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Tennessee High School Football Scores For Week 5 Of TSSAA 2022 Season
Tennessee High School Football Scores For Week 5 Of TSSAA 2022 Season
Tennessee High School Football Scores For Week 5 Of TSSAA 2022 Season https://digitalarkansasnews.com/tennessee-high-school-football-scores-for-week-5-of-tssaa-2022-season/ Here are the Tennessee high school football scores from Week 5 of the 2022 TSSAA season. A * denotes a region game. Out of State South Fulton at Fulton County, KY Lausanne at Greenville Christian (Ms) Memphis Business at Lonoke, AR RePublic at West Monroe High School WEEK 5 LIVE UPDATESTennessee high school football scores, TSSAA live updates for Week 5 in Nashville area WEEK 5 PREVIEW‘Battle of the Woods’ headlines Week 5 Nashville area games — with predictions East Alcoa 46, Pigeon Forge 20 * Anderson Co. 35, South-Doyle 7 * Bradley Central 24, Hardin Valley 17 * Chattanooga Christian 49, Notre Dame 14 * Coalfield 68, Oakdale 8 (Thu) * Daniel Boone 38, Morristown West 7 * Dobyns Bennett 56, West Ridge 14 * Elizabethton 47, Grainger 0 * Farragut 42, Cleveland 13 * Gatlinburg-Pittman 47, Union Co. 0 * Gordonsville 42, Lakeway Christian 14 Greeneville 54, Volunteer 0 * Hampton 49, Happy Valley 0 * Harriman 46, Sunbright 8 * Hixson 17, East Ridge 14 * Jefferson Co. 35, Morristown East 12 * Karns 36, Campbell Co. 33 * Knoxville Carter 56, Scott 8 * Knoxville Central 32, Heritage 28 * Knoxville Fulton 61, Gibbs 55 * Knoxville Grace 47, Ezell-Harding 13 Knoxville Halls 57, Cocke Co. 7 * Knoxville Webb 28, CAK 3 (Thu) * Knoxville West 49, Sevier Co. 0 * Loudon 14, Signal Mountain 7 * Maryville 28, Bearden 7 * McCallie 38, Knoxville Catholic 7 * McMinn Central 26, Brainerd 6 * McMinn Co. 36, Howard 0 * Meigs Co. 39, Tellico Plains 0 * Oliver Springs 21, Greenback 0 * Rhea Co. 28, Ooltewah 0 * Sale Creek 42, Copper Basin 8 * Science Hill 35, William Blount 0 * Sequatchie Co. 42, Grundy Co. 12 * Seymour 28, Sullivan East 21 * Smith Co. 30, Walker Valley 25 Soddy Daisy 19, Sequoyah 0 * South Greene 35, Cumberland Gap 18 * South Pittsburg 40, Whitwell 15 * Sweetwater 28, Kingston 6 * Tennessee High 34, David Crockett 10 Tyner 40, Polk Co. 0 * Unaka 46, Jellico 7 * Unicoi Co. 35, Claiborne 18 * Wartburg Central 26, Midway 7 West Greene 21, Johnson Co. 18 * York Institute 28, Oneida 14 * Powell at Clinton * Friendship Christian at King’s Academy * Cannon Co. at Lookout Valley Bledsoe Co. at Marion Co. * Austin-East at Northview Academy * Lenoir City at Oak Ridge * Chattanooga Central at Red Bank * Boyd Buchanan at Silverdale * Alabama School for the Deaf at TSD (Sat) Middle Beech 38, Clarksville 7 * Clay Co. 43, Jo Byrns 6 (Thu) * Cookeville 21, Warren Co. 14 * Davidson Academy 38, BGA 7 * East Robertson 42, Harpeth 0 * Fairview 40, Cheatham Co. 16 * Forrest 17, Summertown 9 * Franklin Grace 46, Mt. Juliet Christian 7 (Thu) * Giles Co. 50, Community 8 * Green Hill 17, Hillsboro 7 * Liberty Creek 40, Chattanooga Preparatory School 0 Macon Co. 49, Livingston Academy 6 * MBA 45, Father Ryan 7 * McKenzie 56, Perry Co. 0 * Monterey 28, Rockwood 14 * Nashville Christian 49, Clarksville Academy 8 * Oakland 42, Siegel 0 * Portland 22, Clarksville Northeast 21 * Red Boiling Springs 39, North Greene 12 Rossview 20, West Creek 17 * Smyrna 34, Antioch 7 * Springfield 43, Kenwood 6 * Stone Memorial 15, Upperman 14 * Westmoreland 42, Trousdale Co. 0 * Wilson Central 35, Hunters Lane 6 * Richland at Cascade * Summit at Centennial * Lebanon at Coffee Co. * Cornersville at Collinwood * DeKalb Co. at Cumberland Co. * Columbia Academy at DCA * McGavock at Dickson Co. * Tennessee Heat, TN at Eagleville Moore Co. at Fayetteville * Independence at Franklin * Montgomery Central at Glencliff * CPA at Goodpasture * Gallatin at Hendersonville * Lewis Co. at Hickman Co. * Wayne Co. at Huntland * East Nashville at Jackson Co. * Cane Ridge at LaVergne * Pearl Cohn at Lawrence Co. * Spring Hill at Lincoln Co. * FRA at Lipscomb Academy * Hillwood at Marshall Co. * Hollow Rock-Bruceton at McEwen * White Co. at Mt. Juliet * Loretto at Mt. Pleasant * Trinity Christian at MTCS Columbia at Nolensville * Franklin Co. at Page * Baylor at Pope John Paul * Brentwood at Ravenwood * Riverdale at Rockvale * Blackman at Stewarts Creek * Maplewood at Stratford * White House Heritage at Sycamore * Creek Wood at Tullahoma * Whites Creek at Watertown * Waverly at White House * West Adamsville 27, East Hickman 7 * Brentwood Academy 44, St. Benedict 7 * Craigmont 38, Ridgeway 20 (Thu) * Dresden 56, Gleason 0 * Dyersburg 56, Bolivar Central 19 * Ensworth 27, MUS 17 * Fairley 34, KIPP Memphis 0 (Thu) * Halls 21, West Carroll 15 * Hardin Co. 47, Chester Co. 3 * Henry Co. 49, Clarksville Northwest 7 * Huntingdon 61, Houston Co. 26 * Lake Co. 38, Humboldt 8 * Lexington 49, McNairy Central 0 * MASE 34, Booker T. Washington 0 (Thu) * Memphis Central 43, Brighton 6 * Memphis East 26, Hamilton 20 (Thu) * Memphis Middle College 44, Westwood 8 (Thu) * Mitchell 30, Jackson Central-Merry 18 MLK Prep 28, Hillcrest 12 (Thu) * Oakhaven 70, Manassas 8 (Thu) * Sheffield 21, Trezevant 18 (Thu) * Union City 55, Gibson Co. 18 * USJ 46, FACS 0 * Westview 49, Camden 6 * Middleton at Bluff City * Christian Brothers at Briarcrest * Cordova at Collierville * Obion Co. at Crockett Co. * Olive Branch, MS at ECS Bartlett at Germantown * Whitehaven at Houston * Harding Academy at Jackson Christian * South Gibson at Jackson North Side * Jackson South Side at Liberty Magnet * Fayette-Ware at Melrose * Haywood at Milan * Bolton at Millington * Memphis Overton at Munford * Greenfield at Peabody * Frederick Douglass at Raleigh Egypt (Sat) * Covington at Ripley * Riverside at Scotts Hill * Dyer Co. at Southwind * Freedom Prep at St. George’s Fayette Academy at Tipton-Rosemark * Arlington at White Station * Kirby at Wooddale (Sat) * A Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Tennessee High School Football Scores For Week 5 Of TSSAA 2022 Season
Voters At Mastriano Rally Featuring Donald Trump Jr. Seek Return To Conservative Ways
Voters At Mastriano Rally Featuring Donald Trump Jr. Seek Return To Conservative Ways
Voters At Mastriano Rally, Featuring Donald Trump Jr., Seek Return To Conservative Ways https://digitalarkansasnews.com/voters-at-mastriano-rally-featuring-donald-trump-jr-seek-return-to-conservative-ways/ At a Franklin County legislative breakfast in fall 2019 in the banquet room of The Orchards, someone shouted “Mastriano for governor!” as the recently-elected state senator wrapped up an address he gave as one of the event’s multiple participants. Three years later, a few hundred people gathered in the back lot of the popular Chambersburg restaurant at a rally to support Mastriano’s run for Pennsylvania governor. A CBS/YouGov poll released this week said 44% of 1,194 registered voters in Pennsylvania supported Mastriano, compared to 55% who said they support his Democratic candidate Josh Shapiro. Other recent polls also show the state senator trailing the state’s attorney general. But confidence for a Mastriano win abounded among speakers at the rally late Friday afternoon, including Donald Trump Jr. The eldest son of the former president shook hands with Mastriano, a retired Army colonel and Franklin County resident, in the fading September afternoon. “I smell victory,” Mastriano said at the start of his speech, to cheers. His speech focused on the ways he said he would be better for Pennsylvanians and the role his win could play in changing the trajectory of the commonwealth. Mastriano gained notice around the state and nationally through his criticism of COVID-19 regulations. “We remember, so there is going to be heck to pay in a few months as a result of these failures,” he said after discussing rules that affected nursing homes. He called out his opponent’s job as top law enforcement official in Pennsylvania, saying crime has increased under his watch and the state’s rankings for homicides, overdose deaths and fentanyl deaths have worsened. He added he will get “authorization for special prosecutors” to rein in crime in Philadelphia and other high-crime locales. Mastriano criticized the passage of undocumented immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. He said Pennsylvania will no longer be a sanctuary state that protects undocumented immigrants on “day one” of his governorship. Antietam 160th:For 4.5 million Americans, our ugliest day signaled a first step to freedom In addition, he said he would: Ensure police get enought funding “to get the job done.” End the carbon tax, open state lands to development, and “drill and dig like there’s no tomorrow.” Two big election issues did not play big roles in Mastriano’s speech. Despite the role abortion is expected to play in the midterm elections following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs. Wade, Mastriano did not talk about the issue. His wife, however, alluded to it in saying that her husband supports “a woman’s right to be born.” In part of his speech about women’s rights, Mastriano discussed keeping transgender women out of women’s sports and out of girls’ bathrooms at schools. If elected governor, he said he will sign executive orders on these things on his first day. Despite being a key supporter of former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, Mastriano did not make the issue part of his speech. What did voters say? Jerry Howe became familiar with Mastriano within the last year or two, particularly through hearing about him from co-workers in his department in the Borough of Chambersburg. He said he follows state and national politics for his children and grandchildren. He described being unhappy with the current state of the country, and he thinks Mastriano will take things back to how they were when he was growing up. The border, foreign policy and taxation are “highly important” to him on a national level. He said education should go back to the “basic tenets” like he grew up with. “We can be outnumbered here in the middle of the state by Pittsburgh and Philly, so we need everybody in the middle of the state to get out and vote and hopefully things shake out for the best,” Howe said. Previously:Pa. prosecutor refuses to investigate Mastriano for alleged campaign finance violations This was the first political rally Ray Miller said he has attended. He said read things he liked about Mastriano and “knew he would be a good candidate.” Asked to describe any specific issues that would influence his vote, he said, “Republicans have got to stand up and be recognized in this election and 2024. We’ve got to take things back and get them under control.” Still, he said, members of both parties have got to work together. Marlene Knode, Chambersburg, began volunteering for Mastriano’s campaign before Mastriano was elected for the first time in a special election for a state senate seat in 2019. “I’m really concerned about the future of our country, and schools my grandchildren will attend, and abortion and the state of the law. I agree with Doug on everything.” Asked if she would trust the outcome of the election, no matter the winner, she said she would “after it’s verified” and any possible issues are addressed. Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com. Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Voters At Mastriano Rally Featuring Donald Trump Jr. Seek Return To Conservative Ways
Justice Department Asks Appeals Court To Lift Judges Mar-A-Lago Probe Hold
Justice Department Asks Appeals Court To Lift Judges Mar-A-Lago Probe Hold
Justice Department Asks Appeals Court To Lift Judge’s Mar-A-Lago Probe Hold https://digitalarkansasnews.com/justice-department-asks-appeals-court-to-lift-judges-mar-a-lago-probe-hold/ WASHINGTON — The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court Friday to lift a judge’s order that temporarily barred it from reviewing a batch of classified documents seized during an FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home last month. The department told the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta that the judge’s hold was impeding the “government’s efforts to protect the nation’s security” and interfering with its investigation into the presence of top-secret information at Mar-a-Lago. It said the hold needed to be lifted immediately so work could resume. “The government and the public would suffer irreparable harm absent a stay,” department lawyers wrote in their brief to the appeals court. The judge’s appointment of a “special master” to review the documents, and the resulting legal tussle, appear certain to further slow the department’s criminal investigation. It remains unclear whether Trump, who has been laying the groundwork for another potential presidential run, or anyone else might be charged. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon earlier this month directed the department to halt its use of the records until further court order, or until the completion of a report of an independent arbiter who is to do his own inspection of the documents and weed out any covered by claims of legal privilege. On Thursday night, she assigned Raymond Dearie, the former chief judge of the federal court based in Brooklyn, to serve as the arbiter — also known as a special master. She also declined to lift an order that prevented the department from using for its investigation about 100 seized documents marked as classified, citing ongoing disputes about the nature of the documents that she said merited a neutral review. “The Court does not find it appropriate to accept the Government’s conclusions on these important and disputed issues without further review by a neutral third party in an expedited and orderly fashion,” she wrote. The Justice Department last week asked Cannon to put her own order on hold by Thursday, and said that if she did not, it would ask the appeals court to step in. The FBI says it took about 11,000 documents, including roughly 100 with classification markings found in a storage room and an office, while serving a court-authorized search warrant at the home. Weeks after the search, Trump lawyers asked a judge to appoint a special master to do an independent review of the records. In her Sept. 5 order, Cannon agreed to name a special master to sift through the records and filter out any that may be potentially covered by claims of executive privilege or attorney-client privilege. In appointing Dearie on Thursday, she granted him access to the entire tranche of documents, including classified records. She directed him to complete his review by Nov. 30 and to prioritize the review of classified documents, and directed the Justice Department to permit the Trump legal team to inspect classified records with “controlled access conditions.” The Justice Department disagreed with the judge that the special master should be empowered to inspect the classified records. It said the classified records that were seized do not contain communication between Trump and his lawyers that could be covered by attorney-client privilege, and said the former president could not credibly invoke executive privilege to shield government documents that do not belong to him from the investigation. Though the department had argued that its work was being unduly impeded by the judge’s order, Cannon disagreed, noting in her order Thursday that officials could proceed with other aspects of their investigation, such as interviewing witnesses. Copyright © 2022 The Washington Times, LLC. Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Justice Department Asks Appeals Court To Lift Judges Mar-A-Lago Probe Hold
Lawyer Told Archives Last Year That Trump Had No Classified Material
Lawyer Told Archives Last Year That Trump Had No Classified Material
Lawyer Told Archives Last Year That Trump Had No Classified Material https://digitalarkansasnews.com/lawyer-told-archives-last-year-that-trump-had-no-classified-material/ Politics|Lawyer Told Archives Last Year That Trump Had No Classified Material https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/us/politics/archives-trump-classified-clippings.html A lawyer representing the former president told the National Archives that boxes taken from the White House contained material like newspaper clippings. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share. Patrick Philbin, a former top White House lawyer, is said to have indicated last year that Mr. Trump had taken only nonclassified material in boxes from the White House.Credit…Erin Schaff/The New York Times Sept. 16, 2022Updated 9:44 p.m. ET The National Archives has told the Justice Department that a lawyer representing former President Donald J. Trump indicated to the archives last year that boxes Mr. Trump had taken to his Mar-a-Lago home from the White House included only nonclassified material like newspaper clippings, according to a person briefed on the matter. The message was relayed to the National Archives last September by Patrick Philbin, a former top White House lawyer who was representing Mr. Trump’s post-presidency office, to the top lawyer at the archives, Gary Stern, according to two people briefed on the matter. Mr. Philbin indicated to Mr. Stern that the information was based on what Mr. Trump’s final White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, believed to be the contents in the boxes, the people said. Mr. Stern memorialized his own description of the exchange in an email, one of the people said. It is unclear when the archives told the Justice Department about the conversation. But it is part of the evidence gathered by investigators showing how Mr. Trump’s representatives gave government officials misleading information about what Mr. Trump had taken with him when he left the White House. Roughly four months after Mr. Philbin’s conversation with Mr. Stern, Mr. Trump returned 15 boxes of material he had taken from the White House to the archives. Officials at the archives soon determined that the boxes contained more than 150 documents marked as classified, igniting intense concern at the Justice Department and helping to set off the criminal investigation that led F.B.I. agents to swoop into Mr. Trump’s Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago, last month seeking to recover more. In all, the government has recovered more than 300 documents with classified markings from Mr. Trump since he left office: that first batch of documents returned in January, another set provided by Mr. Trump’s aides to the Justice Department in June and about 100 seized by the F.B.I. in the search. Mr. Trump and the Justice Department are in the midst of a court fight over the classified documents found in the search. A federal judge has ordered the Justice Department not to use those documents in its criminal investigation pending a review by an independent arbiter of whether the material is protected by executive privilege or attorney-client privilege. The Washington Post first reported on Friday that Mr. Philbin had told the archives that there were no sensitive or classified materials in the boxes. Image Mark Meadows, as Mr. Trump’s final White House chief of staff, was involved in the president’s chaotic exit from office.Credit…Doug Mills/The New York Times Mr. Trump had told advisers a version of what Mr. Meadows is said to have told Mr. Philbin, that the boxes contained news clippings and personal effects, according to people familiar with the events. Aides to Mr. Trump had told others that there were only 12 boxes of material, which is what Mr. Meadows is also said to have relayed to Mr. Philbin. A spokesman for Mr. Trump did not respond to a message seeking comment. A spokeswoman for Mr. Philbin declined to comment. Mr. Meadows went to Mar-a-Lago and discussed the boxes of material with Mr. Trump during the summer of 2021, as archives officials were trying to get the materials sent to them. Mr. Philbin was trying to facilitate the return while avoiding being drawn further into the dispute, according to two people familiar with the events. In a statement, Ben Williamson, a spokesman for Mr. Meadows, said, “Mr. Meadows did not personally review the boxes at Mar-a-Lago and did not have a role in examining or verifying what was or wasn’t contained within them.” Last year, the National Archives, concerned that it did not have all the presidential records from Mr. Trump’s administration, tried for months to have Mr. Trump hand over any documents that had been taken to Mar-a-Lago. After a lengthy back-and-forth, Mr. Trump early this year handed over the 15 boxes, which in addition to the classified documents included news clippings, other presidential records, gifts, clothing and random objects. The National Archives alerted the Justice Department to the fact that classified documents had been held outside secure channels. The archives and the Justice Department remained skeptical that Mr. Trump had returned all the presidential records taken from the White House, setting off another lengthy bout with Mr. Trump’s lawyers. Even after Mr. Trump’s lawyers returned another set of classified documents in June — and after one of the lawyers signed a document confirming that all the material the Justice Department had been seeking had been returned — investigators came to believe that more sensitive material remained at Mar-a-Lago. In August, federal agents carried out a court-authorized search at Mar-a-Lago that turned up additional government material, including documents relating to some of the country’s most closely guarded secrets. Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Lawyer Told Archives Last Year That Trump Had No Classified Material
