-budget would be abandoned and reports that Kwarteng would be sacked.
Kwarteng being gone, however, does not mean that Truss is out of the woods. The low-tax, free-market policies that Kwarteng announced were the exact ticket on which Truss ran to be prime minister.
The pair had written about their shared view of a low-tax, high-growth Britain in a book authored by a group of Conservatives as far back as 2012. Kwarteng and Truss were in lockstep in their vision for Britain; removing him from office is a tacit acceptance that her economic plan has failed.
“The problem with their budget was never the numbers, it was much more about the credibility of the plan,” a former Conservative cabinet minister told CNN shortly after Truss sacked Kwarteng.
“You can reverse numbers and scrap policy. You can’t reverse credibility. She has removed her lightning rod, but now the lighting is going to hit her.”
Truss ended a notably brief news conference at Downing Street on Friday afternoon in which she defended her economic vision, but declined to apologize to her party or the public over the turmoil unleashed by the mini-budget.
“We recognize because of current market issues we have to deliver the mission in a different way,” Truss said. “And that’s what we are absolutely committed to do.”
Asked whether she would say sorry to her party’s lawmakers, some of whom are publicly trashing her economic agenda, she replied: “I am determined to deliver on what I set out when I campaigned to be party leader. We need to have a high-growth economy but we have to recognize that we are facing very difficult issues as a country.”
Truss swiftly replaced Kwarteng with Jeremy Hunt, a former cabinet minister of multiple briefs who has stood for the leadership twice. She described him as “one of the most experienced and widely respected government ministers and parliamentarians.”
Views are mixed on whether the new Chancellor will be a stabilizing influence on either the party or Truss. Some Conservative MPs think that Hunt, who served as health secretary, foreign secretary and culture, media and sport secretary under previous governments, will bring unity to a party that is still recovering from the summer’s bruising leadership contest.
He is respected by both the left and right of the party and has a calm, reassuring and familiar nature that appeals to a certain type of Conservative.
However, he is also easy for the opposition Labour Party to attack. Hunt-skeptics point out that his record in government is patchy. Whether the accusations are true or not, it would be possible for opposition leaders to say that as health secretary, he failed to adequately prepare Britain’s health service for the coronavirus pandemic.
And as a candidate in the summer’s leadership contest following Boris Johnson’s tumultuous premiership, Hunt had actually committed to bigger corporate tax cuts than Truss.
When asked why they thought Truss selected Hunt, despite his obvious flaws, one influential Conservative MP told CNN that it was possible Downing Street looked at her leadership rivals from this summer’s contest and realized Hunt was the candidate from the left of the party who secured the fewest vote from MPs. Less of a threat than promoting other contenders who gave Truss more of a run for her money.
Hunt will now address the nation on October 31, to deliver a fiscal policy to the country that will explain how the government plans to balance the books as it borrows money to help people pay energy bills over the next two years.
The reversal in tax cuts will, Truss said, provide £18 billion. And it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that further savings will be made as Kwarteng’s budget becomes a distant memory.
What Conservative MPs are most worried about is that Truss’s credibility is blown and her authority gone. She has appointed a chancellor whom she cannot blame for any future hiccups, and now looks seriously weak in the face of a reenergized opposition Labour party, which is surging ahead in the opinion polls.
So what comes next? The next general election doesn’t constitutionally need to take place until January 2025, though no one is suggesting Truss will survive anywhere near that long. Yet getting rid of the party’s fourth leader in just over six years in the short-term would be difficult, even if things continue to go south.
Under party rules, Truss is protected from a leadership challenge for the first year of her premiership. It is possible that her MPs could rewrite the rules, but even if they manage to, there is no certainty that replacing her would turn the polls around.
One Conservative lawmaker even suggested that a good outcome would be removing Truss so a new leader could attempt to turn things around just enough to prevent the opposition from a landslide in the next election.
Some of her lawmakers fear that crowning another leader without consulting the public – just months after replacing Boris Johnson in a similar fashion – could make the party look even worse in the eyes of the public.
All of which means that for now, Truss and her party are stuck. And unable to make major reforms, without key allies and reaching across the party for the sake of unity, Truss’s government runs the risk of looking like a caretaker government that is simply waiting for someone else to take over.
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OPINION|DRIVETIME MAHATMA: All Signs Point To Easier Navigation Of Arkansas 10/I-40 Intersection
OPINION|DRIVETIME MAHATMA: All Signs Point To Easier Navigation Of Arkansas 10/I-40 Intersection https://digitalarkansasnews.com/opiniondrivetime-mahatma-all-signs-point-to-easier-navigation-of-arkansas-10-i-40-intersection/
Writing this column — now borrowing a phrase from the football world — ain’t no scientific rocket. Readers ask questions, we find answers from reliable sources, yada, yada.
This particular column, on the other hand, is now in its third iteration. Shouldn’t be a surprise, since it’s about the long-running project to rebuild, improve and modernize the clog of traffic known as the intersection of Arkansas 10/Cantrell Road and Interstate 430.
Here at the traffic desk last week we were advised that driving west on Cantrell and then turning onto Rodney Parham Road and/or River Mountain Drive was a fire drill, and was giving drivers the opportunity to miss a sign, miss a turn and wind up in Fort Smith. Nothing against Fort Smith, but it’s a bit out of the way for folks who want to access Rodney Parham Road.
The first writing was about this confusion and a response from the Arkansas Department of Transportation. The second writing was a revise, correction and further explanation from ArDot. At which point we decided to do what a wise editor told us to do years ago. That is, go out and have a look yourself.
Which we did. We imposed on the Fabulous Babe to drive us across the I-430 bridge then back and forth across the carnival ride that now passes over Rodney Parham and River Mountain Drive. While she was driving, we were navigating, cogitating and, our speciality, bloviating.
In any event, we found plenty of signage that directed us in, um, the right directions. And we are now optimistic that drivers can get to the right place by exercising due diligence.
Pessimism? We note a sign that tells the public this project will be done in June 2023.
Dear Mahatma: When will the new lanes be open on the rebuilt Interstate 430 bridge? Who will pick up all the trash I see in those new emergency/travel lanes? Why do you use a 7-iron rather than a pitching wedge for most of your approach shots? — Fellow Golfer
Dear Fellow: Thank you for the series of probing questions posed between the first and sixth holes. Please note that I parred the latter.
We posed your first question to the Arkansas Department of Transportation. Turns out the work on the new lanes is complete. Now the wait is on for equipment for the electronic signs above the lanes. That equipment is in shipping.
Expectation is the materials should arrive, be installed and the lanes open by Thanksgiving.
As for the trash, it’s ArDot’s responsibility to clean up the mess drivers leave behind.
About club choice. We tend to pop up the wedge. Kind of like Phil Mickelson’s flop shot, but not on purpose. It’s not which club you use, anyway, but how you use it.
Vanity plate on an SUV: 7KIDS. May we translate? Massive feeding. Massive washing. Massive homework. Massive love.
[email protected]
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Pakistan Hits Back At Biden 'over Dangerous Nation' Remark; 'trying To Distract From'
Pakistan Hits Back At Biden 'over Dangerous Nation' Remark; 'trying To Distract From…' https://digitalarkansasnews.com/pakistan-hits-back-at-biden-over-dangerous-nation-remark-trying-to-distract-from/
Claiming that Joe Biden “should worry about his own seat instead of uttering careless words”, Pakistan has strongly reacted to the US President’s critical statement describing Pakistan as “one of the most dangerous nations”.
US President Joe Biden described Pakistan as “one of the most dangerous nations” in the world which holds “nuclear weapons without any cohesion.”
With his approval ratings going down , Biden should worry about his own seat instead of uttering careless words like these. Pakistan nuclear assets are much safer than US itself. pic.twitter.com/xflL5MUfkO
— Dr Arslan Khalid (@arslankhalid_m) October 15, 2022
In response to Biden’s remarks, Pakistan’s former Minister of Information Technology and Ex Focal Person (Digital Media) to Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Dr Arslan Khalid, tweeted, “With his approval ratings going down, Biden should worry about his own seat instead of uttering careless words like these. Pakistan nuclear assets are much safer than US itself.”
In his criticism, Khalid while referring to previous statements from former US President Donald Trump, stressed, “Trump had made 3 tweets against Pakistan, on which then Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan showed a mirror to Trump through 4 tweets. After that, Trump never spoke against Pakistan. Pakistan’s response to Biden’s anti-Pakistan statement today has not yet come.”
US statement prompts criticism from Pakistan
Fawad Ahmed Chaudhry, a senior member of Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf and the country’s former Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting also took a dig at Biden on Twitter.
Chaudhry tweeted, “A few days ago, the revelation about Saudi Arabia and now the irresponsible statement about Pakistan seems like President Biden wants to distract from his declining reputation among the American people. The leadership may be weak but the people are not.”
The former Information and Broadcasting Minister also rounded up Biden’s previous statement regarding Saudi Arabia following the decision by OPEC+ to cut the oil production quota by 2 million barrels per day, as November’s congressional elections approach in the US.
Following the development, the US made its discontent with the decision clear revealing that it was reviewing a “number of response options” available against Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, the drama unfolded following the statement by Biden at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Reception in Los Angeles, where he labelled Pakistan “one of the most dangerous nations in the world”. The US President additionally berated both Russia and China during his address.
Islamabad’s history of nuclear threats
Pakistan has had an extensive history of issuing careless nuclear threats to its neighbours, especially India. Pakistan’s former Railway Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad in August 2020 claimed that the country was capable of targeting India with a precision nuclear bomb in a war-like scenario.
Moreover, Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan made similar remarks in August 2019 while addressing the ‘Kashmir Hour’ rally, “The world should know that when two nuclear countries face off, the whole world will be harmed.”
Khan reiterated his claims of a nuclear war with India in September 2019, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then-US President Donald Trump held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the UNGA.
