Crimea Bridge: Putin Accuses Ukraine Of 'terrorism' https://digitalarkansasnews.com/crimea-bridge-putin-accuses-ukraine-of-terrorism/ Media caption, Watch: The moment explosion hits Crimea bridge Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of attacking the bridge to Russian-annexed Crimea, saying that it was an “act of terrorism”. President Putin said Ukraine’s intelligence forces had aimed to destroy a critically important piece of Russia’s civil infrastructure. He was speaking at a meeting with the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin. Officials say three people were killed in the blast on the bridge. The victims were in a nearby car when a lorry blew up, Russian officials say. “There is no doubt, this is an act of terrorism aimed at destroying Russia’s critical civilian infrastructure,” Mr Putin said. “Its authors, perpetrators and beneficiaries are the security services of Ukraine.” Mr Bastrykin said that citizens of Russia and some foreign states had aided preparations for the attack. According to Mr Bastrykin, investigators have established that the truck which they say blew up travelled through Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, North Ossetia and Krasnodar Territory. He has ordered an investigation into the incident which brought down sections of the roadway. Ukrainian officials have not indicated that their forces were behind the attack. But an adviser to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, denied Mr Putin’s accusation. He wrote that there is “only one terrorist state here” and that the “whole world knows who it is”. “Does Putin accuse Ukraine of terrorism? It looks too cynical even for Russia,” he said. On Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the incident in his nightly address, saying: “Today was not a bad day and mostly sunny on our state’s territory.” “Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea. Although it was also warm,” he added. Russian authorities partially re-opened the roadway part of the bridge hours after the attack but for light traffic only. The railway part of the bridge – where oil tankers caught fire – has also reopened. The 19km (12-mile) bridge, the longest in Europe, is an important supply route for Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. Russia has used the bridge to move military equipment, ammunition, and personnel from Russia to battlefields in southern Ukraine. It was opened by Mr Putin in 2018, four years after Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Security camera footage released on social media showed a truck – allegedly from the Russian city of Krasnodar, an hour’s drive from the crossing – moving west across the bridge at the time of the explosion. The footage shows a huge fireball erupting just behind – and to one side – of the truck as it begins to climb an elevated section of the bridge. The speed with which the truck bomb theory started to spread in Russian circles was suspicious. It suggested the Kremlin preferred an act of terrorism to a more alarming possibility: that this was an audacious act of sabotage carried out by Ukraine. “I’ve seen plenty of large vehicle-borne IEDs [improvised explosive devices] in my time,” a former British army explosives expert told me. “This does not look like one.” A more plausible explanation, he said, is a massive explosion below the bridge – probably delivered using some kind of clandestine maritime drone. “Bridges are generally designed to resist downwards loads on the deck and a certain amount of side loading from the wind,” he said. “They are not generally engineered to resist upward loads. I think this fact was exploited in the Ukrainian attack.” Some observers have noted that in one of the other security camera videos, something that looks like the bow wave of a small boat appears next to one of the bridge supports, a split second before the explosion. Read More Here

Allianz Chief Economic Adviser El-Erian Believes Core Inflation 'is Still Going Up' https://digitalarkansasnews.com/allianz-chief-economic-adviser-el-erian-believes-core-inflation-is-still-going-up/ Ahead of the release of the latest consumer price index reading this week, Allianz Chief Economic Adviser Mohamed El-Erian told CBS’ “Face The Nation” Sunday that he predicts headline inflation “will probably come down to about 8%,” but that core inflation “is still going up.” Core inflation is what measures the drivers of inflation and how broad they are, so El-Erian said an increase in core inflation means “we still have an inflation issue.” Even if core inflation is still on the rise, however, El-Erian said it will eventually come down. “The question is, does it come down with a slowdown in the economy or a major recession?” he said on “Face the Nation.” The oil producer group OPEC+ announced its largest supply cut since 2020 on Wednesday, and El-Erian said this decision “does hurt the U.S.,” as it risks causing inflation to increase again. But he said the cut did not come as a surprise since the group is looking to protect oil prices in the face of declining demand. “That’s what they do,” he said. “But it’s certainly not good news for the U.S. economy.” Read More Here

‘Exactly What I Wanted’: With Anna Sorokin On Her First Night Of House Arrest https://digitalarkansasnews.com/exactly-what-i-wanted-with-anna-sorokin-on-her-first-night-of-house-arrest/ Minutes after immigration agents dropped Anna Sorokin off at her fifth-floor walk-up apartment in the East Village of Manhattan late Friday night, she returned downstairs dressed in black-framed glasses, a hoodie and sweats, a monitor loosely hanging from her ankle. Beneath her apartment was a check-cashing business. Ms. Sorokin, 31, lived for several years in the 2010s as Anna Delvey, a socialite with a trust fund of her own invention, persuading members of Manhattan’s elite to invest in a members-only arts club named after herself, all the while using the ill-gotten funds to pay for the very designer lifestyle that had first allured them. In 2019, a Manhattan jury convicted her of a range of financial crimes, including grand larceny and stealing at least one flight on a private jet. After completing her criminal sentence in February 2021, she was released for six weeks before being detained by immigration authorities for 18 months for overstaying her visa. (Ms. Sorokin was born in what was then the Soviet Union and has German citizenship.) In a series of interviews beginning shortly after her criminal trial, her tone has shifted from one of defiance to something nearing an apology. Reviewing that later interview, Judge Charles R. Conroy of federal immigration court ruled this week that while he didn’t believe she was remorseful, Ms. Sorokin was no longer a danger to the community — provided she remains on house arrest, wears an ankle monitor and stays off social media. She was released from the Orange County Correctional Facility in Goshen, N.Y., Friday afternoon. The Department of Homeland Security has 30 days to appeal the judge’s decision. Inside the apartment building, Ms. Sorokin’s immigration documents — stuffed in trash bags for transport from the facility — slumped against the staircase. Leaving the bags by the foot of the stairs, she made her way up to her sparsely furnished one-bedroom apartment. Image The trash bags containing Ms. Sorokin’s immigration documents weighed about 50 pounds apiece.Credit…Ben Rayner for The New York Times There, shortly before midnight, she sat down for her first interview since being released to discuss her time in immigration detention, her evolution since her Delvey days and what she plans to do now that she’s no longer behind bars. The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. After 18 months in ICE detention, you’re out on house arrest with an ankle bracelet. How do you feel? I’m really happy. Nothing was guaranteed. They denied bail before. It was an exercise in perseverance. So many immigration lawyers told me I’d get deported to Mars before I’d get out in New York. And I just had to find the person who’d align with my vision, not accept “no” for an answer and make it happen. Walk me through the day you were released. I got released around 4 p.m. from Orange County, and then around 6:30 they brought me to 26 Federal Plaza — exactly the place I got arrested in March last year. I sat there in a little holding room. I kept knocking on the window. I was like, “Can you just tell me what’s going on?” And they were showing me the thumbs-up and signaling “patience.” The ICE guys drove me here 11-ish; they handed me over to Chris, my art dealer; we went on the rooftop really quick; and then you literally caught me 15 to 20 minutes after I got here. You didn’t have to stay behind bars. You could have fought your immigration status from Germany. I just did not want it to go down the way ICE wanted it to. Letting them deport me would have been like a sign of capitulation — confirmation of this perception of me as this shallow person who only cares about obscene wealth, and that’s just not the reality. I could have left, but I chose not to because I’m trying to fix what I’ve done wrong. I have so much history in New York and I felt like if I were in Europe, I’d be running from something. But if jail does not prove people wrong, then what will? How was detention? You’re always at somebody else’s mercy. Getting anything for myself, it was just impossible. While waiting on the outside, at least you can do that. I mean, not me, but … Image Ms. Sorokin in her East Village apartment, for which she was asked to produce three months’ rent upfront.Credit…Ben Rayner for The New York Times So why is house arrest better? Better food, I guess. And I can have visitors beyond just 1:30 p.m. on Thursdays. We’ll just see what I can do from here. I guess everybody will be coming to me. What are you most excited about doing now that you’re out? Finding my way back. With an ankle bracelet. With an ankle bracelet, yeah. Apparently if I have any issues with it, then somebody will come fix it. It’s a 24/7 service. I’m thinking what I can do with it. You want to glam it up? I’m not a glam-it-up type of person, but the possibilities are endless. Image Late Friday night, Ms. Sorokin mulled over the possibilities of an ankle monitor.Credit…Ben Rayner for The New York Times When we spoke earlier this year, you said that you had changed a lot since the crimes you committed in your mid-20s. But the judge’s order doesn’t seem convinced of your remorse. I definitely have a way different perspective now than I did when I came out the first time last February. It’s just impossible to have been through what I’ve been through without changing. I learned so much being in jail. There’s a very well-documented arc about how I’ve felt about everything. It wouldn’t be right if I were just to switch in one day. That would be very disingenuous. It’s a process. I am regretful about the way things played out. The way I’ve tried to see my experience is to learn from it: Who I am today is because of the decisions I made in the past. You got the news you could leave Wednesday morning, but you didn’t have an apartment. Fast-forward to Friday night, and here we are sitting in your living room. In this New York market, I’ve got to ask: How did you find an apartment so quickly, Anna? John [Sandweg], my lawyer, found it for me. I obviously wasn’t able to do anything from jail. I have a great team around me, so it was all thanks to them. You post bail, pay three months’ rent on a six-month lease for a one-bedroom apartment in the East Village. Where’s all the money coming from? I guess you’ll have to ask the government. Image “We’ll just see what I can do from here. I guess everybody will be coming to me.”Credit…Ben Rayner for The New York Times Is the bail and apartment money yours? Yes. How do you plan to support yourself going forward? I’ve not figured my whole life out in two days. But I’ve managed to do something out of my life while being in jail, so I guess this will be a little easier. Is your ultimate goal to be an artist? I have so many projects that I’m working on. Art is definitely one of them. So you don’t want to be hemmed into just art? I have a lot going on. I’m working on my own podcast with different guests for each episode. But it’s not shaped up yet. It was pretty hard to record anything high quality from jail. And then there’s my book. I’d love to do something with criminal-justice reform to kind of highlight the struggles of other girls. Where does your celebrity status fit into your future plans? It’s literally the last thing I’m thinking about right now. I don’t feel like I have a lot of control over it, especially now that I’m in house confinement without access to social media or electronics. You’ve been really active on social media, even from behind bars, with members of your team posting to your one million Instagram followers. The social media ban will be a big change. Maybe that’s for the best? It’s really hard to tune out distractions. Hopefully, it’s not forever. Image Ms. Sorokin said she had big plans for the future, but was still figuring some things out: “I literally just got out of jail!”Credit…Ben Rayner for The New York Times Do you plan to keep to the all-day schedule you had in jail, coordinating with people from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.? I don’t know. I’ll have to do so many things. I’m really excited right now, so it’s pretty hard to sleep. I mean, you guys, I literally just got out of jail! You have been and will continue to be under intense scrutiny going forward, from ICE officials as well as the public at large. I perform better under pressure. So many people just can’t wait to see me do something crazy, or illegal, and go back to jail. I would not want to give them the satisfaction. The first time we spoke at Rikers, I asked about your parents. And I know those relationships are complicated, especially with your mom. How have they felt about these past years of court proceedings? My parents, especially my dad, are pretty sarcastic. They’re like, “Well, how many more years are you going to be in jail?” But they accepted that this is what I want. I’m not choosing some questionable path, I’m actually trying to improve and learn, and I hope they understand and respect my choices. I talk to them every other day. Your mom, too? My mom, too. I try to call at night, so they tend to be together. This isn’t the end of your immigration case. You could still be deported. My immigration case is just beginning. I’m creating a lot of jobs for my lawyers. So everybody’s happy. How long could this immigration process take? When you’re detained, you’re a priority, but once you’re released, you’re on a different docket, and because of Covid, there’s like a two-million-case backlog. I think it’s going to be a longer case. So you’ll be in New York for a while. I’m really, really happy about that. That’s exactly what I wanted. I’m just hoping to get more freedom eventually. And hopefully, ICE will see that New York will remain safe — even if one d...

Braylen Russell Decommits From Hogs https://digitalarkansasnews.com/braylen-russell-decommits-from-hogs/ Photo by Otis Kirk Photo by Otis Kirk by: Otis Kirk Posted: Oct 9, 2022 / 12:56 PM CDT Updated: Oct 9, 2022 / 12:56 PM CDT FAYETTEVILLE — Benton four-star running back Braylen Russell has decommitted from Arkansas. Russell, 6-2, 230, was Arkansas’ lone commitment in 2024 and now has reopened his recruiting. he committed to the Hogs on Nov. 6, 2021. Russell moved to Benton High School this season after previously playing for Hot Springs Lakeside. Russell has made numerous trips to Arkansas since the commitment. He has also been to Ole Miss a few times with friends such as Little Rock Christian quarterback Walker White and others. White and the others also have been to Arkansas many times too. Russell announced his decision on Twitter Sunday afternoon. Read More…