Appeals Court Upholds Texas Law Regulating Social Media Moderation
Appeals Court Upholds Texas Law Regulating Social Media Moderation
Appeals Court Upholds Texas Law Regulating Social Media Moderation https://digitalarkansasnews.com/appeals-court-upholds-texas-law-regulating-social-media-moderation-2/ The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday upheld a controversial Texas social media law that bars companies from removing posts based on a person’s political ideology, overturning a lower court’s decision to block the law and likely setting up a Supreme Court showdown over the future of online speech. The ruling could have wide-ranging effects on the future of tech regulation, giving fresh ammunition to conservative politicians who have alleged that major tech companies are silencing their political speech. But the decision diverges from precedent and recent rulings from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal and lower courts, and tech industry groups are likely they would appeal. Friday’s opinion was written by Judge Andrew Stephen Oldham, who was nominated to the 5th Circuit by former president Trump. He was joined by Judge Edith Jones, a Reagan appointee. Judge Leslie H. Southwick, a George W. Bush appointee, concurred in part and dissented in part. In the opinion, Oldham wrote that while the First Amendment guarantees every person’s right to free speech, it doesn’t guarantee corporations the right to “muzzle speech.” The Texas law, he wrote, “does not chill speech; if anything, it chills censorship.” The ruling criticized the tech industry’s arguments against the law, saying that under the companies’ logic, “email providers, mobile phone companies, and banks could cancel the accounts of anyone who sends an email, makes a phone call, or spends money in support of a disfavored political party, candidate, or business.” An appeal of the decision could force the Supreme Court, where conservatives have a majority, to weigh in on internet regulation, which has become an increasingly politicized issue since the 2016 election. Democrats have called for new limits on the companies that would block the proliferation of harmful content and misinformation on the platforms, while conservatives have argued that the companies have gone too far in policing their sites, especially after the companies’ 2021 decision to ban Trump following the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol. In an analysis shared with The Washington Post in July, the industry group Computer & Communications Industry Association, one of the groups that challenged the Texas law, identified more than 100 bills in state legislatures aimed at regulating social media content moderation policies. Many state legislatures have adjourned for the year, so tech lobbyists are bracing for more activity in 2023. Earlier this week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill into law that forces large social networks to make public their policies for how posts are treated, responding to criticism that posts glorifying violence and hatred are being amplified by the platforms. “If the Supreme Court doesn’t weigh in, it’s going to be increasingly difficult to operate a nationwide social media company because it could be navigating state rules that differ or even conflict,” said Jeff Kosseff, a cybersecurity law professor at the United States Naval Academy. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court stopped the Texas law from taking effect in a 5-4 decision, responding to an emergency request from tech industry trade groups. However, the judges did not explain the reasoning for their decision, which is common in such requests. In their ruling, the 5th Circuit judges agreed with Texas that social media companies are “common carriers,” like phone companies, that are subject to government regulations because they provide essential services. Conservatives have long made this argument, which has resonated with at least one Supreme Court justice, Clarence Thomas, who has written that there are parallels between social media companies and phone companies. Tech industry groups and legal experts warned that the 5th Circuit’s decision runs counter to First Amendment precedent and warned that it could result in harmful posts staying on social networks. “Little could be more Orwellian than the government purporting to protect speech by dictating what businesses must say,” said Matt Schruers, president of the Computer & Communications Industry Association. “The Texas law compels private enterprises to distribute dangerous content ranging from foreign propaganda to terrorist incitement, and places Americans at risk.” Netchoice, another industry group that has challenged the Texas and Florida laws alongside CCIA, echoed those concerns about “awful and offensive content” remaining online. “We remain convinced that when the U.S. Supreme Court hears one of our cases, it will uphold the First Amendment rights of websites, platforms and apps,” said Carl Szabo, Netchoice vice president and general counsel. Constitutional law experts also largely criticized Oldham’s opinion. Eric Goldman, a law professor at Santa Clara University, said it is a “terrible opinion” riddled with factual errors. “It’s a gross misunderstanding of the word censorship,” he said. “Censorship is something that governments do.” Earlier this year, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked major provisions of a social media law that had been passed by Florida’s Republican-led legislature, saying they infringed on corporations’ First Amendment rights. The state of Florida is widely expected to appeal that decision. In the 5th Circuit opinion, Oldham wrote that the Texas and Florida laws differ in key ways because the Florida law narrowly targets speech by political figures and journalistic businesses while the Texas law targets actions against anyone over their political viewpoints. He wrote he disagreed with the way that court interpreted previous Supreme Court rulings related to “editorial discretion,” or the right of media companies to decide what content they carry, and whether that applies to social networks. “I don’t see how you could have both of these rulings out there without having resolution from the Supreme Court,” Kosseff said. Meanwhile, conservative regulators took a victory lap. Republican Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr, who has emerged as a major critic of big social media companies, called the decision a “Big court win in the effort to end Big Tech’s unchecked censorship.” And Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) called the court’s decision a “MASSIVE VICTORY” for free speech on Twitter. BREAKING: I just secured a MASSIVE VICTORY for the Constitution & Free Speech in fed court: #BigTech CANNOT censor the political voices of ANY Texan! The 5th Circuit “reject[s] the idea that corporations have a freewheeling First Amendment right to censor what people say. pic.twitter.com/UijlzYcv7r — Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) September 16, 2022 Jameel Jaffer, the director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said there are difficult questions for the courts to grapple with. “It is not obvious exactly how analog-era First Amendment law applies, or should apply, to digital-era communications platforms,” he said. “Unfortunately, this opinion doesn’t present those questions clearly, let alone answer them.” Naomi Nix and Will Oremus contributed reporting. Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Appeals Court Upholds Texas Law Regulating Social Media Moderation
AP News Summary At 6:52 P.m. EDT
AP News Summary At 6:52 P.m. EDT
AP News Summary At 6:52 P.m. EDT https://digitalarkansasnews.com/ap-news-summary-at-652-p-m-edt/ Trump openly embraces, amplifies QAnon conspiracy theories Donald Trump is increasingly embracing and endorsing the QAnon conspiracy theory, even as the number of frightening real-world events linked to the movement rises. Using his Truth Social platform, Trump this week reposted an image of himself overlaid with the words “the Storm is Coming.” In QAnon lore, the storm refers to Trump’s final victory, when his opponents supposedly will be tried and possibly executed. It’s among dozens of recent Q-related posts from the Republican former president, who also ended a rally with a QAnon song. Experts who study QAnon say Trump may be trying to rally his most stalwart supporters as investigations into his conduct escalate. Ukrainian president: Burial site contains torture victims IZIUM, Ukraine (AP) — Investigators searching through a mass burial site in Ukraine have found evidence that some of the dead were tortured, including bodies with broken limbs and ropes around their necks. That’s according to Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy, who spoke Friday. The site near Izium was recently recaptured from Russian forces. It appears to be one of the largest of its kind discovered in Ukraine. Zelenskyy rushed out a video statement just hours after the exhumations began, apparently to underscore the gravity of the discovery. Military intel chief says Putin can’t achieve Ukraine goal WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon’s intelligence chief says Russian forces have shown themselves incapable of achieving President Vladimir Putin’s initial objectives in Ukraine, as things stand now. Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier spoke on Friday to an intelligence and national security forum outside Washington. He said Putin is at a point where he will have to revise his initial aims in invading Ukraine. Berrier said what Putin decides next will determine how long the conflict continues. His comments followed Russian forces latest major setback, a Ukrainian offensive that drove Russians out of a large swath of northeast Ukraine. Putin on Friday vowed to keep pressing his offensive. Surprise is key part of migrant travel from Florida, Texas EDGARTOWN, Mass. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took the playbook of a fellow Republican, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, to a new level by catching officials flat-footed in Martha’s Vineyard with two planeloads of Venezuelan migrants. An immigration attorney says the migrants had “no idea of where they were going or where they were.” Providing little or no information is part of the plan. On Friday, the migrants were being moved voluntarily to a military base on nearby Cape Cod. Before going to the wealthy Massachusetts island, a woman in San Antonio showered them with gifts and promised jobs and housing. King stands vigil; Wait to see queen’s coffin hits 24 hours LONDON (AP) — A surging tide of people — ranging from London retirees to former England soccer captain David Beckham — have lined up to file past Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin as it lies in state at Parliament. So many have shown up that authorities called a temporary halt Friday to others joining the miles-long queue. The waiting line reopened late Friday afternoon. Still the British government warned the waiting time to see the queen’s coffin had climbed to more than 24 hours. King Charles III on Friday visited Llandaff Cathedral in Wales for a prayer service in honor of his late mother. Later in the evening, Charles and his three siblings stood vigil around queen’s flag-draped coffin in London. Breaches of voting machine data raise worries for midterms ATLANTA (AP) — The revelation earlier this week that federal prosecutors are involved in investigations of suspected voting system breaches across the U.S. is fueling questions about the security of voting machines just two months before the midterm elections. Security breaches at election offices in Colorado, Georgia and Michigan have been sometimes aided by local officials who allowed unauthorized access to people who copied software and hard drive data, and in several cases shared it publicly. Security experts say the breaches by themselves have not necessarily increased threats to the November elections, but say they increase the possibility that rogue election workers could access election equipment to launch attacks. Arizona Legislature won’t defend law limiting police filming PHOENIX (AP) — The Republican leaders of the Arizona Legislature won’t try to defend a new law limiting up-close filming of police that has been blocked by a federal judge. The decision essentially ends the fight over the contentious proposal, although the Republican sponsor says he may push a revised measure next year. The judge gave the Republican leaders until Friday to decide if they wanted their lawyers to intervene after the state attorney general refused to defend the law. The judge agreed with the ACLU and press groups that it violates the First Amendment and temporarily blocked it last week. The groups will now seek a permanent injunction. More coaches named in South Carolina cheerleader abuse suit COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A lawsuit alleging the rampant sexual abuse of underage athletes at a competitive cheerleading gym in South Carolina has been amended to name six more coaches as defendants and three more accusers. The accusers — now seven female and two male — say in the federal lawsuit amended Thursday that they were sexually abused by coaches at Rockstar Cheerleading and Dance in Greenville, which is in the northwestern corner of the state. The accusers’ lawyers allege that sexual abuse at the gym could date back two decades. According to the lawsuit, the abuse ranged from rape and forced oral sex to molestation and pressuring children as young as 13 to send nude photos of themselves to coaches. ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ to close on Broadway next year NEW YORK (AP) — “The Phantom of the Opera” — Broadway’s longest-running show — is scheduled to close in February 2023, a victim of post-pandemic softening in theater attendance in New York. The musical — a fixture on Broadway since 1988, weathering recessions, war and cultural shifts — will play its final performance on Broadway in February. The first production opened in London in 1986 and since then the show has been seen by more than 145 million people in 183 cities. The closure was first reported by the New York Post. A spokesperson says the closing will come less than a month after its 35th anniversary. Racism seen as root of water crisis in Mississippi capital JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A boil-water advisory has been lifted for Mississippi’s capital, and the state will stop handing out free bottled water on Saturday. But the crisis isn’t over. Water pressure still hasn’t been fully restored in Jackson, and some residents say their tap water still comes out looking dirty and smelling like sewage. Carey Wooten says even her dog won’t drink it. Jackson’s treatment plants need billions in repairs, the mayor says. Many blame systemic racism as the root cause. The tax base plummeted after white people moved to the suburbs in response to school desegregation, and government policies denied resources to the Black and poor people who stayed in the city. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
AP News Summary At 6:52 P.m. EDT
Indias Richest Man Surpasses Bezos On Billionaires List
Indias Richest Man Surpasses Bezos On Billionaires List
India’s Richest Man Surpasses Bezos On Billionaires List https://digitalarkansasnews.com/indias-richest-man-surpasses-bezos-on-billionaires-list/ The jostling among the world’s richest humans intensified Friday as three men rotated through the No. 2 spot in the span of 24 hours, highlighting the volatility of the markets and meteoric rise of Indian billionaire Gautam Adani on a list long dominated by tech titans. On Friday morning, Adani edged out French business magnate Bernard Arnault and pushed Amazon founder Jeff Bezos down to the No. 4 spot on Forbes’s real-time billionaire rankings. The shake-up didn’t end there, however, Adani fell to No. 3, ahead of Bezos, by the afternoon. By 5 p.m. Friday, Arnault was worth $154.7 billion, Adani $152.2 billion, and Bezos $146.9 billion. Staggering numbers by any measure, but well behind the $273.2 billion fortune of Elon Musk. As chair of the Adani Group, a multinational conglomerate, Adani’s portfolio of companies and investments spans coal mining, data centers, airports and renewable energy. And his wealth has soared over the past year, just as the value of the largest American tech companies has slipped alongside much of Wall Street’s biggest names. Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Indias Richest Man Surpasses Bezos On Billionaires List
Florida Texas Escalate Flights Buses To Move Migrants WABE
Florida Texas Escalate Flights Buses To Move Migrants WABE