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Forum: Before Nov. 8 Hone Your Skills For Detecting Crap | HeraldNet.com
Forum: Before Nov. 8, Hone Your Skills For Detecting Crap | HeraldNet.com https://digitalarkansasnews.com/forum-before-nov-8-hone-your-skills-for-detecting-crap-heraldnet-com/
By Ken W. White / Herald Forum
On Nov. 8, there will be nearly 300 election deniers on ballots nationwide who claim that Trump was robbed of victory in 2020. Some are up for key jobs in at least five states that could likely determine the outcome of the next presidential race.
Bloomberg.com reports that sycophants of former president Donald Trump are set up for critical positions that could throw the 2024 election into chaos. So more than two years after Joe Biden won the election, Trump still pushes — without evidence — that the election was counterfeit.
Despite Trump’s lies, the Associated Press found fewer than 475 potential instances of election fraud out of more than 25 million votes. Why, then, the racket?
Eugene Kiely of FactCheck.org suggests that false molehills can become disinformation mountains because of voter apathy, a growing number of social media users pay little attention to the national election.
Apathy does help spread lies, but the problem is not just indifference. There are radical Trump voters who are willingly open to being misled and who keep the “big lie” alive. People generally are disposed to accepting what they agree with, but MAGA extremists choose to believe proven lies. They follow Trump no matter what. They are lost.
More moderate people voted for Trump because he is “Republican,” or a “rich television celebrity” or a “man of action” who would bring some sort of change. They follow Trump conditionally and are not lost. They are teachable.
One attitude most Trump voters share — lost or conditional — and as expressed by one former supporter, is that they are “tired of all the crap.” Thus the main challenge is giving all voters, but especially moderate Trump voters who are confused or unclear about what crap actually is, a means for distinguishing real information from crap.
The late Neil Postman, American author, educator, media theorist and cultural critic, offered a means. He argued for crap-detecting to be a part of critical thinking. For Postman, such skills would promote basic literacy for decoding social and traditional media, and confront technology’s growing capacity to spread false information.
Crap-detecting gives thinking a means for critically judging and identifying messages (and messengers) — on social media, television or streaming, radio or internet, and in print — that dishonestly manipulate information. One approach points out four fraudulent characteristics of CRAP:
CRAP is Cunning: Like a Fox. Fox News promotes crap and only reports awkward facts when forced. In 2020, Fox paid a settlement of millions to the family of a murdered Democratic National Committee staff member and admitted that the network repeatedly hyped false talking points that the young man leaked Democratic Party emails during the 2016 presidential campaign.
In fact, Russia hacked and leaked the emails. But Fox didn’t report the settlement or Russian hacking, and viewers were left with the lie.
Most importantly, cunning is not about “left” or “right” bias (that can be transparent) but about surreptitiously dictating what is newsworthy.
CRAP is Reactive: When not delivered in a calm and thoughtful response, but in an emotive, unthinking, and knee-jerk reaction. The technique heightens strong emotions about minor issues in order to deflect away from more important matters. CRAP is often more worked up over transient topics like imaginary “immigrant caravans” or “The Little Mermaid” being a Black character than about indispensable concerns like an ex-president hoarding classified information or the dismantling of democracy.
CRAP is Angry: When it fumes with over-the-top ranting and raving. The best example, of course, is Alex Jones who unleashes homophobic rants against Democratic congressmen, throws tantrums about the next lawsuit he’s facing and whines about an order to pay nearly $1 billion in defamation trials. He relentlessly deflects and distracts from the lies he’s told about the Sandy Hook shooting being a hoax,and hoping that people confuse anger with honesty, ignoring that anger is not honest when it is a pretense.
CRAP is Predatory: When it pounces on opponents with extreme name-calling, threats and insults. For example, while even some Republican leaders stepped up to defend Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman against personal attacks by Trump and his allies, Fox pundit Laura Ingraham derided the patriotism and personal integrity of Vindman — a decorated U.S. veteran — when she made the insulting innuendo: “Here we have a U.S. national security official who is advising Ukraine while working inside the White House, apparently against the president’s interest, and usually they spoke in English. Isn’t that kind of an interesting angle to this story?”
CRAP attacks the person with predatory ad hominem charges rather than addressing the issue.
Trump has conned America for over 30 years. Today, we continue to deal with his election deniers and insurrection, but reason and the rule of law may be catching up. Yet many ask: Why did it take so long? Well, maybe it’s been a failure of crap-detecting.
But maybe some, as The Seattle Times reports, like moderate Cary Condotta, chair of the Chelan County Republican Party, are calling out claims of widespread election fraud as “a bunch of crap.”
And maybe some deniers who don’t trust the vote-counting could visit a county auditor’s office and take a tour of the ballot verification and counting process. Maybe then, actual research and crap-detecting could still save democracy on Nov. 8.
Ken W. White lives in Marysville.
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Im Sorry Mr. Snowflake: Trump Gets Stark Reality Check From Rep. Jamie Raskin
‘I’m Sorry … Mr. Snowflake’: Trump Gets Stark Reality Check From Rep. Jamie Raskin https://digitalarkansasnews.com/im-sorry-mr-snowflake-trump-gets-stark-reality-check-from-rep-jamie-raskin/
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on Friday dismantled former President Donald Trump’s 14-page response to a subpoena from the House select committee investigating the deadly U.S. Capitol riot.
Raskin, a member of the committee, told MSNBC’s Chris Hayes that Trump was already “playing his silly games” with his reply.
“I mean, that letter, including the use of the royal ‘we,’ which was pretty jarring, is just an outrageous distraction from the reality to the extent that there’s anything substance or substantive there,” he continued.
Raskin reality-checked Trump over his claim that Republicans “feel” the election was rigged, saying MAGA Republicans have as yet been unable to pinpoint to him how the vote was actually stolen.
“They can’t say. They just have a feeling. And in fact, Trump uses that too in this enormously revealing letter, where he says lots of people ‘feel’ that there was fraud,” he added. “I’m sorry. Your feelings, Mr. Snowflake, cannot dictate the course of the future of the republic. No, your feelings cannot dictate our elections.”
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Photo Shows Kari Lake Vacuuming Red Carpet For Trumps Entrance Reportedly Wanted It spotless Revealing Her Dutiful Trump Servitude Northeast Valley News
Photo Shows Kari Lake Vacuuming Red Carpet For Trump’s Entrance— Reportedly Wanted It “spotless”— Revealing Her Dutiful Trump Servitude – Northeast Valley News https://digitalarkansasnews.com/photo-shows-kari-lake-vacuuming-red-carpet-for-trumps-entrance-reportedly-wanted-it-spotless-revealing-her-dutiful-trump-servitude-northeast-valley-news/
“This photo made my stomach turn.”
Nicole White, Reporter-Opinion
October 15, 2022
Kari Lake, like the dutiful servant and the Trump loyalist that she is, is actually seen in a photo as she vacuumed a red carpet for Donald Trump before his entrance and during his visit to Arizona last week at a rally for the Trump endorsed faithful candidates.
Ms. Lake, the self-proclaimed “journalist” (an insult to ethical journalists everywhere) was actually a third-rate news anchor who voiced copy and was really only as good as those responsible for the pre-produced content that she read on a teleprompter.
But Lake, just before the arrival of the now subpoenaed Donald Trump for testimony regarding his knowledge of the events surrounding the Jan. 6 insurrection—was ready to show Arizona who she really is—the rightful Trump predestined.
The Twitter vacuum photo captures more than just an over the top photo op, it reveals Arizona’s future under the leadership of Kari Lake.
We see a submissive woman “cleaning up” for a despicable man, wearing a dress with heels and in a 50’s like image reminiscent of what extreme conservatives likely drool over—taking women back to the dark ages.
Lake is the top contender for the Trump understudy and the person who will throw our beloved Grand Canyon State into chaos if elected— frighteningly so, and on multiple levels.
We already know what Lake will do for the personal and medical rights of women—she won’t vacuum them—she will contaminate them.
Lake has promised to deploy a military presence and place Arizona on a path that would claim an “invasion” in a states right war over immigration which would include innocent immigrants many of whom are seeking asylum and many of the same ones she has called “rapists” and criminals.
Lake is unapologetic about the fact that she has supported the most stringent of anti-abortion laws including the recent decision to go back to pre-statehood law that effectively bans all abortions, (and even criminalizes Arizonans) and in a disgusting and fear-provoking move early on in her campaign, Lake endorsed a virulent and hate-filled antisemitic candidate and continues to use antisemitic code language in her speeches.
If such a blood test existed, Lake’s results would reveal a sizable amount of Trump steroids.
Katie Hobbs, may not be perfect, but she doesn’t employ a loud mouth nor a dreadful vocabulary like Lake, and the Democratic gubernatorial candidate offers a stark difference to Arizona voters—namely, stability, reason and goodwill.
And even though Hobbs has been criticized for not taking part in a debate with Lake—most people who spoke with Northeast Valley News about that decision understand the “why” regarding the Hobbs decision.
Basically—they get it.
When Northeast Valley News asked Valley voters, “Do you agree with Hobbs not debating Lake” responses varied from “How do you reasonably engage with a Trump lunatic?” to “I would have liked to see Katie Hobbs take her on, but I kinda understand the futility of it.”
It’s impossible to reason with, let alone debate with, a cult member, especially one as devoted as Lake is to her guru.
Cult members as entrenched as Kari Lake are not likely to be deprogrammed.
Her truth and ultimate goal is Trumpism—period.
Hobbs is right, there really isn’t anything to say to Kari Lake.
As one Arizona voter so aptly expressed after seeing the Twitter photo of Kari Lake vacuuming and cleaning up for Donald Trump:
“This made my stomach turn.”
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AP News Summary At 3:50 A.m. EDT https://digitalarkansasnews.com/ap-news-summary-at-350-a-m-edt-3/
Justice Dept. seeks end to arbiter’s review of Trump docs
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to overturn a judge’s appointment of an independent arbiter to review documents seized during an FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate. The appeal is the latest salvo in weeks of litigation over the scope of duties of the arbiter, also known as a special master. He was assigned last month by a judge to inspect the thousands of records taken in the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago and weed out from the investigation any that may be protected by claims of legal privilege.
