Pryor Center Presents https://digitalarkansasnews.com/pryor-center-presents-3/ Photo Submitted The Pryor Center Presents lecture series continues with Michael Pierce and Calvin White Jr. at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, as they discuss their recent book Race, Labor, and Violence in the Delta: Essays to Mark the Centennial of the Elaine Massacre at the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. This event is cosponsored by the The University of Arkansas Press. In late September 2019, 17 historians from across the country traveled to the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, to participate in an academic conference that marked the 100-year anniversary of one of the nation’s deadliest labor conflicts — the Elaine Massacre. Sponsored by the Diane D. Blair Center for the Study of Southern Politics and Society at the U of A, the two-day conference ultimately resulted in the publication of this edited collection of essays. By shedding light on the Elaine Massacre, Race, Labor, and Violence in the Delta reveals that the fight against white supremacy in the Delta was necessarily a fight for better working conditions, fair labor practices and economic justice. Pierce is associate professor of history at the U of A and the author of Striking with the Ballot: Ohio Labor and the Populist Party. White is associate dean of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the U of A, where he is also associate professor of history. He is the author of The Rise to Respectability: Race, Religion, and the Church of God in Christ. Pearl’s Books will have copies of the book available for sale at the Pryor Center. This event will be held in person and via Zoom. If you wish to attend virtually, please register in advance with an e-mail address that is associated with a Zoom account. Registration is not required for in-person attendance. The Pryor Center is located at 1 East Center St., Suite 120. The event is free and open to the public, and parking is available on the Fayetteville Square. Upcoming Pryor Center Presents Tuesday, Dec. 6, 6-7 p.m. Pryor Center Presents “The Centennial Celebration of Arkansas Women Legislators, 1922-2022” presented by Lindsley Armstrong Smith and Stephen A. Smith Virtual attendees — Register in advance About the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History: The David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History is an oral history program with the mission to document the history of Arkansas through the collection of spoken memories and visual records, preserve the collection in perpetuity, and connect Arkansans and the world to the collection through the Internet, TV broadcasts, educational programs, and other means. The Pryor Center records audio and video interviews about Arkansas history and culture, collects other organizations’ recordings, organizes these recordings into an archive, and provides public access to the archive, primarily through the website at pryorcenter.uark.edu. The Pryor Center is the state’s only oral and visual history program with a statewide, 75-county mission to collect, preserve, and share audio and moving image recordings of Arkansas history. About the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences: The Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit on campus with three schools, 16 departments and 43 academic programs and research centers. The college provides the majority of the core curriculum for all University of Arkansas students. About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas’ flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News. Read More…

Jimmy Kimmel Mocks Trump’s Penis For Going After Late-Night Hosts https://digitalarkansasnews.com/jimmy-kimmel-mocks-trumps-penis-for-going-after-late-night-hosts/ There was a time when Donald Trump’s Twitter account not only drove the mainstream news cycle but also provided nightly fodder for late-night television. Since he’s been relegated to Truth Social, that hasn’t been the case. So it took Jimmy Kimmel a bit longer than usual to notice a post Trump made about him and his fellow late-night talk show hosts. “I didn’t even see it, that’s how badly his social media platform is doing,” he joked on Tuesday night before sharing what the former president had to say. “It was my great honor to have destroyed the ratings of Late Night ‘Comedy’ shows,” Trump wrote on Monday. “There is nothing funny about the shows, the three hosts have very little talent, and when Jimmy Fallon apologized for having humanized ‘Trump,’ and his ratings soared, the Radical Left forced him to apologize—that was effectively the end of The Tonight Show.” Kimmel rightly pointed out that Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show is “still on” more than six years after that host playfully ruffled Trump’s hair during the 2016 election and then later apologized for “normalizing” the then-candidate. “I made a mistake,” Fallon said in 2018. “I’m sorry if I made anyone mad. And, looking back, I would do it differently.” “So proud of himself,” Kimmel added of Trump, “like a tubby, orange brat knocking over sand castles at the beach. And I like that he says we have ‘very little talent.’ You know, that’s the same thing Stormy Daniels said about him—except, instead of ‘talent’ she said ‘penis.’” In addition to writing about it in her book, Daniels made similar comments about the size of Trump’s “junk” on Kimmel’s show. “But if anyone knows talent, it’s Donald Trump,” he continued. “He has walked backstage unannounced while young women were changing at some of the biggest talent competitions in the whole world!” Finally, Kimmel addressed Trump’s comments about late-night ratings by sending him a message on behalf of his fellow late-night hosts: “Jimmy, Stephen, Seth and I, we’ve been on for a total of 58 seasons and counting. Your Presidency got canceled after one.” Read More Here

Bilich Wins VGA Title For Second Straight Year https://digitalarkansasnews.com/bilich-wins-vga-title-for-second-straight-year/ Hancock native Anthony Bilich poses with the trophy he won during the 2021 Veterans Golf Association National Championships at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey. (Provided photo) MADISON, Wis. — While the rest of the country tuned into news outlets to hear news about Hurricane Ian as it made landfall in Florida in late September, a group of golfers from all over the country gathered in Miami for the Veterans Golf Association’s national championship. For the second year in a row, Hancock native Anthony Bilich took home top honors, winning by four strokes in one of the most memorable experiences he has ever had playing the game, at least since he won the 2021 nationals by climbing the leaderboard the second day with four consecutive birdies to force a playoff, which he followed by making another birdie in the playoff to win. “It was awesome,” he said. “Honestly. I felt like I could freewheel a little bit. “Coming from behind last year, in that fashion, was really, really special. Then this year, I just felt like I was going to go out and just freewheel, have fun for the week, and not focus so much on score. Just try to play good golf and see what happens.” With Hurricane Ian battering its way through Fort Myers, high winds and heavy rain battered Miami, home of Trump National Doral Golf Club, affectionately known as the “Blue Monster” to golfers and fans across the country. Anthony Bilich attempts to hit his tee shot during the 2022 Veterans Golf Association National Championship at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami, Florida, during Hurrican Ian. (Provided photo) Bilich, who won the VGA national championship in 2021 at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey, knew going into the 2022 tournament, things would be different this year, given the expected conditions, and the location. With the weather taking a turn for the worse as the tournament was scheduled to begin, the traditional practice round, which gives the golfers a chance to play the course before competing on it, was canceled, and instead, the tournament began on that day. For any golfer, not playing a golf course before competing in a tournament would be difficult, but to play for a national championship, Bilich and his opponents all entered the course essentially blind. As conditions worsened, Bilich knew that if he could just play even par golf, he would probably put himself in a great position to defend his title. “The second day was 30 to 40-mile-an hour sustained winds, on and off rain,” he said. “I mean, we’re on the south side of Hurricane Ian, so it was like I literally played in a hurricane. I just said, ‘You know what, pars are golden.’ If I can make 18 pars somehow, I felt like I was gonna win by a bunch. “It was tough. It was the hardest conditions I’ve ever played in golf.” The high winds affected shots heavily, especially during the second day. “I was trying to explain this to one of my friends,” he said. “I hit a gap wedge, downwind, from 200 yards, and hit it on the green. The next hole, I hit 6-iron from 140 yards and didn’t even make it to the green. I could not comprehend the wind switch.” Bilich, who has competed in four straight national championship tournaments as part of the VGA, loves winning, but admits there is much more to the entire experience than just playing in a golf tournament. “I would say the VGA is 90% about camaraderie, and the people, and 10% about golf,” he said. “I know, at the highest level, the (Veteran) A Division has a lot, if you figure all the members nationwide, hundreds and hundreds of scratch golfers that compete throughout the year to make it to nationals. It is competitive at every level. But, at the end of the day, sitting down and having dinner and hanging out with everyone, I mean, that’s the most important thing.” The VGA was founded in 2014 to provide an avenue for veterans, especially younger veterans like Bilich, who also grew up playing hockey in the Copper Country, to connect with each other and have a little fun, rather than sit at home and struggle. “It was some guys just trying to figure out ways to help veterans get together,” he said. “The one thing about the military or hockey or anything, if you’re part of a team, and you (suddenly) don’t have that anymore, it’s kind of weird. The military is the ultimate team. You go overseas, or you’re in the military for a while, and then you don’t have that anymore, you kind of feel like you’re on an island a little bit.” The VGA now puts on between 400 and 500 tournaments a year now with 15,000 members. Players have to play a minimum of three tournaments in their home state to qualify for the state tournament. If they win the state tournament, they move to a regional competition, and eventually nationals, if they keep winning. Through the VGA, Bilich has met a number of people he now considers friends. “It’s a really cool organization,” he said. “They do a lot of good things. It’s a nonprofit and (they) try to get veterans together. Honestly, some of my best friends in life I’ve met through this VGA thing the last four or five years. It’s turned out to be really good for me.” Bilich earned his Purple Heart after getting wounded in a blast in Afghanistan while serving with the 1431st Engineers out of Calumet in 2009. While he compares his injuries to those a hockey player might suffer from a violent bodycheck, he knows that many veterans are in much worse shape than he is. That is part of what makes what the VGA is trying to accomplish so vital in his eyes. “It’s a great way to get veterans together,” he said. “I’m happy I’ve won, golf-wise, the last couple of years, but the friendships and bonds I’ve made with the people over the last four or five years is definitely more important to me than the trophies.” Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox Read More Here