Florida, Texas Escalate Flights, Buses To Move Migrants – WABE https://digitalarkansasnews.com/florida-texas-escalate-flights-buses-to-move-migrants-wabe/ Republican governors are escalating their partisan tactic of sending migrants to Democratic strongholds without advance warning, including a wealthy summer enclave in Massachusetts and the home of Vice President Kamala Harris, to taunt leaders of immigrant-friendly “sanctuary” cities and stoke opposition to Biden administration border policies. The governors of Texas and Arizona have sent thousands of migrants on buses to New York, Chicago and Washington, D.C., in recent months. But the latest surprise moves — which included two flights to Martha’s Vineyard Wednesday paid for by Florida — reached a new level of political theater that critics derided as inhumane. Upon arrival in Martha’s Vineyard, where former President Barack Obama has a home, the migrants who are predominantly from Venezuela were provided with meals, shelter, health care and information about where to find work. The vacation island south of Boston, whose year-round residents include many blue-collar workers, appeared to absorb the dozens of arrivals without a major hitch. Elizabeth Folcarelli, chief executive of the nonprofit Martha’s Vineyard Community Services, was wrapping up work when she saw 48 Venezuelans with luggage and backpacks approach her office. They carried red folders with brochures for her organization. “They were told that they would have a job. and they would have housing,” said Folcarelli, who described the scramble for shelter as a “huge challenge.” Migrants played soccer and hung out in small groups on the porch of their temporary shelter Thursday while meeting visiting attorneys who gave free advice and other service providers. Well-wishers dropped off donations, and volunteers signed up to provide whatever help the could offer. There were no signs of protest. The president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, Domingo Garcia, said that some of the migrants sent on buses from Texas to Washington, D.C. were “tricked” — an allegation that The Associated Press has not confirmed and that officials in Texas and Arizona have denied. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the flights to Martha’s Vineyard were part of an effort to “transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary destinations.” The Florida Legislature has earmarked $12 million to transport “unauthorized aliens” out of state. DeSantis’ office didn’t answer questions about where migrants boarded planes and how they were coaxed into making the trip. Massachusetts state Sen. Julian Cyr told The Vineyard Gazette that one plane originated in San Antonio, raising questions about whether migrants ever set foot in Florida. Flight tracking data shows a flight originated in San Antonio, stopped in Crestview, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina, before landing in Martha’s Vineyard. The two buses of migrants from Texas that arrived early Thursday outside Harris’ residence at the United States Naval Observatory carried more than 100 migrants from Colombia, Cuba, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela. “The Biden-Harris administration continues ignoring and denying the historic crisis at our southern border, which has endangered and overwhelmed Texas communities for almost two years,” said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has poured billions of taxpayer dollars into making border security a signature issue. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who has publicly feuded with DeSantis and Abbot over their conservative policies, on Thursday asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether transporting migrants across state lines as “political props” broke the law. “Transporting families, including children, across state lines under false pretenses is morally reprehensible, but it may also be illegal,” Newsom wrote in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland that he also posted on his Twitter account. Without mentioning DeSantis or Abbot by name, Newsom suggested the federal government could bring charges of kidnapping and “civil rights conspiracy” because the migrants were targeted because of their national origin. After migrants seeking asylum cross the U.S.-Mexico border, they spend time in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility along the border until they are generally released into the U.S. to wait out their cases. Republicans say Biden’s policies encourage migrants to vanish into the U.S.; Democrats argue the Trump-era policy of forcing migrants to wait out their asylum cases in Mexico was inhumane. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that federal officials were not told in advance by the Republican governors who sent the migrants to Massachusetts and Washington. “We’re talking about children, we’re talking about families who were promised a home, promised a job, put on a bus and driven to a place that they do not know,” said Jean-Pierre, who called the governors’ actions a “cruel, premeditated political stunt.” Abbott has bused 7,900 migrants to Washington since April, later sending 2,200 to New York and 300 to Chicago. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has bused more than 1,800 migrants to Washington since May. Passengers must sign waivers that the free trips are voluntary. DeSantis appears to be taking the strategy to a new level by using planes and choosing Martha’s Vineyard, whose harbor towns that are home to about 15,000 people are far less prepared than New York or Washington for large influxes of migrants. Texas and Florida have infuriated officials in destination cities by failing to provide passenger rosters, estimated times of arrival and other information that would make it easier to prepare. In contrast, Arizona has coordinated with officials in other cities. President Joe Biden is facing the same challenges that dogged his predecessor, former President Donald Trump: a dysfunctional asylum system in the United States, and economic and social conditions that are prompting people from dozens of countries to flee. U.S. authorities stopped migrants crossing from Mexico about 2 million times from October through July, up nearly 50% from the same period a year earlier. Many are released in the United States to pursue their immigration cases because U.S. authorities have struggled to expel them to their countries under a pandemic-era rule that denies them a chance to seek asylum. Some Republicans celebrated the latest delivery of migrants from border states. “Welcome to being a state on the Southern border, Massachusetts,” tweeted DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern. Stephen Miller, a chief architect of Trump’s immigration policies, said bringing “a few million” migrants to Martha’s Vineyard should transform the island of about 15,000 people into “a modern Eden.” Florida Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist said DeSantis is treating the migrants inhumanely. “It’s amazing to me what he’s willing to do for sheer political gain,” Crist said. Talia Inlender, deputy director of UCLA’s Center for Immigration Law and Policy, said the flights to Martha’s Vineyard appear to violate Florida law that they be limited to “unauthorized aliens.” “These folks are not unauthorized,” she said. “They aren’t flying under the radar in any way.” Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Florida Texas Escalate Flights Buses To Move Migrants WABE
Appeals Court Upholds Texas Law Regulating Social Media Moderation
Appeals Court Upholds Texas Law Regulating Social Media Moderation
Appeals Court Upholds Texas Law Regulating Social Media Moderation https://digitalarkansasnews.com/appeals-court-upholds-texas-law-regulating-social-media-moderation/ The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday upheld a controversial Texas social media law that bars companies from removing posts based on a person’s political ideology, overturning a lower court’s decision to block the law and likely setting up a Supreme Court showdown over the future of online speech. The ruling could have wide-ranging effects on the future of tech regulation, giving fresh ammunition to conservative politicians who have alleged that major tech companies are silencing their political speech. But the decision diverges from precedent and recent rulings from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal and lower courts, and tech industry groups are likely they would appeal. Friday’s opinion was written by Judge Andrew Stephen Oldham, who was nominated to the 5th Circuit by former president Trump. He was joined by Judge Edith Jones, a Reagan appointee. Judge Leslie H. Southwick, a George W. Bush appointee, concurred in part and dissented in part. In the opinion, Oldham wrote that while the First Amendment guarantees every person’s right to free speech, it doesn’t guarantee corporations the right to “muzzle speech.” The Texas law, he wrote, “does not chill speech; if anything, it chills censorship.” The ruling criticized the tech industry’s arguments against the law, saying that under the companies’ logic, “email providers, mobile phone companies, and banks could cancel the accounts of anyone who sends an email, makes a phone call, or spends money in support of a disfavored political party, candidate, or business.” An appeal of the decision could force the Supreme Court, where conservatives have a majority, to weigh in on internet regulation, which has become an increasingly politicized issue since the 2016 election. Democrats have called for new limits on the companies that would block the proliferation of harmful content and misinformation on the platforms, while conservatives have argued that the companies have gone too far in policing their sites, especially after the companies’ 2021 decision to ban Trump following the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol. In an analysis shared with The Washington Post in July, the industry group Computer & Communications Industry Association, one of the groups that challenged the Texas law, identified more than 100 bills in state legislatures aimed at regulating social media content moderation policies. Many state legislatures have adjourned for the year, so tech lobbyists are bracing for more activity in 2023. Earlier this week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill into law that forces large social networks to make public their policies for how posts are treated, responding to criticism that posts glorifying violence and hatred are being amplified by the platforms. “If the Supreme Court doesn’t weigh in, it’s going to be increasingly difficult to operate a nationwide social media company because it could be navigating state rules that differ or even conflict,” said Jeff Kosseff, a cybersecurity law professor at the United States Naval Academy. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court stopped the Texas law from taking effect in a 5-4 decision, responding to an emergency request from tech industry trade groups. However, the judges did not explain the reasoning for their decision, which is common in such requests. In their ruling, the 5th Circuit judges agreed with Texas that social media companies are “common carriers,” like phone companies, that are subject to government regulations because they provide essential services. Conservatives have long made this argument, which has resonated with at least one Supreme Court justice, Clarence Thomas, who has written that there are parallels between social media companies and phone companies. Tech industry groups and legal experts warned that the 5th Circuit’s decision runs counter to First Amendment precedent and warned that it could result in harmful posts staying on social networks. “Little could be more Orwellian than the government purporting to protect speech by dictating what businesses must say,” said Matt Schruers, president of the Computer & Communications Industry Association. “The Texas law compels private enterprises to distribute dangerous content ranging from foreign propaganda to terrorist incitement, and places Americans at risk.” Netchoice, another industry group that has challenged the Texas and Florida laws alongside CCIA, echoed those concerns about “awful and offensive content” remaining online. “We remain convinced that when the U.S. Supreme Court hears one of our cases, it will uphold the First Amendment rights of websites, platforms and apps,” said Carl Szabo, Netchoice vice president and general counsel. Constitutional law experts also largely criticized Oldham’s opinion. Eric Goldman, a law professor at Santa Clara University, said it is a “terrible opinion” riddled with factual errors. “It’s a gross misunderstanding of the word censorship,” he said. “Censorship is something that governments do.” Earlier this year, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked major provisions of a social media law that had been passed by Florida’s Republican-led legislature, saying they infringed on corporations’ First Amendment rights. The state of Florida is widely expected to appeal that decision. In the 5th Circuit opinion, Oldham wrote that the Texas and Florida laws differ in key ways because the Florida law narrowly targets speech by political figures and journalistic businesses while the Texas law targets actions against anyone over their political viewpoints. He wrote he disagreed with the way that court interpreted previous Supreme Court rulings related to “editorial discretion,” or the right of media companies to decide what content they carry, and whether that applies to social networks. “I don’t see how you could have both of these rulings out there without having resolution from the Supreme Court,” Kosseff said. Meanwhile, conservative regulators took a victory lap. Republican Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr, who has emerged as a major critic of big social media companies, called the decision a “Big court win in the effort to end Big Tech’s unchecked censorship.” And Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) called the court’s decision a “MASSIVE VICTORY” for free speech on Twitter. BREAKING: I just secured a MASSIVE VICTORY for the Constitution & Free Speech in fed court: #BigTech CANNOT censor the political voices of ANY Texan! The 5th Circuit “reject[s] the idea that corporations have a freewheeling First Amendment right to censor what people say. pic.twitter.com/UijlzYcv7r — Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) September 16, 2022 Jameel Jaffer, the director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, said there are difficult questions for the courts to grapple with. “It is not obvious exactly how analog-era First Amendment law applies, or should apply, to digital-era communications platforms,” he said. “Unfortunately, this opinion doesn’t present those questions clearly, let alone answer them.” Naomi Nix and Will Oremus contributed reporting. Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Appeals Court Upholds Texas Law Regulating Social Media Moderation
Queen Elizabeth's Children Hold Vigil Beside Her Coffin | CNN
Queen Elizabeth's Children Hold Vigil Beside Her Coffin | CNN
Queen Elizabeth's Children Hold Vigil Beside Her Coffin | CNN https://digitalarkansasnews.com/queen-elizabeths-children-hold-vigil-beside-her-coffin-cnn/ 03:38 – Source: CNN Hear why people in London are queuing to see the Queen one last time CNN  —  King Charles III and his siblings Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward had held a brief vigil beside Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin in Westminster Hall on Friday, joining members of the military who have mounted a continuous watch over her remains for the past two days. Standing quietly, their heads bowed, the King was at the head of the Queen’s coffin, while his sister Anne, the Princess Royal, and brother Edward, the Earl of Wessex, were on the sides. Andrew, the Duke of York, was at the coffin’s foot. In a break with royal tradition, Prince Andrew – the Queen’s second son – wore his military uniform for the vigil. While custom dictates that only working members of the royal family wear military uniforms during ceremonial occasions, Andrew was allowed to wear his as a mark of special respect for the Queen. The King, Anne and Edward were also in military dress. Andrew stepped away from his royal duties in 2019 over his ties to disgraced financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Many other members of the royal family came to observe the vigil. Camilla, the Queen Consort, accompanied the King, standing beside Princess Anne’s husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Prince Edward’s wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, was also there along with her two children Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. The Queen’s granddaughters Zara Tindall and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were there, as was the Queen’s cousin Prince Michael of Kent. Seen for the first time since the Queen’s death last Thursday, some of the Queen’s youngest great-grandchildren including Mia and Lena Tindall were also in attendance. The Queen has been lying in state in Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster, since Wednesday. The medieval hall is where the Queen’s ancestors also lay in state. Her father King George VI in 1952, her mother Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 2002, her grandfather George V in 1936 and her great-grandfather Edward VII in 1910 – the first royal to lie in state. The Queen’s coffin is draped with the Royal Standard and has the Imperial State Crown, the Orb and the Sceptre lying on top of it. The public has a chance to view the closed coffin in person until 6.30 a.m. on Monday, when the hall will close in preparations for the state funeral later that morning. The queue to pay respects reached as much as 10 miles on Friday and had to be closed repeatedly after hitting its maximum capacity. At one point the wait was at least 14 hours, according to the official tracker provided by the government. Late on Friday evening local time, a spokesperson for London’s Metropolitan Police said they had arrested a man following a “disturbance” inside Westminster Hall. “He was arrested for an offence under the Public Order Act and is currently in custody,” the statement added. The continuous watch inside Westminster Hall is being kept by the King’s Body Guards of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, the Royal Company of Archers, the Yeomen of the Guard assisted by the Yeomen Warders of the Tower of London and by Officers of the Household Division during the lying in state and lying at rest. Each watch lasts for six hours, with individuals within those watches keeping vigil for 20 minutes at a time. The royal vigil on Friday evening took place alongside the military watch and was similar to the one the Queen’s children held in St. Giles’ Cathedral in Scotland earlier this week. The Queen’s eight grandchildren are expected to take the same spot on Saturday evening when it will be their time to stand vigil beside their grandmother’s coffin, a royal source told CNN on Friday. Prince William, the Prince of Wales, will stand at the head of the coffin, and Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, will stand at its foot. The source added that the Prince of Wales will be flanked by Zara Tindall and Peter Philips, who are the children of Princess Anne. The Duke of Sussex will be flanked by Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the daughters of Prince Andrew, alongside Prince Edward’s children, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn. King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort visited Wales earlier on Friday, meeting members of public and receiving a motion of condolences. The King said that he was taking up his new duties as the monarch with “immense gratitude for the privilege of having been able to serve as Prince of Wales.” “It must surely be counted the greatest privilege to belong to a land that can inspire such devotion,” he said. Speaking in Welsh, the King said that his son, Prince William, who has taken over the title of Prince of Wales from his father, has “a deep love for Wales.” But the new King also encountered some signs of disapproval on Friday. When he arrived at Cardiff Castle in the afternoon, he was greeted with both cheers and boos. While many people in the crowd were cheering and waving flags, some protestors were booing loudly. King Charles appeared to be shaking his head slightly as his car drove by and into the castle. After his return to London and before joining the vigil at Westminster Hall, Charles held a reception for faith leaders in the Bow Room at Buckingham Palace, the palace said in a statement. To get updates on the British Royal Family sent to your inbox, sign up for CNN’s Royal News newsletter. Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Queen Elizabeth's Children Hold Vigil Beside Her Coffin | CNN
Pulaski County Prosecutor Not Filing Charges Against Law Enforcement On In-Custody Death
Pulaski County Prosecutor Not Filing Charges Against Law Enforcement On In-Custody Death