Putin calls his actions in Ukraine ‘correct and timely’
KYIV, UKRAINE (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin expects his troop mobilization for combat in Ukraine to end in about two weeks. That would allow him to end the unpopular and chaotic call-up meant to counter Ukrainian battlefield gains and solidify his illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. Putin faces domestic discontent and military setbacks in a neighboring country increasingly armed with advanced Western weapons. He told reporters Friday he “did not set out to destroy Ukraine” and doesn’t regret starting the conflict. Russia’s difficulties in achieving its war aims are becoming apparent in the illegally annexed Kherson region. Anticipating an advance by Ukrainian forces, Moscow-installed authorities there urged residents to flee Friday.
Ukrainian deminers remove deadly threats to civilians
HRAKOVE, Ukraine (AP) — A group of Ukrainian deminers with the country’s territorial defense forces is working to clear an area in the Kharkiv region of dozens of deadly mines and pieces of unexploded ordnance. The brigade is pushing to restore a semblance of safety to the cities, towns and countryside in a region that spent months under Russian occupation. The deminers swept a remote area with metal detectors, searching for mines left behind by Russian forces that retreated from the region at the beginning of September. While many settlements in the region have finally achieved some measure of safety after fierce battles reduced many of them to rubble, Russian land mines remain an ever-present threat in both urban and rural environments.
Kemp vs. Abrams II: Republican has incumbent advantage now
ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia governor’s race is a rematch of 2018, when Republican Brian Kemp narrowly defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams. But circumstances have changed. This time, it is Kemp who holds a lot of advantages as he seeks reelection. Abrams is trying to rekindle the star power that had people talking about her being president one day. Kemp became the target of Donald Trump’s wrath when the defeated president threatened retribution after Kemp certified Democrat Joe Biden’s slate of presidential electors in Georgia. But not only did Kemp maintain support among most Republican voters while defying Trump, he seems to have only grown stronger heading into his rematch with Abrams.
US shift on Venezuelan migrants fuels anxiety in Mexico
TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — The Biden administration’s policy shift on Venezuelan migrants may pose an enormous challenge to overstretched Mexican shelters. The U.S. has coupled plans to let up to 24,000 Venezuelans apply online to fly to the U.S. for temporary stays with a pledge to immediately turn back Venezuelans who cross the border illegally from Mexico. The rapid expulsions expand a Trump-era policy that denies rights to seek asylum on grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19. Venezuelans have suddenly become the second-largest nationality at the U.S. border after Mexicans, a growing challenge to President Joe Biden and neighboring allies.
Is Alex Jones verdict the death of disinformation? Unlikely
NEW YORK (AP) — The award of nearly $1 billion to parents of Sandy Hook shooting victims to compensate for harmful lies spread by fabulist Alex Jones isn’t likely to do much to curb disinformation, experts say. Conspiracy theories have roots too deep in American history and, as Jones proved, there’s a lot of money to be made now in spreading them. Because the ruling involved private citizens and not public figures, many purveyors of disinformation will be able to get around it. Media experts are next looking to a potential trial or settlement in the lawsuit by the Dominion voting system against Fox News for spreading disinformation about the 2020 election.
Trump’s subpoena and what’s next for the Jan. 6 panel
WASHINGTON (AP) — In an extraordinary step, the House Jan. 6 committee has voted unanimously to subpoena former President Donald Trump – a final effort to get the full story of the Capitol insurrection as the panel wraps up its work by the end of the year. Trump has been relentlessly hostile to the investigation, calling it a “charade and a witch hunt” in a letter to the committee on Friday. But he has not said whether he will comply with the demand for his appearance. Even if he does, there’s no guarantee the committee would get anything different from the broadsides Trump sends out periodically.
Parkland shooter’s life sentence could bring changes to law
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The life sentence about to be imposed on Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz could bring changes to the state’s death penalty law. Until recently, Florida law allowed the imposition of a death sentence if a majority of the jury agreed. But after the U.S. and state supreme courts rejected those laws, the Florida Legislature in 2017 voted to require jury unanimity for a death sentence to be imposed. That’s why Cruz will get life without parole, even though his jury voted 9-3 Thursday to support his execution. Relatives of Cruz’s victims and others say the law should now be changed. Cruz murdered 17 people at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.
Death toll rises to 28 in Turkey coal mine explosion
AMASRA, Turkey (AP) — Officials say the death toll from a coal mine explosion in northern Turkey has risen to at least 28 people and rescue efforts continue as a fire burns in the mine. There were 110 miners working in the shaft when the explosion occurred Friday evening at the state-owned TTK Amasra Muessese Mudurlugu mine in the town of Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin. Officials said 58 people had been rescued and efforts to reach 15 others continue. The majority of them are in the mine’s gallery where a fire is still burning.
Mel Gibson can testify at Harvey Weinstein trial, judge says
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge has ruled that Mel Gibson can testify about what he learned from one of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers. The 66-year-old actor and director Gibson was one of many trial witnesses whose identities were revealed in court Friday. Weinstein is accused of sexual battery against the woman, who is a masseuse and friend of Gibson’s. The judge and lawyers took a break from jury selection to argue over which witnesses and evidence will be allowed during the eight-week trial. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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AP News Summary At 3:50 A.m. EDT https://digitalarkansasnews.com/ap-news-summary-at-350-a-m-edt-2/
Justice Dept. seeks end to arbiter’s review of Trump docs
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to overturn a judge’s appointment of an independent arbiter to review documents seized during an FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate. The appeal is the latest salvo in weeks of litigation over the scope of duties of the arbiter, also known as a special master. He was assigned last month by a judge to inspect the thousands of records taken in the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago and weed out from the investigation any that may be protected by claims of legal privilege.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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BRYANT 35, LITTLE ROCK SOUTHWEST 8 https://digitalarkansasnews.com/bryant-35-little-rock-southwest-8/
BRYANT 35, LITTLE ROCK SOUTHWEST 8
The No. 1 Hornets pitched a shutout for 40 minutes at Gryphon Stadium, cruising to a comfortable victory at Little Rock Southwest to stay perfect on the season.
Bryant (6-0, 4-0 7A-Central) scored late in the first quarter with a 6-yard touchdown run by Chris Gannaway, then added two more scores in the second quarter — Mytorian Singleton hauled in a 56-yard pass from Jordan Walker and James Martin scampered in from 2 yards out. That put the Hornets up 21-0 at halftime and fully in cruise control.
The Gryphons scored in the fourth quarter on a 4-yard run by Jabron Lewis, but Southwest (1-6, 0-4) was outgained 240-129 despite running more than twice as many plays as Bryant (52-25).
Walker finished his night 4-of-5 passing for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns to go along with a 26-yard rush to lead the Hornets.
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Russia Using Rape As 'military Strategy' In Ukraine: UN Envoy | CNN
Russia Using Rape As 'military Strategy' In Ukraine: UN Envoy | CNN https://digitalarkansasnews.com/russia-using-rape-as-military-strategy-in-ukraine-un-envoy-cnn/
CNN —
Russia is using rape and sexual violence as part of its “military strategy” in Ukraine, a UN envoy said this week.
The claim follows data released by a panel of UN experts recently that verified “more than a hundred cases” of rape or sexual assault incidents reported in Ukraine since February.
“When you hear women testify about Russian soldiers equipped with Viagra, it’s clearly a military strategy,” Pramila Patten, UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, said in an interview with AFP on Thursday.
She added that many cases involved children and also said that the true number of victims was likely to be far higher than official figures suggested because sexual crimes are often “under reported.”
“There are many cases of sexual violence against children who are raped, tortured and sequestered,” Patten said.
“I have not stopped since February to emphasize the importance of having credible investigations into these cases of violence.”
Since the Russian invasion began, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly accused Moscow’s forces of sexually abusing women and children, claiming they are using rape and other sexual acts as weapons of war.
Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Kateryna Pavlichenko in June said that police received around 50 complaints of sexual crimes committed by Russian soldiers.
Prosecutors are also investigating rape allegations in the Kharkiv region after Ukrainian forces recently recaptured territory there.
CNN has spoken with Ukrainian women, one of them a pregnant 16-year-old, who shared harrowing accounts detailing sexual assault.
CNN could not independently verify the latest claims by the UN.
Russian authorities have denied allegations of war crimes in Ukraine.
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EDITORIAL: Fort Smith Faced With A Court Denial Wisely Embraces Its Obligations
EDITORIAL: Fort Smith, Faced With A Court Denial, Wisely Embraces Its Obligations https://digitalarkansasnews.com/editorial-fort-smith-faced-with-a-court-denial-wisely-embraces-its-obligations/
Sometimes, even if you think you’re right, getting an issue settled is a better option than letting it drag on and on and on.
That, at least in part, seems to be the situation with the city of Fort Smith’s litigation over how much money it must spend on its sewer system and when. For seven years now, the city has been subject to a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality. The decree is the outcome of an adversarial clash in which those agencies demanded the city meet certain obligations for sewer system repairs and upgrades. In short, the sewer system for far too long permitted sewage to run off into area waterways, including the Arkansas River.
The whole point of a sewer system is protection of the environment and public safety.
The city’s litigation in the matter has attempted to modify what’s expected of it, not to get out from under the decree entirely, but to adjust how its terms will be met. City officials appealed in federal court to change the standards by which pipes needed to be replaced or repaired. The potential cost savings had the city won, according to City Administrator Carl Geffken, was $140 million over the next decade or so.
But a three-member federal appeals panel rejected the city’s effort. Almost assured of failure to get higher courts to even consider the case, city directors recently decided not to continue the costly litigation. In other words, like a patient with an almost chronic condition, the city will have to take its medicine, bitter as it may be.
All of this involves money from Fort Smith ratepayers/taxpayers. City officials had hoped to reduce the volume of work demanded of the city, thus reducing the financial obligations of the system over the period covered by the consent degree.
The good news in all of this is that those millions of dollars are, ultimately, being invested into Fort Smith’s sewer system. It’s not like paying a fine that just disappears into some federal or state agency. That certainly could be the result if the city ignored the repairs and maintenance its sewer system needs. But the consent decree details how Fort Smith will get its system up to par, something that has to happen if protecting the environment and local residents is a priority.