GOP’s Jacobs Doubles Down On Controls For High-Powered Guns https://digitalarkansasnews.com/gops-jacobs-doubles-down-on-controls-for-high-powered-guns/ CLARENCE, N.Y. (AP) — After back-to-back mass shootings last spring, including one that killed 10 people at a supermarket not far from his suburban Buffalo home, Republican U.S. Rep. Chris Jacobs made a decision. If an assault weapons ban came to the House floor, he would support it, he told voters in his conservative congressional district. “I could have said nothing,” said Jacobs. Silence would have allowed him to cruise through the Republican primary. But after 31 deaths in 10 days, including the slaying of 19 children at a school in Uvalde, Texas, he felt he had an obligation to take a public stance. “Having two young children, it just really — you have a different perspective when, you know, thinking about going home to your kids when those 19 children perished,” Jacobs said. A week later came another decision. With Republicans withdrawing their support for him in droves, Jacobs announced he would not seek reelection. The expiration of his career is another sign of the polarization that is ever-growing in a Congress where, as Jacobs said, “If you stray from a party position, you are annihilated.” “There’s a lot of single-issue voters in the Republican Party on this issue, and on the other side, abortion,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “The idea of big tents for parties, I think, is very important. And right now it’s very strident both ways, and I just don’t think that’s good,” he said. “The polarized nature is why you see a lot of frustrated members of Congress and not enough is getting done.” But if there is regret for the decision that abruptly halted his political career, it doesn’t show. On his way out of Congress, the Republican serving his first full term has doubled down on his support for the regulation of certain high-powered firearms, proposing a licensing regimen for people who want to buy them. “Ninety-nine percent of people are very responsible gun owners. Unfortunately, saying it’s only 1% (who are not) gives no solace to someone who lost somebody senselessly in Buffalo or in one of these mass shootings,” Jacobs said. His Federal Assault Weapons Licensing Act would require people to take a safety course, pass an FBI background check and submit fingerprints before buying a “semi-automatic assault weapon.” There are exemptions, including for current owners, active duty military and law enforcement officers. The steps would be similar to those required for the thousands of pistol permits Jacobs issued during five years as Erie County clerk, a process he considers a reasonable balance between Second Amendment protections and responsible ownership. Many of Jacobs’ former supporters see his position as a betrayal. “It’s just not really tolerable,” said the state’s Conservative Party chair, Gerard Kassar. “In terms of single issues, the Second Amendment in parts of upstate New York … is a very, very significant single issue and represents more than just the issue of guns,” Kassar said. “It represents the issue of freedom, represents an issue of constitutionalists. It represents the position of libertarians.” Donald Trump Jr. tweeted that Jacobs had “caved to the gun-grabbers.” Jacobs’ reputation as a moderate has, until now, worked to his advantage. He was the first Republican to be elected Erie County Clerk in 40 years and gained acceptance on the school board in the heavily Democratic county seat of Buffalo. He was serving in the state Senate when, with the endorsement of President Donald Trump, he won a special election to Congress in June 2020. In Congress, Jacobs was endorsed by the National Rifle Association, voted against impeaching Trump and has strongly advocated for completion of the wall begun by the former president along the southern border. But his break with the party on guns began when an 18-year-old shooter killed 10 Black people and wounded three victims at a Tops Friendly Market near where his real estate development business is based. “It was profound to all of us,” said Jacobs, a member of a prominent Buffalo family. His uncle is Jeremy Jacobs, the billionaire owner of the Boston Bruins and chair of concessions giant Delaware North. Two weeks later, another 18-year-old with a similar weapon opened fire at the elementary school in Uvalde, killing 19 students and two teachers. This time, Jacobs’ thoughts turned to his own children, one 3 and the other less than a year old. When the House in July voted to ban certain semi-automatic guns for the first time since 2004, he was one of two Republicans to support the proposal, which had little chance in the U.S. Senate. If Jacobs had decided to run for reelection, he would have been campaigning in a newly drawn district that was even more conservative than the one he now represents in the suburbs and rural areas around Buffalo. The new territory would have included six new mostly rural counties along the Pennsylvania border in which he is largely unknown. “Clearly if I ran — and I thought I could have pulled it off — but I thought the NRA, it would have been outside money galore and I just didn’t think that was good for the district or the party,” Jacobs said, “and I just decided it was not right to do.” The state’s Republican committee chair, Nick Langworthy, ultimately won the primary in the new district and will be the prohibitive favorite against Democrat Max Della Pia in November. Langworthy stepped in after saying he was caught by surprise by Jacobs’ support for a ban on semi-automatic firearms. “I think everybody was caught very flat-footed by his adopting the Democrat position on gun control,” he said at the time. If elected, Langworthy “would not support an assault weapons ban or any other legislation that limits the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans and has been proven ineffective,” his campaign spokesperson, Chris Grant, said in a statement Tuesday to the AP. Andrea Nikischer, who co-founded a progressive group in Jacobs’ current district, has long criticized the Republican over his politics and pro-Trump votes. Nevertheless, she was disappointed by his decision to leave office after shifting his stance on guns. “I’m sorry he didn’t run,” she said. “I think it would have been a very meaningful discourse, and he could have pushed his party in a more positive direction. The power of incumbency is strong, and I wish he had used that power to push this discussion in his own party further.” Jacobs has not yet found support for his assault weapons licensing proposal and doesn’t expect to see it emerge with the election just weeks away. But he said he’s hopeful more support might emerge after November. “I’m going to put this forward,” he said, “and I hope somebody grabs it.” Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Read More Here

DoJ Asks Supreme Court To Stay Out Of Trump’s Mar-A-Lago Documents Case – Follow Live https://digitalarkansasnews.com/doj-asks-supreme-court-to-stay-out-of-trumps-mar-a-lago-documents-case-follow-live/ Tim Ryan calls JD Vance an ‘ass-kisser’ after Trump remarks The Department of Justice has asked the Supreme Court to refrain from intervening in an ongoing dispute between the government and former president Donald Trump over classified documents found during the 8 August search of his Mar-a-Lago property. In a brief filed with the high court on Tuesday, the US Solicitor General said Justice Clarence Thomas — the justice responsible for reviewing 11th Circuit Court of Appeals decisions — should keep in place a three-judge panel’s order allowing the government to block “highly sensitive” documents from a special master and use them to further the criminal probe into the twice-impeached ex-president. Meanwhile, a report in The Washington Post reveals that half of the money raised by Mr Trump’s Save America political action committees has been spent on his legal bills and two nonprofits employing former members of his administration rather than Republican congressional campaigns. The group has contributed about $8.4m so far directly to Republican campaigns and committees while devoting $7m to the former president’s lawyers and another $2m to the two nonprofits. Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists Email Please enter a valid email Please enter a valid email Password Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number First name Please enter your first name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters Last name Please enter your last name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters You must be over 18 years old to register You must be over 18 years old to register Year of birth I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent.  Read our Privacy notice You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. Each email has a link to unsubscribe. Already have an account? sign in Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists Email Please enter a valid email Please enter a valid email Password Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number First name Please enter your first name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters Last name Please enter your last name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters You must be over 18 years old to register You must be over 18 years old to register Year of birth I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent.  Read our Privacy notice You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. Each email has a link to unsubscribe. Already have an account? sign in Read More Here

ELF: Cologne Centurions Sign Kahlil Carter As New Head Coach https://digitalarkansasnews.com/elf-cologne-centurions-sign-kahlil-carter-as-new-head-coach/ The Cologne Centurions of the European League of Football have announced the signing of Kahlil Carter as their new head coach and defensive coordinator.   After making the playoffs in the league’s first season in 2021, Cologne had a disappointing campaign this past year, finishing with a record of 3-9.  The team decided to move on from coach Frank Roser after the season ended and began looking for a coach who they believed could turn the team around.  The man they chose for the job is 46 year old, Little Rock, Arkansas native, Kahlil Carter,  Carter played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks in the SEC from 1994 to 1997, before transferring to Southern Arkansas University at the Division II level.  After college, Carter played for a number of teams in many leagues, from the Arena Football League to the Canadian Football League to NFL Europe, where he spent time with the Scottish Claymores.  He even was a part of the Cleveland Browns and the Buffalo Bills in the NFL, but never saw regular season action.  Carter eventually moved onto coaching, where he has coached teams in places such as high school football, the NCAA, and the Canadian Football League.  He most recently served as the defensive coordinator for the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL in the 2018 season.  He stepped down from his position after the season due to personal reasons but remained in the organization as a scout. Carter will take over as head coach and defensive coordinator for a Cologne team that gave up the second-most points in the ELF last season, surrendering an average of almost 40 points per game.  Centurions general manager David Drane: “We are pleased to have Coach Carter as our head coach for the upcoming season. He is a young and hungry coach with drive – he always wants to win!  With this positive attitude and his experience both as a coach and as a player at the highest level, we believe we have the right person to lead the Centurions into the new season!”  Carter is excited for this unique opportunity: “I am excited and honored to be named the new head coach of the Cologne Centurions.  My family and I are truly blessed to be a part of such a great football organization with such historical and future potential for success… From my time in NFL Europe as a player until now as I return to Europe, I have enjoyed seeing the progress that pro football has made, especially in Germany, and I hope that 2023 will be a statement year for our team and the entire ELF football family.” Read More…

AP News Summary At 12:44 A.m. EDT https://digitalarkansasnews.com/ap-news-summary-at-1244-a-m-edt/ UN, G7 decry Russian attack on Ukraine as possible war crime KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces have carpeted Ukraine with a fresh barrage of missiles and munition-carrying drones. The bombardment came a day after strikes across the country killed at least 19 people and knocked out power across the country. The U.N. human rights office says the “particularly shocking” attacks could amount to war crimes. The leaders of the Group of Seven industrial powers also condemned the attacks and said they would “stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes.” Their pledge defied Russian warnings that Western assistance would prolong the war and the pain of Ukraine’s people. Russia launched the attacks in retaliation for a weekend explosion that damaged a bridge linking Russia to the Crimean Peninsula. US mulls Ukrainian-type parole for Venezuelan migrants SAN DIEGO (AP) — U.S. officials say the Biden administration is developing plans for Venezuelans with sponsors to be granted parole to enter the United States, similar to how Ukrainians have been admitted after Russia’s invasion. The plan is being designed to deal with Venezuelans suddenly becoming the second-largest nationality at U.S. border after Mexicans. Three officials described outlines of the plan on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press, emphasizing that talks were fluid and subject to change. Two officials say Mexico may accept Venezuelans who cross the U.S. border illegally and are expelled under a rule designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. To hold House, Democrats eye GOP-held districts won by Biden GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A congressional district in Michigan that includes Grand Rapids hasn’t had a Democratic House member in decades. But the region has turned bluer in recent years, and new congressional maps have converted it from a district that backed Donald Trump for president in 2020 to one that Joe Biden would have carried instead. The district is just one of 14 nationwide that are Republican-held but that Biden would have won under new maps. As Democrats brace for midterm losses that could cost them control of the House, they hope flipping Republican-held districts can make up ground lost elsewhere. Graft convictions extend Suu Kyi’s prison term to 26 years BANGKOK (AP) — A court in military-ruled Myanmar has convicted the country’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on two more corruption charges. The two three-year sentences handed down Wednesday, to be served concurrently, add to previous convictions that now leave her with a 26-year total prison term. Suu Kyi was detained in February 2021 when the military seized power from her elected government. She has denied the allegations against her in this case, in which she was accused of receiving $550,000 in bribes from a tycoon once convicted of drug trafficking. She had already been sentenced to 23 years’ imprisonment after being convicted of several charges including illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, violating coronavirus restrictions, and sedition. Biden vows ‘consequences’ for Saudis after OPEC+ cuts output WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says there will be “consequences” for Saudi Arabia as his administration begins reevaluating the U.S. relationship with the kingdom. That’s after the Riyadh-led OPEC+ alliance of oil-producing nations announced it would cut oil production. Biden said in a CNN interview Tuesday that he was weighing action against the Saudis but declined to detail potential next steps. The OPEC+ production cut is expected to help Russia pad its coffers as it continues its nearly eight-month war in Ukraine. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Rep. Ro Khanna of California have introduced legislation that would immediately pause all U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia. 20 years after Bali bombings, ‘the ache does not dim’ DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — People affected by the 2002 Bali bombings gathered on the Indonesian resort island to commemorate 20 years since the twin bombing that killed 202 people. Most of the dead were foreign tourists, including 88 Australians and seven Americans. The commemoration services are being held at several places in Australia and at Bali’s Australian Consulate in the city of Denpasar. Australian survivors of the 2002 terrorist attack and relatives of the deceased were among the 200 in attendance to pay tribute to their loved ones. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to the strength and unity shown since the tragedy. He said, “Twenty years on, the ache does not dim.” Trump lawyer who vouched for documents meets with FBI WASHINGTON (AP) — A lawyer for former president Donald Trump who signed a letter stating that a “diligent search” for classified records had been conducted and that all such documents had been given back to the government has spoken with the FBI. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The person says Christina Bobb told federal investigators during Friday’s interview that she had not drafted the letter but that another Trump lawyer who she said actually prepared it had asked her to sign it in her role as a designated custodian for Trump’s records. NBC News first reported the interview. EXPLAINER: What next in the Florida school shooter trial? FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The jurors who will decide whether Florida school shooter is sentenced to death or life without parole are about to begin deliberations. The seven-man, five-woman panel are expected to start their discussions Wednesday. They will determine whether the 24-year-old Cruz should die for the 2018 murder of 17 people at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. For them to recommend a death sentence, they must unanimously agree. If one person votes for life, that will be his sentence. Prosecutors argued that Cruz committed an evil crime where death is the only appropriate punishment. Cruz’s attorneys argued that his birth mother’s excessive drinking left him with brain damage that put him on the path to murder. Smashing success: NASA asteroid strike results in big nudge CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA says a spacecraft that plowed into a small, harmless asteroid millions of miles away last month succeeded in shifting its orbit. The space agency announced the results of the experiment Tuesday.  NASA attempted the first test of its kind two weeks ago to see if a killer rock could be nudged out of Earth’s way. The Dart spacecraft carved a crater into the asteroid, hurling debris out into space and creating a cometlike trail of dust and rubble. It took consecutive nights of telescope observations to determine how much the impact altered the asteroid’s path around its companion, a bigger space rock. Angela Lansbury, ‘Murder She Wrote’ star, dies at 96 NEW YORK (AP) — Angela Lansbury, the scene-stealing British actor who kicked up her heels in the Broadway musicals “Mame” and “Gypsy” and solved endless murders as crime novelist Jessica Fletcher in the long-running TV series “Murder, She Wrote,” has died. She was 96. Lansbury died Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles, according to a statement from her three children. Lansbury won five Tony Awards for her Broadway performances. She earned Academy Award nominations as supporting actress for two of her first three films, “Gaslight” and “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and was nominated again for “The Manchurian Candidate” and her deadly portrayal of a Communist agent and the title character’s mother. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More Here