Pulaski County Prosecutor Not Filing Charges Against Law Enforcement On In-Custody Death https://digitalarkansasnews.com/pulaski-county-prosecutor-not-filing-charges-against-law-enforcement-on-in-custody-death/ The Pulaski County prosecutor announced Friday that they will not be filing charges against law enforcement involved in the 2021 in-custody death of Terence Caffey. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Pulaski County prosecutor, Larry Jegley, will not be filing charges against law enforcement involved in the 2021 in-custody death of Terence Caffey.  Caffey died at a hospital in December 2021 after he went into “medical distress” during an attempted arrest by an off-duty deputy for an alleged fight with a Movie Tavern employee. The family has been working for the body camera and surveillance video to be made public, but they have not been released yet.  In March, attorneys who represented the family announced that Caffey’s autopsy showed the cause of death was ruled a homicide.  A letter from the prosecutor’s office announced on Friday that no charges would be filed and stated that “at no time did any officer use more than physical force to restrain Mr. Caffey than which is authorized by law.” The letter went on to say that Caffey died of a sickle cell trait crisis during exertion.  The letter also stated that “it is the finding of this office that the treatment rendered to Mr. Caffey in light of their failure to correctly diagnose his medical crisis does not rise to the level of criminal negligence.” The complete letter is below: Dear Sheriff Higgins, This office has been in receipt of the Pulaski County Sheriff Department’s investigation into the death of Terrance Caffey for some time.  The amount of time that has passed since your department’s investigation into this matter and the conclusion of this office’s review was due to the complex nature of this tragic event.  This office’s review encompassed the actions of all participants/organizations that had contact with Mr. Caffey on the night of his death and the extremely unique circumstances that culminated in Mr. Caffey’s death.  As part of our review, we scrutinized the actions of the responding officers for the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department, the Little Rock Police Department, Arkansas State Police and the various first responders who reported to The Tavern the night of Mr. Caffey’s death, as well as the civilian employees of The Tavern who had contact with Mr. Caffey on the night of his death.  Finally, we had to become informed about an inherited medical condition of Mr. Caffey about which new information is emerging-Sickle Cell Trait-Related Sickling Crisis during Exertion, Struggle and Restraint culminating in death, and learn about how that trait played a role in Mr. Caffey’s death.  Multiple consultations were had with different medical experts to help us with our conclusions. The Chief Medical Examiner of the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory found that the cause of Mr. Caffey’s death was Sickle Cell Trait-Related Sickling Crisis during Exertion, Struggle, and Restraint and classified his death as a homicide while observing that said classification does not imply criminal liability.  Based on the facts and circumstances that culminated in Mr. Caffey’s death and the severe medical condition that actually caused Mr. Caffey’s death, this office engaged in a two-part analysis:  First, did anyone use unlawful force against Mr. Caffey, and second, was law enforcement or the various first responders negligent in their treatment of Mr. Caffey, or lack thereof, once Mr. Caffey was in custody and under their care.  Use of force imposed on Mr. Caffey The Tavern employees As part of our review, this office first considered the actions of the employees who fought with Mr. Caffey to determine if they had violated any criminal statutes.  All participants and witnesses to what transpired were interviewed.  The altercation that arose between Mr. Caffey and the employees was also caught on camera.  (All times referred to in this memorandum are based on the time stamps from the relevant camera.)  Our analysis included a review of those statements and of the videos. Mr. Caffey and his companion are seen on The Tavern’s security camera system entering the establishment at 9:37:43 and going into the actual theater at 9:44:18.  Shortly thereafter, at 9:50:20, Mr. Caffey is seen leaving his theater by himself.  According to witness interviews and camera footage, Mr. Caffey was attempting to order food and was having trouble with the app or his cell phone.  Mr. Caffey then returned to his theater but did not go in. At 9:55:05, Mr. Caffey is seen coming up behind an employee and grabbing him.  According to witness interviews, Mr. Caffey asked the employee if he had a gun.  At 9:55:40, Mr. Caffey sits down on the floor in the hallway of the establishment and begins to empty his pockets, throwing the contents out on the floor of the hallway.  Suddenly, at 9:57:39, Mr. Caffey gets up off the floor and attacks an employee causing multiple employees to try to assist the coworker that was attacked and restrain Mr. Caffey.  According to witness statements, Mr. Caffey was strangling one of the employees and the video clearly shows Mr. Caffey being struck by the employees.  This struggle continues for a brief period of time, though it is apparent that there was extreme exertion by all parties.  Slightly less than a minute passes during this initial phase until Sgt. Mark Swagerty appears and tries to take Mr. Caffey into custody at 9:58:37.  At this point, the struggle between Mr. Caffey and the employees is over.  Use of physical force in defense of a person-Arkansas Code Annotated 5-2-606 “A person is justified in using physical force upon another person to defend himself or herself or a third person from what the person reasonably believes to be the use of unlawful physical force by that other person, and the person may use a degree of physical force that he or she reasonably believes to be necessary.”  Further, “a person is not justified in using physical force on another if the person is the initial aggressor.” It is clear from the video that Mr. Caffey was the initial aggressor with regard to his struggle with The Tavern employees and that he was unjustified in initiating the use of physical force.  While the video has no audio, there appears to be no provocation that would give rise to Mr. Caffey having a reasonable belief that someone was about to use physical force on him and/or that he was defending himself.  It is true that once the fight started the employees outnumbered Mr. Caffey, but the force used by the employees in defending themselves or another person from Mr. Caffey was never more than physical force and was not unreasonable given the circumstances.  The subsequent autopsy performed on Mr. Caffey does reveal that he had multiple abrasions to his head, back, and lower extremities.  However, these injuries are superficial, non-life threatening injuries consistent with a physical altercation.   The Tavern employees did not engage with Mr. Caffey until he employed physical force on one of the employees and therefore were justified in their use of force against Mr. Caffey in self-defense or in defense of others.  There never appears to be a time when Mr. Caffey “withdrew from the encounter and/or effectively communicated to the employees his purpose to withdraw from the encounter.”  The struggle continued between Mr. Caffey and the employees for less than a minute until Sgt. Swagerty, the off-duty security officer for The Tavern, arrived on scene in response to a distress call from The Tavern.  In light of the facts and law involving The Tavern employees and Mr. Caffey, this office finds no violation of the Arkansas Criminal Code by the employees of The Tavern.  Use of Force by Sgt. Mark Swagerty We then examined the actions of Sgt. Mark Swagerty of the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department to determine whether he was justified in taking Mr. Caffey into custody and whether he used unlawful force in doing so.  Rule 4.1 Authority to arrest without a warrant A law enforcement officer may arrest a person without a warrant if the officer has reasonable cause to believe that such person has committed any violation of law in the officer’s presence. Sgt. Swagerty was employed by The Tavern, off duty, to provide security.  When the altercation between Mr. Caffey and The Tavern employees began, he had left the premises and had to be called back.  When he got to the area of the establishment where the fight was occurring, Mr. Caffey was still struggling with the employees.  At 9:58:37, Sgt. Swagerty intervened and attempted to gain control over Mr. Caffey.  Sgt. Swagerty pushed Mr. Caffey causing Mr. Caffey to lose his balance and then flee a short distance to another part of the theater with Sgt Swagerty immediately behind him.  At this point, Sgt. Swagerty took Mr. Caffey to the ground and physically restrained him, at times by using his body weight on Mr. Caffey’s torso.  According to the video and body worn camera audio, Mr. Caffey continues to resist to the point that at 9:58:08, a Tavern employee felt the need to help restrain Mr. Caffey.  At 10:06:22, a LRPD officer runs in and handcuffs Mr. Caffey and at 10:06:50 Sgt. Swagerty ends his physical contact with Mr. Caffey.  Based on the information given to Sgt. Swagerty and what he witnessed when he arrived back at The Tavern, Sgt. Swagerty had authority to effect an arrest on Mr. Caffey.  Use of physical force by law enforcement officers-Arkansas Code Annotated 5-2-610 A law enforcement officer is justified in using nondeadly physical force or threatening to use deadly force upon another person if the law enforcement officer reasonably believes the use of nondeadly force or the threat of deadly force is necessary to effect an arrest…or defend himself or a third person from what he reasonably bel...
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Pulaski County Prosecutor Not Filing Charges Against Law Enforcement On In-Custody Death
Fulhams 3 Goals In 6 Minutes Trump Forest 3-2 In EPL WTOP News
Fulhams 3 Goals In 6 Minutes Trump Forest 3-2 In EPL WTOP News
Fulham’s 3 Goals In 6 Minutes Trump Forest 3-2 In EPL – WTOP News https://digitalarkansasnews.com/fulhams-3-goals-in-6-minutes-trump-forest-3-2-in-epl-wtop-news/ NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — Fulham scored three goals in a six-minute passage of play to beat Nottingham Forest 3-2 on Friday in an entertaining match between teams having contrasting fortunes since promotion to the English Premier League. Tosin Adarabioyo, Joao Palhinha and Harrison Reed scored in a whirlwind spell from the 54th minute at City Ground, helping Fulham move up to sixth place. Nigeria forward Taiwo Awoniyi marked his return to the Forest starting lineup with an 11th-minute opener and Lewis O’Brien set up a grandstand finish in the 77th. Fulham held on, though, to condemn Forest to a fourth consecutive defeat, keeping the team in next-to-last place. The top-flight resumed on Friday after last week’s fixtures were called off as a mark of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and there were some heartfelt tributes to mark the monarch’s passing. A minute’s silence was impeccably observed by the overwhelming majority in City Ground, with the odd outburst drowned out by an ovation before fans sang “God Save the King.” There was a round of applause in the 70th minute to commemorate the length of the queen’s reign. ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Copyright © 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Fulhams 3 Goals In 6 Minutes Trump Forest 3-2 In EPL WTOP News
Its Time To Call MAGA A National Security Threat
Its Time To Call MAGA A National Security Threat
It’s Time To Call MAGA A National Security Threat https://digitalarkansasnews.com/its-time-to-call-maga-a-national-security-threat/ Former President Donald Trump and his MAGA movement’s full-throated embrace of violent extremism and hateful conspiracy theories has given President Joe Biden and Democrats a perfect opening to officially declare MAGA and its allies as an active terror threat. Ideally, President Biden would have made this announcement at the United We Stand Summit held at the White House, attended by diverse community leaders from across the nation to discuss best strategies and practices to counter hate-fueled violence affecting our democracy and public safety. But the opportunity remains. If we are to be blunt and honest, this “hate-fueled violence” that is threatening all of our communities is primarily coming from a single source: an incestuous network of MAGA actors, promoted by the GOP and right-wing media, who have increasingly threatened law enforcement, Democrats, educators, poll watchers, doctors, Republicans who don’t support Trump, and anyone and every institution that stands in the way of their white Christian nationalist utopia. Earlier this week, Igor Lanis, a 53-year-old Trump fanatic in Michigan, murdered his wife and badly injured one of his children. He, in turn, was killed after firing his shotgun at the police. His daughter, Rebecca Lanis, told The Daily Beast that her father’s embrace of the QAnon conspiracy theory was a “very big contributor to what happened.” She said he was once an “extremely loving” father with no history of violence but all of that changed after Trump’s loss in 2020. According to Lanis, her father latched on to the Big Lie and started going down “crazy rabbit holes” which eventually radicalized him and culminated in bloodshed. It’s worth remembering that Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by the Capitol police on Jan. 6 after attempting to illegally enter the Capitol building, was also radicalized in part by QAnon conspiracies. She is now praised by Rep. Paul Gosar, an ally of white nationalists, and seen in some right-wing quarters as a martyr. Pacific Press/Getty In 2019, the FBI declared QAnon a domestic terror threat in an internal memo. The hateful conspiracy theory believes a deep state of liberals is secretly conducting an international pedophile sex trafficking ring. The FBI warned that QAnon had the potential to radicalize individuals or groups leading up to the 2020 election. The year is now 2022 and the former president has spent the past weeks promoting QAnon content on his Truth Social platform, ever since the FBI searched his Mar-a-Lago residence and found hundreds of top secret, highly classified documents. Media Matters Senior Researcher Alex Kaplan reports that Trump has boosted at least 50 QAnon-supporting accounts to his 4 million followers. Since the summer, more than a dozen QAnon-supporting Republican candidates have won their primaries. It is very likely that some of these potential terror threats will be roaming the halls of Congress in 2023. Influential right-wing peddlers of hate—such as the woman behind the Libs of TikTok account and Matt Walsh of The Daily Wire—have picked up the “groomer” panic and used it to attack medical professionals and hospitals. On August 11, Libs of TikTok falsely claimed Boston’s Children’s Hospital was performing hysterectomies on children. On August 15, Matt Walsh falsely said the hospital was putting “every toddler…on a path to sterilization and butchery before they can even talk.” Unsurprisingly, the hospital has since faced a deluge of threats, hate mail, and harassment ever since. (This Thursday, the FBI announced the arrest of a Massachusetts woman for one of the bomb threats.) Rachael Rollins, middle, United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Joseph R. Bonavolonta, left, FBI special agent in charge of the Boston Field Office, and Michael Cox, right, Boston Police Commissioner announcing Catherine Leavy, 37, of Westfield was arrested for willfully making a false bomb threat towards Childrens Hospital at the US District Attorney’s office in the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse. Boston Globe/Getty A quick recap: a domestic terror threat is being amplified by the former President of the United States, who is the figurehead of the GOP—a party that is currently supporting and championing extremist candidates, and working with pundits who promote hateful conspiracies that have radicalized individuals to harass, intimidate, and threaten violence. One would think these revelations in light of the recent violence would be leading the news cycle. However, since Trump is a white man, and the criminal suspects aren’t Muslim, there is no War on Terror. Instead, some media outlets are bending over backward to court Republican viewers and criticize President Biden for speaking in front of U.S. marines, like Republican and Democratic presidents have done many times before him. The lesson is that it’s good to be a white MAGA extremist. Just look at Arizona state Rep. Mark Finchem. If you’re MAGA, you can hold office, be an active member of a far-right hate group that took part in the Jan. 6 coup attempt, and inch ever closer to becoming the secretary of state of Arizona. Finchem, who actively promotes the Big Lie, recently accused former Vice President Mike Pence of orchestrating a coup against Trump. He is also a proud member of the Oath Keepers, whose leaders are headed to trial this month on seditious conspiracy charges for allegedly helping Trump in his failed coup. “ The year is now 2022 and the former president has spent the past weeks promoting QAnon content on his Truth Social platform, ever since the FBI searched his Mar-a-Lago residence and found hundreds of top secret, highly classified documents. ” Last week, the Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism identified more than 370 Oath Keeper members that they believe currently work in law enforcement agencies. Last year, BuzzFeed News reported that 28 elected officials were tied to the violent anti-government group that believes the “deep state” has taken over the federal government and is plotting to enslave them. A member of the right-wing group Oath Keepers stands guard during a rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court Building on January 5, 2021 in Washington, DC. Robert Nickelsberg/Getty In August, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a joint intelligence bulletin warning about the rise of threats and attacks against law enforcement following the lawful seizure of highly classified and sensitive documents found at Mar-a-Lago. Fox News and right-wing media jumped on the story and promoted “deep state” conspiracy theories which inevitably inspired one Darwin Award winner to launch a fatal attack at the FBI office in Ohio. That news item is already in the dustbin. Thankfully, I keep receipts. According to the FBI, domestic terrorism is defined as “violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.” In case you’ve forgotten, thousands of Trump’s supporters were, in part, incited by him to attack the nation’s Capitol on Jan. 6 as part of his failed coup attempt to overthrow our democracy. They were armed with guns, baseball bats, stun guns, flagpoles wielded as clubs, pepper spray, rope, and one suspect allegedly planted bombs. Their actions fit the FBI’s definition to a T. We can’t dismiss them as outliers. They are not the exception. They are the GOP’s base. More than half of Republican Senate candidates have “rejected, cast doubt upon or tried to overturn the 2020 election results.” This includes retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen Don Bolduc, who just won the GOP primary for the New Hampshire senate seat—despite a super PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell spending $4 million to support Bolduc’s less crazy GOP primary opponent, Chuck Morse. Buldoc, for his part, channeled Leonidas and celebrated his victory with cosplay—appearing with a small shield with arrows to symbolize his triumphant victory over the GOP establishment. (Bizarrely, two days after winning his primary, Buldoc flip-flopped, admitting Biden is the “legitimate” president.) The sad reality is that Bolduc, Finchem, Gosar—along with Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebart, Matt Gaetz, and Pennsylvania GOP candidate Doug Mastriano are the present and future of the Republican Party. Republican Senate candidate Don Bolduc greets supporters at a town hall event on September 10, 2022 in Laconia, New Hampshire. Scott Eisen/Getty If we don’t speak out, then we will be complicit in normalizing their antisemitic conspiracy theories, hate, threats, and “wanton” recklessness simply because they are conservative, white, and Republican. If MAGA’s radicalized violence is not terrorism, then the word should be retired for good, or we should finally admit we’re only comfortable using it when the suspects are Black and brown people. Nonetheless, President Biden, elected officials, law enforcement, and leaders from various institutions now have an opportunity to build upon Biden’s bold statements and go step a further to save our fledgling democracy: Declare MAGA as an active terror threat to our nation and finally treat them as such— instead of coddling them under the pretense of civility, the delusion of bipartisanship, and the hope for good TV ratings. Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Its Time To Call MAGA A National Security Threat
It Just Keeps Getting Crazier: Book Says Trump Wanted To Trade Puerto Rico For Greenland!
It Just Keeps Getting Crazier: Book Says Trump Wanted To Trade Puerto Rico For Greenland!