Four Trump Endorsed GOP Candidates— A “Tidal Wave Of Antisemitism” In Az. Says Member Of The Jewish Community And Longtime Valley Small Business Owner – Northeast Valley News https://digitalarkansasnews.com/four-trump-endorsed-gop-candidates-a-tidal-wave-of-antisemitism-in-az-says-member-of-the-jewish-community-and-longtime-valley-small-business-owner-northeast-valley-news/ Kari Lake, Blake Masters, Mark Finchem and Abe Hamadeh’s reported connections to antisemitism, Nazi advocacy or white nationalism Ted Eytan (Flickr) No Fear: A Rally in Solidarity with the Jewish People, July 11, 2021 Washington D.C. Nicole White, Reporter-Editorial October 9, 2022 “There is a tidal wave of antisemitism in this state and it’s alarming,” said longtime Valley business owner and member of the Jewish community who spoke on the condition of anonymity over fear of threats and safety. The 64-year-old business owner told Northeast Valley News that he is deeply troubled by growing antisemitism—but worse, the apparent acceptance of it on the part of many GOP political candidates and even some elected officials. It’s difficult to know how to respond to someone so legitimately frightened by the kind of antisemitic rhetoric and communication associated with several GOP candidates in Arizona. He specifically referred to at least four candidates running for top offices in Arizona. “They have endorsed antisemitic candidates in other states, posed with and attended rallies of white nationalists, some of them are funded by conspiracy theorists or are supported by Nazi sympathizers —why are these candidates even allowed on the Az. ballot?” The business owner recently changed his party affiliation back to what it was when he was “much younger”— after almost two decades as a registered Republican he said he wanted to “drop any affiliation with the GOP.” While he has maintained a popular and successful small business for more than 21 years in Phoenix—he declined to go on the record with Northeast Valley News over fear of retaliation and threats. The fear he spoke of about his own community is a horrific commentary on the “state of the state” in Arizona. The candidates he discussed are running for some of the top offices in the state—all have been reportedly called out in the media for their endorsement of hate-filled antisemitic candidates, and some for their own use of specific rhetoric in their campaign speeches or social media communications. Kari Lake, the GOP candidate for governor, and Mark Finchem, the Republican nominee for Secretary of State, both endorsed Jarrin Jackson a widely reported, loud and venomous antisemitic—the endorsement was shocking—and yet, both candidates continue to drop specific language and use names that are recognized among far right platforms as a dialect of antisemitic meaning and a “white replacement” manifesto. But many in the Jewish community recognize this “code” language for exactly what it is—antisemitism. Arizona Secretary of State nominee, Mark Finchem’s recent tweet reads: “Democratic politicians on the ballot in Arizona are liars and deceivers. They want total control     over you and our state. Their loyalty is to George Soros and Mike Bloomberg. They want Arizona to be like California. Do not be deceived.” Reportedly, and in response to the Finchem tweet, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix tweeted,“@RealMarkFinchem: your reliance on #antisemitic tropes to spearhead your campaign is an embarrassment to the majority of #Arizona residents.” Lake has reportedly been called out for doing the same. Recently, The Arizona Republic wrote, “Lake, like her kooky conspiracy cohort, Mark Finchem, the Republican candidate for Arizona secretary of state is constantly bringing up the name of George Soros, which she knows is a Jew-hating dog whistle for the antisemitic base of the Trump-controlled GOP.” According to The Daily Beast, GOP Secretary of State candidate, Mark Finchem “had his fundraiser co-hosted by a self-identified “truther” who adheres to the QAnon conspiracy theory and has spent years propagating baseless lies like the Sandy Hook shooting being a “false flag” and Sept. 11 being an “inside job.” Blake Masters, the U.S. Senate candidate has reportedly tried to lie about being endorsed by a widely reported antisemitic—namely, Gab CEO, Andrew Torba—the endorsement of Masters by Torba went even further when Torba said he’d vote for Masters over Trump. Torba is the founder of the far-right social network, and openly antisemitic. He recently made headlines by insisting that Christians are “done being controlled” in “our own country” by the 2 percent minority—by which he meant Jewish people—adding, “We’re not bending the knee to the 2 percent anymore.” Master’s reportedly lied about his non-association with Torba in an early campaign denial in which he rejected Torba as a “a nobody”—  but in a leaked audio, obtained by Jewish Insider— Masters is clearly associated with the far-right social media entrepreneur, whose platform entertains such extremist views and antisemitic rhetoric that it has been removed from both Twitter and Facebook. Abe Hamadeh the GOP pick for Attorney General has also, through his own rhetoric, sown the seeds of antisemitism. In an online forum, Hamadeh once wrote, “If you think Jews aren’t big in America (2%) how come 56% of them are CEOS…Jews are influential and for the most part rich. It’s good we’re targeting Arabs now, next, we will target Jews,” Even though they have each denied being antisemitic, Lake, Finchem and others continue to drop the name George Soros and even Mike Bloomberg in campaign speeches and communications—both men are Jewish—and both, according certain recognizable antisemitic rhetoric, are responsible for America’s ills. Data published by the American Jewish Committee reports that one out of every four Jews in the U.S. has been the subject of antisemitism over the past year. Updated from original post, Sept. 26 Read More Here

Video: Former Rep. Riggleman (R-VA05) Says 1/6 Committee Could Produce “Hell Of A Report,” Showing Insurrectionists “marching To The Tune Of One Drummer…Donald Trump” https://digitalarkansasnews.com/video-former-rep-riggleman-r-va05-says-1-6-committee-could-produce-hell-of-a-report-showing-insurrectionists-marching-to-the-tune-of-one-drummerdonald-trump/ See below for video of former Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA05), who spent eight months as a technical advisor to the 1/6 committee, speaking this morning on The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart. On the show, former Rep. Riggleman had the following to say on what to look for in the 1/6 committee’s final report: “I’m going to look for the actual connections between all the major groups that were playing in this. I think that’s what they’re going to do. They have incredible investigative teams on the committee that are going to try to link all of this into a holistic way of looking at the political, the legal and the militant strategies that were going on. There are three sides of this triangle...What is the social network side of this? What is the cyber side of this, which are texts, phone calls and other types of data? Then what’s the physical aspect of this – who was with who…You put those three sides of the analytical triangle together, you can have a hell of a report…They can put all of the different lines of inquiry into a report that gives a holistic look at how all those players were together, how they were marching to the tune of one drummer. And that drummer was Donald Trump, who really was the person who said this election was overthrown. And by December 19th, after his tweet, you see sort of a full-court press into January 6th. And I think that’s what the report is going to show.” Verrry interesting. “They can put all of the different lines of inquiry into a report that gives a holistic look at how all those players work together. How they were marching to the tune of one drummer. And that drummer was Donald Trump.” @RepRiggleman previews the next Jan. 6th hearing #SundayShow pic.twitter.com/MJ3nlY30gP — The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart (@TheSundayShow) October 9, 2022 Read More Here

Russian Analyst Set To Face Trial On Charges Of Lying To FBI https://digitalarkansasnews.com/russian-analyst-set-to-face-trial-on-charges-of-lying-to-fbi/ Five years after the term “Steele dossier” entered the political lexicon, a think tank analyst who contributed to research about Donald Trump and Russia goes on trial Tuesday for lying to the FBI about his sources of information. Igor Danchenko is the third person to be prosecuted by Special Counsel John Durham, who was appointed to investigate the origins of “Crossfire Hurricane” — the designation given to the FBI’s 2016 probe into former president Trump’s Russia connections. It is also the first of Durham’s cases that delves deeply into the origins of the dossier that Trump derided as fake news and a political witch hunt. Here’s some background on what the case is about. WHO IS DANCHENKO AND WHAT IS HE ACCUSED OF? Danchenko, a Russian analyst, was a source of information for Christopher Steele, a former British spy who was paid by Democrats to research ties between Russia and presidential candidate Donald Trump. The compilation of research files, which included salacious rumors and unproven assertions, came to be familiarly known as the “Steele dossier.” Though the dossier did not help launch the FBI’s investigation into potential coordination between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, the Justice Department did rely on it when it applied for and received warrants to monitor the communications of a former Trump campaign adviser. As part of its efforts to verify information in the dossier, the FBI interviewed Danchenko in 2017. He is charged with lying to agents about his information sources, with prosecutors accusing Danchenko of misleading the FBI in an effort to make his own contributions seem more credible. WHAT DO THE PROSECUTORS SAY? Prosecutors say Danchenko lied when the FBI asked him about how he obtained the information he gave to Steele. Specifically, they say he denied that he relied on a Democratic operative, Charles Dolan, a public relations executive who volunteered for Hillary Clinton’s presidential 2016 campaign. Prosecutors also say Danchenko lied when he said he received information from an anonymous phone call that he believed was placed by a man named Sergei Millian, a former president of the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce. They argue Danchenko knew that Millian wasn’t a source of any anonymous phone call. The indictment says the FBI could have better judged the veracity of the Steele dossier had it known that a Democratic operative was the source of much of its information. WHAT DOES THE DEFENSE SAY? Danchenko’s lawyers say the prosecution “is a case of extraordinary government overreach.” They note that Danchenko agreed to multiple voluntary FBI interviews throughout 2017. They say his answers to the FBI were all technically true. For instance, an FBI agent asked Danchenko whether he ever “talked” with Dolan about the information that showed up in the dossier. While prosecutors have produced evidence that the two had email exchanges about topics in the dossier, there’s no evidence that they talked orally about those topics. “It was a bad question,” said Danchenko’s lawyer, Stuart Sears, at a pretrial hearing last month. “That’s the special counsel’s problem. Not Mr. Danchenko’s.” And while Danchenko said he believed Millian was the voice on the anonymous phone call, he never told the FBI with any certainty that it was Millian. Sears argued that ambiguous statements like that fall short of what’s necessary to convict on a false statements charge. WHAT OTHER CASES HAS DURHAM BROUGHT? Durham was the U.S. Attorney in Connecticut in 2019 when he was tapped by then-Attorney General William Barr to hunt for potential misconduct by government officials who conducted the original Russia investigation. But after more than three years, Durham’s work has failed to meet the expectations of Trump supporters who hoped he would uncover sweeping FBI conspiracies to derail the Republican’s candidacy. The probe has produced only three criminal cases. The first case was against an FBI lawyer, Kevin Clinesmith, who was accused of altering an email related to the surveillance of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. It ended in a guilty plea and a sentence of probation – and involved FBI misconduct already uncovered by the Justice Department’s inspector general. Last year, Durham’s team charged a Democratic lawyer with making a false statement to the FBI’s top lawyer during a 2016 meeting in which he presented information about a purported — and ultimately debunked — backchannel between a Russian bank and the Trump organization. The case against the lawyer, Michael Sussmann, ended in a swift acquittal in May. Durham’s work has continued deep into the Biden administration Justice Department, but the Danchenko trial seems likely to be the last criminal case his team will bring. It is not clear when Durham might produce a report summarizing his findings. Read More Here

Alaska Campaign Roundup: Pierce Resurfaces, Al Gross Returns To The Political Scene, And Outside Group Holds Rally For Palin And Tshibaka https://digitalarkansasnews.com/alaska-campaign-roundup-pierce-resurfaces-al-gross-returns-to-the-political-scene-and-outside-group-holds-rally-for-palin-and-tshibaka/ Candidates in Alaska are campaigning in full swing for the November election. Some highlights: The reappearance of Charlie Pierce After all but disappearing from the campaign trail, Republican candidate for governor and former Kenai Mayor Charlie Pierce surprised event organizers by participating in the Homer Chamber of Commerce debate Thursday with independent former Gov. Bill Walker and former Democratic state legislator Les Gara. During Thursday’s debate, Pierce voiced support for holding a constitutional convention and cutting the state budget. He said he opposes taxation, calling it “regressive,” but said he wants to look at Alaska’s oil tax credit structure. Gara repeated his previously stated intention to collect $1.2 billion more per year from major oil companies, similar to the Fair Share Act ballot measure rejected by voters in 2020, and to invest more in state services in an effort to reverse out-migration. Walker has emphasized trying to capture as much as possible for Alaska from the trillion-dollar federal infrastructure bill and spoke about a fiscal plan he championed when he was governor. In August, Pierce announced he was resigning as mayor to focus on his gubernatorial campaign, but a “credible” harassment claim from a borough employee was later brought to light. His campaign has been all but silent since then. Conservative radio host Michael Dukes, who has voiced support for Pierce, lamented the former mayor’s disappearance from the campaign trail on his Tuesday radio show. Dukes said at least Pierce had helped block the “stalking horse” of far-right Republican Rep. Chris Kurka, who finished fifth in August’s primary election. Kurka fruitlessly demanded Pierce drop out before the state’s withdrawal deadline. The top four-finishers advanced to the Nov. 8 general election. Pierce’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment Friday about his campaign’s plans for the future. He garnered 6.6% of votes in the August primary election and was in fourth place behind Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Gara and Walker. All four candidates for governor are scheduled to meet in Anchorage on Tuesday for a forum hosted by the Resource Development Council. For Dunleavy, it will be only his second candidate forum since the launch of his re-election campaign. He previously appeared in a debate hosted by the Alaska Oil and Gas Association and canceled a planned appearance at the Alaska Chamber debate in Fairbanks to respond to fallout from a major storm in western Alaska. Dunleavy announced earlier this summer he would appear in only five forums, drawing repeated attacks from Gara and Walker. The Bill and Les show heads to Juneau With Pierce absent from events, and Dunleavy set to attend four debates this year, Gara and Walker have spent much of the 2022 campaign season just debating each other.From Kodiak on Monday for the fisheries debate, Gara and Walker traveled to Juneau Wednesday for a forum in a Douglas bar hosted by the state’s hospitality trade organization. Gara joked that the gubernatorial campaign had become the “Bill and Les Show.” Both candidates voiced opposition to raising taxes on the alcohol industry and touted their hospitality cred: Walker was a bar and hotel owner as a young man in Valdez and Gara owns a small percentage of Snow City Cafe, a popular breakfast and lunch spot in downtown Anchorage. Under the state’s ranked-choice voting system, both Gara and Walker have said they would rank the other as their second-choice in an effort to topple Dunleavy, with recent polling showing the incumbent is in the lead. Constitutional convention opponents get big windfall Defend Our Constitution, the leading group against a constitutional convention, posted new financial disclosure documents earlier in the week, showing it had recently brought in more than $1.4 million. That represented a big jump from a month ago when the campaign had raised just over $800,000. The bulk of that new funding came from Outside groups like the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit described by the New York Times as a left-wing dark money group, which has donated $1.4 million to the campaign in total. Another big new donor is the National Education Association, which donated $500,000. Bruce Botelho, the campaign chair for Defend Our Constitution, has said he makes no apologies for seeking money from the Lower 48 because the campaign needs enough funding to tell all Alaskans why a convention would be a mistake. Convention YES, the leading campaign backed by conservatives for a convention, had said it had raised less $10,000 a month ago. The group is required to file its disclosure documents by Oct. 10. Al Gross joins new fundraising effort Former Alaska congressional candidate Al Gross, who dropped out of the race for U.S. House earlier this year without providing a full explanation after coming in third in the June special primary election, announced last week that he was involved in launching a new organization that will raise and spend funds in support of the re-election of Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola. According to emails signed by Gross, the fund is intended to promote the benefits of infrastructure money coming to Alaska. The new group is working with an existing non-profit, Build Alaska’s Future, “founded to advance the national Biden-Harris Administration agenda.” Veronica Slajer, a founding director of the organization, said it was originally set up to be “the nonprofit local partner to the administration” of Democratic President Joe Biden. She said the organization intends to continue to work after the November election. The federal infrastructure bill, which could deliver billions to Alaska for projects including broadband infrastructure, ferries, and road repairs, was signed into law last year and supported by both of Alaska’s U.S. senators and the late Rep. Don Young, all Republicans. Murkowski was a member of a bipartisan group of lawmakers that worked on crafting the bill. Murkowski’s Trump-backed opponent in the U.S. Senate race, Kelly Tshibaka, has said she would have opposed the bill. In the U.S. House race, both Republican candidates — former Gov. Sarah Palin and businessman Nick Begich III — have said they would have opposed the bill. According to emails signed by Gross, the goal of the new organization is to raise $500,000 to launch a statewide digital media campaign highlighting the benefits of the infrastructure funding. Gross, an orthopedic surgeon who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2020 against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, ran this year as an independent in the special U.S. House race to replace Young before abruptly dropping out. “While I stepped aside from the congressional race, I will continue to stay involved with initiatives making a positive impact in Alaska because I want to do what’s best for our state,” Gross wrote in the email. Gross did not respond to a phone call seeking comment and has avoided the press since stepping away from the special U.S. House race in June. In a text message on Saturday he said he’s “excited to help with this new organization.” “We’re happy to have him do that,” Slajer said. “I can’t imagine how hard it is to step out of something that he truly thought he could have won.” PAC campaigns for Trump-endorsed Palin and Tshibaka A group called Patriot Freedom PAC is campaigning for Palin and Tshibaka — both of whom endorsed by former President Donald Trump. According to a news release from the group, they expect to spend nearly $400,000 in Alaska campaigning for the two candidates, including by flying 20 paid canvassers who have been knocking on doors in Anchorage for the two candidates, and hosting an event in Anchorage Sunday featuring an appearance by Palin and a controversial former sheriff from Wisconsin. According to Federal Election Commission filings, the PAC was formed this year. It lists only the Anchorage event on its website. The sole contributor listed so far is California-based Caryn Borland, who gave the group $190,000 in June and appears to be a Christian musician. FEC filings show she is a regular contributor to Trump-backed candidates. The PAC said it planned to deliver “20,000 light saber swords branded with Kelly Tshibaka’s name” in a play on her last name, which is pronounced similar to “Chewbacca,” the “Star Wars” character. But Tshibaka will not be at the event. Her campaign adviser Mary Ann Pruitt said she had preexisting campaign commitments on the Kenai Peninsula and in Fairbanks but declined to provide details. Palin is expected to speak at the rally planned in Anchorage, complete with a mechanical bull and bouncy house. Also speaking will be David Clarke, a former sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, and prominent Trump surrogate who has made controversial statements, including supporting an unfounded conspiracy theory about a school shooting. While Tshibaka will miss the mechanical bull, she is scheduled to appear at an Anchorage candidate forum on Monday along with other Senate candidates Murkowski and Democrat Pat Chesbro. All three will share the stage at a forum hosted by the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, after Tshibaka missed a forum in Kodiak this week to fundraise in Texas with fellow Trump endorsed candidate Blake Masters, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat in Arizona. All four U.S. House candidates were also invited to the Anchorage Chamber forum, but only two — Republican Nick Begich and Libertarian Chris Bye — have confirmed they will attend. • • • Read More Here