Colorado Elections Chief, Challenger Divided What's Partisan https://digitalarkansasnews.com/colorado-elections-chief-challenger-divided-whats-partisan/ DENVER (AP) — Colorado’s top election official, Democrat Jena Griswold, and a former county clerk hoping to replace her as secretary of state, Republican Pam Anderson, both agree that Colorado’s 2020 election was secure and that former President Donald Trump lost his re-election bid. But a debate Tuesday night showed how sharply divided they are over how outspoken the secretary of state should be in an era when many of Trump’s supporters, including people running to oversee elections in other states, lie about the outcome of that election. Anderson, the former clerk of Jefferson County in suburban Denver, said she supported Griswold’s efforts to block Tina Peters, the Mesa County clerk charged with allegedly allowing outsiders to break into her election system, from overseeing elections there starting in 2021. However, Anderson, who defeated Peters in the primary election to become the GOP candidate, faulted Griswold for using the case in fundraising pitches to her supporters while it was still being investigated. Anderson, who said she wants to restore professionalism and a non-partisan approach to the office, said that tactic provided some doubt about whether the process was fair. Griswold, who has vastly outraised Anderson, did not respond to that criticism in the debate at the University of Denver. Instead she said that the “big lie” was fueling threats to undermine elections and threats to election workers and that it was inappropriate for Anderson to campaign with fellow Republicans who dispute that Trump lost the election. She repeated her call for Anderson to disavow such candidates and not campaign with them. Anderson said she has and would continue to push back against any candidate who spreads misinformation about elections but dismissed Griswold’s call as too political. “I will not put fuel on the fire with hyperpartisan and polarizing and divisive rhetoric to fuel my political campaign,” said Anderson, who also said she wanted to change the “hearts and minds” of those who doubted the state’s election system through conversations. Griswold, meanwhile, defended her vocal support for abortion rights and her belief that people’s right to vote could be endangered depending on the results of this year’s election. “Standing up for fundamental rights is not partisan,” Griswold said. Anderson said she supported abortion rights but said it was not a central focus of the secretary of state’s office. In answer to a question from a student, Anderson refused to say whether she would vote for Trump if he is on the ballot again in 2024, explaining that she has never said if she supports a candidate who appears on a ballot for an election she has overseen. However, she said she would stand up to anyone who uses misinformation, conspiracies or lies against the democratic process. Griswold, without specifically mentioning Trump, said she would never support someone who is using their office to destabilize this country for their political benefit. “That is very clear. These are not normal times and we need elected officials willing to stand up for all voters, to stand up for democracy,” she said Read More Here

U.S. Supreme Court Rebuffs Fetal Personhood Appeal https://digitalarkansasnews.com/u-s-supreme-court-rebuffs-fetal-personhood-appeal/ Oct 11 (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to decide whether fetuses are entitled to constitutional rights in light of its June ruling overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that had legalized abortion nationwide, steering clear for now of another front in America’s culture wars. The justices turned away an appeal by a Catholic group and two women of a lower court’s ruling against their challenge to a 2019 Rhode Island law that codified the right to abortion in line with the Roe precedent. The two women, pregnant at the time when the case was filed, sued on behalf of their fetuses and later gave birth. The Rhode Island Supreme Court decided that fetuses lacked the proper legal standing to bring the suit. Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee, a Democrat, welcomed Tuesday’s action by the justices. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com “We’re satisfied that the Supreme Court declined to hear this frivolous appeal. Governor McKee believes that we should be expanding access to reproductive healthcare for women,” spokesperson Matt Sheaff said in a statement, adding that the governor “is committed to using his veto pen to block any legislation that would take our state backwards.” Lawyers representing the plaintiffs did not respond to requests for comment. Conservative Justice Samuel Alito wrote in June’s ruling overturning the abortion rights precedent that in the decision the court took no position on “if and when prenatal life is entitled to any of the rights enjoyed after birth.” Some Republicans at the state level have pursued what are called fetal personhood laws, like one enacted in Georgia affecting fetuses starting at around six weeks of pregnancy, that would grant fetuses before birth a variety of legal rights and protections like those of any person. Under such laws, termination of a pregnancy legally could be considered murder. Lawyers for the group Catholics for Life and the two Rhode Island women – one named Nichole Leigh Rowley and the other using the pseudonym Jane Doe – argued that the case “presents the opportunity for this court to meet that inevitable question head on” by deciding if fetuses possess due process and equal protection rights conferred by the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment. The Rhode Island Supreme Court relied on the now-reversed Roe precedent in finding that the 14th Amendment did not extend rights to fetuses. The Roe ruling had recognized that the right to personal privacy under the U.S. Constitution protected a woman’s ability to terminate her pregnancy. Old Rhode Island laws included a criminal statute, predating the Roe ruling, that had prohibited abortions. After the Roe ruling, a federal court declared that Rhode Island law unconstitutional, and it was not in effect when the Democratic-led legislature enacted the 2019 Reproductive Privacy Act. Gina Raimondo, a Democrat who was the state’s governor at the time and is now President Joe Biden’s U.S. commerce secretary, signed the 2019 law, which codified the then-status quo under Roe in terms of abortion rights. More than a dozen states have enforced near-total abortion bans since the Supreme Court’s abortion June ruling in a case called Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Will Dunham Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Nate Raymond Thomson Reuters Nate Raymond reports on the federal judiciary and litigation. He can be reached at nate.raymond@thomsonreuters.com. Read More Here

Iowans To Vote On Gun Amendment https://digitalarkansasnews.com/iowans-to-vote-on-gun-amendment/ CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – On Tuesday, Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks and Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner expressed their concerns about “Measure #1″ on the election ballot at an Iowa For Responsible Gun Laws meeting. “Possession of firearms as a felon or domestic abuse offender here in Linn County for the fiscal year 2019, our office charged 15 of those crimes,” said Maybanks. “Were projected to charge 50 to this next fiscal year.” “Our office and law enforcement across the state could face litigation,” said Gardner. The referendum “provides that the right of the people of Iowa to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, and any restrictions of this right shall be subject to strict scrutiny. “What this proposed amendment to the constitution would do is put in jeopardy common sense gun laws,” said Connie Ryan, the Executive Director of Interfaith Alliance of Iowa. “That’s because of the amendment including strict scrutiny, which is the highest level of judicial review in the courts.” Ryan said the ‘strict scrutiny’ clause prohibits current and new gun legislation. Opponents claimed it goes beyond the 2nd Amendment in the US Constitution and would make any law restricting guns, like raising the age to buy AR-15s, very difficult to enact. “You have to take it in one package, so the proposed amendment would do damage to the commonsense gun laws that we have on the books and any future laws the legislature would want to pass,” she said. That’s not what Richard Rogers, a Lobbyist with the Iowa Firearms Coalition said this amendment means. “We’ve been promoting this for a dozen years now,” said Rogers. Rogers said this amendment was to protect Iowan’s rights to own and operate firearms. “We’re not adding the second amendment, we’re seeking to do the same thing at the state level,” said Rogers. “This protects the fundamental right of individuals to keep and bear arms from government overreach.” While opponents like Ryan, Maybanks, and Gardner said strict scrutiny would potentially hurt Iowans, supporters like the Iowa Firearm Coalition said it’s needed to ensure gun rights. “Strict scrutiny is the appropriate standard for the review of challenges to regulations that may affect fundamental rights,” said Rogers. Copyright 2022 KCRG. All rights reserved. Read More Here

Chinese Two-Seater ‘flying Car’ Makes First Public Flight In Dubai https://digitalarkansasnews.com/chinese-two-seater-flying-car-makes-first-public-flight-in-dubai/ Chinese two-seater ‘flying car’ makes first public flight in Dubai  South China Morning Post Chinese ‘flying car’ makes first public flight in Dubai  Reuters Are Flying Cars Really Ready for the Public?  Inside Edition Dubai: Would you drive this car without a steering wheel?  Khaleej Times Chinese firm tests electric flying taxi in Dubai  AOL Read More Here