It Just Keeps Getting Crazier: Book Says Trump Wanted To Trade Puerto Rico For Greenland! https://digitalarkansasnews.com/it-just-keeps-getting-crazier-book-says-trump-wanted-to-trade-puerto-rico-for-greenland/ It just keeps getting crazier. Maybe Donald Trump’s get out of jail card is an insanity plea. I’m also getting more incensed at the high-profile members of the Washington press corps who have held off on revealing damaging details about the Trump maladministration until they could cash in on a book deal. This time the culprits are the husband-and-wife team of Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, and Susan Glasser, a staff writer for The New Yorker. They have been hawking their forthcoming book, The Divider: Trump in the White House 2017-21 by releasing choice excerpts. Remember how back in 2019 there were reports that Trump asked his lawyers to look into buying Greenland. Denmark’s female prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, rejected the proposed deal as “absurd,” and Trump called her remarks “nasty” and canceled a scheduled trip to wonderful Copenhagen. Well now Baker and Glasser have revealed that the seed for this absurd proposal was actually planted in Trump’s head by billionaire Ronald Lauder, and then Trump spent months pestering his advisers, including National Security Adviser John Bolton, about whether the deal could be made. Vanity Fair wrote: According to Baker, “one mystified cabinet member was struck by the delusional nature of it,” while “other advisers tried to keep the idea from leaking out for fear that it would cause a diplomatic incident.” At the time, Bolton was worried about China’s growing influence in the Arctic, and was reportedly interested in the idea of “an increased American presence in Greenland.” But he knew that a literal purchase of the country was not going to happen. However, Trump, who famously has the mind of a child, insisted it could get done. And at one point, per Baker, the former president “suggested taking federal money from Puerto Rico” to fund the deal. He also “suggested outright trading Puerto Rico for Greenland.” While this is obviously a completely insane proposition, it’s not at all hard to picture the ex-president pitching the deal given that 1) he’s one of history’s biggest morons and 2) he spent his entire presidency sh–ting on Puerto Rico. Baker and Glasser said that in an interview last year for their book, Trump treated acquiring Greenland just like any other real estate deal: “I said, ‘Why don’t we have that?’” Trump  said. “You take a look at a map. I’m a real estate developer. I look at a corner, I say, ‘I’ve got to get that store for the building that I’m building,’ etc. It’s not that different.” He added, “I love maps. And I always said: ‘Look at the size of this. It’s massive. That should be part of the United States.’” The book also says that Trump came up with the equally absurd idea of offering “a great deal” to King Abdullah II of Jordan — control of the West Bank — which was not Trump’s to give away. A shocked Abdullah reportedly told a friend that he thought he was “having a heart attack.” Vanity Fair concludes their story by noting the reaction of White House Chief of Staff John Kelly to the strange ideas that kept popping into Trump’s head:  “Trump’s mercurial approach to the presidency so baffled…Kelly…that [he] secretly bought a copy of a best-selling book by a group of psychiatrists questioning Mr. Trump’s mental health. Mr. Kelly told others that the book was a helpful guide to a president he came to consider a pathological liar whose inflated ego was in fact the sign of a deeply insecure person.” Strange as it seems, Denmark actually once did sell a colony to the U.S.. In 1917, the U.S. purchased the Danish West Indies, which are now known as the U.S. Virgin Islands. And until the Puerto Rican people decide on their future status, they might be actually be better off with Denmark than the U.S. At least the Danish prime minister wouldn’t have shown up after Hurricane Maria in 2017 and thrown paper towels to people. Denmark’s health care system is better than ours, so Vieques island would probably have its own hospital by now. And Puerto Rico would have several voting members in the Danish parliament as Greenland and the Faroe Islands have now. Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
It Just Keeps Getting Crazier: Book Says Trump Wanted To Trade Puerto Rico For Greenland!
Nine Dead In Flooding After Italy Is Hit By Unprecedented Rains
Nine Dead In Flooding After Italy Is Hit By Unprecedented Rains
Nine Dead In Flooding After Italy Is Hit By Unprecedented Rains https://digitalarkansasnews.com/nine-dead-in-flooding-after-italy-is-hit-by-unprecedented-rains/ ROME — Several hours of extraordinary rainfall triggered flooding across a stretch of central Italy early Friday and left at least nine dead, with several others missing, according to authorities. As the rainfall stopped, rescue crews scrambled through mud and around fallen trees to look for survivors. Some people had taken refuge on rooftops or held onto branches amid the flooding. Italian media reported several searing accounts, including a mother and daughter who were believed to have been swept away while getting out of their car. “All citizens are ordered to not leave their homes and go to higher floors,” one hard-hit town wrote in an all-caps bulletin on Facebook as the high water surged. While Italy has had deadlier floods over the decades, the event marked yet another example of extreme weather, following a record drought that had sapped lakes and rivers and devastated crops. Fabrizio Curcio, the head of Italy’s civil protection department, said the flooded area over a matter of hours saw “about one-third of the rainfall you’d usually get in a year.” “There were moments of terror with truly extraordinary levels of water,” Curcio said. A spokesman for the civil protection department said the area had been hit with 400 millimeters, or about 15.75 inches, of rain. While it is difficult to connect any single event to climate change, experts say moments of extreme weather are becoming more common — including in Italy, which has seen melting Alpine glaciers, summer wildfires and rising seas that are chipping away at coastal cities. In a visit to the flooded region, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said flooding risks had become an “emergency with climate change” and would require steps for prevention, including infrastructure investment. “It also means tackling climate change,” Draghi said. The flooding Friday stretched across the Marche region, from the inland hills to the Adriatic coast. Some mayors of the hard-hit towns noted that there had been no indication that such an extreme event might be coming. “[There was] only a yellow alert from the civil protection for wind and rain,” Maurizio Greci, the mayor of Sassoferrato, told Italian radio. “Nothing could foretell such a disaster.” In a news release, government authorities said that among the nine dead, two people had yet to be identified and could be among the four people who were officially missing. Photos from Friday showed people beginning the cleanup work, trudging through mud, holding shovels, drying off belongings. The head of the Marche region, Francesco Acquaroli, wrote on his verified Facebook page that he’d spoken with Italian President Sergio Mattarella as well as Draghi, who offered support for “every necessary need.” “The pain over what happened is deep,” Acquaroli wrote. Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Nine Dead In Flooding After Italy Is Hit By Unprecedented Rains
Meet Raymond J. Dearie The Special Master In The DOJ
Meet Raymond J. Dearie The Special Master In The DOJ
Meet Raymond J. Dearie, The Special Master In The DOJ https://digitalarkansasnews.com/meet-raymond-j-dearie-the-special-master-in-the-doj/ The Department of Justice’s investigation into the alleged mishandling of classified material by former President Donald Trump was delayed in early September when U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, ruled that the documents seized during an Aug. 8 raid of his Mar-a-Lago residence first must be reviewed by a special master.  The documents seized were alleged to have been taken from the White House to Trump’s private residence, a move the DOJ alleges could violate various federal statutes. Cannon granted a request by Trump’s legal team that a special master should examine thousands of documents including 103 marked classified  before the DOJ could move forward. The Department of Justice then filed a motion requesting Cannon lift this order. Cannon, a Trump-nominated judge who serves in the Southern District of Florida, formally denied the DOJ request Thursday, instead appointing a special master recommended by the Trump team and agreed upon by the government: Raymond J. Dearie. Here’s what you need to know about the man now front and center in the investigation: Read our coverage on the Mar A Lago raid: What we know about handling classified documents FBI under threat after Mar-A-Lago search: Durbin: Trump, allies bear blame for ‘stunning’ rise in threats against FBI Who is Raymond Dearie? Judge Raymond J. Dearie is a former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. He was in the position from 1982 to 1986. After that, he served as a chief judge for that same district from 2007 to 2011. He is now a judge on “senior status,” meaning he is semi-retired but still presides from time to time. The Justice Department  noted that Dearie continues to hear cases and said the court would need to determine if serving as a special master would run afoul of restrictions on outside employment. How old is Raymond Dearie? Judge Dearie is 78. He was appointed in 1986 as a federal judge in New York by then President Ronald Reagan. Prior to that he has served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.  Read the DOJ’s affidavit: Takeaways from the Mar-a-Lago search affidavit Where did Raymond Dearie go to college? Judge Dearie graduated with a law degree from St. John’s University in Queens, New York in 1969.  He earned his undergraduate degree from Fairfield University in Connecticut. Where was Raymond Dearie a federal judge? A native New Yorker himself, Judge Dearie served as a federal judge for the Eastern District of New York which covers parts of New York City and Long Island.  What does Dearie’s record look like? Andrew Weissmann, a former federal prosecutor, and a former senior member of former FBI Director Robert Mueller’s team told NPR that Dearie had a reputation in the legal community of being fair, describing him as the “platonic ideal of what you want in a judge.” Dearie has a background in matters of national security as well, serving on the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for seven years.  He also spent some of the later years of his legal career advocating for sentencing reform. NPR cited a speech he gave to the New York Criminal Bar Association in 2016 in which Dearie said: “If society relies on the jail cell alone to bring relief to the streets of New York or Chicago, or to fight the heroin epidemic that has invaded our communities, little will change.” More on DOJ probe: Justice Department subpoenas dozens of Trump aides in apparent escalation of investigation What does Dearie’s appointment mean for the DOJ’s case? The Department of Justice plans to appeal Judge Cannon’s ruling, arguing that though she allowed for the team to continue its investigation into possible crimes, it will be difficult without access to those 103 classified files.  Judge Cannon’s ruling was viewed as narrow – a 10-page stay which appointed Dearie and gave him until Nov. 30 to finish reviewing the documents. The cost of Dearie’s review will be paid for by Trump and his legal team since he requested a special master.  Classified materials, explained: What are the types of ‘classified’ government documents? Explaining ‘Top Secret’ and more. Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Meet Raymond J. Dearie The Special Master In The DOJ
News Roundup & Comment
News Roundup & Comment
News Roundup & Comment https://digitalarkansasnews.com/news-roundup-comment/ Date: September 16, 2022 Host: Jim Schneider MP3  ​​​| Order These stories and more made up this edition of the Round-Up for the week: –Yesterday word came forth that the Senate is postponing the vote on the Respect for Marriage Act (HR8404). –Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney suggested that he might vote for an amended version of the Respect for Marriage Act if it contained “carve-outs” for religious liberty. –More than 400 prominent Republicans have signed on to a letter in support of the Respect for Marriage Act.     –Former President Trump alleged via post on Truth Social that the FBI was paying people to steal the 2020 presidential election. –Tuesday evening, “Pillow Guy” Mike Lindell revealed that he was the victim of a surprise subpoena served by the FBI at a Hardees Restaurant in Mankato, Minnesota. –Facebook Chief Mark Zuckerberg has now been caught spying on private messages of those who use the social media platform and reporting them to the FBI. –Fox News host Tucker Carlson has warned that every American should be terrified by the FBI’s recent confrontation with an innocent woman in which agents claimed  an anonymous tipster told them she had been at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. –Florida-based U.S District Judge Aileen Cannon on Thursday appointed a senior Brooklyn federal judge to serve as special master to independently review documents that the FBI seized from former President Trump’s estate. –A senior World Economic Forum official accused Canadian politicians of spreading disinformation apparently for citing founder Klaus Schwab’s boast that the globalist organization had penetrated the nation’s cabinet.  –Last Saturday, Vice-President Kamala Harris said she “can’t wait” to cast her vote to end the archaic Senate filibuster in order to advance measures that protect abortion at the federal level and implement voting reform legislation. –VP Kamala Harris was on Sunday’s Meet the Press.  She told host Chuck Todd that the U.S. border is secure and pointed fingers at the Trump administration for the currently broken immigration system. –Two migrant buses sent by Governor Greg Abbott and carrying between 75 and 100 people arrived near the residence of VP Kamala Harris at the Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, yesterday morning.       –Martha’s Vineyard called out about 125 National Guard members in response to 50 illegal aliens that were bused in, calling it a humanitarian crisis. –Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot shunts illegal immigrants to a suburban area after initially saying they were welcome in her city.   –The Biden administration is spending nearly 80 million dollars on a new system to monitor illegal immigrants that prohibits the use of GPS technology, a decision that experts say will make it impossible to locate their whereabouts after they’re released into the U.S. Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
News Roundup & Comment
Breaches Of Voting Machine Data Raise Worries For Midterms
Breaches Of Voting Machine Data Raise Worries For Midterms
Breaches Of Voting Machine Data Raise Worries For Midterms https://digitalarkansasnews.com/breaches-of-voting-machine-data-raise-worries-for-midterms/ ATLANTA — Sensitive voting system passwords posted online. Copies of confidential voting software available for download. Ballot-counting machines inspected by people not supposed to have access. The list of suspected security breaches at local election offices since the 2020 election keeps growing, with investigations underway in at least three states: Colorado, Georgia and Michigan. The stakes appeared to rise this week when the existence of a federal probe came to light involving a prominent loyalist to former President Donald Trump who has been promoting voting machine conspiracy theories across the country. While much remains unknown about the investigations, one of the most pressing questions is what it all could mean for security of voting machines with the midterm elections less than two months away. Election security experts say the breaches by themselves have not necessarily increased threats to the November voting. Election officials already assume hostile foreign governments might have the sensitive data, so they take precautions to protect their voting systems. The more immediate concern is the possibility that rogue election workers, including those sympathetic to lies about the 2020 presidential election, might use their access to election equipment and the knowledge gained through the breaches to launch an attack from within. That could be intended to gain an advantage for their desired candidate or party, or to introduce system problems that would sow further distrust in the election results. In some of the suspected security breaches, authorities are investigating whether local officials provided unauthorized access to people who copied software and hard drive data, and in several cases shared it publicly. After the Georgia breach, a group of election security experts said the unauthorized copying and sharing of election data from rural Coffee County presented “serious threats” to the November election. They urged the state election board to replace the touchscreen devices used throughout the state and use only hand-marked paper ballots. Harri Hursti, a leading expert in voting security, said he is concerned about another use of the breached data. Access to the voting equipment data or software can be used to develop a realistic looking video in which someone claims to have manipulated a voting system, he said. Such a fake video posted online or to social media on or after Election Day could create chaos for an election office and cause voters to challenge the accuracy of the results. “If you have those rogue images, now you can start manufacturing false, compelling evidence — false evidence of wrongdoing that never happened,” Hursti said. “You can start creating very compelling imaginary evidence.” There has been no evidence that voting machines have been manipulated, either during the 2020 election or in this year’s primaries. But conspiracy theories widely promoted among some conservatives have led to calls for replacing the machines with hand-marked and hand-counted ballots and raised concerns that they could be targeted by people working inside election offices or at polling places. The suspected breaches appear to be orchestrated or encouraged by people who falsely claim the 2020 election was stolen from Trump. In several of the cases, employees of local election offices or election boards gave access to voting systems to people who were not authorized to have it. The incidents emerged into public view after the voting system passwords for Mesa County, Colorado, were posted online, prompting a local investigation and a successful effort to replace the county clerk from overseeing elections. MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who has organized or attended forums around the U.S. peddling conspiracy theories about voting machines, said this week that he had received a subpoena from a federal grand jury investigating the breach in Colorado and was ordered to hand over his cellphone to FBI agents who approached him at a fast-food restaurant in Minnesota. “And they told me not to tell anybody,” Lindell said in a video afterward. “OK, I won’t. But I am.” Lindell and others have been traveling the country over the past year, holding events where attendees are told that voting machines have been corrupted, that officials are “selected” rather than elected and that widespread fraud cost Trump the 2020 election. In an interview with the Star Tribune of Minneapolis, Lindell said FBI agents questioned him about the Colorado breach and Dominion Voting Systems. The company provides voting equipment used in about 30 states and has had its machines targeted in the Colorado, Georgia and Michigan breaches. When agents asked him why he flies between different states, Linden told them, “I’m going to attorney generals and politicians, and I’m trying to get them to get rid of these voting machines in our country.” The Justice Department did not respond when asked for details about its investigation. Dominion has sued Lindell and others, accusing them of defamation. In a statement this week, the company said it would not comment about ongoing investigations but said its systems are secure. It noted that no credible evidence has been provided to show that its machines “did anything other than count votes accurately and reliably in all states.” The scope of the federal grand jury probe in Colorado isn’t known, but local authorities have charged Mesa County clerk Tina Peters in what they described as a “deceptive scheme which was designed to influence public servants, breach security protocols, exceed permissible access to voting equipment and set in motion the eventual distribution of confidential information to unauthorized people.” Peters has pleaded not guilty and said she had the authority to investigate concerns that the voting equipment had been manipulated. She has appeared at numerous events with Lindell over the past year, including Lindell’s “cybersymposium” last August in which a digital copy of Mesa County’s election management system was distributed. David Becker, a former U.S. Justice Department attorney who now leads the Center for Election Innovation & Research, notes the irony of those who raise alarms about voting equipment being involved in allegations of breaches of the same systems. “The people who have been attacking the integrity of elections are destroying the actual integrity of elections,” he said. ——— Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo contributed to this report. ——— Follow the AP’s voting coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/voting Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Breaches Of Voting Machine Data Raise Worries For Midterms
DeSantis Suggests More Migrant Flights Are Coming As He Defends stunt Live
DeSantis Suggests More Migrant Flights Are Coming As He Defends stunt Live