Would it be better not to be in such a pickle? Sure, but for too long the sewer system needs were not adequately met. While we’re not engineers, we do know municipal sewer systems require constant care. Falling behind simply isn’t an option. The harm caused by an inadequate system will always have to be faced, one way or the other.
When all is said and done, and funded, Fort Smith will be much better situated to handle today’s demands and tomorrow’s.
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Sound Off! https://digitalarkansasnews.com/sound-off-2/
Ms. Griner and her wife are at it again … bemoaning their belief that the US doesn’t care about Ms. Griner and her superstar status. Let us remind them that she chose to go to Russia, that she chose to take a substance that was banned in Russia, and that she chose to have that banned substance in her luggage. She even admitted to having it! Whatever happened to accepting responsibility for one’s actions?
Warren
After listening to many political ads and several debates, I get the feeling that most Ohio voters do not understand that Republicans have had control of Ohio State politics for the past 30 years. Republicans are exploiting this lack of political knowledge by Ohio voters by implying that Democrats have been in charge.
Cortland
Before voting, ask yourself: Do you like paying for high gas or $4 for a dozen eggs? Do you like the influx of migrants at our southern border or that fentanyl kills our children? Do you like the woke agenda allowing drag queens to perform in schools? Do you like that Putin and Xi Jinping laugh at us? If you watch main stream media, you are not aware. They protect this administration. Democrat or Republican, I want a strong America.
Newton Falls
Political candidate debates need to be re-named. They should be called “Trash the opponent” or “Degrading the opposition.” After all, that is what these candidates do to each other. It turns a lot of people off from voting.
Cortland
Since the 1980s supply-side Reaganomics was embraced by GOP, American society has been transformed into oligarchy with middle class shrinking. This deregulation scam opened the corporate world to corruption of Democrats too. This is the source of inflation, national debt and annual deficits. This was the impetus for outsourcing middle class jobs and skyrocketing costs of medical care, pharmaceuticals, real estate and college. Reaganomics even seduced many leaders into endless wars and high energy costs. Unregulated growth always triggers destruction.
Warren
Mitch McConnell finally admitted Republican strategy. Back any Republican, no matter how unqualified, so he can manipulate them into voting his way. You think Herschel Walker will really research what he’s voting on? Of course, McConnell used the same strategy in the 2016 presidential election and it blew up in his face. Who is he really serving, his constituents or himself?
Hubbard
If Donald Trump thinks he has been unfairly treated by the Jan. 6 committee, he has a clear solution available to him now. He can accept the invitation from the committee to testify. Since he will surely be the smartest person in the room, he can show all the others, including Liz Cheney, how wrong they are. Or maybe he doesn’t have the guts to face his critics.
Warren
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Justice Dept. Seeks End To Arbiters Review Of Trump Documents
Justice Dept. Seeks End To Arbiter’s Review Of Trump Documents https://digitalarkansasnews.com/justice-dept-seeks-end-to-arbiters-review-of-trump-documents/
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court on Friday to shut down the work of an independent arbiter who was appointed last month to review documents seized during an FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate.
The appeal is the latest salvo in weeks of litigation over the scope of duties of the arbiter, also known as a special master, who was assigned to inspect the records taken in the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago and weed out any that may be protected by claims of legal privilege.
The special master process has caused some delays to the Justice Department’s investigation into the holding of top-secret documents at the home. But a major hurdle was cleared last month when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit lifted a temporary bar on the department’s ability to use the seized classified documents as part of its criminal probe.
The move permitted a core aspect of the probe to resume, greatly reducing the odds that the process could have a significant impact on the investigation. Even so, department lawyers returned to the court Friday to ask for the entire special master review to be shut down, saying the judge who made the appointment had no basis for doing so and that Trump was not entitled to an independent review of the seized records or to claim privilege over them.
“Plaintiff has no plausible claim of executive privilege as to any of the seized materials and no plausible claim of personal attorney-client privilege as to the seized government records –including all records bearing classification markings,” according to the department’s brief.
“Accordingly,” they added, “the special-master review process is unwarranted.”
The Justice Department says it seized about 13,000 records, including roughly 100 with classification markings, during its court-authorized search in August. The department is conducting a criminal investigation into the retention of those records as well as into whether anyone obstructed its probe.
As part of the investigation, the FBI has interviewed multiple Trump aides, including a lawyer for him who served as a custodian of the records and who in June presented investigators with a signed letter asserting that all the classified records the Justice Department had asked for in a subpoena had been located and turned over.
Agents believed more records remained at the house, returned in August with a search warrant and removed 33 boxes of documents, including material classified at the top-secret level.
Weeks later, the Trump team asked a judge in Florida, Aileen Cannon, to appoint a special master to do an independent review of the records. Cannon agreed, naming a veteran Brooklyn judge, Raymond Dearie, to inspect the records and segregate from the rest of the investigation any documents that could possibly be covered by claims of executive privilege or attorney-client privilege.
The 11th Circuit subsequently lifted Cannon’s prohibition on the department’s use of the classified documents for its investigation pending Dearie’s review, as well as a requirement that the Justice Department provide those specific records to Dearie for his review.
The Supreme Court on Thursday declined a request from Trump’s lawyers to intervene in the dispute.
The Justice Department has repeatedly rejected the idea that a special master review was needed, and though it has been able to resume its review of the classified records, it said its investigation remains slowed by its inability to use the much larger set of non-classified documents as part of its probe.
“The district court’s injunction barring review and use of the other seized records harms the government and the public as well,” the department said. “A magistrate judge has already found probable cause to believe that those records may constitute evidence of crimes, and the government has demonstrated a clear need for them.”
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AP News Summary At 11:57 P.m. EDT https://digitalarkansasnews.com/ap-news-summary-at-1157-p-m-edt/
Trump’s subpoena and what’s next for the Jan. 6 panel
WASHINGTON (AP) — In an extraordinary step, the House Jan. 6 committee has voted unanimously to subpoena former President Donald Trump – a final effort to get the full story of the Capitol insurrection as the panel wraps up its work by the end of the year. Trump has been relentlessly hostile to the investigation, calling it a “charade and a witch hunt” in a letter to the committee on Friday. But he has not said whether he will comply with the demand for his appearance. Even if he does, there’s no guarantee the committee would get anything different from the broadsides Trump sends out periodically.
EXPLAINER: What to expect from China’s party congress
BEIJING (AP) — China’s ruling Communist Party is holding its twice-a-decade national congress starting Sunday. That’s where President Xi Jinping is expected to receive a third five-year term as the uncontested head of the party, government and military of the world’s second-largest economy. The event proceedings are shrouded in secrecy, as is typical in China’s authoritarian one-party state. But the congress, the 20th in its more than 100-year history, is expected to produce a new set of leaders handpicked by Xi. Xi faces no term limits and has yet to indicate a successor after a decade in the top spot. The 96 million-member party is led by a Central Committee and Politburo. Their top cadres, who now number seven, form the powerful Politburo Standing Committee.
Los Angeles mystery: Who taped meeting with racist rants?
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An anonymously leaked recording of crude, racist remarks and political scheming that led to the resignation of the Los Angeles City Council president and a powerful labor leader left behind a mystery: Who made the tape and why? Five days after the disclosure of the year-old tape, it remains unknown who recorded it and posted it to the website Reddit, or even how many people are involved. The recording of the racist language led to the resignations of then-Council President Nury Martinez and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, and two other Council members who attended are facing pressure to resign.
Putin calls his actions in Ukraine ‘correct and timely’
KYIV, UKRAINE (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin expects his troop mobilization for combat in Ukraine to end in about two weeks. That would allow him to end the unpopular and chaotic call-up meant to counter Ukrainian battlefield gains and solidify his illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. Putin faces domestic discontent and military setbacks in a neighboring country increasingly armed with advanced Western weapons. He told reporters Friday he “did not set out to destroy Ukraine” and doesn’t regret starting the conflict. Russia’s difficulties in achieving its war aims are becoming apparent in the illegally annexed Kherson region. Anticipating an advance by Ukrainian forces, Moscow-installed authorities there urged residents to flee Friday.
Police: 15-year-old boy kills 5 in Raleigh shooting rampage
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Police say a 15-year-old boy fatally shot five people in an attack that stretched from the streets of a Raleigh neighborhood to a nearby walking trail. Two others were also injured in the Thursday evening attack, which led police on an hours-long manhunt before the teen was arrested. Raleigh police Chief Estella Patterson said Friday that the teen is hospitalized in critical condition. The motive for the shooting is still not known. Some of the victims were going about their daily routines when they died. They ranged in age from 16 to their late 50s. The dead include off-duty Raleigh police Officer Gabriel Torres, who was on his way to work.
Mel Gibson can testify at Harvey Weinstein trial, judge says
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge has ruled that Mel Gibson can testify about what he learned from one of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers. The 66-year-old actor and director Gibson was one of many trial witnesses whose identities were revealed in court Friday. Weinstein is accused of sexual battery against the woman, who is a masseuse and friend of Gibson’s. The judge and lawyers took a break from jury selection to argue over which witnesses and evidence will be allowed during the eight-week trial. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty.
Officials: 25 dead, many trapped in Turkish coal mine blast
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish officials say an explosion inside a coal mine in northern Turkey has killed at least 25 people and dozens remain trapped underground. The explosion occurred Friday at a state-owned mine in the town of Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin. The country’s energy minister says a preliminary assessment indicates the blast was caused by firedamp — a reference to flammable gases found in coal mines. There were 110 people in the mine at the time of the explosion. Most were able to evacuate the mine following the blast, but the interior minister says 49 people were caught in a higher risk area of the mine.
Justice Dept. seeks end to arbiter’s review of Trump docs
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to overturn a judge’s appointment of an independent arbiter to review documents seized during an FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate. The appeal is the latest salvo in weeks of litigation over the scope of duties of the arbiter, also known as a special master. He was assigned last month by a judge to inspect the thousands of records taken in the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago and weed out from the investigation any that may be protected by claims of legal privilege.