Israel And Lebanon Reach Historic Agreement, Paving The Way To Potentially Rich Gas Exploration | CNN https://digitalarkansasnews.com/israel-and-lebanon-reach-historic-agreement-paving-the-way-to-potentially-rich-gas-exploration-cnn/ CNN  —  Israel and Lebanon have reached a historic agreement, leaders on each side said separately on Tuesday, settling a years-long maritime border dispute involving major oil and gas fields in the Mediterranean. The United States has been trying to broker a deal between the neighboring countries over the 860-square-kilometer (332-square-mile) area of the sea that has been under dispute for years. It includes the Karish oil and gas field and a region known as the Qanaa prospect, which are expected to fall into Israeli and Lebanese waters respectively under the deal. Israel has said it would begin extracting oil and gas from Karish and exporting it to Europe imminently. “The final version of the offer is satisfactory to Lebanon and meets its demands and preserved Lebanon’s rights of this natural wealth,” Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun said in a statement hours after receiving Israel’s final offer through US mediator Amos Hochstein. Aoun said he hopes the agreement, which is yet to be signed, will be announced “as soon as possible.” Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said: “This is an historic achievement that will strengthen Israel’s security, inject billions into Israel’s economy, and ensure the stability of our northern border.” The draft agreement meets all the security and economic principles laid out by Israel, Lapid said. The Israeli prime minister will convene the security cabinet on Wednesday followed by a special meeting of the government, he said. Lebanese officials have said the deal does not mean any “treaty” will be signed with Israel and this agreement is not a step toward normalization of relations between the two countries, which are technically at war. Earlier Tuesday, Lebanese negotiator and deputy parliament speaker Elias Bou Saab told CNN that “Lebanon felt that [the deal] takes into consideration all of Lebanon’s requirements and we believe the other side should feel the same.” Meanwhile, Israeli chief negotiator Eyal Hulata said: “All our demands were met, the changes that we asked for were corrected. We protected Israel’s security interests and are on our way to an historic agreement.” On Tuesday, Lebanese Energy Minister Walid Fayyad also said the French energy company Total, which owns the contract to explore Lebanese waters, would start working on the Qanaa prospect “immediately.” Talks gained momentum after London-based oil and gas exploration company Energean arrived in June to begin development of the Karish field on Israel’s behalf. Although the Energean ship is well south of the disputed area, part of the field is in an area Lebanon had claimed. Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite milita, had threatened Energean’s gas rig if they started producing gas before a deal had been struck. On Tuesday, Hezbollah declined to comment when contacted by CNN, but the Iran-backed armed group has previously said it would abide by any agreement signed by the Lebanese government. The historic agreement does not affect land borders, but it is likely to ease security and economic tensions for both nations. Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Thursday that an agreement “will circumvent us from a definite war in the region.” Read More Here

WATCH: Arkansas Players Preview Matchup With BYU https://digitalarkansasnews.com/watch-arkansas-players-preview-matchup-with-byu/ FAYETTEVILLE, Ar. (KNWA/KFTA) – The Arkansas Razorbacks head to Provo, Utah this week to take on the BYU Cougars. This will be the first time these two teams have even matched up. Hear from Jordan Domineck, Hudson Clark, Luke Jones and Bryce Stephens on the matchup here: Arkansas-BYU kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and will air on ESPN. Read More Here

AP News Summary At 10:51 P.m. EDT https://digitalarkansasnews.com/ap-news-summary-at-1051-p-m-edt/ UN, G7 decry Russian attack on Ukraine as possible war crime KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces have carpeted Ukraine with a fresh barrage of missiles and munition-carrying drones. The bombardment came a day after strikes across the country killed at least 19 people and knocked out power across the country. The U.N. human rights office says the “particularly shocking” attacks could amount to war crimes. The leaders of the Group of Seven industrial powers also condemned the attacks and said they would “stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes.” Their pledge defied Russian warnings that Western assistance would prolong the war and the pain of Ukraine’s people. Russia launched the attacks in retaliation for a weekend explosion that damaged a bridge linking Russia to the Crimean Peninsula. Prosecutors drop charges against Adnan Syed in ‘Serial’ case ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped charges against Adnan Syed in the 1999 killing of Hae Min Lee after additional DNA testing excluded him as a suspect in a case chronicled by the hit podcast “Serial.” Marilyn Mosby, the state’s attorney for the city of Baltimore, said Tuesday that her office will continue to pursue justice for Lee, but that it has closed its case against Syed, who spent 23 years in prison for the killing. She says the decision was made after additional DNA testing excluded Syed as a suspect in the strangulation of Lee, whom Syed had dated. Syed’s case captured the attention of millions in 2014 when the first season of “Serial” focused on it. Smashing success: NASA asteroid strike results in big nudge CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA says a spacecraft that plowed into a small, harmless asteroid millions of miles away last month succeeded in shifting its orbit. The space agency announced the results of the experiment Tuesday.  NASA attempted the first test of its kind two weeks ago to see if a killer rock could be nudged out of Earth’s way. The Dart spacecraft carved a crater into the asteroid, hurling debris out into space and creating a cometlike trail of dust and rubble. It took consecutive nights of telescope observations to determine how much the impact altered the asteroid’s path around its companion, a bigger space rock. Trump lawyer who vouched for documents meets with FBI WASHINGTON (AP) — A lawyer for former president Donald Trump who signed a letter stating that a “diligent search” for classified records had been conducted and that all such documents had been given back to the government has spoken with the FBI. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The person says Christina Bobb told federal investigators during Friday’s interview that she had not drafted the letter but that another Trump lawyer who she said actually prepared it had asked her to sign it in her role as a designated custodian for Trump’s records. NBC News first reported the interview. 20 years after Bali bombings, ‘the ache does not dim’ DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) — People affected by the 2002 Bali bombings gathered on the Indonesian resort island to commemorate 20 years since the blasts that killed 202 people. Most of the dead were foreign tourists, including 88 Australians and seven Americans. The commemoration services are being held at several places in Australia and at Bali’s Australian Consulate in the city of Denpasar. Australian survivors and relatives of the deceased were among the 200 in attendance to pay tribute to their loved ones. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to the strength and unity shown since the tragedy. He said, “Twenty years on, the ache does not dim.” California expands largest US illegal pot eradication effort SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s four-year-old legal marijuana market is in disarray. So the state’s top prosecutor says he will try a new broader approach to disrupting the illegal pot farms that undercut the legal economy while sowing widespread environmental damage. The state will expand its nearly four-decade-old multi-agency seasonal eradication program. It’s the nation’s largest and this year scooped up nearly a million marijuana plants. California will turn it into a year-round effort aimed at investigating who is behind the illegal grows. Attorney General Rob Bonta said Tuesday that the new program will attempt to prosecute underlying labor crimes, environmental crimes and the underground economy centered around the illicit cultivations. Ex-Texas cop charged for shooting teen eating hamburger SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A now-former San Antonio police officer has been charged for shooting and gravely wounding a teen eating a hamburger in his car in a McDonald’s parking lot. A family attorney says 17-year-old Erik Cantu remains hospitalized in critical condition. A police statement said the ex-officer, 25-year-old James Brennand, was charged Tuesday with two counts of aggravated assault. Police Chief William McManus says Brennand turned himself in to police Tuesday night and is in custody. The shooting was recorded on Brennand’s body camera. Investigators quickly determined that the use of deadly force was unwarranted, and he was fired. Angela Lansbury, ‘Murder She Wrote’ star, dies at 96 NEW YORK (AP) — Angela Lansbury, the scene-stealing British actor who kicked up her heels in the Broadway musicals “Mame” and “Gypsy” and solved endless murders as crime novelist Jessica Fletcher in the long-running TV series “Murder, She Wrote,” has died. She was 96. Lansbury died Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles, according to a statement from her three children. Lansbury won five Tony Awards for her Broadway performances. She earned Academy Award nominations as supporting actress for two of her first three films, “Gaslight” and “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and was nominated again for “The Manchurian Candidate” and her deadly portrayal of a Communist agent and the title character’s mother. Biden vows ‘consequences’ for Saudis after OPEC+ cuts output WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says there will be “consequences” for Saudi Arabia as his administration begins reevaluating the U.S. relationship with the kingdom. That’s after the Riyadh-led OPEC+ alliance of oil-producing nations announced it would cut oil production. Biden said in a CNN interview Tuesday that he was weighing action against the Saudis but declined to detail potential next steps. The OPEC+ production cut is expected to help Russia pad its coffers as it continues its nearly eight-month war in Ukraine. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Rep. Ro Khanna of California have introduced legislation that would immediately pause all U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Alvarez hits 3-run HR vs Ray in 9th, Astros jolt M’s in ALDS HOUSTON (AP) — Yordan Alvarez smashed a game-ending, three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning off Robbie Ray, wrecking Seattle’s strategy of using a Cy Young Award winner in a rare relief role and vaulting the Houston Astros over the Mariners 8-7 in their playoff opener. Trailing all game after a poor start by Justin Verlander, the AL West champion Astros overtook rookie star Julio Rodríguez and the wild-card Mariners at the end to begin their best-of-five Division Series. Houston was down 7-5 when rookie pinch-hitter David Hensley was hit by a pitch from Seattle closer Paul Sewald and Jeremy Peña singled with two outs. Mariners manager Scott Servais then made the bold move to bring in Ray. Alvarez homered on Ray’s second pitch. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More Here

Biden Says He Has ‘great Confidence’ In Hunter Amid Reports Of Possible Charges https://digitalarkansasnews.com/biden-says-he-has-great-confidence-in-hunter-amid-reports-of-possible-charges/ (The Hill) – President Biden on Tuesday said he has confidence in his son, Hunter Biden, amid reports that federal agents believe there is enough evidence to charge Hunter with tax crimes and a false statement on a gun purchase. “Well, first of all, I’m proud of my son. This is a kid who got, not a kid — he’s a grown man. He got hooked on — like many families have had happen, hooked on drugs. He’s overcome that. He’s established a new life,” Biden told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview. Biden noted Hunter acknowledged in his book that he wrote on a gun application that he was not using drugs at a time when he was battling addiction. But the president said he didn’t know anything about it at the time. “So I have great confidence in my son,” Biden said. “I love him and he’s on the straight and narrow, and he has been for a couple years now. And I’m just so proud of him.” The Washington Post first reported that federal agents believe there is enough evidence to charge Hunter Biden over the false answer on his application for a gun in 2018, as well as whether he failed to properly report all of his income. The decision of whether to charge Hunter Biden ultimately lies with U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who is a holdover from the Trump administration. The president has repeatedly said he is proud of his son for overcoming his addiction issues, and he has been adamant that he would not interfere in any Justice Department investigation. That investigation into Hunter Biden has been ongoing for years, and Republicans have tried to use questions about Biden’s son against him. Former President Trump, during the 2020 campaign, repeatedly highlighted Hunter Biden’s foreign business interests to paint the Biden family as corrupt. Read More Here

Biden: ‘I Believe I Can Beat Donald Trump Again’ https://digitalarkansasnews.com/biden-i-believe-i-can-beat-donald-trump-again/ President Biden on Tuesday expressed confidence he could beat former President Donald Trump in a hypothetical 2024 matchup as the two men openly tease the prospect of running again. Biden told CNN’s Jake Tapper that he’ll focus on whether he’ll seek another term after the midterm elections in November. The president and White House officials have repeatedly said Biden intends to run again in 2024, but have stopped short of definitively saying he will seek re-election. “Is one of the calculations that you think you’re the only one who can beat Donald Trump?” Tapper asked. “I believe I can beat Donald Trump again,” Biden responded. Biden has in the past indicated he would welcome a rematch with Trump, whom he defeated in the 2020 election. The president told reporters at a NATO summit in March that he would be “very fortunate” to run against Trump again. While Biden’s approval rating has been stuck around 40 percent in recent months, polling has still shown him leading Trump in a hypothetical rematch. A Wall Street Journal poll conducted in late August found Biden leading by 6 percentage points, 50-44, in a potential rematch with Trump. But many voters are skeptical about supporting either man in 2024. Biden would be 81 on Election Day in 2024, while Trump would be 78. A CAPS/Harris poll released last month found 67 percent of voters said Biden should not seek another term, while 57 percent said Trump should not run for another term. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Read More Here