DeSantis Suggests More Migrant Flights Are Coming As He Defends ‘stunt’ – Live https://digitalarkansasnews.com/desantis-suggests-more-migrant-flights-are-coming-as-he-defends-stunt-live/ ‘Just plain wrong’: White House condemns migrant flight to Martha’s Vineyard A group of migrants flown by Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard have been transported from the island to a large shelter operation supported by state agencies in Cape Cod. Following two nights on the island, agencies are now “coordinating efforts among state and local officials to ensure access to food, shelter and essential services for these men, women and children,” according to Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s office. The governor also plans to activate up to 125 members of the Massachusetts National Guard. Mr DeSantis has faced widespread criticism after arranging flights for 50 migrants, including families with children, most of whom initially fled Venezuela, arriving unnannounced in Massachusetts. He has defended the effort, pledging that there will be “more and more” to come from a $12m state-funded programme that he has promised to “exhaust.” Immigration advocates and attorneys have suggested that the governor facilitated their kidnapping. Officials are calling on the US Department of Justice to investigate, and federal officials are reportedly discussing “litigation options” in response. Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists Email Please enter a valid email Please enter a valid email Password Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number First name Please enter your first name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters Last name Please enter your last name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters You must be over 18 years old to register You must be over 18 years old to register Year of birth I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent.  Read our Privacy notice You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. Each email has a link to unsubscribe. Already have an account? sign in Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists Email Please enter a valid email Please enter a valid email Password Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number First name Please enter your first name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters Last name Please enter your last name Special characters aren’t allowed Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters You must be over 18 years old to register You must be over 18 years old to register Year of birth I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent.  Read our Privacy notice You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. Each email has a link to unsubscribe. Already have an account? sign in Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
DeSantis Suggests More Migrant Flights Are Coming As He Defends stunt Live
Sarah Sanders Candidate For Arkansas Governor Undergoes Surgery For Thyroid Cancer
Sarah Sanders Candidate For Arkansas Governor Undergoes Surgery For Thyroid Cancer
Sarah Sanders, Candidate For Arkansas Governor, Undergoes Surgery For Thyroid Cancer https://digitalarkansasnews.com/sarah-sanders-candidate-for-arkansas-governor-undergoes-surgery-for-thyroid-cancer/ Arkansas Republican gubernatorial candidate Sarah Sanders talks to reporters at the Arkansas state Capitol in Little Rock, on Feb. 22. The former White House press secretary underwent surgery Friday for thyroid cancer. Andrew DeMillo/AP hide caption toggle caption Andrew DeMillo/AP Arkansas Republican gubernatorial candidate Sarah Sanders talks to reporters at the Arkansas state Capitol in Little Rock, on Feb. 22. The former White House press secretary underwent surgery Friday for thyroid cancer. Andrew DeMillo/AP LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, who is running for governor in Arkansas, underwent surgery Friday for thyroid cancer. Sanders announced she underwent the surgery after a biopsy earlier this month revealed that she had thyroid cancer. “Today, I underwent a successful surgery to remove my thyroid and surrounding lymph nodes and by the grace of God I am now cancer-free,” Sanders said in a statement released by her campaign. “I want to thank the Arkansas doctors and nurses for their world-class care, as well as my family and friends for their love, prayers, and support.” Sanders, 40, said she looked forward to returning to the campaign trail soon. Sanders’ last public event was at the Arkansas Razorbacks football game on Saturday. Sanders, who served as former President Donald Trump’s spokeswoman until 2019, is running against Democratic nominee Chris Jones. She is the daughter of former Gov. Mike Huckabee. Sanders, who has shattered fundraising records in the race, is heavily favored in the predominantly Republican state of Arkansas. The state’s current Republican governor, Asa Hutchinson, is leaving office in January due to term limits. A doctor for Sanders said in a statement that he expected her to be back on her feet within the next 24 hours. Dr. John R. Sims, a surgeon at CARTI Cancer Center in Little Rock, said Sanders will need adjuvant treatment with radioactive iodine and continued long follow up care. Sims said Sanders’ cancer was a stage 1 papillary thyroid carcinoma, the most common type of thyroid cancer and said she has an “excellent” prognosis. “I think it’s fair to say she’s now cancer free, and I don’t anticipate any of this slowing her down,” Sims said. During Sanders’ nearly two-year tenure at the White House, she scaled back daily televised briefings after repeatedly sparring with reporters and faced questions about her credibility. But she also earned reporters’ respect working behind the scenes to develop relationships with the media. Sanders was well known in Arkansas politics before launching her governor’s bid, going back to when she appeared in ads for her father’s campaigns. She managed Sen. John Boozman’s 2010 election and worked as an adviser to Sen. Tom Cotton’s in 2014. She’s run primarily on national issues in the Arkansas race, promising to use the governor’s office to fight President Joe Biden and the “radical left.” Read More…
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Sarah Sanders Candidate For Arkansas Governor Undergoes Surgery For Thyroid Cancer
US Senator John Boozman
US Senator John Boozman
US Senator John Boozman https://digitalarkansasnews.com/us-senator-john-boozman/ Celebrating 75 Years of the U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force has bravely fought to protect freedom, liberty and peace on every continent. As co-chair of the Senate Air Force Caucus and the son of a retired Air Force Master Sergeant, I have personally witnessed the service and sacrifice of those individuals, past and present, comprising this distinguished branch of our Armed Forces. That’s why I’m proud to recognize the 75th anniversary of the Air Force and provide ongoing support to the needs of our Airmen. Our Airmen deliver the best airpower the world has ever known, defending our nation and interests in all corners of the globe, and I’ve joined with state leaders and the congressional delegation to preserve our history and advance Arkansas’s role in ensuring our exceptional air superiority continues. We can be proud of the accomplishments of the men and women who served at Eaker Air Force Base in Blytheville supporting U.S. military efforts from World War II through Desert Storm, and we’re working to commemorate their contributions by designating it as the National Cold War Center. A few weeks ago, I met a new resident of Arkansas who moved to the state because her husband is a C-130 pilot stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base. The community at LRAFB is made up of people from around the country dedicated to serving their country because every C-130J Super Hercules pilot and crewmember receives their training here. Since 1971, central Arkansas has been “The Home of Herk Nation.” Thanks to local, state and federal efforts to strengthen and advance that mission, it will remain so for years to come. We have an obligation to ensure our facilities meet the needs of the families and men and women called to serve. As lead Republican on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, I’ve worked to secure funding for improving base dormitories so Airmen have a safe, reliable and affordable place to call home. Last year, we joined Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force JoAnne Bass to discuss updates to improve the quality of life for those in uniform. That visit underscored the necessity of additional support in the area of childcare. Investing in accommodations and childcare for military families is part of our commitment to servicemembers. I’m proud to champion a new child development center at LRAFB to meet these families’ needs. Additionally, Arkansas is poised to expand its role in our national defense with the selection of Fort Smith’s Ebbing Air National Guard Base as the Air Force’s preferred location for F-35 fighter planes and a Republic of Singapore F-16 squadron as part of the Foreign Military Sales program. This will tremendously benefit the local and state economy and it’s good for the entire country. The Fort Smith community has welcomed the leaders of Singapore to share the opportunities available for its military members and the congressional delegation has met with the Singapore Ambassador to reaffirm our commitment to working together. The connection between the Air Force and The Natural State is sturdy and deep. As we celebrate the service’s 75th anniversary and recognize the Airmen and their families who support its mission, we pay tribute to their dedication to continuing a proud legacy of honor and valor. 9-16-22 4:20 PM KAWX.ORG Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
US Senator John Boozman
John Fullbrights Social Skills Blurs Lines Between Humorous Lyrics And Serious Self-Reflection
John Fullbrights Social Skills Blurs Lines Between Humorous Lyrics And Serious Self-Reflection
John Fullbright’s “Social Skills” Blurs Lines Between Humorous Lyrics And Serious Self-Reflection https://digitalarkansasnews.com/john-fullbrights-social-skills-blurs-lines-between-humorous-lyrics-and-serious-self-reflection/ While straightforward songwriting certainly has its place in every last genre of music, it’s the sneaky, or clever, or “is this a joke or not?” kind of tunes that can really leave a lasting mark on discerning listeners. John Fullbright’s new single, “Social Skills,” is a striking example of the GRAMMY-nominated musician’s deviously masterful songcraft; combining deeply funny lyrics with a distressed delivery that leaves listeners confused about whether or not they’re supposed to laugh. “Social Skills” rides a thumping, straightforward rock groove while Fullbright links line after line of what its like to lean on one vice or another—or all of them—to cope with a lack of, you guessed it, social skills. The song’s catchy refrain is repeatedly delivered with a sing along tinge, but it’s a devastatingly honest confession from its writer: “So I drink this gin and I take these pills, just because I don’t have social skills.” The public at large hasn’t heard much from Fullbright since his critically lauded album Songs; a chasm of eight years that seemed unthinkable for someone with so much hype—including a GRAMMY nod, an Americana Music Association Emerging Artist nomination, and awards from ASCAP and the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame—surrounding his early career. “It’s been a process of learning how to be in a community of musicians and less focusing on the lone, depressed songwriter…just playing something that has a beat and is really fun,” Fullbright says. On September 30th, Fullbright is set to end the dry spell with the release of his new LP, The Liar, opening up his newfound trust in musical collaboration for the world to hear. “That’s not to say there are no songs on this record where I depart from that because there are, but there’s also a band with an opinion. And that part is new to me.” Fans can hear “Social Skills” now at this link, check out the previously-released singles “Paranoid Heart” here and “Poster Child” here, and pre-order or pre-save The Liar ahead of its release right here. A full list of Fullbright’s tour dates can be found below or at johnfullbrightmusic.com/tour. More About The Liar: The Liar was recorded at Steve and Charlene Ripley’s farm-to-studio compound in northeastern Oklahoma. After Steve’s passing, Charlene flirted with the idea of selling the studio property, so Fullbright mobilized quickly to ensure he was able to record there before it changed hands. He threw together a band made up of, as Fullbright calls them, “the usual suspects.” Anyone fleetingly familiar with Oklahoma music will recognize the roster, which includes Jesse Aycock, Aaron Boehler, Paul Wilkes, Stephen Lee, and Paddy Ryan, all of whom are in more bands than seems possible. Along with a few more friends stopping in to lay down takes, they finished the songs and tracked the album with engineer Jason Weinheimer in a whirlwind four days. “It was such a collaborative thing with some really cool voices,” Fullbright said, expressing surprise at the ease of the process. “It’s just like playing music in Tulsa. Everybody kind of does whatever they do, and it works.” The grab-and-go momentum landed Fullbright in the studio with some old songs (“Unlocked Doors” also appeared on 2009’s Live at the Blue Door), some new, and some unfinished, making his newfound trust in musical collaboration essential to the arrangements and reflected fully on the final album. The Liar, as a result, utilizes emotional and instrumental dynamics in ways Fullbright hasn’t allowed himself to explore fully before. There’s a noticeable slack here, an indulgent instrumental break there, and the general feeling that the tight-lipped John Fullbright who agonized over the writing process and then hesitated to talk about the meanings behind his songs in the past has eased up. “What rules didn’t I have?” Fullbright says about his former songwriting self. “Even like, how many syllables were in a line, I had arbitrary rules for. So much of that has gone out the door, and I’m so much happier. It’s really just the idea that you don’t have to do this by yourself. It’s so much more fun to collaborate.” The Liar Tracklist: Bearden, 1645 Paranoid Heart Stars The Liar Unlocked Doors Where We Belong Social Skills Lucky Blameless Poster Child Safe To Say Gasoline Catch John Fullbright On Tour: September 17 – Nashville, TN – AMERICANAFEST 2022 September 23 – Santa Monica, CA – McCabe’s Guitar Shop September 25 – Glen Ellen, CA – Jack London State Park September 30 – Oklahoma City, OK – Blue Door (sold out) October 1 – Oklahoma City, OK – Blue Door (sold out) October 2 –  Tulsa, OK – Fassler Hall October 7 – Dallas, TX – The Kessler Theater October 8 – Austin, TX – C-Boys Heart & Soul October 9 – The Woodlands, TX – Dosey Doe October 13 – Kansas, OK – Bushyhead Farm Fall Festival October 23 – Pittsburgh, KS – Mountain Stage October 26 – Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge October 27 – Little Rock, AR – Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack October 28 – Memphis, TN – B-Side October 29 – Nashville, TN – The Bluebird Cafe October 30 – Decatur, GA – Eddie’s Attic November 17 – New York, NY – Rockwood Music Hall November 20 – Fall River, MA – Narrows Center for the Arts December 1 – Dallas, TX – Poor David’s Pub December 2 – Austin, TX – The Saxon Pub December 3 – La Grange, TX – The Bugle Boy December 4 – Houston, TX – McGonigel’s Mucky Duck December 5 – San Antonio, TX – Sam’s Burger Joint Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
John Fullbrights Social Skills Blurs Lines Between Humorous Lyrics And Serious Self-Reflection
Breaking From WaPo: Team Trump Told NARA That All They Took Were Newspaper Clippings Sept 2021
Breaking From WaPo: Team Trump Told NARA That All They Took Were Newspaper Clippings Sept 2021
Breaking From WaPo: Team Trump Told NARA That All They Took Were Newspaper Clippings, Sept 2021 https://digitalarkansasnews.com/breaking-from-wapo-team-trump-told-nara-that-all-they-took-were-newspaper-clippings-sept-2021/ It was for their “Scrapbook of Memories” … yeah, that’s the ticket! — Also Mark Meadows was directing the office clearing, in the final 2 weeks of the Loser’s demise. White House Counsel Philbin confirms that according to Meadows, only 12 boxes of Newspaper Clippings had been moved to Mar-o-Lago. And that they had no idea about the missing documents. Months before National Archives officials found hundreds of classified docs at Trump’s home, Archives officials were given reassurances that none of the material was sensitive or classified and that Trump only had boxes of “news clippings.” Scoop: In a 9/21 phone call w top Archives lawyer, Trump lawyer Pat Philbin said he spoke w Mark Meadows who made the assertion that there were only 12 boxes of “news clippings” at MAL, they were unaware of other missing records & nothing was destroyed https://t.co/4ga8R5RgfY — Jacqueline Alemany (@JaxAlemany) September 16, 2022 ‘ readability=”7.0324483775811″ x Scoop: In a 9/21 phone call w top Archives lawyer, Trump lawyer Pat Philbin said he spoke w Mark Meadows who made the assertion that there were only 12 boxes of “news clippings” at MAL, they were unaware of other missing records & nothing was destroyed https://t.co/4ga8R5RgfY — Jacqueline Alemany (@JaxAlemany) September 16, 2022 In Sept 2021, Trump’s lawyer told Nat’l Archives he only had 12 boxes at Mar-a-Lago & materials were all “news clippings.” The lawyer said his info came from Mark Meadows. Hundreds of classified docs & far more boxes were found
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Breaking From WaPo: Team Trump Told NARA That All They Took Were Newspaper Clippings Sept 2021
Georgia 2020 Election Inquiry May Lead To Prison Sentences Prosecutor Says
Georgia 2020 Election Inquiry May Lead To Prison Sentences Prosecutor Says
Georgia 2020 Election Inquiry May Lead To Prison Sentences, Prosecutor Says https://digitalarkansasnews.com/georgia-2020-election-inquiry-may-lead-to-prison-sentences-prosecutor-says/ From left: Former President Donald Trump, Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rudi Giuliani. (Washington Post) ATLANTA — The prosecutor investigating efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to challenge the 2020 election results in Georgia said this week that her team has heard credible allegations that serious crimes have been committed and that she believes some individuals may see jail time. “The allegations are very serious. If indicted and convicted, people are facing prison sentences,” Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis told The Washington Post. No decision will be made for months on whether there will be indictments – and, most notably, if Trump himself will face charges. At least 17 people have been notified they are targets of the criminal investigation, meaning they could eventually face charges. And more targets will be added to the list soon, Willis said in an interview Tuesday in her Atlanta office. Willis would not discuss any of the targets by name and has not said if she’s willing to charge the former president. Trump could be called to appear as a witness before the special grand jury that was convened this spring as part of the investigation, Willis said Tuesday. “A decision is going to have to be made,” she said on whether to seek Trump’s testimony, “and I imagine it’s going to be made late this fall.” So far, the group of known targets includes former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and the state’s 16 would-be Trump electors who created unofficial documents proclaiming Trump as the winner of Georgia’s electoral votes, even though he lost the state. Lawyers for Giuliani and the electors have denied any wrongdoing. Lawyers for the electors say their clients followed the law and made clear they met as a contingency measure as they waited for a court to rule on a challenge to the Georgia vote. Trump said during a Thursday interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that he hasn’t received any target letters “at all” in ongoing criminal investigations. He denied involvement in the multistate plan by Republicans to send the names of Trump electors to Washington, but said such alternate elector slates were “very common.” The Fulton County investigation is far from the only inquiry into Trump’s conduct around the 2020 election. The House select committee investigating Jan. 6 has looked extensively at the electors scheme and other matters. The Justice Department is investigating Trump’s actions related to the election as part of a federal grand jury probe. In addition to investigating the Trump electors’ actions, Willis is looking at potential criminal wrongdoing in calls Trump and his allies made to Georgia officials, false statements made to lawmakers, harassment of election officials and the tampering of election systems in one county in southern Georgia. Willis said she anticipates wrapping up the fact-finding stage of the inquiry before the end of the year, even as she continues to expand its reach. She said the probe will stop public activities, such as calling witnesses, for the month leading to the general election. When the special grand jury has finished hearing from witnesses, it is expected to provide Willis with a report that could include recommendations for indictments. She will then decide which individuals, if any, to charge. Willis’s open and frank assessment is unusual for a prosecutor, as such high-profile investigations are often shrouded in secrecy. Her approach in this inquiry has drawn criticism from some in the legal community, and it contrasts with the general reticence of Attorney General Merrick Garland. Willis said she believes transparency is a requirement of her job. Her latest comments come as Republicans in Georgia – including the state’s governor – have complained that her investigation is politically motivated, a claim Willis, a Democrat, denies. She noted that there was no grand jury activity during the period of the state’s primary election this spring and that she plans a similar quiet period starting Oct. 7 in advance of the November midterms. “I didn’t want people to claim that this was some political stunt that we were doing to impact the election,” she said. Willis said that the special grand jury has interviewed about 65 percent of the dozens of witnesses whose testimony has been sought by prosecutors. “I’m pleased with where it is. I think we’re moving along at a really good speed,” Willis said, adding she was not concerned that some witnesses, including Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), have resisted appearing before the grand jury. “We are going to be done calling witnesses by the end of this year. Period,” she said. The probe has already seen appearances from many high-profile