At debate, Walker denies past support for US abortion ban
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Georgia’s Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker is denying his previous support for an outright national ban on abortion, though he has insisted at various points throughout the campaign that it was a proposal he endorsed. Walker, a staunch anti-abortion politician, was recently accused by a former girlfriend of encouraging and paying for her 2009 abortion. He was asked during a debate Friday with Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock about his support for “a complete ban on a national level.” He said the moderator had misstated his position. Walker’s claim contradicted statements he had made repeatedly on the campaign trail. In July he said it’s “a problem” that there is no national ban.
5 years on, key #MeToo voices take stock of the movement
Once again, disgraced mogul Harvey Weinstein sits in a courtroom, on trial in Los Angeles while the reckoning the accusations against him launched marks a significant milestone this month. It’s been five years since a brief hashtag galvanized a broad social movement. It’s been five years of #MeToo. The Associated Press went back to Weinstein accuser Louisette Geiss, Bill Cosby accuser Andrea Constand, and “Me Too” founder Tarana Burke about how their lives have changed, how hopeful they feel and the challenges ahead. Both Geiss and Constand said that coming forward was the right things to do.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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'They Hated Him.' Former Subordinate Recalls Serving Under Russia's New Top Commander In Ukraine | CNN
'They Hated Him.' Former Subordinate Recalls Serving Under Russia's New Top Commander In Ukraine | CNN https://digitalarkansasnews.com/they-hated-him-former-subordinate-recalls-serving-under-russias-new-top-commander-in-ukraine-cnn/
Putin’s new Ukraine war commander has a history of brutality
02:33 – Source: CNN
CNN —
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s devastating war on Ukraine is faltering. Now, there’s a new general in charge – with a reputation for brutality.
After Ukraine recently recaptured more territory than Russia’s army took in the last six months, Russia’s Ministry of Defense last Saturday named Sergey Surovikin as its new overall commander for operations in the war.
Notably, he previously played an instrumental role in Russia’s operations in Syria – during which Russian combat aircraft caused widespread devastation in rebel-held areas – as Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
CNN spoke to a former Russian air force lieutenant, Gleb Irisov, who served under him in Syria.
He said Surovikin was “very close to Putin’s regime” and “never had any political ambitions, so always executed a plan exactly as the government wanted.”
Analysts say Surovikin’s appointment is highly unlikely to change how Russian forces are carrying out the war but that it speaks to Putin’s dissatisfaction with previous command operations. It is also, in part, likely meant to “mollify” the nationalist and pro-war base within Russia itself, according to Mason Clark, Russia Lead at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think-tank.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who has called for Russia to “take more drastic measures” including the use of “low-yield nuclear weapons” in Ukraine following recent setbacks, welcomed the appointment of Surovikin, who first saw service in Afghanistan in the 1980s before commanding a unit in the Second Chechen War in 2004. Praise from Kadyrov, who is a key Putin ally, is significant, perhaps, as he himself is notorious for crushing all forms of dissent.
“I personally have known Sergei very well for almost 15 years. I can definitely say he is a real general and warrior, experienced, headstrong and foresighted commander who always takes patriotism, honor and respect above all,” Kadyrov posted on social media, following news of Surovikin’s appointment last Saturday. “The united army group is now in safe hands,” he added.
Irisov, Surovikin’s former subordinate, left his five-year career in the armed forces after his time in Syria because his own political views conflicted with what he experienced. “Of course, you understand, who is right and who is wrong,” Irisov said. “I witnessed a lot of stuff, being inside the system.”
Irisov then began what he hoped would be the start of a career as an international journalist, as a military reporter with Russian state news agency TASS. His wife worked there and he felt at the time it was “the only main information agency” that tried to cover news in an “unbiased” way, with “some opportunity of freedom of speech,” he said.
“Everything changed” on February 24, 2022, when Putin’s invasion of Ukraine began and TASS received orders from the FSB security service and defense ministry “that everyone will be prosecuted if they don’t execute the propaganda scheme,” Irisov said.
He had family in Kyiv, hiding in bomb shelters, and told CNN he knew “nothing could justify this war.” He also knew from his military contacts that there were already many casualties in the first days of the war.
“For me it was obvious from the beginning,” Irisov recalled. “I tried to explain to people this war will lead to the collapse of Russia… it will be a great tragedy not only for Ukrainians but also for Russia.”
Irisov fled Moscow with his pregnant wife and young child on March 8, 2022, after standing against the invasion. He had quit his job at TASS and signed petitions and an open letter against the war, he told CNN. After traveling to Armenia, Georgia, Turkey and finally Mexico, where they contacted the US embassy to ask for help, they are now working to start a new life in West Virginia.
While serving at Latakia air base in Syria in 2019 and 2020, the 31-year-old says he worked on aviation safety and air traffic control, coordinating flights with Damascus’ civilian airlines. He says he saw Surovikin several times during some missions and spoke to high-ranking officers under him.
“He made a lot of people very angry – they hated him,” Irisov said, describing how the “direct” and “straight” general was disliked at headquarters because of the way he tried to implement his infantry experience into the air force.
Irisov says he understands Surovikin had strong connections with Kremlin-approved private military company the Wagner group, which has operated in Syria.
The Kremlin denies any connections to Wagner and insists that private military companies are illegal in Russia.
Surovikin, whose military career began in 1983, has a checkered history, to say the least.
In 2004, according to Russian media accounts and at least two think tanks, he berated a subordinate so severely that the subordinate took his own life.
And a book by the think tank the Washington DC-based Jamestown Foundation says that during the unsuccessful coup attempt against former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in August 1991, soldiers under Surovikin’s command killed three protesters, leading to Surovikin spending at least six months in prison.
CNN has reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment on Surovikin’s appointment and regarding allegations about his harsh leadership.
In a 2020 report, Human Rights Watch named him as “someone who may bear command responsibility” for the dozens of air and ground attacks on civilian objects and infrastructure in violation of the laws of war” during the 2019-2020 Idlib offensive in Syria. The attacks killed at least 1,600 civilians and forced the displacement of an estimated 1.4 million people, according to HRW, which cites UN figures.
During his time in Syria, the now-56-year-old was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.
In February this year, Surovikin was sanctioned by the European Union in his capacity as head of the Aerospace Forces “for actively supporting and implementing actions and policies that undermine and threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine as well as the stability or security in Ukraine.”
Irisov believes there are three reasons why he has been put in charge in Ukraine now: his closeness to the government and Putin; his interbranch experience with both the infantry and air force; and his experience since the summer commanding Russian forces in the southern Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea. These are areas that Putin is trying to control “at any cost,” said Irisov.
Just two days after Surovikin’s appointment on Saturday, Russia launched its heaviest bombardment of Ukraine since the early days of the war.
Surovikin is “more familiar with cruise missiles, maybe he used his connections and experience to organize this chain of devastating attacks,” Irisov said, referencing the reports that cruise missiles have been among the weapons deployed by Russia in this latest surge of attacks.
But Clark, from the ISW, suggests the general’s promotion is “more of a framing thing to inject new blood into the Russian command system” and “put on this tough nationalist face.”
His appointment “got widespread praise from various Russian military bloggers as well as Yevgeny (Prigozhin), who’s the financier of the Wagner Group,” Clark said.
He believes what’s happening now is a reflection of what happened in April, when another commander, Alexander Dvornikov, was appointed overall commander of the operations in Ukraine.
“Similarly, he before then was a commander of one of the groupings of Russian forces and had sort of a master reputation in Syria much like Surovikin for brutality, earning this sort of name of the ‘butcher of Aleppo,’” Clark said.
Dvornikov was also seen at the time as the commander “that was going to turn things around in Ukraine and get the job done,” he added. “But an individual commander is not going to be able to change how tangled Russian command and control is at this point in the war, or the low morale of Russian forces.”
Andrea Kendall-Taylor, director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, also told CNN this week that Surovikin’s appointment “reflects the ascendancy of a lot of hardline voices inside Russia… calling on Putin to make changes, and to bring in someone who would be willing to execute these ruthless attacks.”
Clark reasons that “from what we’ve seen, it’s highly probable that Putin is involved in decision-making down to a very tactical level and in some cases bypassing the senior Russian military officers to interact directly on the battlefield.”
Surovikin personally signed Irisov’s resignation papers from the air force, he says. Now, Irisov sees him put in charge of operations in Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine – but what impact the general will or can have is not yet clear.
According to Clark, “there isn’t a good Kremlin option if Surovikin doesn’t perform or if Putin decides that he is also not up to the task. There aren’t many other senior Russian officers and it’s just going to lead to a further degradation of the Russian war effort.”
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Fort Smith Police Looking For Aggravated Robbery Suspect
Fort Smith Police Looking For Aggravated Robbery Suspect https://digitalarkansasnews.com/fort-smith-police-looking-for-aggravated-robbery-suspect/
by: Justin Trobaugh
Posted: Oct 14, 2022 / 10:50 PM CDT
Updated: Oct 14, 2022 / 10:50 PM CDT
by: Justin Trobaugh
Posted: Oct 14, 2022 / 10:50 PM CDT
Updated: Oct 14, 2022 / 10:50 PM CDT
FORT SMITH, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Fort Smith police are looking for a suspect involved in an aggravated robbery in the 7500 block of Jenny Lind Road on October 14.
According to a news release from the Fort Smith Police Department, this is the second incident involving the theft of a vehicle by a white man brandishing a firearm in the last week.
Police say the suspect was described as wearing a face mask that covered the lower half of his face with a gray sweatshirt tied around his waist.
If anyone has any information related to the incident, police ask to call 479-709-5100 or dial 911 for emergencies.
The release says the investigation is ongoing. More information will be released as it becomes available.
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Just What Is Trump’s Legacy? https://digitalarkansasnews.com/just-what-is-trumps-legacy/
Editor, News-Register:
How is it that former President Donald J. Trump remains as the unquestioned leader of the Republican Party, when while in office it had been documented that he was personally responsible for no fewer than 30,573 false statements, and with his egotism and hypocrisy being quite beyond compare, along with his multitude of misdeeds, and divisive rhetoric, have, seemingly, done little to curb his popularity within his current political party?