Arizona Gubernatorial Candidates Kari Lake And Katie Hobbs On Abortion, Immigration And The Economy https://digitalarkansasnews.com/arizona-gubernatorial-candidates-kari-lake-and-katie-hobbs-on-abortion-immigration-and-the-economy/ Washington — Arizona gubernatorial candidates Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, and Kari Lake, a Republican, discussed Sunday on “Face the Nation” the top issues facing voters in the state one month ahead of Election Day, making their pitch for why they should serve as Arizona’s chief executive in one of the most closely watched races this cycle. A CBS News poll of likely voters published Wednesday found Hobbs and Lake deadlocked at 49%. Among registered voters in Arizona, Lake, however, trails Hobbs by nine points on how she handles herself personally. Hobbs, who serves as Arizona’s secretary of state, declined an invitation to debate Lake, who has embraced former President Donald Trump’s false claims the 2020 presidential election was stolen.  Hobbs told “Face the Nation” during an interview Sunday she has “no desire to be a part of the spectacle” surrounding her Republican gubernatorial opponent and accused Lake of creating a “circus” that does not benefit Arizona voters. “At this point in the race with 30 days to go, our schedule in terms of forums is pretty much set. And I’m really happy with where we are in the plans we have to continue talking directly to the voters of Arizona,” she said. Katie Hobbs, left, and Kari Lake on “Face the Nation.”  CBS News But Lake, who will participate in a one-on-one interview Wednesday, said she has agreed to participate in “any and all” debates with Hobbs. “I would love it if she would show up because I think there’s a lot of important issues that the people of Arizona need to hear about,”  she said. Both Lake and Hobbs appeared on “Face the Nation” for back-to-back interviews, during which they discussed the top issues facing voters. Here’s what they had to say. Transcript: Kari Lake, Arizona gubernatorial candidate, on “Face the Nation” Transcript: Katie Hobbs, Arizona gubernatorial candidate, on “Face the Nation” Immigration Lake has proposed Arizona join a compact with other like-minded states to carry out immigration enforcement at the U.S.-Mexico border and said that she has spoken with other governors who have pledged to help Arizona. “Article 4, Section 4 calls for the federal government to protect us from invasion, and under Joe Biden’s lack of leadership, we just aren’t seeing that,” she told “Face the Nation.” “And we have an invasion at our border, the cartels, these narco-terrorist groups have operational control. And they’re using Arizona to smuggle people, to traffic children and to traffic the most dangerous drug we’ve ever seen, fentanyl. And so we’re going to invoke our Article One, Section 10, basically, authority to take care of our own border and protect our own border.” Lake told “Face the Nation” that a failure of immigration policy by the Biden administration has led to a surge of fentanyl coming across the southern border, impacting not only people in Arizona but across the country as the drugs flow to other states. “We’re not going to back down and let our people be overrun with drugs, watch our children die,” she said. “We can’t keep having this happen. We’re losing our young generation. So I hope that Joe Biden doesn’t fight us because then it would really look like he is on the side of the cartels. And I don’t think he wants the people to think that.” Hobbs, meanwhile, said Arizona has born the brunt of the failures of U.S. immigration policies, but she told “Face the Nation” that there has been “bad” immigration policy for decades. “Trump has centered his whole immigration policy around finishing the wall and it’s not done. But Biden does need to step up immigration and border security. Absolutely,” she said. “Arizona is bearing the brunt of illegal drug trafficking, gun trafficking and smuggling. And we do need more border security. It’s not going to get done by declaring an invasion at the border or dismantling the F.B.I., which is another thing that my opponent has called for.” Hobbs criticized Lake’s plan, saying her positions are “empty rhetoric.” “She’s not offering real solutions. When she talked about invoking the constitutional authority of the state, she’s talking about declaring an invasion at our southern border,” she said. “That would do absolutely nothing to increase border security, but it would bring untold levels of chaos into our state. It’s not a real solution.” Abortion The CBS News poll found the 60% of Arizona voters believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and abortion is a top issue for Democratic voters in the state, though it does not rank as high among all voters when compared to the economy, inflation or immigration. Lake told “Face the Nation”  that she would “follow the law” on limits to abortion in Arizona, which currently prohibits the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy.  “We need to draw the line somewhere. I am going to be the executive of the state, the chief executive officer, and I will follow the law,” she said. “The law right now as it stands is Gov. Ducey’s law at 15 weeks, so we’ll follow the law.” Lake said supports giving women choices when confronted with an unplanned pregnancy and argued that when women go to abortion clinics, “they’re only given one choice.” “I will uphold the law, whatever that law is. And I want to see to it that we’ve save more lives,” she said. Hobs said on “Face the Nation” that she does not support Arizona’s 15-week abortion ban and accused Lake of “entirely misconstruing” her position on abortion. “Under a Kari Lake administration, we would have government-mandated forced births that risk women’s lives. And her position is the one that’s extreme,” Hobbs said. “It’s out of touch with where the majority of Arizonans are who support access to safe and legal abortion. And under her administration, women would not be safe.” Hobbs said abortion is a “very personal decision that belongs between a woman and her doctor.”  “The government and politicians don’t belong in that decision, we need to let doctors perform the care that they are trained and take an oath to- to perform,” she said. The economy The economy and inflation are top issues for likely voters in Arizona, according to the CBS News poll, and voters most concerned about immigration and the economy favor the Republican candidate. Hobbs said she and her husband know acutely the struggles Arizona families face amid high consumer prices, having raised their family “through financial ups and downs.” “We have a comprehensive plan to address the rising costs that Arizonans are facing right now that will put money back in their pockets,” she said. “We cut taxes on all kinds of everyday items like over the counter medication, school supplies, diapers, feminine hygiene products, we provide a state level child tax credit, and tax credits for people who want to go back to work in higher paying jobs to get career and technical education.” Election denialism Arizona was among the states key to President Biden’s 2020 presidential win, and he became the first Democrat to win the state since 1996. The results of the presidential election in Arizona were certified, and reaffirmed through a hand recount and review commissioned by Republicans in the state. Lake, who has repeated Trump’s baseless claims the 2020 election was rife with voter fraud, said Sunday that there are “major problems” with the state’s election system. “We can’t speak out against our own elections,” she said. “All I’m asking for is the ability to speak out when our government does something wrong. We should be able to speak out against it.” Lake said there has to be “honesty” restored in elections. Unsupported claims about the integrity of elections has led to threats against election workers, and last week, a 64-year-old Iowa man was arrested after he was accused of threatening to kill Maricopa County Supervisor Clint Hickman.  Asked whether she supports federal and state prosecution of people who threaten election workers, Lake said “anyone who threatens anyone’s life should be detained and questioned.” “I think we need to get back to where we have free speech and we shouldn’t be threatening people, and I hope that they arrest that man and detain him,” she said. Read More Here

Former Gov. Bill Richardson Suggests Brittney Griner And Paul Whelan May Be Released By End Of Year | CNN Politics https://digitalarkansasnews.com/former-gov-bill-richardson-suggests-brittney-griner-and-paul-whelan-may-be-released-by-end-of-year-cnn-politics/ 01:41 – Source: CNN Bill Richardson on what he saw inside Russia CNN  —  Former Gov. Bill Richardson said Sunday he is “cautiously optimistic” that two Americans wrongfully detained by Russia will be released and suggested they could be freed by the end of the year. Richardson, a former Democratic governor of New Mexico, and his namesake center privately work on behalf of families of hostages and detainees. He recently traveled to Russia to discuss with Kremlin officials the possible release of basketball star Brittney Griner and former US Marine Paul Whelan, and he said Sunday that he’s working with the families of both Americans and coordinating with the White House for their release. “I do think so. Now, I hate making predictions, but yes,” Richardson told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” when asked if he believed Griiner and Whelan may be released before the end of this year. “I know (the families are) very emotional and this is a very emotional time. All I can say is that the Biden administration is working hard on it,” added Richardson, who served as US ambassador to the United Nations in the Clinton administration. “So am I. We coordinate, but not always agree on every tactical decision. But I’m not going to interfere in their process. I’m just giving you my assessment after two visits to Russia on behalf of American hostages.” Griner was sentenced in August to nine years in a Russian jail after pleading guilty to drug-smuggling. The two-time US Olympic basketball gold medalist had been arrested at a Moscow airport and accused by Russian prosecutors of trying to smuggle less than 1 gram of cannabis oil in her luggage – which she said she had accidentally packed while in a hurry. Whelan was detained at a Moscow hotel in December 2018 and arrested on espionage charges, which he has consistently and vehemently denied. He was convicted and sentenced in June 2020 to 16 years in prison in a trial US officials denounced as unfair. President Joe Biden met separately with the families of Griner and Whelan at the White House last month, marking his first time personally meeting with them since their loved ones were detained in Russia. On Sunday, Richardson characterized his meetings in Russia as being with “senior Russian officials, individuals close to President (Vladimir) Putin.” “I am cautiously optimistic,” Richardson said of the negotiations over Griner and Whelan’s release. “I got the sense that the Russian officials that I met with, that I’ve known over the years, are ready to talk,” he said. “I got a good sense from the Russians – the vibrations – but I’m not a government official.” The Biden administration had previously distanced itself from Richardson’s efforts. Last month, a senior administration official told CNN that anyone “who’s going to Russia is going as a private citizen and they don’t speak for the US government.” “I’m not part of the government, the government channel. I’ve always made that clear. I respect that. I think any decision, for instance, a release, a prisoner exchange, has to be made by the President. And I think the administration has done a good job on that,” Richardson said on Sunday. Richardson on Sunday acknowledged the White House’s trepidation at him being involved in prisoner release negotiations, but cited his experience in past prisoner negotiations, including his role in the release of Trevor Reed from Russian custody earlier this year. A source familiar with the situation previously told CNN that members of the Richardson Center had traveled to Moscow in February, in the days immediately before the Russian war in Ukraine began, to meet with Russian leadership. Following that visit, the Richardson Center came away with a clear sense of what the Russians were willing to do and how they were willing to do it, which was presented to the White House. Reed was freed in a prisoner swap in April. “I’ve coordinated with the White House. I’ve coordinated as much as I can, but you know, sometimes they’re a little nervous about my doing this on my own,” he said. “But at the same time, we’ve had success recently with Trevor Reed, the American hostage in Russia some months ago. Danny Fenster, a journalist in Myanmar at the end of last year,” Richardson added. “So, I know what I’m doing.” Earlier this month, Biden announced the return of seven Americans who had been detained in Venezuela. The detainees were released in exchange for the release of two Venezuelans imprisoned in the US for conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the country, both nephews of the Venezuelan first lady. Read More Here

Republican Tuberville Accused Of “open Appeal To Racism” At Trump Rally https://digitalarkansasnews.com/republican-tuberville-accused-of-open-appeal-to-racism-at-trump-rally/ Senator Tommy Tuberville faced accusations of making an “open appeal to racism” while speaking at former President Donald Trump‘s Nevada rally on Saturday night. Tuberville, an Alabama Republican who was previously Auburn University’s head football coach, gave a speech at the rally in support of Trump-backed candidates Adam Laxalt and Joe Lombardo, who are running in the state’s highly competitive Senate and gubernatorial races. During his speech, he attacked Democrats as being weak on crime. Crime remains a major issue for millions of voters ahead of the November midterm elections. Democrats have pushed for criminal justice reform policies to fix what they view as a system that perpetuates racial inequality. Republicans, however, say these reforms actually lead to an increase in crime. “They want crime because they want to take over what you’ve got. They want to control what you have,” he said to the cheering crowd. “They want reparations because they think that the people who do the crime are owed that.” Above, Senator Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican, walks onto the stage during former President Donald Trump’s rally in Minden, Nevada on Saturday. Tuberville faced accusations of racism for saying during the rally Democrats want reparations “because they think that the people who do the crime are owed that.” Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Reparations advocates say that descendants of slaves should be paid financial compensation for their uncompensated work and the historic racism they say has led to financial disparity between races. The NAACP defines reparations as “a financial recompense for African-Americans whose ancestors were slaves and lived through the Jim Crow era.” The senator’s remarks were met with an onslaught of criticism on social media and on cable news on Sunday, with many accusing Tuberville of promoting racist stereotypes. “A reminder that Tommy Tuberville was a collegiate coach for nearly 30 years, during which he coached scores of Black players. He made millions off their abilities, but here’s what he really thinks about Black folks,” tweeted political commentator Jemele Hill. A reminder that Tommy Tuberville was a collegiate coach for nearly 30 years, during which he coached scores of Black players. He made millions off their abilities, but here’s what he really thinks about Black folks. https://t.co/aFjqocLTNH — Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 9, 2022 “This open appeal to racism by a Republican senator would make George Wallace and Lester Maddox proud. You don’t have to be a Southerner like me to understand that “they” is Tuberville’s substitute for a racial slur he can’t say behind a microphone in 2022,” tweeted MSNBC host Joe Scarborough. This open appeal to racism by a Republican senator would make George Wallace and Lester Maddox proud. You don’t have to be a Southerner like me to understand that “they” is Tuberville’s substitute for a racial slur he can’t say behind a microphone in 2022. https://t.co/0LFS3s4fw8 — Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) October 9, 2022 During a CNN panel Sunday morning, political analyst Bakari Sellers said: “He made tens of millions of dollars off unpaid Black men, as a football coach. He literally has the stature he has because people went out there and assumed the risk and incurred the risk of concussions, playing hard and everything. And for him to give these racist tropes? I mean, that infuriates me.” Nina Turner, a progressive political commentator who ran for Congress in Ohio in 2021 and 2022, added: “The ‘they,’ just flat out. He’s talking about Black people. He should man up and say it. American descendants of slaves do deserve reparations in this country. But for him to equate a whole group of people as being criminal. You know what’s criminal? Allowing people to languish in poverty.” Meanwhile, Congressman Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, offered a modest defense against Tuberville’s accusations of racism, though he still urged him to “be more polite,” during an appearance on NBC News’ Meet the Press. “I’m not going to say he’s being racist. I wouldn’t use that language. Be more polite. But we can’t ignore—we have a 40 to 50 percent violent crime increase,” he said. Newsweek reached out to Tuberville’s office for comment. Read More Here