witnesses, including Giuliani, who was informed last month that he is a target. Giuliani’s lawyer, Robert Costello, declined to comment on Willis’s latest remarks. In addition to Giuliani, Willis has notified 16 would-be Trump electors from Georgia that they, too, are targets of the probe. In the past, lawyers for some of the electors suggested their clients would have cooperated with the inquiry had Willis not identified them as targets. The lawyers declined to comment on Willis’s latest remarks. In the interview, Willis said she fleetingly hoped she would not have to open the 2020 election inquiry at all. She had been in office only a couple of days in early January 2021 when news reports from The Post and others described Trump’s call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) urging him to “find” additional votes to overcome Joe Biden’s lead in Georgia. Willis said she quickly realized she would have to investigate the alleged election interference. “I understood that if this occurred in Fulton County, it is serious enough that it needed to be looked at,” she said. Since then, Willis’s probe has grown and represents – along with a ramped up federal inquiry – a serious threat that criminal charges could be brought against Trump and his allies. Trump has criticized Willis on social media as a “young, ambitious, Radical Left Democrat … who is presiding over one of the most Crime Ridden and Corrupt places in the USA.” Willis says she is undeterred by such criticism and by the regular threats directed against her. Court filings and interviews indicate her team continues to examine several key themes. First, they are pursuing whether there were violations of Georgia law prohibiting false statements to government officials. Those statutes could apply to Giuliani and other Trump campaign advisers who cited evidence – later debunked – of widespread election fraud when speaking to Georgia legislative committees. Second, Willis is examining the calls made by Trump and others to Georgia officials after the election. In court filings, Willis has cited a Georgia statute prohibiting the solicitation of election fraud. Third, prosecutors have been pursuing the effort to send the names of would-be Trump electors from Georgia to Washington. Prosecutors are interested in whether sending official Trump electors from battleground states was part of an organized effort to give Vice President Mike Pence a reason to declare that the outcome of the election was in doubt when he presided over the congressional counting of electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021. Two weeks ago, Willis filed a petition seeking testimony from Boris Epshteyn, a lawyer who worked closely with Giuliani during the post- election period. The petition said Epshteyn “possesses unique knowledge” of “efforts by the Trump Campaign to submit false certificates of vote to former vice president Michael Pence and others.” Last week, Epshteyn and Giuliani were among those named in a federal subpoena seeking information about the plan to submit slates of would-be Trump electors from Georgia and other states. Willis in recent weeks has added new items to her investigative agenda, including seeking detailed information about threats made to an election worker. In December 2020, according to her court filings, Trump allies pressured and threatened Ruby Freeman, a Fulton County elections worker. Willis declined to comment on recent filings related to pressure on Freeman except to say: “I hate a bully. Obviously, I think we would find it offensive to bully an election official to influence an election.” Finally, Willis has expanded her probe to investigate whether election systems were improperly breached in Coffee County, Ga. That interest was initially disclosed in documents seeking testimony from Sidney Powell, a lawyer who worked for the Trump campaign after the 2020 election. The Post was the first to report on the effort by Powell and other Trump allies to copy Coffee County’s restricted election systems data. The effort occurred as Trump allies focused publicly on voting machines, making the case that they were part of a plot to rig the election for Biden. Willis’s petition for an appearance by Powell noted that, in addition to Coffee County, there is evidence indicating that Powell was “involved in similar efforts in Michigan and Nevada” during the same time that the Coffee County elections systems were supposedly breached. Powell did not respond to a request for comment. Willis has suggested that this complex of activity – from organizing Trump electors to making false statements to applying pressure on local election officials – could be prosecuted under Georgia’s conspiracy and anti-racketeering laws. State anti-racketeering laws, known as Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act or RICO, were enacted decades ago as a legal tool to fight organized crime. Georgia’s RICO statute has been used by Willis and others to prosecute an array of high-profile cases. In 2014, Willis was one of the lead prosecu...
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Georgia 2020 Election Inquiry May Lead To Prison Sentences Prosecutor Says
AP News Summary At 4:47 P.m. EDT
AP News Summary At 4:47 P.m. EDT
AP News Summary At 4:47 P.m. EDT https://digitalarkansasnews.com/ap-news-summary-at-447-p-m-edt/ Trump openly embraces, amplifies QAnon conspiracy theories Donald Trump is increasingly embracing and endorsing the QAnon conspiracy theory, even as the number of frightening real-world events linked to the movement rises. Using his Truth Social platform, Trump this week reposted an image of himself overlaid with the words “the Storm is Coming.” In QAnon lore, the storm refers to Trump’s final victory, when his opponents supposedly will be tried and possibly executed. It’s among dozens of recent Q-related posts from the Republican former president, who also ended a rally with a QAnon song. Experts who study QAnon say Trump may be trying to rally his most stalwart supporters as investigations into his conduct escalate. Ukrainian president: Burial site contains torture victims IZIUM, Ukraine (AP) — Investigators searching through a mass burial site in Ukraine have found evidence that some of the dead were tortured, including bodies with broken limbs and ropes around their necks. That’s according to Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy, who spoke Friday. The site near Izium was recently recaptured from Russian forces. It appears to be one of the largest of its kind discovered in Ukraine. Zelenskyy rushed out a video statement just hours after the exhumations began, apparently to underscore the gravity of the discovery. Putin vows to press attack on Ukraine; courts India, China SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to press his attack against Ukraine despite its latest counteroffensive. Speaking to reporters Friday after attending a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan, Putin said the “liberation” of Ukraine’s entire eastern Donbas region remained Russia’s main military goal and that there was no need to revise it. Putin says “we aren’t in a rush,” adding that Russia has only deployed volunteer soldiers to fight in Ukraine. Asked about the Ukrainian counteroffensive that forced Russian forces to withdraw from large swaths of northeastern Ukraine last week, Putin replied: “Let’s how it develops and how it ends.” Surprise is key part of migrant travel from Florida, Texas EDGARTOWN, Mass. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took the playbook of a fellow Republican, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, to a new level by catching officials flat-footed in Martha’s Vineyard with two planeloads of Venezuelan migrants. An immigration attorney says the migrants had “no idea of where they were going or where they were.” Providing little or no information is part of the plan. On Friday, the migrants were being moved voluntarily to a military base on nearby Cape Cod. Before going to the wealthy Massachusetts island, a woman in San Antonio showered them with gifts and promised jobs and housing. King stands vigil; Wait to see queen’s coffin hits 24 hours LONDON (AP) — A surging tide of people — ranging from London retirees to former England soccer captain David Beckham — have lined up to file past Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin as it lies in state at Parliament. So many have shown up that authorities called a temporary halt Friday to others joining the miles-long queue. The waiting line reopened late Friday afternoon. Still the British government warned the waiting time to see the queen’s coffin had climbed to more than 24 hours. King Charles III on Friday visited Llandaff Cathedral in Wales for a prayer service in honor of his late mother. Later in the evening, Charles and his three siblings stood vigil around queen’s flag-draped coffin in London. Breaches of voting machine data raise worries for midterms ATLANTA (AP) — The revelation earlier this week that federal prosecutors are involved in investigations of suspected voting system breaches across the U.S. is fueling questions about the security of voting machines just two months before the midterm elections. Security breaches at election offices in Colorado, Georgia and Michigan have been sometimes aided by local officials who allowed unauthorized access to people who copied software and hard drive data, and in several cases shared it publicly. Security experts say the breaches by themselves have not necessarily increased threats to the November elections, but say they increase the possibility that rogue election workers could access election equipment to launch attacks. Arizona Legislature won’t defend law limiting police filming PHOENIX (AP) — The Republican leaders of the Arizona Legislature won’t try to defend a new law limiting up-close filming of police that has been blocked by a federal judge. The decision essentially ends the fight over the contentious proposal, although the Republican sponsor says he may push a revised measure next year. The judge gave the Republican leaders until Friday to decide if they wanted their lawyers to intervene after the state attorney general refused to defend the law. The judge agreed with the ACLU and press groups that it violates the First Amendment and temporarily blocked it last week. The groups will now seek a permanent injunction. Racism seen as root of water crisis in Mississippi capital JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A boil-water advisory has been lifted for Mississippi’s capital, and the state will stop handing out free bottled water on Saturday. But the crisis isn’t over. Water pressure still hasn’t been fully restored in Jackson, and some residents say their tap water still comes out looking dirty and smelling like sewage. Carey Wooten says even her dog won’t drink it. Jackson’s treatment plants need billions in repairs, the mayor says. Many blame systemic racism as the root cause. The tax base plummeted after white people moved to the suburbs in response to school desegregation, and government policies denied resources to the Black and poor people who stayed in the city. Sarah Sanders undergoes surgery for thyroid cancer LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Former White House press secretary and Arkansas gubernatorial hopeful Sarah Sanders is recovering after undergoing surgery for thyroid cancer. Sanders said she underwent the surgery to remove her thyroid and surrounding lymph nodes. She said she planned to return to the campaign trail soon. Sanders served as former President Donald Trump’s chief spokeswoman until 2019. She is running against Democratic nominee Chris Jones in the solidly Republican state. Her dad is former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. After serious breach, Uber says services operational The ride-hailing service Uber says all its services are operational following what security professionals are calling a major data breach. It says there is no evidence the hacker got access to sensitive user data such as trip history. A hacker, who appears to have been working alone, announced the breach on Thursday after apparently tricking an Uber employee into providing credentials. Screenshots the hacker shared with security researchers indicate they obtained full access to the cloud-based systems where Uber stores sensitive customer and financial data. It is not known how much data the hacker took. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
AP News Summary At 4:47 P.m. EDT
Democrats Will Continue To Play The 'Not Trump' Card Intensively In Midterms And Beyond: Strategists
Democrats Will Continue To Play The 'Not Trump' Card Intensively In Midterms And Beyond: Strategists
Democrats Will Continue To Play The 'Not Trump' Card Intensively In Midterms And Beyond: Strategists https://digitalarkansasnews.com/democrats-will-continue-to-play-the-not-trump-card-intensively-in-midterms-and-beyond-strategists/ News Analysis In the coming midterms, Democrats believe their best hope is to position themselves as the only alternative to Trump and his brand of Republicanism, according to political strategists. Democrat candidates and their supporters, they say, are hoping that the furor around former President Donald Trump’s alleged storing of sensitive documents in Mar-a-Lago, as well as his alleged role in the events of Jan. 6 will not abate even slightly between now and the November midterm elections, and will distract voters from the Democrats’ shortcomings, particularly with regard to the economy. Even in battleground states where a variety of Republican candidates competed in this week’s primary elections, Democrats are acting as if their best bet is to paint all Republicans as nascent or actual extremists and to capitalize on some voters’ dissatisfaction with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the strategists argue. President Joe Biden and his party have come in for severe criticism for their handling of the economy and for an inflation report credited with bringing about the stock market’s worst day of 2022 on Sept. 13, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down nearly 1,300 points. Some economists view the highest inflation in four decades as a function of the Biden administration’s expansionist monetary policy, which they argue has led to too much money chasing too few goods. For fiscal year 2022 as a whole, the federal budget deficit is projected to be $1 trillion. These dismal figures may motivate GOP voters as much as, or more than the court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization will drive Democrat turnout, strategists predict. In this context, Democrats are quick to seize on any potentially bad news for Trump as good news for their embattled party. Indeed, for some Democrats, the ongoing investigation of Trump’s alleged legal and financial violations may help cast the midterms as a referendum not only on the current president and his economic performance, but on Trump and those Republicans who, they claim, fit the same mold. Given the severity of Biden’s problems, Democrats will do their best to exploit charges and allegations against Trump to their fullest political advantage whether or not the attacks have merit, strategists say. “Every day brings the risk of more bad news about Trump, which splashes mud on every Republican. The Dobbs ruling is known and GOP candidates either get on the right side of the issue or shift to the economy, which is a bigger deal for most voters,” Keith Naughton, a political consultant and the director of Germantown, Maryland-based Silent Majority Strategies, told The Epoch Times. Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in N.Y. on Aug. 9, 2022, the day after FBI agents raided his Mar-a-Lago Palm Beach home, in Fla. (David ‘Dee’ Delgado/Reuters) A Double-Edged Sword? Mark C. Smith, a professor of political science and Director of the Center for Political Studies at Cedarville University in Ohio, acknowledges Trump’s continuing prominence within the GOP and his popularity with many Republican voters. This has helped make the coming elections, in large part, what some voters in either party would like it to be: a Trump-Biden rematch as much as a spate of House, Senate, and gubernatorial races. “Unlike other losing presidential candidates, Trump has maintained a strong presence within his party. He is endorsing candidates, raising funds, and holding rallies. This changes the dynamic of the midterm,” Smith told The Epoch Times. “Interestingly, the Democrats are happy if Trump continues to headline for Republicans. While popular within the GOP, Trump is toxic for independent voters, and he runs poorly with college-educated white voters, as well as suburban women. In light of his recent legal troubles, Democrats are fine with Trump’s expanded role, Smith said. But given the severity of the economic problems and other factors, Smith does not believe that the Democrats’ strategy of decrying Trump’s alleged extremism, and that of “Trump-y” candidates in local issues, will succeed. “If we consider the political climate, this should be a huge election for Republicans. A relatively unpopular president and a struggling economy, in addition to foreign affairs instability, should put the GOP in a strong position,” said Smith. While the electoral math of midterm contests varies, it is possible to identify a statistical mean when looking at long-term trends, Smith argued. “On average, the party out of power picks up around 26 House seats, and five or six Senate seats. To the degree this election is normal, it will be good for Republicans and they will take both houses of Congress,” he said. While turnout in midterm elections is often low compared to presidential elections, Lonny Leitner, vice president of the government affairs firm LS2 Group, which has offices in Iowa and Minnesota, believes that the Mar-a-Lago raid has backfired and that its findings will not dissuade GOP voters. “I spent a few days out at the Minnesota State Fair, and I can count on one hand how many times someone brought up the fact that they were concerned about the FBI raid, which tells me it is yet another failed attempt by the Democrats to end Trump once and for all. When will they learn?” Leitner told The Epoch Times. It was far more common for people he encountered at the fair to voice serious concerns over inflation, fuel prices, out-of-control crime, and the crisis at the border with Mexico, Leitner said. The Case of New Hampshire To understand the Democrats’ approach, it is useful to look at one state in particular that has been fiercely contested in recent election years, namely New Hampshire, believes Andrew Smith, Director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center and an expert on elections and electoral methodology. Smith believes that New Hampshire is not as politically conservative as its reputation and famous license plate motto (“Live Free or Die”) might lead some people to believe. “New Hampshire’s electorate is divided between Republicans and Democrats. Democrats generally have a little bit of an advantage in presidential elections, but it’s not that big an advantage in midterm elections with a Democrat president,” Smith told The Epoch Times. “It’s also a state with higher levels of education and income than most states, and it’s a suburban state,” he said, noting a large proportion of its population lives in the suburbs surrounding Boston. “In that sense, it’s similar to other suburban areas of the northeast that lean Democrat. It’s not a Republican state, that’s a myth,” he added. Generalizations In the GOP primary elections held in New Hampshire on Sept. 13, Karoline Leavitt won the race for the first congressional district against a field of rivals including Matt Mowers, Gail Huff Brown, and Russell Prescott, with 34 percent of the vote compared to 25 percent, 17 percent, and 10 percent respectively. In the second congressional district race, Robert Burns scored a victory with 33 percent of the vote versus 29 percent for George Hansel, 25 percent for Lily Tang Williams, and smaller numbers for other competitors. In the Senate primary, former military officer Donald Bolduc, who hopes to unseat Democrat Senator Maggie Hassan in November, barely edged out his GOP rival Chuck Morse, winning 37.1 percent of the vote to Morse’s 35.8 percent. In the GOP gubernatorial primary, incumbent Chris Sununu easily trounced all his rivals, winning 78 percent of the vote. The winning candidates come from a wide variety of backgrounds and have diverse views and ideologies. Leavitt is a former assistant press secretary in the Trump administration, Burns is an entrepreneur and former treasurer of a New Hampshire county, while Sununu has a reputation as a moderate Republican who helped secure funding for a cause championed by Democrats, namely state funding for full-day kindergarten. While some in the media may wish to associate Bolduc with Trump, it is important to remember that he lost New Hampshire’s 2020 Senate primary to Trump-endorsed candidate Corky Messner, Smith said. In spite of the eclecticism of these candidates and the impossibility of categorizing them all as strictly “Trump-y” figures, Smith argued, Democrats will treat the candidates in New Hampshire and other states as Republicans in the Trump mode in the hope of wooing the roughly 42 percent of voters in the state who register as independents. Smith said that the tactic put to use in New Hampshire is a microcosm of a broad political strategy. “Democrats are going to use all these candidates’ connection with Trump—whether it’s there or not—as arguments to vote against them. But that’s true across the country. Democrats are running as if Trump is still in office,” he commented. With the tricky position in which Democrats find themselves amid so much bad economic news, they place their hopes in controversies around a figure who remains powerful and influential within the GOP. “All the Mar-a-Lago stuff, they’re praying that will go on until after the midterm elections, because they’re running at a moment when the president is not very popular, and that’s a difficult place to be, as we saw in 2010 and 2014,” Smith continued. In the New Hampshire races in November 2010, Republican candidates won both the congressional districts contested in this week’s primaries, though they did not win the governorship, Smith noted. Looking at the 2010 midterm elections nationally, Republicans won a majority in the House of Representatives, which they held onto in 2014 in addition to winning majority control of the Senate. The ‘Extremism’ Charge Since the spring, when predictions widely f...