Former San Antonio Officer Who Shot 17-Year-Old At McDonald's Parking Lot Turns Himself In On Aggravated Assault Charges | CNN https://digitalarkansasnews.com/former-san-antonio-officer-who-shot-17-year-old-at-mcdonalds-parking-lot-turns-himself-in-on-aggravated-assault-charges-cnn/ 03:57 – Source: CNN Teen eating meal in McDonald’s parking lot shot by officer, video shows CNN  —  The former San Antonio police officer who shot an unarmed 17-year-old eating in his car at a McDonald’s parking lot last week is facing two counts of aggravated assault by a public servant, the police department announced Tuesday. The officer, identified as James Brennand, turned himself in to San Antonio Police Tuesday night, Police Chief William McManus said at a Tuesday news conference. Brennand’s arrest comes days after he was fired in connection with the October 2 shooting that left the teenager in critical condition. Brennand did not respond to requests for comment from CNN prior to his arrest. It was not clear Tuesday night whether he had an attorney. The chief said an aggravated assault charge was filed for each person who was in the car – the driver and a passenger. The shooting itself “was unjustified, both administratively and criminally,” McManus said. “There was a criminal component to this, that’s why we investigated as a criminal offense.” The police department has been in contact with the district attorney’s office, which may need more information before it takes the case to the grand jury, the chief noted. “We worked on this for several days to get to this point where we could submit a warrant to a judge for signature, and that’s where we are right now,” McManus added. McManus has said it was clear from the beginning that the shooting was “not justified.” He previously said that the aggravated assault charges could rise to homicide if the 17-year-old does not survive. “The video was horrific,” the chief previously told CNN’s Brianna Keilar. “There is no question in anybody’s mind looking at that video that the shooting is not justified.” McManus said he recognized an issue immediately upon arriving to the scene of the shooting, based on the location of the bullet holes. “We have a policy that prohibits officers from shooting at vehicles, moving vehicles, except if their life is in immediate – their life or someone else’s life – is in immediate danger,” he said. “When I saw it, the location of the bullet holes, I had an issue with it right away. You can tell by looking at the vehicles, which way the vehicle is moving when the shots are fired, and this vehicle, it was very telling to me, that this vehicle was moving away from the officer, and moving parallel with the officer, so it was pretty clear to me at that point that we were going to have an issue,” McManus said. The announcement of charges come a week after Brennand, a probationary officer with seven months of experience, shot Erik Cantu as the teenager sat in his car eating fast food. According to police, Brennand was handling an unrelated disturbance call at the McDonald’s when he saw a car he believed had evaded police the previous day and called for backup. Before backup officers arrived, body camera video released by police shows the officer walk up to the driver’s side of the car, open the door, and order the driver out. The visibly startled teen, who was in the driver’s seat eating, put the car in reverse and started backing up. The police officer then opened fire five times on the car, according to the video. As the driver shifted the vehicle to move forward, body camera video showed the officer opening fire an additional five times as the car drove away. Cantu was shot multiple times and is in critical condition and on a life support system, his family said Monday. A passenger in the vehicle was unhurt. When asked about the officers’ training on Tuesday, McManus stressed that what happened goes against the department’s policies. “This was a was a failure for one individual police officer had nothing to do with our policies. Policies did not allow that or training did not did not teach that. So this was a fail for one particular police officer,” the chief said. Police said earlier that Brennand was fired for violating the agency’s tactics, training and procedures. “It took us a couple of days to terminate Brennand, but he was gone pretty quickly,” McManus told CNN. SAPD’s deadly force policy is explicit: “An officer in the path of an approaching vehicle shall attempt to move to a position of safety rather than discharging a firearm at the vehicle or any of the occupants of the vehicle.” The policy further states that “officers should not shoot at any part of a vehicle in an attempt to disable the vehicle.” While in the hospital, Cantu was initially charged with evading detention in a vehicle and assaulting the officer, who had claimed he was struck by the door of the car as the teen backed up. However, his defense attorney Brian Powers said the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office notified him prosecutors would not be moving forward with charges. A spokesperson for the District Attorney’s office referred CNN to the county’s online court record system, which indicates both charges have been dismissed and the case closed. “While Sunday’s shooting of an unarmed teenager by a then-San Antonio Police officer remains under investigation, the facts and evidence we have received so far led us to reject the charges against Erik Cantu for further investigation,” District Attorney Joe Gonzales’ office said in a statement last week. “Once SAPD completes its investigation into the actions of former Officer James Brennand and submits the case to our office, our Civil Rights Division will fully review the filing. As we do with all officer-involved shootings that result in death or serious injury, we will submit the case to a Grand Jury for their consideration. Until that happens, we can make no further comment on this matter.” Read More Here

WSJ News Exclusive | Saudi Arabia Defied U.S. Warnings Ahead Of OPEC+ Production Cut https://digitalarkansasnews.com/wsj-news-exclusive-saudi-arabia-defied-u-s-warnings-ahead-of-opec-production-cut/ High oil prices have been beneficial for OPEC+, an alliance of oil-producing countries that controls more than half of the world’s output. WSJ’s Shelby Holliday explains what OPEC+ countries are doing with the windfall and why they aren’t likely to distance themselves from Russia. Illustration: Adele Morgan Updated Oct. 11, 2022 10:20 pm ET RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Days before a major oil-production cut by OPEC and its Russia-led allies, U.S. officials called their counterparts in Saudi Arabia and other big Gulf producers with an urgent appeal—delay the decision for another month, according to people familiar with the talks. The answer: a resounding no. U.S. officials warned Saudi leaders that a cut would be viewed as a clear choice by Riyadh to side with Russia in the Ukraine war and that the move would weaken already-waning support in Washington for the kingdom, the people said. Read More Here

Alt-Right Activist, Who Spread https://digitalarkansasnews.com/alt-right-activist-who-spread/ Doug Mastriano, the Republican nominee for governor, will hold a rally in Erie Friday alongside an alt-right conspiracy theorist and political operative who, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, has a history of spreading misinformation and collaborating with “white nationalists, antigovernment extremists, members of the Proud Boys, and neo-Nazis.” Jack Posobiec, a former pro-Trump correspondent for the hard-right television network One America News Network, is scheduled to speak at Mastriano’s “Restore Freedom Rally” at the Bayfront Convention Center with less than four weeks to go before the Nov. 8 general election, according to an event listing on Mastriano’s Facebook page. A VIP event, which costs $125 per person, will start at 5 p.m. Doors will open for the free rally at 6 p.m. Posobiec, ‘Pizzagate’ and other conspiracies Posobiec, 37, spoke at Mastriano campaign events in Chester and Bucks counties in recent days. The Mastriano campaign event listing describes Posobiec as a “Native Pennsylvanian, Proud U.S. Navy Veteran and Podcast Host.” His allure:COVID created Doug Mastriano’s governor candidacy in PA. Now we can’t take our eyes off it Believe the polls?:Doug Mastriano seems to be tanking. But are polls again underestimating a Republican in PA? Posobiec, who has 1.8 million followers on Twitter, is best known for spreading conspiracies involving the 2016 death of Democratic National Committee employee Seth Rich and “Pizzagate.” The “Pizzagate” conspiracy, which was a precursor to the QAnon movement, claimed that the hacked emails of Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman contained coded messages that detailed the connection between high-ranking Democratic officials and a child trafficking and sex cult that operated out of the basement of a Washington D.C. pizzeria, among other places, even though the restaurant doesn’t have a basement. Posobiec visited the pizzeria eight days after the 2016 presidential election and streamed video of his visit live on social media. Weeks later, a North Carolina man entered the restaurant with a loaded AR-15 assault rifle and a revolver as patrons, including children, were inside. He fired the assault rifle multiple times to break open a door to a storage room. The man was arrested upon exiting the business 20 minutes later. The Mastriano campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Posobiec could not be reached for comment. Tom Eddy, the chairman of the Erie County Republican Party, said he’s not familiar with Posobiec. He said he doubts Posobiec will say or do anything other than make the case for Mastriano to be governor when he campaigns in Erie, but Eddy also noted that “I don’t know. I just found out who was going to be speaking two days ago from the Mastriano campaign.” “I’ve never heard him speak,” Eddy said of Posobiec, “so I am not able to make a comment on him.” Eddy also refuted the “extremist” label given to Mastriano by Democrats, the media and even some Republicans. “He’s anything but extreme,” Eddy said, noting that Mastriano has run a nontraditional, grassroots campaign. Eddy said the Friday event will be the first rally Mastriano has held in Erie since the GOP primary. Mastriano, however, has made other stops in the county during the general election. Posobiec’s political influence Posobiec’s political rise, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, is due in large part to his collaboration “with white supremacists, neo-fascists and anti-Semites” and his production of “propaganda that Trump and his inner circle have publicly celebrated.” Posobiec, who is now a senior editor for the site Human Events, was named in 2017 to the Anti-Defamation League’s guide to the “Alt-Right and the Alt-Lite.” In response, Posobiec published a photo of himself standing in front of the Auschwitz-Berkenau Memorial in Poland with a caption saying that the ADL “would be wise to remember what happened the last time people made lists of undesirables.” That same year, a Philadelphia Magazine headline declared Posobiec, who is from Norristown, Montgomery County, the “king of fake news.” Mastriano, who trails Democrat Josh Shapiro by a double-digit polling average according to RealClearPolitics.com, has embraced other alt-right activists. Earlier this year, campaign finance reports revealed that Mastriano paid $5,000 for consulting services to Andrew Torba, the founder of the social media site Gab. Mastriano has praised Torba, a Christian Nationalist whose extremist-friendly forum served as Robert Bowers’ platform for hate-filled messages before he killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018. More:New Josh Shapiro ads say Doug Mastriano hired ‘alt-right extremists’ after payment to Gab Throughout his campaign for governor, Mastriano, a state senator from Fayetteville, Franklin County, R-33rd Dist., has largely avoided traditional media and instead has given interviews to right-wing media outlets and political operatives such as Steve Bannon, as he did on Monday for Bannon’s podcast. Reuters has also reported that Mastriano wore a confederate uniform when he posed for a faculty photo in 2014 at the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle. Matthew Rink can be reached at mrink@timesnews.com and on Twitter at @ETNRink. Read More Here

State Police Respond To Crash In Craighead County https://digitalarkansasnews.com/state-police-respond-to-crash-in-craighead-county/ JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) – Arkansas State police responded to a crash in Craighead County. According to the agency, the crash happened in the Southbound lane of State Highway 351 near County Road 754, 3.8 Miles North of U.S. Highway 49 at 8:37 p.m. Around 9 p.m. ASP cleared the scene. Copyright 2022 KAIT. All rights reserved. Read More Here