Russia-Ukraine War Latest: What We Know On Day 228 Of The Invasion https://digitalarkansasnews.com/russia-ukraine-war-latest-what-we-know-on-day-228-of-the-invasion/ The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, will hold a meeting of his security council on Monday, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, has said. It comes after an explosion on Saturday caused the collapse of part of a bridge linking the Crimean peninsula with Russia. Ukrainian authorities have revised the death toll from the Russian shelling of Zaporizhzhia down from 17 to at least 12. The blasts blew out windows in adjacent buildings and left at least one high-rise apartment building partially collapsed. In the immediate aftermath of the strikes, the city council said 17 were killed but later revised that down to 12. The city council secretary, Anatoliy Kurtev, said rockets struck the city overnight, and that at least 20 private homes and 50 apartment buildings were damaged. At least 40 people were admitted to hospital and dozens more were being treated for moderate to light injuries, Kurtev posted on his Telegram channel. Volodymyr Zelenskiy has vowed that those who ordered and issued the “merciless” strikes in Zaporizhzhia will be held responsible. In a post on his Facebook page, he said the attack was “evil” and that everyone involved in the incident “will be held accountable”. The blasts that killed at least 12 people in Zaporizhzhia came from six missiles launched in Russian-occupied areas of the wider region, the Ukrainian air force has said. The Zaporizhzhia region is one of four Russia claimed as its own this month, but the regional capital remains under Ukrainian control. Reuters reports that the White House said it would continue to arm Ukraine but declined direct comment on an explosion that damaged Russia’s road-and-rail bridge to Crimea. National security spokesman John Kirby told ABC’s This Week programme: “We don’t really have anything more to add to the reports about the explosion on the bridge. What I can tell you is that Mr Putin started this war, and Mr Putin could end it today, simply by moving his troops out of the country.” The Russian invasion of Ukraine is being accompanied by the destruction and pillaging of historical sites and treasures on an industrial scale, Ukrainian authorities said. In an interview with the Associated Press, Ukraine’s culture minister, Oleksandr Tkachenko, alleged that Russian soldiers helped themselves to artefacts in almost 40 Ukrainian museums. The looting and destruction of cultural sites has caused losses estimated in the hundreds of millions of euros, the minister added. Ukraine has recaptured more than 1,170 sq km (450 sq miles) of land in its southern Kherson region since launching the start of its counterassault against Russia in late August, a military spokesperson said. Ukraine achieved success with its offensive in the north-east, but its drive in the south to wipe out a Russian foothold on the west bank of the vast Dnieper River has taken longer, Reuters reports. Southern military command spokesperson Natalia Humeniuk said that Ukraine was making progress on the Kherson front, but that a lot needed to be done to secure newly recaptured territories. The damage from Saturday’s explosion on the Kerch bridge in Crimea could have a “significant” impact on Russia’s “already strained ability to sustain its forces” in southern Ukraine, the latest UK intelligence update says. The Ministry of Defence said the blast “will likely touch President Putin closely” for reasons including that it came hours after his 70th birthday, he personally sponsored and opened the bridge, and its construction contractor was a childhood friend. The ministry said the bridge’s rail crossing had played a key role in moving heavy military vehicles to the southern front during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Read More Here

ARKANSAS A-Z: Black Students Felt Loss Of Traditions As Integration Began https://digitalarkansasnews.com/arkansas-a-z-black-students-felt-loss-of-traditions-as-integration-began/ Joan Craft (seated),1960 athletic queen at Branch High School, with Dulcie Dunlap, Shirley Crite and Virginia Walker, members of her court. (Courtesy of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Central Arkansas Library System) The state recently celebrated the 65th anniversary of the Little Rock Nine’s entrance into Central High School, an occasion that certainly deserves to be commemorated. But for many Black students in smaller communities, the process of desegregation, most often steered by white school boards, resulted in the dissolution of Black school districts and the loss of teachers and traditions those students had come to cherish. Located in western Newport on Arrington Avenue, W.F. Branch High School served as the town’s high school for Black students until its closure in 1970. Originally known as the Newport Colored School, the Branch School provided education only for elementary students in the two-story frame structure. According to the Arkansas Gazette in 1891, the “Colored school in Newport is said to be the finest and best arranged building of its kind north of the Arkansas River.” A two-story red brick building was erected in 1923 to meet the needs of a growing student population. Grades eight through 12 were added to the school between 1925 and 1948. With the help of a newly formed Parent Teacher Association, additional buildings for home economics and a boys’ shop were added by 1928. After 1954, the school changed its name to W.F. Branch to honor William Franklin Branch, who had been the school’s principal for 23 years, retiring in 1948. After the Brown v. Board decision in 1954, some school districts in Arkansas, such as Charleston, Hoxie and Fayetteville, desegregated successfully. However, the federal government eventually allowed school districts to utilize the “Freedom of Choice” plan, which allowed for more gradual integration. In Newport, for example, the all-Black Branch High School and the all-white Newport High School operated separately within the same district. In 1965, a gradual integration process was started by reassigning white teachers to Branch and Black teachers to Newport High School, and allowing students to choose which high school they would attend. Newport Special School District continued to operate separate schools using the Freedom of Choice plan until 1971. As part of the Freedom of Choice plan, the district was required to publish, in newspapers and in letters to parents, courses that were offered at Newport High School but not provided at Branch High School. These included Latin, speech, distributive education, mechanical drawing and diversified occupations. By 1968, Black students had begun enrolling there. The dual school system continued, however. In April 1968, a letter from the Arkansas Teachers’ Association executive secretary, T.E. Patterson, to Superintendent John W. Mullins pointed to “glaring inequities of salary between teachers with comparable qualifications and duties” at Newport High School versus those at Branch High School. Federal inspectors with the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), however, found no evidence of discrimination in the district. Fourteen teachers taught in schools in which their race was in the minority, resulting in Black students being taught by white teachers and white students being taught by Black teachers. Under the Freedom of Choice plan, one white student did enroll in Branch but later withdrew. By 1969-1970, the dual school system was no longer acceptable to the HEW. By August 1970, Branch High was closed, and Newport High School was fully integrated. However, many Black students were disenchanted with the process because none of the traditions from Branch followed them to Newport High School. The school mascot, school colors, and trophies just disappeared, and athletes felt their talents were underutilized, citing an instance of Black basketball players being allowed to play only the last 15 seconds of a game. The Newport High School prom was also canceled. One day during lunch, several students decided not to return to class, and though most later returned under the threat of expulsion, several juniors and seniors quit school altogether, unable to bear the disappointment of losing their previous school and the pressures of integrating. After the demonstration, efforts were made throughout the 1971 school year to ensure equal participation by former Branch students in all extracurricular activities. Branch High School students formed an alumni association and have held many reunions. In 2006, for example, approximately 100 former students, some of whom traveled thousands of miles to attend, gathered at the Newport Country Club for dinner and a program. — Darby Wallace This story is adapted by Guy Lancaster from the online Encyclopedia of Arkansas, a project of the Central Arkansas Library System. Visit the site at encyclopediaofarkansas.net. Read More…

Rising Gas Prices: Local News Headlines Across The Nation Highlight Pain At The Pump https://digitalarkansasnews.com/rising-gas-prices-local-news-headlines-across-the-nation-highlight-pain-at-the-pump/ Local news outlets across the country are putting a spotlight on gas prices, which have been ticking back up in recent weeks.  Oklahoma newspaper Tulsa World highlighted on Wednesday how gas prices in Tulsa spiked “20 cents per gallon overnight,” jumping to $3.59 following $3.38 the day prior. WBRC out of Birmingham reported Friday, “Three days ago in Alabama, our state average was $3.19 a gallon. On Friday, we are at $3.32 a gallon and that will only continue to increase,” adding, “With supply and demand forever changing, it’s hard to know right now how much of an increase we will see.” RISING GAS PRICES IMPACT VOTERS IN KEY MIDTERM STATE: ‘NOBODY SIGNED UP FOR THIS’ San Antonio’s CBS affiliate KENS 5 reported Thursday on the jump of gas prices in Texas going to $3.20 per gallon, writing “That is nine cents more than last week and 35 cents more than the cost last year.” “Drivers in El Paso are paying the most on average at $3.56 per gallon while drivers in the Brownsville-Harlingen metropolitan area are paying the least at $3.02 per gallon,” the report added.   Details from gas station. Gasoline pistols close up shot. (iStock) In the Midwest, Detroit News published the headline, “Gas prices keep rising in Michigan, up 23 cents a gallon over last week.” “This latest increase puts the average pump price at $4.17 for regular unleaded fuel, which is 33 cents more than what Michiganians paid in September and nearly $1 more than this time last year,” Detroit News wrote Monday. “Michigan’s price is nearly 40 cents higher than the national average, at $3.80, according to AAA-The Auto Club Group.” AFTER OPEC OIL CUT, WASHINGTON POST CLAIMS BIDEN’S FOREIGN POLICY WITH SAUDI ARABIA AS ‘FAILED’ ’BADLY’ FOX 32 in Chicago reported, “Pain at the pump continues as gas prices creep up in Illinois,” offering residents in the Land of Lincoln a warning ahead of OPEC’s announcement that it was slashing oil production.  “As a result, you can expect pain at the pump to get worse before it gets better,” FOX 32 wrote Monday. “While gas prices are still down from where they peaked in June, here in Chicago, the average price of regular unleaded — $4.81 per gallon according to Triple-A — is once again starting to push dangerously close to the dreaded $5/gallon mark.” Indianapolis’ WISH-TV reported that gas prices in Indiana topped the $4 mark, writing on Tuesday that average price for gas rose to $4.12 per gallon and how that’s “16 cents higher than last week.” The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel similarly reported Wednesday, “Average gas prices in Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Green Bay and Oshkosh top $4 a gallon; western Wisconsin has the cheapest gas in the state.” Out West, the Las Vegas Review Journal informed residents, “Gas prices rise over 40 cents in a week; could go higher before dropping.  “Regular gasoline prices in Las Vegas reached an average of $5.52 a gallon this week, more than 40 cents higher than the average price one week ago. This is only 9 cents below Las Vegas’ highest recorded average price of $5.61, according to AAA data,” the Review Journal wrote Tuesday. “Average gas price in Nevada is the second-highest in the country, behind California… The state is about $1.70 higher than the national average, and 91 cents lower than California’s average.” OCTOBER SURPRISE? WHY OPEC’S PLANNED PRICE HIKE COULD PUMMEL DEMOCRATS Phoenix’s KNXV-TV offered an explainer to residents posing the question in the headline, “Why is Phoenix gas back above $5?” “The high temperature may be going down in the Valley, but gas prices are going up,” ABC15’s report began Tuesday. The article cited Gasbuddy analyst Patrick De Haan, who turned to issues at California oil refineries as a source of Phoenix’s financial pain at the pump, writing, ” ABC15 looked at weekly data published by California regulators and found that recent oil inputs in southern California refineries are frequently among the lowest since 2018. The stock of gasoline at refineries specifically formulated for export to states like Arizona and Nevada is also extremely low… Arizona gets about 60% of its gasoline from Southern California with most of it going to the Phoenix area.” Gas station prices in New Jersey sky-rocketing (Megan Myers/Fox News Digital) (Fox News ) California itself was inundated with stories about the soaring costs. The Los Angeles Times ran the headline, “Record gas prices, electricity woes show California’s worsening energy vulnerabilities.” CBS Sacramento anchor Adrienne Moore told viewers that the pain at the pump “is becoming unbearable,” noting that California was “just a few cents away from another record.” FOX KTVU out of Oakland published the article, “California about to break all-time high gasoline price.” The Seattle Times reported on the “acute spike” in gas prices affecting the west, particularly in Washington, where the price per gallon was “$1.39 above the national average” on Oct. 3.  “At $5.45 a gallon, gas prices in the Seattle area are up 15% from early September when prices fell to their lowest price since April, according to an analysis of federal Energy Information Administration data,” the Times wrote. CNN ANALYSIS WORRIES GAS PRICE SPIKE COULD HURT DEMOCRATS IN NOVEMBER, ‘HAUNT’ PRESIDENT BIDEN Alaska’s News Source reporter Lauren Maxwell told viewers on Tuesday, “You’re not crazy” to notices that gas prices “have taken a huge jump in just the last week or so,” highlighting Alaska’s average price per gallon at $5.41. “Good luck trying to find it that low in Anchorage,” Maxwell said.  High gas prices are posted at a full service gas station in Beverly Hills, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline jumped by 5 cents over the past two weeks, to $3.49 per gallon. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) ( (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)) Out East, Clay Moden, 106.5 WYRK radio host out of Buffalo, New York, warned residents on Thursday about soaring gas prices headed their way, writing, “Love to drive but hate the gas prices? It is not going to get any better any time soon here in New York State. The prices change more than the weather it seems these days.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Spectrum News 1 in Syracuse listed the average prices in cities across New York on Saturday, writing, “In Buffalo, it’s $3.69. It’s the same down the thruway in Rochester. Continuing on to Syracuse, gas is a tad cheaper there with gas averaging $3.59. And in Albany, it’s $3.64.” Following OPEC’s announcement FOX 23 Maine reported on gas prices jumping overnight, warning residents on Thursday, “The pain at the pump returns. Gas prices are up overnight, and this could just be the start.” Gas prices are top of mind for voters as inflation and the economy continue to be the biggest issues according to the polls going into the midterm elections. Joe Silverstein is a production assistant for Fox News Digital.  Read More Here