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Democrats Will Continue To Play The 'Not Trump' Card Intensively In Midterms And Beyond: Strategists
Special Master For Seized Trump Records Seen As Minor Setback For Feds
Special Master For Seized Trump Records Seen As Minor Setback For Feds
Special Master For Seized Trump Records Seen As Minor Setback For Feds https://digitalarkansasnews.com/special-master-for-seized-trump-records-seen-as-minor-setback-for-feds/ “There is no chance all of the documents found at Mar-a-Lago are protected by the attorney-client or executive privileges,” one legal expert said. WASHINGTON (CN) — A federal judge in Florida has appointed a semi-retired New York federal judge as special master to review records seized from former President Donald Trump’s home and denied the government’s request to keep using them in its investigation, causing a delay that one legal expert sees as only a minor setback. Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told Courthouse News on Friday that Senior U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie’s appointment will not affect the Department of Justice’s investigation into national defense information stored at Trump’s south Florida resort home, “aside from delaying it.” “There is no chance all of the documents found at Mar-a-Lago are protected by the attorney-client or executive privileges,” Rahmani said. As a neutral third party, Dearie will be tasked with reviewing the thousands of documents seized during the FBI’s Aug. 8 raid on Trump’s estate to make sure personal items and any records protected by attorney-client privilege or executive privilege are returned. The former president brought the motion for judicial oversight last month and U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, granted his request for a special master last week – prompting swift appeal to the 11th Circuit by the Department of Justice, which also filed a motion to stay part of her order. The department argued in its motion that investigators should be allowed to continue using the roughly 100 documents identified as classified by the government in its criminal probe while the appeal plays out in court. Government attorneys insisted pausing the probe would cause irreparable harm and that classification markings on the seized documents establish that they are government property, not Trump’s personal records. But Cannon disagreed in her 10-page order on Thursday. “Indeed, if the Court were willing to accept the Government’s representations that select portions of the seized materials are—without exception—government property not subject to any privileges, and did not think a special master would serve a meaningful purpose, the Court would have denied Plaintiff’s special master request,” the judge wrote. She said the DOJ also failed to provide concrete examples of potential harm it may face without access to the purportedly classified documents and instead relies “heavily on hypothetical scenarios and generalized explanations that do not establish irreparable injury.” “This restriction is not out of step with the logical approach approved and used for special master review in other cases,” according to Cannon, who said it is “often with the consent of the government.” “And it is warranted here to reinforce the value of the Special Master, to protect against unwarranted disclosure and use of potentially privileged and personal material pending completion of the review process, and to ensure public trust,” she wrote. In appointing Dearie, who was suggested by Trump’s legal team and unopposed by the government, Cannon wrote that she will direct him to prioritize review of the purportedly classified documents sought by the Justice Department. Dearie is a former chief federal judge for the Eastern District of New York who is semi-retired with senior status at the Brooklyn federal court. As Rahmani sees it, the classification dispute is a “red herring” that will not impact potential charges under the Espionage Act or Presidential Records Act. He pointed out that Cannon’s ruling requires Dearie to resolve any privilege disputes by November, “if the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals doesn’t step in before then.” “Attorney General Merrick Garland will then need to make the ultimate decision of whether to charge Trump or not,” Rahmani said. Trump is under investigation for removing government records from the White House at the end of his single term as president on Jan. 20, 2021, and storing them at his 12-acre Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach.  According to the FBI affidavit unsealed last month, agents obtained a warrant to search his home based on probable cause “that evidence of obstruction will be found.” Trump, for his part, denies any wrongdoing and he told “The Hugh Hewitt Show” on Thursday that his indictment would result in “problems.” “I think you’d have problems in this country the likes of which perhaps we’ve never seen before,” he said during the radio interview. “I don’t think the people of the United States would stand for it.” Trump said a potential indictment wouldn’t stop him from running for president again in 2024 if he decides to launch another campaign. Read the Top 8 Sign up for the Top 8, a roundup of the day’s top stories delivered directly to your inbox Monday through Friday. Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Special Master For Seized Trump Records Seen As Minor Setback For Feds
Sunny Singh Named Director Of UAMS Baptist Health Cancer Center In North Little Rock The Cancer Letter
Sunny Singh Named Director Of UAMS Baptist Health Cancer Center In North Little Rock The Cancer Letter
Sunny Singh Named Director Of UAMS Baptist Health Cancer Center In North Little Rock – The Cancer Letter https://digitalarkansasnews.com/sunny-singh-named-director-of-uams-baptist-health-cancer-center-in-north-little-rock-the-cancer-letter/ Sunny R. K. Singh has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute as a hematologist/oncologist and director of the UAMS Baptist Health Cancer Center in North Little Rock. To access this subscriber-only content please log in or renew your subscription. Looking for IP Login? Our IP Login system is now automatic. If your institution has a site license, please log in from on site or via your VPN to access this content. Login Subscribe VCU Massey Cancer Center will serve as the National Program Office for the Alliance for Equity in Cancer Care, an initiative funded by the Merck Foundation and designed to make cancer care more equitable in the U.S. by helping cancer patients living in underserved communities receive timely access to high-quality, culturally responsive care.  Jonathan Laryea, chief of the Division of Colorectal Surgery in the Department of Surgery and medical director of cancer services at UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute was named the Nolie and Norma Mumey Endowed Chair in Surgery in a Sept. 7 ceremony. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health will conduct trainings for faculty and students in health care programs offered at colleges or universities in Arkansas to address unconscious biases in health care. The trainings are supported by a $600,000 grant from the CDC. NCI has awarded a five-year, $13.3 million grant to a collaborative study on sequential combinations of targeted inhibitors and immunotherapies against cancer.  Kevin Campbell was named chief information officer of the Translational Genomics Research Institute, part of City of Hope. City of Hope has received a $25 million gift from Julia and George Argyros, longtime City of Hope supporters.  Read More…
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Sunny Singh Named Director Of UAMS Baptist Health Cancer Center In North Little Rock The Cancer Letter
Kyrgyzstan Reports Heavy Fighting With Tajikistan Says Casualties High
Kyrgyzstan Reports Heavy Fighting With Tajikistan Says Casualties High
Kyrgyzstan Reports Heavy Fighting With Tajikistan, Says Casualties High https://digitalarkansasnews.com/kyrgyzstan-reports-heavy-fighting-with-tajikistan-says-casualties-high/ A view shows a burnt armoured personnel carrier of Kyrgyz forces near Golovnoi water distribution facility outside the village of Kok-Tash in Batken province, Kyrgyzstan May 5, 2021. The clashes broke out last week along the frontier between Tajikistan’s Sughd province and Kyrgyzstan’s southern Batken province because of a dispute over a reservoir and pump, claimed by both sides, on the Isfara River. REUTERS/Vladimir Pirogov/File Photo Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Kyrgyz, Tajik leaders meet, agree on ceasefire Fighting escalated from shootouts to tanks and rocket artillery Kyrgyzstan says Tajik troops entered Kyrgyz village Conflict stems from disputed border BISHKEK, Sept 16 (Reuters) – Kyrgyzstan reported “intense battles” with Tajikistan on Friday and said its Central Asian neighbour was moving forces and equipment to the border in the latest outbreak of violence to hit the former Soviet Union. Both of the small impoverished landlocked nations have accused each other of restarting fighting in a disputed area, despite a ceasefire deal. In a statement, the Kyrgyz border service said its forces were continuing to repel Tajik attacks. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com “From the Tajik side, shelling of the positions of the Kyrgyz side continues, and in some areas intense battles are going on,” it said. Kamchybek Tashiev, the head of the Kyrgyz state committee on national security, was quoted by Russia’s RIA news agency as saying military casualties had been high. “The situation is difficult and as for what will happen tomorrow – no one can give any guarantees,” he said. Thousands of people have already been forced to evacuate. Separately, RIA cited a source as saying that 17 people, including 11 Kyrgyz border guards, had been killed. Earlier in the day Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmon agreed to order a ceasefire and troop pullback at a regional summit in Uzbekistan, Japarov’s office said. Kyrgyzstan reported fighting in its southern Batken province which borders Tajikistan’s northern Sughd region and features a Tajik exclave, Vorukh, a key hotspot in recent conflicts. The same area is famous for its jigsaw-puzzle political and ethnic geography and became the site of similar hostilities last year, also nearly leading to a war. Clashes over the poorly demarcated border are frequent, but usually de-escalate quickly. SOVIET LEGACY Border issues in Central Asia stem to a large extent from the Soviet era when Moscow tried to divide the region between ethnic groups whose settlements were often located amidst those of other ethnicities. Both countries host Russian military bases. Earlier on Friday, Moscow urged a cessation of hostilities. The clashes come at a time when Russian troops are fighting in Ukraine and a new ceasefire appears to be holding between former Soviet states Armenia and Azerbaijan. Kyrgyzstan has said that Tajik forces using tanks, armoured personnel carriers and mortars entered at least one Kyrgyz village and shelled the airport of the Kyrgyz town of Batken and adjacent areas. About 18,500 people have already left the area, Russia’s RIA news agency cited the Red Cross as saying. In turn, Tajikistan accused Kyrgyz forces of shelling an outpost and seven villages with “heavy weaponry”. Temur Umarov, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace focussing on Central Asia, said the remote, agricultural villages at the centre of the dispute are not economically significant, but that both sides have given it an exaggerated political importance. Umarov said that governments in both Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have come to rely on what he called “populist, nationalist rhetoric” that made an exchange of territory aimed at ending the conflict impossible. Another Central Asia analyst, Alexander Knyazev, said the sides showed no will to resolve the conflict peacefully and the mutual territorial claims provoked aggressive attitudes on all levels. He said only third-party peacekeepers could prevent further conflicts by establishing a demilitarised zone in the area. (This story refiles to fix advisory line; adds Kyrgyz reports of heavy fighting Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Olga Dzyubenko; Additional reporting by Nazarali Pirnazarov in Dushanbe and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge, Frank Jack Daniel, Raju Gopalakrishnan, William Maclean and Jonathan Oatis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Kyrgyzstan Reports Heavy Fighting With Tajikistan Says Casualties High
Legal Troubles For Jeffrey Clark Eyed For AG By Trump Come Into Focus
Legal Troubles For Jeffrey Clark Eyed For AG By Trump Come Into Focus
Legal Troubles For Jeffrey Clark, Eyed For AG By Trump, Come Into Focus https://digitalarkansasnews.com/legal-troubles-for-jeffrey-clark-eyed-for-ag-by-trump-come-into-focus/ It was nearly three months ago when we learned federal investigators had descended on Jeffrey Clark’s home, as part of a Justice Department investigation into the Republican scheme to overturn the 2020 election. It was obvious at the time that the former DOJ official was facing some serious legal troubles. This week, the nature of those troubles came into focus. NBC News reported: Federal agents who seized former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark’s phone in June were looking for evidence of crimes of making false statements, criminal conspiracy and obstruction of justice, according to a new filing. Clark … told officials with the Washington, D.C., bar that the search warrant for seizure of his electronic devices was connected to a criminal investigation into violations of three federal laws. The report added that the filing came in connection with a disciplinary case brought against Clark over by the D.C. Bar’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel. I’m mindful of the fact that when it comes to the post-election scandal, there are a lot of players from Trump World to keep track of, but when it comes to understanding the plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election, few people are as important as Clark. For those who may need a refresher, let’s circle back to our earlier coverage. In late 2020, Clark was the acting head of the Justice Department’s civil division. Donald Trump, however, had a different role in mind for him: The outgoing president considered a plan in which he’d fire the acting attorney general, Jeffrey Rosen, and replace him with Clark as part of a scheme to ramp up the Justice Department’s anti-election efforts. Trump was prepared to do this because Clark, unlike Rosen, was telling the then-president what he wanted to hear about keeping him in power, despite his defeat. Indeed, Clark sketched out a map for Republican legislators to follow as part of the partisan plot, even as he quietly pressed Trump to put him in charge of the Justice Department. Trump ultimately backed away from the plan to make Clark the acting A.G., not because the plan was stark raving mad — though it certainly was — but because the Justice Department’s senior leadership team threatened to resign en masse if Rosen was ousted. Trump decided such tumult would “eclipse any attention on his baseless accusations of voter fraud.” This wasn’t just some random thought experiment. The New York Times reported last year that there was a “bizarre” presidential meeting in January 2021 in which Rosen and Clark made competing presentations, which “officials compared with an episode of Mr. Trump’s reality show ‘The Apprentice,’ albeit one that could prompt a constitutional crisis.” Not surprisingly, the bipartisan House committee investigating Jan. 6 came up with a few questions for Clark. Their first interaction didn’t go especially well: Investigators sat down with the Republican lawyer in November, but according to the panel, he was not cooperative. In fact, Clark reportedly asserted attorney-client privilege, despite the fact that Trump was never Clark’s client. That was last fall. A few months later, investigators tried again, and by some accounts, Clark pleaded the Fifth — more than 100 times. Now, according to the lawyer’s own account, he’s facing a federal criminal investigation into alleged false statements, obstruction of justice, and criminal conspiracy. Watch this space. Steve Benen is a producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He’s also the bestselling author of “The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics.” Read More Here
·digitalarkansasnews.com·
Legal Troubles For Jeffrey Clark Eyed For AG By Trump Come Into Focus