Bank Of England’s Pension Decision Sends Shocks Through Financial Markets https://digitalarkansasnews.com/bank-of-englands-pension-decision-sends-shocks-through-financial-markets/ Bank of England’s pension decision sends shocks through financial markets  CNBC Television BoE’s additional measures will support orderly end to purchase scheme – PM’s spokesperson  Reuters UK Bank of England pension decision meant to focus on financial stability, says Jefferies’ David Zervos  CNBC Television The BOE Must Extend Its Emergency Buying, Widen the Scope and Cancel QT  Bloomberg Bank of England intervenes in bond markets again, warns of ‘material risk’ to UK financial stability  CNBC View Full Coverage on Google News Read More Here

Exclusive: McConnell Ignores Trump's Attacks And Says 'I Have The Votes' In Quest To Make History – KTVZ https://digitalarkansasnews.com/exclusive-mcconnell-ignores-trumps-attacks-and-says-i-have-the-votes-in-quest-to-make-history-ktvz/ CNN By Manu Raju, CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent It’s become a throwaway line at former President Donald Trump’s campaign rallies: GOP senators must boot Mitch McConnell from the leadership position he’s held longer than any Republican in American history. But McConnell has a message. “I have the votes,” the Senate GOP leader said bluntly, indicating he’s locked down enough support to claim a new feat: The longest-serving Senate party leader ever, a record held by Democrat Mike Mansfield for more than four decades and which McConnell would surpass in the next Congress. Yet whether he’s in the minority or majority next year — and if he continues to serve as GOP leader after 2024 — are different questions altogether. In a wide-ranging interview with CNN, McConnell weighed in on his outlook for the high-stakes battle for control of the Senate and warned President Joe Biden about how his nominees would be handled in a GOP majority. The GOP leader expressed his preference for a new Nebraska senator, defended votes that put him at odds with Republicans in the 50-50 Senate and steered clear of Trump’s brazen personal attacks against him and his wife, Elaine Chao — in an apparent attempt to avoid a distracting fight with the former President before the midterms. And as Republicans grow nervous about their prospects of retaking the Senate, especially after allegations that Georgia Republican nominee Herschel Walker paid for a woman to have an abortion 13 years ago, the GOP leader indicated his belief that the battle for the majority is a true “cliffhanger” and that it’s too early to know if the 2022 cycle will turn into a GOP debacle like 2010 and 2012 when lackluster general-election candidates cost his party a serious shot at the Senate majority. “It was clearly a challenge in 2010 and 2012, with Sharron Angle, Christine O’Donnell, Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock,” McConnell said, referring to GOP candidates in Nevada, Delaware, Missouri and Indiana, respectively, who lost general election matchups. “So it was clearly a problem in 2010 and 2012. Whether it’s a challenge, whether it’s fatal or a big problem this year, we’ll find out” next month. McConnell, who has been devoting enormous time to ensure his high-spending super PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund, continues to spend staggering sums across the airwaves in the final weeks of the midterm elections, indicated that he plans to stand by the anti-abortion Walker who has denied stunning allegations that one of the mothers of his four children had an abortion at his request. “I think we’re going to stick with Walker and all the effort we put in through SLF, we’re going take it all the way to the end,” McConnell said when asked if he had concerns about the revelations, arguing instead he believed the election would turn on Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock’s alliance with Biden. “I talk to him fairly often,” McConnell said of Walker, the former football star and novice candidate pushed into the race by Trump and backed by the GOP leader in the primary. “I think they’re going to hang in there and scrap to the finish.” While McConnell and Trump have been at sharp odds since the GOP leader cast him as “practically and morally responsible” for the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, despite voting to acquit him at his impeachment trial, the Senate GOP leader has taken pains to avoid mentioning the former President or engage in a tit-for-tat with Trump and his powerful megaphone. In a recent tirade on his social media page, Trump said McConnell has “a death wish,” attacking his votes on unspecified bills and saying the GOP leader is “willing to take the country down with him.” “I don’t have anything to say about that,” McConnell said about the attack against him, his first response to the episode. In the same post, Trump issued a racially charged attack against Chao, a naturalized American citizen who was born in Taiwan and also served as Trump’s secretary of transportation, calling her McConnell’s “China loving wife, Coco Chow.” Asked if the racist comment about his wife was acceptable, McConnell did not want to respond to it. “The only time I’ve responded to the President, I think, since he left office is when he gave me my favorite nickname — Old Crow — which I considered a compliment and after all, it was Henry Clay’s favorite bourbon.” He declined to comment further on the matter. (The interview was conducted Friday before a member of his conference, Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, made racially charged remarks at a Trump rally over the weekend.) With less than a month to the midterms, the GOP leader knows full well that a back-and-forth with the former President could distract the party’s focus at a crucial time. And for McConnell, he says he’s not concerned that a growing number of Republicans act like Trump rather than hew to the traditional GOP orthodoxy espoused by the likes of Rep. Liz Cheney, who lost her Wyoming primary this year after her battle over Trump’s “stolen” election lies. His only goal, he said, is winning elections. “I don’t have a litmus test,” McConnell said when asked if he wants a party more in line with Trump or with Cheney. “I’m for people that get the Republican nomination, and for winning, because if we win we get to decide what the agenda is, and they don’t.” McConnell’s future atop his conference But Trump doesn’t get a vote in a secret-ballot election in the Senate after the November midterms, and McConnell’s reelection to the top post is virtually a lock — whether they win or lose in next month’s elections, according to interviews with more than two dozen GOP senators. Yet publicly and privately, the interest in his Senate seat — and his leadership post — has begun to sprout. On Capitol Hill, the timing of McConnell’s decision of when he may step aside as leader could have a profound impact on the leadership race to succeed him. That’s because the current whip — John Thune of South Dakota — is term limited in the No. 2 position at the end of the next Congress. If McConnell were to step aside from his top position at the end of 118th Congress, which ends in January 2025, it could give Thune a leg-up in a secret-ballot election. But if McConnell waits for longer to step aside, the next No. 2 could be seen as a frontrunner in the race. As they await McConnell’s decision, his potential successors-in-waiting are signaling interest in the top job if the GOP leader steps aside. “Well, sure,” Thune said when asked if he’s interested in the GOP leaders’ job when McConnell steps aside. “I mean, who wouldn’t be, right?” “If there’s an opportunity, that’s something I would be interested in pursuing,” said Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a former GOP whip and current member of McConnell’s leadership team. “I’m going to continue to serve the conference in any way that they feel is useful,” Sen. John Barrasso, the Wyoming Republican and currently the No. 3 in leadership, said when asked if he’s interested in running for leader. There are signs that McConnell could be preparing for the end of his term. Last year, he backed an effort in the state legislature to change Kentucky law on how successors to Senate seats could be named. The new McConnell-backed law would require the governor — who is currently a Democrat — to pick a successor from the same political party as the departing senator. Privately, there’s interest in his seat from his state’s US House delegation, including Rep. Andy Barr, a Republican who has privately expressed serious interest in the seat if it opens up, according to sources close to the GOP congressman, with the domain name “BarrForSenate” already secured in case he decides to run. Other members of the delegation have kept the option open as well. In the interview, the 80-year-old McConnell put to rest speculation that he might cut his current Senate term short and quit after the next Congress. His term ends in January 2027. “Oh, I’m certainly going to complete the term I was elected to by the people of Kentucky, no question about that,” McConnell said of the seat he’s held since 1985. But asked if he would stay as the Republican leader through his current Senate term, McConnell wouldn’t say. “I’m not going to go there,” the GOP leader said. “I’m confident I’ll be reelected to another two-year term.” On his preference for a potential successor for the leadership job, McConnell would only say: “I think there are plenty of people who could step in and do this job.” And he brushed back a question about whether he has made a decision about running again. “I’m in the second year of my term, for God’s sake,” the GOP leader said. But even though polls in Kentucky have long shown his popularity lagging, Republicans in the state say he could win again if he wants to run — despite his battle with Trump. “The thing about Mitch McConnell: his polling has never been really good,” said Rep. James Comer, a Kentucky Republican. “But he’s such a good politician that on Election Day, he always makes sure that his opponent is less popular than he is.” Comer added: “He’s a vicious politician in battle, and that has served him well over the years.” Maintaining support within his conference will be essential to keeping his leadership position. While most Republicans indicated they back the GOP leader maintaining his leadership post, several Republican senators declined to commit, including Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, John Kennedy of Louisiana, fellow Kentuckian Rand Paul and Rick Scott of Florida, the National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman who has been at odds with McConnell over strategy this year. “There’ll be an election ...