Reps. Lauren Boebert And Matt Gaetz Speak At Pueblo GOP https://digitalarkansasnews.com/reps-lauren-boebert-and-matt-gaetz-speak-at-pueblo-gop/ Two of the most famous and conservative members of Congress addressed an audience of Pueblo Republicans Friday during the local GOP’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner at the Pueblo Convention Center.   Reps. Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz, ardent supporters of former President Donald Trump and frequent guests on Fox News, discussed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, climate change and the FBI while taking shots at the Democratic Party and Boebert’s opponent in the race to represent the 3rd Congressional District, Adam Frisch. Boebert and Gaetz, along with other Freedom Caucus members such as Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, are among some of the most well-known members of Congress for their far-right voting records and controversial statements.   Boebert attacks Democrats, defends ‘conservative message’ Boebert told the crowd she would continue fighting against “Nancy Pelosi’s agenda” and came out on the attack against Frisch.   Boebert unseated incumbent Rep. Scott Tipton in the primary in June 2020 and handily defeated state Sen. Don Coram’s primary challenge this year. Her opponent, Frisch, of Aspen, is running on a moderate platform and is seeking to woo unaffiliated voters.   Boebert is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, one of the most conservative groups of legislators, and is a controversial figure with a national reputation. She owned Shooters Grill, a gun-themed restaurant, with her husband, Jayson, prior to its closure in July.   “I love dealing with you, seeing you, looking you directly in the eyes, hearing about the issues that matter most to you, and then coming up with a solution in the swamp to try to get things right. After all, I am from the federal government, and I’m here to help,” Boebert said with a smile, eliciting laughs from the crowd.  Frisch has publicly criticized Boebert for spending too much time out of state at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and campaigning for other candidates. While Boebert didn’t directly respond to Frisch’s statements, she defended the time she spends outside of the state to campaign for other right-wing candidates, such as Karoline Leavitt in New Hampshire and Mary Miller in Illinois, saying they also cast votes in Congress and represent people around the country. Boebert’s campaign has recently launched ads attacking Frisch’s experience in Aspen, stemming from comments she made at their September debate in Grand Junction. The ads bash Frisch’s experience on Aspen City Council and feature a shadowy image of Pelosi.  Frisch said at the September debate that he is not Nancy Pelosi and would not support her as speaker of the House if elected.   Boebert attacked Frisch for running as a “conservative Democrat.”   “We’re up on an election right now, so, suddenly everyone is speaking this conservative message,” Boebert said. “Everyone’s suddenly a conservative. It’s almost like these conservative policies are what’s going to get our country back on track. Even my Democratic opponent is lying to all of you. He is telling you that he is a conservative. Well, Aspen Adam is far from conservative.” Boebert said Republicans should defend the “conservative message” of supporting law enforcement and reducing inflation, which have been common themes for Colorado Republican candidates. “We cannot allow the Democrats to get ahead in messaging. This is our message. Our conservative message is what is going to turn this country around and save freedom and prosperity for every family in America. We cannot allow them to hijack this, pretend that they did not want to defund our police, pretend that they did not want to spend us into oblivion,” Boebert said.  Efforts toward defunding police and reallocating funding to alternative community safety programs rose to prominence in the national discourse in the summer of 2020 amid widespread protests against police brutality. Over the past few years, many moderate Democrats have pushed back against “defunding police” rhetoric.    In Pueblo, a voter-approved sales tax increase, which is up for a five-year renewal in November, raised an additional $15 million for the police department, which has allocated $12 million of the additional revenue since 2018.   Boebert also attacked Congressional Democrats and plans for a Green New Deal, which would inject federal funding into mitigating climate change.   “I get it, Pueblo. Climate change is absolutely real. It happens four times every year,” Boebert said.   Frisch also stopped in Pueblo Friday night, hosting a meet-and-greet at Pueblo Community College.   Gaetz defends ‘fighting wing’ of GOP   Gaetz has represented Florida’s 1st District, the northwestern panhandle, since 2017. He has been investigated for multiple alleged ethics violations and is under a probe for alleged child sex trafficking for his alleged involvement with a then-17-year-old. Gaetz has disputed the claims. The Washington Post recently reported that he will likely not be charged because of credibility issues with two key witnesses.   Gaetz told the Pueblo crowd Friday that people often come up to him because they recognize him for defending Trump during impeachment trials or from his appearances on Fox News.   He reflected on the mission of what President Joe Biden referred to as “ultra-MAGA Republicans.” “I think he’s talking about us, Lauren,” Gaetz said. “You know what? I come from the fighting wing of the Republican Party and I think it’s time to put us back in the middle of ring,” Gaetz said to loud applause from the crowd. “Circumstances have changed so much in our country. When I first ran for Congress in 2016, I thought the FBI and the CDC were the good guys. I woke up one day, and the CDC wanted the power of the CIA, and ended up with the credibility of CNN.”  Many conservatives have attacked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic for instituting public health guidelines. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has only recently attracted widespread criticism from far-right figures after raiding Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in August to recover classified documents taken from the White House. Perspective from local Republicans  Throughout the dinner, where seats cost a minimum of $100, Pueblo County GOP Chairman Rob Leverington and Vice Chairwoman Susan Carr cracked jokes about Democrats.  After the keynote speakers, the pair also honored some Pueblo Republicans for service awards and recognition.   Pueblo City Councilwoman Regina Maestri, who emceed the event, talked about how there are more Republican candidates running for local office than in previous years.   “We have a series of candidates coming out of Pueblo that we haven’t seen before — this is some change,” Maestri said. “Moving forward, we’re not afraid of the Democratic Party ruling the county anymore.” Most local Republican candidates running for county and state government introduced themselves to the crowd. District 3 state Senate candidate Stephen Varela emphasized the importance of the Pueblo-based seat he’s running for, which has the potential to flip the balance of the Colorado chamber that has been controlled by Democrats since 2019.   “Here’s why it’s so important: because this seat flips the Colorado Senate (if) we win this seat. This is number 18,” Varela said, referring to the number of Republicans needed for a majority in the 35-person state Senate. “We can have a backstop to all the stuff that is going on in Denver.”  Varela was previously registered as a Democrat as recently as February 2021 and was involved in founding Rural Colorado United, a group that had opposed Boebert, but has since distanced himself from the group. The Pueblo GOP overwhelmingly supported Varela at the county assembly in March 2022 — no other candidates qualified for primary ballots.   More:Both candidates in Pueblo’s state Senate race have swapped parties at least 10 times Anna Lynn Winfrey covers politics for The Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com or on Twitter, @annalynnfrey. Read More Here

UK Archbishop ‘concerned’ Over Embassy Move To Jerusalem https://digitalarkansasnews.com/uk-archbishop-concerned-over-embassy-move-to-jerusalem/ British Prime Minister Liz Truss has told her Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid she is weighing the possible relocation from Tel Aviv. Published On 9 Oct 20229 Oct 2022 The archbishop of Canterbury has expressed reservations about a potential move of the British embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, media outlet Jewish News reported. UK Prime Minister Liz Truss told her Israeli counterpart, Yair Lapid, that she is weighing the relocation when they met last month at the United Nations in New York. Such a decision would follow the same move by former US President Donald Trump in 2018. Truss recently described herself as a “huge Zionist” and a “huge supporter of Israel”. “The archbishop is concerned about the potential impact of moving the British embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem before a negotiated settlement between Palestinians and Israelis has been reached,” a spokesperson for Archbishop Justin Welby said in a statement. “He is in touch with Christian leaders in the Holy Land and continues to pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” it said. Israeli police vans are seen parked in front of the British embassy in Tel Aviv on August 31, 2006 [File: Gil Cohen Magen/Reuters] The statement from Welby came a day after Cardinal Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, also called on Truss to decide against moving the embassy to Jerusalem. “Such a relocation of the UK embassy would be seriously damaging to any possibility of lasting peace in the region and to the international reputation of the United Kingdom,” he posted on Twitter. “Pope Francis and the leaders of churches in the Holy Land have long called for the international Status Quo on Jerusalem to be upheld, in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions,” he said. Talk of moving the embassy was also condemned by the Arab League. “I reiterate our rejection and condemnation of any unilateral decisions that might breach the legal or the historical status of the holy city of Jerusalem or to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which is the occupying power, according to international law,” Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in a video address last week. “I call upon the British government to abide by the two-state solution and refrain from taking any illegal action that could compromise this formula as a basis for the final settlement,” he said. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh expressed his own concern last week. “Any change in the status quo in Jerusalem would undermine the two-state solution and will be considered a tacit recognition of the city’s annexation to Israel, which will encourage the occupying state,” Shtayyeh said. The UK has had its Israel embassy in Tel Aviv for decades despite Israel designating Jerusalem as its capital. US embassy move Trump provoked controversy by announcing he would relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem in 2017 and officially did so a year later. The move infuriated Palestinians and spurred international condemnation. Previous American presidents and the leaders of nearly every other country have refrained from opening embassies in Jerusalem until the city’s final status is resolved through Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Palestinian leaders see East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. The Trump administration also closed the US consulate in Jerusalem, an office that for years had served as the de facto embassy to the Palestinians. The current secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has pledged to reopen it, a move Israel said would challenge its sovereignty over Jerusalem. The US, Kosovo, Honduras and Guatemala are the only governments with embassies in Jerusalem. Source : Al Jazeera and news agencies Read More Here

Judge Narrows Trial Of Analyst Who Reported Salacious Claims About Trump https://digitalarkansasnews.com/judge-narrows-trial-of-analyst-who-reported-salacious-claims-about-trump/ WASHINGTON — John H. Durham, the Trump-era special counsel, set off political reverberations last year when he unveiled a lengthy indictment of an analyst he accused of lying to the FBI about sources for the so-called Steele dossier, a discredited compendium of political opposition research about purported ties between Donald Trump and Russia. But the trial of the analyst, Igor Danchenko, which opens Tuesday with jury selection in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, now appears likely to be shorter and less politically salient than the sprawling narrative in Durham’s indictment had suggested the proceeding would be. In an 18-page order last week, the judge overseeing the case, Anthony J. Trenga of the Eastern District of Virginia, excluded from the trial large amounts of information that Durham had wanted to showcase — including material that undercuts the credibility of the dossier’s notorious rumor that Russia had a blackmail tape of Trump with prostitutes. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times Certain facts Durham dug up related to that rumor “do not qualify as direct evidence as they are not ‘inextricably intertwined’ or ‘necessary to provide context’ to the relevant charge,” Trenga wrote, adding that they “were substantially outweighed by the danger of confusion and unfair prejudice.” In that and other disputes over evidence, Trenga, a George W. Bush appointee, almost always sided with Danchenko’s defense lawyers. Durham, they said, had tried to inject irrelevant issues into the trial in “an unnecessary and impermissible attempt to make this case about more than it is.” Trenga’s ruling has pared down the larger significance of the trial, which is likely to be Durham’s final courtroom act before he retires as a longtime prosecutor. The grand jury that Durham has used to hear evidence has expired, suggesting he will bring no further indictments. Durham is also writing a report to Attorney General Merrick Garland, who succeeded the Trump administration official who appointed him as special counsel, William Barr. The dossier, which is at the heart of the Danchenko trial, attracted significant public attention when BuzzFeed published it in January 2017. Trump and his supporters frequently try to conflate it with the official Russia inquiry or falsely claim that it was the basis for the FBI’s investigation. But the FBI did not open the investigation based on the dossier, and the final report by the special counsel, Robert Mueller, did not cite anything in it as evidence. The FBI did cite some claims from the dossier in applying for court permission to wiretap a former Trump campaign adviser with ties to Russia. The dossier grew out of opposition research indirectly funded by Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Their law firm, Perkins Coie, contracted with the research firm Fusion GPS, which subcontracted research about Trump business dealings in Russia to a company run by Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence agent. Steele in turn subcontracted to Danchenko, a Russian-born analyst living in the United States, who canvassed people he knew, including in Europe and Russia. Danchenko verbally relayed what the analyst later called “raw intelligence” — essentially uncorroborated gossip — to Steele, who drafted the dossier. A bureau counterintelligence analyst determined Danchenko’s identity and the FBI first spoke to him in early 2017, during which he said he had not seen the dossier until BuzzFeed published it. Its tenor was more conclusive than was justified, he said, and he portrayed the blackmail tape story as mere rumor and speculation. Danchenko talked to the FBI for hours about what he had gathered, and court filings by Durham disclosed that the bureau formally deemed him a confidential human source. An inspector general report revealed in late 2019 that Danchenko’s interview had raised doubts about the credibility of the dossier and criticized the bureau for failing to tell that to a court in wiretap renewal applications that continued to cite it. The report essentially portrayed Danchenko, whom it did not name, as a truth-teller, and the FBI as deceptive. But after further investigation, Durham accused Danchenko of deceiving the FBI — including by concealing that a public relations executive with ties to Democrats, Charles Dolan, had been his source for a minor claim involving office politics in the Trump campaign. That assertion made its way into the dossier. At the trial, Danchenko’s defense will apparently be that the FBI asked him whether he had ever “talked” to Dolan about information in the dossier and that his somewhat equivocal denial was true: They had instead communicated by writing about that topic. Defense lawyers had asked Trenga to throw out the charge, arguing that the particular statute Danchenko had been charged with covers only affirmative misstatements, not misleading omissions. The judge has characterized that issue as a close call but let it go forward, while suggesting he could revisit the question later. Durham had also wanted to present striking but inconclusive evidence: In the summer of 2016, when Danchenko went to Moscow to gather rumors like the one about a purported sex tape, Dolan was staying at the hotel where the tape had supposedly been filmed three years earlier — and toured the suite where Trump had stayed. But Dolan told Durham’s team that he had never heard the tape rumor until BuzzFeed published the dossier, and Durham did not claim that Dolan was a source of the rumor. The judge excluded that information from the trial as irrelevant to the false statements Danchenko is charged with making. Durham also brought four false-statement charges against Danchenko related to accusations that he lied to the FBI about a person he said had called and provided information without identifying himself. Danchenko told the FBI he believed the caller had probably been Sergei Millian, a former president of the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce, but Durham contends that is a lie and Danchenko never believed that. Like Steele, Millian is abroad; he refused to come to the United States to be a witness at the trial. The judge has also ruled inadmissible two emails Millian apparently wrote about Danchenko in 2020 denying that he talked to Danchenko. The “emails lack the necessary ‘guarantees of trustworthiness’ as the government does not offer direct evidence that Millian actually wrote the emails, and, even if he did, Millian possessed opportunity and motive to fabricate and/or misrepresent his thoughts,” the judge wrote. After Durham was assigned to investigate the Russia investigation in the spring of 2019, Trump and his supporters stoked expectations that Durham would uncover a “deep state” conspiracy against him and charge high-level FBI and intelligence officials with crimes. But instead, Durham developed two cases on narrow charges of false statements involving outside efforts to uncover links between Trump and Russia. One was against Michael Sussmann, a lawyer with Democratic ties who was acquitted of lying to the FBI when he shared a tip about possible connections between Trump and Russia. Another was against Danchenko. Durham filled court filings with copious amounts of information seemingly extraneous to the charges, while insinuating that Democrats had conspired to frame Trump for colluding with Russia. While that was not the theoretical conspiracy Trump and his supporters at outlets like Fox News had originally focused on, Durham’s filings provided fodder for them to stoke grievances about the Russia investigation. But judges in both cases have proved skeptical about putting much of that material before a jury. In both instances, however, Durham’s earlier filings had already made that information public. Danchenko was the subject of a counterintelligence investigation more than a decade ago, after the FBI received a tip that he had made a remark that someone interpreted as an offer to buy classified information. He had also had contact with someone at the Russian embassy believed to be an intelligence officer. The bureau closed the case in 2011 without charging him. Danchenko — who made his name as a Russia analyst by bringing to light evidence that President Vladimir Putin of Russia likely plagiarized parts of his dissertation — has denied being a Russian agent and said he has no memory of the purported remark. For now, the judge has barred Durham’s team from introducing details about that inquiry, although prosecutors can tell the jury that there had been one. In an interview last month with the conservative Washington Examiner, Barr suggested that despite the special counsel’s limited achievements in the courtroom, the investigation was a success from another point of view. “I think Durham got out a lot of important facts that fill in a lot of the blanks as to what was really happening,” Barr said, adding that he expected “the Danchenko trial will also allow for a lot of this story to be told, whether or not he’s ultimately convicted.” © 2022 The New York Times Company Read More Here

Trump Airs Video Of Biden Slip-Ups At Nevada Rally – MsnNOW https://digitalarkansasnews.com/trump-airs-video-of-biden-slip-ups-at-nevada-rally-msnnow/ Trump airs video of Biden slip-ups at Nevada rally  msnNOW Read More Here