Recall also that, for decades, Mr. Trump had been a staunch Democrat, before becoming an independent politically, and only recently becoming a Republican when he, near 70 years of age, decided to run for the office of president in the 2016 election. He has sadly transformed the once proud Republican party into little more than the Trump personality cult.
Examples of Mr. Trump’s hypocrisy include the fact that he constantly derided his Democratic opponent in the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton, as “Crooked Hillary” and led the chant to “lock her up” as a result of her inappropriate sending of government emails as secretary of state on her private email server. However, Mr. Trump, upon his leaving the White House, illegally took more than 100 classified documents, and secretly stored them at his Mar-A-Lago property in Florida, which were finally recovered over a year and a half later by authorized officials from the US Justice Department.
Should Mr. Trump himself not be referred to as “Crooked Donald,” accompanied by the chant to “lock him up?”
In addition, Mr. Trump has often stated that anyone who pleads the 5th Amendment, to refuse to answer pertinent questions in a court of law is, without question, guilty of what he/she had been charged.
Well then, how is it that Mr. Trump recently invoked the 5th Amendment, when forced to testify before the New York Attorney General, for his being charged that he allegedly made false statements on his assets to tax officials for his personal benefit?
Does this, as a result of his previous claim, confirm his guilt as well?
Also, before running for president in 2016, Mr. Trump had oftentimes stated that “anyone who runs for public office that refuses to release their income tax returns for public scrutiny, should be barred from running for office.”
However, Mr. Trump did just that when he ran for president in 2016, and again in 2020, and only recently the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee has legally been granted approval to review Mr. Trump’s tax returns from 2015-2020.
Mr. Trump also continues to refuse, in spite of all actual evidence to the contrary, to concede the 2020 presidential race to the rightful winner and current president, Joe Biden. This will be an essential and lasting part of the Trump legacy.
Richard Hord
Martins Ferry
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Kemp Vs. Abrams II: Republican Has Incumbent Advantage Now
Kemp Vs. Abrams II: Republican Has Incumbent Advantage Now https://digitalarkansasnews.com/kemp-vs-abrams-ii-republican-has-incumbent-advantage-now/
ATLANTA (AP) — In 2018, Brian Kemp spent much of his campaign for Georgia governor in Stacey Abrams’ shadow as the Democratic Party star tried to become the nation’s first Black female governor.
In the end, he won narrowly anyway.
Then, halfway through his term, the Republican governor became the target of Donald Trump’s wrath when the defeated president threatened retribution after Kemp certified Democrat Joe Biden’s slate of presidential electors in Georgia.
But not only did Kemp maintain support among most Republican voters while defying Trump, he seems to have only grown stronger heading into his rematch with Abrams. Now he wields the power of incumbency and a record that includes tax cuts and teacher pay raises.
He has also drawn the praise of national Republicans for the campaign he has run while Abrams has struggled to capitalize on the star power that once had her as a possible running mate for Biden or even a candidate for president herself.
FILE – Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks during an election-night watch party May 24, 2022, in Atlanta. The Georgia governor’s race is a rematch of 2018, when Brian Kemp narrowly defeated Stacey Abrams. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/John Bazemore
FILE – Democratic candidate for Georgia Governor Stacey Abrams poses for a portrait in front of the State Seal of Georgia on Aug. 8, 2022, in Decatur, Ga. The Georgia governor’s race is a rematch of 2018, when Brian Kemp narrowly defeated Stacey Abrams. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/John Bazemore
FILE – Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks during a Get Out the Vote Rally on the eve of gubernatorial and other primaries in the state on May 23, 2022, in Kennesaw, Ga. The Georgia governor’s race is a rematch of 2018, when Brian Kemp narrowly defeated Stacey Abrams. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Brynn Anderson
FILE – Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams talks to the media during Georgia’s primary election on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Atlanta. The Georgia governor’s race is a rematch of 2018, when Brian Kemp narrowly defeated Stacey Abrams. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Brynn Anderson
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“A lot of people didn’t know who I was,” in 2018, “and I was defined by a candidate who had twice as much money as I did and had the national media in her pocket,” Kemp said after one fall campaign stop. “I never could really fight through that. It’s a different story now.”
The result is a confident candidate who hopes to win more than 50 percent of the vote and build substantially on the 55,000-vote margin he held in 2018, enough to avoid a runoff by fewer than 20,000 votes.
“Four years ago, Democrats were almost staging a revolution for the first African American woman governor,” said Mark Rountree, a Republican pollster, describing a campaign fought on Abrams’ terms. Now, he said, she must react to Kemp: “I’d argue that it makes Stacey Abrams very small compared to who she was and how she ran four years ago.”
Abrams, who remains an unquestioned party leader in Georgia and influential Democrat nationally, is still a powerful draw. She’s outraised Kemp $85 million to $60 million through the end of September. But her inner circle acknowledges a fundamental shift from 2018.
“We’re in a midterm with a Democratic president, a climate that is really brutal,” campaign manager Lauren Groh-Wargo said in an interview. “People are exhausted. This is a powerful incumbent who’s gotten a boatload of federal money.”
The only way to run against an incumbent, she said, is “running scared.”
Kemp blends a sales job on his record with withering attacks on Abrams. He promotes the multiple tax cuts he’s signed and the multibillion-dollar surplus on the state’s balance sheet. He claims vindication for his decision to resist mask mandates, school closures and business lockdowns early in the pandemic, making sure to blast “Ms. Abrams and the radical Democrats” for taking a different approach.
The governor even embraces Abrams’ national brand and fundraising prowess, reminding supporters that his rival considered the possibility of becoming Biden’s running mate in 2020. One of his most reliable applause lines: “Make sure that Stacey Abrams is not going to be our governor — or our next president.”
For her part, Abrams has a broad menu of ideas for spending the state surplus. She wants more raises for law enforcement and teachers. As in 2018, she proposes expanding Medicaid under the 2010 national health insurance overhaul. Georgia remains one of the few states, all Republican-led, not to expand the program, forgoing billions of dollars for its public and private health care systems over time.
Abrams criticizes Kemp’s tax cuts for being tilted to the wealthy. “Millions … for them. A debit card for you,” one of her latest ads says. Her campaign aides note, sometimes with frustration, that Kemp takes credit for a Georgia economy boosted by ample federal spending during the pandemic. Trump and Biden each signed packages that steered direct support to businesses and individuals. Notably, Kemp singled out Democrats’ March 2021 measure as wasteful.
Similarly, Kemp dismisses Abrams’ spending plans as excessive and certain to require tax hikes, though independent analysis confirms that Abrams’ could deliver her promised agenda under the existing tax laws.
As a rejoinder to Kemp’s talk of “radical Democrats,” Abrams has tagged her opponent as an “extremist” on guns and abortion. She cites Kemp signing a 2022 law making it legal to carry a concealed weapon without a permit and a 2019 law banning abortions in the state after the sixth week of pregnancy, before many women know they’re pregnant. The latter statute, which Kemp signed in 2019, went into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned Roe v. Wade, a nearly 50-year precedent that legalized abortion nationwide.
And she continues to criticize Kemp for signing a sweeping overhaul of state election law that she once characterized as “Jim Crow 2.0″ because it could make it harder for some Georgia voters to cast ballots.
Rountree, the Republican pollster, said Abrams should distill her assertions into a clear reason voters should change governors. “She’s quibbling over how to spend a state surplus and then reacting to national issues like abortion that are presented to her,” Rountree said.
But Groh-Wargo said the campaign’s research shows that abortion is an animating issue for voters, particularly among Democrats who are normally unlikely to vote and even Republicans who favor abortion rights.
Groh-Wargo said also Abrams faces the burden of trying to break two historic barriers in a state that has known nothing but white men in the governor’s chair. “We’re not only doing the work to confront those biases, we’re giving voters what they want and need to make a decision,” Groh-Wargo said, explaining why Abrams explains in detail what she’d do with the job.
If Kemp has a hidden vulnerability, it would be the Republicans who won’t forgive him for his opposition to Trump. Trump endorsed former U.S. Sen. David Perdue over Kemp in the GOP primary, trying to make good on his post-2020 threats. Kemp thrashed Perdue with 74% of the primary vote, and Trump has been silent on Kemp since.
The question is how many of Perdue’s 262,000 primary supporters refuse to back Kemp over Abrams, either sitting out the governor’s race or giving their votes to the Libertarian Party nominee, potentially forcing a runoff by pulling Kemp below a majority.
“There are plenty of Republicans still mad at Kemp,” said Debbie Dooley, an early tea party organizer and Trump ally. “I’ll never vote for him.”
But Dooley conceded that Abrams herself is a coalescing force for Kemp. So much so that some Republicans marvel that Kemp, once expected to have a bruising primary fight, could be the heavyweight who carries the GOP ticket, rather than the beloved-but-embattled former University of Georgia football star Herschel Walker, who is running for the Senate against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock.
“There’s a whole lot of people who are glad their kids were in school not wearing masks,” said Martha Zoller, a conservative radio host in north Georgia. “I think we’re going to see how strong Brian really is.”
___
For more information on the midterm elections, go to: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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AP News Summary At 12:17 A.m. EDT https://digitalarkansasnews.com/ap-news-summary-at-1217-a-m-edt/
Trump’s subpoena and what’s next for the Jan. 6 panel
WASHINGTON (AP) — In an extraordinary step, the House Jan. 6 committee has voted unanimously to subpoena former President Donald Trump – a final effort to get the full story of the Capitol insurrection as the panel wraps up its work by the end of the year. Trump has been relentlessly hostile to the investigation, calling it a “charade and a witch hunt” in a letter to the committee on Friday. But he has not said whether he will comply with the demand for his appearance. Even if he does, there’s no guarantee the committee would get anything different from the broadsides Trump sends out periodically.