Woman Says She Had To Press Herschel Walker To Pay For Abortion He Wanted https://digitalarkansasnews.com/woman-says-she-had-to-press-herschel-walker-to-pay-for-abortion-he-wanted/ The mother of one of Herschel Walker’s children had to repeatedly press the former football star and now-Republican Senate nominee in Georgia for funds to pay for a 2009 abortion that she said he wanted her to have, according to the woman and a person she confided in at the time. “When I talked to him, I said, ‘You need to send — I can’t afford to pay for this,” the woman said in one of several interviews with The Washington Post in recent days, adding that she also told him: “We did this, too. Both of us did this. We both know how babies are made.” The woman, who lived in the Atlanta area at the time, said she became pregnant when she was unemployed and had less than $600 in her bank account. Walker sent a $700 check via FedEx about a week after the procedure, the woman said. The Post reviewed an image of the check that was printed on an ATM slip, with Walker’s name and an address matching where he lived at the time. A copy of the check and deposit slip reviewed by The Post includes Walker’s signature and name. It was deposited nine days after the woman said she had an abortion. The Post has reviewed a receipt for $575 at a women’s medical center that day. She said she did not know exactly how much an abortion would cost and estimated the amount she told Walker she would need based on online searches. The extended discussion over payment for the procedure to end the first pregnancy has not been previously reported. The woman and the person she confided in both spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect the privacy of themselves and their loved ones. As previously reported, the same woman also says Walker pressured her to have an abortion again when she became pregnant a second time; she chose to give birth to her son, who is now 10. The woman sued Walker in New York in 2013 for child support after he allegedly refused to provide it, according to a person familiar with the case, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details. Walker, who now says he is a multimillionaire, said in that case that he made about $140,000 per year, the person said. The new revelations deepen questions about Walker’s treatment of women and his children, as well as the conflict between his public opposition to abortion and his alleged private behavior. Walker and his campaign have denied the woman’s claims that he wanted her to have two abortions, and Walker initially claimed he did not know the woman who was making them. “I know nothing about any woman having an abortion,” Walker said to conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt last week after the Daily Beast first reported the allegation about paying for an abortion. “Had that happened, I would have said it, because it’s nothing to be ashamed of there.” Walker is running on a platform that opposes abortion in all cases, without exceptions for rape or incest or to protect the life of the mother. He has said he would vote for a national ban of the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy. He has also criticized Black men for being absent parents — a criticism now leveled at him by the woman and by his grown son by another mother, Christian Walker. Herschel Walker has acknowledged having four children with four different women. Three women, including his first wife, have told police that Walker threatened them in various ways. Walker has not disputed his first wife’s account, but he or his campaign have denied the others. The Daily Beast first reported the woman’s account of Walker paying for the cost of an abortion and the New York Times later reported the woman’s account of Walker’s unsuccessful efforts to persuade her to have another abortion. The woman has told The Post that those reports accurately described her experiences. The woman was initially supportive of Walker’s Senate campaign, but said that changed after he announced that he would ban all abortions. The woman described an on-and-off-again relationship with Walker; the lawyer who represented her during the child support case said in a statement at the time that it lasted from November 2008 to September 2011. In the weeks before and after the 2009 abortion, the person she confided in at the time recalled her explaining she had to press Walker to send funds, which the person remembered interpreting as an attempt to make the former football player take some accountability for his actions. “She was like, ‘I’ll do it as soon as you send the check,’” recalled the person. “And he was like ‘I sent the check.’ And she was like, ‘It’s been seven days. I didn’t get it.’” Walker reported in August 2022 that he had income and assets worth between about $27 million and $59 million, according to financial disclosure forms. Walker is seeking to unseat Democratic Sen. Raphael G. Warnock in November. The race is close, polls show. Both parties see Georgia as a key battleground in the larger fight for the control of the Senate. Walker and Warnock are set to debate Friday in Savannah. Antiabortion groups have rallied to Walker’s side as have some national Republican leaders. Some Republicans in Georgia have said they worry that they erred in elevating an unvetted nominee. On Tuesday, Sen. Rick Scott (Fla.), who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) appeared at a rally for Walker in Georgia. Former president Donald Trump has had discussions about coming to Georgia for a rally in the final weeks before Election Day. A central part of Walker’s pitch is that he has struggled with mental illness and recovered from it, a story of redemption that his team believes will resonate with Georgia voters. He authored a book published in 2008 called “Breaking Free,” in which he details violent thoughts he had while struggling with dissociative identity disorder. He also says these episodes ended after he said he received professional help for his condition. In 2009, at least two women that Walker dated were pregnant, according to public records in one case and three people familiar with the other pregnancy. One gave birth to a boy in February 2009, public records show. Later that year, the woman who spoke to The Post began making repeated calls to Walker to tell him she was pregnant. When Walker eventually responded, he told the woman that it was “not a good time” for a baby, she said. “We should do this the right way,” he added, implying that the couple could have a planned pregnancy some time in the future, according to the woman. The woman said she did not know he had just fathered a child who was born in February 2009. The woman agreed to have an abortion, and said she asked him repeatedly for money to cover the cost. The woman had less than $600 in her checking account, according to her account and an ATM receipt. Amid the Great Recession, she had lost her job, she said. Days after the procedure, Walker sent a $700 check along with a get-well card that features a drawing of a steaming cup of tea and included a handwritten note from Walker. “Pray you are feeling better,” signed, “H.” It was the first time Walker had ever sent money to the woman, she said. The card was seen as an acknowledgment of the abortion, according to the woman and two other people with contemporaneous memories of it. The woman also supplied a copy of receipt for $575 from the Atlanta Women’s Medical Center, showing she had paid for the procedure with a Visa card on Sept. 12, 2009. And she had a pamphlet from the center detailing “Post-operative Instructions.” The second time she became pregnant, in 2011, Walker also did not respond immediately to her calls, she said. Walker again said she should not have the baby, according to the woman and her confidant. Again, Walker said it was “not a good time” for a baby, she said. But the woman said she did not want to undergo a second abortion and felt fate had intervened, with the second pregnancy as a “sign” that she should raise the child. Walker sent occasional checks to the woman during her second pregnancy, she said, but the money didn’t come on any regular schedule so she could not depend on it. “It was just whenever he felt like getting around to it,” the woman recalled. Eventually the woman took Walker to court to get child support, records show. “The child’s mother is a graduate student … struggling to make ends meet,” according to a May 2013 statement about that case from her lawyer at the time, Andres Alonso. “Unfortunately, Mr. Walker has thus far decided not to take full financial responsibility for the care of his alleged son.” Walker was ordered to pay $3,500 a month in child support, according to the person familiar with the case. He also paid a lump sum of $15,000 to help cover hospital costs connected to his son’s birth and early child care, the person said. The child support payments were based on Walker having an annual income of about $140,000 a year in 2013, the person said. The financial disclosures Walker filed this year for his Senate run show an annual income of $3 million from H. Walker Enterprises, LLC, an entity that he reported being worth between $25 million and $50 million. Walker’s behavior toward his family has come up repeatedly during the campaign. Walker has been harshly critical of absentee Black fathers, once calling the behavior a “major, major problem.” “The father leaves in the Black family. He leaves the boys alone so they’ll be raised by their mom,” Walker said in a 2021 interview. “If you have a child with a woman, even if you have to leave that woman — even if you have to leave that woman — you don’t leave that child.” But he had only publicly discussed one of his four children until the Daily Beast published a report earlier this year that he had fathered a second child. He subsequently acknowledged three sons and...

AP News Summary At 8:42 P.m. EDT https://digitalarkansasnews.com/ap-news-summary-at-842-p-m-edt/ UN, G7 decry Russian attack on Ukraine as possible war crime KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces have carpeted Ukraine with a fresh barrage of missiles and munition-carrying drones. The bombardment came a day after strikes across the country killed at least 19 people and knocked out power across the country. The U.N. human rights office says the “particularly shocking” attacks could amount to war crimes. The leaders of the Group of Seven industrial powers also condemned the attacks and said they would “stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes.” Their pledge defied Russian warnings that Western assistance would prolong the war and the pain of Ukraine’s people. Russia launched the attacks in retaliation for a weekend explosion that damaged a bridge linking Russia to the Crimean Peninsula. Prosecutors drop charges against Adnan Syed in ‘Serial’ case ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped charges against Adnan Syed in the 1999 killing of Hae Min Lee after additional DNA testing excluded him as a suspect in a case chronicled by the hit podcast “Serial.” Marilyn Mosby, the state’s attorney for the city of Baltimore, said Tuesday that her office will continue to pursue justice for Lee, but that it has closed its case against Syed, who spent 23 years in prison for the killing. She says the decision was made after additional DNA testing excluded Syed as a suspect in the strangulation of Lee, whom Syed had dated. Syed’s case captured the attention of millions in 2014 when the first season of “Serial” focused on it. Smashing success: NASA asteroid strike results in big nudge CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA says a spacecraft that plowed into a small, harmless asteroid millions of miles away last month succeeded in shifting its orbit. The space agency announced the results of the experiment Tuesday.  NASA attempted the first test of its kind two weeks ago to see if a killer rock could be nudged out of Earth’s way. The Dart spacecraft carved a crater into the asteroid, hurling debris out into space and creating a cometlike trail of dust and rubble. It took consecutive nights of telescope observations to determine how much the impact altered the asteroid’s path around its companion, a bigger space rock. Trump lawyer who vouched for documents meets with FBI Read More Here

Turning On Trump? Michael Cohen Suggests Trump's Lawyer Pressured Into Lying About Stolen Documents https://digitalarkansasnews.com/turning-on-trump-michael-cohen-suggests-trumps-lawyer-pressured-into-lying-about-stolen-documents/ Now Playing Turning on Trump? Michael Cohen suggests Trump’s lawyer pressured into lying about stolen documents 07:26 UP NEXT Giuliani ‘targeted’ for indictment after years leading ‘hell’ jail in NYC 11:27 GOP welfare scandal engulfs Brett Favre 03:13 Fooled: Fox News pundits implode amidst Elon Musk whiplash 11:59 See Trump-Nixon drug war shredded in epic Peter Tosh breakdown 11:28 Jan. 6 bombshell? New evidence coming as Oath Keepers leader caught mulling ‘bloody civil war’ 05:28 MAGA warning: Trump’s ‘Big lie’ believers majority of GOP midterm nominees 08:35 Some FBI agents see indictable tax case against Hunter Biden, Washington Post reports 06:10 Oath Keepers leader on trial says group ‘should have brought rifles’ on Jan. 6 08:39 MAGA extremism: Violent ‘civil war’ rhetoric spikes online ahead of midterms 11:19 New Jan. 6 heat on Trump ‘coup lawyer’ Eastman, accused of hiding evidence 05:32 Dumpster fire: Trump candidate Herschel Walker in free fall over abortion scandal 07:24 As U.S. faces rising domestic attacks, some communities put love first 15:56 ‘Incriminating evidence’: Trump audio reveals “bad intent” on stolen classified documents 07:25 Jan. 6 bombshell? ‘Significant information’ obtained by committee amid Ginni Thomas interview 10:12 GA prosecutors eye Trump crimes, but put RICO and rap first | Melber-Big Boy 28:40 MAGA ‘road map to an insurrection’: Jan. 6 insider on connections to riot and Meadows texts 08:03 Neo-MAGA: Bannon ally’s “Neo-fascist” win tests U.S. and Italy 12:26 ‘Premeditated, fraudulent and illegal’: DeSantis facing lawsuits over ‘cruel’ migrant stunt 06:46 MAGA + QAnon: Trump amplified extreme theories in new messages as MAGA fans raise Q salute 03:42 Read More Here

Couple Looks Back On Making History With The First Same-Sex Marriage In Arkansas https://digitalarkansasnews.com/couple-looks-back-on-making-history-with-the-first-same-sex-marriage-in-arkansas/ Jennifer and Kristin Seaton-Rambo remember the day they made history at a Eureka Springs courthouse by having the first same-sex marriage in Arkansas. LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — In 2014, couples lined up at a courthouse in Eureka Springs for a chance to make their union legal— That included Jennifer and Kristin Seaton-Rambo. They waited in line for hours to exercise a right they had never been granted before.  An unexpected ruling that took place in May 2014 from Pulaski County Judge Chris Piazza declared that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. Jennifer and Kristin were the first same-sex couple in Arkansas to be married. “It was an emotional rollercoaster,” said Jennifer. “I remember saying the word, ‘indescribable,’ and that’s still to this day and since, because, you know, that first year after we were sort of in limbo until 2015.” In 2015, the United States Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage as legal in all 50 states, but some are worried that what was codified as a right for all could once again be threatened. Some lawmakers have already taken steps to pass more federal protections. The Respect for Marriage Act would ensure that every state recognizes same-sex marriage, even if the Supreme Court were to overturn the landmark 2014 ruling.  The House of Representatives passed the Respect for Marriage Act back in July, but since then it’s been sitting in the Senate with no vote. “It’s disheartening to go through all of that again, but if that’s what we have to do we will do it,” said Kristin. “We will go through all of that again and fight. We are all human. We are all the same.” In the eight years they have been married, they explained that it’s been going great.  Both women added that the biggest piece of advice they have for couples is to communicate with each other.  Read More…