Russian Analyst Set To Face Trial On Charges Of Lying To FBI – KION546 https://digitalarkansasnews.com/russian-analyst-set-to-face-trial-on-charges-of-lying-to-fbi-kion546/ BY MATTHEW BARAKAT and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Five years after the term “Steele dossier” entered the political lexicon, a think tank analyst who contributed to research about Donald Trump and Russia goes on trial Tuesday for lying to the FBI about his sources of information. Igor Danchenko is the third person to be prosecuted by Special Counsel John Durham, who was appointed to investigate the origins of “Crossfire Hurricane” — the designation given to the FBI’s 2016 probe into former president Trump’s Russia connections. It is also the first of Durham’s cases that delves deeply into the origins of the dossier that Trump derided as fake news and a political witch hunt. Here’s some background on what the case is about. WHO IS DANCHENKO AND WHAT IS HE ACCUSED OF? Danchenko, a Russian analyst, was a source of information for Christopher Steele, a former British spy who was paid by Democrats to research ties between Russia and presidential candidate Donald Trump. The compilation of research files, which included salacious rumors and unproven assertions, came to be familiarly known as the “Steele dossier.” Though the dossier did not help launch the FBI’s investigation into potential coordination between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, the Justice Department did rely on it when it applied for and received warrants to monitor the communications of a former Trump campaign adviser. As part of its efforts to verify information in the dossier, the FBI interviewed Danchenko in 2017. He is charged with lying to agents about his information sources, with prosecutors accusing Danchenko of misleading the FBI in an effort to make his own contributions seem more credible. WHAT DO THE PROSECUTORS SAY? Prosecutors say Danchenko lied when the FBI asked him about how he obtained the information he gave to Steele. Specifically, they say he denied that he relied on a Democratic operative, Charles Dolan, a public relations executive who volunteered for Hillary Clinton’s presidential 2016 campaign. Prosecutors also say Danchenko lied when he said he received information from an anonymous phone call that he believed was placed by a man named named Sergei Millian, a former president of the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce. They argue Danchenko knew that Millian wasn’t a source of any anonymous phone call. The indictment says the FBI could have better judged the veracity of the Steele dossier had it known that a Democratic operative was the source of much of its information. WHAT DOES THE DEFENSE SAY? Danchenko’s lawyers say the prosecution “is a case of extraordinary government overreach.” They note that Danchenko agreed to multiple voluntary FBI interviews throughout 2017. They say his answers to the FBI were all technically true. For instance, an FBI agent asked Danchenko whether he ever “talked” with Dolan about the information that showed up in the dossier. While prosecutors have produced evidence that the two had email exchanges about topics in the dossier, there’s no evidence that they talked orally about those topics. “It was a bad question,” said Danchenko’s lawyer, Stuart Sears, at a pretrial hearing last month. “That’s the special counsel’s problem. Not Mr. Danchenko’s.” And while Danchenko said he believed Millian was the voice on the anonymous phone call, he never told the FBI with any certainty that it was Millian. Sears argued that ambiguous statements like that fall short of what’s necessary to convict on a false statements charge. WHAT OTHER CASES HAS DURHAM BROUGHT? Durham was the U.S. Attorney in Connecticut in 2019 when he was tapped by then-Attorney General William Barr to hunt for potential misconduct by government officials who conducted the original Russia investigation. But after more than three years, Durham’s work has failed to meet the expectations of Trump supporters who hoped he would uncover sweeping FBI conspiracies to derail the Republican’s candidacy. The probe has produced only three criminal cases. The first case was against an FBI lawyer, Kevin Clinesmith, who was accused of altering an email related to the surveillance of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. It ended in a guilty plea and a sentence of probation – and involved FBI misconduct already uncovered by the Justice Department’s inspector general. Last year, Durham’s team charged a Democratic lawyer with making a false statement to the FBI’s top lawyer during a 2016 meeting in which he presented information about a purported — and ultimately debunked — backchannel between a Russia bank and the Trump organization. The case against the lawyer, Michael Sussmann, ended in a swift acquittal in May. Durham’s work has continued deep into the Biden administration Justice Department, but the Danchenko trial seems likely to be the last criminal case his team will bring. It is not clear when Durham might produce a report summarizing his findings. ____ Tucker reported from Washington. Read More Here

Super Trump: Former President's Plan To Unbutton His Shirt And Reveal The Superman Logo Beneath https://digitalarkansasnews.com/super-trump-former-presidents-plan-to-unbutton-his-shirt-and-reveal-the-superman-logo-beneath/ Former President Donald Trump concocted an elaborate plan to excite and inspire the public following his bout with COVID-19, according to a new book by Maggie Haberman. In “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America,” Haberman detailed the 45th president’s idea to emerge from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and woo the crowd with a demonstration of strength and resilience. See Also: Trump’s Former Secretary Of State Tillerson Says Unaware That Indicted Ally Was Privy To ‘Sensitive’ Discussions  The Planned Script: Trump wanted to be wheeled out from the hospital in a chair and once outside, he planned to stand up and unbutton his outer shirt to display a Superman logo underneath, according to Axios. Trump’s plan “was inspired by the singer James Brown, whom he loved watching toss off his cape while onstage, but it was in line with his love of professional wrestling as well,” according to the book. Trump was reportedly so serious about the plan that he instructed White House aide, Max Miller, to fetch the shirts from a big-box store in Virginia before ultimately abandoning the idea. Instead, Trump walked out of the medical center after being discharged and gave a characteristic thumbs up to the press. Both Trump and former first lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19 in late September 2020. The former president was admitted to and discharged from the hospital in early October. See Also: Why Trump Was Fearful Of Dying As President: ‘Can You Believe This Happened To Me?’  The Benginza Take: The showman, who spent the last 11 months of his presidency worrying about how the pandemic would affect his polling numbers, was also terrified of dying from the virus, according to a report. The spectacle Trump planned was likely as much about displaying the strong-man image he admired in Russian President Vladimir Putin, but in Hollywood style, as it was about showing the self-pride he felt after beating the virus, which had made him quite ill. Photo: Marco Taliani de Marchio via Shutterstock © 2022 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Read More Here

Russian Strikes Kill 17 In Reprisal For Bridge Attack; Slovakia https://digitalarkansasnews.com/russian-strikes-kill-17-in-reprisal-for-bridge-attack-slovakia/ Russia launched multiple missile attacks into the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia overnight, killing at least 17 people and wounding dozens in an apparent reprisal for a blast that damaged a Crimean bridge, authorities said Sunday. The missile strikes caused one high-rise apartment building to partially collapse and blew out windows in adjacent buildings. The attacks came hours after an explosion Saturday caused the partial collapse of a bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula with Russia, damaging an important supply artery for the Kremlin’s war effort.  Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, responding to the Russian barrage, said Ukraine “urgently needs more modern air and missile defense systems” to protects its cities. “Russia continues its missile terror against civilians in Zaporizhzhia,” Kuleba said. “I urge partners to speed up deliveries.” City council Secretary Anatoliy Kurtev said rockets damaged at least 20 private homes and dozens of apartment buildings in Zaporizhzhia, in a region President Vladimir Putin has claimed for Russia. Russian authorities had warned of reprisals after the attack on the 12-mile, $3.6 billion Kerch Bridge, a symbol of Moscow’s claim to Crimea. Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and it has become a popular destination for Russian tourists. Other developments: ►Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree tightening security for the Crimean bridge and for energy infrastructure between Crimea and Russia. Putin put  Russia’s federal security service, the FSB, in charge of the effort. ►Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that air force Gen. Sergei Surovikin, would now command all Russian troops in Ukraine. Surovikin, who already was in charge of troops in southern Ukraine, had led Russian forces in Syria and was accused of overseeing a bombardment that destroyed much of Aleppo. GRAPHICS: Mapping and tracking Russia’s invasion of Ukraine NUCLEAR ARMAGEDDON? Biden cites highest risk since 1962 Mullen suggests Biden should cool nuclear rhetoric President Joe Biden’s warning last week that the risk of nuclear “Armageddon” is at the highest level since the 1962 was “concerning” but not productive toward ending the war in Ukraine, retired Adm. Mike Mullen said Sunday. Mullen, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on ABC’s “This Week” that Biden’s warning was “about at the top of the language scale.” “I think we need to back off that a little bit and do everything we possibly can to try to get to the table to resolve this thing,” Mullen said. “It’s got to end and usually there are negotiations associated with that.” Slovakia’s birthday gift to Putin: Howitzers for Ukraine Slovakian Defense Minister Jaro Nad said Sunday that Bratislava had delivered two self-propelled, Zuzana 2 howitzers to support Ukraine’s effort to turn back the Russian invasion. The neighbor of Ukraine has been one of Kyiv’s staunchest supporters, with previous donations that included a Soviet-era S-300 air defense system, military helicopters and thousands of multiple-rocket launcher rockets. Nad suggested the latest offerings were actually a gift for Putin, who turned 70 on Friday.  “To mark his 70th birthday, we delivered yet another gift to aggressor Putin. Another two new #Zuzana2 howitzers are now in(and much more to come),” Nad tweeted. Contributing: The Associated Press Read More Here

Little Rock Police: 19-Year-Old Dead After Shooting On 4th Street https://digitalarkansasnews.com/little-rock-police-19-year-old-dead-after-shooting-on-4th-street/ A Little Rock Police Department vehicle is shown in this file photo. The Little Rock Police Department is investigating a shooting that killed one, authorities said in a tweet on Sunday morning.  Officers found a man, 19, who had been shot in the 200 block of 4th Street when responding to a call about a shooting in the area, the tweet said.  He was taken to a local hospital where he later died, police said.  The identity of the victim was not immediately released.  The investigation is ongoing.  Little Rock police have asked that anyone with information about the homicide call (501) 371-4636. Read More…

Jennifer-Ruth Green Takes Aim At Political Opposition After Politico Publishes Records Of Her Sexual Assault https://digitalarkansasnews.com/jennifer-ruth-green-takes-aim-at-political-opposition-after-politico-publishes-records-of-her-sexual-assault/ Jennifer-Ruth Green, the Republican candidate in the race to represent Indiana’s 1st Congressional District, is livid after Politico published details about her sexual assault while in the military, without her permission, and blames her opponent for “illegally” obtaining the information. But now she’s ready to speak out. In a profile of Green’s career and candidacy in the Indiana congressional race, Politico reporter Adam Wren used the documents, which the outlet claimed “were obtained by a public records request and provided to Politico by a person outside the Mrvan campaign” to report last week that “an Iraqi serviceman sexually assaulted her by grabbing her breast and exposing himself” when “she and a small group of officers visited the national training center.” Speaking exclusively to Fox News Digital about the piece from Politico, Green said her political opponent, Rep. Frank Mrvan, and Politico were behaving like her assailant by ignoring her pleas to not disclose that she was sexually assaulted while stationed in Iraq. “The reality of it is – like I said at one point in my life to my assailant, ‘No. Please stop. Don’t.’ –  and he did what he wanted to do … This is the exact same situation all over again, all because there was a man who wanted some sort of gratification,” Green said. “Congressman Frank Mrvan gets his gratification of trying to think he’s smearing my name. Adam Wren gets his gratification of thinking he’s going to get a good smear story out of it. And all it does is essentially reopen wounds for victims.” ELECTION SPOTLIGHT: JENNIFER-RUTH GREEN ON INFLATION REDUCTION ACT, COMPETING IN ‘TOSS-UP’ MIDTERM RACE Jennifer-Ruth Green, the Republican candidate to represent Indiana’s 1st Congressional District. (Jennifer-Ruth Green campaign) Green insisted that Wren failed to garner the full story of the incident and took her “experience and diminished it to a place where he can just say a clinical report of exactly what happened.” “I’m surprised because Adam Wren spent time in this article focusing on every single detail down to the skirt I was wearing, down to the color of the skirt I was wearing, down to every single knob I touched, all of those things, but yet he writes clinically about one of the worst days of my life,” Green added. “He has no idea the concept of being forced to be in a four by four, round circular area, 30 feet in the ground in a tower where you only have windows and a 30-foot drop on the other side, 30-foot drop to escape somebody who was blocking your path [with] somebody who has a clear intent with a weapon in hand, who is focused on trying to take advantage of you, and you’re able to escape that with minimal physical harm. And he wants to reduce that to 50 characters.” Following the assault, Green said she was told to keep quiet about the incident by her superiors in the Air Force, as detailed in the Politico report. Rep. Frank Mrvan speaks from his office in the Longworth House Office Building on July 26, 2021. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) Green wrote a letter on Oct. 3 to the relevant U.S. attorney, the Air Force Inspector General and the Department of Defense to request a criminal investigation into how the documents were provided to Politico. “I write to request an investigation into the unauthorized, unlawful release of my Air Force personnel file,” Green wrote in the letter, which was obtained by Fox News Digital. “The fact that my file has been leaked in the course of my campaign for United States Congress leads me to believe that it was politically motivated.” In the letter, Green made it clear that she “did not consent, in writing or otherwise, to the disclosure of my personnel file to Politico or anyone else” and pointed to the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, 5 U.S.C § 552a, as proof that her file should not have been released. “Coming as when it does – in the closing weeks of my campaign for Congress – makes me believe that this is a politically motivated attempt to impact the upcoming election,” Green concluded in the letter. DEM IN TOSS-UP RACE REWARDED DONOR WITH LUCRATIVE CONTRACT, DOCUMENTS SHOW After Politico ignored her pleas not to run the information detailing her sexual assault, which the outlet claims to have received from an individual outside the Mrvan campaign, Green said, “They did what they wanted, got what they wanted.” The Indiana Republican said Politico proceeded with the publication of the information “despite having clear interaction and engagement and telling them that the records were illegally obtained.” Green graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2005. (Jennifer-Ruth Green campaign) “I believe Congressman Frank Mrvan illegally obtained those documents and was floating them around to press,” Green said. “That’s what our Politico team told us, that they were farming it out to several different press outlets to see who could write a very disgusting, ugly smear piece against me with the intent to paint me as a disgraced military officer.” “Congressman Mrvan and his cronies were definitely responsible for this, and he’s going to try to deny it in every way possible,” Green said, questioning the timing of the documents being made public. Green said she refuses to allow Mrvan to “get the play that he wants” because she won’t be “silenced” as she stands up for herself and other sexual assault survivors. “I’m going to stand up not only for me, but I’m going to stand up for every other survivor, every other vet, every other woman, because I’m not going to let Congressman Frank Mrvan do this, I’m not going to let Adam Wren do this, and I’m just done with it,” she said. “I don’t care what happens on Nov. 8. If you need me, I am here, and I will help you,” Green added. “There are methods to make sure that you’re taken care of.” Details related to a sexual assault Green faced while she was stationed in Iraq were published by Politico in a profile piece of her candidacy in the Indiana election. (Jennifer-Ruth Green campaign) Green noted her previous appreciation of Mrvan when he worked to pass a bill related to military sexual trauma, but it appears that fondness has since faded. “I applauded him for it and said, I respect this, and I never had to say anything about my personal background,” Green said. “But knowing that he stood up for that in a public session, but then privately would stand here and try to besmirch me and use this to force me to talk about something outside of what I wanted to discuss, all for his political gain, it is a clear lack of integrity.” “I have started every conversation publicly and every conversation privately by saying these words: ‘Congressman Mrvan is a good man. He loves his country and he loves his family, but we are ideologically opposed, and that’s why I’m running,'” she added. Jennifer-Ruth Green while stationed in Baghdad, Iraq. (Jennifer-Ruth Green campaign) CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Green said she doesn’t believe the incident would have been documented by the outlet if she were not a Republican in the race. “If I were on the other side of the ticket, they would weep for me, they would mourn for me,” Green said. “Only because I’m a Republican do they feel this is acceptable. But it’s unacceptable for every vet, it’s unacceptable for every woman, it’s unacceptable for everybody who has ever been a victim of sexual assault in their entire life.” Kyle Morris covers politics for Fox News. On Twitter: @RealKyleMorris. Read More Here