EXPLAINER: What to expect from China’s party congress
BEIJING (AP) — China’s ruling Communist Party is holding its twice-a-decade national congress starting Sunday. That’s where President Xi Jinping is expected to receive a third five-year term as the uncontested head of the party, government and military of the world’s second-largest economy. The event proceedings are shrouded in secrecy, as is typical in China’s authoritarian one-party state. But the congress, the 20th in its more than 100-year history, is expected to produce a new set of leaders handpicked by Xi. Xi faces no term limits and has yet to indicate a successor after a decade in the top spot. The 96 million-member party is led by a Central Committee and Politburo. Their top cadres, who now number seven, form the powerful Politburo Standing Committee.
Los Angeles mystery: Who taped meeting with racist rants?
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An anonymously leaked recording of crude, racist remarks and political scheming that led to the resignation of the Los Angeles City Council president and a powerful labor leader left behind a mystery: Who made the tape and why? Five days after the disclosure of the year-old tape, it remains unknown who recorded it and posted it to the website Reddit, or even how many people are involved. The recording of the racist language led to the resignations of then-Council President Nury Martinez and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, and two other Council members who attended are facing pressure to resign.
Putin calls his actions in Ukraine ‘correct and timely’
KYIV, UKRAINE (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin expects his troop mobilization for combat in Ukraine to end in about two weeks. That would allow him to end the unpopular and chaotic call-up meant to counter Ukrainian battlefield gains and solidify his illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. Putin faces domestic discontent and military setbacks in a neighboring country increasingly armed with advanced Western weapons. He told reporters Friday he “did not set out to destroy Ukraine” and doesn’t regret starting the conflict. Russia’s difficulties in achieving its war aims are becoming apparent in the illegally annexed Kherson region. Anticipating an advance by Ukrainian forces, Moscow-installed authorities there urged residents to flee Friday.
Parkland shooter’s life sentence could bring changes to law
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The life sentence about to be imposed on Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz could bring changes to the state’s death penalty law. Until recently, Florida law allowed the imposition of a death sentence if a majority of the jury agreed. But after the U.S. and state supreme courts rejected those laws, the Florida Legislature in 2017 voted to require jury unanimity for a death sentence to be imposed. That’s why Cruz will get life without parole, even though his jury voted 9-3 Thursday to support his execution. Relatives of Cruz’s victims and others say the law should now be changed. Cruz murdered 17 people at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.
US shift on Venezuelan migrants fuels anxiety in Mexico
TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — The Biden administration’s policy shift on Venezuelan migrants may pose an enormous challenge to overstretched Mexican shelters. The U.S. has coupled plans to let up to 24,000 Venezuelans apply online to fly to the U.S. for temporary stays with a pledge to immediately turn back Venezuelans who cross the border illegally from Mexico. The rapid expulsions expand a Trump-era policy that denies rights to seek asylum on grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19. Venezuelans have suddenly become the second-largest nationality at the U.S. border after Mexicans, a growing challenge to President Joe Biden and neighboring allies.
Police: 15-year-old boy kills 5 in Raleigh shooting rampage
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Police say a 15-year-old boy fatally shot five people in an attack that stretched from the streets of a Raleigh neighborhood to a nearby walking trail. Two others were also injured in the Thursday evening attack, which led police on an hours-long manhunt before the teen was arrested. Raleigh police Chief Estella Patterson said Friday that the teen is hospitalized in critical condition. The motive for the shooting is still not known. Some of the victims were going about their daily routines when they died. They ranged in age from 16 to their late 50s. The dead include off-duty Raleigh police Officer Gabriel Torres, who was on his way to work.
Mel Gibson can testify at Harvey Weinstein trial, judge says
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge has ruled that Mel Gibson can testify about what he learned from one of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers. The 66-year-old actor and director Gibson was one of many trial witnesses whose identities were revealed in court Friday. Weinstein is accused of sexual battery against the woman, who is a masseuse and friend of Gibson’s. The judge and lawyers took a break from jury selection to argue over which witnesses and evidence will be allowed during the eight-week trial. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty.
Kemp vs. Abrams II: Republican has incumbent advantage now
ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia governor’s race is a rematch of 2018, when Republican Brian Kemp narrowly defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams. But circumstances have changed. This time, it is Kemp who holds a lot of advantages as he seeks reelection. Abrams is trying to rekindle the star power that had people talking about her being president one day. Kemp became the target of Donald Trump’s wrath when the defeated president threatened retribution after Kemp certified Democrat Joe Biden’s slate of presidential electors in Georgia. But not only did Kemp maintain support among most Republican voters while defying Trump, he seems to have only grown stronger heading into his rematch with Abrams.
Officials: 25 dead, many trapped in Turkish coal mine blast
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish officials say an explosion inside a coal mine in northern Turkey has killed at least 25 people and dozens remain trapped underground. The explosion occurred Friday at a state-owned mine in the town of Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin. The country’s energy minister says a preliminary assessment indicates the blast was caused by firedamp — a reference to flammable gases found in coal mines. There were 110 people in the mine at the time of the explosion. Most were able to evacuate the mine following the blast, but the interior minister says 49 people were caught in a higher risk area of the mine.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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AP News Summary At 11:35 P.m. EDT https://digitalarkansasnews.com/ap-news-summary-at-1135-p-m-edt/
Trump’s subpoena and what’s next for the Jan. 6 panel
WASHINGTON (AP) — In an extraordinary step, the House Jan. 6 committee has voted unanimously to subpoena former President Donald Trump – a final effort to get the full story of the Capitol insurrection as the panel wraps up its work by the end of the year. Trump has been relentlessly hostile to the investigation, calling it a “charade and a witch hunt” in a letter to the committee on Friday. But he has not said whether he will comply with the demand for his appearance. Even if he does, there’s no guarantee the committee would get anything different from the broadsides Trump sends out periodically.
EXPLAINER: What to expect from China’s party congress
BEIJING (AP) — China’s ruling Communist Party is holding its twice-a-decade national congress starting Sunday. That’s where President Xi Jinping is expected to receive a third five-year term as the uncontested head of the party, government and military of the world’s second-largest economy. The event proceedings are shrouded in secrecy, as is typical in China’s authoritarian one-party state. But the congress, the 20th in its more than 100-year history, is expected to produce a new set of leaders handpicked by Xi. Xi faces no term limits and has yet to indicate a successor after a decade in the top spot. The 96 million-member party is led by a Central Committee and Politburo. Their top cadres, who now number seven, form the powerful Politburo Standing Committee.
Los Angeles mystery: Who taped meeting with racist rants?
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An anonymously leaked recording of crude, racist remarks and political scheming that led to the resignation of the Los Angeles City Council president and a powerful labor leader left behind a mystery: Who made the tape and why? Five days after the disclosure of the year-old tape, it remains unknown who recorded it and posted it to the website Reddit, or even how many people are involved. The recording of the racist language led to the resignations of then-Council President Nury Martinez and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, and two other Council members who attended are facing pressure to resign.
Putin calls his actions in Ukraine ‘correct and timely’
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Late-Night Laughs https://digitalarkansasnews.com/late-night-laughs/
Planted evidence
“Who else gets caught committing crimes with their own security cameras? Who are you? How are you real?
“There’s something inspiring about it, too, when you think about it. It’s actually inspiring. Because Trump is so bad at crime, but he gets away with so much of it, it just shows us we could do crime, too.” – Trevor Noah
“Man, he’s a bad criminal. You’re supposed to get rid of the evidence. Trump is the first criminal to plant the evidence on himself.” – Seth Meyers
“I have to say, all this evidence, it’s crazy the only Trump being held in prison right now is Melania.
“Remember how he was ranting and raving about the agents searching Barron’s bedroom and going through Melania’s closet? That’s because he put the documents there.” – Jimmy Kimmel
Ratings grabber“The House Jan. 6 committee voted unanimously to subpoena former President Trump.
“I would say this is big news, but it’s really more like putting one more parking ticket on that van that’s been on your block for a year. That ticket ain’t gettin’ paid.
“Watching him testify before Congress would be insane. He’d go on all sorts of insane rants and attack people. It would be like casting an actual lion in ‘The Lion King.’ ” – Seth Meyers
“But I feel like he will be a little conflicted.
“Because on the one hand, yes, he thinks this is a crooked witch hunt that is out to get him, but on the other hand, the ratings.” – Trevor Noah
Walkering on eggshells“The latest on Herschel is that abortion that the mother of one of his sons said he paid for, she said she had to badger him to even get the money.
“She said she told him, ‘Listen, both of us did this. We both know how babies are made,’ which I’m not so sure Herschel does. Because I’m not so sure Herschel knows how bread is made.
“Maybe Herschel doesn’t even know what ‘pro life’ means. Maybe he was like, ‘I was a pro football player – this is my life. Pro life!’ ” – Jimmy Kimmel
“Aah, so he’s cool with abortion as long as it doesn’t cost him. So he’s socially liberal, fiscally conservative, complete a-hole.” – Stephen Colbert
The biggest loser
“And tonight I come to you with a spring in my step, a song in my heart, emotionally and spiritually refreshed. Because, you know how as humans, we have to accept the fact that sometimes bad things happen to good people? Well, by the grace of God, sometimes bad things happen to Alex Jones.
“That’s a lot of money! You heard that right – billion with a capital ‘Byeee.’ ” – Stephen Colbert
“I guess the good guys just won the Infowars, is what happened there.” – Jimmy Kimmel
They say it’s your birthday
“Right after the midterms, there’s going to be another big day: It’s going to be Joe Biden’s birthday, when he’ll turn 80 years old, making him the first president to become an octogenarian while in office. The White House has a little bit of a problem here, because ‘oldest president ever’ is not the kind of record you want to be setting. It’s right up there with Grover Cleveland’s record for longest presidential fingernails.