Joan Release New Single, “don’t Wanna Be Your Friend” https://digitalarkansasnews.com/joan-release-new-single-dont-wanna-be-your-friend/ Alt pop duo, joan have returned with their highly anticipated new single, “don’t wanna be your friend” via Photo Finish Records. The new track serves as the first taste of their debut album, which took over three years to create. Listen to it now below. “don’t wanna be your friend” was created after the band returned home from their biggest headline tour yet.  Co-written with their friend Jon Capeci from the band Nightly, “don’t wanna be your friend” details the all too relatable feeling of being in a relationship with someone you love and feel close to but knowing that you need to move on as that person is not the right one for you. The duo said of the song, “it’s also about growing up though and knowing that you just can’t continue being friends with each other, because you know how that situation turns out. hope this song resonates with you in some way – makes you realize you need to cut that person out of your life, makes you move, makes you want to start a band, makes you want to call your best friend :).” joan (Alan Benjamin Thomas and Steven Rutherford) have spent the past few years building their world, single by single, tour date by tour date; from their debut EP, 2019’s portra, to the much-loved cloudy & its sister EP partly cloudy, to 2021’s hi & bye EPs. Their songs have been streamed over 120 million times, with well over a million listeners a month across streaming platforms. 2023 promises to be the band’s biggest yet, with the release of their debut album and worldwide touring & festivals. TOUR DATES: Nov 1: Kansas City, KS – The Record Bar Nov 2: Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry Nov 3: Ames, IA – The Maintenance Shop Nov 4: Milwaukee, WI – Back Room @ Collective Nov 5: Covington, KY – Madison Live Nov 6: Detroit, MI – Shelter Nov 8: Bloomington, IN – The Bishop Nov 9: Lakewood, OH – Marshall’s Nov 10: Louisville, KY – Headliner’s Music Hall Nov 12: Fort Worth, TX – Tulips Nov 13: Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge Thailand/Japan/SEA Nov 25: Senayan Park (Spark): Jakarta, Indonesia Nov 27: Very Festival @ Thunder Dome: Bangkok, Thailand Nov 30: Space Odd: Tokyo, Japan Dec 3: Sorpresa Music Festival @ Enchanted Kingdom: Enchanted Kingdom: Laguna Philippines Read More Here

Coronation Of King Charles III To Take Place In May | CNN https://digitalarkansasnews.com/coronation-of-king-charles-iii-to-take-place-in-may-cnn/ 05:17 – Source: CNN CNN reporter predicts what we’ll see from King Charles London CNN  —  The coronation of King Charles III will take place on May 6 next year at Westminster Abbey in London, Buckingham Palace announced Tuesday. The service will be a more modern affair than previous royal coronations and will “look towards the future,” the palace said in a statement. It added that the occasion will still be “rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.” The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby will conduct the ceremony, which will see Charles crowned alongside his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort. During the event, the King will be “anointed, blessed and consecrated” by the Archbishop of Canterbury – a role which has conducted most royal coronations since 1066, according to the statement. The palace added: “The Ceremony has retained a similar structure for over a thousand years, and next year’s Coronation is expected to include the same core elements while recognising the spirit of our times.” Charles, 73, became Britain’s monarch last month following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Days after her death, Charles was formally confirmed as the new King of the United Kingdom in a ceremony at St. James’ Palace. However, his coronation has been scheduled for next year to allow an appropriate period of time to mourn the previous sovereign and to plan the ceremony. The palace has not revealed specific details about the coronation, but some have wondered if the King intends to make it more inclusive while reflecting his vision of the future monarchy. Charles previously said he sees Britain as a “community of communities” and this understanding has made him realize that he has an “additional duty” to “protect the diversity of our country.” Later this year, he is expected to sign a proclamation formally declaring the date of the coronation at a meeting of the Privy Council, which is a panel of royal advisers. To get updates on the British Royal Family sent to your inbox, sign up for CNN’s Royal News newsletter. Read More Here

APSU Women's Golf Places Seventh At Lady Red Wolves Classic – Clarksville Online – Clarksville News, Sports, Events And Information https://digitalarkansasnews.com/apsu-womens-golf-places-seventh-at-lady-red-wolves-classic-clarksville-online-clarksville-news-sports-events-and-information/ Erica Scutt carded a four-over 76 in the final round of the tournament and finished tied for 11th with a score of 216. Shelby Plesant fired a three-over 75 in the third round and finished tied for 25th with an aggregate score of 220.   After shooting a final-round 76, Taylor Dedmen finished the tournament tied for 29th with a three-round score of 221.   The biggest mover for the Governors in the final round was Kaley Campbell, who gained 25 spots after firing an ever-par 72 to finish tied for 43rd with a score of 225. Maggie Glass shot an 82 and finished in 74th with a score of 232.   Kady Foshaug was the highest-finishing individual in the tournament after shooting a third-round 77 to finish tied for 18th with a three-round score of 218. Foshaug’s score of 218 is the best of her career, topping a 226 at the 2021 Lady Red Wolves Classic.   Finally, Payton Elkins shot a 78 and Autumn Spencer carded a 79 to finish tied for 87th and 89th, respectively, with scores of 240 and 241 while playing as individuals. Next Up For APSU Women’s Golf The Austin Peay State University women’s golf team will wrap up its fall slate when it plays in the Charles Braun Intercollegiate, hosted by Evansville, at Oak Meadow Country Club in Evansville, Indiana. For news, updates, and results, follow the APSU women’s golf team (@GovsWGO) on Twitter and Instagram or check back at LetsGoPeay.com. Read More Here

America's 'once Unthinkable' Chip Export Restrictions Will Hobble China's Semiconductor Ambitions https://digitalarkansasnews.com/americas-once-unthinkable-chip-export-restrictions-will-hobble-chinas-semiconductor-ambitions/ The U.S. government has introduced some of its most sweeping export controls yet aiming to cut China off from advanced semiconductors. Analysts said the move could hobble China’s domestic chip industry. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images China’s ambitions to boost its domestic chip industry has likely become magnitudes more difficult and costly after the U.S. launched some of its most wide-ranging export controls related to technology against Beijing. On Friday, the U.S. Department of Commerce introduced sweeping rules aimed at cutting China off from obtaining or manufacturing key chips and components for supercomputers, in what is seen as a huge escalation in tensions between Beijing and Washington in the technology sphere. America argues that such advanced semiconductors can be used by China for advanced military capabilities. “There is no going back to the way things were,” Abishur Prakash, co-founder of the Center for Innovating the Future, an advisory firm, told CNBC. “With the latest action, the chasm between the U.S. and China has now expanded to the point of no return.” Here are some of the highlights of the new U.S. rules: Companies require licenses to export high-performance chips, usually designed for artificial intelligence applications, to China. Even foreign-made chips related to AI and supercomputing, that use American tools and software in the design and manufacturing process, will require a license to be exported to China. U.S. companies will be heavily restricted in exporting machinery to Chinese companies that are manufacturing chips of a certain sophistication. “The latest chip rules are a sign that Washington is not trying to rebuild relations with Beijing. Instead, the U.S. is making it clear that it’s taking this competition more seriously than it ever has, and is willing to take steps that were once unthinkable,” Prakash said. What impact will U.S. restrictions have on China? Semiconductors are some of the most important technology products. They go into everything from smartphones to cars and refrigerators. But they’re also seen as key to military applications and advancing artificial intelligence. As geopolitical tensions between China and the U.S. have ramped up in the past few years, technology, and in particular sensitive areas like chips, have been dragged into the battle. Artificial intelligence, quantum computing and semiconductors are all areas China has identified as “frontier” technologies it wants to boost its domestic capabilities in. But the new U.S. rules will make that extremely hard, particularly in the area of chips. “The U.S. has formally shifted its goal from outpacing China in the semiconductor industry to actively denying it access to advanced chips,” Pranay Kotasthane, chairperson of the high tech geopolitics program at the Takshashila Institution, told CNBC. “China’s homegrown chip sector will be hobbled by these extensive controls.” The nature of the supply chain The reason why the U.S.’s export controls could be so effective is how they could touch several parts of the semiconductor supply chain, even those not directly based in America or controlled by American firms. That comes down to the global nature of the chip supply chain but also how power and expertise is controlled by very few companies. The United States, while strong in many areas of the market, has lost its dominance in manufacturing. Over the last 15 years or so, Taiwan’s TSMC and South Korea’s Samsung have come to dominate the manufacturing of the world’s most advanced semiconductors. Intel, the United States’ largest chipmaker, fell far behind. Reinventing the wheel will be far more costly now (for China). Pranay Kotasthane Takshashila Institution Taiwan and South Korea make up about 80% of the global foundry market. Foundries are facilities that manufacture chips that other companies design. The U.S., however, still boasts strong companies in the area of design tools, many of which are used by other companies in the supply chain. For example, it’s unlikely that advanced chips manufactured by TSMC won’t have used American tools somewhere along the way. In this instance, the U.S. export restrictions to China will apply. Washington has used this so-called foreign direct product rule before on the poster child of the Trump-era U.S.-China tech tensions — Huawei. Under those rules, Huawei was cut off from the most advanced chips that TSMC was manufacturing and that were designed for its smartphones. Huawei, which was once the number one player in the smartphone market, saw its handset business crippled. But never has such a rule been used so widely by the U.S. China will need to ‘reinvent the wheel’ Meanwhile, other countries could be under pressure to not ship certain pieces of equipment to China. For example, the latest rules mean companies will need to get licenses to ship machinery to Chinese foundries if those facilities are making certain memory chips or logic semiconductors of 16 nanometer, 14 nanometer or below. The nanometer figure refers to the size of each individual transistor on a chip. The smaller the transistor, the more of them can be packed onto a single semiconductor. Typically, a reduction in nanometer size can yield more powerful and efficient chips. China’s most advanced chipmaker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Co. or SMIC, is currently making 7nm chips, but not on a huge scale. It is generations behind the likes of TSMC and Samsung which have a roadmap to make 2nm chips. But to make chips of this sophistication on a large scale, with lower costs and more reliability, SMIC and other Chinese foundries will need to get their hands on a specific piece of kit called an extreme ultraviolet lithography machine. The Dutch firm ASML is the only company in the world capable of making this critical piece of machinery. If it falls under the U.S.’s export restrictions or comes under pressure from Washington not to sell to Chinese companies, this could hamper progress among the country’s chipmakers. ASML underscores the complexities of the semiconductor supply chain. “Semiconductor production is a hyper globalised supply chain. Being cut off from this engine will mean that Chinese companies must ‘reinvent the wheel’ domestically. China’s semiconductor industry will need much higher capital and talent infusion to absorb this shock,” Kotasthane said. But this will be an uphill climb. Kotasthane said that China will be able to make advanced chips even without ASML’s machinery “but the yield will be far lower, meaning higher costs and lower reliability.” Meanwhile, Chinese firms will have to rely on “lower-end” domestic alternatives for design tools, Kotasthane said, which they would typically have gotten from American and Japanese firms. Washington’s latest rules also require any “U.S. persons” to obtain a license if they want to support the development or production of semiconductors at certain China-based manufacturing facilities. This effectively cuts off a key pipeline of American talent to China. “Reinventing the wheel will be far more costly now,” Kotasthane said. Read More Here