Texas Pete Hot Sauce Makers Sued Over Famed Product Being From NC https://digitalarkansasnews.com/texas-pete-hot-sauce-makers-sued-over-famed-product-being-from-nc/ Texas Pete hot sauce isn’t as Texas as one Los Angeles man thought, according to a class-action lawsuit. Los Angeles resident Philip White filed a lawsuit in September in California Central District Court against the hot sauce’s producers, North Carolina-based T.W. Garner Food Co., alleging false advertising after he believed the brand was “a Texas product,” according to North Carolina news station WGHP-TV. White bought a bottle of the hot sauce — which has a label featuring a white star (like the Texas flag) and an all-red cartoon cowboy — and “relied upon the language and images on the front label” before his purchase, according to the complaint. The lawsuit alleges the man believed the label’s look made it appear to be “distinctly Texan.” However, the hot sauce originated at a Winston-Salem barbecue restaurant in 1929. WGHP-TV reported that the lawsuit wants the hot sauce brand, which has until Nov. 10 to respond to the complaint, to “change its name and brand and to pay up.” “There is surprisingly nothing Texas about them,” the complaint claims. Texas Pete hot sauce, a condiment introduced by Sam Garner, is not directly tied to the Lone Star State but rather a result of Garner and his sons attempting to concoct a name for their sauce at their barbecue restaurant, according to the brand’s website. A marketing adviser floated the idea for the name “Mexican Joe” hot sauce “to connote the piquant flavor reminiscent of the favorite foods of our neighbors to the south,” the brand’s site says. Garner, however, allegedly wasn’t feeling the name. “Nope, it’s got to have an American name!” the website claims Garner said. The Texas Pete name was a combination of the Lone Star State’s name along with “Pete,” a nickname for Garner’s son Harold, according to the website. The complaint alleges Texas Pete, a Louisiana-style hot sauce, is a product of ingredients from “sources outside of Texas” and the hot sauce producer “admits that Texas’s reputation was one they were trying to mimic and capitalize on.” The hot sauce brand did not immediately respond to a HuffPost request for comment. To stream NBCU shows featured in this piece sign up to Peacock Read More Here

Trump Brags About His Crowd Size On January 6: ‘The Biggest Crowd I’ve Ever Seen’ https://digitalarkansasnews.com/trump-brags-about-his-crowd-size-on-january-6-the-biggest-crowd-ive-ever-seen/ Donald Trump boasted about the size of the crowd that gathered to hear him speak on January 6 during a campaign rally on Saturday night. “You know the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen? January 6. And you never hear that,” the former president told the rally in Minden, Nevada. “They were there largely to protest a corrupt and rigged and stolen election.” Mr Trump blamed the “corrupt” media for downplaying the size of his crowds, after just 27 people showed up to a pro-Trump rally in Washington DC earlier this week. “These corrupt people will never take a camera and turn it around and show them how many people are here,” he said. “They never do it. They’re corrupt.” The former president riled up thousands of angry supporters at a “Save America” rally at the Ellipse in Washington DC on January 6, urging them to “fight like hell” and “walk down to the Capitol” to dispute the 2020 presidential election. The mob then laid siege to the Capitol building where the election results were being certified, assaulting police officers and forcing their way into the Senate chamber. Mr Trump was impeached for inciting the mob, and is the subject of several criminal investigations for his efforts to overturn his defeat to Joe Biden. A House select committee investigating the January 6 riots has focused on Mr Trump’s attempts to have the election results thrown out. The committee is due to hold its next hearing on Thursday. Read More Here

Trump Speaks Via Video At Rally Of Global Far-Right In Spain https://digitalarkansasnews.com/trump-speaks-via-video-at-rally-of-global-far-right-in-spain/ By JOSEPH WILSON, Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Former U.S. President Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind Spain’s far-right in a video shown at a rally in Madrid that also featured messages by the leading stars of Europe’s populist right like Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Hungary’s Viktor Orban. In a recording that lasted under 40 seconds made while Trump was on an airplane, Trump thanked Spain’s far-right Vox party and its leader Santiago Abascal for what he called the “great job” they do. “We have to make sure that we protect our borders and do lots of very good conservative things,” Trump said. “Spain is a great country and we want to keep it a great country. So congratulations to Vox for so many great messages you get out to the people of Spain and the people of the world.” Vox captured national attention on Spain’s political landscape in 2019 when it became the third-largest force in Spain’s Parliament after an election that led to a national left-wing coalition that still holds power. Vox’s messages include zero tolerance for Catalan separatism, disdain for gender equality, diatribes against unauthorized immigration from Africa and embracing both the “Reconquista” of medieval Spain from Islam as well as the legacy of Gen. Francisco Franco’s 20th-century dictatorship. Political Cartoons on World Leaders Political Cartoons Abascal returned the flattery when he took to the stage at the outdoor venue after more video messages by European and South American right-wing politicians and an in-person speech by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. “My thanks for President Donald Trump, a visionary in the fight for sovereign nations, a visionary in the fight for secure borders, who has had to suffer (attacks) from the most powerful establishment in the world and the largest media attack that any world leader has had to face in recent memory,” Abascal told the crowd of several thousand, many waving red-and-yellow Spanish flags. Despite its spectacular rise, the party led by Abascal failed to meet the expectations it set for itself in regional contests this year and had suffered its first serious bout of in-fighting among its leaders. Vox is now eyeing regional and municipal elections next year as it battles to surpass Spain’s traditional conservatives. The annual rally comes just weeks after Abascal and the rest of Europe’s far-right celebrated the victory of Meloni’s neo-fascist Brothers of Italy Party. Meloni’s recorded message lasted several minutes and was focused on her priorities as she prepares to become Italian premie r: pushing for a price cap on energy in the European Union and recovering economic self-reliance. The win by Meloni has worried European Union leaders that Italy, the bloc’s third-largest economy, could put national interests first, like Hungary and Poland are doing. “We are not monsters, the people understand that. Long live Vox, long live Spain, long live Italy, long live Europe patriots,″ Meloni said. “Only by winning in our countries can Europe become a political giant that we want, and not a bureaucratic giant.” The Vox rally also featured video appearances by former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, Chilean right-wing politician José Antonio Kast, the daughter of former Bolivian interim President Jeanine Añez, and U.S. Republican Senator Ted Cruz. “On the one side, there is the global elites and the global left, that is growing evermore thuggish and violent, on the other side are conservative populist, who share the values of God, and country and family and freedom,” Cruz said. “Sometimes the left scores dangerous victories, as we saw in Colombia. Sometimes the good guys win, like we saw in Italy.” Cruz said he hoped the gains of the global right will include a landslide Republican win at the U.S. congressional midterm election next month. Trump has been campaigning for right-wing candidates in that Nov. 8 election and is pondering another presidential run. ___ AP writer Colleen Barry contributed to this report from Milan, Italy. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More Here

Trump Calls For Immediate Negotiations Between Russia & Ukraine To Prevent World War III https://digitalarkansasnews.com/trump-calls-for-immediate-negotiations-between-russia-ukraine-to-prevent-world-war-iii/ The Former President of the United States, Donald Trump, has stated that Russia and Ukraine must start immediate negotiations, fearing that the crisis may otherwise turn into World War III and cause global destruction.   “We must start the immediate negotiation of a peaceful end to the war in Ukraine or we will end up in World War III, and there will be nothing left of our planet,” Trump said while delivering a speech during a rally in Minden, Nevada, on Saturday, as quoted by the C-SPAN broadcaster.   Trump had previously made similar warnings. Appearing on John Catsimatidis’s radio show, the former US President had claimed that the conflict in Ukraine can inadvertently lead to World War III and a possible nuclear escalation. Furthermore, Trump had compared the Russia-Ukraine war with the contemporary situation between China and Taiwan.   “I think we can end up in World War III. All of the horrible things that took place in Ukraine, looks like it’s going to happen in China with Taiwan,” Trump had iterated during his appearance on the Cats at Night radio show.   Trump takes a dig at the Biden administration   During his appearance at the show, Trump claimed that US President Joe Biden’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal demonstrated the administration’s weakness and incompetence which emboldened Putin to begin his special military operation that resulted in the invasion of Ukraine   Pointing towards the price of oil, Trump claimed that it was much lower when he was in office, and stated that the elevated oil prices caused by the Biden administration’s climate agenda had helped finance Putin’s war efforts.    “You wouldn’t have had to talk to Putin, because the numbers would not have allowed him to do what he’s done. Because at $100 a barrel, the money he makes is so enormous he can afford to fight a war that should have never started regardless of that, and it would have never started,” Trump had stated during the Cats at Night radio show.   Possibility of negotiations bleak amid Russia-Ukraine war   Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, signed a decree on Tuesday regarding the implementation of the decision of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council on the impossibility of holding talks with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. The development came after Vladimir Putin announced the accession of four Ukrainian regions into the Russian Federation following the declaration of so-called referendums that have often been labelled as ‘sham’ by Ukraine and the West.   In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow would wait for a change in Ukraine’s position on the negotiations under the country’s current president or his successor.   Moreover, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Western nations have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow in addition to supplying weapons to Ukraine. On 7 October, the European Union adopted the 8th package of sanctions against Russia, which include import bans worth €7 billion, and curbs on Russian oil and crypto assets.  Read More Here

NHC: Hurricane Julia May Bring Life-Threatening Flash Floods https://digitalarkansasnews.com/nhc-hurricane-julia-may-bring-life-threatening-flash-floods/ Tropical Storm Julia strengthened into a hurricane on Saturday and is forecast to move toward Central America.As of Sunday morning, the system was 60 miles west-northwest of Bluefields, Nicaragua.Julia had winds of 75 mph, and the system was moving west at 16 mph.Life-threatening flash floods and mudslides are possible from heavy rains over Central America and Southern Mexico through Tuesday.”On the forecast track, the center of Julia is expected to continue moving across Nicaragua today and emerge over the eastern Pacific by tonight. Julia is then forecast to move near or along the Pacific coasts of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala on Monday and Monday night,” the National Hurricane Center wrote. “Additional weakening is expected today as Julia moves over Nicaragua, but it is still forecast to be a tropical storm when it emerges off the Pacific coast of Nicaragua by tonight. Julia is forecast to weaken to a tropical depression on Monday night and dissipate by Tuesday.”Julia is forecast to weaken as it moves inland and later dissipate by Monday or Tuesday.This storm is not expected to impact Florida. SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT: A Hurricane Warning is in effect for… * Nicaragua from Bluefields to Puerto Cabezas A Hurricane Watch is in effect for… * Nicaragua north of Puerto Cabezas to the Honduras/Nicaragua border A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for… * Nicaragua south of Bluefields to the Nicaragua/Costa Rica border * Nicaragua north of Puerto Cabezas to the Honduras/Nicaragua border * Pacific coast of Nicaragua * Pacific coast of Honduras * Coast of El Salvador A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for… * Honduras from the Nicaragua/Honduras border to Punta Patuca * Pacific coast of Guatemala A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours. A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area.KNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN A HURRICANE WATCH IS ISSUEDStay tuned to WESH 2 News, WESH.COM, or NOAA Weather Radio for storm updates.Prepare to bring inside any lawn furniture, outdoor decorations or ornaments, trash cans, hanging plants, and anything else that can be picked up by the wind.Understand hurricane forecast models and cones.Prepare to cover all windows of your home. If shutters have not been installed, use precut plywood.Check batteries and stock up on canned food, first-aid supplies, drinking water, and medications.The WESH 2 First Warning Weather Team recommends you have these items ready before the storm strikes.Bottled water: One gallon of water per person per dayCanned food and soup, such as beans and chiliCan opener for the cans without the easy-open lidsAssemble a first-aid kitTwo weeks’ worth of prescription medicationsBaby/children’s needs, such as formula and diapersFlashlight and batteriesBattery-operated weather radioWHAT TO DO WHEN A HURRICANE WARNING IS ISSUEDListen to the advice of local officials. If you are advised to evacuate, leave.Complete preparation activities.If you are not advised to evacuate, stay indoors, away from windows.Be alert for tornadoes. Tornadoes can happen during a hurricane and after it passes over. Remain indoors, in the center of your home, in a closet or bathroom without windows.HOW YOUR SMARTPHONE CAN HELP DURING A HURRICANEA smartphone can be your best friend in a hurricane — with the right websites and apps, you can turn it into a powerful tool for guiding you through a storm’s approach, arrival and aftermath.Download the WESH 2 News app for iOS | AndroidEnable emergency alerts — if you have an iPhone, select settings, then go into notifications. From there, look for government alerts and enable emergency alerts.If you have an Android phone, from the home page of the app, scroll to the right along the bottom and click on “settings.” On the settings menu, click on “severe weather alerts.” From the menu, select from most severe, moderate-severe, or all alerts.PET AND ANIMAL SAFETYYour pet should be a part of your family plan. If you must evacuate, the most important thing you can do to protect your pets is to evacuate them too. Leaving pets behind, even if you try to create a safe space for them, could result in injury or death.Contact hotels and motels outside of your immediate area to see if they take pets.Ask friends, relatives and others outside of the affected area whether they could shelter your animal. ORLANDO, Fla. — Tropical Storm Julia strengthened into a hurricane on Saturday and is forecast to move toward Central America. As of Sunday morning, the system was 60 miles west-northwest of Bluefields, Nicaragua. Julia had winds of 75 mph, and the system was moving west at 16 mph. Life-threatening flash floods and mudslides are possible from heavy rains over Central America and Southern Mexico through Tuesday. “On the forecast track, the center of Julia is expected to continue moving across Nicaragua today and emerge over the eastern Pacific by tonight. Julia is then forecast to move near or along the Pacific coasts of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala on Monday and Monday night,” the National Hurricane Center wrote. “Additional weakening is expected today as Julia moves over Nicaragua, but it is still forecast to be a tropical storm when it emerges off the Pacific coast of Nicaragua by tonight. Julia is forecast to weaken to a tropical depression on Monday night and dissipate by Tuesday.” Julia is forecast to weaken as it moves inland and later dissipate by Monday or Tuesday. This storm is not expected to impact Florida. SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT: A Hurricane Warning is in effect for… * Nicaragua from Bluefields to Puerto Cabezas A Hurricane Watch is in effect for… * Nicaragua north of Puerto Cabezas to the Honduras/Nicaragua border A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for… * Nicaragua south of Bluefields to the Nicaragua/Costa Rica border * Nicaragua north of Puerto Cabezas to the Honduras/Nicaragua border * Pacific coast of Nicaragua * Pacific coast of Honduras * Coast of El Salvador A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for… * Honduras from the Nicaragua/Honduras border to Punta Patuca * Pacific coast of Guatemala A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours. A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area. KNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN A HURRICANE WATCH IS ISSUED Stay tuned to WESH 2 News, WESH.COM, or NOAA Weather Radio for storm updates. Prepare to bring inside any lawn furniture, outdoor decorations or ornaments, trash cans, hanging plants, and anything else that can be picked up by the wind. Understand hurricane forecast models and cones. Prepare to cover all windows of your home. If shutters have not been installed, use precut plywood. Check batteries and stock up on canned food, first-aid supplies, drinking water, and medications. The WESH 2 First Warning Weather Team recommends you have these items ready before the storm strikes. Bottled water: One gallon of water per person per day Canned food and soup, such as beans and chili Can opener for the cans without the easy-open lids Assemble a first-aid kit Two weeks’ worth of prescription medications Baby/children’s needs, such as formula and diapers Flashlight and batteries Battery-operated weather radio WHAT TO DO WHEN A HURRICANE WARNING IS ISSUED Listen to the advice of local officials. If you are advised to evacuate, leave. Complete preparation activities. If you are not advised to evacuate, stay indoors, away from windows. Be alert for tornadoes. Tornadoes can happen during a hurricane and after it passes over. Remain indoors, in the center of your home, in a closet or bathroom without windows. HOW YOUR SMARTPHONE CAN HELP DURING A HURRICANE A smartphone can be your best friend in a hurricane — with the right websites and apps, you can turn it into a powerful tool for guiding you through a storm’s approach, arrival and aftermath. Download the WESH 2 News app for iOS | Android Enable emergency alerts — if you have an iPhone, select settings, then go into notifications. From there, look for government alerts and enable emergency alerts. If you have an Android phone, from the home page of the app, scroll to the right along the bottom and click on “settings.” On the settings menu, click on “severe weather alerts.” From the menu, select from most severe, moderate-severe, or all alerts. PET AND ANIMAL SAFETY Your pet should be a part of your family plan. If you must evacuate, the most important thing you can do to protect your pets is to evacuate them too. Leaving pets behind, even if you try to create a safe space for them, could result in injury or death. Contact hotels and motels outside of your immediate area to see if they take pets. Ask friends, relatives and others outside of the affected area whether they could shelter your animal. Read More Here