“According to administration sources, you shouldn’t expect a blowout birthday bash, which is just what you’d say when you’re planning a surprise party! Oh, it’s going to be hot. There’s going to be a senior citizen throw-down! We’re talking Ensure stands, low-cut shawls, and shots, shots, shots: Covid, flu and shingles.” – Stephen Colbert
“White House officials are reportedly planning to downplay President Biden’s upcoming 80th birthday. Well, good luck with that, ’cause everything about Biden screams ‘birthday week.’ [imitating Biden] ‘Monday, I’m going bowling with my college buds; Tuesday, shots; Wednesday, Dave & Buster’s, then we’re all flying to Ibiza!’ ” – Seth Meyers
Since 14 hundred and 92 …“Well guys, if you watch MSNBC, I want to say, ‘Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day.’ And if you watch Fox News, I want to say, ‘Happy Columbus Day.’ ” – Jimmy Fallon
“Not only is it Columbus Day, it’s also Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which is what it should be, probably. But we have to pick one or the other, right? This is like saying it’s Arbor Day and Chain Saw Day – it can’t be both. I think it’s probably the most controversial federal holiday of all of them, Columbus Day.
“Here’s how you know Columbus Day isn’t so hot anymore – there’s no Google doodle for it.” – Jimmy Kimmel
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In Previously Unaired Footage From Jan. 6 Nancy Pelosi And Mike Pence Discuss Their Safety And A Contingency Plan To Certify The Election: 'I Worry About You Being In The Capitol'
In Previously Unaired Footage From Jan. 6, Nancy Pelosi And Mike Pence Discuss Their Safety And A Contingency Plan To Certify The Election: 'I Worry About You Being In The Capitol' https://digitalarkansasnews.com/in-previously-unaired-footage-from-jan-6-nancy-pelosi-and-mike-pence-discuss-their-safety-and-a-contingency-plan-to-certify-the-election-i-worry-about-you-being-in-the-capitol/
U.S. Vice President-elect Mike Pence (L) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) talk to reporters following their meeting in her offices at the U.S. Capt iol November 17, 2016 in Washington, DC.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Previously unaired footage released by CNN shows a Jan. 6 phone call between Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence.
The politicians, second and third in line to the presidency, discussed their safety and a plan to certify the election.
“I worry about you being in the Capitol,” Pelosi can be heard telling the then-Vice President.
In previously unaired footage from January 6, 2021, Nancy Pelosi can be seen discussing safety and a plan to certify the election on a call with Mike Pence while the siege on the Capitol was underway.
CNN on Friday released the footage, captured by the Speaker of the House’s filmmaker daughter, Alexandra Pelosi.
The politicians, who were second and third in the line of succession to the presidency at the time, talk through a plan to certify the presidential election during the call, despite the Capitol grounds being filled with violent protesters who sought to interrupt the proceedings and install Donald Trump as president for a second term.
“Well, definitely we are still not safe enough for us to go back,” Pelosi says to Pence in the clip. “They’re even still trying to penetrate the building and it’s not a safe thing, because we’re trying to figure out how we can get this job done today.”
Pelosi mentions Fort McNair, an Army base in Washington, DC, as a potential “backup plan” location for the House and Senate to meet to complete the certification process. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer can be heard telling Pelosi that security forces indicated it would take several days to clear out and clean the Capitol enough for it to be used.
Pence’s responses cannot be heard in the footage, but Pelosi can be heard saying the politicians present were “unified,” with “no partisanship, no anything,” with the then-Vice President and stressed the importance of completing the certification the same day.
“I worry about you being in the Capitol,” Pelosi says to Pence at the end of the clip.
In additional videos of previously unreleased footage, Pelosi told Pence not to let anybody know where he was hiding and told an aide she would punch Donald Trump if he arrived on the Capitol grounds.
Representatives for Pelosi and Pence did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.
Read the original article on Business Insider
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Bill In Arkansas Gives Child Sexual Abuse Victims More Time To File Civil Lawsuits
Bill In Arkansas Gives Child Sexual Abuse Victims More Time To File Civil Lawsuits https://digitalarkansasnews.com/bill-in-arkansas-gives-child-sexual-abuse-victims-more-time-to-file-civil-lawsuits/
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas legislators are reminding you of a new law passed last session, in light of a child sexual abuse case you saw on KARK/FOX16 just last week.
Senate Bill 676 was signed into law last session in 2021 and changes the statute of limitations to give child sexual abuse victims more time to file civil lawsuits.
Last week, we reported that Barry Walker pled guilty to raping more than 30 children in Pike and Clark Counties. After the hearings wrapped up, Clark County Prosecutor Dan Turner stressed the importance of any victim of sexual abuse seeking justice.
“I do hope that one thing that comes out of this is victims tell their stories,” Turner said.
One legislator is reminding Arkansans of a new law that gives Arkansans more flexibility to do so.
State Senator Trent Garner (R- District 27) co-sponsored Senate Bill 676 in 2021- which was a bipartisan piece of legislation. It is now called the Justice for Vulnerable Victims Act.
“This was a wrong could be righted through our civil system and to give people the opportunity to have their day in court and be compensated for having such a horrendous act done against them,” Garner said.
Up until this bill was signed into law, the statute of limitations for a minor to report sexual abuse and be compensated in civil court ended at 21. The new law changes that age to 55.
“I think it’s a bipartisan issue that child abusers, child molesters deserve to be held to justice,” Garner said.
Garner said the bill also gives victims a two-year window right now if they’re over that age 55 age limit, that way they have time to come forward now for a civil case since this bill was just passed last year.
To see the full text of the law, click here.
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Liz Truss Brings In Rival Who Could Steady The Ship Or Take Her Job
Liz Truss Brings In Rival Who Could Steady The Ship, Or Take Her Job https://digitalarkansasnews.com/liz-truss-brings-in-rival-who-could-steady-the-ship-or-take-her-job/
Liz Truss expects Jeremy Hunt to put public finances on a sustainable path
London:
Under-pressure UK Prime Minister Liz Truss appointed Jeremy Hunt as her new Chancellor of the Exchequer, replacing Kwasi Kwarteng after just 38 days in office, in a last-ditch bid to reassure the financial markets she was taking a new economic path.
The prime minister is betting that having 55-year-old Jeremy Hunt by her side will help to convince investors that her fiscal plans can work.
She is also hoping that bringing a rival into the heart of her government may help to appease the many Tory lawmakers who were alarmed by her decision to surround herself with ideological loyalists after she took office last month. They have also been angered by chaos she has unleashed for the markets and the party.
So it will be a tricky task to pull off.
Liz Truss, 47, expects Jeremy Hunt to put the public finances on a sustainable path without sacrificing any more of the controversial package of tax cuts that tipped the administration into crisis three weeks ago, according to a person familiar with her thinking. While Ms Truss has already ditched plans to reduce taxes for the highest earners and on Friday announced an increase in corporate levies to wipe out almost half of her £45 billion ($50 billion) giveaway, she still needs to find another £24 billion to get debt falling relative to GDP, according to Bloomberg Economics.
When he ran for the leadership this summer, Hunt said he would stick with a rise in national insurance — rather than reverse it as Truss has since done — and he has been an advocate for increasing spending on health care and defense. He was eliminated from the contest in the first round of voting.
“I would love to see income tax cut, but it has to be done in a way that is sustainable,” he told the Telegraph newspaper in July. “It can’t be an electoral bribe and it depends on growth.”
But whether on not Hunt can meet the economic challenge that he has taken on, Ms Truss has given a platform to a potentially dangerous competitor who is being openly talked about as a potential successor to the wounded prime minister. Even if she can cling on in office for a period, she’s already handed a significant amount of power to the new chancellor, who is lending his own credibility to help shore up an administration wrecked by the financial damage of the past three weeks.
“You should see Liz Truss as the chairman and Jeremy Hunt as the chief executive — he’ll be a very effective chief executive,” Steve Brine, a Tory lawmaker and an ally of Hunt, said in an interview on BBC radio. “But he’s obviously made no secret of the fact he wanted the top job.”
Mr Hunt was a high-profile supporter of Ms Truss’s opponent Rishi Sunak during this summer’s leadership campaign, praising his “formidable ability” as chancellor.
Mr Hunt was a long-serving cabinet minister under David Cameron and Theresa May, running the health department for almost six years before becoming foreign secretary for a year. In 2019, he made the final two candidates to become party leader and prime minister, before being soundly beaten by Boris Johnson.
He has since rebranded himself as a crusading backbencher, chairing the health and social care select committee since 2020. Most recently he’s won headlines by grilling ministers and officials over the government’s much-criticized response to the Covid pandemic.
While Mr Hunt has no Treasury experience, he has pointed to his time creating and running his education business Hotcourses as evidence of his business acumen, a company that sold for millions of pounds.
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Organization Gives Unclaimed Veterans A Proper Burial
Organization Gives Unclaimed Veterans A Proper Burial https://digitalarkansasnews.com/organization-gives-unclaimed-veterans-a-proper-burial/
FORT SMITH, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Unclaimed veterans were laid to rest Friday at the Fort Smith National Cemetery thanks to a project called Missing in America Recovery Project for Veterans.
Richard Espy served in Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm in the Middle East.
“These are our brothers and sisters in arms,” he said Friday.
Espy is one of several veterans who helped lay to rest five unclaimed veterans in Fort Smith.
“There’s a special place in our heart for them and it’s great to give them the honor that they deserve,” he said.
Lori Holden helped present the colors at Friday’s ceremony.
“It’s such an honor,” Holden said. “It gives me absolute chills.”
Veteran Joe Robine took the role of a pallbearer.
“The emotions, they start overrunning when you see all these people come out and honor the forgotten,” he said. “It really touches a spot that doesn’t get touched very often.”
Gina Gustafson with Missing in America helps identify the veterans in local coroner’s offices, some of whom have been there for decades.
“It’s so important to remember the veterans and get them what they were promised when they signed up,” she said. “An honorable burial.”
Laying those unclaimed veterans to rest with a proper burial is even more poignant for the vets who came out Friday — when they see the people who come to watch it happen.
“It means a lot to them,” Espy said. “And therefore it means a lot to us.”
“They finally get the place they’ve worked so hard for in their military careers,” Robine said. “They get to lay to rest knowing who they are.”
Missing in America will host a poker run on Saturday to raise money to find more unclaimed veterans around Arkansas and Oklahoma.
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