Michigan GOP Statewide Candidates Stick To Far-Right Message https://digitalarkansasnews.com/michigan-gop-statewide-candidates-stick-to-far-right-message/ WARREN, Mich. (AP) — With voting underway in Michigan’s general election, the Republican nominee for secretary of state stepped on stage as a warm-up act for former President Donald Trump and hit hard on the main theme of her campaign. Kristina Karamo repeated unfounded assertions about the 2020 presidential election that have been repeatedly debunked. She told the crowd at the recent rally at Macomb Community College that “authoritarians” are giving millions to her Democratic opponent — Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson — in an attempt to “corrupt battleground state election systems so they can control America.” “If you look at history, it shows you what tyrants do,” said Karamo, a former community college professor. “History is telling us, history is screaming to us, that if we don’t step up and fight now, we will lose the greatest country in human history.” It was an address designed to rev up the crowd of devoted Trump followers, some of whom have latched onto the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory. While Karamo’s speech drew cheers, relying on a general election strategy that appeals to the most far-right voters is a gamble for Michigan Republicans. Former President Donald Trump, left, listens to Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon, during a rally at the Macomb Community College Sports & Expo Center in Warren, Mich., Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. (Todd McInturf/Detroit News via AP) Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Todd McInturf Supporters wait for former President Donald Trump to take the stage at his rally in Warren, Mich., Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., also spoke at the event. (AP Photo/Joey Cappelletti) Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Joey Cappelletti Kristina Karamo, the Republican nominee for Michigan’s secretary of state, high fives prominent election denier and former state Sen. Patrick Colbeck outside a rally for President Donald Trump in Warren, Mich., Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Joey Cappelletti) Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Joey Cappelletti PreviousNext Candidates who have to play to their party’s base during primaries or nominating conventions often shift toward the center, aiming to attract more voters for the general election. But that hasn’t happened this year for the Republicans seeking Michigan’s top three statewide offices — governor, attorney general and secretary of state. The Nov. 8 election will test whether campaigns designed to resonate with the far-right and highlight strong ties to Trump will be enough to win in a traditional swing state, where the Republican incumbent lost the White House race to Democrat challenger Joe Biden by more than 154,000 votes in 2020. All three GOP candidates stood behind Trump during the Oct. 1 rally at the college about 20 miles north of Detroit, joined by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who has amplified Trump’s election falsehoods to audiences across the country. Trump falsely claimed the 2020 election was “rigged and stolen” in Michigan, citing “evidence” he said first originated with Karamo and Matthew DePerno, a tax lawyer who is the nominee for state attorney general. In his own address to the crowd, DePerno called Democrats “radical, cultural Marxists” who want to “silence you.” “If that doesn’t work, they want to put you in jail,” DePerno told the crowd, which fell into chants of “Lock her up.” All three Democratic incumbents are women. DePerno’s campaign also is clouded by an investigation into whether he should be criminally charged for attempting to gain access to voting machines after the 2020 election. John DeBlaay, a Grand Rapids real estate agent and precinct delegate who attended the rally, said he was thrilled with the candidates. “We’ve got the best America First ticket all the way from top to bottom that we’ve had in a long time now,” he said. Some moderate Republicans are skeptical that campaigns appealing mostly to base elements of the party will be enough to beat Democratic incumbents with wide name recognition and sizable fundraising advantages. The Democrats also are expected to benefit from having an amendment on the ballot that seeks to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution. These Republicans say inflation, gas prices and economic anxiety should be the GOP’s main talking points, not a continued alignment with Trump and his false claims about widespread fraud costing him reelection. They point to the unusual way Michigan selects its attorney general and secretary of state candidates, a process done through a party nominating convention rather than through a primary election in which voters make the choice. The most conservative Republicans who are loyal to Trump dominated that convention in April. The party’s co-chair, Meshawn Maddock, was one of 16 Republicans who submitted false certificates stating they were the state’s presidential electors despite Biden’s certified victory in the state. Three weeks before the convention, during another Trump rally, DePerno encouraged attendees — many of them precinct delegates — to “storm” the party gathering and said it was “time for the grassroots to unite.” Delegates overwhelmingly voted to nominate Karamo. DePerno won a runoff over former legislative leader Tom Leonard, who lost in the 2018 attorney general’s race by 3 percentage points to Democrat Dana Nessel. “Karamo and DePerno are among the most loyal to Donald Trump that you will find anywhere in the country,” said Jason Roe, a longtime Republican strategist. “That loyalty has been unshakable in this election process, regardless of how it might affect general election prospects.” Roe, whose father served as the Michigan GOP’s executive director for 10 years, became executive director of the state party in spring 2021. Six months later, he stepped down due to a “difference in opinion on how many conspiracy theories we should tolerate.” Soon after Roe left, Trump began calling party leaders to “force the party to embrace things formally that weren’t going to be helpful to the upcoming election,” Roe said. The party’s candidate for governor, Tudor Dixon, won the nomination during the primary in August after receiving Trump’s endorsement. Dixon, a conservative news show host who once acted in low-budget horror films, also benefited from support of the wealthy DeVos family. While seen as less extreme than Karamo and DePerno, Dixon indicated during debates that she thought the 2020 presidential election was stolen and she recently made light of a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat. Dixon has since tried to pivot away from denying the results of the last election by focusing on topics such as inflation and education, but she also is repeating hard-right rhetoric on cultural issues. She has called for banning “pornographic” books in schools and has pitched an education agenda modeled after the Florida policy that critics have labeled “Don’t Say Gay.” While Democrats have attacked DePerno and Karamo for their continued denial of Biden’s victory in 2020, they have focused on what they describe as Dixon’s “extreme” abortion stance. Lackluster fundraising has made it difficult for her to push back. As of Aug. 22, Dixon had $524,000 in the bank compared with Whitmer’s $14 million, according to the latest available campaign finance reports. Some of that gap has been closed by the super PAC Michigan Families United, which has received $2.5 million in donations, including from the DeVos family. “I just don’t like that there’s no commercials on TV about Dixon. Everything you see is about the other people, and it’s all negative,” said Laura Bunting, an Ionia County resident who attended the Trump rally. Karamo and DePerno had a combined $422,554 cash on hand as of Sept. 16 compared with the $5.7 million combined for their Democratic opponents, according to campaign finance reports. Michigan-based pollster Bernie Porn said the Republican candidates have been defined by their extreme stances but that none has attracted enough money to get on TV and introduce themselves to a broader swath of voters. That, he said, “makes it difficult for folks to form a favorable opinion of you.” ___ Joey Cappelletti is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. ___ Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Read More Here

A New Documentary Gives Us A Glimpse Into The Lincoln Project’s Hypocrisy https://digitalarkansasnews.com/a-new-documentary-gives-us-a-glimpse-into-the-lincoln-projects-hypocrisy/ Marget Long Joanna Weiss is a POLITICO Magazine contributing editor and the editor of Experience magazine, published by Northeastern University. Political communication is all about mythmaking, and in 2020, the people behind the Lincoln Project told a big, seductive myth about themselves. The former GOP operatives gone rogue — who created some of the 2020 cycle’s most vicious, viral ads against Donald Trump — considered themselves an unlikely defense against an existential threat to democracy, a black-ops squad fighting an autocrat with an even blacker soul. “There’s nothing noble about us. But we’re useful,” co-founder Stuart Stevens says at one point in “The Lincoln Project,” the new Showtime documentary series that chronicles the super PAC’s meteoric rise and partial fall. “And if you really believe this is a fight for democracy … you need every useful sonofabitch you can get on your side.” Trump did indeed lose, and while it’s impossible to draw a straight line between viral videos and actual votes, the Lincoln Project was more than willing to take some credit. The series acknowledges what the group did accomplish in 2020: getting under Trump’s skin, raising $90 million in donations, offering regular doses of catharsis to the Trump-hating half of the country. But all of that effort only went so far. Trump still got 74 million votes; he still looms in 2022 and 2024; Trump knockoffs abound in this year’s midterm elections. And one scene in the series, a few episodes earlier, offers a compelling theory of why. It takes place a handful of days before the 2020 election, when a top Lincoln Project staffer named Sarah Lenti gets on a Zoom call with her devoutly religious mother, trying to persuade her to vote against Trump. Sarah brings a pro-life colleague onto the call to help, but her mother isn’t having it. “I’m not crazy about him either, but no one is beyond redemption,” she says. And when Sarah explodes in frustration — “Trump is the antithesis of everything that a Godly man should be!” — her mother stays calm. “You are so angry, and you hate him so much. That is what you’re running on instead of running on issues,” she tells her daughter. “I feel like I have a better chance in the pro-life arena with Donald Trump as president and a conservative White House.” The thing is, she’s right — Trump begat Dobbs, which killed Roe — and her logic underscores the limits of the Lincoln Project’s grand ambitions and sweeping rhetoric. “Today, the dividing line in American politics is not between conservatives and liberals. It’s between those who believe in democracy and those who are killing it,” intones the voice-over on one Lincoln Project ad from 2020, but that’s not entirely true. Yes, some of Trump’s 2020 votes were cast by QAnon conspiracy theorists and Capitol stormers and people so steeped in the Trumpworld media bubble that they didn’t know truth from fiction. But some were cast by issue-driven voters who made what they saw as a practical calculation. It’s the same reason so many members of Congress who are less conspiracy-steeped than Marjorie Taylor Greene have stood by Trump, and the reason all of the fact-checking and social-media ranting and skillfully-crafted propaganda will only go so far. A substantial number of voters see who Trump is. They’ve baked it into their worldview. And they’re going to vote for him anyway. Worrying about the future of democracy is a luxury, after all — something you can dwell on when you’re not driven by religious mission or worried about the source of your next paycheck. That’s a dividing line in American politics, too. And as “The Lincoln Project” shows us, political consultants can forget which side of the divide they’re on. As the series follows the leaders of the Super PAC, on Zoom and at their headquarters in the ski resort town of Park City, Utah, we see glorious vistas, an impressive array of Patagonia jackets, and a series of home interiors worthy of spreads in Dwell. But the Lincoln Project founders also remember the days, as they were building their careers, when they made moral calculations of their own. In truth, the mindset of an ends-driven Trump voter isn’t so different from the mindset of a political operative: a mix of high-minded principle and ruthless practicality. “You can rationalize working with and for candidates … that you agree with in most part, even though you find some of those things objectionable,” Lincoln Project co-founder Ron Steslow tells the filmmakers. Stevens recalls, with a twinge of regret, how he played the race card in campaigns, decades before Trump did it so effectively. “You’re able to convince yourself that the danger of the other side is greater than the flaws of the side that you’re for,” Stevens says. “We played too much on the dark side, but I think pretty much everybody does.” “The Lincoln Project” offers a rare window into this world of idealism and self-denial; its staffers aren’t publicity-shy, and co-directors Fisher Stevens and Karim Amer get access to meetings, planning sessions, conspiratorial phone calls and lengthy bouts of philosophizing. (If the documentary runs a little too long, it’s probably because the monologues are intoxicating, like patriotic candy sprinkled with f-bombs.) The story morphs at some point into internecine drama — clashing egos, secret deals, ugly accusations, a stunning sexual harassment claim — that’s juicy enough to rival HBO’s fictional series “Succession,” on which Fisher Stevens is also an actor. And the series suggests one reason those battles over money and power seem inevitable: Success in this arena has made some people very, very rich. Some Lincoln Project founders seem at least mildly conflicted that the work that brought them so much material wealth also laid the foundation for Trump’s rise. “Is making money out of an outrage machine helping democracy or is it hurting it? And after 30 years, does it wear on your soul? Fuck, yeah,” co-founder Mike Madrid says as he paints what looks like a fresco in his Sacramento home. But wealth does more than just weigh on these people’s consciences. It creates a blind spot, a disconnect between the heady thinking of the political elite and the way many voters actually behave. Many accounts of Red State America — including Farah Stockman’s recent book American Made, about Indiana workers displaced when their bearing factory moves to Mexico — show how macro-level political and economic decisions, abstractions for people with graduate degrees, can be real-life catastrophes for workers on the frontlines. And people will vote for their own survival before they vote for the nation’s. The people who choose to vote for Trump are taking a calculated risk — assuming that, whatever democratic norms are broken on the way toward a given policy goal, the country will be fine. Lenti’s mother offers a couple of potential reasons why. For one, partly thanks to decades of negative ads produced by countless consultants, she’s cynical about every politician; in that Zoom call, she explains that she doesn’t trust Joe Biden either. (“I wouldn’t want my daughter to date either of ’em, to be perfectly honest,” is how she puts it.) At the same time, she’s willing to believe the best in people, even Donald Trump. “Let’s understand that you know, he can change, too,” she tells her daughter. It’s a generous outlook, though the facts suggest otherwise, and the documentary doesn’t capture what she thought about January 6. But facts don’t stop us from telling stories to ourselves. And as the Lincoln Project founders show, there’s always another chance to cleanse your soul. Read More Here